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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
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A Parrot in my garden




Since we returned from our trip, almost a week has passed by without seeing any interesting birds. Moreover, I have been stuck to the computer, completing all my pending work. Yesterday, this parrot was making a racket outside our window, forcing me to try and spot it. Finally when I did manage to spot it, it waited for just this pic before flying off!


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  1. IndraniJanuary 7, 2010 at 8:28 PM

    It wanted its pic to be put up in this hall of fame. :) Great shot!

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  2. chitraJanuary 7, 2010 at 8:31 PM

    The birdie is real beautiful!

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  3. sriJanuary 7, 2010 at 8:39 PM

    Lovely , absolutely beautiful! picturesq!

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  4. MridulaJanuary 7, 2010 at 10:42 PM

    Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AartiJanuary 8, 2010 at 9:55 AM

    Beautiful!!! its moments like these that am glad i have a nice camera[had clicked n posted a pic of a white cat in our backyard on FB]

    ReplyDelete
  6. ArunJanuary 15, 2010 at 12:50 PM

    It is always nice to have these noisy restless birds in the vicinity. And pretty they are.

    'Rose Ringed Parakeet' is the full common name of the bird.

    ReplyDelete
  7. UshaJanuary 25, 2010 at 1:15 PM

    Hey! That is a lovely pic!

    ReplyDelete

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