Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts

Mauritius fun


Laguna Beach Resort

It was time for our annual Christmas time vacation with my wife's family as my father-in-law's birthday is on Dec 25th. The final choice came down to a 5 hr. drive to some place in Western Ghats or Mauritius, so dissimilar! But, Mauritius became an option when we found out it was visa free for Indians, there was 6hr direct flight from Bangalore, and most importantly, the island sounded lovely when we looked it up. So, why not. Once decided, we booked the flights quickly getting us a near best deal and set about planning our 5 day stay. Read on to find out what we did....

Day 1: 

On way in the Sienna
The good deal meant that we had a very early 3.20am flight out of Bangalore and had to head to the airport at 11pm. So, no sleep! We managed this slight challenge well and after a quick uneventful flight landed by 8am in Mauritius Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport to good weather and welcoming immigration and people. Our first task was to get our rental car which was to be our mode of transport on all 5 days. Mauritius drives on left, has excellent road infrastructure and they accept Indian license. Perfect!

Car pick up was not the way we were used to in America. An agent met us as we came out and drove us us a few kilometers where the formalities were completed at a car parking area. We got Toyota Sienna for 3 days that we planned to switch for a fancier car on last 2 days. Soon, we were on our way to Laguna just an hour away (everything is within couple of hours!) but detoured for an early lunch at an Indian place in Mahebourg. The drive is very scenic along the coast and we couldn't help but to turn into the quaint La Case Du Pecheur, restaurant (part of resort) for some drinks, views and relaxation. We finally reached our resort, Laguna Beach Hotel and Spa,  to lovely ground floor rooms with views of the bay.

La Case Du Pecheur

They had arranged an elaborate Christmas eve dinner with a lavish buffet, music, games and dance. We had just about enough time to get settled, rest a bit and join the festivities. It was a great way to spend our first night in Mauritius and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Laguna Beach Hotel and Spa

Day 2: Sunrise, breakfast, temple run, swimming pool, dinner.

Murugan Temple
We had decided to relax on Day 2 as it was the big day. The hosts kindly arranged for a birthday cake and greeted him, restaurant group style, in the morning after breakfast. We visited several temples nearby for the rest of the day. Highlight was the Murugan Temple at Clemencia. It was not a planned destination and we turned into the road leading to the temple after seeing the board. The temple was lovely but closed. We got our darshan through the door gratings and were about to head out. However, the priest who lived close by had seen us. He came out and opened it for us, then invited us to his house for a cup of coffee! True hospitality indeed. Rest of day we relaxed at the resort in their nice pool.

Pool at Laguna

Day 3: Sunrise, Snorkeling, Checkout/Check-in, Sunset.

Sunrise at Laguna
Checkout day. We managed to squeeze in snorkeling activity in the morning. The guide took us out into the ocean on a speed boat. The experience of the fast ride and observing colorful fishes up close was enjoyable as always. Our next stay was a full Villa with 4 rooms overlooking the Indian ocean on the west side of the Island. So, it was a drive right across the island that took us about an hour. The villa was fantastic with a great view, private pool and a small public beach right in front. The host had also kindly provided snorkeling gear that we could borrow. So, lots of choices to enjoy around the house itself! Grocery was also required now that we will be on our own food wise for 2 days. London way, grocery store was a 10mins walk and we stocked up for the 3 days. 

Villa Front view

Day 4: Change car, lunch, 7 Earth.

On this day we had to take care of the car swap logistics. For convenience we had kept drop and pick up location at airport itself. So, it was an hour drive out and back across the entire country! After an easy switch, we were heading back in a BMW M3 performance model and enjoying the engine and its power on the wonderful Mauritian roads. For lunch, we made use of the outdoor Asian Kitchen and cooked up a tasty stir fry with noodles that was enjoyed by all in front of the pool with an ocean view! Few restaurants can beat that. Finally, we visited our first touristy spot in Mauritius. The Chamarel Seven Colored Earth Geopark. It is an interesting privately managed nature park. It also had a scenic water fall and giant Turtles. On the way back we stopped at Flic en Flac city along the coast for dinner. Place was packed and parking tough as it is only at designated areas along the beach. We finally ended up at a Chinese restaurant with a busy atmosphere.


