Indian Ocean at #Tsitsikamma National Park @SANParks #GardenRoute #SouthAfrica

Hi Friends, 

A video journey of the Indian Ocean at Tsitsikamma Nature Reserve till the road is built. The rest of the journey from the car park is generally done on foot via mountain hikes and this is one of the most beautiful places in Garden Route. The suspension bridge is around 2kms walk and hike from this place. 

There are so many options at this venue from stay options to good food to adventure sports - you can easily spend some days and nights here. 

Next time if I have to go to a place on Garden Route, I will book accommodation here and stay for 5-6 days here and come back. I really loved this place and would definitely want to go back to nature, mountains, and the Indian Ocean. The video and pictures are taken using Canon 77D with a USM 18-135 mm kit lens. Cheers!!!

Sawubona!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

#Dehradoon Mountains and a Live #Guitar Jamming Session #LiveForTheStory #India

Hi Friends, 

Sometimes when you are roaming around near the mountains you come across experience which is totally divine and will take you towards a nostalgic journey. On my trip to Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India I went on a bike to the mountains which is parallel to the ones which take you to Masoori which is a hill station worth going. My brother-in-law's house is right near the place and we went to see a temple on the top of the mountain. When we were crossing the bridge, we saw a group of local artists jamming some tunes on Guitar and asked me not to take his photos. I only took the music and showcasing the mountains and the valley around the bridge along with birds chirping and winds blowing. The video is shot using Canon 77D video in auto mode. 

Do comment on which song he is playing on his guitar and let's see how is your Music Quotient?

In India, you will definitely find some temples established on all of the mountain ranges which locals believe that protects them as well as the surroundings. We too saw some on the way up the hill and reached the top of the hill hiking as the bike could not go further on the mountains. 

Sawubona!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

Air Show @Rand_Show #Joburg #SA #PhotoYatra #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends,

Rand Show is one of the annual events in Johannesburg, South Africa which goes on for at least 2 weekends and weekdays in between which means around 9 days in total. The tickets are fully booked online before the start of the show as the show offers the best of South Africa under the multiple roofs of Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec. 

The place is too big to be walked in a single day and that's why people take a weekend ticket or start as early as possible when the gates open on weekends. The place is full and there are lines everywhere as it offers plenty of activities, food stalls, African arts and crafts, and various other popup shops from around the world. The parking is huge and you have to park your car right in front of the entrance gates which is showcased on your tickets else you won't be able to find your vehicle after the closing time of the show. 

Also, Rand show offers various kinds of Air Shows as per the schedule performed by various divisions of the Military and Air Force of South Africa. This is a pleasant sight where you will see various military tanks, vehicles, aircraft where you can enter and take photos too. The forces will also explain the functionality of each and every vehicle in detail. 

The airshow is one of the best highlights of this big festival and can be watched from the open-air auditorium easily and also from any place you are standing around the same. I could take some shots using Canon 77D - 18-125mm USM lens at the event in 2019. I hope you will like them as I totally loved the aircraft with the wings design and South African flag on the tails. 

The show took me to my memories of my class XI and XII when I used to study in Kendriya Vidyalaya in Air Force Station, Sirsa and we used to see MIGs flying and sometimes performing for us especially once a year or so. 

Sawubona!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

Flowers Are Divinity Smiling On You @SANBI_ZA #Lowveld #SA #PhotoYatra #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends, 

Flowers are something which brings Smiles to each and every one of us from time to time and this is a single flower shot that I took at Lowveld Botanical Garden in Nelspruit, South Africa using Canon 77D and kit lens. 

All these photos are straight from the camera and no filter has been applied or no saturation has been done on these photographs to maintain nature's best smiles on all of us. 

Flowers have full biological names for petals, filament, Stigma, Style, Ovary, Anther, Pedicel, Sepal and so many other technical names which I used to learn when I had biology and botany as a subject in my undergraduate or high school. 

Lowveld Botanical Garden is one of the national gardens maintained by SAN Parks in South Africa and I have been to most of them and will share in detail about that garden in some other post. 

There is so much detail in the focus in different photographs in this post telling us that we are all born with many strengths and weaknesses and shall work on improving them and showcasing them to the world for their appreciation or criticism. Similar is the life I am living on The Life's Way where I share my content and photographs with the users from around the world searching for without our knowledge. He can appreciate our efforts or say that this photo or review is such a waste but our efforts were pure in nature as it's a service we are doing with our whole heart and with passion without any financial benefits whatsoever. Let's continue to do so!

Cheers!!!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

Crocodile Stood Still #DinosaurPark #Sudwala #SA #PhotoYatra #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends, 

Crocodiles are one of my favorites wildlife animals due to its capacity to stay calm till the time of the attack and they can still themselves like made of rock or something fooling other animals and even human beings. 

Recently, we went to Sudwala Caves which is one of the oldest caves in South Africa which has not been uncovered fully and it is believed that the stalagmites and stalactites inside are thousands of years old. 

