A mother is a mother still , the holiest thing alive - Samuel Taylor

Clicked this picture in Hampi at " Mango tree Restaurant" . I tried to move a bit closer to get a better shot but she didn't let me . I thought it's the mother children time and i better not disturb them .

Happy Mother's Day to all!!!

Hampi : A lost Empire

Hampi, once the glorious capital of the Vijayanagara Empire is situated on the banks of Tungabhadra in Karnataka. It is said to be the kingdom of Bali and the birthplace of lord Hanuman. Hampi is now declared as a world heritage center and a must visit for the connoisseur of history and archeology.

Best Time to visit Hampi:

I visited the place in February end and it was still; very hot there. However, the best time to visit is somewhere between November to February.

How to Reach:

The distance from Bangalore is 350 kms. There are lots of buses operating from Bangalore to Hampi. I took a KSRTC bus as it was the only one which goes till Hampi and leave you just in between the ruins. The rest of the private operator just leaves you till Hospet which is almost 20 Kms from Hampi and from there either you have to book a cab or take a rickshaw which would be very expensive.

Places to stay:

You can either stay in the main Hampi city (near the bus stand) or on the other side of the river. But it’s preferable to stay in the city itself, as the last coracle cross the river at 6 pm so you always have to hurry back to your guest house( with nothing to do) as most of the places to visit are in the Hampi city.

You need to book the guest house in advance only if it’s the busiest of the season. Most of the guest houses in the city are well maintained.

Eat outs:

One thing you need not to worry in Hampi is the FOOD. You name anything and you will get it here. I have never found falafel in any of the Bangalore’s restaurant’s menu (at least the one where I visited) but I found it here. You have cuisine ranging from Israeli to Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Indian and Tibetan. BTW don’t even try to order Indian food while in Hampi. You will find it Anglicized ;).

Mango tree is a very popular restaurant of Hampi. It offers a very good view of the river and of course nice food. However, it’s a bit aloof from the city and the entire stretch has no lighting so better not to try it for dinner. Some other good restaurants are Shanthi and Gopi .

Travel:

Hampi ruins are spread over a very vast area. However one can cover important sites in almost two days. Most of the places to see are within city limits and are not very far off from each other so it’s always better to rent either a bike or cycle in Hampi. However, one can also hire an auto for the entire day (@ rate of 200 per person) . Most of the autowallahs have their own itinerary to follow .Hence, it’s always better to do your own research to determine which place you want to cover.

Places to see:

You can get the map from anywhere in Hampi indicating the major places . The major places to visit are :Vittala Temple, Virupaksha temple,royal enclosure,Kadelukalu Ganesha, Lakshmi Narasimha ,Queen’s bath,Lotus Mahal, Hazara Rama Temple, Achutaraya Temple, Anjaneya Hill & Temple Elephant stable, Matanga Hill for a panoramic view of Hampi . A coracle ride on Tungabhadra is a must, as is the sunrise.

Things to buy:

Hampi market is labyrinth of many streets having lots of trinkets shops selling trendy hippie clothes, bags, junk and silver jewellery, souvenir, handcraft and beautiful stone carvings.

Cricket Jhinga-la-la!!!

Yipeeee!!!! Congratulations everyone , we finally have the cup with us after 28 years of long wait .I was (and know that you all too) so happy to be a part/viewer of the hysteria that follows afterwards.I had a plan to watch it at one of my friend's place when we were joined by few other friends, their friends and then their friends.It seems that a cable wallah cut the cable line of a rival cable person , who inturns cut the cable line of the former and the war of cables soon spread in the entire area. My friend thus had an entire gang at his place resulting in more fun & celebrations :P . So if you are thinking how come he was having cable connection at his place , then the answer is simple, Tata Sky laga daala to match jhinga-la-la ;)

Before Sunrise

I have never seen a sunrise so beautiful , may be it's the surroundings that made it more special . Early morning at 5.30, from one of the small cliff and with the chants of Ramayana from a nearby Hanuman temple at Hampi ,i saw it rising from the rubbles of rustic Hampi . Here it is :

Half hour before sunrise,orange color at the horizon
Few minutes before sunrise
The sun rise behind the rubbles
Here it goes .......
Big...
Bigger...
& Bigger ....
Here it is Finally...
I was not the only one who clicked ;)

To Life !

Ahh , it’s again a big gap at this space and my only resolution left (since the past two have already been broken) for this year is also dying a slow death L . The past two months have been gruesome on all the fronts, be it personal or professional. So many times in these two months I have wished the time to go back by a year, just a year! I know it cannot be done so decided to get a grip on my life and move forward strongly.
During this entire phase I have got a company with me at my workplace: D. It was a pigeon who had made a nest just outside my cubicle’s window.