Chamarel Seven Colored Earth

Day 5: Beach hopping around and north of Port Louis. Snorkeling. Lunch at Trojan Horse. 


Mont Choisy



This was our last full day in Mauritius! We had relaxed too much and hardly seen the country. So, we planned a day of beach hopping, maybe snorkeling and lunch at recommended Trojan Horse in Grand Baie, a lovely water side restaurant. We had to drive through Port Louis to get to our first stop Trou-aux-Biches and thats pretty much all we got to see of the capital city. We did our planned snorkeling activity here. The sites were close by and we went in glass bottom boats. The fishes were in a deep section of the ocean and we got to experience the depth with many sea creatures, corals and plants down below as we floated above. Only in Hawaii we had a similar awesome deep and large snorkeling site. Giant Turtles also frequent this area, but our timing was wrong. Guide suggested that we should come early in the morning to sight them. After one more stop at Mont Choisy, our second beach, we headed back home tired and happy.


Trou-aux-biches

Day 6: Drive to airport

Last day was just packing and heading to the airport for an uneventful flight back home to our usual routines.

Mauritius surprised us with its beauty, culture, friend people, roads, beaches, food, and so on. There was not much touristy points to see. But just driving around eating and chillin on the beach and snorkeling where we could was perfectly fine for us. Hope to go back again sometime and enjoy more of the wonderful country.

Album of all images

Birds at La Case Du Pechuer on way.

Few birds at Laguna





Charging our way to Goa

Sand Plovers at Varca beach, Goa

This post is only partly a nature related one and mostly about a road trip. Intrigued? Read on. 

We have owned an EV (Electric vehicle) since 2008. Starting with REVAi. Then E2o which became Mahindra E2o. Sold it after it was discontinued and chose Tata Tiago which is our commute car now. We have never ventured out of Bangalore in it. So, when a friend asked to join on a road trip to Goa in his new MG ZS EV, we hopped on eagerly to experience an EV road trip. Our friend being the organized planner that he is had all the charging schedule worked out. We could sit back and enjoy the ride with hopefully no need to push the car anywhere.

Nature of course is everywhere. On this trip we stopped for one night each at Sharavathi Jungle Lodges and Bhadra River Tern resort to enjoy those wonderful places as well as for charging, with 3 nights at Mahindra Varca, Goa in between.

Zeon Charging near Hiriyur
Somewhere on NH4

Our EV road trip got under way at Yeshwantpur Metro Station where we were picked up. First stop was Sharavathi Jungle Lodges about 400+ kms away. For ZS, company claims range of 460km, user experience is 350km. With 4 people and AC, we hoped for 300km. This meant at least one recharge was needed. To be safe, he had targeted 3 charging stations though only one was sufficient. But given the unreliability of car charging infrastructure, this was a planned redundancy. Zeon charging station at Hiriyur, next to Paakshala restaurant worked out perfectly for our first stop. The car charged while we had a nice breakfast. We did a short test charge up at a roadside Tata Charging Station. 
Lunch and charge at Harsha the Fern

One more charging stop at Harsha the Fern hotel in Shivamogga, which had charging infrastructure in house making it easy to have lunch while the car was charging. Here, there was a slight issue as both slots were already taken. On enquiry, one of the cars was the Hotel Owners! Thankfully, he took it out on request to let us plug in ours.


Malabar Pit Viper
Boat Safari
We reached Sharavati JLR by late afternoon. After checkin, we sighted a Rouxi Forest Lizard and Malabar Pit Viper (yellow morph) which was perched on a log under a bridge on way to our cottages patiently waiting for prey. The viper interestingly stayed in that same spot and position during our whole stay! We took the evening boat safari which turned out to be a sunset cruise with no nature sightings. Next day morning was a safari to jog fall view points which enabled us to do some good bird watching (check list below). Charging attempt overnight with some adhoc (jugaad) setup did not succeed. So, redundancy in charging paid off.

We headed out after breakfast and charged at a convenient charging station located alongside Hotel Sagar Residency, Honnavar while we had coffee. After lunch at Karwar, we reached Varca late evening with a stop along the way to see the sunset. At varca, the charging situation became easy. Even though the fast charger at the resort was not working, we could have car charged overnight with the regular slow charging plug point.

