Travel, Art and Beyond

Reflections of Amazonia on Laguna Panacocha

Independent travel to the Ecuadorian Amazon

November 11, 2014 Praveen Maloo Comments 8 comments

While I was traveling in Ecuador, I encountered a popular belief, mostly amongst the tourists, that it’s almost impossible to experience the Amazons without staying at one of the uber expensive forest lodges. No doubt that these lodges enjoy wonderful locations and are a great way to experience the Amazons, for independent travelers it often proves to be cost prohibitive or just lacking in the adventure quotient – after all, you are letting an agency decide everything on your behalf.

Wildflowers on the way to Tolmie peak fire lookout from the base of the Eunice lake

Wildflowers’ galore: Eunice lake, Rainier National Park

August 20, 2014 Praveen Maloo Comments 1 comment

With summer, starts the hiking season in the Pacific Northwest. The temperature is perfect, the sun shines bright on most occasions and the wild flowers are in full bloom. Having visited the more popular southwest entrance of the the Mount Rainier National Park aka the Paradise area, I was keen on choosing a hike in a different part. Eunice lake and Tolmie Peak fire lookout hike seemed a great option for a day hike. Accessible via the north-west entrance of…

San Juans – A little place on the Pacific

August 15, 2014 Praveen Maloo Comments 2 comments

Pacific, for me, with its deep blue and deep waters, had always invoked conflicting sentiments of tranquility and that of vast desolation. Living in Seattle in the Pacific Northwest of US opened up a lot of opportunities to experience the Pacific. Positioned between the US and Canada, San Juan archipelago makes for an interesting weekend getaway. Huge vehicle cum passenger ferries regularly serve the San Juan islands – Orcas, Friday Harbor, Lopez island etc. When we arrived at the port…

A short walk along the Lycian coast

September 6, 2013 Praveen Maloo Comments 4 comments

It was a typical Mediterranean winter day: wet and cold, and showing no signs of providing any respite. After waiting in vain for a few hours for the rain to halt, I decided to take a walk along Fethiye’s marina. The deserted walkways and near empty pubs and restaurants in the sleepy town of Fethiye did not help me much.

A day in the abandoned town of Kudremukha

June 13, 2013 Praveen Maloo Comments 4 comments

Places having exotic, strange, queer sounding names have always fascinated me. Kudremukha, nestled amidst the Western Ghats, had made the list quite a while back. Horse-faced when translated to English. The fact that this used to be a centre for iron ore mining added to the intrigue. Owing to the threats to the environment and the wildlife, Supreme Court had ordered all mining activities to be discontinued. Legal dispute is apparently still in limbo. It’s raining cats and dogs The…