Photography
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The Lanes of Water - Venice
Venice to me is the most beautiful place I have seen.
I was for my company's work in Luxembourg (another beautiful country in Europe) in 2011-2012. We visited many places in Europe. However, the bliss of travelling was felt the most when I was in Venice.
90% of local travel in this city is via the gondola (boats) rides on water. Those Gondola rides on the lanes of water in the city give a great feeling and awe of this heaven on earth!
P.S.: The Italian Pasta was awesome. The Chef made Chicken pasta as a custom addition (of Chicken) on my request.
We can get there via bullet trains from Rome or any other Schengen cities in Europe. Also Venice has its own airport. A cheap fare airline called Ryan Air also operates to Venice from other countries in Europe. Ticket fare was about 35 Euros (in 2012).
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Camping in Desert and Dunes - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
We reached there in evening at 4pm, after settling we went for jeep safari, which was separately charged.
After jeep safari we were welcomed in traditional way after welcome we sat in a round dance where there was bonfire in middle and on other side local singers and dancer were ready to perform for us.
They performed of local Rajasthani songs. At 8.30pm our dinner was ready in buffet, it was a separate dinning tent. The food was good Rajasthani food with dal, batti, churma and mix veg, and butter paneer.
After dinner we enjoyed dance on DJ songs and dancers.
At 10 pm we went sleep as we had to wake early to enjoy our camel ride at sun rise guys if was so real and calming for me as slow wind blowing and you are on camel it feels so good in morning.
At 9 pm we had breakfast and after taking shower we checked out with memories in heart.
you can reach easly by your car, rented bike or pulbic bus. it is road side resort with parking facility
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Mountaineering Course in Nehru Institute of Mountaineering
Nehru Institute of Mountaineering is the best mountaineering institute of India right now, ahead of HMI when it comes to physical training, providing efficient equipment, proper accommodation facilities. NIM is situated a little above the town of Uttarkashi.
The campus is great with all the facilities you will need in an Institute. The hostels are clean and the food is great! Our course had 106 people to start with and by the time we finished we were 92 with people from Armed Forces and NCC also. We were divided into 14 ropes (groups) each with an Instructor.
First couple of days of the course will have briefing from the Principal, taking you around the campus, medical inspection, introduction and issue of equipment etc. Make sure you get the right equipment or else you will be in big trouble later in the mountains.
Then you will have a short trek for about an hour and a half just above the campus through the woods with half the load you carry in the mountains – may be 10+kgs – and you get good views of BanderPoonch range. And every afternoon you will have theory classes be it in campus or in Tekhla. The course as most of them know is divided into Rock Craft, Snow Craft and Ice Craft. During Rock Craft days you trek every day for 8kms till Tekhla Rock Climbing Area, mostly on road.
You will carry all equipment given by NIM, which ends up more than 10kgs for sure. But on the way back you come in the bus to save time. Lectures will happen in Tekhla in the afternoon and inside the campus during evenings which will be followed by a movie.
In snow craft though you are thought different types of Ascending and Descending on snow. For Ice craft you hike for an hour and a half to Dokrani Glacier passing the moraines near the Ice walls. Those were my first steps on a glacier and also got to see huge crevasses just next to the training area. Walls aren’t just there, there was a lot of snow again and we had to shovel out the snow till we found hard ice. We had lectures up there next to the walls and sitting on the glaciers had our bums numb! Last day at Base Camp you will have a Navigation test where you’ll have to run around a little and a Theory test which will be really simple. And finally the course was over and undoubtedly I had an awesome time and more importantly learnt a whole lot of stuff.
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Trek To Lohagadh (The Iron Fort)
The only problem with any holiday is that like all good things it eventually comes to an end. All the happiness and sense of peace that was kicking within us throughout our holiday starts fading slowly as we leave back for our homes. BUT when it comes to holidaying among Mountains we always bring back something that stays within us throughout our life. Mountains speak to us, Mountains teach us the highs and lows of life, Mountains show us there are no limits of heights, Mountains give us a chance to touch the clouds, Mountains helps us listen to the music of the winds, Mountains makes us feel so small and at the same time make us feel on top of the world.
Lohagadh The Iron Fort is one of the many hill forts of the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. Situated close to the hill station Lonavala and around 55 kms from Pune, Lohagad rises to an elevation of about 3400ft above sea level. The nearest railway station is Malavali which is around 7kms from the fort and 10kms from Lonavala. The fort walls till date stand tall and the fortification stands strong to its name “The Iron Fort”. I won’t write much about the history of the place for you can anytime Google and check it.
