Category: India
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Unexpectedly Awesome Places in India #2: Mysore Lakes
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It is odd that this blog of mine hardly has anything about Mysore, considering that it was my favourite city to visit for years… so it is only fitting to write about it now in my Unexpectedly Awesome place series. In the first post I wrote about the Western Ghats and here I will write about the…
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Unexpectedly Awesome places in India #1: Western Ghats
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It is fascinating to visit a place and find it unexpectedly awesome! Old thoughts, old expectations, understanding of the land, all get questioned. A new respect and appreciation for beauty grows in my heart every time I come across such a place. So here is a series of posts on the lesser known places which…
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Varanasi Calling…
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Lately my heart is turning to Varanasi – that crazy, crazy city! I am cooking up plans to visit it again, just to have my thoughts clash about all the various trips I plan to make. It is a common dilemma I think, of travelers who aren’t on the road indefinitely. Don’t get me wrong…
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Solo Travel & My Extended Indian Family #2
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Earlier I wrote about How I manage solo traveling with happy parents. Parents typically tend to be worry warts regards their off-springs, especially their single child. Such is the case with my parents too. So a combination of assuring explanations and spending time helps keep them calm and satisfied. I am also in touch with…
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Travelogue: My Kumbh Mela Story @ Trimbakeshwar, Nashik
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The 3 lovely days I spent at the Kumbh Mela in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik were a truly unique experience. I was thinking of going with a few friends but they were busy with some work, so went on my own. Usually I travel solo but for the Kumbh Mela I was a bit concerned. Not concerned…
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Solo at the Kumbh Mela – Notes for a Wonderful Experience
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Planning to be solo at the Kumbh Mela can be a daunting task for many as it conjures up images of huge crowds, religious frenzy and a truly eclectic bunch of people from rural folks to ash smeared sadhus. I was hesitant at first, but I really enjoyed my 3 solo days at the Kumbh…
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Woman Solo Travel needs to become Commonplace, not a “Trend” #India
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Solo traveling has now become a trend. While there are some serious solo women sharing their travel experiences, there is also a lot of frivolity. I started solo traveling over 5 years back and now hardly see it as such a big challenge. It is like in the 1980s “working women” were a trend, now…
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Guide to Matheran – Asia’s only vehicle-free hill station #Mumbai
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For Mumbai-kars Matheran is a household word. At home, the talk of a short getaway from Mumbai usually starts with Lonavala or Matheran. So when my family decides to go to Matheran during a long weekend this Summer, I was quite skeptical. I presumed there would be crowds and I wasn’t sure it would really…
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Srirangapatna – the Fort Town & Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Karnataka
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Re-looking at our history is one of the things I love about traveling. So many little nuances of places strike you when you are actually there. Like I may not have imagined the pride of the Hoysala kingdom without going to the Belur & Halebeedu temples. Imagine finding ruins of Kishkindha from Ramayana stories in…
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A Quick Jaunt to Chikmagalur, Coffee Land of Karnataka
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To whomever I mentioned “I went to Chikmagalur”, they all had heard of it before. Could be the Coffee, as Chikamaglur is often known as the Coffee land of Karnataka. My first impressions of this town was – small, quaint and spacious. Broad roads (as per India), small 2-3 story buildings and beyond these buildings I…
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Solo in Uttar Pradesh: Vrindavan – Agra – Varanasi
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You may recall I had earlier written about how the hospitality and caring culture of Himachal Pradesh SHOCKED me. It was my first experience of random strangers going completely out of their way to help and make me – solo on the road – feel at home! I am remembering that experience as I write this…
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Woman Solo Travel & the Indian Family #1
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How did you get your parents to allow you?? – A lot of women and men too, have asked me this question when they realize that I am solo traveling. For a lot of Indian parents, the idea of their daughter traveling solo is bizarre and fraught with danger. Here I share with you my…
