A snaky experience

May-2008. We were on a trip to Wayanad, Kerala. We stayed in a stilt cottage at a resort.  The the drives around to various spots in the surroundings, as well as the resort itself were very nice.

The mains box was near the left side of the main door

Madikeri, Coorg Trip

Mayura Valley View, Madikeri - Review.

It was effectively a 2-days and 2-nights trip we had planned to Madikeri (a.k.a. Mercara) in Coorg (a.k.a. Kodagu) district by our Swift VXI, but the total trip duration involved was close to 3-days and 3-nights. 

Kodagu district's capital is Madikeri and it is at an altitude of about 3800 feet above mean sea level. The Kodagu district is bordered by Dakshina Kannada District to the northwest, Hassan District to the north, Mysore District to the east, the Kannur District of Kerala to the southwest, and the Wayanad District of Kerala to the south.

In preparation, the car was given for a regular service 5 days in advance, fuel tank topped-up, tyre-pressure (including stepney wheel) verified, etc. And, also got the list of Maruti service stations at Mysore and Madikeri ready.

Booked online a room at Mayura Valley View Madikeri, about 1.5 months in advance. It involved calling KSTDC office at the phone numbers given below, and an executive there verified that vacancy for the dates we needed were really available, and then, we did the booking ourselves, online. One can also directly visit KSTDC office and do the booking in person. The address and phone numbers are:

Caught Special - 2

Once in a while I get the opportunity to click something special. An attractive frame of scenery, a rare moment of incident or action, an unusual view of a common perspective, a snap of poetic feel and depth, a picture-perfect still, or even an impressive blend of colors with a rustic or a glossy finish.  

This is a series posting such pictures I captured. The pictures are original and without any post-processing.  You can also see my thoughts about the picture and the camera used for snapping. 

Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Special' to see all postings in this series. Click on pictures to see full size view.
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Special thoughts:
We were at Srirangapatna on a company picnic. We came back to Bangalore towards evening, after visiting the spots like Gumbaz etc. in Srirangapatna around lunch time on that day.

Later that evening, there was this news on TV that people in Chennai had witnessed a dark ring around the sun on the sky the same afternoon. It was said to be a 'sun halo'.

Later, at night when I downloaded the photos from my camera I noticed this surprise catch, a lucky snap. At the Gumbaz  in Srirangapatna, I was taking a picture of the one of the minarets there with the sky in the background. The frame I set was not including the sun in it, but had the sun just outside it. But what I saw in the picture when I downloaded it to my computer was that ring around the sun! An accidental, lucky catch!
 
Date: 11/Jul/2010, 1:30 PM ~~ Camera: Nokia X6

 The news text found on The Hindu newspaper's website published these details.

Photo on The Hindu website.

And a YouTube video can be seen here.

Caught Grinning - 4

Many times we come across amusing sign-boards or objects or incidents in our journey, the life. Interesting, funny, and, at times, thought-provoking too. Just for fun and pun. There is absolutely no intention to hurt or offend anybody or anyone's feelings. 

This is a series posting such pictures I captured at different places. Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Grinning' to see all postings in this series.

[Note: Click on pictures to see a bigger version for better clarity]
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In Bangalore...

Keep Degence!

Imaiyora Sumai

Chitrakavi (சித்திரகவி) is a form of poem written to be meaningful and at the same time appear as a figure. This poem was written by me at a university level (inter-college) Chitrakavi competition - long long ago. It was, surprisingly, awarded a Silver medal.

Topic and rules given were:
                              Figure: Linga
                              Starting word: 'Imaiyora' (இமையோர)
                              Ending word: 'Sumai' (சுமை)

Click on images for a larger view.

 

The manuscript I wrote at the competition

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Caught Grinning - 3

Many times we come across amusing sign-boards or objects or incidents in our journey, the life. Interesting, funny, and, at times, thought-provoking too. Just for fun and pun. There is absolutely no intention to hurt or offend anybody or anyone's feelings.

This is a series posting such pictures I captured at different places. Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Grinning' to see all postings in this series. 

[Note: Click on pictures to see a bigger version for better clarity]
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Near the road-side canal in one of the streets in Kumarakom town, Kerala...

What an idea saare!

 If you look closely you can see that the gate even has a chain and lock!