Kovalam

• Best time to visit Kovalam is Dec-Jan. Christmas and New Yr celebration here is grand and looks exotic given the number of foreigner tourists.
• Beach is shallow and among the most playful in India. Hotels are numerous so a deal is possible on last minute booking.
• Dont miss top view from lighthouse. It closes down early. Dont miss the Poovar Island trip. It adds to the charm of Kovalam.

Last time I came to Kovalam was with college friends on the eve of new year of 2008. It was a short and not so sweet stay at this lovely beach town. The way foreigners, specially white people, are preferred by restaurants here will give you a pretty good feeling of how apartheid felt like in South Africa. This time around the plan was to stay longer and experience a little more. Kovalam is more of a landmark in the 5000 miles long sea shore that belongs to India.

Sea View from Lighthouse @ Kovalam

Kanyakumari

• Sunset is among the most beautiful I have seen anywhere. The crowd throngs at the main beach to watch the sea gulp the sun slowly.
• Ferry ride to Vivekanand Rock has pros and cons. While the island and adjacent Thiruvalluvar Statue are worth the visit, the queues are a killer on both sides.
• There are several food joints along the beach facing the sea with authentic south Indian cuisine worth trying.

Trip: Bangalore > Kanyakumari > Kovalam > Trivandrum > Rameswaram > Bangalore

Kanyakumari is like one of those beautiful Russian spies. Allow them to nudge you and you will bleed dry. Stay game and you will be allowed to play a little. Fate let us arrive at this southern most tip of peninsular India on a Christmas morning.

Vivekananda Rock & Thiruvalluvar Statue

Ajmer Sharif

Jaipur - Ajmer - Chittorgarh - Udaipur

• Ajmer Sharif is one the most crowded place we have been to. Park at your hotel or before you enter the area.
• There are tiered entries. The less you have to offer, the longer queue you will be asked to join. Offering at different prices is available in the market leading to the shrine.

It was a whirlwind drive that took us out of the labyrinthine roads of Udaipur to the expansive hill fort of Chittorgarh, to the crowded Ajmer Sharif and finally halted at a modest accommodation in Jaipur all in one day. We drove close to 200 miles, spent decent time in each of the four cities and still managed a breakfast and a dinner.

Way to Ajmer Sharif

Jain Temple, Ranakpur

• Ranakpur is 50 miles from Udaipur. A private vehicle will be handy to cover nearby Kumbhalgarh Fort as well in a single day. Start early.
• The Jain Temple does not allow entry in shorts or half pants hence dress fully. The campus also offers delicious thali at bare minimum charges.
• Do take an SLR to capture the intricate marble work. You need to pay nominal camera charges along with entry fee, all of which goes to maintain this magnificent structure.

The next morning we started for Ranakpur. It's 90 km from Udaipur through a tortuous but smooth road mostly into hills. The place is famous for Ranakpur Jain Temple which has exquisite carvings on marble. Whatever we had heard about this place was going to be dwarved by what we were going to witness.

Elaborate ceiling carvings @ Ranakpur

Udaipur

Jaipur - Ajmer - Chittorgarh - Udaipur

• Book a hotel on the lake side preferably facing the palace. This would also mean you are in the old part of Udaipur which has a different air about it.
• The City Palace is among the most preserved ones I have seen. The paintings and even utensils are kept for view. Area around palace is also full of artistic work.
• Go for Monsoon Palace for the sunset. There is a restaurant at the top that serves good snacks which along with the location makes it very special.

We reached Udaipur by noon and started searching for a suitable hotel. It was serendipitous for us to find Hotel Lake Pichola at such short notice. It is one of the hundreds of hotel adjacent to Pichola Lake but also has a view of palatial complex across the lake. Our room was modest in a royal fashion.

City Palace across Hotel Lake Pichola @ Udaipur

Gandhinagar

Trip: Bangalore > Pune > Lonavala > Mumbai > Gandhinagar > Udaipur > Ranakpur > Chittorgarh > Ajmer > Jaipur > Delhi

Gandhinagar was an unplanned stopover. We explored couple of hotels and settled in one that was on the far side. Actually nothing is far in this small diplomatic setup of a city twined to Ahmedabad.

Akshardham Temple @ Gandhinagar

Lonavala

Trip: Bangalore > Pune > Lonavala > Mumbai > Gandhinagar > Udaipur > Ranakpur > Chittorgarh > Ajmer > Jaipur > Delhi

Last whole day we were driving from Bangalore to Pune and it had taken its toll. We wanted to relax today but fate had other plans. By the time we entered Lonavala, it was 2.

Lion Point @ Lonavala

Baijnath

Trip: Delhi > Nainital > Kausani > Baijnath > Delhi

We reached Baijnath at around 10 from Kausani. Breakfast on the way was complimented with a breathtaking morning view of Nanda Devi range from our table and that made our day. Baijnath was the bonus.

Fishes in the flowing river @ Baijnath Temple

Kausani

Trip: Delhi > Nainital > Kausani > Baijnath > Delhi

Kausani is a secluded hill station in Uttarakhand famous for comprehensive view of Nanda Devi range on a clear day. Trip to Kausani was eventful. We booked an overnight bus for Nainital from Kaushambi Metro Station. Direct bus to Kausani was not available and Nainital being less than 75 miles, we thought we will find something to hop from there.

Nanda Devi range @ Kausani

Madurai

• Madurai can be covered as a part of trip to Kodaikanal. As such apart from the massive Minakshi Temple, there is not much in the city.
• Meenakshi Temple takes few hours to cover. They do not allow half pants and shorts as a respect to the goddess.
• Our stay is worth a mention here. The Heritage, Madurai is among the most majestic hotels we have stayed in. Large rooms, larger parks and an absolutely engaging campus made our visit more special.

Trip: Bangalore > Madurai > Kodaikanal > Bangalore

We started for Madurai early morning at 7 and as has been the ritual, we broke our fast at McDonalds Krishnagiri. Road from Bangalore to Krishnagiri is under construction. The slow pace was covered up by the fantastic stretch from Salem to Madurai. The 300 miles were covered in 7 hours. Heritage Madurai proved to be an excellent choice for hotel, thanks to Manish who booked in on cleartrip. The stay was royal. We unpacked and refreshed ourselves.

Golden Pillar @ Central Gopuram

Gwalior Fort

Trip: Delhi > Gwalior > Khajuraho > Raneh Falls & Delhi

Gwalior was a quicky. We were on our train to Delhi from Khajuraho when we saw the fort palace and decided to pay it a tribute. We had to look for a hotel or take Shatabdi @ 7.

View from right flank @ Gwalior Fort

Raneh Falls

Trip: Delhi > Gwalior > Khajuraho > Raneh Falls > Delhi

We reached Khajuraho by overnight train and booked a comfortable room in Ramada Hotel. The day had begun well but temperature was soaring. We were told about a majestic waterfall and we quickly went for it. Although the choice was simple, the route was deserted. We were in MP for the first time and it did scare us. The last part of road is dark into a jungle.

Raneh Waterfall near Khajuraho

Khajuraho

Trip: Delhi - Khajuraho - Gwalior - Delhi

• Khajuraho can be planned as a weekend getaway from Delhi. Overnight trains at convenient time run but travel need to be planned at least a month given limited seats.
• Temples should be visited early morning or in evening. Noon is hot unless its winter. Be ready for couple of miles walk around the complex.
• Raneh Waterfalls and Pandav Cave are nearby attractions that one may cover. Hotels are aplenty and affordable. There is an airport also under construction.

Khajuraho happened to us so quickly that we were neither ready with appropriate duration nor with a camera fitting for the occasion. One fine morning we were just there. We reached this legendary temple city by train one morning. Hotels are in abundance near main temple complex. We settled in Ramada Khajuraho and freshened up quickly. Plan was to have a brunch near main temple and then start off.

Poses, Khajuraho