2011 Flashback - In Munnar

On January 2011 , I was here

As a guest of Nature Zone in Munnar, Kerala watching the mist furl and unfurl

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The Monastery that Survived

There are many places you have to discover in Ukraine and a good way to find about them is by postcards. I just got this gorgeous card that shows this monastery: Sviatohirsk Lavra (Свято-Успенська Святогірська Лавра). It is located near Sviatohirsk, in Donetsk region, on the banks of the river Seversky Donets. First monks came there in the 14th century and the monastery was founded in the 16th century. It was destroyed in times of Crimean Chanat and Catherine II had paid for the restoration of the monastery in 1787. Potemkin donated money to consolidate the structures in 1844. Unfortunately, as many other beautiful things, it was destroyed in soviet times. The huge buildings from today were rebuilt after Ukraine’s independence in 1991. The lucky ones who travel to EURO 2012 and have tickets to Donetsk games should take a visit.

49.029167,37.567737  Click for Google Maps or use numbers on your GPS to navigate.

Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed. 
Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.

Ukraine For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.

Mi se pare incredibil cum după ce regimul sovietic a distrus la rând lăcaşuri de cult s-a reuşit totuşi să se reconstruiască sau să se restaureze, în funcţie de distrucţie, complexe întregi, unele mari de nu vă vine să credeţi. Am primit o vedere minunată ce ilustrează mănăstirea Sviatohirsk Lavra (Свято-Успенська Святогірська Лавра), situată în apropiere de Sviatohirsk din regiunea Donetsk, pe malul râului Seversky Donets. Primii călugări au ajuns acolo în secolul al XIV-lea şi mănăstirea a fost creată în secolul al XVI-lea. Apoi a fost distrusă în timpul Hanatului Crimeei şi a fost restaurată în 1787 la ordinal Ecaterinei a II-a. Celebrul Potemkin (celebru pentru mine pentru treptele din Odessa – de fapt acela a fost momentul în care am început să citesc despre el) a donat bani ca mănăstirea să fie consolidată în 1844. Aşa cum vă spuneam, complexul a fost distrus şi refăcut imediat după ce Ucraina a devenit independentă în 1991. Cei norocoşi care au bilete la Euro 2012 şi participă la meciurile din Donetsk pot face o călătorie şi acolo.

2011 Flashback - Kingfishers of Goa

 I was birding in Goa, January last year and was lucky to have spotted many varieties of the kingfisher - white breasted, the black capped , the stork billed , the not so common kingfisher and the white collared kingfisher besides other birds.

The photography credit for both these photographs goes to the husband . 

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2011 Flashback - Revisiting Pondicherry

I revisited Pondicherry after many years and went on a heritage walk with the INTACH , understanding the cultural and historical landscape of the French quarters of Pondicherry. I was hosted by Neemrana and Terrascape and I worked on a pull out on the Coromandel Coast for them .

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2011 Flashback - The faces of Khajuraho

So all that one associates with Khajuraho is the kamasutra and the erotic sculptures. But if you step into the village, one of the cleanest Ive ever seen in India, the old hamlet gives you a different picture of Khajuraho.

I was a guest of Lalit Khajuraho , part of the Small Luxury hotes of the world and I watched them train some locals in hospitality and grooming.Young  girls who would have probably lived a cloistered life in their homes came out to take up this course and showed some interest in the profession.

But for the rest of their villagers, pottery is a way of life besides agriculture.

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2011 Flashback - A birding haven in Kaggaladu

The early part of this year, I was an avid birder and travelled to several destinations - known and unknown in search of birds. One such trip in February 2011 led me to Kaggaladu, a small hamlet near Sira in Karnataka which gives shelter to painted storks that come here every year to breed.

The villagers greet their visitors every year with great gusto and go all the way to protect them. My story was published in Deccan herald as well

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2011 Flashback - Moments from Corbett

In October , Club Mahindra took us , travel bloggers on a trip to Corbett. As editor of CLAY, their travel blog , I have been lucky to be part of their blogger trips for the last three years in succession. The Kosi river was our constant companion and birding was one of our activities, Here is a river lapwing welcoming us

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