The sacred Kashi

Our move from Gurgaon to Pune was on the cards and the first thought that struck us was about visiting Varanasi before we left. Varanasi is commonly known as Kashi or Benaras (Varuna+Assi = Varansi ; Varuna river is the first of the tributaries & Assi is the tributary which eventually flows into the Ganges in the southern part of the city and hence the last of the 88 ghats is known as Assi Ghat).

We opted for an overnight train from New Delhi to Varanasi and accompanying us was a family of around 12 people from the age of 6 to 60. While the entire train remained silent ,this group was up by 5am with soan papdi boxes in their hands as a pre-breakfast appetizer! Just when everyone else got up , they decided to shut the lights and doze off! What a start to our weekend getaway!

Instead of opting for a hotel reservation , booking was done in Hostel GoStops! We were 3 of us and we were sharing our room with a foreign traveler. It definitely is a different experience and of course pocket friendly as well. Hostels are a good option when we go on vacations not just to stay inside the room but to go around exploring the place!

Our first visit was to the Kasi Viswanathar Temple. It is situated at the end of narrow streets filled with shopkeepers trying to sell you flowers , milk , water and what not. Unless you are interested , turn a deaf ear and walk right ahead! The striking feature of this temple is how the ‘Lingam’ is kept at ground level and we as commoners can do the abishekam ourselves and even place our hands on the deity to pray. There was a sea of people walking in but the crowd was managed quite well despite the limited space through the narrow passages. Amidst these passages , the famous Visalakshi Mandir and Annapurni Mandir are also situated and are definitely worth a visit. Most of the temples do not allow us to carry anything including wallets and water bottles! 

Hop on autos to go around the city if walking isn’t your cup of tea. Google the distance and bargain accordingly!

It was around 5.30pm when we were done with some shopping & sight seeing and decided to halt at the Ghats for the world famous Ganga Aarti. A boat ride (INR 700; a shared boat ride would cost much lesser) by the scenic Ganges for almost an hour with our super informative guide telling us the significance of each ghat , how life in varanasi is and much much more was a lovely experience. The final halt was at the Dasasvamedh Ghat where the aarti is held daily. It was a magnificent sight to watch with all the priests performing in sync. Towards the end , hunger pangs decided to overtake all the interest in sight seeing and we began our hunt for yummy food and settled for hot rotis and dhal – Comfort food for sure!

Day 2 began on an excited note as we were headed to Sarnath , around 12 kms from Varanasi. An auto ride to and fro would cost around INR 300. These autos were the electric kind – an initiative by our very own Modiji. While everyone’s reaction to hearing about our trip was ‘oh! Kashi would be very dirty’ , we were amazed to see how insanely clean the Ganges and in general the entire city was! Development plans could be understood and also visible seen whenever we struck a conversation with the auto Bhaiya!

There was a guide who took us around Sarnath for INR 50 – first stop was to a quiet monastery post which we visited the famous Dhamek Stupa – the spot where Lord Buddha preached thefirst sermon to His five disciples after attaining enlightenment in Bodh Gaya. The humidity that day was unimaginable and even my comfy cotton clothing couldn’t survive the test of heat! This was followed by a quick visit to the museum which housed the Ashoka Pillar (primary reason was the AC inside the museum and sight seeing became secondary – PRIORITIES!! SIGH!).

The last stop before heading to our hostel was to a state funded shop selling gorgeous Banaras sarees in every price range we asked for! We returned to our rooms with a bag full of clothes and a face full of smiles 🙂 Make sure you visit these state funded shops so that you can lay hands on actual Banarasi clothing and not get duped by the zillion look alikes in the market! 

Evening was reserved for a walk by the narrow lanes leading to different ghats and trying out local savories and also a visit to the Kaal Bhairav Temple – locals say that one’s trip would be incomplete if a visit to this mandir isn’t done!

We continued our walk after a hot cup of chai for INR 10. The road to the prominent Manikarnika Ghat where the final rites of a person is held was stacked up with logs and other essentials for conducting the procedure. One human body requires around 350 kg of wood to burn is what we learnt from our boatman!  

