Peninsular India : A Photo Essay from SPFotografia

“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only. – Mark Twain

This quote from Mark Twain is not just another quote for Indians but something which establishes the awesomeness and greatness of their motherland. When we decided to make Central India as our next travel destination, there were many questions : particularly when the journey was planned during the hot and humid months of April, when the journey is bound to happen within the frame of  one week which comes exactly in the middle of a one-month family vacation, when the trippers were wife, husband and his friend 🙂 🙂 .   But overcoming all the suspected odds, Mr Jack & Mrs Jack completed the journey with lots of love and love.

Camera Details

1. Canon 550D
2. 18-135mm 3.5f
3. 50mm 1.8f
4. iPhone 6S

A story from the soulful travelers.

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta.

 Starting from Kochi, Kerala. Pai Dosa : Our favorite eat out in Kochi. More than 100 varieties of dosa. Highly recommended. We had one Volvo and one Salt and Pepper 🙂 .. Yummy !!!….. Unfortunately, we missed the lime juice as it was not ready … 

Our travel map

Trivandrum –> Kochi –> Mumbai –> Elephanta Caves –> Aurangabad –>

Mumbai –> Bubaneshwar –> Puri –> Bubaneshwar –> Delhi –> Kochi –>

Trivandrum

The pearl opens out its shell …..One of the most amazing sunsets we have ever seen….One from the flight … Who says God is not there…. Spell-bounding visual… Sun retreating back into the horizon after the day’s majestic show …Such a prodigious display of warm colors … 

Such a beautiful image of a Family… So divine… So lovely … Shiva .. Parvathi and Ganesha … The best blessing in this world is the best family 

Meera, also known as Mira Bai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is celebrated as a poet and has been claimed by the North Indian Hindu tradition of Bhakti saints.

Elephanta Caves

And we fight and kill in the name of them and their history… while they decay through ages being ignored and manipulated … Shot from Elephanta Caves 

Elephanta caves are a network of sculpted caves located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri (literally “the city of caves”) in Mumbai Harbour, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the east of the city of Mumbai in the Indian state ofMaharashtra. The island, located on an arm of the Arabian Sea, consists of two groups of caves—the first is a large group of five Hindu caves, the second, a smaller group of two Buddhist caves. The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, representing the Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to the Lord Shiva

The engraved panel in the north end of the aisle is considered to be a unique sculpture, and shows Bhairava, or Virabhadra, a frightful form of Shiva. In the carved panel, Shiva’s consort is seen sitting next to him, looking terrified. A female attendant is next to him. The central figure, which is much ruined below the waist, is 3.5 m (11 ft) high and posed as if running. His headgear has a ruff on the back, a skull and cobra over the forehead, and the crescent high on the right. His facial expression is of intense anger discerned from his furrowed brow, swollen eyes, and tusks. The legs and five of the eight arms are broken, attributed to Portuguese vandalism. The smaller broken image Andhaka is seen below Bhairava’s image. It is interpreted that Shiva is spearing him with the front right hand, as conjectured by the spear seen hanging without any hold. Also seen is the backhand lifted up and holding an elephant’s skin as a cover; the elephant’s head, carved tusk, and trunk are seen hanging from the left hand. The second left hand depicts a snake coiled around it. The hand holds a bowl to collect the blood dripping from the slain Andhaka.

The panel to the east of the north portico is Shiva in a Yogic position called Yogisvara, Mahayogi, Dharmaraja and Lakulish.[16] Resembling a Buddha, Shiva is in a dilapidated condition with only two broken arms. Shiva is seated in padmasana yogic posture (cross-legged) on a lotus carried by two Nāgas. His crown is carved with details adorned by a crescent, a round frill at the back, and hair curls dropping on either side of the shoulders. His face is calm in meditation, his eyes half-closed. This represents Shiva in penance sitting amidst the Himalayan mountains after the death of his first wife Sati, who was later reborn as Parvati. He is surrounded by divinities in the sky and attendants below. Also seen is a plantain with three leaves already open and one opening, as well as a sunflower blossom. These are flanked by two attendants. Other figures discerned from a study of the broken images are: Vishnu riding Garuda on a plantain leaf; the Sun-god Surya riding a fully saddled horse (head missing); a saint with a rosary; two female figures in the sky draped up to their thighs; a faceless figure of the moon with a water container; three identical figures of a male flanked by two females; the skeleton of a sage; Brahma (without one arm) riding a swan; and Indra without his mount.

Bibi Ka Maqbara

No wonder if someone mistakes this for ‘ Taj Mahal’.  But this is Bibi Ka Maqbara. Apart from some lonely visitors we were not able to see any tourists in the range of what we see in Taj Mahal.  The architecture resembles so much of Taj Mahal that it has been called as ‘ Mini Tajmahal’.  The construction is not done with much precision as that of Taj Mahal but still looks beautiful by its own means. 

The Bibi Ka Maqbara (English:”Tomb of the Lady”) is a maqbara located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. It was built by Azam Shah, son of Aurangzeb, in 1678 in memory of his mother, Dilras Banu Begum (posthumously known as Rabia-ud-Daurani).It bears a striking resemblance to the famous Taj Mahal, the mausoleum of his grandmother, Mumtaz Mahal. Aurangzeb was not very interested in architecture, though he had built the small, but elegant, Pearl Mosque at Delhi. The Bibi Ka Maqbara was the largest structure that he had to his credit.

The comparison to the Taj Mahal has often obscured its very own considerable charm.Due to the strong resemblance, it is also called the Dakkhani Taj (Taj of the Deccan).The Bibi Ka Maqbara is the principal monument of Aurangabad and its historic city. An inscription found on the main entrance door mentions that this mausoleum was designed and erected by Ata-ullah, an architect and Hanspat Rai, an engineer respectively. Ata-ullah was the son of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, the principal designer of the Taj Mahal.

Ellora Caves

Ellora is one of the UNESCO’s  World Heritage Site in India.  The whole set of caves a carved out from the rocky mountains. Such an amazing piece of construction considering the period of time it is built.  The caves are an excellent example of how far the Kings have gone to impress the Gods or imply their religious beliefs.

Ellora is an archaeological site 29 km (18 mi) north-west of the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra, built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty (Brahmanical & Buddhist group of caves) and Yadav (Jain group of caves). Well-known for its monumental caves, Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 34 “caves” are actually structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills.Hindu, Buddhist and Jain rock-cut temples and viharas and mathas were built between the 5th century and 10th century. The 17 Hindu (caves 13–29), 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves, built in proximity, demonstrate the religious harmony prevalent during this period of Indian history. It is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.

Ram , Sita and Lakshmanan .. Shot from Ellora caves

This pillar on the Kailasa temple is one hell of a wonder.  Precise rock carvings, standing like tall bouncer overlooking the whole crowd, this pillar completes the majestic  look of the temple.  Such an amazing architecture… Shot from Kailashnatha Temple, Ellora

The Kailasa temple is one of the largest rock-cut ancient Hindu temples located in Ellora,Maharashtra, India. A megalith carved out of one single rock, it is considered one of the most remarkable cave temples in India because of its size, architecture and sculptural treatment.

The Kailasa temple (Cave 16) is one among the 34 cave temples and monasteries are known collectively as the Ellora Caves. Its construction is generally attributed to the 8th-century Rashtrakuta king Krishna I. The temple architecture shows traces of Pallava style.

