Let us welcome 2013

As the new rays of the sun herald the start of New year, let us look forward to good things in 2013. Let us travel to new places and learn about others and enrich our experinces. Wishing everyone a very Happy 2013. Let the new year be a hassle free path of success, happiness and health.......

Skywatch Friday - An evening over Narmada river

River Narmada is life line of Central India. It is a huge river sustaining life systems of large proportions during its course of flow.

Evening sky over rivers and sea is always meditative. This was clicked when we were going to Maheshwar last year. It was evening and we were planning to see Narmada Aarti on the ghats of Maheshwar. We could not see the aarti - done only on festivals unlike Varanasi  and Haridwar - but were witness to this beautiful sky.

Road trip Vignettes - Fascinating Hills near Manmad

Last year when we were driving in Maharashtra, we came across these strange looking hills on the way to Manmad from Shirdi. I am not sure what has made them look like the way they are now. But the hill looks fascinating indeed. The peak of the hill looks like a "Thumbs up" posture. Is it because of millions of years of weathering? I have no answer. 

I asked some locals and they were clueless too. We saw similar hills on Baramati - Shirdi road as well.

Hope someone explore this and preserve it.

Skywatch Friday - Christmas Sky from Goa!

We were in Goa last year during Christmas.

It is fun to be there in Goa during this time. When we were driving around in the evening, we stopped by a church. Opposite was a cemetery and a holy cross installed on a pedestal.

It was evening and we looked at the sky. The holy cross was there under a beautiful canopy of lovely sky.

We felt blessed!!

Wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy new year!!

You may also be interested to see the post Goa in Christmas in this blog.

Go Goa in Christmas!!

Which is the best place in the country to be during Christmas time?

Where do you think the Christmas fervor can be seen and experienced most in India?

We know what your answer would be. Yes. It is Goa. There is also another place where you can feel the same experience. That is nestled in the North East corner of the country. Mizoram.

But nothing like being in Goa during this time. The festive fervour in Goa is contagious. Homes are decorated. Streets wear festive look with colourful lights. The street corners have nice tableau showcasing the life of Jesus. The churches get a fresh coat of paint and look gloriously white. People are in joyous mood. There is Santa everywhere. The sun and sands are at its best. Of course, there is music, Feni and food. The shacks are full and everyone enjoying and in festive mood. It is fun to be in Goa in Christmas.

We were there last year during Christmas and this is what we saw. It was a lovely experience.

One caution though. be prepared for rush of people and traffic jams on narrow Goa roads. Don't worry about it. Imbibe the Yuletide spirit and be a Goan in Goa........ 

Roadside tableau on the way to Colva beach

Churches ready for the Yuletide

You will find these tableau at many corners in villages in Goa

And of course......Santa is there everywhere too!!

Road Trip Vignettes - Colourful Statues in Andhra Pradesh!!

Plusses of a road trip is the freedom it gives to enjoy the journey at your own pace. Many times we have noticed that journeys are more interesting than the actual destination itself. When these vignettes are captured on the lens, they remain cherished memories forever. We will share some of these in our blog and hope you like it.

India is a "Statue crazy" country. Every government or political party want to outdo the other when it comes to statues of the leaders in public places. We love these leaders and place them on a pedestal!!

I am not sure who started the statue culture in public places in the country. Was it British or the Indian Maharajas who wanted to please their British lords by erecting statues for any Tom, Dick and Harry till such time they were safe on their throne?

This statue culture reaches its zenith in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and in Uttar Pardesh in North India. Walk on the Marina beach in Madras (Chennai) or drive on the Necklace road around the Hussain sagar lake in Hyderabad and you will see what i mean. Then you have the big "mummy" of statue building in Uttar Pradesh when Ms Mayavati  went around erecting elephants and other statues in every nook and corner.

We found this interesting scene while driving through Andhra Pradesh in 2010 on the way to Chhattisgarh. We crossed Vizianagaram and were halted by this spectacle of life size statues of late Chief Minister Sri Y S R Reddy who was killed in an air cash few years back. These statues of the leader in different costumes and colours were ready to shipped  to different parts of the state. 

Take a look.

India Travel Stories from Others - "Hampi" by Arun

Hampi throws up unsual experinces to a traveller. The ruins of Vijaynagar empire are spread over miles on the banks of Tungabhadra River. You can spend days exploring the ruins, revisisting the glorious history of South India. 