Our bodies were on the verge of giving up but a small hope of catching the sunrise by the Ghats motivated us to get out of bed by 4:30am the next day and take a boat (INR 500) to the other side of Ganges from where we witnessed the beautiful scene! The trip wouldn’t have been complete without a dip in the Holy Ganges and we did just the same! There are changing rooms on the banks and the earlier we visit , the cleaner it would be! Plan your day accordingly!

A 6am garam garam chai followed by mouth watering kachori and subji was what was needed to complete our trip! 🙂

July might not have been the best time to visit but the experience was amazing! The creamy lassis kept the husbandman and best friend on their toes and fully recharged at all times! Do not forget to try them out!

The calmness that one experiences in the morning by the Ghats , witnessing the sunrise while riding on a boat is truly MAGICAL! Surely something that one should experience in a lifetime 🙂

Oh! And our flight back home was delayed by an hour and guess who we met there?! The same family from our train journey – some coincidences can be truly shocking more than surprising!!

Until next time –

Vidya

 

An overdose of camels,havelis,forts and food

Sitting at home with my cup of green tea,I’m thinking about the week that went by. It was our (husband and I) first vacation of 2018 and we were headed to what I call ‘the camel land’ – Rajasthan. One fantastic part about packing for this trip was ‘no weight restrictions’ since we had planned the entire travel by train. While that didn’t matter much to the husband who was content with his 2 jeans and 6 tees concept, I was over the moon thinking about the dresses ,matching accessories and oh the matching footwear! Girls I say! SIGH! 😛

Our strategy was simple. We decided to cover the longest journey on the first day since my crankiness level is very minimal (almost negligible) at this point. For all those who don’t know me well , I’m not a great person to travel with my motion sickness and home-sickness which sets in after 4 days of leaving home. But this trip was exceptional! My threshold was a whooping 8 days post which the crankiness had begun! God save this poor guy who puts up with the ‘nautanki me’ 😛

We reached the yellow city – Jaisalmer around midnight after a 18 hour journey from Gurgaon (more about the train in the last part of this article). Most of the hotels there were previously havelis which have now been converted. So don’t expect room service or towels or shampoo like you would normally get in a ‘hotel’. Carry your own stuff and you’ll be good to go. Gandhi Chowk is an area with a lot of these budget hotels and it’s at a walk-able distance from the major tourist attractions (so you save up on intra city travel costs).

On day 1 , our first visit was to ‘Patwon-ki’haveli’. This is a series of 5 lavish houses built-in a row by a business man for his 5 sons. The first one has been maintained extremely well and is now a museum which includes a ‘turban room’ , ‘vessels room’ , ‘dressing room’ , ‘entertainment room’ and much more.

A guide isn’t necessary here since the signages are self-explanatory.

As we finished exploring this haveli , there was a policeman who walked up to us and asked us to have a look at the fifth haveli (which was interestingly the first one to be built). This is the haveli which was taken over by the government but lies in shackles. The guides don’t get a commission for this unlike in the first haveli and hence the zero crowd. But as the saying goes , don’t judge a book by its cover. Though this wasn’t at the best of its neatness , the beauty and intricacies were breathtaking! In the 2nd and 4th haveli, families of the businessman live. By the time we finished looking around, we started hearing noises from our tummies. We zeroed in on ‘Sunrise paratha house’ – this cute little ‘thallu vandi’ shop right opposite the Jaisalmer fort parking. It was run by a husband and a wife who were making delicious parathas oozing out with butter served with achaar and dahi. It was so tasty that we went back there the next day as well!

Before we could set out on the most awaited ‘desert safari’ , we spent a few minutes near Gadisar Lake and also shopped for something which stayed a constant throughout the trip – the pagdis on our mandais! More than the place , there is this place right in the beginning where you could get clicked with traditional rajasthani costumes. Its just a 10 minutes thing! Go for it!

We had booked our safaris with Real Desert Safari and it was one of the best decisions! Punctual , organised and no false promises – what more do you need? The half a day package was chosen and we got on to our jeeps all set to explore the Thar desert!

