The Himalayas beckon..

I am off to Leh-Ladakh for about ten days. Its been rather chaotic planning and finalising the itinerary and finally with the help of Satya and Arun, Sharath and I are leaving in a couple of days..I will see you all in some time..do have a great week.

~ Sunday, August 23, 2009 0 comments

On the eve of independence...


Taking life , people, freedom with a pinch, sorry, mounds of salt

~ Friday, August 14, 2009 0 comments

My Trip of a Lifetime

When I come back from every trip, I think that this has been it - the trip of my lifetime , but then I start planning for the next and wish someone could just sponsor it. Ive been dying to go to Himachal Pradesh and soak in the Himalayas and my trip of a lifetime is just going to happen.And this is made possible by Club Mahindra .



CLAY has just announced a contest which could make you win your trip of a lifetime. Just pen your thoughts on the best travelogue and email it to clay@clubmahindra.com and you could join us on a trip to Mashobra in September. For more details, visit CLAY or become a fan of CLUB Mahindra on FACEBOOK.

Last date : August 19, 2009..Dont miss it !

~ Wednesday, August 12, 2009 0 comments

New and Improved St. Peter's

Our article on St. Peter's Basilica has just been updated with lots of new photos and a much nicer photo gallery. Article: www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-st-peters-basilicaGallery: www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-st-peters-basilica-photos/Comments welcome, as always.

~ Saturday, August 8, 2009 0 comments

Tour of the West 5: Eastern Wyoming

We loved Wyoming as much as we knew we would. Leaving South Dakota around 9:30am Sunday morning, we were soon over the border and on our way to Devils Tower National Monument. This spectacular rock formation had a starring role in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and it is also a sacred site for Native Americans of the area. There are lots of interesting legends about how it was formed, but

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Musings by the sea shore



The mountains beckon some, the forests lure you, there is a charm in an old heritage monument and a certain peace in a remote town . I often get lost in new worlds, some that let me escape the mundane realities of life.

But when my mind is restless, I often seek the waves. The ebb and flow of the waters reassure me, the fury of the waves calm me down, the foam bathes my mind and the endless space of sand, water and sky give me an immense faith in life. I realize I am a microcosm in this entire universe and nothing can change the dynamics of life. The rhythm must go on..some waves are rough, some gentle , some gather around your feet,letting your toes feel the illusion of being embedded in the sand, but they let go eventually.


However the colours change as I watch the entire skyscape enact a drama in front of me . Colours of life , I call them - rose, crimson,gold, blue, grey fill the sky as it becomes an open palette.The fluffy white clouds flit in and out ,wrapping the sky in its fold, moving from one end to another. They change their shapes , gather around together to form a big white mass where little streaks of sunlight stream out. Sometimes there is a bit of a conflict in this paradise..where dark clouds throw a veil over the brighter ones, leaving the sky in a grey tone. Life I realize is a rainbow of colours, except we do not get to choose the palette.

I watch as the shore clings on to the waves, but it ebbs leaving the foam behind ..even that evaporates only to be washed away by another wave that drags a bit of the sand with it..I wonder if relationships are like that. The waves erase the memories, the shore tries to cling, the essence is absorbed by the shore and the sea as they carry a bit of each other when they embrace..only to eventually let go. The rocks at a far end are mute spectators to this spectacle. They remain silent as the waves unleash their emotions on them. Sometimes they lash at them, sometimes they embrace, but the rocks do not respond. Sometimes I wonder if this is what they refer to as being rock solid.

I see humans living by the sea, of the sea and I wonder if their understanding of life is much better than us urbanites who worry about mundane issues . As i grapple to understand my destiny and the forces that work within them, I look around and see the entire cycle play out in front of me.


I leave my footprints on the sands of time and wonder if my dreams will come true and if they would be etched for ever, when a wave flows up to me and let the foam curl around my ankles and erase those footprints away.Destiny I realize is not always written by us. We just get to think we play a role here. A little breeze blows past my face and the voice of the waves echo in my ears..Let Go...They say, you give back to the sea something that is important to you..I did just that.I left a part of me , my mind and my thoughts so that I could feel the spacelessness and nothingness inside me, and the voice still tugs in my ears..Let Go...

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Travelling has its moments

When we travel, we soak in the local flavour . And of late,Ive been fascinated by local markets, small shops and their interesting titles..here are a few that I saw while I travelled to metros, cities, towns and hamlets.

Disco Chicken Centre
Om Shakti Solutions
Mustafa Bananas,
Uncle Bun,
Hello London-imported fancy store,
Dubai Agencies general store(outskirts of Chidambaram)
Horizon-Eaters Stop-Restaurant,
Kalas Occassion-Spoken English & coaching,
Travel &Tours -Acting Driver available,
Living Works -Upholstery Works

Have more titles ? Do add them to the list ..

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Monsoon edition of the Hoysala trail



The Monsoon edition of the Hoysala trail is on again..soak in the rains as we journey down the eons of history..Feel the lure of the monsoons and add a dose of history along with us as we go on a journey back to the eons of the time. Visit monuments off the tourist circuit, hidden temples, a step well in the middle of nowhere and the ancient capital of the Hoysalas, Dwarasamudra. A dash of coffee to go with the tour as we go on a plantation tour and indulge in a bit of birding as well..


Places Covered
The temple with four shrines at Doddagaddavalli
Belur
Halebeedu
Ancient town of Dwarasamudra spread around Halebeedu
Hulikere Tank – A charming kalyani
Belavadi Temple
A walk in 300-acre coffee estate


You could contact me or Arun though our blogs and let us know if you would like to join us on the tour. Log on to travelwise for more details .

~ Sunday, August 2, 2009 0 comments

Tour of the West 4: Minnesota

In May, David and I took a three-week road trip from our home in Portland to Minnesota, to visit some of my relatives and tour the Great American West along the way. This post is part of a series on the highlights of our trip.Downtown St. PaulWe didn't do a whole lot of sightseeing in Minnesota since we were mainly there to visit with Grandma and other family, but we did find time to see some

~ Wednesday, July 29, 2009 0 comments

Tour of the West 3: Montana

In May, David and I took a three-week road trip from our home in Portland to Minnesota, to visit some of my relatives and tour the Great American West along the way. This post is part of a series on the highlights of our trip.Our morning in Missoula started out with a unique and tasty breakfast of walnut, mushroom and zucchini quiche at our B&B. The rest of the day was spent driving across

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Back to the colonial era - Tranquebar


The waves tell a story of their own. Im just back from a weekend trip with a school mate of mine from Tarangambadi or Tranquebar, which was a Danish settlement, during the colonial era. The trip was wonderful for many reasons - I was meeting my friend after several years, the location was completely off the tourist track and it was in many ways, a journey that brought me back on track as well..I am back to blogging with a bang and will be visiting all of you soon..and there will be more posts,of course..have a great week

~ Sunday, July 26, 2009 0 comments

Journeys in the mind


Ive been travelling a lot..both in the real world and in the mind..The physical journeys have not really been that exhausting, while the latter has really drained me.
I havent been in the blogging world for a while, but will soon get back to catch up on all Ive missed..Until then :)

~ Monday, July 13, 2009 0 comments

Join us on the Hoysala trail


Arun and I have been planning for ages to get into the travel space. And we finally did over coffee one afternoon when we realized that we both had the same interest. Both of us were fascinated by the Hoysalas and the Malenadu region and after days of pouring over history books and a century old ASI documents we launched our first tour - The Lesser Known Hoysala temples. We also added a coffee trail and a birding trip to the heritage tour and lo, we became tour guides as well.


We had a trial run last month with friends who gave us a lot of motivation and now we are back again. This time, we would like to invite you to join us. The trip would cover temples off the tourist track, go to the ancient town of Dwarasamudra and its ruins, the temple called Velapuri also called Belur on the banks of the River Yagachi. We promise that it will not be a history class, but will present you with some colourful details of the lives of the kings and queens as well..:)

We look forward to having you with us.Do join us and you can mail me at lakshmi.sharath@gmail.com or arun at arunchs@yahoo.com for any information. The details are in the brochure.(Pls click on it to see it in full)

~ Thursday, June 25, 2009 0 comments

Tour of the West 2: Idaho Mission and Missoula

In May, David and I took a three-week road trip from our home in Portland to Minnesota, to visit some of my relatives and tour the Great American West along the way. This post is part of a series on the highlights of our trip.Idaho MissionAfter driving through some lovely scenery in northern Idaho after Coeur d'Alene, we came upon a nice surprise - a state heritage sign indicating the presence of

~ Tuesday, June 23, 2009 0 comments

A speck in the horizon..


I was in Sindhudurg on the Konkan coastline last week when the dramatic skies above the Arabian Sea changed from a bright blue to gold to rosy pink to grey and black. We spent every day at a different beach, but this picture of the Tarkarli Beach stands out in my mind. It may not enter a picture post card contest, but it gave me a perspective of life..how insignificant and small we human beings are when compared to nature. It reminds of the last two lines of Keats'(my all time fav poet) sonnet, " When I have fears that I may cease to be " ..

...then on the Shore
Of the wide world I stand alone and think
Till Love and Fame to Nothingness do sink.."

What does it remind you of ?

For more wonderful skies around the world, click here

~ Friday, June 19, 2009 0 comments

Sindhudurg - a refreshing trip


I finally satisfied my wanderlust for a new destination. Sindhudurg it was last week on the Konkan coast on the Maharashtra-Goa border. Before I take you to the sights and sounds of Sindhudurg, I had my heart fill of sharbats , vada pavs , misal pavs, kandha(onion)bhajji..The sharbats (juices-refer to the first picture)are the most refreshing,especially the kokum .Im still salivating..

~ Tuesday, June 16, 2009 0 comments

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