Because memories need a little help - whenwordsarenotenough

Pinnacles

Seattle

San Jose

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View from San Jose Gurdwara

San Jose Gurdwara
It is much bigger than it seems in this photo. This is essentially just my photo :)

Ya - thats me

Santa Cruz

Gloomy santa cruz beach
Reminded me of Ghostwriter movie

Lonely at the beach
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Damn the water was cold
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did they have a fight?
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seagulls
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Just me. I must have been happy that day.
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View from our very thrilling cable car ride :)
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and this is that thrilling ride
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Me and Gagan
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Ok this is me posing
and I was not strangling that poor dog. I promise.

Yes - I am vain. I realize these are too many pictures of myself but heck, its my website.
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Really tired. Waiting for our turn at the Mystery spot
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My expression tells all. This place was weird.
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sikkim

On the way to GAngtok
This was on the beautiful drive from Darjeeling to Gangtok. This is the meeting of rivers Tista and Ranpochu. Can you see different colors of the water?

The road on the mountain on the left, takes to Gangtok, Sikkim. I just thought, you should know :)

There is always time for some chana chaat and chai
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Rainbow on my first day in Sikkim
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View of the valley from my hotel window
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Another play on the view
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One more view
It was beautiful everyday. It was hard to leave out some of these pictures.

Gangtok - urban, yet green
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Prayer wheels outside Rumtek Monastary
Spinning these wheels in clockwise motion while chanting a specific mantra is believed to neutralize the sins and save people from rebirth.

Of course I bought a prayer wheel and the mantra.

Rebirth? Hell no.

Very colorful corridor in Rumtek Monastary
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Student hostel at the Rumtek Monastary
Made me think how awful my hostel was in comparison.

Students at the monastary
They are often so ready to pose (thanks to all the tourists asking them to), that it was difficult to get a candid shot. But then I found this trio on the rooftop enjoying the sun and the view.

Monk
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Caught in the middle
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Chants
This is such a common site in all of Sikkim, sometimes in the middle of the mountain. Made me wonder who put these there, and how long back.

However, these was much closer at the Tibetan center.

Chant flags again
These are in the middle of nowhere.

On the way to Nathula pass
Nathula pass is near the India-China border. The 50km drive was beautiful, scary and amazing. This was the beginning of the drive and clouds were already below us. We didn't see any person, vehicle or house for miles sometimes. It really felt like we were the only ones in the world.

But then we started seeing the great Indian Army camps as we got closer to the border.

Strong army presence as we get closer to the border
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Tata trucks
Near Nathula on the road which seemed near impossible for big trucks. And all the way from Rajasthan, no less.

Landscape became rougher as we went higher up the mountain
When you thought you couldn't go any higher, another mountain appeared :)

This is still on the way to Nathula.

India declares to China, near the border
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Shrine of Baba Harbhajan
This is near the India-China border. Baba Harbhajan was a jawan in the Indian Army who died in an accident while patrolling the border.

Legend has it that his ghost still patrols the border. Even though he is dead, he has been getting regular promotions, annual leaves and salary from Army. Whenever Indian and Chinese delegates meet at the border, Chinese keep an empty chair for him. All CO's and army personnel in the area visit this modest shrine with an incredible story.

Tsongmo lake - the largest lake in Sikkim
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Tsongmo Lake
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By the lake
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Just something
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Random leaves
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Adorable child
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School girl

I saw this girl stopping by to get some candy (I suppose) before school in the morning. I loved the manly clothes on the little person.

Traditional tibetan women
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Just a guy, by the yellow wall
Something about the wall, the light and his expression.

Musician on the street
But not in Sikkim. It was in Chandigarh

Darjeeling

Mist
This was the visibility for most of our drive from Bagdogra to Darjeeling. This was around 3PM by the way.

Crowd gathered to catch the sunrise at 4 AM
We went to Tiger hills to catch the sunrise over Kanchenjanga, which is the third tallest mountain the world. But it was so cloudy that the mountain was barely visible, but it still made for a beautiful sunrise over dense clouds.

Finally the sun appeared
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Fury
Little out of focus, but when part of his face was obstructed, the pictures made this deity look very angry.

Statue at Batasia loop
Batasia loop offers a view of the entire Darjeeling city and even Nepal, if the vendors are to be believed.

This statue is the memorial of Indian Army soldiers who lost their lives in war.

Another picture of the sipahi at Batasia Loop with the Tricolor.
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Budha statue at the Japanese Peace Pagoda in Darjeeling
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Budha Hands
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Mom and Dad
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Amritsar

Darbar Sahib
Ever glorious Golden Temple.

