Mystic Moon

Sun Kissed Clouds!

Yesterday, the Sun God was reportedly seen romancing the clouds! Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself!

Need I say more?A picture indeed speaks a thousand words!

First trek at FLAME

India won the World Cup. The euphoria reached a hilt at one point when enthusiasts demonstrated their emotions on the furniture outside pitstop! 6.30 am next morning. 23 sleepy students. Waiting at Pit Stop. Still celebrating???

Naaa! We left behind Bhaji’s captaincy for something even more fun – a trek with General Mehta, our CO and inspiration for numerous initiatives at FLAME.


There were some samples of course; some were literally dragged out of bed like our Gandhiji Vickey (ahem... Dipika had to do the honours of dragging her bhiya out!)

On the way up the hill, General Mehta shared a few precious memories of his time spent in Kashmir and the jawan’s life in the Indian Army, extremely inspiring. It felt so great...an honour to be able to hear his stories and be a part of the experience.


As with all awesome things, the fun part came right at the end, while walking half way down the constructed road, some of our crazy UG girls came up with the brilliant idea of taking the ‘off the beaten track’ - a slope cutting almost 75 degree right down, leading us to the golf course! Now, normally, we would have taken the sane road and come down like respective (read boring people) but no, the crazy gang with our 60 year young leader went down the rubble filled slope!

Slip! Tumble, scratch! Ouch! Through muck, slippery grass, and a lot more, we managed to paint our bottoms a healthy earthy shade, what with everyone sliding down with no clue as to where their feet slip next!


It wasn’t exactly the most strenuous trek, neither was it tiring, yes we all came back all dirty, but with big grins all across our excited faces, and most important of all - the fun-o-meter – I rate that a 100%!

Cheers to more such adventures at FLAME!

In Love with Lauterbrunnen

The high light of my trip to Western Europe – Lauterbrunnen – a little village, emerging out of an impossibly beautiful..no..breathtakingly picturesque..no..simply STUNNING landscape! Probably the most beautiful place all over Switzerland!

Even though we spent just 3 days there, we managed to fit in quite a lot but enjoy some leisure time all the same.

Imagine jumping out of a pane at 11,000 feet! Yup, skydiving, - I flew - with all the equipment and a tandem flight pilot of course!

(Did I mention that we saw Michael Schumacher..yehhhh!!!)

Something I noticed – Switzerland has a place called Grindelwald. It is also the name of one of the characters in J.K Rowling’s last Harry Potter series! He was Dumbledore’s friend in his teen years and a great wizard who later lost a famous duel with him. (Wonder whether she just made it up – coincidence or she actually incorporated the name from this place!)

I must mention the Rosti – a local dish made of potato, fried onions, with loads of veges or meat of your choice – yummm!! Ofcourse our friend Marc the Mac had a mouthwatering time here too(all over Europe actually!)

Also, the train station from Lauterbrunnen is a junction point for the trip to the highest point in Europe – Jungfraujoch. (I finally got the pronunciation right – it’s actually pronounced as Ungfrau!) But since I am not much of a snow person, I decided to go rafting in Switzerland’s glacial waters instead.

So, on the second day, we set off to Interlaken again (centre for skydiving and loads of other adventure sports) for our rafting adventure. After zipping into waterproof gear and being informed (read frightened) by our instructor, we set of on what was definitely the best rafting experience of my life!

Now before I continue to describe further, you must know that Interlaken gets its name because of the two lakes in the heart of the Bernese Oberland – the Thunersee and the Brienzersee. The first leg of the trip was awesome no doubt, what with freezing cold water welcoming us at every rapid and every turn of the raft! As we reached the last leg in the raft, what lay ahead of us was more striking, beautiful, and breathtaking than anything I had ever seen! Straight ahead, the silver glacial stream we were in right now merged into this vast expanse of clear torquish blue! You have to see it to believe it!

