Melody

This Haiku was inspired by the prompt of this week Melody provided at One Single Impression.

This photo was published earlier in my post titled
Symphony by the Sea.

Brightness, warm colours
Melody of chirping birds
Welcome, brand new day

Symphony by the Sea

Following my yesterday's post on Goa, I got a feedback from a friend in the form of an email today that my post was not like my usual posts, and that the details sounded more like a presentation for promoting a travel site. Probably what was expected of me was to voice out my chirpy thoughts and make it a post full of personal experiences.

Well, I do admit that, yesterday while at work, I came across those few pictures of Goa on my office pc and when I had a few moments to spare, I uploaded them and quickly wrote a few sentences and hurriedly pressed publish.

Now that I am home right now, I have found some more pictures on my laptop of my December trip to Goa, and I thought I would upload some of these and try to write with a more personal approach before publishing them. The question is: what could I write about ever popular Goa that has not yet been written about on the world wide web? I do not think I can come up with anything new or interesting, however, let me try and write something.

What could I write about? Ah, yes. How could I forget about the much talked about Scarlett Keeling murder case. Enough has been said and discussed on that, but if you wish to hear my two cents worth on it, I want to say please do not be slanted and blame it all on the mother. Which mother would want her daughter molested and murdered? Is it so complicated to know who is at fault there? Enough of blame game. Dammit, condemn the drugging and molesting, condemn the violence and murder and if you can, do something good, and if you cannot do that, be quiet! Or else you would be indirectly collaborating with the wrong-doer(s) when you are speaking against the deceased and her mother. No one has a right to take another person's life - it's as simple as that. I'm done ranting. Thank you for reading.

In my view, despite the Scarlett case, tourism in Goa would not remain affected for long. I hope Goa continues to remain a safe place for all, and please tell me, who would wish that the confidence of a young lady like this, walking on the beach of Goa in the night, be shattered?

Now about Konkani, the official language of the State of Goa. Yes, I can speak Konkani though the dialect can a little awkward sometimes. I know enough of it to reply and retort, if and when the need arises, whether it is in thoughts, words or action, err, I mean to say, to read, write or speak.

What else about Goa? Oh yes, no one cares what your sexual preference is. According to an archaic law, 'gayness' is prohibited and still illegal in India, but as I said in my last post Goa presents a somewhat different picture when compared to the rest of India, and as long as overt displays of affection are avoided, there should be no problems in Goa.

What else? Are psychedelic and other recreational drugs legal in Goa? The answer is of course not. They are illegal, however, is it not a known fact that drug business is going on, like in so many other places? If one is caught in possession of even a minute quantity, severe penalties can be imposed.

Did I try Feni while in Goa? Yes. A few drops. Gosh, the spirit is so potent, I'd need five bottles of soda water to mix with 30 ml of the Cashyo. (I know, I know, it is not supposed to be consumed that way).

What is an average person's idea of a good holiday in Goa? The most likely response would be: Have a good time on the beautiful beaches. I went about being an average person and did just that - I got into the ''eat, drink and be merry'' mode.

Rather than going about exploring the same old (but interesting) churches and temples, and the usual tourist spots, this time I spent most of the time on the finest stretches of sandy beaches and I was content doing just that while enjoying some delicious Goan food. Goa's cuisine is a fine blend of Portuguese and native cultures.

The bright sun, the warm sands, the shimmering waters of the sea and the graceful coconut trees, as captured in many filmi songs of Bollywood, never fail to fascinate me. It is no wonder Goa has become one of the most popular destinations and a honeymooning ''hotspot'' for newlyweds (ahem, Kolkata hear me!?). The moments I spent this time also included a post midnight bike trip to Baga beach and boy, oh boy, it was fun enjoying the cold waters in the wee hours of the morning with the sand clinging on to the skin while the cool December breeze was blowing on my face as I watched a glorious sunrise!

In spite of bellowing of countless hawkers, superfluous souvenirs, traffic filled roads, and its commercialization, Goa is attractive. There is a certain charm and romance about the atmosphere of Goa that I enjoy.

I could write more on the Goan happy-go-lucky attitude, and about Goa’s love for rhythmic music and dance, its festivals, its arts and crafts, and its culture in general. But, now that I got down to writing a bit of my experience, my mind is once again wandering and filling up with wave after wave of good memories spent on the shores of Goa as the cool winds kiss my face, and I can once again hear the symphony of the sea in my ears.

So allow me to listen to those sounds and that would spare you from any further reading.

Cheers!

Goa

Goa, India’s smallest state area-wise and one of the smallest states in terms of population, is located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan. It is surrounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the east and south, and the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.

Goa is famous for its temples and world heritage architecture, and rich flora and fauna owing to its proximity to the Western Ghats (one of the bio-diversity hotspots, with 325 threatened species occurring there). Additionally, it is renowned for its sunny beaches and is a popular holiday destination.

Portuguese colony ruled the place for about 450 years (one of the longest held colonial rules in the world) until Goa was taken over by India in 1961. A part of that culture still exists, and Goa presents a somewhat different picture to the foreign visitors when compared to the rest of India. It is estimated that 12% of tourists to India visit Goa.

Family beach vacations in Goa can be as much fun as it is with friends. These pictures are of post-Christmas season of 2007 that I spent in Goa.

Reminiscing on 2007 Travels - Part II

Following Part I, here are the other places that I travelled to in the Year 2007. These are travels of last month to Agra and Jhansi of Uttar Pradesh, and the rest of the places in Madhya Pradesh.

I started off from the capital city of Delhi and then explored the wondrous medieval city of Agra;

An evening at the Taj Mahal

and then proceeded to the historically important Bundelkhand region of Jhansi.

