The tamed hills stand out here. It looked as if the tiny
people tamed the monstrous hills and all live-in peace. The hills look so
groomed and accommodating for people to nourish and flourish. Again it is the big boss, it stays tamed and ensures you are tamed too. Probably people really need to be fit to be here walking and jumping those inclinations. Kedarnath trek is planned the next day and this day, we had for some local sightseeing. There is a temple with an interesting story where you get to marry again. The thought of getting married again without letting anyone know seemed a game. Triyuginarayan temple as narrated to us
is a place where Parvathi married Lord Shiva and the scared flames where they
took the wedding vows is believed to be ablaze since then. This is continuously
fed by the offerings people make there. The serenity of the place cast a spell with
fresh airs.
Elusive Oligotrophic Experience!
The best/ worst times are often between eyes and eye lids. They wink at me at each blink.
Friday, March 15, 2019
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Chikmanglur – Sringeri - Hornadu
This post is dedicated to aggressive travelers who wish to
visit a lot of places and run short of time. There would be a compromise on
some nice to have things but its worth it. Our itinerary at a glance.
We went in the rainy season and it was mostly fog that we
saw. So most of the view point looked the same ☹ other than treks. It surly calls in for some
adventure in the green abode.
Day 1:
· Started at 5:30 AM from Blore.
· Hit the highway after 1.5 hrs of city drive.
· Pit stop for a tea after 3 hours of driving.
· Reached the hotel a little before 11:00 AM
· 11:30 Started for Sitalyangiri near Mulyangiri. Had a small walk/ trek there.
· 01:00 PM started for baba Budyangiri.
· Reached hotel by 06:00 PM.
· Relax and get good rest.
· Started at 5:30 AM from Blore.
· Hit the highway after 1.5 hrs of city drive.
· Pit stop for a tea after 3 hours of driving.
· Reached the hotel a little before 11:00 AM
· 11:30 Started for Sitalyangiri near Mulyangiri. Had a small walk/ trek there.
· 01:00 PM started for baba Budyangiri.
· Reached hotel by 06:00 PM.
· Relax and get good rest.
A great drive! We saw a beautiful lady laying relaxed in a
galore of nature. A head turning charm all credits to the creative mind behind
it.
Baba Budyangiri was a challenging drive as it
was off roading. Watch out for the wild shrubs you could find some interesting
ones that are sold in nurseries for a good price.
Day2:
· Started at 7:15 AM to visit a 1200 yr old Rama temple. before breakfast.
· Reached back hotel by 08:10 AM.
· Started for Z-point and Hebbey waterfalls at 09:00 PM
· Reached the jeep start point for Hebbey falls by noon and waited for around 2 hrs to get a jeep. They charge Rs. 400 per head.
· Reached the Hebbey falls trek start by 2:30 PM
· Trek completed by 03:45 PM.
· Reached chikmangaluru by 07:00 PM
· Started at 7:15 AM to visit a 1200 yr old Rama temple. before breakfast.
· Reached back hotel by 08:10 AM.
· Started for Z-point and Hebbey waterfalls at 09:00 PM
· Reached the jeep start point for Hebbey falls by noon and waited for around 2 hrs to get a jeep. They charge Rs. 400 per head.
· Reached the Hebbey falls trek start by 2:30 PM
· Trek completed by 03:45 PM.
· Reached chikmangaluru by 07:00 PM
Trek to Hebbey falls was an interesting one as you walk
amongst the tall trees and coffee estates. It was drizzling when we were there
and it was recommended that we trek bare foot as there are many leeches there.
We had to cross streams walk on slant rocks gripping tree branches. People
often slip and fall in the sludge as it is very slippery. We would often stop
and spot people trying to get rid of leeches. But all was worth an experience
to see the falls. We enjoyed it thoroughly.
Day 3:
· Started at 06:30 AM for Annapurneshwari temple - Hornadu.
· Reached Sringeri by 11:00 AM
· Started at noon for hoysaleshwar temple and reached at 03:00 PM.
· Started for B’lore at 04:00 PM, hit killer traffic and reached at 09:00 PM.
· Started at 06:30 AM for Annapurneshwari temple - Hornadu.
