Rhapsodic Views

The beautiful RAAF Roulettes all lined up and ready for the day's performance.

A vintage Mustang P-51 still standing tall after all these decades

The mighty C-17 Globemaster putting up an impressive display of its air superiority for the crowd.

The Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk performing a low pass for its audience. It is the Royal Australian Navy's next generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter. Its design is based of the popular UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family.

Few shots of the most sophisticated fighter jet in the world, the majestic F-35A.

"Perfect camping setup on the beach.."

The Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350, this was my ride in Gujarat for 7 days. I must say i was very skeptical about picking this bike as my ride, having the option between this and the Classic 500. Both being RE bikes i was scared that I'd get stranded in the middle of nowhere for sure. For those of you who don't know, RE's have a rep of breaking down on long rides.
Finally i went with the decision of picking the Thunderbird as my ride due to the fact that it was technologically a tad bit more advanced than the classic 500 and was a bit more comfortable.

On my 1st day out on the highway i was doing 350kms from Ahmedabad to Bhuj. That's when i first got to experience the bike. I was used to cruising at 110-120kmph on the highways but on this bike hitting 100kmph was a big task and once i did hit 100kmph i was exposed to all kinds of new vibrations. My hands and feet would go numb if kept going at 100 for a few minutes. Also stopping the bike took a considerably longer distance and time than i was used to before. On top of that i was constantly hoping that the accelerator or clutch cable doesn't break or i don't get a puncture.
My 7 days with this bike were a love hate relationship. I loved how this bike could chug along at slow speeds and how comfortable the seat was and how big is fuel tank was. But hated it for its vibrations and handling and how long it took me to cover distances. The experience of riding it for 2400 kilometres did teach me a lot and helped me become a better rider. .

"Sarkhej Roza is a mosque and tomb complex located in the village of Makarba, 7 km south-west of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, India.

Although there are many rozas across Gujarat, the Sarkhej Roza is the most revered. Sarkhej was once a prominent centre of Sufi culture in the country, where influential Sufi saint Shaikh Ahmed Ganj Baksh lived. It was on the saint's suggestion that Sultan Ahmed Shah set up his capital on the banks of the Sabarmati, a few miles away from Sarkhej.

When i arrived there it was time for their Azaan so everyone was gathered up in one area together while the Azaan went on. I was left all alone to explore the massive Sarkhej Roza and experience it in all its glory.
The view of the sunset from the balcony overlooking the pond was something to witness in person!"

"In medieval times, Mandvi in Gujarat’s Kutch district was a thriving port. Founded by Maharao Khengarji I in 1580, it was a gateway to West Asia and Africa, buzzing with trade, located as it was at the intersection of the spice route and the camel caravan route.

As maritime trade grew, traders—belonging to the seafaring Kharva community of both Hindus and Muslims—developed a new expertise: boat-making and repairing to add to their traditional navigational skills. They became adept at building their own ships, known as dhows, for use in their thriving cargo trade. Today, this almost 400-year-old tradition and craft still endures, but is clearly slowly on its way out."

"On my solo ride to guarat i visited this fort called Lakhpat fort. Lakhpat is a sparsely populated town in the Indian state of Gujarat located at the mouth of Kori Creek. The town is enclosed by 7 kms long18th-century fort walls and has a population of approximately 800 people.
Standing on top of the fort walls one can look out in the distance and see emptiness for miles and miles ahead. The feeling that one gets being all alone on top of the fort wall with nobody or nothing around for miles to come cannot be expressed, it can only be felt. This was a totally new and wonderful experience for me as i had never imagined that there could be such beautiful places in india that aren't crowded by tourists or locals."

A glimpse of the town below through the beautiful flowing couds from mullyangiri peak...

"You got to go down a lot of wrong roads to find the right one.. "