407 - 26th - Agua Azul

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 26th Jan'09

Agua Azul (Blue water) is a famous waterfall in the state of Chiapas, around 69 Kms from Palenque. This waterfall consists of many cataracts following one after another. The water is as blue as it looks in this picture & on many others posted before, and has a high mineral content. Where it falls on rocks or fallen trees it encases them in a thick shell-like coating of limestone.

The place offers a hour's trek up the hill to reach from where the water actually enters the area from a narrow crack in the mountain. The density of people inside and around the water decreases as you go up and it's clarity increases. It was probably one of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen.

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405 - 24th - Crystal clear

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 24th Dec'09

For a moment I did not realize that this particular log of wood was actually immersed in water. The way the shadows fell and practically no optical distortion due the water made me feel at the first glance as if it was lying on a sheet of gravel. Only the next moment when my eyes rested on it, I realized the presence of water.

No wonder people couldn't resist dicing into it and being there for hours.

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403 - 22nd - The angry turkey

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 22nd Jan'09

This is probably one of the most amazing behaviors of any bird I have ever seen. There was a group of turkeys having some ten females and one male bird. The male bird which usually looks different , had its tail and wings spread out and was making loud sounds every now and then. Initially I was not able to understand what is going on. But after observing the flock for some time, I realized that it actually was a way to express anger and he was driving the rest of the females back into the shelter. In a couple of minutes I could see all the birds starting running towards the house with this angry mail on their back.

As you can see in the picture, the bird at the front is heading in one direction with the male following it. Male chauvinism – yet another example.

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402 - 21st - Relaxing under the sun

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 21st Jan'09

I caught this couple in my camera just after they came out of the water and rested themselves on the shore. They were inside the water for quite some time, swimming around and playing with their friends. Once out, they just tried to catch some sunshine and relax.

I was sitting at a distance just observing the activities around me. I don't know if you have ever done it, but it is really an amazing experience to observe people and the things they do.

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401 - 20th - Thru the shade

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 20th Jan'09

We were climbing up the slope to see the place from where the water starts gushing in the waterfall of Agua Azul. It was a long way up; more or less a two kilometer trek. While on the way, I noticed this small place among the dense vegetation where the sunlight was falling on the flowing water after being filtered through the thick shade of the tress above. The sparkling water along with the rays of light coming down was a treat to the eyes.

I managed to make my way inside the place and took some shots. I wanted to go a bit further but the ground below was taking the form of a swamp. So I maintained a safe distance and tried to get the best I could.

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400 - 19th - Friendship

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 19th Jan'09

This group of friends was standing in the middle of nowhere, daring the strong current of water coming from the waterfall. Very few people dared to go that far and thus the place was more or less empty. I could hear them laugh, scream and shout in joy even against the loud noise of the falling water. Though I didn't go to the place, seeing them enjoying whole heartedly brought a smile on my face.

Friendship is really a gem of a relation. The joy which you get with your friends cannot be paralleled by any other feeling on this earth. Those loud laughters and uncontrolled humors which you get with your friends are almost impossible to be found anywhere else. This post is dedicated to all my good friends; with whom I have spent some of the most precious moments of my life.

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