WONDERS OF NATURE AT BHADRA TIGER RESERVE

Dates were finally finalized!!   My friend and I were all set to go to Coorg, something we had been planning for many months.   But, unforeseen circumstances, and at the last minute plans had to be cancelled.  I was already in the travel mode!  What to do?  Ah, my friend Shree to the rescue!!  So off went an SMS … Do you have a spot for me for the Bhadra trip ?  Back came a positive reply. Happy me, and in a jiffy, I was all set to change course towards Bhadra River Tern Lodge.   What will Bhadra have in store for me? 

Early morning on May 3^rd, a group of six of us with Shreeram of Darter Photography, as our team leader, were on our way to the River Tern Lodge, at Bhadra.  Reaching there just before lunch, we checked in, a quick bite and a little briefing before setting off on our first safari of the trip.  Shree said it would be the boat safari, best way to see the River Terns.

As we reached the shore, what an abundance of the terns.  I had never seen so many in one place.  Flying about, diving in the water to  catch   fish,  feeding chicks – it was frenzy of activity alright.  In addition,  we also saw small pratincoles.  And some river tern chicks.

River Tern 

Small Pratincole.

River Tern with a catch of fish in its beak!

River Tern Chick

We looked around, and there was a white browed wagtail!!  Not to be outdone, it sure was making its presence felt by flitting from one place to another.   After a while we headed in a different direction.

And lo and behold, there was an Osprey, perched majestically on a dry branch.  Would he treat us to his skills of fishing!   Or was he done for the day?

Dusk was soon approaching. Time to move on, and head back.   Happy at all the sightings, we were enjoying the beauty of the setting sun, and the shimmer cast on the waters of the Bhadra River. 

At the far end of the bank, our guide spotted a huge ‘dark boulder like image’.  As we neared, we saw it was an elephant lying down.  “Is it injured?”, “What happened'? "why is it lying down”? – were some of the questions asked.  Suddenly the elephant stood up, a sigh of relief in the boat, the elephant was just having a nice evening bath, using the river, as a big bath tub!

Splashing in the water, ‘hosing’ itself with its trunk, ....

 .... and finally ‘powdering’ itself with the red mud,as it moved into the forest.

Wow, what a treat, the birds and a beast!  All in one evening.  Now it was time to take a few shots of the Sunset before heading back

Sunset shots done, all of us with have a big smile on our faces.   We are heading back,  we see a boat stationary, near the shore.  Why is it not heading back.  We got our answer soon enough  

Wonder of wonders – there was a tiger, relaxing at the banks.  

It was truly an OMG moment for ALL of us.  In our excitement a quick scramble on the boat, to the side of the tiger!  A warning rang out loud and clear -  ‘Be careful guys, not everyone one the same side of the boat’ lest the boat topples!!  Warning was heeded, and we took turns to take our shots.  The tiger was ever obliging.  Fully stretched out, relaxing, yawing, quite unconcerned with the occupants in the two boats, and the ‘click, click, click’ noise of our cameras.  After a while it decided to move up, sit behind a rock and continue to watch us, as if it was playing ‘peek-a-boo’

We were with the tiger for more than half an hour.  It was getting dark!  and we had no choice but to head back.

Nature had truly us treated us to its many wonders on our first day, first boat safari at River Tern Lodge.  WOW, what a fantastic end for the day.  My first sighting of a tiger on the banks of a river.  It is a totally different experience from sighting it in the forest from a safari jeep.

One and a half more days to go, and three more safaris!!!  The next morning, we all went on a jeep safari  in two jeeps … again many sightings.  Unfortunately, I could not capture all on camera - here are a few pics that I did - 

a Eurasian thick knee moving away from us, 

another Eurasian thick knee playing peek-a-boo, 

a  great egret 

and a spotted dove. 

The third safari was again an evening safari on the boat.  Lots of cormorants, river terns, small pratincoles.  The sunset!  Another good day.

For the last Safari, there was a choice of jeep or the boat.   At first I thought I would go for the boat safari, but at the last minute I opted to go for another jeep safari.  Again, we had a many different sightings.  

Shortly after entering the forest, perched high on a branch was a Brown fish owl, peering at us,

 eating a fruit was a Malabar grey hornbill, 

 flitting from branch to branch, finally sitting down to pose for us was Malabar Pied hornbill,

 and last but not least, with quizzical looks, a family of wild boars.  

It was an amazing trip and a wonderful learning experience with Shreeram of Darter Photography, who patiently and painstakingly explained  photography and wildlife.

To capture it in one line – "The wonderful wonders of nature never cease to amaze those of us who have the patience to wait till she decides to surprise us. "  

Our Encounter with Tigers at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

Mark and Leonie, my friends from New Jersey were visiting India in May.  The trip to Tadoba was the first on their agenda. Meticulous planning was done for this trip.  My daughter Aarti and son-in-law Surbhit, joined us from Delhi. 

Its 6 am!  Mark and Leonie in the 4X4, Aarti and Surbhit chatting, while waiting for the gates to open.  

May 17^th morning, was our second safari.  It started with the sighting of a Tiger cub, just 15 minutes into our morning Safari.  Though, the cub was at quite a distance, for the other four members in the group it was their first tiger sighting in the wild.   An absolute WOW moment!!  The first time I saw a tiger in the wild, was after many safari’s and a wait of a few years!  Since then, I have had many tiger sightings in the wild.   However, any number of tiger sightings in the wild can never be enough.  So yes, it was a wow moment for me too!

Within 20 minutes of our safari, first sighting of the Tiger Cub!  A WOW moment for us all!

After the first sighting of the cub, we drove around the Jamuni Chowk area for sometime.  Suddenly our guide told the driver to make a turn.  Wow, in the bamboo grove, there she was sitting majestically, like Cleopatra.  Our second sighting for the morning, this time the tigress.  Her mate, the tiger was around nearby, a little deeper in the thicket.  I managed to get a few shots of  ‘her majesty’, trying my best to focus through all the bamboo clutter. 

Peeking at us through the bamboo,  as we watched and photographed her.  

My utter surprise as she got up and walked towards us!

A friend of mine, Sumeet, had once told me, “Sheila you  must ‘make the picture in your mind’ and then it will happen”.  So taking his cue, I spoke to this beautiful predator in my mind and said, ‘come on baby, walk towards us’.   All the while trying to focus and take as many shots as possible, bamboo clutter and all.  In addition, was also making mental pictures of her ‘walking majestically towards us’.  

She turns away from our vehicle and walks away ....... 

Ours was the third jeep parked from where she was seated.  Imagine my utter surprise, 

when within a few minutes of my mental message, I find her suddenly getting up, and walking straight towards our jeep. She came on to the road, practically touching distance from our jeep and stopped.  She looked at us closely, inquisitively, snarled a bit.  May be that was her smile!   It was definitely a scary at the  same time  thrilling moment.  After a few minutes, which seemed a long time, she turned and walked away.  (The pic at the left, is a full frame image, at 100mm).

She crossed over to the other side from behind the car that was parked just behind our jeep.

.............  crossing behind the vehicle,  that was parked just behind ours.

My daughter Aarti said “Ma, I was looking at her through my binoculars, and suddenly she was in my face!”    Leonie said  “I was so fascinated with her, I was just admiring her.”   Mark and Surbhit were excited and speechless!!   Me, I was totally dumbstruck!  To have the tigress walk up to us and say 'hello'.  We all shared one thing in common  - we were floating in the clouds.    These  were unforgettable spellbinding moments,  frozen in time.  

All my strategy of visualizing my picture in my mind came to naught.  She was just out of my frame. Thankfully, I did manage to get a picture of her as she moved away,  and while crossing behind the car, that was parked right behind ours.  A nice capture as a reminder of  how close she came to us.   

Our ‘tigress queen’ was not yet done with her show for us.   She walked over to the other side, and posed for us again.

The Tigress continues to pose for us.

 She seemed to be in no hurry to go, giving the tiger a hard time by refusing to go join him.  The tiger came towards her, looked at her pleadingly, crossed her and went into the bushes.  

She watches while he crosses her and goes into the bushes.

After a while, our ladyfair, got up and came and sat in the shade of the trees, in front of our jeep.  Totally relaxed, looking up, looking around, enjoying the show she was giving us all. 

She looks up .... 

......  she looks around!

All this time, the tiger was waiting for her patiently.  Finally she decided it was time to go, and joined the tiger in the bamboo thicket.  They seemed to have some discussions in there.  

She joins the tiger in the bamboo thicket, some discussion goes on and they come out

The next thing we saw, both of them emerging from the thicket, run across the road, and walk deeper into bushes. 

The tigress walks away ... 

...  and the Tiger follows

Needless to say these moments captured in our minds eye, will remain etched there for a long, long time.

Enchanting Piazza San Marco, Venice

“The finest drawing room in Europe”, is how Alfred de Musset, French dramatist, poet and novelist, referred to the Piazza San Marco, also knows as St. Mark’s Square.   Though named a square, it is actually trapezoid.For almost a century, in the by gone era, many important political, religious and social activities were held here.

