Year 2010 - Memorable traveling moments

2010!! Phew!! What an year, as far as travel is concerned. 

When I started this blog, the caption for the title "Road to Destiny" was "tours and trips around Bangalore" . The year 2009 broke the barrier and I made my first north India trip for 10 days. I, then updated the caption as "tours and trips in India". Then the year 2010 came in and took me even farther, across the country; I visited France and Denmark. So now the caption is just "blog about my tours and trips". 

It all started with a wonderful wildlife experience when I did a Tiger census for three days in Rajiv Gandhi national park in Jan 2010 ; then a 10 days travel to Paris and Copenhagen(Denmark) in June; 11 days trip to North India in Aug; a couple of days trip to Goa in Sep; and few drives to the places like BR hills, K.Gudi, NagarahoLe,Yalagiri hills, Ranganathittu, Lepakshi and Nandi hills.

This post highlights, few of the memorable places that I visited, of course through photographs!

One of the sunsets in Nagarahole, while I went for Tiger Census, during Jan 2010 which setup my 2010 for an eventful journey

Paris and Copenhagen (Denmark)

It was a memorable moment indeed when I stepped out of the flight in Paris; I never thought that France would be the first country to be visited outside India! I then flew to Denmark for 6-7 days where my friends stayed. It all started with a gtalk chat when I was chatting with one of my friends who was onsite working in Denmark; The entire trip was planned in just a couple of days and I was all set to experience my first international trip (with my own money). I visited Paris for a couple of days. It was a beautiful summer season in Paris. The longer days gave me enough time to explore as many places as possible. It was also a day when French Open's final was played at Roland Garros stadium. We sat in an open air theater to watch Nadal win in  that finale. Apart from the hassles with vegetarian food I really enjoyed my stay at Paris.

Denmark on the other side, was raining, and it was a bit cooler compared to Paris. The life in Copenhagen seemed very slow but soothing. I rented a bicycle for a couple of days. Riding on the bicycle and exploring few places around was a good experience. These are few of my favorites photographs from that memorable trip.

1. With the breeze on the banks of the river Seine, it was an amazing view of The Eiffel Tower from a brigde

Versailles Palace, Paris

2. Versailles Palace, Paris

3. It was a great experience exploring the historical Louvre Museum, Paris

4. People pray at Notre Dam church, Paris

(4.a) Notre Dam Church, Interior view

5. Nyhavn, the 17th century waterfront - Copenhagen, Denmark

6. A bicycler heading to work in Copenhagen, Denmark

6.a Another bicycler heading back to home in the evening, Copenhagen Denmark

7. City Center of Copenhagen, Denmark; people hang out here in the evening and enjoy the shows from street performers

8. Copenhagen city has close to 40% of people using the bicycle as their transport; Almost every house has a bicycle

9. A church in Copenhagen, Denmark

   

North India trip - Aug 2010

We planned for Leh; there were floods ripping villages apart around Leh. We planned for Valley of Flowers; there were cloud bursts ripping the roads apart. We stopped planning but still headed towards Delhi thinking some plan might come up. 4-6 hours of discussion and planning sitting outside Indira Gandhi Airport, Delhi finally yielded some plan. Through this discussion we thought about all the options, like Rajasthan, Shimla, Sikkim, relief work in Leh(!!!!) etc etc. Finally the only thing worked out was a trip to Manali. After we reached Manali we planned for a trip along Tibetian border, from Manali to Shimla; covered Lahul and Spiti valley visiting lot of monasteries and enjoying the delicious Tibetian dishes. We went to places like Manali, Chandratal lake, Spiti Valley, Nako, Tabo, Kalpa, Shimla and Chandigarh. 

In spite of every obstacles and the threats of weather, we headed for this trip and it turned out to be the one to be remembered for a longer time! Kudos to the group!

10. A day spent at Manali with my gang; It rained heavily during the time we visited the place. God's grace, whenever we were out it didn't rain

11. Prathima, jumps with joy at Chandratal Lake near Manali; The lake looks amazing in the middle of few dried up and few snow covered mountains; the place was serene!

12. Landscape at Lahul and Spiti valley; there are some oldest villages in these areas.

13. This is me standing on a rock at Langcha peak; Lahul and Spit valley is really worth the travel!

14. A view from Langcha Peak in Lahul and Spiti valley

15. A Gonpa at Ki Monastery served us a hot tea which relieved all of us from whole day's stress

16. A monastery at a place called Tabo in Lahul and Spiti valley

(16.a) It was certainly the best evening we had in our north India trip; Tabo monastery is surrounded by tall hills and on a moon lit evening it really feels to be heaven. A must visit!

