Travel Tales from India

A Typical Indian Dhaba

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:31:00 +0000

A Dhaba at Bundi

I had tea even though it was scorching hot in September. Brat 2 had both cold drink and tea!

Friday Flowers, Purple Flowers

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Purple Flowers (Clicked in London, November 2007)

If you know the name please drop a line. If you know about a website that lists flower names accessibe to a lay leader plese let me know.

Sky Watch Friday- Sunset at Gurgaon

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:42:00 +0000

Sunset at Gurgaon, India

I actually wanted to zoom in to the sun and wait for some birds to fly across. I realized that the zoom is not that good and that birds were really not interested in flying across for my picture. Hence settled down for this shot instead.

Watch more pictures of the sky at Skywatch Friday.

My Bundi Article

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Bundi, Rajasthan

My article on Bundi is now up on Gonomad. I still remember those beautiful lotus flowers so vividly. Here are the starting passages of the article-
When my nephew Sunil and I visited the Sukh Mahal (Palace of Comfort would be the rough translation) at Bundi, the caretaker who opened the room filled with paintings told me (in Hindi), “This is where the Mowgli writer stayed.”
I told him the writer’s name was Rudyard Kipling and the book that is associated with Bundi is Kim not The Jungle Book. But he told me firmly, “It was the Mowgli man who stayed here.”
That is how Kipling is remembered in Bundi. Kipling is said to have got inspiration for writing Kim in Bundi (I have yet to read that book but it is now high on my agenda) and I can imagine why. The Phul Sagar Lake behind the Palace gets filled with lotus flowers in September. I have never seen so many lotuses at one place in my life.

Another Bird from Bundi

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Bird in a Lotus Pond (Juvenile of the Bronzed Wing Jacana)

I am wondering if this also an Indian Pond Heron? I clicked this one at Bundi and didn't like it at all when I saw it immediately. I wonder why.

I got to know the name via Rocksea (through the comment he left) and Indiamike.

Another Bird from the Weekend

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:30:00 +0000

A Small Bird (~~Blackcap Female~~ Indian Sliverbill fits the bill much better, thanks Arun) in the Backyard

Many thanks to Indiamike members who keep identifying bird after bird for me.

Hopping Over!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:32:00 +0000

Delhi-Dubai-Manchester

This time it is not a direct flight. I am hopping via Dubai and yet hardly any time there. Anyway you will find some pictures of the Dubai airport later. I have once spent 23 hours 40 minutes in transit at Dubai and yet did not venture out then! I wonder if they still give a transit tourist visa at the airport itself.

Soon!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:57:00 +0000

Manchester United Stadium, Manchester

Heading that way soon, slightly further in fact. Let us see how does the winter treat me. I have misplaced the lens cover of th wide angle. I am wondering how to carry that one safely.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Tailor Bird

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:53:00 +0000

Tailor Bird in the Backyard

And I for sure want a better zoom.

Lazy Sunday Photo-It Has Been Raining Birds

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:30:00 +0000

A Bird in Flight (Pied Myna)

A Bee Eating Bird

Today I saw so many birds, some agreed to get photographed but most of them gave me a miss. I am already drooling for a more powerful zoom lens.

And While the Little Bird was Awake!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:34:00 +0000

Took this a week back and this time it is just cereals and not chocolate.

One cup of Maggie (we don't eat it in front of her or she too will demand it and soon not eat anything else) and I will call it a day.

But I am scheduling this post for later in the day.

Royal Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Royal Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur

I was going down the memory lane and looking at the photographs that I took last year around the same time in Jaipur. It was one of the last places we had visited and yet it had turned out to be such a treasure trove.

Then I stared reading a travel guide about Jaipur on Simonseeks* and found that there are more places that I have missed out on when I visited Jaipur. There are more travel guides India on the site. The person behind Simonseeks.com, Simon Nixon is one the most successful internet entrepreneurs. I also see the merit in the idea that if I had a large of destinations covered under one roof, and if it is free for me I would surely visit it for a quick reference.

Then I was wondering that when I look for information do I look for expert opinion or a community experience has become more important for me. I am somehow tilted towards community experience but then I have been using message boards for my travel needs for a long time. But I do see the value of free information about a large number of destinations across the world.

*I was directed to the site by a business email.

Friday Flowers- Daisies Gerberas

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:27:00 +0000

~~Daisies~~ Gerberas at Trafford Center, Manchaster, UK

I got the correct name from Lakshmi.

And while we are talking about UK I got the visa today. A kind colleague of mine collected it too. UK VFS (New Delhi) at the moment allows a third party to collect your passport (see step 8) provided that you give them an authority letter and the documents that have to be handed over for visa collection.

So in all likelihood I may travel to UK sometime soon. It would be cold.

Sky Watch Friday- The Sky was all Ablaze

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:03:00 +0000

Sunset at Gurgaon on Wednesday (11/11/2009)

This is the sky that greeted me when I walked out of the office on the Wednesday this week. The second picture has been taken after 10 minutes of the first one. Such sites reinforce my decision to carry a small point and shoot camera all the time in my purse.
Exactly the site that one needs at the end of a workday.

