19th November, 2016: “Karnataka”, a state linking India’s northern
part to the elegant southern part. I had never been to Karnataka before, so for
me I had and have a lot to explore! At the end of this short trip, I just have
these words- “Karnataka is amazing!”
I
had to attend the Convocation ceremony of my brother in Manipal, but that never
stopped me from exploring the other places of interest. We (my mother and me)
started from Mumbai at 22:00 Hrs of 18th November in a train
(Mangalore Express). This train was one of the best trains I have ever
travelled in India, not because of the speed but due to its cleanliness,
facilities, hygiene, and also the route it travels. This train passes through 3
states offering all the types of scenery of the states. As soon as you are in
Goa and Karnataka, there seems to be extreme beauty that you can see in the
form of lakes, coconut trees, agriculture, etc. We reached our destination
Udupi, which is 2 stops before Mangalore at 12:00 Hrs. Basically Mangalore-
Udupi- Manipal are co-linear.
We
had our stay at Hotel Krishna Residency, an urbanised hotel in a rural place
like Udupi. By 17:30 Hrs, we (brother, mother and me) were ready to visit a
beautiful about 13km away from Udupi, Kapu Beach! Transportation was no problem
with the Local Bus and rickshaws. The unique thing that this beach offered was
The Lighthouse! You can climb up to the top of the lighthouse and witness the
beauty that the beach offers and also the light radiating from the Lighthouse!
It becomes dark early in winters in India, so couldn’t enjoy the spectacular
views for long, but whatever it is great because you just don’t see, you can
feel it! We (papa joined us as well) returned back and had our dinner at “The
Woodlands”, which was near our hotel. It is the best restaurant of Udupi. I
enjoyed the day a lot!
Light- Radiating Machine |
From TOP |
Light- House |
Next
day, in the morning around 10:30 Hrs, we 4 went to the famous Krishna Temple.
The main temple is surrounded by many small temples. The whole area seems to be
holistic. As it was a Sunday, numerous devotees rushed and there was a long
queue of about 100 people and more. We however donated some amount to the
temple and got an opportunity to visit the temple and get the Prashad (holy
food). Indian temples are also known for their cow-sheds. This temple also has
a cow-shed with many cows in it. Cows are considered holy in Hinduism. We had
the typical South-Indian Lunch in the restaurant and returned back to the
hotel. All these are within 300m of the hotel so there is no problem at all!
Small built Temple |
Temple beside main temple |
Cow walking her way |
Then by 17:00 Hrs, we went to Manipal. The Manipal Institute of
Technology. This institution covers more than half of Manipal. Manipal is
famous because of this renowned University. And I found why i it so. Huge
Campus with excellent hostel, food courts, Marena (Sports Arena- Having 3
floored gym, and various sports!) The Convocation Ceremony was great with chief
guest as one of their Alumni Rajeev Suri, CEO of Nokia.
Boarded a train from Udupi and reached Mumbai the next day!
Convocation Ceremony |
Indeed I had a
great time in Udupi and Manipal. Though this was a short 2 day trip, but this
motivates me to explore more southern states. And what if I explored Karnataka
less, I end with the statement that my trip was memorable and “Karnataka is
Amazing!” As you see Family Tourism is a another great way to explore places with happiness. Do travel sometime with your family!
So for everyone who read my blogs, thank you very much. I have made it simple for people living in foreign countries to understand and will continue to. Please comment as to how you feel it. And please give me your blog address or name in the comment section!