tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743906391970558212024-03-14T20:07:02.455+05:30Travel magicAll about the magic of travel in India!magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-38875538242087845782024-02-13T16:22:00.002+05:302024-02-13T16:22:50.782+05:30Honnavar<p> On our way to Mangalore from Mumbai we stumbled upon a
beautiful river side homestay in Honnavar. It was the only such homestay on the
banks of the river Sharavathi. They had simple pretty cottages with bare
necessities, no luxuries, home cooked food and their own tiny jetty to take
visitors for a river cruise to see the sunset, sunrise and the beautiful birds
that lived there.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidzfsVATKzeGKzJTKh3CpW0iysDQD_LTLr2BdgQ1_AOlktH9-8VuwtuNhiRxv0GTES8E3BDzCnEdVwObZBzrQrIQMpNKK0QDewqJE1plkaflNjjTEpVFhh6JKyyHbR6Lf6nVjgvz4pIFHeYCyUKdpXs-5bACISqXZMzs12F3OeLQAWGDzejvoJ7QqxDdR/s2670/20230118_100041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2670" data-original-width="1499" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidzfsVATKzeGKzJTKh3CpW0iysDQD_LTLr2BdgQ1_AOlktH9-8VuwtuNhiRxv0GTES8E3BDzCnEdVwObZBzrQrIQMpNKK0QDewqJE1plkaflNjjTEpVFhh6JKyyHbR6Lf6nVjgvz4pIFHeYCyUKdpXs-5bACISqXZMzs12F3OeLQAWGDzejvoJ7QqxDdR/w360-h640/20230118_100041.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">The owner, guide and resident photographer Ganesh Hegde met
us at the turn off from the highway on his motorcycle and guided us to the
homestay. The last five hundred metres was a bit of off-roading adding to the
adventure.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We reached there in the afternoon just in time for a
sumptuous home cooked meal. A typical south Indian vegetarian meal. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We rested for a while and in the evening, we were treated to
a beautiful sunset cruise in a motorised</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVsqhuQ4jvrPFYMJULwuz0K2PFLx_NCWzl4rcytrgI9xY4qFq3zeLmoQbsB33xELW9397g-U_eKvTAFBjGL-rwAuM5zwJ6XPLswr-WE6YxkirCLc153JlOdof-YLtgrntreZyxSMjL4vj_5xzD-DSJUlwIBTc0HInShktI-rElxYLFLF2mXdY-QTGPfp9l/s4032/20230117_175037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVsqhuQ4jvrPFYMJULwuz0K2PFLx_NCWzl4rcytrgI9xY4qFq3zeLmoQbsB33xELW9397g-U_eKvTAFBjGL-rwAuM5zwJ6XPLswr-WE6YxkirCLc153JlOdof-YLtgrntreZyxSMjL4vj_5xzD-DSJUlwIBTc0HInShktI-rElxYLFLF2mXdY-QTGPfp9l/w480-h640/20230117_175037.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">👆Photo credit: Ganesh Hegde</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbWeUvVDPUsG7OifC65KmyZzlNkAq8KnxR4Y-hqGA9VzmcbqUftkq7swE9Y2Qra_Z4ZO-GumkQIq4bStFRLfhmVqbVgitkf7vwPYHiofIzFbpV6mybgjC7rGZpf1q_FzO7tS4EFN9Su97NnKuk612-Lg7tN5AIX7nDdxSyvPot5cfjS2efj59s5k85MAh/s959/Screenshot%20(89).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="959" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbWeUvVDPUsG7OifC65KmyZzlNkAq8KnxR4Y-hqGA9VzmcbqUftkq7swE9Y2Qra_Z4ZO-GumkQIq4bStFRLfhmVqbVgitkf7vwPYHiofIzFbpV6mybgjC7rGZpf1q_FzO7tS4EFN9Su97NnKuk612-Lg7tN5AIX7nDdxSyvPot5cfjS2efj59s5k85MAh/w640-h422/Screenshot%20(89).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">boat and saw the river being criss
crossed by a lot of boats transporting locals from the mainland to the nearby
islands. Spotted flocks of cormorants and egrets either flying or resting. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Q2NE0ny5z7UoH9EP0N28o04D0zXoI5pTLJ0dbqfCc6pcRUQjLEQp3rS-kQ-PjwfmRWHxVFrDgKYSQu_MggYKqNOwszdDMaxOPF8T2D9a2Gh6AnVOdl0t0EU_NTPbRxgpWMc56IndgWmCw0sZALIr_zxNnJ18ZT1tVE-gSxmsTSuRxp25o-qG2wMW_fQ9/s5194/IMG_7993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3457" data-original-width="5194" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Q2NE0ny5z7UoH9EP0N28o04D0zXoI5pTLJ0dbqfCc6pcRUQjLEQp3rS-kQ-PjwfmRWHxVFrDgKYSQu_MggYKqNOwszdDMaxOPF8T2D9a2Gh6AnVOdl0t0EU_NTPbRxgpWMc56IndgWmCw0sZALIr_zxNnJ18ZT1tVE-gSxmsTSuRxp25o-qG2wMW_fQ9/w640-h426/IMG_7993.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaGnv4VKVQ4d26Uj3ZbziBFSDYBAgs_5kggJAlWRct5k4MFQG9G_0yLAikiPpdYxaU9ntNu9B9ZKDyfFAM8yDt6Q0C2th13bpGD2bJTEJ8caHbLqo6rtAGonHZ0uHQVafgFaRmBV_jhxXF0ojB1hXC_beG6n6XLawaOyu0r5onRQ74-4oM7pA9kRmI9t_/s2816/IMG_8000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1991" data-original-width="2816" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaGnv4VKVQ4d26Uj3ZbziBFSDYBAgs_5kggJAlWRct5k4MFQG9G_0yLAikiPpdYxaU9ntNu9B9ZKDyfFAM8yDt6Q0C2th13bpGD2bJTEJ8caHbLqo6rtAGonHZ0uHQVafgFaRmBV_jhxXF0ojB1hXC_beG6n6XLawaOyu0r5onRQ74-4oM7pA9kRmI9t_/w640-h452/IMG_8000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">Ganesh
kept up his running commentary all the time and pointing out good spots to take
photographs. Was a beautiful memorable cruise and we returned to our cottage
feeling very happy.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Spent the late evening dining by the riverside and watching
the reflection of the moon dance on the river. A sight to behold.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Had a restful sleep, no dreams at least none that I can
remember and woke up early next morning for the sunrise cruise.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Qdwj-9bemH6M4hBqIGY7CAdwHmoya_LcRI1zxwD-Hh8lUsyNKwTjyL_j5NcBtvyinsdR9L3ua4F16MqvnhfJxvDTCu_lEVwKsx3XyGlMMdEQny54zur2rvnHWhR6kG9cBmBY2WCk8ezccK2IhUl51sYfsaOaULJ6gHYpyxFexFJZqa-856acRzhHm20P/s2151/20230118_071522-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2151" data-original-width="1840" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Qdwj-9bemH6M4hBqIGY7CAdwHmoya_LcRI1zxwD-Hh8lUsyNKwTjyL_j5NcBtvyinsdR9L3ua4F16MqvnhfJxvDTCu_lEVwKsx3XyGlMMdEQny54zur2rvnHWhR6kG9cBmBY2WCk8ezccK2IhUl51sYfsaOaULJ6gHYpyxFexFJZqa-856acRzhHm20P/w548-h640/20230118_071522-01.jpeg" width="548" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLbUKkCidn_ExIOXVASx1a_qkYvRy_MQVDIqjtkL-FsW3Zt9YioW6wrzrFdn_y0SGSe0I6DzoMCGEah7tr-onLaljyzynvX64Kjs2FBcUFWG7nY5hKkby7w8LGa_aLobNxFVw1CLfoTyW477hZ3Crrnk2qEEdJV5NpQx9mSM1AOhWwjZ4973dhmGkjhlP/s1840/20230118_071615-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1742" data-original-width="1840" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLbUKkCidn_ExIOXVASx1a_qkYvRy_MQVDIqjtkL-FsW3Zt9YioW6wrzrFdn_y0SGSe0I6DzoMCGEah7tr-onLaljyzynvX64Kjs2FBcUFWG7nY5hKkby7w8LGa_aLobNxFVw1CLfoTyW477hZ3Crrnk2qEEdJV5NpQx9mSM1AOhWwjZ4973dhmGkjhlP/w640-h606/20230118_071615-01.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">We saw and adored the sunrise from outside our cottage and
soon after got called by the boatman who had silently rowed in to pick us up.
Ganesh joined us and soon we were up and away but silently in a row boat. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie622Ca0Vmu5O4aNUp_VGcBb6u3_MzXqxFtKpWxWH-zeNbedC9oBnSf_mtNwZ7Zt1CfVNeGRGcJoDMVJpBgoE05NfW8C98gUYlfOcytqLzL5pu2QFA2SuCQa7msVtNmlF8mH-ewdvst4N-KYeJ2mfXU_C98tTrpm5ZoXEN5pidt3wLkol3kW2X9eCbs-uD/s4000/20230118_075432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="4000" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie622Ca0Vmu5O4aNUp_VGcBb6u3_MzXqxFtKpWxWH-zeNbedC9oBnSf_mtNwZ7Zt1CfVNeGRGcJoDMVJpBgoE05NfW8C98gUYlfOcytqLzL5pu2QFA2SuCQa7msVtNmlF8mH-ewdvst4N-KYeJ2mfXU_C98tTrpm5ZoXEN5pidt3wLkol3kW2X9eCbs-uD/w640-h296/20230118_075432.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">He
took us to an island where we spent some time admiring the flora and fauna, and
sunlight streaming through the palm fronds. An ethereal experience.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrA_IFTfIIYIpSzZtunrN5krXtuwZg4dv3ikMtBqW3RvTf40jH4LAAWIZwQPdKU3o2mN3im6mQpQWV42yp2kAXDzN9vzoDjM9hPNAaVklCiizwarbez5M8Bp8J2m_LIarieyheHS43MQ5hc1zv-4YkyGE6_rxpPI4LhcCjsmB4HTosOHHszYsOLAhVDUn/s4000/20230118_080931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1844" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrA_IFTfIIYIpSzZtunrN5krXtuwZg4dv3ikMtBqW3RvTf40jH4LAAWIZwQPdKU3o2mN3im6mQpQWV42yp2kAXDzN9vzoDjM9hPNAaVklCiizwarbez5M8Bp8J2m_LIarieyheHS43MQ5hc1zv-4YkyGE6_rxpPI4LhcCjsmB4HTosOHHszYsOLAhVDUn/w296-h640/20230118_080931.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlA3fSPv34PPmj2H6EfHABfTQC8mifpJXkG0CW5zKxIrQv9JS_0EKPeqWh2BHKcT4OHwe9DTZYpasBRp6eLvne66GH6m3dMrG9l_reYDyLQthHfM3LdTwXp6fayUSFV6wYg_mYNaYxuRwQDWnbPvdSCMfhsk3LgzLUOOrOmHK5Mmr0dUozUX6GZHYOlAuH/s4000/20230118_081014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="4000" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlA3fSPv34PPmj2H6EfHABfTQC8mifpJXkG0CW5zKxIrQv9JS_0EKPeqWh2BHKcT4OHwe9DTZYpasBRp6eLvne66GH6m3dMrG9l_reYDyLQthHfM3LdTwXp6fayUSFV6wYg_mYNaYxuRwQDWnbPvdSCMfhsk3LgzLUOOrOmHK5Mmr0dUozUX6GZHYOlAuH/w640-h296/20230118_081014.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">During this cruise we noticed a lot of pre wedding shoots
going on in various boats across the river. Apparently, a favourite destination
for event photographers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM-y-gxEKrqbEO6dWZam04NOZhHdWrVyMM8RutdRzhA-ZE3oN5DHWYhlJ-QJF1SYxTBmwl5JaYapEm5GNv_3E-7U4ETZ2SzugSJLmzv0b-0n8a0dth08kIRdSRfxknEfKgoAWaq5IJDs_PqNwHTL21QvQRapHlZJEX0puxzL3IVLaUxO6M_JR1MZUrBwu/s5194/IMG_7994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3457" data-original-width="5194" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM-y-gxEKrqbEO6dWZam04NOZhHdWrVyMM8RutdRzhA-ZE3oN5DHWYhlJ-QJF1SYxTBmwl5JaYapEm5GNv_3E-7U4ETZ2SzugSJLmzv0b-0n8a0dth08kIRdSRfxknEfKgoAWaq5IJDs_PqNwHTL21QvQRapHlZJEX0puxzL3IVLaUxO6M_JR1MZUrBwu/w640-h426/IMG_7994.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNZlAOqu_I1hGThkEV0ZkdkZEigHLn5Q45gXbLDwSAcExOX0SaycyMIeVInCSLWLqjwNlOBaFNGjuuSD-b4KRqFnOCykV31p_dh4RXg3latMeeXRQfEpTCEX8grxn3unAPvrXxJUQ2Qgv_fwdc0_9JR2jhI3GEvYNYUlVTViZgWn9kxskMT0sCxNG1pNG/s5194/IMG_7995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3457" data-original-width="5194" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNZlAOqu_I1hGThkEV0ZkdkZEigHLn5Q45gXbLDwSAcExOX0SaycyMIeVInCSLWLqjwNlOBaFNGjuuSD-b4KRqFnOCykV31p_dh4RXg3latMeeXRQfEpTCEX8grxn3unAPvrXxJUQ2Qgv_fwdc0_9JR2jhI3GEvYNYUlVTViZgWn9kxskMT0sCxNG1pNG/w640-h426/IMG_7995.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">Returned to our cottage for a heavy breakfast and checked
out from the homestay to get on the highway to Mangalore but not before Ganesh
guided us to the ‘hanging bridge’ across the river, </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTIM1PQM5qX2mNQWyYik50ek1OYQLsinXviaLR3iGJvSRvaK_y_FBILXcIbY3-cUS4dW8oGr7Ttwh5TchTlvQmU565eiTKiYx4JsXDFXBMrnY5XRiY8tUq2mZMivnMqjuwCJkxt7nPCsMuTKBj1tq6wFoo6fWW702sMhQGXh4bmYXS2FnCDybFA15ecpz/s4000/20230118_112739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="4000" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTIM1PQM5qX2mNQWyYik50ek1OYQLsinXviaLR3iGJvSRvaK_y_FBILXcIbY3-cUS4dW8oGr7Ttwh5TchTlvQmU565eiTKiYx4JsXDFXBMrnY5XRiY8tUq2mZMivnMqjuwCJkxt7nPCsMuTKBj1tq6wFoo6fWW702sMhQGXh4bmYXS2FnCDybFA15ecpz/w640-h296/20230118_112739.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHnhN766K9l3WBSOQuT71lIfUZy4glrP_9iGR6PRcmIBh_88vuaaBlLy9zCrhPfWTwMOP2kMpDWK0bqA1_XuEP_VrSYQVBX21dIy7VfjV1L7FB1StBvn60hrp97QbN-HQnuyU0dRjwMq5H1xEyNmSrH1YT-6BJJnjqH_9X320VBe0Cl2Ds5emwt2A5HMY/s3264/20230118_112828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1504" data-original-width="3264" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHnhN766K9l3WBSOQuT71lIfUZy4glrP_9iGR6PRcmIBh_88vuaaBlLy9zCrhPfWTwMOP2kMpDWK0bqA1_XuEP_VrSYQVBX21dIy7VfjV1L7FB1StBvn60hrp97QbN-HQnuyU0dRjwMq5H1xEyNmSrH1YT-6BJJnjqH_9X320VBe0Cl2Ds5emwt2A5HMY/w640-h294/20230118_112828.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcx-zNk2MD2MZFx0SmKk-xkv3w2icncQPufL1KYIE-K_0H8aYXsZcTsdMwcIdsaZpI8QXp6AkEwo3p_-ZA8jt-WMV_AG01-XFil6eN-F1jBGlNtVvq354wngUStozkDopnKaY-0cWOtCSzdxFk0T8qmaqAilwfCIRm2X_WyQA_wsw66HRojCNxZN5AQHoY/s3264/20230118_113430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1504" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcx-zNk2MD2MZFx0SmKk-xkv3w2icncQPufL1KYIE-K_0H8aYXsZcTsdMwcIdsaZpI8QXp6AkEwo3p_-ZA8jt-WMV_AG01-XFil6eN-F1jBGlNtVvq354wngUStozkDopnKaY-0cWOtCSzdxFk0T8qmaqAilwfCIRm2X_WyQA_wsw66HRojCNxZN5AQHoY/w294-h640/20230118_113430.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerFm_m_lnXDVM2vTiLR0F-IqlOxMXow3HRtMTdY-pI1kAljXGbyLvpuRU0n4xcDyDfePqh36eRlRhJHO0_UqhFyGKY_Amk5KfNCRycBgDTVZjgdPs0RVL2OAEhAMbIzAEWVjcPCWnH9bU-QUBkl3TwZ7ZSWsR6s85AkY1zpN4KzOgZGDRYwxO9z7b5S-B/s3264/20230118_115439%20-%20Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1504" data-original-width="3264" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerFm_m_lnXDVM2vTiLR0F-IqlOxMXow3HRtMTdY-pI1kAljXGbyLvpuRU0n4xcDyDfePqh36eRlRhJHO0_UqhFyGKY_Amk5KfNCRycBgDTVZjgdPs0RVL2OAEhAMbIzAEWVjcPCWnH9bU-QUBkl3TwZ7ZSWsR6s85AkY1zpN4KzOgZGDRYwxO9z7b5S-B/w640-h294/20230118_115439%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxFbI_lZceCyM0XKqUJ235OK1gwzhpS6mDwwaTUwGhcSSzX4ryytVMwFINHRE6zm3RXRVfsUBZTPEazu6z3ipneGs3-SOwDRnb9_Eju3KWrMN1y-_-Cp9axaZR528_KhOobP0xhZhCSMf4DD53oZPLoacoSiN4HtH-cJIz2BOLgM8FCj7TzkEZp_Zvny0/s2479/20230118_120839-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="2479" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxFbI_lZceCyM0XKqUJ235OK1gwzhpS6mDwwaTUwGhcSSzX4ryytVMwFINHRE6zm3RXRVfsUBZTPEazu6z3ipneGs3-SOwDRnb9_Eju3KWrMN1y-_-Cp9axaZR528_KhOobP0xhZhCSMf4DD53oZPLoacoSiN4HtH-cJIz2BOLgM8FCj7TzkEZp_Zvny0/w640-h388/20230118_120839-01.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeT4Ici5TzMwwRkMmGhvrVd5inyGXArpsq93Gp2spNmFvHKDmZzVkkHuQSd42FLY_rvvViUBFSyZGmXRXhf30a12B0sbrVdDxJewZreOD0ssUoQeAAVQfD8-PKRXOfcUreY7TyC39WpwB4RyawJjqh1web8zZozrwGzMXHPtOjTK1xMKZfknLQc5YRCnxo/s2415/20230118_120851-01%20-%20Copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2415" data-original-width="1501" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeT4Ici5TzMwwRkMmGhvrVd5inyGXArpsq93Gp2spNmFvHKDmZzVkkHuQSd42FLY_rvvViUBFSyZGmXRXhf30a12B0sbrVdDxJewZreOD0ssUoQeAAVQfD8-PKRXOfcUreY7TyC39WpwB4RyawJjqh1web8zZozrwGzMXHPtOjTK1xMKZfknLQc5YRCnxo/w398-h640/20230118_120851-01%20-%20Copy.jpeg" width="398" /></a></div><br />a conservation of mangroves
site and finally a temple at the top of a nearby hill from where we could get a
bird’s eye view of the forest all around.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYoBkekZVmaMv9HkvKhs24U_pQx0WKQZGPxKzMyTzgZdbUWBM4-NUGx62dDm3TepBtYzq52rzBg-jMAJznmCr1gsoMFs-Kv7apL2S28OoRInK_rYQ26Gq2y5RHMmAkcpbbOU_ZbaxJoFOje2g3KaWsCeoxUslw4EhzFIQEWvanyFB8Ohw8JexCLx1NIYE/s4112/20230118_103728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1776" data-original-width="4112" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYoBkekZVmaMv9HkvKhs24U_pQx0WKQZGPxKzMyTzgZdbUWBM4-NUGx62dDm3TepBtYzq52rzBg-jMAJznmCr1gsoMFs-Kv7apL2S28OoRInK_rYQ26Gq2y5RHMmAkcpbbOU_ZbaxJoFOje2g3KaWsCeoxUslw4EhzFIQEWvanyFB8Ohw8JexCLx1NIYE/w640-h276/20230118_103728.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7_OjVy3J0jbWevOPDz3jI0m_NIC3sM3OOe8w9HwdoJOInm4OiVQ133A2H8Pjqrz9S4I-cmFKgM1LJPuqvMJNtcY9LyTZqxLlZzM-nUCZg1cX_xt0aAFKPKO4M3h3xrU1CsINlIDhtDf6L23_5M9aY5OhsV6NnKusao4cxK94Vf_YIYUUEGLIv5Ghc7FP/s4000/20230118_104629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1844" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7_OjVy3J0jbWevOPDz3jI0m_NIC3sM3OOe8w9HwdoJOInm4OiVQ133A2H8Pjqrz9S4I-cmFKgM1LJPuqvMJNtcY9LyTZqxLlZzM-nUCZg1cX_xt0aAFKPKO4M3h3xrU1CsINlIDhtDf6L23_5M9aY5OhsV6NnKusao4cxK94Vf_YIYUUEGLIv5Ghc7FP/w296-h640/20230118_104629.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">This indeed was one of the most refreshingly interesting
stopovers in Karnataka.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-33562414239556191492023-05-05T19:25:00.000+05:302023-05-05T19:25:04.795+05:30Panchalingeshwara temple<p>Vitla also Vittal is a town in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina
Kannada district, India, around 18 km from Bantwal in Bantwal Taluk and at a
distance of 40 km from Mangalore.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Panchalingeshwara Temple is a Hindu temple located in the
village of Vittal in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, India. The
temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is known for its unique five lingas or
Panchalingas, which are believed to represent the five elements of nature -
earth, water, fire, air, and ether.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UQ-9fDzA_jU31rS4SrkvzyfRiCpn0YvSVy-rcDr7ZzA4z9Q-5Cm9hqgI52F_ccmFM1VrAWSEQ8QYNirZTP3xgZZHXoEgKcPtilYRWMDVw7hMbt3vVB4eLrsunY5Uyy69xfoHwbZjsLlWclCruPYTXQ76ewg_mKy5R8icWMEQDvoTDbPTReVFi7gPgw/s1073/Screenshot_20230505-184527_Instagram.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="1073" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UQ-9fDzA_jU31rS4SrkvzyfRiCpn0YvSVy-rcDr7ZzA4z9Q-5Cm9hqgI52F_ccmFM1VrAWSEQ8QYNirZTP3xgZZHXoEgKcPtilYRWMDVw7hMbt3vVB4eLrsunY5Uyy69xfoHwbZjsLlWclCruPYTXQ76ewg_mKy5R8icWMEQDvoTDbPTReVFi7gPgw/w640-h388/Screenshot_20230505-184527_Instagram.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">The temple's architecture is typical of South Indian
temples, with a gopura or tower at the entrance and a large central hall or
mandapa. The sanctum sanctorum or garbhagriha, where the lingas are located, is
surrounded by a circumambulatory path or pradakshina patha.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The temple is believed to have been built in the 10th
century during the rule of the Chola dynasty. It underwent renovations and
additions during the Vijayanagara Empire and the Keladi Nayaka dynasty.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The annual car festival or Rathotsava is one of the major
events at the Panchalingeshwara Temple, which attracts devotees from nearby
villages and towns.The festival is usually held during Sankranti, Uttarayan and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_Q2waXWgVTH7viDernzW2sEcom1fgFv3FwOMe5QKmfqiC69PnjSJP8GPS7GlXpymovweFV4Na7CWrdzai7KXDhPxihJ_TuN6B8tzNfOxSX5Z4cqpyRbLk5IDBayqaL4MYUFscUVzl7xR3CibIE27sS1dxtZllJYSo1-EqfMbnkfkQ6GcHjTeki-tDw/s3359/20230120_183544-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3359" data-original-width="1828" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_Q2waXWgVTH7viDernzW2sEcom1fgFv3FwOMe5QKmfqiC69PnjSJP8GPS7GlXpymovweFV4Na7CWrdzai7KXDhPxihJ_TuN6B8tzNfOxSX5Z4cqpyRbLk5IDBayqaL4MYUFscUVzl7xR3CibIE27sS1dxtZllJYSo1-EqfMbnkfkQ6GcHjTeki-tDw/w348-h640/20230120_183544-01.jpeg" width="348" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">During the festival, the deities of the temple are taken out
in a grand procession on a beautifully decorated chariot or ratha. The chariot
is pulled by hundreds of devotees while singing hymns and chanting mantras.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyn67b2dwdz_zwMeFs5wM8pkCEOw3xAT7s5VlkwMJQEudOLHrf-sDMqJmHN8mrBPr13c75y_vxj8MS11mmr5w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal">The festival lasts for nine days, during which various
religious and cultural activities are organized. Devotees perform special
prayers and rituals, offer flowers, fruits, and coconuts to the deities, and
seek their blessings.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnOpVhCKmFheEEmJamxBTfKUggQDpVY551SjD9bpe7QlQVrwXCeY2vF-ep3B2lw56sOjD5vnu-0b2NaFdF8wiPVIctis8aRQhFDr9JCvjLQSli2F-eOWREYsO5UGc2ffgGjrREYDOA2dT4LiMivVSuOWAhS_WVVaAM2e_c81uESqk7yqIbaii8f7ftA/s1932/20230119_113458-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="1842" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnOpVhCKmFheEEmJamxBTfKUggQDpVY551SjD9bpe7QlQVrwXCeY2vF-ep3B2lw56sOjD5vnu-0b2NaFdF8wiPVIctis8aRQhFDr9JCvjLQSli2F-eOWREYsO5UGc2ffgGjrREYDOA2dT4LiMivVSuOWAhS_WVVaAM2e_c81uESqk7yqIbaii8f7ftA/w610-h640/20230119_113458-01.jpeg" width="610" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">Nandi - the decorated bull which is the designated vehicle of Lord Shiva.</p><p class="MsoNormal">When the Panchalingeshwara idol is taken in a procession
around the temple pond by the devotees, it is called "kere habba" or
"kere utsava", where "kere" refers to the pond or lake.
This is a common practice in many villages of Karnataka, especially during
festivals or special occasions.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xDiJxgUtmvY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">During the procession, the idol is placed on a decorated
palanquin or a boat and taken around the temple pond or lake, accompanied by
singing, dancing, and chanting. Devotees offer prayers and participate in the
procession by carrying lamps, flowers, and other offerings. The festival is
considered to be a way of seeking the blessings of the deity and is an
important cultural tradition in the region.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Panchalingeshwara Temple is a significant pilgrimage
site for devotees of Lord Shiva and a notable example of South Indian temple
architecture.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWT1fX-zbxSI3iPdX67btEWf0nsZ8CFTdRZjR6OU5AFDkqnuQxBP9MIPGqZvx6ARZhn_Aznc39Wm9dZYFXrHx7yDBsC0rAFffLWI97Pc1BbzxQZJ3YQrRRluBkdLBPLQdDZ19gqNeLZ2znJ5KSQM6VuHqXlWbPzCoauc10Jlhqr38uJtzRsdqrD2CRiQ/s1501/20230119_113654-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1450" data-original-width="1501" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWT1fX-zbxSI3iPdX67btEWf0nsZ8CFTdRZjR6OU5AFDkqnuQxBP9MIPGqZvx6ARZhn_Aznc39Wm9dZYFXrHx7yDBsC0rAFffLWI97Pc1BbzxQZJ3YQrRRluBkdLBPLQdDZ19gqNeLZ2znJ5KSQM6VuHqXlWbPzCoauc10Jlhqr38uJtzRsdqrD2CRiQ/w640-h618/20230119_113654-01.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">The Rathotsava at Panchalingeshwara Temple is a vibrant and
colorful celebration that reflects the rich culture and traditions of
Karnataka. It attracts a large number of devotees and visitors every year and
is a must-visit event for anyone interested in Hindu festivals and traditions.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-84527643371526339292023-02-18T12:07:00.000+05:302023-02-18T12:07:08.589+05:30Mangrove boardwalk<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline
or brackish water.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees and are adapted to live in
harsh coastal conditions. They contain a complex salt filtration system and a
complex root system to cope with saltwater immersion and wave action. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A 2022 study on losses and gains of tidal wetlands estimates
a 3,700 km2 (1,400 sq mi) net decrease in global mangroves which is worrying
hence a Mangrove boardwalk in Karnataka to educate the general public is
heartening. There is interest in mangrove restoration for several reasons.
Mangroves support sustainable coastal and marine ecosystems. They protect
nearby areas from tsunamis and extreme weather events. Mangrove forests are
also effective at carbon sequestration and storage and mitigate climate change.
As the effects of climate change become more severe, mangrove ecosystems are
expected to help local ecosystems adapt and be more resilient to changes like
extreme weather and sea level rise.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, mangroves are being destroyed for ‘infrastructure
development’. Paved roads and Bullet train tracks will replace the life saving
mangroves. It is time we give our ‘infrastructure development‘ a rethink.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0KzeF2_pYb0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal">The Mangrove boardwalk near Honnavar is interesting but I wish
there were more informative boards placed along the walk to educate the layman.
It seems to be more of a site for pre wedding shoots now!</p><p></p>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-35438289672090416892023-02-08T12:47:00.001+05:302023-02-08T12:47:30.505+05:30Yana rocks!<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Yana rocks<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Yana rocks
or Yana caves as it is popularly known has become a tourist destination in
Karnataka. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Yana is
famous for two massive rock outcrops known as the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara
(peak) and the Mohini Shikhara (peak). The huge rocks are composed of solid
black, crystalline karst limestone. Bhairaveshwara Shikhara is 120 metres (390
ft) in height, while the Mohini Shikhara, which is smaller, is 90 metres (300
ft) in height. They are part of the Sahyadri hill range in the Western Ghats in
South India<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Yana is also
well known as a pilgrimage center because of the cave temple below the
Bhairaveshwara Shikhara where a Swayambhu (self-manifested) Linga has been
formed. Water drips from the roof over the Linga, adding to the sanctity of the
place.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">During
Shivaratri, a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of Lord Shiva, a Ratha
festival is held here, along with other festivities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Legend
has it that the Demon King Bhasmasura obtained a boon from Lord Shiva by
performing an austere penance. The boon granted was that whenever Bhasmasura
placed his hand over any one's head, he would burn them up and turn them into
ashes (bhasma). It is further narrated that, in order to test his powers,
Bhasmasura wanted to place his hands on his patron Lord Shiva's head. He chased
Shiva, which unnerved Shiva and prompted him to move from his heavenly abode to
earth to seek the help of Lord Vishnu. Vishnu transformed himself to help
Shiva, adopting the form of a beautiful damsel named Mohini who enticed
Bhasmasura with her beauty. Bhasmsura was quite infatuated by Mohini, and
agreed to a challenge she issued for a dance competition.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">During
the dance competition, Mohini cleverly performed a dance bhang
("pose") with her hand over her head. Without realizing the gravity
of this act, the demon king also placed his hand over his head and perished by
the fire of his own hands, he was converted into ashes. It is believed that the
fire that emanated during this act was so intense that the limestone formations
in the Yana area were blackened. The loose black soil or ash seen around the
two large rock formations in the area are cited as proof of the legend by
devotees who see them as due to the fire and ashes produced by Bhasmasura’s
death. The two hillocks are also named for this event: the tall peak being
Bhairaveshwara Shikhara ("Shiva's hill"), and the smaller peak, a few
steps down below, being Mohini Shikhara ("Mohini's hill") where an
idol of goddess Parvathi is installed.</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> Ref: Wikipedia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AwmCZObAbWk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We drove 136
kms to Yana from Hubli via Yellapur, Gullapur and Sunksal as it culminates
closest to the rocks, eliminating any long treks while the other route via
Sirsi culminates at a point from where one has to trek/climb for about an hour
to reach the rocks. There is a pay and park facility with a flat charge of
Rs.40/- per car.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The last
around 5 kms to reach the top was not paved and more of a path than a road
which caked the car with a thick layer of dust.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Forest
Department has built beautiful tree hollowed public toilets for the benefit of
tourists.</span></p>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-28680930369707771222021-07-17T10:59:00.001+05:302021-07-17T11:12:17.373+05:30Ride to lakes around Mumbai - 5. Gadeshwar<p>Our (me on my Royal Enfield and my nephew on his Kawasaki)
last ride, before the second Corona wave struck, was to Gadeshwar lake on the
outskirts of Mumbai. It is close to Panvel, at a distance of around sixty
kilometres from Mumbai. We followed all mandated Covid protocol of masking, social distancing and not interacting with locals.</p><p>It is very serene and a beautiful place to spend some ‘me’
time or with friends.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Carry your breakfast with you, have it at the lake in
beautiful surroundings and carry back your trash. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here are a few pictures followed by a short video of the
ride. Enjoy. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTpFF-S2_buLVxtvfOqbkiTbJnM5HbkkJMNCbF_Vsq0Fpqle9CQO6aBhyXnvDcfhvhhHCGNZJGZ-bzfVCTAARaEW9MFoauM26_ivuPKjn_eBvA3MMWkrRqfnOLCOJ-iTW3iUDPMsA5uJw/s2048/20210124_084415-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="2048" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTpFF-S2_buLVxtvfOqbkiTbJnM5HbkkJMNCbF_Vsq0Fpqle9CQO6aBhyXnvDcfhvhhHCGNZJGZ-bzfVCTAARaEW9MFoauM26_ivuPKjn_eBvA3MMWkrRqfnOLCOJ-iTW3iUDPMsA5uJw/w640-h390/20210124_084415-01.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6i1xJ0VJtKUcxGK6NcgSB0mIhPpzbx1iR0yj0gG0U2AonWmmzs9euiKTe0rfYLt70CDUPmbD-9R-N8T-aNA4n4hBhcp7LhI0ckw8ZW8OGNtz96v_K3SmaZg5gbMHUdMhi4OPEBWTKuuq/s2048/20210124_082602-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1231" data-original-width="2048" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6i1xJ0VJtKUcxGK6NcgSB0mIhPpzbx1iR0yj0gG0U2AonWmmzs9euiKTe0rfYLt70CDUPmbD-9R-N8T-aNA4n4hBhcp7LhI0ckw8ZW8OGNtz96v_K3SmaZg5gbMHUdMhi4OPEBWTKuuq/w640-h384/20210124_082602-01.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpr-4_M6i5coPJ-t-0zYE5yTNeefn4CmSONvVs3x6oQDVP5nnvYCMvjky5AHx0EvR5akZ1zGAHnAQZ06ZOCgX32G2lYRGpeh8J7tv1X1HjXPvdY25MabqkQnnMv1B1KhCcSC7Hsfy7XyD7/s1636/20210124_082433-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1460" data-original-width="1636" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpr-4_M6i5coPJ-t-0zYE5yTNeefn4CmSONvVs3x6oQDVP5nnvYCMvjky5AHx0EvR5akZ1zGAHnAQZ06ZOCgX32G2lYRGpeh8J7tv1X1HjXPvdY25MabqkQnnMv1B1KhCcSC7Hsfy7XyD7/w640-h572/20210124_082433-01.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JLBTUDD2Vag" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;">Do check out the video and if you like it do click on like, share and subscribe! Thank you.</div><div><br /></div></div>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-90749827997646790942021-06-26T12:48:00.000+05:302021-06-26T12:48:01.232+05:30Ride to lakes around Mumbai - 4. Shirgaon and Sinchan<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">During the
brief window between the two Covid waves we (me on my Royal Enfield and my
nephew on his Kawasaki) rode to check out the twin lakes Shirgaon and Sinchan
on the outskirts of Mumbai.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Shirgaon
lake is around sixty kilometres from Mumbai and can be accessed via the Western
Express or the Eastern Express Highway. We took the Western Express Highway. Shirgaon
lake is popular amongst the cyclists from Mumbai who can ride there and then
take a lovely cool dip in the lake. This lake is a popular picnic spot so the
earlier you go the better it is.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3K76a6URjrdMi6E0wyYcQtxyu9fQj-eF4aUFQbffdvjntwekWNrqQkPNavSeo81or6D5TfPZbgnIpSqLsUbEkhLflyTdkxeSVrjGLHzuE0qBEKzVGFronWbU_VmlSYlMQU20R6MNe6bzw/s2612/shirgaon.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="2612" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3K76a6URjrdMi6E0wyYcQtxyu9fQj-eF4aUFQbffdvjntwekWNrqQkPNavSeo81or6D5TfPZbgnIpSqLsUbEkhLflyTdkxeSVrjGLHzuE0qBEKzVGFronWbU_VmlSYlMQU20R6MNe6bzw/w640-h296/shirgaon.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Shirgaon lake</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbwh2j2YYGYI5YcuwRgnxXhRJBl_Pr_gJjtslzS4jY0pkX5PlGKMpEczWpAVwLyxcXf_WkhktPKt08-NTLTYm6Pkx8pO2lFkXFF3klGPBeCqaoKJtHiF6pZXjRQWie5kh7fXHJkx6uX7P/s2612/cycles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="2612" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbwh2j2YYGYI5YcuwRgnxXhRJBl_Pr_gJjtslzS4jY0pkX5PlGKMpEczWpAVwLyxcXf_WkhktPKt08-NTLTYm6Pkx8pO2lFkXFF3klGPBeCqaoKJtHiF6pZXjRQWie5kh7fXHJkx6uX7P/w640-h296/cycles.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Sinchan lake
is another thirty kilometres from Shirgaon lake hence a good idea to visit both
in the same trip. This is the quieter of the two.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPri1o6l9n2YxxB6xZKufqRdmfUyaB3_yqT6kNdbZCWjRAeezHTz3BUKZhnnl9SytQM5EvdoUoQmRY5eEK4HBquNe6yx9tQd0JyPAzzhjxwCWg-RptZencpuenPVcaV0Qn8246Zlfa9YzR/s1479/sinchan+bikes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="1479" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPri1o6l9n2YxxB6xZKufqRdmfUyaB3_yqT6kNdbZCWjRAeezHTz3BUKZhnnl9SytQM5EvdoUoQmRY5eEK4HBquNe6yx9tQd0JyPAzzhjxwCWg-RptZencpuenPVcaV0Qn8246Zlfa9YzR/w640-h636/sinchan+bikes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Sinchan lake</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvI2DwwMWlHah50kyytT3pBMTGPsb0gH0gdUAOHqtMHm6fpieWid03sNaovnZ9FoHggJQ_9cTbnCUwAvjkMKNo2SdMFo_zqh8VCqL6WZ4IgbOFeMFN_LJI2vtq2KpmP8Q9_kz9tPcRKrP8/s2612/sinchan+lake.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="2612" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvI2DwwMWlHah50kyytT3pBMTGPsb0gH0gdUAOHqtMHm6fpieWid03sNaovnZ9FoHggJQ_9cTbnCUwAvjkMKNo2SdMFo_zqh8VCqL6WZ4IgbOFeMFN_LJI2vtq2KpmP8Q9_kz9tPcRKrP8/w640-h296/sinchan+lake.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Carry your
breakfast with you, have it at the lake in beautiful surroundings and carry
back your trash.</span></div><p></p></span><p></p>
<div>Do check out the video and if you like it do click on like, share and subscribe! Thank you.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KrpOjIgzF8w" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-1205785531073431362021-06-13T11:02:00.000+05:302021-06-13T11:02:05.187+05:30Ride to lakes around Mumbai - 3. Khand<div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;">Soon after the first wave of
Covid19, when the travel curbs were eased and everything seemed going back to
normal, we (my nephew on his Kawasaki Z650 and me on my Royal Enfield 500) rode
to Khand lake which is around 120 kms from Mumbai and can be reached either by
Western Express Highway or the Eastern Express Highway. We rode via the Western
Express Highway upto Manor from where you have to turn into the interior single
lane road and the last couple of kilometres is a bit of off-roading but fun.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 15.8895px;"><span>Carry your breakfast with you, have it at the lake in beautiful surroundings and carry back your trash.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div><span style="line-height: 15.8895px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 15.8895px;"><span>Here are a few pictures followed by a short video of the ride. Enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div><span style="line-height: 15.8895px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgummaKfu9Dr29K6iJPGjsq_gMm2WzYEuhDj-3t4KcrDK46Orsns2ixXXP4iMtF5g1vEU9CKH-VXA-mXIQaf8OVO4c6OTTiDN-Dn0unxA6qPZyGSofDRai4vh4r3D3oGPz91XVQ5objF_t-/s2612/20201108_091115.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="2612" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgummaKfu9Dr29K6iJPGjsq_gMm2WzYEuhDj-3t4KcrDK46Orsns2ixXXP4iMtF5g1vEU9CKH-VXA-mXIQaf8OVO4c6OTTiDN-Dn0unxA6qPZyGSofDRai4vh4r3D3oGPz91XVQ5objF_t-/w640-h296/20201108_091115.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRyZhd2UFb7YqKeMSd3xc6pHC_dXPZyDM8vjcM9xa7VuZiMHf5KpHXZnwYRKUyGAiBlUZIoYdD9jGf5XZqdxeH7X2P3aUxG8r8ARIaV4yPcciaba_vxZhVsaUOU0M6HLr8TW4Vh1Si-Ra/s2612/20201108_093447.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="2612" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRyZhd2UFb7YqKeMSd3xc6pHC_dXPZyDM8vjcM9xa7VuZiMHf5KpHXZnwYRKUyGAiBlUZIoYdD9jGf5XZqdxeH7X2P3aUxG8r8ARIaV4yPcciaba_vxZhVsaUOU0M6HLr8TW4Vh1Si-Ra/w640-h296/20201108_093447.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMB_zaVa8n6KV-22Mt8PxwuYTSRWVfsf7VPs7MZ_z-QINUtVTBJ1KdQacswoCclZ5lYrTHiLW8RFS3Lewt9gbbglGS9SBEznCqK_-xPgYQLkjLRH6aOTkNk_jexb8xByxCh8O_7ynfMgxz/s2048/20201108_091726.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1055" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMB_zaVa8n6KV-22Mt8PxwuYTSRWVfsf7VPs7MZ_z-QINUtVTBJ1KdQacswoCclZ5lYrTHiLW8RFS3Lewt9gbbglGS9SBEznCqK_-xPgYQLkjLRH6aOTkNk_jexb8xByxCh8O_7ynfMgxz/w330-h640/20201108_091726.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBNWEGNJIqyhSTkyKojZOaVa5H8yVCOmckpkWC__vF4nI5knu2CBgpQ73nWMIxyXBcifxG7fq8uU9r1U2Y5g0tCzln_fv0N_q_w4y96NW9_NieCgNbFaWDn4FDqMdKY_gYgnr2VvtHcQI/s2048/20201108_091922.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1183" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBNWEGNJIqyhSTkyKojZOaVa5H8yVCOmckpkWC__vF4nI5knu2CBgpQ73nWMIxyXBcifxG7fq8uU9r1U2Y5g0tCzln_fv0N_q_w4y96NW9_NieCgNbFaWDn4FDqMdKY_gYgnr2VvtHcQI/w370-h640/20201108_091922.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="line-height: 15.8895px;"></span></p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i-GBg_foR-U" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div>Do check out the video and if you like it do click on like, share and subscribe! Thank you.</div><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;" /></div></div>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-46737996302192589142021-06-06T12:47:00.000+05:302021-06-06T12:47:00.219+05:30Ride to lakes around Mumbai - 2. Usgaon<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Just after
the first wave of Covid19, when the lockdown curbs were eased and everything
seemed going back to normal, we (my nephew on his Kawasaki Z650 and me on my Royal Enfield 500) rode to Usgaon lake. An
amazingly serene place to visit on a misty wintry morning.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_8YjkUJPo4JROkOL2Z9x7Xv5SY3oBSu7EFdrKekjxP1cpY3nvzucVjBBSKljpcULIXNRTsGDSBtWKGONeda7C4ApQ8Sv8KdCHnJAH1GoEsgutvz1WzoYdcjbns-FTq-y18i_SuNioJ3v/s2048/20201025_075252-01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1447" data-original-width="2048" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_8YjkUJPo4JROkOL2Z9x7Xv5SY3oBSu7EFdrKekjxP1cpY3nvzucVjBBSKljpcULIXNRTsGDSBtWKGONeda7C4ApQ8Sv8KdCHnJAH1GoEsgutvz1WzoYdcjbns-FTq-y18i_SuNioJ3v/w640-h452/20201025_075252-01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHt1xVlENJBKulTAACzOIQ6CxZM4r0hjfiCs8gn6SWa5mjkTXUIKCLjEuEDe6waIPmeYfl-ApmLnHSQ_lEXitFWRf2sflx5DFogAMFYoYhA1JvRmAG8A7JS0IKqEI8uFAqug_kujIVbIyg/s1569/20201025_075520.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="1569" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHt1xVlENJBKulTAACzOIQ6CxZM4r0hjfiCs8gn6SWa5mjkTXUIKCLjEuEDe6waIPmeYfl-ApmLnHSQ_lEXitFWRf2sflx5DFogAMFYoYhA1JvRmAG8A7JS0IKqEI8uFAqug_kujIVbIyg/w640-h486/20201025_075520.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">You can
reach it by a couple of routes, one is via the Western Express Highway or the
other is via the Eastern Express Highway. There is not a significant difference
in the distance, either way it is within eighty kilometres from Mumbai. Take
your pick. We took the Western Express Highway.</span></p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Carry your
breakfast with you, have it at the lake in beautiful surroundings and carry
back your trash.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are a
few pictures followed by a short video of the ride. Enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuiXJLcMpZ7vsIpBleZl9cH2-PTXwVrHPfqDpSnjw_rCUE9YXTUfDMtMkAyCGkjype7FhZegFv5pkbzB7baR4vJj9wEikXOf6inNZ12dcucZkRxBNOlToXRcBaFPKIM8Ob81IewHzWrlwX/s2048/IMG_20201027_063036_290.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="2048" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuiXJLcMpZ7vsIpBleZl9cH2-PTXwVrHPfqDpSnjw_rCUE9YXTUfDMtMkAyCGkjype7FhZegFv5pkbzB7baR4vJj9wEikXOf6inNZ12dcucZkRxBNOlToXRcBaFPKIM8Ob81IewHzWrlwX/w640-h336/IMG_20201027_063036_290.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjCbzzxnjIp_3wsXaG3TBQP1ulvfwtk3j0EoeHX5zkcNpnCQibEo6p91SC20NslMjdaadfunBXqQPKGePqO-nkazK66Ak0k5UHRlQTUk2WNhKJDxaqm1KlJuC5AJOQtm3_5ofIw0B7tQz/s2612/20201025_083608.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="2612" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjCbzzxnjIp_3wsXaG3TBQP1ulvfwtk3j0EoeHX5zkcNpnCQibEo6p91SC20NslMjdaadfunBXqQPKGePqO-nkazK66Ak0k5UHRlQTUk2WNhKJDxaqm1KlJuC5AJOQtm3_5ofIw0B7tQz/w640-h296/20201025_083608.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEE4G-QfC5G1w781weVuT7fO-e9rwljZSbnn2YM2Y25TYiC-Jv9lJp9yV2rcB2wh9brLI0Ka7xe502Djpru0M-E09MEaZXrm8ntzjQnLitIJHcAnqm4UPGII4wbMrZxvlqEGqYNAuyitT/s2612/20201025_075952.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="2612" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEE4G-QfC5G1w781weVuT7fO-e9rwljZSbnn2YM2Y25TYiC-Jv9lJp9yV2rcB2wh9brLI0Ka7xe502Djpru0M-E09MEaZXrm8ntzjQnLitIJHcAnqm4UPGII4wbMrZxvlqEGqYNAuyitT/w640-h296/20201025_075952.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMlX4rb-KwwV2DSB9GYWvZ7MpVTEdYotRoMovduKavlX7UMYtmwiSrObpr6NqXvBS_tCiMbNGgDVEdFSUDgvztfz0yoC0GJC52JdGHVw8dhK4xD41G9ngaFCzKGTgGrVxRz0jg-WHRpas/s2048/20201025_083559.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1545" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMlX4rb-KwwV2DSB9GYWvZ7MpVTEdYotRoMovduKavlX7UMYtmwiSrObpr6NqXvBS_tCiMbNGgDVEdFSUDgvztfz0yoC0GJC52JdGHVw8dhK4xD41G9ngaFCzKGTgGrVxRz0jg-WHRpas/w482-h640/20201025_083559.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/njFAy7hDLdM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7207196340497524724" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; text-align: start; width: 698px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Do check out the video and if you like it do click on like, share and subscribe! Thank you.</div><div><br /></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; text-align: start;"></div></div>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-72071963404975247242021-05-29T08:08:00.004+05:302021-05-29T08:08:32.847+05:30Ride to lakes around Mumbai - 1. Vandri<p> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">There are
many beautiful lakes around Mumbai that one can ride to.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The first
lake I visited on my bike was Vandri lake in April 2019 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>when Covid was unheard of.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is at a distance of about eighty kilometres
along the Western Express Highway between Virar and Manor. As soon as the
highway ride starts getting boring, you get the turn off for the lake. After
the turn off it is a beautiful ride of approximately five kilometres on a
single lane road which am sure will be beautiful during and just after the
monsoons. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Met a lot of other bikers there too.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Carry your
breakfast with you, have it at the lake in beautiful surroundings and carry
back your trash. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Here are a
few pictures followed by a short video of the ride. Enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmW7_22PgP85mGqKG2IIYGai4B0W_xIQm2ebPV4Wi2oJrc5UI27xwcU7jtFQZOd5NbSdcdV7nYOsYWkj34z1xiqG5GklppVzd1jCXq4bS4WdNcSkS_O8TYx93h1pQimqNjhAl4DyC8JhJ/s1639/IMG_20190414_121648.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1469" data-original-width="1639" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmW7_22PgP85mGqKG2IIYGai4B0W_xIQm2ebPV4Wi2oJrc5UI27xwcU7jtFQZOd5NbSdcdV7nYOsYWkj34z1xiqG5GklppVzd1jCXq4bS4WdNcSkS_O8TYx93h1pQimqNjhAl4DyC8JhJ/w640-h574/IMG_20190414_121648.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU43gAnoLO5TDwLFdYqmEJqgLwxN-0CHeNcFCrkT5My0WPiVloNdYVJ_iFahb_sNWVZ0ag4AoyT4uYYBan5v8ax8YsWESYWCGJarHIkELuP0jXImDGynOABheCub5K3WbX-oV2T5vb5-VG/s2048/IMG_20190414_090326.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU43gAnoLO5TDwLFdYqmEJqgLwxN-0CHeNcFCrkT5My0WPiVloNdYVJ_iFahb_sNWVZ0ag4AoyT4uYYBan5v8ax8YsWESYWCGJarHIkELuP0jXImDGynOABheCub5K3WbX-oV2T5vb5-VG/w640-h480/IMG_20190414_090326.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0e-hmRtWARgeoIrpfOLN5DIzfZciVm4rtGOMRssLH9ktrWEethr0vAxeJiIM7QbPeOivgUApCRSVvqXYEpi6w-mUCDqncEGNRcKLrdlggNRF9dMmwqD9mGxSRb2NC5B6vDkpdWyYhueu/s2048/IMG_20190414_090507.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0e-hmRtWARgeoIrpfOLN5DIzfZciVm4rtGOMRssLH9ktrWEethr0vAxeJiIM7QbPeOivgUApCRSVvqXYEpi6w-mUCDqncEGNRcKLrdlggNRF9dMmwqD9mGxSRb2NC5B6vDkpdWyYhueu/w480-h640/IMG_20190414_090507.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEhB_L4La_-9zwbRenyjm41aaEgjL6WwjtP9r_lt9zUHbXkIEYs6sNVYHAv0g0KP4eBdjq00mjH_8WbiAV2UJnv785-rBS7v3XmYETRdD7JpAnqMONcZUnUEP4Jl2SJyA0nklJ8cmju5x/s2048/IMG_20190414_090529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEhB_L4La_-9zwbRenyjm41aaEgjL6WwjtP9r_lt9zUHbXkIEYs6sNVYHAv0g0KP4eBdjq00mjH_8WbiAV2UJnv785-rBS7v3XmYETRdD7JpAnqMONcZUnUEP4Jl2SJyA0nklJ8cmju5x/w640-h480/IMG_20190414_090529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiA-wyPQ6ulctawjbdI_nc2-F1Rfm7y3nJFbOTKtimAQOk1wIeb1Vfql3f84kUVziLiIojSCUjHdKgHOd3DvEtpfjH90kjLJNOBtlHzommk2KeD2dEvmPMTgUKcCMfOhAMxRXuvlCJ1IB7/s3409/IMG_20190414_120100.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="3409" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiA-wyPQ6ulctawjbdI_nc2-F1Rfm7y3nJFbOTKtimAQOk1wIeb1Vfql3f84kUVziLiIojSCUjHdKgHOd3DvEtpfjH90kjLJNOBtlHzommk2KeD2dEvmPMTgUKcCMfOhAMxRXuvlCJ1IB7/w640-h174/IMG_20190414_120100.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuj-ixfeT3aUM9apzM_-EtXwOZ5HF0rj1zVvlJeKAH6VsCyMq8XOH85wxfrGECI_-nQZQTLQu_xWvlsMGh5FA1p4wv5a7k4zbxKwDyHEW-fApVv7Tp8SEIp9yzYGLVsclCuWbJfRrtDHs/s2048/IMG_20190414_121914.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="2048" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuj-ixfeT3aUM9apzM_-EtXwOZ5HF0rj1zVvlJeKAH6VsCyMq8XOH85wxfrGECI_-nQZQTLQu_xWvlsMGh5FA1p4wv5a7k4zbxKwDyHEW-fApVv7Tp8SEIp9yzYGLVsclCuWbJfRrtDHs/w640-h326/IMG_20190414_121914.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqVGsRQnuctmwB37LG4QUzcyVsP8dVLjoY40bOIoHV9_gBnsaMn5L8Q3Jrf1B7_aBh5zKgaJUEnq6wYa5VCyLBwq8olxYRhcVdwq3WYAiLftjHChyxn1LkGLL3s2jq8koZ5jlFzxPfxJG/s2048/IMG_20190415_071725.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1780" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqVGsRQnuctmwB37LG4QUzcyVsP8dVLjoY40bOIoHV9_gBnsaMn5L8Q3Jrf1B7_aBh5zKgaJUEnq6wYa5VCyLBwq8olxYRhcVdwq3WYAiLftjHChyxn1LkGLL3s2jq8koZ5jlFzxPfxJG/w556-h640/IMG_20190415_071725.jpg" width="556" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C6Ey_1zJM-E" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Do check out the video and if you like it do click on like, share and subscribe! Thank you.</div>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-68777031039879737982020-09-13T10:24:00.002+05:302020-09-13T10:30:35.908+05:30Chaos to Serenity<p> My 1st ride after 4 months of lockdown. It was a journey from Mumbai to the ourskirts where serenity reigned supreme. From Urban chaos to Serenity and back. Click on the link below to travel with me.</p><p>Did not interact with the locals. No stops enroute at chai tapris. Carried my own breakfast. Maintained social distancing. Responsible travel.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uIhGiBH4-tw" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;">Best viewed on full screen with headphones.</p>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-83128501601048325672020-08-12T10:43:00.002+05:302020-08-12T10:43:52.762+05:30Glimpses of Raigad fort<p> Raigad is a hill fort situated in Mahad, Raigad district of
Maharashtra, India. The Raigad Fort, formerly known as Rairi, was built by
Chandraraoji More, the King of Jawali. It was then seized by Shivaji Maharaj
who made it his capital in 1674 when he was crowned the King of the Maratha
Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire, eventually covering much
of western and central India.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 1765, the fort of Raigad along with Malwan in present
Sindhudurg District, the southernmost district of Maharashtra, was the target
of an armed expedition by the British East India Company.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 1818, the fort was bombarded and destroyed by cannons
from the hill of Kalkai. And on 9 May 1818, as per the treaty, it was handed
over to the British East India Company.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The fort rises 820 metres (2,700 ft) above the sea level and
is located in the Sahyadri mountain range. There are approximately 1737 steps
leading to the fort. The Raigad Ropeway, an aerial tramway exists and takes
only 4 minutes to reach the top. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Raigad Fort was built by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,
Maharashtra and the chief architect/engineer was Hiroji Indulkar. The main
palace was constructed using wood, of which only the base pillars remain. The
main fort ruins consist of the queen's quarters, six chambers, with each
chamber having its own private restroom. In addition, ruins of three watch
towers can be seen directly in front of the palace grounds out of which only
two remain as the third one was destroyed during a bombardment. The Raigad Fort
also has ruins of a market which was accessible to horseback riders. The fort
also overlooks an artificial lake known as the Ganga Sagar Lake.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Info sourced from Wikipedia.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Click on the link below for a short video of photographs I
had taken during my visit a decade back.<o:p></o:p></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RT1ei5bY0qQ" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Do Like, Share and Subscribe.</div>magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-50524131001830625262020-08-05T10:00:00.000+05:302020-08-05T10:00:50.088+05:30Glimpses of Ranakpur temple<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Ranakpur Jain temple or Chaturmukha Dharana Vihara is a Jain temple at Ranakpur dedicated to Tirthankara Rishabhanatha. The temple is located in Ranakpur near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan.</span></div>
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Dharna Shah, a local Jain businessperson, started construction of the temple in the 15th century following a divine vision. Inspired by a dream of a celestial vehicle, Dharna Shah commenced its construction in 1389, under the patronage of Rana Kumbha, the then ruler of Mewar. The architect who oversaw the project was named Dwepa. There is an inscription on a pillar near the main shrine stating that in 1439 Deepaka, an architect, constructed the temple at the direction of Dharanka, a devoted Jain. The construction continued until 1458 CE. However, according to the audio guide provided to visitors to the site, construction lasted fifty years (and involved 2785 workers). Another source reports that construction continued until 1496, fifty years from 1446. The town of Ranakpur and the temple are named after the provincial ruler monarch, Rana Kumbha who supported the construction of the temple.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Click on the link below for glimpses of this marvelous temple I had captured during my visit a decade back.<br />
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-47357619051527741672020-07-29T10:24:00.001+05:302020-07-29T10:24:49.458+05:30Glimpses of Kumbhalgarh fort<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Kumbhalgarh is a Mewar fortress on the westerly range of Aravalli Hills, in the Rajsamand district near Udaipur of Rajasthan state in western India. It is a World Heritage Site included in Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Built during the course of the 15th century by Rana Kumbha, occupied until the late 19th century, the fort is now open to the public and is spectacularly lit for a few minutes each evening. </div>
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Kumbhalgarh is situated 82 km northwest of Udaipur by road. It is the most important fort in Mewar after Chittorgarh Fort<o:p></o:p></div>
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In 2013, at the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Kumbhalgarh Fort, along with five other forts of Rajasthan, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the group Hill Forts of Rajasthan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The fort is among the largest fort complexes in the world, and the second largest fort in India after Chittor Fort.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Click on the link below to view a short clip of pictures that I had clicked during my road trip a decade back, of this magnificent fort.</div>
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-39367684638805499022020-07-22T10:15:00.000+05:302020-07-22T10:18:07.326+05:30Glimpses of Udaipur<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Udaipur, also known as the "City of Lakes" is a city in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar in the former Rajputana Regency. It was founded in 1558 by Udai Singh II of the Sisodia clan of Rajputs, when he shifted his capital from the city of Chittorgarh to Udaipur after Chittorgarh was besieged by Akbar. It remained as the capital city till 1818 when it became a British princely state, and thereafter the Mewar province became a part of Rajasthan when India gained independence in 1947.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ScdoJ3-UpwbzROVtUASnzbPoMoY3_jDpTvQTp59R7I9cOxHN45jybf48yQ10qX51L3it3_zKZeh5M0_OCRmI5i8DaCgXwl7yCZiJte5WOaDFpxSt0L_u4TxQhtsAE8oogkQtw1ju6eYa/s1600/IMG_8421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ScdoJ3-UpwbzROVtUASnzbPoMoY3_jDpTvQTp59R7I9cOxHN45jybf48yQ10qX51L3it3_zKZeh5M0_OCRmI5i8DaCgXwl7yCZiJte5WOaDFpxSt0L_u4TxQhtsAE8oogkQtw1ju6eYa/s640/IMG_8421.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I bring to you a compilation of a few glimpses of the fabulous city, gleaned from innumerable pictures I had taken during my road trip a decade back, in a short 2 minutes video. Click on the link below to view. Best viewed on full screen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-udaipur.org.uk_5-0" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"></sup></div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YWbKM4rkmIE" width="560"></iframe></div>
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If you like the video don't forget to click on Like, Subscribe and Share buttons 😊 Enjoy!</div>
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-18277275020464454732020-01-14T12:12:00.000+05:302020-01-14T12:19:28.112+05:30Solo ride to Vittal and back,<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Mumbai –
Vittal – Mumbai, a distance of just 1982 kms that I rode alone on my Royal
Steed for a week in November 2019, has topped my personal best ride list, better than
even the 72 day 14072 kms ride that I had done with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aditya.r.kapoor.3">Aditya Raj Kapoor</a> or the
week long Spiti ride that I did with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alap.mehendale">Dr.Alap Mehendale</a>, which were amazing to
say the least.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This was a
liberating ride for me. I had no peer pressure to keep up to any particular
pace nor did </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZxr2Ne7VjdvPPF0kOe7RHRyiBqlInXHGseqyRtm9nf0Oel8CxhW55hV_nG2u9VYyTAG4sr7fL8ekefn8TNiIHpzjTKs1VZYjCHMmDTGXkZ6ua9GGedsa1PeDjZV9_P3HfPwUgfagP6EX/s1600/20191126_122245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1476" data-original-width="1504" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZxr2Ne7VjdvPPF0kOe7RHRyiBqlInXHGseqyRtm9nf0Oel8CxhW55hV_nG2u9VYyTAG4sr7fL8ekefn8TNiIHpzjTKs1VZYjCHMmDTGXkZ6ua9GGedsa1PeDjZV9_P3HfPwUgfagP6EX/s640/20191126_122245.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have to keep up to the time table set up by somebody else. I
stopped when I wanted to and rode when I wanted to at a speed that I thought
was best suited to the moment. At the end of the ride I have no regrets on
having missed out on capturing some lovely moments of the journey that I will
cherish as I captured them all without feeling guilty of having trespassed on
somebody else’s time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I started
off at 07.50 am, after a leisurely breakfast of Brun maska pao at home (Bandra
east) and headed towards Kolhapur on a cloudy day that was perfect riding
weather. Had a beautiful peaceful ride of 351 kms and checked in at Sai
International Hotel at Yelur in the evening at 4 pm. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKVN5V-gzzEZvBLOWteY2Y5VbUF5VXQg4Tnl8kRjtyeeslzAFGcr3ThNRXThDqh5OZaqt68QgjJ33dJWhyphenhypheneW91_i7PILWGK6D4ADnfnkAMdwKroqsqeA_qEzDrGStxCcYzqM01NjOkVIC/s1600/20191126_175710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1384" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKVN5V-gzzEZvBLOWteY2Y5VbUF5VXQg4Tnl8kRjtyeeslzAFGcr3ThNRXThDqh5OZaqt68QgjJ33dJWhyphenhypheneW91_i7PILWGK6D4ADnfnkAMdwKroqsqeA_qEzDrGStxCcYzqM01NjOkVIC/s640/20191126_175710.jpg" width="552" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Witnessed a beautiful
sunset, had a great dinner and rested well to set out next day for Sirsi, a
distance of 333 kms. This was yet another great ride made fun and adventurous
with Google maps which guided me on less travelled routes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG-6-BXSLe-P9BcE7M1944ac6BsWoD0H9o8N_H-utBe8PxfA2Gzk46SRSwK9TJqpTJI81w8dhjzm0fLOij-7hpr5PpBiviK15hLMBqgFCKB6BvyJOC7nnP_QEnpbJPBF_pWFKp4orlY98/s1600/20191127_125651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1600" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG-6-BXSLe-P9BcE7M1944ac6BsWoD0H9o8N_H-utBe8PxfA2Gzk46SRSwK9TJqpTJI81w8dhjzm0fLOij-7hpr5PpBiviK15hLMBqgFCKB6BvyJOC7nnP_QEnpbJPBF_pWFKp4orlY98/s640/20191127_125651.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In Sirsi, I
stayed at a chilled-out hotel that cost me just 700/-, opposite to the famous
Marikamba temple. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLKLt30oNOz6goqZQh5VE-8h5fw18kNtcphBipnzQ3yrILEyAf4oGZ_AgMB5DxvRfBDugMv9Stbg4gAikdjuXMcHHsrtJM4dP20laUYGNUV-gx3z_lAEuXQmI-aUyz9Gktqh2JDtiUzYf/s1600/20191128_070316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLKLt30oNOz6goqZQh5VE-8h5fw18kNtcphBipnzQ3yrILEyAf4oGZ_AgMB5DxvRfBDugMv9Stbg4gAikdjuXMcHHsrtJM4dP20laUYGNUV-gx3z_lAEuXQmI-aUyz9Gktqh2JDtiUzYf/s640/20191128_070316.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Once I crossed the border to Karnataka from Maharashtra, I
realised that food and stay are amazingly value for money, yummy and inexpensive.
Had some great medu wadas and a tummy filling thali before resting well for yet
another day of riding to reach my destination Vittal, 300 kms away.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLjH__0ErGcse7AuK_zEzEL06MKDCYQKE6kw-OxZG9FBROVtAlA_F8DYvf60zKNMOLG4Klnc7oCICc5eSySuYy0tdm9AZaW1PCHsSM8qSyT_iAhjmj0AeuRaCy8omtiT-JVWjnERqKe2-/s1600/20191128_082222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLjH__0ErGcse7AuK_zEzEL06MKDCYQKE6kw-OxZG9FBROVtAlA_F8DYvf60zKNMOLG4Klnc7oCICc5eSySuYy0tdm9AZaW1PCHsSM8qSyT_iAhjmj0AeuRaCy8omtiT-JVWjnERqKe2-/s640/20191128_082222.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From Sirsi
to Vittal it was riding in the mountains most of the time. Hence the tree shade
was there to filter the sunlight and some amazing sights all along. Had my
lunch in KSTDC’s Mayura restaurant in Agumbe. The Mangalore bonda was a meal by
itself!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Reached home
in Vittal in time for some yummy heavy snacks at 3pm. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBePyfcIu-11x9jva2nCzzCKZ2Ns_8NMP2JD9tzisk3RPSobhbxVF_IlqjxIA7IZBIHW6IK2RayLF7I8UjCqOn73cGQBzdeLFNywYl-Xp5xy05Wz9UKNGY9T4bUYLyTPxscgS6z3XHddq/s1600/20191202_145345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1236" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBePyfcIu-11x9jva2nCzzCKZ2Ns_8NMP2JD9tzisk3RPSobhbxVF_IlqjxIA7IZBIHW6IK2RayLF7I8UjCqOn73cGQBzdeLFNywYl-Xp5xy05Wz9UKNGY9T4bUYLyTPxscgS6z3XHddq/s640/20191202_145345.jpg" width="494" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Had a
wonderful week of temple festivities when the town comes alive to the drum
beats, clarinets and saxophones climaxing in a Rath yatra.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Decided to
return via the coastal route till Karwar before turning into the interior
mountain roads to reach Belgavi. Rode via the patch of road with the sea on one
side and the river on the other. Was a beautiful ride all the way to Karwar
where I checked into a hotel recommended by a friend, had sea food that Karwar
is famous for and started next morning after breakfast for Sai international
Hotel in Yelur. This road via the ghats was bad in patches but nothing unmanageable
and a great experience. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikM_Mc_2UbsMayc12J8O3xEYLwg1O2WxMVWbnEEMqJq26D47qRmANdg3OyczG8Y5CHzGFD95rFFI_21w2XchweZgG9mWKqmCaaHrAs6QjrPR7qxzOUuNaY9JJMu2pt4LOwOEEm1P7NeeZ9/s1600/20191205_121751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1600" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikM_Mc_2UbsMayc12J8O3xEYLwg1O2WxMVWbnEEMqJq26D47qRmANdg3OyczG8Y5CHzGFD95rFFI_21w2XchweZgG9mWKqmCaaHrAs6QjrPR7qxzOUuNaY9JJMu2pt4LOwOEEm1P7NeeZ9/s640/20191205_121751.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Had another restful
night before starting out on the home run next morning. This route was all along
the highway which would have been extremely boring if not for the diversions
for ongoing work enroute, on the highway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Reached home
in the evening, feeling on top of the world. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Did my bit
for the environment by not buying any plastic bottled water enroute. I kept
refilling the bottle that I had carried from home, with purified water
available in all the hotels I stayed in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-54831436938388965702019-06-18T10:00:00.000+05:302019-06-18T16:45:32.281+05:30Jai Hari Vitthala - A road trip to Pandharpur<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">At a distance of about 400kms from Mumbai lies the quiet town of Pandharpur which bursts to life during Ashadhi Ekadashi when about a million pilgrims converge at the Vithoba temple for the annual festival. These pilgrims come walking in processions from as far as Dehu (250kms) which is the native place of Tukaram, Alandi (100kms) the native place of Dyaneshwar, the two renowned devotees of Vitthala (Vithoba). This pilgrimage is called the Vari and the pilgrims are called Varkaris. They take about 21 days to reach Pandharpur from their respective shrines carrying the Padukas (footwear) of the Saint in a Palkhi (palanquin). The chant of Jai Hari Vitthala will reverberate all through the route and all along the route, the villagers will look after the pilgrims by offering them place to stay and food to eat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Somehow, due to various reasons, I have never been able to visit Pandharpur during the festival despite having wanted to participate in the procession at least for a couple of days. As a consolation, decided to drive down to Pandharpur a month before the festivities and get a feel of the place. The drive was beautiful meandering through sugarcane plantations and roads bordered with Banyan trees</span></div>
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and Mayflower trees (Gulmohar) in full bloom. Took us about 7 hours to reach Pandharpur from Mumbai with mandatory rest breaks and safe driving.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Pandharpur still has not been crassly commercialised but half way there. There are very few hotels with airconditioned rooms (needed as the temperatures soar to 40+Celsius in summer) that one can book online. Managed to book one though it did not have a restaurant and you have to go to a restaurant about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. Was surprised to see an ice cream parlour there and obviously was ‘the meeting place’ for the young and happening kids around town. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Hired an autorickshaw to reach the temple from our hotel at the standard rate of Rs.50/- one way, no meter. </div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The walkway to the temple was flanked by shops selling offerings to Vithoba and Rukmini (Vithoba’s wife) who have separate temples next to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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There are 2 ways for ‘darshan’ – ‘Mukh darshan’ (see the idol’s face from a distance of about 10 feet) and ‘Matha tek’ darshan (touch the idol’s feet with one’s head) and yes it is more popular. We preferred the Mukh darshan, as we would be done with it in 20 minutes, while the other one would take a couple of hours. No cameras allowed inside and no mobile photography too. You can keep your cameras in the lockers operated by private individuals in the periphery for a mere Rs.20/-.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">After the mukh darshan we went to the Chandrabhaga river that is just a couple of minutes walk away from the temple. There are plenty of temples along the way and the main one is Pundalik’s temple. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhQ3NzOQeT6ULpxZ3d-WRlHyOW-08P7rUI-eJr4GsoGSHxpdwR4hnbJhSz09k_z2zIi5xY_V6jrh6GuSq8780mIMqB_JBS1DkQjhIaKbHzW_z3TAD7PyRtRH5kHe_2aTj56Nn4mVAp-wz/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhQ3NzOQeT6ULpxZ3d-WRlHyOW-08P7rUI-eJr4GsoGSHxpdwR4hnbJhSz09k_z2zIi5xY_V6jrh6GuSq8780mIMqB_JBS1DkQjhIaKbHzW_z3TAD7PyRtRH5kHe_2aTj56Nn4mVAp-wz/s640/18.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Pundalik is supposed to have been responsible for getting Vithoba to Pandharpur and is also the founder of the Varkari sect. For more detailed info about Pundalik click <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pundalik">here</a></span> and the story of Vithoba coming to meet Pundalik is <a href="http://www.holydham.com/story-of-lord-coming-here-to-meet-pundalik/">here</a>.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Incidentally most of the ‘Dabbawalas’ in Mumbai belong to the Varkari community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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On the banks of the river there are enterprising young men who have modelled the replicas of Vithoba and Rukmini and you can get yourself photographed with the idols for a small price.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Then there are the boatmen who approach you to take you for a ride in the river, again, for a modest </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">price. As he rowed he pointed out to a construction activity on the other bank and pointed out that as the upcoming ISKCON temple. It is expected to be completed in a year or two and once done, one can expect religious tourism all year round and the arrival of well heeled tourists demanding all the luxuries, and this peaceful town also, might go the Shirdi way, where now there are luxury hotels and an airport too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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While in Pandharpur do visit the Railway station. It is built like a temple and looks beautiful.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwWzqJ51tES2dNmFIOeyWmMsWe90Rh0clWPixhbefXH6bnPCKcQxQ5pNXIsU3PdNfhY4ZM29tt-D1pUfCPQRmWdpvjoz_ZFtJ3BPvH0DKjMV3CGtw9PZDWihgnmDGu_Bn57TbSx9ixFzu/s1600/IMG_20190528_162218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwWzqJ51tES2dNmFIOeyWmMsWe90Rh0clWPixhbefXH6bnPCKcQxQ5pNXIsU3PdNfhY4ZM29tt-D1pUfCPQRmWdpvjoz_ZFtJ3BPvH0DKjMV3CGtw9PZDWihgnmDGu_Bn57TbSx9ixFzu/s640/IMG_20190528_162218.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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At the end of the day when we are done with our visit, we return with beautiful memories of a lovely pilgrim town that is relatively clean, physically and metaphorically too. I sincerely hope it remains this way.</div>
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Here is a short video of our road trip to Pandharpur.</div>
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-73888609687264367802019-05-06T17:02:00.000+05:302019-05-06T17:02:22.494+05:30A tale of 2 Dargahs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431 in memory of a wealthy Muslim merchant, Sayyed Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who gave up all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Hailing from Bukhara, in present-day Uzbekistan, Bukhari travelled around the world in the early to mid 15th century. He travelled to India with his brother and finally reached Mumbai – near Worli. He then decided to reside there permanently for the spread of Islam.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Until his death he kept spreading knowledge about Islam and his devotees would regularly visit him. Before his death he advised his followers that they should not bury him in a graveyard but should drop his shroud ('kafan') in the ocean and should be buried by the people where it is found.<o:p></o:p></div>
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His wish was obeyed by his followers. That is why the Dargah Sharief is built at the very site where his shroud came to rest in the middle of the sea where it perched on a small mound of rocks rising above the sea.</div>
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There is another mausoleum built across the bay. It is believed to be the tomb of Ma Hajiani, the sister of Haji Ali. This mausoleum was built in 1908 in honour of Ma Hajiani, a saint believed to be the sister of Saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. <o:p></o:p></div>
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According to legend, they died at sea and their bodies were washed ashore, a few metres from each other. They were then buried at the respective spots they were found. Subsequently, two tombs were built — Haji Ali for the brother and Ma Hajiani for the sister. At the Ma Hajiani Dargah, women frequent in large numbers, making offerings of red or green glass bangles, red indicating one’s wish for marriage, and green for offspring.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Above info sourced from Wikipedia and an <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/after-two-years-century-old-ma-hajiani-dargah-restored-to-glory/article26915467.ece">article</a> in The Hindu.<o:p></o:p></div>
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-42049873622234268592019-04-12T11:15:00.000+05:302019-04-12T11:15:08.332+05:30Amritsar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The first
thing we did on arriving in Amritsar is visit the Golden temple. The Harmandir
Sahib also known as Darbar Sahib, is a Golden Gurudwara of Sikhs located in the
city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. It is the holiest Gurudwara and the most
important pilgrimage site for Sikhs. It was founded in 1574 by the 4<sup>th</sup>
Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das and completed in 1604. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PtrIFb9raKFeDt4nhl_HFA3udxRe5SdFkGlSgSuM-JxLnGL0bChrDIuL7RZoPMqDgU1tPaDEK28OEjriBW2BxlkUNA7cqcuYxGeSByYSs8Fv-YCaHo6hPxtNHiN4ppe4YfpXKwnlK3Xi/s1600/IMG_4784+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PtrIFb9raKFeDt4nhl_HFA3udxRe5SdFkGlSgSuM-JxLnGL0bChrDIuL7RZoPMqDgU1tPaDEK28OEjriBW2BxlkUNA7cqcuYxGeSByYSs8Fv-YCaHo6hPxtNHiN4ppe4YfpXKwnlK3Xi/s640/IMG_4784+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">one who covered it in gold in 1830, two centuries after its construction. This
took 162 kg of 24 karat gold, then worth about Rs 65 lakh, again </span>in the
90s, it was renovated with 500 kg of Gold.</div>
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If you have driven to Amritsar in your own car/van, you will
do well to keep it parked in your Hotel premises and commute using the local
autorickshaws/e-rickshaws as the street of old Amritsar where </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ41_WSrgkQXzt4AcxCo3Z86JqXdLNtx9idBqtRW1mvL-M7pZLc0Mu3_GMpW2OzfZJg2uVhgycyZVfyW5ZUuEF3GmI7wAqo7IhFRtrtbmwaacRqNwd69n9ECmlCnQuWrZdYv0A84FnC8C/s1600/IMG_20190327_181219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ41_WSrgkQXzt4AcxCo3Z86JqXdLNtx9idBqtRW1mvL-M7pZLc0Mu3_GMpW2OzfZJg2uVhgycyZVfyW5ZUuEF3GmI7wAqo7IhFRtrtbmwaacRqNwd69n9ECmlCnQuWrZdYv0A84FnC8C/s640/IMG_20190327_181219.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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you have to go
sight seeing and shopping are extremely narrow and the traffic of vehicles and
humans is absolutely chaotic. </div>
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Next morning we visited the Jallianwala Bagh, a public
garden which has acquired the dubious fame thanks to the massacre of peaceful
Indians on 13<sup>th</sup> April 1919, a hundred years back, when troops of the
British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer fired rifles
into a crowd of Indians who had gathered to celebrate <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baisakhi.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEize72ieXo6ktJUYn-ZP9NKPk56n9a_OwJx3QMyqFVBu6NaU6jroTxX5jhGPpAOo2-gTCU2kJ0xCt7r06BJYJDzsy8jop58xzL41jKyAV50WAftTKimSG4j2wmtvpz7f_-pe2u8hF7f_gqw/s1600/IMG_20190407_132445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1258" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEize72ieXo6ktJUYn-ZP9NKPk56n9a_OwJx3QMyqFVBu6NaU6jroTxX5jhGPpAOo2-gTCU2kJ0xCt7r06BJYJDzsy8jop58xzL41jKyAV50WAftTKimSG4j2wmtvpz7f_-pe2u8hF7f_gqw/s640/IMG_20190407_132445.jpg" width="502" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></div>
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Hundreds of people jumped to their death into the well in
the Bagh to escape firing. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCeQ5R8F7WvHIiYfnukZhUvTY8R74VCLLRSO1wpYk2eEiuU1mvubTVgVYiBa5pZYfEt6LLkSeY6fyzdifSmhu9cpX_DGtkMn7j9tFMtqVSKcuByhUw8FmynxpM2DkwQNR_gohYy3fFUzs/s1600/IMG_20190328_111130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCeQ5R8F7WvHIiYfnukZhUvTY8R74VCLLRSO1wpYk2eEiuU1mvubTVgVYiBa5pZYfEt6LLkSeY6fyzdifSmhu9cpX_DGtkMn7j9tFMtqVSKcuByhUw8FmynxpM2DkwQNR_gohYy3fFUzs/s640/IMG_20190328_111130.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The bullet holes in the wall are still preserved as a memory
to the martyrs.</div>
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Next visit was to the Durgiana mandir which is modelled on
the lines of the Golden temple. It was </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7UA-UEi_q4NvgPKazL3R0qZDZPotoMcviOa5985hTwFh05zur8B5ebsNPbl9zzLTZE_blfOkKiDkAwNXXUHttnhAhrEPEmwUWi8bvMBx3XBP14JSL6q5Y97ZHLc7k2idfZ-VszPMbQLb/s1600/IMG_20190328_195819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7UA-UEi_q4NvgPKazL3R0qZDZPotoMcviOa5985hTwFh05zur8B5ebsNPbl9zzLTZE_blfOkKiDkAwNXXUHttnhAhrEPEmwUWi8bvMBx3XBP14JSL6q5Y97ZHLc7k2idfZ-VszPMbQLb/s640/IMG_20190328_195819.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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built in 1921 by Guru Harsai Mal Kapoor
in the architectural style of the Sikh Golden Temple and inaugurated by Pandit
Madan Mohan Malaviya an Indian educationist and politician notable for his role
in the Indian independence movement.</div>
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The evening was reserved for ‘Beating the Retreat’ ceremony
at Attari, the border between India and Pakistan where every evening when the
respective flags are lowered there is a show of patriotism at </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgFJU5zCwQF1H-d7-YlYI6NDsupsvxLwoc0anR0X5LGbeSo-Y8-_JrtzibTyr76gVmEsQLyMKMNzKSXeth7u8LGqzL42Oj0nk-HxrK6mYN_t-exG4-s0NP-qXo97Aw7o0In7LRuEwrW3Q/s1600/PANO_20190328_160616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="1600" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgFJU5zCwQF1H-d7-YlYI6NDsupsvxLwoc0anR0X5LGbeSo-Y8-_JrtzibTyr76gVmEsQLyMKMNzKSXeth7u8LGqzL42Oj0nk-HxrK6mYN_t-exG4-s0NP-qXo97Aw7o0In7LRuEwrW3Q/s640/PANO_20190328_160616.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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the gate by the
Border Security Forces of both countries supported by nationalist slogans on
either side. It is a spectacle that is very popular and very well orchestrated.</div>
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Apart from the sight seeing activity we did thoroughly enjoy
the Amritsari food of kulchas, chhole, </div>
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fish and lassi interspersed with
shopping not in malls but in age old shops lined up in the Kartar </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7MCXa1OpiilSoej7QznqAozmucH_SgV_EOi1YemOijq3xAR25rnMMceG2PG-NL3EQpacb5D84iucLQxlLFCp9MO1UZvyo-MbsABvAvLEqayBftjB9qW8QmjxJLtCA3y3-332M3HDXPmZ/s1600/IMG_20190328_124602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7MCXa1OpiilSoej7QznqAozmucH_SgV_EOi1YemOijq3xAR25rnMMceG2PG-NL3EQpacb5D84iucLQxlLFCp9MO1UZvyo-MbsABvAvLEqayBftjB9qW8QmjxJLtCA3y3-332M3HDXPmZ/s640/IMG_20190328_124602.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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market. You can
get Punjabi/Pathani suits for men and women tailored and delivered to your
hotel in a day and get some real bargains on leather jootis (footwear) to top
it off. We did! <span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
</div>
magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-29380809619922750682019-04-03T10:59:00.000+05:302019-04-03T10:59:02.994+05:30Dalhousie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Finally
visited Dalhousie, the hill station that was in my must visit list for a long
time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">My first
impression – crowded with people and hotels/motels/malls. Fortunately for us
our hotel, though next to the Bus Terminus, seemed secluded once we entered and
the view of the Pir Panjal </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">range of the Himalayas from the hotel premises was
magnificent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Dalhousie, a
hill station in Chamba district of the State of Himachal Pradesh, was named
after The Earl of Dalhousie, who was the British Governor-General in India
while establishing this place in the 1850s as a summer retreat, at a height of
1970 metres above sea level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Our local
sight seeing started with a visit to Panjpula where one can avail of the
adventure activities</span></div>
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like walking across the rope bridge and zip lining or
chill in a mountain café with a tea, coffee, soft </div>
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drink or maybe a
hookah/sheesha of your favourite flavour.
You can start your souvenir shopping </div>
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right here or move on to Gandhi
chowk where there is a pedestrian zone for a mall. Do check out the</div>
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St.John’s
church established in 1863 in Gandhi chowk and then move on to the next chowk, the </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf7Du602ndxNnKKGqYKxtmnMGqqkKf-d6pj84dbFNQyS1B28LWP8VMsmKCGilvcG9t2h96n8Ex0P6GzPIJ81gGjkvqhniWffXcylHS3LVyg71wBQXPlpC4GIWsoxvXN2DJN0EyG_7raAs/s1600/IMG_20190325_125513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf7Du602ndxNnKKGqYKxtmnMGqqkKf-d6pj84dbFNQyS1B28LWP8VMsmKCGilvcG9t2h96n8Ex0P6GzPIJ81gGjkvqhniWffXcylHS3LVyg71wBQXPlpC4GIWsoxvXN2DJN0EyG_7raAs/s640/IMG_20190325_125513.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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A tiny temple on the path to Subhash chowk.</div>
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Rock art on the path to Subhash chowk</div>
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Subhash chowk seen from Gandhi chowk</div>
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The mall between Gandhi chowk and Subhash chowk</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA1BgcO490WxdOQFDuOLVobXRKl3TXGVQj4JG_rjCd-GraiE8F43Um3OsHm5BF4NXkcMMA04ltyw9mbaXm-lzTMjKSvqLlFFnoDJYb3c3xd4lZL42iBMS7gsITNWaVfJPWe_9ahWJ6REj/s1600/IMG_20190326_074716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1464" data-original-width="1600" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA1BgcO490WxdOQFDuOLVobXRKl3TXGVQj4JG_rjCd-GraiE8F43Um3OsHm5BF4NXkcMMA04ltyw9mbaXm-lzTMjKSvqLlFFnoDJYb3c3xd4lZL42iBMS7gsITNWaVfJPWe_9ahWJ6REj/s640/IMG_20190326_074716.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Coffee if you wish to feel refreshed in the mall.</div>
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Subhash chowk, where you can check out St.Francis church built in 1894.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdaIYtO_JDbzNNYbH0WvIZnozSdYgjTBaScmENOPFDTxh8qArvWzE7taBfe0A80kbsBOPwz7QtIKbMasmh4g9ZsC2HufqKPAdDsXMfm2wK7k-NlXnqL0mog3b75VxtQhKaB7zopcvG5RI/s1600/IMG_20190325_165259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdaIYtO_JDbzNNYbH0WvIZnozSdYgjTBaScmENOPFDTxh8qArvWzE7taBfe0A80kbsBOPwz7QtIKbMasmh4g9ZsC2HufqKPAdDsXMfm2wK7k-NlXnqL0mog3b75VxtQhKaB7zopcvG5RI/s640/IMG_20190325_165259.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In Shubash chowk there
are plenty of restaurants that serve excellent food. We ate at Shere-e-Punjab </div>
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which afforded beautiful views too apart from wonderful service and delicious
food.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Next morning
we decided to explore Khajjiar, 22kms from Dalhousie, as the roads had opened
up a </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">couple of days earlier after the snow was cleared. Khajjiar is famous for
its bowl shaped, pine ringed </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">meadow. It offers a lot of photo ops which we
indulged in, had lunch there and started back to </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Dalhousie. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The return drive
was made memorable due to a massive traffic jam in the narrow mountain roads. We
were stuck in the traffic for an hour and a half.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">A couple of
nights in Dalhousie, I think, were good enough, and am glad I knocked it off my
list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-56911832220574669122019-01-16T11:18:00.000+05:302019-01-16T11:18:29.666+05:30Camping getaway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Had been reading a lot about some great camping getaways from Mumbai. Finally we decided on this fabulous place called Sahyadri camping in Wai, on the banks of the Krishna River. What more can one ask for? Tents on the banks of a river and easily accessible creature comforts like proper toilets to ensure that the environment is cared for. They also have facilities to cook for you or if you wish you can light up a bonfire and have a cook up outside your tent. All this for very reasonable pricing.<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">We rode out on a Saturday morning and since the distance to the camping grounds was not much and </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">we did not want to reach too early, we rode on to Panchgani and gorged on Pizza and thick </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">strawberry</span> shakes in the amazing Mapro garden, before heading out to Wai which was just about 20kms away. The ride was amazing. Generally good roads and pleasant weather to up our spirits.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPfKHxMC3DhzLo7B6ty43pxou-tnl-ylLKM8Wv5VZ1R2o7a1v5Vu6V1Xmezt5kpnjsvCuVBt8w0vNR92K761W6qLtA6o63PQFLsCak2CTDjlCGN3hiz3fD_oKp5YqSO6JA_svzcmPDNQ4/s1600/fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPfKHxMC3DhzLo7B6ty43pxou-tnl-ylLKM8Wv5VZ1R2o7a1v5Vu6V1Xmezt5kpnjsvCuVBt8w0vNR92K761W6qLtA6o63PQFLsCak2CTDjlCGN3hiz3fD_oKp5YqSO6JA_svzcmPDNQ4/s640/fire.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Had a lovely time setting up our tents followed by a bonfire and a dinner that we cooked of our outdoor favourite – Maggi noodles!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmkiTv4tpQZ4rF3fV-MOgwO-0f1xvaUc9b3HwWSvOqTcsX9sqYgDKmWYa2GC11hQprf39tVfnnvSt6Mf8s-0gFqGQ-56P7IPQHF_KfetKRTJnuZ0fVf36UHvUVX0LxCkgcGZFu_qordFE/s1600/view+of+tents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmkiTv4tpQZ4rF3fV-MOgwO-0f1xvaUc9b3HwWSvOqTcsX9sqYgDKmWYa2GC11hQprf39tVfnnvSt6Mf8s-0gFqGQ-56P7IPQHF_KfetKRTJnuZ0fVf36UHvUVX0LxCkgcGZFu_qordFE/s640/view+of+tents.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The morning after was spectacular. As I unzipped the tent flap, the view blew me off. Could have </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDWOktkHp6SySPWk2cvqSdfZEHZ-XO6kEmSovZRu5pBzoV5Y0ywuwHvMyZkibnL9RsGTw-nlkJ3wSr45AmVBac_QPlwOB6fXyLZ8bsBjoSX9_B3rpYHprzX8A4O0w0ErtfdqD_xdfUBOp/s1600/view+from+tent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDWOktkHp6SySPWk2cvqSdfZEHZ-XO6kEmSovZRu5pBzoV5Y0ywuwHvMyZkibnL9RsGTw-nlkJ3wSr45AmVBac_QPlwOB6fXyLZ8bsBjoSX9_B3rpYHprzX8A4O0w0ErtfdqD_xdfUBOp/s640/view+from+tent.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">spent a long long time sitting there but had to get back home too, to ride to yet another piece of heaven elsewhere, some other time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Soon we wrapped up and started on the return journey. Stopped at a quaint little café on the way </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">where tea was served in eco-friendly earthenware cups and there was a swing fashioned by aerial </span></div>
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roots in the compound.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Click on the link below for a short clip of our ride.</span></div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2G4MtieAhmc" width="560"></iframe></div>
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-72502354581557156762018-07-05T10:19:00.004+05:302018-07-05T10:19:59.962+05:30Tapola - the stress buster.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If the
monsoons in the city (Mumbai-300kms away)/Pune-150kms away) are getting on your nerves with all the
flooding, building crashes, road accidents, road cave-ins and tree falls, don’t
despair. Just hop on to your favourite mode of transport and get up to Mahabaleshwar
and then down to Tapola to enjoy the true beauty of nature in the rains. There are
plenty of agro tourism homestays out there that will help you unwind and awaken
the poet, romantic, playwright, storyteller or maybe assist you to meditate,
introspect and commune with nature in all its glory.<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Last weekend
we, a group of friends, drove down to Tapola and had the time of our lives. We stayed</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlaIJC7ZYP30q-5vnUG3JhqhdKcQBzC9Gc9KVV95twWAI1WRsrtnln6B4Iev-l00JGiQcD1-opWRLJQtgmXyW-nz7QDmfkwun9nqxAWWyupgTfz83pZOdCXAacWOR2jQinEkYZMamZDFu/s1600/IMG_20180629_152719_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="agro tourism homestay" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlaIJC7ZYP30q-5vnUG3JhqhdKcQBzC9Gc9KVV95twWAI1WRsrtnln6B4Iev-l00JGiQcD1-opWRLJQtgmXyW-nz7QDmfkwun9nqxAWWyupgTfz83pZOdCXAacWOR2jQinEkYZMamZDFu/s640/IMG_20180629_152719_HDR.jpg" title="tapola" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">in a River view Agro Tourism homestay and could view the gently flowing Koyna
river rippling with raindrops and then calming down, and it had a muddy look to
show how much of fun it had rolling </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhme9jwvNMw_QcLmDGrde8AVf8Rr5WW9YMjHEEEvawYgxZUZbYEH3Nuc-szDIG1rvL_t_wYswTXw7Tt857KmjEUM8sxAY7-pP85f3JzX4BZQ9Ap9BgxFKuQ0CwI9_QQ1cZF_eG5U6BoxT/s1600/IMG_20180628_165627_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="koyna river" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhme9jwvNMw_QcLmDGrde8AVf8Rr5WW9YMjHEEEvawYgxZUZbYEH3Nuc-szDIG1rvL_t_wYswTXw7Tt857KmjEUM8sxAY7-pP85f3JzX4BZQ9Ap9BgxFKuQ0CwI9_QQ1cZF_eG5U6BoxT/s640/IMG_20180628_165627_HDR.jpg" title="tapola" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">down the hills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">One afternoon
we requested the homestay to get us fish from the river for lunch. They obliged
and fried and curried the fish. It was very tasty and as fresh as it can be.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj4mAUZhiJiX6vjPNxu06gjKLqCkTIAsGC5SkbG6l7_mLEKZ4MZ44ugCVeIi5HwbJilVGKAyd3ZJsCXkqfFxaKLxbFuO5fC_zlM7XOPrIzJ7i-FWCTCEMP9C7XuDOi0x7J2GJlnduBxQg/s1600/IMG_20180629_085517_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="fish kolas homestay koyna river" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj4mAUZhiJiX6vjPNxu06gjKLqCkTIAsGC5SkbG6l7_mLEKZ4MZ44ugCVeIi5HwbJilVGKAyd3ZJsCXkqfFxaKLxbFuO5fC_zlM7XOPrIzJ7i-FWCTCEMP9C7XuDOi0x7J2GJlnduBxQg/s640/IMG_20180629_085517_HDR.jpg" title="tapola" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
If you want
to go boating or kayaking or just plain cruising on the river, there is a boat
club which conducts all these activities for a reasonable cost in downtown
Tapola. After that if you wish you can spend some time sipping a beer or two in
the local bar for local flavour. You will be pleased with all the creature
comforts and consider yourself blessed if you don’t have a BSNL mobile
connection as that is the only one that works in Tapola. And if the need arises
to make an urgent telephone call, the locals are very helpful and lend you
their mobile phone to assist you make that important call.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But of
course, unless you plan to stay there and write a book or a screenplay or maybe
have your easel and paints with you, after a couple of nights you want to get
back to the urban buzz.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On the
return, near Panchgani, there is this beautiful one street village Bhilar where
almost all the </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wrwzsC91SQkK7xfYlUL4CMvq9rEskMg9zuFQTYVek4jpuGc-ZBKZmVn6GabTuPzBGXTJVns5MEOS8-8ZmJEUNfLCtSUdTwvCul-u03pnttaXIgb9FjDUx_r0qEOcieGhtwaBGZzLw5gp/s1600/IMG_20180630_132850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="library house" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wrwzsC91SQkK7xfYlUL4CMvq9rEskMg9zuFQTYVek4jpuGc-ZBKZmVn6GabTuPzBGXTJVns5MEOS8-8ZmJEUNfLCtSUdTwvCul-u03pnttaXIgb9FjDUx_r0qEOcieGhtwaBGZzLw5gp/s640/IMG_20180630_132850.jpg" title="bhilar" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">houses lining the street are libraries and each house specialises
in a specific category of books like History, Science, Politics, Fiction,
autobiographies and the like. But all the books are in Marathi and anyone can
drop in and browse/read to their hearts’ content. Most of these house have some
beautiful</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cloJx1-2HRj8GYG7e9rwAFkTTksWUBtZ6ktSC1zcnuOBEf92243wspUASj-6PTwx9HwavdT3jHPnFXPzayLLbYAfis7K1EVU0VvYR9mW8QYjaI2738STQy61VPIH4nzVXqIS5B8Gs5Fc/s1600/IMG_20180630_123444_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="library house murals" border="0" data-original-height="1166" data-original-width="1600" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cloJx1-2HRj8GYG7e9rwAFkTTksWUBtZ6ktSC1zcnuOBEf92243wspUASj-6PTwx9HwavdT3jHPnFXPzayLLbYAfis7K1EVU0VvYR9mW8QYjaI2738STQy61VPIH4nzVXqIS5B8Gs5Fc/s640/IMG_20180630_123444_HDR.jpg" title="bhilar" width="640" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
murals on their walls too. Hence painting and reading seems to be the
mainstay in Bhilar. We visited<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRNEGPojRjWGM70ADqPdzI2tnR6alkz8aJp2ty1t55KkzDrbskyfRGJM2saZuXUJbE83TLCVWz1HQoL_UO4kGvggTIVa7XTVZOB96LfSfGDqWR2JNlCW-jCswsdPFn5O2X0Y5n4q99JbL/s1600/IMG_20180630_123209_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="library browsing " border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1600" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRNEGPojRjWGM70ADqPdzI2tnR6alkz8aJp2ty1t55KkzDrbskyfRGJM2saZuXUJbE83TLCVWz1HQoL_UO4kGvggTIVa7XTVZOB96LfSfGDqWR2JNlCW-jCswsdPFn5O2X0Y5n4q99JbL/s640/IMG_20180630_123209_HDR.jpg" title="bhilar" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">the house that had fiction and browsed around on
our return to Mumbai.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">And of
course don’t miss visiting MAPRO garden which has a great variety of crushes,
juices, jams and the like to carry sweet memories home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">If you are
a foodie the ‘Jai Bhavani’ restaurant in Katraj is a must visit for its yummy
delicious</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8dMNpZK66_3Z3nH9KNA020h2Fu7CItlf5_pVGPfFg0iVmK_0QatIe9gQBKFdJjwYRXy4D9_JXGEWflt6z2gFwgHOhLC039nNQn5NWoftQwdX-SzWcnoPi7lasjSVpF7K3a3J8HTjak1a/s1600/IMG_20180630_153630_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="jai bhavani restaurant" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8dMNpZK66_3Z3nH9KNA020h2Fu7CItlf5_pVGPfFg0iVmK_0QatIe9gQBKFdJjwYRXy4D9_JXGEWflt6z2gFwgHOhLC039nNQn5NWoftQwdX-SzWcnoPi7lasjSVpF7K3a3J8HTjak1a/s640/IMG_20180630_153630_HDR.jpg" title="katraj" width="640" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
mutton and Jowar Bhakri, a typical Maharashtrian meal followed by
solkadi as a digestive. After this<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGhtD9QnChdy7B7PKcoxaPVst0-FaxoVno7roXg55-URKARUanKkqfNaR90zQxj57vT_BYQI-PGgH-oYmX5pLlBsNedMqNDHSaQyPJUw0fXJoApMzvuAS4efcF5vmyVLhyphenhyphenNwOokU1NmHD/s1600/IMG_20180630_151735_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="restaurant mutton bhakri" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGhtD9QnChdy7B7PKcoxaPVst0-FaxoVno7roXg55-URKARUanKkqfNaR90zQxj57vT_BYQI-PGgH-oYmX5pLlBsNedMqNDHSaQyPJUw0fXJoApMzvuAS4efcF5vmyVLhyphenhyphenNwOokU1NmHD/s640/IMG_20180630_151735_HDR.jpg" title="jai bhavani" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
meal just ensure you don’t drive/ride
immediately as it does tend to make you drowsy with satiation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-42569731674908639912018-06-11T19:39:00.000+05:302018-06-11T21:21:45.596+05:30Devrukh - The home of Hapus (King of mangoes)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The
monsoons werÂe about to step in and kill the heat and the mango season was
ending too. Like a good omen <a href="http://www.roadtrippersclub.com/">The Road Trippers Club </a>announced a weekend drive
to Devrukh in Ratnagiri – the home of the world famous Hapoos or Alphonso
mango.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So without further ado we joined
in! ÂÂ<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">A convoy of
4 cars started from Mumbai around 7 in the morning. The weather was pleasant
for about an hour or so after which it started getting hotter! The drive along
NH17 was scenic and the roads under the scalpel for widening made it easier for
us to slow down and enjoy the scenery. It was the first time that I saw paver
blocks in parts on a highway which further helped us sway along! But despite
the road conditions we managed to cruise along at a decent rate and had our
first halt for breakfast in a restaurant on the highway. It was time to meet up
with our 5<sup>th</sup> road tripping vehicle which joined us there. It was
also a good time to know the fellow road trippers slightly better as most of us
were meeting each other for the 1<sup>st</sup> time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The time
was ripe for a group selfie too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWr32HMy3l1Yq7cdbmLzPRRws5Tj0jjmDBX6_TqBhPMjuZqrnLIrIrU-x_YlNyEjs0dsu9XAS002J0Ht04WWg2QsRLckNQcUQFSteVS3Ppo7eL8z6cSoqQ5Wod1wgVVEvPdqX4IBCOSwN/s1600/IMG_20180604_140537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="1600" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWr32HMy3l1Yq7cdbmLzPRRws5Tj0jjmDBX6_TqBhPMjuZqrnLIrIrU-x_YlNyEjs0dsu9XAS002J0Ht04WWg2QsRLckNQcUQFSteVS3Ppo7eL8z6cSoqQ5Wod1wgVVEvPdqX4IBCOSwN/s640/IMG_20180604_140537.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">We trundled
along after a good breakfast, on the ‘highway’ as the sun beat down upon us
mercilessly right upto Chiplun for lunch where were joined by the 6<sup>th</sup>
vehicle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAajLZUaa3lYBn28ER9hfBO6ZODnKFHIHFC3gslvKVSfiOCverkGsWtkVG-Y4DfFqBo1z-3By2qefa2OG14ypYCTjNCvaUzE4SrLxTx51ClnmIBuYlWBIyAU4hx0M6rAShbKVakTjCV_M/s1600/IMG_20180602_143018_HDR+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAajLZUaa3lYBn28ER9hfBO6ZODnKFHIHFC3gslvKVSfiOCverkGsWtkVG-Y4DfFqBo1z-3By2qefa2OG14ypYCTjNCvaUzE4SrLxTx51ClnmIBuYlWBIyAU4hx0M6rAShbKVakTjCV_M/s640/IMG_20180602_143018_HDR+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Surmai
thali in Abhishek restaurant in Chiplun was heavenly! I wouldn’t mind going all
the way to Chiplun just for this meal! For my review of this restaurant click
<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297650-d2388901-r585941611-Hotel_Abhishek-Chiplun_Ratnagiri_District_Maharashtra.html">here</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxd-_KEi_M4qRXyjq0srn7WxxQsEC3_Sp-9MC50qcl07JPozl0cW29_AbE_5ie6gIjOV001N31QDAb7ZuYPoEjdrcu2PoBtDpAjyt5UENom6Ra58M5eVW5WWelfKsppknD3vtpKfEuTMAb/s1600/IMG_20180604_150538+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="783" height="626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxd-_KEi_M4qRXyjq0srn7WxxQsEC3_Sp-9MC50qcl07JPozl0cW29_AbE_5ie6gIjOV001N31QDAb7ZuYPoEjdrcu2PoBtDpAjyt5UENom6Ra58M5eVW5WWelfKsppknD3vtpKfEuTMAb/s640/IMG_20180604_150538+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fortunately
the road conditions did not improve much after Chiplun too, for if they had, we
would have fallen asleep at the wheel after the sumptuous meal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As we
neared Ratnagiri the sky darkened menacingly and lit up with streaks of
lightning followed by</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWyAaoPcqFEdfHihhiyKxetjdTnopC0wO7hUOsmbNZ834rkPuVdnKa-NjjDl4Yioisst8cnKFIl4rFwoML9dm05ar4jAOb-DAHrvocYQDiZjGLVGLzSY3lUDZHQ1TXKUxTSZJJlkXncc4/s1600/IMG-20180611-WA0038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1267" data-original-width="1280" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWyAaoPcqFEdfHihhiyKxetjdTnopC0wO7hUOsmbNZ834rkPuVdnKa-NjjDl4Yioisst8cnKFIl4rFwoML9dm05ar4jAOb-DAHrvocYQDiZjGLVGLzSY3lUDZHQ1TXKUxTSZJJlkXncc4/s640/IMG-20180611-WA0038.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Picture courtesy - Chitra Amembal</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
thunderous claps that had us awestruck at nature’s drama.
And then it poured relentlessly for a few minutes to cool down the ambient
temperatures by at least about 7 to 8 degrees. Hence it was in a very pleasant
and cool state of mind that we reached our destination <i>O’Nest </i>in Devrukh, Ratnagiri in </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JgAVyiX83en1VAOV3SYF88UiKwO93-fSbMY8os211qU12j5dm3YVaXU23DR_GOKhPwPC5uwo3TDTgVwE95Nk8e5aF6ZeAJEBV5p3NXLVwm85HYhteeY-O0eR9sV6BjnuB9_35oNe3Eru/s1600/IMG_3503.CR2+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JgAVyiX83en1VAOV3SYF88UiKwO93-fSbMY8os211qU12j5dm3YVaXU23DR_GOKhPwPC5uwo3TDTgVwE95Nk8e5aF6ZeAJEBV5p3NXLVwm85HYhteeY-O0eR9sV6BjnuB9_35oNe3Eru/s640/IMG_3503.CR2+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">the evening and were welcomed by a
yummy drink of ‘Aam panna’ (a delicious concoction of raw mango and spices).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">We (my wife
and me) were lucky to be allotted the room in the tree house. Very beautifully </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBOOLsDSzziEQ1tfgL0HbaHqT2eenN45vEadCgtA4xYei8pjgQnfK9UioKZk8Nfn5ljrSq2gWmGBcuS9Wa6Nf4Tg5rQz2oPuIrsV2V_LLS0bZCC6doRAWxQYdYiWebpsAs2i4ftrUM7k1/s1600/IMG_20180603_070356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBOOLsDSzziEQ1tfgL0HbaHqT2eenN45vEadCgtA4xYei8pjgQnfK9UioKZk8Nfn5ljrSq2gWmGBcuS9Wa6Nf4Tg5rQz2oPuIrsV2V_LLS0bZCC6doRAWxQYdYiWebpsAs2i4ftrUM7k1/s640/IMG_20180603_070356.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
constructed
and the interiors were elegant too. The climb up seemed a bit dicey the 1<sup>st</sup>
time but after a couple of times of going up and down it was a breeze. An airconditioned
room with a bathroom attached with all the modern amenities on a tree house! How
much more luxurious can it get?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The evening
was reserved for a jaunt to the farm which had mango, jackfruit and cashew
trees apart</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONlFXSnTtan_HMT9lGLZKNAC3poSz2EFDbMPwlp9QmbLCSk5FbUJMk7179csgQg7cBnQxm_PlvDgbzIxeMMBedNRfZ0NQZ1HxKwcLbic1gWyImXmOa0Bp_WYYOpAkGml9wYzS0sGFVG2E/s1600/IMG_3505.CR2+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONlFXSnTtan_HMT9lGLZKNAC3poSz2EFDbMPwlp9QmbLCSk5FbUJMk7179csgQg7cBnQxm_PlvDgbzIxeMMBedNRfZ0NQZ1HxKwcLbic1gWyImXmOa0Bp_WYYOpAkGml9wYzS0sGFVG2E/s640/IMG_3505.CR2+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Yes this is a massive mushroom!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">from others. We were taken there, walking along the village path,
with the occasional autorickshaw passing by and a lot of natural beauty on
display. The walk in the farm was educative and we were </span></div>
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encouraged to climb
mango trees to pluck a few. To top it all, they brought tea and pakodas for us and
it </div>
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was a veritable picnic in the farm! A great time was had by all.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It was
during our dinner that we managed to get to know each other much better after a
round of self-introductions. Road tripping really makes you less judgemental. After
a sumptuous dinner of fish, chicken and vegetables we retired for a well-earned
rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Next morning
we had a yummy breakfast of Poha, eggs and bread in their restaurant O’Leaf
while the home grown mangoes were delicately packed for all of us to take back
home and relive the taste of the wonderful weekend in Devrukh, Ratnagiri. For
my review of this homestay please click <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g7088123-d1976069-r585948605-O_Nest_Home_Stay-Devrukh_Ratnagiri_District_Maharashtra.html">here.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The return
drive was uneventful as we decided to take the national highway which was
faster but</span></div>
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boring as compared to the scenic route that we had taken inbound, except
for the back roads that led </div>
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to the national highway and the delicious lunch in
Sangli enroute at Pancham’s Naivedya. For my review of this restaurant please
click <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1162197-d5978880-r586285356-Naivedya-Sangli_Sangli_District_Maharashtra.html">here</a>.</div>
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-35959677706513454532018-04-18T11:50:00.000+05:302018-04-29T17:44:58.747+05:30A piece of Heaven - Pahalgam, Kashmir - Part 3 (Concluded)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">After the hectic
adventurous time in Gulmarg, Pahalgam was to be a laidback sightseeing trip. At
this point, I would like to inform all tourists visiting these places by public
transport that you will have to take local taxis or horses for sightseeing (done
to promote local livelihood). So after checking in The Regency Hotel in
Pahalgam which is situated in a very scenic locale with a river running by, we
set</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJsFT7fC9Ke5hbI6c9drUue2md_By8j2yxKgtD6yeznPkUZRK-bMN87G6xvIhr4bCT2IYpU8E0UKISeV_r1cjrYY-e4eOGjsZco_baMkNet_-bx5fDn5M-DwBEyoFIbQbPFExHbAeP605/s1600/p+lidder+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="pahalgam river lidder kashmir india mountains scenic" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJsFT7fC9Ke5hbI6c9drUue2md_By8j2yxKgtD6yeznPkUZRK-bMN87G6xvIhr4bCT2IYpU8E0UKISeV_r1cjrYY-e4eOGjsZco_baMkNet_-bx5fDn5M-DwBEyoFIbQbPFExHbAeP605/s640/p+lidder+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Pahalgam " width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">out for a general walk around the market place. This was the time to shop
for shawls, stoles, dry fruits and dresses for the ladies to be kept or gifted.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyEzlOrbdco9_enSGkYDtqtQAu_T3kCGOzv8MhMgKsW599R-aKFefENVb27521k7inff2_qdsb21aqCNRrNyvHv7GMNqn4unclIWXcaadlEQlpkd9OJfKMr7GN9xcAGbEvVQ3JCActR0L/s1600/p+shopping+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="pahalgam shopping stoles kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyEzlOrbdco9_enSGkYDtqtQAu_T3kCGOzv8MhMgKsW599R-aKFefENVb27521k7inff2_qdsb21aqCNRrNyvHv7GMNqn4unclIWXcaadlEQlpkd9OJfKMr7GN9xcAGbEvVQ3JCActR0L/s640/p+shopping+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Pahalgam" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Two guys from our
group decided to take a horse ride to ‘Mini Switzerland’. These horses and
taxis </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXFhRxBpVEgt-JcdHBU9bRz1_j-e_3l0S9d8BznwDJAlFgdrMLhz6xnk5l1YxF9WGDlXLAZ0LEZWoR_pS6GY5tipJgx7DkhPoe_07NwCg7p7I35nZK3UzpocBnOJCUu9nrfpinCIFdEtM/s1600/p+horse+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="pahalgam horse riding sight seeing kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXFhRxBpVEgt-JcdHBU9bRz1_j-e_3l0S9d8BznwDJAlFgdrMLhz6xnk5l1YxF9WGDlXLAZ0LEZWoR_pS6GY5tipJgx7DkhPoe_07NwCg7p7I35nZK3UzpocBnOJCUu9nrfpinCIFdEtM/s640/p+horse+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Horse riding" width="524" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">are available in the parking lot, which is the point where the
taxis/vans/buses that you have reached the destination in, have to be parked,
and youÂÂ take local transport.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After a couple of
hours of gallivanting around town we returned to the hotel and rested as we had
scheduled the sightseeing tour for the next day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Our 1<sup>st</sup>
point to visit was the Aru valley. This place is a page out of a fairy tale!
The tiny bridges over</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9m3WX5Gzwx0h75M04PFT7Rkj8FgOOAs9Tx3s-k-d_rGuiaRzVdrKpBC-2vCdLyYMoJFRGpQasux-3xjYmP4jx6efjM26hMgUDPyeXTEXR56W3nx4s8pMND_J_kk-T2jgZPQN8Trwv4bCW/s1600/p+grp1+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="aru valley bridge river bed kashmir india mountains" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="501" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9m3WX5Gzwx0h75M04PFT7Rkj8FgOOAs9Tx3s-k-d_rGuiaRzVdrKpBC-2vCdLyYMoJFRGpQasux-3xjYmP4jx6efjM26hMgUDPyeXTEXR56W3nx4s8pMND_J_kk-T2jgZPQN8Trwv4bCW/s640/p+grp1+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Aru valley" width="416" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">the now dry river against a backdrop of magnificent snow-capped
mountains and the feeling of being hugged by nature is amazing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Our next stop was the
Betaab valley. This valley got its name after the famous Hindi movie ‘Betaab’
was filmed here. Betaab Valley lies between the two Himalayan Ranges – Pir
Panjal and Zanskar. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs7f_uKFiAp0NQdTX-tYHJ-woS2qLc2_FaPbtM_vCnQow8IhAtIZSAm1s_u50Ogt24YaR84aeHVbKJqlEqGuLLmaNxfcYnHmiEge1KrKs56laLCNN6gPZU1E8RX9jX5Jr1oJ5BqLlHU-B/s1600/p+b+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="betaab valley river lidder kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjs7f_uKFiAp0NQdTX-tYHJ-woS2qLc2_FaPbtM_vCnQow8IhAtIZSAm1s_u50Ogt24YaR84aeHVbKJqlEqGuLLmaNxfcYnHmiEge1KrKs56laLCNN6gPZU1E8RX9jX5Jr1oJ5BqLlHU-B/s640/p+b+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Betaab valley" width="640" /></a></div>
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There is an entrance fee of Rs.100/- to enter the vast
landscaped gardens inside. We skipped that and instead spent time taking
pictures along the Lidder river which was flowing past and had some </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNiG0Fs87O_BU0q-7j2fanZ93Qs9UvnaNhf3z0qabyRMVl07UqwaUAlNPRfZg9BXHw-8-CMgibheGVOq8dIDyxW5thnKyhAAc5jLIYTMzAmWq3irlD875iCuXKKLgJqOddnLDGETKlWBW/s1600/p+brunch+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="dhaba betaab valley omelet roti bread kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNiG0Fs87O_BU0q-7j2fanZ93Qs9UvnaNhf3z0qabyRMVl07UqwaUAlNPRfZg9BXHw-8-CMgibheGVOq8dIDyxW5thnKyhAAc5jLIYTMzAmWq3irlD875iCuXKKLgJqOddnLDGETKlWBW/s640/p+brunch+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Dhaba" width="640" /></a></div>
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yummy
omelettes and rotis and Maggi noodles in the shack by the river. Washed it down
with the famous Kashmiri Kahwa (Kahwah is a traditional green tea preparation
consumed in Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, some regions of Central Asia and,
in northern India especially in Kashmir Valley.)</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After this we moved on
to Chandanwadi which is the starting point for the Amarnath yatra. There </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrYED3PydLhWiKV_yVmrOHtzgqs_nhmZRXLpGVnv9mFqOW73Gs6EeQjz_XUyNuk0wz7u0IaHUJ3rTMeO1Oea8fhqG6TAdrWzGwy99u1GkXVA4EXAYTea__Rm7LwZulYeuV3vW7mozYRbI/s1600/IMG_20180408_085259+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="chandanwari valley panaroma mountains amarnath yatra kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="1366" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrYED3PydLhWiKV_yVmrOHtzgqs_nhmZRXLpGVnv9mFqOW73Gs6EeQjz_XUyNuk0wz7u0IaHUJ3rTMeO1Oea8fhqG6TAdrWzGwy99u1GkXVA4EXAYTea__Rm7LwZulYeuV3vW7mozYRbI/s640/IMG_20180408_085259+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Chandanwari" width="640" /></a></div>
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was
still some snow lying around and it offered a lot of photo-ops which we
gratefully accepted and called it a day.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We were done with
Pahalgam and had to carry on to Sonmarg the next day. The highlight of this</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstRBu3LDq3G3QKp1KHzsOjulsCkNwnerNav7MtKIp2KJhn1hxafBABoUvA6qnFzrXrCTC9Sj8uuReEo5ZE23YP9vIZXmsU1TC8PN7u9ItC7PdB5RY6C2V-OQ-W4qJkC0qdOtd84YrB1eP/s1600/wazwan+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="feast meat lunch festive goshtaba tabak maas ristaa kabab rotis pampore noorani kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="994" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstRBu3LDq3G3QKp1KHzsOjulsCkNwnerNav7MtKIp2KJhn1hxafBABoUvA6qnFzrXrCTC9Sj8uuReEo5ZE23YP9vIZXmsU1TC8PN7u9ItC7PdB5RY6C2V-OQ-W4qJkC0qdOtd84YrB1eP/s640/wazwan+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Wazwan" width="640" /></a></div>
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journey to Sonmarg was the sumptuously delicious meat feast – Wazwan, in
Pampore, organised specially for us by <b><a href="https://scoutmytrip.com/">ScoutMyTrip</a></b>. Wazwan is a multi-course meal in Kashmiri
cuisine, the preparation of which is considered an art and a point of pride in
Kashmiri culture and identity. Almost all the dishes are meat-based using lamb
or chicken with a few vegetarian dishes. It is popular throughout Kashmir. As we
approached Pampore, the weather Gods decided we had enough of good weather and
it started raining leading to a drastic drop in temperature.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivh4eSlPZ1BmzaUJfnevXumytTDBbssx_IcIA1CpjSui9eeS-H8ZgETwHq9Uca4hPPrZLymki9QHsqA2jAzU-rLH33TnrP8xOZQ0Uqp6xGQztu_h3EImzLPgvyw7BRKDT7VaD2Fv0NUMGn/s1600/mustard+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="mustard fields pahalgam kashmir india colourful" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1320" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivh4eSlPZ1BmzaUJfnevXumytTDBbssx_IcIA1CpjSui9eeS-H8ZgETwHq9Uca4hPPrZLymki9QHsqA2jAzU-rLH33TnrP8xOZQ0Uqp6xGQztu_h3EImzLPgvyw7BRKDT7VaD2Fv0NUMGn/s640/mustard+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Mustard field" width="640" /></a></div>
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Plenty of mustard fields enroute.</div>
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By the time we reached
Sonmarg, the gloomy weather dampened our enthusiasm and we had barely checked
into the Glacier Heights Hotel and there was a power failure. Not a very good sign as the Hotel Generator
could not support room heaters in all the rooms along with the electrical
blankets. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAg2VLO_JSHVGJSzNHw2AcKHt_3HlvKF_Lh5Bp3iupT_Z7b1ir2ZcnVronTIGQhbbwoF8Qgbp8moVPW6I8UxwIcBo9fetaKRKp4A1yXmEwKXhsQ5AmUUrO5VqwBxjNbIQV7X4SqS9NC55h/s1600/glacier+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sonmarg snow hotel mountains kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAg2VLO_JSHVGJSzNHw2AcKHt_3HlvKF_Lh5Bp3iupT_Z7b1ir2ZcnVronTIGQhbbwoF8Qgbp8moVPW6I8UxwIcBo9fetaKRKp4A1yXmEwKXhsQ5AmUUrO5VqwBxjNbIQV7X4SqS9NC55h/s640/glacier+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Sonmarg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hotel Glacier Heights, Sonmarg.</div>
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But the Kashmiri hosts did not let us down. In the restaurant they
gave us a corner where they brought in a huge heater supported by a LPG cylinder
and we sat around it nursing our drinks and snacking on yummy chicken tikkas
and veg. pakodas, pretending the heater was a bonfire. In the ensuing
discussion it was decided that we get back to Srinagar the next day as the
weather prediction for the next day too was not favourable and we were not
inclined to spend our time in the cold rooms. Our organisers ScoutMyTrip were
told about our decision and they gallantly offered to accommodate us in Srinagar
in lieu of Sonmarg the next day despite this being a case of <i>force majeure.</i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So we headed back to
Srinagar and spent a pleasant evening in Pride Inn Hotel, glowing in the
aftermath of the beauty that is Kashmir and Kashmiris.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The day after we flew
back to Mumbai – back to base with plenty of memories to last a lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In conclusion a few observations:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">All over Kashmir, in
all the hotels, the buffet breakfast was Upma, Poha, Parathas and Eggs (boiled or Omelette).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The locals are fed up
of politicians across the board. They are trapped in between the devil and the deep sea. If they inform the Indian Army of the hideouts of militants they will be killed by the militants and if they don't inform, they face the wrath of the Army.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The tourists are
welcomed with a lot of love. The locals are warm hearted, extremely hospitable
and will go to any lengths to make the guest comfortable giving credence to the
phrase ‘Athithi Deva Bhavo’ - Guest is God.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For the vegetarians, there are plenty of Vaishno dhabas/restaurants all over the place, serving excellent vegetarian food. So no worries.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Despite having read in
the print media and seen on the Television, we did not witness a single
incident of violence during our stay and travels there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The only way to bring about
total peace in Kashmir is to overrun it by tourists. So guys pack your bags and
get a move on! Kashmir is waiting!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-33417030477048448702018-04-16T17:36:00.000+05:302018-09-15T16:59:48.620+05:30A piece of heaven - Gulmarg, Kashmir - Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://www.indiblogger.in/post/a-piece-of-heaven-gulmarg-kashmir-part-2" title="Featured post on IndiBlogger, the biggest community of Indian Bloggers"><br /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.indiblogger.in/post/a-piece-of-heaven-gulmarg-kashmir-part-2" title="Featured post on IndiBlogger, the biggest community of Indian Bloggers"><img alt="Featured post on IndiBlogger, the biggest community of Indian Bloggers" border="0" height="96" src="https://cdn.indiblogger.in/badges/235x96_featured-indivine-post.png" width="235" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.indiblogger.in/post/a-piece-of-heaven-gulmarg-kashmir-part-2" title="Featured post on IndiBlogger, the biggest community of Indian Bloggers">
</a><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">We had been receiving messages and calls from well wishers back home telling us about the worsening tensions in Kashmir and telling us to return home. We just smiled and got onto the bus to go to Gulmarg, an uneventful journey that took us through some beautiful landscapes and enthralled us with its beauty.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Our driver cum guide Shabbir was a great guy, full of humour and wanting to ensure our comfort at all times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Enroute we stopped at Tangmarg, about 12kms before Gulmarg, to rent snow boots and a waterproof warm coat so that we could participate in all the snowy activities in Gulmarg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Gulmarg lies in a cup shaped valley in the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas, at an altitude of 2,650 m (8,694 ft) and is the centre for skiing, sledging and snowmobiling. It was in Tangmarg that we </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAGaw2k8zuhtEF0YqKJfD_N7HQBWDcyqQjO8X-_wP812xbtgreyK6fodxhyWEL3I74k9SYAcsKW3TFAEYM0ewj27TChvAIGYo0GPFmnFEJ4Rkb9Cfq_h4c6b2V_Klr-mo-r4mWYS5DaNP/s1600/IMG-20180406-WA0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAGaw2k8zuhtEF0YqKJfD_N7HQBWDcyqQjO8X-_wP812xbtgreyK6fodxhyWEL3I74k9SYAcsKW3TFAEYM0ewj27TChvAIGYo0GPFmnFEJ4Rkb9Cfq_h4c6b2V_Klr-mo-r4mWYS5DaNP/s640/IMG-20180406-WA0007.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">connected with Umar – our guardian angel. He was so amazing that he created an invisible tunnel and took us through all the activities possible in Gulmarg. We did not break a sweat through any of it. It</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB0y3VVproagE83o19vKHJBQkjhonAlK-9NUz-NUoQjC2tI81J1sFo4fnrwhKY6rfaPtnCsKFtAYjyxLEPzE1Anky07WBbLN2B_iLJ-HgoIRwQ0_kTqinIJyMmsY-MaIEvEdq2dJ3mWKi/s1600/IMG-20180406-WA0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="snowmobile champion umar gulmarg kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="816" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB0y3VVproagE83o19vKHJBQkjhonAlK-9NUz-NUoQjC2tI81J1sFo4fnrwhKY6rfaPtnCsKFtAYjyxLEPzE1Anky07WBbLN2B_iLJ-HgoIRwQ0_kTqinIJyMmsY-MaIEvEdq2dJ3mWKi/s640/IMG-20180406-WA0006.jpg" title="Snowmobile champion" width="422" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> was only later that I learnt that he was the Snowmobile champion of the country for 3 consecutive years and he acts as a tourism guide in his spare time. An amazing chap! If you are planning to visit Gulmarg and need help, mail me for his contact details. You will not regret it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">While we were completing our check in process at Mama Palace hotel in Gulmarg, Umar got busy in getting our tickets for the Gondola ride and let me tell you it is essential that you have someone in the know to get it done, as we realised once we reach the Gondola boarding point where chaos reigned with ‘waiting for tickets to be bought’ passengers queued up blocking the way for ticket holding passengers! Thankfully we soon were in the gondola, riding up the snowy slopes of the Himalayas. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7HUZXs-d5WV5B_fXRCTr-VyhkDDf5F0iohKhXmhjB9oU5JLREqiV9ItRn3rxdB134mJJXM6fhrmSwzymfXxXEjYLr2NQ0RpKPvp1Cf6xnBufkHcQMmJfJk3VkEPF9wjPeMfxIxo-MyUc/s1600/gul+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="gondola ride pir panjal range himalayas gulmarg kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7HUZXs-d5WV5B_fXRCTr-VyhkDDf5F0iohKhXmhjB9oU5JLREqiV9ItRn3rxdB134mJJXM6fhrmSwzymfXxXEjYLr2NQ0RpKPvp1Cf6xnBufkHcQMmJfJk3VkEPF9wjPeMfxIxo-MyUc/s640/gul+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Gondola" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Built by the French company Pomagalski, the Gulmarg Gondola is one of the highest in the world reaching 3,979 metres. The two-stage ropeway ferries people between Gulmarg and a shoulder of nearby Apharwat Peak (4,200 metres/13,800 ft). The first stage transfers from Gulmarg at 2,600 </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszgT-QB72UYDFRTVmkQt2BSpSOyUy1gvns0U6jiNsxPom-GVqWqLe7G97DJCFmcpDRUIWpCHba9t5rEYsEArcfXc956-NxwcH2zleRPYcArjoGJrF4Muj-HUmup87mIbIPLtUPeqLuEyG/s1600/gul+snow+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="snow slopes apharwat peak gulmarg kashmir india himalayas" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszgT-QB72UYDFRTVmkQt2BSpSOyUy1gvns0U6jiNsxPom-GVqWqLe7G97DJCFmcpDRUIWpCHba9t5rEYsEArcfXc956-NxwcH2zleRPYcArjoGJrF4Muj-HUmup87mIbIPLtUPeqLuEyG/s640/gul+snow+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Snowy slopes" width="640" /></a></div>
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metres (8,500 ft) to Kongdoori at 3,080 metres (10,100 ft). The second stage takes passengers to a height of 3,950 metres (12,960 ft) on the Apharwat Peak 4,200 metres (13,800 ft).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH66epJyrSOGIFFzijt2TrwhhjTJc40l7zO0g2SLePoASlsj29zmgUGudvjKm3mwC_mbQnxuux7IxDFhyQHXTfDcR7jXnPi82OlaDKw0V_tUXSh9Wce3Yv7DB7DfriSGEwRK_Rqnobr8Wx/s1600/gul+ski+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="tandem skiing apharwat himalayas pir panjal mountain range gulmarg kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH66epJyrSOGIFFzijt2TrwhhjTJc40l7zO0g2SLePoASlsj29zmgUGudvjKm3mwC_mbQnxuux7IxDFhyQHXTfDcR7jXnPi82OlaDKw0V_tUXSh9Wce3Yv7DB7DfriSGEwRK_Rqnobr8Wx/s640/gul+ski+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Apharwat" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span>Once on the Apharwat peak, we went tandem skiing and sledging. It was fun despite the altitude drying out our mouths. Trudging in the snow too was a new experience for us apart from skiing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh077JzDd6XmeGaBZJ7lxYid2rFT5n_OfMjQQvPf9JB2_jgNtv8xlROZ_4iFUKEHn-_ohfwP6bkXGEdg3gpL84o4-CgBQ8e_72AhJy17pJsLRvNDaEJaJsdE8C50gQ-1Qh5zFVcZmyOQhkl/s1600/gul+kongposh+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sun snow mountain apharwat pir panjal himalayas gulmarg kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh077JzDd6XmeGaBZJ7lxYid2rFT5n_OfMjQQvPf9JB2_jgNtv8xlROZ_4iFUKEHn-_ohfwP6bkXGEdg3gpL84o4-CgBQ8e_72AhJy17pJsLRvNDaEJaJsdE8C50gQ-1Qh5zFVcZmyOQhkl/s640/gul+kongposh+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Heaven" width="640" /></a></div>
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Once done we rode down to the 1<sup>st</sup> stage ‘Kongdoori’ where we had a delicious lunch in ‘Kongposh’ restaurant and headed for the ride on snowmobiles. Yet another 1<sup>st</sup> time for all of us. We rode pillion</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnC5IxJvyCBIf9s7TILcbhzhOJu8zkrzsY2wMub13nTZ3-bHOSI5v94bDilux00GtRG2BPyBWUNcW_VzjdlzMkCJptVHCmnjOUEc7hmN9_4knXey5mnpGI4H-cErEweX04KQoS9YxY2jU/s1600/gul+snowmob+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="snowmobile gulmarg snow kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnC5IxJvyCBIf9s7TILcbhzhOJu8zkrzsY2wMub13nTZ3-bHOSI5v94bDilux00GtRG2BPyBWUNcW_VzjdlzMkCJptVHCmnjOUEc7hmN9_4knXey5mnpGI4H-cErEweX04KQoS9YxY2jU/s640/gul+snowmob+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Snowmobile" width="640" /></a></div>
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and the riders were good enough to let some of us to try riding it ourselves albeit with the instructor riding pillion and encouraging us all the way!</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Next day was reserved for some more adventure but this time offroading around Gulmarg on the </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMjml8s0PTlmAQ89grw-N5yGoIsb2oa6B9A88EXdPu9NqzqW9EPz0U0Bq9hOy-6C5ulql5BeZ_s4RAV9Z9O2yJjeB2KHxf4xDODoFySq33ztg8IzNikqzvsV_Mgvjw9X5qhshpFwayc2c/s1600/IMG_20180405_114834_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="atv gulmarg hillside kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMjml8s0PTlmAQ89grw-N5yGoIsb2oa6B9A88EXdPu9NqzqW9EPz0U0Bq9hOy-6C5ulql5BeZ_s4RAV9Z9O2yJjeB2KHxf4xDODoFySq33ztg8IzNikqzvsV_Mgvjw9X5qhshpFwayc2c/s640/IMG_20180405_114834_HDR.jpg" title="All Terrain Vehicle" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles). This too was fun and here again they let those of us who wished to ride, try it out too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It was a fun 2 days of adventure in Gulmarg and now it was time to move on to Pahalgam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674390639197055821.post-48144459241645605082018-04-14T19:47:00.001+05:302018-04-29T17:57:02.631+05:30A piece of heaven - Kashmir – Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #141823;">A
Farsi Couplet by Amir Khusro</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, <br />
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Translated,
it means <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If
there is a paradise on earth, <br />
it is this, it is this, it is this<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We, a group of 14 friends, having spent just over a
week in Kashmir, have no doubt that Kashmir is, indeed, a piece of heaven on
earth, where we experienced the warmth of brotherhood and unparalleled hospitality. We did not witness a single incident of violence all the time that we spent there despite what is portrayed in the media. The trip was wonderfully organised for us by <a href="https://scoutmytrip.com/">ScoutMyTrip</a> who arranged
for all our transportation and accommodation at a very reasonable cost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On arrival in Srinagar airport, we were met by the
local tour guide and transported to our beautiful houseboats in the Dal Lake.
After the 30+ C temperature of Mumbai, the 18C was a welcome relief. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: #141823;">Dal is a lake in Srinagar (Dal Lake is a misnomer as
Dal in Kashmiri means lake). The lake covers an area of 18 square kilometres
with an average depth of 4.7 feet and a maximum of 20 feet.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCV3g_otHEzpPsHsWGbu-hlwxhG9kFfOkJ_ZWCVJlZ3_yOhQt5ZiPfSYLNSAGa51pzWK99e5ErX3-jxiQ4cG08IU9e4V7sg1Gvi6JKNJQCivUZuDgIkyLq9A46pghp0cwL4GKkFvG-oNhyphenhyphen/s1600/dal+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="dal lake srinagar kashmir india mountains valley" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCV3g_otHEzpPsHsWGbu-hlwxhG9kFfOkJ_ZWCVJlZ3_yOhQt5ZiPfSYLNSAGa51pzWK99e5ErX3-jxiQ4cG08IU9e4V7sg1Gvi6JKNJQCivUZuDgIkyLq9A46pghp0cwL4GKkFvG-oNhyphenhyphen/s640/dal+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Dal lake" width="640" /></a></div>
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After dumping our
luggage in our rooms in the houseboat, we freshened up and were taken out on a<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKifGjIpTTEmycbZyBIC74PNlNXQjIyDkU8_6QftzJgtLRh2wIDKSfdc7znYtfoccNnd2ovy90X3fFz5O6sS3-QZ3bK-bNxfTy8r7j7SqtLkf3UAn7eEIxk2fTD6vxugaHyUjvizRYciS/s1600/dal+shops+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="canals dal lake shopping night srinagar kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKifGjIpTTEmycbZyBIC74PNlNXQjIyDkU8_6QftzJgtLRh2wIDKSfdc7znYtfoccNnd2ovy90X3fFz5O6sS3-QZ3bK-bNxfTy8r7j7SqtLkf3UAn7eEIxk2fTD6vxugaHyUjvizRYciS/s640/dal+shops+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Canal" width="640" /></a></div>
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shikara ride of the Dal lake along the shops selling local handicrafts. The fun
part was that while<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIBVKD9-RlcqfeRCXrLvWDfdp8b89d2CEvq9Ug30Rhzv62J8Qk8iIGpNN_ENCzMZ04GZJlL-yg9UkCInfrmaLEUOdGJ66G-YpCboppHjO-VILpIADGpRz9W0p_2oRjqRvc32_qYIGeFGM/s1600/dal+shikara+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="shikara boat sales dal lake kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIBVKD9-RlcqfeRCXrLvWDfdp8b89d2CEvq9Ug30Rhzv62J8Qk8iIGpNN_ENCzMZ04GZJlL-yg9UkCInfrmaLEUOdGJ66G-YpCboppHjO-VILpIADGpRz9W0p_2oRjqRvc32_qYIGeFGM/s640/dal+shikara+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Boat sales" width="640" /></a></div>
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sailing in the shikaras, we had sales pitches from shikaras
alongside selling jewellery, coats and caps apart from snacks and soft drinks!</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On our return to our houseboats,
as we were getting ready for a sumptuous dinner, there came a shikara </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw1thQKZDiW7YP6oHl-_JlzUSVSclVCAlzEJp7rZn1Le2k78Md6D9G1En4KFefufoqm6FOS0hDuY3FwWFwdeM6ti6zl73Z7VGqp73UQsOGTGL5usYl-i856cgxNxKJVH5GWK16htA2vow/s1600/dal+kababs+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="kababwala kebab maker dal lake shikara houseboat srinagar kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw1thQKZDiW7YP6oHl-_JlzUSVSclVCAlzEJp7rZn1Le2k78Md6D9G1En4KFefufoqm6FOS0hDuY3FwWFwdeM6ti6zl73Z7VGqp73UQsOGTGL5usYl-i856cgxNxKJVH5GWK16htA2vow/s640/dal+kababs+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Kababs" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">with a mobile
barbecue who dished up some yummy kababs. This indeed was an unique experience
for us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Next day we set out
for a tour of the beautiful gardens in Srinagar. The first one was the Chashme </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkJZ8HWkLdSbjLNZUt43umxvuoGj2q6v16tX1ReKtHi12Bu_lm0itXvEHx83UJzgzletvBjbdgC0e7-0wWZQuW2oySkoDxgWP3BVMiF1-QH9t_wxF3_k2HfTNuDVkQcnvCGFpZxrMxy5R/s1600/chashme+shahi+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="chashme shahi garden mughal srinagar india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkJZ8HWkLdSbjLNZUt43umxvuoGj2q6v16tX1ReKtHi12Bu_lm0itXvEHx83UJzgzletvBjbdgC0e7-0wWZQuW2oySkoDxgWP3BVMiF1-QH9t_wxF3_k2HfTNuDVkQcnvCGFpZxrMxy5R/s640/chashme+shahi+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Chashme shahi" width="640" /></a></div>
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Shahi gardens built around a spring, in 1632 A.D. by Ali Mardan Khan, Mughal
Emperor Shah Jahan’s Governor. It was the Emperor’s gift for his elder son Prince
Dara Shikoh.</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Our next stop was the
Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Gardens that was set up in 1969 in memory of our 1<sup>st</sup>
Prime Minister who was fond of roses. This garden has a collection of about
150,00 ornamental </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmNE6tsiGu_lYFnn2fFwuvpBrutSQJnflPNAzBzaUdrfreYPKrNGn4H21WDTrv9fhgTgXXYiK5IEqsQvezJLqSUFsWocmmhY4ET1hUj0XsRwCpHcxVT3AhcVzHHDaa6cQN_S6hcGCARHy/s1600/nehru+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="jawaharlal nehru botanical gardens srinagar kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1293" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmNE6tsiGu_lYFnn2fFwuvpBrutSQJnflPNAzBzaUdrfreYPKrNGn4H21WDTrv9fhgTgXXYiK5IEqsQvezJLqSUFsWocmmhY4ET1hUj0XsRwCpHcxVT3AhcVzHHDaa6cQN_S6hcGCARHy/s640/nehru+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Botanical garden" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">plants apart from a huge collection of oak varieties. It also
has a rare collection of Kashmiri tropical plants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And then came the show
stopper – the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip gardens! It is the largest tulip </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinozoVc3LoL5wL-sNaGvUMelFTdXZ_IEBMx5buykdDwWRGrg1dEaj6a2ezHCVqZikcwfw3O569eZ02Yd5tS-8yY3C-GPUyOKfBxrERLra6k3vUDFeiHjUdqJBBe2KrEA0207_HnGtht0fR/s1600/tulip+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="tulips garden srinagar kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinozoVc3LoL5wL-sNaGvUMelFTdXZ_IEBMx5buykdDwWRGrg1dEaj6a2ezHCVqZikcwfw3O569eZ02Yd5tS-8yY3C-GPUyOKfBxrERLra6k3vUDFeiHjUdqJBBe2KrEA0207_HnGtht0fR/s640/tulip+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Tulip garden" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">garden in Asia spread over an area of about 30 hectares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The garden was opened in 2007 with the aim to
boost floriculture and tourism in Kashmir Valley. It is a feast for the eyes!
BSNL offers free wifi there to enable visitors to spread the beauty online!
After revelling in the beauty, we had some </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DgiFGiwUWKff2FIZOnc3yzqCdHShC_MJ3qr-9W6icPGRsfzFxjK_92cOebcD7sh_cC7RjeT64SqlXUbj5mgeqGiyOnTQpCLI-wp6gxOdrMeCN8PXyN4MSRrPXxXsZv0rzMkcJsmASD-A/s1600/IMG_20180404_084916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="kahwa tea samovar tulip garden srinagar india" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1595" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DgiFGiwUWKff2FIZOnc3yzqCdHShC_MJ3qr-9W6icPGRsfzFxjK_92cOebcD7sh_cC7RjeT64SqlXUbj5mgeqGiyOnTQpCLI-wp6gxOdrMeCN8PXyN4MSRrPXxXsZv0rzMkcJsmASD-A/s640/IMG_20180404_084916.jpg" title="Kahwa" width="638" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">some Kashmiri bread with Kahwa
(Kashmiri tea) brewed in Samovars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Next stop was Nishat
Bagh, a terraced Mughal garden, built in 1633 by Asif Khan the elder brother </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUeEIMXzvsgOnIScxs0wSMFHrWQON9Pi2hqlbDfGthTWQt_uDs8x6zDS9k2BDkQolhgJZsAFdmNOSIL6X1MrwxUDCXrTfhAMbjqVGXG0tbcj_afaJhLv_TYtmiJHypVJW3KYeRGbn1xjC/s1600/nishat+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="nishat bagh garden srinagar kashmir india" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUeEIMXzvsgOnIScxs0wSMFHrWQON9Pi2hqlbDfGthTWQt_uDs8x6zDS9k2BDkQolhgJZsAFdmNOSIL6X1MrwxUDCXrTfhAMbjqVGXG0tbcj_afaJhLv_TYtmiJHypVJW3KYeRGbn1xjC/s640/nishat+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Nishat bagh" width="640" /></a></div>
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of
Noor Jahan. It is spread over 46 acres and overlooks the Dal Lake.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUtwvc1WhHw0Ap3LOyG-Gw2eYmWEskNqciH2iQsjJwTqlt4T0Z1FI62BAqbRqvbxmYczPwV2zAsyUfEI__7HUzp_ZBFubxgUnGz1z5b0nGVd4-FQS2yajfZmD8zp3cFJdJkkTY2evphFD/s1600/nishat+1+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="dal lake srinagar kashmir india nishat" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1153" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUtwvc1WhHw0Ap3LOyG-Gw2eYmWEskNqciH2iQsjJwTqlt4T0Z1FI62BAqbRqvbxmYczPwV2zAsyUfEI__7HUzp_ZBFubxgUnGz1z5b0nGVd4-FQS2yajfZmD8zp3cFJdJkkTY2evphFD/s640/nishat+1+%2528Copy%2529.jpg" title="Nishat garden" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We missed out on the
Shalimar Bagh, considered one of the biggest Mughal gardens. The Bagh was built
by Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his wife Noor Jahan, in 1619.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The untimely rains
prevented us from any further forays into the beautiful Baghs and drove us back
to our houseboats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This marked the end of
our brief affair with Srinagar as next morning we were off to <a href="https://magictravels.blogspot.in/2018/04/a-piece-of-heaven-gulmarg-kashmir-part-2.html">Gulmarg</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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For more pictures visit my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/magiceyed/">Instagram</a> account.</div>
magiceyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17848851692951192508noreply@blogger.com29