I was already on my way to Bangalore, so I called up an old friend of mine who had a litter of puppies at home! After a photoshoot at his place, we moved on hoping to find gumboots in Bangalore – but then, it was getting late. So, we decided to go to Jog Falls (via Shimoga). I was eager to compare my photos with my pre-SLR days

We reached Shimoga close to 10pm (after a 6.5 hour bus ride from Bangalore) and found a room at one of the hotels opposite the bus stand. The next morning we left for Jog Falls – 2.5 hours from Shimoga. It seemed to be a sunny day – so different from our last visit when we were drenched by the time we reached the entrance! Though, the sunny day was to last for just about 10 minutes – I guess there is nothing called a sunny day at Jog! Yup, soon there was a heavy downpour – I began to wonder if we’d be able to trek at all!

We started once the rain abated – we had to walk a little further to find our way down – the normal path was closed because work is going on. They are laying concrete steps all the way to the bottom! God save this beautiful place once that’s done and the whole world can go all the way down to dump their waste! I’d hate to see this place get crowded and dirty.

Anyways, soon we reached the stairs (which is work-in-progress) – you get on it and start walking. It’s not like a trek anymore And then, all of a sudden, the stairs end! Well, they haven’t finished it yet. So, instead of concrete steps, you walk along gaping holes with iron bars sticking out! Their idea of making up for the lost adventure so far? I don’t know! But, if you are going there, you better watch your step! After walking around a number of such holes, I began to wonder if it was worth it all – this place looked so mutilated and here we were carrying our cameras and tripods …

There was point when it was pouring like crazy, the holes dug up for the stairs looked like a never-ending mess, and I thought we should turn around. But then, we moved on – and reached the base of the falls! I still remember standing there wondering if we should go on – the bag seemed heavier, the camera seemed bulkier, we seemed to be carrying way too many things … and it looked like the downpour would never stop. Looking back, I think I can begin to understand what climbers/trekkers feel when the weather isn’t the best!

Was it worth it – definitely! It’s such a great feeling the first time you step in to the stream after the trek – though, you’d get your shoes wet in the process! It’s not a good idea to walk barefoot because of the sharp stones. It is such an awesome experience to stand there in the middle of gushing waters and look up at the waters falling all around you – to be surrounded by nothing but rocks, shrubs and water!

Soon, it was time to make our way up -with the rain for company. It rained so hard… the waterfall turned brown… was awesome to look at! It had barely stopped raining when we were on the last stretch – a pretty steep climb. We made it over the wall and it started pouring again!

We waited for the rain to stop and then dashed to the hotel – only to find they had nothing interesting We got out

PS: v2 – is visit #2 not version 2

We reached Bhongir and tried to find the entrance to the fort. If you reach a spot that doesn’t have the tell-tale fort walls, you’ve reached the entrance! We crossed the road, and started climbing this huge, single rock in front of us. After a distance, you’d find the steps! My friend was already cursing me for suggesting this place. Here and there, we’d find a shady spot – a welcome relief from the sun – and we’d sit down for a while to rest there. Once you’re up there, you can see the entire town – the bus stand, the railway station, the surrounding fields, and hills to the distance. It was quite a beautiful day – I’ve always loved watching the shadows of the moving clouds and that day was a treat for me.

While we rested half way up, we began to wonder if we should even go further. There was nothing up there – at least, nothing to indicate the presence of a huge fort – and, in front of us, was this huge hill (rock?) to climb! Yes, set your expectations right – this is no big fort. Especially, if you’re an outsider (like me) and you’ve been to Golconda, don’t imagine a similar fort. This one is more like a little outpost! We finally decided to climb the hill.

A few feet away, the rock had flattened out and there were these little structures here and there. We also found a cannon – and took a few pictures there. Further up, you’d find steps carved into the rock – makes walking a li’l bit easier. However, there are places where there are no steps and you are on your own. Finally, we reached the top – and, well, there wasn’t anything impressive. Other than a tower, a few remaining walls, and a newly built building, there isn’t much out there. So, after walking around for a while, we decided to get back.

