Trip to God's Own Country: Wayanaad, Kerala

Last weekend we visited Wayanaad in Kerala. The whole district is full of nature's beauty and there are a lot of places that will take your breath away :-) .
Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary. Kuruva Dweep below is a small island accessible by boats. Lots of Bamboo trees there.




Poor caterpillar pooped when the camera clicked! ;-) & Look at the Maharaj sitting on the bamboo throne! I know Dave is gonna say that ancestors ke pictures fir se kyun liya but then one gotta respect them u see :P!


Begur Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanaad. The skeleton of a spotted deer can be seen below. Was killed by Wild Dogs. The Malabar Giant Squirrel on the branch

Bison grazing with its herd. This one lifted its head to pose for the camera ;-)

Our hotel the Tamarind Thirunelly.
Rubber sap being collected at Meenmutty.
Meenmutty Falls. Breathtaking beauty.


On the way back at Bandipur. We saw this lone elephant enjoying his evening snacks :D
Rain clouds near Mysore. It poured quite heavily. Enjoyable somewhat.

Mahabaleshwar

Was at Mahabaleshwar this weekend. It's a place to be visited any time of the year. The fresh air & clean surroundings make for an ideal place to chill out on a weekend.

Sunset (Mumbai) Point: The sunset as well as the moon-rise were visible simultaneously :-)

Panchganga Temple: Five rivers meet and flow out of a cow's mouth to fill the pond inside this temple.

Morning Alarm (Nature's Way): We were in for a surprise in the morning when it seemed that someone was running on our roof. This is what it turned out to be! A bunch of monkeys. What a way to wake up! :-)

Pratapgarh Fort: The fort built by Shivaji Maharaj in 1657. Afzal Shah was killed near this fort. Multiple layers of fortification makes, especially suited to the Guerilla style of warfare of the Maratha warriors makes this fort a marvel. The two main entrances to the fort at the 1st & 2nd levels are built in such a fashion that from a distance, the two pillars seem like one, thus not revealing the location of the entry points.

Lassi & Chhach prepared in a traditional way. I had never seen such a fountain! Bajre Ki roti with Daal and kanda bhajia was our lunch for the day.

Venna Lake & PratapSingh Park: These two spots are just besides each other very near to the main city. After returning from the fort, we visited Tapola. I wouldn't recommend that spot to anyone. There is simply nothin there except for the river. Boating, if desirable, can be done at Venna lake instead of at Tapola.

A mini-giant wheel being operated manually by walking on the axle! After the wheel gained sufficient speed, the guys swung from one of the buckets and landed on the ground. Some acrobatics that was!
In front of the MTDC Resort: After checking out on sunday.

Table Land: A plateau near panchgani. Vast stretches of plain land. The movie Raja Hindustani was shot here which is the claim to fame of this place.