Last year this time...Goa..

To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

 

Oct 30th came bringing with it memories of the trip i had taken last year. Goa.. The accomodation was a gift from a dear friend, and the experience will remain with me lifelong!! It was quite a memorable trip, one that almost dint happen cos the friend who was to come along dropped out last minute.. But i went ahead, and had a whale of a time!! 

Lot of people gape when i tell them i went to Goa alone, and spent 5 fun days at the paradise.Infact, was talking about the trip to a friend on sunday, and this is how the conversation went..

Me:[Sipping on tea, staring into nowhere]

N[my friend]: where you lost madam?

M: Was thinking about my Goa trip, last year this time, rather today i was there

N: Cool, so you went with friends! [wasnt a question, he assumed :)]

Me: Nope, went alone

N: [Gaped.... Gasped... Gaped] Oh wow, how come alone, and that too to Goa? 

Me: Well, i had planned it with a friend, but last minute she dropped out due to work commitments, and i was in a dilemma on whether to go ahead or not. But finally, thanks to a little nudge from A, i did go ahead

N: How many days?

Me: 5 full fun days.

N: Wow, you are amazing.. never cease to amaze me 

[Calls his wife and narrates the whole- she went to Goa alone shocker :D] 

Me: I love travelling solo, and Goa has so much to offer

Does not matter if you have company or not, you can go around and enjoy the place

I saw so many beaches, temples, and the famous Fort Aguada

Also went on  a Dolphin Cruise, and did the water scooter thingy... Wanted to do parasailing, but was too crowded.... 

N & his wife: ooh, super.. We're yet to go to Goa as a couple...Have gone with friends..

N: Did you go to Titos? Tried Port wine ?

Me: I saw the place, but dint spend too much time there, it was an hour from the resort i stayed at. 

Oh,yes!! Not just Port wine ;o) ... and brought back some too... 

Did manage to spend quite some time at Curlys,a loungy place in Anjuna Beach... Also did some shopping at the flea market there 

And ofcourse the visit to Caliz,a memorable one!!

N: Cool, so when we plan, i think we will take pointers from you on where all to go :)

 

Since my trip, have given inputs, suggestions to so many friends!!! 

Hope to do more trips to Goa...Love the place!! 

The Queen bath in Hampi

During my last day at Hampi, i wanted to visit the infamous "Royal Enclosures". As i stepped out of the car, all i saw a towering structure and scaffolding everywhere. Climbed on the small outer wall, and made my way into the campus. The sight that greeted me was overwhelming. 

It was the size of a football ground where the whole world could fit in. There were structures scattered through, some in good condition, while many were in ruins.Watching the scores of tourists rush in, make their way towards a structure towards the end , i too joined them and walked along, taking it all in.

 The stone gate structure that lay outside the Royal Enclosure

Crossing the Mahanavmi Dibba, (a 8-tiered platform where state functions and festivities were held) i came upon a long stone structure that was part of the irrigation system in Hampi.

This elevated channel  is meant for feeding water to the tank and is made of stone pieces 8 to 10 feet each joined by vertical props, also made of stone.. Curiosity got the better of me, and i went to the other side to the "Pushkarni"... 

Also called the Stepped Bath, or the Queen's bath, this is a stepped well designed for bathing. The water flows in through the stone channel into this tank.

Although i had seen a similar structure near the Vittala temple in Hampi and in Dwarasamudra- The Hulikere, this Pushkarni was just as fascinating. Giving us a glimpse of how Royal the lives of the Kings and Queens were, and the creativity and craftsmanship of the artisans, the temple tank still stands tall drowning us in its beauty....

One of the architecture marvels, the neatly arranged row of steps added to the beauty of the well.. We sat there for a while, till the Sun beat down on us forcing us to get back to the car and turn on the AC....

[Skywatch Friday] Gotcha!

 

I call it "the loop in the sky"

A loop created by the Jasmine flower creeper  

A loop that seemed to catch the sky

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Tales unfold

As we rode  along lush greenery in Anegundi, our guide Virupaksha suddenly brought the autorickshaw to a halt, pointed to the left and told us "lets go explore some cave paintings".. Lakshmi and i looked at each other sceptically as we did not see any mountains or caves, and the sun was beating down with a vengeance. The auto driver and Virupaksha understood our apprehension and said "its just here, not far"

Virupaksha said -You see the fields, we walk through them, and then you see the tree there, just take a left and voila, you are there at the caves... 

