Wanderlust Tales : Meenakshi Amman temple, Madurai - Tamil Naidu

Our drive from Bangalore to visit the Meenakshi Amman Temple was all worth it. I was in awe with the architecture of the temple, the minute details,the colors - such precision!

Meenakshi temple is a historic Hindu temple, located in the city of Madurai. It is dedicated to Parvati and Shiva who are named as Meenakshi and Sundareswar respectively.

It is little tedious to get to the temple, just with the aid of Google Maps - so you would need to check the sign boards and take help from the passerby to reach the temple. The road are narrow, hence if not a good driver - skip the vehicle.
Parking is another tedious task here - their parking is full all the time. We could barely find a spot in their parking lot. They do have 2 big grounds - but fully occupied always. They charge Rs.20/-.

The place is well managed and organized with the queues for men and women starting right from the entrance. There is a security checking that happens before entering the temple. Right outside where the security check happens, they provision for the Free shoe stand.
They have intensive checking at the security - you can take your phone for a fee of Rs.50/-.
Sadly, they do not have shops like near the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram to store the phones.

The temple is humongous, it wouldn't be surprisingly if would get lost and fail to find from where you got it - there are 5 gates.

We took a special darshan ticket for a fee of Rs.40/-, if I am not wrong. But we were lucky - due to the rush, they let us take the Rs.100/- darshan queue - the management is well trained in distributing the crowd and not letting people stalk up for hours.
Again it gets too hot while waiting in the queues, but the darshan for us took not more than 20 minutes. While in the queue also we could have ample vision of the deity and it was satisfying visit.

Few pictures from the visit:
Do notice the birds flying around the temple synchronously.

Cheers to life!!


~Believe in yourself always!

P.S. All the above photos have been clicked by me. J

Kodak moments : Virtue of Magarpatta City

Scenic and heart warming photos of Magarpatta City!! :)

You can find few more pictures in my below previous posts:

https://xylo742.blogspot.in/2015/05/camera-ready-beauty-of-magarapatta.html

https://xylo742.blogspot.in/2015/09/camera-ready-beauty-of-magarpatta-city.html

Oxygen zone

Cheers to life!!

~Believe in yourself always!

P.S. All the above photos have been clicked by me. :D

Food anatomization : Bell Jumbo, Madurai - Tamil Nadu

While on our drive back to Bangalore from Madurai, we stopped for dinner at this place - Bell Jumbo. It seemed quite fancy from outside, which prompted us for the halt.

You read about our drive to Madurai in the below posts:
https://xylo742.blogspot.in/2016/09/travelogue-road-trip-to-madurai.html

It was enclosed within a food court, and there were many eateries in the vicinity. There are clean washrooms for use.

So the Bell Jumbo was more like a big hall having the capability to accommodate small to large groups with a capacity of 50 rough people. It had a generous seating area.

We ordered for the BARBEQUE CHICKEN TIKKA - they had put up a demonstration stall right outside their restaurant. It looked appeasing, which led us to order the dish. But the dish was not satiating, and not even spicy as promised.
Next we called for the VEG HOT AND SOUR SOUP - again lot of corn flour in the soup and absence of salt. Na....
We started with the FRIED RICE, PANEER BUTTER MASALA and KULCHA. All in all, average dishes. The paneer butter masala was very sweet. The fried rice was edible of the lot - very plainly made.

The service was prompt, yet difficult to crab the attention of your server.

Few pictures from the visit:

Veg hot and sour soup

Barbeque chicken tikka

Kulcha

Paneer butter masala

~Bon Appétit!!

P.S. All the above photos have been clicked by me J

Wanderlust tales : Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, Chicago

In continuation from my account of my visit to the city of Chicago - next we started walking our way out from the Millennium Park. Although the roads are quite busy, but walking on the sidewalks and through the park was a pleasant experience. The best part was they have placed road maps on the streets, which are a useful guide.

The Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain - is the largest fountains in the world. There is a beautiful display from the fountain at regular intervals.
The fountain in itself is a beautiful piece of architecture and is one of the major landmarks of Chicago.
It is said that the fountain was donated by Kate S.Buckingham in honor of her brother Clarence.Kate was an art patron and a philanthropist and was the last of the Buckingham family.

