The Travel Connection

My third visit to Goa. What can be said??. As this was with family there had to be a visit to a temple and an aquarium and the very touristy river cruise!!  The temple architecture in Goa is very unique. Its a combination of Hindu, Portuguese and Islamic architecture.The dome in place of Shikara immediately catches ones eyes. One of the reasons for this unique style is cause the same artisans were constructing both the temples and churches at the same time.The arched entrances, niches and pilasters that feature in most of temples of this period display a distinct European influence. The deepsthambhas of Mangeshi  with its white washed pillars and baroque decoration show unique synthesis of Hindu and Portuguese styles.The lamp towers were influence of Maratha temple architecture. A very unique style indeed. Well, the aquarium can be best avoided as there is not much to relish in dark musty place. Please run away from the noisy , loud irritating river cruise.The only sav...

I start planning for a holiday by looking out for the resorts, reading their reviews and looking for deals. I managed to hit upon a highly rated resort in Poovar kerala but nothing prepared me for the beauty and uniqueness of the resort. Poovar island resort in along the backwaters and is accessible by half ride on boat. So this resort had me at mention of boat ride. Floating cottages catch your eyes on one side and beach on the other as you approach the resort. You step onto a kerala style dock and you have entered heaven. A short walk in amidst of swaying coconut trees , landscaped path way leads you to the reception where a massive urli brings you closer to peace. A welcoming maze takes you to the cottages past the swimming pool. A perfect place to unwind!! The magical ambiance was further highlighted by the gutsy Arabian sea which we could hear from our cottages but not see it. The mystery can be solved by taking a short ride across the backwaters to the beach. This turne...

When I got to know this place is called the "Scotland of east" I was eager to holiday there once again. Considering Scotland is one of my favorite spots, Coorg had lot to keep up to. Coorg is a district in Karnataka and you can either stay in the plains by the river Cauvery or in a coffee plantation high up in the hills. Considering it is summer, I choose to go up into the hills as high as possible.  The place I wanted to unwind in was situated at foothills of the highest peak in the region - Thadiyandamol about 5700 feet above sea level. The palace estate got its name from the nearby 17th-century Nalnad Palace and is one amazing home stay in the Kakabe area of Coorg. The quaint little wooden structured rooms with the balcony overlooking the valley are a perfect place to rejuvenate. The friendly hosts, the amazing local food for breakfast, simple home cooked food for lunch and dinner made the trip to this place worthwhile. To the dismay of ...

Blast from past! This was the third stop over of our Delhi, Agra trip. I was extremely excited about getting there. In fact i woke my friends up at 4.30 am and they were forced to have cold showers in winter because of me (Ganga Ratan employees don't think anyone is foolish to take shower at 4.30 am in winters!). My friends still haven't forgiven me for that! I was revisiting this place after 22 years. I just couldn't wait to get there. After having a quick breakfast with a big bunch of Japanese tourist, we set off. Once again!! the great road trip...the most colorful one which was intercepted with the buffalo and goat bazaar happening on the highway. Regret the quality of photographs of this trip as  it was taken from my cellphone. Remember i was in this part of country on "work". So didn't have my camera with me! So where were we getting at so early in the morning? Well you must have guessed it! It was to Fatehpur Sikri. Our first s...

Blast from past! After the fun filled day capturing Nessie, I was all set to explore rest of Edinburgh. Ok I was a little low on energy as capturing a monster is no child's play. So after a quick breakfast at the Inn I decided I would take the Hop on Hop off bus instead of walking. I walked up to its bus stop close to the Inn and caught the bus. The bus took us too holyrood which is the official residence of the British Monarchy in Scotland. I wasn't really interested in exploring the palace. Close to the palace is the hill where you can trek up to the highest point of Edinburgh. I didn't want to do that either. So I caught the bus back and just went on a full loop without getting out anywhere. On reaching the royal mile which is nothing but a road which has the Edinburgh palace on one end and the official residence on the other end, I got out of the bus. I did some window shopping till I came across a sign in big letters saying that they...

 Blast from past!  After a wonderful day in Edinburgh, I was all set to catch a bus early next morning at 6.30am. I had already explored the city in the evening and located its local bus stand so that i don't get lost in the morning. As it was a long day, i crashed to bed immediately only to be waken up in the middle of the night. A couple next door, most probably drunk  were fighting at the top of their voice. My first night in a new country, i am all by myself and all that noise irritated me enough to want to call the reception. I wanted to shout out " get a room" and then i realized they were already in a room..well they were in the room and the corridor of the hotel. Luckily the fight died down as quickly as it started. I certainly had a very eventful first day and night to my holiday. So i walked down to the bus stand the next morning and joined a group of diverse people on board. Of course an Indian couple and their parents were a part of the group....