Travel In Home

Fireworks at Kabini

Some call it passion, others heartburn. I call it fireworks. The sky turned crimson and the waters of Kabini reflected it..

Watch more pictures of the sky at Skywatch Friday

by Jour ~ Friday, November 20, 2009 0 comments

After Hoysala trail, Travelwise launches its first trail to Kodava land. Coorg with its lush plantations is a mystery for many. Our trail tries to unveil some of those . Join us on Nov 21, 22 as we travel into this coffee country and meet the Kodavas .

by Jour ~ Friday, November 13, 2009 0 comments

And the journey goes on..

Journeys are a way of life. We wade through life looking for a purpose,seeking one milestone after another, looking for destinations but realizing that very often than not,there is no end to a journey. Home is really a state of mind then. For a vagabond like me , my alter ego lies in a spirit that is lost in the hills, running down the plains, getting her feet soaked in waters and reliving the past in a monument.

In the last two months and ten days, I have travelled to various heights and depths. I went to the Himalayas - Ladakh and Himachal, crossed cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, gazed at the Taj Mahal and lost myself in Fatehpur Sikri .Then I went closer home near Bangalore to the jungles and hills in Kabini and Coorg My last trip this weekend was to Daroji and Hampi, where I had the best of both worlds-nature and heritage..

Im often asked why do I travel ? Am I an escapist,shunning civilisation ? Do I want to run away from the " real" life and holiday all my life ? Or is it a way to forget myself..Even worse, people today consider travel as badge value and an addiction. For many, travel is all about Lonely Planet, must see places and a photograph as a souvenir behind a monument..a proof of been there , done that !Ive been through all of these stages and more..

To begin with my journeys have been more " real" than an escape and in the last two months specifically, they have shown me the path more than once . Its more of a self discovery, where the choices and dilemmas in life become more obvious and yet, I have let life take its own path, like the meandering road .When in doubt, my motto has been look for the road not taken.

Ive learnt some of life's hardest lessons while travelling. It is not about managing the extremes of weather or pushing oneself to climb another rock, but its about human relationships. Ive made friends, lost friends, been touched by a stranger and been hurt by companions..and yet as emotions come and go, you learn that be it the mountains or the monuments, they have withstood ego and passions. You learn to let go as you realize that human nature is extremely frail..you are just a microcosm in the entire universe and strangers will replace friends who in turn become strangers. All roads may not meet all the time, sometimes as friends you take different paths, sometimes you choose to avoid the other's path, at other times, you just turn around and take a different direction, but you need to walk on..till you meet another human face at the end of the road.

Ive often lost myself in the past - in a world of myths and monuments. Ive unearthed tales and they have brought out the child in me looking for stories in every stone. But as I look at these mighty structures withstanding the ravages of time, I feel humbled and yet a strange sense of belonging, a connection that probably is deep rooted. The silence tells me that Im part of the "past" as well. The present is however where I belong and the future is a question of time.

Travelling has taught me to appreciate the finer nuances of nature. You may argue that a sunset is a sunset and the same butterfly flits in and out of the flower in your balcony. However, it is only after you see the crimson reflection in the far away waters and the wild flowers in the jungle that you learn to appreciate these finer points of life.On another note,it is perfectly fine if you cant scale the mountain or go deep into the forest or climb that craggy cliffs.In real, you dont have to travel far to reach out to the nature..sometimes it is just a few steps from where you stand, but a lot of miles in your mind, as you go through the various mazes of thoughts to arrive here.

Travelling Ive realized is all about perspectives. It is about looking at life with a different point of view. Sometimes you see a kaleidescope of colours, many times its a monotone of browns . The barrenness hits you, the fertile greens lure you, the blues become you..but you learn to appreciate each for its uniqueness. The various cultures fascinate me, but you realize that its not possible to trade lives. For many, a shepherd's life seems to be ideal as the urbanite often thinks the life of a rustic is simple yet fascinating..yet, their challenges are something that we need to grapple with.

Finally travelling is not always about must see places..its about what you want to see.

Ive just finished my 200th post here and its a mere statistic compared to the miles you have all travelled with me..Thanks for being there, walking with me, standing right behind me and sometimes even showing me the way. To me however there is no destination -its just the journey

by Jour ~ Monday, November 9, 2009 0 comments

Follow Me on Twitter!