We felt Ellora is almost on its last days. Most of the structures were worn out and ASI has also not given enough care to the architectural masterpiece.  Not enough stalls to support tourism, no proper mode of transport to caves except a bus from late 90’s. All over Ellora deserve a lot more attention and funds but sadly authorities have turned their face away from these caves. Ellora in its all means a wonderful tourist spot, a great memento of India’s great culture and heritage…A must visit place in India for anyone who wants to know the ancient culture of our country …its amazing culture on its hay days …

Ajantha Caves

Ajantha caves  and the paintings are one of the time-tested evidence which shows how strong Buddhism had it’s root on India.  The Hinayana and Mahayana which are the two prominent Buddhist schools of that time. The place where Ajanta caves were built, is an absolute marvel. In the mid of the forest, with waterfall all around and a river right below the cave structure, my thoughts got beyond the limits when I imagined the scenery on its prime days….  The kings of that time had put so much effort in engraving these caves out on the rocks and making paintings which stood until this time. So much is the impact of Buddhism. 

The above image is not shot by me .  But see how majestic it looks,imagine a river on the horseshoe and waterfalls on the rock side. That’s what Ajantha looked like when it was built … Peace at its helm …..

Photographer : By Freakyyash – photo taken by Freakyyash, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3327472 

He was sitting there like a young nomad enjoying the evening …. And I just clicked him…

Peace is my path… Love is my religion …

While Ellora was completely discarded by ASI even though it is being listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, Ajanta was taken care of. Happy to that … Except the constant ‘ Guide Requests’, Ajantha is such an amazing place to see. Back in Ellora we will see the carved out rock structures and when we come to Ajanta, it’s the rock paintings which will keep us astounded. When we hear that the paintings lasted for nearly a millennium, the only wonder might be how these guys draw them in the first place and what has been used to draw it …  

The above sculpture of Buddha can be seen at Cave 26 in Ajantha and one of the must-see feature in the entire Ajantha tour. Don’t ever miss Cave 26. The cave is well-lighted wth nice warm lights and really make them special.

One thing I noted on my trip is that the face of Buddha imparts a great sense of peace to my mind. All of a sudden we feel an urge to throw away the nasty ego and close our eyes… No wonder why all the kings and dynasties built these wonders for the followers fo Buddhism. 

Whenever you enter the caves with paintings, you will be greeted by the employee/guides and they might tell you ‘ Tip as you wish’ for the explanation. But I would suggest saying ‘No’ to them at the start itself. Not many details can be gathered from them.  And at the end ,you might need to pay them also.

The caves with paintings were maintained with cooling systems. They were a treat to eyes.The paintings depict stories from Indian mythologies and also the ones associated with Sri Buddha. 

And we walked back , my watch sounded the alarm for 6 PM. On the way back we had a tea from the restaurant… With Cardamom and Ginger 🙂 . Maybe because we were tired due to the long journey of the day…. We started from Aurangabad by morning 7 am on the taxi .. Ellora and Ajantha in one day and then back to Jalgaon …that was our plan.. You too can do this but make sure you have a lot of energy for this …A taxi might cost you Rs4000/- in total…I would don’t look for the rates and select a big car like Toyota Innova for the journey because the roads are not that good. A Tata Indica won’t be good enough to keep your back and neck away from pain.  It might be tough to find restaurants on the way as the route is kind of completely deserted. But the driver will be able to find you one and I would say the restaurant from where we had our lunch was awesome … It was a small one on the roadside but taste of the food was superb… We fell in love with the flavor of those dishes 🙂 …. And make sure you have enough water with you before going into Ellora and Ajantha as you will get dehydrated soon after vi two-three caves…

We got our train from Jalgaon station by night 9 .30PM…Another night in train 🙂 .. And the journey continues … 

We reached Mumbai by morning. We went straight to the airport. Mumbai airport is a charm and has all the qualities of an international airport. The way the designers blended the airport interior design with Indian culture is absolutely stunning….. We got freshened up there 🙂 … All kudos to my dear wife…For me and my friend, getting freshened up in the airport was not much of a big deal but as a girl I expected it to be a tough ordeal for my wife but the traveller in her handled it smoothly 🙂 … Out flight to Bhubaneshwar was around 11.30 AM in the morning. We roamed around the airport for 2 hours …

Dosa from Airport … Cost for one Rs 300/- !!!!!….. That’s a whopping one !!!!….If you are eating from airport be ready to spend a fortune … Not at all suitable for a budget traveller …

Puri : Orissa

We landed on Bhubaneshwar airport by around 3 PM in the evening…For all the people who were traveling to Bhubaneshwar airport for the first time via flight… Don’t worry about the flight landing… You will be having some real terrific  moments during your landing …The swings of your flight may make you go haywire…Don’t worry … It’s turf which plays the bad part… The runway was not that smooth…but as always ‘ Trust Your Pilot’… 

From the airport,we went to our hotel… Perhaps during this trip, it was the first time we were staying in the hotel properly for a night … But our experience was not that nice … While checking in, I was asked to show my marriage certificate … Since I just back from the US, I never had one with me. Then I was told that a marriage photo will be fine… So I logged into net, downloaded one from my facebook album and shown to them… The reception guy then only allowed me to check in .. Totally absurd !!!!….. The worry is not over.. We went into our room. It looked good and neat…Opened the bathroom and there you go … A glass window right next to your bathtub without any curtains … When I told the hotel staff, they informed its like the same from the time the hotel was built … I was like what !!!!!!….And they arranged me another room upon my request…with one difference.. there was still a window on the side of the bathtub  but with a curtain …  I have no other way than staying in this room… But it was bad I would say ….Don’t think that we booked the room by looking cheap rates…No!! we booked the hotel by seeing the ratings and photos and both of them were complete manipulations… Only good thing was morning breakfast..food was good and tasty … But I will never recommend this hotel to anyone .. And the name of the hotel : The Presidency, Bhubaneshwar …

Puri Lingaraj Temple was the first on our list ….The temple is so famous for the Rath yatra… We took a cab from hotel to the temple. The temple architecture is something unique in nature to North India. You can’t see temples like this anywhere in South India. The temple is built in the Deula style that has four components namely, vimana ( a structure containing the sanctum),jagamohana (assembly hall), natamandira (festival hall) and bhoga-mandapa (hall of offerings), each increasing in the height to its predecessor. The temple complex has 50 other shrines and is enclosed by a large compound wall.  The temple surroundings were not that great and we were welcomed with a prey look. One guy started taking us to the inside of the temple and showing around and ended up demanding Rs 101/- … Purely atrocious. So if you go to this temple, make sure that you are not falling into these  pooja traps…I felt temple back in Kerala are more divine than anywhere else in the world.  Here in Puri Jagannath temple we were afraid to go near any sub-deity for praying as every priest looked like a marketing guy… 😦 .. Sad affair … But the magnificent temple architecture made us awestruck… I would say this is a must visit place for any Indian…

The Lingaraja temple is the largest temple in Bhubaneswar. The central tower of the temple is 180 ft (55 m) tall. The temple represents the quintessence of the Kalinga Architecture and culminating the medieval stages of the architectural tradition at Bhubaneswar.  James Ferugsson (1808–86), a noted critic and historian rated the temple as “one of the finest examples of purely Hindu temple in India”.

