Best PHOTO JOURNEYs of 2015 !

Everyone is recollecting memories of 2015 and gearing up for better 2016. In the same process, Travellingcamera team went through all posts of each month from 2015. We picked those PHOTO JOURNEYs which were most viewed, shared and discussed on the web. We went through 300+ posts and chose these 12 blog-posts which should be checked by everyone. It's your chance to have a look and ensure that you haven't missed these during 2015. It was extremely hard for us to pick one post from each month, but we managed to do so :).

JAN'2015

Exploring the tea estates of Wayanad on a bicycle || Kerala Diaries

This post about exploring Wayanad on bicycle was extremely popular during the month of January. There were few posts from Jan, which had more views during the month but this post is still popular among people planning trip to Wayanad, Kerala.

Our Wayanad and Kannur trip was planned by Indian Untravelled and half-day cycling trip was part of it. Idea was to go to around Kozhikodessa Tea Gardens and enjoy cycling in these hilly terrains of Wayanad. We had to meet Muddy Boots office and from there they had to take us to these beautiful gardens. This Photo Journey shares about our cycling experience.We had to reach Muddy Boot office at 1pm, because it was 1 hr drive to the tea estates. Muddy Boots was supposed to arrange a vehicle for the next journey. When we reached Muddy Boots office, it was closed. We started calling folks who could help us. We bothered our host at Bamboo Village homestay. After 45 minutes or so, a boy comes out of the office who was sleeping. And can you guess what he said??He suggested us to wait for 30 minutes so that he can take bath and in the mean time cab will come to pick us. By now, we were extremely frustrated. We didn't want to waste our precious time around such a beautiful place. Unfortunate part was that we had already done the payment of 1000 Rs through India Untravelled. Such experiences always discourage me to do too much of advanced planning :). Anyways, nothing was in our control and we kept waiting for the dude to come out :).Finally he came out, talked to our Auto driver in native language and asked us to take the same auto till tea gardens and told that Muddy Boots would pay for rest of the journey. Without thinking much, I was relaxed that finally we would be there to enjoy cycling. btw, it was already getting dark. skylines were changing and hues were changing to orange now.Finally we reached landscapes full of tea gardens. Lush green landscapes make this part of Wayanad very special. After reaching Kozhikodessa we met 2 boys handling 5-6 cycles. We took two of them and headed towards an isolated road in the middle of these tea gardens.It was getting hard for me to balance the cycle and ride :). Vibha took few minutes to settle and she enjoyed riding few kilometers, while I spent most of the time clicking photographs of these gardens and interesting events happening around this place. There were around 50 cows in these tea gardens who were enjoying tea leaves.This boy was taking care of all cows in the gradens and ensuring that none of them go to the other part of the road. Along with regular tracking of all cows, he was making best of his time by catching fishes for the dinner :).I spent some time walking around these gardens and kept moving towards the forest where Vibha and Muddy Boot team had gone. After a while I saw them coming back.
Cycling around these tea gardens of Wayanad can be an interesting experience, but think twice before making advanced bookings for such events. Keep it flexible and do whenever you have time for it.

FEB'2015

Golden Gate Bridge - one of the main places to visit in San Francisco || California Diaries

Golden Gate Bridge over which connects San Francisco with Pacific ocean is one of the main places to explore in San Francisco. I was there in 2013 and some of the office friends planned a full day Photo Walk around San Francisco. During this Photo-Walk we crossed this bridge many times and went around various places which offer some of the amazing views of the bridge. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs clicked during this Photo-Walk.The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge links the U.S. city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula , to Marin County , bridging both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait.Golden Gate Bridge is one the seven wonders of the modern world. This magnificent bridge, perhaps San Francisco's most famous landmark which was opened in 1937 after a four-year struggle against relentless winds, fog, rock and treacherous tides.Golden Gate bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and the United States. It has also been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.We drove to a neighboring hill and enjoyed some of the brilliant views of Golden Gate Bride, Pacific Ocean and an Francisco city. Battery Spencer, Marin County.One need to cross the bridge from the San Francisco side to the Marin County side to Battery Spencer, a former military installation that protected the bridge and the bay from foreign invaders during World War II. Head through the historic army artifacts and crumbling buildings to land’s end where you’ll be able to pose in your very own snapshot of the bridge with the breathtaking background of the entire city of San Francisco behind you.Another photograph of Golden Gate Bridge from Battery Spencer, Marin County..One of the largest urban parks in the world, Golden Gate Park stretches for three miles on the western edge of San Francisco. It's huge and approximately 1000+ acres, which sounds unbelievable.Golden Gate Bridge is 1.7 miles from San Francisco to the Marin headlands. The sidewalks on Golden Gate Bridge are open during the day to pedestrians including wheelchair users and bicyclists. When I was there, I saw huge groups of cyclists enjoying their ride on Golden Gate Bridge.Fort point is another god place to click Golden Gate Bridge. This is a place which exposes you to brilliant architecture of Golden Gate Bridge. This is another former military installation which allows everyone to feel the mist from the bay waves crashing ashore while being directly underneath the bridge. Getting here from Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 is brisk walk and bike ride through the scenic Marina District and into the Presidio along the water’s edge. There’s parking here too, free of charge, but it can be in short supply during peak visiting hours.During the visit we went to the base of Golden Gate Bridge, where lot of surfers were enjoying the pacific waves.We spent some time around the shore and watched these surfers playing with water waves in chilling weather. We were carrying some snacks with us, so thought of having some around the ocean.If you are holding a camera I am sure that you would not want to get away from these beautiful locations which give different view/perspective of Golden Gate Bridge.This is a photograph of huge iron chains installed around the shoreline near Fort point. I clicked lot of photographs of these and would share a separate Photo Journey on that.In few weeks I will be there again and hope to bring back more beautiful memories for you all.

