In the land of the Famous five and Elizabeth Bennet

i am back to blogging after a while. And the best part of it is that i am back from a travel experience that’s going to be a part of me for a lifetime. The land of Jane Austen and her novels, the countryside that Enid Blyton described enchantingly in each of her tales, from the land where we took to this wonderful language – English.

My first visit to a place outside of India, turned out to be the place of my childhood stories and fantasies - visuals of open green landscapes, stone castles and children hanging around sipping lemonade and gorging on home-made apple pies and tarts. Well, i got to re-live all of this and i got to re-live my childhood! Nostalgia! The smell of the wet green grass by the Loch Lomond, the sight of the picturesque countryside as the train took us closer to Windsor, the sounds of the birds chirping by the Thames, all of these were right out of those books that i grew up reading. i got to live a sunny, bright, clear-skied British summer!

As I walked past the aged castle in Helensburg, with a clock tower at its face, with german shepherds, and terriers hopping past the green lawn, I visualized the famous five set on a mystery. As we walked by the lake, it drizzled lightly, the Captain from one of the steamers chirped, “This is Scotland for you. 4 seasons in an hour’s time!” The stones and boulders at the edge of the park made me wonder if Robert Frost witnessed these very lands as he wrote his poems.

Entrance of the Balloch Castle Country Park, Balloch, Scotland

Loch Lomond

Here i was, thousands of miles away from home, but as i walked past the river, it all looked and felt so familiar. i felt so much at home in a foreign land! It felt as though i’d been here before. The sight of the river with the boats anchored every few yards looked enchanting. So were the large trees standing by the river, as if telling the stories of the folks and the royalty of a bygone era.

As i get back to my mundane life, it is not technology, neither the skyscrapers that call back my thoughts. All i long to experience again is the warmth of nature, by the silent banks of the river, to lose track of time as i hear the birds tweet and see the stream flow. All i long to feel is the smell of the wet mud after a drizzle, and watch the swans float past me one after another.

A quiet evening by the Thames

This connection is here to stay. This one for a lifetime.

Find more pictures from this trip to Britain and Scotland, here.

A "night-out" at the Sholay hills, Ramnagaram!

There are many-a-places around Bangalore which nature-lovers and history-enthusiasts like me would love to visit on a free day at hand. In this post i bring to you my experiences from one such place, Ramnagaram aka the Sholay Hills.

Probably the spot from where Gabbar kept an eye on Ramgadh 

Ramnagaram is known to most people as the Ramgadh of the evergreen blockbuster of Hindi Cinema, Sholay! Yes, this is the place where Basanthi was wooed by Viru, where Jay stole glimpses of the widowed Radha, where Gabbar Singh screeched “Arey o Samba! Kitne aadmi the!”Although at a distance of just 50 kms from the city, the villages around these hills are sparsely populated and hold good their rural feel and splendour unlike most places around Bangalore. The barren, rocky hills of Ramnagaram still seem to echo of Gabbar Singh’s grunts and screeches.

Our outing was an overnight one complete with tents and a camp-fire. With torch lights by our side and muddy sleeping bags to keep us warm, we lay down in our tents. Camping overnight in the fields, under the stars, for me, was a never-before experience. The only thing visible in the dark was the faint light of a far-away lantern probably hung outside a villager's home. Away from the hustle of the city, in the eerie-silence of the fields, it was a dreamy night under the tent, like a page out of Enid Blyton’s mystery plot in the moon-lit English moorlands. Well now, this was an experience straight out of my travel-wishlist!

Sri Ramanjaneya carved on a rock

In the morning we trekked up the highest of the hills, past the Ramagiri temple from which the town gets its name. Quite a tortuous path it was for a non-trekker like me, with narrow steps carved out of rock as we neared the peak. The sprawling view from the top though, like from most hill-tops, was one worth the trek. All around were rocky hills and boulders, dotted with green shrubs, quite a treat to the eyes!

Back from the trek, at our camping site we had some nice, steaming hot South-Indian style idli-vada breakfast waiting for us. We ended the outing with some Rock climbing and Rappelling activities. It was a wonderful trip, the best part of it being the night-stay in the tent and waking up to a foggy morning in the fields. Looking to have more such trips in the lap of nature! Looking to share more such travel-experiences that did strike a chord with my otherwise not-so-easily-excited-heart!

