.jpg)
.jpg)
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Travelogue: Pondycherry and Tirupati
Well, I know this wasn’t the best time of the year for a trip down south but we risked it and were rewarded with empty beaches and sparse crowds in the Tirupati Temple.
Pondycherry is a quaint and charming city with a rustic, old world feel, life is very relaxed here and quite a respite from the slam bang, hurried life of the metros. Being a former French colony, the French influence is quite omnipresent with the names of the streets and some prominent buildings in French. In fact, Pondycherry feels like a town in Europe..it has narrow cobbled streets, lots of open spaces and buildings with French architecture.
Sunrise on the promenade
There’s not much to see here apart from the regular beaches and the Aurobindo Ashram. Walking along the promenade is quite a pleasant experience, especially at night, when the waves look like giant monsters racing along the waters to thrash the rocks on the coast… with the moon casting an eerie glow over the entire scene.
Another feature of this place is the almost total absence of cars...the entire city travels on two wheelers..a large percentage of them cycles.. the promenade is also out of bounds for any vehicular traffic from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The next leg of my trip was Chennai-Tirupati by bus and then to Tirumala, which is a hill station 20 kms away, in the mountains, where the famous Tirupati temple is situated. Though the main attraction of this place is the Temple, on which the whole economy of Tirupati is based, Tirumala is a wonderful hill station as well during summers, providing some respite from the 40 degree heat of the plains. The road leading from Tirupati to Tirumala is truly a delight with hairpin bends and S- curves, snaking and curving its way to a height of – m. Once you reach the top, you are treated with commanding views of the – mountains and the valley below. N
Tirumala has nice little guest houses atop the hills, which give wonderful views of the verdant forests on the mountains and the town of Tirupati below.. it was quite a sight to watch sunrise and the clouds descending and shrouding the mountains in a blanket of mist.
View from the guest house
Cars going downhill from tirumala to tirupati
Wind Energy’s quite big here, and you can see at least 10 windmills perched upon the mountains, majestically swinging their blades in the direction of the wind.
Windmills atop the hills
So, overall it was a nice trip, covering landscapes of both beaches and mountains. My only complaint is the language barrier, its really difficult to communicate with uneducated people like vendors and shopkeepers who don’t know English in Tamil Nadu. And another strange thing is that people in Tamil Nadu understand English, but as soon as you cross the border into Andhra Pradesh, its Hindi which is the preferred second language after Telugu.. so you have to communicate either in Hindi or English according to the state you are in.
Pondycherry is a quaint and charming city with a rustic, old world feel, life is very relaxed here and quite a respite from the slam bang, hurried life of the metros. Being a former French colony, the French influence is quite omnipresent with the names of the streets and some prominent buildings in French. In fact, Pondycherry feels like a town in Europe..it has narrow cobbled streets, lots of open spaces and buildings with French architecture.
There’s not much to see here apart from the regular beaches and the Aurobindo Ashram. Walking along the promenade is quite a pleasant experience, especially at night, when the waves look like giant monsters racing along the waters to thrash the rocks on the coast… with the moon casting an eerie glow over the entire scene.
Another feature of this place is the almost total absence of cars...the entire city travels on two wheelers..a large percentage of them cycles.. the promenade is also out of bounds for any vehicular traffic from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The next leg of my trip was Chennai-Tirupati by bus and then to Tirumala, which is a hill station 20 kms away, in the mountains, where the famous Tirupati temple is situated. Though the main attraction of this place is the Temple, on which the whole economy of Tirupati is based, Tirumala is a wonderful hill station as well during summers, providing some respite from the 40 degree heat of the plains. The road leading from Tirupati to Tirumala is truly a delight with hairpin bends and S- curves, snaking and curving its way to a height of – m. Once you reach the top, you are treated with commanding views of the – mountains and the valley below. N
Tirumala has nice little guest houses atop the hills, which give wonderful views of the verdant forests on the mountains and the town of Tirupati below.. it was quite a sight to watch sunrise and the clouds descending and shrouding the mountains in a blanket of mist.
Wind Energy’s quite big here, and you can see at least 10 windmills perched upon the mountains, majestically swinging their blades in the direction of the wind.
