Anup J Kat Photography

I do not have words to describe this guy's photography! Please let me know your thoughts?

Click here to go to the site and below some pics!

A week in Phuket

Its been almost 2 months since I blogged, caught up with lots of work :)

Had a superb trip to Phuket in the last week of August.

Below are the pics from the trip, will be posting the details soon.

Road trip from Mangalore to Bandipur

On our visit to India in January this year, we decided to tour Bandipur National Park in Karnataka. It was a road trip and spanned over 7 days.

On the way we visted Tibetan Golden temple at Khushalnagar. Also, travelled to Ooty for a day from Bandipur.

We stayed at Country Club Wildlife resort, Bandipur which is surrounded by Wild forest and tribals ;), we were asked not to step out of our cottage at night and had peacocks and monkeys visiting us in the morning.

The food in Bandipur is mainly vegetarian. P.S. my family is pure non-vegetarian. But who cares. We had a different experience in the wild. And ofcourse Ooty in January is freezing cold. But was fun with both our parents around.

On the way back we visited St. Anthony's Church in Doranahalli. A serene place.

Below are the directions to Bandipur from Mangalore. We took Mangalore - Puttur- Sullia - Coorg - Mysore - Bandipur - Ooty road.

View Larger Map

Gyan:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandipur_National_Park
http://www.countryclubindia.net/countryclub_bandipur.php
http://www.gocoorg.com/golden-temple.html
http://www.ootyindia.com (An amazing place to plan a vacation by itself)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doranahalli

And the pics ofcourse:

Lynda Photoshop CS5 Essential Training

The videos in this tutorial are great and very descriptive. You can download this from torrent: Lynda Photoshop CS5 Essential Training. My friend suggested this and it looks great.

Happy editing!

Durian

Durian is a fruit unique to Southeast Asia. This is sort-of strange, as almost any fruit or vegetable with a somewhat appealing taste has long become a universally cultivated crop. And not that the durian would be lacking in taste appeal. Those who like durian typically regard it as the king of fruit. And even in countries where, during the harvest season, there is a real flood of durians, prices never drop to dirt-cheap levels, as they do for pineapples and bananas.



Well, durians have a strong smell and a unique taste. Could be that those who haven't seen others indulging in durians have doubts as to the fruit's fitness for human consumption. Judging by the fruit's smell, its flesh moves straight from unripe to rotten.





More Info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian
http://durian.net/
http://tropical-fruits.biz/

Road drive from Dubai to Muscat

It approximately takes anywhere between 4 & a 1/2 to 5 hours max to reach Muscat from Dubai, we started early morning on our 3 days escapade. We had been there in November of 2009, dawn of winter in the Middle East.

There are 22 petrol stations enroute & the road is as good as in Dubai, that is of top order if i may say so. But the petrol bunks in Dubai are very traveller friendly, what with each one of them having a mini mart which provides you with every concievable thing you would ever require on the road, but the petrol bunks of Oman leave much to desire.

We took Dubai -Hatta route to Oman, which is the best route to follow as well. Entire route is one straight coastal road. Hatta is a beautiful heritage city of Dubai situated approx 1 hr 15 minutes from the heart of Dubai . It is a mountaneous area , the mountains known as Hajjar mountains. It also has several Dune bashing areas where tourists or residents who want to ride on the dunes are given an hour or more (charged by hour) fun filled ride over dunes in the 4X4 vehicles driven by expert drivers who know how to drive over such terrain. This can then be followed by camping under the stars at night with dinner of traditional Arabic kebabs (Non veg and Veg both kinds of options are there) etc accompanied with Belly Dancing beside campfire for entertainment. Those who like to smoke can get the feel of smoking "Sheesha" which is a form of Hookah as we know it in India. You also get local costumes to dress into and get clicked if you so desire. Needless to say that we have enjoyed and took our guests also to enjoy all that Hatta has to offer on many previous occasions so we had no intention of any stop-over this time while going to Muscat- Oman.

For travellers of GCC residents the VISA process is very simple and convenient. Just after you reach Hatta border , there is check post of Dubai where you need to get your exit Visa stamped on your passport. After about another 2 KM looms large a gate of Oman check post where you need to fill in your immigration form and get your Oman entry Visa stamped. You need to have your Car insurance for Oman. This entire process can take anywhere between 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the rush at that given hour. While returning, though, it hardly takes more than 10-15 minutes for getting exit Visa stamped from Oman checkpost & getting entry visa stamped on Dubai checkpost.

