backpack_everyday(click on the photos to see its full size)

Long time update

2011-09-18T12:04:00.002+08:00

After China,Malaysia,Indonesia and Singapore ,I just reached New Zealand.

Lots of new people all along the way ...motorcycle,snorkeling,mountains,alcohol,food life's adventure continues endlessly so do the wandering.

Photos from past

2011-01-10T09:03:00.002+08:00

Tried to add a bunch of photos but blogger is still blocked where I am and couldnt be successful.
I am still around though wandering more slowly than before.

In India

2010-11-06T01:07:00.001+08:00

Reached India..........

Still randomness unbound
The reality is am here at this moment.........

in Mongolia!!!!!!!

2010-08-07T16:40:00.001+08:00

Wild land,tons of stars,endless landscape,horses,deserts,grasslands,gers --the land of the wild warriors and nomads with extreme climate and beautiful nature to live with

no camera for photos only my eyes ........

Strange

2010-02-17T12:25:00.003+08:00

No camera to post photos anymore,
cant remember words later whenever I think of writing and by the time i get near a computer,it all fades away

Experiences popping one on top of the other completely random and without a care for synchronization.

The amazement and excitement of new cultures and people and the world in general is still stronger.

It has been years now and years of change outside and inside.

Aimless wandering is a beautiful thing and its not worth putting an aim to aimless wandering.

Meeting a bunch of simple people living in a village speaking random languages and evolving in random cultures,staying and drinking with them eating with them laughing with them to break barriers of stereotyped ways connections always makes me happy.

But then again got to leave them all and move on.
Such is life.It is incredible,unbelievable,astonishing,fascinating,invigorating,empathizing, missing something,promising something when you walk beyond where you think you belong or you think you should belong.

Tet in Hanoi is Tet in Hanoi.

Vietnam

2010-02-01T10:57:00.001+08:00

In Vietnam on a small bycle and a tent and a sleeping back with just a small carrybag with clothes and tooth brush

Feel so alive :-))
on the road

In Vietnam

2010-02-01T10:54:00.000+08:00

In Vietnam on a small bycle and a tent and a sleeping back with just a small carrybag with clothes and tooth brush

Feel so alive :-))
on the road

Lost in Translation

2009-11-09T09:36:00.000+08:00

Going in cirlces after a whirlwind swept me :-).Was in Hongkong,Macau,Beijing,Guangzhou,Bhutan,Thailand ,Nepal,India.

And now near guangzhou-South China in a tiny some parts beautiful some parts not so kind of village.

Have a scooter to go around ,some industrial deadends,beautiful old style village houses hidden behind huge structures covered with bathroom tiles,a nice night market with hotpot and most people who still receognise me when I walk..

A little bit of randomness once in a while ......missing some chaos and hitchiking and sleeping on the roadside..Need to start the aimless wander sooner than later.

In Thailand now

2009-06-20T15:58:00.000+08:00

Crazy movement across timezones ,cultures,people,food

In Bhutan Now

2009-06-13T22:38:00.001+08:00

Crazy windy mountains inside fogs,beautiful friendly people around.........heaven on earth with a lot of checkposts

In Nepal

2009-06-05T19:49:00.000+08:00

Riding across Nepal from West to East on a Motorcycle ...........................

Times Up

2009-02-25T02:30:00.006+08:00

Time to write about the vast array of experiences in the last one year, make a documentary with all the photos and videos captured from my motorcycle expedition across China ,Laos ,Thailand through the old silk route,through deserts,mountains,forests,beaches in rain ,sand and sun...... across rivers,valleys, villages...........

How ,When, Why ????????

If only I knew the answers i might stop asking questions , stop thinking and start being creative........

Is it time to take a break from exploring or is it an endless quest......??

Economic refugees,
Personal liberation,
self interest,
socializing,
structures which speak history ,
civilizations intensifying cultures........

The one who knows all the answers is more confused than I am.

Heading south into india where the past impresses me more than the present

2009-02-14T02:25:00.010+08:00

temple tower

seaside spiritualism

legends and legacy

1000 years older than me

In Search of the Real China

2009-01-12T16:03:00.003+08:00

Villages

Warriors

Water wheels

legacy

In India

2009-01-12T15:26:00.000+08:00

Back in India.will post photos from the last year soon:-)

In Laos Now

2008-09-23T22:26:00.000+08:00

Crossed from CHina into Laos with a motorcycle.......

