It was a tiring and tough climb. And to make matters worse, I had an injured ankle I had sustained playing badminton last weekend, which slowed me down considerably.

Thankfully, I had company in this really sweet young (but sometimes frustrating) thing called Carielle and we kept motivating each other in turns till we reached the peak – Tadeyendamol (also spelt as Thadiyandamol among other ways) at 1750 metres, the tallest one in Coorg / Kodagu district.

A view of the hills from our camp site in the morning

It took us about 6 hours to complete it from Kakabe (the village where the trek starts) and we led all the way – from behind! But I’m just glad I could make it after doubts about whether my ankle would hold out. Anyway, that’s where I spent the weekend – on top of a misty peak among the clouds, camping in the wild, jumping over the forest streams, eating cup-o-noodles and ingesting enormous amounts of chocolate, not to mention a heavy dose of painkillers.

The Namdroling monastery has three magificent statues
(Both pics courtesy Prateek Shah and his Olympus digital camera)

On the way back, we visited Bylakuppe, home to one of the largest Tibetan settlements in India and got a glimpse of the the Namdroling monastery (aka the Golden Temple), the largest Nyingmapa teaching centre in the world.

Also found this blog that is maintained by Daniel Brett dedicated to news about the Tibetan community in India. “India is home to around 100,000 Tibetan refugees. Around 4,000-5,000 Tibetans escape their native land every year, with most seeking refuge in India. There are 35 Tibetan settlements and numerous smaller communities in India.” (Info via Brett’s blog).

Pictures and the report as usual are underway.

(PS: Sorry for *dodging* the truth, Lavannya, but I knew I would be in for a verbal lashing (that I probably deserve too :-). Shankar, belated bday wishes for you. Looks like you had a great day and I missed being with you folks!).

Here are some totally experimentative shots that Madhu and I took with his brand new digital camera on a visit to Ebony (the 13th Floor where we initially headed was absolutely packed) last Tuesday. He was really excited about his new toy, though I landed up clicking more extensively than him. Since I had no clue about what I was doing, there are some really bad/abstract/shaky shots here. Some of the later ones are clicked at Shiok where Madhu concocted a rather nice drink made up of wine, champagne and Peach Schnappes. (PS: Jil, you must try it on your next visit, am sure you will love it).

Meanwhile, am off to attend to my exquisite aches and pains.

We joke about death and dying. But it’s hard to accept when it actually strikes. It happened earlier in the year when a close friend lost her husband. He was in his 30s. Two young children. She’s never worked in her life. One day, he had a stroke and he was gone. He was traveling in another country. Just like that. I asked her then, how she was coping. “I don’t know,” she replied, “I still can’t believe he’s gone.” Now, of course, she feels it and all I can do is wonder how she’s managing since she’s in another city and I have little except a few words to offer.

On August 26, I received an SMS from a dear friend in Mumbai informing me that our former colleague from rediff.com, Anjum Nair, passed away the day before. He used to sit about 2 desks away from me at work. He was suffering from stage IV cancer and fought a year long battle with the disease. I met his wife Patcy a few times – always cheerful and smiling – and my thoughts go out to her. I wonder how she’s coping, but like him, she is incredibly brave. He touched the lives of everyone he worked with. He was 32 years old. He was way too young.

Anjum, wherever you are, may you rest in peace.

He’s been most kind to fix the comment spam problems on my blog and many others! Helped me find a decent economical host and also heeded my cries for help at some point of time or another. And in the middle of all thankless tech support, he has time to run a retaurant. So I guess, for all the times I’ve hassled him, I owe him this small favour :)

If you’re in Bangalore, please visit Madhu’s new restaurant, Shiok Far-eastern Cuisine that serves good Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Singaporean food. The restaurant is on CMH Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore.

Btw, the food is really delicious and Madhu mixes a mean cocktail or two. So rush to Shiok and discover the joys of Oriental cuisine! Today :)

Earlier in the week, I had written about visiting Yeshvantpur market and a school on Independence Day. Here are a few snapshots…

The colours of India…




The heights of patriotism?!




Girl in a basket




Isn’t it ironic?




Colour coordinated bindi

And more pictures on the photoblog…

I’ve been enjoying the weather the last few days. Kit Kit too is finding it much cooler compared to Mumbai and can often be found perching on my lap, or cuddling up under the blanket (which she would never do there!).

I’ve been in a good mood too. Even the reminder from my professor about my overdue assignment has not dampened my spirits. The ‘thinking’ cleared up my mind a bit. Finally managed to take a few decisions I know should have taken a long time ago. Talked to a few old pals and there’s nothing like a nice heart-warming chat to make one feel better.