The Pigeon

She would be sitting there in the same position for hours with another pigeon coming there for company sometimes. It took us some time to realize that she is laying/hatching her eggs.

Pigeon with small egg beneath her

One day due to the curiosity of the passerby onlookers the pigeon got frightened and flew away, we could see two tiny eggs in the nest.

The two eggs

After some time when the entire commotion dies down, she returned and again sat in the same position. Days passed, with me looking at the nest now and then only to find the pigeon tediously sitting there. One day on reaching the office on Monday, I found the nest along with the eggs missing from the place. It seems that the cleaning guy has removed it just making me wonder how that little home to someone was bothering him. For some time I missed my companion of solitude thinking about the two eggs which could have been two tiny chirping birds after sometime. I completely stopped looking at that deserted place for some time when again after a weekend on Monday I found a new nest in making at the same place! It took the two pigeons almost one more day to finish their nest. They even added a sipping straw to complete their nest. Finally after a day I saw the pigeon back to her duty, sitting in the same position.

The pigeon again

I got relocated to some other place and then I visited the place again after few days to pay visit to my solitude companion only to find her not there. But I was happy, seeing someone else on her place, a tiny throbbing piece surrounded by a web like thing.

The baby !

Yes, she was finally out against all the odds and after losing two of the siblings. After sometime the mother also came an again started hatching, perhaps that little bird still require some care. I haven’t visited the place afterwards but planning to make a visit soon just to inquire about my friend’s and her family’s wellbeing!

Pondicherry Once More !

I love Pondicherry!So this time when i visited the place i made sure that i just stay enough to explore the city inside out and i should say i succeeded :P .The first time when i visited the place it was a hush affair whereby we reached in the morning and left by the night but i must say that first time was as special as the second tine ;) this place you just can't have enough . This time i visted with my mother and sister , especially on the insistence of my mother as she wanted to see the vast ocean and she just loved the place.

BEACHES

We were there for two days and stay in a hotel just near the rock beach. The hotel was decent( i mean really decent) if you can ignore some incidents like a lipstick stained cup for tea :-X . In these two days we covered the entire French colony by feet and just loved each and every street . The houses are really an architectural delight. As for the foodie i am i visited these places and here my ratingss for the same

Le Cafe : mmmmm my favortite , ofcourse not because of the food but because of its location . Try the dinner buffet there which they have on their rooftop and that moment is sheer bliss!
Rendezvous: This place is nice but food is no French
Madam Shanthe : The place won't look good from outside but they have a nice restaurant in the terrace and it really offers good food.
Bamboos Garden: Nice ambience , nice food but pathetic service
Anjappar : Go there only if you are tiered of having French/Italian food. Good only for non vegetarians
La Terrasse : Try the Pizza ( Oven smoked) and salad there .
Touskilfo : Ii's a cafe but i won't talk about coffee as i was just bowled over by the interiors especially the wood work :)
Pizza Hut : Our very own Pizza Hut , i went there for parcel but again the interior is awsome compared to Bangalore's Pizza hut !

ARCHITECTURE

Don't forget to take travel guide from Pondicherry Tourism Office nd then enjoy the beauty of Pondi !

Valentine it is !

The season of love is here again though valentine is long gone but still you can see and feel love around you. The little chill in the morning is taken over by warmth, trees sprouting new shoots, flowers showing signs of bloom and faint smell of blossom. More colours, more scent and of course more love ;).

I remember watching “ Dil to Pagal hai “ with few of my elder cousins and it was the first time i have watched a movie in the theatre without my parents. After watching this movie i knew one thing that whenever i will fall in love the guy would be like Rahul . He will woo me through his songs, will make me laugh through his stupid talks and will take me to another world altogether. How silly right, but then i was just 13. Then came Kuch Kuch hota hai and that was the first movie i was allowed to watch with my friends. It added few more expectations from Rahul. He would crazily propose me , will woo me with flowers and chocolates . He would be a passionate lover like Sameer in Hum dil de chuke sanam , a bespectacled silent lover like raj in KNPH, will fight the world for me like Aditya of Saathiya . A few other movies adds some more criteria to the list like dedicating a song in Karaoke , playing a song in guitar for me and what not .
And then you come out of this Bollywoodish definition of love and reality strikes you. The things may change and so would the ways to express it but at the end it’s the love that matters,like he may not crazily propose you but it doesn’t matter more then the three letter words you wanted to hear from him. But still thanks Bollywood for making us a dreamer. A Dreamer for love !