Date: 04 August 2010
I left early this morning, around 5:30AM on my Royal Enfield. The purpose of my visit to Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR), Bandipur was to study the operations of the site and also learn how wildlife is being conserved. Also to know how the customers are being educated about the importance of the wilderness.
I had filled up my bike previous day itself. The Mysore road is unquestionably superb. The weather was awesome. No sunshine, chill air and heavy wind. This reduces the strain of travel.
I had just one ruck sack loaded. Was heavy since I carried my camera and my laptop along with clothes, toiletries, and medicines. But pretty much manageable.
The route I chose was Vidyaranyapura – BEL Circle – Yeswanthpur Jn – Ring Road to Mysore rd – Kengeri – Maddur – Mandya – Mysore ring road – Nanjangud – Gundlupet – Bandipur.
I stopped for breakfast at Kamat Upachar, Maddur. Had very light breakfast – Idly Vada and strong coffee. Relaxed for about 15 mins before proceeding. The next stop I made was at Mysore ring road to fuel up my bike, just in case. Hardly 5 litres were consumed.
I had another small stop at Mysore – Nanjangud highway for a tea. I then proceeded without any further stops and reached Bandipur at around 11AM. Rode the bike at an average speed of 70kmph.
I met the resort manager, Mr. Rangaswamy. He arranged for accomodation for me in one of the rooms. No guests at this moment and tomorrow as well. No pics taken until now. But will upload once they are taken. JLR - A nice place to be. Very calm. The last petrol bunk(s) I found was at Gundlupet town. There are quite a few ATMs too. Few are SBI, SBM & Karnataka Bank, that I managed to notice.
Full network of Airtel Mobile service here. Glad, cause I have two numbers and both are Airtel :)
A little tired after a long journey on bike. Will update more details after lunch.
04 August 2010 02:45PM
I had a satisfying lunch. Since I’m a veggie, I had 2 rotis,dal. plain rice with dal, sambar, and curd. Now during my lunch, something weird caught my attention. Two guys came in a Scorpio. Looked like they were regulars, to me. The way they were conversing with the staff members, it did look like that. When I enquired with one of the staff members, he said the person who was driving is a movie actor. I don’t have much knowledge about small time movie actors.
Anyways, the weirdest part is that the “actor” has recently purchased 150 acres of land right behind the lodge. And I heard that the land purchased includes a part of the forest and a small hillock!!! I mean talk about conserving nature and this person is constructing, what I suppose, a resort. Come on government!!! No more acquisition of forest land!!! Enough of deforestation has taken place already.
Any ways, I came back to my room and outside my room I saw a very unique insect. Managed to capture it on my camera.
At around 3PM, I got ready to go to Gopalaswamy Betta, 13km from here. While I was taking out my bike, I met Mr.Nataraj, Naturalist. I showed him the photos above, and he confirmed it was a worm in its natural state. He promised me a book which I could refer for finding more information about the insect. But, he did confirm to me that this insect was used in ayurvedic medicines for a certain skin ailment. I was amazed that an insect can be used for a medicinal purpose.
I then proceeded slowly towards G.Betta. Only 4 km was good road. After taking a deviation at an arch, the roads were in bad condition. It started drizzling. I proceeded with my cam placed in a bag, hanging on my back. I reached the checkpost. But no one was there to open it. I was in a confused state if the entry was closed early due to the rains. my questions were answered pretty soon. Towards the left hand side was the checkpost building. The guard had picked up a fight with a group of Malayalee youth. Neither could understand each other. Enter Aravind!!! I conversed with the guard and asked him what the issue was while I spoke in English with the Mal youths to stay quiet for sometime.
The guard said that the youths did not stop their car and whizzed past the gate while it was open. Apparently they were carrying liquor. While the youths had to come down the same route, the guard waylaid them and asked them to pullover. He had informed his superior over the phone about the issue. I explained the same to the youths. They were trying to get away by just paying the entry fees. But they had to be fined as they were carrying liquor and it is prohibited. I asked them to wait and speak to the superior officer. Meanwhile, I was allowed to pass.
