Paris in 48 Hrs

8 Jan

Family holiday’s are both a Holiday & a Project. When you have kids, 6 + pieces of luggage , you shortlist restaurants based on the cleanliness of their restrooms, are constantly worried that everything goes as per plan  – you come back after many a holiday happy , relieved & TIRED.

While I am on business travel almost every week – I was yet to take a holiday all by myself. So when the next business review at London came on a Mon I planned a weekend at Paris – all alone. The Schengen Visa was already there and Christophe my good friend was all to keen to host me and show me around.

Jet has a convenient flight from Mumbai that lands at Heathrow at 630 AM – you can clear immigration in less than 30 min (if you have a fast-track card) – and reach the rail station St Pancreas by a cab in another 45 Min (The Heathrow express is cheaper but it’s a hassle to change to a cab at Paddington – especially if you have luggage). The check in & Passport control is simple and you can complete all formalities in less than 30 min and enter the Eurostar. I had booked 3 months in advance so my rate was 60 GBP (One way). Its efficient – a high end Shatabdi which covers the London to Paris distance in 2 Hrs. 15 Min (Peak speed is 350 Km / Hr, Rajdhani Peak speed is 125 Km  / Hr). Point to note each adult is entitled to 2 large bags – no weight limit.

Eurostar

Christophe met me at the Paris Nord station at 2.45 PM on Fri and stayed with me all through till I took the Eurostar back to London on Sun at 7 PM.

Day 1 Fri from 3.30 PM Onwards : Walk , Walk & Walk – smell the city , feel the pulse, enjoy the environment

We walked past the Pompidou Center down to Seine river then to the Prefecture de Paris building facing the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.

View across the Siene

Then across to the Concièrgerie (a palace where Marie-Antoinette was held captive before her fatal execution during the first French revolution in the late 18th century).

France has over 9000 varieties of Cheese

Cheese bar

We then wandered across the Seine (saw a bridge full of locks – a symbol of lovers locking their love for eternity) had a quick wine and cheese stop-over in L’Écluse and entered the Latin Quarter (south bank of the river)

A lovely wine bar

Wine Bar

Day 2 – Palace of Versailles, Eiffel Tower , War Museum

We started day 2 (Sat) by visiting the Grand Palace of Versailles. It’s supposedly the second most visited tourist spot in the world after the Vatican. The palace is located about 30 Km from Paris – and was built when the King wanted to leave the madness of the Paris. Palace opens at 9 AM. We spent 90 min here.

Palace at Versailles

On the way back we stopped by the town of Versailles and then headed back to Paris for a ride up the Eiffel tower to get a great view of the city. (An even greater view is to se the Eiffel tower sparkle with lights for 10 min at every hour in the evening) – The Q for the lift can be long – Minimum 1 hr. There are 3 levels to which the lift goes and at the peak  it’s impressive.

Eiffel Tower

After lunch we visited the memorial of Napoleon (A Hospital that has been converted to a war museum) and spent some time at the war museum that has exhibits spanning the Napoleon Era, WW 1 & WW 2.

After so much of walking we managed to stop by for a quick foot massage and dinner then headed to the Notre Dame for an evening service. And finally ended the day with a drive past the Moulin Rouge all the way to Sacré Cœur in Montmartre. This is a beautiful Church located on top of a hill with a lovely view of the City.

Day – 3 , Sun – Louvre

We started Day 3 (Sun) with a visit to a Open Air Market in the outskirts of Paris  – fresh vegetable, fruits , meat and a stew that looked like Alu Dam.

Open Market

Aloo Dam 3

We finally visited the most spectacular piece of Paris The Louvre. A palace converted to a museum by spending over 10 B Euros (A grand Vision of Francois Mitterrand). The Louvre is grand, breathtaking , immaculate, perfection – I could go on and on. Its so large that a student of art may spend weeks, and even a tourist will need at least 1 full day to do justice to the grand display of paintings and artifact’s. The entry fee is 11 Euros – but on a Sunday the entry was free.

800px-Paris_July_2011-27a

Yes it houses the most famous painting of the world “ Mona Lisa” (La Jaconda) and there are signs that direct you towards it (and most tourists do make a rush to get there first) but I personally felt that here were  many more painting that outshine the Mona Lisa. The lady in Red also painted by Leonardo Da Vinci is equally impressive but sadly unknown.

Girl in Red

Eyes

There is also an interesting statue in the Egyptian section that resembles a Indian Priest. the statue is over 4000 years old.

Scribe - Egypt 4000 Years Old

Post lunch we walked down the Avenue des Champs Élysées leading to the Arc de Triomphe and then trudged our way back thru the Avenue de l’Opera crossing the magnificent opera House, the statue of Joan of Arc and the CAX.

Back at Paris Nord by 6 PM for the 7.13 PM Train to London.

What else could one have done – well there are many more museums to visit and the famous Moulin Rouge Cabaret. You can attend a show at the Opera House or watch a play. The cultural life is very busy & of course visit the Disneyland.

I stayed at a nice bed & breakfast on the outskirts of Paris facing a serene lake located  very close to Versailles.

IMG_1266

Few Quick points for Travellers from India

  1. Unlike London you will need to hunt for an Indian restaurant (Yes they exist but in specific localities dominated by SE Asians)
  2. Most restaurants are local mom & pop stores – even the Pizza Huts and McDonalds are rare to find (I saw 1 Pizza Hut & 2 McDonalds in the 2 days I was there). In most restaurants Veg food options are very limited.
  3. French specialty can sound  scary to vegetarians – I was shocked to see my friend relish Steak Tartare (Raw minced beef meat with a mustard dressing) and at the table next to us our neighbor was  enjoying Andouillette – a very parisian delicacy. (Sausage composed with a selection of Pig entrails. It is does smell a bit).
  4. Malls & Large Chains – Tesco, Carrefour, Metro exist but are difficult to find in the city. They are located in the suburbs.
  5. In Paris people understand English – but without a local like Christophe it would have been very difficult. In the suburbs it becomes even more difficult to communicate in English.
  6. Cabs are difficult to find. Did not see too many buses. But yes the city has a Metr0.
  7. Most cars are small (mainly French Brands – Renault, Citroen) and parking space is a hassle.
  8. Entry rates to most attractions vary from 5 – 10 Euro’s. The car parking is more expensive. Meal for two in a decent place with a few glasses of wine can be Euro 50.
  9. Paris is expensive – This short break ( 2 Night , 3 Day) can cost you  ~ 35 K INR  Ex London (This includes the cost of Eurostar tickets ) – I was lucky that my friend was taking me around all these places in his car – if I had to use a Taxi maybe I would have spent an additional $ 500.

In conclusion a wonderful 2-day break – and this would not have been possible without Christophe. It takes a lot to spend your entire weekend and be such a gracious host. Not just by accompanying you  – but also in providing  a wonderful commentary on all the interesting insights, helping me understand the culture & history of the place. Most importantly this was my first holiday in many years ( probably since I was a kid) when there was no responsibility and somebody was taking all the decisions. Sometimes it feels so good to sit back and relax.

