The Wandering Soul's Wander Tales..

2011 was the Year of Crazy Times.. as always

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:11:00 +0000

So we all had a great year, did lots of travel, took lots of photos and met lots of people. I’ve had a similar year but it’s no fun reading about all the good stuff. So here’s my sarcastic take on what I did in 2011.

They said watch, because it is special. So turns out that was the last sunset of the decade and the next day’s sunrise would be the first sunrise of the next decade and all that jazz. That was how New Year’s Eve was spent, freezing in the deserts of the Rajasthan. Then I thought I had enough of sand, let’s get an overdose of salt. So where did I go, to the salt flats of Rann of Kutch. Salt on my face, salt on my camera, salt beneath my feet, salt in the air – mission accomplished! Somewhere along I pretended to be a detective too, talk of wishful thinking!

Pristine Dunes around Desert National Park

That was January, and since I am so good at keeping my promises I swore to myself that I will not make that next trip until I sell some photos or articles from the Rajasthan trip. I almost kept my promise till February end but who am I to break the tradition of breaking promises. I had some weird idea of fun, to float in ruins of a church, to camp in the car by the roadside on a highway, to touch three states and three National Parks over a period of few hours - all of this in just under 36hours. That was February.

The road through Nagarhole National Park

Come March, I was again under another illusion that the summer heat will keep me home. I was dreaming of blogging regularly, processing hundreds of GBs of photos and then god laughed at my plans. Since three hobbies weren’t enough and since they weren’t taking up all of my time, I had to add another to the list – cycling. Despite all that travel and photography I was under the illusion I still have money left and I went ahead and bought mountain bike as well. You read about that killer ride, remember? This was the month where the moon would be closer to earth and by some logic I figured I’d shorten the distance a little more by climbing some hill top, but only after riding in the dark, being chased by countless dogs, disturbing entire villages in the process and grilling kebabs at ungodly hours of 4AM.

Cycling down from Nandi Hills in the dark after the Super Moon Rise!

What kind of a biker are you if you never really crashed, so it was time, to fall from the bike. I forgot what these things called brakes do ever so conveniently on just the place you might really need them, on a steep curving downhill ride. You know what happened again, don’t you? ;)

Cycling along the KamRaj Sagar Dam in Ooty, before the fall

And because Ooty was graced with my presence and Munnar was feeling bad or so I assumed, I went cycling to Munnar as well. Munnar treated me well. It asked me to go to Thekkady on cycle for a joy ride, and then rolling terrain happened. Nobody had really tested my patience for a long time, so it was time to take the test, 110kms of ups and downs on a cycle. Turns out I barely passed. Also turns out you don’t go to lakes on foot. Apparently you have to cycle through fields. That was April. The only thing missing in all this grinding was a bloodbath, so we went and fed the leeches to their heart’s content on a trek that didn’t happen to be.

Misty Kukkal, in the surroundings of Kodaikanal

The crazy ride from Munnar to Thekkady started on a pleasant note, like this

By May, I somehow manipulated all that I saw to be signs from the Universe telling me to cycle in the Himalayas. As a preparation for that we celebrated a mass tire puncture ceremony on the Hesarghatta Lake bed, a whopping 6 out 7 cycles punctured. Spending the day fixing punctures is so much fun, no really! Oh meanwhile I also thought what would be more fun than a summer trip to the hottest place, so spent a week in Tamilnadu.

What was left of Hesarghatta Lake, in the far left corner was where we had the tire puncture ceremony

Sunlight streaming through Madurai Meenakshi Temple, during Summer

I was rather sane in June, did a small trip to Hampi where we spent more time eating and drinking than sightseeing. Oh wait, did I say sane? He he!

Craziness was at its heights in July. Once in Spiti, first I thought let’s cycle, then I thought not! Then I thought let’s drink, then I thought let’s fall sick. Then I thought let’s walk then I thought screw everything and came back running home. Then I thought why I came back so thought let me go somewhere else. Then I thought let’s go somewhere where there are bad roads, mountains, rains and landslides and no tourists! So much for the want of adventure!

Magical Land of Spiti

Fantastic landscape around Gurudongmar Lake, Sikkim

August and September were quiet.

Missing the flight once wasn’t enough. I had to do something else too. Check in and Board a flight 10 minutes before departure, true story! No seriously, totally filmy ishtyle running in the airport and all that! But before almost missing flight, first I had to see the pink flowers and only pink flowers, only to not find flowers after a straight 16 hour journey. And because I didn’t get to see pink flowers I went to see the waterfalls in October.

Four waterfalls in two days, Unchalli Falls gushing to glory

Morning in the forest of Corbett

Walking on mountains was getting too boring it seems which is why we did a dash along the west coast. Walked 41 kms on the beach and on the rocks! Later that week, I got chased by wild buffalo and as if that wasn’t enough, the next day was the day of hiding from the lone wild elephant. That was November.

Light Painting along the beach, where we camped for the night, Gokarna to Honnavar Beach Trek

The ranges as seen from Ballarayana Durga Fort, on a trek to Bandajje Arbi Waterfalls

After such rocking time, the last trip had to bring in a greater surprise. As I wandered along Varanasi and Orchha, I was asked to shut up twice, no kidding! I know how much I can talk and I know how irritating it is when I hear someone yaps non-stop. I guess the last lesson I learnt from the year was to put these two together and stop yapping so much. ;) And December's gone just like that.

The famous ghats of Varanasi

That was 2011! After all these crazy times, what beats me is I actually found company to do all these things. The world is full of crazily awesome people and here’s to a crazy year and hoping for more fun times in 2012.

Tso Moriri To Pangong via Chushul, Through The Road Less Taken!

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:15:00 +0000

All roads lead to Pangong!

Well with Ladakh, once is not enough, twice is not enough, an entire lifetime is not enough. Ladakh is the stuff dreams are made of. Road trips can never be the same again, after a tryst with this gorgeous piece of land set in high heavens!

Most of us who have been fortunate enough to travel to Ladakh would've visited the dream like yet totally real Pangong Lake. We would've crossed the almost always snow clad mighty Chang La and would've relished that hot cup of tea and the warm welcome from the Indian Army atop. We would've gradually descended into the Changthang only to have our heart skip a beat at the first sight of an electric blue strip and would've said a silent prayer hoping Pagal Nallah wouldn't turn crazy by the end of the day.

Those were the days of yore it appears. Pangong today is a different story altogether. After dear Aamir Khan showed the world what a heavenly lake could mean, the repercussions were kind of disappointing to say the least. Hordes of tourists, a million tents/rooms and a gazillion vehicles all along the 7km stretch from Lukung to Spangmik is what awaits today at the tranquil location. The first time, save for a few visiting vehicles along the shore, there wasn't a single piece of evidence suggesting human presence in the area. No tents, no resorts, no roads, just the awesome lake and the mountains. Today I see some sort of sheds by the shore too. Why don't we build a bridge on top and then maybe an underwater resort too!

Whining apart, Pangong still remains a work of art, beautiful and wonderful by all means. I just need to find new ground and new perspective, which is why I took the road less traveled to rediscover the magic of the azure waters.

As of today there are two approaches to Pangong, one from Lukung, which is one end of the lake. The other one is through the other end, via Chushul leading to Khaktse, Merak, Man and finally to Lukung. This route skirts dangerously close to international border making the journey all the more exciting. This way we'd also be able to see the entire 40kms of Pangong that lies with India.

Here are the details of the route in detail.

Route - Tso Moriri - Mahe - Nyoma - Loma - Tsaga - Rezang La - Chushul - Khaktse (Pangong Start) - Merak - Man - Spangmik - Lukung (Pangong End)

How to reach - Retrace the route from Tso Moriri to Mahe bridge. At this checkpost after crossing the bridge, take right. Left goes to Karu and then Leh. Right goes towards Pangong. Proceed on this route till you cross Noma and reach Loma, where you find another checkpost and a bridge. If you cross the bridge, you'd go towards Hanle. Keep left, you'll reach Chushul.

How many days - The journey can be comfortably finished in a day. Be sure to have an early start at Tso Moriri so that you can enjoy the route without hurry.

Things to note - Although the route if now officially opened for domestic tourists, it still doesn't have a lot of takers except for some crazy travelers. Chances are you might not see any vehicle the entire stretch. If you are lucky you'd cross an army vehicle or two. Be prepared for any emergency. Carry extra fuel and food as well. Chushul will be the only major settlement you'd come across over the entire day till you reach Pangong.

Inner Line Permit - ILP is available at the DC office in Leh. Either you can get it yourself or your travel agent can arrange it for you. Only your names will be required. Be sure to include all these names in the ILP to avoid any problems - Mahe, Nyoma, Tsaga, Rezang La, Chushul, Merak and Man. Since this route goes along the Indo-Sino border, Border Police can reject permission anytime.

Who can go - As of today only domestic visitors can get the ILP for this route. If you are planning this route, make sure all are Indian Nationals and carry valid ID. Foreigners are not permitted on this route.

Condition of the route - Although this is the shortest way to reach Pangong from Tso - Moriri, it will take a long time due to the road conditions. There is well laid tarmac until Loma but after that the road condition slowly deteriorates and becomes almost invisible by the end of it. As the tarmac disappears, you can see tracks ahead and follow them. There are stacks of stones all along the route to let you know the direction. Follow them as well. An hour or two after you cross Chushul, you will be treated to the first glimpses of the mighty Pangong Lake, tracks might disappear around here but you be sure to take a left here at this junction. You would see a road going to right but don't be tempted to follow that, that will lead you to China!

Now I'll let the photos speak!

The fact that this route is so less taken already makes it feel like some exotic land. The colors of the mountains and the salt marches only add to the scene! Towards Nyoma.

The mountains turn purple around here and the colors are unbelievable, have to be seen to be believed!

As the purple disappears, the sands appear. In the distance you can see High Altitude Desert! As you enter the army area, barricades along the road, you find stallions here and there and a dead carcass by the road side to remind you of the awesome remoteness you are traversing though.

"This is a notified firing range Do not enter into it as it can endanger your life" the board says! Some thrill it is, to be in place such as this!

The desert hasn't left us yet, but neither has faint remnants of greenery. Green grass along the foothills of mammoth sand mountains and a lone Kiang wanders along.

The rivers keeps us company all the way until Loma, where we finally part ways. But until then what a charm it will be. The lonely road, mountains all around and the meandering of one gorgeous River alongside.

After Loma, the Kiangs can be found every now and then along with other wild animals. Keep your eyes wide open and I promise you will spot something spectacular.

The road has long disappeared and these tracks are all that remains of a previous quest by some other traveler. Follow the tracks all along and they will lead you to your destination. By now greenery is gone, wildlife is gone, the road is gone and all that is there is this barren magnificent vastness.

Somewhere before reaching Rezang La Memorial I see this pile of horns by the side and it absolutely freaks me out! The winds blow at a high speed swooshing past my ears and there is not a soul around, not even any signs of civilization. My heart beats fast as I get out of the SUV and walk alone towards the pile expecting anything to jump at me. I take this photo and scurry back to the jeep as if something chased me. Heart beat returns to normal and we drive away!

In the vastness, there lies a speck of color in the desert. As you come closer you will see it is a memorial in honor of the Rezang La War Heroes. A sad story of valor and gallantry you will find out as you read the boards there. Do stop over and take a look.

And we finally arrive at Chushul, you'd be surprised to find it to be a rather big village. Just around the village you will be able to see the Chushul Salt Marshes where the endangered Black Necked Cranes migrate to, every year. You will also be able to see Spangur Gap.

And the first view of the destination. The blue strip of the amazing Lake now will keep you company for the next 40kms showing you all kind of shades of blues! Like I said, don't take the right, it will lead you to China!

The landscape is out of this world as you reach the shore, the mountains welcome you, gentle waves invite you the extravaganza and the clouds don't want to be left out, they will create some drama too! Sit on the white sand and enjoy the serenity!

There, in a single photo so many shades of blue! What happens over the next two three hours, I can't explain in words. The route is just a track going by the lake side as she decides to change her color according to her changing moods! Many a times you'd feel like you would just drop into the lake but the mud holds its ground and let's you pass. Long after this first view you will reach Khaktse village, don't panic if you don't see anybody for a long time. After Khakste, you will cross Merak where you will find a checkpost, then Man, Spangmik and
you have arrived!

A Scary Day and a Haunted Night at Pelling, Sikkim

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:21:00 +0000

We all have fears, many reasonable and so many unreasonable. We all want to face our fears too but it is easier said than done. Never in my life had I to face three of my biggest fears in a span of 24 hours. At the end of it, I am still scared of those. Old habits die hard is all I can say!

For all the traveling that I do, it’d be easier to travel solo. It is terribly impossible to put together a team at the whims of a dreamy wanderer. But the only reason I never dared to go solo was because of these fears.

Spending nights in dingy hotels in strange places freaks me out totally.
Seeing a dog a kilometer away would have me in a paranoid frenzy(this applies to any moving creature that I can come across, as harmless s it could be)
Walking all alone in a thick forest where even light barely manages to get in gives me the chills.

It can come as a surprise to you that these are my fears considering all the crazy adventures I had so far and yet the truth remains that I never had to actually face these situations on my own. But the universe decided it was time for me to face my fears when I was in Sikkim this July. I felt the quest was incomplete at the end of a week spent in North and South Sikkim which is why I decided to explore West Sikkim as well. But the catch was I had to do it alone.

I was just as much anxious as I was excited about the journey ahead. While everything else about traveling solo had me excited, the fact that I might exactly be in one of these situations was worrying me. But with great passion comes great courage. ;)

The first two days spent in RavangLa were brilliant. I enjoyed freaking people out when they learned I came all alone during off season. There wasn’t another traveler in the town and most of the hotels were closed down while a few stayed open because the owners had little else to do. I stayed at a hotel run by an old man who assured me there was nothing to be scared of and his assurance worked well also because the top floor was actually a family residence. I was dreading the night but I managed just fine and was still alive the next day morning. Phew, I was glad to have survived the first day and night as a solo traveler.

