Another Year, Another Lifetime || So long 2014

After our Baramati visit, we came back to pune and had 3 days in hand. It was amazing to know about plenty of weekend destinations around Pune, but it made difficult for us to decide on 1-2 of the destinations we could plan for. A day trip to Lonavala & Khandala was something that we planned on day one. This Photo Journey shares more about this one-day road-trip to Lonavala & Khandala from Pune.When we were deciding one-day destinations around Pune, we had a very long list and with time, it was getting difficult to decide. We hadn't enough time to go through blogs and decide the best options as per our taste of travel. Lonavala was most familiar name in the list and it was easily approachable through Pune-Mumbai highway. So we chose to drive to Lonavala and explore this part of Maharashtra state. So picked car of our cousin, who stays there in Pune and moved towards Lonavala. We started from Pune and followed Pune-Mumbai highway till the point which tells you to take left for Lonavala. Above photograph shows the exact point where we took this left to hit Lonavala.Just taking this left from the highway, we stopped at one of the shops to know what exactly is there in Lonavala and where should we go now :). I know that it sounds odd that we were not even sure that what we would be doing in Lonavala. Somehow we had no clue till we talked to the shopkeeper. And the response from other side way - 'There is hardly anything in Lonavala, especially in the month of Feb, During Monsoons you can see hundreds of waterfalls all around the hills of Lonavala'. This was quite disappointing and after a short chit-chat, we were wondering if we should spend more time around this town or drive towards Mumbai. After a quick thought we thought of going towards the hilly part of Lonavala which was 20 kilometers from main town. After few kilometers of drive, we reached on top of hills which were looking beautiful from Pune-Mumbai highway. These hills of Lonavala was quite different with hundreds of marks of waterfalls, which were inactive during winters.Soon after we hit a picnic spot called Tiger-Point, which was a typical point which are marketed very well in most of the tourist destinations :There was a huge parking space on roadside, with few stalls around the corners, camels and few other things to keep tourists engaged. We also thought of parking and see what's there. Various groups were sitting around the other side of this parking lot. As we moved towards these groups, we realized that other side of this hill had huge valley full of different elevations making beautiful formations. This was one of the views from Tiger-point around these hills in Lonavala. Although I am not sure if this part is also considered in Lonavala or not. These views were breathtaking and I had never seen something like this.Tiger's Point is a cliff-top with a sudden drop of over 700 meters giving an amazing view of relatively lower hills spread over a huge area around Lonavala. It seems that buses for Tiger and Lion points are available to this place from Lonavala town. I also noticed few Auto-Rickshaws coming to this place from main town. It seems that during Monsoons, the view from Tiger's point is phenomenal with lot of waterfalls. During monsoons, tourists prefer to sit around these waterfalls instead of Bushy dam which comes on the way to Tiger point from Lonavala Town. The place around Bushy dam didn't seem that exciting so we skipped stopping there. One needs to park the car on road-side and need to walks for few minutes to hit Bushy Dam. Just next to Tiger Point, there is another point called Lion point. I didn't understand of point of these two different tourist spots nearby and didn't even bother to figure out. The only thing on my mind was the location on other side of this hills, the amazing views of gorges all around. After spending some time around these hills, we planned to drive towards Ambey Valley, which is 20 kilometers away from Tiger Point. When we asked folks at Tiger Point, they described Ambey Valley as a place where you can find big houses and villas of all Bollywood actors and big personalities of India. Since we had some time in hand, we thought of driving till Sahara City in Ambey Valley. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey from Ambey Valley, which is a city developed by Sahara and has a private Airport as well. Lonavala is a town and a hill station is part of Pune district only. It takes around 1.5 hrs to reach Lonavala from Pune. It is located around 55 kilometers from Pimple Saudagar part of Pune city. and Mumbai from here is around 90 kilometers away.Lonavala is known for its production of the hard candy known as chikki and Chocolate fudge. It's one of the major stations on the rail line connecting Mumbai and Pune. Both the Mumbai-Pune Expressway as well as the Mumbai-Chennai highway pass through Lonavla. We explored both these highways and opted for the other route while going back.Having tea while travelling is a very special experience and a short conversation with Tea-stal owners makes it special. You get to know a lot about the place, culture and local things. We had few cups of tea and some maggie at this shop which is located around a Shiva temple which comes on the way from Lonavala to Ambey Valley in Maharshtra. The Journey of our day didn't end here. After a quick drive to Ambey Valley, we moved back to Loanavala Town and then Khandala. I shall be sharing the next part of the Journey in upcoming post

We barely blinked and suddenly another year has gone by. It seems that time is running faster and faster. Just like all of us. And with each passing year, we seem to be able to pack more and more into the 365 days.