Christophe

We have started planning our next trip – both of us are WW 2 buffs and maybe the next trip will be to Warsaw to see how the Nazi’s operated their concentration camps at Auschwitz. Here is hoping that the next QBR is also on a Mon !

And finally a parting word to all men – women have Wanderlust, its time you did something for yourself and planned a few days once in a while all by yourself. Get some free space – you owe it to yourself.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Elephant Valley @ Kodai

30 Dec

2012 has been a year of amazing holidays. We wrapped up the year with yet another lovely holiday at the Elephant Valley Kodaikanal. Hill stations have become commercial trash – but there are still jewels like Destiny Farm (Off  Ooty) and Elephant Valley that still exist.  Situated 20 Km before Kodai (2 Hr drive from Kodai Road)  – its a perfect haven for nature lovers. Set in a valley with a lovely stream flowing thru it ( where Elephants come to drink water in sumer) – its peace & tranquility symbolised.

Elephant Valley Kodaikanal

The resort is a 100 acre property with 20 rooms. The rooms are rustic but efficient & functional (or as my daughter would say “lovely halli place” ).  They are spread across a vast area and some are a good 10 – 15 min walk from the central office / restaurant. So please check this out when booking.

Hot water available in morning and night. No TV , No Intercom , Limited Cell Phone connectivity & no room service . But yet we managed to spend 3 days and the time just flew. A lot of credit for that goes to the fact that we were a group of 3 families and the kids kept themselves busy with horse rides , treks , innovative games and many iPads.

nice plantation

With 100 acres there is a lot of forest to walk around – and the trek is a must do. You can do a 2 hr or even a 6 hr trek. We did a 3 hr Trek and the kids jumped on to ponies – so they were not tired (the Resort has a stable of lovely horses). As you walk around you see Coffee plantations , Pepper carpeting the barks of large trees , sweet lime , goose berry and a variety of exotic fruits trees – all set in lush green canopy. The guide ( 55 year old Madaswamy) was swell as he enthralled us with stories of elephants and bisons that came right inside the resort in summer to drink water.

Team images in forest

The kids love the horse rides – and its priced at just Rs 250 for a one hour trip. That was a big hit with the kids and Captain & Chetak (who the kids renamed Black Beauty) became their best friends

Horse ride

The resort also has a lovely farm where they grow a wide variety of fresh organic fruits & vegetables. Almost all the food prepared at the resort is from the farm produce. Surprisingly its not very cold – last week of Dec the temp was about 15 Degrees Centigrade. The valley effect and cloudy nights helped in keeping the place warm.

Farm

Food at the restaurant is very homely and tasty. Limited in variety but spans both Indian & Continental dishes – Veg & Non veg. Breakfast & Dinner are buffet meals. The service is excellent but being peak season the guys were really overworked. More than 50% of the guests were foreigners – a large % of them French.

Girls Gang

Room rates vary from Rs 3300 – Rs 7200 ( Inclusive of breakfast) . We stayed at the Tectona – the only room with 2 bedrooms . The Tree House is located a distance away and one needs to cross the stream to reach there. The honeymoon suit is again tucked away in wilderness. Food is very reasonably prices – so a 3 night trip inclusive of 2nd AC train fare from Bangalore to Kodai Road , transfer and a 1 day sight seeing trip to Kodaikanal should be in the range of 50K for a family of 4.

Sleepover

On the way back we managed to stop by at the famous Meenakshi temple ( Claimed to be 3500 Years Old) at Madurai. Madurai is 40 km from Kodai Road ( 1 hr drive) – so from Elephant Valley to Madurai is nearly 3 hrs. You can also plan a 2 night stay at Elephant Valley and then do a night stop at the Taj at Madurai. Just remember to book your return tickets from Madurai to Bangalore.

1000 Pillars

Overall a wonderful trip – and what made it memorable was the group of 3 families. Thanks LAN & Rakesh for joining . Lets now look forward to the next trip to Kashmir in April

Team 1

All trip photos can be viewed at the following Flickr Link http://www.flickr.com/photos/vak1969/sets/72157632381025548/with/8324642786/

madurai kodai kanal

Tags: , , , ,

Can we ignore 200M + People ?

18 Dec

News channels yesterday were debating on two key topics – Narendra Modi winning a thumping 3rd term and the sad rape of the college girl in Delhi.

Todays TOI reports that Delhi has more rapes than the other 3 metros put together. Delhi is the capital of the country, every second month a high profile incident like this happens and then it dies down quietly in a few days.

I wonder what would have happened if the rape had happened in Ahmedabad instead of Delhi? The high decibel leaders from UPA would have immediately jumped on to every channel demanding Presidents rule in the state.

Gujarat incidentally is one of the safest places in the country for women and during Navratri its common to see girls out till the early hours of the morning. Women comprising 50% of the population in Gujarat are safe & happy and 40% of Delhi (The male Female Ratio is closer to 60: 40 in Delhi) is afraid to venture out at night.

Garba

Lets now look at some of the Modi bashing points – which keep coming out in every debate. The great thing about Modi is people hate him or love him. And it looks like the majority in Gujarat love him. Here are some arguments I place against the points raised against Modi

1.   The minority is restricted to areas like Juhapura and these places are slums with no water, electricity, sanitation etc.

Bangalore has Shivaji Nagar, Mumbai has Mahim, Kurla & Masjid, Hyderabad has Charminar & Begum Bazar – every city in India has a minority colony. Even the slums in Koramangla do not have water, electricity & sanitation. The Sikhs in Delhi are clustered in a few areas. Why just India – Chinatown exists in SFO, LA & New York. It’s common for minorities to live together.

2.   BJP did not give a seat to any minority community representative. Unless there is representation how does the locality / community improve

Modi wants to win the election with a 2/3rd majority. If there are candidates who could have won on a BJP seat he would have probably considered them. But chances are given the rhetoric of the last 10 years people are now brainwashed and will not vote for BJP even if Modi presents a minority candidate – so why should the BJP lose a seat even before the election has started ?

3.   The Modi story of development is a myth – he is Corrupt?

 The development is there for everyone to see. Industry is rushing in, the Government has been voted to power twice and is all set for a 3rd term. As charges of corruption fly thick & strong against the UPA Government – one has hardly heard any charge of corruption (from a non Congress Source) against Modi.

 4.   The events of 2002 cannot be forgotten and with Modi at the helm the minority can never progress?

Yes 2002 was unpardonable. But people tend to forget the spark that caused the fire. History is replete with wrong doings – the Sikh backlash post Indira Gandhi Assassination, the high handedness and loot of the British and when one reads of the massacre of Ghazni & Ghori it makes even the most moderate persons blood boil. Till when do we keep stoking the fire of anger – maybe we should have asked the Eng cricket team to go back if they did not return the Kohinoor diamond and claim our due share  from Nadir Shah’s descendants in Iran.

6600 Indians die of road accidents every day, thousands more die in the hell called our Govt hospitals every day. We don’t seem to be making an issue of this at all. Yet the media & the opposition keep alive the 2002 riots for their political agenda and for securing their vote banks.

