Ontonagan,Upper Peninsula

Lake of Clouds view point Porcupine Mountains,Ontonagan Upper Peninsula

Porcupine Mountains:

The Porcupine Mountains is a vacation spot on the south shore of Lake Superior.The Porcupine Mountains offers hiking trails,mountain bike trails,cross-country ski trails and wildlife viewing.The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is located on the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula.The Park has 60,000 acres and encompasses the largest tract of old-growth timber in the Midwest.

We visited the Lake of the clouds view point, it was awesome we hiked for 4 miles up the mountains.It was a little cold but manageable,hike was awesome and the trail ran up the mountains beside the lake.We stopped at various scenic spots on the way.We got to see an eagle and it was splendid as we were much higher that the flight of the eagle.Pradheep photographed and videotaped the eagle.We returned to the starting point.

We stopped at the lake Superior lake shore which was more like a sea shore.

New York city Jul '09

Times Square

Brooklyn bridge(left) New York Central(right)

New York, one of the most populous city in the United States.New York has influence on world finance,fashion,commerce and entertainment.New York city lies in the state of New York.It is where the United Nations is headquartered.New York city constitutes of five borough's,the Borough of Bronx (Bronx county),the Borough of Brooklyn (Kings county),the Borough of Manhattan (New York county),the Borough of Queens(Queens county),the borough of Staten Island (Richmond county).

We took a walk on the Brooklyn bridge, i was amazed at how huge the bridge was,later learned that Brooklyn bridge was constructed in 1883 and it was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was constructed.

We had a look at Manhattan,i realised how busy New York can be during a weekday when we travelled by the subway trains.Had a look at Grand Central Terminal and was amazed how well equipped and luxurious the terminal was !!! It was a sight to see.

Ellis island(top) Liberty Island(bottom)

We also visited the liberty island where the Statue of Liberty is stationed.The Statue of Liberty was a gifted by France to the U.S. in the year 1888.The gift symbolises freedom and democracy.We also got to see Ellis Island,which has the National museum of immigration, i remememberd God Father movie the part where Vito Corleone (as a child) immigrates from Italy to the U.S.

We also got to take a stroll on Wall street, where the US stock exchange is headquartered.We saw the place the twin towers were stationed,nothing remained now!!! I remembered the incident that shook the world!!!

I was impressed by how fashionable the people of New York were, fashion prevailed right from the middle class to the elite.Oh yes New York serves as the fashion capital after Paris and Milan !!!!I recollected Mumbai! which was India's fashion capital !!! I thought New York resembled Mumbai in many ways!! The space constraint, the not so clean roads,the skyscrapers,the eateries on the streets,the subways......I was reminded of Mumbai because I had seen it before New York!!!!

Well i realised whoever visits US should visit New York to have a feel of how different New York is from the rest of the US!!!

Upper Peninsula of MIchigan

Photo courtesy : http://www.flickr.com/photos/28601488@N05/3764533384/

We drove all the way from home,Auburn Hills crossed the Mackinaw bridge which is the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere after, The Great Belt Bridge in Halsskov-Sprogoe,Denmark and Akashi Kaiko Bridge in Japan.We got to see, Lake Huron on the right side of the bridge and Lake Michigan on the left side of the bridge.The lakes were vast like oceans.Got a peek of the Mackinaw island,had our lunch on the way and drove all the up to the Ontanogan.My first impression of Upper Peninsula was that it was a noman's land.Finally we reached the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,commonly called as U.P. U.P. is the land above the Macjinaw bridge linking the two peninsulas.It is bound by Lake Superior in the North,St Mary's river on the east,Lake Michigan and Lake Huron on the South and Wisconsin on the west.U.P is also known as the Yoopers land(derived from the U.P'ers).It was already dark when we reached so we hardly saw how the place looked.I drove for 4 hours and the sunlight was blindling me as we were driving west and it was already time for the sun to set.

Mackinaw bridge

Boston Jul '09

Boston downtown(left) Trinity church(right)

Quincy marketplace

The history of Boston intertwines with the history of the United States. Boston is the capital of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the historical center of New England.It was my first visit to Boston along with Pradheep.We visited the Freedom Trail, the Boston Commons and the Quincy market.I managed to get few good shots of Boston downtown and also the Trinity church sometime in the evening.The freedom

trail is historic landmarks of the city.The Boston Common is America's oldest public park.Most people know it as Quincy Market, although its official name is the Faneuil Hall Marketplace.The market is both indoors and outdoors.The indoor market has a variety of international cuisines while the outdoor market is good for shopping.

We were pressed for time and we could not visit the museum of Science,the museum of fine arts and the New England aquarium which are of prominence.

