India

Ocean Deck Homestay Karwar : An Ecofriendly Homestay in India

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Ocean Deck Beach Homestay

Inspired by Shivya Nath’s posts on responsible travel and the importance of choosing an eco-friendly homestay, I took this pledge of opting for only homestays in the year 2020. Trust me, it was way more difficult to search for a perfectly eco-friendly homestay in India. After going through almost a hundred websites, I finally found Ocean Deck Beach Homestay for my road trip from Bangalore to Goa. This lovely home of Mr. Vinay seemed to me like a dream home that I could never own. Soothing tranquillity, enchanting music of the sea waves interrupted by the sound of the local birds and a pleasant ambience combined with natural living at Ocean Deck Homestay was an experience in itself.

Sometimes, you may go to a place to tick off the list of must-see attraction but the homes like this make you want to practice the art of doing nothing. Or let us name it as an ‘art of soaking in nature’. Read more

Road Trip to Gokarna from Bangalore Via Yana and Jog Falls

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Road Trip to Gokarna from Bangalore

Road trips are the best and probably the only way to explore Karnatak interiors. My initial plan was to start by road from Bangalore to Jog Falls via Mangalore, Udupi, Gokarna, Yana and Vibhuti Falls. However, the plan had to be changed owing to incessant rains even in the month of October. Thus was planned this road trip to Gokarna from Bangalore through an alternative route.

From the backwaters that look like an art to the serpentine roads of Western Ghats, this route is a delight for the beach and nature admirers. The changed plan which was more suitable for the ever showering clouds started with a bus ride from Majestic in Bangalore to Udupi. After renting the car in Udupi we directly hit the road and our first destination was Karkala near Udupi. The whole route is dotted by some of the most beautiful and less explored places. Read more

Chennakesava Temple Somanathapura – A Handy Photo Guide

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Chennakesava temple Somanathapura

The Chennakesava Temple of Somanathapura, built during the rule of the Hoysala Dynasty of Karnataka, illustrates the prolific skills of the sculptors of that era. It is a sheer exhibition of Hindu scriptures moulded in lifelike sculptures. For an artist, it is a temple where the creators left behind an art gallery for the generations to come. Even for a layman, it would have been a school to grasp the unwritten mythology through an easy pictorial representation. Historians claim it to be an artwork that led Hoysalas to the zenith of their architectural glory. This ornately chiselled ancient temple of India is located near Mysore and is also accessible from Bangalore by road.

Being a non-functional temple, it opens only at 8:30 am and closes down before the sun sets by 5:30 pm. On any weekend it would be a sea of humans in the temple complex. However, weekdays are quiet and only a handful of tourists come for a visit here. We went on Thursday noon and we were around 10 people on the premise at any given time. We took about two and a half hours to completely understand the stories depicted in each sculpture. Read more

5 Places to Visit in Palakkad, Kerala on One Day Trip

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Places to visit in Palakkad - PC K V Gopalakrishnan

Ayurveda, waterfalls, centuries-old temples, and beaches are the first few things that strike your mind when you think about Kerala. But that’s not it! Kerala is also known for several hill stations that are surrounded by tall mountains and natural vegetation. One such picturesque hill station that falls in the state of Kerala is in the town of Palakkad. The specialty of this town is the Pala trees, one of the most popular flora species that were once the main attraction of Kerala. The town gets its name Palakkad for the abundance of these trees. Read more

Madhukeshwara Temple of Banavasi, Your Detailed Handy Guide

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Madhukeshwara Temple

“Oh dear Lord, let me be born again in Banavasi, if not as a human then maybe as a honeybee. Let me over the flowery fields surrounding this beautiful land.” – Adikavi Pampa.

The Banavasi village is still a less explored place, the beauty of which has inspired the works of many ancient poets. A belief also persists that Mahakavi Kalidasa was inspired to create ‘Meghdoot’ by the beauty of Banavasi. Dramatically set around the Historic Madhukeshwara Temple, Banavasi looks like a movie set in the land where Varada River flows on both its sides.

