m̌ ḫ's photos

This photograph was taken in Guwahati, the capital of Assam, India, on an older iPhone. We were staying with our friends Manna and Yuveka. It had been raining all day, and when the rain eased a little we went out to see the town. Down by the banks of the Brahmaputra – a huge, majestic and muddy river – I took a few shots of the boatmen. I don’t know their stories, unfortunately; I can only guess that these are small transport or fishing canoes. If anyone knows more about life on the river here, I would be very glad to hear their experiences.

You do not need to go trekking to experience the Himalayas. Even from the Kathmandu Valley, it is possible to catch remarkable views of the range. The valley itself sits in a basin at about 1,350 meters, surrounded by hills that often block distant sightlines. Yet just 65–80 km to the north, the Himalayas rise dramatically, with peaks such as Langtang, Ganesh, Manaslu, Gaurishankar, and even Everest. From higher viewpoints like Nagarkot (2,200 meters), about 30 km east of Kathmandu, the perspective changes completely. The hills drop away, revealing a wide panorama of the valley below and a continuous line of snow-covered peaks along the horizon. In clear conditions, the individual mountains become sharply defined, highlighting their immense scale.

Hill Fort-Kesroli is a 14th‑century fort in Village Kesroli, Alwar district, Rajasthan. Built about 700 years ago by the Yaduvanshi Rajputs—who traced their lineage to Lord Krishna—the seven‑turreted fortress served as a defensive stronghold and marked the emergence of the Mewat region. In the mid‑14th century the Khanzadas, descendants of the Yadavas whose ancestor Sambharpal Yadav converted to Islam during Firuz Shah Tughlaq’s reign (1351–1388), controlled the fort and governed the area for roughly two centuries. The fort returned to Rajput control in 1775 with the founding of the princely state of Alwar and later flourished under Ranawat Thakur Bhawani Singh (1882–1934). Restoration work began in the 1990s and the site was adapted for visitor accommodation by the late 1990s. In 2004 the property was leased to a hotel group and restored with an emphasis on retaining original architectural features. The fort stands atop dark Hornstone Breccia in the Aravalli Hills, offering panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

From this panoramic pic, you can appreciate the greatness of this tree: a centuries-old kapok (Ceiba pentandra) standing amid Bangalore’s Indian megacity hustle. This giant reaches up to 200 feet tall with a trunk over 3m feet across, supported by massive tripod-like buttresses that resemble gigantic human feet. Though kapoks grow astonishingly fast — up to 4m per year — this specimen has survived over 200 years, making it a rare, ancient landmark in Lalbagh Botanical Garden. Its umbrella-shaped crown spreads in horizontal tiers like a pagoda, sheltering dozens of birds, frogs, and plants in its own canopy ecosystem. Sacred to the Maya, who believed souls ascended to heaven through its highest branches, the kapok also produces silky fibers eight times lighter than cotton, once used in WW2 life preservers. In the city’s hubbub, this living monument reminds us of nature’s enduring majesty.

Lalbagh Botanical Garden is a 240‑acre horticultural marvel housing India’s largest collection of tropical and sub‑tropical plants, with 1,854 species from places like Persia, Afghanistan, and France. Its most dramatic natural treasure is the centuries-old Kapok, White Silk-Cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra), a 200‑ to 300‑year‑old giant with a buttressed trunk reaching 25–30 meters tall. In spring, the Kapok blooms with huge orange‑scarlet flowers, and by mid‑June its dark‑green pods burst to spill fluffy white silk‑cotton that looks like cotton and feels like silk. The garden also features about 14 other giant silk‑cotton trees with massive girth and roots that form hollow spaces large enough for an adult to hide, alongside the Crystal Palace‑inspired Glass House, a 3‑billion‑year‑old rock, manicured flowerbeds, and a floral clock that changes design with each season.

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