Lepakshi was on my to-do list sincefor a long time. Since this place was only 175 kms from Bangalore, it was an ideal get away. Spur of the moment decision on a Friday was how this trip was planned.
Except the last 10 Kms the roads to Lepakshi is well laid and we were driving at a constant 100 kms/hr most of the time. The only drawback is that other than one Kamat Restaurant, there is no other place to stop for a quick bite.
Once we reached the temple each of us took our camera and walked in different directions. While I looked around for a guide, I found a group discussing about the temple and decided to join them. It was fun because along with history and details about the temple, they discussed mythological stories related to the sculptures.
The fascinating thing about the temple is the wall paintings on the ceilings. Each section depicted a different story, some mythological and some related to the people who built the temple. After I got back I realised I didnt have a single picture of the paintings
The other interesting bit is about the wall with blood stains from Virupaksha (the temple builder) gorging his eye out and throwing it on that wall to prove his innocence .
If one had a day to spare this definitely is a place to visit.
As we headed back, since we had time to spare, we decided to stop by at the birth place of Vishweshavraiah . There is a museum built here with collection of things like his Bharath Ratan and other awards, his pass book, his dairy etc. It is amazing to see the simple life style the great man lived and remember the great work he did for India.
We spent about an hour there and then we were ready to head back. The drive back was uneventful except for the slow moving traffic as we entered Bangalore.
The pictures are in the link below
http://picasaweb.google.com/aishwarya.belliappa/Lepakshi?locked=true#
Monday 6 December 2010
Sunday 31 October 2010
Birding in My Backyard
When my parents were contemplating the idea of travelling to North In dia for 2 weeks, I opted to work from home during that period so that I could keep an eye on things there.
While I was not working I was hoping to experiment with my newly purchased camera. After the initial bit of resting I was ready to explore. Having attended NTP and actively followed the posting by the group, my knowledge about birds was slightly better. Its been a week since I arrived and this my account of what I noticed.
The first day when I managed to get up early I was greeted by the cries/calls of woodpeckers. Though at that time I didn’t know the call, I followed the direction it cam from and was glad to find 2 pairs of Common Golden Backed Woodpecker
After I chased them for a while, I gave up and was walking back when I found a Rufos-Backed Shrike sitting close by
At a distance I noticed some jungle Myna
The evening had some more surprises stored for me. As I walked around the property,
calling continuously was an Indian Rufos Babbler.
As I went closer I also caught sight of spotted dove
During the week in between my calls I managed to catch a glimpse of the following among the flowers and fruit trees
While I spotted a lot of birds, I was at loss when I had to identify them. I had left my field guide back in
While I am extremely excited about all this, I can’t help but wonder why I took so long to uncover the beautiful of the place I grew up in
More Pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/aishwarya.belliappa/MyBackyard#
List of Birds so far
House Crow
Jungle Crow
Red Cheeked Bulbul
Red Vent Bulbul
White Breasted Kingfisher
Jungle Myna
Indian Rufos Babbler
Rofus Backed Shrike
Large Egret
Twany Eagle
Large Pied Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Purple Sunbird
Black-Lored Yellow Tit
Great Tit
Pied Bush Chat
Indian Robin
Oriental Magpie Robin
Greenish Leaf Warbler
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Jerdon's Chloropsis
Black Drongo
Common Swallow
Common Golden Backed Woodpecker
Brown Headed Barbet
White Cheeked Barbet
Greater Coucal
Spotted Dove
Plum Headed Parakeet
Blue-winged Parakeet
Indian Pond Heron
Hanging Parrot
Velvet Throated Nuthatch
Eurasian Blackbird
Ashy Woodswallow
Chestnut Tailed Starling
Scarlet Minivet
Scimitar-Babbler
Scaly Thrush
Loten's Sunbird
Pale Billed Flowerpecker
Monday 11 October 2010
Fleeting Glimpses of New York
This was going to be my first trip out side of Asia and I was excited. Since the whole thing got finalized in the last minute I didn’t have much time to do research on places to see and had absolutely, no idea what I was going to do once I got to New York except seeing Statue of Liberty.
A colleague and long time friend of mine (Tylsley) offered to take me around and I was glad that I was seen the city with someone I knew.
Let me start off with the area where my office is. It is in the Heart of Time Squares. I was apprehensive about how I would find it and when I walked on to 7th Avenue 45th Street, amongst all the signage there it was the orange (Thomson Reuters Color). All I had to do was walk under it and I found the office. To know that my company is among the ones on Time Square make me feel proud
As for the evening there was no fixed plan I was going to take it as it came. By the time I finished work and wound up it was about 7 and so Tylsley suggested we started with the areas around office.
The first places that we walked by was Radio City, NBC Studios and Rockfeller Building (a tall building with a little history). A stop for peace and serenity at the St. Patrick Church; the walk then took us through Diamond District, Trump building, Tiffiny’s diamond store, Plaza Hotel and Central Park. We then took the a subway to Broadway, peeked in to the WTC site, walk by St Paul Church, past city hall, that bought us to Brooklyn Bridge.
The walk on the Brooklyn Bridge was beautiful. It was amazing the see the city whiz past was we walked by enjoying the view. By then I was tired and since it was late I headed back for some sleep.
The next free evening I had I wanted to see Statue of Liberty, at least from a distance. The plan was to take the Stain Island Ferry.
But before the ferry, Tylsley took me to the Pier 17. 
The place gave us a awesome view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the waterway. We spent great deal of time walking around and getting pictures. And then we walked to the ferry. This is a free ferry that gave a great view of Manhattan and New Jersey city line. The ferry took 10 mins and went right past the Statue. The view is breath taking and cameras clicked non stop.
A colleague and long time friend of mine (Tylsley) offered to take me around and I was glad that I was seen the city with someone I knew.
