Ashwinee

Road Trip to Maharashtra

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Sun, 23 Oct 2016 04:39:00 +0000

Click for photos here if the word don't entertain you...

And, to track the tour: Click "Bangalore to Aurangabad" and "Aurangabad to Bangalore" here

Note: Follow the links throughout to read a bit about the place, mostly Wiki links

A trip to rejuvenate is always on the cards in October, when son has his holiday's. "Where to" is the only question and options are too many and not easy to finalise...

With son's holidays from 1st October to 12th, our plan was to take off for a week and make it 9/10 days. Let's drive was the unanimous decision and Maharashtra was finalised (Thanks Pranav for suggestions). Wanted some freedom with the destinations and nothing was booked. A look at the map and Ajanta/Ellora was the farthest we could see a known place and like the earlier trips, we decided to cover whatever we can on the way and be flexible with it...

One of the places on this trip was suggested by Vishruta taking inspiration from an Auto Magazine he was reading and it proved to be one of the best places we visited! Keep reading to know more...

Day 1 : 1st October 2016 : Bangalore - Davangere
Stay : Davangere, In-laws place
Distance Covered : 260 KMs
Total Distance : 260 KMs

We decided to take a short break on the first day after few hectic weeks because of Bandh/Saturday working..

Started around 7AM and with a breakfast stop near the house, it was a non-stop drive till Davangere except for a short fuel break in between. We were in Davangere by 11:30AM. The day was over without getting out of the house.

Day 2 : 2nd October 2016 : Davangere - Kolhapur (Via Belgaum) - Pandharpur
Stay : Aishwarya Hotel, Pandharpur
Distance Covered : 540 KMs
Total Distance : 800 KMs

Started at 6:30AM and off we were on a good highway. The roads are good till Kolhapur and we were near Kolhapur (300+ KMs) by 12 Noon. On the way, took a break on the outskirts of Belgaum to purchase the famous "Kunda", though not from Purohit's who are famous for that.

Being the second day of Navratri and Sunday, Kolhapur was too crowded. Mahalakshmi temple here is one of very few in India having Lakshmi as a deity (other one I can think of is Goravanahalli near Tumkur). With the serpent line it looked almost impossible to get a Darshan on the same day:-). We had an option of "Mukh (Face) Darshan which will be a Darshan 20 feet away from the deity and went for it. It was little irritating to see mis management of crowd (as always).

On normal days, there are touts who can get you inside quickly through back door for a fee. (No comments here, I will move forward).

Kolhapur is famous for "Kolhapuri's" which are sandals made from Buffalo skin. Did some shopping for that here.

Left Kolhapur around 4:30 and we decided to drive towards Pandharpur which is 175 KMs away to gain sometime and avoid the rush next day at temple. The roads are broken throughout and the pattern in this part of Maharastra continued for few more days, till we hit Ellora. Reached Pandharpur around 9PM and even the pattern of driving late in the evening continued for few more days to gain time.

This was one of the longest driving day in our trip. The hotel was decent enough.

Day 3 : 3rd October 2016 : Pandharpur - Solapur - Tuljapur - Beed
Stay: Yashraj Inn, Beed
Distance Covered : 260 KMs
Total Distance : 1060 KMs

The decision to drive paid off. We went for an early Darshan (6:30 AM) and finished it within an hour, though we had to go through a queue spanning multiple buildings. It was a brisk walk through the place. Also visited Kaikadi Maharaj Ashram which has statues depicting epics and is a nice place in this remote corner.

We started after breakfast and were in Solapur (75 KMs) by the lunch time. Solapur is famous for Bedsheets/Towels, Beedi and Sugarcane factories. The only major shopping on this tour was done here for Bedsheets/Towels.

In Tuljapur (50KMs from Solapur) we were again for a quick shock as the police diverted us and made us park at the bottom of the hill. During Navarathri, this side of Maharashtra is abuzz with Tuljabhavani pandals. Again, group of touts asking for money to make a quick Darshan.

Two gentlemen (supposed to be from Police Department at Mumbai) coming down from the temple told us to directly go to the temple as there was not much crowd. We took back our car, pleaded with police and were let go off near the temple which was around 1.5 KMs away. Near the temple, there were enough parking places available and we had our Darshan in 1.5 Hours. Near the deity, there were a group of policemen with their boss, who wanted to take Darshan and our family was allowed with them to go close to the deity. We left Tuljapur around 6PM.

Wanted to gain some time here and looking at the map said, Beed is the next big town at 130 KMs in the direction we were going....

The thrilling part of the drive were these 130 KMs as it started to get very dark around 6:30 and started raining. With the half broken roads which were being widened for our company it was a situation to question our decision of moving ahead. With no towns near by only option was to keep driving.

At around 7:30 PM, the situation became a little worse when we couldn't see the road in front perfectly, and it seemed to be hazy. After 2 minutes, it stuck to me we were driving in thick fog during that time of the day! This situation continued for next 30 minutes and I just drove behind a small truck (with a safe distance of course, taking the tail lamp as a clue) which was zipping through with confidence.

Reached Beed at 10 PM and after searching for few hotels for cleanliness, settled for Yashraj Inn.

Total of 1000 KMs, yeah!!!

Day 4 : 4th October 2016 : Beed - Lonar - Ajanta
Stay : New KP Park, Ajanta
Distance Covered : 360 KMs
Total Distance : 1420 KMs

The hidden place was to be uncovered today! Plan was to Visit Lonar and then stay at Aurangabad. Ellora is near to Aurangabad and Ajanta another 100 KMs to the north.

We started around 7/7:30 and breakfast was not in sight anywhere. We decided to move ahead and search on the way or just have fruits/biscuits and energy bars (oops, chocolates :-)). No luck throughout for a clean looking place and we filled our stomachs on fruits/vegetables and the like. The road goes through Jalna and roads are as pathetic as ever and at few places we could see the craters on road, which we were supposed to see at Lonar.

Lonar is the only place on earth with a Crater on Basalt rock and guess its the 5th largest lake created by a Meteor. They have a small road inside the lake circumference and we can drive in that road with few watch towers. It was a breathtaking lake and one of the best places I have visited! Vishruta got all the praise he deserved for telling about this...

The MTDC (Maharastra Tourism Dev Corp) hotel is on the rim of this lake and has a resort. We had our afternoon lunch here (remember we were empty stomach till now...) and this place had nice Phulka's and Dal. This was so nice, we packed for the evening/night from here as the hunger from morning was still fresh in mind.

About this point, wife suggested why we shouldn't go directly to Ajanta as both Aurangabad and Ajanta were same distance. This was a good suggestion as we will have to go to Ajanta and come back (100 KMs each side) if we stay in Aurangabad. A quick search on Trip Advisor and the like showed that there are options to stay in Ajanta.

Left from Lonar at around 4PM and through again some patchy roads were in Ajanta at around 7 PM.

At Ajanta, all hotels are named as Resorts and they are mostly small bungalow types converted to Hotels. Ajanta is a hilly/forest area and hence we had lot of insects around because of the rain. While the hotel was clean enough, the rain had created a havoc around the small town with black soil all around. The staff Ratnakar at the hotel was particularly helpful. When he saw the car with KA registration he was curious on where I am from. When I said I stay in Bangalore and native of Mangalore, he was lit up and said he worked in a Bunt's (a community from Mangalore) hotel at Aurangabad for 30 years. He is now a resident of Ajanta and settled there with family and some piece of land for agriculture.

Day 5 : 5th October 2016 : Ajanta - Daulatabad - Grishneshwar - Ellora
Stay : Vridhavan Resort, Ellora
Distance Covered : 150 KMs
Total Distance : 1570 KMs

Ajanta caves open at 9AM (Off on Monday) and this gave us sometime to have a little relaxed morning. The cave entrance was a kilometre from the hotel and from there we have to take a government bus to the caves which is 4 KMs. The buses start around 8:45 AM and we took one of the first buses. These caves were built during 2nd Century BC to 4th to 6th Century AD. These caves were deserted after probably 6th century and finally discovered by a British Officer hunting a tiger in 1819. (The place is 20 KMs by road and called Ajanta View Point)

I will not go over the history as Wiki link above would be a good place to look...

We took a tour guide for us at the caves. The guides are appointed by the government and the rates are a little steep at Rs. 1370 (compared to other places), but definitely worth as we will get to know all the stories of paintings and in a sequence. We were appointed a gentleman of 72 years as a guide who was from a neighbouring village and been in the guiding profession for 42 years after completing his MA (History) and 2 year guiding course. He takes only one client and goes back to his farm where he works with his son and daughter in law who are MSc and BSc in agriculture.

