Ethel M Chocolates' Botanical Cactus Garden, Nevada

On the way back from Vegas towards Los Angeles, the bus was to make few stops, one of which was Ethel M Chocolates' that included a visit to the Botanical Cactus Garden within their campus.. And this was supposed to be Nevada's largest and one of the world's largest collections of its kind.  So, the excitement levels were quite high. I am not a big fan of Chocolate, but always curious to know how it is made etc and so the walk through the factory was interesting, but nothing I hadn't seen before. After spending a few minutes exploring the store attached to the chocolate making unit, I walked outside towards the gardens.  

Spread across four acres, the Botanical Cactus Garden shows off the drought-tolerant ornamental, cacti, and other succulents. Apparently, the place contains over 300 species of plants, not sure how many I saw in the 45mins I wandered around. Many of the cacti and succulents are native to South West America while some are from South Western regions of USA, and from Australia and South America as well. They are all well suited for the weather here in Nevada and some cacti had pretty flowers on them as well... 

For more info, visit here

Skywatch Friday. One among the many temples..

While exploring Karaikudi, we stumbled upon this temple, majestic and beautiful. it was closed and so we did not go inside. Did however spend some time in the Museum nearby and a book store of sorts adjacent to it.

In this region, people are classified based on which temple zone they are from. This temple falls into one of the nine zones.  The entire temple campus was empty but for a few guys who were enjoying a cool swim in the temple tank.

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday ...

Skywatch Friday... Summer is here~

With the temperature soaring, we are all melting down and gearing up for the days to come. The sun shows no respite~!! 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday ...

Skywatch Friday - Showing the way in Bangkok

As we bid adieu to Wat Arun and made our way to the Jetty, this sign board caught my eye. It stood tall, worn out and yet was doing its job perfectly. While I kept looking down to make sure I was putting my foot on a plank and wasn't going to fall into the river below, the sign board stood tall and confident... :-) 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday ...

Skywatch Friday.. go where the tracks take you, in Karaikudi

Whilst in Karaikudi, one noon when driving towards Kanadukathan, we had to cross this railway track. The system was what it used to be, what I have seen in Tiruneveli where there is a draw bridge of sorts that comes down when a train crosses and is hoisted away once the train moves... 

Couldn't help but stop to click a shot! :) 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday ...

Skywatch Friday- Sky coming alive at the break of dawn near Thailand...

I love travelling as most of you have guessed by now, even though I havent travelled as much as I would love to. And when it comes to flying, then I instantly gravitate towards the window seat. This time too, luckily friend wanted Aisle while I happily chose the window seat and we settled in. From Chennai, the flight took off at the unearthly hour of 1.45am and it was to reach Bangkok around 6.25 which became 6.35am finally. We boarded, got into our seats, got comfy, chit chatted a bit and that is when the stewardess came around asking all to shut the window. I wonder why they do that, there is nothing we can see anyways; it is pitch dark outside… Oh well! 

And then before I knew it, I had knocked off for about 4 hours, to wake up around 6 and see the sun rising above the clouds slowly. What a breath taking sight that was, the orange peeking into the white empty blue sky as we flew high above it all.  It was beautiful, for lack of better word..

A brand new day, a brand new destination awaited us on landing!!

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday ...

Skywatch Friday- Madurai in all its glory

 Walking through the streets, I reminisced about our life in that town, crossing the road to get to school, the family that lived below in our house and  a whole host of other memories came flooding in. I was dragging my trolley bag and walking towards the Periyar Bus stand to receive my friend who was arriving from Kochi. 

After the initial hugs and smiles, we had breakfast, freshened up at a hotel nearby and made our way to the temple. As the auto rode through the narrow lanes, all I could think of was the last time I was here. It had been a good 4-5 years if not more. And every pillar and every sculpture was etched in memory. I narrated some of the memories with my friend and also told her of the Shiva- Parvathy wedding story that is described along the walls of the temple while we waited in line to get Darshan. We were inside the majestic & renowned Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai. 

Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Hindu temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and his consort, Goddess Parvati (in the avatar of Meenakshi amman). There are 14 majestic Gopurams or towers including two golden Gopurams for the main deities.  There is also a Nandi sitting in a mandap that has been sculpted from one single stone. Apart from this, there is a hall with pillars where each one plays a different musical note. Unfortunately they have been closed off and public is not allowed to touch it these days. 

