Almost 12 on top of 12000 feet - Deoriatal Chandrashila

 Oishik Palchaudhuri

Chandrashila is a 12,085ft mountain in the Uttarakhand region of the Himalayas. Deoriatal is a huge sacred lake you pass on the way to the Chandrashila summit. A group of 25 from all over India hiked it in a beautiful April summer week. It was actually my third multi day trek in the Himalayas and my first trek alone! Well, by alone I meant without my parents. I was accompanied by my friends and their families.                                                                                                                                                 

Day 1 - 22/4/2024

 

We left for Sari (our base camp) at 7:30am from Rishikesh. I went in a Bolero with Shiva, Swarna Aunty, Arya, Vindhya and Ramya Aunty. I was very excited because I had my phone with me to take photos. On the drive alone I must have taken around 80 photos! We stopped for breakfast at around 8:30am. All the other members of our trek group, who were travelling in other vehicles, had also stopped there. I had a cheese sandwich which was full of mayonnaise. Then we started off again. On the way we saw some rafters pushing their raft into the river. 

A little later we saw two motorboats speeding down the Ganges. There were a lot of forest fires and landslides which we saw along the way. 

 

We stopped at Devprayag & Rudraprayag. Devprayag is where the great rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi unite to form the Ganges, and Rudraprayag  is where the Alaknanda gets a tributary from the Mandakini. 

When we finally reached Sari in the evening after a long drive, we had to carry our bags downhill for around 200m. Arya accidentally took the wrong route but luckily it turned out to be a shortcut. We were the first people to reach base camp so we went and called dibs on a tent and the top bunks. The tents were Swiss tents and there were four bunks in each tent. Shiva, Arya, Vindhya and me all called dibs on top bunks. Then we went out played a little dodgeball with the other kids and later went for tea. After tea we decided to explore Sari. Where we met a tiny little off-white puppy called Jojo. After we came back it was time for the briefing session. Our trek leader Gagan Uncle conducted the session. It was time to introduce ourselves. We basically had to say our name, then everyone says it back e.g. ‘Hi, my name is Oishik.’ Then everyone says ‘Hiiiiiiii Oishik’. Then I have to say something I like or what I do. We also learnt how to clean our plates, with sawdust and water, which I already knew from my previous treks. Then we had dinner and went to sleep. The jalebis which we had for dessert may have helped in getting some good night’s sleep.

  Day 2 - 23/4/24 

Today I woke up a little before 5:30am. We had actually set an alarm for 5:30am but I woke up because I heard somebody singing. Then the alarm rang and we all woke up. We had breakfast at 7:30am. Before that we were brushing, chatting, making our beds etc. Then at 8:00am we started getting ready, warming up, learning how to tie our laces, learning how to wear our backpack. By the time we started it was 8:40am. 

                                                                                                  

Then we finally started climbing. Today was 4km. We took frequent breaks. Most of them were catchup breaks where we kept waiting for the others to catch up. But we had two designated breaks, one at Ropini Bugyal (a viewpoint), and the other a snack break. 

We finally reached Deoriatal - our first camp. It was 300m ahead of a lake called Deoriatal, hence the name. 

This campsite was rented by IndiaHikes. Just before our trek started the forest department had made new rules about where you could camp. So IndiaHikes had to shut down their original campsite and quickly rented this campsite. We had Swiss tents here and were shown how to save water and use the toilets. 

Shiva, Arya and me didn’t like the bio toilets at the camp so we decided to make a boy’s bathroom in the woods. We chose a tree, behind which was our bathroom. We made a path up to it and stacked up a pile of moss to soak up the pee. But unfortunately, it began to stink, so we ditched it. 

After snacks we rested a little, played around, saw gorgeous views of the mountains, then went for dinner. After dinner we played a game of storytelling. One person had to say a line then the next person had to repeat that line and add his/her own. Then we were shown how to get into our liners and sleeping bags. All this didn’t apply to me because I had brought my own sleeping bag. In the night Shiva and I made a pact whoever needed to use the washroom would wake the other person up and we both would go.

 

Day 3 - 24/4/2024

Today we had to trek 10km. So after breakfast we all got a packed lunch of aloo and chapati and trail mix as snacks. We had breakfast and left immediately. 

On the way we walked through a lot of rhododendron forests. After we had ascended to our lunch site my legs felt like jelly as the ascent was very steep. The last 1km we steeply descended around 50 to 75 ft to Syalmi (camp 2). 

