Travel With a Couple

Trimbakeshwar is perhaps no different from any other pilgrim centre in India.

Considered very sacred, it is one among the Jyotirlingas and also the origin of the sacred Godavari river. Trimbakeshwar is about 35 kms from Nashik city, on the Nashik – Jawahar road.

A few shots from Trimbakeshwar

“20 acres of farm land… garden flowers, coffee plants, black pepper plants, ayurvedic medicinal plants… ”

Enough to generate a great deal of expectations. But it seems we are getting it wrong every time with farm stays. Initially it was at Dandeli, where it was a farm house devoid of any farms. And now at Nashik.

Typical agri-tourism initiatives are where farmers with significant land holdings and agriculture often extend a room or two in their house for tourists for a home-stay experience. That was our expectation. What we got was a 20-acre farm, with rooms, play areas, dining area, a mini swimming pool, and hold it – a stage for rain dance where songs blare from half-broken speakers.

On the day of our arrival, there were 200 guests for a day picnic. Talk about a peaceful farm stay!

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The vegetarian meal offered was dominated by lentils and pulses – with potatoes and brinjals thrown in. Cockroaches on the mattress and taps running dry in the morning added to our unexciting stay at Silver Oak House.

While the overall experience was not so great, there was a silver lining. We strayed on to the nearby farms and vineyards, met people who were more than eager to answer our questions. We took home farm-fresh grapes and vegetables sold by those farmers.

Next time when you turn your lens to that early morning golden rays of the sun or the mist drop at the tip of the leaf or the mystical eyes of the kid staring at you through the window, remember that you might be in the throes of making history. Yes. Making History.

Make History Foundation (technically De Metri Foundation), a non-profit initiative along with Lee launched a Photography contest last year in Europe. After some stunning photographs which found its way to Lee’s fashion book and storefronts across Europe, it is now in India. The contest is now in Asia Pacific region, which includes India. And the prize money – it will fulfill all your wishes to buy perhaps the best of cameras, the prime lenses, the zooms, teleconverters, filters, tripods, macros & micros and might even cover a photo shoot tour to the best of destinations in the world….. a whopping $40,000 – close to Rs. 20 lakhs.

And you don’t necessarily have to be a professional photographer. But then, you should be able to tell a few words. Together they make a story. Because history is not only important events and important people. It is recorded with songs and painted on canvas. It is told in stories. It lives in snapshots.

(An interesting photo titled 'What Love can do' from the collection)

I have set my eyes on all that photographic gizmos I can buy with 20 lakhs. And I have now started turning my lens more purposefully. And trying to see meaning beyond what my lens see. .. I want to Make History..

Check out the site http://www.makehistory-ap.com and the blog http://lee-make-history.blogspot.com/

The surprise element in the three-day Ratnagiri mountaineering camp organised by Nature Knights was the ‘Snake familiarisation’ session by the Ratnadurg Mountaineers. For some of us, it was a pleasant surprise while for others it was perhaps a dreadful one.

A bagful of snakes. All captured/rescued from the human habitat around Ratnagiri town, and ready to be let out to the forests. The session was to make us, the city folks, to understand and appreciate the ‘other’ friends around us. There were a few varieties of them. Some of us touched them, felt them, and almost all of us allowed the rat snake to coil around our necks. Some of the smaller ones  remained agile and ready to attack while they found their way through the many nimble figures and some muscle-flexing arms. It was mixed feelings for many. Fear, awe, excitement, shock… something unimaginable. All of a 12×10 room. Over 20 people. And about 6 snakes wondering where on earth are they!

‘She’ in thecouple was certainly fearless. ‘He’ said that he was busy clicking the photos and did not get time to try it. But you get the truth. Old fears die hard.

If you happen to be in Ratnagiri and looking for good eating joints, here are some really compelling options.

If you are a vegetarian, try Hotel Mithila. Excellent is perhaps an understatement. What we did was a breakfast and what we tried of course were the basic south Indian fare – idli, masala dosa, upma, vada, and sheera. Yet, it was simply awesome. Incidentally, some of their family members run an Indian hotel somewhere in the US, which is supposedly very popular.

For the non-vegetarians, try Hotel Amantran. It was a dinner affair for us here. True Konkan fare. Fish/seafood with various names, surnames, and initials. And it is Konkan all the way. No scope for any other variations. The board ‘No Punjabi dishes please’ says it all …