Morning beach walk Varca to Covalessim

Ocean surf
Early next morning, we did a nice relaxed walk all along the beach towards Cavelossim about 5 kms south of Varca. It was reminiscent of my
Sand Plover
longer beach walk and
 was equally enjoyable though shorter. Other activites were a visit to Sao Jacinto Islands, eating out at Martins Corner and beach shacks, bit of ocean surf, and generally chilling Goa style. Birding wise, I found a flock of maybe 100 Lesser Sand plovers(or Greater), with few Great Knots and Sandpipers among them on the beach making it an amazing sighting.

Barking Deer
Bridge, River Tern

On our last day we left very early morning to reach River Tern JLR in time for their evening safari. Charging was again at Hotel Sagar Residency where we had our breakfast also. River Tern lodge is nicely nestled along Bhadra Forest and reservoir and hosts the River Tern which come to nest there during winter. We were about a month early though and only spotted couple of tern scouts. The evening boat Safari was still quite good with excellent sightings of a pair of perched darters and near miss of Tiger/Leopard sighting after waiting patiently when Langurs gave incessant alarm calls. Next day morning Jeep Safari was also good with sightings of Barking deer, Malabar Trogon, Forest Owlet, Lesser Adjutant, among others. We took advantage of their natural bay which was like a large pool to do some kayaking and swimming.

Finally, we headed back home and needed only one stop at Hiriyur at the same Zeon charging station and combined it with lunch at Paakshala, and reached home by late evening.

Summary of cost difference between Petrol(assumed) and Electric(actuals) car for this trip.

Petrol car: (~15KMPL) costs Rs 6.5 per KM (@100 Rs/litre)

Electric car: (6KM per KW): Rs 4 per KM (@25 Rs/KW Fast charging)

Links:

Photo album of the trip

Ebird Check List at Sharavati Jungle Lodges

Ebird Check List at Sao Jacinto Island, Goa

Ebird Check List at River Tern Lodge, Boating

Ebird Check List at River Tern Lodge, Safari

Zeon Charging Station, Hiriyur, next to Paakshala

Tata Charging before Chitradurga

Relux Charging, Harsha the Fern, Shivamogga

JioBP Pulse Chrging, Hotel Sagar Residency


Pulse Charging at Harsha Residency, Honnavar

Sunset, Sharavati JLR

Varca Beach

Martins Corner

Sao Jacinto Island

View from room, River Tern Lodge




Tanzania. The never ending grasslands




Africa is the ultimate destination for anyone interested in Nature in its purest form. We had never looked to plan one as the whole process felt daunting. But when two of our close relatives suggested an Africa trip around the same time which worked for us also, it all fell into place for one of our wildest and most adventurous trips.

We finished planning our logistics in a flurry within a few weeks about 5 to 6 months before our agreed-upon vacation dates. After some back and forth we settled on  Easy travels on recommendation from friends who had used their services. It was a good choice as they were very professional and patient in helping us customize the trip to our satisfaction. Finally, it was 6 days of safari mostly in Serengeti, and 1 final day on the beaches in Zanzibar.

Tanzania, the safaris, people, food, grasslands, and nature were all as wonderful as advertised. Our group was 11 people from 9 to 56 yrs. Serengeti, on which we roamed for 3 full days exemplified our expectations of African nature. The other 2 major parks Tarangire with its Boabab trees, and Ngorongoro crater with its unique isolated wildlife were the perfect complements and bookmarked Serengeti. We did a good balance of cottages (Sopa lodge), safari tents (Tortillis, Sametu), luxury stays (Farmhouse), and a final beach resort(Zanziblue) to experience the wide range of stay options. 

From day 1, we learned to expect the unexpected on a Safari. It could be any of the Ungulates like Zebra, Giraffe, or Antelopes which are grazing peacefully or crossing our path but also the famed carnivores like Cheetah, Leopard, or a resting Lion pride of which there were many. The habitat and views ranged from shrub forests to rivers, to the wide expansive grasslands. One of the days was earmarked to witness the great migration of Wildebeests which were on the move. After driving for several hours, our guides found them. We watched enthralled as the huge herds of thousands of Wildebeests moved steadily to their northern grazing fields.

