3 Days 1 shot Chasing Sunset

So Basically I Love to Shoot All The landscapes and I'm Crazy For Chasing those pre and post sunset Tones .

I would Say it was The most Surreal Thing I've Ever Witnessed .

Can You Imagine You are Standing on the Bridge and In front of your eyes You are witnessing The World's BIGGEST EVENT .

And You are witnessing the Most wonderful sunset having Sangam In front of you and the Akhada's , Sadhus chanting mantras and those smells of agarbattis and the crowd passing everything was so surreal in the moment .

Ps :- I would Like to Thank All the people who made this journey successful . Special Thanks To all The buddy local photographers from Prayagraj.

Journey to Kumbh Mela

We took The Over night sleeper Bus From Delhi To Praygraj And From The Drop Point in Praygraj We took the Uttar pradesh Goverment's Bus Services specially Ran For the Kumbh mela.

So How I got there Instead of Capturing the Shahi snan?

Ans :- So I Had Done my Little Research as I wanted to capture whole kumbh in one frame But with the Tones of Sunset/Sunrise So I looked for sources online and found out about this bridge From Where i Can capture the Whole kumbh area and but I also wanted to make sure that I'll get a little Idea of where sun gonna set in my frame . So, I used certain Apps for that Also Just to make sure That I'll be getting my Sunset into the Frame . So After All this I Decided to Carry my Tripod along with me .

What Apps I've Used To Locate the sunset ?

Ans:- I've used combination of Apps To Track the Sun . Google Earth was one of the apps that helped me and also I've checked the Forecast of those 3 Days Just to get an idea of the weather forecast.

PS :- Weather Forecasts are not accurate Every single time but they'll give you a good Hint of what You'll Going to face in actual Scene.

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#𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙤

Himachal Pradesh - the mountain state of India, which is no less than called as heaven in India and global. The charm of people, mesmerizing beauty of nature, peace, freshness are some few words which describes this beautiful place. People from all over the world come to visit Himachal Pradesh in India to enjoy, rest and do some adventurous activities here. The tradition, culture, language, food is stupendous. It is believed that people of Himachal Pradesh are very beautiful comparing to other states of country (Not getting racist, just a general thought). And you won't believe dialects changes here within every few kilometers in this state.

I am a mountain person. I have so many friends from Himachal Pradesh (commonly known as Pahadis). I'd like to let you know that I like to do adventure activities the most in my life. They are risky but thrilling too and believe me if you believe in yourself then you can do it because "Dar ke aage jeet hai" ;)

This blog is about my visit to Bir Billing - "Paragliding Capital of India" to do Paragliding which is known to be ranked as Asia's best and the third best site for paragliding in the world. OMG

Lets start this amazing journey with this blog and I hope you find this interesting as well. You will also find some useful tips if someday you also plan to visit this place and believe me you must visit this place once in life.

Note : The difference between Bir and Billing is that Bir is lower than Billing and is landing site for Para-gliders(4300 feet from sea level) whereas Billing is upper region from where Para-gliders take-off.

We were 4 friends from Chandigarh, India who planned this trip together. We decided to go Bir by Toy Train which starts from Pathankot (Punjab) commonly known as Kangra Railways. We boarded train late night at around 2:30AM and we arrived at Joginder Nagar station (HP) which is last railway station of that route at around 10:00AM in morning. The distance from Joginder Nagar to Bir was just 45 min drive through taxi or local bus. We reached Bir roughly at 11:00AM and found one person who would arrange our Paragliding activity next day morning and camping in mountains same night. Then we searched for one hotel same day in Bir to stay till 7:00PM. After that the person who arranged our Paragliding and camping will take us to Billing for camping tonight which is also takeoff site for Para-gliders. After check-in to Hotel same day we got fresh, had breakfast and moved to visit some interesting places in Bir :