What worries me more is the impact of all this on the educated Muslims. 20% or 200M + is not a minority. There are probably more Muslims in our country than Tamilians or Bengalis. But where are they?

In our apartment complex of 124 flats – Dominated by Hindus, 6 Jains & 1 Sikh families. I am sure this would be the case in the top 100-apartment complex in every large city. Someone as famous as Shabana Azmi recently said that she was finding it difficult to buy an apartment in a central Hindu locality in Mumbai. Check out your child’s school – in a class of 90 across 3 sections you may find 1 – 2 Muslim students. I worked in a large IT company with over 100,000 employees – I don’t recollect interacting with more than 5 Muslims in 13 years. If someone does a count the % of Muslims in India’s top 5 IT companies will be less than 2%.

Check out your Facebook friends and look back on how many people you sent an Id Mubarak greeting ? When was the last time you attended a function at a muslim friends house. This is not how it was 30 years back when we were kids.

Pran

There was a time in the 70’s when Muslims were always the helpful friendly characters in movies – whether it was Pran as Sher Khan in the immortal Zanjeer or Rishi Kapoor as Akbar in Amar Akbar Anthony. Today they are always the bad guys, the Terrorists.

The challenge is not Modi – the challenge is we and our inability to live peacefully with nearly 1/4th of the country. It doesn’t help if the media & politicians keep fanning the fire. And it needs both sides to take a few steps forward – but thats the only way forward.

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bequeathing an Inheritance by Leveraging the Power of Compounding

13 Dec

I am worried ever since I wrote my last post. ( How much is enough to Retire?).

You start work at around 22 , the initial 10 years are low salary , long hours hardly any savings. The next 5 – 6 years go in buying a house, paying the loans and finally when you are  40+  & have  a reasonable saving potential – you start thinking of retirement and the Corpus needed to safely hang your boots gets you worried.

What could we have done differently if we were to start all over again ? Can we leverage some of this knowledge to bequeath a princely inheritance for our next generation ? Lets look at an interesting story, which highlights the power of COMPOUNDING. 

This is the  story of a Wise old man and a stingy Sultan. There was a severe draught and the villagers were on the edge of a famine. The Sultan had enough stock of grains in his granary but refused to partake the same. The villagers met the Wise old man and sought his help.

The Wise man presented the Sultan with a fabulously beautiful chessboard, intricately made with carved ivory, rare woods, and precious stones. It was so exquisite the Sultan offered the Wise man whatever price he named.

Beautiful Crystal chess

The Wise man asked for one grain of rice. The Sultan was shocked. The Wise man continued – one grain of rice for the first square on the chessboard; one day later, two grains for the second square; two days later, four grains for the third, and the same simple doubling for the remainder of the 64 squares on the chessboard.

Laughing, the Sultan agreed. “So I am to pay you a few grains of rice for all your wondrous work?” he asked. “It is sufficient for me, Your Majesty,” was his humble reply.

The Sultan directed his Treasurer to award the Wise man and do the needful for the next 64 days. The Wise man received his single grain gratefully on day 1 , and the Sultan forgot about him.

Dutifully, the Wise man showed up at the Treasurer’s office every day to receive his meager award of rice. On the 12th day, he received about two handfuls – 2,048 to be exact – and ignored the Treasurer’s sneer.

The sneer was still there on the 16th day, when he received little more than a single pound of rice. By the 21st day, the sneer was gone, replaced with a curious frown, for the Treasurer had to give the Wise man 35 pounds of rice – over a million grains. By the 24th day, the frown was replaced by worry – for the Wise man received 280 pounds of rice.

Two days later – the 26th – the look was fear and panic, for the Wise man had come for over one thousand pounds of rice. The Treasurer had, days ago, switched from counting in grains to pounds – and now realized that soon the Wise man would be owed all the rice in the entire sultanate.

“This cannot go on,” he told the Wise man. “Tomorrow it will be 2,000 pounds.” “2,200,” the Wise man corrected him. The Treasurer continued. “That means four days from now, the 30th day, it will be almost 18,000 pounds. This must stop.”

“But by the 30th day,” the Wise man objected, “we haven’t even reached the second half of the chessboard.” Then he smiled. “That’s when it gets really interesting.”

So you’ll owe me 2,200 pounds tomorrow, 17,600 pounds in four days, and over 70,000 when we reach half the chessboard in six days – which will be over two billion grains of rice, by the way.

“But, Mr. Treasurer, we’re just getting started. Two billion? That’s nothing. By the 41st day – 15 days from now – you’ll owe me 365,000 more pounds of rice than the 1,000 you owe me today, or over one trillion grains of rice.

By the 51st day – just 25 days from now – you and the Sultan will owe me 379 million pounds of rice That’s over one quadrillion grains of rice.

“By the time we reach the 64th square you and the Sultan will owe me three quadrillion pounds of rice, or 9 quintillion grains – more rice than there has been or ever will be in the world. Not bad starting out with that one single grain you laughed at two months or so before.”

The Treasurer fainted. When he awoke, the Wise man was gone. So he went to explain things to the Sultan – who had him immediately beheaded. Then the Sultan called for the Wise man. “My heart says I should execute you as I did that stupid treasurer,” said the Sultan, “but my head says I should have someone as smart as you to take his place.”

The Wise man accepted so quickly and calmly it was as if this was what he expected all along.     

Lets now apply this to our day to day life and see how we can Bequeath a princely inheritance to our next in Kin. Lets assume your child is 5 years old. Suppose you start a RD of Rs 10,000 / – Month for the next 10 years (lets assume an interest rate of 10%)  – your corpus at the end of 10 years will be about 18 Lac’s. (Child is now 15 Years)

Take this corpus and put it in a FD. Lets assume the same interest rate of 10%  – how much time does it take for the money to double. You can do it by the GP formulae A = P(1+R/100)^n or use a back of the envelope calculator and divide 72 with the interest rate. At 10% interest your investment will double in about 7.2 years ( 72 / 10 the interest rate) lets for simplicity round this up as 8 years.  Child’s Age 23 – Corpus 36 Lac’s

Keep doing this till the child is 55 years old. So in the next 32 years you have 4 cycles to double your Corpus.  36L – 72L – 1.44Cr – 2.88Cr – 5.66Cr.  

Hopefully you will be around to gift her this and see the smile on her face. 

So an investment of 12 Lac’s ( 10K * 12 * 10) spread across 10 years has resulted in a Corpus of 5.6 Crores. Not a bad inheritance and did not take too much of an effort. One may question and say what will be the value of 5.6 Crores 50 years from now ? You can continue the same mantra and start another RD after the 1st one matured or increase the value from 10 K / month to 15 K / month – enough ways to play around to leverage the power of Compounding.

While Equity , Debt Funds , FMP may sound Sexy they are liquid and – a simple RD & FD combination  and some discipline can help you build a lot of wealth by leveraging the power of Compunding. For the same reason a PPF & LIC works similiar miracles – and it does not even have the burden of tax liability.

So leverage the power of compunding and see your Wealth grow in geometric proportions . Enjoy the power of Compounding.

