Off Season Goa - A treat

I had been to Goa a couple of times, it is one of the most popular destinations in India. The idea of Goa I had before going there for the first time is that it would be full of carnivals, very less green and loads of musicians and beaches with Hippies and colour. I was pleasantly surprised, apart from the thronging beaches , for which it is well know, the small streets are lined with trees everywhere, moss ridden walls, palms and little shops, Portuguese style houses lined up as a treat for the eye, all this and more can be experienced just riding around on the bikes.

I have been there during New years, during post monsoon and this time in peak monsoon. The difference in it all, is awesome. During new years there is a large Mumbai and Bangalore crowd, traffic jams at the mouth of the beach, people parading everywhere, one needs to stand on a higher platform to just be able to view the ocean, hearing the waves is out of question as the "Goa Trance" will be piercing through the beaches non stop.

Off season Goa is a completely different experience, rain lashes out, roads wet, beaches free of people, shops closed and very little music from the few restaurants that are open. We went to Arambol and just stayed put over there. Arambol has a stretch of sand and a cluster of rock structures amidst the ocean, making it a visual delight.

To experience the true Goa one must visit it at least once in their life during off season. The room rates are real low, almost next to nothing shopping experience , but the peace and calm will compensate with all things missed. Its as good as your own private beach. But the rain can be really heavy with almost, through the day downpour. This is best if you would like to sit back with a book and keep ordering some fenny and fish. which sits perfectly well with me.

The over hanging clouds, rain, green, ocean waves continuously lashing against the rocks and more to be experienced and all this at an affordable cost.

Parinitha Konanur

Kalimpong - a visit to remember

It was one of the first of the long trail of travel expeditions I was about to do. I had not been up North and North east had not been touched by me before that. I did not know what to expect and hence began the journey I am going to remember for a long time to come.

After having finished with Kolkatta and Darjeeling we headed to this small Hill station called Kalimpong in West Bengal. Kalimpong means " Assembly of the King's ministers" in Tibetan. Kalimpong has a large Nepali populace, and many cultural ethnicities. I was studying art History then and was fascinated by Monastries, so most of our travel destination maps were marked with the main monasteries and the ones that ought not to be missed. So once we were done with all the eating and walking we visited "The Zang Dhok Palri Phodang" Monastery.

As we saw the place we met a very interesting Monk. He was not too old, but had a fascinating way of talking and told us many stories while he guided us around the monastery, showing us the place where many scriptures are kept and also where the head monks rest when they visit the Monastery. He also took us to the upper chamber where they were making these figurines in Dalda as an offering to Buddha, we wished we could take some back to Bangalore, but then for these temperatures it would only melt down. That got me thinking that most Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries are located in areas with low temperatures and mostly hilly regions. Though one of the exceptions would be the "Golden Temple" in Kushalaganar in Coorg.

Then he also took us to a place where they were making "Thangka" paintings. We watched them paint carefully, with precision and I was absolutely engulfed in this process. Thangka painting needs alot of practise and there are only a few authenticate Thangka painting teaching schools in the world, one of them is in Himachal Pradesh. These Thangka painters had learnt their art from there and were here to make some of the best pieces of art.

After having this one hell of a cultural ride it was time for us to head back and pack our bags as we were headed to Gangtok and another exploration lay in wait.
But even after having done many trips and having seen many Monasteries this experience has etched itself in my mind and will stay so for years to come.

Parinitha Konanur

One Day Trips -Treks From Bangalore - Kabaladurga

It was the middle of summer in Bangalore and after a month long of scorching sun we experienced pleasant and unexpected showers. Rain is a synonym with ‘want to travel’ and I was craving for a trip. As work conditions don’t permit too much time I hadn’t got a chance. On the 16^th which happened to be a fine Sunday morning I was invited by a few of my friends to go to Kabaladurga a place 70 km off Bangalore, after Kanakapura. It was a temple on top of a hill. It was decided that 9 of us will go on 6 bikes. The weather was pleasant and the air was cool. I was a pillion riding on an unicorn [I must say more comfortable than a bullet – for a pillion that is] the 70 km went past as if to clear off all the stress I had managed to accumulate in the city.

We reached Kabaladurga in about two hours which included finding a place to park and chai stops. We climbed up and as we did I found a superb place to rest a bit, this give me time to take in the view in full. This consisted of a large number of small hills beaded together like jewels under the sun, the clouds only on a few hills and sun burning on the others created a mystic effect. A view like this with a great conversation cannot be better, only I missed my camera. The rest of the group started descending and we got up to leave and started getting down when we heard the thunder and stopped and within a wink it was raining in torrents, the water splashed on our faces like small little needles but the chill and the wind was so good no one fussed over the rain. 

As we tried climbing down along with a good downpour we realized if we slipped we would slip away into eternity, it was quite a steep hill with a smooth rocky façade - not the best option on a rainy day. We decided we will crawl ourselves down which was slowly doing our dance step on the rock to move ourselves. This part was the best part of the trek. There were pipes for support but well, strategically placed just about out of reach which would need us to bend over to reach it and the pipes wouldn’t be where the most slippery part comes. This was as if god was chuckling at us city dwellers and our health less state. But well we kept our heads held high [now that was just a joke] and crawled down and by then I was drenched to my bones and my knees had taken a toll and were talking accordingly. But all this done with, as soon as we hit plane ground, it miraculously stopped raining and was hot again. We were so hungry we could eat a horse [it’s just a phrase we had a majority of vegetarians] and we headed out to the nearest Kammat which is the best food place, with hygienic toilets which all of us badly needed. We had food to our hearts content which was a variety of snacks along with a good serving of Dosas and juices to complete. Our little journey having finished on a nice happy note we all split from there to reach our own respective houses. 

The ride back was equally relaxing and picturesque, as it was a cloudy sunset, it was a charming experience. The Bangalore Mysore road being awesome makes any drive splendid and an experience worth writing about. All that was needed was a slight drizzle, as if gods above listened to me it did come. We sang some old songs like ‘what if god was one of us ‘to a newer Atif Aslam number to complement the experience. 

Parinitha Konanur

Hampi the ancient ruin and the new Hippie Haven

Hampi an ancient empire, ruins of the past glory, a place where kings ruled and built temples of nobility. Holding in its history a string of nightmarish truths this place has come a long way. I have always been interested in the Sadhus, their philosophy, their way of living and ofcourse the “kavi vastra” – the saffron attire, these Sadhus throng Hampi. Hampi the capital of Vijayanagara empire is now the Hippie haven.

There is nothing more evasively consuming like the Gypsies of Hampi. A cult that was born during age old times, when travel was a way of living, a waywardly identity. 

Then there are the new age hippies who throng this ancient city. Hippies were brought to the fore by the American Hippie revolution , the flower power and more, the Morrison’s and Hoffman’s wrote along with their poems and speeches a way of looking at the world and life as a whole. This was in the 60’s but in India the Gypsies and the Hippies were always there. The Gypsies moved in caravans and did not hoard money. They lived on the go, on the road, they were performers artists, musicians, singers and most of them would be great at stitching and painting, all of which you can see as a living tradition in Hampi.

Just an overnight journey from Bangalore will take you to this magnificent place, hire a bike or a cycle and you are good to go. You can cycle around all the temples, sketch the ones you like, photograph away to glory and then relax at the “ Mango Tree” hotel where you can sit back and munch on delicacies under the shade overlooking the river. 

Annegundi is older than the ruins of Hampi and less commercialized, one can easily take a coracle ride across the river to this ancient and quiet place.

There are a few things around Hampi one can do, apart from spending time in the temples, shopping in the bazaars, meditating on the rocks , one can go on bikes or cycles and ride through the small lanes just a few kilometers off the town, these will lead you to large sunflower fields and no one will disturb your peace.

Hampi will provide enough for every kind of traveler.

How to get to Hampi –

By Bus – There are frequent buses from Bangalore to Hospet, which is 12 kilometers from Hampi. From there you can hire a rickshaw, even shared taxi to Hampi.

By Train – There are frequent trains from Bangalore to Hospet.

Best Time to Visit – October to Februrary when the heat isn’t at its peak and one can enjoy a pleasant weather.

Parinitha Konanur