"Too young to worry, Too old to smile"

If one sleeps well, he eats well... and if he eats well, he is surely in for a gastronomic orgasm in everything he tastes! As you wake up, the thought of that first cup of coffee and something to nibble along lingers  vaguely in your mind. On a chill spring morning in Italy, after a lazy morning shower, you would hurriedly get dressed to find the nearest coffee bar. And that’s what I did every day. The robotic arms of a tender working his way on the equally fast, yet complex espresso machine, does catch your entry from the corner of his eye. A short and brisk “Buon Giorno” and he is back to his love of his life, making the best ristretti one would ever imagine. A ristretti is no humble coffee for the common coffee drinker. It is pure liquid adrenaline and has a tendency to keep the tourist on his feet all day. The warm smell of cornetti freshly being lined up for the customers’ tingles a very soft corner of your palate. Be it the residents or the tourists, the quintesse...

Ooty, what can I say... heard so much about it, lived so close to it for years, thought it to be overly commercialized, hence never visited it! Never realized till my recent visit that the "Queen of hill Stations", as it is fondly called, would leave so many lasting memories with me that I would be visiting again... and again... and again!   The monsoon of July was threatening to keep us indoors when we started the trip on a Sunday morning. We had heard that the incessant drizzle in Ooty gets really annoying to most and we were mentally prepared to relax, stay indoors and enjoy tea beside a fire-place. With such minimal expectations and an open mind to explore what is there to offer, we set sail early from Bangalore and reached Udhagai at around an hour past noon. The 6 hours drive, with a breakfast break, was adorned by lovely weather, smooth roads, minimal traffic, bright green forests and inviting calls from the wild.    The Town below The first view...

This forest never seizes to mesmerize my imagination and thrill that it brings in so unexpectedly every time. A perfectly sized group travelled to Bison Manor at Kutta in Coorg, a relatively new home stay with a 30 acre coffee plantation to support the family. Hugh and Vivienne, the masterminds behind this piece from heaven, were extremely engaging with every guest, making us felt like we were part of their family. The food, well I just cannot stop talking about it… Madhu and his entourage made us some of the best food we couldn’t even dream of in a star hotel at Bangalore. In short, a must visit place for anyone wanting time by themselves, but still feeling a part of the house you visit. We just had two things to focus on in our entire trip. If we were not shamelessly gaining the pounds after gorging on some of the exotic food and deserts at Bison Manor, we were on the road, searching for any sightings of wild life that we could get. And boy, were we in for surprises through the...

7am... Saturday morning... hit the road to Kabini. Driving along with my camera, for company, and the hope to see a Tiger. The best part about the drive was that I stopped nowhere. 236km drive, non-stop, 3hrs & 45 min (The last 12km took over 30min). Reached Kabini Jungle resorts and I must say, they are extremely courteous and an ever-smiling face takes away even the slightest discomfort from the drive. Checked in to the Maharaja Bungalow and boy was I impressed with the 100 year old building and its upkeep. Took a shower and hit the "Golghar" for lunch. The spread was extremely good and I truly enjoyed the food with a bottle of beer. Hit the bed for an hour and was ready for an evening safari. For company in my Jeep, I had four seasoned gentlemen with bazooka sized lenses and a strong Brit accent. Two Indians and two Brit's, later i got to know, where friends from Hull visit India for some serious bird photography. David had exceptional knowledge about birds while o...

This was our journey without knowing where we were headed, where were we to stay and what were we to do after reaching the destination.... it was all about the drive... and what an amazing experience it was... We had heard about Sakleshpur and decided that we head in that direction. Started at 0800hrs and hit the road towards Mangalore. The road was a breeze and even after a Pitstop (breakfast) for 30min, we reached Sakleshpur by 1130hrs. 1st things first, check for accommodation if we were to camp at this town. It had been an amazing drive till now and with no luck to stay & time running out, we decided to hit the road to Mangalore and camp at Mangalore. Did some local sightseeing, driver change and hit the highway again. The ghat section from Sakleshpur onwards was a little bad and considering the recent rains, it was expected. after about an hour and 40 kms in to the drive, the roads smoothed out and the drive was a pleasure again. Reached Mangalore at 1530hrs, went south to Ull...

The thought of owning a small land and cultivating my own basic edible needs are not only creeping in my mind for the last few weeks, but also intensifying by the day. The need to grow organic food and contribute to the society by selling the excess produce seems to be such a noble cause to attain a little more inner peace. Now comes the detailing, buying the land and where! which land has what kind of potential to grow a certain type of vegetation! and many more Q's... Looks like i need to go for an internship on farming before starting this of! One thing for sure is that i need to know where to buy the land. depending on that, i can decide about the internship bit. Then comes the thought of, "you cant grow everything right!", and eventually you have to still procure some from the market,then why not build a farming society that contributes to each other and saves the idea of trading, unless your produce is being wasted. Suddenly all this seems like a business and thats ...

It was an early evening safari into the Rajiv Gandhi National Park at Kabini. The heavy lunch was not helping and the jungle trails ahead were not some of the best. A look above the horizon and the sun was getting the best of you. Most say it was a perfect setting to sight the Big one - Tiger. We waited for a bit at the beginning of the park to register ourselves for passing the National Park. As we waited, a nip of breeze was in the air and the silence was not too comforting. It was around 3.15PM, the sun was gazing bright at you and the birds were at their loudest best. As we started our drive on the webbed trails in the jungle, we noticed the dryness all around. Mid autumn and controlled burnings of the plantations around the trail was not visually too pleasing, but these were the best conditions to sight the Big One. We were the first vehicle in the forest and it was good as we could catch the mammals in their natural environment, undisturbed, at least till we pass by. 10 min...