Once we reached the camp site we did cool down exercises and were shown the bathrooms. We also learned about how there were foxes there. For snacks that day we had white sauce pasta! After snacks all the kids played Uno Flip. Then we had dinner and went to sleep. That night I had a very disturbed sleep, getting up to go to the bathroom twice.

                                           

 

Day 4 - 25/4/2024

 We started our trek today with a descent of 1km followed by 4km of steep ascent. We saw a lot of green oaks and brown oaks.

Apparently, we would see silver oaks as we went at higher altitude. Our third camp was also summit camp, Baniya Kund. Once we reached, we were treated to a very discouraging site. The camp banner was planted right behind a huge circle of bones! 

Also, there were mules everywhere along with a dog called Flocky/Foxy/Floppy and a lot of monkeys. As soon as we reached our camp site we had lunch. After that we had free time where we played cricket! While we were having our briefing for the summit day and tea, a bunch of monkeys broke into a tent and stole stuff like trail mix along with toilet paper! We had dinner at 6:30pm and went to sleep by 7:00pm.

 

             

                            

                                

   Summit day - 26/4/2024

I woke up at 11:00 pm. It was still Thursday. The wakeup call was at midnight but Shiva and I wanted to get ready early. So, we woke up, folded our sleeping bags, used the bathroom and went for breakfast. After breakfast we each had to collect two mayonnaise sandwiches for a snack. At 12:55am sharp we started with me in the lead. We stopped for frequent breaks. We reached Chopta around 2:30am. As we entered Chopta we saw the sacred bells but we could not ring them because we were told beforehand by Gagan uncle to not ring the bells as everyone would be asleep. Darsh and I kept talking about IPL and FC mobile to keep our spirits up. There was a dog in the balcony of a house which barked its head off on seeing us. On the way up we met two dogs called Kalu and Max.

Kalu was a black indie with a slightly white chest and Max was an Australian shepherd with a slight mix of a dachshund and indie. At one break I had to give all my sugar balls to Vindhya because she didn’t have any more energy left. We were just about to reach Tungnath Temple when we saw a Himalayan Monal! There was very little snow but lots of frozen dew.

When we finally reached the summit, I felt very triumphant. 

I was the first person on the summit so the first person to explore and take photos. One person couldn’t make it because she was hit by AMS (altitude mountain sickness). The summit was very small but the views were great.
Then we took a group photo and went back down. but only until Chopta. 

From there we took a car back to Baniya Kund. Then we had lunch and went back to Sari. There we wanted to get a good tent so we took the shortcut again. Unfortunately, this time we took the wrong one and had to backtrack to take the right one. Luckily for us, we were still the first ones to reach! We got a tent called Woodpecker. After that we had snacks followed by our debriefing. All of us bought t-shirts. We didn’t get the magnets, which was a little disheartening. But I think more than me my parents were looking forward to the magnets! 

Then after dinner as dessert we got gulab jamuns and chocolate marble cake. It was time to sleep now as we had to leave at 5:30am tomorrow for Rishikesh.

                      

Day 6 - 27/4/2024

Today we had to wake up at 5:00am because we had to leave by 5:30am so we got up, folded our duvets and left. Then we got into our car and drove to Rishikesh. We stopped for breakfast on the way and had half an aloo paratha each. My parents and sister had started from Rishikesh towards Devprayag to welcome us back. 

After a little bit of coordination over patchy phone networks we met up on the highway. Arya and Vindhya went to my dad’s car and the rest of us followed in our Bolero. We finally reached our AirBnb house in Rishikesh and headed for a nice warm bath. 

Link to all my photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hox4VT2inXpNeUDJA

 

 

                                                             

Bhagoban! Bhagoban!

"Bhagoban! Bhagoban! Khali khali bhagoban!"

ukti-ti chhilo arai bachhor er chhele gablur. Diner sheshe restaurant e dinner kore garir pechone boshe ghumer shathe lorai korte korte apon monei bollo she kotha-gulo. Kintu pashe bosha ma-er kane gelo kotha-gulo, ebong ma prothomta ektu hokchokiye geleo pore na heshe parlo na.

