It's all about finding happiness!

Hey guys,

It's been a really really long time that I posted something here and it's high time that I did.
So here is a poem I penned down a couple of months back. Got nothing to say about this one. Read on. :)

It's all about finding happiness

As I sit here tonight and contemplate 
About all that my life has put me through
I feel the whirlwind inside my head abate
And I suddenly see the world in a different hue.

I start to see the end of the road 
As the heavy fog  begins to subside
For a long time now I've carried the load
And as I move along, I leave it here to bide.

I have learned a lot about life and people
And I've gained something that can never be bought
The biggest complication stems from wanting life to be simple
So quit expecting something that cannot be wrought.

I learned that there is only so much you can do
To change the world that surrounds you.
And sometimes courage lies in letting go
Even taking the backseat is no easy show.

Often you're treated less than what you deserve
So much that you start to doubt yourself
But make sure your credence does not swerve
For, you are your only source of help.

Cause in the end,
Its all about finding happiness
And getting used to the mess.

                                      

                                                   -Isha Pradhan

So that's all for today. Post your comments below. See you all soon with a new post.  :)

Till then, adios! 

Visiting Sewri jetty and Birdwatching

Hey guys!

Watching birds from my balcony and capturing them in their natural habitat is something I absolutely love. Caged birds are just a sad sight. So, when my mom told me about spotting migratory birds in Sewri, I was all up for it.
Basically, during the months of Jan/Feb to April, a lot of migratory birds can be spotted at the Sewri jetty. Serwi is a railway station on the Harbour line in Mumbai and the jetty is very close to the station. However, if you wish to go by car, then the road is a bit tricky and you definitely need to ask the locals as, after a pont of time, even Google maps/ Nokia maps aren't going to help you.
We reached the place around 8 am and so failed to spot a lot of birds. We planned to reach there early but for couldn't. I suggest, you be there by 6 30- 6 45 am to spot a lot more birds.
I won't say much, I will let you see for yourself what I spotted. :).
Again, I do not know the names to these birds, so help me out here.

Unknown bird #1

Kingfisher

Unknown bird #2

Egret

Another Egret capture! :)

Apart from this, there is nothing much to spot around in the area. I found this boat to be quite good though:

Seems kinda nice, isn't it?

And I spotted a group of friends who had come there just to hang out by the jetty. Somehow it felt worhty of a capture:

That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the post. I'll see you all soon. Till then, adios!

P.S: Check out the post on Birds in my Backyard and you'll be amazed.

Birds in my backyard !

Hey guys!
So how many of you here are into bird watching? No, I'm not talking about the other kind :P , I'm talking about our feathered friends. For those of you who love to watch birds in their natural habitat, this article is gonna be a treat for you.
As lazy as I am, I could not be more glad that just a look out of my bedroom window opens me up to a beautiful world of cute little birds. I am not aware of the names for any of these birds, so please help me out if you do ! :)
In the hustle and bustle of the city, hearing a chirp is no less than heaven. So, here goes:

Sparrow

Its the bulbul !

No idea which bird this is !! :(

Again.. No idea !  

Close up of the unknown cutie! :)

Indian Myna

And then this amazing bird I have no clue about!   :(

If anyone of you has any idea about the unnamed birds, please mention it in the comments below. It'd be a huge help. :)

Anyway, I'm keeping this post really short but I hope you enjoyed it. Share your images if you wish to, in the comments below.

P.S: Check out my post on Visiting Sewri jetty and Birdwatching.

I will see you all soon. Till then, adios! :)

What's all the fuss about birthdays anyway?

Hey guys! 

So, its February and if I may say so, it is the month of birthdays (including mine :D ) !! Wohoo! :D

Picture Courtesy: www.partypacks.co.uk

  Birthdays are all about having fun, taking a day off from your routine and being pampered. But I see so many people out there who don't understand what is so special about this day. They argue that it is just another ordinary day and there is nothing gracious or exciting about getting old by yet another year. Well, personally speaking, birthday is probably the most exciting time of the year for me. I mean, there is just so much.. so many things.. arghh... I can't even describe it in one sentence.
And that is exactly why I have decided to write a blog explaining to you all why birthdays are such a huge deal. You ask, "What's all the fuss about birthdays anyway? " and so, I answer:

1) You have had new experiences and grown from it. That deserves a celebration.

Its been a year and you have had so many new experiences, you have met new, wonderful people, you have probably had a huge success at something or had the worst year of your life. Whatever it is, it deserves celebration. Sure you didn't win a Noble Prize or anything but what you achieved in a year is definitely worth celebrating.

