After ditching Melukote plans with Aravind, I Was on my way to Lakovalli forest range located on Bhadra dam.

We left early in the morning around 7, Relishing Tatte idlis and Dosa’s on road side stores cruising towards River Tern resort.

Reaching around 12pm, turned off my phone keeping my watch and camara as the only electronic gadget with me, starting another awesome weekend. we settled in our luxurious rooms(no Sarcasm). I still love the non-luxurious rooms though.

The itinerary was perfectly planned,lunch included excellent fried fish and an awesome sweet made of milk which i loved! The rest of the menu was standard stuff. While everyone went for a quick nap, my cousins and I slipped out of the resort, drove around the place- exploring.

Driving on the banks a canal with a cliff on the other side, we saw fisheries, few birds and beautiful scenaries. We then reached the dam, a beautiful blend of man made and natural dam. A long dam on maybe 300-400 meters was the only man made part of the dam, rest of the dam was due to the mountain ranges. Standing close to the foot of the dam, with its colossal walls rising high above-it was indeed a great work of engineering.

We reached the resort right in time to get shelter from the first rains of the season. We hung around with the drivers of the resort, learning about their lives,the place, their experiences and sharing few of our own.

The safari was planned at 4, and luckily the rain had just stopped. We were sure of having absolutely no sighting immediately after showers, but the weather was just perfect for a drive in the jungle.

The leaves looked fresh as ever, there was a damp smell in the air, sunlight  sparkled thru the droplets left on leaves. The forest felt alive like never before (in my travels)  This very scene can never be caught on any film nor could it be drawn using words, it can only be experienced.

The sighting on the safari was low, but we were lucky to see a few birds, the horn-bill was one beauty flying freely. unlike what i had seen in the zoo.

The most unique part of the safari was, when the jeep broke down in the middle of the forest. It was tough to tell if I was scared or happy to experience this too. We got off the vehicle, it was a truly a different experience.

The golden rays of the sun were on the open grass lands, a large body of water reflecting the light, a herd of deers running across these grass lands. Nat geo scenes were the best,until this!

Back in the resort, Missed sunset due to the cloudy weather. Dinner was then served with awesome barbeque! (I don remember the rest of the menu). Dinner was followed by night photography. Experimenting with the camera was fun! One single shot took 30 mins, It was a test of patience-It definitely paid off!

Following morning, A boat safari was planned. Boat ride around the dam. No animals were sighted as such but few birds were sighted. We were welcomed by one of the most beautiful sunrises. sitting in a small boat surrounded by water, few islands could be seen at a distance. Mountains partially hidden in the mist stood at the horizon, the golden red rays of the sun were cutting in slowly. The golden sparkle in the water showed regions of sunlight. A view imprinted in my head.

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We left after lunch.

I still do not know what made this trip so different. It was the unique toilets or the feeling of being stranded in the open forest fer just a few minutes.

The virgin forests are so compelling for spirts like ours tat physical impediments and all the nascent forces of nature only serve to stimulate my desire.                                                           –Che Guevara

For more pictures to come keep a watch here