Europe Diaries With all of us under lockdown and no travel plans for the near future; I delve into my photo gallery. Seeking solace in the memories of my travels; With a hope to again wander about one day, or even head to Europe; Sharing the graffiti from a tram station near my hotel in Munich. Wishing to fly high again, chug along in a train,or hit the road soon. Musings from Europe. &nbsp;

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Jaigarh Fort providing oversight to Amer Fort since 1726 AD. The main aim of constructing this fort was to protect the Fort of Amber from Invaders.

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Jaigarh Fort - Amer

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Sunset at Fatehpur

Visualize a hall full of lamps, thousands of them, arranged in long columns neatly, burning continously and ferociously, filled with the warmth of the lamps, an overwhelming feeling of positive energy. Welcome to the butter lamp house in Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya. As per Buddhism the offering of light is a means of dispelling the darkness of our own ignorance, giving rise to clarity and wisdom. &nbsp;

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Butter lamp offering at Mahabodi temple

One of my most memorable drives yet, through Khardungla Pass while coming from Nubra to Leh. A super high altitude pass at a staggering height of 18300 ft. The roads are very treacherous and has ice almost all the time at the top. These are the kinds of roads I have always wanted to drive on. Narrow roads, deep gorges, bumpy mud portions, water flowing across and ice. All the components of a good driving day. In the morning already had crossed the Soyak valley, and was quite tired too. The scenery and view is so surreal, it just feels like we were driving around in a magical world of snow. At a moment, my dad took over, when the tyres started to slip and it began to snow too with daylight going down. Still got a lot of experience to be gained. One heck of a experience, glad to have the #XUV500, the beast with us. Got to take the avenger220, to this place. &nbsp;

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Roads above the clouds

Catching Sunset from the top of the Kumbalgarh fort.&nbsp;

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Sunset over Kumbalgarh

Flying from Kolkata to Guwahati, you fly over Bangladesh. Catch the many rivers and lush greenery down below.

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Flying over the rives in Bangladesh

I went on my first trek ever. The first one is special they say, and especially now when the mountains seem so far away. This was from the second day into the trek, walking along the river with the mountains towering on both sides and lush greenery all around. The air was as fresh as it could be as if my lungs were in turbo mode. Only the wilderness and the heavy backpack with me, and new found friends in my group. Just walking with nature, enjoying the moment, living the present... What a pleasant week it was ????

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Conquering the Hampta Top 

Scotland of the east! The adobe of the clouds is what Meghalaya means. A very warm welcome to this state of India. Famous for it's rainfall but sadly did not get to experience it, lucky also though. Got to catch a glimpse of these enchanting meadows enroute Dawki, the border town between India and Bangladesh.

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Scotland of the east!

A photographer's delight. With the same shot, one can play with the colors all day long and this beauty just keeps amazing me like a chameleon. You do any editing to this, the majesty just keeps on surprising you. I can spend all day just walking around the Taj.

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The Taj

Certain things catch your eye but only a few remain in your heart. My first glimpse of the Taj Mahal. Got a chance to visit this wonder, on a trip from Srinagar to Kolkata once. Blown away by the majesty, all the hype of the monument is true.

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My first glimpse of the Taj Mahal.

Nothing can be compared to the might of nature. This feeling resonated throughout the Leh trip. Driving around the high mountain passes and roads at heights of up to more than18000ft at some places, one does feel how puny we are in front of mother nature. Pangong lake perched on top of the world is one such stellar work by nature. We were left speechless at the first sight. Coming from Leh, you need to cross the Chang La, a mountain oass at 18500 ft approx. And drive through some beautiful roads. A roadtrip adventure.

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Pangong Tso

An oasis amidst the cold dessert in ladakh. Situated at around 10,000 ft.

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Hunder, Nubra Valley

Somewhere over the Pir Panjal range. Mountains are calling.

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Pir Panjal valley from atop

The winter fog has dawned upon this ancient city yet again. Mark Twain once said "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together" Honestly speaking I was able to understand the gravitas of the quote only upon visiting this historic city. Am not a religious person, but as an avid lover of history, this city holds marvels and stories. A city which is the oldest continually inhabited place in the world, yet&nbsp;seemingly timeless&nbsp;in a curious way. Its&nbsp;ghats&nbsp;embody the multiple facets of life, its innumerable&nbsp;temples&nbsp;are the sanctuaries of unending spiritual grace, its people an affable and jovial lot and the river Ganges which gives the city its meaning is the fountain of life and inspiration for many. A single visit does not do justice to it's history. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/traveldiaries/">#traveldiaries</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/india_ig/">#india_ig</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tripotocommunity/">#tripotocommunity</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/indiatravel/">#indiatravel</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/india/">#india</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/travelgram/">#travelgram</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/lonelyplanetindia/">#lonelyplanetindia</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/incredibleindia/">#incredibleindia</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/history/">#history</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/_soi/">#_soi</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/_coi/">#_coi</a>

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Winters at Benaras

" Jing kieng jri " Which in English means the living root bridges The mountainous plateau between Assam and Bangladesh is one of the wettest places on Earth, and the Khasi tribes who inhabit these hills have developed an intimate relationship with the forest. The Living Root Bridges are made from rubber tree roots also known as Ficus elastica tree. Located just near Mawlynnong which is known as Asia's cleanest village, Riwai is home to the single decker living root bridge as in this photo. It stands in the midst of greenery with a stream flowing right under it. The best way to reach RIwai is to take the road route from Shillong to Mawlynnong which is a famous road on account of the growing popularity of Mawlynnong. Riwai is juts 1 km from Mawlynnong.

