Memoirs of a World Traveller...

SunFlowers in Hassan...

2007-03-25T04:20:00.000-07:00

Tea Estates Again...

2006-12-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

Loads and Loads of Tea Estates

More Tea Estates

2006-12-29T10:12:00.000-08:00

Malabar Tea Estates

Flower Flower!

2006-12-29T10:08:00.000-08:00

Flowers on a tree near Pookote Lake

Greenery on the way back from Soochipara

2006-12-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

Drive back through the greenery - full of tea farming..

Closer shot of Soochipara Waterfalls

2006-12-28T22:24:00.000-08:00

Closer shot of Soochipara waterfalls

Soochipara Waterfalls

2006-12-28T22:23:00.000-08:00

Soochipara Waterfalls - This waterfall is located about 20 km from Kalpetta. The walk to the falls is about 3 km. However, there is a well made road almost till the waterfalls.

Wayanad Greenery

2006-12-28T22:14:00.000-08:00

Wayanad Greenery

Pookote Lake

2006-12-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

Pookote Lake is a freshwater lake surrounded by evergreen forests and hills. Boating is one of the attractions at Pookote Lake.

Sunset Picture

2006-12-28T22:03:00.001-08:00

Sunset at Kozhikode...

Sunset at Kozhikode

2006-12-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

Another angle of the sunset at Kozhikode with a boat also in the foreground...

Kerala: Kozhikode Beach

2006-12-28T22:02:00.000-08:00

Kozhikode Beach...a picture of the sun about to set at Kozhikode beach...

Another View of Lakkidi Ghat Pass

2006-12-28T22:01:00.000-08:00

Another View of Lakkidi Ghat Pass

Lakkidi Ghat

2006-12-28T21:42:00.000-08:00

Lakkidi Ghat - This ghat section is about 55 km from Kozhikode and is at an altitude of 700m above sea level.

Kerala - God's Own Country

2006-12-28T21:39:00.000-08:00

Kerala is called God's Own Country...Wayanad Disctrcy of Kerala is full of terraced tea farming which looks beautiful...

Muthanga Range

2006-12-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

As I drove more towards Kerala, the Bandipur WildLife Sanctuary transforms into the Muthanga Range leading to the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala.

Wild Elephant Passing

2006-12-28T21:37:00.000-08:00

I did get lucky and stopped to see a wild elephant. The photo is zoomed in and I had maintained a little more distance than what can be seen from the photograph...

Enroute to Kerala...

2006-12-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary...Had to drive past the Bandipur Sanctuary on my way to Kerala... if people are lucky they may cross paths with a wild animal...

Mist generated from the Waterfalls

2006-11-25T23:22:00.000-08:00

More info on Shivanasamudra can be found from the following URL
Mist

Long Range Shot

2006-11-25T23:21:00.001-08:00

Long Range Shot

Close up Shot on Barachukki

2006-11-25T23:21:00.000-08:00

Close up Shot on Barachukki

Barachukki

2006-11-25T23:20:00.002-08:00

Barachukki - this has a steep downhill climb and people can go very near to the actual waterfall.

Gaganchukki

2006-11-25T23:20:00.001-08:00

This one is called Gaganchukki and there is yet another waterfall just 15 minutes away called Barachkki.

Shivanasamudra - The Waterfalls

2006-11-25T23:20:00.000-08:00

The largest waterfalls in the Karnataka after Jog I guess.

More From Bangkok...

2006-11-11T00:47:00.000-08:00

The Demon Guard?

2006-11-11T00:46:00.000-08:00

Interesting looking creation - The Demon Guard?

Yet another Buddha statue

2006-11-11T00:45:00.002-08:00

Yet another Buddha statue - this one was real giant size

Artwork from the temple

2006-11-11T00:45:00.001-08:00

Artwork from the temple

Temple Surroundings

2006-11-11T00:45:00.000-08:00

Temple Surroundings looked beautiful...

Buddha Temple in Bangkok

2006-11-11T00:44:00.000-08:00

Buddha Temple in Bangkok. Explored a bit more of Bangkok on the way back from Shanghai as I had a 8 hour stop over in between flights

Pearl Shopping?

