Sometimes you feel like sharing something from your past experience. Pleasant memories always stay at the top. For me scuba diving was one such.
Murudeshwar is in the state of Karnataka, India on the western ghats. The beach here is very clear and ideal for SCUBA diving and snorkeling.
Those who haven’t tried please do so. Underwater world is much more beautiful than we see on Television or on photos in internet. don’t miss them.
Good luck.
1600 cyclists gathered at one place and the event started with a drone taking photos.
The gps route map using strava iOS app
The ride stats – screenshot
Two expats have turned up for the event and one of them was me. We were honoured with jerseys.
I felt the need for a separate blog for writing about my personal data acquired by various methods and to inspire the quantified self movement in india.
Click here for My blog on quantified self.
Cheers
Vidyasagar
Ever since I was a child , I was curious in using a camera and the wish became true after I became an adult and I purchased one. My first camera is a of Olympus make. I went to Hyderabad zoo simply to test it. some of my first clicks and the photos are really good, more than my expectation.
Using the camera for bird watching, zoomed my enthusiasm for photography. Day by day I learnt more and more new things which I have never knew before. My hand became steady in full zoom. I captured birds unknown to me. I have never used a tripod, although I feel , I need one now.
As I used more and more, I realized that my camera cannot be used in rain, waterfalls, beaches. Once my first camera got repaired once for all, I decided to go for a water proof camera. The challenge is waterproof camera’s with similar zoom are bulky and the availability in market.
Meanwhile the use of iphone for photography has brought a sea change in my application and view of photography as hobby. The speed at which photos can be taken made a remarkable change in the ways I photographed. Below are some samples.
I purchased lens for iphone to enhance the image quality in macro level. And still my drawback of taking photos in water had been a hindrance to capture moments. Also I had done scuba diving an year earlier, whch is still fresh in my memory. The underwater world was far more colourful than the world we live in. I decided to realize my dream. I googled and found Olympus TG-3. Find below some underwater photos taken using my TG-3.
Why this post after all? What you are going to get on reading about the evolution of cameras and photography? Do people simply click something and call it memories? Evolution of camera in mobile phone has changed the world of photography for sure. But does it kill all other skills associated with photography. Is it an end to all those things which made unique photographers. These are some questions i ponder upon.
Gembira loka zoo is in jogjakarta, Indonesia.
see you soon…
After five years of waiting, hoping I will get a chance to raft across the kali nadi in dandeli, I left from Chennai with dreams. Rafting at kali nadi is seasonal and the last time I went there, I could only go for a jungle safari and some sight-seeing places. This time around I was mentally prepared for both, to come back with or without the experience of river rafting at kali river. Meanwhile in the five year gap between my visits, I have already experienced the pleasure of rafting at barapole, madikeri. Even during that time our rafting guide mentioned about dandeli and brought back memories our uncherished dream at that time. Desire to raft at kali river became even stronger and waiting for the right season.
I fell asleep dreaming about rafting at kali river and then reached dandeli at early morning. All my friends had already arrived and we reached the guest house. We were told we could not raft today because reservations are full. Anything may happen overnight, rains could play spoil sport, the power house dam might be shut down, blah blah blah, thought running down within me.
We all slept in our rooms whole afternoon, and as soon as we woke up in the evening, we played with bow and arrow, Gun shooting, bridge crossing and zip lining. We played volleyball and then later in the night we danced around the campfire, forgetting about everything. Few of my friends were trying to photograph the fire in different perspectives. We went to sleep that night for our next day adrenaline rush.
We all assembled at the forest range office at dandeli from where we were taken to a place(I forgot the name). We got into the raft. It was summer holiday time, many students have come in groups. There were camera men at different places, standing on the rocks in the river, to take right clicks. The experience of rafting is unforgettable memories for some, great experience for many, and just another adventure for the experienced, just another day of work for the guide,good business for the agents and so forth many people are linked.
Picture speaks better than words and you can see them and wonder.
and then this one was great too!
For more photographs you can click river rafting photos in my flickr album.
These photographs are great, taken from many points, where these camera men stand all day long and in the evening, you have to collect it from them for Indian rupee three hundred.
Happy river rafting!
When I was posted in Raichur, the nearest place where I could do river rafting is in dandeli, and we could not do there because of non-availability of right time during the right season. We googled and found that rafting is done in madikeri. And once I got my transfer order to mangalore, I was really happy to go there, so that I will definitely get an opportunity to raft at madikeri.
The first time we visited madikeri, we could do only still water rafting as the water level is very low. We waited for a year for the right season and this time we succeeded. By this time we had already visited madikeri three times. It was an exhilarating experience. Only one of us know swimming and the rest of us are crowbars.
We had to keep the cameras in our bags as they are not water proof. I was wondering whether to take my mobile phone in a cover to take photos and our guide advised not to. I obeyed him, only to regret later. Happiness doubles by sharing and the best method of sharing is by showing photographs and some boasting to those who haven’t done.
The first time when we jump into the water, with life jacket, but without knowing how to swim, is indeed a great experience. You overcome your fear of drowning for the rest of your life when you take the first plunge. The first step is the most difficult one and you feel like you have achieved something big. Indeed it is a milestone in your personal life. The first plunge in the cauvery river, aroused my desire to learn swimming exceedingly.
We floated with the help of life jacket for a while and then climbed back to the raft, and left madikeri with a memorable experience.
It was the experience which made me fall in love with river rafting.
Happy river rafting!
For the first twenty-five years of my life, i wanted to travel but couldn’t. Later in the last eight years, i did went to places wherever and whenever possible. I just thought of compiling the places where i have lived and travelled over the years. Here is the list.
Places where i lived
Data collection is the first step in any process. Even places where you travel can be compiled into something as i have grouped below which helps to quantify.
Places where i travelled
Caves
Hill Stations
Zoo
Wild life sanctuaries
Islands
Cities
As i start typing i got more ideas for classifications of places even depending on activities i have carried out. I would have been to a place where i would have done adventure sports, have seen a water fall, relaxed at a beach, trekked a hill, safaried in a forest. So the method of presentation of lists only helps to boast that I have travelled quite a few places over the years. It is not appealing for the readers, not inspiring for anybody who is travelling. After all experiences are real treasures. Then why count places. The reasons are many. See you in next post with better presenting methods.
This is how I spent my time during first three months in 2015.
It helped me to identify how much time I spend for relaxing, socializing etc., I.e in misc- 153 hours a month which according to me is high. So I started playing billiards(learning something new).
I found it difficult to accommodate playing billiards in my schedule even though I have 153 hours/ month in my account.
To analyse further I need breakup of my miscellaneous activities with time utilized. Right now my schedule is totally different till I join my office. Due to delay in getting my visa, I feel I am wasting more time. So I must have a backup plan of activities in case of availability of unplanned-abundant-free time.
Will publish more in future about self quantification. Have lots of data. Too busy……
i wanted to learn swimming for a long time, but opportunity kept evading me. I did river rafting , scuba diving and other water sports with much enthusiasm but with fear of drowning.
I learnt to swim at the age of 33 by reading blogs , watching videos and finally practising in the shallow end of swimming pool, all alone.
Learning to swim has taken my confidence level to a whole new level while enjoying water sports.
So my advice to everyone reading this is , keep learning new things, irrespective of your age.
As i could practice only on sundays and by self, it took me 6 months to swim.
