God's Own Country

A trip to God's own country was something I had been planning for a long time. We booked our flight tickets to Trivandrum through the Indian Airlines. As we could not get a direct flight, we booked a ticket to Chennai and from there we had to catch another flight to Trivandrum. It was quite a humourous journey, as the Indian Airlines flight kept shaking at higher altitudes and made weird noises in the middle. We kept making fun saying 'if this continues then we would reach straight to God instead of God's Own Country'. Thanks to our Indian Airlines on time landing, we missed our flight to Chennai. We were outraged with Indian Airlines(f*** it). So much for months of planning.We didn't want to miss it this time and immediately booked a ticket through Paramount Airways. It was such an awesome journey compared to our previous one, the food was out of the world and the inflight service was outstanding.



We finally landed in Trivandrum Airport. We were amazed to see the airport so empty, as it was calm and peaceful compared to other noisy airports that we've seen. The fun started from here as there is no city traffic to bother you. Trivandrum looks beautiful and gives the feeling as if you are in a wonderland. The Coconut trees, the fresh air and nice pathways welcome you to God's Own Country.


The place is famous for its inflow of Foreign tourists and you get the proof of it when you check the prices for accomodation which are in Dollars and Euros. We took a taxi to our destination 'The Surya Samudra Beach Resort' at Kovalam. When we searched online for some good accomodation we found that there are many resorts at Kovalam where you can spend a nice weekend and that too at reasonable rates.



The Surya Samudra Beach Resort lived upto its expectation. The place has private cottages and a nice swimming pool facing the Sea.



You can relax by the pool, and sit there for hours gazing at the Sea. The environment is so refreshing, that it calms your soul and makes you feel relaxed.
Sea View From the Pool

The resort also has an ayurvedic massage center. The massage is done using special oils which are aimed at removing all your body pains. After the full body massage you feel your body has become stronger and you feel like dancing all the time. I guess this is what makes Kerala sp
ecial than other holiday destinations.


Kanyakumari is just 80 Kms away from here, we hired bikes to go there but could not make it, as it was heavily raining that day. The beach at Kovalam has a light house and has an array of restaurants and shops beside the sea. We went to a restaurant called 'Fusion', which offers a variety of sea food to choose from. The food is delicious and combined with a sea view it really rejuvenates you. Light House Beach At Kovalam


Alas such a wonderful trip had to come to an end, we packed our bags not wanting to leave the place. We thought a four day trip to such a nice place is like doing injustice to it. Maybe a 10 day trip would have been ideal.

Pondering What Next...

Its been almost a month since I have returned from my US trip. But today when i look back I think that I could have done so many things which I wanted to, but could not because of such a hectic life. Life is moving in such a fast lane that you hardly get time to stop by and think what's been happening with it. Then suddenly one day you realize that maybe you could have taken it a little easy and had some more time for yourself.


Its not as if though I am complaining because at the end of the day its my fault. Maybe I could have had some more time if i could I have taken it a little easy in my job. We are so ambitious in life, that we want to achieve so many things in so less a time. Then one fine day you might ponder that what have i done. Life was welcoming me with both its arms, but I rejected the offer and now I have nowhere to go. Lets hope atleast now I get some more time for myself and ponder what next.....

In the City of Skyscrapers

This is not the first time that such a thing has happened to me. Many of such incidents in my life have happened even before I can realize whats happening, and I have been left with little or no time to decide on its future course. My manager called me up early on friday morning to tell me that I would have to travel to New York the next day for an onsite project. Though I was left with little time to shop, I managed to do a good job in setting up things for myself. My parents were more than happy and I was all set to fly.


The Emirates flight to New York, was of a very long duration. Luckily I had many movies to pass my time in the flight. One among them which I saw was 'Music and Lyrics' starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. Though I liked Drew Barrymore I was never a big fan of Hugh Grant. I came to know through this movie that he is a very good actor. The movie is about two people, one whose passionate about singing and the other about writing songs. Though it had a simple story but made for great viewing.

Finally after 24 hours I landed in JFK International Airport in New York.After all the immigration formalities I got out and took a cab to downtown Manhattan towards Embassy Suites which would be my place of stay for a week. The first impression of this beutiful city was so lasting that I could not take my eyes of it. It was so well organized that you could almost feel as if you were in a paradise. Cars zoomed passed me and I began to feel as if I was a part of some Formula 1 Grand Prix.

As I neared my destination I got the first glimpses of the Skyscrapers and I came to knew how the city got its famous nickname. The JFK Airport is in the outskirts, so it took me around 45 min to reach my hotel.

My office is in World Financial Center which is just beside World Trade Center now known as 'Ground Zero' after the infamous attack on it.



I could view the 'Statue of Liberty from my office and it looked awesome from a distance. It stood mighty and tall in the Hudson River, which separates New York from New Jersey.

New York is a quintessential cosmopolitan city, which is home to all kinds of people. You can find a mix of Americans, Indians, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Scots etc. The first impression that you get of this city is that of one which is quite busy and boring. But slowly as weekend approaches you see how active the city becomes especially during evenings. It is house to a plethora of restaurants which can satisfy the appetite of the remotest traveller. You can try all kinds of cuisines especially mexican,japanese, italian, indian, chinese and never get bored.




The first weekend I went to Times Square located at the 42nd street. It is a good place to hang out especially during the weekends. It has some of the biggest malls located in New York where you can shop around for hours.

The busy TIMES SQUARE Street

If you get bored you can have a look at Madame Tussauds which houses the Wax Replicas of famous personalities and celebrities the world over. It is worth a watch if you are interested in learning more about celebrities lives. You can also find NASDAQ, the famous New York stock exchange.

MADAME TUSSAUDS

New York also has its fair share of parks and museums which can keep you busy all day. In the 34th street you can find the Empire State Building. Its the tallest building in New York City. From the top you get a bird's eye view of the entire city.
View of New York City from Empire State

On one side you can find the Brooklyn Bridge and just beside that in the Hudson river you can view the statue of liberty.



The Empire State building is one thing that you cannot miss when you visit New York City. You wont have any problems travelling wihin the city as it is well connected through trains and buses. To describe about New York in just one blog will not do justice to it, more about it probably in my next blog.

My Coorg Trip

Its not often that I get a chance to travel, but whenever I do I make the most of it. A trip to Coorg, which is a small hill station near the border of Karnataka was a long cherished dream for me. I had started planning for it almost a year ago and was very excited when I knew that I was getting a chance after such a longtime.


Me and my colleagues finally decided to give it a shot and booked the bus tickets to Bangalore. We hired a cab from Bangalore and started our journey to Coorg which is around 250 Kms from Bangalore. After juggling for an hour and a half in the Bangalore traffic we finally hit the highway towards Mysore.It is a four lane road with some beautiful landscapes enroute to Mysore.On this highway you can also view the place where the famous movie 'Sholay' was shot.


Withing 2 hours we reached Srirangapatnam which was once the capital city of Mysore during the reign of the Great Tippu Sultan also known as the 'Tiger of Mysore'. It was great to know about the history of the city which once housed the famous Tippu Sultan who was a terror for the British rulers during his period. After some quick snaps we resumed our journey and took a bypass road after Srirangapatnam towards Hunsur. Coorg is roughly 125kms from Hunsur. There is a Bird Sanctuary near Hunsur which is a delight for bird watchers. As we did not have enough time we decided to give it a skip and move on.


Now started the journey through some of the most beautiful forests in South India and became more exquisite as we neared our destination.We had booked a house(which is amidst a coffee plantation) for our stay which is near a place called Suntikoppa and is about 20Kms prior to Coorg. It is called the 'Hilly Side Estate' which is owned by a gentleman called Anirudh Tammanna who lives in Bangalore.



It was around 8PM by the time we reached there. We were astonished at the calmness of the place as it was totally cut off and free from the chaos of a city environment. After quickly refreshing ourselves we sat down for a camp fire. As we were very tired from our journey we decided to go to bed early.


The next morning when we woke up we were startled to find that we were in nature's bed, as we could not admire the beauty surrounding our estate in the dark the previous night.

THE WAY THAT LEADS TO THE ESTATE

We quickly decided to go for a trek and after a cup of tea we were on our way. The estate houses some of the rare flora with plenty of trees and lots of greenery around.


The place is beside a flowing river and presents some of the most wondersful spots for trekking.


You can trek upto 10Km, which will take you on top of a mountain which is the second highest peak in Coorg.


After nearly 3 hours of trekking and about a 1000 snaps we were back to the estate. We had a nice traditional Coorgi breakfast and now we were ready to explore Coorg.


We started for the town of Madikeri which once used to be the capital city of the Kodagu people, who were the first people to set foot in the hills of Madikeri. We decided to go Tala Cauvery which is about 50Kms from Madikeri and has a temple of Lord Shiva from where the river cauvery flows.After a quick visit and a brief stop for lunch we were back in Madikeri.There is a beautiful waterfall called 'Abby Falls' which is about 10 km from Madikeri. The right time to visit this waterfall is from August to November when the river Cauvery is in full flow after the monsoon outburst.


Our next stop was the 'Raja's seat', according to popular belief the then King of Kodagu used to sit here and view the Sunset from here. The Raja's Seat presents with a bird's view of the entire Coorg, full of mountains and lots of greenery.

VIEW FROM RAJA'S SEAT

By around 9 PM we were back to our estate and sat down for a bottle of beer near the camp fire. The calmness of the place was so soothing that we thought it was better if we extended our leave. The estate has 2 bedrooms, a living room, a dining hall and a kitchen enough for about 4 to 6 people to stay comfortably.

The next day we decided to go to the Dubare Forest Camp which is near Kushalnagar and owned by the 'Jungle Lodges and Resorts'.

DUBARE FOREST CAMP



It has facilities for Kayaking and Elephant riding. Our next stop was Nishargadham. There is not much to see here except for a deer park and boat riding.

There is a famous Tibetan Monastery near Nishargadham and we stopped by for a brief visit. The arhictecture of the monastery was amazing as it was made of Silver with a gold plating on top of it.


We planned to go back to the estate and go for a trek again. It was about to rain by the time we reached the estate and a perfect time for a trek. Time stood still as we sat down by the river side and lightning struck the sky.




The next day we packed our bags with a heavy heart and vowed that we will be back soon hopefully to explore the other side of Coorg this time.