Off the beaten track in Satpura

“We all have forests on our minds. Forests unexplored, unending. Each one of us gets lost in the forest, every night, alone.” 
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Wind's Twelve Quarters

Alas, it is difficult to get lost in a forest in India, there are few unexplored forests left and it is difficult to be alone. However the Satpura Tiger Reserve is one such forest where the crowds are less and the resorts are sensibly made to merge into ambient nature. Our welcome by a leopard by the side of the road as we drove in at night was a wonderful precursor of the two days ahead.  The haughty animal, disdainfully looked at us and slowly walked away into the jungle.  Here is where we let go of  our  daily electronic cocoons and freed ourselves to the joys of  simply being at one with nature.

The bridge and a hut at Reni Pani Resort...
...is a perfect example of being one with nature. Local material is used on the outside  to give a natural ambience to the dwellings and community areas. The passion of the owners in keeping this large resort in harmony with the jungle yet providing comfortable and modern amenities is evident in the smallest detail.  The lighting is dim, the construction has a forest flavour; we put wifi and TV on hold in this jungle retreat and enjoyed being there.  The resort plans a 'Satpura under canvas' hike which promises to be very different. The relative inaccessibility  of the this resort and park ironically, is what preserves them from commercialisation.

Birds at Reni Pani
are attracted by the water in the pool and the Arjuna tree nearby.  By sitting still and  silent in a shaded spot by the poolside with binoculars and camera, we saw a spectacle of birds. These Jerdon's Leaf Bird,  Spotted doves, Asian Paradise Flycatcher in brown phase and White-throated Kingfisher  were among the many birds we saw.  This is one of the few game parks where one is allowed to walk in the forest.  One has to be properly escorted by trained guides during such walks.  Reni Pani Resort has a detailed training program for its naturalists which enable them to lead such walks.

A Gaur comes to drink
at a waterhole, the patriarch, he gets the first  drink before the herd steps in and muddies the water.  The animal is muscular and majestic, irreverent of us watching and photographing  the herd.  It is very hot, it can go to 45 C, but we thought it is one of the best times to visit this forest as the heat separates the ogling easy tourists from the naturalist.  Water is scarce, and the animals come down to drink at the few waterholes that are still wet, this coupled with the scant leaf cover of dry vegetation makes for great photographic opportunities. 

Cubs and chicks abound
as this is spring and many animals and birds have young. We saw a mother Sloth Bear with two cubs clinging to her back at dusk and this young guy hitching a ride on his mother by day. This night-jar sat calmly  with her chicks while we photographed her. Drives in this Park are very enjoyable as one gets to see many animals and birds undisturbed by the herds of  vehicles that prevail in many of the other parks.  The fact that the fauna is not stressed by frequent visitors is plainly evident.  This park allows a mere 13 vehicles inside at a time, whereas in other parks it could be as many as 70.

Birds at the waterhole...
water is life here, literally.  Sitting still with patience at a waterhole is rewarding and allowed us to see many birds which we wouldn't otherwise  get a chance to see or photograph.  Of course it is important to respect the stress area of  these species driven to drink, despite what they perceive to be a risk to their lives.  The wild boar just would not drink while we were there, so we immediately moved away.  The naturalist with us, Erwin, is passionate about the local flora and fauna, apart from explaining what we see, he is very mindful of ensuring that we stay out of the circle of stress of the animals or birds.  Not only does he guide and protect us, but ensures we do not harm the fauna.  Reni Pani currently has a team of six naturalists.

As the sunsets over a waterhole
it is time to say goodbye to these wonderful denizens of the jungle.  While moving away from the waterholes too we saw many wonderful sights.
As the legendary photographer Ansel Adams said
“I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful — an endless prospect of magic and wonder.”
this is one of those places where we truly felt that deep joy of just being there.