The tour takes around 3 hours to complete and scintillating to look at the clarity of paintings which were done some 2000 years back. Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has done extremely good job to preserve these paintings by taking off the layers of dust/mud without touching the paintings. All the paintings we see are original and not done any touch up.

Checked out from the hotel after lunch (the hotel had a restaurant, if we can call it so but the food was good and simple) and started to Ellora. Plan was to stay at Ellora or Aurangabad (in case we can finish Ellora).

Reached Ellora at 4:45 PM and got to know the caves close at 6 PM and the time will not be sufficient. We had seen that Daulatabad (Remember Mohd-Bin-Tughlaq?) was on the way to Aurangabad and just 10 KM away. Went back to Daulatabad fort and started exploring the fort as we had another 1.5 hours before the close. This fort is massive and will need a good amount of walking to complete. The last part of the fort leading to the top palace with steps through a dark room (Bool Bulaiya) is the noteworthy feature of this cave.

Back to the parking place, start the car and the car feels strange....and its a flat tyre at 6:45 PM. The foot pump comes for the rescue and filled the car tyre with some air. A quick check with the locals and, we have the puncture shop in 200 metres. After a quick fix (it was a splinter of gravel pierced while driving through the under construction roads..) we directly went to Grishneshwara Temple (within Ellora village) which is one of the twelve Jyothirlinga's. The temple didn't have any queue and was done in 15 minutes.

Searched for the hotel, which was another 500 metres from the hotel and it was the end of the day.

Day 6 : 6th October 2016 : Ellora - Aurangabad - Shani Signapur - Shirdi
Stay : Hotel Sai Gurusthan, Shirdi
Distance Covered : 200 KMs
Total Distance : 1770 KMs

Ellora opens at 6 AM (Tuesday is a holiday) and we were ready there by 6:30 AM. Ellora caves are divided into Hindu/Jain and Buddhist caves, while Ajanta was primarily Buddhist caves. Again, better to read history in the link above :-). While Ajanta is famous for paintings, Ellora is famous for Sculpture.

Hired a guide again at Ellora (same rates as Ajanta) and the gentleman here was with ASI for 35+ years as a guide. Cave 16, which is a temple cut-in from the rock is the major attraction (which is near the main road) and all other caves (except 1 to 16) need to be accessed again in State Bus. We were all done by around 11 AM.

The next stop was Aurangabad with Bibi ka Maqbara and Aurangabad Caves as destination. Bibi ka Maqbara is supposed to be a replica of Taj Mahal and if you have already seen Taj, just skip it. We finished the place in 5 minutes. Aurangabad also has 12 caves and 7th cave is the best of all. These caves look similar to the ones at Ajanta and Ellora.

Next stop was Shani Shingnapur with its famous Shani temple and even more famous houses without doors. While the temple didn't have much rush, there are touts all around telling what to do and what not to do + get as much money (Rs. 500 anyone?) as possible for oil and few threads. We conveniently ignored all of that. By the way, roads were good from Ellora till Shirdi.

We reached Shirdi at 7 PM and it was a Thursday (supposed to be auspicious for Baba's Darshan). We expected a lot of rush, but were done in 1.5 hours. Saved a lot of time here as the roads were good and we were able to get the Darshan the same day. Got the place at Hotel for 1000 rupee (AC Room) on Goibibo, while the rates at hotel were 1600+tax. This was a newly constructed hotel and one of the best budget hotels we have stayed in.

Son had an interesting point to make about Shirdi, "This place has more hotels/lodges than houses".

Day 7 : 7th October 2016 : Shirdi - Gargoti - Nashik - Tryambakeshwar
Stay : Chikki's House, Nashik
Distance Covered : 180 KMs
Total Distance : 1950 KMs

After 6 days of travel the car looked a mess with all the rain that we had throughout. The hotel we stayed had a car wash/service station next to it which opened at 8 AM. Started little lazily towards Nashik as we knew roads would be good enough and plan was to have lunch at Nashik (Wife's Chikkamma stays there).

On the way, per Aunty's suggestion we visited Gargoti Museum which is around 20 KMs before Nashik at Sinnar. This museum is only one of its kind in Asia and one of the few in the world collecting natural crystals/gems (mainly from Maharashtra, Deccan Plateau) from around the world.

Nashik was done in a jiffy and a "home cooked food" after 6 days, we were off to Trimbakeshwar which has a shiva temple (2nd for this trip of the 12 Jyothirlinga's) and Kushavarta where Godavari takes course. Not much queue here and we visited Sita Guha, Panchavati, Ram Kund and the place of Kumbamela. Pandavaleni, which is similar to the caves at Ajanta/Ellora were closed by the time we were there. By this time, not much enthusiasm was left to explore more places.

Evening was spent at Mukthidama and we called it a day after that and it was talking time with the family till late.

A little shy of 2000 KMs by the end of day...

Day 8 : 8th October 2016 : Nashik - Belgaum
Stay : At Girish's home, Belgaum
Distance Covered : 550 KMs
Total Distance : 2500 KMs

Started after breakfast at 8:30 AM and next two days are going to be hectic drive. Nashik to Pune is 200 KMs, but with the digging/road work all around its messy in patches. We took the Pune outskirts to join Pune-Bangalore highway. Stopped at a "nice looking" road side hotel for a lunch before Pune and joined the Bangalore Highway. Some rest for google map as there are no deviations now onwards.

The Pune bypass for around 10 KMs is full of skyscrapers and I am not too how many people live there!!!

A small incident to mention on the road, one motorbike fellow was moving with us, pointing to the tyres. If there was a problem, I should be feeling it first!!! Remembered the same racket running in Bangalore as well who make you to stop and might robber with slew of other bikers. Just ignored and hit 100 KMs and the guy was fast gone in the mirror.

A just happened accident on the highway where a XUV was turned 180 degree and in the trenches made us 10 KM slower for the rest of the day. While the accident seemed to have happened because of over speeding and looked a lot damaging, it was heartening to see Ambulances from nowhere on the otherwise deserted highway. India has come a long way in infrastructure!!

The stop for the day was Belagavi (Belgaum earlier), at friend Girish's house. We reached their house at 9 PM. After dinner outside and long conversations till 1 PM with their family (especially the 2 adorable kids...), it was time to call off.

The longest drive day for the trip with 550 KMs ended with one more day to go!

Day 9 : 9th October 2016 : Belgaum - Davangere - Bangalore
Stay : Back Home!
Distance Covered : 515 KMs
Total Distance : 3015 KMs

The day started late with us getting up at 7:30 AM and having a leisurely breakfast of Paddu till 9 AM. We started at 10 AM and reached Davangere around 2 PM. After lunch, it was time for my favourite thing to do...sleeping. Got up at 4 PM and we started by 4:30 PM.

Customary clicks to record 3000 KMs on the odo at Nagarbavi and we were home by 9:30 PM. The total distance of 3015 KMs is the first time we have crossed 3000 KMs (previous highest was 2400 KMs to Trivandrum).

What's next? Stay Tuned....

Taking it for granted

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 09:39:00 +0000

Well, I was a kid when I saw that white Lamborghini, in the sea of cars while going back home from office. But, just 3 years ago, a Merc C Class made me a kid...

Did I take the Merc for granted? Its just not the Merc in hindsight, all of them.
Few things grow upon us and we have a fascination of a kid towards them. The Lamborghini was just a metaphor and we do this day in and day out on everything we lay our eyes on. Over a period of time we grow to overtake the thing that grew upon us, as simple. The fascination becomes past and old.

Take it for granted, is it bad or...?

Happiness is...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:04:00 +0000

Saying "Good Morning" when son wakes up
When son finally gets out of the bed after cajoling, to get ready
Smile on your family when you reach home
Sitting silent with a good friend and walking out refreshed
A gesture of kindness from a friend
That time when you are happy for a friend
When you know someone will be your good friend for life
Sitting by the side of river at home
To read "Hindu" with a hot cup of coffee
To get up early and to see the colors of sky change
Getting up late and no "to do" for the day
Curling up inside a thick blanket on a cold winter night
Watching it rain
Smell of earth on the first rain
Cooling off under the fan on a summer day
Afternoon nap
Bangalore weather
240 acres of Lalbagh in the heart of the city
Cancelled Meeting
A meeting with an outcome
Bumping into an old colleague and the instant smile that brings
Watching a certain Federer on his day
Sachin batting
Reading about Saina, Vishy, Phelp, AB de velliers and lot many
That 10 seconds when Usain Bolt runs
Salary Alert
When a stranger helps you or you help a stranger and feel you know each other
Someone has taken pain to prepare a nice dish for you
Eating dates for Dinner
Home cooked food
Planning a dinner out at 8:00PM
Idly/Vada at SLV
Sweet (any and many)
Ice-cream
Curd rice when sick
Red Ferrari
Sound of Fighter Jets
Honda City Automatic in peak traffic
Raindrops on the windshield
Whistling and Singing inside the car as if the world didn't exist
Long Drive
Finding that end of the world road
Taking a photo with good sunlight
The fact that this list will only grow...

