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krishnag
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Riddle of Ridley turtles and Case of Crafty Crocodiles
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The rest house in the island is full up. Everyone is awaiting the Ridley turtles. So much so that almost nobody mentions the pristine sandy beach under our feet and the beautiful coconut palms. We rummage the golden sands for turtle eggs instead! All we find are broken shells left over from the last nesting. Meanwhile the moon rises over an inky sea touching everything with its silver wand. I wander in the white light and enjoy my private communion with nature-
“Already with thee;Tender is the night and haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne”
Even though we did not get to see the aribada, it was memorable.
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krishnag
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Riddle of Ridley turtles and Case of Crafty Crocodiles
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
But the king of the Bhitarkanika jungle is surely the “Kanika Raja”, as the Olive Ridley turtles are called here. The sanctuary prides itself as the stage for a rare egg-laying ceremony of these turtles. The mass nesting is called arribada, derived from the Spanish word meaning arrival. On a clear moonlit night the turtles arrive crawling out of the deep sea in thousands, puffing and labouring. They select a site in the sand and dig holes with their hind flippers and lay nearly 200 eggs. They cover the eggs with sand and crawl back to the sea all within 45 minutes! Not much is known about these turtles. They seem to be undertaking very long distance migration north wards along the coast of Tamil Nadu but nobody knows from where they start and also where they go after hatching. It was the first week of January and the time was ripe for arribada. We set out in the hope of witnessing the phenomenon in a special launch with a forest officer. He is as excited at the prospect and repeatedly shouts out messages into his wireless set to project officers on the other side who are monitoring the scene of action, the Gahirmatha beach in the island of Ekakula.
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krishnag
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Riddle of Ridley turtles and Case of Crafty Crocodiles
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The morning’s catch of crabs comes to the dining table, smothered in coconut milk and red chilli paste cooked to coral-coloured perfection by Shankar the cook. The estuarine crab is not just fresh; its flesh is particularly sweet. We gorge ourselves.
Worrying a little about my calorie intake, I am happy to discover a place to walk off the fabulous lunch and be edified in the process. The 3.5 km long walk takes us through the ruins of an ancient village of old mariners. We pass some temple edifices sinking into the ground. It is some forgotten outpost of the ancient Kalinga Empire. There is supposed to be plenty of wild life around but a picnic party close by makes enough racket to ensure that they all take refuge. The parasitic fig strangulating the gentle areca nut stock looks fierce enough to be labeled as “wild life” by some of us. Half the charm of wild life tracking lies in the possibility of sighting, someone remarks. The other half of the charm eludes us completely. We return to the rest house refreshed if somewhat disappointed.
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krishnag
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Riddle of Ridley turtles and Case of Crafty Crocodiles
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
We have been cruising for 3 hours starting from Rajnagar in the Kendrapara district of Orissa. We arrive at Dangmal. The accommodation at the forest rest house here is simple but it offers a Shangri-la setting where phones, faxes, TVs and all the hoopla of hotels are sacrificed (perforce; there is no electricity here) for the sake of silence, tranquility and a chance to get in touch with a little corner of wild earth again. The kitchen in-charge is a pleasant young man. He walks in bearing a tea tray. The cups and saucers don’t match and the tea is too sugary but it is a warm drink and we feel welcome. Sipping on this sweet milky drink vaguely reminiscent of tea I set about to admire the huge bokul tree in the center of the courtyard. Seated under its umbrella I watch territorial behaviour and guarded sharing among the chip-munks that scamper up and down its pillar like stem. I am alerted by excited cries of our eight-year-old son. He has surely spotted something. Hoping it is not a snake (Bhitarkanika is filled to bursting with king cobras I am told), I rush to find him tiptoeing at the edge of thick foliage where the backyard of our bungalow merges with the forest. There is a monitor lizard that has put in a brief appearance. It often comes foraging for food that is thrown away here. What excites our son is its dinosaur like gait almost entirely walking on its hind legs!
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krishnag
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Riddle of Ridley turtles and Case of Crafty Crocodiles
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
We do some shopping on the move. A boat draws up close to ours. The pilots are exchanging bytes about the weather. We look for a bite to eat. We have sighted giant crabs crawling in the depression of the dinghy boat where some water has collected. “Koy Tonka?” (“How much?” our guide negotiates the price in Oriya, the local dialect. Two giant crabs are transferred to our launch. I hope we will find somebody willing to cook it for us! This is a regular way to shop here. Most of the catch from the estuary exchanges hands even before it has reached the local market. The prices are also negotiable. Although without a local guide I doubt it would be possible to negotiate.
