Photos from the weekend: Manipur

This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting an area of Northeastern India called Manipur. I was invited by the government of Manipur to run a 7.5 km race/festival called the Sangai Run. These are just a few of the pictures I took while falling in love with this isolated region & its people.

This is Winky whose kindness knows no limits. After only knowing Winky for about 2 hours he decided to introduce me to his family then proceeded to cook me his signature dish of chicken curry. I could not have asked for a more gracious host or a more perfect first night in Manipur. 

The next few pictures are all from a tour of Imphal, which is the capital of Manipur. The way the lights reflect upon the river reminded me of the lit houses in Philadelphia which made me a bit nostalgic for the US. I prefer darker pictures with light illumination from unique. The blurriness of the mixed color bulbs is one of my favorite features on the water. 

This is a traditional Manipuri house that was being displayed for another cultural festivial. The Northeast area of India almost feels like a different country compared to other parts of India. The light outside the front door reminded me of my childhood home where there was a light on our front porch. As long as the front porch light was on anyone was welcome to visit us.

 The lit lamp of my childhood home signified that people were welcome to come over. I think of this  In fact whenever I see a light like this, I think of it as an inviting beacon for travelers. 

 In the house I spent most of my life  When I was growing up we would have a single lamp outside of our front door which would mean anyone could come over.This is a traditional Northeastern house that they had set up to display the history of the area. The richness of the culture in this area really blew me away. I love how the lamp is lit next to the door as it almost is a welcoming light to travelers like myself.

Adorning the pathway on the cultural festival grounds are these glass lamps made to look like ink block prints. I appreciate the attention to detail that ink block prints have which I feel these lamps do a good job of replicating.

This was the first picture I took after arriving to the race area of Loktak Lake. This expanse of India is known for being the largest fresh water lake in the country. While I do not know for sure, it is my impression this is a father & son going for an early morning canoe ride.

One of the more humbling factors in photography is the fleeting nature of moments. At times you have to cede credit to luck much more than ability which is what I would say picture embodies. Just being appreciative of being in the right place at the right time.

I feel as though a lot of the landscapes of this region almost seem like oil paintings. The lush greenery of the hills goes for as far as the eye can see. The colors really pop compared to some of the pictures from the morning when we first arrived at Loktak Lake.

A man rowing back to shore with his sandals after fishing. Loktak Lake is known in the region for its plentiful stock of fresh water fish. The rolling hills in the distance allow us as humans the understand how small we are.

 One of the unexpected highlights of the weekend was spending time with these two Ethopians. Besides both winning the race these two are an abolsute joy. They taught me so much about building relationships//communication, as neither of them speak english. I will expand about both of them in a future post.

Another big surprise of the weekend was how quickly the sun set in this region. This picture is taken around 5 pm with the sun having almost entirely set. Across the lake is one of the many fishing villages we passed through while running the race. 

This picture was taken during the cultural display festival after the Sangai race. A lot of the time when I am at events like this I look into the crowd to see how others are enjoying the moment. With photography I now have the ability to capture & share photos like these with others.

The Northeast of India is known for their love of rock music - so we saw a local band to cap off the festival. The first song of the set was a cover of Elvis's Jail House Rock which set an amazing vibe. They added in a few original songs along with surprising but crowd bonding rock cover of Stir it up by Bob Marley.

I am so grateful for this weekend, I will be writing a more in-depth post about it later. In the future I will including a bit more of my photography into my blog posts. Before coming to India I bought a camera so it has been a learning experience to begin to dabble into photography. Taking pictures & sharing them with people has evolved into an important part of how I express myself as a person. This post was a bit different from anything I have ever done so curious how people liked it.

-Tim

How To Run A Bar Crawl

A bar crawl enjoying a local pub in Boston.

Bringing people together has always brought me immense joy. Before moving to India I volunteered for a non-profit Hi-International taking hostel guests on bar crawls around Boston. Bar crawls are a natural fit for my personality as I was able to create real relationships while showing people some of my favorite spots. First I will break down what each bar on the crawl is like, while finishing up with some additional tips.

Bar 1 - Creating connections through conversation  - 

Goals: Getting a sense of who is on the bar crawl. Try to talk to almost everyone or every group. Begin to think about where people might most like to go later in the night.

A pub environment is ideal for the first bar. Having a low-key atmosphere where the music is not too loud & people can sit down to socialize. Try to talk to everyone in the group, getting to know a little about each person. 

