Highway 17 to Santa Cruz

Sun and Shade-Highway 17

Winding Highway 17

Highway 17 connecting Santa Cruz

Along Highway 17

Tall trees along Highway 17

This is Highway 17 in California, USA, which connects San Jose in the Bay Area to Santa Cruz on the Pacific Coast. Winding through the Los Gatos Hills and the Scott’s Valley, it is one of California’s most scenic highways. Shaded with huge trees, the play of light and shadow can make driving difficult for first timers on this route. The route has heavy traffic and along with narrow shoulders, blind curves and sharp bends, it makes this highway one of the most dangerous highways in California. The destination of Santa Cruz at the end of this route though makes it a highway worth passing through.

Santa Cruz Lighthouse

The beautiful coastline

Santa Cruz coast

Santa Cruz beach

The largest town of the Santa Cruz County in California is Santa Cruz. It sits on the northern edge of Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast. This beautiful quite town is a destination of all people who love the ocean, the sun and the sand. The walk along the ocean front in Santa Cruz is a view worth millions. On a clear sunny day, the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean, coastline and skyline all blending into one is a feast to one’s eyes and soul.

The Blue Pacific

The beautiful coastal trees

Off the coast rests a pod of seals

Surfing along Santa Cruz

Surfing is popular along Santa Cruz coast

The far off coastline view

Surfing has been a major attraction to many here. Some come to compete in the prestigious competitions while others simply enjoy the sport from the windswept shore. If you are anywhere near here, do come along and soak in the incredible atmosphere of this town and its shore along the Pacific.

My Pink Beauty

A Word A Week- Pink

Gorgeous Pink flowers in my terrace garden

Pink Hibiscus

Pink Hibiscus

Iron Bridge, Telford, UK

Beautiful Iron Bridge town

River Severn passing through town

The uphill road along the river

Iron Bridge town along River Severn

The beautiful town of Iron Bridge in Telford flourished as an important center of Industrial Revolution in the 1700s. The availability of minerals along the gorge of the River Severn helped the development of various kinds of industries.But there was one problem. The minerals were mined on the opposite bank of the river from where the people lived. This made it difficult to transport both goods and people during the Industrial Revolution. As the mines of clay, limestone, coal and iron ore lay on the other side of the river, laborers had to cross the river on boats for work and to bring back the minerals to the various industries. A bridge was essential in connecting the two banks of the River Severn which could facilitate the increasing volume of people and goods during those times.

Iron Bridge at Telford

Iron Bridge on River Severn

Quietly flows the River Severn

Iron Bridge

Mines, foundries, factories and workshops flourished here. Coke was discovered and cast iron was used to produce various household and industrial items. Traffic increased and by the late 1700s it became necessary to connect the two banks of the River Severn with a bridge. The Iron Bridge is in the town by the same name in Shropshire, UK. The bridge which opened to traffic in 1781 is a World Heritage Site today as it is a symbol of Industrial Revolution because it not only influenced the development of the industries around it but had influenced a way of modern industrial life all over UK, Europe and the World.

It was the world’s first cast iron arch bridge which was the first leap in bridge building technology. Abraham Darby3 who belonged to a family of iron smiths was given the job to make the cast-iron parts of the bridge. Cast iron was expensive in those days but the production of coke for the furnaces and the proximity of the cast-iron workshop itself made it possible to build the bridge. Abraham Darby3 himself bore most of the costs in the construction and he lived and died in debt. The engineering of this bridge was the first of its kind. The frame was cast separately part by part and put together by bolts. Work on the bridge started in 1779 and it was opened to traffic in 1781.

It was here that coke was discovered and cast iron was used to not only make smaller articles but even in building of this bridge. The engineers needed a lighter and stronger material than stone to build the bridge. Stone was too heavy to make the curve along the width of this river and cast iron was strong and light enough to meet the requirements. Some of the foundries and small industries here manufactured smaller household articles like letter box cover, door knob and it was used all over Europe and was in great demand.

