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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 - Mumbai

October and November saw us exploring places in Mumbai we had been planning to visit for a long time..... First on the list was the Bhau Daji Lad Museum...



Our next destination was the newly opened Snow World at Phoenix Market City, Kurla West.



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Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

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  1. LaloofahDecember 30, 2012 at 10:05 PM

    Wow, that museum is amazing! Looks a bit like an historic European cathedral.

    Snow World? Seriously? LOL - everyone I know in North America who is getting snow is complaining about it, while in some parts of the world people go to great lengths and expense to try and have it. Just goes to show... we are strange creatures, always wanting what we don't have and not appreciating what we do!

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    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 2, 2013 at 3:59 PM

      Yes, Laloofah! It does look like a cathedral! and you are so right!!! we always want what we can not have. It is so hot here, and winter just means a slight chill in the air early in the morning, and that too in the outskirts of the city. In the city itself, we never feel a nip in the air, and most of us try to head out to cooler climes whenever we can! no wonder we have such a fascination for snow!! snow worlds have come up in other cities in India too, and are proving to be a big hit with the kids! Its after cheaper than actually going to any place we get snow!

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