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.
We were on our way to a temple, with a hot spring. "It is a nice temple" assured our driver. "It won't be crowded at all." The single bus standing outside the tiny temple should have warned us, but we didn't pay attention till it was too late. The shrine, and the spring, were filled with people - who stared as we walked in. It was an unnerving experience, and we rushed to get out. A flash of white on a tree diverted me, and I hurried to see what it was. It turned out to be an Egyptian Vulture.. the saving grace of the long journey it had taken us to get here!!!
The vulture perched on the bare branch for a while, allowing me a good capture...
and then spread its wings, and soared up into the air. I watched, struck by just how beautiful it looked, and almost forgot to click. But the vulture circled, and another one joined it.... and I just had to try my luck to capture it in flight....
We stood there, losing track of time, watching the birds swoop and circle, and wondered what they were doing. Our driver rushed up, surprised to see out outside, looking at a bird, instead of the temple. By the time I turned back, the birds had disappeared, and we headed back to the car.
It was as if they had appeared just for us, to make up for the disappointing temple, and the baleful stares of those we had surprised!It is moments like these which make trips memorable, don't they?
This post is part of my series on my #summertrip 2015, and I hope to take you along with me as I recount stories from my month long trip, which took me across the country. To get an idea of all the places I visited, and what you can hope to read about, click here.
Related Posts:
Related Posts:
- The Himachal Series-
Vulture watching is rare these days. You are lucky you saw it. And thanks for sharing photos. We also watching because of you.
ReplyDeletesurprisingly Tushar, I have seen Egyptian vultures earlier too, near Mysore. but its always a pleasure to see such rare birds!
DeleteLook at the wing span!! Lovely catch there Anu.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Prashanth! I was fascinated by the wingspan too, and elated that I could capture it, for once :D
DeleteWell, I would have liked to see your driver's face! Rushing out of a temple and staring at a vulture :D
ReplyDeleteOh Usha.. that was certainly a sight worth it! I dont think he ever had passengers like us. first we didnt want to visit any of the popular temples, and then i stopped him for birds, and sheep! not sure if he will come again if i call him on my next trip there :P
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