I want to talk about this lovely monsoon trek. This was the longest trek I have done till date. Trekking for about 25kms in this beautiful region was simply an amazing experience. I and my cousin never felt tired trekking such a long distance in one day. The mountains all around gave us the strength; the lovely clouds kept energising us with mild rains, the cool weather throughout the day never made us look back. We started off from Pune boarding the early morning local train to Malavali which is around 55kms and it took us a nice 1hr journey. Getting down at Malavali railway station and looking at mountains covered with mist and clouds was just the beginning and it gave us trailer of what lies ahead. It was 5.45am and time for me to use the Loo.
The station washroom was locked and after giving my train ticket and my ID card the station master gave me the keys to the creepiest washroom I have ever used in my life. The funniest thing is giving my ID card as a security for the creepiest washroom with no lights and the worst fear of my life “Lizards” waiting for me inside.
Huh after all that shit we went to a small hotel outside the station. Having a nice cup of tea outside the station we met two gay couples in that small hotel. Those gays had partied hard the previous night at a gay party which was held at a private farm house in Malavali. They asked us if we too were gays and told us that the party was over. I was like Lolz and told them No and they apologized. It was not at all offensive for me and I continued talking to them more about their party and asked them if they wanted to join us for the trek. They nicely said No as they were tired of partying all night. After all that we bid them bye and started our trek. We had to trek around 7kms from Malavali station to reach the base of the Lohagadh fort. Nature at its best at this time of the year, numerous waterfalls all around and the mountains covered with lovely mist and clouds makes you feel just out of this world. The urge to capture the nature at every step we trekked slow and I clicked some real amazing pics.
The beauty of the mountains covered with clouds, the waterfalls and nature of this region can never be penned down. You just sulk in the beauty and aura of this place and it will stay within you forever. Enjoying this heavenly region we trekked for around 2hrs to reach the base of the fort. After reaching the base we had our breakfast and the sweetest corn we ever had. We started to climb up the fort and it was quite an easy hike at the start but started getting a bit riskier as we climbed high. Because of rains there was water running down the uneven and broken steps and was very slippery. Carefully climbing the slippery path and clicking pics at every awesome point in the way we reached the top of the Iron fort. There was very less visibility at the top for a few minutes due to mist and clouds. Slowly the clouds moved away and the majestic mountain top was clearly visible on all sides. It was an exhilarating feeling on being at the top and exploring each and every corner of the mountain. There was a tomb, a temple and a couple of other structures on the top. The mountain is vast and the walls of the fort stand tall till date. One side of the mountain will lead you to “Vinchukata” which means scorpions tail. It’s a spectacular point and one should not forget to trek this extra 1km stretch. During monsoon the mountain is wonderfully covered with nature’s different shades of greens.
The contrast of the black walls and the greenery looks simply astounding. Spending a good time on the top and exploring every corner of the mountain, losing our way a few times, sitting at peace and quietly listening to the sounds of the wind, looking at the flow of the clouds, I just did not want to leave such a heavenly place. But it was time to bid bye to the majestic Lohagadh Fort and climb down back to the base. There a quite a few good small dhabas at the base. We had our lunch at one of the dhaba, the taste of the food we ordered was very nice and tastiest was missal pav. After having our lunch we had two options either trek back 7kms to Malavali station and take a local train to Lonavala from there or trek all the way to Lonavala which was about 12-15kms from Lohagadh. Looking at the beautiful weather we decided why to go back to Malavali and instead explore more of this region on foot. So we choose the longer path and started trekking towards Lonavala. The dhaba owner told us about Pavana dam which was on our way to Lonavala. Pavana dam is a very pristine clear clean water dam about 6kms from Lohagadh. The Dam is actually visible from the top of Lohagadh and anyone who visits Lohagadh will definitely visit Pavana dam too. We were blessed with drizzling rains and the amazing weather which never made us feel tired. As we were close to Pavana dam we found a village guy who became our friend and gave us lift on his bike to Pavana dam. Pavana dam is barricaded on all sides and tourists are not allowed to venture into the dam but lucky we this local village guy took us into the dam via a route only the locals know. The view of the dam was spectacular and the clear water was inviting us to take a super dip.