· Reached Sringeri by 11:00 AM
· Started at noon for hoysaleshwar temple and reached at 03:00 PM.
· Started for B’lore at 04:00 PM, hit killer traffic and reached at 09:00 PM.
A beautiful offbeat drive to Annapurneshwari temple. We
would come across some not luxurious but charismatic living in peace. A few
locations made our day as we drifted across on the almost isolated roads. The
temple is on the banks of river Bhadra, western ghats. A clean temple with good
aura.
Sringeri is a clean temple in the greens reverberating with hymns.
We were awestruck with the temple sculptures at Hoysaleshwar
temple. The precision they had with detailing and the symmetry makes me wonder how
they do.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Auli
Auli! We were in an awe at this location a candid place to unwind. A man-made picturesque pond in the shape of a drop. We took a cable car up and then relaxed there for a while. Got a little dreamy about how the location could look like when people come here for skiing. The mountains ensured to make an impression in the backdrop. Wild flowers here and there were impressive.
Badrinath
After a long long drive to marked with many waterfalls, and
spotting Kasturi hiran, we reached Badrinath. It was connected by road so no
trek. We could walk the last village on the Indian border with Tibet, “Mana”
village. It’s a retro living with small houses and tourist spots about almost
every corner correlating to the Mahabharat. It’s a super scenic place where you
can see the play of celestials. Sunlight, moon, clouds, mountains dressed in
snow drapes flowing and falling accessorized by the flora and funa, Rushing
waters and the boulders … all seem to be in a ballet. Shifting eyes between
them is a challenge as each has a captive charm.
As the sunlight melts away ….
The rushing waters change tints. The roars seem to be more dominating
now over the shrouded shoulders of the boulders. The glitter on the boulders is
fading away after a daylong like the makeup on an artist making them look a
little gloomy, thick and dark. Now it is time for a different makeup! Coming
soon …. The mighty mountains are not staging a subtle show. Accessories are
camouflaged, their flowing white drapes now seem to be frozen skin hugs. The
white beauty of the prime time is just getting brighter while the glitters are
slowly coming up to the
stage. Soon the ball room seem to turn into a dreamy night with stars so bright. Now the mountains were dressed in blue nightwear. I see life curling up to jump up tomorrow…..
At Bhim pool, we see a boulder over Saraswathi river as it
put in place to cross over. Vyas Gufa and Ganesh Gufa are simple peaceful
places with a nice aura. As we walk through the Mana village, the boards
calling out as the last Indian village and last tea stall of India bring in a
giggle and a different sense. We had a few yummy pakodas as one of the stalls
there. We knew there were some interesting treks there like the Vasudhara Trek
but did not have the time to do it.
The extreme dark and then the sunlight charmed up the whole
place for a bright day. A great way to mark the end of our char dham pilgrimage.
But the fun is not yet over. We continued on our itinerary to Auli, Rishikesh
and Haridwar.
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Kedarnath
Yah! The longest trek of Chardham! All geared up we were
caught in traffic miles away from the trek start point. We decided to walk on
those hills and valleys and catch up with the cab incase it happens to get
through. However, after walking 7 KM, we reached the trek check post beyond
which only jeeps ply to get us to the trek start point. There was a long queue
here and to our utter surprise, there would sometimes be one person standing in
the queue but by the time his turn comes, there would be 40 or 50 people he has
proxies for. After a long long no jumping (just that we were not breaking our ethics) the queue wait, we got a jeep that
took us to the start point. The inclination of the trek was a killer on me. I
was exhausted in the first phase but was somehow dragging my feet getting
inspiration from the elderly trekking along in devotion. I had to give my bags
to him so that I feel better hiking. To cut short on the inclined pathways we
were climbing up the damp hills following others doing it. The cliffs were not
less than scary but yes we did it. The Valleys and hills do not fail to impress
your eyes but they did not tickle the feet though. Crossing the muddy icy paths
managing not to slip was an experience worth it. As we got nearer by the
evening I had some energy from nowhere but he was drained. Together we managed
to get there to the warm lights that assured we get some rest and then there
was the temple gleaming in the lights of devotion.
