RoadTrip - JogFalls

On Friday night, we decided as an experiment, to wake up at dawn, randomly pick a destination and spend the weekend there. At sunrise the next day, we were heading towards Jog Falls. An excellent way to welcome in the monsoon.

Getting there

Having decided on taking only NH roads along the way, our route was as below. Roads were ok, in some parts recently laid. But there was no divider and it was 2 lane all the way, Avg speeds of 80Kmph. Our Course as usual was charted by MapMyIndia and Google Maps ( on both, the Motorola Milestone and the HTC Desire HD ). Invaluable tools! Aside - I'm looking to buy holders for the phone in the car. If you can suggest a brand, pls drop me a comment.


Stopped for a "natural" bathroom break, saw a few snakes too :)

Our Route to Jog


View Larger Map

Where to eat

The monsoon fuels my appetite, and on long drives with gorgeous scenery and intermittent drizzles, I like to have something to munch with my sugary sweet highway tea. But, food on the highways in Karnataka presents a bit of a problem. The number of eating joints are few and far between and often pretty run down.

Breakfast - Coffee day and the Kamats

We usually prefer Kamat( though food quality has deteriorated ). It opens at 7am. ( I know this because we once startled them by showing up bright and early at 6am ).

Lunch -
1. Shimoga - The smart option
2. Sagar - for the over confident who failed to stop at Shimoga.

As you might have guessed, we belonged to the second category. Our gargantuan breakfast meant that we whizzed past Shimoga without the slightest of hunger pangs.

When it comes to eating in Shimoga, you are spoiled for choice. Among others, notable are The Royal Orchid which has recently opened in the city centre and offers a star option. There is also the reliable and reasonably priced Mathura Lodge for the vegetarians. Both places are also good options for stay.

But as we foolishly drove on and were approaching Sagar, there were audible rumbles and it wasn't the engine. A quick search of Google Places Directory yielded no known restaurants nearby. Then we spotted Chaya. Going by the crowd of vehicles, it seemed to be the only place to eat. We parked and followed the crowd. The restaurant and lodge is well placed and has a lake view.

Sadly, I cannot say much for the restaurant or indeed for the manners of its patrons. It was essentially a Mess (and I mean that in all possible ways). Everyone seemed to order the set meals, so we did too. Hygiene was a bit dodgy - I tried hard to ignore the slight crust of a previous meal on the edge of my plate. They employ children to clear the dishes, which I disapprove of. Food was basic and actually quite nice - taste wise, but the unclean surroundings, terrible noise of clanking plates and shouting people made it an awful experience @ 125Rs for 3 meals. Do NOT have the paan at the paan shop below. We had to spit it out in under 1 min.

You can also try Sri Pavitra Lodge - which we saw 20 minutes ahead, it looked cleaner, bigger and better; and that's the last eating option at Sagar. If you do eat there, please share your experience with me.




The Falls

Enroute, you will pass a stunning bridge over a gorge which is a must stop place for the photo ops. We passed it 4 times, and each time, it was pouring rain. A Rs.20 admission fee is collected at the gate to Jog. The parking lots are well organized. The instant photo dudes pounced on us as soon as we stepped out of the car, but beat a hasty retreat once the tripod and equipment came out the boot. At Jog, the mist was wonderful, the incessant rain refreshing but slightly annoying.

The highlight for me was the presence of 3 Scarlet Minivets ( 2 males, 1 female ). No photos sadly, they were just too far away for my 300mm. The males put up a splendid show, the tiny scarlet birds stood out starkly against the misty green and white backdrop of the falls, it left a deep impression on me. I almost wanted to move into the the little lonely house on the hill!




Where to stay

Once at Jog, you will notice the huge boards of Mayura (KSTDC hotels). We thought we'd risk a stay against our better judgement. After all, the hotel had a stunning view of the falls, being bang opposite to it.

After some driving around in circles, thanks to the absence of a board in English, we found the main entrance to the hotel. It looked like something out of India's Most Haunted. The lobby was devoid of all furniture, the windows were all broken and a stray dog was manning the reception. Shortly, a man arrived and asked if we had a reservation, and on hearing that we hadn't, he said they had no vacancies.

Google to the rescue! Matthuga Homestay is the ONLY place to stay at Jog (8km from the Falls). I found their website online and even recalled seeing a board while we were driving to Jog from Sagar. It has only 5 bedrooms, so call ahead and reserve your room. Its a popular place among those in the IT industry, going by the companies listed in their guest list. Being the very first homestay of my experience, I was keen to try it out.



