Exploring Lakshmanateertha and Cauvery!

Late, as usual but here's a quick narration nonetheless :)

Pradeep picked me up and the first stop was at Kamat for breakfast. Faces both old and new to catch up on, time flew quick as we gulped down the preferred dishes (Mysuru Masala dosa, Idly Vada, Pongal, Plain dosa,etc.)
A group shot to get it rolling!




Reached Mysore in relatively quick time where Deepak and Abhilash guided us onto the next couple of spots along the Lakshmanateertha river.
The humidity had built up but didnt deter us from "casting" our first nets.



Nikhil trying some underwater videos


Spotted quite a few Gambusia


Got some Aplocheilus panchax and Pethia conchonius

Moved on to the next spot, pickings were slim!





Focused my lens on a few of our fellow aquarists

Madan and Pradeep


Preetam doing a Shikari shambu :)


Navneeth doing his take on "net" shading


Deepak not one to be left far behind


Clicking the clicker - Pradeep!


The gang trying to look for various approach routes


Well packed fishing material


Bidding goodbye to Lakshmanateertha


We decided we'll head straight towards Kushalnagar to explore a couple of waterbodies. Lunch stop before we got there!


Path leading to the stream which turned out to be a treat!


I snorkeled around a bit catching some glimpses of some brightly colored Tadpoles and a few super sized Garras. Had to leave behind my phone and the camera. The remaining images are from Vimal's phone, a sneak peak on how beautiful this location on the banks of the Cauvery was!











We were able to spot many Garras, some Aplocheilus panchax, Pseudosphromenus cupanus and a couple of brilliantly patterned Mesonoemacheilus guentheri.

With the sun setting rapidly we went onto another location for one last dip of the nets! Yet another picturesque location! Vimal's pics yet again










A few Giant danios and Barilius gatensis


Happy to have spent good time outdoors we headed back to Bangalore, the traffic along Mysore road proving to be a minor irritation. A final stop for dinner at Ramanagaram marked the end of a wonderful day out with passionate hobbyists in the lap of nature :)

Apologies if I've mixed image credits anywhere, completely unintentional.

Cheers!
Hayath

Exploring Bangkok's Grand palace / Chatuchak Market - in a hurry!

Visited Bangkok again for work, and this time had a couple of hours (thankfully!) to explore the city. Was a hectic couple of days leading to the day I'd actually have an afternoon free.
Knowing the schedule would be tight I left my DSLR back home, trusting my OnePlus Two for handling the odd snapshot!

View from the Hotel





Caught a taxi to check on Grand Palace, the Taxi hardly moved anywhere. The notorious traffic of Bangkok at work. Was a beautiful day with clear blue skies - but that also meant pure heat!


Reached the Grand Palace with the temperature and humidity high, but a quick glance at the watch put the urgency back in priority. A quick entry ticket and a few scans later we were in the Palace complex - the unique Thai style very evident.



























Tourists thronged this place as it was labelled as a must-do when in Bangkok (I was there too, for the same reason :D ).  Hordes of them following a flag/stuffed toy (Tour operators use this technique to keep the group members in-line). The heat made many of them opt for the shadows/covered parts of the pathway, it was sultry for the lack of a better word! The T-shirt soaked in sweat, barely able to see through the Mobile screen to click any images I managed a few frames while doing a round of the complex. A stop at the Refreshment counter for a tender coconut was very refreshing. The taste was different than the ones back in India...a lot sweeter.
Done with the Grand palace we caught a taxi to JJ Mall, near Chatuchak market. A dash for the food court and lunch was done - some energy for the rest of exploration.





Preparation of Pineapple fried rice





I was very keen to visit the Chatuchak market - famous to us aquarists as a haven for wholesale traders of the Aquarium trade. The scale of this is enormous, I was able to sample a few stores. Sorely missed the DSLR here, the lack of light in most tanks resulted in blurry phone-camera images.

The entrance had a few shops selling good quality guppies and goldfish, visitors of all ages selecting their choices.












Koi





The whole gamut of species..from Freshwater to Brackish to Saltwater - all on display.

Planted tanks in all shapes and types.





































Boy, was I enjoying myself here!




























Was pleasantly surprised to see a Channa barca




Future giants ;)






A huge knifefish





Haven't seen a more colorful "Golden" Killi


Pretty large Altums


Koi angels


A few giants!













The multi-colored Crayfish




Multi-storeyed housing





A few shrimps using them as a perch ;)






A nice looking Crab!


Fantastic looking shrimps too




Cories






Tubs, Filter media, Koi feed..you name anything that is fishy and they had it all









Anyone for some driftwood?




Some lucky soul carrying back a large tub for setting something up



The humidity and lack of fresh air did have me step out to explore other areas. Moving out across the street the scene transformed into an area with a lot of mammals and birds. Kittens, Puppies, Weaver birds in cages, Iguanas, Ducklings...you name it, they had it!



Walking on the edge of the street to catch a taxi back I noticed many more shops/footpath vendors with their fishy merchandise.






I really wonder how they manage to keep them alive in those bags for so long!

Shallow trays acting as displays



Superworms and Frogs among the many options for fish which prefer live feed.





The streets were filled with Bettas, all shapes and colors. The tanks to hold them were priced very attractively as well! (1 Baht = ~2 Rupees)







A couple of moving timelapses

Was disheartening to see a lot of dyed and "short body" variants of all fish :( They just don't look pretty, I wonder what drives the demand! Next time you see these in an aquarium store - PLEASE SAY "NO"






Finding a taxi that would get me back to the hotel was a challenge, many would simply refuse while others quoted exorbitant rates. Noticed a Bike Taxi not far and decided I'd try that mode to get back..was fun weaving in and out of car lanes. It took me a full hour or more to navigate through the thick traffic and reach the Hotel back in time. A quick taxi ride back to the Airport and we were all set for the journey back home!

Some sights from around town



You want to become a big laugh? ;)



Locking away relations :P






Adios till the next one :)

Cheers!
Hayath