Leopard at Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park

When I was in Gangtok during my recent trip to India, one of our stops was the Sikkim Himalayan Zoological Park. The park is known for its conservation efforts for the Red Panda. One of the animals that seemed to be awake that morning was the Leopard. He was exhibiting stereotypic behavior and pacing when we neared his enclosure.

He seemed to get a little interested in climbing the branch...and we were waiting to see what he was getting to...

But what does a really bored leopard do?

Find a really comfortable spot and remain bored :-(

July 4 Fireworks

We were in Milwaukee last weekend, as our anniversary / July 4 getaway. After a wonderful dinner with our friends at Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, we went to watch the fireworks by the lake. It was a long evening and the fireworks went on for almost an hour. We were pretty close to the action, by the Milwaukee Art Museum. Here are some of my favorite shots of the evening by Shankar, with the Burke Brise Soleil on the Quadracci pavillion in the front.

A night at the Marina Beach

Beaches are special places for me. I don't think I have ever missed an oppotunity to go stand in the waves. Growing up on the coast, Beach is right on top on the list of things I miss in Wisconsin. During this trip, I got to go to Marina Beach three times, and all my visits were when it was already dark! Having spent so much time on the beaches in Chennai, I can't recall being at the Marina late in the evening. Marina Beach, a must see place in Chennai, is an urban sandy beach, stretching for about 12 kms. These pictures were taken when I went there with my family one evening, much later than what we had planned. It was worth the delay to see the Bay of Bengal in moonlight :)

A Substitute for Amy

Blackie, adopted by my parents from the Blue Cross of India, was my substitute for Amy in India. I had the chance to thoroughly pamper this girl, and even got her to get down for a treat. Blackie cries (!!!) a lot when no one is home and contrary to a dog guarding the house, ours advertises when we are not there. She also has the weird habit of running around the house once when my mom or dad comes back home.. may be telling them that the house is still there?

Landing @ Chennai

I spent a month in India - mostly at Chennai, with one trip to Hyderabad and another to Calcutta & Gangtok. Missing my BA flight, due to the lack of a transit visa for changing planes in London, I managed to fly NorthWest, from Chicago to Amsterdam to Mumbai, and then to Chennai. Here's the landing!

Entering the city...

Race course at Guindy and the suburbs..

Touch Down! My house is on the other side of this hill...

Udhavum Karangal (Helping Hands)

My birthday was on June 9th. I was a feeling a bit lonely as Bala was in India, but she gave me the best birthday gift and I was extremely happy at the end of the day. She sponsored lunch for everyone & 1 year of education for a kid at Udhavum Karangal (Helping Hands) an orphanage in Chennai, India. Will upload pictures from that trip soon.

Pictures & Twitter

We have uploaded pictures from our wonderful Florida Trip in Picasa which you can access here or from the slideshow in the right pane of this blog. Also you can follow me @sankykrec in Twitter for more updates

Spring Break in Florida

Shankar and I got to spend five days of my much needed spring break in Florida - at the Everglades and Miami. Going from 35 degrees to 75 degrees was exactly what we needed after five long months of winter!