Let me start off with the area where my office is. It is in the Heart of Time Squares. I was apprehensive about how I would find it and when I walked on to 7th Avenue 45th Street, amongst all the signage there it was the orange (Thomson Reuters Color). All I had to do was walk under it and I found the office. To know that my company is among the ones on Time Square make me feel proud
As for the evening there was no fixed plan I was going to take it as it came. By the time I finished work and wound up it was about 7 and so Tylsley suggested we started with the areas around office.
The first places that we walked by was Radio City, NBC Studios and Rockfeller Building (a tall building with a little history). A stop for peace and serenity at the St. Patrick Church; the walk then took us through Diamond District, Trump building, Tiffiny’s diamond store, Plaza Hotel and Central Park. We then took the a subway to Broadway, peeked in to the WTC site, walk by St Paul Church, past city hall, that bought us to Brooklyn Bridge.
The walk on the Brooklyn Bridge was beautiful. It was amazing the see the city whiz past was we walked by enjoying the view. By then I was tired and since it was late I headed back for some sleep.The next free evening I had I wanted to see Statue of Liberty, at least from a distance. The plan was to take the Stain Island Ferry.
But before the ferry, Tylsley took me to the Pier 17. The place gave us a awesome view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the waterway. We spent great deal of time walking around and getting pictures. And then we walked to the ferry. This is a free ferry that gave a great view of Manhattan and New Jersey city line. The ferry took 10 mins and went right past the Statue. The view is breath taking and cameras clicked non stop.Then we walked to Wall Street, I could not leave New York without seeing the Big Bull. So the path took us there and then to the Stock Exchange and Trinity Church. After that Tylsley had a surprise planned. We walked past the WTC, New Jersey Station and then a Shopping Mall and we were at a Dock. 
From this place we could see New Jersey and since it was not crowded it had a calming feel to it. Since it was late, that had to be the last place I visited in NY for site seeing.
The good thing about going with Tylsley was that he told me lot of the town. He was open to answering stupid questions about the lifestyles and habits. He knew the place for the
best cheese cakes (Juniors, wish I ate more of that), the place that had awesome Mexican Food, the little Italian place. The Other thing was that he knew these small tucked away places that gave the best view of the city line. If it hadn’t been for him I think I would have covered about 10% of what I did.
From this place we could see New Jersey and since it was not crowded it had a calming feel to it. Since it was late, that had to be the last place I visited in NY for site seeing.The good thing about going with Tylsley was that he told me lot of the town. He was open to answering stupid questions about the lifestyles and habits. He knew the place for the
best cheese cakes (Juniors, wish I ate more of that), the place that had awesome Mexican Food, the little Italian place. The Other thing was that he knew these small tucked away places that gave the best view of the city line. If it hadn’t been for him I think I would have covered about 10% of what I did.Friday 6 August 2010
Hidden Beauty - Devaramane
Summer was just around the corner and I was dying to do a trek before all the water sources dried up and very thing turned brown instead of the usual green around the Malnad region.
Luckily for me I am part of the adventure club at office, so when decision had to be made between the popular trekking places and new places some of us managed to convince the group to explore a place called Devaramane.
An overnight journey from Bangalore bought us to a place called Mudigere. Dawn was just breaking when we go there and some of us who were awake staggered along with the driver to the only visible coffee shop. The warm coffee woke us up and while we waited for the coffee shop owner to pack breakfast for us we took short walk around. As the sun rose in the distant hills we were ready to head towards Devaramane. Since this was an unexplored place we had to stop time and again to get directions. Finally we were at a small village at the base of the hills. When we enquired about the trek routes in one of the houses, they promptly offered to send one of the estate workers to guide us.
To start out trek we had to drive another 5 kms more, initially through coffee estates and then through breath-taking landscape. The hills sprawled all around and the raising sun had given them a different gleam.
The trek was to start from a 300 year old Shiva temple.
The sides of the door were decorated with terrifying demons carving. 
But the interiors were cool and calming. In front of the temple there was a huge lake
and we decided to eat our breakfast here and then proceed.
During the initial part of the trek our guide pointed out different peaks.
Some which were familiar and conquered; and some never heard of before. Slowly we started breaking up into groups, the fast walkers leading the way with the guide and the rest huffing and puffing far behind. As we walked we would come across places where the view became even more beautiful. We would stop and take pictures. The Guide would tell us story about each of the hill we walked on. 
(He told us about a man who had taken a walk down a cave (considered impossible) that led him to wise man who had granted him a lot of gifts. On return he had given those gifts to different people. When the last of person came for his gift, he was given chew betel nuts. He threw them on the floor with disgust and cardamom sprouted in the places where these nuts fell. Once can still see the opening of cave the man walked through.
Another hill (Buntkallu) resembles the walking stick he used when he walked down the cave)
As the sun climbed the skies we walked closer to Minchkallu, our destination.
We were still 3 kms away from the peak when we decided to take a detour and stop by at the stream to eat lunch. The stream was by a bunch of trees between the shola forest. Water was almost drying up here. Another 4 more weeks and I doubt there would be any water left. We filled our stomach with Chappati, Chutney Pudi, Pickle and Corn Mixture Roll. A strange combination but when one is hungry you hardly notice.
While we ate our lunch the guide suggested that we head to the Gavi (cave) nearby instead of the peak. Based on our current pace he feared that if we went to the peak, it would be well past sunset by the time we got back.
Though one could not go into the cave the spot by itself was beautiful. After speanding about 20 mins there we decided to head back. Finally just as the sun was going to set we reached the temple. After some rest and a quick shower we got ready to cook dinner. The boys took charge while the girls looked on.
As night descended the girls were asked to build bon-fire and help set up the tents. Since some of the sticks in the tents were broken it took a lot of time to have them up. By the time we finished dinner was ready, we had lemon rice and curd rice for dinner.
