At the resort we stayed, in the middle of almost nowhere, there was a pet ram called Kabab. You can see it tethered to the tree on the left. This was the view from our room - there was a stone bench outside in the verandah where we sat and tried to commune with nature, often rudely interrupted by Kabab, which at other times would refuse to respond to our calls. I wonder, did it have a sense of the macabre, and protest its naming?
Our holiday home was close to the Shivanasamudra waterfalls. This is the Gagana Chukki, which had more water than its partner, the Bhara Chukki, a little distance away. These falls collect in a pool at the bottom, which one gets to by descending some rough-hewn steps for 15 or 20 minutes. Then, you can go for a ride in coracles, or swim at your own risk despite the warnings.
Camping, India-style. At the Bhara Chukki waterfall, we noticed this lorry - it was filled with people young and old, in various stages of activity - awake, sleeping, chatting, cooking ... Inside, it was even fitted with a platform to utilise the space - some sat on the platform and some underneath.
The Keshava temple at Somnathpur, 55 km away from our homestay. We had the choice of taking an autorickshaw or a van to the place. Good sense prevailed, and we chose the van. We saved our backs and bones - and had a wonderful time combing the walls and identifying the various gods, goddesses, the flora and the fauna which resided on them in sculpture.
Our hosts had one of their employees take us on a morning stroll around the resort - this is one wild flower that I haven't noticed earlier! In fact, I'd noticed it the previous day, but hadn't had my camera on me then. We forded small streams and pools, saw banana and papaya plantations, tried to get rid of the little stones that got into our shoes and were glad to come back to breakfast and a bath.
Three girls in a boat. On the Cauvery at sandy Talakkad, in a coracle. There are five temples big and small scattered over a mile or so amidst eucalyptus and cashew groves, and the scent changes as you move from a profusion of one to another.
Ending the hot, summer holiday on a cool, cool note - that's warm Jamaican Rum Cake with a scoop of ice-cream.
Cold chocolate with a scoop of cold chocolate ice-cream - can it get any better? We had dessert at every single meal!
Shopping at last! From the South to the West, on a work-related trip. We had just an hour to shop after two days of meetings before we finally went to our hotel and freshened up for an authentic Gujarati meal - we were taken to Law Garden Market in Ahmedabad and came away with some gorgeous crafts; in my case, cushion covers with Kutchi embroidery. We didn't get to see much of this city, nor of Rajkot, the other city we visited, but still, I can now say I've been to Gujarat! And thus a little more well-travelled!
Travel Karnataka Somnathpur Keshava Temple Shivanasamudra Gagana Chukki Camping, India-style Ahmedabad Law Garden Market Crafts Kutchi Embroidery Talakkad Coracle