We relaxed and took a dip into the wonderful clear water of Pavana dam. We chit chatted with the guy and thanked him and left towards Lonavala which was still close to 8-10kms away. We had no plans of visiting any place in Lonavala but just reach the railway station and catch our train back to Pune. We had enough time left so we walked slow and talked on every random topic. The best was remembering and talking about our ex-girlfriends, cracking jokes on each other and enjoying the trek. We made multiple stops in between had mast masala chai, vada pav, corn, steamed peanuts etc. After walking a good 8kms we finally entered Lonavala and found that the railway station is another 4kms away...LOL. This was the first time we started feeling tired but decided to continue walking and explore the markets of Lonavala and eat whatever tempts us on the way. Finally after around a good 25kms trek for the day we reached Lonavala railway station. It was time to head back to Pune and also time for our legs to curse us and punish us for making them walk so so long.
About Author:
Fascinated about & trying to Decipher the Enigma of the two most Mysterious things on this Earth - Mountains & Women's...!!!
Entrepreneur, traveler, explorer, artist, foodie, free adviser, storyteller, philosopher(at times) etc etc.
I want to travel, trek, hike, explore, adventure, eat, drink, click, draw, paint, talk, write, make new friends, preach love and humanity, live my dreams and keep repeating all over again & again till I Live. -
White Water Rafting - Dandeli in Karnataka
It all started as a day’s fun and everyone came up with options like Goa, Mahabaleshwar, Matheran etc. We had to go for an outing together. Soon, we realized that we have hardly 1 night and 2 days stay and should plan accordingly.
It had to be some sort of adventure sports and hence all agreed upon DANDELI, Karnataka. I always had on mind to go to Dandeli for water rafting and was so excited to hear this name!! Yes that’s the place and we all started working on the accommodation and travel plans.
Dandeli in Karnataka is known for its White water rafting through the river Kali. We booked Tempo Traveler for 12 and soon we were on our way. We started at around 10 P.M. on a Friday night. No one was in a mood to sleep. Hence, we started playing Games and Antakshari and by 3 A.M. we were all down. Let me tell you, having smoking Chai at roadside dhabas while travelling is so much fun especially in the night. Finally slept for few hours and when opened my eyes, I saw we are halted at some dhabaa. I looked at the watch. It was 6:30 A.M. This was our 4th or 5th tea of the night.
After around 360 kilometers, we left NH4 and took the State highway-1 towards Dandeli. Since then the road was getting narrower and could hardly find any shops around. We reached Dandeli resort at around 9:30 Morning. It was quite a long travel and with no sleep. But the resort brought the excitement back and we rushed in and out of our rooms within no time. Tasty parathas were waiting for us and some chai again.
Adventure sports at Dandeli:
The Resort had so many options for outdoor activities and we were thrilled, wanting to do each one of them. As we know Lot of minds end up in mess. We almost did something similar. But then decided to take it easy and instead of all of them we will do few activities but spend time and enjoy it!
Kayaking in Dandeli -
Kayaking is use of Kayak for moving across water :-) wowww wikipedia gives such dumb definition sometimes: although It was great fun. We were waiting for our turn and the person in front of us lost his balance while getting into his Kayak. That made me think a bit but all was comfortable from then on. We managed to get on to the Kayak and since then we just enjoyed the sport! Few in our team even compete against each other. It was fun to watch them.
Natural Jacuzzi in Dandeli -
This is nothing but some stylish name to sitting in river water and enjoying the light stream of water flowing around you. We spent most of our time in water. It was so relaxing; we could spend hours in there. Splashing water over each other, clicking photos, playing truth and dare, it was fun time!
Supa Dam visit in Dandeli -
Supa dam being the second largest dam in the state is built on the river Kali. It was nearby from our resort and also with some influence available, we could not miss visiting the dam. It was awesome and one of the highlight of our trips. Have never seen a dam from the top. Could manage it this time thanks to my friends.
The most exciting part of the trip, fresh water rafting. It starts from a place called Ganesh Gudi, 20 km from Dandeli. On the way we saw Supa dam, the biggest dam among the series of dams built on Kali River.
We were introduced to the rules of the rafting and after wearing the life jackets and helmet, we were on the raft.
Very soon, we were at the first rapid and also the biggest one. We could feel the rush of adrenaline as the raft slid into the rapid. Bad part was that i could capture these events in my camera. All along the rafting, we just needed to follow the instructions by the trainer. We passed through some nine rapids and in some places where the water was placid, we jumped into the river. The rafting lasted for about 1.5 hours and it was an experience to remember.
