Treks and travels

Gujarat day 3: Rani ki Wav, Patan

2012-01-26T00:03:00.000+05:30

26 December 2011

From Modhera we started towards Patan in North Gujarat. This distance of about 35 km was quickly covered. On the outskirts of Patan we found a nice looking restaurant and we went for having lunch. The good served was good. One good thing (for me!!) in Gujarat is that it is highly vegetarian state. Majority of Hotels serve only pure vegetarian food. Jain food, which is a strict form of vegetarian food, is also found at many places.

Another striking difference of Gujarat against other states is the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol. The ban is in force from last 50 years. This was a way to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi who hailed from Gujarat. I also heard that there is death penalty for making and selling spurious liquor!! I am no expert to say whether alcohol ban is bad or we have limited the great leader to just one state!! But it is nice to see the roads free of drunkards shouting and falling into pits. People may still drink illegally but then they have to confine themselves behind the walls. And crime rate is said to be lower than other states.

Sorry for digression. Coming back to the main topic, Patan was the capital of Medieval Gujarat. An interesting point is that Mahmud Ghori was defeated by King of Gujarat. The King Raja Bhimdev Solanki II was very young and the army was commanded by his Mother Naikidevi. The defeat in 1178 AD was so heavy on Mahmud Ghori that he never returned to Gujarat. The King defeated Qutb al-din Aibek in 1197 AD.

Today, the main tourist attraction is the stepwell “Rani Ki Wav”. It is said to have been constructed by Udayamati, the queen of Bhimdeva-I in 11^th century AD. The Wav (Well) is about 64 meters long, 20 meters wide and 27 meters deep. It has a pillared multi-storeyed pavilion, a drawn well and a large tank for collection surplus water.

The ornamental work in the wav shows its architectural brilliance and elegance. There are beautifully carved sculptures of Mahishasura Madhini, Parvathi, Shiva, Vishnu etc.

But this beautiful piece of architecture was buried for centuries and has suffered damages. Till 1960’s nobody knew about its existence as the well was completely filled up except top.

ASI has done a great job in excavating and preserving this monument.

There is also a 30 km tunnel built that leads to Sidhpur town nearby. People are not allowed there and there is a high chance that it might be blocked after unused for several hundred years.

Patan is also famous for Patola sarees!!

From Patan, we started back to Ahmedabad 110 km away. We went to IIM-A where my college roommate Shiva stays. After a brief tour and dinner at the campus, we headed to the railway station. Rest of the trip would be in Saurastra!!

Gujarat day 3: Modhera Sun Temple

2012-01-20T01:21:00.000+05:30

26th December 2011

After breakfast, we left LRK and headed towards Modhera 50km away. The taxi this time moved faster and within an hour we were at the entrance of Modhera Sun Temple.

Modhera Sun Temple was built in 1026 AD by Bhimdev I of Solanki dynasty. It was time when Gujarat was under severe attacks from foreign forces led by Mahmud Ghazni. The Temple survived his attacks but finally destroyed by Allaunddin Khilji. But luckily enough of Temple is left to show its lost grandeur.

ASI has done a great job of maintaining the Temple. The great Temple looms large as you walk along the gardens in front of it. A huge step well is constructed in the front of the Temple. Known as Surya Kund, it is a large rectangular shaped well with amazing steps constructed. There are about 108 small Temples carved between these steps. Unfortunately the water in the tank is stale and green.

Two pillars stand isolated next to the tank.

Between the tank and the Temple are two huge ornamental arches called Toran.

The Temple itself is divided into two parts, Sabha Mantap and the Sactum. Sabha Mantap is the first part of the Temple. It is a hall with magnificently carved pillars. With entrance from all four side, it looks like the place was meant for discussions and resting. The carvings are intricate which depicts the epics of Mahabharatha and Ramayana.

The Main Temple is based on inverted lotus base plinth. It was designed in such a way so that rays of the sun on the day of equinox fell on the idol of the sun. It is said that the idol was made of pure gold of sun riding of chariot. Such things cannot escape from the hands of Mahmud Ghazni in those days. So, we do not see any gold idols now.

The Temple also has lot of erotic carvings.

Postscript:

When I visited Hanley (In my Ladakh trip) the only other tourists in the village were Ravi and his friend from Bhopal. And now while walking on the main path of Modehra Sun Temple, we meet again!! In Ladakh I was with my friends and he was with his friend. Now, we both visit Gujarat with our families and happen to see each other!! Statistically, chances of such rare “encounters” are almost zero. But what a co-incidence!!!! Needless to say both of us were pleasantly surprised.

Gujarat day 1 and 2: Little Rann of Kutch

2012-01-15T15:40:00.004+05:30

24th - 26th December 2011

Barring the seven sisters, Gujarat was the state that I had not seen in India. The enormous tourist potential of the state was realized as I started to plan the trip. It was impossible to plan for everything given that nine days time I had during Christmas. Hence only the places those were “close to my heart” were included in the itinerary!!

Travel to LRK (Little Rann of Kutch)

Our flight to Ahmedabad was delayed by nearly 1.5 hours. I was wondering whether our driver would vanish after waiting for so long. But luckily he was patiently waiting outside the airport. Our destination Zainabad at LRK was about 110km and I expected to cover in about 2 hours considering the good roads in Gujarat. Unnecessary delays creped in during our journey. We asked the driver to stop in a good hotel to have lunch. He stopped at a posh hotel who took a long time to serve food and also put a hole in the pocket!! Driver then stops to fill in the gas at the busiest fuel station. And finally both driver and the vehicle refused to go beyond 60km/hr!! But importantly it was a safe journey. We passed though the towns of Kalol, Kadi, Detroj and Dasada to reach the Desert Coursers camp at Zainabad. The sun was already at the horizon when we settled down in our rooms.

About LRK:

LRK is a salt marsh in the Kutch district of Gujarat. Spanning over a 4950 Sq km, it is also declared as a wildlife sanctuary. It is the only abode of Asiatic Wild Ass in India. Thanks to its lakes and marches, migratory birds come in huge numbers during winter.

Our trip:

The best way to enjoy LRK is to go on Safaris. In the morning, we went to a lake full of Flamingos. Though numbered in several thousand photographing them was difficult as they were all concentrated in the middle of the lake. The zoom of my camera was insufficient for them.

Common cranes were seen everywhere.

It is the landscape of LRK that mesmerizes everyone where plain marsh lands seen till the horizon.

One cannot miss the Wild Ass. There are in huge number and easily seen.

And so are the Nilgai.

A black shouldered kite seen on the way to LRK.

This part of Gujarat has “Kankrej” breed of cows. They are known for their big horns.

While I was photographing the landscape, my daughter silently slips into the grasses!!

LRK is the place for salt panning activities. The salt water is fed into the artificially created ponds. The water evaporates leaving out the salt in the pond for harvesting. When we visited one of the fields, the last rays of light of setting sun was falling on these ponds.

One day, two beaches

2012-01-08T23:24:00.000+05:30

10 November 2011

One early morning, we headed towards a secluded beach. Finding the route was difficult as there were no sign boards. As I stopped my car at the edge of a hill, the splashing of waves could be heard. We had walk down a few hundred meters to reach the beach.

It is a beach formed between two mountains. The beach itself may be few hundred meters wide. A village of about 4-5 houses is just next to the beach. It left me wondering why “investors” have not yet ventured into such a beautiful area. It is good that this area has not seen such people!!

Unlike other places, villagers have made sure that the beach remains clean. Thanks to its seclusion, this beach is visited by very few people. The only sound heard was of the waters and the chirping of birds.

The same evening we were at one of the “happening” beaches of the area, the “OM beach”. The beach has derived this name as its shape is like Sanskrit letter”OM”.

The rocks at the beach provide a nice place to sit and relax. The sunset there was a treat to watch.

Savadatti fort

2012-01-02T16:48:00.000+05:30

8th October 2011

Savadatti (or Saundatti) is more famous as a religious destination. The Yellamma Temple here attracts a lot of religious people from North Karnataka and Maharashtra. A lesser visited place is the Fort situated inside the town.

According to the information available, this fort was built by Jayappa Desai of Navalgund Sirasangi Samsthan in between 1743-51. The fort was later taken over by Hyder Ali of Mysore. In spite of its age the fort is well maintained. The strong outer walls give a special attraction to the fort.

Inside the fort is a children play area and a garden. The Kadasiddheshwara Temple is at the center of the fort. One needs to climb several steps to get into the Temple. The Savadatti town can be viewed from the top.

We can also walk on top of the outer wall of the fort and see the views at various angles. There were hardly any people when we visited the place thus offering the solitude from the crowded town of Savadatti.

Savadatti is about 85km from Belagavi and 37km from Dharwad.

Hooli

2011-12-23T12:39:00.000+05:30

8th October 2011

Hooli is a small village in Belagavi district which is about 10km from the religious place of Savadatti. It was once a great place of learning and art. It was a site of nearly 100 Temples!! That is history. Most of these Temples were looted, destroyed or neglected. All that remains now is Panchalingeshwara Temple which is well maintained by ASI. All other Temples are in ruins.

The Panchalingeshwara Temple was a welcome respite in the dusty village of Hooli. As mentioned earlier, it is well maintained Temple complex. As the name suggests, the Tempe has five garba gruhas.

The Temple complex also has a sort of museum where the sculptures restored are kept for public viewing.

The gate keeper of the Temple seemed to be knowledgeable about the history of Hooli. He gave a good description of the Temple and also listed other Temples and places to see. On hearing it, we felt that it was not a good idea to just plan little less than an hour for Hooli. Anyway, weather was hot and we were extremely hungry. I was tempted to visit few of the ruined Temples that were spread across the base of a mountain. But he mentioned that there is nothing to see there and “you have to close your nose” to reach those Temples at the base of the hill.

So, we went to the lake from which we could see a lot of Temples in ruins. Looking at the glory of Panchalingeshwara Temple, this place would have been one of the great historical site if all other Temples were intact (or restored).

There is also a fort near Hooli. But sadly we had not planned for it and the heat and hunger was taking a toll on us. So, we did not visit them. Hooli is a little known place but definitely worth a visit for its Temples.

Navilu Theertha

2011-12-17T10:21:00.000+05:30

8th October 2011

This place turned out to be an exceptionally great place. Initially, we had no plans of going to Navilu Theertha where Malaprabha Dam is constructed. All along the way from Sogala->Munavalli->Savadatti we were seeing the backwaters of the dam. And then we came to know that the dam is very near to the main road we were travelling. “Why not just look into the place” we thought.

Next to the board “Welcome to Malaprabha dam” was a board “Entry restricted”!! Completely confused I asked a local guy whether normal people like us can enter the place. After his affirmative reply, we entered into the gate. The dam was still a km away and we were still seeing the boards “private vehicles restricted” and “No entry” boards. Being a law abiding citizen(!) I stopped my car thinking the next course of action. And then a private bus full of tourists passes ahead leaving a cloud of smoke on us!! I promptly followed the bus. I feel that the Government departments get some satisfaction by putting such nonsense boards.

But the flower garden at Navilu Theertha was simply great!! Kudos to people who have maintained it so well. My kid loved it and was we. We spent a good amount of time seeing those beautiful flowers.

Visitors are not allowed to go to Malaprabha dam but they can see it from the top. The dam is constructed at a place where the river from the plain enters into a gorge.

One of the gates of the dam was opened which gave a different perspective of the surroundings.

A nice place to spend time!!

Sogala

2011-12-11T12:00:00.000+05:30

8th October 2011

The beauty of Sogala lies in its approach. After travelling for a long time on plain land, the view of the hills come as a respite. And a waterfall suddenly appears as we enter the Sogala village. A pool as large as a lake is formed at the base of the waterfall. It was much more than expected and we were positively surprised. We started from Belagavi in the morning and had to reach Dharwad by evening. A nonstop journey would just take an hour and hence we decided to take a detour and visit nearby places.

For people who are not aware of this place, Sogala is a religious destination in Belagavi district. It is famous for its Temple the prime being the Someshwara Temple. It is at a distance of about 60km from Belagavi via Hire Bagevadi and Bailahongala.

Coming back to our trip, our joy of seeing the falls was short-lived. The filth of this place was revealed as we got down and went near the pool. It was sad to see people using this place for attending nature calls. People were least perturbed that it was a religious site. We then decided to look at the Temples. Since the Temples were located on the hills we started climbing the nicely paved steps. As expected, the views from the top were nice. The Renuka Sagar backwaters (Malaprabha dam) could be seen.

But unfortunately the place is maintained badly. It was filled with leftovers of previous day feast. We could not manage to stay there for long. A small waterfall lies on the top of the hill which is used by devotees to take bath. A deer park is also maintained in the complex.

Sogala has all the potential of being a nice place if maintained well.

Amboli

2011-12-03T17:52:00.000+05:30

5th - 7th October 2011

Amboli is a hill station in Sawanthawadi district of Maharashtra. Being close to Belagavi (70km) it attracts lot of tourists from North Karnataka region. Amboli is famous for its waterfalls and viewpoints. While monsoon is the best time to visit when waterfalls are in full, the post monsoon season provides some nice views.

A plan was hatched to visit Amboli and nearby areas during Navarathri. Hotel booking were made in advance to avoid last minute tensions. The drive from Bengaluru to Belagavi was uneventful. It took me 6 hours to cover the distance of 500km. That includes a break of one hour for breakfast at Chitradurga and refueling at Ranebennur. Not a bad timing for Indian roads. Thanks to Golden Quadrilateral. After having an early lunch in Belagavi we headed towards Amboli. Very soon we entered into Maharashtra. The difference is easily noticeable!! No more English boards. Even the numbers are written in Marathi. But road quality was same as in Karnataka.

