Monday 14 March 2011

A view inside Lahore Fort

Friday 11 March 2011

Kalash Valley, Pakistan

Kalash Valley, Pakistan.

This was my first travel photography trip and my first ever shot taken from an analogue Nikon f65.
Here is something i wrote about this trip.

The jeep’s tire slipped off a tiny rock as it moved further towards the valley of Kalash. The road was all rocky with a narrow drive way. It made me sense fear as I looked thousands of feet down through the window which was covered with the December mist. I wiped it off with my hands to stare right through in the eyes of this developing fear. I know it will not last for long. I moved ahead. My destination arrived and I parked my jeep in a beautiful pathway of a wooden lodge. The journey began as I threw my bag on the bed and walked out of my room.
I took out my camera and gently removed the tiny dust particles from the lens with a soft cloth which I always kept in my bag. The wind was blowing, but I could see little raindrops on the green leaves but all this with a bright sun to put an icing on the cake for me to capture yet another master piece of nature. I walked further to get hold of my favorite snap shot. I could smell the wet mud. It took away all the tiredness that the long drive gave me. Passing by I plucked a cherry red apple from a tree branch which was inclined towards the ground. I helped my self with a little jump. Oh there I heard something, there was a bunch of young girls singing merrily and dancing in their traditional dresses. Unaware of the norms of this particular region, I did not know if I could intervene. I sat behind a rock n saw them while I took a bite of this sweet and juicy fruit. The colors in their attire were pleasing to my eyes. I took out my zoom lens and focused them capturing what I could see from there. Suddenly someone covered my eyes with both hands. I tried to remove them and could feel softness on the skin. I made my grip loosen a bit. I did not want to hurt her. She removed her hands and asked me to give the fruit. A young girl, not more than five years old, really brought a smile on my face. She ran away with the apple humming that joyous tune. For a moment I wished to be that kid with a blissful gesture on my face and watched her run away as she disappeared in meadows covered with a lush green canopy of leaves.

Yamdrok Tso Lake, Tibet


The Himalaya Range is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. By extension, it is also the name of the massive mountain system which includes the Karakoram, the Hindu Kush, and a host of minor ranges extending from the Pamir Knot. The name is from Sanskrit himālaya, a tatpurusa compound meaning "the abode of snow" (from hima "snow", and ālaya "abode"; see also Himavat). 

Together, the Himalayan mountain system is the planet's highest and home to the world's highest peaks: the Eight-thousanders, including Mount Everest and K2. To comprehend the enormous scale of this mountain range consider that Aconcagua, in the Andes, at 6,962 m, is the highest peak outside Asia, while the Himalayan system includes over 100 mountains exceeding 7,200 meters.

The Himalayan system, which includes outlying subranges, stretches across six countries: Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. They are the source of three of the world's major river systems, the Indus, the Ganga-Brahmaputra, and the Yangtze. Approximately 1.3 billion people live in the drainage basin of the Himalayan rivers.

Tibet is a plateau region in Central Asia. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft), it is the highest region on Earth and is commonly referred to as the "Roof of the World."

Geographically, UNESCO and Encyclopædia Britannica consider Tibet to be part of Central Asia, while some academic organizations consider it part of South Asia.

Tibet is located on the Tibetan Plateau, the world's highest region. The world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, is on Nepal's border with Tibet. The average altitude is about 3,000 m in the south and 4,500 m in the north.

Several major rivers have their source in the Tibetan. These includeYangtze, Yellow River, Indus River, Mekong, Brahmaputra River, Ganges, Salween and the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Tibet has numerous high-altitude lakes referred to in Tibetan as tso or co. These include Lake Manasarovar, Namtso, Pangong Tso, Yamdrok Lake, Siling Co, Lhamo La-tso, Lumajangdong Co, Lake Puma Yumco, Lake Paiku, Lake Rakshastal, Dagze Co and Dong Co.

Pakistan Travel Guide


Pakistan encapsulates great variety, from hidden bazaars in the narrow 
streets of Rawalpindi to architecture that rivals the Taj Mahal in Lahore. 
It is a land enriched by friendly people and magnificent landscapes. 
Opportunity for adventure is as high as its mighty mountain ranges, 
with watersports, mountaineering and trekking all popular and rewarding 
activities.
Coupled with this is a profound sense of cultural concoction, Pakistan once 
being home to several ancient civilisations, and witness to the rise and fall 
of dynasties.In ancient times, the area that now comprises Pakistan marked 
the farthest reaches of the conquests of Alexander the Great. It was also the 
home of Buddhist Ghandaran culture. It was the independence of India in 1947 
that catalysed Pakistan's nationhood. Under pressure from Indian Muslims, the 
British created a separate Muslim state. Originally, it consisted of two parts, 
East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (now a single unitary state).
Following military rule and civil war, Bangladesh became independent, truncating 
Pakistan. Today, the long-running Indo-Pakistan conflict continues, with the 
status of Kashmir at its heart. Although it has a majority Muslim population, 
Kashmir became part of India in 1947. Pakistan's landscape is as fractured and 
unsettled as its history.