It is extremely tough to write about that one place which I would love to visit with my family or friends. There are many places through out the world and in India which I want to visit provided I have enough money in my bank account. From London to Paris to Egypt to the U.S.A. I want to roam around the world if not in 80 days , at least in 800 days. Before roaming around the world I would love to cover the beautiful places from my own country - INDIA. As they say India is incredible. The cultures , colors , festivals and anything about India never ceases to fascinate me. I would love to do some job in travelling and travel around the country but alas! I am stuck with many other things and hence can't even think of it. The two places which come to my mind right now are Kerala - God's own country and Kashmir- the paradise on earth. Being in the company of nature gives solace and you don't even need any company when you are in the God's company!
Kerala is on my hit list from long. Probably we will be going by the end of this year and I am damn excited about it. KERALA . The very name soars my spirits. The lush greenery , boat houses , the coconut trees and serenity surrounding you where ever you go is for sure heavenly. If I plan a trip it will be with my hubby.
One of the most exhilarating experiences in Kerala is staying in a house boat. It's a dream I have from long. The back waters of Alappuzha and Allepey are famous. Riding on boat with hot fish curry being served and a beer to chill is heavenly. You can even spend the night in the mid of the water surrounded by palm trees. The thought it self is exciting. I have seen many of my friends' pictures from Kerala and it sure became one of the top 5 places I want to visit as soon as possible. There is a movie in tamil and telugu where they show the picturesque Kerala which just sets the ambiance to be in a romantic mood :) The heroine (Samantha) belongs to Allepey and the hero (Nagachaitanya) goes to visit her. More than the songs and the music it is Kerala which makes the movie more romantic.
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| Boat house in Allepey back waters. Image source : "here" |
The above video is a romantic song from yem maya chesave movie shot in Kerala back waters under a moon lit sky. This movie and the song are two more reasons to get attracted to Kerala :)
Next place which comes to my mind is Munnar which is a beautiful hillstation in westernghats. To see the plantations , to enjoy the natural beauty of foggy hills and wildlife I want to visit Munnar. There is always some thing mysterious about the hills and those beautiful hamlets. You can just get lost and have a conversation with your self sitting in midst of the hills and hamlets. One more attraction of Munnar are the beautiful home-stays which no one wants to give a miss. I would love to just rest in nature's lap. I am sure I will fall in love with the place.
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| Beautiful and mystic Munnar . Image source : "here" |
As I never dared to do paragliding till now, I would love to try either rock climbing or paragliding with my husband's encouragement of course. The last time I tried paragliding in Solang valley- Manali I was not successful . I climbed till some point and got back down as I couldn't muster enough courage!
Wayanad is another scenic spot in Kerala. It is called the "Land of Paddy fields" . The lofty peaks and the fields make the place look straight out of a wall poster. I would love to go trekking here to Chembra peak. Banasura peak and Brahmagiri are other important mountains of this district. The wild life sanctuaries and waterfalls here and there are the special attractions of this place. I remember reading about "Vythri resort" in Wayanad and since then I am just dreaming about staying there!
The place is perfect to unwind and get seduced by nature. The tropical rain forests and breath taking views are beautiful. I am sure it would be painful to leave the place once the holiday gets over. I also want to experience the Ayurvedic spa and aroma therapies of Kerala which are world famous. What can be more better than being pampered in midst of the dense greenery ?:)
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| Glimpse of Vythri resorts :Image courtesy: http://www.vythiriresort.com |
Varkala beach or the Papanasam beach is located to the north of Tiruvananthapuram. Its a calm, sparkling beach which is believed to have medicinal properties. A dip in holy water is believed to purge the body impurities.There is a two thousand year old shrine the Janardhanaswamy temple on the cliff over looking the beach. One can climb down the steps to reach the beach. A paved foot path runs along the cliff and the view is breath taking. Varkala for sure is one of the best beaches of India. Like the mountains and cliffs beaches are also endless and mysterious. The shacks and the quaint beach houses make the place more scenic. I would love to watch the temple festival which happens around April.
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| Birds eye view of Varkala beach. Image source: "here" |
I am sure I will have a grand time with my better half in a scenic place like Kerala by staying in the Boat houses in the back waters of Allepey , visiting various churches, temples, bird sanctuaries (Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary) , Periyar National Park and by enjoying the traditions and cuisines of the place!! India is a mysterious land and I always love exploring the various cultures of our country. The fact that one travels in a Car with Haryana license plate talking Bengali and listening to Kolaveri di always amuses me keeping aside the fact that we have regional or any other kind of conflicts. Travelling surely detoxifies us.
Kashmir is also on my hit list and I am sure I will go there atleast once in my life time. Travelling to Ladakh and getting clicked at Pangong lake is in my wish list. I want to watch the snow caps and ice glaciers and experience the himalayas to the fullest.
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| Pangong lake . Image courtesy -"here" |
I am glad to say that I went to Manali and Rohtang Pass and touched Himalayas for the first time in my life some where around july in the last year. That sure was one of the happiest days of my life. Below is a snap taken at Rohtang Pass.
I dont know how long this post will get If I start listing out all my travel desires. I want to enjoy the food and art in Italy. I want to sense the freedom in the USA. I want to see the calanques in France and even cover all the seven wonders :) I am glad I visited one of the seven wonders which is the "Taj Mahal."
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| Me standing at the Rohtang Pass |
If wishes are trains and planes I want to board them all ;)
I want to end this post with an incredible video showing incredible India!