 

The first halt was at an abandoned village about 20 minutes from the city and the ruins were spectacular to look at! Beauty can truly be found anywhere! The next stop was right inside the desert. We hopped on to our camels and rode on for the next half hour until we reached the dune area. We stayed there for a good one hour until we witnessed the sunset. It was MAGICAL! Oh! Did I mention our camel names? Mine was Mr.India and the husband’s was “kalu’. Mine was just cooler :p

The safari managers had planned for a cultural programme for the evening followed by traditional rajasthani food.

This gorgeous young woman just swept us all off the floor with her charming moves! It was a delight for the eyes and the ears with the music being played by a village group. On the way back , we saw a clear sky and we could even spot the stars!! (A gift for a person from a pollution clad city, isn’t it?)

The next day included a trip to the magnificent fort (which personally I felt looked more stunning from anywhere else in the city ,especially during the night-time). 1/4th of the city resides inside the complex and it wasn’t a great tourist experience but there is always time for photos. Isn’t it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow done. Next was BLUEEE! All through the way the husband kept singing ‘unakenna venum sollu’ from the movie ‘Yennai Arindhal’ and you’ll know why when you look at the picture below. One part of the city is still being conserved and you can get a feel of the blue city by walking through those super narrow lanes (through which people drive at 40-50 kmph to impress who – i’m not too sure)!

The first ‘touristy place’ we went to was the ‘Umaid Bhawan Palace’ and it was quite disappointing. We spent hardly 20 minutes in the two rooms open to public view and we had to head out. You can see the other parts of the property if you can afford to stay at ‘Taj Umaid Palace Hotel’ 😛 (distant dream , so we are cool). It was an expensive affair and not worth it!

The Visit to the Mehrangarh fort took away all the disappointment from the previous day. I would highly recommend an audio guide for the tour. Every single room and wall had a story to tell. One of the anecdotes which moved us was a wall with many palms embedded on it.

It was the place where women after losing their husbands would come and leave an impression before they jump into the fire. Saddening , isn’t it? That’s how certain parts of history were! We should probably be happy that we weren’t born in that era! From Jaswant Thada , you can catch the entire view of the fort!

And for a view of the blue city, you got to go to the ‘Bhramapuri side’ of the fort. Ask any local and he/she can guide you. The people in general were extremely helpful. Take a hotel near Umaid Chowk and it’s again at a walk-able distance from the fort and Jaswant thada and the markets.  The evening stroll to the clock tower market was quite an interesting one. It was like walking into a LESSER CROWDED AND LESSER PRICED RANGANATHAN STREET! Pick any saree for INR 100 , pick 100gms of biscuits for INR 20 , gol gappa for INR 10 , lassi for INR 20 and what not!

Also there was this place ‘Shahi Samosa’ which had only samosa on its menu! No chutney or sauce to accompany it. Just samosa for INR 12.50 (no one eats one probably? It’s always INR 25 I guess :P). It was just too much fun to walk around and exploring the busy market. Before heading back , we visited the clock tower where this person who was managing the clock told us that it was built by his father and only the two of them know about the complexity of its working! He was quite insistent that we took a picture of him and uploaded it on facebook! Social media marketing , probably!

 

The next city lined up in our agenda was Ajmer and it was quite an experience (beginning with the guy in our bay who wouldn’t stop snoring loudly all through the night)! The lanes leading up to the Dargah were very similar to the lanes of Chandni Chowk. One prominent item in most of the shops was ‘Sohan Halwa’ and its display. It’s a MUST TRY! We entered the Dargah and before we could wink our eyes , we were ‘dragged , given blessings and asked for money’. Be a little cautious and strong enough to say NO! A fulfilling meal awaited us at Surya Shakti Bhavan right opposite the railway station (again a walk-able distance from dargah). Probably never had softer rotis and a yummier masala buttermilk :O

While we were considering the options of auto or car to Pushkar, the guy who served us lunch suggested taking a bus instead. It turned out to be a good ride and hey! cost-effective too (also , did you know that women get a concession on these tickets?) The bus ride to Pushkar is for half an hour and it was such a beautiful small town! The must visit places there are the lake , Bhramma temple and a south indian temple which we found by chance. Not too crowded and gives a peaceful experience! The markets are beautiful and everything is extremely nominally priced that you don’t have the heart to bargain! Pick up the stuffed dolls at just INR 100 for a jodi (just buy them!!).