On our final day in Arusha, we chose to have a quieter day with a local plantation visit and enjoyed some locally prepared food. Zanzibar with its beautiful beaches provided the perfect ending to our African adventure as we reluctantly bid goodbye and headed back. 

Images from the trip:

Day 1: Tarangire

Day 2,3,4: Serengeti

Day 5: Ngorongoro

People shots: Tanzania and Zanzibar


Goa Beach Trek : Beauty and Ruggedness

Towards Arambol from Morjim

Location: North Goa beaches (Sequerim to Arambol),  Goa, India

Date: Feb 22nd, 2020

To get there[Click here for Google Map]. (Our path was all along the beach)
From Bangalore, it is connected by Bus, Trian or Flight. Driving takes around 12 hours, on pretty good roads, to reach Baga where we stayed the night. If you take the train or flight, it should be fairly easy to get a cab from there.

Trail type: Beaches, beaches, beaches, and some Hilly trails! About 70% of the trek was wide sandy beaches. Just sandals or barefoot is enough here. 20% is on some hilly trails where you would need shoes. Basic sneakers are enough though trekking shoes will be safer with better grip if you are not confident. Few carried support sticks that helped on these trails. The unplanned detour we took from Anjuna to Ozran was all slippery shoreline rocks and best avoided to be on the safe side. The total distance is approximately 30+ kms. We stopped at Arambol after around 27kms.

Facilities: Beach shacks! Avoid drinking alcohol though as you will get dehydrated.


Trekking on a beach? That too Goa beaches!  The concept was so unique that I had no other choice but to accept and join when my friend forwarded the route map of the upcoming trek with his trekking group. It turned out to be a once in a lifetime kind of experience. The closest similar trek I had done previously was at Narrows, Zion NP, almost 30 years back, where we trekked into a narrow gorge from one end and came out on the other side after an overnight stay in the middle. The differences here were, no overnight camping and people were everywhere throughout the trek.

So, it was with great expectations that I boarded our Tempo Traveller(TT) along with 9 other intrepid trekkers from Bangalore late one night. The plan was to reach our starting point in North Goa by afternoon. Rest up. Start trek early the next day morning from Sequerim Beach and move along the coastline until we reach Querim Beach where our TT will pick us back up, a good 30+ kms away while passing some of the most gorgeous and well known Goa beaches along the way.
Sunset at Baga Beach

As planned, we reached Baga Beach for lunch which was Goan Fish Curry and Rice! Checked into our homestay like accommodation where everyone chose to rest for a bit before heading to Baga Beach about a km away. We would cross this spot the next day but that evening it was heavily
crowded as if some major festival was being celebrated. Guess the Goa carnival due to start the next day had something to do with it. However, we were all compensated with a spectacular sunset. Dinner, then early bedtime to be fresh for the following day.

All of us managed to be up and ready to go with a small backpack, at 5.30 as planned and into the TT to be driven the 10 or so kms to Sequerim beach so that we walk all the way back again. Weird yes, but then the walk would cross the famous beaches of Candolim and Calangute. The start was from Fort
Start at Sequerim Beach early morning
Aguada, tip of Sequerim Beach when it was still twilight just past 6am. Energetically, we set out North. I was expecting quiet beaches but instead was treated to a lot of tourists out early to enjoy various activities. Middle-aged man doing yoga asanas while his wife took the photos, young buffed up males doing their morning jog or pushups, children just enjoying the sand and water while their parents relaxed on the beach and fishermen hauling in the night catch.

The walk along this stretch was very pleasant on the wide sandy beaches and cool morning weather. I, as always, lagged alone far behind the leaders as we stretched out in pairs or 3's. Making sure I don't lose sight of the group, though where can they go?!, I enjoyed the pleasure of boat and people photography in almost perfect morning light conditions. A highlight was the sighting of a school of Dolphins frolicking about 100 meters out.  After about 2 hours we completed the 9kms or so stretch covering, Sequerim, Candolim, Calangute and reached Baga around 8.30am where we had enjoyed the Sunset the previous night.