2006-11-04T19:36:00.001-08:00

Went to a Pearl shop to take a look and found Buddha in the Pearl Shop

More Flowers

2006-11-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

More Flowers - just outside the water village... In fact there is a website which provides more details to this spot: http://www.zhouzhuang.com/en/kuan.htm

Tourist Spot

2006-11-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

An old construction in the SuZhou Style. The water village area accounts more than 40 million USD in tourism in a year.

SuZhou Architecture

2006-11-04T19:34:00.001-08:00

Another key thing to observe here is the SuZhou Architecture. Most of the buildings here were built during the Ming Dynasty. In fact, the bridges built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties ranging from 1200AD to 1900 AD

Chinese Dancers

2006-11-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

Chinese Dancers - not sure what the dance is called. I could be wrong but it could be the "Xuanjuan"!

The Gondolas

2006-11-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

The Boats in Venice were called Gondolas and so its appropriate to call boats here the same. A Gondola is a rowing boat. I went on a boat ride as well here and they take you through the whole watervillage on boat.

Zhouzhuang WaterVillage!

2006-11-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

Zhouzhuang is also known as the WaterVillage and the tour itself is called the WaterVillage Tour. Now most of the area in the water village is occupied by shops since tourism is the main attraction in this place. The picture shows some of the shops bordering the Water Village

Zhouzhuang - Venice of China

2006-11-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

Zhouzhuang - Venice of China. On my last day in China went on a tour to see the interiors of China outside of Shanghai and ended up taking a private tour of Zhouzhuang. The tour costed $65. The place is about 100 km distance from Shanghai.

Giant Coca-Cola

2006-10-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

OK OK...I havent sold this site to Coca Cola...thats a huge Coca Cola advertisement on Nanjing Street in Shanghai... the light keeps going up and down giving the bottle an appearance of being filled and empty!

Some Beautiful Flowers!

2006-10-28T11:33:00.001-07:00

Lovely Flowers near the Shopping Mall area in Xu Jia Hu...

Grand Gateway - Shanghai

2006-10-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

Not sure what that building is all about - looked nice and I clicked it :)

Twin Towers of Shanghai ;-)

2006-10-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Twin Towers? He He - its just some more skyscrapers in the Xu Jia Hu area.

Lotus Shopping Center

2006-10-28T11:31:00.001-07:00

Lotus Center - Found this cool shopping place. Its the 'Target' of China.

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

2006-10-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

Shanghai Science & Technology Museum Area

2006-10-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

Shanghai Technology Museum Area. Just outside the subway station in front of a tall building. On the opposite side is the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.

Some Skyscrapers in Xu Jia Hu (Shanghai)

2006-10-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

Some more skyscrapers from Xu Jia Hu.

Dazzling Lights - Xu Jia Hu - Shanghai

2006-10-22T22:41:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine who saw this said it looks like Las Vegas with all the lights. Xu Jia Hu certainly looks amazing with all the lighting and reflections.

Xu Jia Hu and Speeding cars!

2006-10-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Xu Jia Hu in the night. A picture taken on the roads of Xu Jia Hu. The speeding cars have blurred giving a spooky feel to the picture...

MetroCity Shopping Center - Xu Jia Hu, Shanghai

2006-10-22T22:40:00.001-07:00

MetroCity Shopping Center - a good shopping place for electronics. Bargaining allowed ;-)

Nanjing Street - Shanghai

2006-10-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

Nanjing Street at Night - a very popular shopping street in Shanghai.

Bund Waterfront - Shanghai

2006-10-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

A More distant view of the Bund Waterfront covering lor more buildings... The tallest building which can be seen the center is the TV Tower. 'Bund' is an Anglo-Indian word for embankment.

Bund Area and Huangpu River - Shanghai

2006-10-22T22:38:00.002-07:00

This picture shows the Huangpu River and the buildings on the waterfront. The lights from the buildings reflect on the river creating an amazing view...

