Hogenakkal Falls

A day trip through the wilderness on the border of Karnataka and Tamilnadu. The place where the brigand leader Veerappan reigned in the recent past. The land which is the setting for Kenneth Anderson’s tales. I am talking about a trip to Hogenakkal falls that we (Me, Nagesh, Niranj and Pratap) did in January 2011.

Journey

We set out early in the morning around 6 AM. After a hearty breakfast in Hosur we took the road to Thally. This quaint little village is referred to as the ‘Scotland of India’ due to its weather. Not sure if it is as cool in peak summer! Also another notable point about this place is the number of lakes in the vicinity supposedly. We managed to spot only two during our trip! Need to explore this place some day. We saw a Common Coot and some Rose-ringed Parakeets near the lake.

After spending some time here we took the Thally-Denkanikottai Road which would then lead us to Hogenakkal via Anchetty. This tree-lined stretch is awesome especially early in the morning. We managed to reach Denkanikottai only around 10.30 AM due to frequent stops that we did for taking pictures. Our bird sightings were a White-breasted Kingfisher and an Indian Roller.

The jungle which starts just after Denkanikottai is pretty dense. This district is supposed to be a haven for those who love nature and the wilderness. The wide variety of flora and fauna here are impressive. A dream trip would be to traverse Kenneth Anderson’s path. We were told that wildlife might be spotted here. There is a forest check-post on this stretch.

An unusual sight en-route was of the statues of policemen along-with the Guardian deities of the village. A good blend of the modern day world and the ancient beliefs!

Due to road blocks along the last stretch caused by road repairs we managed to reach Hogenakkal only around 12.30 PM. We had chosen a Sunday of all days to come here. The place was crowded and slightly chaotic. Not sure if this is the case even during weekdays. There are many small hotels which offer meals but nearly all are non-vegetarian. We found one tiny shack serving vegetarian meals and after having a hearty lunch there we set out to view the falls.

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Hogenakkal literally translates to Smoking Rocks. This falls is sometimes referred to as the ‘Indian Niagara’ and is on the border of Karnataka and Tamilnadu. It is famous for the boat rides, oil massages and fried fish which is sold on the streets on the way to the falls. The recent addition to fame is due to the Hindi movie Raavan being shot in picturesque spots in the vicinity.

We were a tad too late in arriving. Many coracles could be seen along the path that led to the falls. It was approaching 2 PM and the boatman told us that a trip to see everything would take us at-least 2 hours. We didn’t want to do this as it would be too late to return and we wanted to avoid driving after dark. We negotiated for a coracle ride to some nearby points from where we could get good views.

The coracle ride was fun and we had a great time. Lot of people were taking dips in the water. The boatman dropped us on the bank opposite the point from where we started. He asked us to go to the view point. On climbing the watch tower we could see some sections of the waterfall. The setting was truly majestic! The coracles and people looked so tiny against the towering backdrop of the cliffs. Some people had set up coracle shops and were selling snacks and soft drinks. We got some memorable pictures and started on our way back to the coracle.

We were back in the car by 3 PM and the return journey proved to be smooth. A lovely sight along the way was a lush marigold field.

Masinagudi Again

My series of posts on the Jungles of South India continues. This time its a post on Masinagudi, a place close to my heart. Yes we re-visited Masinagudi in August this year during the Independence Day long weekend. The original plan was to go to Alleppey to watch the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. But we could not go as all the trains were fully booked and flights were very expensive at that point of time. Our anniversary was on 14th and we wanted to go to some nice place and relax. Suddenly Nagesh suggested why not go back to Masinagudi where we had had a good time previously. I readily agreed. We were lucky enough to get a room in Safari Land Resort as someone had cancelled their booking.

We started by 6 AM from home and were in Mysore by 9 AM. After a hearty breakfast at my home there we set out to Masinagudi. The weather was good and we managed to reach the resort by around 12 PM. Unlike last time when it was raining most of the time, this time the weather was sunny allowing us to be outdoors most of the time.

