A trip to the Himalayas always seem to send an adrenalin rush through your body. And this adrenalin rush increases even before you set foot on the Himalayas. Personally, I have been many times to the Western Himalayas, but have always reached there by road. Hence, a new experience awaited me when I took the flight from Delhi to Jammu to Leh.
Delhi to Jammu was fairly uneventful, but things took a ‘U’ turn when the plane left Jammu and made its way to Leh. The aircraft was flying at [...] |
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February 04, 2012 11:35 PM (IST)
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Sujan Bernard enthralled a large audience for 3 hours this morning breaking myths on these beautiful creatures and explaining about the common non venomous and venous species in India. He was so kind to share his presentation over here -
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_o7QtZJaW3qMWNhYTNhYjMtOTJjMC00NjMzLWFjMDYtNWYzMzg1YzUxMWI2 |
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February 04, 2012 09:20 PM (IST)
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Mysore Zoo is the most popular zoo at Mysore in India. There are various animals and birds at the zoo. One among them is Sauras Crane.
This is a nice place for the kids to get know about the various animals in the wild. |
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February 04, 2012 05:00 PM (IST)
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Venugopala- Nonavinakere
The Chennakeshava temple built in Tandaga by the Hoysalas in the12th century AD. The temple seems very simple in its external features but it’s very rich. The temple has mainly consisting of Garbagriha, Antarala, Navaranga & and small Mukha mantapa.
The outer wall of the temple has almost plain, two Dvarapalakas in door adorning it. An exquisitely carved stone railing or parapet adorned with intricately carved flower images and other relief flanks the Navaranga. In this [...] |
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February 04, 2012 03:08 PM (IST)
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Here is an enchanting dance performance from a young lady from Suryagarh , Jaisalmer. She also invited the ladies in the audience to dance with her. I have two left feet so I was more content clicking pictures and making videos.
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February 04, 2012 01:33 PM (IST)
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The view of Kibo peak, Mt Kilimanjaro from the clouds
‘It was excruciatingly spectacular’ , she said. Her group had just ascended to the top – some made it, and some did not.
And EXCRUCIATING it was. Especially the last 100 or 200metres or so, when the goal post is in sight, so close, yet so far, and requiring you to squeeze every ounce of your will power. The challenge with the Kili is mostly on the night when you attempt the summit – depending on the route, you needed to climb at least [...] |
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February 04, 2012 01:33 PM (IST)
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Finally 60 groups have joined forces contributing 3500+ volunteers to Chennai's largest coastal cleanup - 17 companies, 12 villages, 11 CTC groups, 9 colleges, 5 non-profit groups, 3 schools and 3 homes -
These 60 groups have been allocated over 13 different beach zones covering the entire Chennai 15km shoreline from Marina till Injambakkam - an average of 200-250 volunteers per zone -
We have a total strength of 3500 volunteers [...] |
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February 04, 2012 02:39 AM (IST)
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In Udaygiri (State: Madhya Pradesh) which is 13kms away from Sanchi there are a series of rock-cut sanctuaries and images excavated into hillside. These carvings in the caves are carved during the Gupta Empire between 4th and 5th Century. The literal translation of Udaygiri is the 'Mountain of the Sunrise'.
The caves here are numbered for convenience of identifying. The most famous sculpture is the monumental figure of Vishnu in his incarnation as the boar-headed Varaha. Another interesting sculpture is [...] |
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February 04, 2012 12:40 AM (IST)
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Nine Great Souls Finished One Day Kumar Prvatha Trek ( From Kukke Subramaniya side ) in 10hrs!!!!
