Somnath and Dwarkadheesh

 Next day in the morning we wanted to do abhishek and it is done in the old temple. Since this was off season we didn’t need to book , otherwise one needs to book the slot. In the temple premises only there is a counter sher one can book. All the pooja items are provided by the priest only.There is a huge shivling inside where everything is performed. They start with a snkalp pooja outside and then we go inside. It’s a very ethereal experience for people like us.It takes 30 minutes totally.

Then we came out and there were eateries with local food. We had breakfast of dhokla , gathia and pakora with tea.

There is a place called Bhalka teerth.. here Krishna ji came to stay before going to baikunth 

And then started for Dwarkadheesh. .. it’s 197 km and takes around three and half hours. Roads are not very good. There are so many wind mills and most of the houses have put solar panels n the roof, never seen so many wind mills and solar panels.

We reach hotel in Dwarka , do the checkin and then have lunch there gujarati thali, new experience for us. Wouldn’t say loved it but there were new preparations like farsan poha, sev tomato vegetable, gujrati kadhi, laddoo etc.

After freshening up we went to darshan of Dwarkadheesh. There also we had to deposit mobile footwear and smart watch. There was a long queue and we waited in line..once they open darshan and queue starts moving it doesn’t take much time.when we see these temples , we navel at the architecture and knowledge of our ancestors who made them.

Outside local items are sold , one can get good chania cholis and other dresses. Mattha and sugarcane juice is available everywhere.

Eatable are quite reasonable there Even on the way we had thepla and kalakand , both were very delicious.

Somnath jyotirling

 Last week we made this trip. From Hyderabad there are 2 airports where one could take a flight to.. Diu, and Rajkot. I took Rajkot because I got comfortable timings. It’s a 2 hr flight. From the airport we took a cab to Somnath. It take 3.5 to 4 hrs. Roads are not good and some under construction also. Not many eateries on the way, just basic ones, at be place peda was abundantly sold, so tried it and it was very tasty out of this world. Eatables are quite reasonable there. Once we reached there , we checked in hotel and then went for darshan, there are two temple side by side one old one where abhishek is done and other this magnificent place where you can have darshan. It’s huge and sea side , very neat and clean and we have to deposit mobile and all electronic items outside. Outside boundary wal ther is road  and one can go there and see sangam of 3 sacred rivers or u can just stroll beside sea.

Out hotel was in Veraval and it has the biggest fishing industry, I have never seen so many ships at one place ever in my life.

Ajanta Ellora

 Last week we made a trip to Aurangabad. We had a direct flight from here.we stayed in Lemon tree hotel and liked it. It’s totally value for money, food was also good and I have rarely seen so much variety anywhere in breakfast. And for me being a vegetarian it was a boon that non veg section was totally separate.

First day we went to Jyotirlings.. Grishneshwar.. it was 30 minutes drive from our hotel. If one wants to do any pooja, go to their office, they have fixed rates, choose it and they take you inside. For only darshan you can stand in the queue.we did Rudrabhishek . There men have to be bare waist upward. 

Ellora caves were our next .. just one km from there. There is entrance ticket and ticket for e vehicle which can leave you and pick you from 3 spots. Guide is your choice. Caves are spread in 3-4 km area. We took a guide also and  evehicle dropped us  at caves with Jain temple carvings. Second was kailash temple with stone carvings of full depiction of Ramayana and Mahabharata and huge shivling 2000 yrs old and third area of caves has Buddha statue and all about Buddhism. Kailash temple is monolithic and constructed from top and then bottom. All amazing example of our heritage and master pieces on carving. One needs to walk a lot and many steps  to up & down and sometimes on uneven surface. It takes two hours but otherwise one can spend whole day there.

Next day we went to Shanishingnapur, it’s 1.45 hrs journey. Earlier there people never use to lock houses or shops but now it’s normal. It’s Shani Temple , open 24 hours.

Third day we went Ajanta caves, it’s 2 hours journey and road is so bad that you feel frustrated. There government buses are only allowed to reach the spot. It’s 3-4 lm distance. There one can have a porter or chair carriages taken by men. Because there are two many steps and steep also. It was tough for me,and I was scared of sitting in carriage. So I went till 16 no only. There are bhagwan buddhas statues in the main and meditation areas and frescos on walls and pillars, roofs telling the stories about Buddha, life and his his different lives.

After 16, there are 4 caves where Buddha is shown when he took Nirvana and their paintings are in better condition 

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Kovalam Alleppey

 Last month we made a trip to Kovalam & Allepey. From Hyderabad we took a flight to Trivendram, it was via Banglore. Took us around 5 hours due to layover. Trivendram airport is a small one and at the time of 1 PM its was totally vacant , just our flight, no cabs of Ola or Uber or anyother, just one office.. for prepaid. We took a cab for country club Kovalam for around 650/-. It took us 30 minutes to reach there.

The resort is very near to Kovalam beach and its approach is so unique, like  spiral narrow ways, so much like Goa, both sides full of trees and greenery. Place is quite comfortable with a shallow swimming pool and canteen.