This time we were put up in a tree house next to a stream that marks the end of the resort property. The other side of the stream is the forest area. We could sit inside the tree house and gaze towards the forest. The gurgling stream provided a pleasant sound in the background.

Our first sighting was of a Crimson Backed Sunbird near the parking lot of the resort.

After having lunch followed by a siesta, we met Zo (The Nawab’s daughter-in-law) and the Nawab who welcomed us gladly. We had a cup of tea and the Nawab suggested that we could go for a walk with him to the forest if we were not tired. We agreed heartily and Zo informed us that another photographer Lakshmikanth and his wife and friends from Bangalore would be joining us. We waited for them to arrive. The Nawab showed us a nicely camouflaged nest of a Red-Whiskered Bulbul with the young ones right opposite the dining area.

We started walking enthusiastically towards the forest. As we took the diversion from the main road, we saw a Black-Rumped Flameback Woodpecker nearby at almost ground level. It was feasting on the insects present on the bark of a tree. We spent some time observing this beautiful and shy bird. The cameras in the group went into action and resulted in some brilliant pictures :)

Immediately after this was one of the best sightings that we have ever had. A Changeable Hawk Eagle said the Nawab excitedly. What a majestic bird it was! Our joy knew no bounds and Nagesh and Lakshmikanth started going closer to where the bird was perched to get better pictures. It soon grew weary of us and flew off. The Nawab managed to spot the eagle again after a short while. This time it did not notice us as it was being pestered by some pesky Bulbuls who were trying to shoo it away. They might have had young ones in the nest nearby is what we felt. Anyway this proved to be advantageous for us and resulted in some good pictures.

We then spotted some Yellow-Footed Green Pigeons far away. Since the light was not good in the place where they were perched, we could not get any pictures of them. After walking for a while we reached the ruins of an old temple. We spent a bit of time here and started on our way back.

It was approaching dusk and the wild animals would come out of their lairs. Sloth Bears and Elephants had recently been seen around this time by the Nawab. As we walked back, we could smell the presence of Elephants. We started walking together fast as we did not want an encounter with the Jumbos. The Nawab told us that he smelt Tiger Urine all around. A Tiger had passed by recently here and marked its territory with its urine! The Nawab’s jeep arrived and we were on the way back to the resort.

Suddenly we saw a juvenile Changeable Hawk Eagle being attacked by a Crested Serpent Eagle over what seemed to be a territorial conflict. Our arrival terminated the fight and we probably saved the poor bird’s life. It was wounded pretty badly and could not fly for a long time. Finally it made a mammoth effort and scurried off somehow.

After dinner we had a surprise awaiting us. Zo had found out that it was our anniversary and ordered for a cake :) We cut the cake amidst the cheers from everyone gathered for dinner. What a nice ending to our day!

We woke up early next morning and decided to go to Salim Ali’s tree nearby. As we approached the gate, we sighted a Purple-Rumped Sunbird busy hopping from flower to flower and drinking the nectar.

We had some treats awaiting us around Salim Ali’s tree. First sighting was of a Brown-Necked Raven and a huge fat Myna. Next came the Yellow-Crowned Woodpecker and the Lesser Yellow-Naped Woodpecker. A pair of Brahminy Starlings hopped on the ground. An Indian Palm Squirrel put out its tongue at us :) All in all we spent a good 2 hours here before it was time for some food.

After breakfast we had a close encounter with the Malabar Giant Squirrel which was feeding voraciously on the Guavas atop the trees. It was a pleasure watching this beautiful creature pluck the best Guavas, get it to its dining area (It was coming back to the same branch while eating!) and then start peeling the fruit vigorously. A shower of peals dropped on the ground!

We went back to the tree house and watched the trees around for any activity. We sighted a weary Mongoose who just rushed through the bushes. A pair of Scarlet Minivets were flitting nearby but at an angle where we could not get any pictures unfortunately. We managed to get some pictures of a White Cheeked Barbet which seemed to be feeding its young ones.

After a while we decided to go on a drive till Singara Coffee Estate and then towards Mudumalai. We tried spotting a Jamun tree in vain within the resort which is frequently visited by a Malabar Grey Hornbill around 11 AM daily as per the Nawab. The drive was nice but we did not spot anything except an Elephant in Mudumalai.

