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Udaipur - a city of palaces

Old photographs always have a tale to tell. They come with memories ,usually laden with mixed emotions. While cleaning my cupboard,I came across several albums which were filled with pictures taken during various trips. Life was basic and analog then , but the special moments were all Kodak moments . A frame could go wrong,a bit of over exposure or the light could be dim, but the trip is still special.

Of the several albums, I chose my trip to Udaipur. We were tourists then , not travellers and went where the crowds beckoned us . I still remember the day we boarded the mid night Air India flight to Bombay from Madras. We stayed in the airport to pick up the connecting flight to Udaipur. History has always fascinated me as a kid and growing up on Amar Chitra katha stories,one had heard several legends of kings and queens . I had imagined Udaipur as filled with beautiful palaces, where time stood still with dashing Rajout princes brandishing their swords and brave princesses sweeping the men off their feet . But I was wrong

The first thing that struck me was the obscure airport . Next were the loud brash men staring at women like they have never seen them before . And people were cold,unfriendly. Like any naive tourist , we had a chauffer driven car which took us places ..but it was much later that we realized that everything was fixed here . Maybe it was after that we became travellers and not tourists

And yet I wasn’t entirely wrong. Three places that made Udaipur memorable for me are the City Palace , the Jag Mandir and the Lake palace in Lake Pichola .There is also the Fateh Prakash palace , but I think the Lake Palace is surreal, almost a dream . .Floating on the sheer blue waters , its so beautiful that you wish you could live there for just a night . Carved out of marble, it is an island of love, built in 18th century by Maharana Jagat Singh 11 . To me , it’s the ultimate romantic destination surrounded by the pristine lake Pichola and the Aravalli Mountains . The lake itself is enchanting as it changes myriad hues as you ferry down towards Jag Mandir

It was quite breathtaking when we first saw this . Delicately carved out of marble and mosaic and blended with blue stones, this was supposedly a hideout for Prince Khurram , known to us as Shah Jahan by the Rajput king ,Maharana Karan Singh .There was no time to think history then as we allowed the beauty of the place to sink in . The craftsmanship is amazing as you gaze at the elephants who seem to be watching over the palace

And finally the city palace which towers over the Pichola lake . It seemed never ending as we moved from one gate to another , from one hall to another . Endless array of pillars, majestic courtyards, several balconies overlooking the lake, towers , coulourful mirrors and glass , elegant carvings, beautiful doors and windows …it’s a palace where you could lose yourself and go back in time …

by Jour ~ Tuesday, August 21, 2007 0 comments

This is not a travelogue ...

...But a home coming of sorts .It was still dark when the train had come to a grinding halt.Like all early mornings, life was in complete slow motion and in freeze frames .

If this was a film, it would have been easy to just capture a montage of shots , add a bit of effects on the editing table and mix some ambience with some lilting music and let the viewers feel the moment. But writing is different . You need to get the right words to capture the same essence and make the readers visualize what you see. And all this without any effect . And as you can see I’m struggling – the words and the emotions are both choking my mind .

Back to the wee hours of the morning . Look around and there was a contrast in mood, energies and emotions. For those ,like us who have just come in , life was just waking up . A bit of reluctance , wanting to linger for a few more moments . Some bodies still curled up stretching and some still in the arms of deep slumber rudely woken up by loud coolies for whom it’s business . Loud arguments and sleepy murmurs struck the right chord .It was a moment to give in , to let someone carry your burdens while you still linger . Cut .Laughter and hugs . There was the happy , cheerful lot met by relatives and friends who are having a reunion of sorts at the platform . Cut again and panic strikes a few hurried feet rushing , pushing to get to their destinations .

We are at The Central Station . The city's portal where feet enter and exit the city .Amidst the floating population is a certain pulse that stands for the spirit of the city .We wade through the sea of human emotions and cut through the clutter of crowds only to walk into a long queque of humanity waiting for their turn at the pre paid auto stand . For those who are looking for short cuts and a quick buck , there are the auto drivers who are knocking at your impatience , tempting you to break the line and system. This is India . For every system, there are people who will break and allow people to break the system and then we blame the system …

The dawn is still a few minutes away. A whiff of cool breeze settles in , with a tinge of humidity as we drive towards home . It had rained last night . The birds are just beginning to announce the dawn . I am home . This is a special moment .

And yes,I forgot to mention – I am in Madras, what people today call Chennai.I potter around the house and take some time off to steal glances at my favourite mango tree ..the sun 's rays just filter through and its bright and cheerful already.