2) You need a break from your routine.

eringravesloser.blogspot.com

Get up, Get ready. Go to work (or college). Eat. Go to sleep. Repeat.
That's probably what most of us do, most days of our lives. So what's wrong with wanting to have a day when you break free from all that and let your loved ones plan something for you? It's really an excuse to break free from the mundane schedule and do everything that you wanted to do.
Now, you'd say that you can do this on any random day. Why does it have to be your birthday? That brings me to my next point.

3) Birthday is like a lifetime, pre-planned, one day holiday, just for you.

A birthday is like a day that you picked (only, you didn't get to pick the day), decided that on this day, for the rest of your life, you're going to be pampered. You are going to be the center of attention just for one day and enjoy it to the fullest. So, its basically like a holiday that revolves around you. If you like watching movies, that is what you will get to do. If you are a foodie then you get to go to that favourite restaurant of yours and revel in your favourite dish. Or you may just simply spend a quiet time with your favourite people. You get to decide what you want to do.
 Doesn't that sound something that every one of us should have at least once a year?

4) Everybody loves gifts. Even more so, when it is perfectly thoughtful.

Okay, so you've been constantly talking about this great dress that you've wanted or this fancy restaurant that you've always wanted to go to or maybe just wanted to revel in your moms delicacies and suddenly, one day, you get all of it. You didn't specifically ask for it but your friends and family knew exactly what would make you happy and did just that. Nothing beats a perfectly thoughtful gift, even if it is just a hand-made card. And birthdays are all about gifts !!

5) The anticipation is half the fun.

As I stated earlier, birthday is like a pre-planned event. You know it is soon going to be that day of the year when you have a great time. You know it cause it happened last year and it will happen again next year. That anticipation leading up to your birthday amounts for a sizable part of the fun. Knowing that at least one great thing is going to happen on this day, makes the wait worth it.
Also, receiving gifts on the very day of your birthday is far more exciting and enjoyable than receiving them a few days or months down the line. I mean, imagine that you are eagerly waiting for the world cup finals and the day arrives and moments before the match, they tell you, "I know you were expecting the match today but because the organizers were a bit occupied, the match will be scheduled sometime next week". Okay I exaggerated it :D  but you still get the point, right?

So these are few of the reasons why I love birthdays. I happened to celebrate my birthday in the first week of February and I have been lucky to have friends and family who share my enthusiasm about birthdays. They make sure I feel like a queen on that day and I love it. :) .

So if you know such a person who thinks birthdays are a huge deal, then make sure you don't let them down. Plan something. Buy a gift. Even if you are extremely busy and can't take time off, at least buy them a pretty cake and pre-order their gift and have it delivered on the very day of their birthday.

Have a great birthday folks. I will see you all soon. Till then, adios! :)

She came. She saw. She fell in love.

Hey guys!

This being my first post of 2015, let me start by wishing you all another amazing year! I haven't got a chance to write much in the past few months but now, I'll try my best to keep up.

I have been to some amazing places and have had some great experiences in the past couple of years. Recently I have been going over the old photo albums, reminiscing all those moments. Sometimes you tend to forget the little details of your trip but as you go through the photographs, the pieces start to fall in place again. That's exactly what happened to me (Of course with a bit of help from Mum and Dad). And I'll be sharing all of that with you guys in this Travel-series. So make sure you guys keep reading. I'll try my best to include all the details that might help you plan your travel and probably jot down the spots you wanna visit.

Check out the first post in the series- 'Gods Own Country !' , where I share my experience of my visit to Kerala, India.

She came. She saw. She fell in love- 1) KERALA

They don't call Kerala, 'God's Own Country' for no reason. It is one of the most amazing places I have ever been to. Right from breathtaking beaches to the lush valleys, coupled with the scrumptious food, it is a perfect destination for the people who love being close to nature.


I have never been on one of those guided tours where they try to cover 10 places in 5 days and literally drag you from one place to the next without letting you enjoy what is meant to be enjoyed. I have been very lucky in this context cause my parents feel the same way and have been my mentors when it comes to planning such vacations. After reviewing about 5 or 6 different tour itineraries and a careful study of the Kerala map, this is the sequence that we came up with:
Mumbai-Ernakulum(Kochi)-Munnar-Thekkady-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Mumbai

1. Train from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus(LTT) to Cochin.

We decided to board the Garib Rath train from LTT and got down at Cochin. We reached there late afternoon and so had no time to relax. But after spending about 20 hours in the train, you don't really feel like sleeping in the hotel room. So we set out for our city tour. We had hired a taxi which accompanied us for the next 4-5 days.

The first spot we visited was Marine Drive. For all my Mumbaikar reader, yes, even they have this small park with an amazing view which they call marine drive. You can watch the localities relax there after a tiring day at work, children playing and might also spot some tourists.

