Motorcycle Diaries: Cold desert of Hanle, Ladakh

To reach a place as isolated in the Himalayas on motorbikes requires a heart full of courage and a spirit of adventure, other than a map of course or you could end up in China! Crossing some of the highest mountains passes in the world on broken, sometimes non-existing roads or mere dirt tracks to lead the way, it’s a challenging bone-chilling ride.

Arunachal Pradesh: Land of the dawn-lit mountains

Two memorable weeks in the most remote parts of Arunachal Pradesh – Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains in North East India. Turquoise Lohit river flowing in all its glory, to the misty blue mountains of Walong in the Eastern Himalayas, wild jungles of Namdapha, tea gardens of Wakro, lush green rice fields of Miao, handmade bamboo houses on stilts, hanging bridges, cheerful happy people with a taste in music and the brilliant way locals sustain themselves on nature, liters of beer, bonfires and lots of memories…

Delightful Charang

Kinnaur is the most beautiful and least explored part of the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, India. Surrounded by harsh mountains, Charang Khas, a pretty little village at an altitude of 3500 meters in Morang, Kinnaur, is accessible only by foot, a trek through Thangi and Lambar.

Smiling faces of Ladakh

Mountains, monasteries, monks, memories…the magic of Ladakh! It’s difficult to take a bad photograph in a place like Ladakh. The light is so ethereal like in some dreams, and it’s not just the landscapes that are so hauntingly beautiful, but also the people of Ladakh who are always smiling 🙂 The smiles that tell the…

Untouched Kinnaur: Rusklang village, Ropa valley, Himachal

Kinnaur in northeast Himachal, surrounded by Tibet in the east, is the least explored and the second least populous district, after Lahaul & Spiti, in Himachal Pradesh, India. The old Hindustan-Tibet road, the ancient Silk Route, passes through Kinnaur along the banks of Sutlej River. Kinnaur Kailash is a peak (6500 meters) in Kinnaur, considered the…

Kunzum La: A vantage point

Kunzum pass or Kunzum La, in Tibetan, at an altitude of 15,000 ft is one of India’s highest motor able mountain passes, in Himachal Pradesh. A mountain pass is a path connecting two mountains. It connects Lahaul to Spiti valley and has a 360-degree spectacular view of the Bara-Sigri glacier (the second longest glacier in…

Faces of India : a wider perspective

Continuing my earlier post, Faces of India, these are some images of the portraits with a wider field of view and ambience.

Faces of India

“I would rather that my life remain a tear and a smile. A tear to unite me with those of broken heart; A smile to be a sign of my joy in existence. “ From A tear and a smile by Khalil Gibran. Life is beautiful because of the deep and intense emotions we feel,…