At Baga we decide not to stop and continued along a trail which goes over a hill skirting the ocean with fantastic views and drops down into Anjuna Beach. The trail though fairly moderate
does need some scrambling in spots. I finally got to see some avian action and was lucky to spot a well-hidden Common Kingfisher in a small tree, sandpipers and cormorants. Here, we stopped for a well-deserved breakfast in one of the famed Goa Shacks as we took in the slowly warming ocean from the comfort of the shack.


Finally, after the long walk and a strenuous climb, we relaxed to some omelets and coffee. Ignoring our mind which was suggesting staying there for the rest of the day, we hoisted our backpacks and
stepped on the beach heading north like some single-minded Serengeti wildebeest which can't stop in spite of many obstacles until it reaches its destination.

Anjuna Beach
Western Reef Egret
Not sure if it was because of high tide but the beach at Anjuna was very narrow. We had to scramble fast in many places but still got quite wet as we headed north. Structures have been put to block seawater and the shacks built higher to mitigate the issue. I guess we got a taste of what's to come with Global-warming if that indeed was the reason for the deterioration of the famous Anjuna. At one point it became so bad that few of us who were leading had to climb up from the beach and take the road behind the shacks.

As we reached the end of Anjuna, we had two paths to reach Ozran beach which was on the other side of a hill. Skirt along the beach which becomes rocky at that point or go over the hill using a walking path. A local we asked, seemed to indicate that skirting was the easiest and fastest or we didn't fully understand what he said. In hindsight, he probably thought we were some major explorers and gave us a challenge!  Anyway, trusting his advice we took the beach route and started scrambling over the rocks expecting to cross over in maybe 30 mins and avoid climbing up and getting
View of Chopara Fort from Ozran
lost. Little did we know that would turn out to be quite a nightmarish choice! Initially, it was fun finding rocks to climb over and having water splash your legs. But at several points, it tested our limits with water reaching up to our waist and jagged rocks scratching all parts of our body. It almost made us turn back. Somehow we managed to persevere (just like the wildebeest!) and reached the other side only to find that the rest of the group who were behind us chose wisely to go over the hill and had already reached before us! They were relaxing on the beach impatiently waiting for us to join!

The beaches from Ozram to Chopara Fort were again quite nice and sandy. Even at a quick pace, it was an enjoyable walk. Soon we were near the base of the picturesque fort and a much needed tender coconut break. This was perfect as we later took an unorthodox path up a steep hill to reach the fort. The views on that path of Ozram beach on one side and Vagator on the other were simply out of the world. The estuary where river Chopara joins the Arabian sea is also very picturesque. We left Chopara fort through the main entrance, which the more sedate tourists use, and walked down to the jetty. A private fisherman gave us a drop to the other side of the river.
Gulls and Terns at Morjim


Plover
We were now on the wide expanse of the fantastic Morjim beach. As we neared it on the boat, we could see lots of Gulls and Terns on a sandy island enjoying the water and plenty of food I am sure. Finally, I could click away happily at some sea birds. Shortly after that, we stopped for lunch. It was a relaxed affair as everyone was tired. We wanted the waiters to hurry but then not really. Fish curry and rice again but one can't go wrong with that selection anywhere in Goa! We relished the intake of much-needed nourishment.

As we crossed Ashwem beach to reach Arambol, I got to see plovers which were hopping around all along the way happily snacking on snails and crabs. The beaches here are pristine and crowds quite less. On Arombol a beach fair was taking place with products mostly comprising the artistic output of the locals which included long-staying foreigners. It was now already close to 5pm and we had to be prudent and end our trek here, about 4 kms shy of our destination which was Querim Beach. Our TT was instructed to pick us up from here.


After quickly refreshing ourselves at a nearby hotel, we were all packed in and on our way towards Bangalore by 7pm just as it started getting dark. After having dinner on the way, with tired muscles but carrying a lifetime of memories, we leaned back and gave in to much-needed sleep as our TT snaked its way along the winding roads towards home.



As always, take only photographs, keep memories and leave only footprints on all your treks!

People photos

Nature photos