A Picture - A Story blog backup

 https://sujathastravelblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/kaup-beach-udupi.html

Kaup Beach - Udupi

Country Club Resorts - Medchal - Hyderabad

September 2010

Ramoji Film City

Clicked from the guide-tour bus

The Mother

The Model Houses


Sathya in the Most Wanted poster

Bekal Fort - Kasargod

The Arabian Sea
The View

d dun set at Bekal Fort

December 2010

Shore Temple - Tamil Nadu

sleeping Vishnu inside the shrine of the Shore Temple...very breezy out here

Country Club Resort - ECR Road - Chennai

Mahabalipuram

Govt Musuem - Chennai

Horsley Hills

Horsley Hills, named after W.D. Horsley, a British collector, is in Madanapalle Taluk of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh at an altitude of 4000 feet. Horsley had built his home here in the 1870's.

It is just 150 km from Bangalore and promises a very pleasurable driving experience, hardly any traffic throughout the journey on nice, smooth roads. SO MANY biker groups ride to the hill station especially on a weekend because, in less than 3 hours, including pit-stops, you reach a place that is strikingly serene.    
        The silence of the valley is a draw for many. Sit here and enjoy the absolute solitude.

Horsley reminded me of Nandi Hills. The similarities are many - the nice drive up to the hills, the pleasant weather, and many scenic viewpoints. Here are a few of the viewpoints:

Imagine sitting here - watching the sun rise or set - with the only sound being the whoosh of wind blowing your hair...

Sit here in the evening with a book or at night with a drink & let the world pass by.

Walk around on these paved pathways with the monkeys on the trees and the birds on the branches. My solo, early morning walk along here was a cherished one.

The difference between Horsley Hills and other hill stations is that there is no commercial activity here. None at all. No endless rows of shops selling silly winter scarves & hats or kids' plastic bat & ball or chaat corners or other assorted hole-in-the-wall eateries. We only found 1 guy selling guava on his cycle.  

And that is reason enough to go see Horsley Hills, at least once, for a day. 

Ooty is completely commercialized and overcrowded. Horsley caters well to the government officers who come for a conference or office outing and is a favorite among families and couples too. Families love the peace and quiet and unhurried pace of things and couples enjoy the privacy the Hills offer. And with 4-5 engineering colleges in Madanapalle, the closest town just half an hour from the base of the hill, there is no dearth of lovers who throng the Hills or of boy gangs who come here for a quick ride from the town. 

You can explore the hills in a single day because everything is within a 2 km driving radius.  Walk around and enjoy the quiet, listen to the constant chirping of birds and soak your skin to the warmth of the sunlight peeking through the thick foliage.
 






   






Well paved roads, swimming pool, comfortable accommodation and decent food facilities all managed and run by the state tourism board. 

When we went (5-6th Nov weekend) we knew there were a lot of people staying, going by the number of cars parked in various parking spots. Yet, when you walk around the property you won't find them, the sense of solitude and 'me my thoughts and the nature' vibe is very strong.

Enroute to the Hills, there is this beautiful Saibaba Temple. 

It looked newly built. I checked the donation list displayed on the wall. One devotee had donated Rs 15 Lakhs!! The priest gave a biscuit each as prasad !! Marie biscuit ! That was a first for me!
So, for a hill station visit from Bangalore, 1N 2D stay, over the weekend, just to relax and recharge your batteries, fill your car with petrol for Rs 2000, pay Rs 3500 for AC accommodation in the Governor's Bungalow and then head straight to Horsley Hills.

Governor's Bungalow

Rest House

Rameshwaram

Everyday, there are three passenger trains, from Madurai to Rameshwaram - early morning, mid-afternoon and late evening.On the second day of our trip, we took the 12:40 p.m train and reached Rameshwaram at 4:30 p.m. The ticket was Rs 90 for 3 of us.


There were 2 reasons why I wanted to see Rameshwaram. One, is this incredible fact shown on the image on the left. Isn't that just amazing how this unique feat was achieved by our ancestors hundreds of years ago, that too without the technology prowess that we boast of today? Imagine the scientific and geographical knowledge they possessed! And the sheer will and devotion needed to build these temples in such fascinating symmetry. 

I hope one day I will be able to see all the temples along this line.

Later of course, Sathya spoke about the Ramnathaswamy temple and the 22 holy wells and I was hooked. The temple is a busy pilgrimage because it hosts one of the 12 Jyothirlingas and is a part of the Char Dham Yatra.

Two, I had seen a Kannada TV show, many years ago, where the anchor talked of Dhanushkodi, saying it was land's end, that it is a small island is separated from mainland India by the Pamban Channel. I was intrigued.


The Pamban Bridge, shown here, in the image from Google, is another engineering marvel of the 20th century.

I had watched a program on Discovery Channel or National Geographic (forgot which one) featuring this as one of the most dangerous bridges of the world, needing constant repair and maintenance and showed how the ocean waves lashed against the rail coaches during a storm.

The bridge is 2.2 kilometers and holds the record for being one of the longest bridges in India to be built over a bay.

The railway cantilever even has lifting spans for small ships to pass through.





We alighted at Rameshwaram station and took a van to go to Jiwan Residency Hotel. We paid Rs 100 for a distance of 2 km. No meter concept here or in Madurai. The auto or van guys throw a price at you, you accept and pay or bargain and leave.

Review of the hotel?
Well, we paid Rs 7000 for two nights - two adults and a child aged 11 with complimentary breakfast for the adults. Hotel facilities is excellent, location is great, it is walking distance from Ramnathaswamy temple BUT the internet sucks, no wifi in the rooms, only in the lobby which we never used and the staff knows only Tamil which made even simple instructions and conversation a torture, food in the attached restaurant was exorbitantly priced and the quantity was painfully small.

Anyways, what caught our fancy as we set foot in the town was the sight of these huge banners.
I don't know Tamil. I don't know what it says. Is it a wedding invitation? Or is it friends congratulating a newly married couple? Look at those "YO" boys with their cool, blue aviators. I bet the same shades were shared by all of them for this hot and happening picture. Rows of these funny posters are erected along the main road. There were also others with children (!!!) and their parents! What's with this obsession with flex banners? Pondicherry too is marred by endless posters and banners - wishing the CM on his birthday, welcoming a minister to the city, one politician wishing another politician.

I loved Chandigarh for this reason. Not a single banner on any of its roads. Naah...none! So clean!

Since we had reached in the evening, we were just in time to catch the last boat leaving the shores.

Here are some pics from the boat ride:

The silhouette of the Ramnathaswamy temple and the TV Tower

The next day at 6:30 a.m, we went to Ramnathswamy temple for the darshan and the 'snana' or dip in the holy waters. After the Lankan battle, Lord Rama performed a yagna and instituted a Jyotirlinga at this site. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. We first took a dip in the Agni Theertham. It is a small section of the shallow water of the sea that is revered. It is said that a holy bath here and the 22 theerthams in the temple should precede the Jyotirlingam Darshanam. We decided to do exactly that.

Even as early as 6 a.m, there was a huge crowd that had already gathered. We saw 3-4 priests performing "shraadh" and other poojas on the banks of the river. It was unmistakable to see so many devotees from the Northern parts of India. There were many shops and restaurants too that catered to North Indian cuisine and are run by North Indian people. 

At the temple, the queue to the 22 theerthams was exasperatingly long but it was moving and that was a relief. I had thought that there would be a small pond and we would go in and dip in it. Like we had in Shridhar Theertham in Sagara, Shimoga. But here, I saw that there were exactly 22 wells, each numbered and named (like Ganga, Yamuna and so on) and manned by a person who drew the water from the well and poured it on groups of devotees. And the devotees would then move to the next theerhtam. Just a few meters away from the ocean and yet these theerthams had such sweet water!! And a continuous supply too! Never-ending, fresh water!

Four months pregnant, not eaten a morsel and yet I was not tired. I was energized! It was a unique experience that none of us had ever had in any temple, be it in the South or North and we treasured it. We then changed into fresh clothes and stood in line for the Darshanam. 

The special darshana queue is priced at a mere Rs 50 and almost everyone was in it!! It was long and so slow that it was not moving at all. By then, it was already 9 a.m! Sathya happened to see a guard letting in some people directly to the sanctum. He slipped in a Rs 500 note and we managed to have the darshan in less than 10 minutes.

The temple has huge colonnades on 5 feet platforms. It is a fine display of Dravidian architecture. Shown above is one of the many corridors of the temple, beautifully painted in vibrant colors. It is the longest corridor in the world!! Built in the 12th century, the temple has a total of 1212 granite columns. All the pillars are sculpted with beautiful designs and the place stands as an incredible show of strength. Many other pillars are still in their original form.  The stones on the top of the roof go up to 40 feet in length. 

 The pooja starts at 5:00 a.m and goes on till 8 p.m and the spadigalinga deepa aradhana (milk abhisheka on the crystal linga) is at 5:10.  