The distance from Belagavi to Amboli is about 70 km which took us 2 hours to cover. Being at the beginning of the Western Ghats, Amboli resembles more like Agumbe in many aspects. The highway and few building on either side of it make this place. The silence is shattered by occasional sound of vehicles passing on the highway. I had made a prior booking in MTDC hotel. It turned out to be a good choice. It is a simple resort with nice rooms and gardens.

The long journey of 580 km had made us tired and we took some much needed rest. In the evening we visited Mahadevgad view point. It is about 3 km from the main road though dense forests. The place was completely empty. Steps are constructed to the edge of the cliff. It provides a nice view of the plains below and the forests of Western Ghats. It formed a perfect evening to spend. With no soul around the place was for us. We liked that isolation!! My daughter started running all around making us run behind her. But when I took to the edge of the cliff she was scared!!

As we departed back, the entire area was covered by mist. It remained so for the remaining of the night. Being Navarathi time, Dandiya was played in a nearby Temple. We spent some time watching it.

On the next day we visited Kavlesad view point. The road from the main road passes though area filled with flowers. In spite of long weekend, there were no visitors. This view point turned to be much more beautiful than I had imagined. It provides a complete view of the valley. Several waterfalls can be seen on both sides of the valley. This must be am amazing place during monsoon. Even during the month of October I could spot eight waterfalls!! This was something that I had not seen elsewhere. My daughter decides to spend a long time playing in a nearby stream.

We then came back to the main road and proceeded further towards Nangartas waterfalls. It is just situated next the main road and beside a temple. Here water flows into a deep hole. This is a waterfall different from others.

We then went to Hiranyakeshi Temple. It is situated in amidst forest with peaceful surroundings. Hiranyakeshi River originates from this place.

It was then time to visit Amboli waterfalls. It is just next to the main road. This was the only place in Amboli where we found people and there were lot of them. I have not seen any photograph that has only this falls. It is always filled with people. Steps are constructed to the falls. People take bath and spend a long time under water.

Evening was spent at sunset point. There were few other places like Parikshit point which needs some amount of trek. I did not visit as I had promised my family not to go for these solo treks.

Some information:

There are several buses to Amboli from Belagavi. The options to stay are few but are decent and economical. As mentioned before, we stayed at MTDC resort which can be booked online on their website. Food is not a problem. It needs one day to cover all the places in Amboli.

Siddeshwara Temple, Haveri

2011-11-27T19:10:00.000+05:30

11 November 2011

It is hard to imagine that such a great Temple complex can exist in the main road of Haveri town. The gardens and lawns maintained by ASI are large and beautiful. It seems to be a favorite place for locals to relax and enjoy. We saw a lot of students studying under the shade of the tree. And there were few couples roaming around.

The Temple is situated at the far end of the garden. Built during 11th century CE it is one of finest example of Western Chalukyan art. Like the Temple at Bankapura the basement of this Temple is sunk by few feet. The Temple is also called as Purasiddeshwara Temple.

The sculptures on the roof is impressive.

Before the garbagruha is a pillar with inscriptions.

The gopura of the Temple is beautifully carved.

A neglected sculpture of Ugra Narasimha next to the main Temple.

We spent a long Temple just sitting under the shade of a tree. My daughter spent some time chasing egrets that were numerous in the garden.

Kalyala waterfalls

2011-11-13T11:15:00.000+05:30

28th August 2011

When we reached the tiny village on the foothills of Western Ghats the sun had already crossed the mid sky. The waterfall was visible from the State Highway that passed through that village. It was a steep climb on supposedly bad roads. We did not want to put strain on a brand new car and hence opted for a Jeep ride. The road was indeed steep but nicely tarred.

I was surprised to see a plain land after climbing up the hill we saw from the highway. A peaceful village was on the top. The waterfall is just half a km from the village which needs to be covered by walk. Jeep driver volunteered to show us the way. After few minutes of easy walking we reached the stream that formed the waterfalls. I was expecting to reach the bottom of the falls but we were on top of it!!

In order to reach bottom of the falls, we had to get down over a rocky and slippery path. I had an umbrella, water bottle and camera in my hand. With climbing down proving difficult I decide to take only camera and drop the other two to be picked up while climbing up. It was a leech prone area and we had to quickly get down. While I and Jeep driver got down almost to the bottom of the falls there was no sign on others. After waiting for some time, I decided to climb up and see their whereabouts. They had badly bitten by leeches and had decided to stay on the top.

I climbed down the rocks and reached the base of the waterfalls. The waterfall was about 80-100ft in height. It looked like there were few more stages of the falls but was completely covered by forest. We had to cross to the other side of the falls to get a good view. After spending some time in the waterfalls we climbed up to reach the village back. After drinking water at a house nearby we started the return journey.

K Hole falls

2011-11-05T13:27:00.000+05:30

28th August 2011

One would be in strange situations when looking for lesser known places. Here we were searching for a falls that I had heard from various sources. When asked about the same with the villagers they laughed at me and said that they have not heard of any such falls in the vicinity. I felt embarrassed but quickly recovered and asked whether there are any streams in the area. I should have carried the photographs of the falls.

We continued on the village road now in search of the stream. Finally we reached a place where the sound of water could be heard. Shortly the water falls made its appearance!! It was not completely visible as a coffee estate was between us. A small shop owner near the estate denied permission to enter into an estate. We could not find a good place to take snaps. It was a disappointment.

Looking at my Digital SLR camera the shop keeper was convinced that I was a serious guy!! Having a big camera helps whether you take good photos or not!!!! “If anyone asks tell that you are from TV9”, he told me. I and Balaji quickly got down into the estate while Saran, Sankara and Chitrai decided to have tea. Quickly we reached the base of the falls. A tree had fallen on the top of the falls blocking the full view. But it was a good scene to watch.

Seeing my interest in waterfalls the shop owner mentioned about another falls upstream. That was news to me. As per his directions we proceeded further and found the deviation. The car could not take that extreme right and hence we continued ahead to reach State Highway that was a furlong away. And then took a U turn to come back to the village road. The people at the road were surprised by our action!!

This falls was again inside a coffee estate but now there was no one to stop us from getting down. The path was slippery and I saw myself sliding down without any control. I only hoped that I could stop before falling into the stream!! Sankara and Balaji who were behind me were also in same situation. It reminded me of a similar incident in Yelaneeru. This time I was lucky to not get spoilt by mud but Sankara and Balaji had to change their dresses later!!

A nice little adventure!!

Baalebare falls

2011-11-01T11:37:00.010+05:30

30th August 2011

Another road side falls!!

This is at the beginning of Hulikal ghat. As you start descending from Mastikatte (last town before the ghat) you see Chandikamba Temple on your right side. People make a stop here before proceeding further. Continue on the main road and you see the falls!!

We went during peak monsoon time mist had enveloped the entire ghat area!! We could identify the falls only by its sound. We had to wait some time for fog to clear!! The silky white falls was a treat to watch.

While returning back we saw few elderly people walking on the main road. They had stopped their vehicle at the Temple and walked down to see the falls. But they were struggling to climb up. A woman in the group was gasping. The people requested and we decided to take her in our car. She told that they did not anticipate the climb while returning back. Anyway, she was in better form when we dropped near the Temple.

Suralabbi falls

2011-10-30T09:57:00.000+05:30

27th August 2011

A road side falls in Kodagu.

It is not widely known to people but is easily accessible falls in Kodagu district. Thanks to its location away from touristy places it has still maintained its charm!!

Known locally as Napandapole or Medarpole falls, it is most widely known as Surlabbi falls. Each waterfall look different and this is no exception. The water comes out of small narrow gorge to a wider area.

Devaramane

2011-10-27T20:21:00.000+05:30

22 October 2011

My friends Aishwarya and Rakesh Holla had been to this place before. The photos shared were awesome which prompted me to visit Devaramane. The initial plan was to trek to Minchukallu from Devaramane village but looking at the recent adventures of Rakesh Holla, I decided to add nearby Ballala caves into the itinerary.

Buses go till Guthi which is 6km from Devaramane. Instead of walking on road, we decided to hire a Jeep. Unable to get a Jeep, we finally hired an auto from Mudigere. Unfortunately the auto could not climb the stretch after Guthi and we had to walk on tar road!! The road was steep but our spirits were high as it was the beginning of our walk. The cloudy conditions also helped us a lot. When we reached Devaramane, it was already 9:30AM.

The first person we met in the village was Kushalappa who was busy in some carpentry work. Rakesh Holla had said that Kushalappa is the only person in the village who knew about the caves!! But since he is busy with carpentry work, Kushalappa refuses to come. After pleading and convincing for few minutes, he agrees to guide us!! We do not waste much time to dump all unnecessary things in Kushalappa’s house and start the trek.

The trail starts behind Kushalappa’s house and after a climb of about 5 minutes we start to descend into a valley. The views around this place are amazing but thanks to overcast conditions we could not enjoy it in full. After a short descent we enter into a Shola forest. This is a leech territory and we run as fast as we can. We then had to climb up a hill wading through shoulder height grass.

After crossing the grassland we rest on a rock which is an ideal place to remove leeches. Everyone is bitten by them and some time is spent on removing them. Our guide shows us a place “Kaati mettida kallu” which had imprints of bison hoof on stone!! Sadly, this also is a hunting ground for workers from neighboring state employed in a nearby estate.

The journey is mostly on grasslands where we cross several mountains. It is said that the ruler Ballalaraya built fort here. The remains of the fort can be seen at several places. One is of the hill is named after the servant of Ballala. It is called as Banta kallu.

We now move along the border of South Canara and Chikmagalur district. It is amazing to see that people work at these remote places identifying and marking the borders!! We finally reach the end of a cliff. It is a perpendicular drop of few thousand feet. Guide shows the Ballala caves. It seemed no one till date is able to explore it fully. Kushalappa says that during his Father’s days few people who tried to enter into the caves never returned back. King Ballala also entered the cave never to come back!! Even Kushalappa has never entered this cave.

I try to enter the cave. It is the most scary and risky attempt. One needs to get down over slippery rocks with very little support. It is dark inside and any mistake would end our life. Even if we get down coming back would be difficult. Gone are the days of taking risks on life and I decide not to get into the cave any further. Rakesh Holla and his friends did explore some part of the caves last month. Hats off to them as they are the real adventurers!!

After spending some time at the caves, we start to walk. Minchukallu was our next destination. Since we had booked overnight bus, we had to return back on that day. And the last bus from Guthi was at 5:30PM. And we had an additional 6km to cover from Devaramane to Guthi. Minchukallu was still far away. We decide to drop Minchukallu half heartedly. As a consolation we start climbing a small hill nearby. Our decisions changed as we climbed that small hill. Minchukallu was clearly visible and we felt that we could make it. I and Yasin start walking briskly towards Minchukallu while Chitrai and Ashok decide to halt on a nearby hill. For next 30 minutes, we almost ran towards Minchukallu. The last stretch was steep and took away all our energy. I just fall as I reach the top of Minchukallu. Destination reached!!

Minchukallu is one of the highest peaks in Charmadi area. But due to misty conditions we cannot see much. The mighty Amedikallu is visible. It is still a day’s trek from Minchukallu.

We spend some time on the top and then start climbing down to meet Chitrai and Ashok at the base. It was time to have some lunch. With clouds hovering around the hills Kushalappa is worried. He says that it would be difficult to return back in rains and asks us to hurry up. So we put off our rest plans and start back.

Return journey is always tiring and this was no exception. Especially the last stretch to climb to the village of Devaramane was tough on my body. Back in Kushalappa’s house at Devaramane we were greeted with delicious buttermilk. That was a relief for our dehydrated bodies.

The last leg of the journey from Deveramane to Guthi was boring and tiring. But we were just in time for the last bus from Guthi.

The dog:

This was the dog from the Devaramane. It accompanied us all along the trek. The friendliest dog I had ever seen. At one point I and Ashok were trailing behind and were not visible to the people in the front. This dog comes back to check our progress and runs to the front again!! It even accompanied all the way from Devaramane to Guthi!!

Nagareshwara Temple, Bankapura

2011-10-19T21:22:00.000+05:30

9th October 2011

It was while driving back from Dharwad we saw the Karnataka tourism board of Bankapura. It seemed to be a nice good idea to spend some time in the Temple town. My wife agreed and so was my daughter. The kid was more excited about the peacock sanctuary in the village!! Two km from NH-4 was the village of Bankapura. The road to Temple passed through a ruined fort and shrub forest. The forest opened up into a clear area and the Temple appeared. Unlike other historical Temples this is not surrounded by houses.

The Temple looks great from exterior. The distinguishing feature of the Temple is 66 stone pillars. The carving at the exterior is beautiful.

The decorated garbha bruha entrance. Unfortunately we could not enter into it as it was locked.

It window of the garbha gruha was broken. It now looks bit awkward.

The big problem with the lesser known Temples is the paucity of information. The person responsible for guarding Temple simply told that it was built by Jakanachari!! We did not ask for any further question. It was built during Chalukya regime but I have no info about its time.

We heard the sound of peacocks coming from the nearby forest. It was expected as the area falls under peacock sanctuary. It was a hot day and they did not come into open. My daughter was disappointed. Early morning or late evening is the best time to watch peacocks.

