The mystery tour sponsored by Nokia has just ended and I am back home finally , but I wish i was at the Dudhsagar waterfalls, which I had visited over the weekend as part of the tour.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Life is a beach
Day two of my mystery tour and I went birding in a sanctuary that is named after a famous religious saint or deity , then stopped at a cashew processing unit and finally went to a beach and went parasailing ..go ahead and make your guesses..I am on the road again and will connect with you in a short while
To see more wonderful skies, visit Skywatch
To see more wonderful skies, visit Skywatch
Thursday, January 27, 2011
A 13th century temple that gives a name to a village
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Join me on a mystery tour
Tomorrow I leave on a mystery tour to an unknown destination. Join me on this tour as I don the role of one of Nokia's N8 explorers - the destination is a mystery as I leave behind clues for you on my blog, facebook and twitter pages. I do request you to follow me on this fun trip as there is an opportunity to win goodies,if you can guess where I am.. You can follow the trails I leave behind in this Nokia N8 page on facebook
Monday, January 24, 2011
Where would you like to be this Monday ?
I am going to be in a train today heading back home to Bangalore, after a fabulous trip in Madras. Given a choice, I would stay back in this warm city this Monday - what about you ?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A morning at Marina
It was an impromptu decision to go to marina beach this morning and I spent about half an hour there enjoying the silence of the morning. Here is a view of the beach, bathed in the warmth of the rising sun. I have uploaded a few more photographs on my facebook page - you can click here
Monday, January 17, 2011
Where would you like to go this Monday ?
Another Monday, another day at work and it is not easy to shrug the weekend off..So while you get on with work, indulge in a bit of day dreaming ? Where would you like to be this Monday ? I would like to be on the banks of the River Bhadra in the River tern Lodge , just now
Saturday, January 15, 2011
A morning with the birds - Thattekadu - Part 3
The Periyar river faded out of our view as we drove down the forest and entered the Salim Ali bird Sanctuary. Shaji stopped the car and a thin ,petite woman with a very warm smile greeted us ." I am Girish's mother, " said Sudha in crisp English , welcoming us to her abode. " It was one of those moments that make you warm up to a perfect stranger and I realized that it was the first of the many impressions that Sudha made on me during the trip.
A simple house stood right inside the sanctuary . We got out of the car and stretched. Mittu, the stray and family pet sniffed us over as Sudha single handedly lifted our luggage amidst protests and deftly climbed the steps to the first floor. " I will show you to your room." A clean hygenic room with an attached bath and balcony awaited us. "You freshen up madam and I will take you to Girish . "
As we munched some biscuits over tea, Sudha uttered a volley of Malayalam to Shaji. I smiled and murmured , " Malayalam koccha ariyum" That broke the ice..I was one among them. Girish's grandmother and Sudha almost hugged me , while his wife smiled..Its amazing I thought, how a few words of the native tongue is enough to break the ice. I cannot speak the language, but could understand a bit of it, hailing from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
Anyways, tea and biscuits were over and we were back in the car with Shaji and Sudha . Sudha was a livewire . " I am very busy madam - this is season time, many guests , " she said, adding as we passed a government school " This is my school, Ive now adjusted my time with another teacher."Some locals exchanged pleasantries as Sudha went on to say how she juggles a homestay, a school, work in the sanctuary and even catering. " I was just a housewife madam, till my husband passed away ," she said nonchalantly. She and her husband who had been living in the sanctuary had a tea shop and they used to ferry people across the Periyar . " And I can be a bird guide too, " she added, pulling out a small binoculars and looking through the trees as we stopped in the middle of nowhere.
We followed Sudha through some wilderness which led to a rubber plantation in the middle of nowhere. The morning fog had just lifted and we could see the sap being tapped in the trees, while some rubber was left to dry. Suddenly Sudha said , " This is where the elephant chased me ," Even before Sharath and I could react to that line, Sudha was way ahead of us, nimble footed, climbing up a steep slope and crossing a huge tree that has fallen on the ground. Her thin frame and high energy hid all of her 55 years as she looked at us in childish amusement.
I looked around and realized that I am in the middle of nowhere. Even if an elephant charged at us at this moment , we would probably have no where to run.." Dont worry madam, no elephants now..I can smell them if they are close by, " . Her confidence and energy was a complete contrast to our nervousness and slow gait.
� Madam, come fast, � whispered Sudha, unable to contain her excitement. She stood on a small hillock and looked upwards towards a tree, squinting through her small binoculars. We quickly joined her as she murmured with a grin ,� You are so lucky...there is a crested goshawk up in the branches. �
To my uninitiated eye, I could only see a maze of branches, until one eye peeped down at me through them. The large bird of prey glared at me a bit with its bright eyes , the rufous streaks and bars visible on its chest . It looked at us with one eye first, the other hiding behind a tree.
