Feb 25, 2013

Call of the Wild- Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska where the ice age lingers!


Humpback whale gulf of alaska Kenai Fjords

My trip to Alaska has been a great experience.  Never happened to post articles about the amazing national parks, glacier hikes, cruise, and wildlife earlier to this! I think about Alaska and replay my experiences ... every moment of it ... the severe cold, sleepless nights because of no night hours, day-long cruise on a rough ocean and sea-sickness, spectacular wildlife, snow-ice-and-glaciers, cheap hostels, road accident and so on ... Believe me ... unforgettable!! Kenai Fjords National Park- ice fields, glaciers, wildlife and lush forests! A place on earth where the ice age lingers!

Feb 23, 2013

Familiar Faces- Cutest and sweetest in the world!



She was crying because she was bored in the monastery we were visiting. To humor her I went behind her father who was holding her and took a picture. Now, she was curious and she liked that flash firing up ... She is lovely, cutest and sweetest. And she is my niece!

Feb 22, 2013

Colorful Skies- Sunset, Lake and Weeds


Central Park Fremont sunset

Central Park in Fremont, California is a great place for morning/evening walks, picnics and potluck parties. Also one can see many waterfowl, especially canada geese, egrets, common coot, herons and mallards. To walk around the lake it took 30 mins per round and I usually walked two rounds everyday. One early summer evening I thought of going for one more round. By the end of my walk it was sunset time. This is what I saw through the weeds. 
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Feb 20, 2013

Waterfalls- Hedge Creek Falls


Hedge creek waterfalls Dunsmuir

Once, I took a road trip from San Diego to Portland mostly on I-5. On the way there are many global cities like, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. But, what interested me were numerous small lesser known places ... One of them is Dunsmuir in northern California. This place is blessed with small yet wonderful waterfalls and friendly people. One of the waterfalls is Hedge Creek waterfalls. Very close to the freeway exit. A short hike downhill leads to this falls. 

Feb 18, 2013

Off the beaten track- Chanderi, a town carved out of rock!


Chanderi Fort

After wandering around the temples and tombs in Orchcha I decided to visit Chanderi, a place known for its traditional sarees. It wasn't easy to reach this place using public transport. From Jhansi I took a bus to Lalitpur (95KM) and then another bus to Chanderi (40KM). Those 40KM from Lalitpur to Chanderi were never ending. The journey in a slow moving bus on almost mud-road was very painful. The bus could hardly carry the load. Unimaginable 3.5 hrs in human packed bus to cover 40KM ... Once I got off the bus I learned that no autorikshaws run in the town. Everyone around stared at me but when I asked for help they were extremely nice. There is a nice hotel here right near the fort.

Feb 16, 2013

Urban Decay- Save Electricity!



Sometime ago there was a photoshoot meetup and the topic was Urban Decay. I was a first-timer for the topic and was curious about what is that we would shoot in urban ruins. The venue was Angel Island in San Francisco Bay- an island of American History. I was surprised the way photographers composed pictures and even rusted nuts and bolts looked precious! This one interested me!

The Neglected message!

Feb 15, 2013

Colorful Skies- Sunset at Natural Bridges

Sunset Natural Bridges state beach

Santa Cruz, California has many beautiful beaches. One of them is Natural Bridges state beach. It is a great picnic spot. Nice beach, tide pools monarch butterfly sanctuary are the attractions. One evening I waited for sunset and got this shot. Natural Bridges SB was one of the retreats for me when there was no group event organized during weekends. Every time I could get a beautiful sunset picture. This evening the colorful rays of the sun were having a show even long after sunset! Beautiful huh?
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Feb 13, 2013

Waterfalls- Mossabre Falls

Mossabre waterfalls

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that smaller places interest me more. Long ago I was reading  a book which was about smaller towns in America. The book listed the interesting small towns also. Unfortunately, I forgot the title of the book :( but I remember Dunsmuir was listed among them. Dunsmuir town has two beautiful waterfalls which are easily accessible. Hedge Creek Falls and Mossabre Falls.

Feb 11, 2013

Off the beaten track- Datia and Sonagir


Datia Mahal satkhanda palace
I took an autorikshaw to Purana Mahal. Autorikshaw went moving through narrow roads lined with sweet stalls, fruit and vegetable market and others. I wondered where was I heading ... and there was this withering yet majestic palace standing high on rock. Datia Mahal, Satkhanda Palace, Purana Mahal, Old Palace ... all mean the same ... Bir Singh Palace, a seven storied palace built by Bundela Raja Bir Singh Deo as a symbol of friendship between him and Jahangir, a mughal. Though a beautiful palace nobody lived here as it was considered unlucky.

This uncared palace still holds its beauty covered under dust and cobwebs. Built of only stone and bricks, no cement or iron, this palace is finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture and is also considered a jewel of Bundelas. The interconnecting walkways are in the shape of Swastika, a Hindu religious symbol. The ceilings and walls of the upper floors have beautiful murals. The vegetable and natural dye murals have survived the forces of nature- the birds, elephants and flowering trees represent Rajputana  art. One of the interesting paintings is symbolic of the friendship between Vir Singh and Jahangir. Though the palace was built for welcoming Jahangir he never visited this palace. It was then left alone and then forgotten. Though the palace is seven storied, two of them are not accessible to the tourists.

Feb 9, 2013

World in Monochrome- A temple in Maheshwar


Devi Ahilya Fort Maheshwar

Maheshwar is a small town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The place is popular for the magnificent fort overlooking the holy river Narmada. The fort and the temples have exquisite carving work that leaves the tourist spellbound. In the picture is view of a smaller shrine from Main shrine's entrance arch.
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Feb 8, 2013

Colorful Skies- Clouds over mighty Alaskan glacier

Matanuska Valley Glacier Alaska

I have earlier posted couple of pictures from Alaska. It was my first experience with mighty glaciers. Trekking short distances over this frozen river of ice was a fantastic experience. In the picture is the Matanuska Glacier under the blue sky ... I swear that blue opened up for only few minutes!! Matanuska is a valley glacier and is the source of Matanuska River. A magical place to visit!
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Feb 4, 2013

Butterflies- Butterflies of Florida


Bees sip honey from flowers and hum their thanks when they leave. The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him - Rabindranath Tagore 
When butterflies fly by they delight our souls. God must have been a very happy person the day he created them :) So very light, colorful and so volatile and restless. Unknowingly the eyes start following them ... During my visit to Key West, Florida I shot many butterfly photos. And I thought of adding some beautiful quotes by great people on these wonderful creatures.

Feb 2, 2013

World in Monochrome- Through the window!


In Mandu I was fascinated by the windows. Various shapes and sizes, with wonderful carving on some. Some had mesmerizing views. Then on I have been trying to shoot Through the Window! I find it fun. Right window, right scene and good light ...

Feb 1, 2013

Colorful Skies- Playtime



I was at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California. It is a great picnic spot and right for families. The tide pools here are children's favorite. At low tide one could see huge starfish. That evening I had decided I wouldn't worry about sunset pictures. I wanted to just sit, relax and watch kids playing ...