So where would you like to be this Monday ?

Sitting at home and feeling heavy with all the sinusitis in my head, I was cheering myself with all the destinations visited this year and I wished I was in a place full of colours ..and thats when I thought of Sims Park in Coonoor with all the beautiful flowers

How has your Monday been ?

Skywatch - colours of the Pulicat

Went boating in Pulicat Lake to spot flamingos and we saw a lot of colour besides the orange and pink of the birds

For more Skywatch pictures,visit here

So where would you like to be this Monday ?

Looking for Flamingos  in Pulicat Lake maybe ? You can see the entire album of flamingos here on my Facebook 

Skywatch - The blue of the Nilgiris

I was in the Nilgiris recently and here are some of the views of the blue - green hills. Nilgiris ,itself when translated means blue hills and I must have seen several shades of blue - green everywhere

To see more beautiful skies around the world,visit Skywatch 

So where would you like to be this Monday ?

Even as the summers are soaring and the day temperatures are getting higher by the day, I would still like to take the road and head to Hampi now..what about you ?

Getting lost ?

As all cliches go, all good things dont last for long and its time for me  to head home . While I am dreaming of my next journey, here is your last chance to win a Nokia E7 . The last few days have been rather wonderful, as I lost mysef in the woods. Speaking about losing oneself, its very common to lose your way while you travel . Being a traveller, getting stuck in isolated places has become a norm and people around aren�t always very helpful. Many times,I had to stop and ask locals the way and i would often get confusing directions. So, here is a clue for you. There is this feature on the E7 that ensures that I dont get lost and permits me to be independent. Ok, now thats the clue  - Here is your last chance to win the Nokia E7 - Submit your answers here as I board my flight back home

On the move !

Its been a rather long day yesterday and I was walking all the time - in the forests, tea plantations,up the view points and my energy  had almost drained by the time I got back to the hotel. I was amazed at my companion's energy - 75 year young Manickam who has probaby worked in every garden and park that I know of and can rattle the names of flowers like they are his kids.But ask him about birds and  everything is a chittu kuruvi for him.

Thankfully ,my other companion, the  E7�s battery was alive .I don�t even remember the number of times I must have used the phone to check scores or watch some clips and the experience has been worth while. Now,you know what I am talking about. So while you answer this clue about a feature that provides entertainment on the move, I am moving on another hill station You visit the page here to submit your response.

In the lap of nature

Just woke up and heading down for a hot breakfast. I had a rather relaxed day yesterday , chilling, reading, going on long walks - but this is not just a trip report. By now you would have guessed where I am. My agenda today is to continue being in the lap of nature - maybe I might go to a tea garden or a shola forest - havent decided as yet. However its time to give you another clue for the day . This time, its got to do with the phone thats giving me some great company during this trip - the E 7 . Here is your chance to win it, if you can guess the feature that I am referring to in this clue

So, you have got the clue there - Thought of trying to shoot a video on the phone and was amazed when I saw the results - Great picture quality and visual experience. You know what I am talking about right - trying to upload the video here, but the internet is a tad bit slow..some other time, but you do guess the feature I am referring to in the phone. As always, please submit your responses on the facebook page, although comments are welcome here. 

The mist welcomes me

Ive just landed and all I can see around me is the mist. A welcome break from the dry heat of Bangalore. So, for the next three days , I am going to have the Blue Mountains for company .For a change, I have no itinerary or agenda , except to give you some clues to guess where I am and the contest related to the E 7. Here is the first clue 

So, I am staying in a beautiful property in the second highest hill station in the Nilgiri hills, filled with tea plantations- now thats the easiest clue ever and here is your chance to win the Nokia E 7 . While your comments are welcome here, do visit the Facebook page here to submit your answers. Go ahead - tell me where I am .

Where would you like to be this Monday ?

I am getting ready for my mystery location, which may look a bit like this - what about you ?

A mystery tour again !

When I was wondering where March would take me, I got a call from Nokia India. They asked me if I was willing to go to a secret destination, all by myself . The first time, I went  on a mystery tour with them, they let me choose the destination. This time, however they said they will choose the secret location . I agreed , all excited and I am all set to leave in a couple of days.


However you can virtually travel with me and follow me through this exciting mysterious tour . I will be dropping hints on the go  and you can start guessing my destination . The Nokia E7 is my co traveller and the contest includes some clues about the phone as well. So keep guessing and you can win the E 7 as well. 


Have fun and virtually travel with me 

Skywatch - Im just a bird in the sky

I have a nest to build and work to do this summer , says the painted stork in a small village in Kaggaladu , near Tumkur , Karnataka . These birds have chosen the tamarind trees of the hamlet to nest and the villagers protect the winged creatures from poachers and hunters. My article on Kaggaladu in Deccan Herald 

For more beautiful skies around the world , visit Skywatch 

The journey so far - a quick update

I promised myself in the beginning of the year that I would blog more regularly and also do some trip reports as well , but unfortunately I have had little time to do the same. The blog has unfortunately taken a beating with facebook growing a little more prominent and the rest of my time is taken between travelling, articles and my media - content work. So, I told myself that i would at least post  a quick update on what has been happenning in the last couple of months

A lot of travelling happenned in January - I was in Thattekadu and Munnar on New Years' Eve and had a great birding experience. A couple of my stories were published in my column , Inside Story in Metro Plus  and I am writing one on Thattekadu as I write this post. The birding experience in Gods own country was followed by a wonderful wild experience in South Goa and I had my column published in The Hindu , Metro Plus and articles in Rediff and now the March issue of Terrascape, which has my picture on the cover as well 

February saw a couple of day trips - one off Bangalore towards Sibi - a temple dedicated to Narasimha , Sira , a town which was once a province of the Mughals, a village called Kaggaladu where painted storks nest in hordes and are protected by the villagers. Articles again have been published in my column in The Hindu, Metro Plus and in Spectrum , Deccan herald. Unfortunately editors do not like blog posts appearing earlier than the stories, so I am forced to keep my readers waiting. 

My last trip was to Madras last week and i had another wonderful day trip to Pulicat lake to do some birding and experience a bit of colonial era , as it was an erstwhile Dutch colony. Sadly the fort built by the dutch is no more and in its place are a dense undergrowth of thorny shrubs and marshes. The surprise element  however was the spotting of flamingoes which we were told had not yet arrived, but we were overwhelmed to see the sky painted in orange and black. 

I am not sure where March will take me, but there might be a few day trips or short holidays coming up. ..In the meanwhile, you can follow my travel page on Facebook or follow me on twitter.