Tags: , , , , ,

How much is Enough to Retire ?

3 Dec

During my brief stint in one of the Big 3 head hunting firms I  met nearly 200 + candidates hunting for a change . There was a common theme cutting across most of them. 80% of them were 40+, bored with their job, felt they were getting a raw deal and that their potential was far higher.  They were all experiencing the impact of the Pyramid Effect after nearly 20 years in the industry.

Once you start talking to them ( and they talk a lot !) more common themes emerge – Should I change Industry, should I start a business (Restaurant & Head hunting firms are top picks!), maybe I left US too early and should have stayed on and finally – How much do you think is a good corpus to retire!

The last question is an interesting one and merits more attention.

Lets look at how life has changed in the last 30 + years.  Rice Rs 4 / Kg –  Rs 40 / Kg (10X) , a Gas Cyliner of Rs 60 is now nearly 600 + (10X) ,  A loaf of Bread that cost 2 Rs is now   Rs 20/- (10X) , Petrol was about Rs 10/L – currently Rs 70/L (7X,  and we thought Petrol had the steepest hike), Bhindi that costed Rs 4/Kg is Now Rs 40/- (10X). Cal – Chennai one way on Indian Airlines was 1K  ( I remember that clearly since that was the first flight a family member took in 1983 to attend my sisters marriage) – Now it varies from 5 – 10K , One USD was = 10 INR and now its 55 ( 5.5X).

Bread

I am not an economist and this may not be very scientific but we can draw an inference that when it comes down to day-to-day expenses the costs have gone up by about 10X in 30 years.

This does not take into account the cost of property. That has grown astronomically – I recollect a relative buying a 5000 sft plot of land with a bungalow in Alwarpet , the heart of Chennai for Rs 1 Lac in 1980. Today that property would cost upwards of 10 Crores ( 1000 X appreciation)

12112012-Consumer-prices-still-high-in-India-equitymaster

The  salary of a Sr executive in a private firm 30 years back was about Rs 5000/- month (Taxes at the highest limit were 90% and the Presidents Salary at 10K / Month was the maximum limit).

So if cost of most items have gone up by 10X – then an corresponding increase in salary to 50K/ month should have been good enough – but that’s not true. Entry-level salaries for engg graduates from Tier 1 institutes are 7 – 8 Lacs / annum and Sr executives with 20 + years are unhappy with 50 Lac packages.

20price1_60

Can you manage a household for 50K a month in Bangalore or BBY or Delhi ? Yes many do – but for people who are my FB or Linked in friends that’s not true. At a very conservative level the monthly expenses for a family of 4 can vary from 1 – 2 Lacs / month. That’s nearly 2 – 4K USD / Month ,

when you look at it that way you realize that not many in the US spend that much every month.

So what has changed? Lets shift gears to the 1st chapter in my class 10 ICSE Economics Book by Khosla & Khosla. The author had beautifully explained two concepts – 1. The difference between Desire & Want (A Desire backed by necessary means and the willingness to partake with the means is a Want) and 2. The concept of Necessity, Comfort & Luxury and how these brackets vary from person to person based on their social strata. 

Lets now take these concepts and see what has changed and then come back to the original question of How much is enough ?

30 Years of economic growth has made Luxuries & Comforts a Necessity . Today a good car, eating out once a week or an annual holiday ( Vs the visit to Grandparents house)  is considered a necessity. Kids Birthday bashes are no longer an evening affair at home. New clothes are no longer events that happen in Diwali or Durga Puja but at every second month or the weekend sale.

It’s a combination of two things –  having tasted blood for the Good Things in life you want more and of course there is peer pressure.  And today we are ready to partake the means to fulfill our wants – even if it means taking a loan and bearing the burden of a monthly EMI.

Hammock

Before we do the math – some questions that bug me

  1. In the next 30 years (say when we are 70) – will the cost of goods be 10X more expensive than today. So should we expect Rice & Bhindi to be Rs 400 / Kg and a gas cylinder at Rs 6000/-
  2. In Countries like the US & UK where per capita income is in excess of $ 35000 (India just crossed the $ 1000 mark) – cost of fruits / vegetables / Petrol is already at par with India. So should we assume that with increasing development the costs will continue to spiral?
  3. Inflation in India which is at ~ 10% needs to come down – Inflation is like rust , will it come down to 2 – 3 % ?  (Which is why I like the RBI Governor who is holding on to pressure from the Finance Ministry and not reducing Interest rates till Inflation climbs down)

Depending on the answers we can arrive at some estimates. One way to look at it is that when you are 70 if you need 10X what you need today – you will probably need 5 Lacs / Month . I am assuming that you are not downsizing and continue to maintain a certain lifestyle that you are accustomed to. Lets also assume that with just husband & wife and lesser needs to impress society that reduces to 2 – 3 Lacs / Month.

At a 10% interest your tax-free income is 7%, to get 2 Lacs / Month or 24 Lacs / Year you need a corpus of  3.5 Crores in a FD. ( Remember if Inflation comes down you will not be getting 10% interest)

With medical costs spiraling and chances of Public Health systems not improving much you need to put away a Corpus to take care of your health in case of something serious. Lets say you put away Rs 1 Crore when you are 50 to multiply over the years so that at 70 that’s maybe 2 – 3 Crore’s + (that may not be sufficient – so ensure that you have good health, exercise regularly , clean diet !!)

You would like to travel and holiday, lets budget another Rs 1 Crore at age 50 to be kept in a Corpus for Holiday & Entertainment & Fun , between the interest and some corpus dilution every year you can manage for the next 20 – 30 with some decent holidays.

So if you are in a position where you have taken care of all your children’s higher education, marriage expenses (at least 1 Crore / Kid assuming they study in India over the next 10 years), have a house that is fully paid off and have no other liabilities then maybe a kitty of 5.5 Crores (That’s 1 Million $) at age 45 – 50 should be good enough to pull you along. This can be a combination of both assets & liquid cash –  rental income for a second house may be a good hedge given the rate at which property prices have risen in the past.

Jackpot

Unless you have a windfall profit from stocks or real estate its difficult for a salaried person to make that money in his 20 – 25 years of career. (In one my future blogs I will share some insights on the power of Compounding – while it may be a bit late for us in our 40’s to leverage this , its a good learning for the future generation )

For all those who are there – enjoy your retirement! For others like me it’s back to the grind for many many more years.

Tags: , , , , ,

Goa & The Park Hyatt – Lush Green Luxury

16 Nov

We finally made it to Goa. Thats the irony of life – we travel to exotic places abroad and many a time forget paradise thats right at your backyard.

The Park Hyatt at Goa is truly heaven on earth. Lush green meadows , rooms in lovely Portugese Villas, a huge pool, a great activity Centre for kids – Camp Hyatt , 5 great restaurants (Including one on the beach) and a lovely beach which is as good as private. a lovely gym and a great Spa. ( What else can you ask for !) The only thing missing from this Indralok was the dancing Apsaras (The middle aged Russians & Europeans – couldn’t quite match up to the task) And if you get all of this free (Thanks to Hyatt Platinum Points) – you just say WOW !

