Arbi Waterfalls at Foothills of Western Ghats Waiting to be Explored

Beltangady: Arbi Waterfalls at Foothills of Western Ghats Waiting to be Explored
News & Pics: Arun UppinangadyDaijiworld Media Network – Beltangady (RD/SB)
Beltangady, Aug 24: Tucked in the dense forest between the taluk and Kudremukh Nature Reserve at the foothills of Western Ghats is waterfall Arbi at Anadka here.

The waterfalls is situated about 50 kilometers away from Beltangady and about 25 kilomteres from Ujire town. But the road leading to the falls is not smooth and is pothole-ridden. The road is tailor-made for two-wheelers or utility vehicles like the jeep. After a journey on the slush, the road ends abruptly as it reaches a private plantation. From here on one needs to trek for about 2.5 kilometres to reach the waterfalls as the locals have closed the road leading to the private plantation.
It is a beautiful sight to see the waterfalls flowing into a gorge from a height of 150 feet. The pristine surrounding adds to the beauty of the place. The water droplets make it difficult to view the falls from right below. Moreover, every step on the boulders has to be treaded carefully near the waterfall as it can prove dangerous.
However, it is wise to ask the locals for direction and instructions after Ujire to reach the beautiful spot withour any hitches.
It’s an irony that the department of forest and tourism both have neglected the significant nature spot which has immense tourism potential.

Live by the Beach side

Mangalore March 19, 2010: For the first time ever, children of Mangalore will be provided with an unforgettable experience of a summer camp that is sure to excite them all. Panambur Beach will be the home away from home for children. The Centre for Integrated Learning (CIL) has designed the three-day ‘Camping by the Sea'. But alas only 25 children can have the pleasure! There will be only four batches this summer.
The camp is being organised by Panambur Beach Development Project with the resource group from the Centre for Integrated Learning.
Children enjoy the beach like nobody else. They find their world in different hues on the beach, in-fact they observe a lot and learn a number of things than they do inside the four walls of the class rooms.
A week-end trip to the beach is all that they need to let that creative in them run loose. Sea shell hunting, the great crab chase, the surf bathing or simple game of ball is all so different on beach. But none like the sand castling. It can take hours on the beach to build a sand castle or even a sand hillock with interconnecting tunnels is so much fun to build.
With parents watching, siblings and cousins helping to build their dream castles on the beach can do a lot good for a child who is whole week burdened with academic activities and homework. Shaping and molding the sand and putting them together opens up a world by itself. Every-time there is some activity on the beach front there inevitably has to be sand castling as an event and school children from every part of the city take part in them.
There are the sand-castling gear specially made for beginners and are available in the toy shops literally everywhere in the cities. Shovels, scoops, spatulas and even blunt knife from the kitchen could be helpful
But how to make the sand stand? The secret to throwing sand up in the air and convincing it to stay there long enough to be carved into something spectacular is compaction. There are three ways to compact sand: "softpack" is the most intuitive: pack and pat moist sand into a mound that roughly resembles the shape you are envisioning. "Handstacking" will help sandcastlers reach greater heights in altitude while letting water and gravity do the compacting.
But that is the only one part of the enjoyment the children get in the Beach, enjoying the surf bathing of course only on beaches where bathing is allowed and that too in the company of elders.
Many athlete clubs do use the beach for training the youngsters, a mile run in the sand that too with bare foot strengthens the thighs and calf muscles. The local fishermen also say that a swim in the sea improves the confidence level in the youngsters and some of the personality building books and sports manuals confirm that. Infact swimming in the pools also improve the confidence level of youngsters which fact has been well established says Mr. Nandagopal who is the convenor of the programme.
Those who want to be a part of this summer adventure can contact Mr. Nandagopal on 9886347946.