Saurabh Mishra (Photographs and Trekking Diary)

44 kms cycling ride with Go Green Club

2012-01-22T20:20:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since I went with GoGreenClub. So Uncle invited me to join a cycling event from Cubbon Park to Frazer town. Looks like there a 100 years old theater which is being demolished in Shivjinagar. So we all went to see how a 100 yr old theater would look like. The total ride for me was 44 kms (Deverbeesinhalli, M.G, Cubbon Park, Shivjinagar, Ulsoor Lake and back to Deverbeesinhalli).

Kumarparvath Trek

2012-01-13T05:15:00.000-08:00

I'm doing this trek after a gap of ~7 years. The friends from office wanted to some trek and I thought this would be the best place. The trek from Kukke is about 20-22 kms and hot and humid weather. That didn't bother us much. So we decided to drive down to Kukke in my car rather than taking bus. Its been sometime since I've taken my Toyota Fortuner out on the highways. We started from Marathahalli at 4pm and was out of Bangalore by 5.30 pm. It took us about 6 hours to reach there and I must say that the roads were pretty good. Driving in ghat sections (and that too at night) was lot of fun.

We were not carrying any tent. We knew that we need to return back to Bhattara Mane after climbing the mountain. So accordingly we started the trek from Kukke at 7.00 am. It was a very hot day out there and two of our friends went upto 7 kms. So we three decided to climb the mountain in the hot (I must say really hot weather). Since we were not carrying any tent, we had to find a stable and comfi surface to sleep inside the sleeping bag. There were two view points at Bhattara Mane and that was our camping spot. We had 4 Vodka bottles, three maggi packets and a sleeping bag. Sleeping under the stars was a completely different experience. I loved it. Moreover, it was close to full moon day so the setup was just spectacular.

Happy Birthday - Saurabh

2011-12-21T00:15:00.000-08:00

I'm wishing myself a very happy birthday!!! on 21st December. It was just another day. Anyway, I distributed some sweets in the office and donated blood to Indian Red Cross Society (Karnataka Division). I'm also taking this occasion to post some pictures of my SUV (Toyota Fortuner 4x4 3.0 L engine) which I bought in June 2011.

Go Green Cycling Event -- 55 kms cycling

2011-12-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since I took my cycle out. My uncle (B.R Janradhan) has been part of Go Green Cycling club since the beginning. He has been pushing me to assemble at Cubbon Park at 7.15 am for a while but I have been sort off lazy to do so and mainly because my house is about 17kms far from Cubbon Park. Anyway, I finally took the challenge and decided to ride my cycle yesterday (on a Sunday). It was very misty out in my area so I needed a early start. I was able to step out by 6.25 am and soon realized that I can hardly see anything due to mist. This slowed me down a bit but I was able to manage the pace and reach just on time at 7.20 am. This was my first meeting with Go Green Club Cycling members which I've been thinking for a while. The today's ride was going to Sankey tank road and protest for road widening which means cutting down those trees in that area. This was my first participation in such a protest and it turned out to be lot of fun. I wish I had brought my SLR but nevertheless it didn't stop me clicking pics through the phone. Oh..BTW we also went out for breakfast at a very small place next to Malleswaram Train station. The food was awesome :-)

11 days trip in Kenya, Africa (Masai Mara Game Park, Lake Nakuru, Sweetwaters Tented Camp and Samburu National Park)

2011-11-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

African trip is something which most of us dream about doing it in the life and this dream finally came true for me. I had to first look for people; so started selling my Africa trip to office people and then on facebook. Luckily, I was able to find two people for this trip in a weeks time itself. The planning of the trip started with discussing whether we should go to Kenya or Tanzania. We were fast in concluding about Kenya but it took a while to find out places and when to go and all. We also needed to account for Great Migration of Wildebeests and season for it runs from June/July to end of October. So the plan finally is to do 9 days Safari with Safari Trails company which was organized by iTripHolidays, a startup-company in Bangalore. Priya happened to knew them very well so we were convinced about the travel company also.

We stayed in Nairobi for the first two days and my first impression about the city is that it's far better than Bangalore (in all terms and most notably infrastructure). We saw so many Indians and in fact the Diwali celebrations were also on.

The safaris were mainly in the morning and evening for about 3 hours each. The afternoons were more relaxing since animals don't come out due to heat. But we managed to see Masai Village and Mara river during the afternoons. So it's not all that bad. You can kill time :-)

Our Safari leader, Kebay was a very nice guy. He was with us all the 9 days and he must have driven us more than 2000 kms during this journey. We first went to Masai Mara on a 4 days safari and then Lake Nakuru. Masai Mara is a Game Park which means it's a wild park and animals have to hunt them self. The landscape of Masai Mara is very different and you will find just one tree in 2kms of radius. I had not seen anything like this before. It's just plain green land with very few trees. Lake Nakuru is famous for Baboons, White Rhinos and Birds which got to see over there. We felt Lake Nakuru was okay but if you are traveling to Northern Kenya then might as well take a quick stop over there. Our next stop was Sweetwaters which is in the Central Kenya. Central Kenya resembles like Western Ghat of India -- very green, and misty. Sweetwaters drive from Lake Nakuru is long one and we had go over some really bad roads as well. Anyhow, Sweetwaters is famous for Chimpanzee conservancy which protects Chimpanzees from poaching in Uganda and other north African nations. Our last stop was Samburu National Park in the north and it was about 4 hours drive from Sweetwaters. This park is famous for birds, lions, Leopards, Giraffe etc. We got to see the Leopard on the tree over here. We were quite lucky huh.

