Category Archives: Destinations

Traveling From Coorg To Wayanad

Posted on by
Reply

There really isn’t much difference to the eco-tourist/birder between Coorg & Wayanad. The bird species you will see are pretty much the same.  The two regions adjoin each other but Coorg is in the state of Karnataka and Wayanad is in the state of Kerala. In the map below, the grey shaded area is the Western Ghats, the red outline is roughly Coorg (Kodagu), the blue outline is Wayanad and the black outline is Mudumalai in the state of Tamil Nadu which also shares the same bird species.  I thought for the purpose of this trip, we should try to sample them all!

.

We got Mr Muthanna to book us a taxi leaving from the guesthouse and dropping us off in Kalpetta, it turned out to be around $40-ish.  We could have saved a bit of money by taking the bus from Kutta to Kalpetta but not enough to be worth the inconvenience.  My back was still sore from the bumpy bus ride between Mysore and Coorg and I was dying for a massage.

On the map below, the 1st red dot represents Jungle Side Homestay, A = T Shettigeri, B = Kalpetta and the final red dot represents Grassroots, our home base in Wayanad.

.

SCENERY BETWEEN KUTTA AND KALPETTA

IMG_2629 IMG_2630 IMG_2631 IMG_2632 IMG_2633 IMG_2634 IMG_2635 IMG_2636 IMG_2637 IMG_2638 IMG_2639 IMG_2640 IMG_2641 IMG_2642 IMG_2643 IMG_2644 IMG_2645 IMG_2646 IMG_2647 IMG_2648Once we were in Kalpetta, the taxi driver asked around for a massage place and was directed to Haritagiri Hotel & Ayurvedic Village.  We both went for the ayurvedic massage which was only 1000 rupees – a bargain!  The massage tables were pretty cool looking!

IMG_2649 IMG_2652 IMG_2651

There was a small cage with some Budgies & Lovebirds near the restaurant.  We had chicken biriyani for lunch after the massage which was pretty good!

 

 

 

IMG_2650Feeling refreshed, we went back to the main street to find a taxi to Grassroots.  A friendly local who spoke English came to our rescue and helped us hire an auto-rickshaw for the 7 km trip.

 

Enjoying Coorg (Kodagu)’s Towns & Countryside

Posted on by
Reply

Coorg is one of the favourite spots for Bangalore residents to escape their busy lives and enjoy the countryside.  Foreign tourists are much rarer as Coorg doesn’t seem to get the publicity places like Kerala and Goa get but they are starting to come.  If you can afford a car and driver, that is obviously the most comfortable way to visit Coorg.  Otherwise, you can also use local buses to get from one town to another and hire taxis for day trips.

Here area a few shots I took while touring the countryside.  With places like this, it’s fun just to watch the people going about their everyday lives.  It’s easy to find small shops for snacks in the villages.

IMG_1543 IMG_1541 IMG_1540 IMG_1539 IMG_1538

If you are REALLY hungry, a meal of fresh juice, snakes & ice cream may hit the spot!

IMG_1634 IMG_1687 IMG_1637 IMG_1688 IMG_1638 IMG_1692 IMG_1639 IMG_1697 IMG_1698 IMG_1640 IMG_1701 IMG_1702 IMG_1641 IMG_1703 IMG_1642 IMG_1644 IMG_1704 IMG_1706 IMG_1646 IMG_1648 IMG_1707 IMG_1708

Whirlwind Visit To Mysore

Posted on by
1

We got off the bus and were pretty hungry as the journey had taken about 4 hours.  We were a bit late for breakfast so we walked into the first restaurant we saw and just pointed to some food on another table as it looked bland enough for breakfast.

IMG_2439 IMG_2436

It turned out to be pretty good, though some of the sauces were a bit spicy.

IMG_2437 IMG_2438I had asked and found out that there is a bus to Gonikkopal every hour so we took an auto-rickshaw for a quick look around town.  We saw the exterior of the palace.  We were too tired and too hot by then to enter the grounds.

