On-Line Photo Collection - My Best Series - 1

I have managed to put together a few photos from my shockingly big (to me) photo collection. I now seem to have almost 20GB of photos on my hard drive. I was initially a little hesitant to put this stuff up for everyone to see but I think sharing something that you absolutely love doing with the world gives other a chance to see what makes you happy. So here you go. I think this is going to be the first of many such "My Best" lists.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ganesh.raghavan/MyBestPhotos#

Most of the photos have been taken in and around the Western Ghats (Valparai, Bandipur, Nagarhole, BR Hills) and few from Siem Reap in Cambodia. I have added a Widget to the blog with all my public photos on Picasa. Comments and feedback are welcome.

Paradise Found

Spent the last couple of days at the famous Kabini River Lodge that is run by Jungle Lodges and Resorts and the place has left an everlasting impression in the mind. The property is set in the banks of the Kabini Reservoir about 230 kms from Bangalore and as the cliche goes, you really need to be there to get a feel of the surroundings. Simply brilliant.

The drive from Bangalore took me about 4 hours and 30 mins. The road from Mysore to entrance of the Nagarhole National Park (also called the Mysore - Mananthavadi Road) is superb and is scenic too. Now the only problem is that from Mysore getting directions is a real pain. Everyone seems to have a route of their own and it took me a good 30 mins to get out of the city. I reasoned that the best way to ask for directions is to ask a traffic cop for directions to H.D. Kote.

The Kabini River Lodge occupies about 5 or 10 acres of land beside the Kabini Reservoir. There are other private resorts that have come up in and around the area too but are way beyond the budget of the middle class Indian. The entire Nagarhole area was the private hunting property of the Maharajah of Mysore before good sense prevailed (god bless Indira Gandhi) and the area was sealed off the the public and made a National Park.

The resort has 3 kinds of accommodation. Tented cottages (the one I chose), bungalows and individual rooms. The tents are the cheapest (3500 a night per person incl food and 2 safari rides). The middle of the property houses an old British type bungalow which houses the quarters of Col. John Wakefield (affectionately known as Papa John and the person responsible for making Nagarhole what it is today) on one side and has a conference room, with an attached bar of course.

I also noticed over the course of my 2 day stay that the property attracts the following categories of visitors:

• The typical Indian family (papa, amma and the kids) visiting the jungles for the first time.
• The honeymooners who obviously have other interests in mind than wildlife and being one with nature and such mumbo jumbo.
• Retired people who come down to probably get a last and final glimpse of the big cats in the jungle.
• Typical Indian group of men who stop over for weekend booze party and chat politics
• Last but not the least the avid wildlife enthusiast and photographer to which I feel I belong

Part of reason why the facility attracts all kinds of people (and I have nothing against any of them as long as they learn to appreciate silence) is the comfortable accommodation that is provided and the food which I must say puts most city restaurants to shame.

Almost everyone who comes to Kabini wants to spot the tiger and leopard and is totally un-interested in anything else. Whilst this is understandable, it is rather sad that people come with set notions on what they want to see when coming to such a place. I for one and guilty of wanting to spot and photograph a big cat but I also have learned to appreciate nature and for a lot of city dwellers, this seems hard to come by. My hill billy instincts may have come to the fore here but again it's just my opinion.

The evening safari on the first day was not very eventful. I however did manage to get the first picture of an adult male Sambhar. Truly magnificent. A fully grown male weighs about 200+ kgs and maybe stands about 5 feet 8 in plus and it makes you truly appreciate the strength of the Tiger which is known to bring down such adults in one swift move!

Photograph 1: Male Sambhar, Nagarhole

We spotted a herd of female gaur towards the end of the safari but that was it. The monsoon season is clearly not ideal for spotting wildlife. The jungle is so green and the undergrowth of lantana so dense that we would miss spotting a tiger even if it were 10 or 20 feet away. But nevertheless the appearance of the Indian jungle after the rains is a sight worth beholding. Even for someone who is totally color blind like me, the array of colors you see in the forest is dazzling to say the least. The air is a little damp but the smell of the jungle is totally intoxicating.

