RSS FeedI Was Here: Irpu Falls
Jun 22, 2010 Coorg, I Was Here, Karnataka, Summer, Water falls, Weekend Getaway
My first visit to Irpu Falls was in October 2007, during a two-day bike ride in Coorg. I was there again this April. There were quite considerable changes between these two visits – prominent being the amount of water. My first visit was just after the monsoon & the latest being in the middle of summer.
One other major change was the man-made metal ramp below the falls. So that people can walk right under the falls & enjoy the water. That means more people visiting the place, more litter and complete loss of tranquility.
First visit to Irpu falls was on motorbike and second in a four wheeler. Hope to visit the place next time on my bicycle :)
PS: First photo was taken in Oct’07 and second in Apr’10
Flying Citizens of Kokkare Bellur
May 7, 2010 Birds, Karnataka, Kokkare Bellur, Mandya, One day outing, Summer
Kokkare Bellur – I visited the place again, third time. Last to visits were in the months of January and April. This time it was mid of March. There were plenty of Painted Storks and Pelicans. Busy with their nesting for the season, listening to the whirring sound of their wings was a nice experience. It was overcast day and when I reached the place it was past 10AM. I managed to get these photos with my 18-200 lens.
Photos from my previous visits: Jan 2007 and Apr 2008
Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle
Dec 19, 2009 Road Trip, Scotland, Summer, UK
In April this year during the Easter holidays, I went on a whirlwind road trip with my friends covering close to 1400 miles (2240 KMs) in four and half days. Urquhart Castle on the bank of Loch Ness was one of the places I visited during the trip. It was a perfect weather for us to explore the place. We spent few hours exploring the ruined castle, listening to the history of kingdoms and wars of Scotland. And strained our eyes & neck searching nook & corner of the lake trying to find the mysterious monster in the lake :)
Here are few images from the place and here is wiki link to castle.
A Coracle Ride Across The River Kapila
Aug 21, 2008 Karnataka, Mysore, One day outing, Pilgrimage, Summer
“Come saar, I’ll take you to the other side of the river. It’s safe to play in water & take bath” called the boatman, while we were looking for some place on the crowded bank of river Kapila. Though it was 3.30PM the place was crowded, few devotees & many other trying to beat the summer heat. We decided to cross the river on the coracle to avoid the crowd & it was worth the decision. While my friends were enjoying playing in the water, I sat on the sand repenting for not bringing an extra set of clothes.
We started from Bangalore a bit late at 11AM as drive was completely unplanned. We had no particular destination for the day as our idea was to spend a day with friends. We were in no hurry & took our own time to cover the distance from Bangalore to Mysore. After the lunch break at Maddur, we decided to visit Nanjanagudu. We reached the place by 3.30. Another hour spent in playing in the river Kapila. And then we paid a visit to Srikanteshwara temple (temple of Lord Shiva).
Nanjangud is a temple town and is on the banks of the river Kapila (a.k.a Kabini). The place is 23 km from Mysore & around 160KMs from Bangalore. The temple of Lord Srikanteswara was built by the Gangas in 9th century. Nanjanagudu is also famous for ‘rasabaaLe’, a variety of banana & at one point of time (during late 80s) the place was also famous for the ‘Nanjanagudu tooth powder’.
By the time we started back from Nanjanagudu, our stomachs started grumbling which reminded us of the food which one of us had packed from home. We found a peaceful place – an old temple in the middle of paddy fields. We finished the food & spent some more time watching the Sun going down. And then we headed back home.
Thought coracle ride was of short duration, it was fun sailing on the smoothly flowing river. It was as if sitting in a cradle. How I wished for a coracle ride all the way back to Bangalore from Nanjanagudu :)
Prashanth M
