Getty Center, LA

While I was planning my trip, one of my uncles [in Chennai] insisted I visit the Getty centre. I had seen pictures from grandparents' earlier visit and knew it would be a lovely place. I did not know much about the place, except that it was all about art and there was a huge garden within the campus. On my last day in LA, after having a relaxed breakfast, I made my way to the bus stand to head to Getty Centre. The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as "Getty", is situated in the Brentwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles.. There is another centre, The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa located in Malibu.

A short bus ride took me straight to the main entrance, where I was told to go to the place where electric tram took us up the hill to the main Getty centre. From there you are free to wander about. Everything is free, there is plenty of open space, benches to sit and enjoy the view from, a couple of galleries displaying different kinds of art, and of course the garden down below. There are also guided tours at specific timings.  And as with every place, there are a couple of gift shops selling interesting stationery to bags , toys and more..  The art collection features Western art from the Middle Ages to the present. It is said that over 1.3 million visitors annually, making it one of the most visited museums in the United States. 

I noticed there was a Garden tour in half an hour. After enquiring about the assembly point, I began wander around the grounds.  Situated atop the hill, it offers a 360 view of the city below, with such beautiful vistas all around.

Keeping the various elements around, the architect Richard Meier designed the complex to highlight both nature and culture. The lady who gave the garden tour explained in length about the architecture and the architect's mind as well. From that, Richard Meier sounds a bit like someone with a major OCD. 

The walls are all beige, they are fitted with 30x30 inch squares that flow seamlessly from the ceiling to the floor and around. 

The trees in the centre are all aligned to be in line, they are also white flower blooming trees as Meier would not have other colours in the complex. 

When they asked him to plant a coral tree, the tree of LA, he made sure to put it behind a wall,so it did not mess up the rest of the space. :D

*mind voice- damn this guy must have been crazy, wonder what he was like at home*

The smaller plants are also white flower blooming ones..

There were few other trees which were in a straight line, Sequoia trees.. They all looked like a military man had blown the whistle and ordered them to stand straight. 

Wait, there is more. Cos trees have roots and have roots have a mind of their own which could lead to them changing positions over time, these trees are all planted in giant boxes which have then been hidden into the ground.. 

As for the garden, that was put together by Robert Irwin. The main garden is in three parts-- the Stream Garden, the plaza and the Bowl Garden. They have zig-zagged down the Stream's path, passed the bougainvillea shooting from rebar bowers[ a smaller version of what you see in Singapore gardens], crossed over the water cascading into the pool below, then strolled into the intimate, exuberant spirals of the Bowl, centered on its water-bound azalea maze. The past year saw the state go through terrible drought followed by rains. During the drought season, the Government shut off water and so the garden is pretty dry with nothing but succulents all across. The zig zag path is also dry and so we did not see/enjoy what Irwin had designed. 

Oh and even the trees around the campus - they are all pruned to a certain height, almost  looking like someone gave them a bad haircut. In one area, there is a long walkway with mauve pillars, around which are wines with purple flowers in them. Now these were allowed, but had to be trimmed and kept in a certain way acc to the architect. 

The day was quite windy, infact during certain moments I thought it was gonna whisk me away. After the tour, I spent some time exploring the art galleries, there are quite a few water bodies, ponds and interesting sculptures scattered through the property. I also picked up some souvenir at the store and grabbed a cup of coffee at one of the many kiosks outside. It is a beautiful place to just sit and soak it all in. 

Soon it was time to bid adieu to this magical place and head back down. The tram awaits... adios... 

Pretty Pansy in Ooty

During my visits to Ooty, spending a few hours at the Botanical Garden has become a routine of sorts. This time too i was there with friends, mainly cos it was my friend's 1st time in Ooty and because the gardens provided the kids open space to run and have some fun. 

I noticed this peculiar flower during my earlier visits as well. This time, i went up to a lady sitting nearby [who  had a bucket and a broomstick, and looked like someone who took care of the place] and enquired about this flower. She said it was called the Pansy, and dint know any more. They always remind me of Master Shifu from Kung Fu panda. the tiny face, focussed eyes and cute structure i guess.  Here are some shots from the recent visits and finally one from my earlier visit. 

                                                More from Ooty can be seen/read here

The Thread Gardens in Ooty

I walked out of the Botanical Gardens thirsty for more.. I wanted to explore Ooty some more.. I knew i might not have time the coming few days and decided to make the most of the day left. Hopped into an auto, and asked him to take me to the Lake.. I had no plans of going Boating, but wanted to walk around, enjoy the place. 

