At the boundary of the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu lies Top Station, an idyllic hill location that stands at the highest point of the Munnar-Kodaikanal Road. Top Station is about one mile above sea level. On clear days visitors are afforded wonderful views of the surrounding countryside. On days like the one depicted in this video, clouds roll over the mountains providing the calm sensation of being in a cloud forest.
Continuing with the theme of my travels through India, today I present an interactive panorama from the state of Kerala. The images that comprise this panorama were taken at the Windermere Estate near Munnar, Kerala at sunrise. Here the sun rises over the eastern mountains while the hills cascade downward to the south, disappearing into the early morning haze. Here’s the location:
To see the full India photo gallery, click here.
The Indian state of Kerala is referred to by many as the “Venice of the East” by virtue of its many channels, backwaters and lush green vegetation. One of the more popular attractions in the city of Alleppey is a houseboat tour. In this video, I chronicle what it is like to take an overnight excursion on one of these boats.
In the second part of the video, I head east into the mountains to the Mattupatti Dam Reservoir near the town of Munnar. We rent a paddleboat and take it onto the water for a first hand look at the reservoir and beautiful surrounding area.
As a first-time traveler to the Indian metropolis of Chennai, I was struck (not literally, thankfully) by how chaotic the traffic situation is there. I found that there are generally four types of vehicles – small sedans, large vehicles like buses and industrial trucks, tuk tuk taxis and motorbikes. Each of them operates with minimal care for the others. Motorbikes will zoom in between other vehicles at traffic lights, traffic laws are lax and collisions are common.
In this video I chronicle what happened on a relatively simple drive to dinner across town. Then, I take a tour through a garment store in the city of Alleppey, Kerala and discover that Indian hustle and bustle is definitely not confined to the roadways.
In January of 2009 I travelled to India for the first time. Upon arrival we began by spending several days in the 9 million-person-strong metropolis of Chennai. We meandered along the Bay of Bengal on Elliot’s Beach, enjoyed multiple excellent South Indian lunches at Morgan Idlii’s and even went to see Slumdog Millionaire! We were also able to spend time with friends, both old and new. I was fortunate enough to meet Fugan – a former Peace Corp member in South America, current Buddhist monk and exceptionally talented musician.
Next, we flew across the subcontinent to the southwestern state of Kerala. Unlike much of India, Kerala is a land of blue skies, green mountains and tranquil waterways. A hired driver transported us to the city of Alleppey where we took an overnight houseboat tour on Lake Vembanadu.
Finally we drove high into the eastern mountains to the town of Munnar. Using the lovely Windermere Estate as our base, we viewed countless hills converted into tea plantations. We rented a paddleboat to explore the Mattupatti Dam Reservoir and visited Top Station, the highest reachable point in the region. At a mile above sea level, we experienced Top Station as being continuously blanketed by a rolling sea of whispering clouds.
Below I have included my full photography gallery from this trip. I hope you enjoy it.
The day after the first inauguration of President Obama, I flew halfway around the world to India armed with little more than my old Nikon D40 camera and a kit lens. I travelled onto lakes with active fishermen,
and onto mile-high tea plantations,
I explored tropical lakes, cloud forests, narrow channels and even a dam. I have uploaded what I feel are my top 16 photos on the page below. I encourage you to exercise your sense of adventure, click this link or view what follows on this page. In a couple of days I will unveil my full gallery of images.
Click on the image below to be transported once again to the beautiful red rock in the sky, Mars!
Our specific destination is the pinnacle of Mars’s Husband Hill, which lies adjacent to Gusev Crater. Because of the elevation at which these photos were taken, the image below has been dubbed the “Everest panorama” in honor of Earth’s highest mountain. This view into Gusev Crater showcases rocks and rusting sand stretching out over vast plains. Further in the distance other peaks lie beyond sand drifts. If you look closely, you can even see a couple of faintly colored dust devils in red and blue.
The images, which are credited to the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, Cornell, JPL and NASA, were taken over the course of three days by the robotic Spirit rover in 2005. Spirit, which ceased operation in 2009, took the images to match what a human being with 20/20 eyesight would have seen standing in the same location.
My latest photograph was shot from atop California’s Santa Ynez Mountains on August 13, 2013. The band of the Milky Way galaxy is visible over a field of antennas while the full moon reflects off the Pacific Ocean. The halo of light in the center near the horizon is the city of Santa Barbara. To the left of the city, a red light from the top of a nearby mountain glows. The dots of light near the moon’s reflection are from oil rigs. If you look carefully, you’ll see a handful of streaks (i.e. planes, meteors, satellites) as well.
This view was stitched together from 16 separate 30-second exposures. About 180 degrees is subtended between the left and right while the top center was the sky’s zenith. As such, this image captures about one quarter of the entire sky. I was using a Nikon D7000 with a 11.0- 16.0 mm f/2.8 Tokina lens at a focal length of 11.0 mm. f/3.5; ISO 400; Gitzo tripod with Really Right Stuff ball head.
I would like to announce that my Rome photography gallery is finally finished and available for viewing! Click the image below or this link to check it out. For a smaller, elite gallery of only the very best photographs, click here.
While working in Germany during the summer of 2008, I took two short excursions outside the country. The second was a weekend trip to Rome with my friend Will Newman. We holed up in small room near the city center and set out to explore the sites. These included the Colosseum and nearby home of the ancient aristocracy, Palatine Hill.
We passed by the Trevi Fountain on our way to Vatican City. The Vatican offered some excellent photographic opportunities including the magnificent interior of St. Peter’s Basilica and the view of surrounding Rome and Vatican City offered from its dome. Finally, we passed through the Vatican’s enormous museum en route to one of the most famous buildings in the world, the Sistine Chapel.