Slowly i started ascending the hill. The wind grew stronger, the rain harder and the visibility, nearly nil. There was fog. I managed to reach the top and managed to park my bike. quickly went to take cover in the shrine, cause the rain had got bad. I was totally drenched. I managed to save my camera from getting wet. I had a good darshan of Lord Krishna. I even got to eat puliyogare (a delicacy of Iyengars) and it was awesome. I had a tough time wearing my shoes back on, as it was wet and so were my socks.
I then took shelter in a small area. Managed to take a picture of a saint. Here is the picture:
I also managed to take few pictures from outside the temple. Here they are:
On my way down, I managed to click these scenic views:
I reached JLR at around 5:30PM. Changed my dress, as I was drenched. Had a cup of coffee and relaxed for sometime. Waiting for Mr. Nataraj or Mr. Basavanna to come as I could borrow few books for study.
8:30PM 04 August 2010
I had a long chat with one of the staff member. He was a good company. Otherwise I could not imagine killing time!! :) We were switching topics every 15 minutes. And the time just flew. Met another naturalist Mr. Basavanna. He informed that there would be 10 guests arriving tomorrow. So, I would get to learn something tomorrow. My back is still recovering from the jolts of Nanjangud road and Gopalaswamy Betta road. Bikers…heads up. Make sure your bikes shocks are good and the tyres have a good road grip. During monsoon, its a bad scene.
Day 1 ends.
05 August 2010
I had a good sleep last night. The body aches have reduced. Thanks to Crocin Pain Relief. I freshened up myself and wanted to have a cup of coffee. Kitchen cleaning under progress as guests are arriving. I had to wait for sometime before I could have my breakfast and coffee.
Meanwhile I strolled around the campus and took some snaps. There are several cottages and all these are booked for the weekend. Its going to be houseful during this weekend. It usually is a busy time for the staff during the weekend.
Waiting for the guests to arrive today.
Around 11AM, I set off with one of the staff members Mr. Ramesh, on my bike for a ride till the Karnataka border check post. Within just 15 minutes of our journey, we saw a baby tusker elephant. wandering in the forest. Too bad I did not have my cam with me :(
When I came back to the JLR site, no sooner I parked the bike, a snake slithered its way less than 10 feet away. Another staff member got shit scared. I shouted aloud “Haavu” (Snake in Kannada). Mr. Basavanna, a naturalist and a snake catcher, rushed to catch the snake, but it slipped away real quick. Mr. Basavanna is very keen in snakes and caught almost all snake species, including cobra. His dream…to touch a King. Now that’s what I like. I started speaking about Romulus Whittaker, and Mr. Basavanna said that he has met Mr. Whittaker. He is planning to go during January to Agumbe, where the Kings mark their boundaries.
Mr. Basavanna was sharing his experiences of catching snakes and how at times it was the other way round….LOL. I have the right naturalist to guide me in my report. Hoping to spend some value time during the evening.
I had my lunch at around 2PM. It was a buffet system. Food was good. By that time 4 guests had arrived. One naturalist, Mr. Guru Dutt came to the dining area and informed that around 3:45PM coffee/tea will be served. After which we would leave for safari. Hoping for some more sightings this time. I don’t want deer!!! Give me leopards or tigers this time. Even a sloth bear would do. Or I may be lucky to find the Indian Wild Dog pack – DHOL.
I was sitting lame and I just took out my diary in which I had entered my expenses and the kilometer readings. I was taken back, because my bike’s mileage calculated in city was 23kmpl, but this one clocked 32kmpl!!! Heehaw!!! Not a bad mileage for a Standard 350cc ‘98 model :)
4:30PM 05 August 2010
I got ready for the jeep safari. Along with naturalist Mr. Nataraj, were two wildlife photographers from Bangalore and a couple. I was in the front seat next to the driver Mr. Ramesh. We head to the Bandipur safari point first to make the entry. And later proceeded inside the forest. At first, we saw a few birds species. We came across a striped neck mongoose and it was not reluctant after seeing us. In fact it was posing for our cameras.
We then came across pea hen and a spotted bill duck. After which was a long drive with no sightings for about an hour. We stopped at a place where there were a couple of grown elephants in the bushes, but hardly visible. Without wasting any time we proceeded further, with a notion of spotting a cat.
