The Unexpected Andhra Pradesh: 11th March 2011

On 11th Mar we left home at 5.30 pm for BTM water tank and boarded the Kesineni pick up coach. This coach collects all travellers to AP from across the city and transports them to Kalasipalyam to hop on to the sleeper coach. The sleeper coach consists of a bus of about 36 sleepers, 4 in each coupe. The sleeper is just right for a short person like me but a taller person like Gurunath uncle find it difficult to move in and out of the bunker. The bus started from BTM at 6.30 am and reached Kukatpally at 6.30 am after a rocking ride.

As usual before I began this road trip I had done my homework thoroughly. Booked the best suites in APTDC resorts, hired an a/c India Vista for 2500 kms/10 days and we were set for making memories a many. 

On the agenda was spending 2 days at Sunil Kulkarni's home along with Gurunath Kulkarni and then moving on to the road trip starting with Hyderabad - Warangal - Bhadrachalam - Rajahmundhry - Vizag - back to Hyderabad. Follow me on as we discover The Unexpected Andhra Pradesh...

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South Canara Temple Tour @ Rs. 1.36 per km

Day 1 : Nov 8, 2007

Just before Diwali at work they declared a compensatory holiday for the entire organization. I had already planned my other vacation with family and friends and here I was with 4 holidays at hand. I decide to go on a short tour, my criteria, it had to be cheap and only for 4-5 day . I checked with KSTDC and decided to take their South Canara Temple Tour.

Well once I had done a 5 day tour of north Karnataka with them about 2 years ago. The places covered were amazing but the stay at Bijapur had left a bad impression. So this time I just prepared myself for bad hotels and a smelly coach and made the reservations saying to myself this is an unplanned tour so I need not expect much.

This tour starts on every thrusday from Badami house, Blr. at 9.00 pm. As usual we reached early. My first surprise was the new coaches. They had better build more space and more leg room. Also since it had not rained the coaches smelt fresh. It helps to expect less I said to myself especially for the price we pay. Infact during my last trip with them I had suggested that they should offer luxury tours as their standard tour was really low budget.

The tour manager started his announcements as soon as the bus started. He told us that we were going to cover 1400 kms to and fro. Man ! It meant a tour at Rs. 1.36/ km. That is absolutely a steal deal. Yet I kept reminding myself that I should not crib about the hotels they provide. He also announced that if all agreed he could show us a few more temples in addition to the itinerary if we paid Rs. 50 more. It was obvious that it went into the private kitty. After munching on chutney sandwiches that we were carrying with us we went off to sleep that night. The bus passed through dense forests, plantations and ghats. We woke up the next day on a hill covered by mist...

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Finally relish the grandeur of the Mysore: 15 Apr 2010

Mysore Palace, a view from the sports pavilion end

After Dubare. We drove back to Mysore and as we were approaching the city it started raining very heavily. It was very difficult to know where we were on the road the visibility very bad and since the windows had to be pulled up it got suffocating with 5 adults and a kid in there. I made several calls to the hotel to take directions and finally without much problems we reached there safe.

The hotel corridors were crowded and everything was rain soaked. Once before I had visited their restaurant so knew it was pretty good atleast when it came to food. We moved into the rooms. What to say about them, they were decorated in 70's style furniture and can you believe it, they took the Mysore tiger theme so seriously that they had everything done in cheetah prints! Urgh !!! However the building is a heritage structure so I liked the lobbies, the staircase and the facades. This was also the cheapest of the hotels in the KSTDC line up as it is bang in the city and does not have much of a view. However Mysore is a green city so you don't mind that much.

I love this picture of Charu eventhough she is out of focus.

Anyways we decided this was our last night halt so it would mean we were just goin to sleep in and leave early morning for a darshan of the ruling goddess of the region. We decided to have dinner at the restaurant and since we had nt got good food or familiar food in in the afternoon we decided to go all out. I placed the order for Soups, Gobi Manchurian, masala papads, 5 Punjabi curries and 12 Naans! That's where I made a mistake. Their Naans were very big and we could not eat even half of the ordered Naans. Also because we ate other things too. So got it packed to feed the dogs in the morning. None of us wanted dessert immediately so we decided to have dessert in bed. Sumeet got Kulfi candy for all. As usual Sapna had hardly eaten and the kulfi was her actual dinner. Ah the delicate darling that she is!

Finally we went off to bed at 10 pm after I had all of them rolling in a one double bed and shooed them off to their own, also warning them not to stay up to late at night as we had to go early in the morning to the Chamundeshwari temple.

I woke up at 5.30 am and had a liesurly bath in the kingsized bathroom. He he the bathroom and bedrooms were of the same size! Any analysis on why? I woke up everyone and by 6.30am everyone was ready to go.  The rain had stopped and the fresh air was envigorating. The trees all washed clean and the road in front of the hotel looked majestic.

We drove up the Chamundi hills. The sun was bright already and the fog was rising over the city. It felt wonderful to get glimpses of the greenery and the dense city at the foothills. We got a good darshan of the Chamundeshwari as it was morning time and the tourist rush had not yet started. We then loitered around a bit, feeding dogs with the previous nights Naans and  had coconut water. After that we returned to the hotel for breakfast of Mysore Masala dosa and hot filter coffee. The dosa was a perfect gold on the outside and spongy white on the inside coated with red garlic chutney. The mashed potatoes perfectly spiced. Making it a hearty breakfast.

