Take Me for a Ride!

The Park Elephants at Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Feather Weight

A Myna taking a ride on the back of Barasingha at Kahna National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Beautiful Birds

Brahminy Myna at Orchha, Madhya Pradesh

I have to admit that my love affair with birds started after I acquired a macro lens (Bart 1 bought it for me) and was able to see them up close.

I have also been aided in this by my Which Bird is This thread at Indiamike.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Orchha

Gateways and Smaller Palaces behind the Jahangir Mahal, Orchha

View from Jahangir Mahal, Orchha

View of Orchha from Janghir Mahal

This post to remind myself that I need to write the entire Orchha story. Or else after a while the pictures start looking better and the memories become dim! So the task is assigned for this weekend.

River Betwa on a Cloudy Day, Orchha

Betwa River at Orchha on a Cloudy Day

A Video from Orchha- from the Bridge over the Betwa River

View of Orchha from the Bridge over the Betwa River

Sounds of a Tempo!

Pictures from Orchha to the sound of song that played in the shared Tempo (three wheeler) while we were going from Jhansi to Orchha. The nosie noise the you hear along with the song is the sound of a tempo moving on the road.

The Tempo Saga- Orchha to Jhansi

The distance from Orchha to Jhansi is around 16 kilometers and a taxi would cost around 500 rupees, a prepaid auto rupees 25 and a shared tempo rupees 10. No wonder we ended up using a shared one. While going there were around 13-14 people inside it and that is normal.

A Shared Tempo or a Three Wheeler at Orchha, Madhya Pradesh

While going to Orchha the tempo had a music system too that the driver switched on soon enough. I have recorded a small bit of that music and I would try to mix it with Orchha images and post it soon.

The Tempo Stand at Orchha, Madhya Pradesh

But it was the return journey that took the cake. It was nine at night and it was raining lightly. After a few kilometers on the largely dark road between Orchha and Jhansi we (all the 13-14 inside the tempo) could see the rain falling more heavily whenever it got caught in the headlights of a vehicle coming from behind.

Our co-passengers commented that the road seems to be longer at night, while coming they thought Jhansi was so close by. The road kept on going, the rain kept falling. The around one corner a group of people walking in the rain signaled to the tempo. The driver was reluctant to stop but then two people on a motorbike came along and he stopped.

They chatted and the tempo driver agreed to take on even more people. Then those 6 or 7 people kept a foot on the side and held on to the top literally hanging out of the tempo.

We covered the last 6-7 kilometers like this. I am not easily scared but mixed with rain this felt like quite a scary way to travel. Thankfully the vehicle didn't overturn with the weight or due to the wet conditions. But when I was talking about this with others they say it is quite normal! Somehow it didn't feel normal to me, maybe it was the rain that scared me.

Vulture Picture

Vulture at Orchha

I know the picture is tilted but I also had to twist and turn to get a closer look at the magnificent vulture who was perched right at the very top of one of the domes at the Jahangir Palace. I like this picture!

Pictures from Orchha, Madhya Pradesh

View of the Cenotaphs from the Bridge over the Betwa River, Orchha

This time it happened again. For the two days all I got was grey skies so don't blame me if you find my pictures from Orchha dull. How I wished for some colors in the sky but no such luck. The picture above was taken at the sunset.

And the youth from Jhansi is a nuisance of the highest order. It has been after ages that we (Sesha and I and sometimes me alone) faced such a rowdy crowd.

Which Bird is This?

Asian Pied Starling at Orchha (found the name via Indiamike)

Clicked at Orchha, No Clue What is the Name (when posted originally)

Uploaded the picture so that the good folks at Indiamike, who are having fun at my expanse as of now, could identify it. Somehow I have not been able to load it there.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Butterflies at Orchha

Butterflies at Orchha (Madhya Pradesh)

We are just back from Orchha (Madhya Pradesh) after a pleasant rain filled trip. It will take me sometime to upload the pictures but I thought I would share this one of the butterflies. They were utterly beautiful and these big black ones would not run away from the camera!

