Travel – Page 47 – David Kotz

Hampi, India

An exploration of the ruins of historic Vijayanagara civilization, once one of the largest and richest cities in the world.

On my very first visit to India in 2007 I learned about an amazing historic site called Hampi. Although we lived in Bangalore for much of the following year, and Hampi is in the same state, we never managed to find the time for a visit. (Even today, with a new four-lane highway almost completed, it is a 6-8 hour drive from Bangalore to Hampi.) So I’ve kept it on my mental to-do list. And now, it seems, the New York Times has listed it as #2 on its list of “52 places to go in 2019”.

Last week I was in Bangalore to speak at a conference, and next week I need to be in Hong Kong to visit a university, so I had this weekend free. I finally had my chance to visit Hampi! I spent two and a half days exploring this incredible place. Read on, and check out the photo gallery. Continue reading “Hampi, India”

Back to Bangalore

A return to Bangalore and my discovery of what has changed over four years.

Brigade Road - always a bustling place in the evening. Every time I return to Bangalore it feels a little like returning home. My family and I lived at IISc in Bangalore for a year, back in 2008-09, and I came to think of its streets and sounds and smells as my home. I had the good fortune to return every January for six years (2010 through 2015), but hadn’t been back for four years. Although my visit was short – not quite three days – it was fun to walk the streets of the city and the paths of the campus and see what’s new. Read on. Continue reading “Back to Bangalore”

Delhi and MobiCom

A quick trip to Delhi allowed me to explore a little.

I’m just back from a quick trip to Delhi – less than four days on the ground, and less than six days away from home – to attend the MobiCom conference. The conference was great – interesting talks, colleagues, and friends – but I did take some time to get out and explore the city. I’ve been there before – most recently last November – and had already seen all the major sites. This time, I was most interested in just walking the streets and seeing what I might encounter.

Police in dress uniform assemble near the India Gate in Delhi. It was a week of intense smog… though, arguably, not as bad as last year. On Monday, I visited Jama Masjid and the streets of Old Delhi. On Wednesday, I strolled down to India Gate and encountered the crowds gathered for a VIP dignatory function related to Unity Day; most interesting were the police in dress uniform, and the (all-women) SWAT team. On Friday I visited the Red Fort in Old Delhi and an old step-well in New Delhi. (The step-well was a new site for me. Interesting!)

Check out all the photos.

Ugrasen ki Baoli, a stepwell in New Delhi.

Singapore

A week in Singapore during the Ubicomp conference. Delectable!

2018-10-10-60561 I’ve just returned from Singapore, where I attended the Ubicomp/ISWC joint conference. Excellent conference, and a wonderful opportunity to catch up with colleagues from all over the world. It was also an excellent opportunity to re-visit some of Singapore’s delightful attractions, and even more notably, its delectable palate of restaurants. (My prior visit to Singapore was just over two years ago, for the MobiSys conference.) A large fraction of my photos are of the foooood. Read on!

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Costa Rica workshop

A week-long wildlife-photography workshop in Costa Rica.

I had the great pleasure of spending a week on in southwest Costa Rica, participating in a wildlife-photography workshop run by Steve & Rose Perry of BackcountryGallery.com. Anyone who follows Steve’s blog, or YouTube channel, or has read his excellent books knows that he is an incredibly knowledgeable teacher of photography and, specifically, of Nikon camera techniques. For me, it was a great opportunity to focus intensively on photography, surrounded by other photo enthusiasts and accompanied by a master photographer and deeply experienced wildlife guides. Read on, and check out the photo galleries!

Central American squirrel monkey, drinking from a puddle in the knot of a tree branch.

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Yosemite

We took a brief family vacation in Yosemite Park, late June 2018. The first day we walked the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoia trees and visited the Glacier Point overlook. The second day we hiked a loop up to Lower Yosemite Falls, then up to Vernal Falls via the Mist Trail. The third day we walked from Glacier Point down the Panorama Trail, past Illilouette Falls, Nevada Falls, and Vernal Falls; later we caught sunset from Tunnel View point. The final morning I snapped sunrise at Valley View, and later we visited Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Chapel, Sentinel Bridge, and Valley View, before driving back to San Francisco. Hot and crowded, but beautiful!

Just back from a brief family vacation in Yosemite National Park. Somehow, I’d never managed to visit this gem of the park system, and have long been eager to do so. John is interning in silicon valley this summer so it provided the perfect excuse for the rest of us to hop out there to spend three days in the park. We were fortunate to have clear, sunny weather throughout – though it was hot (over 90° every day) and crowded. It was nonetheless a great place for me to test a new batch of camera gear. Read on for the full story – and photos! Continue reading “Yosemite”

Zion from sunrise to sunset

I had the great pleasure of spending 24 hours in Zion National Park, as a quick respite from the hustle and bustle of work life and a conference in Las Vegas. (After a brief visit to Zion in 2014, I knew I needed to come back for more!) I arrived at sunset on Monday and left at sunset on Tuesday, with the aim of doing several hikes and making the best of this photographer’s paradise. It had snowed over the weekend, so the high cliffs were dusted white, but the weather for my visit portended clear blue skies, a frigid morning, and a warm sunny afternoon. Read on, and check out the photo gallery. The photos are much more beautiful there!

David at Canyon Overlook, soon after sunrise.

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Mystical India

Two lovely weeks touring northern India with Dartmouth Alumni Travel. Magical! More stories, and photos, in this blog post.

I’ve just returned from India, where Pam and I had the opportunity to host a Dartmouth Alumni Travel group for a two-week tour of the history, architecture, culture, and arts of northern India. We joined a wonderful group of 12 interesting individuals, and an outstanding tour guide from Odysseys Unlimited, for a bustling tour of Delhi, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Agra, and Varanasi. I think what struck me most about the agenda was its fascinating mix of the sights (palaces, temples, mosques, etc.) with the culture (villages, markets, families. religion) and arts (dance, music, weaving, pottery, jewelry, stonework, carpets, and even paper). Read on for a summary of our journey, and for a sampling of the many photos!

Continue reading “Mystical India”

Alpine hike in Switzerland

I was in Zurich for meetings and managed to set aside a day for hiking in the high country to the east. Fresh snow and low clouds made for an eerily quite day in the mountains.

I was in Zurich for a day of meetings and decided it would be a great opportunity to go hiking in the beautiful mountains of Switzerland. So, despite earlier stops in Dallas (for ACM CCS) and Delft (for ACM SenSys) I brought along my backpack, boots, and full winter hiking gear. On Wednesday morning, after lots of helpful advice from my ETH colleagues, I boarded an eastbound train from Zurich. Read on for the full story, and check out the photos. Continue reading “Alpine hike in Switzerland”

Delft, in The Netherlands

I enjoyed a couple of quick days in the historic district of Delft, The Netherlands, while attending the SafeThings workshop in advance of SenSys 2017. Although it rained on and off, the picturesque streets and canals were a delight to explore. I also ducked into the Old Church and New Church (both hundreds of years old), for a peek at their excellent exhibits. I stayed in Hotel Johannes Vermeer, named after the famous painter, so I was especially interested in those exhibits. Beautiful town! See the photos; the one below is from my hotel room (which was a 4th-floor attic!).