We saw lot of animals during this trip and most notable ones are -- all Big Fives (Lions, Elephants, Leopards, Rhino Wild Buffalo), Cheetah, Wildebeests, Zebra, Giraffe, WildBoars, Rhino (which is now declared extinct) etc. We also got to see so many birds but as usual I don't remember the names. The areas which we covered were -- Masai Mara Game Park (4 days Safari), Lake Nakuru (one day), Sweetwaters (one day - famous for Baboons and Chimpanzee) and Samburu National Park (north part of Kenya and about 400kms from Somali - famous for migrating Birds).

Overall, we liked Kenya. The wildlife and Landscape is just fabulous. Kenya's is not a big country yet those places are far. You can take those small planes but traveling by road has its own charm. Kenya's primary source of income is Agriculture and Tourism.

Baboons and Chimpanzee

Leopards

Cheetah

Lioness Cubs

Lions

Zebra and Giraffe

Lizards

Birds

Rhinos

Elephants

Wildebeests (famous for The Great Migration)

Other Animals

Lodges, Landscape and Sunsets

Masai Mara People and Villages, Samburu people

Indian Himalays (5-days backpack and a climb up to 16,600 feet)

2011-10-18T01:17:00.001-07:00

This Himalayan trip is my first trip to this region after returning from California. With lot of confusions about where to go, we finally decided to head to Kinnaur (in HP). We dropped going to Ladakh (Shingo La Pass trek) because of less time. Due to the protests in AP, our train was diverted and it got delayed by 20 hours. Which meant, reaching Ladakh would have taken one more day. So we worked out an alternative plan such that we can finish the trek in 5 days and return back in time to catch the train. We started from Bangalore on Friday 2.30 pm and reached New Delhi at 2.00 am on Monday. Since there was no point sitting at the railway station, we took auto-rickshaw and went to ISBT. Luckily, we got into Chandigarh bus at 3.00 am and reached by 8.30 am. Without wasting time, we immediately hopped into Shimla bus. As usual, any local Himachal bus will be crowded. We knew that the connecting bus from Shimla will be at 6.30 pm, but we still decided to leave Chandigarh early enough so that we can spend some time in Shimla. We were surprised to see the new ISBT at Shimla. It was clean and very well organized. Anyway, we got a private bus to Rekong Peo instead of getting a govt. bus at 7.00 pm from Shimla. The private bus was equally horrible. It takes about 10 hours to reach Rekong Peo which meant spending whole night in the crowded bus and driver driving the bus as if he is driving BMW 6 series sports sedan. Anyway, we reached Rekong Peo at about 5.00 am and had to spend few hours there to catch another bus to Lambar (takes about 4 hours from Peo). Lambar is our starting point of the backpack to Chitkul. BTW -- this route is also known as Kinnaur-Kailash Parikrama.

Day 1 (Lambar to Shruting : 10 kms with 2000 feet altitude gain)

The first few kms is a unpaved road and then trail begins. ITBP (Indo-Tibet Border Police) is constructing a road from Lambar to Charang, which should complete in two years time. Anyway, the first day was simple and took only about four hours. The ITBP people didn't allow us to camp at Charang village because we didn't have Inner-line permit from Rekong Peo. So we ended up camping at Shruting itself.

Day 2 (Shruting to Charang and temple - 12 kms round trip)

Today is a day hike to the temple and village. It's not a tough hike at all. I can say it's a rest day for us...just acclimatize because we would be heading to 14000 feet next day. Charang temple is the most famous temple in the Kinnaur region. There is a ITBP check-post also and we registered our name over there.

Day 3 (Shruting to Lalanti : 10 kms with 3000 feet altitude gain)

Today is the day. We have been trying to get a porter or guide but have failed so far. So we decided to venture out our self and make an attempt to cross Charang La pass (17,500 feet) on our own. It's a tall task but lets see. It will be a tough hike for Uncle today. The trail is hardly visible and I need to figure out the right path to Lalanti. The first road block was crossing Lalanti river at Shruting itself. A local boy helped us in crossing the river. He was like a god for us. He even went one step ahead and helped me in carrying uncle's backpack. Uncle was relieved for next two hours but I knew the challenging trek is after that. It's almost 6.00 pm and we still haven't reached Lalanti. Uncle was feeling so tiring that he almost slept while standing. I had to make a call and decided to pitch tent on a slope of a mountain at 13,900 feet. It is getting dark and we don't have water. I pitched the tent so that Uncle can sleep. I had to then go down and get water to make some food. I prepared maggi and tried to get some sleep but couldn't. Anyway, it was our first day at high altitude; so you can expect some sickness.

Day 4 (Lalanti to Shruting : 10 kms)

After a tiring day yesterday, we are feeling much better today but we still couldn't figure out the route to Lalanti. I had two choices -- take the risk with Uncle or go back. I thought going back is better because Uncle will not be able to climb or trek further at high altitudes. It's a long descend now. Uncle said and I quote 'this is my most tough trek'. He is literately limping to climb down from the mountain. We knew the last bottleneck would be crossing the river again and that too without any help. I was also scared but luckily we got help from a ITBP personal. He not even helped us cross the river but helped us in climbing up from the river bed to Shruting. It was so nice of him. That ITBP guy was like a champion. He was jumping river like a monkey jumps from one branch of the tree to another.

Day 5 (Lalanti to Lambar : 10 kms)

This was a piece of cake for us. I was disappointed that we couldn't make it to the Charang La Pass. I thought why not I climb the pass on my own from the other side which is Chitkul and that's what I did (though I went up to 16,600 instead of 17,500 feet).