At 7:00PM the person came to pick up all of us from our hotel to drop us to Billing at our camping site. The night view from top of the hill was royal and candid. It was liberal treat to eyes. We got 2 tents to stay (2 people in each). They also provided us with wood sticks and Fire starter kit. The Dinner was served by them at that place. We met few girls based out of Delhi joining us that night on campfire. It was fun to talk, play games, enjoy music with them over there. And that night for me was equal to what I saw in Indian Bollywood film "Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani"(and some secrets should remains secrets) ;)

Lovely morning. I woke up early in morning at 5:00AM just to watch Sunrise rising from Icy mountains (Himalayas). It was fabulous actually. Everybody woke up, got fresh and had breakfast provided by them which included Maggi and Tea. Our paragliding activity was scheduled at 11:00AM. We reached to takeoff site by 10:45AM and it was the time I was waiting for my turn to fly in sky between clouds with fresh air and mountains around. And finally my turn came, I got my para-glider and pilot who would be running that para-glider in sky. Initial important measures were explained to us which needs to be considered during flight time. Also para-glider was harnessed tightly to my body and I was now ready for take-off. Flight time was 20-25 minutes based on what time schedule you choose for amount you submit. Our total cost for Paragliding and camping was 2800 INR per head. I and my friends landed safely with uncountable memories in heart. We took some cool pictures of ourselves and moved around to visit some more places that day which includes cafes, monasteries, temples etc. In evening we left to our home via bus. And that's all about my Paragliding adventure journey and Bir Billing visit.

Now if you plan to visit Bir Billing then below are some places and tips which I would like to mention based on my experience and visit.

Best time to visit: Months of April - June are pleasant to visit.

Other Items to Pack: Listed below are some items to pack that can be really useful.

1) Do not forget to bring along your selfie stick if you wish to capture some pictures.

2) Sunglasses

3) Sunblock lotion with highest SPF that you can find (if visiting in summer)

4) Prescribed medicines if you are on medication

5) Power Bank (If you own one)

6) Chargers for your electronic items

7) Umbrella or a Rain Poncho (if visiting during monsoon)

8) Torch

Hope you find it interesting and one day you will plan a trip to Bir Billing for sure. Please do share with your friends and near and dear ones if you like my blog.

One more thing if you guys do online shopping from Amazon.com, please use below mentioned link to shop.

https://amzn.to/2VUViYr

Thanks

In this video, I take you around famous, and not so famous Jaisalmer tourist spots, including Jaisalmer Fort, Gadisar Lake, Sam Sand Dunes, Tanot Mandir, and Longewala Border. But this video is not just about places to see in Jaisalmer, but it also introduces you to local people of the city - we talk and we listen to the stories of people of Jaisalmer. Your trip to Jaisalmer is incomplete without a stay in the desert, and a night under the stars - a must-have Jaisalmer desert experience. And if you have enough time in hand, do make a stop at the famous Tanot Maata Mandir (or temple), and Longewala border, that are depict the happenings of 1971 Indo-Pak war.

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Despite a small city, there are so many places to explore in Jaisalmer - watch this video to know more!

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I started driving at the age of 17, and since then I have been very fond of going on road trips. The feeling of exploring a place in car, makes me feel very alive as I am free to explore all the nooks & corners as per my turns. When I'm behind the wheel I feel ecstatic, I feel Liberated.

Over the last decade, I have driven more than 2,00,000 kms in around 10 countries. Driving in different countries offers such varied and contrasting experiences that trying to choose my favourite drive experience was amongst the most difficult things to do.

1. Iceland Ring Road Trip - Glaciers, Waterfalls & Volcanoes

I did this road trip with my mother in 2016. Back then Iceland was not that flooded with tourists and sometimes I had the entire stretch of 100-200 kms to Myself. It was a surreal feeling, like exploring another planet. We saw the biggest waterfalls, melting glaciers, naturally erupting Geysers and Volcanoes spewing Ash. My Mother had the best time of her gauging over those landscapes and still raves about the trip in all our family dinners.