Rhode Island Jul '09

One of the mansion's of the Gilded age(left)

Courtesy : wwp.greenwichmeantime.com

Map of Rhode island(right)

Rhode Island is a state in New England region of the United States.It is the smallest state in the U.S by area.Rhode island borders Connecticut to the West and Massachusetts to the north and east.Rhode island was the first of the thirteen original colonies to declare independence from British rule.

Newport Rhode Island Mansions / The Gilded Age Mansions of Newport :Unlike no other place in the world,Newport offers a glimpse into a lifestyle that is difficult to imagine.The Newport "summer cottages" as they were referred to often took several years to construct and were lived in for just six weeks of the year.Craftsman from Europe were enlisted and relocated to Newport for the construction process.We toured the Mansions,through the cliff-walk.We also got to look at the interiors of one of the mansions where the flower show was conducted.We drove.The best part of Newport was the cliff walk.I learnt to shoot the night lights in manual mode from my hubby.Amazing DSLR(Love Nikon).I feel motivated with the amazing quality of the photos just with a little extra effort.

Barbecue at Boston Jul '09

Tradition tells us that this is the origin of Barbecue, both in process and in name. The natives of the West Indies had a word for this process, "barbacoa". It is generally believed that this is the origin of our modern word Barbecue, though there is some debate on the matter.The process began to evolve with the migration of Europeans and Africans to the region of the Southern United States.Barbecue evolved as a process of preserving meat.Without a process of refrigeration, meat had to be either cooked and eaten quickly after slaughter or preserved by either a spicing or smoking process.

In the evolution of Barbecue, one this has always been a constant. Barbecue is more than a meal. It is an event. People gather for good barbecue.Barbecue is an event that gathers people around a fire to watch, smell and eat. Like the fires of prehistory this is the place to eat, drink and tell stories.

So as the story of the evolution of barbecue goes, all of us (Pradheep,his brother, my co-sis, his cousin's family and me) met together at his cousin's place and we barbecued shrimps,veggies,fish,corn,chicken and yes definitely sausages and beef patties for burgers.We ladies cut the veggies and marinated the meat while the gents were the one's mostly barbecuing.It was yum ! and was the best barbecue that i had tasted.

Our drive to Boston ! June '09

Our drive (shot from the car)

Not feeling too well,i pushed myself to pack for the 10 day trip to the Mid-west.Our final destination was Boston ! But we also planned to visit Washington D.C,New York,New Jersey! I was excited but was sceptic if the 14 hour drive would be too tiring !

We drove across three states,Ohio,New York and Massachusetts on our way to Boston! The drive after New York state was very scenic.The terrain was mountainous unlike Michigan.We reached Boston at 10 p.m.

Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculptur Park

Photo courtesy : www.meijergardens.org
Frederick Meijer Gardens

Spring is here and Pradheep and me decided to explore few places in Michigan that we had short-listed.We had heard about the Frederick Meijer Gardens at Grand Rapids,Michigan and finally one weekend we had decided to go.We were there just before 2 weeks to the Meijer Gardens.We were debating if we should go or not,because the weather forecast said that it would rain in the city where we lived.Finally we decided to go!I packed all our stuff made lunch and packed for the two of us.

Bonsai of White Cedar approximately 900 years old at the All State Michigan Bonsai show

We reached Grand Rapids and it was drizzling till we reached the gardens.Hoping that it was not a wrong decision to land at the botanical garden on a rainy day we went ahead with the Bonsai show that was the special feature for the weekend.I love Bonsai, amazed at how artistic
people can be."Bonsai"is developing woody or semi-woody plants shaped as trees, by growing them in containers. Cultivation includes techniques for shaping, watering, and re-potting in various styles of containers.The history of "Bonsai" stretches back to the Egyptian dynasty (4000 BC),the art was adopted and reformed by Chinese and Japanese later on.Pradheep had not seen "Bonsai" trees earlier and he was amazed at a few of them.I wanted to buy a "Bonsai" for home but decided against it as I was new to gardening and did not want to ruin a lovely tree by not knowing how to take care of it.

The Leonardo Da Vinci horse (24 ft high made of bronze)

The Frederick Meijer gardens is basically a botanical garden with nature trails,outdoor sculptor park and the botanical garden that had been subdivided into the tropical conservatory,carnivorous plant house,the arid garden,English perennial garden and the seasonal garden.I loved the tropical garden and the carnivorous plant house.We got to seem some trees belonging to the palm family,very much like the vegetation at India.The arid garden was also impressive as they had a lot of cacti and succulents that would grow to their best only in very warm temperatures and the temperature was very warm and dry at the arid garden.We also got to see few Pitcher plant at the carnivorous section.I had not seen a pitcher plant in real before so was a little excited.

