Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary

So the last weekend of the year we travelled to Jamnagar for a road trip, I had spent 4 years of my life in that city and ever since I left it as a kid I had not returned there, with junior camping in the vicinity we thought spending two days in that city would be quite okay. Wife was drooling at the prospect of buying the famous Bandhani’s from Jamnagar and I was thinking of seeing my old school and eating typical Jamnagar food. Alongside we had decided to spend some time in Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary since it was winter and migratory birds would have surely come here.

 

I had heard a bit about it, however, I must confess we did not go with too many expectations, infact one gentleman told me that 20 days back he had met someone who had gone to Jamnagar that this year very few birds have come. That did not deter me as we wanted to check it out first hand but it did tone down all expectations. I had read somewhere that some 300+ species come there and infact when legendary Bird expert Dr Salim Ali had visited Khijadiya in one day he had recorded 104 species!! However, when you go with minimal expectations you always end up with much happier moments.

 

We left for the park at 6.15 from our hotel in pitch darkness to reach the Sanctuary by sunrise, its about 25mins drive from the city centre, we got our tickets from the counter. They charge Rs. 40 if a person is going to walk, if he is in a car then its 500 per vehicle, doesnt matter how many people in the vehicle. They also charge 200 for a camera. The ticketing was smooth and the guys were pretty courteous, you can also hire a guide if you like but we didn’t hire one and decided to have some own time.

 

It is pretty rare that they allow you inside a sanctuary alone, in your own vehicle and I quite liked the idea. I know many people misuse this freedom and break the limits however, I just wanted to be there on my own waiting for any bird or animal at my own patience and whim and at the same time have peace and not get into unwanted conversations that many times keep happening when you are on safari in National parks with a guide and a driver giving you information that many times you already have.

 

We drove about stopping and spotting birds, they had arrived in plenty, we even saw more than 1500 flamingos, over 30 cranes, heron, ibis, black ibis, spoonbill, mallard etc were so many and so scattered its difficult to put a count on it. The place is blessed with birds and its difficult to list them all here, over all I think we spotted more than 35 species in about 5 hours that we spent there.

 

The place is quite and serene, surprisingly no littering around was spotted by us, there was so much peace with few visitors and the park authorities have kept things simple, they have made roads near the water bodies and put benches under tree’s so that you can go sit there and quietly wait for the birds to slowly figure out that you are not a threat and come closer. I loved the whole concept, we were short on time other wise I thought spending a whole day in a park by just paying 700 from 6am to 6pm is a steal. There is no food or drinks available inside the park so when you do go, go prepared, carry loads of water and fruits and a picnic hamper there are so many places inside where you can sit and enjoy and bask in glorious winter weather.

To be standing together in a frosty field, looking up into the sky, marvelling at birds and revelling in the natural world around us, was a simple miracle. And I wondered why we were so rarely able to appreciate it.”
― Lynn Thomson

The more patient & silent people will probably get the birds more closer to them. I actually think that a trip simply to Jamnagar can be made with just visiting this park on the agenda. I found the place so good. The freedom, the silence, the whole place that was so full of nature kind of perked my spirits up. It seemed like a nice place to go on long walks and rejuvenate I say. People who love the peace, quiet and serene nature alongside bird watching are bound to fall in love with this place.

 

Here I have a few pictures I took there, hope you like them! 😀

 

The park has two parts walking about would be for the supremely fit as it is a pretty huge area, taking a bicycle would be the best bet, infact the next time I go, I am taking a cycle on this park’s visit!

Common Cranes flying about

 

A crested lark struts about royally, in its own tiny world this tiny bird is a king! 

Godwits are here in loads and loads of numbers!

Then at this far off place we saw so many flamingos

This bunch was a little more nearer and more accessible, like me they didnt care for photo’s they just kept their heads down and kept eating!

Even these folks are here in plenty and they come nearer and pose!

Although I have seen the Hoopoe many times before this, this is the first time I have got a proper shot of one!

Painted Storks were there as well to perk up the surroundings!

Hundreds and hundreds of Rosy Starling, Many many White breasted Kingfishers and Black Drongos were also to be seen everywhere!

We even managed to spot one male and 6 female Nilgai’s (bluebull) grazing about

Bird watchers are a lovely bunch, I like them, quite and unobtrusive, immersed in nature and always fancying their binoculars they all revel in places like these!

This is just one spot, the park has many many spots like this, where in you can decide to sit and become a part of the surroundings, sleep, take a picnic lunch and spend time letting the birds come nearer and soak in nature

The secluded beach and the sunset

Call me snooty but I generally prefer places with less people, the more quiet, the more I can hear the sounds of nature, my thoughts and just be with my thoughts without any distraction. I love trekking in the Himalayas precisely for that reason, for the only way you can go away from people to the real places is when you walk away from the road and take up a trail up the slopes!

 

There always is an effort going on whenever I travel to go find such spots, sometimes its great to be just by yourself in nature, watching a sunrise or a wave crashing on a rock or a squirrel making merry with some nuts.

