Blog Archives

Alluring Ellora!

At the end of November 2024, I decided to undertake a cross-country drive from Noida to Bangalore. The purpose of the trip was two-fold – I wanted to visit my brother and sister-in-law who live in Bangalore and deliver to them their car which was in Noida. The other purpose was for me to see India like I have never done before. I had travelled long distance earlier too, but those trips had been more about reaching the destination. This was supposed to be different – as much about the journey as the destination. Ellora was supposed to be my second night halt on this sojourn. It was approximately a seven-hour drive from my previous halt in the outskirts of Indore.

The drive was a scenic one via the rustic countryside of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra...

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Birding and Photography on Christmas!

Ever since I had gone birding at Sundarban, I had been wanting and waiting to do it again. I had been brooding over this for a while and I finally bit the bullet – I purchased a Canon 400 mm f/5.6 lens to pair with my 2013 Canon EOS 70D to photograph birds and wildlife. I already had the excellent Zeiss Terra ED 10×42 binoculars for observing birds and wildlife. The recent lens purchase made the itch to go birding even more persistent. So when the Christmas holiday arrived, it presented a perfect opportunity to visit the Okhla Bird Sanctuary in Noida. It is a good time of the year to visit the sanctuary as it is usually teeming with winter migrants at this time of the year. I requested the company of a friend and a fellow nature enthusiast who graciously agreed...

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Trip Report : Sundarbans

It has been a while since I have posted here. The instant gratification that posting a picture on instagram brings can be blamed for that :). However, that gratification is fleeting at best and here I am – back to long form expression.

The gang at work had been itching for a trip. The hybrid/remote work paradigm also means that such trips with the team are a great opportunity to get to know each other well (or at least better). We had previously done short distance trips together but this was the first time many of us would travel long distance together and that too on a train. Train journeys evoke fond nostalgia for most of us. The hum-drum of corporate life had ensured that most of us hadn’t been a on a long train journey in years...

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Pandemic Pastimes

While the shadow of the coronavirus scourge is receding, the virus has managed to ravage large portions of humanity. Covid-19 has brought untold suffering to millions and continues to affect many millions of people even now. There is, however, light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccinations have started and life has slowly started limping back to a new normal that would have been unrecognizable to most of us just a year back. I have been fortunate enough to still have my job, have my health and also have my family safe.

Challenging as these times have been, they have provided many of us the opportunity to take a step back and do things that we have always wanted to. Things that we always set aside for the lack of time. The virus bought the gift of time for some of us...

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Euro Trip With Friends (Part 3 – Italy)

So after experiencing the amazing Alpine beauty of Switzerland, we were headed to Italy. The drive from Interlaken to Venice was a long but scenic one. The drive through beautiful glaciated Alpine passes just take ones breath away. And there are several tunnels on the way, the longest one being the 15 km long Gotthard tunnel. After one crosses the tunnel, the high mountains of the Alps give way to lower, gentler country.

Lake Como is a comfortable 4-5 hour drive away from Interlaken. And as one enters the vicinity, one becomes suddenly aware that one has arrived in Italy. Narrow lanes, beautiful houses, lazy cafes and driving that’s less scrupulous and gentle as in Switzerland. The relaxed attitude of Italians is on display and so is their amazing sense of aesthetics and architecture...

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Euro Trip With Friends (Part 2 – Switzerland)

So after a largely uneventful stay at Munich, it was time for us to leave for Switzerland. We left Munich on the morning of 24th August and after negotiating some city traffic, we were on the road to Interlaken. The road to Interlaken is peppered with scenic views – first the German countryside and then the Austrian and Swiss alpine beauty. We also passed through Lichtenstein, one of the smallest countries in the world, en-route.

The closer we got to Interlaken, the better the views became. We stopped twice just to soak in the natural beauty. Our first stop was at Mühlehorn, a beautiful community set on the shores of a lake with pristine blue waters. After soaking in the serenity we motored onward...

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Euro Trip With Friends (Part 1 Prague and Munich)

We (Shastha, Abhishek and I) had been planning a Euro Trip for quite sometime and now that Shastha has moved to Prague, the plan finally materialized. It took some hectic planning, a few conference calls and we were all set. Out itinerary looked as follows:

  • 21 August – Arrive in Prague
  • 22 August – Explore Prague
  • 23 August – Drive to Munich / Explore Munich
  • 24 August – Drive to Interlaken/ Explore Interlaken
  • 25 August – Explore Lauterbrunnen and Jongfraujoch
  • 25 August – Drive to Venice / Stopover at Lake Como
  • 26 August – Explore Venice
  • 27 August – Drive to Vienna / Explore Vienna
  • 28 August – Drive to Budapest / Stopover at Bratislava
  • 29 August – Explore Budapest
  • 30 August – Drive to Prague
  • 31 August – Fly back to home

As is evident (hopefully) from the itinerary above, the trip was a prett...

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Dudhwa: A Jungle Odyssey

Farewells can almost always be bitter sweet. A long time colleague just resigned. As is the custom, we planned an offsite farewell for him. The place chosen was Dudhwa National Park- primarily because we have been to Corbett so many times. The other thing that worked in Dudhwa’s favour was that it is home to the Great Indian Rhino. We have done umpteen safaris as a team, and the tiger has proven to be elusive except just once. So with high spirits, we set off on the 400+ km journey to Dudhwa.


The route we took

The drive to Dudhwa from Noida is a long, mundane drive but the company of colleagues and friendly banter kept the josh high for most of the drive...

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A Road Trip – Up South

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel to Mangalore and Udupi for a friend’s wedding. A few of us got together and planned a roadtrip from Bangalore to Udupi. We had heard a lot about the beautiful countryside and landscape that lines the highway. And we were not disappointed. However, what’s a journey without obstacles? We had our fair share of hiccups.

We had booked a rental car from Myles. When we reached the car pick up point, we were told that the vehicle allotted to us had met with an accident and they could not provide us with a vehicle. This was a real bummer. We really insisted on a replacement car and after an hour of haggling, they told us that they could provide us with a car – a Maruti Suzuki Swift. We readily agreed as we didn’t have other real options...

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Trip To Bangalore

I got an opportunity to travel to Bangalore in the first week of March this year.While it was an official trip , I was able to find some time for friends and leisure. Though, it has been more than a month since I returned, I still have fond and vivid recollections of the great time I had there.

The flight from Delhi to Bangalore is a long one (a three hour flight is long for me!). Long mainly because flights can be really boring. Thankfully, I had a window seat and I spent most of my time looking out. While even that can get tedious, I was able to spot this from above!

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India’s very own grand canyon – spotted from 35000 feet

Once in Bangalore, most of my time was spent at work but I was able to find time for a little sight seeing...

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