Alleppy & Kochi

This time again Alleppey–Kochi trip for a long weekend but I had Kiddu-Jiji and Sonel-Vishal for a very good company for the next 3 days.

We all met at Majestic and as our train was on time 6-50 PM straight to Alleppy out next stop :)

Well this time the train straight on time but the boat guy who was supposed to pick us up was disappearing...hmmm we waited for him, till then got freshed up on railway platform {details cannot be shared} and had a great breakfast in IRCTC canteen{for a subsidized rates by Indian railways} Finally he turned up after couple of hours.

We took an auto{Its again prepaid here controlled by Kerala police} and headed towards finishing point, Finishing point is the start and end of our house boat journey. BTW its called finishing point coz thats where the spectacular snake-boat races held on the second Saturday of August, every year @ Punnamada Lake in Alleppy Ends.

And here our own Kettuvallam was waiting for us.

Kettuvallam is a house boat widely used in Kerala. Each houseboat is constructed using the ancient principles and techniques of boat building by the local carpenters using 'Anjili' wood. coir ropes are used for tying the wooden boards together. Hiring a houseboat which may cost around 7000 INR to about 35000 INR......yes and its worth it for a 24 Hr ride for 10 people......u get 2-3 bed room house boat .....some boats with first floor having a balcony and some with TFT screen n Dish TV in it. Almost all these house boats have kitchen as they take u 2 a 24 Hr ride they provide u with full time meals n snacks. And the best of all house boat what v saw was a big floating conference room....u get it with all the facilities even AC fitted in 2 a boat....

We had a 2 BHK with AC and a first floor balcony ...to be frank the boat which we hired was way bigger than my Bangalore 1 BHK apartment :)

Alleppy has large network of inland canals earning it the sobriquet "Venice of the east".

These large network of canals provide Alleppy its lifeline.

Our boat started off from Vembanad lake towards Chambakulam.......Its the Kuttanad area......The boat can b stopped anywhere u wish, so our first stop was to shop maggie packets and come cold drinks and ya not to forget we got some DVD of selected FLOP movies :)

On board we had regular food and drinks. We had a Rummikub championship on board I had taken it with me and off course a maggie party{prepared my Sonel and kiddu} at the end of it. Then it was time for some back to back flop movie session :) but the best part is ur having fun while ur floating in those beautiful backwaters of Kerala...it was a awesome experience when u have u best pals with u. I had a great time. Breakfast lunch snacks and dinner all on board.

Best place to stay in Kochi is MG Road. And we had booked a room near MG Road so all went fine. Now it was time to explore Kochi...so after lunch headed straight to Marine drive and took a boat safari....but let me tell u this was my 3^rd visit to kochi and a lot has changed from past couple of years but everything on a positive side of development. The high court Jetty has a new look it took use a long long and very long walk to find it out....but things have changed for good....we had taken a boat cruise that took us to all the important places of kochi rite from Mattancherry Island to its Jew Town and Jewish synagogue. Then to Fort Kochi to its St. Francis Church an 18th Century Church and in and around you will find lot of French styled villas. Walk towards Chinese fish net area. And from the cruise you can see the beautiful Arabian sea and a lot of other commercial ships and Naval ships. Kochi is one of the main ports for Oil import to our country. So there is always room for some new ship yard to come up.

One restaurant that I wanted to take my crew for this trip was Gokul on MG Road and it took me an hour to find it out :) but finally everyone enjoyed the bestest of the best Kerala cuisine here. Yes Kochi has changed a lot, it has become more beautiful clean and modernized now. Every alternate building here is a Silk Saree showroom or a Jewelery shop. Not to mention some Jewelery shops are bigger than some IT parks in Bangalore.

Well these 3 days was truly a great experience in Venice of the east though it was my

fourth visit to Gods Own Country .

The total cost of tour was 3800 INR inclusive of travel, stay n food.

Special thanks to Rasna for booking house boat for us, Jiju for booking hotel in kochi,Titto for getting train tickets for us and Sonel for photographs.

GoA GoA GoA

Goa is India's smallest state by area and the 4th smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharastra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.

It was summer time and this time it was in GOA....All set and planned for GoA for 3 days .
We left Blore on 12th night @ around 8 PM and as usual I knew we would reach Panaji the capital of Goa at 1 PM next day during lunch time...and ya I was rite this time....We headed straight to Issac villa on Baga beach where we had booked our stay for next couple of days in Goa. We had got a good deal to stay. Normally at this time u would need to bargain @ each and every place in Goa as rates are seasonal here. Had a good lunch @ mayyona's - a river side restaurant in Baga, and then headed straight away for some water sports.
Baga is a fishing beach with brown sand that sees a lot of international tourists sun-bathing in its golden sun, as a grove of palms gently sways in the wind. The Baga River flows along one side of Baga beach.

The main road running through the Baga village is lined with several bars, tandoori terraces and handicraft shops. The relatively newer Saturday flea market of Baga Goa, is a huge success and an occasion of much that lasts well into the night, brightly lit up with lights and paraffin lamps. All kinds of odds and ends, handicrafts, jewelery and snacks stalls can be found at Baga and a temporary stage is constructed for the visiting local musician. Baga Goa's nightlife is the liveliest in Goa and is the perfect expression of the Goan and Western mix of culture.

Baga beach offers plenty of water sports. You can go for parasailing, water skiing, windsurfing and other water sports, but, only if you have enough expertise in it. We tried our hands at parasailing, banana ride, bumpy water ride and water skiing. One need to bargain well with these water sport operators. One advice would be all these people who run are from Northern karnataka so if u know kannada then its a bit handy to bargain and we had Reconz supported by Soumya to bargain a good deal for all these water sports for us :)
We walked all the way to calangute beach which is almost a 1 KM stretch good walk on the beach.

Nightlife in Baga is considered the liveliest in the region. It is home to some of the biggest hot-spots by night in Goa, including Titto's and Cafe Mambo. Visit the Titto's which is highly popular among the tourists because it has the only dance floor and fantastic sound system outside the big hotels of Baga. Enjoy a candle lit dinner on the beach, go for a traditional Goan meal in any beach side shacks or simply take a cup of real espresso coffee. And ya don't miss the chats on street side..the Goan chats. We had chats at calangute, then had dinner and finally reached base. It was a good day with all water sports done :)
Day 2: 14th March Sunday:

As planned we had breakfast in some hotel..its hard to find vegetarian things for breakfast in the morning. Then as planned hired bikes; you get bikes for rent in Goa on daily basis they charge around Rs.200 per day. Then we were all set to explore north Goa on our bikes. We had 3 bike now :)
First we headed towards Vagator beach. The soft white sands, the black lava rocks, the coconut palms, the lush green landscape, nature playing its own music, and the sea turning from aquamarine to emerald green. Vagator and Chapora, overlooked by the 500-year-old Portuguese fort, leaves each visitor awestruck. Yet to be disturbed by the hustle and bustle of tourists, life goes on peacefully, in the background, in Vagator and Chapora.
Hiking up, the lava-bedecked black rock stepping-stones lead to the 500-year-old Portuguese fort, popularly known as the Chapora Fort. It utters the reminiscence of the old Portuguese times giving a splendid view of the sea and hills covered with coconut trees and rice fields. The remaining battlements and fortifications take one down the memory lane, into the times when Royalty ruled the Vagator hue. Dil Chahata Hai was shot here :)

Our second stop for the day was The fort was constructed in 1612 to guard against the Dutch and the Marathas. It was a reference point for the vessels coming from Europe at that time. This old Portuguese fort stands on the beach south of Candolim, at the shore of the Mandovi river. On the way to this port you can see Kingfisher villa :) VM's Goa residence.
Then we headed to Panjim where we had lunch ; then went to Miramar beach. It is the nearest beach to the Goan capital and unarguably the most visited beach of Goa. Hoardes of people, mostly tourists, are found every day flocking to this beach. situated on the Mandovi river, it is a small beach that hosts some events occasionally. Driving down from this beach to Dona Paula is one of the best driving zones in county the road is just beach side and well maintained by tress on either side..no traffic lights gonna stop you. Panjim is a small and charming city.