Weekend Trip : Heritage Trail...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 15:31:00 +0000

494 Kilometers in a day, 600 steps to climb, visit to my college, visit to proposed UNESCO Heritage sites more ancient than my Engineering degree...
Why not a one day trip to go back in time?

First the date was fixed as August 9^th to beat the traffic outside Bangalore on the next weekend, 15^th August, the long one. And my son’s school had a different idea. They called in kids to turn out on that Saturday to compensate for the day lost on the previous week for Karnataka Bandh. Next best option as we three (The Kid, Wife and me) were raring to go was not to wait too long and make it on 15^th weekend. We figured out 16^th Saturday works well and all of us excitedly were up by 5AM.

This will be a story and to follow it in pictures and shorter stories, visit here. This blog contains links to Wikipedia articles to keep it short and only to focus on the road trip.

I studied for my Engineering Degree at Hassan (160 Kms West of Bangalore) and Belur, Halebidu are places of Archeological interest near Hassan. These two places along with Shravanabelagola (a place of interest for Jains) are being proposed as UNESCO world heritage sites. These places were ruled by Hoysala Kings and famous for star shaped temples with intricate carvings.

We started at 6:15 and as we are a little late, the little traffic caught us till Peenya. Our first search was breakfast and we were very specific on Mayura at Bellur Cross. This is because of a program on Kannada Channel where Mr. Sihikahi Chandru recommended it and my son wanted nothing other than this. Breakfast done at Mayura and proper deviation taken to Shravanabelagola near Channarayapatna and we were there by 10:30.

Who was happy? My son, to see that there are too many steps and he starts running. The counting and climbing is parallel done and we complete 600 steps in 30 minutes. The Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is monolithic and stands at 57 feet. This statue was regarded as one of the tallest Monolith in the world. First visited the statue and then on the way back all the temples were done.

Shravanabelagola to Hassan and a detour at Hassan takes us to Belur. Belur has intricate carvings on the inside while Halebidu has more intricate carvings on the outside. The guides are available at Belur for a fixed fee of Rs. 200 (with receipt). The carvings are amazing to say the least and explained in detail in the photos. Belur has Channakeshava temple which has a Vishnu deity (worshipped till today). There are about 48 pillars of various sizes, shapes and designs with the Shilabalika’s and these are the main attraction here.

Next up was Halebidu which was the capital of Hoysala Empire and 12 KMs to Belur. Halebidu means “old city” as it was attacked by Alauddin Khilji and ransacked twice.

After Halebidu, we proceeded towards Hassan and MCE, my college was the next stop. Half an hour inside the campus (Saturday evening and hence all closed) and we were on the way back to Bangalore. I wanted a piece of nostalgia to feed our hungry stomach and we checked Hotel Sri Krishna Sagar and Hotel Gokul. I with my friends used to frequent these places. Both were undergoing renovation and the new revelation for me was Hotel Parijata at Mallige Residency. From here, it was straight back to Bangalore.

Son-Singles

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 06:45:00 +0000

Candid Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 06:18:00 +0000

Tips for a Road Trip...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 06:22:00 +0000

This is a small hand book for myself. If it helps others, nothing like it.

Car :
1. Irrespective of the Kilometers run, check/service the car 2 weeks before.
2. Main things : Breaks, Suspension, Oil Top up, Clutch, Lights, Tyre and Wipers.
3. The 2 weeks after the service will give you the run-in time and time to rectify any small errors. If you are not "feeling" comfortable, get it re-checked.
4. Wash the car whenever possible. A clean car is more motivating. The hotels you stay might help with a person to clean.

What to carry (Small family with a small kid):
1. Stock some non-perishable eats (Cookies, Biscuits, Chocolate Bars)
2. Chocolate/Energy bars come handy when you need that little boost during a hike, when food is ~50KMs away.
3. If possible stock water for 2 days, in a small/unknown place even "bottled" water is not too safe.
4. Carry 200 ml Tetra packs of milk for the kid (within 3-4 years). In Bangalore, "Nandini" has their good-life pasteurized brand available as a tetra pack. One packet at a time, no need to boil.
5. Carry a small Swiss-knife, Torch, lots of tissue papers, Good first aid kit. Few old news paper to wrap/clean.
6. A foot pump in case of puncture. With a tubeless tyre, even with puncture you can fill the air and drive for few hours till the next town.

On the road:
1. Don't drive too fast in an unknown road. 80-100/110 is a good speed to maintain and will not tire you.
2. Be courteous to locals, 99% of them are good.
3. Thank people, they will surely help the next one.
4. Nothing like it if more than one can drive. There is a lot of pleasure in watching the road go by, relaxed.
5. Only positive topics to discuss please.
6. Try not to eat inside the car. The car needs to be clean to enjoy the drive.
7. Try to stick to 6AM to 6PM. Doesn't work well to be stuck at night in an unknown place with a puncture/non-working car.

Hotel/Resort:
1. If you are staying only at Night and moving on, prefer a hotel within city.
2. For a night's stay cleanliness is more important.
3. Resorts are usually outside the town/city and if you require a quick fix for anything, you are in trouble.
4. If you plan to relax at a place, look for a Resort!!!
5. Have a list of good hotels/Resorts and eateries in all the place that you go. I suggest Tripadvisor. They have a mobile app as well.
6. Don't book too early if its not a season and you are not particular about a place. Call them a day before and make a phone booking. If you are staying less than 24 hours and leaving early morning, bargain for the best rate. They do give around 20% discount.

Between 92335 and 94781...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 07:52:00 +0000

Bangalore -> Salem -> Chidambaram -> Kumbakonam -> Darasuram -> Tanjavur -> Srirangam -> Didigul -> Palani -> Madurai -> Kanyakumari -> Nagercoil -> Trivandrum -> Kollam -> Ernakulam -> Thrissur -> Guruvayur -> Palakkad -> Malampuzha -> Salem -> Bangalore

Yes, took so long to write. Now notes will help me to write this. Again, if this is boring; there are always photos here (500+) or a light version here (200).

Day1: (9^th October)

Visiting Trivandrum was on the card to visit brother-in-law and the decision was to visit places on the way both sides. The plan was in place with a route map and staying options (here), thanks to wifey. As we were on a trip of 1000KMs+ one side, there were no fixed places to stay and we had the luxury of a major town every 40-60 KMs.

Left at 6AM and before we know, we were in a traffic snarl at Hosur Road. We need to get past Hosur to feel we are on a road trip! After the breakfast at Krishnagiri (Krishna Inn), it was the real start. We reached Chidambaram around 12:30PM and went straight to a hotel near the temple. On the way to Chidambaram, we have a road which reminded us of Green tunnel in Srinagar. We got our first taste of temple closures here. Temples close at around 12 and open only at 4PM, so waited in the hotel in hot sun and got into the temple at 4. We got the first taste of bad colors as well here. Ancient temples are painted in yellow, red, green, gold and what not. I wish the temple authorities have a minimum appreciation for the great carvings and preserve them as is. The Nataraja statue was amazing. This temple is one of the few instances where we have a statue instead of a Shivalinga in a Shiva temple. After a quick darshan, we changed our decision to stay at Chidambaram and proceeded to Kumbakonam.

It started raining the moment we left Chidambaram and it was nice to drive. The roads were narrow but good with water canal on both sides. With the low visibility, couldn’t take any photos. When we reached Kumbakonam, got to know that Navagraha Temples which (are!) famous, is not one temple but a cluster of nine temples each 10-40KMs apart. Peace was made not to go about all and just to visit Darasuram, famous for Chola architecture. Reached Darasuram at 7PM and found the temple closed. Planned to visit in the morning and rested at Hotel Siva Murugan as planned.

Total for the day, 483 KMs and one of the longest for us.

Find of the day, use Google Navigation, it works wonders. Found all the roads on self and didn’t have to ask any for directions.

Day2:

Note for the day, you won’t get aarthi and prasadam without showing money.

Started the day with the visit to Darasuram (3KMs from Kumbakonam) and what a place this is. This place is maintained by Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and there is only an open and close time, no breaks in between. Thank god, this temple is majestic and not painted in all gaudy colors. Very calm place and a photo enthusiasts delight.

Tanjavur (40KMs) was the next stop and it’s via Darasuram. Tanjavur has Brahadishwara Temple, with a huge monolithic Shivalingam. Tanjavur also has a palace, but visiting that was a disaster. Again, the small palace was being re-built like another concrete dungeon. Why can’t we keep things as they are and restore them if required?