Next day we took a cab from our place only for a day to see the places in trivendram.. and first one was Padmanabhaswamy temple. It’s a beautiful place and well maintained. Nearby is chitra art gallery and 2 palaces. 

Next day we went to Alleppey by cab, it’s a 4 hour journey. And we stayed in houseboat. There they ask what you want to eat in lunch tea dinner and breakfast and accordingly they stock and then you move on. We got fresh lunch served in dining place. Boat had drawing room,dining and bedroom with attached bath. And till 6 pm boat keeps moving and we could see beautiful landscapes and villages on shore. Next day after breakfast we came back.

My suggest would be to stay in resorts on the shores and take their boat for 2-3 hrs to see. For me it was a little scary and eerie experience to sleep there. And in the evening for one hour when they park it, there are lots of mosquitoes also, so we had to go in the room. AC works from the evening to morning.

Next day we went to see a Durga temple on Trivendram and Kovalam beach.

Germatt

 Last weekend we planned glacier express and booked everything from Chur. But when the train came at chur it didn’t have our coach and they neither informed nor upgraded , instead he said.. AC of ur coach was not working and so we have upgraded u in this coach which was without AC.. only you could open the window, infact it was a downgrade as coach was very old. I never imagined something like this in Switzerland. And here it’s so hot that one can’t imagin travelling without AC and that too for 6 hrs.. we had to leave and travel back to Zurich to take another 2 trains .. to Berne and then to germatt but then at Visp we came to know that due to some accident , train is not going to germatt and since it’s a no car area , we were quite frustrated but then got a cab and reached Germatt around 8 PM.

It’s beautiful beyond imagination, a dreamy place, we were booked in Alpine stadt hotel, near railway station only. We kept the luggage and went out to dinner at Golden India.. Indian restaurant, they take the last order at 8.45, so we hurried and enjoyed everything even kulfi.

Next day we took a special train to Gornergat Matterhorn, It’s a 45 minute journey to the highest top of Europe The route is really steep and people get down at stops for hiking. Ticket is also high, it’s 110 chf for adults.

At the top there are multiple attractions, like virtual really of all peaks around Matterhorn, stone building, restaurant and ice palace

This is heaven for hikers and nature lovers

Rhine fall & Black forest

 I have seen Rhine fall 10 years back but when I was looking for a day trip I found this combination best and reasonably priced too. 80 chf per person . They start at 12.15 from Silquay central bus stand. We travel 30 minutes on highway and then it’s a scenic drive  in the forest. There are dark tall pine treees.our destination is Titisee, it’s a small medieval town with old houses , some refurbished, a lake in the centra and restaurants and shops. This is the place from where Black Forest cake started. We also tried it.. they put alcohol in it, so not to my liking. One can do boating or just roam around souvenir shops and have lunch. We are given 2 hours only which I think two little for all that, I wish they increase even 30 minutes more, it would b worth it because the walk from parking to centre takes 15 minutes each way and if one takes lunch in a restaurant, one hour is needed to order and eat and pay. But it was beautiful place. And yes Cuckoo clocks are made here at Drubba, they give a 15 minutes demo also.

From here we go towards Rhine fall , driving thru many old villages, they are so beautiful.. colorful, clean and picturesque. BTW Titisee falls in Germany , so if anyone buys something with more than 100 euro, one can get a tax refund of 10%  while leaving Europe 

Rhine fall is the highest fall in Europe. One can take a boat ride of 15 minutes, it takes you very near to fall. It costs 9 Euro per person. Then there is an Indian counter for food like samosa tea dosa and all. Imagine one samosa for 4.5 chf..(400/-)😀.

Scenery is beautiful everywhere.. again it’s a stop for less time only, so just enjoy the scenery. And back to Zurich , we reach around 7.15.

We take a taxi back and I was told by my son that here drivers are honest and any ab driver is supposed to take u by shortest  route and charges accordingly, so we took a cab  without asking anything and he fleeced us.. we paid 130 chf for a distance meant to be charged 80-90.

A lesson learnt.

Hunting for life partner

 Seeing the people and marriages around me I have come to a conclusion that there are certain signals which tells us in advance that these people are not going to work together and we shouldn’t help them marry.. these traits are..

If before marriage girls demand expensive clothes, jewellery or honeymoon in Europe.. and here the criteria for expensive is not any absolute amount.. it’s your feeling according to your standard.. if u feel it .. then it is.. she is not going to jel with you.. let her go.she is not made for u.

And the same way if boys or in-laws demand anything.. be it money or things which you don’t want to give then better leave them.

If girls are into artificial equality too much.. leave them, they are not worth it.. they will never make u happy.Like some girls work and keep their salarary to them and expect husband to run house and spend on them and  May be on their parents too.

So the first question both sides should ask what they are going to contribute to marriage

Will they share the expenses equally? 

Will they share the housework equally?

How will they manage investments?

Who will do what?

One could take the help of marriage counselling also.Though we can’t have a guarantee about anything but still one must prepare well.