Photographs, Travel Stories from India
HiVayKing Monsoon Drive 2015 – Panchgani – Raireshwar – Dhom Dom (Jul ‘2015)
Meghamalai – Breathtaking Beauty in Western Ghats (Aug ’14)
Chennai – Hyderabad – Chennai by Road (Jan ’14)
Nehru Trophy Boat Race 2013 – Alleppey (Aug ’13)
Yedamakky Cottage – Coorg (May ’12)
This trip happened as we have to attend one of our close friends marriage in Bangalore. So, we decided to take couple more days off to visit Coorg. I came across this cottage while looking for some offers from Crazeal.com (now Groupon) for our stay in Coorg. This homestay is situated in Yedamakky a small sleepy village (approx 3 kms from Virajpet) in the Coorg district of Karnataka. The drive from Bangalore to Coorg was a pleasant one. We reached the cottage around 12.30 PM and it’s located about 5 kms from Virajpet. We had a good 2 day stay there and enjoyed every bit of our time. Food was excellent though you have to place your order well before.
Click pictures to view in large size
Ajanta Caves – Hidden Jewel Of India (Jan ’13)
Details will follow soon…until then enjoy the paintings at Ajanta…
Click pictures to view in large size
Delhi to Chennai by Skoda Rapid – (Jan ’13)
Trip Summary:
Day 1 – Delhi to Chail
Day 2 – Chail – Narkanda – Hatu Peak to witness Snowfall & back to Delhi
Day 3 – Delhi to Jaipur – Shopping – to Kota
Day 4 – Kota to Orchha – Sunset View & Betwa River
Day 5 – Orchha to Ujjain – Kali Mandir / Evening Aarti
Day 6 – Ujjain to Omkareshwar – Shiv Darshan & Maheshwar – Ahilya Fort to Ajanta
Day 7 – Ajanta Caves – Centuries old Paintings & Ellora Caves – Centuries old Carvings to Shirdi
Day 8 – Shirdi – Sai Dharshan to Davangere
Day 9 – Davanagere to Chennai
Route Taken: (Total distance – 4550kms)
Delhi-Chandigarh-Chail-Narkanda-Hatu Peak-Shimla-Delhi-Gurgaon-Jaipur-Kishangarh-Bhilwara-Chittorgarh-Kota-Jhansi-Orchcha-Jhansi-Babina-Lalitpur-Sagar-Rahatgarh-Raisen-Sanchi?-Bhopal-Dewas-Ujjain-Indore-Mhow-Dhamnod-Maheswar-Bharwain-Omkareshwar-Khandwa-Burhanpur-Edalabad-Jamner-Ajanta-Sillod-Aurangabad-Ellora/Grishneswar-Aurangabad-Godegaon-Shani Singnapur-Shirdi-Ahmednagar-Pune-Satara-Kolhapur-Nipani-Hebbal-Belgaum-Dharwad-Haveri-Davanagere-Chitradurga-Bangalore-Hosur-Vellore-Chennai
Click pictures to view in large size
Quick Visit to Danish Fort – Tranquebar (Aug’ 12)
Life has been so busy for the past one year and we even couldn’t dream of getting away from the city for a weekend. On Independence day, we decided to go for a trip for sure and planned to vistit Tranquebar. This place was on my travel list for quite sometime. Primary attraction in this place is the Dutch Fort and the Hotel that is maintained by Neemrana. The name itself is quite attracting ‘The Bungalow on the Beach’. So, planned for a quick visit to the Fort and Lunch at the hotel.
On Independence day we left all our worries and started our journey as early as 3 AM as we have to cover a distance of 280km one way. Grabbed some money at ATM, filled tank and started the journey by 3.15. It rained the previous night and the roads are not in very good shape. Since it’s too early for the city, there was very thin traffic so we crossed the city in 15 mins and touched ECR road in no time. At a constant speed of around 100-120, we easily crossed Pondy in less than 2 hours and reached the destination in 3.45 hrs @ 7 AM. I love my Rapid
When we reached, there were hardly any people around except few fishermen who ventured out for their work. Relaxed there 10 mins and decided to have breakfast and planned to return to the Fort by 9. When we reached the main road, wifey told about Nagoor which is 20kms from Tranquebar and also about Velankanni. Decided to give it a try we started from Tranquebar and reached Velankanni by 8 AM. After visiting the holy church had our breakfast and turned back to visit the famous Darga in Nagoor. Offered our prayers in Nagoor and returned to Tranquebar around 11.30. I was expecting the climate to be cloudy and even expected showers but to my disappointment the sun was in its full glory and we had to sweat it out for the next couple of hours.
Another twist waited at Dansborg, the dutch fort. The main gate was closed and saw the written announcement that the Fort was closed for Independence Day. We didn’t expect this and thought the place will attract more visitors on holidays than a normal weekday. We are very much disappointed for not checking this information prior to our departure. But we can see a couple standing close to the doors and anxiously watching us with another person who seems to be the care taker of the Fort. We turned around and started our walk towards the beach as we had no other option other than to see what was available.
