222. The path less traveled ...

Well, 2011 was the year ... in which I took the path less traveled. I took some decisions that might change my life all together ... I still do not know what will happen next and what am I going to do ... and I want my life to be like that! Just live with no tension of the future.

Today is the last day of 2011, I look back  and wonder how wonderful it was ... and I hope, because I can only hope, the coming years would be as amazing as 2011.

I had taken this picture in January, some year. This trail is in Del Valle Regional Park, California. I like it even though it is not lush and the trees are bald. It always reminds me of a pleasant hike I had that day!

Have a great New Year Eve!! Enjoy!!

221. Stone Lattice Work at Amber Fort, Jaipur

Rajasthan is internationally popular for its stone crafts. One can witness exquisite crafsmenship in the ancient and medieval temples and other structures. These structures were built using marble and sandstone. The regal buildings have beautiful jali or stone lattice work on the windows and doors, especially in the women's quarters.

Amber Fort in Jaipur is one of the examples of great craftsmanship and has exquisite jali-work windows.

I have a collection of pictures of this jali work in various forts and palaces and will have an exclusive post on this Jali-work topic!

220. Purana Quila, Delhi

Purana Quila, was the sixth city of Delhi founded by Mughal Emperor Humayun. It was called Dina-panah then. Many structures were added by successive rulers. Samrat Hemachandra Vikramaditya was the last Hindu Emperor who made an effort and succeeded to free  northern India from its foreign invaders- Mughals, in the medieval period. He ruled his Hindu Raj from Purana Quila.

Purana quila was considered unlucky for people who ruled their kingdom from it. So, Akbar moved his capital to Agra and Shahajahaan built Red Fort.

There are few structures inside the fort which are almost ruins now.

Masroor : Ancient City and temple

It is strange that many who visit Dharmashala do not know about Masroor! What is here? ... 15 rock-cut temples which are built in Indo-Aryan style. The richly carved temples are protected monuments. The temple complex is awaiting the entry into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

There was no shared transport available from McLeaod Ganj to Masroor. I had to hire a private taxi which costed me Rs.2000. Expensive huh? Doesn't sound like typical backpacking trip! Checked in all the travel agencies this was the only one who said Yes to the Masroor trip! Others didn't agree at all! Well, I had specifically asked for a "good" driver ... and specified what "good" means. That is ... no speeding, no talking rubbish, no talking loud (yelling), no cutting my lines, not contradicting my lines, no noisy Bollywood songs. So, next day had a Punjabi Jawaan at my Hotel. The car stereo was playing Jai Mata di in very low volume ... He was trying hard to be "good" :) He used to raise the voice and instantly lower it and be nice! Inside he was definitely ... Yeh! Is Queen Victoria ko uthake bahar phenkdoo ... fun ride huh?

It is the only rock-cut shrine in northern India it seems. Rock-cut temples meaning, the temples carved out of free standing rocks/monoliths. It seems there are only four such temples in India.Ratha in Mamallapuram, Kailasa in Ellora, temple complex in Masroor and Dharmnatha temple in Damnar.

The Temple is dedicated to Lord Rama. The Main shrine has stone images of Lord Rama, Sita Devi and Lakshmana.

These temples are in a remote area away from Kangra and hence were saved from the destruction by Muslim-invaders. But, some damage is caused by 1905 earthquake. Many exquisitely carved panels of these temples are on display in the state museum of Shimla.

A pleasant journey through the sanctuary to a wonderful place!

219. Asiatic Toad near Hampi

Toad is a type of frog. Well, much weird looking than the frogs. Because of their big size sometimes they are scarry too! Very long ago, in my native place I have seen a toad of the size of a watermelon! Then I didn't have the camera!

I saw this frog in the KSTDC Hotel complex in Kamalapura (near Hampi).

218. Agra Petha

Made of Ash Gourd or winter melon, Agra Petha is a popular souvenir sweet to buy in Agra. The winter melon is peeled and de-seeded, the pieces are then boiled in the sugar syrup. It tastes like a candy and has a longer life on the shelf. Sometimes, it is also served with sugar syrup.

Though the authentic petha is plain (ivory white), many flavors are available in the market. The one in the picture is Kesar (saffron) flavored.

Try once! It has a unique texture and one keeps wondering what is it made of?