Lake city was calling us next and this was one of top picks! We had booked our stay at Hostel Moustache in Jagdish chowk (not a spelling error , it is a HOSTEL).

I have heard tales about such similar hostels across the world from the husband man where he keeps saying how its a great experience meeting and staying with people from different cultural and geographical backgrounds! Since we didn’t want to explore much , we opted for a private room instead of a dormitory set up. I loved the environment there – cute drawings on the walls , mattresses for resting right in the reception , black board , yoga classes on the terrace and much more. They are currently operating in Agra,Jaipur,Pushkar,Udaipur and Rishikesh.

If you are planning to visit any of these places , don’t think twice about Moustache for your stay! I LOVED IT!

Lake Pichola (movies like Yeh Jawaani and a James Bond movie were shot there) was picturesque but the haveli right next to it was even more gorgeous! The first room we entered in Bagore-ki-haveli was filled with colourful puppet figures.

It resembled a durbar at a palace. Every doll was made to perfection and it was visual treat! We explored the other rooms of the haveli and it was definitely worth it!

A walk to the Jagdish temple should definitely be on your list. A small place but how well maintained it is , is definitely a lesson for many such religious places in the country! City Palace (both in day and evening view) is breath takingly beautiful! Again , I would recommend taking an audio guide for the tour. Every room shows us how lavish their lifestyle has been and some parts also tell us how miserable lives of the women who lived then must have been! The husband man was quite disappointed that we had to view the Lake Palace and Jag Mandir from a distance only (the palace is now a hotel maintained by Taj where room rates start at INR 40k/night and Jag Mandir is a fine dining restaurant). A must buy in Udaipur would be the paintings which can be found in the lanes leading up to the palace. Prices start at as low as INR 10 and go upwards from there! They make a beautiful decor for your home and also a good souvenir for your near and dear ones (for those who truly deserve it only :p). OH! OH! And cafe Edelwises in Jagdish chowk is a must go for cheesecake lovers (must thank a dear friend for her last-minute recommendation).

By this time, we could realise the energy levels getting dropped and crankiness level increasing proportionately! The last stop was ‘Pink city’!

Home cooked food awaited us once we stepped into the city (perks of having a close family member) and it surely did charge us up a bit before we could do some touristy things for the day! Amer fort was the first stop. Though we wanted to take an audio guide , the booking office had other plans for us. They had run out of AGs and we opted for this guy who promised to explain the details in English. Once he knew we were Tamil speaking , he pulled in examples about movies like ‘Vasantha Maaligai’, ‘Adimai Pen’ and “kadhal Kottai’ being shot there along with ‘Jodha Akbar’!

Also , did you know that the fort houses 12 different rooms for the 12 wives of the king (one for each sun sign , apparently) and how only the favourite wife got a jacuzzi! BIZARRE HISTORY! Post that , he took us to a place where there was live demonstration of vegetable dye and block printing and stone cutting. Oh and we shopped for some super soft quilts too! It was a fair price shop and original stuff (lots of rip offs in the markets) and best part? you have to pay and advance and they deliver it to the city of your choice! So no extra weight on your back! Cool , isn’t it?

Jantar mantar was one of the top favourites of the husband man who thoroughly enjoyed every nook and corner of the marvel (AG recommended). I preferred to rest my legs a bit since physics wasn’t my favourite cup of tea or hot chocolate or whatever! 😛

We did a quick visit to the city palace too. Only few sections of the palace are open to the public since the Maharaja family currently reside in the other sections.

Hawa Mahal was the last touristy place we visited. Just grab a seat in the roof top cafe right opposite Hawa Mahal and you can catch a good view while sipping on that coffee or lemonade. The shop right opposite the mahal was my personal favourite! Bargain to the maximum possible and you can own some flairy skirts , cotton kurtis and much more! 🙂

One of the best parts about our trip was about to arrive! A very close friend of mine is from Jaipur and her parents had invited us home. We walked in and they welcomed us with aarti , a shawl and a pagdi – made us feel like a newly married couple all over again 🙂 The love and affection completely moved us! This is an example of ‘friends turning into family’! Fun conversations , good food and the most amazing people – what is not to love?