Amboli - Dancing in the Rain

"life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass,
It's learning to dance in the rain."
 Amboli is a deluge in June, (it rains an average of seven metres per year) and coupled with lush forests, it is the ideal environment for a host of insects, amphibians and snakes. All celebrating the monsoon in their own way, quite literally singing, dancing, mating and eating in the rain. About an hour from Sawantwadi station on the Goa/Maharashtra border, probably the resort is protected by its inaccessibility as one can only get up by road. 

Room with a view
We stayed at Mrugaya, a small but very comfortable homestay run by Parag Rangnekar.  It has three rooms, very neat and clean, with a large verandah and sit out. The Parag is also a very talented nature guide with prodigious knowledge of the local flora, fauna and trails.  His patience and pleasant demeanour add to the experience. Eat at the many restaurants in the town, if you are non-veg the fish thali is particularly delectable and ....cheap. 

Nature's cycle

The monsoon in Amboli is a time of great amphibious activity, There are frogs and toads everywhere, they congregate around the tiniest of puddles in the forest, attracting mates and feeding. Though mainly in puddles, they also climb trees sitting on wet leaves and singing. I had been here last year, later in the season, and saw a very different stage in the lives of denizens of the forest.

The Malabar Gliding Frog is arguably the star of the show. This is the time for mating and they do so lustily.  A fountain in the forest department park nearby is a haven for this brilliant green and red frog. Many naturalists who come this time of year do so for the Malabar Gliding Frog, they are easily seen and the mating ritual is on.  They first mate, then foam and finally lay eggs in the slightly sticky foam, usually on leaves or trees.  

In full cry..
Every puddle, bush or tree has frogs calling in them, their chorus is jungle music, from tiny typewriter clicks, to guttural cries of the toads and the eerie, almost bird-like, call of the night frog or nyctibatrachus.  The pouring rain drains along the side of the road and into ponds and streams, each populated with its frogs or toads.  Most males have a vocal sac which gets distended when they call, some of them, like the one in the lower picture above, have two sacs.  This enables them to serenade prospective mates and make a sound far greater than their size would suggest.

Petitioning the Lord....
About 45 minutes from Amboli there is a very scenic and beautiful plateau, a vast expanse of laterite rocks, interspersed with grass and water bodies. The plateau is dominated by a solitary temple and the drive to the area is attractive in all seasons particularly monsoons and winter. On the way there the road meanders along a river, paddy fields, tracts of karvi plants and expanses of laterite rock.Towards the end of the monsoon, the entire area is carpeted with tiny flowers making a beautiful sight.

Tadpoles feeding
This is a time for fertility, and every puddle, even the tiny ones, are teeming with life.  These tiny tadpoles, barely the size of one's thumbnail are busy feeding in a roadside puddle. There are myriads of them, initially shy they would skitter away under water plants, however, they soon got used to our presence and continued their non-stop feeding. They need a constant food supply to enable them to be adult frogs before the end of the monsoon.

The Amboli Toad or Tiger Toad
Arguably unique to this area, particularly the plateau, the Amboli Toad is a timid but beautifully striped amphibian. Due to the limited geographic spread of this toad a special effort needs to be made to ensure it's preservation. One can see them almost at every step, from small juveniles to larger ones, the best place to see these beautiful creatures is around the water puddles in the laterite rock of the plateau.

Colourful rain protection
It rains very heavily at this time of year, almost a non-stop deluge with very brief  lulls in between. The wind too is violent, particularly in open spaces around the plateau. The locals make traditional rain protection from leaves, to which have been added a modern and colourful twist of plastic sheeting, the result is a dry and warm protection.  These ladies are herding buffaloes which are feeding off to the left of the picture.

The hunter and the hunted
Here is a leaf-nosed bat, a grasshopper on the laterite plateau and an inquisitive frog that climbed a stump to get a better view of us....  Amboli abounds in interesting nature, The entire food chain is beautifully existent, from the hunter to the hunted. Insects are plentiful, on them feed the frogs and others (geckos, calotes etc), these in turn are rich pickings for the snakes and bats. 