And the next destination was Srirangam, with Ranganatha Swamy temple. Reached again at the closing time and used this time to eat Pongal, Puliyogare, Muruku/snacks sold at the temple. I didn’t like this concept of eatables sold just few feet away from god like at ISKCON, but this was at least not a money making business (10 rupee for a plate full).

Next on the list was Palani (166KMs) and thought was to complete Palani and proceed to Maduari (another 120 KMs) and stay at night to gain some more time as we knew Kanyakumari to Trivandrum will be a nightmare. Palani was done in good time and we reached by 5PM. Dindigul to Palnai was 60KMs and some people walk the distance. There was a separate pavement being built for this purpose. In Palani, there are 3 options to go up the hill; a wrench, a cable car and stairs. We went-up in a cable car and came back by walk. The plan went a little astray here, the temple was closed. We had to wait a full 2 hours and nobody knew what time the temple will open. Finished the darshan and started to Madurai. One rare time when we drove after 7-8PM and reached Madurai by 11PM. Never will I try this again.

Another 400+ KM day at 408KMs. Stayed at Hotel Annamalai, a nice hotel.

Day3:

We did gain some precious time, so started the day lazily. Madurai Meenakshi temple is one of the largest temples and it is enormous. Again the Gopuram are painted to my angst and I didn’t take any photos. These temples are a photographer’s nightmare with congested lanes with thousands of shops, ill painted temple walls.

Inside Meenakshi temple. The Goddess is shown for 2 minutes and then they close the door with cloth veil for next 20-25 minutes. I guess creating an artificial crowd is the paramount to the success of the place. Noted one more thing here, that “foreigners”/”non-Hindus” are not allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum (Garbhagudi). So much for a religion which said “Vasudaiva Kutumbhakam” (The whole world is one single family). We stopped at a place near Thirunelveli (Capris Restaurant) for lunch and met an old colleague of mine Mr. S and world seemed so small. I was meeting him after 1.5 years and not in Bangalore J.

Madurai to Kanyakumari is a delightful road with nice cloud formations, windmills and a relaxed drive. On the way, buying Halwa from Thirunelveli was a priority. Thirunelveli is famous for its Wheat Halwa. Searched for an article which I had read in Hindu, and the shop name famous for Halwa “Irrutukadai” and its selling point. The Halwa is out of the world. Lost around 2 hours here, but it was worth it. Previously gained time helped here.

In Kanyakumari it was straight to the sunset point and we were greeted by clouds. This was the pattern for next few days and strangely enough we didn’t see a “sunset” in this tour, nevertheless was able to capture a lot of light and cloud play. Hotel Sunworld was the stop for the day, after we were unable to get a room in Hotel Seaview which was our first choice. The main criterion was to watch the sun-rise next day morning from their balcony or terrace.

Total of 253 KMs for the day.

Day4:

Sunrise. Kanyakumari is a place where Arabian Sea, Hindu Ocean and Bay of Bengal meet and one can watch Sunset and Sunrise at a place. The cloud-play before the sunrise was captured in a series of photos and after the sunrise we were off to Trivandrum.

Next was Nagercoil on the way, again a temple town. Nagercoil to Trivandrum though is a short distance by the kilometers covered, the two lane “only” road and the traffic density makes it look an eternity. Got to Trivandrum by noon and after a series of turns and mobile calls and Navigator maneuvers, reached at Tech-Park of Trivandrum and then to BIL’s place 4 KMs from it. The destination reached and after a heavy meal, it was time for a siesta.

The evening’s lazy plan was to visit Veli beach which is an eco-village kind of setting. The clouds played spoil sport once again and we the beach closes at 6:30PM. The next stop was Pothy’s mall and met a colleague of mine in that mall. Meeting someone 800+ KMs away made the world seem very small. After the mall, we proceeded to Shanmugam beach, but the tiredness took us over and we just drove back home.

Day5:

Sunday and plan was made to visit Poovar Island Resort. (Thanks Ms. P for enlightening me with this place). Enquired and found out they have a buffet spread. The Poovar Island Resort runs a boat ride and its free if you are staying there or make a certain amount of bill (2K+). Very nice place and to top it, the buffet was awesome. Spent a good 3-4 hours and returned back home. The night’s treat was Kapoor’s Kulfi from Tech Park, Trivandrum. The mallu who can talk only “malayalam” and selling “Delhi famous Kapoor Kulfi” to the cosmopolitan IT crowd made me think again; world is a small place.

Day6:

Went to the richest temple, Ananthapadmanabha Temple in Trivandrum. Again a lot of rush because of this day being Vijayadashami. Met a couple here, who are from Bangalore and stay 100 metres away from us in Bangalore. The world is just 1 sq.km in total. The lunch was at Hotel Aariya.

Visited Varkala beach in the evening, and this is a very nice place with a combination of sea and hill/(s). Back home, we went to Shanmugam beach where Vishruta played to his heart’s content.

Day7:

Lazy day as next 2-3 days was travelling back. Did almost nothing except for washing the car myself. Night dinner at Sharma Dhaba, a rustic and nice place.

Day8:

We re-planned to reach Bangalore in 2 days instead of 3. The idea was to get Friday back, so we have a rest of three days. Started at 7AM and the destination was Athirampilly falls near Kochi. From Kochi, take a deviation to Chalakudy and then to Athirampilly. While coming back, we can directly go to Thrissur on the other side. Athirampilly is called “Niagara of India” and is a very nice place.

Few Kgs of Banana chips later at Thrissur (Thanks Ms. S) and we continued to Guruvayoor. Waited in the queue for long time and got Darshan. Again, it’s a chaos at the temple with no proper timing of opening and closing. Stayed at Guruvayur Resorts (not a real resort, but has more space than a normal hotel/lodge).

Day9:

Tried for Darshan at 6AM again, but the temple doesn’t open. Started back and the next stop was Malampuzha. The road leading to Malampuzha is not too good and 90 KMs took 2.5 hours. Enjoyed the ropeway and boat ride at Malampuzha dam for the second time. (First one a good 2.5 years back). The dam site is built with different type of gardens and well maintained.

Started back at 1:45PM and stopped at a McD for lunch in Palakkad. The waiter at McD heard us and started talking in Kannada. He had his training in JP Nagar McD at Bangalore and learnt Kannada in a short time!

A long drive back home, a traffic jam at Salem and we were home at 11:30 PM. This day was the longest ever for us with 532 KMs on the odometer.

And whats the total? 2446 KMs. Hence the title Between 92335 and 94781...

Nirvana @ Traffic

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 06:02:00 +0000

While everyone hates traffic, I love it most of the times of course only if inside a car/bus. The precision to keep the car just behind the person in front begs lot of concentration and perseverance. As a byproduct, you can’t be driving fast and even if you hit someone at that pace you are not hurting. I can even call and complete the talking at a signal without breaking any rules.

The day I am working from home, I don’t have the luxury of unwinding in the traffic and instead spend time staring at laptop and end up being not very productive. The concentration on road diverges the mind from the next 8-10 hours at work and is a stress buster. By the time you are in office, you know there can’t be a thing slower than traffic and you are at peace with yourself. This daily dose of enlightenment is what the doctor ordered.

The other benefits include (not limited to) watching the life from close quarters, getting to know flora/fauna of the city etc. I am amazed to see few birds, which I have not seen at any place all my life. You have ample time at your disposal to observe a happening to its logical conclusion. Isn’t it so peaceful to know the outcome of a fight between two motorists and then move on, than wondering what happened at the scene through the day?

And yes, if you have forgotten to “smell the roses” and be happy of the small things in life, the situation is perfect. I for one like to read the punch lines behind an auto-rickshaw and all of them have at least one. The common theme looks to be LOVE and invariably it’s about the faithful boy and discarding girl. They also have cautions to be taken when in love and suggestions on what are good for a couple.

The list of things that can be accomplished while driving are endless, let me name a few. There are hawkers selling everything from pin/ear bud to apartments. You can keep track of birthdays of local politicians through hoardings. The sales/promotions are in your eye. Count the number of Gulmohar trees to work and re-count the next day and verify. Count the number of signals to work and the average time at signal. Listen to the radio and sing along without being commented on singing skills.

If you are still not convinced, try to take a ride to work on Sunday and see the difference. You will miss the hustle bustle and the sense of achievement of reaching the office on time. The roads seem deserted and lifeless to add to your misery. And when you reach office, you don’t have a goal against which you can set your pace.

Though not on par with Buddha who had to forgo everything before achieving Nirvana, my enlightenment is not a mean feast. Add it to that all worldly pleasures are still yours. Though most of us rue about the traffic, inside we do look forward every day for the traffic and the bliss to go into a different world. To put it in a nutshell, “Monday Morning Blues” is applicable to office not to traffic if you have attained that Nirvana.

Kashmir Travelogue, Part-II - Kashmir

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Day5 (Tuesday, 23rd October): Srinagar

And, we were in “Heaven on Earth” by 12:45PM. We got the first taste of what’s it going to be like with a temperature of 14 degree centigrade. Mr. M was our driver, and the best part was we got a Chevrolet Tavera as our drive for the next 7 days (Make My Trip says Tata Indica if its 2+1 people). Our booking was in Peacock Houseboat for the first day, which was in Nigeen Lake. On the way we told our driver to stop at a good restaurant and the result was one more culinary delight, some of the best Roti/Naan. The restaurant (forgot the name, mostly it’s called Streams/Trendz or something like that…will update when I get it correctly) was on the sides of Dal Lake. At around 3PM we were in the Houseboat.

Nigeen Lake is connected and a part of Dal Lake and more serene. Dal Lake is beautiful but bursting with crowd during tourist months. In local words “Foreigners stay in Nigeen Lake”. The houseboat was cozy with a calm Manager who made us comfortable in the next 30 minutes or so. Kahwa (Kashmiri Green Tea with Cinamon, Clove, Cardomom, Ginger and Kesar!!!) was the welcome drink and I fell for it. Sipping a hot cup with a surrounding/weather like that is true Nirvana.

We went for a Shikara (a small boat, with roof top famous in this part of the world. If you have seen any old Hindi movies shot in Kashmir, you can’t miss them) ride (Fixed price, Rs. 300 per hour) and it was as amazing as it can be. On your way, other Shikara’s called as mobile shops will come to you, with a thing or two to sell ranging from Tea/Kesar to Pashmina shawls. These may not be the best buys, but good enough I would say. Also we saw few vegetable being grown on lake in few patches (My Analysis – at few places, its little shallow and you have few water plants grown thick. Over that these vegetables are grown) and people call it floating gardens.

Back to the boat house and it really started getting colder by 5:30PM and we confined ourselves in the boat. As suggested by our host we took bath in the evening itself. His rationale was as it’s our first day in the valley, next day morning we will not be able to get up early and get ready. Next day it was Sonmarg and we decided to start by 8AM. The original itinerary was Kashmir sight-seeing, then to Pehalgam and back by 26th for Sonmarg. As 26th was Id, Mr. M wanted to be at home if possible and we re-arranged a bit to accommodate. Dinner was planned in Houseboat, which had a makeshift kitchen outside. Another simple but awesome dinner of Pulkas, Paneer, Dal/Chawal and Veg. Gravy. Is it the food that we are stumped by or the warmness of it in the cold? Answers later.

Night was pretty cold with around 4-5 degree centigrade. We saw a new technique to fight the cold here. The boat manager gave 2 temperature sealed bags with boiling water. You need to keep them inside blanket!!! which keeps you warm.

Day6: Srinagar/Sonmarg/Pehalgam

We thought we will be ready by 8AM. I got up at 6:30 and out to see how the lake looks. All I could see was thick cloud of snow, which only got less by 7:30AM. Now I know how tough it is to get up at that hour and get ready.

A nice breakfast of Parota and curd plus 2 helpings of tea, we were ready to start by 8:30AM. Sonmarg is 45 KMs from Srinagar. River Indus is with you for some distance. Sonmarg was uneventful except for my son puking everything out on the way. Altitude sickness sets in and you need to drink lots of water consciously to avoid it (This realization from blogs about Ladakh). Few minutes of rest, re-hydration and son was lighter and ready to start. We were in Sonmarg by around 10AM. Sonmarg translated in English is “Meadow of Gold”. It’s on the way to Ladakh, through Kargil.

What a nice place and we could see the snow though from a distance, for the first time. There are Pony rides available to the glacier, jeep rides till half distance to the glacier (Thajiwas Glacier); but need to bargain a lot for the deal. You can’t take your vehicles (even if it’s JK registration) up to the point, only the vehicles from Sonmarg are allowed. We chose to walk to the distance as per the advice by few blogs/people we visited in KB. The walk of around 4KMs is easy and worth the effort as we get to appreciate the surroundings. The jeeps take you only half distance.

As this was only the start of winter, glacier had receded back and the pony people were taking the tourists where ever there is a little snow. We also went till we got a bit of snow to play and came back walking again. Though exhausted, it felt good and my son was also able to do it. We were back by 3PM.

Next destination was Pehalgam, where we were to stay in Pine Palace Resorts. Sonmarg, back to Srinagar and 90+ KMs to Pehalgam from Srinagar. On the way, in the dimming light we could see the saffron fields at Pampore after Srinagr, Cricket bat making units near Pahalgam, but pushed them for the return journey. Food was at a small place near Srinagar, which as usual was TASTY!!!

At the hotel by 9PM, to our dismay we found it to be sub-standard, but a little bit of shouting made the manager to change our room to a deluxe one, which we were really entitled to. Pahalgam was really cold and colder than Srinagar, night was -2°C. As per Kashmiris, “If Kashmir is heaven on earth, Pahalgam is Jewel of Kashmir”. How true…

Day7: Pehalgam

Breakfast was fried kind of Parota’s and we wanted to take it slow. Baisaran (which is called Mini Switzerland) and Betaab valley (where the movie Betaab was shot) was selected. Baisaran is uphill and taking the Pony is the best option. Started by 9AM, took 2 Ponies for Rs. 1000 and the up/down journey was done in 3-4 hours. The ride on ponies here makes you a believer, the valley is so steep and I was able to remember nearly 100+ gods from all religions. Jokes apart, it’s an experience for lifetime.

Baisaran was like the golf course at Ooty with Himalaya in the backdrop. Son enjoyed the Zorbing.

Next was Beetab valley and we had Lidder River with us, which looks rustic and nice along the way for some distance. A walk on the banks of the river is highly recommended. Betaab valley is good but just like Baisaran (My view - So many places, are all valleys and look one and the same). Chandanwadi and Aru village are the other attractions which we didn’t visit. Like Sonmarg, to visit these places, you need to hire local taxi. The rates are fixed and displayed at all places and it’s on higher side. Take taxi for a place and then bargain for other places with the driver, it works. Betaab valley is 7+ KMs, Chandanwadi is another 5 KMs from there and Aru is 10+ in a different direction.

Some shopping at Pehalgam and the day was closed.

Day8: Pehalgam/Srinagar

The day started lazily with better Parota’s and then it’s time to head back to Srinagar. First was was an apple orchid on the way. Few orchids charge an entry fee and charge some more to take photos. Usually drivers will know few orchids where they get a free entry ask them and go there. August/September is peak apple season. For visitors like us who come in October, orchid owners keep few trees untouched. At the peak season, you can also pick the apples yourself (around Rs.100 per Kg, as per Mr. M). If you taste the apples here, you will never eat one in Bangalore. The best of the apples are usually exported or go to cold storage for off season marketing.

Avantipur ruins are also on the way, a compound of around 2-3 hectares and were done in 20 minutes.

There are many cricket bat making industries on the way and we get amazing willow here. The tree is cut in sizes and kept for seasoning for years. Then once its seasoned (7+ years?) they make the bat/fix a handle and fancy stickers. Kashmir willows come after England willows in terms of reputation. We got a bat for my son at Rs. 200 without bargain, which is around Rs. 500+ in any shop I have asked in Bangalore. Again depend on your local driver for a good place to buy.

Near to Srinagar, on the way there is a place called Green Tunnel where we have trees bent on the road on both sides, which looks like a tunnel. As the time of the year was Autumn/Winter, the tunnel was more red/yellow than green.

October is the time of Saffron and we visited saffron fields at Pampore, some 10 KMs before Srinagar. Saffron flowers are purple in colour and the saffron is the stigma of the flower. There are so many shops on both sides which sell saffron and other dry fruits.

We then checked in at Centre Point hotel, which is at the heart of Srinagar, near Dal Lake and the markets. The hotel looks old fashioned from outside but once you are inside, it’s a nice place with nice people around. We were made comfortable with 2 room heaters, electrical blankets (blankets that are with heat pads, run with electricity and make for a cosy sleep).

Evening was devoted to shopping with Lal Chowk and other markets with a walking distance of 1 KM from the hotel. The markets are nice places to spend time around with no clue of which is a genuine product and which is not.

Dinner was Rice/Rajma. Till date this is the best Rice/Rajma combination that we had. Rajma is grown in Kashmir and the variety is different (It’s little small). In the word of cook, it’s the water of Kashmir which makes the Rajma’s that tasty.

Day9: Srinagar

The day was to be taken easy in the morning and to end with Srinagar sight-seeing in the evening. Roamed around a little bit for the morning and started after lunch for the sight-seeing. The itinerary was Shankaracharya Temple, Chasmashahi Garden, Nishath Garden and Shalimar Garden.