So, overall it was a nice trip, covering landscapes of both beaches and mountains. My only complaint is the language barrier, its really difficult to communicate with uneducated people like vendors and shopkeepers who don’t know English in Tamil Nadu. And another strange thing is that people in Tamil Nadu understand English, but as soon as you cross the border into Andhra Pradesh, its Hindi which is the preferred second language after Telugu.. so you have to communicate either in Hindi or English according to the state you are in.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Travelogue: Alibag
Alibag is a great weekend destination for people looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. Located just about 100 km away, it offers a quiet, scenic getaway from the urban jungle that is mad Mumbai. Beaches and forts are the USP of this place, with five beaches located in the vicinity, Akshi, Kashid, Alibag, Nagaon and Murud, and two historical forts, Kolaba and Janjeri fort.
Coming to our trip, we started at 6 a.m. from Mumbai, looking to make it to Alibag before the heat set in. Looking at this in hindsight, it was one of the best decisions that we made, since we could really maximize our stay in Alibag, it being a day trip.
On the road
Thus, savouring the cool morning air and taking in the sights from the scenic Mumbai- Goa highway, we reached Alibag by 8 a.m. and headed straight to Nagaon beach, located some 15 km off Alibag. Being less known, this beach is less crowded and thus cleaner than the more popular Alibag beach and what’s more, it offers the opportunity for water sports as well.
Nagaon beach
The Sura trees surrounding the beach the beach give it an exotic, tropical look, something which you can associate with the beaches of Maldives and Hawaii.
Sports gear like Footballs and Volleyballs are conveniently available on hire, so you can have a great time if you are in a group. If you are an adventure freak like me, this is just the place for you, with parasailing, speedboats and a banana boat ride (more on that later) on offer.
The speedboat ride is great fun, with a speedboat with a maniacal driver (Ours was a complete speed freak, gunning the throttle harder when the waves came at him), taking you 2 km into the sea and back. For a first timer, it can be a bit unnerving, with the speed and the rough waves providing a double thrill. It is most enjoyable while going against the tide, with the boat cutting through the trough of the wave, then flying into the air as the wave hits it and landing hard as the wave passes. The way back is comparatively smoother, with the boat riding the crests of the waves to get back in double quick time.
Parasailing is also a great experience, with an awesome view compensating for the short duration and the low height. The view from the top is truly breathtaking, an endless expanse of sand ahead and behind you, the sea on your left and coconut trees to your right!! Sheer Bliss!!
View from the top
The banana boat ride is the most hair-raising among all these rides, where a speedboat tows an inflatable boat into the sea, and then the boat is overturned in deep sea, leaving you to fend for yourself (you have the life jackets of course) and then you get back into the boat and to the safety of the shore. For people who don’t know how to swim, it is the closest you can get to drowning and surviving to tell the tale.
It is best to finish all these activities before lunch, so that you can change and have a wholesome lunch ( Yes, all this time in the water makes you ravenous) . Do make it a point to have lunch by 3 since all the restaurants in this apparently TOURIST city close at 4, something we learnt the hard way!!
Our last stop was the Kolaba fort, which is situated in the sea and can be reached by boat. This was the surprise package of the trip, the fort truly turned out to be a hidden gem. Located just 2 kms off the coast ( you can even walk it up during low tide), the fort is a veritable fortress and must have been impregnable during its heyday in the 1700’s. This was one of the sea forts constructed by Shivaji to keep an eye on the naval power of the Portuguese and the English, the other being the mighty Sindhudurg.
Kolaba Fort
Surrounded by the sea on all sides, the fort presents wonderful photographic opportunities and we all went mad as soon as we got there, scouring new places to take photographs.
It also has a quaint little temple inside which provides a nice, quiet place for introspection. The fort is too huge to be explored in an hour and you must have at least 2-3 hours to fully explore it, something we learnt to our peril since we had to leave at 6, since the high tide had come up. Finally, we had to grudgingly leave the fort, promising to come back again sometime.
Sunset at Alibag Beach
We ended our trip by watching the beautiful sunset at Alibag beach, a perfect closure to a fairytale trip…
Coming to our trip, we started at 6 a.m. from Mumbai, looking to make it to Alibag before the heat set in. Looking at this in hindsight, it was one of the best decisions that we made, since we could really maximize our stay in Alibag, it being a day trip.
Thus, savouring the cool morning air and taking in the sights from the scenic Mumbai- Goa highway, we reached Alibag by 8 a.m. and headed straight to Nagaon beach, located some 15 km off Alibag. Being less known, this beach is less crowded and thus cleaner than the more popular Alibag beach and what’s more, it offers the opportunity for water sports as well.
The Sura trees surrounding the beach the beach give it an exotic, tropical look, something which you can associate with the beaches of Maldives and Hawaii.
Sports gear like Footballs and Volleyballs are conveniently available on hire, so you can have a great time if you are in a group. If you are an adventure freak like me, this is just the place for you, with parasailing, speedboats and a banana boat ride (more on that later) on offer.
The speedboat ride is great fun, with a speedboat with a maniacal driver (Ours was a complete speed freak, gunning the throttle harder when the waves came at him), taking you 2 km into the sea and back. For a first timer, it can be a bit unnerving, with the speed and the rough waves providing a double thrill. It is most enjoyable while going against the tide, with the boat cutting through the trough of the wave, then flying into the air as the wave hits it and landing hard as the wave passes. The way back is comparatively smoother, with the boat riding the crests of the waves to get back in double quick time.
Parasailing is also a great experience, with an awesome view compensating for the short duration and the low height. The view from the top is truly breathtaking, an endless expanse of sand ahead and behind you, the sea on your left and coconut trees to your right!! Sheer Bliss!!
The banana boat ride is the most hair-raising among all these rides, where a speedboat tows an inflatable boat into the sea, and then the boat is overturned in deep sea, leaving you to fend for yourself (you have the life jackets of course) and then you get back into the boat and to the safety of the shore. For people who don’t know how to swim, it is the closest you can get to drowning and surviving to tell the tale.
It is best to finish all these activities before lunch, so that you can change and have a wholesome lunch ( Yes, all this time in the water makes you ravenous) . Do make it a point to have lunch by 3 since all the restaurants in this apparently TOURIST city close at 4, something we learnt the hard way!!
Our last stop was the Kolaba fort, which is situated in the sea and can be reached by boat. This was the surprise package of the trip, the fort truly turned out to be a hidden gem. Located just 2 kms off the coast ( you can even walk it up during low tide), the fort is a veritable fortress and must have been impregnable during its heyday in the 1700’s. This was one of the sea forts constructed by Shivaji to keep an eye on the naval power of the Portuguese and the English, the other being the mighty Sindhudurg.
Surrounded by the sea on all sides, the fort presents wonderful photographic opportunities and we all went mad as soon as we got there, scouring new places to take photographs.
It also has a quaint little temple inside which provides a nice, quiet place for introspection. The fort is too huge to be explored in an hour and you must have at least 2-3 hours to fully explore it, something we learnt to our peril since we had to leave at 6, since the high tide had come up. Finally, we had to grudgingly leave the fort, promising to come back again sometime.
We ended our trip by watching the beautiful sunset at Alibag beach, a perfect closure to a fairytale trip…
Monday, March 1, 2010
some more pics..
Ok, its almost been a 6 month hiatus for me..but what a better time to revive my blog than its 1st anniversary..so this time i leave you with some more pics of mumbai..will be coming up with a post soon..
This one's from Navy nagar, across the sea from marine drive..
.jpg)
Haji Ali seaface on a calm monsoon evening
Nehru Science Centre
Juhu beach
.jpg)
University clock tower near Flora Fountain
This one's from Navy nagar, across the sea from marine drive..
.jpg)
Haji Ali seaface on a calm monsoon evening
Nehru Science Centre
Juhu beach
.jpg)
University clock tower near Flora Fountain
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Pics..
Well i really don't feel like writing rite now so this time i decided to share some of the pics that i have taken of our beautiful city, Mumbai in its various hues and moods..
Do let me know what u think of them.....
Marine drive on a rainy day..
.jpg)
The magnificent bandra worli sealink
.jpg)
This one's been taken from the Carter Road Promenade
Symbols of mumbai.VT station and the ubiquitous black and yellow fiat.
Do let me know what u think of them.....
Marine drive on a rainy day..
.jpg)
The magnificent bandra worli sealink
.jpg)
This one's been taken from the Carter Road Promenade
Symbols of mumbai.VT station and the ubiquitous black and yellow fiat.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Ah.. Monsoon
Well, it’s that time of the year again, when the sun plays hide and seek with the clouds and sometimes hides in such a place that it cannot be found for days together, and the wind blows with a manic zeal, refreshing everyone in its path and the rain … the rain gushes down in such torrents that it washes away all the heat and dust of the summer.
The monsoon is my favourite season. No matter where I am, it never ceases to thrill, amaze and take my breath away. Although Mumbai’s monsoon can be quite chaotic with its dirt and water logging and slush.( Who can forget the horror of 26th July, 2005, where thousands of people, including me became refugees in their own city), it’s still a welcome respite from the heat and humidity of the summer. It’s like taking a breath of fresh air after spending several months in an underground, sweaty furnace.
