ಕನ್ನ್ಡವೆ ಸತ್ಯ ಬಾ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಭವಿಸು

ಕನ್ನ್ಡವೆ ಸತ್ಯ ಬಾ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಭವಿಸು

Hampi

Looks like sand had gone initiative freak for planning treks and was just pulling everyone around for trek... Manages to sneak-in a trip...

Sand we sure will go for good trek...

We headed to Hampi in Scorpio @ Courtesy Pachi. We gang of phatangs - myself, pachi, jaggu, sandy, raghu, sudhindra... started off to hampi from bangalore.

The road to bellary was a mess... Hospet is raped by these mining asses...damn these politicians...

Sudhi as usual was in a splee of taking profile pictures...giving me fundas of Photography and adding more importance to smile for the solo pic...

Hampi is an awesome place...food is also amazing...shouldnt miss the "Mango Tree" Restaurant...

to be continued...

Other Side of Me

We were on an alley of the week, approaching weekend. We had a plan for team outing at Coorg... and there goes my desk phone ringing. I was asked to come-up with a write-up on “Other Side of Me”. Writing is skillful stuff me damn poor at that…wrong pick Petal guys. Never felt these "about me" questions interesting...Well making an attempt to state the better side of me. As the stuffs we try to keep ourselves indulged which these people call the other side...happens to be our chosen stuffs. Well in waging a war against time to have fun. The war is all about killing time. Yeah I usually end-up on a nice trek on the weekends that gives an opportunity to ponder around with my Canon DSLR and exploring the beauty of chick called Nature. I just love the ridge treks, that’s when my camera gets to have huge appetite. Best being the Bangitapal trek a paradise and beauty added by Shola Forest. The neighbor of Silent Valley... Beginning of each year goes in planning for an expedition or a pleasure trip. Expedition in Himalaya will be some technical climb and of-course spine rejuvenating for sure…Just to mention of my best expedition was summit of “Draupadi Ka Danda” Peaks in Garhwal ranges, Uttarkashi. I had carried NIM book on Everest Expedition – “Into thin Air”…awesome book…read through the journey.
[A brief description of the peak: Peaks are based on glacier Dokriani Bamak (Bamak is the local name of the glacier) is another well developed medium-sized glacier of the Bhagirathi basin. The glacier is formed by two cirques, originating at the northern slope of Draupadi-Ka-Danda 19050feet. The glacier is 5 km. long and flows in the northwest direction terminating at an elevation of 3800 m. The stream originating from the glacier's melted water is called Dingad which later joins many other snow/ice melted streams and finally merges into Bhagirathi River near Bukki village. There are several well-developed meadows and Proglacial lakes located 2 kms. Below the snout of the glacier. These meadows, lakes and other formations themselves tell us the past history and behavior of the glacier.]

The usual weekends begins @ 6AM and with the chilling Basavangudi/Sadashivnagar Swimming Pool dip and trying to submissive to water. I got company at-times of a friend who is a national level swimmer. You will never stop loosing to him…; damn he makes me feel like tortoise every lap. I remember a bunch of my team mates at office had joined the swimming in Sports Authority of India...awesome swimming pool...still can't forget those moments swimming in pool with shower of heavy rain... the numerous splendid time spent with the folks... Well best thing is we use to sneak out of office @ 4PM for the swim and return to office and burn the ass-off...

Well after chilling experience lets move-on to our journey to Kanteerava Stadium. There yet another set of niche dudes and dudettes you can watch creeping on to those walls…hmm that’s right that’s called “Wall Climbing”. Well I use to join my NIM and work friend, who referred me to have this cool mentor she is very 12Yrs old and has been climbing since 6 very years and yeah never should you get punished by her…dude she takes real fun out of it ripping your muscles out. She has recently represented India in Singapore for Wall climbing Competition and had won silver. She climbs the Grade B and C walls in seconds well I take few mins to climb the Grade B wall...Well these younger generation is out-smarting us big time.

Well after the muscle aching fun events yeah yummy time to eat and you know what we rule in this arena…few hours the books keeps me busy. Mostly I read science and philosophy, psychology, fiction books in order of preference. The best of the books I have read is “The Relativity” and “Silence Speaks”. Book “Silence Speaks” is a sequel of “Power of Now” a damn good one…

Evenings is usually spent by hanging out with friends playing football, Badminton, or hit onto long drives and have sumptuous dinner and a peaceful night away from city…

I manage to sneak sometime for reading and developing and contributing to the open-source community...with apps and libraries...and try exploring the linux world...

Last but not the least spending some quality time with Parents and family taking them to few temples and having the Prasada in some inviting Restaurant.