In the evening we went on a jeep ride with the Nawab and our new friends to the forest. We did not spot anything on this ride.

On the last morning of our stay here we decided to walk with our friends towards the Salim Ali tree as well as a path leading to the stream near Bear Mountain Resort where they had sighted birds before. We set out early. The sightings included herds of Chital Deer, Scarlet Minivets high atop Bamboo Thickets, Green Bee Eater and the Common Kingfisher.

The Salim Ali tree proved to be disappointing this time as there was absolutely no activity by the time we reached there. There are probably timings at which the birds are active here depending on the weather I guess. On our walk back to the resort we saw a Coppersmith Barbet.

Post breakfast we bid farewell to our friends who were leaving. After spending some time in the tree house observing the pet Geese of the resort playing in the stream we packed our belongings and started towards the parking lot.

Suddenly Nagesh said “Hornbill” and dropped all the stuff that he was carrying :) He immediatedly pulled out the camera and went in pursuit of this majestic bird. He came back excitedly. He had managed to get the pictures of the Hornbill as well as a Malabar Whistling Thrush which is a very elusive bird and more often heard than seen :) What a way to end the trip!

We met the Nawab who was very happy to know that we finally encountered the Hornbill. Bidding farewell to the entire family we set out at around 11 AM. We reached Mysore at around 1.30PM and had lunch at my home. We reached Bangalore at around 5.30 PM.

Masinagudi

This post is on Masinagudi, a place nestled in the lap of the Nilgiris aka the Blue Mountains. Masinagudi is a heaven for wildlife and nature enthusiasts and a birder’s paradise to boot. There was a long weekend coming up in the last week of April 2011 and we wanted to go with our friends to one of the JLR Resorts at K Gudi, Kabini or Bandipur. But none of them were available that weekend. With sore disappointment we were wondering whether we could go to any other similar place.

The thought of going to Masinagudi sprang up then and we started looking for a good place to stay there. We mailed a couple of resorts which sounded interesting. The first reply came from Zo of Safari Land Resort. They had accommodation and it suited our budget too. We decided to book tree houses for 2 nights for the sheer experience. Another interesting aspect of this place was that it is owned by Nawab Shafath Ali Khan, a former national rifle shooting champion and modern day Jim Corbett. He has shot a few man eating tigers as well. In addition to this he is also a conservationist, all of which got us very interested in the man. The four of us (myself, Nagesh, Niranj and Pratap) are nature enthusiasts and birders. With my exception the rest are into photography as well.

While we started at 7AM from Bangalore, we reached Masinagudi only by 2PM. Courtesy chaotic long weekend traffic heading out of Bangalore and some mess we created for ourselves by taking offbeat roads in Mysore. On the way we did however enjoy some lovely food at good old Maddur Tiffany’s, especially the Maddur Vadas! The road beyond Mysore is pretty scenic and dotted with lush green fields and a couple of water bodies near Nanjangud. The weather had turned rainy and visibility was low within Bandipur and the Mudumalai National Park. All in all, made for a lovely drive.

We were ravenously hungry and gobbled the lunch with great gusto before going to the tree house. It was still drizzling when we finished lunch. We then went to the tree house and it looked very cosy. Here are some pics of the resort.

After the afternoon siesta we woke up only to see that it was still raining :( It finally stopped around 5 PM and the resort people had put together a small trek to the nearby hill. One word of caution to those of you going to Masinagudi. Do carry insect repellent with you. Especially if it is raining, it is required. We remembered to apply insect repellant before venturing out and it proved to be very useful. The hill was very scenic and had a small temple at the top. The views of the Nilgiris from the top of the hill were fantastic. We spent some time here taking pictures of the landscape and the changing light during sunset.

Our “guide” for this trek told us that we could try our luck in spotting wildlife by driving down the Moyar Dam Road from Masinagudi town, especially after dark. Since we still had time for dinner, we decided to drive down that road. However, as is our wont, we did not spot anything and returned back to the resort.