People, Villages and temples of Kinnaur

Kinnaur-Charang La Climb (11,400 to 16,600 feet) in a day

India-Tibet Border -- Chitkul (11,400 feet) to Charang La Pass (17,500) is a demanding trek. We failed to cross the pass from the other side (as part of our backpack plan), so I decided to hike up the mountain alone. I didn't want to take Uncle because it's a demanding hike and requires 5000 feet climb and descend in a single day. I started the hike from Chitkul (11,400 feet) at 7.00 am and reached very close to the pass at 16,600 feet (900 feet away) by the noon. Since there was no single soul in the area and there was too much risk involved in climbing last 900 feet, I didn't go all the way up to the pass. But hiking up the mountain alone was lot of fun. Despite locals giving me warning about losing your way, I was confident that I can figure out the path if I'm hiking alone.

Hampi Trip

2011-08-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

It was a long weekend (India's independence day) and after contemplating about the place to visit, we decided to visit Hampi. Until the last minute, we were discussing about the place mainly because of the heavy rains in the area. Luckily, we didn't get any rain in Hampi. It got little hot though. The drive as such was very good and especially on NH-4 (Bangalore-Pune). My best speed record in the new car has been 142 kms so far (and was able to sustain that speed as well). Traveling within Hampi is mainly through cars or autos. Since we had our car, we didn't have much trouble. There is not much option for food though. As far ruins are concerned, I was not very happy with that especially when comparing with Inca or Mayan ruins. Anyway, it was a wonderful trip (especially those sunsets over the valley).

Wayanad (Kerala) trip with parents and relatives

2011-08-02T04:38:00.000-07:00

This was my first family trip after returning from US. I decided to visit Wayanad, Kerala since it offers great landscape. My parents had not seen tea estates; so it was a bonus for them. It rained most part of the day but the drive was very scenic with clouds hovering around Chembra Peak. The waterfalls weren't good but apparently the best waterfall -- Meenmutty was closed due to heavy rains. The homestay where we stayed was simple yet we had great experience -- "the four seasons homestay" -- http://thefourseasonswayanad.com/. The service was simply out of the world and the food as well. My relatives and parents had full blast.

Monarch Butterflies

2011-01-24T11:38:00.001-08:00

Monarch Butterflies during their migration fly all the way from Mexico to Canada and it's their 3rd generation which reaches. Apparently, the best time to see them is during thanksgiving and we were, as usual, late :-)

Frenchman Lake, CA and Pyramid Lake, NV

2011-01-18T09:34:00.000-08:00

It was a long weekend but we decided to do a short snow trip though the plan was to do some snow-shoeing as well but it ended up in snow-flight :-). We also got to see a very good sunset over the frozen Frenchman lake. Pyramid lake was a disappointment but that place may be good for sunset/sunrise. We didn't get up early for sunrise.

Chile trip (W Backpack in Torrres Del Paine, Penguins Colony, Santiago De Chile and Atacama Desert)

2011-01-12T12:17:00.001-08:00

We went on a 15-days trip to Chile. The photographs are in the order we visited these places.

Penguins Colony at Island Magellan, Punta Areans, Chile - It is an hours boat ride to Island Magellan from Punta Arenas.

Torres Del Paine (W Backpack) - We did 4-day W backpack starting from Lake Pahoe and ending at Las Torres.

Atacama Desert - We rent a 4x4 truck and drove down to all the places in this high-altitude desert. It's considered to be driest desert on earth. We went to following places - San Pedro de Atacama, Valley of the Moon, El Tatio Geysers, Salt Flat and Oasis/Lakes.

Santiago De Chile - We celebrated new year eve in the downtown (there were firecrackers and party).

Yucatan, Mexico (Cancun and Mayan Ruins)

2010-12-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

We (three of us - Pavani and Valerie) went on a trip to Yucatan Peninsula during the thanksgiving holidays. We flew into Cancun and then rented a full size car at the airport. We first see few policemen holding big guns and that was the first glimpse of Mexico right after coming out from airport. It felt like India :-). I drove 1100 kms in the country side of Yucatan and it was simply fabulous. The driving is very easy. Don't take the toll road (unless you are in hurry -- hey you are on a vacation....isn't it)....there are lot of speed breakers in the village. You will get to see lot of small-2 villages and eat local road side food.

Anyway....we drove to Chichen Itza (stayed at Hotel Dolores Alba) and went to see the light and sound show at Chichen Itza which wasn't that good. That's how our Day - 1 started. Day -2 was spent visiting Chichen Itza (highlights were the main pyramid and ball court) and driving to Uxmal. Day - 3 was spent in visiting ruins at Uxmal and then seeing Caves. The flyCatcherInn B&B was simply great too. I think the best place to stay in Yucatan :-) when you are tight on budget.

Day - 4 was spent visting Ek Balam and Tulum ruins. We also spent some time at the Playa De Carmen beach which is south of Cancun. I got to see good sunrise on Day -5 on the beach but we had to catch 2.00 pm flight which got delayed and we flew out of Cancun only after 4.40 pm :-(

Cenote at Valladolid

Chichen Itza

Uxmal ruins

Lo-tun Caves near Uxmal

Ek Balam ruins

Tulum ruins

Beach and Miscellaneous

Montreal, Quebec City and Fall colors of Quebec (Canada)

2010-10-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Montreal and Fall colors of Quebec, Canada

Quebec City, Canada

Eastern Townships, Quebec

Mineral King (Sawtooth Peak Climb and Lakes)

2010-09-10T09:10:00.001-07:00

We climbed the Sawtooth Peak (12,400) and started our climb as a day hike at 7,500 feet.

