Meghalaya

Meghalaya is a state in the East of India. In Sanskrit, Megh means clouds and Alaya means home or adobe. As the name suggest it is Adobe of clouds. It is surrounded by Bangladesh to south and west. To the north is Assam. After nearly completing most of South of India and a maiden trip to Himalayas, we decided to set our next target in Eastern India.

Suggested Itinerary

• When to visit
• How to reach and travel around
• 7 days of Meghalaya
• Cherrapunji or Shohra (local name)
• Living Root Bridge and Rainbow waterfall trek 
• Dawki and Shnongpdeng River side tent stay and water activities
• Shillong - One night stay

When to visit

Meghalaya will have beauty of its own in each month.

Best Season

The best months to visit Meghalaya are from September to January. During this time, the weather is favorable for outdoor activities. Peak season is from November to December. It is ideal for people in Bangalore to visit Meghalaya during Dushera school holidays which falls during September or October.

Other months

Meghalaya experiences a lot of rain through out the year and is famous for recording highest rainfall in the world. And it might not be recommended to travel and do activities in rainy season. However many people visit the area to experience it.

How to reach and travel around 

The nearest airport is Guwahati in Assam. Shillong is around 3 and half hours drive from Guwahati. Cherrapunji is another 3 hours drive from Shillong. We took an early morning 6 am flight from Bangalore and reached Guwahati around 9:30 am. It is recommended to hire a taxi or car for Cherrapunji as getting local transport to tourist spots is difficult.
Drive options -

• Self drive car - Zoomcar is available near Guwahati airport. They arrange pickup from the airport and drop to airport. One needs to drive through  Khasi and Garo Mountain range, the road has a lot of twist and turns. If you are not used to it then, it is recommended to hire a rental car with driver. The road quality was extremely good in the month of September and we were able to easily manage. There are times when it becomes suddenly cloudy. This might prove to be dangerous in the dark.
• Rental cars with drivers - Many options are available on internet.
• Buses - There are buses available till Shillong from Guwahati airport as well as Guwahati city. After a night halt at Shillong, you can start early morning for Cherrapunji. However the taxi hired from Shillong will be available only till Shillong and one needs to take bus to Guwahati airport and its not worth the effort. If you are on tight budget then only opt for it.

Tips 

It is advisable to leave for Cherrapunji early in the morning. Till 10 am to 10:30 am maximum, as it becomes cloudy in the evening near Cherrapunji. Else take a halt in or around Shillong city.
There is a lot of traffic near Guwahati airport for an hour or more till we hit the national highway so plan the travel accordingly both ways.

Cherrapunji or Shohara (Local Name for the place)

After approximately 6 hours drive and couple of breaks we reached Cherrapunji at around 7 pm. It is recommended to have an early lunch near Guwahati airport before you set off for the journey. On the way we experienced bad traffic and road jams in Guwahati near the highway and near Shillong.
It was a mesmerizing drive through the lush green mountains of the Khasi range. On the way before Shillong, we hit the Umiam Lake view point where we took a tea break.There are many small shops which offer tea, biscuits, boiled eggs and omelets. Couple of good restaurants on the way.
Once you approach Cherrapunji, one can spot a lot of local shops selling fresh pork meat. We did not try it however I have read multiple recommendations for the same.
We reached around 7 pm to the hotel in Cherapunji. There are multiple options available as per your
budget. We always prefer medium budget hotel with freshly cooked food. So we choose La Kupar Inn. The hotel manager explained us the next days itinerary with local hand drawn map.
Day 1 - Cherrapunji or Shohara Sightseeing