We met the Nawab during dinner. The Nawab is a hearty man and is a brilliant conversationalist, especially around topics of nature and wildlife. He regaled us with many stories of his hunts and experiences! After getting to know that we are nature enthusiasts and birders, he generously offered to take us on a jeep ride to the forest the next morning for birding.

We woke up early to the mesmerizing song of the Malabar Whistling Thrush and were out near the dining area by around 6.30 AM. Nawab Saheb was already out and about. The first stop on our road was a huge tree on the main road near the resort, a favorite of the Nawab. There was a cacophony of sounds and we could see so many birds together. Black Hooded Oriole, Asian Koel, Crow Pheasant and Plum Headed Parakeets were some of the birds we caught sight of on the tree.

We took a detour from the main road to head into the forest. We spotted quite a few birds like Indian Bush Lark, Red Wattled Lapwing, White Throated Kingfisher, Spotted Dove, Red Vented Bulbul, Oriental Magpie Robin and Black Drongo. Also saw some Chital Deer having their breakfast amidst the lush green shrubs.

We had ventured into the open forest land behind the resort and at one spot, the Nilgiris looked so serene that we stopped to take some pictures and admire the beauty of this place.

The Nawab has personally modified his jeep and installed low gears, making it a high performance 4X4. To our thrill, he made the jeep climb up a small flight of stairs leading to a dilapidated house in the fringes of the forest followed by going up a mound next to the road with an incline of nearly 60 degrees. It was a memorable experience, though a little scary!

We returned back to the resort around 9 AM in time for the breakfast. The food in this resort is very homely and delicious. The Nawab’s family runs this resort and Zo, the Nawab’s daughter-in-law and Asghar, the Nawab’s son, manage most of the show. Near the dining area, we spotted a “resident” Malabar Giant Squirrel. An Oriental Magpie Robin was flitting around as we were eating.

Post breakfast, we walked back to the “Nawab’s tree” where we had been before. We spotted few more birds like Jungle Babblers, Red Whiskered Bulbul, Coppersmith Barbet, Rufous Backed Shrike, Brahminy Starling and the Grey Wagtail.

The Nawab had also told us about a tree which Salim Ali, the noted Indian Ornithologist, used to frequent whenever he visited this part of the country. It was next to a small temple further up the road from the resort. We decided to head out there to meet the inhabitants of trees, the birds :)

Initially we could not spot anything atop the tree. Slowly our eyes got accustomed to the tree and we gradually started seeing the birds. Our first prized viewing was of a Brown Capped Pygmy Woodpecker. It is a small and beautiful bird and seemed to be ravenously hungry as it munched on the berries growing on the tree.

We returned back to the resort by around 12 PM. Everyone except me went to chat with the Nawab while I was going towards the tree house with the camera. Suddenly I saw a beautiful bird which I had never seen before. I started clicking furiously so that at least one shot would come out reasonably well. The bird seemed to be posing for me for a good 2-3 minutes before it flew. I excitedly showed everyone the captures. Niranj identified it as a Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher.

It started raining again post lunch and continued for a good part of the evening. We relaxed in the resort and played a few indoor games like Carrom and Table Tennis before dinner.

We were leaving early the next morning since Nagesh was leaving for US on the same day by the evening flight. We left the resort around 6.30 in the morning and decided to make a brief stopover at Salim Ali’s tree before going back. We were duly rewarded by the presence of the colourful Coppersmith Barbet and the Oriental White Eye.

We had breakfast at Jungle Lodges in Bandipur. The plain dosa was simply out of the world! After a brief stopover at my home in Mysore and a sumptuous lunch at Kadambam we were back home in Bangalore by 4 PM.

Map

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Yercaud

This post is about Yercaud which we visited in August 2009. We spent 2 days here. We were 3 couples plus 1 kid taking a short break from work :) All of us were Club Mahindra members. So we tried booking the Lake Forest Resort in Yercaud through Club Mahindra and were lucky enough given that this was a last minute booking!