IMG_2460 IMG_2458 IMG_2457 IMG_2456 IMG_2454 IMG_2452 IMG_2451 IMG_2450 IMG_2448 IMG_2445I love sarees and wanted to check out a few saree shops.  Unfortunately the rickshaw driver kept taking us to the more expensive touristy shops and we didn’t have time to go walking around the market.

IMG_2447 IMG_2446 IMG_2444 IMG_2443 IMG_2442I enjoyed looking, but didn’t buy………………..this time!  Then it was back to the bus station for a quick lunch (sandwiches & cakes) and the bus to Gonikoppal.

India & Sri Lanka – Birding “On The Fly”

Posted on by
Reply

I usually plan trips at least a year in advance and book them when the last segment I need is within the 11 month booking window.  So hastily throwing together a trip to India & Sri Lanka was totally out of character for me.  I had been planning to do this trip in 2015 but when US Airways announced a major rebate promo, I couldn’t resist bringing it forward!

Malabar Parakeet AI knew which parrots I was targeting.  I never tire of seeing India’s beautiful Malabar Parakeets, Alexandrines and other psittaculas.  I was also dying to see the stunning Layard’s Parakeet, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot and many other bird species.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

I had enough miles to book us in business class on Thai outbound and Singapore return.   This is a Central Asian award.

.

Since Sri Lankan Airlines hasn’t yet joined One World (only 4500 with Avios) and Air India hasn’t yet joined Star Alliance I had to pay for a bridging flight between Bangalore (via Chennai) and Colombo.  The cheapest flight was on Spice Jet which I booked on their website.

I spent a day reading reports of bird sightings and put together the itineraries for both countries based on which locations had my desired parrot species and as many other species.  In India, I knew I wanted to visit Coorg, Wayanad and Mudumalai.

.

In Sri Lanka, I knew I wanted to visit Kithulgala & Sinharaja.

.

With itineraries chosen, next step was to find accommodation…………………….

 

Australia Land Of Parrots

Posted on by
Reply

This stunning documentary of parrots in Australia was shown on local TV channels back in 2007.  I was lucky enough to stumble across it on YouTube and thought I would share it.  It’s almost an hour long so grab a snack, relax and enjoy!

You can’t help but be inspired to book a trip to watch wild parrots in Australia so head on over to my guide on getting to Australia with airline miles!

Gateway City: Las Vegas

Posted on by
2

Yes, you read that right.  Sin City is more than a place to gamble away your life savings (hopefully not) and see Elvis impersonators.  Vegas is an ideal gateway airport, especially after returning from Central or South America on Copa Airline’s direct flight from Panama, especially if you are a US citizen.

We were in economy and the majority of the passengers seemed to not be (USA) Americans.  Since I had booked these flights so far in advance, I had selected seats as far to the front as I could, row 9.  Having only carry-on backpacks meant that we were off and running.  When we reached immigration, I told them we had 1 American and 1 Australian with an ESTA and we were directed to the US Citizens line and were through in minutes.  There is a shuttle to the rental car building in which all car rental companies are housed.

Las Vegas (LAS) has very few international flights landing so you don’t find the congestion you do at larger airports with lots of international flights such as LAX, JFK, IAH, MIA.  Most of the other international flights originate in Canada so they will usually have done pre-clearance in Canada.  There are several flights from Mexico, Condor flies from Frankfurt, Korean Airlines has one from Seoul,  British Airways & Virgin Atlantic fly from LHR (possible use of Ultimate Rewards points).

Since our final destination was my Mom’s place in central California, I also thought the driving would be easier than taking the heavily trafficked 405 to 101 from LAX.  Having a stopover in Vegas opens up some nice opportunities for free accommodation and oddly enough the best choice isn’t using standard hotel points unless you are chasing status on Hyatt with their MLife partnership.