Where is Bankapur?
Bankapur is between Hubli and Haveri on NH-4. It is about 50km from Hubli. The Temple is 2km from the National Highway.

Two “abandoned” reservoirs

2011-10-16T17:39:00.000+05:30

2nd September 2011

KPCL (Karnataka Power Corporation Limited) had built these two dams for the purpose of generating electricity. For some reason, the project flopped and KPCL “abandoned” these twin reservoirs. KPCL had also built township for the employees of the power project. Since the project was stopped, KPCL moved its employees to another location. The water from the dam is now released to Sharavathi River. During my recent visit to native place, I decided to visit these reservoirs with my cousins.

A deviation from the state highway took us to the KPCL Township. At one point of time it was a busting township of KPCL. Not anymore. It now looks like a ghost town with dilapidated houses, empty streets with strange silence.

The meandering road passes through the dense forests after the ghost town. Not a soul to be found on the street. At many places the road is fully covered by fallen leaves indicating the absence of people on this road for past few days.

We then reach the site of the first dam. The security house is abandoned and no one is there to stop or enquire us. As we reached the dam we were struck with its sheer size and beauty of the nature surrounding it. Built between two huge hills, the reservoir was a scene to watch. At one side was the backwaters and other side was a steep drop to the base of the dam. Other the “sounds of nature” nothing could be heard. The place was completely deserted and scary.

Parking the car, we decided to go to the other side of the dam. The heavy winds accompanied with rains made this task difficult. The umbrellas we had were totally useless and it looked like the wind would blow us out. The other side of the falls contains the outlet. The water flows into a tunnel and then gushes out of the dam through a narrow and deep passage. The passage looked very deep and scary. We spent some time enjoying the silence and beauty of the nature.

We came back to the ghost town and took the road to the other falls. This road was similar to the first one with no people and complete silence. As we neared the dam, the area was covered by mist reducing the visibility. Like the previous dam, this was also surrounded by forests and hills. The entire area shrouded in mystery!! We went up and down the dam without any disturbance. We were the only people present in the area.

A garden is built next to an island in the dam. The water level was low and hence we could easily get into the island. There were semblance of a park present long back but all that was now present were some concrete blocks. A road also goes to a hill on top of the dam that provides complete view of the dam.

Chingaara waterfalls

2011-10-11T20:34:00.000+05:30

25th June 2011

We saw this falls for the first time while climbing up the steep road towards Honey valley estate. Nested in the midst of coffee estates, it was a scene to watch. We could stop at that point as we were in a public Jeep.

After lunch at Home stay I and Sankara decided to go this falls. Our families also join. We get a drop on a Jeep that went to a neighboring estate. A walk of about half a km would takes to the falls. Heavy rains on that day did not dampen our spirits. My concern was for my daughter who prefers to get drenched in rain rather than coming under the safety of umbrella.

In fact, the falls is just next to the main road!! But the falls is hidden under the canopy of trees. Thanks to the rains, there was plenty of water!! One can easily go to the base of the falls.

Ladakh trip day 13 and 14: In Kashmir valley

2011-09-30T23:17:00.000+05:30

12, 13th July 2011

We had very little distance to cover today but a major bottleneck of the journey was Zozila Pass. Due to very narrow road, vehicles are allowed in only direction at a time. Hence we had to start as early as 5AM from Drass. The first rays of sun were falling on the Himalayan Mountains as we left Drass. Unlike the parts of Ladakh we had seen, the area around Drass was filled with greenery. The streams were numerous and looked “clean”. The amount of snow was also high.

On the way we saw Zozila war memorial. This is built in memory of the soldiers who captured Zozila from Pakistani intruders in 1948.

The road so far was good which made me wonder why Zozila is so hyped. I didn’t find any necessity of allowing vehicles from only one side. And then came the most dramatic part of the trip. Everything changed when we crossed one bend. We were now seeing the beautiful valley of Kashmir!! The barren lands were no more. The change was so sudden and unexpected. I had heard that Kashmir is great but to believe you need to see. Indeed it was so beautiful!!

And down in the valley we were seeing a huge township consisting of tents. We were wondering why people in Kashmir are staying at tents!! Until we realized that it was the Baltal camp of Amarnath Yatra!! I never thought that Amarnath Yatra is held in such a grand scale. It was a real bird eye view of the camp. The tents, vehicles, Helicopters taking off and the yatris walking towards Amarnath could be clearly seen.

And then we realized why Zozila is called a dangerous pass. The road down to Kashmir valley was extremely steep with vertical cliffs. It was the scariest journey of the entire trip. I could hear my heart beat each time the vehicle went to the edge of the road!! The photos here don’t give justice at all for this place. One has to experience to get the feel of Zozila. It was the last pass that we would cross in our trip!! As we got down from Zozila the road from Baltal joined the main road. We were now moving along Amarnath Yatris.

Sonamarg was the first town in Kashmir valley. At about 8000+ft it is famous for meadows. In fact the word Sonamarg means “Meadow of gold”!! A popular tourist destination in Kashmir. Right now we were looking for a good place to have breakfast. We found one pure vegetarian hotel run by Punjabis and promptly had food there.

One can sense the overwhelming presence of Army in Kashmir. For the safety of Amarnath yatris, army was deployed all along the way. The presence of Army gives lot of confidence to people like us. Militancy is at low in Kashmir but not yet completely eliminated. And more importantly Kashmiri Pandits are not yet back in valley. So, the situation is not still perfectly fine. But attacks on tourists are rare but one must be prepared for sudden strikes and hartals called by local people.

The journey from Sonamarg was slow due to heavy rush of Amarnath Yatra vehicles. But we were not complaining as we could enjoy the beauty around. Two decades of militancy has stopped all “developments” in Kashmir. Hence unlike Himachal or Uttaranchal, the area looks fresh and pristine. In Manali, at each direction you see a hotel or a resort. It is not so in Kashmir (At least the places we visited). And “Article 370” makes it impossible for outsiders to “invest” in the state.

We passed though the towns of Kangan, Gund and Ganderbal to reach Srinagar. We had not still decided about the place to stay. Our travel agent in Ladakh had given us a contact of a house boat owner. We called him up and got directions to reach. Srinagar seemed to be a much bigger town than we had thought of. Driver refused to take us to Dal lake instead he stopped at Srinagar taxi stand and asked us to take an auto. There is a strange rule that Ladakh taxis cannot roam in Srinagar. It is very strange considering that Ladakh is in the state of J&K.

We took an auto reach Shikara point. Shabaan our host was waiting for us. We went onto a boat and started towards the house boat. The life seemed to be relaxed looking at the slow of the boats there!! After about 10 minutes of boat journey, we were at the house boat. We never imagined that the house boat could be so luxurious and grand. Having bargained for everything in Ladakh, we were thinking of doing the same for house boat. But looking at its grandeur we decided not to do so!! At Rs 3000/- for 3 people (including food) per day was a good offer. I am sure that the same boat would cost 3-4 times more in Kerala!!

Just sitting at the verandah of the house boat and watching the surroundings was a nice time pass. Dal Lake was also house to several species of birds. We decided to do an hour long tour of Shikara ride on the lake. A great experience just to sit (or sleep!!) and enjoy the silent waters of the lake. The lake itself is like a township. People come on the boat and sell fruits, vegetables, clothes, food and even ornaments!! The boatman said that about 15,000 people stay in Dal lake. There were moving gardens, houses and shops on the lake.

After Shikaara ride, we decided to visit Mogul gardens. Having experienced the looting spree of auto guys, we had asked our host to arrange a nice driver for our tour. He was waiting for us at the Shikaara stand. We visited Shalimar, Nishat and Chashma Shahi gardens. Having seen Brindavan gardens in Mysore, I did not feel anything special in these gardens. A stream flowing in Chashma Shahi is believed to heal lot of diseases and hence people throng to collect the water. While in other gardens people take bath under the fountains!!

It was almost dark by the time we finished with gardens. There is also Shankaracharya Temple on top of a hill but unfortunately we could not see it. That was sad.

We had quiet dinner followed with a photography session on Dal Lake.

Last day:

Today would our last day of the trip. Since our flight from Srinagar was at 2PM, there was no hurry to get up early. At about 10:30AM our host came hurriedly and announced that there was a hartal called in Srinagar. He wanted us to quickly start to avoid any trouble. We quickly called for a boatman and left the house boat. Big thanks for our host who took complete care of us during our stay in Srinagar. He made sure that we get a taxi to airport and promptly called us later to make sure that we safely reached the airport.

We went through the empty streets of Srinagar. It was a complete bundh with not a single shop being opened. There were protestors on some streets but luckily we did not meet them!!

The security at Srinagar airport was unprecedented!! Never in my life had I seen such multiple levels of security. One needs to be present 2 hours before departure to cross the security checkups.

- Two km before the airport, we pass through a gated locality where all the luggage’s are scanned, people need to pass through metal detectors and vehicles checked completely (sometimes even by opening the bonnet!!).

- Again the baggage is scanned before entering into the main building. This causes long queue in front of the airport. This can be exhaustive as passengers need to stand in open sun. We had to wait for 45 minutes before our turn came up.

- Carry-on baggage is not allowed. Only exception is camera and laptops. Rest of the luggage must be checked-in.

- After collecting boarding pass one must go near the tarmac and identify his/her bags.

- Whatever we carry into the aircraft is checked. Unlike other places where they just do for formality sake, the checking in Srinagar is thorough. They open each and every zip of the bag, remove every time and make sure that it is genuine. They even clicked my camera to check that it was indeed a camera!!

- And just before boarding the flight, airlines themselves do a check on passengers!!

Finally, the moment had come to say goodbye to the great place!! It was a mixed feeling considering the great time we had in Ladakh and that we are going to our Homes after so long. This was my longest trip ever I made.

Ladakh hangover remains for long.

Ladakh Day 12: Gurudwara, Monasteries, Statue, two passes, War memorial and a nasty driver!!

2011-09-23T21:49:00.000+05:30

11th July 2011

We had a long distance to cover to reach our destination. Hence we got ready at 6 in the morning. Our hosts of the Rainbow guest house had also woken up early to wish us a nice journey. An emotional moment for us considering the hospitality they extended throughout our stay. We could not have asked for anything more. It is rare to get such treatment during travel.

Our destination of the day was Drass on Leh-Srinagar highway. As the Scorpio we travelled earlier did not have permits to enter into Kashmir valley, we were provided with a new vehicle and the driver. Very soon we were out of Leh and were cruising on smooth roads of Leh-Srinagar highway. The drive would be along Indus River for most of the journey.

The first point we stopped was at magnetic hill. Lot of people says it as just hype and it was so. It is said that cars get pulled due to magnetic interference but we did not experience any such thing. Our next stop was at Gurudwara Pathar Sahib. Situated next to the highway, it built in memory of Guru Nanak. Legend says that when Guru Nanak was meditating, a demon pushed a large boulder towards Guru Nanak. But when the boulder touched Guru’s body, it softened like warm wax. The demon on realizing Guru’s spiritual power gave up its evil deeds. The same boulder is now worshipped in Gurudwara.

We crossed Nimmo, the confluence of Zanskar and Indus River. We had our breakfast at a hotel nearby and continued our journey. We had three monasteries to visit in our itinerary. The first was Likir which was five km from the main road. Situated on a high hill it was built in 9th century. The major attraction here is a 25ft Buddha statue.

Alchi Monastery was next in the way. Unlike other monasteries, Alchi is situated on a plain land. What I liked was the Indus River flowing behind the monastery. Like many monasteries in Ladakh Alchi has an entrance fee. While we were just looking around the place, a monk questioned why we haven’t yet paid the money!! We had not even entered the monastery!! Those monks seemed to be infected by commercialization.

At one place, we were moving along a narrow road along Indus River with gigantic mountains on our left. The landscape (or moonscape!!) at this location was amazing. So far in our journey, we had not encountered such a scene. And it was for the same reason we were trying out various locations in Ladakh!! Every place and location offered something new!!

We passed though the town of Lamayuru famous for its monastery. We spent very little time there as we had a long distance to cover. The monastery is just next to the road.

The road after Lamayuru turned bad. The journey was rough and dusty. Adding to our woes, the sun was blazingly hot. We crossed two small passes of Fotu La and Namikha La. After covering the mighty passes, these looked extremely simple!!

At about two in the afternoon, we reached the dusty village of Mulbek. A giant rock statue of Buddha is this village. But strangely the statue did not look anywhere close to Buddha. It was more resembling Vishnu or Shiva!! But not surprising considering our history full of such stuff.

We had our lunch at a bad hotel in Mulbek. There was no other option. Kargil was still 35km away.

The landscape changed a bit as we neared Kargil. More greenery was visible!! The driver found that one of the tyre was punctured and lot of time wasted in a filthy repair shop. The driver seemed to be a difficult person to handle. He wanted to stay in Kargil and start at 1AM in the night. That was an outrageous demand. Couple of calls with our travel agent made the driver to obey us!! Finally, we started from Kargil at 5PM.

The road after Kargil passes very near to Pakistan border. The boards like “You are under enemy observation” started to appear. All this brought the Kargil war memories back. At one point walls were erected next to the road so that the Pakistanis do not see the light of moving vehicle in the night. During war, lot of army people died due to shelling on this highway. But I could not see all these things in details as there an altercation with the driver.

Kargil to Drass is about 60km. We had a major place to cover on this route and that was the main reason was pushing the driver to reach Drass. It was Kargil war memorial. The memorial opened in 2009 is next to the highway in Tololing ranges. It houses the memorial for 527 brave soldiers who lost their lives in the conflict. The memorial has all the names of the martyrs written on the wall.