Pitcher plant at the Carnivorous plant section

The sculpture park was okay, it was different, we were amazed by the bronze sclpture of the 24 ft horse.The sculpture was designed by Nina Akamu, an American sculptor.This serves as a homage to Leonardo da Vinci and his design to make a 24 ft sculpture at Milan.
We took a lot of pictures,had coffee at the Taste of the Gardens Cafe and drove back home.Was a good day.

Festivals and Places of Interest in Niligiris

From Left to Right My brother,grandma and me :)) (when i was 14 yrs)
At Ooty Botanical gardens

The summer usually commences with few traditional festivals that take place in Ooty.I remember visiting Ooty annually for the flower show each year.Our visits included the flower show,rose garden,Horse race at the race course and the dog show. My grandpa used to take me and my brother traditionally every year till i was in high school.The first flower show was organised in the year 1896.The flower show is conducted at the Government Botanical Garden during the third week of May every year.Elaborate arrangements are made to conduct the flower show.The flower show attracts large number of tourists from all over India.Flower show is held for two days. The floral decorations, Indian and Japanese flower arrangements, vegetable carving, flower rangoli, bonsai etc., are the few attractions during the show days. There is also a rose show conducted at the centenary rose park, Ooty.I have a photograph clicked with my grandma in the Rose garden when i was in high school,see how all of you like it ! The dog show was my most favorite , i used to be fascinated by the puppies when i was young.Good old days! Apart from this the fruit show is also conducted every year.Nilgiris is highly noted for its Horticultural wealth especially temperate fruits like apple,plums, peaches, pears, persimmon and citrus.There are a lot of places to see in Ooty.I have visited the Botanical gardens of Ooty,Centenary rose park and doddabetta.Doddabetta is the highest peak in Tamil Nadu.It is at the junction of the Eastern and Western ghats.

Conoor is a place near Ooty.I visited Conoor with my friend Anita to visit my collegemate's Reshma and Uma.We visited Sim's park and Dolphin's nose(which is a view point).Conoor is famous for it's tea plantations and trade.

Apart from Ooty and Conoor,i got to visit Kotagiri twice.The first visit was during my college days,and we just bypassed Kotagiri onour way to Catherine falls which is 8 kilometers away.We stopped at a place quite far from the falls and trekked our way

Photo courtesy:http://www.nilgiris.tn.gov.in/

Catherine falls

through Catherine falls.Our college had arranged the trek in collaboration with Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI).It was one of my memorable tour.I got to see more of Kotagiri during my last trip to India, Dec 2008-Mar 2009 when i visited Kotagiri with my in laws.It was a memorable trip.

Tribes of Niligiris

Photo courtesy:http://www.nilgiris.tn.gov.in

Hut of the Todas(Left) The traditional Toda(Right)

The "Todas"also know as Tudas / Tudavans / Todar are one of the primitive tribal groups in Tamil Nadu,India.The name "Todas" is derived from the "Tud tree",which is a sacred tree for the Todas.The Todas language dialect is an independent language which has influence of Tamil and Malayalam.The Todas live in a unique hut that is barrel shaped.

Photo courtesy:http://www.nilgiris.tn.gov.in
Kothas perforing their traditional dance

The "Kothas",live in Kothagiri.They are the artisans who are good in carpentry,metal works and pottery.Unlike the Todas the Kothas have excelled in education and are employed in many Government and private sectors.

The "Kurumbas" who are another sector in the tribes are traditional food gatherers as per occupation.They collect honey and produce.Due to their nature of work the Kurumbas stay in temporary houses called "Gudlu"

Photo courtesy:http://www.nilgiris.tn.gov.in
The Kurumbas and Irulas performing the tribal dance

The "Irulas" stay in parts of Kothagiri and Conoor.Earlier the Irulas were engaged in collecting few forest produce and took care of cattle.

The "Mullukurumbas" belong to Gudalur and they are one of the most primitive tribes as they still use bow and arrow for hunting.

The "Paniyas"(or workers) are inhabitants of Gudalur.They are considered to be one of the most backward tribes.The Paniyas were the sect of tribes who were bonded laborers earlier.Now most of them help in agriculture.

The "Kattunaikans" are another group of tribes who belong to Gudulur.

