Rangantathittu is 15kms north of Mysore and is accessible to scores of bird lovers from Bangalore to make an easy day trip. It was advocated by India’s famous Ornithologist Salim Ali and was established in 1940. Bird lovers can forever be thankful for this lovely sanctuary – hordes of visitors throng this sanctuary to get their fill of birdlife.
Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary is fascinating. Birds supposedly come from as far away as Siberia and Australia during migratory season. Vast colonies of birds make this an ideal destination for one to observe various bird behaviors. Time flies by as one observes these amazing creations in their natural habitat.
Six islets have been created to provide the best possible environment for migratory birds for breeding & feeding. Visitors can rent boats to get close to the islets which houses several colonies of these birds. During our visit last week (mid-Jan), the most common birds sighted were Openbilled Storks, Black Cormorants, River Terns, Painted Storks, Little Egrets, Night Herons, Spot billed Pelicans, Darters. I missed sighting the Stone Plover however. Apparently a lot of other varieties such as Kingfishers, Hornbills, Wagtails and many other species can also be found. Marsh Crocodiles were lazing on the rocks. While I spotted a Golden-Oriole, I could not get a clear shot of the bird. However two River Terns who have gotten quite accustomed to humans getting so close, allowed for some really wonderful shots (one closeup shot below in article). [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
Bird Sanctuary,
birding,
Birds,
Karnataka,
Ranganathittu
Topslip is located in the Anaimalai Forest Range bordering Tamilnadu and Kerala. The erstwhile Anaimalai Wildlife Santucary is now known as IGWS – Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary. A Forest Preserve, this range houses a variety of wildlife and birdlife. Wild elephant and bison sightings are quite common. Quoting from an article in The Hindu, “The IGWS and National Park harbours over 250 species of birds of 49 families and is enormously rich in other biodiversity. According to the latest reports India is home to nearly 1,300 bird species in the diverse habitats.” The neighboring Parambikulam Sanctuary is to the West of Topslip in Kerala.
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Tagged as:
Anaimalais,
Elephant,
forest,
Safari,
TopSlip,
wildlife
Half way between Kullu and Manali, adventurers get an adrenaline rush by jumping from a 2000M cliff to enjoy Paragliding. Those who dare are rewarded with a birds eye view of the most incredible scenery – snow capped mountains, the river Beas in the Kullu valley, the villages of Sarsei and Chakri and the neighboring pine forests. Beginners needn’t worry – tandem jumps with experienced jumpers are available.
[This post was contributed by Vijay Ramanathan - a Technology/Gadget enthusiast and Blogger. You can follow his tweets at http://twitter.com/tekdude & his blog at http://tekdude.wordpress.com/ ]
Tagged as:
Himachal Pradesh,
Himalayas,
Kullu-Manali,
Paragliding
GPS or Global Positioning System is a means for finding the accurate position of a person/device through a receiver anywhere on the Earth. GPS provides a Latitude/Longitude for position that can be used in a wide variety of applications from Navigation to getting Yellow Page Information in a neighborhood.
GPS is owned and operated by the US Military and was opened in the 80’s for civilian commercial use and is free of cost to use for anyone who has a GPS receiver. [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
GPS,
Navigation
Symmetrical designs, kaleidoscopic in nature, dominate the front face of beautifully preserved Steam Engines at the National Rail Museum located at Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. A great place to learn and view India’s Railway Legacy. Makes a great family outing.
[This post was contributed by Vijay Ramanathan - a Technology/Gadget enthusiast and Blogger. You can follow his tweets at http://twitter.com/tekdude & his blog at http://tekdude.wordpress.com/ ]
Tagged as:
Delhi,
steam engine
This street vendor is one of many – selling vegetables during season in the main market in Leh, Ladakh. One has to wonder – how many Ladakhi winters has this woman weathered?
[This post was contributed by Vijay Ramanathan - a Technology/Gadget enthusiast and Blogger. You can follow his tweets at http://twitter.com/tekdude & his blog at http://tekdude.wordpress.com/ ]
Tagged as:
Ladakh,
Leh
Driving in..
We entered Udaipur at dusk after a satisfying visit to Chittaurgarh. Udaipur is known by many monikers - the Venice of the East, City of Lakes, the most Romantic destination in the country etc.. We cannot wait. As the sun sets, we can see the outlines of the Aravali range leading us into Udaipur.
We had booked ourselves in Lake Pichola Hotel – affordable, yet on the banks of Lake Pichola. We navigate through some pretty narrow streets to get to the hotel and check in (We did not take our cars out for the next few days). We got rooms literally next to the lake. We were thrilled at hearing the lake water gently lap the parapet wall, right outside our rooms.
Tagged as:
Lake Pichola,
Rajasthan,
Udaipur
Chittaurgarh was not a planned trip. Our original plan of visiting Jodhpur was put on hold and our destination was changed to Udaipur when we found out that Lake Pichola was brimming with water. This was in October ‘05. Thanks to the incredible State Highway between Kishangarh and Udaipur , we had to pass by Chittaurgarh! Chittaurgarh was a last minute decision to visit when we learnt that this was the largest fort in India. Chittaurgarh is 120kms east of Udaipur.
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Tagged as:
Fort,
Rajasthan
- ~ 14,000 Feet above sea level
- 134 km long
- Around 5km at the widest point
- Roughly 6o% of it is in China and the rest in India
- An Endorheic Lake – meaning it is a closed drainage basin that retains water without any outflows to rivers or oceans
- The lake freezes completely in the winter in spite of being salt water!
A Dramatic Drive
The Journey
The 150km distance takes around 5-1/2 hours. Getting out of Leh (11,500 feet), the scenery unfolds. Within a short drive, one passes through the summer residence of the Dalai Lama, thebeautiful Sindhu Ghat next to the Indus River, the centuries old monasteries of Shey Palace and the Thiksey Gompa. These monasteries are perched on hilltops offering a place for monks to embark on a life of learning in the most serene environments. Then comes the climb into Zingral, ChangLa; the descent into Dubruk, TangTse, Lukung & finally Pangong Tso.
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Tagged as:
Himalayas,
Ladakh,
Pangong Tso,
Road Signs