MAR'2015

Strolling under the shadow of snow covered himalayas on the serene Mall Road, Dalhousie

It was the time when Dalhousie had got snowfall and Khajjiar was nor connected. We posted about Dalhousie, Chamba and Khajjiar. Out of all those posts Mall Road was most searched and hence many of the tourists found us. Dalhousie is no doubt a great hill destination for folks in summers as well as winters, when it's covered with snow.

Recently I was in Dalhousie to visit my niece and during one of the days we planned to walk around the mall road in Dalhousie town This Photo Journey shares about some of the interesting places on mall road and few tips for folks planning to visit Dalhousie.Gandhi Chowk is probably the most happening place in Dalhousie town. Dalhousie town is comparatively a smaller town as compared to other popular hill stations and that's why it's a peaceful place. Although don't expect this peaceful enviornment during summers :), which lot of folks from Punjab come here with their kids to spend vacations. Gandhi Chowk is a good place for shopping in Dalhousie. Check out Apple products and some fruit wines produced in Himachal. We also bough few packs of apple pickle, which is yet to be tasted :)These beautiful snow covered mountains of Pir Panjal can be seen from Gandhi Chowk. First two photographs are clicked at Gandhi Chowk. The popular St John's church is situated on Gandhi Chowk and the very first photograph in this Photo Journey shows the same.Mall road connects Gandhi Chowk with Subhash chowk on other side of the town. This whole road overlooks at the beautiful Pir Panjal mountain ranges covered with snow. These hills had got fresh snowfall few days back and they were looking awesome. In above photograph, the bottom part shows cantt area of Dalhousie which is next to Banikhet. The clouds around these snow capped hills were continuously changing the hues and every shade was looking brilliant. Throughout the mall road, various seating arrangement are done. All these places are quite cleaner. These places are so beautifully designed that you feel like taking a pause and sit there to enjoy the brilliant of nature around Dalhousie. Above is one of the views from Mall road. This is Ravi river which keeps changing her views during the day. Many times, it's not even visible because of dense clouds all around Dalhousie town. During 3 days stay, we saw Ravi 2 times for short span of time.Mall road in Dalhousie has some of the exceptional private properties, which are quite expensive as well. Above is not a house but a school near church. I intentionally avoided clicking any personal property there.Clouds keep playing around the town and within minutes you see very contrasting enviornment. Completely hazy view at one moment and bright/clear view after a few minutes. Imagine clouds passing by you and indicating that be ready for showers in a while, so plan accordingly :).After walking through the Mall road we finally hit Subhash Chowk which exposes you to the green valley on the opposite side of snow covered Pir Panjal mountain ranges. St. Francis church is located on Subhash chowk, which is much bigger than the one on Gandhi Chowk. There is a small space in this campus, which is dedicated to colorful birds, rabits, ducks. We had a quick round of this church and got down to the Mall road for tea. Urvi, my niece, was sleeping by that time and we wanted to head back now. We called our taxi guy and headed to the home which is 4 kilometers from Dalhousie town.Apart from the Mall road, there is another smaller and beautiful pathway which connected Subhash Chowk with Gandhi Chowk. This is supposedly the preferred route for local folks who want to same time and energy :), but tourists love the Mall road walk because it exposes you to brilliant views of Himalayas. The whole Mall road is surrounded by Deodar trees which add more to the beauty of this town. Dalhousie has been one of my favorite towns and I like the fact that it's not becoming concrete jungle like other hills stations (Shimla, Mussourie etc.)Do drop us a comment, if you want know more about the place or have some specific queries.

