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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 2013 - Travel Vignettes - Mysore

If Wayanad was an eye opening trip, Mysore was sheer bliss. Continuing our Mom and Son vacation at the Heritage city, the zoo was easily the highlight of the trip! While Samhith was fascinated by the Jaguar, it was a Russel's Viper that he eventually adopted, as part of the zoo's admirable animal adoption programme. 




As for me, the Mysore Palace was one I had longed to visit, for years, and I indulged in the experience, Samhith playing along, coming with me to see the palace as often as I wished!


The biggest surprise in Mysore were the lakes - Kukkarahalli Kere and Karanji Lake, where we could not just relax, leaving the city and its touristy crowds behind, but also watch birds! 



We then immersed ourselves in other museums - the Rail Museum and also the less known Jayalakshmi Vilas Palace Museum....



And, on a short jaunt to Srirangapatna, delighted ourselves with more birds at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary!



We spent 5 whole days in Mysore, having found a homestay, which truly felt like home, and, in all that time, didn't feel like stepping outside the city (except for that short jaunt into Srirangapatna). And as we realized when we left, we wouldn't mind going back there either!! 

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Location: Mysore, Karnataka, India

Comments

  1. sriDecember 24, 2013 at 10:25 AM

    wow photography is soo good !! , I am glad we still have these beautiful birds

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mysore HotelDecember 26, 2013 at 3:32 PM

    Aamazing photography, specially the photograph of Mysore Palace

    ReplyDelete
  3. JayJanuary 2, 2014 at 5:14 PM

    Its very nice to read your Article..very Informative..thanks..

    ReplyDelete

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