Above the clouds....

Some how, local dogs used to join us in many of my climbs. They gave us good company all the way up and down. We shared our snacks with them.

This particular one you see below, led us (a local kid and me) all the way up and stayed with us till we came back down.


Some times I feel they came to protect... just a feeling.

View of two reservoirs from the top...

Manchenbele and Thippagondanahalli are two man-made reservoirs with mini dams which supply water to some parts of Bangalore.

Thippagondanahalli was one of our weekend destinations. Once Satish, Deepak and I spent a night camping next to the reservoir. We pitched a small tent, made a fire, sat around it drinking late into the night. Our dinner was 10 rolls shared between the three of us. When we ran out of booze, Satish and Deepak went to Tavarekere (about 12 kms) but came back disappointed.


When we were thirsty we tried to boil water from the reservoir so that we could drink it. The bottle burst and the water put off the fire. We decided to hit the sack, we got into the tent. It was filled with smoke. What a night!! Unforgettable!

Manchenbele is closer to Savandurga and I've passed by it plenty of times but never found an opportunity to go close to the water. It's quite big and you can appreciate it's size and beauty better from an elevated position. It's a popular destination for weekenders and for movie makers it's a convinient spot.

Manchenbele reservoir in the background

Greens and Greys

Savandurga has a very active ecology. You get to see diverse plant life during the rainy season. The whole place comes alive with green color over it's mostly grey surface.

This one I compared with betel leaf plant.

And this one is some what similar to a young papaya leaf

Coriander?

...simple but beautiful

Rocky creations

Couple of wonderful rock formations...mostly natural

Sunrise picture in oil painting...

Sky, clouds, sun, horizon and Manchenbele. The elements of the this poem composed by Mother Nature.

One of the best sunrises I've ever seen. Dec 9, 2007.

Pictures in 'sepia' and 'oil painting' effect

Ancient Basava Mantapa - this is where the path ends.

Ancient stone shelter

Dec 8 evening - Dec 9 morning on Savandurga

Every thing's interesting here...

Drying end of a chopped off branch.

Girish, Deepak, Gulveer and Rajesh.

We look back at Savandurga on the way back to Bangalore.

I need to jump to reach the hanging chain.

Last light of the day, Saturday December 8, 2007

Night was cold and windy- we could not build a fire that would last. We talked and laughed as we sipped soft-drinks and had chips. Our dinner was chapathi, beans (avare kalu) and shrikhand. Sleep was on and off but we were comfortable. Woke up early to see the first rays of the day...

First rays of the day, Sunday December 9, 2007

pillars of Basava Mantapa, Manchenbele reservoir and the orange Sun

hole through a rock

so many varieties of plant life

One of the many forms of wild grasses.