Bund Area - Shanghai

2006-10-22T22:38:00.001-07:00

The Bund area is the are around the Huangpu River.

Shanghai from 24th Floor - Part 2

2006-10-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

More Shanghai - taken from the 24th floor again.

Shanghai from the 24th Floor

2006-10-22T22:37:00.000-07:00

Shanghai from the 24th Floor. I took this picture from the 24th floor of the Sofitel Hiland Hotel on Nanjing Street where I was staying. The city seems to be full of skyscrapers.

SuvarnaBhoomi Airport - Bangkok, Thailand

2006-10-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

SuvarnaBhoomi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Flew Bangalore-Bangkok-Shanghai. This is a brand new airport in Bangkok which has been completed recently.

Corridor Road

2006-10-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

BMIC Corridor Road connecting Kanakapura Road to Mysore Road. This road is the newest addition to Bangalore. A mega plan of connecting all majot roads is underway and this road will connect Tumkur Road to Mysore Road to Kanakapura Road to Banerghatta Road to Hosur Road.

More Greenery

2006-10-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

More Greenery - this picture probably gives a better idea of the Arkavathy/Cauvery Basin...green as can be...

Farmlands beside Chunchi Falls...

2006-10-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

Farmlands beside Chunchi Falls - the area around Chunchi Falls is the Arkavathy River Basin and hence lots of greenery is visible...

Chunchi Falls.

2006-10-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

Chunchi Falls - thin waterfalls. The water used to be much more on my previous visits. Seems to have reduced these days. Visited Chunchi Falls on 2nd Oct 2006 as it was a holiday due to Gandhi Jayanthi.

Before the Falls...

2006-10-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

This is how the water looks like before it flows down the gorge as a waterfall...

The Gorge Near Chunchi Falls

2006-10-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Gorge Near Chunchi Falls. Chunchi Falls is a small Waterfall about 80km from Bangalore beyond Kanakapura.

In the Water

2006-09-24T00:20:00.000-07:00

In the Water - Of course we ventured into the water on canoes. Everyone had life vests on as a safety measure.

Tree Boundary

2006-09-24T00:19:00.000-07:00

Tree Boundary - the trees as can be seen from the picture had drawn a boundary beside the Blessington Lake.

Trekking Trail...

2006-09-24T00:14:00.000-07:00

This picture gives a better idea of the trekking trail...

Picture from the trek

2006-09-24T00:13:00.000-07:00

Picture from the trek. Did a small trek on some of the hills in Glenmalure just beside the Blessington Lake in Wicklow.

Waterfall on the way.

2006-09-24T00:12:00.000-07:00

Waterfall on the way. This was a waterfall on the way back from Glenmalure towards Sally Gap.

Second Visit to Glendalough

2006-09-24T00:07:00.000-07:00

Second Visit to Glendalough. This picture was taken on my second visit to Glendalough in June 2006. The team played a game of treasure hunt where we needed to visit various places in and around Wicklow County and gather necessary information from clues provided to us. Glendalough was part of the Treasure Hunt as well.

Blessington Lake in the evening

2006-09-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

A View of Blessington Lake in the evening.

More Marina

2006-08-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

Another view of Marina Beach. Chennai is about 320 km from Bangalore. The route that I went on was too good: Old Madras Road-Hoskote-Kolar-Palamner-Chitoor and then onto Chennai... managed to drive consistently at 130 kmph and even touched 160 kmph for a while! Was wondering if I was really driving in India when I saw the speedo!

Marina Beach - Chennai

2006-08-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

Marina Beach at Chennai... I drove to Chennai during the long weekend of Independence Day...Here is a picture of Marina Beach in the early hours of the morning

More of Glenmalure

2006-08-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

More of Glenmalure...Glenmalure is a valley in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains.

Country side view of Glenmalure

2006-08-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

Country side view of Glenmalure... amazingly green :-)

Charles De Gaulle

2006-08-31T10:58:00.000-07:00

"Charles De Gaulle" - Paris International Airport. Flew Dublin-Paris-Bangalore on the way back. This was the first time I used Air France...and I thought it was quite OK..

