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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

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.
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Ghost Crabs at Cherai

Walking on the sands of Cherai Beach in the rain, our attention was captured by what appeared, at first sight, to be a ripple on the sand. A closer look revealed a tiny crab scuttling into its hole. Can you spot the crab in this photograph?




Here, take a closer look…




These crabs are called ‘Ghost Crabs’, because of the apparent ‘invisibility’ their camouflage offers. We saw lots of them over the next couple of days, both small and big…



But were especially fascinated by these huge ones…



They stayed at the edge of the water, waiting for the waves to flow over them, yet retaining their hold on the sand and staying in their place long after the waves had retreated.

Can you see the crab in the water? 


Their behavior was intriguing, and it was only after we returned that we learnt that these crabs are only partially amphibious, and breathe through gills moistened with sea water, though they cannot stay underwater for long. Therefore, they stay near the shore and regularly venture into the sea to wet their gills, taking care to stay well inland to retain their hold on land!


These crabs significantly brightened up the monsoon evening on the beach at Cherai! It only reiterates the fact that nature always has interesting to things to show us. All we need are the eyes to see them!

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Location: Cherai Beach, Vypin, Kerala

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