Shades of blue at Pangong Tso, Leh

We had been on the road for about 4-4.5 hours.. Had driven through snow fall in Chang la and rains, and now the dark looming clouds seem to come with us to Pangong Tso as well. All along the route, we had the beautiful mountains keeping us company, and apart from that nothing else. When suddenly up ahead we saw a small patch of turquoise/blue amidst the mountains, we got quite excited. That was our first sighting of the gorgeous Pangong Tso [Pangong Lake]... 

It is the largest salt water [not as salty as what we see in the ocean but more than in a lake] lake stretching to about 135-km, located in the Himalayas at the height of approximately 4350m.. This lake is spread across India & China with only about 40% in India while remaining is in Tibet [controlled by China]. That afternoon, the lake shimmered in various shades of blue- turquoise, light blue, pale green, dark blue and other hues as well. The mountains and the sky with its brown blue hues added to the image making it look like a painting.  As we drove closer, it looked magical. 

The car swerved off the main path into the pebble path all the way to the camp site. It was a bumpy ride, but who cares when the accompanying view /element is so breath taking. Pangong Tso is one of the largest brackish lakes in Asia.

Ah, finally we reached the campsite and well, lets just say if you land here without a plan, you will find accommodation [ there are a gazillion camp sites strewn within a few kms of the lake]. We were staying at Pangong Holiday camp, the tents were quite comfortable and we quickly freshened up and that is when the cold slowly started sinking in. Of all the places we visited, Pangong was by far the coldest.. The hills, snow, the water- well, you get the picture! Ordered some hot tea, drank it while enjoying the warmth of the mugs before adding layers and getting ready to head to the lake.

The lake was a short downhill walk from where we stayed, and the path was completely pebble based. The view that awaits you is something that needs to be experienced. The water was still in shades of blue and brrr cold... There were piles of stones stacked up along the water, others who had set up their tripods and shooting images/timelapse videos and then there were some just walking up and down enjoying the place and silence. Occasionally we would see a trail of trucks coming in from China. 

After about two hours here, we decided to head back. The walk is uphill and the winds are brutal, adding to the cold. The evening was spent chilling outside our tents, followed by hot dinner in the dining area and some fun later on. 

I dint sleep much and around 4.30 heard some shouting outside the tent. Woke up with a jolt, staying still trying to make sense of what was happening outside. Sounded like some people were being chased by some animal and they kept screaming "bachao bachao [help help] ... The sound died in a while and I went back to sleep.. The next morning, during breakfast we came to know that some kids from nearby camp got scared seeing the dogs and ran helter skelter screaming. Wonder what they were doing out at that hour?! Stupid kids!! 

So anyways I woke up as always at 5.30 and stepped out to see what the lake looked like at sunrise and must say it was quite different.. Well, that is reserved for another post! :D

But then will talk about how we stopped at the infamous spot where 3idiots climax scene was shot and how it is being marketed... After breakfast, we were back on the road headed to Leh. Enroute, we stopped at this spot just for some photographs and see what was happening as we spotted groups of people busy with cameras.. Looks like this is where couples come to take photoshoots. I even spotted the couple who flew with us from Delhi. There was a photographer, one other guy controlling a drone and these two all decked up in finery. 

We also saw couples riding around in the yellow vespa [ featured in the movie] with video/photo being taken of the same. Damn, the things people do~ Shaking our head, we walked to the edge of land, stood there awhile [till more couples came and took over], clicked some photographs before bidding adieu to Pangong.. 

For now, feast your eyes on what we saw and enjoyed.. 

Skywatch Friday- Clouds in the Hills

All this work is taking a toll on my Blog!! I've not blogged a travel story since the last .. well the last one!! Hopefully next week should be better..

Onto today's Skywatch post...

A few years ago [Aug 2004], while i was working with a Friend, we decided to take a break and getaway for a weekend.. We were 4 girls and were headed to the hills. If you've been to Chennai or lived here, you know how hot it can get!

We were heading over to Yelagiri Hills, about 240kms from Chennai.. A train journey till Jolarpettai and then a short ride across the 14 hairpin bends in the cab that had been sent by the Resort, well it was more of a hometstay. And back in the days, Yelagiri was pristine, unspoilt, people barely knew of its existence, plus there was nothing much to do, unlike Munnar or Yercaud!

All we did was walk, talk and chill out at the vast expanse of space. The icing on this cake was there was no connectivity- so no mobile phones, and back then we dint have laptops.. The resort did not have Television either! You can imagine how amazing it must have been...

