A safari in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka: The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 23
The day started with a flat tyre. Then I took the wrong road from Chikmagalur to Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary – drove 20 kms (13 miles) before coming all the way back.
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Hotel Review: Devra Homestay / Hotel, Udaipur, Rajasthan – Why would you stay anywhere else?
They advertise themselves as a hotel on their website but they really are a true homestay. Where your hosts, erstwhile royalty Major Durga Das and Jyoti Jasol, treat you royally. And for once, you can take what they say on their website to be true. If you are in the romantic city of Udaipur, this is the place to stay. [...]
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Chikmagalur, Karnataka – Coffee first grown here in India but not served: The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 22
Raindrops are falling on my head…and I am having coffee on the road to Chikmagalur – where coffee was first grown in India. About 350 years when a seer is believed to have smuggled a few seeds from Mecca in Arabia. For the first time in weeks, the beautiful world I was in turned even more so. I was on [...]
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Club Kunzum: Stay amidst apple orchards at Banjara Orchard Retreat, Thanedar, Himachal Pradesh
Apples were first grown in India in Thanedar in Himachal Pradesh. And this is the place to go if you want to enjoy the beauty of apple blossoms in spring, or try your hand at apple plucking sometime in August – September. Or you could just bask in the mild summers, or celebrate a white winter here. Club Kunzum recommends [...]
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Club Kunzum: Book into Banjara Camps, Kaza when you are in Lahaul Spiti
If you are in Lahaul Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, a night halt is Kaza is unavoidable. Actually, you should be spending a couple of nights here at least but no matter where you are coming from and where you are going, in most cases you have to stay at Kaza.
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Spotted on the roads of Karnataka: The Great Arabian Sea Drive
Wherever you are in the world, there is no dearth of something or someone to attract your attention – and impress you, or make you wonder in amazement, to make you ponder, or to humour you. Here is something from the roads of Karnataka. Enjoy! Ajay Jain is currently on the Great Arabian Sea Drive, starting from Delhi and following [...]
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The beautiful temples of Sringeri, Karnataka: The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 22
Turning out to be quite a long day – reached the beautiful temple town of Sringeri with the drive to Chikamagalur still to be done after this. Not much time to hang around at the beautiful temple complex unfortunately. Sringeri is famous for being the first of the four centres of Advaita philosophy founded by the 9th century saint, Adi [...]
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Club Kunzum: Let’s go to heavenly Sangla, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh
Thank God for Banjara Camps. If they had not ventured into this beautiful part of Kinnaur, tucked away from much of the world, the travel world would not have known of Sangla. Not only did they break fresh ground here by pitching tent, but continue to be the finest place to stay in Sangla despite a host of me-toos trying [...]
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Club Kunzum: Check into Banjara Camps at Shoja, Himachal Pradesh this summer
One of the gems of travel in India is Shoja near Kullu in Himachal Pradesh. And the place to stay there is Banjara Camps. We just love going back there again and again. In spring, it is time for flowers. Summers are just perfect at that altitude. The rains are a delight after that. And then it is time to [...]
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Hotel Review: Gir Birding Lodge, Sasan Gir, Gujarat – They know the jungle!
When you go to a forest, it is very important to be in good hands. So you can explore and appreciate the life in the jungle the way it should be. This is where Asian Adventures scores over others – after all, they are naturalists who also understand what hospitality is all about. And they are very good at both.
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Hotel Review: Rann Riders, Dasada, Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat – The right folks to ride the desert safari with
Many an entrepreneur knows how to set up a great resort or hotel, but few know how to address the needs of their guests. Rann Riders gives you no reason to complain. Owned and managed by the descendants of the former rulers of Dasada, you know it has been set up by someone with taste.
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Hotel Review: Almond Villa – A Royal Homestay in Srinagar, Kashmir
The Almond Villa in Srinagar in Kashmir is literally a jewel in the crown.
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Theerthahalli, Karnataka – Looking for the man who cycled across India: The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 22
I left Agumbe for Sringeri, but with a longer detour via Theerthahalli. To look for a man who make travellers like me look like kids out for a joyride in Disneyland.
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The home of Malgudi Days in Agumbe, Karnataka: The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 22
If you have not read R.K. Narayan’s Malgudi Days, or seen its brilliantly televised version by Shankar Nag, there is something missing in your life.
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Searching for King Cobras in Agumbe, Karnataka: The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 22
I am not kidding when I say this – Agumbe is the home of King Cobras. Go at the right time, and you could well be face to face with one.
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Boat ride to St. Mary’s Islands, Udupi, Karnataka: The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 21
After a long day, I finally reached Udupi on the coast – only to spend a few more hours looking for a well ventilated clean not-too-inexpensive hotel. Settled for one on Malpe beach.
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Kollur, Karnataka – Where Religion meets Nature: The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 20
The drive to Kollur took me off the boring national highway back into the Western Ghats – the low traffic, winding hilly roads with forest cover on both sides sure are a roadie’s delight.
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Visiting Kasargod, Apsarakonda Falls and Idagunji in Karnataka: The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 20
It sure has been turning out to be a long day – with some spectacular sights and some disappointments.
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A bath for vagabonds, campers and backpackers in Murudeshwar, Karnataka: The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 20
If you are backpacking around, you can often find a place to sleep – under a tree, in an abandoned boat on a beach, by the roadside, in a cave, on someone’s verandah, in a rice field (heard of water beds), under the open sky, on a hill, the berth of an overnight train – the options are unlimited (even [...]
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Murudeshwar – World’s highest Shiva statue and Rajagopuram? The Great Arabian Sea Drive Day 20
Forget your religious affiliations or beliefs, visit the Murudeshwar temple town, with its picturesque setting – it is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on three sides. As I drove into the town, I was dwarfed by the 249 feet high Rajagopuram, or tower at the ancient temple entrance. This was inaugurated in 2008. And standing next to the 25 year [...]
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