Russian Safari- Moscow

Oct 10, 2014:

A 4 hrs journey from St Petersburg by a bullet train has brought us to the Russian capital city of Moscow. 

Moscow  is very different from

Petersburg. It's skyline is adorned with high-rise structures unlike Petersburg where no building is allowed to be taller than the Winter Palace.  The circular planning of this city is another unique aspect. There seem to be 10 lanes of cars on each side of the road. Despite this, the traffic moves at snails pace. 

"Beware of pickpockets", we were warned. 

We visited the Victoria Garden and Sparrow Hill on our way to Dinner at the "Darbar" restaurant. 

Our "Azimut Moscow Olympic Hotel" was not far from here and it was time to check in and have a good night's sleep to prepare ourselves for another busy day tomorrow. 

Oct 11: 

Our first halt of the day was the "Kremlin".  We were lucky to catch the Saturday's Parade. The soldiers marching through with their rifles and the rest on horsebacks followed by a display of guard of honor, is worth going miles to see. 

After the lunch at Fusion Plaza, we

reached the Red Square. It's boundaries are made up by the St Basil's Cathedral, The Kremlin Wall, The Museum and the

St Basil's Cathedral

Gum Departmental Store. 

The beauty of this locale was enhanced  by the sight of brides and grooms in their wedding gowns, tourists clicking away pictures  and girls posing for selfies.  

The shopping store was one of the most expensive ones in Russia. But the interiors were lavishly made and definitely worth a dekko. 

Dinner time at the Khajuraho - an Indian restaurant.  And it was the last night of this Russian Safari. 

Oct 12: 

It was an early checkout on this last day of the tour. An experience of the favorite mode of public transport - the Metro,

Russian Metro

was mandatory. Smooth travel is the word to describe it. Despite changing lines and tracks, the going always is smooth except for the fact that deciphering the Russian language is an impossible task. 

Arbat Street

Shopping at the Arbat street for souvenirs, followed by lunch, thus  brought to an end this highly memorable sojourn. 

It was now back to our homes sweet homes. 

We did learn something new this trip. When the transit in a city airport is more than 4 hrs, the airlines do offer some compensation. For eg, Emirates gave us Meal coupons redeemable at various outlets at the Dubai airport. Singapore airlines too offers some reasonable amount for a long transit halt at Singapore. 

Phew. Two different and contrasting cities in St Petersburg and Moscow. But the soul very much Russian. 

"People who don't travel cannot have a global view, all they see is what's in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live."

Russian Safari - St Petersburg

Oct 8th 2014:

An American breakfast to start the day with. The omlette ordered was double egged but the size served appeared to contain many more eggs. Huge would be an understatement to describe it. 

Catherine Palace

We visited the Catherine Palace in Pushkin town. It was the Summer Palace of the ruling monarchs in the past. Words and pictures would never be able to describe it.

Catherine Palace

The "wow factor" is the only adjective that I can use for it. 

I got the first feel of Autumn. Leaves turned yellow and flying off the trees. That's why I presume they call it 'Fall'. Trees bearing leaves in various shades of yellow just adorn this beautiful city of St Petersburg.

Lunch was at "Tandoori nights". And yet again to some of the famous monuments and pics galore.

The souvenir shop boasted of designer fur caps, imitation jewelry, Matryoshka dolls and Russian Vodka. 

Free coffee, free washroom and free vodka were the customer attractive features. 

We ended up just using the free services and window shopping. 

The next 2 hrs were spent in Galeria Mall. Some local chocolates were a steal. Rest all would be easily available back home. As I mentioned before too, it is Russian, Russian all the way. No signs of English anywhere. From the name of the chocolate and it's ingredients to the name of the shop. It is just impossible to purchase anything. We lost interest and waited for the coach to take us to our restaurant for dinner. 

It was indeed a hectic day. 

Oct 9, 2014:

It promised to be another tight scheduled day. After the customary breakfast, we boarded our coach. The temperatures seemed manageable today. 

Or  was it that our bodies had started getting acclimatized?  

The Heritage museum or Winter Palace is the largest museum in the world. It houses masterpieces of various artists including Leonardo da Vinci et al. It is said that even a minute spent at each masterpiece, would take a person 80 years to complete the entire museum. 

The 20 Column Hall, Peacock clock were amongst the notable features. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting the

Peter and Paul Cathedral

Peter and Paul Cathedral followed by the Nicholas Cathedral. 

St Nicholas Cathedral

The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the cruise over the Neva

and Moika rivers. The banks of the rivers are adorned by various monuments and historical structures.














The illumination at

night over the buildings gives this city a differnt outlook altogether.

