And that is because, that is exactly what Cochin does to you, charms you!!! Cochin is the halting spot in the South West region of India, and from here, you can be humble to the Gods and go temple hunting; be kind to yourself and relax on the backwaters; be faithful to your body and gorge on the mash-up of southern cuisine fare; or be the ever-adventurous one and travel by bus to the neighboring villages to get a sense of the life around. They are all worth it!!
If you plan to do 'em all, then expect to spend anywhere between 5 days to 2 weeks!! The reason??
Lets start with the temples, there are over 10 - 15 BEAUTIFUL temples in the vicinity around Cochin, with 3 of them being the most visited. I last visited them a long time ago and do not know the unpronounceable names... :-P. The others are smaller than the 3 largest ones; with the crowd and the paid priests and all the hoopla surrounding them; but their beauty is not to be overlooked and cannot be forgotten.
The backwaters are serene and is what Kerala is most known for (barring the temples of course!!!). The gentle flow of the river, and the palm lined beaches, the dung walled houses, the red brick roofs, the smell of wood fire, and the cooking on it, the sight of the small house industry of making stuff from coir!! It's all intoxicating!!
The food (if you are fond of spice) is to DIE for, and if you are not, then you probably will!!! Its all mostly coconut based fare is very fulfilling on the taste buds, leaves nothing to temptation - its all there - and is probably the reason you are returning about 3 kilos heavier on the flight back (and its not even the stuff you picked up and stuffed into your
If you are the adventurous sort then the villages surrounding Cochin are just amazing, in each direction you will find such beauty in open spaces, the sky is clear by night (no pollution to clog your view to the skies!) , the smell of nature almost makes you want to just camp and stay grounded for the next 2 or 3 days! The single lane roads are dangerous courtesy Kerala State Transport Bus drivers!!! But ever so romantic!!! With the green foliage shadowing the mountain paths, and the roads that meander to the tune of the hills they follow! Biking dream!!!!
I have not really mentioned one thing here, and that is the arts and culture you willbe exposed to in Cochin City!! A must see is a Kathakali performance...
Drop me a mail if you want your city featured here, or if you have any feedback!!!
Happy Travelling
Partha
partha@travelphabet.com
Feb 25, 2008
Dec 28, 2007
B is for Bungling Bengalooru
Bangalore (rechristened Bengalooru - god knows why!!!!) is still Bungling. "IT" found its purpose here but that is far from what this city actually stands for now. Its really a city thats trying so hard to be a metro but its still trying to break off from the shackles of being a small town. Its still trying to walk - baby steps if you will to become a "city-that-never-sleeps"
Bangalore is much fun to visit. if you fly in then you are missing most of the fun (thankfully not all of it). Driving in is where the fun begins. Traffic just caught up with this city, and quite frankly it "drives" me CRAZY. The locale is just freaking amazing. Its amazing because there is not one thing you will NOT get there, talk about versatility in lifestyles, the people around, the fun, but the city does go to sleep at about 1130.
Annyhoo!! The first thing one notices about Bangalore, when you drive in, are the "Work in Progress" expressway projects(slated to be done by mid 2050 ;) - I mean those guys work SLOW). These are on at every exit possible. Hosur Road, Nandi Hills, everywhere. The second thing now noticable is the traffic (already mentioned earlier - need I say more??)
People are nice if you are nice (its a norm everywhere) but here they take it a litttttle too far. If you are nice, then they go out of their way to make sure you are uncomfortable in trying to be comfortable. But if you are reserved, dont expect them to call you EVER!!! And these are just friends!! You walking down an unknown street, you cant ask for directions (you have to demand it!!) because people cant understand you but they will spend 15 minutes in a vain effort to try to.
Transport here is quite the same as is all over India - Private transport people dont care who walks where, public transport is normally crowded and scary (buses) or expensive (personal transport), and goods transport are reckless.