2. South Africa Garden Route - Vineyards, Wildlife & Adventure Sports

I went to South Africa with my wife in 2018, we especially chose South Africa because she loves Animals, to an extent that she wishes to open a sanctuary for them. So we started in Cape Town, and it blew us away. The Cape Peninsula Drive was so Panoramic and had plenty of unique experiences. We then followed the Garden Route where we explored Wineries, Game lodges and did all the possible adventure sports on the way which includes Shark Cage Diving, Bungee Jumping, Sky Diving, Riding an Ostrich, Caving and eating so many wild animals served in most beautiful settings.

To know more about my South Africa Experiences, you can check out my articles on Top 10 Experiences in South Africa

3. Australia - Beaches, Vibrant Cities & Diving

Australia is a very nature driven country, they focus a lot on preserving Forests, marine reefs and everything that comes along. We started in Sydney and then drove to Gold Coast and explored around the Queesnland and Finally dropped of the Car in Brisbane. I then went on to Explore Cairns and Melbourne by flights. The Most beautiful part of drive was to go to rainforests around Gold Coast and then go on hikes wherever you wish to. Gold Coast was so much fun with all its beaches, theme parks and party atmosphere.

4. Scotland - Green Valleys, Whiskey and Culture

Let me start by saying I am a big time Single Malt Lover, so I went to Scotland primarily to visit these golden vaults of Single Malt Whisky. And I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful Glens(Green Valleys) I saw, and the Scottish Culture I witnessed from Bagpipes to Cashmere and their cuisine was so much better than counterpart England. I visited Glenkichie, Glenmorangie and Dufftown Distilleries as part of my trip and fell in love with the town of Edinburgh. Also, I got introduced to Gin and Golf Culture of Scotland.

5. Ladakh India - Rugged & Barren Landscapes

Perhaps the most wishlisted trip for all the Bikers and Road Trip enthusiasts in India. It definitely lives up to its hype, what you witness is never seen before Rugged and Barren Landscapes with clear skies and warm Ladakhi Hospitality. Since its a tough terrain to survive, you need to stock up well and in case you feel short, local people are always willing to go out of the way to help. The most preferred route would be from Delhi to Manali to Leh to Pangong to Leh to Sri Nagar. My Favourite Experience was sleeping in Nubra Valley Camp to sky full of stars and waking up to walk to a small school where I saw cute ladakhi kids geared up for a fun day at school.

6. France South Coast - French Riviera, Beaches & Food

This was a family road trip in summer 2016. We started in Lyon, popular as Gastronomical Food Capital, and then we moved to the southern coast and explore the cities of Nice, Cannes, Antibes and Monaco. The cities were very lively and the road were full of turns. The highlight of the trip was definitely the food and people watching. France is way more than Paris and its wine, give it a shot.

7. Switzerland - Lakes, Alps & Chocolate

We all have fascination of visiting Switzerland, thanks to Bollywood especially Yash Chopra films. So I decided to explore Switzerland by road contrary to its more popular train journeys. We drove around Zurich, Geneva, Interlaken, Bern, Laturbrunnen, Lausanne and went on as many mountain excursions as possible. The Roads in Switzerland are not that broad, so the mountains and lakes seems to be really close even while driving through. The only downside was the country is ridiculously expensive and I strongly believe Kashmir in India is way more beautiful than Switzerland. The high of the trip was listening to all popular bollywood songs shot here and feeling like stars.

8. Italy North - Fashion, Wines & Mountains

I planned this trip because of my sister who is a designer, so we started the road trip in Genoa, explored the colorful towns of Cinque terre and then went on to Milan where she went to loads of factories and designer stores. And then we drove around Lake Como and ended the trip in Milan. The highlight of the trip was when we went offroute and drove in little villages of Italy while driving back to Milan, it was thrilling as we were the only ones going on that route and it went from one mountain pass to another and so on. 