After the temple visit, we went sight-seeing in an auto. Rs 1100 for a day. First stop was Ramar Padham (or Gandhmadana Parvathan) temple. The foot prints of Lord Rama are here. It is the peak from where Lord Hanuman started his flight to Lanka. There is also the Satchi Hanuman temple, the place where Hanuman brought back the jewel (satchi) from Sita. 

We also paid our respects to the greatest scientist and President our country has ever seen - Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam or Missile Man as he was called for his contribution to India's space research and development. He was the 11th President - from 2002 to 2007.  

The Kalam Memorial has been wonderfully constructed by DRDO in just 9 months and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi as recently as July of this year, on the occasion of the President's second death anniversary. Till last year, the site was in complete shambles and it was a sad sight to behold. Both the Memorial and Dr Kalam's house have a superbly collated display of his various accolades, highest civilian awards and photographs of his life's journey. 

We also saw the Villondi Theertham. Lord Rama made this theertham to quench the thirst of Sita by dipping the bow into the sea water. 

The place did not have any crowd when we went and offered a great view of the sea. Endless, turquoise sea.

We later went to Dhanushkodi, an abandoned twon that has many historical ruins like this ol church, an old railway track and station etc. Dhanushkodi lies at the south-eastern tip of Rameshwaram and is only 29 kms west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. Lord Rama built a stone bridge to bring his army to cross to Lanka. After the war, the new King Vibhishana asked Rama to destroy the bridge. Rama destroyed the bridge with one end of his bow. Hence the name Dhanushkodi meaning end of the bow. 

Dhanushkodi has an excellent beach. This is where the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean merge. The beach is clean, and vast with a color that entices you to jump right in.

A newly laid national highway connects Dhanushkodi with Rameshwaram. The drive is smooth and takes only 30 minutes. And since it is still not spoiled by unrestrained tourism, it is a great place to unwind. 

Two minutes walk from our hotel is the Holy Island Resort with facilities for kayaking, boating, a children's park etc. Satty and Tan went kayaking. Rs 200 for 30 minutes per person. 

When we returned from Rameshwaram, we took the 6:00 p.m train, the sun had just set and the evening sky was resplendent, with the highway on the left and the railway track on the right. 

The train ride is something you must go on, at least once in your lifetime and feel the thrill of standing at the edge of the open door of the coach and look at the ocean right below you. Wave at the people on the highway who have stopped their cars to wave at the passengers of the slowly moving train. We are both clicking pics of each other! 

The 4 day Madurai - Rameshwaram trip cost us nearly Rs 17,000/- The travel expenses were really low as we opted for train. A large part of the expenses (nearly 10,000/-) went for accommodation. I feel it is better to opt for the Tamil nadu Tourism Hotel. It is less expensive, the food is also reasonably priced and good and the facilities are good too.

Madurai

Every visitor's first stop in Madurai is the Meenakshi Amman Temple. It is dedicated to Goddess Parvati (Meenakshi) and Lord Shiva (Sundareshwara).  The entire city is built around it. 

This magnificent temple was built between 1623 and 1655. But when Malik Kafur (a muslim king) looted the temple of its valuables, it was rebuilt by Vishwanath Nayak.

It has four towers and the South Tower holds the record for the ninth tallest gopuram at 170 feet! It has nearly 1511 statues carved on it! It is also the busiest entry point to the temple as it is the most auspicious. Many people had warned us that people get lost once inside the premises and wouldn't know where to exit! If you look at the aerial view of the temple, you will know why. One cannot but be amazed by the grandeur and scale of this temple. Now there are sign-posts everywhere and staff to guide.  
   

The pillars are beautiful and I was ensnared by the carvings on each one of them. 
The garlands in the picture below was the result of a special prayer performed by the priest. It was a surprise to us. The general practice is the devotees go around in a line and get just a few minutes of darshan of the deity. Tanvi was excited to see us like this - like we had just gotten married! 

Madurai is a historic city and was ruled by the Pandyas, Cholas, Madurai Sultanat, Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Carnatic Kingdom and the British. It will soon be developed as a smart city under our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi's Smart Cities Mission.   

There are many stalls, restaurants and shopping centers right outside the temple. 

Look at the assortment of fried snacks - in so many colors too!

We tried the cream colored tender coconut. We don't usually find it in Karnataka. It tasted just as good as the regular green one.

Our next stop was the Thirumalai Naicker Mahal. It is a 17th century palace built in 1636 by King Thirumalai Naicker. He belonged to the Nayaka dynasty who ruled Madurai from 1623 to 1659. An Italian architect was commissioned to build the palace. 

The palace was in two segments - Swargavilas and Rangavilas but only Swargavilas has survived and that too only one fourth portion of the original palace remains today. 

We then went to see the Gandhi Memorial Museum. It was originally used as a sports pavilion to view elephant fights and was built by Rani Mangammal in 1670. It was convereted to a museum only in 1955. Mahatma Gandhi first adopted the loin cloth as his dress when he saw some agricultural laborers wearing it. It was in Madurai, in 1921, that he took this decision. The bullet-ridden cloth that he wore on the day of his assassination is placed in the museum. 

By the time we finished these three places, the sun was roasting us. There were so many more temples to see but the weather was a dampener. We did not have the energy or the inclination to see anything else. We had left the hotel at 10:30 and by 2:30 p.m we were exhausted by the heat. We ran to the hotel for lunch and to chill in the AC. 

By late afternoon, it rained heavily and the temperature dipped. It was also time for Sathya's beer hunting expeditions! Finding beer in Tamil Nadu (TN) is a real task. He had struggled to get some beer even in a big metro like Chennai. Liquor shops are not easily available and the concept of the whole family sitting together for dinner while the man drank is unheard of. No 'Family Bar and Restaurant' here. There are only hole-in-the-wall shops with grilled counters that you need to queue up to and they give you your bottle - without bag or even paper. It makes you feel like you are buying medicines! 

A van driver took us to one such place. Since it had rained that evening, the streets were completely water-logged. People waded through the mini swimming pools without flinching. There were parota stands, TENS of them, almost adjacent to each other, on both sides of the road. Dosai, vadai and idly -  the standard fare. That is both breakfast and dinner item, by the way. No other options or variety available. Pongal is another constant - in the breakfast menu. I prefer pongal that is slightly spicy. Here it is more like dal and rice cooked together with just a pinch of salt. Sathya loves the Tamil style pongal and was relishing it. The vadais are really small with generous sprinkling of pepper seeds. You become busy extracting them while you eat. By the fourth day of our trip to Madurai & Rameshwaram, I was sick of idli, dosai, vadai and pongal. I was effectively cured of my idli obsession, the comfort food of my hungry first trimester pregnancy days. 

We went to the hotel with our "loot" but were asked not to carry the bottles openly past the lobby lest we offended the other guests. So we rushed to our room, got our backpack down, hid the bottles in it and went up. 

We stayed at Sree Devi Hotel in Madurai. It is near Madura College. Rs 2000/- per night. Courteous staff, overall good service. But in the end, we got a shock. They had charged us for two days instead of one. Here, the format is not the usual 12:00 a.m check in and 11:00 a.m check out. It is check out the next day at the time you checked in. We had checked in at 9 a.m and checked out the next day at 10:30. And yet he had cunningly charged us an extra day thinking we wouldn't notice or check the bill. In fact, he hesitated to show or give the bill. When we insisted, he was exchanging glances with his colleague. He surely didn't expect us to demand the bill. And we did not expect to be cheated like that. 

We did get the money back, though. 

Shimoga

Shimoga is considered the Heart of Malenadu and the 'Rice Bowl of Karnataka'. I am from the Karavali or coastal region. Malenadu refers to the 100 km region of the Western Ghats and the Sahyadri mountain ranges. 'Male' in Kannada means rain and 'nadu' is city or place.

Three things you can't miss noticing in Shimoga.

One, cows on the National Highway. They were resting, standing, watching vehicles, sleeping, placing their heads on other cows and looking around - in groups and solo ones - in all varieties and positions - right in the middle of the road. They could as well have rolled over into the grass of the adjacent fields and rested but no, they preferred the warmth of the tar roads!

The vehicles would manoeuvre around them. The cows never budged. Even big trucks, buses and lorries would slow down and move past the cows, making sure not to hurt them. 

All was fine until once, we almost crashed into the car ahead of us because there was a calf in the middle and a biker zoomed past, the car stopped abruptly and Thank God for Sathya's split second response to the situation or there would have been an accident. Did the calf notice the mayhem? Naah! It was blissfully unaware.

Two, mandakki (puffed rice as shown in the pic on the left) and churmuri (shown right). There were SEVERAL stalls selling it at almost every shop and tourist place. It was hard to miss it! Of course, puffed rice and churmuri are not unique to Shimoga but it is definitely ubiquitous, just like the Udupi hotels, the Shanthi and Sukh Sagars of Bangalore.

