seeing double..

Local Magpie

Kanwar Yatra Pilgrims going near the Gangotri Glacier for a closer look at Gaumukh.

The lake surroundings in the morning light.

Hemis village... viewed from near the Hemis monastery

Stakna Monastery

dinner getting ready..

A local monk watching the festivities.

A vantage point with sweeping views of the Korzok village (left bank) & the Tsomoriri lake.

People gathered to participate in the Ganga Aarti ceremony at Paramat niketan in Rishikesh.

A boat passing infront of colorful stalls at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Bangkok

Cheeky Devils To Cheer The Crowds at the Thiksey Gustor festival in Ladakh

Granted, the festival proceedings can be a solemn affair. So inorder to lighten the mood they conduct performances where novice monks dressed as cheeky devils come out to work the crowds. They perform their own version of the dance: hop, skip and jumping from one corner of the courtyard to the other. Every once in a while, they go among the crowd to perform mischef, getting into mock fights with the audience and sometimes they snatch and run off with the audience's belongings like caps and snacks etc. All this is carried out in good sprit and works up huge bouts of laughter from the crowd making this definitely one of the memorable moments from the festival.

Face off... Between the good and the bad

The Diskit Monastery

Stone sculptures at the Laxmi Narayan temple complex in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.

Stone sculptures on the the outside walls of the temples at the Laxmi Narayan Temple complex in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. There are totally 6 temples present in the complex. Three of which are dedicated to Lord Vishnu and three for Lord Shiva. The temples are carved in stone with shell roofs and wooden umbrellas to protect them from rain and the occasional snow. The sculptures around the temple are quite exquisite as you can see above.

at the first view point..

a room with a view to kill for..

Boats laden with tourists at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Bangkok

This place is not only popular with the international tourists. Even the local Thais flock to these markets in huge numbers. And why wouldn't they... the markets are amazing.

Himachali Hamlet

Somewhere on the outskirts of the Manikaran village.

Pack horse for the Yuksom GoChela trek

Pack horse for the Yuksom GoChela trek

Truck drivers heating the fuel tank of their trucks..

Shale mountains of various colors.

The stunning scenery around the Tso Kiagar lake.

The most incredible scenery on this route opens up just after crossing the Namshang La pass. A high altitude (~4800m) grassy plateau ringed by snowcapped mountains and a small emerald blue lake (Tso Kiagar) in the middle. The place is so beautiful that you'll be forgiven for thinking that it is the actual Tso Moriri lake and turn back after spending a few hours there. From the Story : The Tsomoriri Trip.. A troubled trip that couldn't have gone any better..

Riding along the bare mountains of Ladakh

Rows of fruit vendors at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Bangkok

The old and the young..

The great 'winding' wall..

This always reminds me of the "Beacon of Amon Din' scene from the Lord of the Rings.

group shot.. catherine, vikram, breena, benedict, mattia, wouter, vijay and me behind the camera

Colorful fruits at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Bangkok

Dont know what these are but they look yummy. Focus is a little off on this one.

A bonfire to burn the religious artifacts (butter sculptures, tomas etc) at the Hemis monastery in Ladakh

One of the important events of the festival start after it has actually ended. A few hours after the final ceremony all the monks gather in the courtyard or in the main temple of the monastery. Here they offer pujas to the Butter sculptures and Tomas (conical cakes made of barley and butter) created as offerings for the festival. Once the puja is done they take these artifacts on a ritual procession around the monastery compound, accompanied by a lot of cheering and music from the monks.

A Bhutanese kid walking to school at the Phobjikha valley in central bhutan.

A Bhutanese kid walking to school at the Phobjikha valley in central bhutan.

Rainbow over the Tsomoriri lake in Ladakh.

Sunrise over Tsomoriri Lake..

Look at the peaks to the right lighting up in pink with the first light of the day.

The flat stretch of road running along the Indus river from Upshi towards Tsomoriri

Cheeky Devils To Cheer The Crowds at the Thiksey Gustor festival in Ladakh

Granted, the festival proceedings can be a solemn affair. So inorder to lighten the mood they conduct performances where novice monks dressed as cheeky devils come out to work the crowds. They perform their own version of the dance: hop, skip and jumping from one corner of the courtyard to the other. Every once in a while, they go among the crowd to perform mischef, getting into mock fights with the audience and sometimes they snatch and run off with the audience's belongings like caps and snacks etc. All this is carried out in good sprit and works up huge bouts of laughter from the crowd making this definitely one of the memorable moments from the festival.

fall colors..

A convoy of trucks leaving Pang and heading towards the Morey plains.

The copper colored mountains near the Hymia village.

Small Pinocchio toys hanging at one of the stalls at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Bangkok.

Lots of knick knacks available to cater to the tourists. They are lovely though. It'll make for wonderful gifts.