The train back home was a chair car and I wasn’t all that happy but I was proved completely wrong! It was a 3.5 hours journey and all that I remember was how much we hogged! We were welcomed with a water bottle , tea , samosa , sandwich , peanuts , soan papdi. In 40 minutes , tomato soup was served which was followed by dinner (except the roti , others were yummmm!!). To end it , there was ice cream and saunf! The staffs were polite and the service was remarkable!

We were on 6 different trains in a span of 10 days. Most of them were on time and all of them were very well maintained. My impression of a train journey got completely rewritten in my mind. The station platforms were clean , people could sit anywhere and everywhere without a fuss , toilets were cleaned regularly , bottle crushing plants were installed in most places and autos didn’t charge a bomb to drop us at hotels (the maximum we spent was INR 150). Good job , North Western Railways! 🙂

On the personal front, I give myself a pat on the back for completing this trip which spanned over 10 days. For a person who found it tough to travel even to the outskirts of Chennai , I have come a long way! To many more adventures in the coming years 😀

Quick tips – 

1. Audio guide recommended for the forts and jantar mantar.
2. Winter clothing not necessary during the day. It ranges from being pleasant to warm.
3. Try exploring small eateries which give you the authentic taste of Rajasthani cuisine.
4. Choose recommended hostels or safaris which would make your experience memorable.
5. Pack enough clothes as most hotels don’t allow washing (water conservation).
6. Plan in advance and use train as the mode of transport (within city , night travel will save you time and worry of luggage weight).
7. Bargain and shop to get the best deals.
8. Must buy – tie and dye clothing,stuffed dolls,mirror work lehengas,paintings,quilts and bed sheets.

Ticket Prices

Jaisalmer –

1. Safari – INR 2065/person
2. Patwon-ki-haweli – INR 100/person + INR 50/person (2 havelis)
3. Fort – INR 100/person + 100 (Camera)

Jodhpur –

1. Umaid Bhawan Palace – INR 15/person (auto ride was INR 300 – not worth it)
2. Jswant Thada – INR 30/person
3. Clock Tower – INR 10/person
4. Mehrangarh Fort – INR 100/person + 100 (camera) + 180 (AG)

Ajmer dargah -free entry but we ended up spending INR 190 (why? read it above)

Udaipur –

1. Bagore-ki-haweli – INR 50/person + 50 (camera)
2. City Palace – INR 300/person + 200 (AG)

Jaipur –

1. Amer Fort – INR 100/person + 150 (guide)
2. Jantar Mantar – INR 50/person + 200 (AG)
3. City Palace – INR 130/person

Sorry if I had bored you with a long post but hey! It was a long holiday and it called for at least this long a post! 🙂

See you guys soon!

 

 

 

Continuing the Ceylon tales

After super long tiring days,we were in for a home cooked meal that night , few hours of chit-chatting and a sound sleep! Who doesn’t like these kind of days? (For all those not having a clue about the tiring day I just spoke about , head to the previous post for Sri Lanka – part 1). BTW, most houses in Kandy do not have ceiling fans. I was taken aback at the first sight but realized that its of no use in that beautiful chilly weather.

The next day dawned and exploring the ruins of Pollanoruva and the caves of Dambulla & Sigriya was on the agenda. I got decked up in a super comfy cotton maxi and was all set to brave the heat and visit these places.

Our first halt was at the Cave temple of Dambulla. Huge statues of Lord Buddha welcomed us. The one that caught my attention was the sleeping position which resembled Anantha Padmanaba Swamy’s pose in the Trivandrum temple. Strange coincidences?

It took us almost a couple of hours to visit each opening of the cave (towards the end it might get a little monotonous , but are you ever going to come back to see these marvels? Well , better take a little extra time and see them all during the first visit itself!) and finally to see the Golden Buddha Statue. It looked majestic even from a long distance and it was definitely a visual treat!

Oh! Missing our driver in this post? We slyly made sure that he waited at the parking lot while we peacefully enjoyed walking around around and exploring the cave. Little evil no? Huh. may be not 😛 (If not, we would have been subject to hearing lines like ‘Entry ticket is free for the tourists I bring and the like. Who knows what else we might have had to hear?)

