This one is a little different. It is an earthtrek in South India from Rameshwaram to Adams Bridge via Dhanushkodi. It is also the meeting point of bay of bengal and the Indian ocean. Fascinating history behind this small strip of land to the south of Rameshwaram. Adams bridge is a good 18 kms away from Rameshwaram so the best way is to take a bus to Dhanushkodi. The bus doesnt go till Dhanushkodi but stops a good 6 kms before. From this point its all sea sand and extremely fragile conditions for the road. This 6 kms can be either walked or one can hire a jeep(4 wheel drive) and take a round trip. If one reaches this place by early morning i would suggest to take a walk along the wonderful ocean. Please be careful getting into waters for a swim as there are many stories around about sporadic whirlpools taking peoples life.  The jeep takes you first to the adams bridge, which is nothing but the end of the island, the place where Indian ocean and bay of bengal meets. The meeting point is actually seperated by a small strip of coral bridge underneath the sea. Hence one can see a distinct difference in the behavior of the two waters seperated by just a few meters. Indian ocean is generally aggressive with waves but the bay of bengal is generally seen quieter and calmer. Do not be carried away by the calmness as this was the same point where the old village of Dhanushkodi was washed away by a freak strom of 1963 claiming hundreds of life.  The Government of India declared Dhanushkodi as a “Ghost town” as it was becoming too unsuitable for living. On the way back have a look into the old remains of the village. The church, post office and the railway station give an eerie feeling of a lost civilization but at the same time a reminder of natures power.

Photos:

• Dhanushkodi church
• On a tempo towards Adams bridge
• The beach

Links:

• Rameshwaram
  
• Dhanushkodi
• Adams Bridge

Großer Widderstein is one of the highest and prominent mountains of Klein Walsertal. More about the mountain can be read here. The best starting point for the climb is from the car park in Baad (A small municipality near Klein Walsertal). It can be reached by bus operating from Oberstdorf. From Baad there are two different routes. We took the one through obere Widdersteinhutte and Gemsteltal. Initial part of the hike is relatively easy. It took us little over 2.5 hours to reach Widdersteinhutte (ca 2000 m). From Widdersteinhutte take a left towards Größer Widderstein. After a steady uphill climb for about 30 m you would encouter the base of the widderstein massiv. It can be easily identified as you might encounter a warning sign that explicity requires you to be fit and devoid of any acrophobias. Do not be taken back by the warning sign though the fact is partially true. The dolomite rock climb to the summit takes around 2 hours. Remember, as the route gets quite busy during summer, one has to always be aware of possible falling rocks/rock-slide. Many hikers recommend a helmet as you might never know what kind of slide one may encounter.  The summit standing at 2533 m gives you a wonderful view of the alps. As far as 400 mountains/peaks can be viewed from here. It also gives you a nice view and understanding of the nearby mountains viz. Hoher Ifen, GottesAcker, Elfer, Zwolfer, Kleiner Widderstein etc. to name a few.

tip: Once you start from Widdersteinhutte to the summit, remember to take enough water as there is a very distinct possibility of getting dehydrated on a sunny day. I did this hike on a 26°C sunny day.. I have heard Widderstein is also a popular mountain to climb during winter. You might want to check out the weather and snow forecast before making any plans. Berg Heil!

Useful Info:

• Großer Widderstein - SummitPost
• Widdersteinhütte
• Mittelberg

Photos:

• Start of the hike from Klein Walsertal
• Slowly gaining elevation
• Trails
• Directions
• Widdersteinhütte
• Dolomite Rock climb (only for fit ones)..apparently
• View from summit.. one can see hundreds of peaks from here.
• Hoher Iffen
• Summit
• Panaroma

Interlaken at Dusk

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Ah.. alright.. another Cricket Post! sorry for all those non-commonwealth readers. But i cant help but post this recent controversial runout during the England – New Zealand game. Ironic, the team to discuss is again England. Check this out and be your own judge..

