The last seven or so posts have come from the very wonderful Thattekad Bird Sanctuary in the Western Ghats, Kerala (as will the next three or four), and a week here was well spent to say the least, allowing us to take it easy and soak up the local flora, fauna and culture at the perfect pace.
The fact we were able to do so was entirely due to our basecamp - Jungle Bird Homestay - within the reserve itself, occupied by four generations of the same lovely family (two of whom were very into their birds), with quality birding from the balcony and beyond, great company, mouth-watering home-cooked food, and in an idyllic setting that's hard to beat.
We made good friends here, too - as well as our host family, we spent quality time with two other birding couples, Faith & Tom, and Barbara & Andrew (thanks for your company guys), and Sudeesh, a very gifted and passionate local bird guide (more of him in the forthcoming Munnar post). We can't recommend the place enough - see the website for more details.
Sudah - an amazing woman with a life story that's worthy of a book - and many fine hours were spent chewing the cud or birding together
more bird shots from Thattekad to follow....
