Wildlife photography needs heart, head and loads and loads of patience and perseverance. Amongst the most important aspects of being a good wildlife photographer is becoming familiar with the technical aspects of photography like the setting, adjustment and focussing of the camera.
For a start, assemble the right equipment. Like most things in life, camera equipment ranges from the basic to the very expensive. Beginners can go in for consumer models with high optical zooms. [continue reading…]
The map below is the best depiction of foods of India that I have ever seen; check it out for a mouth watering journey. Click on the map for a larger view.
Full Disclosure: The map has not been created by me, or anyone I know for that matter. It came to me as an email forward, and it seems it has been going around in cyberspace for a while. There is no attribution, and I am assuming it is copyright free – or at least the creator will not mind it being shown like this. Would be more than happy to attribute the original source if I know it.
Mohammed Ali at his shack at Appati village near Kargil in Ladakh
Coming down the 13202 feet high Hambotingla Pass on the way from Alchi to Kargil, I stopped for tea at a shack in the village of Appati in the setting sun around six in the evening. A warm cuppa is just what is needed after a day of driving as the temperature starts dropping.
Owned by teenager Mohammed Ali, he runs his outlet all year round even when temperatures dip many degrees below freezing. His clientele includes the residents of the village located a on the mountain at a level higher than that of the highway, as well as Army personnel who pass through this area regularly. [continue reading…]
The images here were taken at the 13202 feet high Hambotingla Pass on the way from Alchi to Kargil at around half past five in the evening shortly before the sun set. Enjoy.
A recent visit to Rajasthan had me become a fan of the state. It has zoomed to my second preferred travel destination – nothing on this planet is likely to beat the Himalayas. But I would love to discover places to see this change too. Here are ten reasons why you should plan to holiday in Rajasthan: [continue reading…]
If you are in India, and miss those highways where you can rev up those fancy cars of yours, head out to Bikaner.
It is one of those great drives where you can actually cover the Delhi – Bikaner distance of about 530 kilometers (330 miles) in seven hours which I did (plus an additional one hour coffee break). Except for certain stretches between Kotputli and Sikar, the roads are almost as good as any in the world. Not just your Ferraris, even your normal Honda or Suzuki sedans will feel like mean machines. [continue reading…]
I have hit the road in Rajasthan on January 9, 2009 and expect to be driving around for a 3-week period.
The itinerary covers Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Mount Abu, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Boondi, Pushkar as well as surrounding areas. This is the plan at least, and may be modified as I go along.
I will be posting my experiences, anecdotes and pictures whenever I can from the trip itself – and more when I am back.
If you drive through Ladakh in the summers, or at least in the month of July, you will see trees all over laden with the yellow apricot fruit, mostly ripe to eat. A restaurant in Khaltse does not have desserts on its menu, but the manager will point to the apricot tree under which you are served your meals and suggest you pluck these after for a sweet taste. You will also find children on roads going through villages waving to cars to stop to buy the ripe fruit they have carefully picked trees for customers.
[See more images of the Apricot Man on Flickr by clicking here.]
But the one set of apricots to catch my attention more than any other were those being collected by an old man by the highway roadside a little after Biamah on the Leh – Kargil route via Batalik. Sitting hunched over, with tattered clothes and a Tibetan cap, his bloodshot eyes caught my eyes more than the rest of his condition, wrinkles and grey hair. [continue reading…]
There are many ways to reach Leh from Delhi, but the most enjoyable way is to do so by road. If you can drive the distance of about 1075 kilometers, taking at least 3-4 days, it is sure to be an experience you will cherish for life. And try to drive yourself; there is a different thrill to it than being driven by someone else.
I did so myself in July 2008, and the journey came with some learnings as it has its own challenges. Here is a practical plan you could follow to get from Delhi to Leh: [continue reading…]
When my travel consultant booked me at Hotel Whispering Willows for my stay in Leh (located in Ladakh in the Indian Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir), I was a bit disappointed initially. It was located in the village of Shey, the ancient capital of Ladakh before it was shifted to Leh, 15 kilometers before Leh when driving from Delhi. I would rather have stayed downtown than drive up and down all the time. Continue reading about this great place
Boys will be boys, even when they are being groomed to be Buddhist Lamas. When I started taking pictures of some young Lamas at the Karsha Monastery located near the town of Padum in the Zanskar Valley (in the Ladakh region of the Indian Himalayan state of Jammu & Kashmir), not only did they start posing specially for the camera, they also started jostling to be in the camera frame exclusively. It led to a bit of friendly bashing, adding to the fun of the afternoon while I was there. Boys will remain boys. [continue reading…]
India is a photographer’s delight with its natural features, wildlife, flora, people, cultures and festivals providing more fodder for a shutterbug’s creativity than one can chew.
So why not take out your camera, or dig out your stock, and participate in Kunzum.com’s travel photography competition? Bring out the spirit of a place, or its people, its flora and fauna, or things you may have done in India through photographs for a chance to win a professional LCD monitor from Viewsonic, or holidays from Banjara Camps? [continue reading…]
As far as first impressions go, the Wayfarer Resort in Munsiyari in the Himalayan state of Uttrakhand (Uttranchal) flatters – but it does end up deceiving you a bit on the service front. What works for it is its setting: its perfect. The view of the Panchachuli peaks and surrounding mountain ranges leaves you with no option but to keep looking at them for hours on end as long as the cloud cover allows you to. Read on if you are planning a trip to Munsiyari
These two towns are located in the north Indian Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, and are popular for being home to the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan Government in exile.
This video will take you through some of the images of the place.
A Baoli was an open tank where drinking water was stored, and was also a place where people congregated to socialise in earlier times. The Agrasen ki Baoli is located off the Hailey Road in Connaught Place in the centre of New Delhi, and is virtually unknown to even the locals.
It was apparently built by Maharaja Agrasen.
And it is home to Bats. What is even lesser known is that it is home to thousands of bats, who live in its cool, dark well area.
This is a video of images taken at Chandni Chowk, the oldest market in Delhi, and created by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan who also built the Taj Mahal. I would have liked to add more text to it but shall do so in another version.
If you read about the injured leopard cub in the forests of Ranthambhore in Rajasthan in India on a previous blog post here, and saw an earlier video here, this may be of interest to you: Lakshmi (that’s the cub’s name) is now growing, and is being taught to hunt so she can one day be left back to survive in the forests on her own.
Ajay Jain is covering the entire span of the south Asian Himalayas from Kashmir to Arunachal starting January 29, 2010. Follow updates (whenever one is connected) on:
* The Great Himalayan Drive on Kunzum
* TripAdvisor.in
* Yatra.com Facebook Fan Page
* Twitter @Kunzum
* Kunzum Facebook Fan Page
* Weekly Newsletter. Subscribe here