Another long hour went by with no spotting, and it was getting darker as the sun was setting. Our naturalist had mentioned earlier that there were sightings of Dhol and tigers last week. We reached the highway, but without taking deviation, proceeded to the other side of the forest. With just a few metres ahead, two Chitals (spotted deers) crossed out path. After which was an amazing sight!!! A Dhol right in the middle of the road. And beside it was a Chital gasping for its last breath. Just a while before we arrived, the Dhol along with another had attacked the Chital.
We were just about 20 feet from the Dhol. Me snapping away to glory with my 18-55mm lens. Sufficient for me though. The photographers had a ball of time, taking snaps of the wild dog with their telescopic lens. It looked for a while as though the Dhol was waiting for its team members to join in. They always are in a pack. But none arrived. The Dhol lost patience and started feeding on the deer. We were again taking snaps like crazy. Our driver decided to move a little closer and started the engine. We moved a little closer, but the Dhol was in no hurry. It was more keen in filling its stomach.
So, there we were, just about 10 feet away from the Dhol. We heard noises amongst the bushes toward our right side. Driver and the naturalist agreed with each other that a herd of elephants were there. And since it as getting late, the entry points would be locked by the forest officials. So, after a long session of photography, we decided to head back to JLR. By the time we reached, it was 7PM, but it was totally worth it. I was not disappointed at all.
At 7:30PM a wildlife documentary movie was scheduled at the conference hall. And what more could fit in more, than the Wild Dogs Diary!! This documentary was an hour duration and was filmed by Mr. Krupakar, with the help of a tribe chief and the forest officials. It was very informative as it covered the life of Dhol – The Wild Dog.
I had my dinner at 9PM. Headed back to my room to ensure this memory is captured in the blog.
Day 2 ends. Tomorrow, we are heading for an early morning safari at 6:30AM.
06 August 2010
Got up at 5:45AM and freshened up. All set to go for another safari. I headed to the restaurant for a cup of coffee. And later set off at 6:30AM with the photographers from Bangalore. When we reached the Bandipur safari point for entry, another person got into our jeep. HIs name is Mr. Shaktiprasad. He is a wildlife artist. He paints animals. He had a Canon DSLR with a telescopic lens.
We proceeded into the forest. Sightings are very less during the mornings is what I was told. During the safari we sighted a lone elephant, a lone Gaur (bison), herd of deer, and few birds including peacock. No cats sightings yet. We came back to JLR by 9AM. Headed for breakfast. I was wondering what to do next. As no other programs are scheduled until 4:30PM.
At lunch I met a few guests. Mr.Rohit and Mr.Bose were from Bangalore – Photography Enthusiasts,. And one Mr. Sunil, P.Hd student specializing in the study of Nilgiri Langurs. I spent my afternoon talking to them. Then we set off to evening safari. A group of guests were members from INW (India Nature Watch) and another big group were from Sandisk. THe group from Sandisk, three people who I met, me, Mr. Gurudutt - Naturalist set off in the mini bus. The INW group along with the two photographers i had met earlier with naturalist Mr. Nataraj set off in jeep.
We entered the forest in the same route as morning safari. We sighted Bull Gaurs, Cow Gaur with calf, herd of Sambar deer, herd of elephants, and few birds. The bus was half filled with guys holding camera with huge lenses. I was seated in the front with my puny lens. But I’m not cribbing about it. My time will come.
While our way back to JLR, we met Mr. Nataraj, who informed that MC Resorts guests had spotted a tiger near the forest entrance we had taken earlier. Damn!!! We weren’t that lucky. Maybe next time I’ll get to spot a big cat. I packed my bags as I had decided to check out the next morning.
07 August 2010
I left Bandipur at 6:30AM and stopped for refuel (just to be on the safer side) at Nanjangud. I stopped for breakfast at Mandya at around 9AM. Travelling with the baggage strapped to the back in a ruck sack sure had my back craving for relief. I had to make a small stop at Bidadi Cafe Coffee Day. I reached home at around 11:45AM.
A nice trip it was with the hospitality received by JLR staff members, met few guests at the JLR site, and my stay was made really comfortable for the three days.
I’ll be back to this place again soon. Well, that’s that for this trip. Hoping to visit JLR, Kabini in a week or two.