I was left cursing my luck the next day morning. The driver turned up 10 mins late and the jeeps in front of us had luck on their side. They spotted a leopard just off the main road. We spent most of the time that morning waiting for the leopard to show up again but lady luck didn't want to do me any favors. The highlight was that the jeep got stuck in several inches of slush and without the 4 wheel drive it was left for us to heave and push the vehicle out of mess it found itself in. I met a couple on the safari and the guy has been visiting Nagarhole for the last 20 years! As he narrated his tales of seeing 5 tigers, tigers chasing gaur the likes I was left depressed wondering when I would have the chance to see such a spectacle.

The morning was spent reading a Kenneth Anderson book and was truly enjoyable! The evening safari was uneventful too till we came up to a herd of about 16 elephants consisting of both females and young males. I took a few snaps only to find that my battery died out! Was left cursing myself again. The Canon battery that I have seems to have developed some problem and it's going to cost me a fortune to get a new one. I also had to tolerate the constant giggles of a newly wed couple that came along with me on the evening safari and the chatter of an elderly gujju couple. I had half a mind to give them a mouthful but restrained myself. People who cannot keep quiet should not be allowed to go into the jungle and if that is made a rule, it would actually rule out 99% of the Indian population. We just cant seem to keep quiet for an extended period of time. It is a pity!

Photograph 2: Young male elephant, Nagarhole

Earlier in the day I also managed to get some snaps of the black cormorant and the painted stork. and afew close up photos of the Serpent Eagle. You can view these photos here. I was left feeling even more exasperated when I was told that the last group (made up of 6 old folks) spotted a leopard on the way back!

The safari on Tuesday morning was uneventful too bar the sighting of a mother and baby elephant. This time I had a Palakkad Iyer family for company and we spotted almost nothing and I found myself showing the children a few photos I had taken. Had a fleeting glimpse of the Malabar Pied Hornbill.

Each trip to the wilderness has taught me something and the I have come away with the feeling that I have been extremely privileged to be able to not only afford going on such trips but to have the god given ability to truly appreciate nature and silence. I left Kabini, committed more than ever to spend as much free time as I can in the pursuit of what truly is closest to my heart.

More pictures can be found at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ganesh.raghavan/NagarholeSept2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCMXOppje2eyIWA#

More Info on Kabini River Lodge:

Bookings: Reservations can be made online at www.junglelodges.com. Weekends are almost impossible to get. My suggestion would be to use a weekday.

Time to Visit: Dec to April is probably the best time to visit Kabini.

Getting There: Approx 240 kms from Bangalore. From Bangalore head to Mysore and then towards HD Kote. Detailed instructions are found here

Clothing: Wear either greens or browns. Most people seem to wear all kinds of dark colors which is not advisable when visiting the jungle. Winters are pretty chill.

Other Tips: Carry medicines with you if you are the type that falls sick due to weather changes. The nearest medical shop is about 20 kms from the property.

A Hot Summer Morning and Cursed Luck in Blackbuck Country

The lure of photographing the majestic Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) got me off my bed at 4:30 am on Saturday morning when the rest of the city was still lost in its dreams. The ride up-to Maidenahalli Blackbuck Reserve was about 145 kms through Tumkur (National Highway 4) and then a State Highway (via Madhugiri) for about 60 kms. I wasn't expecting too much traffic but as usual Bengaluru threw up a surprise. I was caught in an early morning jam just before turning into NH4. There were about 60 trucks, all fully loaded waiting in front of me. The first thought that struck me was why my favorite magazine The Economist keeps insisting that India's infrastructure is at best pathetic. After 15 mins I managed to make it to the highway towards Tumkur only to be met by a 100 diversions on the road. The first impression anyone would get looking at the construction work going on at NH4 would be a total breakdown on planning, coordination and execution. The Indian in me has just taken off cribbing about everything without doing anything about it so I shall stop.

The NH4 opens to an excellent 4 lane stretch after about 20 or 25 kms after entering the highway. The toll station collects Rs 23 for a one way ride. One takes a right towards Siri just before hitting Tumkur town. Another right after 4 kms into the Siri highway takes you towards Madhugiri which was about 40 kms. The document I carried said that the roads were bad but I was surprised to see that the road was recently tarred and the Swift didn't have too many problems except on couple of minor stretches. I reached the unpaved road that leads into the reserve area at about 8 and was pleasantly surprised to see the landscape. It seemed to be more like an African Savannah. A kilometer into the stretch and I spotted the first herd of Blackbuck. The females grazing and ever watchful while the males were busy fighting each other. I realized into the first shot from the camera that getting a close-up of these magnificent animals would prove to be extremely tough. A little further into the road, a male Blackbuck in all his splendor seemed to be posing for the camera and by the time I could get hold of him in the frame he jumped and ran! It was the closest I would get a fully grown male all day. Sigh!