The beauty of Goa Dona Paula beach has been enhanced by a spooky past which has the tourists thronging to this place. History goes that the beach is named after Dona Paula de Menzes, daughter of a viceroy (in colonial India), who threw herself off the cliff, when refused permission to marry a local fisherman, Gaspar Dias. The myth says that Dona Paula is entombed in the Cabo Chapel of the Raj Bhawan and is supposed to be seen emerging from the moonlit waves wearing only a pearl necklace. This story attracts many tourists and they come here just to feel the sweet pain of love. This beach has also been the location for many Indian movies. Given this dual attraction, Dona Paula Beach has become a popular tourist spots.
On the way back we had hell lot of confusions as Reconz and Raghu lost there way but some how we all managed to head back to one of Baga's best shacks – Britto's. Had a very good fish platter and back to base for a good sleep :)

Do try out your dinner in beach shacks its a wonderful experience.

Day 3: 15th March Monday:

Today for an early morning beach experience, myself, soumya and kutty went to Baga beach @ 6 AM and wow! what a pleasant time to be in the beach. We were there till 8 then took our bike and headed to the world-famous Anjuna Beach which lies to the south of Vagator. The beauty of the white waves rushing to embrace the pale golden sand on the beach can be witnessed in full form at the Goa Anjuna beach. Goa Anjuna beach is a perfect haven for the hippies and you will come across some of them who have been staying on this beach for a couple of months. It is in the late 1950s to mid-1960s that Anjuna beach was "discovered" by the hippies. From then on began the trend of moonlit parties which is one occasion the hippies and now the tourists look forward to.
We had breakfast at one of the local dhabas - the taste was awesome ....u get bread and channa masala and ommlet tea :) it all comes in a very handy package :) and the crowd to accompany you will be the local taxi drivers and fishermen, but from my childhood everytime I go to Goa I always have some snacks from such places so this time also didn't wanted to miss it. But only me and kutty went and had breakfast there. The rest of the crowd was not interested.
We headed back to B'lore from Madgoan at around 9 PM. Goa is not that well connected my B'lore there are only biweekly trains and daily buses will take around 15 Hrs to reach Goa apart for that there are some 3 daily flights that connect B'lore and Goa.

This trip has covered only north Goa will be going to South Goa soon :)
All the price mentioned are subject to change as Goa is seasonal tourist destination.

This trip was more of Fun Fun & Fun so not much photography was tried by me :)
The total cost of our trip for 3 days including stay, food and beverages was 4000 INR.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish Stay Innovative

North India Feb 2010

Guys Finally it was again North India for a Week went to attend Kiddu;s marriage in Deharadun then had been to Rafting to Rishikesh, Then visited MahaKumb in hardwar followed my Patanjali yogpeth. Completed my journey by visiting the beautiful temple of Akshardham in Delhi.

All details of Punjabi wedding and Rafting given by my friend Shreyas Do read out guys:

http://shreyjanivar.blogspot.com/2010/02/transition.html

Pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/anand.sawkar/NorthIndiaFeb2010#

Wayanad

1^st Jan 2010:

What a way to start new year 2010 ..We 4 myself Raseee, megd aka Megha and Ritesh planned for a Wayanad trip and set off as per our plan on the very first day of 2010. This trip was planned so sudden with a short notice period and bookings were almost closed when god just showered some blessings. We managed to get one deluxe room at the beautiful Hotel Mint Flower in Sulthan Battery.

Wayanad is not a town or a city. It is the name of a large district with more than half a dozen towns. In all probability you would be heading to one of its three major towns , Sulthan Bathery , Kalpetta or Mananthavadi

We hit the Mysore highway @ around 9 AM in morning and had our breakfast on highway side hotel ...then straight away the next stop was Wayanad on the way you come across beautiful wild life if you are lucky :) passing through Bandipur wildlife zone, A small river and a short bridge across it marks the Karnataka-Kerala border in the middle of the forest. In a stroke signboards give way to Malayalam. It seems Kerala is in a self imposed competition with other states in who owns the largest number of check posts. You zoom past as battery of check posts as you come out of forest . There is Forest Department check post, commercial tax check post, RTO check post and even a police check post.

The route which we took was Bangalore -Mysore - Gundulpet - Munthanga - Sulthan Battery ( Wayanad)

Somewhere in the end of the forest , you can see the entrance to the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. As usual tourist vehicle makes a mess around the area. Take it as a cue for you to join the crowd or slip out and drive ahead to Sultan Bathery. Now we were well in the Wayanad heartland. Sultan Bathery to Kalpetta, the district capital, is 10 kilometers. From now onwards it was time to set our itinerary for Wayanad. We stayed in Hotel Mint Flower i must say one of the best hotels available in Wayanad zone.

After getting freshed up and after a good fish fry meal we were all set to our first day post lunch session ...But where?? was the big Q as i had set all planes for next 2 days and we knew almost all places in Wayanad come under forest department and are closed for public after 5 PM. And we had just 3 hrs left so thought to explore nearby areas we visited Karapuzha dam and Fantom Rock on that evening...but we were a bit confused to as to why it was called Fantom Rock and what crap was there in that dam as to be declared a tourist place :) but yes we enjoyed both these spots in our own style..singing and posing for my cam Rasee Megd and Ritesh were a gr8 team to be with.

2^nd Jan 2010:

Well 2^nd day itenary was finalized it was time for Kuruva Island first....i was more curious and so were others as i had read and heard a lot about this place. And one important thing to remember is not a single restaurant opens before 8AM in Sulthan Battery, but we found a mid class restaurant called Friends where we had appam (i am not able to describe the food here sorry !!)
So after breakfast we straight away headed to Kuruva Island.

After taking tickets (you need to buy ticket for camera...raft...parking..guide...and for people....so spend some cash for ticket ticket....it comes around 200 INR for 4 people) we need to cross Kabini river on a bamboo raft and get on a main Island we had hired a guide and thankfully he knew Kannada so that i could communicate with him. Well the best and a must try adventure here is the river crossing ...and our guide knew exactly where and how to cross at first we were a bit..hesitated to get in water but after a couple of crossing we got used to water. It was a amazing experience river walk..never heard of it...but it was gr8 walking in river and trekking in so dense forest.

It was almost lunch time so headed back to Kalpetta had lunch and moved towards Soochipara water falls, All these places have been declared as Eco tourism spots by Kerala government and are well maintained.

3^rd Jan 2010:

The 3^rd day also started up early and we needed to head back home on the same day, so started off with Edakkal caves as usual we had our breakfast @ Friends special hotel, and the menu remains same.

Edakkal caves in the Ambukuthy Mountains are not caves in the right sense. It is only a cleft in reality. It is a cleft of about 96ft. long & 22ft. wide in the rock. There are some interesting carvings of pre-historic age. This location is of breathtaking beauty.

After climbing and little bit of trekking we finally managed to reach Edakkal caves and it was a amazing view of Wayanad from top of these mountains.

Our next destination for the day was Pookot Lake, about 13 k ms from Kalpetta, is undoubtedly the most beautiful tourist spot in the whole of Wayanad. The lake nestles in the lap of mountains surrounding it. Boating in the Pookot Lake is a memorable experience. Tall trees and dense forests that line along the pathway around the lake provide a visual treat. This is a beautiful natural fresh water lake surrounded by evergreen forest and wooded hills. Boating facilities, Children's Park and shopping center for handicrafts and spices of Wayanad are arranged by District Tourism Promotion Council. These provides recreational facilities to the visitors.

It was lunch time we checked out of our rooms after 2 days and it was time to head back to B'lore but on the ways we decided to get in Muthanga wild life sanctuary, we needed to wait for almost an hour to get permit pass to enter the safari in forest apart from elephant view from a far away distance and couple of pug marks the forest seemed to be dry.

This sanctuary is located very near to the Karnataka border. Wild forests covering an area of 345 sq.mts. from Muthunga Wildlife Sanctuary, the biggest abode of wild animals in the entire Malabar region, Elephants, Spotted Deers, Bisons, Tigers, Wild Bears… etc. are all sighted here. But again your luck matters here also..

The total cost of the trip was 4553 INR.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish Stay Innovative