As we crossed from the stream into the lake, it magically changed from freezing silver to warm blue!


Talking about water, another nature’s beauty that we visited were the Trummelbach Falls.

The pamphlet read, “10 glacial waterfalls inside the mountain made accessible by tunnel-lift and illuminated. The Trummelbach alone drains the mighty glacier defiles of Eiger(3970m), Monk (1099m) and Jungfrau (4158m) and carries 20200 tons of boulder detritus per year. Its drainage area is 24sqkm, half of it is covered by snow and glaciers. Up to 20,000 liters of water per second. The only glacier-waterfalls in Europe inside the mountain and still accessible.” Beautiful!

Its funny you know – at the end of my trip to Europe, on our way to Paris airport, one of my friends Ashutosh said, “Deepti, you need to improvise your vocabulary a little.” When I asked why, he said, “The only thing that comes to your mind when you think of Lauterbrunnen or Europe for that matter is – Beautiful!!”

San Sebastian

Just 21km west of the French border, within the Basque country, lies Donostia-San Sebastian, the summer capital of Spain. During the summer months, every day in San Sebastian is a party!

Out of San Sebastian’s three beaches – La Concha, La Zurrlola and Ondarreta, our guide informed us that La Concha was made popular by Queen Isabel and is considered to be one of the most beautiful city beaches in Europe. I completely agree with Her Highness!

The highlight though was the tiny Santa Clara island right in the centre of La Concha Bay. Breathtaking!! A few friends of ours, an Australian couple actually swam across from the bay to the island – clear blue waters, silver sands, not to strenuous either.


When I talk of an aquarium, you might think, “oh, that’s just a kid’s thing, it won’t really be worth seeing.” It was actually quite the contrary! I was surprised by the sheer size of the aquarium, complete with an underwater tunnel called the oceanarium. It is an underwater tunnel where you are completely surrounded by water and feel that you are really submerged in the deep blue sea. It is so cool, it gave me a 360° view of electric rays, Morays, Lion Fish and loads of other marine life including a shark!

We also took a short hike to the top of a hill which had an old castle and a fortress built at the top, along with a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The view of San Sebastian from here is stunning, you can see the entire cost line with amazing surfs coming in!

The place we stayed was located in the heart of Parte Vieja (the Old Quarter). The entire area was dotted with San Sebastián's famous tapas (the only place in Spain were tapas are called pintxos, yum!!). The cobbled streets lined with Cathedrals, beautiful buildings and street musicians – gives you a lazy, cozy feel about the whole place!

The French Riveria

Nice is a place for beach bums and starcrazy folks. Its sun drenched coast, art museums, local markets or chic shops and amazing scenery will make you want more.


It is the perfect base from were you can take an hour long train ride to get to Tinsel town in Cannes and Monacco. Apparently, if you are not a French citizen and want to buy property in Monacco, you have to give the French government 1million dollars after which they will decided whether or not to give you the property. Here’s the catch, if they decide against giving it to you, you lose the entire 1 million amount!

Madonna and Michel Jackson tried! They can afford to lose a million!


After this, we basically spent our time walking on the wide promenade des Anglias fronts the bay. Split by islands of palms and flowers, it stretches from about 6.5km. All along the beachfront, there are rows of grand cafes, the Musee Massena, villas, hotels and chic boutiques.

If you are a beach bum, check out the free sections of public beach alternate with 15 private beaches, for which you have to pay. There are outdoor showers on every beach, and indoor showers and toilets opposite 50 promenade des Anglais. But be prepared for the infamous pebbles on the beach. We bought some straw mats (for 4.50 euros) which proved really helpful at the beach.

Shopping in Nice runs the gamut from chic designer boutiques to bustling flea and flower markets. You can also expect great bargains in January and June. I bought a cute pair of tie up shoes for just 10 euro (that’s just Rs.540! Would not get a pair for that much even on Linking Road!!)