Journey

We started on a Sunday morning from our home at around 6 AM. We had decided to meet near Electronic City. However, due to some last minute delays (again!) we met up only around 8 AM. Nevertheless,the enthusiasm was evident :) Since the road was pretty empty, we cruised on the highway without any further delays. Had a quick breakfast at A2B near Hosur and were near Salem by 11.30! This highway is too good and one of our favorites. We have done quite a few drives here while going to Krishnagiri, Vellore and Dharmapuri. After crossing Salem,the climb up the hill started. There were plenty of hairpin bends to navigate. The feeling one gets in the hills cannot be matched anywhere else. I felt elated at the prospect of spending 2 days away from the crowded city. We reached the resort at around 1 PM in time for some pet pooja (lunch :)).

Lake Forest Resort

This resort is set amidst a coffee estate and has beautiful rooms whose interiors are done up in the Colonial British Raj style. Nagesh and me were very lucky to have got the only room which was part of the 200 year old original bungalow ‘Rosar’ belonging to the then estate owner Henrietta Charlotte Rosario. I felt as though I was transported back in time when I first entered our room. It was the perfect setting to sit back and read an Agatha Christie book. And I had one with me!! The four poster bed was so high that I had to climb a stool and get onto the bed :) This was my most favorite place to sit in the room for my reading. Not to be forgetting the other lovely furniture in the room which gave it that elegant yesteryear look.

Rishi, the four year kid was so excited that he was running around and very happy to play with the stuffed tiger that was kept on our bed. He couldn’t bear to part with it and took it along when it was time to go back to his room :) Relics from the raj era were strewn all over the resort. I’ll let the pics do more talking about this.

I felt the furniture just outside the room in the courtyard was so “Flintstone”ish and was perfect for us to while away some time lounging :)  We spent the evening walking around the resort and had some nice Arabietta Coffee :)

Dinner was followed by indoor games like Uno and Monopoly. Rishi was all excited and wanted me to go on playing Uno with him!! We go so busy playing Uno that even Nagesh forgot to capture pics of us playing ;) Finally we were all sleepy eyed but Rishi was all full energy and enthu!! It was some task to convince hime to stop for the night and let us all sleep :) To this day, Rishi supposedly tells everyone who comes home that the best time he’s ever had on a holiday was here as he played Uno :)

Yercaud and around

We woke up early next morning and went for a walk around the Yercaud lake which is very close to the resort. Saw an interesting signboard and we were left wondering if we were in some foreign country. Do have a look at the below pic and see for yourselves :)

Just in case you still haven’t realised what it says… That’s the “local” flavor of English and says that cycles are available for rent on a half-hourly (hofenour!) basis :) Hilarious!!

After a hearty breakfast we set forth to explore  Yercaud further. Our first destination was Pagoda point. This is a view point and the Shevaroy hills looked majestic from here. We spent some time gazing at the beauty of nature and proceeded towards the Shevaroy temple which was atop a hill. Though the temple was very small, the views from the top of this hill did not disappoint us at all.

On the way back we spotted an Orchidarium and stepped inside to have a peek. There were lots of plants here… but surprise surprise, orchids were not present :)

We went back to Yercaud lake to do some boating as Rishi wanted to go there. For the first time, Nagesh and me did boating :) Generally both of us tend to back out of any form of boating. But this time we had no choice but to follow. It was rather a case of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” ;)

As the food in our resort was nothing special, we decided to eat somewhere outside. I remembered having read about the Sky Rocca resort which had a skyway. I had seen this place when we reached Yercaud the previous day. We went there for lunch around 3 PM and the food was delicious. I happily feasted on the mini Roasted Idlis with the Chutney Powder followed by a full fledged meal. We then walked on the skyway. Only glass separated us and the looooooooong drop down. That was some experience!

