True to its tourism boards message. I loved every bit of Hong Kong from the streets, sights to shopping every bit of it. From the very moment that I got a glimpse of hong kong I was trilled at the sight of the island airport. A man made marvel truly amazing. The blue water on one side and the cable cars inching slowly to the summit on the other side made for the most beautiful sights to be greeted with. I really think that Hong Kong adventure begins at the airport itself. From the aero bridge to the immigration we had to take a small train that itself should be an indicator of how big the airport truly is. From the Airport to our hotel I had opted for the local bus service instead of the very expensive Airport Express that drops you only at the stations and then you need to change to another line for for your hotel or take the bus. Oh yeah before that I would strongly recommend anyone traveling to Hong Kong to buy the Octopus at the airport first and then begin the journey. Its one of the best things that you will find in Hong Kong. From Lantau Hills to Sha Tin in New territories it took about 30 Mins or may be less or more I was so intrigued by the sights around that I could not keep track of time truly. The Buildings in Lantau hills seemed that it would stretch and touch the clouds above any minute. The traffic seemed very disciplined and organized with Buses sticking to their lanes and cars zipping by. I wish we learned some discipline and sense from them while planning our roads. Oh I should mention even for the cops to check cars or setup a check post on the highways they had created ramps with provision for the cops to park their vehicle. A simple but definitely an excellent addition to the highways to allocate a place for the cops.
We had reserved a riverview room at the Regal Riverside Hotel. I must say that the entrance to the hotel was not what I had expected but surely grand as most of the places are. I really will have to search for adjectives for the all the sights.Our Room was on the 9th Floor overlooking the river 943. For both Khushi and me this was a much needed holiday and time for us to connect with each other as we had first met. The room presented with it the most romantic sight and setting we could have asked for overlooking the river. What do I tell you about the river itself its certainly not what I would associate with in India. The river was very well walled and adorned with walkways on both sides of it for people to enjoy the river. I really am all ga ga over the fact that this city has so much respect for nature, life and all its limitations. The walkways were wide and clean with lot of provisions and benches for people to sit around if they were tired. There was a alley provided for people to bike, skate around and children to play. A hockey, basketball court, a play area adorned almost every corner of the city. I loved the fact that the city planners gave so much emphasis on making sure that the children, the young and the adult have so much to do in and around the place that they stay. We started our day in the afternoon after good rest or atleast I thought we had a good rest before we start exploring. I didnt have an Itinerary for the tour wanted to take it as the days came along. We decided to go to the peak and see Hong kong from top. We started at the HQs of HSBC the buildings around it were reaching for the sky. Jaguars and Mini Coopers oh what a sight..
The Peak tram was our next stop and I recommend that you definitely take this tram. Its a slow but most beautiful climb to the top of the hill. At almost 30 Degrees it feels as if your own weight would crush your spinal cord but the sights are just too splendid to even think about it. Our train stopped in the middle of the climb guess it was the mid point suggesting that even the train was tired after the steep climb. Everyone around me seemed to be enthralled by the sight around it. This tram station itself was in building and did not look anything like a station. You realize its a station and a climb awaits you only when you get inside. The location itself is such a surprise there are these towering building all around you and in the backdrop you see a hill but not once do you feel that there is a hill and on that is the best view that you will get to look at Hong Kong. The Tram parks itself at the bottom of an iconic building that almost hangs over the cliff to give you peak into the city. We went all the way to the top of the building it was cold and the clouds were rushing past us and it was such a relief and the sight ahead was so enchanting. The big buildings almost matched the hills and played a symphony of light for us. The clouds would clear every now and then giving us this splendid peak into the city. We walked around leisurely savoring the cold winds and the romantic setting of the building.
