Deogarh & Kolkata

Time: Aug 23rd, 2025 to Aug 27th 2025

Place: Deogarh (Baidyanath Dham Jyotirlingam) and Kolkata

Company: Wife & Daughter

Highlights: It was after we visited Kashi/Varanasi for the first time that we started tracking the 12 Jyotirlngas, and much to our chagrin, we realized that Baidyanath was just an overnight train journey from Kashi, and we had missed visiting it even though we went en route from Kashi to Kolkata. However, even when we visited Kashi the second time, still we could not add it in our itinerary because we were moving the other way towards Badri. When we visited Prayagraj earlier this year, I thought if only we could somehow get this city added in our itinerary but we were hard pressed for time. Finally we thought we could visit it when we went to visit the new Ayodhya Ram Temple. But, as it happened, when Ganesh Chaturthi came middle of the week in Aug, took a day off and clubbed it into a long, long weekend and (because of the fear of air flying due to the recent crash at Ahmedabad) booked a train ticket to and fro only to Deogarh (Jharkhand). Our Ayodhya (second time) will have to be for another time. The direct train to Deogarh was a surprise. That too on the day of our liking. However, the return was not on the day of our liking, so we had to add Kolkata (2nd time) in the itinerary. There were still few places we had not seen when we went there first time, so it was ok. Booked the tickets for two long train journeys and we were ready for our next trip:

Day 1 - Aug 23: Usually I book the tickets with my wife's knowledge but this time kept it as a secret. Reason being, I had booked on First AC, which is something none of us had ever traveled before. Few decades back, I remember traveling in First class (which is basically same as Non AC sleeper) except that we have doors for every set of 6 berths but we do not have it any more now in Railways. But First AC is something we were always looking forward to and it was not something that we wanted to do for either a short trip nor just an overnight journey. So the itinerary had to be just right, and with Deogarh being about 40 hours away, it seemed just right, and the timing was correct, tickets were available too and I booked it. Costed a fortune of course, more than flight rate (direct BLR-Deogarh!), of course, but then it is the experience that matters, right? Initially had planned to unveil the surprise at the train but then informed them at the house itself so that they could be excited for the prospect for a longer duration!

Left the house at about 11 and reached SMVT (the new BLR station with AC!) around 1 pm and took some pics of the First AC train that we were about to board. These coaches either come as 2-berth Coupe or 4-berth Cabin. So we had to share one person in our cabin. He was an elderly person who kept to himself thankfully and spoke less. We preferred that than someone who constantly wanted to converse! Just introduced ourselves and he did that too and told a little about his family and that was about that. The train right on time at 1:50 pm and was due to reach Deogarh at 5 pm on Day 3! 

Had a nice relaxed silent time inside the cabin. Watched the countryside go by.

Day 2 - Aug 24: Whole day in train. Never got bored a bit. Read book, conversed, watched downloaded videos, got down at stations, looked at the rich cultivated land, ate few things which came by, etc.. For the first time saw a bathroom on train where one can actually take bath! Never seen that before. But the shower didn't seem that appealing though. One incident worthy of note is that at Vishakapatnam, I got down to get bananas. The train was supposed to halt for full 15 minutes. We lazed around walking on the platform hither and thither, checking which bananas to take. The vendors too kept staying at one place and then shifting to another coach. This got me confused. So when I finally chose the perfect vendor, it was almost time and I could hear the whistle. Since I was near the bogie, I saw the signal and it was still showing red. I did the transaction and right then the train started moving in the opposite direction! Appears that engine gets swapped here and train goes in the other direction! With bananas in one hand, I started running alongside the train. I could have boarded the nearest coach but I thought it is better to get as close to my coach as possible. Also since we were on First AC, it is possible that the vestibule is locked for the neighbouring coaches. Finally got onto some coach but there were people in the platform and on the train who were urging me to get on the train - quite miffed! 

Then came to my cabin only to notice Paavani was inside and wife was not there! Both of us had got down, so I had imagined she'd have come back. Quickly went to the door to see on the platform if she was still anywhere there (which doesn't make sense)  but she was nowhere to be seen. I then thought she also would have climbed onto some other coach and we had to wait. Again went to cabin, and she still hadn't come back. I thought better to go in search of her since she wouldn't know which way to get back to our cabin. Sure enough, she was at the pantry asking them how to get to First AC! She scolded me why I hadn't climbed at the first available coach when train started. As we got back and entered the cabin, some other passenger also came to me and rebuked in Hindi - how can an educated person like me run beside the train and try to get to the coach instead of climbing the first available coach. Appears that he had seen a woman try to do that somewhere before and had fell and what not! So advise to me was never to do that again! That highlight became the talk of cabin for a long time! We then packed up and got ready to get down the next morning at 4 am.

Day 3 - Aug 25: Almost on time, the train reached Deogarh. Walked to exit, grabbed an auto which took us to the temple. It was still dark but there was a huge crowd at the temple. Appears they were all waiting from 3 am, and most of them were farmers. One pundit ji said its better we go via VIP ticket which was all standardized by Govt rates. We had heard the same thing from our cabin-mate passenger in the train. Also looking at the queue, we realized we could not go through that since we had another train to catch at 1:30ish to Kolkata. The punditji seemed genuine enough. So we booked the VIP tickets. The darshan started at 6 am and it was a long queue (even VIP) but it was fast moving thankfully. 

The whole temple premises is wet with water. The premises consists of multitude of temples and upon each idol, they pour water. So, it is all wet everywhere. One has to walk carefully. Once we neared the sanctum sanctorum, our punditji hooked us to another pundit who was responsible for that part of the temple. The system of pundits is amazing. This pundit saved us from the general crowd and the temple police staff. The crowd inside the small sanctum sanctorum was unimaginable. Everyone was gushing everywhere. The body parts were getting twisted and turned whereever there was space! On top of this, the temple police staff was pushing ferociously and hitting sometimes with a wooden stick on the head! It was crazy! Thankfully our pundit ensured we were not jostled too much by the crowd nor did the staff hit the three of us! We finally got a few seconds to breathe inside and we could have darshan of the idol and even touch it and pour water on it. Just like that, we were out of the temple too! And that was my completion of all 12 Jyotirlingas! 

The first pundit met us at the exit and took us around the temple premises next to Shakti Peeth (Sati's heart). We meditated for some time. At this place, a lot is done for marital bliss and the pundit was trying his hardest to get us to do the ritual but we declined. For us, it is mostly the darshan that matters. We ourselves went to several of the temples within the premises, meditated amidst the chaos, and finally once we felt we were done the pundit called us and we got back to his 'sweet shop' where we had kept our bags. A bit of haggling on the 'additional price' for his services. And then we moved on to the railway station at about 10:40 am. 