This bar is the best to be a regular patron at, I am often introducing other regulars to people on your bar crawl.  leaving the bar with a few regulars who have made positive connections is not an infrequent event. The easy going environment of the first bar is the perfect place for people to ask questions about Boston or what I do when I am not running bar crawls. Around 10 minutes before you want to leave let people know, some will want to grab an extra drink before going.

Bar 2 - A little bit of spectacle -  

Goals: Allow people to socialize in a different way than the first bar. Outdoor patios, funky themes, unique cocktails or beers, and games are ideal.

The majority of people on my crawls would only be in Boston for a few days, therefore I always looked to offer unique experiences. Now that everyone has warmed up their socializing muscles allow them to socialize in a different way. I am a lover of games myself so any bar with a pool table I am at home. Naturally games are not for everyone so other ideas include outdoor patios, unique cocktails or beers, and special themes or promotions (think holidays like Saint Patrick's or New Years Eve.). I always think of bars in how people can express different components of their personality. For those who are not expressive conversationally perhaps games are a better fit for them. In the last few months while I was in Boston an arcade focused bar opened up, which I would bring people as it is quite uncommon.

One of my bar crawls after playing a few rounds of pool.

Bar 3 - Move ye Body 

Goals: Allow people to have the best experience possible suited to their preferences. Offer different options for different people based upon what they like. Good options are live music, clubs, more low-key bars, and late night food places.

The third bar is all about empowering people through options & their personal preferences. I will often lead a group of people somewhere with local artists playing live music. Additional alternatives are clubs, low-key bars,and late night food spots. I would say this is the hardest part of the night as some people will more likely than not want to go to different spots. Use what you learned about people from the previous bars to encourage them to do what will make them happiest. If someone wants to go to a club or another spot - never take it personally, after all they are doing what makes them happiest. Let people know which places charge an entry fee (or if the bar is cash only), as this will be a factor for some & not a big deal for others. Finally I always tell everyone that I will be going to a food spot in the area at 2 am (show them where it is on a map or send it to them on the phone), so if they want to meet up they are more than welcome. Never take anything personal if someones choices or preference is different from your own. At this point in the night just give people options which they might best prefer & wish them well. There will be venues that have an entry fee while others may not, always mention this to people as for some it will be a big factor but for others not so much.

Nothing ends the night better than pizza.

Late Night Food -  The way to solidify friendships

I firmly believe that food is the best way to solidify friendships - whenever I go to a new city I am always looking up the places to go at the wee hours of the morning for food. The camaraderie (or hilarity dependent on sobriety) of a pizza shop at 2 am if something I miss while living in India. In a bar crawl setting - if people venture off I always tell them what pizza shop I will be going to later on so they can find me. Creating this rally point can be an important assurance of safety that everyone makes it home free of harm.

Quick Tips: 

Have a plan but be open-minded: Some of the best bar crawls involve the unexpected. Having a plan for the night is important, but make sure that that plan is flexible. A few of my most memorable & fun bar crawls came about from embracing the moment to go somewhere new.

Always be mindful if people are getting food: While drinking //socializing is the primary focus of most of the people on a bar crawl, some amount of people will always want to get food. Just understand who is getting food to calibrate that everyone is leaving at the same time. It is quite helpful to ask who is thinking about getting food before even entering a bar. Knowing who wants food means you can get them a menu // order food faster. This ensures that so no one is waiting or being left when moving to a new bar.

Bring in locals: Do you have fun friends ? Every once in a while I will invite a few of my local friends to bar crawls so that they can meet new people. The idea behind inviting friends is very similar to why you would invite regulars at the first bar yet with just a  bit more pre-planning. The only caveat is make sure you do not only talk to your friend & prioritize being of service to your bar crawl.

Make sure that they get home safe: While certainly you are no ones mother, make sure that everyone is getting home safe. If someone is quite drunk, make sure they are not going home alone. If people are going home on the metro, make sure they know which stop to get off on & when the metro closes.

Be mindful of different cultures: The wide array of cultures & perspectives is one of the greatest boons of the of the bar crawl. Yet always be mindful of the potential for mild misinterpretation. I have never had serious issues with cultural disagreements, but I would be remiss not to mention the possibility..

Conclusion:

Running bar crawls for Hi-International is one of the best opportunities I have had in my life. The ability to meet people from around the world & learn about different cultures has made me a better person. I have always had a strong belief in the natural goodness in strangers, but more often than not my bar crawls end up with a lot of new friends. I often living vicariously through people I met on my crawls, learning about different parts of the world I would have never thought were so beautiful. To everyone/anyone who has ever been on a bar crawl of mine - I am grateful for your companionship, the pleasure was mine.

Smiles all around.