Coorg and Kabini

Monsoons, and the Western Ghats comes alive during the time when the water starved regions, barren lands, dry forests, brown hillocks come alive in various shades of green and numerous waterfalls spring up in nook and corner of the region turning the virtual entire into a carpet of greenery. When it rains, it pours in some regions diminishing the might of the Sun for a few days and the tree canopies prevent the lesser available sunlight to pass through them to hit the forest floors thus rendering it moist always. Leeches love this environment and numerous bugs, beetles, frogs, snakes thrive during the rains. In a corner of the forest, safe from the flowing water, the might King Cobra builds its nest carefully and tirelessly to ensure its eggs hatch. Frogs and toads come out of hibernation and so does many of the smaller insects virtually infesting the whole region with their calls, songs and music. With abundance of prey around, the snakes make the most of it grabbing a meal or two, whenever it can.

The smell of the land after a good rain is probably the best fragrance you could ever sense and a lush green thriving forest is probably the best sight you could see and the calls of the birds, insects and animals is probably the best music you would hear. A complete therapeutic treat to entice all of a human’s senses and re-energize the mind and soul.

We were well aware of the fact the Kodagu region comes alive during monsoons with many waterfalls springing up and the well-known ones cascading in full force and we always wanted to explore some of them at leisure and so we did traversing through Kodagu and tracing out hidden gems that come alive mostly during the monsoons. We did visit a few and we had to skip a few more owing to short time, but nevertheless it was a rejuvenating sight that lot of people miss even though they wander so close to them. Some of these need a hike and walking through unknown terrains and the area around the waterfalls are generally slippery, so you need to exercise caution before you head out deeper into the woods. If you are not sure, then take the help of a local to accompany you as it’s easy to get lost!

Umbalagundi falls

Most of the people you would know who love traveling are either the 'single men' or the 'solo women' and its generally said, the freedom is lost after marriage and all the extra-curricular activities come to a halt!

Exceptionally, here is a couple who both love traveling and the amount of exploration they have done is immense, I would repeat immense and the content on their blog is priceless.

Here is the famous couple, Dheeraj Shenoy and Amrutha, rather known in the blogosphere world as Teamgsquare and they blog here at http://teamgsquare.blogspot.com

In a simplistic manner, they say "We generally started traveling, to spend our Sundays more efficiently and make it enjoyable . At that point (14th April 2009) ,we never imagined we would be traveling so many places." - this speaks the volume of travel they have undertaken in the last few years.

Read on for their post on a relatively unknown falls, Umbalagundi in Madikeri...

the hidden view...

Summer Spa-Umbalagundi Falls

The winding roads of Madikeri are always a pleasure to drive, anytime of the year and are always full of surprises. One of our old road trips led us to a beautiful waterfall, hidden amidst the green dense cover by the road side. Since it was summer this time, we expected less or no water at all at the falls. But to our surprise, when we stopped by to peep in to check the water level, it did not disappoint us! A trek down, about 30 feet takes us to the downstream of the waterfall. A short walk along the stream leads us to the water fall.

the starting point of descent...

The flow was average, which gave us a chance to explore the waterfall further. As we walked closer to the falls, we found a possible way to trek up and move on to the upstream side of the falls. After a few minutes, we were quite happy and excited to have reached the next tier!

closer look at the lowermost tier...

The view was mesmerizing, which made us more curious to explore further. A few steps ahead, we could see the next tier of the waterfall. We had to cross the stream in order to reach this tier and since we also found a great place to actually experience the force of the waterfall, we safely reached the rock over which the water fell with great force.

the second tier...

Slowly and carefully watching every step we took, we reached the slippery rock, sitting on which we enjoyed the water fall. It was an amazing feel especially during the summer!!!

the upper tier... summer spa

As we had time constraint, we had to end our exploration and return. An additional surprise while returning was the presence of a big fig tree which had borne fruit and the taste of it was delicious. It was Nature at its best.

the great wild Fig...

