Recently we planned a short trip to Tarkarli, one of the konkan beaches in Malvan district. It was a family trip over a long weekend towards the end of April 2017. It was very hot in Pune at this time and we were expecting the same for the weather at Tarkarli, so I was not so keen to go there but the thought of adventure sports motivated me.

Malvan Port

Malvan

Tarkarli is definitely a place which most of the adventure sports lovers will like as these sports are quite easy on pockets here.

The place is around 400 kms from Pune and the best mode of transport to reach there is via road. However, one can also take a train till Kudal from where it is around 45 kms. Nearest airport is Dabolim Airport, Goa from where Tarkarli is around 2 hrs drive.

We, a group of 5 adults and 2 kids opted to go by road and hired a chauffeured Tavera. The journey started on Friday night. It was a pleasant journey and we went via Kolhapur. Since it was an overnight journey we couldn't witness much of the scenery outside but towards the dawn we came across the beautiful ghats. As we were about to reach Tarkarli, we saw mango laden trees on both sides of the road. It was literally a treat for our eyes to see Alphonso bunches hanging freely on either side of road. Besides mangoes there were so many other fruits like Jackfruits, tall trees decorated with maroon kokams, coconut trees, cashew tress, dates, bananas. The best part was the trees were fully laden with fruits. It seemed like we were entering Ram-Rajya with so many fruits hanging freely on their branches. To me, overall it seemed to be a very fertile land because not just fruits but the place was full of colorful flowers.

Beautiful Flowers

After a journey of 8 hours we reached our destination. We had booked a little beach home: Blue Sea Beach Resort. It was a cozy little well maintained property with all basic amenities at a distance of just 200 meters from the beach.

Kids playing in the Beach Resort

This place reminded me of "Malgudi Days" picturization by R.K. Narayan.

Soon after, we had some home cooked breakfast (these holiday homes provide freshly cooked food prepared on the run time after ordering). Needless to say that the breakfast was delicious :P

So we had 2 days in hand. Activities to be done in Tarkarli:

1) Water sports in the backwaters of Karli river on Tsunami island, quite an interesting name. The secret behind its name is that it got formed after the turbulence of Tsunami storm. Now all the water sports except scuba are done here.

2) Scuba Diving

3) Enjoying and relaxing at beach

We decided to proceed with water sports first and then go to beach near resort. Next day was kept for scuba as this takes time around 3~4 hours.

To reach Tsunami island, we need to go by a boat and on the way other spots like Karli Devi temple, confluence of sea and river, mtdc resort, crocodile point (not to be scared, its not actual crocodile just a trailing end of mountain in river which looks like a crocodile face), a half sunken ship :) are shown to us by the boatman. The journey in boat was truly relaxing since we were all tired and the cool breeze coming from the backwaters made us forget the April sun. Surprisingly there was nominal humidity which made it more pleasant.

Tsunami island had a series of small shops for eatables offering place to sit and water sports were conducted just beneath them. We kept our belongings in one of the shops and did a booking for 5 of us for Jet Ski, Sofa ride and banana ride. Compared to other places the water sports were at much lower prices.

Sofa ride was a new kind of ride for us with lots of bumps (2~3 people can sit together in sofa and it is pulled through a rope over the waters) We enjoyed this one a lot. And banana ride was as usual adventurous one :)

After the water sports we had some snacks at Tsunami island and came back to our resort.
Soon after we left for the nearby beach.

The beach at Tarkarli is quite big with very soft clean sand. We played a lot in the water. We realized there were many crabs though (small ones) that were constantly coming up and going inside the beach sand. We asked one of the locals later on about these crabs and got to know that they are harmless.

Dormant Star Fish under the Beach sand

Next day, we got ready and after having breakfast left for the point of scuba diving. Due to high tides, scuba diving at nearby beach was not operational so we went to Malvan port and from there in a boat near Sindhudurg Fort. Sindhudurg fort is an engineering marvel built by Shivaji Maharaj around 350 years ago. It is built at the center of the sea. Our point for scuba diving was just outside that fort.