Song Series

2008-07-31T14:49:00.001+08:00

Empty Spaces

Stairway to Heaven

Highway to Hell

Sheeps

Cont...

2008-06-26T10:11:00.001+08:00

Show my shadow

Raddish Right

spectacular seats

Last post continued

2008-05-12T20:04:00.000+08:00

Brick Baker

Hair that i want to have

Smile that never stops

Flowers I followed

Longest post of my Life

2008-05-06T12:59:00.001+08:00

Valleys I Walked

People I Passed

Houses they Had

Roads I rode

Chinese cities Vs Villages

2008-03-26T19:20:00.004+08:00

The impressive countryside in china with houses made by making holes in the mountains.

Check the photos

http://vathsan.fotopic.net/c1481907.html

In China Now

2008-03-01T17:24:00.000+08:00

In China now and blogs cannot be accessed here.
Thailand photos in

vathsan.fotopic.net

in Thailand now

2008-01-27T14:50:00.000+08:00

In thailand !!!Blogger is in thai and i am not able to identify how to post

Nepal at last.

2007-12-08T22:28:00.000+08:00

In Chennai

2007-10-10T22:05:00.000+08:00

Right now in Madras..WIll post some photos from Nepal soon.

In India again

2007-08-15T16:00:00.000+08:00

In India again for so many known and unknown reasons ??????

In Nepal.

2007-06-26T18:07:00.000+08:00

Right now in Nepal.

Travel time

2007-04-30T18:08:00.000+08:00

Goint to travel for a few months acroosss i dont know wer all ............

More Photos

2007-02-06T12:58:00.000+08:00

Blogger resizes the photos.So uploaded a few photos I took in Madyapradesh and Uttranchal in fotopic.

Photos -> Click link

Time Travel

2007-01-21T03:36:00.001+08:00

Bimbetka--A recently discoreved archelogical site in the middle of Madya Pradesh Jungles which contains cave paintings which are dated to 2000-10000 yrs old.

The white images are dated to be 10000 yrs old.Its amazing just to stand in that place surrounded by the jungle and there are these huge rocks and to see some painting which was done much before any written script was invented.
Entering that forrest is like teleporting urself 10000 yrs back.

Sanchi Stupa--The Stupa build in 1st century AD by the great emperor Ashoka who adopted Buddhism after seeing so much blood in Kalinga war.The full size shows the intricate inscriptions of Jataka tales on the sides of the pillar.

In front of a temple in Orrcha.

Riding solo on .....

2006-12-20T19:42:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine (Gaurav) made a documentry of his solo ride in the himalayas...
The below link takes you to the trailer of the Documentary.

The Trailer

Ofcourse I have seen the full movie and wouldnt comment as I think any language is inadequate to describe it.
I was awestruck after watching it ....
I will pass on the comments you leave here to Gaurav ..

Minimal Exposure

2006-10-05T20:45:00.000+08:00

One of the most wonderful well hidden route we took to reach Chattisgar in nonstop rains .Geared with just our motorcycles and a big travel bug..Some places had roads and some had traces of a road and at some leg of the journey,there was no road,no people but just nature.

Thought of riding the motorcycle all the way in,but the rain and the slimy ,slippery mud refused to allow the 2 weeler.So had to park it a few feet away and walked to this paradise sorrounded by fog,mountains,lake,mud,emptiness and just us 3 friends without anyother trace of life.

The thunder bird which took us through nonstop rains,mud,dirt,forrests,
and places wer roads wer unheard of and through floods which no other vehicle passed for the 2 previous days.

Weird rock formations made by cascading rivers.

At last the Buddha tatoo on my arm....

Memories

2006-09-16T14:03:00.000+08:00

Its been an year since I went to the great Himalayas.Its calling me again or I am just imagining cause I don have anything better to do.

Backwaters in kerala

Aranmula Snake Boat race.

Purple Hayz all around me.(Allepy Beach)

Keral-land of coconuts,backwaters,rains and greeeeeeeennn all around.