Three, the big 'dairy flower', the big, round ones. It looked something like this below, but was much bigger than this. It comes in so many colors! It is the preferred offering to deities during poojas and shringar (decoration). It is also worn by elderly women on their tiny buns, the flower covering half of the back of their heads! Most houses grow the plant in their front yards, in

cement covers, with long sticks to support the tall plant.     

The entire trip we had good roads especially since we were mostly on NH206 and SH 1 except the Honnemardu road and the roads in the town of Sagar which are actually non-existent.

Shown below is the residence of Shivappa Nayaka (1645-1660), a ruler of the Keladi Nayaka Kingdom and later successors of the Vijayanagara Empire. The famous Bekal Fort of Kasargod, Kerala (as shown in the Hindi movie Bombay, the song 'Tu Hi Re'?) was built by him!!! 

The house is made from sagoni mara (Teak wood), the most expensive of all woods. One single main door made of teak wood would set you back by at least Rs 40,000 by today's standards.

  

The stone sculptures neatly arranged by the Archelogical Survey of India in the premises with beautifully landscaped and nicely maintained garden. On the left, is the carving of Lord Vishnu from 14th Century A.D and on the right, is a veeragallu or victory stone with the depiction of the worship of a Linga or Shiva in the first column of the panel.

This huge statue of Lord Shiva was at Rameshwara Temple, Harkere.
We stopped here to pray as it was Monday (somavara Shiva darshana) and luckily, there was an Anna Prasada Seve going on & we ate our lunch there. Temple food is so simple & yet so delicious!

Here, for the first time, I saw a practice called "Linga Snana". You hold a linga over your head and the priest bathes the linga. Then you do the pradakshine (walk around the temple).

We stopped at the Tunga Hydel Project or Gajanur dam. When do I get to see dams with the water gushing forth? Alas! Never I guess! Whether it was 

Harangi Reservoir or KRS in Mysore or Tungabhadra in Hospet, most often we have seen dams where they had not let the water out. So no fun in seeing just the structure.

We sang the Shivraj Kumar song "iva gajanurina gandu kanammo" loudly in the car as we approached the dam as my first memory of the word 'Gajanur' was that song. It was very famous when I was in school and often played on the radio. 

This I saw in one of the smaller temples.

The "floor mat" you see is actually dried husk/peel of the arecanut.

It was soft to walk on and worked to keep your feet clean from the slush of the rain.

We visited Koodli too.

It is 16 kms from Shimoga.

It is called the Varanasi of South India.

It is the place where the two rivers Tunga and Bhadra join and and form the Tungabhadra river. 

The Nandi denotes the exact point where the rivers meet .

There is a nearly 600 year old mutt of Shankaracharya.

Here is a seventh standard boy selling pineapples by the roadside. The whole national highway stretch of 206 is lined by these small make-shift stands. For Rs 20, really juicy and sweet pineapples.

Tiger Safari in Tyavarekere

It is a well-staffed and well-maintained zoo. The tiger population is more than the lion and the tigers, when our van passed its cage, came so close to the van that we all shrieked for joy. There's something magical and majestic about a tiger's slow gait. It is threatening, scary and yet captivating. It is impossible to take your eyes off a tiger.

We were also lucky to witness this peacock displaying its lovely bloom while trying to impress one of the peahens around.

It was only here in this zoo, when I saw a panther in the cage with 6-7 other leopards, that I learnt that a panther is actually a leopard, born along with the other cubs, but suffers from a rare skin disease called melanosis, wherein excessive production of the pigment, melanin, causes the leopard to have a black skin! It was written on the information board of the cage. I really thought till then that panthers were a separate category of animals!

As we drove back to Shimoga from Thirthahalli, there was a road under construction on the state highway and right beside the road, was this sight! As a friend of mine remarked on Facebook, it reminds you of the Bobby Deol-Manisha Koirala song "Bechainiyan" from the movie Gupt. That song was shot in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala but the resemblance is uncanny.

As our three day trip ended, we felt both rejuvenated and sad to bid adieu to such a lovely district. Our legs were sore from all the walking and climbing but it was, what I call, "sweet pain". I would love to be pained thus all my life.

As for the cost, it cost us Rs 15,000/- for three people, three days, exploring three major towns. Rs 5000 for petrol, Rs 5000 for hotel stay and the rest for food, parking tickets, entry fees and so on. I have realized that keeping aside a minimum of Rs 5000 a day for any trip helps with the budget.

Aghoreshwara Temple, Ikkeri

We were so glad we visited the 15th century Aghoreshwara (Shiva) temple in Ikkeri. The temple is still functional with daily poojas and prayers being performed. Ikkeri is just 6 kms from the main town of Sagara.

The entrance flanked by Gajaraj (elephants), an important motif in every single ancient Indian temple.
The temple is maintained by the Archeological Survey of India and the upkeep is excellent as seen in the green landscaping all around the temple premises.

One of the striking aspects of most Indian temples is the pillars.

A single pillar has such intricacy woven into it!

Solid and beautiful and functional!


Is this a dragon spewing fire? Or a lion?

Carved on the steps leading into the Akhilandeshwari (or Parvathi - wife of Shiva) temple.





Another wonderfully carved piece.

The head gear of the rider looks like that of a Muslim.

What animal is he riding? Is it a mythical creature?



Wonder what this carving on the right was! Dragon? Evil force?

Or just a figment of imagination?

I loved the arms held up that way, mouth wide open and eyeballs popping out.

Was that fear or amazement?




Shiva with his damru and trishul.












A place to rest for the Nandi (the bull), the vahana (vehicle) of Lord Shiva. It is built entirely in granite. The tail was damaged and missing but the rest of this nearly 500 years old sculpture is still strikingly beautiful.

The exterior walls of the temple. How can one not be enamored by the beauty of these sculptural masterpieces? The temple dates back to the Keladi Nayaka period and belongs to the Hoysala-Kadamba style of architecture.

Sri Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple

Sigandur Temple was our first stop on the Shimoga trip and the first visit to a major temple after news of my pregnancy. The temple is 30 kms from Sagar. The drive takes two-and-a-half hours from Shimoga as Sagar itself is around two hours.

This was the first place, of all the places Sathya and I have been to and seen, during all our trips and travels, that I didn't know anything about!! All our trips, I am the one who always chooses the place and he is the one who draws up the travel plan. But this time was different. Strangely, Sigandur is very close to Kundapur and yet I had never heard or read about it even though I am from that region. When we planned this trip, the first item Sathya wrote on the itinerary was Sigandur temple. That was the first time ever I even heard the name! I am so glad I saw this really nice temple. Thanks a ton to him for that!

To go to the Temple, you have to cross the scenic Sharavathi backwaters. 

Government buses ply at regular intervals to and from Sagar. The bus stop is called Holey Bagilu (river door). We have to use the inland water transport called the "launch". Yup, that's what the boat that takes you across is called - The Launch!

The ride costs Rs 10 for adults and takes about 10 minutes. It ferries both men and their machines across the river. Buses, cars, cement trucks, bikes and people are all welcome.

While returning, we sat in a bus, which was also being ferried across, in the launch and the bus took a reverse and slided gently into the shore and drove off to Sagar town. Tanvi was like, "We are travelling in a bus but the bus is not moving but we are going to our stop! Everyone on the bus paid for the bus and the launch separately. 

Once you alight, you will find government buses, cabs and taxis to take you to the temple. The bus charges Rs 10 whereas the group cab (13 people in a Toofan vehicle) is Rs 20. It is just 10 mins drive up the hill to the temple. We took a separate cab for Rs 200 as we missed the bus by a few minutes.

The temple is very well managed. Everything is done in an efficient and hassle-free manner. This was our second major temple visit after Tirupathi, in April, and the contrast was striking. There was a huge crowd (though minuscule compared to the numbers in Tirupathi!!) but the staff did not hurry or scream at or push anyone or bang the floor or the pillar with a stick. As we waited for our turn for the Darshan, we were made to sit, in silence, once inside the temple.

As each small batch of 20-25 people moves closer to the Garbha Griha and watches the Aarthi, you truly feel you are in the 'sannidhi' (presence) of the Devi. You then move along in the line as a priest waits to give you the mangalarthi. There is a separate counter, up ahead, for theertha and one for prasada. No one misses on anything. No one jostles. Everyone gets time with the Goddess to one's heart's content.

In Tirupathi, we had a feeling of being captured and caged. 15 hours locked up in a big hall with hundreds of people in it!  The moment the locks of the waiting rooms are opened, people scream and there is a huge rush and fear of missing our children in the constant push and pull. Endless rows of devotees inch forward one single step at a time. All this for a ONE SECOND darshana. And this after traveling all the way and foregoing sleep and food!