On our way down, we stopped for a while near those walls – one of those walls was high enough to block out the sun – seated there shaded from the sun, watching the clouds go by, and watching a few other people who had come to visit this place…I got all those pretty blue sky pictures.

There is “Danger” written in quite small letters (in my opinion, not at all attention grabbing). If you are not careful, you could walk over a patch of grass to find yourself standing at the edge of the rock – with nothing to stop your fall. Though, you’d have to go out of your way to stand at the edge

After relaxing there for a while, we got back. An hour later, we were back in Hyd

Finally… Be prepared to climb this huge rock – without steps at places
Carry enough food and water
And you’ll find nothing but a view from up above.
A great place to get away and relax – nothing more, nothing less.

How to reach (Google Map): It is about an hour from Uppal X Road, Hyderabad. As you ride along the Warangal High Road, you can’t miss the fort. Of course, the town is named Bhongir (also known as Bhuvanagiri)

From Bhongir

After a few days of uncertainty and some last-minute planning, we were off to Pichavaram, a mangrove near Chidambaram (Click here for Map) – 250 km from Chennai,
a place featured in The Road Less Travelled.

We started on Saturday afternoon – to Chidambaram. It was a typical Chennai afternoon – hot and humid. After a not-so-easy journey of 6 hours in the bus, we got off at Chidambaram around 9pm. Oh ya, we did play bluff and I wasn’t good at it (well, I get to say that I am not good at bluffing!).

It was a rainy night and we had to walk to a couple of hotels to find a place. Finally, we got a place, a li’l away from the bus stand (Thanks to Simon’s call to one of the hotels earlier that day). The next morning, we walked down the road to one of those small hotels, had a quick breakfast, and then, we waited for a bus that would take us to Pichavaram.

Once we were out of Chidambaram, it was a typical rural scene – fields that stretch afar, a narrow road, few people walking by, children playing… soon, we were at Pichavaram. Quite a small place and all that you can do is go boating and get atop the tower that serves as a viewpoint.

First we went on the boat ride – into the mangroves. It was good – but could have been better. It looks like a lot of research happens there – you’d find the botanical names of trees written on small boards.
It was over too soon and we were left wondering where to go. Though the article in Hindu mentions a ban on photography, we were allowed to take cameras and were even given a ticket for the camera (Rs. 50 for a camera).

We asked the people at Pichavaram for other places to visit and got the way to the nearest beach – get off at the next village and, about 4 kms from there, we’ll have to take a boat across the backwaters to get to the beach.

At Killai, we were wondering – Should we walk? After the walking we did in Yelagiri, I was sure it would be interesting. There are things you can see and observe only when you walk – you can stop and talk to the people, walk around and observe as they go about their day…But then, Amit didn’t want to walk! So, we got two cycles for rent (no questions asked, no security deposits!) – and I got a free ride

And, there we were, cycling along the village road towards the backwaters – wondering if we should step into someone’s house and ask for a meal! Soon enough, we reached the backwaters – and there was this guy waiting in the shelter nearby who offered to drop us on the other side for 20 bucks each. We left the cycles there, and off we went – with no idea of what was awaiting us on the other side of the backwaters.

We were told that people used to live there before the tsunami, but no one lives there anymore – and the place did look like it was hit pretty bad in the tsunami (2004) – even a board that said, let’s grow more trees and reduce the impact of the tsunami; warning signs saying do not let the animals graze here or do not chop these trees – a grim reminder to what these people faced a couple of years ago.

Soon we were on the other side of the backwaters – our boatman left us there saying, get back to this spot and I will come and pick you up. So, there we were, on this island, not another soul other than the three of us, and no way to get back other than wait for our boatman!