17. Few kids near Dhangkar, a 1000 year old Monastery; the tourist usually bring cookies or chocolates to the kids in village and the kids enjoy it

18. Buddha Statue at a monastery in Kalpa, North India

19. Reflections.. A lake in a village called Nako, one of the oldest villages. Explored during a trip to Spity and Lahul valley in a route from Manali to Shimla

 20. A night view from Ki Monastery in Spiti and Lahul valley; It was a moon lit evening and this shot was taken with 20 seconds exposure, with camera on a compound

21. Shimla, wasn't as cold as we would have thought, but it was a pleasant experience exploring Mall road

22. Traveling in toy train from Shimla to Kalka was great fun; we had one whole compartment for our group

23. A lake in Chandigarh; It was absolutely hot and humid in Chandigarh. All I did was sit under a tree and take a nap

24. I traveled to Goa to attend one of my best friends, Lawrence's engagement on Sep 18 2010 at Maupsa, Goa

25. Miramar beach, Goa during September 2010; beaches were empty with no tourists around

26. It rained a hell lot in Goa this season

27.A Bison gives us a stare at Nagarahole forest, while we drove one early morning inside the forest;  There were quite a few drives to wildlife around Bengaluru

 29. Few trips around Bengaluru to explore architectures and temples This one is around Bhoganandiswara Temple, Nandi grama (close to Bengaluru)

   29. During Tiger Census, we heard the roar of a tiger in a huge field; we waited to get the glimpse of it; but it never turned up or seen even at a distance; meanwhile we did some model photography :-)

       30. One of those beautiful evenings; at Manchinabele Dam near Bengaluru; Bidding bye to 2010 and welcoming new year 2011. Hope it brings glory in every one's life. Wishing you all the best of life ahead! Happy new year!!

   

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary - Collection

If anyone asks me how many times have I visited Ranganathittu bird sanctuary, I really won't be able to answer because it is innumerable. My visits to this place have always been for a purpose of bird watching and photography, of course! Situated at around 125 KM from Bengaluru and 3 KM from historical Sri Ranganapattan, Ranganathittu is a small bird sanctuary along the river of Kaveri (since 1940). The islets formed out of the Kaveri river (after the KRS dam was built) form an important nesting grounds for birds. The sanctuary attracts lot of migrants throughout the year. Though the best time to visit the place is said to be from March to May, I would say throughout the year you will be able to spot lot of birds (except some migrants which are seasonal). Early morning would be the best time to visit, because either you will find only nature lovers along with you or you will be the lonely visitor in the early morning. Otherwise, rest of the day you would find the place chaotic(most of the times), with people screaming and shouting or playing in the lawns.

Bird Life in Ranganathittu:
Common Kingfishers, Pied king fisher, White Ibis, Openbilled and Painted Storks, Wagtails, Magpie Robin, Red Whiskered bulbul, Pelican, Paradise Fly Catchers, Grey hornbills, Night heron and Pond herons, Little Cormorant, Indian Peacocks.. (the list goes on)

The photographs will keep on piling up on top of the archives, because my visits to this place are going to continue as long as I am around Bengaluru. I hope the readers/visitors of the blog like this collection and hope this adds to your love for nature and bird life. 

Most of these shots are taken with following equipments:


     

1. A beautiful winter Morning, covers the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary and the fields around with a thick fog; when the Sun rises above the horizon the fields get a golden bathing

2. The fields along side the river provide a good habitat for lot of birds which are seen throughout the year

3. The early morning mist dripping down as a droplet 

4. Morning is the best time to visit the sanctuary as there will be less visitors giving you an opportunity to go around and take a lot of pics patiently. Also boating (250rs for a 8 seater) would help you go close to the habitats of migrant birds

5. Commonly found bird at the sanctuary; River Tern rests on a rock in an islet of the Kaveri river, on an early morning

6. Pelican in flight; these Pelicans are huge in size and when they fly you can actually hear the sound of their wings pulling the wind back

7. Little Cormorant: It is always such a delight to see this bird's flight, and it flies tangential to the water looking for fishes

8. Eurasian Spoonbill in flight

9. Eurasian Openbilled Storks sitting on a tree, seen cuddling each other

10. Eurasian Spoonbill in flight

11. Common Kingfisher on a dried up branch

12. Night Heron waits for it's prey while making sure it is getting shade

13. Magpie Robin, not a very shy bird; gives enough opportunities for a photographer

14. King of the sanctuary: Pied Kingfisher waits for a fish hunt on a broken tree branch

15. Birds: Great Thick Knee

16. River Tern, turning its head before scratching it's back ;-)

17. Painted Stork in flight

18. Indian Grey Hornbill; Hornibills are very beautiful birds to watch; a  number of species of hornbills are threatened with extinction

19. A small birdie (may be a Sun bird or yellow wagtail?), in a cultivated field; I somehow feel very happy seeing this picture though there is nothing great in it. I love the bird in its solitude and there is a whitish grass over the bird's head as if it is an umbrella.

20. How can I forget this picture which won me a consolation prize at Canon Go Green competition Bangalore; A tiny droplet shows the green landscape along side the bird sanctuary