Hotel Riga Residency Coonoor

... our eyes and ears have never seen such a beautiful forest and heard pleasant sounds completely away from the corporate jungles. After crossing Mudhumalai National Park we reached our destination Masinagudi at around 9.15am.

We dreamt a lot and expectations were very high on our stay, which was a great disappointment. But the fact that this place is located very close to a river and hence we thought it should be more adventurous. Thanks to the local care taker who made good ...

... top of the hills was quaint and quite. Legend has it that there is a lake close to this Sri Venkateshwara swamy temple that has magical properties, so much so that we no longer spot crows in that area because they have turned into swans.Well, stories aside, the rolling green hills give a fantastic panoramic view of the nilgiris yonder…a fantastic photo shoot opportunity, which none missed ...

This was a perfect day to discover a new angle on India. After a week of being a little down and sick, it was definately time for an adventure. If I have learned anything from my trips to Alaska, it is definately that the mountains cure everything. So, it ...

... an eye on you!!!! *grin* So with another break neck journey down the mountains with Krishna I was taken to the airport in Coimbatore and caught my evening flight to Chennai where I will wait for my plane to Singapore then onto Bali....phew there is alot of flying in my future...lets see how I go with all my excess luggage....double the allowable limit AND I have shipped 5 big boxes home via India Post so I will let you knwo if we see them again...of course ...

... I get 3 times a day...oh joy!!! :o( It's a pretty early night for me, a bit of reading and then lights out I'm done!!! Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...... Day 2 I have a sore throat...I sort of started getting one in London but now it's really sore...:o(...but I take my shot of yukky herbal stuff at 6.15am and then off to yoga I go. Easy now that I have had enough sleep. Brekky is after and I get some yummy cous cous stuff more like a porridge but with veggies in it...and a lot yummier than cous ...

... the point out various berries and eadilbe plants along the way. After lunch, we head back to the elephants and spend the rest of the day observing these large beautiful animals. On the jeep ride home, we are fortunate to see a leopard pounch from along side the road. A rare sight. The jungle is definately a captivating place and far from the plains we are used to.

... 3-7 deliveries pr. month on the hospital. The reason is of course that it costs to use the hospital. This is also the reason while many women skip the regular checkups or arrive to the hospital to give birth in the very last second. We have heard on a woman giving birth in a jeep on the way to the hospital and another who gave birth 2 min after she arrived to the hospital. Unfortunately since the hospital does not have ...

... I'm told this means that they are environmentally friendly. And when I probe to find out exactly what this means (I'm sure they don't recycle, or use environmentally friendly cleaning agents...no one here seems to care about that sort of thing) it turns out that it's basically an organic farm, in that they grow all the food they serve, save the meat. Which is pretty neat. Today (Monday) we are heading for a tea plantation to walk around and then wander though town, before our long trek back to the coast tomorrow.

... ve never been in one before," she replied. And she was a student. In the UK, "student" and "never been in a bar" would never be heard together, but it was the norm here. Again, it just serves to highlight the differences. We spent a short time in the bar, before retiring for the night once again. All of the Friday and Saturday before going home was spent lazing during the day and meeting Shan in the evening. We paid another visit to the Race club, and also to the ...