Saw the same photo model with Eiffel Tower on the background. Just tried the same 🙂 

Not sure which temple is this. Since photography was banned inside Lingaraj temple, we were roaming around the area and found this one. Tried to give a surreal look to the image 🙂 

That was it for the day … We came back to the hotel by around 8 :)…

Morning, our plan was to catch the train from Bhubaneshwar to Puri..Puri Jagannath Temple and Konark Sun temple were the prominent places on our list. The train got delayed by around 30 mins and our entire trip got delayed by an hour or so.

Puri Jagannath Temple

There were no photos of Puri Jagannath temple as photography was completely banned. When we reached the temple, again ‘prey the tourist’ policy from the locals and priests started. One of the priests   joined along with us and started telling about Poojas and so on. This time, we were more cunning than him. We haven’t given him a single look and finally he left the show. It was really sad to see how the condition of Brahmins in north India has deteriorated over the course of decades and centuries. Now they are the most suffering group among the lot.  I just thought how time makes stories upside down. 300 years back people were begging at Brahmins and they were the wealthiest and now , its the other way around 😦 … Sad but truth.

Puri Jagannath temple is famous for its Rath yatra.  The most significant ritual associated with the Ratha-Yatra is the chhera pahara.” During the festival, the Gajapati King wears the outfit of a sweeper and sweeps all around the deities and chariots in the Chera Pahara (sweeping with water) ritual. The Gajapati King cleanses the road before the chariots with a gold-handled broom and sprinkles sandalwood water and powder with utmost devotion. As per the custom, although the Gajapati King has been considered the most exalted person in the Kalingan kingdom, he still renders the menial service to Jagannath. This ritual signified that under the lordship of Jagannath, there is no distinction between the powerful sovereign Gajapati King and the most humble devotee. This reminded me of Tripadi Danam by Marthanda Varma in my own Thiruvananthapuram. 

The temple is regarded as the part of Char- Dam ( the four temple every person need to visit during his lifetime, the other three are Rameshwara, Dwaraka and Badrinath).Even though the icons of most Hindu deities that are worshiped are made out of stone or metal, the image of Jagannath is wooden. Every twelve or nineteen years these wooden figures are ceremoniously replaced by using sacred trees, that have to be carved as an exact replica. The reason behind this ceremonial tradition is the highly secret Navakalevara (‘New Body’ or ‘New Embodiment’) ceremony, an intricate set of rituals that accompany the renewal of the wooden statues. The temple is in the Deula architectural form, the same as we have seen in Lingaraj temple. The temple was heavily crowded and it was difficult for us to get Darshan. But somehow we managed to get Darshan.

When I saw a lot of food in and around the temple I got amused. Nowhere I have this much amount of food/prasadam  on the temple premises. Later only I came to know that Puri Jagannath temple has the largest kitchen in the world. Tradition maintains that all food cooked in the temple kitchens are supervised by the Goddess Mahalakshmi, the empress of Srimandir herself. It is said that if the food prepared has any fault in it, a shadow dog appears near the temple kitchen. The temple cooks, or Mahasuaras, take this as a sign of displeasure of Mahalakshmi with the food, which is, then, promptly buried and a new batch cooked.All food is cooked following rules as prescribed by Hindu religious texts, the food cooked is pure vegetarian without using onions and garlic. Cooking is done only in earthen pots with water drawn from two special wells near the kitchen called Ganga and Yamuna. It was so tempting for me take a try on these foods, even my wife was saying the same but  somehow the thought of a stomach collapse kept me away from it.

Couple of things I felt after visiting these temples is that 

1. They are some of the mightiest architectural wonders of India or perhaps in the world.  
2. Every tourist is considered as a martyr for a devotee scam I should say. Don’t fall for that. Stay from people who are walking beside you explaining about the temple.
3. The divine factor or the peace factor which you expect is not there. 
4. Last but not the least, they are the standing monuments of one of the most advanced  society ever lived in the face of the earth and no matter what, they make you awestruck

Konark Sun Temple

From Puri, we took a taxi to Konark Sun Temple, the last place in Odisha for us. This was the most amusing one in the list for me. It took nearly an hour and a half to reach Konark Sun temple from Puri. You can easily get a taxi for this. By around 4 pm we reached Konark. 

There is a street which leads to the temple. On the sides, you can see vendors with all those mini versions of Konark wheel, hats and so on. We decided to take a walk around the streets to try some street photography. Also, we decided to hire a guide. Because understanding Konark Sun Temple was as important as seeing it.  We got a guide for Rs 200/- for 2 hours. Not much of a high rate. I would highly recommend a guide for this because you will understand the structure and the rock carvings really well. 

From the streets of Konark ……Popping out from the group!!!

Veera Vinayaka …Vetri Vinayaka… Sakthi Vinayaka…Perazhakaa !!!…..

The mighty Sun Temple 

One view of the Sun Temple will make you speechless. That big the temple is !!!.. Phenomenal I would say… A must and must list on any traveller visiting India. No wonder it made to UNESCO’s world heritage list. 

 It is believed that the temple was built by kingNarasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty in 1255 AD. The temple complex is built in the same of a chariot with 24 wheels representing 24 hours of the day. That’s not it . The temple’s walls and pillars were carved with amazing stone works. There were 7 horses ( 4 on left and 3 right) which were designed to pull the chariot.  The sculptures represent all levels of human life … from cradle to grave. he Konark temple is also known for its erotic sculptures of maithunas. You can see polygamy. monogamy, gay , lesbian all in the rock sculptures. I felt like all these forms of man-woman relationship might have originated from India and then spread across the world. We were not just the masters of civilization and technology 🙂 …. 

As per the guide, the idol of Sun god inside the temple was floating in the air. This was done with three magnets placed on the corners and bottom of the sanctum. The magnets were so powerful that they interrupted the magnetic compass of the Portuguese ships travelling in the sea which is hardly 4kms. This made the Portuguese go haywire. They came to the temple and destroyed the floating set up. The idol has been taken to England. Not sure how much truth is there in this story but I saw the front entry doors of the temple has been sealed with concrete blocks. That means we can enjoy this beauty from outside only.  I think the story is a local guide legend because the statue was never taken to the UK but was moved to Puri Jagannath Temple.

Three idols of Sun god are placed on three sides of the temple. The idols were carved out in greenstone which was supposed to be from South India. These idols represent three different faces of Sun. A morning face, which is calm and happy, A noon face, which is fierce and An evening face, which is tired. 

There is an another temple on the backside of the main Sun Temple. It is believed to be the temple for Mayadevi who is the wife of Sun God.

The sad thing about Konark Sun Temple is that the temple is on it’s last days. The salty wind from the nearby sea is the main culprit here. Because of this, the sculptures fade out fastly. I saw a lot of plain blocks in the temple. They were the ones replaced recently. 

There have been several proposed theories for the collapse of the main sanctum. The date of the collapse is also not certain.

The Kenduli copper plates of Narasimha IV (Saka 1305 or 1384 CE) states the temple to be in a perfect state. In the 16th century Ain-i-Akbari, Abul Fazl also mentions Konark being in a proper state. The account also mentions the cost of construction being 12 years of revenue. 

The cause of the collapse is also placed on Kalapahad who invaded Odisha in 1568.