Almost everyday, we would walk past the Punganur Lake, which was a man made lake spread across 57 sq meters. There was a beautiful garden, a play area for children and there was boating offered at the lake. Walking around the perimeter took about an hour, and it was one of the most scenic spots in Yelagiri. On our final day, we did spend an hour boating, with our boatman giving us tales about the place, and also spotted a water snake whiz past our boat... What an experience that was!!

We stayed at the Taj Gardens[no connection to the Taj group of hotels], a family run farmhouse owned by one Mr.Rahman, a retired Leather Businessman.  The resort wass spread about 40 acres or more, most of which was barren, but the area near the rooms and entrance was done up very neatly with beautiful garden, play area and even a small pool. area of course is large, with huge playground, park, plantations, rose garden, etc. 

We were the only guests and the staff was available at our beck and call, and some more. they were ready to cook up quite the storm for every meal-veg and non veg.. Hospitality was awesome!! I wonder what has happened to the place, heard that a Famous Resort company has bought them over... Today, Yelagiri also holds Paragliding events and such...

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Pulicat, Land of Flamingos

It was a warm Saturday morning when i was on the road to Pulicat... This destination had been evading us for a while and finally, we were heading there... :) 

Along the way, there were multiple stops where we did some bird watching and ofcourse breakfast...We spotted quite a few birds- 

1.Indian Roller

2.Common Kingfisher

3.White breasted kingfisher

4.Pied kingfisher

5.Blue Tailed Beeeater

6. Green Beeeater

7.Pied cuckoo

8.Asian koel – male and female

9.Rose ringed parakeet

10.blue rocked pigeon and so much more.....

Painted storks in the fields along the way

After being on the road for what seemed like hours, we finally saw the lake in sight.. The lake was serene and calm, with colorful boats dancing to the wind.. There were pits where the locals stored Jelly fish, Prawn and others alike, which were then exported..

A bit of haggling with the boatmen and we were on a boat ready to set sail into the lake... I thought i saw some flamingos in a distance and we decided to explore the area further. 

Two men sailing in the lake, totally relaxed..

The boatmen insisted it was not possible to get closer to them as the water was very shallow and the boat could get caught in the slush. Few minutes later one of the boat men was in the water pushing the boat along, taking us closer to the Flamingos. What a sight those pink birds were..

Excited and kicked to the core, i could not remain quiet... Kept clicking pictures and gasping at how gorgeous they were.. It was like watching a bunch of school kids at prayer, standing still, being silent.. And every now and then, one of the birds would flap its bright pink wings, or walk around to another side.. Moments later, we saw one bird take flight and the rest of them followed suit.. Wow, what a sight it was! Awesome.. breath taking.. magnificient.. beautiful... I can go on and on, but words fail to describe the sight..

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Sitting still, we watched them fly above our heads, to the far side and settle down in another part of the lake. Flamingos incidentally park themselves in shallow marsh lands only, and they seem to stick with the group...  We returned to the shore and made our way back to the car, totally lost in those birds and what we had seen...

What a day it had been!! The blazing heat was forgotten and our fatigue had vanished into thin air.... 

Note:: Pulicat is a small town in the Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu state. The town is about 60 kilometres from Chennai and the lake sits in both Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh. Pulicat lake is basically the backwaters of Bay of Bengal, and is known for the wide variety of birds that visit here. 

Project 365 Day 76 Row Row

These 2 men seemed completely oblivious to the blazing sun as they enjoyed a cool ride along the Pulicat Lake on a catamaran.... 

Look at the guy sitting, holding on the long pole that they probably used to steer the boat... He looked as if he was holidaying in a resort, lounging on the hammock!!! 

Hebbal - The lake beckons

As the day wore on, my cousin, Lakshmi suggested we go to Hebbal lake post the meeting.. Always game for a bit of exploring and photography, i umped at the suggestion, we packed our gear and as we were to leave home, the client called saying his daughter was unwell and he had to take her to the doctor... What this meant was more time to spend at the lake and we could leave earlier... :)

Knapsack- check

Cameras-my cybershot and her DSLR-check
Binoculars-check
Some cash-check
Our mobiles and housekey and we were off by 4.30... -checkcheck

Paid entrance fee and walked into the park, spotted a few birds on the ground -- the love birds..couples hidden behind bushes and a coracle left alone...

