Chilling Out in the Kerala Backwaters Before Moving On To Bangalore
Posted On Saturday, January 15, 2005 at at 12:15 AM by AlvinWe had one of the most relaxing days of our trip in India when we just cruised around the backwaters in Kerala. The boatmen doubled up as magnificent chefs as they churned out plates of South Indian classic dishes. We based ourselves at the lovely fishing port of Kochi for a few days before boarding the characteristic Indian "cruise" near a town called Alleppey. Pure relaxation ! That was exactly what we needed before the hustle and bustle of Bangalore - the I.T. city of India where we found the city to be clean and efficient.
Cyber Cafe in Ooty
Posted On Tuesday, January 11, 2005 at at 12:11 AM by Alvin
Well, we've used a few cyber cafes in our travels but this one in the middle of an Indian highland town (Ooty) was just too cool ! And, it had a few of the latest models of DELLs and IBMs in there ! We managed to find out information for our Air India flights from Kochi to Bangalore and even booked the flights a few hours later back in Ooty town proper !The Glittering Palace Of Mysore
Posted On Sunday, January 9, 2005 at at 12:09 AM by AlvinWith the news of the Tsunami (resulting from an earthquake in Aceh in Indonesia), causing disasters around the world, we have to change our plans for this trip in India. We were going to go full circle around Indian's South, but now we will spend a few more days in Mysore and fly off to Bangalore. We tried to stay happy and say a prayer for the world in our travels during this very sad event. We spent time in Mysore where we walked down (2 hours) from the Chamundi Hill, visited the city zoo and explored the Mysore Palace on a Sunday night when it was lit up like jewels.
India is a country of immense contrast, to say the least. Having seen the magnificent Mysore palace last night, we were greeted by the "local" and down-to-earth bus station for our bus up the Chamundi Hill ! Hey ! But take notice that we all QUEUED up !
On the way down Chamundi Hill, we also bumped into one of the Hindu Goddesses - Goddess Of The Sacred Cow - Nandy and here is the photo we took with Nandy. The name of the photo, I hear you ask ? When Mandy Meets Nandy, of course !
A Bollywood Production
Posted On at at 12:05 AM by AlvinWe bumped into a Bollywood production on our way up the Chamundi Hill just outside Mysore. The production set was very colorful and full of the energetic dances we are all accustomed to in the Bollywood films.
During this trip, we were also impressed with the larger-than-life movie posters displayed outside the cinemas, here is one of our favourites !
During this trip, we were also impressed with the larger-than-life movie posters displayed outside the cinemas, here is one of our favourites !
Spending Christmas in Mumbai and New Year in Goa
Posted On Sunday, January 2, 2005 at at 12:03 AM by AlvinWe felt progressively more and more in a holiday mood as we traveled South because Christmas and NY was getting nearer and also the weather was getting warmer. Northern India was very special but it was cold ! We relaxed in Mumbai as we walked through the affluent suburbs towards the Hanging Gardens and we enjoyed a Kingfisher Beer by the beach in Goa on NY's eve.
