We Also Blog, Write & Shoot!
Thrilled to have fulfilled a promise made 22 years ago of trekking up to the ruins of Raghupur Fort, perched at 12000 feet, starting from Jalori Pass in Seraj Valley, Himachal Pradesh. We enjoyed the 3 kms uphill trek lost in the wilderness and revelling in the unparalleled panoramic beauty of nature!
The couple of days on the cruise ship in Halong Bay in Northern Vietnam were truly magical with constant sight of hundreds of limestone islands jutting out from the sea. During the days we kayaked in the open sea, while in the evenings we indulged in jacuzzi baths and massages and later enjoyed sundowners on the upper deck with twinkling lights from the other ships forming a romantic backdrop.
As the Sun’s orange glow spreads,
The monsoon clouds stop still,
Overwhelmed
By its soft radiance.
They wait awhile before washing
The valley back a verdant green.
The sky acquiesces to Surya
And rich hues cover its canvas.
(A feeble attempt to atone for the devastation of nature by trying to appreciate its beauty and magic through free verse.)
We had gone to Gangotri in the summers. The power and purity of Bhagirathi overwhelmed us. Three months later at a hamlet, near Rishikesh, one morning I was sitting by the Ganges. Its beauty catapulted thru’ my eyes and mind onto paper. The humble, spontaneous words which spilled, I somehow managed to gather and ensemble.
We are trying to find a definition for “travel”. Confused with the ‘travelling’ we have been doing, we want to rediscover its meaning. The thesaurus synonyms are journey, tour, trip, voyage, backpacking. But how would the whole experience give us fulfillment? Can TRAVEL be a pithy word and fill the mindscape with a vivid canvas of awe and excitement?
It is truly romantic for a nature lover to be staying at a coffee plantation. Anyday! Certainly if it is like the Old Kent Estate in Coorg (Karnataka, India). A ruminative evening walk transforms into an indelible affair for us. Col W.R.Wright an officer in British India and also a poet and writer, created this plantation in 1864.
Franschhoek in South Africa’s Western Cape Province surrounded by the vineyards, lying in the shadow of dark enigmatic mountains has a storybook setting with a stunning landscape. It is considered to be the food and wine capital of South Africa. The highlight of our stay indisputably was the The Franschhoek Wine Tram hop-on hop-off tour.
Baris is a fine dining Turkish restaurant tucked away in the Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash 2 neighborhood market in New Delhi (India). The cuisine is largely Turkish and Eastern Mediterranean without European influences snooping in.
While on the last leg of our road trip in Odisha, an impulse took us to the Bird Sanctuary at the Mangalajodi Wetlands, on the northern edge of Chilika Lake. In a span of 2.5 hours we spotted 30 species in multiple numbers of these beautiful winged creatures as we glided across on our flat bottomed wooden boat.
During our staycation in the hills at a nature retreat surrounded by a mixed forest around Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, the verdant and sylvan surroundings were home to many different species of birds. And here, I was blessed to sight these beautiful creatures time and again in their various moods; about 35 different species of birds out of which 25 I managed to capture through my lens, a mere 300 mm. Here I share some of my birding encounters and experiences with pictures.
The tale of our jeep safaris and sightings at Nagarhole National Park (Tiger Reserve) in Karnataka, South India. My impressions of the imperial beast were only from William Blake’s The Tyger, Maneaters of Kumaon, Life of Pi and Nat Geo Wild inspite of having visited many sanctuaries earlier! Did the much anticipated encounter with the regal predator happen?
A 2 week road trip took us through 2000 year old Buddhist caves in Dambulla, the 5th century AD Sigiriya Lion Rock Fortress, our tryst with wildlife at Udawalawe and Bundala, whale and dolphin watching at Mirissa, a stint at stilt fishing (a dying tradition), getting close to sea turtles at a conservatory and more.
The couple of days on the cruise ship in Halong Bay in Northern Vietnam were truly magical with constant sight of hundreds of limestone islands jutting out from the sea. During the days we kayaked in the open sea, while in the evenings we indulged in jacuzzi baths and massages and later enjoyed sundowners on the upper deck with twinkling lights from the other ships forming a romantic backdrop.
While on the last leg of our road trip in Odisha, an impulse took us to the Bird Sanctuary at the Mangalajodi Wetlands, on the northern edge of Chilika Lake. In a span of 2.5 hours we spotted 30 species in multiple numbers of these beautiful winged creatures as we glided across on our flat bottomed wooden boat.
Fairy chimneys – that’s what Cappadocia in Turkey is famed for. No not man-made, no not those in children’s fables, no not a few in a garden for a birthday party! Spread all over the 100 sq kms of Goreme National Park and beyond, formed naturally from the volcanic ash of eruptions, shaped over the years by wind and water erosion.
On our last day in Istanbul (Turkey) we took a walking tour exploring the Chora Church, Greek neighbourhood Fener and old Jewish quarter Balat on the southern shore of the Golden Horn. We ended the day with the popular Bosphorous tour at sunset, nay ending the day looking up to the imposing Galata Tower.
Adrift Couple 