I managed to catch up with the forest watcher, one Mr. Murthy who was heading home for his breakfast. I was told to call the Ranger at Madhugiri to get permission to photograph and roam around the reserve. I did make the call and Murthy promised to be back after his breakfast which reminded me that I had a cheese sandwiches packed (by dear mom of-course) for breakfast. There are several trails that go into the reserve which one could traverse by car or jeep and I was brave enough to take the swift into these tracks and the experience of driving though jungle track was the only fun part for I never got to spot any herd. I managed to spot a lone male in the plains in front of me and decided to track him on foot and after gingerly stepping through the scrub and grass vegetation I thought I had come close only to find the male realize my presence and bolt! Darn! I walked back to the car and found Murthy waiting for me. We drove to a patch where he had seen a herd a while ago and we began tracking on foot. I spent the next 45 mins tracking a herd, creeping, crawling, hiding or trying to in the midst of the undergrowth to get closer to the guys only to come up short every time. I wasn't too disappointed for I was enjoying the entire exercise. Nature you beauty! The only annoying part was that Murthy kept insisting that my Canon EF 70-300 mm zoom lens was not up-to the task when I told him that I couldn't get a closeup shot! Rub it in dude! I kept saying to myself.

As I mentioned earlier, I was fascinated by the landscape. Here I was, in the middle of the plains of Karnataka, a 700 acre piece of land that looked right out of Africa. I imagine the entire area was once covered with these grasslands before Homo sapiens decided to usurp it from Nature for their greedy (and needy) needs. We wen't off to another location and this time I spent another 15 mins tracking a male only to be denied by this wonderful creature whose sensitive hearing capabilities always gave me away no matter how hard I tried.

I finally said goodbye to Murthy at about 11 and headed back towards Madhugiri. I managed to spot a couple of males on the way and took a few photographs. When I reached the tarred road, I decided to head back to make one last attempt. This time I decided to use a track that would its way into the park just before the main gates. I spotted a huge banyan tree that housed hundreds of Mynas. I spent a few minutes listening to their chattering before heading into the grass and shrubs vegetation to track another herd. This attempt went in vain too and I realized that the heat was draining me completely. I headed back towards the gates and took another track and this time I met a bigger herd of about 15 bucks and I decided to track them on car and this turned out to be a whole lot of fun! I managed to get close to two male bucks that seemed caught in their own world but before I could get a good shot they went behind a few rocks and I missed out getting a nice clean shot. I went in further and managed to snap a few female bucks only to find that I had run out of film. I din't bring extra rolls as I did not expect to shoot more than a roll. Disappointed I was about to turn back when I spotted two males coming towards the car.

Darn! Damn! &*#*!@!#&#(#()#&*#(#(@!$$&&&&!!!!!! Both the males stood about 10 feet away from the car and were posing away and I was using the all the swear words I knew in the dozen or so languages I knew (only the swear words unfortunately) on myself. Damn! Lesson learned - Always carry extra film rolls.

I spent 5 mins watching the males fight using their beautiful antlers to perfection. I turned back promising to come back after the monsoons with more rolls and hoping for better luck!

For those wanting to visit this unique place http://maidenahalli.googlepages.com/issues offers all the information you need. The forest department has almost finished constructing a guest house that will allow people to stay overnight.

I reached the outskirts of Bangalore at 2 pm and it took me an hour and half to reach home thanks to our wonderful politicians who have managed to fuck this once lovely city beyond repair!

Now for the visuals:

Photograph 1: Female Blackbucks
Place: Maidenahalli Blackbuck Reserve


Photograph 2: Adult Male Blackbucks
Place: Maidenahalli Blackbuck Reserve

Photograph 3:Landscape
Place: Maidenahalli Blackbuck Reserve


Photograph 4: Adult Blackbuck (Male)
Place: Maidenahalli Blackbuck Reserve

In the Land of Biligiri Rangaswamy

It's a boring (as usual) Tuesday afternoon at work. Yes, I have to do minutes from the call yesterday but it's a tad too boring. Speaking of boring, the past weekend was anything but boring. We (Mom, Sujeet and Supriya) set off to the K.Gudi Wilderness Camp located in the Biligirirangan Hills, about 250 kms from the claustrophobic confines of namma Bengaluru.