Snakes and scorpions
A herpetologists delight, the forest has many different types of snakes visible at this time of year. Drawn by an abundant food supply, This time we saw the Malabar Pit Viper in  (green and brown morph here)and the Green Vine Snake.  On my last trip I saw a catsnake envenomating a calotes (for a picture see my Flickr album The Eyes of Nature).  Scorpions too feed on the many small frogs, tadpoles and the insects found here.

Interesting insectsThere are insects of many shapes, sizes, colours and stages of their lives here. A walk in the scrub and ruins around is always rewarding in the beautiful sights and sightings. The rulers of Sawantwadi, the Bhosale's, have a decrepit summer home here, it is in ruins.  But in these ruins and forest around there are bats, geckos and many insects.   Sometimes just walking around the mansion and its grounds, imagining things as they would have been in their heyday, is therapeutic.

Rain...
As Dolly Parton famously said:
"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
It rains heavily in Amboli but it also offers a rainbow of colours, in its flora, fauna and seasons.  There is something for everyone all the time.

A Hard Day's Night

Mumbai, a city that actually never sleeps. It is constantly humming with the hectic economic activity that goes on almost without let up, everyone is earning a living. Every inch of the pavement is a market, suburban trains, big shops and small shops, houses in tiny lanes, people working all day and then again all night; all this and more constitute the hive that is Mumbai. Despite the swirling activity, people are kind, considerate and allowing,  they have time for you. In this maelstrom, there are tiny eddies of calm and solitude and privacy. in a three night photography workshop I gained a tiny peep into a small part of the hard lives of these lovely people.  
 The Beatles immortalise this in their eponymous song which says it all.

"It's been a hard day's night, and I'd been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log"

Lady Selling Fish
Mumbai is a city of commerce, big business houses and street retail, all busily humming to earn a living. Here at Chapel Street in Bandra a lady sells freshly caught fish to what appear to be regular customers.  Her wares are sold in less than an hour.

Yes Young Ladies how can I help you?
These young girls find safety in numbers I guess, late night in Bandra Market street, they are the customers in a multi-specialty shop.

Counting his money
It has been a good day possibly, or is he wondering if he has enough to pay impending bills, buy more fruit for the morrow? The busy street is bustling late into the night.

Waiting for a customer?
With a variety of vegetables on sale, this man tends his stall waiting for the next customer. sometimes business is fast and furious and sometimes slow.  He looks tired or is that worry?  It's obviously been a long day.

Social meet as well?
It may be business, but these ladies on a late night shopping spree, gather around the fruit seller to exchange light hearted gossip. 

Preparing for the morrow
A lady selling flowers in Worli Village, prepares for the next day, it is in the build up to and days preceding festivals, Ganpati in this case, that she has the most business. 

Desi Soup anybody?
Sticking posters and preparing hoardings for the start of the Ganpati festival, this expert has a bespoke gum bottle that he can hold in his teeth. The night preceding the start of the ten days of Ganpati is very busy

Late night shopper returns
Many people, like this lady, do their essential daily shopping after a hard day at work.  Her house is amid tiny lanes, often only accessible on foot. Proximity living also fosters greater friendships and I saw many people of an area, sitting out and chatting late into the night.

Catching the late night air
This elderly couple, very graciously allowed me to photograph them. They were sitting in companionable silence by the sidewalk in a tiny and crowded street.  It was possibly cooler here than in their house.

Hope and despair?
Seafarers and fishermen are amongst the most religious and superstitious people mainly due to vagaries of the sea on which their livelihood depends. here next to a Crucifix in Worli Village ladies and girls sit late at night, dreaming of what is to be, or just catching a cool breeze before bed?

Bustling City
early morning, by the first train into town, traders ferry their wares in.  It is a long ride and some of them catch up on sleep before reaching their destination. It is crowded and hectic and seldom are the trains empty.

