Author

admin

How to take best Photos from Mobile camera

by admin 2:12 pm

We all have been there when we are scrolling through our Instagram feed and we find this awesome photo of someone or someplace and we start thinking that How we would also take good photos if we had a DSLR/SLR. But that is not true. Many photographers i meet tell me that it's never about camera it's always about the camera man. So in this episode i have come up with tips and tricks to enhance your mobile photography game with knowledge from various photographer and of course my experience of taking bad photos.

This episode is for all those people who want to upgrade their photography game and not starve cause they don't have the budget to buy heavy equipments. And yes, there are lots and lots of other things which i have missed and feel free to add your own tips in the comment section. Thank you for listening. For more tips you can take a look at - How not to suck while taking travel photos.

I really believe that after all this tips and tricks you can surely improve your photography. And also make sure Subscribe to my newsletter for every post update. I update my podcast with fresh ideas, Tips and tricks related to Travel and Food every week. I love you guys. keep smashing that like Button. and if you like my content then share it with your friends .

2 comments

Places

SUNDERNAGAR – HIMACHAL

by admin 6:06 am

Sunder-Nagar - For most people these is just a place you cross while going from Delhi to Kasol. or a place to refuel. It was for me but that changed. And it Changed good. So, Long story Short. This article is about "How i missed my prashar lake trek" But ended up exploring sundernagar. So if you haven't got the idea that i am weeping by own. Keep reading you will get the idea.

No Amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre Life Click To Tweet

Let's dive in.

So, some of my very close friends planned a trip to Prashar Lake. And i also wanted to go so i said yes. The plan was to leave on friday night and reach Sundernagar in the morning and then on monday head out for the trek and reach prashar lake by evening. It was all set. I had already a bag always ready for trips so i was good to go. My parents also said yes to this trip. So nothing can stop me now. My work place was also okay with the 3 days leave ( after a series of negotiation). I was totally wrong. . And everything went down the drain. According to the plan I have to met at Kashmiri Gate Metro Station with my friends but that plan never came into execution as i got stuck in a huge pile of work ( Courtesy to my Boss) and missed the bus. Well i had the thought of ditching them but then i remembered i do nothing in holidays and feel completely useless and slip into depression which i do not want. So, I called a ola. And reached Kashmiri Gate and then Booked a ticket called my friends that i am coming ( finally ) then updated my Instagram Story. And by the time i woke up i was in Sunder Nagar.

Sunder Nagar was formerly a Princely state known as Suket. The fascinating beauty of this small town is embraced by the man-made lake produced by the waters of Beas-Sutlej Project. This project is India's Biggest Hydel Project. It is known for its shady and high towering trees. The green beauty is perfect for a winter as well as summer get away. It might be a small town but visiting here will surely sooth your mind and soul. And this is what the Internet has to say. And you get the picture it is a beautiful city.

The clearest way into the Universe is through a Forest Wilderness Click To Tweet

So, i reached morning and stayed at my friends places. Did i mention that one of my friends is a Local of Sundernagar and we stayed at his place. Then first thing in the morning we went to a beautiful hike to a Temple called mountaintop which looks like this.

and then we went inside the most gorgeous buddhist temple that is just worth sitting and concentration on a Higher power.

I have a Restless Soul, I want to explore this earth Click To Tweet

After this beautiful spiritual Place we went to Another beautiful Temple and I bet the view was Million bucks.

As the day ended we went to our friends place and enjoyed a delicious Home Made Meal. But Life has the tendency to throw lemons at you.

When Life Gives you lemon, Just Make Poha Click To Tweet

I got a call from office that i have to come back again. This was Sunday Night and Monday we are supposed to go to Prashar Lake. And That's it with heavy heart i grabbed my Backpack and Caught a bus at the middle of the night and head back to Delhi. I was so devastated about missing this opportunity. But hey as i told you win some you lose some. I get to see the other side of SunderNagar.

1 comment

Places

MCLEODGANJ

by admin 6:04 am

Mcleodganj – The name is difficult to pronounce for an outsider. But for a person that frequently travels like me is a piece of cake. For some this a safe haven. for some this is a party destination, and for some its a place to forget everything. See this is one of the places in India like Delhi that accepts you for who you are. NO QUESTION ASKED. If you are person who likes to chill in the mountain alone come to Mcleodganj. If you a Groupy come to Mcleodganj, if you are a party person. COME TO MCLEODGANJ. so lets pack our bags and go. I also went there to chill in the most beautiful mountain.

Morning at Mcleodganj

So, I came to Mcleodganj the day after a huge storm passed and buses would not go up and it was starting to get rain, and we have to walk on foot. It was the time around 6 am. I had to walk like 9km to my hotel. But the view was amazing.

Mcleodganj Market

Then after taking a 2 hrs of sleep and a bath. After my coffee. I had to the beautiful Market of Mcleodganj where i got the glimpse of beautiful street market.

DAL LAKE

No this not the famous Dal Lake of Jammu and kashmir, although it’s close. The beautiful landscape will blow your head off. You just want to stare and look into the beauty. The still water of the lake is just pure beauty and it just give you the feeling of nothingness. If there is no noise on the street this place can go as close to meditation. Really

Himachal Stadium

Not all hero's wear capes and not all good places are on internet Click To Tweet

Like the saying. You will not find this place to be called as”A tourist attraction” but trust me history is written in this stadium.

To tell you the truth, i have never had any sort of exercise in my life, Nope i have never lifted a weight nor woke up in the morning to jog (is that real) .

Bhagsunag waterfall.

Another gem in the lap of Mcleodganj – This is a beautiful spot to just surrender to the beautiful waterfall stone cold water.

Triund Trek

So when i decided i wanted to trek Triund the crown jewel of Mcleodganj – (How to reach and do this trek and total budget) . Situated in the laps of dhauladhar mountains, it has the perfect view of the dhauladhar mountains on one side and kangra valley on the other. It’s a 7km straight up trek. I didn’t know what i was thinking. I thought what could go wrong as everyone said it is so beautiful and it was my first trekking and i was super excited.

I prepared with basic things like Clothes, First Aid-Kit, and lots of warm clothes and i thought i was ready( worst mistake ).

So we started our trekking and at first 1/2 an hour everything was good, very pleasant and the sought of gave me a feeling of bear grills. and then weather started changing it was good at first very pleasant, first few Kms were just the time of my life.

and I was like ” I am Pretty Good at this ” and as we reach the Magic Cafe, the first stop of our trek, or you can say the real trekking started from here, the view was breathtaking, and the fog started swimming up and i could not believe my eyes.

From this point one I made a furry friend which accompanied me to the mountains.

[ Plan & Book Customized Trekking in Adventure Holiday Trip at Best Price ]

But as I went up, I started to realize my mom was so right, why i didn’t do the morning walks, or went with my brother to play a sport, by the time my mind came out of these beautiful scenery, my legs are all out of strength, I was breathing heavily and the hailstorm was at its peak. And as they came down with the speed of 30 km per hour striking at my body all over and leaving me with excruciating pain like someone was pricking me needles. I started thinking of going back.

This is the native flower of the region and apparently you cannot pluck this flower and keep it with you.

But my guide (Yes i was with a guide nobody is allowed to go alone except for the locals) gave me motivation that ” Madamjii aapki saare pareshani upar pahuch ka dur hojayagi” ( your every worry will disappear after you reach up). I some how climbed up. I was wearing this Good for nothing raincoat (100 Bucks) in order to protect my camera and my phone ( I don’t mind the rain ) which cause nobody gave me a memo of this weather, and i even checked the weather forecast.

And as we reached the top after 17191 steps ( I had a watch to calculate my steps) the weather got worse due to that I never got the chance to take my camera out, As the sun was setting temperature dropped to -5*C and i lost all my opportunity to capture the landscape. Another bad news my bag was wet, No Not the one with camera but the one with the clothes.

