Ladakh

 

Im yet to recover from my trip to Leh-Ladakh and the pictures are still stored in the memory card. But a quick post to recollect some of Sharath's and my great Ladakhi moments.

The first thing that stays in my mind are the images of the mountains when the flight lands in Leh. You can see lakes, monasteries and some great landscapes, but as the flight scoops down the mountains take your breath away.

The next thing that I recall is my trip to Panggong. Many swear by Tso Moriri, but I loved Panggong. We even pitched our own tents and stayed in a wonderful place by the lake which kept changing its colours.

 

I liked Hemis and Stakna to Thikshey and Shey. But the view from the Shanti Stupa is one of the best

I loved the apricot fruits that I had in Hundar. The landscape in Nubra valley was one of the best, with its white sands as we went to Sumur and back

 

The sighting of black necked cranes. A beautiful bird and it was quite unusual to see them at Panggong where we did get to see a closer view than in Tso Kar.

The marmots - adorable . The first time I saw them with their back to me, I mistook them to be a rock.

Good food in most of the places, but I really enjoyed the veg momos prepared by Dorjee , our cook at Panggong and the Alu Paratha at a punjabi dhaba at upshi. And my best meal was puris and daal in the mountains after Changla pass enroute to panggong.

The rivers followed us everywhere, but the confluence of the Zanskar and Indus stays in my mind.

The night sky at tsomoriri..even at 2*C, watching the lake bathed in moonlight was a delight.

The Ladakhi festival. The inaugural procession which went past my guest house, the colours, the music(Im sold on ladakhi music) and the people, most importantly, our driver and friend, Dorjee who saved us from getting stuck from the snowstorm past Tanglangla.

Butterfly..

I was in the forests of Nilgiris , birding and butterflying a few weeks ago..some of these virgin tracts are really virgin..I wish I could go back there- this is the picture of the southern birdwing , the largest butterfly in India . 

Ooty

Ooty is popularly known as the queen of hill stations. It is officially 
known as Udhagamandalam and is one of the most famous tourist 
destinations in Tamilnadu. With its scenic beauty and brilliant climate,
 Ooty forms a perfect summer getaway. Nestled in the lap of the Nilgiris, 
the hill resort presents excellent views of the mountain ranges. T
he Nilgiri range is a beautiful mountain range that is a part of the 
western ghat. It is older than the Himalayas.
Ooty tourism forms a major part of tourism of the Nilgiri region. 
Ooty is famous for its tea. Lofty mountains, dense forest, 
expansive grasslands and miles of tea estates greet tourists 
almost everywhere in Ooty. The tea and tourism festival is 
one of the major tourist attractions in Ooty. 

Ooty has its origin dating back to 1817 during the British rule. 
The region is full of sky scrapping mountains and as you climb
 higher you actually travel through clouds lingering on the edge o
f the mountains. Traveling through the hair-pin bend roads is 
another experience altogether. Lakes, mountains, palaces, hills, 
water falls, gardens, you name it and you have it here. The place 
is an ideal tourist spot where you can loose yourself to fishing, 
loitering, sightseeing, playing golf and tennis.
Some of the major tourist sites in Ooty are the Cairn hills, 
the Dodda Betta peak, the Tiger hills, the Arronmore Palace, 
the Awnandale palace, the botanical garden, the thread garden, 
the boat house lake, the Ketti Valley view, the rose garden, 
the Kandal cross shrine, the Kalhatty water falls, the Ooty 
museum and the Mudumalai wild life sanctuary.

Ooty is easily accessible by railways. Trains connect Coimbatore with 
\almost all the major cities in India. From Coimbatore you get Nilgiri 
mountain trains popularly known as toy trains, till Ooty. The hill resort is 
around 535 kilometers away from Chennai. Ooty has good road systems 
that connect it to the rest of the country. There are regular bus services 
from Bangalore, Tirupati, Mysore, Coimbatore and many other nearby places. 
The nearest airport is in Coimbatore.

Being a major tourist spot, Ooty provides world class accommodation facilities. 
Hotels in the hill resort can be categorized into luxury hotels, budget hotels, 
resorts, lodges and inns. All major tour packages of Ooty include accommodation facilities. 

Mountain Trial

Mountain Trail is easily accessible by road, and can be made the hub from where you set out to explore the tourist spots in and around Munnar, of which there are many. Mountain Trail will arrange transport and knowledgeable guides to show you everything there’s to be seen in Munnar. There’s

ample parking space at the resort and rest rooms for drivers. The next time you plan a trip to Munnar, make sure you stay at Mountain Trail. You’ll wish you could stay on for ever
.