It all started with the announcement of shutdown period in my firm. Initially it was for 10 days but due to cost cutting it got increased to 16 days. I am sure I could never ever get such a big break from work, till the time I am employed :) !!! Till now I am.
I read all I could find on all the forums. The best with no doubts is www.indiamike.com It has exhaustive details and lots of answered queries of the avid travelers.
The more I read about the beauty of Andamans the greater became my desire to go. Some of the descriptions I read were so real that I could feel myself standing on the beach # 7 at Havelock.
Getting to Andamans is not easy if you want to make a budget trip. Budget trip clearly implies to and fro journey by ship ( yeah ship !!! ). The ships are the lifelines of Andamans. There is minimum one sailing every week. Most of the consumable come from the mainland. The ships go from Chennai, Kolkata and Vizag. From Vizag, its once a month and rest of the sailings are from Chennai and Kolkata. I want to board the ship from Vizag as the dates suit me. It is supposed to sail on 19th Dec 2008. From Vizag it takes around 56 hours to reach. But mostly it gets extended to 3 days. I read somewhere that, many a times, ships wait for many hours for obtaining clearance to enter the ports. Shit happens !!!
Anyways, this whole thought of traveling by ship for such a long distance is very exciting to me. I have traveled for couple of hours but not for 3 days. I hope not to get sea sick.!!!
Coming back to tickets part, the tickets are sold by Shipping Services, to be precise, by designated agents appointed by the Shipping Services. The sailing dates are only confirmed a month in advance. And over and above this, there is no provision of online booking or mailing the tickets. Tickets have to be collected in person after filling an application form with 2 photographs. The best part, the tickets are sold only 3 days before the sailing. Well, there is a strong reason behind it. They start selling the tickets only when the ship arrives at the port. The ship takes the 3 day break and then sails back.
Buying the tickets on working Wednesday in Vizag was definitely out of question. An uncle of ours came to the rescue. I am deeply grateful to him. Thank you very much. :)
Today only, I have got the confirmation that the tickets are booked. Buying tickets is not easy. The rush is unbelievable, it’s a fish market there. Many thanks again to uncle for this brave work. The trip seems to have started well, I will leave tonight for Vizag. It takes a day to reach there. And then my ship sails to Phoenix Jetty on Friday morning 10AM.
My intention is to make this a very adventurous and as well as a very relaxing trip. If we reach there by 22nd morning, we will have full 7 days to spare. I am planning to stay 3 days in Havelock, 2 days in Neil and last 2 days in Port Blair. During this time, only diving, snorkeling, camping and sleeping under the stars (as I am carrying a tent :))
Lets see how this goes.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Funny Road Signs
It is always amusing and interesting to see the road signs, I am specifically talking about the road signs on hilly roads. These road signs are loaded with sense of humor and have always made me realize that, they have been put up for a real purpose.
Imagine reading this…
Any driver, if by any chance is driving rashly, will think again about his driving style.
Similarly there are host of other signs which I found over the internet, I am making an attempt here to put them in one place.
Whether you are driving or not, reading these signs just lightens you up.
Enjoy!!!
Most of these signs have been put up by Himank. It is the Border-Roads organisation in Ladakh, India, better known as 81HCC(highway corps). They maintain the highest road in the world as well as the Ladakh airport. I heard from somewhere that, the brainchild behind these signs is not some spectacular advertising agency, but rather Himank goes to schools and organizes competitions for the funniest and most sensible slogans. And these school kids are definitely the Slogan Masters. Hats Off to them.
Imagine reading this…
Any driver, if by any chance is driving rashly, will think again about his driving style.
Similarly there are host of other signs which I found over the internet, I am making an attempt here to put them in one place.
Whether you are driving or not, reading these signs just lightens you up.
Enjoy!!!
Most of these signs have been put up by Himank. It is the Border-Roads organisation in Ladakh, India, better known as 81HCC(highway corps). They maintain the highest road in the world as well as the Ladakh airport. I heard from somewhere that, the brainchild behind these signs is not some spectacular advertising agency, but rather Himank goes to schools and organizes competitions for the funniest and most sensible slogans. And these school kids are definitely the Slogan Masters. Hats Off to them.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
New Hobby
How is this notion for a take, we work 5 days a week and then we get the weekend to rest OR we work 5 days a week like fools, we do something which we dont like; then i think during the weekend we should do what we like to do rather than idling at home, rather than watching TV, rather than watching movies at theatres. Anyways these things dont help much to make you feel that you did something good during the weekend.
We have so busy weekdays, that it is very difficult to get anytime for physical workouts or to do some adventurous activities that you want to do. So why not, spend the weekend doing something which you want to do, for which you dont have to force yourself, for which you have a natural craving.
For me, i think i have quite a lot of things on my mind to do. First and foremost go out of bangalore to some place, to any place (any other place would be better than the hustle bustle of bangalore). Do a full body workout, go for a swim, eat light during the nights, may be only fruits + beer. Go for trekking, climb some new hill or a peak. I have found a very interesting activity to be feasible in the city, this is something which i have always wanted to do but never really got a chance to do it. Yeah, it is rock climbing, i mean real rock climbing with rope, carabiners, harness and belay device. As of now i am learning it on a artificial rock in the city. It has been a fortnight since i started.
The experience is exhilirating, you stay very very focussed, you cannot get anything else on your mind during the climb (what a relief!!!).
We have so busy weekdays, that it is very difficult to get anytime for physical workouts or to do some adventurous activities that you want to do. So why not, spend the weekend doing something which you want to do, for which you dont have to force yourself, for which you have a natural craving.
For me, i think i have quite a lot of things on my mind to do. First and foremost go out of bangalore to some place, to any place (any other place would be better than the hustle bustle of bangalore). Do a full body workout, go for a swim, eat light during the nights, may be only fruits + beer. Go for trekking, climb some new hill or a peak. I have found a very interesting activity to be feasible in the city, this is something which i have always wanted to do but never really got a chance to do it. Yeah, it is rock climbing, i mean real rock climbing with rope, carabiners, harness and belay device. As of now i am learning it on a artificial rock in the city. It has been a fortnight since i started.