Limestone caves underground at Borra--Scary - weird-beautiful- huge cave.

A pointless post......

2006-09-04T17:00:00.000+08:00

Came back today morning at 2:30 after this trip to a hillstation on the motorcycleee...need to overtake countless huge trucks which go in a single file like ants--all carrying loads heavier than they can and hence stumbling from side to side on the highway.

Handicapped without the camera still ..So need to wait till I grow some hand.Till then will post this photo from a trip I went some 5 months back.

-I am a dog without a bone
An actor all alone and
a cloud without a silverline

Orrisa--->Chilka-Puri-Konark

2006-08-19T13:00:00.000+08:00

Went on this bike trip around Chilka lake(largest salt water lake in Asia)Came through the other side where it meets the Sea.Was beautiful and had to tie the bikes to a boat since there was no path to cross this part filled with water.
Was raining in parts and went to Puri .
Amazing place it is.The Jaganath temple was simply fabulous with loads and loads of erotica carved on its outside.And ofcouse the passionate devotes all around.
For a moment I thought I could be immersed in religion cause it was well worth it.
Then the drive to Konark through the mangroove forrests and the beach on other side.
Was a fantastic trip and I loved everymoment of it.But since we didnt have a camera--no photos this time ....

Staring at the Sunrise

2006-08-02T20:56:00.001+08:00

Gazed at stars and the flood for the whole night and wen it dawned we met the sun..

Here is the link to few of the photos from my trip.I have already posted a few ..

http://vathsan.fotopic.net/c1025136.html

An unending Journey...

2006-07-25T13:04:00.000+08:00

Some more photos from the trip.

For half of the ride it was just you,the bike and the forrest.Considering animals are part of forrest too..

Thats me.

sunflowers as long as your eyes can see.

Something about old ruined architectures which take me back in time to those lost years.

River Rage

2006-07-17T14:00:00.000+08:00

The furious Indravathi river flooded and the chitrakote waterfalls was gushing water like mad.

We spent the whole night just gaping at the outrageous waterfall and star filled sky above it.Yeh we wer the only three people to reach the waterfall since the route was wholly flooded and we took so many detours into farmlands and single path to reach there with the bikes.

This is the seating you get to the view in the picture below

And we thought well its worth it.

Another waterfall named Tirathgarh we came across earlier.

Back After a Bang.

2006-07-17T13:36:00.000+08:00

Hmnnn I am back from one of the most fascinating trips of a lifetime.Fact is I did not want to come back at all.I just wanted to go on like that.....One day maybe I will..

The colourful Arakku velley landscape.

We had to ride in nonstop rains for the first five days..Muddy roads,muddy bikes and muddy us but a clean trip...

We wnet to this tribal market wer after Bartering for various items,the men and woman sit around for a dring of the local liquor (Mahua).Was good and after a few shots I was High....

The roads we had to ride bikes on would have never seen any vehicle .All that passed through them wer cattle and humans who bred them.We got stuck in cattle traffic ..

Arakku Valley+Chattisgarh....

2006-06-27T15:30:00.000+08:00

Tommoro I am leaving to some of the remote places in India which is kissed by very few travellers.
I am going on a bike trip for 12 days to Arakku and the unexplored Chattis.After a lot of pleadind and pestering I got leave till 10th july from work.
This 4000 kms bike trip has a lot of risky areas which need to be crossed.Let me play with my luck and see.
Will be back in blogsphere if I comeback alive from the trip..

Hampi Revisited.......

2006-06-20T16:05:00.000+08:00

Exactly at the same time last year I went to Hampi .This time after a year at the same time I went to Hampi again.But I went on a road trip on my bike with 3 friends from here and we were joined by one more friend over there.

A huge wave of nostalgia hit me once I reached Hampi after a 400km ride.

1-----For starters Hampi is an ancient town filled with architectural ruins.Its surrounded bu huge rock formations and in the middle the small town had unending sets of ruined temples..Its almost deserted at this time of the year......
Some of the photos of the Hampi trip taken by me and my friends....

Stone Car

We crossed the windmills some 200kms before Hampi.

All these stone pillars were always on top of rocks.........

