2011 Travel Calendar

As I write this, it’s time to bid adieu to 2011. I’ve just returned from my last trip for this year & going through photos has already got me reminiscing about how great this year’s been!

I’ve wanted to travel the world ever since I can remember. Sadly, a few things got in the way: school, college, graduation, work & ‘settling down in life’. When I was in school, they’d incite me with stories of how college students could go on trips. I reached college only to be told that I should still focus on studies as I had to decide my career path. Once I decided what I wanted to be, studies obviously took up all my time. Luckily, as part of our architecture curriculum, we had at least one study trip a year. Saving grace! I was told that once I began working, I could travel to my heart’s content. So, I waited five more years. When I began working, I realised that I had even less time for myself! Work, marriage & more work later, I was told that post-retirement is a good time to travel. That’s when I decided that I’d had enough.

At every stage in life, it seemed like ‘later’ was always the best time to travel. I don’t know what’s in store for me later, but I do want to do what I like; now. So, in 2007, I decided that I would consciously take the time out to travel. Since then, I’ve gradually increased my travel each year, much to my boss’s consternation. Luckily for me, he was supportive & understood my need to take off for weeks. In early 2011, I decided that I wanted more. I also wanted to spend a lot more time learning about wildlife. And, it’s been a dream come true! I can only fervently hope that 2012 tops this. Here’s all where I went in 2011:

Agra

I began my year with a foggy winter at Agra & Fatehpur Sikri: with the nip in the air, the endless cups of garam chai, the golden glow of the morning trying hard to penetrate the mist & numerous visits to the Taj Mahal.

My story about architecture in Agra:
http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2015/09/looking-beyond-taj.html

My very-first blog-post was about my Agra trip: http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2011/03/wah-taj.html

BR Hills

Deceptively close to Bangalore, yet, a whole world away. As I approached BR Hills, the city sounds gave way to the sounds, sights & smells of the jungle. And I spent a few days just soaking it all in…my quiet time.





 

Kabini

I headed here after a few days at BR Hills, driving through forests & small villages. Though packed to the brim with families holidaying in summer, I was here for a reason: to watch herds of elephants congregate by the banks of the river Kabini, feasting on fresh grass. The water-side was teeming with birds as well, vying with the elephants for my attention. Add to this my first ever Leopard sighting & the unmatched bliss of boating down the river on a hot summer afternoon, with the cool breeze for company!

About my BR Hills & Kabini trip: 
http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2011/04/br-hills-kabini-nagarhole.html

Bombay [Mumbai]

Straight from the cool, breezy river to hot, humid Bombay; I went home for a few weeks. I also re-visited childhood jaunts with my brother, caught up with friends, gorged on bambaiya street food, had a gola & subsequently laryngitis and caught up with Flamingoes shortly before both they & I left the city.

About Flamingoes in the city: http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2011/05/flamingoes.html

Daroji | Hampi

A wildlife sanctuary & a heritage city; I couldn’t have asked for more. Actually, I could have; I needed more time. I half-heartedly decided to visit Hampi another time & spent all my time at Daroji. I wasn’t disappointed; the rocky & scrubby landscape hid many wonders within them: colourful Agamas, Sloth bears & more birds than I could imagine. I also went to Hampi & climbed Mathanga Hill in search of the rare Yellow-throated Bulbul. My only regret: the Sloth bears were very, very, very far away!

Borneo

It’s been my dream to visit this rainforest & in the spirit of all my wishes coming true this year, so did this one. I was swept off my feet. And humbled. And also upset that we are incapable of protecting something this important & beautiful. My visit to Borneo was filled with a lot of awe & learning, both of which made me silent & pensive throughout the trip.

I returned, unusually silent, only to pour it all out on paper: http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2011/07/when-borneo-beckoned.html

Another photo-essay on Borneo:
http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2012/07/glimpse-of-borneo.html

Valparai

From one rainforest to another; and this one, almost in my backyard. A few days here in the monsoons was all it took for this to become one of my favourite places; leeches notwithstanding. And, the same few days was all it took for some strange, unknown connection to be established between us; the same connection that drew me back, later in the year. 