9. Kerala - Backwaters, Tea Gardens & Dutch Architecture

This was the bachelor's trip of my best friend where we drove around 1000 kms in Kerala for 7 Days. We started in Old Dutch Town of Kochi  and then went on to tea gardens of Munnar, Backwaters Of Alleppey, Spice Plantations of Thekkady and Beaches of Varkala and Kovalam. Its unusual to go on a road trip for bachelors where you are supposed to party endlessly and drink your nights out. While we spent our nights driving and sharing nostalgic memories and debating on all the possible topics. 

10. USA Florida - Ford Mustang, Beaches & NASA

This was the shortest car rental I made, as it was a dream to drive Ford Mustang in USA where its most affordable. The trip happened with my wife, and the purpose was to enjoy the car more than sights. However we went to NASA and saw some really cool rockets, stopped over at some of the prettiest beaches and did a complete round trip to Key West from Orlando. It Turned out that the sights were as beautiful as the car.

Road trips are way more than driving experiences for me, they weave stories for me from the fights over music to debates over life from The aspiration to rent my favourite car in a remote part of the world, to driving in most exotic countries. From The sights we behold to the conversations that turned into ever lasting friendships. It all sums up as the most beautiful chapters of my life.

Please let me know about your favourite road trips in comments section and I will be happy to answer all your questions regarding concerning my road trips.

Well, it was 13 March 2019 evening, with weekend coming up and having enough leaves to take from work. Was thinking about going somewhere but was unable decide where.

Then a Place came in my mind which I was willing to travel since months “GUHAGAR”.

“GUHAGAR” (Things I knew before visiting)

It’s a city in Ratnagiri District in the Indian State of Maharashtra. With almost 4 kilometers of long beach famous for obviously Haappus (Alphonso) mangoes, Coconuts and known for Vyadeshwar Temple and Durga Devi Temple.

So,

On 14 March 2019 I finalized and decided to leave for Guhagar on 15th. With my friend also willing to join me, We booked our stay in Guhagar’s Durga Devi Premises itself for 2 days.

On Next Morning, With after a cup of chai we decided to leave but wait,

How!!!

With no Knowledge of travel convenience from Shirwal (50 kms from Pune, Where I stay).We decided to opt for a cut journey I.e

Shirwal- Satara (60 kms)

Satara - Chiplun (121 kms)

Chiplun - Guhagar (46 kms)

At 7:30 Am we got a bus to Satara and reached at 9 am and completed our breakfast and luckily as planned we got the bus for Chiplun.

On the way to Chiplun you come across many scenic views as on the route you pass through few ghats and you can also visit Koyna Dam.

During The Summer Season the Roads are mainly under maintenance as to make them perfect for Monsoon.

The four lane highway work from Guhagar to Chiplun is also being constructed which cause traffic congestion on the route.

The route is so scenic that you can see various water streams and waterfalls in Rainy season.

From Chiplun we reached Guhagar around 3pm.

The Vyadeshwar Temple is just right beside Guhagar bus stand.

As we took blessings of Lord Shiva and then Straightly we headed towards Durga Devi Temple where we were going to stay which is 1.5 kms from Vyadeshwar Temple, The Place was also Clean and Neat, There are rooms with facilities with TV, hot water and attached bathrooms.

The Beach was just right 100 meters from the place where we stayed.

I was so excited to go beach because I never went to any beach since 2012.

The first reaction of mine after seeing was just inexpressive. I had never seen such a clean beach with clear waters in life time.

One more thing to notice was there were only about 15 to 20 people on the beach.

With some small chat stalls located on the shore one can easily spend time with family by enjoying the sunset.

I also felt so peaceful which I never felt anywhere.I was just feeling of spending whole day on beach.

That’s was the end of day 1.

With no plans of where to go on Day 2,

I woke up………

https://www.godbolesanjeevblog-travelex-s.com/post/the-untouched-heaven-of-konkan

To begin with, I'm a traveler from Maharashtra, I constantly seek opportunities to visit some new places and explore them as much as possible. Some of my journeys were with my friends, some I went on solo.

