Assams Amazing Avifauna

 

Work in progress

Awesome bird watching experience in  Assam.

Mystical Meghalaya

Work in progress.

We finally stepped onto East India... and it was awesome. Culture, People, Nature.

Trip Itinerary: Meghalaya (fully curated by tour guide), Assam (part curated). 
- Guwahati (Port of entry/exit)

- Pobitara(Assam) : 1 day

- Cherrapunje : 3 days

- Shillian Joshar : 1 day

- Tyrna : 2 days

- Chandubi(Assam) : 1 day

- Kaziranga(Assam) : 2 days

Dates: Nov 15th to 25th, 2025

Travelling: We travelled in hired cab internally.

Facilities: All places were well developed with good resort or home stays, from 1 to 3 star level. Roads were good for the most part unless construction was going on. Places were clean and trash minimal. People professional and helpful. Most of them spoke English. Tyrna had a restriction of tourists not allowed to wander after 8pm. Food was mostly rice based with basic dhal. Maggi was very popular. Bread available in higher resorts or on request.

Click here for the Assam part of the trip.

Landed in Guwahati and in East India for the first time! which I personally always feel is almost like another country. The beauty of India and its diversity at its most extreme when a South Indian visits East India. Our ride, Bishar, received us at the airport and after a day stop at Chandubi, we crossed over in Meghalaya and Alfred our guide and driver for Meghalaya took over. The atmosphere and views changed as we crossed into Meghalaya. 

Our first stop was at Umiam Lake view point then onto Mawplang Sacred Grove. Our host there had set up a tent and table just for us... to have an incredible fully local flavored picnic lunch in the edge of a large grassland and the Sacred grove in our sight. It was indeed like 'Scotland of the East'! We then walked into the Grove with our guide telling us about its significance and rituals that make it sacred. The fascinating part of the quietness and the rule of nothing taken out or in! 

We reached Cherrapunjee late evening but dark already as sunset is at 5pm here. It was quite cold so a hot dinner with good soup was most welcome. Interestingly, no rain was predicted for the 5 days we were in an area that receives the highest rainfall in the country. We timed our trip to time the few weeks when it does not rain at all there! Lucky or did we miss out on a spectacle?

During the time we were here, it was 2 day trips to caves and then waterfalls. Both were enjoyable. Water was freezing cold... but so clear and clean that we braved it and splashed around. All tourist points were reached after a small walk with entry fees of 50 to 100 Rs. Toilets were 10 Rs and Life vests if we wanted to get close to the falls was also available for rent. Overall, places were well organized and not crowded enabling us to enjoy without any issues. Well done Meghalaya!

Our stay with Shilliang Joshar was with Babah who met us around noon with his son to guide us to the 2 gems near his place. Living root nest and a ladder. Both lovingly crafted by the root experts. Our walk to and from the locations was fun as was daily routine for the villagers. Bahbah picked up leaves and other edibles along the trail for our picnic lunch which we had in a wild farm. He had got some rice and meat but made the salad and chutney with things he picked up and some ingredients. Highlight was grinding the chutney with a bamboo utensil cut there itself and discarded! Truly living in the wild.

After some wild experience with Bahbah... we drove to Pung Weikyan called weavers village. There Muthok who is working on local agricultural practices was our guide along with his mother. Got to water around their village for a few hours along with a farm visit and lunch. For lunch, they had collected 10 different types of just leaves and kept them in a basket like salad. No dressing or even salt. Just pick a few and munch along with rice!

Our last stop was Tyrna at Shalindas homestay. This was close to the double decker root bridge start point. We chose to skip that popular destination for a Ummunoi and Umkar root bridges that are accessible by a shorter trek.

Caves and waterfalls.

Babah. Ladder, Nest and forest picnic.

Muthok. Farm and other experiences.

Tyrna. Living bridges.

Tranquil Valparai

Location: Valparai
Date: Sept 22nd to 26th, 2025.
To get there: From Bangalore via Krishnagiri Erode, Coimbatore(bypass), Pollachi or via Kollegal then Erode. Buses are also connected but you may have to change at Coimbatore or Pollachi. We took the Krishnagiri route when going and Kollegal while coming back where we got stuck on the narrower Sathyamangalam ghat section which allows huge transport vehicles. The ghat section from Pollachi to Valparai is a lovely drive with great views and well designed 40 hairpin bends each named after mostly birds and some animals using large boards.
Distance: Approx. 450km, 9hrs by car.
Facilities: It is quite a large hill town similar to Ooty with mostly tea estates all around.

Valparai was always enticing for us due to its unique location and bio diversity but too far. But, after considering it we would eventually choose Coorg, Wayanad or Ooty. This time when we wanted to go some place quiet to relax and do some birdwatching, it was a now or never vote for Valparai.

Bird watchers nest at Vellode

To manage the long 9 hours drive, we planned a stop at Erode and spent couple of hours in Vellode Bird Sanctuary. This gave us a glimpse to this well managed water body that hosts migrants as well as give us the much needed break. The ducks had not arrived yet but we did spot the Blue-tailed King fisher as our migrant.

Hairpin 28/40
Malabar Trogon

Valparai

The ghat section with 40 hairpins was a lovely drive from Pollachi to Valparai. Its just 40 kms but takes nearly 2 hrs. Road was wide, well maintained with good views though no proper view points where we could stop and enjoy. Each bend was named after an western ghat bird or animal and few as a tribute to persons/places, I think. A lovely way to educate as well as make the drive fun.



We had decided on tea bungalows for our stay so that we would be away from the main city and enjoy the quietness of tea estates. First 2 nights were in a wooden chalet at Sirukundram managed by Briar group, next 2 nights were in the bungalow at Rotti Kadai, managed by Murugappa group under Sinna Dorai brand.

Sambar deer

Blue-bearded Bee-eater

In the 3 full days we stayed at Valparai, we had 2 good birding sessions. Mostly because it was drizzling a lot and we also chose to just chill out and not go out of our way to do our walks. The first one was accidental. We were relaxing after our breakfast at Sirukundram when our main host knocked on our chalet to let us know he had spotted the Great Hornbill! This would be a lifer for us, so we quickly scrambled out with binoculars and camera following him past their kitchen at the backside of the bungalow to the front area. And lo and behold through the branches and perched majestically on eucalyptus trees were 2 Great Hornbills! Even at about 100 mtrs far they looked huge. Once I had my fill of observing it, I went back to get my 600mm lens. The birds were still happily perched in the same place. Our host then guided us out of the property to a trail in the tea estate from where we got better views and could spot 5 in the flock which is kind of a record even for them. The trail itself was fantastic with a small copse where we spotted a pair of Blue-bearded bee-eaters, Nilgiri flycatcher, among others. Another highlight was a large flock, upwards of 100, of Hill mynahs murmuring from tree to tree which was lovely to watch.

Great Hornbills

Emerald Dove

The 2nd bird outing was from Rotti Kadai in an organized paid bird walk that started from their Moulmein property. The area around the bungalow itself was amazing or maybe we just got lucky but within 10 mins of us getting out of the car, we spotted the Gray-headed Canary-Flycatcher, Gray Wagtail, Little Spiderhunter, Malabar Flameback, among others. We then drove out about a kilometer and birded from the road for another kilometer or so. The spotting was sparse here but the walk was very enjoyable. We did spot the Great Hornbill again... far far away on the hill and the Stripe-necked mongoose foraging. On way back, we got our heart full of Emerald dove foraging on their driveway and then a pair of Velvet-fronted Nuthatches hopping around the branches.

Lion-tailed Macaque

We did some walks in few other recommended places with limited sightings probably because of the dull rainy weather or we just were not lucky. On mammals, we spotted Indian Gaur all over the Rotti Kadai estates, Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Stripe-necked Mongoose, Sambar Deer, Jungle (Western ghats) palm squirrel, Indian (Malabar) Giant squirrel.

Indian Gaurs

Overall, we enjoyed this location very much. We hardly spent any time in the city. Just drove through it few times. It looked crowded. The tea estates, bungalow surroundings, and birding places were quiet and relaxing. Lets just say tranquil! One can easily spend a few hours just watching and walking around in nature trails within estates or near them. For nature lovers, a visit to Annamalai Nature information center is a must with this wonderful exhibits. There is also a path along side it for some bird watching.

Check out the photo album from the trip.


Ebird check lists with bird images.


Vellode Bird Sanctuary
Puthu Thotam Estate
Sirikundram Bungalow area
Moulmein Estate bird walk
Thenmalai Fragment

Enchanting Japan: Food, people, nature and sake!

Kinkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto

Japan, in my mind a magical surreal country, high on my wish list, finally checked! Thanks to circumstances which made this the holiday choice for a family vacation. 

Arashiyama Bamboo forest,
 Kyoto

The trip was in two parts for us 2. First 9 days as part of the larger group of 12 people, we visited most of the well known spots as curated and managed by a tour group. For next 5 days, just the two of us explored the natural beauty of Japanese alps. I will try to pen down mostly just our experiences for this writeup and keep it active as I intend to update it whenever I remember something fascinating that I want to share (Last updated: 21.9.2025). Some interesting images are embedded in the blog, not all are connected to the writing. I scattered them around just for some color. Albums of selected images from the full trip are at the end of this blog.

Takoyakis, Dontonburi St, Osaka

Binzuru, Todai-ji Temple, Osaka

One of the most well known Japanese trait is their punctuality. Even though we had mentally prepared to shed our Indian flexible time habit, there were some interesting moments as Japan takes it to the next level. One of our Japanese guides, was quite direct at the introduction itself and politely told us that she knows Indians are not very punctual but she will manage! Oh well. Guilty. 🤷.  Near Sensoji Temple, Tokyo, we had just finished shopping and were returning to our Bus. A rickshaw tourist activity person tried to sell a ride. After we told  her our schedule, she pointed out that it takes 10mins to get to our parked bus, which we had to reach in about 20mins. She immediately advised us to go quickly so that we would be on time. Us being punctual and not inconveniencing others was more important than her making some money! Something I doubt would have happened in India. Another time, a hotel receptionist in Matsumoto who was also the driver to drop us to the station, ignored our request to take a photo of us in front the hotel and just went and sat in the drivers seat. First, we felt he was rude, then realized he was just being professional, or Japanese if you will, as it was just few minutes to the announced 9am departure and obliging us would have made him late by maximum a minute or 2. Yes, we understand now. 😊

Umeda Sky Building, Osaka

Lady with Umbrella, Gion Area, Kyoto

Borderless Digital Art

The biggest cultural feature is of Japan is of course, their politeness. Arigato gozaimasu or just Arigato, thank you in Japanese quickly became our most used phrase. Bowing was a bit awkward to time and sync so we reciprocated mostly.  Their politeness transcends normalcy as we know it to a fault many times. For instance, if you are blocking a bike, walking path or a narrow corridor, more often than not, rather than an excuse me, they just wait quietly until the path gets cleared. If on a bike, sometimes the biker even dismounts and follows slowly until we get off the path or go around us with a polite bow, and even an Arigato to us! Compare that to Amsterdam where we got yelled at to get off the path. The funny thing is, they have many unwritten rules that makes life better in Japan. However, when you break them, either ignorantly, carelessly or intentionally, no one will point it out or scold you. They just adjust preferring to avoid any confrontation. For example, rules like no eating/drinking while walking, no loud talking/music in public spaces. If you are sensitive and empathetic, you will soon realize yourself, become conscious, then embarrassed, finally self correcting the offending behavior. I have been trying that approach in Bengaluru hoping for similar response. 🤞

Another instance that comes to mind is when we checked out of the hotel in Kurobe. The receptionist was professionally helpful as expected in getting us on the the shuttle in time. After waving to us as our shuttle pulled away, she stood in perfect pose and gave a deep bow that she held until our bus circled around and she was out of our sight that was for about 200 mtrs, 1 minute or so. Felt unreal.

Dragon fountain to wash hands, Sensoji Temple, Tokyo

Buffet plate, Royal Park, Kyoto

Sake!

Food is an indulgence in Japan. You can squeeze into any one of the cozy little izhakayas which are everywhere and enjoy wholesome tasty food with a carafe of Sake or local beer Asahi/Sapporo to keep the conversation going. Each place are different in cuisine, ambiance and experience. Izhakayas, as per google means: stay drink place and it is exactly that. A place to have a drink, order some food, get comfortable and unwind. We tried and enjoyed Sushi, Ramen noodles, Yakitori (grills), etc.,. Many are run like a family restaurant, and one in Matsumoto was managed entirely by a single person, the owner. Exterior will look like a quiet place, but will be lively once you push through the door or curtains and enter. 

The hotel buffet breakfasts were quite an adventure into new flavors. I especially enjoyed the one at Osaka our first stop, where the plates were cute with many separators to pick different dishes. They also had a card to place on table to indicate still eating or done so that you can go back to get another plate or drink without worrying about your plate getting taken away. Another hotel in Tokyo had a preset menu, one of which was Sumo Wrestlers breakfast. Of course I tried it and yes... felt strong afterwards. Honest. Sake, rice based drink, is nearly flavorless but very popular and available almost everywhere. We had Sake shots mostly whose cost ranged, per shot, from over 1500 Yen (900 INR) at an izhakaya in Osaka to my favorite experience, 100 Yen (60 INR) from a roadside vendor who served it with some flourish, near Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. Truth be told, we could hardly make out the difference from the fancy ones to the basic ones. We could have been served just a shot glass of warm water and felt high! 😁. We finally figured out that the cheapest Sake were at the neighborhood convenience stores like Lawson or 7-eleven! 

Kajika Izakaya, Unazukionsen

Canvassing Poster, Tokyo

Typical Ryokan

Another Japanese experience we enjoyed were the Onsens, which are public baths or Spas. As per rules they can be called Onsens only if the water has with natural minerals. The fascinating part were the strict rules (not forcefully enforced but expected) on their use mostly for hygiene reasons, primary one being you have to be naked! We learnt how to Onsen from other blogs and YouTube videos. Some hotels also provided pictorial information sheets. Indians are very body shy by culture so this was as scary as jumping into a pit of snakes. The first attempt by one of us was in Kyoto at the hotel (free for guests) in the middle of the night with the hope no one else will be there. And it worked. Once we got to know how it is, the luxury of  relaxing in the Onsen after a tiring day(touring in our case) was just too good to skip and we used it at every opportunity we got, even mornings as Onsens are usually open 24x7 except for a small break to clean.

Rail guards waiting at Kuronagi

Kurobe rail and walk bridges

Collecting our Yukatas

In general, Onsens have a nice shower area with a low stool to sit and all bath accessories. Fresh towels (one big and small) and robes are provided in the room or handed over at check-in. Change area with basket and lockers to keep your robe and things. The bath itself is like a shallow swimming pool designed such that you can sit immersing yourself up to your waist or neck as per your liking. Water is quite hot, so how long you can stay depends on your tolerance level. After this they have a cooling off area with dryers/moisturizers/earbuds/etc. Finally, lounge area with chairs/fans/water/massagers to rest and maybe socialize if you came in a group. 

Private Jacuzzi,
Andon Ryokan, Tokyo

There are many funky things to mention which vary from one Onsen to another. To list a few, some hotels had a plastic basket which we found out later was to carry our things like towels to the Onsen and back. You need to wear Japanese Sandals provided in the room to the Onsen. Since all look alike, you will find tokens with numbers that you can place on your sandal pair to identify it when you come back. The small towel helps to cover your privates if you are shy as you walk from changing area to bath and then into the pool. It also helps for a quick dry in the bath area itself before you return for your robes in the changing area. One family friendly Ryokan had lots of water toys for the kids. Kurobe is known for its natural mineral water fed Onsens. Highlight was a visit to the natural open air Onsen at Kuronagi which can be reached via the Gorge Railway and a nice trek of about 30mins from the station. And yes, after more than a week of everyday Onsen baths, we did feel our skin feel softer and nicer. 😀

Running Trail, Tokyo

Japan is similar to western countries when it comes to personal space. People waiting in queues and even at street crossings place themselves at arms length of each other. We also noticed school children on a field trip keeping their bags evenly spaced out as they explored the area. One wonders though about the subway train videos where we see white gloved ushers pushing the riders and packing them like sardines inside the full coach. Maybe an exception is made there?

Japanese alps, Kamukochi.

I have this tendency to explain a lot or generally keep talking. This clashed with the service agents who are extremely professional and don't care much for small talk like in America. Once after I asked the agent to check about a bus we were interested in, I started talking about our options after we reach the destination to get her opinion. She just put a finger up to shush me and said politely, let me finish this first before you start asking me more questions. 😊

Umbrella and a fan!

One of the most unique aspects of Japanese culture is how they treat toilets. Respectfully and aesthetically. So much so, that they even have a toilet god, kawaya kami!. During our short visit itself we experienced many different types with one common trait, all were functional, very well designed, easy to use and very comfortable. A simple or sometimes complex dashboard with pictorial buttons, bidet style, music to drown sounds, temperature control, etc. I even read about a toilet with one way mirror (you can see out) set in public places as a social challenge. Children are given fun toilet lessons right from kindergarten. In one ryokan, we found amazing commissioned art by a famous artist in the wash area and laminated sheets of a short fable for some toilet read. At Tokyo Sky Deck, there is an emergency button too which we got to know when a rescue guard appeared suddenly outside the toilet, because it was pressed. After few minutes person inside came out relaxed oblivious of that fact. Apparently, not understanding some of the buttons, person had pressed all of them with one of them being the emergency one! 😂

It was indeed quite fascinating and fun to experience another culture so different from ours. If you do make the trip, do observe and leave a comment of anything that you felt was special and unique.

Summary of our itinerary.

• Osaka (2 nights)
• Hiroshima
• Nara Deer Park
• Kyoto (3 nights)
• Kimono Experience
• Arashiyama Bamboo forest
• Tokyo (4 nights)
• Sensoji Temple
• Tokyo Skytree
• Mt Fuji
• Digital Art Museum
• Andon Ryokan
• Kurobe (2 nights)
• Gorge Railway
• Matsumoto (2 nights)
• Kamikochi

Photo albums with captions

Osaka

Kyoto

Tokyo

Kurobe and Matsumoto

Just Nature

Austria: The hills are alive....

Sunset in Salzburg

Our Europe adventure continued from  Switzerland to Austria when we boarded the train at St. Moritz. Interestingly, the train to Innsbruck was going to cross a whole another country. Liechtenstein which is just 160 sq. km. That was quite exciting for us and we clicked our proof when it stopped at Schaan-Vaduz station in that country.

Innsbruck

There was no direct train from St Moritz to Innsbruck. We chose the route through Buchs where we could switch trains as our Swiss 8 day pass was still valid. It was a  picturesque journey through Austria made even more exciting as we passed through the Liechtenstein first. As it was just a one night stay, we didnt have any plan other than to explore the city. After we found our Airbnb, which took some doing as it was hidden inside a courtyard, we dropped off our luggage and headed back to the city. It was fun just hanging out there. Still we managed to drop into Swarosvki store, took some shots of Golden Roof house, and ate at a bustling pub restaurant choosing local dishes. Next day we stopped by a museum, Hofburg?, on way to the station to catch our Salzburg train.

Walk to Hohensalzburg Fortress

Our Airbnb at Salzburg was walkable from Hohensalzburg Fortress. Or so we thought. Map showed a path from the backside and that turned out to be quite a trek. However it was scenic and we got to observe some of Austrian local like like cycling, gardens, seniors walking, etc. There is a funicular train from the city side which would have avoided the tough climb up. The fortress was lovely, with many view points, history, museums, cafes/restaurants (we didnt try any). As the sun set, we made it down to the city on the funicular this time. Explored the city as we made our way to our home, caught a fantastic sunset and picked up dinner along the way.

View from fortress

One the full day in Salzburg, we chose to do the Sound of Music self guided tour. This was best as we could keep our pace and visit almost all the movies points. A thoroughly enjoyable experience though very very tiring. Paid guide may have been more efficient and thorough. Our walk kept us in the core tourist area which is mostly around the Mirabel Palace and side streets with fun shopping/restaurants. Stern Biergarten an outdoor pub is where we had a relaxed lunch. After more than 2 weeks of vacation, such breaks were most welcome.

Mirabel Palace

Next day we were on the train to Munich in the morning our final day in Europe. Only here we had border agents check our passport and visa. Even thought it was just half a day in the city, our schedule was packed. First stop was the BMW museum and showroom, then Munich New town where we met our resident nephew who kindly hosted a most welcome, Indian style dinner for us, and got to meet his family. BMW Museum was huge with lots of displays and information on its history. The adjacent showroom showcased their latest cars. A robot vending machine which made fresh coffee for us was quite futuristic. When we reached the New town to meet my nephew, we got luck as it coincided with the Clock chiming. The musical puppet show for the chime took more than 10m! After the dinner, it was back to our hostel and back our actual homes the next day!

And so it was, our European adventure came to an end at Munich Airport. We took back loads of memories, experiences, food, culture, all with a plenty of fun family time. 

Some more images can be seen in this album.

Cellphone images from the full Europe trip