Goa

How was Goa?

Will come to that shortly

We will rewind to the time in January when Nandu - Srinath  were with us in Mumbai and Kutch.Was informed about Ramani-Radha visit to Goa in Feb and Sumee and I made up our minds to go there for a short stay.Keep it under wraps and let us surprise them I told DV.

Prudential Pristine

Srinath-Nandu reside at Prudential Pristine in Colva.Set amidst paddy fields and in the proximity of Colva beach sits this resort-like housing complex with its large swimming pool and Gym.It is perfect to suit a laid-back living style... the very essence of Goa.

Mohinder Amarnath stays not so far away and makes his "selectors are buffoons/jokers" comments from there

So we entered the threshold of his apartment that evening to find Ramani quietly strumming the guitar and Radha chatting with Nandu.The surprise was writ large on their faces and after some back slapping and hugging we sat down to chat and joke while DV kept our wine glasses full.The party broke up at 2:30AM.

Just to make sure that we are indeed close to the Sea,next morning we viewed the Sea from the terrace with a para-sailor lifting off.A zooooom lens was used for this pic.

We had plenty of breakfast and coffee and Ramani finally made it to the pool at the conclusion of its elaborate cleaning.This is the view of the pool from the flat.None of the others ventured and we continued from where we were yesterday on gossip and such.

 It was Valentine's day and the restaurants were chock-a-block with guests and our lunch - augmentation order did not arrive. Repeated calls made were to no avail.So we made RR sit and finish some hasty lunch to catch Alli and his car to take them to old Goa for a half day tour.



DV said "we will have autentic Goan food in the evening man" spoken like a paav-wala.  Just sample this.

"Bugger don't yap ok.One bloody kaanpatti youl get no,youl see stars in da day man"

So we all crammed into the Wagon R...that is when we missed the good old WBE 816.
All is well that ends well and the journey was enjoyable and so was the food ordered.The restaurant owner was happy to chat with us and share the ups and downs of his business.He favored us with this pic.

The girls of the group went for a walk in the beach the next morning and we the boys were doing Moi in the flat .


Later we preferred a round of  work out at the Gym while they went to attend an exhibition/demo  of Bengali Kantha work somewhere nearby.

Remember "autentic Goan food"? and so we got into the vehicle...and away we went to Vasco beyond  BITS Pilani,Goa,beyond the Dabolim Airport to where a beautiful church stood on Sao Jacinto island connected by a road bridge from the main road,a distance of mere 200 yds.

Jacinto island and church from Sheela

At this point the car stopped behind many others who had made it their business to eat the "aut..." at this restaurant called "Sheela Bar and Restaurant" who provides no menu cards but only modest plastic chairs in an open balcony from where you can stare at the sea while you sip your beer and enjoy melts-in-the-mouth fish,chicken,prawn and what have you.Absolutely delicious!!What a treat!!! Yet what a bare bones place without any Ado

So after this tummy fill what did we do?
We walked slowly to the island...the weather was good and so was the company.
Spent a few minutes in front of the church and hopped into the car for a look see of the neighboring posh locality. By now Ramani had gained access to Radha's Madi and that made it comfortable for the rest of us.

A great pic taken by Nandu

 


Back home Srinath offered to treat us to movies he has recorded and so we sat down,relaxed and watched two movies that evening.We took a break after the first and went out to a nearby eatery for some take-away dinner for DV and me.

 A visit to Johncy for lunch was a fitting finale.A beach shack restaurant catering to the tourists galore.We had our fill and returned home only to pick up our bags and start for the airport to catch our evening flight to Mumbai...the others continuing on their holiday

Autentic tanks to Srinath and Nandu for da wonderful trip......

Kutch

Kutch nahi dekha tho kuch nahi dekha... 
I decided to join when my nephew and his wife  agreed to accompany us to this remote and arid corner of Gujarat.In recent times Kutch is being promoted by Gujarat tourism and they are running this Rann Utsav for the past three years very successfully.Another reason to visit as curiosity kindled


Traveled to Bhuj by the early morning Jet flight which delivered us at 8'o and the temperature was announced as 6C...but the walk to the terminal was Cooool and not Co-oh-ld as one would have expected.No wind chill.
 