This is the right season to visit Hampi when the sun is mild. There is a nip in the air in the mornings and evenings are pleasant. The fields are green. Hire a bicycle when you are in Hampi. That is the best way of exploring it.

Arun is a very well known professional photographer and a travel writer based in Bangalore. He has a very popular website on travel, photography. Here is his account on his trip to Hampi and excellent pictures of the UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Please take a look at these links on his website for stories on Hampi

Hampi - A trip report

Images of Hampi

You may be interested to see these posts on Hampi in this blog here

Hampi's Wonders and Sandur's splendours

Royal ruins of Hampi

Skywatch Friday - Surreal sky and Sharavathi backwaters

This was on a beautiful afternoon. 

We were in a boat on the backwaters of Sharavathi river in Shimoga district of the Western Ghats of Karnataka, South India. 

The huge expanse water was complementing the overcast sky in August. 

At some point of time, the colour of the water and the sky was indistinguishable. They looked same.

The half sunk tree trunk in the middle made this picture more memorable.........

For more details to explore Sharavathi backwaters please look at this post in this blog 

Malnad Musings

Useful Links

Vistas of Sharavathi Backwaters

Road trips from Bangalore 5 - Hill Holiday in Coorg, Wayanad and Ooty!

This is a comfortable road trip from Bangalore. Being road-trippers, we love the freedom road trips provide to stop, look and explore.

We will be sharing details about 6 lovely road trips from Bangalore in this blog exploring heritage, western ghats, wild life, beaches etc....... These drives, cover not more than 300 KMs in a day. The plan is to cover for a week extendable for another two days. 

This is the fifth one in the series. This one covers the lovely hills of Coorg, Wayanad and Ooty. Take a look, plan and go!

Read on.....

This is a classic road trippers dream holiday. Similar to the one we had posted on Malnad and Karavali. Distances are not much. Views are amazing. Food is great. Many options to stay. If you get bored of seeing the greenery throughout, a day is kept for just lazing on the beach. You can do Ooty first and Coorg last if you wish to. Here we go.....

The Circuit

Bangalore - Srirangapatna - Belagola - Hunsur - Madikeri - Iruppu Falls - Thirunelli temple - Kalpetta (Wayanad) - Ooty - Masinagudi - Bangalore

Google Map - Google map of Circuit

Day 1 - Saturday - Bangalore - Madikeri - 250 KMs
Road Condition - Excellent except for few KMs after Srirangapatna

Leave around 7 AM. Have breakfast on the way on Bangalore - Mysore road. You are spoilt for choices here. Depending on when you leave you can have breakfast of Kotte Kadubu in Kamat Loka Ruchi near Ramanagaram, Tatte Idlis in Bidadi, Iyengar cuisine of Pongal - Karnataka style - vada at Kadambam after Channapatna, Khara Bath/Masala Dosa at Shivalli Tiffin room after Channapatna or Assorted breakfast menu in reliable Adigas in Maddur, Maddur Vade and Masala Dosa in Maddur Tiffany's in Maddur. If you are coffee and doughnut kind of a person you can stop at Cafe Coffee day or McDonald's.

At Srirangapatna, look for deviation to Coorg highway via Belagola. Follow the sign boards of "Orange County" resort if confused! 

Stop at Bylakuppe to visit Tibetan Golden temple and monastery. The drive to Bylakuppe from the highway is beautiful flanked by miles and miles of maize fields. Savour the ambience of the temple. If possible, meet a monk and get to know more about the temple. Look for locally manufactured Tibetan handicrafts especially beautifully woven carpets with Tibetan motifs. 

The sanctum sanctorum of Golden temple

Drive on and stop at Kaveri Nisargadhama - a small island formed by Cauvery river. Walk over the suspension bridge. Enjoy a swim in the river - note for safety instructions  and follow them. 

Wire suspension bridge over Cauvery in Nisargadhama

Stop over at Amanvana Spa resort nest to Nisargadhama for a beer and Biryani for lunch. A beautiful resort, the restaurant is on the banks of Cauvery. If your wallet does not permit, then go for excellent South Indian Thali at Athitya in Kushalnagar town.

Drive on to Madikeri or any home stay/resort you have chosen in Coorg.

Relax for the day or if energy levels are high visit Raja Seat in Madikeri for sunset and serene Omkareshwara temple in the evening.

