Kabini With The Gang - April 2014

It was almost a year since we went to Kabini with our gang of friends. We were  going to have Anish come down from Mumbai just to be a part of this trip, it was a first time since he returned to India that he was joining us on a trip. Going out with everyone together is always special, last time we were lucky to have awesome leopard sightings and we were hoping it'd happen again. More than us, it was the kids who get excited with the thought of going to Kabini.



We planned an early morning start from Bangalore so we could do a boat ride at Ranganathittu before proceeding towards Kabini. We reached Ranganathittu at about 7AM only to find out that the new ranger/warden has enforced the 8AM opening time and the boats would only be available post 8.30AM. Now who on earth got the idea of such a late start especially for bird sanctuary, it's not even worth discussing that here. This was beyond the normal migration season and most of the birds had returned back, the only ones left were the local migrants, some resident birds and ofcourse the crocodiles.





After a nice long breakfast at Kamats in Mysore we proceeded towards Kabini through the HD Kote road. Once at the resort, it was time for the kids to play around until it was time for the evening safari. It had been raining at Kabini for the past few days and with rain comes the risk of low animal movement in the jungle. We searched all through the forest but there was no sign of the cats anywhere. The whole place looked so calm and relaxed that there was no way one could avoid feeling lazy.

One of the things I have noticed over the past two years is that the elephant population coming to Kabini has reduced ever since the reservoir had almost dried up in 2013. Even though there was no problem in 2014, the elephants had not returned back and one could only find one or two gentle giants foraging on the fresh green grass along the edge of the backwaters. Hopefully they will return next season for a grand view of having 100 or more elephants in a single frame like it used to be.



Next day morning safari wasn't too different either, none of the jeeps had spotted any large predator. We had one more day to go and the situation wasn't going to be much different. The next two safaris also yielded similar results, no big cat, but just moving through the forest was an awesome experience. The dried up vegetation seemed like it was coming back to life with the non-seasonal showers and I'm sure even the animals were feeling a lot relieved of the heat.



After spending two awesome and memorable days, we were now headed back home and we were going directly to the airport to drop Anish for his flight back to Mumbai. Except for the lack of wild cat sightings, I think we all enjoyed having fun as a group after a really long time.

Jeepers of Bangalore - Offroading, Camping & Barbeque Night

A small apolitical jeep owners Whatsapp group that had started back in Aug/Sep 2013 with just a few of us had slowly and steadily grown in a much larger group, there was even a Facebook group by now. After a few rounds of discussion on the name for the group, we had settled down on calling it "Jeepers of Bangalore" a.k.a JoB. Using my limited photoshop skills, I got a logo design for the group and thus we were now bonded together with the JoB stickers on our jeeps.

As JoB, we intend to enjoy some off-roading fun without bringing in any commercial interests and keep it as simple as we can. The group was aimed to create a platform for the newbies and veterans to interact and share views and knowledge about 4x4s and offroading. The members come from various backgrounds and the diversity helps in connecting with folks who are very resourceful in areas where you may not have any knowledge. There isn’t any joining formality other than having a 4x4 and passion for offroading.

Everyday conversations in the group vary from technical discussions about engines, gearboxes and transmissions to which color looks the best or what new accessories someone has added on their jeep. About 400-500 messages a day is a norm and sometimes we hit that mark even in 3-4 hours if there was some interesting topic being discussed. A lot of members are now carrying portable battery packs and/or recharging their phones by twice a day, some even bought new phones with higher battery capacity just to be able to survive through the resource intensive conversations.

Now, we had done a camping trip sometime in January that was super fun event with the tiring offroad trail and evening barbeque with beverages. Everyone felt that it was time to do it again before the summer set in and the days became unbearably hot (yes, it happens even in Bangalore nowadays). A quick show of hands revealed that there was a lot many interested participants this time around. It was going to be a much bigger event than we’ve had before. It made us happy and anxious about how it was all going to get managed considering that we hadn’t dealt with more than 10 jeep convoys so far. Plus, with about 20 odd jeeps turning up for the event there were going to be more than 40 people at the campsite for the night. We had to make sure everyone made through the trail safe and sound in time for the evening activities to setup their tents and fired up their barbeques. The Whatsapp interactions were further intensified, you could literally feel the excitement in the group.