Nine crazy CTCians started from Bangalore towards Kukke Subramaniya on 25th Jan around 2200hrs with very little food of
4 Energy Bars (Chocolates) per head
2 Oranges per head
1 apple per head
1 [...] |
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February 03, 2012 05:15 PM (IST)
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I was in the southernmost tip of India , at the confluence of three oceans - Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean in a coastal town called Kanyakumari. And the view from one of its fishing hamlets - Chinna Muttom is here for you to soak in along with the hues of the sunset . If you are here on a full moon day, you may be lucky to see the sun set and the moon rise around the same time . My column on a cult worshipping a mirror aka soul was published in The Hindu. You can read it here
To [...] |
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February 03, 2012 04:29 PM (IST)
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Excellent write up from Masanamuthu like Video:
This became big hit in CTC in the recent times and folks showed great enthusiasm about mid sea dive that made CTC emperor team to think to organize a trip. Bunch of shortlisted guys are out by the organizer – Prem with enough details about co-coordinating points and time. Everybody gathered at thiruvanmyuir [ My location ] but it was not easy to spot the CTCins this time as our usual uniform shorts,T-shirts and sleeping mat missing on the location [...] |
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February 03, 2012 01:45 PM (IST)
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Sunrise at Chilika Lake, Barkul, Odisha
Yes you read it right, for a change I got up at sunrise when I was at Chilika Lake. Loved the peace, and the feeling that we had the place to ourself only. The structure you see in the middle are fishing nets.
Join us at Skywatch and post your images of skies as well.
[...] |
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February 03, 2012 10:55 AM (IST)
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Watching crowds whiling away their evening at the Gateway Of India across the road from the legendary Taj Mahal Palace Hotel facing the Arabian Sea, I’m convinced that not all Mumbai local trains disgorge passengers on their way to work and back, some will send them on their way to Colaba for an evening by the sea, to be charmed by the historic monument and inspired by the survival of the majestic Taj Hotel in face of a relentless terrorist attack launched by Pakistani Islamists on 26/11.
And like a [...] |
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February 03, 2012 10:27 AM (IST)
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If you already planned a vacation, got to the destination and it started to get cloudy., don't fret. Clouds and Rain aren't meant to rob off your holiday spirit. Anything natural would just add up to your holiday spirit.
Last year, I was in Phuket, a place I always wanted to travel to. And the weekend we were there, it was very cloudy, mostly raining and slushy roads. Most of the roads are commercialized and sales people stalk you to enter their shops. In the middle of all this, I wanted to enjoy [...] |
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February 02, 2012 02:30 PM (IST)
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Adding to the title, not all museums can be completed in one trip. There are so many museums and so much variety in Washington DC that one day, one week or one trip is just not enough to complete viewing. List of museums is exhaustive and can lead to monotony if you try to squeeze in too many but the experience is overwhelming.
Museum of American Indian
Native Indian Art
American Indian Tribal Tent
National Gallery of Art
An Original Monet
National Gallery of Art - Sculpture [...] |
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February 02, 2012 02:22 PM (IST)
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Ganesha on the Wall, Jaisalmer
I like souvenirs a lot. They are colorful and they look so good, they lend a charm to the place. However, instead of buying I like clicking pictures of them. At Jaisalmer, the road along the fort is full of souvenirs and I had a gala time clicking pictures.
The Mask
Even though it is not green I wonder if it comes alive at night!
The Mighty Elephants
And then there was this shop full of things with this mighty elephant [...] |
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February 02, 2012 12:35 PM (IST)
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Post Trek Write up From DHILIP
Car Journey:
Wait for my first trek with CTC was growing endless just before this weekend. Just that everything else went to background with only CTC trek to tada top occupied all the space in my brain. Short listed one day before the trek, thanks to some dropouts before the day of trek. Having done some moderate plus treks with maasi a.k.a Masana muthu, was quite excited to join fellow CTCians. At 7.30 P.M, starters from tidal park were maasi, me, Ramesh [...] |
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February 02, 2012 11:16 AM (IST)
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Sinhagad is an important fortress located at a distance of 30 kms from Pune . The fort is perched on an isolated cliff of the Bhuleswar range of the Sahyadri Mountains. It is on a steep hill that rises to a height of 1312 meters above sea level. This fort was earlier known by the name Kondana Fort .
Because of the natural protection provided by the steep hill, the walls and bastions were constructed at only key places. It was known to be one of the toughest fort that could be captured by anybody in [...] |
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February 02, 2012 07:52 AM (IST)
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I am sure a lot of you are aware of the tantrums that the pachyderms throw up in Assam, especially during the paddy harvest season and locals having to chase them off by bursting crackers. But, this is one side of the story. On the other side of the story is the peaceful living elephants of Kaziranga National Park. These massive mammals also look a bit weak and thin as they don’t get variety in their diet.