Realized, there was no need to wait for our train and we could catch an earlier train to Kolkata. In fact, I had booked 2 trains - one in the afternoon which reached late night and another at night which would reach the next day (had booked this just in case darshan took a longer time). Now that we were ahead of time, I cancelled both trains and booked Vande Bharat - which was also our first time! The other option was unreserved train where we were not sure if we got seat or not. So VB sounded pleasing, especially with lunch option as we had had nothing to eat properly so far.

Our experience of Vande Bharat was nice. Thankfully a fellow passenger agreed for us to all three sit together. It was of course, like any other foreign train experience. Fast, silent and good service added that Indian touch to it! Within a few hours at about 4ish, we reached Kolkata.

Had booked comparatively nice, clean hotel near the station but the taxi drivers and auto drivers were cursing why I had booked that hotel since it was on a road which was unpassable! Finally one auto guy agreed and we reached our hotel. Indeed, the area was too crowded but the hotel was clean enough. 

We quickly freshened up, booked Uber to Ramakrishna Ashram / Belur Matha. Crowded roads but once we reached the ashram, it was so peaceful. Walking barefoot, we went to Belur Matha, it was architecturally beautiful. Then we went to the places attributed to Vivekanand and Ramakrishna samadhi (memorial). The rooms they were in is still in tact and kept clean. Lots of greenery. Mighty Hooghly river adds serenity.

Then we took the cruise to cross the river to go to Dakshineshwar temple. It was wonderful, just watching the city go by. Took us quite some time to get to the other side. En-route to temple, there was one more Kali temple and arathi was going on and we stood there for some time. Arathi went on and on and on! Once done, we had to walk quite a bit to get to Dakshineshwar Kali temple. It was just about to close, so we had to hurry. The final evening Arathi was taking place and we had nice darshan. The temple premises was huge, and we quickly covered as many temple/idols as we could. Thankfully a pure veg diner was right opposite and although they were closing, they invited us and we had sumptuous dinner. 

We then saw that our final place of visit Kalighat Kali temple was still open, and perhaps we could finish that too, so that we could start our next day relaxed. So boarded the metro train and went all the way to Kalighat. Even after alighting, we had to walk quite a distance to get to Kalighat Kali temple. Just when we reached, we were told it was closed for the day! Google had timings wrong! We were disheartened. We tried entering through different doors but just couldn't. Anyways, booked an uber back to the hotel. Reached and retired for the night. It had been a long, long day indeed!

Day 4 - Aug 26: Got up early, booked Uber to the Kalighat Kali temple and reached around 7ish. After the previous night, I was expecting a huge crowd but thankfully there was hardly anyone! In fact, darshan got done in few minutes! We were out by 7:30 am itself, and we had ton of time now until our departure train to BLR at noon. Did all the kriyas at the temple premises itself, and just sat there soaking in the Shakti Peeth (right toe of Sati) for eternity. Finally, at about 9ish we searched for a Pure Veg restaurant nearby and found Dosa Coffee. While we were waiting for the cab, we also saw Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's). What an iconic place indeed!

By the way, Dosa Coffee was a truly a gem of a restaurant for a South Indian in Kolkata! Every dish made to perfection. We ordered a lot of things, some to eat and some for parcel for the train. Spent close to an hour eating, and changed our attire for the travel too! 

We still had time, so we thought we might as well walk to the nearby Rabindra Sarobar lake. Once we reached the lake, we sat on a bench and relaxed! Very soothing place, the water was lapping at the edges, the swans and ducks were a treat to watch. Some swans came to the walking path and was walking too! Took some pics with them. Finally felt that we spent more time that we ought to, and it was getting late to our train! The Uber guy took more time too - and it became quite tense since it showed we'd reach station just few minutes before the departure! 

Thankfully after some roadblocks, the driver was able to make progress and we reached station right on time. Added to that, was the train was late too! It hadn't even arrived at the station which was surprising since long distance trains would arrive at platform at least 2-3 hours before departure. Anyways we got onto our train and ready for another long ride to BLR (31 hours). There was one more train which was departing at 10.30 am for 29 hours but had prudently chosen this train at 12:30 pm so that we had enough time in the morning. Thankfully got side berths in the train, so the three of us could cuddle up and spend most of our time together. There was a toddler near our seats and we had fun playing with her. Rest of the day was uneventful.

Day 5 - Aug 27: Last day of our trip. Again, watched the beautiful landscape go by. Our country is so rich with vegetation. Crossed so many rivers, it felt nice to see them brimming full (later heard news that it was flooding in most of the states we traversed through!). Most of the times I had seen it was empty. Again, never got bored in the train. Finally we reached BLR and home safely at night, and that was the end of the trip.

Overview: Well, I finished all Jyotirlingas which is a great accomplishment indeed! Experienced First AC and Vande Bharat for the first time, which felt good. Second time at Kolkata and it is a wonder why missed to visit such beautiful places first time when we were here (had ample time on the last day too in fact, and we were waiting in the Howrah station for several hours). A trip that could have completed in 1-2 days (just Deogarh) went on to become a 5 day adventure but no regrets! 

Hubli & Yellamma @ Savadatti

Time: Aug 14th PM - Aug 17th AM

Place: Hubli, Yellamma / Savadatti, Bailhongal

Company: Wife, daughter, mother

Highlights: With a long weekend, had not planned anything. But then a sudden death in the wife's family led us to plan an impromptu trip to her home town. With days at hand, we added few places and another event.

Day 0: Aug 14th: Took the overnight bus to Hubli from Rajaji Nagar at 10 pm (even though bus starts from our place at 7 pm!)

Day 1: Aug 15th: Reached at 6 am. Ablutions. Went to Matha for my Father-in-law's annual rites. Back home. Independence day celebrations at the apt where we were staying. Good display of talent. Slightly dampened due to drizzle. Initial plan was to return to BLR via bus from Bailahongal but thankfully got tatkal train ticket from Hubli, so cancelled the bus tickets.

Day 2: Aug 16th: Left home early at about 9 am to Yellamma Temple at Savadatti in local bus. I had not done proper research and so we took an elongated route. Ideal route would have been via Dharwad. Thankfully got the two buses in good succession. Reached temple at around noon, had good darshan and sat for almost an hour in the premises. And then took auto to bus stand and from there bus to Bailahongal. We reachedthe relative's house around 3 pm. Spent about 2 hours in their house reminiscing about the departed. Bit of weeping by one and all. Then took bus to Hubli, reached about 8 pm. Last minute packing and we left to railway station. Caught our train back to BLR.

Day 3: Aug 17th: Reached home safely. 