 

Recently we stayed in a place called Balapitiya, kinda in between the more famous Bentota and Hikkaduwa on the west to southwest sea coast of Srilanka, whilst Hikkaduwa and Bentota both are pretty nice beaches, there is a lot of activity there too, we did immerse in those, however, in the evenings after a couple of Mojito’s we preferred to walk on the beach across the road from the villa we rented. Barely 50 meters away is this beautiful beach, the best part was very very few people were about and so it was great fun to have this all to ourself.

The beautiful Balapitya Beach!

 

We took long walks whilst watching the waves, collecting shells, getting our legs wet, spotting snails stuck on stones, and when tired we sat down to see an ethereal sunset! A very quiet, peaceful evening on this wonderful beach that was also where we took our first dips in the morning, albeit in the morning there were a few joggers around!

The waves crashing on the rocks

Soon enough the sun started going westwards!

 

continually showing different hues as it went on its way!

 

There always are hideouts everywhere, remember that! If you are one of those who likes finding them, this is one nice beach tucked away in Srilanka that is not “developed” and at times I am thankful of that! 🙂

Sea, Sand & Fun

A couple of kids jump into the Indian Ocean at a beach in Galle under the watchful eyes of their father. A beach is a wonderful blessing to have nearby and the Sri Lankans are pretty lucky in this regard, especially the ones that live near the coast. We happened to spend a week there, which coincided with Sri Lankan holidays as it is their festival season. It was a short, sharp trip but we loved it anyways watching the mild, smiling Sri Lankan’s enjoying their holidays and basking in the glory of their rich lands. Finally after the war ended some 6 odd years ago the emerald isle is set to shine and grow.

 

I guess the abc tag has to take a break, there are a lot of stories from Lanka to share. So stay tuned for more!

B for Bombay but…

Well its my blog and so whilst B was supposed to be for Bombay I say bloody hell I want to post this beautiful picture I managed to take and these few lines I had to write about it! 😀

Enveloped under petals,
Slowly,
Lazily,
It blooms,
Raising is yellow limbs,
Reaching out,
Stretching itself,
In misty weather,
Embracing,
Rains!

Life will find a way

 

Blown away in the wind

I love travelling and I also love capturing what I see with my camera whilst I am on the move, yet there are so many things that go amiss, that are not captured by the lens but only by the naked eye. Whilst somethings stay with us all our lives in our memory and some are captured by the lens or written down somewhere we do forget so many things which at that instant we thought were simply magical.

 

Recently, during our trip to Parvati Valley in Himachal, we tried to attend local festivals and understand local customs as well as living with locals. Stories about the whole experience will come up on the blog a little later. However, I must share this one picture I took. We had gone to a village Buhad, about 15 mins drive and from there a good 2 hour climb away from Kasol to see their mela, their Devta comes out of the temple the day of Baisakhi, people rejoice and dance and worship their god, kids play about and there is a festive atmosphere all around. So whilst I was busy witnessing the little village of Buhad immersed in festivities, my eyes fell upon this little girl. She apparently had bought a bubble blower and decided that she needed to climb up the first floor of her house and watch things from a vantage point. After a while she decided she had enough of watching and took out her bubble blower and started blowing bubbles. Luckily I was able to capture a few of her photographs! I simply loved them and I thought I must share atleast one of them! Here she is looking on at one of the bubble she blew and is sailing away in the wind. Hope you like it as well! 🙂

Mandu -A conglomeration of cultures

Indian history is so vast and diverse that studying it in one lifetime perhaps is not possible, the records of such a long time are available and the fact that it is such a vast country and there is so much diversity makes it an interesting subject no end. Whilst I was taught history in school, honestly, I was not that fascinated, for in exams that would ask which year who defeated whom and all that and remember the AD and BC and all that seemed a super headache. Perhaps the system of testing instead of narrating stories was what killed it. Whilst the class would invariably be interesting, the exams would be dreaded by all of us.

 

What the history classes did not achieve was ultimately achieved by ‘Amar Chitra Katha’ 

 

Reading these books whilst growing up is one of the highlights of my life and also a stark reminder that history always fascinated me. Especially when narrated well nothing can beat the stories from the past. So during this road trip to Pench NP, we decided to drop anchor at Mandu for a day.

 

Mandu, previously known as Mandavgadh, is an amazing location, ideally to be visited in Monsoon, is an amazing conglomeration of cultures and tells you so much about India’s diverse history. The story of invasions, prosperity, art and culture booming, eventually cultural invasions and most spectacularly even architectural conversions!!

 

As our guide narrated, originally founded by Raja Bhoj, Mandu was once a prosperous town, well populated and pretty educated and liberated society. It is said even the then lowly considered weavers would be able to write shloka’s in Sanskrit back then, that high was literacy during the times of Raja Bhoj in the 11th century. Eventually as the centuries passed, it was won over by the Afghans, the Ghuri dynasty was established and began Mandu’s golden age. (source : wiki)  The subsequent take over the the Khilji’s and during the reign of one of its most colourful king Ghiyas ud din who buillt a harem of almost  women to equal the number of wive’s Krishna had (as per our guide) tells you how many tales this place holds.