But, amidst the good and the bad, you can appreciate the aura of Indian Wildlife [...] |
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February 02, 2012 12:06 AM (IST)
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The one-horned Rhinoceros is the main speciality here. In fact, no where in the world is it found in such large numbers. Here, at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam, North East India, one is assured of a good sighting always. And this is irrespective of whether you are on the jeep on atop an elephant.
The Rhinos roam the swamps of Kaziranga in healthy numbers. Such is their strength that sometimes you think that they are like cows, available in such huge numbers and always grazing. But, [...] |
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February 01, 2012 11:29 PM (IST)
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Dahi ke Kebab and Masala Papad
I got to eat Dahi ke Kebab for the first time at Suryagarh . I am not much of a foodie myself so I appreciate it when people around me know about food. Not sure if Dahi ke Kebab are Rajasthani in origin or not (Tarala Dala puts it as Mughlai ) but I for sure ate it at Rajasthan. It has got a nice tangy taste and with Masala Papad it was divine. The Masala Papad had the usual onions, tomatoes, coriander but also Rajasthani Mirch (chilli) which looks [...] |
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February 01, 2012 03:28 PM (IST)
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It looks like Chennai is getting ready to cleanup her entire coast line and reclaim her beaches.
Mission CCC3 has gone viral - 3000+ volunteers signed up till now!
Come Feb 5, time for each one of us to stand up and be counted - for our city, for our beach, Sign up now
Important Update - the Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraisamy will inaugurate our coastal cleanup at Besant Nagar beach at 6am on Sunday.
We [...] |
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February 01, 2012 11:49 AM (IST)
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There are times when you think about how travel has changed you and how places become memories and how every recollection makes beauty rise again to change you one more time. I had just begun to meander that morning by the Pichola Lake wanting to simply walk along the streets of Udaipur city in that light that I had discovered the day before, a light that seemed to belong only to the morning, the light that fell on the Lake Palace, creating most of its charm, the light that let the water dance on the walls [...] |
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February 01, 2012 06:25 AM (IST)
The memory of the Bazaar is often of a recollection of chaos and yet when I look back at the pictures taken at the crowded, chaotic, noisy Groundnut fair last november in Bangalore, I find that so many of the photographs have people immersed in thoughts and in silence. I look at one of my favourite books, Tagore's Fireflies and there are these lines...
The world is the ever-changing foam that floats on the surface of a sea of silence.
I am reminded of Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein , the film by [...] |
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February 01, 2012 05:26 AM (IST)
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This month’s calendar is an image of a lake in Rajasthan, reflecting the clear blue skies.
Download 1336×768 , 1280×800 or 1024×768
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January 31, 2012 10:28 PM (IST)
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You enter the Chitra Santhe , the one-day art fair in Bangalore and you see paintings of all kinds along the sidewalk. What you also see is that people are taking photographs of the paintings. There are those looking at the displays on their DSLR cameras, there are others looking at their cell phone screens. There is the painting, the device and the human eye. The “device” is that something new that has entered our lives, to give us that power that no generation before has had.
When Walter Benjamin [...] |
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January 31, 2012 09:05 PM (IST)
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Picture of the moment: Street food in Siem Reap
Picture of the moment is a weekly series exhibiting pictures, through which I show you a bit of my world.
While strolling on the roads of Siem Reap, it is a common sight to see beef and other animals being barbecued for your dinner. You can eat there itself or get it packed for home.
Would you like to have some ?
I suggest, you eat there so you can select pieces/ portions of pork, beef, snakes, frogs etc. Also, there is nothing like eating [...] |
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January 31, 2012 08:39 PM (IST)
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Despite spending two winters in UK, the snow eluded me. When I landed in UK for the first time, it had cleared out a week before. And the second winter, it started within hours my flight took off from the Heathrow airport. When the time came to land in Aberdeen on the third winter, it was action reply of first visit – no sign of snow again and I had to wait for another winter. With numerous number of warnings/stories about the previous winter which went as low as 16 degrees below zero, I waited eagerly [...] |
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January 31, 2012 08:18 PM (IST)
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I do not have the money to travel through the globe but thankfully India in itself is big enough, 28 states and 7 Union Territories. I have to admit in the list below, when I say I have visited a state, it means I have seen a few places and not that I know it well. Also some of the states I have visited but not really as a tourist. So here I go. The hyper links mean I have written a story about it too.
