A Visit to Ratnagiri Odisha

While sipping on the hot cup of tea on a Sunday morning , I asked my husband if there were any good  location to visit nearby Paradip. I was bored and exhausted and needed a mini few hours of change. Instantly he jumped with an option of visiting Ratnagiri  a heritage site. Though I am not a fan of such places but I do not have much option.

We checked on google map for direction and decided to explore it on the same day in the noon time. 

Ratnagiri is about 60 km from Paradip .Located  in the Jajpur district of Odisha, it  is known for  the excavation of Stupas, Monasteries and Votive Stupas. Historian says that these stupas might have been erected by the Guptas. The  site was discovered in 1905 and excavations was carried out in 1958 to 1961.

The village roads were extremely narrow and full of potholes. The cattle's were carelessly crossing roads . Google direction was working fine until we lost the signal.  Like a Pro desi we asked for direction and ended up late to the site.

Mini Hiking

Because of the monsoon the surroundings were green. 

After collecting our tickets from the ticket counter we headed   The road leads to  stairways and off to the site.  I was  upset seeing the stairs as I thought I would use the stroller for my baby. 

Towards the sight

The beautiful blue entrance to the monastery. 

Excavated Buddha's head of different sizes

Sanctum with a colossal Buddha figure

Votive Stupas

Sculpture  excavated in the 11th century.

The area was open and the heat of the sun was unbearable. By 4pm we started our journey towards home. There were other sites too Udayagiri and Lalitagiri but we didn't have time to visit the place.

Did you visit Paradip in Odisha? Do share what other places I can explore from their. Jungle might not be an option for me yet with a small baby.

Kolkata Zoo - Alipore Zoological Garden

About the zoo
Established in the year  1875 Kolkata Zoo is known to be the Oldest Zoo in India.Thousands and thousands of visitor flock here during winter. Alipore zoo is said to have been the first zoo which started breeding of white tiger.

Mandarin Duck

Want to adopt an adorable animals? Click here - Adoption Form

Rani - The heroine of the Zoo

Zoo Hours and ticket

• Morning 9 am-4.00pm  ( ticket counter closes)
• By 5pm  visitor need to come out of the zoo.
• Thursday is officially resting day for the animals therefore zoo is close.
• Zoo Aquarium - Morning 10.30 am to 5pm

• Ticket for Aquarium -5 Rs

• Zoo ticket cost 10 rs for children under 5
• 30 Rs on holidays and  weekends
• 25 Rs on other days

There is an air condition canteen available inside the park where you can enjoy refreshment.  Some people bring home cooked food and enjoy littering the area at its best.  My opinion is to eat in the air condition  canteen and enjoy the day and save the zoo !

What I saw while visiting the park

• Many cages were empty 
• Maintenance was very poor. The lion and the  tiger cage stinks badly and so do the birds.
• The crowd visiting the park was basically from nearby villages and therefore they  behaved more like the animals teasing them and throwing food.
• Very less greenery compared to other zoological park in India
• Tight (extremely small)  enclosure for animals like big cats , elephants , deer  ( infact all the animals and birds)
• Lack of security 
• You can find people spitting , peeing at any place.
• The aquarium was half empty and poorly maintained.

• It is extremely sad that Kolkata's heritage Alipore Zoological Garden is getting ruined because of Aum Janata who donot care to learn some responsibility.

Also the authority must issue strict rules in bringing food from home and littering the area. 

Heavy amount of fines should be imposed on people who tease animals ,throw food, and litter areas.

Born in Kolkata this was probably the second time I went to the park. With heavy heart I returned home.

Do share your experience about the park? Do you feel the same like me?

Sungei Buloh Wet Land Reserve Singapore

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The best way to get in touch with mother nature in Singapore is by visiting Sungei Buloh Wet land Reserve or you can say a walk to the mangrove. If you are in Singapore do not miss the opportunity to visit this place.

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Sungei Buloh wetland was built  so that birds migrating from Siberia to Australia can take a halt. The area has wide variety of fishes,though fishing is not allowed. You can also spot salt water crocodile here. In 2001 this place was  given the name as nature reserve for protection.

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Coastal Broad walk: This place offers a beautiful view of the waterfront. During low tide you can spot  various  aquatic creature which includes various species of crabs.