Everyone was kind of exhausted and journey was bit hectic and extensive considering that we took almost 12 hours to reach back home.
Dandeli is well known for Adventure sports and especially White river water rafting.
Best time to visit - Ask the locals about the water levels. Entire trip depends on it.
Stay in Dandeli - Bison River Resort Bison river resort Feedback - Activities availability - Yes and good. Experience with activities - We tried Kayaking and natural Jacuzzi. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Resort quality and service - Good. Food Quality - Bad Price - Expensive food. Stay is fine. But we don't have other food options. So overall EXPENSIVE Would I refer anyone for it - Try out other resort. Hopefully it would turn out better and cheaper.
About Author: I work as a software engineer in British Telecom. I am passionate about traveling and long drives.
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Land of the Gods: Wanderism Rejuvenated
Seven days of bliss, adventure & vigor...1575 kilometers of life at its best.
What a ride it has been! Dense forests, malignant roads, curious curves, fierce rivers, mighty peaks & remotest hill stations. I lived by the TW3 tag line aptly, free to wander but never lost. I had planned for the most isolated places in Uttarakhand, but the outcome is even more enthralling. In spite of the loneliness in the air, I wandered into the most untouched places of the dynamic valleys.
Greetings to everyone there!! Kudos to the initiative by Wrangler & xBhp to bring forth the vigor & love for motorcycling to the nationwide platform!! I would like to devote my sincere thanks to the organizers, the judges and my friends & family who voted for my travelogue in the prelims. I have come to believe that love for something so materialistic yet profound, shall go in vain unless gone too far.
Day 0 | 24th April’14: Preparation, Planning & Curiosity:
The moment I had been waiting for finally arrived. I prepared a vulnerable itinerary that captures some of the most untouched parts of Uttarakhand. Major chunk of preparation involved compiling enough knowledge about the destination as well as the road conditions. A special thanks to my friends & family who have been there by my side every time I headed out to a new direction. I presume this ride to be one of a kind. I’ll be wandering in the thickest of the forests & eyeing down from the highest of the peaks in Uttarakhand. The itinerary is in place, everything else will be dealt on the road.
Day 1 | 25th April’14: Bon Voyage | Delhi-Haldwani:
The day arrived. The most satisfying fact about the flag-off was that my parents & my friend joined me there. It was great to meet the Wrangler as well as xBhp officials. Onlookers stared as we clicked a dozen photographs, with Wrangler staff, xBhp members & my family of course.
Beholding warm wishes from everyone, I kicked off the ride of a lifetime. I got myself on NH-24 within an hour. And from there, it was just me & the highway. Roads were in fine condition. Especially, the one joining Moradabad Bypass-Rampur is a gem of a tarmac. But not for long; it took me hours to get past the pot-hole ridden roads of the countryside. Hence, I had to cut short the day’s ride to Haldwani instead of Nainital as initially planned. I reached Haldwani at 08:45PM, had a nice dinner & decided to call it a day.
Day 2 | 26th April’14: Into the hills | Haldwani-Chaukori:
The uphill ride from Haldwani started with some broken roads, but soon the road conditions improved. I was riding through some curvy roads & all of a sudden the Naini Lake appeared. I clicked some photographs around the Naini Lake & the mall road, quickly headed for the Snow View Point situated 6 kms uphill from the town. It’s situated at a height of 7460ft. above sea level & offers panoramic views of Himalayas. Next up on the list was Sattal, a cluster of seven freshwater lakes located 22 kms from Nainital. Oak & Pine trees filled the environs & it was lush green all around. Tourists enjoyed boating in the green colored lake while kids tried their hands at rappelling.
It was 01:00 PM; I saddled up & headed towards Almora. Going forward, I was past the townships of Seraghat & Berinag by 06:30PM. I managed to arrive at Chaukori at 07:15PM. The tiny hamlet turned out to be exactly as I thought, if not immensely silent & remote. It’s a small hamlet; luckily I got hold of a fine place to stay. I had dinner and hit the bed hoping for a mild encounter with the sun the next morning.
Day3 | 27th April’14: A mix of good-n-bad | Chaukori-Munsyari:
Good-n-bad seemed just an apt title for the day’s ride. Good because I laid my sight on the humble Himalayan peaks for the first time on the ride & bad because the roads that I chose turned out to be terrible.