We headed to the ladies market from top of the hill we decided to take the bus back this time to come down instead of the tram. The ladies market is a bustling shopping area and offers a lot of good discount deals and unlinke what you would imagine this market has a lot of bargains to offer for the bags, skirts and tops and jeans that you would like but HK is expensive very expensive. The people are very well dressed and I felt conscious about what they wear. No one seemed to be wearing the same kind of clothes though black was the most popular color but the shades of black and accessories were endless. I have never seen so many options for everyone. People looked very very fashionable. This night market got us walking quiet a bit and we were exhausted and decided to call it the night only at 1. The city never looked like it would call it the night though. Oh yeah the funny thing is we got lost on our way back to hotel from the station. Hong kong is a funny maze of walkways all interconnect all running from one building to the other. It felt as though you could see the entire city walking on these walkway grids without having to set foot on the street. Finally we did manage to get on the street and get a cab to our hotel. Our long but memorable first day came to an end. My wifey had warned me not to wake her up in the morning unless she wants to but the sales guy that I am sold her the idea to push herself to explore the city. My sweetheart too knows my love for it and gave me what I was looking for.
Day 2
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Friday, March 12, 2010
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Goa- Trip 2009
Goa, as always excites me just as much as my first trip to that place. The initial excitement was about driving down from bangalore to goa and back but it all fizzled out due to economics, no turn ups and just the three of us. May be next time we all said in unanimously. It was the first for Sophia, I mean the trip to Goa. I am sure she must be at her wits end after staying with two crazy nutty like khushi and me. I hope i am wrong. Ok Let me begin our trip at National Market Seabird bus stand. We timed our reaching to the bus stop to perfection but the bus never left on time. Thanks to a smart young lady who ensured that there was enough confusion over who travels by which bus. Please do not let GIRLS manage the tickets in a group. PLEASE DONT KILL ME for it. This is not me who is saying this. We were all stuck in the traffic for well over an hour which ensured that all our plans for the morning our busted.
The following morning we reached Madgaon, thanks to some excellent prep work and experience I had already booked a Car with my dear friend Gilbert. THe car was there even as we were getting off the bus but we could not spot it and when we finally did we were comfortably parked for a nice hot Pizza. The weather in GOA was unusually pleasant less humidity for sure. The sun was beating down just as hard though. We had no reservations for a hotel as we had decided we will look for place once we reach GOA. So guess what we ended up doing we went to a small place called Fatrado. Khushi and I have spent some very beautiful moments there during our first visit two years ago. Now was the time to re-live it. We were sharp with our directions to that place even after two years. Goa never seems to stop amazing me, even after two years the place hasn't changed much which is such a respite to see. Constructions everywhere buildings, buildings and some more buildings. Hope Goa does not get into that race.My restlessness not to stay in the room for long ensured that we were on the beach before anyone in the room could stretch themselves and get cozy for a nice afternoon nap. Instead we were at this beautiful white soft sand beach with just a handful of people. After a couple of beers I was in the water while the two beautiful ladies with me engaged in seafood grazing. I just couldn't see them park their butts and rest. After pushing them a while we were all in the air para-sailing and jet-skiing. While we took our turns to set sail, there was this amazingly hot Chick, beautifully tanned and pinning her boy friend down on the beach and playfully showing off her beautiful assets. Goa is bliss, what say guys. Oh yeah boys, a sweet secret this beach did sport some beautiful topless women. Now that you have imagined all that you could lets move on. That was khushi calling..We spent a nice quite evening with karaoke at Martin's Corner. Nothing like a nice drive after dinner..Such was the day all of us were very tired and even before the drive to come to a halt, the ladies with me were snoring away to Glory.
Next morning all of us woke up nice and fresh from the sleep, and off to our secret beach, we strolled on the beach enjoying the morning breeze and yeah searching for some shells. We did manage to see how shell fish lives inside the shell. The star fish and the shells it was my first. I have never seen a star fish. We had decided for a day mostly in the car driving around and so we checked out of the hotel and headed north. We started our day with Fort Aquada and the palatial mansion of this diamond merchant on the hill facing the beach. Man is he reach or what. After the fort rides and driving around we were at the Calungute beach playing pool and drinking beer. I did manage to win a few games with my love. Thanks for letting me win Khushi. I do remember acting a little drunk after a few drinks. This trip was also a first for the Saturday nite
bazaar. Guys if you want to pick up, I mean pick up some goodies for people this is a good place to be trust me. Khushi bought me these beautiful make it yourself lamps. Which i am stilling trying to put together. After all the shopping and walking around it was that time of the night when we needed a place to stay. Knock Knock knocking on hotel doors..we wanted to stay in Panjim for a change. The room that we finally managed to find was perfect. Hotel Aroma!!