There is the Grant park in less than 500 meters - which is heavily planted with trees and blooming flowers. The pathways have a special charisma and have been designed in such a way that they bring out the photographer in you to capture the beauty.
You will see plentiful of squirrel running around.
GO ahead and have a lovely walk during the evening here.

The fountain is surrounded by a good number of hotels, I believe  - the Congress Hotel was easy to spot nearby.

There are few benches where you could just let yourself get sunk in the view. :)

Just have a look at the first picture - fountain with the surrounding high rise buildings,picturesque isn't it?!

Few enticing pictures from the visit:

Cheers to life!!

~Journey  of a thousand miles begins with a single step! :)

P.S. All the above photos have been clicked by me. :D

Food anatomization : The Mayura Cake Shop, JP Nagar - Bangalore

A nicest bakery joint near by my house - Yipee!!

It is located next to the Big Market and looks quite fancy from the outside.

It is mostly a take away store, albeit they do have like 2-3 tall circular tables to have a quick bite of your pastries or other snack items.

They sell everything from the dozens of varieties of cakes, cupcakes,pastries, donuts , burgers , biscuits,pizzas, samosas, patties etc. They are well stocked up, but they fall short on the hot snacks by the evening. The shop looks very vibrant with the variety of food items on display.

We are regular in trying their varieties of pastries,samosas and vegetable patties.
The BLACK FOREST PASTRY is delicious and my favorite here. The PATTIES and samosa are a good option for an evening snack.

The staff is very courteous.

 Few pictures from the visit:

Black forest pastry

Patties

~Bon Appétit!!

P.S. All the above photos have been clicked by me. :)

Wanderlust Tales : Trek to Matheran,Maharashtra

Matheran is one of the most popular escapes from the busy bustling city life of Pune – at a distance of about 130 kms. 
It is a hill station on the Western Ghats at an elevation of 800 m above sea level. A devious attempt to maintain the balance in the nature, it has been declared by the Ministry of environment and Forest as an eco-sensitive region. It is also the only automobile free hill station.Kudos!

Matheran means forest on the forehead. Amazing isn’t it?!

Digging into the history - Matheran was identified by Hugh Poyntz Malet, the then district collector of Thane district in May 1850. The British developed Matheran as a popular resort to beat the summer heat in the region. 

On the auspicious day of Dussehra, we set to explore the trails of Matheran. We started from Magarpatta City at about 7-ish in the morning, we intended an early start but syncing up with all the members – kills time, but it is equally fun too. What's a road trip without a few glitches,eh?! 

The journey of 3 hours was scenic and a treat to the eyes. The utmost lush greenery far away from the heavily polluted city filled with high rise buildings. 
Green would just sink in in you, by the end of the journey. :)

The early hours helped us to sweep through without much traffic. 

Our ride for the day was a Scorpio hired from Zoom car.in - Scorpio

As soon as we jolted towards the outskirts of the city, we halted at a place for quick breakfast and a cup of elaichi chai which was just so refreshing, perfect for the early hours of the morning.
We went light, ordered for the idli sambhar chutney trio, which was very okay-ish. The sambhar was more of a Maharastrian rassa, the chutney was the savior though.

We were in the hands of this guy, who is seen below - busy taking a power nap before the bumpy ride.

Google maps are your best friend and your guide through the trip. We did miss out on one turn to catch the NH, but our Google map bhaisahab aided us to be on the right track again.The Mumbai-Pune highway is always a charm to be ridden on – car just zooops through. 
The hills, clouds, roads and gana are your perfect companion for a road trip. Can you ask for more?!

We paid a toll for Rs.195/- on the way to Matheran to access the NH onward and Rs.117/- while on our way back.
The view from the road towards Khandala is just so breathtaking.

There is something different always about the drive through the tunnel - although for a very short distance is like venturing into the unknown ahead. The drive through pitch darkness in the tunnel with the aid of lights from your and passerby's cars is so thrilling. Pitch darkness and all you see is the blinking hazard lights.

