Click on the album for a full-size view.

Shot with my Canon PowerShot SD850IS on the way back from Sunrise Valley, Wayanad, Kerala.

A friend and I recently ascended Chembra Peak. A few photos from our trek.

A view of Chembra Peak (the one in the distance) from the banks of the heart-shaped lake, half-way up the mountain. This view is deceiving because there are three mini-peaks (can’t be seen from this viewpoint) to climb up before you ascend the final peak. The real climb begins from here — most who visit Chembra Peak return back from this point.

This is my favorite shot.



I’d recommend that you watch the below photoset in full screen mode. These photos don’t justify the sheer scale of Nature out here. You have to experience it by being there.



Again from the heart-shaped lake, but looking to the left of Chembra Peak.

Avinash, Anoop, and I recently trekked up Tadiyandamol. It’s an easy to moderate climb with breathtaking landscape all around. Pictures follow.

Where to stay near Tadiyandamol?

Kavery Estate Stay
Kolakeri Village and P.O.
Napoklu — 571214

www.kaveryestatestay.com; www.homestaykodagu.com; kaveryestatestay@yahoo.com; Tel: 08272 237270

The hospitality and warmth shown by the owners of Kavery Estate Stay is incredible. I’d give this homestay a 5-star rating.

On a recent trip to Wayanad, we stayed at:

Hotel Haritagiri
Kalpetta, Wayanad, Kerala
Tel: +91 4936 203145/46/47/48

We checked-in at 04:30 AM on Day 1 and checked-out at 09:00 AM on Day 2 (pretty odd hours and we did cross the 24-hour mark). We asked to be billed for a single day. The person at the front desk was empowered to make this decision and he obliged. Counts as a “Wow!” experience in my books.

The hotel itself is pretty decent — clean and good enough for a night’s sleep. The food, however, isn’t up to the mark. You’re better off eating at the Woodlands nearby.

It really wasn’t an easy task to get these beauties to pose for a picture!








Shot with my Canon PowerShot SD850IS half-way up the Shravanabelagola hillock.

Mouth watering!

Shot with my Canon PowerShot SD850IS @ the foothills of Shravanabelagola.

Previously, you saw me jumping around Coonoor here. That was a very self-centred post featuring me, me, and only me. The real beauty of Ooty and Coonoor follows!

The last photograph is ample evidence of The Notary’s perseverance when faced with a challenge. The challenge in this case was to take a clear photograph of the waterfall (seen in the penultimate image) by using the camera with a telescope in front! Needless to say, The Notary won hands down and I am poorer by a pizza!

Experiments in creativity:

Created using Google’s Picasa 2.



Created using Scrapblog. Give Scrapblog a spin. It’s totally wicked! This RIA (Rich Internet Application) is powered by Adobe’s Apollo platform, which seems to be unleashing a new wave in creativity.

Source: Uluru and the Olgas

Live observations from the author:

The Lonely Planet guide asks punters not to climb Uluru, as it’s a sensitive site for aboriginals, there’s even a sign from the local aboriginal people asking that tourists respect their wishes and keep off. But oh no, try and stop Mr. Johhny Foreigner with a camera from climbing Ayers Rock and you’ve no chance. I’ve photographed the sign asking people to keep off, it couldn’t be any clearer.

But alas, the steady lines of Japanese, American, and European fat-arses never ceased from climbing over the “No Entry” signs, even past the warning about $5000 fines for climbing when the climb was shut (as it was this day due to high winds on the summit). I read this sign and realised that the aboriginal people were basically begging people not to climb, it was only closed due to high winds this day and the aboriginal sign is a request, not an order, but still the bastards went up and down. Aren’t people in general just dickheads?

Reference:

Wikipedia

Uluṟu, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation located in the Northern Territory of central Australia. It is found in the Uluṟu – Kata Tjuṯa National Park, 335 km (208 mi) southwest of Alice Springs, 450 km (280 mi) by road. Uluṟu is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area. It has many springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluṟu is listed as a World Heritage Site for its natural and man-made attributes.

This is one rock I wish to see in my lifetime.

This is the Nandi Bull at Chamundi Hills, Mysore. Quite a picnic spot, some would say. Commonly seen at temples of Lord Shiva across India, it is a custom to seek Nandi’s blessings when you visit the temple.

Delightful photography @ Shruthi Geographic – My only complaint is that she doesn’t post frequently enough.

The past one month has been wonderful – I’ve been on three trips already! It’s a wonderful feeling after an year’s hiatus. There’s nothing more rejuvenating than a great trip with your closest friends.

Here’s where I have been to recently:

• Nandi Hills
• Bandipur, Ooty, and Coonoor
• Chennai (office trip)

Unfortunately, we accidentally deleted the Nandi Hills trip photos. I did not have my camera with me in Chennai (would have loved to capture those vehicles using the footpath as a proxy road). But the Bandipur-Ooty-Coonoor trip was safely digitized. Here’s me doing some acrobatics in Coonoor.

Push-ups on a cliff face.

Reaching for the skies.

Really reaching for the skies – but Notary’s chopped me!

The next outing planned is a strenuous summer trek. Watch this space.