The Quest for life....

... Begins when you realize, 'YOU' are insignificant.......

Clicked by Pheno @ Sravanbelagola

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - Q is for Quest ..

Hampi - Opulence in Stone

We visited Hampi a good eighteen months ago... But I realize I have hardly captured the place here!

Hampi is located in the northern Karantaka and was once upon a time one of the most prosperous kingdoms of India. But today what you see are the ruins of it! To imagine entire buildings, temples, palaces made out of boulders - leaves u in awe!Its literally stones and boulders all around!.

Indeed Hampi is Opulence crafted in stone....

Queens Bath! Opulent Bathrooms aint it :)

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - O is for Opulence....

Hotel Genres!

Jus like there is a 'Genre' that you love in fashion, in books, in food, holidays - there ought to be a genre that you love in hotels!

After a few trips, I realize my genre isnt "hotels" - Am more of a "Homestay" kinda person! A small cosy quaint homestay tucked in lap of nature - maybe its the "personalized" attention, maybe its the crowd that typically frequent these places, maybe its the promise of a future u could hv for yourself :-)


Definetely in Lap of Nature!



My Fav dining seating. Nothing like putting ur feet up after a long day of site-seeing!



Did u like them? Tell me whats ur Fav hol genre??

@Hampi

We winded up last year with a quick getaway to Hampi. The place has a "earthy" charm to it..... leaves u in awe at how time bought down one of the richest kingdoms in India to its current ruins!

Hv a look at this pic... one of the many entrances to the queens summer palace! Imagine the city's grandeur when it was in its full glory! For once the rain gods were kind to us.... provided jus the cloudy shade we needed to cover the seemingly never-ending monuments!

The place we stayed at Hampi was on the other side of river tungabadhra -  which seems more like a foreigners colony - away from the hustle n bustle of main Hampi Town. The only flip-side being tht last ferry that will take u across is at 6 in eve!

But what I took away the most from the hols are the hordes of foreigners who are on 6-12 months of holiday with the only item in their agenda being - see the world(India in this case!). Pure Bliss rt! Couldnt help feeling J for those 20 somethings.....

Most importantly this was a trip that healed....... All the walking, the beauty of earthiness, getting away from routine, good food n jus meeting people!

Monsoon Magic at its Best!

This space is been silent for too long for my liking! So in an attempt to revive this space, here is a review of the place we stayed at our last weekend getaway to Chikmagalur (it was our anniv if u wana know!)....... Guddadamane

First things First - this is a "Home stay" in its truest sense. So u are allotted a room tucked right in the heart of their home thou don yea worry u will have all the privacy u want!

Now lemme start with the negatives - as they really arent many

One of the many pathways!

There are some lovely outdoors out there- what with it being bang in the coffee estate. So it seems atrocious that the rooms you stay at do not open out to the outdoors. Especially considering that for many city-breeds a holiday equates to spending time in midst of nature! As for food, the variety is great but at least in non-veg u get this distinct feeling of it being put together in a haste(so chicken seems not properly marinated)

Now for the plus - beautiful property in midst of nature(they could definitely do more to use that to their advantage) - ha the pleasure of waking upto chirping birds.Great place to sit back with a book over cups of hot coffee, go for long walks. The topping on cake is the fact that if you choose to do more touristy things like tick off the 'To Visit' places list - you arent really v far off from them either.

Now isnt tht Truly a desi-style Barbeque!

One thing u should definitely do when you there is go for a walk on their estates - Gumboots, walking sticks, umbrella are v thoughtfully provided - hubss got some amazing clicks of the flora n fauna that abound there.


As for the food, One thing I absolutely loved is the lip-smacking good live - barbecues(v much our desi style) and home-made wine devoured as u huddle around a camp-fire!

All in all a value for money (2500 per couple per day including breakfast-lunch-dinner - monsoon weekday offer i guess)! N definitely a place where monsoon plays its magic... the place is so green after a shower of rains that it’s a balm for city tired eyes!

PS: Ignore the lack of pics - these are from the "Mobile Uploads" on FB courtesy hubbs! More will follow

Linking this to ABC Wednesday(H is Hols)

A Getaway.....

A day spent frolicking in the beach(a almost-private one at that) and pool as you guzzle down glasses n glasses of beer ~~ Now doesnt that seem like the perfect way to spend the weekend! And thts exactly what we did this weekend @Windflower in Pondi This must be one of the first vacations where we did zero sight-seeing(a quickie to Auroville doesnt count) n most importantly zero shopping(!!!!)!

But again as a colleague commented, to do jus this did u hv to drive all the way to pondi ~~ Couldnt u hv done jus the same at any of the resorts that dot Bangalore! Hmm yeap possibly ~~ But then a beach resort has a charm of its own n jus the very act of getting away from the 'Daily Living' can spruce up your entire system ~~ or as hubbs says "It is the journey that I cherish, more than the destination"!

The view from the room!



The Sand! I jus love that blue sky....

And the Beach....

Yea! I know there isnt anything "Pondi" abt these pics... But then as I said we hardly budged out from the hotel and the Beach :-D. BTW this trip was courtesy a gift voucher for a performance award that ma sis bagged from her work place.. How I wish ma comp would adopt such a policy to reward the best performance! Then sachi, I will pull my socks in no time :)

Linking this ColorDeckors weekend wrap up(Ages I hv shown up there) and ABC Wednesday(G for Getaway)

At Sigriya...

The word Sigriya Literally means Lions Rock (In Sinhalese - Lang spoken in Srilanka) and the word "Lions Rock" is no writers imagination .... The rock is literally carved to resemble a Lion!
 I will let the pic do the talking.... Seeing is believing rt....

The history behind is  I should say the story of the downfall of many royals across the continents - The blood bath for the coveted seat!

History apart, this place is no less than a archaeological wonder - after all Unecsco declared it is as the 8th wonder of the world ~~ Come to think of it, a entire palace was recreated on top of a rock! Reaching the top even today is a true test of your physical stamina ~~despite the staircase build around the rock by tourism! Supposedly in yesteryear the soldier would use the flimsy holds on the rock(The grroves u c in the below pic) to get onto the top... Makes me wonder how!!!!

The Grroves u c here is what the soldiers used to climb up the rock!

If u visiting there, make sure you get hold of one of the guides ~~ If not for the know-how about the place  then definitely for the short-cuts they know to reach at the top

Before I close this post heres the pic of  the world famous fresco paintings on Sigriya walls...

Linking this to ABC Wednesday(L for Lions Rock), Wordless wednesday (This post is wordless!)