It was a Gala dinner and the guests rocked and swayed to the Bollywood tunes.  

Palace Bridge

The best part of the evening was yet to come. Braving the cold and a mild drizzle, we went upto the Palace bridge over the Neva river. We were just in time to watch the bridge opening up from the centre. This is a regular phenomenon that happens daily by 1230am. Gradually, all the other bridges over this river opened up to allow cargo ships to sail through. The road is thus closed for 3-4 hrs every night. 

"Honey, I am sorry I couldn't make it home last night. I was caught up on the other side of the river" - a regular excuse given by spouses. 

Oct 10:

Breakfast and check out. A big traffic snarl created a sort of unexpectedness and we were in danger of losing out on our Cathedral visit for the day. 

Fortunately, It was not to be and the jam started clearing. 

Savior of Spilled Blood Cathedral

The Cathedral known as "The Saviour of Spilled Blood" was alarmingly beautiful. Erected by the son of Alexander II, in memory of his father who was killed in a bloodshed, this place was a photostop only. It was impossible not to take pictures of this monument from all the angles. 

Mikhailovsky Garden

The Mikhailovsky garden was highly picturesque and summed up this beautiful and romantic city of St. Petersburg. 

Russian Safari - Preview

Oct 7, 2014:

2 am: The midnight  travel to the airport and the swiftness of completion of formalities at the T2 terminal, has vastly increased the time at the waiting lounge before the boarding. 

So, it was time to grab a bite at KFC. 

St Petersburg promises to be chilly cold. Just recovering from an awful upper respiratory infection lasting for a month, it now remains to be seen whether this climate makes things worse for me. 

11 am: After a 3 hr layover at the Dubai Airport, it's now time to take off yet again. The magnanimity of this airport is beyond imagination. We did enquire about the iphone 6. The price here seems a neat 20k less than at Mumbai. But unfortunately, it's all sold out. 

3am: Occupying the window seat and having the privilege of utilizing the next seat also, is a luxury in itself. 

As soon as the flight touched down at our destination, the locals started to brace themselves against the chill outside donning their winter wear. It seemed very bright and sunny out of the aircraft though. "It's gonna be nice and pleasant." I said aloud. 

St Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia after Moscow, is a popular tourist destination.

Living true to its promise, the weather outside was extremely cold. A new city, a new country, beckons. 

All shops and establishments here, have their names written in Russian lingo. Hence it is very difficult to establish their identity. It surely is a mood deterrent . 

5pm: The Courtyard Marriott is situated on the banks of the Neva river - a 45 min drive from the airport amidst the rush hour traffic. 

9pm: We just had time enough to freshen up, sort things out in the room, and leave for dinner. We were now ready to face the dipping temperatures. Unfortunately, our protection still fell short of a comfort level. 

"Namaste" - an Indian restaurant, served us typical desi butter chicken and chicken tikkas. After almost 24 hrs of eating the Emirates cuisines, we had now helped ourselves to a sumptuous meal. 

Good night. 

Chennai Express - Derby Green, Ooty

30 May 2014

5 PM: 

The last day of our stay at Ooty promised to be fun packed. And so it was. 

The last Friday of the month is celebrated as Traditional Day. Today was no exception. 

It kicked off with some local athletic games - Sack race, Lemon n Spoon

race, hopping race, etc. Kids and adults were all participating.

It was then time for the much awaited adventure activities. The trainer worked tirelessly and got all of them successfully completed.

The fun didn't seem to end. There was still Tug-of-war, kabaddi, pot breaking for all. 

The 3 days at Mahindra's have passed off very swiftly. They have occupied everybody in their activities so much that we have had no time to move out of this resort. Kids have forgotten playing on their electronic gadgets and card games. 

The weather has remained very pleasant throughout. A little sunny during the day and getting cooler as sunset approaches. 

Even as I write, a light drizzle has just begun outside. I can suddenly hear a clamour outside my room. 

9 PM: My daughter had called frantically "Dad, there is a rainbow in the sky". I rushed bare feet out and realised the reason for the commotion. 

Adorning the blue sky, was a magnificent crescent.

I was spellbound by the beauty of the arc. Spotting a rainbow has always been a task all these years. And here it was right in front of my eyes. It gradually disappeared into oblivion. 

What more could we have asked for? 

A Cultural night with a traditional Badagas dance

ended the most memorable Club Mahindra stay. 

This was our first visit to Tamil Land. The more we travel our country, the more we realize how diverse our cultures are. Like all other natives, even Tamilians are divided by numerous clans and tribes each having their own rituals and customs. Over a period of time we tend to forget that we are Indians first. Do we need to emigrate to foreign land to realise this fact??