An Evening in Paris

‘Paris is the Paris of Parisians’ Thats how Lonely Planet describes Paris and I think that’s the best introduction anyone can give while describing Paris. They are not only proud of their language, culture, architecture but also celebrate their creative spirit in everything they do.

Though I must admit that I was a little put off by the attitude of the people. But what I mistook as attitude was just a sense of pride they have even in the smallest of things. For instance, while I was sending a postcard home at The Louvre, the ink from my gel pen refused to dry on the post card, so I asked the man at the counter for his. He was almost dismayed and said, every Frenchman carries his pen, you must carry a pen with you where ever you go! I tried explaining that I had one, but to no avail! It felt crazy at first but then I understood the passion behind the thought..

So that was that.

Yes, I definitely did all the touristy things, up the Eiffel Tower, The beautiful Sacre Coeur Church, the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame Cathedral. All beautiful, awe inspiring masterpieces.

The cruise down the river Sane was soooo romantic, ohh!! (the only thing that probably brought me back to reality was when I heard a big clan of gujjus pass by!)

Last but never the least, how I could go to Paris and not go for the Moulin Rouge! A little scandalising ofcourse, but if you look beyond the exposure, the elaborate costumes, song and dance shows as well as the juggling fillers were beautiful! charmed!

All in all, I guess what I liked doing best in Paris, literally is what the Parisians do – sit by a street side café, nursing my Rosette wine and simply watch the beautiful day go by...

Gaudi’s Barcelona

Barcelona is by far the most wild, fun and safe city I have travelled to. Doring the day we romanced around Gaudi's Neverland like structures and at night we partied and hopped from one tapas bar to the other, the city seems like it was born for fun.
  
You can spend the day rambling along with friends at La Rambla until to reach the sea. Chill on the beach in the morning and then go check out the unusual Gaudi architecture rest of the day!!


Even if you don’t have time to visit a single museum or monument, be sure to visit La Ramblas. Buzzing at all hours, it is the most vibrant and colourful street you will ever come across. It is packed with vibrant street artists, news kiosks and vendors selling everything from live chickens to blue roses, live statues, and the most important of all, a massive fruit and vegetable market.

If museums are your thing, keep in mind admission is free on the first Sunday of every month. Antoni Gaudi’s work in Barcelona is for me the most fascinating of all.
Gaudí was a Catholic and a passionate architect. His masterpiece, La Sagrada Família is Barcelona’s most famous building and when I visited it, I was completely spell bound. He has taken inspiration from simple things in nature like a honey comb, sand dunes, etc and incorporated their design in his architecture. Its beautiful!
Apparently the construction of La Sagrada Familia began in 1882 though it’s only half-built, and its supposed to be complete by 2082. Let’s wait and watch!

Food, food and some more!!
The local dish is called paella, which is made of rice and a tomato base with loads of fish, meat or vegetables. Yumm!!
My all time favourite all over Spain were the tapas bars. Our bus guide gave us an insider tip to finding a great tapas bar. She said that we must look out for the ones that have tissues strewn all around and don’t look like they have the cleanest tables as the waiters are so busy serving the many patrons that there’s no time to clean up!

The nightlife here is quite cool, safe and most of all crazy! We went to Margarita Blue, one of the well known pubs there and had the specialty – Blue Margarita!
Oh, I must add - you will not miss India here at all! Why? Here this:
One of my group mates needed a shave, so we headed to the nearest salon. We find one enter, and what do we see? A huge poster of Aishwarya Rai in her Devdas outfit, a pleasant looking Asian man smiling at us and when he speaks (Pakistani Punjabi accent) to us, it is clear he is from apna India. It felt weird sitting in a Pakistani-Indian hair cutting salon in Barcelona listening to classic Hindi movie songs and watching foreigners walking past tattoo and contour shops opposite the road!

After this, we met quite a few Pakistanis, Bangladeshi and Indian’s settled there running Indian restaurants. Cool!