Next to the caves, there is a Dinosaur Park which has all the kinds of dinosaurs in their full avatar made up for kids to learn and enjoy. This park has a separate ticket and it gives you a walking tour to see all the animals in an artificial jungle setup. 

Though there is not much for adults they definitely need to go as there are some crocodiles at one end of the park which is far in a deep hole. 

But at the start or the end of the park depending on how you start the tour - clockwise or anticlockwise, there is this small wall which has these two big crocodiles which look like artificials and kids can easily climb the wall. 

My daughter and her friend were totally fooled and they thought it to be not real or alive but then I showed them the breathing mouth which was pulsating and it was so dangerous. 

All the photos are taken by Aashish Rai using Canon EOS 77D camera. 

Sawubona!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

Lotus in the Pond @Walkersons Hotel #Dullstroom #SA #PhotoYatra #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends, 

Last few days I have been thinking about my life and it didn't give me enough courage to come and open the laptop as I was totally uninterested and demotivated to do anything. 

But when I thought about myself a little longer, I found that I have qualities which even if no one can see now but the process of improvement is going on and the qualities are improving. 

I am like a Lotus which despite being surrounded by dust and mud and water flourishes and gets directly to the garlands of the Almighty Lord. 

I am like a Lotus which despite being surrounded by people who have no big dreams flourishes by his own hard work and no support from anyone. 

I am like a Lotus which not only grows using the resources available to him but also gives back his beauty, fragrance and stems to the community. 

I will help not only blossom myself fully but also the people around me. My touch and friendship will grow them too. 

One day will come when I will meet nature and the five elements and then my legacy will grow and make this pond a view to cherish. 

All photos are taken by Aashish Rai using Canon 77D at Walkersons Resort during a Day visit to Dullstroom which is around 265 km far from Johannesburg, South Africa. Whilst day entry is free, this only allows people access to the hotel building and surrounding gardens, horse riding & pre-booked spa treatments. Day visitors are NOT permitted to roam around the estate for walks, fishing, or photography. The hotel is situated on a private estate and as such has to follow the rules of the Homeowners Association. Guests who are booked into the hotel / self-catering houses on the estate have full access to all areas and facilities but this is restricted for day visitors.

Sawubona!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

Owl On Its Own @MontecasinoZA #BirdGardens #PhotoYatra #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends, 

Montecasino Bird Garden is really different from the Zoo as there is more interaction with the birds at the venue. They offer flights of birds program every weekend at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm depending on the weather. 

Montecasino offers 3 types of rewards card which offers you discounted tickets to the Bird Gardens. The lowest card offers around 30% discount on the entry tickets and can be made at the venue using your passport. 

This little one was too cute and flew from the entrance point to the place where the trainer asked him/her to. 

The owl traveled too fast and I could only take some photos using my Canon 77D camera. Even while flying he kept his eyes on his/her target. 

They have really sharp eyes and can turn their head up to 270 degrees too. As he was near the stage and we were sitting right on the second stairs, I could take these photos which I could never take earlier. 

You will immediately fall in love with so many birds at the Montecasino Bird Gardens where the tickets are just around R80 without any discounts. 

The trainer gave the bird a piece of meat for following her instructions and giving viewers something to enjoy on that particular show. 

The owl had confidence like he/she is there on the stage to receive the Oscars and looked at all the audience sitting on both sides of the stage. 

In the end, Owl is just asking will you keep me on my own or will you come to meet me at Bird Gardens in Montecasino, Johannesburg, South Africa and enjoy your best days of life. 

Sawubona!

Namaste!!!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

Not so alone at Lone Creek Falls #Sabie #SouthAfrica #PhotoYatra #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends,

Let's take you to the journey to the province of Mpumalanga where cities like Sabie, Graskop, and Hazyview form a kind of triangle and there are so many places, viewpoints, waterfalls, and more to visit around these towns. 

In this part of the journey, we are going to Lone Creek Falls which are around 12km from Sabie, 50km from Lydenburg, 107km from Dullstroom which was my starting point to go visit the waterfalls. The waterfalls from around 68m height from the hill and the best part are that you can enter and take a bath if you have brought your swimsuits. 

Along the way, you will find the highest road from Sea level in South Africa and it was really awesome as my watch showed the validity of the claim too using its altimeter along with the GPS. It only happens if you cross Mt. Anderson Nature Reserve from a single road crossing the reserve from Lydenburg to Sabie. 

Once we reached the Old Lydenburg road it was a gravel road on and off and once you reach the gates of the falls, you need to buy tickets per person and per car. The fees are not so high as it's around R10 per person. Once you park the car outside, you enter a forested area that is around 200m walk to the falls which has several stairs up and down. 

Once you reach the falls, the beauty is amazing and the sound waterfalls make it the best experience to the ears along with the sound of birds and crickets chirping in the jungle.

There is plenty of space for braai and toilet facilities are also available adjoining the parking area in a park. People from the area come in huge numbers on public holidays and weekends to enjoy the falls with their family and friends. I would definitely say that you can avoid going on weekends if you don't like crowds. 