I have not really been sight seeing around here - but I have travelled in Bangalore by day and night and it is a sight by itself. The transformation is fabulous now as compared to say 8 years ago. Circa 1999 the city transformed into something it was trying then and has now reached half way to achieving - being a fun hangout city. The hangout joints are few and far apart. For the bikers - there are a lot - I know I was one too :) - there is Pico's, and The Tavern apart from other good ol' watering holes that burn a hole in your pocket. For the foodies, there is Empire and some other joints that serve amazing food which is part Bangalorean and part not-so-Bangalorean but is now an integral part of the cuisine there. For tourists, there are local dhaba joints that serve amazing appams with chicken curry Bangalore style (my mouth is drooling as I write this - thank God I am headed there next month).
All said and done it is trying to grow up desperately and catch up with Delhi and Mumbai but it is such a slow and laid back city that who ever reaches there just head there to relax and not jump about like a piece of hot coal has been thrust down your pants.
Bangalore has a lot to offer and is a great city to stay in but the roads are so confusing that it would take any sane person close to 3 months to understand the network. Till then, either prepare to get lost or get broke!!!!
Happy Travelling
Partha
partha@travelphabet.com
Bangalore is much fun to visit. if you fly in then you are missing most of the fun (thankfully not all of it). Driving in is where the fun begins. Traffic just caught up with this city, and quite frankly it "drives" me CRAZY. The locale is just freaking amazing. Its amazing because there is not one thing you will NOT get there, talk about versatility in lifestyles, the people around, the fun, but the city does go to sleep at about 1130.
Annyhoo!! The first thing one notices about Bangalore, when you drive in, are the "Work in Progress" expressway projects(slated to be done by mid 2050 ;) - I mean those guys work SLOW). These are on at every exit possible. Hosur Road, Nandi Hills, everywhere. The second thing now noticable is the traffic (already mentioned earlier - need I say more??)
People are nice if you are nice (its a norm everywhere) but here they take it a litttttle too far. If you are nice, then they go out of their way to make sure you are uncomfortable in trying to be comfortable. But if you are reserved, dont expect them to call you EVER!!! And these are just friends!! You walking down an unknown street, you cant ask for directions (you have to demand it!!) because people cant understand you but they will spend 15 minutes in a vain effort to try to.
Transport here is quite the same as is all over India - Private transport people dont care who walks where, public transport is normally crowded and scary (buses) or expensive (personal transport), and goods transport are reckless.
I have not really been sight seeing around here - but I have travelled in Bangalore by day and night and it is a sight by itself. The transformation is fabulous now as compared to say 8 years ago. Circa 1999 the city transformed into something it was trying then and has now reached half way to achieving - being a fun hangout city. The hangout joints are few and far apart. For the bikers - there are a lot - I know I was one too :) - there is Pico's, and The Tavern apart from other good ol' watering holes that burn a hole in your pocket. For the foodies, there is Empire and some other joints that serve amazing food which is part Bangalorean and part not-so-Bangalorean but is now an integral part of the cuisine there. For tourists, there are local dhaba joints that serve amazing appams with chicken curry Bangalore style (my mouth is drooling as I write this - thank God I am headed there next month).
All said and done it is trying to grow up desperately and catch up with Delhi and Mumbai but it is such a slow and laid back city that who ever reaches there just head there to relax and not jump about like a piece of hot coal has been thrust down your pants.
Bangalore has a lot to offer and is a great city to stay in but the roads are so confusing that it would take any sane person close to 3 months to understand the network. Till then, either prepare to get lost or get broke!!!!
Happy Travelling
Partha
partha@travelphabet.com
Dec 27, 2007
A is for Archaic Agra
The first thing you notice about Agra is it's inaccessibility. It is situated about an hour's drive from Mathura, 2 days stinky train ride away from Mumbai, 4 hours away from Delhi, and has no airports to speak of. Funny, how the mighty have fallen.
From the capital of the Indian Empire from Burma to Iran, it has plummeted to greater depths than the heights it was capable of scaling. It threatened to be a world centre of civilisation, culture, art, crafts, literature, and learning, but never delivered on it's promise. The truth is Agra was manufactured out of a nothingness that doubled as a military advantage. The Indian Army will smile when you say that as they flaunt their cantonment.
But vast numbers of tourists from across the globe, and across our great nation journey their way, braving some of the worst roads, and even coarser tongues to behold the greatest monument ever erected, now falling prey to that other great monument of modernity.. pollution on the yamuna. It is so easy to miss the river altogether, as you marvel at the yellowed marble, you gaze mesmerisingly at the chipped statues, and the intricately damaged carving in the windows, and the grinning guards as they escort you to the fake mummified remains of Mumtaz and Shahjahan. Yes, it is tragic.
And when you have seen the decaying vegetation in the gardens of the non-working fountains, and the tottering gates at the entrance to the great halls, and the hastily scribbled graffiti that proclaim Nasir's undying love for Anjali, and those telephone numbers that will offer you physical gratification instantly on connection, and all those lewd lyrics that would put the great Akbar's bards to shame, you wonder what other great monuments are left to sully in this once-venerated city.
And you are beseeched by agents, and agents of agents, and their rickshaw wallahs, and tanga-wallahs, and the carpet shops, and the jewellery shops, and the artifacts, and the stone shops, and the overpriced handicrafts stores, and you have survived the crowds in the only Pizza Hut that is brave enough to open in Agra, and still serve decent pizza, you are faced with the problem of time. How much more time can I spend here, without reaching for my wallet every 15 minutes?
And so you decide to head for the hotel you booked on the internet.. the proudly Victorian hotel that screams its Anglicised name at you from the Hotel Website Bookings Page - "5 star facilities at 3 star price"; "Newly renovated hotel with old English charm"; "self operated travel agency"; "doctor on call"; "24 hours room service"; "Suites available".... You step through the arches of what was probably once the outhouse of a middle level British government servant, as you glance at the badly trimmed lawns, and avoid the lethal spray of the sprinkler, that seems to be suffering from an overdose of steroids. You walk through the hallway, that reeks of that old mouldy smell that comes from damp, unwashed, fading carpets, and from dust webs that stare down from their vantage point in the corner of the ceiling.
But the real reason you should visit Agra, is not in the city itself but about 50 kms away (about 30 miles), Akbar's walled city of Fatehpur Sikri. It is an amazing amalgamation of unsurpassed military strategy, and artistic brilliance, never before seen. This was the seat of the Mughal Empire, and the sheer magnitude of the city built to be self sufficient for a year or more in case of a seige, takes your breath away. The Indian government has done a commendable job of keeping graffiti artists and other assholes-that-be at bay by cordoning off certain sections of the city that are accessible only to the Archaeological Survey of India. Even after the mahals and the rooms have been stripped of all their grandeur, treasures, and their tapestries and furnishings, you can still sense the power that these rooms were witness to, and it is a surreal feeling to stand on top of the ramparts that command a view of the open plains upto Rajasthan.
And so I say, in this highly incomplete and extremely subjective prognosis, Visit Agra for Fatehpur Sikri. The carpets you get fleeced for while buying are just a bonus.
utekkare,
Pranay
From the capital of the Indian Empire from Burma to Iran, it has plummeted to greater depths than the heights it was capable of scaling. It threatened to be a world centre of civilisation, culture, art, crafts, literature, and learning, but never delivered on it's promise. The truth is Agra was manufactured out of a nothingness that doubled as a military advantage. The Indian Army will smile when you say that as they flaunt their cantonment.
But vast numbers of tourists from across the globe, and across our great nation journey their way, braving some of the worst roads, and even coarser tongues to behold the greatest monument ever erected, now falling prey to that other great monument of modernity.. pollution on the yamuna. It is so easy to miss the river altogether, as you marvel at the yellowed marble, you gaze mesmerisingly at the chipped statues, and the intricately damaged carving in the windows, and the grinning guards as they escort you to the fake mummified remains of Mumtaz and Shahjahan. Yes, it is tragic.