217. Block Printing at Jaipur

The word Rajasthan ... reminds me of vibrant colors. Color of the desert sunsets, color of the sand, color of the sandstone, colors of murals, colors of textile.

Jaipur is popular for its block printed textiles. The block printing itself is popular as Jaipur Prints ... Now-a-days, as tourism has become the part of the culture here, there are many places where the artists demonstrate the art and science of Block Printing.

In the picture, different artistic blocks and dyes. I bought two blocks but now don't know what and how to print!

216. Snake skin, Jungle Lodges

I have written few posts on Jungle Lodges/Sloth Bear Sanctuary earlier. Could you guess how jungli is it? I am asking in the tone ... cabin to hai par saamp andar hai ... jee paoge? ... Just like the Survior-India ad :)

Well, as always my dear sister screamed and she jumped!! because she saw something ... In the picture is the wall of the cabin we stayed where the snake has shed the skin as it entered the hole!! Eww!

Well, the cabin walls are plastered well on the inside and the rocks are only ornamental on the outside. There was no snake.

Isn't it exciting? In the night, a naga-kanya with big blue eyes, wearing a white costume, dancing to the pungi music ...

The ancient city Kangra

 Kangra, Himachal Pradesh is a historical town which is 18Km from Dharmashala. Once upon a time it was Nagarkot, the rich city founded by Chandravanshi Katoch Rajputs. It was a beautiful fort city of rich temples and vast treasure. Gazni Muhammad invaded the fort, looted the temples and took away the treasure as any other Muslim invader did. The Vajreshwari temple was the oldest and wealthiest temples in northern India. Gazni, and then Tughlaqs destroyed it along with the fort and the town. The temple is rebuilt and is still functioning. It is one of the Shaktipeethas. From Dharmashala I took a day-long excursion to Kangra and Masroor temples.

Kangra Fort is the oldest dated fort in India. It is mentioned in epic Mahabharata as Trigarta Kingdom. Raja Bhimasena, second brother of Pandavas, ruled this place. There is a (almost completely) ruined Lakshmi-Narayan temple in the fort. Audio guide is available for Rs.150. But, students get it for Rs.50 only. It gives all the info about the fort and its history, worth all the Rs.50. Kangra Fort is being inspected to be added in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

Kangra valley is one of its kind. The bridges are fantastic, in a different way! See the bridge in the picture below?

And see the road condition over the bridge ... the wooden and metal planks make noise as the vehicle crosses the bridge! 

There were many bridges like this :) It was a great trip ... I bought enough Kangra tea as souvenir and also as gift for my Dad.

A place where the fort and temple ruins speak of ... glory of the past!

215. MOMA, San Francisco

San Francisco is a much happening city. I have had great experiences here!! museums and parks are a must visit here ...

MOMA, Museum Of Modern Art, is located in the heart of SF downtown. It is devoted to exhibit the modern and contemporary art. Nearby are restaurants, children's park, movie theaters.

Well, most of the time I do not understand the intense modern art but, I always try to understand it. The changing exhibitions are very good here.

214. Sunset in Agra

My brief visit to Agra was full of drama. The desire to see one of the ancient wonders of the world was overwhelming. When I was at Taj Mahal I looked away from that magnificent marble structure to keep myself away from the crowd. And I saw another beautiful scene ...

In the orange sky sun looked like a molten metal ball behind silhouette of one of those minarets. Isn't it beautiful?

I clicked many pictures with different structures in the foreground. I will post them soon ...

213. Amritsari Malai Lussi

Lussi is not just fav of Indians, foreigners are crazy about it too! In San Francisco Bayarea, americans enjoy the mango lussi. Well, they love Chai Tea too! That how Chai is called there!! :) Well, we are talking about Malai Lussi here, that too from Punjab :)

Lussi, is a preparation basically made from thick yogurt blended with sugar. Variations are by adding flavors like mango, rose or dry-nuts etc. Malai Lussi is topped with cream.

I have had lussi many times but, I had a taste of Malai lussi in Amritsar couple of months ago. Yummy, one glass of lussi is sufficient food for a day! Yum!

Backpacking in India: Dharamsala, The Little Lhasa in India

Dharmashala, a hill station on the spur of mighty Dhauladhar Range is the district headquarters of Kangra. It is the temporary residence of His Holiness Dalai Lama and so gained international fame and is now popularly referred to as Little Lhasa of India.

