Malaysia Diaries, Part 1 - Langkawi the jewel of Kedah…..

I happened to read my horoscope in the newspaper today and it said, today will be a creative day and you will spend most of your time today in activities like painting, dancing, writing etc... I suck big time in painting & dancing and it so coincidentally happened that I received a whatsapp forward from my friend at the same time which again had a horoscope in it for Virgos which said “Virgos are known for making random shit up and are masters in story telling”. So all these things made me think that it was a clear sign from god to get me going to write the Malaysia blog which apparently I have been procrastinating for too long now ;) . So I said to hell with other things and let me get done with the Malaysia blog before the Malaysian experience slips off my memoryJ. So here goes my detailed write-up of the places I visited in Malaysia, my experiences and my new found love for Malaysian street food.

The Plan…..

Flash back to Childhood….

When I was a kid(apparently  my wife thinks I am a kid even now ;) ) the Malaysia tourism ad “Malaysia Truly Asia” used to frequently flash on the TV screens which I guess even you people might have seen. So one fine day I tell my Dad, “Hey Dad lets go to Malaysia”, for which he said ”Padhai pe dhyaan de nalaayak.. Malaysia jaana hai isko ;) (Concentrate on your studies you good for nothing !!!) “. So I go back to my books sulking as usual. All my rich school mates used to visit all the Asian countries like Malaysia etc. and bring back worthless postcards of the places they have visited which used to add fuel to fire. So somewhere I made up my mind that I would definitely visit Malaysia in future to see what the hype was all about…

Fast forward to 2014….

With the kind of toll our work life had taken on me and my wife we decided to go for an international holiday to New Zealand. However when we looked at our bank statement we were back to reality and decided to go for an economic destination which still had an international feel to it ;) .  So having visited Thailand already the next destination that was looking promising was Malaysia. Coincidentally for some reason it was a sale season in Malaysian airways adding to it there were few resorts in Malaysia who were offering 40% discount along with freebies…. What timing I would say, everything is written by god even our bank statements ;) Please god add few more zeroes at the end of my account balance ;)  So without any delay we zeroed in on Malaysia.

So Malaysia it was for 2014….

While researching for various tourist locations that we can visit in Malaysia and our love for beaches we happened to come across Langkawi also known as the jewel of Kedah.

Langkawi is a very big and very beautiful island in Malaysia and can be reached from Kuala Lumpur by an hour’s flight. Langkawi has many attractions like the cable car, sky bridge etc. apart from the beautiful beaches. There are many good locations that one can opt to stay in the island however we decided to stay at Pentai Cenang as it was one of the most happening places in Langkawi based on different reviews on the internet. The best thing about Langkawi is we can hire bikes just like we do here in Goa. We can hire bikes and explore the entire island by ourselves and it is completely safe to do so.

So Langkawi was shortlisted as one of the destinations that we would be visiting in Malaysia… Furthermore how can one visit Malaysia and not Spend time in Kuala Lumpur.  So apart from Langkawi we also decided to spend decent amount of time in KL. So the plan was we would stay 3 days in Langkawi and 2 days in KL.

Executing the Plan……

Day 0

Friday is always a happy day as we can see happy faces all around the workplace IT campuses etc…. people are more vibrant in their colourful clothing and there is positive energy all around…. The reason being it was almost weekend and people were looking forward to more happy days ahead J so for us too Friday it was, the day we decided to travel to Malaysia…. I got off work early as I was excited to board the flight that night. The clock was ticking and I got my bags packed and I was ready to leave… Thanks to Bangalore’s traffic I almost missed my flight ;) We somehow made it on time to the check-in counter and checked in our baggage and breathed a sigh of relief. After immigration and security we boarded the flight. Malaysian Airlines is an amazing airline to fly in.  The hospitality of the airlines staff is just amazing… They cater to all the needs of the passengers however minor it is… It is really sad to see such a good natured airline going through such turmoil due to some recent unforeseen incidents….Anyways getting back to the journey…. I for one always get high with the help of free drinks available on international flights the main reason being that I am really scared of travelling in flights and getting high removes the fear in me and I can sleep like a baby ;)

So I downed 2-3 glasses of wine and went to deep slumber dreaming about the things to come J and that ended Day 0.