Got into the Swift and our thought foremost was breakfast and as we reached the not so clean environs of Bhuj city we began to explore our options. Past 9'o shops and  restaurants were still shut... was it hectic kite flying the previous day? And then when we did find one  he says he can give us only Dosa!!!!We smell fresh Dhokla and Dabeli nearby which we had for starters.Then moved to a cart across the street for fafda, chutney, mirchi and jalebi...a..mouth watering combination. Now we were more than ready for the hour's journey to Devpur homestay

Devpur Darbargarh is an early 20th century edifice built by the Jadejas and currently managed by Krutarsin  a mild mannered guy and his wife with royal lineage...and they welcomed us with garlands,tilak and a cup of refreshing  elaichi tea.Built around a central court yard with a small lawn for sit out,four tastefully decorated rooms are let out .The family also run a full fledged HSC school within the 2 acre plot

Mandvi was our first port of call. Go back 200 or more years...  teeming with merchants and seamen, trading with East Africa,Persian Gulf and the Malabar coast with exports far greater than imports.

A word about the condition of roads.Wherever we traveled on this short trip,the roads were in mint condition.We were a happy lot free to engage in small talk and watch the cattle graze in the arid conditions while many a mile was covered without stoppage and incident.

Vijay Vilas Palace is the summer retreat of the Kutch royalty for the past 100 years.It is not very large
as Palaces go but very tastefully designed.

Red sandstone structure set in the middle of well laid gardens with water channels and marble fountains.Impressive domes, exquisitely carved features and lattice work make it worth your while and the balcony at the top affords a superb view of the surroundings and the distant sea.

From peace,quiet and splendor we drove into the decrepit and bustling Mandvi town for lunch.For want of a better option feasted on the ubiquitous Thali with its accouterments in the OSHO restaurant which is the talk of the town.

Mandvi continues to build small ships and Dhows for local and Int'l clients and the lament was that Guj Govt. is not offering incentives to promote this age old enterprise. We took another good-road drive to Shyamji Varma's (freedom fighter) monument/museum and returned to our Haveli to complete our first day.

Day 2

The morning is crisp and cool and we have all rested well to take on another day in the wilderness. We visit Nirona, a dusty and dry handicraft village,at an hour's drive.We were introduced to the Khatri brothers who are specialist Rogan artists, one of a kind fabric art only to be found in Nirona, Kutch.
The process is time consuming. First the Rogan,which takes its name from the Persian word ‘oil-based’ is prepared by heating castor oil to boiling point over three days, cooling it and then as it thickens, mixing in appropriate amounts of colors. The pastes of yellow, red, white, green, black and orange are kept in earthen pots with water to keep them moist. Khatri demonstrates by holding a thin iron rod, flat at both ends, in which he takes a bit of paste.He touches the end of the rod to a cloth and deftly manipulates the stringy paste stream to form patterns.He drew this for us.


So the ladies were enamored
and they bought some of his creations and posed for this picture.





Located in a small dirt floor room whose main light source was the open door, was a  man with a flowing beard,who was quietly demonstrating the craft of making copper coated iron bells to a bunch of young tourists.We joined them.
A rectangular strip is beaten and shaped into a cylindrical hollow. A cap is formed by pounding metal into a die. An iron strip shaped like a horseshoe is then pushed through the cap and the ends twisted and locked, forming the clasp loop at the top of the bell.There is no brazing involved. The metal is then buffed to create a lustrous polished tone. A shaped piece of dense hard wood is then hung inside to create the clanger.At the end of this crude process it was amazing to hear the wonderful tonal quality of the bells.
                                 

 

Next we walked to a place where lacquer work was being demonstrated.

After turning the wood on a rudimentary lathe, the surface is smoothed on this lathe using an oil-soaked cloth before applying the mix of natural colors and lac till  a unique pattern of colors is formed.