Local legend – stated by the guides is that, the collapse was caused by the removal of the strongly magnetized rod at the centre which was keeping the temple structure erect by Portuguese shipmen. The strong magnetic waves emanating from it were interfering with the ships’ compass and resulted in a few ship wrecks!

In 1627, the then Raja of Khurda had removed the sun idol from Konark and moved it to the Jagannath temple in Puri. James Fergusson (1808–1886) had the opinion that marshy foundation had caused the collapse.But, the structure has shown no sign of sinking into its foundation.^[Fergusson, who visited the temple in 1837, recorded a corner of the main sanctum still standing. It also fell down in 1848 due to a strong gale. According to Percy Brown (1872–1955), the temple was not properly completed and so it collapsed.This contradicts earlier recorded accounts of the temple being in a proper state. In 1929, an analysis of a moss covered rock estimated the date of abandonment at around 1573. Other proposed causes include lightning and earthquake

The repair works have been going around for nearly 100 years. Its history traces back to 1800s. 

In 1803, requests were made for conservations by the East India Marine Board, but the only removal of stones from the site was prohibited by the Governor General. As a result, a part of the main tower, which was still standing, collapsed in 1848.The then Raja of Khurda removed some stones and sculptures to use in a temple he was building in Puri. A few gateways and some sculptures were destroyed in the process.In 1838, after the depredation of the Raja of Khurda, Asiatic Society of Bengal requested conservation, but the requests were denied and only preventative of human-caused damages were guaranteed. The Raja was forbidden to remove any more stones.In 1859, Asiatic Society of Bengal proposed moving an architrave depicting the navagraha to the Indian Museum in Calcutta. The first attempt in 1867 was abandoned as the funds ran out.In 1894, thirteen sculptures were moved to the Indian Museum.In 1903 when a major excavation was attempted nearby, the then Lieutenant governor of Bengal, J. A. Baurdilon, ordered the temple to be sealed and filled with sand to prevent the collapse of the Jagamohana. In 1906, casuarina and punnang trees were planted facing the sea to buffer the site against sand-laden winds.In 1909, the Mayadevi temple was discovered while removing sand and debris.

The temple was granted World Heritage Site status by the UNESCO in 1984.

The dancers ….. 

The  only one wheel among the 24 which remains intact without any destruction… Someone needs to stay beyond the time to tell the tale !!!!!….

See this to experience this !!!!… Truly magnificent

My beloved friend : Deepu who planned the whole trip .. Kudos Buddy 🙂 ….An avid history enthusiast. 

Our Guide !!!….

On the way back, we stopped at the famous puri beach. Reminded me and wife about our beautiful evenings at Chennai Basant Nagar beach. We had ice creams to brush up our nostalgia. 

Udayagiri & Khandagiri Caves 

Udyagiri and Khandagiri caves were the last on our list. We thought of skipping it as they were the last on our schedule. But since we had two hours in the morning on the day we were planning to board the flights, we decided not to miss them.  Took a cab and ride to Udayagiri & Khandagiri.

We decided to hire a guide as this was an off prime  location and we were not aware of its history. I would say that was a smart move. The guide was really nice and was explaining everything in detail. He sounded knowledgeable. The tone of the guide was totally different from what we have seen in Konark. Back in Konark, the guy was implying things like a local legend but here this guy was not doing so. He was not trying to impart stories into us rather he mentioned about the probable chances.

The caves are situated on two adjacent hills, Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvat in the Hathigumpha inscription. They have a number of finely and ornately carved caves. It is believed that most of these caves were carved out as residential blocks for Jain monks during the reign of King Kharavela. Udayagiri means “Sunrise Hill” and has 18 caves while Khandagiri has 15 caves.

The caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri, called lena or leṇa in the inscriptions, were dug out mostly during the reign of Kharavela for the abode of Jaina ascetics. The most important of this group is Ranigumpha in Udayagiri which is a double storeyed monastery.

The Hathigumpha cave (“Elephant Cave”) has the Hathigumpha inscription, written by Raja Kharavela, the king of Kalinga inIndia, during the 2nd century BCE. The Hathigumpha inscription consists of seventeen lines incised in deep cut Brahmi letters on the overhanging brow of a natural cavern Hathigumpha on the south side of the Udayagiri hill. It faces the rock edicts ofAsoka at Dhauli, situated about six miles away.

She walked the whole two hills along with us to get some money …And she soulfully agreed when I asked her for a pic after giving some money … That face tells a lot many stories… tales with no preface and conclusion …

 The Guide …..We won’t forget this guy’s sound. At one point of time, I thought how he is breathing. He was talking high pitched nonstop for hours.

Ashoka had a special weakness for Dhauli, where the battle was fought. The Daya river is said to have turned red with the blood of the many deceased after the battle, and enabled Ashoka to realize the magnitude of horror associated with war. He saw to it that Dhauli became an important centre of Buddhist activities. He built several chaityas, stupas and pillars there. He got abodes excavated for the recluse, instructions inscribed for officials, expounded the main principles of dandaniti for the public, provided special status to his new kingdom including the stupas at Dhauli.

On the top of the hill, a dazzling white peace pagoda has been built by the Japan Buddha Sangha and the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha in the 1970s.

Being in some places on this much historical important invoked a soothing yet pride feeling on my mind… the pride feeling how much has gone in shaping the history of my homeland. No wonder why India is being called  as a subcontinent … It’s not just about the geographic diversity but also about the cultural and historical diversities spread across centuries….

When we were back on the plane to my hometown, it was such a great feeling …. Something which is really unexplainable and connected to my love of history or perhaps it’s the wonderfulness in understanding how great my country is …but still I feel sad , on one side India is filled with all kind of historical wonders but on the other side, I saw barren lands under scorching sun with no agriculture … I saw priests running behind tourists for money … I saw a couple taking their lunch under the shade of the tree overlooking their barren land… I saw humpy bumpy roads connecting world heritage sites … I experienced something weird which I don’t want to mention it on my blog due to strict ethical reasons…. But still ,India is a country of wonders…. Ever enchanting wonders…… 

Note : This article contains excerpts from Wiki. I have included them to get a flow and  insight into the sites we have visited. 

Breath taking Niagara : The Journey to the Heavenly Mist

“It’s Niagara Falls. It’s one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world. Who wouldn’t want to walk across it? “– Nik Wallenda. I would try that in other way. “I have seen many places and I will see many other places but nothing ever will equals Niagara. Niagara is some place which will make you forget about the whole life and it even makes you think about being the part of infinity. I heard about Niagara first in my 8^th standard from the travelogue of famous Malayalam writer S.K. Pottakadu. He said Niagara was dancing like a jungle beauty dancing with her unleashed hair. From then Niagara is a place which I vied to see and never thought God will give make that dream come true. If spellbound and speechless needs a synonym, Niagara is the one. The awesome of feel I experienced when my boat moved towards the Maid of Mist, the mightiness I felt when I walked towards the Cave of Winds. I am not sure whether my words will deliver the true feeling.

So our big planner Naren took the responsibility and every stuff was planned right to the core. As always on the trip day, leaving the office by Noon J …Going to Enterprise to rent out the car …Fill the fuel …Load the bags…Turn the ignition J and vroom !!!!! ..trip is on….We started by around 4 pm on a Friday evening and we need to cover nearly 450 miles to reach Niagara and our stay was planned at Batavia, a city 1 hour away from the falls. Thanks to the peppy Chrystler Town & County, the ride was so smooth. Less traffic was a grace for us and we cruised up. By around 12 at night we reached Super 8 at Batavia. The hotel manager was waiting for us even at this time. Americans are really nice at hospitality especially Super 8(highly recommended for any travel). Check-in was pretty smooth and within couple of minutes we were in our rooms. In no time sleep goddess graced us and we slept with all our dreams filled with Niagara.

Next day morning, after finishing our breakfast we started to the falls. It was just 1 hour drive. The traffic gets choked up as we neared Niagara but our fellow travelers were visiting for the second time and as per them, the crowd on the day was very less. It was tough to find a parking spot but somehow we managed to find one. And then we walked to the entry of the falls. There was single ticket of $31 for all the entries. It included the entry to Cave of Winds, Maid of the Mist, a 40 minute movie, entry to aquarium and observatory deck. We took our tickets and moved towards the queue for Maid of Mist. We were in the queue as the boats were on their onward journey towards Maid of Mist. After a wait of 30 minutes, the boat docked to our boardwalk. We all were wearing the blue rain coats. For me things were bit tough, I need to handle my SLR through the rain cover. Operating an SLR cam through a rain cover is really tough. I was doing it for the first time and I really felt the toughness. Basically, you cannot use the view finder and the only other option is to use the live view. When you are using live view, you won’t be able to see a thing once your boat moved into the horse shoe falls.

Ok..Lets come back to the boat. We all ran and got into the upper decks. My lovely wife secured a corner place for us. The boat started moving and to be frank, the excitement you feel on that time is beyond all words. The boat have to cross the American falls and then move towards the Maid of Mist. The first view of the falls is the American falls. It will nearly take 5-10 minutes for the boat to cross the American falls and the sight of it ..ohhh man …will make you awestruck. I have never seen anything which made such a feel on me. You cannot express your feelings. The length of the falls and green rocks on the bottom makes American falls looks gorgeous. You don’t feel it’s a waterfall, you will like a milk fall. There is a term called ‘Palazhi’ in Hindu mythology, I would associate that word here. Palazhi means ‘Sea of Milk’ and if you see Niagara for the first time and if heard about Palazhi before, you feel that in real. The estimated water flow over the US side of Niagara Falls is 75,000 gallons per second, which comes just the 10% of Niagara Falls total water flow and I was wondering the mightiness created by a mere 10%. No stunts ever dared to do a walk over across American side of the falls. All the stunts were performed across the Canadian horse shoe falls.

Then the boat slowly moved towards the Maid of the Mist, the Canadian side of the falls. The whole fall is in a horse shoe shape and believed as the most beautiful view of the Niagara. When the boat moved towards the Maid of Mist, the only sound I can hear was the thunderous thrashing of water. No wonder that Native Americans believed that God of Thunder lived inside the falls. The sight of Horseshoe Falls and the mist surrounding is one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen. I don’t think anything I will see in my life will surpass it. The misty fog around the falls give such a feeling that we are moving to another world, perhaps to the doors of heaven. Yeah it’s a heavenly feeling ..such a mesmerizing scene and no words can ever describe. As always, every natural wonder will have its own myths and folklore. Niagara too have its own stories (perhaps truth). It is believed that a young lady lost her husband and due to the sorrow she stepped into a canoe and decided to give up her life. As canoe fell into the waterfalls, the God of Thunder who was living there caught her gently in his hands. From then onwards, many people have said to have seen her in the horseshoe falls. The recovery of James, the first person who survived the fall is one among the many stories associated with the falls.

Studies indicates that thousands of years ago, the fall was 11 km downstream from its current spot. It is the erosion which caused the mighty falls and it is the erosion which will end the falls. Yes it’s true. Niagara falls will only last up to another 10,000 years. After that time, the falls will turn into small rapids due to erosion. Currently there is a flow control mechanism is in place which controls the flow of water into the falls. This actually controls the rate of erosion. More mathematically it reduces the erosion rate from 1 ft per year to 1 ft per 10 years. But still we cannot stop the inevitable. Nature makes, Nature gives and Nature takes. I felt sad when I heard this. The info of losing the mighty falls is not very pleasing to hear. But as I said earlier, no human can stand against the Mother Nature. Our days may be limited so as Niagara’s but still for all those thousands of years to come the thunderous roar and divine mist will enchant the generations to come. Myths and folklore will continue. At least I am happy that the mighty falls will remain as for my lifetime and I will be there again, again and again falling in love with Niagara, the beauty in the mists.

Afternoon we visited the ‘Cave of Winds’, under the American falls. That is place where you will feel the power of the lovely lady. We all were given rain coats before going over there. It was severe mistake from my side to wear my own shoes while going over there. Don’t ever do that. The sheer power of water will make you wet all the way. I wondered when I came to know that the workers construct the standing deck every summer and disassemble it once the spring is over. I don’t know how the deck is standing tall against the enormous power of the falling water. Standing there, you will see Niagara falling right on your side and when I saw the force which water hits the rocks… that was  the gruesome force I have ever seen in my life. I spend nearly 1 hour over there enjoying the breathtaking power of Niagara. Cave of Winds is something which everyone should see and feel at least once in their lifetime. I am thankful to almighty for making that come true for me. When the water fell on my body with all its force, I looked above and thanked Mother Nature…. the creator of all.

That marked the end of our Niagara trip. It was filled with lot and lot of breath taking memories. I am not sure how frequently any trip made me feel like that. We drove back to Bath, where our hotel was. All the night I and my wife had one topic to discuss, Niagara. We are sure we will be there again, together, holding our hands each otherJ. Next day morning we started our journey back to home from Bath. We planned to visit Watkins state park also on our way. The drive from Bath to Watkins was an awesome drive. The country side driving which I have seen only in Roadrash game before, that was the drive from Bath to Watkins. The misty roads and corn fields on both sides were so awesome. Especially when I was driving the car. That is one drive I wants to do one more time.  The roads and scenery reminded me of the old poem Solitary Reaper

Behold her, single in the field,

Yon solitary Highland Lass!

Reaping and singing by herself;

Stop here, or gently pass!

Alone she cuts and binds the grain,

And sings a melancholy strain;

O listen! for the Vale profound

Is overflowing with the sound.

 

I drove past all those wonderful places with one poem on the back of my mind

 

 The woods are lovely, dark and deep,  

But I have promises to keep,  

And miles to go before I sleep,  

And miles to go before I sleep.

Washington Diaries – City of Beautiful Blossoms and Majestic Monuments (Day 1)

Day 1 – First page of Washington Diaries

There are some cities in the world which everyone wants to see at least once. No matter who you are and where you are from you will want to be there for a single time..at least as a transit place during your air travel. And for all of us, those cities will always change. I still remember the day when I got really sad as my parents declined me from going a school tour( we called it as excursion) and the destination of the tour was Zoo in Thiruvananthapuram. My dad( prefer to call as Achan itself) assured that he will take me over there another time but never happened :). But then the cities on the wish list changed from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi… Ponmudi to Manali and then from Delhi to Paris …. Manali to Manhattan and so on … And there was one city which I have seen a numerous number of times in Hollywood movies, the most secured…the most protected city of the world…Washington. The first time I came to know about the city was during the world trade center attacks. From then in almost all of the Hollywood movies I watched, the city played a pivotal roles.