Overview: A short family trip - mainly for the departed souls (spouse's father and father's sister). Yellamma temple was a bonus - first time for me, my mom and daughter.

IYC for 17th Wedding Anniversary

Time: July 10th-13th, 2025

Place: Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore

Company: Wife & Daughter

Highlights: Unlike other anniversaries, this year we thought we will do it differently by a visit to the ashram. The dates were coinciding with Guru Pournima, so we clubbed some of the events. Wife went early to the ashram to attend the Guru Pournima event while daughter and I tried to view the event online as much as we could while we were on our way to Majestic to board the train on 10th.

On 11th, the two of us reached the ashram and met her at the entrance itself. We then got ourselves checked in and went to the room for refresh. Had to rush back to the Biksha Hall to have brunch. Then visited the Devi temple, gave an offering to Devi, then the Nada aradhana at Dhyana Linga and went back to the room at 1 pm for a nap. In the evening, went to Adiyogi. Spent a lot of time but not until Divya Darshanam since we had since that enough times already. Headed back, went to Biksha Hall for dinner and retired for the night. Daughter had a nice time cycling around the vicinity.

On 12th, we could hear the Mantra chantings from 5.30 in the morning. We did our kriyas and then breakfast time again. We just passed the time until about 11.30 am at which we were supposed to meet few volunteers who wanted to show us the ashram premises in and around 3 kms perimeter of Adi Yogi, with upcoming projects and developments. We obliged and we were fortunate enough to see Sadhguru on his bike who went past us on the same road where we were walking. Had detailed conversation with couple of monks about isha and how it was to how it has become now and what is Sadhguru's vision going forward. It was indeed very inspiring. Headed back to the room post noon and took rest until evening. It was again tea in the evening and dinner at night. Went to the terrace, it was a beautiful night with the moon and stars and the Vellangiri Mountain as backdrop. We could also hear music from the Program Halls nearby.

On 13th, we had given our names to the Klesha Nashana Kriya for all three of us. I took bath in the cold Surya Kund water while the wife and daughter 'prokshan'ed from Chandra Kund. We then took the offerings from the counter to the place where Klesha Nashana Kriya is performed. It is an elaborate ritual where you are made to sit on a table and your aura (so to speak) will get cleansed by neem leaves and the fire element. The whole thing will take about 30-45 minutes. After that we went to Devi again and sought her blessings. One quick visit to Dhyana Linga too and then we rushed to Biksha Hall for Brunch. That done, we checked out and took the bus at 11 am to the railway station. Our train was on time at 1 pm. Rest of the journey was uneventful. Just yapped, read books and kept taking eateries from passers-by. Had initially planned to get down at Karmelaram (first time in life), and in fact we did but it was raining, so thought we will not get taxi easily and hence got back on train to get down at Majestic. Took Metro and finally reached home at about 10 pm.

Overview: A very different way in which our anniversary was celebrated in the Guru's ashram with aura cleansing and divinity all around. Very peaceful, not rushing around wanting to see places or try adventurous stuff like how it had been in the past! 

Godhaana for Dad @ Udupi

Time: May 30th - Jun 2nd, 2025

Place: Udupi, Pajaka, Adamaru, Kateelu

Company: Relatives

Highlights: Godhaana (donation for the cow) needs to happen on behalf of the departed (my father, in this case) between the 165th and the 180th day of demise to help them on their onward journey. Udupi is a good place because of Krishna's presence and his love for the cows (and vice versa). So, planned for Udupi trip exactly two months before departure since had to book the train tickets for almost 12 of us. Thankfully, got all confirmed tickets.

Day 0 - May 30th: Bit of an adventure at the beginning itself with one family almost missing the train. We all thought they missed it but when it started moving, they entered our coach - huffing and puffing. Thankfully they had boarded the moving train in a different coach! So it was quite exciting to start off. The next hour was all about re-living the adventure - what happened, what could have been done better, etc..

Day 1 - May 31st: Reached at about 5 am, took couple of cabs to reach out pre-booked hotel. Checked-in, went to the Matha, took dip in the Madhwa Sarovara and started with the monthly rites of father. It was very different compared to how it happens in BLR. Language was tough to follow too. Anyways, an hour later it was done. We then went for Lord darshan. Huge queue but we got in midway due to the seva. Had nice darshan and sat within the ambit of the idol.

Then we waited for the priest who performs the Godhaana seva. Around 10:30, we were ushered in and one more small process for Godhaana where we gave offerings to the cow. It hardly took 10 minutes, and then we were done with the intent of the trip. The lunch took some time though, had to wait for more than an hour. Around 12:30 lunch was served, and after a sumptuous meal, we returned back to our lodge and took a nap.

Around 4 pm, we woke up and visited a relative house which was within walkable distance. Had nice time at cousin's in-laws, especially with cousin's two small kids. After tea, took two buses and went to Malpe beach. Thanks to the flood-like situation, they had cordoned off most of the beach and no one could go near the waves. However, there was a place where we could indeed venture into the beach and most tourists were there. We enjoyed about 30 mins of beach time when the cops realized the gap in the net, and they came whistling at us and ordered us to get away from the water! Thankfully we had had our fun by that time! There were more fun things to do for kids like kite flying, trampoline, etc. and they had a gala time!

After another round of road side tea, we took another bus which took us back to Udupi. From there, we walked all the way to our lodge. Had one more darshan of Lord Krishna just before temple closed, and then we retired for the night at the lodge. Had to scamper last minute to book a vehicle (Tempo Traveler) for the next day and plan the itinerary - but got that done successfully.

Day 2 - Jun 1st: Woke up at 6ish, quick bath, then went to darshan by 7. Everything got done quickly. Also visited some of the temples/mathas in the Car street and finally went to breakfast also on Car street. Tried some local cuisines. It started raining heavily. Finally at about 10ish, we were ready. We had four rooms, checked out two of them, kept remaining two until night-fall, and hopped onto the Tempo Traveler (TT) for local sight seeing.

Our first point of visit was Kujarugiri Durga Devi temple at Pajaka. Built atop a small hill. Nice peaceful setting. Madhwacharya statue also on this hill. Next we went to Madhwacharya's house where he had performed multitude of miracles, thankfully there are notice boards that talk about these tales within the house. Again, a serene divine place. After this, we went to Parashuram temple in front of Durga Devi Temple, again atop a hillock. Nice views all around of the Western Ghats.

Next we headed to Adamaru Temple. This was one more Matha set amidst nature and greenery. Very peaceful. Everywhere we went, we were met with hospitable people. They were willing to prepare lunch for us too but we had to wait for more than an hour, so we declined. After a short stop, we skipped some of the places which we were on our To-visit list like Palimaru Temple, Padubidri, Nandikur, etc. and went straight to Kateelu.