This was the day when we have to return back to our daily life and face reality so just before that Khushi and Sophia decided lets celebrate CASINO. Man what casino all the women in scantly dressed whatever that was grrrr...its not vegas. We were in a Casino called Majestic. The place was in shambles from outside the inside was small but nice and clean. There five tables of Rollete, black jack, some slot machines. The girls were in full josh to roll the dice and win some but before they could realize they were down 1500 bucks..yup..So for those of you who want to take your girl friends to Goa CASINO is certainly not the place to take them. I know I know sophi, Khushi its not as if I paid for the CASINO its just a tip for those otherwise...Our next stop was at this beautiful rocky beach of Vagator. Some more nice topless women and hot guys..Sophia stop gaping at that Greek god types hunk..perfectly chiseled body..You should have seen the way these girls were looking at that guy...man..its better of watching some topless women....We were nice parked for sunset from top of the hill and spend the last few hours in Goa till we come back again..
Goa can never be enough there is something about that place that gives reason for a lot of people keep coming back to it again and again. I am sure I cant wait to be there again and hopefully soon enough. My family holiday was ending rather ended and we all left with a nice feeling thinking of the next trip when we will probably drive down from Bangalore to Goa and back.............
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Gokarna Dairy August 15-17, 08
Gokarn !!!
Like everyone I was also waiting for the August 15th long weekend for a getaway. A get away in its true sense cut away from everything. I thought of Goa (whats new!!) thought about Kodai(what's new) then the name Gokarn flashed in my mind. To be honest i have heard so much about this place that not making the most of this time would be almost criminal. Khushi as always was ready for the place that i choose and was ready to pack the bags..I started looking for places that i need to explore once i am there..The more I searched the more i was convinced that this is the place to be.
So where do I start...I booked my bus tickets with KSRTC (AC Sleeper) for the two of us. It costed me just 1086 one way. I thought to myself this is a good deal. Once my to and Fro was done. I started looking for a place to stay. With a little bit of googling and some friends I got back with a few places recommended for stay Hotel Gokarn International Beach Resort, Om Beach Resort, Swaswara beach resort.
I called the hotels up for booking on the 1st of August but all claim to be fully booked for the weekend. Guess what..all this was just a fake demand that these hotels create..If you call them they say its booked. The truth is agents like India Hotel Review (a delhi based hotel booking company) have booked rooms in the hotel and sell it at inflated prices to people who dont know how things are at Gokarna. I went for Hotel Gokarna International based on what India Hotel Review (IHR) recommended to my dismay. Hotel Gokarna International has two hotels in Gokarna one in the City close to the KSRTC bus stand and the other on Kudle Beach called the Gokarna International Beach Resort (the place i would certainly recommend to stay. Please never check in the Hotel Gokarn International (the common names can confuse you) in the city unless you are looking for a cheap alternate with decent rooms and close to the temple. Another learning Never Book through travel agents like IHR who cheat and sell at inflated rates.
Be careful if you ever are making booking through these middle man. The best is to call the hotel directly and transfer the money to them if you want to do a planned trip. Still better land up in Gokarn and find a place. I am sure you will get a place to stay.
14th of August, I have been waiting for this day for well over 12 days now..The day we start our travel. I was very excited as Khushi and I have not spent time like this in a while now. Though i had planned everything (atleast i thought so) the day had its share of anxious moments for me. Bangalore has been cloudy and waiting to burst for a while now and it had to happen on 14th when i was planning to go on vacation. We left home at 7Pm for a 9 PM bus from KSRTC....An hour passed in the Auto trying to get halfway to the bus Depot. The rain had no signs of stopping and the traffic had no signs of moving. From 8 to 9 we were moving slower than the snail and the clock moving faster than anything that i could think of. Khushi had her usual best laughing all along and adding fuel to an already frustrated and anxious me. We called the KSRTC helpline at 9 trying to find out if the traffic was a reason for delay for them as well. Those guys were also unkind and told me the bus had left. I was hell pissed and frustrated and there you go Khushi laughing again. We finally decide to let the Auto guy free and run from Corporation Circle all the way to the Bus depot. Boy i was carrying a 20Kg Bag and all the rain and dirt added to my frustration..But what about khushi, she just loves laughing and I am glad that she could. We somehow managed to reach the bus depot. What a sight at the bus stop!! Seems like everyone is going out of town and the whole bus depot is a mess. Over Crowded and blocked to every inch of space with buses and more buses. We finally found our bus at 9.30 which was supposed to leave at 9. It was such a relieve to see the bus and just put our luggage in it. Pheeeww i was so happy khushi as always was keeping me good company with her smile all along and the occassional heehehee...God!!