• Mawsmai Caves - mall caves down south east of Cherrapunji. We reached there around 10 am. It is small limestone cave with stalactites and stalagmites formations. Water drips from the ceiling of the cave and the minerals remains in the water are left behind and form various shapes. It takes about 20 -30 minutes to visit the caves. One has to pay minor entry fee.
• Seven sisters waterfall - After a short drive from Mawsmai caves is the seven sisters waterfall. It is more of viewing point on the road where one can see seven waterfalls over the limestone cliff. There are stalls for tea and local snacks. We spent some quality time over there.
• Nohkalikai Falls -We headed to Nohkalikai waterfalls then, it is towards the center of Cherrapunji town. It was bright and sunny and in few minutes, we were surrounded by clouds all over. My nine year old son was super excited. We parked the car and walked towards the viewing point. The view of the valley and waterfall was blocked as there was light wind and we were among the clouds. It was different experience altogether. My son was running in the clouds and trying to feel them. There is open space behind the viewing point and we decided to explore the nature in the mean time. It was fun to
  walk in the grass meadow with clouds all around us. After some time, the weather became clear and we were able to spot the waterfall.We had our lunch at the restaurant near the viewing point.
• Arwah Caves - The caves are 2-3 km near the Cherrapunji bus stand. After the main entrance, you need to drive alongrough road for about 1 km to reach the parking lot. There is minor entry fee person. Then you need to walk along trail for another 1 km to reach the cave entrance. Half way through you will have option of taking the short but difficult trail else you continue on the longer and easier trail. If you are physically fit then only take the shorter trail. While walking along the trail you will feel as if you are in the Aztec Jungle surrounded by different kind of trees and ferns etc. At the entrance, we hired guide at nominal fee. It is recommended to hire a guide as the cave is lighted half way through. If you want to explore the remaining part it is advisable to do it with guide. The guide showed us multiple fossils of fish and other sea creatures on the walls of the cave. At the end of the cave there is octopus shaped stalactite.It is recommend to keep a torch or mobile phone light on. Some parts of the cave you need to crawl through so wearing shorts is recommended. On our way back we took the shorter trail and it gave me major physical training goals to improve on.
•  Dantalon Waterfalls -  After our endearing stunts in the Arwah caves, we proceeded ahead to the Dantalon Waterfalls. Its 30 to 40 minutes drive from the place. We reached there by sunset and enjoyed our evening tea by the waterfall. Since it was month of October, the water flow is less and the tourist were able to walk through the place. We enjoyed clicking pictures along the scanty water flowing in between the ridges.  Later we explored the remote area to the right of the waterfall. While returning back we were able to take few sunset pictures.  Recommendation - If you have a spare day, then its a good picnic spot. Many locals had carried food and other basic necessities and were enjoying their day out at this place.
• A peaceful sunset over the top of Khasi Garo Mountains marked the end of our Day 1. Please stay updated for Living root bridge and Tent stay next to Umngot River near Dawki.
  
  

Kenya

Kenya trip Itinerary for week. While there can be many enhanced variations done as per our experience. We initially had decided with the following itinerary.
1) day one reach Nairobi - relax in hotel next to Airport
2) Next day leave for Lake Naivasha - It is 2 hours travel. reach the lake and do the boat trip.
Evening visit to Hells gate national park.
3) Lake Nakuru National Park. Around 1 and half hour drive from Lake Naivasha. Game drive in National Park. return to Lake Naivasha. relax in evening in the hotel
4) Next day leave for Masai Mara early in the monring. Its around 5-6 hours drive.
Post lunch go for Game drive in the evening
5) Hot air balloon Safari early morning followed by Game drive.
6) Next day leave for Nairobi and then relax.
7 Leave Kenya back to home.

Calf drinking mothers milk in farmers house

One of our numerous trips to Mysore we stayed in resort near Ranghantitu Bird Scantuary. We decided to relax in the evening and show some glimpses of village life to our 4 year old son Smit. Smit did enjoy the calf drinking milk from his mother cow. However his curious questions do make me watch this video again and again in my free time. 

First video the farmer is milking the cow.
Later the calf is left with his mother to drink remaining milk. My son was curious to understand where is the father of the calf. We had tough time to explain him that the father of the calf is in farms. Ultimately we had to explain him that mummy is giving food to the baby and father has gone in the office(farm) to work.

Elephant Shower and Bath Thekady Kerala

Elephant ride and Shower  is one of the important things to do in Thekady, Kerala, India.  Timings for Elephant ride is from 9am to 6 pm. Situated in Avanchal in Thekkady. It is small 10 acre area granted by government outside the forest land. As per locals, yester years poachers are now converted into animal friendly mahots.

