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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 - Wayanad

Our trip to Wayanad was probably the 'Trip of the year'! To begin with, it was partly sponsored by Thomas Cook, and it was a new experience for me, to have someone plan my trip! Second, and more importantly, this was the very first time Samhith and I went on a vacation alone! And finally, Wayanad itself was so unexpected, it was truly a journey of discovery! From the Indian Rock Python we saw in the wild...





to the ancient, crumbling temple that turned out to be so interesting...



From trying to decipher the prehistoric cave paintings of Edakkal...



to sailing on a simple bamboo raft in the river..


Wayanad was full of surprises... and magical moments to remind us of the trip, forever!

Related Posts on Wayanad:

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Location: Wayanad, Kerala, India

Comments

  1. MridulaDecember 22, 2013 at 11:05 AM

    In the bamboo river raft picture both of you look so happy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 22, 2013 at 11:36 AM

      Yes, Mridula! It was such a different experience for us.... me for the adventure of it all, which I usually shy away from,,, and for him, the experience of swimming along side the raft, keeping up with its pace! unforgettable experience!

      Delete

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