We'll miss you MJ...

I like many others had forgotten about your existence. You seemed to a ghost of your past and I could care less about. But your departure has reminded me, like many others how much a part of our lives you were.This may seem like a very emotional note, but the truth is, that your passing away has struck a chord which indeed has made me emotional.You and your music was an integral part of my childhood. And with your going away, that part of my childhood has woken up again. And it feels a bit sad.I have countless memories of your music and what it signifies to me - Singing Heal the World and We are the World in the school chorus, watching the breathtaking videos of Thriller, JAM, Bad, Black or white and so on and so forth. And imitating those steps!I especially remember the video -Remember the Time whose egyptian theme particularly attracted me.I remember the crude Mai ka lal jais kisen jokes on all MJ wanna be's.I like many others of my generation had all of your music albums which me and my sister played over and over again till we had fallen asleep.Your music had a power, a power like none else -the power to unite people across all boundaries, regions, languages, race, sex.You and your music will be missed. Rest in Peace - the one and only Michael Jackson

Capri - Splendida Isola

I have been delaying writing a blog on my recent visit to the Isle of Capri because it was quite difficult to write. It was difficult because sometimes, it is just not possible to bridge that gap between what your senses capture, and your ability to express that sensory experience, into words.

Both my husband and I were on a dream vacation to Italy. Three days into the country and having seen the Grand Rome, and the devastated Pompeii, our fourth day was a visit to Capri, a tiny island in the Bay of Naples.

Getting there

We left our hotel in Naples to reach the port Molo Beverello to catch a hydrofoil(mini ship) to Capri. We got a bit late and reached the port by 11:00 AM. As luck would have it, the next hydrofoil was at 11:10! We rushed to the ticket counter, and bought our tickets.

We quickly rushed towards our boat. Fortunately we were not too late and people were still boarding. We got in and took our seats. Around 11:20 the hydrofoil took off. It was a 45 minutes long journey, which was just about enough time to brush through our guide and mark all the places that we intended to visit.

The sea was a lovely blue and the hydrofoil was slicing through the waters at a very high speed. We reached Capri at about 12:00.

Arrival....

We stepped out of the boat and there stood the lovely rocky island with light coloured buildings decorating the landscape. The entrance to the island is through a port called Marina Grande.

From Marina Grande, in order to reach to the main Capri town, one needs to take a Funicular, which is a small tram takes takes you up to there.

Capri town

Once we reached the main Piazza, we decided to go to the Giardini di Augusto or Garden of Augustus. We walked our way through the narrow laneswhich were lined with designer shops and fancy hotels on both side. You have absolutely no other option but to walk , which I must add, is extremely pleasant.

There were narrow motorized carts for ferrying luggage and other stuff to the main square. The lanes were overflowing with tourists.





Giardini di Augusto

After a 20-25 min walk, we reached the Garden of Augustus to see the splendid view of the three giant Faraglioni rocks.

They were absolutely splendid calcium rocks, jutting out of the blue waters of the Mediterranean sea. The view was splendid, with the rocks surrounded with many yachts, sail boats and motor boats. Several picture clicks later, we decided to visit the next spot, which was the villa jovis.

It was only a half an hour walk later in that direction, that we felt that the villa was probably another 1/2 an hour away and it may not be exactly worth it, as we were already saturated with visiting ruined villas the previous day in Pompeii. Fortunately for us, Arch di Naturale wasn't too far away and we started walking towards it.

Arch di Naturale

In some time we reached the splendid rock formation which was in the shape of a natural arch and you could see the lovely blue waters in the centre. The pathway was right up to the arch and there was another small path way which allowed one to see the arch from the other side.

The hike was tiring but definitely worth it! Now that we had seen all that we wanted to in Capri, it was time to head out to Anacapri to see the Monte Solaro!

The High Point! - Monte Solaro

Next destination was the Monte Solaro. Monte solaro , is the highest point in the island of Capri, thus offering spectacular views of the Bay of Naples.

Within the Capri island, is another small town called Anacapri. The way to reaching Monte Solaro is through Anacapri. In order to get there from Capri, we had to go back to the main square where the funicular had dropped us. From there we took a bus to Anacapri.