Besides Elephant ride and shower there are multiple other tourist attractions in same premises

1. Spice garden tour
2. Musical Fountain
3. magic show
4. Kathakali Dance 
5. The mahot also asked us about elephant hair - As per the folk lore - Its auspicious to wear Elephants hair in the finger ring.

Bang opposite is the Tribal dance show organized in the evening by Government tourist board of Kerala.

I would recommend you to reach there early in the morning around 9 am to this place. Since its less crowded and early birds always benefit. We were located in the Green court home stay just minutes walking distance from the Elephant ride center.

To do or not to do - Initially I was personally not keen or might be scared of sitting on the elephant. On insistence of my husband and the hotel owner somehow i did agree. Since the hotel owner was local he got us discount of Rs 100 each. The package now priced at Rs 900 each - included Elephant ride, Elephant bath followed by Elephant shower. 

The sun rose in the sky and i woke up surely with some butterflies in my stomach. Our son was all excited.

We reached the camp around 9 am. If you are with kids - i would recommend you to carry some snacks for them as this activity takes around 1 hour.

As we were the early birds we were privileged to see multiple elephants getting ready for the days work. Starting with bath, shower, scrubbing of back and ears, some wholesome break fast of coconut tree leaves and rice,. Once the elephant was ready the mahot placed the seat (some kind of bed covered with plastics sheet) on his back. That also included iron rods which will provide you support during the ride.

We were asked to go and stand on the mounting station which is around 1 floor high. Yes, You really feel scared when the elephant approaches near you and the mahot asks you to mount on its back. I was under the impression that the mahot will accompany us on the elephants back. To my surprise, he was walking on the ground. Some how we sat on the elephant and then for first few minutes I was just chanting gods name. 

Once all of us were sure that the Ele wont just go mad and run here and there - we all started enjoying the ride. The mahot took us around the square shaped coconut trees garden. The ride lasted for around 15 minutes. At the end of the ride we were allowed to stand with the elephant and take some snaps. I would like to mention this that we were able to enjoy this at our own pace, simply because we reached there quiet early before it becomes to crowded.

Elephant Bath - After completing the heroic deed of climbing the Mount Everest someone comes and asks you to cross the Atlantic Ocean. How will you feel at that time ? Well I had same feelings in my mind when we were asked to proceed to the elephant bath area. Its a small artificial concrete pond where one old elephant was resting. The mahot was cleaning its ears. As per my imagination - we holding a pipe in our hand and spraying water on the elephant. Well, the mahot asked us to change the clothes and get in to the pond. Thank God, our fear to come near the elephant had reduced a little bit after elephant ride. The man asked us to pick up the brush and scrub the elephants body. This reduces the fear in your mind and the elephants doesnt not feel you as stranger. It really did work out. It was really amazing to see how my son sat on the elephants back on his own and scrubbed it.Then came the time for elephant shower - my husband abhi tried it first. Our son was really scared. At the end came my turn. I was quiet confident, all the butterflies in my stomach had gone to collect some pollen on the flowers. I climbed up the elephant back using its leg as foot rest and the elephant showered fresh water with his trunk on me. No words to describe how i felt. Wowwwwwwwwwww....

A definite big YES if you have second thoughts regarding visiting the place. YES do visit it, its fun.

Ranganthitu in Natures Lap

Destination Ranganthitu - On the long weekend in August we fled away from day to day city life to rest in lap of nature. Another aim was to educate or make our son know about the real India. I am sure all of you are tierd fo the Monday to firday work and want to destress yourself. Well then this is perfect place at 3-4 hours drive from Bangalore Whitefield.

Frist day- Since we started late from whitefield we landed up in Mysore in the evening. So Vrindavan Garden was the only option left for us on that day. My son Smit loves watching the fountains and the waterfalls in the garden. Specially when they get lit up with lights post 7 PM.

Where to stay - Resort Cute While heading towards the Vridavan garden we spoted the resort in the small village near Raganthitu Bird Scatuary - The Cute Resort. It is noting but small piece of farm land converted in to resort. So initially we were skeptical. Since there were not many options left at last minute we did booking in the resort. Next day morning we visited the Mysore Zoo and reached the resort in the afternoon. The everything in the resort was clear and tidy including the rooms. The food service provided in the restaurant was also good. We were quiet impressed with their buffet breakfast.