Sindhudurg

Due to long weekend there was a huge crowd for this activity and we had to wait for nearly 3 hours for our turn but it was worth as the experience was simply one of its kind. I was a little nervous before but was confident that it can be done.

Even my son(8 yrs) did scuba diving and was thrilled with the experience. It seems to be an entirely different world under water. I could see a lot of colorful fishes.

Due to high tide and winds, the water was a bit turbulent with less visibility. Later we got to know that October to January is the best time for scuba diving here and the water is crystal clear during that part of the year.

Tip1: Get some eatables in the boat as we get hungry after waiting for so long.

Tip2: If planning for scuba, go towards the end of year.

Now we were towards the end of the 2nd day. From here we again went to beach and enjoyed thoroughly. We witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets.

Beautiful sunset at Tarkarli Beach

In dinner, we had sumptuous Malvani Thali.

Next day we left for back home and on the way visited the Dhamapur lake. Its a beautiful place with a temple.

Dhamapur Lake

This brought us to the end of this short, fulfilling and adventurous trip.

Heavenly Greece 

Not one but there are so many places which for sure give us a glimpse of what heaven would be like.

The amazing geographical features and the just perfect human touch makes Greece no less than a Paradise.

It becomes difficult to make out where the blue sea meets the sky. Both the blues mingle perfectly and give an illusion of the sky kissing the deep blue beneath. Yes, such is the captivating view one witnesses in Greece and particularly in Santorini.

Ours was a short trip to Greece in the summers of 2016 which included the islands of Mykonos, Santorini and Athens in the itinerary.

Athens is a beautiful city which still keeps alive its culture. Although a bit damaged by the natural forces, the Acropolis stands tall and is still the highest point of the city. It is such a glorious sight from any part of the city. Every bit of the area near Acropolis and Parthenon speaks of its glorious past. Once there, it transports us back in history and we could literally visualize the Greeks in their traditional attire and soldiers clad in all armour near their temple of victory- The Parthenon.

Efforts are being made to restore this cultural heritage.



The Acropolis



Acropolis from our hotel

Rest of the city seems quite similar to other European cities with clean cobbled pathways and the unique architecture.

Few places have narrow streets full of tourists and souvenir shops bustling with life.

We got an opportunity to see the Greek folk dance and belly dance in one of the Restaurants. The artists were so friendly and were inviting the guests to groove on their tunes of folk music. It was a wonderful evening with some new experiences.

I was very excited about our journey to Mykonos that begun from Athens the next morning. Our mode of transport was a ferry via sea route. We waited for some time before our ferry arrived. To my surprise it was gigantic. By ferry, we usually visualize a large motor boat but here this was comparable to a ship.

This certainly was going to be one of the most adventurous journey of my life. We were lucky to get a comfortable spot near a large window in the ship. The outside sea was right here just beneath us with its striking blue water on which the rays of the sun were spread like diamonds.

Soon enough, the ship started moving and we did bid adieu to the Greek capital.

The journey was around 6~7 hrs long.

During the journey, we explored the entire ship. It had 3 levels and everything inside it- Restaurants, shops, book store, kids'play zone, movie theatre and what not. It was an entire city moving on waves.

This was a unique experience for me. From the deck we could see the clear blue waters under the shining sun. the cool breeze made the experience incomparable.

Pristine blue waters of Aegean Sea

I was still in the awe of the grandeur of the gigantic ferry and the mesmerizing blue waves all around that we reached Mykonos, a town bubbling with life and its famous beaches.

Mykonos is a small town with large wind mills all over. It is one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean sea. Today there stand around 16 windmills which at some point of time were used to mill the local agricultural products, mainly wheat and barley. These wind mills mark the existence of very first manufacturing industries and the innovative eye which Venetians had(most of the windmills being constructed by Venetians in 16th century). The strong force by which wind blows here is enough to blow away a human which probably triggered the idea of leveraging these forces through wind mills.

