Murud-Janjira, Mumbai, Maharashtra,India

Towards the end of March'08, we made a trip to Murud-Janjira, a 160km drive from the bustling city of Mumbai (Bombay). Situated in the coastal district of Raigad, the place is famous for the Janjira Fort situated 2 kms from the coast into the sea. The Abyssinian rulers of Murud (formerly Habsan - meaning the Abyssinian's land), made Murud their home in the 11th century, when they are believed to have first migrated to India. Janjira, is a corruption of the Arabic word for island - "Jazeera". The Murud-Janjira, thus signifies the Island of Abyssinians.

The 'Golden Swan' resort, where we stayed, overlooked the Arabian Sea and the Kasa Fort or the Padmadurg Fort built a few kilometers into the sea by the Marathas to conquer the Janjira Fort.

View from the resort

A few steps down the beach, presents a view of the palace of the Nawab, looking out to the Arabian Sea with grandiose. For a minute I longed to be in their shoes to enjoy a night in the palace having scrumptious kebabs and watching the sea battering the rocks down the hill.

Palace of the Nawab

The beach was dotted with innumerable shells, many, with their slimy inhabitants still in them. Sunset brought with it a cloud of bats up and awake, ready for their hunt. We watched the sun set till every trace of the light was gone; walked back to the resort for an evening of a game of cards.

Sunset

The resort has nothing much to boast for other than it being right beside the sea, offering its residents a private and quiet view of the waters late in the night. Nothing could be more romantic than the time I spent with my husband till midnight watching the hypnotic sight of the waves rushing to and retreating from us.

The next morning we hit the roads to pay tribute to the Janjira Forts. Enroute my attention was drawn to colourful fishing boats and rustic charm of the hills.

Way to Janjira Fort

To reach the Fort, we had to travel in an overcrowded sail boat that reminded me that we were still not far from the densely packed city of Mumbai. A friendly boatman guided our boats entertaining us with his stock of anecdotes of the Fort and its surrounding villages. They directed the sail boats using the pattern left by the blowing wind as the means of identifying the path to our destination. Thanks to him, we did not feel the heat of the sun while we awaited our turn to get down at the entrance of the Fort. A huge mass of people were waiting at the narrow passageway to get out and into the sailboats.

Janjira Fort

It is said that a wooden structure lay in the place of the Fort years back, built by the local fishermen to protect themselves from the pirates. This wooden structure was later demolished by the minister of the ruler of Ahmednagar to build the Fort. The Fort has remained unbeaten to the attacks by the Marathas, Dutch and the English. All that remains now is a dilapidated structure which tells the story of its struggles against the attacks of man and nature. Shivaji, the great Maratha ruler built the Kasa Fort with the intention of conquering the dwellers of Murud-Janjira Fort, but his attempts were in vain.

View of the Kasa Fort from Janjira Fort

One can see inscriptions in Persian on the entrance of the Fort. A few steps beyond lay the tombs and graves of the past dwellers. A fast tour provided by our guide through the ruins revealed the remains of a once strong structure which prided in its ability to withstand the assaults. A tunnel from the lower floor of the Fort leads to the palace on the banks of the nearby village of Rajpuri which was the passage to the outside world in times of high tide and war.

Palace in the village of Rajpuri

Cannons can be still seen in different parts of the Fort. They felt cool to our touch depicting the story of a victorious era it has witnessed.

Inside the Janjira Fort

This structure served as home to people until the 1980s when they were relocated to the nearby villages. A well in the Fort reveal the marvels of nature by offering cool sweet water in spite of being surrounded by the sea on all sides. After a quick tour of the Fort we bid adieu to a place that remained invincible all through its time.

Cicada, Kabini, Karnataka, India

Kabini, set amidst the wilderness of the Nagarhole Forests, about 220 kms from Bangalore, is said to be the abode of a large variety of birds including common babbler, bee-eater, bulbul, dove, hornbill, Malabar pied, peacock, woodpecker, crested hawk and golden-back parakeet. We made a weekend trip to the Cicada resort on the banks of the river Kabini in Jan,2007. It was made in January as it is said that Nagarhole is worth visiting at the height of the dry season, when wild animals can be spotted in large numbers near sources of water.

The journey took us longer than expected making us exhausted on reaching there. After a refreshing nap and tea, we decided to take a tour in the boat to check out the flora and fauna of the Nagarhole National Park. The word "Nagarhole" is said to have been named after the serpentine streams flowing through the forests. The river Kabini separates the Bandipur National Park and the Nagarhole Park which boasts of a huge density of elephants. A lucky visitor might get the chance to spot a leopard, the four-horned antelope, sloth bear, jungle cat, wild dog, panther, gaur (Indian bison), sambhar, and many other animals who have made this place their home.

The wild

But it did not turn out to be our lucky day as all we succeeded was in spotting herds of elephants, and a deer or two. But the wilderness had such magnificent look that it soon killed all disappointments. And the colours of the sunset added its brilliance to the jungle.

Glimpse of the wild and hypnotizing sunset

The rest of the evening was spent lazying around in the pool and gazing at the stars rocking in the hammock. The next morning we went bird watching in the resort under the expertise of an ardent bird watcher who helped us in identifying a huge number of birds. With that ended a weekend in the wild.

Adieu

Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom, Kerala,India

,The trip to Coconut Lagoon this year was an impulsive trip. I had never been to the much acclaimed backwaters of Kerala. Thus, on an impulse my husband and I inquired about the room availability at the Coconut Lagoon Resort at Kumarakom and before we knew it, we had hit the road - destination Kumarakom.