Touch Down Malaysia…..KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport)

It was early in the morning and my wife shrugs me violently trying to wake me up… with all the untoward incidents that are happening with this airline off late I got up screaming ;)  My wife bit surprised and bit embarrassed with my sudden outburst pointed out towards the window,” look at those beautiful lights she said”…. Indeed it was an amazing sight that I had to be woken up from deep Slumber ;) The entire city was covered with a blanket of lights giving a spectacular view of the skyline of KL at night…. After that incident people around me too became very curious about me on the flight… I saw many eyes checking me out while I was going to the loo ;) So with that incident I bid good bye to my sleep and started enjoying the early morning views of the KL city. After an hour or so our flight finally landed in KL and man what an amazing airport…. KLIA is huge and is truly of international standards… KLIA has got an indoor park kinda setup, can you beat that?? Apparently even KLIA terminal was not sufficient and they had to come up with a new terminal KLIA2…. With the kind of shopping ads they lure international tourists this is bound to happen ;) we did not step out of the airport, we were loitering inside the airport itself and exploring every nook and corner of this huge airport. The reason being that we had a connecting flight in 2 hours’ time and we anyway had KL planned after 3 days. So we had no necessity to utilize 2-3 hours exploring KL city in a rush….. So after few hours and few mugs of coffee we temporarily bid adieu to KL and headed off to our destination, Langakawi….

Langkawi Baby….

It was 12PM and our flight landed at the Langkawi Airport after crossing some beautiful landscapes. Malaysia has a very good transport system which is not just restricted to KL but even Langkawi. As soon as we landed at the airport we booked pre-paid taxi to our Hotel. Since the airport is close to Pentai Cenang we reached our accommodation in no time & thus began our vacation in Langkawi.

Thanks to Tripadvisor which has always helped us to make the right choice while booking Hotels/resorts, we zeroed in on one of the most amazing beach resorts in Pentai Cenang. The resort was located right at the beach having sprawling lawns, a huge swimming pool and amazing beach shacks where you could sip on your favorite drink while relaxing at the beach exactly what I expected it to be J . Thank you Tripadvisor you did not disappoint me and I am proud to be one of your member J .

So moving on, unfortunately while we booked the resort beach facing villa was not available and we had to settle for garden view rooms whose price was way below the beach facing rooms… however when we landed at the resort the beach rooms were available and the resort did not charge us any extra money for the upgrade to a beach view room,  talk about luck ;)… So we quickly unpacked, freshened up and hit the beach….

Some pics of the resort and Langkawi beach….

Langkawi is not just famous for its beautiful beaches but also has some picturesque mountain ranges which one can experience by hopping onto the Mountain cable car. There is also a sky bridge situated at the top of the mountain which is now temporarily closed due to repairs and what I heard from locals was that it is closed for almost 2 years and there is no clear picture as to when will it reopen. However there is cable car to enjoy the mountain views of the entire Langkawi Island… So our next stop was the cable car at Langkawi….

Below are some pics from the cable car & Sky Bridge…

Langkawi also houses the Kilim Karst geoforest park which also happens to have been recognized by UNESCO for its biodiversity. So naturally Kilim Karst became our next to-do item in our Langkawi itinerary. So we booked with Dev adventure tours for a guided tour of the Kilim Karst park. The tour was very informative and fun…. It was almost like I was watching a documentary on Discovery/Animal planet. Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained every minute detail about the park…. One such story was that there were bird houses constructed at strategic locations in the park which housed huge speakers playing different bird sounds to create a conducive environment for a bird to create a nest. Once the bird vacates the nest the nest would be used to prepare Soup called the “Bird nest Soup” which supposedly is a delicacy in China ;) I for one would never indulge in such Delicacy ;). So with more such informative posts on various species of the park which included some Poisonous snake sightings we moved on with our exploration of the park…Below are some pics from the Kilim Karst Geoforest park day outing….

