Rose-ringed Parakeet

A Rose-ringed Parakeet's antics made me forget the din it created on a tree near my office window. Here are some pictures... 

Morning walk at GKVK campus

Bangalore city has many green spaces. GKVK campus with 1200 acres of greenery is one such place. Last Sunday, wife and I went for our morning walk at this campus belonging to University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. It was a pleasant walk. Here are some pictures of the interesting sights we saw...

The smell of incense sticks and camphor permeates the air outside a temple...

A Cattle Egret walks around the grassland foraging for insects...

Cashew trees were laden with ripe fruits...

Yellow cashew apples are tastier than the red ones...

Mango trees were also in show-off mode...

I liked these trees with crooked trunks...

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Rasovara's Majestic Mango Festival

Mango, the seductress among all fruits is in peak season right now. Rasovara, the royal kitchen, Bangalore is celebrating the fruit with the Majestic Mango Festival. 

Here's a photo tour of the plethora of mango based dishes I sampled last weekend...

Rasovara seems like a jewel in the luxurious UB City...

It offers both indoor and outdoor seating...

The tastefully done decor is elegant... 

Mango Ice tea was a good start...

Kairi cheela is a pan cake made from gram flour with an interesting mix of vegetables and kairi,  raw mango...

Jaipur Kairi Papad bhel...

Kairi Panna, a sweet and sour drink made from raw mango...

Khatta Meettha Samosa is a variation of the regular samosa. A touch of sourness from the mango combines well with the mild sweetness pleasing many taste buds...

Mango dhokla...

Mango pani puri and usual pani puri...

Raw mango spicy salad...

Khoba roti and aam ki launji has always been my favorite...

Kairi Kofta Makhani, dumplings with creamy, slightly sweet gravy...

Mango Mastani is a rich, creamy drink with bits of mango in it...

Shahi Kairi Malai is paneer and mango dumplings in cashew gravy...

Mango Dum Biriyani was unusual with flavor of mangoes. It was quite addictive...

Here's the full thali...

Some good desserts to end the meal. 
Mango Nargis Chum Chum...



Mango Malpua with Lachha Rabdi...




One thing I like about Rasovara is its very wide spread of rotational dishes which ensures that no dish is repeated in a month. The special mango dishes combine well with their usual thali menu. You might just need two stomachs to give full justice to the scrumptious, innovative and reasonably priced fare.  

 Leaving you with the smiles of the two key people behind the scene, Maharaj (chef) and the ever so cheerful Aji Nair, VP of FnB division of Mirah Hospitality...

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Weekend trip to Yercaud

Last Friday, wife and I suddenly decided on an impromptu road trip to spend the weekend unwinding and relaxing in a random place near Bangalore. Saturday early morning, we were heading towards Salem on our way to Yercaud hill station. 

Here's a photo tour of the weekend that was spent sleeping, eating, taking walks in the coffee plantations, bird watching and absorbing the beautiful atmosphere of Yercaud...

It was a pleasant drive of 5 hours. The breathtaking scenery caused major distractions from the road once we started the ascend from the foot hills of Shevaroys range... 

The hairpin bends were not very steep, but the two-way roads uphill were narrow and demands extreme caution...

There were 20 hairpin bends...

Hitchhiking pose...

After about 30 minutes of winding road, we reached Yercaud...

Yercaud is situated at an altitude of 4970 ft above sea level. Its name is derived from the lake located at its center – in Tamil Yeri means lake and Kaadu means forest, signifying the forest surrounding the lake. 

After checking into a hotel and getting sufficient sleep, we ventured out to look around. The Gulmohar trees were in full bloom...

Tourists were thronging the lake side for boating. We  skipped boating and instead decided to take a stroll in the woods near the lake...

Soon we spotted a Jungle Myna of South Indian race in action...

Jungle Myna of South Indian race sports beautiful blue iris...

Jungle Myna with its catch...

Rain lilies...

Coffee blooms with its lovely fragrance were in abundance...

Coffee fruit...

A fortune teller with his caged parrot caught our interest...

Reading the lines on her palm...

His trained parrot picks a tarot card...

And hands it to the astrologer who based on the image tells the fortune...

Astrologer predicted all good things which made her really happy... 

The astrologer seemed to know women's psychology well. Even the wet-blanket predictions were received with joy...

Corn cob at one of the street food stalls near the lake...

A hawker was selling bubble maker. I quickly caught the reflection of the lake in one of the bubbles...

Pagoda point at the eastern side of Yercaud is an interesting view point adorned with stone pagodas...

Aerial view of a small village from the Pagoda point...

The place was very scenic...

Lily...

Lady's Seat is another interesting view point...

A lady and her child at Lady's seat...

We walked to Gent's Seat view point from Lady's Seat. On the way we saw the gorgeous Red-whiskered Bulbul...  

Tridax daisy...

Interesting sculpture of a pregnant goddess wielding a knife on a temple facade depicting the protective nature of motherhood...

It turned out happily that our randomly picked destination was unbelievably pristine and allowed us to carry back some unforgettable memories...

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