Some of the sights and sounds of the monsoon that enthrall me…
The pitter patter of the rain falling on the roof
The sweet smell of wet mud,
The bolt of lightning that suddenly and brilliantly lights up an eerily dark night,
The gusts of cool wind that hit you in the face while on the move,
The (very rare occurrence in Mumbai) rainbow that brightens up the overcast sky,
The transparent droplets of rain on the leaves,
Waterfalls,
Umbrellas In all hues and colours,
Tiny droplets of water clouding my spectacles when I walk in the rain,
Clouds streaking across the sky in their myriad shapes and textures,
The veil of mist that shrouds the sea and the hills,
Vehicles speeding down the Highway, leaving behind a plume of water and mist in their wake,
A sudden downpour that typically occurs after a sunny patch and catches everyone unawares and umbrella less..
There must be many more, these are the only ones i can think of right now.
Do tell me what you guys think about the rainy season, do u love it as much as i do or completely detest it??
The monsoon is my favourite season. No matter where I am, it never ceases to thrill, amaze and take my breath away. Although Mumbai’s monsoon can be quite chaotic with its dirt and water logging and slush.( Who can forget the horror of 26th July, 2005, where thousands of people, including me became refugees in their own city), it’s still a welcome respite from the heat and humidity of the summer. It’s like taking a breath of fresh air after spending several months in an underground, sweaty furnace.
Some of the sights and sounds of the monsoon that enthrall me…
The pitter patter of the rain falling on the roof
The sweet smell of wet mud,
The bolt of lightning that suddenly and brilliantly lights up an eerily dark night,
The gusts of cool wind that hit you in the face while on the move,
The (very rare occurrence in Mumbai) rainbow that brightens up the overcast sky,
The transparent droplets of rain on the leaves,
Waterfalls,
Umbrellas In all hues and colours,
Tiny droplets of water clouding my spectacles when I walk in the rain,
Clouds streaking across the sky in their myriad shapes and textures,
The veil of mist that shrouds the sea and the hills,
Vehicles speeding down the Highway, leaving behind a plume of water and mist in their wake,
A sudden downpour that typically occurs after a sunny patch and catches everyone unawares and umbrella less..
There must be many more, these are the only ones i can think of right now.
Do tell me what you guys think about the rainy season, do u love it as much as i do or completely detest it??
Monday, June 8, 2009
Book Review : The White Tiger by Arvind Adiga
After Slumdog Millionaire, here’s another story on the life of the marginalized sections of society, Arvind Adiga’s The White Tiger. Like Slumdog which traces the life of a young kid from the slums of Mumbai, this one tracks the life of a migrant from a small town to the big city. That’s where the similarities end though; The White Tiger is much darker and intense. Unlike Slumdog which has a happy ending and is interwoven with an interesting tale of romance, this one is based on betrayal, corruption, murder and lies.
I wouldn’t say that I liked the book much, but as they say REALITY BITES, it’s truly an eye opener!! A stinging critique of all aspects of our country, including religion, written in a blunt and mocking manner that does make you smile sometimes, but at other occasions slaps you across the face. The author has to be given credit for his free flowing writing and treatment of issues that are generally considered taboo in Indian society, which we knew always existed, but were swept under the carpet.
The beginning is quite innovative and different. It is in the form of an open letter to the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao. The author seems to mock the Chinese, saying that entrepreneurs are the only thing China lacks, and offers Jiabao tips to churn out an entrepreneur in seven days.
The White tiger is a story of Balram Halwai, a villager from Laxmangarh, Bihar and narrates his life from a chaiwalla in Dhanbad to a driver in Delhi who robs and murders his employer and finally as a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore. The author seems to suggest that the only way for a villager to succeed in India is through corruption and manipulating the system. Through interesting anecdotes, he lays bare our country’s corruption, bureaucracy, inefficient police force, utter absence of law, caste system etc.
He also trashes our supposed trump card “DEMOCRACY” showing how votes are bought and people forced to vote for a particular party.
And to think that India will become a superpower after all this,
WHAT A F*****G JOKE!!
P.S.
Jokes apart, I think this will really make a fabulous Hindi movie because it has all the masala for success. Though, like Vikas Swarup’s Q&A on which Slumdog Millionaire was based, the rights for The White Tiger have been bought by a Hollywood production house so it looks like we’ll have to endure foreign stars again. I often wonder why our filmmakers don’t purchase rights to books. Doesn’t any of them read, for God’s sake???
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)