GETTING FREE ROOMS IN VEGAS

If you are a high roller, you have other means of getting free rooms and probably already know about them.  This is meant for the casual visitor who is just getting back from an eco-tourism trip and wants to chill for a day or two.

The major hotel chains do have properties in Vegas but this is one time I don’t advise you to use them as they are in most cases inconveniently located off the Strip.  I did have a Chase free night certificate to spend and since we were there on Labor Day weekend, I couldn’t get the Venetian or Palazzo so we ended up at the Holiday Inn Desert Club Resort.  The rooms were nice, like 1 bedroom apartments but the location was terrible!  They supposedly have a shuttle to the Strip but we couldn’t make it work with the show (Ka) and buffets we had planned and I didn’t want to drive since I knew I would be drinking so we got stuck using taxis.

Not to worry, free hotel rooms, buffets & shows on the Strip can still be had for free if you don’t mind Facebook games!

.

There is a silly Facebook game called MyVegas that I found out about over a year ago.  It’s free and fairly painless to play.  Every few hours you can refill your chips and gold coins.  You can see by the Santa on the left that I took this screenshot around Christmas time.  They have sub-games that vary by time of the year.  See their fan page for free chips and updates.  You should also join the MyVegas Guides group to learn more details about rules, strategy, free chips and game play.

.

You increase your chips, levels & gold coins by playing slot machines.  Contrary to what you read on Facebook, you do NOT need to add strangers as friends.  My husband and I  got our awards (buffets, KA tickets, free drinks) with only each other as friends.

.

Since we won’t be back in Vegas for a while, I just cruise by daily to get my free daily spin.  When they have double XP days, I play the game in the background while I am otherwise occupied online or watching tv so it isn’t wasting my time.

If I had known about this in advance, I would have planned our quickie visit during the week, as it was we were there over Labor Day weekend so did the best we could.  Since I do plan to go back to Central & South America (Peru & Bolivia in 2016) and will do the same thing, enter the USA via that Copa flight to Vegas, I am still collecting more chips.  Next time, we will use them on free hotels & buffets.  More money in our pockets means more to spend on eco-tours!

.

.

 

Hotel Review: Courtyard Panama At Metromall Mall

Posted on by
Reply

Courtyard Panama at Metromall Mall is a good place to stay if you have an early morning flight as it’s a straight shoot down Av Domingo Diaz to the airport.

.

Since Panama City (PTY) is the hub airport for COPA and a solid Star Alliance connection, many people will find themselves in need of an overnight near the airport.   It’s a decent 3 star hotel and a bargain using 10,000 Marriott Reward points.  Since I had points from a Facebook game in 2012, I thought this was a good use of them.

Beware of taxis which can be a rip-off $15 or even more coming from the airport.  You can get a bus from the bus stop across the street from the hotel (use the bridge over the highway) for $1.  Normally you need a bus pass which would bring the ride down to .40-.50 cents but it’s hard to find them so we just offered locals who had bus passes $1 each to get us on board.  It would be really nice if this hotel would offer a free airport shuttle but they don’t.

The hotel is next door to a large modern shopping centre with a supermarket if you need to stock up on drinks.  There is a food court with all kinds of cuisines on offer at reasonable prices.  It has a swimming pool which we didn’t have time to use and free wifi with an average speed.

.

.

IMG_1651 IMG_1650 IMG_1647I would only recommend this hotel as a pre-flight stay as there are much nice places in Panama City, let alone the Radisson Summit near Soberania National Park!  But since many flights do leave early in the morning, it may come in handy.  Trip Advisor reviews seem to also agree the hotel serves it’s purpose as an airport hotel but nothing to get excited about.

If you are on a points stay, breakfast won’t be included.  We used United Club passes to get into the Copa Club for continental breakfast.

If you don’t have Marriott points and are looking for a reasonably priced cash stay, also consider the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel which is a bit closer to the airport, has a free shuttle and has more attractive grounds (that look like they may attract birds)!

