The Corny Traveler's Chronicles

And the travels continue..

2010-07-17T17:08:00.003+05:30

Yes, I've moved!

I mean, I've moved my blog! Here's the new address: http://thecornytravelerschronicles.wordpress.com

See you there!

Survival tip: How to bargain while traveling in India?

2010-06-19T22:30:00.001+05:30

Bargaining is an art. And you'll need to practise it if you intend to travel in India.

During my travels, I've bargained with everyone from trinket-sellers to auto-rickshaw drivers to book-sellers to guesthouse-owners to government officials trying to extract bribes (the bargaining was for the bribe amount!). It's not for a margin of just 10% or 20%, the final price could be as less as half (oh, by the way, it could be even lesser) of the initial quoted amount. So, you could be saving a lot. Especially if you are a tourist, or more importantly, look like a tourist - you will always be perceived by the locals as an easy prey.

Having grown up in India, I feel I am 'okay' at bargaining (you should look at my dad, then you'd know what its really all about), and self-certified to give free advice. So, here are my tips on bargaining:

1. Do a background check: You should have some idea of the value of the article you want to buy. There's a chance that a thing which costs Rs 10 is quoted as Rs 50, and you start bargaining from Rs 20, reach Rs 25 as the final price and feel smug about it. So, it's always better to have a fair idea about what you are buying and how easily it is available in other shops.

2. Do not buy from the first shop you step into: I often end up making this mistake because I hate shopping and want to get it over with. However, often there's a good range of prices for the same object even in adjacent shops, and the fact that you're putting a good amount of effort in buying makes it more difficult for the seller to assume that you are just another dumb tourist. Also, at times, the prices are exponentially higher in the shop right next to the sightseeing place and you should check out shops a bit far away as well.

3. Do not quote your starting amount right from the word go: If the quoted price is Rs 100, do not straight away ask for it for Rs 50, the price might be still lower. Delay your quote by saying things like 'Nah, too costly' or 'It's much cheaper in the shop down the lane'. When you start feeling a decent amount of resistance in lowering the price, then quote your price which should be lower than the best estimate you think you can get.

4. Be careful! : If the final bargained price looks too good to be true, do not start celebrating! Stop and examine your purchase again. If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't. These guys are seasoned sellers and always make a good margin, so watch out!

5. Be ruthless: It's a dog-eat-dog world, you've got to be ruthless. The seller will claim everything from imminent poverty to hunger to near-death. As I said before, he will still be making a good profit out of you. You must not let down your defence, keep bargaining until you get the satisfaction you deserve.

6. Well, try enjoying it: It can be a harrowing experince if you do not do well at it initially and feel cheated. After some practise, when you start getting good deals, you might even start having fun bargaining! Good luck!

Note to self: If this article ever gets published, don't forget to bargain with the publisher for a good price! ;-)

Ever wondered how a house-boat on a lake in Srinagar looks like from inside?

2010-06-19T11:33:00.002+05:30

On my recent Ladakh trip, I crossed Srinagar, where I stayed at a houseboat on Nagin lake for a night. I had heard of the romantic beauty of staying on a houseboat, overlooking the calm surface of the lake dotted with numerous 'shikaras'.

However, I'd never have imagined how beautiful a house-boat looks from the inside:

The carving is absolutely exquisite and precise:

Oh yeah, the outside view, early in the morning didn't disappoint either!

And the countdown gets closer..

2010-06-04T10:28:00.000+05:30

16 more hours.. before I embark on my much awaited trip to Ladakh! :-)

Hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze in another blogpost before that..

Highway to Heaven

2010-06-01T11:45:00.001+05:30

Or was it the Expressway to Pune? :D

I distinctly remember that day, sometime in the fourth year of college. I think it was my first bus journey alone in India (I had traveled by bus alone in UK before, and by train in India, more number of times than I can count on my fingers). It was definitely the first bus journey alone in India which was being done in a covert manner-it's up to you to guess the reason ;-)

The reason it deserves a post is - bus journeys in India can never be ordinary. Its just not possible. And you don't even need to be going to a small faraway village in a run-down bus. It can be a (supposedly) comfortable air-conditioned bus, but they will make sure you are on the edge of your seat (both literally and figuratively) when you are dealing with the bus operators.

Reasons (hey, I tried my best to avoid making a bulleted list!):

# 1 : Every bus ride you take, there's a 50% chance that you are being taken for a ride.

# 2 : The bus never starts on time. If it does, assume something's fishy going on (refer to #1).

# 3 : At times, you'll be taken away from where you bought a ticket to some random different place in a minibus - I have no clue why - but it always seems shady - and always ends up in further delay of the departure.

But every cloud has a silver lining!

My journey to Pune had a quiet a few BIG incentives (oh no, another list!):
(in descending order of their 'incentivising' power)

# 1 : What's there at the end of it: I had a very strong motivation to reach Pune and meet someone. :-) The bus is one of the fastest and most economical ways to go from Bombay to Pune.

# 2 : Food: The 3-4 hour bus journey always has a food-break somewhere in the middle. Ah, those tasty aloo-bondas and pav-bhajis. A good enough reason to skip breakfast before boarding the bus.