Canadian Rockies (Jasper, Banff, Columbia Icefield and Yoho)

2010-07-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Four of us went on a very ambitious trip to Canadian Rockies during the July long weekend. It started with rain over there and continued to rain until the 4th day. The last day was our best bet and it turned out to be most promising for photography. The cloudy and rainy days were nevertheless very good for hikes and waterfalls. We did following hikes in Canadian Rockies :

Valley Of Five Lakes (11 kms) , Parker Ridge Trail (6 kms), Wilcox Pass (7.57 kms), Mistaya Canyon (1.4 kms), Bow Summit (One Way) (1.27 kms), Moraine Lakeshore Trail (1.97 kms), Consolation Lake (8.47 kms).

Day 1 - Banff National Park (Johnston canyon)

Day 2 - Plain of Six Glaciers and Beehive Hike (Lake Louise area)

Day 3 - Columbia Icefield Parkway and Old Fort Hike in Jasper.

Day 4 - Five Lakes in Jasper and Parker Ridge hike in Columbia Icefield Parkway

Day 5 - Bow Summit/Peyto Lake, Wilcox Pass Hike at Columbia Icefield , Moraine Lake and Consolation lakes hike in Lake Louise area.

Moonbow and Mt. Dana

2010-06-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Moonbow at Yosemite (opened the shutter for seconds at mid-night)

Mt. Dana (went all the way to 12,000 feet from 9900 feet and had to retrace back)

Big Sur, Pismo Beach and Lompac

2010-06-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

A long weekend trip :

Sunset

Flowers at Lompac

Coast and Sand Dunes of Pismo Beach

Butano State Park, Pigeon Point and Natural Bridges State Parks

2010-05-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

A short day trip to Butano State Park, Pigeon Point and Natural Bridges State Parks.

Antelope Valley reserve (California Poppy Reserve)

2010-05-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

How can people in California forget about Poppies in the spring season :-). California Poppy reserve is the place to go in spring. We were late (1st/2nd May) but it was still spectacular.

Antelope Valley reserve (California Poppy Reserve)

Yellow Poppy in Pinnacles National Monument Park, CA

Hite Cove, Hwy 140

2010-04-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

There were some wildflowers but as spectacular as last time.

Spring flowers in California

2010-03-31T09:43:00.001-07:00

This was our one of the longest drive (860 miles) in 36 hours. Nevertheless we covered the distance in style. The places we covered are in the link (Soda Lake, CA-46E, Figueroa Mountain Rd/Forest Route 7N07, Cottonwood Canyon Rd on CA-166).

New Mexico - Chaco Culture NP, Petroglyphs at Albuquerque and White Sands National Mounument

2010-01-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

This is the other half our trip. We flew to Orange County and drove 2800 miles to cover Arizona and New Mexico. The places we covered in New Mexico was - Chaco Culture NP, Petroglyphs at Albuquerque and White Sands National Monument. The drive on Hwy 550 from Farmington, NM to Albuquerque, NM was very bad. It snowed a lot and given that we had Ford Focus it was all the more fun since it was skidding most of the time. Here's the google map's link.

Arizona (Sedona, Page, Kanab, Grand Canyon and Sagurao NP)

2010-01-06T11:39:00.000-08:00

We had winter-break and were wondering what to do. Most of the flight tickets were very expensive so we had to plan a trip which isn't going to dig a whole in the pocket. Moreover it was very cold out here so we thought a place in the desert will be pleasant in the afternoon. And that's how we planed - a trip to Arizona and New Mexico.

All the photographs were taken from 50mm f1.4 fixed lens -- Sedona, Page (Horseshoe Bent and Lower Antelope Slot Canyon), Kanab (Southern Utah boarding Arizona), Grand Canyon NP (South Rim, Desert View and Hermit point) and Sagurao NP.

Plumas Country Fall Colors

2009-10-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

New England of California...that's how it looked like to me given that I have been to Maine and Vermont, I could easily compare.

A short trip to Napa Valley for fall colors and Wine tasting

2009-10-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

We were looking to go Hope Valley but decided to skip as the colors were not close to peak and the long drive may have had some implications on my lower-back. So we decided to try something close-by and Napa Valley was suggested by our fellow colleague. Nice colors but people suggested to come back in the first week of November and that's when whole valley will turn yellow. The red colors you see below are due to plant disease.

Fall colors of eastern Sierra Mountains and Mono Lake

2009-10-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

Now that my lower-back is slightly better, I'm able to go on short road trips and what way to start with fall colors than anything. We started on Friday evening, camped in Yosemite and then headed to Bishop on Saturday morning. The fall colors had just started and were not even close to peak but nevertheless we got to see few colors over there. The Sunday was the day of fresh snow fall and perhaps the first snow fall of the season. In the morning, my car was struggling on the road but as the day progressed snow also melted. June Lake loop had some colors though. Overall a good road trip and we got to see Mono Lake again :-).

Fall colors of eastern Sierra Mountains

Mono Lake

Castle Rock State Park (4-miles hike)

2009-09-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

This was my first hiking trip since my last backpack in March 2009. I have been down with lower back issues since March/April (caused by lifting heavy machines at work) and this small hike was quite refreshing given that I had not been to forest for so long. I managed to do well and looks like I'm seeing green shoots (recovery is on the way) now.

Moving to FX DSLR body and Lens

2009-09-12T20:52:00.000-07:00

I was able to sell my 18-200mm VR Nikon DX Lens through amazon.com and this opens the door for going FX (Full Frame) way...The first question you will have as to why go FX. Actually there are couple of reasons -- (a) Larger sensor size which produces better pictures (b) you get actual focal length (no 1.5x or 1.6x factor) and you can go ultra wide with 12mm lens (c) Good quality DX lens are as expensive as FX lens; so the notion of FX lens being a bomb shell isn't true. (d) much better low-light capabilities with FX body.

