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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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Skywatch Friday - Sunset at Virajpet, Coorg

I am at Coorg now, enjoying a much needed break, taking a long overdue vacation with both Shankar and Samhith. It was a wonderful day, filled with the kind of stuff that makes our day! A lovely morning spent in peace, watching birds, then a bit of heritage at the Nalknad Palace, and an afternoon spent on the plantation,walking around, spotting spiders, and finally kiddo trying a bit of adventure sports. What better way to end the day than with such a beautiful sunset! 


For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page.
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Location: Virajpet, Karnataka 571218, India

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