Just close to the stop at Anacapri, where we got off, was the chair lift, which would take us to the Monte Solaro. The chairlift was nice experience.. with our feet dangling in air. We were slowly rising higher and were at no point, more than 10 feet away from the ground.







We reached Monte Solaro and from there got another spectacular view of the Faraglioni rocks. Took some pictures and explored the area bit. We could practically see the whole Bay of Naples.

The giant Mt Vesuvious looked imposing even at this distance.

All around the island, were tiny white boats, taking people around.

We could see the boats waiting to get an entry to the Blue Grotto also known as Grotta Azzura. We still weren't too sure whether we would want to visit it as we had heard some not so pleasant tales about the experience in general.

After hanging around a bit, we took the chairlift back to the base. Going down was even more breathtaking. The vast blue skies, and the blue sea almost merging with it, the white houses, the birds, all of it seemed to cast a spell on us. Suddenly we both echoed, almost together, that lets try and see the Blue Grotto.

Getting to the Blue Grotto....

On reaching the base, we hurriedly, rushed to the book shop, bought the bus tickets and enquired about the bus to the blue grotto which was fortunately just a couple of minutes away.

Luckily for us the bus was right there, we were the last people to get on board before the bus started moving.

Our anxiety was building, this was after all the Blue Grotto. The Blue grotto is essentially a sea cave. Its a cave at the base of this rocky island which is naturally gifted with a natural underwater cavity that allows the sun light to enter the cave in such a fashion that the waters get illuminated and shine in a lovely blue shade and illuminate the cave as well.

We reached the stop for the blue grotto. There were steps right there, going down from where we could take the row boat which would take us inside the cave. It was almost 5:15 which meant we were close to the closing time. Some people were waiting there, waiting for the row boats to go so that they could go inside and swim for free.. :). Below is a pic of someone getting in for a swim right after the boats left :)





There were very few people waiting as it was closing time. We got our row boats quickly.






The row man told us that we had to pay a 10 Euro fee per person which includes the row boat and the cave entry fee. He added we could pay a tip if we like ;) (But having read reviews that these guys tend to make a huge noise on not getting a tip, we were already prepared to give him some).





Our boat moved towards the cave, there was a lady in front of us. We were all asked to lie very low as the mouth of the cave is a bit tiny.



We entered, and the magic began!



















The row man sang an old Italian song in his lovely husky voice. It was absolutely magical.









The water was a bright turquoise blue, surreal, magical. We got busy clicking photos, recording as much as we could, feeling completely overwhelmed. As we went deeper inside the cave, we could see a small stage at the back, which was probably used by the Roman emperor Tiberius.



We were now almost at the back of the cave, we could see the mouth of the cave, also the source of light. The lovely blue shades looking even more beautiful from a distance and in the darkness of the cave. We started moving back to the entrance. The song ended, and so did our visit to the Grotta Azzura, which though, to be honest, lasted only 5 -7 minutes, will last in our memories, and fortunately our pictures and recordings for a life time!

We were saturated in our minds with the beauty of the island, the Faraglioni rocks, the arch di naturale, the grand bay of Naples view from Monte Solaro, and to end it the blue grotto.
We skipped our plan to go the the rocky beach of Marina Piccola and instead took the next hydro foil to Naples at 7:15 in the evening and had a grand end to the day with a mouth melting Pizza Margarita at the birthplace of Pizza. Never could we imagine that we would see an island which would see so far fetched from reality. Almost like a grand film set. No wonder ancient roman rulers chose to retire there!
It was indeed a dream vacation! Months later.. we still haven't stopped dreaming about it.. :)

Money Tips -
Fare from Naples to Capri - 17 Euro , one way
Fare from funicular, each bus ride - around 1 euro
Chair Lift - Around 8 Euro
Each bus ride.. around 1 Euro
Blue Grotto - 10 Euro

Hampi - the ancient marvel

I am not quite sure on how to sum it all up in one line "A trip down the old city", "The ravaged city", "The ruined ancient city". I just cant think of anything! And not because I am suffering from a writer's block.. I hardly write :D, but I guess its more because there is no simple way of explaining what my 2 day vacation to the ancient cities of Hampi, Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal was. This blog would cover only Hampi as it would be injustice to everyone (the readers, the places, the author.. ahem) for me to cover everything in one go.