I think the only advantage of having a good DX lens is that it can be a better telephoto zoom lens because of the 1.5x factor.

Nikon's 18-200mm is a very good all purpose lens but not a good lens if you want to be different and creative. I'm not into expensive photography but I want to do things differently and bored of taking landscape pictures etc. I think its time to get creative :-)

We all can hope that FX body/lens will be cheaper in the future as the production of the sensors seems to be extremely costly as of now and I'm sure they will be much more affordable in a decade.

As of now my plans are to move to Nikon D700, 17-35mm f2.8 lens and a telephoto zoom lens.

MRI of lower-back

2009-08-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

I thought I should share the MRI results of my Lumbar Spine on my blog

Technique used :-
------------------
Axial and sagittal turbo spin echo T1.
Axial and sagittal turbo spin echo T2 weighted sequenses on a Siemens Symphony 1.5 Teals system.

Findings :-
------------
L5-S1 : The height is maintained. There is approximately 3mm retrolisthesis of L5 on S1, mild disc desiccation and posterior annulus bulging. Facet arthropathy and mild neuroforaminal narrowing are also noted.

All remaining discs are intact. There is slight left-sided posterior and lateral L4-L5 annulus bulging. There is no disc herniation. The vertebral body heights, bone marrow signal, lumbosacral curvature, spinal cord, cauda equina and paraspinal soft tissues are unremarkable.

Impression:
------------
1) Grade 1 degenerative L5-S1 spondylolisthesis, minimal disc desiccation and mild annulus bulging.
2) L5-S1 facet arthropathy and mild neuroforaminal narrowing.
3) No canal stenosis or disc herniation.

Burney waterfalls

2009-05-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

Wildflowers trip

2009-04-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

A short trip to Sonora, CA for wildflower (not much but still beautiful) :

2-day backpack in Henry Coe State Park (Hoover Lake)

2009-03-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

We had loads of fun!!! and especially eco-friendly campfire (thanks to V) was simply great. Some stats -- 20 miles & 2-day backpack with 4200 feet elevation change.

Tilden Regional Park, East Bay

2009-03-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

19 miles day-hike in the park with 3500 elevation gain/loss (and in little drizzle but very windy day) :

A short hike in Uvas Canyon and Edgewood Park

2009-03-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

Photographs :

12 miles day hike in Pacheco Pass State

2009-03-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

12 miles day hike in Pacheco Pass state park (Trail - Dinosaur Lake, Canyon loop, South Boundary Loop, Spikes Peak, Up & Over and Pig Pond ).

12 miles day trek to Berry, Golden and Silver Falls in Big Basin State Park

2009-03-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

12 miles day trek to Berry, Golden and Silver Falls in Big Basin State Park :

Cataract Creek Cascades

2009-02-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

8 miles hike in the rain - Cataract Creek Cascades

Winter in Yosemite Valley

2009-02-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

A short to Yosemite National park which is covered under snow :

20.5 miles day-hike to Mt. Rose Peak (Sunol Regional Wilderness)

2009-02-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

With a group of 21 people and 5000' feet elevation gain/loss, it was fun trekking Mt. Rose Peak in Sunol Regional Wilderness.

RV (Recreational Vehicle) Experience

2009-01-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

Our first RV (Recreational Vehicle) experience. We were thrilled as we never had any RV experience before. We had heard from people that it would be a good experience if you are traveling with a large group. So we decided to venture out on a three-day long weekend. Our RV had following things :-

- 32' feet long bus type (12 feet tall and 8.5 feet wide).
- TV, DVD player, Kitchen, Fridge, Microwave.
- Sleeps 6, showers and toilet.
- Dining table, couch and a bedroom.
- Type - Class-A slide out

We drove more than 600 miles on I-80, Hwy-50, CA-1 (North) and US-101 (North). Driving a long RV (especially bus type) is fun since you feel like a king on the road. You get a very clear view of the road even when there are multiple cars ahead of you but at the same time it's long and much wider so you got to be careful when the road narrows and on mountain roads. City driving was fun when I had to make a wider turn/curve to complete the turn on a junction.

Peru's Amazon and Machu Picchu

2009-01-15T21:48:00.000-08:00

First the pictures and then follows complete diary of the trip.

(Link to the album is here)

Birds of Peru

Frogs of Peru

Monkeys and Macaw of Peru

Machu Picchu, Peru

Fauna of Peru

Flora of Peru

Amazon Rainforests, Lodge and Rivers of Peru

People of Peru

Sacred Valley, Peru

Lima, Peru

Sunsets in Amazon

The Diary

We started our journey on 18th December with lots of hopes. We knew Peru's landscape and Amazon are one of the best place in South America. The planning of the trip was done such that we don't feel monotonous with two Amazon expeditions back to back. So we kept Machu Picchu and Cusco as a filler. Some of the best part of the trip was - amazing wildlife, people, food, rainforests, rivers and what not. Peru is an amazing place and should be in your must see list.

- 18th December - Arrived Peru, Lima and stayed at Hostal Espana. One of the best budget option in Lima. It costs around S/ 50-60 (Soles is Peruvian currency). By the way, 3 soles = $1.

