Travel with me!

Yes!

You and I 

Will travel together!

I couldn't have found a better way to kickstart the new year. A journey designed and created, especially for An Indian Summer and my readers! Do you remember the fabulous trip I had with Pugdundee Safaris last Oct? I had such a great experience overall - the beautiful long drive between the two forest reserves, the stunning luxury lodges, wildlife safaris, photography, village walks and interaction with craftsmen, shopping at local bazaars, discovering tribal art and craft at the lodges and the stories behind their origin, excellent food and service, and the many brilliant conversations. And now, I have the opportunity to experience all of this and more, with you! 

You are invited to join me on a journey of discovery, adventure and luxury, to Satpura National Park and Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Designed to include many interesting experiences, beyond just wildlife safaris, it's the perfect itinerary for you and me. Click on the image below to get an overview of this upcoming journey:   

You can find the details of the itinerary right here

The good folks at Pugdundee Safaris will be able to assist you in whatever way you desire to help you plan and book your trip

Write to them if you have any questions or need any support with the logistics

And drop in an email to me if you would like to chat with me about this trip :)

Do decide quickly though

To keep the entire experience memorable, the group size will be quite small

Make sure you are not late in joining me on this incredible journey!
Book here!

[All images: An Indian Summer. See more pictures from my last trip here]

And then, we were in the jungle

Sigh!

While I sigh

You will very soon have a reason to get all chirpy and travel happy

When you come across the great offer at the end of this post

So read on :)

 

Looking in from the deck at Tree House Hideaway

 What do you say or do when a brilliant vacation comes to an end?

 One, you sigh. A lot.

Second, you long to go back. Quite fervently.

And third, you look at the pictures. And then sigh. Again.

I am just glad that atleast I could pass off my looking at pictures again and again as 'work'

For today, I'll share with you

My experience with Pugdundee Safaris

At their gorgeous lodges at Bandhavgarh and Kanha

Warm inviting interiors

The cottage at Kanha Earth Lodge

The good folks at Pugdundee Safaris had invited me to experience their lodges in the forest reserves at Bandhavgarh and Kanha. After a round of efficient communication to and fro with their reservation office in Gurgaon, the logistics and dates were fixed - we arrived at Bandhavgarh's Tree House Hideaway, just a day before the Tiger Reserve opens, after closing down for the monsoon season. A beautifully done up tree cottage, all in wood, with a large deck looking out to the forest, was all that was needed after the night journey. The interiors were all very tastefully done up - local Gond art, tribal masks and furniture made from logs, with the jungle right outside the glass doors. Our next stop was at Pugdundee Safari's Kanha Earth Lodge, where the eco conscious architecture, local building techniques and subtle yet colorful interior styling, made me exclaim with delight at every few steps.

The view while lounging on the bed, at Bandhavgarh Tree House Hideaway

The many handpicked artifacts at Kanha Earth Lodge. I loved the wooden statuette (center above)! 

We did not spot any tigers during our safaris at Bandhavgarh and Kanha, and dubious sources might claim that it was because of my recurrent exclaiming in delight. Kindly don't pay attention to such dubious sources. Tigers are best sighted during March-April and the summers, though within a fortnight of the reserve's opening, tigers become a lot more sociable and circulate around, meeting and greeting and eating. While I was looking forward to saying hello to a tiger or two, given my natural affinity to the feline species, I thoroughly enjoyed the glorious forests. A photographer's delight, these forests are teeming with wild life of all sorts and have such beautiful vistas that you start again. Sighing i.e. Pugdundee Safaris has a handpicked staff, and the safaris and dinner conversations were made all the more interesting because of the resident managers and the naturalists at both properties. They regaled us with stories and anecdotes of the wild, and their passion for the jungle, wildlife, flora and fauna was infectious.

 Snippets from Bandhagarh and Kanha Tiger Reserve. Go there just to experience the jungle, if not the tigers

When we were not bumping around in the open jeeps (which I also drove, quite skillfully, if I may modestly add), we were being served the most delicious food by their courteous staff. Pugdundee Safaris has a Masterchef India finalist on it's Chef's panel, so you can imagine how each meal was an experience in itself. The pleasure of getting back to a luxury accommodation and fine cuisine, after roughing it out in the wild (yes, open jeeps means roughing it out. thank you), was blissful.

Dining at Kanha Earth Lodge, and, dining wares at the local bazaar

And and, how can I forget shopping! Yes, I got the inside scoop on the fabulous old brass utensils on display around the lodges, and found out that they have been sourced from the local weekly bazaar. With the additional information that old silver jewelry could also be found in the bazaar, I enlisted an obliging and uber helpful staff member to take me there; and not only came back with goodies, but also had a lovely time meeting local villagers in their homes.

Pick of brass and kansa old utensils and old tribal silver jewelry

Sigh

Now you know why more than a few sighs are so relevant for this post

Which reminds me

How about that offer that will make you all chirpy and travel happy?

Well, to all readers of An Indian Summer

Pugdundee Safari would like to offer

A Village Walk and a Bush Dinner

At any of their lodges

Free of cost!

Just mention your favorite blog

An Indian Summer

At the time of making the reservation

I cannot recommend Pugdundee Safaris high enough
I am very picky and particular about where I travel and where I stay
And Pugdundee lodges exceeded my expectations

 I am going to go back soon

Hope to meet you there! :)

Coming up tomorrow: More images from the lodges and forests on facebook! Be sure to check. I got to show my vacation pics on facebook, my peeps! It's THE thing to do. Plus the pictures are pretteh. So do go and check, tomorrow :)

On another note: If you own/run a unique property, and would like An Indian Summer to visit you:

a) You lucky bird, you!

b) Write to me! An Indian Summer is not only happy but extremely travel happy!

