The Travel Connection

Maybe it was the sight of Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in the continent of Africa,clearing up on the day we arrived after 4 days of hide and seek! It could be the sighting of a mommy and young adult cheetah, a first for me. The parade of tens of African Elephants of all sizes just made it even better or was it the moment when we were greeted by the handsome fella the Gerenuk as we entered the park, what ever the reason, Amboseli is the best! A 97000 acres park, translates to Salty dust in Masai. Wish we had tasted the dust longer! But first we had to make a long journey of 404 kms from Sweet waters to Amboseli. A stipulated 7 hour journey turned out to be a 9 hour journey without any breaks. It also meant we could not go on the evening game drive which was very disappointing. But then as we approached Amboseli sopa lodge , we were greeted by the sighting of Gerenuks. The slender animal with its doe eyes was a sight to tired eyes.  I would move gerenuks high on my list of att...

The Majestic Elephant Nagarahole National Park has been a location of many fond memories from my teenage years. I was returning to this wonderful park after almost 20 years and was really excited about exploring it again. Though the elusive leopard did not honor us with his/her presence, the safaris were worth the time spent. The lush green park from the monsoons just made it a wonderland! The talented naturalist from Kabini river lodge led us through the maze of dirt roads and guided us to the sights of diverse wildlife. The perspective flip on the boat safari was the icing on the cake, an experience not to be missed. Kabini and Nagarahole - An unforgettable wildlife odyssey Crocodile A day on Kabini Vigilant Stripe necked Mongoose Spotted Deer in Green Wonderland   Indian Bison Gaur Indian Peafowl Cattle Egret Indian roller Osprey Painted Stork Crested serpent eagle  Sambar   Rhesus...

The best part about traveling to Ooty is that the drive through Bandipur, Mudumalai and Masinagudi is worth every minute spent on the road. Time and again i have heard that the drive through these jungles lead to more sightings than taking a safari through the interiors. And we were not disappointed. Like always the spotted deer gave us company all along Bandipur. Mudumalai proved to be even better with our friends elephants, peafowl, langurs, wild boars among other animals dropping in along the highway and greeting us with an smile. I am so tempted to get preachy on how people don't respect the distance factor but let's leave it for another day. As long as we are conversing about roads, it was enlightening to realize that the flat 2d google map is no match for the roadways on the hills. What looks like a straight road will have its curves and leave you wondering where to take the next turn. Was is it just me or has anyone experienced the same. The queen of hil...