Two days later I was on my way to Pelling and I was expecting something similar there as well. But the fact that Pelling was much more famous than RavangLa meant there were lot more hotels and lodgings in this place. Pelling is situated at a height of 2150m in West Sikkim and offers a splendid view of Mt. Kanchenjunga. It also forms a base for many who proceed towards Yuksom for treks further up. It was so popular with the tourists that the village wasn’t any quaint settlement but the exact opposite. The entire mountain side was Pelling – Lower Pelling, Middle Pelling and Upper Pelling!

Knowing I would be traveling to Pelling the next day, the elderly gentleman at RavangLa offered to arrange accommodation with his friend in Pelling and I obliged. As it turns out it was a good hotel located in Upper Pelling high up the mountain right next to the forest. I took a morning taxi from Ravangla to Geyzing village and from there took another shared taxi to reach Pelling by afternoon. The entire village had worn a deserted look with the roads empty and the tall hotels closed. There weren't any tourists as well, except for four foreigners I came across.

First, The Dog Scare!

I still had the whole afternoon to myself, so I thought let’s walk to the nearby places, meaning Pemayangste Monastery and Rabdentse ruins, both 4 and 5 kms respectively from Pelling. It was a lovely afternoon to walk around and so I set out to Pemayangste first. The subtropical forests of Sikkim are very dense with thick undergrowth as well. In monsoons, you can only imagine the plushness of the foliage. This forest also supports a variety of fauna. The road to the monastery goes along such forest and I had to deal with inch sized some sort flying beetles or some insects but I carefully managed to reach the monastery. Had a good time exploring and talking to the monks there. My first excursion as a solo traveler went well I thought, with a good feeling I was walking down the road when my heart skipped a beat! I saw a dog sitting in the middle of the road. Good thing was it was a friendly dog. The sad thing was it was a friendly dog. As soon as I came near it, it started wagging its tail and was all over me. I couldn’t shout and couldn’t move either. I tried talking to the dog, asking it to sit down and calm down. Before you think I am a freak, you should know I never liked pets and have never had any animals around me. With great difficulty I managed to calm the dog and walked away. It felt like forever and my heart was pounding for few minutes after that. Can’t imagine the situation if the dog would’ve chased me, heart attack? ;)

Pemayangtse Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries of the State. It was originally established by Lhatsun Chempo, one of the revered Lamas to have performed the consecration ceremony of the first Chogyal (Monarch) of Sikkim. This ancient monastery belonging to the Nyingma Sect has been considered as one of the premier monasteries in the State.

Second, The Freaky Forest Scare!

Okay, so that was the dog scare, I thought I felt half more brave than earlier and ventured into the broken entrance that led to Rabdentse ruins. The visitors block at the entrance was deserted and there was broken glass everywhere, the furniture broken and the building abandoned. There was just vehicle standing at the entrance and no one knows I came here in case something happens. The ruins are at a distance of a kilometer or so from the gate and there is paved trail leading to it. The ruins are supposedly spread all across inside the dense foliage and on top of the hill are the ruins maintained by the Govt. As I started walking along the forest trail, I was kind of dreading the eerie feeling that was creeping into my mind. For someone who has spent so much time in forests, you must be wondering why I was so scared. Well all the times I was in forest, I was never alone. Always in a group! Being alone in a forest is really scary, I tell you. Sound of forest is like the creepy background score of a movie if you are all alone. There was absolutely no one along the trail and the forest was really dense with very little light entering, not to mention the looming dark clouds which were about to burst any moment. After the scary walk, there was light all of a sudden. I had reached the ruins and it was in a clearing on the hill top. As much I was relieved I was still dreading the fact that there could be an unfriendly dog around or maybe thieves. Luckily there was the caretaker family cleaning the lawn. While returning I took another hiking trail through forest which was a bit open, I reached the road head and breathed a sigh of relief. Barely escaped another heart attack!

Rabdentse was the second capital of the erstwhile Kingdom after Yuksom and till the year 1814 A.D., the King of Sikkim ruled from this place. Today, the ruins lie hidden from the main road at a walking distance from the Pemayangtse Monastery.

Finally, The Horror Scare!

I thought I was done with the scares for the day but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The biggest and worst scare was yet to happen. Like I said earlier, I was put up in a hotel in the far corner. The hotel was a huge five storey building and I was on second floor and the only occupant of the hotel apart from few hotel staff put up in the basement. The hotels next to this were closed and there was no other tourist staying in Upper Pelling. Safe to say, there were not more than half a dozen travelers in Pelling. By evening it was raining heavily and by nightfall, it was still pouring outside. Initially I had planned on keeping the television and lights on the whole night while I tried catching a wink. Unfortunately by midnight, there was a short power cut and after that the cable network conked. There was this eerie silence of the night with the rain still lashing outside, the insects screeching and the occasional creaking of wood. I was freaked out beyond measures, remembering scenes from all horror movies I had seen and imagination played a major part! I was painfully aware of the deafening silence inside the room. The phones were out of order and even if I screamed the voice wouldn’t reach the basement. I was up all night playing the same four songs on my mobile and was so so so glad to see the first rays enter the room. This has to be the scariest night ever! Next night, it was still raining, the phone was still not working, I was still alone but the tv was working. Got past somehow and live to tell the story! ;)

And this was the view from my Hotel room. Staying in Upper Pelling, the views were superb till the light lasted. Then after dark, the horror story begins! ;)

Too many scares for a day, don't you think? I was traveling solo in Sikkim for a week during offseason and this was the freakiest day of all! At the end of it, having faced my fears, I think I still am scared of all these things. :)
Have you had any such scary experiences during your travel?

Six reasons why Off Season is the new Season!

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:23:00 +0000

Well, having a smooth trip where everything goes according to the plan can be nice and all that but the human psyche sure does enjoy a misadventure or two! I mean, what are you gonna tell back home? I had the most amazing perfect trip ever and that's it? For me, (mis)adventures define travel. I take the road less taken, do the crazy, if I come out with flying colors I do have a great story to tell and if I fail, I still have a great story to tell!

While there are many ways to get yourself into trouble like giving into masochism and entering the forests in the absolute wrong time just for the pleasure of it, which I am sure most of my trekker friends in Western Ghats understand. I wasn't a traveler earlier. I was a trekker which meant I had little to do with the over crowded over sold tourist destinations and the noisy tourists. I was happy wandering in the valleys and mountains with little or no human presence apart from us trekkers. Then I started to travel and reality hit me hard. Even though India holds an abundance of natural scenery, the all pervasive tourist crowd and bad planning only makes it hard for me to enjoy the scenic beauty. In a bid to avoid this, I started traveling slightly ahead of season of just after season. It worked, well to an extent it did. Although, lately I have been traveling off season to places and I have to tell you, it is an awesome experience! I'll tell you why.

1. You get to see what few have seen before.

I went to Chhattisgarh in summer when everyone said it was a bad idea. I went to Sikkim in monsoons when everyone said it was a bad idea again. But both the visits have been extremely fruitful. I got to shoot the fishermen on Indravati River with the falls in the backdrop which I still consider to be my best shot. During the peak season, the waterfalls are in full flow and flooded totally. In Sikkim, I saw much more than that. The monsoon beauty of the place and its wonders were indescribable. There were wild flowers and green grass all around Gurudongmar for one. I haven't seen any such photos of the place so far and I think I might be one of those few travelers to have seen that. Last year in Goa, we discovered the so-called monsoon pilots of Colem who will take you on a ride of your lifetime to Dudhsagar falls.

This would interest you more if you are looking for experiences rather than ticking boxes on your to-see places list. I know Sikkim is famous for grand views of Kanchendzonga, Goa for its beaches and Chhattisgarh isn't on the tourist circuit at all. But who set in stone so and so are the only things to do and places to see and the best time to go? I personally don't understand the concept of Off Season. Well to me if the locals are able to survive, so can you. You'll see something different than the usual. If you market that, off season will also become the best season. Just put up with few discomforts and you are good to go. Explore!

2. Accommodation comes for dirt cheap prices.

This possibly can be the best thing about traveling in Off Season. The accommodation comes so cheap, a backpacker can live in luxury during this time. All the hotels and resorts slash their prices to almost peanuts compared to the peak season charges and if you are good at bargaining , you have an added advantage.Off season is the best time to try out hotels normally I wouldn't prefer or can afford. We stayed in luxury in Goa and accommodation in the usually sky high charging places of Sikkim was dirt cheap, so was in Chhattisgarh and Ladakh too.

3. Business out of their minds, the locals are much more laid back!

This is definitely an advantage to the travelers who are looking to connect with the community and learn about the locals in the places they visit. When I was in Sikkim, during peak monsoons, with no tourist traffic, all the vehicles were used as public transport for locals. Without the crazy demand for vehicles to go for the sightseeing tours, the drivers were taking a break. One such driver, whom I had hired to take me to few waterfalls was Sonam. He had no rush to go back, and he patiently waited while I took out my tripod and shot long exposures. I asked him many questions of his village life and he asked me so many of our city life. In the end, we concurred the grass is always greener on the side. With all this interaction I came to know of one thing, that the boys give dowry to get a bride here in Sikkim.

5. Have a few adventures here and there!

Well, let's face it, it is called off-season for a reason! The heat is too much, or the cold or the rain. With excess, there is almost always going to be some problem. And then, considering the traveler that you are, you will somehow manage to get across the problem. Then it surfaces, the pride that you have managed to survive another (mis)adventure. Like, when I went to Mannavanur Lake in offseason, it was raining like hell, we had no shelter or tents, only a tarpaulin sheet to save our lives. But the sheet wouldn't hold against the lashing rain, so one of the villagers suggested we take shelter in the school for the night and get lost early next morning. We were drenched to the core, had the lake all to ourselves, had lovely conversations with an old couple who were serving hot dosas in the night! Well, you know things like this don't happen when there are a horde of tourists all around. It is rare that you get these kind of experiences when you pay for it, because you can't really be sure if people are being nice to you because it is their business to be nice or are they genuinely being nice.

6. Well people, there are no people around!

This has to be the biggest advantage for me! I know not many feel this compulsive need to be alone in places, but I, for one, hate the crowd. I know it makes me sound like a unsocial being, but it is the truth. I can't stand the ubiquitous crowd, the screaming children, the screeching vehicles, the loud conversations and many more such things that come with a crowd at a serene place. The reason travel is so special to me is because it makes me feel special. Being in places where few have been to, seeing things few have seen. When a million others are seeing what you are seeing, it isn't special anymore. But when I travel offseason, I get to have the entire place to myself. There are no people getting in way of my camera either (very selfish, I know!). It is just absolutely wonderful to see nature with no distractions, just plain nature.

Not just these, but another reason why traveling in offseason is good for the traveler who intends to gather experiences rather than few postcard pictures is the fact that you get to see the problems faced by the locals and the ways they get around it. Like for instance, how do the people of Pin Valley manage to stay disconnected to the world for six months when it snows or how the people of Sikkim manage the incessant rains on the mountains and the really really bad roads. When we understand their problems, we do have a better respect for them.

What do you think? Is it worth it, traveling in off season? Share your views and off season travel stories!

P.S - Point 4 is missing! I didn't realize it until a reader pointed it out. You didn't realize it too, did you? ;) Well, why don't one of you give me another reason, we'll add it! :))

In Search of Light at Corbett - Club Mahindra's Bloggers' Meet!

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 08:45:00 +0000

The noise is deafening but I am much thankful about the ability of human brain to totally phase out the distractions and transport one to a different time and day altogether. This Diwali, the sound of crackers is slowly fading out as the gentle echo of the flowing river is ringing in my ears. A vision forms in my head, of a huge glass window, of a comfortable bed, of green forests beyond and a charming river called Kosi. A week before, I spent few days in the foothills of Himalayas, wandering in the dreamy realms of forests around Corbett.

Few weeks ago, when I was invited for a blogger’s meet hosted by Club Mahindra, truth to be told, I was more excited about meeting fellow bloggers than being in Corbett itself. I think I had forgotten what it felt like, to be in forests. I thank Corbett for reminding me of the grandeur of the woods! I thank club Mahindra for taking me there to begin with.

The first thing that struck me as we reached our rooms was the view, it was gorgeous! Usually resorts almost always do have a good view, but the reason I liked this view so much more was the resort’s proximity to the river and the cozy feeling surrounding it. The nights were comfortably cold as opposed to the piercing cold winter nights which made it possible to walk by the river side and watch the hills beyond till late nights. While the mornings were quite pleasant, nights were spectacular. Starry skies used to surround us as darkness descended. Whiling away time waiting for shooting stars and watching the moon rise over the hill reflecting the silvery glow in the flowing waters were some of the best memories of the trip. To think that there was a time when darkness used to scare me! [Frankly speaking I still am afraid of darkness, well in weird places. ;)]

If that was about idling in comfort in nature’s lap, the eclectic mix of people was just as fun with varied conversations and discussions. With social media experts to naturalists and travelers to photographers, the group had it all. What such different people brought along with them were such different perspectives. Few were happy watching the colorful avifauna, while few were interested in observing spiders and insects, few were busy trying to spot mammals, few were enjoying being in the forest and I was busy light stalking.

Like I said earlier, I had forgotten how it felt to be in the jungles. The moment we entered the jungles of Corbett, the show began! The forest came alive. The golden glow of the early morning sun and the greenery painted an unforgettable picture. I was gaping at the jaw dropping scenery unraveling itself at every turn and every once in a while when I turned back, something like this was happening!

The gleaming beams of sun rays from behind the leaves left me almost blinded at many occasions. Yet, I tried and tried to see through the lens, if not my eyes, the lens could have been burned for sure! Sunbursts, they are called, and I tried my best to capture as many as I could. Whenever the vehicle stopped for the bird watchers to observe, the sudden calmness instigated a desire to the listen to the song of the forest.

Next day, driving though the verdant jungle of Sal trees, I was all too eager to spot some magic again. Of course the light didn’t disappoint me! Golden glow and faint silhouettes was the picture being painted today by the gods. Watching the streaks of rays through the canopy, I was smiling involuntarily. As much trouble it was, waking up at ungodly hours to reach the forest by the golden hour, it was all worth it!

