Grand Hyatt Goa

Tarkarli, Malwan

May 2016

Our sons grade 10 was about to start. In order to make a fresh start of the new academic year, we decided to go to Malwan.

We booked MTDC resort but were not sure how our trip will turn out.

Amazingly, Malwan is super duper clean !! All the beaches look untouched, the time we went there was not so crowded. The sea is clean and transparent waters clear up clogged minds!!!! It is truly a paradise! A heaven on earth. All the small islands covered by boat ride are true wonders. Some of them look like those in some Bond movies.

One unforgettable experience was the boar ride to see the dolphins in their natural habitat. We are the guests and mere spectators of the wonders of nature! Then there is Tsunami island, which was formed latest as a result of the Tsunami. This island is magical with its shallow and clear blue-turquoise waters. There are a couple of water sports here but hopefully they will not damage the natural beauty.

Malwan is a really good place to relax and rejuvenate.

Hyderabad 2014

Hyderabad 31 Oct 2014 to 5 Nov 2014 ( 5 nights 4 days )

Places visited :

Golconda Fort - nice place. Be prepared to climb lots of steps. Guides flock you, but go for a guide only if you feel like, else you are free to explore the place yourself. There are sign boards everywhere. Half a day worth.

Birla Temple - clean and breathtaking. Again be prepared to climb steps. No cameras allowed. Half an hour - one hour worth.

Salarjung museum - Very big, lovely, too many things to see, well kept. Lot of walking involved. Many people find the chiming of the clock is the major attraction, it is advised to be there at 12 o'clock to listen and view the clock tick tocking human-figures. We found them to be too small.Cloak room very far. You can pay and carry your camera.One day worth. 

Ramoji Film city - Too entertaining. Start your day early in the morning. Once you are there, go with the flow. Well organised tours and shows.One day worth. Value for money.

Sri Shailyam - Start your day very early in the morning. From Hyderabad it takes about 4 hours to reach. Lovely greenery along the way.It is one of the 12 jyotirlingam. Nice temple.Be prepared to stand in long queues. No near by eateries. Cloak room far.One day worth.

Lumbini Park - Lovely place. They take you by boat to the Buddha statue. Nice and clean Hussain Sagar lake. Go there aroung 4-5 in the evening when it is very pleasant. There is night laser show which is very fascinating. We missed it though. 2-4 hours worth.

Charminar - Nice architecture. There is a famous Chudi Bazaar near it. Very charming area, but very crowded. 1 hour worth.

Snow world - One hall. Contains snow, dancing area, basket ball area, big slide and 5 min snowfall experience. They provide you with hooded jacket, gloves and gumboots. There is some thriller place as well, which we did not visit. Must have a group to be able to have fun.2 hours worth.

7 tombs - Nice architecture.Pay and take camera. On the way kind of place.

Travel:

1. Booked Hyderabad JetConnect + Radisson stay + Indigo (return) via makemytrip.
    Radisson stay not very impressive. It is a bit far from tourist attractions. Have an             
    experience of staying in Ramoji Film city too.
2. Booked cab service through Green Cab, which was a fairly good experience.

Food :

Paradise biryani take away.
Chutneys.
Food is good, you get variety of biryanis.

Problems faced: 

1. Being Friday most of the locations were closed like Salarjung museus, Chowmahalla             palace etc. Moharram all things closed.
2. Cloak rooms are far away, and you are not allowed to carry sacks or cameras inside most     of the places.

Hampi, Karnataka

This year we visited Hampi, Karnataka. This place was refered to us by my father, who's born and brought up in Belgaum, Karnataka. This combined with the enthusiasm of my husband's interest in photography, we set off to Humpy this Diwali vacation 2011.

Our base was Belgaum. The highway is in good condition, hence the journey is not so hectic.
It takes about 4-5 hours to reach Humpy-Hospet from Belgaum.

Humpy is the destination of Vijaynagar Samrajya of Krishnadevraya. It is enhanced by the remains of once glorious and extremely rich kingdom.There are markets which were made for selling gold and silver, there is a place which was used to weigh pearls in huge numbers! There is another market which was used for trading horses brought from Arabian countries.

Mind you, it is a long journey inside about 25km, so one should decide to explore by car (SUV is better) or by bike!

The entire place is of earthern colours, which beautifies the landscape for the soothing eyes.
The most amazing thing is the mountains there, which look as if they are made up of naturally arranged rocks one on top of the other!!  Just like in the game of "lagori" - no jokes!!

There are over 5000 temple ruins! If one is keen on details, then you should have 2-3 days in hand. The vittal mandir is a temple just like others there, with no God idol. This vittal idol is shifted to Pandharpur !!

This place also holds the biggest Shiva Lingam in India!!

The Ganesh temple and Veerapakshi temple area give a panoramic view of the area, which is mesmerising.

It is a good idea to take a guide to cover atleast the main places unless you have good a knowledge of the place and have read about it.

It is a place which one must visit to experience the lavish and glorious kingdom of Krishnadevraya.One can imagine how things would have been back in 1300 to 15 hundreds
if they look so beautiful even after so many centuries!!

The return journey was as if we are returning from the history just lived!!

Not to mention the Mango tree restaurant, the location is quiet deep inside, but is beautiful! You get to sit under tree, in open area, very close to nature and enjoy the scenary as well as food!