Dip in the holy sarovar
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Akal Takht Sahib
The newly built Akal Takht building. The construction has been going on ever since the original building was destroyed during Blue Star.

Thats me
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Nihang
Nihangs are the warrior clan among Sikhs but they are extremely rare to see these days. They seem to have lost relevance in post- Blue star Punjab.

Gursikh
I loved the way he wrapped his khanjar around his turban to keep it from getting wet.

Hong Kong and Macau

First look
The first visions of Hong Kong are about tall apartment buildings (with very small apartments) and the harbor. Because of the small size of the islands, the growth in the city is vertical.

Now with the HK airport moved to a different island, there is no restriction on the number of floors a building can have in the city, leading to a further increase in the height of buildings.

Apartment Jungle
This is the signature Hong Kong look - lines and lines of tiny apartments. Apparently a family of 3 generations could be living in a 400-500 sq feet apartment, because no one can afford a bigger place. People sometimes don't get married or delay marriage because they cannot move out of their parents' apartments.

View
Imagine the view some of these apartments could have - overlooking the sea.

Outside a temple in Macau
A street side vendor selling wind chimes outside the Chinese temple in Macau. The temple is 400 years old and gave Macau island its name (by mistake) when a Portuguese sailor asked a local fisher-woman the name of the island but she thought he was asking about the name of the temple.

Macau was a Portuguese colony before it was handed over to China as a Special Administrative Region (SAR).

In the temple
There was 4 orders in this temple, which meant 4 small temples at 4 levels. I couldn't catch the details for each of those, because I spent most of my time on the stairs.

Yellow spirals
On the top most layer of the Four layered temple, they had these beautiful yellow spirals along the roof.

Another view
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Vintage
This is me and my mom having fun with the camera. She was behind the camera, half blind because she forgot her glasses at the hotel.

Anita the guide
She is our adorable tour guide in Macau. Every time we would get off the bus, she would hold out this heart on a stick so the group could recognize her from a distance. It was like a teacher leading a bunch of kids.

Roaring lion
One of the pillars on a destroyed Portuguese church. The lion looked pretty ferocious up close.

Church
It is a part of the Portuguese church that was destroyed in a fire. Only the facade of the church survived, while the entire complex was gutted.

Portuguese architecture
One of the many buildings in old Macau area, which reminds the island of its Portuguese heritage. Apparently all government work in Macau is still done in Portuguese; and unlike India, government jobs are very well paying and much sought after.

Skywalk on Macau tower
Macau tower is the 10th tallest tower in the world. The deck at the top is used for bungee jumping and sky walking along the rim. These girls were having so much fun and everyone on the deck was cheering them on.

I was very impressed and a little jealous that I didn't have the company and balls to attempt it myself.

My own
Just me, taking pictures of myself while waiting for my parents to get ready.

Our hotel room was a small studio suite on 19th floor. This sofa in the living room doubled up as my bed at night. Not very comfortable but the view from the window more than made up for it.

City is behind me
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Avenue of stars
Walk of fame for Hong Kong movie industry. I looked end to end for Wong Kar Wai star, since he is among my favorite film makers of all times, but couldn't find it, so I assumed he hasn't got one yet.

Wikipedia confirms that he does have a star there. Where was I looking?

Hong Kong skyline
As seen from Kowloon side of the harbor. In HK, a lot of people work on HK island while they live in Kowloon. Both islands are separated by the Victoria Harbor.

Before 2001 or so, there was only the ferry to take people from one island to another, with the last ferry being in the evening. A lot of men, at that time used missing the last ferry as an excuse to stay back in HK and not come home every night. This gave them a cover to maintain two wives on two islands. Then an under-water tunnel was built which connects the two islands now. This tunnel came to be known as "no-excuse" tunnel.

Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee is a huge Hong Kong idol. He was born in USA but was brought up in Hong Kong. After his death at the age of 32, his statue was created on Avenue of Stars.

Me and mom
The colored blocks on the side are posters for the East Asian games that would be held in HK in Dec 2009. The mascots of the games, Dony and Ami are especially cute.

Mr. Chan
What do you do when you see Mr Jackie Chan's hand? You reach out for it. Good thing that it was set in stone so he couldn't move it.

Pretty people
Hong Kong women are particularly beautiful, and with great bodies. My mother who normally doesn't think I need to lose weight, told me after a day or so on the island that now she would never stop me from working out. Being thin is bloody good.

Cops
One of the very few cops seen on this trip. In fact, I don't think we saw even a single one in Macau.

Stoned photographer
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who is this fisher woman
This is on the traditional Chinese boat called Sampan. They say its the gondola of the east. We took the sampan ride to go through the fishing village. What I am wearing here is a traditional fisherman's hat.