Till now we were enjoying the perks of the toll paid for accessing the NH which I would state as peaceful. This is because once we were headed towards the Karjat road – hell unleashed! The road is a mystery in itself, as to how such potholes could not have been fixed. How on earth do any kind of vehicles run on this road? 
The road was responsible for eating away almost all of our time – imagine the last stretch of 10-15 kilometers took more than an hour. Can you believe it?!The roads are a menace. 
It is as though, the roads have been purposefully broken down. Gosh….

While crossing via Karjat, we caught a sight of the train running across the open paddy fields and the small pond. Just as in Bollywood films!! :D :D 
My sympathies for the residents of the place, to have to undergo this ordeal each day - we did spot plentiful of houses and shops around.

See the temple amidst the vast endless floral land.

Finally after a long tiring wait, we got done with the super duper rough ride. Kudos, to our friend who drove us through like a PRO!! Now begins the ascend to Matheran, the roads get steeper and there are some dangerous turns on the way up. 
Expertise in driving is a mandate to play well with the gears, clutch, brakes and the accelerator. 
And as you are making your way to the top, you also get to witness what's in store for you. There it is standing right in front of you - giving you a glimpse of the film - like a trailor ,a preview of the hilly tops, the misty clouds and the breathtaking landscapes. It is a definite adrenaline rush.

The tiny miny fall that we bumped to on the road.

They have put up warning signs through the road - which is much needed.

Look at the curvy-ness of the road and the abrupt rocky mountains!

As we approached the top - we were directed to the parking lot which is basically an open ground – where you can park your vehicles for a duration of 24 hours at a price of Rs.30/-.

First ones to welcome us were a bunch of monkeys and few cute kiddo monkeys:

The only medium of commuting are your sweet pair of legs or the horses or the hath gadis pulled by men. Albeit, ambulance is allowed – to meet the emergency needs. No private vehicles are allowed inside. It is an automobile free zone -remember?!

There is an entry fee of Rs.50/- each adult.

The view points you can cover during your visit to Matheran:

The first attraction is the Matheran station and the railway crossing through the dappled shade of the woodland trees. It is like endless tracks getting lost among the trees - touched my heart.

Currently the toy train is not functioning, due to some technical glitches. But the rail track vanishing into the intense forest was a sight.

There are numerous lookout points which give a 360 degree view of the plains, mountains and the lake. The steep drops adds to the stunning view of the place. 

There are a total of 36 points, 2 lakes, 2 parks, a race course and 4 worship places which sum up Matheran. It is not possible to cover all the points in 1 day, so you need to plan a minimum of 2-3 days to cover all the points, and preferably walk – and catch a glimpse of the best the nature has to offer.

Th one thing is common among all points - a meadow bathing in the yellow light and the majestic mountains lost in the clouds, and the flowers in some vibrant colors.Serene!

The roads are still kachha and there is the famous lal mitti that is layered on the ground. Be prepared to get your shoes ultra reddish by the end of the trek.

It almost seemed no work has been done post its inception –  truly been left undisturbed and unperturbed as constructed by the English men. Probable reason could be maintain the balance in the environment. 

The walks through the rustic roads and the intense woods is quite enjoyable – you feel really close to nature.

The first point that we went for was the Monkey point and the Harth point. You have to choose one diversion while on the way to the market place. The walk through the dense forests is tiring, yet worth the effort.

There are monkeys in abundance, and they are so adept at snatching food - if you have a bag save it from them. They do no harm - just hungry!

The best part of the view was the passage down that we could see passing through in the landscape. 

                                   

See the curvy pathway:

The walk to the market place from here is about 2 kilometers. 

That's the Chatrapati shivaji maharaj udhyan:

For some vague reason post office always seem to excite me - it has been ages that I have actually seen a post office. Reminiscence of the good old days, when we as kids used to be regular here to post letters, cards - collect stamps and what not. Internet age taking away the small pleasure of life,eh?!