I took a couple of photographs and boldly moved a bit forward. Birds can be very touchy and sensitive to movement and they often seem to hate being photographed. The crested goshawk looked down at me, almost making faces when I tried another picture . Finally one more glare and I left it in peace as Sudha whispered it was time to head to the rock.
A simple house stood right inside the sanctuary . We got out of the car and stretched. Mittu, the stray and family pet sniffed us over as Sudha single handedly lifted our luggage amidst protests and deftly climbed the steps to the first floor. " I will show you to your room." A clean hygenic room with an attached bath and balcony awaited us. "You freshen up madam and I will take you to Girish . "
As we munched some biscuits over tea, Sudha uttered a volley of Malayalam to Shaji. I smiled and murmured , " Malayalam koccha ariyum" That broke the ice..I was one among them. Girish's grandmother and Sudha almost hugged me , while his wife smiled..Its amazing I thought, how a few words of the native tongue is enough to break the ice. I cannot speak the language, but could understand a bit of it, hailing from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
Anyways, tea and biscuits were over and we were back in the car with Shaji and Sudha . Sudha was a livewire . " I am very busy madam - this is season time, many guests , " she said, adding as we passed a government school " This is my school, Ive now adjusted my time with another teacher."Some locals exchanged pleasantries as Sudha went on to say how she juggles a homestay, a school, work in the sanctuary and even catering. " I was just a housewife madam, till my husband passed away ," she said nonchalantly. She and her husband who had been living in the sanctuary had a tea shop and they used to ferry people across the Periyar . " And I can be a bird guide too, " she added, pulling out a small binoculars and looking through the trees as we stopped in the middle of nowhere.
We followed Sudha through some wilderness which led to a rubber plantation in the middle of nowhere. The morning fog had just lifted and we could see the sap being tapped in the trees, while some rubber was left to dry. Suddenly Sudha said , " This is where the elephant chased me ," Even before Sharath and I could react to that line, Sudha was way ahead of us, nimble footed, climbing up a steep slope and crossing a huge tree that has fallen on the ground. Her thin frame and high energy hid all of her 55 years as she looked at us in childish amusement.
I looked around and realized that I am in the middle of nowhere. Even if an elephant charged at us at this moment , we would probably have no where to run.." Dont worry madam, no elephants now..I can smell them if they are close by, " . Her confidence and energy was a complete contrast to our nervousness and slow gait.
� Madam, come fast, � whispered Sudha, unable to contain her excitement. She stood on a small hillock and looked upwards towards a tree, squinting through her small binoculars. We quickly joined her as she murmured with a grin ,� You are so lucky...there is a crested goshawk up in the branches. �
To my uninitiated eye, I could only see a maze of branches, until one eye peeped down at me through them. The large bird of prey glared at me a bit with its bright eyes , the rufous streaks and bars visible on its chest . It looked at us with one eye first, the other hiding behind a tree.
I took a couple of photographs and boldly moved a bit forward. Birds can be very touchy and sensitive to movement and they often seem to hate being photographed. The crested goshawk looked down at me, almost making faces when I tried another picture . Finally one more glare and I left it in peace as Sudha whispered it was time to head to the rock.
We walked a bit more and joined Girish and the Scots and I heard the bad news first. " You just missed the Asian Fairy blue birds. the pair gave us almost 15 minutes in this lantena bush, " I shrugged, happy that I saw the crested goshawk, a lifer for me. However we spent the next one hour glued to the rock and the birds were just flying above our heads. The forests broke into a dash of colour and music as the branches came alive.
The plum headed parakeet and the malabar parakeet arrived as well.We saw three varieties of orioles - eurasian golden, black naped and black hooded .
We spotted the male and female scarlet minivets and the small minivet.
There was a pair of green imperial pigeon cozying up in the trees, racket tailed drongos creating a racket, golden fronted leaf bird adding a dash of colour, black headed cuckoo shrike amidst the leaves ,white bellied treepie and the rufous treepie calling out to their mates. The bulbuls were not so far away - we spotted the grey headed bulbul, ruby throated bulbul, yellow browed bulbul.
I cannot recall every little bird that we spotted, but we did see more than 30 different species that morning. We set out a bit later from the rock and walked inside the forests until Girish signalled us to stop. We bent down from a clearing to see a dash of colour standing amidst the branches. There was the malabar trogon and before we could even count the colours, another flew right above our heads. We followed it until we spotted a pair flitting around in a tree..
They were a bit far for my camera lens to reach, but I was happy to get a wonderful sighting of the bird. We waited for a long time so that they would come a bit closer, but they just refused to oblige us. A malabar giant squirrel took our attention for a while, until we saw another pair of trogons again - this time a little bit closer, but just managed a few record shots.