We picked up a Belan each and walked back to our car.


From Nirona we drove towards Khavda to reach Kala Dungar (black hill). In an hour a distance of 70 Kms. was covered comfortably and  found ourselves at a Resort for lunch.Looking at the horizon from here we could see the flat Rann at a distance and there was Pak border too! On the road and towards the Dattatreya temple at a slight elevation, we found our first and only  traffic jam.We gave up the temple visit and turned back.

Rann of Kutch

The Rann of Kutch, also known as the Great Rann of Kutch (there's a Little Rann of Kutch as well), is a remarkable place. It's the world's largest salt desert, measuring over 16,000 square kilometers. What makes it even more amazing is that it's underwater during the monsoons.When the water evaporates it leaves behind up to six feet deep salt. It's best approached from Dhordo, approximately 90 kilometers from Bhuj, which is being developed by the Gujarat government as the Gateway to the Rann of Kutch.

For a real cultural extravaganza,visit during the two months long Rann Utsav, which usually begins in mid-late December. The government sets up hundreds of luxury tents on the edge of the Rann of Kutch for visitors. 

I stood  in line at the Guj.Police check post to obtain the entry pass for our visit to the Rann at Dhordo. Meantime members of my party were enjoying Bhunjelo Mavo freshly made by this vendor. while I stood there jostled by the crowd.Can you guess what it is by the way he is poised over the cauldron?

Eventually we made it to the BSF checkpost and to the spectacle  awaiting our exploration. A sea of humanity was out there and  the white salty marsh extended much much beyond and all around them upto the horizon.

We saw this group performing the traditional Kutchi folk and stood there listening to them.
They are seated on a platform on the surface of the Rann while you can see people on the raised area,which is a long pathway built to facilitate walking without getting your feet into slush which is present at various points on the vast expanse.

 For the next half hour we walked training our camera and I-Pads on anything interesting.

 
 

  Now feast your eyes on this

At Sunset

In the moonlit night

We got into our car and parked near the food court for a bit of snacking and departed the Rann

On our return we picked up more of the condensed milk sweet ... stopped at the tropic of Cancer and returned to our Haveli






Day 3
 
After breakfast it was time to say goodbye to Krutarsin and his wife  who were now busy readying the rooms for their next set of guests.
We proceeded to Bhuj city for seeing the sights of the city...notably Aina mahal and Pragmahal Palace,

The Prag Mahal is a 19th-century palace  designed  in the Italian Gothic style.What is notable is that it is not being maintained at all but for some work that has been done at the entrance.It has also been ravaged by the earthquake of 2001 as evidenced by the cracks and deep fissures on the structure.
The main hall is filled with decaying taxidermy and Durbar hall with broken chandeliers.Overall, the palace is in a forlorn state 

                                                 Next to it the Aina Mahal is a 18^th century palace.I suppose it was  a wonderful specimen of mirror-work and glass-work.We explored the Mahal  only from outside...the facade and foliage and noticed the intricate carvings. This palace is also in ruins now after the earthquake.

Our last call before lunch was the handicraft shops  at Bujodi, recommended highly for ladies apparel and shawls.
 Shopping concluded another Thali lunch was  consumed and we were ready for the airport but not before purchasing Thepla and stuff. We left the ladies behind to spend two days at the Rann Utsav and came back to Mumbai

Photos from Rann Utsav site

A view of the tent accommodation 

Fine embroidery by this young girl

     

Dining Hall

At night

Kerala - Thekkady,Aleppey & Fort Kochi

Day 1

They call it  "God's own Country" and sure enough it competes with Kashmir to be a heaven on earth. Kerala is a great rejuvenator even without Ayurveda.
Our first destination was Thekkady. It is a 180Km drive from Cochin airport on decent roads and the hired car went winding past small towns,rubber plantations,churches and schools.The route also caters to Sabarimalai pilgrims who make their arduous journey by bus and foot to visit the Ayyappa temple in the hills.The drive was on single lane roads and entailed constant honking by the overtaking cars and buses who are always in some senseless hurry on Indian roads.Our driver was cool and showed his patience and skill honed by many years of careful driving in Dubai.
 

Churches on the way

                                                                                  

Later, at an elevation,we could  see tea gardens and cardamom plantations abound.The road twisted  and rose further until it reached Kumily the frontier town of Kerala before Tamil Nad. It was nearing 5Hrs on the road. Thekkady was reached shortly (2Kms) and so  our destination- Woods and Spice Resort nestled in a thickly wooded area.

Had a decent lunch at the restaurant and relaxed in the afternoon.A view of the idyllic setting of the Resort.

Nilgiri Langur at Resort

Day 2 

Parunthupara - "Eagle rock" at 25 Kms was a good place to visit after a sumptuous, leisurely breakfast. Amidst green hills all around and away from the bustle of the towns and honking of cars,it was a nice getaway.

Thekkady  is the location of the Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a protected area and is  spread across 300sq.mi half of which is thick evergreen forest.It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978.Heard reliably that there are 44 tigers here and the good news is that their population is going up. The artificial lake formed by the Mullaiperiyar dam across the Periyar River adds to the charm of the park. The greatest attraction here are the herds of wild elephants that come down to drink in the lakes.
Sounds Good.  Let us see.

We went for a boat ride on the lake under cool overcast conditions and hoped to  catch a Tiger or two and some elephant herds by the side of the lake...

Rewind to 2009 and the terrible boat tragedy that befell drowning 45 people.The boat capsized with an overload on one side due to a stampede on hearing "Elephants at 11'o clock".

Little wonder then that our boat had spanking new life vests and plenty of attendants to supervise while we chugged slowly along the lake training a keen eye or binoculars for   spotting the stray animal or herd.
In the 90 minutes that we traveled there was hardly anything to see. Conditions were far from those necessary for the biggies to seek water.On the boat there were false alarms followed by repartee and peels of laughter.Even this died after a while.I was busy photographing some birds and... there was an excited cry for a few Sambars and a maddening rush to capture them on camera.Poor  Deers, they must have been blinded with all the Flash that was thrown at them. 
                         




















We left the boat behind and found a shop with this facade...an interesting backdrop for a picture.





Our next stop was a  Kalaripayattu show. The mother of all martial arts, and Jackie Chan agrees, dates back 3000 years. The Arena was a pit (Kuzhi) 42' long and 6' deep. The focus was on kicking, striking,grappling and the best of them were those maneuvers in flight, wielding swords, shields, bamboo sticks and daggers.For the benefit of the packed house,there were jumps through hoops of fire which got the oohs and aahs and claps galore.On the whole it was time spent well. is performed in hlyesigned




Day 3    
                         

It started raining at night and  a soggy weather ensued in the morning  with rain  pitter pattering about. Travel desk suggested an Elephant ride and so we went driving into Kumily town and then to Elephant Junction.We took a 1/2 hour ride through the plantation listening to how they trained the elephants to do their bidding for tourists.Elephants and Kerala have a special relationship

Fig and Pineapple

After a nice cup of tea we proceeded to a Spice plantation,where the guide showed us spices, fruits, herbal plants,root vegetables,artificial paddy field,pet animals like Dug,Gini pig,Rabbid,Turgy and even a Kerala branded Cow! This was agri-tourism at its best? I can't be sure.

In the evening we attended a tribal dance show which was very monotonous

Day 4

We boarded the Jeep at 5:30 for a journey of 40 Kms to GAVI.
The air is crisp and cool as we take the road out of Thekkady and Kumili, pass through Vandiperiyar and reach the Periyar Tiger reserve gate before 7AM. It is  dawning as we purchase our tickets observing many other Jeeps around us with similar intention.

As we leave the gate behind us the driver slows down  to follow the speed limit and also keeps an eye open for animals that may cross our path.Sure enough he spots the great Malabar squirrel and wants to photograph it in the poor light.It was underexposed.

On a clear bright day if he remains still you may get a shot like this.Courtesy treknature.com. He/She looks good enough for a cuddle..Right?