The experience is exhilirating, you stay very very focussed, you cannot get anything else on your mind during the climb (what a relief!!!).
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wayanad in a Day !!!
Aug 15th to 17th being a long weekend, I had to get out of Bangalore by any means. Initially we were thinking of Bandipur National Park Or Nagerhole National Park Or Gaganchukki/Bhuchukki Waterfalls, any good place nearby Mysore. Suddenly one of my friends sprung the name of Wayanad, that could provide a good combination of all of the above.
Wayanad has a Wildlife reserve, it has a awesome and fierce waterfall and very good places for trekking. It was decided instantly that this should be the place. I was caught in some urgent work on 15th Aug, so we only started our trip on Saturday, 16th. First stop was Mysore, 3 hrs away, again we took the great Indian Railway’s help and reached Mysore in dead 3 hrs and spending only 43 INR per head.
Wrecking havoc inside the bus at Sulthan Bathery Bus Station
I have always been a staunch supporter of public transport except city autos, which I ferociously hate. From Mysore we boarded the KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) bus which gave us an incredible site in the Bandipur National Park in 78 INR and 4 hrs.
Mimicking us. :-)
On the bus journey we saw something incredible that people who go on safari, relish to see. NH 212 goes through the National Park and it is the only way to Wayanad. It was a normal bus ride till we saw a cat like animal on the road, only difference was that it was a little big with a big tail. It was a Leopard. We couldn’t thank much for the perfect timing of the crossing. After the leopard crossed the road, he/she!!! gave a good stare at us. Must be thinking when can I have a feast of these silly people who keep disturbing me? It was a delight.
By the time we reached Wayanad, it was early evening and it was raining as well. So we decided to call it a day. The target for next day was to visit the Edakkal caves and its trek, the Soochipara Waterfall and the Pookot lake. If planning a day trip, then these are the best place to visit.
We didn’t had the luxury of having our own 4X4, so we decided to go for a Mahindra Jeep, which has literally captured the whole Wayanad market. The Jeep for full day hire costs 1500 INR, which is a little steep but with the time constraint and being a hilly area, it is the best thing to do. We started off our day with the Karapuzha Dam, which is a small but beautiful dam. It stands on a lake which is the catchment area for the rain water.
Beautiful sight in the morning
Having spent an hr at the dam, we headed for the Edakkal caves. The caves open only after 9AM and only till 4 PM. Frankly speaking the caves are a masterpiece of ancient paintings drawn by man who existed, I don’t know may be 10000 years ago. The only sad part in this wonderful story is that we didn’t know that it has such a rare treasure, we were much more excited for the trek that was over the top of the caves. I really regret it. There is a natural water source in the cave with very cold and sweet water. Worth every penny to refill your water bottles.
Way to Edakkal caves
Firmly guarded cave entrance
The height of the peak is not comparable to the very famous Chembra peak but the difficulty level and the danger involved is definitely more than that of Chembra peak. The trek has a steep slope and at some places, iron ladders and ropes are provided to get over the vertical face rocks. There is a small stretch over a rock which is without any support and I found it particularly scary. I don’t know why I got scared, I remember I used to climb such faces with ease, I think this accident has made me extra cautious and a little more respectful towards life. I do feel, being cautious brings the best results. Me being me, I had to do it, I waited for couple of minutes and to my rescue, I saw a group of local people scaling that part with such an ease that it made me feel Holy Moly, it aint that difficult afterall. This is nothing in terms of what I aspire to do. After this stretch it way relatively easy. With the help of a fixed iron ladder which is there to help scale the final vertical faced rock, finally I did reach the top.
That’s the hill top we are aiming for.
The top provides a breathtaking view of the surrounding areas. Sorry for not posting the pics, because I didn’t carry the camera to the top, which I also regret :D.
To give a perspective, the small peak in the picture, is what we trekked.
After giving our legs and thighs, a overdose of exercise, which I can still feel in the form of muscular pain, we headed back to our jeep and to our next destination, Soochipara Waterfalls. The whole trek took around 2 and half hrs.
Tea Gardens lacing the NH212
Soochipara is around 30 kms from Edakkal caves, most of the distance is to be covered on the NH212 which is laced with tea gardens. The Waterfall is located a km down from the parking lot. For the 3 quarters of the distance, the road is paved with stone and after that around 50 steps takes us to the bottom of the waterfall. Waterfall can be heard from a km away, and in this rainy season, it looks like all hell has broken loose.
Soochipara in its full glory
The waterfall is majestic and definitely bone crushing. The speed and the amount of water which is hitting the ground, will definitely kill anyone who goes under the waterfall. Even at a distance of 10 mts, the splattering water feels like bullets. I am very fond of waterfalls, I don’t remember, not entering a waterfall, after having seen it. I can not control myself. The water was very cold and the whole waterfall bed had lot of stones, so guys be very cautious. The bath took away all the tiredness of the trek. I felt very very fresh as if the high speed water bullets had cleaned the skin like never before. Definitely worth a dip. :D
Bubbling water at the start of waterfall
It was already 2:30PM, so we decided to head towards our last destination, Pookot lake. It is 30km, an hr away from the waterfall. The lake is just like any other lake, it does provide boats and canoes. After having seen, taals at Nainital, everything else looks a little small!!! But still the lake visit relaxes you for the return travel.
Pookot Lake
I agree, I didn’t go to the must see places while being in Wayanad, I didn’t trek the most tall peak in the region, but I must say, it couldn’t have been better if you only got a day at your disposal. To confess, while heading towards Wayanad or while we were in Wayanad, I didn’t know about the peak, where we can stay overnight at the top. But, I think, it was a blessing in disguise. After having read about the real wonders in Wayanad, I am very desperate to go back. This time I will make sure that I have at least 2 full days at my disposal. Great Trip.
Wayanad has a Wildlife reserve, it has a awesome and fierce waterfall and very good places for trekking. It was decided instantly that this should be the place. I was caught in some urgent work on 15th Aug, so we only started our trip on Saturday, 16th. First stop was Mysore, 3 hrs away, again we took the great Indian Railway’s help and reached Mysore in dead 3 hrs and spending only 43 INR per head.
Wrecking havoc inside the bus at Sulthan Bathery Bus Station
I have always been a staunch supporter of public transport except city autos, which I ferociously hate. From Mysore we boarded the KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) bus which gave us an incredible site in the Bandipur National Park in 78 INR and 4 hrs.
Mimicking us. :-)
On the bus journey we saw something incredible that people who go on safari, relish to see. NH 212 goes through the National Park and it is the only way to Wayanad. It was a normal bus ride till we saw a cat like animal on the road, only difference was that it was a little big with a big tail. It was a Leopard. We couldn’t thank much for the perfect timing of the crossing. After the leopard crossed the road, he/she!!! gave a good stare at us. Must be thinking when can I have a feast of these silly people who keep disturbing me? It was a delight.
By the time we reached Wayanad, it was early evening and it was raining as well. So we decided to call it a day. The target for next day was to visit the Edakkal caves and its trek, the Soochipara Waterfall and the Pookot lake. If planning a day trip, then these are the best place to visit.
We didn’t had the luxury of having our own 4X4, so we decided to go for a Mahindra Jeep, which has literally captured the whole Wayanad market. The Jeep for full day hire costs 1500 INR, which is a little steep but with the time constraint and being a hilly area, it is the best thing to do. We started off our day with the Karapuzha Dam, which is a small but beautiful dam. It stands on a lake which is the catchment area for the rain water.
Beautiful sight in the morning
Having spent an hr at the dam, we headed for the Edakkal caves. The caves open only after 9AM and only till 4 PM. Frankly speaking the caves are a masterpiece of ancient paintings drawn by man who existed, I don’t know may be 10000 years ago. The only sad part in this wonderful story is that we didn’t know that it has such a rare treasure, we were much more excited for the trek that was over the top of the caves. I really regret it. There is a natural water source in the cave with very cold and sweet water. Worth every penny to refill your water bottles.
Way to Edakkal caves
Firmly guarded cave entrance
The height of the peak is not comparable to the very famous Chembra peak but the difficulty level and the danger involved is definitely more than that of Chembra peak. The trek has a steep slope and at some places, iron ladders and ropes are provided to get over the vertical face rocks. There is a small stretch over a rock which is without any support and I found it particularly scary. I don’t know why I got scared, I remember I used to climb such faces with ease, I think this accident has made me extra cautious and a little more respectful towards life. I do feel, being cautious brings the best results. Me being me, I had to do it, I waited for couple of minutes and to my rescue, I saw a group of local people scaling that part with such an ease that it made me feel Holy Moly, it aint that difficult afterall. This is nothing in terms of what I aspire to do. After this stretch it way relatively easy. With the help of a fixed iron ladder which is there to help scale the final vertical faced rock, finally I did reach the top.
That’s the hill top we are aiming for.
The top provides a breathtaking view of the surrounding areas. Sorry for not posting the pics, because I didn’t carry the camera to the top, which I also regret :D.
To give a perspective, the small peak in the picture, is what we trekked.
After giving our legs and thighs, a overdose of exercise, which I can still feel in the form of muscular pain, we headed back to our jeep and to our next destination, Soochipara Waterfalls. The whole trek took around 2 and half hrs.
Tea Gardens lacing the NH212
Soochipara is around 30 kms from Edakkal caves, most of the distance is to be covered on the NH212 which is laced with tea gardens. The Waterfall is located a km down from the parking lot. For the 3 quarters of the distance, the road is paved with stone and after that around 50 steps takes us to the bottom of the waterfall. Waterfall can be heard from a km away, and in this rainy season, it looks like all hell has broken loose.
Soochipara in its full glory
The waterfall is majestic and definitely bone crushing. The speed and the amount of water which is hitting the ground, will definitely kill anyone who goes under the waterfall. Even at a distance of 10 mts, the splattering water feels like bullets. I am very fond of waterfalls, I don’t remember, not entering a waterfall, after having seen it. I can not control myself. The water was very cold and the whole waterfall bed had lot of stones, so guys be very cautious. The bath took away all the tiredness of the trek. I felt very very fresh as if the high speed water bullets had cleaned the skin like never before. Definitely worth a dip. :D
Bubbling water at the start of waterfall
It was already 2:30PM, so we decided to head towards our last destination, Pookot lake. It is 30km, an hr away from the waterfall. The lake is just like any other lake, it does provide boats and canoes. After having seen, taals at Nainital, everything else looks a little small!!! But still the lake visit relaxes you for the return travel.
Pookot Lake
I agree, I didn’t go to the must see places while being in Wayanad, I didn’t trek the most tall peak in the region, but I must say, it couldn’t have been better if you only got a day at your disposal. To confess, while heading towards Wayanad or while we were in Wayanad, I didn’t know about the peak, where we can stay overnight at the top. But, I think, it was a blessing in disguise. After having read about the real wonders in Wayanad, I am very desperate to go back. This time I will make sure that I have at least 2 full days at my disposal. Great Trip.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Ways to reduce Carbon Footprint...
Best way to reduce carbon footprint is to stay away from energy consuming processes.
10 very simple and practical ways are listed below:
1. Do not subscribe paper bills/statements, view them online and if possible pay them online as well.
2. Use digital form submission instead of postal whenever possible.
3. Use compact fluorescent lamp instead of incandescent bulb.
4. Turn off computers when not in use.
5. Use Energy Star appliances.
6. Buy refill bags instead of buying a new container pack every time.
7. Do not drive with low tire pressure.
8. Say no to plastic bags, instead carry your own bag for small say to day shopping.
9. Do not overcharge the mobile, unplug, once it is charged.
10. Hang the wet clothes for drying rather than using Washing Machine Dryer.
10 very simple and practical ways are listed below:
1. Do not subscribe paper bills/statements, view them online and if possible pay them online as well.
2. Use digital form submission instead of postal whenever possible.
3. Use compact fluorescent lamp instead of incandescent bulb.
4. Turn off computers when not in use.
5. Use Energy Star appliances.
6. Buy refill bags instead of buying a new container pack every time.
7. Do not drive with low tire pressure.
8. Say no to plastic bags, instead carry your own bag for small say to day shopping.
9. Do not overcharge the mobile, unplug, once it is charged.
10. Hang the wet clothes for drying rather than using Washing Machine Dryer.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
What is Carbon Footprint ?
These days there is a great hooplah about Corbon Footprint. I keep hearing that we should reduce our Carbon Footprint, if possible we should offset it as well. Couple of months back I heard a crazy story that keeping mails in Inbox increases the Carbon Footprint. It has long been long on my agenda to dig this story.
So, what is this Carbon Footprint? As per wiki definition, “A carbon footprint is a "measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide"
In simpler terms, every activity that we do, could have some amount of CO2 associated with it. Whether it is driving your vehicle to office or using electrical appliances or it can be as mundane as running your vehicle with low tire pressure. Carbon Footprint is this amount of CO2 (in kilograms or tones) produced directly or indirectly from our activities. It also includes CO2 equivalent for other greenhouse gases (gases which prevent heat from escaping the earth’s atmosphere).
Greenhouse gases are the gases which are essential for our survival. These gases trap the heat in the earth’s atmosphere. It is because of this, earth has a temperature in which we can survive. But the excess of the very same gases is very disastrous as well. “Excess of anything is bad”.
If we think about the activities that generate CO2, it seems that everything we do, produces CO2!!! Right from using paper to write to clocking miles on our flight travel. For paper, it would be the loss of CO2 absorption by the tree cutting plus the energy (thus CO2 produced while producing that energy) used to process the wood and bark to produce the paper in a form, in which we know the paper to be. Just to give a figure, if a tree of 1 foot diameter and 40 feet tall is cut and burnt for any kind of activity, a TON of Carbon is released. A ton is 1000kgs, that aint less.
If we have many ways to harm the environment, then we have equally abundant ways to reduce this destruction. Just by replacing the normal electric bulb with a compact fluorescent one, we can reduce the Carbon Footprint by 50 kilos.
We can not stop our basic activities but we can, for sure, do them in such a way that will consume the smallest amount of energy and thus lesser amount produced CO2 and then we can definitely feel good about reducing our Carbon Footprint.
I believe the best way to reduce the Carbon Footprint is to increase the awareness. If the common man is not aware that by unnecessarily using his car alone every day, he is actually contributing to the destruction of environment, his silly activities will one day cause the temperature of the earth to rise. And because of this, low lying island and coasts will no longer be above the sea level and affecting millions. If we are able to arouse the conscience of common man, he will definitely do whatever he can. Along with this the major initiative should come from the side of Governments of all countries and big corporations.
As a first step, do turnoff the computers/light bulbs/ACs, while leaving for the day today.
Look out for few more day to day techniques later...
Monday, August 4, 2008
Budget Travel
Having rested much and recovered considerably, i couldnt stay any longer in my work town.
All these 3 months, i could only imagine how good it feels to walk and run freely. Now i am back to do something which I really like.
It is still not difficult to travel with comfort and to travel on budget. This time I am headed to Mysore again!!!
Budget Tips: Use the public buses provided by BMTC, use Indian Railways and very important, ask your friends to pick/drop you whenever possible!!!
BMTC Bus from Koramangala to Majestic Bus Stand --> 9 INR (it takes the same time as an auto would take, bcoz nobody messes with local buses)
Passenger Train from Bangalore Station to Mysore --> 22 INR (takes just an hr more than the express train, still only 3.5 hrs)
Ask your friend to pick you up at the station --> Scold him for being late!!!
Express train from Mysore to Bangalore --> 43 INR
BMTC bus from Majestic to Koramangala --> 14 INR
This all adds upto only 88 INR, which is very very cheap according to any standards. This is the normal amount you would spend, if you take an auto rickshaw from Koramangala to Majestic.
All Carbon Rating Conscious people, using mass public transport is the best way to reduce your individual carbon footprint. And you always see and feel something new, at least I do.
More on Carbon Foot Print Later.
All these 3 months, i could only imagine how good it feels to walk and run freely. Now i am back to do something which I really like.
It is still not difficult to travel with comfort and to travel on budget. This time I am headed to Mysore again!!!
Budget Tips: Use the public buses provided by BMTC, use Indian Railways and very important, ask your friends to pick/drop you whenever possible!!!
BMTC Bus from Koramangala to Majestic Bus Stand --> 9 INR (it takes the same time as an auto would take, bcoz nobody messes with local buses)
Passenger Train from Bangalore Station to Mysore --> 22 INR (takes just an hr more than the express train, still only 3.5 hrs)
Ask your friend to pick you up at the station --> Scold him for being late!!!
Express train from Mysore to Bangalore --> 43 INR
BMTC bus from Majestic to Koramangala --> 14 INR
This all adds upto only 88 INR, which is very very cheap according to any standards. This is the normal amount you would spend, if you take an auto rickshaw from Koramangala to Majestic.
All Carbon Rating Conscious people, using mass public transport is the best way to reduce your individual carbon footprint. And you always see and feel something new, at least I do.
More on Carbon Foot Print Later.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Alappuzha
As suggested by most travel experts, the best time to visit Kerala is during winters (but sadly there is nothing known as cold weather in kerala, it only cools down a little bit. The average range of temperature for costal regions is 22-32 degree Celsius, the region we are interested in). I guess for poor people like me, a little hot and humid weather can be compensated for big bargains on bookings and easy availability of bus tickets. Moreover, for ones, who have gone though many North-Indian summers, this shouldn’t be unbearable?
Our point of interest in Kerala was Alappuzha(the most difficult word I have ever tried to pronounce, actually it is neither “zha” in the end nor it is “ra” in the end, it is somewhere in between if you hear it from the locals. I tried it many times; it is a full blown tongue twister. For the record I am still trying, and Ajith next time, when we meet, I will spell it correctly). The last character in the name is a character which is not present in Devanagri script, it is a sole property of malayalam language. Whenever you try to spell it in front of locals, they will always say, you cant, you got to learn it in childhood. Anyways my quest is ON for it.
Backwaters.
Alappuzha is better and thankfully known as Alleppey. It has the best backwaters in India. Many have asked me, what are backwaters? Let me fetch a definition from wiki (The Kerala backwaters are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast. The network includes five large lakes linked by canals, both manmade and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually half the length of Kerala state. Backwaters do meet and empty themselves in the sea, but it is controlled by barrages to keep the sea at bay.). In kerala, Alappuzha, is the best place to experience them. So we decided to go to the “Venice of the east”. This time as well, I headed with the same Gokarna trip gang.
Backwater cruise started.
Alleppey is around 575 kms from Bangalore and approximately 450 kms from Mangalore. I took a 12 hr bus ride to the place and Mangalore folks were lucky enough to get hands on the train tickets. Raj Lodge, near Alappuzha bus stand was the meeting point for us. It is wise to book the House Boat in advance and we are. We had booked a fully furnished 2BHK house-boat. The house configuration sounds like a real concrete house, it is indeed in many ways better than that.
House Boat Drawing Room.
The house-boat had 2 bedroom with double beds and attached washrooms with showers :D. A separate kitchen area towards the end of the boat. The drawing room with no walls lies towards the start of the boat. Well, our drawing room had a Sofa set, a glass table with chairs for 4 and bingo!!!! A home theatre system. What else do we want from a house. And the best thing about this house is that you can take it anywhere you want. How good is that?
House Boat bedroom.
But guys, this aint cheaper than a normal house. For a house boat like the one we had, it took the owner 25lacs to build. A plum amount.
Before boarding the boat, we had our breakfast at a local restaurant. For the ones who like beef, your breakfast will be as good as it can be. Beef curry with idiyappam(a very thin noodles like preparation). And on top of it, instead of normal or cold water, you are served warm water that has some ayurvedic ingredients in it. It tastes good as well. Try it.
Our boat cruise started at 11AM, when the boat first started from the parking bay and began to crawl in the winding backwater lanes, the whole experience was awesome. You really feel as you are in God’s own country. The wonderful ride is coupled with equally pleasing wind. For the first half an hour we couldn’t stop but to appreciate the house-boat and the backwaters.
Every house has their own personal back water.
The house-boat is generally equipped with an onboard cook and believe it or not, the food he served on the entire trip was heaven like. In the lunch, we had Fried Fish and Fish Curry made in local style. If you request, cook can catch a fish in front of you and will cook it for you as well.
Fish.
We stopped a few times for the boat supplies and for some supplies for us.
Todi Shop.
We spotted this big group of ducklings, look at the symmetry.
Ducks.
In some areas backwaters are pretty deep, more than 10mts. But still there are many spots where it is 2-3 mts deep (that is still enough to get drowned). We took life jackets and went for swim. Being fresh water, it was a much better experience than we had last time at the Malpe beach. We snapped some good diving pics as well.
Meanwhile it was evening time now; boat was tied to a tree on the shore. At this time of year, they don’t anchor the boat in the middle of water due to high winds but during winters they do so. Many other boats were also anchored along the shore. Meanwhile our cook was busy preparing delicious chicken for the night, we wandered in the nearby paddy fields.
Paddy Fields.
Todi is a local drink very common among the locals and a delicacy for the tourists. We too tried it. It is a sourly in taste and should be drink in one big gulp rather than taking small sips. It can be a little unpleasant in taste for some but if you develop a taste for it. It is heavenly afterwards.
Sunset Pic. (Trying with Manual Focus)
The best part is that the wind blows all the time but still mosquitoes will not spare you. It is good to take mosquito coils with you. Try not to sleep in the bedrooms else you will loose the amazing starry night sky.
It was an early morning for all of us. The boat headed towards a vast expanse of water. It looked as if there was no shore. It was immense. It was partly cloudy with few water drops falling here and there. A perfect time to take the morning tea. With the tea we came to know that our wonderful time had to come to an end. We were supposed to vacate the boat by 10AM so that they can cleanup the boat and prepare it for others.
Morning Pic.
They even have waterway signs.
Before vacating we took bath on the house boat, in the shower :D. The cook had made delicious and soft idlis for the breakfast.
And finally our boat was docked in the parking bay.
Parking Bay.
This was all about the 24 hr heavenly experience on the house boat.
Our point of interest in Kerala was Alappuzha(the most difficult word I have ever tried to pronounce, actually it is neither “zha” in the end nor it is “ra” in the end, it is somewhere in between if you hear it from the locals. I tried it many times; it is a full blown tongue twister. For the record I am still trying, and Ajith next time, when we meet, I will spell it correctly). The last character in the name is a character which is not present in Devanagri script, it is a sole property of malayalam language. Whenever you try to spell it in front of locals, they will always say, you cant, you got to learn it in childhood. Anyways my quest is ON for it.
Backwaters.
Alappuzha is better and thankfully known as Alleppey. It has the best backwaters in India. Many have asked me, what are backwaters? Let me fetch a definition from wiki (The Kerala backwaters are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast. The network includes five large lakes linked by canals, both manmade and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually half the length of Kerala state. Backwaters do meet and empty themselves in the sea, but it is controlled by barrages to keep the sea at bay.). In kerala, Alappuzha, is the best place to experience them. So we decided to go to the “Venice of the east”. This time as well, I headed with the same Gokarna trip gang.
Backwater cruise started.
Alleppey is around 575 kms from Bangalore and approximately 450 kms from Mangalore. I took a 12 hr bus ride to the place and Mangalore folks were lucky enough to get hands on the train tickets. Raj Lodge, near Alappuzha bus stand was the meeting point for us. It is wise to book the House Boat in advance and we are. We had booked a fully furnished 2BHK house-boat. The house configuration sounds like a real concrete house, it is indeed in many ways better than that.
House Boat Drawing Room.
The house-boat had 2 bedroom with double beds and attached washrooms with showers :D. A separate kitchen area towards the end of the boat. The drawing room with no walls lies towards the start of the boat. Well, our drawing room had a Sofa set, a glass table with chairs for 4 and bingo!!!! A home theatre system. What else do we want from a house. And the best thing about this house is that you can take it anywhere you want. How good is that?
House Boat bedroom.
But guys, this aint cheaper than a normal house. For a house boat like the one we had, it took the owner 25lacs to build. A plum amount.
Before boarding the boat, we had our breakfast at a local restaurant. For the ones who like beef, your breakfast will be as good as it can be. Beef curry with idiyappam(a very thin noodles like preparation). And on top of it, instead of normal or cold water, you are served warm water that has some ayurvedic ingredients in it. It tastes good as well. Try it.
Our boat cruise started at 11AM, when the boat first started from the parking bay and began to crawl in the winding backwater lanes, the whole experience was awesome. You really feel as you are in God’s own country. The wonderful ride is coupled with equally pleasing wind. For the first half an hour we couldn’t stop but to appreciate the house-boat and the backwaters.
Every house has their own personal back water.
The house-boat is generally equipped with an onboard cook and believe it or not, the food he served on the entire trip was heaven like. In the lunch, we had Fried Fish and Fish Curry made in local style. If you request, cook can catch a fish in front of you and will cook it for you as well.
Fish.
We stopped a few times for the boat supplies and for some supplies for us.
Todi Shop.
We spotted this big group of ducklings, look at the symmetry.
Ducks.
In some areas backwaters are pretty deep, more than 10mts. But still there are many spots where it is 2-3 mts deep (that is still enough to get drowned). We took life jackets and went for swim. Being fresh water, it was a much better experience than we had last time at the Malpe beach. We snapped some good diving pics as well.
Meanwhile it was evening time now; boat was tied to a tree on the shore. At this time of year, they don’t anchor the boat in the middle of water due to high winds but during winters they do so. Many other boats were also anchored along the shore. Meanwhile our cook was busy preparing delicious chicken for the night, we wandered in the nearby paddy fields.
Paddy Fields.
Todi is a local drink very common among the locals and a delicacy for the tourists. We too tried it. It is a sourly in taste and should be drink in one big gulp rather than taking small sips. It can be a little unpleasant in taste for some but if you develop a taste for it. It is heavenly afterwards.
Sunset Pic. (Trying with Manual Focus)
The best part is that the wind blows all the time but still mosquitoes will not spare you. It is good to take mosquito coils with you. Try not to sleep in the bedrooms else you will loose the amazing starry night sky.
It was an early morning for all of us. The boat headed towards a vast expanse of water. It looked as if there was no shore. It was immense. It was partly cloudy with few water drops falling here and there. A perfect time to take the morning tea. With the tea we came to know that our wonderful time had to come to an end. We were supposed to vacate the boat by 10AM so that they can cleanup the boat and prepare it for others.
Morning Pic.
They even have waterway signs.
Before vacating we took bath on the house boat, in the shower :D. The cook had made delicious and soft idlis for the breakfast.
And finally our boat was docked in the parking bay.
Parking Bay.
This was all about the 24 hr heavenly experience on the house boat.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Gokarna
So far it has been a good start of Bangalore Summer. Only few days back, I came from Lucknow after spending a good 15 days at home. It was a real good vacation after a very long time. I guess this was the first time that I lost track of dates and days. After 4-5 days at home, I just wasn’t able to recollect which date or day it was anymore. I tried real hard, even I calculated the number of days I had been in Lucknow, but for no good. After scanning all my natural memory, I couldn’t locate the day. In the end, very very reluctantly I looked at the newspaper, to get a hang of the days passing by. It was a real treat to get lost in the vacation.
I had no idea that within a week of coming back, I would get another opportunity to chill. One of my very good friend and his Mangalore gang invited me for a trip to Gokarna. No one from the group except one had visited Gokarna before. All we knew was that it has one of the most scenic beaches in Karanataka. Gokarna is 240kms from Mangalore. On its way, there are many worth visiting beaches and some very scenic backwaters full of mangroves.
It is not the first time that I have been to Mangalore. When I was kid, I had come here with my parents, but I don’t remember much of that trip, except that I had a good time at the beach. I have heard that Mangalore is a much better place than Mysore(I can compare Mysore because I go there very very frequently), that it sees a lot of money from outside India, not mainly but some part from Smuggling as well. After all it is expected from a port city. Mangalore is a very quite and very small place as compared to Bangalore. It hardly takes 30 mins to cover the length and breadth of the city. It is indeed small. You can imagine that, when I had to catch my return bus at 10:50PM, I left the house at 10:40PM, unlike here, where I have to leave atleast an hour before.
Anyways, On 4th evening I left Bangalore by bus for Mangalore. Being a long weekend and because of my super lazniness in booking the bus tickets, I could only manage tickets from a private bus operator (KSRTC is the best). Booking tickets on Manjunath Volvo proved to be a huge mistake. Private bus operators drive through the ghats(I guess shayadri) and the roads on these ghats are insane unlike western ghats where you find one of the most amazing ghats and equally amazing roads. From all 8 hour bus journey I could only manage 1 hour of sleep. Even though it was a Volvo bus, I could feel the suspension hitting the full compression each time. I was on a decent bus ride to another city, I was not there for some offroading adventure. I think this was the most treacherous bus journey I had ever taken in my life. Okay, let us move on. I reached Mangalore by 7AM, Saturday and after getting fresh, our gang started off from Mangalore.
I think idli wada with very spicy sambhar is the best morning breakfast. Our ride for the trip was a Scorpio SUV with 7 of us in it. Our first stop was Malpe beach near Udupi, for a short swim( I readily agreed for it because I hadn’t taken bath in the morning…..). Once you enter the water, it is difficult not to realize that the beach holidays are the best.
St. Mary's Island (effect of excessive sunlight).
Saint Mary’s Island is in the backdrop of the pic, it is a 45 mins ride from a ferry. A place worth going if you have few hours to spend. Take caution at the island rocks, I came to know that many people have lost their lives while taking the perfect shot from the rocks. In the middle of sea, a big wave can very easily throw anyone off the rock.
