Beach ke beechon beech..

It felt like homecoming…9 years after I left Andamans, it was a unique experience taking family to where my career started.  Andamans is like no other place…I do realize ‘pristine’ is an oft used clichéd term, but to know what the word truly means, you should visit Andamans.  There is peace, tranquility and there is Andamans.  When it sinks in that you are many many miles away from where you would not like to be, the air suddenly seems fresher, the sun brighter, the time slower, the water clearer, the breeze softer…and YOU feel better, much better.

Port Blair takes 2 hours and 30 minutes by flight from Chennai – all into the ocean; so you can imagine how ‘into’ the waters you are.  It is a bustling town but has its identity none the less…the markets, the public transport…all as you would expect, just that it was a long journey by sea which brought them there.

We stayed at the Fortune Resort Bay Island where I had started working just after college.  The resort is awesome and provides for the best view in town, perched on top of a small hill commanding views of North Bay, Ross Island, and the harbor and on a clear day; of Havelock and Neil Islands.

We stayed in Port Blair for 2 nights before sailing off to Havelock.  We were unaware that the resort we were to have stayed in was under renovation and were suitably disappointed on arrival especially considering Havelock was the high point of our visit.  Fortunately, we found an acquaintance who was managing another resort (there are over 50 of them in Havelock) and promptly moved in with him.  To our luck, we were the only ones in the resort and the entire place including the beach became exclusive to us.   Also, we had timed our travel for August since it happens to be the end of monsoons and the tourist season is yet to begin.  The island is much quieter then and if you do not mind the occasional clouds and rain, this is the season.  However, if you want the sun throughout and plenty of tourists, Oct to Feb would be the time.

Unlike a typical Indian holiday, you can truly laze around in Havelock and soak in the sea.  You can start your day at the beach, have coffee on the beach, eat breakfast on the beach, read a book on the beach, have lunch on the beach, sip the evening tea on the beach, watch the sunset on the beach and then if you really wish to, get back to the room and sleep in order to start the next day…guess where…you got it…on the beach.

You have the option of changing the venue the next day though…you could go to a different beach…idyllic, idyllic, idyllic.

The resorts barring a few are not fancy and the menu limited, but the place is exceptional and makes up for any material shortcoming.  One of the beaches at Havelock, namely, the Radhanagar beach has been named as the best beach in Asia by the Time magazine.  

3 days later we got back to Port Blair and caught up with the local sites…the infamous Cellular Jail, the light house at North Bay, Ross Island and Chidiya Tapu.       

Port Blair offers great opportunities to shop for shell ornaments and knick-knacks; make sure you plan well for it…both in terms of space in your luggage and time, money of course .

      

- Sudhir

Kotland ( Scotland in Kerala -> Kotland ;) )

Why would anyone have a crane and hen sculpted and jutting out of their balcony?  Not to forget that the house including the balcony is colored a very dark obnoxious pink. (Later we came to know that the colors are decided according to Vastu). Come a bit further down the road and you will see a hoarding of a jewel store with a lady and her constipated expression trying to sell you a gaudy looking bangle…

 Well!!!so was the hilarious journey to Ponmudi…a nice, picturesque hill station 2 hours from TRV.  Our friends - A & P picked us up and after a quick lunch at Café Mojo (the lunch was quick, once we ordered.. but I will not go into the ordering bit…it will get as long as the menu there…hmm…the pain of ordering when you have too much to choose from), we left for our destination.

 As is all Kerala, the drive was scenic and within an hour, we were in the midst of rubber plantations and thick forests.  There are 22 hair pin bends which take you to the hill top.  Once at the top, it was very windy but quite a sight.  It is interesting how high a few hairpin bends can take you…meadows interspersed with rocks and plenty of pathways you could choose from to take a walk.

Barring a few men peeing by the road, the view is serene and refreshing…what with being at so different a place within 2 hours of driving from the city.  We spent an hour taking pictures and enjoying the cool breeze.  The KTDC hotel provided us with a nice cup of tea and fries and some more pictures later, we drove back to Trivandrum.

Can’t ask for more from an outing considering the minimal effort it took to reach Ponmudi.  I am sure, it will continue to be a good getaway for us while we are at TRV.

- Sudhir

Zoobi doobi Zoobi doobi ZOOOO..:)

What color animals have you seen? The monkeys are brown & the crocodile is green.. Zebra & Panda are black & white.. the yellow giraffes are a beautiful sight..

This is the song from R's fav choo choo train.. In order to figure out if R really liked animals yet, we headed to the zoo.

As we entered the zoo, we were reminded of London…thanks to the street artist singing outside…don't remember hearing Malayalam melodies at London though ;) ..

 The colorful birds were most fascinating, especially the ones that were hanging out in pairs.  While the African grey parrot addressed all the visitors with its loud voice, the storks were, true to their style, standing still on one leg…I did ask Archana 3 times whether they were for real :).  We did wildlife photography in not so wild a surrounding and  managed to get some good shots.  The hippos were completely immersed in water for their noon siesta and all we could make out were their backs barely peeping out…plenty of deers, buffalos, barking deer (with a new hairdo :)) and our very own desi langoor…oh!! also, to be fair, we did hear the KING roar.

 I think R liked the animals outside the cage more (those who had paid tickets to go in…) than those inside…guess, in a year from now, he would know the bark, the roar and the tweet better :)…fun day out in nature's lap.

 An awesome lunch followed at a small restaurant named Flavours…the best Broccoli soup (the best any soup) we have ever had…jalapeno + cheese dollops, mexican wraps and appam…quite impressive…

The first holiday with our prince!

 The first holiday with our prince…we were keen to get it right…not too far, not too packed…nothing much to do and so Alleppey was selected.  A drive of 4 hours from Trivandrum brought us to the offices of the resort in the town of Alleppey.  

The Lake Palace Resort is scenically located in the middle of Vembanad lake, (which happens to be the longest lake in India) with their offices and parking space conveniently located in the city at the jetty.  We could park our vehicle and get into the boat which then ferried us to the resort.  It took us just 15 minutes to reach the resort passing by numerous house boats of all shapes and sizes.  

The resort lived up well to our expectations with us having a choice of 3 kinds of rooms to select from.  Nice lake view room with a hammock right outside our room…the boat comes to our door for pick up and drop…a luxury house boat anchored right next to us…awesome setting for a holiday.

 Unlike most of our holidays in the past, we just took time to unwind and relax.  There are not many things to do either so chilling out is the name of the game.

The food was swell as well…the biriyani was the best we have had ever and the chef was kind enough to share the recipe.  

We did the sunset cruise on one day and a canoe ride on the next.  The 2 hour canoe ride was truly relaxing…we could take the canoe through narrow canals and all the way to the shop sides…had tender coconuts and biscuits while enjoying the ride.  

These were R's first boat rides and he enjoyed thoroughly.  All in all, an extremely relaxing holiday – quite memorable especially considering the long gap after which it had come.  

Romancing Rome..

 Rome is timeless with it's ancient history, art and architecture containg more treasures per square foot than any other city in the world. 

Our walking tour took us through the treasures of the city such as the Colloseum, Roman Forum, Trevi fountain, The Spanish Steps and The Pantheon.

Our visit to the Vatican included the Museum containing Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and such other jaw dropping art and antiquities collections.

Our trip ended at St.Peter's Basilica, which is the largest church in the world.

We left Italy for London the next day.  Italy is a feast for the senses and intellect.  The 10 days there, helped us absorb the rich treasury of art & architecture while enjoying the cuisine, countryside and Italian lifestyle.