The memorial touches the heart in many ways. Just a decade back we have seen our army men sacrificing their lives for the nation and their names are still fresh in our minds. Captial Vikram Bhatra, Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey, Captian Anuj Nayyar, Major Padmapani Acharya…. The list is long. The photos of men who have won gallantry awards are in display and many of them are not with us. As I silently looked at these real heroes, my eyes were wet. A similar feeling has engulfed me in Rezang La memorial.

Behind the memorial are the hill ranges that were in invaded by Pakistan. Tiger Hill where the most horrific and decisive battle was fought was seen. Looking at the sheer size and shape of the hill, the difficulty of the battle can be imagined.

It was already dark by the time we came out of the memorial. It took about 15 minutes to reach the Drass town. We were warned about the accommodation in the town but luckily we got room in J&K tourist guest house. At Rs 100/- per head it was the cheapest accommodation of our trip. Drass is said to the second coldest inhabited place on the earth. In winter temperatures drop as low as -40°C!!

Ladakh day 10 and 11: Shopping and Rafting!!

2011-09-14T21:12:00.000+05:30

July 9, 10th

We had a buffer day in our plan to mitigate any delays arising due to bad weather and road conditions. Even though we made few changes to our original plan on the go, we were very much on schedule. We decided to spend this buffer day at Leh itself. It is a beautiful town and we wanted to explore Leh.

Leh is a town bustling with tourists. We brought some souvenirs, T-Shirts, Shawls and Saffron. While shopping, I found that few people (Tibetans) understood Kannada!! All due to their association with Bylakuppe and Mundagod camps.

We needed some money and ended up in standing in the queue for 30 minutes in front of SBI ATM!!

White water rafting in Zanskar River was our plan for the next day. While discussing the same with our travel agent, he gave us the news that there was a festival at Hemis Monastery. It was a big event in Ladakh and our travel agent asked us whether we were interested in that. I was bit worried on hearing this news. I am not a big fan of these festivals no matter how famous it is. Spending a day in crowd watching people was not my cup of tea.

After a little round of discussion, we decided to resolve our differences though voting!! It was 2-1 vote for Rafting!!

Rafting:

Large sections of Zanskar and Indus River in Ladakh are fit for rafting. We chose to raft on Zanskar River from Chilling and end at the confluence of Zanskar and Indus River at Nimmo. This distance of about 26km consists of class 2 and 3 rapids flowing in narrow gorges. Chilling is at the distance of about 60km from Leh.

White water rafting was not new to us. My previous experience was in Kali River at Dandeli. But conditions in Zanskar were different from Dandeli. The water in Zanskar was ice cold but the weather was extremely hot!! There was no change of getting into water (unless we accidently fall off from the raft!!). Contrary to my belief, the rafting at Zanskar was not really dangerous. Most of the rapids were class 2 and only a few were of class 3. Rafting in Himalayas is altogether a different experience.

We only went for 18km as the next 8km to Nimmo was just on plains. There is no fun in just going on a raft on placid water after experiencing rapids!! We had our late lunch at Nimmo and headed to Leh. We had one last work at Leh!!

From the day we landed in Leh, Shanti Stupa was clearly visible. Built on a high hill, it has one of the big Buddha statues. We had been postponing the visit to Stupa but now since it was our last day in Leh, we decided to visit the place. A steep climb of about 15 minutes on well maintained steps led us to the top of the Stupa. There is also a road till the top.

A large number of photographers had assembled in the Stupa hoping to take good snaps of sunset and Leh landscape. It was a nice place with great views.

It was our last day in Leh. But our trip had not yet ended. We still had few more days and great places to see!!

Ladakh day 9: Tso Kar

2011-09-10T12:36:00.000+05:30

8th July 2011

The night at Tso Moriri was a long one. Even though rooms were cozy, we had trouble in sleeping. Surprising that we had already spent few days at 14,000+ ft. And in the morning the hotel guys gave a “shock treatment” with their bill. Furious with this, we asked our driver not to bring any passengers to this hotel. Anyways, he was not to be blamed as we were the ones who choose this!!

With last few shots of the lake, we bid adieu to Tso Moriri. A person interested in birding can easily spend a 2-3 days on this lake. But we had little time to relax and go!!

The drive was back on the same road that we took on the previous day. We again passed through Kiagar Tso Lake and crossed Namshang La. The journey would have been eventless but for a “race” between two vehicles near Kiagar Tso. Our driver tried to give him a chase for some distance but the other driver was too much to handle. He quickly took detours on that barren land and managed to keep ahead!!

Few km before Mahe Bridge, we took the diversion to Tso Kar. The road to Tso Kar was bad with no trace of asphalt. We found lot of small water springs all along the way!!

After about 2.5 hours of journey we got the first glimpse of the lake. Unlike Pangong and Tso Moriri, Tso Kar has large tracts of marshy land and salt deposits. Birds are seen aplenty but are hard to take snaps. Thanks to marshy area, it is difficult to get near the birds. We tried to go near the water but our efforts proved futile.

We had our lunch at Tso Kar. We were thinking of staying at Tso Kar but the poor conditions of accommodation deterred us to do so. The other choice was to stay at expensive luxury tents. But we decided to spend few hours at lake and continue further.

30 minutes of journey brought us to Morey plains on Manali-Leh highway. For people planning to return via Manali, it would be ideal to plan Tso Moriri and Tso Kar at the end of the visit. The Morey plains were as dusty as before and we longed to get out of it. Mighty Tanglang La proved to be milder this time as we did not face any signs of AMS unlike a week before on this road. A proof of how acclimatization helps in this high altitude.

Salt deposits at Tso Kar lake

It was refreshing to be back in Leh after five event filled days. We promptly went to the same guest house that we stayed before. A hot water bath there was rejuvenating!!

Ladakh day 8: Tso Moriri

2011-08-21T21:51:00.000+05:30

7th July 2011

The night at Hanley was peaceful. We tried doing some night photography as the sky was very clear. The room was cozy and hence sleep was not an issue.

Bathing was out of question in Hanley. After breakfast of “Maggie noodles” we departed from Hanley. Our destination was Tso Moriri Lake. There are two ways to reach the lake from Hanley. One is the road via Loma, Nyoma and Mahe Bridge. The other route is via Chimur. The second route is more desolate and almost takes double the time. And a 4X4 is required. So, we opted for the first route.

We will be going on the same road till Loma. This time we stop at several places for photographs. We spotted a herd of wild ass crossing the road. Birds of many types were seen all along. But a good spot was a hare. Fortunately, we could get some good close-up shots.

Back at ITBP check post at Loma, we exchanged pleasantries with our Army friend from Chikkodi. The beauty of Changtang plain is that the journey will never be monotonous. The scenery changes every 15-20 minutes. And one can spot come animals or birds at regular intervals (if one is observant). Army establishments are seen everywhere. An airfield is also location next to the road. At many places, army jawans are trained for shooting.

We cross a small hamlet of Nyoma and reach Mahe. The road straight goes to Leh while a left turn leads to Tso Moriri Lake. Our permits were checked here. After crossing the bridge at Mahe, we were on the way to Tso Moriri Lake. Shortly we were ascending Namshang La, a relatively easily pass. I call it a flower pass considering the flowers that bloom here.

As we were climbing down Namshang La, a blue lake was visible. It was Kiagar Tso Lake. The asphalted road disappeared as we neared this beautiful and pristine lake.

Half an hour later, we were at Tso Moriri Lake. Situated at an altitude of about 15,00ft, it is the second biggest lake in Ladakh after Pangong Tso. It is about 22km long and 5-6km in wide. The lake is entirely in India, this is also a breeding ground for several species of birds like Bar headed Goose. The lake was fenced at many places. Our driver told that people coming on Jeeps drive along the lake just for fun damaging the breeding ground of the birds. To stop this menace, the lake was fenced at few places.

We drove along the lake for another 10-15 minutes to reach the village of Karzok. An ITBP camp is located here. Permits were checked here before letting us into the village. At the entrance of the village, we found a nice looking hotel called Nomadic Life. Unlike other tented places, this was a proper hotel. We immediately liked the rooms. Having found that there were fewer tourists, we bargained hard. We congratulated ourselves for this deal. But we were outsmarted by the hotel people. They charged heavily for the lunch we had (which we came to know only during checkout). There are cheaper alternatives on the other side of Karzok.

We visited ITBP camp to make a phone call. Again here we were told to pay Rs 10 per minute which we felt was quite steep. (At all other places, it was three rupees per minute).

After some rest, we headed to the lake. We roamed around the Lake for a long time. I just sat on the banks of the lake silently enjoying the beauty. I was ready to sit in that mode for any amount of time. My companions thought this as an act of laziness and asked me to walk back!! The wind was blowing fast and the temperature was dropping.

We then climbed a small hillock in Karzok village that provided nice view of the Lake. Unlike Pangong Tso, the snow capped mountains appeared nearer.

I needed to make a call to my Home. This time I went to a public booth situated near the Monastery. They also charged Rs 10 per minute!! To check whether they were looting tourists, I silently watched the money paid by locals. To my surprise, they were also paying the same amount!!

I did not like Karzok village, dominated by nomads. The smell in the village was something odd which I did not like. Anyway, I was glad that we stayed in the outskirts of the village.

There is nothing much to do in Karzok after sunset. We talked about various topics, looked at the pictures that we had taken and then went for dinner. We were the only guests in the hotel!! Quite surprising July being a peak season.

Ladakh day 7: Lake, plains, War memorials, Festival and an Astrophysics observatory!!

2011-08-15T20:41:00.000+05:30

6th July 2011

The night at Pangong Lake will be memorable for long time. It was cold, windy and above all we were in a tent. We had to drop our plan of night photography thanks to weather conditions. But we still wanted to experience sun rise on the banks of Pangong Lake. With great difficulty we got up at 5AM and headed towards lake. The sunrise was different than we had expected. Difficult to say whether we were satisfied or not!!

The conditions at Spangmik were not favorable to take bath. Anyway, we had prepared for that and did not give much importance to such hygiene factors. After a quick breakfast, we said goodbye to Spangmik village. Not for Pangong Lake as we be along the lake for few more hours!!

From Spangmik, we continued our journey along the Lake. We would not be finding asphalted roads for most of the stretch today. But this would be turning into the best place in our entire trip. The road meandered on the side of Pangong Lake providing great scenes that we never witnessed. The scene was different at each turn. And we stopped at every place to enjoy the scenery and take snaps. We were fortunate enough to be on this place.

When I provided Ladakh plan with all these shortcuts and less travelled routes, every travel agent ignored it complete. Theirs was a standard itinerary with exorbitant prices. Drivers were not enthusiastic to drive on those short cut roads. They were less maintained and bad stretches. One agent even claimed that places in our list were out of bounds for civilians. I was asked to get permission from Army top ranks and Home secretary!! But now we were there with a permit issued by DC Office at Leh (that is sufficient!!). But foreigners are not allowed on this road.

We crossed the villages of Man and Merek situated on the Lake side. It was near Merek we sighted “Cha Tung Tung” (called as Black necked crane). Listed as “vulnerable”, it is an endangered species of bird found in Tibetan plateau. Pangong Lake is also home to several species of birds like brown headed gull, bar headed goose and Ruddy shelduck to name a few.

At Merek village, our permits were checked. We were now nearing China border. The lake now bends towards left where the Chinese control starts. The India map still shows these places in Indian side but in reality China controls about 38,000 sq km of land known as Aksai Chin. We lost this land much before the 1962 war. China silently took control of it and built a highway connecting Tibet with Xinjiang province (In 1956-57). India discovered it only later. This was also one of the reasons for Indo China war in 1962.

Wiki says “Sovereignty over two separated pieces of territory was contested during the Sino-Indian War. One is Aksai Chin is located either in the Indian province of Kashmir or the Chinese province of Xinjiang in the west. It is a virtually uninhabited high-altitude wasteland crossed by the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway. The other disputed area lies to the east is referred to as Arunachal Pradesh by India and South Tibet by China. It is a sparsely inhabited area with numerous local tribes.”

One must be careful while driving on this road. The road is nothing but just a track containing tyre marks. Several deviations exist all along the road. Any mistake might take us right into the Chinese territory. Signboards or an indication does not exist here. The general principle is to keep right (to stay in Indian Territory!!). An ITBP post was visible at the far end of the Lake. We cannot go there and had to say good bye to this beautiful lake.

The ITBP establishment was visible all along the road. A small pass was crossed (name unknown) to reach the small town of Chushul. At was 9:30AM. Just before Chushul, we faced a major bottleneck. A bridge across a stream was damaged. The stream crossing was filled with slush. Ours was not a 4X4 vehicle and if struck in the slush, we would be in bad situation. We were not expecting any vehicles to pass by and the nearest help was Chushul still a few km away. After scanning the area for some minutes, we decided to get down and the driver alone would cross it. To our luck, things went fine and the vehicle reaches the other side safely.

Chushul turned out to be a bigger village than we anticipated. Driver asked us to have lunch here (at 9:30AM!!). “We will not find any places to eat further” was his words. The only available food item was “Maggie noodles” and we consumed it!! We would be eating our next food only at 8PM.

At Chushul, our permits were checked again. On the outskirts of Chushul was “Chushul war memorial”. Chushul was the site of attack by Chinese during 1962 war. The memorial is for the martyrs from 8th Gorkha rifles and 13 field regiment who laid down their life for our Motherland. The names of all the martyrs are written down on the wall. All we could do was silently respect these great guys who performed the supreme sacrifice to save our land.

