One goes to Kabini, the flagship resort of JLR, and one sees such a wealth of sightings that it leaves one breathless.

However, the fact remains that I was there on “work”..and so had taken the S3 and not KM’s nice 20D or the 300mm lens…and there were times when I sorely missed them both.

But one of the images I really loved was this one….

That’s the common HOUSE SPARROW,er, well, it used to be common, and is still to be seen around the outskirts of my city…I love these perky, chirpy birds; watching their behaviour used to while away a lot of my childhood time…

Have been having an extra hectic weekend; want time to ponder over the Golden Chariot experience, but not finding it. But some thoughts…

1. I like having an experience, and then having the time to mull over over and articulate my thoughts and views. I find it difficult to live life at a hectic pace. I love the luxury of time. So then…do I want a job, however enjoyable it may be, when it may mean curtailing of several activities which give me happiness? I also have the incredible luxury of having enough money (or at least the perception of enough money, which is what is better) not to need the job.

2. This trip has been a self-revelation to me. I have always been feeling constantly that I am a beginner still, at both birding/wildlife. But dealing with a busload, a boatload, and then a safari jeepload of tourists has made me realize that I have learnt a lot since the days when I wore the “wildlife tourist” shoes myself. I found that I do enjoy addressing a group of strangers, and using a combination of humour and information “Mango tree is Mangifera indica; Silk-cotton tree is Bombax indica; what sort of tree is Tata indica?” ). It was satisfying to be able to identify birds and mammals and talk a little about them. The culture/history part, too, is something I think I can do well. I realize that while self-comparison with more knowledgeable people will keep me learning, I must step back and occasionally and see how I am making steady progress on the road.

3. There is great satisfaction in knowing that my skills have resulted in my being offered a couple of jobs…whether I took/take them up or not. At 53, I did NOT expect that anyone would ever offer me jobs that are interesting and utilize my skills. What a difference from my parents’ generation, which was considered washed-up and ready for the morgue when they entered their fifties.

Oh, well, introspecting out loud, like Mr Hamlet and Mr Othello used to do (but using far easier English!)

Sigh, there are the posts on the Golden Chariot experience, the incredible sightings at Kabini, and the great interactions at the recent batch of the JLR Naturalists’ Training Program that I want to write, the pics to post to Flickr, another couple of articles to write, the QuizFamilies next-quiz details to take care of, and so the list goes….gah, I do NOT like having stuff backlogging like this…there is nothing nice about it, I suffer from piles..work-piles, that is!

Posts and photographs (some of them nice, please excuse the others, they will also be shamelessly posted) soon…