There was a huge crowd at the temple. It was a fantastic temple with gushing river on both sides, and one had to cross a small bridge to get to it. The Devi herself was very powerful, and that caused wifey to get rooted at the temple not wanting lunch or anything. She could feel the Devi's energy. Amidst all the chaos, it was also the right time for Brahmin's lunch, so most of the family hurried while the three of us (wife, daughter and me) could not. When we went, there was no space. So we then tried to go to the General lunch but there it has a huge queue, and we'd've'd to wait for over an hour. So we headed back to Brahmin's area and waited out for the first round to get done. We three were ok to skip too but family insisted we have. So we finished our lunch and by then it was almost 3 pm. 

For the three of us, the train was at 4.30 pm from Mulki. So we got down and rest of the family (came to know later) went to a beach at Padubidri since they didn't want to visit any more temples for the day! Then they went to Udupi, saw Krishna again and they took their train back from Udupi to BLR while the three of us caught the train (which was on time) from Mulki and reached BLR (Kengeri) at 5.30 am. Had couple of interesting incidents - one at Mulki where a fellow passenger looked at my wife and guessed correctly that she was into spirituality. He spoke about his life at Brahma Kumaris. Quite a tale. Second incident was that it was our first time getting off a train at Kengeri. Third incident was that our Uber car from Kengeri to home broke down with a puncture, and we had to take an auto to get back home. Thankfully we were on time for the school, which was the main purpose why we had to take the train from Mulki.

Overview: A nice family trip to Udupi and surroundings. The Godhaana also was done with divinity at Lord Krishna's abode. A short two day trip filled with divinity of the Lord, love of the families amidst the nature (Western Ghats and Arabian Sea).

Lepakshi

Time: May 18th, 2025

Place: Lepakshi 

Company: Wife and daughter

Highlights: While researching about Lepakshi, came across this beautifully chronicled article: https://revolvingcompass.com/lepakshi-temple/. This is a must-read before coming to Lepakshi. We almost missed out on the hanging pillar, and saw it only because someone asked where it was!

Our itinerary was similar to the article, except we left a bit late, had nice brunch at Nandi restaurant on the Highway after airport exit. Reached Lepakshi at about 1 pm. Spent the next 3-4 hours visiting all that Lepakshi had to offer (refer the above link), and headed back home. 

A simple one-day outing which combines a good drive, bit of a trek/climb and divinity. Definitely a must-see place.

Japan

Time: May 3rd to 9th, 2025

Place: Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka)

Company: Wife & daughter

Highlights: I had never imagined I would visit Japan! Wifey was interested, hence the planning and research began for Summer vacation! In fact, she had planned to combine Japan and China together but it would have been extremely cumbersome to plan the itinerary (especially because we were going by ourselves and not through any agent) and submit passports to the two countries' embassies for visas. So, decided on Japan, since China visa was harder to obtain (at the time of research).

After deciding on 'Japan-only', researched on all that Japan had to offer and the timing. We had many other things to attend to during summer, so we had a short two weeks availability during first two weeks of May and we had to make it click somehow. I researched that getting Japan visa was fairly easy (within 5 days), so did not think too much about it - a big mistake! Instead, I concentrated more on the itinerary planning, ticket booking, etc. and pushed out the 'getting visa' to the end. 

We finalized on three main places to visit in Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. We left out the Hiroshima and Nagasaki (since it was too depressing) and the Northern section (since we wanted to keep it short as we were not aware if we will get pure veg Indian restaurants). So, itinerary was fairly straightforward once we decided on these three cities - either we went from South to North or the other way round. So, had to check upon the flight tickets and North to South was cheaper, so booked them.

Then, when I was checking the details about the visa, got to know that we had to book appointment (mandatory) at the VFS consulate after which it will take 5 days, and the earliest appointment date (thank God) was just 10 business days from our date of departure. This was touch-and-go, and in case there was 'further questions', we would run out of time to get the visa - and I came to know that this had happened for some tourists. However, we were were left with no option now since there was no expedited visa processing either. I repented that I should have done some checking on visa formalities before booking the flight tickets. Even via agents, reviews were not good, so decided to take the chance and apply.

Thankfully for us, there was no delays and we were able to secure the visa in 6 business days. We got the visa delivered to our home just 2-3 days before departure - too close to comfort and a lesson to not repeat such things in future, although I remember something similar had happened even during our trip to Brazil, hence essentially no lesson learnt this time around!

Anyways, thank God that we received the visa and we quickly finished our packing, got some Japanese yen just the day before our trip since I had heard that currency is more in circulation in Japan than cards. Finally, we were all set to travel!

Day 1 - May 3rd, 2025: Reached Tokyo

The Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong was at 1:20 am. Layover of about 6+ hours. Watched Sonic movie, roamed around, window shopped, had Starbucks coffee, conversed, etc. never got bored one bit. Reached Tokyo at 9.30 pm. Both were smooth flights. Immigration was quick and easy. Took the metro to the nearest point where our hostel was located. Figured out the metro map and familiarized myself with it. A 10 min walk, and we reached the hostel just before midnight. It was clean and superb. To book a hotel/hostel in Tokyo, I had spent hours and hours. There were so many options, so many rates. The winning factor was Pure Veg Indian restaurant nearby. I booked one hotel, cancelled it and chose another. Again cancelled it and chose another. After multiple bookings and cancellations, finally had decided on this hostel. This was good option thankfully.

Day 2 - May 4th, 2025: Tokyo

This day was dedicated for Tokyo sight-seeing. We first went to the Indian restaurant, had nice breakfast and then took a taxi to Tokyo SkyTree. We had pre-booked the tickets for the morning slot, so had a shorter line. The elevator was not as fancy as Bangkok. View from up top was good. There was entertainment too, with Japanese animes, and one could line up to take pics. Had nice macha ice-cream too. We did the 360 degree view and soaked in Tokyo from everywhere. Unfortunately, we could not see Mt Fuji due to cloud cover. After spending a lot of time, we then took the elevator back down, and then took metro to Sensoji temple which was close by. 

Walked through the bustling streets towards the Buddhist temple and spent some time visiting the shrines. Incense sticks were burning furiously at the entrance and some sort of prayers were going on inside. We roamed around the entire campus. There was a small nice stream with ducks. After a little bit of shopping, we were on our way back. We had to re-trace our steps back to Tokyo SkyTree via Metro and then take another metro line to Shibuya Crossing. 

