• Rushikonda Beach Vizag
    Food - Hotels - Places

    Four Days in Andhra and No Andhra Food in Sight

    January 16, 2011 - By 

    When travel turns to be an ‘industry’, it comes with all the perils of standardisation. ‘One-day package’, ‘two-day package’ with a set list of things to see and do. Hotel staff rarely knows places other than these. Most taxi drivers insist there are no other interesting places. Not to mention the standardised Punjabi menu most restaurants offer. After returning from Araku valley to Vizag city, our choice of Rushikonda beach resort turned out to be a good. On a hillock overlooking the beach, this APTDC resort offers comfortable stay. We had figured out a few places in and around Vizag…

  • Araku Valley, TravelWithacouple
    Arts & Culture - Places

    More on Araku Valley and the Friday Market

    January 9, 2011 - By 

    The sprawling fields of oilseed plants form a carpet of yellow flowers in the valley. Making it the more exquisite are the sunlight and the shadows cast by the clouds. Araku Valley is indeed about simple beauties and timeless pleasures. The Friday Market The Araku town comes alive on Fridays as the tribal men and women come to the town to sell their produce and buy their grocery and other stuff for the week. From salt, rice, vegetables, sweets and savouries to bangles, cloths, bags, soaps, seeds, knives and vessels, this weekly market is one-stop shop for all your needs…

  • TravelWithacouple, Borra Caves, Andhra Pradesh
    Nature's Wonders - Places

    Borra Caves: Some Chemistry, a Little Biology, a Bit of Mythology. Whatever, It’s Magical!

    December 5, 2010 - By 

    An architecture marvel created by world’s best architect. How else we describe this amazing, stupendous, phenomenal creation of nature! Considered as one of India’s longest caves, Borra Caves is also the deepest, extending up to 80 m. Lit with a few halogen lamps just enough to create visibility for the damp pathways, the setting appears to be a scene from an Indiana Jones movie. Or at times we thought we were in an alien land. We are in fact wordless to describe the experience of Borra Caves and no photographs can capture its real magnificence. Partially decomposed organic matter creates…

  • TravelWithacouple, Araku Valley
    Places

    Welcome to Eastern Ghats – Tyda

    November 21, 2010 - By 

    We have not come out of the magic spell that Western Ghats casts on nature lovers.  And we will never be able to come out of it. Yet, the Eastern Ghats, which run parallely to the east cost of India, from West Bengal in the north to Tamilnadu in the south, have been seducing us for some time. Not as tall as the Western Ghats,  these are discontinuous ranges with a few hill stations thrown in. (map courtesy:  wikipedia) Araku Valley had been on our radar for more than a year. Known for its highly fertile soil, sprawling fields, tribal…

  • Hotels - Places

    Himalayan Safari Tales # 9 – Kaal Hotel & Shanti Stupa

    November 13, 2010 - By 

    Tucked away from the bustling Leh town, Kaal hotel played host to us for two days. Well-appointed rooms with a touch of traditional charm, very friendly staff, and a beautiful garden and lawn saw us relaxing a bit after the hectic journey for three days. Complete with a prayer room and meditation hall, rooms at Kaal offers a fantastic view of the Zanskar ranges. Being in the ground floor rooms, we couldn’t enjoy this view, but compensated for it from the terrace. The shopping spree that had a weak start in Srinagar picked up momentum in Leh, with a visit…

  • Places

    Himalayan Safari Tales # 8 – Alchi Gompa

    November 3, 2010 - By 

    The narrow cemented path and the unremarkable mud houses did not impress us. We were at Alchi Monastery, our first monastery visit, and we expected an awe-inspiring introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Little did we know about the marvelously adorned walls inside the mud houses! (The road to Alchi) Unlike most other monasteries in Ladakh that are located on hillsides at an elevation, Alchi is situated on the plains. Built in twelfth century, Alchi’s temples are believed to be abandoned around fifteenth century. Maybe, that’s why the magnificent murals are still intact as Alchi escaped the eyes of invaders. (Farming in…

  • Places

    Himalayan Safari Tales # 7 – Of Religion & Beliefs

    October 24, 2010 - By 

    After Nimu and Magnetic  Hill, a few miles before reaching Leh is the famous Pathar Saheb Gurudwara. Maintained by Indian Army, this Gurudwara is a well-known pilgrim destination for the Sikhs. This was our first ever visit to a Gurudwara. There are two stories about this temple, though the one surrounding Guru Nanak is more prominent. The story is that Guru Nanak arrived here in 1517 after his sermon in the Sumer mountain. A wicked demon who was troubling the local populace, rolled a boulder down from the top of a mountain to kill the meditating Guru. The boulder apparently…

  • Birdwatching - Places - Treks

    A Short Trek to Vyagreshwar

    October 13, 2010 - By 

    An ancient Shiva temple on a hilltop. Reaching there involves a medium trek. A waterfall atop adds to the excitement. The trek, organised by Nature Knights, had the added attraction of birding at Uran. Taking more time than expected at Uran meant a delayed start for the trek. Our bus driver was not sure if the minibus would climb the narrow, steep roads to the base village. So we got out to reduce weight and walked one kilometer or so to the village. After shedding our weight, the bus also made it to the village. After a short photo op…

  • Nature's Wonders - Places

    Himalayan Safari Tales # 6 – Defying Gravity or Optical Illusion?

    October 3, 2010 - By 

    Two days into the arid cold desert with clear blue skies, dry mountains with snow-capped peaks, deep valleys and gorges, roaring rivers… Ladakh has got into us. Mesmerizing would be an understatement. There is something about the region that evoked mixed emotions in us—awe, fear, humility, ecstasy… intoxication by the mystic setting. So, when we stopped by Magnetic Hill, a place which defies gravity, the magic simply amazed us. There was no logical questioning….. It was yet another phenomenon of this magical landscape called Ladakh. At about 40 odd kilometers before reaching Leh and ahead of the Zanskar-Indus sangam in…

  • Nature's Wonders - Places

    Himalayan Safari Tales #5 – Uley Ethnic Resort, Uleytokpo

    September 19, 2010 - By 

    Kargil is normally the night halt for most travelers from Srinagar to Leh. We, however, had other plans. Our plan was to travel past Kargil and camp at Uleytokpo, which is just short of 70 kms from Leh. The vehicles that were to pick us up from Kargil didn’t turn up. Telephone lines were down in Kargil for the past 3 days and we had no way to get in touch with the vehicles. So, in the middle of Kargil town, we remained cut-off. However, in less than an hour, Asif managed to get a 12-seater tempo traveler who agreed…

  • Places

    Five Monsoon Weekend Drives from Mumbai

    August 31, 2010 - By 

    If getting out of Mumbai means Lonavala and Khandala for you, then read no further. Not that Lonavala and Khandala aren’t beautiful. They are indeed. But then, let us grow up. Here are five weekend monsoon getaways from Mumbai. 1. Go beyond Malshej Ghat. Malshejghat is a regular and hugely popular monsoon weekend getaway. Misty mountains and unlimited waterfalls. An MTDC resort facing the valley. Most people from Mumbai travel to Malshejghat via Kalyan for a day trip or a weekend trip. Here is another alternative: Hit the Mumbai–Pune expressway and take a left at Wadgaon to Chakan and then…

  • Srinagar to Kargil, TravelWithaCouple
    History - Nature's Wonders - Places

    Himalayan Safari Tales #4 – Srinagar to Kargil

    August 22, 2010 - By 

    Most often during our travel experiences, taxi drivers turn good travel companions. Giving the local flavour to the many stories behind the places or simply by joining the conversations with their points of views or sometimes sporty enough to gauge the moods of the travellers and offering to take detours that might match their interest. This time however, we had a tad different experience. We had two vehicles for our group and a third vehicle joined with some other passengers and since the drivers knew each other, they decided to move as a convoy. A tightly packed schedule meant hurrying…

