The Travel Connection

Ever wonder where the Wodeyars- the Royal Of Mysore originated ? Well,It is rumored to this quaint little village in Nanjangud district. But our intention to visit this place was because we were seeking out royals of a different kind ! Our trips to Nanjangud have been many but we have never passed by "sixteen" or as the locals call it Hadinaru. I wonder why it was called Hadinaru? But of all the number to have the name to be based on, nothing can beat sweet sixteen! The royals we had come to pay our respect to was the migrant bird all the way from Central Asia.  These visitors party all winter in south Asia including at the water bar at Hadinaru. When you have had a long and a very high flight across Tibet, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and my favourite the Himalayas, you need a place like Hadinaru kere to unwind. Now for the meat  protein enthusiasts , I bet you did not know the Bar headed Geese are vegetarians!They feed on barley, rice and wheat and they have the ...

Bandipur till recently was the national park we traversed and enjoyed its elusive inhabitants along the road while driving towards Nilgiris. This time around on our way back from the blue mountains, we thought of a stop over at the Bandipur safari lodge. Enough has been written in here about my trips to national parks and sightings. So no more fauna but lets talk  about flora in Bandipur! The hunting grounds of Mysore Maharajas is to my surprise a white wonderland of wild flowers in month of December. Karnataka has its own version of meadow of flowers! Tropical dry deciduous, tropical moist deciduous, scrub forest and open grassy woodlands- in case one has forgotten what each means, I would suggest joining the 3 hour long safari organized by the jungle lodges. So the eastern part of the 874sq kms of forest land is covered with stunted trees,shrubs and grass patch lands making it the Moyar jungle of scrub. The central part kaniyanapura is dry deciduous , the...

My favorite mode of transport is undoubtedly the rails! Give me one any day. Unfortunately with the limited time we have, travel by rail is always secondary. Consider a railway line that's been around since 1899. How about a meter gauge carriages being chugged on by a steam locomotive along the 208 curves,16 tunnels and 250 bridges. Make it a little more exciting by making the tracks the steepest in Asia. And there you have the Nilgiris Mountain railway. And finally I was going to travel from Coonoor to Mettupalayam on it! If one is interested on more facts about this old man rail, then here you go... http://nilgiris.nic.in/images/salemdiiv_sr_comm.pdf Not everybody's cup of tea, this slow moving monster is a pleasure for enthusiasts like Sheldon. For the others, the ever changing surrounding landscape could seal the deal. No, does it not, maybe then you are a history buff and want to be  transported to the time when these carriages carried folks in their finest and d...

The place Kurumbadi might not ring a bell to most. But if one wants to get away, then there is no place like Kurumbadi and its lone resort middle of nowhere "The Kurumba Village Resort" . This resort has been on my list for last 8 years and I finally made it here in 2015. Was the wait worth it? Over the past few years I have been visiting different parts of Nilgiris. But this resort just 14 kms downhill from Coonoor is a breath of fresh air not just literally!! Set amidst spice plantations  of cinnamon, nutmeg clove and pepper, the short drive towards the resort away from Conoor Mettupalayam road will give one the clue on what lies ahead. If one ever had a list, this is how it would look - Panoramic view of dense jungle on rolling hills - Check - Gurgling and gushing stream - Check - Morning wake up call of sweetest song by the resident Malabar Whistling thrushes - Check - Sound of your relaxed breath over the calm and stillness - Check - Fun time playing donk...

On our way to one of the many trips to Mysore, I happen to spot a board by the highway which said Vulture sanctuary. Thus began the desire to visit the sanctuary. Armed with the vague information we found on the internet, we set out on our favorite Mysore road one early morning. Mysore road has multiple choices of restaurants and break out spots. Among the popular ones are the shiva thatte idly and kamat loka ruchi.But on this particular day , we stopped at the over crowded Adyar Anand Bhavan as it is closest to city and we were hungry by 7.00am. Next to us we had a senior couple who were well into their 70s and 80s  traveling with a younger companion and their Indian guide/driver. The old man needed help of elbow crutches but here he was holidaying in a difficult country like India with his wife far far away from his home country.The three of us could only sit back and admire this adventurous couple and wish and hope we would be doing the same in our old age. With our be...