- 19th December - Our flight to Cusco was around 5.40 am but Peru flights are hardly on time due to weather. Unfortunately TACA airlines delayed the departure since the aircraft was not available. It didn't dent our plans and we reached Cusco at noon. We immediately got into action and planned a short trip to Sacred Valley (Pisaq and Saqsaywaman ruins). These ruins are Inca ruins with unique archaeological complexes. Pisaq used to be a large city made up of numerous wards such as Intiwatana, Antachaka, Aqchapata and Tanqana Marka cemetery. Pisac is also very famous for its market. Saqsaywaman features three-tiered defense walls made of stones that fit with razor sharp precision. These places were not so far from Cusco and we could easily finish in half day. We also bought a 10 day pass to visit other ruins in Sacred Valley at S/ 130.

- 20th December - We again got up early and this time to catch flight to Puerto Maldonado (PEM) but weather was not looking good at all. Puerto Maldonado is in the south east of Peru (very close to Bolivia - another South American country having amazon basin). We would have spent four hours at the Cusco airport and no flight took-off or landed. LAN Peru finally canceled the flight and we were very disappointed because our amazon trip was suppose to start today with one day camping in the amazon forests to see red/blue macaw clay lick. Anyway we convinced ourself and spoke to Explorer's Inn. They were very helpful and was able to adjust us for three day amazon program (earlier it was planned for four days). Since we got extra day here, we planned another short trip around Cusco. We knew Ollantaytambo and Moray are the two best ruins in Sacred valley. So we hired a taxi and started the trip at noon. Ollantaytambo is around 82 kms from Cusco and it turned out to be one of most spectacular highway around Cusco. We got to see panoramic view of Andean Mountain Ranges. Moray is on the way so these two ruins perfectly fit our plan. Ollantaytambo preserves Inca Urban planning of houses, streets, and waterways and safeguarded by a breathtaking fortress with temples, hillside, farming terraces and walls. Moray is a unique archaeological complex - Its name comes from the Quechua word "Aymory" which is related to the harvest of corn or to the month of May. It features a huge number of circular concentric farming terraces with four slightly elliptic galleries known as "Muyus", the longest being 150 meter deep. It is believed to have been an experimental farming center in Inca times.

On well I think I forgot to tell you that we stayed at Hostal San Juan de Dios in Cusco. A very good option if you are looking for comfort and outskirts of Cusco. We paid $65 for five of us (3 rooms). Cusco can actually be your base camp for Amazon and Machu Picchu.

- 21st December - Finally we were able to take-off to Puerto Maldonado and that too on time. Smiles were back on the faces and we were now heading to Amazon basin of Tambopata National Reserve (located around 3-4 hours upstream from Puerto Maldonado). Puerto Maldonado looked like a very small town. We got into a car and drove to a point where our boat was waiting for us. We also met travelers from other part of the world. Once we got into the boat, our guide briefed us about the area, amazon, Tambopata river and about the lodge. On the way, we got to see River Turtles with butterflies and Red Macaw. Before going to the lodge, we had to make an entry with the registrar of Tambopata National Reserve control room which is located just next to the lodge. Explorer's Inn lodge is the only lodge located inside the reserve. After having welcome drink at the lodge (we have our lunch on the boat), we took showers but taking shower there is of no use. You will sweat again for sure and perhaps as early as the moment you switch-off the shower.

In the evening we went up to the river and watched a spectacular sunset over the Tambopata River. The next plan was to go on night safari in the boat to spot Caimans. Caimans are one of two subfamilies of Alligator. We were lucky to spot quite a few caimans with there head out. They were large and looks like you can guess the size of caiman by looking at the size of the head. Before heading to the lodge, our guide surprised us by switching off the boat engine and letting it go. We all then looked at the sky - and it was fabulous. All the stars were clearly visible. In the dark, it looked amazing and the sounds of insects added cream to the cookie. I think one of the best gift I can get on my birthday.

- 22nd December - We got up early as we were suppose to hike 10 kms and that too finish it before 10.00 am. It gets really hot if sun is out. We first went for 10 minutes in boat to visit a small clay lick. We waited there for parrots & macaws to come and lick the clay. It seems they do this every day and the birds flocks to the clay, usually in waves that start at 6.00 am or 6.30 am, to eat thumb-sized lumps every day. The clay appears to detoxify the nasty poisons in their diets of seeds of rainforest trees and vines. Actually we were suppose to visit a larger clay click during our camping trip but we couldn't since our flight got canceled on 20th December. Anyhow...after seeing spectacular show by parrots and macaw, we started our hike to Cocococha oxbow lake. The Mosquito's deserved to be mentioned. All along they were biting us despite having put repellent. We spotted Squirrel , Tamarin and capuchin monkeys on the way but they were very shy to pose for the photograph. We also heard a sound of tapir (wild pig) but he ran away I suppose. It would have taken around 2 hours to reach Cocococha oxbow lake. The place as such looks silent but it is a very good place to watch wildlife. The Sun was out already and we had started feeling the heat but our enthusiasm had not dried. We started our canoe trip (approximately two hours) to spot giant otter (which we did) and caiman (which we also did). We also spotted quite a few birds - snakebird is one of them. The day was going very good but all of us were little tired by the time we reached lodge. It was 11.30 am but you know, we again got some refreshing drink (local juice) which energized us again. The afternoon was kept for relaxing and the next action was night time safari. Katla and I did a short one hours hike to spot insects in the late afternoon. In the evening we saw the sunset at the same spot and were eagerly waiting for the night time safari. Guess what....that's when we got to see the frogs, birds sleeping (one of them inside her nest), insects, spiders and many more species which I don't remember. At the end of this one hour hike we were like thrilled. The camera and lens had put on lot of effort to capture the moment since it was dark.