Blue skies,Ruined temples and emptiness is all that is left of Hampi now.....

Monsoon Trekk photos 2.

2006-06-13T15:21:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the rainforest..Hello leeches..

Dry trees in monsoon too.

After trkking for some seven hours in rain we reached a village which had this empty mandap.We stayed here for the night with all wet clothes..Visiblity was minimum due to mist.

It stopped after the whole night of heavy rains.So we again went to a different direction into the forest in the morning.But again we wer chased by rainclouds.

At last the second day evening we rached the clouds.It always gives me a high to look down at a few mountains.

A villager and his son working in their farm.

Monsoon Trek....

2006-06-07T18:14:00.000+08:00

What to do on a weekend when the monsoon strikes hard...Go into the mighty dense western ghats for a trek.A nice wet weekend where we trekked in the rain drenched ,leech infested forests..I am still scratching my leech bites when I am typing this..It was raining like mad and we kept trekking in the rain..Have only 4 photos in hand.Will post the rest when I get the whole bunch in a day or two.

Hitch a ride in a goods carrier to the point where the trek starts plus the worn out hunter boots..

After walking in the jungle in heavy rain and being bitten by so many bloodthirsty leeches,we reached a village.ut to get to the village we had to cross this river on this single file Burma bridge which was shaking violently.

Map which helped us come out of the forest without getting lost this time.Damn it..

The bigger village we reached at last from where we could get buses.....Mist still hid a lot of beauty..

2nd set from the Bellur Haleebedu ride.

2006-05-29T14:49:00.000+08:00

The world never ends...

Neither does the roads...

Supposedly the world's tallest monolitic statue of the naked god Gomatheswara.(From the Jain temple- Sravanabelagola)

The ferocious Hindu god Narashimma(face of lion and body of human) tears off a demons stomach and rips away the intestines..11th century death metal freaks would have designed him I guess..

The ouside of the Halebeedu temple was filled with sculptures of gods ,animals,dancers musicians,sexual acts etc.....

We met scorpion at the village we camped for the night.

Belur -Halebeedu Bike ride...

2006-05-23T15:35:00.000+08:00

Six bikes one ride..........

This what I love about travel-difference..Last time it was sea by the side,now its lush green paddy fields.

Hide the sun.

The intricate stone sculptures of Halebeedu.

Can spend days togather just to undersatnd the imagination of the sculptors and what they are trying to say.They are not just some random stone carvings .Each has a theme or story behind it.By the way thats us bikers.

This is the last leg of the travel and only 3 of us went for it.We followed the beautiful sky and the rugged road to ...........

........reach this amazing waterfall.

Will post the infamous naked god Gomateeshware and other photos from the same ride in a few days..

More Photos from Bike trip.

2006-05-16T14:51:00.000+08:00

Salt Marshes...

The beach with the coconut groove and stones laid to stop water from entering it.

This guy moved real fast..

A typical South Indian house..

Painting on the wall.Top left is the Hindhu god Ganesha with the head of the elephant and the body of a human.

I think I know this guy.....

Its a random post with totally disconnected photos.I dont know why but all these were taken during the last bike trip..

Bike Trip to Pondicherry

2006-05-13T14:30:00.000+08:00

Key moments of this trip.

1.My friend recently got this new bike(Thunder Bird -bullet) and we did a bike trip to Pondicherry on it..

2.The best part of the ride is you go along the sea on this East Coast Road.The sea is always to the left throughout the trip and its amazing.

3.I got a Buddha tatto on my upper arm.

Enough of my crap let me put the photos.

The beach on the way .

This is the view you get for the whole 200kms ride.

Reflections-A cellular tower and homeless people taking a dip in a pond.

Abandonment-A ruined car and a water tanker.

The bike barren land and sea.....which is faar away..

Unanswered Questions in my head??????

2006-05-02T17:45:00.000+08:00

22 years of my meaningless existence in this world----

People always told me --"be yourself"

I also beleived at some level that I should be myself and I am what I am and all that........

But the big question is what is that myself--How do I define that "myself"..
Does being myself end with just doing what I feel like doing or is it more than that..
The factors that influence that myself are what you see ,hear and feel about people and things around you...at least to some extent definitely I feel.
So I thought the only way to find out what I am and what I want is just by trying out different things.So I tried a lot of things and this is what happened.

My Addictions

Travel
Trekking
Movies
People
Change(Yeh I love change and new things.I get easily bored with stuff.So I need to keep exploring new things)

Trying not to get addicted to

Cigarettes
Alcohol
Drugs
People
My Job

There are very few things I have tried.
But there are so many things in this world to try out and I have one lifetime..
So how do I narrow down my "To Try" list so that I will die with the satisfaction of putting my time in this world to better use.And I suck at most of the things I try too.And oh God this is a weird post and I cannot even read the preview myself...................Yeh I found out I suck at writing...

End of trip.

2006-04-27T15:50:00.000+08:00

We returned to Bangalore from the last trip and since it was early and we had no busues at 3:30 in the morning,we decided to take a walk on the flyover near majestic.

A very rare sight.An empty Bangalore road.

I don't know if I am getting any better at it but still I am obsessed with night photography.

Psychedelia.

Three of my friends I think.

Its actually nice to take a walk on a flyover before the sun comes up.

Odd man in..........

Omb**** Gud Revisited........... Photos

2006-04-22T21:24:00.000+08:00

This is from the second visit to this place I wrote about.Since we took a totally different route to trek the destinations ,the photos are different too..

The pool

Receeding watermarks on rocks.

The mountain we need to climb....to end the trek.

The mountain we just crossed to reach here.

Cut through ridges to oblivion.

Reach for the skies

Ups and downs of a trek..

Should trek this place time and again I think..

Loneliness.......... I feel loneliness.

2006-04-17T20:53:00.000+08:00

Kurumgad islands.......

2006-04-16T07:19:00.000+08:00

Bench facing the sea...

Canopy to be crossed to reach the beach

Fishermen at Karwar beach

far and out

dipping sun.

Omb* Gud first visit photos

2006-04-11T21:11:00.000+08:00

Sometimes when you turn back and see after you have trekked for long this is wat you get to see--The jungle you crossed..

We camped here on the first day.

Golden showers.

Spot us trekkies if you can..(you can see only in the full size)

View from the peak

The killer views which makes the struggles and hardships of a trek worth it.

The post below is about this trek..

Omb**** Gud Revisited...........

2006-04-11T19:56:00.000+08:00

I havent posted the photos yet thats because I went for this trek this week end to this amazing hidden place.There are no details about this trekking trail anywhere on the internet.We trekked there last month with a hand drawn map by one of the very few groups which has trekked this place.Plus we had a compas.Inspite of this we got totally lost inside this dense jungle and mountain ranges.But finally after some near death experiences we completed the trek though it extended by a day and a half beyond the original plan.So we had to ration out our food and we had to climb a 85 degree cliff which was some 80 mts tall.We also thought we would loose it in that cliff but luckily we made it through.....as there was no way to climb down once we were in the middle.

So with that behind out belt we decided to do the same trek this weekend but only minus the map ,compas and by choosing a totally different root(Eastern Trail we called it)...So as again we got lost and I was not able to make it work on Monday and I had to call to my PM and let him know.Since cellphones don work inside and we r totally cut off from civilization there was absolutely no way to contact anyone.(I finally did it only after we completed the trek as that is the only option and my manage was ok with it I guess )
We slept inside this rainy forest with very little food(rationed between 5 of us) just so that we dont faint.On top of everything there were these million leeches which sucked out blood like vampires.We did not have a tent and it was raining and we had to sleep just on the forest floor.Somehow we made it to Bangalore today morning thanks to some direction sensitive trekkers in the group and the courageous team which was calm and focussed without panicking in this dire situation.Anyways we are alive and we have brought back so many memory snippets(photos) and the experience the trek gave us.There are a few people who want this place to be hidden so they have requested not to reveal the name and description of the place and the map on the internet.But I am a traveller and spreading news is part of me.I learnt about this place from someone and I would definitely like to share info about this to other interested people.So to compramise everything I have not fully Spelled the place .But if anyone is interested you can mail me.I would be glad to forward the map and details and help you with tips...