The last few mornings the drive down to office early morning has been really pleasant. I’ve been advised not to swear so much while driving so I’ve been keeping my patience and not using my horn as much as I usually tend to do! There’s a cool breeze blowing and it drizzles a little sometimes. I usually let the window down just to feel the rain. At times like this I wish I had a system in the car, but I try and make up for it by singing little ditties myself :)

The weekend is here again. A time to indulge in some of my favourite things. And on that note, here’s a random list that comes to mind (inspired by Anupma’s post):

• Walks

• Sunrise over the mountains
• Sunsets on the beach
• Boats in the river or sea
• Sighting dolphins
• Sighting rainbows
• White roses
• Finishing a painting
• Waves, water and silence
• Swaying palms
• Wine and a good book
• Good food
• A fireplace (with a real fire!)
• Watching Kit Kit play
• Writing and receiving letters
• Candles and aromatic potpourri
• Long drives on highways
• Rain on my face
• Little surprises
• Packages
• Diyas
• Books
• Travel magazines
• Impromptu trips
• Trees of different shapes and sizes
• Winding roads
• Clear blue skies
• Clouds
• Browsing around a bookstore
• Coffee, chai, pakoras and conversation with friends
• Movies and popcorn
• The smell of fresh roasted corn
• Reading old love letters
• Misty mornings
• Old photo albums
• Phone calls from long distance friends
• Post-it notes

Have a good weekend, folks!

Last Saturday, I ventured into Lalbagh Gardens at about 8.00 am in the morning and got the shock of my life. That place was crowded! The aim was to take morning shots of the flower show. Unfortunately I had problems loading the film into my camera so I was stuck with browsing around. I did get a few pictures, which I will post in a day or two.

However, I also discovered something during this flower trip. I don’t know the names of flowers. Except the common variety like roses and marigolds I was lost. And none of the flowers had signs enlightening the public. There were about a dozen other photographers around the place and many have put their works online. But like me, most seem to be unaware of flower names!

So if you can help, here are a few that I would really like to know the names of. If you are a flower enthusiast or have your own garden, please do share:

1) Pretty pink flower
2) Aster? Zinnia?
3) The simple white flower with the yellow centre. (not the one with the patterned centre in front)
4) This pretty one

Any clues?

While at Yeshvantpur market yesterday, Vasu, one of the Bangalore shutterbuggers, commented that there is no place as colourful as India.

Just take a walk through a busy Indian market and there’s proof all around you.

Women in colourful sarees.

Onions. Garlic. Chillies. Ginger.

Cauliflowers. Brinjals. Capsicum.

Banana carts.

Peanuts.

Piles of multi-coloured flowers - red and white roses, yellow marigolds…

Buckets, mugs and assorted paraphernelia - they probably come in every colour except black!

Chicken. Mutton. Beef. Fish. Prawns.

Silver utensils of every shape.

Spoons. Handles. Ladles. Sponges. Kitchen knick knacks.

Piles of gulal in red, blue, yellow, orange…

Chips made from everything you can imagine (not just potatoes!)

Dhania. Curry patta. Every green saag you can imagine.

Watermelons. Papayas.

Kids with bright smiles.

And the tri-colour flag (in all sizes) displayed everywhere. On top of buildings, cycles, rickshaws, trucks, motorbikes, cars. Even the vegetable and fruit vendor carts had little flags flying merrily in the wind.

There were six of us who ventured out in the morning with our cameras - Vasu, Lavannya, Vivek, Zeeshan, Shankar and myself. We first visited a little school, wherein the kids had gathered in the open centre space and were listening to grown-ups extolling the virtues of the country (I think, as I didn’t understand much of it!). From there, we went to capture the colours of India and what could be a more appropriate place than a market. Vasu decided to adorn himself with a huge flag, so we attracted a lot of attention as we walked around.

I must admit that at 8.00 on Sunday morning, all I wanted was to sleep in. Lavannya’s SMS message (”Come, it will be worth it”) woke me up and I made a dash half way across Bangalore to Yeshvantpur to join them.

It turned out to be a nice way to celebrate Independence Day. After a hectic morning (no dinner/no breakfast) I was starving by lunch time and decided to join Zeeshan and Vasu for lunch at a Bengali place in Koramanagala. Had nice doi-mach and prawns, baingan fry and khichdi.

I’m glad I didn’t sleep through I-Day after all! I hope you had a good one too.

Have been meaning to post my pictures from the Bandipur-Ooty trip, but the connection’s (Tata Indicom) been really bad from home. Finally, managed to get a few of them uploaded.

Enjoy!

Meanwhile, am not going to pay much attention to my online persona (meaning blogging will be light for a week at least) as I need to sort out certain parts of my life. It’s like my wardrobe clearing session I have to go through once in a blue moon. Stuff I need to really think about. Stuff I can’t be thinking about right now :-\ Stuff I need to finish. Stuff that is piling up on me (like the IBL). Despite my intentions to keep things simple, it doesn’t quite turn out that way, I’ve noticed. Well, what’s life without some food for thought?!

And while I’m ‘thinking’, please visit all my dear friends/bloggers/countrymen and whoever you find on my blogroll. Keep the blog light shining strong. And don’t forget to click on one Google ad while you’re here :)