Via Flickr:
Catch light on his eyes was really awesome to watch
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Jaw Power
Via Flickr:
Although they may look harmless, hippos possess the most powerful bite amongst all mammals. A word of advice, never get between a hippo and water as they will charge at you, more people are killed this way than by shark attacks.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Ground horn bill
Via Flickr:
Southern Ground Hornbill (juvenile birds) s the largest species of hornbill.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
I am watching you
Via Flickr:
Leopards are the most common large cats in Africa - so it is ironic that it is also the cat that is the most difficult to spot when you are in the African bush.
This is due to the fact that they are rather shy, secretive and mainly nocturnal.
I got to see him (not sure about gender :)) when he was trying to take a Giraffe, but those guys where too big for him.But the look on his eyes told me that I would have been an easy snack for him :P
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
I am safe here
Via Flickr:
www.facebook.com/sachinvijayanphotography
Interesting & Amazing Information On Baboons
Baboons are unique and complex social creatures, comprising of 8 to 200 members per troop.
They make use of ten different forms of vocalizations to communicate with one another. These mainly include grunts, barks and screams. The non-vocal forms include lip smacking, shoulder shrugging and so on.
Studies have indicated that a male baboon’s receptiveness toward females depends on the size of their swollen, colored genitalia during estrous.
Baboons do not have any type of prehensile or gripping tails and spend much of their time on the ground. Nevertheless, they can climb trees to sleep, eat or look out for trouble.
While changing locations or travelling as a group, the dominant male members of a baboon family lead the troop, followed by the females and the young ones. They are, in turn, followed by the less dominant males who bring up the rear.
For more: lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-baboon-5984.html
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Ultimate charger
Via Flickr:
One unforgettable moment. He wasn't very happy about our 4x4 parked at the middle of the road, and the worst part was half of the herd was behind us as well no where to go.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Cheetah
Via Flickr:
Behavior
Cheetah mothers spend a long time teaching their young how to hunt small live antelopes are brought back to the cubs and released so they can chase and catch them. Unlike most other cats, the cheetah usually hunts during daylight, preferring early morning or early evening, but is also active on moonlit nights.
Cheetahs do not roar like lions, but they purr, hiss, whine and growl. They also make a variety of contact calls, the most common is a birdlike chirping sound.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
White Rhino
Via Flickr:
The white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
The next leg of the journey...
And I'm back again after a short break...
It has been a busy few days, due to which I didn't get the time to write. Where did I stop? Oh yes, at seeing a familiar face at the Abu Dhabi airport. That was Koushik C, a very talented percussionist whose talent I admire. We chatted for about 5 mins, after which he headed towards the lounge while I proceeded to do the mandatory window shopping at the airport. For me window shopping at the airport means going to wherever the cameras are :). After enjoying looking at some camera lenses, I too went to the lounge and sat in front of the famour fruit screen "Apple". It was a very slow connection, but someone just managed to open fb and write my previous blog post, which I then sent to my other half so that she could post it for me.
After a long wait there, it was time for me to start the second half of my journey. As I stood in the queue for immigration checking, an elderly lady came to me and asked if check-in had started. I said no, it's not. She was a lovely lady, very caring. By way of conversation, she started asking me where I am from. I replied, "India", and she told me that she is from South Africa. She then wanted to know why I would come to South Africa for work and leave my wife behind. She wasn't too convinced when I told her that I was there only for a week. She was asking me questions like, "What sort of work is that???" It took me a while to convince her that I was certainly going there only for a week!!! Towards the end of the conversation, the subject turned to technology and she was complaining about new technologies, "especially smartphones" and how complicated it is. Boy, am I glad that I didn't tell her that I work in IT!
The next flight was exactly the same, so much so that it was even the same seat number 9A, so I am not going to bore you with it here. However, there was one thing that I will write about. When the air hostess came to me and asked me if I wanted any newspapers, I began going through the pile of papers that she had. She suggested a paper which she said is the best and that I should try it, so then I thought why not, and got that one. I put my seat in relax mode and opened the newspaper (If anybody looked at me at that moment, they would surely have thought that I am some sort of business magnate!). The newspaper turned out NOT to be as good as she said it was. Well, no paper is good or useful if the language is one that you don't understand!!! It was a local African newspaper! I just went through the pictures, and then tried to get some sleep, but 2 hours was all that I could manage. I somehow managed to pass the hours till the plane started to descend.