Kids totally enjoyed the falls and people enjoyed watching the falls from various pedestals made at Lone Creek Falls near Sabie, South Africa. My little one wanted to enter the water and did so by wetting his feet in the pool. Moreover, there were so many small fishes in the pool that used to eat your dead skin of the feet if you keep them still for some time which gives a tickling sensation. 

Here is a snap of me and my family to confirm that I was there and totally loved the place. I am not sure if this is correct to share my personal photos here but I think it adds to the beauty of the place more than anything. All the photos are taken by Aashish Rai using Canon 77D camera with an 18-135mm USM kit lens. 

Sawubona!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

Rhino & It's Horns @RhinoandLionSA #PhotoYatra #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends, 

Rhino is of the Big 5 animals South Africa is famous for and what a beautiful animal this is but is mostly sought-after by the poachers because of its horns. 

Some people believe that Rhino horns can give them some kind of power to fight some of the deadly diseases which is totally superstition as these can also be cured using allopathic medicines. 

In some of the big national parks like Kruger National Park, they don't even map the spots at camps for fellow travelers where rhinos are roaming as poachers are trying every day in the night to kill either an elephant or rhino. 

Rhino loves to stay and roam with its family and is purely vegetarian but has power equivalent to many big animals like elephants. 

What happened with us at the Lion and Rhino Nature reserve when we first traveled that a rhino came charging as we kept our engines ON of the car and it was disturbing him a lot. 

With the kind of horn this rhino has, he could easily turn the car upside down and even kill some people as the sharp horn can easily penetrate anyone. 

He came almost at the corner of the road while we backed our vehicle in reverse and took it as far as we can from the spot. 

Rhino is one of the most aggressive animals and that is the criteria of Big 5 in South Africa. The hippopotamus is also big but his anger gets cooled down immediately and doesn't like to chase people whereas Rhino will chase you till he can. 

In the end, what everyone needs is to spend time with the family taking care of them and protecting them. But we as a human need to protect animals like Rhinos from ourselves only and all those superstitions that horns can take our sickness away and not medicines. All these photos are taken using a Sony Cybershot point and shoot camera at Lion and Rhino Nature Reserve, Johannesburg, South Africa. This private nature reserve is around 35 km from the center of the city and belongs in the area known as Cradle of Humankind which will be covered in the posts later. 

Sawubona!!!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

Long Walk To Suspension Bridge #Tsitsikamma #SouthAfrica #PhotoYatra #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends,

Let's take you to the most beautiful place I have seen in South Africa and a long walk to see the Storms River Mouth and the suspension bridge above the same. It comes in the world-famous Garden Route which starts from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town and you drive all the way from one end to another and you are driving along the Indian Ocean throughout and will meet the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Agulhas. 

It starts when you enter the Tsitsikamma National Park by taking a day visitor pass and as per your VISA/PR/SA ID status, you will be charged accordingly. Once you are inside, you reach a point where you can park your car and enjoy the view and also can have lunch at the restaurant. 

If you can get accommodation inside the Tsitsikamma National Park nothing like that as you can travel further than the suspension bridge to the top of the mountains as it will take half a day of trekking to reach there and come back. 

The suspension bridge was built in 1969 by Jacky De Vos and repaired in 1996 by Haggie Rand and again rebuilt in 2006 by SAN Parks and Haggie Rand. 

This is the first look of the bridge from the top and then you take the stairs downwards to reach the bridge. It's a 77m long bridge above the 7m height of the water and the river underneath is 9m deep and man this thing oscillates like anything.

You definitely have to take care while walking the bridge and the path to reach there is too tiring as you need to go down some 500 meters and then coming back up is a problem. 

My parents who were on this journey with us just left the trail at the first stopover and returned to enjoy the Indian ocean views. The winds were really strong and I totally loved the Vitamin Sea as they say it. 

You can also hire kayaks and come to this point and go back to the starting point saving you from all the walking stairs up and down. It was really tiring for me and my family to reach this spot. 

This is a place I would definitely go back for its hikes and the view of the ocean and the mountains. I love to climb mountains and hopefully, I will be fit enough to reach the top of the Tsitsikamma Mountains. 

In the end just to prove that I was there and my family too was there here are some of the photos taken during the journey to and fro from the bridge to the parking. The bridge was oscillating too heavily that I had to hold the wire as I had a great chance to fall as my legs were shaking too. 

And while climbing up the stairs, my heartbeat went so high that I took a break and sat on the floor of the stairs and I was all wet in sweat. My wife who took the child on our first part of the journey told me that you have to carry him back to the parking and it was definitely tiring for me who doesn't do any kind of physical activity on a daily basis or is not a member of any gym whatsoever. 

There were a lot of lessons learned from this trip that you shall always wear shorts, proper shoes, carry fewer things, carry water and leave kids behind if you can. But what is life without the family to even enjoy any view and I don't think I would be so happy if I would have come alone to this end of the bridge? All photos were taken by Aashish Rai using the Canon 77D DSLR camera 18-135mm USM kit lens at Tsitsikamma National Park, South Africa. 

Sawubona!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!