The weather in Nov is perfect – warm , sunny and a little humid. And  thats what drives the hordes of foreigners at this peak season. 90% of the hotel guests were foreigners and a vast majority were Russians. Surprisingly almost every guest was a family of 4 or 5 – with kids in the age group of 3 – 12.

The Park Hyatt has 205 rooms & 12 suites and is spread across 100 + acres and extends to the beach. The sand is soft and fine like talcum powder and the water really warm & nice. Right on the beach you have water sports run by private agencies. These are not cheap – a 10 min Para Sailing or Jet Skiing can cost Rs 1000/- , and a trip in the morning to watch dolphins can put you back by Rs 3000/- (But you do see dolphins – we saw 5 of them playing around with our boat)

There are some lovely restaurants in the Hyattl – Indian , Italian , Multi cuisine , Sea Food etc – all of which have a common open area where every evening there is some entertainment happening. The Palms restaurant is located right on the beach. Food is decently priced and dinner for a family can cost up-to Rs 3K (Liquor not included). The Child Menu has a lot of options. The breakfast buffet is extensive – so do ensure that your room rate includes breakfast.

What can you do beyond the lovely hotel at Goa ? A Lot – here are some useful tips

1. Goa is a State – so it takes time to go from one place to another. Most of the resorts are in S Goa ( The Park Hyatt is at the N end of S Goa and is 20 Min drive from the Airport) – but some of the popular beaches like Baga Beach , Anjuna etc are in N Goa. You may hear the oft repeated statement that ” The action is in N Goa” – I beg to defer. We visited Tito’s in N Goa , Baga Beach one night – Crowded , Loud Music , mainly youth in their 20’s , Indian Liquor served in plastic cups – NOT my idea of something Classy, and I would definitely not not go back there again . If you are 40 + and want style and class stick to the entertainment venues in S Goa – Martins, or even the Tito’s in S Goa .

2. If you are staying in a wonderful resort with its own beach you may not want to visit the numerous beaches of Goa.

Some of the other Tourist attractions are

a) The Sahkari Spice Garden – A must visit. A 3rd Generation Family Farm spread across  200 acres. they have a tour that includes a nice homely lunch. You get to see all the spice plants and even buy fresh stuff. Tickets are Rs 400 / person. ( This includes a shot of  Feni which they distill at the farm) – and a lot of useful tips on how Spices can help you in day to day ills. (Maybe I should start a blog trail with some of those recipes – called Grandmas home made remedies)

b) The Churches in old Goa. Do visit the Basilica of Bom Jesus UNESCO Heritage Site in Old Goa , it contains the tomb & mortal remains of  St Xaviers .

c) A few temples – including the 500 + Year old Mangeshi Temple ( This village is home to the Mangeshkar sisters) –  not very impressive unless you are very religious and lord Shiva here has a moustache and looks like Ajay Devgun.

d) You can visit Panjim – the capital and do some shopping, drive around the old Portuguese colony Fontainhas, and then drive to Dona Paula. On the way stop by for lunch at Mum’s Kitchen

(Its a great place for Sea Food – Limited Veg options, thats trues across most restaurants in Goa) . Some other places for food – Cafe Mangii at Panjim ( Italian) , Inafnatria at Calangute Beach – Breakfast , Croissants , Sandwiches etc, Fidalgo at Panjim – Gujarathi Thali.

On the way back drop by at Zantyes to pick up Cashews & Feni. (There are 8 stores  in Goa). Cashews are priced around Rs 600 /- Kg. ( Point to note – You can find equally good quality Kaju at similar prices at Bangalore . They have farms in the Goa Mangalore coast. Achal Cashew Centre , Shop 2, Sri Jayadeva Shopping Complex, 5th Main , Gandhinagar, Ph 080 22385374,22351777, Near the Horse Racing Track)

e) The Dudhsagar Waterfalls is about 2 Hrs drive from S Goa. We did not go there – but thats almost a days trip. Heard that it is impressive.

f) There are Casinos on the River – housed in large ships on the river Mandovi. Having been to Vegas & Macau we decided to skip these.

g) A visit to Fort Aguada (They also have water sports here. The Taj Group has a hotel here – one of the few large hotels in N Goa) )

h) Boat rides on the River Mandovi

i) A visit to the late Mario Miranda’s museum at Bardez

You can cover most of the sites in 2 day sessions from 10 AM to 4 PM and be back in the evening to hit the beach.

So a 3 night , 4 day package to Goa is all you need to cover this beautiful place, and be rest assured that just like Tirupathi , if you have make a visit to Goa you will be back soon.

The little one loved the resort so much that she was very unhappy when we were checking out and we promised her we would be back soon.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Origin & Evolution of Hinduism – In simple layman terms

1 Nov

It all started a few months back. As we were studying History my daughter wanted to know who was the founder of Hinduism? My initial response was the common answer – Hinduism is a way of life.  But I realized there is more to it.

I consider myself quite religious – What is the concept of Hindu Religion to me ? –  Visiting a temple once a week  (and visiting old ancient temples both for history and grace regularly) , doing a small puja at home on every traditional occasion and chanting the slokas I learnt from my mother when I was 6 ,  calling a Vadyar  for any function – Griha Pravesh, Upanayanam etc , lots of rituals , lots of superstition, listening to Vishnu Sahasranam on the way to office – in short my concept of Religion is what I have learnt from Amar Chitra Katha , TV Serials, Stories told to us as kids. And thats exactly the manner in which I am propagating religion to my kids.

I have not read the Vedas, The Upanishads, The Bhagvad Gita, The Puranas ( But I plan to do so) – and I am not sure how many of my 600+ friends & relatives in FB & Linked In  would have read them. Fortunately the religion does not mandate that I read them – but I ask myself am I true Hindu without understanding what is written in these books ?

Basis a bunch of books I read ( thanks to Flipkart and its excellent collection) , a visit to the Ramana Maharishi & Aurobindo Ashram recently and finally a sitting with a wonderful couple in our complex I slowly started connecting the dots. This journey can be very very exciting and it can take years to get deeper & deeper. Most people start this exercise when they are 60+, but that is futile as you cannot practise the learnings when 80% of life is over. So this blog is an attempt to share some simple information and hopefully some may get interested to dwell deeper.

The first step in starting this exercise is to try  map and the different stages of evolution – a sort of an index that can help one in getting started. Here is my attempt at drawing up a time map. What is interesting to see how the journey moves with time  from Priests – Rishis  – Cult Leaders and finally to Scholars. Along the journey you will see that History , Religion & Spirituality are entwined together.

Phases of Evolution 

1. The Indus Valley Civilization ends around 1800 – 1900 BC. They were highly evolved builders and excavations show large man made structures, figurines of what could be deities, Lingams etc. Nobody know what caused their disintegration – but their decline mirrors the decline of other civilizations like Sumerian & Mesopotamian.

