Tag: Karnataka

South India Travels!

View of the Backwaters

Kochi! Kerala! Backwaters! 

It might seem The southern part of India is my favourite. But, even I am not sure, what influences me to travel to that part of the country! 

It was work for one part of it, It was sightseeing the Other Time and it was food and rejuvenation for this time. 

All the sides of the South have so much to offer! Just like the other states of India! But, the flavours in the South are all so different. 

While the common element remains the coconut in the flavours, Pepper and Masala in each of these states enhance the taste of the food. 

South Indian Food

Kochi! Was such a food experience. The freshness of seafood, The softness of meat & Pork.  The sharpness of Pepper and Rice and fullness of Appams was a treat every meal! 

Backwaters Calmness and quietness through the journey in the boat was an experience of Stillness in a world of technology. 

The Night at the Allepy snoozed us at 10 after another meal of Fish & Vegetable Stews! 

The next morning we were back from the shores, not sure if we were ready to travel back into reality! 

The heritage property where we stayed for another day in the city, was a museum with Vintage Cars, Camera, Projectors and an antique Radio system! 

The whole Kochi experience wouldn’t have been complete without exploring Art Galleries & Independent stores that had so much to offer! 

In terms of coffee, the Monsoon Malabar Roast is something you would enjoy the most. The Saltiness coming from the moisture in the air is what makes the coffee flavourful with the spice & nutty notes.  

Stay:

Bloom Boutique hotel

Kumarakom Lake Resort & Boat

Eat:

Kashi Art Cafe: Asian Food & Eggs

Pandhal Cafe : Pizza, Tacos, Desserts, Coffee and Berry lemonade.

Brunton Boatyard: For South India food

Jew Town Cafe : Cold Coffee

French Toast : Coffee & Desserts

Shop:

David Hall

Pepper House

Jew Town

Hampi! 

Virupaksha Temple, Hampi

Another city in the South was more about architecture and History with beautiful historic temples like Virupaksha Temple, Hemakuta Hill and Hazara Rama Temple are a must-visit on your visit to Hampi. 

The Eco-friendly hotel at Hampi, felt like a restored heritage hotel, but in fact, was designed from scratch. 

At Hampi, we were truly a tourist in our incredible India. 

Hampi, had suddenly seen a spike of interest globally even the G20 was hosted in the city in 2023. 

Stay:

Evolve Back Hotel

Bangalore! 

Bangalore Palace

The IT hub! The widest roads in a metro city! 

Where the joke for the city is.

IT professionals travel for about an hour on average to make apps and work for companies that promise delivery within 10 min. 

The City, that’s clean & Green! A metro you would like to stay in if you have a choice! 

The food options are many to choose from! 

Andra-style south Indian food being our favourite. 

But, the dessert and baking goods are one of the best in the city! 

The city has a palace, whose architectural structure is like a British-style castle. 

Eat:

Beema’s for Andra Food

Nagarjuna for Andra Food

Airlines for Dosa

Milano for Ice Cream

Corner House For Ice Cream Sundaes

Fia’s for Parsi Food

Lazy Suzy – for Cocktails

One 8 Commune – Rooftop Bar

Hampiness – An adventure in the waiting!

Virupaksha Temple

A journey that had been on the bucket list for the last few years.

And having explored India from the north and west.

South had a been little unexplored and was waiting to be explored.

Hampi is a city full of temples that have references not just mythology ( Ramayan) Hanuman’s Birthplace. But, also with Shiva- A single monolith statue that’s one of the most visited sights of the city. To the Dynasties battles Kilji, Chanayaka and later the British coming to existence.

No Wonder a city filled with so much history and mythology feels like one place with many world heritage references that the The Ministry of Tourism, on 29th September, declared Karnataka’s iconic destination as the Best Tourism Village of India-2023.

Hampi was selected one among the 795 applications received from 31 states and UTs.

Some bits of Hampi feel like you are in Macchi- Picchu to some feel like you are in Greece. While some truly belong to India.

The city has many world heritage sites.Think your ₹50 currency and you will observe the chariot stone. Hampi is also referred to as India’s Rome with so many ruins and history to the sights.

The historians at Hampi, also mentioned to explore the whole of Hampi that has 80 monuments worth exploring would take you an ideal 45 days here! So much history!

And if you would like to travel to Hampi some of the most important sites are Vitthala temple, that’s full of interpretations of history and the home to the stone Chariot. To the Virupaksha temple an active temple that has rituals performed daily including feeding of elephants as an experience of lifetime.

Elephant Stables a monument that was built for the kings elephant many centuries ago is another site worth visiting.

At times Hampi makes you believe you are In Stonehenge with the rocks here beautifully placed naturally or makes you believe you are In Grand Canyon with trekking around on rocks that are placed with boulders for support.

The sunset and sunrise view points of the city, give you an overview of the lush green landscapes covered with sugarcane’s and Banana plantations.

With so much to offer for history & nature buffs.Hampi still has the rawness and beauty of India.

Hampi is still not considered a tourist destination, with only one flight to Mumbai! And limited advertising for tourism in Hampi.

Stay: Evolve Back Resort

Did You Know?

Karnataka once served as the capital of one of the largest kingdoms of India the Vijayanagara Empire around the 1500 AD. And during that time it was known to be one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the world.

The Virupaksha temple dates back to 7th-century, which makes it one of the oldest functional temple in the country is dedicated to Virupaksha, an incarnation of Lord Shiva, built with a pillared hall, three.

One of the must things to do before you leave the temple take blessings from Lakshmi elephant

The pillars in the Vittahla temple would also be used as musical instruments by the locals. Each pillar would have a different sound and rhythm.

Elephant Stables
Vitthala temple