On the way to Muscat, we stopped at Sohar port and witnessed a sunrise at the beach. Also caught an amazing view of Sawadi waters on a boat ride.

Oman (Capital- Muscat) is a very beautiful country where the government has taken care to beautify each and every roundabout with some novel structure and a lot of greenry and flowers . The roads all along have trees and greens in manicured fashion.

Muscat is a city dotted along the mountains. You can compare it to any hill stations you have been to India, minus snowfall ! The roads are winding up and down in and around Muscat.

On the first evening we went to Qantab beach and the drive down to the beach was superb with amazing roads. Just realised that I am using numerous superlatives! Also, drive along the coast is filled with magnificent scenes. Mutrah Souk in Muscat is also a must visit place.

We had kept aside one day to visit the Old Caves in Nizwa area of Oman, which is 3 - 4 hours drive away from Muscat. These caves are known as Al Hoota caves. They are said to be approximately 5-6 million years old caves. The natural beauty inside the cave sure took our breath away ! ( www.alhootacave.com ). Anyone who visits Oman and does not see these caves is definately missing out on a major scenic beauty of nature ! These caves have been opened for public viewing only from the year 2006 . They have also put up a small train which can transport the visitors till the (man made) door of the cave. The train was under repair at this time , so we went walking. A batch of 15 people is taken under guided supervision after taking entry tickets. The tour lasts 40-45 minutes inside cave, where one has to climb 265 stairs to reach various parts of the cave. It is lit internally with careful, shaded lighting so as to not disturb the chemical composition of the various rock formations inside. It was quite a humbling experience to stand there and feel such a small insignificant being in comparison to the huge , somwhat mammoth creations of nature inside. No photography allowed inside. And its not advisable to take naughty children inside :)

The drive to Nizwa was very interesting too, with huge mountains flanking our road on both sides all along and they changing colours every now and then.. Once you reach Nizwa, you have to climb all along for another 45 minutes to reach Al Hoota Caves and this stretch of road is a unique experience on its own. Snaking road, flanked with few farms on the way, some sparse dwellings here and there and breathtaking huge mountains ! Nizwa itself also boasts of a lone "heritage" fort which is under the care of Unesco. It also has an old souk (market) closeby to the said fort. Jabal Al Akhdar is a mountain closer to Nizwa and only 4 wheelers are allowed to get to the top.

Next time we plan to take another trip to Oman. There is a place in Oman, called SALALAH, which is considered the "Ooty" of Oman ! That time we will have to drive 1500 Kms from Muscat to our destination "Salalah" . This place becomes lush green during summers , and is compared then to "Kerala" of India ! It is an ideal place to escape in summers since it remains cold like our Indian hill stations.

Here are few photographs of various places that we saw on this trip :

South-West Sri Lanka

Last week of Sep 2009 was an apt time for us to travel to Sri Lanka coz it was rainy season and the weather was amazing. Relief from the scorching heat of Dubai. Felt like we were in our hometown Mangalore.

The places we visited were hotspot tourist destinations. A must visit for everyone once in a lifetime. Sri Lanka's economy is very low and their major income is from tourism. Thus very convenient for a traveller to be there.

www.sunwayholidays.lk planned our vacation, it was a smooth ride.

Our itenerary for the trip was as below: (We couldn't visit Pinnawela orphanage)

TOUR – ATM 4 (5 Days / 4 Nights)
Day 1 : Arrival – Transfer to Kandy. City tour of Kandy.
Day 2 : Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage – Nuwara eliya
Day 3 : Waterfalls – South west Beach (Bentota / Beruwela)
Day 4 : Transfer to Colombo & City Tour of Colombo
Day 5 : Transfer to Airport

DETAILED TOUR ITINERARY – TOUR ATM 4

Day 1 : Arrival, Meeting at the airport, transfer to hotel in Kandy. In the afternoon information on the tour. Afterwards make a City Tour of Kandy, visits to Royal Botanical Gardens, Gem Museum, Upper Lake, Arts & Crafts Centre, and explore the Kandy bazaar. Later in the evening view a performance of Cultural Dances. Overnight at Hotel in Kandy.