Madrid Mania

The city of siesta, bull fighting and the graceful flamenco! ‘Serious’ is not a word that exists in people’s vocabularies here (not because they don’t speak English!) But because they are so laid back through out the day! Crowded streets at 5a.m and people partying like crazy, just celebrating life – yup, that’s Madrid for you!.

The Spanish way of life is truly very different from the rest of Europe or for that matter the world! Why, you ask?
Ok, a typical day in an average Spaniard’s life – wake up at 10 in the morning, go for work, come back by 2.30 for a good siesta (sleep) or time out with family or friends. Back to work from 5pm till about 7.30 and the rest of the day is reserved for a drink of Sangria (a cocktail of chilled red wine and apple juice, with ice cubes and freshly cut fruits) and loads of Ollays! And Whopas! Dancing or watching others dance the flaminco.

Wow, what a life!!
You thought it was all about partying? Think again! Before I got my dose of Sangria and pubs, I religiously visited Madrid’s ‘Big Three’ – the outstanding Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums – I have to say that they should be the first things on your to-do list.
Madrid’s 18th-century architecture is a lesson in what can happen if you give your interior decorators a free hand. Madrid’s main palace has some of the most elaborately decorated walls and ceilings imaginable, including the sublime Throne Room. This over-the-top palace hasn’t been used as a royal residence for some time and today is used only for official receptions.

About the food, meat eaters will have a blast but there wasn’t much of a variety for me, vegetarian you see. But I was lucky to find some good tapas bars that served vegetarian tapas. Tapas are like starters with a bread base and any meat, fish or vegetable topping all held together with a tooth pick. Our bus guide told us something really funny though, apparently the dirtier the tapas bar, more tissue papers lying around the floor, the tastier the place!
We later found out that she was actually right!
The part about bull fighting, the process in which they kill the bull was just too brutal for me to go check it out for my self. And when I researched a little to find out the reason for such brutality, here’s what I came across:

“Bullfighting is a ritual. It is a ceremony that is carried out in carefully prearranged steps, the lead roles of which are played by the bull and the matador in the arena. It is a ritual that requires a sacrifice, a sacrifice to the death.

Man, in his complex relationship with the fear of death but also his willingness to risk it, seeks to vanquish death. He does that by physically overcoming death; and doing so in the arena, he seeks immortality. The bull, therefore, is death personified.

‘Man's melodrama is forgotten for an instant. The matador, representing mankind and dressed for his date with death in the fantastical if impractical traje de luz, suit of lights, goads, mocks and sentences the bull to death with the estocada, the death blow, from his sword. The most spectacular estocada is the estocada recibido ('received', when the matador stands his ground and lets the enraged bull charge him) but it isn't seen that often. The ritual has been carried out, the bull is dead and the matador is triumphant. Man has defeated death - today he is immortal.”

"Spain is different!” Spaniards say. They don't specify compared to what: to the rest of Europe, to the rest of the world, or even to itself?

Well, what can I say – Ollay!

Sri Lanka - My Exotic Paradise

Breath taking beaches, colonial tea estates and beautiful hearts - Sri Lanka more commonly known as Lanka by the native Sinhalese is indeed a tropical paradise.

A two and a half hour flight from Mumbai to Katunayake Airport took me across the Southern tip of India, the vast Indian Ocean, the Palk Strait and finally the golden beaches of Celyon. Trying to grasp the beauty of something so grand through my tiny airplane window...words are simply not enough to express the way I feel!

As soon as I stepped down, every where I looked - I saw graceful coconut laden trees swaying in the winds - almost welcoming me ot their home.

I was lucky to land just in time to see the sunset - ahh! A sight to behold!!

Driving down from the airport to the hotel, our driver William informed us about a bomb blast near by, due to which we had to de route a bit. Naturally, we got all tensed up. But its funny how soon things change!