This year me and my friend broke our annual tradition to visit Goa in the month of Feb. Instead we decided to go to Pondicherry and some other places in Tamilnadu. This is how we landed in Madurai and visited Rameswaram.

We had a flight to Madurai (IXM) from Pune (PNQ) with a halt at Bengaluru (BLR). En route Rameswaram, we took a halt at the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple at Madurai for few hours.

Meenakshi Amman temple is very beautiful temple with four entrances at each direction. Like all South Indian temples, it also has beautiful Gopurams at which I can keep staring for long duration.

We entered from its West Gopuram from where I found the crowd was quite lesser than the other entrances. Inside the temple area, photography is prohibited. You are not allowed to carry any belongings other than money wallet. They have mobile lockers, lockers for small bags and shoe racks at each entrance for which they charge a nominal amount. Dress code for women I observed was saree or a punjabi suite with a dupatta. Avoid black color. For men, it is shirt and trousers or lungi.

As you enter the temple area, I could see there were many Gopurams other than the four main at the entrances. All Gopurams were colorful. We visited the core temple. The walls stand with beautiful sculptures on them. Although, the temple worships Meenakshi (a form of Parvati) along with Sundareswara (a form of Shiva)and it's a major destination for the Shiva-worshipers in the ancient city Madurai, there were many Vishnu sculptures in the temple as he's considered as Meenakshi's brother. Temple campus encloses total of 14 Gopurams including all the four are at each entrance. The south Gopuram is the tallest one.

Temple courtyard has many Mandapas, one of which has a museum now with a ticket of Rs. 20. It's popularly known as '100 pillared Mandapa'. It hosts large Natraja idol in dancing mudra. I felt very peaceful in that Mandapa looking at Natraja. All the pillars in front of Natraja has somewhat dragon like carvings. Somehow for few moments it felt like I was in 'the Chamber of Secrets' but with positive vibes. Instead of Salazar Slytherin's head, it was Natraja's beautiful idol placed at one end and it gave me the feeling of standing inside the chamber while looking at the idol from the other end.

After visiting main shrine, we left for our next destination, Rameswaram.

Rameswaram is around 170kms away from Madurai. It took us around 3 hrs to reach our hotel. We stopped at one restaurant where we had our brunch and had authentic South-Indian Dosa (obvio!). It was served with 5 different chutneys.

Rameswaram is a town situated at far end of Tamilnadu state. It was quite hot this time of year but it was also pleasant to watch coconut trees pass by on the both sides on most part of our journey. To reach Rameswaram, one needs to use the sea-bridge as it's on Pamban island separated from mainland India.

Rameswaram welcomed us with this beautiful Pamban sea bridge. It's the oldest sea bridge in India and the second longest now (after Bandra-Worli sea link).

Rameswaram can be considered as an island, connected to mainland by the Pamban bridge. We stopped on the bridge for few minutes. Unfortunately, we didn't get any train tickets for the train which uses this bridge. It's one rail only, so the train stops here for some time and leaves again in the evening.

We reached our hotel, rested for few hrs as we hadn't have any sleep since few hours. As it's a small town, we decided to roam only in daytime. So on the first day, we didn't go anywhere. We had our dinner at our hotel.

The next day, we left early in the morning for the famous Rameswaram temple. At one of the entrances, we met a temple pujari who recognized that we were not local but travelers with some language barriers. He agreed to show us the temple campus with all the information.

The Rameswaram temple is a Shiva temple. It is also one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples. All of its Gopurams are golden. The temple is famous for very long and beautiful corridors.

Rameswaram is one of the four Char Dhamas. Before entering the core temple, we visited all the twenty-two Tirthas (holy water tanks) one by one and washed our hands and feet with it. Then we went for the main temple and prayed in front of the presiding deity, the Lingam of Ramanathaswamy (Shiva). We couldn't go inside the core temple as only the worshipers who want to have the puja and abhishek (which cost more than Rs. 5k ) can enter the core temple. We exited from the back tower of the temple and headed for the Agniteertham. The beach east of the temple is this teertham. It was quite crowded so we didn't waited for long.