Some of us already had camping gear, but there were a few who were buying stuff especially for this event. At the previous camping event, we were just about a dozen guys and we had volunteers who had brought food, beverages etc for the whole group, but this time it was going to be impossible to do that because of the size of the group. So a decision was made to have everyone do a potpourri of sorts and individually bring in stuff for the barbeque. We also needed more grills and luckily we had about 6 grills between all of us which was good. This actually proved to be a really good idea since we had a lot of choice once the grills were fired up.

The day began with a 7AM customary breakfast meeting at the New Agarwal Bhavan on Tumkur road post which the convoy proceeded towards the trail with packed lunch of Idli-vadas. I had Yatin join me for the event, it was going to be his maiden off-road trip so he was rather excited to be there.

A quick briefing session before we began helped in making sure everyone knew who the spotters were going to be and some other basic rules to be followed on the trail. Basically we wanted to make sure that people don’t go wandering off the trail on their own and/or take unnecessary risks and compromise safety in any way. There were quite a few newbies as well who were going to slot into 4L for the first time. As a group, we needed to give them enough support and encouragement to handle the stress on both man and machine. Our objective was very clear, the OTR was all about having fun, we weren’t out there to prove a point about anybody’s driving skill or capability of their machine. A successful day would be to complete the trail and return back safely without any major damage to any of the machines.

The trail is a rocky canal bed near a friend’s farm on the outskirts of Bangalore and has obstacles of varying degree of difficulty. We had done a part of the same trail last time, but no matter how many times you've done an offroad trail, there's always some new surprise waiting for you each time you visit.

There are various opportunities to make steep gradient climbs like this one.

Or get tested for articulation on rocks like this.

or like this.

Get stuck and be winched out in some places.

Or take the dare for some underbody damage and make it out in style like ThunderBolt

There are rock faces that make you skid all the way down till you hit the bumper on the ground.

And places where you can slide and ride through the slushy pits

There’s also enough for the SUVs to try out even if they can’t risk the rocky obstacles.

Most of the times, all you need is a good spotter to take you over those rocks without hitting anything underneath.

End of the day, you know it’s all worth the effort when everyone makes it through the trail without any major breakdown.

But this isn’t the end of the story - the actual party starts after the jeeps are parked. There’s a flurry of activities going around and people are busy pitching their tents, checking/fixing stuff on the jeep, setting up their barbeque grills and finally opening up their chiller boxes for refreshments. What follows is a lot of cooking, both food and stories until it’s time for people to crash into their tents (literally).

PS> Most of the images used here are from other participants and sourced from the JoB FB group. Copyrights belong to the respective owners.

Day Visit to Maidenahalli Blackbuck Reserve

Just as we returned back from Kabini, a casual conversation led to an impromptu trip to the Maidenahalli Blackbuck Reserve near Madhugiri. The onward journey was filled with surprises as we got lost a bit and took the "roads less traveled" to reach our destination. The mis-adventure delayed us by at least an hour as compared to the regular route. Given that we were five of us including Pozu in the jeep, the rough ride wasn't exactly something that we were thrilled about. The only silver lining was that it didn't matter if there was a road or not, the jeep could potentially navigate through anything.

We reached the place at around 10AM and even before we entered the gate, we had already encountered our first herd of the antelopes and the cameras were in action. 

As we entered into the sanctuary, we tried to get in touch with the guard at the office but nobody was available so we said we'll come back again during lunch time and check. We continued through the marked trails, tracking the herds in an attempt to get them in range but the shy creatures kept moving away from us. 