Day 2 : Breakfast at hotel & proceed to Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawela. See the elephants in nature, being fed, working & bathing in the near by river. Ride on an elephant. Visit a spice garden to see different spices, and how some of these spices are grown and processed. Leave for Nuwara Eliya, known as “Little England”. See the mountains covered with tea bushes and cascading waterfalls. En route visit a tea factory and a plantation to see the tea manufacturing
process. Enjoy a freshly brewed cup of tea. Evening make the city tour of Nuwara Eliya. Overnight at hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

Day 3 : After breakfast leave for the south-west coast of Sri Lanka. Travel through a beautiful landscape & see the widest waterfall of Sri Lanka, “St. Clair”. Enjoy the rich nature. Make a brief stop at the Tea Kiosk passing the “Devon” waterfall. Drive through Kithulgala where the Oscar winning movie “Bridge on the River Kwai” was filmed. Make a visit to a rubber plantation. See the rubber manufacturing process. For those who love adventure, (optional) white water rafting could be arranged at Kitulgala, down river Kelani, Sri Lanka’s second largest. Overnight stay at Hotel in South West Coast Beach.

Day 4 : Breakfast at hotel. Make a safari in the Madhu River to see village & bird life. Early afternoon leave for Colombo. Enroute visit a Turtle hatchery. In Colombo enjoy the sightseeing & shopping tour, which includes Fort, Pettah, Sea Street, the Gangarama Temple, a Museum and the Town Hall etc. Discover the city & explore the shopping malls, such as House of Fashion, Odel, Arena, etc. Night life lovers visit Casinos, Discos etc & enjoy Colombo’s entertainment and nightlife. Overnight stay at Hotel in Colombo.

Day 5 : Breakfast & departure transfer to the airport for your onward flight.

HOTELS FOR TOUR – ATM 4

Kandy - Amaya Hills Resort
Nuwara Eliya - Grand Hotel
South-West Beach - Riverina Hotel
Colombo - Galadari Hotel

Selected photos from 1200 odd ones:

Phuket

We'll be here at the end of this month for a week. Can't wait :)

Munnar trip

We had been to Munnar, Kerala in India in December 2008 during our annual trip to India. Our parents accompanied us and it was a pleasant experience, especially our stay there in Mahindra lakeview resort. We travelled in a train from Mangalore to Kochi and hired a car to Munnar. Went for sight seeing around Munnar in the first two days. Went to Amaravathinagar in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu on the third day. The journey from Munnar and Tamil Nadu was through dense forest. The view was amazing! The Amaravathi Dam and crocodile farm were the places to see.
On the way back from Munnar, we stopped in Kochi and went to the famous Jew synogouge and the fish market were they still use the years old chinese fishing nets.
Below is the info on places (ofcourse after googling ;) )

Munnar, India
http://wikitravel.org/en/Munnar
http://www.munnar.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munnar
http://www.munnar.org/
http://www.clubmahindra.com/resort.asp?id=2
http://www.eravikulam.org/http://www.keralatourism.org/destination/museums/tea-museum-at-munnar-191979895.php

Places in and around Munnar:
1. Tata Tea Museum
Located 2 Km from Munnar Centre on the Nallathany Road.
Collection of old bits and pieces from the colonial era can be seen here. Demonstration of tea production. Information on machinaries, tea processing and tea tasting. Photography and Videography prohibited here.
2. CSI Church
A church built with stone in 1910. It has fine stained glass and brass plaques. Above all, a calm place to pray and meditate.
3. Devikulam is 7 Km away. Tourists are attracted to this lake town
4. Mattupetty is 14 Km away from Munnar. Mattupetty dam has an agriculture garden on its banks. Speed boat ride through the dam is also available.
5. Rajamalai (Eravikulam National Park) is situated 13 Km away from Munnar on Udumalpet road (SH17). Trekking here can perhaps give you a glimpse of Nilgiri Thar, the rarely seen mountain goat.
6. Top Station is 40 Km away from Munnar. From here you can get a spectacular view of the plains of Tamilnadu. Kundalai Dam is on the Munnar-Top Station road
7. Marayoor is about 40 Km away, where Sandalwood forest, Muniyaras (ancient caves) and water falls (Thoovanam) are located
8. Chinnar Wild Sanctuary is 60 Km away from Munnar on Udumalpet road (SH17). Elephants, deers, samba etc can be seen from the watch tower. The tall tower is about 200 meters distance from the check-post.
9. Blossom International Park at Munnar has an adventure track, 1000-feet long fountain, roller skates, underground mediation centre and a beautiful garden.
10. Anamudi, the highest peak of South India is close to Munnar and is a great place for adventurous trekking.

Amaravathinagar, India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaravathinagar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaravathi_Reservoir

Kochi, India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kochi,_India
www.cochin.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradesi_Synagogue (No cameras allowed inside)

Pics :)

Adobe Photoshop

www.photoshopessentials.com is a great site for beginners like me ;-) to use Adobe Photoshop.
Keep snapping!
Fiona