The quiet and often misty lanes of Banavasi are flanked by old-styled and yet aesthetically neat houses. The ancient walled fort dating back to the 5th Century now lies in ruins veiled by bushes and trees. The town of Banavasi also finds its traces in the work of Claudius Ptolemy. (the one who created the first world map) Read more

12 Things to Do in Gokarna; A Detailed Guide

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Things to do in Gokarna

Famously known as South Goa’s neglected cousin, Gokarna is also loved for the very same reason. Sprawling beaches, the bliss of nature, the tranquility of countryside areas and the mélange of cultures attract travelers and hippies from around the world to Gokarna. We visited Gokarna for around 3 days on a road trip from Bangalore. Though beach hopping would be the main thing to do in Gokarna, you would be startled at the list of the other interesting things that you can do in this religious town of Karnataka in India.

This page contains the list of things do in Gokarna and places to visit along with a detailed guide on cost for the same or how to reach a particular spot. Keep reading to enlist the places and activities for your exploratory trip to Gokarna.

If you have no clue about ‘what, where and why’ of Gokarna, then read this detailed guide to plan your trip to Gokarna

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10 Things to do in Udupi for an Interesting Experience

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List of things to do in Udupi

The moment we hear the name ‘Udupi’ , a spiritual town image pops up in the display screen of our mind. And at the same time, our foody mind scrolls through all the possible images of Udupi sambhar, vada, idli, and dosa. But this little town has one more image of it to show you.  With a number of amazing beaches, you can prepare an unending list of places to visit and things to do in Udupi.

A few of the beaches in Udupi are as beautiful as the beaches in the islands of Andaman. In fact. the St. Mary’s Island in Udupi can definitely give you a feel of being in Andaman. Unlike the beaches of Goa and other famous tourist towns, the beaches in Udupi are clean and well maintained. In fact, while in Goa, I totally avoided the crowded beaches and instead opted for the exploration of Museums, spice plantation, Portuguese colonies and the temples of Goa.

But Udupi was altogether a  different experience. Read more

A Road Trip in Madhya Pradesh For the Nature Enthusiasts

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Road Trips Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh is one of the Indian states that offers a complete travel platter for wanderers of all kinds. A plethora of wildlife treasure to a quintessential abundance of historic art and architecture, Madhya Pradesh has it all for you. Bhopal and Indore are the main cities as well as the perfect centers to embark on a long journey around the state. While Omkareshwar -Maheshwar – Mandu route is much feasible from Indore, a perfect road trip from Bhopal can include Bhimbetka- Bhedaghat- Bandhavgarh National Park – Khajuraho – Orchha – Chanderi – Gwalior. 

For a nature enthusiast or for any gateway close to nature, taking a long weekend trip covering Bhimbetka – Bhedaghat – Bandhavgarh is a delight for a tired soul. Read more

5 Must-do Road Trips from Bangalore – Self Drive Adventures

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Road Trips from Bangalore

 

Bangalore lies at the center of a fascinating region – where green mountains blend into the arid Deccan plateau – a land of lush forests and dramatic coastlines. There are many not-so-popular destinations, known locally but seldom mentioned in the traditional itinerary. With the easy availability of self-drive cars, one can plan a weekend road trip to these unique destinations very quickly. Here are some top recommendations for the road trips from Bangalore.

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12 Offbeat Things to Do in Goa Beyond Beaches

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3 star hotel goa must visit places beaches islands

“The landscapes that look as green as if they are painted freshly by a painter who brings life to its art; the cloudy sky and the dewy leaves, the terrifying sound of the Dhudhsagar waterfalls and the never-ending avenue stretching along the sandy beaches that are washed away with crazy monsoon sea waves… ” this is how the world’s favourite beach destination looks like in monsoon. And who wouldn’t wish to run away to enjoy such offbeat Goa!! Goa is unarguably much more beyond just its beaches.

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