Blogs from Koramangala, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Asia

"If there is a Heaven on Earth, it is in Kashmir." I realised the age-old proverb after completing the Kashmir Great Lakes Trek. When I was young, my dream was to be a wanderlust and travelling to Himalayas. Like many Bengalis I was influenced by the epic travelogue written by Parimal Dey and Umaprasad, the legendary travel-writers of Bengal. But now I am 60 plus and around six months back, when our family friend Mr Basu offered for participation in the Himalayan Trek of “Kashmir Great Lakes”, I did not take it seriously, at least initially. He was a seasoned trekker and participated in many trekking tours at different parts of Himalayas. Age creates physical disabilities. We became slow, our muscle and limbs do not function as it should be. My fear was I should not ... read more

Nearest point of River Cauvery would be around hundred kilometers from Bangalore city. Whenever opportunity comes I visit this majestic river to get rid of monotonous urban life. River has an unmatched attraction in human life. We were looking for a nearby place around Bangalore to spend the extended weekend of Ganesha Chaturthi. After a brief net search, we selected Galibore Nature Camp, a resort managed by Jungle Lodge & Resorts (JLR). Galibore Nature Camp was an outstanding tourist spot located on the bank of Cauvery river surrounded by hills, deep inside Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Distance from Bangalore was around 100 kms which could be covered in around four hours. Myself and my wife were frequent visitors to JLR (Jungle Lodges & properties) properties. Unlike the indifferent attitude commonly experienced in Government managed hotels, their management ... read more

Agumbe, a small village in North-west Karnataka is famous due to many reasons. Highest rainfall in South India and second highest in India are recorded here. It is located in Malnad region amidst thick forests stretching hundreds of kilometers on the way. This is the abode of King Cobra, the most venomous snake in the world. But Agumbe came to limelight from the house of “Kasturi Akka” where the legendary TV Serial “Malgudi Days” was born. Monsoon has a special place in Karnataka and this is the ideal place to enjoy monsoon, of course with its inherent risks and inconvenience. I was inclined to visit this place for many years, but somehow it did not click. Last week, an advertisement of Karnataka Tourism in Times Of India ignited my passion. Somehow the hesitation still persisted. 29th ... read more

Self-driving from Bangalore to Kolkata and back was a crazy idea. I travelled from Bangalore to Kolkata (my native place) at least hundred times by Air and railways during last ten years. But whenever I expressed my plan for a pleasure road trip to Kolkata and back driving my own car, I received a cold response from my family. This time when I attempted for booking a ticket for Kolkata during Dussera holidays in vein, my insane idea received a fillip. Unlike other years, I left my search for ticket further and decided to prepare for a road drive. For covering from Bangalore to Kolkata and back, I had to drive nearly 4000 Kms. There were various alternative routes. After lot of research, exploring the net and collecting information, I thought of adopting the following route ... read more

Nagarhole Reserve Forest (Rajiv Gandhi National Park) is one of the most favourite destinations for nature-lovers in Karnataka. Forest Guest House, Nagarhole was located at the heart of the forest , near the place from where the Jungle Safari starts. I had inquired about the booking process and came to know that it was a lengthy exercise unlike the normal “On-line booking system” prevailing nowadays for selecting hotels. I made a casual attempt and waited patiently for the response. To my luck it clicked and it was a delightful experience of spending two nights in the Guest House of Nagarhole along with my wife. I described the Booking process at the end of my blog in detail. Definitely, it requires patience unlike the lightening process we adopt nowadays for fixing our holiday program. But the end ... read more