Recalling our horrid experience at Tirupati , we opted for special darshna (shorter queues and lesser waiting time) at Sigandur. Most temples have a separate fee for it. In Dharmasthala, it is Rs 200 and in Tirupathi Rs 300. Interestingly, the concept here is different. They don't charge you anything extra specifically for it. Instead, you can sponsor the Anna Dana (free meal service) for 25 people by paying Rs 500 and the entire family can join the special queue. Or sponsor for 50 people paying Rs 1000. This is a more gratifying experience for the devotees who feel content that their contribution goes for providing free lunch and not for escaping a long queue. Your contribution is promptly acknowledged with a receipt by a person who enters your postal address in the system, so that you can use it for tax exemption as well.

Everyone is then led to the Anna Dana or Prasada Seve hall which is, of course, free for all, as in every Hindu temple from centuries. Food service style is similar to Tirupathi. You take a plate and pass from each sevak who serves rice, sambar, curd rice, kheer and pickle. It is not like the system followed everywhere else, in most South Indian temples or in langars in Sikh Gurudwaras, where you sit and the sevaks go around serving the food and giving water. Kollur Mookambika, Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt, Dharmasthala, Mantralaya follow this tradition.

Your kanike (gift) - gold, silver, cash payment - is immediately acknowledged with a receipt and a book on yoga, a photo frame of the deity, stickers and kumkum are given. The hannukai (fruit & coconut) for Rs 100 is given in a nice bag made from saree. The staff politely explain where to go and what to do next. All your queries are addressed promptly. Everything is systematic. It is a must visit temple. 

Sagar in Shimoga

We went to Shimoga during the long Independence Day weekend (12-14th Aug'17). We spent one day each in Shimoga, Sagar and Thirthahalli. 

Shimoga is a district we had not explored before and is only a 6 hour drive from Bangalore via Tumkur. We checked in at Akash Inn just to rest for the night and paid Rs 2200/- through the travel website "Booking.com". It is a really good hotel. Oh! You must try their poori-sagu for breakfast, the sagu is delicious, unlike anything I have tasted before. (Aside: a tip - don't stay at Jewel Rocks. It is pathetic - both the service, the food and the room facilities. I had stayed there on an official visit and didn't like it one bit. Same price as Akash Inn, by the way). 

The next morning, we set out straight to Sri Sigandur Chowdeshwai Temple.  The drive was pleasant as it was monsoon season. Luckily, it didn't rain throughout the 3 days of our trip. The weather was cool, the roads surrounded on both sides by rows and rows of arecanut plantations, rice fields and thick forests.

You will not feel the strain of driving at all. The drive, mostly on NH 206, was one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip.

While in Sagar, how could we have missed a detour to Jog Falls? I still wish I could see the Jog in full fury, froth emanating from the bottom, the falls in its majestic glory as seen in some movies like Mungaru Male which was shot here. 

The  hydro-electric power station at Jog Falls with the multiple layers of the Western Ghats in the background

We heard from the locals about Shridhar Swamy Mutt in Varadahalli where the samadhi of the Swamy lies. Sri Shridhar Swamy is a revered saint in this part of the State. The Theertha is a holy pond with water that flows 24 hours a day and no one knows the source of the water. It is known for its skin cleansing properties. People take a dip in the pond to rid themselves of any skin disease.

We also went to the most talked about place in Sagar - Honnemardu (Golden Lake) located on the backwaters of the Sharavathi river. It is beautiful and is known for the most spectacular sunrise and sunset views and covers an area of 50 km by 80 km.

Honnemardu is supposed to have kayaking, boating and other water activities. But when we went, there was no boatman and the boats were all resting. I guess he knew few would venture out into that hell-hole of a road and come thus far. Or perhaps, prior booking was needed with one of the adventure camp organizers. Anyway, there were only 5 cars that visited the place that particular day.

The road is so bad, so bad that you curse yourself and every Internet page that talks about how scenic Honnemardu is (which it is, no doubt) but skip mentioning its pathetic road. You vent your anger at the public servants who have slept off and not turned around even once to see the disarray. The neglect and apathy is shocking especially since Honnemardu is the first thing Google throws up when you search Sagar or Shimoga. You don't even have any road markers to help you. We stopped at a place where there was a car and a bike parked and a small, mud-trodden pathway among the bushes that led somewhere. We stopped and blindly followed it and found the right place. If that car had not been there, we would have driven further because there really is nothing to guide you or no human face to talk to.

Jaipur - The Conclusion

On the flight back home, none of us felt the sadness that we usually feel when our holiday ends - neither me nor Tanvi nor Sathya. We all felt this just once before after the Chennai trip. We had been through this rare feeling of not missing the place or the holiday when we had returned from Chennai.  And now it happened after the Jaipur trip. 

Did it have to do with the hot weather of Jaipur? Well, Hyderabad was hot, hot, hot too. But when our Hyderabad vacation ended, we were in tears. We literally dragged our bodies back home. We loved Hyderabad.

So what was it with Jaipur and Chennai? Why didn’t we cry hoarse that now we had to return to normal life, the daily grind and routine? That our short, 5-day vacation, sudden and unplanned had ended? 

Food? It could be the reason. I actually got fed up with roti, hundreds of varieties of it - hard, not easily digestible. And the aloo in everything! A simple South Indian meal was such a rarity and such a luxury here. Rs 140 per plate - just papad, rasam, rice, palya.

The weather was definitely another. 

Most importantly though was the noise in Jaipur. The men seem to place their hands on the horn as soon as they exit the gates of their houses in the morning and do not, mind you, do not remove it until they reach the gates of their houses in the evening. Those darned fingers are pressed tight to their horns. The honking does not stop. No sir! This crazy city is far from romantic. Itna zyada honking - unbelievable sound levels. 

And all this while, we used to be annoyed by the honking in Bangalore. Compared to Jaipur and Agra, Bangalore is still taking baby steps in the race for "The City with the Maximum Noise".

I remember reading the travel account of a foreigner on Quora. He had said India is high on decibel levels so much so that when he returned to his country, he wondered if the city had any living people on it anymore! It seemed so eerily quiet! The loudspeakers blaring devotional songs, the processions, and the honking - he immediately felt the vacuum.

Nevertheless, here are a few things that will stay with me when I think of the city of Jaipur. 

The row of shops with their names written on the walls. I had never seen this method of naming in any other city yet. And I  found it quite unique.

The flavors of Rajasthan at just rupees fifty for 300 grams!

The street outside Sisodia Rani Bagh - the Jaipur Bikaner Road

The Monster Paapad. Can't remember if it was priced at Rs 5 or Rs 10 only that it was really cheap.

The block printing work on the fabric in progress right outside the Gram Udyog premises

We bought two skirts here - one for me and one for Tanvi. The treatment the customer gets here is something you have to see for yourself. It's really hard to say 'no' to the persistent staff. When you use the last resort and say, "Not enough money", they immediately say, "No problem. Pay whatever little you can now, write your address and we will mail the product to you. You can pay later." We used that option just to see how the whole thing works and true to word, the delivery arrived right on time.

Below is the place where numerous movies have been shot showing the hero and heroine runring across the street, with the pigeons leaping into the sky. I wanted a shot of the pigeons in flight but they were all too busy eating. This is right in front of the Albert Hall Museum. 

You must visit Albert Hall if you are interested in history. It is the oldest museum of the state (was opened in 1887) and houses a wonderful collection of paintings, artifacts, monuments, ivory carvings, crystal works, metal sculptures and all things used and sourced by the kings back in the days. 

We didn't use any tour package to explore Jaipur. Like all our family trips, it was a self-exploration. We had made a list of places not to be missed and added a few after we went there. Sisodia Rani Bagh was one such last minute addition. We are glad we saw this beautiful residence of the Queen.

It is very well maintained and has few visitors. So it's a welcome patch of green, of peace and quiet in  an otherwise noisy city. 

Birla Mandir is another tranquil spot. The pure white, marble structure is beautiful in its simplicity. The Birla Mandir is present in many other cities as well like Delhi, Bhopal and Hyderabad, all of them built by the Birla business family. So if you have been to any of the other places, and don't have enough time, you can skip this one. 

The iconic Hawa Mahal. The stretch of road on which it stands is a very busy, crowded one today. Built in 1799 in red stone, it was meant for the queens and other ladies to watch the street processions and to escape the prying eyes of the public. It is supposed to have 950 windows!

I loved the forts, the palaces, the gardens, and the roads. The infrastructure is really good. So strange that a city with such good infrastructure has very few companies and people have to migrate to other cities/states in search of employment.

The Nahar Garh Fort - Jaipur

Manaharaja Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur built the fort in 1734. 

Among the three forts in Jaipur, the Nahargarh Fort is said to be the smallest. And yet it took us a good half day to explore it! 

It gives you a wonderful view of the Man Sagar Lake in the distance. And that is the famed Jal Mahal in the center of the lake. 

From the fort, you can also catch a sight of the vibrant city of Jaipur and its pastel buildings. 

