Tag: travel

Monsoon and Green Goa

It is difficult to keep a good thing secret for too long anyway. While for decades everyone headed to Goa’s famed beaches in Anjuna, Candolim, Vagator and Colva, and on tours of the churches and old bungalows, visitors are slowly discovering that there is a charming verdant personality to this tiny state that comes alive with the rains.

Indian monsoons give a different dimension to the land anyway. In Goa, you feel that nature turns green in an almost sci-fi manner; it’s so lush.

green Goa

Thankfully, Goan hoteliers agree that the tourist season is no longer confined between October and May. We may have fewer parties and events to head to, when the monsoon starts in mid-May and hits its stride in June, but that means it is more tranquil. Continue reading “Monsoon and Green Goa”

Coorg in the Rains

Coorg in the rains!

We chose to travel by car from Bangalore to Orange County Resort in Coorg. In retrospect, it was a long winded route to take; Mangalore would have been a smarter idea! As it turned out, the drive was long, but it was worth every hour spent on the road. Coorg, or Kodagu, is home to the Kodavas, who were a warrior community. Kodagu was a separate state during British rule, but was merged into Karnataka after India’s independence. Not without reason, Kodagu is rated as one of the top hill station destinations in India.

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Our first stop was Orange County, which turned out to be a haven of monsoon delight! The website of the hotel had used the words ‘bygone era of the Gentleman Planter’ and it could not have been more descriptive! Surrounded by coffee plantations, the resort was indeed a step back into another era. But the best part of the whole experience, was, of course, the rain! There’s something to be said for the lush, verdant greenery that only the monsoons bring to India. Continue reading “Coorg in the Rains”

Footprints in The sand

A trip to Rajasthan has always held the allure of stepping back into magical times. The splendour of the erstwhile Maharajas. The lilting strains of ‘kesariya balam’ haunting the sand dunes. Those goose bump raising stories of chivalry and bravery, of battles fought for honour and name. While Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur have remained etched in my memory as the vibrant Pink City, the ethereal white city and the right royal Blue City, my imagination has always been captured by the ruins of Chittorgarh.

sand

My first visit to Chittorgarh, which is just 90 kms away from Udaipur, was made when I was in college, over 35 years ago.  We stayed in a train bogey for 15 days, being shunted around all over Rajasthan in the most unceremonious and unromantic way… not how I thought I’d be introduced to this beautiful state. I swore then that I’d come back and do it the right way- in palace hotels, and all the trappings that go with them! Continue reading “Footprints in The sand”