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Take a visual tour of the Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, Rajasthan
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Had a great time roaming around in the Hawa Mahal of Jaipur. I spent practically the whole afternoon there (which explains why I have a whole bucketlist of places left to visit) . I took the audio guide. When it is well made I really enjoy the audio guides in India. I listen to it…
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Udupi & the nearby Malpe Beach of Tulu Land, Karnataka
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If you are aware of the South Indian cuisine restaurants present everywhere in India, then Udupi would be synonymous with them, BUT If you have travelled there, then like me… when you hear Udupi, you would think of Krishna temples, Malpe beach and what not. I travelled there a while back and then wrote very…
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13 Photos of Maharashtra Backwaters to Blow your Mind – Parule, Konkan
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This year started with a very memorable travel adventure to the backwaters of Maharashtra, a town called Parule. The dearth of information online about this place had already intrigued me. Finally, I felt, I was on my way to discover some truly unknown and offbeat places. The fact that the place turned out to be so…
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Ponk Stop at Surat [an Indian Foods Photo Series]
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Come Winter, Gujarat bursts with all sorts of delicacies. Papdi, Undhiyu, Soonth Gol, Saalam Pak, Adadiyu and what not. Ponk is one of these delicacies. Written as પોંક in Gujarati, it is pronounced as “soak” but with P “Poak” Different regions of Gujarat have their own Winter specialities. Ponk is a speciality of Surat. It…
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Manikarnika, The Burning Ghat – Varanasi
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Having become Time itself, I destroy the world here, O Goddess! ~Shiva, Padma Purana 1.33.14 As I said Varanasi has been one of the most intriguing trips I have made. Never have I felt a city so full of going ons. Just inane, often crazy, some brilliant, other bizarre going ons. Just going on. Like…
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A few Photos from Varanasi
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He must be made of stone whose mind does not melt at the sigh of Kashi and its Lord! ~Swami Vivekananda I wrote a lot in the last blog post on Varanasi… mostly my overall shock with the ambiance of the place hehe So opting for a more wordless version this time…. A few photos from…
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Kashi, Varanasi, Banaras – It’s All Crazy!
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She Said: “You have been to Kashi, how was it?” He Said: “It’s just like any other dusty Indian town” I have been officially solo traveling since March 2009. There were other trips I made much earlier where I was predominantly solo exploring….but today, a week after returning from Varanasi I consider this trip a…
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Hadimba & Ghatochkach Temple – Manali, Himachal Pradesh
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Temples in Himachal were a surprise to me as they were not the usual Hindu temples of Shiva or Vishnu – Krishna/Rama or Hanuman I am used to. This where I first saw Shani Dev temples very common place. Dark black idols often women not allowed within the sanctum sanctorum – Shani dev. In Manali…
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Anegundi – A Photologue & the search for Kishkindha
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Continuing from the last post where I wrote about my adventures in Hampi – I took a moped and rode off to a village called Anegundi to check out some Kishkindha ruins from the time of Ramayana! Anegundi was a surprise. I entered this village chowk on a sultry afternoon with just a few people around.…
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Brahma temple #Pushkar Rajasthan
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Being one of the only Brahma temples around the world is very intriguing as it is, but that is not all that is unique to this temple! The whole story that led to Brahma – one of the three main deities of Hinduism, not being worshiped in the world also has its roots in Pushkar!…
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Jaipur – BucketList for Next Visit
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Third day at Jaipur and now I will be pushing off to another nearby destination. It has been an interesting 3 days and this city has lots to be explored! I have poignantly realized that my travel style is slow, relaxed and I just like taking my time with things… I spent a few hours…
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Anegundi – The Ruins of Kishkindha, Ramayana #Hampi
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I spent 3 days in Hampi. 1 and half day I spent working on my laptop. All the hotels there have wifi. They have to, because neither Tata Photon nor Vodafone have connectivity. Its a heritage place and so the government hasn’t allowed any mobile towers there. I was wondering what to explore when I…
