Joga

Well I am back blogging after a considerable gap. Last week I went to Joga with my friends and it was really amazing. The waterfall in river Sharaavati is about 280mts high and stunning to behold when it is in full flow. The river falls in four main and many side streams and the main flows are named Rani, Roarer, Rocket and Raja. Well, I don't want to write much more than that you got to go there see the wonder yourself to appreciate the thing.
The place is about 350km from Bengaluru (Bangalore) and there is a KSRTC bus leaving everynight from Bengaluru to a place called Linganamakki. Now you got to buy a ticket to Joga on that bus. It costs around Rs.300/- one way. While returning there is no booking. So better take a walk(5 km) from Joga to Kargal and board the bus from there. It reaches the place around 7pm. Otherwise you can go to Sagara and then return through Shivamogga.

Some pictures:

Roarer:

















Rani:














Rocket:


















Raja(I beg pardon, being a group of non-professional photographers we didn't manage a full photograph of this part):

Childhood

Childhood is a man's most enjoyable stage of life I guess. At least so far it has been so for me. I have enjoyed my life the most till I was in 9th std. Not that I enjoy any less now but the fun I had then was definitely out of the world! I spent the first half of my childhood in a village called Balehonnur near Chikkamagalur. I tell you one thing- there is nothing like childhood in a village or a small town! It's just amazing. You can have all the gooseberries you want, all the freedom to go almost anywhere, everyone knows you and there is plenty of space for just any game you want to play. Most of all you have friends of similar mentality, without a thought about music or dance classes or evening tuition. We used to play from 4:30 to 7:30 in the evenings almost everyday. Of course, I have tatsed my father's stick plenty of times for trading marbles and chalks for other things and taking mangoes from a drunkard called Aithappa for free(he actually didn't give it totally free. You had go behind him for a few minutes shouting 'makkala geleya Aithappa' ,ie, Aithappa the childrens' friend!). But now as a youth I realize how amazing that time of my life was. Well may be it is that as you progress in life each stage past brings the same feelings but childhood!!! ah... indescribable.
I often see my childhood images in that Jagjith Singh song: 'woh kaagaz ki kashti, woh baarish ka paani....'

Dont Panic!

Yeah! Don't Panic! This is what Douglas Adams' book- 'Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy' tells its readers on its cover. This "wholly remarkable book" has some of the finest humor I have seen. It is set on the whole universe with all the extraterrestrial planets(like Vogon) and life therein. It is actually a 5 novel series, comprising of 'The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy', 'The restaurant at the End of the Universe', 'So long and Thanks for all the Fish', 'Life, Universe and Everythig' etc. In the novel the authors' dislike for Cricket(which he claims only some dull-wits on Earth can tolerate it's slow pace), conservatives and nonsense sci-fi novels. This novel appears in the sci-fi section of most bookstores and libraries, but I personally believe that this is no sci-fi novel. Yes it has a lot of time traveling, space ships, robots etc. but they are all there for humor. Now, to know why this one is more famous than "Encyclopaedia Galactica" read the book("and don't forget your towel")!

Kollur

Last weekend I went to a place called Kollur with my family and some cousins. It was a fascianting experience. Though I had visited the temple town of Kollur before, I had never been to The Kutachadri moutain. Here is a description of the travel:

We reached the town of Kollur by evening 4:30 by bus from Mangalore in about 5 hours of journey. We visited the temple in the night and had food at the temple itself. In the morning next, we had some bad breakfast at one of the local eateries(only that was open at 6:00 in the morning!) and engaged a jeep to the place. It costs Rs.1200/- for the whole trip. If you are going alone, you will be teamed up with someone it will cost you Rs.150/- then(but you got to wait till the jeep is full). The jeep takes about 1.5 hrs to reach a place near the top. You will be treated to some astonishing sights on the way top. Its just amazing!
Then there was a 1.5km walk to the absolute top of the mountain, where Adi Shankara peetha is situated. It's a walk that sets you really on the prayer mode as there are some really narrow roads and very steep and deep falls on one side and slopin hillside on the other! We reached the top by around 9:00 am. There we rested awhile and set downwards again clicking photos and looking around in wonderment all around. It was just too good! I assure you that you will feel either poetic or philosophical or both! We spent around 2 hrs there and came down. There is a small house belonging to the priest of one of the temples on the top. There you can rest and eat something. On the top you will get salted buttermilk. To those who like trkking you tale a bus from Kollur to a place on the road side around 10km from there and start an ascent. Its different from the jeep track and is covered with thick forest. Its then a 12km trek to the top. You can stay there in the guest house and return the next morning. I sure want to go there with my friends for a trek. The last was only a sample. Serious stuff is still awaiting me!!