After spending some time around the fire we soon retired to bed. Everybody was up early next morning. After another round of cooking and eating we were ready to head back. Since the tempo we came in refused to drive all the way up we had to walk 5 kms. Having walked on the hills this walk on tar road was boring.
After 2 hours we were back at the base.
Since we still had rest of the day left we decided to visit a waterfall near by. But when we reached there we weren’t given permission and had to return disheartened. Our final destination Horranadu, after a quick darshan and delicious dinner, we were on our way back to Bangalore.
More Pictures can be found in this link :http://picasaweb.google.com/aishwarya.belliappa/Devaramane#
Luckily for me I am part of the adventure club at office, so when decision had to be made between the popular trekking places and new places some of us managed to convince the group to explore a place called Devaramane.
An overnight journey from Bangalore bought us to a place called Mudigere. Dawn was just breaking when we go there and some of us who were awake staggered along with the driver to the only visible coffee shop. The warm coffee woke us up and while we waited for the coffee shop owner to pack breakfast for us we took short walk around. As the sun rose in the distant hills we were ready to head towards Devaramane. Since this was an unexplored place we had to stop time and again to get directions. Finally we were at a small village at the base of the hills. When we enquired about the trek routes in one of the houses, they promptly offered to send one of the estate workers to guide us.
To start out trek we had to drive another 5 kms more, initially through coffee estates and then through breath-taking landscape. The hills sprawled all around and the raising sun had given them a different gleam.
The trek was to start from a 300 year old Shiva temple.
The sides of the door were decorated with terrifying demons carving. But the interiors were cool and calming. In front of the temple there was a huge lake and we decided to eat our breakfast here and then proceed.During the initial part of the trek our guide pointed out different peaks.
Some which were familiar and conquered; and some never heard of before. Slowly we started breaking up into groups, the fast walkers leading the way with the guide and the rest huffing and puffing far behind. As we walked we would come across places where the view became even more beautiful. We would stop and take pictures. The Guide would tell us story about each of the hill we walked on. (He told us about a man who had taken a walk down a cave (considered impossible) that led him to wise man who had granted him a lot of gifts. On return he had given those gifts to different people. When the last of person came for his gift, he was given chew betel nuts. He threw them on the floor with disgust and cardamom sprouted in the places where these nuts fell. Once can still see the opening of cave the man walked through.
Another hill (Buntkallu) resembles the walking stick he used when he walked down the cave)
As the sun climbed the skies we walked closer to Minchkallu, our destination.
We were still 3 kms away from the peak when we decided to take a detour and stop by at the stream to eat lunch. The stream was by a bunch of trees between the shola forest. Water was almost drying up here. Another 4 more weeks and I doubt there would be any water left. We filled our stomach with Chappati, Chutney Pudi, Pickle and Corn Mixture Roll. A strange combination but when one is hungry you hardly notice.While we ate our lunch the guide suggested that we head to the Gavi (cave) nearby instead of the peak. Based on our current pace he feared that if we went to the peak, it would be well past sunset by the time we got back.
Though one could not go into the cave the spot by itself was beautiful. After speanding about 20 mins there we decided to head back. Finally just as the sun was going to set we reached the temple. After some rest and a quick shower we got ready to cook dinner. The boys took charge while the girls looked on.
As night descended the girls were asked to build bon-fire and help set up the tents. Since some of the sticks in the tents were broken it took a lot of time to have them up. By the time we finished dinner was ready, we had lemon rice and curd rice for dinner.After spending some time around the fire we soon retired to bed. Everybody was up early next morning. After another round of cooking and eating we were ready to head back. Since the tempo we came in refused to drive all the way up we had to walk 5 kms. Having walked on the hills this walk on tar road was boring.
After 2 hours we were back at the base.Since we still had rest of the day left we decided to visit a waterfall near by. But when we reached there we weren’t given permission and had to return disheartened. Our final destination Horranadu, after a quick darshan and delicious dinner, we were on our way back to Bangalore.
More Pictures can be found in this link :http://picasaweb.google.com/aishwarya.belliappa/Devaramane#
Monday 2 August 2010
Georgia Sunshine Village
Just completed 5 years in the company and the trip to Georgia Sunshine was almost like a celebration for this. It was a fun trip with friends from work and their families.
We had heard of the home-stay from a friend of ours and decided to give it a try since we were looking for a place somewhere close.
After a good breakfast at SLV in Banashankari 2nd Stage we headed out on Kanakapura Road at 9:30 a.m. Luckily for us the roads were good and we managed to reach Malavalli Junction by 11:30. The home-stay is about 10 kms from here.
We had to drive through a short stretch of gravel road to reach the place. Just as we got there, we found the road blocked by a tempo traveler. Since we could not find the driver anywhere, the men decided to push the TT to the side.
We had heard of the home-stay from a friend of ours and decided to give it a try since we were looking for a place somewhere close.
After a good breakfast at SLV in Banashankari 2nd Stage we headed out on Kanakapura Road at 9:30 a.m. Luckily for us the roads were good and we managed to reach Malavalli Junction by 11:30. The home-stay is about 10 kms from here.
We had to drive through a short stretch of gravel road to reach the place. Just as we got there, we found the road blocked by a tempo traveler. Since we could not find the driver anywhere, the men decided to push the TT to the side.
The home-stay is a quite tucked away place between 2 hills. The only sounds you can hear are peafowl and cuckoo cries at a distance. The bird watcher in me was excited about the prospect of spotting some. I decided to wake up early and go for a walk next day.
