Colorful Skies- The sky ablaze over White Sands of New Mexico

White Sands of New Mexico! A magical place! The place which is eye-blinding during the day, turns into something out-worldly after sunset. But, unfortunately one can not stay there after sunset! One has to see it to believe it! 

Random Thoughts- Pareidolia in rocks

Pareidolia, in simple, is a term used to seeing faces or animals in clouds and rock formations. Well, the term has much deeper and scientific meaning which you can read in Wiki. We hear about sleeping giants and rock faces which are common examples. Well, I am not an expert on this subject but, here I am posting few pictures of my pareidolia experience :) 

Utah State Parks- Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Okay, I am here with new destinations from my recent road trip to American Southwest. Because of the shutdown my campground reservations weren't valid anymore, the guided tours were refunded. Initially, I just had a list of places to visit in Utah. I did not have any direction, no certainty, I was hesitant but totally happy! Yes, I felt so.

Colorful Skies- Beautiful sky over the red rocks of Arches National Park

Arches National Park is one of the most popular national parks in USA. Why not? It is beautiful! During my visit, the October sky was blue and the red rocks were glowing. Though I couldn't get to a popular guided tour- Fiery Furnace, I enjoyed rest of the park hiking and photographing. Here is one of the numerous pictures I took.

Dreaming about a trip to Kuala Lumpur

Bangalore to Kuala Lumpur!

I have been to Kuala Lumpur international airport many times when I traveled by Malaysian airlines. Most of the times, the trips were to USA on work. I used to wait for a good 5-6 hours for the connecting flight. But, never got bored. Such huge and beautiful airport. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to get out of the airport and see the city. I have always wanted to see the skyline, skyscrapers, city and shopping centers, museums while I watched the aircrafts took off and landed.

Travel Talk- Slum Tourism or Glorification of Poverty?

Couple of months ago I visited Mumbai for only two days with family and friends. It was my first ever visit to this entertainment capital of India. Well, as a child I have visited Mumbai it seems but I don't remember even one thing. When we were moving around in a rented Toyota Innova, our driver spoke out, That is Dharavi Slum. Do you want to see it? Well, no one in the car wanted to. I know Dharavi Slum is a popular tourist destination on the world tourism map but, I was wondering why visit a slum?

Neglected Past- Temples of Karnataka, Nadkalsi

Nadakalasi twin temples are fine examples of non-ornate Hoysala temple architecture. Located near the Sagar-Sorab road these temples attract very few and genuinely interested visitors only. That could be because they are remote, away from the public transport and there are no autorikshaws. I happened to visit these when I visited Jog Falls in the month of August this year. 

Colorful Skies- Foggy sky along Pacific Coast Highway

Pacific Coast Highway or California State Route-1 is popular for running through some of the most beautiful coastlines in USA. It is a scenic route with numerous attractions such as state parks, waterfalls and wildlife viewing areas. 

Travel Talk- How to be a Responsible Traveler?

Take home great memories and leave only the footprints ...

Neglected Past- Temples of Karnataka, Ikkeri

Here is the continuation of my trip to ancient temples around Jog Falls. Earlier I had posted about the Keladi Nayakas and Keladi Rameshwara temple. Keladi was the first capital of Keladi Kingdom and later it was shifted to Ikkeri by the subsequent ruler. It remained as the capital for around 120 years. And so here is another beautiful temple dedicated to Aghoreshwara (Lord Shiva).

Colorful Skies- Sunset at Canyonlands National Park, Island in the Sky!

It is hard to imagine how wild and rugged is Canyonlands National Park. One has to visit to know it. The long remote roads to reach, very few visitors and the unforgiving yet beautiful nature around makes this place fascinating.

Off the beaten track- Temples of Karnataka, Keladi

During the month of August after few storms I visited Jog Falls one of the highest plunge waterfalls in India. Many who visit these waterfalls are mostly unaware of the historical and architectural treasures around. There are many functioning temples dating back to 16th century which are now protected monuments. These temples of immense architectural beauty in the not-much-happening villages silently tell the stories of grand bygone era. During my recent trip to Jog Falls I visited three of these many temples- Keladi, Ikkeri and Nadkalsi.

Colorful Skies- Skywatch at Petrified Forest National Park

Skywatch in Arizona. I was at Petrified Forest National Park couple of days ago and these teepees looked very interesting at the end of that long road. Blue sky and those cotton-y clouds looked pretty good too!