[All images: Mine. Ok, ours. An Indian Summer's and Bhavna Bhatnagar's. Sheesh. My blog is a bully. Don't mess with him and use the images without credits. Ok?]

Call of the wild

After a relatively calm, stay-at-home month of September

I have extended a gleeful welcome to the travel bug

To bite me again!

I just came back from a lovely road trip

And am off again

This time at the invitation of Pugdundee Safaris

To experience their beautiful jungle lodges at Bandhavgarh and Kanha

 

I'll be back with you next week

With stories and pictures, 

Of the wild.

 

Au revoir!

 

 

[Image: An Indian Summer. Clicked by moi on my trip last week]

 

Needless To Say

I have missed you! 

For I haven't spoken to you in a month

 For I have been away too long

But I know you'll forgive me

For 

I have been traveling

With my favorite people

To beaches and mountains

Experiencing life

And making and collecting beautiful memories

 

Over the last month

I spent some blissful days in Khao Lak, Thailand

And then did a road trip to Kotgarh, Himachal Pradesh

And now I am back

To you

For you!

Starting next week

Get ready for your dose of prettiness

 For

An Indian Summer is back, folks! :)

,

[All images copyrighted: Moi. aka An Indian Summer. aka Bhavna Bhatnagar]

When the bug bites..

..you surf!

 Well, atleast till the time you actually travel

That is exactly what I did today

Surfed and wandered virtually

To far off destinations

And cozy places

Casa Da Bela, an original house, lovingly restored and renovated, is in South Bahia, Brazil. It's well traveled owner, who has a background in fashion and interior design, has done a great job of combining local architecture and furniture, with interesting pieces from all over the world.

Sigh. Another beautiful place bookmarked and added to the travel wishlist. The bug has bitten, folks...expect more unique places to stay at, in the coming days. Let's wander together, virtually :)    

[All images: Casa Da Bela]

The Rose

The Rose is an immaculately put together, pristine small hotel in the heart of New Delhi's bohemian art and design neighborhood - the Hauz Khas village. It opened last year, and I was immediately drawn to its beautifully put together, minimalistic, light and airy interiors. Owned and run by Frenchman Pio Coffrant, The Rose also runs a cafe, an art gallery and various events on weekends.

Pio also runs another guest house in New Delhi, known as Colaba House. A quirky combination of Indian and French design elements, with odds and ends from various parts of the world, makes Colaba House another great place to stay at in Delhi.

Don't such lovely hotels make you wish that you were a tourist in your own city? What fun it would be if we got an opportunity to stay in such interesting places and a chance to view our city with a completely fresh perspective!

[All Images: The Rose, Colaba House. Layout: An Indian Summer]

Psst: The winner of the Lila Giveaway has been announced. Click right here to know if it's you!

Cochin. Sigh.

You know that when I haven't posted in a bit, it means one of two things. Or one of three things actually. But for now, let's just go with two. One, I am neck deep in work and the other shiny things and twinkling peeps that keep me on my toes. Two, that I am traveling. These last two weeks, it has been both. The first bit - the work and the twinkling peeps bit - was good, but the excellent bit was the travel! A friend and I hopped onto a flight (ok boarded a flight to be less hop-py) and went to one of my quickly-becoming-favorite cities - Cochin. We had a brilliant brilliant time and I am back with happy photos and a desire to go back as soon as that first bit, that bit that I mentioned above, allows me to :)

And you do know what I do when I am a chirpy bird back from a lovely trip, right? I share my favorite pictures with my favorite people - You! A bunch of you (my aforementioned favorite people) have sent me emails and messages - just a quick note to tell you that I am gradually getting over my Cochin hangover and getting back to those shiny emails. Within a day or two you will hear back from me :)

 

 

 

Oh, did I mention that I went to Cochin for the Kochi Muziris Biennale? And the day we landed, the entire country went on a strike? And almost all galleries and venues that were holding the festival had to be closed? Well yes, that's what happened. But I was just so happy to be in Kochi, that we made the best use of the time we had there. The Biennale? Am already booking my tickets for the next one :)

 

 

Kochi Tips: We stayed at the lovely Old Harbour Hotel - will go back there happily any day! We lunched and dined at three other fabulous places - Eight Bastion, Malabar House and Brunton Boatyard. All three places have been done up beautifully and I highly recommend them for a stay or a meal. 

I hope you, my favorite people, have been happy and chirpy. I shall be back tomorrow, and day after, and then on days that follow, with many pretteh posts and some luscious giveaways. Keep reading, An Indian Summer! 

[All pics: Taken by me. Kindly credit and link back to this post if you share. Many thanks!] 

Happy Holidays!

Hello my dear dear friends! I am sorry, I have been missing the past few weeks - family, friends and travel had taken over and I happily gave in. Also, in the last couple of weeks, tragic world and local events left me disturbed, and frankly, too angry to blog. I try not to vent on this blog, but such senseless acts of violence, such inhuman behavior - makes it very difficult to remain aloof and not get impacted. I just hope the coming new year sees more sense and humane order, and people understanding and internalizing the very basics of right vs. wrong.. 

Well,

I had to drop in before I sign off for the year. I have been missing you too, you guys! Personally, this year, has been a lovely year, and I look back fondly at all the travel I did, the fabulously creative people I met and the incredible friends I made. The last images on this blog for this year had to be my favorite images from two of my trips this year - the trip to Ladakh and the vacation to Kerala. I am again off to a tiny Himalayan village tomorrow, and shall duly report back with another set of visual travel memoirs :)

As I sign off for this year

Wish you, my fabulous readers, a wonderful wonderful holiday season

Here's hoping that the new year is 

Peaceful, progressive and happy for all of us!

See you in Jan 2013, folks

Be good :)

[Images: Taken by me]