While we walk towards the beach, we noticed that a couple standing close to the gate disappeared and we thought there must be a way to sneak into the fort. After few negotiations with the gate keeper we were allowed inside the fort. Next one hour was spent roaming every nook and corner of the Fort though the Museum inside the Fort was closed. The view from the top was amazing and it should be good to spend evening there, which we didn’t do.
By the time we left the Fort, it was lunch time and we quickly spent sometime on the shore and went to the Bunglow on the Beach for lunch. They have limited options but the food was worth the price and also the views you get from the balcony. After lunch, we started my journey back to Chennai and reached Chennai by 8 PM.
Glimpses To The Glorious Past – Gangaikonda Cholapuram (Jul ’12)
This place was on my list since my first visit to Kumbakonam during my Navagraha temples visit in the year 2010. Back then I didn’t have any idea about the location and hence had to skip without knowing it’s just 30 odd kms from the place I stayed. Fast forward, last week we planned for a spiritual tour to Thiruvidaimaruthur, Trichy and Madurai. While plotting my driving direction on google map, saw this beauty lying on my way to the destination. So, decided to visit this place for sure this time. It was a magnificent structure and require a full day to explore. We reached GKC by 4 PM and the Sun on its full glory. With the scorching heat and the travel we did till then, we decided to have a break for couple of hours and planned to visit the temple by 6 PM.
But when I reached the place again by 6 PM, I found it very difficult to shoot against the fading light :(. Add to that the constant stare I got from the ‘authorities’. Never faced such a situation in any of the heritage sites before. Does anyone know why they don’t allow Tripod inside the heritage sites?
To know more about the place visit this link : Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Below are the pictures I managed, already dreaming of visiting this place again in Monsoon later this year.
Weekend Drive to Manimuthar Falls – Manjolai – Kuthiraivetti – Part II (Nov ’11)
The next day we woke up as early as 5 AM as we had lot many things to do before we head home the same day. Got ready by 6 and went to visit Raja’s palace before we took leave. Some pictures of the Raja’s palace were shared in the previous post. After this quick tour, we started our journey towards Manjolai/Kuthiraivetti. The atmosphere is quite good and soon we were on the uphill road to Manjolai. We quickly passed Manimuthar falls & proceeded towards Manjolai and ours was the first vehicle to enter that day. The drive was in itself was a pleasurable experience as we saw small to medium waterfalls for every couple of kms. It was an awesome ride with lush green all around with no souls except the chirping of birds. We stopped at a waterfall, which was close to the road and washed our car. Once that’s done, we went straight to Manjolai and were greeted by few peoples of Manjolai. It’s being a very tiny settlement, not much facility available for food, except an Estate Bakery & a Tea stall, where we munched some crispy hot Vada.
We left behind some curious onlookers and proceeded towards Naalumuku, out next stop before Kuthiraivetti. The drive from Manjolai to Naalumuku was even more adventurous with narrow roads & sharp turns inside dense forest. We crossed a wooden bridge, under which a stream of fresh water was flowing. Took some photographs around that place and quickly hopped on to the car as we have return to base before 4 PM, also we were hungry. By the time we reach Naalumuku, the breakfast was over and we had the same tea/vada, but we skipped and got some biscuits from the nearby shop. We ordered lunch at the Kerala mess, which he said will be ready around 1 PM. So, after confirming the food, we started our journey towards Kuthiraivetti. It was some good 15-18 kms and it took around 90 mins to reach our destination. The wind was blowing quite fast and the weather looked overcast. We stopped our car at the base of the place and walked towards the view point, where one can see three dams.
We were able to see 2 dams only due to the overcast conditions, and soon the atmosphere changed drastically. The clouds converged on the top and it seemed we are in for a big lashing of rain. To protect our camera gears we soon left the place and started our journey back to Naalumukku. The return journey till Naalumuku was awesome as we witnessed fog covering the narrow roads in no time. Driving through fog at noon was so wonderful, added to that it started drizzling a bit making the scenic landscape more beautiful. Enjoying these scenes we reached Naalumuku at 2.30 and had our lunch. The lunch was delicious as I asked them to prepare ‘Chicken Curry’. After filling our empty tummies we headed towards Tirunelveli and reached the base around 4.30 PM. While we are heading towards Tirunelveli to buy the famous ‘Alwa’ we witnessed another beauty, ‘The Rainbow’. It spread across the vast area forming a semi-circle; unfortunately we couldn’t capture the entire area.
After that we quickly went into the town and purchased few kilos of the famous ‘Iruttukada Alwa’ and started our journey back to Chennai by 5. The return journey was uneventful except witnessing a live accident between a Govt. bus and a sedan. Couldn’t identify who was wrong, but passengers in the car got hurt badly and a couple of passengers were taken to hospital by a passerby cab. We quickly passed on that area and praying for their wellness. We reached Chennai around 3 AM with a dinner break and couple of breaks for nature calls. Overall it’s a satisfying & wonderful experience. Overall distance covered over the weekend stood at 1350 :), not bad indeed.
