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The Bluff Grass - Interesting real-life incidents, funny experiences, travel, photography, reviews, poems, and more. Read, interact and make this a useful hang-out spot. You can post your comments, suggestions, and critiques under the respective blog topics.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Chikmagalur, Kemmangundi, Hunkal Woods Trip

Planters Court Hotel, Chikmagalur - Review.

Hunkal Woods - Review.

We did this 3 nights and 3.25 days trip by Train and Cab combinations, from Friday afternoon till Monday night. We had been to Chikmagalur and Hunkal Woods in 9-12 April 2009, but at that time we had missed Kemmangundi and the surrounding Hebbe Falls, Z-Point and Kallathigiri Falls. So when our son had an unforeseen 3-day week-end suddenly, we quickly planned for this trip.

Here is a high level summary of the trip.

23/Mar/12 (Fri):   Train: Bangalore Shimoga Express: From Bangalore City (16:30) to Kadur (19:56)
                              Cab: From Kadur to Chikmagalur (40 KM, 1 hour)
                              Stay: The Planters Court, Chikmagalur

24/Mar/12 (Sat):   Cab: Hebbe Falls, Z-Point, Kallathigiri Falls (About 110 KM round-trip)
                              Stay: The Planters Court, Chikmagalur

25/Mar/12 (Sun):  Cab: The Planters Court to Hunkal Woods (26 KM)
                              Stay: 140 year old British heritage bungalow in Thogarihunkal Group Coffee Estates
                              Trek: 16:30 to 18:15 - Temple Trees Walk (In the Estates, their very own Old Temple)

26/Mar/12 (Mon): Trek: 05:45 to 08:00 - Sidda View Point (Up the hill via Estates, and beyond)
                              Cab: From Hunkal Woods (15:30) to Birur Railway Station (16:30)
                              Train: From Birur (17:30) to Bangalore City (21:25)

Read on further... for more interesting travel destination details, lots of pictures, and see us as well.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Padharaavaai Nelmaniyae - 2

பதராவாய் நெல்மணியே - Padharaavaai Nelmaniyae - You will become a husk, paddy seed.

Remember last week's posting that went like this: <<Long long time ago, this picture in the Tamil Weekly magazine 'Ananda Vikatan' caught my attention that I cut it and wrote this short verse, sometime in 1990 I think.>>

I guess it was a little (!) cryptic and many did not quite understand it. I thought of doing a translation for the benefit of the world! Here it is!

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Sunday, March 18, 2012

Padharaavaai Nelmaniyae

பதராவாய் நெல்மணியே - Padharaavaai Nelmaniyae - You will become a husk, paddy seed.

Long long time ago, this picture in the Tamil Weekly magazine 'Ananda Vikatan' caught my attention that I cut it and wrote this short verse, sometime in 1990 I think.

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Saturday, March 17, 2012

Caught Special - 17

Where: At Tiruchendur
When: 11/Feb/07, Sunday, 07:23 am
What: From the corridor of Siva Murugan Lodge. This peacock kept on moving its head. There was another peacock sitting right behind this, cluttering the silhouette outline of the first peacock that I was looking for. I kept waiting, with the frame set to capture the Tiruchendur Murugan Temple's main tower and a coconut tree, without the sun in view, but with this peacock - till it gave me a suitable pose. Finally I got this good pose from it for just a couple of seconds, while at the same time the other peacock's head was hidden behind and - I clicked it with perfect timing.
How: Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50
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This is a series of Caught Special pictures that I captured at different places.
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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Pigeon Surprise 4

Well, well, well...

This never seems to end. Three days ago, the Pigeons came back to camp - at our mini garden in the balcony. Back with a fresh project: An Egg once again... in one of their favorite plant pots! And this time in a pot where we have our fresh new drumstick sapling! Well, what was exciting initially -- with 3 episodes before this, see Pigeon Surprise 1, Pigeon Surprise 2 and Pigeon Surprise 3 -- now turns out to be a trouble actually? Opinions, Interests and Perceptions change for man so soon and look how! This time we decided to abandon their project! Pigeon egg - anybody?


To read all the postings in this 'Pigeon Surprise' series, click here.
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Saturday, March 3, 2012

Pogiraen...

போகிறேன் - Pogiraen - I Am Leaving...

Published in Murugappa Electronics company magazine 'Vox Populi' in the year 1992.

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Friday, March 2, 2012

Caught Grinning - 17

This was taken on 23rd Feb 2012. Enjoy!

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This is a series posting such picture(s) I captured at many different places. You can click on the picture(s) to see a bigger version. Click here to view all 'Caught Grinning' postings under this series.
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