Jung Falls, Arunachal Pradesh, India

The Tawang trip in the early April of 2018 was a memorable one. We were all set for Tawang, left Dirang town in the morning by car. Just after passing the Jung town we get to witness the magnificent Jung falls. This is also known by Madhuri falls as the famous Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit danced here for her movie Koyla. We weren't aware of this, and after the driver passed this tidbit we immediately checked how the falls looked in the movies. Awesome no doubt even on reels.

This fall is known by many names. It's also named after Nuranang who was the accomplice to famous Indian soldier Jaswant Singh in Indo-China war.
The hills itself presented the beautiful picture, in between we could see terrace farming, tiny wooden houses. I guess the season has just started.
Around early afternoon we arrived at Jung falls. Our driver told us to have leisure time ourselves and said he is going to have small nap. He expected us to have a gala time but it soon started drizzling and later turned to pouring.
We can go down to almost to the base of the falls.  On the way down to the falls, there is a small hydel power substation which generates power from the waterfall. The falls itself is 100 Mts high divided into two levels. During the time we went the river wasn't that deep but the currant was fierce. Since its just the beginning of spring the water was obviously cold. It's picturesque, you get awed by the natures beauty and all you can do is drink all the beauty in front of you.

There are no amenities if you are looking for one. Had it not been pouring I would have also danced like Madhuri -:) It's meagerly crowded unlike other tourist spots. It's understandable since beautiful Arunachal is yet to be discovered.

A stroll through Shuka Vana, Mysore

If you are looking for a weekend getaway from Bangalore, Mysore is one of the place most of us choose. There are lot of things to do in Mysore which is calm, peaceful and pensioners paradise. Last weekend we visited sister in law place in Mysore. Kids were demanding trip to either the Zoo or Palace. Having seen them many times, we definitely weren't in a mood to go there. While contemplating a new place to visit, we decided to go to to Avadhoota Datta Peetam situated on the foothillls of Chamundi Hills.

The Avadoota Datta Peetam or Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Ashrama , as it is popularly known, is not any typical ashrama. The Ashrama, spread over a few acres, houses a Bonsai garden, lots of beautiful sculptures, a massive bird cage, a temple, prayer hall, vintage cars, a park, large Hanuman Statue and many more. Founded by His Holiness Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji, Avadhoota Datta Peetham is a world-renowned institution for the social, moral, cultural and spiritual welfare of mankind.
You need at least a day, if you want to explore the whole of Ashram. Our visit was worth, since it caters to everyone's desires. It has a museum for museum lovers(which we skipped due to priorities  and time), Shuka Vana, a bird aviary  and a Bonsai garden for garden lovers. Apart from these it also has large statue of Lord Hanuman, Nada Peetham and Dattatreya Temple for the spirituals.

The Shukha Vana bird aviary encompasses more than 568 species of birds mainly parrots, macaws, horn bills etc most of them from the tropical countries either rescued or bought.  Entry is free to the Shuka Vana. Apart from beautiful birds, another major attraction of this aviary is feeding the birds at a nominal cost and getting clicked with them. I wouldn't recommend the taking photos with Macaws as it is slightly overpriced and the staff are rude. The use of mobile phones is strictly prohibited inside the aviary. The birds are enclosed in cages which is well maintained and taken care of. At the end of the day, I think a few of them are let free in an enclosure. Some of the cockatoos are very adept at mimicking what you say and it was so fun. My son was busy talking with it, seeing it talking back all of us were talking it with, and finally it got confused whom to mimic.

The jewel in the crown was the Kishkinda Moolika Bonsai garden. The entry to Bonsai Garden costs you rs 20, and its just awesome and very well maintained. Here you can see lots of Bonsai, one for each day of the year. Also these Bonsai's are kept with the name of the raaga. I have never been to Bonsai garden before and I was left stunned and thoroughly impressed by this collection.

Both Shuka Vana and the Bonsai garden are the award winning projects of Swamiji.
If you plan to stay or visit Mysore, Karnataka, don't forget to add this in your Must Visit list.