The Birds Of Soberania National Park

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday, I blogged about how to arrange a visit to Soberania National Park.  Now I will show you some of the birds you can expect to see there.  A comprehensive bird list can be found on the Canopy Tower’s website.  Of course you won’t see them all but with luck you can see some of the highlights.

RAINFOREST DISCOVERY CENTER OBSERVATION TOWER

I always prefer to climb a tower to have a bird’s eye view over the rainforest.  When you are at ground level in dense forest, bird sightings may be only a colored rustling in a tree or a fleeting glimpse as they fly over your head and disappear into the forest before you can aim your camera.  The observation tower here was good for sightings (from a distance) of Red-lored Parrots, Yellow-crowned Parrots, Blue-headed Pionus Parrots and Toucans.  In the last photo you can see a glimpse of a ship going through the Panama Canal!

IMG_1438 IMG_1441 IMG_1442a IMG_1446a IMG_1448a IMG_1449 IMG_1450 IMG_1451 IMG_1452 IMG_1458 IMG_1460 IMG_1462 IMG_1461

The construction of the tower is pretty cool too!  Since it is deep in the rainforest, you can’t get a photo of it from the ground except looking straight up or from the top looking straight down.

IMG_1436 IMG_1463 IMG_1464 IMG_1466 IMG_1467 IMG_1465IMG_1470Next we headed off down the trail towards the lake, got half way there and got rained out.

IMG_1471 IMG_1472We fled back to the main building and kept busy watching the jewel-toned hummingbirds.  We were the only people there until a tour group showed up on segways (not sure how they drove them over the bumpy Pipeline Road)!

IMG_1473 IMG_1474

RAINFOREST DISCOVERY CENTER MAIN BUILDING

IMG_1475 IMG_1476 IMG_1477 IMG_1478 IMG_1481 IMG_1483 IMG_1486 IMG_1487 IMG_1488 IMG_1489 IMG_1492 IMG_1494 IMG_1496 IMG_1498 IMG_1500 IMG_1502Rental cars can be safely driven here and parked in their car park.

IMG_1506

DRIVE TO GAMBOA

After leaving Pipeline Road, we drove past the Panama Canal to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort to check out the birds down by the river.  We had planned to have lunch there but the restaurant was closed.

IMG_1513 IMG_1515 IMG_1524 IMG_1525 IMG_1526

GAMBOA RAINFOREST RESORT

IMG_1537 IMG_1538IMG_1539

IMG_1539 IMG_1541 IMG_1542

IMG_1518 IMG_1523 IMG_1527 IMG_1528 IMG_1529 IMG_1531 IMG_1532 IMG_1534 IMG_1535GAMBOA BRIDGE

We had to drive across this rickety looking bridge that made me very nervous!  I crept along at 5km per hour with annoyed locals piled up behind me.

IMG_1543 IMG_1544 IMG_1545 IMG_1546

 

Soberania National Park, Panama

Posted on by
Reply

Soberanía National Park (Parque Nacional Soberanía) is a national park in Panama near the banks of the Panama Canal in the provinces of Panamá and Colón, some 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Panama City. The Chagres River runs through the park.

Established as a national park in 1980, the park covers 55,000 acres (223 km2).  The park is popular with birdwatchers due to the abundance of bird species in the park. Some 525 bird species are found here, including motmots, toucans, trogons, flycatchers, antbirds, woodpeckers, tanagers, and hawks. Among the rare bird species in the park are yellow-eared toucanets, crimson-bellied woodpeckers, sirystes, and rarely seen harpy eagles. Some of the best birding in the park is along Pipeline Road. Pipeline Road extends for several miles and passes through old-growth and secondary forest. Birds are best spotted here in the early morning.