Note: the place has a waterfall which resembles the one which comes in the movies
"The Beach" with a pool beneath it.Its definetly a toughtrek and some trekking experience under your belt is recommended before you do this trek.The trek starts from a point 6 hours from Bangalore.

I will post the photos as soon as I can or as soon as I get the access to photos and internet at the same place...

Photo block..

2006-04-04T20:39:00.000+08:00

Its been a real long time since I posted photos .I have been travelling though(to Goa,a few treks,Karwar,Kurumgad island) and I have a lot of these travel photos.But the problem is I have them all in the cds or in my laptop and I cannot use both at my office.I don have an internet connection at where I live right now.I browse from my office.So I will post my photos this week end when I go to my hometown.

Perspectives are always Relative

2006-03-23T19:08:00.000+08:00

The way we perceive what is

RIGHT or WRONG

GOOD or BAD

cannot be standardised at all.Its entirely relative.What might be good for one might be bad for the other.This everyone knows.But what we never realise is this------------

A person with whom I travelled with once told me that there can be million dimensions between a

GOOD and BAD
or a

RIGHT and WRONG

Loneliness

2006-03-17T14:21:00.000+08:00

I have always been the person who loved company and liked talking a lot.
But now i am just stuck in some deep crater called office and a corner called cubicle in it,with just Floyd stuck near my monitor..

This is all I do(read the lyrics of keep talking ,with no one around to talk to other than my computer which hardly responds to what i got to say)

I guess the metallic voice in the song is from my computer but i am not able to capture it ..

For millions of years mankind lived just like the animals
Then something happenend which unleashed the power of our imagination
We learned to talk

There's a silence surrounding me
I can't seem to think straight
I'll sit in the corner
No one can bother me
I think I should speak now ___________ Why won't you talk to me
I can't seem to speak now ____________ You never talk to me
My words won't come out right ________ What are you thinking
I feel like I'm drowning _____________ What are you feeling
I'm feeling weak now _________________ Why won't you talk to me
But I can't show my weakness _________ You never talk to me
I sometimes wonder ___________________ What are you thinking
Where do we go from here _____________ What are you feeling

It doesn't have to be like this
All we need to do is make sure we keep talking

Why won't you talk to me _____________ I feel like I'm drowning
You never talk to me _________________ You know I can't breathe now
What are you thinking ________________ We're going nowhere
What are you feeling _________________ We're going nowhere

Why won't you talk to me
You never talk to me
What are you thinking
Where do we go from here

It doesn't have to be like this
All we need to do is make sure we keep talking

Stolen

2006-03-02T21:04:00.000+08:00

I have this compulsive drive to express my state of mind but unfortunately I have no clue how to do it.

So what I do always is to steal----

1)Steal from nature in the form of photos which reflects my mindset by providing the the image of the place i have been to and what i have been doing there.

2)Else i steal others words and thoughts but i only steal when i can relate to it totally .

Not original but someone or something can express what I am not able to do.So I use it.

This is something which came to me at the same instance when i was thinking about the exact same thing but put in a much better way which I will never be able to do.

Being a twenty-something

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at wat ur studyin or ur job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.

You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone! but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you are scared just to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends... maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion...

Its called "Quarter-life Crisis." nothing is constant......except change. wats life without a few risks? keep playing the game !

Green-A definite theme in a Kerala Trip

2006-02-26T01:05:00.000+08:00

Cruise your boat through the algae infested lakes

Kuttanad.

Ashtamudi lake

Kurumgad Island

2006-02-20T14:30:00.000+08:00

I recently went to kurumgad island near karwar which is just below goa.
This was a trip with 8 of my old friends.It was like friends meeting after long time trip types .3 day weekend trip..........Since every one of us has started working and all ,it was not like the good old college days when we used to hang out lazily with nothing much to do.

Will post the photos of the trip in a few days.

Travel qoutes

2006-02-07T14:22:00.000+08:00

These are few of the travel quotes i came across in the recent years.It made perfect sense to me.