The Symbolic wind mills

The clean cobbled pathways of Mykonos Old town

Because of these strong winds, the town is planned in a such a way that there are walls all around and narrow streets take us to the inside of the town where everything seems so peaceful and calm. One remarkable thing about this town is its impeccably white washed cute houses having blue doors and windows with cobbled pathways. The entire town looks like one big house as the streets are so neat and tidy. Flower laden creepers falling from above add to the beauty quotient.

Fuchsia bougenvillea planted in large planters are a common site here and act as perfect accessory.

Strolling in these narrow streets was like exploring a fairyland.

Due to narrow streets no vehicle can enter here which again add to the serenity of this place making it a zero pollution zone. 

In the evening the entire place looked like a twinkling star with colourful lights everywhere. One of the most enthralling experience it was to explore this place.

Next day we went to Elia beach, one of the most popular beaches of the world. It was at some distance from the Old port and we took a bus to reach there. Throughout, the houses which I could spot were white and built with that specific architecture. I just couldn't stop wondering how this protocol was maintained all over this small island.

Elia beach showed us an entirely different part of Mykonos. It was a gorgeous beach with crystal clear waters and brimming with life with beautiful people soaking in this natural wonder. Couples from different parts of the world were basking in the glory of July sun at this picture perfect beach.

Perfectly chiselled faces and elegant structure, everyone here looked like a model figure.

It was easy for me to make out now that why a beautiful person anywhere in the world is often referred to as Greek God/Goddess.

Elia Beach

We had a pretty good time at Elia beach playing with the waves and we had some delicious pizza at the beach side restaurant.

We continued our journey to another beach here which is very popular among youngsters. It is called Paradise beach. This beach looked like a large disco theque right at the shores. The entire surroundings were resonating with large music volumes and the place was full of meagrely clad party people.

This certainly wasn't my type of place and so we soon moved back to our peaceful Old port to get drenched again in the beauty of this fairyland.

Next in our itinerary was Santorini-Thira as it is called. After a sea voyage of 6 hrs we reached Santorini. Thira again is a beautiful island which often represents Greece all over the world.

Our hotel was in the Caldera area from where we can clearly see the entire island forming an arc around the active Hellenic Volcano sleeping at the centre of blue sea.

From this point a moving steamer seems to be flying in the sky as the blue above and the blue below blend just perfectly. Witnessing such a beauty is a feeling which cannot be put into words.

The popular Red beach was nearby our hotel. This beach is very different from other conventional beaches It is a small beach beside Red Black high cliffs covered with black pebbles which is actually lava scattered all over as a result of volacanic eruption thousands of years ago.

Nature surprises us in so many ways.

From the beach we headed towards the town of Oia(Ia), which undoubtedly is one of the most beautiful towns I've ever seen.

We took a car and drove to Oia as it was around 25 kms from our hotel. From Caldera, Oia looks like a pearl necklace rather a pearl crown at the zenith above calm blue sea. Yes, the sea here is calm :)

The town of Oia, white outline to the mountain in the picture is town Fira

Oia is a lovely town built much above sea level on top of sea side mountains. I was dumbfounded looking at the beauty this place has. I did not even want to blink my eyes and capture as much of it as possible from the natural lenses.

Attractive sea facing hotels with cute little swimming pools were lined up at one side and souvenir galleries at the other side of the Oia street. The entire town was glowing in white with churches having bue domes and large bells. Churches in Greece resemble temples and they were actually called temples in earlier times.

Unique architecture of church

I wanted to stay here forever. We got the opportunity to witness a glamorous sunset of Ia where the sun goes inside sea leaving orange hue in the sky.

Beautiful sunset at Oia

Evening came and the entire town got bejewelled with colourful lights. It appeared to be an exquisite piece of art with stars scattered over the sea.