With what seemed to be like a grove was on our left and an endless stretch of sand to our right – we walked towards the sea. If you ever visit Chidambaram and love being on a quiet beach, you should visit this place. Am lost for words to describe the moment when we came upon the sea – as a Chennaiite, I’ve been on the beach quite often – but the Chennai beaches are crowded – and can be dirty too! Here we were, on a quiet, lonely place – clean and calm… it was simply beautiful….It was a mid-day siesta out there – right below the mid-day sun, we were out there at the beach. Thankfully, it was a cloudy day and we weren’t at the mercy of the sun.

Soon, it was time to get back – to go to the other side of the island and wait for our boatman. While we were walking along the grove, we decided to explore – we thought we’d find someone living there – or at least a locked house. What we found was a grim reminder of the tsunami that hit this region a couple of years ago. There was this house standing in the middle of that grove – more like an outhouse – windows and doors stripped, yet heavy things like the grinding stone remain – well, not so long ago, it was someone’s front yard.

Time to return – our boatman coming to get us back to mainland. We returned the cycles and walked around a bit before we took the bus to Chidambaram. After lunching at a crowded restaurant, we got back to the room and we left around 2pm. Plan was to take the 3pm bus to Chennai – which would not happen. Thanks to the weekend crowd, something we forgot about, all buses were full. So, if you are planning a weekend visit, and traveling by bus, one, you’d be better off getting into one at Chidambaram, and two, you better leave a little earlier. If not, book your return tickets at the earliest and do not wait till you get out to board a bus.

In short, a great weekend getaway – especially if you want to get away from the crowded beaches of Chennai and want to explore the countryside. Just remember to book those return tickets!

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From Pictures from Pichavaram

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]]> http://www.chrisclicks.com/2007/10/pichavaram-the-mangrove-and-the-beach/feed/ 6 http://www.chrisclicks.com/2007/08/yelagiri/ http://www.chrisclicks.com/2007/08/yelagiri/#comments Fri, 24 Aug 2007 19:38:00 +0000 Christelle http://travel.chrisclicks.com/?p=7 December 15 – 17, 2006

This time, almost a year ago, we were thinking of how to meet, where to meet and places to visit. Ya, a long time online buddy was coming to Chennai – home visit – and wanted to go for a short trip. And ya, I wanted to go for a trip too – it had been quite some time since I travelled long distance.

We settled on Yelagiri for a weekend trip. This place is between Bangalore and Chennai – about 170 km from Bangalore and 210 km from Chennai (Madras). So, on December 15, I met my long-time online buddy and his friend at Chennai Central Railway Station. We took a train to Jolarpet – and I learnt to play Bluff (I hope I got the name right!) along the way. From Jolarpet, it was a bus ride to Yelagiri.

The bus filled with baskets and gunny bags – which Was a handy extra seat or stumbling block, depending on how you look at it. Late in the evening, we reached Yelagiri – we were dropped off at what seemed to be a marketplace. Within a few minutes, we had a couple of people promoting their lodges. For the first time, I went to a place without booking a place in advance and checked out places before we checked in one of the lodges right there on the main road.

After a quick wash and settling down, we went out to have dinner. After dinner at the hotel near the lodge, we decided to walk around. At about 9pm, the place was deserted. Nothing new for a village! So, we walked in pitch darkness – no streetlights, no vehicles, no lights from houses – just us and a little torch shining bright After walking around, we got back and the two school buddies started the who’s-doing-what-these-days talk. For me, it was time to sleep!

The next day, we woke up early, had a good breakfast, and headed out into the forest. We were planning to walk all the way – but then, we were told we’d be better off if we go in an auto to a village nearby and then start our trek. So, we got an auto to drop us at the next village.