I can't believe it has already been one year since you came into our lives. Time has flown so fast, and you have grown into a naughty little toddler.Each moment spent with you is a blessing. Your smile makes us forget our worries.Your angelic eyes are bright and curious. Your gaze is full of love and trust. You try to please us all, but it is clear that nana ji is your best frienThe way you get excited about the smallest of things, ignoring the brightest of toys to go after the dullest of objects, you teach us important lessons about life.You interact with birds and animals as if you understand them... they are your friends, your playmates. You are a wild child, baby Urvi. Happy in the city, and in the village, as well as in the wilderness...you are our little mowgli...Technology is at your fingertips -- even though you have your own toy phone and laptop, you still want to grab the ones that we are using...and we have no choice but to yield. :)Now that you have started crawling and standing, we are waiting desperately for the day when you will take your first step...we want the time to move fast and yet move slow...We don't want to miss a single moment of this phase of your life...May God Bless You Dear Urvi...May God shower you with choicest of blessings on you andmay you lead a long, healthy, and happy life..You are our angel, our joy, and charming princess.Happy Birthday Dear Urvi !!!

This year has been huge and in more than one sense. While we and our guest writers did what Travelling Camera does best - Travel and Click - there were other aspects that we cannot ignore. 2014 saw terrorism and extremism raise their ugly heads once again. With the unrest in the mid-East, the rare act of terrorism in Australia, and the killing of children in Peshawar, the year can hardly be called a great year. In fact, this year saw humanity stoop to new lows.

While we condemn what has happened and pray for those who lost their lives, we will also need to look within and search for and cull those thoughts and feelings that are capable of transforming us into monsters that can kill mindlessly. Terrorism emerges from humanity and we have to examine each aspect of our existence today to find a cure.

This was the first time I was driving on mountains, and I was shaken to the core after the car I was driving, borrowed and unfamiliar, had stopped in the middle of a steep incline and had started rolling back. I quickly pulled the hand break. For a while, my husband Vijay and I, sat still without uttering a word. Then I gathered some courage, started the car, put it in the first gear and slowly released the handbrake while giving it steady race. And thankfully, the car started moving forwards. It was the worst way to learn a lesson, but I did and we moved on. Nevertheless, by the time we arrived at Tiger Point, I was still trembling a little, and wasn't in the best of the moods. Snapping at Vijay at the slightest provocation and dreading the fact that we still had to drive further, I barely registered anything in the fifteen minutes we spent at the popular view point. We were wondering whether we should go on or turn back. Vijay suggested that we drive on and if we find that the turns are getting worse, then we turn back. I agreed and we proceeded. Thankfully the trip ahead, right up to Amby Valley, was not so bad and I didn't repeat the mistakes I had made earlier. And by the time we were back at Tiger Point, I was in a much better mood and was on a high with a sense of achievement. But then it was the time to start the descent, and we would have to cross the same spot where we had got stuck a couple of hours earlier. I was getting a bad case of nerves, so we decided to take a break and enjoy the view for a while. Right next to Tiger Point is Lion Point. Even though it was off-season, Tiger Point was very crowded so we had moved towards the more peaceful Lion's Point and had continued to walk a little further until we reached a small shack , where a family had set up home and were selling tea and snacks such as Maggi, pakoras, and bhajia. The shack overlooked the Sahyadri valley on one side and a lake on the other. We ordered tea and Maggi and requested the shack owner, a young woman, to deliver it to us little down the track. We trekked down and soon found a rock that offered great views of Sahyadri cliffs and valleys. We sat there quietly listening to the birds chirping and the wind blowing. Our Chai and Maggi arrived soon. Till now, we hadn't realized how hungry we really were, and at the first sight of food, we felt blessed. Maggi was nice. The shack owner had taken the pains of chopping onions into it and had put in just the right amount of Masala. As for the tea, here is the review:Colour: dark golden-orangeTemperature: hotConsistency: light- could have been creamier Sugar content: Slightly higher than normalStrength: Just rightAdditional flavor: A dash of gingerAfter the much needed refreshment, we started drivig back. And thankfully everything went well. We crossed THE point with some trepidation, but once we had crossed it, we felt much braver. And we even gathered courage to scale some more mountains, and even visited Khandala the same day.