1779

Cast Iron Bridge at Coalbrook

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Bridge across the Bay

Golden Gate Bridge on a misty day

On the Golden Gate Bridge

One of the most enchanting cities of the world is San Francisco. The beautiful Pacific Ocean lends this city its misty and mysterious cover where residents and tourists alike are in awe of its sights and sounds. One of the iconic structures of the world is to be seen here–The Golden Gate Bridge. This bridge connects the City of San Francisco to Marine County. The most photographed bridge in the world is an engineering marvel of its time and was the longest bridge for around 27 yrs after it was built in 1937. Mist and fog from the Pacific Ocean often cover the bridge giving it a mysterious aura. This bridge attracts people from all over the world in all seasons and the wind swept and cloud covered views of San Francisco’s skyline are a million dollar view not to be missed if you venture to this part of the country.

Driving on the Golden Gate Bridge

The 6 lane Freeway on the Bridge

On the Golden Gate Bridge

The bridge can be crossed by car, bicycle and even on foot. Driving on the Golden Gate Bridge is an experience in itself. Its 6 lanes are a part of US Route 101 and California Highway 1.

Golden Gate on a sunny day

San Francisco skyline as a backdrop

Golden Gate is a suspension bridge designed and built under the able guidance of Joseph Strauss. It stands as the symbol of recognition for the city of San Francisco and even California. Seen here is the city of San Francisco as a backdrop to the bridge on a clear sunny day.

San Francisco Skyline

Golden Gate Bridge from the Marine County end

Busy traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge

The 1.7 miles of the bridge covers Golden Gate Strait connecting the Pacific Ocean to the San Francisco Bay. The red colour of the bridge is from the red rust free paint used to save the bridge from the ravages of weather. It is also a favourite spot to commit suicides. People come from far and near to keep their appointment with death. Besides patrolling, numerous suicide hotlines and posters try to discourage the people from jumping off the bridge and into the frigid waters of the strait, a drop of about 75m.

Help!!!! My Car Is On Fire!!!

On a road trip to the south of USA a couple of years back, the red Suzuki Reno was what we got as a rental car from Athens, Georgia. We were to travel  for 8 days winding our way through rural and urban America enjoying its coast, cultural heritage of the south and the wild parties of New Orleans. We were happy with the small size of the car, its colour, fuel efficiency and thought we were out to have a lot of fun.

The Red Suzuki Reno

We loved the red colour

Small and cozy car for the two of us

We had already logged in some 6 days on the road and crossed 5 states–Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. Approaching towards the end of our journey, we were looking forward to end in Atlanta, Georgia with the last 2 days of good food and more fun.

Somewhere in Alabama, on I-65 we encountered an accident and traffic slowed down to a crawl. The clear blue sky, the high temperatures and the long drive ahead was taking over our senses. We decided to reapply our sun-screen lotion to save our skin from further damage. In the meantime, traffic started to ease and my foot began its press on the gas pedal. I realized then that something was wrong and I was not able to pick up speed.

The crawling traffic due to an accident

Since we started to slow down, we decided to move to the right, park the car and take a look. As soon as we parked, we noticed smoke from the front and it was increasing by the ‘second’. We managed to scramble out of the car and I desperately started to sign passing cars for ‘Help’. Well, we had just lost our only cell phone the previous evening and we couldn’t even call 911 for help…..

Immediately as we stopped, one of the crew who were clearing the road from the previous accident, pulled up behind us and he called 911 and road assistance. Then he started to help us pull out the entire luggage from the car. By then we noticed that there was on fire and it was spreading fast. It was all over on the road and under the car.

The start of the fire

Fire and smoke engulfing the car

Fire under the car

By the time we pulled out the last important thing from the car, the heat was unbearable and there were lots of ‘boom, bang and pop’ sounds from the car. We, like any true Hollywood-Bollywood fan, thought it was going to erupt into a ball of flame any second now. With help still on the way but not yet here, we started to pull further back and away from the car.

The fire spreading fast

Threatening to burst into a ball of flame

Black smoke reaching for the sky

The melting car

The further we moved back, the more intense the heat, smoke and fire became. With still no fire truck in view, my friend instructed me to start clicking photos …….well the car gone in flames now, we need the proof for the insurance and another vehicle from the rental company to get us on the road again.

As the fire engulfed the whole car, we heard the fire truck sirens at a distance. Traffic was still filing past the inferno very cautiously. Thick black smoke rose to heights into the blue sky and we were still standing helplessly by the road. We couldn’t believe we were in the car some 5-10 mins ago. The fire truck finally arrived but by then the entire car was up in flames. The smoke was thicker and darker by the minute and Mile 89 stood a silent witness to the fire and smoke display. Traffic was finally stopped as now the car certainly seemed to be erupting into a complete ball of flame.

