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Great destinations, Photography, Lifestyle related articles
I got a chance to explore some famous food trucks in Pune. This is an account of my Pune Food Truck escapade. Before we get there, a backstory: Some years ago,… no, I should say many years ago… in fact many, many years ago… during my high school days to be precise, I used to …
Boracay is a beautiful island in the central Philippines known for its resorts and beaches. If you are looking for reasons to visit Boracay or are planning on visiting Boracay, please read this blog post as it covers some of the fun things to do in Boracay. *** Boracay: An Unexpected Invitation Whenever my wife …
A few photos from a Kite festival near me – these are from the International Kite Festival, Mangalore. 24 foreign kite flyers from 13 countries and three Indian teams came together at Panambur beach in Mangalore on Saturday and Sunday for the Rotary International Kite Festival 2016. I could make it on the first day, and …
Living in Singapore – This is a short post written by my friend Ganesh. Ganesh lived in Singapore for more than 3 years and explored every nook and corner of this little island city-state. He now probably knows more about Singapore than any local there; so if you are planning a trip to Singapore, talk …
When I went to Moodbidri to meet an old friend of mine (about whom I’d written earlier), I planned it such that I would have some time to explore the famous Moodbidri Jain temple (a.k.a Thousand Pillar Temple (Saavira Kambada Basadi) in Moodbidri), and the giant Bahubali statue in Karkala. Moodbidri, a small town near …
I was visiting Goa in September. If you are looking for Goa places to visit in 3 days, please read on. Unlike my other visits (one such here: https://sampathmk.com/go-goa-gone), this one was different since this one involved offbeat things to do in Goa. Read on. Planning the Goa visit I wanted to get away from …
I was meeting Shankar (Shankar Kotian M) after a long gap of 16 years. Shankar is no longer a techie; He had ended his decade-and-a-half-year-old tech career in 2012 to become a full-time farmer. Time had taken away a lot of his hair, but nothing else about him had changed. This is his story, distilled …
If you are looking for unique places to visit in Kerala, you will find a few in North Kerala. If you compare north Kerala vs south Kerala, you will find that places in North Kerala are less crowded and not as frequented by tourists. This blog post covers the best places to visit in North …
This is a brief account of my bus ride from Mangalore to Dharmasthala. Dharmasthala is an Indian temple town on the banks of the Nethravathi River in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, India. The town is known for its Dharmasthala Temple, which houses the shrine of Lord Shiva. Planning my Dharmasthala temple trip So there’s …
This is Someshwar beach, Mangalore – my ‘happify me’ place in Mangalore. The giant rock on the beach offers a great vantage point to view the beach. Sitting atop that rock watching the waves crash against it making giant splashes, and the resulting gentle spray of water caressing your whole self is a joyous experience. Not to mention the …
I was on a one day visit to Bangalore the other day, and since my meeting wasn’t until later that evening, I had some time to kill. I decided to give Koshy’s (Koshys Bangalore)a try. Koshys Bangalore, if you haven’t heard of it, is an iconic cafe of sorts that has been running for more …
Ezhikkara is where my Tharavad (ancestral home) is. As kids, this is where we got together and spent most of our school vacations. A small village with lagoons and lush greenery, this place has still managed to maintain its old world charm. I was there a couple of days ago with my son and niece, …
Mullapanthal toddy shop Kochi is one of Kerala’s most popular toddy shops. Located in Tripunithura, Kochi, Mullapanthal (sometimes spelt Mullapandhal) is the top name that comes to mind when one thinks of toddy shops. What is Toddy? Toddy (known as ‘kallu‘ in Malayalam) is a local alcoholic beverage tapped from coconut palms in Kerala. The …
Located near Guruvayoor temple in Kerala, is a unique elephant sanctuary Punnathurkotta. If you are an elephant lover, this is a place you must visit. It houses about 50-60 elephants (the sad part: they’re all chained), and takes about an hour at max to explore. These are elephants that take part in temple rituals.
“You have to do upasana daily” – he replied to me in soft voice. Standing on the shores of river Souparnika, I had struck up a conversation with one of the pilgrims who’d come to take a dip in the holy waters. A few minutes earlier, I had seen him float on the river, absolutely …