Birding in Malenadu - 2

It was an orchestra by nature. The crickets and the cicadas would start and reach a cresendo , when the drizzle turned into a downpour . The birds would then become silent and when the rains slowly became a drizzle, they would start chirping and singing, only to be overpowered by the chorus of the crickets and the cicadas again. The frogs would join in , as the pitter patter continued and listening to this orchestra, I lost a sense of time.I did manage to take a few more pictures of the birds, but there were many that missed the lens

A leaf bird was enjoying the powder puff 

A teal was busy calling while a bronze winged jacana was looking for his chicks

In a lake close by called Bishtama Kere, I found a father bronze winged jacana with his little chicks. The chicks walked away without heeding the parent's advice and for more than 20 minutes, the father was calling out to his chicks. We couldnt see the chicks for a while, so I wasnt sure if the jacana could either. After a while, the chicks landed and we were privy to the conversation between them as they nodded and bobbed their heads in a very rhythmic fashion while probably arguing between them. Later one of the chicks got under his father's belly and shoved his beak up there, asking him to pick it up. 

A family of night herons were probably breeding here as well..

A common kingfisher looks on 

An ashy prinia sits still 

When nature strikes

My trip to Leh _Ladakh last year was made memorable, not just because of the landscapes, but due to some wonderful people I met during my stay there. Ive left behind so many friends there and my heart goes out to the many tourists and residents of Leh who have battled nature's fury . I dedicate my entire trip to the people of leh , who are always ever so smiling and courteous

Taking a tour in Singapore

Singapore consider as a good destination to take in Asia especially upon traveling due to various attraction sites that can be found. Here the following sites that travelers may want to enjoy.

Sentosa Island- If dreaming of going a perfect getaway vacation, the Island of Sentosa definitely creates great fantasies. This Island resort got all the comfort that a certain tourist or traveler needed upon. If wanted to relax on, it’s been suggested to go Sentosa as to unwind itself especially that there are various recreational facilities, sport areas and for golfing that can be found there.

The Night Safari-This attraction site consider as quite unique. Especially, that night safari features those nocturnal animals of all types. So, most of animals came from other portions of the world. It got 40 hectare land and home of an about 1,000 animals that almost 100 species already. They will only be opening in nightly basis and even provide a mere experience of first hand attractions of rainforest especially in places of Jungle in India, amazing African Sahara and Malaysia.

The Tang Dynasty City- You can also drop by unto the Tang Dynasty City where you can entirely literally walk through the Singapore’s history and even for cultural setting. It’s actually the theme park where the old stone wall of historical remarks can be found. Aside of that number of temples, court houses, dining areas, and geisha houses can be found into this Tang Dynasty City.

The Chinese and Japanese Gardens. Natural lovers must able to find peace and serenity into this Chinese and Japanese Gardens of Singapore that been located in the Yuan Ching Road. Aside of this tourist attraction site, Jurong Bird Park can also be found into this place where classic of Imperial style of garden can be found and able to feel the coolness breeze of Juron Lake. Aside of that also, you can also able to visit the Garden of the Romance, those Herb Garden or walking through Double Beauty Bridge.

Temple of the 1000 lights. Visiting the temple of 100 lights consider as outmost tour ever had in Singapore. Aside of that, this temple of 1000 lights also been referred as Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya that can be found near this Race Course.

Mannavanur Lake - lost somewhere near Kodaikanal

The mist tip toed upon us , all of a sudden ,like a mysterious visitor. Wrapping everything in its fold, it moved silently around, as the forests and the mountains disappeared in front of our eyes. I squinted through the haze and gazed into what was earlier a grove of eucalyptus trees . As visibility was almost near zero, we stopped by in our journey and walked right into the mist. A pair of glassy eyes squinted through the trees , untouched by the mist . I walked towards it and found it to be an abandoned large sized soft toy – a tiger , looking like its straight out of a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon.

I am in Kodaikanal , a retreat tucked away in the Palani Hills , thronged by tourists and honeymooners all through the year.  Although it is believed to have been discovered by a British missionary way back in the 19^th century, it has an ageless spirit around it . Locals say that the earliest inhabitants of Kodaikanal were the Paliyan tribes, whose descendants still live near Kukal caves.

As you gaze into the green fabric laced with dense vegetation and the tall eucalyptus trees, you understand why Kodaikanal has been called the Gift of the forest.  Lakes, mountains, forests, plantations , caves, waterfalls, temples, myths, legends – Kodaikanal has them all. The romantics are lured by the misty lakes and the waterfalls,  while the hard core trekkers prefer the caves and the dense forests. And yet Kodaikanal is filled with tourist traps.

 My guide book lists out  lakes, parks and gardens. Most of the tourist attractions are still reminiscent of the colonial period.  Coaker’s Walk, Bryant’s park are just some of them, while the tourists prefer to crowd over the lake in the town.  “ Would you like to go to Guna’s caves ? This is where the actor Kamalahassan’s film was shot ! “ asks our host , referring to Devil’s Kitchen , the giant boulders filled with bats. “ Or maybe to Dolphin’s Nose and Pambar falls ..”

We carefully avoided the tourist traps. I asked him to suggest a small retreat which is not just beautiful, but is lost to mankind and he smiled. “ Have you been to Mannavanur ?”  The name did not ring a bell. At first it just sounded like another dusty south Indian hamlet that would not even a milestone named after it. Looking at my blank face, he went into raptures of it. “ You can see a lake, some farming and even a sheep research centre ,” he added as I refused to be taken in by his salesmanship. And then he took out a picture of a sparkling lake bordered by distant mountains, lost completely to mankind. On an impulse we decided to hit the road.