Firemen finally here

Car already melted

Trying to douse fire inside the car

Fire is finally out

Good news–the firemen seemed to get the water finally started. Once the firemen were at work, the smoke changed its colour from black to white. It took a while but finally the fire was out. The fire was now no more and the car was no more too!!!

Firemen inspecting the car

Firemen’s job done

Remains of the Suzuki Reno

Our next mode of transportation was the Alabama State Trooper’s car.

The Alabama State Trooper’s Car

Thanks to the emergency services we survived the ordeal

What we saved–Ourselves and most of our luggage

What we lost–The CAR and its GPS

What we learnt–Where there is smoke, there is fire and fire spreads unbelievably fast

Weekly Photo Challenge: Masterpiece

Hutheesing Jain Temple

Intricate work of the main entrance

The tasteful craftmanship

Beautiful Pillars

This incredibly beautiful temple is a testimony to the craftsmanship of the local people of the Sonpura and Salat communities and their strive to preserve beauty for posterity. Built in  1848 by a merchant, Seth Hutheesing, who had immense reverence for his faith, this temple is a must see on your local tourist map of Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Kirti Stumb

Beautiful curvings

Decorated pillars

‘Jharokha’–Window

Hutheesing Temple

It is dedicated to the 15th Jain Tirthankara, Shri Dharmanatha. Created of white marble, the motifs and intricate work of this temple are par excellence and show a strong resemblence to the Sultanate minarets of Mughal architecture.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Fresh

Bergen Fish Market

Fresh food always attracts locals to the market.

Bergen Fish Market

Various Sea Food on display

Food ready to be cooked on demand

Here in Bergen, Norway, we were attracted to the local fish n vegetable market situated besides the harbour. This 700 year old market is one of the main tourist attractions. The vibrant colours attracted us and we spent a whole afternoon meandering through the market.

The skewers of fresh Sea Food

The friendly chef at the live counters

Ready for a meal??

Salmon and Prawn

The fresh sea food can be bought raw and for the hungry there are live counters that serve the seafood of your choice and we indulged ourselves to our heart’s content. The friendly and knowledgeable sea food traders answered all our queries and it was a great experience to interact with them. When we satisfied our hunger issues, we turned our attention to the fresh berries, fruits and vegetables on display. For the 2 days that we spent here, we spent our entire food budget in this market.

The vibrant colours of freshness

Vegetables on display

The contrasting colours of the root vegetables

Berries n more berries

Liebster Award

Thanks to Sangeeta for this surprise nomination. I am humbled and overwhelmed. We all love appreciation and I am no different and hence it feels good to receive such an award. Although I have been blogging for a few years now, I had taken a sabbatical and practically discontinued blogging. It has been fun to revive blogging again and bring to everyone my travels.

I am a born vagabond at heart and love to travel. My passion has taken me around some of the most beautiful places in the world and made me a  wiser soul. I have tried to embrace and educate myself with an open mind all that I have experienced. It has helped me to learn and respect the people and  cultures that I have encountered along the way. I am still in the quest of meeting new people and understanding newer cultures and traditions with a keen eye on Geography and History of the places that I travel to.

Here are the simpler rules set by Sangeeta for the Liebster Award: (Note that the award has gone through various permutations over the years.)

• Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
• Link back to the blogger who awarded you.
• Copy & paste the blog award on your blog.
• Let them know you chose them by posting on their blog.

This year’s rules add several items:

• Tell 11 things about yourself.
• Answer 11 questions that your tagger has asked.
• Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
• Ask 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.

I will refrain from asking any questions to my nominees and will leave it for them to describe themselves as they deem best.

My Nominees are

1. Bern of http://ryanphotography.co.uk/
2. Magdalene of http://lifebydmagdalene.wordpress.com/
3. Denis of http://denisdanzephotographe.wordpress.com/le-photographe/biographie/
4. Margie of http://gogreygirl.wordpress.com/
5. Chris of http://chrisbreebaart.wordpress.com/
6. Ana and Filip of http://2worldtrippers.wordpress.com/
7. The Vibe of http://thevibe101.wordpress.com/
8. Anil of http://exxtracts.wordpress.com/
9. Linda of http://anaturemom.com/
10. Michael of http://retireediary.wordpress.com/
11. Bams of http://photobams.wordpress.com/

I have enjoyed following these blogs and hope they all continue to add more beautiful words and photographs to their blogs.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Nostalgic

This was the last snowfall that we experienced in Milton Keynes, UK. Although I do not miss the weather of UK, the snow makes me nostalgic and transports me to the few years that we spent there.

