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