I left Chaukori at 09:30AM with my next halt set at Thal. And the roads to Thal were amazingly good. Accompanied with the oak & pine trees throughout the length of the road, I reached Thal at 11:00AM. Further, making my way through some really bad tarmac, I reached Munsyari at 04:00PM. Perched at a height of 7500 ft. above sea level in the Johar Valley, Munsyari offers panoramic views of the cluster of Panchchuli Himalayan range. I felt sanctified to be surrounded by the mighty Himalayan ranges clothed in snow touching the skies.
Day4 | 28th April’14: The appealing quaintness | Munsyari-Kausani:
At dawn, the crimson light from behind the sky-shattering mountains filled the air with serenity. The sun peeked out from the cracks & conceded life to the world. The cluster of five peaks appeared ravishing. As the sun scaled up, the secretive Nanda Devi started to appear & surrendered to the crimson love.I had a light breakfast, suited up & kicked off towards my journey towards Birthi Waterfalls, Girgaon. The roads from Munsyari to Girgaon are well-laid but the valley is seemingly dangerous. Vertical hills make up for a thrilling vista. Birthi Waterfalls, falling from a height of 126 meters, looked quite humble. I moved forth & making my way through Tejam & Sama village, I reached Bageshwar at 03:00PM.Moving ahead, I could easily reach Kausani by 05:20PM & the sun was still up. But I was little disheartened as there was no view of the Himalayas from the hotel, just clouds. Well, there was nothing I could do about the clouds, but the hotel interiors appealed to me. It was all carved out of wood, the furniture & the corridors were nicely pared. There was a long corridor with a balcony facing the valley over which the snow-clad peaks of Himalayas rest. Next was a fine dinner & I was off to bed.
Day5 | 29th April’14: Wander into isolation | Kausani-Chopta:
While the Himalayas did not quite interact when I arrived in Kausani, they made it up to me at dawn. As I woke up to the crimson colored skies, the Himalayas looked placid. The creeks bubbled in the silence of the quaint morning & the chirruping of the birds filled the air. Looking at the need of the hour, I quickly wrapped up my stuff & left for my next destination. The hotel owner told me, “Sir, it’s not easy what you are doing! It takes a lot of heart to do so.” I smiled at the kind accolade & waved him goodbye.
I blazed through the townships of Karanprayag & Gopeshwar while the sun was still fierce. The roads were absolute pleasure to ride on. Once I crossed Mandal, the last station before Chopta, the roads almost disappeared. Broken at almost all places, the roads took me into the thick forests of pine, deodar & rhododendrons. It was 06:00PM already & the sun almost disappeared. I lost hope of catching the sunset from the hilltop.
I steadily moved on but it was boundless pain for my bike to climb those heights in those conditions. At last when the 2 km-stone arrived, a sharp hairpin turn got me face to face with the dipping sun. After all the pain I & my bike suffered, I was finally glad to have chased down the sun. Chopta turned out to be the smallest hill station I’d ever seen. The accommodation was cheap & very basic. It’s an ordinary hamlet perched at an astounding height of 8790 ft. asl, but is rich in flora & fauna. Plus, the view is jubilant. There are thousands of reasons why one should avoid visiting Chopta for its lack of basic amenities, but the serenity of the place is unmatched.
Day6 | 30th April’14: Down to the woods | Chopta-Lansdowne:
As I already knew that there won’t be a sunrise to witness in Chopta as it faced the sunset side, I had a fairly sufficient sleep & woke up at 06:30AM. I ordered a morning tea while I packed my stuff & got ready for the big ride ahead. It was a long day on the road. I passed some of the flood affected zones of Uttarakhand & it’s good to see that things are steadily coming back on track. The roads were smooth at almost all the parts except for Augustyamuni where the landslides were frequent & disrupted the construction process.I set course towards Rudraprayag some 70 kms down the road. Within in an hour, I was in Ukhimath from where the road to Kedarnath diverts. The place experienced some share of destruction in the floods of 2013 & seemed like coming back to life with average roads & rebuilt civilization.Making my way through Rudraprayag & Pauri, I reached Lansdowne at 03:30PM. As soon as I entered Lansdowne, the scene changed drastically. There were no broken roads & well-kept neighborhoods welcomed me. Lansdowne is a Cantonment area & is home to Garhwal Rifles regiment. I settled in a cottage at the Tip-n-Top point that faced the sunrise side of the valley aptly. It was a graceful forest, opening up to a wide cliffside. While the birds chirruped distinctly, the mighty sun dipped in camouflage. I managed to capture the scene in all conscience.