William said, (in his broken English but cute sort of way) “Sri Lanka people no problem - Hindu, Christian, Muslim live happy. Together. Only problem - Tiger. But we happy life otherwise.”
The humility of those simple but powerful words are still with me…

Cut 2

We are driving across a road that runs parallel to the coast - for a sea lover(me) - the sight of a beautiful beach, with that salt-water-laden-mist-air, just what I needed to shed off the apprehensions of the blast.

The next day, taking a walk along the beach, visiting many Buddhist temples and spice plantations nearby - the colour that stood out everywhere - GREEN! Sri Lanka - once under the sea, is now so lush - you can literally soak in the fresh greens!

It took me almost a day to realise that I am in another country - the people, places, culture are so similar to India - comprising of Sinhalese and Tamil, though there are many practicing Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslim natives there too.

Its awesome to see the spirit of the people here - they have jumped back to life and one remembers the Tsunami only when you see memorials dotted along the coast…

My most favourite - Rambutan, a fruit with red hairy exterior and an interior similar to the fleshy lichi in India.

The Buddhist presence here is very strong as I saw many stupas and statues of Buddha every where. A 14 metre long reclining Buddha - did not actually see it, but heard so much about it from Kensley, our guide cum tuk-tuk driver in Bentota Island.

One word of caution - never, never trust tuk-tuk drivers in Colombo city - they are sure to take you for a ride! Though we had a great (and safe) experience with Kensley, we travelled an hour with him to get a glimpse of the coral reefs, temples, post office(Philatelic stamps) and my favourite - turtle hatchery at a nearby beach.

What’s great in Colombo? Shopping!!!(forgive me guys!)

Even though India is much bigger and advanced a country, we need to learn one essential trait from Sri Lanka - cleanliness. Every where I travelled, the roads, the parks, everything was clean to the core. The airport was international - in the right sense of the word (unlike Mumbai’s “international” one).

For the short duration of five days that I spent in Sri Lanka with my sister, the warm place and people have etched a place in my memory for a long time to come...

All in all, my shortest trip ever, but what a BLAST!!!!

Nehru Institute of Mountaineering: Experience Extremes!

Most people associate a holiday with a stay at a luxury hotel in a scenic place with all the comforts of life. When I opted to go for the basic course to the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), little did I know that the story hereon would be quite to the contrary.

We were asked to prepare for the physical training a month before we reach the institute. However on commencement of the course on 24th May, we all realised that nothing would have prepared us for what we were to face in the coming 28 days. Wake-up at 4 in the morning, assemble for physical training at 5 am and a hectic schedule for the entire day filled with lecture sessions, artificial wall climbing training, tent pitching training, long treks, et’ all!

The physical and emotional stress and fatigue I experienced at this juncture was the most, since the typical army routine, sleeping on a bunk bed, living a disciplined lifestyle was very new to me, a Mumbaiite! It was only later that I found out that all the remaining 75 trainees were going through the same stress levels, that’s when a sense of hope to perform, came in, just as the other 75 trainees were.

So we began with the first phase of the training: Rock Craft, for which we walked the entire stretch of 11 km from the NIM campus to Tekhla, the rock climbing zone. The most adventurous aspect of this phase was climbing up 40m high rocks and then rappelling down the same.

This was followed by the most memorable part of the course: the 18 day trek!
We left from the NIM campus on the 31st May and our journey would literally take us across many mountains and rivers, forests and glaciers! Here were 76 basic course mountaineering trainees, with 20 kg ruck-sacks on their backs, working purely on the directions of their instructors. Initially we all felt like coolies, but later, on seeing the increasing beauty of the places we visited, it was all worth it! Our journey took us from NIM (4,300 feet) to Tel (8,200 feet), Bukhi, Jungle camp, Gujjar Hut camp and finally Base Camp (12,300 feet).