1."Tourists don't know where they've been, travellers don't know where they're going." -Paul Theroux

2.I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. -Mark Twain

3.A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu

4."Stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends, your daily routines, your refrigerator full of food, your closet full of clothes - with all this taken away, you are forced into direct experience. Such direct experience inevitably makes you aware of who it is that is having the experience. That's not always comfortable, but it is always invigorating." -Michael Crichton

5.". . .life is short and the world is wide" -Simon Raven

6.The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing." ~Daniel J. Boorstin

7.It is not down in any map; true places never are. ~Herman Melville

8.Travelers never think that they are the foreigners. ~Mason Cooley

9.If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home. ~James Michener

10.I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine. ~Caskie Stinnett

11.". . .travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." -Miriam Beard

12."The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready. "
-Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

13.Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember; and I remember more than I have seen." -Benjamin Disraeli

14."I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list." -Susan Sontag

15."A year to go around the world! A whole twelve months of scenes and curious happenings in far-off foreign lands! You have thought of doing this, almost promised yourself that when you got old enough, and rich enough, and could "spare the time," you too would go around the world. Most of us get old enough; some of us get rich enough; but the time! the time! - to spare the time, to cut loose from goods and lands, from stocks and dreary desks, quit clients, patients, readers, home and friends - ay, and our enemies whom we so dearly love! Full many a promise must be broken and few the voyagers round the world." -D.N. Richardson, "A Girdle Round the Earth", 1888

None of the above qoutes are mine as i spotted them somewhere sometime,but the experience i had out of my life is totally original .

Gokarna-at last i got the photos of this paradise

2006-01-31T12:13:00.000+08:00

The beach at a glance

There is no direct access to any of the beaches.To reach each beach you have to hike a couple of kms.I guess that is the best part about Gokarna.

This is called the paradise beach.Trust me its a hippy heaven.

Me and two of my friends decided to jump into the sea from the boat and swim to the shore.Oh god the swim at sunset was heavenly but I almost died by the time i reached the shore.

Weird psychedelic night photography by my friend.

The best way to watch a sunset is to be a part of the same sea into which the sun dips itself.

ooty my second home

2006-01-25T16:04:00.000+08:00

A lake 30-40 kms away from ooty away from humans.Just you and the nature...............

With a few of my friends on a bike trip to ooty

Things i could relate to

2006-01-19T13:08:00.000+08:00

Trust me It's Paradise
This is where the hungry come to feed
For mine is a generation that circles the globe in search of something we haven't tried before
So never refuse an invitation ,
never resist the unfamiliar,
never fail to be polite and
never outstay your welcome
just keep your mind open and suck in the experience
and if it hurts you know what... it's probably worth it
you hope, and you dream
but you never believe that something is going to happen for you
not like it does in the movies and
when it actually does
you expect it to feel different
more visirale more real .
i was waiting for it to hit me
i still believe in paradise
but now at least i know it's not some place you can look for
cause it's not where you go
it's how you feel for a moment in your life
and if you find that moment it lasts forever
it lasts forever
lasts forever

-------This is from the movie "The Beach".When i heard it for the first time i could instantly relate myself to the lines totally.It made more sense to my existence and wat i have been doing with my life.

Gokarnaaaa

2006-01-18T17:15:00.000+08:00

Paradise i will call it

One of the best unspoiled beaches in India with a temple town in its base. Will add a few more photos once i get my hands to it.

varkala-sip coffee with the beatiful sunset view from the top of the cliff

2005-10-11T10:16:00.000+08:00

VARKALA-the unexplored cliff beach.(a great hippy hangout)

take a walk along the beatiful cliff top with sea on one side and shops and on the other.

i tried my hand with some nite photografhy at varkala.dont get mad.i am just an amature photographer.

sunset view from the cliff

MALANA-civilization untouched by normal men

2005-10-09T01:49:00.000+08:00

MALANA-a small village in the himachal which is a part of india but doesnt follow the indian governing laws........
Hey this is something interesting.when i was travelling in manali,i happened to go to this interesting village called MALANA...........it was a two day trek from a beautiful place called nagar.me and an israeli girl started the trek by ourselves without hiring a guide.i just made friends with a villager who drew the directions in a paper and we were set for this two day tough trek with that.

we started off by getting a lift from some local transport vehicle carrying wood.we were sitting on the logs at the back.they dropped us at the starting point of the trail path.we started walking along the apple and pear archids.occationaly we would pluck an apple or the local fruit called pitu.