Shankaracharya Temple is a small one with a serene atmosphere with heavy army presence. The gardens are with the Mughal architecture (Different levels with different theme and flowers). The flower varieties in the garden were amazing and I could only guess the bloom months of May/June/July. Tulip Garden was missed as this was off-season, May-July being the season.

Again some more shopping in government approved shops (courtesy Mr. M), where the prices are little steep, but you get guaranteed materials with a proper explanation of what’s hand woven, what’s machine made. One more interesting thing there was : all the guys in that shop had “Mungaru Male” movies “Anisuthide” as their ring tone and could talk few words in Kannada. The reason? The owner was getting married to a Kannada girl in November!!! As we were Kannadiga’s and the last customers for the day, we were given few percentages off on the purchase. The world is small indeed.

Dal/Rice/Pulka’s and end of the day.

Day10: Srinagar/Gulmarg

The last on the list was Gulmarg. We were off by 8:30AM and Gulmarg is also around 50 KMs. Translation of Gulmarg is “Meadow of Flowers”. Jhelum River gives us company along the way. The last 12 KMs to Gulmarg are the most scenic with hairpin curves. Gulmarg doesn’t have people settled there and is mostly an Army settlement with Ski Resort and the like.

We have cable cars to the peak called “Gandola” which takes us to the glaciers (Affrawat Glacier) in Gulmarg. It’s in two stages (Rs. 300+Rs. 500), second stage ending in the peak covered with snow. The weather there is unpredictable and most of the times in the evening the Gandola rides are stopped for the second stage. The rides start around 9:30-10AM and the chances of getting to peak is more if you are early.

We checked in Nedous Hotel which was started in 1920’s. We met a couple from Bangalore there who were enjoying the bright sun. The sad story was Gandola’s were closed from last 2 days for Eid. The suggestion from the couple was to take ponies to the peak as weather was clear. Got a recommendation from them of Mr. J and went ahead with the ponies (2 ponies for Rs. 1500). Went to the peak, played in snow for an hour and returned as happy as possible. There are many people on peak helping with “crash course on skiing”, but don’t fall prey (We didn’t as we got few stories from tourists we met in KB).

Back by 3PM, had Palak Paneer and Roti’s in the hotel. The Paneer is homemade and fried in ghee to give a very different flavor. We also got to talk to the hotel people and were amazed to know few of them are in that hotel from 40+ years. The top ticket item to stay for that time was the hotel treats them as one of their family. They showed us hotel Highland a few yards away where the movie “Bobby” was mostly shot. One of them when came to know that we are going back the next day and didn’t get to ride Gondola’s, offered a stay at their home!!! We reasoned him that it’s the call of duty and the bookings back home that’s making us to leave that place. His constant appeal to us was to stay a minimum 3 days to soak in the serenity of Gulamrg.

Gulmarg is full of flowers (They grow everywhere in different colours) in May-July. November to February is Foreign Tourist season as per the locals when the place is covered in snow and Skiing activities are at the peak.

Day11 (29th October): Gulmarg/ Srinagar/Mumbai/Bangalore

The last day on the tour and it all ended in a jiffy. Started from Gulmarg at 9:30AM, reached Srinagar at 11:00AM, went through 3-4 rounds of security checks and checked in at 12:30AM. (After check in of luggage, you need to identify them once again before putting it in the plane and you get some more tokens) The flight (Indigo) was at 2 PM to Mumbai and reached Mumbai by 4PM. The next flight was at 8PM and my son’s questions kept us busy all the while. One word of caution, Mumbai domestic Airport is the worst if you want to eat something there. Don’t have much choices, Srinagar was better. (We learnt it the hard way as we were not hungry in Srinagar)

The taxing on the runway was 15 minutes and the pilot was very jovial about it (He said something like I will take you for a jolly ride for about 15-20 minutes on the ground as we have to cross few terminals before the runway). The best part here was we almost started 30 minutes early as all checked in early. The takeoff was 10 minutes earlier than scheduled.

Reached Bangalore at 9:30PM and home at 11PM. What a journey it was!!!

I know you are as interested to know the political scenario of Kashmir and about the people there, and I am more interested than you to tell the story. It’s the subject for my next blog...

Kashmir Travelogue, Part I - Prelude and Delhi

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 08:08:00 +0000

If words are not your forte, please move here for pictures. Kashmir Photos

It started as a thought when I was changing my job in May. The idea was I will take an off of a week or two in between. The short list? It varied from Bangalore sight-seeing to Timbuktu. Singapore, North India, South India in car, Mauritius etc. were in between and feasible. But then the off happened to be in July and only I am free and couldn’t afford that many days. What’s the solution? Look at son’s school holidays and decide a place for the season.

The guideline is setup and that’s half the job done. I went ahead joined new place, got settled blah..blah. Now the million dollar question of where to go. Car trip was ruled out as options will be limited, Rajasthan/Ladakh (It is in the list, a drive) ruled out for lack of “that many” days. The idea centered more on Kulu/Manali and Nainital and the like. In this meanwhile Delhi was fixed as we had my wife’s friend Mrs. SJ there, who told she will get a pass for us to Parliament and Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

Then the research bit when I went through travel agents and asked for the itinerary, myriad travel blogs, trying to understand the weather. Then came the best help, when I talked to Mr. JV who is from Delhi and my new colleague Mr. DB who is from Nainital (Thanks PI for making me know of this fact). Few iterations of talk with them and the suggestion was why not Kashmir? The rationale was Kulu/Manali is much commercialized and full of tourists in this season. Nainital is not that great for spending that lot effort from Bangalore. Kashmir will fit all the bills of snow, House Boat, Boat ride (Shikara), Cable car at Gulmarg, Himalayas, nice places and add to that the fact of farthest point in India.

The place is selected and our research was now focused to people who travelled there. Had a discussion with Mr.SP and got to know about the places and one more round of Travel Blogs and getting itinerary from travel agents. Decided against Vaishnodevi as it will be a hectic itinerary and the rush during Navarathri. Final decision was to book tickets on our own to be able to finalize the dates and book through Make My Trip for Kashmir. The tentative dates were 20th October to 28th or 29th October as son’s holidays were from 20th October to 1st November. It was Delhi and then Srinagar as we needed to visit Parliament and Rashtrapathi Bhavan on either a Monday or a Wednesday.

We wanted to spend the most in Kashmir and a 7 day package was decided with the places Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Pahalgam. Then Delhi/Agra needed 3-4 days for all that we wanted to see. The dates were finalized as starting on 19th October, flying to Srinagar on 23rd and starting back and reaching on 29th.

Day1 (Friday, 19th October): Delhi Local Sightseeing

The flight (Indigo Airbus A320) was at 6AM and we were in Delhi by 8:45AM. While getting down from the plane, we were the last ones and my son was invited to cockpit by the Airhostess. As usual my son had zillion questions on zillion plus instruments/switches in the cockpit. (From then on he was invited to cockpit other times as well but he was not interested as he knew it all). We were in Karnataka Bhavan (KB) at Ansal Plaza (Thanks to Mrs. SJ) by 9:30AM. Initial plan was to take it easy and just go to Akshardham. But the dozing off in plane and the rejuvenating breakfast of idly/vada (2nd time for the day) at KB made us realize we have a full day at hand. My wife met her College Principal there who was on a visit to AICTE. We don’t see much of him in my wife’s place where he is few streets away.

Talked to the taxi operator at KB and decided for a full day trip in Delhi for the day and Agra/Mathura for the next day. We were able to cover Qutub Minar, Lotus Temple, Red Fort, Akshardham, India Gate. Lunch was at Haldiram’s in Lajpat Nagar after Lotus Temple. This was on the insistent of wifey, who was told by her colleague Mrs. SS that you get the best Kachori’s there. It may not be the best, but food at Haldiram’s was good and start of our culinary delight for the days to come by.

I always thought Qutub Minar to be small and the actual was a big surprise. Lotus temple was an Architects delight. Our driver told Red fort was taken over by CRPF and my thought was we will finish it in 30-45 minutes. But it was huge with a big H and the walking around made my son sleep in the car after Red fort till Akshardham. We waited for son to get up and then stood in the queue for Akshardham. It was an hour long wait and we needed to deposit camera/phone etc. Only money and water bottle allowed inside. We were in by 6:30PM and late for the Movie and sound shows inside. We did watch the Swaminarayan temple, musical fountain which was good. On the way back, visited India Gate. Had dinner at KB which was little spicy but good.

Day2: Brindavan/ Mathura/Agra

The day was supposed to start at 5AM to avoid traffic to Agra, but after a little confusion started at 6AM. The National Highway to Agra is a chaos with everyone coming from everyway and our driver was one of them. For breakfast we stopped at a Dhaba near UP (Ulta Pradesh according to our driver who was from Jharkhand) border. There we had one of the best Parota’s which was dolloped with a lot of butter. These Parota’s at 8:30AM carried us till 4:30PM and that became the norm throughout our journey.

Brindavan was the next stop and our driver told us to just visit Banke Bihari temple and come back and not to talk to any tout. We didn’t understand much at first and then through the gullies to temple, we realized that the whole town is full of touts who will show you 5/10/100 temples. The temple finished in 30 minutes, we were off to Mathura. At this point, I really didn’t want to go there but the driver told the Mathura Temple (Birth place of Krishna) is under CRPF. Yes, it was under CRPF and hence no touts!!! At that point I wanted to plead the Govt. of India to get all places of public interest under CRPF. At Mathura at the place of Krishna’s birth, we met our layout neighbor. We were wondering whom are we meeting tomorrow, but meeting known people stopped here.

In Agra we hired a guide who was known to our driver. He took very good pictures, but that’s about him. Better to read on net and go about on your own than hire a guide. Only good thing he showed was the semi-precious stones set in marble. I have a rather strong opinion on Taj Mahal being built out of blood for a ruler’s whims and fancies out of tax money, but the structure makes you go “Wah”. No wonder it’s one of the “Wonders of the world”. Our guide denied marble being a little pale now, but it’s definitely pale with all the industries that were there before. The guide told us there is a Rs. 500 entry on Full Moon day to see the Taj in moonlight. He was also telling they let you see only half portion, as, if you stand there for long, you will become blind because of reflections (This is a pure folklore). Yamuna is dried and dead, there is no romance left in that anymore. So much for the callousness we and our present day Badshah’s show for the environment.

After a quick lunch at a hotel not too great (shown by the guide, he would have got his part) but good enough, the guide took us to a government shop and wasted 20-30 minutes there.

Next stop was Agra fort which again is now under CRPF and we were late by 2 minutes. Ticket counter was closed and as always touts were there with tickets for Rs. 200 (instead of 25 for three of us). After a bit of talking/pleading to the security guards there, a CRPF Jawan Mr. Rajat Singh saw us talked to the security and took us with him (literally escorted us till inside).

We started back at about 6:30PM, bought some Agra Peta on the way (1 Kg of it, finished by next 1.5 days). The softer ones which stay for a week are the best and the yummiest. There is a Peta shop every 10 meters and there is no point searching for the authentic. I guess it’s more Mass Market Product now. We hit the Yamuna Express way at 7:00PM and were at the end of it by 9PM. That is 200 KMs covered in 2 hours on a Maruti Ecco. Apart from a minor incident at the start when someone threw stone at the car, which hit at the back; the ride was peaceful and perfect. Dinner at KB for me and then a peaceful sleep.

TIP: Taj is closed on Friday. Enter Taj from the south gate / worker’s gate / worker colony gate (if on a Saturday when there is lot of rush because of the closure on Friday. Auto to that place will cost Rs. 30-40) which is usually less crowded. No need to wear the white socks (Rs. 10 per pair) over shoes; you can conveniently take off the shoes before going for the tomb inside. The fort entry closes at 5:30PM and then they allow around 6:30 for a light show.

Day3: Delhi Again

The plan was to see the left over places in Delhi and try Metro and then the much needed shopping therapy. We started to Humayun’s tomb which was around 3-4 KMs from KB and took an Auto as going to Metro station and then taking a Metro will be more tedious. This fact was also validated by the Sardar Auto Driver who suggested taking Metro only when it’s more than 5-6 KMs or in a crowded area. Our own experience later was for 3 people it is lot slower to go in Metro if the next point is nearby.

Back to the places of interest, we did Humayun’s Tomb (Humayun’s tomb has a Sauna like bath tub which amazed us), Purana Quila (Old Fort), Boat Ride near Purana Quila and Akshardham (to complete the movie stuff). The movie experience was good in Akshardham and worth it for the idea and the pain taken to maintain things. (Note: It’s about Swami Narayan and the heritage of India). Akshardham was done in Metro and it’s faster as the place is little far from South Delhi. One will appreciate Metro at this point when it’s faster to reach places like this. Again a losing feel, our politicians didn’t want the service of Sridharan; Bangalore Metro or Monorail as suggested by him would have been different.

Then it was shopping time at Sarojini Nagar market. It’s a nice place for the ones who are into street shopping (I am not into shopping itself). The place is Chikpet, Commercial Street, Gandhi Bazar clubbed into one and crowded. My take for this place is you will find things at cheap that you don’t need; need is created here.

Day4: Rashtrapathi Bhavan/Parliament/Shoppin

Half of Delhi (or more than that) is closed on Monday. Except for Janpath Market and Dilli Haat (Not my research, its courtesy other half), all shopping places are closed. We started little late as the program was only to cover RB and Parliament. We had a VIP Pass (can get from an MP) courtesy Mrs. SJ.

What I expected was to get in and have a look around. What was in store was better than expected. Both the places we got security officer’s in the role of a guide.

RB was 200+ acres of real estate for a guy (as said by Mr. JV) and huge but not well maintained. The museum in RB was amazing (gifts received by previous Presidents from other countries). The Durbar Hall and Ashoka Hall were magnificent but not clean. We also had a look of Mughal Garden, which was void of its splendor because of autumn. Mr. President was away that day and hence no flag hoisted on RB.

The next step was parliament. The kids (mine and Mrs. SJ’s daughter) were hungry and with them we got the permission to use the Parliament canteen. (Rs. 18/meal, Rs. 1/extra Roti, awesome) We were shown the LS hall, RS hall, and Common hall for joint sessions. There was a net in ceiling of LS hall and the reason for that is….the ceiling is little weak now, and few pieces have fallen off sometime hitting MPs. So, instead of making any change to the structure, they have put a net. The guide told us that after the attack to parliament, the security here is tight (2500+ people). As per him, we were at the second safest place in India after the atomic research centers.

A quick light moment: A kid was leaning against the gallery and our guide told “The structure is 90 year old and anything may break any time. If you fall off, as the sessions are not going on, to get the key to the hall, it may take 2+ hours after all clearance….(and he doesn’t know that protocol)”

Janpath market was next and nothing much to talk about. Dilli Haat was for the evening shopping and its little upmarket. The stores/food courts from all over the country are located here in a neatly laid out format. It’s not too crowded but a little costlier. You can still bargain here at some shops. Thumb rule is start at 50% of the ask and you will know the shop owners appetite for bargaining.

A hearty dinner at Mr.SJ’s house, 2 hours of chit chat for my wife with Mrs. SJ and the day ended with excitement.

Day5: End of Delhi and start to Srinagar

Day 5 started late, with a bit of re-arranged packing and we were waiting for the Cab. The flight was at 11:30 (Go Air, again a A320) and we were in Srinagar at 12:45.

Srinagar in next post…….

Software Dinagalu Page-2 : Training days of Infosys

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:04:00 +0000

I have the subject in hand and the content is very much there, but motivation to write is missing. I am trying to keep the promise I made to myself.

Training days started off with a week of "Finishing School" (I understood the meaning of this word few years later), where we had many fun activities and personal improvement sessions. These sessions and many other personality development programs in Infy, indeed were good and after these many years, I have started to appreciate that.

The second week started with basic courses and again the brain washing started here. They always said as Infy takes freshers from all streams, they start with the basics. This week again was fun, as we needed to read just few pages and write the exam. Most of us got "A" grades.

Here comes the twist in the tale, the third week started with C and UNIX. We were supposed to learn UNIX in 3 days and C in 5 days flat!!!, that too with the projects. In the class room, we were taught basics and then phew....we were told to design and implement a Library system in 2 days. We did everything, coding/code sharing/code smuggling etc...etc..Finally most of the teams had the same code underneath and UI was different with people putting their group name, name and likewise.

After C and UNIX, all electronics students were taken out to work for a OSDC (Off-Shore Development Centre). 1 month training started there instead of normal courses like VB, Oracle etc. This is the only training till date, which I have attended without interruption. Now, after 8 years if I try to sit in a training either my superior tells me not to attend or invariably I get a

call which assigns me a more important work; Blame it on easy accessibility because of mobiles or may be people have forgotten to be slow and steady.We used to have sessions for the whole day and many afternoons I used to sleep peacefully. Many of the things used to bounce over the head.

The best part came after training. Around 10-15 of us didn't get any project and they made us sit in a big conference room with each one having a phone and computer. We used to play computer games and even cricket in that room.

We all sat in that room for around 1.5 months waiting.........

Software Dinagalu Page-1 : Initial Days of Infosys

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:04:00 +0000

For who are "differently abled" in Kannada, Dinagalu = Days.