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krishnag
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Riddle of Ridley turtles and Case of Crafty Crocodiles
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
It is the crocodiles that make it to the newspapers. The sanctuary has several villages in side its notified area. The villagers are mostly fishermen or farmers. In the absence of any clear settlement with the forest officials they continue to stay and eke out a living within the sanctuary and often tragedy occurs when they fall victim to the crocodile. Sometimes the crocodile comes up far into the paddy fields to sun and may lie motionless there for hours and it is easy for unsuspecting villagers to fall prey to them. Meanwhile the crocodile is the protected species here; in fact at Dangmal there is a crocodile farm where crocodile eggs are collected from the wild, allowed to hatch and carefully nurtured till they are about three years old after which they are released in the estuary. All this is to augment their number in the sanctuary. The villagers protest from time to time. Meanwhile the authorities shed crocodile tears and go on rearing baby crocodiles.
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krishnag
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Riddle of Ridley turtles and Case of Crafty Crocodiles
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
But what make this place unique for tourists like us are the crocodiles, which abound in these waters and we have been cruising the waters for the last two hours looking for them. At last our scaly friends show up. Amidst stifled cries and whispers one crocodile is sighted, sprawled on the river bank basking in the sun and with it our luck turns (someone remarks wryly that the sun is out and they have come out to warm themselves), we now effortlessly spot several huge ones on the bank. Most often hearing our launch their motionless bodies suddenly spring to life and slither effortlessly into the water and glide away leaving a thin trail in the water. Apart from these there are water monitor lizards, sea turtles, and a number of snakes to complete the list of reptiles here.
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krishnag
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Riddle of Ridley turtles and Case of Crafty Crocodiles
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary of Orissa, India, is a mangrove forest in the estuary formed by the rivers Brahmini and Baitarini. A network of creeks intersects the area and the Bay of Bengal on its east. The intervening landmass of islands and flatlands, spread over an area of 672 sq. km. is covered with mangroves. To give an idea of its biological diversity, in Bhitarkanika there are 60 species of mangroves out of a total of 72 species identified in the world. These estuaries throb with life. To coin an ecology term there is a clear “ecotone” effect which means that in the zone that lies in between two clearly demarcated habitats, the marine and the terrestrial ones in this case, maximum diversity of species is observed. The intertidal zones and the thickly forested wetlands provide an ideal habitat to a large number of resident and migratory birds. More than 170 species of birds are found here.
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krishnag
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Riddle of Ridley turtles and Case of Crafty Crocodiles
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Seated on the deck of our launch I cannot hear any of the jungle sounds; I hear only the din of the diesel driven engine. But I catch a glimpse of three sambars grazing near the water’s edge and identify kingfishers, night heron, grey heron, cormorants, egrets, ibis, openbill stork, and the beautifully camouflaged paddy birds foraging in the mud. Verdant mangroves stretch out on land on both the sides, their squat frames anchored by a number of buttress-roots. These plants have surrounded themselves with grotesque finger-like pneumatophores. These are their oxygen masks. The roots of mangroves are oxygen-starved in this water logged estuarine land of Bhitarkanika and this is their adaptation to counter the problem. The shot height of the plants indicates that cyclones frequent this area.
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manasi
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The Sun Temple at Konark
Orissa unlike many other parts of India has the prized distinction of possessing an uninterrupted series of temples illustrating the history of the well-defined Kalinga (former name of Orissa) from its very inception to decline, and the Sun Temple of Konark marks the highest point of achievement.
Konark, the seat of World famous Sun Temple, located in the District of Puri, forms one of the three points of the "Golden Triangle of Tourism" in the State of Orissa, the other two being Bhubaneswar, the city of Temples and Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath. This Temple chariot of the Sun God on the golden sands of teh Bay of Bengal is a 13th Century architectural marvel.
Today, Konark is not merely a symbol of Orissa's great architectural craftsmanship, it is also the most sought after centre of attraction for tourists all over the World. It's serene atmosphere coupled with a quiet but majestic sea-shore is today regarded as an ideal place for holidaying by domestic as well as foreign tourists.
