Dawki-Meghalaya

 From Jowai, we went to Dawki. Since we had the same cab, the experience remained similar. The driver was not sure where my stay was, and there was very little mobile network in the area. After some searching, we finally reached the tents.

It turned out to be a pleasant surprise. This was my first time staying in a tent by a river in an open setting. After a good night’s sleep, I woke up to a calm and beautiful view of the river right in front of me.

After breakfast, we went for a boat ride towards the waterfalls.

On the way, we saw local fishermen trying their luck.   

The water was clear, but because of the wind, the riverbed was not visible like in many photos of Dawki.

From there, the drive went uphill, and the view of the Dawki river from above was really nice.

Meghalaya-Day 1

The trip didn’t start as planned. The tour company mixed up the itinerary and sent me to Jowai instead of Cherrapunji. It wasn’t ideal, but I decided to go along and see what the day had to offer.

The first stop was Tyrshi Falls. That’s when I realized something about Meghalaya—most waterfalls here come with a downhill trek. It took quite a bit of walking to reach the base. The place was unusually quiet, with just a couple of school kids around. It felt peaceful, but also a little too isolated.

Next was Phe Phe Falls, and getting there was an experience in itself. There was no proper road, no network for Google Maps, and the driver didn’t seem very sure of the route. After a long and slightly frustrating journey, I finally reached the viewpoint. From the top, the falls looked beautiful, but getting closer meant another steep walk down for almost half an hour. I spent some time there, took a few photos, and then made my way back up.

We stopped for lunch before heading to Krang Suri Falls. By the time we reached, the light was already fading. I wasn’t sure if I’d get good pictures, but the place still looked stunning in the soft evening light.

Kaziranga

Kaziranga National Park was part of my trip to Meghalaya. I reached my hotel near Kaziranga from the airport by road. The next morning, I started early for the safari. However, I found out that my tour operator had not booked my safari tickets, so I had to arrange and pay for them on the spot. Thankfully, I was able to get an exclusive jeep for the trip.

On the way to the reserve, I saw some large birds, along with water buffaloes and deer near the roadside. 

There were markings showing the water levels from previous year’s floods. The driver pointed out what he said were tiger claw marks. 

The main highlight of Kaziranga is the one-horned rhinoceros, and I was able to see many of them across the reserve, including a mother with her calf.

A Quick Escape to Kerala Backwaters

There are some trips you plan for months, and then there are those that just happen and somehow become the most memorable. This was one of those spontaneous journeys. It all started with a simple idea: “Why not visit the backwaters of Kerala?” Within a few days, the plan turned into reality. No detailed itinerary, no long checklists, just a desire to take a break and explore something beautiful.

For me, the highlight of this trip was the simple beauty all around—the coconut trees lining the lakes, gently swaying in the breeze, the still waters reflecting the sky and greenery like a mirror, and the birds flying low or resting quietly near the water. Boats and houseboats moved slowly, adding life to the scene without disturbing its peace.  Sometimes, the best experiences come when you simply go with the flow, and this trip was exactly that. I’ve shared a few pictures from this journey that capture those quiet, beautiful moments from Kerala’s backwaters.

Munnar With Parents

It was during my trip to India in April 2024 that we thought of spending some time in Munnar. We were there for 2 days and went around and saw whatever we could possibly see in those two days.

The drive itself was quite nice, with greenery all around and plenty of viewpoints along the way. Since we were short on time, we didn’t follow a strict plan and instead stopped at places that looked interesting.

Munnar has some good sunset points, though you need to reach a bit early if you want a decent spot, especially if you’re planning to take pictures. We managed to catch one sunset, and it was worth the stop.

 

There is this “waterbody” that people call a lake. It looked good in person, but somehow the pictures didn’t come out as expected.

We also visited a few gardens and nurseries. Cameras were not allowed in some places, so I couldn’t take pictures everywhere. I did take quite a few flower photos where it was allowed, but I’m sharing only a few here. 

The last place we visited was Eravikulam National Park. It’s a fairly long drive uphill, but the views along the way make it worthwhile. 

This place is known for the Nilgiri Tahr, a type of mountain goat. They didn’t seem particularly bothered by people and were seen grazing nearby. 

Overall, it was a short and simple trip. We didn’t cover everything, but we got to see a good mix of places in the time we had.

Birds from My Hometown, Palakkad

 

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on birds and I do not know the names of most of the birds posted below.

Having said that, there are a few very common birds that we often see around Palakkad. Among them are the eagle and the myna.

These next ones are small, cute birds I managed to capture while moving around. Nothing planned—just quick clicks when they showed up unexpectedly.

These birds look like migratory ones to me. They were much bigger in size and immediately caught my attention when I saw them.

                        

I took at least a dozen pictures of kingfishers, and choosing just one was really difficult. This shot was taken right after it came out of the water after an unsuccessful hunt.

                             

                                                                                                           

This medium-sized bird was sitting quite high up on a coconut tree. It stayed there long enough for me to frame the shot, looking calm and completely at ease.

Though this blog is about birds, I couldn’t resist adding this squirrel enjoying his meal. It was such a simple, everyday moment, but it felt right to include it.