 Pranav poses with the demon Mahishasur, the asur with bull's strength whom the Goddess Chamundi killed and saved this land of Mysore

We were all set to go to the Mysore Palace. The Palace opens only at 9 am but we thought it was good idea to go early to buy our entry tickets and we were one of the first in the line. After removing our footwear at the entrance of the palace building we started moving along the marked path oohing and aahing at the grandeur of the Wodeyar Royal's belongings on display and the magnificent rooms and darbars. My favorite are the peacock room and the sports pavillion. The peacock rooms amazing skylight with belgian stained glass. The sports pavillion with its painted ceilings influenced by European style but telling a different story. They narrated the Indian mythology. Every panel in the pavilion is intricately painted. Why the entire palace is painstakingly decorated either with paintings, the doors with silver metal work and ivory inlays. The doors and doorways carved in sandalwood and teak.

It takes atleast an hour and a half to walk around the new palace and atleast 30 mins to see the old wooden palace.

Take the virtual tour through the Mysore Palace.

We then decide to go to the Mysore zoo. It is the biggest zoo I have seen till date. The electrical vehicle was not running when we went there so we walked around. Me and Charu lost steam after a couple of Kms. Pranav was enjoying the Zoo so Sumeet and Sapna walked him around while we short circuited the path and sat under a tree awating them.

I would actually suggest that if you have kids with you plan a separate day at the zoo. You too will enjoy it with the kids. The good thing about the Zoo is it very well landscaped and  you see the animals in almost their natural habitat. It is very tiring to do both the palace and the zoo back to back.

Birds in canopy nets, they fly over our head.

Post lunch at another pathetic place we drove homewards to Bangalore.

In all it was a wonderful time with family but we did too many places in a span of 5 days and that's where Sumeet wanted it slow. I thought it was a good plan for Charu as I know she will not be able to make it again soon.

The tour is over !

Unique Mandya And Coorg

I had been inviting Charu to Blr for the last 5 yrs however she was not able to make it. Then a month ago Sumeet told me he would be visiting me for a week. It was Sapna's idea to bring along Charu and ofcourse the half ticket had already told me last time itself that he would come back for his summer vacs.

I began my planing, the idea was to make it memorable for Charu. She rarely gets to travel so while she was visiting I had to pack as much action as possible. The time frame 11th Apr 2010 to 16th Apr 2010.

I had done the KSTDC tour of Mysore and Srirangapatna so planning that part was easy. I wanted it to be a mix of what I had not seen and where I had already visited. Part playing safe and part taking a risk to explore in this summer season.

So if you want to join me on this journey that I am accounting here follow on...

• Climb the hill in Melkote with me
• Enjoy the hailstorm in Srirangapatna
• Find Tibet in the hot plains of Coorg. Turn left into Bylakuppe
• Scamper around the bamboo forest and tree houses at Nisargadham
• Soak in the golden hues of  the sunset and sunrise in Madikeri
• Spot the Kerala influence and Kodagu women in Bhagmandala
• Bow at the Ugam (starting point) of Cauvery river, that's Talacauvery
• Get endeared by Elephants at Dubare
• Finally relish the grandeur of the Mysore

A post a day with unique experiences from the districts of Mandya and Coorg in Karnataka!

24th & 25th Nov 2005: North Karnataka Tour

After moving to Bangalore the traveler in me was happy. I browsed and read a lot before I chose to start exploring Karnataka. I thought it a good idea to begin with Hampi. I knew it would require me to spend many days however my strategy was to travel by KSTDC first and then if I enjoy the visits then plan a second trip.

I booked 2 tickets for the North Karnataka tour. It cost us just Rs. 1150 per person inclusive of stay. The guide charges and food is to be taken care of separately. This tour starts every Thu from Badami house opposite Bangalore corporation and brings you back on Mon morning. The Thu night and the Sun night are spent on the road in the coach.

This Package tour consists of the itenary as follows:

Day 1 (Thu): start from Blr at 9.15 pm
Day 2 (Fri): Reach Hampi at 5.30 am, local sightseeing, night stay at Hotel Mayura Bhuvaneshwari.
Day3: Reach Badami by late morning, See the caves and fort. Proceed to Pattadkal, Aihole to see the temples. Reach Bijapur for night stay.
Day4: Explore Bijapur, Gol Gumbaz, the mosques, Muluk maidan etc. move through town. Drive to Kudal Sangama, darshan of Shiva and Basaveshwar Samadhi. Begin return journey to Bangalore.
Day 5: By 5.30 am reach Bangalore.


We left Blr on 24th Nov 2005 at 9.15pm for the North Karnataka tour. It had rained and the coach was damp and smelly. It was the first time I was travelling with KSTDC. The tour manager was a warm and friendly. We asked him to spray some freshner in the coach. I still recollect asking him so many questions about the arrangements for stay. I was wondering how a 4 nights and 3 days tour could cost so low. That is the time when I found out that some of the KSTDC tours are worth every penny. They are low budget. The stay is mostly at budget hotels but sometimes you get a good hotel too.