Solitude
Notwithstanding the "standing room only" pace of the city, this couple finds an oasis of calm and privacy by the ocean wall.

The Trekking Photographer

The Spectacular beauty of the mountains

Every muscle is straining after six hours of ascent, at 3700 metres my oxygen deprived lungs are gasping, adjusting the seemingly heavy load on my aching back (where did all that extra weight come from?), in a final burst of energy I climb the final slope and in a sudden breath-taking moment a spectacular panorama unfolds, verdant mountains, veiled in clouds surround an icy lake with flowers in profusion.  Suddenly months of preparation and the cost of the trip become worth it. After I have absorbed the beauty of what I see, I reach for my camera to record for posterity what the eye and mind sees. This is exactly what I experienced when I trekked to the Valley of Flowers in Northern India earlier this year. 



See my earlier blog on the Valley of Flowers on this site and my site on Flickr for photographs for this slice of Gods own corner. Links below:

 http://xerxespa.blogspot.in/2015/08/valley-of-flowers-and-hemkund-trek-to_30.html

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129459215@N08/albums/72157657142242599 for VoF pictures and 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129459215@N08/albums/72157657562803801 for the beauty of high altitude flora at Hemkund above 4000 metres. Including pictures of the famed Brahma Kamal.

The famed Brahma Kamal at an
altitude of about 4400 metres

For the entire seven day trek to the Valley of Flowers I had decided that my primary subject would be flowers and landscape, so I carried a versatile 18-55 mm zoom with my  Fuji XE-1 mirrorless camera and a tripod; keeping it simple I carried no other photography gear. I even left behind my Circular Polaroid filter (CPL), a fact that I regretted as the UV was very sharp at this unpolluted altitude.

the intriguing Bellwort

Most trekkers I saw and continue to see on my peregrinations carry inappropriate equipment or are unprepared for these golden moments, hence bring back mediocre snapshots taken with kilos of expensive equipment carried laboriously to the top of the mountain. A little forethought and preparation will enable you to get superb pictures of your treks and travels.

What to carry

Subject.  When you plan your trip, research and decide what will be your main subject 
during the trip.  All your equipment must be focussed (pun intended) towards this, camera, lens, flash and tripod. Do not “what if….” every scenario, or you will end up carrying the kitchen sink!    I had no long lens, no flash and I never missed them. I have too often seen very enthusiastic but ignorant "photographers" lug huge and heavy equipment (bazooka sized telephoto lens for example), lens wholly ill-suited for the subject contemplated.  Their ardour  literally crushed by the weight of their equipment. Carrying less weight is very very important, I cannot this emphasise enough. When trekking every tiny item quickly begins to weigh a lot and what should be pleasure soon turns into a very unpleasant experience.

Hemkund Sarovar

Camera. The camera is your digital eye and select it carefully well before your trip. Remember that a couple of hours into a climb, every gram is going to seem like kilos, weighing heavily on your shoulders. Hence it is vital to carry as light a camera as possible. Choose between a DSLR or mirrorless (MLC) system (assuming you are an advanced amateur), each has its advantages and disadvantages, but a MLC is generally substantially lighter for similar sensor size as most mid-range DSLRs. Prosumers and point and shoot cameras too have their place depending on what you own, can afford, your capability and your potential subject. 

The outdoors is rough, dirty, wet and dusty, all serious enemies of the camera and lens you carry, hence expose your expensive equipment as little as possible.  Avoid changing lens as an open camera in such an environment can be seriously damaged.  Besides, fiddling with lens at critical a time means you could miss action or fleeting moments. Therefore I recommend the options are to carry:

1. ·       A prime lens of an optimal focal length for the type of pictures you intend to take. For landscapes and general photography a 35mm to 50mm is suitable.
2. ·       A zoom that covers the possible range you might want, (this is what I did, 18-55mm zoom covered all my needs).
3. ·       Two camera bodies with different lens, (watch your back and shoulders).