Fishing village was quite interesting. There were workshops, houses, and even pets on people's boats. The village is reasonably big, and it made a good contrast to the high rise apartment buildings in the background.

Fishing village and urban village
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Jumbo
Jumbo is world's largest floating restaurant. It can seat up to 2000 people and is famous for its sea food(naturally!). It counts Prince Charles and late Michael Jackson as its fans. It is very expensive and spends millions of HK dollars every year to maintain its exterior decorations. I wish I could have seen it from inside too.

Streets of HK
HK night market area can put any crowded place in India to shame, but still there is no pushing or shoving people around. And it looks beautiful with all the lights.

Hot love
I don't know what this is, but there was a shop full of these in the Hong Kong night market.

Random

Textures
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Color blocks
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Safety net
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Sneak peek
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Candles
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Coffee and books
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Punjab People and on the road

Women on a cart
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All types of vehicles on the road
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Street Child
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My Mom!!
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Son riding on a bike with his mother
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Sikh
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Punjab

Lush green paddy fields
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Nadha Sahib Gurdwara near Chandigarh
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Views of Keshgarh Takht in Anandpur Sahib - I
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Views of Keshgarh Takht in Anandpur Sahib - II
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Views of Keshgarh Takht in Anandpur Sahib - III
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Views of Keshgarh Takht in Anandpur Sahib - IV
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Views of Keshgarh Takht in Anandpur Sahib - V
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Views of Keshgarh Takht in Anandpur Sahib, in sepia this time
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Views of Keshgarh Takht in Anandpur Sahib - VI
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Views of Keshgarh Takht in Anandpur Sahib - VII
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My office campus

my office.jpg
This building has been my home for almost 9 years. The campus grew around it but I loved working out of this heritage building.

Amphitheatre geometry.jpg
Location of many exciting concerts over the years

Amphitheatre geometry 2.jpg
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stairs to the theatre.jpg
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corridor with many memories.jpg
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housekeeping staff at work
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pyramid bldg
One of the more recent buildings on campus.

reflection of the city
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One of the food courts
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another one
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Tree temple
This one of the oldest trees on campus and it has some diligent devotees who offer fresh flowers and color everyday.

WM
I have heard this building being referred to as washing machine because it resembles a front-loading washing machine from a distance :)

WM- another view
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food court before the crowd arrives
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Food court
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bench
Place where I have had many afternoon tea sessions

SFO and Lake Tahoe

Random

customary picture of Lake Tahoe

three monkeys

stripes of blue in Lake Tahoe

this probably serves no purpose

private dock

whatever

flight over Lake Tahoe
flight over Lake Tahoe

Geometry

On the Golden Gate bridge

if it was a postcard

Golder gate wrapped in mist

it really deserves to be talked about

I swear I could have flown off

calm on the other side of GG bridge

view of Sausolito ship dock

Sausolito - that is where the Golden Gate bridge leads to, in case you are wondering like I was.

somewhere on the way

Mystic River

everything.jpg

Everything that the town had to offer. Ships, stately houses and Mystic River

ship.jpg
ship.jpg 2009-05-10

chairs.jpg

with purple fringe...

colorblocks.jpg

Huddle.jpg

house.jpg
house.jpg 2009-05-10

kid with the red cap.jpg
kid with the red cap.jpg 2009-04-26

kicking the sand.jpg

too much.jpg
too much.jpg 2009-05-10

boat.jpg
boat.jpg 2009-05-10

columns.jpg
columns.jpg 2009-05-10

save a bad pic.jpg
save a bad pic.jpg 2009-05-10

together.jpg
together.jpg 2009-05-10

Old Sturbridge Village

entrance.jpg

door 2.jpg

Taken from a dark room, with the door opening into the bright sun.

door.jpg
door.jpg 2009-04-12

benchBW.jpg
benchBW.jpg 2009-04-12

chair.jpg

It was in a parsonage. Probably the pastor would take this chair.

meetingroom2.jpg

Room for village gatherings and may be even the courtroom.

shoes.jpg

Taken in the bedroom of the fully furnished town home, complete with a dirty pair of shoes.

books.jpg
Books from 1832.

carriage.jpg
carriage.jpg 2009-04-12

green door.jpg

Most big houses and meeting centres had white walls and green doors. Not sure if it had any significance.

window.jpg

Bonnet.jpg

Bonnet on the dressing table in one of the houses.

Horse.jpg
Horse.jpg 2009-04-12

Hut2.jpg

Hands on craft centre.

Hut.jpg
Hut.jpg 2009-04-13

Man.jpg

He might be wearing the 19th century clothes but make no mistake; he loves starbucks as much as any of us. Took this picture just as he walked out of the coffee shop.