Travellogue : Sigiriya Lion Rock Fortress, Sri Lanka

Thanks for your lovely comments on my previous post.
I was vacationing in the beautiful country of Sri Lanka and Thailand earlier of this month.
Our main trip was to Bangkok, Thailand, we had an opportunity to stay for three days in Sri Lanka. It was difficult to choose the places in Sri Lanka, as everything seemed beautiful, important, and we also had to consider distance from Colombo(where we our flight landed). Finally we zeroed on Kandy, Sigiriya and Dambulla caves. Last two are closely located, so you can cover both the places in one day.

We had booked taxi from Kangaroo Cabs from Colombo from India. As soon as we landed, we hopped on to this taxi and drove to Kandy first.

After exploring the Kandy city, we had a comfortable stay for a night  in OZO Kandy. Kids were so disappointed for our short stay here and didn't want to leave at all. We had heavy breakfast and started to Dambulla Caves at 7:45 AM the next day.

Driving in Sri Lanka is not that tough as roads are well maintained. Unfortunately the driver was very clueless of the roads and routes( forgive us Dilshaan), luckily we had offline google map of Sri Lanka and guided him well all the way.

After a tiring hike at Dambulla Caves, we started to Sigiriya around mid after noon. We were not sure of having lunch and more over there aren't much options for vegetarians like us here. We stopped by a fruit shop and had stomach full of fruits, cucumber and raw mango. I got to taste the dragon fruit which is scarcely available in India.

Although Sigiriya rock was visible from long distance, we had tough time in finding the entrance. Our driver, who while conversing with us in broken English said that last time he visited that place was when he was a kid but he was very confident of finding the entrance. After going round and round, we decided to be wise and asked for the Foreigners entry(there is other options for the locals)

The entry is free for the locals, and we foreigners have to pay a hefty ticket price. But fortunately, there is a discount for the SAARC countries and we ended up paying 2000 SLR for each one of us. You need to also show your passport at the entrance.

It looked very challenging to climb a 200 meters enormous rock on a hot afternoon but don't let it deter you. Most of the people prefer to either morning or late after noon to climb, and it's one of the most visited sites in Sri Lanka. When you enter you will not miss the beautifully landscaped gardens. On climbing further you will come across the boulder gardens and the terraced gardens. There are many little caves here whose walls were once adorned with beautiful frescoes.

According to Sri Lankan History, this site was selected by King Kasyapa for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colorful frescoes. You can still see the remains on top of the rock. The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.
The steps are narrow and you need a lot of energy and water to reach the top.

While you are climbing, just before you reach the Lions Staircase, there is a mirror wall onto your left. Originally, this wall was so highly polished that the king could see himself on it. Now you can see various inscriptions on it, written by visitors both old and new. Few security guards were guarding it, preventing it from further damage.  At the same point you can take few spiral steps upward to see beautiful wall murals/frescoes. Unfortunately we were not allowed to click photos here.

After you have climbed half of the steps, you can see a small plateau, there is a gateway in the form of an enormous lion.

Further climb is the most challenging part of the climb and the stretch will definitely give you knee pain in the end. We have to carefully climb up a narrow steel stair case on the exposed side of the rock to the summit. You will also  see the grooves carved into the rock surface by the ancient builders to provide the footing for the original staircase that led to the top.

After the ascent, you can see forests every where around the rock. There were couple of ponds(belonged to the palace) on top which gets full in the rainy season. The usual pictures that we see over the internet are taken in the rainy season where this rocks looks out standing among the greenery that surrounds it. When we visited the ponds were almost dry.

After reaching the summit, and admiring a palace at such a height we stayed there for half an hour, and if you have patience you can go to each and every corner of this palace.

While we finished the descent, we bought few liters of cold water quench our thirst and refreshed ourselves at the rest room. There are few shops selling the souvenirs but do bargain hard before you decide to buy something.

Travellogue : Trip to Nathula Pass

The trip to Sikkim is incomplete without visiting the Nathula Pass on the Indo- Tibetian border in East Sikkim. We visited in the first week of April 2015, the time where we get to enjoy snow and pleasant weather( so this post is there in my drafts folder for over an year, -:))
Nathula Pass is located about 14,000 ft above sea level and come rain, sun,snow or avalanche, its guarded by the brave soldiers of Indian Army.

Permission to visit Nathula Pass
The road to Nathula is only open during specific times of the year and you need special permission to visit this and Tsomgo lake(which on the Nathula-Gangtok road) from the Indian Army. The permissions are available in the Tourist Office in M.G. Marg, Gangtok and visiting time for Nathula are strictly  limited,you have to return to Gangtok before 3-30 PM the same day.
Our permits Nathula were organized by Sonam Delek, where we stayed during our trip and the charges were included in the fare. We were lucky to get this permission as the heavy downpour previous days had made the road less traversable. We were highly impressed by Sonam Delek to go that extra mile for not only arranging us the permission but also providing us an excellent taxi driver.
For the permission you need the passport size photo and Id proof. This was informed earlier to us so we had taken along with us while leaving for Gangtok. I don't remember the exact charge but it was around 5000 Indian Rupees for one vehicle.

Since we got the permission late in the morning our journey to Nathula from Gangtok started a bit late and we were in a great hurry to return back too. On the way to Nathula, you will encounter beautiful, small waterfalls, do stop by while returning from Nathula Pass.
En route to Nathula is breathtaking and at the same time scary one. The time we went the roads were not in good shape. On one side it's misty deep valley and other side it's snow clad mountains with boulders and stones. Thanks to Indian Army for maintaining them all year around.

Changu Market

In case you are not prepared and do not have warm clothes for the shivering weather,  you can rent them at the small shops near Changu Lake(Tsomgo lake). There are many shops to rent jackets, snow boots, gloves. Take care to try it out thoroughly before renting. We were in a hurry and the jacket we got for my younger son didn't have buttons so he wasn't covered properly. That was a concern in the whole trip and he was freezing when he was outside the jeep. Besides renting the jacket and snow boots we purchased gloves for memory sake.

Silk Route
While on the way to Nathula Pass you can see the Silk Route which really exists!!!. This is one such route which connects Tibet with India where trading of Tea, Chinese silk, Indian Jewelry are done. It was closed due to hostility between China and India, it was reopened after 44 years in 2006. While our visiting the trading hadn't started. We also passed through the Sherathang village which is inhibited by the army officers, security, customs officers and we were ecstatic to see State Bank of India branch serving the people at such heights.
Once we reach on the top, in Nathula, we have to park the vehicle outside in designated parking and walk onto the top where actual border is seen. It is tedious and you may fall sick due to lack of oxygen. The sun was shining and to see the border of India we didn't mind the height nor the discomfort. The Indian soldiers guarding here insists on not to click  any photos. Our tryst with Nathula was worth as we got to salute and shake warm hands of Indian soldiers and the Chinese on the other side of the fence. In the end it was so cold, we wanted to go to loo badly but off course there were none there. There is a small café 14K at those heights,frozen after few minutes in cold outside we thawed inside having memorable hot soup.

Descending from Nathula Pass, we visited the Tsogmo lake nestled among the snowy mountains . It was so spectacular sight and beautiful beyond words. The water in the lake is due to the melting of the snow in the surrounding mountains. Here you can take yak rides around the lake or simply click photos sitting on brightly adorned yaks. We did the latter one.

There are plenty of places where you can park the vehicle besides the road and play in the snow.After a while when chilly winds hit you, you respect the soldiers again for bearing such cold to guard the country. The cold outside was making my younger son fussy and we just walked few steps in the snow and returned back to the Jeep.

On the way back we stopped briefly at New Baba Mandir in the memory of the soldier Harbhajan Singh. There are many stories and legends about him protecting the Indian Army. You can click beautiful pictures of serene Himalayas here in the background.

Shopping
Every trip is incomplete without the souvenir. Do not forget to shop at the souvenir shop run by army near New Baba Mandir where I felt the prices were reasonable. It is bit crowded but definitely they will tend to your needs.

If you still have time you might give a visit the original Baba Mandir but we gave it a skip(The taxi driver mentioned about this but due to time limit we could not visit this place)

Sakrebail, The Elephant camp

Every time we drive to our native( Udupi, Kundapur) we usually pass through Shimoga. My children regularly complain about not stopping by to see the the Sakrebail elephant camp or the lion safari.

While deciding on what to do in 10 days of Christmas vacation, we decided on Shimoga. It is about 270 KM from Bangalore, Karnataka. There are many places of interest(small comparing the number of tourists visits) near Shimoga apart from the coffee estates and areca nut plantations.

Sakrebail elephant camp is located about 11 kms from Shimoga town and it takes about 15 min drive to reach there. Whenever we mention the word TRIP my children would expect to stay  in a luxury hotel. We stayed at The Royal Orchids hotel in Shimoga. After having royal breakfast we set out to the camp. We were happy to see that only few people had arrived and only one elephant was in the water which is the back water of the Gajanur dam.

The specialty of this place is that they bring elephants from the jungle and you can give them bath, pose with them, talk to them and know all you have to know about the Asian elephants. The whole ritual starts as early as 7:30 AM and if you are late you may miss everything.

 

These elephants are bought from the nearby Shettihalli forest. The camp elephants have a chain tied in the legs, so that the mahouts can trace them and bring into the camp early in the morning. There also days when they do not find their respective elephants. After giving them the bath, they are fed and left back from into the forest for grazing. One mahout was TRAINING an elephant to raise and sit, for the people to ride on him. So people, soon you can expect elephant ride in there.

 

We could take a close picture of the elephant's mouth. The mahout explained that if the teeth are well then the elephant is considered to be healthy and it lives a longer life.

 

This baby elephant was just 1 and half months old and was clinging to its parents. While in water it was just behaving naughty not knowing what to expect outside in the world. My children were just curious about this baby elephant 'Parvathi' and following it's movements very keenly.

 

We saw around 20 elephants in the camp and around 9:30 AM they all had finished bathing and were left under the sun.

Soon after finishing we headed towards the Tyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger Safari. This is again 15 minutes drive on the Sagar road. Here you can expect 3 lions, 6 tigers apart from other animals like sloth bear , cheetahs, jackals. Lions, tigers and few deers were only the animals available in the safari, rest of the animals are caged.

So if you are in the mood of long drive with something to do with animals[And in the state of Karnataka] head to sleepy town of  Shimoga.

Flowers of Sim's Park, Coonoor, Tamilnadu, India..

We had been to Ooty, Coonoor in the first week of November. Ooty as expected has changed so much since last time I visited as a kid. All I remembered was munching carrots, fragrance of eucalyptus trees, unbearable cold and rolling on the lawns of Botanical gardens.

During our stay we visited Sim's Park in Coonoor. Could not resist sharing few pics of blooming beauties. While admiring them all I could wish was bringing and growing them here in Bangalore. I did bring lot of seeds and about 12 saplings each costing 10 bucks.. I have to wait and see whether they like Bangalore or not.

This is picture heavy post, hope you enjoy it. All clicks by my husband...

 

 

 

Bekal Fort, Kasargod

Last year December during Christmas vacation we got a chance to visit Bekal Fort for a day trip.
Bekal fort is located on the coastal Arabian sea, north of Kerala. The fort spreading over forty acres, has massive walls about 12 meters in height built of laterite stones.

As you enter, there is Hanuman temple at the entrance. Near the ticket counter the historical background of Bekal Fort is displayed. Don't miss this if you want to know the history of Bekal fort.

We left Udupi in the morning and reached the fort around 11 AM. It was too hot in the afternoon to explore. I recommend to go in the rainy season and greenery inside the fort would be great. In other season late afternoon would be better.

The fort was clean and well maintained. There are few refreshment shops inside.
There is a beach on either side of the boat but we didn't explore it.

There is a stairway inside the fort. The steps lead to a tunnel and eventually to the outside wall of the fort facing the Arabian sea. There is also a well both for which visitors are not allowed to enter. 

Excellent views from the Fort of the serene Arabian Sea.

Jog Falls, Karnataka

Continuous rains past few months, we decided to visit Jog falls. 

Jog falls is located in Sagar Taluq, Karnataka, India and is the second highest water fall plunge in India. We took Bangalore-Honnavar highway via Shimoga which is in good condition. As there were adequate rainfall this season, it was the right time to visit. After visiting we heard from the locals that couple of days before the gates of the Linganmakki dam were opened and there was a thick flow of water. But what was presented to us was beautiful.

View of the Mahatma Gandhi Hydro electric power station.

En route to Bhatkal, on the coastal Karnataka, we found this breathtaking beauty. It was more beautiful than Jog, since we could see it, hear it from very near. Had it not been deep we definitely would have plunged into it.There are hundreds of such waterfalls in the Western Ghats, India which would sure leave you spell bound.

Greenery everywhere..