There is something called the Cherry Blossom festival which will happen once in every year in the heart of Washington city. Tourists from all over the world will pour into the city to have a view of the beautiful pink cherry blossoms. The peak of the blossom will be on the April month and mostly in the mid of the month. We too planned to have view of the wonderful city with the beautiful blossoms. And this was the first long trip for me and my dear after setting the foot on US: P … We were eight people. We rented a bulky Chevy Suburban for the trip…a pretty damn big vehicle with a v8 heart. Everything was planned. Hotels were reserved… Parking was booked.. Cameras were charged … Bags were packed… and the accelerator was pushed.. We had experienced drivers with us for this 150 mile trip 🙂 … And on a Saturday morning 8 am, the journey to the most secured city of the world.

The roads of America are really great. The speed of 80 -90 miles/hr was just normal. We leashed out the black Chevy monster’s potential in those roads and whoah!!! … that must have been bloody beautiful for the drivers. We reached the city outskirts by around 12 and the first sight which indicates that you are nearing the lap of the city is the giant Washington Monument which was built for honoring the president George Washington. As we neared the city, the traffic started showing its mighty. The city was way too crowded with the tourists who came over to see the beautiful cherry blossoms. Once we reached into the heart of the city, the next challenge was to find the parking spot which we have reserved. But with the help of all the modern apps and iPhone’s we were able to spot the place without much trouble. We parked our vehicle and then we started the walk … A long walk of 12kms for the day through the hearty of city and bustles of tourists..and know what..it was beautiful. Like a beautiful white lady with pink flowers on her curly hair….

On the Day 1, we planned to visit the Space museum, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Second World War memorial and Einstein Memorial. And frankly speaking that was a hell a lot of travel and walking. Fortunately the National space museum was just a couple of steps from our parking space. We walked towards the museum and before going there I read a lot about it and I was really looking forward to see the Saturn V, which carried mankind to Moon and a lot of other legendary milestones of human endeavors into space. And to say it was definitely a feast for any space lover. It might not be as big as Kennedy space museum in Florida but really a worth one. Saturn V is the real big attraction of this museum and the first flight from Wright Brothers is another major attraction. I also got a chance to view the rock we bought back from moon and also the soil samples. I would say this museum is a must visit for any science enthusiast or any kid who have an interest in Space science. Unfortunately due to our tight schedule, I was not able to visit the museum in full. But as always I believe in leaving something behind to come back. By noon we moved out of the museum and walked towards Washington monument.

The walk to Washington monument was really interesting. All roads were flooded with tourists and tourists means colors..I was enjoying the colorful Washington streets and the beautiful ladies too 🙂 …We passed Smithsonian museum and the monument appeared to be closer. And after a while of walking we reached the place where we can see the monument as a whole. The monument was constructed in memorial to George Washington during 1850’s. My wife has pointed out the chance of getting inside the monument and going into the top. Since our fellow companions doesn’t have much interest on that we left it . But I am damn sure that would be the first in my list for the next time. We passed monument and walked towards Second World War Memorial. The construction of memorial is really beautiful. I have put the pictures below. The name of each state in United States was etched on the stones and two big entrances were etched with Pacific and Atlantic on them pointing to the two oceans where the battle was fought on its at most verocioity. We spend some beautiful time over there. Watched some cool tourist people…Selfie stick guys…blondes..kids… We clicked some beautiful pics of us and walked towards Lincoln memorial.

Abraham Lincoln. The one and only unique president in American history. Lincoln memorial stands on the city on all its proud…right opposite to Washington monument…The Capitol Center…Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial all are on the same line. It reminded me of our beloved Delhi where the India Gate..Rashtrapathi Bhavan all stands on same line. Lincoln memorial was way too crowded. Went inside the memorial and saw the big statue of Lincoln on his chair. The greatness of the statue is awesome. You have to see to feel it. On the corner of memorial, the beautiful setting sun has created a photographer’s dream light. I clicked a couple of pics of cutie. From the memorial, the view of monument is awesome. I missed the pond in between which would have a real view of the monument reflecting on the water. The pond was dried for repairing purposes. After the memorial we walked back to our parking spot. All this time Naren was leading us through all the busy streets of Washington to our destinations. We walked ..walked and walked and when we reached our car…all of us were exhausted..exhausted to core..We walked nearly 15 miles for the day all over…but I would say it was beautiful. A great experience. We took our car and moved to hotel…Kudos to Rahul who was still driving after the exhausting day. …

That night stay was more than horrible. We made a mistake there. We have chosen a hotel outside the city limits. But the stay turned to be a nightmare. Anyway I don’t want to go into the details of this. Somehow the sleep came in and the day ended..

My First Onsite Travel

Every time my ventures on the blog world will get stuck due one or the other reason. But as always I love writing no matter what I writes about. But when I pens down my travelogue I feel special, perhaps I feel so fulfilled deep in my mind. Keeping it simple.. If you love something.. you love passing that something to someone without any reason.

So this travelogue is all about the dream of any person working in IT sector…Travel to Onsite..No matter which country you are travelling…the onsite travel is always special. For me it was way too special and frightening. Being a kid who played in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram even Chennai seemed to be a taunting place initially. The very far I have travelled in my life was Kulu and Manali and that too as a group. Now think about how it will be to travel singly from India to Dubai for a guy who never made any international travel before…Some people might find it interesting but for me it was all filled with fear. My mind was concentrated on what to do if I miss the flight to US from Dubai 🙂 … On top of all this.. leaving my cute Tvm..my little Kerala.. my big and large country.. That’s really hard… especially for a person like me who have an extra nationalism in the blood 🙂

Once my company’s travel team charted out all the travel itineraries for me, I prepared myself for the flight to Dubai from Tvm at morning 4.30 am…I was shivering with a fever which made me stick to bed for two days including a 3-4 hours of hospitalization. I even thought of cancelling the trip but somehow no one else other than me thought about it. In other words they were more excited than me. For the whole night no one in my whole home slept. My dear love and my mom and my other relatives were trying their best to keep me energetic but all was in vain. Somwhere near to 12am I just closed my eyes hugging my dear and the next thing I heard was ” Makkale ennek samayam ayi” by Amma on 1 am. We packed up everything and started to airport. I was still feeling tough to walk but somehow managed to get in the car. 20 minutes’ drive and I was Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and you know what I felt better…. Thanks to all the lovely people around me. Then I walked towards the checking counter and then suddenly I was reminded about the weight of my bag. Emirates only allows only 23kg max with an allowance of additional 9kgs. I rushed towards the weighing machine in the airport and weighed it and happily both of them were over weighted 🙂 . Solution was simple .. Open your bag and take out all the things which comes in your hand. Make sure you were not pulling any travel documents out. After pulling all the unwanted stuffs from my bag, I went to the check in counter and checked in my bags and as expected I was asked to pay extra charge for the additional luggage. The counter guy even offered me to change all the luggage to one and reduce the money I need to pay. But I was in a hurry and no time was there for that. I got my travel passes for all the journey. I said bye to all …that is indeed a heavy hearted moment. But always believe everything happens for a reason.. for a good reason :). …And waving my hands I went to the upper floor…And that time I got myself feeling very sad to leave my own Tvm back .. leaving my beloved ones back… Yeah… life is always like that. It won’t give you something unless you leave something….

And next was the verification from the Immigration officer in Tvm airport. The guy over the counter never heard about a visa called H1B itself. He was asking me where is the letter which shows your purpose of going. Along with this I was asked to present a lot of other documents and somehow I797 pacified him. He allowed me to pass. I went ahead and sat on the waiting area. Took my phone and called my wife… I felt to go back…I talked with all …It was nearly 3 15 am. I waited for the boarding call. By 4 am, the flight announced the boarding of its passengers to Dubai. Feeling so sad inside I stood up and walked slowly towards the gate. I was boarded into the flight. My first international travel has just started. I checked with the air hostess and found my seat. I went over and took my place. The person near me was also having his first international travel I guess. Both of us were finding it difficult to understand the air hostess and to understand how to eat the food they have given us. I somehow figured it out but my nearby passenger was having severe trouble in it. I thought of helping him and I was about to but suddenly he put his food items into trash :(. I again took the phone and called everyone…perhaps that was the last call I made from my Indian cell phone….I told bye to all … and the flight took off ……

I was not getting even a single bit of sleep. Mind that I am a person who never require any time or reason to sleep…:) … My friend near me has started sleeping so soon. I was so anxious about reaching Dubai and catching the next flight. My fear combined with my sadness of leaving everything behind has given a different feeling… I don’t have words to explain that….Almost all the windows of the flights were closed. I wished I could see the morning sky and sunrise from the flight. But I was not that lucky. And eventually time passed…I heard children crying in the flight. I felt that as a real good thing because without that it was complete silence… our teachers said the word ‘Pin Drop Silence’ . 4 hours went just like that and I heard captain’s announcement for landing in Dubai. People started opening up their windows. I looked around…Saw the Dubai city skyscrapers in distance. Amused ..that was the feeling I had during that time and the city turned clear and clear…the city I had seen in lot many Malayalam movies ..the city which was supposed to be the gold mine of Malayalees … I was enjoying it …and then the flight landed in the longest airport in the world .. Dubai International Aiport…..

The landing was smooth and all the passengers were guided outwards. I was not sure which way to go. There were no sign boards in the airport guiding to my next gate for the flight to US. I started walking along with the group. My mind was full blank and I only had one and half hours for transit…I thought of asking someone I saw a queue ahead and walked towards them. One young English lad was there, I showed him the ticket and asked him ” May I know where is this gate?” and the answer …it literally broken me up… ” Hey ..This flight is cancelled ” … I was like ” What ???” … and don’t know why I stood in the same queue as he told but suddenly I heard a voice “People for New York flight should go this way ” … I turned back and saw an air hostess guiding people towards one way …. I went towards her and showed my ticket and she told.. “Yes this way ” and I started walking …no one except a group of people was there. I walked nearly for 5 minutes.. no sign of my gate and I asked another person who was walking with me ” Are you all going towards New york flight gate”… he said ” No … This is the way which people are exiting from aiport ” … and I checked my watch 20 minutes gone.. I only had one hour left and still haven’t found out the gate… I calmed myself and started giving directions to my mind. I simply walked and followed some steps …with no sign board and finally I found the gate pattern and reached the gate. I felt relived ..a lot and lot.
Yeah forgot one thing.. While I was searching for the gate I saw another security check in Dubai Airport…They were fiercely looking police officers and the word “Yella Yella ” still sounds hard on my ears. They used it to check the lady walking in front of me. I somehow passed it and found my gate as I told earlier. Then it went smooth. I passed the immigration check and forwarded towards the waiting area. I was waiting over there and then I saw some officers walking across and near to all passengers and talking to someone after placing some tags on their bags. I thought ” What these guys are doing ?” …They were also talking to some passengers and putting tags on it. My brain did not strike anything for me. I waited for some more time and finally got the boarding call.

I walked towards the boarding gate in Dubai. They checked my tickets and allowed me to pass. On the way I saw the same guys waiting and calling some passengers. Then I got what they are doing. They are looking at the bags which needs to be separately stored in the flight due to the luggage size. A smiling air hostess welcomed me and showed me the seat. It was the middle seat on the right side. I sat there..the windows of the flight were open. I looked out..It was pretty Sunny and saw lot of airport staffs. I think most of them were malayalis 🙂 . This time my fear was whether my luggage has got properly transferred from the first flight to the second one. I have heard many stories of luggage missing before. But I felt good because of two Indians on both my side. And after sometime I heard Captain’s announcement for takeoff…I looked Dubai once more. It looked beautiful and time to bid adieu for that short time span I spent there..the flight took off…. And the journey of 18 hours to the United States of America started….

I never got any sleep in flight. Even though all the windows were closed and artificial nights were created in the flight based on the local time zone, I was not able to sleep properly. I feel congested between the seats. 6 ft height and the economy seating can’t offer much…I tried to initiate a conversation with the people near me but both of them seemed to be busy. In between I heard an announcement that ‘ We are now travelling across Atlantic Ocean’….I should have surely opened my windows if I were in the ‘attathe seat'( Only malayali can understand it) . ‘Atathe seat was once the most valued possession of any kid during travel 🙂 and now my wife enjoy’s that possession 🙂 …I felt goose bumps when I heard that Atlantic ocean…Something which I heard only in my geography textbooks…Some emotions can’t be expressed in words.. I felt such a kind of happiness inside me….In the flight, two things literally screwed me up. One was the food..I really don’t know how to eat with spoon and fork and also not used to many western foods. Even though I ordered an Indian meal in the flight, they delivered me something different. It nearly took an hour for me to complete one course of food and that too with all displeasure of not eating with hand…But somehow I managed. Second thing was the restroom in flight. Even though I have made a couple of domestic journeys in flight, I never used a flight’s restroom. Literally speaking I was not even aware of how to open the door. But sometimes nature’s call become so strong that your first priority will be that. I turned back and looked around. I saw someone going to the restroom. By looking how they are opening the door, I conquered my first fear..Opening the door. I walked towards the restroom..Just pushed it as written on the door and it got opened. Went the inside restroom and I was able to find the door lock easily. Now the next stuff was understanding how to use the toilet and where the flush button is … Searched for 10 minutes and then I saw a button…I was reluctant to press it fearing if I press it, something on the flight will get troubled. But at last I pressed it and then a sound came…fear rushed into me. But suddenly I understood this how the toilet in a flight will work :).

I came back to my seat and started getting bored like anything. Thought of watching some movies and started looking into the flight seat DVD player. Saw the movie Neerparavakal and another movie of NTR.. Time passed..I was looking at the map..The flight was till above Atlantic ocean.. I even though where the Bermuda triangle comes in Atlantic ocean… 🙂 … I started talking with my nearby passenger …He was from Chennai..Working in Infosys and we talked for sometime…In between I slept at sometime..for 1-2 hours and woke up by steward’s call for tea..Journey passed and now my flight was showing somewhere near to USA…The last minute waiting fever started showing it’s first signs on me…People call it nervous.. But I was not nervous.. I was in some kind of feeling which only a person in my level can feel and experience….And my flight was about to land in John F Kennedy International Airport.

I was expecting the landing and suddenly pilot announced some bad weather conditions prevents them from landing to JFK and they are trying to find another airport near by. Again the sense of happiness turned to fear..I was thinking how will I reach home if they leave me in another airport..thinking all the unwanted stuffs… Finally my flight landed on Bradley Cooper International Airport.Connecticut I guess. We were told to wait in the flight itself. We waited for nearly 2 hours and then pilot announced.. ” Weather conditions are back to normal..We are flying back to JFK Airport, New York” .. That was one of hell of goodness !!!…Then my flight landed in JFK ,New York….:) 🙂 …

When I came out of my flight I felt like so happy… I was ina city which I only read in newspapers and seen in English movies…The city appeared to be beautiful but the Jetlag was almost killing me… I cleared my immigration and US Customs put the stamp on my passport and told ” Welcome to United States of America .. Have a nice stay ” … I walked out….And finally I reached the destination… Walked towards the luggage belt ..Waited for sometime..My luggage didn’t came but after a while it came..I pulled them out…Then I was trying to pull the trolley ..It was not coming..Then a girl walked towards me and told ” you need to pay money for that ” …and her husband walked behind her and told ” See don’t waste time come let’s go ” .. I just smiled…Because all of it was in Malayalam … We were always like this..mostly we don’t help any and yell out and conduct hartals in our state for international issues…. 🙂 .. Anyway I took the trolley with the help of a Japanese guy and walked out and next big challenge was to contact the uncle and aunty waiting for me outside.. I had no phone… I searched around.. I saw an American standing with two kids on the game corner. I requested him for the phone. He gladly passed his phone to me and I made the call and uncle picked up from other end…… 🙂 ..

Awesome..Fearful…Wonderful Journey comes to an end…..With all the prayers and grace of God I was able to make it … As always I believe ” Everything happens for a reason ..for a good reason ” 🙂 ……………

Note: Copyright of all the above pictures belongs to their respective owners. None of these pictures are taken by me but from Google :).

KodaiKanal – The Switzerland of South

So it has been long time since I made a journey. Earlier when I was in my bachelor days, a journey decision always comes within minutes.But I have a company , my better half. So all trips has to be planned for us not me alone. That simply means visit more romantic places than dense forests 🙂 .My best buddies Bharath and Sreekanth has decided to gift my marriage with a special journey. What else is a perfect gift for a man with a travelling soul.Due to heavy office works that got postponed long and long. At last we have decided to travel on the month of Jan.Me and my dear to the Switzerland of South.

On one Friday evening we packed ourselves and got into the bus from Chennai to Kodaikanal. The bus was almost empty with some 8 passengers including us. Since it was SRM we never got feared as they were one of the trusted bus operators in South India. I was almost wake up for the whole night.My body was vying to feel the chillness of Kodai on the other hand my dear was sleeping as she has never slept in years 🙂 . I almost felt Kodai when the bus started to the hair pin bends.In my mind I was counting the curves,but always lost the count in between and started from the first again and again.When my watch ticked 5.20am, the bus stopped. The cleaner guy told ‘Sir Kodaikanal, last stop’. I jumped up and took my bag. My dear was still on half sleep.She also got ready and we got out of the bus. Shhhhkkkkk…..the cold breeze went through my tightly zipped Jacket..My dear started shivering hardly.I hugged her tightly. We went to the near by hotel lobby to wait for the cab to come and pick us. And you know one thing.Its always beautiful to hug someone whom you love in the midst of bone breaking chillness. Within some minutes the cab came to pick us. It was too freezy outside. I was actually loving it. Many times in my life I felt I have partiality towards cold. Let it be cold water or freezer items I always preferred them over hot.

We reached the hotel (Apple Valley Resorts) in some fifteen minutes. After some initial hiccups, we have allotted honey moon suite.We went into the room. It was really good one. Clean and tidy.I always believe that the stay of your journey has a big role in making your travel a sweet or bitter experience.I used to sleep in dense forests in times.That times I prefer to stay near some small ponds rather than some tree tops.Like that let it be any place, the staying/sleeping place is always important for me.

Once we entered the room, we just checked everything and then opened the balcony door,,ohh man it was awesome…Time was just past 6 …Sun was on its grand arrival making everything it touches looks beautiful than any other time of the day and we are seeing the below view from our balcony. It was such wonderful that my dear got jumped up and I suddenly ran to pick up my weapon..Canon 550D…and turned to manual…chkk chkk chkk.. Clicks Clicks n Clicks

After sometime we went for a power nap. The driver was supposed to come by 9 am. So we slept for sometime and then got ready. Getting bath in hot water is awesome as you feel the sheer cold once you stop pouring hot water and comes into normal temperature.We got ready quickly and then went to the hotel restaurant to have breakfast. The breakfast disappointed us. Not that good. But still I didn’t cared much as my brain was thinking about the amazing visuals which is about to come to us on the day. The driver came on time and we started.

Our first destination was Bejiram Lake that was deep inside a forest. Don’t think that we have to trek to reach there. Roads are well built and you can reach their in your vehicle itself. It is the lake which provides fresh water to the entire Kodai so the visitors are not even allowed to touch the water. When I saw the lake I felt thirsty but controlled with Aquafina 🙂 .We have to walk some distance to reach the lake and it was really good to sit on the banks. We enjoyed the pin drop silence for sometime since a group came and started making noises. Then we moved to our photo sessions.Canon’s timer was our companion to take our pictures.We took some pictures.. I call them stylish don’t know what viewers call it.

Our Darwin’s ancestors were there all over the way and I cannot stop clicking a pic of them even though they are common everywhere. Sometimes common things are the most precious things.Just clicked some good pictures of them. You don’t know when you are going to get a nice picture.My dear was seeing monkeys in this amount for the first time.She just got scared.The second day stories  have much to tell about that 🙂 . On the way to Bejiram lake the cab driver stopped at lot of view points. You are nearly 2500ft above the sea level and where ever you look it will be filled with foggy snow. The view were so beautiful. My cam was relentless in clicking. There is a quote about the photographers…No matter how many times you click the same object, you wont get satisfied. The same goes with me. When I saw some sights they were mind blowing..simply wonderful. You will feel that your mind getting completed. The heavy feeling will fade away. Nature always keeps the secrets for us. Nearly six years back when I visited there I have never known that these kind of places/views is there in Kodai. Just came n went . But God has destined me to the see place in another way. With a beautiful lady, Wonderful camera and the best visuals he has placed for me.

While roaming around places,the test happened for us. The vehicle got jammed up ..Frankly to say it was such a pathetic driving from the guy. He was treating the vehicle with no sense at all. And we waited nearly for an hour or so for another cab to come to pick us. This is where you need to be patient enough to deal when you better half’s patience goes out of place :). But still she was with me laying on my shoulder. That is kind of really beautiful when the girl you love the most just lays on your shoulder and foggy snows comes around you…Cinematic…!!!!!!!!! I felt it … Then once the cab he somehow dropped us in Kodai Junction.

Time was almost 4 PM and its time for a walk or a boating.. Yupiee… The Kodai Lake is nearby and we almost reached there. Hired a boat and guy to row. First I thought of taking a self pedal boat but the safety concerns from my dear and the very basic fact that both of us didn’t even know anything about Michael Phelps or swimming made me to switch to a assisted row boat. It was purely awesome. Imagine you in a boat in an evening with your partner with sun setting on side and the snow just comes around the surface of the lake…It was so beautiful….You have to experience it to know it … Thats why the quote.. Best things needs to be experienced.

Not my pic