In the afternoon while the others slept I explored one of the hills. Remembering sessions from the NTP program, I watched out for signs of birds and insects. Watched some red cheeked bulbuls and jungle myna hop between shrubs. The sun birds and peafowl could be heard at a distance. The sight on the top was beautiful and I cursed myself for not carrying a camera and notebook. As just as I headed back to my cottage I saw a spotted owl, he was sizing me up and we looked at each other for a while. Then he got bored and flew away and I went to narrate my experience to my friends
Rest of the day was spent swimming, playing Table Tennis, Foozball, Pictionary, eating and drinking. For the priced charged the food was not great. I enjoyed my desserts but the rest of the food wasn’t something I would remember. We retired to bed by about 1 am.
Next morning some of us were up and about early. We decided to visit the canal nearby.
It was a short walkand since it was early we managed to spot birds like Gery Horn Bill, Rose Ringed Parakeets, Owl Copper Smith Barbet and regulars like sun bird, myna and crows.
The other interesting sight was the butterflies.
We saw some pretty ones and managed to capture some on camera (yeah finally). 
While we were not watching the butterflies some of us tried swinging on the Banyan roots, it bought back memories on childhood. After an hour of walking we headed back for breakfast. And before we knew it it was time to head back to civilisation
In the afternoon while the others slept I explored one of the hills. Remembering sessions from the NTP program, I watched out for signs of birds and insects. Watched some red cheeked bulbuls and jungle myna hop between shrubs. The sun birds and peafowl could be heard at a distance. The sight on the top was beautiful and I cursed myself for not carrying a camera and notebook. As just as I headed back to my cottage I saw a spotted owl, he was sizing me up and we looked at each other for a while. Then he got bored and flew away and I went to narrate my experience to my friends
Rest of the day was spent swimming, playing Table Tennis, Foozball, Pictionary, eating and drinking. For the priced charged the food was not great. I enjoyed my desserts but the rest of the food wasn’t something I would remember. We retired to bed by about 1 am.
Next morning some of us were up and about early. We decided to visit the canal nearby.
It was a short walkand since it was early we managed to spot birds like Gery Horn Bill, Rose Ringed Parakeets, Owl Copper Smith Barbet and regulars like sun bird, myna and crows.The other interesting sight was the butterflies.
We saw some pretty ones and managed to capture some on camera (yeah finally). While we were not watching the butterflies some of us tried swinging on the Banyan roots, it bought back memories on childhood. After an hour of walking we headed back for breakfast. And before we knew it it was time to head back to civilisationMore Pics in the link : http://picasaweb.google.com/aishwarya.belliappa/GeorgiaSunshineShivanasamudra#
Thursday 22 July 2010
A day on Meruthi Parvatha
The start of monsoon brought back the familiar trek itch. Since it was going to be a one day trek it fit well with other plans that I had for the weekend
We left at about 10 p.m from Bangalore. Since it was a hectic week I was tired and dozed off immediately. Only when I heard the bus conductor scream Basrikatte Stop did I get up. That was at 6 in the morning. Quickly gathered the luggage and jumped of the bus, luckily the bus to the next destination was just leaving. We managed to board it and find seats.
Basrikatte is a small village in between the hills. Since it was still very early in the morning of the 3 food joints in the village only 1 was open(Hotel Lakshmi Bhavan).
The hungry lot that we were we pounced on the first thing we could find. While the hotel prepared the dishes for the day we kept eating these. Finally after dozens of idly, vada, upma and coffee we were a satisfied lot. After packing lemon rice for lunch from here we were ready to start.
The initial part of the trek is though Tata Tea Plantations (Merthi KhanPlantations) therefore we had to stop by at the manager’s office and take permission. The morning sun and mist gave a beautiful effect to the whole plantations. We walked in a relaxed pace talking about tea and coffee stopping now and then to take pictures.
Soon the plantations disappeared and the path became steeper. There was barely any conversation except people asking Arun for directions.
As we huffed and puffed we could hear Arun hum some old hindi songs. This synced well with the birds singing at a distance.
We left at about 10 p.m from Bangalore. Since it was a hectic week I was tired and dozed off immediately. Only when I heard the bus conductor scream Basrikatte Stop did I get up. That was at 6 in the morning. Quickly gathered the luggage and jumped of the bus, luckily the bus to the next destination was just leaving. We managed to board it and find seats.
Basrikatte is a small village in between the hills. Since it was still very early in the morning of the 3 food joints in the village only 1 was open(Hotel Lakshmi Bhavan).
The hungry lot that we were we pounced on the first thing we could find. While the hotel prepared the dishes for the day we kept eating these. Finally after dozens of idly, vada, upma and coffee we were a satisfied lot. After packing lemon rice for lunch from here we were ready to start.The initial part of the trek is though Tata Tea Plantations (Merthi KhanPlantations) therefore we had to stop by at the manager’s office and take permission. The morning sun and mist gave a beautiful effect to the whole plantations. We walked in a relaxed pace talking about tea and coffee stopping now and then to take pictures.
Soon the plantations disappeared and the path became steeper. There was barely any conversation except people asking Arun for directions.
As we huffed and puffed we could hear Arun hum some old hindi songs. This synced well with the birds singing at a distance.As we got closer to the peak the tree cover disappeared and the sun was harsh but the scenary got better. We could see range of hills and clouds forming beautiful shadows on them. As the path got steeper, based on the speed of walking small groups started to form. As we climbed 3 hills to reach the peak the distance between the groups increased significant.
Some of us who reached the peak earlier found a comfortable spot and went to sleep while we waited for others to join. This turned out to be a bad idea, most of us ended up with bad sun burns. Once the rest joined us we ate lunch, spent time discussing and started our descend.
This was a longer route (about 12 Kms) but was mainly on jeep track and turned out to be very boring. Along the way we met some locals who were kind enough to offer water and juice.
Just as we neared our final destination (Honnavar) the boys stopped at small waterfall to freshen up while I walked ahead to find a lodge. By the time we met again and finished our coffee it was time for the evening puja at the temple. Then after a quick and tasty dinner at the temple we were ready to head back to Bangalore. As soon as the bus started to move all of us dozed off bring the trekking trip to an end.