I opened the window and got my first glimpse of Johannesburg, my destination. It was such a pretty view! It was lots of mountainous terraine, but with lots of green as well. It looked like the weather was pleasant as well. One thing that caught my eyes was that many farms were in circles, and that too exactly geometrically right circles! It looked like the work of aliens. I was quite curious about why they were in circles, and not square or rectangular. Even more interesting was that some of them were multicoloured. Even better from a photographer's point of view, except for the fact that I could not get up to get my camera as we had to be strapped in! Aaaarghhh! As we landed, I continued to yearn for my camera when I saw the runway art (which is what I call it. There was some patchwork done on the runway which looked like modern artwork).
Anyway, we landed, and there was a scramble for the bags. I grabbed my camera bag and started walking towards immigration. But then, it seemed like there was some race going, as everyone jostled and were walking extremely fast. So then what did I do - I too did the same (When in Rome do as the Romans do, right?). I had taken loads of documents with me, as I wasn't sure what kind of officials to expect at the immigration. But I got a very pleasant welcome from the officer. All she did was ask me the purpose of my visit. When I said official, she said ok, thank you, and I had officially immigrated! Happy days!
I then collected my luggage and outside the airport, started searching for my pick up. There he was, Stephen, standing there with a board with my name on it. As Stephen took me to my hotel, I was getting my first impression of the city. It looks great! Looks like a fast developing economy, great roads, nice highways, nice infrastructure and lots of BMWs and Mercedes' on the roads....Looking forward to seeing what the next few days are like...
So then, till next time...
It has been a busy few days, due to which I didn't get the time to write. Where did I stop? Oh yes, at seeing a familiar face at the Abu Dhabi airport. That was Koushik C, a very talented percussionist whose talent I admire. We chatted for about 5 mins, after which he headed towards the lounge while I proceeded to do the mandatory window shopping at the airport. For me window shopping at the airport means going to wherever the cameras are :). After enjoying looking at some camera lenses, I too went to the lounge and sat in front of the famour fruit screen "Apple". It was a very slow connection, but someone just managed to open fb and write my previous blog post, which I then sent to my other half so that she could post it for me.
After a long wait there, it was time for me to start the second half of my journey. As I stood in the queue for immigration checking, an elderly lady came to me and asked if check-in had started. I said no, it's not. She was a lovely lady, very caring. By way of conversation, she started asking me where I am from. I replied, "India", and she told me that she is from South Africa. She then wanted to know why I would come to South Africa for work and leave my wife behind. She wasn't too convinced when I told her that I was there only for a week. She was asking me questions like, "What sort of work is that???" It took me a while to convince her that I was certainly going there only for a week!!! Towards the end of the conversation, the subject turned to technology and she was complaining about new technologies, "especially smartphones" and how complicated it is. Boy, am I glad that I didn't tell her that I work in IT!
The next flight was exactly the same, so much so that it was even the same seat number 9A, so I am not going to bore you with it here. However, there was one thing that I will write about. When the air hostess came to me and asked me if I wanted any newspapers, I began going through the pile of papers that she had. She suggested a paper which she said is the best and that I should try it, so then I thought why not, and got that one. I put my seat in relax mode and opened the newspaper (If anybody looked at me at that moment, they would surely have thought that I am some sort of business magnate!). The newspaper turned out NOT to be as good as she said it was. Well, no paper is good or useful if the language is one that you don't understand!!! It was a local African newspaper! I just went through the pictures, and then tried to get some sleep, but 2 hours was all that I could manage. I somehow managed to pass the hours till the plane started to descend.
I opened the window and got my first glimpse of Johannesburg, my destination. It was such a pretty view! It was lots of mountainous terraine, but with lots of green as well. It looked like the weather was pleasant as well. One thing that caught my eyes was that many farms were in circles, and that too exactly geometrically right circles! It looked like the work of aliens. I was quite curious about why they were in circles, and not square or rectangular. Even more interesting was that some of them were multicoloured. Even better from a photographer's point of view, except for the fact that I could not get up to get my camera as we had to be strapped in! Aaaarghhh! As we landed, I continued to yearn for my camera when I saw the runway art (which is what I call it. There was some patchwork done on the runway which looked like modern artwork).
