Wild swans skim across a lake then soar in a white arc...

My relationship with Pokhara was not love at first sight. Rather, it was horror and despair. When I've been listening to the stories about this town, usually I heard such expressions as "a calm and quiet place", "resort", "town by the lake." So I imagined a kind of sleepy paradise. What was my surprise when we drove to the center of Pokhara through endless blocks of noisy and dusty construction sites. Cars, scooters - all the same as in the capital! It seemed my dreams of a quiet holiday have collapsed. But it was much better than I expected :) Of course, Pokhara is not such a secluded spot, but even here you can find a welcome retreat away from the bustle of the streets. The main thing is to find the right hotel. I was lucky. My family-run hotel, found by chance, was not far from the lakeside promenade. It is worth noting that the lakeside is the heart of Pokhara. All entertainments, cafes, shops and bookstores are located here. So I left backpack in the suit and went to explore the city with the intention of becoming friends. In this case, the first impression was misleading. Pokhara is very nice town. Here you can find a variety of things to do. Boating, rafting, paragliding, visiting temples, waterfalls and caves with bats (oh my gothic heart!), talking with other travelers, enjoying views and swimming in the pool, and, finally, tasting cuisine from around the world. But the most important thing: Pokhara is the starting point of trekking. Routes to Everest, Annapurna, forest reserves - they all start here. Of course we could not resist of such temptation...

And the wildest dreams of Kew are the facts in Kathmandu

This quote by Rudyard Kipling was the first that I've read in my guidebook lying on a bed in a hotel in Nepal. I still don't know who was this Kew and what dreams he had, but one thing I know for sure - everything is possible in Nepal. When in April a terrible earthquake struck Kathmandu, I've already bought tickets to this emerald valley. A few months of fears and doubts until we finally decided to try our luck here. Friends and parents have been trying to dissuade us from this crazy trip, but you know what? We have never regretted!

The capital of Nepal is definitely affected  very much. Many people were left homeless and some of the sights lost forever. But local residents have already recovered from the tragedy and life here is in full swing. 

Kathmandu has an amazing array of incredibly beautiful places. Until now, I can't believe I've walked among them. Awesome mix of Buddhist and Hindu art, Indian, Nepalese and Chinese traditions create a peculiar charm of the city. But as in any other country, real life takes place outside the capital. So after a few days of acclimatization and walks through the dusty streets of Kathmandu, we moved inland.

Paradise place

Our trip to India ended on the Andaman Islands. It's tiny pieces of land, lost in the middle of the Indian Ocean. They are not even one of the states of India, they are Union Territory. Few manage to get here. Planes fly hither only from Indian metropolises and the ferry goes only from Calcutta. Travellers need to receive a special permit in the capital of Andamans - Port Blair. But it's all worth it! Now I'm sure that if somewhere on Earth there is Heaven - it's located in here. But the beauty of these islands is beyond words. The best I can do - to show you some pictures.

I spent my twenty-fifth birthday  diving to the depth of 10 meters. Amazing underwater world, which I've seen, became the pearl of this year. Myriads of shimmering and iridescent fishes, corals, shells and turquoise water captivated my heart. The new plan for the future is to receive diver certificate. 

It was a little painful to leave this paradise beauty and return to the gray days. I decided to make a mehendi to have at least a couple of weeks with India next to me. The patterns on my hands - the best symbol of this country. Sophisticated, ornate, delicate and staggering. They surprise and attract attention. Not everyone is willing to share it's beauty. But we need to learn to see finest in outlandish and bizarre things in our little world full of cultural diversity.

Southern trees bear strange fruit - blood on the leaves and blood at the root

Friends, I would like to tell you a lot about my travels throughout India, about wonderful and wild places I had visited. One of such places - Sundarbans jungle. This is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It's located in the state of West Bengal, in the delta of Ganges. An incredible amount of rumors and legends surrounds this rotten and boggy place. Besides here lives endangered Bengal Tiger - Tiger cannibal. Therefore, every now and then appear the stories of mysterious disappearances of people, who got lost in the mangroves or were killed by a tiger. Nevertheless, the land is very fertile, and people continue to live here no matter what. We longed to visit this place after the book of Salman Rushdie "Midnight's Children." He, in his usual manner, was able to describe this place as mystical and alluring. So, being in Calcutta we could not resist the temptation to visit Sundarbans.

Our adventure began early in the morning. We took a minimum of things and got into an old  minibus, carrying us away from the Сity of joy. We drove for hours and changed several modes of transport from rickshaws and carts to motor boat, before reaching the village at the edge of the jungle. This is an incredibly picturesque place with rice fields, wicker huts and herds of cows. People in this village live only by manual labor and handicrafts.