I came back charmed by the forests and stunned by the play of light, a photographer’s delight! Don’t you agree?

A Different Kaas Plateau - Photo Essay of Landscapes from surroundings!

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:28:00 +0000

Date of Journey – Oct 5-6th 2011

Kaas, Ghaas aur Bakwaas was how one of my friends described our recent trip to Kaas - Kaas because we went to Kaas, Ghaas because there was a lot of it around and Bakwaas not because it was Bakwaas but because we had so many PJs that kept us cracking even after a tiring day. I cannot think of a more succinct yet appropriate way to describe my short photography trip to the plateau of flowers. For the uninitiated, Kaas Plateau is a table land in Sahyadris that plays host to a stunning variety of flora during the months of September and October. The entire plateau is covered in a spread of colorful flowerbed.

So what do you do when there are no flowers at Kaas? First, you sulk, then sulk some more, then gear up and scout for locations around. I am pretty sure you will find something to suit your liking too, just like I did! ;)

I came to know of Kaas’ existence two years ago and being the landscape photographer that I am, it fared quite high on my must visit list. The catch being there was only a small window of a month when the flowers bloom and it so happened I couldn’t visit the plateau during the past two years. This year, however I was quite adamant on making the trip happen and at the right time. So much so that I kept a tab on all forums, asked people who had been there this year, made and cancelled multiple plans waiting for sunshine, pink bloom , rains, mist and what not. But as always with travel, you can be sure of nothing until you get there.

One fine day it occurred to me, I have waited too long and it was time I made the visit. It has been observed that mid-September to mid-October is the time when the flowers arrive in full bloom spreading all across the plateau. I was in luck I thought, called up a few friends and reached Satara after a rather long journey during the Dussera holiday.

If you can’t outdo something then you could do the same thing different to set yourself apart. Now most of you would’ve seen these extremely awesome photos of Kaas by Nature Lyrics dude. Landscape photography is half talent and the other half luck, being at the right place at the right time. For me to take at least half as awesome photos as his, I really had to have some crazy super luck, which I obviously didn’t have, which is why the flowers were gone, there was no sunshine, there was rain and the few of flowers left were white in color and almost inconspicuous.

So I had undertaken one of the longest bus journeys of my life to come to a plateau with no flowers which is famous only for its flowers. The first day when we all reached Kaas, my disappointment was quite visible. I wasn’t even photographing that evening. So much for a photography trip! Luck hadn’t abandoned me completely though, I was fortunate to be in company of other shutterbugs who thought it would be good to visit Kaas again early next morning.

My thoughts on the way to Kaas the next morning were “Kaas betrayed me”! Then I thought “Challenge Accepted!”

The good thing that came out of our unsuccessful visit the day before was the knowledge that flowers weren’t there. While many other vehicles whizzed past the other table lands before the main plateau, we spent our time looking for locations around Kaas, there were many. The grass was green with few wild flowers scattered here and there. The morning light was lovely, sunshine brilliant with blue skies and scattered clouds.

Often, with our minds set on something we ignore everything else around it. Unless forced we don’t see the beauty around. This trip taught me a valuable lesson that sun shines after it rains and you just have to wait for it. And to succeed as a Landscape photographer I need to keep looking for new perspectives of the same old. If there were flowers I wouldn’t have captured the photos that I now have and would’ve done something that has been done to death so far! I, for one, am quite happy with the photos that I managed to capture of Kaas and its surroundings.

Fact File :

Location – Kaas Plateau, Maharashtra

Nearest Town – Satara, buses stop here and accommodation is also available

Distance – 25kms from Satara.

Suggested Time of Visit – The flowers bloom right at the end of monsoons. The spectacle lasts not more than a month. So far, it has been observed mid-September to mid-October is when the flowers are in full bloom.

Precautions – The heavy influx of tourists seems to have already taken its toll, the bloom retreated much early this season. Please refrain from trampling the flowers, plucking or littering the natural wonder that Kaas is.

Chasing Rainbows - A Photo Essay.

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:18:00 +0000

If you have been following my facebook page, you'd already know my craze for rainbows. If not, I tell you now that I have an extreme liking for the colorful rainbows appearing out of the blues. There are few times where I really get ecstatic and spotting a rainbow is one such time. Ask anyone who has been with me on such trips and you'll know. I will be literally jumping out of excitement when I see the colors arch across the sky.

There is something magical about seeing the pretty colors in the sky or maybe it is just the rains that have just stopped and the sunshine trying to sneak in through the dark clouds. Whatever it may be, it presents such a pretty picture it is hard for me to stay calm in such moments. All the times I have seen a rainbow, I have been spotted going hysteric, be it Roopkund trek where we saw a rainbow below us in the valley or be it Dudhsagar where the rainbow was an almost 360 degree arch going around the bridge. So here they are, a few of the rainbow pictures I have managed to capture in the last year. Hope to see many many more in the coming years.

A Rainy Evening at Belur

Rainbow in the Clouds! Kodachadri memories.

This rainbow, started below the bridge by the stream, went over it and then went below the bridge again finishing an almost 360 degrees. Super excited I was at seeing this one near Dudhsagar Falls.

It was a tiring day, we walked a lot and yet the campsite wasn't anywhere in sight. Just as the evening was about to end, this beautiful arch appears in front of me and turns out we had reached our campsite then.

After a tiring day of Outbound Activities, I couldn't ask for more. One Rainbow sets everything right. That's Avalanche Lake in Ooty.

It was a bad bad day, if not for this rainbow in Ladakh.

How to salvage a ruined weekend or Awesome Kodaikanal

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 18:54:00 +0000

Date of Journey : 22-23 April 2011

The unknown is always an enigma. When the best laid plans go down the drain, it is merely an opportunity to embrace the uncertainty in all its glory. That weekend was yet another testament to the fact that universe has its way with things and if you are patient enough, you will almost always know the purpose of everything that has gone wrong.

Morning rays reaching the Mannavanur Lake waters.. Experiencing the monsoons big time in heights of summer was the highlight of the two day trip.

The outside scenes were a hazy blur as I barely opened my eyes. It was a lovely morning and I was expectant about the three days that were to be spent in the realms of mountains and greenery. The morning haze was just lifting as we started climbing on the ghat section to reach Kodaikanal. Given the crazy biking muse of late, we couldn’t help but discuss the idea of returning back on bikes here on a later date. The 36kms long ghat section was a lovely drive albeit full of traffic.

Woke up to this view!

Kodaikanal at an altitude of 2030 meters is invariably cool most of the year and I fell in love with this place already as you’ve read before. Today was no different and I already had a good feeling being back here. Kodaikanal is no different and hasn’t been spared from the ubiquitous tourist crowd. But why was I to care, I was headed to the lovely woods after all.

The reverie came to a shattering end when we found out our permission to trek was cancelled. We had three days and nothing to do. I made no effort to restrain the disappointment. I swore, I cursed and I thought of a wasted weekend. But today I was to know that attitudes are contagious. Arvindh and Nitin were hell bent on making the best of the situation and soon I was laughing along with others about the situation. What followed for the next two days can only be described as LEGENDARY!

After considering many options, we decided we would go with Kodai Mani to camp near lake called Mannavannur Lake and trek from there to Kookal Lake the next day. It was costing us extra but what the hell, we might as well have some fun if that’s all we were getting. We chilled out the whole afternoon watching the mist come and go. The weather did everything it could to keep my spirits high, it was cool and misty and a brilliant day to do nothing. If you know me, you’d know that I am not a person who is in favor of doing nothing on a vacation. Not that there is anything wrong with chilling out, just that I’d like to utilize every single minute to explore the awesomeness that is around. But today I was forced to do nothing and I was actually enjoying the joblessness.

It was 4PM and we were still waiting for Kodai Mani to take us to the lake. While we waited we took a tour of Kodaikanal Lake and watched the mist come down from the mountains and chase the boats on the lake. Soon enough I could hear loud noise suggesting some commotion on the lake surface but couldn’t make out what it was until huge raindrops fell on my cheeks. I was in a fit of frenzy because I had my camera with me without any cover to protect. I ran to a vegetable stall nearby when they were also busy covering the vegetables and a sweet lady offered me a plastic cover as she smiled. I smiled back and that smile lasted till I reached Bangalore. Officially the adventure had started! :)

Mist came down from mountains and engulfed the Lake

And then it started chasing boats!

It was summer and I expected Kodai to be cool but certainly didn’t expect such rain. The first rains of the season brought all that was expected of it - the fresh scent of earth, dew drops in the air, mist through the forests and unrivaled greenery. We were headed to Mannavannur Lake, 40 kms from Kodaikanal and the route that leads to it was exquisite. The forests around this hill station are thick and verdant and rains can only make it better. We were passing by high terraced villages with green fields spread on mountain slopes. We hardly saw any traffic and it was absolute pleasure watching the forest go by through the tinted window.

It was almost late evening and I knew I wasn’t going to see the sun set given the cloud cover. But who knew I would see something even better! Consider a vast ground of rolling grasslands all surrounded by high mountains in the distance and right in the middle of all this lies something sparkling. The first sight sparked such enthusiasm I cannot describe in words. That is where we would camp for the day, right by the Mannavannur Lake side. Normally this lake wouldn’t be as spectacular, but today the whole mood was perfectly set by the rains and low lying dark clouds, cool winds and not a soul in sight. We went hysteric watching such beauty and then it rained. Then it rained more. Then it rained more and more. It was dark and we were drenched to the core and then lightning struck! A loud thunder and a second of light in the dark night and then more lightning while we wandered in the open grounds! We rushed back to the nearby village to take shelter at the village school.

The first view of our probable campsite, presenting Mannavanur Lake!

Where was I, Scotland?

We walked in the rain along the dirty road to reach a small place where an old couple seemed to be preparing something hot to eat. We were proved right and minutes later four of us found ourselves fighting for a piece of smoking hot delicious omlette dosas that were being served by the sweet old day. Sitting in the hut, on wooden benches eating hot dosas served on banana leaf over some conversations was a perfect end to the day. Later in the night, the rain stopped but I was woken up many times by scary neighs of horses, the thumping footsteps of running horses, barking of dogs and some other noises that I didn’t recognize. All this, while we were sleeping outside, well I was glad to see the morning light and boy! It was lovely.

Mist never left our side, morning view from the school

The mist seemed to be moving in a gracious curve over the hill top and I couldn’t wait to run back to the lake. And run we did, only to find more awesomeness. The mist was lying low while sun had come up above the mountains. We spent another two hours by the lake and then we returned back to the old couple’s place for more tasty food along with some funny conversations. You would’ve read about that stranger, if not read it here.

Now, we had a vehicle with us, two more days to spare and no plan. I had been to Kookal Lake earlier and I suggested we all go to that lake today. After a hearty breakfast we proceeded along yet another exquisite leaf strewn forest route to the lake. It was much different from what I had seen last time, of course the difference being the magic that the monsoons lent to the place. Everything was green, I mean green green! The shola forest beyond the lake was lush and in its prime. On the other side of the shola forest was high mountains and grasslands. I knew this because I was here before. The weather was so perfect for just lazing around. Armed with my camera we wandered along the green pastures, we walked upto the village for a friendly banter with the kids there. We told them we had no place to stay for the night and they came up with a brilliant plan. They said each one of them would take two of us and we could stay with them in the village for the night. Sweet kids!

Along with the cattle, we were lazing around Kookal Lake. Beyond those shola forest lies the temple and the peak.

The greenery, the intermittent rain, the mist, the mountains and the joblessness were proving to be therapeutic. It felt great to be there that moment. It felt as if time could stand still, that was where I wanted it to freeze. By afternoon it started to rain again and I was in no mood to go back yet. I suggested we go trek to the temple on the peak behind those forests in the rain. After much persuasion everyone got to their feet and we entered the forest as thick as the dark tresses of the lady. It was pouring and as soon we entered the forest, the slimy black creatures got to work with an intensity that left only five out of the sixteen trekkers on the trail within the first 10 minutes. The leeches there were blood thirsty as if they were starving for ages and they attacked us with a rigor that could only be matched by the fiercest warrior! Blood was shed, I tell no lies.

The Leech Effect, not for the weak hearted! ;) It doens't hurt though, trust me.

The ordeal lasted a good 45 minutes before we reached the grasslands. Wet wood worked like a charm to scrape the leeches away. I removed my shoes and walked up the mountain in the rain barefoot. Since I had seen the view from top already, I wasn’t in any hurry to reach the top. I walked slowly enjoying the mountains and the rain. We reached the temple on top and as it rained more we started to gorge on what little food we managed to carry. Winds blowing on mountains at an altitude of above 2000meters in the rain was cold but we spent a good two hours on the top shivering to the core and yet reluctant to leave the magical mountains, yet.

While the guys held the rain poncho over my head, we all go out of the temple to get some shots of the views around

Kookal Lake, Adieu!

When we left, we did so with a heavy heart for the trip had almost come to an end. We dreaded the thought of going back to the leech territory but it would be relatively easier now that we can run faster downhill. With Nitin at the lead, he started running. And so we all had a small trail running exercise in the woods and we crossed the leech territory in a record 10 minutes. It rained and rained as we deleeched our shoes and body by the Kookal Lake. After changing into dry clothes, we set out to reach Bangalore.

I would find myself at these lakes again in two months. I took my family this time and the lakes were lovely as ever. An almost ruined vacation turned into a beautiful exploration. A simple choice of not letting our spirits down led to having a ball of time enjoying the rains, during summer! In such rains I don’t know if we would’ve managed to do the trek anyway. Everything happens for a reason, don’t you think? :)

Route : Kodaikanal - Poomburai - Mannavanur - Kukkal(Kookal) - Kodaikanal

Photo of the Week - Watching the Rainbow!

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:48:00 +0000

And my quest of chasing the rainbow continues.... :)

We were trekking deep in the Chamba Valley of Himachal and the campsite never seemed to arrive. It was almost 5 in the evening, we were walking on slippery slopes, while it rained. And then, just as we arrived at the campsite, a sliver of sunshine and a colorful rainbow welcomed us, the joys of trekking!