Day7 | 1st May’14: The homecoming ride | Lansdowne-Delhi:
As speculated, the modest sun gave a bright start to the day as it came out of the blues & enlightened the entire valley. I packed my bags & saddled up. I left the idyllic town of Lansdowne & headed to Tarkeshwar Temple situated 35 kms outside the town.Perched at a height of 5900 ft. above sea level, the Tarkeshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is situated amidst a dense cover of cedar & pine trees. Around the temple, thousands of bells have been hung in order & when resonated in unison fill the place with tranquility. I took blessings from Lord Shiva & did my prayers. I did not miss out on thanking God for this opportunity of a lifetime to go for a dream ride. With the heart filled & spirits crowned, I made my way back to the exit.I reached Kotdwar at 01:30PM & the sun was at peak. I stopped for lunch & tossed away the heat. I reached Meerut bypass at around 04:00PM. It took me an hour just to cross Meerut. Soon after I picked up pace, the roads seemed to converge on me & the moments from the ride flashed past me. Making my way through Ghaziabad, I reached the finish line, my home at 06:45PM. My father was already out in the balcony waiting for me to arrive. It felt great to meet my parents after a week-long ride. They sure are proud & that’s the most rewarding fact for me.
A journey ended, only to leverage the moments spent wandering into the almighty nature. It was great to be a part of the captivating journey of a lifetime with Wrangler & xBhp. It’s a superlative fact that I lived the moments with sheer love & passion. I’m heart-filled at the vehemence that I’ve felt throughout this ride & I aspire to share this with others. I wander for essence & this may never change. Cheers to those who love to wander!
Live!! Ride!! Smile!! Find Yourself!!
About Author:
Rahul Arora
I get startled when someone asks me if I’ve left my full time job. To my surprise, some of my friends believe that this is a part of my job, which I think is very thoughtful & I aspire so. My name is Rahul Arora and I’m from Delhi. I’m a mechanical engineer by profession, a writer-photographer-blogger by expression, a music lover by nature & a fervent biker by obsession.
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Short weekend holiday at Beautiful heritage house in lake district of the Himalayas
Tired of the noise and pollution of Delhi, we were looking to spend a long weekend in hills. We decided to make a trip to our favorite weekend getaway - Nainital. Since it was a spontaneous plan and it being the Christmas weekend, all the good hotels were already booked. Moreover, we were looking to try something off the beaten path. So I started searching for holiday rental properties in and around Nainital. During my search, I came across a colonial time house by the name “Vienna Lodge, The Cottage by the Woods”.
The cottage looked beautiful in pictures and had excellent reviews online. I immediately called the owner and made a reservation for two nights. It was a family holiday and we were a gang of eight adults. We took the early morning Shatabdi train from Delhi to Kathgodam station. By noon we were at Kathgodam station, which is the closest rail head to Nainital. From there it was a 90 minute hilly drive to our cottage. The moment we arrived, I was in love with the cottage. It is a beautiful heritage property situated in the Ayarpatta Hill of Nainital.
The location is very tranquil and just a five minutes drive up the hill from the mall road. At the same time the cottage has the advantage of proximity to the town. Mall road is a nice 15 minute downhill walk from the cottage. The Cottage has three beautifully decorated Bedrooms with attached Bathrooms enough to house eight adults along with a cozy dining room and a Living Room. There is plenty of outdoor sitting space in the form of a Veranda and a Garden. We spent hours in the garden. The winter was perfect season to enjoy a bonfire for hours at a stretch. The cottage also has a fully equipped Kitchen in case one likes to cook during the holiday. Most surprisingly, even a cook was also available for hire for Rs 500/- per day (excluding cost of raw material).
We hired the cook and that proved to be an excellent decision as the cook was very good and prepared delicious breakfast and dinner for us, not to forget the delicious snacks during the evening bonfire. The staff is very nice and courteous at taking care of our needs. We would spend the warmer part of the day near the lake. Although the mall road can get annoyingly crowded during the day, there are few options to enjoy your time nearby.
One of them is obviously boating in the Naini lake and should definitely not be missed. Row boats are available for hire at reasonable prices. One of the days, we rented the paddle boat. Since the boat does not come with a rower, was bit tiring to operate yet a pleasant experience. Sailing boats are also available when the conditions are right. I also recommend spending an afternoon at the lake side boat club for its colonial charm. It is a lake side restaurant and bar with both open and covered seating with a breathtaking view to die for.