I took a bus from Amritsar to Pathankot very early in the morning. Then took a bus to Dharmashala. It was an uneventful journey through the peaks and valleys. I made friends with few fellow backpackers. They were from Germany and Spain. Well, one among them was 65years old lady solo backpacker.

From Dharmashala I took another local shared transport up to McLeod Ganj. It looked like backpackers heaven. Budget hotels, eat-outs, bar-restaurants and the colorful market. I took a hotel after bargaining for a while for Rs.600. It had a good view of Dhauladhars. The internet access was excellent here.

After a brief lunch I started hunting for a shared tour to cover local sightseeing. Unfortunately there is no shared transport available. The tourists have to talk themselves with their hotel-mates and share the expenses. I spoke to few and unfortunately they all were taking it easy and wanted to spend time on the market streets! Well, I thought of exploring on foot. I visited the nearby monasteries, Lakes, temple and a waterfall. I hired a taxi for a day-long excursion next day to Kangra Valley and Masroor. 

Dharmashala has a tibetan refugee settlement. Monks wandering around is a common sight. There are few monasteries here. Visit to the temporary exile, the Namgyal Monastery, of His Holiness Dalai Lama was good. Though there are tiny sign-boards of No Photography and No shoes allowed, people were seen taking pictures and the monks were feeling hurt. The museum displays info about the abuse on citizens of Tibet and their religion by the invaders. Does it take too much to respect another person's religious beliefs?

The war memorial for the heroes of Himachal Pradesh in the post-independence era is in a very peaceful place. The garden is good for long walks. The artificial ponds, lush lawn and numerous trees here make this place very attractive to peace-lovers.

The HPCA Stadium is an imposing structure when seen from McLeod Ganj. The pretty stadium has the reputation of being a cricket stadium at highest altitude in the world! Painted in bright colors the stadium makes a good contrast with the mist covered Dhauladhars.

The distance between attractions is not more, just 2 to 4 Km. The problem is the steep gradient. A walk to Dal Lake was funny. In the HPTDC brochure, the distance from McLeod Ganj to Dal Lake is 0.4Km but, in reality it is 4Km. I started walking ... after going about a Km I asked a taxi driver and he said it was 4Km. I thought he was bluffing to get me hire a taxi. I went ahead walking ... Then asked a few local pedestrians ... the girl said its another 10min. Even after 15min I couldn't find the lake. I asked again a monk ... he said another half-an-hour! Then after walking for few more minutes I was there at the sacred lake ... green ... on the way back I was asked by few tired tourists ... how far is the lake? I visited the HPTDC office and told them about the correction to the brochure. Hope they will correct it.

The tourist attraction list includes tea gardens ... but, if you have visited places like Munnar, Rajamalai  ... nah! skip it! Don't let the travel agent fool you. Kunal Pathri Temple is a small rock temple surrounded by tea gardens.

Bhagsunag waterfalls is just 2Km walk from McLeod Ganj. It is a beautiful little waterfalls which is over-crowded. People were all around and screaming ... I perched on a high rock and watched people. Nothing was running in my mind ... just watching ...

A honeymoon couple (may be)... the man pulled the wife into the cold water and then he thought it would be nice to have a pic. So he looked around, asked another guy standing at the shore and he walked all the way, gave the camera, went back to the water to pose with his wife. After asking few people to move a bit, posing, they stood smiling, the photographer asked the man ... which is the click button? Now, the man walked all the way back and showed the click button and went back to pose again. All this time his wife was standing in the ice cold water very unhappy about the whole thing but still was trying hard to support her husband! Hope the picture came out well! Travel makes people tolerant and builds stronger relationships :)

Interesting event in Dharmashala was that ... few young activists joined by all foreign-backpackers had organized an event ... litter picking to clean Bhagsunag ... I got an invitation to join at my hotel ... well, I joined. I was anyway walking up to the waterfalls so picked some cookie wrappers on the way :) The tourists threw more plastic bottles and wrappers even after watching the volunteers picking the garbage. Incredible Indians!!