The Matheran railway station:

After the long walks to reach the market place, we set to have lunch.
There are numerous restaurants and eating joints that you would find. We opted for the Alankaar. The food was quite average - a lack of salt in all the dishes that we ordered.Alas!
The ONION KULCHA - had overdose of jeera seeds, come on who adds so many jeera seeds in a kulcha.
The CHICKEN HANDI - was okay-ish.
The VEG KADHAI - was okay-ish, too much food color.
The PANEER TIKKA MASALA - had exactly four pieces of paneer with loads of capsicum. The paneer pieces were tactfully placed on the top to make the dish appear fuller. lol!
The ROTI - there was some food coloring, and we had to return our rotis twice to get replacements.

All the dishes had a lack of flavors, seemed something strong was missing in the masalas they were preparing.

After the not so happy lunch, we set on foot again to see the Khandala point - it is at a mere distance of 5 minutes from the market place. It is towards the rear end of the market place. 
As you make your way down the steps, you can hear water gushing through - almost rhythmical.

For the love of photography, what is the level of daredevil-ness one can opt for?! And that's my friend FYI - who wouldn't listen to our persistent requests, to not go there. :)

As we headed towards the other points - we noticed this kind of shops at various points, which are a relief when you would need to rest, eat or drink.

Next was the Belvedere point - it is a small point, with plentiful of stand still rocks, which prove as good photo shoot points. There is tiny miny fall flowing through the rocks and the beautiful yellow flowers add to the scenery. The yellow and the green combo just stand out.
The river touching the feet of spread out hill and then eventually vanishing away  - what a panoramic view!

It could get little slippery and there are no bars placed at the edges - hence you need to be extra careful while walking through.

As we strolled ahead, there was the One tree hill - famous for the lone tree on the plateau, also called the wisdom tree. It is intriguing how only one sole tree surfaced here and survived and none others did.

This is a combined view of the one tree hill and the Belvedre point in one frame:

They have benches for you to rest - much needed,before the descend/ascend to/from the one tree hill point.

There were couple of villagers who were using the path to go reach their village - imagine the risky path to be taken each day, just to reach home.
Few were even carrying heavy luggage too - pulling myself  to the one tree hill point seemed seemed an uphill task - imagine them going through this every single time to commute.

This tree with no leaves was such a photogenic piece. Such subtle things - and they contribute to make your photos heavenly.

The stairway are my obsessions as well:

There were a trio trekkers - and one among them made it to the top near the one tree hill top.I am still wondering how he made it up there?!

Applaud!!

The lone man who made it to the top of the lone tree at the one tree hill point.

There was this shop as we headed ahead of the One tree hill point. These shops charge extra for anything that you buy - but I guess it is needed, facilitating at this level is also a task in itself.
We were dead tired by this time, going forth and back - we relaxed for sometime in the shade and treated ourselves with cold drinks, chai and juices.

The lake was our last point that we had to cover for the day.Notice how the water is clean, but as it conglomerates it gets so mucky.

By the evening the residents were preparing for visarjan of Durga Maa. There was dhol tasha and dancing. :)

Yes, there is hope for all in the HOPE HALL.

As we head back:

We got a chance to even watch a live horse race among the villagers. Gutsy!

It is truly a paradise in itself. 

If it is a one day trip - start early if needed, but leave before it dawns to avoid the risky descend via the steep roads, and of course the pot hole filled Karjat road.

Also note, in any of their restaurants there are no washrooms - you have to use the public toilets in place.

Do try the fudge and the chikki from the Nariman point - the Nariman point is advertised heaviliy through the trail of Matheran. A very nice marketing tactic, and it fails to leave its impact.

One piece of advice- do not walk through the train tracks. It might seem fun - but trust me your legs are gonna hurt real bad later on.

Things to carry:

1. Spare clothes
2. Sunglasses
3. Head Gear
4. Towel/Han-kerchief/tissues
5. Jacket
6. Sanitizer
7. Umbrella
8. Cash - I doubt they transact in cards
9. Good walking shoes
10. Watter bottles
11. Biscuits,chocolates or some muchings
12. Band aid

Matheran is situated at an elevated location, and it is usually cooler but during this time it was quite hot and humid out there. 
But at the end of the day, it pays off to witness such beauty of nature having been established with such awesomeness and at a hill top.

#trekdiaries 

Cheers to life!!

~Journey  of a thousand miles begins with a single step! :)