We saw a few harriers hovering around but didn't get a chance to get a photograph them. There were a couple of spotted owlets who made us run around a bit to get a reasonably clean background. 

An Indian Bushlark was kind enough to hold it's position while we got some shots. 

The return journey was a lot better since we took the normal route via Madhugiri and we were able to make it home in a little over 3 hours. Overall, it was a good day spent out in the wild, and that's all that matters!

A Special Birthday Treat

It was time for my birthday and we hadn't done any trips to Kabini or Bandipur even once in this year. So it was decided that we will be spending a couple of days at Kabini to celebrate and I couldn't have asked for anything better.



The summer was just starting and the dry forests usually have a lot more action than the other seasons. The Kabini River Lodge is one of my personal favorite jungle resorts, and it is always exciting to be there. Pozu also enjoys the place a lot, she actually starts missing it if we don't visit there for a while. But more than the resort, this time I was more keen on getting some good sightings in our safaris, and I wasn't disappointed.



On the first day itself, we had an amazing leopard sighting for almost an hour where the huge male cat posed endlessly for our cameras. This guy is one of the boldest leopards we've seen in Kabini and he really put on a nice display of his dominance that day.



The next day's safari was also quite eventful with another leopard resting on a tree. But what was even more interesting was the jungle fowl posing for us in superb morning light.



A sambar deer at the backwaters made for an excellent shot with the glittering water in the background.



During our last safari, we saw a couple of elephants along with a baby crossing the safari track in a hurry. On closer inspection, we found that the baby had developed some kind of an infection on its right hind leg and wasn't able to walk properly. The mother and probably an aunt were being protective and keeping close at all times. It was painful to see the little one suffer, but that is nature's way of ensuring only the tough ones survive in the wild and strike a balance in the ecosystem. Hopefully, the baby will make full recovery and be able to walk pretty soon.

Birding at Annamalaicheri - Watching The Flamingos

It was almost the end of February and soon the birding season was going to get over. So we chanced upon the first opportunity to make a quick visit to Annamalaicheri near Chennai. The Pulicat lake or lagoon is one of its kind and hosts a large variety of migrants birds and waders, the flamingos in particular are an attraction here. We had made a similar visit in 2012 but had limited luck with the flamingos since there were only a few that were settled far away in an inaccessible spot. So this was again going to be a matter of chance, but that's what birding and wildlife watching is about, you gotta be at the right place and wait for the right time.



This time we were lucky to have a much closer view of the flamingos, but still it wasn't as good as what you'd experience in the Rann of Kutch. The morning light was quite good though and we were able to get a few decent images of the juvenile birds who were now almost 4-5 feet tall and seemed ready for their first migration.



Apart from the flamingos, we saw a huge flock of Northern Pintail ducks near the shoreline but they took off as we approached them. It was a nice sight to see hundreds of birds fill the blue sky.



Getting the flamingos in flight with the 600mm mounted on a tripod in a boat wasn't the easiest thing to do, but I did manage to get a couple of decent shots. One of those shots has been procesed to look like an oil painting and I liked this version better than the original. The texture on the otherwise dull blue sky makes a huge difference I feel.

2014 College Reunion in Goa - Yet Again!

It was time for the 10th year anniversary for Gawde's wedding in February and we had been discussing plans of doing a reunion around the same time to celebrate. The last time we all met was in 2012 and it was a blast and that was in Goa. So we looked at some other options for this time but eventually settled down with Goa again, mainly due to ease of access to the beach, good food and other obvious reasons.

Given that we’ve always preferred to stay at Palolem beach rather than anywhere else, it was a no-brainer on where we were staying. Not only that we have a preference for the beach, we also have a strong liking for Marron’s Beach Resort where we’ve stayed multiple number of times. This year, it was a bit difficult to get contact details of the resort since the original contact number wasn’t working. But luckily, a friend of ours was visiting before us and we were able to get the new contact details and have our bookings confirmed beforehand.