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Pods have been constructed at various places just like watchtower in India to  get a clear view  of the reserve without any obstruction.

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Heron Deck- Located beside the visitor center  adorable mud-skipper  sculpture overlooking the water front.

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Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays: 7.30am to 7pm | Weekends and Public Holidays: 7am to 7pm 

FREE entry

Best Bird Sanctuary In India- Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Welcome to Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

In front of the Ticket Counter

Bharatpur is  30km from Mathura and falls in the state of Rajasthan.  This place is also known as Keoladeo Ghana National Park. In 1981 this place got the status of  National Park. And after few years it was declare world heritage sight by UNESCO.  This forest is famous  for various species of migratory birds. 

Best Time to Visit BharatpurBird Sanctuary - Mid Jan- End of Feb. Though people say that from December one can see the birds,but I would say that because we lived in Mathura for a while and had visited the bird sanctuary every now and then, we found that in winter specially in December the fog of North India makes it extremely hard to see birds. Also in the early January. Sometimes the flock too arrive late.


How to travel to this place: You  can hire a car from Mathura or travel by train.
Make your travel like this - Delhi (2-3 days)-Agra (1 day)-Mathura/Vrindavan( 1day)-Bharatpur.(1 Day).
There are many hotels available very close to the park gate.

Hotels in Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary: (close to the gate)

1.Hotel Sunbird
2.Hotel Eagle's Nest
3. Birder's Inn

Hotel Sunbird

(Economy Hotel)
Hotel Sunbird
Bird Sanctuary Road,
Bharatpur – 321001, Rajasthan (India)

Phone: +91-5644-225701, 221533 

Eagle's Nest

(Economy Hotel)
Hotel Eagle's Nest
Bird Sanctuary Road,
Bharatpur – 321001, Rajasthan (India)

Phone: +91-5644-225144,25145

Birder's Inn

(Economy Hotel)
Hotel Birder's Inn
Bird Sanctuary Road,
Bharatpur – 321001, Rajasthan (India)

Phone: +91-5644-227346, 222830


Entrance Fees for Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary  is Rs 50 per person for Indians.
Upon reaching the place you need to hire rickshaw or cycle. My suggestion is to hire  a rickshaw as they are govt approved and definitely will help you spot  various birds and animals. Rickshaw cost Rs 100 per hour
Look for knowledgeable authorised rickshaw-puller , Pritam Singh was our guide and he got the best binocular to spot birds. Also he is truly a bird lover knowing every nook and corner of the jungle.

                                              Our all time Favourite Guide Pritam Singh

Spotting birds here in this park is  easier than any other birdpark in India. May be that's why Unesco found interest here.

                                                 Bar headed Geese- They Migrate from Siberia every year. They are known to be the highest flying bird in the world. You can spot hundreds of them here in this park.

White Breasted Kingfisher

Indian Roller ( neelkantha)

Owlet Nest - This place was known to Pritam and therefore we were lucky to see these birds

Yellow Footed Green Pigeon

Extremely Lucky to spot this Python. You can generally see snakes after 12noon in winters. They come out on roads to bask in the sun. Please be careful as when I spotted this Python I didnt notice it was right beside me hidden in the bushes. I did get an adrenal rush. The python was unable to move as it fed on some birds. I thought snakes hibernate in winter but Yes they love Sun..They become lazy and enjoy sun in winter unlike in Monsoon or Summer they become extremely active.

This place is also full of Spotted Deer, Nilgai , Wolves, Wild Boars, Jungle cat and Hare 

In the evening ( during sunset) you will be able to hear the crying of the wolves and if you are lucky you will definitely spot them.

The park has a small resting area where you can buy snacks and take a break. You can only get tea biscuit or cakes here nothing else. If you have a plan to stay the entire day carry some food.

We stayed from 6 am till 6 pm  roaming around the jungle sometime walking and sometime resting.

Do hire rickshaw as its worth the month.  You can hire bicycle also but depends on the availability.

Do wear comfortable shoes and clothes. High lens camera is a must to spot these birds. I am providing the link of my camera I used in Bharatpur

Sony Cybershot-50X zoom from Amazon.in

SonyHX Cybershot

Also right now I bought myself a Canon EOS 700D  from Amazon at an incredible low price. It also includes  2 lenses and a kit.

