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...

My favorite mode of transport is undoubtedly the rails! Give me one any day. Unfortunately with the limited time we have, travel by rail is always secondary. Consider a railway line that's been around since 1899. How about a meter gauge carriages being chugged on by a steam locomotive along the 208 curves,16 tunnels and 250 bridges. Make it a little more exciting by making the tracks the steepest in Asia. And there you have the Nilgiris Mountain railway. And finally I was going to travel from Coonoor to Mettupalayam on it! If one is interested on more facts about this old man rail, then here you go... http://nilgiris.nic.in/images/salemdiiv_sr_comm.pdf Not everybody's cup of tea, this slow moving monster is a pleasure for enthusiasts like Sheldon. For the others, the ever changing surrounding landscape could seal the deal. No, does it not, maybe then you are a history buff and want to be  transported to the time when these carriages carried folks in their finest and d...

Some places need to be experienced rather than be seen through photographs! Rani ki Vav , the mother of step wells in one such place! Breath takingly beautiful and the fact that it was buried under the silt and excavated only in the late 80's adds to its mystery and romance. An UNESCO heritage site has now inspired me to visit all the sites tagged in India Date : August 201 5 Place : Patan , Gujarat Tip:Taxi can be hired from compass tourism First: I nverted temple The Travel Connection: The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step- Lao Tzu

The capital of the country has so many places to explore. A fortification here, an astronomy observatory there! Mughal Mausoleums right around the corner and how can one miss the Delhi Bazaars and mega malls. Then there is the Lutyen's Delhi with linear vistas and grand buildings. Without getting overwhelmed, it is best to explore the city of magic and mayhem one at a time. And that is what I got a chance to do in 2015. One of my visits was to Khan market. Wiki told me that it is the world's 21'st most expensive retail high street and the of course the costliest retail location in India. These facts let you assume that you will be at high end shopping paradise with all the facilities. What you end up in is a complex very much like our very own double storey BDA complex chock o block with cars and two Wheeler double parked with hardly any pedestrian walkway. Dirty kitchen exhaust , AC outdoor units, plumbing lines,syntex tanks and faux facade stare at you in ab...