Vertigo Inducing Video- A Fox Running in Front of the Jeep in Kanha

Fox Running Ahead

It was my last day at Kahna and this was an early morning ride into the jungle. We were heading to the main Kanha Zone and Alger (the driver and the guide) wanted to there reach early. Suddenly this fox started running in front of our jeep. The video is quite blurred because the fox was running and the jeep was moving and it was too much movement for me. Yet it was a rare moment so I thought I would share this vertigo inducing video nonetheless.

A Video from the Taj Safari's Banjaar Tola Lodge

My Room and the Surroundings at the Taj Safari's Banjaar Tola Lodge

The Author of the Cold Pineapple Soup and a Blog

Cold Pineapple Soup by the Chef Manish from Taj Safari's at Banjaar Tola

And this is Manish's Blog.

In his recent post he talks about another Chef who was initially a gardener!

Therefore my first priority was to increase the production in the garden mean while the chef of the lodge usually ask for some favors like helping him in making chutneys and food etc. This regular interaction in kitchen created a interest and I started going kitchen after finishing my regular work to help the chef without his request.

Tiger Tales from Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

The Pug Mark of a Tiger, Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Tiger Tale 1: I was having a conversation with one of the naturalists at the Taj Safaris Banjaar Tola resort and he told me an interesting tale. One day the resort vehicle was in the park and the elephant riders of the parks told the naturalists, "There is a Tiger sitting in the grass just 30 feet from the road." The naturalist stopped the jeep for an outside chance that there might be some movement from the tiger. The guests started telling the naturalists, "Let us walk and go see the tiger." You cannot get out of the vehicle in the park apart from designated areas. The naturalist kept quite for some time. When they kept on chanting the same old tune he told them, "Aap paidal jaa tou sakte hain tiger ke pass per vapis aayenge ki nahin uske koe guarantee nahin hai." (You may go walking near the tiger but there is no guarantee that you would come back.)

The 4WD Tata Mobile, Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Tiger Tale 2: We were moving in the Mukki Zone of the Kanha National Park. We met a jeep that had seen the tiger in the same zone but it has given us a miss. We stopped for the breakfast at the point in the picture above (where you can get down of the jeep) and the naturalist remarked, "You guys would have declared me useless by now. Happens all the time with the guests. There are three resort vehicles moving and one of them spots a tiger. Later the guests meet in the dining area and compare notes. Now those who didn't see the tiger are pulling really long faces. They all would want the tiger spotting naturalist for the next ride and declare everyone else useless."

We assured him that we understood that tigers can't be produced on demand!

Conversations with David at Taj Safari Lodge Banjaar Tola, Madhya Pradesh

I met David before a dinner at Taj Safari's Banjaar Tola Lodge. There was Alger (the naturalist who took me to Kanha National Park for all my four rides) an Indian couple staying at the lodge, Mohit (another employee) and myself. All of us were chatting nineteen to a dozen. The Indian couple had a home in Italy and they were talking about some beaches they had visited in the USA. Soon David and I started chatting among our self. Here is how it went.

The Taj Safari's Campsite at Dusk, Banjaar Tola

Me: "So David, what a life, living inside a jungle!"
David: "Yes, this is exactly what I wanted."
Me: "David are you married?" (Hey this was not the first time I was chatting with him. And among Indians this question can be popped easily. OK, OK I know I am sounding defensive).
David: "No."
Me: "Hey no one will agree to come and live with you in this jungle!"
David: "Look at ..., he lives with his family and his daughter loves it."
Me: "So where are you from?"
David: "From Kerela, have you been there?"
Me: "No, but have to go there one day."

The Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

David: "So how do you find the lodge?"
Me: "The room rents are way too high, if you don't mind my saying so."
David: "Hey we are used to hearing this!" (laughing)
Me: "Do you manage to take vacations?"
David: "Yes, recently I was in Nainital. I travel on budget"
Me: "Why, that is such a crowded place."
David: "I went bird watching and in off beat places. I can do brid watching all my life."
Me: "We are also budget travelers, I do such trips usually on sponsorship."
David: "Hey I am sure we would meet in the Himalayas somewhere and say Hi to each other again."

To that he went up and left for his accommodations on the premises.

The Kahna National Park/Taj Safari Article at Gonomad

Dancing Peacock at Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India

My full article about the Kanha National Park/Taj Safari Lodge (in collaboration with the African firm & Beyond) is now up at Gonomad-

I saw Gaurs (resembles a bison), cheetals (a type of deer), peacocks and
even wild boars but there was no sign of the elusive tiger. At one particular
road Alger and the park ranger got quite excited as they saw the pug marks of a
tiger and they tried to track it.

Rooms at the Taj Safari Lodge, Banjaar Tola

The Rooms at the Taj Safari Lodge at Banjaar Tola, Near Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh

I have to say upfront that you would usually not see such pictures at my blog simply because we do not stay at resorts. All the three times when I have stayed at fancy places in India it has been because of sponsorship! I mean check out the room rates at Banjaar Tola. Leaves me speechless.

Pictures from Kanha National Park and a Special Swim

The Taj Safari's Vehicle at Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

I have managed to upload a few pictures from the Kanha National Park. The view from my room was so green that when I close my eyes, I still see green.

The Swimming Pool at Taj Safari's Banjaar Tola Camp Near Kanha

The best part was the swimming pool at the camp. I went swimming after 7 years and what fun it was. Actually, the master chef Manish at the camp was feeding us such good food that I asked them the way to the pool. I told them, "the way you guys are feeding me, if I don't swim, I would gain 3 KG by the time I leave." And Manish told me that as there was a pool side dinner that day, the pool was lit with lanterns and I could use it at night too. So, imagine an outdoor pool, lit by lanterns and flanked by trees with a few fireflies on it. And I had it all to myself!

Lazy Sunday Photo- Malabar Pied Hornbill at Kanha National Park

Malabar Pied Hornbill at Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

I came back from Kanha National Park in the state of Madhya Pradesh today. And no I didn't get to see the tiger. But as they say in the jungles- "So what of you didn't see the tiger, be happy that the tiger saw you."

Stayed with the Taj Safari's Banjaar Tola Camp, and as I said before the trip was organized by Gonomad for me.

I feel all my three trips are now getting mixed with one another, so I need to get down to blogging and sort them out.

Of course a lot more pictures and a post for Gonomad will follow.

And I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Just the thing I needed before I start a new job tomorrow.

Lazy Sunday Photos- ITM Gwalior

I was at Gwalior on Friday and Saturday taking a few sessions at ITM Gwalior.

ITM Gwalior, SOM (School of Management) Building

When I crossed the area (see picture above) I was reminded of my IIT Kanpur (Ph.D.) days. Bee Hives were quite a common site around the Faculty Building (or Fac B as it was called). The only thing that puzzled me was that this hive was quite close to people. Whereas if I understood bees from IITK correctly they do not like such close proximity nor do we humans feel too comfortable, after all they sting! Anyway I went inside to take a session which was in a class room quite close to this area. It was only later when I came out of the class that I realized what it was.

The Ghungroos (metallic bells used in some forms of Indian dances) from Which this Hive was Built

I knew I could be quite oblivious of my surroundings but never thought I was this bad! But then a lot of credit to the artist who made this bee-hive.

Another Art Installation at ITM Gwalior

This was another curious thing I saw! Some use of a discarded car, motorbike petrol tank and you have something like above!

The Open Air Amphitheater at ITM Gwalior

This was an impressive open air amphitheater with a lot of art work on the outside and Bose speakers inside!