It sounds like a great achievement now, but at that moment we were all humbled by the beauty of the places we passed by, with beautiful rhododendrons, buttercups, marshmarygolds and other colourful flowers inviting us to their humble abode. Walking through valleys of flowers, with snow carpeted mountains, crossing crystal clear streams and hearing the gurgling waters, was such a pleasure, it compensated for the tough journey and heavy luggage, giving us all a sense of calm and contentment.

The day after reaching base camp, we took off for the second phase of our course: Ice Craft. We trekked to the Dokriani Bamak glacier, which was literally a mountainous area of pure ice covered with rubble, giving it a landslide area feeling. We were all anxious at first, since the climb to the place itself made us slip and fall a dozen times and then the ice craft was even more grueling. We were taught techniques of ascending and descending on ice slopes, glaciers and crevasses with the help of ice axe, pitons, wearing (very) heavy ice boots and crampons (spikes attached to the base of the boots for grip on ice). But by the end of the 5 day training in this area, were all confident enough to run up and down the ice slopes and enjoy!

During our lecture sessions at base camp, we were instructed on the various aspects related to mountaineering. It included lectures on avalanches, glaciers, flora and fauna, important medical information about the effect of high altitudes on mountains, importance of different types of food on the mountains and we were also shown Hollywood movies like Vertical Limit!


More importantly, many of our instructors gave us detailed stories of their experiences on mountains like Nanda Devi and Everest. Colonel Balwant Sandhu, ex principal of the institute shared his experience of climbing Changabang, being the leader of an Indo-British expedition. The peak is also called ‘the sharks tooth’ because of its extreme steep feature. The photographs of the expedition were breathtaking and the experience he shared with us were priceless and awe inspiring. The most striking factor that I cannot forget was when we were told by our instructor, Mr. Neel Chand that once on the Everest, due to lack of anchors for pitching a tent, someone had used a dead body as an anchor for their tent, and he actually saw that! It just shows that even though the mountains can be very beautiful, they can also be very ruthless!

From Base camp we proceeded to Advance Base Camp, at a height of 13,400 feet and also to the third and last phase of our course: Snow Craft. There we learnt the techniques of ascending on soft snow with the help of ice axe, ropes. I can openly say for all my fellow trainees that this was the least strenuous and most fun part of it all since most of the time we were sliding down the snow slopes and throwing snow balls on our instructors!

At the end of snow craft training, we returned back to base camp. We were then taught basics of navigation in mountains with the use of a compass and service protractor and at the end of it were sent on a treasure hunt! As all serious courses do, this one too had a test at the end. Hence, on the last day everyone could be seen sitting with book in hand trying to memorise all the notes given to us during the lectures.

The day arrived when we were to return back to the NIM campus. We walked from Base Camp to Tel, which took us 9 hours, with just 3-4 10 minute breaks in between. The next day was our final trek to the bus point from where we were driven to the NIM campus. The euphoria on everyone’s faces on seeing the buses, a sign of civilization after 17 days of living like nomads, was worth seeing!


The entire course, though very tough, was unique and sometimes funny too. From living in tents for 17 days, laughing and crying with team mates at the same time, to attending to nature calls amidst nature! It all makes me think that to experience adventure and beauty; one has to scale the heights of experience to experience extremes.

A Little Information about the Institute:
The Institute:
The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering was established at Uttarkashi on 14 Nov.1965. The aim of the Institute is to introduce and initiate young men, women and children to the mountains and nature through its various Mountaineering and Adventure training courses. Special emphasis is laid on instilling the concept of adventure sports, without causing environmental degradation.
The institute conducts various courses for beginners as well as experienced mountaineers. They have a Basic Mountaineering Course, Advance Mountaineering Courses, Search & Rescue Course, method of Instruction Course, Mountain Guide Course and Adventure Courses.

