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Old 25th February 2010, 12:03   #241
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MX6 View Post
I second that, though it's OT. On a cautious note, hope Raj and folks don't take objections to you referring him as Greatest Indian!

And all Longdistancedriver meant to say was your photos keep getting better and better that he's at loss of words and hence has stopped using his adjectives!


Well said MX6. He gave fitting reply "I dedicate this to all Indians".

Sorry for being offtopic - CL - why? why? why? every now and then you keep on repeating that favorite line of yours "best is yet to come"; as i said earlier and repeating, its like sitting on the table and one after the other you are served with fantastic dishes. you feel satiated and yet hungry. itna khana khane ke baad churan ki goli bhi dena hum logon ko

keep it coming mate.
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Old 25th February 2010, 13:03   #242
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It's a small world after all! I met Chevy_lover yesterday in Big bazaar. Identified his wife by her pics posted in this thread, and then later asked him whether he was the same person! I didn't expect him to have read my Vesta blog (rajasthan trip)! It was nice meeting you two, keep touring!
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Old 25th February 2010, 16:42   #243
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Meeting the Thunderbird!!!

Day 8 – Mount Abu…..

We woke up on Day 8 of our journey, totally invigorated, by 9.30 am. The weather was superb and we had a peaceful sleep and were eager to see Mount Abu in all its glory. We had heard so much about the quaint little hill station and it was like a dream fulfilled for us!

We got out of our hotel and walked to Hotel Maharaja, with the thought of having breakfast from their South Indian Restaurant. We ordered for Idlis, Wada and Masala Dosa. The food items were priced outrageously and we got a much bigger shock, when the Idlis and the Dosa was brought to us. The Idli and Wada were as big as my wedding ring!!! :-(

Well, I might have exaggerated a bit here. But the Wada was really small and the cost? A cool Rs. 70! The Masala Dosa was tiny and devoid of enough filling and my poor wifey was stunned when she saw it! The cost? Rs. 90 only!!! We were really angry and disgusted. We got out of the restaurant soon, with a lighter wallet and an even lighter belly!

We decided to have another meal and went to a restaurant, which was opposite to the play ground downhill. We were a bit curious seeing heavy police presence in the ground, but did not think much about that! Our decision to get out of Maharaja Restaurant and go downtown turned out to be the best decision of the entire trip.

We ordered Masala Dosa and Channa Bhatura. It was a very fulfilling meal and we were entirely satisfied by the pricing and the tasty dishes! Suddenly we heard a huge roar and saw people running helter-skelter. We saw a huge Army helicopter landing in the playground. We ran to the edge of the ground, leaving our food behind, and saw the beautiful Thunderbird landing! It was a terrific scene. The Thunderbird was elegance personified! We clicked some pics of the beauty!

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-1-thunder_bird.jpg
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An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-7-dust_has_settled.jpg

We were astonished to see a small doggy running from the far end of the ground to the helicopter. He checked out the helicopter and stayed there, totally fearless and giving two hoots about the thunderous noise from the rotors.

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-8-who_is_that-a_tiny_visitor.jpg

After sometime, some officials came out of the helicopter and had a discussion with the policemen present there.

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We found out that some highly ranked official from the Army was going to visit Mount Abu soon and those landings were dummy runs. The helicopter began to take off after sometime.

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-14-time_to_takeoff.jpg
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The rotors were so powerful that it created a huge dust storm. We were caught right in the middle of it and were covered from head to toe in dry grass from the ground. I somehow managed to cover my camera with my jacket and held it close to my body. It was funny, seeing the huge crowd disperse in a matter of seconds!

When we went back to the restaurant, we were relieved to see that the waiter had covered our food with some plates and protected it from the dust and grass. As soon as we sat down to finish our breakfast, we saw the helicopter coming down again. We ran back to the road again in record speed and I managed to freeze the action!

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-22-landing_again.jpg
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An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-25-so_much_of_dirt_flying_everywhere.jpg
An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-26-a_makeshift_helipad.jpg
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An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-28-dust_everywhere.jpg

These were some of the best pics I ever took during our trip! What a majestic beast! I loved it! We felt so proud of our Army. The ease with which the pilots handled such a huge helicopter was admirable!!!

Being able to capture such a beautiful scene was truly a one-in-a-million chance!

The decision I took, to go back to the city centre and have breakfast again turned out to be a masterstroke!!!


This is my treat to all my readers, as today happens to be my Birthday!!!

Last edited by Chevy_lover : 25th February 2010 at 16:51.
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Old 25th February 2010, 22:16   #244
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Happy birthday CL.
May all what you touch turn gold.
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Old 25th February 2010, 22:32   #245
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It seems you manage to go on road trip on all important days of your life



Belated Happy birthday.
wish you many more incredible road trips of a life time
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Old 25th February 2010, 22:37   #246
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Many Happy Returns of the Day C_L .

You sure were quite lucky to capture the copter. Nice Pictures.
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Old 26th February 2010, 12:31   #247
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Thank you for the wishes, Laluks, Star and Raj!

@Raj, the Helicopter was indeed a prize catch!

Coming up, visit to Nakki Taal!
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Old 26th February 2010, 14:10   #248
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ani_meher View Post
It's a small world after all! I met Chevy_lover yesterday in Big bazaar. Identified his wife by her pics posted in this thread, and then later asked him whether he was the same person! I didn't expect him to have read my Vesta blog (rajasthan trip)! It was nice meeting you two, keep touring!
Hey Aniruddha, I was really surprised to see you and your wife. Yes, the world is small! I was even more surprised to see that you recognized my wifey!!!