An hour's drive from Cochin took us to Chertala where we parked the car and resumed the remaining journey to the resort by boat.

Boat trip to the resort

A thirty minutes of the boat journey brought us to the Coconut Lagoon resort where we were ushered into our rooms by an efficient staff. WOW! That was my first reaction to the cottage we were about to stay. What I loved was the open bath, yet discreet; I might not have one in my home for instance, but for a resort, it suited well! The cottage was a duplex with a sitting area in the ground floor and the bedroom at the mezzanine. The bedroom in itself was impressive fashioned in traditional Kerala style and sported a traditional pedestal bed. The bedroom being at an elevation provides an excellent view of the Vembanad lagoon.

The view from the bedroom

With the intention of attracting the tourists, they have opened a store where you get handicrafts, antiques and souvenirs. They provide training in tabla to those who are interested during their stay there. The food was mediocre, but they have a highly efficient staff well trained in the hospitality.

That evening we went for a swim in the pool which overlooked the lake. Except for the scenic beauty it provided, the pool was impractical. Bar a very small portion, swimming was impossible in the rest of the area as it is very shallow. I think they have built it to just lie in the floor of the pool and watch the lake.

The next day we paid a visit to the "butterfly park" carved out in a small part of the resort. There were a few varieties of butterflies flying around in the natural setting. The water body around which the park is built had fishes and turtles much to the fascination of my daughter. Even though it is more of a gimmick, it does serve a safe haven for the butterflies otherwise displaced by the hordes of tourists. It also provides a discreet getaway for the younger patrons of the resort.

The Butterfly Park

That afternoon we checked into their houseboat for a ride through the backwaters and a night in the "kettuvallom" or the traditional houseboat of Kerala. The trip through the backwaters enthralled me by its sheer beauty.

Kettuvallom on the Water Highway

Water is the only mode of transport in many regions in this part of the world. The houses are built on a small stretch of land with water on both sides. Imagine their plight during monsoons! The peak hours saw a great number of boats sailing through these canals. Boat being the only mode of transportation, I could see them "parked" outside the homes; the size varying with the people. Enroute we had to pass a "road block" created by ducks who decided to go for a swim which my daughter loved watching.





I am always bewitched by sunrise and sunset. Watching sunset in the luxury of the houseboat was indeed an experience.I have always felt that sunrise and sunset can make any place alluring.

Sunset

We spent a magical night with the boat anchored in the middle of the lake with the sound of water lapping our boat under the star studded sky - something poor Bangaloreans no longer experience thanks to the light pollution. It was disheartening to notice that light pollution to a small degree pervaded these places. We woke up in the morning to watch the fishermen busy on their morning trawl.

A new dawn in the backwaters

Our plan and vacation came to an abrupt end when my daughter suffered a swollen foot probably from an insect bite. That brought an end to an enchanting journey through the canals of Kerala.

Vythiri Resort, Vythiri, Wayanad, Kerala,India

Being in Bangalore for six years has made me more appreciative to the natural beauty and greenery. Until the recent years, I had always taken my home town in Kerala for granted. Its only now I realise and treasure the beauty of Kerala on my each visit home.

The trip to the Vythiri Resorts, Wyanad, the last year turned out to be an eye opener. As we travelled towards Kerala we could see the drastic difference in the topography. The trip being made in Nov, the dry terrain of the Bandipur forests gave way to the lush green vegetation of Kerala.

Enroute - Bandipur forests, Karnataka

The Vythiri Resort was like any other in Kerala. Set amidst acres of land,they have given the traditional look to the cottages. My first glimpse made me wish that they had kept the cottages a little more cleaner.

View from my cottage

But the next day made the trip an exemplary experience. Imagine getting up in the early morning hours where all you could hear is the sound of the birds and flowing water! And then I heard a sound which at first made me wonder who was insane enough to rise up early in the morning and practice whistling. It was only on my second day that I realised that it was the sound of a bird. I was a bit disappointed when I failed to identify the source because of the pitch darkness. All I succeeded was in recording its voice. Now I wish I had asked about it to the resort people; they might have been able to explain.



Another animal that fascinated me was the great Malabar squirrel. As I sat outside in the verandah and watch it leaping amongst the trees, I was however disappointed with its voice.

The great Malabar squirrel

The food was typical of what you get in any Kerala restaurant. Though too small a state, the flavour of the food varies from place to place.I enjoyed having the "matta" rice or the big boiled rice typical of Kerala and the meat curries made in coconut.Like any place in Kerala, they too had the ayurvedic massage which I never bothered to try out.

The way down leads to the the river with crystal clear water. The rocks and the trees surrounding it gave an untamed touch making the view awesome. The water flowing near me in the wild surroundings made it worth going all the way from the maddening crowd of Bangalore.

The river in Nov

Outside the resort in the village you are amidst a friendly lot of people. They wanted to know where we were from, for how long we planned to stay there, and what not. But believe me, I enjoyed talking to someone other than my family in my mother tongue after a long time. We had a drive through the tea plantations but other than that did not do much sight seeing. Instead had a relaxed holiday doing nothing, other than enjoying the scenic beauty which the resort had to offer us.

A picturesque drive

A trip to the restaurant from our cottages meant going through a rope bridge hanging above the water. Imagine what it would have been like in the monsoons with the water gushing below us!

The way to the restaurant

And thats exactly what I plan to do. Make a visit during the monsoons and just sit, eat and enjoy!

The return journey through the Bandipur forests gave a peep of the wild giving our trip a grand finale.