After the tour of the Geo park and a relaxed evening in the Jacuzzi we headed off for Dinner…. Pentai Cenang is a Bustling city with many options like Indian, Chinese, Arabian, Malay cusines…. So we zeroed in on a Malay restaurant and indulged in some Malaysian food and it was yummy to say the least….

What’s a trip without a road trip….

Langkawi just like goa has bike operators who rent out bikes so that tourists can explore the length and breadth of this beautiful island. Hence we too hired a bike on Day3 and planned to explore the island on our own… We visited many places like the Big eagle, Night Market etc and had a fun filled day….

Here are some pics of the bike ride…. 

After all nothing is permanent in this world and so was this visit of ours to this beautiful island. Hence we had to pack our bags and head out to our next destination.... However this experience of this picturesque island will be etched in our memories forever…. Thank you Langkawi for hosting us and providing us with a memorable experience… So until next time Sionara….

Bangalore to Shivanasamudra One Day Trip…..

Shivanasamudra falls located at Mandya district is around 130Kms from Bangalore.

Since the monsoons are receding and the Dams are swelling up, what better place to visit than a waterfall. Hence this time my thirst for trips took me to one of the jewels of the river cauvery, Gaganachukki falls also known as Shivanasamudra falls.

Some background about Shivanasamudra…..

Shivanasamudra falls located at Mandya district is around 130Kms from Bangalore. The Cauvery River splits into two at this location and drops off to form two waterfalls 1) Gaganachukki waterfalls & 2) Barachukki Waterfalls. There are many ancient temples located near this falls and frequented by many tourists. The falls is at its best during the Monsoons i.e., in the month of August when the waterfalls is fed by the Dam waters. This place also houses a hydro-electric powerstation.

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Bangalore to Shivanasamudra falls Route, Road conditions and distance by Road…..

There are two routes to reach Shivanasamudra falls from Bangalore by car

1)      Bangalore Maddur (Bangalore-Mysore Highway) Malavalli  Shivanasamudra

2)      Bangalore Kanakapura Malavalli Shivanasamudra

The best route to Drive to Shivanasamudra from bangalore is through Maddur.

In this trip I took the route 1 since there are many good restaurants on the Bangalore-Mysore Highway and I had to visit Ranganathittu bird Sanctuary on the way back.

The road conditions on both the routes are good without any bad patches. If you are looking for some good dining facilities or good restaurants it is better to take the Bangalore Maddur route since there are many good restaurants available there compared to the Kanakapura route.

The Plan…

The trip was planned on a Sunday morning and since this was a one day trip we had to start very early from Bangalore to avoid the city and the Bangalore-Mysore Highway traffic. It is such a pain to wake up early on a Sunday. So I somehow pushed myself out of the bed and got ready and left home by 7am. We decided to take the Bangalore Maddur Malavalli Shivanasamudra route since we planned to have breakfast at Kamath in Channapatna.  Since we left early there was not much traffic and within an hour we reached Kamath and as a ritual when we are on the Bangalore-Mysore Highway we ordered for some yummy Idli & Vadas. After a quick munch we headed off to our destination. Soon after Maddur Bus stand there is a diversion which is clearly marked and it says Malavalli. We took the diversion and were headed straight. The road condition from Maddur to Malavalli was fairly good with bad patches here and there however they were not as bad and the road was very well motorable.

Gaganachukki Falls…

There are two view points for Gaganachukki falls. One from the Hydro-Electric Power station premises which is the best view and which is frequented by tourists. To reach this point you need to take a left on the Malavalli- Shivanasamudra falls road when you spot a huge arch on the left side saying Shivanasamudra Hydro-Electric power station.

