Back of the blog - Kootagal Hill

Back of the blog. Here we will share tit-bits and snippets on India Travel which may be useful for a traveller in India. It may be some new information about the place, a new cuisine one can explore, a bit of history, a funny anecdote or a good travel book. Anything connected to Travel in India. 

Very close to Bangalore is Ramanagaram. 

The name of the place may not strike you immediately. If we say that this is the place where the Hindi magnum opus "Sholay" was shot, you will sit up and take notice. Yes, it is the same Ramnagar, which was made immortal by Ramesh Sippy and again by David Lean in "A Passage to India"

For people like us in Bangalore, Ramanagaram continue to charm. The boulders, the hills, the caves and pristine ponds inside the forest make it a good break from humdrum of life in Bangalore city. The rains in the last week have turned the whole area green. We drove through this region last week the landscape was spectacular, though we didn't go to Kootagal hill in particular.

We read an interesting account of travel by B V Prakash to Kootagal hill and legend behind the rocks in Deccan Herald today. We couldn't resist sharing it with you.

Kootagal Hill - Where love endures amidst rocks!

Read on and go there this weekend for stroll among the rocks. You can also make small detour to visit Kanva reservoir, which must be full after a bountiful rain in last few weeks.

Photo Courtesy - Anurag Jain

Back of the blog - "On Being Tentbound"

Back of the blog. Here we will share tit-bits and snippets on India Travel which may be useful for a traveller in India. It may be some new information about the place, a new cuisine one can explore, a bit of history, a funny anecdote or a good travel book. Anything connected to Travel in India. 

We were browsing in "Select Bookshop", the venerable second hand bookshop in Bangalore. I was looking for some travel books when I saw a book titled "Eiger Dreams". A small book, it is written by Jon Krakauer who is one of the respected mountaineers and also a well-known travel writer. 

There are interesting essays on mountaineering, mountaineers and other adventures. Of the lot, there is one essay, which is all about “On Being Tentbound”. Funny and insightful, Jon writes about being stuck in a tent for days. It’s a quite humorous essay ruminating on the sometimes tender psyche of adventurers, and what can happen to the vulnerable mindsets of adrenaline junkies when, due to weather, their expeditions come to a forced halt. Some of us would have undergone a similar experience while on treks whether in India or anywhere. Reading it surely bring back some memories. 

An excerpt from New York Times review on the book...

"In EIGER DREAMS: Ventures Among Men and Mountains (186 pp., Lyons & Burford, $17.95), Jon Krakauer adopts a strategy much like Mr. Mewshaw's when answering a question asked him by family, friends and even utter strangers: why would you want to risk your life climbing a mountain? In this collection of essays, most of which were written for Outside and Smithsonian magazines, Mr. Krakauer uses subtle tactics: ''I circle the issue continually, poke at it from behind with a long stick now and then, but at no point do I jump right in the cage and wrestle with the beast directly, mano a mano.''

Mr. Krakauer, who is well regarded among my friends in the climbing community, believes that ''climbing strikes that chord in the public imagination most often associated with sharks and killer bees.'' In this book, he aims ''to prune away some of this overgrown mystique.'' And these pieces, which take us from Mt. McKinley to Chamonix to Pakistan, do just that. The title essay, for instance, is an account of a failed attempt on the deadly North Face of the Eiger in Switzerland. This Alpine wall is terrifying, and Mr. Krakauer considers it a matter of ''luck'' that the weather forced him down.

The reader who knows little about climbing will learn much from ''Eiger Dreams,'' but Mr. Krakauer has taken the literature of mountains onto a higher ledge. It used to be that men ''conquered'' mountains in a cacophony of gratuitous chest-thumping. Today, climbers who write feel compelled to experience epiphanies on the summit. Personally, I'm suspicious about this continual and simultaneous achievement of summit and epiphany. It's as if someone told you that he and his lover always have simultaneous orgasms. You'd detect a certain falseness in the claim.

Mr. Krakauer has set out to strip away that falseness. His snow-capped peaks set against limitless blue skies present problems that inspire irrefutable human experiences: fear and triumph, damnation and salvation. There is a beauty in his mountains beyond that expressed in conventional sermons. His reverence is earned, and it's entirely genuine."

Here is a link to the book on Google books. Better buy a copy. Enjoy the journey with Jon! You will not be satiated though!