All the photos can be viewed better on Picasa Web Album. Click on JLR Bandipur Online Album
I left early this morning, around 5:30AM on my Royal Enfield. The purpose of my visit to Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR), Bandipur was to study the operations of the site and also learn how wildlife is being conserved. Also to know how the customers are being educated about the importance of the wilderness.
I had filled up my bike previous day itself. The Mysore road is unquestionably superb. The weather was awesome. No sunshine, chill air and heavy wind. This reduces the strain of travel.
I had just one ruck sack loaded. Was heavy since I carried my camera and my laptop along with clothes, toiletries, and medicines. But pretty much manageable.
The route I chose was Vidyaranyapura – BEL Circle – Yeswanthpur Jn – Ring Road to Mysore rd – Kengeri – Maddur – Mandya – Mysore ring road – Nanjangud – Gundlupet – Bandipur.
I stopped for breakfast at Kamat Upachar, Maddur. Had very light breakfast – Idly Vada and strong coffee. Relaxed for about 15 mins before proceeding. The next stop I made was at Mysore ring road to fuel up my bike, just in case. Hardly 5 litres were consumed.
I had another small stop at Mysore – Nanjangud highway for a tea. I then proceeded without any further stops and reached Bandipur at around 11AM. Rode the bike at an average speed of 70kmph.
I met the resort manager, Mr. Rangaswamy. He arranged for accomodation for me in one of the rooms. No guests at this moment and tomorrow as well. No pics taken until now. But will upload once they are taken. JLR - A nice place to be. Very calm. The last petrol bunk(s) I found was at Gundlupet town. There are quite a few ATMs too. Few are SBI, SBM & Karnataka Bank, that I managed to notice.
Full network of Airtel Mobile service here. Glad, cause I have two numbers and both are Airtel :)
A little tired after a long journey on bike. Will update more details after lunch.
04 August 2010 02:45PM
I had a satisfying lunch. Since I’m a veggie, I had 2 rotis,dal. plain rice with dal, sambar, and curd. Now during my lunch, something weird caught my attention. Two guys came in a Scorpio. Looked like they were regulars, to me. The way they were conversing with the staff members, it did look like that. When I enquired with one of the staff members, he said the person who was driving is a movie actor. I don’t have much knowledge about small time movie actors.
Anyways, the weirdest part is that the “actor” has recently purchased 150 acres of land right behind the lodge. And I heard that the land purchased includes a part of the forest and a small hillock!!! I mean talk about conserving nature and this person is constructing, what I suppose, a resort. Come on government!!! No more acquisition of forest land!!! Enough of deforestation has taken place already.
Any ways, I came back to my room and outside my room I saw a very unique insect. Managed to capture it on my camera.
At around 3PM, I got ready to go to Gopalaswamy Betta, 13km from here. While I was taking out my bike, I met Mr.Nataraj, Naturalist. I showed him the photos above, and he confirmed it was a worm in its natural state. He promised me a book which I could refer for finding more information about the insect. But, he did confirm to me that this insect was used in ayurvedic medicines for a certain skin ailment. I was amazed that an insect can be used for a medicinal purpose.
I then proceeded slowly towards G.Betta. Only 4 km was good road. After taking a deviation at an arch, the roads were in bad condition. It started drizzling. I proceeded with my cam placed in a bag, hanging on my back. I reached the checkpost. But no one was there to open it. I was in a confused state if the entry was closed early due to the rains. my questions were answered pretty soon. Towards the left hand side was the checkpost building. The guard had picked up a fight with a group of Malayalee youth. Neither could understand each other. Enter Aravind!!! I conversed with the guard and asked him what the issue was while I spoke in English with the Mal youths to stay quiet for sometime.
The guard said that the youths did not stop their car and whizzed past the gate while it was open. Apparently they were carrying liquor. While the youths had to come down the same route, the guard waylaid them and asked them to pullover. He had informed his superior over the phone about the issue. I explained the same to the youths. They were trying to get away by just paying the entry fees. But they had to be fined as they were carrying liquor and it is prohibited. I asked them to wait and speak to the superior officer. Meanwhile, I was allowed to pass.
