SWF: Before the Storm

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Photograph shot on the way to Munnar, Kerala, India

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
it's about learning how to dance in the rain.
- Unknown

Life isn’t easy. Life’s storms are constant. Dancing should be too.

The storms can suddenly be there on a gloomy day, or a sunny day. Roses may be promised but it would be unwise to ignore the thorns.

There are challenges every single day. Challenges with regard to hurdles of ability, knowledge, finance, family, independence, emotions, and so many more, but should we give up? Never! The storm and rain is inevitable and dancing through it should be the key to joy. We should continue to dance for the storms give us an opportunity to grow and become a better human being. There is anyway no good in sitting and complaining, or crying.

Dancing may be easy when life is great, but can we dance also when things aren’t going smooth? If not dance, at least do something positive. How about curling up in bed with a book, rejoicing in the glory of a sunset, singing to our heart's content, or simply shouting with glee? Let's celebrate life!

Through difficult times, if we can’t figure out what to do for ourselves, then we can go do something nice for someone else. So many people in this world need a helping hand. Let's go visit an orphanage to make a few children smile, or visit to cheer up someone sick or dying, or visit an old age home to hold someone’s wrinkled hand.

Let’s get through life with a great attitude, even through stormy times.

Shades of Green

"To be native is to have been born in the area in question; but native also designates those whose ancestors were from the area..."

I came across a website where some famous people whose native is Mangalore are listed.

~~~

Driving around Mangalore is a delight. The sights are so diverse throughout and in the outskirts of the city, almost at every bend there is a beautiful scenery to enjoy. It is a great place to soak in the greenery, especially so during and after the monsoons.

These miles and miles of land full of greenery is a soothing sight. Green in nature is one of my preferred colours. So also the pure whiteness around snow clad mountains. But then I also like the fiery red, orange and yellow of autumn.

Which is your favourite colour adorning nature?

~~~

Mangalore and around - September 2009
Photographs shot by me in and around my native.

OSI: Descent

One Single Impression is a community of poets writing and sharing Haiku and other poetic forms. The prompt for this week is "Descent" and here is my verse:

When I was small
I loved balloons
The little dainty ones from which
Sunlight would pass through

I still love balloons
But of a different kind
Those which float high above
So can gaze at rising sun while there

Perfect setting, cool winds
Smooth sailing in the sky
I watch the golden orb rise
Radiating precious rays

My balloon wanders here and there

It glides near River Nile

Over spectacular rural scenery

Besides white desert sands too

Lost for a while, I am on a high

Heavenly is the feeling

But with the descent of the balloon

Alas, I have come down to earth!

~~~

Hot Air Balloon Ride - February 2009

All images shot by me in Luxor, Egypt

The silver streak of line at the bottom in the second picture is the River Nile

Some of my other OSI posts:

• OSI: Inner Voice
  
• OSI: Thinking
  
• OSI: Movement
  
• OSI: Slowly
• OSI: Paradox
• OSI: Rest
• OSI: Doorway

SWF: Mussorie Sky

I have been travelling the past few weeks and was recently in Mussorie, a beautiful hill station in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Situated at an altitude of 6,000 feet above sea level, Mussorie generally has commanding views of the Himalayan mountains.

On the day these pictures were shot, it was a cold and misty morning and the cloud covered mountains peeping through fog as viewed from the Camel's Back Road was an endearing sight.

For more skies around the world, visit: Sky Watch Friday.

India Travels - continued

Mumbai, Cochin, Mangalore
in the Monsoons:

My India Travels have been continuing the past few weeks. From Mumbai, it was travels to Cochin (Kochi) and, in particular, Ernakulum. While in Kerala, it was reminiscing time of the beauty of Allepey and Munnar in the monsoons. Finally a trip to Mangalore, followed by a return journey via Bangalore.

A few of my pictures to share:-

~~~
Part 3

Corns and Smiles:

Rajasthani balloon sellers in Ernakulum:

Mountains of Munnar:

From the houseboat (Kettuvellam) in Allepey:

Glittering Sri Gokarnanatheshwara Temple at Kudroli, Mangalore in celebration of Dussehra festival:

Setting sun peeps into Bangalore airport:

Before the sunrise on the flight back:

Sunrise in the Kuwaiti desert during landing:

Which is your favorite picture in this set? Mine is last but one..before the sunrise!

~~~

Previous Related Post:
Monsoon Travels: Parts 1 and 2.

India Travels

Mumbai, Mahabaleshwar, Mussorie
in the Monsoons:

The past few weeks I have been travelling.

Landing in Mumbai, I reached Panchgani via Pune and explored the beauty of Mahabaleshwar in the monsoons and stopped over in Lonavala on the way back.

After the Sahyadri mountains, it was time for my favourite destination: the Himalayan mountain region. So it was another trip to Delhi for onward journey to Dehradun to end up in the hill stations of Mussorie and the adjoining town of Landour.

A few pictures of my travels:-

~~~

Part 1

Wild Lilies on the way to Panchgani:

View from Echo Point:

View from Kate's Point, Mahabaleshwar:

Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Lonavala:

Pineapple slices on the way back to Mumbai:

~~~
Part 2

Raisina Hill, New Delhi:

View of Mussorie mountains:

View from Lal Tibba, Landour Cantonment:

Doon Valley on the way back to Dehradun:

~~~
Part 3

to be continued.....

On The Way

Picture shot on the way..
To Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala
From Nagarahole National Park, Karnataka

SWF: Stupas

For more skies around the world, visit:

Sky Watch Friday.

Stupas are dome-shaped monuments, used to house Buddhist relics or to commemorate significant facts of Buddhism.

The architecture of the stupa is supposed to reflect the five elements of earth, air, fire, water, and wisdom.

Stupas may be simple bell-shaped mounds, more elaborate structures, or ornate, multiple shrines. Symbolism varies from area to area, with similar elements taking on different meanings. Here are pictures of the sky shot in Coorg, Karnataka, India, with some stupas in the foreground.

Egypt Revisited

Map borrowed and modified

My previous journey to Egypt during February-March this year was during peak tourist season as I had described in Egypt, the Land of Ancient Wonders. Then I journeyed through major cities and tourist spots of Egypt (marked in blue above) including Cairo, Giza, Aswan, Alexandria, Luxor, Karnak, Abu-Simbel, Sharm-El-Sheikh and St. Catherine.

When I got a chance at short notice to make another trip to Egypt in the peak of summer, I heard voices of surprise and as well as shock like: “Egypt in July? You must be mad.” I was not mad. For me, it was a case of not wanting to lose an opportunity to travel and as usual, I set off enthusiastically, the extreme heat that can reach up to 50 deg C (over 120 deg F) not deterring me.

This time I went to a not-so-famous region called Marsa Alam, at Port Ghalib, a resort in the Red Sea, to be followed by a road journey to the old fishing town of Marsa Alam and thereafter a safari through the deserts and beyond Edfu and Esna to reach Luxor once again, up to the Karnak Temple area (as marked in red line in the map above).

Would you like to see a few images of this trip? Here they are:-

A roadside gate of entry into Port Ghalib near the recently opened airport of Marsa Alam:

Azure waters near the Marina at Port Ghalib, one of the popular boating and yachting gateways:

Marsa Alam beyond the Resort, a place where the sun always shines and blue waters of the Red Sea lap up against golden sands:

From the jagged brown mountains of the Sinai to the wide stretches of desert and the greenery around the banks of the River Nile, Egyptian landscape has a variety just waiting to be explored and here's a little bit of wildlife:

Under Ptolemy II, a road was built through endless sandscapes linking Marsa Alam and Edfu and is still in use and here is sunset time on that road:

Cruises sailing through as seen from the fertile banks of the River Nile between Edfu and Esna:

A part of the Luxor Temple as seen from Nile Street one late evening:

Plenty of opportunity for interesting sights, and here at dusk is a row of caliche, or horse drawn carriages in Luxor used as a means of transport, by tourists as well as locals:

~~~

Previous Post on Egypt:

• Egypt, the Land of Ancient Wonders

Celebrate the Open Road

Onward:
Mumbai – Andheri – Varsova – Thane – Shahpur – Kasara Ghats – Nasik – Sinnar – Shirdi

Return:
Shirdi – Sinnar – Ghoti – Igatpuri – Kasara Ghats – Shahpur – Thane – Varsova – Andheri – Mumbai
~~~

This is a concluding post to end this series with links to the seven previous posts on my road trip.

• Roadtripping Sahyadris: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
• Roadtripping Sahyadris: Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7.
  

Roadtripping Sahyadris

As written in my first post, I had started this unexpected and unplanned trip not knowing where the road would take me. I liken it to what scientists do. Research is what it is called when they don't know what they are doing.

So I started in Mumbai and ended up in Shirdi and returned – a journey on a motorbike covering a distance of almost 590 kms in two and half days.

This journey in May through the peak of summer in the Sahyadris taught me how to meet challenges and build strength along the way. I did learn to appreciate all the more what I have, and what I do not have and above all, to appreciate good moments in a given day. It was about feeling something new at different places, watching and learning about nature, history, different cultures, and in general, to celebrate the open road that unfolded before me.

I ate local food, got sun-burnt, appreciated the good roads to cruise on, complained about the scorching heat a few times, listened to the sounds of nature, laughed a lot, and shot many pictures. There were chatty times and long periods of silence other times. Every bit of the journey was well worth it.

The feeling of freedom and anticipation of the unexpected when travelling the open roads is awesome. So, if you are a travel enthusiast like me, you need not make elaborate plans. To make such trips, you need neither wait for opportunities to come knocking at your door nor much money.

Just have the exuberance to travel, and you can create an opportunity yourself to get going. On the road even the most meticulous can let go. So let your unkempt hair fly while you gleefully scream on a lonely open road. This can be not only a good exercise for your lungs, but also de-stressing. With the right company, such journeys can be safe, interesting and entertaining too.

So, go ahead and try it. It’s real fun. Just pack a small backpack with bare essentials and fill up yours or your friend’s bike or car. No comb, no brush, no mirror, no shampoo? No problem! Forget about how presentable you are or how your hair looks, and keep moving. You'd be amazed at what you'd find on the road. Every sixty seconds spent well is a minute of joy to be cherished.

I hope you enjoyed this virtual journey with me. Happy travels.

- celine

~~~
Not all who wander are lost
~ Tolkien