Lazy….

I’ve been meaning to update my blog  regularly….but laziness has a way of keeping me away from my best laid plans.Its been 3 years since i did a proper jungle trip ( read national parks ).

Our home in the hills has its fair share of animal activity. Our property has been visited by elephant(s), sambhar, porcupine, civets,numerous bats and the suspected leopard which took our neighbors dog a few months ago.The birds are present in good numbers too.

The rains of 2018 saw numerous landslides and flash floods in our area. A 150 meter section of the road to our house was washed off. That meant either climbing uphill( really steep)for nearly 1.5 km or taking a 4 wheel drive vehicle to reach our house.Finally ended up buying a Maruti Suzuki Gypsy for our trips.

The roads have been repaired really well. Despite the heavy rains lashing the hills this year too, the roads have managed to hold up.

We’ve planted a few crops… mainly fruiting trees and flowering plants to attract more birds and butterflies. I’ve also become a nature observer, rather than a nature photographer… in part due to my dslr quitting after a soaking in the Kerala monsoon.

So, I’ll end this post with a few glimpses of our place. I do promise to come up with more stuff soon.

Starry night

Night.

Time lapse from our backyard .

Home sweet home…

Olichuchattam falls as viewed from my backyard

After a very long hiatus… I’m back on WordPress. A lot has happened since i last logged in here about 4 years ago. Our family has grown. We have a son, he’s almost 2 years old now. He keeps us busy and we don’t travel like we used to before….

Also…. we have finally fulfilled a long cherished dream of ours. A small house in the lap of the mighty western ghats. Anakkampoyil is a small village about 45kms from Calicut. Drive uphill from there for about 4 km and you reach a place called Karimb. Another kilometer uphill and that’s where we have our small house.Its about 600 meters above mean sea level, ensuring fantastic climate (depending on your apetite for heavy rains)

Mobile and internet connectivity are poor and non existant respectievely, and that means more time spent on soaking in the views and climate…

A black eagle hovers in the mist

The mists and rains are constant companions throughout the year. The place is blessed with fresh water streams originating from pristine forests which start from about a kilometer away from our house. Clear days provide us with spectacular views of the Vellarimala range from our yard. Birding is fantastic….and so is the wildlife apparently. Elephants , Sambar , and many other wildlife visit our neighbours who live closer to the forest boundary. I’ve not yet mustered the courage to go for a night walk.

Moonrise over Vellarimala

I will try to keep updating/boring everyone with few sights from our patch of paradise.

 

My love affair with Masinagudi

I guess it started, when my good friend Ashwin showed me some photos of a trip that he and John (another buddy) made to this exotic locale, just 3 hours from Calicut.

I remember passing through this sleepy village at night, some 12 years ago on the way back from Ooty.I was in such a tearing hurry to get back to Gudalur that I did not slow down to enjoy the forest in the night. 
(more on this Later)

Times have changed in Masinagudi.It is no longer a sleepy village,the place has transformed into a tourist boom town, with homestays and so-called resorts everywhere.There are still a few places close to nature, which doesn’t feel resorty for the discerning tourist.I’ve been lucky to stay and spend time in some of the best places for enjoying Nature.

My love affair with this beautiful place in the foothills of the Nilgiris really took off after a visit with my wife in sept 2010. We had just shifted from our rented apartment in Bangalore, and were on the last leg of a road trip (more on that too later!) before going to Kerala.

Since then I have made about 10 plus visits to this place with friends and family in less than one year.Whenever discussions about our next weekend getaway pops up, I always try to sneak in Masinagudi, much to the irritation of my wife.You see, once I reach the jungles, nature, camera and wildlife possess me to such an extent that I forget all else !!!

I love being in the lap of nature when I finally cross the checkpost at Gudalur and slowly drive inside the beautiful jungles of Mudumalai.

I love the beautiful mountain breeze that blows in from the Nilgiris.
I love waking up to amazing birdsong.
I love watching the deer graze, watching the majestic elephants doing their thing and the melodious calls of the peacock.

The anticipation of finding that elusive big cat makes me want to stay on at this place forever.
I always look forward to the next ‘Masinagudi rounds’ when my mind and body want to take a break from work and the city.

It perhaps is a good affair to have on the side when you are married 🙂

Bitten by the blog bug

Rather than pasting my photos in facebook , I thought it would be a better idea to have my own blog where i can put up my pics and share my travels and travails.