Sir took us next to the ancient ruins of Polonarruva which was once a thriving religious and commercial hub for the Kingdom of Polonarruwa. A UNESCO heritage site , it’s been maintained extremely neatly (a lesson for many such sites in India perhaps) which took us completely by awe and surprise!

Each part of it is still clearly visible till date. Be it the stairways leading to the main hall or the entrance arch or the Shiva temple (made of stone) or the huge Buddha statues , every area is preserved well and draws a virtual image in our heads. Connecting the dots and forming a full structure is up to the tourist’s imagination and creativity!

Almost towards the end were three gigantic 14 m statues and a smaller statue of Lord Buddha in three different poses (sitting,standing and sleeping). The specialty of this was the facial expression of Lord Buddha! Unlike the usual calm and smiling face , this one had a sad expression! Still wondering what could have been the reason!!??!!  Also, this was all carved from a single granite rock and is called GAL VIHARA (GAL= Kallu/ Stone – Made from a single stone – that’s how I remember this :p )

Our energy levels had dropped to literally zero , all thanks to the scorching heat (You now know the real reason behind the hat. It’s not just for the style factor! LOL!). The one thing which charged us up was the extra soft podi idlis and thachhi mummam (Wherever you go,the tambrahm in you follows) packed by the lady of the house (not to forget the help extended by Chithappa. Couple goals,may be?)

Headed back to our nest , got welcomed with a steaming cup of lemon tea which acted as the instant energy booster! Chuck the red bulls! Have you tasted my chithi’s lemon tea yet? The chit-chatting for that night happened in full swing after we ate to our fullest (vaaya tharandha kaaka kothum. Little difficult to translate ya!).

The next day was one of the most cutest days of the trip. We headed to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. We reached around the shower time of those cutie pies and we headed straight to the bathing area. There were literally around a 100 of them in various sizes and each one was clearly having a gala time. One was seated right in the middle and not caring about anything happening around. What a life Sir-ji?

The little one with us had a super fun time seeing the elephants doing all kinds of dance during the bathing process. The other couple and ladoo boy were on their last day of the trip and left directly to the airport from there. We came back home to mouth watering food and the husband went straight to a sound sleep post that! (Somethings never change :P). A little bit of shopping and a walk around the lake was in store for the evening.

Shopping included a visit to a local market where I picked up traditional paintings,t-shirts,the famous Ceylon tea (There was an entire shop selling tea in all kinds of flavors and sizes and prices!!) and some souvenirs for people back home. The fridge magnet that we picked up is the husband’s favorite (It’s in the shape of Sri lanka) and its right there on our refrigerator (soon running out of space though. NOT EVEN KIDDING! – See for yourself).

We were almost near the end of our AWESOME vacation. The last stop was the hill station of Nuwara-Eliya (this must get added to top Honeymoon destinations – for SURE!).

On the way there,we halted at a Hanuman Mandir which was very similar to the Ashok Nagar Hanuman Temple in Chennai (remember the movie Boys?). The deity structure,the temple entrance and everything else was very much alike. The next halt was at Mack-woods tea estate for a hot cup of chai and chocolate cake which was apparently the most talked about item on the limited menu.

It was delicious and just perfect for that cold weather outside. Our hero had spoken about this place when we were going towards Kandy and had mentioned that a huge name board similar to the HOLLYWOOD board has been put up there but we didn’t find any such structures. Naturally,this got added to the bluff list of his which was extending longer than Draupadi’s saree. But sometimes good things do happen to these people no? Apparently,such a structure was in place and had been removed a few months back due to some company restructuring. I must give this one to him! 🙂

We reached our little hotel in Nuwara-Eliya late in the evening and all that we wanted was a good bed to sleep on without having to wake up early and travel to a new place. Its exactly what we got! We set out for a late lunch the next day and walked around the lake before heading back to the hotel. Its the kind of town you visit when all that you want is a CHILLED VACATION. This was the best thing we could have asked for after a long tiring week of non-stop travel!

Forgetting about our hero here? He was not the one to drive us to Nuwara-Eliya and there was this very sweet person Mr.Shawn who came into picture for the remaining part of the trip. With a very heavy heart and loaded memories , we left Ceylon and had a short stay in Chennai. The ladoo boy was celebrating his first birthday and we got a chance to meet the entire family before we headed back to the dust land after a whole two weeks.