As we were getting off, there was this old man with his two cows walking by. Simon and Amit asked him how far is the waterfalls and if he’d take us through the forest. He looked at the three of us, and asked “Really??” Well, he had to be assured more than once that we were capable of walking long distance. Once he was convinced, he said he’d take us. Before that, he had to leave the cows at home. This elderly man, left his towel nearby, asked us to stay there and went back saying he’d return soon!

And true to his word, he was back in a little while – off we went along the narrow path that took us into the forest. And a couple of meters in, he said that his wife told him to ask for 100Rs – for taking us around. He seemed to be that innocent villager – even inviting us to stay over at his place. And then, even as we were resting in the shade of a tree, he asked if I don’t have to go to school! He thought I had run away from home

We walked through the forest, and reached this waterfall almost at the bottom of the hill – the Jalagamparai Falls. It isn’t about the waterfall as much as it is about the walk down there – one of those places where you can say the path matters more than the destination.

All the way, we were treated to folklore and songs by ‘thatha’ (meaning ‘grandfather’) as called him. He sang to us, advised us to study well, said I remind him of his granddaughter, wanted to know if our parents knew where we were…

After that long walk through the forest, we reached the waterfalls and the temple nearby. As I said earlier, it isn’t a very spectacular falls. By the time we reached the waterfalls, it was afternoon. After a short break at the falls, we walked around to the nearest shops right outside. After biscuits, snacks, and water, we realised that the next bus would reach this place a couple of hours later [:O]

Do we wait? Well, we decided to walk along the road instead of waiting there for the bus. So, we went off again – walking on the road – hoping to see a bus on the other side. We walked and we walked – it is one of the unforgettable experiences in my life – walking around the rural areas, with no concern for time. So, we walked and walked and walked – until thatha got tired.

We walked by a couple of villages, roads lined on either side by sugarcane and cotton fields, the tar road used for drying bagasse. We came across a place where they were making jaggery – those huge pots over a big fire with a just a small opening for them to push the bagasse into the fire! And then, there were these two kids who wanted me to take a picture of their little brother.

Finally, we sat down under a huge banyan tree which was supposed to be the bus stop. As we waited, the people nearby came to enquire about us – where we are from and so on. When I set the camera on timer and took a picture, they were amazed at the camera that takes a picture of it’s own and one of them was in awe of the mind that created this

And the bus came a little later – we went to Thirupathur, had a late lunch, and then boarded the bus to Yelagiri – once more, we went up the hill. After dinner, we walked along those quiet roads – not a single horn, no TV blaring in someone’s house… the only sound you could hear were of the insects and frogs. I think it was closer to new moon, ‘coz it was a starlit night – I don’t remember seeing the moon – all that I can remember are the stars, the dark roads, and the sounds of the insects.

When we got back, we started Bluff again – until it was really really late. The next morning, we went boating in the lake out there, spent some time walki

ng around and then returned to the cottage. The boat ride was real fun – it was quite a long ride and was real fun go that far! When we got back to the cottage, we walked around the garden, took a lot of pictures, played in the swing… and soon, it was time to leave.

As we were walking to the bus stop, we saw the bus to Jolarpet start off. Simon, the sprinter, ran and got the bus to stop – and we got the last seat of the bus – we sat there eating crispies and sweets we used to have when we were kids…. And we were on our way back – to our work, each in a different location…

For more Pictures, go to Yelagiri

Finally, the day came to travel – to pick up my bag and do some traveling. It was serious travel after quite some time and was looking forward to this day. From Hyderabad, it was just the two of us, me and my friend, going to Hospet. We reached Hospet around 6:30 am – almost an hour behind schedule. But then, it didn’t really matter because we were waiting for another two to join us – Amir and his friend.

Hampi
As we were getting off the bus at Hampi, we were swamped by tourist operators and guides. It took some effort to get out of that crowd offering guides, hotels, and even books about Hampi. That was the first minute in Hampi.

Setting out and setbacks!
Soon we set off to see the ruins in and around Hampi. We walked to the nearest ruins – three temples. We walked around, went in – all the while clicking away with our digital cameras – thanks to the unlimited (almost) storage space! We came back to the entrance and my buddy began to set his tripod for his medium format camera – and there came the watchman saying we should have prior permission to use tripods. He said we can get permission from the Archeological Society. So, off we went to get the permission, only to be told there that they do not have the authority and we have to get the permission in Bangalore! However, they also said that we should be able to use the tripod in most of the places.

Going around Hampi
At the end of the day, we came to the river. Need to say, the steps aren’t the cleanest. I was wondering if the buffaloes and elephants use the steps to the river!

The Mango Tree and dinnerHaving heard a lot about The Mango Tree from people who’d already been to Hampi, I was quite curious to check it out. It wasn’t just about the food – I was told that the ambience and the view is great too. And, I wasn’t disappointed. If you really want to wind down when you are at Hampi, you should go to this place. And remember to sit outside (on the floor) under the tree – overlooking the river. You get an awesome view from that place of the river and the hills.

So, it was at Mango Tree that we spent more than 2 hours there – chatting, joking, getting to know each other, and, of course, relishing the food. It was the first time I mixed lime soda for myself! And not surprisingly, it bubbled over after which I learnt to be careful mixing lime, salt and soda. For me, that evening is filled with a lot of memories – plenty of little things… like Prathibha reacting to a cat as if it were a monster (am sure she’s not gonna like this:), Amir making us sit still for 30 seconds coz of the low shutter speed, sharing the food, trying to figure out if that white thing they served was mayonnaise or chutney, ….

Click here, for more Pictures of Hampi

May be, that raised the expectations – seeing those huge animals wandering around in that enclosed space – so close I began to wonder if they could reach out and bite!

And then, there were all the birds in enclosures so small, you feel sorry for them. Especially, it was quite a pathetic sight to see the bigger birds in such small enclosures. And, then, we came upon a peacock, showing off his feathers – though behind a fine mesh. I could think of nothing other than beauty behind bars!

There were so many birds – I only wish they were in larger enclosures and not-so-fine mesh cages!

Just as we were walking along the tiger’s enclosure, we came upon
a large group of travelers. Well, there was some political conference in Mysore and a lot of people had come from other states. This group, I presume, was one of those groups come for the conference – with the tell-tale white-n-white of political parties, they stood out wherever they went. Among them, were these two men with big turbans. I couldn’t resist a couple of pictures of them. They went together all the time, pointing at animals, talking to each other, watching the crowd. I wonder if they were aware of the fact that they were turning quite a few heads!

There was this gorilla which was showing off – was seated on a tree like he owns the place, watching over the rest and was yawning every few minutes! And, there was the contemplative Rhino hiding away all that strength and looking like one of the docile creatures you’d ever see.

After the usual fare of zebras, deers, and baboons, we were heading towards the elephants. There were a lot of school children walking around with drawing boards and color pens. When one of those kids came and asked where the elephants are, we guessed there must be some competition out there. So, we also headed off towards the elephants. Along the way, we came across this very noisy tree – now, the tree wasn’t noisy; just that, we had to walk a li’l further and get to the other side to see the bats on the tree.

There were quite a few elephants out there – frolicking in the open space. Of all animals, they seemed to have the most freedom. In fact, you could walk into the enclosure -if you could ignore the ‘Do not cross this point’ board placed there. While elephants were wandering about, this side of the fence, children were immersed in their paintings.

After spending a li’l longer, watching the elephants, it was time to get back. On our way back, we came across another enclosure full of baboons – one naughty little one was so active, we just stood there watching him play

And, that was the morning at the zoo! Well, in some instances, I thought the Hyderabad Zoo a lot better – more space for the animals, not very far from our viewpoints, well maintained. My gripes about the Hyd Zoo remains though! How can I forget the way people behaved – growling and barking at the animals!!! Well, that is another story… another day…

For more pictures of my visit, visit my album