We had done extensive research on which metro exit to take, where to go, etc. It was really cool to come to the middle of the road when all signals turned red and there was this sudden rush for people to snaps pics, selfies, etc. and crossing the road when there is no real need! We crossed over multiple times at multiple places just to enjoy it. Took pics in different modes and Hyperlapse was the best of the lot. Next we headed to the famous Starbucks on the first floor! Ordered some eateries and coffee and took our position near the glass windows to see the magic unfold every few minutes. It is really a great experience although it is as simple as road-crossing!

With this, we were pretty much done with Tokyo. There were couple more places which we'd've liked to visit like the Ashikaga Flower Park, Shinjuku Garden, Rainbow bridge, Tokyo Tower and TeamLab Borderless but that'd've extended our trip. Anyways, we caught sight of the Tokyo Tower in light, there was not much Cherry Blossom trees at the Shinjuku Garden at this time of the year and there were no tickets at the TeamLab Borderless, so it was alright. Went back to the hostel in Metro and retired for the night. But before that, went to a different Pure Veg Indian restaurant nearby, had good dinner and packed parathas for the next day. 

Day 3 - May 5th, 2025: Roof of Japan

This was an important day, since we had to cover a lot and be on time throughout. Had spent a lot just for this day too! Got up by 4 am and went to the Metro station. We then took the bullet train at 6 am from Tokyo to Nagano, this was our first time in bullet train. Although it didn't feel much with great speeds and it is an Engineering Marvel, it seemed pretty normal somehow! We reached Nagano at 7.30 am, and our tour guide reached on time at 8 am. We had booked Alpine Tour for the entire day to take us to the 'Roof of Japan', an itinerary that is open only for few weeks in May & June for the entire year.

The guide took us to our comfortable bus. It was a two hour ride to Ogizawa station. We had great sights of snow-capped peaks all around even from here. Few trees still had cherry blossom left in them. We then stood in line and took the electric bus to Kurobeko station. It was a good 15-20 min journey inside a deep tunnel. Once we came out of the tunnel, we could see that we were on the Kurobe dam. We walked along the dam road and then entered another tunnel to join a line for a 'cog train' which took us on a steep ascent up a mountain. 

As soon as we reached Daikanbo station, it was freezing and there was snow all around. We played with snow, took more pics of the snow covered alps, the dam, etc. and then it was time to go in the cable car further up to Murodo station aka Snow corridor. There was huge crowd at Murodo station. The guide guided us well on what to do, where to eat, where to meet, etc..

Our first destination was the Snow Corridor itself. Huge walls of snow up to 16 ft were carved on either sides of the road. We walked about half a mile on such road and the walls seemed increasing in feet! The road turned adding charm to the whole thing. Buses were plying on the road too, and this gave perspective of how high the snow walls were. Once we felt satisfied, we returned back but this time on snow instead of road. It was hard but fun. There were people skiiing, roller-blading, etc. and good to see all around. Thankfully, the sun was shining and it was not too cold. We were in fact very lucky because the days before and after were all cloudy/rainy - and we had booked this months in advance with no clue on weather, since this was the only day which was working out for us.

Upon reaching the Murodo station, we walked past, on the snow on the top floor since there were more things to see. But then walking on snow was slow, so we went some distance and aborted and returned back. Instead enjoyed just being in the snow, building snow man, etc..Finally it was time to head back. From Murodo, we took the cable car back to Daikanbo. There, we had quite some time, since a previous batch were yet to depart. So we spent some time having our lunch and chatting with the guides - one was from Australia and another from US. They enjoyed the Parathas which we shared with them!

Next was the Cog train down to Kurobe dam. We climbed up the 200+ steps to visit the viewing gallery on the dam just when they were about to close it. Grabbed quick pics and then rest of the journey was uneventful and smooth - electric bus to Ogizawa station and our tour bus to Nagano Station. Our return bullet train was unreserved but I was expecting seats. Instead we had to stand and come for more than an hour until we got seats near Tokyo. Even booking the Shinkansen bullet train was a novel experience, since I was researching and trying out different websites on the way from India in Hong Kong. Reached our station at about 10 pm, walked along some 'night-life' streets and reached our hostel and retired for the night.

Day 4 - May 6th, 2025: Reached Hakone area

This was a relatively easy and relaxing day. Got up late, checked out of the hostel, went to the same Indian Pure Veg where we had gone the first day, had a full nice sumptuous meal, ordered parcel for the night too and then took the Metro to another station called Shinjuku station which is World's busiest railway station apparently. From there, took the Metro to Odawara. After reading reviews, we realized Romancecar is overrated and not worth it. Anyways, we had the whole day just to reach Hakone area, so took it easy. Upon reaching Odawara, walked to our Odawara Terminal hotel which was just a few minutes away. Checked-in, freshened up and then we thought we will walk to the Odawara castle. 

It was a pretty big area and maintained more like a museum with full history of kings and their sons, and how they fought but got captured, etc.. At the top floor, one can walk the full 360 degrees and view the entire city of Odawara. Took some pics, and walked through the garden back to the city. Grabbed a donut for the daughter and coffee for the wife, and then returned back to the hotel. Had our dinner from the morning's take out and retired for the night.

Day 5 - May 7th, 2025: Hakone, and reached Kyoto

The D-day for Mt Fuji viewing. Thankfully it was not raining. We took the Hakone Tozan line train from Odawara to Gora. At Gora station took the cable car to Sounzan station and then ropeway to Owakudani station. Saw huge fumes of smoke coming out of the mountain at different parts, basically volcanic/lava embers emitting sulphuric smell. It was a fascinating scene and one really has to appreciate constructing the ropeway right on top of the volcanic smoke, emitting 24/7!

At the station, we got down, roamed around different view points to see the smoke fumes. At times, the smell was nauseating. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't see Mt Fuji. This is supposedly the best viewing spot for Mt Fuji but there was a huge cloud cover. It is said that Mt Fuji creates its own weather, and today it had covered itself completely in cloud. Only barely we could see the base of the mountain. In fact, we could not even figure where it was until we saw some pics which were kept on the road side, right opposite to where the smoke fumes were coming out. We decided to wait for some time, and ended up waiting for more than an hour. Many did the same too. Grabbed an ice cream to pass the time. Despite the wait, nothing much changed, and we left without the view of Mt Fuji.

Continued our journey on the ropeway to Togendai port. Just as we entered, the cruise departed. So we had to wait for the next one in the line. After about 30 mins, it was our turn. Quite a fanciful pirate ship. The lake Ashi was peaceful. There was some slight hope that we could get a glimpe of Mt Fuji from here at least, but alas, no. The cruise to Moto Hakone port took about 30 minutes and we de-boarded. Trekked up to Peace Torii, which was like Floating Torii. On the way, there was some sakura trees, late-blooming cherry blossoms, so took some pics and then finally took a bus to Hakone. It was jam-packed with tourists.