Niligiris District

Photo courtesy:http://www.nilgiris.tn.gov.in
The Niligiris District

The Niligiris district comprises of Panthalur,Gudalur,Udhagamandalam,Kothagiri,Conoor and Kundah.The Niligiris is very dear to me as i have memories of visiting Ooty, annually when i was a child.I remember tourisng Ooty with my parents,grandparents and my brother.As i am a dog lover i used to visit Ooty annually for the dog shows combied with the annual flower show in Ooty.I had a brief visit to Conoor as my friend who lives there hosted me a visit there with her family.It was a memorable visit during my college days.
Ooty is the most famous in the Niligiris.Ooty is also known as Udhagamandalam is the "Queen of hill stations" and the capital of Nilgiris district.Nilgiris - "Blue Mountains"used to be a summer getaway for the Britishers during the colonial days.Ooty is situated at an altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level.Ooty was discovered by the Britishers in the year 1819,the roads connecting Coimbatore(Mettupalayam) to Ooty was laid by Mr. John Sullivan(the then Collector of Coimbatore),Mr. S.R.Lushington(the then Governor) and few others.The inhabitants of Ooty speak the native Badaga language.Apart from Badaga,languages like Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and English are also spoken.The toy train that starts from Mettupalayam to Conoor is a unique expience to view the tea estates and greenery of the Niligiri mountains.Ooty has numerous tea estates that eventually made it famous.The annual "Tea and Tourism festival" attracts large crowds.

Photo courtesy:http://www.nilgiris.com
Toy train

The localites in the Niligiris celebrate the thaipoosam in Elk Hill Murugan Temple (February), Bookkapuram Mariamman Annual Festival (February), Ooty Mariamman Temple Festival (April) and the Coonoor Mariamman Temple Festival (April).Apart from that the boat races and boat Pageantry in Ooty (May),flower show in Ooty (May) and fruit show in Coonoor (May) are visited by both national and the international tourists.

Avinashi

Photo Courtesy :http://en.wikipedia.org/(Left) & http://rprabhu.blogspot.com(Right)
Avinashiappar temple(Left) & Avinashi temple car(Right)

Avinashi is a small town situated near Tirupur in Tamil Nadu.Avinashi is located in between Tirupur and Coimbatore.Avinashi was known as "Thirupukkaliyur" in the ancient times. It is famous for the Shiva temple.The present structure of the temple was originally built by the king of Kongu Chola, PandyaHoySalar and the King of Mysore.In 1756 Krishna Raja Udayar of Mysore renovated the temple.Avinashi is also referred as Dakshina Varanasi(Varnasi of the South).The Cholas, Pandyas and the Hoysalas have made their architectural contributions to the temples.The car festival is the most exciting of the festivals in this temple. This temple's car (ratham) is noted for its fine wooden carvings.There are many textile mills located in and around this town. These textile mills comprise spinning and weaving mills that work closing with various apparel manufacturing companies in Coimbatore and Tirupur. There are also many engineering industries. Agriculture is the major occupation of many of the people in and around this town.

Rakkiapalayam

Rakkiapalayam is a village near Avinashi where my husband belongs.Being married for two years now though i visit Rakkiapalayam often i got to visit the Avinashi temple only a few months back during my recent visit to India.My husband says he has fond memories of the temple as they used to visit the temple every week.

Perur

Photo courtesy:http://www.coimbatore.com
Perur Patteeswarar temple

Perur is located seven miles to the west of Coimbatore, on the banks of Noyyal river.Perur is famous for the temple.The temple was built by Karikala Cholan.The temple has the main deity Shiva also called as "Patteeswarar'' and his consort deity called "Pachai Nayaki".The temple has a golden hall of dance,a hall decked with exquisite sculpture.Perur also holds the annual Natyanjali in the month of September.Natyanjali is the annual dance recital done by famous cultural musicians and dancers from various regions.The dance recital is considered as a homage to the deity and to the art form of dance.

Photo courtesy : http://www.monochrom.at(left) & http://hindu.com(right)
Lord Nataraja(Lord Shiva) performing the "Cosmic dance"(left) Natyanjali dance recital(right)

Vaidehi falls

Vaidehi Falls is at Narasipuram in the outskirts of Coimbatore. It is at a distance of about 30 km from Coimbatore on the Coimbatore - Siruvani road.I love Vaidehi falls as we went trekking through the forest to reach the falls.I remember that this place was untouched and was full on greenery in 1995.I had not seen a place that calm and peaceful then.I am sure all my classmates of high school will remember this trip.It was a memorable one.Unfortunately i have not found any picture of Vaidehi falls.

Anubhavi Subramaniya temple

Photo courtesy : http://picasa.google.com/

Anubhavi Subramaniya temple

Anubhavi Subramaniya temple is an ancient temple for Lord Muruga(Hindu God).This temple is on the Annaikatti highway on the outskirts of Coimbatore.The temple is located on a hill top and there is no vehicle access to the hill top.The only way to access the temple is by climbing the stairs.I love this temple because it is nostalgic,it reminds me of the wonderful times spent with my parents and brother.

Anakatti

Courtesy : Vayamaa_vibavaa of http://www.flickr.com/
Anaikatti Hills

The Anaikatti hills is in the North West part of Coimbatore.It is an hours drive from the Coimbatore airport.On the Anakatti hills is the "Arsha Vidya Gurukulam",an institute for the traditional study of Advaita Vedanta and Sanskrit.Established in 1990 by Swami Dayanand Saraswathi, teacher of Vedanta and scholar in Sanskrit."Arsha Vidya" means knowledge from the saints "Gurukulam" refers to a residential center for learning with the teacher.Apart from Gurukulam there are two temples at the Gurukulam premises.The Gurukulam offers Indians and Westerners an opportunity to learn the Upanishads,Bhagavad Gita,Brahmasutras and other related classic texts.The special feature of the Gurukulam is that it has a digital library with images of palm leaf manuscripts and paper manuscripts running to around 5 to 6 lakh pages and video documentation of Hindu rituals running to more than 100 hours.
The Anaikatti hills and the Gurukulam is very special to me as the institute is one of a kind in India.In this modern age, the Institute reminds us that culture is still alive in India due to the efforts taken by few Institutes like these.Another aspect that i like at the Annakatti hills is that it is untouched by pollution and beautiful.Miss Anaikatti !

Marudamalai

Photo courtesy : http://wikimedia.org
Marudamalai temple

Marudamalai is in the North west part of Coimbatore.Marudamalai stands at 500ft high on the Western Ghats.On this small hill is a temple of "Arulmigu Subramanyaswamy" which belongs to the 12th century.The deity is more commonly called "Lord Muruga"(a Hindu God).The worship of Lord Muruga,in South India and other parts of Asia, goes back to the pre-Christian era and forms an important facet in the religious life of Hindus. Apart from the main God Lord Muruga,the "Pambatti Siddhar Cave" is visted by the tourist and natives of Coimbatore.History says that the Siddhar meditated in the cave and attained salvation here.

From left to right Pradheep,me,inlaws,Nithya,Vasanth,Nithya's cousin & Nithya's parents at Marudamalai

Marudamalai stands very close to my heart as I used to visit the temple with my famliy and more often with my friends.The view from the hill top is the Coimbatore city.There is a walkway,consisting of stairs to the hill top.I love walking to the temple.I remember frequenting the temple with my granny,and also remember she used to buy me all junk jewellery and "yelathavadai" from the small shops beside the temple. Good old days! Miss them now!

Where i belong

Photo courtesy:Iingadaulke http://www.flickr.com

Coimbatore city

Coimbatore is the city where i belong, the city where i was born and i spent all my school and college days in this city.I love the culture,the people,the food,the weather and the love i have for the city is immense.
Coimbatore (கோயம்புத்தூர்) is situated in the banks of Noyyal river, in the state Tamil Nadu.The city got it's name from the king Kovan who ruled Coimbatore.Many who live in Coimbatore believe that the city got it's name from the deity 'Koniamman'.The Cheras were the early ruling dynasty of the city.The city today it is called the Manchester of South India.
Culture :
The Coimbatorians are very hospitable in nature.The language used in Coimbatore is ' Kongu Tamil' which is famous for it's dialect.The society earlier was predominant by the natives of the city.Though the city is now cosmopolitan,the natives still are culturally intact which keeps the city distinct.
Food :
I love the food in Coimbatore so much that it remains nostalgic till date.I love the "masala dosas","kaapi" and meals in "Sree Annapoorna", a famous restaurant."Biriyani" in "Angana kadai" is so yummy that i have not had any other biriyani that good till date.I bet true natives of Coimbatore would have tasted the biriyani atleast once.My family frequents "Delhi wala" for "gulab jamuns" and their mouthwatering "parathas" and side dishes.I love "Agarwal" for their yummy "chat's".I remember frequenting "Bairavi" restaurant which is a part of Sugam hotels, for their paneer manchurian.(Anita if you are reading this,you will smile !)Apart from this there are so many road side "idly shops" in R.S.Puram that we love.Krishna sweets in Coimbatore is famous for it's "Mysorepa",a delicacy found only in Coimbatore.
Weather and location:
Coimbatore is situated in the West of Tamil Nadu near the state Kerala and Niligiris.Weather is usually pleasant due to the monsoon and it's demography.

Photo courtesy:vilni http://flickr.com(top) and http://hindu.com(bottom)
View of the Niligiris(top) Flower market(bottom)