Matthuga Homestay

The approach road will test your vehicle's suspension and the under chassis rubber coating and the rust proofing will finally be worth it. It is clean ( i cant stress this enough actually ) and homely. The staff of 2 speak both Kannada and Hindi. The bathrooms are clean, ventilated and have 24hr hot water ( we have verified at various times). It also has toilet paper. Also provided was a small cupboard with clothes hangers. Beds were comfortable, pillows were not lumpy, sheets were clean and fresh smelling. 2 plug points + 1 in the bath.

Soap and Bath towels were not provided - this was the only negative point. And the windows didn't have a mesh to keep out the insects, so we had to keep them closed.

The Food: sorry to disappoint you, it was hot, hygienic and probably very healthy too. But it was not tasty by any standards, no one was having seconds. It seemed to be made in a bit of a hurry, perhaps they were overwhelmed by the number of guests. Food is kannadiga style vegetarian (chappatis at dinner are pre-made and kept in a hotcase). The breakfast the next morning was delayed and really not up to mark. The tea was good, curds were too. I liked the peanut chutney served with the pale and limp excuse for a dosa. Upma devotee - keshav, was visibly upset at how his favorite breakfast was made.

The homestay has backup generators for electricity. There is no room service for food. Evening tea is delivered to the room. It is self service, served and communally eaten in the dinning room. Other than the food, I was happy with everything else. Having to leave your shoes outside is an annoyance.

Our Return Route:

On the way back, we did something silly, we thought of going via Chitradurga to reduce travel time, since NH4 from chitradurga is excellent, and we really like that road.
From Bhadravati we took NH13 to Chitradurga. NEVER EVER should you do this with the intention of reducing travel time. The route was very scenic indeed, and we had ample time to enjoy it, considering our top speed of 20kmph.



View Larger Map

We had lunch at a road side dhaba - Jai Hind Dhaba on NH4, 10 km from Chitradurga towards Tumkur, food was pretty good and filling. There were a lot of sparrows that kept me entertained while we waited for the food. Tea was awesome.



The Impromptu Plan Survival Guide

For an OCD control freak like self, these impromptu trips can be very unsettling. To avoid panic attacks, I remember to pack the following essentials.
We cannot all be Bear Grylls. Some of us need material comforts.

1. Large Fluffy BathTowel - if you've read The Hitchhiker's Guide, you'll know that your towel is an important survival aid out there in the galaxy. Its mighty handy on earth too.
2. Tube of Face wash - soap is messy to carry, face wash can be used as a body-wash.
3. Plastic Bags - to wrap damp towels, clothes, cameras, lenses.
4. Moisturizer and Deodorant
5. Hair care products - Do not scoff at this. I find the modern male is picky on the matter of hair care and will often have as many if not more products than the modern female. Carry only essentials.
6. Breath freshener ( I carry saunf in chewing gum containers - chewing gum is difficult to dispose of )
7. Medication ( for indigestion, avomin, crocin, something for headaches )
8. Traveling toothbrush and small tube of paste
9. Charging cables for mobile phones.
10. Tissue paper
11. Torch and safety pins - never know when you need it ( i also carry a small folding scissor )

If you wear contacts - small case + travel pack of solution, extra pair of lens. Spectacles with Case.

You can also carry some hand sanitizer - I haven't been able to find the right size bottle.

Carry some biscuits and water, they will sustain you while you search for suitable restaurants.



Philosophy

A few weeks ago, while indulging in some deep thinking, K and I concluded that we make very poor use of our time. The thinking went some what as follows: assuming an active working span of say 60yrs (retirement age), it means that we all start off with 60x52=3120 weekends in our accounts. Now minus the weekends that we have already lost due to age. In our case, we are down to 1664. Assume that only every alternate weekend is available for use in the pursuit of "Things you've always wanted to do/ Places you've always wanted to see". ( This is where having multiple hobbies can present a bit of a problem )

That brings us down to 832 (the other weekend is spent in necessary evils like laundry, grocery shopping, work, processing photos of the previous weekend :-) and other commitments ). Suddenly, the humble weekend seems more precious. If your number seems large to you, you may want to get some hobbies.

The gist of the matter ofcourse is to make every day/weekend count, use it well - take up those classes you've always wanted to take, meet the people you've been always meaning to meet, see the nearby places that you've always wanted to see.
Don't waste this weekend lazying about in front of the Tv, there are places to see and people to meet, get going!

Rain Lily

Rain Lily Rosea

The wonderful weather we have been having with frequent rains caused a rather surprising riot of color in my balcony one morning. Almost out of nowhere and with no warning there were a multitude of rainlily buds! Unfortunately, they decided to flower in fantastic profusion and all together on a weekday. This meant ofcourse that we would be late to work. :(

I first saw the rainlily in houses in Indiranagar where they were used as hedging or in pots on the boundary wall. They are also common in office campuses. Any plant that grows in corporate campuses is easy to grow. So if you are looking for additions to your garden, first look in your office.