Getting there....

Now it all started with my constant persistence (nagging?!?) which finally made my hubby dear to take me to Hampi, a relatively tiny place in Karnataka.For those who wouldnt have heard of it.. it was once a prosperous capital of the VijayNagar empire. It was ravaged by the invaders, thus being called "Hampi", meaning the ruined city. I heard of it as being one of the Unesco Heritage sites, saw a few pics and decided that while I am in Bangalore, I might as well see all the exciting places down south while I can.

So after spending a few weekends of research on places to see, place to see and ways to commute, we finally took the trip in early September. We took the Hampi express which left Bangalore station around 10:30 at night only to reach Hospet around 7:30 in the morning.

Hospet was to be our base as Hampi was just about 15 Kms from here and had good accomodation. We chose to stay at Hotel Malligi which turned out to be a good decision. The hotel was neat and clean and had decent food. We freshened up and left for Hampi at about 10:30 in the morning. We took a cab which the hotel travel desk had provided us with.

Landscape

Hampi, was beautiful! The entire landscape was unlike something we had ever seen before! With huge rock boulders scattered around. Fortunately, we chose the right time as well. September meant that the monsoons were almost over so the entire area was lush green and the weather just about pleasant. Hampi can get really warm during summers. We stopped to take a guide as without that, our understanding would be incomplete. After some bargaining, our guide agreed to show us the entire site for around 600 Rs.

Sacred Centre and Royal Centre

Hampi is spread over a vast site. It was the most prosperous city of its times and was known as VijayNagar and was compared to the likes of Rome. The guide went on to tell us the tale of how this city fell in the hands of invaders and was ravaged and reduced to a ruin. Hampi has two main areas- the sacred centre and the royal centre.


Sacred Centre
We started with the sacred centre. On the outskirts, where we were standing was a Ganesha temple known as the mustard ganesh which was built by the royalty for the locals. They had another Ganesha temple built just for themselves which was much bigger and is referred to as the peanut Ganesha. Both the idols having been destroyed, are no longer worshipped.

Behind this temple is the Virupaksha temple which is still an active temple! Inside the temple, one would easily be able to make out the architectural differences as they were created and enhanced by different kings. One would also be able to see the inverted shadow of the main temple Gopura (tower) from inside the temple! They surely had the knowledge of optices in place!

Outside the temple is the hampi bazaar which used to be a famous market. After seeing all of this and a little bit of souvenier shopping at the market, we proceeded towards the Royal Centre!

On the way to the Royal Centre we stopped midway to see the Krishna bazar and Krishna temple and the temples of Laxmi Narasimha and Shiv temple. The LaxmiNarasimha idol is also now referred to the the "Ugra" or angry Narasimha. Reason being that the invaders destroyed the idol is such a way that the laxmi idol was removed. However there are evidences that the Laxmi idol was present. Now since she is no longer there.. he has no option but to be "ugra" :)

On the way to the Royal Centre..

The ride towards the Royal centre was great. The entire area rocky and spectacular. Our guide informed us that this area was once under the sea and hence the rocky terrain. And then we saw two huge, gigantic rocks, supporting each other precariously and forming a triangular space! It looked wonderful. We stopped our cab and decided to take a closer look. Quite a site that was!
We explored the site a bit. Our guide told us a legend associated with the rocks. These are referred to as the sister rocks. Apparently two sisters were on a visit to the city and had a fight with the guide who cursed them to turn into rocks. Ok, we got the message :)

Royal Centre

Finally, we reached the Royal Center.

The Royal Centre, housed the chambers, temples, meeting places for the royalty. The highlights were the Zanana Quarter which had the Lotus mahal for the queen where she took rest after taking a royal bath before going to the temple. Talk about how exhausting a royal bath can be :D

The palace was wooden and hence destroyed. All tha remained was the basement. From the Zanana Quarters, one could see a few towers oon top of the surrounding hills which acted as watch towers. Adjacent to the quarters were elephant stable where 11 elephants were kept specifically processions. As legend goes, the famous Mysore Dusshera procession had its origin here. This is the place where the Dusshera processions began.