December masher ek chhutir din shokkal bela beriyechilo gablu tar 7masher chhotto bon titli, ma r babar shathe road trip e. Bangalore er ashepashe kothao ek-du din er jonyo beriye asha...ei chhilo udyeshyo. Jehetu road trip, jedike du chokh jaye shedike jai erom ekta monobhab niyei berono hoyechilo. Kothao kono hotel booking nei, ekdom badhon chhara. Gablur baba-ma ebhabei ghurte abhyosto, ebong emon-o hoyeche je bidesh bibhuiye raat 10 ta theke hotel khonja shuru kore bhor 3te hotel peyeche! Ebong bhor 5tay hotel chhere beriye porte hoyeche train dhorar jonyo! She galpo nahoy r ek din hobe...

Gablur icche holo Mysore Zoo jawar. Amra raji holam. Kintu thik holo pothe shivanasamudra hoye jawa hobe. Shivanasamudra ekti jolopropat. Bhora borsha tei ekhane jawa shreyo, karon kaveri nodi takhon full flow te. Ashadharon lage dekhte. Kintu december er sheshe o amra asha korlam kichu dekhte pabo jehetu ebar brishti khub bhalo hoyechilo. Bangalore theke tin ghonta dure gari kore. Amra NICE road dhore kanakapura hoye gelam. Kanakapurar kache Vasu Hotel bole ekti iconic jaygaye dosa khawa holo. Eikhane khawa hocche onekta kolkatar basonto cabin ba onadir moglai parota khawar moto. She jaygati dekhe mone holo job charnock er amoler. Ekhankar masala dosa bikhyato. Gablu mon bhore masala dosa kheye chotto ekta bhunri niye beriye eshe garite uthlo.

Shivanasamudra te duto falls ache. Gagganachukki r Bharachukki. amra gelam gagganachukki falls e. Hatash holam. Shoru sutor moto jolosrot boiche paharer ga beye. Etota hatash habo bhabini. R ektu beshi jol asha korechhilam. Jaihok, kichukkhon viewpoint e katiye, koyekti chhobi tule abar raona dilam mysore er dike. Pathe porlo Talakadu. Thama holo.

Talakadu ekti ashadharon jayga. Eti bohu purono ek shahor ja balir tolay chapa pore jaye 16th Century te. Praye 30ti mandir chapa pore ache balir niche. Shei shomoyer itihash bole kono ek prakritik biporjoyer karone shahor ti matir niche chapa pore jaye. Kintu myth ekti anyo galpo bole. Ei rajyer rani chhilen alamelu. Mysore er wodeyar raja ei shahor jakhon akromon kore ranir gaynar lobhe takhon rani alamelu tar gaynagulo kaveri nodite chhure phele ebong nije nadite jhanp dan. Kintu tar age tini shap diye jan je talakadu balir tolay chapa porbe ebong mysore er rajar kono uttorsuri hobe na. Shei theke Talakadu balir niche chapa pore ebong Mysore er Wodeyar bangsho akhono uttoradhikarihin.

Ekhane pouche amra gari park kore hantchi, emon shomoy ek guide eshe amader dhorlo. Ektu donamona kore amra tar prostabe raji hoye gelam jakhon bollo 30-45 min er tour. Talakadu te panch-ti shiv mandir ache ebong ekti vishnu mandir. Eke eke amra protyek ti mandir ei gelam. Amra keu-i religious noi kintu mandir darshoner uddeshyo chhilo historical reasons. Balir niche chapa pore jawa mandir gulo ke shajotne excavate kore preserve korar cheshta cholche. Protyek ti mandir-i ground level theke niche, phole shinri diye namte hocchilo, opore juto khule rekhe. Bar bar ei juto khola pora-te birokto hoye giye gablu protibad korlo. She khali paye hantbe. Amader apotti nei, kintu garom bali r pore thaka nongra te tar khub ekta pa phelte icche holo na. Takhon bayna holo kole othar. 7 masher bon ke kole dekhe bayna-ta aro joralo holo. Agotya...

Guide khub jatno niye amader puro itihash bollo. Mandir darshon sheshe amra gablu ke niye gelam kaveri nadi te jekhane she jole besh kichukkhon khello.

gablur jol khela shesh hole amra abar jatra shuru korlam. Eibare r kothao thama noy. Shoja mysore. Gablu ebar asthir hoye porche. R bhalo lagche na garite. Amra ki eshe gechi mysore? She ebare ghano ghano proshno korte thake. Typical boroder kaydaye amra take bholate thaki ei to r kichukkhon, tumi ektu ghumo...tarpore dekhbe mysore eshe gechi...kintu r tar mon mane na...shei shokal theke shondhe hote chollo akhon...ma-baba take emon bhabei bhuliye bhuliye rekheche.