TRAVEL TRIVIA:

Tidbit! Ramnagaram is home to Asia's second largest (silk)cocoon market 

Best Time to Travel: Round the year
Location: Bangalore-Mysore (Karnataka) State Highway 17; 

• Distance from Bangalore - 49 kms  (approx. 1 hr by road)
• Distance from Mysore - 94 kms (approx. 2 hrs by road)

Pictures from my travel to Chikmagalur

The velvety green hills of Kemmangundi, lying between the sprawling tea and coffee estates of Chikmagalur and the Bhadra Sanctuary, are a treat to the travellers' eyes.

In this collection i've put together few clicks from different places around Chikmagalur that i've travelled to - Kemmangundi, the Bhadra Sanctuary, Halebidu, and Kalasa.   I've loved each one of these scenic towns!  

The journey to Hebbe falls needs a special mention. This place was one that we initially voted against visiting, cursing ourselves through the 13 km long bumpy jeep ride on the rocky dirt track. But, walking/wading through three knee-level streams that took us to the falls in the middle of the jungle, did make us feel really thankful for opting to visit this place.  The ride to the falls too, although spine-rattlingly tiring, was very very scenic, with the green hills and tea estates all around. The Chikmagalur trip would be incomplete without this bumpy adventure!

Beauty, truely heavenly. But a place, sadly, very understated!

Find more of my travel pics at divya.nayakBhat's photostream on Flickr.

The Nilgiris.. Bandipur, Nagarhole and more..

i never was (or probably never realised i was) a serious nature enthusiast. Never been the gardener-kind. But seems like my recent trips through the forests of South Karnataka did awaken this side of me; love for nature and forests and the wild.

We've driven through different parts of the Bandipur and Nagarhole forest reserve, south of Mysore city, many a times. This includes the drives to and from Ooty in Tamil Nadu, Wayanad in Kerala and the trip to the serene Gopalaswamy Betta. And each time it's been a mesmerising experience. Be it the herds of deer grazing in the greens or the wild elephants that were at touching distance. Every single time it’s been a treat, to the eyes, ears and the soul!

There's been a sense of excitement each time we've entered the sanctuary and, not to exaggerate, but a sense of bereavement at the sight of that sign post saying “Thank you for visiting Bandipur National Park. Visit again!”, and “visit again”, i’ve always wanted to, each time i’ve been there!

A Giant Malabar Squirrel that we spotted in the jungle

These drives were enchanting, to say the least. You know it when you enter the forest. There's an amazing quietness. It seems to be just you and the sweet sound of birds chirping away happily and probably a few locusts whistling through the trees. What you feel for the rest 20 kilometres is just divine! As you drive towards Ooty, you enter the Madhumalai Forest Reserve, which is the same forest but in the limits of the Tamil Nadu state.  

The drive through Bandipur forest, towards Ooty!

A must-visit-place inside the national park is the Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, an ages-old temple atop the highest peak in the Bandipur forest, 80 kms south of Mysore. The name literally translates to the 'hill of Lord Gopal', and the fact that it's covered by fog almost throughout the year makes it ‘Himavad’. The place is frequented less by people and more by elephants and thus still holds its serenity.   Although we did not come across elephants here during our visit, we did come across fresh elephant dung as we drove to the hill top. There was a sense of excitement in the air that there were elephants around few hours before we reached the place.

Holy Cows! On our way to the Gopalaswamy Betta..

A very misty view from outside the Temple

Entrance to the Gopalaswamy Temple

Then there are those tribal settlements you come across inside the Nagarhole forest reserve. These people have been living in the forest for generations, amidst the wild animals. Their way of living is truly fascinating given the age of internet banking and online shopping that we live in. They seem not very touched by modernisation and probably live without electricity and running water. But thankfully, the governments have set up schools around the settlements in order to educate the tribal kids 

Lion Tailed Macaques around the settlement

This journey was a beautiful one. And as i write these words i long to get back to the wilderness soon. The next thing on my vacations-list is a Jungle Safari. Divine Bliss, it's gonna be!