The journey was enveloped by mist .  We stopped by near a grove as the mist moved directionless, caressing our cheek and embracing us. We let the moments pass and then continued our journey downhill. The forests morphed into meadows and the mountains tapered down towards us with terraced farms on their slopes . The mist gave way to a drizzle as the journey took us downhill towards Munnar. The hills were getting closer as we drove down towards plains. A distant lake amidst the mountains came into view, tempting us to stop over, but we carried on . An hour later we were in our destination.

The silence was deafening. There was not a single person around. The village looked deserted for a minute. My mind had drawn its own pen pictures – a lively market scene, small shops huddled together, a local bus stand bursting with gossip, mud houses, a collage of movie posters,  a small temple   and shy village belles walking around it. But we could see none of these stereotypes.

Surrounded by green rolling hills with terraced fields sloping downhill, the road took us down through meadows and farms. Fresh under the spell of the rains, the greenery blinded our eyes. We walked until we found some cattle and sheep   grazing in the meadows.  And then our first sign of habitation – a couple of shepherds sauntered into view. We asked them about the rest of the people and they pointed to distant fields around . We chatted for a while and we continued strolling along without any particular agenda.

We walked towards the sheep research centre and although we were not given permissions to visit it, we spoke to a few locals here who gave us a peep into their idyllic lives. Mannavanur is primarily an agrarian hamlet and the slopes yielded a variety of vegetables from potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage , beans and peas . There are hardly 600 households here and most of the people are farmers . The village had a school, a bank, a post office and a medical centre located amidst the grasslands which is unique to these areas. “You can even see wildlife here,” cautioned one of the men as we take leave .” Deer , gaur and even wilddogs , “ he added as we asked him for the directions to the lake.

We walked along intercepting small streams and waterfalls before running into an entire field of bright orange carrots. We heard some voices and followed them to find a group of men diligently washing the carrots and packing them off in sacks. The men stood on the carrots , cleaning them after the harvest. They humoured us by performing the action for our camera. At first the carrots were left lying near a small stream and then the men would do a little dance on them, rubbing them with the soles of their feet , probably kicking them a bit as well. Finally they were once again shaken and stirred as they were packed into the sacks and sold in the markets . The men told us that some of the carrots find their way into cities , while very little was left for local consumption.

And finally by following the path of a small stream, we reached our destination. A huge sparkling lake amidst all the greenery, bordered by mountains,  awaited us. Reflecting the  cloudy sky and the hazy forests , it flowed there unmindful of its own beauty. Words failed us as we tried to describe the moment . There is a certain lure in the still waters and we sat there for a long time, lost to the world, absorbed in our own thoughts. The butterflies came fluttering and the birds sang for us. A common kingfisher fished into the waters, while a brahminy kite scooped down . Soon the mist came calling and we decided to tear ourselves away from this piece of lost paradise.

As we retraced our steps back to Kodaikanal, I realized that the most beautiful stretches of nature are those that are virgin and untouched by man. Mannavannur is no place for revelers and picnickers . It is only reserved for the pantheists, the high priests of nature who revere nature and carry a piece of it with them wherever they go and not for those who leave a piece of themselves behind in the form of cans, bottles and plastic covers .

Getting there

Mannavanur is downhill from Kodaikanal and at a distance of 40 kms, it is little more than an hour’s drive from the hill station. There are neither  proper accommodation options nor eateries around here. However there are certain camp sites close by that offer some basic accommodation. There are several trek routes that pass via Mannavanur. Kodaikanal is about 520 kms from Chennai and 135 kms from Madurai and it is also well connected by road and rail. This article was featured in Windows and Aisles, the inflight magazine of Paramount Airlines

Birding in Malenadu - 1

The constant drizzle made the birds stay over from the coffee plantation, leaving the field open for crickets, cicadas, frogs and other amphibians. And yet, the rains did not deter us. The breeze caressed our faces as we went looking for the birds. We heard the peacock frequently , saw a pair of racket tailed drongos chase a treepie away, found a greater coucal perched on a dead branch, a flameback flying from tree to another and a streak throated woodpecker pecking away. Unfortunately, all of them were quite far for my lenses and I enjoyed viewing them through my binoculars. But some birds allowed themselves to be photographed and here they are -

Here is a malabar parakeet looking down at the view below. A pair of magpie robins are the next .

More birds around. The spotted dove on top, followed by the silent orange headed thrush that hid under the tree .

The treepie that got chased by the racket tailed drongos

Another black drongo looks on

Get Wild and Have Fun in Memphis

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Hotel Reservation Tips to Remember

Traveling is a lot easier when you can find a perfect place to stay where you can relax and sleep after a tiring day. Hotel accommodations are the best idea and alternative if you don’t have any friends in your travel destination. For a trouble- free travel, here are some helpful hotel reservation tips you should consider.

• Call the hotel and make reservations. Calling them directly will give you more chance for a personalized attention. In that way, you will know the services offered by the hotel.
• Reserved the right number and the name of the people who are going with you. By giving such information, you will have the initial idea on how much are you going to spend for your accommodation.
• Before saying yes to the reservation, ask their room rates and inquire if they can give you special offer or discounts. By doing so, you can save money.
• Ask the hotel about their rules and conditions so that you would know what to do if something happens on your reservations or travel.
• Explain your personal preference to the hotel in charge in order to avoid arguments when you find out that they have chosen the wrong room.
• More importantly, bring the necessary documents and things for your travel. Make sure that everyone is ready and prepared so that you will enjoy your travel without thinking of any troubles or hassle.