As i got off near the Boat house entrance, i noticed a board across the road "Thread gardens". The place looked run down and unkempt. But i dint let that alter my decision... Few short steps and i was at Ticket counter. The entry is Rs10 and additional Rs15 if you wish to take pictures. I noticed a man standing near the entrance, and the minute he saw people coming by, he got ready. He spoke about the gardens, the items on display and what was unique about them. 

This beautiful garden has been created by Mr. Antony Joseph and his team of 50 workers over 12years. Nearly 6cr meters of embroidery thread has been used in creating this one of a kind garden. And, to top it off, no machine has been used to create the flowers, lawns, ponds and so on. They have all been done by hand. Amazing...  You need to see it to believe it... 

A self invented technology called 'Four Dimensional hand-wound Embroidery' was utilized in creating the garden. There are over 400 different colours apart from the natural coloured threads that have been used across the display.  

Cardboards formed the base for the flowers and petals while copper& Steel wires became stems, all of which have been covered with colourful threads.  In all, there were about 150 kinds of flower and decors which will remain fresh and alive for years to come.  

Infact, as the walk through the gardens came to an end, i spotted a table with a few individual flower plants nestled within glass case for sale. These too had been painstakingly woven from thread....Beautiful.. I couldnt imagine having so much patience, doing such intricate weaving by hand...

Garden of Five Senses

  As we got out of the car, the metal sculptures on the gate was what greeted us. We were at the Garden of Five Senses. A park in Saidul Ajaib village, near the Mehrauli heritage area in Delhi. You cant really call it a part, its not a garden nor is it just a center for fun...

There are plenty of trees and plants scattered through the vast space, there are interesting sculptures around every corner. Once you enter the gates, all you see is open space, and plenty of it, stretching far beyond the eye can see..
 

The sculptures have are all a symbol of modern art, created by master craftsmen...  Amongst the innumerable marvelous pieces are a few in  terracotta and stainless steel ..

One of which reminded me of a pinwheel, one with bells around every tier and another that reminded me of the paper fan we get in the beaches....

The leaves and bells seem to flutters with every gush of wind and creates one in hearts too. They were beautiful.. The beauty is that all these are scattered and you will have to walk around the winding lanes, through quite a plethora of flora... 

 The other unique piece of art here is the row of children sitting for class. It is so life like, that we had to literally walk near the sculptures to make sure they were made of stone... Wow, it was fascinating....

Walking around the park, we spotted a row of stones arranged like stairs that led to an amphitheater... On the other side were a few colorful pieces that resembled children's play area and we also discovered a cafe and a few boutique stores... 

Spare yourself a couple of hours to wander the space and enjoy the sights and sounds... But watch your step, cos you never know if you are going up or down in the Garden of Five senses...

Its been about 3yrs since i was here.. wonder what kind of changes have happened... :-) If you do visit, let me know how it is now :)

As the crow fllies

During our 2nd day at the resort, we were walking along a slushy path towards the coir village, to watch a few women and maybe the learn the trick of making coir threads from coconut fiber. A few steps ahead, my friend M was walking, her camera ready to capture anything interesting. i was trailing behind her when suddenly she drew to a halt and motioned me towards her with a finger on her lips. 

M: Aarti, look there it is again. the common crow... They seem to be romancing ... :)

Me: oh yes, how pretty... 

Ani who was walking ahead with her son exclaimed.. 'hello, we see the common crow all over back home, what is wrong with you both"[giggles]

Me: Ahem, Ani, this is not a crow... this is a butterfly di.. 

A: Oops.. my bad, was wondering why you girls are gushing over the boring crow... :)

The beautiful butterfly called 'Common Indian crow" we saw quite a bit through our stay at the Coir Village Resort in Kerala.

The Common Crow is a glossy black butterfly with brown underside and little white marks along the outer margins of the wing. The wingspan is about 8-9 cm and the body also has prominent white spots that you cant miss.

Wiki: It is found everywhere in India, right up into the mountains till 8000 feet. Occasionally it swarms in the low, wet jungles of South India due to the abundance of its food plants which are spread over three orders of plants.
 

We saw quite a few of these beauties over the next few days in  Kerala, apart from few other varieties...

The Gardens beckon

It had been 10years since my last visit to Ooty,and memories came flooding as the bus reached Ooty. While waiting for a ride to take me to the YWCA[charring cross], my mind began wandering listening to the conversations floating in the air from the group standing next to me. They spoke about going boating, to a thread garden and then to Coonoor.

