Category Archives: Travel

There’s a Storm Coming

Posted by Padmanabh Padiyar on

Recently happened to attend one of the most fantastic and authentic camp out music festival i have ever been to… STORM FESTIVAL @ Napoklu, Coorg…. Wowiee is the word u can scream out listening to one of the finest bands of our times and that too Desi  :)  It was an absolute exhilerating experience.. only wished i was present both days.. Missed RDP but was fortunate enough to catch Agam (just entered as they played Malhar Jam.. felt the goosebumps as i walked in and was awestruck soon after… One band i cant stop tripping on), Swarathma (Rib Tickling music) and Indian Ocean (These guys showed the rest why these guys are the absolute Gurus of music. The other stage had DJs Tuhin and Vachan Chinnappa who set the crowd into a groooove.. Followed by Sanjay Dutta (who i felt was a let down that evening coz i’ve heard him before i know he’s good), DJ Pearl and Closing the night Judge Jules.. This man knows the music and knows how to entertain.

Cant wait for the second edition of Storm.. The event was absolutely rocking and the arrangements were nothing like i had ever seen.. sniffer dogs, full body checks.. Woah.. Felt for a moment we were going to meet the queen ;)

Cheerios,

me

Yay !! Re-Did my Blog

Posted by Padmanabh Padiyar on

Finally .. something i have been tryin to do for quite sometime.. Change my blog into a photo blog showcasing some of my average photography.

Got a few Galleries created under the “PhotoBlog” section at the top right corner.

Please click the thumbnails to view a high res photo.

Do comment and let me know on what you think bout them.

Warm regards & Cheers,

me

Of Temples, Rulers and Forts

Posted by Padmanabh Padiyar on

Just one of those quick trips to my maternal native town Kasaragod to meet my grand dad turned into a short sightseeing escapade with my cousins and their frens… The journey was just the usual bumpy roads after Madikeri but went on smooth from Puttur onwards. Guess it was the Volvo which was light on my backside ;)  Must say KSRTC Airavat service and staff friendliness rocks or maybe it’s just me.

Happened to visit the Madhur temple.. Originally a Shiva temple but now famous as the Ganapathi temple… I try n visit this place whenever i find time. The place is absolutely beautiful except for one thing which is a big board outside which reads “Entry for Hindus only”… I absolutely object to the fact that how much ever we are developed, we have such discrimination taking place in the name of religion, caste, etc..  The temple ambience and surrounding itself are very beautiful and has a divine feel to it. Greenery everywhere.. i  guess Green is the new Blue to me.. (Blue of course always stands out as my fav color).. The temple is famous to the belief that the Ganesha idol here actually grows in size year on year.. Somewhere I get torn between the belief and reality.. I guess that’s the agnostic me doing the talking. The temple is on the banks of the Madhuvahini River. It’s not quite uncommon to find the river overflowing and entering the temple premises during heavy rains.

A lil while spent at the temple and then we were on our way to Bekal Fort… Its bout 15 km from Kasaragod and bout roughly 70 kms from the coastal city of Mangalore. There’s a lot to the history of the fort… Used to be the military station of the Islamic ruler Tipu Sultan once upon a time and it is famous for the various hidden tunnels inside the fort… Quite many of them are buried under rocks and the areas have been locked for visitors. I have visited the fort several times in the past but this visit was a pleasant surprise. The entire fort area is now marked a heritage site and comes under the Archaeological Survey of India. Quite a few restoration activities have been undertaken and several others are still in progress. The sight from the various watch towers in the fort gives you breathtaking views of the Arabian sea on one side.. The sunset is breathtakingly beautiful. Too bad we couldn’t stay until then. The best time to visit the fort is during the monsoon when the green cover is at its peak. However would caution you to tread carefully since the rock surface can be quite slippery.

Trivia: Tipu Sultan had once tried to plunder the Madhur temple and then turned back without damaging the temple.. However to satisfy his soldiers and Islamic scholars he made a cut with his sword symbolizing the attack. The mark is still visible on the building that is built around the temple well.

Trivia: The “Uyire” song from the B/Tollywood movie “Bombay” was shot at Bekal Fort.

Cheerios,

me

Monsoon, Mist n Magic

Posted by Padmanabh Padiyar on

Yet another trip to Goaaaa ..  WooHoo!!!  Should ideally start calling the place home.. Took a much needed vacation with a few close buddies. Contrary to my previous vacations, this time we took off to the hills and believe you me, loved every moment of the trip. The monsoon, the mist, the magic..!!  It was all there.

Bout an hour and half drive from the capital city, Nestled in the Chorla Ghats where the borders of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka meet.. Wildernest  felt as if it were a piece of heaven on earth. Stayed here for bout 4 days, completely cut away from technology except for the occasional surprise texts you receive on the phone while the network bars on the phone tell a different tale.

The place is an eco hotspot with a view to kill for. You can see the beautiful Chorla falls and the Sakla-Vajra falls from the cottages while various exotic creepy crawlies keep you company. A dip in the Infinity pool and several friendly green vine snakes around the resort could give you shivers (literally… i mean it :-) ).. We also happened to trek though one of the various trekking routes within the resort which leads to the highest points in the Ghats from where you could see all the three states.. And also another to the falls where i got bitten by bout 8 leeches :-P .. Well i was so excited with the thought of going trekking in the wild, that i forgot to carry salt.. so if you do plan a trip to this place in the monsoons, make sure you carry salt. The suckers tend to hold on as if my blood were sweet elixir ;-) The food is the traditional goan-maharastrian buffet which surely excited me for the first couple of days soon after which i started missing the good ol’ junk foods. The entire region is a plastic free zone.. Each of the cottages is named after the flora and fauna in the region. Thanks to Namdev Gaonkar and Krishna in helping me understand few of the names. They were amazing. Though there were few qualms but when you look at the brighter side, each day spent at the resort was worth it. Oooooohhhh How could i miss the bathrooms with the view… they overlooked the valley.. If not for the full glass window, it could give you a feel of having bath outdoors. Far away from the hustle, bustle n pollution, the clean air in your lungs could actually take a lil getting used to ;)

By the time you decide to leave, one thing is certain, you would either completely fall in love with the color green or would despise it Ofcourse which the latter will not happen.. You gotta see the place to believe it. Managed to capture a few pics despite the non-stop drizzle and rain. Kudos to the team at Wildernest for preserving a jewel in all its green glory.

Cheerios

Palolem Beach, Goa

Posted by Padmanabh Padiyar on

My second visit to Goa in less than a year… Some how the place makes me keep wanting for more with every visit. This time i decided to stick to South Goa – Palolem beach, away from all the action in the North. This definitely came as a welcome surprise. Didn’t imagine theres so little to do here but thats exactly what i wanted.. Not to do anything but laze around in the various shacks, soak in the sand and sun, guzzle up on beer as much as you can fill yourself up.

When at Palolem, Dont miss a visit to the famous German Bakery, The food is amazingly yummy.. One of the best english breakfasts i’ve ever had.  I stayed at Shawnels Beach Resort, one of the best beach huts you can find. Worth the buck you spend. Have a drink at Sundowners beach shack watching the sunset.  Go kayaking around the Monkey Island if u wanna get adventurous or just just laze around on the beach with a beer in your hand, sand at your feet and wind in your hair like i did ;)

 

Cheerios.