2. Distance from Iran (Persia) to Indus Valley is as close as Mumbai is to Bangalore – so migration to fertile pastures could have easily happened as the nomadic Aryans moved around. In the Rig veda we see many similiarities with Persia & the area around it – Fire God, Sacred Thread , use of Horses , Hymns praising Nature, Ahura the God ( who later probably became Asura)

3. The Vedic Aryans believed in Nature Gods. Fire (Agni) , Wind (Vayu) , Dawn (Usha) , Thunder (Rudra) , Lightning (Indra)  etc – very similar to what we see in Greek Mythology. The mode of prayer was the Yagna – hymns being chanted in praise of Gods and a lot of  animal sacrifice. The Hymns that we see in the initial part of the Rig Veda were mainly in praise of Nature Gods – they were like songs ( Easy to remember Vs prose) – the sanskrit used is very archaic. The Initial part of the Rigveda or the Samhita almost entirely comprises  of these hymns. There is no spiritual meaning here

2. As the travelers started settling down in Tribes they created their own “Gothrams” or Clans and the most knowledgeable person of the Clan was made the Chief. (The word Gorthram is linked to Cows and it could well have been the the Chief – the most intelligent of the clan had the task of sorting out infiights amongst the tribe when the cattle got mixed up)

3. These Chiefs then became the Priests to the Tribal Kings. In addition to the Samhitas now came the Brahmanas around 1000 BC. These talked of different rituals and how they were to be conducted. It talks about how the Altar for the Yagnas has to be set up. The Samhita & The Brahmanas together called the Karmakanda may rightly be called the Phase – 1 of  Rig Veda and the Vedic Religion or the Origin of Hinduism. They were merely chantings with no spiritual meaning as yet.

Unlike the Harappan culture – hardly any construction activity was unearthed from the ancient Aryans. So the fancy Palaces and Towns we read about in Mahabharata & Ramayana may just be imagination. Bull & Horse Sacrifice was common – and meat eating across all was prevalent. (There is more to the Aswamedha Yagna – than just a lovely white horse roaming around !!)

4. The next phase is that of the Aranyakas – or Forest Literature. This is the phase when the Rishis went to the forests & mountains and meditated. Many of them attained self actualization and developed Siddhis or supernatural powers. The knowledge they gained were considered as inputs  directly from God.  This repository of knowledge evolved over nearly 1000 years and was completed around 200 BC. This is called Vedanta or the Spiritual Literature and is a fountainhead of knowledge. 

5. Mahabharata , Ramayana & Gita.  There is reference in the Vedas to a major war that was fought around 900 BC. There is also mention to the Kuru Clan of Tribes. So it is indeed true that a big war was fought and it does find mention in many texts – but a lot of the wonderful stories woven around this war may well be the work of an excellent imaginative writer. Even the Gita may have been written over a 500 year period and reached its final shape around 200 – 300 AD.  The Ramayana is probably dated around 3rd Century BC.

6. Around 500 BC the Buddhist & Jain eras begin. ( Not many know that there was a 3rd religion called Ajinkayas – whose founder broke away from Mahavira).  Contrary to most beliefs Buddha and the Buddhists were meat eaters while the Jains were pure vegetarians. .This continued for nearly a 1000 years and by 500 AD a large part of India was under the sway of these religions, there was a need to Re establish Hinduism.

It was under the Gupta era that the concept of large temples started to develop. These become community centers for social & religious events. Some say that some of the Temples were actually built on top of Buddhist temples.  The concept of deities & temples was unknown to the Vedic Aryans. The original inhabitants of the country (Dasyus – the word Das or servant probably originates from here) had a practise of  praying to Rocks , Figurines , Devis , Shiva Lingams etc. Gods like Mariamman , Ayyappa and Muruga were prevalent in S India as early as 500 BC or earlier.

The oldest Hindu temple functioning today, and  not  in ruins, would be the Ma Mundeshwari  Temple in Kaimur District of Bihar. It has been  restored by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and its construction date is ascribed to . 108 A D. Since then rituals and worship have been taking place at this temple without a break. Thus making it the oldest functional Hindu  temple. So the history of temples in India is just about 2000 years old. 

By 500 BC  the 4 vedas were established – the original Rig Veda , The Sama Veda containing songs in praise of the gods & the Yajur Veda with ritual practise and finally the Atharva  Veda & The Tantras wilth magic spells.   Tantric cult spread to the east and is prevalent in some cults to this day. The Vedas were never written till about 100 AD, it was always passed on from generation to generation by memorizing . When it was recorded it was observed that there was no difference between what was produced in Kashmir or S india. This is indeed fascinating. Caste system which has been prevalent since the ancient Vedic Era became more stronger and sub castes started to develop.

This was also the time when the other Shastras namely Manusmriti, Arthashastra, Kamasutra ,  Brahmashastra & Grihashastra were written. The writing of Megasthenes also helped us to get an insight into life in those days.

7. The Puranas were started around 4th & 5th century AD. They continued to evolve till the 13th century.  The Concept of Bhakti Yoga started evolving from T Nadu after 300 AD. Two sects Vaishnavites & Shaivities slowly emerged – the Vishnu Purana & The Shiva Purana was written. All the existing Gods were bracketed under the two sects. The concept of the Avatars of Vishnu emerged and in some cases even Buddha was incorporated as an avatar of Vishnu. This was in a way a merger of the Aryan Vedic Religion and the Old Religion of the existing inhabitants. An attempt to make Religion easy to understand to the masses.

Between the  7th Century & 10th Century AD the 63 Nayannars wrote passionately in praise about Shiva.

And then there were the 33 Alvars from the Vaishnavite  sect. The alvars came from a variety of social strata; their ranks include shudras and one woman. The intense devotionalism of their poetry and insistence that caste and sex are no barrier to a relationship with the Divine is uncharacteristic of classical Vedic thought, which laid a strong emphasis on the performance of the social and religious duties proper to one’s place in the social structure. Some of these were collected into a definitive canon known as the Nālāyira Divya Prabandha (“divine composition of 4000 verses”), by Nathamuni in the 10th century, and came to be seen as a source of revelation equal in authority to the Vedas in the Śrīvaiṣṇava community.

Around 800 AD Shankara played a crucial role of rejuvenating Hinduism and setting up centres across the country – following in a way the monastic traditions of Buddhism. he played a crucial role in linking the 6 Major Indian Philosophies. he summarized the ten main Upanishads explained the concept of Advaitham & Hinduism.

By 1100 AD  Ramanujam gave a fillip to Vaishnavism & Hindu revival – in the midst of muslim domination. Many gods were merged to be called forms of Vishnu, this  includes Venkata – of the famous Tirupathi hills at his time. A temple that came to prominence during the reign of Krishnadeva Raya.

There have been other famous seers and philosophers who have heard the voice of the inner self & God and reached self actualisation – Raghavendra Swamy , Madhavacharya,  Ramana Maharishi , Ramakrishna , Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo and many spiritual leaders of today. Each one has evolved their own road to self actualisation. There are but 4 paths to choose from  Gyana Yoga , Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga (As explained in the Gita)  & Raja Yoga. A common link across  all these is the Pathanjali Yoga – Yoga as a form of mediation is said to be as ancient as the origin of the Vedic Religion.

Each area mentioned above is a wealth of information in itself and as I mentioned in the beginning the true meaning of Hindu Religion and its interpretation can be unique to every individual. There is a wealth of knowledge sitting there – and fortunately many Indians & Europeans have done extensive research in this area and created abridged versions – so it is possible to get all the insight you need without knowing Sanskrit.

As I continue to read some of these books will try and share the insights as best as I can. But I hope this relatively long blog has helped answer some questions and create a base foundation for each one of you  to start their own journey in search of  Truth.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

2nd Leg – Pondicherry & the Dunes Eco Resort

25 Oct

We left Thiruvanamalai at 9.30 AM and headed towards Pondicherry. the roads are good (One Track with no divider) but you can zip at close to 90 Km/ Hr . Vast open green fields and lovely tamarind trees line the roads. On the way you will cross the famous fort of Gingee (Which was called the Troy of the East by the British and virtually impregnable). As you cross Tindivanam you need to ask for some help to guide you thru the bypass. We reached our hotel – The Dunes Eco Resort by 1130 AM – so it was an easy drive.

I was disappointed with Pondicherry. Maybe I was expecting the Goa of the South – the two cities have some similarities , both are on the coast , have nice beaches, one was ruled by the Portuguese & the other by the French – but you can spend days at Goa and not get bored , while you can cover Pondicherry in 1 day.

There are 3 Things to see in Pondicherry – they are all located very close by ( Walking distance) – The Aurobindo Ashram, The Museum and the French Colony. All 3 can be covered in less than 3 hours. That leaves you time to walk around the few streets of the French colony and stroll along the promenade adjacent to the sea. The Governors residence is the only impressive French Building. Calve , Le Club or the Promenade a few large hotels and restaurants in that area ( We tried the Promenade and the food was just about OK). Close by on Mission Street Hidedesign has a large store ( the company is HQ’D in Pondicherry) – they have a flagship Red Store and a Outlet both close by. You will not spot any McDonald, Pizza Hut , Dominos etc – but will see many mom & pop shop wood fire Pizza Joints. We tried one and it was a disaster. Best bet is a lovely S Indian veg place called Surguru.

surguru restaurant

This is a chain of 4 Restaurants – and can aptly be called the Saravana Bhawan of Pondicherry . (Most localites call it Satguru).

The next place to visit in Pondicherry is Auroville. Its actually located in TN – and its about 14 Km off the ECR Highway. Its an International Community that is fully self sufficient.  Spread across 40 Sq Kms – the place has been transformed from a virtual desert into a well planned , organized centre.

heart of auroville

At the heart of Auroville is the Matri Mandir – a centre of meditation. Access is restricted. You need to first watch a Video and then meet one of the representatives. Tickets are issued between 10 – 11 & 2 – 3 – and if you are lucky you get tickets for the next day. During weekends you need to come 3 days in advance. Kids below 10 not allowed. If it rains the entry may be cancelled as there are chances of making the place dirty. The message is clear – this is not a tourist spot and chances of someone visiting Pondicherry for a few days to get access to see the Mantri Mandir from inside is limited. From the Video it does look like a fabulous design – and the entire structure has taken over 35 years to build. You can get a visitors pass to see the architectural beauty from outside – its a 1 Km walk from the visitors centre. The other parts of Auroville inside a green cover are far away to walk and see. You leave Auroville a little disappointed – but the the reality is the community wants to be left alone.

So if you start your day at 9AM , complete the City activity by lunch and Auroville by 3PM  – you have covered all that needs to be seen in Pondicherry – which is why you need to stay in a lovely hotel. We stayed at the Dunes Resort – a fabulous place.

greenery cottage

Its over 40 acres of greenery , 40 Villas & Cottages – right on the ocean front. The price varies depends on the type of Villa and its location – ranges from 7K  – 20 K / Night. we had booked 4 months in advance so managed to get one of the best rooms – a huge room with a massive Jacuzzi inside. Called the Artist Studio this villa has two penthouses , we were on the 1st floor and the room below us was equally big with a private pool.

dunes resort

There are cycles located outside every room and its very convenient to drive around on the bikes. The beach is beautiful – almost empty and is very very very clean. Its less than a 5 minute walk from the room.

morning walk in beachIts rare to find in India a beach that is as private as this one – we walked for nearly an hr in the morning and did not spot a single human being. Water can get rough so swimming is not advised.  the resort also has a lovely farm that grows their daily vegetables. Milk is supplied from the cows in the farm – whatever they lack in their farm comes from their other property at Kodaikanal ( Elephant Valley – and we are heading there in Dec). What we liked about the place is the peace & quiet , hearing birds in the morning , chasing some lovely butterflies , the sound of waves lapping on the beach, cows mooing in the farm.

coconut tree

We felt if only real estate companies developed properties like these – there would be a rush of buyers. I even ventured to ask the manager if they were planning a retirement home on similar concept.

The service in the hotel is decent. The staff are  friendly. There are some activities for the kids – they can watch the cows being milked and even try their hand

butterflyat it, a pottery centre where they can make their own pots. A lovely swimming pool and a play area for smaller kids. Whats missing is some water sports and some events in the evening. Its a nice place if you plan a holiday with 2 – 3 families and you can easily spend a few days here enjoying every minute of it.

The manager Mr Umapathi is very helpful and goes out of the way to help you , and the staff is friendly and nice.  The only grouse we had was on the Breakfast Buffet – our experience with food at most resorts Vythri, Destiny Farms , Cicada etc has been fabulous. At The Dunes the food lacked in taste & presentation. The breakfast buffet was sad. When you charge 20K for a night you better have standards that you get in an ITC or Hyatt – the ambience, cutlery , service were all lacking . The Gym & the Spa exist – but nothing great to write about them

So when in Pondicherry The Dunes is a good option ( We heard that Le Pondy is also a good place) .  A 2 night stay is sufficient – if you want to take a day trip to Chidambaram maybe a 3 night trip. Avoid Pondy in summer – it can be very very hot , again Oct to Feb is the best time to travel, but Nov / Dec is NE Monsoon !!

daughters

The Dunes is located on the ECR Road – 14 Km away from Pondicherry city – so when you head to Chennai its one straight road. Again a single track road with no dividers – but you can easily do 100+ Km/Hr and reach Mahabalipuram in less than an hr. On our way to Chennai we stopped by at Dakshinachitra (We have been to Mahabs before hence skipped it – but if you haven’t  don’t miss it , its a UNESCO world heritage site)

daughters playing

Dakshinchitra is located 21 Km from Chennai. It is a museum of traditional S India houses from T Nadu , Kerala, Andhra & Karnataka . Kids will love to see how our grandparents lived – they also have some activities and stores in the complex. You can easily spend a few hrs here , have lunch at the restaurant inside and then head to Chennai.  We had only a day at Chennai and between visiting some relatives – we ensured that we managed to drop by Rathna Stores, Saravana Bhawan and the lovely jewelry & silk sari stores in and around Pannagal Park (Warning – These stores can cause serious damage to your purse).

We left Chennai at 12 Noon and were at home  in Bangalore at 545 PM –  with a 30 min stop at Vellore.

