A walk through the forest.....

Just looking at this photo brings back so many memories! A trip long back with friends and Ooty looking so so beautiful. It had rained a week before and everything was clean and fresh.....the earth smelled so amazing! We all stayed at the Sherlock and the weather was so inviting that we had to go for a walk..... Along the way, someone told us that there was a shortcut to the Doodabetta peak through the forest uphill from the hotel and we decided to walk there. 

The villages along the way and the quaint villas were absolutely beautiful and we were all in high spirits when we entered the forest. We didnt care that the ground was slippery and that the tall trees were blocking out the light and also that we had stopped to take so many photos and admire so many things on the way that it was getting late.....

Gaurav was focused on the walk while the rest of us were slowly making our way. He was the first to see it.....and me after him. Gaurav saw the whole bison, stopped in his tracks and did a 180 turn immediately! I didnt see the whole bison....just its back crossing our path and I thought it was a small elephant! Sai and Sonali making up the rear didnt see it at all and didnt believe us.....and when they did, they wanted to take photos of it! At that time we didnt know it was a Bison, only that it was a lone animal and Gaurav and I were freaked that it would attack us. The decision to turn about and leave the forest as soon as we could was made by the Bison - he let out a loud enough protest to us being there and we all but ran for our lives making sure that we didnt slip and fall in the mud! 

Its only after we got out of the forest and back in the hotel that we figured what we had encountered was a Bison and thank God we all ran back because bisons are apparently dangerous when alone and angry and are known to even overturn vehicles when threatened. We with our cameras and loud banter would have looked threatening enough and whats more we would have all been like bowling pins if the bison did want to 'overturn' us! 

I'm smiling wide as I'm reading this again to myself....the memory of it, our comic reactions and the fun we had reliving that story throughout the trip......great company, fabulous times, beautiful memories....time for another trip :-)

Leena

Pretty and wild......

Walking carefree through a meadow filled with flowers and a bubbly stream flowing nearby is what dreams are made of. And that dream turned into reality for me in Destiny! Only, Destiny was prettier than I had dreamed of. Its not manicured lawns and beautiful trees but meandering paths teeming with beautiful flowers and chirping birds, velvety caterpillars and a beautiful lake gleaming in the afternoon sun......

Remembering the place is making me want to go back again.....hopefully soon.....

Leena

Busy bee......

I've always wondered about the phrase.....why are only bees considered busy? I can think of a thousand other beings which are always busy. 

But the first words that came to mind when I was uploading this image is 'busy bee' . The little sparrow was so busy building her nest. She was scuttling quickly and efficiently between her nook in the roof and the trees to build her nest and collect twigs for it. Back and forth, back and forth and resting in between for seconds. I would love to have staged and watched the whole nest being built but we had to leave and the sparrow unaware of her spectators was a very very busy little bee!

Leena