States
Andhra Pradesh- Not yet
Arunachal Pradesh- Not Yet
Assam- Not [...] |
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January 31, 2012 07:48 PM (IST)
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It was long waiting event were kids of SIP and Anbu Illam was eagerly waiting for this day.
By 8.30 am we reached the gate no. 7 of Chennai Harbour. SIP kids in one cab and Anbu Illam in other and we volunteers on a bike. It was a warm welcome by Banu Pratap and other staff of coast guard.
They arranged a bus from the gate till the ship as we didn’t get pass for a cab.
We reached the coast guard ship were CO Natarajan (with whom I was interacting in absence of CO Adthya) [...] |
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January 31, 2012 07:48 PM (IST)
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[Write up by Vasanth]
We all know Lord Muruga and the fairy tale behind why he sits atop the beautiful Palani hills. Reasons marred, he chose right. The beauty of the backdrop is proof enough. But there’s more to those hills and mountains than being a holy shrine. Yes, this part of Western Ghats that raise high above the actual Palani Malai we all know and go to is a trekker’s paradise and the fact that it is in one of the most remotest and untouched mountains makes it all the more inaccessible and [...] |
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January 31, 2012 07:20 PM (IST)
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In mid-January of 2012, myself, Ashok, and Sunil flew to Sirsi and drove to Keppa Joga waterfalls to spend a short 1 day scouting trip to see what Keppa Joga Waterfalls looked like up close and personal. I had already been this place long back, the sparkling waterfalls, the beautiful cliff faces and the picturesque valleys make this a must visit place for nature lovers again and again.
We parked our bikes near to forest gate and walked half kilometers from the parking area and reached the first view tower [...] |
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January 31, 2012 04:03 PM (IST)
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First things first, sorry for not posting anything last week. I was off to Pudukottai with some 30 people, to enjoy not just temples and heritage but also nature, and best of all Megalithic Burial Sites!!! Yes, something that goes as back as 2000 yrs old, inspires me more than anything else!!! Remember my old post on 2nd C CE Jain Beds of Arnattan Malai ? Its one of the places that I always mention when I talk about my travels!!! So, this one is much more earlier and I went a bit more crazier!!!
So, [...] |
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January 31, 2012 12:17 PM (IST)
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January 31, 2012 12:07 PM (IST)
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The Battle of the Beaches has begun - 1900 troops have been gathered at the gates of Chennai's largest Coastal Cleanup.
Another 2 weeks to go... What are you waiting for? Sign up here
Individual volunteers - 550
We received 550 registrations at our 11 respective assembly points in the city. Implicitly participating groups - Cognizant, Hexaware, AID India, Inner Wheel Club, HCL (putting up posters, sending [...] |
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January 31, 2012 11:11 AM (IST)
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At flower show in Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore on August 2011 there were exclusive collection of various flowers on display. The colors were just amazing.
One such beautiful and colorful flower is Primula.
These flowers were there in pink, red and purple color on exhibit.
For more visit Ruby Tuesday |
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January 30, 2012 11:00 PM (IST)
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After spending a couple of nights in Western Serengeti , our next stop was the Ngorongoro National Park . As we were exiting Western Serengeti , we saw a Giraffe standing at a distance next to a shrub. The tall, elegant animal looked beautiful in its surroundings and this provided us an opportunity to photograph an animal in its habitat.
As we decided to move on, we noticed a movement in the tall grass, a little distance away from the Giraffe. We noticed that it was a Warthog. From the direction the Warthog [...] |
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January 30, 2012 05:39 PM (IST)
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It has somehow happened that I have no access to my pictures folders for the past few days and I am finding it extremely difficult to blog. Now when did this happened? At least consciously I didn’t realize that I will find it so difficult to write anything without a picture or a video.
