Skip to main content

Featured Post

Ladakh - Planning The Trip

Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out!  Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, thoug...
18 comments

Donkeys

We see all kinds of animals on our roads... There are dogs all over the place, cows and buffaloes are seen now and then, goats and sheep are a regular feature as Id approaches, pigs are a common sight, and we even see the odd elephant at times. The only animal we see rarely is the donkey...



On our recent trip to interior Maharashtra, the sight which greeted us on most roads was that of a donkey (or donkeys) standing shock still in the middle of the road! 



Its an amusing sight to see the donkeys stand so perfectly still in spite of all the noise and chaos. Of course, it is not so amusing for those who drive on those roads. Nothing makes the donkey move - not the loud blowing of horns, not the irritated cursing, not the sudden swerving to avoid the donkey! 

Have you seen a donkey on the road? Do you find it amusing or irritating? 

Comments

  1. MridulaNovember 20, 2012 at 1:17 PM

    Anu it depends on the mood. If I have already been in traffic for a while and I want to get home I would not like donkeys obstructing the way!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 20, 2012 at 2:30 PM

      Yes, Mridula, I guess thats true.... its good that we rarely see donkeys in Mumbai, so its only when we travel that we see them.. and most of the time, we are relaxed and in no hurry, so its more amusing than irritating!

      Delete
  2. SoulSpaceNovember 20, 2012 at 9:02 PM

    In our fast paced life, Donkeys are a reminder for us to take things Slow!! Even if that means coming to a complete standstill to take stock of things!!
    heheh
    super

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 21, 2012 at 8:13 AM

      very well put, Sowmya! sometimes wish we could just be as still as them, dont you?

      Delete
  3. greentrekkumarNovember 21, 2012 at 6:16 PM

    Ma'am you haven't mentioned the beauty of those poor animals. Poor because being helpless. Since you travel make a trip to Kutch as well to see those lovely wild asses.
    The animals can't be blamed for being on the road. We have to blame ourselves for adoring them when the mattupongal day comes and let them loose everywhere to fend for themselves the rest of the year. It is like ready up the vehicles spike and span come ayudhpooja and ride or drive all throughout the year just dust the seat and ride/drive.!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 21, 2012 at 6:36 PM

      I completely agree, Kumar... its true for most of the animals we see on the road.. the gaur is such a majestic animal, it is hard to believe that the buffalo on the road is a relative... and it is left loose because the chap running the tabela has neither the space to house it nor the grass to feed it. he lets it loose free to eat up any junk it finds and only uses it when he needs to milk it.. and these donkeys are used simply to carry stuff and left loose to fend for their own... its sad, its a pity, but this is true all over India.. unfortunately... i have wanted to go to kutch for a long time, lets hope the time comes soon

      Delete
  4. SudhageeDecember 8, 2012 at 3:02 PM

    I fell in love with donkeys, when a neighbour got an abandoned baby donkey home. I was about 11 at that time and we were in Jodhpur and the baby donkey was a great rallying point for the neighbourhood to pamper and love. Pappu, the donkey's name, was an absolute darling and was with us for about 4 months when the neighbours took him to their village.

    Donkeys are not meant to be domesticated and the way they behave is only a reaction to their surroundings. There is no point in being amused or irritated with the donkeys; any reaction should be directed at their human owners !

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw...
10 comments
Read more

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.
7 comments
Read more

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport.  That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’...
2 comments
Read more