I want to end this post with an incredible video showing incredible India!
Few stanza's from a poem I wrote for the mother nature during one of my journeys.
The colour of
the sky and water is pure white and at times deep blue.
Gazing
at them makes you feel godly and true!
Where
do these vast creations start and end, we have no clue.
The
sky and sea merge at some point blending the hue!
The
withered leaves of a tree are so brittle and brown.
They
no longer breathe life, they always fall down.
Indicating
that past should be forgotten saving a frown.
A
new memory and a new journey helps rather than a mourn!
God’s
nature has different hidden lessons to learn.
To
just sit and watch it is a great treasure one can earn!
When
you cross the phases of life and wherever you take a turn,
The
things which will always be with you are stars, sky, sea moon and the sun!
This post is written for Indiblogger’s Creating Happy Traveller’s Contest sponsored by Yatra.com.
Please visit Yatra.com's website at http://www.yatra.com
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As a travel addict I hear you ! So much to see and so little time :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and acknowledging :)
DeleteYa if only we had plentyyy of time
So glad to read someone write about my place :D btw don't miss out Athirapally waterfalls.. The movie raavan was shot from there :)
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athirappilly
oh Glad to know u r from Kerala. Oh OBVIOUSLY that Raavan place . How did I forget it ?
DeleteIs it not called silent valley ?
Thanks for the link. Will surely add in my TO VISIT places
haha.. oh no no.. silent valley is completely different place.. Its a national park.. I've been to silent valley once. Once you reach there, you have to take a forest department jeep and go into the forest for 2 hours nearly, you can see a watch tower in the end, and if you go further (by walking), you can see many animals esp rare monkeys :P
Deletehere are some photos I took during my trip..
http://goo.gl/iki5SN
and little embarrassed to say this, but i haven't been to athirapally :P its actually just 4-5 hour drive from my place.. will go soon :D
and btw, call up their information center and book for jeep if you plan to go :) we got lucky that day!
DeleteAwesome thanks for taking time and replying Vishnu :) Ya IF I travel it will come handy :) and some one said that raavan was also shot in silent valley so was under that impression !
DeleteGreat clicks !
Hav fun
Inshallah V will be going soon in future... ;)
ReplyDelete(Y) yep
DeleteMake sure you visit Kerala when we the mallu bloggers are in their respective town. We will give you one hell of a tour around our place.
ReplyDelete;)
oh ya. By now I know a handful of mallu bloggers . Why will I say No if u wanna be my guide and give me nice treats :D
DeleteWould love to meet.....
Yes, it is rather difficult to choose your travel destination... every place has a charm of its own. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteArvind Passey
www.passey.info
Ya If only I had all the time in the world :)
DeleteThanks for reading and acknowledging Arvind
B'ful post! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ghata
DeleteSo much to see in the world and so less money in my bank account. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a job of a travel show anchor.
That would be a dream job No ?!
Deleteya having money is the only concern :(
Hei afshan. Informative n charming post. Both destinations are highly coveted. But if i need to choose one, i wil pick kerala. Havent been to either btw
ReplyDeleteIndia is truly incredible!! :) In kerala, I have been to Munnar but unfortunately could not see much as I fell sick on the trip.. :( Reading your post made me want to plan a holiday right now.. !! Both Kerala and Kashmir are on my list, apart from these I want to go to Goa, Andaman, Kanyakumari, Darjeeling.. and the list goes on..
ReplyDelete"If wishes were trains and planes I want to board them all ;)".. loved this line.. :) seems true for me as well..
of all these places, I've only been to Munnar! It is definitely my goal to travel on the houseboat at least once!
ReplyDeleteI was going to tease you with the fact that I have been to Kerala and stayed in a house boat. But when I saw your pretty picture on Rohtang Pass, I changed my mind. :P Love the post, interspersed with videos. Novel idea. And lots of good luck for the contest. :)
ReplyDeleteHey i so wanna go to Kerela and see all these places mentioned here....you make me wanna go even more now.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
I have been to Wayanad and yes, Kerala is so pretty. I had been to Kashmir as a child, don't remember much! Would love to go to Ladakh! Lovely post and good luck!
ReplyDeleteOMG, you have sold my own state to me! ;) You can see more pictures of Varkala beach in my FB album. I will tag you. I have been to Munnar too but long back, before marriage. Wayanad is on my list. I must get IHM and Dhiren to plan a blogger trip like the one to Kufri. *hoping*
ReplyDeleteOMG! You stole my heat by recommending so many awesome places to visit in India...I don't know why but am desperately waiting to visit Kerala just because I want to feel the essence of nature on a boat house and Varkala beach is one of the place I didn't know abot...thank you so mach dear for this post. :)
ReplyDeletea beautiful post and the description about places to visit is eloquently written :) All the best afshan for the contest :)
ReplyDeleteLovely narration and lovely choice. Last shot is super cute. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post and lovely pic-scriptions[pics-n-description]:)
ReplyDeleteBright and colourful post Afshan! There's so much to see within the country and outside! Kambakht paise kahaan se aayenge itne...Koi world tour pe le jaao pleaseeeee :P
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHey There. I discovered your blog the use of msn. This is a really well written article.
I'll be sure to bookmark it and return to read extra of your helpful information. Thank you for the post. I'll definitely comeback.
You are welcome to my blog: The Incredible Places of the World You May Want to Visit (Part 1)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete