The Travel Connection

 Blast from past!  After the jungle stay at Ganesh gudi, we headed out to the only beach resort which is part of jungle lodges. But of course , first we had to conquer the mighty karnataka roads.This time the driver blamed it on central government as the national parks are a protected area. On reaching the coast, a quick boat ride brought us to Devbagh beach resort at Karwar Devbagh is on an island shared with a fishing village. Though the view from the cottages is of casuarina groove and a distant sea, the almost private beach makes it a good destination to chill out. Unfortunately as you are on island, the only activities one can do are mostly restricted to what the resort offers and they are far by very limited. Being at a beach resort, we did  lounge by and in the water.But I was looking forward to snorkeling for the first time. After a half hour boat ride into the sea, we anchored close to two rocky, inaccessible islands.The se

Blast from past! I embarked this trip on the 4th ride on a train this year and this time it was on Garib Nawaz express to Londa junction. Londa is about 25 kms from Ganeshgudi which was our destination. This was my first time at jungle lodges. I feel the jungle lodges are little overpriced for the basic accomodation they offer. But their locations are amazing and worth the price.The one at Old Magazine house, Ganesh gudi was no different but also came with a good cook and hence a good spread. This area is known for safari at Dandeli wildlife sanctuary, Anshi national park, trekking, birdwatching and whitewater rafting along the river Kali. But of course we started with the rafting. One of the best 4 hours I have had in recent times. The 12 kms stretch was sprinkled with grade 2 rapids. Had so much fun!! The few times we jumped into the water  and enjoyed the river in between all the paddling just added to the fun. I do have to make this note that only in

Blast from past! So my last trip of 2010. It was fitting finale with a trip to  the richest abode in the world - Tirumala Venkateshwara. What can i say which is not already be said about this famous temple town. Though i have made countless trip before it still delights me to go there in spite of the crazy crowds. We generally take the conducted tour from APSRTC from which the sheegrah darshan tickets are available even couple of days before you plan to go. So one can avoid the elaborate process of getting tickets well in advance from TTD. The tour starts around 8.30pm and with a short break for dinner, we are at Tirupathi by 5-6  hours.We are given rooms in the pilgrim amenities center for couple of hours and then set out very early in the morning to Padmavathi Temple. After the darshan and quick breakfast we head out to Tirumala and by 9.00 am. We are in the line for darshan. After the darshan, head back home and in Bangalore by 6.00pm. Previously the tour offered t

Blast from past! What a road trip!! No, I am not saying this out of excitement but out of frustration. Unfortunately Karnataka has the worst possible roads. The drive rattles and tattles you out of your bones. You will need a holiday to recover from a holiday! This trip was supposed to be for a social event outside Bangalore. I was a little hesitant about making this trip till my family threw in the bait of visiting this place as a part of this trip. The place that I got tempted with is Halebid and Belur. For the uninitiated, Halebid and Belur is home to finest architectural examples from the Hoysala period. The temples will turn 900 years old in another 11 years!! Can you imagine that! Google gives all the information about this place but a fact that I was new to is that Hoysalas were Jains before Ramanuja converted them into Srivaishanavism. There is a Jain temple of 23rd Thirthankara Parshwanath Swami in Halebid. One can see the basic form of Hoysala architect

Blast from past! After a delayed start from Horanadu due to reasons beyond our control, we stopped over at Kaleshewara (Shiva) temple at Kalasa We had plans to stop at some place on road for breakfast but that was a bad decision. I would totally advise against doing that as we had to survive on banana chips and other snacks for breakfast. BTW, we were on the way to Sringeri by the Tunga Bhadra river                                                           Temple complex at Kalasa Once again the most scenic routes but the worst of roads! But due to good weather we made good ground in short time! Sringeri is home to the Matha (monastery) founded by Adi Shankaracharya. There are two prominent temples in and around the Matha complex. One is the relatively new Sharadam temple, dedicated to the Goddess of learning and wisdom built after the original wood structured temple was destroyed in fire during the early 20th century. The oth

Blast from past! How can a trip with family not include visit to temple. So after Belur and Halebid, we embarked on the great rumbling and tumbling road trip across the western ghat. If it wasn't for the wonderful scenery , I would not recommend the journey to anyone. The torrential rains along with the pathetic roads took us to Horanadu in chikmagalur district. Interestingly I always thought coffee plantations covered majority of chikmagalur. But we came across some stretches of tea plantations. We also came across many school kids happily  walking back home, sometimes two-three of them sharing one umbrella without raincoats, least bothered about the cats and dogs showering on them. We under the cozy protection of the car had mixed feeling seeing the kids this way. Hats or should I say umbrella off to them!!! For some reason most Hindu temples are located in the most scenic locations high up on mountains and hills. Horanadu is no different. We checked into Durg

Blast from past! Belur is 16 kms away from Halebid. As you approach the location, you can see an entrance gopuram painted yellow standing tall. This tower is relatively new and was built by the Vijaynagar kings and is in Dravidian style. The tower is like an anticlimax for what is awaiting you inside.  Here is an interesting fact I learnt on this trip. If the Dhwaja stambha (flag post) is not in front of heritage temple , it is considered a monument. Otherwise it is an operational temple. Practically the stambha was used to hoist flags. Spiritually it is supposed to be the connector between God and humans. Scientifically rationalized, Stambha generally being the highest point inside the temple complex and made of metal or stone covered with metal,  acted as lighting arrestor and hence connected the energy of heaven with earth. If only we could rationalize all our Hindu customs and rituals this way, many more would embrace it. Let me know if you are aware of any such rati

I embarked on yet another train journey within two weeks of traveling to Kerala in 2010. This time it was on Lallu's Garib Rath. One has to pay for the blankets and pillows and there are 3 sleepers on the side also. Other than these differences, the poor man's chariot is like any other train in India. My destination this time was Puducherry (Pondicherry) .Did you know Puducherry consists of four non-contiguous regions: Puducherry, Karaikal, and Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mahé on the Arabian Sea.This place still retains its evidence of French History. Though i had visited this place about 12 years ago, I was keen on rediscovering the place and its french cuisine. As this was more of hang out with friends and sight see trip, I chose ginger. For the uninitiated traveler, ginger is an affordable, very clean option for budget travelers by Tata.This place was indeed all it promises to be. As suggested by all travel shows/book, we started our weeken