To read about our previous trip to Umbalagundi waterfalls, click here

Butterflies Part IV

Part I here
Part II here
Part III here

Let's have a look at some more of the beautiful winged jewels with those intricate patterns and designs and that flutter and soar with all pride and glamor in front of you :)


Malabar Banded Peacock butterfly
The Malabar Banded Peacock (Papilio buddha) is a species of swallowtail found in the Western Ghats of India. The wing expanse is 107–155 mm making it a large butterfly. This probably is one of most beautiful specimens I have seen till date.

Common Sailer butterfly
(Neptis hylas), sometimes known as the Common Sailer, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a characteristic stiff gliding flight achieved by short and shallow wingbeats.

Blue Mormon butterfly
The Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) is a large swallowtail butterfly and endemic to India and Sri Lanka. In India it is restricted to the Western Ghats, Southern India and the East coast. It is often seen even in the gardens and sometimes in the middle of busy traffic in large cities such as Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. The butterfly is most common in heavy rainfall areas, such as evergreen forests. Commonly found in deciduous forests and wooded urban areas, primarily due to the cultivation of its host plants, i.e. the Citrus species.

White-bar Bushbrown butterfly
The White-bar Bushbrown (Mycalesis anaxias) is a species of satyrid butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia with a wingspan of 51–60 mm.

I refer http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/ and Wikipedia for information about the butterflies.

Honey Valley Estate - Monsoon weekend

A monsoon weekend in search of frogs...

Reptiles and Amphibians are found in plenty during the rains and June-September is a good time going in search of them. Coorg is a diverse, diversity rich location and Honey valley estate is one such place full of life forms, both in the day and night! So, it was no surprise that we chose to visit the place again specifically for frogs and snakes in the rains. Jagdeesh drove me, KKT and Sandesh in his Indigo to Kabbinakadu junction and back.

Coorg / Kodagu come alive during rains, you can literally breathe the greenery around and the vistas of greens everywhere are a sight to behold. Rains during monsoon are continuous and sometimes pretty heavy, you need to be prepared to get wet and move around in the rains else you would be pretty much stuck indoors without anything to do. Leeches are again very active during this time and you need to take care as to minimize the number of bites you get ;)

Driving overnight, we reached Café Coorg near Hunsur at dawn and had a good rest before moving on as the road conditions deteriorate thereafter. We avoided taking the Gonikoppal road for two reasons, bad roads and elephant menace. Tackling elephants in the middle of the night in the rains traversing on bad to worse roads is not at all a good idea! So we chose the other route via Siddapura, Ammathi that was pretty much in the same condition, a restless rattling rain drive.

Our agenda at the estate for the day and a half we stayed was very simple, to be out in the field with your camera, you never know what you would find where and when! We checked in, had some nice tea/coffee and off we went on a trail looking for everything we could see, flowers, insects, moths, caterpillars, bees, birds, mushrooms, butterflies, shrubs, vines, trees, each and every thing that was on offer around us. If you have keen and sharp eyes, there are so many interesting things to see and observe that we generally overlook around us. 

The rains had held up for a small duration with the sun poking out teasing us and making us sweat on the trail. The estate has many trails mapped in a small book that you can choose to go on and come back safe without any guides. Each of the trails are interesting and with full of life. The sun soaking up the fresh green moss on the trunks of the tree made for some amazing vista’s that I can’t describe further. Those little droplets of water look like diamonds sparkling with the sun’s rays falling on them and the entire moss covered branch glows in the sunlight.

Rains couldn’t be far behind and while tracking our way to a waterfall nearby, we were drenched completely in the heavy downpour that lasted all of just 10 minutes! Luckily, we were pretty prepared with all rain covers, leech socks and enough wear to not get wet and not let our cameras get wet too! After a long trail and hot lunch back at the estate, a quick nap ensured all the energy was back for the night trail. In the meanwhile, while I was lazing in the courtyard enjoying the rains, a pretty Emerald dove made its appearance and vanished as quickly as it came, I could locate it no further anywhere else.

Soon after the sun sets and darkness envelops, the nocturnals make their presence felt with croaking, shrieking and hissing sounds all over the place. Crickets, Cicadas and Frogs are very vocal and their calls can be heard almost at every place. Night trail in search of frogs is very tricky if you are not aware of their behavior. In general, frogs are small in size and very skittish, the move around their territory calling aloud and warning intruders or attracting females. As soon as they realize, they are spotted they go silent and it’s a pretty long task to figure out where they are perches, either on a leaf, or a branch, or under the leaf, or on the ground…

Finally, after extensive searching and tracking, we got to see a lone Yellow Bush Frog (Raorchestes luteolus) located on a bush under a leaf croaking away to glory. The specimen’s croaking sound was so loud that you could hear it reverberate in your ears but when you see him, it’s a tiny little frog! This was the only specimen we found and we could not trace out any snakes or other frogs on our trails.

After a long productive day, we were late to bed but early to wake up the next day. Again, we went on a trail to a stream area nearby and it was pretty good the see just the stream flow, the cold water trickling down the boulders and stones making whirlpools and small rivulets, I had a good time capturing them with long exposures getting that silky effect of the flowing water stream. We got to see the same variety of frog again but in a different location and for the first time I held the tiny little fellow on my hand and it was a pretty good experience ogling at the fine details on the frog in your hand.

We left the estate at noon after bidding a customary bye to uncle Suresh Chengappa and his son and on the way we came across a dead Coral snake, pretty rare and venomous, heartbreaking indeed! At Virajpet, we met a kind hearted doctor, a brilliant photographer and a down-to-earth person, Dr Bishen Monappa (his works are amazing) at his residence. Further, on the return we took a different route to pass via Nagarahole national park. 

The entry closes by 6pm and we just made it in to pass through. The drive has to be slow and being dusk, a lot of wildlife movement happens and you need to be careful not to scare them or bump into any. The road was littered with numerous frogs and the atmosphere full of croaks and we also saw a couple of Russell’s viper on the road. Luckily, as we were ahead, we could stop and allow them to cross over being subject to some irate honking from the vehicles behind us.

Place: Honey Valley Estate

Contact: Mr Suresh Chengappa

http://honeyvalleyindia.in/

Phone: 08272-238339/200325

Route: Bangalore-Srirangapatna-Hunsur-Periyapatna-Siddapura-Ammathi-Virajpete-Kabbinakad junction (a left here on the cement road will take you to the estate about 5kms away)

Return: Kabbinakad junction-Virajpete-Srimangala-Kutta-Karmadu-Hunsur-Bangalore

Awesome Waterfall locations for that awesome adventure

Location: Unknown falls located in the Sakleshpur area of the W.Ghats, Karnataka

(a hidden falls, photo by the author)

A falls located close to a motored road yet not known to many, the falls that is all about serene and serendipity yet not many travelers are aware of it, the falls where you can get lost for hours together yet not many to disturb your peaceful stay, the falls whose clear, pure waters can fill you with freshness and life, yet many people don’t take a dip, an adventure missed by many, an adventure experienced by many, an exotic adventure bathing location that makes you quiver alive is awesome.

Location: Unknown falls nestled deep in Coorg, Karnataka

(the estate falls, photo by the author)

Coorg is one of the most preferred destinations to visit for a relaxing holiday, for that hill station getaway, for an adventure weekend, for river rafting, for virgin forests and lush green estates, for that rich wildlife and colorful birdlife, for those trekking trails and for more alive is awesome experiences.

A remote falls located within a lush green coffee estate in Coorg - aptly called the Scotland of India that can be visited any time of the year and reaching here needs a mild trek worth all the effort and time. The falls gorge down from a decent height and located in Coorg, the waters are chill enough to send shivers down your spine and bathing / swimming here is sure an adventure in itself. Standing below the plunging falls, soaked in the creamy white waters, exhaling those roars of joy; the pains and pangs vanish with the flow of water infusing you with freshness, energy and life every time you take a plunge making it an alive is awesome experience none the less.

Location: Sangama and Mekedatu, Karnataka

(the wide river before narrowing, photo by the author)

This cannot be classified as a waterfall location but merely a flowing stream at Sangama that becomes wild and adventurous as it reaches Mekedatu making it a destination for adventure here. While the river Kaveri flows wide enough for bathing and swimming at Sangama, the river shortens to flow through a deep narrow 10 meter wide gorge thereby increasing the force and intensity of the flow and it flows through a deep ravine of hard granite rock making it an extremely dangerous place to get down into.