Banana ride and Scooters are available on the beach. To make it exciting we did the MTV Roadies banana trick. It is good fun to change positions on the banana while it is going on full speed. It did give a slight adrenaline rush. Without tricks, it becomes too boring. If planning to do one, do it here as it is not available on other beaches on the way Gokarna.
My savior.
Udupi is a good place to stop by for a wholesome lunch. A good place for tea break is the Turtle bay, better known as Marvanthe beach. It is right on NH-17, no need to take any narrow roads. It is one of the few places where the sea and the backwaters run parallel. On one side, it is the majestic Arabian Sea and on the other, very scenic and very green backwaters.
NH-17 keeps the sea at the bay.
Awesome backwaters.
It was already 5 in the evening, we drove non-stop to Gokarna and reached there by 8PM. Btw Gokarna is a very small place with a very old and historical Shiva temple. Ironically the place is more famous for the temple rather than the beautiful beaches. The beach of our interest was not the Gokarna beach, but a nearby Om beach. As you would have guessed, it is called Om beach because its shoreline is shaped like Om (ॐ). The only form of accommodation available on Om beach are the huts, apart from that there is a super luxury resort SwaSwara with a night’s rent of 10K. So, it was time for us to look for few huts for our gang. A very disturbing thing we came to know there was that some hut owners just don’t give their huts to Indians, only to foreigners. After getting refusal by 4 shacks, we finally landed a place for us with some good negotiation skills.
Saturday morning was exceptionally good as I had slept under the stars with wonderful sounds of crashing waves on the shore.
This was the bedroom with the most amazing view on the planet.
As Gokarna is on the Arabian Sea (Western Coast of India), so sun doesn’t come out of the sea, but leaps its way from behind the small hills.
Sunrise (remember MS windows wallpaper).
It was cloudy but still a very good time to take some nice pics.
Best wall of the morning.
This dog followed us for the whole morning (well deserved pic).
The destination for Saturday was Yana, a place famous for Volcanic Rocks. The rocks are not so famous because they were formed by Volcanic explosion but because of the shape, which reminds you of the birth place of Superman. You guys will come to know when you see the pic.
Yana is good 50 kms from Gokarna, the roads are okay, except for a horrendous stretch of 1.5 kms where there is actually no road. It looks like Public Works Department ran out of money while building the road. The last km or two provide good place for offroading as well. It is a wise idea to take a SUV preferably 4WD, though we had a 2WD scorpio, it coped the conditions pretty well with its good ground clearance. Our ride was exceptionally bumpy as it was an old scorpio with leaf spring suspensions. Initially when Mahindra had launched scorpio, I don’t know for what reason they fitted it with Leaf springs. Can you imagine an SUV with leaf springs? Anyways, we reached the end of motorable road and now it was a little trek of 1.5 kms. On the way up, a small river (I don’t know what to call) runs along with you. The trek ends with couple of steps (definitely more than 50 but less than 100).
When I saw the rock formations for the first time, I was really amazed, as how the hell, nature came up with something like this.
Superman Birthplace.
Another Rock formation.
Looks like a castle.
On top of the hill there are two main rocks and few small ones as well. There is a small temple as well, at the foothill of the rock. There is a Pradikshina (for people who don't know, it is a path around the temple, in circular or in any shape) around the temple. It is a must go place, it shows some very interesting rock formations.
Razer sharp edges.
Some kind of rock (can anyone help?).
It is definitely a place, worth the effort of talking a bumpy ride and the trek. On the way up, it took us almost an hour to reach the top, but it took only 15mins to walk back. It is a hot and sweaty trek, so do take lot of water.
In the evening, we went to Half-moon and paradise beaches, near our base beach (Om beach). These beaches are not accessible by any motorable road. Only option is a 25min trek over few small hills or take a boat ride. As expected, we preferred boat ride over a yet another hike. Some huts are available here as well, but there is no power on the beach. So, kindly manage.
Some huts are available, right on the hill face as well.
The coastline of these beaches is so mysteriously formed that neither can you see the Sunrise nor the Sunset.
Sunset.
I really liked this pic, imagine the speed of waves as they relentlessly hit the rocks.
Crashing waves.
After spending two nights on the beach, it was an aweful Sunday, finally we had to start our way back. Only destination worth stopping was the Murudeshwar beach. It has a wonderful beach + a temple with a very very very huge Shiva Statue + Asia’s tallest Gopruram (this recently came in TOI).
Scenic Murudeshwar Beach.
Huge Shiva Idol.
Asia's Tallest Gopuram.
Finally, we were on the road again for the last stretch of 100 odd kms. After that, it was home sweet home. Last wonderful thing of the trip was the awesome Fried Fish from Narayana (Mangalore).
While others crashed to the bed, I started my bus journey back to Bangalore.
I had no idea that within a week of coming back, I would get another opportunity to chill. One of my very good friend and his Mangalore gang invited me for a trip to Gokarna. No one from the group except one had visited Gokarna before. All we knew was that it has one of the most scenic beaches in Karanataka. Gokarna is 240kms from Mangalore. On its way, there are many worth visiting beaches and some very scenic backwaters full of mangroves.
It is not the first time that I have been to Mangalore. When I was kid, I had come here with my parents, but I don’t remember much of that trip, except that I had a good time at the beach. I have heard that Mangalore is a much better place than Mysore(I can compare Mysore because I go there very very frequently), that it sees a lot of money from outside India, not mainly but some part from Smuggling as well. After all it is expected from a port city. Mangalore is a very quite and very small place as compared to Bangalore. It hardly takes 30 mins to cover the length and breadth of the city. It is indeed small. You can imagine that, when I had to catch my return bus at 10:50PM, I left the house at 10:40PM, unlike here, where I have to leave atleast an hour before.