 And the other is from the Dargah. The View from the Dargah is not that great since there are huge Grills that are erected which prevent from getting a good view of the falls. Below is how the falls look from this point.

So we first visited the view point in Dargah since our GPS misguided us into believing that this was the view point of Barachukki falls. However Barachukki is another 4-5 kms away from the Dargah. We later went to the view point from the Hydro-electric power station from where we saw the same falls that we saw at the Dargah at a different angle. However this view point was amazing and gave us the spectacular view of the waterfalls.

There are toilet facilities and eateries situated at the shivanasamudra Hydro-electric view point just in-case you are concerned about the same.

So we finished clicking family pics and headed off to our next destination Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary located in Srirangapatna but before that as a ritual again we planned to have our lunch at the famous Fishland restaurant located on Bangalore-Mysore highway near Srirangapatna and indulge in some yummy sea food.

 So after heavy lunch we visited the bird sanctuary and went for boating. Here are some pics from the boating. The Bird sanctuary is infested with huge Crocodiles. Make sure you do not put your hand into the water while you are boating ;) . So after the bird sanctuary visit we headed back to Bangalore and that completed our One-Day trip.

So in case you are planning for a similar Itinerary make sure you also visit Talakadu which is close to Shivanasamudra and you can find the details about the same in my blog 

So until next time sayonara

Someshwar Beach and Panambur Beach

Unlike other blogs this blog is just a small write up of some of the famous beaches in Mangalore... Hope you enjoy it J

March has been an amazing month for me.... 1^st I travelled to BR hills then Udupi and now Mangalore with Family J

I have been to Mangalore many times but never stayed here. Mangalore used to just be a pit-stop for me before I headed off to other destinations. However this time my family wanted to stay at Mangalore and experience Mangalore.... Hence I decided to travel to Mangalore and visit all the attractions of Mangalore.

Bangalore to Someshwar Beach, Mangalore

 This was the 1^st leg of our journey. Since it was a long weekend we wanted to avoid the mad rush on the Bangalore-Mangalore highway and since I was travelling with my family and needed adequate pit stops enroute I decided to start at 4am in the morning instead of night.

Route :-

I took the Normal route to Mangalore that is BangaloreàHassanàSakleshpuràMangalore.

Thanks to the amazingly well maintained roads on the Bangalore-Hassan Highway and the surprisingly non damaged roads of the Sakleshpur & shiradi Ghats I reached Mangalore in just 6 hours with lot of breaks in between.

Accommodation :-

We were looking for some beach facing kind off accommodation and after much research narrowed down to Mangalore Beach resort / Vazco beach resort as it worked out to be economical for us....

The resort is located just off Someshwar beach in a secluded area.... It resort was just ok nothing wow about it....

Someshwar Beach

The beach in front of our resort was very rough and the fisherman advised us not to get into the water as it is dangerous. This put us off because we were really looking forward to taking a dip in the beach after a tiring drive of 6 hours and the scorching heat and humidity of Mangalore.

Hence we did not get into the water instead took a dip in the resort’s swimming pool to cool off....

The beach is beautiful in the evening as the temperatures cool off and you can enjoy the beautiful sunset all alone in this secluded beach.

Panambur Beach

This Beach was a total contrast from the Someshwar beach. This beach was full of tourists... Lot of food stalls serving you Chinese food and fish fry... The beach was amazing.... I could finally get into the water here and I spent almost 2 hours at the beach playing in the water and enjoying some yummy chats and sea food J

I watched the sunset and had lot of fun at the beach and finally my coming to Mangalore paid off thanks to Panambur beach J

Uncovering the Hidden Gem in Karnataka, Kodi Bengre Beach…

What do you prefer to do when u feel all messed up in your head and want to run away from all the work pressure (temporarily that is ;) ) and mundane activities in your day-to-day life?