Omkareshwara temple

Day 2 - Sunday - Explore Coorg

Visit Dubare elephant camp before breakfast and follow it up with a rafting on the river if interested. 

After breakfast head to Talacauvery - 45 KMs - to see the place where river Cauvery takes its birth. The temple is small and nothing great. But the surroundings are beautiful. Nestled at the foot hills of Brahmagiri wild life sanctuary, it is a quiet and serene place. Return back for lunch. 

After lunch and rest, drive to Abbey falls. Walk down the steps to get a good look of water gushing down.

Morning sight from Raja seat

Abbey Falls

Return to Homestay for night stay.

Day 3 - Monday - Madikeri - Wayanad (Kalpetta) via Iruppu falls and Tirunelli - 167 KMs

After Breakfast drive to Iruppu falls. This is a beautiful falls.....higher than Abbey. Spend some time here and then proceed to Tirunelli to visit the ancient Vishnu temple nestled in the forests. After darshan, proceed to Kalpetta or your home stay in Wayanad for lunch.

Iruppu falls

Tirunelli temple

Rest and rejuvenated, drive down to Banasura dam - it closes at 6 PM - to savour beautiful vistas of backwaters. Go for boating experience. If weather is clear you will be lucky to see a beautiful sunset.

Return to Home stay for night stay.

Day 4 - Tuesday - Explore Wayanad

We strongly recommend getting up early to drive to Pookat lake in the morning at sun rise and take a walk along the banks. The lake is of one of the most beautiful places in Wayanad which needs to be savoured when there are no tourists. Go for boating on the lake and return for break fast.

Pookat lake

After breakfast, take packed lunch and hike to Edakkal caves and Soochipara water falls.
After lunch, visit Meenmutty falls and return to home stay

Day 5 - Wednesday - Wayanad - Calicut - 70 KMs
Road condition - Very Good

Get up in the morning and after an early breakfast drive to Kuruwa Dweep, the lovely bird sanctuary. Go in a boat to spot the birds. 

After Lunch, drive to Calicut. Enjoy the beautiful views of western ghats on the way. Drive to the beach. Enjoy the waters and lovely sunset. 

Lovely sands at Kappad beach

Return back to Wayanad to your Home stay for night.

Day 6 - Thursday - Wayanad - Ooty - 116 KMs
Road Condition - Very Good

After break fast, drive to Ooty via Gudalur. This is beautiful drive and reach Ooty for Lunch. After lunch, drive to boat house for a boat ride in the lake. Walk around in Ooty market and buy Ooty chocolates from the iconic place known as "King Star".

Tea Gardens on the way to Ooty

The Ooty lake

Day 7 - Friday - Explore Ooty

After breakfast, hop on to the Nilgiris heritage train and enjoy the "Chayya Chayya" moments. You can either do the complete train journey to Mettupalyam - takes 5 hours one way - and return back by either bus or go only up to Coonoor and catch a bus back to Ooty. Make sure you notice the lovely British built railways stations.

The train

Relax for the day. 

Day 8 - Saturday - Ooty - Coonoor - Kotagiri - 50 KMs

Get up early and after a cup of coffee take your car and drive to Avalanche and Emerald lake. The lake looks beautiful in the morning light and drive is a pleasant one. Stop over at any of the villages for nice cup of "boiler" tea. Drive up to Red Hills nature resort to get a view of Emerald lake.

Emerald lake in the morning

Emerald lake as seen from the peak behind Red Hills nature resort

Also look at this post on Ooty and Red hills in the blog - Ooty - Escape to red hills

After breakfast drive to Coonoor and Kotagiri to savour the view of Nilgiri ranges. At Coonoor and Kotagiri you can visit some viewpoints like Lamb's rock and also Catherine falls.

Catherine Falls

Day - 9 - Sunday - Ooty - Bangalore via Mysore - 266 KMs
Road Condition - Very Good

Pls check out the following links on this blog related to this post.

Ooty - Escape to Red Hills

Mango Range estate - Ideal location to explore Ooty and Wayanad

Stay options

Coorg - You are spoilt for options with newly opened fabulous Taj Vivanta and grand old bride of Coorg, Orange County to humble home stays. Unless you are a "resort type" we recommend staying in a home stay where you can get an of authentic "Kodava experience". Honeypot Homes and Polycad estate are our favourite home stays.

For more options on home stays in Coorg look at this nice webpage :- Coorg Homestays

Wayanad - Here too, you are spoilt for choices. Our choice is the remote and beautiful "Fringeford" and the nice home stay "Glenora".

