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…

Happy New Year! :)

May you have good health, happiness, peace and prosperity throughout the New Year! Wishing you a joyful holiday season and great travels ahead! Cheers! 🙂

Ladakh – Ride of a lifetime!

Ladakh is ‘the land of high passes’, breath-taking landscapes, pristine lakes and gorgeous monasteries in the Himalayas. Travelling through this idyllic beauty of the mountains, peace & tranquility, warm-hearted people and the hair-raising adventure was the most unique, out of this world experience I’ve had – a dream trip to the roof of the world! 🙂

Kinner Kailash Parikrama Trek

Kinnaur Kailash Parikrama is one of the toughest treks in Himachal, around the holy Mount Kailash, also called Kinner Kailash in Kinnaur. It’s a 60 Km trek, which starts in Thangi through Charang, Lalan Ti, crossing Charang La pass (17,194 ft) and ends in Chitkul village – the last inhabited village accessible by road, near…

Go-Aaah! : Sunsets and Conversations

GOA is one of the most popular and peaceful states in India. Ranked on top for the best quality of life in India, Goa is renowned for beaches, parties, shopping, water sports, nature, history and food – a perfect travel destination for anyone! For me, it’s a place to relax and chill out with friends,…

Happy Independence Day and a sweet treat from India – Pumpkin Halwa

This is to thank each one of YOU reading this, for your interest, appreciation, support and encouragement for my work here. It’s been a great journey blogging, meeting and connecting with new people and I’d like to thank you all for being a part of it. A little treat for you – recipe of Pumpkin…

Weekly Photo Challenge: One Shot, Two Ways

A landscape looks great in a ‘landscape’ or Horizontal format but sometimes looks much more interesting in a vertical or ‘portrait’ format. Here are a series of landscapes of River Yamuna shot from the new Naini bridge in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, in horizontal and vertical format for the Weekly Photo Challenge: One Shot, Two Ways. And some useful…

Coorg: Nature trails and a home-stay experience

Coorg or Kodagu in Karnataka, is a hill station nestled in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, South India. A lush plantation wonderland infused with the intoxicating fragrance of coffee and spices, it’s a perfect get away from city life into the lap of nature. Much of Coorg is used for agriculture with coffee and pepper as the…

Coorg: Berry Coffee!

Coorg is a beautiful hilly town in Karnataka, known for coffee plantations, beautiful views of the hills, and awesome Coorgi food – Pandi curry or pork curry with Kadambuttu or rice balls. Other than coffee and spices, honey from Coorg is one of the best. It’s a peaceful weekend destination a few hours away from Bangalore…

Heavenly Chitkul: The road ends here…

Chitkul is the last inhabited village near the Indo-Tibet border in Baspa valley of Kinnaur, Himachal. The Indian road ends here. At an altitude of 3450 meters on the banks of Baspa River in the Himalayas, about 24 kms from Sangla is the remote and heavenly village of Chitkul. Heavenly not just for the breath-taking…

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…

Lahaul & Spiti : A sublime beauty

I’ve been mesmerised by the sublime beauty of the Himalayas since my first trip more than a decade ago! The sheer size of the gigantic mountains, the snake-like winding roads (sometimes just dirt-tracks) and the adventure of living in one of the most sparsely populated regions on earth is thrilling! Perspective gets skewed, as there…

Weekly photo challenge: The golden hour

The most positive & reflective moments that I’ve spent with myself have been watching the beautiful hues of the sky as the sun sets or the early morning light – the golden hour. Some of the pictures from this hour of the day, when the light is most dramatic & moody, for the Weekly photo challenge:…

Pushkar Fair Part 2: World’s largest camel fair

The Pushkar Fair or Pushkar Mela is an annual five-day camel and livestock fair held in the small town of Pushkar. It’s a spectacle on an epic scale, where traditions and spirituality meet and one can experience the culture and grandeur of Rajasthan. Pushkar fair runs for five days and is one of the largest in…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Nostalgic

Nostalgia – fond recollections of the past. A few images that I shot in the good old days of the film camera, from the year 1998, almost 15 years ago! For the weekly photo challenge – Nostalgia

Pushkar Fair Part 1: The colorful rural life

The Pushkar Fair or Pushkar Mela is an annual five-day camel and livestock fair held in Pushkar. It’s a spectacle on an epic scale and an unforgettable experience capturing vibrant Rajasthan and it’s people in all its grandeur. The small town of Pushkar in Rajasthan comes alive during the Pushkar mela as people from all over the world come…

Reminiscing Kedarnath

It’s heart wrenching to see the destruction and loss of life caused by the flash floods at Uttrakhand and Himachal recently. It’s sad to see the town of Kedarnath now, which is one of the most affected. Here’s a link to find missing people from Google people finder. Kedarnath in the Himalayas in Uttrakhand, at…

Enchanting streets of Pushkar

There is nothing like a walk on the street to experience the mood, culture and lifestyle of a place. And Pushkar is a town which is best seen on foot. It’s quite small and can be covered with in a few hours. The colorful little shops & cafes look fascinating against the backdrop of old buildings decorated with street art. The fresh…

Pushkar Instagrammed!

Pushkar is a visual treat for anyone interested in images of India. Specially during the Pushkar mela (festival) colours, textures & the mood are so unique and interesting that you wouldn’t want to stop taking pictures! Some images of Pushkar through the filters of Instagram. More of my Instagrams.