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-   -   Driving through Melghat - Quickie through Seemadoh, Kolkhas & Chikhaldara (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/174659-driving-through-melghat-quickie-through-seemadoh-kolkhas-chikhaldara.html)

Hello Friends,

This is my first travelogue.
I had gone to my in-law's place in February and was damn bored to stay at their home for 2 days. Courtesy my wife we managed to skim through the parts of Melghat. We managed to spot a few birds & click some amaeturish photos

FIL had bought a "new" old Alto. I took it out for a spin in the local markets.

FIL (who assumes I am an expert in automobiles): So SIL, how is the car?
Me: Duh?? oh the alto! Its nice, zippy good for narrow lanes.
FIL: Anything else you felt?
Me (mute): The tyres are gone, brakes squeal mercy, and your driving scares me. Come on the car needs atleast a basic service. (unmute) Car is good - nice piece considering its a 2008 vehicle.
FIL (nods happily): We should go for a long drive sometime when you are here again.
Me (eager to get out of house): I don't mind going tomorrow morning :D.
FIL: No we cannot go tomorrow. You have come only for 2 days and you don't want to stay at our place?
Me: I don't know when will be the next time, Possibly when SIL gets married?
FIL: You must come every 3 months.
Me: Not possible - gave a depressed look to FIL.
Wife: Baba, you did some new project at Chikhaldhara right? Can we go tomorrow to see it?
FIL: Yes, sure?
Wife (winking at me): Then we can go to Seemadoh and Kolkhas as well.
FIL: Yes, why not?
Wife: Tomorrow morning, then??
FIL: Sure.
Wife: Done!

Me to wife: What's the deal?
Wife to me : Shhh... it will take some time for him to realise that it will take 6 hrs to complete the trip.
Me: Fantastic!!

So that night we cooked food on the chulah under the open sky and had a good nights rest.


Route Map:-


A few shots from previous days morning:

An Indian Roller


A pair of parakeets mating


A shy Magpie robin


Food Cooking


The moon that night. I miss to see such a clear sky in Mumbai


Delicious Rice


Even more delicious chicken


The ambers cooling down


Contd...

Day 2 started early. Wanted to catch some different birds other than crows & piegons :D

Woke up at 0500. Completed the bare necessities, out of house by 0545
Alto was over loaded- Me wifey, SIL, MIL, FIL + some packed food

It was still dark outside. We drove toward Chikhaldhara.
On the way, we start hearing chirps of the birds.
Then halted at a place for bio break. Spotting started from this break

Spot a Crested Serpent Eagle- It was still dark and it was perched very far from the road. Sorry for the pathetic processed image.


Our Charriot


Rufus Trepie aka Takachor


Catch the rising sun



We reach outskirts of chikhaldhara where FILs strawberry introduction project was implemented

People moving out for daily chores


A cutie pie


A wind mill powering India


Got lovely fresh strawberries
[


Staple food growing nearby




Talk of recycling??



Post the strawberry farm visit, we have breakfast at the centre, Vada rassa + Home made Chicken Sandwich + Kachori + other junk
Then we proceed towards Seemadoh via the forest route

A white eyed buzzard


Some Wild flowers


A monkey investigates the visitors


A machan- would like to spend a few nights here


An owl is irritated by our presence


We reached a river bed. Dont remember its name...

Contd..

We spent a few quiet moments at the river bed and had a family photo session.

Some of the good sights at the river bed:

A pond heron meditating


A lapwing


A Bharadwaj


An odd tree


Little water in the river


The river bed


The pond heron flying



Moving on, we had the famous Seemadoh jungle rabdi and proceeded towards Kolkhazz guest house.

Spotted a peahen


A honey oriental buzzard (easily confused as a piegon)


A wagtail


A silhouette


And a few shots of the road




On way back we had food at a road side dhaba, have a sumptuous lunch and reached home by 1500.

Then it was time to go back to Mumbai.

Thanks a lot for reading this.

I know this must have been boring but had to make a first attempt stupid:
A big thanks to my cousin to identifying the birds for me.

Nice travelogue you've got out there 1.2TSI7DSG.

lol:

I hope you conveyed this message to him in a nicer way though :)

Absolutely not!

I see that you've taken a shot at photography too. Which camera did you use? It seems like you're fond of photography but never pursued it? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks for the appreciation S2!

Your observation is spot on.
I love to click pics. Got caught in the "DSLR" fever in 2012 and got the "expensive" Canon 60D +18-55 & 55-250 lenses from my first performance pay. (Mom was pissed off at spending so much on a cam)

I was in working upto Apr 2015 when i didnt make a serious attempt to being a BHPian. Education beckoned me once again an I quit job and found time to do some serious auto passion work, enjoy vacations and of course prepare for the entrance exams. I started amateur birding with my cousin. After that I have clicked a number of good pics but never consolidated them. I am not at all aware of the post processing and the related stuff.

I will be heading to Hyderabad for a year on April 17th for my course and I hope to continue photography and my craze for automobiles.

:OT Team BHP gave me an amazing platform to improve my amateur writing :)