Yet another addition to my backpack is Eee pc. Its so small and light that I can carry it anywhere like a regular notebook.

Its 900gms with 4gb hd and 512 mb ram. The default OS is Xandros with KDE. It has all required software installed except scite (thats my default text editor). My usb modem is not working yet. The Xandros doesn’t have wvdial installed. I need to install it.

It has 3 usb, one ethernet, wifi and memory card reader. The touch pad is not very sensitive it lags. The keyboard is small but enough for me.

All in all its worth 16k. We will have to wait until I complete my europe trip to get field results.

I am usually a backpacker hence i don’t carry many things while traveling. But there are few of those that I cant miss.

1. Digital Camera : is number one on my list. I don’t have to give reasons right?

2. Mobile with camera and browser: I usually carry my k750i which can act us my quick (or back up) camera. The camera of k750i is pretty decent. Won’t believe? check these pictures from streets Kolkatta. I also use my mobile to keep in touch with friends and family. You might think thats an obvious function of mobile. But when I am traveling I avoid making more than one call per day and usually keep in touch with friends using internet. Hence good browser/apps is necessary. I use opera mini and some Java applications. Read the rest of this entry »

I was doubtful till the last minute about the weather. Unseasonal rains pouring in and around Bangalore were the main cause for my worries. But thankfully weather was on our side till the last minute. We started quite early reaching the Kamat Lokruchi by 9. Our target was to reach Melkote by 10, which we achieved.

Lake on the way to Melkote

Melukote (map: 12.65,76.67) in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka, is one of the sacred places in Karnataka. The place is also known as Thirunarayanapuram. It is built on rocky hills known as Yadavagiri or Yadugiri overlooking the Cauvery valley. It is about 30 miles from Mysore and 97 miles from Bangalore.

Route: From Bangalore after Mandya on Mysore state highway take a right turn after Mandya town. Its around 20kms from the highway. The roads are pretty decent.

There are two temples at Melkote. Yoganarasimha swami temple on the top of the hill and Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple.
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Ranganatittu is an outstanding bird sanctuary near mysore ( map of Bangalore to Ranganatittu). The water out of KRS forms tiny islands around 12 kms outside Mysore and these islands are the main breeding spot for birds.This Sunday morning we drove to Ranganatittu to shoot some birds. Here are some pictures from that photo shoot


I used regular Sony camera with 12x optical zoom. All the pictures were shot in sport mode. I am not sure if SLR would have made any difference. Please go through the pictures and give me your suggestions/comments.
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Yes, Its meeting the people during the travel which gives me kick. They are the best part of my travel life. Traveling alone gives you that rare chance of meeting strangers. Low cost student/youth hostels are the best place to catch other travelers. Its the best place to hear good stories at the cost of by two chai.

I met many on the road. A guy from England who was traveling alone in Asia taking off from his work. I met this high school teacher (don’t remember her name) from Finland in Udaipur. She introduced herself as the lady from land of Nokia. I had to tell her that I know Finland for a different reason! To my surprise she knew Linus and she started speaking about Indian IT personality who owns a big IT company in Bangalore. Being an Infoscion it was not difficult for me to guess . In Jaipur I met these two wonderful people on Govt bus stop. We traveled together the whole day. It was just pure fun to exchange our feels about each others nation (India, US and Italy). Read the rest of this entry »