The Wait for Light at Dhankar Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:08:00 +0000

Three years ago, when I held my first camera all I would care to do was click. There is a mountain, click! There is a river, click! There flies a bird, click! Click! Click! Click! Now, almost three years later I wait before I click, I wait. I wait for the light, I wait for the angle, I wait for the idea. Years from now I'd expect only to think and not wait. A real artist would make the best out of any given situation, of course such days are long ahead of me. But today, I would wait at Dhankar Lake. I am almost always in a hurry in all my journeys. I never waited around a place to think, compose, wait and click. But today for the first time I would have the opportunity to do so. Light changes everything.

Dhankar is a small hamlet resting on one of the mountain tops in Spiti. Dhankar has an old monastery sitting dangerously on a cliff and also 5 kms from here, on the other side of the same mountain lies a small lake, called Dhankar Lake. If you are feeling quite adventurous, you could just climb up the mountain above Dhankar and get down the other side. This is the steeper trail used by the sure-footed sheep and goats while normal people can trek for about an hour or so by taking the trail that goes above the new monastery. The trail is well marked till the lake.

Well, so to speak I was waiting for the golden hour but reached the lake much earlier than that. There's some dirty left over water that I see but I kept walking anyway hoping to find more water. As I walked further, I saw more water. There is a lake indeed and is reasonably well fed. Now as I walked here and there, climbed up and down over the course of the evening the lake showed it various colors or rather the light brought out the various colors of the lake. See the photos below to see the transition over a period of 3 hours.

As I first saw the lake, it was green.

I walked by the lake side and now the water was reflecting the blue of the sky!

I walked from the far right corner and I climbed higher from the lake, to see it change color again.

I was now sitting right on the other bank and the sun was getting ready to go down, as the water turned a nicer blue.

I was waiting for the winds to stop so I could see some reflections and it happened just before sunset.

The sun was setting, casting the much appreciated golden rays.

And the final farewell. three hours later after seeing many colors of Dhankar Lake.

The Extremely Eventful Month of July 2011.

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 04:28:00 +0000

We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us - John Steinbeck

It was a journey, a wild journey in all senses – personal and literal among others. We’ll talk about the journey in the literal sense while we’ll need another post altogether to see how I made the journey of self exploration.

I planned to cycle and I ended up sick.

And I ended up backpacking when I planned to trek.

I dreamt a dream and I made a plan to fulfill those dreams. An elaborate plan to mountain bike in the remote areas of Spiti for two weeks and an attempt to summit the 6150m peak of Stok Kangri in Ladakh for the next two weeks was made. It would be an adventurous month I hoped. But then life happened.

Started in the Deserts somewhere and ended up in such greenery.

I learnt a lesson which I already knew. Life happens while you are busy making other plans. I fell sick high up in the mountains, life threateningly sick! Who knew I would carry an infection from Bangalore that would aggravate to gigantic proportions later ruining my adventure? After three days of cycling, everyday was a battle against fever, cold and bad cough. After a few more days it was crazy fever and worst possible cough. I never had such bad attack of cold in the past years that I can remember.

I was just a kilometer away from Chandratal when my situation took a turn for the worse. There I was sitting right next to the lake, unable to even move or eat or drink. My heart was struggling to pump blood and the fever running high. I don’t know what it is – a tragedy or comedy. At such altitude, I am battling not AMS but some kind of infection.

With the help of strangers and friends alike, I managed to reach Manali still in a very bad shape though. At that point I knew I wouldn’t recover in time for the trek anyway, I had to cancel the trek plan and come back to Bangalore to recover.

That one week I spent in Bangalore recovering was the most depressing week ever! While I was very glad to have my health back, I didn’t expect the adventure to come to such an anticlimactic end. In a desperate bid to salvage the rest of the leave left, I frantically looked for things I could do within the next week. Either Sikkim or Andaman was the only option left given my travels across the country.

There, that is how fate comes into picture, also the power of mind. I’ll tell you how.

When I signed up for the Stok Kangri trek, I wasn’t too sure I wanted to do it. But I registered anyway. If I had a strong urge to do it, I probably would’ve recovered somehow. Subconsciously I always wanted to go to Sikkim but never dared to go. That’s when fate intertwined with the subconscious leading me to my destiny – exploration. Yes, when I think about it, that is what I love the most about travel – exploring new limits. It is because I enjoy the spirit of adventure that comes with exploration, I trek or cycle or walk or ride. After much deliberation I was on my way to Sikkim amidst torrential downpour.

What happened over the next few days was nothing short of being legendary! Yes, there were landslides. Yes, there were roadblocks. And last but not the least, Yes, there was rain. But what came along with all these troubles was that the whole of Sikkim was for me and a very few fortunate travelers to explore the monsoon magic. There was no traffic, no hawkers and no sky high prices. It was just us and the locals enjoying their monsoon break before the so called season starts again.

Taking chances everywhere, we moved from place to place and were never disappointed. The misty mountain tops, the wild flowers, the raging streams, the screaming cascades, the greener than the green forest canopy, the damp forest floor and monsoon magic in all its glory was all mine to enjoy. I totally loved the idea of such exclusivity.

Waterfalls. streams, cascades, brooks everywhere, everywhere!

Wild Flowers bloom everywhere, monsoon special

Aren't we glad we took the trouble and came here in Monsoons!

I have truly come to believe that luck favors the bold. Even when it was raining whole time, just for three hours the weather cleared up right when it mattered. It is another crazy story how we even managed to reach Gurudongmar Lake, one of the world’s highest lakes at 17100ft. Until then, I had forgotten how sunshine feels and what blue sky means but not that day. The blue skies made their grand entry not forgetting their partner in crime, the sunshine. The lake was shimmering in a turquoise blue right under the brilliant blue skies with white clouds creating some drama. Gurudongmar was so beautiful and the weather just perfect. I would not try to put in words for words do no justice to the work of art by nature.

Despite all that happened in the month of July, aren’t we smiling now!

And this is where I end up! *All Smiles*

The Himalayan Adventure - Cycling from Spiti to Manali.

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:35:00 +0000

I have been making the customary visit to my home(read Himalayas) every year and this year was no different. I had made grand plans of exploring Ladakh more or probably the North East. But since when have best laid plans gone as planned. A Mountain Bike had appeared out of the blues forcing me re-plan everything.

During my last visit to Spiti. I had seen quite a few foreigners cycling in the awesome valley and I was very tempted to do the same. Even more so after the Goa cycling expedition. But never did I imagine I would be actually doing that the very next year.

I bought a brand new Mountain Bike convincing myself that I am going to put it to good use. And knowing me, if it hasn't blazed on the homeground, it hasn't been put to good use after all. We can't let that happen now can we? So here I am. Trying to cycle in the most awesome place - Surreal Spiti. Covering more than 500kilometers, including two awesome lakes and two high passes and lot of monasteries, golden mountains and blue skies, we set out to experience Himalayas in a new way. We will be cycling between 10000 to 15500 ft over a period of 10 days.

We designed a logo too. We got them printed on jerseys. While that is not the only thing I will be doing this July. I am not back until next month. Mobile connectivity is limited but I will try to post updates on facebook as and when I can. Do follow me to get regular updates on the team's antics and maybe an occasional photo!

You can follow me here - http://www.facebook.com/TravelWithNeelima

Well, see you next month because there is going to be dead silence here until then! :)

This is where I would be Cycling!

The Logo

In blue and yellow

Bike before boxing it up

Anecdotes from Ladakh - The Aryan Descendants and the Storm.

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:44:00 +0000

Luck favors the brave.

Tonight it was going to be a full moon night. For a month before that day I meticulously planned the trip to detail so I would spend this day by the shores of the glorious Pangong Lake. The moon would shine in all its glory and so would the lake. It was a dream since my first visit to the lake way back in 2008.

I was thinking about this while I saw the storm gaining momentum high up in the mountains. A traveler has no fixed plans, even more so in the mighty Himalayas. Weather played spoilsport. All my meticulous planning was blown to dust as the weather created havoc. With great difficulty the trip even took off. Today I wouldn’t be going to Pangong after all. I was visiting the Aryan Settlement of Ladakh, a village called Dah.

As we reached the checkpost at Dah, I asked the guard at the gate how to go to Dah and he replied with a curious alacrity “up this mountain”. I asked him how long it would take, again with a cheeky smile he replied “we do it in just about 20 minutes, you might take much more time“. Well I respected him for the job he was doing else I would’ve really told him off, in my mind of course. It was still raining and if we go ahead, it would be into the troubled land of Batalik. My parents said they will sit in the car and if I wanted I could go up and come. But the only problem was, there did not seem to be a path to the village and what if I get lost on my way up.

Well anyway, the weather didn’t look any better than it was before and it showed no signs of getting better either. Well trekking up a muddy mountain with loose rocks everywhere, in the rain, so close to the Line of Control, all alone wasn’t something I fancied to do. But I kept saying to myself that you cannot turn back after coming all this way neelima, go ahead. Dar ke aage jeet hai, hai na?

In the rain I started to climb up the mountain. Since there was no trail, I followed the stream which was flowing down. It was quite a steep ascent, but as I went up, the rain stopped. Then I saw some plastic lying around, so I was close to civilization after all. After some more climbing I finally saw a house, and then the village.

It looked deserted. The village was on top of the mountain, where they had houses and fields in front of the houses. There were higher mountains all around. There was another stream which was flowing wildly in the valley. I see no people yet, till the sound of drums broke the eerie silence. I went ahead to find a huge gathering who looked quite colorful and it seemed like they were celebrating something. All the ladies were dressed in some sort of colorful traditional attire with huge flowers on their head. The men were wearing colorful caps. Happy to reach the village and see the people I went and sat next to an elderly man.

He smiled at me. He told me today was Budh Purnima(which falls only on a full moon day), a very sacred day for them and they are celebrating the festival. They were transferring some holy scrolls from the village of Dah to another village Biama. The people of Dah, Hanu, Biama along with two more villages are said to be descendants of Aryans, or maybe those left behind from Alexander’s army or people who migrated from Gilgit of Pakistan long back. Well they certainly don’t look like the rest of Ladakhis. Their features were distinctly Caucasian and they have been preserving their racial purity by marrying strictly within the community. Apparently their language is different too. Well what do I know about their ethnicity and background but they sure are an interesting lot. Someday I should start bothering about people I meet during my travels too.

Two days later I was at Pangong and the night was almost like a full moon night. Except that it was so freaking cold I couldn’t get anywhere near the lake after dark and spent the night warming up in the blankets. Few more days later I came to know that the villagers of Dah don’t wear the traditional headdress and costume everyday. They only do that upon request from the visitors and they visitors apparently have to pay them for doing so.I took a lot of photos too, for free! Well, wasn’t I glad to have taken the chance and going upto Dah the other day? And things happen for a reason, don’t they? For instance, like the trip schedule being goofed up so I land in Dah on that particular day.

Luck surely favors the brave.

Landscapes from Hampi, not the ruins!

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:08:00 +0000

The ruins of Hampi have charmed many over the years. I thought it was just the ruins that deemed the place magical. Last weekend I discovered something else. It was not just the ruins but the whole setting that made Hampi the surreal retreat that it is. Boulders of gargantuan proportions stacked in impossible formations over one another was the first impression. That could have been all that Hampi had if not for the gentle Tungabhadra River that flows through the main bazaar far towards the distant mountains.

As the sun sets in the west, the mountains become mere silhouettes while the sparkling waters of Tungabhadra take on a different hue dancing to the symphony of light. If that was the magic of sunlight, moonlight isn’t any less either. Yesterday it wasn’t a full moon day but it was almost there. Vast and wide open spaces interspersed by a river here and a rock there giving you a front row seat to do nothing but gaze at stars is why the place is so chilled out. There might not be many trees to give you all the shade but the land isn’t devoid of greenery altogether. There are green pastures of grass by the foothills of the rock formations. And if the clouds decide to play along, you cannot ask for a better setting. The blue skies, the white fluffy clouds, the brown mountains and green pastures. Just about the perfect for a landscape photographer like me. :)

I spent two days last weekend in Hampi. Of all the time spent there, it would be safe to say half the time was spent gazing at the river/clouds/rocks/mountains and the rest was spent gazing at the amazing ruins. True story! Yes, it goes without saying the ruins were amazing.

Ruins you would have seen many. Now see the spectacular scenery of Hampi.

Sunset colors over the Tungabhadra River

The brilliant clouds I was talking about

Fields around Hampi

Sunset Shadows in the River

Rocks of all sizes everywhere

River Crossing Point

Ruins and the Landscape

Scenery around Daroji Bear Sanctuary

Tungabhadra River

Enchanting Tamilnadu - Beaches, Temples, Palaces and Lakes.

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:40:00 +0000

I am person with a lot of preconceived notions. For all that traveling that I do, you’d expect I would have an open mind. But the truth is I have my opinions on everything and stick to it until the truth hits me in the face. Why I am saying this is because I always thought Tamilnadu is not a state worth exploring, just as with Rajasthan. Of course both the states have been an eye-opener and maybe all that traveling has opened up my mind after all. I swear I won’t dismiss any place without giving it a chance.

That being said, I was on a weeklong trip exploring the southern tip of India last week. I went with family which meant no crazy treks or something like that but plain old summer vacation kind of travel. I wasn’t too excited given my notions about Tamilnadu. The only thing enticing was the fact that I would’ve have traveled tip to tip if I set foot at Kanyakumari as well. Did no research and landed late evening in Trivandrum on Monday. The airport was just beside the sea and the warm sea breeze and the humidity hit me in the face. It felt good. Having spent the better years of my life along the seaside, the familiar weather was welcoming.

The crazy trip had started as we know it. I waited and waited and waited at the bus stand to find a bus to take me to Kanyakumari. It was already 9 PM and there was no sign of the only bus that goes from Ernakulam to Kanyakumari via Trivandrum. I found some comfort in knowing there were few Telugu families also waiting for the same bus. You can never be too far from them which is a good thing in most cases. A sleepy town that goes by the name Kanyakumari just by the seaside welcomed me at midnight.