The journey took us a good six hours (we of course made the mandatory stop at Kamat's on the Bangalore-Mysore highway, had the usual Maddur Vada etc etc) and not surprisingly the roads after Chamrajnagar were pretty bad and I have come to expect this from most roads in Karnataka (If I ever have the kind of money Vijay Mallaya has, my first act of philanthropy would be to gift the Government of Karnataka a couple of road rollers).

We reached the gates of the BR Hills Wildlife Sanctuary at about 12. We moved slowly through the 10km section towards K.Gudi in the hope of seeing some wildlife. I was pretty amazed the the type of vegetation that grew in the area. The lower reaches are mainly shrub vegetation but I as we went up the vegetation changed to dry deciduous, grasslands, sholas and then to tropical evergreen at some parts. Truly wonderful and unique. We din't have any luck with wildlife considering the time of the day, but Supriya seemed horrified seeing a snake cross the road (managed to only get its tail). We spotted a couple of drongos, a few white crested kingfisher and the spectacular Paradise Flycatcher (no snaps unfortunately).

We reached K.Gudi at about 1:20 PM and were blown away by the place. There it was, a nice little resort tucked away right int he middle of a wildlife sanctuary. The tented accommodation we opted for was superbly done. The very first statement of bravado I made was to promise everyone that we would come here once a month. (Realizing what I has just said, I dint bring the topic up for the rest of the weekend).

We grabbed some lunch at the camp and needless to say it was good. I had some spasmodic bouts of depression when I saw some of the guys carrying their the digital SLR's and flaunting it. Someday I kept saying to myself (been saying that since the Rupee/$ exchange rate was at 35). The first thing I noticed when we reached the camp was that ominous clouds that hung over and I knew rain was not far away. True to my word, the rain came promptly at 1:30 and lasted an hour and a half. Reminded me so much of the Nilgiris.

We had tea at 4PM and got ready for the evening Safari. Our guide, Mr.Narayanan was a local tribal who is now employed by Jungle Lodges. With the gang of good luck charms I had, I was hoping to get a glimpse of a leopard this trip and the the entire group was hoping for the same. This was only made stronger by the fact that the previous evening the groups had spotted not one but two leopards. I even went to the extent of uttering the Gayathri Mantra before we started off. The photographic equipment that some folks got along was truly amazing (a lot of them had the huge telephoto lenses that I can only get to see on TV when they broadcast cricket matches). One of the jeeps broke down in front of the forest gate and we had to accommodate an extremely talkative gentlemen who would keep throwing random comments for the next 2 hours. But I've learned to live with such folks during a safari and concentrate instead on just admiring the natural beauty of the jungle. My friends on the other hand couldn't tolerate talkative folks (at least it gave us something to bitch about on the way back).

The group in front of us managed to spot a pair of wild dogs (Cuon alpinus- aka Dhol) and this information was communicated to the rest of the party through wireless but by the time we reached the spot, the dhols were long gone. We however managed to spot the elusive Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) and the regulars (Bisons, Elephants, Spotted Deer, Sambhars etc). We even had a female elephant give the jeep a brief charge which got everyone excited. Enough of text. Time for some visuals.

Photograph 1: Whitethroated Kingfisher
Location: BR Hills

Photograph 2: Bos Gaurus Herd
Location: BR Hills


Photograph 3: Elephas maximus
Location: BR Hills


Photograph 4:Trees at a Water Hole
Location: BR Hills

Photograph 4: Female Gaur (Bison)
Location: BR Hills

I managed to stand up throughout the safari and inhale the fresh air that somehow always carried a strong smell of herbs and eucalyptus . Each breath I drew seemed to have a magical effect that was soothing the mind and I was on my own trip (a very enjoyable one I must say and one that's done me a world of good). The only gripe I had was the sight of a large number of eucalyptus trees that the forest department has planted in the midst of all the other trees. I can never quite understand the purpose of doing this given the fact that blue gum eucalyptus is notorious for sucking the water table dry. Education for the forest department anyone? I also made it a point to tell mom and my friends how lucky they were to spot a sloth bear. Its not often you see one in the jungle and these creatures are known to be very shy. It seemed that they still had their beginners luck going (which Sujeet will vehemently deny and counter argue by saying that they had planned all this all along and strategized etc etc).

We made it back to the camp at 7:30 and were treated to a nice little video on the Indian Wild Dog. The whole thing was shot in the Nilgiris. We headed back to the tents and settled down and had a few pegs of nice Bacardi rum. Sappad followed and we hit the sack at 9:30 and the lights were off. I could hear the grunts of wild boars just outside the tent and the calm was broken at times by the call of a barking deer nearby.

We were ready by 6:15 next morning and were kept waiting for ages by this couple who ambled towards the jeep at 6:40 am (the other groups had already left much to our chagrin). A customary sorry followed and we were off. Unfortunately the safari turned out to be a damp squib for everyone. We only managed to spot the same elephant herd from the previous evening, barking deer, a couple of bisons and the usual spotted deer. Still I managed to take a few good snaps. The one below has managed to some rave (OK I'm going overboard) reviews from friends.

Photograph 5: Early Morning
Location: BR Hills


Photograph 6: Early Morning in the Forest
Location: BR Hills


Photograph 7: Male Barking Deer (Muntjac)
Location: BR Hills


We checked out at 10 making a promise to return soon. We headed towards the Biligiri Rangaswamy temple that was about 20 kms from K.Gudi. Sujeet and I opted to stay in the car and let mom and Supriya go to the temple and we busy appreciating the scenery from the temple when I noticed that the left front tyre had suffered a puncture. We spent the next hour or so trying to replace the tyre and managed to draw hearty giggles and laughs from passers by and with the help of a taxi driver we managed to replace the tyre. Mom and Supriya firmly believed that the puncture was caused by the almighty himself since we did not go and visit him at his abode. I felt a strange sense of guilt of not doing so and quickly made a trip to see the lord who was in all in glory (decked with ornaments and flowers). It was a truly remarkable sight that made me all humble. No one messes with the almighty.

We made the trip back to Mysore through an alternative route and car took a severe beating on the roads (if you can call them that). We reached home at about 6 but my thoughts were still at the abode of the almighty who rules the Biligirirangans.

Western Catchment - October 2008

Next set of photographs from my trip to Western Catchment in early October (2008). I had heard a lot about the place but this was the first time I got to go but only after some major sqabbling with the forest guard (courtesy my friend Balvinder). But in the end it was all worth it.

Photograph 1: Pugmark of a Tigress
Location: Western Catchment,Nilgiris
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300, ISO 200, Canon EF 28-85 Lens


Photograph 2: Porthmund Dam and Lake as seen from Western Catchment
Location: Western Catchment,Nilgiris
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300, ISO 200, Canon EF 28-85 Lens


Photograph 3:Another shot of Porthmund
Location: Western Catchment,Nilgiris
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300, ISO 200, Canon EF 28-85 Lens


Photograph 4: Shola Grasslands
Location: Western Catchment,Nilgiris
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300, ISO 200, Canon EF 28-85 Lens


Photograph 5: Nilgiri Langur Silhouette
Location: Western Catchment,Nilgiris
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300, ISO 200, Canon EF 70-300mm Lens


Photograph 6: Another Shot of the Shola Grasslands
Location: Western Catchment,Nilgiris
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300, ISO 200, Canon EF 28-85 Lens


Photograph 7: Shola Tree
Location: Western Catchment,Nilgiris
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300, ISO 200, Canon EF 28-85 Lens


Photograph 8: Indian White Eye
Location: Western Catchment,Nilgiris
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300, ISO 200, Canon EF 70-300 Lens

Enchanting Nilgiris - Trip to Pandiar

I was down in the dumps in October when I decided to take up my friends offer to visit him at Kotagiri in the Nilgiris. I realized that I hadn't been to Ooty in almost 8 years! The next couple of days were unforgettable. Not only did I experience the amazing splendor of the Western Ghats but the trip helped me reconnect with my passion for nature/wildlife.

