Birds and bees

Have loved to take pictures of butterflies, animals/birds in the wild or just during our travels..Have come across some interesting ones and finding out the names of these winged creatures is equally fun

Black shouldered Kite

Malabar Banded Swallowtail

 Great Eggfly

Southern Bird wing

Indian Kite

Indian Bulbul

Indian Bulbul

Brahminy Kite

Pea hen 

White and black Egrets

Indian Crow 

Indian Black Drongo 

Spice trail in Goa : Sahakari Spice farm Ponda

Of the run of the mill Beach and bar visits in Goa, we decided to try something new this time. While we visited the St. Francis church in Old Goa, we went on to the Sahakari Spice farm, in Ponda.

Betel nut palms

Small brooks and rivulets run thro the farm

Naturally growing creepers on large trees

 

The read coffee seeds

Bananas always make me happy

The betel tree and how to check its age - by the lines on the tree

Little bridges over the water ways in the farm.. So Quaint yet sturdy..

 So thats what Nutmeg looks like

 My other tea favourite, lemon grass

Thats money plants which is growing into gigantic leaves on this tree

The Vanilla Orchid..so beautiful. Its an orchid

 Green peppers..look so beautiful

Well thats the tree most people would like, the Cocoa !

 The Cardamom flowers

The yummy lunch served in earthen pots and the coconut shell serving spoons..

Road trip to Goa, via Murudeshwar

Every year Goa is a trip we take via the North Karnataka road, Mangalore, Udipi-Murudeshwar-Karwar and then Goa. This year we stopped at Murudeshwar for a night(because we love this temple town) and then went on to Goa for a 6 day holiday.

Murudeshwar is simply beautiful and we have been there since a years. Here are a few pictures captured for posterity.