Range Rover or pick up truck?

It was one of those weird dreams again. 

I am not much fond of SUVs. Okay, correction: I am fond of SUVs backed by a multitude of thoughts. I like small cars because, I believe, I have better control over them. Probably, I like them because they are self sufficient, get you around, don't consume as much fuel and my middle class upbringing has never harvested realistic dreams of buying luxury cars. Luxurious vacations, yes: like tasting fine wines across the world, attending the Belgian beer fest, taking a vacation to Bora Bora among others but it's never been buying a super luxury car. I fell in love with the open convertible BMW at 23. Sometime back, I loved the BMW X1 but now I think of the style as slightly compressed in height. These days, I tend to notice every passing SUV from Yeti that's over priced to Duster that holds decent appeal. I like the Maruti Ertiga, an excellent family car, again dictated by my middle class mentality and ease of service stations in India. I was telling my mum the other day, "Next car, either in another country or when another new house comes up."

Luxury dreams?

So, it was kind of a shocking surprise when I dreamt that I had picked up a white Range Rover for myself. I had parked it at work and on my return it was even more shockingly converted into a white pick up truck. One of my colleagues, who I haven't seen in my life ever before, asked me, "So, this is your truck?" I said "Yes", flabbergasted over my own choice of vehicle. But suddenly, the truck drove away by itself and hidden behind was a SUV that looked like a RANGE ROVER, waiting for me. It looked taller though. Weird dreams get a whole new dimension, right?

Hmm...

But someday, I would buy an SUV and it won't be just for myself but 'us': a lover, our kids and our dogs. That suddenly won't seem exorbitant, would it now?

Are flamingos snoots?

On February 24, I made the very coveted excursion to Kumbhargoan, Bhigwan, a conscious decision after my first visit to Diksal lake around the same vicinity. Aloha joined me. His better half was kind to pack us some lovely breakfast and lunch that was enjoyed en route and return journey.

The Pune-Solapur highway is sleek, although, I miscalculated the travel time and didn't reach by 7 am. I wished to photograph the birds in the golden light of dawn. Nevertheless, I was mesmerized by the green fields and the species of birds that inhabitated the water bodies during this period of time.

As I clicked photos, I noticed that flamingos didn't mingle with the other species. Grey herons, painted storks, egrets, ibis' hung out together but flamingos were found in far corners away from all these. However, what they lacked in inter-species networking, they made up in team effort. Once they decide to take flight, the entire flock clears space within minutes a few far kilometers away from the cameras that are hoping to get closer and closer.

I wish to shoot the birds during dusk and dawn. Hopefully later this year again!