VIDEO0019

VIDEO0020

So i had no choice but to stay in my one piece of clothing which was in my camera bag. but I enjoyed the food prepared by the guide and thought he had it worse than me, and as the night progress the wind started shaking my tent so there goes my sleep. Still i cannot do anything and luckily the radio on my phone was playing old Hindi songs which calmed me down a little. and i had few hours of interrupted sleep as i was thinking I will never go trekking again.

I woke up at 5:30 in the morning, and my face was Swollen already due to lack of sleep of course. But as soon as i opened the tent i forgot everything. The view was spectacular, and i was smiling at the view. I immediately brought the camera and started exploring. Then a voice echoed in my Mind “THIS IS WHY U SAID YES TO THIS TRIP” and you will go trekking again. It was so beautifully that words are not enough, while writing this article i can smell the fresh soil after rain again.

But unfortunately i had to go back to say bye – bye to all that I saw and also to come back with a life time of experience and beautiful scenery deeply engraved in my mind, never to be forgotten again.

LESSON FROM THE TRIP

Water proof Bag – Buy a water proof bag here
Carry a polythene bag
Carry a heavy duty Raincoat – Buy a heavy duty raincoat Here
Never over pack (Cause i Did and i paid with a back pain)
Water Proof Shoes – Buy a water proof shoes Here

Here check out other tips before travelling – “Tips for Travelling”

Follow me and leave the comments as you think i should add on my next trip and also to hear more of my mistakes.

3 comments

Podcast

What makes a Hostel a Better Hostel with Backpacker Panda

by admin 1:50 pm

When we talk about Hostels we think of - smelly rooms, Unclean Bathrooms and god knows what kind of roommates we can get but backpacker panda is here to change all that. Backpacker panda is an exclusive Hostel chain that caters to ever segment of audience or traveler. Whether you are solo traveler or a group traveler backpacker panda hostels got you covered. They have excellent WI-FI, a 24 hrs desk to help, an open kitchen open for again 24 hr. Now all these qualities make backpacker panda a better hostels.

Now as you are such a good audience to have. I want to give you something back. Now backpacker Panda has a License Program going on and what to say i have a license just for you people. Now you ask what does this license do well with this license whenever you stay in backpacker hostel anywhere in India then you can get special discounts and prizes and i am going to give you this license for FREE. Yes you heard it FREE.

All you have to do is Follow me TRAVEL WITH SHAMA and BACKPACKER PANDA

and Comment done that's it and you will be eligible for this license

2 comments

Podcast

Velas Turtle Festival

by admin 9:24 am

The Velas Turtle Festival is one of India’s premier destinations (apart from Orissa) for viewing the Olive ridley turtles hatch and head to the sea. The conducive environment created on the beach, helps female turtles trust and leave its eggs on this beach for it to hatch. The turtle conservation program also helps in everyone in this area being aligned to preserving and conserving turtles.

It’s also India’s first formal program to stay in villages with the locals and then watch the turtles head out into the sea from the observatory. This is a story of "Kartik" who is travelling with his 8 years old son all over India and teaching about responsible and sustainable tourism through this blog

Click here to read his full Blog - Katchu Travels

6 comments

Places

JIM CORBETT

by admin 4:51 pm

Jim Corbett in India do not need an Introduction and the reason i am telling you this is because, every Delhi( Capital of India) person has been there once or every weekend (Rich brats). So i am not a rich brat but i went there because of following reasons.

I like Cats Click To Tweet

Never Seen Big Cats before in wild
Cats what else is better.

The reasons can be different from person to person. and these are my reasons. So, apart for being a total cat lady i have other interest as well ( I am serious) Taking Pictures of these cats yes that is my interest. You got a problem with me Buddy

Now, back to the Subject - Jim Corbett. Although i can write and think about it all day. But lets get serious we all know these fluffy creatures are the main attraction of Jim Corbett. And they have a National park reserved for just them. Although i dislike following trends ( No Kiki Challenge done by me) i would really recommend that you should take a open jeep safari if you come to this beautiful place. ( only these jeeps go inside the national park ). So unlike any other vacation we need a place to stay. That is the part where i can give you a suggestion.