Along with Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh provided a good defense for the city. Luckily the fort was not attacked during the course of its history.

Below are the pictures of the insides of the fort. 

Every 5 steps there is a door that opens into a room.  

The rooms are all linked by corridors and still have some beautiful frescoes on its walls.

All rooms are connected and lead to the other.

The fort was first named Sudarshangarh.

Later it came to be known as Nahar Garh which means home of tigers.

Movies such as Rang De Basanti and Shuddh Desi Romance have been shot here.












The large terrace of the fort with the domes. 

Below is the water reservoir with the steps leading down to it.

The planning that went into the construction of the fort, the years it took to complete it, the immense labour involved and the end result so majestic, and all this some three hundred years ago - it fills you with awe and admiration for the Kings who built it. As you walk around the fort, you know you are taking a little bit of history with you.

The Jal Mahal Palace, also called the Pleasure Palace. Jal means water in Hindi and Mahal is Palace.

Palace and the lake surrounding it were renovated in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh. It is built in red sandstone as is common in Rajasthan. It is actually five storied but four floors remain under water when the lake is full. Only the top floor is exposed. 

Tourists can only see this pleasure palace only from far. We are not allowed to go in. It is belieevd to have two structures in the front of the mahal, in the lake, for security guards to keep watch!

The road connectivity is excellent between the various tourist attractions in Jaipur and because of the ease of access and proximity, you can cover many spots in a single day; provided you can tolerate the heat. The city is very "hot".

Jaipur

I had visited Jaipur during the last week of September in 2014. It was an official visit for me. I had gone to an engineering college as part of the Campus Placement Team. My flight and hotel expenses were covered by the company. It was our first time to Rajasthan. I completed my two days work in the college and then extended the stay to explore the city and to visit Taj Mahal. Sathya and Tan accompanied me.
  

We stayed at Hotel Amer View. The host was very friendly and treated each guest like family.

The only negative thing was the complimentary breakfast. One week of eating aloo parathas and bread-butter drove us nuts.

There was just no other option. When we requested for a change in the menu, we would be generously served omelette!

It took several months for us after we returned to Bangalore to be able to even look at parathas again without being disgusted.

It was reasonably priced, and had comfortable, spacious rooms with beautiful wall decors and traditional paintings featuring kings and queens adorning the corridors.

The first morning I went to the hotel terrace and witnessed this beautiful sunrise.

And just as I stood there soaking in the atmosphere and savoring the slow break of dawn, I noticed something in the sky.  I was shocked to see, in the distance, a hot air balloon in flight. When I inquired around and realized hot air ballooning is held in the city, the first thing I did was arrange money (Rs 10,000 for a one hour ride). But the office that handles the bookings was located somewhere else and even though I tried very hard to contact them and make the payment and go on the ride, I couldn't.

The hotel was walking distance from the take-off site of the balloon ride. As a last resort, I thought Chalo, let me request them and pay at the spot of the take-off. Early next morning, I woke up, (what I thought was in the middle of the night), got ready and literally ran the whole distance to the site. But the staff refused to take me on saying the ride had to be booked through their office. I remember begging them. I remember crying the whole way back to the hotel. I was so sad that morning. I missed going on such a unique adventure.

From our room, we could see the famous Amer Fort. That's why the name Hotel Amer View. It was a mere stone's throw away.

The palace and Jaigarh Fort are one complex connected by a passage. The passage was used as an escape route during war to help the royal family and others in the Fort to move to the Jaigarh Fort. 

The Amer Fort is a must visit.The fort overlooks the Maota Lake, the main source of water for the Palace. 

It was built from red sandstone and marble by Raja Man Singh during 967 CE. Imagine that! So long long back! It is laid out on four levels. Each level has its own courtyard.  

The Fort is known for its beautiful Hindu style elements. It gets its name from Amba, the Mother Goddess Durga. It houses the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is created artificially. The winds blow over a water cascade inside the palace. It was the residence of the Rajput Maharajas.

Nearly 5000 people visit the Fort in a single day. 1.4 million visitors were reported during 2007.  In 2013, the Fort was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with 5 other forts of Rajasthan.

Across our hotel, was the site of the cremation ground of the Kachwaha Kings.  From 1733 onwards the final rites of every Kachwaha king were done here. It is now used for morning walks.

Jaipur is a historical city founded by Sawai Jai Singh in the 17th century. The Kachwaha rules built many wonderful monuments dotting the length and breadth of the city. Indulge in a casual stroll through the streets and you are most likely to bump into some monument or the other. The city throws back history at you at every corner. A must visit for all lovers of Indian history. Truly, the land of the Rajas and Maharajas.

Darjeeling

The last lap of our 7 day Sikkim tour package was a day of sight-seeing in Darjeeling. And the first event was the famous sunrise over the Kangchenjunga peak over Tiger Hill. To see the sun rise over the majestic Mount Everest is a surreal experience. Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world. It lies partly in Nepal and partly in Sikkim.

We had to wake up at 3:30 for this. We were at the hill by 4:30, one of the first ones to be there.

We were shivering in the cold.

There was nothing on the hill top except for people selling gloves and scarves and coffee. 

But in less than an hour, the whole place was teaming with people and there was not an inch of spare space to set foot.

The construction of the new observatory is under way and the outcome sure looks exciting. 

The Kangchenjunga peak glowing with the first rays of the sun. This pic from my mobile camera does no justice to it. Wish I had a super fantastic professional camera.

The sight of the changing hues of the peak in the span of 30 minutes or less makes it worth the suffering in the early morning ruthless chill and the dazed eye from lack of sleep.

The reverence to Kanchenjunga is palpable. Hotels and houses are routinely named after it. As tourists, every place we stop, every bend we take, we catch ourselves constantly trying to catch a glimpse of the peak. 

While in Darjeeling, the adventure sport you must try is white water rafting in the Teesta River. 

Entrance fee to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is part of the MMT package but we had to pay from our pockets as they did not inform us. Both these places are worth a visit. The zoo is very well-maintained and quite unique in the way the cages are built. As we walk up the hilly slopes of the zoo, we peer into the cages that are dug out far below. It's an interesting view for us even as the animals are blissfully unaware of people staring at them like fools.

This gorgeous tiger gave us all the sighting of our life by pacing back and forth and roaring.

I hardly saw any clinic and hospitals both in Sikkim and in Darjeeling.

The driver said there are actually very few.

They mostly use traditional herbs and the rest is taken care of by walking. 'Pahadi log' (mountain people) do not have much use for the doctor. So I couldn't resist taking a pic of this clinic that I found inside the premises of the Tsuk Druk monastery.




Darjeeling is famous for 3 T's - Tourism, Tea and Timber. Justifiably, Happy Valley Tea Estate is a spot in the MMT itinerary.
Here is the picture of the cup marking the marriage of Princess Diana sent to the Tea Estate.

Japanese temple built in 1972. There is a large prayer room upstairs. We were lucky to be just in time for the ongoing prayers. We were given a small drumming pad and a stick. We chanted a Buddhist verse to the beats of the drum. The temple was founded by Fuji Guruji for world peace. He is believed to have witnessed the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

The Peace Pagoda is the tallest structure in Darjeeling and gives a beautiful view of the town surrounding it. It is believed to have taken the Japanese architect three years to build it. 

The Peace Pagoda has four avatars of Buddha - sitting, standing, sleeping and meditating. All the statues are polished in gold color. This one below is my favorite:

The Tibetan  Refugee Center is on the itinerary too. Skip this in case of shortage of time or if you are not too much into the history of the Tibetan-Chinese territorial conflict. There is a display of photos tracing the events of the illegal Chinese occupation of Tibet & the tragic loss of Tibetan way of life.

You can buy lots of interesting things from here but all the items are expensive. It is better to buy from any of the shops in the town selling almost the same things. However, a board like this will melt your heart and you will be tempted to splurge for the 'cause'

India has been a land of acceptance. Many of those who suffered from religious persecution the world over have sought solace here - from the Jews who settled in Kerala to the Buddhists. Many Buddhist refugee camps dot the length and breath of this great nation.

The Druk Sangag Choling Monastery is a must visit. It is a beautiful structure. You can be a part of the prayers or simply watch the monks and pupils as they scurry around their daily work in their long saffron robes. The monastery houses an orphanage. Poor parents leave their little boys on the footsteps of the monastery to be raised as scholars and monks. 

The beautiful women selling mostly non-vegetarian fare in the evening market.



Most of the small shops, hotels and eateries are run by Nepali origin people. The ethnic tribes like Lepcha, Nepali and Sherpas run the show here and it is evident. Eve-teasing is almost not heard of here.

Darjeeling is already partially autonomous and there is a demand to be separated from West Bengal. They harbor a great disdain for Mamata and her cronies.