Gubbaals_Trip_Trip4Teju

Gubbaals_Trip

ತೇಜು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಲಂಡನ್ ಇಂದ ಬಂಧ ಕುಶಿಗೆ ನಾವು ಎಲ್ಲ ಮಿತ್ರರು ಹೂಡಿದ ಪ್ರವಾಸ. ಪ್ರವಸಧಲಿ ಭಗವಯಿಸಿದ ಮಿತ್ರರು ತೇಜು <ಕುಳ್ಳ>, ತೇಜು, ಗಣೇಶ, ಮಧು, ಆದಿತ್ಯ, ಬಾಲಾಜಿ, ಶ್ರೀನಿ, ಜಗ್ಗು, ಮಹೇಶ , ಸಂತು

A trip idealized on account of arrival of our dear friend Teju from UK after a year. Trip planned to kick start on a weekend – 11^th July 2008…A unusual bunch of 10 peepals were to hit the trip...this time. It was a bad day in Bangalore as bunch of goose heads fighiting on comunal fire few places were in curfew. Fortunately all of them made it to join... and as usual unplanned and untimed start...

Gang of mixed peepal a bunch of Gubbal.com gang– few for trek and few not and few for 1day and few for 2days…includes "the cause of all action - Teju(UK returned)", Kulla Teju(“BEDA”), Ganesh(CA), Santhu, Srini(Macro Man – dont ask him its meaning), Adithya(item of trip – no offence dude), Madhu(Taarzan), Jaggu and Mahesh(myself).

At around 2230hrs we hit silent nice n dark Mysore road…watching the Kannada movie – “Nannu mathe ninna Hendathi” or whose ever – courtesy Ganesha movie…Had gala time in the Kamat Lokaruchi having the Sugarcane juice…on the way...Teju forcing myself and ganesh to watch the movie and had a fear that driver will fall into sleep and was accompanying him...thinking myself and ganesha are giving company.

Late night around 0300hrs we hit a dilemma on the road which way to go…Teju who was claiming to be not sleeping reads a board and takes right which doesn’t seem to be a road…now you know why…The driver takes the call as to we stay there till day light and take a nice nap…and peepals were in-form snoring out the animals out of Jungle.

This how it looked like in the morning...

We headed to Nagarahole in the morning around 6AM and came across deer’s jumping around on the way and staring at us back while they were getting captured in out cameras…On the silent and peaceful way in the jungle we came across a bunch of Bison but afar. Damn the lousy forest guys didn’t take us for a safari ride giving some stupid reason…We were still not clear on the places to visit checked out the map put-up there giving places and distance...so conclusion was to move to Irupu-Falls.

The Irupu falls was a pleasure for eyes and body and most of them were new to the place…Had nice bath in the roaring falls having nice massage for the body and jaggu and madhu were even dis-oriented sitting under the falls…madhu did even fall as santhu disturbed his orientation on the rocks of the falls. We were finding difficulty as people around started increasing and disturbing out peaceful mass/community bath…Adithya was the first to get into groove of passive modeling under the falls giving opportunity for camera to capture the secret talents…

MISSING Adithya modelling for Matrimonial photo - SOLDOUT

Adithya you have a nice Matrimonial photo have fun. Later had a nice coffee and tea near the falls enjoying drizzle and green mountains around and succulent paddy fields picturing peaceful atmosphere.

Near Irupu falls the kind of butterflies found suppose to be found only in Irupu in the world...

Now the team again faces an issue of no road-map to be in-fact clear guys were confused about visiting with places around corners in Karnataka and ppl mind…the driver was going crazy for the names of the places shot by ppl. At-last we decided that we are going to Balmoori and Rangantittu on the way and back home.

Balmoori a full relaxation and photography delight place. Peepals rushed to water which was looking ferocious and danger as for our fortune Dam had released more water. Adithya and Ganesha again getting clubbed here in the place coming closer to each-other emotionally crossing the ferocious balmoori river as odd couple…Rest had a gala time in water enjoying the force of the water fall.

Got the ppl rushed into the TT as it was getting late for the Rangantittu ppl had almost lost hope on reaching there in-time. Driver made it in-time as we hit last boat-trip in rangantittu and place was awesome filled with birds and crocodiles. As it was evening sunset time the birds were at a hurry to rush to there home giving an extravaganza to photographers. The Gubbal.com – Ganesha had missed out his camcorder in the place most required. Myself, Teju and Srini were shooting at the birds capturing all there activities getting tested for our photography skills. Well got quiet a few photos of the birds and the ever eye-catching and silent as death the crocodiles giving there pose on the rocks. Birds flying all over the sky during the sunset and glooming with hues reflected on them…unfortunately couldn’t get their silhouette snaps…catch the action on www.picasaweb.google.com/machonirvana

Had few group snaps and moved on to the dinner by then almost all were lying out-dead in the TT watching the “Harate” a famous program on the TV which is about two teams arguing on a choosen topic…

Dinner time’ had an unusual one not much snatching and eating not much of “survival the fittest” schema…slowly heats up ppl start snatching and Kulla Teju the usual “Manager more the damager” started guarding the food ending up total loss to all…Had a nice mixture of veggie and non-veggie ppl and veggie as usual getting looted by non-veggies. Had nice food in total in the road side daaba on Mysore road…and all peepals – gubbal.coms’ headed towards Bangalore and silently getting dropped one-by-one…getting to sleep…and usual routine…Well thanks to TEJU and all peepals have fun.

~Mahesh

Experiences_At_NIM

Experiences at NIM (Nehru Institute of Mountaineering)

ಮಹೇಶನ ಅಹಲಧಕರ ಹಿಮಾಲಯ ಪ್ರವಾಸ ಕಥೆ.

History of NIM:

The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering was established at Uttarkashi on 14 Nov 1965 to honor the great desire of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, who was an ardent mountain lover. The proposal to have Mountaineering Institute at Uttarkashi was mooted by the Ministry of Defense, Govt. of India and Govt. of U.P. in 1964.

Introduction on NIM:

NIM has completed 40 years of existence. Training Mountaineers has always been raised deter of this Institute. Over the years, thousands of Indians and hundreds of Foreigners have passed through the portals of this great Institution. The aim of the Institute is to introduce and initiate young men, women and school children to the mountains and nature through its various Mountaineering and Adventure training courses. Special emphasis is laid on instilling the concept of Adventure sports, without causing environmental degradation.

Experience:

We were asked to prepare for the physical training a month before we reach the institute. However on commencement of the course on 20th October, we all realized that nothing would have prepared us for what we were to face in the coming 28 days. Wake-up at 4 in the morning, assemble for physical training at 5 am and a hectic schedule for the entire day filled with lecture sessions, artificial wall climbing training, tent pitching training, long treks, et’ all!

The physical and emotional stress and fatigue I experienced at this juncture was the most, since the typical army routine, sleeping on a bunk bed, living a army disciplined lifestyle was very new to me, It was only later on I found that even the army guys were feeling the same as we civilians.

So we began with the first phase of the training: Rock Craft, for which we walked the entire stretch of 11 km from the NIM campus to Tekhla, the rock climbing zone carrying around a weight of 15Kgs. The most adventurous aspect of this phase was climbing up 40m high rocks and then rappelling down the same.

This was followed by most memorable trek of 18days into the mountains carrying the 25Kg rucksack filled with all equipments hardly left any space for a pair of clothing. Trek starting from 4000ft and covering up to 18,000ft – Droupadi ka Dhanda Peak.

It sounds like a great achievement now, but at that moment we were all humbled by the beauty of the places we passed by, with beautiful rhododendrons, buttercups, marshmarygolds and other colorful flowers inviting us to their humble abode. Walking through valleys of flowers, with snow carpeted mountains, crossing crystal clear streams and hearing the gurgling waters, was such a pleasure, it compensated for the tough journey and heavy luggage, giving us all a sense of calm and contentment.

In the mountains second phase of Ice craft in the Dokriani Bamak glacier.

More importantly, many of our instructors gave us detailed stories of their experiences on mountains like Nanda Devi and Everest. For all the Army Expeditions NIM instructors have been the rescue team…saving lots of people putting their life in risk…Head’s off. Mr. Neel Chand that once on the Everest, due to lack of anchors for pitching a tent, someone had used a dead body as an anchor for their tent, and he actually saw that! It just shows that even though the mountains can be very beautiful, they can also be very ruthless!

From Base camp we proceeded to Advance Base Camp, at a height of 13,400 feet and also to the third and last phase of our course: Snow Craft. We were taught basics of Map reading and navigation using compass in the mountains. We stood second in the treasure hunt using these maps in the mountains hard to compete the army guys who stood first. As all serious courses this one also had a written test in the last…Ahh here civilians stood way top to army guys…also looks pity.

The day arrived when we were to return back to the NIM campus hiked back from base camp to road head the euphoria on everyone’s faces on seeing the buses, a sign of civilization after 17 days of living like nomads, was worth seeing!

The entire course, though very tough, was unique and sometimes funny too. From living in tents for 17 days, laughing and crying with team mates at the same time, to attending to nature calls amidst nature! It all makes me think that to experience adventure and beauty; one has to scale the heights of experience to experience extremes. Got to experience "Wall climbing" on the International standard type walls for Asian Games.

~MachoNirvana