Chennai Express - Ooty

28 May 2014

10 PM: After a nature hugging stay at Yercaud, we had now proceeded to Ooty, our main attraction of the trip. 

It was a 5 hrs drive. The roads once again didn't give us any reason to complain. Flanked by coconut trees, we reached the Ghats of Ooty. The hair pin bends were 14 this time. They led us through the Nilgiris - The Blue mountains or The Queen of Hills. Negotiated well and the journey pleasant, we finally made it to the outskirts of Ooty. Before reaching Ooty, we passed through a town called Coonoor. There is a toy train managed by the Nilgiri Railways that takes you from Coonoor to Ooty. Though we didn't experience a ride in it, it seemed similar to our Neral- Matheran train. 

Ooty, also known as Ootacamund or Udhagamandalam, was just like a small town cum hill station. There wasn't anything special about it. 15 minutes later, our opinion had changed. 

We had reached Derby Green, Club Mahindra.

It was heaven on earth. Our minds were blasted away by its beauty. Overlooking the race course,

this sprawling Mahindra property was teeming with a highly diversified flora. Perfectly maintained as always, this resort would definitely rank amongst the best. The hospitality was as usual top notch. Once the kids were out of the car, their target was the Fun Zone. 

It was lunch time. The buffet spread was  lavish to say the least. Rasam is a staple part of the South Indian meal. It's supposed to have good digestive value. We spent the remaining part of the day at the Fun Zone playing Carrom,

table tennis, basketball, and cricket. 

It had become quite gloomy and post sunset the temperatures seemed to have dipped quite sharply. 

Around the bonfire, the guests were entertained with some foot tapping music and musical games. A fire show by a staff member was simply breathtaking. 

It had started to drizzle and the temperatures further nosedived. We somehow finished our dinner and rushed to the warmth of our room. 

The dilemma now was whether to spend the next 2 days in the comfort of our resort and take part in the various activities organized by them or hop onto a car and move to the various guided tours in the Nilgiris. The selection was made by the kids and we had decided to stay put at the Green Derby.  

29 May 2014

9 PM: Whilst the kids were busy with their schedule in the morning playing balloon games, answering a quiz show, and hiking upto a tea plantation, we decided to roam around the market place and get a little shopping done. Home made chocolates and Eucalyptus oil were amongst the specialities at Ooty. 

A brief trip to the Ooty Lake

was mandatory. Fully commercialized, this lake is the major attraction at this hill station. 

An Ayurvedic massage and steam at our Spa was relaxing and refreshing. 

A carnival show

and a game of Housie ended the day's proceedings. 

Chennai Express: Yercaud

26 May 2014

9 pm: The morning breakfast was typically South Indian with Pongal, Onion Konda and Kesari amongst the never tasted varieties. 

A visit to the Pagoda point - a scenic view point was again meant for photo shoot only. It is also called Pyramid point. The name is derived from piles of random stones in a pagoda or pyramid formation made by the tribals.

A 30 minute boat ride on the Yercaud lake was a very pleasant experience. The sun had decided to stay behind the clouds which allowed us a stroll in the Deer park too.  Nothing much to rave about, this turned out to be just another photo shoot. 

The afternoon siesta, after a heavy lunch was highly refreshing and gave us the impetus for another walk in the evening at the Anna Park and Lake View Park.

A special mention needs to be made of the latter. It has been beautified with a variety of flowers that definitely merits a visit to this spot. However, it's a pity that the surroundings are highly unkempt and littering is rampant all around. 

"Quality of life depends on forest conservation". 

27 May 2014

7 PM: The morning was spent at the resort playing Carrom, table tennis and a game of cards.

A visit to the Shevaroy temple atop the Shevaroy hills, amidst a few rain drops, was a perfect way to begin the day's sightseeing. It is the highest point in Yercaud. It is believed that God Shevaroy protects the 70 villages in and around Yercaud.

The Lady's Seat was next. It overlooks the ghat road and gives a good view of the hair pin bends.

The Genetic heritage garden

houses a children's park and plenty of view points. This is one of those few places that has been well maintained and cleanliness paid attention to. The locals call it the "Rose garden".

This part of the country seems really cut off from the rest of India. The culture and traditions are vastly different. So also is the language barrier. Having travelled widely throughout the country, this tourist destination seems the least interested to enhance its reputation of being one. 

Chennai Express: Yercaud - an Intro

26 May 2014

8 am: After a stressful last few months, it is time to relax and move on. But, would that be possible? Only time will tell. 

We caught an early morning flight to Bangalore, which seemed like the best option to reach our Mahindra resort. After an unprecedented holiday rush at the Mumbai airport that made us wait for over an hour at the check-in, we finally boarded and took off on schedule. 

