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.
The year is almost gone, and its time to look back and remember all the wonderful things that made this year so special. The year was an especially good one for travel, though not as much for writing! I managed to travel almost every month, and, as a result, have a huge backlog of places and stories to write about!!! Leaving that aside for the monent, I will be posting a photo a day from one of my (many) trips this year.... in the order in which I took them. I begin with my first trip of the year.. in January, to one of my favourite destinations... Sringeri.
We performed Samhith's Upanayanam or Thread ceremony at Sringeri, and it was a great occasion for our entire family to get together. On the flip side, we had no time to go roaming around, but just spending a couple of days in the serene environs of the ashram on the banks of the Tunga river was enough to refresh and rejuvenate us!
Posts about Sringeri:
I remember the guest post on Sringeri. A wonderful place. I would love to see it someday with my own eyes.
ReplyDeleteYes, Arti! I do, too...that was the most detailed post I ever wrote on Sringeri. and you should def go sometime to Sringeri, From what i know of you and your family, you all will love it!
DeleteI love sringeri.. I visited only once, that too when I m 10 yr old.. its good that samhith got upanayana done there.. its also well known place for vidyaarambha.. don't know when I ll visit there..
ReplyDeleteSo many posts about sringeri, but also I want to read more about this place!!!
..... Dr.A
Its the kind of place, Dr.A that we can never have enough of! I could never visit Sringeri as a kid. It must have been even more beautiful then, before the bridge across the river was built.. you will see a lot of changes now.
DeleteIn fact I have never heard of this place Sringeri..... must look it up.
ReplyDeleteYes, Haddock. you certainly must! Its a really beautiful place
DeleteNice idea of recalling your whole year travel memories.
ReplyDelete