Unfortunately that day we had an hour and that went in waiting in lines and getting Darshan. Couldn't really wander through the entire temple campus. But a visit is such a heart warming thing, especially in a town that holds fond memories.. 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday ... 

Skywatch Friday- Humannya- Blow Hole, Sri lanka

As we were driving along towards Matara, our driver announced there was a Blow Hole nearby and asked if we wanted to visit. Ofcourse we did!! We nodded our heads till it was ready to fall off our shoulders. He then drove into a narrow lane and puled into a parking lot. Now this amazing thing about Sri Lanka is that in most tourist places, the parking lots are manned by locals. There were old women standing around every corner inviting us to park in their spot. Maybe that is how they earned their living.. Here, we pulled into a lot near a small shop of sorts. We paid the parking fee to the lady [about 100LKR] and made our way down the narrow lane around bends and corners. And then came a sudden flight of steps, basically rocks put together to form steps. We climbed up about 20 of these, came to a landing and then up another 40-50 steps. And then when we stopped to check the place out, we caught the beautiful shimmering ocean beneath. 

There is a small center of sorts with pictures and posters describing the Blow hole and different sea animals around the place with seats meant for school kids[ a visitor information place]. This is also were we bought our tickets [500LKR for the 2 of us] and then went on to find the way to the Blow hole. There were a bunch of rock steps leading up into the trees and beyond. I noticed a couple come down from there and wondered how far the spot really was. And then there were few steps down to the ocean, which was just too inviting to resist. 

My friend and the cab driver went ahead and I caught up with them slowly. I dont have a few of heights, but the rounded rocks were a challenge... I finally reached the top and saw nothing but open space. There was the ocean below, and then I noticed a path of sorts had been made by the high ocean waves. There was railing all around and we positioned ourselves right in front, near the guy who worked there. Ajith has been working at the Blow Hole site for 7yrs now and he says he loves it. He is all about "wait 2 mins madam, it will come, so many big ones in morning.. low tide.. one more.. one more..." kinda guy!! We stood there for nearly an hour, watching the little squirts and a few big ones pop through the cliff . It sure was a sight to behold... 

The Kudawella Blow Hole or Humannya is a rare geological formation of nature. Situated at the southern coastal village of Kudawella, it is the only Blow hole in the entire Asian subcontinent and the 2nd largest in the entire world. The Kudawella village name literally translates to "small beach", it took quite a hit in the 2004 Tsunami  and is in near ruins today. 

The blowhole itself is a natural crack in the rocks, and when the wind blows in the right direction the water shoots up the cliff and into the air The water shoots up above the cliffs during the monsoon seasons [Ajith told us it rises over 30-40 meters]. Infact, the place Humannya [Hoo-mannya] derives its name courtesy the  wooshing sound of the water as it comes up the cliffs.  

We got down half way, went over to the Emerald ocean, spending a few minutes standing amidst the rounded rocks, collecting shells and then made our way back to the car. We felt like we had traveled to the moon and back!

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday ... 

Skywatch Friday... Above the Indian Ocean

There we were walking from the airport shuttle all set to hop into the flight and head off to our final destination- Colombo. We were flying in a Bombardier Q400 aircraft- "Spicejet Laung", a flight with a capacity of about 50 passengers. We hopped in via the small staircase and found our seat. The flight took off and before we knew it, we were flying on top of the Indian Ocean. The blue beneath and the white fluffy clouds above was just a sight too good to be true! It was a short one hour flight, and most of the time was over the ocean. 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday ... 

Skywatch Friday-Durgiana Mandir, Amritsar

We had just landed in Amritsar and plans were being made for the days to follow. We learnt there was a temple near the hotel we stayed at which is a beautiful one. So that was marked as the 1st place to visit, followed by the other sites. We hailed a cab since we were 5 of us and I kinda convinced all that it made sense to travel together rather than in two autos.. :-) 

As the vehicle pulled into the parking lot, I looked around to see if the temple or the gopuram was in site. I did see a tall gopuram but was told that belonged to another temple. We had to walk down the road to see this temple. The temple is called Durgiana Mandir [ named after Goddess Durga] and some also refere to it as the Lakshmi Narayan Temple. It is situated near the Lohgarh Gate. Leaving our footwear in the car, we made our way down the road [well, it was just a path with nothing but stones and rubble] . A huge gate guarded the temple, near which was a small shrine for Vaishno devi. 

