Kovalam Beach

Posted on July 27, 2018July 27, 2018 by indtr

Kovalam is one of the famous beaches of Kerala and almost everyone in the country has heard or know about this famous beach. A lot of people hold it as a cherished dream to atleast once visit this famous spot. Even though we reside in Delhi for the most part of the year, because we are keralites, we get to travel to Kerala couple of times in a year and have been able to make it possible to visit this beach more than once.

We have visited many beaches in Kerala but this beach is different. It is a small and compact one and one of the most important things that stand out in my mind is that it has black sand.

Kovalam is a beach town in Trivandrum. It is a crescent like beach lined with coconut palm trees.

Beaches are always fun. Looking at the waves coming with such force and might gives a little thrill going down the spine. The foam and the froth that hits us as we stand on the beach waiting for these waves is exhilarating.

The sands from beneath our foot gets washed away and we feel like floating without actually floating. It is scary and yet very exciting. Children have fun but the gaurds at this beach are very strict and vigilant and don’t let people go far away from the beach. There is a red and white striped lighthouse to the left of the beach that keeps a watch over the sea .

Chandni Chowk of Delhi, India

Posted on July 25, 2018July 25, 2018 by indtr

Going through chandni chowk and it’s various little gulley’s is a favourite pastime for me and my husband. We would hop on a Delhi metro and shoot off, the moment we find we have a day to ourselves and are not needed to do some errand for the family or go the kids school or run to some other event.

We prefer taking the Delhi metro to this place because one we cannot dream of getting our car into the unmanageable little roads and get stuck in traffic for endless hours. It also gives a breather to my husband who is the only one in our family who can drive right now.

So, on a nice sunny winter day, we set off to be part of the busy streets, hawkers, vendors, chai wallahs, the street food guys. It is an interesting mix of people and buildings, old and new, all intermingled with each other that they still maintain an individuality yet look so distinct.

A person probably visiting for the first time might not find this place interesting at all. I used to be like that. I hated going there amongst the dirt and the chaos, amidst people jostling with each other to get ahead, people screaming at the top of their voices, a mayhem of cycle rikshaws, auto-rickshaws, car, scooter and hoards of people all getting into each others way and nerves.

I only had to make 2 or 3 visits with my husband to really understand the depth of these places. Once you get into a gulley or a lane, the varieties of a single aspect displayed was simply mind boggling. Now, I sometimes simply go there to open up my horizon, of my understanding of what all things are available there.

There is a lane dedicated to only gems and stones. Another lane would be selling only buttons and embellishments. On one lane, you will simply find laces, rows of shops selling different coloured, different styles of laces. There is a lane for bicycle parts, one lane for clothes, one for sarees, one for dry fruits and nuts, spices….. The list just goes on.. Everytime we go, we choose a different lane to explore.

This old Delhi used to be the only Delhi people knew some 30 to 40 years back. By now though the boundaries of Delhi has expanded to beyond Gurgaon on the south and Noida on the west, Rohini on the north, etc. But when you visit old Delhi, you would not imagine that Delhi has expanded so much. Life goes on as it used to couple of decades before. It is as if time stood still somewhere in those periods for Chandni Chowk while the others moved on!

The Royal Jama Masjid of Delhi

Posted on July 25, 2018July 25, 2018 by indtr

Jama Masjid is the biggest mosque in Delhi. It is important as a heritage property as it was built by Shah Jahan and the coronation ceremony of later Mughal emperors were performed by the imams of this mosque. It is walking distance from Red Fort and consequently catered to the needs of the royalty of those times.

The mosque is situated in the middle of the most crowded and congested streets of old Delhi and therefore, getting to the place itself is a bit of adventure.

We took the Delhi metro and got down at the Chawri Bazaar Metro Station and walked the entire length of Chawri Bazaar to reach the West side of Jama Masjid. Crossing Gate No. 5 from where we could see the three domes from behind the structure. we walked around the border to reach Gate No. 3. The entrance gate to the mosque was on top of a flight of stairs. The wide structure looked majestic on top from where we were standing.

There is a wide worship area inside – it is supposed to be able to accommodate 25000 people to worship at the same time. There are 3 entrance gates to the inner porch and entire courtyard is lined with arched verandahs leading to the towers at the four corners.

From the verandah on the opposite side of the mosque, one could see parts of Red Fort. If you come out of the gate on the east side, you will step into the old and famous colourful Meena Bazaar of Delhi.

Bekal Fort in Kerala

Posted on July 24, 2018July 24, 2018 by indtr

Bekal Fort is one of the lesser known forts located in the northern part of Kerala. It is one of the oldest and largest forts of Kerala. It is part of the Kasargod district of Kerala.

We made a day trip to Bekal Fort from our home in Pathanamthitta District by taking an overnight train that left us at the Bekal Fort Station early morning. The station was right beside the Beach. It was very convenient for us to get to the beach and to the fort walking down from the station. However, since we were on an overnight train, we did not have anything to eat in the morning and therefore went out in search of Breakfast. This, being a very small town did not have too many options. There were roadside restaurants that served all Kerala dishes but it was off season. We went during the monsoon season and therefore the place was less crowded. We were told that this place is usually flocked till May end when the school kids in Kerala are on vacation!

Bekal fort is a protected monument. It is a key like structure. The fort was the citadel of the Kolathiri Raja’s of Kerala which finally fell into the hands of Vijayanagiri empire. It was then taken over by Tipu Sultan and the security features around the fort gives us the impression that it was built to keep an eye on the enemies coming in from the sea side as well as land.

After our Breakfast in the town, we took an auto to the main entrance of the fort. Inside the fort, there was an observation tower in the center of the fort with a ramp going up and down. The walls that surround the fort went on and on across the length and breadth of the fort.

The walls were approx 12 ft in height and were very strong built. We could see the holes that would have been used to keep guns and ammunition by the fort guards. There was a wider opening that was used to keep tanks. As we peeked in through these holes and the gaps, we could see the entire stretch of the sea around.

The fort is surrounded by sea on the west side. There was a lane that would take you down to the sea and beaches. The beach on the fort side was rocky. The waves lashed on them with so much fury that it was exhilaratig to look at the lather foaming up as they hit the big rocks.

The beach near the fort was beautiful and crescent shaped. It could be accessed by just walking down the fort. The view of the beach from the fort was also very nice. We had the whole beach to ourselves and we enjoyed the afternoon sun in the waters. There were coconut trees lined and a garden adjacent to the beach which also had interesting things for kids.

Bekal Fort on Google Maps