Anyways, hopefully the worst is behind us. And the sun that will rise on January 1st will bring with it warmth and hope. And in the meanwhile, we will continue doing what we do best - Travel and Click.

A beautiful shot by Arpana from Gulmarg region of kashmir, India

So, as everyone would suspect, 2014 meant travel, and lots of it. You can look at the list below and judge for yourself.

We went on Religious tours:

7 Badris, 5 Kedars, 5 Prayags,

Baijnath

Rewalsar,

Naina Devi Hills

Shiva Temple in Jatoli,

Dalai Lama's Temple

Kankanmath Temple

Bateshwar group of temples

Chausath Yogini Temple

Naina Devi

Rewalsar Lake

Black and white photograph UB's Four Seasons Vineyard in Baramati, Maharashtra, India

Many of these temples are very important historically, architecturally, and culturally as well. How we wish people would request these structures for other aspects too apart from religion. It is so much more enriching and these aspects are an inseparable part of our heritage too, just like religion.

We explored culture:

Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib

Shivratri Fair in Mandi

Pushkar Camel Fair

Dechen Choekhor Monastery

Kila Raipur Sports Fair

Chokhi Dhani

Goa

Pabuji ki Phad

Desert served with shiraz wine at Four Seasons Vineyard in Baramati, Maharashtra, India. Chef from Hyatt was there to host the party for bloggers

Ritu wine store at UB Vineyard in Baramati, Maharashtra, India

There are as many cultures in India as there are people. But of course there are some traditions that have persisted through centuries. These caught our attention the most.

Scaled hill stations:

Leh

Ladakh

Barog

Shimla

Manali

Kullu

Rohtang Pass

Solan

Marhi

Chauli ki Jali in Mukteshwar

Peer-ki-Gali in Kashmir

Empty wine glasses around the pool on the Terrace Four Seasons Vineyard in Baramati, Maharashtra, India

Reviewed Gadgets, Restaurants, and Properties:

Full Frame DSLR

California Boulevard, Gurgaon

California Boulevard, Part-2

Hungry Monkey, Delhi

Green Forest Resort, Dhanaulti

Tiger Den Resort, Ranthambore

In spite of us visiting hill stations almost every month, we can always go to one more. Such is the charm of the majestic hills that they beckon photographers and storytellers alike.

Surveyed Heritage:

Tehri Dam

Himalayan Queen Train

Indian Institute of Advanced Studies

Nat Geo walk at Mehrauli

Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha

Jal Mahal

Amar Mahal Jammu

However much you explore a city, there's still something else yet to be explored. One can never run out of things.

Tracked wildlife:

Okhla Bird Sactuary

Migratory Birds from different wetlands of India

Tiger Safari in Ranthambore

Jim Corbett

Okhla Bird Sanctuary

Colorful dustbins in Lodhi Garden, Delhi, India

When this wasn't enough, we broke the boundaries and explored other countries as well:

Bali

Camel trader at International Camel Fair in Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

Surfed waterbodies:

Kanataal

Chandrataal

Pong Dam Wetlands

Urvi after installing her tent and inviting others to join in - Kids photography

Few weeks back one of my friends pinged me over Facebook to ask if I can join in one of his Photography Trip during Holi. Idea was to join the group of Photographers and help them utilize the basic techniques of Photography. And when it comes to learning and travel, I am always ready. Leading a group of enthusiastic explorers and Photographers is a very good learning experience and, hence, I agreed to join the gang for Hola Mohalla 2014. This Photo Journey shares some moments from the visit to Hola Mohalla, an event that occurs every year at Anandpur Saheb, Punjab (India).We started from Delhi on 16th March at 7am in a Tempo Traveller. Ramit from 'Delhi by Foot' shared some quick facts about Hola Mohalla & its history. It was quite useful to know the background and why this event is called 'Hola Mohalla'. Here is a summary -- Sikh Guru Gobind Singh founded Khalsa at Anandpur Saheb and he asked for 5 volunteers to lead. These 5 leaders are popularly known as 'Panj Pyare'. Hola Mohalla isn't related to Holi at all, and therefore colors are hardly used here. However every year it is celebrated on same day. After a quick introduction to the place by Ramit, most of us chose to take a nap till we arrived at a place to have brunch. After a while, Roli started a conversation about photography basics. We were mainly talking about different shooting modes in DSLRs and what should be used when & associated subjectivity of choice. Apart from Photography we touched upon Softwares & Literature as well :). Jona also heard some of our conversations and planned to join us. By this time, most of the folks were sleeping.After driving for a few hours, we hit Ambala and stopped for a break. We took a 45 minutes break here and enjoyed tandoori paranthas and some pakoras with tea. It was time to refill fuel tank and move ahead towards our destination, Anandpur Saheb. We bypassed Chandigarh and took the shortcut which hits Kharar via Greater Mohali area. Roads near Anandpur town were badly jammed with trucks, karts, buses, cars & bikes. It seemed that whole of Punjab has come to the town for Hola Mohalla Fair. We had to spend approximately an hour in this traffic jam and then we got to know that Punjab chief minister was visiting, which was the main reason for stopping the incoming traffic.We had booked a hotel called 'Simran' with very basic facilities. It seems that Anadpur Saheb had only a handful of hotels because during normal time, one can stay in Gurudwara. Guradwara has sufficient arrangements to accommodate hundreds of folks at any point in time. So there is not much demand for hotels in Anandpur Saheb. The streets were full of people and there were tens and thousands of Sikhs there. After having some rest at the hotel, all of us headed towards to the ground where Nihang Warriors were showcasing their skills to public.We encountered few langars on the way, where Jalebi, Pakoras and food was being served. Before hitting the main ground, we thought of having something at the Langar. We had to put off our shoes before entering into the langar areas and also got to know that everyone of us needed to cover our heads. Everyone had something to cover the head except me and Madhu. There were various shops nearby to buy stuff, Initially it looked quite odd and lot of questions were coming to my mind. I was not able to relate to things which were communicated by leaders on stage and I was wondering about existence of such community in country like India. I was not able to control myself and thought of talking to the Nihang singhs sitting around the corner of main stage. Asked various questions and the way he replied made me feel a bit relieved. Especially when I asked - 'Are you ever tempted to use your weapon wielding skills when you get angry or not in right state of mind', he replied this in detail. It seems that training grounds are there in almost every town where Sikhs are living. They go to these training centers called as Akharas and before the actual training starts, each of them is trained by Jathedar (leader/coach) about ethics of using these weapons and related skills. As a basic principle, no one of them can use these weapons without permission of their guru, except one of the situations. And another thing is that using these weapons for personal use is restricted. If someone is found using the skills and weapons in undesired way, the community has defined appropriate punishment. More than all these details, I loved the way this guy was explaining all these things to me. Now I was confident that all this is happening for some reasons which this community experiences over time and it;s harmless for overall Eco-system. In fact, I found this a very good way to be united and teach youth about some of the religious values. Whole evening was full of action, music, poets and Khalsa stories. Some parts were boring, but overall the action filled activities by different groups from various parts of the country were definitely worth experiencing. Some of their leaders and sponsors had come for Hola mohalla from different countries. Apart from demonstrating these skills, few other games are organized during these two days of Hola Mohalla. We had also planned to go for Kabaddi & kho-kho but couldn't find time for that. It seems polo is also played in one of the grounds in Anadpur Saheb during Hola Mohalla. All these events keep happening throughout the night. Some of us moved for dinner at around 9pm and also left at around 10:30pm. Again we preferred to have dinner at Langars