A reason to celebrate is around the corner - Madras Day on August 22 . In 1639 , on the day when a small piece of land which today houses Fort St George and the Secretariat was handed over to the East India Company .

Madras is beautiful and there is no doubt about it . The city has held its own in the face of commercialism and has stood its ground amidst taunts of being dubbed conservative . It has not allowed itself to be changed and I hope it will never be. While there are so many favourite areas and structures and landscapes, I will talk about a few that have mattered to me

While Madras is synonymous with Gemini Flyover,to me the Napier Bridge is always been more interesting a structure and a landmark. Pictureque in its own way , The River cooum and the Marina Beach are almost adjacent to each other .If Mani Ratnam has fimed it in Ayutha ezhithu, I would like to boast that I have shot a fashion sequence wih models sashaying down the bridge in full view of the traffic.

The Marina .The hip and happenning prefer the Elliots or the Valmiki or the private beaches ...but give me any day Marina . The merry go rounds, the kites and the stalls on one end, the memorials and statues on the other , boats and trawlers on the shore dotted with specls of ships on the horizon sailing to far away lands ..I can write an ode to the marina . Battered by the tsunami ,live still goes on here for those who live by the beach and live because of it

Mylapore. People swear by T Nagar, but give me any day good ole Mylapore with its little luz Corner .While my favourite abode is Alwarpet and I hope to buy a home one day there , this small hamlet was added to madras and today its a cultural hub . Myil means peacock in Tamil and Mylpaore is synonymous with the Kapaleeswar temple .legend has it that Goddess Parvati ,the consort of Lord Shiva did penance in the form of a pea hen to wed him..

Besides religion and mythology ...this place finds mention in world history in both Ptolemy's and Marco Polo's records .If you want to know who they are ,please go to www.google.com ...After all this,Mylapore is still the best place to have great idlis and sambar or go shopping . A dash of colour,a bit of religion and a taste of original madras -thats Mylapore for you .

Its midnight now and I can go on in raptures about this city ...I cannot believe a couple of days just whizzed past by and I am now back from Madras , my home to my " mayake " Bangalore and I cant tell you how much I miss my city where sunshine is a way of life !

by Jour ~ Friday, August 17, 2007 0 comments

Dinner by the river

We don't go out to eat as much as we did when we lived in Oxford proper, which is generally a good thing. But last night we were briefly in town to run errands and thought we'd have a dinner out while we were at it.We headed for one of our favorite old haunts, the Victoria Arms pub on the outskirts of Oxford. An attractive historic pub where apparently Oliver Cromwell drank, it also boasts a

by Jour ~ Friday, August 10, 2007 0 comments

A Rainy Day in Cornwall

On our last full day (Monday July 23rd) in Cornwall, it rained freakishly hard for most of the day. So the pictures are terrible, but we had a really fun and memorable time anyway. And we were very lucky not to be affected by the terrible flooding all around Britain, either on vacation or back at home, so we couldn't complain too much.After our Full English breakfast at the Penzance B&B (which

by Jour ~ Thursday, August 2, 2007 0 comments

A Sunday Drive

Sunday evening we drove over to our new favorite cinema to see The Simpsons Movie, which has gotten astonishingly good reviews. But the parking lot was absolutely packed and we knew the theater would be too, so we turned around and went home.But it was such a beautiful evening, and you know from my whining that that has been a rarity these days, so we took our time getting home. David took us for

by Jour ~ Monday, July 30, 2007 0 comments

Cornwall: Old Stones, Fish & Chips and a Castle

Sunday morning we had a decent breakfast in our Exeter B&B, where we sat next to a 60s-ish couple and their granddaughter. They were very chatty and immediately asked where we were from upon hearing our accents. They are from Dallas and their kids live in England; their cute little granddaughter had an English accent. Immediately after breakfast we set out on the road again, continuing west

by Jour ~ Saturday, July 28, 2007 0 comments

Halal Food Hilal Town in South Thailand(27-31 July 2007)

Starting in the first year of 2005, the festival was seen as a massive success and saw a big crowd of Muslim population on the island itself and even the nearby provinces like Phang-Nga and Phuket. They had a good time getting together and showed off their charm and hositality.

The second year’s venue was relocated to the large Thalang Historical Memorial Site at Ban Riang in Theppkasartri area, on the north of the island as the PPAO is develoing it into a provincial historical site. This year’s third ‘Halal Food Hilal Town’ event will also be held at the same location during July 27 – 31 2007.
Featured at the 5 day festival will be a great selection of food prepared strictly under the Halal requirements.