From Hakone, took train back to Odawara and then took our luggages from the lobby (we had checked out in the morning itself), and took the Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto. We had not booked the tickets in advance since we were not sure what time we could get back. So, this one was really hurried. It was like 4.30 pm and I was at the ticket vending counter punching in all details like how many people, where to get down, which train, which coach to board, etc. while the train was already at the platform waiting to depart at 4.35 pm. Grabbed the tickets and ran with our luggages up the escalator to board the train. On hindsight, I am wondering how I took such a risk! If we had missed the train, we should have taken the next one but that would be unreserved coach - basically can sit on seats only if its unoccupied.

This was a 2-3 hour bullet train ride traversing through the Japan countryside from mid-North to mid-South. Slept for some time and at other times, tried to gauge the speed with which we were traveling. We were going at about approximately 300 kmph. It didn't seem all that overwhelming actually. More like sitting in a flight. Pretty expensive too. One learning was that I didn't find one reliable website to buy Shinkansen tickets. Each website was trying to market it's own lines. So I couldn't find a direct train from Odawara to Kyoto on some portals whereas it was available on other portals. Anyways I was able to get it in the station on the ticket vending machine itself. So if I had relied upon that one portal alone, then I would have pre-booked tickets on 1 train till Nagoya and another from Nagoya to Kyoto instead of enjoying a direct train to Kyoto. Anyways, reached Kyoto at about 7.30 pm. 

Figured out how to go to our hotel. It was about a km away. Took the metro to get to a station closer to our hotel - just 1 stop away. The hotel was nice and clean but wife and daughter immediately felt allergic to the ambience instead. Checked-in and went out walking to a nearby Indian restaurant. Couldn't find pure veg Indian restaurant here but the one we chose wasn't too bad either. It seemed homely. Good food with nice bollywood songs on TV. Walked back to our hotel and retired for the night. On the way back while walking, we caught sight of the Kyoto Tower as well.

Day 6 - May 8th, 2025: Kyoto and reached Osaka

We had shortlisted four main places to see - Arshiyama in the East, Kinkakuji in the North, Kiyomizu-dera in the West and Fushima Inari in the South. Our hotel was right in the middle. So had a hard time finalizing on the order since the metro/subway train connectivity to all four was not very convenient. Finally, we decided on the same order given.

Took metro to a place where we could get tram train right to Arshiyama. Just a few meters of walking and we were at the Togetsukyo bridge. Pretty nice and relaxing atmosphere with the river passing by. Then we walked towards the Arshiyama Bamboo forest. On the way, we went through a shrine. But the Arshiyama Bamboo forest was something else altogether. Tall towering bamboo branches welcomed us and it was a great feeling walking through them. Took many pics. In fact, we did a loop of walking, so it was quite a bit indeed. 

We got back to the same tram train station and then took another tram train which took us very close to Kinkakuji. Still, we had to walk about 15-20 minutes to reach the temple premises. There are about 10-12 points of interest to be seen in the temple premises but the main and the first attraction is the Japanese temple on the lake. Rest of them were pretty much pastime. The trail goes through nature and many other man-made settings. A bit hyped, I felt, this shrine. We were quite exhausted due to the heat, so had macha ice cream.

That done, we then took a bus which dropped us off at another metro station from where we took the train which took us very close to Kiyumizu-dera. We had to walk uphill for about 10 mins from the station and finally we entered the temple premises. This one is a plain vanilla Japanese temple, nothing much to write about. We entered the temple, meditated for some time, and after that there was nothing much to do. Later felt we could have skipped it altogether. Nothing much to do nor see here, in fact.

Then we took a taxi to Fushima Inari. This one is worth visiting. This is more of a hillock that one can climb if interested, and all along the stairs, they have decorated the columns in their traditional red, and that is worth a picture. As we climb higher and higher, Kyoto can be seen in its entirety and it is beautiful. Probably a beautiful place for sunset too but we had to keep moving. At the summit, there is a loop trail that one can further trek if interested but we gave it a pass. Just admired the scenery of Kyoto and started descending. Got back to the metro station, and it was packed with tourists. 

Took the train to Kyoto station, and then another metro that took us back to hotel where we picked up the luggage and got to Shijo station via metro to finally take the subway to Osaka. This journey took a long time - almost an hour. This track was completely through city limits so we got a chance to see Osaka and Kyoto while the train moved. 

Once we reached Osaka, we walked to the hotel which was close by but not too close either. Finally checked in to the hotel. Thankfully, the hotel was really good. We were really hungry, so we decided to go to an Indian Restaurant. Booked a cab but once we reached the only Pure veg Indian restaurant, it was full of people. We had to wait more than 30 minutes to get seated. It was worth the wait, the food was good.

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel via the streets of Doutonbori. It is really a nice place with good night life - bustling even at 11 pm, full of lights and decorated across many streets. It was like Christmas except that it was not. The walk was also beside a canal and that added to the charm. Took many pics and finally retired for the night. It really was a long day!

Day 7 - May 9th, 2025: Back to Bangalore

Booked a cab that took us to the main metro station in Osaka which had direct train to airport. Ran into slight issue with my debit card not working at the counter but finally was somehow able to arrange the cash to buy the tickets to the airport. Caught the train, and it was another one hour ride via to the airport.

Reached airport, checked in and boarded our Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong. Another long layover at HK. We contemplated going out of the airport and visiting the city. If not the city, at least the cable car which was inviting from the airport. Did some internet research too on how to go but then decided it was not worth taking the risk. Rightfully so, because it started raining and that meant they would have closed the cable cars. Imagine being stuck at the top of the mountain and a flight to depart to home soon! So, just relaxed at the airport, ate at some eateries, window-shopped, played with the consoles at the terminal, played chess, re-watched scenes from Sonic movie and finally it was time to board.

Rest of the flight back to BLR was uneventful but the return to home via cab was eventful indeed! The electric car shutdown 3 kms from our home at 2 am in the night and added to that, the driver was very amateur and unprofessional. While it seemed we were stuck, thankfully an uber driver nearby accepted our request and dropped us off home safely. Felt good to be back home after the week-long trip to Japan.

Epilogue: Well, as I mentioned earlier, had never imagined I would visit Japan! But, actually, it is indeed a very beautiful country, with nice people and fantastic metro-train connectivity. It is mind-blowing how a country that was devastated by the Nuclear bombs in 1945 has been able to stand on it's feet and become so advanced so quickly. We were happy that we went, and I guess that is what matters the most, isn't it?

