Ooty Gate Tamil Nadu

... 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 ...

Who are you?

It’s a good question to ask yourself, and probably not something you think of every day. Do you know who you are? What makes you tick? Do you know why you make the decisions you do, and why your life flows in the direction it does? And are you happy in your skin?

Heady stuff for a Thursday afternoon chat over tea in the hills of Tamil Nadu. I was sitting in a cozy dorm parents living room with three principals of Hebron school, Rod Gilbert (1987-95), John ...

... the rules around dating and technology restrictions, and what were they thinking as they prepared to graduate? When Mark returned I announced that no one over 40 was allowed, which my host took with good humour, requesting only that I tell him everything that was said. Left to talk freely the 13 students relaxed and seemed to enjoy themselves.

They were a tight group, bright, inquisitive people. They talked about the challenges of living in Ooty, of the “Hebron bubble ...

... as we couldn't book an earlier train down, and by the end it was pretty much raining all the time, so that we didn't get to trek at all.

Still, our time in Ooty wasn't completely wasted, and I think we made the most of all that the town had to offer in the way of amusements. These included Wax World, which is, obviously, a waxwork museum. The waxworks were actually quite good, but there were only 12 of them, so that didn't take up too much time. They included ...

... 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 ...

... maa vente til vi kommer hjem, vi kunne bilve ved med at dkrive i flere timer. Men enkelte billeder kan I faa saa i kan nyde lidt af naturen. Det var bare det fedeste, selvom det var lidt skraemende, da den ene hun elefant begyndte at gaa truende hen i mod os, med svingene snabel, og truttende sma loeb. Det var saa vildt at se tigeren liste over graesset. Vi glaede os til at fortaelle jer om det. Vilde tanker fra Nana og Christian

... admit it was a nice feeling to see such a large animal roaming in the wild. We have become accustomed to seeing elephants working in the streets or standing out side temples but seeing them in their natural habitat was a whole new ball game. With a smile on our faces, we left the wildlife park for the local town of Masingagudi to try and find a place to stay for the night. We only planned to stay night and then ...

... on this list.  Sorry Jay, but Mohan takes your "I don't care if I die today" attitude, and combines it with drastically inferior driving skills, making him far wilder.  Besides Mohan's driving, the ride to Bandipur was very interesting as the freeway in India is much different from those in North America.  Every 30 Km or so the freeway would pass through a small village, which would involve speed bumps, and barriers set up to force the cars to swerve in and out in ...

... times weeks and months, and it becomes incomprehensible. I have determined that the only way for me to be content with my adventures is to come to understand that no matter how much I have the desire to share and document my experiences, words will fail, memories can fade, and pictures don't do things justice. I have to do nothing but live in the moment. That I shall do. Yet I will still do my best to let you all know of this crazy and amazing life in India. JT

... brilliant it was such a shame we weren't there for another night as usaully he does walks wjich invlove an overnight camp at his friend's tea plantation ............... I can't do the place any justice ............. it was just so beautiful!!!!!!! We pulled into Chennai on the overnight sleeper this morning at 5.30 ................... and as I got hardly any sleep last night ............. you are alkl VERY VERY LUCKY you have got such a long account today ...