Located in the heart of Venice, initially built in the 9^th century, in stone masonry and geometric design, the square flooring has undergone many changes, over the years.  The present form reflects the works of many famous architects such as Sansovino, Longhena, Scamozzi, Rizzo and Tirani.  

Me in Piazza San Marco

A Time for leisure:

The Piazza San Marco attracts tourists, back-packers, photographers and locals alike. Despite the crowds, there is enough place for everyone.  There are many shops and cafes around; Caffe Florian and the Gran Caffe Quadri being the oldest, and also well known for their impeccable service.  You can sit in one of the many indoor or outdoor cafes, just relaxing with a cup of coffee and a slice of pizza, a plate of pasta, or some other Italian treat, watching the world go by.  Oh yes, the famous gelato in innumerable flavours, and tiramisu is another treat not to be missed.

Watching children frolicking about, street vendors attracting tourists and locals alike with their wares, listening to orchestral music, go shopping for souvenirs or window shopping for designer clothes, and if tempted enough, indulge in buying something fancy, are some more choices of things to do. The San Marco is alive and abuzz with things to do, both day and night.

Entrance to Piazza San Marco

Tourist abuzz in Piazza San Marco  

Interesting Mask Shop

Venetian pigeons:

It is also a very popular meeting point for the Venetian pigeons, which flock the square by the thousands.   If you stand in the square with maize in your palms, you are sure to have the pigeons literally eating out of your hands.

Feeding the Pigeons  in Piazza San Marco

The Grand Canal:

The Piazza has the Grand Canal running around it.  At one end it leads into the lagoon near the Santa Lucia railway station, and at the other, to the St. Mark’s Basin. It is one the longest waterways in the world.  Water buses, water taxis, and gondolas go through this.      

Gondolas, Water Taxis and Water Buses plying in the Grand Canal

Many tours on the canal start from the Piazza.   There are many bridges across the canal that connect the two sides of the canal.  Under these bridges the gondolas and other smaller water taxis pass.   It is fun to watch from the bridges.

Me on one of the many bridges over the Grand Canal.

Bridges connecting the two sides of the Canal.

Back in time:

If you want to go back in time, this is just the place for you.  Ancient historical buildings are within walking distance, or bordered around the Square.  You can tour the  Doge’s Palace, visit St. Mark’s Basilica, ascend the Bell Tower of St. Mark’s Basilica, spend time in the Bibliotheca Marciana.  The other buildings are, Santa Maria di Nazareth Church (also known as Scalzi), Procuratie Vecchie and Procuratie Nouve.  

Santa Maria di Nazareth Church (known today as Scalzi)

Bell Tower, St. Marks Bascilica, Santa Maria di Nazareth in the Horizon,  and Gondolas in the Canal

Buildings around the Waterfront

You can also stroll along the waterfront of St. Mark’s Basin, or reach the Torre dell’Orologio in time to watch the animated statues of Moores use hammers to strike the hours at the clock tower. Another option is of taking a water bus or hiring a gondola and cruising along the canal sight seeing.  Or you can go up the Ponte di Rialto, also known as the Rialto Bridge and watch the canal traffic.

 Bell Tower or Campanile di San Marco

Clock Tower - Piazza San Marco

Memorable Stay:

There are so many fascinating activities you can do in and around Piazza San Marco, you’ll return home with happy memories of a memorable holiday, and a strong desire to return to this wonderful place again.

How to get there:

To reach Piazza San Marco you, you have to reach Venice either by air, train, car or bus.  From the airport,  an Airport boat will take you straight to the Piazza.  From the train station, you can either take a water bus or just follow the yellow “San Marco” signs on the corners of the buildings.

Not Just Hot Air

“A traveller without observation is a bird without wings,” said Moslih Eddin Saadi, a medieval Persian poet. When I was in Luxor, Egypt, sometime in February 2009, with friends, we decided to take his words literally and signed up with an adventure company called Alaska Hot Air Balloons. A ride in a hot air balloon was the closest we could get to being birds.

We set out at 5 am the next day, crossing the Nile to reach the launch site on the west bank. We found the ground crew busy filling the balloon with air with the help of a fan. The balloon consists of a bag, or ‘envelope’, made of strong synthetic material like Dacron or ripstop nylon. Attached to it is a wicker basket, with compartments in the four corners for the passengers, and loops to hold on to, near the top of the basket.

Ground crew getting the hot air balloon ready for the flight.

The central compartment is for the pilot, and propane gas cylinders. Once inflated, the air in the balloon is warmed with the flame from the burners. The hot air, which is lighter than the cool air outside, lifts the balloon.