Some of us who reached the peak earlier found a comfortable spot and went to sleep while we waited for others to join. This turned out to be a bad idea, most of us ended up with bad sun burns. Once the rest joined us we ate lunch, spent time discussing and started our descend.This was a longer route (about 12 Kms) but was mainly on jeep track and turned out to be very boring. Along the way we met some locals who were kind enough to offer water and juice.
Just as we neared our final destination (Honnavar) the boys stopped at small waterfall to freshen up while I walked ahead to find a lodge. By the time we met again and finished our coffee it was time for the evening puja at the temple. Then after a quick and tasty dinner at the temple we were ready to head back to Bangalore. As soon as the bus started to move all of us dozed off bring the trekking trip to an end.Thursday 22 April 2010
Naturalist Training Program by Jungle Lodges and Resorts
Recently based on recommendation from my friends I decided to register for the Naturalist Training Program conducted by the Jungle Lodges and Resort. Since the course was popular I was advised to call them immediately and confirm my participation.
Until I went for the session I would always wonder why my friends during all our treks would keep running behind birds, after all what can you see that you didn’t see the first time or at a distance. It wasn’t that I didn’t look at birds or notice them, but why would I keep looking at them for? I was hoping for NTP would help me understand that better.
The session was for 3 days and hence had to take off from work on a Friday and I was looking forward to a good break from work.
Having reached a little earlier had enough time to relax and talk to the other early birds (Sandip, Ganesh and Shafi). Karthik our trainer and the Chief Naturalist for JLR was already there and spent time with us while we waited for the others. Soon the rest of them arrived and it was time to start.
The ice breaker session was very different; we had to give our selves names of animals starting with the same alphabet as our names. It was fun and tied in beautifully to the remaining session.
The course was designed to have some sessions indoor and some outdoor ones. Though the indoor sessions were informative and interactive I preferred the outdoor ones more. Not that the indoor session was bad, it was interesting with anecdotes and beautiful photographs by Karthik but the outdoor sessions were more practical.
Though the session touched upon various aspects of Nature and what it meant to be a Naturalist, the focus was on birds. During 8 hours of outdoor session (nature walks) collectively we identified about 80 species of birds.
Until I went for the session I would always wonder why my friends during all our treks would keep running behind birds, after all what can you see that you didn’t see the first time or at a distance. It wasn’t that I didn’t look at birds or notice them, but why would I keep looking at them for? I was hoping for NTP would help me understand that better.
The session was for 3 days and hence had to take off from work on a Friday and I was looking forward to a good break from work.
Having reached a little earlier had enough time to relax and talk to the other early birds (Sandip, Ganesh and Shafi). Karthik our trainer and the Chief Naturalist for JLR was already there and spent time with us while we waited for the others. Soon the rest of them arrived and it was time to start.
The ice breaker session was very different; we had to give our selves names of animals starting with the same alphabet as our names. It was fun and tied in beautifully to the remaining session.
The course was designed to have some sessions indoor and some outdoor ones. Though the indoor sessions were informative and interactive I preferred the outdoor ones more. Not that the indoor session was bad, it was interesting with anecdotes and beautiful photographs by Karthik but the outdoor sessions were more practical.
Though the session touched upon various aspects of Nature and what it meant to be a Naturalist, the focus was on birds. During 8 hours of outdoor session (nature walks) collectively we identified about 80 species of birds.
It started off by us making notes of the features we noticed (beak, chest color, rump color, tail shape). Until we had the details on our notebooks we were not allowed to mention names of the bird. While I could easily spot birds, had a tough time recognizing them, I always missed the most critical features. 
Guys with Bazooka would capture the birds beautifully in their cameras and this was used as reference points when in doubt about a bird.
Karthik is a walking encyclopedia on any topic related to nature. He could look at a silhouette or listen to a call and tell which bird it was. Listening to his encounters with wildlife it seemed like the sanctuary was in the site next to his house. Most of the pictures were of animals, reptiles, insects and birds around his house.
When not in class we would be sitting around talking, considering we had a mix of people like a doctor, lawyer, Techies, Chef, Entrepreneurs and Coffee Planter the conversations were always interesting. I was always found around the group that was discussing food. Along with birds I discovered new places to eat biryani.
I didn’t realize how the 3 days went by. Getting back to civilization and work didn’t seem appealing but that’s the life I lead and had to return.
Now that I am back from the session there some changes in the way I do things. Earlier when I spoke to someone I would look at the person’s face, now if I am outdoor I tend to look out for birds, some movement somewhere and not at the person.
Instead of looking out for autos and bikes I look for feathered bi-pied. While walking I will stop suddenly in the middle of the road and look at the tree (a bird) and the people around wonder what I am upto. But I have no complaints, for I have realized that I don’t need to go to the jungle to look for wildlife, I am surrounded by it.
PS: Names as I recall them – Antelope Aishwarya, Ant Ashwini, Vulture Vikram, Kingfisher Kanchuki, Rabbit Rohit, Civet Chandramouli, Seal Serisha, Snake Sameer, Robin Rajlakshmi, Viper Vinay, Vampir (Bat) Vivek, Gaur Ganesh, Sambar Shaif, Nilgai Naveen, Shikra Saandip
Guys with Bazooka would capture the birds beautifully in their cameras and this was used as reference points when in doubt about a bird.Karthik is a walking encyclopedia on any topic related to nature. He could look at a silhouette or listen to a call and tell which bird it was. Listening to his encounters with wildlife it seemed like the sanctuary was in the site next to his house. Most of the pictures were of animals, reptiles, insects and birds around his house.
When not in class we would be sitting around talking, considering we had a mix of people like a doctor, lawyer, Techies, Chef, Entrepreneurs and Coffee Planter the conversations were always interesting. I was always found around the group that was discussing food. Along with birds I discovered new places to eat biryani.