Ooty - You should not stay in the city which gets crowded. The best options are "Destiny Farm Stay" and "Red Hills Nature Resort". Apart from these, also look at excellent properties "Kings Cliff" and "Sherlocks" by Littlearth group. If you have a fat wallet there is always  "Fern hill Palace", "Sullivan Court" and "Savoy Hotel".

Travel Tips

a) This is a quintessential driving holiday. The drive takes you through beautiful spots in Western ghats and Nilgiris biosphere. The drive is through the hills and recommended to drive safe.

b) If you are the "Trekker" kind, add another day in Wayanad and Coorg and also in Nilgiris. There are lot of day trekking options.

c) Madikeri, Kalpetta and Ooty gets crowded during holidays. Be prepared for crowds and long queues for boating unless you reach there early.

d) Madikeri is still a small town and has still retained its charm. You can explore it by foot or by bicycle. Ask the place of your stay for it. While in Coorg don't forget to taste the Kodava cuisine.

e) If you are a golf enthusiast, both Madikeri and Ooty have excellent golf courses. Check it out with your host for details.

f) Coorg and Wayanad will get chilly at night. The temperature in Ooty may touch zero  degree. Woolens are a must in Ooty in winters.

g) Whether you are staying in Taj Vivanta, Coorg or not - it is expensive - do drop in for a lunch there. The place is awesome and the views from the reception lobby is just out of the world. Do this before Taj guys stop entry to non residential guests which they are notorious for!!

h) The drive to Wayanad via Iruppu gives you an opportunity to go through some lovely landscape. The temple in Tirunelli is serene and uncrowded. 

i) We are strong advocates of getting up in the morning and driving around in the hills when the sun is coming up and there is no traffic. Wayanad is best enjoyed by driving around.

j) Look out for locally made handicrafts - made by tribals - in and around Kalpetta. There is a nice shop near Pookat lake on the highway.

h) You can do boating both in Pookat and Banasura dam. Go there early.

i) The drive to Calicut is nice and views as one drives up and come down to coast is fabulous. The beach in Calicut is beautiful too. Don't forget to pick up the famous "Calicut halwa" from Ramana Bakery in the town.

j) The route to Ooty from Kalpetta is very picturesque and goes through beautiful tea gardens. On the way you can visit Meenmutty falls and Phantom rock as well.

k) While in Ooty, drive around. That is the mantra. Ooty town like any other hill station in the country is crowded. Once you get out of Ooty, you will see some fabulous vistas. Plan drives in Avalanche area and to Coonoor/Kotagiri. You will love it.

l) Go to Honeymoon boat house - not the main boat house - where the queues are smaller during season.

m) Ooty has some lovely churches built by British. If you have time do visit them.

n) While in Coorg, you can also take out some time to visit Fort, Nalknadu Palace. Coorg is also famous for its festivals and also the Hockey tournament played amongst the families.

n) On the way back from Ooty to Bangalore, you may stop over for a day in Masinagudi and do jungle safari. Our favourite place is the laid-back Jungle Retreat. But there are many options in Masinagudi. Another nice place is Inn the Wild

For more details on Ooty, you may look at this post here

Ooty - A quick escape to Red Hills!

For other "Driving Holidays or Road Trips from Bangalore series" please click here

Driving Holidays from Bangalore 1 - Karnataka Heritage Trails

Driving Holidays from Bangalore 2 - Magical Malnad!

Driving Holidays from Bangalore 3 - A tryst with Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu

Driving Holidays from Bangalore 4 - Karavali and Koffee Combo!

Driving Holidays from Bangalore 5 - Exploring Enchanting Uttara Kannada!

You may also look at this link on this blog on what to do this summer in India

17 Cool Options to beat the heat in South India!

Ten Things to do in India this summer you haven't done before!

Some useful Links

On Coorg - Coorg Travel Guide

On Wayanad - Wayanad Travel Guide

On Ooty - Wikitravel Ooty

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Back of Blog - Kohima War Cemetery

Last week i was reading about Hornbill festival of Nagaland. The colourful, boisterous and lively festival of the people of Nagaland. The festival showcases the tribal culture of Nagaland. More about that in another post.

When i was reading about it, my memories went back twenty five years when i visited Kohima while in the army and went to see the second world war cemetery built by British.