 

The most popular story, which has been told a lot and even has had a popular hindi film made on is of the romance between Baz Bahadur and Rani Rupmati. The tale as narrated by the guides here is stuff of so many unbelievable happenings and makes you wonder as to how the people of that generation thought. The entire truth again is probably lying somewhere in between. How a Muslim king and a Hindu princess fall in love, their palaces which look to have been  built for practicing and performance of music and dance, the Rupmati pavilion built for her to worship the Narmada river before she ate anything overlooking the Narmada valley tells you of splendors and whims of the rulers of that era.

 

Mandu today has several World Unesco Heritage sites, its architecture from the days gone by tell you of the engineering that might have been used in those days. The swimming pools, to hot water showers, to sauna’s, numerous escape routes, the music rooms that involve telephonic technology almost are a delight to view and soak in. Do hire a good guide and do take in all the story he tells you with a pinch of salt, history they tell you might be distorted a bit, the narration however, helps build a more interesting experience. The architecture of the place as the guides show us has several traces of so much diversity Jain, Hindu, Muslim and Farsi influences are clearly visible telling you that each one came in and tried to leave their mark on history.

 

Although I visited it in March, a relatively dry and barren time of the year, ideally visit Mandu during Monsoon, not for nothing did the Mughal’s including Akbar treat this as a monsoon retreat. It is a pleasure that must not be missed. The Jahaz Mahal during the monsoon is a visual treat you do not want to miss.

 

Here are a few pics from our trip there :

On the far right is Jahaz Mahal, the entire area is flooded during monsoon, it also has a lake on its back side and appears like it is a floating palace in the monsoon. A sight you do not want to miss.

The Jahaz mahal is said to have been a harem that housed some 16000 women, in the monsoon I am sure the Sultan boarded this ship till the rain’s gave up! 😉

The Hoshang Shah tomb made of marble that is said to have inspired the architect’s of Shah Jahan who were responsible for the Taj Mahal

The walking path in the Rani Rupmati Pavilion

This used to be the swimming pool in Baz Bahadur’s palace, amazing is how they managed the water cleaning system and all.

Hindola Mahal, the place where the women kept in the harem would entertain themselves on swings.

The hindola mahal from inside, said to have had huge swings in its time.

A perspective of Jami Masjid in Mandu

Mandu is a delight for any photographer! A must visit place

The wanderlust in you will love this place over looking the Narmada Valley!

 

Agashiye

So I had heard a lot about this place and so I went about to check it out.

 

‘Agashiye‘ (in gujarati it means on the terrace) the gujarati diner at The House of MG  boasted of being the most talked about food place off late in Ahmedabad. The place is pretty much in the heart of the town, at Laal Darwaja, nicely kept, with a rustic, ancient historical feel to the whole place. I reckon their hotel is also used pretty much as much as their diner and hence the whole place was pretty much kept neat and tidy and readily decorated.

The lamp at the entrance

 

Pricey is one thing that hits you first, a thali for 850 and a delux thali for 1150 is expensive, no matter what, we have eaten pretty delicious thali’s all around and never have had to shell out more than 300-350 bucks. But then I had to check this place out once.

 

They have a pretty systematic way of taking you to the restaurant, a tad odd thing is that you have to pay before you enter the restaurant, but well thats how things are here, so whilst you are paying, they convey a message to the restaurant about your arrival and when you reach the restaurant by elevator your table is ready and someone will escort and seat you on your table.

 

The thali as it was ready and waiting for us

 

They had our table for three ready and they have this unique way of making you wash your hand on the table, where a guy comes with utensils and makes sure you wash your hands clean before you indulge in.

 

Their menu’s for each day are pretty much well defined and updated on their website, they serve quite earnestly and the one thing most thali joints falter at is over serving, almost to the end of constantly asking you if you want something and never letting you have a conversation whilst you are eating and almost pushing you out of their restaurant so that their table is empty to serve another round. Thankfully, none of that, whilst they were always a glance away, they never bothered unnecessarily unlike most thali joints.

The thali once fully served.

 

The papaya salad that was brilliant!

Golden fried samosa’s, looked delicious and tasted even better

 

The food is absolutely sumptuous, although I was disappointed with their Sukhi Aloo Subzi, the rest everything was pretty much delicious, their Papdi muthiya nu shaak was the best I have ever had in my life. There were three desserts, Gajar ka Halwa, Rabdi and Ice cream to perk up the mood. The main course had 4 subzi’s and daal and kadhi, the farsaan was samosa and they had 3 types of bread (roti) and also served buttermilk (chhas) and a fruit juice Ganga Jamna (sweet lime and orange) alongside.

 

I loved the juice and took a special liking to it. We did indulge and were full to the brim.

 

The food is great, ambience nice and service is wonderful, I must confess though that when we went not all their tables were full. I wonder if they could maintain the same standards of serving when full.

 

I would say its a bit over priced, perhaps they could add a few more options in Farsaan and some more dessert options to choose from, but then apart from the wonderful food you pay for the service and the ambience, plus their reputation, I wouldn’t mind going there again and shelling out that money as we pretty much enjoyed the meal and the setting.

 

Go there when you want to splurge and also stuff yourself, weight gain after a visit here is a given.

 

Full to the brim after the lunch