- 23rd December - Today we are suppose to go back to Cusco and in fact reach a small town called Aguas Caliente (some 15 minutes from Machu Picchu). We said bye-bye to everyone including some students which had come over there to do research for six month. Anyway...The best part of this journey was that we will use four modes of transportation today - boat, flight (LAN Peru), car and then train (Perurail) all in the same day. Today, we spent whole day in the journey from Explorer's Inn lodge in Tambopata Reserve to Machu Picchu. I was lucky to drive a minivan (in Peru they call it combi) from outskirt of Cusco to a village close to Ollantaytambo. The funny part of that was the driver knew where the Policía (Police) wouldn't be there and only then we swapped drivers seat. By the way, driver didn't know any english; so we had some tough time explaining various things but we managed by putting good effort.

- 24th December - Today we are suppose to see Machu Picchu and that's the reason we got up early. Machu Picchu means "old mountain" in the native language of Quecha. You must have a plan to see Machu Picchu because of its size and the number of people visit everyday. We had read books that you must try to avoid large crowds and a good way to do this is start early. We got up at 5.00 am and took a bus (for which we made the booking in Cusoc by paying $14 round-trip pp) to Machu Picchu. It takes only 15-25 minutes to reach from Aguas Caliente. Okay...one more point...you would want to buy Machu Picchu entrance ticket at Cusco ($42 pp).

Since morning it was raining and sometimes very hard . We knew the weather is bad and we also knew that the crowd comes at around 10.00 am so we decided to visit ruins first and get to know more about them. We also got the queue number to climb peak Huayna Picchu or Wayna Picchu since they allow only 400 people in two batches. This was done to avoid crowd because they start going back by 2-3.00 pm. Huayna Picchu means Young Peak in Quecha language which overlooks Machu Picchu and in fact you get to see the birds eye view of Machu Picchu. The Urubamba river flows in the valley of Aguas Canliente and you get to see everything from Huayna Picchu. It was around 10.00 am when we started climbing the peak and it took 25 minutes to reach the peak. The view from top was cloudy/misty but you know at times we were very lucky to see birds-eye-view of Machu Picchu, the rivers and roads. It was amazing. There is also 'temple of moon' and a cave which we didn't visit since we didn't have enough time. Machu Picchu ruins in itself has so many things to see that you can not visit everything in one day. We also wanted to visit the most-photograph-spot of Machu Picchu and it happens to be from the trail which leads to Inca trail (the classical trail). Today was yet another fruitful day for us. We really appreciated the way Inca's would have build their empire over here and that's why this place is in seven wonders of the world.

- 25th December - It is another travel day for us. We are suppose to travel from Cusco to Iquitos (Amazon). We first flew to Lima and then to Iquitos but we had seven hours in Lima. So we utilized this time to see Miraflores (close to Lima). It's famous for shopping, beaches and just to chill-out if you don't know what to do. We also went to small ruins (pre-Inca times) and it's called Huaca Puclilana. Long before the Incas rose to power in Peru, the Lima culture built this adobe pyramid at Huaca Puclilana which is now in Miraflores, Peru. Our flight to Iquitos was around 7.00 pm and we reached Iquitos by 10.00 pm.

- 26th December - We decided to go with Pacaya Samiria Amazon Lodge for our 4-day expedition including one day camping in the reserve. Pacaya Samiria reserve is the largest amazon reserve in Peru and as impressive as Manu National Reserve (in south east of Peru) in terms of wildlife but we thought it was one of the best place to see birds. My intention of combining two different places in Amazon basin was to see wildlife and villages. Since the villages differ a lot if you were to compare it with south eastern amazon. The river over here was a km wide at some places.

Anyway we started our trip and the first part was to reach Nauta in car (it took two hours). Nauta was the first township founded by the Spanish at the Marañón River’s bank. From Nauta,we took our boat to visit the Ucayali and Marañón River, where the Amazon River is born (Rio Amazons). From here we got to see a spectacular sight of the forest because of the 100 foot high watching tower. This is the place were these two rives meet and Rio Amazons is born. After visiting Nauta we started our journey to the lodge (1 hour). The river is very wide over here and it was windy too. At the lodge, we had welcome drink and then lunch. The afternoon time was kept to relax. The best time to spot wildlife is either early morning or late evening. So we went on a hike at the near-by forest but no luck except that I saw a monkey jumping from one tree to another. Then came our night safari and we were again disappointed except that we spotted a frog and few insects. Anyway...we were not in the reserve so we can't expect much.

- 27th December - Today we will going to our camping place (3 hours from the lodge). We first did a short (two hours) early morning hike and then loaded our boat with food supplies and tent. We had to first register ourself at the control room of Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Right in front of the control room we spotted five-six pink river dolphins. They were simply playing around. When we tried to go close to them, they started showing up at different places next to us. It's was like we are chasing them and they were being naughty to us. After some half an hour of tussle, we gave up and started heading inside the reserve. We picked up a person (who turned out to be the best guide on the whole trip) from a near-by village. The plan for the day was to look for wildlife, do hikes and then fishing in the evening. I think we spotted many-many birds on the way and not just birds but monkeys too. The camping was like a luxury. Everything was ready for us. This is the most luxury camping I have ever done in my life at such a remote place. Fishing was fun and I was the only one who couldn't catch a fish. Basically I didn't want to kill or hurt anybody :-). At night we spotted baby caimans and even a larger one but the mother didn't show up.

- 28th December - Today we got up early to look for birds in the forest and there was no disappointment. The bird list include yellow macaw and some of the rares ones too. By afternoon we started heading towards the lodge and after having lunch & relaxing a bit at the lodge , we geared up again for an evening adventure. We got to see Iguana, had an encounter with Viper snake and saw a sloth. After having dinner, the night safari was on boat. It was completely dark and we were going on the boat. Suddenly we parked our boat on the bushes to look for insects and frogs. We spotted three frogs over there and even a bird looking for fish. This was yet another fruitful night safari for us.

