Ayurveda@Ashtamudi

Im sniffing here in Chennai with a bad cold and throat infection-missed the buzz at Chennai Sangamam and the only way to feel good is to remember the wonderful massage I had at Svaastha -the branded ayurvedic spa at Club Mahindra resort in Ashtamudi.I could do with one more just now...it was so rejuvenating ..I will soon post a detailed travelogue,until then..

The Ashtamudi resort bathed in moonlight

Here is another picture of Club Mahindra's Ashtamudi resort bathed in moonlight. I love this photograph and it was shot by my husband , Sharath . The place is magical , indeed.

Ive been tied up again as I have to go back to Chennai for personal reasons and it will take me a while to visit all your blogs. Wish you all a Happy Pongal/Sankranti and enjoy your holidays.

Ashtamudi - my first discovery in 2009

 

Its raining adjectives in this post. A wonderful place and an amazing weekend and it is all courtesy Club Mahindra. I was in Ashtamudi in Kerala over the weekend and the highlight of the trip was a rejuvenating ayurvedic massage at Svaastha -the harmony spa at the property. Incidentally this picture is the view from my room . More on Ashtamudi and ayurveda in some time .

Mysored - My first trip in 2009

I decided to welcome the new year and celebrate my nth year of existence in this world by going on a day trip to Mysore. Besides the fact that it is one of my favourite cities and I revisited childhood by a visit to the zoo, it is my first trip in 2009. Must say, I was very impressed with the way the zoo was maintained.


We visited a couple of temples enroute and then drove around Mysore taking in the vast empty roads flanked by open spaces. The palace were lit and looking quite festive. I just ambled along and spent most of my time otherwise eating and chilling.

I am off to Chennai this week and possibly to Kerala this weekend..so will see you soon. My first article this new year was published in Bangalore Mirror yesterday on Karwar. if you are planning your travels for 2009 , then click here to read the wishlist and recommendations of ten interesting travel bloggers including yours truly . And before I end, I thank Vishesh for this interesting award. I like the way he says I dart around the country :) Vishesh's blog is very poetic, but his sense of humour is cool , especially check out his posters and cartoons.

2008 just whizzed past me..

TThe sky on the banks of the River Kali in Karnataka..We were returning after a sighting of hornbills and I took this picture as we whizzed past in the jeep ..This was my last trip in 2008 . When I saw this picture this morning, I felt that the entire year had whizzed past me..here is a focussed shot of the same sky


If you want to do sky gazing, do visit Skywatch

Welcoming a new year ...

 

Say it with flowers, they say ..I welcome you into the new year with these beautiful scented jasmines , freshly packed in Kumbakonam. There is so much to say when we think of a year gone by , but some of the best moments were in interacting and meeting a few bloggers in person - mainly Indrani, Priyank and Mridula and talking to Celine on the phone when she was in Mangalore recently. Of course, my day doesnt end if I didnt chat online with a few of them -mainly Vijay and Gopal .I get a feeling that 2009 will be a lot more sociable than 2008 and thats exactly what happenned on new year's eve - we visited lots of friends who invited us over ..As Sharath remarked, we havent met so many people in just one night.I guess, this is the real essence of blogging as well-not just to express oneself , but to connect with more people..so, here is to more such moments.I dont know what 2009 has in store for me , but I am sure it will be a wonderful journey..I always felt that travelling through life is more exciting than arriving at a destination...Happy New Year !

Trails in Andhra Pradesh

Lepakshi

We visited several temples in 2008 and I have posted most of them. Some like Shibi, Madurai Meenakshi temple are yet to be posted. However coming back to the trails - the last legs of my 2008 heritage trails were in Andhra Pradesh..Two different dynasties this time and neither of them complete though - the Vijaynagar in Lepakshi and Kakatiya in Warangal and around.Im leaving you with two collages, one of Lepakshi and the other of the old Warangal Fort..Lepakshi was a day trip from Bangalore while Warangal was an overnight trip from Hyderabad. We covered a lot of places enroute to Warangal and then travelled onwards to Palampet. I missed Bhongir as it had become dark, but I hope to get there again sometime..Some of my stories on these destinations have been published recently.

Warangal Fort

I hope you liked the collages from all three posts from all three states - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Let me know which one you liked the best ( you could even choose any one collage ) and I would be glad to help if you plan to follow any of these trails in 2009.