Wander Woman

We went to Le Pakshi again. I'm beginning to realise a growing fascination for this place. This time I went with one intention, to see the Giant Footprint in the temple premises. According to folklore this footprint was made by Sri Hanuman when he was flying to Lanka to give Lord Rama's ring to Sita. Some scientific minds would say that this is proof of Nephilims, giant men who once inhabited the earth. Whatever it is, It is definitely interesting to see a perfectly shaped footprint etched in granite. This footprint also has a steady stream of water trickling in at all points of time. Nobody knows where the water comes from but apparently the foot is never dry. There are always a few devotees who will sprinkle this 'holy' water onto their heads. So apart from the Nandi Bull statue,the ancient carvings and the murals, Le Pakshi is turning out to be really interesting.

On days, when I can't go out of town, I drive around town to look for interesting places. This time, on a rainy day,while driving around Benson town into Richards town,we came across a store called 'Apaulogy'. aPaulogy Gallery hosts the sketches of renowned cartoonist Paul Fernandes. Paul sketches scenes from Old Bangalore,the houses,the gardens,the mannerisms etc. If you are from or love Bangalore,you HAVE to visit aPaulogy. Here you will see Bangalore as it was 20 to 30 years ago. From impees to Com Street to MG road. These sketches are available for sale as posters, coasters, bags and other paraphernalia. Visit aPaulogy and you will not be disappointed.

A very very long time ago, when Garuda fell after having been fatally injured by Ravana, SriRam saw the wounded bird and said "le pakshi" which means 'Rise Bird' and this is what gives this place its name. It took us to almost 1-11/2 hrs to reach Lepakshi. Just before you reach the temple, as you enter the tiny village,you are greeted by the huge statue of Nandi the Bull. It is a magnificent piece. The temple is a short drive away. It is said the Nandi faces the temple and stands as a guard to the temple. Keeping the statue to your left,if you stand at a certain point,you can see the tip of the temple. ancient architecture fascinates me. These small wonders and tiny nuggets of information make a place more interesting. For example, the temple of Le pakshi is famous for its Hanging Pillar . There is a certain Pillar which does not touch the floor. Also,the temple is an architectural marvel. The carvings, the sculptures and the murals take your breath away. It is a nic

Pondicherry was a French colony. The French legacy is still maintained in the french quarter of the town with yellow colonial bungalows draped with bouganvilleas and streets named in French. We drove down to Pondy on a sunny day and it took us almost four hours with two breaks in between. The drive was pleasant ( love driving through the countryside) and the roads were good for most part. We checked into the Hotel Du Parc which is located on Nehru street, adjacent to the French quarter. The building is old colonial and has that distinct old world charm with high windows and antique furniture. The room that we took was on two levels. The groundfloor had a tiny seating area and the bathroom whereas the beds were in a kind of loft like area above. The stairs were wooden and my LO had a gala time marching up and down. We checked in late afternoon, dumped our stuff and decided to hit the promenade.It was two mins walk and we sat by the sea enjoying the cool breeze and samosas.The promenad

Coorg is known as the "Scotland of the East". I dont like such names, frankly because, more often than not they tend to put certain ideas in your head. When you travel, you should go with an open mind, so you can see the place as its really like and not what its supposed to be. Anyway, we drove down to Coorg, on a sunny day, from Bangalore. We avoided the Mysore road and went through Ramanathapura (thank you GPS!),lost our way, went offtrack for an hour, drove through lush green fields and finally reached Coorg in the evening. To say it is beautiful is to say the least. I've always loved the hills more than the coast. Coorg is all rolling hills and lush meadows and coffee plantations. As usual, we didnt go to any of the waterfalls or viewpoints. We just drove through city, Madikeri -the capital of coorg,and its surrounding villages. Kushalnagar has a Buddhist monastery and an elephant camp. That will be on our itinerary next time. This time we just soaked in the local

So, we were just driving around the countryside,looking here, stopping there, when we found this Vineyard tucked away on the roadside at the foot of Nandi Hills. This region, I later came to know, is dotted with vineyards. Not big winehouses but small,individual farmers. If you visit these areas,youll find people selling grapes by the kilos for as little as 50 or 60 rs a Kilo.And needless to say, these are very very sweet. Plump and Juicy Canopy A slice of heaven Nandi hills in the distance