You might also want to read other posts in the series ...Click Here:)

212. Safdarjung's Tomb, Delhi

Another tomb of another King ... err ... no this tomb was built for the powerful Prime Minister, Sufdarjung, of the feeble Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. It is much similar to the Humayun's tomb on the basis of persian style garden and plastered decorations on the walls and minarets.

Another attraction of Delhi that attracts few tourists. Surrounded by charbagh gardens this tomb is the last piece of Mughal architecture.

My visit here was at almost closing hours. Sun was setting behind the tomb. The whole setup looked good. Then it was closing time and the guard asked me to leave.

211. Stepped Tank in Royal Enclosure, Hampi

There were the aqueducts but no waterbody ... that made the Archaeologists think ... so they excavated the place where it seemed appropriate and they found this ... The pushkarini, stepped tank in the Royal Enclosure of the Vijayanagara City, Hampi.

The tank has five tiers built of dark schist and is very well designed. It is a delight to see this beautiful and intact tank in the middle of ruins of palaces and temples which are just basements now.

210. Deep fried Aloo Paratha in Siliguri

Deep fried aloo paratha. Well, it might have another name in local language. When I asked for Aloo Paratha and I was served with large poories (of paratha size) stuffed with aloo! I was taken aback at first then pulled few tissues to remove some of the oil.

I am curious to know the name of this. It was delicious but, because of its oiliness it is difficult to have this for a meal.

209. Indian Silverbills at Daroji Bear Sanctuary

I have posts on wildlife and avians earlier. Most of them were from Daroji Sloth Bear Resort/Jungle Lodges in Kamalapura. Here is another one ... A pair of indian Silver bills ...

I was having my cardamom tea in an open restaurant at Jungle Lodges. There was a bare tree where these silver bills and sparrows were having their fun. They were very swift and chirping all around. It was a delight to watch so many sparrows. Bangalore is not a habitat for sparrows or other little birds anymore.

I thank my sister/B-i-l for paying my bills for this trip!! Lovely place to relax and wildlife.

Backpacking in India: Amritsar, home of the gorgeous Golden Temple

Reached Amritsar very early in the morning. I asked an auto-rikshaw guy to drop me at a good hotel near Golden Temple. And he dropped me at really good hotel, ie, Rs.1,650+tax. But, the night long journey in a raddi (garbage) bus made me go for this good hotel. I slept for couple of hours before starting to the Golden Temple.

Harmandir Sahib aka the Golden Temple is really magnificent. In 16th century a Sikh Guru excavated a tank which was called pool of sacred nectar. And the temple Harmandir Sahib, an abode of Gods,  was built in the middle of this tank. It seems, with Mughal Emperor Akbar's financial help the city Amritsar was built around the lake.

After going around the sacred tank I decided to go inside the temple. There was a long line ... again ... pushing ... men,women, children were so close and pushing that it felt like a single body was moving. There was a distinct smell ... I was not able to get what it was ... people were holding plates full of prasad which was clearly greasy. Then I realized the smell was of ghee ... but, it smelled different!

There was a bunch of 8-9 guys who pushed people like a bulldozer and jumped the line. None said anything and the guys looked very arrogant. They didn't care for women, children or elders. I had darshan and then the delicious prasad before leaving the complex. The temple street is lined with souvenir shops, sweet stalls and lussi bars. Well, in the hot, humid afternoon cold malai-lassi was heaven.

Very near to the Golden Temple complex is Jallianwala Bagh ... very popular public garden and a memorial. During British rule in India, around 150 british troops massacred over 400 innocent and peaceful locals on Baisaki (Punjabi New Year) Day. The garden still has the walls with bullet marks, the well in which people drowned to escape from the bullets. It is a landmark in India's struggle for freedom.

28Km from the city is the international border between India and Pakistan called Wagah Border. By sunset this place turns into chaos. Tourists flock around to watch the ceremony of changing guards. It is nice to see the parade once but is hyped out of proportion.

Considering sunset is at 5:30PM, start from Amritsar by 2 or 2:30PM and secure a place from where you can see the parade. If you have not started from the city even by 3:30PM then you need not go there. Be careful about your belongings. Contents of your bag are allowed but, the bag itself is not allowed. So, carry minimum, money, cellphone and a camera. Shared rikshaws are available but they stuff 10 humans, small children are not counted!!

After enjoying hot jalebis I called it a day ... 

