Marina Beach, Chennai, India

The Marina Beach, Chennai, India

Chennai Central Railway station (a few kilometers away from the beach)

The beach road that runs along the shoreline

The cavalry at the beach that enforces the "No swimming" rule. But, it is a very long beach for the few policemen.

The all too famous lighthouse at the beach.

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Arizona - Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater (Arizona, US)

As the name suggests, this is a crater created about 50000 years ago, by a meteor impact. Obviously, the center of the crater is not accessible to the public. But visitors are allowed to view the crater from a restricted enclosure. Requires an entrance fee.

How to reach the location?

The site is located in a remote region and may be a little difficult without a car. It is a few miles off I40 in Arizona.

What to expect?

The museum & the gift shop - There is a museum and a giftshop within the enclosure. The museum is small, but informative on the subject of meteors. The giftshop is very interesting and has a beautiful collection of geodes and stones.  

The crater - The crater itself is a beautiful and intriguing sight. Gives a perspective about how much damage a small meteor can do.

A lookout stand is available with various optics fixed and pointed at important locations within the crater.

A nice telescope is provided at the highest point in the crater rim. Gives a way to inspect the crater a little closer.

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Amazing Arizona - Antelope Canyons

Antelope Canyon, Page, AZ

Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon in the American Southwest. It is located on Navajo land near Page, Arizona, US. Antelope Canyon includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon or The Crack; and Lower Antelope Canyon or The Corkscrew.

Antelope Canyon is not too far from the Horseshoe bend and can be reached within 15 minutes from the canyon. It is mandatory that a local guide accompany you at all times. The guides are typical Native Americans settled around the area. 

The canyons are quite dangerous during rainy seasons. Accidents have happened in the past involving tourists getting trapped inside the canyon during flash floods. So, the guides are the best people to be with inside the canyon.

The unassuming view of the canyon from outside. The crevice in the picture is what grows into the beauty in the subsequent pictures.

The entrance into the canyons

The layered walls of the canyon shaped and colored by flash floods.

At certain places within the canyon, the floor is wide enough for a car.

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Amazing Arizona - Horseshoe Bend

HorseShoe Bend, AZ (GPS Coordinates - 36.880525 , -111.512223)

As Wikipedia states, "Horseshoe Bend is a horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River located near the town of Page, Arizona, in the United States". The bend happens to be one of the most photographed locations in the country.

It is quite easy to miss the sign on the road that points to the bend. A single sign board points to a deserted turn that eventually takes you to this beautiful location. It requires a lot of scouting to find the right location for a good photograph that covers the whole canyon. Also, one would require a wide angle lens to entirely cover the location and a lot of guts. 


There happens to be a small hike (about a mile) to reach the view point. 

The 1000 foot drop may be a little daunting for the acrophobic

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Luxor - Valley of the Kings

"The valley of the Kings" is a glorified graveyard for the kings. A similar graveyard for the queens exist nearby. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside the Tombs and so, I don't have any pictures of the tombs.

Entrance :

Entry into tombs require a entry ticket that also includes a ride to the tombs. More than 60 tombs are said to be here of which only about 15 of them are open to public at any given time. The tombs include the tomb of Tutenkhamun although, the mummy and the relics are moved to Cairo Museum.

All I could manage to get was a picture of the road leading to the tombs.

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Luxor - Colossi of Memnon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossi_of_Memnon

Probably the oldest monument unearthed so far in Egypt. This is a reconstruction in progress and more such statues are being unearthed as I write this. The work is progressing rather slowly given the political and economic situation of the country.

The name Memnon might seem familiar to those who have watched the movie "Troy". There is a link that is explained in the wikipedia page.

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Luxor - Reaching there

Once we've covered Cairo, it would be wise to travel south to look at the awesome monuments in Luxor and Aswan. The best way to reach Luxor is by Train from Cairo. The train is very comfortable and takes about 12 hours to reach Luxor. But the timing is almost unpredictable. They almost stopped releasing a schedule for the trains. 

The city is build around the banks of Nile and offers a multitude of options to enjoy the beauty of this massive river. A boat trip on the Nile at sunset is something one should not miss.

Once in Luxor, there are a couple of places that may interest you. Luxor is probably the enticing place after the Pyramids.

    Temple of Karnak
    Luxor Temple
    Valley of the Kings
    Colossi of Memnon
    Deir El-Bahari
    Luxor Museum

Precautions
Just like in Cairo, be very careful with your money and your water. 
The locals almost survive on tips and would require a decent tip for even the smallest of favors. So, carry loose change if possible. Convert about 50 dollars into egyptian pounds and use it for tips.

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