Sacred Destinations has joined the Twitter revolution! You can now follow me at:twitter.com/sacreddestSince I haven't been able to find enough time for the blog these days but do like to share news and updates, Twitter's 140-character mini-posts are a great solution. My "tweets" will be a mix of Sacred Destinations updates and features, news related to religious travel and art, and occasional

by Jour ~ Monday, November 2, 2009 0 comments

The Ladakh Festival - behind the scenes

We were lucky. The Ladakh festival started off with great fanfare on Sep 1 in Leh and we were just taking a break from our hectic travelling. There is always a huge procession of various tribes and communities belonging to Ladakh on day one and we were lucky simply because the procession started right in front of our guesthouse at Chubi in Leh.All I saw was a riot of colours as everybody was busy getting ready but were willing to pose for a picture. I tried an amateur attempt at creating a video/slideshow of the pictures.Turn on the volume and enjoy .

by Jour ~ 0 comments

Birding over the weekend - Getting there !

Ive been birding over the last few months and Ive enjoyed looking at them, learning to identify them, listening to their calls and also observing them. I was initiated into birding thanks to NTP (Naturalist Training Programme )conducted by Jungle Lodges and also some friends who guided me and even helped me picked up a binocs ..There was a time when every weekend I used to wake up early and go for birding and then there was a long hiatus. Finally, I went birding again yesterday and for the first time tried my hand into photographing birds. Shreeram,a friend , photographer and blogger lent me his lens and this is one of my favourite shots from yesterday's birding. An egret landing at TG Halli.

by Jour ~ Sunday, November 1, 2009 0 comments

Destination Coorg

I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Coorg and the main agenda was to finalise the itinerary for our up coming trail on Kodagu . A lot has been said and spoken about it, but there is always something ethereal and mystical about this land, which the Coorg Gazetteer describes as the size of a baby's sock.I heard more stories, unearthed more hidden temples and listened to fascinating legends. Our Coorg trail will be launched in November and we have quite a few interesting tales for you. Ive just put together a few of our stories in a new blog, MYTS - My Travel Space. You can also read about the Haleri Dynasty in CLAY - a story that was also published in the Deccan Herald recently.We would like you to be a part of the tour..do join us..

by Jour ~ Monday, October 26, 2009 0 comments

India through my eyes- No Please !

Very often when we travel we tend to take pictures of local people. Usually I ask then for permission , but sometimes I like to take a candid moment.

I was in Thiksey in Ladakh when I saw these boys chatting. I asked them and they gave me an exasperated expression..Not another of those tourists , pls ...said their look. I couldnt help laughing when they hid their faces with a lid as a mock show of protest . And thats when I took the picture..I showed it to them later and we had a laugh and they later allowed me to take a couple of more pictures.

by Jour ~ Thursday, October 22, 2009 0 comments

Update and New Feature

While neglecting this blog over the past few months (sorry about that), I've been hard at work converting my old website to a snazzier new version. It looks similar to the old one, but operates a bit more dynamically using a database. It's a long project, since I have over 1,200 articles and a couple hundred cities to convert! I'm also taking the opportunity to update and improve many of the

by Jour ~ Sunday, October 18, 2009 0 comments

Say it with flowers - Happy Deepavali

" I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs..."

- John Keats

Wish you all a very Happy Deepavali. Enjoy the beauty of these Himalayan flowers which filled the landscape with a lot of colour and cheer

by Jour ~ Friday, October 16, 2009 0 comments

The Himalayan Beauty

We were enroute to Chail when I spotted this shy girl, on her way to school. She refused to even look up at us when we spoke to her and I finally took a few pictures of her as she was seated in her car.

by Jour ~ Tuesday, October 6, 2009 0 comments

Sunrise at Mashobra - SWF

I was at the Club Mahindra resort at Mashobra as a part of the Blogger's meet , when my room-mate Radha, who was one of the winners of the Trip of a Lifetime travelogue contest woke me up to see the sunrise. I was too lazy and sleepy to rush down, but I took the picture from my room, though the looking glass though.