We were now in the great plains of Changtang. The Morey plains that we saw during Manali-Leh journey looks dwarfed in front of Changtang. The China border was just 1-2 km away. We could see bunkers very close by. We were now closely watched by ITBP (and may be Chinese!!). We were thrilled to be so close to the border.

14km from Chushul is Rezang La memorial. It’s located in the most isolated place. The most horrific battle of 1962 was fought here. In the early hours of 18th November 1962 witnessed a fierce battle at Rezang La. The “Charlie” company 123 soldiers of 13 Kumoan led by Major Shaitan Singh had a choice of fleeing from the battle scene. But they chose to hold on by fighting against Chinese who came in several thousands. Out of 123 soldiers, 114 laid their life, 5 of them captured and only 4 could survive the bloody battle. But this was not before killing nearly 1000 Chinese soldiers. Major Shaitan Singh was awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously.

“When Rezang La was later revisited dead jawans were found in the trenches still holding on to their weapons... every single man of this company was found dead in his trench with several bullet or splinter wounds. The 2-inch mortar man died with a bomb still in his hand. The medical orderly had a syringe and bandage in his hands when the Chinese bullet hit him... Of the thousand mortar bombs with the defenders all but seven had been fired and the rest were ready to be fired when the (mortar) section was overrun”.

The memorial reads “How can a Man die better than facing Fearful Odds,

For the Ashes of His Fathers and the Temples of His Gods, To the sacred memory of the Heroes of Rezang La, 114 Martyrs of 13 Kumaon who fought to the Last Man, Last Round, Against Hordes of Chinese on 18 November 1962. Built by All Ranks 13th Battalion, The Kumaon Regiment.

Majority of soldiers were Ahirs from Rewari district of Haryana, where a Rezang La memorial has been placed in their memory in Gudiani village.

With heavy hearts, we departed from Rezang La memorial. The plains continued and stream crossings were frequent. Wild ass were seen everywhere. We crossed a Tsaga La, a small pass to reach a small village of Tsaga. Here was an ITBP check post where our permits were checked. The asphalted road starts few km after Tsaga. Shortly later, we were driving along Indus River.

At Loma, we had to cross the Indus River. Our permits were checked again. Here we met ITBP soldier from Chikkodi from Karnataka. Seeing us, he was overjoyed and we had a short conversation. The road splits into two after Loma Bridge. The road to left goes along the Chinese border to Dungti. Civilians are not allowed on this road. The road to right leads to Hanley which was our destination. Hanley is 50km from Loma. The entire drive is along the plains. The road is in a very good condition.

Since the weather was hot, the number of stops was less. This last stretch was covered in just one hour. Hanley is not in regular tourist circuit. Less than 1% of tourists visiting Ladakh go to this place. Hanley is known for Indian Astronomical Observatory. Being very close to Tibet, Hanley is more of a Tibetan culture than Ladakki. There is also a moanstery.

When we entered Hanley village, it looked deserted. The time was 2PM and not a soul was seen. We directly headed towards the observatory. The person in charged asked us to come during evening. Observatory had a guest house but only reserved for research people. He suggested us to stay at a Home stay in the village. He showed us a two storey building and asked us to go there. But he cautioned that we would not find anyone there as entire village had gone for a festival held nearby. It was Dalai Lama’s birthday and festivals were held at many places in Ladakh.

We reached Home Stay and as expected did not find anyone. The festival would last till 6PM. Driver was excited about the festival and wanted to see it. The festival was held on plains behind a hill in Hanley. We could see people and celebrations on the other side of the plain. But we could not find a way to reach there. Driver went out and got some directions from a shepherd. But we could go a long distance as there were major stream crossings. But the driver was not ready to give up so easily. He again went to shepherds and found an alternate path. It was long path but it took us to the place of festival.

At festival seemed to going at full swing. Girls were dancing, gents were talking, and kids were playing with whatever they could find. A cricket match was drawing some crowds. People from Army were also participated. A horse race was also held. There were small shops selling all sorts of things. But we could not anything that we could eat.

We were the only three people from outside and looked like aliens!! Horse race was interesting but it was over in few minutes. We were lost in the crowd. Even our driver who was enthusiastic seemed to be in a lost state. An attempt to search for owner of the Home stay was done. We were not successful. It was extremely hot and standing outside seemed difficult. And so we decided to depart from the place.

Back again in Hanley it was a long wait for the owner. After 5:30PM, people started arriving. The owner was not still seen. His daughter had arrived and we informed her to keep a room for us and headed towards the observatory.

The observatory is situated on a hill. This site was chosen as it provided maximum clear days in a year. The scientists from Indian Institute of AstroPhysics remotely take control of the telescope from Bangalore and perform studies. It is one of the highest astronomical observatories in the world.

The person at the observatory explained us about the equipments and how studies are done. He also showed us few samples of images of various stars taken at the observatory. One interesting point was liquid Nitrogen used for telescopes. It was maintained at -170 °C!!

By the time we reached the village, the owner of the Home stay had arrived. The rooms were ok but food was great!!

And last point. Only vehicle we found during our drive from Pangong Lake to Hanley was a military truck carrying water!!

Ladakh day 6: Two mighty passes and a blue lake!!

2011-08-12T22:53:00.000+05:30

5th July 2011

Our destination of the day was Pangong Tso Lake. We had to start early as the journey was expected to be long. By 7:30AM, we were all ready and promptly departed from Deskit. New day and new destination!!

There are three routes from Nubra valley to Pangong:

1. Via Leh: Go back to Leh via Khardungla. Then take the road via Karu->Shakti->Chang La->Thangtse->Pangong Tso. Most of the travelers use this route and requires one night stay at Leh.

2. Via Shyok. A road goes along Shyok River (Diversion after Khalasar on the way to Leh). The route is Deskit->Agham->Shyok->Durbuk->Thangtse->Pangong Tso. This is the shortest route opened just a couple of years ago. But last year’s flood has washed out most of the road between Agham and Shyok. It is not yet repaired.

3. Via Wari La. This route goes to Agham where we need take deviation to Wari La. This finally reaches Shakti village on Leh->Pangong road.

We wanted to avoid travelling on the same road and hence route 1 was ruled out. Route 2 was closed and hence we opted for route 3. This was very less travelled road. Even our driver mentioned that he would be travelling on this route for the first time!! A surprise considering that he has been driving for past 6 years.

The drive till the deviation of Agham was uneventful. The beginning stretch of Agham road was bad. At few places, it was drive on river bed. It is at this bad stretch we saw a red fox. We could have got a good photo if we had a fast lens. Anyway, that was the only fox we found during our entire Ladakh trip.

After initial bad stretch, it was a plain drive till Agham village. The road was perfect black and fun to drive. Number of photo stops was increased and the progress was slow.

Agham turned out to be a very small village with just couple of houses. Near Agham, we had to cross several streams. It would be a daunting task to cross if the streams are in full flow. That is one of the reasons for fewer vehicles on this road. Luckily for us, the streams were all manageable. On the way we confirmed with a villager whether Wari La was fine for travel. He reply was affirmative.

We reached a small village called Tangyar. The climb to Wari La starts from here. Until now, we had not even seen a single vehicle on this stretch. Sometimes, no traffic also causes worry!! The worst part is vehicle breakdown at such places.

The climb to Wari La was very steep. Even the Scorpio found it difficult at some places. At one place, the vehicle slipped a bit while it was on a sheet of ice. But our competent driver managed it well. Just before Wari La, we encountered a group of Nomads who were grazing Yaks. One of them was on his way to Shakti village. We picked him up.

Wari La is at a height of about 17,200 ft. Shakti village is 29km from the summit of the pass. The road was completely downwards and annoyingly curvy. Even our driver lost patience and took short cuts between hairpin bends!!

Finally, at 11PM we had reached Shakti village. For the stretch of 87 km from Agham deviation, we had seen only one vehicle!! That was a BRO truck. Indeed, a very less travelled road.

Shakti is a big village spanning over couple of valleys. The climb to Chang La begins after Shakti. The road was superb thanks to tar put recently. But then we had to wait for more than 30 minutes as the tar was being laid. The weather was hot!!

As we started ascend to Chang La, troubles arose with the vehicle. Some strange sound coming from the front tire. Driver stops the vehicle, puts the jack and removes the tire. A piece of tar was struck in the wheel base producing such a sound!! We were relieved as it was a simple issue. Driver did it all in a jiffy.

The road turned worse as we neared top of the pass. The hot weather compounded by bad roads made us extremely tired. We were all hungry and waiting for a break. Finally at about 1:30PM, we are on top of Chang La. Chang La at the height of 17, 590 ft is said to be the third highest pass in the region. We silently had our lunch of “Maggie noodles” at a restaurant!! You can survive in Ladakh if you can eat Maggie noodles!!!!

As expected, it was all downhill roads from Chang La. The brown and dry mountains looked monotonous. At Thangtse village, our permits were checked.

During previous years, people had a harrowing time in crossing a stream called “Pagal nallah”. After noon, the stream would rise thanks to melting snows. This was a major hurdle before reaching Pangong Tso. But now there is a new bridge constructed!!

And then we had the first view of Pangong Tso!! Wow!!!! What a sight. We were waiting for this moment for many years and here was it!! A blue lake in the middle of nowhere at an altitude of 14,000 ft. The tiredness was gone and our joy knew no bounds.

Pangong Tso is a lake that is about 150km long and 5 km wide. About 40% (or less) lies in India and the rest in China (that includes Aksai Chin, area annexed by China from India). Being a sensitive area, it is closely guarded by Army.

The climax scene of “3 idiots” was shot at this lake. In a Bollywood crazy country, such a move increases the popularity of the place!! And hence number of visitors has shot up in recent years. So, I was expecting a huge crowd at the lake. But I was surprised to see very less people at Lukong village on the banks of the lake. Most of the people visiting this lake are day visitors from Leh. It was 4PM and all of them had departed. Good for us!!

We spent few minutes photographing the late and then proceeded to Spangmik village 7km away. On the way, we spent few minutes at “3 idiots” spot. They had chosen the best spot!!

We took a tented accommodation very near to lake at Spangmik. Without wasting much time, we headed towards the lake. It was the most beautiful lake I had ever seen. If there are some places that one should not miss, Pangong Tso stands at the top of it.

The temperature dropped dramatically after sunset and we had to head towards our tents. It was quite windy. A satellite phone was available which I used to make a call to my Home. Later, tent people served us nice dinner. We also heard stories from an old Tibetan refugee. He was extremely happy that we were from Karnataka. He has stayed at Bylakukke camp for many years before settling at Pangong Lake.

I had a peaceful sleep during the night but other had some issues with that. 14,000 ft was quite a high altitude for stay.

What an exciting day!! And an equally great day awaited us!!!!

Ladakh day 5: Nubra valley

2011-08-06T18:11:00.001+05:30

4th July 2011

It rains rarely in Ladakh as it falls in rain shadow region. The mighty Himalayas stop all monsoon clouds penetrating further. But on that day it was drizzling and the weather was cloudy.

Our driver was exactly on time at 7AM. After breakfast at the guesthouse, we departed for Nubra valley. Today, we will be going through Khardungla which is the highest motorable road in the world. The ascent starts as soon as we get out of Leh outskirts. The road was neatly maintained and the progress was quick. 24km from Leh was South Pullu check post where our permits were checked.

Road to Khardungla from Leh

The permit issued from DC Office at Leh has the names of the travelers and the places where permission is issued. It is required to take several photo copies as it is necessary to give a copy at each check post. It is also good to carry an ID card in case if the security people ask for it.

Mermoot at Khardungla

Now back to our trip. After South Pullu gradient increases and road conditions worsen. The road is very narrow at some places. What scared us a lot of a lorry fallen in a gorge. Involuntarily, my hand went to grab the camera but I stopped from taking any snap. There is no fun in taking snaps of a tragedy. A small mistake can be very costly in these hills areas.

The road to Khardungla

The road after Khardungla continuously goes down. At North Pullu, our permits were checked again. After North Pullu is a small village Khardung. The Nubra valley was now visible with river Shyok flowing majestically down in the valley. Unlike other parts of Ladakh, Nubra valley is filled with greenery. The beauty of the valley is simply difficult to describe in words. The photos taken don’t justify the beauty of this great place. It’s only the images in our memory that lasts forever.As we neared Khardungla, there was sudden drop in temperature. It also started snowing. We were overjoyed as this was our first experience (and also last one!!) with snowfall in our trip.

We were on top of Khardungla at 9AM. It had taken about two hours to reach the summit from Leh. We stopped for some time to have tea and for photo shoots.

This road is opened throughout the year as this is a vital link to Siachen Glacier. BRO claims this as the highest motorable road but this is contested by several people (Link here). It looks like someone messed up with GPS readings!! Anyway, it can still be safely said as the highest motorable road in India!!

Other side of Khardungla

We reach the base of Shyok River at Khalasar. Here the road splits into two. The left arm goes towards the town of Deskit, Hundar, Thoise and to Turtok. The right arm takes to Sumur and Panamik. We took the right arm towards Panamik by crossing the Shyok River. There is an army check post after the bridge where we had to give a copy of our permit.