# 3 : Scenery: The road to Pune goes through lush green hills, and has a very scenic route. If you happen to be going in the rainy season, you might chance upon a cute little waterfall too.

# 4 : The in-bus movie: (this one I am afraid, is highly subjective and dependent on people's choice and inclination) You don't get to choose the movie - the bus driver/conductor does. And you've got to watch it. It's up to you to enjoy it. :-)

Have you travelled Bombay to Pune (or the other way round) on bus? How was your experience?

Garden mein mor nacha, meri mom ne dekha!

2010-05-30T23:54:00.001+05:30

(The title of this post is in Hindi language, translated as: 'A peacock danced in my garden, and my mom saw it')

To those who don't know Hindi, this title would seem very weird. Well, it's a twisted version of a common Hindi proverb which says 'A peacock danced in a jungle, but no one saw it' - essentially meaning that if a beautiful peacock dances in the jungle, what value does it have if no one can see it and appreciate it.

Anyway, my home - parents' home - is located in a beautiful colony in Indore which is adjacent to a cute small lake (which even has a summer palace of the kings who used to rule Indore 2-3 centuries back), which has a lot of jungles nearby. The summer months see a wide variety of fauna in the lake's vicinity (in my childhood, I have seen the lake being visited by migratory birds like storks who come all the way from Siberia crossing the mighty Himalayas!). Also, and more related to this blogpost, you see hordes of peahens flanking peacocks (Ahh.. how I wish the human behavior was similar to the birds in this context! ;-) ). Unfortunately, due to continuing deforestation, the birds are forced to look for newer pastures and green areas.

One of these green areas (with a ready supply of grains and seeds for the birds to pick :D ) happens to be the garden attached to my house. So, this summer, peacocks and peahens have made it a point to visit it every once in a while and dance away into the evening (okay, that might be getting a little too romantic, I actually don't know when they prefer to dance - probably early morning). And an enthusiast photographer, my mom, didn't miss the chance to take this beautiful pic! :-)

If you look at the pic carefully, you can spot a few peahens around as well!

*********

Kudos to my mom for the photography! She mentioned that next time, she would take a video of the peacock dancing! :-)

It seems not every Japanese knows about Naruto

2010-05-29T18:44:00.003+05:30

I had just sat down to read a few pages from a travel book (The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux) to be followed by a short nap, when I head some voices outside. This was right after enjoying a breakfast of omelet and tea at the Shri Ganesha Cafe, my accommodation for a couple of days at Gokarna.

I hadn't heard a lot about Gokarna, and definitely not about the Shri Ganesh Cafe. And my stay here was as much a surprise to me, as it was to my friends and family. I had decided to come alone down to the beaches. One of my friends had asked me for a reason. Well, I had no reason. Did I have to need a reason to take a few days leave from office because the atmosphere around had become too suffocating, and a break from everyone around felt good? Ofcourse not! ;-) Hehehe.

So, I had come down to Gokarna - a seemingly-heavenly place, half a day bus journey from Bangalore - alone. After a little research, I came to know that it has 4 very popular beaches, of which Kudle beach was popular among those staying in the town, who mainly came to Gokarna to visit the Shiva temple. I was staying at the Om Beach, more popular for the hordes of foreign tourists (a lot of them hippies - or at least that's what used to be a few years ago), and where the bus driver stopped the bus (a couple of kilometres before reaching the main town of Gokarna) and requested all the foreign tourists to alight, since that's where he assumed they all go! Even though it was a costly Rs 100 auto ride to the Om Beach, which I offered to share with a few of them - none of them agreed. It seems, its difficult for them to trust Indians. Especially Indians who act very friendly. What a shame, since the auto-driver eventually took them to the beach for Rs 170 since they didn't know how to bargain.

The only place of accommodation I had heaard of, at the Om Beach, was the Namaste cafe, which turned out to be full. So, I started walking along the beach, checking one restaurant cafe (these have small huts for rooms) after another and they all turned out to be full, until I reached Shri Ganesh cafe. Where the owner replied to my question with.. "Sir, pehle chaay to lijiye" (translated as: 'Sir, please have some tea first'). I knew I had reached the right place.

That's how we reach the point, when after a sumptuous breakfast (with a full view of the sea and the fresh morning breeze), I was lying down for a short nap (Oh yeah, the reading part didn't last long as I felt very sleepy very fast :-) ) when I heard some activity outside. Activity - a change I didn't mind in such a quiet and serene place. I focussed a little bit, and heard a very sweet voice call out - "Ooohaaaaayyyyooooooo". Ahhh, so my next door neighbour was Japanese! Interesting!!