A view from Marine Drive

The picturesque setting can make you want to sit there for hours, staring at the sea. I thought it was a great place to relax.

Another view of Marine Drive

 After, our driver took us to one of the most famous shops in the cite, called- Emmanuval Silks. This shop is an amazing place to be if you are looking to go on a shopping spree. Although not very cheap, it is definitely worth a visit. The interior of the shop is quite impressive too.

Emmanuval Silks

The next day, we went to check out the famous Chinese Fishing Nets. You will find every tour company listing this out as a must-visit place. This place had a nice feel to it but I felt it was a bit overrated. For those of you who have access to kitchen, you may want to buy fresh tiger prawns or crabs. They looked amazing!

Chinese Fishing Nets

Later, we gave  visit to the Dutch Museum/Palace which was built by the Dutch and had some amazing paintings and murals. We skipped some other museums as we had to depart for Munnar the very day.
Cochin to Munnar is about 128kms and it took us around 4 hours to reach Munnar.

Where we stayed: The Durbar Residency,Cochin

2. Munnar-The Hill Station

Munnar is a famous hill station, famous due to its scenic beauty and its proximity to Cochin. If you are a photograper or just simple love taking pictures, then you MUST visit this place cause you just won't get tired admiring its beauty. We were tired from the journey and so decided to take a nap and began sightseeing next day onwards.
We visited the Eravikulam National Park followed by the Mattupetty dam.

Here, you can take your vehicle to the base of the national park. Only few mini buses are operated inside the park in order to control the environment pollution. The trips are organized by the forest department.

You get to see an amazing view of the tea plantations on your way to the main park area.

Tree Plantations in Eravikulum

The main attraction of this place is the Nilgiri tahr, which is a type of a goat. But these goats are no ordinary goats, mind you! They pose for you. :P .. Well, not quite literally but they are pretty cool.

Nilgiri tahr posing at Eravikulam National Park

You can enjoy the view from the top for an hour or so if not more. There is nothing much to visit here apart from this but I suggest not to skip this place,

From there, we left straight for the Mattupetty dam. 

Mattupetty Dam

It was a quiet place and the solitude kinda frees your mind of all the worries and you feel like you could stare into the water for hours. Since we had gone during the monsoon, the weather was pretty amazing. Although our driver insisted that we move, we spent more than an hour at this place.

Where we stayed: Westwood Riverside, Munnar

3. Thekkady- Home of the Periyar National Park

We then drove from Munnar to Thekkady which was about 85kms. On the way, you can see some more tea plantations.  On our arrival, we began hotel hunting and probably got a little bit carried away and booked this room that had a beautiful view and was by itself pretty amazing too.
Later that night, me and my mom decided that we wanted to watch the folk dance and so we asked around and visited a small local theater, where we watched the Kathakali dance form. We also got a chance to see the dancers have their make up done and then had a chat with them after the performance.

Kathakali performance

Next morning was an interesting experince. We were warned by the locals that if we wanted to go on a boating tour in the Periyar lake, then we should hail an auto-rickshaw and reach the venue very early morning, by about 6 30 am. We did as told but we were in for a surprise! All of the rickshaw drivers stop at about 750 m short of the destination and ask you to get down and run towards the ticket window, Yes! They ask you to run! First we thought it was a joke, but then we saw everyone running like their life depended on it. It was hilarious and awesome at the same time. :D .. And it was totally worth it when we witnessed the beauty of the Periyar lake. 

Periyar Lake

A view of the Periyar lake from the boat

We went for the boat ride and decided to skip the jungle safari. Although we did not spot a lot of animals, we managed to spot a baby elephant with its mother.

Elephants that came along the bank

Before leaving, we also managed to visit a spice plantation. You can find various plantations around and may chose the one that you find best.
Shortly after that, we departed for our next destination.

Where we stayed: Ranger Wood-Nature Castlle, Thekkady
Kathakali theater: Thekkady Kathakali Center. Price was Rs 150 per person (in 2012)

4. Kanyakumari... Kottayam-The surprise stop

We had actually planned on returning to Cochin from Thekkady and then going to Kanyakumari by train. But our driver suggested that instead we drive to Kottayam, stay there for the night and catch the early morning train to Kanyakumari. It saved us a lot of time and also economized the trip a bit and also allowed us to rest for a bit,\
We reached Kottayam late in the evening and hence we could not explore much.

Where we stayed: Not worth mentioning. Any hotel opposite to station will suffice, if you have an early morning train to catch.