Abosheshe mysore elo. Hotel e check-in kore ektu haat mukh dhue dinner korte berolam. R beshi deri kora jabe na. Sharadin journey kore gablu tired. Taratari ghumiye porbe. Amra kachei ekta restaurant e khete gelam. Sheta chilo jungle themed restaurant. Adim juger moto guhar bhetore boshe khelam amra. Shudhu ac r chair table chilo ei ja. Khawa dawa shesh kore amra garite uthlam hotele phirbo bole. Takhon-i hothat shunte pelam gablu jeno birbir kore apon mone ki bolche. "mysore zoo mysore zoo! Kothay mysore zoo? Bhagoban! Bhgoban! khali khali bhagoban!"

shotti to. Mysore zoo jabo bole beriyechi kintu ekta din puro chole gelo mysore pouchotei. Bhari annyay. Chhotto gablu ke tai abhoy dewa holo ghumote jawar age je porer din shokkal bela uthei amra mysore zoo jabo. Uttejito gablu tokhon porer din bagh shingher shathe tar molakat er katha bhabte bhabte shapno rajye chole gelo.

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Snippets from Eastern Europe & French Riviera, Sep 2011

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ROOM KEYS PLEASE!

Budapest; 29^th August, 2011

Our hotel receptionist in Hungary said that “we have the most beautiful women in Europe” in response to a query of what were the Hungarian specialities, the other two being Goulash (a beef stew) and the Hungarian language.

Granted the receptionist was pretty and helpful, I’ll give her the benefit of doubt on Hungarians being the most beautiful women (as this is my first stop in Europe) but I still don’t think her beauty could justify my husband’s forgetting to return the room keys and carrying them all the way to Vienna! Or I could look at it as a good example of “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”!

NOT-SO-FRESH TOWELS

Vienna; 29^th August, 2011

Much as I like brown hair (and have made several failed attempts to colour my black hair brown) I was not at all happy to see a few strands of golden brown hair when I grabbed a “fresh towel” to wipe my face after checking into what was claimed as a 4star hotel.

120 SECONDS IN ITALY  

Autostrada A2; 1^st September, 2011

When it comes to driving long distances I am invariably the navigator. Not because I am a master navigator but because my driving skills are limited. I can only drive an automatic car at a maximum speed of 100 km/hr, am always on the slowest lane if it’s a highway and prefer not to change lanes even when it seems that I am stuck forever behind a RV or a truck.

Since European cars are mostly manual ones, the driving from Vienna to Heiligenblut in the Austrian Alps was being done by my husband. The nearly 500 km distance was being covered smoothly until the navigator (yours truly) fell asleep at the most inopportune moment. After driving south on A2, we had to take A10 towards Spittal and continue on Route 100 and 107 to Heiligenblut. Instead we went steadily down south on A2 as I snoozed.

By the time I woke up and realised that we were headed in the wrong direction, it was too late. We had almost reached the border town of Arnoldstein from where there was no way to turn back. With no other option, we went straight to Italy (thank god for the Schengen visa) where there was a check post but our car was not checked and continued south in Italy until we could find a U-turn (which was not more than 2 minutes).

Thanks to me, Italy also made it to the list of countries, in our Europe 2011 trip, with a bang. However, we returned a few days later to explore the Dolomites, which was again not part of the original plan. More on that later…

FREE BELGIAN CHOCOLATES
Cannes; 12^th September, 2011

Opposite to our studio apartment in Cannes, where we’re staying for a week, was Leonidas – a shop selling ‘fresh Belgian chocolates’. On our second day of stay we strayed in to a display of various dark and semi dark goodies. I chose a dark one. I am a person who has tasted up to 92% cocoa (was a bit bitter even for my taste) and when the shopkeeper said that my first selection had orange inside it, I was abhorred.

Rejecting that, I told the handsomely tanned man behind the counter, “I want dark.”
“Bitter? Sweet?”
“Bitter,” I said, and he pointed out a few options.

I chose a rectangular block and when Santa asked, “How much?”, he handed over the two pieces and said, “Have a nice day”, with a bright smile. Free ‘fresh Belgian chocolates’! And I didn’t even have to put my charms on display ;-)

Btw, the chocolates were really fine. They just melted in the mouth…a perfect balance of bitter and sweet...rich and decadent…

CAP d’AIL
French Riviera; 13^th September, 2011

After Santa finished ‘working from France’, we decided to explore the coastline via train. Went to the Cannes train station where we obtained a day pass of unlimited train travel for 12E per person. This was a summer special and was waaay cheaper than the actual fares.

