Jaisalmer is a beautiful city. I took sometime to go around in the city to feel the city. These are some pictures I took using my k750i mobile, mostly. This is a big post with lots of pictures. So get your big cup of coffee, Let us go for a walk.

We reached Jaisalmer early in the morning. We took a small hotel just outside the fort. This picture was taken from inside my hotel room. Read the rest of this entry »

It was may 2005 when my college friends planned for NY, WDC and Niagara drive. It was one week long trip along with my buddies. I never wrote about that trip other than sharing few pictures with my friends. (Which reminds me, I have to write about Rome and Hampi. I will, very soon.)
I was in Milwaukee then, I caught my flight to NYC. It was my first trip to *the big* city. I still remember how excited I was. I have some pics below. I am not going to write complete story but will add a short note below each picture.

New york city in the night from the top of Empire State Building. I amazed with the quality of picture taken by a low end sony cybershot. I guess that is Metropolitan Life Tower in the picture.

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Badami Cave temples are man made rock cut temples built in North Indian Nagara Style and South Indian Dravidian style. Badami was the capital of early Chalukyas until eight century is in between mountains and lakes. The cave temples are cut out of the mountains.

You can see the town lake in this picture and also a temple near by. On the top of the picture you can see brown mountains. Cave temples are carved out of it.

All around the city you can see temples. There are small temples on the mountains and rocks that surround the town.

Even though there are many temples, Badami is known for its ancient cave temples carved out of the sandstone hills above. There are four temple caves. The temples look simple compared to any other Chalukya styled temples. Read the rest of this entry »

I love to drive in the night. But night drives are not for everybody. If you like driving and if you enjoy conversation/music then its the best you can have. Its mostly peaceful and there will be more professionals on the road so you just have to follow the rules. Night driving in India is much more eventful and fun than in US of A or for that matter in any western countries.
Since it is more eventful you need to be more careful too. Here are my tips for it. Before you try your first long night drive. Make sure you have done at least 5 thousand kms day drive. You should have done at least couple of 300+kms drives during the day.
Since you are not a professional driver love for driving and experience of night outs helps.

We reached Rameshwaram quite late. Night driving in Rameshwaram island was fun. This is the end of highway which ends in front of Ramanatheshwara temple in the ocean.

Preparation

1. Plan to reach the destination before 11pm or after 5 am speially if you are not driving back to home
2. Make sure your petrol tank is full. In some of the state high-ways you need to literally drive hundreds of kilometers before you reach a bunk. There are very few 24/7 petrol bunks. Most of them close before midnight. So fill the tank as and when you think you need
3. Carry enough potable water
4. Carry enough music and light food
5. If you are driving alone then music is must
6. Learn to change the tyre and other minimal repair stuff
7. Carry torch

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Trip to Danushkodi was waiting to happen from long time. It was supposed to be bike ride (but in that ride we went to Kanyakumari) never the less car drive was awesome. I will post about Rameshwaram and temple bath later. Now take a cappuccino grande and enjoy this post.

Danushkodi is about 20+ kms from Rameshwaram. We can drive our regular car till the Indian Navy base or where the road ends. We parked my WagonR there. For rest of the travel we needed a 4X4. How I wish I had my own 4×4 never the less we hired a converted 4×4 and we were offered balcony seat. Thats Vinay, Manju and me.

Green line in the map shows my car path and red line shows the path of 4X4. The total distance we covered in this 4×4 was about 8kms and it was a roller coaster ride.

With in a kilometer’s distance we started to realize that we have sea on both sides of us. This jeep was behind us following all the way.
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