In the year of 2018, I travelled more than I had initially planned for, and enjoyed every bit of it. Some of the highlights of my journeys included a very well spent week of winter in Ladakh, an action packed week in Kyrgyzstan and many happy days in Iceland.
The year started with our annual photography tour to shoot winter landscapes in Ladakh. I was returning here after a gap of two years, and immensely enjoyed being here. Here is an image that I loved making during this week.
Most of my travel this year was leading photography tours for Darter Photography. My next tour was a photography tour to Bhutan. This is a country I always look forward to visiting. No matter how often I go there, I still desire to keep going back. I immensely enjoyed the moments of being there.
There is much happening in the next six months. I will begin my journeys in a few days in the Himalayas, followed by travels in several parts of North India and Asia. Here is the general plan at this time. Would you have any interesting travel tips in any of these places that I should check out?
Spiti Himalayas. I will be in Lahaul & Spiti next week, leading a photography tour for Darter. I will be travelling through magnificent Chandratal Lake, Kaza and several high-altitude villages in Spiti Valley. Besides leading tours for Darter, I am also hoping to do some personal photography projects in the area.
A few short trips. I may be retracing my last year’s visit to the waterfalls of the western ghats after coming back from Spiti. I would also be getting to spend some time in Kochi soon after.
Myanmar and Cambodia. I am excited to be leading this photography tour to Myanmar. My visit to Myanmar last year was an eye-opener about the country. It is well accessible, easy to travel through than what it was a decade ago. And it is welcoming visitors and opening up for more travellers year after year. I am looking forward to going back again, now with a bunch of photography enthusiasts. Travelling Myanmar is a great pleasure.
In the summer of 2002, I decided not to live my life sitting holed up in the city. I made up my mind to take every opportunity to travel and see the beautiful country we have. On the next holiday-slot available, I headed towards the Himalayas, to walk in the wilderness and see the snow peaks. I had never known what high-altitude meant, till then.
My good karma took me to Sikkim, where I saw a new world. I discovered that people can be so friendly that you completely drop your guard and walk around with a wide grin instead. I saw woods so thick that it is impossible to set a foot through them. I saw streams of sweet, frigid waters coming down the mountains and rushing away in a great hurry. I saw wildflowers splattering my path, carpeting the floor and decorating the trees.
