Northern India

It was impressive to watch this delicate creature swat a 700kg cow with a switch and herd it off toward home. The sparkle in her eye and tousled hair seem to speak to her strength and perseverance.

A widows ministry in Northern India in well attended weekly. Along with a generous meal and provision of essentials the ladies are loved and encouraged. May Christ be seen in the hearts of those who minister to them.

The average life expectancy at birth in India for women is 70.7 years versus 68.2 years for men. The life of a widow can be particularly difficult in the face of some traditional cultural values in the region.

Interestingly, head coverings are relatively common among Indian women. About 6 out of 10 women in India say they keep the practice of covering their heads outside of their homes according to a Pew Research Center Survey. That includes a majority of Hindu women (61%) and equal shares of Muslim and Sikh women (86%). Naturally the type of head cover varies significantly within geographic regions and religious groups.

Layering is a must - even in India. In the mountainous northern regions it can be remarkably cooler just a short drive from the hot and humid valleys.

Many Hindus are vegetarian and some of them consider eggs to be meat products. Yet even devout Hindus don't always agree among themselves what practices the faithful should follow, hence there is disagreement over eggs. Still, the central government hopes eggs will become a growing source of protein – to help the country's troubled farm sector. On average Indians eat about 81 eggs per year. Half that of Americans.

As moist winds encounter the mountains of Northern India it rises and cools while ascending the slopes. As the air rapidly cools, fog is formed which then continues to climb upwards toward the peaks. For someone not familiar with the phenomenon it was surreal - to see clouds suddenly rush up to meet you, envelope you in fog and then carry on above you. Given the narrow mountain roads and limited visibility it was also a little nerve wracking. Thankfully Indian drivers sound their hors at blind corners like this one.

To up the fun-factor when taking a photograph of children, I sometimes ask them to wink. Did you know that not everyone can wink voluntarily? And some can only wink one eye. Are you winking now?

A place for everything and everything in its place. I stopped to chat with a mechanic / fabricator who was fashioning a fender for a motorbike. Given the way he keeps his tools, he earned my trust immediately.

The term tiffin refers to a light meal eaten during the day, or containers of home-cooked food packed for schoolchildren. The British introduced the concept of high tea, and tiffin, along with tiffin carriers have since become synonymous with Indian life and cuisine.

Multifoil or scalloped arches have been architectural features in the Islamic world as early as the 9th century, particularly in North Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

The Taj Mahal is an Islamic marble mausoleum on the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal Emperor to house the tomb of his favourite wife following her death while giving birth to their 14th child.