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Ladakh - Planning The Trip

Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out!  Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, though we
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Giant Wood Spider

We were at Sringeri, visiting the Kala Bhairava Temple at one end of the village. We finished our prayers and came out, and as usual, I was trying to get a decent shot of the temple, when a movement on a tree nearby caught my eye. At first, it was difficult to see anything but a huge spider web.. But then, with the camera zoom, I managed to spot the creature that had created that web - a Giant Wood Spider..





I first saw these spiders at Corbett, but hadnt managed to get a photo.... We saw many more at Sringeri, but for various reasons, I never got a decent pic. This was the best I managed with my camera, and I was thrilled at having captured it at last!

Apparently, the huge spider is the female of the species, the male being much smaller....To get a better idea of these creatures, click here.

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Comments

  1. AartiNovember 14, 2012 at 8:02 AM

    Have seen these in sringeri but am invariably without a camera or unable to get half a decent shot.. Neat capture..:))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 16, 2012 at 12:40 PM

      Thanks Aarti!! that has happened to me too :D but this time I was lucky!

      Delete
  2. R Niranjan DasNovember 14, 2012 at 4:38 PM

    Awesome shot. Never seen such a big one.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 16, 2012 at 12:41 PM

      THanks Niranjan!!! Once you see one, you keep seeing them wherever u go!

      Delete
  3. SudhageeDecember 8, 2012 at 3:44 PM

    Thanks, Anu. I saw one of these at a hotel bathroom in Kovalam Beach at Trivandrum and didn't know what they were called. Now I know :-)

    ReplyDelete

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