Flash back reality check

Posted on 13/03/2013 by Drewmanity

Flash back to a man I met in East India.

How do I compare better than saying- “While you were drinking your 5 dollar coffee from Starbucks. I was living on 50 cents a day trying to keep up with the locals on 30 cents a day”. Imagine that…. I never would have imaged that had I not taken the risk to travel this past year. 2012 after living in Germany the riches Euro zone country…It has been by far the most ridiculous and adventurous year of my life. I hope one day to share all my experiences and stories with those back home and around the world. I think what I have seen and learned is educational for the youth and even elders of America and the other 1st world countries to see. Guilty of visiting twenty some odd countries from rich to poor, living on a budget trying to live like the locals an failing most times but learning from it all in the long run. I leave you with just one simple photo of a man in east India who lived on 30 cents a day.

Here is a man in India who I spoke very little to but understood enough that he was able to live on a fraction of what I thought was possible.

The US calls these “Rocky Mountain Oysters”

Posted on 30/01/2013 by Drewmanity

Bull or goat testicles used for human consumption. I can’t say that I am a fan, however this photo opportunity was too good to pass up.

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Goat testicles or “balls”

Volunteering on the go in Gokarna

Posted on 28/01/2013 by Drewmanity

I was actually in transition between towns when I had some time on my hands that I wanted to delegate to a small community who I witnessed had a volleyball net set up. I was passing through like another day in my backpacking adventures when I came to the village of Gokarna, Southern India. I think it was just as rewarding for me as it was for them, I believe that a small act of random kindness teaching others goes a long way. I wish I would have taken a photo of the village people who came to watch and shake my hand. The man standing next to me was their coach, he was actually a solid player with previous experience playing in India. The memories will last a lifetime and hopefully one day one or more of these young men will be representing their country playing in the Olympics.

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Volleyball, Rural Village Soith West India.

Munnar, Kerala, tea leave harvesting

Posted on 13/01/2013 by Drewmanity

Getting to see how that tea we drink gets picked, packed & hauled out.

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Munnar tea fields

Watching the masters pick tea.

Posted on 09/01/2013 by Drewmanity

Watching a master at their trade is fascinating regardless of what trade it is. These happen to be master tea leave pickers. The top 1-2 inches of the Tea Tree are plucked. Surprising fact is that a tea tree is a tree and can grow to be over 15 meters/ 50 ft. But they are cropped down so that it is easy to weave in an out of the pathways to pluck the top leaves every 7-14 days.

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Not just manual labor, these women have been picking tea for generations and have become masters.

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combing over the tea tree, these workers pluck the top 1-2 inches for the harvest

The women from the local tribes have been picking leaves here for years, and their mothers and grandmothers have done the same. I was fortunate enough to get a few smiles from these ladies and try it out myself. The trick is getting the right part of the plant. The top leaves are the target and they are picked every two weeks. I have been taking notes about tea and will visit the plantation museum this week to fill you in with more details. Today I was just excited to get out into the open air and see these masters in action.

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Drew picks a few leaves off the top. Learning how its done.