Pavagadh Blog( Kalika Mata Temple), Gujarat

Crossing the Hills

Way to the mandir ( Image copyright: Sudeshna Sarkar)

Pavagadh Hill is about 45 km away from Vadodara City In Gujarat.  My Trip to Gujarat was simple due to my husband's emergency work at Dahej.  we decided to  make a trip to Pavagadh the day we had our flight back home.  We heard it is one of the oldest Kali temple built in the 11th century and draws thousands of pilgrims every year .  The place is Known to be UNESCO heritage site.

So, we set out for Kali temple in Pavagadh, Baroda. The monsoon was too much in Gujarat.It was drizzling  throughout. From the crowded city, we entered a quiet  hilly region.It was green everywhere ad surrounded with mountains. The roads were curvy and the scene was beautiful. 

The temple was up on the hills and one can either take a rope-way or climb the mountain which would take more than an hour. We got  the ticket. The rope-way was  enclosed and was pretty safe. It was pretty decent, compared to any other  rope-way in our country specially Rajgir. The temple was built in the 11th century and represent Mahakali.

The ticket Cost around 90 INR one way ride.  Some people preferred walking. But in the rain  the roads were extremely muddy.The kali temple was on the hilltop and on a ropeway ride it was a mesmerizing scene.It took 15min to reach the point. From there we had to walk again for another 15min. The roads and the steps were extremely muddy. Donkey’s poop was also quite annoying and it was everywhere.  We both managed a good darshan, the wind chill was making me feel sick as I was all drenched in the rain. Without any delay we returned back to our car and proceed for our journey back home I loved the  greenery but if I visit the place I will surely avoid monsoon season.

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Nirvana Organic Kitchen, Mukteshwar

An organic kitchen in the midst of  sleepy Mukteshwar  hill station serving delicious food.I ordered Pasta in white sauce and it was amazing.Infact their Indian preparations were also delicious.My husband ordered chicken and noodles and it was also lipsmacking. You can buy organic herbs from there little counter too...they are  good and fresh. I bought few of them. Apart from that, the sitting area was warm and cosy ,you can sit outside too for a good view of the mountains(if only you are lucky).

Visit Mukteshwar temple early in the morning and while returning make sure you stop by Nirvana Organic Kitchen for a very cosy and a memorable lunch.

I would rate this restaurant 4 out of 5

Accomodation at Periyar ,Kerala -Carmelia Haven Resort

Our accomodation at Periyar was booked by Make My Trip. But if you choose to stay near the Periyar tiger reserve then this shouldn't be your choice. My husband and I both  wanted to stay near the reserve but as our trip was customized by Make my trip so we couldn't help  but  stay here.Our  entire KERALA trip was customized by them. Though it  came out costly and  we could have made a foreign tour out of that money, but it was truly memorable.
The resort had some Pros and cons. 

Carmelia Haven is 30km away from Periyar Tiger Reserve which is bad and therefore you need a car constantly with you.We had our cottage booked near the pool side.   The cottage was very comfortable, the room was luxurious and decorated with classy furniture. The  bathroom was stylish . Sitting in the balcony at night you can here the sound of wild animals which was very adventurous.  It was winter when we visited and therefore they arranged campfire and  cultural show. After the show we  played badminton and tennis .  Dinner was overpriced and not  that good in terms of amount,and taste. The hotel is located in such a place that you won't have option to hangout .  I think being a 4.5 star hotel , the hospitality was not up to the mark. Services delayed. The cottage had power problem. Ideal for honeymooners.

Hotel Class-4.5 /5

Birding in Kolkata Chintamony Kar Bird Sanctuary

Our visit to Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary was accompanied by  nature lover and close friend of ours SwarnamberChoudhury.

Chintamani Kar  bird sanctuary is actually a garden  (kayaler bagan). Growing up in kolkata, I never knew that there is a bird sanctuary in the busy streets of Kolkata.So with our gear ready we headed for the sanctuary-We reached there in the afternoon at 1pm.