You should hand it to British to ensure that honour and sacrifice made by the soldiers is never forgotten. Do you know as a country, India do not have a national war memorial even after 65 years of Independence? All war memorials are built by British - remember India Gate in Delhi - or by Army in their regimental centres.

Kohima cemetery is a place not be missed by anyone who is fond of history and to remember our brave soldiers who died for the country. Immaculately maintained in the best British tradition by Commonwealth War Graves Commission, it is a place you will not forget easily.

This cemetery was built in memory of those who laid down their lives while successfully repulsing the advancing Japanese forces during the Second World War

This was Deputy Commissioner's Tennis Court where the British and Indian forces successfully resisted the advancing Japanese forces for two months. A memorial has since been erected in honour of those who laid down their lives fighting the Japanese forces during April-June 1944.

The tomb stones are so nicely arranged with names on them. There are many unnamed soldiers as well. Some families of martyred soldiers visit the cemetery and offer tribute every year

The plaque on the tomb stone

The famous quote......

When you plan a trip to North East next time, be there to enjoy the Horn Bill Festival. At the same time don't forget to visit the cemetery with so many poignant memories......

Useful Links

Kohima Cemetery - Commonwealth War graves Commission

Battle of Kohima - World War II

Misty Sunday Morning in Lalbagh

Winter has set in Bangalore. Mornings are chilly. Skies are clear. All rainy days of last two weeks seems to be behind us.

We normally go to Lalbagh on the weekends for morning run. A run in Lalbagh or Cubbon park in Bangalore is always refreshing. Lalbagh gets crowded by people like us on weekend mornings. Nevertheless, it still a lovely place to be in the morning. 

When we left home in the morning yesterday, it was already misty. The visibility was poor. We expected Lalbagh to be beautiful on a misty Sunday morning. Bangaloreans are notorious for not getting up in the morning when temperature drops. This meant there was less crowd when we landed there at 6.30 AM. 

We were not disappointed. The lake looked surreal covered by mist. The lawns drenched by droplets of dew. The birds trying to get out of their nests. It was a lovely morning......well spent.

Here are are some pictures.........

Lalbagh Lake.....covered in mist

The statue of Charamaraja Wodeyar, the erstwhile king of Mysore - flanked by tall Araucaria Columnaris or Christmas trees as we all know them.....

We would have loved to join these kids for a game of soccer.....

The Java pink Cassia trees around central Library in Cubbon park have bloomed and painted the whole area into pink. We should go there on next weekend for a morning run.

Why don't you throw your blankets and get up on this weekend to enjoy the beauty of these parks. You have an incentive too. You can finish the visit to Lalbagh with a piping hot South Indian filter coffee either in the iconic Mavalli Tiffin Room, MTR as it is known or in "South Thindies". We normally stop at South Thindies which is a kilometer away and on the way home.

We have told you what to do this weekend. Are you game for it?

You may also like to read the following posts on Lalbagh

Lovely Lalbagh after Rains!

Human watching @ Lalbagh!

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India Travel stories by others -Valparai in Monsoons

We love to travel. 

Naturally we love to read travelogues as well. We believe that every travel is personal and every traveler has his own story to tell. It is his/her own experience of new place, new people, new sights, new food and new culture. It is interesting to read the experience of of others which will only enhance or complement one's own travel experience. Possibly, it may provide a new insight as well. We read many travel blogs and we would like to share some of the interesting ones we come across in this blog as well.

Here is the first one from Lakshmi. A prolific traveler and writer of a popular travel blog, here is her experience of visiting Valparai in Monsoons. Valparai is at its best in monsoons or post monsoons. It is green everywhere. The lakes are full and the waterfalls are brimming with glory. 

Please read on.........Lakshmi's account of Valparai in this link......

A Wet and Wild weekend in Valparai

If you want to know more about Valparai, you may visit the post in this blog here

Escape to Sinnadorai Bungalow in Valparai

Skywatch Friday - Towering into the sky!!

We clicked this in the UNESCO World heritage site of Brihadeshwara Temple in Thanjavur in South India. The massive Gopuram - one of the tallest in the world - or the temple tower seemed to be reaching out to the sky when we clicked. The pattern of the clouds added to the beauty.

For more details on Thanjavur or an itineraray to explore heritage sites of Tamil Nadu from Bangalore, please click on this post in this blog here

Exploring Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu from Bangalore

Useful link

Thanjavur in Wikipedia