Since the time Bholu & Chatur have known us, they have been fascinated by our lifestyle....right from our clothing, to the vehicles we ride/drive, the places we dine at, and even our 6th floor flat (God knows what’s so exciting about 6th floor!! ). So, Bholu finally decides to get himself a pair of wheels to tickle his traveling buds. And yeah, he did get a bike, but unlike me who is a die hard fan of the royal thumpers....Royal Enfield....he got himself a speedster....that just vrooms on a slight twist of wrist. He decides to go on a long ride with his second wife, Chatur ( yeah...the mechanical dame replaced Chatur as his first wife)....but not to the himalayas or the barren lands (duh! he was born there)....he decides to roll to mumbai.
WHAT??? Was our reply when he first told us about his plan. We thought these guys have gone nuts, but then mumbai is surely a dream city for people living in infinite small villages scattered across the Indian vast-lands. Somehow we convinced them not to come to mumbai (surely not a place for riders/drivers), but settle for Goa and mailed them a few pics. Hell ya! they were excited. So off they rode to GOA!!!!!
Baga Beach(ed)
'dUSKY fLIGHT'
'sEPIA fAITH' - St. Francis Church (old Goa)
TRAVEL FROM THE PAST
Dhankar Monastery - 'cASTLE in uTOPIA'
Dhankar, almost as unknown as Utopia, known only by those who have experienced it. The tiny village perches robustly atop a valley where pin and spiti rivers entwine. The first thought that crossed our minds....unvoiced though it stayed....'is it a monastery or a castle'
...meandering road to Dhankar Monastery alongside River Spiti
....almost there
As my bike thundered towards the village, it felt as if we were approaching a surreal set of 'Lord of the Rings'....far more astounding is the fact that this place is a creation of nature. The 16th century old fort monastery nestles between the eroded hills overlooking the village, enveloping it in all its glory.
Panoramic view of Dhankar Village
....closer view of Dhankar Monastery, situated at an altitude of 12,774 feet
weird natural mountains (erosion)
'iNNOVATIVE pRAYING'....wooden turbine as a Buddhist Prayer Wheel
headgears worn during Cham Dance
...oH my gOAT...
'pLAY aRT’
The sight of play-fighting mountain goats was a visual delight and held us captive right outside the Dhankar monastery.
'liSA mONA'
'eMOTIONS & eXPRESSIONS’
We stayed in the monastery dormitory and were delighted to know that the funds collected here are used to feed the lamas and educate the little monks. Dhankar is rather high (12,774 ft.) and has rarefied air. We couldn't sleep much at night, less because of rarefied air and more because of excitement of seeing the beautiful Dhankar Tso (lake in ladakhi/Tibetan) in the morning.
dormitory at Dhankar Monastery
...playtime for Lama Kids
...food for jUNIORS
The day of little monks at Dhankar monastery begins with playtime….followed by breakfast. Here we share their joyful moments.
As we started early and trekked around 2 kms uphill towards Dhankar Tso, we were amazed by how wondrous the whole panorama was. There were clouds flowing along the horizon as if whispering 'Good Morning' to the mountains....fresh snow could be seen on the distant mountains....a reason for the crisp chilly breeze. The trek wasn't long at all....but calling it easy would be misleading. When we reached the top, the sun was high making the wind more pleasant....sadly the lake had dried....and all we could see was parched land and little water. Though disheartened briefly, we sighed at the lake and then smiled to know....' We still have our Sand Castles'
reflection of snow-capped mountain in Dhankar Tso
who moved my cHEESE ???
FEATURED FOLLOWER (read: companion)
Name: Abhishek
Check out some interesting pics by Abhishek at;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_framed/
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to be featured here.
