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.
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.....
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| 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.
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| 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!
Good to have you back and waiting to hear more!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mridula!! loads to write.. just no time to sit down and write!
DeleteSounds like loads of fun! Waiting to hear all about it. btw, I too was in South India during the last week of April :)
ReplyDeleteI 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
DeleteMysore 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 :)
ReplyDeleteAs a nature place, there can be nothing better than Mysore and ease of which you can step into wilderness from there. Awaiting more :)
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!
DeleteWe indeed missed reading your posts.
ReplyDeleteIts so good to hear that, bnomadic! hope to bring you more and more to read!
DeleteThat is lovely. Waiting to hear the stories!
ReplyDeleteThanks Niranjan!
DeleteYes I saw you at the wedding, through photographs earlier. Waiting for the individual destinations being covered at length.
ReplyDeleteThose were just the first set of pics I uploaded, PNS! loads more coming up!
DeleteWelcome back Anu. Looking forward to read all about your trip, particularly the Mysore leg :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sudha! loads to write of Mysore... but you have to wait... am starting with Wayanad first :D
DeleteHey, you presented very nice post about your trip, inspire me to have some adventures trip to India. Thanks for sharing this post.
ReplyDeletevoyages en inde
Been to Mysore twice and want to go again. Btw, I too was in Kerala around that time, but visiting parents :)
ReplyDeleteNice informative post! Mysore is a popular destination at all time. pictures looking fantastic.
ReplyDelete