Memories of 2012 - Nanded to Lonar

November brought us the Diwali vacation, and the most memorable trip so far this year. We set out for Nanded, starting with a visit to Aundha Nagnath and Parali Vaidyanath, two Jyotirling Shrines in the vicinity....

Memories of 2012 - Mumbai

October and November saw us exploring places in Mumbai we had been planning to visit for a long time..... First on the list was the Bhau Daji Lad Museum...

Our next destination was the newly opened Snow World at Phoenix Market City, Kurla West.

Related Posts:

• The Elephant of Elephanta

• Snow World Mumbai

Memories of 2012 - Kelwe Beach

September brought with it, festivals. But we couldn't celebrate them due to a death in the extended family. Meanwhile, my in-laws were at Palghar for a while, and we decided to make use of our holidays and visit them.

Memories of 2012 - Nashik and around

August brought us more opportunity for travel, and we were off to Nashik, by the ST bus this time.

Memories of 2012 - Mahabaleshwar and around

July was a quiet month, but August saw us going off to Mahabaleshwar for a short visit... We stopped at Wai on the way to visit the temples there....

Memories of 2012 - A Date with Italian Cuisine

June saw school opening, and we got busy with work. However, there was something in store for us. I was invited for a book reading by Kiran Manral for those of us bloggers who had been to Lavasa together. The book reading was to be followed by lunch at the Italian restaurant, Botticino, at the Trident, BKC, and I took Samhith along...

Memories of 2012 - Miniature Railway Museum

Returning back to Mumbai, I found an opportunity to visit a place I had been planning to, for a long time.... the Joshi Museum of Miniature Railways in Pune...

Memories of 2012 - Amritsar

I had been to Amritsar as a kid, when I was even younger than Samhith. While returning from Jammu, we stopped at Amritsar, to visit the Golden Temple....

Memories of 2012 - Kashmir

Kashmir had been on my wishlist for years and years, but it was this year that the wish came true. Yes, we had less time than I would have liked, but simply setting foot in the state was enough for this trip, especially since Shankar wasn't able to join us. So it was just me, Samhith, my in-laws and my sister-in law. The 12 hour journey from Jammu to Srinagar was tiring, to say the least, but the views more than made up for it!

Memories of 2012 - Jammu and Vaishnodevi

From Jaipur, we headed out to Vaishnodevi...

Memories of 2012 - Jaipur

May brought us the most awaited summer vacation. And off we headed to the most anticipated trip of all. We began our long trip at Jaipur, my first visit to the pink city...We spent just one full day at Jaipur, but I have returned with so many wonderful memories....

Albert Hall museum... with thousands of pigeons flying all over it...

Memories of 2012 - Sewri, Mumbai

April also saw us make a visit to Sewri to see the flamingoes....

Memories of 2012 - Alibag

April brought my cousin to Mumbai, and with him, an unexpected trip to Alibag....

Memories of 2012 - Gir and Junagadh

The Gir Wildlife sanctuary is most well known for its Asiatic Lion. We did see them, but more memorable were the other birds and animals we saw... such as this peacock..

Memories of 2012 - Somnath

March brought us a bonus week of travel. And it also brought me a new camera!! Of course, I went click happy on the trip, and came back with loads and loads of photos. This one happens to be one of my favourites...

Memories of 2012 - Sringeri

The year is almost gone, and its time to look back and remember all the wonderful things that made this year so special. The year was an especially good one for travel, though not as much for writing! I managed to travel almost every month, and, as a result, have a huge backlog of places and stories to write about!!! Leaving that aside for the monent, I will be posting a photo a day from one of my (many) trips this year.... in the order in which I took them. I begin with my first trip of the year.. in January, to one of my favourite destinations... Sringeri.

Book Review : Cain by Jose Saramago

José Saramago opens the story of Cain with the lines...

On the Ramayana Trail at Nashik

It is a city which is so deeply rooted in legends that it is impossible to separate the city from its stories – and the temples related to the stories. The minute we step into the city, we are besieged by it. We haven’t even found a hotel to stay in, but our auto driver wants to know if we want him to take us to the temples. “We have been here before” we tell him, and he answers, “But still, you will want to visit the temples. Why else would you come here again?” Our status as tourists and temple visitors seems to be obvious to him, so eventually we relent, telling him that yes, we do want to visit the temples, but we want to freshen up first. We take the mobile number proffered and heave a sigh of relief when he leaves. We are at Nashik, one of the holiest cities in Maharashtra, and also among the oldest.

Bay Backed Shrike

I have seen this bird before, but had never been able to capture it on camera. On my recent visit to Nanded and around, we saw these birds in plenty. However, it was only when we were in an auto, visiting the temples around Shegaon, that I could stop and photograph it.