The road after Khalasar goes along Shyok River bed. We are now in the valley with very little change in altitude. The river looks very wide though water flows only in few channels. The road is lined with flowers of various kinds. Naturally, number of photo stops increase with driver patiently obliging every request. And hence it takes a long time to cover the distance of 40km between Khalasar to Panamik. Panamik is the place known for hot springs. But the place is a letdown with only a small amount of water oozing from the ground. The water then comes through pipes which lead to bathrooms. There was a small queue of eagerly waiting people for bath. In Ladakh, the journey is more important than destination. And we can see Karakoram ranges!!

The road after Panamik leads to Siachen glacier which is out of bounds for civilians. With nothing else to do, we started back. All of us were hungry but could’ not find a good place to have food. On the way to Khalasar, we stopped at Sumur Monastery (Also known as Samstemling Monastery).

The restaurant at Sumur only served “Maggie noodles”. With no other options, we gobbled the food. A bike had developed a snag and the entire village was trying to work on it!!

We went back to Khalasar and took the other arm of Nubra valley. The road again goes along Shyok River. Within half an hour, we were in Deskit. Our immediate task was to search for a hotel to stay. We got rooms in a nice looking hotel. Dumped our luggage in the room and directly headed to Hundar. Hundar is just 7 km from Deskit and is famous for sand dunes. The double humped Bactrian camels are a major attraction here. The old silk route passed through this place. The route no longer exists but few of the camels from Central Asia stayed here!! Their job now is to carry tourists for a jolly ride!!

At this high altitude the sand dunes resembling a desert comes as a surprise. It may be due to the glacier deposit or the sand from the sea (considering that there was a sea between India and mainland Asia before India joined subcontinent). Purely my views and I may be completely wrong!!

We came back to Deskit and visited the Monastery and a big Buddha. Monastery is old but Buddha statue is a recent constructed. It may be constructed to attract tourists.

Our driver warned us about the non availability (or costly) of water bottles in the next part of the journey. We went to a general store and took water bottles available. I also found a STD booth and made a quick call to my Home to give a quick update of my trip.

Back in hotel, we had a nice dinner. Our schedule for the next day was hectic!!

Evening at Nubra

Ladakh day 4: Monasteries and Palaces

2011-07-30T22:41:00.001+05:30

3 July 2011

An important factor to consider in Ladakh trip is about acclimatization. Leh is at an altitude of about 10,000ft. With the weather being dry, people would suffer from high altitude sickness. This is especially true for people arriving on flight. Simple way to avoid this is to take rest for a day or two in Leh before proceeding to even higher altitudes. I have seen people ruining their trip by trying to rush to various spots before acclimatizing themselves to high altitude.

View from Thiksey Monastery

We had decided to spend the day by visiting nearby places. Our travel agent arrived at 10AM. He had arranged a Scorpio with a driver for our travel. Namgyal was our driver who would be our companion for next six days. We departed from guest house without much delay. Leh town looked calm and beautiful. The last year floods had hit Leh badly and traces were still visible at some places.

The green and the brown!!

Hemis Monastery (50km from Leh) was the first place of visit. It is the most famous and hyped Monastery in Ladakh.

Prayer wheels at Hemis Monastery

The monasteries in Ladakh look nice from outside. But all of them look similar inside. I feel that my limited knowledge on Buddhism is to be blamed. Guides are hard to find which makes the visit just a ceremonial.

Thiksey monastery was the most attractive of all monasteries that we visited on that day. The lunch served in the restaurant opposite to the monastery was great!!

Stakna monastery as seen from the road.

A telephoto shot of Matho monastery.

We also visited Shey Palace which had a huge Buddha inside.

The King now stays at Stok Palace which is bit interior from the main road.

By 5PM, we were back in Leh. We had a round of discussion with travel agent about our next plans. The permits required to visit the places were ready. Satisfied, we set out to do some last minute purchasing of essential items in Leh. We would be returning back only after five days!!

Thiksey Monastery

Ladakh day 3: On the high passes

2011-07-26T21:33:00.000+05:30

2nd July 2011

We had a long day ahead. Everyone had woken up early and by 4AM we were all ready for the journey. The darkness had enveloped the town as bus departed from Keylong. I tried to sleep but excitement about Ladakh kept me awake!! I just peeped outside and we were going along Bhaga River. About 45 minutes of journey brought us to Jispa which is one of the main halting places on Manali-Leh highway. After Jispa was Darcha, a small settlement next to Bhaga River. The bus stopped for sometime here as foreigners required registering themselves at the check post.

Efforts are on to build a road from Darcha to Padum in Zanskar valley which directly connects to Leh near Nimmo. Along with Rohtang tunnel, this new construction would make Manali to Leh an all weather road. It would also put an end to the isolation of remote Zanskar valley.

After crossing Bhaga River at Darcha, it was a steep ascent to small settlement of Patseo. A little later at 6AM we were stopped at an army camp. The ascent to the first pass of the day Baralacha La was to start from here. After Rohtang, it is the next biggest hurdle on this journey. Army people would not let us proceed further till they get information about the status of the pass. Several Lorries had parked on the side all waiting for Army clearance.

The first rays of the sun had fallen on the majestic hills providing us an opportunity to put use our minimal photographic skills!! The clear weather was a promising sign of the day ahead. We were already in rain show region where monsoon clouds are stopped by mighty Himalayan Mountains. The Army did not make us wait for long and shortly later we were climbing towards Baralacha La. On the way, we passed through a small settlement with a strange name called Zingzing Bar. Near to the settlement was a small lake called Suraj Tal.

The road to Baralacha La was in a very good condition. With absolutely no traffic, the summit of the pass was reached without any incident. There was snow everywhere in Baralacha La. This was one of the best “pass” of the trip. We spent quite some time on top of the pass.

The next settlement after Baralacha La was KillingSarai and we stopped there for a tea break. The name of the place was strange and the reason was not known. After KillingSarai, the road mostly goes on the plains. We were nearing Sarchu which is a major resting point on this road. The place consists of many tents all along the road. Since it is at the middle of Manali-Leh road, many people prefer to stay here. But it is at an altitude of 14,000 ft which can cause AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). Jispa or Keylong would be better for acclimatization as they are at relatively lower altitudes. But Sarchu is a beautiful place!!

After Sarchu, we say good bye to Himachal Pradesh and enter Jammu and Kashmir. By now, the mountains are all brown in color devoid of any vegetation. We travel for about 20km along a stream and then the sudden climb of Gata loop starts. It is a series of 21 switchbacks that climbs about 1500 ft. As we climb higher, the plains that we left starts to reappear. Somewhere in the middle of these switchbacks was a “ghost point” where our bus slows down to allow conductor to keep a water bottle there!! It seems the ghost would consume all these water!!

A military convey passed which slowed our journey a lot. It took almost an hour to cover the Gata loops. There were also several shortcuts that bypass some switchbacks but need a 4X4 vehicle to drive on those roads. There was again a sudden change in scenery after climbing Gata loops. It was extremely barren and also monotonous. End of the Gata loops brought us to the top of Nakeela which is at an altitude of 15,547ft.

A short descent follows after Nakeela and then starts the climb to Lalchung La. As mentioned earlier, the monotonous barren land caused me boredom and I dozed off for a while. Upon waking up, I found that we were nearing the summit of Lalchung La (Altitude: 16,616 ft).

After Lalchung La, the road leads into a narrow valley with a small stream (Kangla Jal) flowing. The road was bad and weather was extremely hot. Thanks to light breakfast, I was feeling hungry. The next stop was at Pang which looked like eternity. I was sitting on the left side of the bus and the stream was flowing on the right side thus limiting any photography. All these made me restless and I desperately wanted to reach Pang. The ordeal ended at 1:30PM when we reached Pang.

Pang is also one of the halting places for people on this road. Being at an altitude of 15,200ft, it is not a safe place for acclimatization. It is best suited only for people planning to cover Manali-Leh stretch in 3 days or for people coming from Leh (as they are already acclimatized). But one advantage of Pang over Sarchu is the presence of the Army camp. They have medical facilities to treat AMS. Such facility is not available in Sarchu (As per my knowledge).

At Pang, four more people boarded our bus. The fuel tank of their vehicle was damaged and they could not continue further. The road after Pang climbs steeply to reach the Morey plains. The start of the plains is dramatic and appears from nowhere. The next 40km is a completely flat stretch of road. This is a good break for all drivers and passengers from the winding roads grueling winding roads crossed before.

But I must say that the excitement was short lived. Barring for the first few km, there is absolutely no road on this plain. Each one makes his own road thus creating a dust storm behind it. It was so bad that one point of time even driver could not see anything in front of the bus. At few places the bus struggled to pass through the dusty “roads”.

The dust, heat, the beating sun and high altitude all caused me sickness. Headache and uneasiness in stomach swept over me. My thinking ability was reduced confirming a light variant of AMS. I now desperately wanted to get out of this dusty plain. I looked around in the bus and most people were in the same state.

A few vehicles were also struck unable to come out of dusty sand. Things can be terrible if it rains.

After about an hour, we came out of Morey plain. The ascent to Tanglang La, the highest pass on this route had begun. It was a slow climb to the pass thanks to bad roads. The bus stopped on top of the pass for photography. Most of us were sick and returned to the bus as quickly as possible. The road on the other side of the pass was better but the descent was long. The uneasiness that gripped me from past few hours slowly started to recede with the altitude. Rumtze was the first village after crossing Tanglang La. The journey was now along Indus River. This was one of the stretches that were severally affected by last year’s flood. The road was washed out at several places and BRO was still in the process of rebuilding.

After Upshi, it is completely a flat road till Leh. The road was good resembling a highway. The landscape was greener and we were back in civilization!!

Tanglang La as seen from Rumtze

We reached Leh at 8PM and quickly checked in to a nice guest house on Changspa road. We were tired but equally excited on reaching Ladakh which was a dream for several years!!

Ladakh day 2: Struggle at Rohtang Pass

2011-07-23T08:09:00.001+05:30

1st July 2011

The HPTDC bus promptly dropped us at Manali bus stand at 8:30AM. Our bus to Leh was at 11AM (Yes!! On the same day!!!!) And we had enough time to board it. The first task was to have breakfast. I suggested “Madras Cafe” which served some good South Indian dishes. I had liked this restaurant during my last visit to Manali six years ago. But the quality of food seemed to have come down these days. Anyway, this would be our last South Indian food in the travel!!

Our destination Leh is about 470 km from Manali. The road is normally opens from June to October every year. It passes through the high altitude passes of Rohtang, Baralacha, Nakeela, Lalchung La and Tanglang La. The journey normally takes two takes with a night halt either at Keylong, Jispa or Sarchu.

The route is:

Manali --> Kothi --> Gulaba --> Marhi --> Rohtang Pass --> Koksar --> Tandi --> Keylong --> Jispa --> Darcha --> Patseo --> Zingzing Bar --> Baralacha La --> Killing Sarai --> Sarchu --> Gata loops --> Nakeela --> Lalchung La --> Pang --> Moore plains --> Tanglang La --> Rumtze --> Upshi --> Karu --> Leh

Vehicles waiting for their turn at Rohtang Pass

Tourists undertaking the journey on this route have few options:

Taxi: Hire an exclusive Taxi for self or group at Manali. You can stop anywhere you like and reach Leh in 2-3 days. Approximate cost: Rs 15,000/-

Cannon ball: Shared Taxi that leaves Manali at 2AM and reached Leh late night on the same day. 9-10 people are stuffed inside the taxi and have very limited stops. Not suited if you are planning to stop/ enjoy the beauty. But it is the cheapest option costing you about Rs 1,000/-. The front seats are bit expensive!!

Bus: HPTDC runs buses every alternate day. It takes two days to complete the journey with a night halt at Keylong. The cost is Rs 2,000/- which includes stay, dinner and breakfast at Keylong. There are also buses run by private operators but HPTDC seems to be the best.

Many people drive their own vehicle or hire bike at Manali.

Climbing Rohtang Pass

Our journey:

Hiring a taxi was a costly affair for us as we were only three people. Cannon ball was ruled out as the whole idea of our trip was to enjoy the beauty of the nature. In Ladakh, it is the journey that is interesting rather than the destination. We found that HPTDC started their bus service from 1st July and we promptly booked it.

At Rohtang Pass

The bus started at 11AM. It was the first HPTDC bus travelling from Manali to Leh and we were welcomed with garlands!! A nice start to an exciting journey.

Scenery after Manali

Once the busy streets of Manali were left behind, it was greenery all around. The recent rains had covered all mountains with green. Our destination of the day was Keylong, 117km from Manali. Between them was the mighty Rohtang Pass. The road which opened a month ago had witnessed massive traffic jams in the recent weeks. All tourists coming to Manali wants to go to Rohtang pass to enjoy ice. The traffic situation went out of control this year and Government banned all non Himachal vehicles going to Rohtang pass. All this had happened a week ago.

To our luck, number of tourist vehicles was significantly less on that day. We passed through Kothi check post (22 km from Manali) where Police stop the non HP vehicles. As we climbed up, the scenery only got better. There were waterfalls everywhere. Few of them were originating from melting glaciers and few others from mountain springs. The journey was incident free and we reached Marhi (40 km from Manali) at 1PM. It was time for lunch. Marhi is at an altitude of 11200 ft and is the last point where we get some decent food before climbing down the Rohtang pass. Lot of tourists had stopped at Marhi and had taken ponies to reach ice point. Marhi is also the place where paragliding activities are held.