Curious, I quickly finished the page I was reading, and went outside but saw no one around. I went towards the restaurant - which could be described more like an open-air cafe - and saw that a group of foreigners were sitting, discussing something animatedly, and laughing. I said "Hi" to everyone and just sat with them. Guess what? They were discussing the football world cup happening this year. And immediately I was welcomed to the discussion. I introduced myself as 'Abhijit', which was met with "Eh?","Uhhh.. A.. what?" and "Sorry, could you repeat that" (this last bit was in a very very English accent - I made a point to remember that). So, I reintroduced myself as 'Abhi' to which everyone replied with "Hi Abbey!". Ummm, I could live with that. The topic moved to South Africa, safety and their travel adventures there,with Ryan relating his story about how he was in South Africa for just a day - and in just a day, he got mugged. Thankfully, they didn't take away his sneakers, which according to him, were very nice. Haha! I knew I was going to have a lot of fun in Gokarna.

A little while later, the Japanese chick said she had to make a phone call, and asked me if I could help her out. I said 'Sure' and we started walking back towards the huts. She said, in a very un-Japanese accent (or what I would expect to be Japanese - since I haven't really heard one), "Hi Abbey, I am Sakura." And the following conversation ensued:

Abbey: Wow!
Sakura: Why wow??
Abbey: Hehe, well, I read a lot of Japanese comics, in English, ofcourse. And the first thing I am reminded of, when I think of Japanese, is a comic character called Naruto. And in that comic, he likes a girl called Sakura.
Sakura: Haha, I have never heard of it.
Abbey: Oh, you've not?
Sakura: Nope. I've been in London all my life.

She tried dialing a number from my phone, but the lines were busy, or something like that. Damn Vodafone!

As she was handing me back my phone, she asked me.. "Oh, but, how did you know I am Japanese??".
I replied.. "Arigato" and smiled.

**************
p.s. Thanks to all the friends I made in Gokarna for making my visit such a great experience! :-)

Writing spreeee!

2010-05-28T11:31:00.000+05:30

News: I am traveling to Kashmir & Ladakh on June 5th. Kashmir, known as heaven on earth, and Ladakh, for which I don't know any famous nicknames, but is probably even more beautiful than Kashmir, shall be my destinations as part of an 8-day tour.

Since I have been excited about this trip for a very long time, there is a very high chance that you already know about this trip :-)

Bigger News: It is exactly one week before I leave for Ladakh. In a frantic attempt to kick-start my travel-writing career, I shall be posting one blogpost per day till I leave for this trip. Look forward to new travel chronicles, new stories, new destinations..

The beauty of stillness

2010-03-23T18:59:00.001+05:30

Here's my all-time favourite photograph! I took this one during my visit to the Washington DC..

The Girl and the Painting

Photo taken at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Painting: Among the Sierra Nevada, California by Alber Bierstadt

Why you should not travel the way a travel-writer would suggest.

2010-03-09T10:43:00.001+05:30

Consider any travel blog (including mine). 9 out of 10 times it will happen that 8 out of 10 blog posts are about doing something which is non-touristy. Its always about going the path not tread before. Doing the different thing. Staying away from traditional tourist spots.

Well, frankly, I don't get it.

Isn't there a reason that most people go to a place they go to? (Let me take a random guess, is it because the place is actually good?) There may be some herd-behavior in tourists, but there is still some collective intelligence involved that I wouldn't want to ignore (not guilty until proven). For example, there's a reason behind why tourists visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC or the Statue of Liberty in New York or the Big Ben in London. Even though these spots may be overcrowded, possibly-over-commercialized with hordes of souvenir shops selling over-priced trinkets, they give you the chance to feel a part of history. The beauty and the charm of the place lies in the fact that it has a tradition (in defense of travel writers, the tradition might be just restricted to attracting hordes of tourists)

Obviously, there's no harm in trying out new places (except that you may not be able to cover the traditionally popular spots), but then.. you can't be guaranteed that you'll get full satisfaction worth your time and money. My guess is, half the times, these new unexplored places are crap, and travel-writers (again, including me) write about these places, in a fashion which pretty much equates calling these places heavenly, just to feel not-so-bad about their own travels :P

I'd definitely recommend googling about the places you visit, even if they are popular tourist spots, there are always little mysteries hidden in corners for you to discover. Plus, if you know what you are looking for, you would be able to vroom through the crowds much faster at these crowded tourist places. And, its fun to feel much more knowledgeable about the place when in the midst of lazy-dumb-tourists! :D

Corny-tourist-places, here I come!
Yes, with my point-and-shoot camera as well, clicking away like Japanese tourists! :)

No, I still do not condone clicking super-tacky-photos like the guy above is taking.

(Above: A couple looking ridiculously funny taking a 'V' symbol photo at the Washington Monument)

A quick update

2010-03-03T23:34:00.000+05:30

I am back in India, had a great time in USA (went to Richmond, DC, Dallas - missed out on NYC! Damn!). There's so much to write about, but before that .. the 316 unread items on my google reader are a scary prospect to work on.. Lets see.. (Maybe I'll utilize the jetlag to my advantage ;-) )

Anyway, this was supposed to be a quick-update-that-you-blink-and-might-miss, and will stay that way. Except that I'll also post one of my favorite photographs from my recent travels. More about this later - though I think its pretty easy to guess the teams! :)

See you soon!

DC :D

2010-02-20T10:15:00.001+05:30

Someone told me.. you should blog while traveling - that would be real travel-blogging.