I paused several times as I write this post to relive the moments
and also falling short of expression to pen down the experience. We being lazy,
with no regular exercise are vulnerable to aches had a magic work on us. After
the strenuous trek, we reached our hotel that was cold and got some hot food. I
closed my eyes just not daring to dream ... the aches I would wake up to.
Yet, in the morning we were all energized. Got up early and we were at the queue gazing at the mountains in the background that started to fade in. Yes! Fade! Soon we were lost to chirping of the living, got a glimpse of the presiding deity and some yummy food, and some souvenirs.
I swear my soul how I am out of words to appreciate the hotel owners serving food there. It is the same trek that they take to get their inventories and yet charge very reasonable. I could whole heartedly pay them the price of a star hotel or more not be for the ambiance or the interior or the hygiene but knowing the efforts the put in to get the supplies. But cannot hurt their feeling by overpaying too much nor could I hog to increase the bill 😊 as I know I have to trek back.
I swear my soul how I am out of words to appreciate the hotel owners serving food there. It is the same trek that they take to get their inventories and yet charge very reasonable. I could whole heartedly pay them the price of a star hotel or more not be for the ambiance or the interior or the hygiene but knowing the efforts the put in to get the supplies. But cannot hurt their feeling by overpaying too much nor could I hog to increase the bill 😊 as I know I have to trek back.
Happy tummy, happy me with pollution miles away, breathing
fresh, close to serenity now I focus back to the backdrop where nature stands
super stunning. Sometimes, small things make a fab deal so was this puddle of
water. Trekking back was relatively easier and faster though your toes are tested
for their breaking system. Back to the hotel in a habitat with automobiles, I
close my eyes in glee, a sense of completing one trek and looking forward to
sight seeing the next day. The magic that happened uphill did not happen again ☹
we could feel our legs heavy in the morning. With a slight delay we managed to
drag ourselves for the day’s itinerary. We had a good cabbie who took us to
some sightseeing places like Devariya taal (one among the Indian hikes places.
I have a different post about this http://elusiveoligotrophicexperience.blogspot.com/2017/07/a-serene-lake-uphill.html)
and Chopta (http://elusiveoligotrophicexperience.blogspot.com/2019/02/chopta.html scenic place to revive yourself in the living). Something that I did
not call out in those posts is the drag we did 😊 for both these places, we were literally
dragging ourselves as our eyes were wanting to reach but legs were strained and
drained counting on each move to be made. Yet the heart and brain yelled, “believe
the eyes, go for it!” And we did. It was worth it all.
Chopta
A daisy dream living! That’s what I feel like calling this
place. It has hills, cliffs, forests and mountains, a cheering plain where the
living is. This was a short and sweet stop over. It is a space as if nature
wanted a break and have us in there cheering and chirping (making noise) for a
difference. It is a comfortable place giving us a eye candy to gaze. Here are
some pictures.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Gangotri
There is no tedious walk here but a long long queue. It is
supposed to be the originating place of the river Ganga. (Ganga actually
Originates at a nearby glacier “Gomukh”) There was a hot spring (Khund) where
we were allowed to take a dip. Again the Khunds are manmade pools where the
glacier water is directed to. They are separate pools for men and women along
with changing rooms. As we reached there at day break, we had a chance to get in
there. The water was steaming hot. Though I am used to taking hot water showers
everyday, the water here seemed really hot! At the first glance, I a was almost
sure I would not be able to step into the steaming water but they were a few in
there already. I decided to just dip my feet and relax but then managed to slowly
slip into the pool. It was an awesome feeling and I felt spell bound there. I
got a chance to go deeper into the pool as it was not crowded there and soaked
in for a while. Though I wanted to hang in, I know he would be waiting for me
and so had to get back soon.
After a rejuvenating soak at the pool, we headed for the
temple. It is right by the bank of bursting Ganga. All the rocks around seemed
to be bleached and polished. It soon got
sunny and we were basking to baking in the sun there. The mesmeric sounds of
pure Ganga waters enthralled us all along. It was a state of trance. Every
thought in the mind was soon interrupted by the roars of Ganga and ensured we
very much lived in the moment. It gives me goosebumps each time I close my eyes
and visualize that sight …. Tireless waters flowing, I am sure the rocks could
run away but stand spell bound and are built though to withstand the force.
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