Malaysia Marvel IX: Visiting a traditional Malay house in Melaka

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 5/17/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; Last year around this time I was in Malaysia, and I had two wonderful days in Melaka, the heritage town that has origins of Malaysia in its folds and will always remain in my mind as the red town, as most of its buildings are in rust red.On a small island formed at the turn of the river Melaka, I saw some beautiful houses in pistachio green with red slanted roofs. Out guide sensed the curiosity and took us to visit Sentosa Villa, a traditional Malay house, almost 10(...)'

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Andhra Adventures XI: Honey Making at Araku Valley

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 5/12/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; As we were roaming around Araku Valley from one water fall to another, on one side of the road we saw some blue boxes lines up in what seemed like uncultivated land. We stopped to find out what they were and right there on the road a vendor was selling honey in small plastic bottles and when asked where does he get the honey from, he pointed to the same blue boxes. With some interpretation help, we asked him to show us the boxes.These boxes are mini honey making fac(...)'

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Majestic Maharashtra II: Bibi Ka Maqbara, Aurangabad

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 5/7/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; Bibi ka Maqbara at Aurangabad, Maharashtra is often called the Taj of Deccan or an imitation of the original Taj Mahal in Agra. It does look similar to the Taj Mahal and why not, the ladies belong to the same family and the one lying at Taj Mahal is the mother-in-law of the one lying here in Aurangabad. While the similarities between the two mausoleums have often been spoken about, let me point out some differences between the two:The most visible difference is the size. B(...)'

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Hyderabad Hues XXVI: Discovering Kesar Chai at Nayaab Hotel

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 5/2/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; One fine afternoon, a friend and me set out to explore some parts of Old Hyderabad. We were actually visiting an old library, the state of which almost sent us into depression, so we quickly crossed the river Musi before the sun went down and stopped at the Nayaab Hotel for a cup of tea. Now Irani Chai is something that you hear all the time in Hyderabad, and people love to have it with Osmania biscuit that has a peculiar taste of salt in its basic sweet nature. To be hone(...)'

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Magical Mumbai V: Afghan Church, Colaba

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 4/27/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; On my way back from Deccan Odyssey, I had a day to myself in Mumbai and blessed that I am, was fondly invited by our family friends to come over and spend the day with them at Colaba. I had never been to anyone’s house in Colaba that I am told is the best place to live in Mumbai, and I must say it cannot be more true. You are at the tip of the city, see beautiful views of the city’s skyline against the ocean, see the ships passing by from your balcony, have almost no pollu(...)'

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Mesmerizing Madhya Pradesh IX –Bhagoria Haat, Vaalpur

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 4/22/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; Bhagoria Haat or market as it is locally known, has no fixed venue. For seven days prior to Holi, different villages play venue to Bhagoria haat. You can check the local newspapers for the information on this. First village that we went to was Vaalpur, located almost at the Gujarat border. As we reached the village around noon, it was already full of colorful young people. First thing that struck us were the groups of young women who were all dressed in same color and styl(...)'

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Majestic Maharashtra I: Deccan Odyssey – An Experience

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 4/17/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; One fine day, earlier this year I got an invite from Maharashtra Tourism to join them on a week long journey on the ultra luxury train appropriately called Deccan Odyssey. Train was to go around Maharashtra and Goa while you stay on-board for 7 nights and do the sight seeing during the day. I had already seen destinations like Ajanta, Ellora, Goa but Kolhapur, Sindhudurg & Nasik were new to me. So on the Holi day I landed in Mumbai to empty streets with colorful people(...)'

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Go Goa II: Mario Miranda’s Goa

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 4/12/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; I have visited Goa off and on, sometimes for work; sometimes for pleasure and it is always a relaxing feeling to be here. This time I was there for 2 days as part Deccan Odyssey journey and  I got to see some news aspects of Goa like Mangeshi Temple, Safa Masjid and Sahakari Spice farm that I had not visited earlier. I also got to see the mundane Goa as a tourist, its vegetable markets and its various railway stations as we boarded on and off the train. I could see a (...)'

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Mesmerizing Madhya Pradesh VIII –Bhagoria Festival, Jhabua

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 4/7/2013 2:59:00 AM

';;; ; ; When I received an invite to attend this festival, I had no clue what this festival is and where Jhabua is, but thanks to Google, I could quickly find out the details and grabbed the opportunity to attend this festival with both hands. The literature mentioned it as a festival where young tribal boys express their love to girl of their choice and if she accepts it, they elope away, till their families negotiate and agree to get them married once they come back. Now,(...)'

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Travel Stories VI: Meeting the World War II Soldier

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 4/2/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; This was an evening after a long day in Aug 2012 and I was roaming in the Krakow’s old town area in Poland, one of those unstructured times during travels, where you aimlessly roam observing and absorbing in the place. We suddenly saw some old soldiers marching past in their full army getup and reaching what looked liked some kind of a memorial. Curiously we followed them and requested our Polish guide to help us converse with these charming gentlemen. She graciously oblig(...)'

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Andhra Adventures X: INS Kursura Submarine Museum

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 3/27/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; INS Kursura, the out of service submarine that fought in the war of 1971, stands elegantly like a giant whale in black on the famous RK beach of Vishakhapatnam. From a height it appears like a fish out of water. It is now one of its kind museum in Asia, and only second in the world where you can go inside the submarine and for sometime feel the lives of those who live in them under the water as they work towards securing our lives on land. It was built by the Russians and (...)'

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Andhra Adventures IX: Ethikoppaka Toys

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 3/22/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; This delicate Veena is made in wood with a shining Lacquer finish at Ethikoppaka, a small village in coastal Andhra Pradesh, some 65 kms from Vishakhapatnam.  Located on banks of river Varaha, it has 200+ artisans who are engaged in making these hand made items from wood – toys, games, curios, containers, bangles.  Ethikoppaka Wood & Lacquer Ware is their technical name. Various forums like National Innovation Foundation, crafts council of India and UNESCO ha(...)'

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Unsung UP XI: Other Shore of Ganga, Varanasi

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 3/18/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; Ramnagar is a small town on the other bank of Ganga that is the bank opposite the famous moon shaped Ghats of Varanasi. It houses a fort that is the official residence of Kashi Naresh i.e. the King of Kashi. I had very fond memories of visiting this fort as a kid, riding on the boat from one of the ghats, crossing the Ganga while feeding the fishes and spending the day at Ramnagar. My most vivid memory of the museum in the fort is that of a Queen’s heavy lehanga tha(...)'

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Andhra Adventures XIX: Araku Valley Bamboo Chicken

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 3/14/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; Travel to a destination cannot be complete without the local food, and every place no matter how small or big has a local delicacy hidden its own cuisine. Most of the times ingredients remain the same but it’s the process that makes all the difference, so in Araku Valley tribal communities cook chicken inside the hollow of a bamboo without using any oil or water.They take the small raw chicken pieces, marinate it with ginger heavy masala and stuff it inside the bamboo that(...)'

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Andhra Adventures VIII: Borra, the Cave with a Hole

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 3/11/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; Located in Eastern Ghats of India, in Ananthagiri Hills of Araku Valley, about 90 kms from the coastal city of Vishakhapatnam, Borra Gohalu is one of its kind natural wonders of India. It is the biggest natural stalagmite and stalactite cave in the country. These caves are found in various parts of world and their ages are always stated in hundreds of millions of years, a number that you and I cannot even comprehend. I have seen similar caves in Texas, USA, Slovakia and in(...)'

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Andhra Adventures VII: Train ride to Araku Valley

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 3/7/2013 2:30:00 AM

'A morning train takes you to Araku Valley from Vishakhapatnam through a series of tunnels, with valley on one side and hillocks on the other. Everyone starts with an attempt to count the tunnels but soon loose count as they get lost in the the views and small stations that come on the way. Thankfully the tunnels are numbered and you can start again.Keep an eye out for Tunnel No 10 where the train enters at a right curve and you can actually see the train entering the tunnel from the(...)'

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Travelling Souls II : Lash The World Traveller

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 3/4/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; I met Lash last year at MITBCA in KL, Malaysia. She stood amongst thousands present there in the conference with her unique personality and eclectic style. I distinctly remember people asking here where she came from and she kept saying 'I am Nomadic' , that a lot of people took time to digest. She has been traveling for almost 2 decades now, and that is all she does. She has written two books on Bali, one on Hiking in Bali and another on Cycling around Bali besides writin(...)'

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Zakopne : Ski & Beyond in The Hindu Sunday Magazine

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 3/1/2013 8:13:00 AM

'A travel article by yours truly appeared in The Sunday Hindu Magazine dated Feb 24, 2013, sharing this with you.To read complete article go here:  http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/ski-and-beyond/article4438753.ece'

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Tamil Nadu Tales XIX: Chidambaram beyond the Natraja Temple

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 2/27/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; I had expected Chidambaram to be a small temple town, but it turned out to be a thriving town way beyond its temples, though as a tourist all you get to hear is temples. I remember at breakfast in the hotel, I was chatting up with the gentleman serving the breakfast and I asked him what could you see besides the Natraja temple, he promptly came out with a list of temples one must visit, including certain Raghvendra temple. When I asked why he insists on visiting tha(...)'

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Indian Art II: Rendezvous with Kathakali

Author : Anuradha Goyal      Blog : Anuradha Goyal      Date : 2/22/2013 2:30:00 AM

';;; ; ; Kathakali is visually the most appealing and most easily recognizable classical dance form of India. Elaborate makeup and voluminous costumes make the dancers stand apart from any other form. Last week I had the opportunity to watch a Kathakali performance and more importantly got to see the dancers getting ready for the performance. You can read about the historical and technical details of the dance on Wikipedia, here I share my experience of shooting the in-progress mak(...)'

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