It was time for us to head back to Bangalore the next morning. We decided to have breakfast outside and set ahead to Grand Palace Hotel atop a hill near the lake. The views from this hill were also lovely. With heavy hearts we started on our return journey. At Salem, Rishi and his parents went along to Pondicherry for an extended vacation while the rest of us turned back towards Bangalore. The only highlight of the return journey for me was a 5 minute stop at a sunflower field near Hosur and my long time dream of a pic of myself in a Sunflower field came true :)

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Krishnagiri

This post is on one of the first weekend trips that we did way back in September 2007. It was a Sunday morning and we were feeling restless at home. We wanted to go on a long drive. I used to follow a blog on travels around Bangalore by Alemaari. We decided to browse through the blog to see if we could figure out some place to go. Krishnagiri dam on the outskirts of the Krishnagiri town which is around 90 kms from Bangalore sounded a good proposition since the highway past Karnataka border was supposed to be great for a long drive. The blog had good amount of details about the place and the route.

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Journey

We started from home at around 2 PM after having lunch. Once we crossed the Tamilnadu border, the road changed for the better. [By the way, the roads from Bangalore on the Karnataka side of the border have since improved very much :) You do need to note that this trip of ours was well over 3 years back.] Lush green fields could be seen on both sides of the road. We saw a fort of Tipu Sultan at Shoolagiri perched on a hillock.

The Dam

This dam is built across the Thenpennai river and the views of the hills in the distance from the dam are fabulous. There are lush green gardens on one side of the dam. You need to walk for about a kilometer from the entrance gate to reach the dam. The trees on the hill opposite the dam were all shaped liked the flat umbrellas. Maybe its a characteristic common to those trees/region itself. We spent around 1 hour here and were on our way back as we had to reach home early and avoid peak traffic time.

Vellore

This post is about a trip to Vellore in Tamil Nadu. On a Saturday last year, a good friend of ours called and asked if we could go to Vellore and visit the Golden temple the next day. As we were free and had heard about this temple we decided to go :)

Given my usual habit of finding out beforehand about any place to which I plan to go, I browsed about Vellore and found that there is a beautiful fort which one should not miss when there. Saw some lovely photographs of the fort on flickr taken by a localite. Given the fact that we had planned to start from Bangalore (JP Nagar to be exact) at around 10 in the morning we felt that we might end up going only to the temple.

The drive was pretty peaceful and scenic. We reached Hosur quite soon. After Krishnagiri, we took the left turn towards Vellore. Managed to reach Vellore around 1 PM on time for lunch :)

Now we faced a queer problem at hand. We were not sure where to eat. Unfortunately I hadn’t read about the eating options in Vellore…We did enter a restaurant on the Vellore bypass road before entering the town. But our friends were not convinced of the place. So we were back in the car immediately :)

We decided to enter the town and figure out by asking people there. To our luck we saw a Sardarji on the road and asked him if he knows a good place to eat. He directed us to Hotel Darling Residency! The name of the place made us feel skeptical :) Anyway we did not have any options and decided to try the place. It is very close to the Officer’s Line which is one of the important areas in Vellore. To our surprise the place was bustling with activity and lot of people! Lot of foreign tourists were also staying there. The restaurant turned out to be pretty good. Without wasting anymore time we ordered meals and were served a full fledged South Indian meal on banana leaves :)

By the time we finished lunch it was 2.30 PM. We headed out towards the Golden temple. On the way we saw the CMC college for which Vellore is famous. On reaching the temple complex, we learnt to our dismay that it would take at least 2 hours to enter the temple as there was a long queue :( We decided to call it quits as it would delay us quite a bit and we had to start from there before 5 PM so that we could reach Bangalore at a reasonable time.

As we had some time left, we headed to the fort. The fort is quite large and in good condition. Tipu Sultan is supposed to have taken refuge here along-with his family during his war with the British. The moat around the fort adds to its beauty.

The fort houses an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva called Jalakanteshwar Temple. This has been built in Vijayanagara style. We spent some time within the temple.

Had good coffee at one of the shops housed inside the fort. There is police training camp also within the fort. Took a short walk near the walls of the fort and left as it was getting late.

Would have loved to have walked around the entire area within the fort. Alas the trip came to an end. Might head back in future with more time at leisure and see the Golden temple too! Another place nearby on my to-do list is the Yelagiri hills. A visit to both Vellore and Yelagiri could be done in a short trip of 2-3 days.

On our way back we were lucky to view a fabulous sunset!

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