A View of Blessington Lake

2006-08-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

A view of the Blessington Lake from outside the resort...

Avon Ri - Wicklow, Ireland

2006-08-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

Another view of the panoramic beauty of Avon Ri - http://www.blr.ie/

Mysore Zoo: The Giraffes

2006-08-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

Giraffes in the Zoo

Mysore Zoo: The Footprints

2006-08-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

Footprints in the Zoo

Mysore Zoo: Deer

2006-08-05T22:53:00.001-07:00

Deer in the zoo

Mysore Zoo: The Zebras

2006-08-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

Zebras

Mysore Zoo: Tigers in the Zoo!

2006-08-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

Tigers in the Zoo!

The Mysore Zoo

2006-08-05T22:48:00.001-07:00

The Famous Mysore Zoo - showing the greenery in the zoo

The Mysore Palace

2006-08-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

A view of the Mysore Palace with illumination

A View of Mysore from Chamundi Hills

2006-08-05T22:47:00.000-07:00

A View of the city of Mysore from Chamundi Hills

Karanji Lake - a view from a Watch Tower

2006-08-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

A picture of the Karanji Lake taken from top of Watch Tower

Greenery Around Karanji Lake

2006-08-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

Greenery Around Karanji Lake

More from Karanji Lake

2006-08-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

Peacock in Karanji Lake

Birds at Karanji Lake

2006-08-05T22:42:00.000-07:00

Bird Formation above Karanji Lake

Karanji Lake Nature Park, Mysore

2006-08-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

Karanji Lake - Nature Park in Mysore

Infosys in Mysore

2006-08-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Infosys Campus in Mysore - This is essentially a training facility of Infosys at Mysore

The Palace of King Rama

2006-07-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

The Palace of King Rama

The Emerald Buddha

2006-07-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Emerald Buddha - Photography is prohibited from Inside and this picture was taken from outside the entrance.

Stone Carvings

2006-07-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

The stone carvings look amazing

The Guards

2006-07-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

More pictures from around the temple

Temples in Bangkok

2006-07-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

There were various smaller shrines that surround the temple area.

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha

2006-07-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha. I had the opportunity to visit Bangkok by chance as I missed my connecting flight from Frnakfurt to Bangalore and so was rerouted via Bangkok.

Grafton Street Dublin - Molly Malone

2006-07-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

Molly Malone, or Cockles and Mussels, is the unofficial anthem of Dublin City in Ireland. It is sung by supporters of Dublin GAA teams and Irish international rugby team. The song tells the tale of a beautiful fishmonger who plies her trade on the streets of Dublin, but who tragically dies young of a fever.

Statue of Molly on Grafton StreetMolly is commemorated in a statue designed by Jean Rynhart, placed at the bottom of Grafton Street in Dublin, erected to celebrate the city's first millennium in 1987; this statue is known colloquially as "The Tart with the Cart".

The Monastic Settlement

2006-02-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

It was here that St. Kevin founded a monastery in the sixth century. From this beginning the site grew to become famous as a centre of learning throughout Europe. Indeed, Ireland was known as the "Island of Saints and Scholars". Standing amid the remains of this monastic settlement, one can feel a powerful sense of peace and tranquility.

The settlement continued to expand for 600 years and was destroyed in 1398. The buildings which survive date from the 8th and 12th centuries. The most famous is, of course, the round tower which is 34m high and 16m in circumference at the base. A cathedral, stone churches and decorated crosses also survived.

Grafton Street

2006-02-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

Grafton Street - The main pedestrian shopping street in Dublin. You can be sure that its always crowded with loads and loads of people - doing shopping!

Grafton Street, located between Trinity College and St Stephen's Green is the more smart shopping area with fashionable stores such as Brown Thomas, the department store catering for many designer showcases, both foreign and local. Dublin's leading and most exclusive jewellers, Weirs, is also here, as well as the most popular of the famous Bewley's Cafés. Other principal shopping streets in the area include Wicklow Street, Dawson Street, and South Great Georges Street.

2006-02-13T07:55:00.000-08:00