Sharath meanwhile got bitten by a leech while, I who was paranoid about them survived despite wearing only floaters. Time had just sped past us as hunger pangs reminded us that it was well past our breakfast hour. We hungrily returned to the homestay as Sudha immediately greeted us - " Madam- Trogon ? Oh ! you are so lucky !" With this refrain,she treated us all to some appam and some vegetable curry.
The plum headed parakeet and the malabar parakeet arrived as well.We saw three varieties of orioles - eurasian golden, black naped and black hooded .
We spotted the male and female scarlet minivets and the small minivet.
There was a pair of green imperial pigeon cozying up in the trees, racket tailed drongos creating a racket, golden fronted leaf bird adding a dash of colour, black headed cuckoo shrike amidst the leaves ,white bellied treepie and the rufous treepie calling out to their mates. The bulbuls were not so far away - we spotted the grey headed bulbul, ruby throated bulbul, yellow browed bulbul.
I cannot recall every little bird that we spotted, but we did see more than 30 different species that morning. We set out a bit later from the rock and walked inside the forests until Girish signalled us to stop. We bent down from a clearing to see a dash of colour standing amidst the branches. There was the malabar trogon and before we could even count the colours, another flew right above our heads. We followed it until we spotted a pair flitting around in a tree..
They were a bit far for my camera lens to reach, but I was happy to get a wonderful sighting of the bird. We waited for a long time so that they would come a bit closer, but they just refused to oblige us. A malabar giant squirrel took our attention for a while, until we saw another pair of trogons again - this time a little bit closer, but just managed a few record shots.
Sharath meanwhile got bitten by a leech while, I who was paranoid about them survived despite wearing only floaters. Time had just sped past us as hunger pangs reminded us that it was well past our breakfast hour. We hungrily returned to the homestay as Sudha immediately greeted us - " Madam- Trogon ? Oh ! you are so lucky !" With this refrain,she treated us all to some appam and some vegetable curry.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Getting to Thattekadu - Part 2
December 31, 2010 - Sometime after 4 : 15 am
Location - A compartment in a train
Lazy limbs were being stretched as groggy heads moved in mindless stupor. I opened an eye warily only to find the compartment virtually empty. The kid seated below me was wide awake, gazing at me, while her mother combed her hair and adjusted her dupatta . I moved my neck cautiously to sense any pain, but all I felt was the numbness .
As the train came to a grinding halt at the Ernakulam junction, it was the contrast of life on either side of the tracks that first hit me. The harsh lights of the platform pierced through the compartment , shaking us of the lethargy. Inside the train, life was just stirring , while in the station, life as we know it - the pursuit of money, hunger and ambition was already set in motion. Small tea stalls were up and running, coolies were jostling for space with each other and auto drivers were already bargaining with passengers to take them home . As luggages were being hauled and dragged out of the train, the platform was a scene of bustling energy.
Girish, our host and bird guide at Thattekadu had arranged for a pick up for us from the station as Kerala was still reeling under a taxi strike. Shaji and his brother Ravi greeted us warmly , adding that we should have got off at Aluva. It would have saved us an hour almost, including the journey to Thattekadu, they mentioned. We made a mental note of it and drove down the dark roads of Cochin towards the forests.
Cochin looked very touristy , replete in the Christmas spirit. There were stars everywhere and the churches stood out , lit in the darkness. The city was just waking up. Even the local flower shops around the temples were up and colourful with lamps around.
We left the city and stopped by at a small local tea stall in a village. I gulped the warm black tea and looked at the motley of men who had gathered around . Some were reading the newspaper, while others had just finished the second cup of tea and were waiting for their breakfast - " puttu " , a steamed rice and coconut preparation .
As dawn broke, we reached the Salim Ali bird sanctuary and stopped by at the Periyar river which was veiled in a white fabric of fog. Girish met us by the river side with a group of Scotsmen who were avid birders, gazing at the Ashy wood swallows , which were on the wire by the river side. It was my first sighting for the day, but technically a hurried sighting as I barely got out of the car . But there is more to come as the day began .
Realized its Skywatch time already and so I think the foggy skies from Thattekadu are my contribution..To see more dramatic skies, visit Skywatch
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Where would you like to be this Monday morning ?
And its Monday already and you must be getting ready for work..But given a chance, wouldn't you like to be elsewhere, like for instance these foggy forests of Thattekadu across the Periyar river in Kerala
Friday, January 7, 2011
Breaking the jinx - Thattekadu-Part 1
I promised myself that I will write long lengthy travelogues this year on my blog, especially when I am just done with my trips..so, here I am with the first leg of the Thattekadu journey. A short , concise article on the trip was published in The Hindu , Metro Plus today. Anyways, here is a little preamble before I actually get on to the travel bit
It all started with Murphy of the good ole laws fame. He had entrenched himself rather firmly into my life and knowing my penchant for travel planning or the lack of it, he decided to wield his powerful weapon - the laws. So when the last minuter in me turned into a methodical planner, Murphy could not deal with it. He came in disguised in many forms, including ill health and at the end of it all, five trips planned in December were all cancelled and loads of money filled up the railways coffers. Ironically Thattekadu was planned twice out of those five Murphied trips.