We started in the by 3 in the afternoon and wnt on like that till nite 9 .thats when we realise both of us were lost and we dont have a tent to stay or food.
trust me it was damn scary inside the forest with wolfs howling and stuff.
after searching for an hour we saw a small light at adistance.
wow a tent and there were two locals in there.
they gave us food and we stayed in the tent for the nite.

the next morning we got up and saw the view from near the tent.that when i decided though in life i am on the "highway to hell",i am already on this heaven for now .u see the photo and decide for ur self.

"i would prefer if heaven were like this"

then we started treking throuh this steep climb for a few hours ,we reached the great chandrakani pass.
then there was this steep valley we need to climb down to reach malana.
finally we reached malana in the evening after my friend had some struggle with the downclimb and stuff.
wow malana what a weird village........
u r not supposed to touch either the villagers or anything including houses in that village.
sounds weird ...but thats how it is.they have the worlds oldest democracy......true.their own govening system.
they call themselves the descendents of the troups of alexander and hence they consider themselves equivalent to god.so no outsider can go near or touch or shake hands with them.
they have two houses outside the village where travellers should stay.yes no outsider is allowed to stay in the village.
the people of malana look kinda like the greeks(their face )check the photos if u dont believe me......

kids in malana.....

whatever said its definitely a place worth a visit.........its a weird place and a different experience for me.i can talk about it for hours.but i am kindof lazy to type down everything........

the valley we need to cross to reach malana.

2005-10-02T15:15:00.000+08:00

kerala -lose ur self in backwaters and culture

cruise ur way through the backwater canals in a small boat on ur own.

the experience is amazing.

allepy the heart of the backwater heaven

sunset from the boat

2005-10-01T18:40:00.000+08:00

MANALI 2005

this is the great himalayas.
i have done a few treks there.
this particular one in on the way to malana from manali.

i think i have seen heaven...

ride on top of the bus with babas and travellers.
travelling in manali is an experience in itself

chandrakani pass at the height of around 12000 ft you can see the lush meadows with horses .

i was walking through a village near manali just to know about the life of the people over there.
thats when i found this group of cute kids playing in the village.

feel free to leave your comments.
plus if you need any information about travelling in the himachal and manali especially ,drop me a mail . i can provide the necessary information.
contact me: vathsanlistens@gmail.com

backpack_everyday(click on the photos to see its full size)

Long time update

Photos from past

In India

in Mongolia!!!!!!!

Strange

Vietnam

In Vietnam

Lost in Translation

In Thailand now

In Bhutan Now

In Nepal

Times Up

Heading south into india where the past impresses me more than the present

In Search of the Real China

In India

In Laos Now

Song Series

Cont...

Last post continued

Longest post of my Life

Chinese cities Vs Villages

In China Now

in Thailand now

Nepal at last.

In Chennai

In India again

In Nepal.

Travel time

More Photos

Time Travel

Riding solo on .....

Minimal Exposure

Memories

A pointless post......

Orrisa--->Chilka-Puri-Konark

Staring at the Sunrise

An unending Journey...

River Rage

Back After a Bang.

Arakku Valley+Chattisgarh....

Hampi Revisited.......

Monsoon Trekk photos 2.

Monsoon Trek....

2nd set from the Bellur Haleebedu ride.

Belur -Halebeedu Bike ride...

More Photos from Bike trip.

Bike Trip to Pondicherry

Unanswered Questions in my head??????

End of trip.

Omb****** Gud** Revisited........... Photos

Loneliness.......... I feel loneliness.

Kurumgad islands.......

Omb***** Gud**** first visit photos

Omb****** Gud** Revisited...........

Photo block..

Perspectives are always Relative

Loneliness

Stolen

Green-A definite theme in a Kerala Trip

Kurumgad Island

Travel qoutes

Gokarna-at last i got the photos of this paradise

ooty my second home

Things i could relate to

Gokarnaaaa

varkala-sip coffee with the beatiful sunset view from the top of the cliff

MALANA-civilization untouched by normal men

Omb**** Gud Revisited........... Photos

Omb* Gud first visit photos

Omb**** Gud Revisited...........