A good compact trip – where the journey was not tiring. From temples, Ashrams , Beaches , Global Community, Shopping – we had a lot of variety packed in the 4 night 5 Day trip.

In the busy schedule at Bangalore we live from holiday to holiday , so we are eagerly looking forward to our next one at the Park Hyatt – Goa around Diwali

Till then Goodbye !

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Thiruvanamalai – Enroute to Pondicherry

23 Oct

Bangalore is surrounded with amazing weekend getaways. Most people would take the Mysore road towards Coorg, Ooty, Bandipur , Kabini or the Chickamangalur Route . This time we decided to head to Pondicherry – but packed in a nice round trip over 4 Nights that covered Blr – Thiruvanamalai – Pondicherry – Chennai – Blr ( If you have time you can actually extend this to a 7 night trip & cover Chidambaram, Mahabalipuram & Kancheepuram)

Thiruvanamalai is 220 Km from Bangalore and a 6 Hr drive. The 1st 100 Km is on the road to Chennai and then at Krishnagiri you take a detour off the highway. ( NH7 , NH 46 & NH66) The 1st 100 Km takes 2 hrs (Including a breakfast stop) and the remaining 120 takes an additional 2.5Hr hrs – so if you leave Blr at 7 AM you can reach by 1130AM – in time for check in & lunch . Best place for breakfast stop is Shri Krishna Inn ( about 60 Min from Silk Board) – other Options are Kamat , McDonalds & Cafe Coffee Day.

Hotel

Thiruvanamalai is famous for two things

1. The ancient Shiva Temple of Arunachalam (Sanctum  is said to be nearly 2000 + years old) – and the 14 Km walk around the temple along the scenic hills helps you redeem you of your sins.

temple

The temple is massive and majestic & surrounded by hills covered with clouds. The 14 Km walk around the Temple called Girivalam is famous and is announced by the temple authorities on certain days of the year. The walk area is neat and clean with excellent footpaths and is designed to cater to the massive crowds that flood  the temple town  on auspicious days.

road

2. The second thing that makes Thiruvanamalai famous is the Ramana Maharishi  Ashram. This is where a young boy of 16 undertook penance in a small cave and reached sainthood. Ramana Maharishi  Ashram

Ramana Maharishi  Ashram

The Ashram is well maintained and has many visitors from across the world who come to understand the simple approach to life and to answer the questions ” Who am I ?  What is  my purpose in life ? ”  – its a small Ashram and can be covered in less than an hr. Do visit the bookstore which has an excellent collection.  If you plan to trek to the cave where he meditated that could take you an additional hr.

You can cover Thiruvanamalai in less than 1/2 a day, the Ashram and the temple are closed after 12 Noon , so even if you start at 3 PM you can cover both by 6 PM. They are both located close by.

The best place to stay is the Sparsa Hotel. This is an excellent property managed by the Aloft Group. (Its part of the SPG Group so carry your card for points)

Sparsa Hotel

It has 38 tastefully designed rooms in an ambience of lush greenery. Its a wonderful place   – peaceful & quiet .

inside rooms

Rooms come with all modern amenities, the bathrooms are big & spacious , they have 24 hr room service and an excellent pure Veg restaurant. (No Liquor , No Smoking)

Dining hall

A lovely swimming pool & Yoga Huts for soothing early morning sessions

Day trip

Trip

They also have a lot of activities for Kids, unfortunately we did not have the time to stay back and enjoy most of them

sparsa hotel

Thiruvanamalai can get very hot in Summers ( 45+ Deg C) so plan your trip sometime between Oct & Feb.

We left after a wonderful breakfast and headed towards Pondicherry (126 Km – 2 Hrs).  Thiruvanamalai & Sparsa is a great break point in your journey to Pondicherry – it breaks the monotony of a day long drive and helps you catch up on some wonderful sights.

We thoroughly loved this break and were fully energetic as we headed to Pondicherry for the next phase of our holiday. Details on Pondy , the amazing Dunes Resort Hotel and how best to spend a few days at Pondy in the next Blog entry

family trip

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Bandipur – Jungle Retreat

11 Oct

If you are in Bangalore you must visit Bandipur during a long weekend. Its just 91 Kms from Mysore. So if you leave Bangalore at 7 AM , stop for breakfast enroute you should reach Bandipur around lunch. (Bangalore Mysore on a good day is 3.5 Hrs and Mysore to Bandipur is another 2 hrs).

Bandipur is on the Mysore – Ooty road and on the way you cross the historical Nanjangud Shiva Temple. (If you are religious drop by , its a small detour and worth it to visit a 1000 + year old temple)

An hr from Mysore you start entering forest area, and vast stretches of greenery that expand. These are foothills of the W Ghat’s and probably one of the finest eco reserves across the world. Bandipur, Waynad , Nagerhole , Madumalai are all one continuos forest  stretch and probably have the best Tiger Conservation in practice.

As you drive past there is a high probability that you will spot many deers and sometimes even elephants crossing the road. We were lucky to see one which got the kids really excited. The jumbo was in no hurry to move and posed for some excellent close up shots.

We stayed at the Cicada.(Now called Serai) A property owned by the Cafe Coffee Day Group. The property is located right at the edge of the forest.

Its a quiet serene place, the architecture blends with the ambience. They have limited rooms, which are clean and efficient. Nice beds, good wooden flooring, modern bathrooms, classy but not soaked in luxury. The rooms have no TV.

Every room has a small portico with chairs where you can relax and listen to the birds chirping and maybe late at night a tiger roar.

In terms of activity there is limited stuff to do. The property runs into a few acres and you can explore it well within an hr. They serve excellent food – breakfast , lunch , dinner , tea. But there are no multiple restaurants. In the evening they play some movies in a small club room which also has some indoor games. DJ & Campfire are prohibited since its next to the forest.

The activity that you look around for is the trek to the forest. This happens in jeeps once in the morning and once in the evening. Its about an hr and the hosts really try hard to spot wild animals. Most of the time the Tigers, Elephants , Bisons are elusive and all you will see are Deers , Peacocks and Wild Fowl. We took 3 treks and finally on the last day were rewarded with a close up view of the Royal Tiger.

If you can get one view of the Royal Tiger the trip to Bandipur is worth it. And the Trek organizers claim that you do spot one every 3rd trip they take (The recent supreme court order on tourism to jungles may have impacted the jeep drives into the jungle , so please check with the hotel before you leave)

These tours are priced separately and when you travel do keep some warm clothing with you.

Other than the jeep tours there are small walking treks that you can take – again organized every morning & evening. But thats about it in terms of activity.

The Cicada is not cheap and we visited during the New Year Eve – a 3 night package in Dec 2010 was 25K, inclusive of food.  ideal trip to Bandipur would be a stopover enroute to Ooty. And if you are going to Ooty do visit Destiny Farms.( http://atomic-temporary-14030268.wpcomstaging.com/2010/06/07/destiny-farms/)

There are quite a few more hotels near Cicada/Serai , check out Windflower Resort also. Jungle Lodges also has a property close by.

Tags: , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →