Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, Ahmedabad...

There I was, in the city that held so many fond memories- Ahmedabad. My first visit was back in 20015, when I spent a whole week here, just that back then I wasn't into this kind of travel mode and so did not explore the city too much.. Plus the agenda was different... 

This time around, I was here with nothing but travel and curiosity on the agenda... I was gonna spend two days in the city before moving on towards Bhuj and beyond!! On the 1st day, after breakfast and settling in, we decided to check out the International Kite Festival. While it was fun, it was quite hot and we walked around the place for an hour before making our way towards The House Of MG [Mangaldas].. A friend wanted to go check out the rooms and food, she had guests coming down in a few staying and staying at the property. The other 3 of us decided to wander the property and explore the area around before coming back for a cup of cool lime soda or chai. 

As you enter The House of MG, the first thing you see is the Menstrual tree installation and on the right side is the Tree of life.. Both are quite impactful, and on the tree of life , there was a board that spoke about the Jali work from the Sidi Saiyyed mosque. When we googled the place, we discovered it was right across from where we were standing. 

We hopped across, and entered the mosque premises, took off our shoes and wandered about the place. It is a fairly small space, and there is a marble board near the entrance that talks about when it was built and by who etc... 

The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque was built back in 1572-73 AD by Sidi Saiyyid....  The mosque is entirely arcuated and renowned for the ten intricately carved stone latticework windows or jalis as they are known. You will find these on the arches both inside and on the rear side. The intricately carved window with the Tree with intertwining branches is the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad's logo. The workmanship is just wow, mesmerising and almost looks like filigree work... The one surprising element was the small window in the center which is plain and has just a wall on it. I also heard that the place was not completed, as the Mughals invaded Gujarat by then. Even though this mosque is much smaller than the Jama Masjid, and does not have the huge courtyard, the craftsmanship and details across the structure is unparalleled.  

As we made our way out of the campus, we heard prayers from the speakers and people slowly piling in. I sent an image of the wall with the Tree on it to a friend who is from IIM and he replied "wow, I have heard of this place, but not visited in even once during my years studying at the campus".. :-) 

The traffic was crazy, and it took us a good few minutes to cross the road and take shade at the cafe in The House of MG and wait for our friend... 

Anantya Resort near Kanyakumari... The birthday getaway

I started this tradition few years back.. For my birthday I would get away, be away from Chennai... Over the years I have been to many different places.. Invariably, it would be a place I haven't been to before, unless there was little time or not much options cos of the time constraint. 

Last year, I was in a bit of a dilemma.. I knew the birthday was coming, I knew I wanted to get away, its like the itch knew when to appear and I was lost wondering where to go. I ran through a multitude of options in my head, ruled out most of them, cos they needed atleast 5-10 days to do justice.. I picked up the phone and sent a message to my bestie about this and within an hour I had arrived on one decision- I was going to indulge and do a holiday like none I have done so far...  

For those who know me, know that most of my trips are budget trips, under 20-30k [for a 10day trip, including travel accommodation food etc... ], and so this time when I zeroed in on where to go, I was excited.. While breaking my head on where to go, I remembered this place a friend had visited about a year earlier.. hunted around on Instagram for their photographs, messaged him and that was that, my mind was made up!

I was headed to Anantya Resorts, Kanyakumari. The property was located within 100 acre Rubber plantation and along the Chittar lake and was on TN- Kerala Border.. It is one of the few properties that has a brilliant Instagram feed/stories and a property that I wish I could go back to... 

I booked myself for 2N/3D at their Chakra Cottage [ they also have a Siddhi Villa which comes with its own small pond of sorts and a gazebo] , and had reached out to them asking about transport [pick up/drop]. The property is an hour from Nagercoil station, and about the same from Trivandrum Airport as well.  I love trains, and train journeys, so booked myself on the train headed to Kanyakumari. The property was sending me a cab... Ta da... I was set.. ;-)

There was this adrenalin rush and excitement like I had never felt before.. Maybe because my earlier birthdays were all kinda spent on the road going from one place to the other, or had been in places I had heard off/read about plenty and this place held some mystery element to it.. 

After a fun train journey, where I scandalised a few fellow passengers [who have never seen a girl travel alone...], I was out of the train and on the road towards the resort. The cabbie was a chatty guy, and asked if I knew Lakshmi madam [who's the owner of the property], he went on to share that she was currently in Chennai and asked if I was here on her recco.. We then chit chatted about the places around that I could visit, enquired about the distance to Kanyakumari and lo behold we had reached. 

The reception area is near the main gate, but the cottages are a short hop skip away, the path is rugged but the view ahead is what caught my eye. I was in Chakra Cottage #101 if I remember right [ I did lose my way once or twice but was happy to just be lost and wander about...].. 

The cottage was a few steps from the lake, as were all others. I was told all Chakra cottages on one side, and Siddhi villas on the other.. the lake was like a U around the property.. Am not gonna go on about the room or the property, it will make me go all nostalgic and so am gonna let the photographs tell the tales.... 

All I will say is if ever you are looking for a place to getaway, no signal [atleast no Airtel or Vodafone], and want to do nothing but walk, chill, eat good food, swim, get a massage or two then this is the place for you!! Totally worth every single paisa... 

During the 2nd morning breakfast, connected with a fellow traveller who was there for a quick getaway with her family. Rather she initiated the conversation seeing me alone at the table. Was surprised I was travelling alone that too for my birthday! Came to know she worked in Bangalore, in an IT firm and was into CRM, specifically Salesforce. She infact suggested I sign up for a course at one of the best centres that offered salesforce training Chennai if I was looking for a career shift. Her husband had apparently undergone salesforce admin training in Chennai and today was a VP at a company in Bangalore as well. Her parents chit chatted a while, they too were surprised I was alone, and asked if I wanted to join them for the rest of the day. I politely declined and told them I enjoyed my own company and headed out for a walk along the lake....

This is one of the joys of travelling, meeting interesting people from various walks of life and getting a sneak peek into what the other part of the world lives like... :-)

The sprawling open space around the cottages along the lake..

My Cottage...

The game zone, and the dining area beyond along with the pool and spa..

Artwork on a wall..

Greenery everywhere you see.

 

My cottage...

The lake as the sun sets..

The sit out area from the room...

The dining area..

Gaming zone,, chess, scrabble, books, pallankuzhi and more..

Walkways..

Breakfast/meals with a view...

Now that you have feasted your eyes, let me tell you it is a place you can go alone or with friends or family and will definitely have a blast.. They also have a court that you can use for tennis/shuttle or if basketball is your thing head over to the next space.. There are fun sitting options along the way- a low hammock or a funky hanging chair of sorts.. And if you wanna get some fitness in, grab a cycle and bike around.. You can also request a tour of the plantation, which takes about 1.5-2hrs and is good fun tour..

Address: 

Anantya Resort 

State Highway 45, Kaliel Village, Chittar Lake, Kanyakumari District, Alancholai  

Phone: 044 2823 2013