As Rameswaram is an island, the atmosphere here is humid and in the month of Feb, it was quite hot too. Being an island that has a Hindu pilgrim, it has many small shops selling sea shells artifacts and Rudrakshas. I bought some shell key chains as souvenirs.

After checking the local market, we hired an auto-rickshaw for few hours. First we went to Panchamukhi Hanuman temple. There in one tank, they have kept a rock on which written was 'Ram' and it was actually floating on the water. A really magnificent thing to witness.

Then we headed for the famous 'Dhanushkodi' - the last road of India. It's at south-eastern point of Pamban island and from here Sri Lanka is only 24 kms away. While going to this last point of India, on the left side it was Bay of Bengal and on the right side, Indian Ocean. Both had different shades of blue. It's an abandoned town which was destroyed during one cyclone in 70's. Only tourists and fishermen were there.

From the parking area, we had to walk over a kilometer to reach the end. Here going down to beach is prohibited. After 5 o'clock, no one can enter the area.

The road with the end point looks like a 'ShivaLingam'. But we can see that image along with the Ram-Setu only with aerial view.

We were there for over an hour, then we headed back. While returning, I had a freshly caught fish at one small local hotel.

Rameswaram being a very important town in Ramayana, has many temples of Ram, Sugreeva, Vibhishana. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit all. We visited only few. I missed a visit to APJ Abdul Kalam's museum and home also. In the evening, we headed for our next destination. We stopped at the Pamban bridge once more when I said a fond adieu to this town.

I am glad that, I am left on a high (don't take it literal ;)) with lots of memories to cherish and live through the lock-down, after my trip to Banaras!

I am a god loving person and one of the things in my to-do list is to complete the 12 Jyotirlingas (12 temples of Shiva spread across India - This was my 11th one!) :).

Though I travelled to Banaras mainly to visit Kashi Vishwanath temple, however ended up loving city for the below top 5 reasons! These can easily be a good enough reasons/things for someone to visit this truly incredible city for sure :)

1. Never ending Ghat Strolls

This tops my list! These interconnecting ghats on the river Ganga, makes the most calm, serene, spiritual and fulfilling walk on the planet, by the day or night. Don't be a lazy bum in Banaras, go and walk around the ghats as much as you can :)

2. Serene Views of Ganga

If you can, stay in a room with a view, or a place with an access to the terrace with a view, please do that. Trust me, you will thank me for doing this later :)

I stayed at the top floor room with a balcony in "On The Ghat By Howdy Hostels" on Pandey Ghat and had a best experience staying with them.

3. The Grand Ganga Aarti

Even though you hate being in crowds, you will definitely enjoy this grand Aarti, perfectly synchronized chanting of mantras and the rituals, colourful lights all around, ocean of people on the ghats as well as on the boats parked in the river chanting the aarti and mantras synchronously with the priests, is clearly a sight to behold!

Try to get yourself a seat closer to the aarti so that you can enjoy the whole process peacefully as this runs for a while.

Do take a boat ride in the evening to feel being close to holy water of Ganges, a beautiful sunset and the Ganga Aarti from the front seat

4. Finger Licking Food & Themed Cafes

Even if you are not a foodie, you just won't be able to resist the food, when you are in Banaras. There are famous places for chaats, Lassi (not to mention the special Bhang Lassi), Paan and of course endless recommendations for small cafes by the ghat!

5. A visit to Sarnath

Sarnath is 10 kilometers from Banaras and is definitely worth a visit. This is the place where Gautam Buddha first taught dharma.

It is also famous for the "Lion Capital of Ashoka", which is currently in display in Sarnath museum. It is the current emblem of India.

Besides there are many buddhist temples dedicated to Japan, Thailand and various other countries which you can visit while in Sarnath.

That concludes my 3 days trip to this spiritual city that has so much to offer than just temples!

PS: Visit https://travelascetic.com/ to read more about me and my travel journeys 🙂