Travel

Of Temples, Rulers and Forts

/ Paddy / 4 Comments

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

/ Paddy / 5 Comments

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 😛 .. 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

/ Paddy / 3 Comments

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.

Dholu Kunita @ Janapada Loka

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Almost right from my childhood days, a travel on the Bangalore-Mysore highway would always  be incomplete without a stopover at Kamat Lokaruchi and Janapada Loka.  The food is yummy and it is probably one of the best veggie joints on the highway. This one time, we decided to take a walk inside the Janapada Loka to check the place out. The place is a treat for anybody with a keen interest and love for folk  art, heritage, crafts and music. During this one visit, there was a training camp on folk music and we were lucky to catch a quick glimpse of the folks in action practicing the famous Dholu Kunitha.

 

Cheerios

 

The French Riviera of the East – Puducherry

/ Paddy / 1 Comment

Earlier i mentioned one of the items on my wish list was to try n have atleast 4 vacations in a year. Some as a personal trip to let loose from the hectic schedules @ work,  and a few when i can sneak in pleasure with business 😉 . A trip which would count among  of the most memorable ones happened when i decided to make a trip down to Puducherry (formerly known as Pondicherry a.k.a Pondy).  When i decided to head down to Pondy for bout 4 days, a lot of my frens asked me whatever i planned to do around there for such a long time, but then when i finally got there, i found my calling… The place is magical, it has an unusually beautiful ambiance anywhere you go around in the small town. Went around to the Auroville Ashram where you find the mammoth Matri Mandir, There is every possibility that you would find yourself to be a minority among the huge foreign tourist population.  The route to the Auroville Ashram is covered with a Green Canopy almost as soon as you leave the ECR highway and head left towards the Ashram. The Auroville beach was a disappointment though however when i drove further north on the famous East Coast Road, i landed at a remote beach at a village called Marakkanam which could probably be one of cleanest beaches which i have been to.  Apart from a handful of nearby villagers, i couldnt find any modern crowd around there.  The other place was the Chunnambar boat house from where you can hire a speed boat to the Plage Paradiso beach. The thrill of sitting in a speed boat with the wind in your hair is really an awesome experience. You sure wouldn’t wanna miss it. Food and booze was never a problem, You should visit LeClub, LeCafe, LaTerrace, Satsang, LeSpace (my favorite)…Try the banana flambe, pancakes, Firewood Pizza and several delicacies.. Treat your taste buds 🙂 I learnt some french words myself, fun to walk in to a restaurant and ask for Poulet, Poisson, Crevette, etc..  By the time you return, you’d ve gotten used to addressing a street as Rue 😉  Obtain a Pondy tour map from the Tourist Centre on the Goubert Avenue facing the sea at the Bay Of Bengal. Its very informative and can be really useful to locate some of the heritage buildings. I would love to visit Pondy again and next time probably try n stay at one of the several colonial  heritage buildings and live life french ishtyle 😉 . Here are a few random clicks taken during my stay @ Pondy.

 

Cheerios