We had one of the best dinners of our lives with an experience which I sure am going to cherish forever.  I was in a paradise with the apples of my eye and my soul fully contented. What else can one want from life?

Next day we had a guided boat tour to the Hellenic Volcano and Hot springs. Reaching to the top of the volcano in scorching sun was definitely a tiring task but it was all worth it because the view from top was unparalleled. We saw the crater of this active volcano from which fumes oozing out could be seen.

At the top of active volcano

Crater of active volcano

To get an indication of the exact time of volcanic eruption, large seismic equipments were mounted there which track the activity of this sleeping giant everyday. These can give the signal around one month in advance about the coming danger and then the entire town will have to be evacuated.

  

We had an amazing time riding the boat on sea. The sea is so pristine here that we were able to see clearly the fishes much below the sea surface. In some time we reached the Hot Springs which is no less than a miracle. Warm greenish waters with medicinal properties could be seen along with cold sea water here. People readily dived in this water from the boat and swam to their hearts content like mermaids playing in the hot springs.

After Santorini we went back to Athens and boarded our flight to back home.

This was an awesome holiday with unforgettable memories.

Royal Rajasthan

History is intriguing indeed!!!

And best way to learn about history is visiting places.

India has a very rich historical heritage and the good part is some of that has been well preserved.

Two years back we planned a trip to Rajasthan. It was a wonderful trip which unfolded a lot of stories and compels one to become more curious. Once inside the forts and palaces we feel like having travelled back in time to that era. Everything seems like a big mystery.

The awe striking beauty of forts speaks about the skill which people from that era had mastered. Almost everything was done by hand. Hand carved large stones were transported to the highest points in the city and there the forts were made. We can see simply great and un-matchable art work and great architecture and it is surprising that these structures still stand tall facing all the nature’s ire in the form of heat, rains and what not.

Although there are a lot of places in Rajasthan which hold a “must see” status, we could include a few of them in our trip.

Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and one of the most attractive cities for foreign tourists was not included in this trip as we fortunately have had the privilege of staying in this mesmerizing city for almost 3 years. However, the memories of Jaipur are still fresh in my mind so will share that experience too. But, would like to dedicate a separate blog to Jaipur☺

The main cities travelled in this trip were Ajmer-Jodhpur-Jaiselmer-Jodhpur-Mount Abu.

Jodhpur was included twice as it is almost at the centre from Ajmer to Jaiselmer and it is difficult to travel directly from Jaiselmer to Mt Abu.

So our journey began from Pune to Ajmer and then further.

We attended a family gathering at Ajmer and then headed towards our journey to Jodhpur.

The main place to visit at Ajmer is the dargah of “Ajmer Sharif”. This we did not go in this trip but I’ve been there twice earlier. It’s a very different experience. In the dargah, one feels very calm and with oneself. Almost from a kilometer, we feel like having entered a sacred domain. Lots of shops selling “Chaadar” and garland are seen hanging on both sides of the street.

This monument is a sufi shrine of sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti.

The very moment one enters the dargah, one feels like having engulfed in that sacred atmosphere. It is believed that at this place if we wish for something with a pure heart, the wish is fulfilled.

From Ajmer, we left in the morning around 10 and it is almost 6~7 hrs journey by road to Jodhpur. We had taken a small package for our tour which included stay at several places and the commute by car.

After a tiring journey, we reached Jodhpur at around 5 pm. I was very excited on entering this historical place.

Most of the old Havelis here have been converted into Heritage hotels. We had booked one such hotel here. The environment inside this hotel was all royal and we felt like having descended from the royal family.

From our room we could see the “Mehrangarh”, the magnificient fort. It seemed so powerful like a big giant standing in the city to protect it from invaders.

Forts often fill us with some eerie feeling for several reasons, firstly the sheer enormity overwhelms us. Then they are usually associated with some “not very happy” stories which definitely raise our curiosity.