Anyway, we landed, and there was a scramble for the bags. I grabbed my camera bag and started walking towards immigration. But then, it seemed like there was some race going, as everyone jostled and were walking extremely fast. So then what did I do - I too did the same (When in Rome do as the Romans do, right?). I had taken loads of documents with me, as I wasn't sure what kind of officials to expect at the immigration. But I got a very pleasant welcome from the officer. All she did was ask me the purpose of my visit. When I said official, she said ok, thank you, and I had officially immigrated! Happy days!
I then collected my luggage and outside the airport, started searching for my pick up. There he was, Stephen, standing there with a board with my name on it. As Stephen took me to my hotel, I was getting my first impression of the city. It looks great! Looks like a fast developing economy, great roads, nice highways, nice infrastructure and lots of BMWs and Mercedes' on the roads....Looking forward to seeing what the next few days are like...
So then, till next time...
Monday, October 29, 2012
The journey continues...
Finally, after a long (and I mean really long - I reached the airport 3 hours early and finished checking in in half an hour!) wait at Dublin airport, we were asked to board the flight. On the way I noticed 2 very cute kids, a boy and a girl. The big sister was trying to look after her little brother. It looked so cute that I felt like taking out my camera and capturing the scene. That's when I heard a call, "Sarah, are you OK there?" from their mom, who was pulling a pram and 2 small pieces of baggage. Big sis gave an interesting answer, "Yes Mom, I'm fine. But Danny is not pulling his baggage fast enough!" Girls huh! Mom apologised to me for the traffic block posed by the two little ones. I smiled and said, "It's ok."
I speeded up and on the flight, was greeted by a pretty Asian lady. Normally when I get into the plane, I am usually told to take a right and go somewhere deep down inside, pretty much somewhere near the tail. So it felt really nice to be told to take a left (the advantages of going on a company sponsored business trip) to seat no. 9A. The little cabin around the seat was to be my world for the next 8 hours.
I had hardly gotten seated when an air hostess came to me and asked me if I needed anything to drink - I could choose between champagne, freshly squeezed orange juice and carrot juice. I chose the orange juice (Aha! I know you were expecting the champagne, right?). She brought me the orange juice, and it was freshly squeezed, like she mentioned, not the one from the carton that I used to get when travelling in economy.
I started thinking about how money creates barriers between people. While on the ground, people pay big money for big houses, whereas up in the air, they did the same for a 6 feet long space. Even though those travelling in economy paid a good chunk of their incomes to travel someplace, they usually have to travel in cramped spaces. Also, was there such a difference that those in economy got juice from cartons and in business class get it freshly squeezed? Was that all the value that the airline company gave me when I travelled in economy?
I was waiting for the entertainment system to be turned on so that I could watch some movies, but then must have accidentally hit some button, as my chair suddenly started vibrating, and that too in strange areas! (Don't get weird ideas my friends!) That's when I noticed that the chair was a massaging chair that does good massages for your upper and lower body. Hmm...interesting! I hadn't come across that on any of my previous business trips. However, I felt that that was not required. As the flight was turbulent at times (though not too turbulent), all passengers would certainly have gotten some kind of massage/shaken up feel!
As I slowly settled down, an air hostess sat down at the entrance to my cabin and started asking questions like she knew me for a long time. She was talking about climates, what kind of climate she likes, what she drinks, etc, but all my attention was centred on my stomach which was growling. I asked her, "Please could I get some food?" So then she took the order and pleasantly walked by. I then looked out of the window as the flight took off, and WOW! It looked beautiful! I felt like millions of candles had been lit, wishing me all the very best and a safe journey. I tried to take a photo with my phone. It didn't come out very good, but I did sort of capture the soul of the scene.
I then watched a couple of movies and tried to sleep for a while, but for some reason, sleep evaded me. To be honest, I was not feeling tired. That was strange. Probably I was excited about the journey, or it was quite more probable that I was excited about this new endeavour to write about the journey! :)
After many hours, the Captain announced that we were going to land and to please make sure that our windows were open. I opened my window to see us surrounded by a sea of white cotton, and as we descended, patches of emerald sea could be seen through the cloud. No words will be sufficient to describe the real beauty of this wonderful world...
After the flight landed at Abu Dhabi, I collected my hand baggage and just thought I would turn around and look at my fellow passengers. Hey, there was a familiar face! I was so happy to see a person I knew...
To be continued...
Sunday, October 28, 2012
A journey....
"Put that bag in the boot"... and so my journey began. That was the welcoming tone from Gerard, my taxi driver to the airport. I couldn't help wondering that if this is the way I was being greeted, then how would the next 30-40 minutes that I would spend in his taxi be. But I put that aside as I looked at the piece of my heart that I was leaving behind. I could see the sadness in her eyes which I am sure she could see mirrored in mine. But somehow we both managed to hand over a great high definition smile and said bye for a week.
As soon as the taxi started the driver asked me, "Is your girl is not coming with you?" I felt like telling him that I wished she could join me, but that it was not possible at this time, but then just said No, with a sad face. As Gerry took out his parking card to exit the Square Shopping Centre parking lot, he apologised for asking me to put the bag in the boot. He then went on to explain that he had apparently been stopped many times by the Garda while carrying passengers for having passengers carrying their bags in the front, and so he didn't want to get into any trouble. It was a big relief to hear that, and the next half an hour in his car didn't look painful any more! I gave him a BIG smile in reply and told him that I was hesitant to leave the bag in the trunk as it contained my camera. The sweet Gerry understood my passion and asked me for my visiting card. Thus, the guy who I thought was going to be trouble became my friend. We lost no time in discussing how we thought we could solve all the issues that the world currently faces. Though I didn't realise it at the time, thinking back on it, that was exactly what we were doing! It is funny how you can just hit it off with a stranger who shares the same interests, and it feels like you have known each other for a long time. Anyway, we reached the airport. Gerry asked me if I knew the terminal that I had to go to. Honestly, I didn't have a clue. On looking around, I saw my flight name on a board against T2, so with the utmost confidence, told him terminal 2. I'm pretty sure though that he understood that I didn't know the answer... :)
So here I am sitting Terminal 2 gate 410 waiting for my flight to Johannesburg for a business trip and writing this blog. This is the first time that I am writing a blog. A question that you might have is - why do you want to write now, why do you want to kill the readers like this??? To be frank, I am not really sure. I have always liked to write, but laziness always got in the way!!! (Doesn't it always!). I hope to continue to write at least for the duration of this journey, and share my experience with you. Ciao for now.............will continue.
As soon as the taxi started the driver asked me, "Is your girl is not coming with you?" I felt like telling him that I wished she could join me, but that it was not possible at this time, but then just said No, with a sad face. As Gerry took out his parking card to exit the Square Shopping Centre parking lot, he apologised for asking me to put the bag in the boot. He then went on to explain that he had apparently been stopped many times by the Garda while carrying passengers for having passengers carrying their bags in the front, and so he didn't want to get into any trouble. It was a big relief to hear that, and the next half an hour in his car didn't look painful any more! I gave him a BIG smile in reply and told him that I was hesitant to leave the bag in the trunk as it contained my camera. The sweet Gerry understood my passion and asked me for my visiting card. Thus, the guy who I thought was going to be trouble became my friend. We lost no time in discussing how we thought we could solve all the issues that the world currently faces. Though I didn't realise it at the time, thinking back on it, that was exactly what we were doing! It is funny how you can just hit it off with a stranger who shares the same interests, and it feels like you have known each other for a long time. Anyway, we reached the airport. Gerry asked me if I knew the terminal that I had to go to. Honestly, I didn't have a clue. On looking around, I saw my flight name on a board against T2, so with the utmost confidence, told him terminal 2. I'm pretty sure though that he understood that I didn't know the answer... :)
So here I am sitting Terminal 2 gate 410 waiting for my flight to Johannesburg for a business trip and writing this blog. This is the first time that I am writing a blog. A question that you might have is - why do you want to write now, why do you want to kill the readers like this??? To be frank, I am not really sure. I have always liked to write, but laziness always got in the way!!! (Doesn't it always!). I hope to continue to write at least for the duration of this journey, and share my experience with you. Ciao for now.............will continue.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
red wattled lapwing
Via Flickr:
It has characteristic loud alarm calls which are variously rendered as did he do it or pity to do it leading to colloquial names like the did-he-do-it bird.
www.facebook.com/sachinvijayanphotography
Monday, September 24, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
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