A little away from the quarters was the Hazara Ram temple, which the queen used to frequent. The temple walls are carved with stories from the Ramayan. and many other carvings of that time.

A little further was the basement of the audience hall where the king addressed his people. There were scattered ruins of the houses of eminent people from the kings court. We also saw the kings secret underground chamber where he held meetings which were confidential in nature.

Also was another high rise basement which was once 7 storeyed and from where the dusshere procession was viewed by the royalty.

What was most fascinating in this entire section was the stepped tank. There was an elaborate stepped tank, made in black granite with water at its base. This was like a swimin pool/meeting point for ppl. There was also an aqueduct supply to the tank. Good stuff.

Lunch Time!

It was around 2 in the after noon and we were getting a bit tired, so we decided to break for lunch. We had read about a riverside restraunt, adjacent to the river tungabhadra which passes through the ancient city. Mango tree was a one of a kind restraunt and definitely an experience to mention! This quaint little open air restraunt is actually parallel to the river on the river bank. The tables are low slabs which are parallel to the river . There are no chairs. One has to sit, stretch your legs through the table as we did on the floor, the table being just a feet above it. Food nice and hot.. and had great cold coffee :) We relaxed a bit there, it was just what the doctor had ordered after a heavy sight seeing session :)

Last Bit...

The last part of was the Vittala temple. Outside the Vittala temple, were vast rows of rocks which during those time was a huge horse bazar where horses were bought and sold.

Vittala temple was a marvel, with a mighty chariot and tulsi pot at its entrance, intricately carved. Then was the Rangshala, or the first part of the temple, which has musical pillars. This was closed when we visited, but each of the pillars produce a musical note when struck.

Within the temple complex were marriage halls. The entire place was oozing with the creativity and talent of the craftsmen who created it. A small sculptuer would have many interpreations. There werent just pieces of rocks, they were symbols through which people of those times still communicate and guide us.

We saw a few more ruins adjacent to the temple. It was almost 6 and our day was approaching a warm, tiring but a insightful end .

We left overwhelmed with our past glory, only to be proud to see that some of it still remain. The tungabahdra dam, a must see for all Hospet visitors is one of the biggest dams in India and has a huge reservoir. There was a pretty display of musical and colured fountains in the evening.

With that, was the end of day one of our marvelous day at Hampi.

Quick Tips -
Weather - We visited in September, the place looked quite fresh, clean and green after the monsoons. The weather wasnt too pleasant but was bearable
Food - There is a small market close to Virupaksha Temple where u can buy some stuff to munch. Lunch at Mango tree
Nature's call - Hmm.. there is one at the restaurant Mango Tree which we visited for lunch
Place to stay - Hotel Malligi

"Gram" Bell...

It was back in the days of college when I had taken up studies for a degree in Computers. We had a professor, let me call him Mr A K.
Now Mr A K had noticed our interest or the lack of it, during his classes. :D
So in order to threaten us.. he cursed.. "Tum sab college ke bahar channe bechoge... channe!!!".
Or translated as "You all will sell Bengal grams (or chickpeas) outside college".

Shameless as we were... the poor guy's curse became more like a one line joke for us! A remark that could be said to anyone at anytime who did not comply to your requests!

Well, now that college days are long gone... and now that we have settled into the monotony of working in a Software Industry. A "bell" rang while discussing with some college friends that after all, selling chick peas or channas would'nt be such a bad idea. Just think about the variety -

- channa chat
- channa jor garam
- bhuna chana
- chole bhatoore
- channa kulcha

the list could go on.. and you could innovate by introducing dishes made out of channa products as well.. :D. That would mean besan - pakodas, kadhi.....

Well at least it sounds more interesting than what I do these days for a living.. :D

End of one nonsense post :)

Look who's joined....

Hi folks, so finally the world has beckoned me to lift the boredom of not just myself ;) but the people who will go through this blog!

So behold! The queen of blogs arrives! :D

Ok, I'll cut the drama... hope you guys have fun reading my blog, and whether you do or you dont, please drop a comment! :)