Other interesting activities include cooking contests, bird singing contests, local arts and traditions like an ancient wedding, and folkore at the cultural ground.

There will also be an exhibition and sale of local products from all 14 southern provinces, as Alee Kumban an organizing committee member explained.

The highlight of the 5 day event is the light and sound show telling the tragic story of the legendary Princess Mahsuri and it is on every night.

[Source from; thaisnews.com]

by Jour ~ Thursday, July 26, 2007 0 comments

Exeter

David took Monday and Tuesday off and we had a nice four-day weekend in the "West Country." We spent Saturday night in Exeter and then Sunday and Monday in Penzance (yep, of Pirates fame) near the western tip of Cornwall. It was a three-hour drive from home to Exeter, which is in the county of Devon. Like Cornwall, Devon is known for its green countryside and delicious cream teas. As often

by Jour ~ 0 comments

Cuddesdon

Saturday afternoon we walked up the hill to the village of Cuddesdon. Its church was great and the village was lovely, too. Here's a few pics.Some heavy traffic on the way up the hill.Road signs in Cuddesdon.Gate to Cuddesdon Church. Cuddesdon Parish Church, which is good and old - founded 1180.12th-century carved capitals - note the beastie on the right. Looks like Bigfoot!Another medieval

by Jour ~ Tuesday, July 17, 2007 0 comments

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Frayed nerves and a tired mind came along with my incentive last quarter .Not to mention , an irritable mood with low tolerance and a nagging migrane that just refused to go away. A quick remedy was a short weekend getaway and so, it was a day trip to Rangantittu Bird Sanctuary , near Mysore

At first I thought it was a bad idea ... i ran away from people to see more people, loud and brash , the picnicking variety who come in hordes to scare even the birds away...but once we got into the waters for a short boat ride around the islands , it was a different experience

Several birds,mainly the migrants flocked in huge numbers, almost outnumbering the tourists who were waiting at the deck for the boats. The painted stork, herons, darters, cormorants are just some of them ...crocodiles are in plenty and you can often see them sun bathing or just lazing on the rocks ...

I am not too much into birds, but am slowly getting fascinated by the winged creatures...I am making another trip soon and will update if i see any rare varieties
Getting there
Just a couple of hours if you are driving from bangalore towards Mysore...a small deviation near srirangapatna and you are into this winged territory ..
Best time to visit - this is a tough one ...to me its throughout the year . If you however want to see migratory birds its October to March, but mainly during winter ...Its not an ideal period to visit during monsoons as there are ususally floods . Beware of crocodiles who are usually sunbathing on rocks

by Jour ~ Sunday, July 15, 2007 0 comments

Village People

On Saturday afternoon, after completing the morning errands into Oxford and watching the Formula One qualifying race (which is in Britain this weekend!), we went for a walk around our new hometown of Great Milton. We had a wonderful time.A road sign just outside Great Milton (also seen at the top). A road into the village. It looks like a bike path, but it is actually for cars, a few of which

by Jour ~ Wednesday, July 11, 2007 0 comments

The Oxford era comes to an end.

I'm pleased to be able to report that I passed my exams and will actually receive an MPhil degree!! Hooray!!! (For background, I was studying Early Christian and Greco-Roman religious history, I took exams on June 14-15, defended my dissertation on June 29, and June 27-30 we moved from Oxford out to the nearby village of Great Milton.)We drove into Oxford this morning to check my results and do

by Jour ~ Saturday, July 7, 2007 0 comments

The O2 Premiere in London

Back in 2000, London put on a big celebration of the millennium. Most of the additions to the city were built to last and can still be seen today, including: the Millennium Wheel, the Millenium Bridge...and the Millennium Dome. This one is basically a big tent 365m in diameter (to represent the days of the year) that's held up by steel cables and 12 support towers (one for each month of the year

by Jour ~ Monday, June 25, 2007 0 comments

Kaziranga Sanctuary- Chasing a rhino on an elephant back

Chronologically this trip should be featured along with my Arunachal pradesh post .We were driving back from Tawang to Tezpur and went to kaziranga for a few days before returning home . And the highlight of the trip is the early morning safari on an elephant back

Now that , I call is an experience . Its dark and misty . If you are sleepy, you can easily mistake a tree for an elephant or a rhino . We are a motley crowd of wild life enthusiasts across the country who dont know each other and make polite conversation in the early hours , waiting for the elephants . A herd soon gathers including a couple of calves who totter beside their mothers and insist on meeting the rhinos

We mount the elephants and we are now almost as tall as the grass ...is that why they are called elephant grass ? I wouldnt know ..The tall dry grass - some of them have been burnt are tickling us as we cut through them . Its still dark and the expedition is almost surreal like ..The silence is mesmerising except for the rustle of the grass and then , there is a hush ...

A rhino stares at the elephant and poses for the camera. I alternated between the handy cam and the camera when suddenly there is chaos. The rhino charges at the elephant which in turn strikes back with a trumpet almost throwing all of us down; but for the mahout who holds on to the elephant..another rustle and its all over in a jiffy and the expedition continues ..We saw more rhinos , these well behaved and a few birds and bisons before returning .

Located on the banks of the river Brahmaputra , Kaziranga is home to the one horned Indian rhino .Over a 1000 live in this sanctuary along with elephants, bisons and some wonderful species of birds .Stretching over 400 sq feet of area, the sanctuary is divided into three zones and you can spend your entire day travelling from one to another and going on safaris .

For bird watchers , this place is awesome... Im quite a novice in this space and often had to look at Dr Salim Ali's guilde to understand the species ...from the pallas fishing eagle to the brahminy kite , to turle doves to migratory water birds, we were in for a treat

We went in the evening again on a jeep safari and chanced upon some more rhinos grazing .Its surprising that these burly fellows are vegetarians and they look as mild as sheep , except when they chance upon some elephants .

I didnt have enough of kaziranga and in my next trip, I planned to go to Manas as well ..maybe I will have some better pictures in my gallery then and will learn more about birds as well .

Getting there
Kaziranga is in Assam and Jorhat is one the closest points (84 kms) if you are travelling by rail . My suggestion would be to get to Guwahati and drive down from there . The distance will be about 217 kms . The main gate is at Kohara and there are several resorts around the place.My suggestion would be Bon habi Resort though Wild Grass resport is one of the oldest around there ...there are several others which may suit your budget as well .

Best time to visit
November to March . During the monsoons the Brahmaputra floods the entire sanctuary and all animals are forced to move within .

by Jour ~ Sunday, June 24, 2007 0 comments

Ponmudi - A getaway for a couple of hours...

I felt a strong urge to drop everything and run ... to the hills , to the open spaces and hide from the world..Its such a paradox if you think about it . Urban life with its claustrophobic environment binds you..there is big brother watching you...you are connected and networked all your life . Try breaking it and you can lose your self in the vast open arms of nature where silence greets you and you are cut off from the world ..I did just that and got away for a couple of hours one Saturday ,a recluse retreating into the hills , running away from civilisation

I was in God's own country when I heard of a lesser known hill station,Ponmudi. The images that flashed on my mind were some dirty motels, boating in a lake , tea shops selling snacks, loud tourists having a louder picnic,some drunken revellers and lots of kids... and yet I went , just to add another destination to my conquests ..

The journey was quick...about an hour through winding roads across hills ...the scenery changed from a mosaic of browns and greens to blues and greens ...we were the lone travellers ..

It was a dead end , all roads led to a panoramic 360* view of the hills . small hillocks branching into mountains as the western ghats stood tall amongst us ...hills , hills and more hills,some carpeted by grass and some by rocks...some barren and some fertile,some near and some far ..we climbed a few and reached to the top . We were soon joined by a group of school kids and some trekkers who were silent in their quest to conquer new heights

The clouds were scooping down , only to be brushed aside by the winds . The mountain winds gripped me in an embrace as I allowed myself to be swayed in its grip . The silence was all pervading...there were no motels or snack bars ...just us and the mountains .

As you climb and reach new heights , you see the world opening up at the other end . At every level, the view changes and so does your perspective . I let the moments sink in ...it seemed forever . It purged my soul and refreshed me from the urban chaos .. If you believe in magic , this is it .

It was the quickest getaway ..a couple of hours and life became the usual mundane cycle...and I had returned to the mad pace called life

Getting there
Get to Trivandrum , the capital city of Kerala best known for Kovalam beaches and givernment offices . Ponmudi in the western ghats is a little more than an hour drive from there . Translated as the golden peak,its about 65 kms drive there and you could trek here

by Jour ~ Saturday, June 23, 2007 0 comments

The Oxford Exam Experience

Just in case anyone's interested in what it's like to take exams at Oxford, here's the details of my two-exam experience for the MPhil in Ecclesiastical History, which I took on Thursday June 14 at 2:30 and Friday June 15 at 9:30.Between 15 and 30 minutes before the exam, everyone assembles outside the Exam Schools (above) and inside the grand lobby area. It was like a sea of penguins in there

by Jour ~ Monday, June 18, 2007 0 comments