My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
In this, his second guest post, Niranjan continues his reminiscences of his Kutch trip, with
a more detailed report of the fifth day spent on the Rann of Kutch. To read his
earlier post, click here.
Related Post:
We started from Zainabad to Moti Virani, Kutch district on the
morning of the fourth day of our trip – 28th December. We reached
our destination by evening and had ample time to cool our heels and take some
rest before embarking on another adventure into the wild. We were greeted with
a terrific lunch. Whoever says that Gujarati food is sweet, should try out
Kutchi food. It is very spicy and reminds of Andhra J
29, December, 2011
The morning began with a journey to the Banni grasslands
Reserve. One sight of this place will remind anyone of the Savannah grasslands.
The day began with our capturing the brilliant sunrise and
being treated with the sightings of many Montagu’s and Pallid harriers looking
out for their early breakfast.
Pallid Harrier:
Montagu’s Harrier holding its prey in her legs
On the way, we also spotted Chestnet-bellied Sandgrouses:
After capturing many more Harriers, Common cranes and
Indian Nightjars on the way, we made a stop in the open for having a breakfast.
There we were greeted with a Red-tailed Wheatear on the rocks next to our car.
After having a breakfast, we started moving again and
exploring the landscapes for more birds.
On the way, we saw Nomads passing...
by. I was told by the
Naturalist, Mr.Jugal Tiwari travelling with us, that these nomads go on for
days in this desert surviving only on Camel’s milk!
On the way, we were greeted by the Desert Wheatears:
We were ably guided by Mr.Jugal who runs an NGO in Moti Virani
called CEDO(Centre for Desert and Ocean).
We then went to an open area, where we saw Stoliczka's Bushchat.
On the way, we were lucky to catch a glimpse of the Common
quail which is amazingly swift :
We also sighted an amazing number of Common cranes on the
way back.
After an hour at lunch, we started again for the Banni
grasslands for more of bird-watching.
We were lucky enough to capture Sociable Lapwings.
Grey Francolin:
We saw the MacQueen's
Bustard at a distance, running from our jeep J
The 5th day of the trip of Kutch
finally finished with a lovely sunset…
And before I sign off, here is one last pic...one with my friend, Nirvita in the frame....
The
trip was not yet over, and more was to come. Look out for my next post about
the final days of our trip!
Related Post:
 |
| Kutch Diaries Part 1 |
Amazing pictures.
ReplyDeleteThat was quite an illuminating post! It was good to know about the Centre for Desert and Ocean! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNice photographs.. is it the Demoiselle Cranes ??
ReplyDeleteAmazing pictures..........
ReplyDeleterosesandgifts.com
Terrific shots. The Banni grasslands looks like a paddy field ready to be harvested!
ReplyDeleteSuperb pictures! Hard to say which one is the best, but I loved the camel legs!
ReplyDeleteThank you Saandip. Those are Common Cranes ...
ReplyDeleteThank you Sir
ReplyDeleteThank you Archana
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Mam
ReplyDeleteThe birds are out of this world. What a wealth of feathered friends our country has!
ReplyDeleteThank you Zephyr....
ReplyDeletethe LRK and GRK are wonderful places for bird watching and it seems you have seen a lot of them... great :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Santosh :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, had an amazing no. of sighting :)
Awesome photographs of an amazing place. Great adventure indeed.
ReplyDeletebeautiful pics and wonderful place
ReplyDeletemarvelous snaps...
ReplyDeleteahmedabadonnet.com
Thanks a lot, Surekha!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog its look nice and attractive. I like wildlife sanctuaries and visited many wildlife sanctuaries. I love wild animals and clicking too many photos of them. I have a good experience of wildlife sanctuaries trip. Photos are really awesome of your blog. I always keep in touch with your blog and going to bookmark also.
ReplyDeleteThanks