The Kempegowda Bengaluru airport, it's milieu and the surroundings are simply awesome. The exit road from the airport is breathtakingly landscaped. Just greens and greens around and maintained to a nicety. 

The drive to Yercaud took us close to 6 hrs. But time flew. Admiring the roads and surrounding greens with plenty of coconut and banana trees, the journey never seemed unending. 

A special mention has to be made of the last leg of 20 km from the city of Salem to our hill station.

The Salem- Yercaud Ghat road had just begun and my Google maps showed many winding roads to the top. There were 20 hair pin bends and all were numbered at the bend. No one felt motion sickness at any point of time during the drive. 

We reached Lake Forest Hotel, a Club Mahindra associate resort. It wasn't a typical Mahindra property. It had a rustic feel to it. Rooms were non AC. The weather becomes very pleasant after 4pm. There was no play zone and the kids were already talking about Ooty, which was next in the itinery. However it was a very Eco friendly place. All the wood used in this Hotel was recycled from old buildings and not an ounce of fresh wood purchased from the market. Not a single tree was cut to accommodate this hotel, they still grow in the corridors, bedrooms and bathrooms.

We went for an evening stroll in the market place. Yercaud is a very small town that needs to improve on its upkeep, if it wants to tap it's potential of a tourist destination. It's located in the Shevaroys range of Eastern Ghats at an altitude of 1500 mt. "Yeri" means Lake and "Kaadu" means Forest. 

We tried the Chilly Bhaji (bhajiya), the raw mango, the jackfruit and a very sweet coconut water. We had skipped our lunch and the tidbits were to tide over the crisis till dinner. 

The dinner didn't let us down. It seemed like a Mahindra buffet with a South Indian flavor to it.  The Rasam was the pick of the lot. The Southies seem to have a very spicy palate. But any change from the routine was highly welcome to us. 

It was time to crash on the bed. But the Mumbai-RR IPL qualifier was a deterrent. After watching the first few overs of the Mumbai innings, we decided it was a lost cause and hit the sack, only to realise today morning that we had missed a blinder of a match. 

Down Under: Sydney

Feb 22 0800 Hrs:

Our day out at the Blue mountains. We had booked a bus tour to this place. Parked our car at Epping and took a train to Central Stn. With a lot of road searching, finally reached at our coach terminus. 

We had a mix of all nationalities traveling with us. Surprisingly, no kids were on board. Only couples from Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Germany and a host of others. We found ourselves to be the odd one out. 

1000 Hrs:

After an hour's journey, we stopped for some refreshments. 

We were then taken through the Eucalyptus forest to the Wentworth Falls. The Eucalyptus trees are known for their medicinal properties. 

These are also used by meditators who roll the leaves of this tree into their nostrils and inhale the scent. 

Blue Gum tree

The Falls weren't something to rave about. The Weeping rock was a feature

Wentworth Falls

of the falls. 

1400 Hrs: 

After an
hour's break for lunch, the next on the itinerary was the major attraction of this trip.

"The Scenic World". It had 3 sections namely: 

Scenic Skyway 

Scenic Cableway

Scenic Railway - the steepest train

Scenic Walkway - a picturesque and green walk through the eucalyptus forest. 

The other major highlights of the Blue Mountains were the 3 Sisters Rocks and the Orphan Rock - both have folk tales behind their existence. 

3 Sisters Rock

3 Sisters being turned into stones by the witchcraft of their father when they were about to elope with the warriors of a neighboring tribe - sounds romantic and interesting, isn't it? 

1730 Hrs: 

A visit to the picturesque Lincoln's Rock and a fossilized kangaroo engraved on a rock, ended the bus leg of the tour. 

           

1900 Hrs: 

Transfer to the Boat cruise over the 

Opera House

Parramatta river. 

The Harbor bridge, Darling Harbor and

The Opera were the prominent sightings. 

2100 Hrs: 

It was back to home followed by a quick meal - a generous dose of Egg Curry, made by Raju and Mamta and then readying the bags for the departure the next morning. 

Sleep had been disturbed for the last 2-3 nights and today didn't seem like an exception. Anyways, would have to wake up early the next day for the return journey.  

Feb 23 1100 Hrs: 

Waiting at the lounge at Sydney Airport, after catching a train from Epping and switching over to the Airport bus at Central. 

A teary goodbye to Harshul with a promise to see him soon. 

Not enough words to describe this sojourn.

I would sum it up by this very popular Hindi song: 

दिल कहे रुक जा रे रुक जा

यहीं पे कहीं । 

जो बात इस जगह 

है कहीं पर नहीं ।