Useless Stuff

  India will always be synonymous with the Taj Mahal when it comes to places to visit and that is fine.  However, there are quite a lot of places as well which offer incredible experiences and best of all without the accompanying throngs of visitors.  Humayun’s Tomb is one of those places, and if you, like me get a chance to visit it at 7 in the morning, well you are in for a treat.  Absolutely stunning architecture, well maintained grounds and enough area to explore to take up hours.     The main structure where the tombs are. Early, early morning.         Without Kaniz in the shot, it can easily look as if I mirrored one half in Photoshop!     Great time to visit, sunrise is….   Technorati Tags: nex-5 , photos , humayun's tomb , india , delhi     The Inspiration for the Taj Mahal – Humayun’s Tomb

Technorati Tags: india , nex-5 February 2011 – We visited India yet again.  This was the 4th consecutive year starting from 2008 that we (Kaniz and I) visited India and like always we had a great time.  India is so big and diverse that there is always something new to try out, some new place to visit each so it never gets boring.  Previously we had been to Kolkata and Chennai, this time we added Delhi to the trip and it really was a great choice as we had a fantastic time visiting Delhi and Agra.       Rajghat – Memorial to Mahatma Gandhi       India Gate     Government Buildings in Delhi     Finding the Silver LIning     Akbar’s Tomb - Agra                 First Look of the Taj Mahal - Agra       The Taj Mahal Technorati Tags: india , taj mahal , nex-5 , kaniz     A closer look at the (insanely) detailed work ...

        Panorama courtesy of Nex-5

Visited Pondicherry for the first time.  French influence still easily visible.  Neat and clean place, perfect for a day trip from Chennai.  We visited an ashram, some of the mandirs and also the beach before going to the highlight – Auroville.  Definitely worth a visit!  Also worth it, is the 1 km walk from the entrance to the Matrimandir viewing point.  No entrance fees, but everyone has to see a short film first and then a pass is given.     Pondicherry Beach   Example of the colorful buildings near the beach   Statue of Gandhi near beach     Auroville Cafetaria   There are a couple of souvenir shops At Auroville Visitor Center     Auroville Visitor Center   Although you cannot go to the Matrimandir, you can view it from this location   The Matrimandir in all its glory

We visited Chennai in February 2011 and were mighty impressed by the brand new Express Avenue (EA) mall.  World class mall and a great movie theater to boot.   

As is the case every year, another year is gone and seems to have disappeared even faster than the previous year.  Often we think where did the time go, and what did I actually do?  Well thanks to the magic of digital photographs, we have a way to document some of the happier times of the year. So here we go, some of my favorite pictures from each month of the year.  January, 2010   Baba’s birthday – January 5   February, 2010 24th February, 2010 – Great sight of a vehicle less Airport Road   Best time for a walk around the neighbourhood   Great trip to Bhutan in February.  Plenty of sights such as this one on offer.  One of my favorite shots, I like to call this Pepper version 2.0       Not too shabby a pic – even if i do say so myself…..       March 2010   12th March, 2010 - Visiting Chennai, found this place coming back from the World Heritage Monument, Mahabalipuram, this w...

Chennai Crocodile and Snake Farm.   Taken on March 9, 2010.  About an hour away from heart of Chennai, the farm should definitely be visited as there are literally hundreds of crocodiles here.  Much smaller number of snakes, and a few turtles there for good measure as well.  

Chennai shoreline as seen from high above. Taken on Mar 5, 2010. Was lucky to get a really clear view.

Streets of Kolkata. Taken on Mar 12, 2010, in front of New Market with the help of Joby.  Converted to B/W in CS4.   Night time in Kolkata (Click for a better view)