I got mine (Pink and Yellow) from Madeena Nursery on Sarjapur road - a wonderful sprawling nursery with lot of variety and very helpful staff. Its been about a year and this was the first time they have bloomed in unison. The white blooms very often, the pink rarely but regularly, the yellow being the last.


Colourful spring morning - I envy my neighbour's view

The flowers will turn to face the sun. In my case that means they turn towards my neighbour's balcony. :(

How it got the name

The botanical name - Zephyranthes is a genus of species in the Amaryllis family (subfamily Amaryllidoideae). Family: Amaryllidaceae (amarlyllis family)

Zephyrus, or just Zephyr (Greek: Zéphuros, "the west wind"), in Latin Favonius, is the Greek god of the west wind. The gentlest of the winds, Zephyrus is known as the fructifying wind, the messenger of spring.

The blooming of the flowers are said to herald the onset of spring. In our case in India, however, they herald the monsoon season and the end of hot summers. Hence the common name - rain lily. They bloom during the rains.

Meet the family


The Rain Lily Rose - closeup

Zephyranthes rosea - Rain Lily Rose

Rose Rain Lily are small flowers that are pink in color with a green base. The flowers are much smaller that of Rain Lily Pink (which is a light pink) and the white and yellow. The throat is distinctly green. Leaf blades are dull green. They are wider and shorter than the pointy spring onion like leaves of the yellow and the white.

Flowers are erect to slightly bent, bright pink in color, funnel-shaped, Flower tube is green, increasing in diameter. Flowering season is March-July.

Pink Confusion

The Z.carinata is called the Pink Rain Lily and is light pink (strawberry milkshake colour) they have larger flowers and have 6 petals. The Rose rain lily has a darker pink (kissan strawberry jam color) Z. rosea blooms are smaller and have greater than 6 petals, sometimes 8.



Zephyranthes citrina - The Yellow Rain Lily

Zephyranthes citrina - Yellow Rain Lily

The bright one-inch lemon yellow flowers of this rain lily face upwards and flare open. (Unlike the rosea which never opens out fully).
The leaves are slender and light green and stand erect most of the time, when dry and in need of watering they will droop. The propagation is supposedly by bulbs. (though I have propagated them by seed )

A personal observation: the yellow lily was in bloom for only 2 days, after which it closed completely and started seed production. The pink lasted longer by a day. The white out lasts them all and is in bloom for days on end.

Seed production starts immediately after the flowers are dry, 3 pointed bulbs emerge where the flower was, starting small and eventually getting quite large, as big as a pepper seed. Then it dries and opens. Each pod has 3 stacks of black flat teardrop shaped seeds. Collect and plant, make more lilies:)



Zephyranthes candida - The white rain lily

Zephyranthes candida - Rain Lily white

It is native of the warmer parts of America, also called Fairy Lily. The solitary flowers consisting of 6 pointed petals have sturdier stalks than the yellow.
These are common and very popular, they can be acquired from most nurseries, their leaves are darker green and fatter than the other 2 varieties.

Hippeastrum hybrid - Amaryllis Lily



These are Mom's lilies

This is my mom's plant and her image of it. I borrowed it from her flickr stream. Hers are blooming too, so if you're looking to acquire these plants, the time is now.

Hippeastrum is a genus of about 70-75 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars of bulbous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. They are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the Caribbean. These plants are popularly but erroneously known as Amaryllis, which is an African genus, in the same family.

They are pretty large compared to the small rainlily and bloom in a set of 4 flowers.

Colors include red, rose, pink, white, orange, yellow and pale green with variations on these including different colored stripes and edges on the petals.

When to Buy

When buying these plants, its best to time your purchase to the blooming period because most nurseries just keep all the varieties close together and cannot assure you of the color of the bloom. The Rosea can be made out easily, but you'll have trouble differentiating between yellow and white.



More of the yellow - Cant get enough of them


Growing:

Plant it, give it some water and then forget about it. When the leaves begin to droop a little, water it a bit. While Zephyranthes can stand dry periods, if you want the graceful green leaves to remain, you may need to add some water occasionally. If you let them dry for a week and water them later, the flowering cycle can be triggered.

I found this works best with the white variety, which is very common. The pink and yellow are pretty rare in bangalore and I only found them in this particular nursery.