If any of you reading this haven’t been to Sri Lanka already, pack your bags and plan it soon! IT’S TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Few quick tips on what to pack for the trip –

Our travel was in the first week of March and so the heat was quite strong except in Kandy & Nuwara-Eliya.

1. Cotton clothes – most comfortable
2. Sunscreen – unless you want to look a 8 number tanned Ross from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
3. Shades and a pretty hat
4. Smartphone with an excellent camera or a proper camera – Such picturesque locations , who would want to miss it?
5. Comfortable footwear for those long walks in each place
6. Instant food – finding veg food might be a challenge in few places. Not that difficult though unless you are a fussy eater!

Those are the most important ones that came to my mind. If there is anything else that you want to know before planning a holiday , leave a comment or reach out to me on instagram!

Coming soon with another totally different post 🙂

See you soon!

Exploring Ceylon

Bags filled with clothes, shades, selfie stick , sunscreen and faces all puffed up in excitement, we were all set for SRI LANKA 2017!

It was a LONG journey which began at 7pm in New Delhi until we reached the island nation’s capital COLOMBO in the early hours of the next day (all this thanks to the rarity of flights operating directly from New Delhi to Sri Lanka. Hence it was New Delhi – Chennai – Sri Lanka!!)

By then the noises from inside our stomachs had become louder and louder and we began the hunt for a place which had at least one vegetarian option on its menu! Ha! We landed in this kutti roadside shop which was serving dosas and vadas and parottas and everything SOUTH INDIAN! Wherever you go, the tambrahm in you follows!

Tummy got full! What next? START THE #being touristy THINGS! Our first halt was at The Gangaramaya Temple which housed some HUGE structures of Buddha and notably this is the oldest Buddhist temples of the capital city.

Notice how dwarf like the husband man & the ladoo boy look in front of Mr.Buddha? Well. The statues looked ten times HUGER in real!

We continued the road journey with a very ‘entertaining’ driver who very much kept us awake the whole time! From claiming to know the length and breadth of Sri Lanka to even telling us about his YouTube video, he did it all! He certainly thought of himself as a ‘jack of all trades’ which he surely wasn’t. Keep reading to know more of his antics through the week long trip!

The smell of the sand and sound of the water welcomed us at Bentota. The very first thing we heard from our Mr. Know it all driver was that ‘Sir, I could have got this hotel booking for just 2500 Sri Lankan rupees per night!’ (Our mind voice – ‘dude we paid 1750 Sri Lankan rupees only’) (Numbers aren’t actual figures). When you have such a beautiful scenic beach welcoming you, its super easy to totally avoid these chattering noises from the driver!

Bam! We enter the rooms and guess the view? Of course the beach! All that you feel like doing is sip a hot cup of coffee and chill out! Well, we did nothing short of that! Also, a lazy walk on the sands and a million pictures and boomerangs (troubling the husband man)!

IT SURELY WAS A PICTURESQUE LOCATION!

And the night got done with a simple dinner and some rounds of games! We certainly were looking forward to cuddling up in the cozy comforters and getting a good night’s sleep after all that travel!

Day two dawned and a lot of travelling awaited us! A sumptuous breakfast followed by a few pictures and we were all set to leave to the island of Galle.

As we headed towards our boat, there was someone to give us a warm welcome – Mr. Monkey himself! Also, do you notice the man in black? This guy was our tour guide for Galle and he was conversing in absolutely commendable vocabulary (was quite amazed since he never went to school). He had acquired this skill through years of experience of meeting foreigners and donning the hat of a tour guide!

Stepping on the boat, we began our journey. Dense trees and pure water surrounded us and the breeze kept us on our toes! The boat stopped at a quiet place and we stepped into the ‘cinnamon island’. True to its name, all that we could smell there was fresh straight from the tree cinnamon! There was an old man waiting to show his skill of making cinnamon sticks and powder from the tree trunk! The purity was indeed 24 carat! Sipping on a hot cup of cinnamon tea, we continued to explore the island and landed at a Buddha temple. One common factor across all the temples we visited there was there was one main statue of Gautama Buddha and several similar figures all around the temple. The answer to this from our guide was that they were the gurus who existed before the rise of Gautama Buddha who was the main prophet of Buddhism to the world.