A jewel in the flower

Tripod.  There is little point in investing in expensive equipment, lugging it around and coming back with mediocre unsharp pictures. For truly tack sharp pics a tripod is vital. Today there are wonderfully light and compact tripods to suit every pocket and need. Get one. heavier tripods are more stable and light ones easier to carry so it is a trade off.  Remember, the heavier your camera the sturdier (heavier) tripod you will need. And don't forget that remote release. Other than when photographing fast moving birds, I almost always use a tripod.

Minimum accessories. As I said earlier, every gram will seem a kilo when it's on your back or around your neck, I have more often than not seen photographers carry everything they own, camera, lens and flash. Recently when on a moderate trek, I asked a well-equipped photographer as to why wasn’t he using a tripod with his lovely long lens, he replied that as it was too heavy it was in the car and he would get it if required! Of course neither of us mentioned that his car was a four hour climb away. It is important to visualize the subjects that one is going to photograph and carry appropriate equipment for that only.  This applies to all the gear, flash, lens, tripod included. Minimum gear also inculcates a discipline and creativity in doing the most with minimum gear. On the other hand remember that most outdoor locations have limited charging facilities so always carry spare batteries and memory cards. I generally carry one extra memory card and two  fully charged batteries as spare.

notice my camera rigidly attached to my rucksack strap

Carry Rig.  Do not for a moment forget that you will be walking for hours if not days with your equipment.  The neck strap that came with the camera is generally not good enough for this and leaves the camera swinging and your neck aching. Besides a swinging weight around your neck in rough terrain inhibits movement, leaves you susceptible to injury and your camera to damage. Some intrepid photographers carry bespoke backpacks and pack in everything photographic they can, leaving little or no room for the other necessities for a trek. There are many types of bags, backpacks, straps and harnesses in the market, choose one that’s good for you. Important points to note are that the equipment should be firmly secured, the load distributed on shoulders and/or hips (not on the neck as most camera straps facilitate), and easily accessible.  I had my camera in front, clipped to my backpack strap using a Peak Diamond clip. The same Arca-type plate works for this bracket and the tripod.

Weatherproof cover: The weather in the mountains or on a trail can change rapidly, always carry weatherproof covers for your camera and equipment. Carry it even if the weather says no rain. If you have to, carry a shelter to change lens if it is raining.  An umbrella or poncho is better than a rain-jacket for this.

My friend Aarish stocks varied equipment for trekking and carrying equipment and Basav is an expert in equipment and fitness, they have advice for equipment for every level of fitness and type of camera. They would be happy to help and can be contacted below:
aarishsingh@gmail.com
basavm@gmail.com

What to do

Read the manual and practice. Too many people buy new cameras days before the trek of a lifetime and spend the whole trip figuring out the controls, an expensive lesson indeed. If you don’t want every alternate picture blurred or blank, be smart, read the manual and practice, practice till you can handle most common settings without removing the camera from your eye. Find a similar subject and practice angles, exposure and themes.

Knowledge of the location: Research your intended location from the photography point of view. Know exact times of sunrise and sunset, the morning and evening golden hour in the mountains are spectacular.  Know where the photo ops are. Be realistic in your trek timings, factor in the time required to take pictures on the way.

Be fit: Be fully aware of the physical demands of where you intend going and the load you intend carrying.  If possible practise a couple of times near your home and see if you are comfortable. For gear on trekking see my blog The Fashionate Trekker at the link below:
http://xerxespa.blogspot.in/2015/08/the-fashionate-trekker.html

Patience is a virtue and make the journey as much fun as the destination, stop to take pictures, smell the roses and enjoy your trek. Bring back photographs that were a joy to take and more important a joy for others to see.

Majestic Mount Rataban, briefly parting her veil of clouds,
seen through the length of the Valley