Back at the cottage, we were looking for easy hiking trails and short morning treks. The owner Vidyun is very knowledgeable about hiking trails in Nainital and guided us to the small forest behind the cottage, through which passes a small trail up the hill to the famous Dorothy's seat peak. We tried to trek to the peak in the morning; however had to return back halfway as the older folks felt exhausted. Nonetheless, it was a fun experience. I would recommend the cottage for nature lovers because of its scenic grandeur. There is an extra room outside the cottage available in case guests are travelling with personal drivers or other staff. The cottage also has a Wi-Fi but the coverage inside the cottage was sketchy.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience staying at the cottage. I highly recommend spending family holidays at Cottage by the Woods.
About Author:
Profession: Quantitative Researcher at TCS Innovation Labs
Passionate about: Passionate about travelling. I love all kinds of travelling experiences, be it adventures like trekking in the mountains, budget backpacking or luxury travel. I spend a lot of my time looking for my next travel escapade.
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An impromptu expedition
On a beautiful Saturday morning, during breakfast, a group of 5 close friends spontaneously came up with a plan of going to some adventurous place and making their weekend memorable. With some exciting and sensible inputs, we decided upon going to Coorg, the Scotland of India as they call it. In no time, we packed our bags and boarded the next bus to Coorg.
The journey was spectacular. Five hours flew in a blink. We reached the destination and checked in to a beautiful home stay recommended by some localites. After a quick freshening up, we decided upon hiring a jeep and going for a local city tour. Starting with Jog Falls, we went to some very scenic places like Raja's Garden, Raja's fort and also the famous Omkareshwara Temple. Having a hectic next day planned, we returned early to our home stay and after playing a few fun games, we decided to get some sleep.
The sun rose early for us and we were all ready by 7 A.M. We headed off to Dubare where we planned for River Rafting and visiting an elephant Camp. Upon reaching the place, we were disappointed to see the location as it was beneath our expectations, never the less, we went ahead to see the elephant camp. It was intriguing to see so many elephants of different size variant gathered in one area! After spending some time with the baby elephants, we decided to visit a panoramic deer forest named Nisragadhama,
On the way to the forest, we happened to notice a board which read ‘White Water River Rafting'. Instantly filled with enthusiasm, everybody got down the bus and went to check out the potentially adventurous sport. A 6km long stretch of rafting with considerably high rapids caught our attention and we were ready to rock the ride. After the didactic instructions on how to raft, we started off to an energy filled journey. Shouting and screaming all along, we also experienced uncalled toppling and surfing. It was as though we had lived a Tsunami.
Exhausted from the rafting, we wanted to get to the nearest bus stop but even after a long wait we were greeted by no autos or buses. With no option left, to add on to the adventure, we took a lift from a Chicken Truck driver. All of us hopped in to the back of the truck and it actually felt like we were shooting a scene from a movie. Not far away, we noticed a huge track made in the middle of the shrubs. We immediately got down exploring what it was and to our surprise it turned out to be Quad Biking. In no life we would have missed this adventure and despite being low on cash, everybody decided to give it a shot. On a 2.5km long road of ups and downs and obstacles and blockages and what not, biking at a super fast speed was the closest I got to death. It was more fun than fear and it was totally worth it.
Short on time, we rushed back to our home stay as we had to get back to our hostels by the same night. With an extreme time crunch, we were fortunate enough to catch the last bus back home. The non-stop adrenaline rush finally got some dormant time as everybody laid in the comfortable seats only to open their eyes directly at the home stop.
About Author:
Profession: Student of Engineering,
I am passionate about adventure and sports! I love any kind of adventure especially the ones which involve a cornucopia of risk. Impromptu trips are my favorite, because when something is unplanned, you have no expectations and when you have no expectations, there is no possibility of failing them. I love playing sports like Cricket, Tennis, Badminton and Squash! I'm also very passionate about social service. I love going to orphanages and old age homes and spending time with them! On the cultural side, painting and dancing interest me a lot!
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Leh & Ladakh: Natural Beauty
The people who love trekking, the time has come. So guys, pack your bags and get ready for trekking in Ladakh, one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The meaning of word “Ladakh” is “land of high passes”. It is situated in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is between the Karakoram mountain range to the north and the Himalayas to the south. The Indian Part of Ladakh consists of Leh & Kargil districts.
