Cauvery Silk and More in Mysore

One of the most popular weekend getaways from Bangalore comes Mysore in the list. Known for the palace and the Mysore pak the city is around a 3 hour drive from Bangalore. So this weekend yours truly also decided to visit the city and its important and historical locales.

On a bright Saturday morning, we huddled up in our car and left Bangalore via the NICE road and were set for our journey after paying a toll of 90 bucks on the NICE road toll gate. We then moved forward listening to music and chatting up till we spotted something which made re-energised as it tickled the shopping bone in all of us. We spotted …DECATHLON around 30 kms in the drive and spent a full over one hour over there buying almost anything we laid eyes on and had some relevance in our lives. The place has an amazing collection at amazing prices. The place has all that u would require if you are a sports/hiking /camping freak. In short you name it and you have it.

After energizing ourselves with the shopping experience and trying out some of the merchandise immediately we continued on our journey. We reached Mysore in around 3 hours in total if we exclude the DECATHLON experience from the journey. And hence began our day.

Day 1:

Enroute Mysore one crosses the toy city , Chinnaptanam known for its wooden toys and items .after toys comes the dairy land ,Mandhya followed by the religious city of Sriranagpatnam. All have a different flavour and if you have time on your journey do try and explore the area. One thing noticeable about the path is the number of eating outlets, from CCD to road-side dhabas. Let’s put it this way, you will never go hungry to Mysore if you utilise the road properly J

Once reaching Mysore we checked in our hotel MB International in the heart of the city .Took some suggestions from the manager and we were off to our first destination. Being and Infy Employee had its perks-one being that you get to see the engineering and construction masterpiece that is Infosys Mysore. It has a multiplex inside, a floating restaurant on the side and a Vatican like structure right in the start of the building. The campus was full of proud parents who has come to visit their kids’ success.

                                           The Multiplex, Infosys Mysore

After the Infosys Campus we went to the illuminated .Mysore Palace but as luck would have had it, the palace has the light show only on Sundays and public holidays at 7 pm. Disappointed we decided to move on that’s when we were approached by the horde of guides promising us genuine  cauvery silk from a Govt of India  shop. And for all this effort all he wanted was a meagre 20 bucks. Somehow we ended saying no to the guides but little did we know that it was a dangerous trap and we finally ended up at that shop, the only difference being that we didn’t go by any self-proclaimed guides.

One has to be cautious and good on bargaining while buying anything from the shops in the main market as many of them sell high prized products which may or may not be the correct prize. We didn’t buy anything and moved to the beautiful church made on the pattern of the European churches as far as I felt. That was the end of our enjoyable first day.

Day 2:

Day 2 started with the visit to Mysore Zoo as we found the zoo has an Anaconda, gureilla and a monkey which looks just like a human. We reached the zoo by 9.00 in the morning as it was a 10 minute drive from our hotel and took one of the golf cart tour which takes you around the zoo in one hour exact.

But first we had Mysore special Idlis which is a must have for anyone visiting Mysore

On our visit we found the reviews were not wrong , they had all the normal animals that you would expect to find in a zoo . But they actually have a monkey which looks just like an old fragile human. Seeing that we realised what we would be like if we were left alone on Earth without any other humans….Don’t believe me? See for yourself..

The Mysore Zoo

Post the Zoo we visited the Mysore Palace which is a huge structure and you would be left marvelling at the architectural designs and the exquisite interiors. The place is an architectural marvel but you have to visit the whole place bare footed:D

Mysore Palace

The palace is lightened on Sundays and public holidays after 7.00 in the night….so if you are there at that time…do make sure that you see it.

Our last stop for the day was the Silk factory but as that was closed on Sunday …we took a look at the KSIC showroom and made our way back to Bangalore.

Tip for people driving down there:: Leave Early in the evening else be ready to face traffic which will double your travel time J

Hope you have a good stay there!!!

AMSTERDAM!!!

Finally I successfully ticked off one thing from my Bucket List..Yes I did it..WOHOO!!

I successfully got a pic clicked in front of the IAMSTERDAM landmark in the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. And its then I realised that its tough to get the pic with you and the entire letters in one frame.Plus you have a close to 95% chance of getting photbombed.;-)

I could manage only one decent shot in which I am there and the letters are there mostly but I did get photo bombed every time.I may have done the same to many of the pics of others myself:D

But the point is its one off the list and I have visited one city which I had planned to go for long time.The city is pretty and its a mixture of different cultures,people and the shops. You can find a Newyork pizza in the heart of the European city and right next to them would be the shop selling the super cut I love Amsterdam umbrellas.

For anyone who wants to visit Amsterdam the city has a few upfront attractions 1.The Dam Square 2.Madame Tussads 3. IAMSTERDAM 4.Canal Rides

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There is also a place nearby where the windmills are there but since we did not go there I cannot really comment ;-)

So on a bright Saturday   morning we reached the place at around noon. First on our check list was the DAM SQUARE which we wanted to see really badly, the only problem being that neither me nor my friend knew what it was, where it was and why it was.We knew it was there for us to go necessarily visit the place.We searched ,followed with google maps and then we got lost :D for those who have already been here it might seem funny but both of us were actually trying to find what this place was and where exactly was it.