Google Book extract - On Being tentbound

Photo Credit - Paul Sydney

Skywatch Friday - Road to Gulmarg

We were driving to Gulmarg from Srinagar in Kashmir recently. It was early in the morning. Rains had pounded the hills in the previous week. There seemed to be a breather as we drove. The sky was overcast. There was not much of traffic either. 

The road from Tangmarg is all uphill. Flanked by Pine, Cedar and Juniper forests, this must be one of the prettiest roads in the country. Surprisingly the road condition was excellent. 

It wasn't foggy which meant we got this excellent picture.

Road Trip Vignettes - Colours of Dhabha!

We all have seen it. Our dhabhas on the roadside are the colourful places. Whether it is food or smells or the people, it is a mini India out there. We have had best of the food in some of the nondescript road side dhabhas. We can recount best Alu Parotas we had on the way to Pandharpur from Sangli, tasty rice kheer in a dhabha in Chattisgarh, softest of phulkas in dhabhas of UP, crisp and khadak rotis with dal in Punjab.........the list go on.

On our way from Jammu to Dharamshala, we stopped at Milan Dhabha, one of the oldest dhabha near Madhopur bridge as one cross Himachal Pradesh and enter Punjab. I remember this Dhabha which we used to frequent as bachelors when i was posted in Madhopur in eighties during my first posting in Army. 

We stopped over there for a cup of tea. It was 7.30 in the morning and preparations were on for breakfast which is traditionally parotas with Curds and Pickle. We were in for surprise when we ordered. Surjit, the man asked whether we want have buttered toast along with chai. Why not and he gives us eight slices of toast - roasted in tandoor - with dollops of butter smeared. It was yummy and perfect combination with typical punjabi chai - the best we have had on this trip. 

When we were looking around, we noticed the pictures on the wall. All gods were there and it is not unusual to see such pictures of gods of all religions in our dhabhas. 

Possibly, they are the most secular place in India!

Goa in Monsoon - Picture perfect!

Goa in monsoon is a quiet place. We all know that Goa is a laid back, easy going and chilled out place.

We caught these folks fishing on a cloudy morning when we were in Goa in August. We were on the way to Morjim beach and were driving on the banks of Chapora river when we caught them enjoying their time in the sun with a rod in hand.

We are not sure whether they caught many. But definitely enough to have a couple of fried ones with afternoon beer!

Back of the Blog - SAI Sanctuary, Wilderness country in Coorg!

Back of the blog. Here we will share tit-bits and snippets on India Travel which may be useful for a traveller in India. It may be some new information about the place, a new cuisine one can explore, a bit of history, a funny anecdote or a good travel book. Anything connected to Travel in India.

Why Coorg again? you may ask. We just could not resist sharing this amazing place we read about in "Sanctuary" magazine.

It is not for those who look for "Sightseeing" experience in Coorg. It is for those who want experience beyond travel. SAI Sanctuary is one such place. Pristine, unspoilt wilderness spread across 300 acres. As the people behind this initiative writes

"Our Mission is To protect and preserve the last remaining natural Wild Places of the Earth—especially equatorial rainforests—thereby safeguarding our vital water sources as well as the planet’s rich biodiversity of both flora and fauna for ourselves and future generations."

Please keep this in mind when you visit the place. Be a responsible guest in the sanctuary. Here are some pictures from the place.

We haven't been there and will soon go at next available opportunity. Here is the link to their website 

SAI Sanctuary

If you are planning a trip to Coorg, you may look at these posts in this blog

Driving holidays from Bangalore - Hill Holidays in Coorg, Wayanad and Ooty

Coorg from the Sky

If you need any help in planning a trip to Coorg, please write to poorna62@gmail.com

Happy to Help.

Skywatch Friday - Dharamshala from Triund Trail

We did not want miss an opportunity to trek though we missed doing it in Kashmir. When we came to Dharamshala, the first thing on our mind was to check about the trek to Triund. 

When we arrived in the lovely Chonor House in Mcleod Ganj we asked them if they can arrange a guide for us to go to Triund. They said yes and we finalised do it on the next day.

It was raining cats and dogs in Dharamshala when we arrived. The weather forecast was not encouraging either. We decided to do the trek if the weather gods permit as it is not pleasurable to walk in foggy mountains. 

We woke up to a clear sky and started the trek at 6.30 AM. This is the first glimpse of Dharamshala from the trail to Triund peak. 

It was spectacular!

Keep tuned in for a full account of our trek to Triund peak in Dhauladhar Ranges of Himalayas. 

Coming soon.