At the same time, the architecture and beauty of palaces inside these forts mesmerizes us.

Unlike forts of Maharashtra, the forts in Rajasthan have a palace inside where kings used to live.

After a little rest we left for a small stroll near the old Jodhpur, our hotel was very near the old jodhpur market popularly called “Haat”. Soon enough we were amidst the hustle bustle of the haat….

Time seemed to have stopped at this very place. I could just visualize about how this market would have been ages ago and could figure out only one difference, the attire of the people buying goods.

However, there were quite many people who wore the same traditional dress of Rajasthan.

The market was a large square area with lots of bangle shops on both sides. These were the lead bangles, the traditional and popular Rajasthani bangles. Lot of woollens were being sold as it was very cold during the month of December.

And lots of road side eateries selling panipuris, mirchi pakode, kachori ☺ and we readily helped ourselves with some of it ☺

A little ahead we had the main market. Well organized shops on both side of the road. Each shop having a number assigned to it. I was amazed at the infrastructure of the market created years back. All so systematic.

This also reminded me of the Jaipur’s Bapu Bazaar and other markets of old Jaipur. A very well defined and organized city with roads always intersecting at 90 degrees. This infrastructure was created centuries ago and with such foresightedness. Really amazing design which beats the designs of our new modern cities as well.

Just near the Jodhpar “Haat” was the City Clock Tower. Luckily, we were not so late and could get tickets to go upstairs in the Clock ☺

View of “Haat” from here was awesome. I thoroughly loved our small stroll in Jodhpur.

Next day we had planned to go to Mehrangarh, the famous fort of Jodhpur and from there to Jaiselmer.

So, next morning we got ready and had our breakfast and left for the “Mehrangarh” fort.

The moment you step inside this fort, you feel like having transported to another world. The huge fort with huge palace building speaks volumes about the skill, lifestyle and the royal family of that era. The whole back wall of the palace was covered with pigeons who were now the inhabitants of this place…who knows these little creatures might actually be the royal family of that time in their new avatars ☺. As it is said that love of palaces is something one cannot get rid of easily and this also seems to the core of many haunted stories around forts ☺

On a serious note, the fort just enthralls the spectator at the very first sight with its glory and beautiful architecture and the brain starts visualizing the kings and queens roaming around in the palace.

Considering the enormity of the fort it was impossible to see everything there so we chose a segment of the palace to view it from inside and then went to see the other part of the fort which was meant to defend the enemies.

Due to its sheer size one obvious question which comes in mind is, how many people the palace accommodated . It was like a non-ending maze, you enter some door and will come out you don’t know from where and there was no chance of going back to the original door again ☺

Certainly one of the best places for Hide and Seek for the royal children ☺

We had entered the fort from the back side which led to the palaces but the front was the big giant guard for the rest of the city and this palace. Front of the fort was used to stop enemies. The canons still lay there at regular distance giving the evidence of the time they were used in.

Seeing all this instantly shoots up the adrenaline levels.

One remarkable point of every fort is the small temple built at the extreme corner, the deity in which is assumed to have taken care of everything. Till date the deity is worshipped religiously morning and evening.

Even after coming back from Mehrangarh fort, I could not erase the sights off my mind...it had such a powerful hangover.
Many more questions came in my mind, if Jodha Bai, queen of Akbar hailed from this place....did she walk the same path we just got a chance to go?
But on surfing, I found that perhaps nothing is so sure about Akbar-Jodha's story and history, as in google,  spoke something different from our regular belief of this fairy tale lovestory.

Next in our itenary was Jaiselmer.
I was so joyful just with the thought of staying in desert ☺ as we had one night camp stay in desert.

"Jaiselmer" the Golden City.....even if one does not know that the nick name of Jaiselmer is Golden city....it is the next thing that comes to mind after having stepped in this city...all pathways, building, monuments are made up of golden yellow sandstones.
Jaiselmer fort is also made up of yellow sandstone and enjoys the status of "Sonar Killa".
The entire population of Jaiselmer used to reside inside the fort, even today so many people live inside this fort's campus. Its a very huge fort.