Both of us were stinking with the dirt and the running around to catch the bus but all was well now after wiping ourselves clean we settled to sleep and enjoy the trip without thinking about anything. But hold on..the ACs are not working in our bus..but you know what it wasn't that bad, the Windows provided the comfort. The Sleeper was spacious for the two of us with clean sheets and blanket. We soon were snoring away to glory.
We reached Gokarn in the morning after a tiring night, the place seemed quite and with a lot of pandits around. This is holy town with a lot of pujaris and sadhus walking around or sleeping on the beach. We headed straight to the hotel. Hotel Gokarna in the city though the room was big and everything but it was nowhere close to what i would have liked. After freshening up we checked with the hotel guy about possible places to explore. we decided to walk down the road to the Gokarna beach. The beach was full of life and activity and the least bit clean but the sight was breath taking the hills and the cloud presented the most captivating and relaxing sights one can imagine. There was a small house on the hill overlooking the sea. How i wish i had a house in a place like that. We spotted a small water fall from the beach and I somehow convinced khushi to walk all the way to the fall. Guess the water fall was created because of the rain. Few meters walk from the water fall we saw a small shrine with snake statues and water gushing out through the mouth of Nandi. Apparently that was a natural spring and very sweet and nice water flows through it all year along. I don't know much about the shrine but tell you what the water was definitely sweet and very nice. This house at the very edge of the hill presented a breath taking view of the sea below it. The powerful waves hitting the rocks below. Such was the ferocity of the waves even 40 Feet above the sea level every time a wave crashed into the rocks water would splashes high into the air.
Khushi never wanted to leave the place specially because i was making her walk up the hill and down the hill and she was not very keen on the idea of trekking but i used my charm to great effect and convinced her to climb a few stair to reach the top of what looked like a temple but turned out to be someones house. Pandit Ravi Prasad Sharam, Gokarna beach, u.k 5.
All along Gokarn you would not miss the sign U.K. Police welcomes you. U.K. Police cautions. I will let you think about it for a while.
It started raining when we reached the top of the hill with absolutely no shelter what so ever in sight. We were hugging each other and hiding behind a small towel. You know what there was absolutely no sign of life anywhere around us. Drenched and wet we waited and waited till after sometime when the rain slowed down we braved ourselves to walk down the hill and head to another beach. We hired a Auto Driver and unlike bangalore the auto drivers are a little friendly and polite. He agreed to take us all the way to Kudle beach, Om beach and back for 200 bucks. People told us that's how much they usually charge. Gokarn has very few vehicles in the town. The drive from Gokarn beach to Kudle Beach which was our next stop was through a range of hills. Approximately 7 kms from the beach we reached the top of the hill and had to trek through a narrow path down to the beach. Kudle beach is where we found the other Hotel Gokarn International Beach Resort and unlike the hotel in the city. This is situated right on the beach and all the rooms facing the sea. The food by far in Gokarn has not been satisfactory in anyway. But this hotel gave us decent meals. As the owners for this hotel is the same we decided to shift to this hotel and relax. The best part about this hotel was the very fact that there was no way to travel to this hotel except for that small trek down the hill. Secluded and quite this was a perfect place to wind up for the day. But then we had to go to another beach the Om Beach and also get our luggage to this place. We reached Om beach but not before passing through Swaswara (inner Voice) Resort. The place was so inviting the cottages and the pool looked beautiful from wherever you see. The view of the beach was excellent. We did not venture all the way down as we had to pack and get back to the hotel before dark.
