Just About Everything

Coming of age, traditional jumping dance at Masai village Masai Village During our Masai Mara trip, we visited a Masai village. which was not far from the park.The entry fee was around $30/head.The proceeds from the fee goes towards the village school.The fee allowed us to to take pictures and videos as well. We spent around 40 mins in the village...we were welcomed by Masai men and women with their traditional dances which we enjoyed a lot...and joined in as well. I have included the videos at the end of this post.The jumping dance is a part of the the coming of age ceremony. We also got a tour inside one of the huts in the village. The visit ended with us buying some handcrafted items that the village women had put up for sale. We probably spent around 40 min at the village. We had to rush back because we wanted to get back to the park and complete our safari while there was time...our last day at Masai and we wanted to make the most of it. What I really m...

Lioness with cubs at Masai Mara Day two and our last day at Masai Mara was even more exciting! After a wonderful Day one at Masai Mara , we were all set to have an even better day two...we set off after a hearty breakfast.Our plan was to spend as much time as we could at the park. And day two did not disappoint, it was another day in Paradise Masai Mara! Started out with a Leopard sighting and ended with a pride of Lions!!! In between….wild Buffalo, Wildebeests, Zebras, Giraffes, Ostriches, Deer, birds,  a visit to Masai village ,  Hippopotamus, and  Banded Mongoose kept us at our highest high! The lodge we stayed in “Keekorok Lodge,Sun Africa Hotels” was beautiful. We did not get much time at the lodge but whatever little time we did manage to spend in the lodge, it was blissful…birds, scenic beauty, and the water body next to the lodge was lovely...it is home to quite a few Hippos who seem to be having an awesome time! We watched from a safe ...

Masai Mara has been one of my dream destinations for as long as I remember.... My Masai Mara travel plan took a while to materialise because I wanted my father to accompany us. He has been instrumental in getting all of us interested in wild life! I still remember one of the first books on wildlife that my dad gave me from his bookshelf was a book of snakes (although I can’t say that I developed a liking from snakes!) Going to Masai Mara without my dad was unthinkable!  Since his health has not been that good in the past few years, I wanted him to get better before recommending this trip to him! He was hesitant, but finally gave in to my persuasion:) and our team of five (my parents, my sister, niece, and I were ready for Mara!) Because our parents were travelling with us we did not want our trip to be too long or too hectic…we managed to keep it short, but it did end up being hectic considering the distances we had to travel. However, it was all worth it, every bi...

Happy New Year! May this year bring more of the things that you love… happiness, good health, peace, passion, prosperity, and most of all love for the environment ! I am starting off my first post with this beautiful baul  song video from the Baul Fakir Utsav 2019 at Shaktigarh, Jadavpur. Baul songs are folk songs from Bengal that have an influence of Vaishnav Hindu and Sufi songs. Spiritual, and sung with so much passion and simplicity that every time I listen to Baul songs, I feel overwhelmed. You may be interested in the following as well: Baul mela  at Jadavpur, Kolkata, Jan 2013 Baul Mela , Jadavpur, 2014 Baul Mela  2015 at Jadavpur, Kolkata,India Baul mela  2016, Jadavpur,India Baul song video at the Baul mela 2017 at Jadavpur, Kolkata

Ahiritola Durga idol I am sharing some more unique Durga puja pandals from north Kolkata. The first one is from Ahiritola. I try to see this one every year, and this time when i went there..I saw an old palatial house, and I was wondering how did I miss it last time...and well...guess what...this  old house was the "Ahiritola durga puja pandal"I. I was spellbound!!! It was so well done...starting from the plasters on the walls, the pillars, the old furniture, ceiling lamps, the chipped floors...so so very well done...It had the exact same looks of durga puja that is celebrated in various beautiful old houses in Kolkata .  I have included a video of this pandal at the end of this post, it is a brief video, and I don't know why I hurried through it...sorry about that...but it will give you an idea. Ahiritola Durga puja pandal 2018 Entrance to the pandal The chipped floor effect So well made...it looks so authentic! This ...