I am keeping up my word and back with a post in the first week itself. The series starts!!!

As a software professional (this word doesn't have any literal meaning here), i should stick with version control and my posts will have different "Pages". And I am allowed to have page numbers in decimals.

The first Page is all dreams and enlightenment. If there is a hint of sarcasm, that's called reality.

The story starts on a chilly, foggy winter day in December 2000, 4th Dec to be precise. I was all set with a thought that I am going to change this world forever. Joining Infosys was a dream come true (not entirely according to me but according to Infy HR and PR), which only 1 out of 50 or 100 could achieve. Now after 8+ years I know that I am not going to make a difference out of the blue and 1 out of... is another number of the game called BUSINESS of any IT/ITES company in India.

The first things that strike to me when I think about Infy is, TIE and formal SHOES. We had to wear the tie on Monday, then it became Monday and Tuesday. But the Off-Shore centre I worked was casual enough, so we used to remove the tie once we enter the building. Few people used to have a spare sandal in the cubicle for use inside the office!!! If you cant brake the law, try to bend it.

Catch the bus at 7AM from NR Colony and be in Infy by 8AM was the usual routine. Classes used to start at 8:30AM. We were all thrilled with the conference room and in the first session they announced that we are the biggest batch in Infy history till now, and we were thrilled even more. This was the beginning of my "Number Crunching" experience in IT.

The first 5 days were all fun; games, passwords/mailboxes/bank accounts, preaching about Infosys ethics and more number crunching. The best part here was I made friends with Avinash and Vivek. We three went for lunch/snacks together till I was in Infy for the next four years. Avinash died in a car accident in 2007, which I am yet to understand why; and for vivek, he is the best friend of my son (and mine too).

We were "trained" for 3 complete months and our instructors kept on telling that 3 months of Infy training was equivalent to 3 years B.S degree in UK. Crash Course, how amazing!!!

More about training in the next Page.

Work and the aftermath.....A quick Prelude

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:07:00 +0000

Finally, I have hit upon a subject to write for this year (infact, next year). I will write about my work life.

Some P.S at the beginning. This is not going to be any masala story and I will make sure I will hide all my incompetency, embarrassements and use this forum to vent out all my frustrations.

I hit upon this subject when I was thinking about the R&D spend of the company I am working in. To me it looks like R&D spend is mostly cost of Travel, Cab expenses, Food reimbursement etc. If companies give the actual breakup of R&D spend, we will have negligible money spent on few useless equipements and tools other than the things mentioned.

And even we employees are not far behind, work for 7-8 hours (half of the time reading/writing mails and making reports), lunch/coffee breaks for 1-2 hour, travel for 2-3 hours and then curse everyone on earth how busy we had been. Lousy Loosers!!!

Back to the topic, the next posts (not sure how many) will take place from 2000 decemeber onward till date and will not have a sequence, I will take all the liberties to move around time.

Resolution for year 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:35:00 +0000

I will write more blogs.

I need to keep up this promise before adding anymore. Will review this end of Q1. ;-)

Basanti...Teddy...

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 08:00:00 +0000

How can I forget you singing first two lines of "Piya Basanti Re..........". Your smiley face and that slight hint of dimple will haunt me forever.

It's not fair......

What to write???

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 08:31:00 +0000

Actually, I have few many things to write. Only that I couldn't get a suitable title, which will go well with the content.

The day starts on a happy note, thanks to my son and as usual all day long "I keep adding someone to the list of people who piss me off".....and then there is this bike tyre which got punctured. I came to office to read a mail which tells me how to get motivated and keep it going....Yes, today's my bikes 6th birthday (or is it anniversary...she would have born few days before right) and I treated her with a brand new front tyre.

Can't think of anything else........

Happiest moment of the day

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 08:30:00 +0000

Son wakes up and calls "Appa".....in his own sweet way...

Everyday of my life, I am forced to add another name to the list of people who piss me off

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 07:58:00 +0000

Calvin can never be wrong...

I am adding few to my list today (mostly they are adding me to their's). Irritating is mutual.

It's so funny that these people can be anyone and everyone. It's your near and dear ones (Ofcourse, you forget them and move on), colleagues, bosses (they are the most likely and you have to put up with them), a rash driver on the road, neighbour; the list is endless. They come in all shapes and sizes.

The reasons: as diversified as species on this planet. It can be the bike guy who keeps honking or your boss who keeps talking crap completely aware of what he is doing.

I can't think of a conclusion to this post. May be there is none. If it has one, it's definitely going to piss off who is reading.

Virus of the Planet Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:07:00 +0000

May be we, the human of the species are not born for this planet. Unlike all other species on earth, we....consume every other resource and calculate that these resources will last only these many days. Oh human, greediness thy name....

Mail Musings

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 06:53:00 +0000

It's a wonderful day, a wonderful day gone bad. I am searching for that one elusive mail from hours sraining my eyes.

e-mails have become a part and parcel of our (Software Engineers) life. Every conversation ends with "Ok...see you...mail maadu". But the conversion rate is very less. Though it takes hardly few seconds, most of us are lazy to write even a reply. Reply and Reply All are intended only for "Official mails". So, we check mails more often than we get them.

Mails are a best way to kill time when there is no work assigned, but you wont get any mails. And when there is work, you keep getting more mails, which assign you more work. Murphy's Law can best be explained for mails.

In my carrer of around 6 years I have seen two type of mails. Junk mails and Junkest mails. 99% of the mails I have got till now could have been avoided. The mails I got around 5 years back are in circulation still....

Yes, there are happy moments, mails which made me think, made me laugh like mad, made me mad etc. So, its a wonderful day...

Travelogue

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 06:41:00 +0000

Travelling from India to US was easy and the journey back needed little thinking !!!

If you are travelling on International carrier, you can check in till the port of entry in US.Check with the carrier, sometimes they have tie up with the domestic carrier in US so that luggages can be collected at the destination. There will be a stamping at Immigration counter at the the place where you board International flight. At US, the place you enter will have a stamping done and the immigration officer will staple a I-92 to the passport. Never loose this.

If there is a domestic travel involved in US while returning, make an International baggage check-in.So, no need to collect the luggages till you reach India. In India, if there is a domestic travel, make sure to coleect the luggages. While returning, I-92 should be given back to the International Flight you are travelling. Make sure the carrier collect I-92 while giving the boarding pass. Also at the gate of boarding the plane, there are "US Visit" kiosks where you need to follow the instructions. These steps make sure you are out of USA legally.

Be attentive to the announcements, when ever there is a landing. Immigration forms need to be filled while entering a country. when in doubt never hesitate to contact Information desk at the Airports.

To avoid jet lag, try to get as much sleep as possible. Eat a lot and drink lot of fluids. Juices arebetter and try to avoid Alcohol. After reaching the destination, go to sleep immediately or sleep only during night times. For 2-3 days avoid sleeping in the afternoon.

Thats all......

End of Plano Days: Is this the Beginning or the End?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 01:50:00 +0000

"I am gonna be serious"

Avinash Vasudevan finally made a resolution to be serious.......

Chap. 4.01: Plano Dairy-3a Movie Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 05:43:00 +0000

Adding little complexity to chapter numbering. Version control. But anyway its hapazard. May be more complex and nobody is going to understand the rationale behind it. Even me!!! But we need to have version control and process in place for the smooth functioning of things, let it be.

Did nothing but watched movies on a strech. Watched Matrix, Matrix Reloaded, 6th Day, K-PAX, Beast Man, Forest Gump and many other 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 .....(frankly, I don't remember the names of all those mostly Tamil one's...from SUN TV) movies. And at the end of it I am talking more of the dialogues from the movies than my own.

And we are planning to tell these dialogues and make everyone crazy tomorrow, i mean today (its 12:30 AM) at the office....

My biological clock was tuned to US time when I was in India and now it's tuned to Indian time. Feel like sleeping in the morning and not feeling like sleeping at the nights.

I am going crazy.......

Chap. 4: Plano Dairy-3 Emotional Blackmail

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwinee) — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 03:55:00 +0000

Went to Chettinad Restaurant for lunch 23rd Afternoon. Food was good. So, my enlightenment place was Chettiand Restaurant (oh...for this blog...for other things I am already an enlightened soul...and you can't re-enlighten one)All these crap I am writing because I am watching Matrix and Matrix Reloaded back to back at Avinash's place with Raajeev.

Now finally to the subject. This whole world looked like a business and Emotional Blackmail at it. You feed a "customer"with food from his place with some old music turned on. Make him nostalgic and turn in a "customer" who can cook a far better thing and make him feel inferior in the process.

By the spirit of Matrix, we are all programs chosen to do certain things. By the way we have already made the choices and we don't have any more choices left!!!!

The ONE