Adventure, when in limits and with safety measures is a thrill and memorable but when done without the concern of safety leads to loss of life and this exactly happens here. But nevertheless, for all the people who take care of themselves and stretch to their adventurous limits, it’s an awesome location that is a true example of having an alive is awesome experience. Watch the video to live the alive is awesome moments from Mekedatu.

Also do have a look at these amazing alive is awesome videos from Cinthol:

1. The Polar Plunge Bath

2. The Geyser Bath

3. The Desert Shower Bath

4. The Ocean Bath

5. The Deep Cave Bath

6. The Elephant Bath

7. The Waterfall Bath

8. The Village Bath

Awesome waterfall bath destinations – Coorg and Kudremukh

Place: Scotland of India – Coorg

Irpu / Irupu falls

Well, nestled in the pristine Western Ghats of Karnataka and home to some rich evergreen forests and an amazing climate, rich in biodiversity – be it summer, winter or the monsoon, the land of aromatic coffee and the estates, the birthplace of river Kaveri, the terrain of undulating mountain peaks, the land of shola forests and barren hillocks, the land of mesmerizing greenery, the land of the beautiful Kodava tribes, the land of warriors and the place not to be missed is Coorg. Coorg is home to some of the finest waterfalls located amidst thick jungles and some of them thrive round the year and some prosper particularly during the monsoons.

(Photograph by the author)

On one such casual visit to Coorg, we happened to visit the Irpu falls after obtaining permissions from the forest department as it’s located in a wildlife sanctuary. There was dew in the air and chillness in the breeze as we made our way on the moss infested concrete steps laid out for easier access to the falls. Songs of the birds and the roars of the river were the only sounds we could hear as we moved on feasting upon the rich green covered hillocks in the surroundings that we could see. Irpu looked ravishing from the viewpoint and as we moved ahead, we reached a place much closer where actually the little pellets of water were splashing on to us. Getting drenched slowly by those numerous little pellets, we needed no further invitation to get in right away and within minutes the ice cold water had us soaked and chilled our spines with no mercy and all that we could hear was the continuous chattering of our teeth. Slowly as we moved towards the base of the majestic falls, the thundering splash made us quiver for an instant but later turned out to be a awesome massage relieving us of all the fatigue and filling us with some energy and loads of freshness, we went in tired and came out quivering with freshness and joy, a true blue alive is awesome bathing moment.

Place: Kudremukha, Karnataka

Hanumangundi falls

(Photograph by the author)

Kudremukha is a well known tourist destination located in the lap of Western Ghats in Karnataka, an earlier iron-ore mining area now rich with wildlife after the mining has ceased. It’s a major trekking destination and home to thick dense forests making its terrain pretty difficult to navigate. Kudremukha shines in the finest of glory when it rains and sends shivers down your spine in the winters and attracts huge crowds to its folds and not to the mention it has a lot of hidden treasures in the form of streams, valleys and waterfalls. Hanumangundi falls is pretty well known and visited by many people and easily accessible. The water here is bone-chilling and a dip refreshes the senses no end and a shower beneath the thundering falls makes you forget your pain and misery and fills you up with enthusiasm, freshness and life, its an testimony for being an alive is awesome moment.

(Video by the author)

Both the above mentioned falls have similar characteristics and makes you forget your pain, fatigue and fills you with freshness and life. You may ask why?

Let me tell you both of the river sources originate in dense forests and travels through untouched, pristine nature filling themselves with rich mineral properties and are pretty much clean and thankfully away from pollution. The pain and fatigue that we carry along are removed when the thundering falls roar upon you cleaning you with the pristine crystal clear waters rich in minerals and natural elements and in the process filling you with freshness and energy making you cherish those alive is awesome moments for a lifetime.

More videos of "Alive is Awesome" here - www.youtube.com/cinthol

Butterflies Part III

Part I and II respectively here and here...


Danaid Eggfly butterfly
The Danaid Eggfly, Mimic, or Diadem (Hypolimnas misippus) is a widespread species of nymphalid butterfly. It is well known for polymorphism and mimicry. Males are blackish with distinctive white spots that are fringed in blue. They are found across Africa, Asia, and Australia.



Common Leopard butterfly
The Common Leopard (Phalanta phalantha) is a sun-loving butterfly of the Nymphalid or Brush-footed Butterfly family. It is a medium sized butterfly with a wingspan of 50–55 mm with a tawny color and marked with black spots. The underside of the butterfly is more glossy than the upper and both the male and female are similar looking. Sun loving and avoids shade (Sorry for the lousy shot with the wings closed, it looks dramatically beautiful with intricate spots all over the body when the wingspan is open).



Pea Blue butterfly
The Peablue, Pea Blue, or Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus) is a small butterfly found in Europe, Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Australia that belongs to the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged family. The wingspan is 24-32 mm for males and 24-34 mm for females.



Gray Pansy butterfly
The Gray Pansy (Junonia atlites) is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia. The least common pansy in India, found at low elevations in regions of heavy rainfall. It’s frequently seen in paddy fields, seldom in jungles and never in dry areas. Visits flowers of various plants.

(another shot of this beautiful butterfly with a better view)

Butterflies Part II

Some more butterflies in part II of the series...

Common dart butterfly

The Common Dart (Potanthus pseudomaesa) is commonly known as the Indian Dart or Pseudomaesa Dart, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It’s abundant in the hills and jungles and in fairly wet regions. A fast and powerful flier, it settles frequently on flowers and leaves.

Three spot grass yellow butterfly

Three-spot grass yellow (Eurema blanda) is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, i.e., the Yellows and Whites found in India. A butterfly of lowland forests and resembles the common grass yellow.

Chocolate pansy butterfly

The Chocolate pansy (Junonia iphita) is also known as the Chocolate soldier is a butterfly found in Asia. Individuals maintain a territory and are usually found close to the ground level and often bask in the sun.

Fulvous pied flat butterfly

Fulvous pied flat (Pseudocoladenia dan) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. An inhabitant of moist, cool and dense jungles, it visits flowers, bird droppings frequently and water rarely. It’s fond of basking in the sun on the upper surface of leaves close to the ground. With extremely rapid flight, it makes long lasting aerial sorties occasionally in shady clearings.

Part I here...

Honey Valley Estate, Kodagu

Got to know about this retreat from the always helpful Aravind, Sankara and Amit. Called up Suresh of Honey Valley Estate, Coorg and after a long discussion booked the 2 thatched huts for the weekend for 3 of us as Raja was not in and me, Guru and Nag were supposed to go.

Honey valley estate is located near Kabbinakad junction in the heart of Kodagu(Coorg) district, about 250kms from Bangalore. Finally Guru also dropped out and out went the idea of biking to this place, finally we traveled by the ever dependable KSRTC services. Karnataka Sarige express buses ply directly from Bangalore to Kabbinakad junction and Virajpet is the nearest point if you prefer to travel the Airavata way and from there lot of private buses travel on these routes.

(Shot by Nag who says has no interest in shooting but lifts my camera stealthily and fires a couple of shots...)
Generally thatched huts are not let out to the general visitors as they are very basic, rustic and would not suit people looking for comfort, but we managed to convince Suresh that we would be fine and we enjoyed staying in the hut. You don't need an AC when the chill wind blows from all 4 sides right :)

As we traveled by bus, either we had to hire a jeep or walk up the distance till the homestay from Kabbinakad junction and no guesses for what we opted for! Landed prior to 6am at Kabbinakad junction and the weather still being gloom, cloudy and dark. Rested at the post office till traces of light appeared and then started the uphill early morning walk towards our destination.

Concrete roads are laid till the parking lot from where only 4*4 vehicles traverse for the rest couple of kms. As we ascended slowly taking our time, we were treated to some wonderful valley views and vistas with the sun trying to break cover from the clouds and in constant companion of the chirping birds.

As you proceed ahead, we first get to see the Chingaara property, a little more luxurious than the Honey valley estate property that is managed by Suresh Chengappa's son. Past this and uphill further, we finally reached the homestay, a little tired but worth the effort nevertheless. Stunning vistas awaited us and we loved the locale no end, absolutely wild, in midst of thick estates and hills surrounding you closer to the Tadiandamol peak (Kakkabbe, the place where we started for Tadiandamol was hardly couple of kms away from Kabbinakad junction).

We had plans to wander out to visit a couple of waterfalls nearby as we are so well known, our laziness played a domineering role and so it ended that for the time we were there, we went nowhere except for a small hike behind the property :)

Well, there are lot of trails in and around the property and they have documented it and made a small handbook of it, great! But, as it should be, whatever books you carry, you should follow your instincts to not get lost and if lost too, use back your instincts to get back and that's what most of the casual travelers won't do. The trails are smaller and bigger taking hours to a complete day and it sure is a wonderful experience in itself.

Food served at Honey valley is more of a general cuisine rather than a Coorgi delight, We discussed about this with Suresh and he had a valid point in saying people prefer it this way and the lot of foreigners to who visit this place. The home made jam and honey were a real treat as were the locally prepared chocolates.

Leeches were omnipresent everywhere and probably for the first time not one bit me and all thanks to the Ruggers socks that I wore. Just recovering from an bad foot infection, I didn't want to take any chances and so was well stocked and it worked. Poor Nag bore all the brunt of few bites he got all over and some in places you can't believe :)

Birding was sparse and limited with the cloudy weather not helping, but still a few walks and patient waiting yielded a few results, I would need to visit here only for bird watching sometime soon. The sunbirds were all over the place, so as the wagtail, wagging nonchalantly. The Parakeets were a real treat hovering all around with their tweet tweets and so did I got a glimpse of Asian Fairy bluebird couple in the open, but at a distance.

We thought we had just come in and it was already time to move, we left the place with an absolute no liking to go back... it happens to us always :) We took more than a couple of hours to reach the main road buttering all the way slowly downhill. What I meant is watching those lovely little butterflies and trying to capture them whenever I could. If you are behind butterflies, an hours journey will easily take more than a couple and we had planned ample time for that. Nag was patient enough accompanying me and that's the bonding in our group (however wrong our thoughts may be, they never let me down in the field, blessed to have such pals!).

We took the local bus to Virajpet and after the dinner at the local eatery (till now I have not been able to figure out a good veggie eating place in Virajpet :() boarded the Airavata Volvo towards Bangalore. Rode back home from the SMTC bus stand (KSRTC Mysore road bus terminal) on Nag's bike that we had parked there and thus ended our eventful Kodagu visit.

Butterflies are added to my new list of interests and they never cease to amaze me. Being the size of my thumb and how gorgeous they are created, those intricate patterns, looks like a designer crafted their wings. There are separate posts showcasing these butterflies and that portfolio is rapidly expanding. Few of them that I have succeeded in identifying are:-
Blue Tiger
Grey Pansy
Common Hedge Blue
Gladeye Bush Brown
Common Dart
Three Spot Grass Yellow
Chocolate Pansy
Fulvous Pied Flat
Blue Mormon
...and wish I had the patience to see more!


Bird check list:-
Cattle Egret
House Crow
Jungle Crow
Greated Coucal
Jungle Mynah
Hill Mynah
White Cheeked Barbet
Coppersmith Barbet
Purple Rumped Sunbird
Crimson Backed Sunbird
Grey Wagtail
Black Drongo
Ashy Drongo
Racquet Tailed Drongo
Rose Ringed Parakeet
Plum Headed Parakeet
Malabar Parakeet
Vernal Hanging Parrot
Malabar Grey Hornbill
Orange Minivet
Laughing Dove
Spotted Dove
Oriental White Eye
Red Whiskered Bulbul
Red Vented Bulbul
Yellow Browed Bulbul
Eurasian Blackbird
Asian Fairy Bluebird

Info:-
Honey Valley Estate - http://honeyvalleyindia.in/AboutUs.html
Chingaara - http://www.chingaara.com/aboutus.html
Contact - Suresh Chengappa
Phone - 08272 238339 / 200325