So, here I am - in Washington DC - at Hostelling International - reached just a couple of hours back.

As it was pretty late when I reached the hostel, I immediately set out for food, walked a few blocks - reached a super-lively place! Guess what, Verizon center. Take another guess, just a little while back, a Wizards match was going on. Not only that, Wizards beat Nuggets (who are second in the Western Conference and beat Cavaliers yesterday)! 107-97! No wonder the crowds outside were super-charged (and almost surprised!)

After facing defeat at the UltraBar (damn the shoes that I forgot to bring), I headed on towards the Chinatown with its majestic chinese arch. American Chinese food (which is probably Chinese Chinese food) is pretty different from Indian Chinese.

By the way, this is what my fortune cookie had to say: You are busy but you are happy. So true! Adios!

p.s. I saw the Washington Monument and the US Capitol building from the train! :-)

I love looking at snow!

2010-02-16T17:39:00.000+05:30

To me, it always looks like someone has decorated the place with snow! :)

Second solo trip : Ahoy?

2010-01-22T15:36:00.000+05:30

As I get ready to go for my second solo trip, which is a longer (4 days this time) but slightly more prepared as well (I have the bus tickets - no accommodation booked or activity planned), I am wondering: Is solo-travel the 'true' form of traveling? Why is there such a big fuss about a person not being a traveler/wanderer/nomad if he hasn't traveled alone? (Note: I don't mind traveling alone!)

There is a certain charm to traveling alone - you definitely talk to a lot more local people, other travelers, strangers, you learn a lot about the place, its heritage, interesting titbits, trivia - the 'personality' of the place. Though you might miss your friends or family, atleast you'll get time to miss them.

Anyway, since nobody really gives a damn about what I philosophize (neither do I - its a waste of time), let me introduce you to the place I'll be traveling to:

Gokarna

In my knowledge, this short description should suffice: Its a place of pilgrimage, equally famous for its lovely beaches and hippie crowds. The most common activity here is to laze around on the beach, drinking beer (or other forms of alcohol one might prefer). A relatively lesser common activity is actually moving around the beach, trekking to the slightly less accessible beaches. I shall be taking with me >=2 number of books with me for company. Staying in a shack on the beach is going to be a fun experience.

You can know more about Gokarna here.
Ofcourse, I'll be writing about it as soon as I get back! :)

p.s. MaGoCa rocks! (Please don't fret about it if you can't figure out what MaGoCa is)

Sunday Postcard: Fluorescent Adolescent

2010-01-17T22:40:00.002+05:30

Jan 11, 2010 : Domlur, Bangalore

The entire main road along Domlur was lighted up with thousands and thousands of lights. One of the guys putting up the lights told me it was for Karnataka Rajyotsav (which I later found is celebrated on 1st of November every year - so, frankly, I have no idea why all the lightings were put up - My guess - some political thing might be going on)

Pic courtesy : Shoban Preeth

Post Title courtesy : Mayank Kachhwaha

My first solo trip : BR Hills - Sensational Scenery and Silent Beauty

2010-01-10T22:10:00.003+05:30

BR Hills - I had absolutely no idea which bus to take when I boarded from Majestic - the Bangalore city bus stand. I accidentally spotted a name I had read and noted in my preparation-page and asked around the (very helpful) drivers, conductors and within a few minutes was on my way to Biligiri Rangaswamy Hills. After Channapatna, I chatted up a fellow passenger, who was a local fellow and a regular traveler on that route. Though he had a few difficulties with speaking English, we had a decent sketchy chat where I cam to know about where I should get down from the bus, where I could stay, where to go around in BR Hills and even where to sit in the bus so that I get a good view of the hills! He even introduced me to the bus conductor Mr. Ramanna, who seemed to be a good friend of my fellow passenger, who later helped me get the accommodation. The language barrier is much stronger in interior of Karnataka, and it can become slightly difficult for tourists to get good bargains. However, Ramanna, having declared me as his friend, did make sure that the only hotel in BR Hills (which had just two rooms) did let me stay without ripping me off, considering the tourist season was at its peak.

After a quick lunch, I set on foot to visit the BR Hills temple. There were two ways about - one via road and one via stairs. Using some logic, I decided that I'll go up via stairs and come down via the road. As I started climbing the hundreds of stairs (or atleas it seemed hundreds!), I wondered why I decided to climb up via stairs. Considering the weight I was carrying, it wasn't the smartest decision. After climbing halfway-up, I did take a photo of the stairs just to prove later that I did climb stairs, but somehow, it doesn't look that high up in the photo. Must be some issue with the camera! ;-)

I did visit Lord Ranganatha's temple, but didn't spend a lot of time there. Just outside the temple, there were two guys wearing some (supposedly) (holy?) tribal dress, and accosting everyone and saying some chant for the accosted. And ofcourse, expected a few rupees in return. I didn't mind giving him Rs 5, but after that, the guy became super-friendly and we talked for 10-15 minutes about the place, the customs there, even places to visit. He also agreed to get photographed!