And now for the drama - I was lying in bed all of Christmas with a painful neck that was diagnosed as the early stages of spondylitis ,with a ticket in hand for Goa . I refused to give in and fought till the last hour only to realize that Murphy had won yet again - But the drama queen in me surfaced. A mini tantrum and rant ensued and hubby and friend booked the last two tatkal tickets to Cochin on the 30th without an idea of what next. Frantic calls to Girish , an advocate bird guide, a gentle persuasion by fellow traveller Vamsee who was staying in his homestay ensured that I had a roof over my head for a night. And then , came the news of the transport strike in Kerala and I almost gave up my plans as there were no cabs to pick us up at Cochin at 4 am and take us to Thattekadu. Just when I thought that the railways will make some more money through yet another cancellation, Girish arranged for a pick up and finally the jinx was broken. I still had other issues to resolve like the stay on the second night and my return ticket, but at least, I had jumped out of my bed with a bag in tow and got into a train to Kerala .
It all started with Murphy of the good ole laws fame. He had entrenched himself rather firmly into my life and knowing my penchant for travel planning or the lack of it, he decided to wield his powerful weapon - the laws. So when the last minuter in me turned into a methodical planner, Murphy could not deal with it. He came in disguised in many forms, including ill health and at the end of it all, five trips planned in December were all cancelled and loads of money filled up the railways coffers. Ironically Thattekadu was planned twice out of those five Murphied trips.
And now for the drama - I was lying in bed all of Christmas with a painful neck that was diagnosed as the early stages of spondylitis ,with a ticket in hand for Goa . I refused to give in and fought till the last hour only to realize that Murphy had won yet again - But the drama queen in me surfaced. A mini tantrum and rant ensued and hubby and friend booked the last two tatkal tickets to Cochin on the 30th without an idea of what next. Frantic calls to Girish , an advocate bird guide, a gentle persuasion by fellow traveller Vamsee who was staying in his homestay ensured that I had a roof over my head for a night. And then , came the news of the transport strike in Kerala and I almost gave up my plans as there were no cabs to pick us up at Cochin at 4 am and take us to Thattekadu. Just when I thought that the railways will make some more money through yet another cancellation, Girish arranged for a pick up and finally the jinx was broken. I still had other issues to resolve like the stay on the second night and my return ticket, but at least, I had jumped out of my bed with a bag in tow and got into a train to Kerala .
Waking up to a new day and a new year in Munnar
I was staying in a tree house in a beautiful property called Nature Zone in Munnar , Kerala on New Years Day and the day gave me some breathtaking views of the sky ..The morning mist gave way to bright blue skies only to be covered by mist again. Staying in a tree house at 6900 feet above sea level, I woke up to the chirping of birds in a dense coffee and cardamom plantation where strawberries and passion fruits grow in abundance...So here is my first Skywatch contribution for the year from the first destination of 2011
To see more brilliant skies visit Skywatch
Monday, January 3, 2011
Where would you like to be this Monday morning ?
I would like to be where I was yesterday - tea gardens of Munnar in Kerala . I was staying at Nature Zone resort for a night at a tree house, watching the mist rob me of the views..Although the property is located inside a cardamom and coffee plantations that give it a dense forest feel, you see some spectacular views of tea gardens as you go up the bumpy mud route towards the resort.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
So Travel Plans for 2011
Outside Pier 39 in SanFrancisco
Travel planning and me...Nah ? Somehow, that combination doesnt work together..2010 was an ample proof to that..Trips just happenned..I had no idea that I would be going to US, Singapore, Bali and Hongkong on the international front and Sikkim and Shimoga on the domestic front..I went to these places without a plan as well..experiencing the places as they are or going with the flow..In a way, I enjoyed the phase of travel . However 2010 had a lot of misses as well- case in point being December when almost 4 destinations were planned and none fell into place..It strengthens my belief that travel planning is not made for me..But having said that, destinations have been floating around in my head and I think 2011 will be on these lines
1. An international trip
2.A festival that I would like to attend
3. A cultural / heritage destination
5.A wildlife trip
6.A birding destination
6.A trip to my roots
7.Weekend getaways - ex Chennai/Bangalore - many :)
Having said that, this does not include last minute plans..so travel buddies, please call me when you are planning a trip ..And by the way, any sponsors out there listening ? I am also open to resort and destination reviews and am happy to blog/tweet/write and share on FB and other social media sites..
And a promise - I will update the blog as and when I finish a trip ..so while destinations 2010 can wait for a while, I will soon be posting on my latest birding trip in Thattekadu and Munnar ..
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