Zephyranthes do best with a little shade, they can be planted around the base of trees or shrubs in a garden and will serve to hide fallen dried leaves and keep the ground moist by discouraging evaporation.

The flowers of some species are said to have a sweet, pleasant fragrance. I sniffed diligently around all of mine (the things I do for this blog!) - no smell :(

They do well in containers outdoors and in balconies and windows, but not as houseplants. Don't keep them indoors. They can withstand full sun, but you'll have better results if they have a small amount of shade. The pots need not be big or deep. I have 2 varieties in a single long window sill pot, and they co-habit very


Sources:
Shobha Kamath
Wikipedia
Flowers of India
Rain Lily | Garden Guides

Monsoon Wedding - I

First of all, this is not a bird related post. I'm taking a small sabbatical from birding to concentrate on a personal project - My Wedding. This is the first of a short series of posts that will detail all you ever wanted to know about an Indian Hindu Wedding. I hope this will prove useful to anyone planning a wedding.

Pls Note: I belong to the GSB - (Goud Saraswat Brahmin) community.

The Horror Scope!

Finding the Groom/Bride, usually is a tedious process which involves horoscope matching. While a lot of the older Indians swear by it, most have little or no clue of what exactly is getting matched.

The matching process involves calculating a Score using 2 birth-charts or horoscopes. The Max Score possible is 36. Cut-off marks are high. The couple need to score greater than 18. We scored 24.
The Mangal Dosh (made famous by the Aishwarya Rai wedding) is cancelled out if both the boy and girl have it in their horoscopes.

Birth-charts : Are documents created when a child is born into a hindu family, noting the date and time of birth, location (latitude and longitude) among other things. The positions of important stars and planets at the time of birth are noted in the form of a chart.

Note: South Indian and North Indian horoscopes contain the same info but are organised differently. Usually the date, time and location are used to construct a fresh birth-chart of a similar style for matching.

The system supposedly checks for 8 different regions of compatibily. For details, check out this article on Vedic Horoscope Matching

Traditionally horoscopes are matched by family priests. The priest will usually take his own time and provide a verdict. Details are usually not explained.
Several sites offer online Horoscope matching. Its free, detailed and the report is mailed to your email address.

We used Planetary Positions
Our horoscopes (one north, one south) were also matched by 3 different priests - 2 north indian and 1 south indian and all gave the same results as provided by PlanetaryPositions.

The Engagement

Once the formalities are out of the way, an Engagement date is chosen by the priest. Time is as important as the date. Usually no auspicious activity should be done at Rahu kala. The panchang( hindu religious calendar) is consulted to find a good time.

For Tamil Muhurtham dates:
http://www.subhakariam.com/muhurtham.htm
For North Indian Muhurath dates:
http://www.liveindia.com/muhurat/
Free Software to calculate a date:
http://www.newfreedownloads.com/find/muhurat.html
Disclaimer: I havent tried this one myself.

Many communities dont have a ring exchange at the Engagement, although now a days the western practice of rings is increasingly followed among many ( After all - Who wants to say no to Diamonds? )

A Simple GSB style Engagement will usually be done at the girl's house. Ideally there should be elder relatives from the maternal and paternal side to bless the boy and girl. The girl and boy are expected to exchange gifts ( usually a gift of clothing ). A small prayer is said and the couple can seek blessings of all elders present by touching their feet. The families will exchange sweet boxes.

In the north indian custom, the exchange of gifts is far more elaborate. A complete set of clothing, foot wear, handbag, jewellery, cosmetics is given in addition to baskets of fruit and dry fruits.

Attire:
The girls in the south will usually wear Saris though many are now opting for Ghagra Cholis. Note: Unless you have occasions to wear it again sometime, this is a dead investment. In south india, the girl will be expected to wear some amount of gold. Parlours offer makeup services for Engagements - Rs. 3000 from Lakme

The guys will usually settle for Kurtas. Suits are a big NO, unless you want to look like you're attending a seminar in Europe.

Gift options:
For Her : Sari, Gold/Diamond Ring, Gold Chain/ Ear studs, Shoes, Perfume, Watch, Handbag, Salwar suit
For Him : Shirt and Trouser set, Kurta set, Gold Ring, Watch, Sun glasses, Cologne

Tips:
Buy Gold from Big Brands that will offer buy back ( in case you need to exchange ) and will also provide free Service. My engagement ring was from Gili and they replaced it at no charge when a diamond in it fell off.

Try to shop at a Mall that has a loyalty program.

Use a credit card for all purchases atleast till the wedding is over. The huge bills in the coming months will generate a lot of reward points that can be converted to vouchers or Air Miles. (Remember to pay credit card bills on time.)