Natural Forces

Whenever I go to the beach / river / on a hilltop my heart feels the exalted sensation. The flowing fresh air passing over my body , sound of waves , fragrance of the jungle coming from the hills. The fury of the natural forces scares my mind ; still I cannot control the curiosity . They are behaving in their natural way . The crackling thunder strike , striking clouds on a hilltop and roaring waterfall all are mystic and living proof of the God is here with us and within everything in miraculous way. Every one is different , decorated in different colours, shapes , sizes ..  It maybe a tiny delicate fern leaf or a grand cliff.
One thing is sure the sheer size makes an impact. And none can beat the Kokan Kada of Harischandragad, Sandhan gorge, mountain wall of Alang , pinnacle of Lingana , Kaas (flowers) pathar . Every one of them is unique and casts a spell on me for lifetime. When I go there "i" melts and become the place itself. The collective beauty of elements created these landscapes over centuries. What I have is the mind to appreciate it . Somewhere deep down this I is also part of this bigger landscape ( us ) . Collective formation of elements or clashes attract my mind. Obviously it is made from them only so it is bound to drag me there to be a part of it. But sometime I am too much scared to see the dark depths. The fear of the unknown.
The deconstructed constructions of modern world always takes away the peace. Only the silence of night brings back peace. On the contrary when we go in the sanctuary of nature I return to normality .

Dubare Elephan Camp

DUBARE ELEPHANT CAMP , KARNATAKA

I read a lot about it on the internet and in tourism guides. So I thought let's visit it. Anyways my dear daughter was super excited to wash elephants with her hands. It was our second day of the vacation. And we were staying in the palace city Mysore. We woke up early to leave the city.  Climate was really pleasing. I was in no mood to leave the city. But we had many more surprises throughout the day.  As soon as we left the beautiful city we saw these pink coloured mangoes in line on highway.
We bought some to our ardent mango lover daughter. And again vroomed the car. The road is absolute dream. So smooth like butter ! ( don't take it literary ) I was having the pleasure of driving in the countryside.

The countryside is a peaceful change to my eyes. And being from the village I love the farms , trees , farmers is nostalgic. Even though we are a nation of villages our life is so engrossed in the work; that hardly get time for rustic life. So this was a slice of that life.

House structure also changes en route to Dubare. This is a high rainfall zone so roofs are slanted. And a few houses I saw covered with mud in a different pattern. Indeed photogenic! And yes utilitarian rather than show off.

We reached there around 8.00 a.m. I read in the guide book that we have to be there before 8.30 a.m. to witness the bathing ceremony. So here we reached. Looooong long line was there on the river bank for waiting to cross the other side. Some rubber boats and launches were ferrying the river to help people cross the river Cauveri. The charge is somewhere around 50 rs per person. Also there is parking charge for your car in the bustling place.

She loves to see to travel ; it maybe boat or a railway. A die hard traveler. Every bit of the journey was fun for her. My driving was fruitful when she first touched the baby elephant. Their bath was just concluded. Fortunately we reached there to see the ceremony .

Afterwards we climbed up to the campsite. There were more than 10 elephants. Some where just freshly bathed. Other were enjoying their breakfast. So many people standing in the line to have an elephant ride. We avoided that.  Anagha had a chance to touch elephant and his huge tusk. It was father's day. I was delighted to gift her an opportunity to spend time with elephants.

This place is close by to Mysore on Coorg road. You can see coffee estates en route  and also Bylkuppee ( Monastry of Tibetian Buddhists ). A one day tour from Mysore can be easily done. But two days will be ideal and relaxed. You can shop fruits, food products ( local ) , fruit wines etc.... 
Having own vehicle is the best on this route ; so you can stop anywhere to enjoy the scenery. There is one lotus pond in between Bylakuppe and Dubare. 

Namdroling Monastery

 

Mysore Zoo

Mysore Musing

SUNDAY TRAVELER

Morning travel and no one is around except a few people walking or rare interruption by a car. The whole road is goes long long ahead through scenic vistas. A treat to eyes and all senses.