This a place which most of the tourists travelling to Kerala will overlook. But I was told that foreign tourists are more inclined to go there than Indian tourists. But I was anxious to be there, as soon as I came to know about this place. Still, when I ultimately reached here, I was the lone traveler. I am talking about ship building yards of Beypore in Kozhikode or erstwhile Calicut in Kerala. Its the traditional way of ship building both in wooden and metallic frames for bigger fishing boats and smaller passenger boats (and not for bigger passenger ships). This traditional art of ship-building is called as uru. Actually this art came to Kerala centuries ago from the Arab world. The Arabs used to call them dhows. They were used as traditional Arabian trading vessels. Arabs used to...
Read MoreMonth: November 2016
Its fun to be on window seat of a plane, provided you are interested in capturing images. And if images are from a beautiful beach resort like Bali, then you just can’t stop clicking. How different it is to see a place from the top, then being there! A lot perhaps. Lot changes with the change of the angle and perspective. Eye angle is more wide than ever. The view and the perspective, both become more holistic. Hence the idea of beauty also changes! So here starts the fun- Plane looks like walking right into the sea! ... or along it! Is it quite close for comfort or just thrilling!! It looks more normal now- Quite different to see a beach resort from up in the sky! ... but it still looks amazing with all those boats and yachts lined up! The three s...
Read MoreIt is one of the most awaited celestial phenomenon of the year- the Supermoon. This year it was special as moon was closest to earth since 1948. It was just 356, 509 kilometres away. For us Indians, the supermoon night was one of the most auspicious full moon night of the year- Kartik Purnima or the full moon day of the Kartik month of the hindu calendar. Skygazers took to high-rise buildings, tourist landmarks and beaches worldwide on Monday to catch a glimpse of the closest supermoon in almost seven decades. Many of enthusiastic Indians enjoyed the sight of the moon while taking dip in waters of many holy rivers. Actually, on the occasion of Kartik Purnima people take dip in the rivers considered to be holy. This bath is taken mostly in the early hours of the full moon day. It is con...
Read MoreThiksey monastery has one of the most recognisable images of the Ladakh. It is imposing- standing on a hill top with complete hillock dedicated monastery campus. One just can't miss this place as it is right adjacent to the road to Leh while coming from the Manali side. Its also very close to Leh, just 19 kms before it. It is also one of the biggest monasteries in Ladakh. It is also said to resemble Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. At the altitude of 3,600 metres this monastery overlooks the Indus Valley with full view of the magnificent Stok range. There are two ways to reach the monastery on the top. There is a pedestrian way but that is quite steep. But one can also drive right to the entrance of the monastery via a loop on the hill. That route is just more than a kilometre. Ther...
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What this 'Trumph' means to all of us who want this world to be a world free of hatred:
Read MoreAsus launched its Zenfone 3 series in August this year, less than three months back. (Read the post: ASUS goes premium) Earlier in June it had launched superpower version of its phones- Zenfone Max (Read Review: A Power Packed Maximiser.) It has quickly realised that it is time to combine the battery of Max with premium features of Zenfone 3. Hence came the idea of Zenfone 3 Max which was launched in India today, 9th November 2016. At the onset, I will like to tell you that Zenfone Max had a 5000mAh battery, while Zenfone 3 Max has a 4100mAh battery. Probably the additional features of Zenfone 3 have not let room for a bigger battery! Well, the new smartphone will be available in two variants, 5.5 inch (ZC553KL) and 5.2 inch (ZC520TL), priced at INR 17,999 and INR 12,999 respectively. P
Read MoreLets take you on a virtual ride to Lahaul & Spiti valley. Every rider or driver or adventurer enthusiast going to Leh or Kaza is very much keen to know about the road conditions on these arguably two of the most fascinating road journeys in the world. So, in this long and continuing series of road journeys in Himalayan India, I will try to bring for viewers what roads and riding on them is like. Recorded on various devices- explorer camera, smartphone and DSLR, these videos shall hopefully pump up the adrenaline, or atleast rekindle old memories. They will also help a few in planning their future trips. In the first part is the journey from Manali to uphill Rohtang La and to downhill Gramphoo on the other side. Rohtang La at 13050 feet is the first mountain pass en route Leh. But...
Read MoreI talked about the events and festivals related to the coming full moon day, referred to as Kartik Poornima in hindu calendar in my last post . (Read it here: A full moon and a month full of festivals) But mark it, this full moon will also be a supermoon. It would be a an astronomical event that happened last time 68 years ago and will next happen only after 18 years. 'Science Alert' says that, "If you only see one astronomical event this year, make it the November supermoon, when the Moon will be the closest to Earth it’s been since January 1948." During the event, which will happen on the eve of November 14, the Moon will appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon. This is the closest the Moon will get to Earth until 25 November 2034, so you reall
Read MoreIt is one of the most beautiful moons of the year. Correspondingly, this is one of the holiest month of the year- Kartik. Rich in festivals- including some world-famous ones on and around Kartik Purnima (full moon day). Interestingly these festivals are spread throughout the country. That also makes it one of the best months to travel. Weather generally remains clear and winter is yet to make some ground. Many people even like to travel to hills during this month to have some good views of snow-clad peaks in blue skies. For those who want a pretext, here is a list of top 10 travel moments of the month of November The charm of Pushkar The Pushkar Cattle Fair is one of the largest in India and the only one of its kind in the entire world. During the fair, Lakhs of people from rural Ind
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