Clearly, Rs 5 weren't enough to get him to smile :P

Lord Ranganatha Temple

Jut behind the temple, there was a lovely footpath which took you to the other side of the hilltop, with some really breathtaking sceneries. Though I took a lot of photographs there (and almost everybody was doing that too), I later saw that I accidentally caught a very nice photo of a family trying to get their kids to pose for the photo. The funniest thing was that just before the photo was to be taken, one of the kids would always suddenly move away from the camers, just to tease the grownups :-)

On the way downhill, this time via the road, a few more picturesque views.. (If you are reading this on a laptop, for the picture below, try tilting the screen away a little bit, somehow the darker picture looks even more amazing, where you can see each light ray separately - illuminating the scenery)

Just after sunsset, I set for a fresh walk in the other direction and soon realized my mistake - it was getting dark very fast, with almost no streetlights. Somebody called out to me, and enquired what the heck was I doing outside that late at night (it was just 6 pm) in the middle of the jungle - where tigers, bears walk freely at night. It turned out that this strict guy was actually a Forest Office and knew what he was talking about. As we got talking, I came to know he was from Agra/Delhi and we had a good long chat in Hindi, about everything from what I was doing in Bangalore to his kids to safari in BR Hills. After a few more minutes, the Forest Officer Singh said I was like a brother to him and told me I could always refer his name in the area to get some leverage, and contact him if I ever came back to BR Hills. I was touched.

Later, after dinner, there was a power cut at the hotel. Now, something about this 'hotel' : It was essentially a very small restaurant with two rooms on the upper floor, of which I had taken one room. The hotel was located on the main road, but there was absolutely nothing - not even street lights - on either side. So, when there was a power cut, I had nothing to do inside the room, I took a chair outside the room, and just sat there, looking at the silent jungle all around, the single lamp which was lit using a small generator - probably the only light source for miles around. It was very dark, very silent except for the sound of cricket and random bursts of jungle sounds. I felt like life was slowing down to a pace where one can relax, without any worries, any tension. I took this pic - with an aperture time of 15 seconds (so, imagine how dark it would have been out there!) - all the while holding the camera in my hand.

The photo is slightly blurred, but what you see are my feet perched up on the terrace, overlooking the road and the jungle.

The next morning, I woke up at 5, got ready and was off to Mysore by the 6.30 am bus to Bangalore.

Sunday Postcard: Kullu-Manali, India

2010-01-10T11:50:00.001+05:30

Confluence of rivers Beas and Parvati, near Bhuntar, Himachal Pradesh

I got a chance to take the photograph of the Sangam of these two (probably) sacred rivers - Beas and Parvati, on my way to Manikaran from Manali. Not only the colour difference between the two rivers is enchanting, but also the way there's an almost straight line of colour gradient at the place where the rivers meet. Does that mean that the speed of water of the two rivers is very similar?

The best part is that the bridge that crosses the combined Beas river is just over the confluence, that you get a chance to stop your vehicle, and have a minute to yourself to admire the beauty of nature. This bridge is very close to Bhuntar airport, set in a deep valley whose peaks are thousands of feet higher than the runway, an easy way to reach Kullu-Manali from Delhi.

My first solo trip : underprepared is an understatement

2010-01-06T08:52:00.001+05:30

I went for my first solo-trip two weeks back, to BR Hills and Mysore. I hadn't had any time to prepare for the trip, not even look at the wiki links that I have provided above.

So, just 15 minutes before taking off from home, I jotted down some random names and points from the internet on a page of paper to 'guide' me in my travels. Clearly, as you can see below, the list was exhaustive, well-prepared and had the ability to challenge any guide book in its level of detail and explanation:

Now, you know why we call the place BR Hills instead of its full name.

Nevertheless, the trip was awesome! I didn't mind traveling solo at all. Though there were a few learnings, especially in the context of how travel isn't designed in India for solo travelers, I still loved the places and the freedom I had to go wherever I wanted. :)

Probably God also shone light on me for success in my travels.. :P

En route to the temple at BR Hills

More stories and pics from this trip coming soon..

Sunday Postcard: Masinagudi forest, India

2010-01-03T14:06:00.000+05:30

Bonfire in the middle of the jungle in Masinagudi, near Mudumalai National Park

We had barbecued chicken as well! :D

Sunday Postcard: Srirangapattana (near Mysore), India

2009-12-28T09:44:00.001+05:30

Beautifully carved ebony door, inlaid with ivory - at the tomb of Tipu Sultan

This is a photo from my first solo trip, from which I returned a few hours back (you'll be hearing a lot more about it very soon!). This beautiful craftsmanship was on the door on the mausoleum where the durgah (tomb) of Tipu Sultan is housed. Tipu Sultan, also known as Tiger of Mysore, based his capital at Srirangapattana, about 19 km from Mysore. Note the tiger strips on the right edge, these represent Tipu, and are found on the inner walls of the mausoleum.

Christmas in Bangalore!

2009-12-25T23:23:00.001+05:30

Q : What happens to the busiest street in Bangalore when its Christmas?