I am still in the middle of your log. I have to finish it soon!

Quote:
Originally Posted by smartcat View Post
It gets that cold in Udaipur & Mt. Abu? I know it doesn't snow in Rajasthan but does water ever freezes in the pipes?
Oh yes, Smartcat! The day before we reached Mount Abu, the temperature was -2 degree Celsius . I was told that there was frost all over the place!!!

In fact, when we were there in Mount Abu, some shop keepers told me that the temperature was probably zero or -1!

I don't know whether water freezes in the pipes! It has to, considering the sub-zero temperatures!
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Old 26th February 2010, 14:44   #249
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chevy_lover View Post

I don't know whether water freezes in the pipes! It has to, considering the sub-zero temperatures!
The great thing about water is that it freezes up at 4 deg itself. I remember my PG days when we used to wake up and pray the pipes haven't frozen
Which big bazaar did you people meet up in? Must have been cool!
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Old 26th February 2010, 14:57   #250
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Happy (belated) B'day CL.

That surely is a treat to all of us. And being personally there to see one of the best men around at the helm of one of the best machines around -- just wow. Hope you still had those Bhaturas on the plate and they didnt blow it away with the mini-storm created by that thunderbird.
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Old 26th February 2010, 17:48   #251
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Visit to Nakki Taal....

After we finished our breakfast (?) by 1.30 pm, we decided to walk to Nakki Taal. The lake was just about a kilometre away from the city centre and we reached the lake by 2 pm. Legend has it that this small lake, virtually in the center of Mount Abu, was scooped out by God using only his nails, or Nakh. Hindus thus believe it to be a holy lake. The lake is surrounded by hills, parks and strange rock formations. The best known, Toad Rock, looks just like a toad about to hop into the lake.

The road leading to the lake was quite narrow and barely enough for a mini bus to pass through! There is a small garden and a boathouse adjacent to the lake and We went inside the complex soon. There was no entry charge. The garden was very beautiful and there was greenery all around us!

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-1-road_to_nakki_taal.jpg
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We then went to the boat house and got a great view of the lake. The water in the lake was crystal clear and we enjoyed the cool breeze from the lake, caressing our faces!

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-14-first_view_of_nakki_taal.jpg
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An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-19a-ticket_counter_and_rates.jpg

We thought of going for boating, but there were only pedal and row boats available. Pedal boat was out of the question, because of my hamstring injury, which I picked up during my footballing days! And rowboats did not interest us much!

We decided to spend time by the lakeside and enjoy the view. The Bharat Mata Temple across the lake was beautiful!

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-20-bharat_mata_mandir.jpg

We saw a man selling tasty Masala Papads!

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-21-yummy_papads.jpg

After spending an hour by the lakeside, we decided to walk around the park.

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-22-care_for_a_boat_ride.jpg
An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-23-wharf.jpg

We saw a vendor selling some peculiar soft rubber toys. The toy could be thrown on a smooth surface and it would spread out completely. Then in some seconds, it would return to its normal state! It was funny!

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-24-tomato_splash_and_getting_back_in_shape.jpg
An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-25-tomato_splash_and_getting_back_in_shape_finally-.jpg

We saw the Toad Rock on a hill right above the lake!

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-26-toad_rock_on_the_right_top_side.jpg
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Old 26th February 2010, 20:06   #252
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Excellent photos! Photos are worth hundreds of words!

Your speedometer says you have encountered some of the best roads enroute.

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Old 26th February 2010, 21:06   #253
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Nakki Taal.... Continued

We walked around the Taal for some time and captured some more shots of the vista!

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-1-oh-these_chips_are_so_good-i_fell_asleep_eating_it.jpg
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A Bird taking off from its runway!!!

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Nakki Taal...

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We got out of the park by 4 pm and walked towards the Bharat Mata Temple.

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We got a good view of the lake from the top of the temple!

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-20-nakki_taal.jpg
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A branch of the Lake Palace, Udaipur?

An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World-24-what-lake_palace.jpg
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Old 26th February 2010, 22:56   #254
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Originally Posted by advaitlele View Post
Happy (belated) B'day CL.

That surely is a treat to all of us. And being personally there to see one of the best men around at the helm of one of the best machines around -- just wow. Hope you still had those Bhaturas on the plate and they didnt blow it away with the mini-storm created by that thunderbird.
Thank you Advait! I hope you understood why I always said that the best pics are yet to come!!!

These pics are one of my personal best due to the simple reason that it is almost impossible to be there at the right place, at the right moment, to click these kind of pics, before a copter lands, if you don't know the schedule! We just heard a huge roar of the rotors and thanks to my camera, I could click all the action! Well, this is not the end. I have more stunning pics coming up!

We looked like ancient farmers, covered from head to toe, in dried grass, which flew up from the ground!!! The worst part was cleaning my camera's lens! Thankfully, our waiter was a caring guy and and covered our food with steel plates!

Quote:
Originally Posted by MX6 View Post
The great thing about water is that it freezes up at 4 deg itself. I remember my PG days when we used to wake up and pray the pipes haven't frozen
Which big bazaar did you people meet up in? Must have been cool!
It was really a huge surprise being recognized by a fellow BHP-ian. It was more of a shock, actually! We met in Pune Central, Boat Club branch!

We did not feel that the water froze inside the pipes. I don't know why!
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Old 27th February 2010, 05:12   #255
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CL, Wish you a very Happy (belated) Birthday. All the pictures are beautiful. Loved the snaps of the huge helicopter landing and taking off. Rajasthan has some really beautiful places and glad that you are sharing the travelogue with us.
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