5. Kanyakumari- Home of the triveni sangam(meeting of the 3 seas)

Now, let me clarify that Kanyakumari technically doesn't belong to Kerala but falls under the control of the state of Tamil Nadu. But, owing to its proximity to Trivandrum(Capital city of Kerala), people tend to visit this place during their Kerala trip.
The main attractions here are, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial, Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Thiruvalluvar Statue and the Observation Tower.

From the shores of Kanyakumari, a small ferry takes you to the Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial and the Thiruvalluvar Statue. It takes about two hours at the most to visit both the places. Avoid going there during summer cause it tends to be really hot.

Swami Vivekananda Memorial

A view of the coast from the Swami Vivekananda memorial

Swami Vivekananda Memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue

Sunrise and sunsets look even more beautiful here. So, make sure that you wake up early morning and rush here before the sun rises. If you think that you'd be the only one getting up so early, then let we warn you that if you reach just before sunrise, you might not even get place to stand here. Blame it on me being a Mumbaikar but I could not help but compare the rush to the Thane railway station during office hours!
And what's more is that, they have erected this observation tower from where you can see the 'Triveni Sangam' or the 'Meeting of the 3 seas'. Also, during the sunset, you can watch the shades of the sky shift and you end up staring into the vast expanse of the ocean till its finally dark.
So, basically, the sunrise and the sunset here is not to be missed.

A view from the Observation Tower taken before sunset

Sunset from the Observation Tower

Later, we went to visit the Gandhi Memorial. Honestly, visit this place only if you are genuinely interested in looking at photographs of Mahatma Gandhi and going through his life in the pictorial form. Otherwise, I suggest you skip this one and spend your time savouring the various delicacies in the shops along the shore. 
Gandhi mandapam is designed such a way that on October-2nd of every year which is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the sun-rays fall on the exact spot where Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were kept before immersion into the sea.(Found this info on Wiki.)

Near the memorial, you can find many shops selling decorative items, mostly made of shells. Its pretty good and cheap.
We also ate Bonda (Banana dipped in Besan and fried) and Masala Dosa, which was yummy! 
That pretty much concluded our Kanyakumari tour.

Oh wait! I almost forgot to tell you that, I saw a peacock in the front yard of the guesthouse we were staying in. That was the first time I saw a peacock up close. (I don't count the animals I saw in zoo, cause its just plain sad to watch them caged up.)

The peacock in the front yard of our guesthouse.

Where we stayed: A guesthouse at a walking distance from the Kanyakumari coast.

6. Trivandrum- The capital of Kerala

We took an early morning train from Kanyakumari to Trivandrum. And, boy was I glad! I suggest that even though you have a vehicle, you MUST take a train on this route. Its so scenic.

Shot from the train

 We got to see small villages with picture perfect little houses, loads of coconut trees alongside river banks, school children all ready for school and men and women working in small paddy fields. It was just amazing! Plus, the morning weather was very refreshing.

Main attractions of Trivandrum are, the Padmanabhaswamy temple, Kovalam beach and the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo.

The Padmanabhaswamy temple is situated in the middle of Trivandrum and is meant for visit only by Hindus. Also, one needs to follow their mandatory dress code. Women need to wear sari and men need to wear mundu or dhoti and no shirts are allowed. Also, there was a long queue to enter the temple but it was all worth it. The beautiful architecture of the temple adorned with intricate carvings makes you stare in awe. 

Padmanabhaswamy temple

Our next stop was the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo. I usually don't like zoos for obvious reasons but this one was very different. For a change, the animals were actually kept in large enclosures unlike the usual congested ones. This is a really big zoo, so you can expect to spend around 2-3 hours here. Plus there are open lawns where you can rest.

A cute little zebra

No idea what it is called

Because we spent hours roaming about the zoo, we had a very little time left to visit the Kovalam beach. Beaches being my favourite, I wasn't gonna miss it for the world. So, we hailed an auto and made it just in time for the sunset. 

Sunset at Kovalam beach

Kovalam beach

Again, we witnessed a beautiful sunset. The sand of this beach was white and the beach was amazingly clean. Plus, there was literally no crowd and so we relaxed on the beach till it was dark.
The next day were set to go back to Mumbai. We wished we could spend some more days in this amazing state but well, it was time to go. 

Where we stayed:  A guesthouse, again.
Food attraction: Ghee roast dosa , Chicken fried in coconut oil, fried fish.


So that was it. I will try my best to update this article with accurate price of hotels and entry fees of the various tourist spots, as and when I can.
Also, due to shortage of time, we could not visit Alleppy but if you plan to visit Kerala, then it must definitely be on your list. A night in the house boat and a ride in the backwaters is something that should not be missed,


I hope this article helps you plan your trip. If you have any questions, feel free to post your queries.
That's all for today. I will be back soon with another article. Till then, adios!