The Balloon being filled with hot air.

While the preparations were on, we were briefed on the safety instructions for take off and landing. The main focus was on landing, to keep our face away from the landing direction, grab on the loops and squat. Finally, the balloon was ready for take off. Sixteen of us climbed into it. Ensuring we were all settled and ready, after one more round of safety instructions, and a practice squat position for landing, our pilot launched the balloon.

In the beginning, I had a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. But this was soon overcome, as we rose higher. With the vast space around us, the feeling of being cooped up like chickens vanished. The green fields of wheat and sugarcane, the crisp early morning air, the rising sun and the clouds patterning the azure sky made us feel light hearted. Light headed, too. We were airborne! I asked the pilot at what height were we flying. With an enigmatic smile he whispered, “I’ll tell you on landing,” adding aloud, “We are now flying over the ancient city of Luxor.”

Land of the Pharaohs

Luxor — from al Uqsur in Arabic meaning ‘fortified’ — has been called “world’s greatest open air museum.” Actually, Luxor is really three different areas. One consists of the City of Luxor on the east side of the Nile. Here is situated the famous Luxor temple. Then there is the town of Karnak, north of Luxor where you can find the Temple of Karnak.

And finally on the west side of the river Nile is Thebes, which was inhabited from around 3200 BC. Thebes is also referred to as the Necropolis (city of the dead). Located here are royal tombs.

As we flew over this ancient land so rich in history and culture, the pilot provided a running commentary. “There is the Valley of the Kings, where the Kings of the 18th and 19th dynasties were buried, totally hidden in the mountains. A change from the earlier Pharaohs who chose to build pyramids rising to great heights, visible from a long distance, as their burial place. And see there right next to the Valley of the Kings is the Valley of the Queens. Even in death, they are near their beloved. 

Valley of the Kings

Can you see the monument down there, with the three terraces and towering limestone walls behind? That’s the Temple of Dier El-Bahri, built for the great Queen Hatshepsut. In this complex, you can see two other temples of Mentuhetep I, and Thotmose II. And a little further up, is the Ramesseum, a huge complex built by Ramesses II. It took 20 years to complete.”

Temple of Dier El-Bahri, built for the great Queen Hatshepsut

Below, the river Nile snaked its way right through the land. Boats, feluccas and ships dotted its surface. On either side, fields in different hues of green, looked like a chequer board all set for a game. 

The River Nile

Green fields with Thebes, also referred to as the Necropolis, seen in the background.

After a while we saw a lot of smoke rising from the fields. The pilot explained that after harvesting, the fields are prepared for the next crop by burning the remains. We could see farmers busy in the fields harvesting the crop, their chatter rising up to our ears. The donkeys and goats below, not to be left out, brayed and bleated.

Harvesting the crop

After harvesting, readying the fields ready for the next crop.

Soon we were flying over the east bank and had an aerial view of Karnak and Luxor Temples, the Avenue of the Sphinx, the obelix rising above, the minarets of the mosque in the Luxor temple complex, the ongoing restoration work. Our balloon floated above this timeless scene, rising and falling, swaying a little in the gentle breeze. Suddenly we flew so close to a date palm, I was sure our basket would get entangled. But, we only kissed the top of the palm tree and sailed on.

View of the city from above

Excavation and restoration work in progress

We were promised a flight time between 35 to 55 minutes. But lady luck was on our side. The wind conditions were such that the pilot could not reach the landing field and had to continue flying.

We suddenly found ourselves flying over Luxor Airport, with a plane on the runway, taxiing and ready for take off.

Plane taxiing, ready for take off, as we flew over the airfield.

Exciting and scary. Then we flew over the desert finally with enough space for landing! The balloon landed, sliding across the desert, and came to a halt. We crawled out one by one.

That's me, after an exciting experience in a hot air balloon.

Holding him to his promise I asked the pilot, “how high?”, He replied softly, “1,150 Meters.” Wow! Henry Miller said, “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” After seeing Luxor from a hot air balloon, I second that.

Fact file

* Getting to Luxor: From Cairo or other major cities of Egypt, trains, buses and taxis are available. Domestic or international flights are also available. Another option is to take a felucca, or a cruise boat from Aswan, along the Nile.

* Distance from Cairo to Luxor 720 Kms.

* Transport in Luxor: Taxis, buses, air conditioned coaches, ‘caleches’ (horse-drawn carriages), feluccas, ferries.

* Hot Air Balloon: Just after dawn or just before dusk is the best time to fly the balloon as there is generally less winds at these times.