The REAL king of the jungle

The REAL king of the jungle

The challenges he faces are monumental. So monumental, in fact, that Arctic explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has written to Ed to warn him that the stage in front of him – the deep Brazilian jungle – will be ‘difficult’. You can take it that this is something of an understatement, given that it comes from a man who once sawed off his own fingers after they became frostbitten.

His average day would kill most people. Up at dawn, he walks for around eight hours, until 3pm. At this stage of the journey he will be lucky to have covered 7km in that time. This is jungle, real jungle – and you pay for every step with will-sapping swings of the machete.

Former British Army officer Ed Stafford is well on his way to becoming the first person to hike the entire length of the Amazon river, from its source to its mouth. He’s been hiking for 612 days and hopes to complete the journey in August.

via | Man Hiking the Length of the Amazon River

Place to see before you die | Darvaza - Burning Gas Craters

Place to see before you die | Darvaza - Burning Gas Craters

In the heart of the Karakum desert of Turkmenistan the Darvaza Gas Crater or The Burning Gates give off a glow that can be seen from miles away during the dark night.

The large crater is a result of a Soviet gas exploration accident in the 1950’s. It was created when a Soviet drilling rig was drilling for natural gas fell into an underground cavern resulting in a crater which today measures roughly 60 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep. The huge crater was set alight shortly after being discovered and has been burning ever sinse. The smell of burning sulfur can be detected from a distance and becomes quite strong as you near the hot edge of the crater.

>> More info with photos

Scuba diving in Netrani

Scuba diving in Netrani

My travel partner, Raj asked me sometime in mid of march, 'how about a scuba diving in Netrani island this month' ? I was kinda skeptical initially & juggling with dual thoughts to go or not. By then: Raj booked for scuba in Netrani island. Was wondering - ...with the kind of beaches of coastal Karnataka...what kind of scuba we gonna do ?

Netrani Island is in Arabian sea & about 18 KM from the shores of Murudeshwara, Karnataka. The fact that this Island is isolated from mainland and people do not visit this place, the sea life is so colorful! It was treat to eyes and adventurous to explore scuba diving.

I call it a coincidence. Just the next day, I got a chance to watch hollywood flick 'into the blue' in star movies. I couldn't even loose a minute of concentration, as my favo babe - Jessica Alba flashing zingy figure in deep blue underwater. Movie is extensively shot in the beautiful and mesmerizing deep waters of Bahamas. This movie thrilled me with the imagination of scuba diving in sucha crystal clear underwater. I couldn't resist the idea of scuba and instantly gave a call to Raj to make sure I am there in the scuba league.

Team of enthusiastic 30, in a delayed bus travel, unplanned breakfast stop over in rain-soaked Mudigere, lovely traverse in the beautiful green curves of Chickmagalur, hot-trenched Bantwal journey took us straight into swimming pool of dusky evening of Murudeshwar hotel. It was almost a drizzling twilight. Planned as a practice time for gonnabe scuba divers of next day. I was puzzled to see heaps of pipes running to and from big oxygen cylinders. It was a serious 'scuba' preparation...

The dusky dark evening, rarely twinkling lights, pool covered with green hillocks, drizzling chill air, slippery floor, and the lean & thin scuba instructors taught us the art of breathing & underwater surviving tactics. With lotta scuba gyan we made our way to not-so-great hotel which was allocated for us. It was a pitch black night when we logged into hotel room in Bhatkal to catch some sleep.

Next morning, our life jacket wrapped gang was waiting for the boats to pick us up in the temple beach of Murudeshwar. For the first time I was traveling for so long on the ocean. Gradually muddy water of the shore transformed into crystal clear turquoise blue water as moved towards the island. It was cool realize; were moving inside the Arabian sea and 18 km away Netrani island was seeming in the same shape since we've started. It was an awesome journey; vested with the great feeling of being nowhere.

Finally, in less than hour of boating we landed (rather, stranded) near the famed Netrani island. Raj & me were ready with the cam tripod and super zoom lens to clinch shutterbug thirst, but sadly, there was no beach as guessed in that island. It's a mammoth rock peeping out of the vast water mass. Boats were anchored right besides the island on the water. Ditto into-the-blue movie types.

What I call a heavenly day kicked off with few of us wrapped in a life jacket, dived into sea water. Wow ! floating on salty and crystal water snorkeling looking into deep sea, was out of the world experience. Two scuba experts started scuba diving with 3 of us each. Not bad, Indian Arabian sea is a vast pool of underwater beauty with lotta cute and colorful fishes & wonderful reef inside. I managed to spot beautiful variety of never-seen-before fishes, blue and yellow lined fishes, variety coral reefs, beautiful but odd shaped stones etc., After my scuba dive, spent long hours floating on the water looking at cloudy sky. Felt like 'if there's anything called - nirvana, this is it'.

I was wondering about the scuba technique of controlling breathing with oxygen cylinder and waving fins attached to feet, which makes you float and swim underwater even if you don't know swimming. It was certainly a godly experience to see exhaled air creating randomly shaped bubbles going up in lovely designs under clear waters of ocean. Never knew the scuba dive in Netrani takes one to sucha lovely destination under the ocean.

While coming back in the evening, it started slowly drizzling followed by heavy downpour. I enjoyed every bit of it sitting on fore tip of the boat. A mild weather, shadowy and dusky light, no sign of any boats as long as one can see on the ocean. A solitude married to creamy weather. I was drenching for hours till we reach the shore. My mood was humming...

Rain Clouds in the sky, I don't know why
They make me blue, when I'm thinking of you
Maybe they want to cry, As I walk on by
Hiding my tears, in a world of good byes

Rain drops and dance, strange kind of romance
I don't know why whether to cry out loud, But I'm feeling fine
Watch the rythm of the rain falling down

...Indian Rain from Colonial Cousins. It was Wow !

In the evening, we few of us went to Murudeshwar temple and took darshana of Lord shiva. Ironically aatma linga in the temple is so-tiny compared to the mammoth shiva statue evoked behind the temple by a business tycoon. Towering idol of Lord Shiva believed to be the tallest in Asia.

It was a long journey way back to Bangalore, a long night melted with mast dance and masti of Nishant for a Kannada HMT remix ! He could make anyone & everyone rocking with his well timed wits, mannerisms and puns. Finally for his sansani entertainment speed he was named as -aajtak ;D

>> View scuba gallery

'Lass' Vegas

'Lass' Vegas

Last week I was holidaying in most coveted nightlife destination in the world - Las Vegas. It's all about fun, frolic & masti in a wonderful place which is also known as sin city !

After spending marathon hours in Las Vegas finally I came into this conclusion: Las Vegas is nothing, without - Lass, Lighting & Looting.

Lass ? Seems ridiculous ? you got to agree :) Lass, as you know means gals. I bet if you don't get tuned to the core if you're in Vegas. The ultra babe crossed you either in Casino, night club or on the pavements of lovely Vegas strip gives you sure shot thunderstorms - be prepared for it if you're in Vegas! I've traversed from Bangkok to Bombay, London to Frankfurt, Singapore to Sunnyvale, but there's nothing like Las Vegas when it comes to beautiful gals. It seems all beauties have gathered in Vegas for one or the other reason !

Next one is Lighting. A structure which dunno how to use lighting is gone for toss here. I was bowled over by the interior & exterior lightings of The Venetian, Wynn, Bellagio etc.,

If you come all the way to Las Vegas you have to come to The Venetian hotel. It's amazing, these people have gone to a great extent to reproduce many of the landmarks of Venice in a truly realistic way. Of all the hotels I visited in Las Vegas The Venetian was the one that impressed me the most. It can't be hold in words one got to experience it. This has one of the most breath taking casinos in Vegas, and on my top 3 list for casinos. Its a must see. The Venetian has also some of the best shopping I found in Las Vegas. The cafes, the ambiance, the sky, everything has an Italian feel.

The spectacular example is 'the day sky' inside the hotel. Believe it - the sky looks like you're hanging around in Venice at 3 in the evening though it's 11 in the night. You will see an always blue sky with a few white clouds which was modeled on the early evening sky in Venice except of course it never rains here ! Every 15 minutes or so the "sky" turns from daytime to nigh time just like that! The clouds also look like they are moving when you walk down the streets inside - great illusions ! They even have the water channels, with gondolas and the gondoliers singing "Oh sole mio". It's cool to see an artificial canal running inside hotel which takes people for a short float. I wanted to try it, but they said you got to book at least 14 days before ! Oh man, the canal looks like a real blue water flowing inside Venice city ! I was thinking- If I get married & have onsite opportunity in US; Las Vegas Venice's Gondola ride is A must and its very romantic I'm Sure.

Looting ? What looting ? yes I am talking about casino's of Vegas. Either you get looted by casino's or you'll loot casinos if you're vested with the luck ;) But by default, it's always casino's who come prepared to empty your pocket ;) You never know how smoothly loose your money. As I said lucky gamblers makes money here. amongst zillions of casinos of Vegas. I lost a little & made a bit too. Kind of break even gambling ;) ! Since I was on budget tour de Vegas- ensured I've enough bucks to catch a cab back to Airport ;)

Finally, I've heard a lot about him, been mesmerized with his composing, I dreamt of shooting like his photos & finally I happened to see his fantastic wall level blowups at his Venetian gallery:

>> Peter Lik-shots

A poem

A poem

While shuttling between office & home, I found an interesting stuff in London tubes; bunch of poems- worth reading & remembering. Every tube train has at least one poem besides their inside ads . I'm not sure if they're some kind of sonnets or what. Though the max journey lasts for about 10 minutes or so they made me to ponder over their meaningful words, thought provoking lines. Mostly they're hatched-around the themes of living, desire, hopes of London life.

Check this interesting poem I saw in one of the tubes between Waterloo & Canary wharf. It captures the true mascara of London & its fast paced life.

Optimistic Little Poem

Now and then it happens
that somebody shouts for help
and somebody else jumps in at once
and absolutely gratis.

Here in the thick of the grossest capitalism
round the corner comes the shining fire brigade
and extinguishes, or suddenly
there's silver in the beggar's hat.

Mornings the streets are full
of people hurrying here and there without
daggers in their hands, quite equably
after milk or radishes.

As though in a time of deepest peace.
A splendid sight.

This is what I found about these poems in internet:

"Poems on the Underground, founded in 1986, is supported by London Underground, Arts Council England and the British Council, which distributes the posters to its offices throughout the world. Poems are selected and the programme administered by the writer Judith Chernaik and poets Gerard Benson and Cicely Herbert."