And when you have seen the decaying vegetation in the gardens of the non-working fountains, and the tottering gates at the entrance to the great halls, and the hastily scribbled graffiti that proclaim Nasir's undying love for Anjali, and those telephone numbers that will offer you physical gratification instantly on connection, and all those lewd lyrics that would put the great Akbar's bards to shame, you wonder what other great monuments are left to sully in this once-venerated city.
And you are beseeched by agents, and agents of agents, and their rickshaw wallahs, and tanga-wallahs, and the carpet shops, and the jewellery shops, and the artifacts, and the stone shops, and the overpriced handicrafts stores, and you have survived the crowds in the only Pizza Hut that is brave enough to open in Agra, and still serve decent pizza, you are faced with the problem of time. How much more time can I spend here, without reaching for my wallet every 15 minutes?
And so you decide to head for the hotel you booked on the internet.. the proudly Victorian hotel that screams its Anglicised name at you from the Hotel Website Bookings Page - "5 star facilities at 3 star price"; "Newly renovated hotel with old English charm"; "self operated travel agency"; "doctor on call"; "24 hours room service"; "Suites available".... You step through the arches of what was probably once the outhouse of a middle level British government servant, as you glance at the badly trimmed lawns, and avoid the lethal spray of the sprinkler, that seems to be suffering from an overdose of steroids. You walk through the hallway, that reeks of that old mouldy smell that comes from damp, unwashed, fading carpets, and from dust webs that stare down from their vantage point in the corner of the ceiling.
But the real reason you should visit Agra, is not in the city itself but about 50 kms away (about 30 miles), Akbar's walled city of Fatehpur Sikri. It is an amazing amalgamation of unsurpassed military strategy, and artistic brilliance, never before seen. This was the seat of the Mughal Empire, and the sheer magnitude of the city built to be self sufficient for a year or more in case of a seige, takes your breath away. The Indian government has done a commendable job of keeping graffiti artists and other assholes-that-be at bay by cordoning off certain sections of the city that are accessible only to the Archaeological Survey of India. Even after the mahals and the rooms have been stripped of all their grandeur, treasures, and their tapestries and furnishings, you can still sense the power that these rooms were witness to, and it is a surreal feeling to stand on top of the ramparts that command a view of the open plains upto Rajasthan.
And so I say, in this highly incomplete and extremely subjective prognosis, Visit Agra for Fatehpur Sikri. The carpets you get fleeced for while buying are just a bonus.
utekkare,
Pranay
Welcome!
Since we're short of words here, I'll just cut to the chase:
The A to Z of cities and then some. We'll be subjective, objective, personal, impersonal, disparaging, loving, caring, diffident, ecstatic, overjoyed, unhindered, controversial, surreptious, adoring, careless, passe, gauche, serious, and fun, all at the same time.
And we'll be talking about your favourite cities. And ours. And everyone else's. And we will also be talking about your least favourite cities. And ours. And everyone else's.
And we might step on your toes. And ruffle your feathers. And irritate the hell out of you. But please don't be derelict in your duty of telling us that. We welcome your brickbats. But we won't turn praise away either.
So here goes.
utekkare, and cheers!
Pranay
pranay@travelphabet.com
Partha
partha@travelphabet.com
The A to Z of cities and then some. We'll be subjective, objective, personal, impersonal, disparaging, loving, caring, diffident, ecstatic, overjoyed, unhindered, controversial, surreptious, adoring, careless, passe, gauche, serious, and fun, all at the same time.
And we'll be talking about your favourite cities. And ours. And everyone else's. And we will also be talking about your least favourite cities. And ours. And everyone else's.
And we might step on your toes. And ruffle your feathers. And irritate the hell out of you. But please don't be derelict in your duty of telling us that. We welcome your brickbats. But we won't turn praise away either.
So here goes.
utekkare, and cheers!
Pranay
pranay@travelphabet.com
Partha
partha@travelphabet.com
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