GETTING HERE

You can use a Central American award to Panama City (PTY).  Then the best thing to do is hire a car so you have freedom to get around as you choose.  Since this park is so near the city, it can be easily driven to from wherever you are staying.

Soberania National Park, Panama

WHERE TO STAY INSIDE THE PARK

On points, you have 1 option which is on the outskirts of Soberania National Park, the Radisson Summit.  This was my choice since I could use only 28,000 Club Carlson points for 2 nights since I have the Club Carlson Visa card.  A pleasant surprise was that you get the free breakfast even when you use points!  Make sure you request a rainforest view room for a spectacular view!

You could also stay at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort which is closest to Pipeline Road & the Rainforest Discovery Center or the Canopy Tower which has nice packages that include guided birding excursions (not cheap)!

HOW TO VISIT THE PARK

You can make an independent visit or join a tour.  The Canopy Tower has day visit packages that include a trip up their 50 ft high observation tower and a guided bird walk.  Many people just rent a car and head off on their own down Pipeline Road.  Be aware that this is a very rough road and you will only get a few miles without 4WD.  There are plenty of birds to see along the way.

IMG_1509 IMG_1508 IMG_1507 IMG_1512My choice, dictated partly because we only had a small car from Alamo and also because I like to watch birds from towers was the Rainforest Discovery Centre.  If that link doesn’t work (they need to renew their domain), try Google cached version here.  It costs $30 entry but you get a $5 credit to spend in the small gift shop.  The staff know all the local species and can identify them for you.  You also get access to a 32 metre high observation tower with platforms every 8 metres and over 1.2 km of walking trails.  There are educational posters & clean restrooms in the main building and hummingbird feeders that keep these delightful little birds close at hand.

IMG_1428 IMG_1429 IMG_1430 IMG_1432 IMG_1433 IMG_1434 IMG_1435 IMG_1473 IMG_1474In tomorrow’s post, I will show you some of the birds we saw that I managed to photograph both from the tower and the main buidling’s deck.

 

Hotel Review: Park Inn By Radisson, San Jose, Costa Rica

Posted on by
Reply

We only had one night in San Jose before flying to Panama.  Normally, we would have stayed out near the airport at whatever hotel had the best points rate but we got a mistake rate for this hotel on FlyerTalk for 5000 points plus a nominal amount of Colones.  I think they loaded the Colones rate in the USD field or something like that.  Thankfully they honored the rate and several of us got a nice bargain before they corrected the rate.

IMG_1348

Escape to This San José, Costa Rica Hotel’s Ideal Location
Situated three blocks from Paseo Colón, the city’s main avenue, and walking distance of downtown, the Park Inn hotel’s location in San José is perfect for vacations and business trips. Sample local and international cuisine at RBG Bar & Grill, and enjoy a dip in the shimmering outdoor pool. After a long day exploring San José, Costa Rica, this hotel’s comfortable accommodations are just what you need to relax. In-room amenities like free wireless Internet access and 42-inch flat-screen televisions make it easy to unwind after your adventures in the city. This hotel’s property in San José provides you with all the features you need for a perfect stay.

We found the room to be just as described on their website.  It’s basically a normal budget business traveler type of place but OK for a night.  We aren’t really that interested in cities, especially when you have the natural paradise of Costa Rica to see.  The wifi was slow but that’s par for the course in most hotels.

The location is downtown, a short taxi ride away from any of the bus terminals.  From the airport, take a Tuasa bus, then hop out at the Pizza Hut and walk a few blocks to the hotel.  Don’t stop and buy a pizza, they cost around $20 for one pizza!

IMG_1349 IMG_1350 IMG_1351 IMG_1352 IMG_1353 IMG_1388 IMG_1390Our room was large, clean and had all the necessities.  We were also pleasantly surprised to see a complimentary rubber ducky!  The view of the city was nice and the breakfast buffet (included in the rate even for awards) had a great variety of typical breakfast foods.  We were happy with it, and so are most people on Trip Advisor.