I didn’t realize how the 3 days went by. Getting back to civilization and work didn’t seem appealing but that’s the life I lead and had to return.
Now that I am back from the session there some changes in the way I do things. Earlier when I spoke to someone I would look at the person’s face, now if I am outdoor I tend to look out for birds, some movement somewhere and not at the person.
Instead of looking out for autos and bikes I look for feathered bi-pied. While walking I will stop suddenly in the middle of the road and look at the tree (a bird) and the people around wonder what I am upto. But I have no complaints, for I have realized that I don’t need to go to the jungle to look for wildlife, I am surrounded by it.
PS: Names as I recall them – Antelope Aishwarya, Ant Ashwini, Vulture Vikram, Kingfisher Kanchuki, Rabbit Rohit, Civet Chandramouli, Seal Serisha, Snake Sameer, Robin Rajlakshmi, Viper Vinay, Vampir (Bat) Vivek, Gaur Ganesh, Sambar Shaif, Nilgai Naveen, Shikra Saandip
Friday 9 April 2010
When the Hunter was hunted
In a general conversation it came up that a trip to the wildlife sanctuary was due, especially since it was the season to spot the Big Cats. A quick call to JLR confirmed that they had few vacant rooms and thus the trip to Bandipur National Park materialized.
Since the road to Bandipur was in good condition, the distance of 220 Kms was covered in 5 hours. This included a stop at Kadambam for some yummy South Indian breakfast.
Since we had arrived early, I decided to catch up on sleep before lunch. The lunch was simple buffet that served South Indian food (We had similar food through out our stay). After lunch we had sometime before the evening safari started. Spent this time sitting in a hammock under a fig tree. The spot was ideal to watch birds as the figs attracted a wide variety of them. We spotted Koel, Lesser Coucal, Copper Smith Barbet, Purple Sunbird, Grey Hornbill, Ashy Drongo, Brahminy Starling, Pale Billed and the Jungle Crows.
Soon it was time for the safari and the expectation was to spot atleast one of the big cats. The conversation in the jeep was around stories of earlier spotting of cats; people didn’t pay much attention to the spotted deers that grazed along the road. Once we entered the jungles the conversations died, everybody was on the look out. Luckily the jeep we were in had some bird watchers. We would stop now and then to look at birds; for me the highlights were the Red Muniya, Crested Serpent Eagle, Honey Buzzard and White Bellied Wood Pecker.
30 minutes into the drive the jeep came to a halt, the sight that greeted us was 2 Male Sambar fighting and at a distance there was a female.
With the jeep engine switched off, one could hear the antlers clash loud and clear. After watching them for sometime we carried on with our hunt for the Cats and as time went by we started hoping we would atleast see some gaur or elephants. As the safari was coming to a end our wish was granted we saw some elephants, but that was the end of it.
Back in JLR we exchanged notes and realized no one else had seen much that day. One could see disappointed faces everywhere. Early dinner and we retired to bed. We had to get up early for another Safari
6.15 a.m the next day everybody was ready to go. This time we had requested our naturalist to stop even when he spotted birds and not just for animals. 20 mins into the safari we came across a pack of wild dogs resting by a water hole.
There were 29 of them including puppies. While we watched and followed them around they tried hunting a deer. Some of the she-dogs suckled their young. These were sights that I hadn’t seen before and thrilled to have witnessed this. But I was still hoping for a Cat.
Just as we gave up hope, the driver received a call; a sleeping tiger was spotted on the other side. He quickly reversed and headed there. All this while I think we were driving at a speed of 40/kms suddenly it was upto 80/Kms. Our fingers were crossed; in our excitement we ignored the bumpy road and kept praying that the Tiger would continue to sleep. The first exit gate was closed, we had to drive another 2 kms before the next gate, our prayers continued, and finally we were there but didn’t see the tiger. “Did he walk away, did we miss him?” These were the first thought and then a closer look into the bushes and there he was.
We were hardly about 20 feet away, watched his every move without batting an eyelid. Suddenly he decided to move and what a sight it was to see him walk. He took 3 steps and settled closer. These 3 steps he took towards us made us realize that this might be as close as we could get near a Tiger in the wild. After watching him for some more time we decided to leave him in peace.
The conversation on the way back was about how each felt, what we liked about him. At the breakfast tables we could hear tiger mentioned after every 2 words. The excitement was evident. Since the check out time was at 11 we quickly finished breakfast and started back to Bangalore. I don’t have to specify what the conversation all the way was about.
More Pics in the link below
http://picasaweb.google.com/aishwarya.belliappa/Bandipur#
Since the road to Bandipur was in good condition, the distance of 220 Kms was covered in 5 hours. This included a stop at Kadambam for some yummy South Indian breakfast.
Since we had arrived early, I decided to catch up on sleep before lunch. The lunch was simple buffet that served South Indian food (We had similar food through out our stay). After lunch we had sometime before the evening safari started. Spent this time sitting in a hammock under a fig tree. The spot was ideal to watch birds as the figs attracted a wide variety of them. We spotted Koel, Lesser Coucal, Copper Smith Barbet, Purple Sunbird, Grey Hornbill, Ashy Drongo, Brahminy Starling, Pale Billed and the Jungle Crows.
Soon it was time for the safari and the expectation was to spot atleast one of the big cats. The conversation in the jeep was around stories of earlier spotting of cats; people didn’t pay much attention to the spotted deers that grazed along the road. Once we entered the jungles the conversations died, everybody was on the look out. Luckily the jeep we were in had some bird watchers. We would stop now and then to look at birds; for me the highlights were the Red Muniya, Crested Serpent Eagle, Honey Buzzard and White Bellied Wood Pecker.
30 minutes into the drive the jeep came to a halt, the sight that greeted us was 2 Male Sambar fighting and at a distance there was a female.
