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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.
3 comments

Faces in the Crowd - Shell Seller

He Sells Sea Shells by the Sea Shore.. yes I know its only a modified version of the tongue twister, but I couldn't resist it!

We saw him outside the St. Francis Church in Kochi. Yes, there were women around too, selling their wares, but I clicked this chap and his stall, simply because I liked the way he had organised it! Besides, he let his display as well as his wares, speak for themselves, because he didn't hound us! Or maybe he just realized that I wasn't interested in buying anything, just clicking away!

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Location: St. Francis Church Road, Fort Kochi, Kochi, Kerala 682001, India

Comments

  1. BikramJune 13, 2014 at 4:52 PM

    That is a good pic for sure .. and I am happy that he did not hound and let the stuff do the talking..


    Bikram

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJune 17, 2014 at 8:58 AM

      Thank you, Bikram! That was a big relief! but incidentally, we didnt get mobbed anywhere at Kochi.. quite a surprise, actually!

      Delete

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