Photograph 1: On the way to Pandiar
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300 ISO200 Canon EF Zoom: 28-85mm


Photograph 2: Nilgiri Langur (Trachypithecus johnii)
Location: Pandiar
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300 ISO200 Canon EF Zoom: 28-85mm


Photograph 3: Pandiar Landscape
Location: Pandiar
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300 ISO200 Canon EF Zoom: 28-85mm


Photograph 4: Nilgiri Peak ( (height: 2,474 metres (8,117 ft))
Location: Pandiar
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300 ISO200 Canon EF Zoom: 28-85mm


Photograph 5: Mukurti Peak/Ridge View from Pandiar (height: 2,554 metres (8,379 ft))
Location: Pandiar
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300 ISO200 Canon EF Zoom: 70-300mm


Photograph 6: Silent Valley from Pandiar
Location: Pandiar
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300 ISO200 Canon EF Zoom: 28-85 mm


Photograph 7: Herd of Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius)
Location: Pandiar
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300 ISO200 Canon EF Zoom: 70-300mm


Photograph 8: Close-Up of Nilgiri Peak
Location: Pandiar
Date: October 2008
Equipment: Canon EOS 300 ISO200 Canon EF Zoom: 70-300mm

Wildlife/Nature Spotting at Bheemeshwari - March 2008

Just noticed that I hadn't put up pictures from my trip to Bheemeshwari and Mekedatu in early 2008. I'd remember the trip for the fact that it gave me my first opportunity to photograph wild elephants. Of course I had seen them several times in the past but never had a camera to shoot these majestic creatures.

Photograph 1: Young Adult Tusker
Location: Bheemeshwari
Date: March 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 ISO 200 70-300mm Canon EF Zoom Lens


Photograph 2: Female Elephant with Calf
Location: Bheemeshwari
Date: March 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 ISO 200 70-300mm Canon EF Zoom Lens


Photograph 3: Sunrise
Location: Kanakapura-Bheemeshwari Road
Date: March 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 ISO 200 28-85mm Canon EF Zoom Lens


Photograph 4: The Cauvery In All Her Splendor
Location: Bheemeshwari
Date: March 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 ISO 200 28-85mm Canon EF Zoom Lens


Photograph 5: The Cauvery At Mekedatu
Location: Mekedatu
Date: March 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 ISO 200 28-85mm Canon EF Zoom Lens

After 12 Long Years!!!

Whatay weekend! The image is frozen in my mind and will probably stay with me for a long long time. It was about 7:40 AM on a misty morning at Nagarhole National Park (now called Rajiv Gandhi National Park) and there she was..an adult tigress lurking in the undergrowth about 50 or 60 feet away from the bus.

I saw her beauty for all of 3 or 4 seconds (before the other idiots in the bus started yelling and clapping causing her to retreat further into the bushes and disappear) but it was a wait that I had endured for 10 or 12 years..to see a tiger in the wild.

Apart from that the trip was a totally enjoyable one. Mom, Sujeet and Supriya (friends) were all on their first ever wildlife escapade and they got to see a tiger. What luck I say!

Spotted a lot of Elephants, spotted deer, barking deer, Sambhar, Bisons etc. All in all a fantastic trip. My heart is really in the forest and I keep thinking (albeit never seriously) if I should be in a different profession.

For anyone who wants to visit Nagarhole, I highly recommend a stay at the Jungle Inn (www.jungleinnnagarhole.com). Room rates vary from 1800 Rs to 2000 Rs per person per night (inclusive of meals). A wildlife safari into Waynad (the Kerala side of the sanctuary) will cost you Rs 600 per person. Jungle Inn does not take you for a safari ride into Nagarhole as they do not have a contract with the Karnataka Forest Department which apparently asked for a sum of Rs 9 Lakh per year to renew the contract. (At least that's the story the Jungle Inn owner told me). The Karnataka Forest Department conducts its own safari and a very affordable Rs 98 or so per person and has safaris at 7am,8am,9am,3pm,4pm and 5pm everyday. You will need to take your vehicle into Nagarhole park to the visitor center and will then have to board a mini bus (with about 20 other people) that takes you for a one hour ride inside the jungle. (BTW we saw the tiger on such a safari after expecting to see nothing at all when we boarded..Lady luck sure has her own strange ways).

Enough of text..now for the action:

Snap 1: A female Elephant (Elephas maximus)
Location: Waynad
Date: 28 Feb 2009
Camera: Canon EOS300 ISO 200 film
Lens: Canon EOS EF - 70-300 mm

Snap 2: Early Morning Mist Through the Trees
Location: Nagarhole
Date: 1 Mar 2009
Camera: Canon EOS300 ISO 200 film
Lens: Canon EOS EF - 70-300 mm


Snap 3: Female Muntjac a.k.a Barking Deer (Muntiacus reevesi)
Location: Nagarhole
Date: 1 Mar 2009
Camera: Canon EOS300 ISO 200 film
Lens: Canon EOS EF - 70-300 mm

Snap 4: Young Male Tusker (Elephas maximus)
Location: Waynad
Date: 28 Feb 2009
Camera: Canon EOS300 ISO 200 film
Lens: Canon EOS EF - 70-300 mm


Snap 5: Spider Web
Location: Nagarhole
Date:1 Mar 2009
Camera: Canon EOS300 ISO 200 film
Lens: Canon EOS EF - 70-300 mm


Snap 6: Spotted Deer (Cervus (Axis)axis)
Location: Nagarhole
Date:1 Mar 2009
Camera: Canon EOS300 ISO 200 film
Lens: Canon EOS EF - 70-300 mm

Snap 7: Enchanted Forest
Location: Nagarhole
Date:1 Mar 2009
Camera: Canon EOS300 ISO 200 film
Lens: Canon EOS EF - 70-300 mm

Snap 8: Adult Male Bison (Bos gaurus)
Location: Nagarhole
Date:28 Feb 2009
Camera: Canon EOS300 ISO 200 film
Lens: Canon EOS EF - 70-300 mm

Valparai Visit - Dec 2008

I won't go into the gory details on why 2008 was and probably will (be barring a total annihilation of the planet by a meteor or WWIII or the act of some weird ass terrorist who decides to nuke Bangalore) be the worst year of my life! Too many tragedies but life still moves on. I am so fascinated by Homo sapien sapiens response to traumatic and life changing events and the species' ability to carry on with life! That topic is perhaps for another post.

December was the best part of 2008 and I got to spend a couple of relaxing days at Valparai and the expense of my dear friend and wonderful host Mr. Ashok Pandey. If anyone has ever tried to follow this blog (99.999999999999999999999% that this is highly unlikely) he/she will know how lazy I can be (average of say 5 postings a year!) so I'll let the pictures paint a thousand words!

Picture 1:The Elusive Lion Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)

We spent 2 days looking out for these guys and one day Aditya and me decided to give one last chance and what did we see? A group of 20 LTM's! For those who dont know these guys number only about 2000 and are found only in the Western Ghats

More Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion-tailed_Macaque

Date Captured: December (err dont know when)
Camera: Canon EOS 300 (ISO 200 Film, Auto Exposure, 28-85mm Canon EF Lens)



Picture 2: Sunlight Streaming Through the Shola Forest Canopy

This was an awesome shot of the jungle in all its glory (minus the asphalted road that was running in-between). This is the road from Valparai to Athirapally Falls in Kerala. Awesome (and tiresome!) drive


Date: December 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 (ISO 200 on Auto Mode, Canon EF 28-85mm Lens)



Picture 3: I say Whattay Place!

The Tamil Nadu Forest Departments shed at Konalar on the Eravikulam/Grass Hills Range and 10 kms from the nearest human being.

Date: December 25, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 (ISO 200 on Auto Mode, Canon EF 28-85mm Lens)




Picture 4: Bos gaurus Alert!

Here were were walking around the tea estate when I suddenly see a family of 5 bisons happily chewing away at the vegetation about 5 feet to my left!

Date: December 24, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 (ISO 200 on Auto Mode, Canon EF 70-300mm Lens)



Picture 5: Tahrs Ahoy!

A herd of Nilgiri Tahr at Grass Hills (Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary), Valparai in the way to Konalar Hut. Taken at about 8 am in the morning. I can't stop admiring these creatures. Seeing them tip toe across cliffs and see the speed with which they can climb in such a treacherous terrain is indeed inspiring!

Date: December 25, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 (ISO 200 on Auto Mode, Canon EF 70-300mm Lens)



Picture 6: Grass Hills

The pic says it all!

Date: December 25, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 (ISO 200 on Auto Mode, Canon EF 28-85mm Lens)



Picture 7 Sambhar

Saw this beautiful female Sambhar (Cervus unicolor) standing on the road to Manampally (Valparai again) power station and we were lucky to see her since the road is not open to the public. But thanks to Mr. Pandey we could get permission to see the place.

Date: December 24, 2008
Camera: Canon EOS 300 (ISO 200 on Auto Mode, Canon EF 28-85mm Lens)



More snaps in the next post (otherwise I probably will not post for another year!)