  • Places

    Himalayan Safari Tales #3 – Srinagar: The Bazaar and the Conversations

    August 8, 2010 - By 

    “A few centuries before the Christ, the Athenians developed ‘agora’ as a place of palaver, long parley or conversation, which doubled as a location for exchanging goods and services. With some variation this pattern repeated across the ancient world. From Persia to India, market places came to be known as ‘bazar’, derived from the Pahlavi term ‘vacar’ or ‘baha-char’, meaning the ‘place of prices’. And yet the bazaar was as much a place for social connectedness as for striking a deal and determining the ‘price’” – from Bazaars, conversations and freedom by Rajni Bakshi The Dal lake by itself is…

  • Food - Places

    Himalayan Safari Tales #2 – Srinagar: The Calmness That Belies All

    August 8, 2010 - By 

    For a valley city whose name symbolizes wealth and abundance, peace certainly was in not in abundance. Decades of strife, uncertainty, and violence perhaps has taken its toll. The calm and serene Dal lake perhaps belies all. The quite witness. Taking care of hundreds of families who are dependent on it. Colorful shikaras silently offering rides for the travelers. The shikaras, the house boats and the trade are still the main source of income. Dal lake lies in the catchment area in the Zabarwan mountain valley, which surrounds the lake on three sides and is a part of a natural…

  • Places

    Himalayan Safari Tales #1 – Srinagar: The Day After the Curfew

    August 8, 2010 - By 

    Srinagar was waking up after intermittent curfew days. The roads were so crowded and jammed that it took more than an hour from the airport to the Dal lake. Everyone was in a hurry to get the work done and be back in the safety of their houses, for no one knew when the curfew would return. Buses were packed to the brim that many were even sitting on the roofs and hanging on to the ladders at the back. Army jawans tried helping the local traffic police in managing the traffic. But it was chaos mostly. We began our…

  • Jadhav Ghad Pune, TravelWithaCouple
    Arts & Culture - History - Places

    Jadhav Gadh. Exuding Old World Charm

    May 9, 2010 - By 

    As we approach the entrance, the doorman ceremoniously lifts the bugle and plays. A little embarrassed, we enter the fort. More welcome ceremonies follow. A lady applies sandal paste on our foreheads while a gentleman waits with perfumed towels. Located at about 20-odd km from Pune, off the Pune-Saswad road, this fort-converted-hotel is run by the Orchid Group. An eighteenth century fort built by Pilaji Jadhavrao (a famous general of in the army of Chatrapathi Shahuji, grandson of Chatrapathi Shivaji), Jadhavgad is small and less splendorous compared to other Maratha forts. But it has a quaint charm and the redevelopment…

  • TravelWithacouple Unny Radhakrishnan Bindhu Unny Matheran
    Arts & Culture - Fun - Places

    Of Faith & Creativity – Part II

    May 6, 2010 - By 

    Most of us have grown up with the philosophy of seeing God in everything – in every stone, every tree, every human being, every animal and what not. Roadside temples are not anything new in India. We have earlier written about a tree with a slight resemblance to an elephant’s trunk turning into Ganpathi idol and a street side temple. (Of Faith & Creativity). This is another interesting version. A huge rock in the Matheran hills turning into another massive Ganpathi. Clever use of colours and artistic rendering have converted this huge rock into a divine statue complete with a…

  • Matheran Toy Train, TravelWithacouple
    History - Places

    A Toy Ride. A Joy Ride

    May 3, 2010 - By 

    It’s in the long list for UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Whether it will get the heritage tag or not, the Matheran Light Railway is a fun ride as the small bogies laboriously climb up and down the hill. So when a friend and Mid-Day reporter decided to do a story on this to-be or not-to-be heritage rail, we decided to tag along. Being a Saturday, the general seats were all taken. So we went First Class, which is an eight-seater cabin with cushioned seats. Though not the fastest way to reach Matheran (meaning ‘wooded head’), a tiny hill station that…

  • Birdwatching - Nature's Wonders - Places

    Mumbai Winter Visitors Turn Pink

    May 2, 2010 - By 

    By this time, they would’ve already set off to Kutch or getting ready for the journey. When we met them in December, they were busy feeding on the algae in the Sewri mudflats. Flamingos migrate to Maharashtra during winter after spending the breeding season in Kutch, Gujarat. Sewri, a port area in Mumbai, is one of their favourite hangouts. How did they choose to come to this derelict area?  Maybe, the rich algae found in the muddy tracts that get exposed during low tides. Feeding on these algae that have a carotenoid pigment, these migratory birds turn rich pink by…

  • Places

    The Enchanted Gardens @ Pune

    April 4, 2010 - By 

    It is a hard-to-miss board—The Enchanted Gardens—on the Mumbai-Satara highway, just after the Express Way ends in Pune. We have passed this board many a time, each time postponing the visit. But during our recent drive to Jadhavghad, we dropped by and got enchanted, as the name suggests. Spread across 1,20,000 sq ft, Enchanted Gardens claims to be one of the largest nurseries in India. They also have a network of farms, totalling an area of 60 acres. The sheer variety of plants fascinated us. We obviously haven’t seen or heard about most of them. Many indoor, outdoor, flowering, and…

  • Places - Uncategorized

    More Than Meets the Eye

    March 31, 2010 - By 

    This is not an automobile review blog. And we are not automobile experts to review a car. As travel lovers, the recent drive on Grande MK II came as a pleasant surprise. It’s a pleasant surprise because whenever we book a  vehicle for travel, we make our non-preference of Sumo clear to the travel agent. First thing that strikes us about the new Grande MK II is its majestic size. Park it near an Innova and see what we mean by majestic. Ok! Comparison with Innova might have a few eyebrows raising. All we want to convey is an image…

  • Places - Sanctuaries

    The Real Land of Tiger – Tadoba

    February 23, 2010 - By 

    The year 2010, hopefully augurs well for us in travel. After the good start in the new year week, one of us had a solo trip to Bangkok, while the other had a solo to Coimbatore and Kerala. But the most awaited trip of January was to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra. The planning had started in November itself. The tourism/forest department calls Tadoba the real land of tiger. Perhaps rightfully so. For the first time, we spotted the big cat. Albeit for a short while without giving us enough time for clicking. With multitudes of…

  • Places

    New Year Beginning With Star Gazing

    February 17, 2010 - By 

    The year 2010 also began on a good note. After a packed last weekend of 2009, we were in Bangalore on the first weekend of 2010. Though this time, it was catching up with cousins whom we have not met for over 10 years and some friends after 5 years. That meant not much of travel. Yet, we did a little bit of star gazing – albeit a little different. We have never been to a planetarium – which most people would have visited in their school days.  The Nehru Planetarium in Bangalore was our destination on Saturday, January 2,…

  • Mahabalipuram, Mamallapuram, TravelWithaCouple
    Arts & Culture - History - Places

    Year-End Trips (2) – Mamallapuram

    February 17, 2010 - By 

    Kanchipuram – Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) is barely 70 kms and is connected by good roads. Not a wise idea to combine both these places on the same day as you are unlikely to do justice to both the places. Mamallapuram is a 7th century port city built by Pallavas and is supposeed to be named after the Pallava King, Mamalla. Mamallapuram is classified as UNESCO World Heritage site. With some of the rock cut temples resembling the Buddhist/Jain architecture, it is believed that the Pallava kings bought artisans and sulptors from central India after they won over the Chalukyas. We unfortunately…

  • Kancheepuram Temple, TravelWithaCouple
    Arts & Culture - History - Places

    Year-End (2009) Trips – Kanchipuram

    February 15, 2010 - By 

    The year 2009 ended on a good note with a packed weekend. We were back to Chennai after 5 years for a family get together. But we did manage to plug-in an active one-day travel. It is a matter of shame that we lived in Chennai for 7 years and not even once we visited Kanchipuram or Mahabalipuram. We were not in our elements then for sure. So it was Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram. We planned the timings so that we will be at Kanchipuram Saravana Bhavan for breakfast. Kanchipuram is known as the city of temples and is one of…

  • Arts & Culture - Places

    Solapur, Chadder, and Fashion Ramps

    November 28, 2009 - By 

    Solapur was once a bustling textile town. The Solapur chadder is famous even now, though the number of mills has dwindled and many of the looms have moved out of the town. We wanted to visit one of those looms and speak to a few people and made our enquries, but only to realise that there are only show rooms and not any mills/looms around the town. So we were directed to the largest and the most popular one – Pulgam Textiles. We were not disappointed for there were some unique cotton bedsheets. The chadder certainly has its charm, going…

  • Food - Places

    An Authentic Maharashtrain Fare

    November 12, 2009 - By 

    Food cooked and served by women always has that special taste. We experienced this at Hotel Amantran at Solapur. The restaurant at Hotel Srikamal International where we stayed was undergoing renovation. The hotel manager gave directions for some good Maharashtrain fare and a certain Hotel Kamath for the typical Shetty food. We chose to have a Maharashtrian dinner. When we entered the hotel, it was a pleasant surprise to see women taking orders and serving. The semi-open kitchen showed women cooking too. Only mini thali and limited meals were available. We ordered one each and relished the soft chapathis, rice,…

  • Places - Sanctuaries

    Sanctuaries and Man-Animal Conflicts

    November 6, 2009 - By 

    “This island has to be saved for its trees, it has to be saved for its animals, it is a part of a reserve forest, it belongs to a project to save tigers, which is paid for by people from all around the world.” Everyday, sitting here, with hunger gnawing at our bellies, we would listen to these words, over and over again. Who are these people, I wondered, who love animals so much that they are willing to kill us for them? Do they know what is being done in their names? Where do they leave, these people, do…

  • Birdwatching - Places - Sanctuaries

    Birding at Nannaj Grasslands

    October 31, 2009 - By 

    The Great Indian Bustard didn’t reveal itself to us. But our birding experience at Nannaj Bird Sanctuary wasn’t disappointing. We spotted many other birds (don’t ask for names, though we went there armed with A Field Guide to the Birds of India) and as a bonus, saw two wolves chasing blackbucks. Nannaj Bird Sanctuary, officially called as Maldhok Bird Sanctuary or GIB Bird Sanctuary, is at 25-odd km from Solapur, Maharashtra. It is home to the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and is one of the few places where it is still spotted. Nannaj was declared a bird sanctuary in…

  • MTDC Harihareshwar
    Hotels - Nature's Wonders - Places

    MTDC – Budget Traveller’s Delight

    October 20, 2009 - By 

    In the past three years or so, we have visited a few places in Maharashtra. One thing that has been common in many of these visits was MTDC ( Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) resorts that offer reasonable boarding and lodging. We have now become a fan of MTDC resorts albeit it’s difficult to get accommodation without advance booking. (Mahabaleshwar) MTDC is present in most of the important tourist places in Maharashtra. Simple and basic accommodation. Clean toilets. No fancy stuff. Will fit any backpackers / travel lovers’ budget. Some of these resorts are leased out to private contractors, who have…

  • Places - Uncategorized

    The Lost War Against Plastic

    October 19, 2009 - By 

    This sounds very pessimistic. Yes, we lost our optimism after a trip to Mahabaleshwar recently. We were there in the last week of September. Being off-season, it wasn’t crowded at all. But the amount of plastic waste strewn around was shockingly beyond our imagination. Plastic bottles, cups, wafer packages, pan packets, beer bottles … Every tourist spot, main streets – virtually every nook and corner. Even the back-of-beyond places were not spared. While tourists were there at the common sight-seeing points even during off-season, most seemed to give a miss to Connaught Peak point. As per our usual practice of…

  • Thrikkodithanam Temple, Jain Temples in Kerala, TravelWithacouple
    Arts & Culture - History - Places - the great driving challenge

    The Aftereffects of Searching for Jain Temples

    August 29, 2009 - By 

    One of the stories from our TGDC trail was about our search for old Jain temples in Wayanad in Kerala. There are a few of them, either taken over by ASI or left to crumble, like the one we managed to visit. After visiting the place and reading a little more about Jain temples in Kerala, a realisation dawned on us – Most temples in Kerala were earlier Jain or Buddhist temples. We had earlier read that the famous Sabarimala temple (with close to 5 crore visitors a year, it is supposed to be the second biggest annual pilgrimage after…

  • Places

    TGDC Tales: From Voters to Followers

    July 26, 2009 - By 

    The clock is ticking. The next action begins on 3rd August. Till 5th, the next D-Day. But action for us has not stopped. We now have to start blogging on the TGDC website and we have done that. And we need followers too. So here is another request. Open this page, http://www.greatdrivingchallenge.com/ee/index.php/nomines/blog/unny-bindhu/ Click the Follow Us link and sign-up. Keep cheering us.

  • Places

    Orange Country & Orange Gods

    July 5, 2009 - By 

    The history of orange says that the fruit has its origins in India. And perhaps most of India’s oranges come from its centre – Nagpur. So somewhere in back of our minds we knew that a trip to Nagpur cannot be complete without a visit to an orange farm. While planning for trips, we provide for on the spur changes in the itinerary and explorations. Yet visiting an orange farm was not part of our Pench plan. While we had some intention to peek into some farm while returning to Nagpur, we did not expect that we almost could go…

  • Pench Madhya Pradesh, Travelwithacouple, Unny Radhakrishnan, Bindhu Unny
    Birdwatching - Nature's Wonders - Places - Sanctuaries

    Where Mowgli Roamed – Pench National Park

    June 21, 2009 - By 

    As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled Once, twice and again! And a doe leaped up and a doe leaped up From the pond in the wood where the wild deer sup. – The Jungle Books, Rudyard Kipling Every morning, Mowgly and his friends perhaps would have woken up to this scene. We too were hoping for the same. The early morning drive from the Maharashtra side of Pench Tiger Reserve to the Madhya Pradesh side of Pench was filled with expectations. Never mind the rattling of the old Toyota Qualis and the chilly wind. We had to cover…

  • Birdwatching - Places

    Karnala Revisited

    June 15, 2009 - By 

    One of our early treks was to Karnala. Karnala, with its thump-shaped pinnacle on its top cant be missed when you take the Mumbai-Goa highway. An easy climb. Till the pinnacle. Conquering the pinnacle calls for technical rock climbing. The trek is more interesting as it is through the Karnala Bird Sanctuary. If you can combine early morning, keen eyes, and luck, you will spot many winged creatures. In our first trip we spotted a crested serpent eagle and an owl. This time, on May 1, we decided to celebrate Maharashtra Day by taking an early morning hike through the…

  • Places

    The Rubber Waste Yard at Harihareshwar

    June 14, 2009 - By 

    A rubber factory is an unlikely place to be written about in a travel blog. And certainly not a rubber factory in Harihareshwar, a quite village known for its temple and pristine beaches. Harihareshwar for sure did not have a rubber factory. But we did find something closer to that. More like a factory’s waste yard. A little away from the beach, on the rocky coast, we saw loads of abandoned, worn-out, damaged pieces of footwear. Laced with a few plastic bottles as well. Plastic bottles are no surprise, since they already form part of our natural environment, nurtured carefully…

  • Fun - People - Places

    A Different Trip

    May 17, 2009 - By 

    Meet Sraddha. She is about 12 years old and stays in a one-room house along with her parents and siblings. The sparkle in her eyes perhaps hides the difficulties of her daily grind. Since the past five years, she is experiencing a new life. Apart from her school, she now tries to fast track her learning of English and Maths. And hopes to fulfill her dream of becoming a police officer. Thanks to Akanksha, a Mumbai-based non-profit organisation working in the field of education. Akanksha’s core belief is that giving a strong educational foundation, self esteem and values to the…

  • Nature's Wonders - Places

    After the Divine tree, Now a Sexy tree

    May 4, 2009 - By 

    After the Divine tree darshan, let us take you to this tree we came across at Pench National Park. This is not the first time we are seeing a Ghost Tree. But something that can let your imagination fly – is the first time. Ghost tree is called so because its bark gives a ghostly appearance in moonlight. Ghost trees are often found in the Sahyadris. Known as Sterculia Urens by its biological name, and as Gulur, Kadaya, Karaya etc in Hindi, this is cultivated in some parts of northern India for its gum. These trees grow in dry deciduous…

  • Places

    In Chikoo County

    May 3, 2009 - By 

    If you can’t travel or drive too much and all you need is a quite weekend getaway from Mumbai, then you can try option no #85, Bordi. That’s what precisely we did.  When a family friend wanted a weekend break to introduce their one-year old son to outdoors, we scoured our maps, books and internet to pick a place. Bordi has a 17-km long beach. Chikoo and vegetable farms dot the quiet village. Hills towards the east and a small dam. More importantly, we haven’t been there. And, MTDC has a resort in Bordi. A perfect combination. At about 180…

  • Places

    Love in the Times of Ram Sene

    March 22, 2009 - By 

    A Ram temple that looks well protected by a Mughal fort. And some one who will solve all your ‘love marriage problems’ advertising in a Ram temple. At a time when Ram Sene wants to change the world! Ramtek was not in our initial itinerary, while we planned the Pench trip. Like it happens in many of our trips, Ramtek turned out to be an interesting detour. We do not have much historical information and background of the place, though we tried gathering some from the information boards inside the temple. The story goes that Lord Ram rested at this…

  • Birdwatching - Places - Sanctuaries

    Nandur-Madhyameshwar: Maharashtra’s Own Bharatpur

    March 11, 2009 - By 

    Among the few books (other than a whole bunch of maps and road atlas) that we use as travel guides, there is one called ‘Offbeat tracks in Maharashtra’. Written by Milind Gunaji, a Marathi actor and photographer, this is an interesting and handy book when one wants to do the ‘non-touristy’ travel. We take tips and pointers from it and mix our own ‘de-tours’ to get some interesting variants every time. Nandur–Madhyameshwar was one such find. Being somewhere closer to Nasik, we put this in our Nasik itinerary. Nandur–Madhyameshwar is popular only among avid birders and is known was Maharashtra’s…

  • Places

    A Slice of Italy

    February 1, 2009 - By 

    The Sula Vineyard Tour It was there all the time. But never captured our interest until when a three-day weekend came and we had not made any plans. Driving to a nearby place became the only option, and the toss fell for Nasik. In Nasik, what? Of the many things we planned to do in and around Nasik, there was one obvious choice – Sula vineyards. Rajeev Samant’s return from the US and setting up a vineyard & winery and making it a success is now a sort of legend atleast in the corporate circles. But raising a toast to…

  • Places

    Pandavleni Caves

    February 1, 2009 - By 

    Pandavleni is another slice from history worth visiting.  Though not as grand as the Ajanta Caves (and therefore lesser known), Pandavleni is similar to those caves in Ajanta, Kanheri, Karla etc. Considered to be over 2000 years old ( 1 BC to 800 AD), the caves served as Viharas/monastries. Pandavleni is about 8 km from Nashik City on the Nashik-Mumbai highway. Trekking up the hill takes about 20 minutes. The uphill climb is easy as steps are constructed. At the base is the Dadasaheb Phalke Smarak park with recreation facilities run by the municipal corporation. Next time if you are…

  • Places

    Colours of Faith

    January 31, 2009 - By 

    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

  • Places

    Farm Stay. Really?

    January 31, 2009 - By 

    “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,…

  • Nature's Wonders - Places

    Old Fears Die Hard

    January 1, 2009 - By 

    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, 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…

  • Places

    “No Punjabi Dishes Please …”

    January 1, 2009 - By 

    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…

  • Places

    In Search of the Glass Palace

    December 25, 2008 - By 

    “Soon the district administration discovered itself to be in possession of monies sufficient to build the King his long promised palace. A mansion had appeared on the hill side that faced the Residency. It came complete with a durbar hall, a gallery, outhouses, running water and a garage… All of Ratnagiri turned out to celebrate the move. Cheering crowds lined as the Royal Family drove out of Outram house for the last time… Its upkeep was found to require a small army: twenty seven gate keepers, ten peons, six hazurdaars and innumerable other attendants, cleaners, sweepers and ayahs – a…