There are of course several weeks of places to see in Japan, but we had to cut it short to 1 week, and we made the most of it. It costed about INR 4L for the three of us to visit Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka for 1 week. While there are several reasons to enjoy Japan, one of my daughter's favs happens to be the toilet bidet! Extremely innovative, indeed! All in all, the memory of the trip to Japan always gives us a reason to smile..!

Tamil Nadu Temples

Time: 28th March 2025 - 1st April 2025

Places: Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai, Chidambaram, Srimushna, Thanjavur, Thiruvayyaru, Srirangam

Company: Wife & Daughter

Highlights: This itinerary was originally scheduled as a 5-6 day trip for Dec considering winter in Tamil Nadu. But then we had a long weekend and thought we might as well tick this off our list. 

Day 1 - March 29th 2025: Took the overnight (from 28th) to Kumbakonam. Got down at the railway station, took the auto to Maha Maham Tank. Initially we had planned to take bath here but looking at the condition of the Tank and no dress changing facility, we skipped it and did prokshan. 

Our first temple was Kasi Viswanathar temple. Then the auto driver took us to Airavatesvara Temple. But it was not yet open, so we had to go back the long route back to the city and our next stop was Sarangapani Temple. Each temple was massive. Kumbakonam is a city of temples. After Sarangapani temple, we then moved to Chakrapani Temple. Spent quite some time meditating. And then we again headed back to Airavatesvara temple. Now, it was open. The architecture and landscape was great. Inside not much though. Then took an auto to Oppiliappan temple which was quite a distance away. Each of the temple has 'Sthalapuran' and the specialty of this temple is that the prasadam here has no salt. It so happened that Vishnu took avatar as an old man in this town and asked a devotee his daughter for marriage. Devotee refused initially but later realized that the old man was Vishnu himself and agreed but told that the daughter was too young for marriage, in fact so young that she did not even know how to put salt to food. Vishnu said it is ok if she does not put salt and married her! So, after our darshan, we had prasadam here and it was indeed saltless! Took an auto back to the bus stand and, with this, we were pretty much done with Kumbakonam temples, at least the main ones.

We then took a bus to Mayiladuthurai which was just an hour away. Then took an auto to the main temple. In this temple, the Lord Shiva is pictorised in the form of a Peacock. It is a huge temple, like all Tamil Nadu temples. This was a quick darshan, and then we took another bus to Chidambaram. Reached our booked hotel at about 2 pm and relaxed a bit. At about 4 pm, after a short nap, we planned to finish Srimushna but little did we know how to go about it! Hardly any bus came till 5 pm, even though it was just about an hour away. Then, a fellow bus passenger informed us in Tamil (which we understood with great difficulty) that we had to take a bus to Sethiathoppu and then another bus from there. Lost more than an hour waiting for a direct bus to Srimushna unfortunately. Thankfully, got a bus soon enough to Sethiathoppu but, alas, there was no bus to Srimushna even though we waited for quite a bit. Finally, we realized that it is better to take the auto although it was a hefty amount.

The auto took about an hour to go, and by the time, we reached Srimushna temple, it was past 7 pm. A quick darshan and we headed back to the auto. The last time I had visited Srimushna was more than 2 decades ago but still I recollected it. The auto took us back to Sethiathoppu and thankfully we got a bus back to Chidambaram soon enough. By the time we reached Chidambaram, it was past 9 pm. We thought we might as well go to the temple until it closed.

Apparently, it is very important to be in the temple during the closing time since special pooja is performed, a ritual of sorts to put the Lord to sleep. There was massive crowds, full jostling and pushing to see 'Chidambaram Rahasya' - apparently Lord Shiva Himself. Ritual after ritual went on and on until 10.30 pm after which prasadam was distributed. It was the same prasadam which was offered to Lord. Very tasty, and it was the first proper meal that we had during the entire day. All sorts of prasadam were offered like fruits, rice bath, curd rice, kheer, etc.. Finally at 11 pm the security guards whistled and gestured for all of us to leave the premises. We then walked over to our hotel and retired for the night. It was one long day.

Day 2 - March 30th 2025: At sunrise (saw sun rising too!), went to Chidambaram temple and good darshan. Went up close to the Shiva idol. Spent quite some time within the temple premises. By 8ish, we got out, had light breakfast and took a bus to Bhuvanagiri, and walked to Sri Raghavendra Swamy birthplace. Very peaceful, and serene atmosphere. Took bus back to Chidambaram and had lunch at Annadanam within temple premises. 

Then took an auto to Pichavaram Mangrove forest only to find that the first available boat ride was about 2-3 hours away, thanks to the huge crowd! Never realized that we had to book in advance! I had indeed seen the previous night but most slots were free, so thought we might as well go and check but that mistake costed us. So, we just spent some time neat the river bank, ate some ice cream and fruit salad and drank tender coconut and left the mangrove without seeing it! The auto driver dropped us off at the railway station and our train to Thanjavur was on time. I slept through the entire trip and so did wife for most part. Thanks to daughter, she realized we were supposed to get down at Thanjavur, and woke us up when our train entered the station! 

Took the auto to Thanjavur Brihadeeshwara temple. This was my second time here, back after (close to) two decades. But it was my first time seeing it under lights, and it is indeed very beautiful. Too much crowd. The setting was perfect, the day's heat was reducing, the dusk was oncoming. We went to each of the side temples and took many pics. After spending a long time, we went out to a nearby Pure Veg restaurant and had dinner. It was adjacent to an Art shop, so did some shopping too. Walked a block to our reserved hotel for the night and retired for the night.

Day 3 - March 31st, 2025: Took an auto in the morning to Thanjavur Raghavendra Swamy temple. This was the place where he took up the 'Sanyasa' and left the family life. Another serene and beautiful place amidst the nature. A long Pooja was underway, we stayed through and had nice prasadam at the end of the Arathi. This place was just the same how it was two decades ago when I last visited. The auto took us back to the hotel. 

We then walked to the bus stand and then took a bus to Thiruvayyaru, It was just a 30-45 min distance from Thanjavur. Took an auto at Thiruvayyaru to Saint Thyagaraja's birth place. I hadn't come here last time. At the birth place, Paavani sang one of Thyagaraja's song beautifully which almost got tears to my eyes! Then we went to Thyagaraja's Brindavan place where the Thyagaraja Aradhane takes place every year. It was almost closing time for them, so not much people but thankfully we spent good quality time at both places. The river beside was dry, sadly. After spending some time looking at the lyrics on the walls, we left the place. The auto took us back to the bus stand and we got into a bus that took us back to Thanjavur bus stand. We then walked back to the hotel, checked out and took another auto which took us to another bus stand where we got a bus to Tiruchirappalli. We got down at Tiruchirappalli railway station, deposited our baggage at the luggage counter, had quick lunch and took a bus to Srirangam.