You might hear from other people that Darjeeling is congested, a modern slum, too commercialized and so on. But from what little I saw of the city, I didn't feel that way at all. Maybe that's because as tourists on a short visit, we stick to the main lanes and rarely venture into the squalor of the city's underbelly.

I actually really liked the place and if Kubera (the Hindu Money God) continues to smile upon me, I might go back there again. I enjoyed the food, the walks, the tourist attractions, the people's smiling faces and just the fact that I was so far away from home and family and yet the place felt all too familiar and easy to get along with. Except for the cold! The cold is treacherous!

Sikkim - Part One

I had been on a six nights seven days trip to Sikkim and Darjeeling in November 2016. From 11th to 17th Nov. There were a lot of firsts for me on this trip. It was the first time in eleven years of marriage that I had missed Sathya’s birthday which fell on the 16th. Just missed! It was also the first time in eleven years of marriage that I went on a week-long vacation without him & Tan. 

It was also the first time that I drank; a glass of brandy. That single glass, oh it was just Rs 60 /- by the way, got me so high I actually felt dizzy and realized what being drunk or “tight” meant. I still don’t know how it hit me so hard. It was just one small glass, after all. Maybe it was the fact that I gulped it down in one shot in order to beat the cold of the mountains. Or blame it on lack of experience! 

The women selling everything from beer to hot maggi to rented gloves and boots. 

It was also the first time I went on a girls-only trip. All my trips have always been with Sathya &Tan. I have gone on a few solo trips but they were mostly on work. I am an expert at combining work with pleasure. But I had never been on a trip with two other girls.

The one in the middle is my friend from school. She was the one who had organized the whole trip. She had coordinated with the lousy MakeMyTrip guys throughout the trip. Big thanks to her. The one on her right, in the picture, is her ex-colleague. It was the first time I spent a week travelling with a person I never met before. She was the one I met only and directly on the trip. As good as travelling with a stranger. 

It was the first time I stayed overnight in 2-4 degree Celsius cold. This was at Lachung. Freakishly cold! It was the first time I bought and wore thermals. I never even knew what thermals were or where to buy them. I had shopped at Jockey for the thermals. I don't remember shopping at Jockey even once before.

It was the first time I went on a package tour. All trips we have been on have been self-planned and self-executed.

It was the first time I did paragliding. It is a must do when in Sikkim. We chose the 8 minute, 1200 meters high, flying option which cost us for Rs 2500 and an additional Rs 500 for the video. It was an experience of a lifetime. It was not part of the tour itinerary of MakeMyTrip (MMT) and we had to really do a lot of "circus" to make it happen. First, the demonetization bomb had dropped just one day before we set off on this trip owing to which we didn’t have the cash in hand to pay for it. None of the paragliding operators accepted cards. All the ATMs had dried out of cash. 

We finally found one operator Arun, thank you Google, who agreed to accept card. He even solved our cash problems by agreeing to swipe the card for an additional amount, deduct the paragliding charges and pay the extra to us so we could pay the cab driver. The cab driver had agreed to take the detour to the paragliding location and charged us for it. 

We also had to request our co-travellers, an elderly couple from Delhi who had been clubbed with us for all local sight-seeing as this was a group package from MMT. The kind couple waited for 2-3 hours for us. Was it worth all the trouble? ABSOLUTELY. That ten minute flying-in-the-air-like-a-bird feel is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Scuba diving comes a close second.

So how was Sikkim and Darjeeling? What did we see and do? How was our package tour experience with MMT? More on all that later. 

Sikkim - Part Two

Will I ever be a traveler like him? Jacket, bike, shades, food and my country's flag for company traversing through a foreign landscape, absorbing the sights and smells. 

Found this bike parked near the Hot Spring. Imagine travelling like this through the rocky mountains! We, of course, traveled in a Tavera. Five of us - we three girls plus the elderly couple from Delhi with us. Thank God, they were a friendly couple and quite accommodating too. Otherwise, imagine the deadly combination of bad roads and bad company on a week long journey!

This was how bad the roads were! Horrible! Drive on these not-there-roads five hours at a stretch just to be able to see one sight-seeing point and you will wish the viewpoints could come to you. 

Broken bridges and roads in disarray at many places. The Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling, of the SDF (Sikkim Democratic Front) has been in power since 1994!!! The party has won 1999, 2004,2009 and 2014 elections. Or rather, the people have voted him to power. Wonder what they saw in him or maybe they didn't have a choice at all. Such an important state for tourism and yet so badly neglected. When I asked this to our driver, he said that yes, they had made a mistake by re-electing him every single time and that it was time to let him "rest" the next time around. 

Sikkim is India's smallest state by population and second only to Goa by area. On the map, it is just a small speck of red! But as they say, small is beautiful. The landscape of Sikkim is breathtaking. 

The S shaped roads and the flowing water at twelve thousand feet, Yumthung Valley, famous for the flowers that bloom in April.

The roads that look like someone drew the curves on paper.  

The  glistening snow

I love these Buddhist prayer flags. They are so thin and light that they flutter constantly. Even the slightest movement of the wind is enough to set them in motion. The belief is that the mantras written on them are carried by the wind, spreading compassion and goodness into the world and purifying the air. 

The people continuously mount new flags as old ones fade. It is a reminder that life changes and we are all part of this eternal cycle of change, as new replaces the old.

These tiny shops, along the road to the Hot Spring, a tourist spot, sell tea, liquor and other knick-knacks. I sat in one of them and chatted with the lady of the shop while my friends explored the hot spring. She told me they have to pay a rent of Rs 70,000 a year. They travel more than an hour from their homes in Lachung to the hot spring. Since there is no government transport, they hitch rides on tourist cabs that ply on these roads. 

Sikkim has 11 official languages and interestingly, Hindi is not one of them. But most people speak Hindi as that is the only language that connects the tourists with the locals. I couldn't have conversed with the tea-shop lady if it weren't for Hindi. 

That's me all wobbly from that glass of brandy. Damn! I wish I had been sober and had played in the snow and stayed back till i carved out my own personal snowman. 

This was not my first time in snow. In Manali, Tanvi and I had played in the snow. But it was only for a few hours. And there were so many people and a handful of snow. The snow was brown and hard. We had been there end of August, the last of the snow on the mountains. But this, here in Zero Point, half an hour from Yumthung Valley, it was real snow, snow as I had dreamed all my life. It was soft and cold and pure white, glistening in the afternoon sun. 

In Manali, we had been to Rohtang Pass and had been covered in the appropriate snow gear, top to bottom, all rented - boots, suit, gloves, all hired locally. At one point, it was so hot inside that Tan and I took off our overcoats. But in Lachung and near Zero Point, it was sub-zero temperatures, freezing cold and I was in my Jockey thermals - not at all enough to ward off the biting cold. The brandy saved my life or this poor not-used-to-snow-South Indian would have died.  

That's the sparkling, freshly melted ice. There was soft snow even on the water. The water could chill a South Indian like me, who is new to snow-capped mountains, to death.  The locals themselves, for that matter, were tightly covered in the warmest sweaters and caps.

Please note that Zero Point (ZP) is not in the tour itinerary of most operators. The package trips include the drive up to Yumthung valley only. So you have to pay the driver extra to take you to ZP. No vehicles are allowed beyond ZP. Only army jeeps go beyond this point. You can see the Indo-Chinese border from around here but only if there are no clouds. Foreign nationals are not allowed as it is a border area. Security reasons, I believe.

We were in Sikkim when this landmark celestial event happened and the moon looked magnificent from between the mountains. 

You can't help but leave Sikkim with a persistent thought ki kaash inn Wadiyon mei apna bhi ek ghar ho (I wish I had a house in the valley) 

Sikkim - Part Three

The Make My Trip Package we had chosen is called 'East Delight with Lachung.' Cost per person for this 6 nights trip was Rs 37,000. It included the flight tickets from Bangalore to Bagdogra, airport transfers from Bagdogra to Gangtok and 1 night stay in Lachung, 1 night in Darjeeling and 3 nights in Gangtok with breakfast and dinner on all days.

In Gangtok, the hotel was Summit Namnang Courtyard and Spa. Summit is a group of hotels quite famous in this part of the world. In Sikkim itself, they had 3-4 hotels and in Darjeeling too.

The rooms were beautiful, with a great view of the mountains.  

But what didn't work was the breakfast and dinner spread. The service of the staff at the restaurant was poor too. They were slow and quite unresponsive.  We hardly ate anything. 

In Lachung, the stay was at Cliffview. Spacious and decent accommodation. True to its name, it had the best view. I don't remember staying in a hotel where you opened the windows to this majestic view of the mountains and THAT close. It was like if you stretched out your hands, you could feel the ruggedness of the rocks and run your fingers through its curvaceous paths. But of course, you couldn't stretch your hands out because it was so SO cold!

The distance from Gangtok to Lachung is 125 kms and takes about 7 hours. Painful, seemingly never ending journey on bad roads. On the way, we stopped at various view points and reached the hotel in the night and went straight to bed. The itinerary was such that on all days during the week long trip, we would reach the hotel just in time for dinner and CRASH.