After settling in our new room we ordered some food and walked around the beach, Khushi & I. It is such a romantic place and nothing like walking with Khushi on the beach bare footed. Then I spotted some locals playing football. I was soon a part of them kicking the ball around. Out of nowhere came a Frisbee and i know was chasing that as well. It was good fun and a tiring day. After Dinner we settled near the beach to enjoy the breeze and the lite drizzle that would every now and then make its presence felt. Here we met two brave souls Krithika & Swetha. All four of us chatted our way through well past the mid night.
Khushi had agreed for a trek but when she got up the following morning all the plans were put aside and she convinced me to just hang around and cuddle up in bed. We slept most part of the morning only to get up in the afternoon. After pestering her for a while she got up a little annoyed that i never let her sleep....But it was all worth it. We walked on beach playing and looking for shells.
Krithika & Swetha then took us to this place called La Pizzaria (i am not sure if my spelling is correct). Krithika & Swetha who are regular visitors to Gokarn tell me that this place is excellent during season which is of course the same as Goa's. The place boasts of open air toilets and small rooms with a Cot at 100 during off season and 300 during season. Mind you the location of the place is awesome and so is the food. Though i didn't eat but from all the readings and people that i have spoken to apparently all of them share the same view.
In the evening we decided to stroll beyond Kudle, explore swaswara, the property is amazingly placed between the hills and close to the sea. Quite and pristine and the rooms are awesome. With open air toilets a meditation center, volley Ball court, swimming pool. This looked perfect. We checked for the Ayurvedic Massage. We decided to book this place for a day and explore more.
The Next day khushi got up in the morning and tried her hand at sand painting, running around and dancing on the sea shore while i slept. She was pumped up and excited about the day at Swaswara. We headed straight to the massage center after our trek and trust me the massage was awesome for Rs1500 it was well worth the trek and time. There were two men who were massaging in sync, often times i could not even say whether it was four hands or two. Such was the rhythm and sync that they have. This was a magical experience. We then had lunch which was all organic and awesome. The food looked nice and tasted excellent. The concept was pure clean Vegetarian food. Swaswara unlike other resorts do not allow you to smoke, drink or eat meat in their premise but certainly indulge you in activities that will help you find yourself. Hence the name Swaswara. We loved the rooms, the meditation center, the ponds behind the Cottages. This place was amazing.
At 5pm We packed to say Good bye to what has been a very relaxing and rejuvenating holiday. And i am sure that we would be back to Gokarn to explore more and just not do anything. The no cell phones for two days, no TV, No cars, No people around, nothing to do is too good an idea to forget and to let go. I am waiting for my next chance to visit Gokarn.
Some of our Snaps:
Gokarna Snaps on picasa
Like everyone I was also waiting for the August 15th long weekend for a getaway. A get away in its true sense cut away from everything. I thought of Goa (whats new!!) thought about Kodai(what's new) then the name Gokarn flashed in my mind. To be honest i have heard so much about this place that not making the most of this time would be almost criminal. Khushi as always was ready for the place that i choose and was ready to pack the bags..I started looking for places that i need to explore once i am there..The more I searched the more i was convinced that this is the place to be.
So where do I start...I booked my bus tickets with KSRTC (AC Sleeper) for the two of us. It costed me just 1086 one way. I thought to myself this is a good deal. Once my to and Fro was done. I started looking for a place to stay. With a little bit of googling and some friends I got back with a few places recommended for stay Hotel Gokarn International Beach Resort, Om Beach Resort, Swaswara beach resort.
I called the hotels up for booking on the 1st of August but all claim to be fully booked for the weekend. Guess what..all this was just a fake demand that these hotels create..If you call them they say its booked. The truth is agents like India Hotel Review (a delhi based hotel booking company) have booked rooms in the hotel and sell it at inflated prices to people who dont know how things are at Gokarna. I went for Hotel Gokarna International based on what India Hotel Review (IHR) recommended to my dismay. Hotel Gokarna International has two hotels in Gokarna one in the City close to the KSRTC bus stand and the other on Kudle Beach called the Gokarna International Beach Resort (the place i would certainly recommend to stay. Please never check in the Hotel Gokarn International (the common names can confuse you) in the city unless you are looking for a cheap alternate with decent rooms and close to the temple. Another learning Never Book through travel agents like IHR who cheat and sell at inflated rates.