The morning next day was a celestial affair. People were waiting in hordes to see the sun rise from the ocean. To me, more than the sunrise, the gathering was more interesting. I love it when people come together in unison and bow in front of the mighty force called nature. They all worshipped, chanted mantras, took dips in the sea water calling it holy and took a thousand photographs as the sun rose. I was doing the last one, took a thousand photographs and those were few of the best ones that I have shot so far.

After sunrise, the agenda was quite sketchy and I was so happy with the photos I took in the morning I just didn’t care where I landed next. Incidentally the next location was the spectacular Padmanabhapuram palace. At first glance, the palace looked more like a traditional house than a huge palace. Little did I know I was in for such a surprise. The palace was neither small nor nondescript. The traditional Kerala architecture was simple yet functional. Later that day was a date with rains. Got drenched to the core and loved it. Just that morning I was facing the heat of summer and beaches and from afternoon till night it was monsoon showers, clouds and mist. Strange are the days of travel.

Next stop was Madurai, temple town and not really my cup of tea. But, yet again I was in for another surprise. The Meenakshi Amman Temple was nothing short of a spectacle and the Thirumalai Nayakar Palace was a shining example of Italian architecture with the local flavor. The many pillars of Meenakshi temple and the huge hallways of the palace, both a photographer’s delight left me wanting for more.

But we had moved on to Kodaikanal by now. I had already planned what I wanted my family to see. Not the crowded hill station but pretty hamlets and isolated lakes in the vicinity of the mountains and forests around. That is what we did, visited two spectacular lakes and called it a day.

After temples, beaches and Mountains I was only too glad to be returning to the beaches, at Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi. I got scolded by the tour operator for making him wait for an hour, got scolded some more by my dad for making them all wait but then when we took off in the jeep to visit Dhanushkodi, all was forgotten by all and I was left spellbound. I thought I had evolved as a photographer. Believing in quality than quantity, not going trigger crazy was something I managed to achieve over the past year. But all that learning went to dust the moment we entered the realms of the ghost town. I went clicking here, there and everywhere. Words wouldn’t do justice and nor would photos.

After visiting Kutch earlier this year and Danushkodi now, I have developed a newfound love towards saline eco systems. Serene Bay of Bengal on one side and the wild Indian Ocean on the other, we were traveling on the strip of land between these two. We went till the far corner from where you can spot the erstwhile Ramasetu, the bridge built by Rama to Sri Lanka. I will have to dedicate an entire post to the awesomeness called Dhanushkodi, for now let’s return back to Rameswaram.

The beach here is shallow for quite a long distance from the shore. I saw local fishermen trying to catch fish in a different way. Then we headed to the temple just before it opened. Found the corridors almost empty and as expected I went trigger happy again. Had a spectacular darshan of the lord thus ending the week long exploration.

There could not have been a better way to sum up this trip than these words - Every ending is just a new beginning. I never thought Tamilnadu would interest me so much. The culture and history around Madurai was immense, the mountains and forests around Kodaikanal were pristine, the temples and their architecture were marvelous, the beaches and the ecology were remarkable. As I traveled I found out there was much more to be seen, like the Danish fort of Tranquebar or the erstwhile bungalows of Chettiars or the infinite lakes around Kodaikanal or the innumerable waterfalls around Courtallam or the history of graves around Vallinokkam or the many other places I haven’t heard of yet. As I crossed the Pamban Bridge one last time, I promised to myself, I will return back to this Enchanting Land!

I do keep my promises, I swear!

Getting down from Ooty via Gudalur and my first crash on the bike.

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Sun, 08 May 2011 14:27:00 +0000

** Scroll down if you want to see some awesome pictures.
Read about Day 1 Ride here - http://www.travelwithneelima.com/2011/05/cycling-up-to-ooty-via-killer-kalhatty.html

"It was time to enjoy the benefits of yesterdays effort, is what I thought, which is why I refused to use the awesome hydraulic disc brakes on my bike, which is why I flew off the bike and fell on my head during my first high speed downhill crash!"

Cycling in the grasslands near Ooty

Reveling in yesterday’s glory wasn’t going to help me in any way. As we took the cycles out of YHAI campus, the road goes straight up. Damn those uphills already! I was told that even though the Gudalur route is going to be downhill for considerable part, it is not going to be as easy as a push of a pedal at the top and nonstop descent after that. The route would be scenic too I was told. But nothing gave me enough motivation. For that day, I hated ascents, even nominal ones.

Today the entire gang of 40 was back on bikes to enjoy the downhill ride. Rekha was cycling too and the photographer in me came out today. Me, Rekha, Nitin and Arvindh decided we would go slowly, very late taking as many photos as possible. Just outside of Ooty, we came across this awesomely beautiful dried up lake bed which now looked like grassland. Tall trees outlined the area and the sky was exceptionally blue, just the way I liked. With two photographers and willing people it was time for photoshoot.

We were trailing behind while Dipankar also joined us. The five of us now reached Kamraj Sagar Dam and it was time for more photos and offroading. Look what my bike can do! ;)

Offroading next to Kamraj Sagar Dam

Posing and all that fun

So far so good. The ride was interesting and then started more ascents. We crossed the Pykara Lake and went ahead to reach Pykara Boat house. The thing is the route is a continuous 10kms of delirious downhill ride. I was all too happy about the first major downhill ride. It was time to enjoy the benefits of yesterdays effort, is what I thought, which is why I refused to use the awesome hydraulic disc brakes on my bike, which is why I flew off the bike and fell on my head during my first high speed downhill crash! The curves were lovely and swaying left to right trying to maintain speed seemed fun but at one such devious curve, I knew there wasn’t enough room for me to take a turn at such speed, I tried to apply brakes but I was already at the point of no return. Fall I had to, the only question was where would I like to land. Once I decided the location, the only thing left for me to do was to apply the front brake which would surely throw me off the bike but at least I’d stop. It was time, I applied the brake and the next moment I was lying on the ground saying a million thanks to my awesome helmet, without which I would’ve sustained serious head injury.

I got up to find I was completely unharmed and so was the bike. The chain came off, I laughed to myself as I fixed it. I started riding again but now I was a changed person, I wasn’t the crazy speedmaniac I was a while ago. Instead I was a cautious person going at acceptable speeds with both the hands resting on the brakes. What this actually means is the ride got super boring after this. There were more downhills after this, there were mountains, tea plantations, clouds and more downhill. But too much of downhill can get seriously boring, especially if you are trying to control speed.

As we came down, the heat was soaring high. We reached Gudalur checkpost just before Masinagudi after some uphills. Like I said earlier, we were the last ones to come down while most of the team had already left for the 34 km ride to the Gundlupet pitstop where our vehicles were parked. The afternoon heat was unbearable, even a nominal ascent was getting me super angry and at such a time I was all too confused if it actually makes sense to do the rest of the ride through that sparse forest in this heat. But I was also thinking if I’d finish the last stretch I would’ve finished the entire ride. While I was still in two minds, Dipankar comes to me and tells me to get into TT as it will get tougher from here and I am better off sitting in the TT.

And just like that, it was decided. I was going to do the rest of the ride on cycle. Rajesh and Ashish were also coming along with me and the three of us decided we’ll complete the entire ride. So, now you know how to get things done from me. Ask me not to do it. ;)

The ride was long, the heat was on, there were uphills but of course nothing compared to Kalhatty. And for someone having done Kalhatty, everything else seems just fine. We finished the 34km ride in 90 minutes to reach the final pitstop.

That’s how the crazy ride ended. I managed a total of 170kms over a weekend which included one of the toughest climbs of South India. After this ride, the one thing I learnt was ain’t no mountain high enough! :)

Stay tuned for more biking stories and the wandering soul is hooked to the new muse.

Route map - http://bit.ly/m8XQv1

The blue skies that I love

Fishing in Kamraj Sagar Dam

Pleasant downhills on the Gudalur route

I still hate them yellow jerseys!

Trees enroute Gudalur

Scenery here and there

Dipankar and Nitin

Mighty nice place to play indeed!

Riding through tea plantations

Tea Plantations and Sun

That's my bike, enjoying the view

Cycling up to Ooty via the Killer Kalhatty route

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Sat, 07 May 2011 18:57:00 +0000

** Reader Alert - This is one of those posts which has no pictures in it just because of the sheer craziness of the ordeal. I was too tired to even close my eyelids, let alone take a photo.
And for the uninitiated, bitten by the biking bug, I bought a brand new Mountain Terrain Bike last month! :)**

Day 2 ride report and lots of pictures here - http://www.travelwithneelima.com/2011/05/getting-down-from-ooty-via-gudalur-and.html

“Not yet Neelima, the next sign board is just round the corner, keep pedaling. “

“We are almost there. The number is less by one more hairpin bend, keep pushing yourself!”

“What kind of an idiot would want to cycle up to Ooty? And what kind of an idiot would want do this in this kind of heat? Oh yea, that idiot goes by the name Neelima.”

“The kids who passed by are waving at you yelling “Good job!” That’s cool and some inspiration. Two more hairpin bends before you stop, okay?”

“If you can’t, nobody can Neelima. Don’t stop yet”

“Twinkle twinkle little star…”

“Damn you Kalhatty!”

“Yay! What? Wow! I made it? Really? No wait. Awesome!!”

Well this and a thousand other conversations I was having with myself while I tried to cycle up to Ooty one weekend in the summer heat of April. And if you don’t know we talk to ourselves, you should read this post first! Trust me, talking to yourself and taking deep breaths really helps! ;)

Ooty climb was known to be a killer climb among the veterans who regularly come here to train. Especially the Kalhatty climb holds special place in many a heart. Those who have been able to finish the route on cycle will never forget the slogging and the redemption while it stays a haunting dream for those who could not. I have to tell you, I have done few rides before Kalhatty and few more after but so far the claim stands good. Kalhatty is by far the toughest route I rode upon yet.

Ooty can be reached in two ways from Mudumalai Forest Reserve – One is the steeper but shorter route through Kalhatty which measures 36kms and the other one is the longer but less steep route through Gudalur measuring 67kms. Considering the inherent need for challenge of the few not-your-regular-city dwellers, the Kalhatty route was the obvious choice to reach our destination.

The climb hasn’t started yet, or has it?

We were off to a very late start from Gundlupet, just outside Bandipur National Park. The clock showed 9 AM as four of us started the ride towards the forest. The first small uphill seemed impossible, my body refused to push forward and the cycle refused to move forward. At this point, riding up to Ooty seemed an idea way too farfetched! But what do we know, all the body needs is some warm up. As soon as we enter Bandipur there is a four hair pin bend uphill to serve as the perfect warm up. There were quite a few uphills and downhills and riding in the forest wasn’t all that pleasant thanks to the scorching sun and the sparsely spread canopy.

Crossing borders, Enter Tamilnadu and the Elephant scare

A rather dry ride brought us to Tamilnadu border where the forest guards put a break to the speeding wheels. Apparently a foreigner got stamped to death by an elephant last month and hence the forest officials were apprehensive about small groups cycling through the forest. We were to enter Mudumalai National Park now. As per their suggestion, we waited till we were a group of 15 and started the ride towards Ooty through the forest. Mudumalai was much more beautiful and greener compared to Bandipur. The short 4km ride could be best described as awesome. The heat wasn’t coming through the thick canopy above, the road was delightful, the forest was resplendent and there were deer and its ilk here and there.

Take left to burn a lot of calories

Well many a time I get asked this question. What do you get by doing all this? I guess it makes me feel alive. No points for guessing that the left turn is going to be a tough one. Well, so be it. We were still riding through Mudumalai to reach Masinagudi to have lunch. We waited for a long time before everyone came. Arvindh knew of a place which served simple but delicious homemade meals. Without a care in the world, four of us had sumptuous meal and as we ate, teams left one after the other to start the climb. We would’ve liked to start as early as possible but the food was simply delectable. Later we were the last ones to start the ride.

The first mile is just as tough as the last mile

The road goes through some forest and village and then you can see huge mountain rising in front of you. Logic defies reason because reaching such heights on a cycle seems highly implausible. Yet the optimist inside keeps pedaling to reach the first right that marks the start of the Kalhatty climb. As expected, the afternoon heat made the climb twice as hard and climbing hills right after a heavy lunch, not the best of times. But methinks, if you last the first kilometer or two you would keep at it till the end. The first kilometer definitely took a lot of determination from my side not to give up the ride. By now, people had made their decision – those who wanted to ride and those who didn’t.

And then starts the number game

The climb officially doesn’t start till you see the first sign board proclaiming to be 36/36th of the hairpin bends. If not for these boards, I don’t know what would give motivation to the riders. Seeing the number reduce one by one works like a charm and gives you enough motivation to keep pedaling. 36 became 34, 32, 30, so on and so forth. Till we reached the 23rd hairpin bend, the sun was relentlessly doing its job. The clock showed 3.30 PM and few helpful guys in a car offered us water that they were carrying. Soon dark clouds engulfed the sun and the weather turned pleasant just like that. Time was 4.30 or 5.00 and we were at hairpin bend number 14. We found Ravi, Ashish and Nirav taking a break here and after a quick stop all of us resumed the killer climb again. We were 6 in all and it was much better than three of us riding given the warning of locals shouting “Elephants! Elephants!”

The never-ending climb

Just as we cycled through the numbered hairpin bends, there came a long never ending stretch of a road which went up and up and up and up. Okay I am exaggerating because it looked never-ending to a tired soul but it would be atleast 500meters of a 45 degree incline. Again I might be wrong in estimating but when you are cycling too, that is how it is going to look to you as well. This is just before Kalhatty village, the road that broke everyone’s determination. Each one of us thought we’d cycle all the way to the top but the bike wouldn’t move. Sooner or later we all got to our feet dragging the bike. Good thing is we just crossed 8th hairpin bend. We are this close to completing the super crazy Kalhatty climb.

After this, we cycled across the village and the numbers didn’t reduce much as the altitude increased. We reached hairpin bend number 4 and that’s where I couldn’t pedal anymore. I was way too tired to even talk myself into riding ahead. Ravi was with me and we got down the bike to push through the last mile, more like the last kilometer. 3, 2 and 1!

The coveted Hairpin bend 1/36, here we cometh!

There we were. What joy I cannot explain for I myself do not understand. We took photos, we rested, we discussed as the light disappeared and the cold started setting in. Three others were still cycling to reach the top. We moved base to wait near a small shop nearby and the shared camaraderie especially after enduring a killing ride or trek is always joyful to say the least. We waited for the three to come and spent some more time in cheerful banter. As I look back, it was a good time.

We were still 10kms away from Ooty and the clock showed 8.00PM. All that rest rejuvenated me to an extent and I was able to ride the rest of the distance to Ooty. It wasn’t all uphill but it was a rolling terrain and we managed to reach Ooty fine. Here I also ran into the wildlife expert Sandeep which was a pleasant surprise.

At last, 10 of us managed to finish the Kalhatty climb, on cycles! That is legendary!

Sometimes people ask me, what am I made of? The answer is quite simple – flesh and blood. I am no different than any other. But what I am also made up of is grit and a mind that refuses to let my body stop. Like I said, I am a firm believer of mind over matter philosophy. Let your mind do the work, trust me, it can take you places, quite literally! :)

We cycle, we pedal.
We trudge. we struggle.

Who are we? We are finishers!

Aashish - Arvindh – Chandan - Dipankar – Karthik – Neelima – Neerav - Nitin - Ravi – Rajesh

Total Distance Covered – 65kms

Time Taken for the climb (36-1 hairpin bends) – 4 – 4 1/2 hours.

Route - http://bit.ly/kkPOyV

Rani ka Vas, Prag Mahal, Aina Mahal - Awesomeness from Bhuj, Gujarat

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:38:00 +0000

“If this place witnessed a massive earthquake, how come I see no cracks or major damages to the foundation and such?” he asked while I quickly retorted back saying they would’ve repaired it long back since the earthquake. But the thought remained in my mind as I roamed around Bhuj that afternoon. I had a pretty interesting day so far chasing a mysterious stepwell and an encounter with giants about which you can read here.

This was the last day of the three week long trip spanning remote corners of Rajasthan and a bit of Kutch, Gujarat. I had that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, after having so much fun it was time to get back to the mundane and the ordinary. We still had few hours to kill before catching the bus to Ahmadabad that night. Living up to my pseudonym I reached Prag Mahal wandering here and there. The auto driver dropped us somewhere which looked like the abode of ruins. This was the old city, there was a huge entrance and walled fence all around. I lifted my head up to see this and I knew something interesting was in store for me. As we entered, the gate caught my attention. It was huge and looked really old.

Rani ka Vas:

In front of me was a huge colonial style building built in red stone. But that didn’t interest me yet. I turned back to see the entrance and I loved what I saw. Sadistic I know, but the huge entrance was ruined totally above and adjacent to it seemed to be another old building with very Indian architecture in complete ruins, as in uninhabitable ruins, as in one push can get the whole thing tumbling down ruins. The windows were painted green and ornately designed porticos echoed of a time of grandeur. I spent a mighty long time photographing the ruined building which as it turns out, was the Rani ka Vas meaning the Queen’s Residence. This was a living proof depicting the magnitude of the earthquake that hit Bhuj and the trail of destruction it left behind.

What remained of the grand entrance and Rani Ka Vas

I chased squirrels, disturbed the pigeons, got scared by the dogs, watched the playful mongoose, and got chased by a cow and all this while I was still outside Prag Mahal. The old and wrecked held a special place in my heart and the dilapidated always interested me for some unknown reason. The day was a photographer’s delight, brilliant sun shining down while the sky remained clear and azure. After spending a long time moving around the buildings, it was time after all to enter.

Prag Mahal:

Reluctantly I stepped into Prag Mahal expecting nothing more exciting but you know those little surprises and those little joys, sadistic yet again, but the palace itself was in ruins from the inside. Apparently the funds aren’t sufficient to keep the place running and hence the condition. The architectural style is distinctly not Indian, apparently Italian Gothic. The stairs lead upto a corridor which opens into a large hall with huge broken chandeliers hanging low and hunting trophies proudly mounted for display. The wall paper on the ceiling was peeled and hanging and the statues adorning the columns were of European style. If I forgot to mention, there were pigeons flying about everywhere inside through the hallway across the rooms. The whole place smelled of decay.

The huge hall of Prag Mahal

There were two rooms along with the hall open for public on the ground floor while there were two more rooms open on a higher floor. Apart from this, the clock tower was open to visitors. Of all these, I enjoyed the huge hall which was emanating visions of a grander past and a lost present.

The clock tower offers a grand view of the city from the fifth floor but its winding staircases are not for the fainthearted. Congested and spiral, they may seem never ending to few but of course I enjoyed the eeriness. Soon a noisy bunch of school kids on an excursion inundated the serenity of the ruins forcing us out of Prag Mahal.

As we wandered past the clock tower towards Aina Mahal, I turned back to look upto the tower and here I noticed it. There were huge cracks along the tower suggesting the after effects of the earthquake. The backyard was closed and fenced for some reason and as we peeped through the gate it became more obvious. The palace indeed was shaken to the core by the earthquake and here lay the blaring evidence of the catastrophe.

Aina Mahal:

Close by was Aina Mahal, the more famous attraction of Bhuj. In its heyday it sure must’ve been a sight to behold. The small two storey building is almost entirely if not all, embellished with mirrors and glasses of all kinds which not only serve the purpose of decoration but also solved the problem of light. The king’s bedroom was full of mirrors on all the walls and ceilings and one candle would light up the entire room when required. This room has been preserved well. There were intricately carved doors made out of elephant tusks. But most of the rest had fallen apart in the quake. I could imagine the grandeur of the residence but today it was not shining. Remnants of earlier days lost to the test of times.

Remnants of a glorious past

As we walked out of Aina Mahal, the sun was setting. That didn’t mark the end of the day though. We wandered to a local craft market from here and made a purchase of the famous Kutch Mirror work. The evening was spent trying to make arrangements to send it back home. Night had fallen and we left Bhuj to reach Ahmadabad the next day. Never expected a stopover to be so entertaining. Bhuj was nothing more than a place that had once experienced a massive earthquake but after that day, I realized it had so much more to it. There, the joys of traveling with no plan and no expectations.

Backyard of Prag Mahal

Charm of the ruins

Countless pigeons were the residents now

Ceiling in one of the rooms at Aina Mahal

Clock Tower of Prag Mahal and the cracks

Ivory Work on Doors of Aina Mahal

Spiti in Shades of Grey

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:08:00 +0000

You have seen Ladakh in shades of grey. Now see Spiti in all its surrealism and monochromes.

Ki Monastery

Scenery just beyond Kaza

Kibber Village - One of the highest inhabited settlements

Kunzum Pass

View from Ki Monastery

Fields in Kibber

Ki Monastery and Ki Village

What do you think?

Photo of the Week - A Morning at Tso Moriri

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:51:00 +0000

Well after a long hiatus, POTW is back from the dead.
For starters, here's a serene scene from the high altitudes of Ladakh.

Tso Moriri

Complete Photo of the Week(POTW) series

Surreal Spiti - FAQs and Things you need to know.

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 22:23:00 +0000

Somewhere close to the Indo Tibetan border, lies a spectacular valley about which many haven’t heard of. The largest and unquestionably remotest, hence striking district of Himachal Pradesh is known by the name of Lahaul & Spiti and those who have been fortunate enough to be charmed by this Himalayan Desert valley swear by its splendor.

Glimpses of Spiti - A Timelapse Video
More photos from Spiti

Situated in the rain shadow of the Himalayan Mountains, this valley with its pretty hamlets, patchwork fields, golden hues of barren landscapes and colorful monasteries perched on impossible climbs make Spiti an enchanting exploration. Spiti makes for an ideal destination for people with any preference, be it adventure, culture or just gaping with mouth wide open at the surreal landscapes. And if that is not interesting enough, there is this whole interesting history of Spiti which states that this area was under Tethys sea millions of years ago. Remnants of this past can be realized in the unique landscapes, sedimentary rock formations caused by the tectonic forces and fossils found here and there. And even if that doesn’t interest you, one could always indulge in a wildlife exploration to spot some of the rare, endemic and endangered species such as the elusive Snow Leopard or the age old Tibetan wolf among many.

Before I start with the very detailed posts, here is a ready reckoner to plan a trip to Spiti.

Where the hell is Spiti anyway?

Spiti is part of the combined districts of Lahaul and Spiti located in northern most part of Himachal Pradesh sharing the Indo – Tibetan Border. To the north of Lahaul & Spiti lies Ladakh, to the west lies Chamba and Kulu districts and to the south lies Kinnaur.

How to reach Spiti?

You can reach Spiti only through roadways or on foot, trekking. One route joins Manali with Spiti and the same route extends down via Kinnaur to Shimla. So you can either reach Manali and head to Spiti or reach Shimla and head upwards to Spiti.

Manali – Kaza route

This is the more rugged of the two routes, it starts at Manali. After approximately 60-70 kilometers, after crossing Rohtang, you will find a diversion at Gramphoo. The road heading straight leads you to Leh while the u turn would take you below to Spiti Valley. The total distance from Manali to Kaza is 200kms and can be done in a day if you start early.

The roads are just about okay until you reach Chattru, from here the roads take a positively rugged turn. Spiti river flows wildly just by the road side and things cannot get prettier than this. Slowly as you descend into the valley, the greenery from Kulu gives way to barren desert landscapes and clear blue skies.

The same route extends from Kaza to Tabo to Sumdo and enters Kinnaur district. This road ends at Shimla. If you have time, it would make for a good round trip to start from Manali, visit Spiti, enter Kinnaur and end at Shimla. And if time is a constraint, you can always start at Manali and traverse the same route back to get out.

What are the places of Interest?

The case with Spiti is as with most mountain places, the journey is better than the destination. Yes, it does have lot of monasteries , pretty hamlets, crystal clear lakes, amazing culture and history. But the journey itself a pleasure passing through some remote lands and scenes.

I shall try to put down the important places though in the order of their appearance.

1. Kunzum La – Gateway to Spiti, after Batal, the road climbs by the Chandra river side to reach Kunzum top at an altitude of 4551meters. As with any pass in India, you’d be sure to be find a small temple on the top of the pass. The views are excellent from this vantage point. Shigri Parbat rising right in front of this peak offers splendid opportunities for photography.

2. Chandratal – The moon lake, the elusive moon lake which can be only reached on foot. Not for long, but for now it can be only by trekking either from Batal or Kunzum top. There seem to be few expensive resorts by the lake side or your best bet for accommodation would be few of the camps runs by the shepherds. Better yet if you have your own camping equipment. The trek from Batal is apparently long but rewarding and the trek from Kunzum top to Chandratal is for the lazy bones.

3. Ki Monastery – Ki/Key is a hilltop monastery located 12kms before Kaza at an altitude of 4,166 meters. The setting is wondrous with the sweeping valley views and the Spiti river flowing down below. Ki is one the biggest monasteries of Spiti and a must visit.

4. Kibber – Kibber was the erstwhile highest inhabited village at an altitude of 4200meters but the now the honors have been taken by some other village. The road from Key winds up alongside a narrow valley gorge while Kibber sits pretty atop the climb. There is another village on the other side of the valley and that looks pretty as well. As I said earlier, the journey takes away the cake while there is nothing touristy about this village other than the pretty colored houses. If you are interested in more rugged terrain, you might proceed towards Gette and Tashigang. It is located 16kms before Kaza.

5. Kaza – Kaza is the largest township of Spiti valley and makes for a good base for your travels in Spiti. It is located at an altitude of 3800meters by the river side. Kaza houses the colorful Monastery. It is the only place in Spiti which has one SBI ATM and a dispensary.

6. Pin Valley National Park – The road from Kaza diverges at Attargu, one heading to Tabo and the right diversion across the river is your entry to Pin Valley NP. Pin river flows gently and wildly cutting through the mountains and that paves the way to reach the interiors of this remote land. You will pass by villages where the population can be as low as 50. The road is bad and goes all the way till Mudh, the last village in the National Park. Mudh is a small hamlet with few houses and fewer shops. A pleasant place to stay to escape the crowd. Kungri monastery, which is one among the oldest can also be visited. Do not expect a full fledged safari to be taking place, none exists here.

7. Dhankar – As you come out of Pin valley at Attargu, you might notice a monastery dangerously perched on a rickety hill top. That, is Dhankar Gompa. Dhankar can be reached by taking a diversion uphill between Kaza and Tabo. 5 kms from Dhankar lies the Dhankar Lake which can be accessed only on foot.

8. Tabo – 46kms from Kaza lies the ancient village of Tabo at an altitude of 3050meters. Tabo houses one of the oldest monasteries dating back to 996AD. The monastery sure enough looks nothing like what you have seen before. The chortens are made of mud and most of the structure seems to be made of mud. It has lot of history for those inclined and the interesting thing is, the main temple has a statue of Lord Ganesha inside, go figure! Apart from this, Tabo is also famous for its apples.

9. Gyu – I write this in good spirit hoping the sanctity the place is still maintained. 2kms before Sumdo, a road goes high above to your left. 9kms from here lies the small hamlet of Gyu which houses a 500 year old mummy perfectly preserved till date.

Gyu was where my trip ended last year but if you wish to continue further down, after Sumdo, you reach Nako and then you enter Kinnaur district at Reckong Peo. From here the route is not as remote as Spiti but there are few places worthy of a visit such as Kalpa, Chitkul, Sangla, Sarahan, Narkanda, Kufri. The road will end at Shimla.

Do we need permits?
While Indians do not need inner line permits, I believe foreigners will have to take one at Reckong Peo.

What are the options for transportation/ accommodation?

Transport is best arranged by any of the SUVs or personal vehicles. Public transport is also available between the villages.

Accommodation options are limited. While you can find quite a few tented luxury camps here and there, your best bet would be homestays, local tents and small lodges.

Chattru and Batal – tents run by locals. Bedding and a blanket is all you will get here.

Losar – Has small lodges with dingy rooms.

Kaza – Decent accommodation can be found at many homestays/ lodges here

Mudh – Very few options. Decent and just about manageable. By the time I was there, few were under construction.

Tabo – The Tabo monastery itself has stay options in the dormitory.