I for one, love to travel to some of the most secluded or may I say virgin beaches this beautiful state has to offer and watch the sunset and hear the amazing sound of the waves in the sea and indulge in some amazing sea food J…. It brings me peace and happiness J

One such Beach that offers you peace and tranquility is Kodi Bengre in Udupi. This is an unexplored beach and is not frequented by tourists hence there is just you and loads of crabs and the pristine beachJ

Off-late this beach is becoming popular amongst the masses and soon it can turn into another touristy beach… And I hope I can make this beach a little more popular through my Blog J

Kodi Bengre…..

Kodi Bengre Beach is an Estuary where river Suvarna meets the Arabian Sea. This Beach is filled with Crabs and offer spectacular views of the Arabian sea. Kodi Bengre beach is just 10kms from Malpe in Udupi and if you are travelling from Bangalore to Kodi Bengre beach then you can take the Bangalore-Mangalore-Udupi route to reach this place.

Here is how this beach looks in Google Maps.

I got a call from my friend on Thursday and he suggested that we go for a trip to Udupi over the weekend. It had been a while since I visited the coastal side of Karnataka and indulged in some really yummy seafood and moreover I had nothing much planned for the weekend so I happily agreed to the plan.

Friday…

I woke up early so that I could go to office early and wind up work soon and not let any pending work hamper my weekend. I got off work by 5 in the evening and called my friend to enquire about the plan.  We were supposed to gather in Koramangala by 9 and head off to Udupi after dinner. So the plan was set and I was really looking forward to the trip mainly to indulge in some yummy street-side seafood J my friends were looking forward to the trip to get their minds off the terrible appraisal meeting and hike letters that they received in the week ;)

So all of us had different reasons to head out of Bangalore which was a perfect ingredient for a good trip ;)

The clock ticked 10 and we were out of Bangalore J we reach Yellandur by 11 after some hot chai we continued our journey. 

06:00 AM – We could smell the scent of the early morning catch of the sea fishes, that was an indication that we were nearing Udupi. We reached Malpe by 06:30 and started our search for some economical beach resort in Malpe beach. I was surprised or must say shocked to see Malpe beach so clean. In all my previous visits I had never seen Malpe beach so clean it used to be littered by tourists I was really happy it felt like I was in some foreign country. I really appreciate the efforts of the local authorities to keep the beach so clean….. Below are the pics of Malpe Beach... It looks like some beach in Mauritius :)

We started looking out for beach resorts in Udupi. After enquiring in few resorts we zeroed in on Thonse Par Beach resort since it was at a stone’s throw away from the beach and had spectacular view of the beach. After much bargaining he agreed for a tariff of 1500 per room which I feel was overpriced but couldn’t help because all the other beaches in its vicinity were charging almost double the rate. We checked into the resort and dozed off for an hour.

Here are some pics of Kodi Bengre Beach till the story resumes ;)

So we woke up by 11 after a power nap….. after freshening up we headed off to Kodi Bengre beach which was around 10kms from Malpe Beach….. The beach was beautiful and calm as usual with noone around… it was absolutely peaceful… w\There were lots of crabs on the beach and we were finding it difficult to find a place to sit as you never know they can get into your pants while you are sitting on the sand ;)

After spending an hour at the beach we headed back to Malpe and one of my objectives of the trip to spend some alone time in the calm beach was stricken off the list J and now it was the time for lunch and time to strike off the second part of the to-do list of indulging in some yummy seafood J

I love Udupi for the only reason that seafood is available at dirt cheap rate…. 1 plate Squid masala costs 100 bucks and 1 piece pomfret costs 40Rs J we ordered all the fishes that were on display in the cart of the local fisherman… Right behind there was a bar and as the saying goes “ A fish dish is never complete without a Beer” ;) so we boys ordered some bottles of beer to go along with the amazing seafood J

Malpe Beach Pics...

Coincidentally it was a full moon day while we were returning and we clicked some nice pics of the Sunset and the full moon :)

So that completed our short but sweet trip to one of Karnataks’s best kept secret, Kodi Bengre Beach J