Direction to Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary: This bird sanctuary is in Rajpur. You need to cross Narendrapur Ram Krishna Mission and at Rajpur Mor you need to turn  right .( ask any small shop at that point, they will show you the direction.)
Metro: Garia Metro
Auto is also easily available.
Ps.Small Pan shop can be a great help in asking  direction.

Entry time - 6 am -5pm
Ticket -50 rs

I feel that 50 rs for such a tiny  sanctuary ( rather Mango garden)for only  residential bird is not worth.The place is not maintained. The small pools and water area(pond) were dry, no one bothers to fill it with water for birds. The Guards were sitting and chatting around. Bird lovers dont mind  paying 50 rs for the ticket, but its complete robbery.
 Bharatpur Bird sanctuary charges 50 rs for their exotic birds and that is meaningful and well maintained with water and various grass and algae for their foreign friends.

The jungle was quiet dense, but full of Mosquitoes.  photography was impossible.  Odomos or something similar to it is a must to keep mosquitoes away
Its a tropical forest therefore spotting birds was next to impossible..Even with my binocular I could not spot them.
One of the rare bird I saw was Night Jar,
Lighting Condition was extremely poor , out of 20 shots, 2 came good of the Nightjar. Mosquitoes were the main reason.!!!
I could hear the birds but couldnt spot them.  At one point of time I gave up (Huge neck pain)


You might encounter with snakes too, therefore  its good to go during winter.
Monsoon should be strictly avoided.

By 4 pm  we came out of the sanctuary and on the way in my car I kept scratching my feet.  Finally returned home with sore red feet and  hand.

Some Common Bird  _

Bee eater
Barbet ( different kind)
Wood Pecker
Jungle Babbler
Owl
NightJar
Paradise Fly catcher (rare sighting)
Golden Oriole
 Sun bird
Drongo

One needs to have Minimum of  250 mm lense and a 50/50 binocular for birding in this kind of tropical forest.

Book reference for identifying the birds

http://www.flipkart.com/birds-ind-subcontinent-2-rev-ed-2nd/p/itmczyt8ck3x2ape

Satkosia Tiger Reserve,Angul,Orissa

 Camp at Chotkei

Monsoon 2012  we decided for a short weekend trip to Satkosia Tiger reserve. Not many people have heard about this forest, but it's in the Angul district of Orissa. We booked our accommodation from DFO office and got our permit for entering the tiger reserve. There are 3 places  one can stay  and provided by the forest department. Chotkei, Punorkot and Tikarpada. Tikarpada was closed due to some maintenance and Punorkot  didn’t have any facilities which we wanted, so we booked our Eco cottage at Chotkei.
The car we hired  was on time and without wasting any moment we were on the tracks. The green fields ,the village the stream in the midst of jungle and butterfly overcrowding the muddy roads were amazing.

It took  nearly  2 hours to reach the main gate of the reserve. Upon entering, our papers were being checked thoroughly.

The stay was for 1 night.Upon entering the cottage,we were given a warm welcome.All means of  communication were lost. Felt great though!  We were served hot tea and snacks .We sat in the neat dining room.They  told us to make a trip to Tikkarpada Mahanadi and  Hati Girja watchtower by sunset  as our  stay was for 1 night. After eating our lunch we  set on for the trip.
First we went  to Hati girja  a little drive then trekking in the jungle.The jungle was dense. The huge  ant hills welcomed us from every corner.The sky was cloudy (it was monsoon remember), there wasn’t much light in the jungle.All we could hear was elephant’s trumpet.We came across a  stream, It might be the place where wild animals comes for water! taking off our shoes, we crossed it carefully so that we don’t slip. Then again we were off on the mud roads, and finally to the watch tower. We  didn’t wait much as  it was getting dark and we got to walk back to our car. We didn’t sight any animals,not even deer.  After visiting  Hati girja we moved to tikkarpada.This place is famous for crocs. The Mahanadi river flowing in between the hills  was amazing. Because of monsoon there was too much of current in the water and so  boating were not allowed.While boating one can see gharial and crocs  resting on the river bed. Clicking some pictures,enjoying the view  we went drove back to our cottage. It was raining  heavily.We gave up hope sighting any animals.  Sitting in the dinning hall we  enjoyed delicious pakora and a cup of hot tea.The night was spent chatting. Finally when the rain stopped, the guide ran to us and asked if we would  like to see herd of deer drinking water. The man of the house jumped with excitement. I followed too, but then when they told us to switch off the light n walk quietly in the jungle area ( not so dense ) I was pretty scared as the place was infested with snakes like cobra and python. I went back to the cottage not wanting to see the  deer.But the man of the house went for it.I was amazed by his eagerness and not being scared of anything.