Spent an idle 30 min on the road listening to noises being made by an elephant in the woods close to us.The drivers of the 6 Jeeps kept hush hushing the tourists.Everyone was  as serious as if attending a funeral Wake and the cameras were on the ready. But the elephant did not show up.                                                    
Came to the end of our ride as it neared 9AM and were signing the forms at  the Gavi R'desk where Guides are assigned to the tourists for the day's activity. Iyyadurai was our man,an experienced campaigner, and he showed  us the open D'hall for breakfast and later gave us each a pair of loose leggings to cover the feet completely upto the knees to keep the leeches away.

Ayyappan Temple precinct at Sabarimalai

With a full stomach we turned our attention to the trek over the pleasant hills and chose an easy climb for an hour's duration.He provided assistance and information about the forest, families that worked at the cardamom plantations,Idukki power station,nearby hills including Sabarimalai  which he pointed out to us from a vantage point.He recounted the tragedy of 2011.
 

We came down past  the cardamom plantation and walked back to our starting point.We heard a bird cry and a Guide said "that's a Hornbill" and was viewing it through the binoculars.Then he took a picture with  my camera.Soon the bird took flight and I got a pic this time.Feast your eyes on "the great Indian Hornbill"... a large bird. Avg.Length - 4'     Wingspan - 5'     Life - 35 yrs

     
This is the wedding season in our country and honeymooners throng south India and Kerala in particular.A number of young couples could be seen everywhere and so it was in Gavi.We saw the girls posing and the guys patiently capturing them on their cameras or cell phones.

We took a boat ride on the serene Pampa reservoir and went across to the waterfall there.
     










At  the culmination of the of boat ride we were requested to proceed for lunch.We demurred and spent time at the lake side enjoying the pleasant breeze and taking 40 winks at the well laid out park by the side of the lake.Lunch and departure followed.The tour was enjoyable.Organisors have done a good job in turning the failing plantation tourism and redeploying the 400 odd labour force to advantage.Smart thinking

Day 5

Time to say G'Bye to the hills and look towards the plains and the sea.Checked out before BF having decided to try an outside restaurant.On the way out  took these pics of Churches we were passing by everyday.Being a Sunday, the Pews were packed and the church was overflowing.

                                         


Shopped for spices in Kumily and set off on our route to Aleppey. In about 3 1/2 hours the car was speeding on the Chenganacherry - Aleppey highway showing lush paddy fields on either side.

Traditional Kerala architecture of Venice Castle

Soon we were at Venice Castle Homestay. We had a wonderful time here for 3 days.A few words in its favour. It is in the heart of town very close to the boat jetty.Yet, it is cut off from the din and bustle by wooded surroundings. It has 4 A/c rooms  fully furnished with bathrooms en suite.Mathew is the owner and he along with his mother and Joseph, a friend, make it a very comfortable stay.And all this comes at a very affordable price. 

Mathew's son with Julie

Mathew greeted us with orange juice and seated us in his spacious living room.He advised us to take the motorised Shikara for a day tour of the backwaters the next morning.At our request he reserved a boat for us.

Later,Joseph, pleasant-to-the-core guy, served us tea and recommended a visit to the beach nearby.

Random shots                                                                                                                       

                                                   

                  

A long walk at the beach got us thirsty and hungry and we sought out a beach front restaurant at 6:30 PM for some Beer and dinner.We were early to bed.

Day 6                                                 

       

     Snow and Palm trees ????                                                                                 

Backwaters goes by the name Kuttanad in Aleppey district.So said the boatman as he steered the motor-boat clear of the Jetty into the large waterway at the start of our memorable day.All the farms that we had noticed on the way from Chenganacherry was this rice bowl noted for farming 4-10 feet below sea level.Today we were to see them at close quarters.

Returning houseboat

starting out

Excitement gripped us as we sat in the boat listening to him and seeing many different boats around us in the Punnamada lake.