Our feet took us towards the water and there we spotted a few guys fishing.. one guy would reel the fish in dropping it onto the ground where another guy sat cleaning it up... A few yards away, we spotted 2-3 Brahminy kites, and in a few seconds they were in air, circling right above these guys and in a flash swooped down grabbed a fish and off it went into the sky.. Wow moment...!! 

Pulling out the binocs, we spotted a few Grey heron, Pond heron and a pretty looking Purple Swamphen. 

Why not go to the other side we thought and began exploring the park some more.. It was my 1st visit, and i found it calm n quiet .... Took shots of a few intersting flowers, the setting sun, the buildings beyond the lake and as we were beginning to settle in, a deep shrill whistle came floating in the air..It was time to leave..... 

As we rode back home in the auto, the sun was beginning to set, and we could see the lovely colours against the city scapes... Short yet sweet was what the visit was....!! :)

Could stare at them for hours as they went home... together!!! in sync.. what a sight...

Trivia from wiki: Hebbal Lake is located in the north of Bangalore at the mouth of National Highway 7, along the junction of Bellary Road and the Outer Ring Road (ORR). It was one of the three lakes created in 1537 by Kempe Gowda.

Of Temples and heritage sites....

The day started early, and Lakshmi and I were on our way!! Had kinda decided on 2routes, with a whole bunch of places to visit during the day and finally ended up doing a mix of both routes...

1st place we headed towards was Chengelpet, enroute we stopped over at Singaperumal temple..

What a start to the day it was!! very peaceful, calm and not crowded...!! we went into the temple, only to be told we could get darshan in about 15mins, and as hunger was ready to strike, we grabbed a donnai[ lotus leaf cup] of Kesari [sooji] at the prashad counter... :) Finished that and did a round of Girivalam [going around the temple]. this temple is built on a mountain and so the path around it is uphill and downhill, with steps built around it.. There was a tree with small cradles and bundles hanging from it, a Narasimha with his wife on his arms[ wearing a zillion yellow threads]- must be prayers from devotees.. After a few mins, got darshan, said our prayers and made our way towards Chengelpet...

We wanted to check out the lake and the fort, alas, neither happend.. None knew where the fort was[ we discovered later it had become the Taluk office] and the lake was not open to public!! A bit disappointed, but what can we do.. Drove towards Uthiramerur from there.. we stopped over at the Sundaravaradaraja Perumal [has three tiers. There are three main sanctum sanctorum, one on top of the other..with narrow stairs leading up ]

By then the sun was beginning to blaze and we headed out to take a peep at the Kailashnath temple which was being renovated by REACH foundation.. the lady working there told us a man had come visiting in the morning, when she saw a huge snake slither past... we just peeked thru the doors, and all we saw were a bunch of Bats flittering about!! there was another temple, part of the ASI, but alas, that was shut and the ASI person in charge was Missing!! atrocious!!! hmfph!!!

Hunger bells were ringing like crazy in our tummies, but we managed to keep them down by munching on biscuits n juice as our driver drove towards Kancheepuram... Went straight to Sangeetha hotel, and gobbled down a dosa n yummy Mousumbi juice before exploring Kancheepuram.. that town has over 180 temples, i kid you not.. we saw 2 of them, and also spent time at a saree weaver's store, the owner also showed us around his looms [ thanks to Lakshmi's aunt who knew the man]!!

Went to Ekambaranathar Temple, huge campus..with 5 gopurams, each built by a diff ruler- Pallava king, Chola ruler, and so on... took quite a few pictures, made our way into the main sanctum where the priest gave us a brief intro about the temple... there is a Shiva linga and shiva parvathy idol inside[ one among the few temples where they are together]...

and then came around the main sanctum, did a small archana at Vishnu's shrine.. the funny thing was all priests after the intro, would say this dialogue- We dont get salary, have been working here in generations.. so if you could take up a puja or seva, contribute whatever you can-Rs200/500/1000, would go towards the upkeep of the place".. we fled saying we'll come back!!! :)

Rushed across town to Kailashnath Temple -where we spent most amount of time.. we could have lingered there all day.. mind blowing temple...kinda like an outer ring of mini Shrines, which were meant for meditation and innermost is a temple with Shiva in it.. the priest gave us the story and showed us the path to go around the main deity.. it had 4tiny steps that led to what looked like a hole in the wall, a tiny baby would fit in.. apparently the temple is all about accepting the fact that we are born alone and we die alone... devotees used to crawl thru the tunnel and come out the other side...!! scary!!! :D

[It is oldest structure in Kanchipuram. The temple is 65 m high & shadow never falls on the ground. The temple is viewed more as an architectural wonder than as a holy place.]

The priest here too recited the same dialogue as in earlier temple!! hehe ..post this, we spent oodles of time taking pictures and savoring the beautiful architecture that surrounded the temple.. It is part of ASI and so is in decent condition... only thing is

people today dont know what material was used to build the shrines, and so are unable to restore it.... !!!

It was nearly 2pm, and sun was beating down on us... Finally bid adieu, and started the search for the weaver.. after multiple calls and round abouts, managed to find the place...

Meyammai achi silk center, Chidambaram is the man who runs it.. He showed us silk threads, dyed colourful threads, sarees and took us to his looms, where the weavers were more than eager to explain and patiently answer all our zillion odd questions!! they hadnt even had lunch, were waiting for us to come visit... !!! :)

Gave in to the heat, and decided to go have a bite to eat at Saravana Bhavan- had curd rice!! and hit ECR road... enroute, we stopped at Sadras Fort [Sadurangapatinam] , but alas, luck was still not in our favor.. the place was locked up and ASI man missing...

we took some pictures when we saw a funny looking man come running towards us.. he came over and said he was "Anand, the gatekeeper, and that he was a Furniture doctor".. Had golden glitter on his face, was wearing blue shades, pink nail polish and a orange whistle around his neck.. we had a bit of doubt about him, but just played along trying to get rid of him... When Lakshmi asked him about the glitter, he replied- "Oh,today my daughter's bday madam, i am coming from the party" and he even posed for a pic!! i clicked while she was taking her shot !! :D


He said he will take us inside thru the back door[which we had passed by and knew there was no way into the fort there...:)].. this was when a policeman walking past told us "Madam, he is mental".. Our man heard this and was like " tamilians are the reason other tamilians dont prosper, you come madam, i take you"... we beat a hasty retreat, not before he suddenly said "give me Rs10, if i had taken you inside, it would be Rs30" ...we hopped into the car and asked the driver to speed away... had a good laugh!!!

Finally, drove towards Kalpakkam Atomic plant to Pidari Rathas, which is just behind Mahabalipuram... 3 beautiful rathas, unfinished stand tall...

we could see the lighthouse at Mahabs..

Spent some time soaking the evening sunset in and taking pictures of the place before getting on the road to ECR and back home!!

What a day it was!!! were dead tired, but well worth it.. next time, we shall check out more sights around here!! our curiousity has been piqued :)

Hoysala trail... Coffee trail.. bird watching...!!

A day after our cousin's wedding, Lakshmi called and that was it!! She and a friend were organising a tour, for close friends, as an inaugural offer.. Without a blink , i said YES,AM IN!! She then sent me a mail with info about the tour- we were to cover about 5-6 places, stay at a lovely resort and maybe do a coffee trail as well .. The only i got in was Sharada, cos i knew she would love it as well ..

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The temples at Doddagadavalli

Booked our tickets to Blore for the friday, 29th May and packed our back packs.. 30th Morning was when it all began... Lakshmi's friend and avid bird watcher V came over, and we waited for the van... Which came close to 7.45... After piling in, the intial Hi- hellos to the rest of the troops [Arun's friends, V's friends, and Sharada], we were on our way!! Excitment filled the air, and hunger pangs in our tummies..lolz...

Pillars at the entrance at Doddagadavalli

The 1st pitstop was Hotel Mayura where we had a sumptuos breakfast and got on the road with full speed.. Drove straight to Doddagaddavalli, where we spent close to an hour.. A temple that marks the reign of Hoysala Dynasty, each pillar telling a tale... After a tour of the place, we all assembled in the hall near the entrance where Lakshmi and Arun gave us a peek into the history, and some insights into the rulers and the Dynasty.. During this, a rock agama came to keep us company- rich orange in color, he posed for us!!! Amidst all this, we managed to spot some interesting birds as well .. :-)

Rock agama...

Beautiful architecture.. intricate sculptures and more were what welcomed us through the trail.. The layers of the temples were almost piled on top of the other like lego blocks. No cement was used in sealing the space, they were all interlocked ...

From there, we hit the road and drove down to Green Orchards Resort which was our home for the 2days.. A quaint little place with about 9 rooms, of which we occupied 6.. Furniture from Rajasthan, a court yard with a cute little tortoise sitting still [was a statue]... 2 beautiful swings outside where we spent most of our spare time, getting to know each other and laughing over a game of Housie- where err, some people cheated and others slogged it out!! :D

The road that led to the Resort

Post lunch, we venture into Halebid or Halebidu or Dwarasamudra which has a cluster of Hoysala temples...The main is called Hoysaleshwara and its a tourist spot, so we were prepared for a crazy crowd, but still managed to have a good time. Lakshmi and Arun had hired an ASI guide, who gave interesting descriptions for each of the sculptures..

The Hoysala emblem that is found in all temples

Lush gardens, dark skies threating to spill over, a serene lake behind the temple all had us in awe... Clicking pictures, soaking every word the guide said, we relished the experience... The temple is said to remain incomplete, and to have taken over 190 years to build...

The Nandi in front of the Shantaladevi shrine

The Hoysaleswara temple is home to Hoysaleswara and Santaleswara. Hoysaleswara is named after the builder Vishnuvardhana Hoysala and Santaleswara after his wife, Queen Santala. The sancta are built on a stellar plan, with a sukhanasi, navaranga and Nandi Mandapa. Each of these resembles the Belur Chennakesava temple in layout and structure...

Basadi halli

Around the corner we visited the 2 Jain temples... Basadi halli (Jain Mandir) - and the Kedareshwara temple.. The Kedareshwara (Shiva) Linga made by Krishnashila, a variety of black stone. To the south of it is Brahma linga and the statue of Janardhana at the north. The temples are filled with Bats, so there was enough stink to keep us at bay...

Within the Basadi Halli campus, there was a temple tank/well, and plenty of greenery around for us to soak in... We also spotted a Rainbow, feeble but pretty nevertheless...

That night after our return and dinner, we were out walking along the lit pathway within the estate late into the nite..

Having decided we are going Bird walking next morning , we decided to be up by 5.30 and scoot, all scampered to their rooms... Post the bird watching, we were to start off Sunday at 7.15, with a visit to the nearby Biccode coffee estate [belonging to my uncle and family] , starting with the morning Muster call to a coffee trail...

Path inside the coffee trail...

The morning came, troops went for the bird watch and then we joined them in the Coffee trail.. After a quick shower, we went off to the estate, waiting for the workers to pour in.. Vipin, the manager was to be our tour guide for the hour.. but that went on for nearly 3hours, and we covered about 6kms in distance around the coffee estate, exploring venues never heard of and clicking pictures all over..

Wild mushrooms, paw prints, a tree covered in cobwebs, rows of coffee plants, and the long stretches of trees.... In between, we also managed to do a bit of bird watching - spotting and trying to identify birds, geting some quick lessons from the pros- Arun and V... :)

Longing for a cup of coffee, we found just that at the estate office.. Bidding adieu to him, we decided to check out more places related to the Halebid trail... the Ruins spread across acres of land, and then came the best part of it all ..

Hulikere- the tank where Shantaladevi used to go for her showers.. The security was so high then that even a tiger could enter, hence the name... !!

The Hulikere with small shrines all around it..fascinating..

Some local kids followed us around, mustering enuf guts every now and then asking us - Do you have chocolate? Or atleast a pen? ... we were stumped at their fluent english!!! :)

Belavadi in all its glory

Spent a few minutes in the serene surroundings, lost in thoughts we were all in heaven... like school kids asked to get back to the van, we crawled back into the van and looked fwd to the next location... It was nearly 3.30pm, and even tho the driver decided to take us to the Belur Chennakeswara temple, we steered towards the resort to have a bit to eat, pack up and then venture to Belur before heading back to Blore...

The Belur temple is magnificient - again in similar architecture styles.. There are over 40 sculptures of women in different poses outside, all said to be inspired by Shantala devi, and pillars across the temple each in a unique style.. Two of the pillars are simply mind blowing- the Mohini and Narasimha pillar, they are filled with intricate work, minute designs, unimaginable amount of creativitiy.. The God is also in Mohini avtar here, and i got a chance to talk to the priest about the temple...

Oh, just remembered- we also visited the Belavadi temple, a small one with three gopuras, and is called Trikoota temple... The priests here were more than willing to give us insight about this temple, how long it took to build, the God housed within... Veera Narayana, Vishnu and Krishna are the Gods here... What was interesting was that the Sunlight streams in straight to the Vishu shrine on March 23rd and Sep 23rd every year, the day of Equinox, the priest said!!

Phew.. What a weekend it was!!! Got back to Blore on 31st nite around 11.30 and back to Chennai on monday at 6pm... Had a day in town and then was off on a trip to Sringeri with mom & Dad.. more on that in next post..

Think this is long enuf...... way too long a post!!!

For more pics.click here