For more pictures visit the Skywatch page.

Off Topic- Signature Lines

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:32:00 +0000

I have come across many a times in people's signature lines- Sent via Blackberry by --- and I often wondered why someone would like to attach that in a signature. Looks like some people for sure wish to remove it.

Then I saw this line in an email exchange with Professor Robert V. Kozinets.

Sent from my space station. By laser beam. Honest.

Now that is something!

(I have quoted his signature line on the blog with his permission)

Today's Commute

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:58:00 +0000

Bus with a Colorful Load

These pictures are the haul for the day. On the dusty highway I suddenly spotted these colorful balloons tied to the back of the bus. I reached out for my camera. I mean it is a much better site that watching people sitting on the top of the bus. Fir a while there was a car in between our car and this bus and I was wondering if it would go away before I could photograph it.

Colorful Load

My hunch is that the owner of this load was sitting inside the bus but there was no place to keep his stuff. So he found a way and I found a photo opportunity.

Lotus Temple Seen from the VFS UK New Delhi Office Building

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Lotus Temple, New Delhi

I took this picture after I came out of the VFS UK New Delhi Office in Nehru Place today. I have cropped it heavily as the zoom in the basic point and shoot is not much. I somehow like pillars that I have captured in the foreground by accident. Honest, I have no recollection of framing them consciously!

Coming to getting my own picture, the last two times I got my photograph clicked at the VFS office itself. This time the gentleman operating the booth was a few minutes late and then he told me, "the off season for UK has started that is why you see so little crowd today."

They took my form, so that means they are going to process the application. Let us see when do I get it.

Applying for the UK Visa Tomorrow

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:27:00 +0000

This is of course related to work.

But let us see how it goes.

Will keep you all updated.

While the Other Little Bird was Asleep

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:31:00 +0000

Indian Robin in my Backyard

It was siesta time for Chhavi again today and I was with the camera. I was clicking this Indian Robin in a series of shots from the balcony and the robin was right in front of me. Suddenly I looked to my left and what a delight it was.

Purple Sunbird on a Perch

It was the same perch as yesterday (I clicked the Purple Sunbird for the first time on Saturday), only this perch is a little closer from the balcony. And there it was waiting to be clicked. This time (on Sunday) the purple sunbrid obliged me by letting me click at least 6 shots before it decided enough is enough.

I wonder if I would wait for it on the Monday afternoon will it let me click more shots? But then Monday is a working day!

Lazy Sunday Photo-Team Huddle!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:56:00 +0000

Squirrels in a Team Huddle

Lazy Sunday Photo- Purple Sunbird

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Purple Sunbird in the Backyard

While the little bird at home was asleep I was making tea. I suddenly noticed this bird from the window. I ran to get the camera and remembered that it was lying somewhere else. Found it after a while and ran out. I thought it had gone away. Then I saw the Purple Sunbird sitting at this pole at the next house. I clicked in sports mode twice and then decided to try the manual mode. By that time it decided enough is enough and ran away.

Noticing Trucks

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:58:00 +0000

Blurred Picture

It was around 6.45 in the evening yesterday and I was almost at the end of my evening commute. There is a roundabout where I invariably get a traffic jam and this Friday was no different. I was really sitting in my car quite bored till I saw the truck ahead of me.

I immediately took out my camera and clicked but my windshield had a lot of dust on it and the result was the picture above and quite disappointing.

Truck Art

Then I opened the window, took my hand out and clicked. The result is so much more better. I have clicked a very similar picture of another truck before and yet there are a few differences. In this one there is a girl sitting quite pensively and the quote in Hindi that says Roya Karege Shanu Yaa Karke (Shanu would cry when she remembers me).

In my previous job my total commute was 16km and now it is 62. You can see how it has impacted my blogging and the pictures. And I am not cribbing about my commute, just mentioning that it has increased and I see a lot of trucks or maybe I notice them now much more.

Majestic Mountains

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:34:00 +0000

The Dhauladhar Range as seen from Triund, Himachal Pradesh

Looking at this scene you can never imagine that there were hundreds of school students also camping at the same site. Thankfully the site was so big that we were in a different corner and not much affected.

But when we were walking back a lot of children were coming down too. The path is narrow and we walked in close company for quite some distance. There was no way I could not here what they were chatting about. The boys invariably discussed cricket and the girls makeup and hairstyles. I somehow was disappointed.

Friday Flowers- Flowers like Astrix's Ears!

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:01:00 +0000

Yellow Flowers

I do not know the name of these flowers but the white petals remind me of Astrix's ears!

Sky Watch Friday- Another Sunset at Ilaka, Near Triund

mridulablog@gmail.com (Mridula) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:41:00 +0000

Sunset at Ilaka, above Triund, Himachal Pradesh, India

See more fabulous skies at Skywatch Friday