APR'2015

A day at Aditya Arya's Farm - an inspiring journey of a photographer becoming a farmer || by Vibha Malhotra

Visiting Aditya Arya's Farm near Delhi was an exceptional experience for us. Me and Vibha visited him in the month of April. An accomplished Photographer spends his spare time in his farm and want to spend more time here. He did what most of the folks intend to do, but never take any action. This is a must read post, so don't miss if you haven't read it earlier.

MAY'2015

15 offbeat hill stations in North India to beat the heat this summer || Summer vacation planning

Do I need to say anything why this post was popular in summer month May. This post became a good source for people who planned vacations in June, July and August.

JUN'2015

Planning Shrikhand Manahdev Trek - India's one of the most difficult Pilgrimage Trek

At Travellingcamera we love trekking although we have not been going on treks for some time, but this post was always close to the team. We compiled it with full energy and our viewers showered love by liking and sharing it further. This post still rocks and views are increasing with each passing day.

JUL'2015

Biking is super fun in San Francisco || California Diaries by Deepak Gupta

Deepak Gupta shared this beutiful PHOTO JOURNEY with us when he planned to explore San Francisco on bicycle. This blog post got very popular and Travellingcamera was recognized as one of the top Travel Blogs in India. I see a relation of these awards and this post. The visibility of this post was amazing outside India as well and that's how many of the Travel Media companies found us.

This year in February, I, with many of my friends and colleagues from office, got a chance to visit San Francisco for a conference. The duration was of one week. It was a tightly packed schedule and we were determined to make the most out of it. Biking was one of the agendas that was in our minds. Few people in our group had already heard good things about it. On Sunday afternoon, we started our hunt for a good and relatively cheaper shop from where we could rent the bikes. We started our biking journey which was from Fisherman's Wharf to Sausalito. Fisherman's Wharf is a super fun place where you can roam around, eat and drink and enjoy in open air restaurants.

AUG'2015

Great National Himalayan Park - The first and only exclusive World Heritage Sites in Himachal Pradesh

Stars, Rivers, Mountains, Trekking, Camping, Birds, Wildlife and lot more - All these were main reasons for folks to visit this post and show the love by sharing it further.

This year was very special for Himachal Tourism, when Great National Himalayan Park is declared as state's first and only exclusive World Heritage site in Himachal Pradesh . It's really a proud moment for appreciators of Himalayan State of India and folks who visited these beautiful terrains of India. There are some of the most interesting and challenging treks in Great National Himalayan Park of Himachal Pradesh . I have been to Shrikhand Mahadev Trek few years back, apart from easy and medium level treks in GNHP. GNHP was established in 80s and is spread over an area of 1100+ square kilometers. It's situated at an altitude of 1500-6000m. The Great Himalayan National Park is a habitat to numerous flora and more than 350+ fauna species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects etc. Above photograph from GNHP talks a lot about it's landscapes, weather and lot more which is difficult to express in words. The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is one of Indian national parks which is located in Kullu region of Himachal Pradesh . GNHP was added to UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites for criteria of 'exceptional natural beauty and conservation of biological diversity'.The Himalayas are the largest, tallest and geologically youngest mountains on our planet. Do you realize that? If not, just read the first line of this paragraph again. In India, Himalayan terrains are known as Dehvbumi (the land of Gods). The unique ecological aspects of the Western Himalaya led to the creation of the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in the Kullu district of India's Himalayan state. GNHP is also known for it's biodiversity, sparse human populations, inaccessibility, little tourism (eco-tourism) and a local economy based on traditional livelihoods. Although some of the livelihoods of GNHP are controversial for many decades now.Few years back, very less people used to know about this part of Himachal Pradesh. Gradually people started noticing the unmatchable natural beauty of Great National Himalayan Park. And then local communities started building tourism opportunities around GNHP. I know some of the great organizations working in Eco-tourism space which offer great experiences of GNHP and ensure that tourists and travellers in GNHP behave responsibly.A trek of more than 40 kilometers in any of valleys of GNHP brings you into the high altitude habitat of animals such as blue sheep, snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear , Himalayan Tahr and musk deer. In the beginning of winters, these animals start the migration to lower altitudes. This starts around end of September or october.GNPH lies between Kullu and Kinnaur. If you search for GNHP on Google Maps, it starts near Banjar, Shainj and on the other side it almost touches the areas around Key in Kinnaur. How to reach - There are various entry points for Great Nationa Himalayan Park. One is from Aut which comes on the way from Chandigarh to Kullu and others are on Shimla-KInnaur highway. From both these highways, you need to take local bus or a cab to enter into GNPH. It never touches the main highways.

