Meena's Space: Hol 2013

Showing posts with label Hol 2013. Show all posts

A Jungle Safari To Remember.......

There was no way we could let our blogs just sit and rot, while we blamed everyone but ourselves for not writing. Deciding to put an end to the hiatus on writing, me and Ishithaa have decided to write on every day of November on alternate days. Today if the post is on my page, tomorrow it will be on hers.....

This happened a good year ago on a wild life safari in the jungles of Bandipur. The vehicle we had booked in, happened to be one of those closed jeeps. The seat we were allotted was right behind an obviously newly-married couple - didn't need much guessing what with her dressing and the way they were all over each other! Errrr we have done our share of PDA - but a jungle safari van was indeed a novelty!

As the safari was about to begin, I reminded them the fact that some lesser mortals were behind them not to take up the lion's share of the window space. Very reluctantly, they let us use a teeny-weeny window space through which Pravs could barely fit in his camera!

As the safari started, my ever-sharp ears picked up some gentle growls which were growing in intensity with time. A very excited us started looking around wide-eyed.... but alas! Our bubble burst soon when we realized that those gentle growls were emanating from our "honeymoon" couple who chose that moment to go away into snoozeland! Of course, who could blame them - sleeping in the lap of the jungle should be an experience in itself right!

This doesn't seem like a safari I will forget in a hurry huh . Here is one of the many clicks from that day that Pravs managed when he was roused out of our co-passengers siesta-induced stupor.
This doesn't seem like a safari I will forget in a hurry huh :-D. Here is one of the many clicks from that day that Pravs managed when he was roused out of our co-passengers siesta-induced stupor

Holidaying @ Ooty

Come next day morning, we took the first trip on the "Ooty Heritage Train" - our co-passengers were a group of Japanese scientists visiting India. What a delightful company they were - a straight lift from "Big Bang Theory" I should add :-D. Just ensure you book your tickets in advance in one of the first class coaches(the remaining coaches would be literally overflowing with tourists) you are set for a quaint one hour ride......

The view from the train.....

That done, we drove down towards Lovedale to visit a tea garden and a few Victorian era churches - no crowds accosting us here and for a moment we were transferred to another world.

The Stained Glasses in these churches are centuries old.....

A hearty lunch later, we stepped into the botanical garden - The first few pit-stops were full of hooting college kids, honeymoon couples and huge families! We moved along ignoring them. The air by then was cold and crisp after a afternoon shower. Walking together in that high altitude - with hardly any soul for company - amidst tall pine trees for company, we soon hit upon the the Toda tribe settlement(Do take a moment and read up about them). Todas are the indigenous tribes of Ooty.....

Place of Worship of Todas

Maybe the secret behind a good holiday lies in meeting people on the way, exploring places outa way and not really bothering about the "to do" checklist that a tourist book will recommend! Indeed Oooty was a pleasant, refreshing break....

Linking this to AtoZ challenge . H is for Holidaying @ Ooty

N thus comes to an end our weekend getaway to Ooty. So where should we head next people :-D

Faith...

Faith am told can move mountains. But did you know it can move oceans.....

Haji Ali mosque in Mumbai is built in the middle of ocean! Just imagine.. A mosque in midst of Arabian sea...

The path connecting Haji Ali to the land is accessible only when the tides of ocean are low. All of this seemed so mystical to me that I definitely had to make a pit stop here during our Mumbai Visit.....

I sadly do not have any pic that will do justice to this place...

And thus comes to and end my posts of the Mharashtra Road Trip.....

Linking this to AtoZ challenge F is for Faith

Caves of Ellora

And with this post comes to end the Ajanta - Ellora bit of the travellogue. Did you know that these caves are separated by a good 40 Kms.....

Ellora caves are synonymous with "Kailash". Can you believe that this entire gigantic structure is carved from a single rock! All the pics you see below are of "Kailash" and they do not even cover half of it....

Ellora thou is a famous world heritage site, the place sadly lacks the basic Travel infrastructure in terms of Stay and food. The only saving grace is Hotel Kails - A boutique hotel that's a stones throw away from Ellora. I highly recommend this place - it definitely adds to the overall experience......

Also of interest to Hindu travelers is the fact that one of the twelve jyotirlings - Grishneshwar - is located hardly a kilometer away from Ellora Caves.

Linking this to 2014 AtoZ Challenge - C is for Caves of Ellora

Morning Ritual.....

On a regular weekday I n hubbs must be the laziest couple around! We snooze n cuddle in until the nth moment - exercise doesn't even figure in our agenda! But come vacation, we done a diff hat altogether... we will be one of the first ones to jump out of bed n go for a loongggggg stroll.

The crsp morning fresh air, the almost stretch of land-park-beach is all the enticement I need! For hubbs its the prospect of indulging in his photography! Haa n morning cuppa in one of those street side stalls have a taste of their own .......

Imagine the entire stretch of beach to urself!

This is my post for Day 2 prompt "Morning Ritual" as a part of May Photo A Day: A challenge that will change your life.

Wine N dine @ Mangalore

For huubs n us, food forms a integral part of having "Good Times" be it a weekend or a hol.No vacation is complete for us till we taste the local food from that place! We are a couple who will drive a extra 50 kms if there is a promise of good food :).

On the drive back from Malpe beach to Bangalore, we decided to go into Mangalore city to sample their regional food. Based on the recos in "Outlook Traveler", we zeroed down on "Pereira Hotel" that we were told serves authentic Mangalore Christian Cuisine. The place is literally a "Hole in the wall". It seems a popular haunt thou for the myriad shoppers n students from colleges nearby - The "Value for
Money" should have something to do with it.

We ended up tasting their staples - Sannas, Neer Dosa, Died shrimp chutney, Beef sukha, pork sorpotel, Pork Bafat... Each mouth watering yummm! But what warmed my heart the most is the hospitality they extended - From giving detailed driving directions to ensuring we found a parking spot in the crowded narrow streets, to lining up their regional delicacies (which weren't even on menu) to customizing the tastes to our liking ....

I unfortunately dont have any decent pics with me.. so all you will see here is a slice of Neer Dosa with Sannas! N BTW if you around this area, do check out "Ideal Ice creams" - this place has a legendary following among the locals there!

Linking this to AtoZ - W if for Wine-N-Dine.

@St.Marys Island

Bang in middle of Malpe Beach is the St.Marys Island. The ferry ride from Malpe beach to island is a feast to eyes(few pics posted in the last two posts are from this ferry ride) n after a point soothing to soul.

While in a beach, you will have to sieve the sand for shells, this island is literally covered with shells tht u hv to sieve the thru the shells to see the sand! Another interesting aspect on this island are the natural basaltic columnar rock formation in a hexagonal form - supposedly the only one in India! You can read more abt the place here