TREKING: -
Ladakh is the most favourite place for trekking. It is like a heaven for trek lovers, as it is surrounded with the world’s most beautiful mountains the Himalaya and the Karakoram and other two, the Ladakh range and the Zangskar range. It has high passes of lands thus it gives the beautiful scenes of colourful mountains and landscapes.
Best Time to Trek: -
The best time to trek in Ladakh is between June end to mid-October.
Famous Treks: -
The treks from Spituk to the Markha valley, Lamayuru gompa to Chiling village alongside the Zanskar River and Likir to Temisgam are the famous treks in Ladakh.
Treks According to ease levels: -
EASY TREKS: - Indus Valley trek of 13 days, Spituk Trek of 6 days, Sham trek of 7 days and Sham and Indus Valley trek of 14 days.
MODERATE TREKS: - Manali Ladakh Trekking of 23 Days, Markha Valley Trek of 11 Days, Spiti To Ladakh of 24 Days, Sangla to Leh Trek of 13 Days, The Nubra Valley Trek of 10 Days, Tsomoiri Lake Trek of 23 Days, Trekking in Zanskar of 18 Days, Lamayuru Alchi Trek of 09 Days, Lamayuru Martselang Trekking of 9 Day, Lamayuru Chilling via Dung-Dung La of 12 Days, Ladakh Monastery Trek of 17 Days, Wild Ladakh Trekking of 23 Days.
DIFFICULT TREKS: - Hemis Rupsu Darcha Trekking of 21 Days, Stok Kangri Trekking of18 Days, Remote Zanskar Trekking of 18 Days, Darcha Lamayuru Trek of 18 Days, Frozen River Trek of 23 Days, Journey To Southern Zanskar of 26 Days, Ladakh, Zanskar Trek of 18 Days, Lamayuru Padum Trek of 19 Days, Stok Kangri Climb-Markha Trekking of 22 Days, Trans, The Rupshu Trek of 23 Days.
Tourist Places:-
Some of the places where the tourists interest lies are Leh, Drass valley, Suru valley, Kargil, Zangskar, Zangla, Rangdum, Padum, Phukthal, Sani Monastery, Stongdey, Shayok Valley, Sankoo, Salt Valley.
SOME MUST VISIT PLACES IN LADAKH:-
Leh Palace: - situated behind the main market. It has 8 stories. It is similar to Potala palace (Lhasa).
Chamba Temple: - It has a huge icon of the Maitreya, Buddha. It is one roomed shrine.
Jama Masjid: - It is situated in the bazaar, at the top of the street. It is of green and white colour.
Sankar Gompa: - It is situated within the city. It is one of the oldest structures of Ladakh. The monks in this monastery are very helpful. They always offer a yak butter tea to the visitors.
Thikse Monastery: - It is the largest structure here in Ladakh. It is famous for its statue of the Maitreya, Buddha.
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How prespective changes the picture
The Camera image can seem surprisingly different from reality, so it is vital to see things the camera sees them. A long used far from a subject gives a so-called telephoto effect. In the photo opposite left, for example, the people and traffic seem impossibly compressed. A short lens used to close to a subject produces what is known as wide-angle distortion. Opposite right, it enlarges part of the humans form to unnatural proportions. These Photographs seem to show distortions in perspective.
Perspective is the way the brain judges depth in a two-dimensional representation.
Depth is perceived mostly by comparing the sizes of objects, so it seems to increase if foreground objects appear larger than background ones.
Perspective is affected by the lens-to-subject distance, not by lens focal length.
Moving your camera closer to a subject will make objects in the foreground larger relative to those in the background.
Below, the pictures in the top row were taken from the same distance with lenses of different focal lengths.
The shortest lens produces the widest view; the longest lens produces the narrowest view, but is simply an enlargement of the scene. The relative sizes of the eggs in the foreground and the bird remain constant because all three pictures were taken from the same distance.
The pictures in the bottom row were taken with the same lens from different distances.
The closer the lens came, the bigger the foreground objects (the eggs and nest) appear relative to the background one (the cage).
In only sense does the focal length of a lens affect the perspective.
A short lens can focus closer to an object than along lens, and it doesn’t eliminate most of the scene from view when you move in close. Consequently, a short lens can produce wide-angle distortion because it is easy to use it up close. A long lens can produce a telephoto effect because you are the more likely to shoot from relatively far away. But the lens isn’t creating the effect; the distances from the subject is doing so.
Source: photography by Barbara London, Jim Stone & John Upton
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