Our Home

The Neighbourhood

Boys Having Fun

My Car

The first snowfall of the season and then the surroundings transforming itself into a pristine and pure alpine landscape is a beautiful experience. Snow also brought a lot of fun and laughter with the snowman and snow fights. Short walks into the neighbourhood and then the toughest job of all, cleaning and shoveling the snow. The slippery drive to a friend’s place for a steaming cup of coffee and hot ‘bhajjis’ was the best of all. Snow makes me nostalgic for sure.

Birds enjoying a bit of water

Neighbourhood Brook

And still flows the Brook

The Bridge

Dholavira: Tryst with History

Enroute to Dholavira from Dasada in the Kutch region of Gujarat, we encountered a dry and arid landscape, showing signs of desert vegetation. Dholavira is situated on a ‘Bhet’ which is a high ground that remains dry when the neighbouring landscape is submerged by seawater. It is an island and to reach Dholavira we crossed a causeway. Since it was winter, the water had receded leaving behind a huge pristine salt flat which glistened in the sun as a sparkle of a thousand diamonds. Exhausted from a long drive from Dasada, this sudden revelation of the salt flat extending into the horizon filled us with renewed enthusiasm and like children we clambered down onto the salty ground to gather our handful of salt. The beauty of the unending salt was broken in parts with shallow standing water which was filled with a huge squadron of pelicans. These birds trouped together in the water just like a floating island and as we were admiring them, they decided to fly grazing the water and move to a different part to form another floating island again. For us it was a lesson of harmony and brotherhood.

Road to Dholavira

Flight of the Pelicans

The Pelicans on the Salt Marshes

The ‘Floating Island of Pelicans’

Leaving the causeway, we entered into the ‘Khadir bhet’ and couple of kms of dusty road later, we finally descended upon the area where a 5000yr old history had been recently discovered. Dating back to the 3^rd millennium BC and covering an area of 100acres, this ancient fortified Indus Valley city is shaped as a parallelogram and is surrounded by two monsoon channels of Manhar and Mansar. The excavations in Dholavira revealed the most important city of the Harappa Civilization in India. With afternoon temperatures soaring and the sun beating on us, we explored this ancient town in awe. The brick and stone structures told us a story of urban planning which is mind-boggling. This town consisted of a Citadel, a Middle Town and a Lower Town. There are clear indications of two ‘stadia’ and a series of reservoirs connected with an intricate system of drainage. A signboard has been discovered with 10 letters and is regarded as the oldest signboard in the world but is yet to be deciphered. As we scaled up the Citadel to inspect its plans, we came upon a view to behold. Standing at that height, the Great Rann of Kutch was visible as a white blanket as far as the eyes could see and we could only imagine our ancestors standing atop this hillock to admire their surroundings. For a good 2hrs we were lost in the discovery of this ancient town. Each turn we took fascinated us and told us a story in urban planning that was far ahead of its time. The most important lesson we learnt was that of water management. If only we applied such storm water and rain water harvesting and preservation techniques, we would not face water scarcity in today’s urban settlements.

The road to the city

Stairs lead to the main water reservoir

The lanes of the city

Dholavira ruins

The water reservoir

Front view of the ancient city of Dholavira

Meandering through the ruins, we ended up at the exhibition centre where a lot of the excavated materials have been preserved and displayed. A graduated scale, a number of seals, beads of semi-precious stones, gold and terracotta, terracotta figurines and some vessels and pottery constituted the display. Dholavira gives us a record of a city from its birth to maturity to its decay in about 7 stages. After its decay, it has never been inhabited again. It also tells us a story of different ethnic and tribal communities living in harmony and following their own practices.

Bead Necklaces

Pottery

The Rann of Kutch from Dholavira

Ruins at Dholavira

These excavations here have answered more questions on the mysterious people of the Indus Valley Civilization than ever before and yet many more questions remain shrouded in the depths of this grand civilization. We finally left Dholavira with much admiration for our forefathers who were masters in urban planning.