Winners KBG-7 Bamboo Chicken

What is being cooked? Bamboo Chicken.
Where: Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh
Origin: Tribals of Araku region.

Thank you all for keen participation in KBG-7. More than 150 took part.
First three correct answers came within the first hour! Congratulations to the Winners of KBG-7:
Chitra Shanker
Pallavi Bhargava
Hari Prasad

In addition, the following need special mention:
RB Dhavare
Vinay Prasad
Arnab B
Suryaprakash
Rohan Talukdar
Dhiraj Rawat
Varun Khanna
Lakshmi Rawat
Amandeep Kaur

Similar to Bamboo Chicken, rice based delicacies are cooked in Kerala and the North East. Many of you answered on those lines. However, during a recent visit to the North East, Ghumakkad couldn't spot any eatery selling an item cooked in a Bamboo-shell!

What happens to the burnt or charred bamboo pieces as circled in the picture above? It is crushed and used as manure in the fields. Similar to controlled burning of the stumps after a rice crop is harvested.

Those who haven't been to Araku Valley, may like to browse the following stories by Ghumakkad:
Train to Araku- A Ride to Remeber
What to see in Araku
Chaparai Water Cascade

Next contest onwards, we will give advance notice so that everybody gets a fair chance to be a winner! Watch this space for Contest No. KBG-8!

Thanks for browsing

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 22nd Feb 2019
#nature #wildlife #travel #contest #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #awareness @ghumakkadhb #KBG #KBGContest7 @thetapcomics #natgeoindia #planetmindia #wandertrails #photowalks #araku #bamboochicken

Chaparai Water Cascade Araku

Flowing water fascinates everybody-- people residing near river banks, tourists, hikers, swimmers, divers, boatmen, fishermen, poets, painters, photographers and wanderers like Ghumakkad. Chaparai Waterflow called Chaparai Water Cascade by Google, is one such spot near Aaraku in Eastern Ghats India.
We went to Chaparai in August this year. A short picture story for you.

It is located close to Araku. See the map below. An all weather motorable road connects this tourist spot.

For trekkers and hikers, it is a nice two to three hours trek. We saw some hikers there. You can return the same evening. See the satellite map below with the route in blue dots.

The APTDC package tour does not include Chaparai. One can get taxis or autos at Rs 1200 or Rs 600 respectively to show four tourist spots near Araku:

• Chaparai Waterflow (not waterfall as you will shortly see)
• Botanical garden (included in APTDC tour)
• Tribal Museum (included in APTDC tour)
• Coffee Museum (not included in APTDC tour)

Being a Sunday (13th Aug) taxis needed advance booking. Therefore, we engaged an auto rickshaw. Our driver Gopi knew the place well. This story takes you to Chaparai. Auto ride was certainly worth it!

 Eventhe tourism department singnboard calls it a waterfall. Actually is just a waterflow.

It is just a stream and not a waterfall. See the pictures below.

Every year some people drown in the waterflow. Warning signs have been painted all over.

 Here is a short video clip  to give you a 'feel' of the water cascade at Chaparai.

Our previous story on Borra Caves titled 'Beauty of Darkness' can be viewed here.

Those interested in knowning how to reach, where to stay, what else to see in Araku-- have to wait till the next story on going through thirty railway tunnels!

Thanks for browsing

    -   Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 10th September 2017

Beauty of Darkness

Who lives in a cave?
Childhood memories tell us-- it is the king of the jungle.
Or, sadhus and hermits doing penance up in the Himalayas.
Or, mountaineers and trekkers seeking shelter from rain or snow.
Or, the Taliban terrorists hiding in Afghanistan!

So, caves mean different things to different people. There are many caves in India. But Borra Caves in Eastern Ghats are one of the deepest. Located 90 kms north of Vizag, it is a big tourist attraction.
See the map and official sign board below.

The caves are situated 2300 ft above mean sea level. The caves go down 260 feet deep into the mountain. Visitors get a chance to walk upto 700 feet inside the cave. With limited natural light, the caves have been illumniated with soft LED lights. With changing colours, it creates a surreal effect on surrounding rocks and ceiling.

A separate ticket for camera is required. Flash photography is not permitted as in Ajanta-Ellora caves near Aurangabad. Therefore, it is a tough call to keep the camera steady for long exposure. Ghumakkad did some experimentation with his monopod. Tripod would come in the way of teeming tourists, hence ruled out.

Pictures of Borra caves for you.

Am reminded of what Mahatma Gandhi said about darkness. Here is a picturesque quote- PQ- for you.

While negotiating a dark pathway around a tall stalagmite pillar, I took this picture. Here it is as a PQ with Hellen Keller's quote on darkness.

At the end of the cave, the lighting cast its shadow on the walls. Take a look with Adrienne Rich's famous line.

The next story will take you to Chaparai Waterflow near Araku to get a thrill of cascading and gushing river water.

Other caves in India are:
Elephanta caves near Mumbai
Borivli caves in Borivli National Park, Mumbai
Bellum Caves in AP
Narsing Cave Temple near Bidar
Caves near Sahasradhara, Dehradun
Ajanta-Ellora near Aurangabad
Bali cave near Chintamani temple, Hampi

Do share your pictures and experiences of visiting a cave.

Thanks for browsing

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 27th Aug 2017


Postscript:
"Somehow despite the dramatic effects in some corners of the cave, where rock formations are particularly unique, in my opinion the bright colors of  the LED lights all through the cave length make the natural wonder appear a bit artificial, like stage lighting, I think.  Makes you wonder what the natural rock formation really is like/ or the true colors of rocks in nature are like."-- Am with you on this observation Trixie.
"Stalactites and stalagmites are considered natural heritage objects and are protected by law in most countries, and their collection, mining, and selling is prohibited." (both observations by Trixie Asirvatham, 30th Aug 2017).
Thanks much Trixie. Although there were no warning boards as such, but the fact that visitors are not allowed to carry any handbags, cellphones etc, is an indicator of similar restrictions in India.

#Darkness, #Araku, #Borra Caves, #Stalactite, #Stalagmite, #Wanderlust, #Ghumakkad, #LonelyPlanetIndia, #IndiaTourism, #WanderTrails, #EasternGhats, #PicturesqueQuotes,