Some parts of the temples are in ruins. They are very beautiful. Try visiting the place at dawn. That's when it's most beautiful.
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quizzycal
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Chandipur: Where You Can Find Yourself
If we go through a detailed report on an extensive investigative research on the personal likings of people in general we shall find that the general advocacy is either to make a vacation trip to any mountainous region or any seaside. Truly speaking these are the two aspects or gifts of nature that have attracted us for the centuries, mainly due to its enigmatic appearances. In this regard, I can proudly affirm that before visiting Chandipur I had no such idea how marvelous can a beach be!
Without any doubt it can be said that there are several wonderful beaches throughout India but none has been able to attract me so far like this Chandipur beach. Till now I have made four visits but each time provide me with a new sensation, a new feeling. Being located at a distance of 16 km. away from the city of Balasore happens to be a tourist's delight. To my assessment it I one of the best beaches on the eastern coastal line of India while offering bravura views of the gorgeous seascapes. There is a great presence of casuarina trees in conjunction with the shiny waters of the seaside resorts and it is the confluence of this semblance that has made the sea beach truly world class and the favorite destination of the tourists in general.
For years I was in remorse for I had not been fortunate enough to witness one of the special characteristics of this sea beach. But on the last visit of mine I was fortunate enough to witness that unique feature. It is that the seawater from the shore around 5-km away and it happens for twice a day while providing the water revellers a definitive happiness of walking onto the golden sands of the beach. Again as we do often you that just for a mere change you can always, there is the presence of many such, hire the boats of the local fishermen and go to the starting point of the river Budhabalanga.
Keep it in mind that being a less populated area it is not safe to be outside after the dusk. Therefore it is best to make a short trip of 3-4 days at the Chandipur beach and not to go for a long days' vacation.
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quizzycal
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Chilka: Nature's Wonder
The time I do get bored over the regular discourses of this mundane life I prefer to move outside and have a full glance of the scenic beauty, which the Almighty has created with all His efforts. Now you can move to anywhere, you may like to visit. But if you take my views, if you have still now make the visit then go to Chilka.
The time when I made the visit for the first time was some years back. But being dumbfounded of the spectacular scenic beauty it has become a usual task for me to visit the Chilka at least once in a year or in two years at best. And believe me. Each time I visit I do come across some new discoveries that enthralls me! It is the largest freshwater lake spread in 1100 sq km area and is situated at a distance of 50 kilometers from Puri. Though many prefer to visit the Chilka Lake while they visit Puri, but take it from me it is better to make a separate visit to this place. But now you may ask what is the specialty when there are so many Lakes of national and international repute? Certainly you may be right but have you ever noticed the presence of emerald green islands whose presence appears to you as if there are some dots in the vast Lake? Perhaps there is no such another creation like this! Moreover, the dotted islands have been rendered very beautiful names, for instance 'Honeymoon Islands' and 'Breakfast Island'. The mere utterance of these names is quite enough to make you feel with an ecstasy.
The lake is home to a rich assortment of aquatic fauna and I have come across many such people who prefer to collect these aquatic fauna as mark of treasure in the showcases of their sitting rooms. What's more you can get a thrilling sight of dolphins round the year and abundance of migratory birds in winter, that make the entire area an ideal location for spending the vacations.
Chilka Lake Asia's largest freshwater lake (spread in 1100 sq km area) is situated 50 kilometers from Puri. Dotted with many emerald green islands with colorful names such as 'honeymoon islands' and 'Breakfast Island', Chilika is home to a rich variety of aquatic fauna. The thrilling sight of dolphins round the year and abundance of migratory birds in winter make it an ideal place for vacations. Konark Situated 35 km from Puri, Konark is home to the Sun Temple, also called the Black Pagoda. Konark is a must visit for its historical and architectural importance. The Konark beach is said to be one of the finest and most romantic beaches on the eastern coast.
But take it for granted that you may prefer to visit the islands, also for cruising inside the lake. For that you shall have to avail the permission of the Water Transport Facilities of the 0rissa Tourist Department. Though country boats can also be hired from private operators at these places, keep it in mind that the slightest encroachment in any form is to highly penalized.
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