Canon EOS700D

Books for Field Guide - Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Snakes of India

Indian Mammals Guide

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Lastly I would like to conclude that this is one of the Best Bird Sanctuary In India.

Our Christmas In Singapore

Decoration Outside the Mall

Its the baby reindeer I guess :P

The well Lit Christmas Tree

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Pic- Sagnik Sarkar


No snow fall No Reindeer.Yet Singapore looked gorgeous with all the decoration.We took the train (MRT) towards (Jurong East) to Jem Mall and then walk toward west gate mall to spend our Christmas eve. The roads were transformed into an enchanting land .
Top Places to Visit in Singapore During Christmas Includes:
 Ion mall,
Orchard Road and
Vivo City 

Visiting Talsari Beach near Digha -The Land of Red Crabs

Red Crabs 

 Whenever we visit Kolkata , we plan for mini trips but somehow we end up canceling it. Digha is one of our least favorite spot  but with short span of time we decided to "Try" chill out there. I have been to Digha once before, but too young to remember.This time from Digha we went to Talsari Beach the land of red crabs.

  Talsari Beach   is located in West Bengal and Orissa Border. The place is somewhat virgin compared to Digha's crowd but  the maintenance of the beach is zero.

I personally feel that  family (children) should always avoid places like Digha and Mandarmani. Though it is close to West Bengal but not good in terms of crowd.There are lots of places in West Bengal or outskirt where one can enjoy a family time.

Walking is tiring and the sun can be unbearable.

From Digha to Talsari  its takes around 45 min. .Auto /Toto charges around 400-600 Rs depending on how you negotiate. The ride to the beach is beautiful. The villages are underdeveloped but the roads are smooth and lined with Tal (palm) trees. This is where it gets the name Talsari. You will get  unbearable smell of fishes on the way which many people enjoy.This beach is fisherman friendly  I guess than tourism.The sea here is very calm and the beach is full of red crabs which is the only best thing to enjoy. 

Scooty is available for rent and it is one of the best way to  stroll along the beach. The heat can be unbearable and there is no form of shade to sit and rest. We did rent scooty and enjoyed  the drive.

The good thing about this place is that there is no rickety shack selling alcohol or fried fishes and strange looking boys acting hooligans after drinking and diving in the sea. Digha is not the place where you can just  sit and chill with a beer and enjoy the sea.The surroundings can make you uncomfortable. 

Notes for You:

Talsari is in Baleshwar District

Talsari Beach Hotels -There is no option to stay except OTDC  guesthouse Panthaniwas.

Booking -OTDC-http://www.panthanivas.com/booking.html

http://www.panthanivas.com/chandaneswar.htm

Best time to visit  Talsari beach Digha  is  in winter time. Avoid festive season and weekends. 

Please note the entire blog post is my personal opinion.

Online IRCTC Food On Train

Did you try out foodontrack app by IRCTC?  Its good. Many doesn't like the train pantry food  like me. They are costly  and taste pathetic. Whether you take veg thali or non-veg thali it kinda taste same and the money they charge is quiet a lot. We decided to  use this app to order our meal when we were traveling from Jamnagar to Kolkata.
From Veg /NonVeg thali to Dominoes Pizza you can order anything,but yes the station must have that restaurant available which will obviously show on the app.

You need to search with your PNR number. Plan your meal timing and order on that station.
Its Cash On Delivery.

I personally feel it saves a lot of money  and wastage. You can choose the amount of food you want to eat and pay. I think it is a must for every one if you are conscious about hygiene also.

Please do keep your money ready as they wont wait much for you to take your own good time to search for changes.

Our journey was 40 hr long and therefore we ordered lunch/ dinner from the app.Click on the Above link Foodontrack to get to the website!

Nonveg thali on Day 1(night)

Veg Jain Thali (Day 2 lunch)

Genuine Broaster Chicken Avani Riverside Howrah

Hey guys ! Its been long since I have posted anything. Life's been going crazy! will update that part later. Just came to Kolkata my hometown and the first thing my husband and I aimed for was food.☺☺

Have you tried Broaster Chicken? Just some days back  when I was at Avani Mall (Howrah)  trying to help myself with cravings, I thought of getting KFC bucket. But as usual the huge line and the delay was pathetic and pain in the butt. Just beside KFC I saw this food stall Genuine Broaster Chicken.  It looked tempting so thought of trying it out.

 We got the Bahubali Combo which had fries chunky fried chicken strips (boneless)  2 sodas and 3 different dip! The price came around 480 rs including tax.
Now my opinion on  the food.

The chicken strips were solid  boneless chunks,but it tasted bland! (salt was missing I guess) They could have made it little spicy as they say Indian Heart ! (why not spice it up)
Secondly the fries were extremely salty.
If I would like to come back again? Yes,but  I would like  to try out something spicy but not this Bahubali Meal.


I would rate it 3.5 out of 5

Somnath Temple

Somnath at Night

Somnath is about 235 km away from Jamnagar and 79 km from Junagadh. It is the legendary shore temple  and one of the twelve jyotirlingas. According to legends Somnath is as old as creation. Built by Moon God Soma himself. Through the turbulent centuries  Somnath Temple was sacked 7 times and seven times it was rebuilt. Mehmud of Ghazni having heard of it's fabulous  treasures raided it  and carried away camels loaded with jewels and gold. The present temple known as the Maha Meru Prasad was rebuilt on the exact location of the original shrine in accordance with the ancient plans.  A fair is held in the kartik Purnima.

Picture taken from the screen outside the temple

 Notes:

Somnath Temple Darshan Timing: Morning 6 till night 9pm

Aarti Time : 7 am, 12 noon and 7pm. Please do not miss the beautiful aarti. 

Sagar Darshan Hotel

There are state transport available but I would recommend  people to travel by Train. It is very much comfortable to travel by train than in bus. Our train was from Jamnagar  Okha Somnath Express at  10.30 pm. The schedule time to reach  Somnath was  around 5 in the morning.  We decided not to miss the morning aarti.

Upon reaching the Somnath station , which is very small, we took an auto. The auto charges around 50 Rs from Station to Mandir and another 50 for taking us to the Somnath Trustee hotel Sagar Darshan. That 50 rs the autowala charged was a sheer robbery.The hotel was right behind the temple.

Way to the Hotel

Note :You need to book this hotel online 7 days prior to your trip . Its 2000 Rs per night.  They deposit an amount of 500 Rs which is refundable when checking out.We had to pay in cash :( in the midst of note ban crisis.) *** Because we checked in the morning and all card swiping  was available after 9am. (ridiculous terms).

The balcony View. ( all the balcony of this hotel is facing the sea)

The hotel was located right near the sea shore. All the  rooms faced the sea. It was extremely beautiful. The room was spacious and the balcony was too comfortable. One could see the mandir from the balcony itself.

Without wasting time we got ready for the morning aarti.

Watch Somnath  Aarti Online

Do not carry any handbag camera or anything to the mandir. Don't waste time leave everything in the hotel.

Market area

The temple premises was neat and clean. The Arabian sea looked beautiful.  You are not allowed to take camera inside and therefore I took few pictures from outside. There are many seating arrangements made for elderly people to see the aarti in a big screen outside the temple. It gets too crowded and  suffocating at times.

Adi Mandir

After the aarti we visited the adi mandir. It was not so crowded. The entire day was spent roaming around here and there. 

There were market area selling various puja items, toral (door decorating items) etc. 

Our lunch was done in the hotel itself Gujarati Thali. 

Evening Sunset

Without strolling around in the sun we decided to take rest in the afternoon and enjoy evening aarti and sunset. 

Light and sound show was cancelled due to renovation.  Timings for the show 8pm-9pm ( A must watch)

Dont forget to buy Chiki prasad from the temple premises. Also you can offer puja to the Lord.

By 8.30 pm we had our dinner  and headed towards the railway station.   A very successful Somnath Darshan,

For Further information:

Shree Somnath Trust

Website: Somnath.org

Phone: 02876-231231/231200

 You can also check into Lilavati  Atithi Bhavan -A/C.Non A/C rooms .

Tirtha Darshan Tourist  coach are available 3 times a day. (talk to the trust)

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