Evening Activities in farm land near the resort

The resort has small swimming pool. My husband being swimming enthusiast wanted to get into the water. However our main aim was to show our four year old son the Farm land and other domesticated animals so we skipped swimming and moved out for stroll.
Train tracks / Crossing Another of the fascinating feature of the resort - Its bang in front of the railway line. Since our son is avid admirer of Thomas Train he just loved watching trains pass through the paddy and sugar cane fields.
Cattle There were goats, sheep and cattle grazing around. By evening 6 o clock it was time for all of them to return to their shade.
Milking of the Cow I wanted my son to sit on the bullock cart so we decided to walk towards the village. On our way - we spotted farmer couple milking cow. Since its something which our kids will get to see in the current hustle bustle of the city, we decided to stop and show the same to our son. On their permission we started taking video of the same. After milking enough, they let the calf drink the mothers milk. My son was quiet curious watching the baby drinking mothers milk. As per him - Only mummy cow and baby cow were there. However he was trying to figure out where is the babys father. The farmer couple were kind enough to offer us cup of tea from the fresh milk. We did accepted their offer. Their son who was able to speak in English later joined us. He showed us the recently harvested Ginger yield. Also the other spice, fruits and vegetable plants and tress around their house.
Bullock Ploughing the fields The next day morning we had planed to visit the farm land since scenic photographs are best taken in the early morning sunlight. There were some farmers ploughing the fields with bullocks. My son is a big fan of excavator, dump truck, tractor etc machines. He could have never imagined Bullocks ploughing or digging the soil in the farm. So it was good practical knowledge session for him.

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary near Mysore, Karnataka,

India is comparatively one of the unexplored tourist destination in South of India. Its situated near Srirangapatnam or Mysore, Karnataka.
An ideal stop over after Kamat Lokaruchi while heading towards Mysore or Madumalai, TamilNadu. time I happened to visit this place during the Good Friday long weekend. Never heard of Bird Sanctuary, initially I was reluctant to visit the place.

The visit turned out to be a pleasant surprise. 

The place is full of different coloured birds specially during their mating season from February to June month of the year. Its basically a lake premises covered in midst of dense forest. The Government of Karnataka has declared it as protected area and is maintained by the forest department.


The sanctuary hosts boats in the Lakes. To protect the wildlife, the boats are peddled by the sanctuary men. Use of motor boats is prohibited. The ride lasts for 20-30 mins. It will cost you Rs 50 per person.
The entrance charges and parking are separate.

The various birds/animals spotted were as follows

• Painted Stork
• Open Bill
• Spoon Bills
• Storks
• Crocodiles
• Fishes in the Lake

Martins Farm, Whitefield Bangalore

A good weekend get away for couples with kids in Bangalore.
Located in near Varthur Lakes in Whitefield.
The farm is well maintained and serves its purpose.
What to look out for ?
It hosts few domesticated animals like - rabbits, ginne pigs, goats, lambs, donkeys, cow, piglets, goose, ducks, swans, turkey and emus.
There are prescribed feeding times for the animals where the farm people take you around the farm explaining you about the animals and allow you / your kids to feed these animals. Belive me the kids just enjoy it.
How to reach ?
if you are heading from Whitefield take left to the varthur lake.
By pass the village, few minutes later take right towards Krupanidhi college.
You will site some small houses after the college ask the locals for Martins Farm.

You need to call them before reaching the farm as they allow limited number of guest in the farm at time to avoid rush.

Attraction - My son enjoyed feeding the rabbits and the goat. Later in the evening we were also able to show him how the cow is milked. :)

Food and Bevereges : Since you are carrying kids, it makes sense to carry food and drinks along with you.
when you hit the main road, you will get small grocery shop.

Elephant Pooja/ Worship, Kerala , India

Along the way from Bypore, Kerala, India to Kumarakom, Kerala, India we spotted a Elephant Puja / worship being performed on the road. We had almost reached Cochin, Kerala, India by evening.

My 2 year old son is interested in the Elephants. We decided to stop the car and have a close look at the ceremony being performed across the road.

There were three elephants standing in front of the decorated bamboo entrance. There was mahout - elephant trainer sitting on the head of each elephant. The elephants were decorated with several jewellery items and flowers. Each elephant had a numbered plate tied in the neck. Seems they were belonging to some local temple.

Bunch of local musicians were standing in front of these elephants and playing the music. There were couple of ladies carrying a plate with lamp and other worship accessories.

The entrance poles were decorated with Banana and coconuts. Its said when in Rome behave like Roman. As we were in Kerala, the locally grown crops such ass Banana and Coconuts is not only visible in the food but also used for decoration.

Elephant Feeding Camp, Madumalai

The Elephant Feeding Camp, Madumalai, Tamilnadu, India gets 100% marks from the visitors. Specifically the kids. Situated bank opposite the Madumalai Forest safari, the camp starts sharp at 6 pm in the evening. Around 5-6 locally tamed elephants flock in the camp before 6 o clk.

There is a shelter in the camp where the food for elephants is prepared. This food usually consists rice along with other ingredients. The Mahaut, the elephant owner, prepares the balls of cooked rice and stuff it in the elephants mouth. Other then these rice balls the elephants also chew sugar canes and graze grass.

The visitors get glimpse of the elephants at distance of max 2-3 feets. The whole experience for the kids is amazing. One can also sight some peacocks, deers and bisons from the camp area.

Rheinberg Orsoy Germany

On one weekend, I visited neighbouring small village Rheinberg, Orsoy, in Germany. The village is on the banks of River Rhein and is a weekend gate away for locals during summer.

One can just sit on the banks of the River front and enjoy the view along with some snack and drinks. There are many Cafes around this tourist attraction place.


I also took the ferry across the River Rhine. The Ferry takes you to the other bank where one can feed some gooses. Since it was my first visit in Germany. I was all excited about the ferry trip and feeding those huge Gooses. Later on I had hearty laugh, on others when I saw them doing the same for the first time. I also took pictures with flock of sheeps grazing in the grass meadow.



On the other bank of the river there was Coal Mine hosting its huge chimneys.
There is a market place (i.e. Markt Platz) in the heart of the village. The market place hosts weekend market, where local people buy locally grown vegetables, fruits, candles, domestic stuff, etc.

Animal Encounter - 7

Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium sized rodents. I visited the Arboretum garden in Nottingham, UK, just before leaving UK for good. And I hastly managed to get a video of squirrel in the garden where nature and wildlife is preserved. Since I had a wierd thought in mind that I will not be able to spot squirrels in Mumbais dense concrete forest. However, my notion about squirrels was wrong. During pregnancy I was on bedrest and was able to study squirrels behaviour from Goregaons flat in Mumbai. There was a squirrel residing on the Coconut tree in the courtyard of Ganesh Nagar, Goregaon, Mumbai. This squirrel collected coconut flower tentacles to build its nest. Due to my delicate condition, I was not able to film this animal encounter.

Animal Encouter - 6

Patiance pays and thats truely said while filming wildlife. After few trials, I was able to capture the flight of sea eagle at the Cardiff Bay, Wales, UK.
While walking along the Cardiff Bay's Barrage, we were able to see a lot of sea birds. Sea Eagle being one of them. I tried to capture the flight of the Sea Eagle, thinking its an easy task. Everytime the bird used to fly when my camera memory stick was exhauseted. After a few trials, I was able to predict when the Sea Eagle is going to take its next flight.
Video of Sea Eagle's Flight

Animal Encounter - 5

Any visit to rural parts of India is incomplete without spotting untamed Piglets and Pigs grazing food in open space. Ususally the pigs which are found in India are of black color and they feed on left over stuff available in open spaces. These pigs and their piglets are black in color and are usually shabby. Its fun watching the small piglets run around their mother in search of food. I managed to take a video of them at Chittorgarh Fort in Rajasthan.
Video of Piglets grazing in India

Monterey Bay Aquarium

On the second day of my weekend in San Jose, we visited Monterey, California, USA. After a hearty sea food meal at Ocean side restaurant, we reached the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The tickets to the Aquarium are bit costly, but if you are staying on the West coast of USA its worth visiting this tourist attraction. There are many sections in side the Aquarium which cover different variety of sea animals. I would recommend you to spare minimum four hours to visit this place. Each section has shows of various fish or sea animals with trainer giving valuable information of these animals. So if you are with kids be sure you grab copy of the show timings at the entrance and follow the map accordingly.

Animals spotted Ranthambore Park

Some of the animals spotted by us in Ranthambore National Park are as follows:

1. Black Bucks - While driving towards the Ranthambore National Park gate from the Santurary office, we spotted two Black Bucks.


2. Spotted Dear - There were lots of spotted dears near the water reserve in the National Park. Video of Spotted Dears Grazing at Ranthambore National Park
3. Sambhar Deer - We spotted couple of Sambhar Deers while driving through the Ranthambore National Park. These animals were however out of the Camera lense reach.
4. Aligator and Wild Boar: There was an Aligator and Wild Boar near the shores of the Water reserve. This one was too out of our camera lens reach.
5. Kingfisher Birds: There were few Kingfisher birds gazing on the top of trees.



6. Peacocks : There were few peacocks sighted at one of the check posts in the National reserve. I managed to take a picture of Peacocks fight


7. Monkeys : There were lots of wild monkeys jumping from one branch of the tree to another.
8. Tigers : Last but not the least, Ranthambore National Parks major attraction is endangered Indian Tiger. We missed the view of the Tiger because we lost our patiance. We left the National Park early as we were feeling too hungry and that was the biggest mistake we ever did. However couple of our friends who were based in another jeep managed to see the couple of tigers mating in the Tiger grass.
   

Ranathambore National Park

After returning back to India from UK for good, I was keen in visiting National Park in India. During my trip to Jaipur in Feb 2009, I persuaded my father to plan trip to Ranthambore National Park. My father was reluctant to plan visit to National Park in Desert Area in February. Atlast I won the argument and we visited the Ranthambore National Park.

Our left Jaipur in evening and had one night stay at one of the resort. You need to call the ranger and book a jeep in advance for the National Park Trip. The jeeps leave from the Sanctuarys office at around 6 o clock in the morning. You need to carry warm clothes or blankets to protect your self from the strong chilly wind. The National Parks gate is around 3 km drive from the Sanctuarys office. There are check posts at several palces inside the national park to check the number of visitors the jeep is carrying in and out of the park. This is just formality to ensure that to animal poachers are left inside the reserved area.

Canal at Ibrahimpur Goa

I had chance to visit the Ibrahimpur, Goa Temple during December 2004 along with my cousin Pallavi. The temple hosts a yearly festival to celebrate Dutta Jayanti (Lord Duttas Birthday celebrations. The festival lasts for 3-4 days. The local villagers have lunch offering at the temple. By chance, we happened to visit the temple on same day. After we finished visiting the temple, one of the locals asked us to visit the canal at the back yard of the temple. What we discovered was simply mesmerizing. Lush green paddy fields henced by coconut trees. These were accompanied by some banana trees plantations along the coast of the paddy fields. It was nature at its best. We had nice time exploring the wild for sometime which was followed by hearty lunch at the temple.

Animal Encounter - 4

During my visit to Goa, I had chance to capture some sea life on the rocks of the Sea shore. Small sea crabs were trying to hold themselves on the sea rocks while the sea waves are dashing on the sea rocks.

Animal Rides in Rajasthan

One gets plenty of opportunity to experience the traditional animal rides in Rajasthan. On the base of Maharana Pratap memorial in Udaipur, we sighted mahout with elephant. I was litterally scared of even standing next to the elephant. Though I could site some enthusiatic people riding elephant.

Trip to desert is incomplete without riding the ship of the desert - Camel. I had experienced dare devil stunt of camel riding during my visit to Dubai safari. So just managed taking snap of the colorfully decorated camel.

Animal Encounter - 3

During our visit to fort at Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, I came across a female monkey caring her baby. Usually you do come across a lot of wild monkeys in remote places of India. Specially at tourist places like forts, parks, temples, etc. One needs to be careful about your belongings. Though the animals are wild they have become used to the frequent tourists offering them something to eat. If the monkeys do site someone with food in their hands they will try to chase you and snatch the food from your hands or bags.