Anyways, On 4th evening I left Bangalore by bus for Mangalore. Being a long weekend and because of my super lazniness in booking the bus tickets, I could only manage tickets from a private bus operator (KSRTC is the best). Booking tickets on Manjunath Volvo proved to be a huge mistake. Private bus operators drive through the ghats(I guess shayadri) and the roads on these ghats are insane unlike western ghats where you find one of the most amazing ghats and equally amazing roads. From all 8 hour bus journey I could only manage 1 hour of sleep. Even though it was a Volvo bus, I could feel the suspension hitting the full compression each time. I was on a decent bus ride to another city, I was not there for some offroading adventure. I think this was the most treacherous bus journey I had ever taken in my life. Okay, let us move on. I reached Mangalore by 7AM, Saturday and after getting fresh, our gang started off from Mangalore.
I think idli wada with very spicy sambhar is the best morning breakfast. Our ride for the trip was a Scorpio SUV with 7 of us in it. Our first stop was Malpe beach near Udupi, for a short swim( I readily agreed for it because I hadn’t taken bath in the morning…..). Once you enter the water, it is difficult not to realize that the beach holidays are the best.
St. Mary's Island (effect of excessive sunlight).
Saint Mary’s Island is in the backdrop of the pic, it is a 45 mins ride from a ferry. A place worth going if you have few hours to spend. Take caution at the island rocks, I came to know that many people have lost their lives while taking the perfect shot from the rocks. In the middle of sea, a big wave can very easily throw anyone off the rock.
Banana ride and Scooters are available on the beach. To make it exciting we did the MTV Roadies banana trick. It is good fun to change positions on the banana while it is going on full speed. It did give a slight adrenaline rush. Without tricks, it becomes too boring. If planning to do one, do it here as it is not available on other beaches on the way Gokarna.
My savior.
Udupi is a good place to stop by for a wholesome lunch. A good place for tea break is the Turtle bay, better known as Marvanthe beach. It is right on NH-17, no need to take any narrow roads. It is one of the few places where the sea and the backwaters run parallel. On one side, it is the majestic Arabian Sea and on the other, very scenic and very green backwaters.
NH-17 keeps the sea at the bay.
Awesome backwaters.
It was already 5 in the evening, we drove non-stop to Gokarna and reached there by 8PM. Btw Gokarna is a very small place with a very old and historical Shiva temple. Ironically the place is more famous for the temple rather than the beautiful beaches. The beach of our interest was not the Gokarna beach, but a nearby Om beach. As you would have guessed, it is called Om beach because its shoreline is shaped like Om (ॐ). The only form of accommodation available on Om beach are the huts, apart from that there is a super luxury resort SwaSwara with a night’s rent of 10K. So, it was time for us to look for few huts for our gang. A very disturbing thing we came to know there was that some hut owners just don’t give their huts to Indians, only to foreigners. After getting refusal by 4 shacks, we finally landed a place for us with some good negotiation skills.
Saturday morning was exceptionally good as I had slept under the stars with wonderful sounds of crashing waves on the shore.
This was the bedroom with the most amazing view on the planet.
As Gokarna is on the Arabian Sea (Western Coast of India), so sun doesn’t come out of the sea, but leaps its way from behind the small hills.
Sunrise (remember MS windows wallpaper).
It was cloudy but still a very good time to take some nice pics.
Best wall of the morning.
This dog followed us for the whole morning (well deserved pic).
The destination for Saturday was Yana, a place famous for Volcanic Rocks. The rocks are not so famous because they were formed by Volcanic explosion but because of the shape, which reminds you of the birth place of Superman. You guys will come to know when you see the pic.
Yana is good 50 kms from Gokarna, the roads are okay, except for a horrendous stretch of 1.5 kms where there is actually no road. It looks like Public Works Department ran out of money while building the road. The last km or two provide good place for offroading as well. It is a wise idea to take a SUV preferably 4WD, though we had a 2WD scorpio, it coped the conditions pretty well with its good ground clearance. Our ride was exceptionally bumpy as it was an old scorpio with leaf spring suspensions. Initially when Mahindra had launched scorpio, I don’t know for what reason they fitted it with Leaf springs. Can you imagine an SUV with leaf springs? Anyways, we reached the end of motorable road and now it was a little trek of 1.5 kms. On the way up, a small river (I don’t know what to call) runs along with you. The trek ends with couple of steps (definitely more than 50 but less than 100).
When I saw the rock formations for the first time, I was really amazed, as how the hell, nature came up with something like this.
Superman Birthplace.
Another Rock formation.
Looks like a castle.
On top of the hill there are two main rocks and few small ones as well. There is a small temple as well, at the foothill of the rock. There is a Pradikshina (for people who don't know, it is a path around the temple, in circular or in any shape) around the temple. It is a must go place, it shows some very interesting rock formations.
Razer sharp edges.
Some kind of rock (can anyone help?).
It is definitely a place, worth the effort of talking a bumpy ride and the trek. On the way up, it took us almost an hour to reach the top, but it took only 15mins to walk back. It is a hot and sweaty trek, so do take lot of water.
In the evening, we went to Half-moon and paradise beaches, near our base beach (Om beach). These beaches are not accessible by any motorable road. Only option is a 25min trek over few small hills or take a boat ride. As expected, we preferred boat ride over a yet another hike. Some huts are available here as well, but there is no power on the beach. So, kindly manage.
Some huts are available, right on the hill face as well.
The coastline of these beaches is so mysteriously formed that neither can you see the Sunrise nor the Sunset.
Sunset.
I really liked this pic, imagine the speed of waves as they relentlessly hit the rocks.
Crashing waves.
After spending two nights on the beach, it was an aweful Sunday, finally we had to start our way back. Only destination worth stopping was the Murudeshwar beach. It has a wonderful beach + a temple with a very very very huge Shiva Statue + Asia’s tallest Gopruram (this recently came in TOI).
Scenic Murudeshwar Beach.
Huge Shiva Idol.
Asia's Tallest Gopuram.
Finally, we were on the road again for the last stretch of 100 odd kms. After that, it was home sweet home. Last wonderful thing of the trip was the awesome Fried Fish from Narayana (Mangalore).
While others crashed to the bed, I started my bus journey back to Bangalore.
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