We reached our first stopover at Hotel Mayura Bhuvaneshwari, Kamalapur near Hampi. It is away from the town in a peaceful setting. The rooms are spacious and clean though a budget hotel.

It was 5.30 am we were told to get ready to leave for the day's sightseeing by 6.30 am. After bath and a refershing cup of coffee and fuelling up with hot idli chutney we were ready to go. It was the begining of winter so the climate was pleasant. We decided to first pay our respects to Lord Virupaksha.

I had read a lot about the Vijaynagar empire, its rise and fall, the distruction by the muslim invaders. It is amazing story how this 7th century built temple in still functional and gives one goose bumps to know that the Varaha avatar carved on the entrance door is what protected the temple for the invaders, as a pig is considered unauspicious in the muslim religion.

My father is not very patient but I like to spend a lot of time walking around and taking note of the details. Then we went to all other monuments in Hampi. I was swept away by these sites rich in history. I also wondered why Indians raved so much about Greek architechture when we had our own wonders right here. We spent the entire day exploring Hampi. I took a lot of pictures. We returned to our hotel in the evening and post early dinner went straight to bed.

Next morning we got in to the coach to proceed to Badami. I was just checking the pictures on my digicam and stupid me hit the delete all button! Then and there I resolved to visit Hampi again. So a detailed write up on Hampi is for later while I will continue with the rest of the tour.

Planning the Kerala Holiday

I had leave sanctioned between 10th to 25th Dec 2003.

I checked out with 2 agents KTDC and Kesari. KTDC standard package was expensive. Kesari was not upto the mark. So along with Mr. Jackson of Intersight I designed a package. I gave him my requirements as

1. To & fro travel by train in the KTDC chartered coach. It was Three tier A/c.
2. Three star hotels. Booking done from Mumbai.
3. Indica car at my disposal.

_

He made a budget for 2 people, me and Dad.

I paid Intersight the amount for all bookings. Meals were excluded from the package.

I recieved all my vouchers and boarding passes for the train here in Mumbai itself which I put into a plastic folder.

Next thing I did was bought sneakers+jacket +suitcases +2 film rolls. I borrowed a pair of binoculars from my friend Sangeeta Wani. Wani Uncle gave me 2 more film rolls.

I was now ready with all my packing carefully done in 1 suitcase, 1 soft bag for clothes + 1 bag for eatables and a sling bag for the valuables.

Visiting The God's Own Country with KTDC

This is a new series of posts where I am going to document the notes I made in my Kerala scrapbook back in Dec 2003.

Planning for Travel to North East of India

A part of the Long service award given my company was a 2 day stay anywhere in India. I took almost a month to look at the packages offered by the designated Tour operator of our org.

I am currently located in the south and I have covered almost 80 % of Karnataka and Kerala while Tamilnadu and Andhrapradesh is on my compass too. I have travelled a bit in UP and Gujarat but mostly for work. The North East however was still an unexplored area for me.

Uncle MJ always told me travel through South India first because once you visit the Himalayas every other place will be paled in comparison. Uncle is quite right, he has been a trekker for more that 25 years. He goes to the Himalayas every year and has travelled to every nook and corner of India. He is more of an explorer while I like a bit of luxury once in a while.

North East was on my wish list after seeing the Hindi movie Paap so the route was freezed on Kolkata, Siliguri, Mirik, Darjeeling, Gangtok and Tsomgo Lake. I requested for a quote for the package and booked to and fro travel tickets on my own. It took me a fortnight to freeze all arrangements. While I did comparisons in the tour operators quote and my costing, I knew he had a margin of 25% but I didn't mind because he was a trusted one in our company and I didn't have the time and patience to book the stays and vehicles for each destination. One has to remember that it is the North east that was to be covered a completely hilly region so the choice of vehicle was key to a successful journey hence I left it to the Tour operator.

Finally 4 days before I started off my Itinerary was clear

15th March 2008 : Fly to Kolkata at 6.30 am, explore city and night stay.

16th March 2008 : Visit Belur Math, Dakhineshswar, Food city, Science city etc., night stay

17th March 2008 : Take the early morning Kachanganga express to New Jalpaiguri, proceed to Siliguri and night stay.

18th March 2008 : Proceed after breakfast to Darjeeling via Mirik, night stay at Darjeeling.

19th March 2008 : Early morning sunrise at Tiger Hills, sightseeing in Darjeeling and night stay.

20th March 2008 : Leave for Gangtok after breakfast, night stay.

21st March 2008 : Excursion at Tsmongo Lake, night stay at Gangtok.

22nd March 2008 : Start for New Jalpaiguri Railway station. Board Guwahati Yaswantpur express at 2.00 pm

23rd March 2008 : On board the train cutting across 5 states of India.

24th March 2008 : Reach Blr at 11.30 am.

I knew there were a couple of things on my agenda that did not feature in the itinerary and I need to tweak a bit but that always happens when one sets out on a journey.

Planning is the key to success.