In Darjeeling, we stayed at Springburn. The hotel had good breakfast and dinner. The staff were all Nepali. Great service. Very courteous boys.

MMT promised that there would be a tour manager throughout the trip. There was none. They claimed there would be assistance at the airport at the time of arrival and departure. There was none.

Out of the 7 days, two complete days were dedicated for traveling – 5 hours from Gangtok to Bagdogra airport and then, more than 4 hours in the flight from Bagdogra to Bangalore. So we spent the whole of 11^th and 17^th , the first and last days of the trip, in cab and plane. In addition to that, we spent one whole day traveling to Lachung from Gangtok and another whole day traveling back from Lachung to Gangtok. When the itinerary is sent, you don’t realize the extensive travel it involves. We used to reach the hotels just to spend the night sleeping. Next day early morning hit the road again!

MakeMyTrip service was atrocious. Not just us but many others, we met during our stay in the hotels and on our flight, had had bad experiences with them. For starters, many of them had been given wrong flight information. There were no such flights in that hour to that location. So any info regarding flights you get from MMT, always double-check. We realized from experience, our own and other fellow travelers', that MMT is extremely negligent with respect to information as critical as flight details. And when you talk to them about it, they blame the airlines (Indigo, in our case). And Indigo, of course, wipe their hands off it saying it's the responsibility of the tour operator.  

When we spoke to the customer service, their response both on mail and over phone was clearly of “what do we care?” types. They had done the group bookings for hotels, flights and sight-seeing taxis and they were not obliged beyond that. They got their cut from every transaction. The customer saved a few thousand rupees thanks to shared cabs. All this meant, MMT was not ready to listen or take responsibility for anything else. Since we had booked online and the person who interacted with us was from another city (Delhi) there was no way we could directly approach him. Our driver was narrating incidents of how people would come through MMT and get into verbal and sometimes even physical fights with the local cab driver/hotel. Some threatened of beating up the MMT guys, some of complaining to the police. The reason was always all the false promises made by MMT. The drivers themselves were paid a pittance and had to endure delayed payments repeatedly.

One young couple we met suggested to always go to local offices for any bookings with these package travel dealers. You tend to have a better experience when it is done across the table rather than online. It is easier to get an answer from them as one specific person handles your account and he is directly responsible for you. In the case of online bookings, the mails are read and replied and calls attended to and passed on from person to person without any sense of accountability. The email ids and phone numbers they provide for assistance is of no use.  Once the payment is in their account, they are least bothered what happens to you. You will have to chase and do all the follow-ups whether it's for the flight tickets or contact person details. 

Lesson learnt from this trip? No more Make My Trip for me - ever. Even if their current brand ambassador is Ranveer Singh, who I am a big fan of.

Sikkim - Final

Despite the MMT fiasco, the Sikkim trip was worth the time and definitely worth the money. The overall cost actually worked out cheaper because of the package. We paid 37,000 to MMT and spent another 7,000 for food, entry fees, shopping, airport to residence taxis and other expenses like paying extra to the driver to take us to Zero Point and to the paragliding venue. If we include 3000 that we paid for paragliding, the 7 day trip cost us 47,000 in total, per person. 

This final post on Sikkim traces the tourist spots covered in the MMT itinerary.  

Visit the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology to trace the art, culture and religious practices of Tibet.  

Wear the traditional Sikkimese dress. For just Rs 50/-. They are available at all the places frequented by tourists. It's a nice, colorful, wrap-around dress. They even give you matching neck-chains and a hat to go with the dress so that your picture is 'complete'.
I remember doing this is Dehradun, in 2003. I had worn the Garhwali traditional costume with a big matka (pot) in hand. 

We don't have this very "touristy"  'try-the-local-dress-and-pose-for-photos' thing in any of the tourist locations in the South. I guess, a saree doesn't lend itself to such touristy gimmicks. 

This is the Seven Sisters Waterfall. There are seven distinct points at which the waterfall drops. You can see each one as you climb up the steep hill. You have stairs and little benches kept along the climb. We girls went up half the way, saw there wasn't much water (someone remarked "there are only 2 sisters, bhaiya"), got dizzy by the sight of the upward climb in the hot sun and got engrossed in the Sikkimese dress photo session, instead. 

The remarkable thing was the elderly couple from Delhi climbed right up, all the way! And they did this everywhere - whether it was the icy slopes or the hills or the 100+ steps climb! At every spot where the taxi stopped, the couple would rush right ahead, uncle clicking pics of his wife and the scenery.  We would huff and puff but not they. Naah! Age truly is just a number. We three 40ish women couldn't match the pace of the 60ish couple. 

This was a common sight in Sikkim, no matter where you went. The cold demands the drink. This tiny shop at least had a glass shelf. In most places, it would be nicely stacked on just a pushcart, hawker-style, an Old Monk standing cozily next to a Blenders Pride. Even the  smallest, hole-in-the-wall shop had an enviable stack of liquor. 

And I thought Goa was the only liquor paradise. 

This is something I found in a magazine in one of the shops - the 2012 tourist inflow statistics. A whopping 5 lakh Indian tourists visited Sikkim as compared to a very low turnout of just 23,000 foreigners. That's a huge and rather surprising gap between the domestic and international travelers to the state. 

And that shawl on Chiranjeevi. I too have it. It was gifted to me by one of my Assamese students. It is called a gamcha, I think. It's worn by both men and women in most North Eastern states. 




The statistics regarding the crime rate.  Sikkim is ranked the lowest at 30 in the crimes against women index with just 55 cases. Something for the other states to mull over and emulate. 







The sights that will stay with you long after you have left the state.

 

The Bhim Nala Waterfalls also called Amitabh Bachchan Falls because of its height! 

Another beautiful waterfall. 
 
The Seven Bowls. In Buddhism, each bowl stands for a particular aspect of prayer. The offering encourages the spirit of giving & water is the purest & the easiest material thing that we can give. 

The view from the Gangtok rope way. The rope way ride costs you Rs 200 and gets over in less than an hour. If you have been on more exciting rope way rides, in other states/countries, pass this up. But if it is your first time on a ropeway, lap it up because it provides you with a stunning view of the town and the hills surrounding it. And a new, unique experience.

We stopped at a memorial in the woods where there was an annual feast going on. The men were busy preparing for the festivities. It was an occasion to pay homage to their ancestors.
 (aside: isn't the chakli on that plate a typically South Indian snack?) 

The  stream, the mountain peaks and the breeze. Beautiful combo!

The sight of the snow - fresh and soft - is by itself worth the money spent on the trip, so says the woman who grew up in the hot and humid coastal belt of Karnataka.

 If you ever get a chance, to plan or be a part of a trip to Sikkim, don't think twice. Say yes! 

Sakleshpura

Sakleshpura is a hill station in Haasan district of Karnataka. It belongs to the Malnad region of the Western Ghats. Every time you drive down the Bangalore-Mangalore highway, you pass through its lush-green forests along the Kempuhole river. 

It is believed that a broken Shivalinga was found in this town. The linga was called Shakaleshwara which since then became Sakaleshwara and thus the place got its name. Two rivers originate at Sakleshpura: Kumaradhara and Kempuhole.The kempuhole river starts from Manjarabad Fort, joins Nethravati river and empties into the Arabian Sea. Incidentally, you can view the silhouette of the Arabian Sea from the fort.

The Manjarabad Fort was built by Pallada King and later used as a jail by Tippu Sultan. It can be easily spotted as you drive down NH48. Climbing the 250+ steps to the fort can tire you out.  Don't forget to carry water. 

The fort has a star-shaped fort, with a hillock in the centre and eight corners. It offers superb views. When we went, there was a prewedding photo shoot in progress. There is a hollow entrance in the middle, which is a tunnel leading to Srirangapattana. 

We stayed at Saalugudda Resort. A 1 Night 2 Day stay with two meals and a breakfast cost us Rs 5,500 for 2 adults and a child aged 10. The food was simple, home-made, Malnad style with both veg and non-veg options available.

Why are we city folks drawn to these village home-stays? We long for the quiet I suppose and the greenery. And the feel of the earth under our feet as we walk barefoot and pick up this leaf or that stone and wonder what it was. 

A dog, a cat, few hens and a cow complete the “I am in my village home” feel for the city executive, who, like me, hasn’t been to his village for years together or who, like Sathya, was born and raised in a metro like Bangalore and doesn’t really have a “village” he can call his own or go back to.

The home-stay has a pond for water games and a few rope games.  

This is the zip line water game where you sit on the iron enclosure and you are let loose into the water. The plunge into the lake is the fun part. And then the swimming back to the shore.

You also have a pukka local gym, if you are a stickler for fitness and never miss your exercise routine no matter where you go. 