We wandered around the neighborhood until sunset, had time to take a boat ride and listen to the singing of thousands of birds. Perhaps it was one of the most beautiful evening of my life.

The next day we dedicated to mangrove jungle, having studied them far and wide. This is a strange place, but still not as enigmatic as we expected. Of course, we have not seen a Bengal tiger, but were rewarded with deers, crocodiles, baboons and other wild forest animals. This trip wasn't very easy for us, but still it of that costed. These age-old forests are actually very fragile and in need of our protection, as well as their inhabitants. 

After this trip, we were insanely tired and went back to Calcutta half asleep. Mile after mile on the bumpy road in the night we were carried away from strange trees of Sundarban. Perhaps we got not what we've expected. Perhaps we imagined Sundarbans too stereotyped. But like each time India was able to surprise us, open itself with the unknown side and teach something new. We fall asleep with the realization that we still want to go back there.

Rock around the Christmas tree

Dear friends! With great delay congratulate you on Happy New Year! May this year be bright, warm and unforgettable.  As for me, I have summed up the results of the past year.

The most important thing for me is that a loved one was near. Whatever we do, no matter how adventurous were plans crowded in my head, he always supported me. 

We traveled a lot - and this is one of the greatest things for me. This year we visited Estonia, Finland, Turkey and India. Not so much as we would like, but still something. New Year`s Tallinn is a fabulous place, and Finland in my mind will always be a fantastic country with green forests inhabited by elves. Turkey has been a real surprise for me. This country has an incredibly rich cultural heritage and unspeakable natural beauty. As for India, then it is not a secret that I'm in love with this beautiful, soulful and slightly crazy country. Nature, religion, people - all of it is a mystery to me and the object of attraction. 

Another achievement - graduation. Now I am a certified cultural scientist! However, I'm going to continue  my education, but more on that in due time. 

I stand at the base of two stores in St. Petersburg. "Forest Shop" - is clothing for the elves, incense and various oddities from Asia. "Cherry shop" - dresses, hats, gloves and more for lovers of vintage fashion. I actively develop both directions. With our shops we have traveled several festivals, participated in the parties. This is a new invaluable experience! 

I joined the pin-up project Rebel Dolls, who opened me up and introduced to a new world. I found new friends, co-starred in the music video and numerous photo shoots, many years after the last experience participated in the organization of parties. It was hilarious! 

So this year was definitely cheerful and productive. I hope the new year will bring even more wonders! Therefore, pour yourself a cup of fragrant tea and enjoy! =*

- Oh, Gomez. The Bermuda Triangle. Devil's Island. The black hole of Calcutta. - Excuse us. Second honeymoon.

Not so long ago, I started to tell you about my trip to the mysterious India. The second city on our way was Calcutta. People call it "The city of joy". And they are definitely right. Calcutta looks very different than Delhi. The reason for that its colonialist past. As you know, the city was founded by the British, and this is evident throughout. Everywhere there are beautiful houses in European style, and each of them deserves to be immortalized in a photo. Wide avenues with sidewalks are laid in the center. Absolutely fabulous appear Christian churches rising above the palm trees here and there. Oh yes, madly many trees, parks and gardens. So Calcutta became a real surprise for us. And you know what is the most exciting? Victorian atmosphere of the city. At the heart of it is the Victoria Memorial - a charming building with a monument to Queen Victoria, who imperiously looks at you from the top down. At the same time, the Indian way of life contributed to the appearance of the city. Many rickshaws, some kind of cables everywhere, people, merchants, vegetable stalls, tents, English yellow cabs and old buildings - all this creates an atmosphere of post apocalyptic London. It's fantastic! 

(I called myself a little Victorian ghost, and passers-by - a doll)

(I promise I will never do so again!)

Unfortunately we didn't have so much time. What I'm really sorry, it's that we don't have time to explore the cult of the great and terrible Hindu goddess Kali, after whom the city is named. We have been in only one temple dedicated to her, and it's very extraordinary place. It's imbued with incredible energy. Kali is the only goddess who in the peaceful Hinduism receives bloody sacrifices... So this place is creepy and sacred and causes trembling. 

(Ripon street, 82 - guest house for the Europeans, where  Mircea Eliade lived)

(Boot cleaner on the opposite side of the street)

Yet another reason to visit Kolkata - my favorite writer Mircea Eliade. The fact that Romanian scholar of religion had spent a few years before the outbreak of the World War II here. I wanted to go to the same places that he did, as I imagined Calcutta from his books. Of course, Kolkata nowdays is not at all as he described it, however for me it was a kind of pilgrimage.