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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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Crabs at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Returning from the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, as we waited for our boat, I noticed some movement on the rocks near the water. Zooming in with my camera helped, and I saw these crabs busy clambering all over. It was Samhith I thought about, since it was he was so fascinated by crabs and spiders. Since he wasn't with me, the least I could do was click some photos! So, this post is dedicated to Samhith! 






I have no idea about the name of these crabs, though a rudimentary search leads me to think that these might be some variety of Purple Crabs, albeit greenish in colour. My nature expert friends, please help!!! 





It is fascinating to see that I clicked more photos of the crabs than I did of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial! Interesting to see what captures your attention, where, right? 

This post is part of my series on my #summertrip 2015, and I hope to take you along with me as I recount stories from my month long trip, which took me across the country. To get an idea of all the places I visited, and what you can hope to read about, click here. 

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Location: Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu 629702, India

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