The view as you go for an evening walk around the cottage. 
You can see the clouds beginning to engulf the majestic mountains in their arms.

One of the many waterfalls near the resort if you are in mood for a quick swim or frolic in the waters.

This trip we realized we had inadvertently covered four districts in a single day. We started from Sakleshpura (Haasan district), went to Malalli falls (Coorg district), then to Dharmasthala (Dakshina Kannada district) and returned home to Bangalore (Bangalore District) around midnight. We drove 800 km in two days, 14-15 Oct'16 and spent Rs 3000 for petrol to achieve this feat. 

After a day at the home-stay, we set out into Sakleshpura to do local sight-seeing, but mainly to see Bisile Ghat.

This was on the way to Bisile Ghat. A popular location for movie shoots.

Bisile Ghat Road follows the Kumaradhara river and links Sakleshpura to Kukke Subrahmanya in Dakshina Kannada. The Bisle Reserve Forest and the region around Sakaleshpura is listed as one of the 18 most diverse spots in the world in terms of flora and fauna. The watch tower at the Bisile Ghat will remind any Bangalorean of Nandi Hills. Many movies are shot here. This is the place where Mungaru Male 2 scene was shot - the Ravichandran and Ganesh emotional scene.

While on the way to Bisile Ghat, while asking directions, some locals said do visit the falls and that’s when we decided to go see the falls. It was a spur of the moment decision to take the detour. It meant we were ravenously hungry and the afternoon sun was beating us hard. But the falls was worth all the driving time and effort. We also had the best maggi ever in one of the two small stalls there. Hot, steaming and delicious! The other best maggi experience I had was in Sikkim - at Zero Point.

For a brief moment, I did shudder at the thought of plunging straight down from here! It was scary.

The bad part of the entire trip was the stretch from Malalli Falls to Kukke Subramanya. Horrible roads! Out of the nearly 35 kms between Malalli to Kukke, this 17 kms stretch of atrocious road drove us nuts. It took almost an hour. If I was the driver, I would have killed myself! Luckily, I can't drive. And Sathya, who drove, has tremendous reserves of patience.

In the name of a "road" this path of stones and potholes is what you get.

There was no sign of a hotel or a place to eat either. Just when we thought we'd die out of real hunger and accrued anger at driving down this road, we saw a house just outside the check post. The lady served us lunch amid stories of her life. Simple rice-curry-vegetable meal never tasted better!

 
We finally reached Dharmasthala in the evening.  

As you drive towards the temple, you will notice rows and rows of these pineapple stalls along the road. Small, juicy fruits, produced in abundance locally. 

You will also find sugarcane juice stalls alongside it.

Sathya has lost count of how many times he has gone there. It is the most revered and most visited temple in this part of Karnataka. In Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, where I come from, this is the holiest of holy places for us. As children, I remember our annual visits to the temple, all of us huddled together, in a hired white Ambassador. It was our only pleasure cum spiritual cleansing cum eat-in-hotels - all combined into one - trip. 

Duration of the trip: 2 days
Places Covered: Four. Sakleshpura, Bisile Ghat, Malalli Falls, Dharmasthala
Distance Covered: 800 kms
Amount Spent: Rs 10,000 approx

Horsley Hills

Horsley Hills, named after W.D. Horsley, a British collector, is in Madanapalle Taluk of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh at an altitude of 4000 feet. Horsley had built his home here in the 1870's.

It is just 150 km from Bangalore and promises a very pleasurable driving experience, hardly any traffic throughout the journey on nice, smooth roads. SO MANY biker groups ride to the hill station especially on a weekend because, in less than 3 hours, including pit-stops, you reach a place that is strikingly serene.    
        The silence of the valley is a draw for many. Sit here and enjoy the absolute solitude.

Horsley reminded me of Nandi Hills. The similarities are many - the nice drive up to the hills, the pleasant weather, and many scenic viewpoints. Here are a few of the viewpoints:

Imagine sitting here - watching the sun rise or set - with the only sound being the whoosh of wind blowing your hair...

Sit here in the evening with a book or at night with a drink & let the world pass by.

Walk around on these paved pathways with the monkeys on the trees and the birds on the branches. My solo, early morning walk along here was a cherished one.

The difference between Horsley Hills and other hill stations is that there is no commercial activity here. None at all. No endless rows of shops selling silly winter scarves & hats or kids' plastic bat & ball or chaat corners or other assorted hole-in-the-wall eateries. We only found 1 guy selling guava on his cycle.  

And that is reason enough to go see Horsley Hills, at least once, for a day. 

Ooty is completely commercialized and overcrowded. Horsley caters well to the government officers who come for a conference or office outing and is a favorite among families and couples too. Families love the peace and quiet and unhurried pace of things and couples enjoy the privacy the Hills offer. And with 4-5 engineering colleges in Madanapalle, the closest town just half an hour from the base of the hill, there is no dearth of lovers who throng the Hills or of boy gangs who come here for a quick ride from the town. 

You can explore the hills in a single day because everything is within a 2 km driving radius.  Walk around and enjoy the quiet, listen to the constant chirping of birds and soak your skin to the warmth of the sunlight peeking through the thick foliage.
 






   






Well paved roads, swimming pool, comfortable accommodation and decent food facilities all managed and run by the state tourism board. 

When we went (5-6th Nov weekend) we knew there were a lot of people staying, going by the number of cars parked in various parking spots. Yet, when you walk around the property you won't find them, the sense of solitude and 'me my thoughts and the nature' vibe is very strong.

Enroute to the Hills, there is this beautiful Saibaba Temple. 

It looked newly built. I checked the donation list displayed on the wall. One devotee had donated Rs 15 Lakhs!! The priest gave a biscuit each as prasad !! Marie biscuit ! That was a first for me!
So, for a hill station visit from Bangalore, 1N 2D stay, over the weekend, just to relax and recharge your batteries, fill your car with petrol for Rs 2000, pay Rs 3500 for AC accommodation in the Governor's Bungalow and then head straight to Horsley Hills.

Governor's Bungalow

Rest House

Matheran

Mathera had been on my mind ever since I first made a list of places I wanted to see in India before I die. Finally after eons when i did get to see Matheran, it blew my mind.  This is why:

The clouds clearing away, slowly, gently, to give our hungry eyes a glimpse of the majestic mountains

The clouds kissing the mountains in a lingering moment of passion, sending sweet chills down our spine.

This was mid afternoon & yet the pace was so misty & cool.

Who wouldn't fall in love with this?

The lovely stream on the way up to the hill station

The forests are pristine. 

The valley below

Being spellbound

Matheran is the smallest hill station in India & the first in ASIA that is vehicle free. Eco-sensitive zone. No vehicles are allowed into the hill station not even the privately owned bikes & cars of people who live there. It has to be parked at the start of the hillock,in a designated space. You explore the hills

on a horse

Or this hand-drawn cycle-rickshaw.

or by walk.

The horse, in the pic, is named Lakhan, bought by the owner at Rs 70,000. The ride costs Rs 1100 per person to view 5 popular scenic spots. A car drive would have cost us less than Rs 500 in petrol or a bike ride just Rs 100. Takeaway: animals are definitely expensive! But the experience of going on that ride will be etched in our memories for ever, especially for my daughter Tanvi who loved it. She wanted the staff to let go of the lagaam (handle) so that she could ride the horse all on her own! She sat on it like a pro, no fear of falling. She was constantly rubbing the horse’s neck & saying he is responding.

We took the horse ride to go into the hill station. And later walked around & explored the town. We walked back to the parking spot in half an hour. As you can see in the pic above, we walked along the railway track, in a drizzle, suitably dressed in local rain gear which is plastic sheet snugly hugging your body & a plastic hat. The price of these rain protectors Rs 50 only!

The pathway through the lush green forest

One of the waterfalls

There are many beautiful cottages owned by Parsis who visit Matheran to beat the heat, grime & noise of Mumbai. Here is a cottage of the State Tourism Board

The hill doesn't grow or produce anything. Everything you find on the hill is either brought from neighboring big cities like Pune or Mumbai or Lonavla or from the town called Nerul. Horses, smaller ones, by breed closer to donkeys, are used to ferry cement, sand & other building materials and also grocery & household stuff. They are quite simply called the maal-gaadi (maal meaning material & gaadi meaning vehicle). 

The Nerul village

The countryside

Now,let's look at the logistics. Matheran doesn't have an airport. One has to fly down to Mumbai and take a 2 hour/90 KM car drive to Matheran. If you add up the cost of two way flights from Bangalore to Mumbai, two way taxi fare from Mumbai to Matheran, horse ride & sight seeing charges, lunch & snacks expenses, it would cost you Rs 10,000 approx for a one day tour to this beautiful hill station. 

The drive from Nerul to Matheran

We didn't stay overnight here. We chose to spend the night at Lonavla which is another beautiful place with more modern amenities and stay options. but about Lonavla in another post.