Ans : Brigade Road becomes even more livelier, is lighted up, and even more full of people.

Note: The narrator would be me, but clearly, its difficult to voice your opinions in the chaos there! Anyway, I hope you like it :)

p.s. Look at the little kids at 0:24

Mesmeric Maheshwar

2009-12-25T16:40:00.000+05:30

Now that I realize I am already 10 days late in writing this article, I thought.. well, Christmas might not be a bad time to get it done. So, here's for you.. Maheshwar!

Maheshwar is a quaint little town on the north bank of river Narmada, about 90 kms from Indore (which happens to be my hometown). The town served as the capital of Ahilya devi Holkar, the rule of state of Indore in eighteenth century. Its home to her palace, numerous temples, a fort and the riverghat - the reasons most tourist visit Maheshwar.

Long back, we had got the recommendation to visit Maheshwar, but this time someone suggested to visit it in early morning or late evening. We decided to first go in evening, preceded by lunch at the 'Chhappan Dukaan' (translated as: 56 shops) in Indore which is famous for its rows of shops with street food. After gorging on tempting 'Khopra Patties' and rolls and frankies and kulfis, we finally left for Maheshwar. It was already 3 pm by the time we started, and were afraid that the fort might get closed. Fortunately for us, as we found out when we reached Maheshwar, there is no closing time for fort, and even better - we reached just before sunset. Giving me the best opportunity to click photographs (and as a result bugging my mom, sis coz I kept trailing behind).

Oh, btw, in case I mention to forget, Maheshwar is famous for its rich handloom fabric traditions and you will find colourful sarees with the most distinctive designs here. You can also visit a handloom factory and see actual weaving in place.

The handloom museum was closed by the time we reached, and we moved on towards the fort and the temples it houses.
Beautiful sculptures adorned the fort with its massive archways (my previous post), as we saw a squirrel dance away between the windows and arches and idols on the fort.

We skipped the temple, preferring instead to go for the river cruise. The river-ghat was surprisingly not crowded at all. I was expecting huge throngs of people waiting at the temple, bathing in the river, but the river embankment was almost empty. A few families were strolling, enjoying the light breeze. The river cruise beckoned us. It wasn't the traditional cruise that you would be expecting. I think the boat's called a Shikara, traditionally hand-rowed. The one we climbed into was motor-driven though and charged us just Rs 30 per person. It took us to a small temple, right in the middle of the river! Towards the east, the river extended towards infinity, and towards the west, the evening sun was just setting and the sky was full of enchanting palette of colours - all the way from light blue to orange red.

On the cruise, we met a local couple who told us about the temple and its history. The 'Paaneshwari' temple in the middle of the river has its origins from a story about Ravana the demon and the local king who fought a battle on the river. The local king wass able to defeat the demon king and keep him catured inside the river for 6 months, because of which the river also diverged and branched out at many places. This reminds me, another point to remember, do not trust the tourist guides you might find or be pestered by when you enter Maheshwar. They not only overcharge, but are also discourteous, and instead, if you want to know more about any place, the local people would be more than happy to help.

After the cruise, we splashed around a bit in the water, strolled a bit more, and took more photographs. The breeze was refreshening, the atmosphere calm and serene. A few women were praying and floating away small lamps into the river, creating a bit of a hazy magical feeling about the whole place.

Sunday Postcard: Maheshwar, India

2009-12-20T22:33:00.000+05:30

Fort-cum-temple at Maheshwar overlooking river Narmada

I took this photo during my recent visit to Maheshwar (90 kms from Indore, in Madhya Pradesh). The photo not only captures the carvings on the arch of the gate of the fort on the banks (ghats) of the river Narmada, but also the tranquil mood of the place - a teenager talking on phone, a mother with her baby looking out towards the river - probably waiting for her husband, two guys sitting on the steps - just enjoying the gentle breeze in the serene evening, and my sister looking back at me, waiting for me to catch up as I keep pausing to take photographs.

Sunday Postcard: Loch Ness, Scotland

2009-12-13T11:03:00.000+05:30

Caledonian Canal, Fort Augustus, Scotland

The Caledonian Canal connects Scottish east-coast at Inverness to the Scottish west-coast at Fort William connecting four major lakes (or 'Lochs') which are part of the Great Glen. The above picture was taken near Fort Augustus where the canal feeds into the Loch Ness. The canal is also famous for its series of dramatic locks which add to the picturesque beauty of the place.

Duck Race in Bath (UK)

2009-12-11T23:06:00.000+05:30

I wasn't aware of the concept of Bank Holiday before I reached UK, and it was on my first Monday in Bath. Anyway, a surprise holiday is always welcome *grin* and I went down to the main town for a shopping expedition when I came across this exciting race happening at the Pulteney Bridge.

I'll try to capture the event in a few pictures..

A thousant (rubber) ducks were released into the river Avon at the Pulteney Weir

Oh, wait a second, Duck no. 768 was disqualified for doping charges!

All the ducks move towards the side rail (Just like - in a long race, runners move towards the inner track). Also, ofcourse, there is less turbulence and a steady speed is easier to achieve!