You might also want to read other posts in the series ...Click Here:)

208. Royal lace catalog, Albert Hall, Jaipur

Lace is never out of fashion. Lace was used in ancient Egypt and medieval Europe. Queens wore them and clergies wore them.

There are so many types ... needle lace, cut-work lace, knotted lace and so on ... made of so many materials like cotton, silk, flax and ornate with gold, silver ...

Well, in Jaipur-Albert Hall Museum there is a catalog of lace that was used in royal costumes. It is an interesting display of  the apparel, and info about the textile industry those days.

207. Jantar Mantar, Delhi

Trip to Delhi is incomplete without a visit to Jantar Mantar. Built by Maharaja Sawai Jaisingh II of Jaipur, the Jantar Mantar observatory in Delhi is a major landmark. The complex has unique architectural astronomical instruments. All the instruments are painted in red making this bservatory spectacular.

Located near Cannaught Place, it is one of the five astronomical complexes built by Jai Singh. The others are located in Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. So far I have visited two: Jaipur and Delhi. Hoping to see the rest very soon :)

In the picture is the Mishra Yantra, which was used to indicate the noon time in various cities. It is more popular as the logo of 1982 Asian Games held in Delhi.

It looks like the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is better preserved and maintained. The reason could be that it was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. In Delhi, I saw tourists climbing up the instruments for pictures, jumping from wall to wall just for fun. Some tourists do not seem to understand the importance of these structures and there is no one to control them.

It is a heritage site and should be treated with respect!

Backpacking in India: Agra, Home of an ancient wonder

Well, who doesn't know Agra? The home of world famous Taj Mahal, one of the ancient wonders of the world and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was much anticipated trip with a lot of expectations which ended with mixed feelings!

Well, the package tour from Delhi which I took in a hurry was covering some of Agra and some of Mathura. I didn't have much time to go around for a better tour at late hours of the evening and I decided to go with what was available. It sounded a bit cheaper which made me think about the bus, seats, the noisy windows, AC and so on ... but, there was no time!

Next morning, I was escorted from my hotel to the travel agency in a TATA Indica. I was happy looking at the clean condition of the car and stopped worrying about the bus. But, I wasn't right. I will not talk about the mechanical, structural and hygienic condition of the bus ... Then, come the co-passengers. I was given a ladies seat, which actually means a seat beside another lady. I have observed and have experienced many times myself, that solo travelers do not have the right to sit where their reserved seat is. They will have to adjust! There is always a man asking to give up the seat and go elsewhere because his family has the right to sit together even if it is a 10 mins drive. Or there is an old woman who wants to stretch her lower limbs so you will have to stand up or take another seat. Or there is a woman who pretends to be sick and wants the window seat you are on. Well, after changing seat 3 times finally I had my seat in the back where the window shutter was shouting on a loud-speaker. Well, all the passengers were happy with me for adjusting!

The tour guide spoke English and Hindi. He re-relayed the same info in both languages which was difficult to understand for two reasons ... for the spoken languages itself and then the bus was louder than anybody else around. The bus stopped for breakfast which sold South Indian food. All north indians complained about food being southern and all the south indians complained about southern food being cooked badly in north ... in fact, the place wasn't clean.  Skipped BF followed by similar lunch and dinner. It was an Agra trip with an empty stomach!

Before Taj Mahal or Agra Fort, we were taken to an Art and Crafts Emporium where they showed us a model of Taj Mahal in simulated moonlight. The shop sold many Taj models to my co-passengers ... and there we had plenty of time to shop. To see Agra Fort only 45mins were given. And the Taj Mahal was allotted 1 hour. Passengers protested and bargained for additional 30 mins. After few heated arguments 30mins were granted.

Once at Taj Mahal, I was amazed!! Not by the building but the crowd! To my amusement, in Delhi and Agra, at all the World Heritage Sites I was asked about my nationality, though I spoke hindi all the time. To prove the same I had to show my passport. None of my co-passengers were stopped though. Now, I was there at the Taj and like everyone I wanted my picture with the Taj. It was total chaos. After asking politely, with a strong tone. yelling, making faces then pushing people, photographers, guides and so on ... I got one proper picture of mine with the Taj. The picture is good, my face doesn't reflect what all I did few moments before the picture was clicked! And all this in 1.5 hrs. Oh what a relief! I didn't see the cenotaph, there was a looooooooong line which I passed.