I can talk about Jaisalmer’s sand dunes and a particularly pretty pattern that I clicked but do you see, I clicked it so I need to show it! Then I could blog about my visit to Konark and the [...] |
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January 30, 2012 03:59 PM (IST)
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The massive statue of Lord Subrahmanya can be seen from a distance as you approach Batu caves. The gold coated 140 feet high statue of Subrahmanya at the entrance of Batu caves is the tallest in the world. It looks magnificent and I found the Lord's serene expression a delight to capture. The place is quite a popular tourist attraction with many hotels and shops selling temple paraphernalia in the surroundings. Also freely flying around were numerous pigeons who were being fed by the visitors. All have to [...] |
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January 30, 2012 02:58 PM (IST)
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In Udayagiri (Madhya Pradesh) one can find some of the amazing caves with great sculptural work. The origin of these caves is between 4th to 5th century when rulers from Gupta Dynasty ruled the place. One such cave is No. 4 for convince.
It is a rectangular cell with a rock-cut plinth in which there is a very unique Śhiva linga. This Shiva linga has been given a face with the hair is tied up into a topknot with long locks cascading down each side.
The cave is entered through an entrance with [...] |
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January 30, 2012 06:00 AM (IST)
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The ‘Indian Pitta’ is one of the more prettier and colourful small birds to be found in the Indian Subcontinent. This was the first time I laid my eyes on this beautiful bird and it was quite a sighting.
The sighting was not long in terms of time, but was quite eventful as I saw this small bird in two different forms. One, in the normal self and size and the second when it drew in air to get all fluffed up and bloated. It was quite an experience to see these forms of the same bird in [...] |
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January 29, 2012 11:26 PM (IST)
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Cambodia is a place where more than their local currency, it is the US Dollars that rules.
Coming out of the Phnom Penh airport, there are several kiosks, the first one is a Currency Exchange. We wanted to change a USD 100 to Khmer Riel (KHR). To my surprise, the counter girl asked, “Are you sure?”,
I gave her a look on that stupid question and said “Of course”.
But we were utter idiots.
Why? Read on.
While planning a trip abroad, one of the first things most of us do is to [...] |
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January 29, 2012 10:57 PM (IST)
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After two years I visited Loch Ness and Urquhart castle , I was there again. Unlike last time where we drove all the way to the castle, we decided to take the cruise on the dark waters of Loch Ness to reach Urquhart Castle. It was a windy day, but the clear sky and a bit of sunshine made it an enjoyable ride to the castle. Here are few photos taken while searching for the mysterious monster of Loch Ness. :)
Dark blue waters of Loch Ness
Hotel Loch Ness Clansman – starting point of cruise journey [...] |
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January 29, 2012 09:53 PM (IST)
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| The Dosa Effect is not as profound or complicated as those in the science—the Doppler Effect, Raman Effect, Faraday Effect and the like. The Dosa Effect is simply the impact Dosa lovers can create on your website traffic. We wrote about the Pai Thattukada of Cochin and its famous 36 varieties of dosas. Pai Thattukada [...] |
January 29, 2012 07:03 PM (IST)
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Kudremukha is not there in the tourism map yet, but it is definitely a trekkers' paradise. A treasure in Western Ghats-one of the wettest places in Malnad region. Kudremukha is getting more importance now, KSRTC has started Airavat class service to Kalasa - a small town 20km before Kudremukha National Park. KIOCL (Kudremukha Iron Ore Company Limited) was once the biggest employer of this region. Later this mining company was closed due to environmental issues. When you drive through the national park you will [...] |
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January 29, 2012 06:45 PM (IST)
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At flower show in Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore on August 2011 there were exclusive collection of Phlox on display. The colors were amazing. One of the colorful Phlox flower is below.
The varied colors of the flower. |
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January 29, 2012 10:05 AM (IST)
Located in campus of the Royal Palace of Thanjavur , it is one of the oldest libraries in World. The library has exceptional collection of books, manuscripts, paintings and other valuable items. This library was started sometime between 1535 - 1675 AD by the Nayak Kings of Thanjavur. From 1875 the Maratha rulers further developed this library until 1855.
Most notable among the Maratha Kings was Serfoji II. He took special interest in the enrichment of the Library. He employed many learned people to collect [...] |
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January 29, 2012 10:05 AM (IST)
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