Some of the early leaders!

The commentator (and the referee)

I am half-inclined to believe he cheated! :P

And the race continues.. Every duck is trying sooo hard!

Very close to the finish line on North Parade Bridge! Duck no. 475 clearly won!! There was a close contest for the second place though!

This annual event is held to raise money for WaterAid is organised with the help of University of Bath Students' Union. Anyone can buy a duck for 2 pounds, and cheer their duck towards the finish line.

In-flight entertainment

2009-12-07T09:45:00.000+05:30

In my opinion, there are two things one should always keep while traveling:

1. Camera
2. A Book (more than one won't hurt though :) )

These not only help capture some beautiful moments, staying away from boredom, and even forging friendships on the way! ;-)

No photoshop here! The double-glass windows of the plane caused a very natural merging of the airport outside and the camera's reflection

'The Great Railway Bazaar' by Paul Theroux

-- Note: I also had with me 'Neither here Nor there' by Bill Bryson :) --

Tequila Sunrise

2009-11-29T20:03:00.001+05:30

I got the inspiration for this post when this Eagles song played on a friend's car's music system. I recalled the beautiful sunrises that I've seen till now - from Bombay to Bath to Bangalore.. I've witnessed some very spectacular ones.

The only negative thing about a sunrise is that one has to wake up really early, which can be painful at times, with the pain aggravated if the number of tourists crowding at the place is very large. I remember one of those times, it was at the Tiger Hill in Darjeeling, famous for just the view at sunrise, that I had to wake up despite the super-suhavna (pleasant) weather which entices you to switch off the damn alarm and to go back to sleep. Nevertheless, I did wake up that day, to see fog all around, and the driver promised that the fog usually clears before the sunrise. When we reached the place, the fog was still there, the air was very chilly - the cold biting, and the hilltop looked like the general coach of the Virar fast at rush hour. There were people everywhere. Every-damn-where. And the worst part, the cloud-cover didn't disappear until it made sure that we miss the sunrise completely. The only ones who must have been happy that morning were the chaay-wallas (tea-vendors), who seemed like god-sent angels to save sleepy tourists from sleep, cold and frustration.

Nevertheless, here are a few of the beautiful sunrises that I've been able to capture in my camera (Each has a separate story that goes along with it, but about that, maybe some other day). Enjoy! :)

Golf Course, Bath, UK
A general stroll around the university campus on the day we were shifting hostels.

Vihar Lake, Powai, Mumbai, India
I and Anupom went for a walk to the hill-side in IIT and beyond..

Beach Road, Pondicherry (Puducherry), India
Fishing starts early in the day, when the seas are calm, and the catch plenty..

Beach Road, Pondicherry (Puducherry), India
A photographer lost in the beauty of sea of colours in the sky, captured in another photo..

Skandhgiri Hill, Near Bangalore, India
After a 2-3 hour long night trek, enthusiasts wait for sunrise as the skies turn into an unbelievable palette of colours and shades ..

Skandhgiri Hill, Near Bangalore, India
As the sun rises in full glory, it almost looks like its sinking into the darkness leaving a trail of golden light and warmth behind..

Walk of Life!

2009-11-25T23:20:00.001+05:30

I was almost going to make this blog entry as just a picture post.. because its so difficult to 'describe' music. But then, that's the thing about music, it is too good to get away with a shabby post! :P

Last Saturday, I went to a place called 'Java City' on Churchstreet. This place has a band playing live music every weekend. What is great about this band is that they are not a bunch of 20-year olds who have nothing better to do in life, but rather people (much older than I am, and probably have different jobs on weekdays) who play music because they love music. (The drummer, who is a very fine drummer by the way, even has grandchildren).

They usually play jazz, blues, light rock here, some very refreshing music. Some of the songs they played this time that I can recall - 'Yesterday', 'Johnny B. Goode', 'Black Magic Woman', and 'Walk of Life'.

And did I mention, Java City is actually a very nice cafe as well (though I guess most of its crowd comes for the music) and you get very good hot chocolate and cold coffee here (these are the two beverages I've tried till now, and they are Abhijit-certified now). And very good chicken lasagne as well. :D

So, if you are in Bangalore on a weekend evening, head over to Java City and taste the joy of live music, good coffee and the adventure, that life is.

Life, as it goes by.

2009-11-23T02:25:00.002+05:30

As I was on way back home, I had an urge to have Pani-Puris when I saw a small pani puri stand in front of the Manipal Hospital. Pani puri, also known as Gol Gappa or Phuchka in different parts of the country, is a popular street snack which comprises a round, hollow 'puri', fried crisp and filled with a mixture of water, tamarind, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion and chickpeas (Description courtesy wiki)

I asked for a plate, which usually has 7 or 8 pieces, at the cot of 10 bucks. I asked him if he had 'meetha' as well. That question basically meant if he had another water mixture which is sweet (which by the way, when mixed with the spicy ones, tastes awesome). He told me that there's no demand on Sunday. I assumed that there's not much demand for pani-puris on the weekend, but jokingly asked him if on Sundays, the demand was low for pani puris or for the sweet mixture. Surprisingly, his answer was the latter. Puzzled, I wondered why that might be the case. His answer was straightforward - "Aaj saare customer daaru wale hote hain na" (Translated as: Today (i.e. on a Sunday), all the customers are drunks, who prefer the spicy version). The pani-puri walla also added that he had brought a full 2 kg of spices for the day, and it was all used up.