Demul, Komic, Langza – If you’d like to experience typical Spiti homestay, accommodation can be arranged here through travel agents. These are small hamlets situated off the main destinations.

What is the average altitude?

The average altitude of Spiti valley is around 3800meters or so which makes it high altitude. Acclimatization is necessary before you embark on any adventures. Makes sense to climb from Shimla to get used to the altitude slowly.

What will be temperatures?
Quite similar to Ladakh, the sun will be hot while the winds can be cool. Nights do get very cold.

What is the best season?

Sources all over internet say June to September is a good time.

Although the locals say June and August is the best time with awesome weather.

The road from Rohtang and Kunzum is open only for a short duration(June - September) of time due to snowfall. The valley stays cutoff from Manali side rest of the time while the road from Shimla is open all through the year since it does not cross any pass.

What to look out for?

Buddhist Monasteries, awesome lunar landscapes, Chandratal, Pin Valley National Park, Kunzum top, Glaciers – Chota Shigri and Bada Shigri

What are the lakes in Spiti?

Chandratal and Dhankar Lake are the lakes that I know of.

Suggested itinerary?

Day 1 – Manali – Rohtang – Chhattru – Batal – Kunzum –Losar - Kaza (or )

Day 1 – Manali – Rohtang – Chhattru – Batal – Kunzum – Chandratal(if you are heading out of Shimla)

Day 2 – Kaza – Ki – Kibber - Komic/Langza/Tashigang/Demul - Kaza

Day 3 – Kaza – Pin Valley NP – Mudh

Day 4 – Mudh – Dhankar – Tabo – Gyu - Tabo

Day 5 – Tabo – Sumdo - Nako --> proceed towards Shimla or retrace the same route back.

How many days are required for a comfortable visit?

To do the whole trip from Manali to Shimla, 10 days would be comfortable else only Spiti can be done in 5-6 days Manali – Manali.

While I have tried to give information to the best of my knowledge, correct me if I am wrong and let me know if you need more information.
Happy tripping! :)

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Cycling through Mountains of Karnataka and all that Jazz!

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 23:15:00 +0000

Cycling is an endurance sport. Quite frankly, it is a pain in the *** - literally and otherwise. But there is something very addictive about it. Consider it an epitome of free spirit, if you will.

Over a year ago, I had tried cycling in Goa, no, not the beaches, babes, bikini Goa, but the flora, forests and falls Goa. I loved every bit of the five days then and ever since I wanted to hit the saddle again. Somehow it so happened that I was so engrossed in Himalayas that I never took to cycling after that.

Mind over Matter

A year later, a mail from BASC rekindled the lost spirit. I suddenly remembered how much I enjoyed cycling downhills and how much I loved enduring the challenge of going uphill against the gravity. The destination, on the other hand, was quite troubling to say the least. It was no less than the highest peak of Karnataka, Mullyangiri in Chikmagalur. I distinctly remembered how tough it was to climb an uphill from my last experience and today I set out to ascend an altitude of 6000 feet. And considering the fact that the past few months have been rather dormant with the last adventure as far as November, physical fitness was also a matter of concern. But since when did I start taking calculated risks, we take what we get! ;)

Because I am too lazy to workout I have always put my trust in the mind over matter psychology. Well so far it hasn’t failed me but maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. Today it won’t, I hope.

A delightful ride from Hassan to Belur.

It was 8.30 AM and the cycles have been disembarked and we are in Hassan, all set to go. I started riding the bike and memories started flooding my mind. I couldn’t think of a reason why I didn’t cycle for so long. Hassan to Belur was a 32 kilometer ride and the road was delightfully pleasant with countryside views on both sides. I had a 5 minute headstart which kept me in the lead all the way till Belur. I averaged at 20kmph and I was quite happy about it. I rode alone singing I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known. I talked to myself, I sang to myself, I whistled everytime I crossed a milestone. Without taking a break and never changing the gear I was the first to reach Belur by 10. Joined by three more guys from the team in the next few minutes, we headed to spend time at Chennakesava Temple at Belur. It was a work of art by all means. But all the while I was secretly gloating that I performed admirably without any preparation whatsoever and this being just my second ride added all the more to my swelling pride.

Chennakesava Temple

Front, front, crocodile festival.

But what I was about to find out was that nature has its own way of bringing me down to earth. After something like lunch, we started out yet again to reach Chikmagalur, a good 30km ride from Belur. It was 1.30PM and the heat was beating down and the winds were strong, opposing the heat but opposing a smooth ride as well. But still I managed fine with the btwin 5.3 MTB. If I didn’t mention yet, the bike was a much larger frame than I needed. I am thinking it was 21” frame while an 18” frame would’ve been just perfect for me. I was riding alongside this dude called Dipankar aka crazy rider, a pseudonym that would be well justified in some time as you would see. Enjoying the views, taking ample breaks, we reached Chikmagalur by 4 PM. By now, a lot of things happened - my friend fell off the cycle, few guys decided they wouldn’t cycle anymore and go in the support vehicle instead, three guys had gone ahead directly from Belur and were almost on their way to the peak, I decided my cycle will go all the way to the top and I was super tired after 50kms of biking already.

Killer Climb of 14kms to Mullayangiri(1930meters)

Apprehensive about 20kms of uphill climb after a long ride, I started out with a doubtful mind and soon the worries materialized into a matter of serious concern. I wasn’t able to climb even nominal ascents, let alone the killer ascending road to Mullyangiri, 14km uphill. I was soon joined by Ravi and Dipankar, Ashish was giving his wife company, while we three stopped just before the climb at a small shop to have a snack. I told Dipankar I think I should take the ride in the support vehicle instead of delaying them but he insisted I go ahead with the climb. At that I declared I am fine with the idea but the thing is I would take my sweet own time and he complied. And the rest as they say is history.

As expected, I was totally drained out of energy and the climb seemed daunting with my cycle moving just miniscule distance over each minute. The clock showed 5.00PM and we had just two hours before the light faded. Looking at my snail pace, Dipankar said he would drag me and my cycle uphill and I couldn’t believe someone was actually saying that. I mean, how can you drag another cycle uphill but he did, with a rope, for a kilometer or so and this was making me feel super guilty. First he missed his sunset because of me and now he is even dragging me! I told him I will cycle on my own but I will come at my own pace. Now I realized cycling is an endurance sport. After all that adrenaline rush in the morning, here I was slogging, pedaling, cursing, crawling (?) and somehow I reached the temple 12kms uphill after 90 minutes. And that did it, Mullyangiri was still 2 km uphill and only four made it to the top yet. I stopped at the temple and this was an achievement in itself for me! In the end, only 7 out of 15 made it to Mullyangiri top on pedals and I was one of them!

Later that evening, a couple of us walked in the night to the peak. It was tiring again but it was fun too. We had dinner and then crashed for the night. So far so good. I am happy that I cycled all the way up but the last mile that wasn’t tackled left me disappointed. And then dreams or snores or crazy winds took over.

It’s a new day, but same old story.

Next morning I wasn’t too sure if I can ride 60 more kilometers and how much of uphill I knew not. But I decided I would. Only the 7 of us who rode yesterday were sure to be riding today while the rest were yet to decide. The thing is, the support vehicle would go on a different route than the cycling route which meant we either cycle all the way or none. I thought no one else would be upto the ride today and in that case I would be the last one today as well.

WTF!! I cycled so much yesterday??!!!

I started out from the temple and was riding downhill. And the first thing I said to myself was “WTF!! I cycled so much yesterday??!!!” The hairpin bends extended all the way down and I couldn’t believe I did all that uphill on a cycle. Being the first to ride down, I spotted few dogs that scared the shit out of me and then a mongoose by the roadside. Birds were chirping, cool breeze was hitting my face and the force of gravity was working its magic. I reached the diversion to Kemmangundi. The yellow board said Kemmangundi 22kms but, the catch was, the sign was scratched probably suggesting the distance is wrong. But the optimist in me was considering the distance to be just 22kms.

Road to Kemmangundi

I along with Dipankar persuaded Keerthana to come along with us to finish the entire ride and she joined us. I just cycled a little ahead only to find out the road goes up again. What the hell, I had no choice but to cycle and so I did hoping the road would go down sometime. After all, logic says if you are already on the highest point in Karnataka, the hill station should be somewhere below. Well after sometime the road went down and the joy lost was found again. The downhill ride lasted a good 15 minutes and I assumed I would’ve covered at least 10kms which meant only 12 more to go to Kemmangundi. Of course our calculations were off the charts only to be corrected by a local shopkeeper who said we covered 13kms and have a good 25kms ahead of us before reaching Kemmangundi.

The Baba Budangiri Climb

But the brilliant downhill had left us all in good spirits and we all started in joyous reverie. And the road up went again and back I was slogging on the road. Now the support vehicle passed by, Abhilash waving at me, and that marks the beginning of the slogging. Soon we reached another diversion which went all the way up to BabaBudangiri Hills. The road was in excellent condition so far but now the potholes were making their presence felt, rather ostentatiously. It was another uphill drag for 4kms or so and only 7 of us reached the peak again. We had a small break, a small breakfast and the pleasant part started again, riding downhill. On this route downhill ride was even better because of the MTB and the road filled with stones and potholes. Good things don’t last long and we were back on the main road leading to Kemmangundi. What was surprising was that, while we assumed only 7 of us were riding today, it turned most of the group was riding today with us. We met them halfway while we were coming down. Pleasantly surprised by the true grit, we all started riding towards Kemmangundi and the rest is seriously history.

Mountains and Mountains and Bhadra WLS

The roads went uphill, and but condition of the roads went downhill. The road was pathetic and was more of a trail than a road. I was super hungry and super tired and the day was super hot. Back to slogging and dragging, I was riding through plantations for a while before I reached open space on top of the mountain and with no tree cover to my aid, the heat was scorching. Few had gone directly to Kemmangundi without taking the Baba Budangiri diversion which gave them an hour of head start. Apart from two more, the rest were behind me. The two ahead of me were way ahead and I lost sight of them long back and the ones behind me were way behind and there was so sight of them as well. So, here I was, stuck in the middle of mountains all alone. Not that I mind, but you know just in case.

Slowly I cycled and waited while the rest came. It was difficult to maintain pace on the uneven trail. Considering the fact that sun was burning right on top of my head, it wasn’t any easier to walk either. Karthik and Ravi went ahead while I took my sweet time to rest and pedal. Soon Arti, Dipankar, Nilanjan and Keerthana were in sight. Phew, company atlast!

Hunger was taking me down and so I ate a dairy milk and the sudden surge of energy propelled me to go forward again. I did, I went and landed in Bhadra WLS all alone which was all the more scary. I cycled, I walked, I prayed not to see any wildlife and worse not to encounter any dogs. The atmosphere was eerie considering the thick canopy and undergrowth by the sides. And in case you are wondering, there is no road. It is more of a jeep trail. At one point I had that fit of insanity again when I decided to just stay put until the rest are in sight. I sat right in the middle of the jungle listening to all weird noises.

But what I didn’t know was that Kemmangundi was barely 3kms from the place I stopped. There was a milestone right next to me and I didn’t notice. Well that sight would’ve definitely motivated me to go ahead. After sometime I could hear familiar voices again and along with all of them, I started. It was a very short ride to Kemmangundi from here. Finally the ride was done. 80kms on day one and 60kms on day two, not bad for a second ride right?

Sense of accomplishment – yes!

Sense of Complacency – put back in its place!

Towards the end of it, I realized I lost a lot of water, salts and stamina. But true grit can pull you through anything. It was amazing that almost the entire group had cycled on the second day. The ride was beautiful but the camera was left behind. I’d like to do this route again, maybe when its cooler and greener and then I promise to get back with many more photos.

Chances are I have found a new way to keep myself entertained. Maybe you will read more ride stories here in the coming days. After trekking so much, I felt I needed a new destination or a new muse and I may have found one.

Timelines –

Day 1 - Hassan – Belur: 8.30 – 10AM (32kms)

Belur – Chikmagalur: 1.30 PM – 3.30 PM (33kms with breaks)

Chikmagalur – Mullayangiri: 5.00 PM – 6.30 PM (12kms uphill)

Day 2 – Mullyangiri – Baba Budangiri – 8.30 – 11 AM (30kms uphill and downhill)

Baba Budangiri – Bhadra WLS – Kemmangundi – 12 – 4.00 PM (30 km gradual ascent in hot sun)

Destination is the far mountains seen

Rosary Church, Shettihalli - As it submerges and emerges

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:18:00 +0000

Consider a church built by French Missionaries in the 1860s.

Consider a reservoir built by government in the 1960s.

If you are thinking how these two totally unrelated acts and timelines could cause such awe and amazement to the offbeat traveler, you are just about to know that!

The thing is, the church was built on the banks of Hemavathi River near Hassan where an erstwhile village existed long ago. When the government decided the flowing river water had to be put to better use, Gorur dam was built which floods the Hemavathi Reservoir. As with any dam, the collateral damage was relocation of the villages upstream. This village was no different and the villagers were relocated to the nearby villages but the church was left behind. It stood still standing the test of time and the wrath of monsoons. It has been more than 200 years since it was built and more than 25 years since the dam waters started flooding and submerging the church yet these walls bear the brunt with such understated charm and grit that it is hard not to let your jaw drop at the first glimpse.

Every year as the monsoons fill up the reservoir, the church retires to the submerged world and as the water level recedes it emerges in all its glory. The ruins have a mysterious charm to them. The church as such is relatively huge with nothing but the skeleton of the structure in place. The columns, the architecture and few walls are preserved just so much so that one can fill in the missing pieces of puzzle to imagine what it would’ve looked like. The architecture looks very European which adds all the more charm to the setting.

Well, to talk about the setting, there couldn’t have been a perfect setting. When the sky is blue, the waters reflect the exact serenity of open skies and lovely countryside greenery dots the far shores of the river while she stands tall amidst the blue waters. The church plays its part as the graceful host to the many water birds waiting to catch fish. As the winged creatures fly across the ruins, you are not so left behind. A ride in a coracle can be the next best thing. As the flat bottomed round bowl shaped boat circled the church and went through the ruins, words failed me. I would’ve seen ruins many times and I have seen beautiful water bodies way too many times but never did I ever sail through ruins. Sailing through history, it seemed surreal and very enchanting. Who knew what lay beneath? No one would know what would happen to the fallen ruins until the water receded next season.