With the jeep engine switched off, one could hear the antlers clash loud and clear. After watching them for sometime we carried on with our hunt for the Cats and as time went by we started hoping we would atleast see some gaur or elephants. As the safari was coming to a end our wish was granted we saw some elephants, but that was the end of it.
Back in JLR we exchanged notes and realized no one else had seen much that day. One could see disappointed faces everywhere. Early dinner and we retired to bed. We had to get up early for another Safari
6.15 a.m the next day everybody was ready to go. This time we had requested our naturalist to stop even when he spotted birds and not just for animals. 20 mins into the safari we came across a pack of wild dogs resting by a water hole.
There were 29 of them including puppies. While we watched and followed them around they tried hunting a deer. Some of the she-dogs suckled their young. These were sights that I hadn’t seen before and thrilled to have witnessed this. But I was still hoping for a Cat.
Just as we gave up hope, the driver received a call; a sleeping tiger was spotted on the other side. He quickly reversed and headed there. All this while I think we were driving at a speed of 40/kms suddenly it was upto 80/Kms. Our fingers were crossed; in our excitement we ignored the bumpy road and kept praying that the Tiger would continue to sleep. The first exit gate was closed, we had to drive another 2 kms before the next gate, our prayers continued, and finally we were there but didn’t see the tiger. “Did he walk away, did we miss him?” These were the first thought and then a closer look into the bushes and there he was.
We were hardly about 20 feet away, watched his every move without batting an eyelid. Suddenly he decided to move and what a sight it was to see him walk. He took 3 steps and settled closer. These 3 steps he took towards us made us realize that this might be as close as we could get near a Tiger in the wild. After watching him for some more time we decided to leave him in peace.
The conversation on the way back was about how each felt, what we liked about him. At the breakfast tables we could hear tiger mentioned after every 2 words. The excitement was evident. Since the check out time was at 11 we quickly finished breakfast and started back to Bangalore. I don’t have to specify what the conversation all the way was about.
More Pics in the link below
http://picasaweb.google.com/aishwarya.belliappa/Bandipur#
Tuesday 16 February 2010
Beautiful Thailand: Krabi Day 3 - Kayaking and more swimming
Noticed posters advertising Kayaking while exploring the streets of Krabi during one of the window shopping sessions. The posters looked really interesting and the places looked exotic. Considering there was one more day to spend in Krabi, half a day kayaking trip was booked.
The plan was to leave early and be back by 12:30 pm. As always the start was late, 2 of my friends who had gone for a walk in the morning had lost their way and by the time they came back and got ready, the pick up van was already waiting for 45 mins.
The start point for Kayaking was about 30 Kms from the hotel. On arrival coffee was served and the group was asked to select a kayak and start off. It was surprising since there was no instruction given, no guidelines and no life jackets. The water in the beginning was shallow and the kayak got stuck in between. My friends later told me that it was a hilarious sight to watch me pull the kayak will the other 2 just sat on it. It took a while to master the art of rowing and in the meanwhile, the rest of the group had gone ahead.
Finally caught up with the group just as they entered the Mangrove Forest, the silence there was calming but it was broken often with the Guide singing ‘No Monkey No Cry’.
Kayaking back was more challenging as it was upstream and by the end of the trip my shoulders were hurting really bad. O
nce on the shore coffee and fresh fruits were served. And after some photo sessions it was time to leave.
Once back in the resort, it was time to vacate and move to a different one. This one was in the outskirts and hence away from the hustle and bustle. While some of my friends slept, the rest of us took a dip in the pool and explore the neighbourhood. One of the discoveries was a tiny shack on the beach that played retro music and had rustic ambience. In this background I watched the sunset. It felt like a perfect ending to my stay in Krabi.
The plan was to leave early and be back by 12:30 pm. As always the start was late, 2 of my friends who had gone for a walk in the morning had lost their way and by the time they came back and got ready, the pick up van was already waiting for 45 mins.
The start point for Kayaking was about 30 Kms from the hotel. On arrival coffee was served and the group was asked to select a kayak and start off. It was surprising since there was no instruction given, no guidelines and no life jackets. The water in the beginning was shallow and the kayak got stuck in between. My friends later told me that it was a hilarious sight to watch me pull the kayak will the other 2 just sat on it. It took a while to master the art of rowing and in the meanwhile, the rest of the group had gone ahead.
Finally caught up with the group just as they entered the Mangrove Forest, the silence there was calming but it was broken often with the Guide singing ‘No Monkey No Cry’.Kayaking back was more challenging as it was upstream and by the end of the trip my shoulders were hurting really bad. O
nce on the shore coffee and fresh fruits were served. And after some photo sessions it was time to leave.Once back in the resort, it was time to vacate and move to a different one. This one was in the outskirts and hence away from the hustle and bustle. While some of my friends slept, the rest of us took a dip in the pool and explore the neighbourhood. One of the discoveries was a tiny shack on the beach that played retro music and had rustic ambience. In this background I watched the sunset. It felt like a perfect ending to my stay in Krabi.
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Beautiful Thailand: Krabi Day 2 - Scuba Diving
The Plan for day 2 in Krabi was Scuba Diving and chilling out.
Since 3 different hotels were booked for each day of our stay, when were back on the mainland we took our luggage and dragged it all the way to Ao nang Villa,
the most expensive resort for the trip. One look at the rooms it was evident that money was well spent. It had a beautiful pool
and the afternoon was spent in and around it. The evening was spent walking on the artist's street admiring paintings (some original, some replicas) 
and some more hogging in a resturant called Bernie's Place. The day ended with a customary Thai Massage
Though the reporting time was 8:45 am , being girls we were late. The people from Diving camp “Scuba addicts” came looking and found us hogging a huge breakfast. After some more delay we were ready to discover the underwater world by 9:30. On the way to the Local Island our dive destination, the instructions and some basic hand signals were demonstrated by the instructors. And thus I was ready for my first dive. 