We passed the finishing line of the annual Nehru boat race .There is a exclusive VIP enclosure for many who come from all over the world to witness this spectacle called Vallam Kali (Boat Game). A snake boat with 110 oarsmen and 15 others to coax and encourage.

Charming houseboat.  Farm house below

The water grid comprising canals both large and small,rivers and lakes is said to be 970 Kms long spread amongst 5 districts of Kerala.

We left Punnamada lake and the returning house boats and were steered through narrow canals lined with farm houses at the level of water and even below it.The farms behind the homes were certainly below water level. 

These canal stretches were abuzz with  vendors on boat selling vegetables, grocery and fish to  households.Others selling plastic wares.Country boats (Kettu Vallams) that were transporting bulk cargo..rice grain,coconut husk etc.Row boats with couples on a short fun voyage.

Moved into a larger canal/river lined with coconut and banana trees gently swaying in the breeze.And there were bigger farms here. Ferries were seen stopping at Piers and taking aboard  passengers

Passenger Ferry

We  moored the boat to the embankment of a farm and I disembarked with the camera.I have never seen such large,green rice plantations before.What a beautiful sight and a wonderful job these farmers are doing.Looking up I could see toddy pots on coconut trees fringing the farm.

Another sight on the backwaters was that of the ducks,swarming and quacking in high decibels 

Stopped the boat at a water side shack for a drink of coconut water and then pushed on slowly to Vembanad lake.Here the water body was large and teeming with big houseboats and others.We stopped our journey at a fisherman's house known to our boatman and enjoyed a good meal of fresh fish and vegetables and Kerala rice and sambhar.
It was now time for the return journey after spending in excess of 6 hrs on the backwaters. I leave you with these pics

  After publishing the Blog, have received the following pictures, fantastic aerial shots   of the Backwaters from Kerala tourism which I append here for your  viewing pleasure

Afternoon tea at the Homestay was in the company of a young Norwegian couple who are on a world tour.Mathew graciously hosted dinner in the evening for the four of us. The fish served was delicious.

Day 7

An extra day that was added to the itin just in case.....

Got up late, lingered over tea,relaxed some more and gorged on Idiyappam, Omlette, Toast and more tea.
Visited a very ancient Krishna temple at Ambalapuzha,15 Kms away, which is renowned for its Palpayasam and Guruvayur ambalam,the story being that the Krishna idol from G was brought here for safe keeping during the raids of Tipu Sultan.Also visited the Karumadikuttan Buddha statue nearby.This is a very old statue dating back to 10th century and salvaged by a Britisher some 100 years ago in this broken condition.

Karumadikuttan

Krishna Temple

 















Next ....St.Mary's Catholic Church.... consecrated in 5th century and one of the oldest Christian churches in India and the mother church of all Catholic Syrian churches in Alleppey District.It is located picturesquely on the bank of Pampa river in Champakulam (Kuttanad) and the murals and artifacts inside are worth a look.                                                                                            

impressive grotto

 

Rested in the afternoon and at Tea met an English couple.They accompanied us to the famous Marari beach, 12 Kms away, and we barely made it  for the sunset. A walk on the beach followed by excellent sea-food was a satisfactory ending to our Aleppey trip.

Day 8

Puttu and veg curry for breakfast.Quite tasteless. Relaxed till mid-day  and bid Fwell to Mathew and Co.Traffic was light on the way to Eranakulam.Saw a diversion to Fort Kochi and decided to go there.Strolled the water front and walked by the Dutch cemetery and drove to St.Francis church originally built in 1503 by the Portuguese. It is the oldest European church in India
End of 1524 Vasco Da Gama returned to Kochi,for the third time,where he died on the  Christmas eve  and was buried in this Church. Fourteen years later, his remains were shipped to Portugal.

 

After a very tasty veg lunch  at Roti Dal we completed our tour of Ft Kochi with a visit to the palace museum.. .great murals... and the  old Synagogue.

Later visited our Mumbai neighbor,now in a Eranakulam Condo and left for the airport to catch our    flight.

A Very Happy New Year to all of you