Skywatch - the cliff from Uluwatu temple in Bali

Pura Luhur Uluwatu or the Uluwatu temple in Bali is located right on top of a cliff and offers one of the most spectacular views of the sea and sky.

To see more beautiful skies around the world, visit Skywatch 

Inside Story - Meet Dorjee

This post is my entry for Indiblogger's  Expedia - Around the World Contest

I met Dorjee in a crowded market street in Leh.. A thin and wiry man with a weather beaten face, Dorjee seemed rather restless as he had a terse conversation with his boss and my guide, Tundup. We had just then landed in Leh and had stopped to discuss our ten day itinerary . �Dorjee will be with you from tomorrow for the whole trip, your driver and guide ,�said Tundup by way of introduction . He just nodded to us and left while Tundup escorted us to our guest house.

The sun shone right through the mountains , gently nudging us as I woke up to realize that Dorjee was already waiting for us, walking around restlessly. He was like any typical tourist driver who went about dropping us like a courier boy from one monastery to another. Tundup advised us �not to treat him like a taxi driver� but Dorjee seemed indifferent to all the conversation and chai that we offered him .

The only thing that seemed to excite him were Bollywood songs from Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin, Aashiqui and Saajan . It was like chalk and cheese � the music he played and the mood we were in . The Indus flowed out of the barren landscape leaving us in awe , as we went ahead with the monastery circuit.

Finally Dorjee decided to have some conversation with us . He warned us not to linger too long in Kardungala as we crossed the pass at 18380 feet enroute to Nubra valley. He then told us stories of how it had been closed due to heavy snow fall a few weeks ago and several tourists were trapped enroute .

But he eventually warmed up to us when we decided to camp out at Pangong Tso with another cook in tow.  Dorjee was very excited. He started playing romantic Ladakhi songs and started grinning sheepishly as he translated the corny lines to us. He told us about his family back home in Zanskar and the baby his wife is expecting. He was to visit them later in winter when the tourist season ends here.

The weather changed like Dorjee�s mood. The sun gave way to rains and it became a wee bit cold too. Dorjee stopped in the middle of the mountains and we had our breakfast � hot steamy momos, prepared by our cook. He took us to see the marmots and was very excited to see the black necked cranes.  We reached Pangong and Dorjee was the first to get off the jeep and set up the tents. He was agile, filled with insatiable energy and a never say die attitude.

Our driver had  become a travel companion. But we saw the real Dorjee � the man who packed a punch in his wiry frame,  a tough and strong man who would brave anything .

It happenned on the fag end of our Ladakh trip when we were returning to Leh via Tso kar .We had just entered the Taglang la pass at 17,500 feet when it started to snow. While I started taking photographs , Dorjee frowned. Coming from a man who would throw caution to the winds, the frown meant trouble. He urged us to get into the jeep and we barely crossed the pass when the snow storm started. Dorjee spied a truck on the opposite end struggling its way.

 We stopped and so did the truck. A bus with the local police force arrived behind us They walked around and threw up their hands .The snow filled up the roads steadily as more vehicles piled up on either side. It slowly became an hour and then many hours.  Dorjee shrugged when we asked him our chances. He said nonchalantly either the truck had to be thrown into the valley or we would have to wait and it could be days if the storm did not subside .  But we sensed the worry in his voice. Suddenly he lost patience.

He stepped out into the storm amidst our protests. Then I saw him through my binoculars, there was our man in  a cap, wearing a  thin navy blue jacket and ordinary shoes removing the snow from the road with his own hands.  Some foreigners joined him and they picked up a crude instrument. We offered to join him, but he told us to head back to the jeep.  Many hours later the road was cleared by Dorjee and a troop of men, while the police and other tourists sat in the jeeps and watched . � Happens all the time, but you are my responsibility, � he said, dusting the snow from his jacket as he got into the jeep.

However Dorjee did not just save the day - he just displayed what a Ladakhi spirit is.." madam, all of us locals..we fought in the kargil war..do you know that ..? was his parting shot as we drive down hill.

This story was published in my column, Inside Story in Metro Plus 

Skywatch - A visit to Fatehpur Sikri

 

We were in Fatehpur Sikri on a hot summer afternoon. Needless to say I was sun burnt. The old town built by Mughal emperor Akbar stood in dramatic colours - the fiery red sandstone standing out against a dull blue sky .

For more dramatic skies visit Skywatch

Nilgiris - Why the Queen of Hills should be on your itinerary

So you have been there, done that - ticked off Ooty in your list of sightseeing places and cribbed about how it has become polluted, noisy and touristy,  rather than a picture perfect , quiet hill station. And then , you have told yourself, after seeing the traffic and the milling crowds, that you are done with the place for now. Well , if that is what you have been thinking, then its time to revisit your decision and the destination. And I will tell you why, but before that , a little bit of flashback .

Ooty and the Blue Mountains were always on my annual list of holidays ever since I was two years old . Dad being an old Lawrencian would never look at any other hill station besides Ooty (it took me 17 years to visit Kodaikanal) and when I was probably 4 - 5 years old , he even wanted to settle down here . I still remember a quaint wooden house  with a colourful garden blooming with roses, dahlias and gladioli where we stayed briefly . My last family holiday to Ooty was almost 20 years ago when I was finishing school .

I had hoped to join my folks last month as my father headed to his alma mater, Lawrence School at Lovedale for the 50th anniversary of his batch, but I had to cancel my plans. However  I had recently visited the Nilgiris and realized that I had rediscovered the hill station all over again. I now understand why my father is rather passionate about it .There is more to Ooty Tourism than just a few scenic views.

1. The Biodiversity . Much has been written about the Nilgiri biosphere , so I am not going to get into a naturalist mode. Just that the forests, the mountains, the lakes , dams  and some of the hidden spots in these regions are reasons enough to get here . I am not just referring to Mudhumalai or Singara or Masinagudi here. While some of the reserve forests may need permissions to enter, you can just drive down the path or just walk around them.  I have seen some pristine shola forests recently and I have told myself that I must make an annual visit every year, just to discover a new stretch of forest and hidden paths .

2. The birds -  There are so many endemic birds out here and sometimes, just a walk in the Botanical garden in Ooty or the Sims park in Coonoor is enough to sight them . Sometimes the birds will just be sitting on the pathway and or a rock near you .I almost sighted close to 75 species of birds and I was not even birding seriously . Some of them were the nilgiri flycatcher, the fan tail, the chestnut headed bee eater, Tickells blue flycatcher, the Eurasian  black bird among several others..

3.The wildlife - So,you are not into birds  , but the wildlife may definitely tempt. I got lost while trying to get to Long wood shola and entered through one of the forest paths which eventually was closed to public.  Barring a few private houses, we were driving through a dense shola forest and then we started walking ramdomly. My driver shuddered on a seeing a snake glide into the shrubbery , while I was trying to get a better look at it.  A little while later, a local walked by , telling me to be careful, as they had spotted a family of tigers here with cubs. In another instance, I was birding in this dense private forest that belonged to a friend beyond Mettupalayam, when we heard such loud grunts of sloth bears that I actually shuddered . The gaurs are everywhere and locals say that these usual shy creatures have become a bit aggressive of late. Elephants in Masinagudi are of course a regular sighting and if you are lucky, there is the Nilgiri tahr.

4. The flowers - So, you are not into birds or the beasts.  But you just cannot ignore the flowers here . Almost everywhere you see them bloom . the colours are so vivid that you can just get lost into them..There are so many parks and gardens here that you can easily get lost here.

5. The quaint hill stations - Forget Ooty , just go beyond it and see some quaint hill station. Some of the popular ones are Kotagiri and Coonoor,but there are many quaint ones that lure you as well

6.The mountain railway. - As a kid, the toy train was a great favourite of mine and even today, I would love to explore Nilgiris by rail . It might be a full day affair , but its well worth the slow and long journey . I was in Lovedale station , where I  saw the locals painting the board - the pride they took in their little station is a strong contrast to the way we treat our own stations in the city .

7.The culture  - Colonialism is almost everywhere - in the clubs, churches, bungalows, homestays, plantations, railways, the schools  - the British have left their legacy behind .Its ok to have a bit of a colonial hangover here. Just look at this beautiful pipe organ in an old church in Coonoor - it still plays by the way

8.The Tribal culture - Nilgiris is home to several tribes, including the Todas .  The Toda mund for instance in the Ooty Botanical garden  is a must visit to understand their lifestyle,  beliefs and even to buy a few of their famous embroidered shawls. The weather in Ooty can get rather cold sometimes, even though its usually very pleasant, so looking cool in these shawls may just help you make a fashion statement as well.

9.The little chai stops on the mountain roads - There is tea everywhere . Yes, its sad that forests have given way to tea plantations , but some of these plantations are centuries old and are handed down by the British . there was coffee here as well at one time  , but now its usually tea plantations that have carpeted the slopes of the hills ..Sometimes you see meadows as well and wish you could just roll on them  . So, if you are tired and need to refresh yourself, just stop and drink a hot cup of tea and buy some eucalyptus oil for your aching limbs

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10. Home made chocolates - Now, this is something that I will never leave Ooty without ..who wouldnt ?

Skywatch - River Bhadra and her moods

For more beautiful skies around the world, visit Skywatch

Asia through my eyes - Drummers in India and Puppets in Bali

Posted on May 2, in my 365 project as a part of India through my eyes - Drummers on a beat

India is filled with Gods, temples , festivals and legends . Here is a temple festival which happens on my street every year in Bangalore . The local performers were waiting for the temple festival to begin as they were practicing their beat .. 

Posted today in my 365project as part of Asia through my eyes series


Colour and Asia go hand in hand - whether it is India or Indonesia, the colours attract people . In a small market in Bali, these puppets were for sale . Being a sucker for souvenirs , I was tempted to pick a pair, but I finally decided to take this photograph and retain this as my souvenir. 

Asia through my eyes - Lanterns in Hong Kong

I have been doing the 365 project since February 2011  and trying hard to organise and showcase some of the photographs that I had taken from around the world. I had a theme in May called India through my eyes and in June, I decided to look at Asia through my eyes . Do let me know what you think about my perspective

I am always fascinated by Chinese Lanterns ever since I visited Singapore in 2000 during the Lantern Festival . So , when I was in Hong Kong recently, I found them extremely fascinating . Loved the way these depicted people and their walks of life too..The sheer colour and workmanship is amazing too