It was the month of May, Chennai was crazy hot and Ooty was so cool and windy... I knew i was going to love the 5days there...  The room i stayed in was within walking distance from the gardens and so that was where i headed the 1st day... Grabbing a sandwich and coffee at Cafe Coffee Day, armed with my camera and wallet i made my way to the Botanical garden

This Botanical Garden was laid out in 1847 by the Marquis of Tweedale and is spread over 55 acres. Lush green well maintained lawns, rare tree species (like the cork tree which is probably the only such tree in India, the paper bark tree and the monkey puzzle tree - monkeys cannot climb this tree), a 20 million year old fossilized tree, an Italian-style garden bordering a clear pool, a vast variety of flowering bushes and plants in myriad hues (exotic and ornamental), fern house with a vast range of ferns and orchids, are some of the many highlights of this garden

The beautiful horse cart that stood at the entrance of the garden....

The infamous India Map....













I walked for nearly 2hours and i knew i had seen not more than 30% of the park, that is how vast this garden was..... There were people everywhere, some were wandering about, while others had plonked to rest their feet or grab some lunch. It resembled a picnic spot of sorts... Ofcourse not to forget the zillions who wanted their picture taken near every tree, pond and the various canopies... Was quite amusing....

 The Tree stump that was over 300 yrs old...

These flowers reminded me of  Master Shifu, the red panda from Kung Fu panda... 

 Hidden within was this quaint little building...

 A pretty flower in the Glass house situated right in the center

 The Three headed cactus as i call it..

As i was walking around the garden, a lady called me over asking if i would take a "picture" of her and her husband near a plant.. I obliged and did the same... She then went on to tell me how they were newly married and in Ooty for their honeymoon... A few minutes later, she stared at me as if waiting for a similar story from my end... 

"I am actually here on work, and had a free day, so came to visit the gardens"i replied.. The husband was stumped- i literally saw his mouth gape open... "You have come alone? How.. Why.... "... Managed to wiggle out of there after muttering a few sentences, which i could see had them puzzled... Luckily, the phone rang and i escaped the eyes of the newlyweds!! :D  

People and their opinions

Places and their beauty........

Day 12 Bells

The city that we all love

A city with a lot of power

beautiful buildings

tall towers

A place surrounded with history

Rooted deep with our country

Gates and gardens

scattered across we shall see

Who am i? 

If you are able to identify these 2pics [both are from the same place],

you'll know the name of the place/city.... :)

Lal Bagh...Flowers, Feathered friends, and Fotography

It was saturday, and i was up at 5.45am - much to my aunt's surprise and ready to scoot by 6am.. What was the occasion? Was going to Lal Bagh Gardens to catch the sunrise and shoot a few pictures of the beautiful gardens... the previous night, while chatting with a friend, he mentioned that he had plans of heading to the gardens and i jumped saying am coming...Infact i wasnt even sure if i had my camera since i was staying over at an aunt's house just that night [ had asked friend to bring me his digi cam]

Lady luck was grinning down at me, i had my camera...Borrowed a shawl from aunt[am not a shawl sweather person, but travelling by auto in chill weather can be taunting..hence the cover]... Reached the gardens at 6.30 and began the journey that was not only beautiful but peaceful.

In the midst of all the walkers and joggers, i stood out strolling through the various lanes, soaking in the beauty of nature, clicking at random things that caught my eye..Paused near the glass house to see if anything from the flower show remained.. The Qutb Minar and A lady with the pot of water were the only ones waiting , as if they knew i was coming...

As i strode along the gardens, a sense of calm and peace settled over me...Amidst the morning busy bees, i happily let myself get lost.. There were times i paused to enjoy the sight of squirrels scurrying about, the Brahmini Kite chase a lone crow, few stray dogs look at me like they knew me and were protecting me....

Those few hours were blissful..I was lost in my own world, with my thoughts and cherished it all.. My friend, the one who was to have come early, reached about half hour later, and from there on, we chatted, took more photographs and caught up on our lives..

Explored new parts of the park i had never been to, shared a few laughs over the pelicans that were flying about, one sitting right on top of a dead tree.. the crows longing for attention eeverytime we tried taking a picture of the pelican or the lotus in the pond or the lovely palm trees...

Spotted quite a few grey heron, pond heron, kites, kingfisher, drongo, spotted dove, bulbul, cormoron, parrots and some others which i had never seen before... Shot a video of a bird so i could show it to my cousin to identify it.. Was good fun....

There are times when being alone is just what we need and for me, it is precious. I long to escape the hustle bustle, people, thoughts, deadlines, future and everything else that make our Life what it is...

With so much around us, i realised, its all upto us to find what makes me happy, what keeps us grounded and what drives us ahead...

For more pictures of Lal Bagh click here ... Off on another adventure!!! write to you soon!!