Be careful if you ever are making booking through these middle man. The best is to call the hotel directly and transfer the money to them if you want to do a planned trip. Still better land up in Gokarn and find a place. I am sure you will get a place to stay.
14th of August, I have been waiting for this day for well over 12 days now..The day we start our travel. I was very excited as Khushi and I have not spent time like this in a while now. Though i had planned everything (atleast i thought so) the day had its share of anxious moments for me. Bangalore has been cloudy and waiting to burst for a while now and it had to happen on 14th when i was planning to go on vacation. We left home at 7Pm for a 9 PM bus from KSRTC....An hour passed in the Auto trying to get halfway to the bus Depot. The rain had no signs of stopping and the traffic had no signs of moving. From 8 to 9 we were moving slower than the snail and the clock moving faster than anything that i could think of. Khushi had her usual best laughing all along and adding fuel to an already frustrated and anxious me. We called the KSRTC helpline at 9 trying to find out if the traffic was a reason for delay for them as well. Those guys were also unkind and told me the bus had left. I was hell pissed and frustrated and there you go Khushi laughing again. We finally decide to let the Auto guy free and run from Corporation Circle all the way to the Bus depot. Boy i was carrying a 20Kg Bag and all the rain and dirt added to my frustration..But what about khushi, she just loves laughing and I am glad that she could. We somehow managed to reach the bus depot. What a sight at the bus stop!! Seems like everyone is going out of town and the whole bus depot is a mess. Over Crowded and blocked to every inch of space with buses and more buses. We finally found our bus at 9.30 which was supposed to leave at 9. It was such a relieve to see the bus and just put our luggage in it. Pheeeww i was so happy khushi as always was keeping me good company with her smile all along and the occassional heehehee...God!!
Both of us were stinking with the dirt and the running around to catch the bus but all was well now after wiping ourselves clean we settled to sleep and enjoy the trip without thinking about anything. But hold on..the ACs are not working in our bus..but you know what it wasn't that bad, the Windows provided the comfort. The Sleeper was spacious for the two of us with clean sheets and blanket. We soon were snoring away to glory.
We reached Gokarn in the morning after a tiring night, the place seemed quite and with a lot of pandits around. This is holy town with a lot of pujaris and sadhus walking around or sleeping on the beach. We headed straight to the hotel. Hotel Gokarna in the city though the room was big and everything but it was nowhere close to what i would have liked. After freshening up we checked with the hotel guy about possible places to explore. we decided to walk down the road to the Gokarna beach. The beach was full of life and activity and the least bit clean but the sight was breath taking the hills and the cloud presented the most captivating and relaxing sights one can imagine. There was a small house on the hill overlooking the sea. How i wish i had a house in a place like that. We spotted a small water fall from the beach and I somehow convinced khushi to walk all the way to the fall. Guess the water fall was created because of the rain. Few meters walk from the water fall we saw a small shrine with snake statues and water gushing out through the mouth of Nandi. Apparently that was a natural spring and very sweet and nice water flows through it all year along. I don't know much about the shrine but tell you what the water was definitely sweet and very nice. This house at the very edge of the hill presented a breath taking view of the sea below it. The powerful waves hitting the rocks below. Such was the ferocity of the waves even 40 Feet above the sea level every time a wave crashed into the rocks water would splashes high into the air.
Khushi never wanted to leave the place specially because i was making her walk up the hill and down the hill and she was not very keen on the idea of trekking but i used my charm to great effect and convinced her to climb a few stair to reach the top of what looked like a temple but turned out to be someones house. Pandit Ravi Prasad Sharam, Gokarna beach, u.k 5.
All along Gokarn you would not miss the sign U.K. Police welcomes you. U.K. Police cautions. I will let you think about it for a while.