Finally boarded the 4:16 train but, realized that it wasn’t going to Cap d’Ail, our destination for the day. Cap d’Ail is a small town, near Monaco, and is known for the La Mala Beach, a 10-15 minute walk downhill from the train station.

We got down at Nice to board the next train which would take us to Cap d’Ail. Between trains we had enough time to go to the Office du Tourisme, gather a map and find out what to do in Nice. When I said we had one hour to spare, the tourism officer straightaway directed us to the Old Town, which we decided to explore on the way back.

The walk down to the beach, along the coast, with the deep blue sea and the sky meeting in the horizon, was simply beautiful. There were steps in between stretches of slope which led out into the ocean. Where you could sunbathe or make it your own li’l picnic spot by the sea.

La Mala Beach was very beautiful and very calm and serene. The beach was a pebbly one, like most beaches of the French Riviera. Though I liked the landscape and the scenery, the beach was not my type. It had some sort of snootiness associated with it, or so I felt. In all probability it was due to the 2-3 fashionable beach restaurants lining the shore and also the yachts dotting the waterscape. It could also be due to the fact that most of the people had left by the time we reached, which was around 6 or so, and the few people around did not exude any warmth.

The place was ideal for snorkeling as the landscape was rocky and there were a few caves which looked dark and haunted, to say the least. We saw a few people snorkeling around. On seeing the cave, Santa recalled how scared he had been when he had tried to enter the cave after swimming up to it. (He had been here earlier, in 2004. The photo is from that time. We didn’t take our camera this time)

Since we hadn’t had anything to eat after my home cooked breakfast of stuffed omelette, we decided to grab a bite. Unfortunately the kitchen of the restaurant we went to was closed. There were some chocolate croissants on the counter and we grabbed two of those along with two glasses of strawberry milkshake.

After snacking we started the climb back to the station and took the train to Nice.

FAUX PAS IN FRANCE
Nice; 13^th September, 2011

On the way back from Cap d’Ail, got down at Nice, as planned earlier, to explore the Nice Old Town. To rest our tired feet, and my aching back, after exploring Vieux Nice, we decided to make use of the happy hour being advertised by an Irish pub.

We sat outside, next to a table where there was a man, probably in his 50s, accompanied by an attractive female in a sleek black top, who looked much younger.

A “smoking hot” (you can well imagine whom I quote here) waitress, in pink and white chequered hot pants and a black spaghetti, with kohl lined eyes came up with the menu. I selected a Radler – a mix of lemonade and beer – my only other drink in Europe this time, apart from wine and at times water; while Santa opted for a Kilkenny. An Irish beer, Kilkenny’s history goes as far back as the 14^th century, and is a lighter version of Guinness.

Waiting for the waitress to come back and take our orders, we tried to eavesdrop on the conversation in the next table. They spoke in English and since it didn’t turn out to be interesting enough, we switched back to people watching and conjuring up stories about them. This is the best part of Europe. You can sit in a café and let the world go by without anybody bothering you.

In the meanwhile, another waitress, in a black top, passed by with a smile but without taking our orders. Santa was getting impatient now and so when he saw this woman in a black top walking towards us he geared up. As the lady neared our table, he flashed a bright smile and drooled a “Hi”, while his hands started turning the pages of the menu. While the “Hi” was reciprocated with a confused smile, she hastened her steps when she saw the menu.

Turned out the lady was the one sitting at the next table! All this even before he’d had a drink! I couldn’t hold my laughter even as he tried to explain that he was confused by the black top. Or maybe it was the lack of a drink the whole day that led to this faux pas. Finally we got our Radler and Kilkenny…served by the “smoking hot” waitress…

ONE NIGHT STAND WITH NICE

Nice; 13th Sep, 2011

After our drink, we took a stroll towards the Promenade des Anglais and the beaches lining it. The beaches were all pebbly, which are perfectly alright if you have your shoes on. Walking barefoot on pebbly beaches is quite difficult, I must admit. But on the other hand, pebbles are much better when you come out of the water. No trying to get rid of the sand sticking to your body all the way to the bathroom. I realized that an ideal combination for me was a pebbly beach but one which becomes sandy as you go into the waters. Getting into the waters across the pebbles is quite a balancing act (and one at which I suck). I guess my demands are too many. Anyway…coming back…

The promenade was lit up as far as we could see. It was a full moon night and the moon had made its appearance behind the citadel of the Old Town, situated up on the hills. We captured the scene in our mind’s camera as we didn’t carry a physical one. Stretching out in front of us was the curve of the Baie des Anges. Behind us was a lively world of laughter and companionship, a world of aromas – of food, of wine, of smoke – of love, of life.