Well i got you covered on this part. No i do this because i also have Bills to pay, Rent to give. So for travel i choose the accommodations very very cautiously, cause your accommodation can make or break your vacation and nobody likes to be Broke right right !!! after the vacation Tell me in the comment section

Jim Corbett

This place is named after a Legend. "Edward James Corbett". He was a British hunter, tracker and conservationist, author and naturalist, who hunted a large number of man-eating tigers and leopards in India.Later on in life, Corbett became an avid photographer and spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination and played a key role in creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger, by using his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish what was called Hailey National Park. In 1957, the park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honor. So basically these British guy was a legendary fellow.

Parfait the Roar resort

The Roar Resorts By Parfait provides is made to provide wilderness experience . This place is Situated in the vicinity of the lands of the Tiger, at Jim Corbett National The Roar Resort combines the pleasure of leisure with the adventure of jungle. They also provides Nature walk, exotic Indian food with a huge restaurant is available and yes call in facility is also available. For recreation they have various indoor games like Chess, Carom and a Massage chair. And Of course hospitality of Roarer's ensure a truly memorable experience. It offers you a peaceful, comfortable stay at the middle of Indian wilderness. It is the ideal place to just " let it Go" . A ideal resting base for your adventures into Jim Corbett National Park..

Location -

Roar Resort is Located in the Sawaldey. Ramnagar. Now if you are travelling from Delhi you will get a lot of private buses and local buses. Now the resort is situated at a little bit on the interior rather being on road, to avoid the noises. But don't worry as soon as you make an appointment in the resort. They will provide you with a Drop and pick up from anywhere in Ramnagar.( felt a Relief).

Hotel Facility

Wi-Fi Connectivity Only Reception Area (Chargeable) Room Amenities.
Indoor & Outdoor Activities.
Swimming Pool (Swimming Costume Mandatory).
Wedding & Party Lawn.
Room Service
Multi cuisine Restaurant
Indoor And Outdoor Game
Huge Parking space
Power Backup
Doctor on call
Welcome Drinks on Arrival (Non- Alcoholic)
Child below 5 Years of age is complementary.

Room Facility

42” LED TV With Satellite television.
Wardrobe
Tea Coffee Maker
Personal Sit out area.
Top of the line Bath Amenities
Complimentary 02 Mineral Water Bottle per day.
In Room Temperature Control

Review

I believe that Jim corbett is a place where i can relax, Unwind and reflect on my mistakes. And as you can see my looks of this property i had an ample amount of time to do all that. My cell phone reception was good so no worries about missing the call of loved ones. Food was great and of variety ( No compromise on that) . A large lawn for evening walks. And at night i can watch stars. Pool was also clean. Rooms were spacious and clean. Bathrooms were cleaned twice. I was surrounded by various variety of birds species. And what else i need.

P.s The views provided are mine. Nobody paid me to do this. The stay was sponsored by the Roar Resort

Be sure to check them out - parfait the roar resort

Garjiya Devi Temple

Garjiya Devi Temple is a noted Devi temple located in the Garjiya village near Ramnagar, Uttarakhand, India, on the outskirts of the Corbett National Park. It is a sacred Shakti shrine where Garjiya Devi is the presiding deity. The temple is situated over a large rock in the Kosi River and is one of the most famous temples of the Nainital district, visited by thousands of devotees during Kartik Poornima, a Hindu holy day celebrated on the fifteenth lunar day of Kartik (November – December) Mostly worshiped by Uttarakhand peoples.

Jim Corbett National Park

Atlast we are here, the epitome of this trip. To see those beautiful, Ferocious Canines in their natural environment and admire there beauty and a beautiful Post that i saw real tiger's that too in the wild. It was the real deal guys i mean real thing not another shutterstock image posted on another person blog who says yoho i have seen a tiger and posted it and then repost it for the entire year ( I want to do it). But Life is a Bi***. And you don't get what you want in your life. So I didn't see them. Yes i didn't see any tiger so there is no photo. ( i am crying). But hey at least my stay was good so i am fine ( I am devastated).