Vistas of Lost Lake and Surroundings

Continuing my report on the short but eventful visit to Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, India-homa, I would simply say that our hike turned into a mini adventure after I coaxed everyone into climbing down the rock face into the depths of the valley rather than follow the trail that snaked around the hills to form a natural slope. Once down at the water level we crossed the shallow stream via a trail of rocky outcrops and started retracing our steps around the lost lake.

Here are some pictures:

View of the waterfalls from the base of the hill

The world is full of insensitive people who will litter even the most pristine natural spots.....

Sweeping view of the valley and rock face we just descended

Meteor Crater, Arizona

Meteor Crater in Arizona is one of the largest craters in the world formed as a result of impact of meteor showers. Surprisingly this crater is not a government owned national monument, but a privately held museum which offers tours, and allows visitors to look around for a fee. One good thing though is that the private owners of this crater have not modified it or exploited the land for commercial purposes. The location continues to be one huge crater located amidst the rugged desert/ arid state of Arizona in the US. This location has been used by the NASA to train astronauts in the past. There have been allegations that the original moon landing by Neil Armstrong, et al was a hoax and that it was filmed here. I don't know about those conspiracy theories, all I know is that I visited this huge crater and stood on its periphery. The attached exhibition is a great place to learn about space explorations, meteors and comets. It would be a great place to take kids to educate them in a fun filled way about space.

Walnut Canyon: The Grand Finale

I have posted three blogs about Walnut Canyon and I am pretty sure some of you may be quite irritated about it. Anyway here are the final set of pictures I would like to share with you all about Walnut Canyon, next we will talk about Meteor Crater in Arizona, which is famous among many "Moon Landing Fake Theorists" as the location where the entire moon landing was filmed. Anyway that will come later, for now let us look at few more pictures of Walnut Canyon.

Karnataka Tourist Guide

While I was browsing through my old articles and pictures I decided to put everything together in a thematic fashion and make it some sort of a book. I started off with my home state of Karnataka and I compiled only a few articles I had written for EducationWorld and the result is a 54 page book. Having done that I decided that I must share the information with others who might be interested in visiting the various tourist attractions of my home state. I have put up the guide for sale as a PDF download on Guidegekco an online travel site which helps travellers become writers.


Here is an image of the coverpage if any of my blog readers are interested I'd be glad to share the guide with you all. If you are feeling generous you could buy it online at Guidegecko.
If there is suitable number of requests I might even consider offering a print version of the book.

Switzerland: The Year Round Travel Destination

My favorite hobby is travel and to be precise adventure travel to places with dramatic landscapes, rolling countrysides, mountains, fast flowing rivers, heritage monuments, and a rich culture of food and drink. This description sometimes seems too much and people say that it is difficult to get a destination that satisfies all these conditions. As for me I did one such location in the heart of Europe, Switzerland. I have made it my goal to Discover Swiss "Pearls" next year. An informational website about the country says that it has cultural influences from France, Germany and Italy.

Switzerland for me is about the memorable experiences it offers. I'd love to get into the activity of Making Cheese at Ticino. Swiss cheese is very delectable and if I can make it myself the high is definitely ultimate. In my religion bells play a very important role. The bell foundry in Berger, Barau, Switzerland offers a unique opportunity to visitors. We can cast our own bell by decorating sand moulds. Now that is what I'd call a unique experience. I would then go to the Medieval paper making plant to know how we could save trees. Then of course a visit to the cattle ranch to get close to the cows and finally cap my visit with a ride in horse carriage in Lucerne.

If you haven't been to Switzerland and are wondering where to go this summer or fall just make it a point to check out the Swiss Pearls and there is a high probability you will visit this nation.

Branson, Missourie: A place for fun and festivities this summer

Summer is the time when almost everyone in the US travel. While teenagers and older people travel by themselves to Europe, Mexico or Caribbean islands, families with children drive/ fly across the country visiting remote and well known parts of the US. This is the way young kids get to know their country and appreciate its recent history and heritage.

One of the most popular destinations I have heard about is Branson, Missouri. Sited in the Midwest region of US and famously known as the entertainment capital, Branson is famous for its shows. Summer is already here and the top destination on my list is Branson, MO. My internet research led to one of the most famous hotels: Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. I have heard this hotel offers the most comfortable rooms and easy to access to all the shows and important tourist attractions. When I stay here I am sure to be in the center of all the action. Another hotel on my list of preferred places to stay is Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, also situated bang in the center of Branson, MO.

When I travel I like to stay in the heart of the city so I will have easy access to shopping, restaurants, attractions and in Branson, I am fond of the river walk. I would like to go for a stroll across the river walk every morning and do some window shopping, grab a leisurely breakfast. Another great place I look forward to spending quality time during my vacation is at the new Payne Stewart Golf Club, set amidst breathtaking scenery.

Branson's events are the most important attractions of this city. Summer events include the Father’s Day Salute, National Kid’s Fest at Silver Dollar City, the 10th Annual Clown Jam, etc. Apart from these mega events, there are hundreds of live entertainment, theaters and magic shows, musical performances etc. For those like me who want a little outdoor activities and regular attractions, there are numerous lakes, museums and theme parks, too.

Feeling geared up to visit Branson, this summer, I researched more about accommodation options and came to know that the Hilton hotels are offering some cool packages. Their advance purchase rates are applicable on online booking and it is lot cheaper than their regular rates. I am sure going to take advantage of this feature and book online.

My summer vacation is going to be a fun filled holiday at Branson, MO. What about yours?

Another byline and some more acceptance of my work

I have been working hard to achieve a few bylines in the online and print media in the US since I arrived here five and half months ago. It has been a long and arduous journey. Competition is high and the writing style is totally different. I have not been very successful but have achieved a byline here and there and mostly in the local newspapers here. One of the biggest achievements was get myself and my pictures featured in a cover and photo feature on the Neighbors Go supplement of the Dallas Morning News.

Now after the print comes online byline with Schmap Guides selecting one of my pictures to be featured in their online tourist guide. One of the pictures I had shot of the tower in Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, has been featured in an online tourist guide known as Schmap Gudes.
Do take a look at the guide whose interactive version is placed in the form of a widget below. It would be great to hear your encouraging words, which make me strive towards making my blogs better.

A Website full of Travel Videos

Are you the kind of a discerning traveller who does loads of research before embarking on a holiday? Do you study brochures and books, view videos, ask friends before deciding on your holiday destination? Well if you are one such traveller, here is a website catered to your specific needs.

Welcome to http://www.travercial.com/, a unique travel website which brings together the best streaming travel videos from all over the internet onto one platform. Currently the site has videos of destinations from 80 different countries, from Antarctica to Wales and covering all seven continents.

The site doesn't limit itself in just compiling videos but goes a step further, it features a well researched Top-10 list of destinations in a particular country. The "Editor's Pick" section gives the flavor of the country. Web browsers can scroll across the panel to view the different videos available on the site. Videos feature cities, activities, natural beauty, and even eccentric activities available.

The "Real People" video streams at the end of the list are personal videos from travellers like yoiu and me. The site also features provides to national tourism websites of different countries. In addition to the 80 detailed countries, additional countries are covered by selected videos in the "Other Countries" pages for each continent. This section features 60 countries, thus the site total adds up to 140 countries. Just imagine videos detailing the various destinations of 140 countries. You can choose the country and the region inside to watch the video and then decide whether you want to go there or elsewhere. Promoted by Baraness Ventures, Travercial features over 2,500 travel videos.

Check out the site and the videos there on here.

You can also read one of the book reviews I wrote recently about Eleven Minutes