Dudhsagar - Re Visited

The Dudhsagar falls in the western ghats, at the border of Goa and Karnataka can

be approached at three points. 

You may walk from Castle rock in Karnataka and reach the top of the falls.

Travel by train and reach the Dudhsagar station which is exactly in the middle,

next to the Railway bridge. Walk/ ride in a jeep from a place called Kulem In

Goa to reach the bottom. None of them convenient or enjoyable but you always

find hordes of people in the vicinity of the falls. I was one among the hordes,

yesterday. 

I went trekking to the bottom of the falls in January 2012 and decided that I

would not go there again. It is a 25 km walk up and down and almost half of it is

on a railway track. Walking on the railway track is a pain. Figuratively and literally. 

Then at a certain point, you get off the track and walk on the stone strewn mud

road under a constant threat of being run over by a jeep ferrying people to and from t

he falls. At that time you would feel that the railway track was better! You may escape

the threat by travelling in a jeep and end up wishing that you hadn’t.  All said and done,

it is not a pleasant trip. 

But my friends decided to go there again yesterday and much against my wish,

I decided to put my joints and muscles to test once again. They had conveyed me

to the falls and back, with difficulty, eight years ago, when they were younger.

I wasn’t so sure of them now but  the fact that I am sitting at home and typing these

words indicates that they are still trustworthy. Here are some pictures from yesterday’s trek.

The surrounding hills and forest are beautiful, the streams on the way are refreshing.

but if you are particular about the falls, better enjoy one of the umpteen pictures/videos !

Evening time : Mhadei - Opa

The rainy season is nearing its end. The clouds are receding.

Blue sky is visible again and the golden sun set is decorating the world! 

I hope in the months to come, the all pervading pandemic would set

and make our world brighter! 

Enchanting River Of Tambdi Surla

Happened to visit a place close to the Tambdi Surla temple in Goa. A friend's property next to the crystal clear river flowing down to join the Mandovi,  after jumping down from the top creating the Tambdi surla water falls. I was captivated by the beauty of the place. Following are the sights.

The Snail and Me

I met this snail when I stepped out of the door for my morning walk, today. He was

crossing our front yard at about an inch a minute. I took care not to step on him,

wished him a good day and went on my way.

It is my practice to wash my feet at the garden tap when I return from my walk.

I was about to turn the tap on when I saw the snail perched on the knob. I took

my hand away in haste. Have you ever touched a snail ? It doesn’t sting you or

burn you. But your hands get slimy and you will have to get the skin off your hands

to get rid of the slime ! I experienced it once, when a relative of my today’s friend

was sitting on the clutch lever of my scooter,  contemplating on his next move. 

I don’t know what made this snail move in that direction and take up the strenuous

exercise of climbing up the pipe and reaching the top of the knob. Maybe he just kept

moving without bothering to see where he was going and why ?  Maybe it was god’s

will, destiny, fate or whatever you prefer to call it ! The fact is that it just ended up there

and was now sitting there feeling stupid. And it has no idea what to do further ! 

I was amused because it's somewhat akin to my present situation. I had no clue

where I was heading and why. I was just moving in the direction in which god, fate,

destiny or just my stupid brain asked me to and ended up where I am. And just like

this snail, even I have no idea what to do further !

Enchanting Interiors Of Goa During Rains

The interiors of Goa are always charming. The charm multiplies when it rains.

We happened to drive through the Dabal - Kodli area last evening. The

Dudhsagar waters flow into the region here and are called the Opa river.

This river is my source of water and is a blessing for Ponda.

During the drive of about twenty kilometers, the beauty hooked us and stopped

us at least half a dozen times. We were happy to oblige. I got out to enjoy the

rain drops, breath deep and of course, take pictures. Forgot everything else other

than nature's beauty for a few moments !

This was the prime mining belt once. When mining was in full swing, the trucks

ran bumper to bumper, twenty four hours a day, on the roads which you see in

these pictures.

Mansoon Roadside Greenery

I have posted some pictures of the ordinary wayside plants that I see every morning. Nothing exotic, great or fascinating. One may wonder about this act of mine involving trivialities when our lives are being taken over by other ‘Burning’ issues. Yes, apart from the issues of raging spread of viral infection and flaming prices of fuel, there is a literally ‘burning’ issue in my city, where bodies of people who succumbed to the infection elsewhere in the state, were brought and burnt in the city crematorium. As expected, every person is shooting words of his understanding and choice and our elected representatives are trying to make best use of the situation for their benefit. To put it in short, everyone is going mad and so am I, probably in a somewhat different way !

While being mindful of the existing situation, I would like to take my mind off these things for sometime and taking these pictures and writing these posts help. And it is something that I love !

These, as I said earlier are the roadside plants which come up in no time during the rainy season and flourish as long as the season lasts. They always look fresh and make the world around me green and beautiful for sometime and I am grateful for their presence. It is a pity that they are there only for a few months every year. Nobody plants them and nobody takes care of them. They grow in abundance and in a variety of shades, sizes and shapes. They line the streets and cover up all the garbage that we have thrown there over the years. I would rather have these plants around me in the form of a wild garden than a manicured Mughal garden or Kew garden ! I get overwhelmed by their presence every year and end up writing something about them and posting the pictures.

That is about nature at its best, in spite of our efforts to destroy it. The one picture where you see people is our group trying to do something to support nature in its efforts. Four years down the lane, the eighty saplings that we had planted, are now full grown trees. They are thriving very well and are a feast to the eyes. But we did lose a few. We planted four more in their places this morning.

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