My Call: It was rather a harsh decision from Collingwood, probably he should have made a level headed decision… or Probably the heat of the situation got to him that he wanted to win this game at any cost???? mmm.. *interesting*

England – New Zealand 1st ODI… 39th over, Kevin Pietersen delivers a blinder of a stroke. An inherent Right handed batsman completely changed his stance, his grip and smacked the ball over point for a six and repeated the same feat later to pull off a stunner of a shot over long off.. As with all unconventional brilliance in this world, there is always a resistance and controversy around it. I for one personally believe it is absolutely ridiculous to create a fuzz around this improvisation. I remember the days when we used to play street cricket as kids, such kinda improvisation was never new. It was a general belief even amoung us as kids, the more you improvise the more give chance to the bowlers to take your wicket. Even though i completely agree with the argument that if batsmen gets the liberty to switch his stance, the bowlers should also get the freedom to change his bowling arm/angle etc.  Hopefully this kinda fuzz is rightly put into shelves with a fair agreement which would keep both the batsmen and the bowlers happy.. I would personally want to have an open platform where it is fair for the players.. for eg.. for starters it should be disallowed for batsmen to change stance or switch before the ball is delivered.. once the ball is in the air, whatever the batsman does is his technique and skill.. Nevertheless, lets enjoy the game for the moment with its hidden treasures, awesome improvisation and the flair with a tinge of salt

If yer still to watch the hit, here it is (courtesy Youtube)

Life:it seems as a random combination of chaotic events put into an organised structure but little do we realise that there is thought and ropes connecting all the slots which normally are misconceived as loopholes. Damn! it is complex than anybody could have imagined. Change is something which could move the focal point of this entire structure which looks like a swarm from inside. Many times are we irritated and frustrated only to realise that our attention has always been off line. Change is the only solution which could take us on track, and yes change has happened…But the process is so complex that it takes every ounce of the left over to drain yourself leaving you with nothing but emptiness thus creating a different view. Then the process starts again and filling up takes a lot of time…The traces of the old essence gives you a taste of the old medicine but more you fill, it gets diluted giving an entirely new recipe. I am still to taste this new recipe but diluting is taking a toll on me.

Its hard to grasp the pattern of changes.  Is it a message, is it a lesson, is it treacherous or is it just the way its supposed to be? .. mmm. perplexing stuff!

perhaps one of the best heart breaking movie scene made! From Royal tenenbaums…

Listen to the entire song here:

Interview with Douglas Adams:

Q: Where do you get the inspiration for your books?

A : I tell myself I can’t have another cup of coffee till I’ve thought of an idea.

Two dozes of Caffeine a day keeps the Devil away!

Immenstadt is a beautiful little town in the foothills of Allgau alps.

Steinenberg is approx. 1650 m tall with a 15 m ladder climb in the end. From Immenstadt take the road that leads to the Mittag-Cable car. At the end of the road one can clearly see a demarcated zone indicating the start of hiking area. There are boards leading you to Steinenberg.

The route takes you through the lovely greenery towards Mittag. It takes around 1.5 hours to reach Mittag . From here you encounter a rather rough terrain . Once you reach Mittag take a left which takes you towards BärenKopf. Bärenkopf offers you a clear view of the route running up to Steinenberg and the awesome prominence to be climbed.
Another 1 hour and a ladder climb, you are in the summit. Drink some tea, click some photos and you are ready for further hike. One way is to descend to Immenstadt along side Alpsee. Another alternative is to hike to Stuiben (1749 m). Steinenber – Stuiben path is open and at certain areas one might need to hike holding on to a wire. Little adventurous but nothing difficult. Get yourself a sunny day and have a nice outing. Berg Heil!

Useful Links:

• Alpsee Immenstadt
• Allgäu

Photos:

• Allgäu alps
• Steinenberg
• View from somewhere between Steinenberg – Stuiben
• One of the several gorgeous waterfalls

Baiersbronn is a small town or a municipality in Blackforest. It is in an elevation of 450 m, clad with beautiful lush preserved forests. You can reach baiersbronn with a car or with train. There are regular services running from the main municipality Freudenstadt and Karlsruhe. It is rather surprising that such an isolated place can also boast of some excellent reachability. I guess, that is the wonder of Germany. Nevertheless, Baiersbronn has some wonderful hiking possibilities. They have a dozen of regular thematic hiking routes. I took the “Eiszeit” hiking route which takes you through two ice age remains(lakes) en route to a wonderful waterfall. The total elevation covered was somewhere between 300-600 m with traces of snow on the top. The hike was done sometime in December so that would explain the snow. Once you reach Baiersbronn station, you can pay a visit to a dedicated hiking information center who can provide you a map and the list of interesting routes depending on your level of fitness and interests. The lady there was friendly enough to give me a pair of Blackforest favourite “Wursts” which i took with glee. Everywhere you find nicely laid out paths with legends. With a map and all the infos in hand, it should provide you a nice day’s hike and take you closer to the heart of black forest.

Links:

• Baiersbronn
• Hiking paradise – Baiersbronn

Pictures:

• Starting Point
• One of the many small streams along the way
• Eerie lake from the last ice age
• Waterfall densely packed with trees
• First instance of snow(life)
• Solitary hut for a tea