We returned to that world from the beach and though not too hungry, the line of restaurants was too much to resist. So we sat down for a crepe and a glass of wine (of course!). After placing our orders, we spotted paella on the menu but it was too late to change. Probably I am destined to have paella in Spain! (I hope someone’s listening to this ;-)

By the time we finished dinner, it was almost 22:00 hours. Our target was to take the 22:34 train back to Cannes, and to do that we needed to some brisk walking, if not jog. We’d have made it had I not seen an array of souvenir shops and if Santa hadn’t told me that we could always take the next train an hour later, at 23:34. Before he could complete his words I had disappeared into one of the shops.

After browsing around and window shopping we reached the train station around 23:15. When we looked up at the information board, it said the next train to Cannes was at 06:23 hours. Puzzled we searched the board again, but there was no train to Cannes at 23:34 pm. We looked around for the information counter and then we notice a printout in big bold letters saying that the last train to Cannes from Nice was at 22:34 hours. The reason was “travail” (French for work) in the line.

At this point, we recalled that the lady at the ticket counter had told us specifically that the “last train from Monaco was at 22:03” which would reach Nice at 22:34 hours. We had preferred a mute printed timetable over her updated information and were about to pay the price for that. I looked around and saw that we were not the only ones. There were at least a dozen other people who were in a similar situation. Among them was a Southeast Asian lady who had a flight the next day and she was desperate to reach her destination. 

So, we had missed a train. Now what? There were three options:

1. We could take a taxi and go to Cannes

2. We could spend the night at a hotel in Nice, i.e., if any were available

3. Spend the whole night at a club. Clubs here are typically open till 5-6 am

Option #3 was almost immediately vetoed by Santa with the reason that the next day will be wasted due to lack of sleep, etc. Signs of ageing?

Option #1 looked pretty expensive as the two-three taxi drivers we approached quoted a fare of 100E to Cannes. 100E!

Now for option #2.

Started walking away from the station towards the city. On the way came across a dorm which was full, a hotel which charged 80E for two persons and another hotel with a similar price. The price of 80E made us wonder whether it is better to take a cab, because staying back means we’ve to purchase tickets the next day which cost 24E for two. Essentially, it was the same. We decided to explore some more. Found a cheap one at 24E per person, but there was no vacancy. Damn! At this point I was reminded of a similar experience last year in Rome, where we kept 'Roming' in the dark for a room and had to pay an exorbitant amount for a few hours!

Deciding that the next hotel would be the last one we explored, we walked into a hotel which announced a rate of 48E for a double room. Were rooms available there? Yes! We went straight for the reservation. The young man at the reception was busy video chatting on Skype and smoking. Realising we were potential customers for the night he paused everything.

We got a room on the 3rd floor. It was a slice of space, complete with carpet and pictures hanging on the wall. Even the red colour of the carpet could not hide the abuse it had received from spilt wine. The windows did not close and thank god for the curtains. Turning a blind eye to everything we set the alarm at 6:00 am and plopped on to bed.

We reached Cannes the next day around 8:00 am.

Heritage Karnataka, Oct 2011

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Malabar Coast, Karnataka, Aug 2011

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Kumarakom and Kovalam, Kerala, July 2011

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Goa, June 2011

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Wayanad, May 2011

And on the road: Bandipur NP, Calicut, Nagarhole NP and Kabini Reservoir

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Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry, April 2011

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Chikmagalur, Karnataka, March 2011

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Bengal, Dec 2010

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Coorg, Karnataka, Nov 2010

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Death Valley Revisited

With Rajesh & Aparajita
flew to rajesh's place @ irvine. drove to death valley the next day. stayed at hotel amargosa for the night, an eerie haunted opera house converted to a hotel.
stayed at ... the next night.
came back the next day with rajesh wanting to go to vegas to gorge on the buffets. but it got too late. so went to a schezwan place in a strip mall. food was extremely hot.

Seattle & Vancouver

2nd anniversary