It was only after we crossed the fields and came to the tree did we realise their idea of "its just here, not far" was a mini trek.. Stumbling upon boulders, we made our way to the top to see a vast open space filled with wild shrubs and bushes. Virupaksha and Lakshmi went ahead, and i followed them few paces behind till they finally stopped at a large boulder with a cavity in it. 

There were quite a few sketches on the rock, some looked like bulls, others resembling stick figures we doodle.

 On the neighboring rock, we saw a circle with multiple little circles, a ladder, waves, petals and strokes all around. 

Virupaksha gave us his interpretation of these, while recently Lakshmi discovered it was something entirely different while doing research for her article- Stories that rock art tell.

Here is a post by Lakshmi as well..

Looks like there is so much more than meets the eye when it comes to paintings and sculptures from our past...

[Skywatch Friday] Blazing glory

Like fire

lighting up the sky

the clouds

scattered about

Like fire

adding a bit of spark

the clouds

liven up the skies

Like fire

blazing glory

the clouds

they add life and spice!! 

These were shot on my Blackberry few days ago from a moving car in Chennai, hence the blurred effect! :)

[Skywatch Friday] The Sailor rests

Everytime i visit the Elliots beach, Besant Nagar, am drawn to the Karl Schmidt Memorial that stands alone near the ocean... The memorial seems to tell a different story at different times of the day... Curiosity got the better of me and i started digging, asking people on what this memorial was.... 

Discovered that the Schmidt Memorial at Elliots Beach is a memorial for Karl Schmidt, a Dutch Sailor who lost his life while rescuing a drowning swimmer.... 

 

Beautiful and majestic

Alone and forlorn

The memorial stands strong....

A shelter for many

A hideout for some

Perfect spot to watch the sunrise

Get a glimpse of the sunset

From across miles, 

The memorial catches my eye...

Check out this beautiful shot of the Schmidt memorial on wiki.... 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Have a lovely weekend all!! :-)

Through Deep waters

Walking through the Vittala temple, listening to the various tales about Hampi, a word caught my attention. Lakshmi mentioned visiting Anegundi.. My interest was piqued and i probed further to learn that it had something to do with the Kishkinda section that appears in Ramayana...

In the epic Ramayana, Kishkinda was the kingdom of Bali, Sugriva's brother. After killing Bali the kingdom was handed over to Sugriva by Rama.  Kishkinda-Kanta, a portion in the Ramayana depicts the meeting of Rama and Lakshman with Hanuman and Sugriva. Kishkinda is believed to be part of Karnataka, near Hampi. [source: karnataka tourism]

Reaching Anengundi she said was possible only via boats as the bridge had collapsed half way into construction. With fear in my heart, and anxiety racing through, we made our way to the river Tungabadra that was raging on in full force, hoping the journey would be safe and smooth. 

The coracles are huge, and i saw men bringing their bikes on them, apparently there is another option to reach Anegundia. It is via road, but the distance is over 40kms..

An empty coracle made its way and the old man in charge of the ride beckoned us with a shout. We got into the coracle, and looked around wondering where to sit... i knelt down near one side, and held on for dear life as the coracle went in circles with the old man and a young boy rowing us across. What a ride that was!! I knew i would have to go through it all over again on our return, but well, decided to put that thought aside and enjoy Anegundi for the time being............ 

Time flew by as we drove along lush green fields, climbed mountains in search of cave paintings, and visited a very interesting lady who runs the Kishkinda trust... At the shore, we watched 2 men load their bikes onto the coracle, and thought "lets wait for the next empty coracle",but were asked to join in the same ride. "Whoa, is that possible? so many of us plus bikes" was the only thing running in my mind... There were 6 people already on the boat, and with us, it would be 9.[7 plus 2 who steered the coracle].. I hopped in, and the guys on the bike asked if i wanted to stand holding onto the bikes.. 

Even though i had my doubts of their invitation, i still took them on and it sure made the ride comfortable and fun.. During the course of the ride, came to know these men were returning to Hampi after watching a movie in a theater beyond Anegundi, and this is their regular mode of commute. 

Amidst the surroundings, i was lost in my own world of huge boulders, and beautiful temples when suddenly a tap on my shoulder jolted me back to reality...we had reached, and it was time to get going...... 

[Skywatch Friday] Reaching high

This picture was shot during my visit to Madurai enroute Rameswaram 2months back....

The beautiful Madurai meenakshi amman temple in madurai.. 

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