Some Views from my Window

Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out! Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, though we

Some Views from my Window

Samhith has been fascinated by animals ever since we bought him his first plastic animals. He loved them so much, we bought him more, and now, he has an amazing collection of animals. They are his favourite toys, and he can spend hours (when he really gets into the mood, of course!) making all kinds of things with his blocks and placing animals around them….. The first time we went on a safari, he was looking forward to seeing lions and tigers, but was happy with deer. From the second time onwards, he realised that deer were practically the only animals we saw in the wild, and started getting a bit upset, but thankfully, we were lucky to spot a few elephants and bison… Now he knows that wild animals are really rare, and he needs to have much more patience to see them.
At our recent trip to the Hermitage, he seemed surprised that we only saw birds, but it awakened him to the fact that there are so many kinds of birds around us!!!! After our flamingo watching trip, he looks forward to seeing birds everywhere, and as a result, every time he hears a bird call out, wants me to take a picture……
So, this one is for him – here are some of the birds we have spotted from our house ----
Here is a kingfisher which appears on this tree right opposite our house, everyday, at the same time…. what a pity my camera just manages to capture the lovely colour, but misses all the details!!!!

Here are a pair of crested Bulbuls cosying up, again right opposite our window….

Now here’s a good one – we had heard a cuckoo for days, but hadn’t managed to spot it… Then, suddenly, a pair of crows scared it, and it flew to a tree right outside our balcony, and we got this wonderful pic… my first sight of the cuckoo!!!

Now here’s one on the same tree, but I don’t know its name… we just spotted the red and green, and first thought it was a parrot,but a closer look told us it was something else – maybe a green barbet??? Here are two pics of the same bird -

Since last year, these two black kites have made our colony their home, and their cries and fights with crows keep us engrossed……. Here are both of them together, a rare sight……

Here is one of them sitting on our terrace……

And here are more photos of these wonderful birds……..

These are all the photos I have managed to click till now…… Keep looking for more……..

The Havelis of Bikaner - A Photo Post

The lanes are narrow , twisting and turning amidst buildings old and new. Crumbling old structures with intricate workmanship stand side by side with art deco buildings, and more modern constructions, which follow no particular style. Autos, bicycles, motorcycles and vans rush past, blowing their horns as loudly as possible, while cows saunter past peacefully, completely unaffected by the noise. In the midst of all this chaos, children play by the side, and women go about their chores, as we explore these by-lanes of Bikaner, and its beautiful Havelis. Facade of one of the Rampuria Havelis

Bhedaghat - Home of the 81 Yoginis

The Narmada flows down the mountains , carving out a path for herself as she makes her way down to the plains of Central India. She cascades from the rocks, her fine spray making it appear as if billows of smoke (dhuan) arise from the flowing streams of water (dhaar), giving it the name Dhuandhar. Dhuandhar Falls The force of her flow creates a gorge , smoothening and carving out the rocks into fantastic shapes, the pure white of the rocks standing starkly against the shades of the water. It is a joy to cruise down the river in a boat, seeing the natural contours created by the river, now famous as the Marble Rocks. We are at Bhedaghat, located on the banks of the Narmada near Jabalpur, where thousands of visitors turn up to see these natural landscapes, creations of the sacred Narmada, and pay obeisance to her. However, to me, the most interesting thing about Bhedaghat, isn’t the falls or the rocks, or even the river. What makes Bhedaghat special is t

Kabini Part 3 - After the Rains

Visiting Kabini in peak summer, we hadn’t bargained for the rains, which dominated our three days at the Lodge. While animal sightings were understandably lesser than usual, seeing the forest in the rain was an interesting experience in its own way. However, as we headed back into the forest for our second and third safaris, we hoped the rains would let up, and allow us to see more animals! Winding jungle paths

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