only. After dinner, we moved towards Anandpur Saheb market which was full of people moving towards main Gurudwara. We couldn't visit the Gurudwara during these two days because there was significant waiting time involved to reach inside and we were only there for a very short while. We found a sweets shop, had some besan barfi and moved back to our hotel to have some rest and gear up for the most exciting day - Hola Mohalla. While going back towards the hotel, we noticed that most of the folks around these grounds were sleeping in tempos/trucks they had arrived in. Activities were still on at around 11:30pm and many of the folks were sitting on top of buses & trucks to have a clear view. Next day started with delicious breakfast at hotel and then we moved towards Gurudwara campus where various processions go from main Gurudwara to Sheeshganj Gurudwara. While going towards Gurudwara, Ramit took us to a ground full of swings and maut-ka-kuan. All of us watached Maut-ka-Kuan show, which was awesome. Some of us chose to have some snacks and then we moved towards Gurudwara. It was very crowded and at times it was getting difficult to move.Smoking and drinking is strictly prohibited in Anandpur saheb and there is no liquor shop in this town, but bhang was available at every 100 meters in different forms.We kept walking and it was hot outside. There was hardly any action in the market before noon. There were lots of people but hardly anything was happening. Processions were yet to start. Some of us were tired and wanted to get under shade. We chose to have lunch and take some rest.It was quite an experience to walk around these markets in Hola Mohalla fair. While walking around the streets, I observed a very interesting thing. The foreground, where all groups had to gather was occupied by significant numbers of bikes. There were 6-8 policemen who had to ensure that ground gets empty soon to avoid chaotic situation. One of the policemen approached boys and requested them to do some 'seva' by moving these bikes on one side of the road to create a queue. And it was amazing to see a group of 15-20 young boys clearing the space in few minutes. I was super impressed with this act by youth at Hola Mohalla. Then we thought of moving towards the main ground where Hola Mohalla is celebrated in presence of all Nihang singhs and folks from different parts of the country.The above photograph gives a quick glimpse of the main ground where Hola Mohalla is celebrated. This was less than 1% of the crowd around this ground. Folks were settling down and there was not much action when we reached main ground. Still people were coming in and real action was yet to start. Some of the Nihang groups were performing in the middle of this huge ground. I was a bit disappointed by the fact that performances were hardly visible to people sitting on surrounding hills, because many of the folks including media & photographers had surrounded these performers from all the sides. I am sure that folks sitting at a distance would have major difficulties in watching the action happening on ground.Some of the bikers started showing stunts on Hola Mohalla ground znow horses, camels, elephants had started coming in. Final evening on the day of Holi festival is considered as main Hola Mohalla, when real action happens. Horse ride is one of the popular sport of Hola Mohalla. Some of the folks were riding on 4 horses as well. During this race, grass bundles are put in the middle of the ground and these riders have to pick a bundle with a stick when they were racing at a very high speed. It was crazy to see that people had created a narrow lane around the place where these horses run. There is no boundary defined for this race, which means that horses can easily hit folks standing on both sides. Initially I was very uncomfortable going to the front and some photographs and then Ramit encouraged me to go & experience something very special. During this many people step over each other and situation may get chaotic and everything during this time happens instantaneously.This Holi was the most unique one for me. And Hola Mohalla is an event worth experiencing at least once. The warmth and large-heartedness of Sikhs shines through the frenzied activities and unbelievable crowds. A visit to Hola Mohalla can help in getting to know the Sikh culture more closely. Thanks for Ramit, Delhi by Foot & all participants for great company during this exploration !

Then we went one step ahead and experienced celestial events:

Meteor shower in deserts

And as if all this wasn't enough to intoxicate us, we got drunk on wine:

Four Seasons Vineyard

We also summed things up for you:

Top 10 Himalayan destinations

Top Hill Stations

Around Delhi

Around Chandigarh

Around Shimla

Around Jaipur

Around Mcledoganj

JK Tyre Motorsports event in Budhh International Circuit

And above all, we had fun:

Animated Qutub Minar :)

Jatoli Shiva temple in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India

Witnessed miracles:

Our young birder make us win a trip to Kerala.

This year saw some of our stories going viral within a day. One such example is Shimla Vs Mussourie.

Wetlands of Pong dam lake in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

Birders around Wetlands of Pong dam lake in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

Whenever we build something today, we should keep in mind that it is a heritage we will be leaving behind for our future generations. Imagine the quality of material and the skill that must have gone into the building of these historical monuments that they still stand proud today.

Rediscovered Cities: