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Flamingo Diaries

A Travel and Lifestyle blog by Bhavya Vatrapu

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Flamingo Diaries
Chadva Rakhal is private forest about a 30 min dri Chadva Rakhal is private forest about a 30 min drive from Bhuj town near Samatra village. The forest belongs to Maharao (the last king of the Kutch kingdom). The wildlife here is limited to a few leopards, Neel gais, several birds- both resident and seasonal guests, crocodiles that often take a sunbath in the Pragsar lake and a few horses here and there. If not the leopards, its easy to spot a few Neel gai’s amidst the sparsely spread bavad trees and the crocodiles chilling in the Pragsar lake . . . . An excerpt from the recent blog post. It is one of the hidden gems of Gujarat! Link in bio. Go read 😅 . . . . #gujarattourism #indiapictures #storiesofindia #iggramming_india #yourshot_india #indianblogger #indiaculturalhub #worldnomads #beautifulmatters #triptocommunity #travelblogger
Earlier this year I met a traveler from France and Earlier this year I met a traveler from France and I bragged about how much I loved Paris.... he remained silent, took a deep breath he said ''yeah its a great city, but over-tourism is making it difficult for locals to stay in the city''. He also explained how negatively tourism impacts the locals. That conversation caught my mind for the next few days of research. The social media wave and the cheap carriers made the world a smaller place. But should we travel just because we can without thinking about the impacts? That is where responsible travel comes into the picture! . While not using plastic bottles, taking public transport and not littering are the basics, responsible travel goes far beyond. one of the most important things is choosing a responsible stay that is eco-friendly, works towards promoting culture and enhancing the lives of locals . For everybody who is asking me how I search for unique and authentic stay options, I keep the above-mentioned criteria while doing my research. This year has been wonderful in those ways. Closed my 2019 travel diary at @bhujhouse one of its kind locally run homestay in Bhuj, Kutch district. Have a lot of stories to tell. Blog posts coming soon 🙂 . How are you spending these last few days of the year? . . #onemoreyeardown #travelblogger #gapyearindia #gujarattourism #kutchdiaries #bhujcity
It's been such a hectic month of long journeys! En It's been such a hectic month of long journeys! Ending the year by taking a break to pause and reflect! . So important to slow down, tie those loose ends, appreciate where we've reached and the lessons throughout, find out what the soul is longing for and celebrate life, for so many blessings we take for granted! Happy holidays, Merry Christmas and cheers to another new year full of opportunities! 🌏❄🎄♥ . . . . . #merrychristmas #travelblogger #wanderlust #dametraveler #gujarattourism #kutchdiaries
Dealing with mental health during the times of unr Dealing with mental health during the times of unrest and political emergencies becomes even more difficult with social media! just writing what helps me during times like this . 1. Try to educate yourself as much as possible . 2. Don't believe everything on the internet unless its from a trusted source. These times are very fragile and often taken advantage of (not in a good way). Now trusted or verified sources may vary for person to person. It can be a journalist you know of, who always stood for the right things, an expert or veteran in that specific field, a publication or a media house who is neutral to the political parties....claps when something good is done and criticises when something is not done right! (difficult to find but not impossible) . 3. Respect and understand that other person's opinions need not be same as yours! Do not create negativity by posting harsh comments or try to force your ideas on them and become restless when they disagree . 4. A healthy debate with an open mind is great to get perspectives. But if the other person is not sensible, attacks you without any logic just because they think they are right...then smile, say 'okay' and move on. don't let that affect you . 5. Also remember straining relationships/ losing friends or acquaintances over dirty politics is not worth it! . . . . #staycalm #stayunited #mytwocents
Bhujodi village taught me that "Magnificence is ha Bhujodi village taught me that "Magnificence is handcrafted" . . . . . . #handloom #artisans #respect #craftsvillage #travelblogger #gujarattourism #kutch #kutchdiaries #kutchiembroidery #incredibleindia #goodshotz @triptocommunity #worldnomads #natgeoindia
Her eloquent eyes turned ferocious as she vividly Her eloquent eyes turned ferocious as she vividly translated injustice happening to women and social inequalities into a language of hand gestures (mudras), eye movements and emotions. It was more than a mere substitute to the language of words we speak; the raw outpour of emotion tugs on your heart . Just when I was about to tear up, she shifted to expressing how women are also worshiped as a Goddess/Devi (which coincidentally happens to be her name) . Kathakali is an ancient art form- half mime and half drama. It is more than just a traditional dance form, it’s a way to bring social issues, challenging circumstances, human values, spirituality and history to light on stage. Kathakali plays are windows into the artist’s soul . . An excerpt from my recent blog post. Link in bio. Give it some love. It deserves your time I promise 🙂 . . . . . #keralaatitsbest #meaningfultravel #slowtravel #offbeatkerala #passionpassport #travelblogger #goodshotz #flamingodiaries
Unfortunately, our education didn’t come with a Unfortunately, our education didn’t come with a safety tag! What can we do as educated women? We rant, we ruin our sleep, sign some useless petitions, post on social media, do protests, join candle marches, wipe our tears and move on 😪 This has become the bloody cycle of our lives! This helplessness has become the new normal! . . As women, we cannot afford to take a break from protecting ourselves or not being careful! Not even for a day not even for an hour. Despite that, cruel things like this happen! What else can we do to be careful? . . #killtherapists #educateboysinstead #betapadhao #betibachao
What are you thankful for? . I am thankful to my f What are you thankful for? . I am thankful to my family and friends who are always there for me no matter what! . Thankful to this life that I live on my own terms (well mostly 😅😉) . Thankful to the good health, laughter, wisdom, personal growth and 100 other things which I take for granted! . Happy Thanksgiving to you all ☺️ . . . . . . #thanksgiving #happythanksgivng #beautifulmatters #goodshotz #igramming_india #indiantraveller #lifeinindia #indiaculturehub #indiaclicks #kerala #godsowncountry @keralatourism #travelblogger
In Velinezhi village most people don’t know what In Velinezhi village most people don’t know what is Instagram! Even most of the teenagers don't have this app on their phones! My opinion on this?? Not fair! I mean not fair to the rest of us 😉 . . . . . #olapamannamana #keraladiaries #godsowncountry #triptocommunity @keralatourism #travelblogger #coolestplacestostay #goodshotz #tripadvisor #worldnomads #offbeatkerala #lostwithpurpose
The other day I posted a Rant on my stories about The other day I posted a Rant on my stories about how I was the only female photographer with a bunch of professional photographers at Kalpathy rathotsavam 🤓 . On the positive side, I always got to sit in the verandahs of local houses while the guys stood in the hot sun waiting for the procession to start. The agraharam women were very generous to me, offered coffee and munchies as and shared their memories about how this festival re-unites their family every year. One family also offered to take me to their terrace to get a better view of the festival while the guys struggled with their 10 feet tall tripods. . . . . Being a woman in this country has some privileges and sweet gestures from strangers! . . . . . #kalapathyratholsavam #kerala #womantraveler #indianwomantraveller #travelblogger #keralatourism #godsowncountry #goodshotz #natgeoindia #triptocommunity
Okay, my Malayalam is bad, but I've always believe Okay, my Malayalam is bad, but I've always believed that smile is a universal language until today!! 🤔 . A couple of days back I had a chat with a group of women aged about 55-60 at the Festival. They also happened to be my host's neighbors. The first few questions were, where was I from, what I do, etc which I answered to my best ability.....later it went out of control, I didn't quite understand what they were asking...I smiled and nodded as if I understood. . From yesterday onwards, whenever I meet them or encounter them in the village they give me a mischievous smile or a teasing laugh. Guess I did it all wrong by nodding to things I am not supposed to 🙈 . Now I don't know how to undo that. Any suggestions? 🙏🏻 . . . . . #kerala #keralagram #godsowncountry #keralagallery #keralatourism #goodshotz #incredibleindia #travelblogger #indiantraveller
What do you do on days when you feel less motivate What do you do on days when you feel less motivated? Me: Read old books to feel content, wear pretty flowers and cheer up! . . . . . . . . #littlethings #joy #travelblogger #instagood #goodshotz #eatpraylove
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