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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
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Memories of 2012 - Gir and Junagadh

The Gir Wildlife sanctuary is most well known for its Asiatic Lion. We did see them, but more memorable were the other birds and animals we saw... such as this peacock..





and this jackal...


We also made a short trip to Junagadh...




I have yet to write about Junagadh, but the crumbling ruins, the massive cannon, the huge ancient step wells.... there was so much to see and experience, and we made the most of it, in spite of the searing heat!



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Location: SH 26, Gir National Park, Gujarat, India

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