Travel Diaries

  “Sand below, sky above, happiness around and peace within.” This was Gokarna, in a nutshell!! Gokarna, a small town on the sea front in the western Karnataka, offers a complete package of contrasting beauty while being a pilgrimage site, a popular hippie destination and a getaway for those seeking solitude- all at the same time.  It houses golden beaches named after the way they are shaped like Om Beach and Half Moon Beach. It serve sites for trekking, mountaineering, camping and water sport activities like surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, parasailing, and jet skiing. It is also well- known for sacred pilgrimage sites like Mahabaleshwar Temple, which has a shrine dedicated to the Lord Shiva. Therefore, it’s a natural delight with rocky mountains and the Western Ghats on one side, and the Arabian Sea on the other. Mystery Behind its Name: Gokarna (Cow’s Ear) Geographically, it is formed by an ear-shaped confluence of two rivers, Gangavali and Agnashini   ...

“Nature and Coffee- one of the combinations, worth escaping the chaos of city life." What do you think!?    Chikmagalur, the ‘Coffee Land of Karnataka’, is the place to have cultivated coffee first time in India. It is one of the most serene hill stations of Karnataka and certainly became our weekend getaway from Bangalore in June, 2019.  Now, let's tour this place that is apparently well- known for its vast coffee plantations, lush green forests and the steep mountain ranges offering a sight of panoramic, natural beauty.  Day 1 We boarded the express train in the wee hours of the day and it took us approximately 3 hours to travel from Bangalore to Kadur, a taluk in the Chikmagalur district and the nearest railway station to our destination. Express Train from Yesvantpur, Bangaore Meanwhile, we also got an opportunity to relish the authentic Kannada breakfast consisting ‘Thatte (means plate in Kannada) Idli’ served with coconut chutney. Thatte Idli Further, aft...

“Travelling...It gives us an opportunity to explore different places, cuisines, people, customs, and practices. To travel is also to take a journey into your-self. It is about shaping and discovering your-self… Who are you when no one knows you? What excites you? What scares you? What makes you happy? and so much more…” While wondering all of it, I longed for travelling and decided to go Back in Time and relish some past experiences when the actual travel does not seem to be possible due to the pandemic.   Welcome to the Part 1 of the “Back in Time” Series ! Let’s begin… Gustave Flaubert  rightly said, “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” I was so intensely struck with this realization when I flew towards the much awaited, the first ever foreign destination I travelled- the Island Continent, the Land of Kangaroos. You got it!? It’s Australia. Today, we are going to time travel to Australia from 2021 to 2018. Yes, it’s jus...