The road conditions dramatically changed after Marhi. The landslides all along the route resulted in slushy roads. Even a Xylo in front of struggled to pass through a bad stretch of road. People got out of the vehicle and pushed it. It started raining and visibility was greatly reduced. The worst affected were bikers who were struggling a lot to wade through the slush. At one hairpin bend, we had to stop for nearly 45 minutes to allow an army convoy of about 60-70 vehicles to pass.

The road condition worsened as we neared the pass. We were near Rani nallah, the most dangerous section of the pass. Landslides had occurred and the JCB’s were trying to clear the road. Added to the delay was a lorry in front of us that broke down. The JCB had to come and push the lorry to the side to allow vehicles to pass. A swift in front of us tried to cross this risky section. Its underbelly hits the rocks and it stops in the middle. People in the vehicle are scared and decide to return back to Manali. The bus slowly crosses Rani nallah and then the road becomes slightly better. We reach top of Rohtang Pass at 5:30PM. It took nearly 3.5 hours to cover the last 11 km.

The effect of vehicles and tourists are clearly visible at Rohtang. The ice has becomes black and the place looks like a garbage dump. We just stayed there for couple of minutes.

Traffic suddenly vanishes after Rohtang pass. The road continuously goes down with a series of switchbacks to reach to the level of Chandra River at Lahual. We reach a small village Koksar on the bank of Chandra River. The bus stops for sometime here for tea. All foreign tourists need to register themselves here.

The road after Koksar was along Chandra River. On the way, we saw the site of Rohtang tunnel. This 9km tunnel once completed (Planned 2015) would make Manali-Leh an all weather road. This is an important project for army as Ladakh gets cut off completely from land routes in winter.

Rohtang tunnel from Lahual side

The drive along Chandra River ends near Tandi where it joins Bhaga River from Baralacha La. Tandi has the only fuel pump on this route. The next one is after 351km!!

We finally reach Keylong at 9PM. Our stay was at decent tents at Chandrabhaga hotel. Without much delay, dinner was consumed and we quickly headed to the tents for sleep. The next day promised to be long!!

Ladakh day 1: Nothing “Spicy” about it

2011-07-17T22:07:00.000+05:30

30 June 2011

“The fuel leak has been confirmed. This flight cannot take off. Please deplane. ”were the words of the captain. This was not the way I expected the trip to start!! The Spice Jet aircraft to New Delhi was all set to take off when we heard this announcement. To our luck, the leak was not detected while flying.

With no inputs from anyone from the airline, the carefully planned trip of Ladakh seemed to be in jeopardy. The trip to Ladakh was planned four months before. We had been busy in planning various routes, taking to several travel agents, reducing the cost (Ladakh trips are expensive!!) and booking tickets.

The airline buses took us to the exit gate which leads to the arrival hall. After few minutes, we were standing at the airline counter to get a new boarding pass. That was quickly received but it had no information about the flight schedule!! The airline staff simply had no idea to handle such situation. “Pass the security and wait at gate 3” was their answer. And we went through the security check again!!

There was no staff at the gate. We just sat down and starting discussing various options that we could consider in case if we miss our evening bus to Manali. The bus was at 6:30PM and still we had lot of buffer time. But with uncertainty over the flights, things could go wrong.

Few people fed up with waiting started making noises. Finally, airline staff was in action. People with no check in bags were put into another flight. We did not fall into that category.

There was another flight scheduled at 11:20AM and it was decided to put the remaining people in that flight. It took quite some time to get the seat numbers for all people and to start boarding. At the tarmac, our checks in bags were kept for identification. All this led to further delay.

We congratulated ourselves for starting the trip on a weekday. On weekends, flights are normally full making it difficult to accommodate in other planes.

A new drama unfolded inside the plane. The airline had very limited stock of food. Airhostesses were clueless on what needs to be done. With some struggle, they found some cup noodles and offered the same to hungry passengers. I never imagined that I would be eating cup noodles in flight!!

T1 terminal at New Delhi is a mess. It took a long time to get the check in baggage.

The HPTDC bus to Manali was to depart from Connaught place. Taking a taxi was not a good idea considering the traffic jams in New Delhi. Hence, we opted for Metro train.

But Murphy was in full action on that day. The Metro train seemed to go extremely slow. I had been on several metros but none of them went so slow. Even a road engine goes faster!! An announcement is heard “Due to some problem, there will be delay in Metro service!!” What a day!!

After some time, the train starts to go at respectable speed. Our stop was at Rajeev chowk, a major junction. People outside were trying to get into the train unmindful that there will be people getting down. Police were deployed to control the mad crowd. What a shame!!

We get out of station and hire an auto to cover the last km. And in the middle of the journey auto stops and does not start!! After several tries, it makes a sound and then gets into action. That was the final hiccup!!

We were just in time for the Manali bus!! Ladakh dreams were about to start!!!!

Pangong Tso in Ladakh

Eiffel Tower, Paris

2011-07-16T10:28:00.000+05:30

15 May 2011

The most imposing structure of Paris. We were there at 5PM on the first day. The queue to reach to the top was long and we decided to climb to the top on the next day. Also, we were very much tired by night journey and by the long walk in Louvre museum.

But we wanted to see the lighting of Eiffel tower in the night. The only problem was that it was summer and sun sets only at 10PM!! We just relaxed in the gardens next to the tower. The wait was agonizing for me because of cold and hunger. I badly needed a cup of tea but all that was available was coke and similar drinks.

Lot of people sell the replica of Eiffel tower and most of them are Indians. They are bit irritating as they keep bothering people to buy the items they have. Very much like here!! We were sitting there for several hours and did not see much people buying from them. How can they sustain with such business in an expensive city like Paris.

But the long wait till sunset was rewarding. I could take some decent snaps without a tripod.

After watching the lights, we rushed to the metro station. We cannot miss the last train!! And we had to change the trains at three stations in order to reach our hotel. Everything went smoothly.

Next day, we were back at Eiffel tower. The queue was considerably less and within 30 minutes we were at the ticket counter. Due to the crowd, entry to the top was stopped. We were given tickets only till the second stage of the tower.

The elevator took us to the 2nd stage within no time. And immediately we were standing in the queue for the top!! Within few minutes, we were enjoying the beautiful view of Paris from the top of Eiffel tower!!

Notre Dame Cathedral and Seine River cruise

2011-06-26T21:02:00.000+05:30

14th May 2011

A cathedral on Gothic architecture. Its construction started during 1163 and was fully completed only in 1345!! This cathedral was subjected to several vandalisms due to the disturbances in France and has been restored each time.

What attracted us were the surroundings of the cathedral. Next to it is Seine River and also a beautiful garden. So much that we spent more than 2 hours sitting next to it!! There is also a way to go to the top of Cathedral but we decided not to go.

Later, we took a one hour cruise on Seine River. It passes through 25 out of 37 bridges constructed across the river in Paris. All along the river are various monuments of Paris like Eiffel tower, Louvre Museum, Notre Dame and French parliament to name a few.

The guide also showed the place where Princess Diana died in an accident.

Khandika falls

2011-06-18T22:32:00.000+05:30

11 June 2011

My uncle has recently discovered new waterfalls in the forests near our village. In spite of being close to civilization, the locals were oblivious of its existence. All these things interested me a lot and decided to have a look at it myself. While having tea, the discussions were about this falls. A decision was made suddenly to see this falls!! And after few minutes I was driving my car with my Uncle and Cousin.

Dinesh, a “localite” near the falls joined us. It was his first visit for him also!! As we moved away from the tar road, the surroundings changed drastically. We were inside dense evergreen forests. Few minutes later, we parked the car and started walking. A small patch of areca nut plantation had to be crossed. We also had to cross the stream coming from the waterfalls twice to reach it.

The waterfall was a pleasant surprise. I was expected some small falls but this was bit big. It was just the beginning of monsoon and hence there was decent amount of water. A nice place to take shower!!

And this is not just a monsoon falls. It hold decent amount of water even in winter months. We must be the largest crowd to visit this falls till date!!

Arc de Triomphe, Paris

2011-06-08T20:20:00.000+05:30

14th May 2011

This looks very similar to “India Gate” in New Delhi. Built during the period of Napoleon, this monument became the important landmark for all the military parades after successful victories. The military parades were conducted not only by French but also by Germans in 1940 after Hitler’s victory over France!!

Beneath the monument is the tomb of an unknown soldier died during First World War. An eternal flame is lit there. This is in memory of soldiers died who were never identified.

Arc de Triomphe is at the center of the circle where several roads meet. With no marking for pedestrians to cross, we did a foolish act. Jumped into the road to cross!! The road was quite wide and we had to put all our energy to cross over before being run by speeding vehicles. And after crossing we found that there is a way through the tunnel for pedestrians.

One can also climb up to the top by paying entry fee. Continues climb of about 300 steps will bring us to a small museum that shows the history of the monument. Few more steps took us to the top.

The view from the top is simply great!! It looks like all roads lead to the arc.

Louvre Museum, Paris

2011-06-04T18:55:00.000+05:30

14th May 2011

Our first place of visit in Paris was Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre). A fortress built in 12th century; it is now the largest and most visited Museum in the world. It is so large that if you spend a minute in front of each collection, it would take four months to see the entire Museum!! Its collection includes the most popular painting “Mona Lisa” from Leonardo Da Vinci.

There is a direct entry to the Museum that brings us to the glass Pyramid, the entrance of the Museum. We brought our tickets here (10 Euros) and started our “long” walk into the Museum. Since it was difficult to cover the entire Museum, we decided to first start with the ones which we thought were important. We were particularly interested in the paintings, Greece and Roman antiques.

The collection is simply amazing, especially the paintings. Hundreds of paintings decorated the walls of a long corridor. Most of the paintings were depicting the life during Jesus Christ. With very little knowledge about European history and Christianity, I found them difficult to understand. The explanations in French didn’t help me either (Audio guides in different languages are available. But I always prefer to read).

Since its inception, there has been lot of revolutions and wars in Europe. It would have been a daunting task for the people to safeguard these precious elements. Even now, the paintings look like “just completed”.

I personally liked “Last Supper” painting. It is the largest painting in Louvre and covers the entire wall on one side. This is from Italian painter Paolo Veronese. (The one from Leonardo Da Vinci is in Milan, Italy). It took quite some time for me to get the complete painting in my camera. I do not know how the painter managed to draw such a huge one.

In front of “Last Supper”, a massive crowd was formed. Wondering what people doing there, I peeped in. It was the “Mona Lisa” painting. I must admit that my initial reaction was a disappointment. After seeing the extra ordinary large painting of “Last Supper”, Mona Lisa looked extremely small (In fact it is small). But people are fascinated by this painting. Everyone wanted to take a snap of theirs with the painting in the background. Considering the popularity of the painting, it is well secured inside glass.

After paintings, we moved to Roman and Greek sections. Below is the sculpture Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss.

Venus de Milo, one of most famous ancient Greek sculpture.

The walk was tiring and we took few breaks in between. The restaurants inside the Museum were extremely expensive and we decided to have food later. At one point of time, we lost track of where we were moving!! The collections seemed to never end. Later, we also realized that we were just trudging without any aim. We had seen enough of the Museum and decided to move out. Completely exhausted, we sat next to the fountain enjoying the cool breeze outside.

It was time for late lunch and I could only get a salad in McDonald’s. All my efforts to get a burger with “meat” removed failed as the girl in the counter could not understand my logic. A coke and a few pieces of vegetables were the only ones available for me and I was grateful for that!!

Eiffel tower at the background

Paris

2011-05-29T22:31:00.000+05:30

14th -15th May 2011

I was in Netherlands couple of weeks ago on Official visit. With a weekend to spare, I decided to visit Paris along with my colleague Prashanjith Ghosh. The next action was to plan the travel to Paris. From the town of Eindhoven where we were staying, there were three options:

1. Take a rented car – As a person who loves driving, this was my first choice. But rental is economically viable if there are four persons. Hence this option was dropped.

2. Go on train – High speed train runs between Amsterdam and Paris. These were day trains which meant that we get very little time in Paris.

3. Overnight bus – Most economical option. We could get two complete days to roam around in Paris. This seemed to be the most ideal for our requirements.

The plan was to start on Friday night from Eindhoven on Eurolines buses which would drop us at Paris early in the morning. And start back from Paris on Sunday night. That would leave us two full days to roam in Paris. A surprising factor is that the seat numbers are not allocated on reservation. This is strange when even reservation in the “red buses” of KSRTC provides a seat number. But the buses are very comfortable. The bus drops at a place called Gallieni in Paris.

Stay in Paris:

Paris is big city and hence there are various stay options depending on the budget. A lot of “Bed and breakfast” and dormitory accommodation are available. We stayed at Ibis hotel. It is not a cheap option but they allow for early check-in which was needed for us.

Travel in Paris:

Paris has a very good metro network. About 24 railway lines go the almost all corners of Paris. A two day pass for 15 Euros allows for unlimited travel on Metro and buses in zones 1-3. Since almost all tourist spots are located within this zone, the metro pass is a tourist friendly option. The Charles De Gaulle airport is outside this zone and needs a pass with higher amount.

Though the train network was extremely good, the stations were not clean (Compared to European standards!!). The trains also looked old compared to the posh ones in HongKong and Singapore.

Food:

Vegetarians always have a tough time outside India and Paris is not an exception. It is even harder for a person like me who does not eat even egg!! But few vegetarian options are available in food chains like Subway. Restaurants line McDonald’s have only “salads” in vegetarian menu.

Most of the Indian restaurants are concentrated near Gare du Nord metro station. It is located away from the tourist areas. The high speed trains start from this Metro station.