Mahanadi @ Tikarpada

The next day early at 5am we again went for another trekking. The trekking was not what I have imagined. With all those prickly thorns getting stuck on my jeans and the muds and the water holes making my shoe and socks wet made me feel horrible. I just wanted to return back. After trekking we came back and had our lunch. Then enjoyed a little walk watching the birds and gigantic red malabar squirrel and later we drove back home  with memories of forest.

Reservation can be made at Ecotourism Cell,  Satkosia Wildlife Division, Hakimpada, Angul, Orissa 759143, India. 
Phone: 08763102681 Email: dfosatkosiawl@yahoo.co.in
You need to produce  proper  photo identity cards (PAN card, voter ID card etc) .
http://www.satkosia.org/
How to reach
One can reach Satkosia by Bus or private transport from Cuttack or Bhubaneswar, via Angul.
Nearest railway Station – Angul (60km). Train from Howrah to Angul  is  available but  runs only on Saturdays. 

Tourist are advised to hire a private car for traveling as well as sightseeing.

Navagraha Temple Pondicherry

22feet Shani Dev

I absolutely love eating dosas and idlys daily! Staying in Chennai in fact Chidambaram wasn't tough for me.But my mom absolutely missed North Indian food.She was missing Samosa and other dishes and had tough time eating dosas specially where I use to stay(chidambaram).  There isnt much place to see in Pondicherry except for the beautiful Auroville,but we heard from the local autowala about Navagraha Temple. This temple is 7 kilometers from Pondicherry. Navagraha Temple can be on your one day  trip from Pondicherry. You need to hire an auto and visit the temple but don't forget to bargain as they charge insanely! 
It is located away from the crowded city .The mud roads were narrow and through the woods.It didn't look like a temple as its a 2-acre farmland surrounded by trees and huge deities in the middle. The entrance got  a small Ganapati temple where people can pray.Once you enter you can see a 27 feet beautiful Sanidev deity.!!   We roamed around for an hour and then decided to go back to Pondicherry. A very peaceful place.

Bugis Street-Budget Shopping In Singapore

This is the place "Bugis Street"  my husband absolutely hate going. It doesn't bother me at all. Shopping is the only purpose in my mind when I am at Bugis Street Singapore.

From Lakeside I took the MRT And  within half and hour I reached Bugis Street.In Singapore follow the heavenly signs and you wont be lost!  Every MRT is connected with a shopping mall so is the case with Bugis street. This time I avoided the mall and simply headed towards the crowded market.

Shopping paradise for any girl I would say! From Souvenirs to pretty  dresses...cosmetics. fashion jewellery anything a female would dream about!
If you are planning to buy Souvenirs this place offer  variety at $10 for 10...or 5 for $10..whether its keychain, merlion paperweight , magnets  etc.

 You can Budget shop here - cute dresses from 10-15$, gowns at 20$ .If you are hungry after shopping all day long there are food stalls to satisfy your hunger.  The Place is not so big  (for men it is ) and I roamed  all the nook and corner . With few cute dresses I happily too the MRT and back to the room.

UP cuisine At Oudh 1590- Kolkata

This place will drag you back to the historical era with their decoration, wooden carvings and  haveli chandeliers. The Ambience was beautiful with local  music playing at the background.

Oudh1590 specialises in serving Awadhi Cuisine.( known for spices)   It was a Saturday night and, therefore, the crowd was too much.People started waiting outside.The crowd slowly got overcrowded . The men in black ( black kurta) served us with our starters.
 The lighting was very dim! I couldn't figure out what the men in black were trying to serve !!The  so-called soft light made my eyes tired trying to find out what food I was actually eating. !!I couldn't even distinguish between chicken and mutton as both looked same. In fact, the men in black too got confused!!The biriyani served was not too spicy. The quantity was good enough. 2 people can grab each handi.

 The food was tasty but not great. Frankly I didn't  find anything special except the ambience! Again the lighting was negative.

Day Trip Near Pondicherry, Paradise Island

The beach shack

About 8 km from Pondicherry situated in Chunnamber, Paradise Island/ Beach.It is a small Island surrounded by sea.Paradise Island was breath-taking, and the day spent in their refreshed our mind. From Chunnamber, we took a boat. Speed Boats are also available. It was a 20 min exotic journey on the backwater which was surrounded by coconut trees.

These Shacks are Ideal to stay away from Sun

The boat Cost 75 INR person. (20 min ride)
Speed Boat for 2 persons 800 INR for 15 min OR 4 person 600 INR -15 min. These boats take you back from the island later on by 5 pm.It's free of cost.The boat Cost 75 INR person. (20 min ride)

Speed Boat for 2 persons 800 INR for 15 min OR 4 person 600 INR -15 min. These boats take you back from the island later on by 5pm.It's free of cost.

What makes it different is that just opposite to the backwater there is the Paradise beach which is surrounded by sea.The water is very clean for bathing and so is the beach. You can have a nice time in the water. Don't forget to take Sunscreen Lotion as the sun will roast you. You can take your swimming costume and change there. Small huts are available for changing though I have not seen anyone wearing bikini and swimming. The positive point is that it's not crowded by people.There are no water activities available, but you can bring your own volleyball or rent it. Chunnamber offers water activities in the backwater lake.There are arrangements for lunch in the beach too. Small restaurants and beer shops are available and also resting huts. By 5 pm, you need to return back from the Island.

Exotic Backwater surrounded by coconut trees

• How to reach:- 
• Pondicherry -to Chunnamber you can take either an auto rickshaw or a bus. Bus fare is 6 INR and an auto fare is 120 INR per ride.

• Best time to Visit: - Oct -march

• Things which I didnt like:

The beer and food shop were not up to the mark. The beer didn't seem to be of good brand (draught was the name) and it was yellow in color.

Chai Break Restaurant Kolkata

Image taken from google:

Our Sunday Brunch was well planned at Chai Break. If you haven't visited this restaurant try it out and you will surely thank me for this amazing place. Located right beside the BBQ nation, Salt Lake Sec 5, this place is a must-try-out lunch in Kolkata.  They have a hookah lounge for people who wants to enjoy an evening adda while puffing flavoured hookahs.The hookah corner was beautifully decorated  with guitars hanging on the wall giving it a kickass look !! The tables for lunch were little small for 8 of us to fit in but we managed somehow. Their buffet starts at 1 pm, the starters were served by the waiter. Items included chicken tengri kabab, chicken changezi, tandoori, fish kebabs, baby corn,  pizza, mutton seekh kebab, prawns etc. They also served chef's special chicken wings which were lip smacking.!! The Buffet also includes mocktail but as it was not available on that day we  were been given soft drinks can. I was so full gulping the kebabs that I hardly had any energy and space in my tummy to try out the main course. Their main course includes biriyani, mutton rogan josh,  salads, soups and henceforth. Lastly, the dessert was served with ice-cream, pastries and other sweet items. I was so full that I literally felt dizzy eating so much of kebabs that I planned to skip my dinner for that day. But truly at this price its worth a try.

Pros:

• Tasty food /Variety
• Kebabs were really good
• Lunch 12 Noon to 4 PM Mon-Sun
• Buffet :Rs 449 incl Tax

Cons:

• Quiet Far From South Kolkata ( So upsetting)
• Space issue
• They serve the food to fast...!!! Faster than Rajdhani Express! :P

Make sure you reserve your seats before hand, as we had faced a little problem because of some miscommunication.

Do share your views about this restaurant