*hungerstrikes* Heading straight to a local restaurant, we filled our tummies with some yummy food and got all recharged for the next half of doing touristy things! Next on the agenda was SHOPPING! Something in lines of Chumbak in India is ODEL in Sri Lanka. A quick tour inside ODEL accompanied by a few pictures in the most colorful auto ever was done!

TADAA! Shopping done! What next? Some boating action!

Putting on our life jackets, we got on without realizing a shaky bumpy ride awaited us!  Why this ride? The boats had glass floors which were done to show us corals found deep inside the ocean! We ended up spotting a sunken ship as well! Well, scary and amazing!

Our self-proclaimed super smart driver wanted us to see the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka and drove us there. The GPS in his mind didn’t work at its best as always and we ended up asking the roadside vendors for directions. When we finally reached the spot, we understood that the place isn’t open for tourists and its under government security!

Well, that didn’t deter us from halting there and enjoying the picturesque location.  Every trip has its glitches no?

The overnight halt was at Mirissa and our room overlooked a beach. A breezy walk on the sands after a long day was all that we needed to relax and get back to #beingtouristy. The next day started early with a scrumptious breakfast and we were all set to meet the animal folks! YALA NATIONAL PARK IT WAS!

Got on to our partially covered jeeps and we began the safari. Deers, peacocks, birds, elephants are all that one might have hoped to see (including the guide himself)! All of us were in for a scary yet memorable surprise! Half way through the safari, the guide halted in the middle of no where and asked us to ‘SHHHHH’! Seconds later, our eyes witnessed a spotted leopard sitting hardly 75 mts away from the jeep. It looked like it was in the ‘DUDE! I’m chilling! Don’t even try to disturb me!’ phase. There was just plain scared silence that surrounded and the little ladoo boy started crying (he probably sensed the fear?) thinking that something isn’t right! (The four people who hadn’t shut their mouth in the last 3 days were finally quiet. He must have freaked out :P). While the leopard took its own sweet time to get up and walk away, 5 other jeeps assembled there since this was such a rarity!  The adventure didn’t end there! We were again stopped by a herd of elephants who were still unsure of which way to take into the forest! :p Quite a day it was!

We realized the grandeur of the experience only when we narrated the story to a few locals and their immediate reaction was like ‘WOW! That’s definitely a rarity!’.

‘Katargamathurai kathirvel muruga’ – The voice of sulamangalam sisters’ kantha sashti kavasam helped me recollect this line while we were heading back to ‘Katargama Village’ for an overnight halt. It’s quite a sad state of affairs to see how most of the temple premises now looks more like a Buddhist place of worship!

Woke up to sumptuous south Indian breakfast consisting Idlis, dosas, Vadas and piping hot sambhar at the scenic guest house we were put up in (notice the view?), we set out to reach our destination for the next three days Kandy!

We halted at Ravana falls (as seen in the picture) and Sita Kund (the place where Ravana had kept Sita after he had abducted her) on our way.

Roughly 5 hours later, we were welcomed by familiar faces, warm hugs and hot chai into the house of one of my favorite members from the in-laws’ side! You got to meet her! (Kind, Affectionate, Loud & Lovable, AWESOME – figured out her name, didn’t you?)

Oh! And we introduced MR. Know it all to them. He started his chattering from that very minute until he got royally screamed at for not turning up that evening on time! We were headed to the ‘Tooth Relic Temple’ and got decked up in white and waited until the last minute only to figure that he is probably going to take an hour more to arrive. And there began the narration of stories to chithi and chithapa who until then never imagined the extent of atrocity this guy had been up to! Here’s one guy whom all of us can never erase off from our memories!

All this crap got out of our heads when we entered the temple premises. The entire experience thought it lasted only for a few seconds was surreal (After experiencing micro seconds darshan at Tirupathi, this seemed like a bonus!)

And what was in store for the next 4 days!?

That’s the content for the part 2 series! Keep watching this space 😊