The scariest part of the experience was jumping of the boat into the sea. The instructions were to look right ahead and walk from the boat into the sea. For someone who has just started swim it took sometime to do. With that jump I was in the middle of the sea ready to discover a whole new world. As we approached the coral reefs there were schools of different fishes swimming so close I could almost touch them. Slowly the descent started and underwater world became more beautiful. After some meters my ears started to hurt due to pressure and nothing seemed to reduce the pain. Since this could be dangerous it was decided that I would go back to the surface.
Back on the boat they served homemade Thai food. It was simple but very tasty. The other irresistible dish on the boat was the fruit bowl. It was regular watermelon and pineapple but they were sweet and juicy, you could not stop at one.
The second dive was scheduled after lunch. After some convincing I decided to try again, 4 meters into the sea and my ears started to hurt again and unlike last time I was alone on the surface this time. The boat we travelled in was no where in sight and there I was in the open sea alone, no where to go if something happened. This was one of those times I wished I knew to swim well and had learnt some survival techniques. After what seemed like forever the divers and boat were back and finally I was out of the sea. The coverstaion on the way back to the mainland was centered around the sighting by the divers and I could not help bad about what I had missed.
The scariest part of the experience was jumping of the boat into the sea. The instructions were to look right ahead and walk from the boat into the sea. For someone who has just started swim it took sometime to do. With that jump I was in the middle of the sea ready to discover a whole new world. As we approached the coral reefs there were schools of different fishes swimming so close I could almost touch them. Slowly the descent started and underwater world became more beautiful. After some meters my ears started to hurt due to pressure and nothing seemed to reduce the pain. Since this could be dangerous it was decided that I would go back to the surface.Back on the boat they served homemade Thai food. It was simple but very tasty. The other irresistible dish on the boat was the fruit bowl. It was regular watermelon and pineapple but they were sweet and juicy, you could not stop at one.
The second dive was scheduled after lunch. After some convincing I decided to try again, 4 meters into the sea and my ears started to hurt again and unlike last time I was alone on the surface this time. The boat we travelled in was no where in sight and there I was in the open sea alone, no where to go if something happened. This was one of those times I wished I knew to swim well and had learnt some survival techniques. After what seemed like forever the divers and boat were back and finally I was out of the sea. The coverstaion on the way back to the mainland was centered around the sighting by the divers and I could not help bad about what I had missed.
Since 3 different hotels were booked for each day of our stay, when were back on the mainland we took our luggage and dragged it all the way to Ao nang Villa,
the most expensive resort for the trip. One look at the rooms it was evident that money was well spent. It had a beautiful pool and the afternoon was spent in and around it. The evening was spent walking on the artist's street admiring paintings (some original, some replicas) and some more hogging in a resturant called Bernie's Place. The day ended with a customary Thai MassageWednesday 6 January 2010
Beautiful Thailand- Krabi Day1
After a week of working hard and partying harder with my colleagues in the Bangkok Office I was ready for a break. I had taken a week off to explore some bits of Thailand.
I was meeting my friends in Krabi, a coast in the southern tip of Thailand. After a night long journey I arrived at Krabi to be greeted by a sleepy, mist covered small town.
There were taxi drivers offering rides to the beach destinations near by at exuberant rates (500 Bath). Based on suggestions from a colleague I looked around for a van/tuk tuk that would take me to Aonang Beach at a nominal cost (50 Bath). The ride in the tuk tuk was short and in 30 mins I was in Aonang beach.
Luckily I could check-in to the hotel (Warner's Place/ Andaman Sunset) earlier and after a quick breakfast I was out exploring Aonang.
As I walked on the beach I came across a path that seemed to disappear into the hill. As I was meeting my friends much later in the day I decided to walk on. 
The walk turned out to be rewarding as I was treated to beautiful sights of the beach from the top
and I also walked into a private beach that was not as crowded as the main beach. 
Though I would have loved to spend more time there rain played spoil-sport and after about 15 mins it started to drizzle hard.
To avoid getting drenced I decided to get a Thai massage in one of the many places set up along the beach. It was 1 hour of absolute bliss. By then the rain had stopped and as I walked along I found company called Scuba Addicts, they offered the cheapest session so I booked myself for a scuba diving session next day.
I was meeting my friends in Krabi, a coast in the southern tip of Thailand. After a night long journey I arrived at Krabi to be greeted by a sleepy, mist covered small town.
There were taxi drivers offering rides to the beach destinations near by at exuberant rates (500 Bath). Based on suggestions from a colleague I looked around for a van/tuk tuk that would take me to Aonang Beach at a nominal cost (50 Bath). The ride in the tuk tuk was short and in 30 mins I was in Aonang beach.Luckily I could check-in to the hotel (Warner's Place/ Andaman Sunset) earlier and after a quick breakfast I was out exploring Aonang.
As I walked on the beach I came across a path that seemed to disappear into the hill. As I was meeting my friends much later in the day I decided to walk on. The walk turned out to be rewarding as I was treated to beautiful sights of the beach from the top and I also walked into a private beach that was not as crowded as the main beach. Though I would have loved to spend more time there rain played spoil-sport and after about 15 mins it started to drizzle hard.To avoid getting drenced I decided to get a Thai massage in one of the many places set up along the beach. It was 1 hour of absolute bliss. By then the rain had stopped and as I walked along I found company called Scuba Addicts, they offered the cheapest session so I booked myself for a scuba diving session next day.
Just as I was done with this I found my friends and joined them for the rest of the trip. Spent rest of the day window bargaining and shopping. Dinner was at a small place called Blue Orchids. And soon after that headed by to the hotel to catch some sleep.
More Pictures can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/aishwarya.belliappa/BangkokTheVacation#
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