Slowly i started ascending the hill. The wind grew stronger, the rain harder and the visibility, nearly nil. There was fog. I managed to reach the top and managed to park my bike. quickly went to take cover in the shrine, cause the rain had got bad. I was totally drenched. I managed to save my camera from getting wet. I had a good darshan of Lord Krishna. I even got to eat puliyogare (a delicacy of Iyengars) and it was awesome. I had a tough time wearing my shoes back on, as it was wet and so were my socks.
I then took shelter in a small area. Managed to take a picture of a saint. Here is the picture:
I also managed to take few pictures from outside the temple. Here they are:
On my way down, I managed to click these scenic views:
I reached JLR at around 5:30PM. Changed my dress, as I was drenched. Had a cup of coffee and relaxed for sometime. Waiting for Mr. Nataraj or Mr. Basavanna to come as I could borrow few books for study.
8:30PM 04 August 2010
I had a long chat with one of the staff member. He was a good company. Otherwise I could not imagine killing time!! :) We were switching topics every 15 minutes. And the time just flew. Met another naturalist Mr. Basavanna. He informed that there would be 10 guests arriving tomorrow. So, I would get to learn something tomorrow. My back is still recovering from the jolts of Nanjangud road and Gopalaswamy Betta road. Bikers…heads up. Make sure your bikes shocks are good and the tyres have a good road grip. During monsoon, its a bad scene.
Day 1 ends.
05 August 2010
I had a good sleep last night. The body aches have reduced. Thanks to Crocin Pain Relief. I freshened up myself and wanted to have a cup of coffee. Kitchen cleaning under progress as guests are arriving. I had to wait for sometime before I could have my breakfast and coffee.
Meanwhile I strolled around the campus and took some snaps. There are several cottages and all these are booked for the weekend. Its going to be houseful during this weekend. It usually is a busy time for the staff during the weekend.
Waiting for the guests to arrive today.
Around 11AM, I set off with one of the staff members Mr. Ramesh, on my bike for a ride till the Karnataka border check post. Within just 15 minutes of our journey, we saw a baby tusker elephant. wandering in the forest. Too bad I did not have my cam with me :(
When I came back to the JLR site, no sooner I parked the bike, a snake slithered its way less than 10 feet away. Another staff member got shit scared. I shouted aloud “Haavu” (Snake in Kannada). Mr. Basavanna, a naturalist and a snake catcher, rushed to catch the snake, but it slipped away real quick. Mr. Basavanna is very keen in snakes and caught almost all snake species, including cobra. His dream…to touch a King. Now that’s what I like. I started speaking about Romulus Whittaker, and Mr. Basavanna said that he has met Mr. Whittaker. He is planning to go during January to Agumbe, where the Kings mark their boundaries.
Mr. Basavanna was sharing his experiences of catching snakes and how at times it was the other way round….LOL. I have the right naturalist to guide me in my report. Hoping to spend some value time during the evening.
I had my lunch at around 2PM. It was a buffet system. Food was good. By that time 4 guests had arrived. One naturalist, Mr. Guru Dutt came to the dining area and informed that around 3:45PM coffee/tea will be served. After which we would leave for safari. Hoping for some more sightings this time. I don’t want deer!!! Give me leopards or tigers this time. Even a sloth bear would do. Or I may be lucky to find the Indian Wild Dog pack – DHOL.
I was sitting lame and I just took out my diary in which I had entered my expenses and the kilometer readings. I was taken back, because my bike’s mileage calculated in city was 23kmpl, but this one clocked 32kmpl!!! Heehaw!!! Not a bad mileage for a Standard 350cc ‘98 model :)
4:30PM 05 August 2010
I got ready for the jeep safari. Along with naturalist Mr. Nataraj, were two wildlife photographers from Bangalore and a couple. I was in the front seat next to the driver Mr. Ramesh. We head to the Bandipur safari point first to make the entry. And later proceeded inside the forest. At first, we saw a few birds species. We came across a striped neck mongoose and it was not reluctant after seeing us. In fact it was posing for our cameras.
We then came across pea hen and a spotted bill duck. After which was a long drive with no sightings for about an hour. We stopped at a place where there were a couple of grown elephants in the bushes, but hardly visible. Without wasting any time we proceeded further, with a notion of spotting a cat.
Another long hour went by with no spotting, and it was getting darker as the sun was setting. Our naturalist had mentioned earlier that there were sightings of Dhol and tigers last week. We reached the highway, but without taking deviation, proceeded to the other side of the forest. With just a few metres ahead, two Chitals (spotted deers) crossed out path. After which was an amazing sight!!! A Dhol right in the middle of the road. And beside it was a Chital gasping for its last breath. Just a while before we arrived, the Dhol along with another had attacked the Chital.
We were just about 20 feet from the Dhol. Me snapping away to glory with my 18-55mm lens. Sufficient for me though. The photographers had a ball of time, taking snaps of the wild dog with their telescopic lens. It looked for a while as though the Dhol was waiting for its team members to join in. They always are in a pack. But none arrived. The Dhol lost patience and started feeding on the deer. We were again taking snaps like crazy. Our driver decided to move a little closer and started the engine. We moved a little closer, but the Dhol was in no hurry. It was more keen in filling its stomach.
So, there we were, just about 10 feet away from the Dhol. We heard noises amongst the bushes toward our right side. Driver and the naturalist agreed with each other that a herd of elephants were there. And since it as getting late, the entry points would be locked by the forest officials. So, after a long session of photography, we decided to head back to JLR. By the time we reached, it was 7PM, but it was totally worth it. I was not disappointed at all.
At 7:30PM a wildlife documentary movie was scheduled at the conference hall. And what more could fit in more, than the Wild Dogs Diary!! This documentary was an hour duration and was filmed by Mr. Krupakar, with the help of a tribe chief and the forest officials. It was very informative as it covered the life of Dhol – The Wild Dog.
I had my dinner at 9PM. Headed back to my room to ensure this memory is captured in the blog.
Day 2 ends. Tomorrow, we are heading for an early morning safari at 6:30AM.
06 August 2010
Got up at 5:45AM and freshened up. All set to go for another safari. I headed to the restaurant for a cup of coffee. And later set off at 6:30AM with the photographers from Bangalore. When we reached the Bandipur safari point for entry, another person got into our jeep. HIs name is Mr. Shaktiprasad. He is a wildlife artist. He paints animals. He had a Canon DSLR with a telescopic lens.
We proceeded into the forest. Sightings are very less during the mornings is what I was told. During the safari we sighted a lone elephant, a lone Gaur (bison), herd of deer, and few birds including peacock. No cats sightings yet. We came back to JLR by 9AM. Headed for breakfast. I was wondering what to do next. As no other programs are scheduled until 4:30PM.
At lunch I met a few guests. Mr.Rohit and Mr.Bose were from Bangalore – Photography Enthusiasts,. And one Mr. Sunil, P.Hd student specializing in the study of Nilgiri Langurs. I spent my afternoon talking to them. Then we set off to evening safari. A group of guests were members from INW (India Nature Watch) and another big group were from Sandisk. THe group from Sandisk, three people who I met, me, Mr. Gurudutt - Naturalist set off in the mini bus. The INW group along with the two photographers i had met earlier with naturalist Mr. Nataraj set off in jeep.
We entered the forest in the same route as morning safari. We sighted Bull Gaurs, Cow Gaur with calf, herd of Sambar deer, herd of elephants, and few birds. The bus was half filled with guys holding camera with huge lenses. I was seated in the front with my puny lens. But I’m not cribbing about it. My time will come.
While our way back to JLR, we met Mr. Nataraj, who informed that MC Resorts guests had spotted a tiger near the forest entrance we had taken earlier. Damn!!! We weren’t that lucky. Maybe next time I’ll get to spot a big cat. I packed my bags as I had decided to check out the next morning.
07 August 2010
I left Bandipur at 6:30AM and stopped for refuel (just to be on the safer side) at Nanjangud. I stopped for breakfast at Mandya at around 9AM. Travelling with the baggage strapped to the back in a ruck sack sure had my back craving for relief. I had to make a small stop at Bidadi Cafe Coffee Day. I reached home at around 11:45AM.
A nice trip it was with the hospitality received by JLR staff members, met few guests at the JLR site, and my stay was made really comfortable for the three days.
I’ll be back to this place again soon. Well, that’s that for this trip. Hoping to visit JLR, Kabini in a week or two.
All the photos can be viewed better on Picasa Web Album. Click on JLR Bandipur Online Album