The Basic course: In this course, beginners are taught the basic techniques of movement on rock, snow and ice. This is achieved through practical training and theoretical knowledge about the various aspects of mountaineering, including conservation of Himalayan environment, preserving health in the mountains, toughen the body by increasing resistance to cold, hunger and fatigue.
The trainees of the Basic course spend initial four to six days at Uttarkashi and Tekhla, where they undergo physical conditioning, toughening up exercises, long walks and extensive rock climbing training. Hereafter, they spend the next nineteen to twenty days in the mountains; the journey towards base camp involves tow to three intermediate camps, which help the trainees acclimatize. During their stay in the mountains, students are trained in the basic techniques of snow craft, ice craft and rock climbing at high altitudes. On completion of training, basic course students are taken for a height gain, up to altitudes ranging between 17,000 and 19,000 feet.

(14.7.06)
The contact number for Nehru Institute of Mountaineering is 01374.2123

Kayaking trip to Kolad

The place was great, Ecomantra, located in Kolad, around 3 hrs away from Mumbai. Very beautiful location, great veg food!

Day 1 was completely wet n wild! We arrived at around 11.30 after which we kept our luggage in the cottages (really nice ones for the girls - Rose Cottage) and then were given a looooonnnnggg orientation by Ravi. Parts of it were actually interesting, he gave us facts about eco tourism, mountaineering, etc.
Crossing the river by boat is the only way to reach ecomantra, so our Jamin was parked on te other side of the road. After the orientation, river crossing was the first activity, fun, loads of splashing!!!

Then there was Kayaking, K2(two seater), K1(single seater). Awesome fun even though my shoulders ache badly coz of that now!

Almost half the crowd mastered K2 and K1 after which they tried the canoe. This is different from the Kayak since it has a round bottom, therefore much less stable. Gaurav was the first one to flip, the canoe capsized!

Night trail was intertesting but it was cut short coz we saw a poisonous snake enroute. Really cool the way it hissed and sprang towards us!

Babu and Bakul were amazing fun, Babu and Yogi sang realllyyy well so we had 2 substitutes for Seema (Our official Radio FM in The Paragliding trip in March)!!
Day 2 morning half of us were up by 6.30 and on the kayaks again! They had these surf boards on which Chandini and Yogi attacked, they were just not ready to leave it!

We continued splashing around in the river, Piyush actually wore codroy pants in the water, so Chandini made it their mission to strip him naked!!! Everyone was kayaking, surfing and playiing around in the water all the while.

Hunger was the only thing that made us get out of the water, and after a really tasty lunch, we had snakes awaiting us!!

The cobra, pit viper and of course the massive python! They actually wrapped the entire python around me!!! That felt sooooooo eueeeeeee!!!!!

Above all, the place, the activities and our group was great!!! There were one or two ppl shy and silent most of the journey but I saw them interacting with others at the end of the journey.

We did not go Rafting, because they did not release the dam water, but it will definitely happen in the monsoons, they say. So I will go again during June or July. The river is pretty intense then - level 5 river rafting!

I'm waiting!!!

10 Tips for Travel Photography

Once upon a time, a lone traveler wound his way through the beautiful paths of an exotic location. He longed for something, something with which he could make those breathtaking scenes immortal, until he discovered – the camera.

This was the beginning of a long romance between a traveler and his camera – the Travel Photographer.

He practiced and practiced, discovering images never seen by the common man. Then he thought, ‘Why not share these experiences so that many more like me can gain knowledge from my experiences?’

What followed was a precious collection of ten Travel photography hints and tips, which were his simple tools to that winning picture.

They are:

1. Lighting: The term Photo means light. Thus an image can be captured only when there is an optimum level of light reflected on the object to be photographed. Once there is a good source of light, the picture can bring out amazing results.

2. Composition: This is the art of knowing what to include in the frame and how to. You can be as creative as possible, but the image within the frame of the picture must attract attention. An eye for detail will do the trick.

3. Motion Blur: Many a times, while traveling in a bus or car, an image is made, but you just cannot decipher what it contains, since it is sooo blurr! There is a solution to that too – simply increase the shutter speed if you have an SLR(Single Lens Reflex) or use a faster speed film(400ISO) for film cameras.

