Trip to Coorg Essay Example

Trip to Coorg Essay A refreshing trip to COORG- Scotland of India Last month I planned for a 3 day trip to Coorg in Karnataka, which is also known as KODAGU. I collected all related information about trip from friends and internet. I was very excited as it was my first trip in South India amp; it was my birthday too, but sudden heavy rain and bad weather forecast ruined all plans. Due to nonstop rain for more than 30 hours in Bangalore, we were forced to postpone the trip which resulted in many trip members backing out. By the time weather became clear I was left with only one friend to accompany me. With everything to reschedule and only 2 days of holidays left we decided to travel by KSRCT Bus till the city headquarter of Coorg amp; later hire any private transport. We booked our ticket for the last bus of the day which starts from Bangalore at 23. 55. KSRTC bus service is quite impressive and gives you variety of options according to your budget and is runs between all major destinations in Karnataka amp; bordering states. We boarded our bus from Satellite Station, Bangalore to Kushalnagar. Hardly one hour of journey had passed and it again started raining. With God’s grace there was no rain as we proceeded further. Morning exactly at 5 a. m. we reached Kushalnagar. The sky was quite dark; showing the clear sign of heavy rain. With no option to wait till Sun makes it appearance, we headed to a tea stall opposite to Bus stand; there we met a local guy Hasan who gave us good information about the transport facility and exact distance information of the area. As we ordered the tea rain drops started to touch the ground. After around 20 minutes of rain finally when it stopped I saw the first glimpse of gift of Mother Nature to this place. We will write a custom essay sample on Trip to Coorg specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Trip to Coorg specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Trip to Coorg specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Soon the place was covered with a very thin layer of fog and I felt like home (my village in Uttarakand). We waited for sun to show its first rays and then took an auto to Bylakuppe which is around 5-6 km from Kushalnagar bus stand. Bylakuppe is the Tibetian resettlement location with well maintained fine-looking amp; calm surrounding and many monastery and temples. The way to Bylakuppe was full of greenery amp; environment was very peaceful. In 10-15 minutes we reached Namdroling monastery and started clicking few photographs amp; took a round of nearby places. Monastery is open for visitors from 8 a. m. 5 pm. In the meantime we got opportunity to talk to few monks amp; local canteen owner inside monastery and we got to know that there are few more monasteries nearby. Inside Namdroling Monastery we saw Golden temple, with colorful paintings and three huge golden statues, well maintained gardens with beautiful plants, trees and birds. We clicked many pictures there, met few monks, students and then took our breakfast. After spending around one and half hours in monastery we decided to skip other monastery and took auto back to Kushalnagar. But if you have sufficient time and your own vehicle, spend more time there and cover all places. From kushanagar we took bus for our next destination Nisargadhama which is hardly 2 km away from kushalnagar. Nisargadhama is an island formed by river Cauvery; it is a kind of picnic spot. It has a deer park, Elephant Park, cottages amp; off course river Cauvery. Although the island is not well maintained according to its potential of prospective tourist spot, one won’t be let down after capturing the astonishing flow of river and its surroundings. With some more time you can also enjoy river rafting and elephant ride at Dubare elephant camp 10-15 km away from Nisargadhama. From there we boarded bus to Madekeri, the City Headquarter of Coorg, which is around 32 km away from Nisargadhama. The journey to Madekeri became more exciting with beautiful landscape, curved roads, green hills amp; small villages on the way. Someone has rightly said the soul of India exists in our villages, geographically I was around 2500 km away from home but it all felt like home. The 45 minute long journey got over in Madekeri town, which looked much commercialized from the time I got down the bus. We were neither tired nor hungry so we decided to catch up the main attraction of madekeri, the Abbi falls. We bargained with an auto driver George for to and fro visit to Abbi falls with 45 minutes and hired the auto for Rs 150. Abbi falls is around 8 km away from town and way to falls is full of flourishing greenery and narrow curved road. I was so fascinated by the beauty of the nature that I was forced to stop amp; capture it. You can clearly hear the sound of water falling even from a km away. The splendid view of Abbi falls was the best part of this whole journey; surrounded by giant trees, water running down on black rocks and creating froth was just amazing. After a long photography session and admiring the beauty of falls we moved back to town. On the way to town comes Raja’s tomb, I had read a lot about it many articles while collecting information. It was quite disappointment to see lack of maintenance of tomb and its surrounding. Without wasting time we moved to Madekeri fort cum museum where again we didn’t find anything special except elephant statue to click a few snaps. Now the Sun was also shining hard and we were hungry also, so we decided to have a lunch break and we decided to try out food at nearby restaurant. After finishing the lunch and taking rest we moved to Omkareshwar Temple which again has nothing great to offer. We decided to move to Raja’s seat which is very popular for amazing view of the madekeri, sunrise amp; sunset. Few meters before Raja’s Seat the climate again changed its mood and heavy rain started. The weather became so pleasant with clouds all around complimenting to the lush green hills of madekeri. Raja’s Seat has a well maintained beautiful garden and sunset point with ample space for visitors to capture the nature’s beauty. One can see the awesome view of clouds playing with the mountains on any rainy day. After spending hours amp; clicking many snaps at raja’s seat, we moved to Bus stand to our joy one Volvo bus was ready to depart. Thus this amazing trip came to its end; I still regret missing the opportunity of house stay and local food in Coorg. If any of you plan for trip to Coorg, I would recommend go with a group, plan for minimum 2-3 days and enjoy the stay in Coorg.