- 29th December - Today was the last day of our 4-day adventure in Pacaya Samiria reserve. We got up early and went on a two hours hike in which we saw a butterfly with big eyes and a very small poisonous frog. The frog was as small as your finger nail. We packed our bags and after having lunch we started heading to Nauta where our car was waiting for us. We straight away went to Iquitos and then Belen for giant water lilies. The giant water lilies were as big as table but to reach there we had to go through Belen's slum and on boat. It was fun and ladies were little scared. Our flight was at 9.00 pm so we had enough time. By the time we reached Lima, it was midnight.

- 30th December - We spent whole day in Lima and Miraflores. We were lucky to get refund of $160 pp from Explorer's Inn. Thanks to them. The best part of today was one of the most spectacular beach sunset I have witnessed at Miraflores. We wanted to do para gliding but there was not much wind.

- 31st December - Flew back to USA.

Special thanks to Explorer's Inn, Pacaya Samiria Amazon Lodge, Ours guides and their staff and the team (Katla and his wife Neelma, Phani and his wife Lekha) for making the trip so wonderful and memorable.

Thanks,
/Saurabh Mishra

Photographs from India Trip

2008-11-30T17:57:00.000-08:00

Photographs of My Village (Bara - Foothills of Nainital).

Kemmangundi (Hebbe Falls) :

Belur Temple

East Coast Fall Colors (Maine, Vermont & Niagara Falls)

2008-10-27T19:18:00.001-07:00

Four day trip during the fall colors season was one of our best road-trip in recent times.

Maine (Acadia National Park)

Niagara Falls (New York State)

Vermont (Hwy - 7A and Skyline Drive to Equinox Mountain)

Backpack in Lake Tahoe (Mt. Tallac)

2008-10-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

2 Days backpack in Desolation Wilderness of South Lake Tahoe and a climb to Mt. Tallac.

Salt Pond

2008-09-27T21:52:00.000-07:00

Salt Pond near our Campus in Menlo Park (near bay)

2008-09-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

Marin Headlands (Stinson Beach Area) : 20.50 miles day hike and a group of 22 people.

Andrew Molera State Park, Big Sur

2008-09-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

Photographs of a 10 miles day hike in Andrew Molera State Park, Big Sur.

Mono Lake and Bodie, California

2008-09-01T19:45:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures of our trip. Chu and I went to Mono Lake and Bodie during the labor day weekend.

4 Days backpack in Glacier National Park, Montana

2008-08-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

4 Day and 3 Night backpack in Glacier National Park turned out to be one the best backpacks I did in US. The route taken was : Appekuny Falls Trailhead -> Poia Lake Campground -> Many Glacier -> Swiftcurrent Pass-> Granite Park Campground -> Logan Pass which was done over 4 days of backpack with 10 miles round-trip day-hike to Ice Berg Lake in Many Glacier area. We, four of us and including an 11 yrs old kid, successfully managed to backpack in one of the most beautiful part of Glacier National Park. I had to use park & private shuttle to get back to Many Glacier since we didn't end the backpack at the same place. We didn't see a Grizzly Bear but I manage to see a Black Bear. I really liked the meadows and reminded me of Indian Himalayan backpacks.

Statistics were : 28.7 miles of backpack and 10 miles of day hike.

Clouds Rest and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

2008-07-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Half Dome hike is one of the most famous hike in the bay area not just because of the cables but also because you get to see the birds eye-view of Yosemite Valley and other Domes. We, a group of 11 people, started the hike at 5.45 am from Tenaya Lake. The distance was long and we were little apprehensive about reaching the cables on time mainly to avoid the rush. Without thinking twice we were mostly speeding towards half dome with a stop at Clouds Rest peak (9,900 feet). The Clouds Rest has fantastic views of Yosemite's high country and walking on a tiny cliff made it more fun. We ended up reaching the Cables at 11.00 am and were happy to see not-so-busy traffic on the cables. I picked a pair of gloves and with in half an hour we were at the top of Half Dome. We took rest and had lunch up there with usual photography session. I was not so surprised to see quite a few climbing/making their way to the cables at around 1.30 pm. On the way back, we took the Valley Trail to Yosemite Valley and the trail took us through Vernal and Nevada Water Falls. I always had not-so-good impression about Yosemite National Park but now I do believe that it's a nice park indeed.

Stats : 21.2 miles from Tenaya Lake to Yosemite Valley via Clouds Rest and Half Dome. Half Dome is around 13 miles from Tenaya Lake. We were little lucky you see a Brown Bear next to the creek.

2008-07-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

25 Miles Bike Ride in San Francisco, California.

The route was : 4th and King Caltrain > Townsend St > Embarcadero > Jefferson St > Ft Mason > Marina Blvd > Halleck St > Lincoln Blvd > Golden Gate Bridge > Lincoln Blvd > El Camino Del Mar > Legion of Honor Dr > Clement St > Seal Rock Dr > El Camino Del Mar > Point Lobos Ave > Great Highway > JFK Drive > Kezar Dr > Page St > Market St > Embarcadero > Ferry Bldg > Embarcadero > Townsend > 4th and King Caltrain

Pictures :

Map.

16 miles backpack in Redwood State Park

2008-07-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

Photographs of 16 miles round trip backpack in Redwood State Park. We started our hike from visitor of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and followed the West Ridge Trail camping at Ossagon trail wilderness campground. On the way back we took the coastal trail and had rather scary encounter with wild Elk and luckily it was a female Elk and didn't attack four of us.