On entering the fort, we can see the royal palace and marks of Sati's hands all over its entrance gate.
It is said, after the death of great warriors in the war from royal palace, there wives were asked to jump in their funeral pyre and while going for this ritual, they had to make their hand imprints on the gate which are treated very sacred and these satis are referred to as sati mata.

I could not even imagine the plight of women at that time, so many did this on their own will while many others were forced.
Hand imprints have been preserved till now and looking at them, our mind flies back in time and all the visuals come flashing before the eyes.

What an irony, such richness, such glorious palaces are home to such sadness. Beautiful architecture with not so beautiful stories.

The architecture in this palace is suberb. The fort is all decorated with very fine stone carvings.

Besides the fort, Jaiselmer was home to very rich merchants also who used to do import export business via desert route.
There haveli's also are worth seeing.

The heritage hotel- Narayan Niwas where we were staying was also no less than a palace and by this time I was already thinking myself to be some royal princess 😛

From main Jaiselmer, our next stay was in the desert at Sam which was around 1.5 hr drive from here.
And it was just beautiful....I was seeing the sand desert for the first time in my life and it looked so much more beautiful than what we have seen in movies.
Golden sand till miles and miles, it was a sea of sand.

We enjoyed the camel ride in the desert and then had a sumptuous Rajasthani dinner in the camp at night followed by Rajasthani folk songs and dance.
What an awesome evening it was!!

Next day was the time to return from the sand....but we wanted some more time in this sand which we then allowed ourselves and went again inside the glorious desert.

While our way back, we stayed for one night at Jodhpur and enjoyed the lovely Sirvi haveli. It was a very cozy place. Not so big but very royal. It was gifted by the maharaja to the ancestors of the owner of that haveli.

Next morning we left for Mount Abu after having a short visit to the new palace of Jodhpur.
It was a long drive and we reached Mt. Abu quite late in the evening.

Being so tired, we all went to sleep quickly after dinner.
With the rising sun, we went to see the Dilwara temples.
These are very beautiful jain temples with beautiful carvings on stones which cannot be described in words and one must see themselves.

We also went to Mount Abu lake.

With this our Rajasthan trip came to an end and we came back to Pune with lots of wonderful memories and of course tons of captures in our camera ☺

We could not include Udaipur in this trip but that's an excuse which we have, to return to this mesmerizing state of palaces and royalities ☺

On Sachin's farewell from cricket....

I've never been an ardent cricket fan but can understand the game a little bit. I can recall numerous occasions when I had watched the game on television only till he was playing and once he was declared "out", it seemed there was nothing more left in the game to be watched :)

"Sachin" is another name for "Hope"(in cricket) for the millions of Indians and of course for the Indian cricket team. Now that the master blaster has retired from the game after playing his 200th test match, a big void is left behind.
Not only the great cricketer that he is but more than that the generous person which resides in him makes him so adorable. Being talented, successful, an international icon......and humble, down to earth, soft spoken, all at the same time is so difficult in today's times but yes this is what Sachin Tendulkar is and perhaps this is the very reason he is the most loved cricketer/icon.
No doubt, that a history is created and will be written in golden words for the coming generations, the history of Sachin's records, his achievements, his techniques, his game....but I feel blessed to have witnessed all this in my life and I'm quite sure that all of this generation will second this and will always feel proud about this :)

I don't think that cricket discussions in offices, buses, trains will ever be done in the same way and excitement as they are done currently, or to be more precise were done till now. This person has brought the entire nation together so many times and today again the entire nation is bidding him farewell together with heavy heart.
No amount of words can ever express what Sachin is for this nation and no amount of tears, words of praises would be enough to express gratitude for his contribution.

Wish you a very happy life ahead Sachin. The nation salutes you for being "YOU".