India

India. The word evokes many images. A land of more than one billion people reaching from the vast Indian Ocean to the stunning Himalayas, India is awash in unparalleled color and beauty. Few locales in the world match its stimulating effect on the five senses — the exotic sights, a cacophony of sound, and exotic smells, tastes, and sensations of a vibrant place. The essence of “India” goes far beyond its exotic, and at times mystical, reputation. Its reality is far more complex that its ecologically diverse geography with dry deserts, towering peaks, and subtropical lowlands; ancient history spanning centuries of kingdoms and modern incarnation; and cultural and spiritual enclaves offer the casual eye at first glance. India is a country in the midst of change that honors its rich heritage as it establishes itself as one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing economies in the world. Millions of tourists journey to India each year to see it for themselves, drawn by the lure of Taj Mahal in Agra, the Golden Triangle, the Land of Kings, Rajasthan, Kerala, and elsewhere. Most soon discover that India is so much more than that. It is a home to countless languages, religions, and traditions — even gods. It’s impossible to absorb it all in just one visit. One must take a pilgrimage or a life-changing experience to begin to understand what India personally means.

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Click here to read the original article by MG Edwards. Visit MG Edwards for travelogues, photos and videos from around the world.

Thoughts & Sayings (October 2012)

Here are some thoughts and sayings I posted on Twitter and/or Facebook in September. To my knowledge, I made these up (for better or for worse). Sit back, relax, and enjoy the write!

Encouraging Words

1. Keep on peddling, but don’t oversell.

2. I may bite my tongue if I say something tongue in cheek.

3. I have champagne tastes but a beer budget and had to trade my flute for a mug.

4. If technology were a pet, I would send it to obedience training.

5. After two failed attempts, I’m back to fail again.

Twisted Words

6. One person’s junk is another’s Chinese vessel.

In Its Own Write

7. I’ve turned a page and am headed in the write direction.

Holidays & Events

8. On Labor Day, America rests while the rest of the world labors.

9. Today at the political party convention, the candidate will deliver this month’s speech of their life.

Random Musings

10. Overheard at a linguistic convention: “I speak Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish.” “Yes, but what about Finnish?”

11. I flew to the other side of the world to get away from jetlag, but it followed me.

12. My bark is worse than my bite, but I do bite.

13. Disruptive technology: The day Twitter shakes up the 140-character limit by varying it.

14. When I moved to the Southern Hemisphere, my world turned upside down.

Click here to read the previous batch of Thoughts and Sayings.

Images courtesy of Microsoft.

M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories and Alexander the Salamander, a children’s story set in the Amazon. His books are available to purchase as an e-book and in print from Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.

For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at www.mgedwards.com or his blog, World Adventurers. Contact him at me@mgedwards.com, on Facebook, on Google+, or @m_g_edwards on Twitter.

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted without the written consent of the author.