By then sun was setting giving me opportunity to click few more pics of urban sunset! The sky was so colorful but, the color unfortunately indicates the intense air pollution.

Agra Fort, another World Heritage Site in Agra. Built of red sandstone is less crowded than Taj Mahal or it feels so because the fort is very huge. I liked the Agra Red Fort than Delhi Red Fort. In my opinion, the quality of art work in Agra fort is much superior. It was a nice experience to see Taj Mahal from Agra Fort. Though Agra Fort is a World Heritage Site there are parts which need restoration. The beautiful graffitis are withering away.

The huge and open pillared halls are so airy. The palaces, audience halls and other parts of the fort are so ornate. The intricate carving on the walls, be it on marble or sand stone, are beautiful. The lattice-work in the windows is exquisite.

These structures are so magnificent and need a lot of time to see and appreciate. I will visit Agra again soon and will never take a package tour. I was crying about the inconvenience caused than feeling good about visiting Taj Mahal. But, still I saw the Taj Mahal :)

Wah! Taj!

You might also want to read other posts in the series ...Click Here:)

206. Prehistoric Scotland : Skara Brae

Skara Brae is an UNESCO World Heritage Site in Orkney Island, Scotland. Located on the Bay of Skaill it has stone built neolithic clustered houses. It is a part of Heart of Neolithic Orkney.

The houses were built under the ground to be insulated from the harsh winter weather. The houses are very well preserved and have stone built furnitures.

The place has a museum, a book and souvenir shop. Nearby is a palace. Museum has a display of all the artifacts found during excavation. Carved stone balls, necklaces made of animal teeth and nails, utensils etc.

If you like history and archaeology then this is a must visit place in Scotland.

Food: Yummy Sabudana Upma

After every backpacking trip I long to eat, eat and eat South Indiann food, like steaming hot idli-vada-sambar, Masala Dosa from Ganesh Darshan, Bisibele-huli-anna and the list is long ... Doesn't mean I didn't like the food in up north or elsewhere. I swear I do. I loved momo, aloo-paratha, baked potato with sour cream, many more ... but, idli-sambar is home!! And so I am cooking at home. I prepared this sabudana upma and loved it! Yum!

Thought of taking a pic. I liked the pic so thought of posting it here ... It is not the usual sabudana khichadi! Its different! :) If you want the recipe let me know! :)

205. Cormorants basking, Alpine Lake, CA

Very easy identification of cormorant is the way they dry thier feathers in the sun.

I went on a hike couple of years ago in Mt Tamalpais Watershed area passing Alpine Lake to Cataract falls. I saw these birds basking. They were perched on a pipe in a line. There were several other species of birds too.

The lake is in he middle of the thick forested area. There are several hiking trails around it. I loved to look for newer species of mushrooms around here in the rainy season. I had a great hike!

204. Yosemite painting at Haggin Museum, Stockton

Stockton in California has some very interesting attractions in and around. The Haggin Museum is a must visit if you are around. It has a huge collection of Gold Rush era, and paintings.

The paintings are beautiful and this one was my favorite! Because it is Yosemite :)

Call of the Wild: Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Near Hampi

Have been traveling, and at times I find it so exhilarating to drive through forests and a sight of an wild soul makes my day! I am starting a new series Call of the wild to share my experience with wild life!

Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary in Kamalapur just 15Km from the world famous Hampi is the only sanctuary in North Karnataka. I had never heard of this place. It was my sister's idea to check this place. Well, we were there two days later. We stayed at Jungle Lodges, Sloth Bear Resort.

Jungle Lodges is housed in a very large area and is abundant in birds and butterflies. One can have a nature walk inside the JL campus iteself. Jungle Lodges have safari to Droji Sloth Bear sanctuary. It is fun to watch these bears wandering around the place. But, how often the bear siting is reported? Well, you will not be disappointed.

There are around 100 bears in this area. On a bunch of rocks which are clearly visible from the view point, forest guards apply some kind of jaggery preparation. And at least 8-10 bears appear and seen licking this jaggery preparation!! At times the bears wander right below the viewpoint.

The place is bustling with birds. I clicked so many pictures of these birds from which I have posted very few.