A part of Jhansi Fort

After that, I proceeded to explore quite a few enchanting places of Madhya Pradesh including:-

• intriguing Gwalior, with its magnificent Forts and rich culture;

Man Mandir Palace

• the charming palaces of Datia;
  

Painting on the ceiling of the Datia palace

• the romance of the enchanting palaces and temples of Orchha;

View from Sheesh Mahal

• the delightful Alipura Palace now converted into a hotel;

Alipura

• the awe-inspiring temples of Khajuraho;
  

Adinath Temple of the Eastern Group

• the marvellous national park of Ken Ghariyal;
  

100 feet deep canyon of about 5 kms granite near seasonal Raneh Falls

• the thrill of Panna national park and its tiger reserve;

A tree house near Ken River Lodge

• the exciting Bandhavgarh and its wildlife sanctuary filled with exotic flora and fauna;
  

An elephant ride to explore the forest, also to seek the Royal Bengal Tiger

• the beauty of Bedaghat where the River Narmada flows;
  

Tranquil Narmada along the marble rocks

• the same Narmada cascading powerfully at another location of Bedaghat;
  

Dhuandhar Falls

• the historically important cultural capital of Madhya Pradesh, Jabalpur;

Balancing rocks

• the verdant jewel of the Satpura hills, Pachmarhi hill station;

A scene on the way to Pachmarhi

• Religiously important to some, Bhojpur along the lovely river Betwa;

Incomplete Bhojeshwar temple

• the historic rock-shelters and paintings of Bhimbetka;

On the way to view the rock paintings

• the sunrise hills and rock-cut architectural caves of Udaygiri near Vidisha;
  

A cave cut from rocks on top of the mountain

• the famous Buddhist monuments of Sanchi;

A section of the great Stupa through carved decorated gateway

• and the romantic city of lakes, Bhopal.

Bada Talab just before sunrise during an early morning stroll

The Madhya Pradesh journey was followed by more travels, via Mumbai, to reach in time to celebrate Christmas with my extended family at two of my favourite places, Goa and Mangalore, and to ultimately board a flight back from the metropolitan city of my state, Bangalore.

A good year for a travel enthusiast. What do you think?

Now let me see what 2008 has in store.

Reminiscing on 2007 Travels - Part I

The Year 2007 has been a good year for me, particularly as far as my travels are concerned.

Since June 2007, I also started blogging about my travels within India.

So, in addition to my travels to Sri Lanka, Thailand and Cambodia, during the latter part of December 2006 that lasted till January 2007, that I did not blog about here (as I've restricted this space for my India travels only), I also travelled to the following places:

Mumbai (Feb, Sept)

Juhu Beach, Mumbai

Matheran (Feb)

Horses of Matheran

Jaipur (July)

City Palace, Jaipur

Manali (July)

A street scene, Manali

I must mention here what I call has been "the best road journey" that I've experienced, i.e., the journey from Manali to Leh, which deserved a full separate posting for its awesome scenic beauty of the majestic Himalayan mountains as I wrote in Incredible India Indeed. To think that I've lost my pictures of this impressive journey, including the sleepover in the tents of Sarchu, makes me all the more determined to undertake such a trip again as soon as possible, and I shall do that, preferably with two stop-overs next time, most likely in Keylong valley and Sarchu in the Himalayas.


Leh (July)

View of Leh from a mountain top

Ladakh (July) including:
- Chang La

On the way to Pangong Lake at the border of China

- Thiksey

Thiksey Monastery

- Nubra Valley including:
* Khardung Village
* Panamik
* Hundar
* Khardung Pass

The Karakoram range in the far distance as seen from Khardung-La,

supposedly the highest motorable road in the world

Delhi (July, Dec)

Partial view of the Parliament

Bangalore (Jan, Sept, Dec)

Jamia Masjid on Commercial Street

Kerala (Sept)

Aboard the houseboat (called Kettuvellam, in Malayalam), North Kerala

Goa (Dec)

Picturesque Goa

Mangalore and the places around it (Jan, July, Sept, Dec)

A shot from Mangalore shores

That's Part I of my travels of 2007. I shall post a few pictures covering my travels last month to part of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in the post to follow as 2007 Travels - Part II.

Happy 2008!

Greetings from Kuwait.

Here’s a quick post to inform my dear readers that I have just got back from a wonderful trip to India. My travels this time exceeded my expectations and I have returned pretty pleased with what I have explored.

During this trip I experienced vibrant and enchanting India in its many hues. Some of the places were re-visited (like Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Goa, Mangalore, and Bangalore) while the rest of the areas (mostly in Madhya Pradesh and Jhansi of Uttar Pradesh) were explored for the first time.




So, I'm back now having travelled to Gwalior, Datia, Orchha, Khajuraho, Panna and Ken Ghariyal and Bandavgarh National Parks, Jabalpur, Bedhaghat, Bhopal, Pachmarhi, Sanchi, Udaigiri, Vidisha, Bhimbetka and Bhojpur - all belonging to the state called the heart of India, Madhya Pradesh, which I would describe as the very quintessence of India's natural splendor, and rich artistic and cultural heritage.

Having returned I realized that I did explore 11 UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India and I feel pretty good about it. Here's the list:

• Agra Fort, Uttar Pradesh
• Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Maharashtra
• Churches and Convents of Goa
• Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh
• Humayun's Tomb, Delhi
• Khajuraho Group of Monuments, Madhya Pradesh
• Qutub Minar and its monuments, Delhi
• Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh
• Red Fort, New Delhi
• Taj Mahal, Uttar Pradesh

I hope to post about my experiences in each place in days to come.

My dear friends, please accept my good wishes for the New Year that has begun today and heartfelt thanks to all those who wish me good. A very Happy 2008 to all!