For those going for the first time …DOnt ask passer byes as 90% of them would be tourists which means either you get no
directions or you get confused or wrong directions…one guy asked us to go straight front and after walking half a km we were told we have moved in the wrong direction all together.Ask the shopkeepers..they are brilliant at directions.

When we eventually found dam square it was pillar…a beautiful pillar ..but a pillar to the naked eye.We got our pics clicked as is the custom .

Then we saw Madame Tussads rt across the street.we had our lunch and then moved fwd to Madame Tussads queue and just then it started raining cats and dogs.We had to leave our queue and rush for shelter, and that’s the time we realised we should have relied on the weather forecast and took an umbrella..they are correct sometimes and in Europe I think always.So note to others before going check the weather.

Moving on after a long wait we got in madame tussads. We got our photo clicked with every statue and in very possible pose
…thats the only way to justify the 22 euors we spent for the tour of the place…go crazy that’s the secret for the madame tussads exploration and enjoy to the fullest.

Next in in the agenda was the IAMSTERDAM area..FYI the area is called Museumplein as far as I got to know and not IAMSTERDAM :D …Us we were actually asking people
there where IAMSTERDAM here…you need to take a tram which will take you direct to either Rijk Museum or Museum Plein. The place is easy to spot and the letters hard to miss.

Almost everyone is there and everyone is on the letters..so you cant get a clear picture but its fun to be there and everywhere around.The place has a fun feeling to it an and you can set and relax there.We chilled and relaxed there and had our share of fun.

And thats how our trip came to and end ..fun and always to be rembered it was..two girls dumb enough to be lost in the city yet who somehow managed to get their way through.So yeah…go to AMSTERDAM and ROCK ON!!!

Andamans-Serenity and Peace!!

Peace in an otherwise busy life..beauty of nature untouched in an otherwise polluted environment and co-existence of land and water in a blended and harmonious way is how i would like to define the mystic Andaman and Nicobar Islands!!!

Far away from the mainstream world situated in the absolute south of India, the Andamans are a world of their own.The closest connection by land is Port Blair after which you either take the sea or air route to reach the Islands.The water borne jetties like Makruz are easier to book and give you a real feel of the life an island. in the journey for quite a time there is just the vast ocean for as far as one can look.The horizon is  a blend between the calm ocean and the gracious
and accepting sky.The feeling of not seeing land for a long time makes one understand the safety it gives us and the feeling of being completely surrounded by water is a revelation of sorts.

For our trip we selected to be on the Havelock Islands for the major time and on reaching the island you realize that you have come far from the hustle bustle of city life.the feeling of " Welcome to the Andamans" hits you at that very moment.For lodging there are numerous options available for the tourists but it is always advisable to pre-book. The government run Doplhin Niwas which was our humble abode for 2 days requires proper followup  :). The lodge opens into the Vijaynagar Beach or better known as the Beach no.5 where mostly all the lodges are stationed . For the second half of our trip we settled into the much youth friendly Emerald Gecko which had huts and villas made of bamboo.While the Dolphin Niwas is a brick and mortar structure and has great rooms Gecko is filled with hammocks, beach tables and the likes.

The most popular beach of the area is the Radhanagar Beach and rightfully so . The beach is a vision to the eye with the wide expanse of ocean and the flora and fauna covering it in a brilliant way .Before you enter the beach make sure to eat the mango slices dipped in spices and mustard....slurrp!!! Also do make a point to have the divine coconut water ..it really different from the one we get in our cities.

We started walking on the beach and the touch of the water on ones feet makes you realize the still yet vibrant nature of the ocean .We had our share of fun with swimming in the waves and then moving to the other side of the beach where we reached by mistake a divine place for snorkeling. Snorkeling is one of the few adventure sports in the Islands. People generally use and they should take coaches for this activity if they dont know how to swim. But we did it anyhow on our own as we know well enough to swim ...we saw the fishes living in peace as we swam over them...the feeling was surreal to say the least.

Next up was the major adventure sport of the island...Scuba Diving ...there are many providers who give this experience along with trained divers ...We chose to go with Andaman Bubbles whose main guy looks like a carbon copy of Raghu Ram of roadies fame....take my word on it :) . They provided us each with a trained diver and they gave us the required training before going in with the equipment.We went in till 10 meters inside water as we took the beginners course ..they also provide the training for other levels.

To say that it was once in a lifetime experience would be an understatement..at one point deep inside all you can hear is your own breath...you can see a life so peaceful that it makes you feel wonderful and understand peace in a new way altogether.

Andamans is not Goa.there are no late night parties , no parties ..it shuts down at 8.30 but this is the USP of Andamans ..its a world of its own and has its own beauty to be discovered.It gives you the chance o enjoy solace and be with yourself like never before.

This was our journey in the Andamans..It was beauty beyond words ,peace beyond limits and love with no boundaries.Hope you have a great one too!!