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2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Back at last.... after a long break!

Here I am, after almost a month of silence. Where have I been? On a trip of course!




It was a trip of many firsts....

It began with a wedding, which was certainly the most fun one I have attended in ages...

Then, we embarked on a trip which Shankar bowed out of, citing the summer heat and work (in that order) as excuses, and we decided to go on, without him. This was a big first.... a mom and son vacation!

This was a trip planned well in advance, yet nothing could be finalised till almost the very end.... and then, as usual, plans changed!

I have always planned my own trips, arranging accommodation, travel, sightseeing and everything else by myself. This time, I left some of the planning to professionals... another big first! That helped a lot, leaving me free to plan the rest of the trip.  I was busy till almost the minute we left, finalising details, which is why, the blog has been neglected for so long... thankfully, the hard work paid off, and the whole trip went off without a hitch!

So, if you are wondering by now where I have been, these last few weeks, here are the details....

We began our vacation at Bangalore, attending a cousin’s daughter’s wedding. It was one with a difference, held at a venue which was more a resort than a marriage hall, making it a lot more interesting and memorable. It was two days of catching up, renewing relationships, and, for Samhith, playing with his cousins like there was no tomorrow!

The Bangalore trip was all about family, and we spent all of it with relatives. It was then time for me and Samhith to set off... to Wayanad.

The Wayanad trip was the surprise part of our vacation, cutting short our stay in Bangalore. However, who wouldn’t want to escape the city for 4 days in the hills, surrounded by nature? Wayanad was all that and more..... The experience was even better than we expected, and the 4 blissful days passed faster than we imagined! We visited temples and caves, walked over islands and tea estates, tried adventure activities..... You will have to wait to read more.....

Samhith discovers that he likes broken down temples more than well preserved ones!


And then came the long planned and much awaited final part of our trip – Mysore. It was our first visit to the city, and Samhith fell in love with it.... the beautiful houses and the variety of birds we saw made him want to relocate... at once! We spent 5 peaceful days... walking around the palaces, the art galleries, the lakes, and of course, the zoo. This was a visit meant for leisurely exploration, and that is what we did, taking our own sweet time at every location. We visited well known and less known places, over and over again, something we have done rarely, but enjoyed to the hilt.

Birds were surely the highlight of our Mysore visit!



Coming back to Mumbai, by bus this time, there was just one thing on both our minds.... we must do this again!

Comments

  1. Good to have you back and waiting to hear more!

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    1. Thanks Mridula!! loads to write.. just no time to sit down and write!

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  2. Sounds like loads of fun! Waiting to hear all about it. btw, I too was in South India during the last week of April :)

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    1. I was just catching up with your blog, Arti, and realised the same thing... we were both in kerala! but at different places, unless your trip included Wayanad... am looking forward to reading all about your south indian sojourn too

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  3. Mysore is a place that never disappoints and if you are a first timer, nothing like that. Personally I feel Mysore comes all the more alive during and after Dasara, it's something you should not miss next :)
    As a nature place, there can be nothing better than Mysore and ease of which you can step into wilderness from there. Awaiting more :)

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    1. Thats what I have been hearing too, Santosh! Unfortunately, Dasara is exam time for us, and no chance of getting away then.. at least for the next few years... but its a dream to go someday... fingers crossed! as for nature and wildlife, wow! we were really blown away! kiddo is a big fan of the city now!

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  4. We indeed missed reading your posts.

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    1. Its so good to hear that, bnomadic! hope to bring you more and more to read!

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  5. That is lovely. Waiting to hear the stories!

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  6. Yes I saw you at the wedding, through photographs earlier. Waiting for the individual destinations being covered at length.

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    1. Those were just the first set of pics I uploaded, PNS! loads more coming up!

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  7. Welcome back Anu. Looking forward to read all about your trip, particularly the Mysore leg :-)

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    1. Thanks Sudha! loads to write of Mysore... but you have to wait... am starting with Wayanad first :D

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  8. Hey, you presented very nice post about your trip, inspire me to have some adventures trip to India. Thanks for sharing this post.
    voyages en inde

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  9. Been to Mysore twice and want to go again. Btw, I too was in Kerala around that time, but visiting parents :)

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  10. Nice informative post! Mysore is a popular destination at all time. pictures looking fantastic.

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