Dams and Reservoirs

Dams and Reservoirs A dam is any barrier that holds back water; dams are primarily used to save, manage, and/or prevent the flow of excess water into specific regions. In addition, some dams are used to generate hydropower. This article examines man-made dams but dams can also be created by natural causes like mass wasting events or even animals like the beaver. Another term often used when discussing dams is reservoir. A reservoir is a man-made lake that is primarily used for storing water. They can also be defined as the specific bodies of water formed by the construction of a dam. For example, the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in California’s Yosemite National Park is the body of water created and held back by the O’Shaughnessy Dam. Types of Dams One of the most common types of major dams is the arch dam. These masonry or concrete dams are ideal for narrow and/or rocky locations because their curved shape easily holds back water via gravity without the need for a lot of construction materials. Arch dams can have one large single arch or they can have multiple small arches separated by concrete buttresses. The Hoover Dam which is on the border of the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada is an arch dam. Another type of dam is the buttress dam. These can have multiple arches, but unlike a traditional arch dam, they can be flat as well. Normally buttress dams are made of concrete and feature a series braces called buttresses along the downstream side of the dam to prevent the natural flow of water. The Daniel-Johnson Dam in Quebec, Canada is a multiple arch buttress dam. In the U.S., the most common type of dam is the embankment dam. These are large dams made out of soil and rock which use their weight to hold back water. To prevent water from moving through them, embankment dams also have a thick waterproof core. The Tarbela Dam in Pakistan is the world’s largest embankment dam. Finally, gravity dams are huge dams that are constructed to hold back water using only their own weight. To do this, they are constructed using extensive amounts of concrete, making them difficult and expensive to build. The Grand Coulee Dam in the U.S. state of Washington is a gravity dam. Types of Reservoirs and Construction The first and usually largest type of reservoir is called a valley dammed reservoir. These are reservoirs that are located in narrow valley areas where tremendous amounts of water can be held in by the valley’s sides and a dam. The best location for a dam in these types of reservoirs is where it can be built into the valley wall most effectively to form a water tight seal. To construct a valley dammed reservoir, the river must be diverted, usually through a tunnel, at the start of work. The first step in creating this type of reservoir is the pouring of a strong foundation for the dam, after which construction on the dam itself can begin. These steps can take months to years to complete, depending on the size and complexity of the project. Once finished, the diversion is removed and the river is able to flow freely toward the dam until it gradually fills the reservoir. Dam Controversy In addition, the creation of a reservoir requires the flooding of large areas of land, at the expense of the natural environment and sometimes villages, towns and small cities. The construction of China’s Three Gorges Dam, for example, required the relocation of over one million people and flooded many different archaeological and cultural sites. Main Uses of Dams and Reservoirs Another major use of dams is power generation as hydroelectric power is one of the world’s major sources of electricity. Hydropower is generated when the potential energy of the water on the dam drives a water turbine which in then turns a generator and creates electricity. To best make use of the water’s power, a common type of hydroelectric dam uses reservoirs with different levels to adjust the amount of energy generated as it is needed. When demand is low for instance, water is held in an upper reservoir and as demand increases, the water is released into a lower reservoir where it spins a turbine. Some other important uses of dams and reservoirs include a stabilization of water flow and irrigation, flood prevention, water diversion and recreation. To learn more about dams and reservoirs visit PBSs Dams Site. Rogun - 1,099 feet (335 m) in TajikistanNurek - 984 feet (300 m) in TajikistanGrande Dixence - 932 feet (284 m) in SwitzerlandInguri - 892 feet (272 m) in GeorgiaBoruca - 876 feet (267 m) in Costa RicaVaiont - 860 feet (262 m) in ItalyChicoasà ©n - 856 feet (261 m) in MexicoTehri - 855 feet (260 m) in Indialvaro Abregà ³n - 853 feet (260 m) in MexicoMauvoisin - 820 feet (250 m) in SwitzerlandLake Kariba - 43 cubic miles (180 km ³) in Zambia and ZimbabweKuybyshev Reservoir - 14 cubic miles (58 km ³) in Russia