Me being a landscape photographer, I turned into a light stalker. We waited for many blissful hours by the river side till the evening sun was casting the golden light on the mossy remains as we floated between the standing walls. What happened next was another completely crazy drive story keeping up with the tradition of my crazy road trips over the last year. But we’ll save it for another day while you enjoy the pictures.

With many shutterbugs capturing the mysterious church, the place is just short of becoming a popular tourist destination. While I do not believe in holding back information, I do hope if you are headed there, you will maintain the sanctity of the place and will not litter the place with broken beer bottles and plastic amongst many. With little luck we’d find such places, I hope it stays pristine for years to come.

Fact File :

Driving Directions – Bangalore – Hassan – Hanumanthapura – Shettyhalli.

Time Taken – 4 hours.

Best time – Any time is a good time. When the water recedes, the church can be fully seen and the submerged church has an altogether different charm to it.

Camping options – You can stay by the river side if you have your own tents. There is Rappa island resort close by. Next best option for overnight stay could be Hassan.

Attractions nearby – Belur, Halebid

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Playing Detectives in Bhuj - Anecdotes from Gujarat!

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:27:00 +0000

Just as we stepped out of the bus and got down in front of Gujarat Tourism Office in Bhuj on the 17th day, I was positively going the down the spiral of depression. This as we know, marks the end of one of the most eventful trips I had. Like I said, I sure did see much more spectacular stuff in Himalayas. But there is certain charm with the people and culture of Rajasthan & Gujarat. It was close to mid afternoon and three of us were wondering how to spend the day in Bhuj. Little did we know about how interesting it was about to get. A mysterious step well to lunch with giants to old dilapidated earth quake affected ruins of a palace to an evening spent ordering the famous mirrorwork craft of Kutch, the day packed it all.

A Kutch Mirrorwork I bought in Bhuj

It may sound crazy but I was here for 18 days and I did not see a stepwell. Really! I saw the longitudinal ones with many storeys and significantly embellished with intricate architecture ones but I also wanted to see that rectangular steps one where there are numerous small steps criss-crossing the entire steps everywhere – something like the chand baori of Abaneri.

It so happened that in Rann Utsav they had put up pictures of places of interest in Gujarat and apparently Bhuj housed one such small albeit square rank. Now I had to make a visit to this place called Ramkund. If I didn’t tell you yet, I did some crazy shopping in this trip and if the earliest backpacker would see my luggage, he sure would roll in his grave. With that entire luggage taken care of and a fight with the auto drivers for the first time on the trip, we set out on Bhuj exploration. I showed the photo of Ramkund as I could see in the picture and asked the hotel receptionist if he had any idea about this stepwell. He very nicely and wrongly directed us to the huge lake called Hamisar Talab and the Dhobi Ghat. The lake looks good with the waters reflecting the blue from the skies and the Prag Mahal stands pretty on one of the ends.

So we didn’t find Ramkund yet and the auto driver has no clue where or what it is. We thought of asking someone else and hence I went to a hotel nearby and asked a lady about Ramkund. She seemed to immediately recognize the place and directed the auto driver instantly. I was hopeful looking at that lady’s confidence in directing us but soon the hopes were drenched in stench of garbage and pee. We were wondering how in the hell can the road to a tourist spot be so pathetic. Just as our fears were taking shape, the auto stopped in front of a small tank and said this is it.

It was a tank alright with steps on three sides, murky green water and huge fishes. But the sad part was it looked nowhere close to the stepwell I saw in pictures. I told the auto driver this isn’t it. He said this is the only place he knew – take it or leave it. “You saw something which is not in Bhuj” was his retort.

This is what we saw. Notice the small pattern on to the left.

Royally puzzled by its location, the small temple and a board saying it is one of the protected monuments put up the Archeological Survey of India, we couldn’t figure out if this was indeed Ramkund. A simple board describing the importance or history or a plain nameplate would’ve helped us with the misery but this is what we got – nothing and all left to our brilliant imagination and conjecture.

So the next task at hand was to validate if this was Ramkund indeed. We moved around here and there when I found a matching pattern on the edge on the stepwell in front of our eyes and the one in the picture. I told Daniel about this while Arti was busy trying to google the location of Ramkund. We both went around to the possible angle from where the pic could’ve been taken and tried to compare the two images. It looked similar to an extent. The only possible explanation could’ve been that the water levels have risen so high that the steps have all submerged. But the water was so murky stepping into it was out of question.

Now we needed more substantial proof to validate this was Ramkund indeed. We kept identifying similarities between the photo and the tank in front of us. Whoever was the photographer who had shot the images of places of interest in Bhuj had done a good job with good composition on all the other places in Bhuj save for Ramkund. The photo of Ramkund was compositionally unattractive and dull but showed the steps. So my explanation to that was, since he looks to be a good photographer, he would’ve taken a good shot of Ramkund as well if he could that is. The thing is, Ramkund was located in the middle of a housing locality. Every side there are domestic buildings rising up with the ugly painted cement walls enclosing the space. It was probably for this reason he had to choose such a composition for even I couldn’t see a better composition given the location.

By now, we had identified substantial similarities and came up with explanations for the anomalies. The only thing left was for someone to come and verify our validations. If not for that we were all set to go on a wild goose chase of the invisible. Just as we were about to leave two girls stopped amused by the foreigner among us. Jumping at the opportunity I asked them if this was the one in the photo, they confirmed.

This is what it actually was! Compare the patterns and the opposite wall.

Phew! This was Ramkund indeed. But the sad part was apparently heavy rains had flooded the tank causing all the steps to be submerged. So much for wanting to see a stepwell. With this exploration done I wasn’t too bothered to go anywhere else for sightseeing as this was the only thing that interested me. We retired for lunch and something interesting was about to happen to us again.

The auto driver said he will take us to a nice place for lunch. Before that, the flip flops that had endured 17days of wear and tear gave up notwithstanding the pressure anymore but for that we have our very skilled mochis on the road. Daniel found this to be very amusing. Later the auto driver took us to a Muslim Restaurant within the suburbs. As we entered, the staff asked us to go to the first floor which was a more of a family area but we refused and sat in the ground floor trying to act like the backpacker we intended to be. Now this was nothing new for Daniel as they were backpacking in the truest senses but for me and Arti this was certainly new. I was getting a little wary as we were attracting few unsolicited yet harmless glances though. I reckon Bhuj doesn’t see much tourist crowd.

It was a shabby place serving meals to locals and they all seemed to get their order at lightning fast speed while we were waiting for the food to arrive. Daniel said he is happy about the place. His explanation being if so many people are having food, he cannot serve stale food which is good news! Makes sense, I thought, live gyan on backpacking for my future use.

A man entered the hotel soon and I had to lift my head as high as I could to see his face, yes, he was that tall. With open mouth I was gaping at this man who looked like a pathan, as tall as 7 feet! I mean, do people like that actually exist?! Okay so one is coincidence but what would you say if 50% of the men walking in were taller than 6 feet 5 inches?! One after the other they kept coming in and leaving and all of them were the tallest lot I’d ever seen. I so badly wanted to take a photo with them but didn’t ask for the sole reason that their size itself was threatening. But later as I learned, the auto driver was saying taller the men here, softer they were. Maybe that could’ve been true - a missed opportunity. A possible explanation for the tall men again was they could’ve been descendants from the Sindh region of Pakistan. Made sense again but I saw no way of confirming it. What was baffling was that all the tall pathans had to come to the same hotel at the same time.

Later we sipped some delicious chai sitting in the auto and then Daniel had to leave to catch his bus to Ahmadabad and now it was just Arti and me after 17 days. I was already depressed now that the signs of a vacation ended were loud and clear. But the vacation was not coming to an end yet as we discovered. In the next post we’ll see the palaces and handicrafts!

Kugti Pass - 16600 ft above MSL, How cool is that?

noreply@blogger.com (Neelima Vallangi) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:48:00 +0000

Often times something unexpected comes along your way when you meant to do something as a means to achieve something else but the unexpected something steals the show from the expected something. I don’t know how much of it makes sense to you but I see that I am saying something way too many times. What I mean is, the whole idea of going to Kugti Pass was considered at all as a means to go to Spiti in Himachal.

Back to Himalayas:

I read a mail from Arjun which said the trek starts somewhere and ends in Lahaul. Well that was it, the word Lahaul hooked me onto it and I sent a mail saying I am interested in joining the trek. It was an exploratory trek and I was long gone out of the trekking scene. But nothing mattered, I just wanted to go to Lahaul and Spiti and why I had to go on a trek before going to Spiti I don’t know. But I was going on an exploratory trek in the Himalayas. I had no clue about the difficulty, about the terrain, about the arrangements, about the skill required, nothing. I just knew I was going there on September 1st.

One Step Closer:

This trek was special in many ways but first and foremost it took me a step closer to being a true Himalayan trekker. I carried my own backpack. At altitude where even one tiny speck of dust might seem like a burden, I carried my own backpack. At an altitude where even one extra step might seem overkill I carried my own backpack. At an altitude where even one additional ..okay I think you got the point – I carried my backpack all along which would weigh anywhere between 8 – 10kgs. Well it is not exactly alpine style because the porters were still carrying our food, sleeping bags and tents but it is one step closer and one step better than having a mule carry your luggage. Signs of a true trekker eh? ;)

What about fitness?

This being just my second Himalayan Trek and that too a tough one at it, I had my doubts about me being able to finish it. Usually I wouldn’t have been so bothered but at this point when I agreed to join the trek, the last trek was done 5 months before and nothing after that which meant I had no clue how my physical condition was. This coupled with the fact that I had shed quite some weight during the Ladakh trip without proper food and sleep added to my apprehension. But there is a thing called crazy persistence if you will and I did fly to Delhi on the evening of September 1st.

Exploratory, in the Himalayas?

This being an exploratory trek itself added to the apprehension. We knew nothing of the trek and nothing of the distances and terrain ahead of us. With glimmering hope we started the trek. Well, turns out my fitness wasn’t much of a concern. I was enjoying the trek immensely and the fact that many haven’t done this before means a lot to me as you already know. The altitude we were aiming was above 5000meters which was again very exciting for me as I was reaching higher than my last ascent of Junrgali Pass.

Wohooo! I can carry the camera!

Another key factor in making the trek so dear to me was the fact that I was carrying my bulky DSLR for the first time on a Himalayan Trek. It was very important for me to be able to capture the beauty of the Himalayan wilderness and if I couldn’t have managed to do it with a DSLR I would’ve been highly disappointed. But once again I discovered I managed fine with the bulk on the high altitudes which means stunning captures will be brought back now and later.

High Altitude Sickness, wait.. what?

This was all the pandemonium happening only in my head but there was a greater threat to be worried about. The altitude in itself and the more serious concern was the time allowed to scale such altitude. Kugti Pass was at an estimated altitude of 16,600 ft and we were starting the trek at an altitude of 8000 ft. We were to cross the pass in three days, in three days! Going by the standard of 2000ft of ascent a day to avoid AMS, this was a definite overkill. But we had no other choice either according to the probable campsites and distances. This posed a high risk of altitude sickness and as a precautionary measure we took doses of diamox already. With all these apprehensions and anxieties we started the trek and what a trek it was!

Remote is Beautiful:

Kugti hidden in the remotest regions of Chamba was more than I could have asked for. As we entered more into the Kugti Sanctuary the remoteness and the wilderness were increasing manifold. The trek was very challenging and a super fast trek if you ask me. In three days we climbed the pass and in a day we got down as well. The trail was tricky in many places due to the rains and landslides and the intermittent rains created as much havoc. The challenge was accepted and the trek was completed. It is not an easy trek. There are two very long and tiring days which test you mentally more than physically. The terrain is quite challenging, especially the moraine on the last but one day. We had two days where we had to walk for more than 9 hours a day in those unrelenting mountains and valleys. On the bright side, we also took a rest day in one of the most beautiful campsites ever – green meadows in a glacial valley with mountains on one side and a deep valley on the other, a stream running though and flowers everywhere. We sat there one day doing nothing, absolutely nothing, just soaking up the sun. Trust me, with the Himalayan chill, a day just soaking up the sun is a luxury you cannot have easily. The day was well deserved, after all why do we come so far if all we can do is run, run, run.

I saw the Milkyway:

The nights were spectacular. It so happened that we were there during the new moon day. The skies were clear and we could see the entire milkyway. Neither words nor pictures can explain the beauty of such starry skies in the high mountains. We walked along a glacier, infact we walked over it. We saw huge boulders break out of the mountain sides and slide all the way down carrying a trail of rubble and a thundering sound in an otherwise silent arena. As we drifted from Chamba towards Lahaul, the skies took a visibly bluer hue. The change is scenery towards Lahaul was noticeably barren as compared to the greener shades of Chamba. After crossing the pass, that is after quite a few killer ascents, it was due time for some super killer descents. If we are climbing 3000ft and getting down 4000ft in a single day, you can only imagine the magnitude of the terrain. It was every bit challenging and every bit enjoyable.

16600 ft above Mean Sea Level, How cool is that?

At that moment when we were standing on top of the pass and the GPS read 5040 mts, we were literally on top of the world! We were almost on all fours trying to climb up the near vertical rocky trail which seemed to have been held together by nothing more than just wet soil. One wrong step could send us plummeting down into the crevasses we just crossed and if we had learned that we did all this and still the reading did not cross the 5000 mark, it would’ve been greatly disappointing, I tell you. But that was for another day, today we cross the 5000 meter mark. For most of us, this was the highest we had ever been, on foot! Oh, just in case you were wondering, we were six of us.

To think that this trek was even considered by me as a means to go to Spiti seems so far reached now. I wasn’t expecting too much out of this trek, just an impulsive decision to go back to Himalayas and I am so glad I decided to do so. For I enjoyed every moment of the trek and I cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled I am about exploring the unexplored! Well the trip later to Spiti was also legendary in its own might and more about these two later.