Capturing the Indus River in Ladakh

The Indus river evokes memories of history lessons from school as one of the earliest human civilizations came up along its banks in the plains of the Indian subcontinent. Captured here are some images of the river near Leh in Ladakh at different times of the evening, including the moment when the moon was rising above it.

Click here to view the full set on Flickr. The images of the streams were taken in the forested area along its banks. You may email me should you want to order any prints, or visit the Kunzum Gallery to see more prints to order.

A Blog for Funny Road Signs in India

As any road traveller in India will tell you, the country is full of signs on the roads, in shops, restaurants and hotels that can be called funny, strange, queer or interesting.

I have been creating this collection for a forthcoming book, and there is now a dedicated blog for these. Click on Kunzum Signs to keep track of these as more go up every week.

Hope these leave you smiling for the day whenever you read them

Kunzum Picture Gallery goes live

If you are looking to buy high quality prints of pictures taken by me during my travels across India, you can now do so at the online Kunzum Picture Gallery.

A selection of prints are available for sale; if there is something else you like on my Flickr page, or on Kunzum.com, you can order those too.

And if you would like an offline viewing in New Delhi, call me at +91.99100 44476 or send me a mail at ajay@ajayjain.com for an appointment.

Review: A refreshing coffee experience at Desert Rain in Leh

Inaobi Singh behind the counter at Desert Rain in Leh

How many coffee bars do you know of where you are invited to sit around, read books kept on the shelves, even sleep off if you want to and not be obliged to even order anything? Can’t think of any, other than Desert Rain in Leh town serving the best coffee in the whole of the Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas.

Set up by the Moravian Church in Leh, according to the café’s manager Gogi Singh, Desert Rain was designed as a place for students to hang out and read books – and order some coffee and snacks but only if they wished to. The idea was mooted by an American lady who also donated the coffee machine – serving coffee freshly brewed using Arabica beans. It was the only place in the whole of Ladakh where I managed to get coffee other than made by mixing instant Nescafe powder in water and milk. For the coffee lover, this was Nirvana. Read the story »

Review: Whispering Willows Hotel at Shey, Leh, Ladakh

When my travel consultant booked me at Hotel Whispering Willows for my stay in Leh (located in Ladakh in the Indian Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir), I was a bit disappointed initially. It was located in the village of Shey, the ancient capital of Ladakh before it was shifted to Leh, 15 kilometers before Leh when driving from Delhi. I would rather have stayed downtown than drive up and down all the time.

But I sure am glad I went by the suggestion offered. Not only did I stay at one of the best properties in Leh, but it was located away from the noisy and fume-laden downtown, offered splendid views and was actually closer to most of the attractions I eventually visited. Read the story »

Lakshmi, the leopard cub, in good hands

I had written about a rescued female leopard cub, Lakshmi, in the forests of Ranthambhore in Rajasthan in India here as well as posted a YouTube video here. But apparently I was slightly misinformed, giving the impression that her future may not be so bright. But here is something from Gerhard Wiehahn, who works as a General Manager in a hotel in Ranthambhore, that may bring a smile to all our faces. (Thank you Gerhard, the world needs more people like you): Read the story »