It started raining when we reached the top of the hill with absolutely no shelter what so ever in sight. We were hugging each other and hiding behind a small towel. You know what there was absolutely no sign of life anywhere around us. Drenched and wet we waited and waited till after sometime when the rain slowed down we braved ourselves to walk down the hill and head to another beach. We hired a Auto Driver and unlike bangalore the auto drivers are a little friendly and polite. He agreed to take us all the way to Kudle beach, Om beach and back for 200 bucks. People told us that's how much they usually charge. Gokarn has very few vehicles in the town. The drive from Gokarn beach to Kudle Beach which was our next stop was through a range of hills. Approximately 7 kms from the beach we reached the top of the hill and had to trek through a narrow path down to the beach. Kudle beach is where we found the other Hotel Gokarn International Beach Resort and unlike the hotel in the city. This is situated right on the beach and all the rooms facing the sea. The food by far in Gokarn has not been satisfactory in anyway. But this hotel gave us decent meals. As the owners for this hotel is the same we decided to shift to this hotel and relax. The best part about this hotel was the very fact that there was no way to travel to this hotel except for that small trek down the hill. Secluded and quite this was a perfect place to wind up for the day. But then we had to go to another beach the Om Beach and also get our luggage to this place. We reached Om beach but not before passing through Swaswara (inner Voice) Resort. The place was so inviting the cottages and the pool looked beautiful from wherever you see. The view of the beach was excellent. We did not venture all the way down as we had to pack and get back to the hotel before dark.
After settling in our new room we ordered some food and walked around the beach, Khushi & I. It is such a romantic place and nothing like walking with Khushi on the beach bare footed. Then I spotted some locals playing football. I was soon a part of them kicking the ball around. Out of nowhere came a Frisbee and i know was chasing that as well. It was good fun and a tiring day. After Dinner we settled near the beach to enjoy the breeze and the lite drizzle that would every now and then make its presence felt. Here we met two brave souls Krithika & Swetha. All four of us chatted our way through well past the mid night.
Khushi had agreed for a trek but when she got up the following morning all the plans were put aside and she convinced me to just hang around and cuddle up in bed. We slept most part of the morning only to get up in the afternoon. After pestering her for a while she got up a little annoyed that i never let her sleep....But it was all worth it. We walked on beach playing and looking for shells.
Krithika & Swetha then took us to this place called La Pizzaria (i am not sure if my spelling is correct). Krithika & Swetha who are regular visitors to Gokarn tell me that this place is excellent during season which is of course the same as Goa's. The place boasts of open air toilets and small rooms with a Cot at 100 during off season and 300 during season. Mind you the location of the place is awesome and so is the food. Though i didn't eat but from all the readings and people that i have spoken to apparently all of them share the same view.
In the evening we decided to stroll beyond Kudle, explore swaswara, the property is amazingly placed between the hills and close to the sea. Quite and pristine and the rooms are awesome. With open air toilets a meditation center, volley Ball court, swimming pool. This looked perfect. We checked for the Ayurvedic Massage. We decided to book this place for a day and explore more.
The Next day khushi got up in the morning and tried her hand at sand painting, running around and dancing on the sea shore while i slept. She was pumped up and excited about the day at Swaswara. We headed straight to the massage center after our trek and trust me the massage was awesome for Rs1500 it was well worth the trek and time. There were two men who were massaging in sync, often times i could not even say whether it was four hands or two. Such was the rhythm and sync that they have. This was a magical experience. We then had lunch which was all organic and awesome. The food looked nice and tasted excellent. The concept was pure clean Vegetarian food. Swaswara unlike other resorts do not allow you to smoke, drink or eat meat in their premise but certainly indulge you in activities that will help you find yourself. Hence the name Swaswara. We loved the rooms, the meditation center, the ponds behind the Cottages. This place was amazing.
At 5pm We packed to say Good bye to what has been a very relaxing and rejuvenating holiday. And i am sure that we would be back to Gokarn to explore more and just not do anything. The no cell phones for two days, no TV, No cars, No people around, nothing to do is too good an idea to forget and to let go. I am waiting for my next chance to visit Gokarn.
Some of our Snaps:
Gokarna Snaps on picasa
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