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Living root bridge Meghalaya

**Look how they shine for you! ** One of most beautiful nightscapes I have ever witnessed. A stop to capture this view while returning from Pangong Tso to our place of stay. Ps. Increase brightness to view clearly.

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Under the stars in Leh

Hampta pass trek <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/3/">#3</a> ????? Chandratal (14k+ feet), a lake on top of the world. The journey to Chandratal gives a glimpse of what all Spiti has to offer. The trailer was so intense that I now need to come back to Spiti soon for the whole picture. Snow clad mountains towered the roads running through the valley. The Chandra river flowing wildly along most of the route. The roads are close to non existent, it's off-road through the entire route of 3 hrs from Chatru. The road is also marred by various water crossings known as Nalas. Though they bring on the adventure, they can sometimes be very treacherous to cross. Memoirs from Hampta pass trek. #indiahikes

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Chandratal (14k+ feet), a lake on top of the world

This gate of Amer Fort is a royal mix of Mughal and Rajput architectural styles. While taking a&nbsp;tour of Amer Fort, you will notice a few windows on the top of this gate. You will be surprised to know that the window is just not a part of beautiful architecture nor carved out for ventilation, it is made keeping in mind the females of the Royal family who would want to capture a sight of the events happening in the main hall. Such 'Jarokha' are pretty common in Rajasthani architecture. It is great to see that the curved gate has been painted with vegetable dyes and still retains its originality. The typical traditional ornaments are embedded on the gate which is worth watching in the entire fort. After it's the land of Kings. Everything is royal and elegant here. Rajasthan Diaries

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Ganesh Pol (gate), Amer fort

Europe Diaries <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/2/">#2</a> "Few people go to art exhibitions nowadays, the art comes to them" The best part about walking the streets of Europe.

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Street art at English Garden Munich

Waiting for the tram at Munich

Europe diaries <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/3/">#3</a> Amsterdam In the city of bikes. The best part of roaming in this city is that there is no noise, no smell of gasoline, so you can notice the little things, roam around freely. Musings from Europe

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In the city of bikes - Amsterdam

The most common way to see Alleppey’s backwaters and enjoy the natural beauty is to hire a boat, of course! The cruise in these backwaters is indeed a dream come true! It is a refuge from hectic life for the romantics, poets, authors, artists, in fact for anyone who holds an aesthetic view of life.

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Alleppey Backwaters - God's own country

Just a friendly reminder that the sun rises from the east and sets in the west.???? Well, that didn't change during this quarantine. Some gyaan from God's own country.

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Sunrise over Alleppey.

The southern state of Kerala has a 580km long meandering coastline with numerous scenic beaches along the way. &nbsp;The Varkala beach stands out the most as it is the only beach in Kerala with a majestic cliff overlooking it. This 80 feet high red laterite cliff is unique as it is a veritable blueprint of geological changes from during the mio-pliocene age (1.3 to 25 million years ago).&nbsp;It is known as a ‘Warkallai formation’ and has been declared as a potential Geopark by UNESCO. There are 90 geoparks around the world, but the Varkala cliff will be the first in India.

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Varkala Beach

Sitting in the coastal belt of Karnataka, Udupi is a beautiful town famous for its pristine beaches, rustic temples, and picturesque waterfalls. Not only the scenic beauty but also the Udupi special delicacies and the seafood are enticing enough to attract any traveler to spend a few days here

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Postcard view from Udupi backwaters

And you feel if you could just keep going into the sea. A beautiful, off beat, hidden from the crowd beach in Goa. Go down from the Cabo de Rama fort into the serene and empty beach. The fort itself is pleasure to walk around in. And the views of the ocean from here will totally put you in awe. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/traveldiaries/">#traveldiaries</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/goa/">#goa</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/sea/">#sea</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/ocean/">#ocean</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tripotocommunity/">#tripotocommunity</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/travelandtourism_india/">#travelandtourism_india</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/travel/">#travel</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/nature/">#nature</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/india_ig/">#india_ig</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/indiatravel/">#indiatravel</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/india/">#india</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/travelgram/">#travelgram</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/incredibleindia/">#incredibleindia</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/travelandtourism_india/">#travelandtourism_india</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/goatourism/">#goatourism</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/beach/">#beach</a>

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Hidden beach Cab de Rama Goa

Say Hi to Screaming Eagle. A 2014 Avenger 220, a beast on the roads. Accompanying me accross Karnataka since 2014. This weekend both the bike and me, tired of our daily commute through the Bangalore traffic, decided to go on a short ride off to Kolar. I had chanced upon an abandoned quarry while surfing the web, so we decided to check that out this Saturday. There is a saying about motorcycles: "No matter how bad your day is, Your bike will always make you feel better. " This has been true for every bad day at work with this machine. Just start the engine and zoom away. The screaming eagle has been a constant pillar of strength for me throughout the high and lows of my life at Bangalore. Thanks Dad, for enabling me with such a machine and the freedom along with it.