The temple was built by Harsai Mal Kapoor  back in 1908  and has been constructed very alike the Golden Temple. Only prominent difference are the silver doors which has led to it being referred to as the Silver Temple. You walk down a long passage with water on either side, and a fountain that was spouting water to quite a height. There was a carpet laid out and the entire place was just clean [not a speck of dirt or trash to be seen anywhere]. All the pillars and light fittings were in Gold colour adding to the grandeur. After the darshan of Goddess Durga, we also went around to see the other shrines located around. There were quite a few,

Sitla Mata Mandir

Lakshmi Narayan Mandir

Bada Hanuman Mandir

Tulsi Das Mandir and the

Sat Narayan Mandir

As we made our way out, I noticed on top of the inner gate the names of all those who were responsible for erecting the temple. The names ran a mile long.. 

[ To know more about this temple, do visit this site]

It was such a visual treat and I was already excited to visit the Golden temple... Which was set aside for later in the day!! 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday...French War memorial, Pondicherry

It would be an understatement if I said this year was off to a not so great start. It has been an amazing one so far. And the 1st trip was to a town I quite love, Pondicherry. Saturday night a friend messaged asking for info on Pondicherry- things to see, where to stay etc and thus formed a plan in my head. I quickly messaged another friend who has been wanting to visit Pondicherry before she moved out of Chennai and asked if she was upto it. She replied "yes, lets go, ask others too". I asked few others but none could come since it was a weekday trip and they all had commitments. So, Sunday evening I booked us tickets on the bus and rooms in a hotel in Pondicherry. 

Monday morning both of us were on the bus on our way to Pondicherry... Yayy!!  We reached around 9.30, checked in, grabbed a bite to eat at La Cafe on the beach and wandered up and down while waiting for our other friends to arrive. 

And that is where I clicked a shot of the French War Memorial. It is located on Goubert Avenue [beach road] and  is a monument erected in memory of all the soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War. Every year on 14th july an annual commemoration is celebrated  when the monument is lit up.  

We spent a few minutes there and moved down the road where I pointed out the Joan of Arc and other monuments along the road. 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday...Few steps below-- Agrasen ki Baoli or Ugrasen Ki Baoli, Delhi

I had been fascinated by the Step wells since I laid eyes on the very 1st one, in Karnata- Hulikere. Since then, I have been reading about these wells, the architecture and trying to visit one in the destination I hit. I spotted one in Hampi- the Pushkarni, inside the Royal Enclosures. And then, last December when i was in Delhi, I managed to convince mom and uncle to come with me as i went searching for the Agarsen or Ugrasen Ki Baoli near Connaught Place, a short walk from Jantar Mantar.   

We drove around a bit, and finally located Hailey Road where the Baoli was situated. Parked the car few streets away and began walking down. I was excited, mom was just tagging along and uncle was curious to see what this hidden treasure in his city was. On our left, the wall had a huge vibrant Ganesha mural, that led to a demon face, an angel or devil and a cross on rosary beads.... fascinating!! 

A few steps up and we spotted the traditional ASI board that said  Agrasen ki Baoli  or Ugrasen ki Baoli  is a 60-meter long and 15-meter wide historical step well.   Even though there are no records of who actually built this well, legend has it that it was King Agrasen who must have built this well during the Mahabharatha epic era. It was repaied and rebuilt in the 14th century by the Agarwal community which once again traces its origin to Maharaja Agrasen.

The first thing I noticed was a dilapidated tomb of sorts on the right side, there were a bunch of chairs piled up and a dog sleeping. And then as I turned left, I was left speechless.. 

It is one among the many in Delhi. During rainy season or the monsoons, nearly all the 103 steps are submerged in water. Since it was winter, we were able to see far below. There are three levels, and each level is lined with arched niches on both the sides.  The stone walls of the well are stark yet beautiful, forming a 60 x 15 meter rectangle structures.. The bricks are all in good shape, just that the place is now inhabited by pigeons. Situated in the midst of towering concrete structures, it sure was a visual treat. I dreamt of how the place must be filled with water and how the Kings & Queens used it back in the days. Hoping to visit the others during my subsequent trips to Delhi. 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday