Good Homestays in Chikmagalur

About this Chikmagalur travel blog: This is an account of a family vacation involving good homestays in Chikmagalur, coffee estates and offbeat temples of Hoysala. Where is Chikmagalur located? Chikmagalur is a hill station in Karnataka located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri peak of the Western Ghats. Chikmagalur is about 250 kilometres away from …

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Ellora caves architecture

Ellora caves architecture: Ellora is one of the largest rock-cut cave complexes in the world and is truly an engineering marvel. The Kailash temple (Cave 16), also known as Kailasa or Kailashnath temple is the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world. This is an account of my trip to see the Ellora caves …

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One Good Step with Amitha

Amitha Pai is an ex-Infoscion who now runs a not-for-profit organization called ‘One Good Step’ (OGS). OGS connects the most credible and genuine causes in Bangalore to those who want to make a difference. This Yourstory article about her—https://yourstory.com/2016/02/one-good-step/—is a wonderful read and acts as a lead-in to this conversation with her. <– Begin interview …

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Pune heritage walk: reliving history

What is the Pune heritage walk? Pune Heritage walk is organized by Pune Municipal Corporation and Janwani Pune, an NGO. A National Award-winning walk (for the Best Heritage Walk project), it is conducted on all weekends at 7 am. The three-hour-long walk takes you around eighteen different heritage sites and is conducted in three languages: …

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Food trucks in Pune

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 …

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Visiting Boracay?

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 …

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Kite Festival near me (Mangalore)

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 …

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Living in Singapore: An ‘expat’ opinion

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 …

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Moodbidri Jain Temple

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 …

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A low budget trip to Goa

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 …

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My friend Shankar: Techie turned farmer

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 …

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Best places to visit in North Kerala

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 …

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Mangalore to Dharmasthala

Mangalore to Dharmasthala

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 …

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The Grandmother Clock

I’ve been a collector all my life; not the administrative kind, but the accumulator of things kind. I love collecting old stuff (‘antiques’ in my eyes), watches, perfumes (blame my ‘mallu’ blood for this one), and gadgets.  My wife, on the other hand, likes to live a de-cluttered life. This difference in living style has …

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Someshwar beach, Mangalore

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 …

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