4. Memory: For the digitally savvy, remember to carry along many memory cards and transfer chords (USB chords), a good number of roles if analogue.

5. Alternative camera: This is very important for adventure enthusiasts. Small, one time use cameras for adventurous trips like glacier climbing, river rafting, etc. prove to be reliable even where your latest state of the art camera would fail.

6. Tripods: They work like an extra, extendable pair of hands. You can attach your camera to it for basic shots for a complete family picture or explore the wonders of night photography in your favourite travel destination. Tripods come in handy the most for telephoto shots.

7. Click through glass: For SLR cameras, it is wise to use a polarizing filter if one is taking a picture of an object through a glass door. If shooting with a compact camera, stand sideways to avoid getting a big bright white circle (bounce of camera flash light) as your picture!

8. Filters: Use of yellow filters on a very sunny day can give you great detail and deep tones of a beautiful sky.

9. When taking photographs of people, come in close for a tight shot unless the main focus is the background. Don’t make the mistake of taking pictures of people who are 15 feet away, due to which they cannot even be recognized!

10. X- Ray: For air travelers, get your films hand-inspected as you go through security. Many a times, exposure to x-ray can damage your films.

But most of all, always carry your camera and keep practicing, just like the lone traveler did and you will get a ticket into the magical world of travel photography!

Ladakh A Kingdom in the Sky

Ladakh

Mystic Land…
At an average altitude of over 11,000 ft Ladakh (literally - "Land of High Passes"), nestling in the Himalayas, is a place like no other. Its raw beauty, unique people and the prevalence of Buddhism in their culture brings many travelers to this mystical land.

Vast mountains studded with whitewashed monasteries, verdant valleys that surprise you with their splash of vivid green, incredibly blue skies, remote monasteries built on hilltops, air so clear you can literally see for miles…are some of the unique gifts bestowed to this land.

The People…The people of Ladakh are the land’s most unique asset. It has a mix of Buddhists and Muslims, with many monasteries and mosques in the region. Their friendly and peace loving nature is reflected in a harmonious lifestyle. A warm Jullay (welcome) is refreshing to the ears and they happily share a slice of their lives, brimming with hospitality and a cup of namkeen chai.

Living in isolation, this arid region opens up to the world for a mere 4 months in the year. Ladakh comes alive during the summer months from June to September. Its festivals in monasteries, during which the people come out with a unique style of dressing, coupled with fun filled archery and polo competitions in open arenas and a wide variety of cultural performances are some of the highlights in summer. During the other months, Ladakh is covered under a blanket of snow. Among the highest inhabited places in the world, life here flows with the seasons.

The Places…Ladakh is known for its monasteries, stupas and gompas along with its quaint but bustling market. The main Leh town is dominated by a nine-storey palace built by King Singge Namgyal, in the grand tradition of Tibetan architecture, which is said to have inspired the famous Potala in Lhasa built about half a century later. The towering Shanti Stupa a little away from the town area is a sight worth seeing. The beautiful monastery of Tiksey is situated about 20 km far from the town of Leh and ranks among the most important monasteries in Ladakh.

There are many more places to explore out of the main town in Leh. Lamayuru, Kargil, Drass and Zanskar are a must see for every visitor. If the highest road pass in the world behind Leh, the Khardung La, is open, one can have the privilege of experiencing its vivid beauty.

Getting There...Flying into Leh airport, which takes two hours from Jammu, the cold desert land, over the magnificent Himalayas is a beautiful and scary experience at once. Even though one can drive to Leh form the Srinagar- Kargil route, it is much too tiring and long (two days) a route and does not give you the exclusive opportunity of an aerial view of Ladakh.

After being immersed in the virgin beauty of Ladakh, it is the toughest thing to bid farewell to this tiny kingdom in the sky. The memories cannot be replaced for eternity.