 

About my monsoon Valparai trip: http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2011/09/rainforest-engulfs.html

Lepakshi

It had been a fortnight since I’d been anywhere & I had itchy feet; symptoms that demanded an impromptu day trip. A great drive, a good rain-free day, yet, with dramatic clouds for good photo-ops, a beautiful temple & some interesting stories…all resulted in a day well-spent. Also a ‘live’ temple, Lepakshi interests both the religious & the not-so-religious; ideal for a group trip with a bunch of people with dissimilar interests.

About my Lepakshi trip: http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2011/08/lepakshi.html

Bandipur

More than a month since my last visit to a forest, I went to Bandipur to prevent myself from becoming cranky. Usually abuzz with life, this forest near Bangalore also has a high density of predators. But, that weekend, the cool winter nip seemed to have made the animals reluctant to stir. Nonetheless, I had a happy weekend in an unusually quiet forest with beautiful, golden mornings. And, all the animals who did stir seemed blessed by Midas’s touch.

Thattekad & Munnar

One literally means ‘flat forest’, with extensive rubber plantations & a flourishing rubber industry. The other is a hill-station, a favourite with honeymooners. I went to both places looking for avian life. The Ceylon Frogmouth stole my heart. So did the elegant Vine snake. Another favourite memory from Thattekad is wading into a cool stream on a hot day, looking at dragonflies & damselflies.

Ganeshgudi | Dandeli

I’d been to Dandeli before, on a white-water rafting trip. This time, I stayed at Old Magazine house in nearby Ganeshgudi, a lovely place which we had to ourselves. With birds literally at my doorstep & avid birders with me, time flew (pun intended). We also went to the Timber depot at Dandeli to see Hornbills. Fruiting Ficus trees, the arrival of winter migrants & smaller life-forms made for a fruitful (again, pun intended) morning at the depot. At Ganeshgudi, you can also ride a coracle on the river, to try & spot water birds.

Valparai, re-visited

I went back to Valparai in October, wanting to experience a different facet of the Western ghats, in winter. The leeches were far fewer, the animal & bird-life was different, but, the feeling was the same. This amazing forest is home to numerous endemic plants & animals: the Nilgiri Tahr, the Lion-tailed macaques, the Nilgiri langur & the Impatiens plant, to name a few.

Formula 1 at Delhi

After debating about whether we should subject ourselves to the receiving end of what we expected to be a ‘poorly organised’, first-ever F1 at Delhi, my husband & I decided to take a chance. The thrill of watching the race was too much to resist. And, for the record, we had to eat our cynical words. Well, all the arrangements weren’t spot-on & there was a lot of teething trouble, but, the circuit rocked!

About my F1 experience: 

http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2011/11/chequered-date-with-chequered-flag.html

Kanha

The highlight of this trip was beautiful winter coats: the animals’ & ours as well. Really; it was about a pretty forest with pretty animals and weather that made you shiver despite your coats & long for the comfort of a roaring bonfire or maybe 3 blankets more. Driving through the beautiful Sal forests interspersed with rolling meadows, pinkish grass, white sheaves, glistening water-bodies and a low-hanging mist, I half expected a hero & heroine to appear through the mist, running around trees. Sightings of the Barasingha, the cutest Spotted Owlets & a Sloth bear made my trip, as did seeing & following fresh pug-marks every day. So what if the Tiger eluded me?

My story from Kanha:

http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2012/02/when-tiger-stood-me-up.html

Kutch & Velavadar [Gujarat]

A fitting end to the year, Gujarat surprised me; pleasantly at that! Though I’d heard & read a lot about the bountiful wildlife that Gujarat’s forests have to offer, it was still something else to actually experience it. The Greater & Lesser Rann of Kutch, with their unique geology & vast, barren landscape made for a very different ‘forest’; how do you see an animal or bird without disturbing it if you have neither trees for cover nor rocks to hide behind? From the Rann to the grasslands of Velavadar; this was a trip filled with birds & animals I’d seen little or nothing of, before: Wild Asses, Flamingoes, Wolves, Jackals, Foxes, Blackbucks, Nilgai, Bustards and Cranes. Other than the wildlife, the cold weather & yummy Gujarati food was also a winning combination.

About Kutch & Velavadar: 

http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2012/03/velavadar-life-in-grasslands.html 

http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2012/05/little-rann-of-kutch.html 

http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2012/12/greater-rann-of-kutch-mandvi.html