The stories of kalapani and Andoman cellular jails really fascinated me for a long time. It was in March this year I visited along with my friend. Landing in Port Blair, I found it oven-hot and hotter than Chennai. Having gone there we had to stay back. Lodged near the Sea shore, hardly we could get breeze and even the evening walks along the coast did not get the desired coolness. May be we went at the wrong time. The visits to three Islands was equally pathetic. There was no arrangement no shelter in these islands for the tourists. We could just visit these places and come back to the boat. These islands were equally hot and coral reef island, full of coral reefs visible to naked eye may be the only satisfaction. Even that Island was hot. We could chill it by just staying in cool waters. The Port Blair is a town famous for the Cellular jail in which the political prisoners were held. The visit in the hot summer was not a pleasant one but reminded us the suffering of our freedom fighters. We could not stand the heat for half an hour and it was amazing as to how these freedom fighters stayed there braving the heat and torture for years till their release. Some died unable to withstand the torture and the rest who could brave, lived to see the indpendence of India. My heart goes to them, as in the evening the light and sound show reminded us about the fate of these prisoners. We were moved by the stories narrated to us the torture and hanging of the innocent freedom fighters.
Amboli was a place (hill station), which I never heard. However, few friends suggested me to take a long weekend in there... Wasn't so keen to take my wife and two kids over there as the obvious reason was the daily rising of the mercury.
To my astonishment, when i stepped in Amboli, I felt like reincarnation at its best. The mercury was as low as 20 degree celcius in the mid-noon! (Can compare the 40 degree stuff of all Maharashtra)I stayed in Whistling Woods motel. To much astonishment the rooms were built by not cutting a single tree on the piece of land of Mr. Ogale (owner). Swinging nets between two trees and the shadow of trees, the different shades of colors of flowers is like an encored epitaph to narrate for the next gen!
Mornings are fantabuluos! Different bird chirps. Kids get-togethers, parents meet room under one coffee lounge is more than appreciable!
5 tourist points have waterfalls, pilgrimages and more.. worth watching! I liked the Hiranyakeshi river's origin the most.. Wondered how above 2350 ft sea level can an origination of a river flows? It has the best canopy of nature that I have seen in many a years! Not even in Mahabi or Panchagani or Matheran! For a change in a cool place, Amboli Hillstation is d 1 place to get your moccassins along yourself.
From there i moved to explore the unihibited beaches of southern Ratnagiri. Beaches like Nivti, Tarkarli, Deobaug, Bhogwe are worth watching! Rare Dolphins view thru a boat ride is superb!
RE:Amboli - Abode of Almighty!
by on May 02, 2008 07:48 PM
Amboli can be accessed from mumbai, Pune or belgaum easily. From Mumbai its the best. Take konkan railways to reach kudal. Then around two hour bus to amboli via sawantwadi. Direct buses also run from mumbai and pune. around 8 hour journey. But A lots of ghats. so not suitable for the weak hearted. Belgaum is around 80 km. can take a bus. Reach sawantwadi. easily accessible from there. About rush try going just pre monsoon. cheapest and best. in rains usually becomes very wet. cheers
Bengalees and Gujratis are the only two communities in India that take travelling as a passion . For the rest, travelling is just a way to boast themselves about their status and money they have made. Bengalees since ages have considered travelling as tourists as an indispensible part of their lives and have philosophised on it and taken it as an achievement and not for any superficial reason. I guess this is probably one area where Europeans/Westerners and Bengalees think alike. For other communities(except Gujratis)travelling has been primarily for pilgrimage and recently for some superficial reasons triggered by 'India's booming economy'. Bengalis and Gujratis have kept the spirit of Travel and Tourism alive in the country simply because they love travelling. If one reads BhibhutiBhushan Bandopadhay's 'Aranyak' written in the backdrop of the Chottanagpur Plateau then one can get the true idea of the concept of what we call today as Ecotourism/Ethno-eco Tourism. Travelling should not be taken as a valuable energy wasted but is an energy that celebrates the intrinsic spirit of Humans, something that cannot be measured in terms of money or wealth. Money spent on travelling is not a waste or a loss but is an investment and is a worthy spending for a reason greater than anything materialistic in this world. Travelling paves the way for the understanding & achievement of a very higher philosphical thought which very few people in India realise other than Bengalees and Gujratis.
Re: Travelling is a way of understanding of a Higher Philospophical Thought in Humans
by Munish Sethi on Sep 27, 2008 11:15 AM
shutt up S I C K O its you only who is telling that ppl think its waste of money.. actually its your thought only..
RE:Travelling is a way of understanding of a Higher Philospophical Thought in Humans
by Sharad Jain on Jun 04, 2008 09:58 AM
very bad message. U travel so much but still have'nt opened up your mind...
RE:Travelling is a way of understanding of a Higher Philospophical Thought in Humans
by m ms on Apr 25, 2008 10:49 AM
bangali and gujrati are : Kuyen ke mendak... they feel they know the world and they think they travel a lot.. but actually if you see the surveys you can know that there are many other communities which have much more depth for travelling...
I had the previledge to visit the entire India, and few places abroad-My overall experience says travellers must visit-Himalayas,Rajasthan desert and forts,Rameshwaram temple(TN),Sundarbhans and MP forests and Goa beaches.My personal favorite-Garwal Himalayas, Kashmir,Manali,Sikkim in the order of mention.
Two weeks back i went to Kanchipuram. Really wondered after i seen the temples, devotees and all. Its really imaginable. I never seeen that many temples in a single day. Really everyone should enjoy that ..!!!! Hope you may visit soon and get wishes from all gods..!!!
My travel to Gurudongbar Lake at north Sikkim at a height of nineteen thousand feet was unforgettable. The journey thru the cold desert, and then finding the hot water lake in the midst of snow-capped mountains in a sub-zero temperature was like a dream.
I was an atheist and regularly ridiculed all the Gods. Even during that time, I did pilgrimage to Sabarimala in Kerala, the holy abode of Lord Ayyappan, but that was like going to a picnic.
I was at that time staying alone in a small room on the terrace of an independent house in Chennai. One day night, I saw a terrifying dream of a tiger chasing me. I ran as fast as possible but the tiger was just behind me. I finally reached a temple and while gasping, I pleaded the priest of that temple to rescue me from that tiger. The priest pointed his finger to the opposite side temple and asked me to seek the help of Lord Ayyappan. I ran to that temple and begged the Lord to save me. The next moment, I woke up fully shaken. To remind you, it is considered that it was atop tiger that Lord Ayyappan returned from the forest and is believed to be his vehicle.
I did not give any importance to that dream and continued my anti-God preachings. Astonishingly, I saw exactly the same dream that I saw before, but this time, I sought pardon of Lord Ayyappan and the next moment, I was awake.
With this second dream, I was totally disturbed and a sense of fear grappled me. The same day in the evening, I visited Ayyappan temple at Mahalingapuram and apologized for all my wrong-doings. I never saw any such wild dreams again.
I am today a stanch believer of Lord Ayyappan and I believed that all the good things that happened to me is only due to the almighty.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian tourism officials are meeting this week to discuss the safety of tourists after at least seven foreign women and girls said they had been raped or molested over the past 20 days, a ministry spokesman said.