As I asked for another plate, we talked about the number of plates he usually sells, how it varies between weekdays and weekends. The usual business, the crowds, and the life, in general. He also told me that he's from Uttar Pradesh (to be precise - actually a place near Jhaansi).

Satisfied with the tasty spicy pani-puris, I paid my dues to him. Amid darkening skies and reflecting lights, as the traffic whizzed by, he continued to dole out more pani-puris to customers, some in pairs, some alone, all waiting for their turns at the flimsy pani-puri stand.

As I write this, I realize, I forgot to ask him his name.

Bath Skyline Walk

2009-11-17T02:28:00.005+05:30

It all started with the idea of going for a walk. This mostly happens when you are clumsy enough not to book tickets and make plans for 'nice' places, and you feel suffocated staying at your lodge because its a weekend. So, we decided to go for a walk.

Luckily for us, one of our friends in the university had suggested us to go for the 'Bath Skyline Walk'. And surprisingly, we even found a map for the path or trail of the walk on the net. So, we started.

We started from right behind the Eastwood hostels, crossed a rough patch and arrived on beautiful looking greens... And a few sand traps as well. Bells ringing.. ummm.. it seemed familiar. Just as we reached for the printout of the map, we saw a small flagpost as well.

That's when we realized, there was a huge beautiful golf course right behind the university! It extended as far as we could see, and the lush green (I know we are not allowed to walk on the greenest part). Since the university located on a hill, the golf course also provided an amazing view of the entire area. Awesome!

Thankfully, nobody was actually playing golf at that time. It was not the best idea to walk right across the course, as we later came to know.

We walked along the edge of the golfcourse and finally reached what we called as the first checkpoint. The Sham Castle, apparently an iron age castle. I may just be using my creativity here, but looking at the enormity and the magnificence of the castle, it is very likely that some bored Indian tourist (who has seen the likes of Red Fort, Delhi) must have given it the name 'the sham castle'. Or rather, a sham in the name of a castles.

What you see here.. IS the castle. Thats all of it. No illusions. And if you were wondering, yes, its actually possible for a 6 foot tall guy to climb it up. Though, what I fail to understand is, if this is the castle, what were they trying to protect 'around' which they built the castle.
Clearly, the English must have different ideas about building a castle (the last assumption is obviously wrong as they do have some real good big castles).

Moving on, we crossed a couple of high-traffic roads as we headed towards the 'Prior Park', a National Trust establishment. The guys there did probably con us into buying year-long membership for the National Trust since a 'lot' of 'great' places come under National Trust and we would be exempt from entrance fees. Which turned out be, well, slightly incorrect.

Anyway, after crossing some construction going on in the park, all the while cussing the guy at the entrance, who didn't let us enter for free, we reached a boarding school that looked like a palace. That's the thing about foreign architecture. Everything looks palatial. Then, we finally reached the main attraction of the park. It was a beautiful little bridge across a small lake, a 'palladian' bridge (one of only 4 left in the world). It is so nicely set that, somehow, it gives the feeling of, sitting down, relaxing and writing a poem or something like that. (We later came to know that the park was designed by the poet Alexander Pope).

It is not often that you can just sit at a place, look over towards the horizon, see the beauty of nature and human architecture, in harmony, and feel at peace with life. Well, we felt that way that day. Bliss! :-)

Oh yeah, lest I forget to mention, after the long walk, steep climbs and walks through muddy forest trails, we did realize one thing. We forgot to pack a lunch for ourselves.

A stroll down Bridge St

2009-11-15T17:50:00.004+05:30

We had talked about faint recollections from the novel about Newton's grave being there. But when we reached the place, the Abbey was already closed for tourists. Anyway, if you have a new camera, you never miss a chance to take a lot of pics. From every possible angle. Thinking that this might come out to be that wonderful photograph that would one day find a place in some famous magazine. When the truth is that, what we really want to capture is the mood of the moment - the touristy hustle-bustle, the evening cacophony of birds and the general sense of admiration with the Big Ben right in front of you.

We moved closer to the giant clock. Eager to take more pics. However, it's not an easy task to capture the complete monument along with an obstruction in front (you). Its just too tall and there is too less space to bring it all in a single frame. And don't forget the fact that you'll be almost swept away with the tide of crowds moving towards the banks.

(Oh, by the way, did I mention that 10 Downing Street was just down the road. But didn't look like they were interested in inviting tourists over for a jolly walk)

After completing the photo-shoot in front of Big Ben, we moved on down the street. And that's when we got a view of the river Thames. Calm and smooth in its flow, the magnificient river was lined with a string of bridges, a horde of cruise boats, and even an untrained eye would not miss the giant ferris wheel adorning the beautiful London skyline.