It was almost an hour's journey in bus, and that costed us crucial time. Should have taken an auto. Reached the temple, and temple premises is massive. There are gopurams after gopurams just to enter the temple! Finally we rushed through the temple right to the core only to find that the queue was stopped. We went into Quick darshan queue but still we had to wait for quite some time. At the sanctum sanctorum, there was hardly any light to see the Sleeping Ranga, the lamps were dull. Still, squinted to glimpse at the Lord. Then we rushed out of the temple, scampering, glancing here and there at some of the odd temples sprawled across the premises. Although my mom said I had gone there before, I have no recollection of it whatsoever. So, not really sure if this was my first or second time!

Then, took an auto the Jambukeshwar temple which was nearby. Another massive temple. Had to really walk and walk, or rather, run and run! Alas, here too they had stopped the queue, so had to sit until they opened up for darshan. Thankfully, it was just a half hour wait. A unique temple, where we had to crawl and enter the sanctum sanctorum. There is a reason for this depicted in the 'sthala puran' about a spider and elephant tale. 

After Jambukeshwar temple, we then took an auto to Sadhguru Sri Brahma temple which was also close by. Meditated within the premises for some time. A calm and peaceful setting. Then the auto driver took us to railway station. There was one other temple which I wanted to go in Tiruchirappalli, which was on a hillock but then we didn't want to risk it, as it involved a huge climb, and the auto guy said it might take 2-3 hours. So, anyway, got back to the station, had nice dinner at A2B, took our luggage from the luggage counter, and boarded the train, which was on time. Overnight journey to BLR, and back to home on time on April 1st. 

Epilogue: This itinerary, coupled with few more temples was supposed to be a 5-6 days trip during Christmas to offset the Tamil Nadu heat but we compressed it to 3 days and compromise on few of the places, otherwise about 90% of them got ticked. In addition, we finished two of the 'Earth-element' temples - Chidambaram (space-temple) and Jambukeshwar (Water-Temple). Wifey has finished all 5 and for my daughter and me, only Arunchaleshwara (fire-temple) at Thiruvannamalai is left. Needless to say, it was quite hectic, with reduced sleep, late nights, early wake-up calls, and running through various vast temple premises! Initial plan was to visit during Thyagaraja Aradhane festival but then it is difficult to get long weekend during that time, so we thought we might as well see when we can. This was another of those trips which we wanted to do since a long time, and we were glad that we could make it. Signing off for now...!

Bandipur, Wayanad, Nagarhole

Time: March 14-16, 2025

Place: Bandipur, Wayanad & Nagarahole

Company: Wife & Daughter

Highlights: A short trip to southern part of Karnataka and bit of Kerala. Well. I guess what is called as Bandipur in Karnataka is same as Wayanad in Kerala once we cross over the border. And the same stretch slightly north is Nagarahole. The last time I was here in these regions was way back in 2007 with my Infy colleagues, and on that fateful day my grandparents died in a car accident near Tirupati, so my pals cut short the trip on my behalf and we hurried back to BLR. 

Day 1: This time, we rented a car. Took it very easy in the morning (shouldn't have actually) and left by 11 am. After about an hour's brunch, we went on the new highway to Mysore (fly-over) and entered/exited mysore and entered Bandipur. Spotted few animals here and there, and then entered Wayanad. Without stopping, reached our first destination at 3.50 pm - Edakkal caves - only to find that it will close at 4 pm. So we were no allowed. Alas! If only we had left early! Hadn't thought that a tourist spot will close so early! Anyways, silver lining was that we enjoyed our tree-house home stay to the core! It was indeed very well-made, all of that creaking and being amidst the nature made it all very well indeed that we reached here early in the evening. Nice tea and snacks too! For dinner, we had to walk a few distance to a nearby restaurant, which in fact was a resort. The walk in the night under the moon and with darkness surrounding us was a nice feeling!

Day 2: After nice breakfast, we left early to Edakkal caves. We were one of the first customers, so not crowded at all. Pretty long walk to get to the starting point and then lot of steps to climb. It is truly scenic, the cliff-like massive rocks and we were juxtaposed between the two. And then there were rocky crevices with bottoms invisible! The rocks reminded us of Yana. Anyways, we spent quite a lot of time here and came down the steps amidst monkeys. Lot of hawkers trying to sell stuff, so bought for their sake!

Went back to our home stay for breakfast, freshened up, since we were already sweating a lot - and checked out. Our next stop was Kanthanpara waterfalls. However as we neared the destination, we were told it was closed. So we headed to our next stop which was Soochipara Waterfalls. Had real fun here, the waterfalls was great, we could immerse ourselves inside the gushing stream, etc..

Pookode lake was our next stop. Somehow we drove past it, so had to return back walking after parking the car! Nice place to hang out with towering hills all around, and boating. Although we just relaxed by the lake and had some scoops of cone ice cream - it was really hot! Near to the lake, was Lakkidi view point with hair-pin bends of the road which'd eventually go down to the Kerala coast. We just pakred the car at one of the view points and took some snaps.

Our final destination for the day was our next homestay. This one was ok-ok although this too was amidst nature. But the host's warmth was missing. It seemed more like an outhouse, overlooking a ranch. Thankfully we had packed some dinner on the way, and that was sufficient. 

Day 3: Checked out early and went to Banasura Sagar Dam. This is a pretty big water basin offering water sports. Even though it was still 9 am, we were drenched in sweat. Strolled along the banks and then took some pics and started heading up north towards Iruppu waterfalls. Reached at about 1 pm, and entered a small Shiva temple. It is in this temple that Sadhguru had married Vijji Ma.

Short trek led us to the falls area. Extremely nice falls. They have made some small space even for standing under the falls. It was thundering and a great experience. Had not done this for a long time! After that, relaxed for some time amidst the gushing stream and under the sun to dry myself. Then came back to the parking lot and had some maggi and stuff as lunch. At about 4 pm, we started towards BLR. We did a small deviation just to go via Nagarahole National Park.

It was good that that we did, for we saw many animals - like deer, peacock, monkeys, etc.. Although the road was not one bit good. I guess they were re-laying it, so it was completely bad for more than 10 kms. On the way, a forest officer asked us for a ride to the nearest town, and we obliged. He gave some inside info about being forest officer in national parks!

After dropping him off at the nearest bus stand, we stopped briefly for tea and then rest of the journey was uneventful all the way to home. This was a simple long weekend trip amidst nature, and although there are many things to be seen in Wayanad, Bandipur, Nagarahole, this was sufficient for us - a rocky trek, couple of waterfalls, a lake and a dam with two home stays! The animal sighting was a bonus!