SEP'2015

Kumartuli - World's largest market of Durga-puja idols || Kolkata Diaries

Kumartuli was best Photography experience of this year. Kolkata has lot more than what we could explore but Kumartuli was exceptional !!!

Recently I visited Kolkata and as told by blogger friends that it's best time to visit Kumartuli in the city. We spend half a day walking around the streets of Kumartuli and it's not only about Idol making, but much more than that. Localities of Kumartuli share a lot about Kolkata and it's cultural inclinations. This Photo Journey shares some of the photograph's clicked by TravellingCamera. Kumartuli is derived from Coomar-toli and now every Indian can make out the meaning. This place is residence of all artists who make Durga puja idols, which are used in different pandals of Kolkata and outside India.If you plan to visit Kumartuli and do photography, please ensure that you buy the ticket from committee office. A ticket costs 50 rs and then you can freely roam around. I found it a good practice. This way, committee also makes some money and as a photographer you are not scared that people would say weird things to you. I have had bad experiences shooting in old delhi and sort of scared clicking photographs in streets. Kumartuli photography is becoming popular and many of the great photographs have created masterpieces in the streets of Kumartuli.All the streets of Kumartuli are full of workshops where Durga Puja idols are made. Different families own these workshops and almost all of them have different styles of making these idols. At a basic level, all these idols look similar except sizes. But when they start doing minor changes for final finishing, one can make out the clear difference.There are different stages to the whole process making Durga Puja Idols. On Akshaya Tritiya, clay for the sculptures is collected from the banks of Ganges. A handful of soil (punya mati) is collected from the nishiddho pallis of Calcutta, where sex workers live and adding it to the clay mixture which goes into the making of the Durga sculpture.After the required rites, the clay is transported. An important event is 'Chakkhu Daan', literally donation of the eyes. Starting with Devi Durga, the eyes of the sculptures are painted on Mahalaya or the first day of the pujas. Before painting on the eyes, the artisans fast for a day and eat only vegetarian food.Kumartuli history is very interesting. When East India Company decided to build new settlement Fort William at the site of the Gobindapur village, many existing population shifted to Sutanuti. Neighbourhoods like Jorasanko and Pathuriaghata became the centres of the local rich. Separate districts were allotted to the Company’s workmen - Suriparah for wine sellers, Collotollah for folks dealing in oil, Chuttarparah became carpenters hub, Aheeritollah - cowherd’s quarters and Coomartolly for potters. Now potters of Kumortuli make gods and goddesses, worshipped in large numbers in the mansions all around and later at community durga pujas in Kolkata and outside the country.Streets of Kumartuli are most busy from the month of August till October, although artists start getting orders in April. Most of the artists of Kumartuli are busy throughout the year and they get orders from different parts of the worlds.When I talked to one of the artists of Kumartuli, he told us some interesting facts about Durga Puja and it's preparations. It seems that different streets of Kolkata have different pandal for Durga puja and a contest is run in whole city. Best Durga-Puja Pandals are given prizes and local media remains focussed on these activities.Not very sure, but it seems that artists of Kumartuli don't earn much. Like many other businesses in India, middle men earn One of the artist mentioned that some of the artists visit them during different stages of idol making and ensure that idols are made as per their choice. Such clients know well about this form of art and have valid comments most of the times. We could some of the such clients who were there to ensure that things are working fine or to suggest changes.It was a brilliant experiences to walk through the streets of Kumartuli. At every 5 steps, you see a new workshop working on different kinds of Durga idols. And these streets tell you much more about Kolkata and not only about the idol making process.While walking thought the streets of Kumartuli, we were wondering about the state of these Artists. It seemed that most of these artists dwell in poor living conditions. There are some popular families in KUmartuli who have been doing this for many years. Popular among them are Mohan Banshi Rudra Pal, his sons Sanatan Rudra Pal and Pradip Rudra Pal, Rakhal Pal, Ganesh Pal, Aloke Sen, Kartik Pal, Kena Pal, who are still reigning figures of Kumortuli. The good part is that most of the major clients come to these families who better know the art of idol creation.Women are not lagging behind. Kumortuli boasts of the presence of some 30+ women artisans, like Minati Pal, Soma Pal, Kanchi Pal and Chapa Rani Pal. They have been in the business of idol making for a long time. For more, check out this link. Some of the workshops were working on few project but huge in scale. Their style and details were also unique. Check out the photograph above and the one shared below. Look at the the details in these photographs.Have a closer look at this photograph and garland. This garland is made up of hundreds of art-pieces you see in the photograph below.Most of these artists have to work late-night during August-Oct. Some of these artists get lot of orders and they need to work extra to accomplish them with good quality.Some friends from Kumartuli :) . One of them was following us after we clicked this photograph. She used to stop as we look back.When main structures are in shape, heads, fingers and other detailed pieces are added.Some of the workshops had already started the coloring process, which is one of the final steps of idol making process.

Beyond the sand dunes - Main places to visit and things to do in Rajasthan state of India

Ohh, you got bonus post here :)

Rajasthan, which is also known as colorful state of India, is one of the most popular states amongst Indian and Foreigner tourists. Tourism in Rajasthan state is becoming more popular with each pasing day. The state is rich in terms of culture, heritage, history, food and lot more.

OCT'2015

Ishq-e-Dilli - A light and sound interpretation of the allure of Delhi

Ashamed to say that I went to Old Fort this year, while I have been in the city for last 10 years now. Ishq-e-Dilli show is brilliant and hence highly recommended. Plan it in 2016.

These days a friend is visiting us in Delhi and this weekend we planned to take her on Delhi Tour. After spending time around India Habitat Centre for a Photography show, Lodhi Garden and few other places we planned to conclude day with Light & Sound show at Old fort. I had heard a lot about this show but never came to see it during night at Purana Quila. 2 shows happen every night - one in Hindi and other in English.Hindi show starts at 7:00pm and English show starts at 8:30pm (during october month). The timings are different during different months, so it's recommended to check out ITDC website for right timings of these shows.For English show entry starts 15 minutes before the show and show starts almost on time. A brilliant sound start telling story of Delhi which is perfectly in sync with the visuals shown on the old fort. All these photographs show different visuals flashed on the falls of Old Fort in Delhi.Story starts from Prithviraj Chauhan and concluded on Delhi Metro. This show tells the stories of different kings of Delhi, how things changed. Whole story is told in very interesting way and you don't realize when 1 hr has passed.Ticket costs 100 Rs per person and it's 50 Rs for senior citizen, kids & students. If you are going in car, there is enough parking space at the gate, unless there are lot of people. If you want to use Delhi Metro for commute - take metro to Pragati Maidan and then auto would charge 40/50 Rs. Lot of buses also come this side from Pragati Maidan Metro station.Before the show, we had 1 hr for dinner. Initially we thought of visiting Matka pir for Biyani but we weren't sure if Biryani will be available at 7pm. Since we didn't want to visit places like Khan Market or Pandara road, we chose to go to Bengali Market. Had a quick and pocket-friendly dinner and came back.October is probably the best time to visit for this show. Weather was awesome. Otherwise, either it would be too hot or cold. The whole campus is quite green now and very well maintained.Since seating arrangements are in open, so there can be mosquitos. So it's advisable to wear appropriate cloths or carry mosquito repellant spray with you. Like Bollywood movies, there are 2 songs in the show. I loved them and sung along :).Purana Quila (Old Fort)Apart from this Light & Sound show, lot of other events are hosted by Old Fort. One of the popular one is South Asia Music festivalIn general, quality of the show is quite good. Good use of technology and best curation makes this show special. Voice over of the show is amazing. This time, we saw English show and hope to visit again for Hindi version.This show is written and directed by Himanshu Sabarwal.

NOV'2015

Main Places to visit and things to do in Kolkata, West Bengal (India)

DEC'2015

How to reach Manali and main places to see around Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

Comments

Kalpana said…

Gorgeous. I love the Ishq i Dilli photo and the one of Kullu.

December 29, 2015 at 8:22 PM

Maniparna said…

Wonderful recap! I've read almost all the posts throughout the year and enjoyed. Wish you a great 2016 ahead... :-)

December 29, 2015 at 8:44 PM

Deepak said…

Wow...one of my PhotoJourneys featured in Best of 2015 ..... :-)

Thanks PhotoJourney !!

December 29, 2015 at 9:09 PM

Travellingcamera said…

Thanks Kalpana !

Maniparna - Friends like you are main reasons for keep doing the best job with every new post. Thanks ! Wish you a wonderful year ahead !!!

Deepak - It deserved. Thanks ! And you know what's coming next :)

December 29, 2015 at 11:30 PM

Arun Muthusamy said…

Wonderful Journey. All the best for 2016 and further.

December 30, 2015 at 6:53 AM