If you want to do sky gazing, do visit Skywatch

by Jour ~ Friday, October 2, 2009 0 comments

Inside Story - Sindhudurg

“Can you see the fort there?” We were at the Malvan beach, when we saw a two-mile-long wall of a fort standing tall against the horizon. “There are close to 15 families staying there even now. My aunt lives there…”

We had befriended a self-styled guide who decided to give us an armchair history of Sindhudurg, the fort that lent its name to the district. “Sindhu means sea and Durg is, of course, fort; hence the name,” he explained.

Built by Maratha emperor Shivaji in the 17th Century across 44 acres of land, this ocean fort located in Kurute island is home to several shrines, including one dedicated to the warrior king built by his son Rajaram. A footprint and a palm relic of the Maharaja are among the tourist attractions here.

The monsoon had just set in and none of the boatmen were willing to take us ashore to the fort, but they vied with each other to tell us stories. When Shivaji was ruling over Konkan, he was looking for a sea fort that would defend him from the onslaught of the Siddhis of Murud Janjeera.

The Janjeera fort had been unconquerable and Shivaji selected the rocky island of Kurute, and along with his commander, Hiroji Indulkar, built the fort at Sindhudurg. Built using molten lead mixed with mortar, it had 32 towers and was meant to be their naval headquarters. The fort remained with the Marathas before it was taken over by the East India Company.

I was more curious about the families living in the abandoned fort today. “My aunt stocks a lot of food until the monsoon gets over. It’s very difficult to keep sailing in the choppy waters.” The guide told us that most of the families were those of mavlas or soldiers who fought in the Maratha army. For generations, their descendants lived here; the younger generation has, however, moved to the shore in quest of employment.

Tourism seem to be their main livelihood, besides fishing. “Most of the houses are ancient as well. We cannot even sell them, and there are no facilities here; so, its like we are all cut off from the world, and continue to live in the glorious days of the Maratha empire.”

The tides recede and a private boatman offered to take us ashore. “Madam, there are ponds there which will never become dry. I will show you hidden passages. Did you know there was a coconut tree with a branch…?”

As we start negotiating the rate, I wonder about the families stuck in a time warp, cut off from civilisation. We start sailing to listen to their stories.

Published in Inside Story, Metro Plus supplement of The Hindu on September 21,2009

by Jour ~ Thursday, October 1, 2009 0 comments

Namaste India

In India's most favourite monument and popular tourist destination - The Taj Mahal

by Jour ~ Monday, September 28, 2009 0 comments

Colours of dawn at Mashobra

by Jour ~ Monday, September 21, 2009 0 comments

Ten great Ladakhi moments

Jullay !

Im yet to recover from my trip to Leh-Ladakh and the pictures are still stored in the memory card. But a quick post to recollect some of Sharath's and my great Ladakhi moments.

The first thing that stays in my mind are the images of the mountains when the flight lands in Leh. You can see lakes, monasteries and some great landscapes, but as the flight scoops down the mountains take your breath away.

The next thing that I recall is my trip to Panggong. Many swear by Tso Moriri, but I loved Panggong. We even pitched our own tents and stayed in a wonderful place by the lake which kept changing its colours.

I liked Hemis and Stakna to Thikshey and Shey. But the view from the Shanti Stupa is one of the best

I loved the apricot fruits that I had in Hundar. The landscape in Nubra valley was one of the best, with its white sands as we went to Sumur and back

The sighting of black necked cranes. A beautiful bird and it was quite unusual to see them at Panggong where we did get to see a closer view than in Tso Kar.

The marmots - adorable . The first time I saw them with their back to me, I mistook them to be a rock.

Good food in most of the places, but I really enjoyed the veg momos prepared by Dorjee , our cook at Panggong and the Alu Paratha at a punjabi dhaba at upshi. And my best meal was puris and daal in the mountains after Changla pass enroute to panggong.

The rivers followed us everywhere, but the confluence of the Zanskar and Indus stays in my mind.

The night sky at tsomoriri..even at 2*C, watching the lake bathed in moonlight was a delight.

The Ladakhi festival. The inaugural procession which went past my guest house, the colours, the music(Im sold on ladakhi music) and the people, most importantly, our driver and friend, Dorjee who saved us from getting stuck from the snowstorm past Tanglangla.

by Jour ~ Monday, September 7, 2009 0 comments