Language:

French is the official language but surprisingly many people could understand English. Being a tourist place, language is not an issue.

Safety:

Paris is one of the safest cities as long as you don’t enter into some bad areas. We travelled at 12 in the night but did not face any problem.

Is two days enough?

It depends on the interest of people. A person interested in art and history may even find a week very less to explore Paris. Remember that Paris is filled with Museums. But for normal visitors, two days are good enough. Another day can be added to visit Disney land. But this is for Paris only and France itself a big country with lots of tourist places.

Hoysala Temples of Mosale

2011-05-22T16:50:00.000+05:30

22nd April 2011

The village has a strange name “Mosale” meaning crocodile in Kannada. I don’t know why such a peculiar name exists for the village but more importantly it houses two great Hoysala Temples. These two twin Temples of Chennakeshava and Somehwara Temples are located in the same complex!!

As expected, there was not a soul present in the Temple complex. It was extremely silent evening there with only chirping of birds being heard. But unfortunately there were no people who could explain the details of these twin Temples. Most of my questions were unanswered. It was built sometime in 14th century was all I could get.

But we did spend a lot of time at the Temple examining its architecture and taking pictures.

How to reach Mosale:

From Hassan, take the road towards Hole Narasipura (Or also called as Mysore road). Travel on that road for 10km where you see a big board about Mosale Temples. Take a right turn here to enter into the village road. The Temple is about 2 km from the main road and you need to cross couple of villages before that. The road in front of the Temple is very narrow amidts houses and requires some skill in driving (if you are on a four wheeler).

This is my 200th post!! Thanks for all who have encouraged me to reach this milestone!!!!

Bababudan Giri to Kemmangundi

2011-05-13T22:40:00.000+05:30

23rd April 2011

I had heard that the “shortcut road” connecting the two hill stations of Karnataka was very scenic. My two attempts to drive on this road were unsuccessful. I had tried to start from Kemmangundi but horrible roads made me return back on all both occasions. I even gave a thought of walking on that road but like many other plans it never materialized.

Recently, my friend Arjun showed me a news clip that mentioned about the road being repaired between Bababudan Giri and Kemmangundi. I quickly planned a trip this summer as I was skeptical about the quality of newly laid roads after monsoon. This time I decided to start from Bababudan Giri. As expected, accommodation at Kemmangundi was not available thus forcing me to make it a day trip.

As indicated by the news clip, the road was extremely smooth from Bababudan Giri. The winding roads through the coffee estates were paradise for the people in the vehicle. But all good things must end at some point and suddenly the tar road vanished. The bumpy ride started and the next 16 km to Kemmangundi promised to be torturous. Few vehicles from the opposite side convinced that the roads were “drivable”.

After the roads turned bad, we entered into Bhadra wildlife sanctuary area. That might be the reason for bad roads!! Getting permission to repair or construct roads inside wildlife sanctuary is difficult these days.

The scenery changed dramatically after the entry into the National forest. The road passed through the shoal grasslands with deep valleys and lofty hills on the side of the road. Due to summer, the hills were brown. There was absolutely no human habitation till Kemmangundi. As the roads winds through the grasslands, one can see a vehicle moving on shoulder of some hill from a far distance. Though it was a long weekend the density of vehicles was quite less ensuring peaceful drive.

For me, this was one of the best scenic drives in Karnataka. The closest would be the drive through Kudremukh National forest but that being a National highway does not offer the solitude and freshness of BababudanGiri – Kemmangundi stretch.

The rods become extremely bad as Kemmangundi neared. Kemmangundi was filled with people and vehicles. First time I visited Kemmangundi was 20 years ago with my parents. There was hardly couple of other tourist families at that time. With time, lot of things has changed and so is the crowd. Facilities still remain the same!!

Very soon, we were back on the scenic stretch of Kemmangundi – Babbudan Giri. At a view point, I parked the car to the side and took out my camera while my Wife and daughter started climbing a small hill.

Shettihalli Church

2011-05-01T10:42:00.000+05:30

22 April 2011

When people know that their abode will be swallowed by the backwaters rising from a dam, they take everything possible with him. But lot of immovable structures still remains to submerge from the rising waters. As summer commences, the water in the reservoirs starts to recede opening up some of these secrets hidden during monsoon rains.

One such place is Shettihalli Church submerged by the backwaters of Gorur dam constructed across Hemavathy River. Built around 1860 by French missionaries, it was called as Holy Rosary Church. It is said that the Church was built using bricks mixing with jiggery and eggs.

Travel:

Instead of usual way of “ask and go”, I decided to use Google maps. As the map directed me from National highway to State highway followed by district roads and narrow village roads, I grew suspicious and asked a villager. But google was correct!! We could see the backwaters and shortly afterwards, the spire of the Church was visible. We had to cross few fields before entering into the backwaters. The water had completely receded from the Church area creating few ponds in between.

The Church:

The huge Church is in ruins now but most of the structures are still intact. The roof is gone and so are the windows and doors. Its golden days had passed long ago and now silently stood against the vast expanse of water.

I saw a small Temple similarly submerged in the backwater. That was on the other side of the backwaters. Few coracles were available but it I was not willing to bet my life on that. If explored, I am sure that more such small secrets would come out.

Unfortunately, a group of people had come on their bikes from nearby city. Few of them were busy emptying the Kingfisher bottles while the ones who consumed all were equally busy in smashing them against rocks. They did not bother us but were creating a nuisance. Somehow, I am seeing a lot of these kinds of people who just add weight to the earth.

We just moved near to backwaters and away from the gang. It was quite peaceful with only the sound being the waves gently hitting the shores. My daughter was more interested in playing in the waters. While she was busy throwing stones into the water, I just sat silently watching the backwaters. It was a nice afternoon.

How to reach:

Shettihalli Church is about 25km from Hassan. Take the road that leads to Gorur dam. After some 12 km, take a road that goes to right. Proceed on that road till you see the backwaters. The church should be visible just before a bridge constructed across backwaters.

Jalamangala

2011-04-17T18:08:00.000+05:30

10th April 2011

This beautiful hillock is about 20 km from the town of Ramanagara. Like many of the hills nearby, a Temple is on its top. Situated at the backdrop of a nice lake, this is a nice location for people looking for a half day adventure.

Subbu and I started quite early from our homes. Our plan was to complete the climb before the sun comes up. We had a stupendous breakfast at Kamath lokharuchi before proceeding further to Jalamangala. The road from Ramanagara was surprisingly smooth. There were mango trees all along the path. It was quite tempting for both of us to stop our car for a few minutes to grab a few of those mouth watering mangoes. (While returning back, we asked a villager and took couple of them!!)

We parked the car on the side of the road and took a path that went to the top of the hill. Initial few minutes were difficult for us as we were out of touch from trekking. The heavy breakfast at Kamath did not help the matters. The hill looks like a monolith from the road but there are enough shades and trees all along the route to relax. Except for a short stretch near the top, there is no rock climbing. The villagers have made a path in the crevice and provided directions. On the way, we found a huge cave with bee hives.

It just took us about 40 minutes to climb to the top. We had not seen anyone on the route and expected the place to be empty. But few people were in the Temple. We thought that they had come for worship. A closer look at them revealed that they were playing cards. Arrived on the previous day, they had partied in the night. The filth and the broken bottles were testimony for that. People don’t even spare the place of worship. They had run into shortage of cigarettes. Disappointment was visible when we told that we were non smokers.

There are few ponds on the top but all of them are covered by green moss. We spent about 45 minutes on the top before we started down. On the way, we found a villager and asked them how they allow such activities in the Temple. “It is a shame for the village. What would outsiders think about it?” was our question. He was visibly disturbed by that and promised to take care of that. “Come next time. You will not see such things” was his say.

Directions:

Take Mysore road from Bengaluru. At Ramangara signal near the bus stand, take right. A “Y” junction is at a distance of 100mtrs. Take the left arm and proceed for 20 kms to reach Jalamangala. The roads are in good condition.

Mahimapura

2011-03-27T20:36:00.000+05:30

6th Februray 2011

Mahimapura is a small village near Bengaluru. Situated in the village is Ranganatha Swamy Temple on a hillock. From Bengaluru, travel towards Tumkur. After about 10 km from Nelamagala toll gate, you see an arch on the left side. Enter into the road and the village is 1.5km from the highway.

The huge number of shops at the base of the hillock gave an impression of big crowds. But barring shop keepers, no other human beings were seen. We had to climb about 350 steps to reach the Temple. It’s an easy climb with my daughter happily climbing on herself.

Barring a stray dog, there was not even a single soul at the Temple. The area itself is calm and peaceful. The scenery from top is nothing special. Shivaganga, which is one of the highest hills in the area, can be seen from the top. We spent about 45 minutes and there was no one to disturb us. It was all for us!!

Back in the base, we found ourselves eating hot “bendu Battas”. I do not know what they call in English but it was a long time that I tasted them. It brought back my memories of jatre (fair) in Sagar where I use to eat it.

Chorala waterfall

2011-03-13T11:03:00.000+05:30

20th February 2011

This was one of the easiest treks I did to reach a waterfall. Accompanied by a British couple who had the stamina to walk long distances, the walk was simple. The day was hot but canopy of trees provided the much needed shade. Our guide was a lady and she seemed to have good knowledge about the area and its forests.

The trek of about 45 minutes was eventful. A huge bison skull was lying on the ground confirming the presence of carnivores in the area. The guide also showed us a funnel web spider which was new to me. A flock of Malabar pied hornbills flew from a tree near us. I was simply amazed at looking at them and it did not occur to me to take a photograph.

The last 10 minutes of trek was on the stream. We had to climb up the huge boulders to move ahead. I was expecting a small falls but this one was huge. The quantity of water was less but that was expected in dry season. A nice pool with crystal clear water was inviting us to take a dip. The place looked like a huge fortress. It was surprising and refreshing to see that the place is completely void of plastic, the beer bottles and gukta covers which have become the bane for all the nice areas visited by Homo sapiens.

The falls must be about 80-100ft in height and is entirely in Karnataka. The guide also mentioned that it was a difficult task to reach waterfall from the villages situated on the upper side. The easiest way is to use the path that we came but one has to cross a private property in between and permissions are not given to “time pass” people. I feel that these two reasons have made this falls retain its natural glory.

Bangalore Palace

2011-03-06T19:20:00.000+05:30

29th January 2011

It usually happens that in our zeal to explore new areas, we often ignore the nearer ones. One such place was “Bangalore Palace”. Although, it is one of the prime places in Bangalore for movie shootings, it never came into my mind to visit this place!! We had Henk visiting our Office from Netherlands and hence I got a chance to see Bangalore Palace!!!! Along with Henk, Nataraj and Hareesha, I visited this place.

The Palace at the center of the city is now owned by Srikantha Datta Narasimharaja Wodeyar from Mysore royal family. It has no similarities with Mysore Palace but looks like a minor version of a castle. The place is also rented to super rich people for holding private parties.

Audio guide is available at the Palace which gives very clear information about the lifestyle of Mysore kings. It is available in English, Kannada, Hindi and other few European languages. Lots of paintings and photographs on Mysore rulers adorn the walls. It is better to take an audio guide to understand about the place and the paintings. You need to carry an original copy of ID or pay Rs 2000/- as deposit to get the audio guides.

What I was surprised was about entry fees to the Palace. An entry costs Rs 100/- while an audio guide costs Rs 175/- (This includes entry). And then comes the catch of all; Rs 500/- for a still camera!! Needless to say, foreigners have to shell more.

Chorla ghat road

2011-02-27T10:32:00.000+05:30

19th February 2011

The road I am mentioning here starts from Belgaum, goes via a small town of Jamboti and winds down the Chorla ghat to reach Panaji. This is a short cut when compared to the normally used National Highway 4A. But never think of taking this short cut!!

The road is good for the first 20km. As you are happy about the roads finally getting better in Karnataka, you cross the Jamboti town. The scenery suddenly improves with greenery all round. But the people will not be in a position to enjoy the beauty of the nature. One cannot go above 15km/hr!!!! The trees next to the road are all covered by a layer of dust giving an impression of mining area.

The next 40km is an absolute nightmare for all people travelling on this road. I was happy for not being on the driver seat. Thanks to the warning that I received earlier, I subdued my urge to drive all the way from Bengaluru. It was surprising to see several KSRTC and Goa state buses on this road. It is difficult to find a passenger who has not covered his nose and mouth with a piece of cloth!!

An hour journey from Jamboti brings us to a fairly big village of Kanakumbi. It would have been a peaceful village amidst the evergreen forests. But not anymore. Karnataka Government is busy building a huge tunnel to divert water from Mahadevi River. This controversial Kalasa Bhanduri project aims to bring some drinking water to Hubli-Dharwad. But those towns are very far from the project site. Was there no simpler solution? Controversies aside, this project is causing immense damage to the forests in this area. The Lorries, mud, slush and dust dominate the peaceful place in western ghat. I remember a Politician saying that this project is the most environmental friendly. I hate him. It is nothing but a loot of natural resources by greedy Government people.

It looks like a serious effort is going on to improve the road from Jamboti to Project area. This is not to help the locals but its people who have to come to the project area frequently. Government guys should not suffer.

The road after Kanakumbi deteriorates further. The villages on the way look very backward when compared to the ones in Malnad area. The negligence is shocking.

It took almost 3 hours to reach Goa border. And guess what…. A smooth road suddenly appears. There is no welcome sign for entering Goa. But the great road on the other side of the border takes care of it!!

Jai Karnataka!!!!