It was kind of dejavu of our last get together, same place and mostly same folks except for some new faces who joined and some folks from the last time who couldn't make it. But with our group, we never really feel like we were disconnected for a long time, it's still like we're in college and never really grew up!



The Palolem beach still retains its charm with the calm sea and shallow beach, but it seems to be getting more crowded each time we’ve visited over the past few years. Thankfully, the water motor sport craze hasn’t caught up yet even though kayaks are available to rent. One of the mornings we all went out for the dolphin ride in the morning and we were happy to see quite a few of them hunting around 500m from the shoreline.



The days were mostly spent relaxing at the sea-facing restaurant with food and beverages being ordered through the day. And when we weren’t eating, we were out at the sea – kayaking. Unlike last time, I didn't want to take any chances with my sunglasses during our kayaking sessions, and so this time I was wearing a hat instead. I remember there were two of us who had lost the sunglasses into the sea as we toppled over from the kayaks.

Elly had taken up kayaking as his new hobby, and so this time there was a lot more enthusiasm. I made good use of the GoPro Hero 3 camera in our kayaking sessions, it really helps you get some cool perspectives.



The three days got done in record time and before we realized, it was time to head back. But it was not without making a promise to meet again someday. Hopefully, the next one will be at a different place. Until then....ciao!

Life Skill #2: Roller blading is fun!

With the cycling skill already in her box, Pozu had now set her eyes on roller blades. There are quite a few kids in our apartment complex who come out with their kits to practice and it's fascinating to see them roll past in style. Wonder how we grew up without all of this and never really missed it!

Now I had no prior experience of skating or roller blading, so I had very little to offer in terms of advise. All I could do was read up a few techniques on the internet and ask her to implement those. So to begin with, I chose to let her try on her own and not really influence her process of self-learning. To my surprise, it took her less than a couple of minutes to get on her feet and stand without any support.

She was now ready for her first attempt to roll, and I was left amazed by the way she did it! There was no sense of fear in her, it was infact a cake walk. Soon she was striding around on those wheels trying out various techniques that could help her propel faster. This is where I could use some of my academic knowledge about skating techniques and help her learn how to position her body and let it flow in a rhythm.

It wasn't more than a couple of practice sessions that she could navigate herself and also stop when required (although the stopping part is still a bit random even now!). In the process of learning, she fell quite a few times, actually a lot more than when she learnt to cycle. Some of the falls seemed harmless and some were a bit scary, luckily she never got hurt because of all the protective gear she wears. But she's never had an element of doubt on whether she wanted to continue or not, she just shrugged it off and moved on. That's what makes her so amazing!

Life Skill #1 - Learning to Ride

Sometime in late 2013, I had removed the trainer wheels on Pozu's bicycle and planned to teach her the fine art of balancing a bike. But that plan never really materialized and I never got the chance to put the trainer wheels back as well. So in January 2014, the effort to teach cycling was revived again.

I was thinking it will be a time consuming affair and I will be mostly running behind her holding the bike at the back like how they show in the movies. And then at one point in time the dad lets go and sees the kid pedal off to glory, with tears in his eyes. But it wasn't meant to be like that, we just went down with her cycle, I asked her to sit and told her to look straight ahead and start pedaling. All it took was one push and she went off cruising on two wheels effortlessly.



A couple of more practice sessions and she had already learnt how to maneuver around and do a complete circuit without touching her feet on the ground. Never knew it could be so easy!


I had gotten her the set of elbow and knee guards along with her helmet to ensure that there was minimal risk of injury even when she fell hard. But the best part was that, in her own mind, she had made peace with the fact that falling wasn't a bad thing at all. I think this was the single most important factor for her to learn so quickly - she had virtually no fear of falling and every time she did, she just shrugged it off and kept moving ahead.



Though she had learnt to ride nicely, the size of the bike was becoming an issue. She had clearly outgrown the green bike and it was time to give it away. So, in May 2014, Pozu got an upgrade to a spanking new Firefox 14” bike which she lovingly calls YellowFox.