Travel Diary of A Wandering Mind
~ Horace Walpole
The view of Udaipur City through the broken walls of Chittorgarh Fort, one of the famous Hill Forts in Rajasthan and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Published in response to Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Broken.
Kumaon region in Uttarakhand, India is famous for its beautiful hilly terrain enveloped in lush green plantation. But that’s during the day. If you rise early you may find the greenery enveloped in morning mist. The veil of fog thickens in chilly wind and falls gently down the valley. As the morning grows older the sun comes out from behind the lofty peaks of the Himalayas and envelops the earth with warmth and light.
Published in response to Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Enveloped.
Rishikonda Beach in Vizag is a place where you’ll see the two opposing forces of nature – the mighty ocean on one side and the rock solid earth on the other – are in constant fight with each other. During low tide the water recedes giving it a break. And in high tide the water again pounces on the rocks with renewed zeal and force. And years of corrosion have sharpened the boulders and created fissures through the rocky shore. Nature’s force has certainly created notable marks on the stones over the centuries.
Published in response to Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Forces of Nature.
~ Frank Gehry
Rajasthan is a place of exquisite architecture and rich culture. The medieval sandstone edifices and monuments in various cities and forts of Rajasthan is a fusion of European and Islamic architecture with Hindu Rajput style. Hence, the moment I saw this week’s photo challenge theme ‘intricate‘ I could immediately relate with it nothing but the fine stone detailing I observed on several palatial facades, walls and interiors of age-old Rajasthani architectures. This one is from the royal palace inside Meherangarh Fort, Jodhpur.
Published in response to Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Intricate.
I have seen small streams, rather springs while traveling to mountains in Sikkim and also in Darjeeling when I was very young but never saw a waterfall in my life. Whenever I see pictures of waterfalls I imagine myself as a diminutive figure standing in front of the roaring water awestruck by Nature’s uninterrupted motion. So, when I came to know about the waterfall in Nainital I was delighted that finally my dream would come true.
However, when we reached the site of the waterfall the sun was about to set. I was expecting a wide-open space in front of me with the sight and sound of mighty waters flowing down the rocks. Strangely the driver stopped the car on one side of the road from where I could see rock-cut steps which disappeared into the trees and bushes along the mountain slope.
“Is this the right place?” I asked skeptically.
The driver smiled and replied, “Yes, this is the place. You follow the steps and buy tickets from the counter over there.”
I did what he said. After crossing the counter I could see a canopied walking trail, brief enough to bring me to the waterfall in a minute. And much to my astonishment I saw a narrow stream of water flowing down the cascading rock bed.
Oh God! This is what they call a “waterfall”!
It was a mixed emotion of shock, disappointment and finally amusement. Never be prejudiced when you are going to see new things or places. I scolded myself. 🙂
I stood in silence for a few moments, and then slowly stepped into the water. The cool touch of rippling waters felt awesome. The rocks were slippery with lichens all over. The pebbles in the waters sharpened from years of erosion pricked at my bare feet. Yet it was most wonderful to feel the motion of the water below my feet.
Published in response to Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Motion.
It was the morning we were to set out for Kausani from Nainital. So I woke up early at 5:30 that morning and went outside to observe the beauty and absorb the silence of dawn at Nainital. It has been my earliest morning capture so far. 🙂
The following shot was taken at Kausani at around 6:45 in the morning. I stood on the terrace for an hour waiting for the sun god to show up. But he was determined to hide behind the clouds that morning. The mountains and the Queen’s Meadow yonder were covered with a thick blanket of mist and the entire valley looked bluish in the pale morning light.
Published in response to this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge – Early Bird.
Life is a tide; float on it. Go down with it and go up with it, but be detached.
Then it is not difficult. ~ Prem Rawat
When I saw the theme of this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge – Afloat the first thing came to my mind is ‘water’. I always wanted to learn swimming but somehow never got a chance. So, I envied anyone and anything that I saw floating effortlessly on water. 🙂 I wish I could do that someday. And now when I finally enrolled to a newly opened swimming club in our locality I know how amazing it feels to float on the water and let loose yourself and let the water take you along the flow.
These two pictures are from the album of my Nainital Tour. It was a nice pastime for me to watch the geese swim in their own pace and…
the boats afloat the turquoise water of Naini Lake with bewildered tourists aboard.
Happy Weekend! 🙂
Footloose Forever 