Trip to Murudeshwar

Location : Murudeshwar, Karnataka

From : Udupi, Karnataka

Total distance : Around 102 km, and is easily reached by driving (aprox 3 hours ) and Train (approx 2 hours)

Route : Mangalore - Udupi - Kundapur - Bhatkal - Murdeshwar

Click to enlarge

Murudeshwar is an amazing getaway for a weekend, and can be visited either over a day or over two days, staying overnight at any of the affordable accomodation facilites avaiable in the area. The star attraction of the Temple, is the magnificent Statue of Lord Shiva (2nd largest in the world) and The huge gopura (249 feet, largest in the world). The seated Shiva is surrounded by the waters of the Arabian Sea on three sides, and is visible from most of the village.

We left from Udupi to catch the 8.20 Rajdhani which goes to Goa, but the train got delayed by around 2 hours (sigh!!!) which meant we lost the chance to see the beautiful early sun. However once on the train, we had good company [or more like beautiful company :) ] and we reached at 11.30am . After a short walk, we reached the entrance to Murudeshwar, and a 20 rupee ride took us 5 km to the beach shore, and to the RNS resort where we stayed.

The beach is good, but not really great. But the best part of the whole trip is the ride up the elevator (20 stories) on the raj gopura (Rs 20). The view from the top floor is amazing, and you can see all around the village. Apart from that , the hillock on which the Statue is situated is also a fantastic view point, and also good to enjoy the breeze from the sea.

We stayed overnight, and caught some fantastic sights of Lord Shiva under the lights. After roaming around the village and the beach, we were back for some well deserved sleep.

We got back to Udupi, by catching a giovernment bus (very convenient) instead of the railways, and go to have a look at the beautiful Marvanthe Beach as well.

For the easily bored, there are the regular water sports (rating 2.5/ 5) and the wine shops :P , but overall a good getaway for the weekend. Max cost for 2 people Rs 3000 ( with food, accomodation, etc, etc)

I leave you with some pictures to enjoy :)

Cheers!!!
MaDdy :)

Trip to Jog Falls

The Game of Love

Must we play these games, my love?
Where winning is more important than each other,
The cause for us is lost
Right here itself,
What fun will these games deliver?

Yes, its true, we're not the same
And surely you will find many that are
But then they're them, and I am me,
And I am the one that's different by far

Am not stupid, and neither are you
Then why the intent to show it so?
This should be a game, for us and them
And not between me and you

All I hear, is what your not saying
And its not a pleasant tune
Patience is a virtue, and I know
that it too will run out soon

So Don't throw the dice, Don't look at the score,
Life has a lot to offer.
Perhaps Today, Perhaps tomorrow,
But for sure, this game will make us suffer

The time's are a little, to play such games,
I hope its now, not never.
Lets make up, and build our world
Today, Tomorrow and Forever.


If at this, you still want to play this game
Then am no willing player
I'll take mine, and you take yours
And we'll walk on our roads in the sunset, I hope one last time together.

MaDdy :)

Trek to Savandurga and Abhishek

The Day started with a call to Easy Boy at 5.30 am. It went something like this

In Love

In love with your eyes

The way they swim in that smile

In Love with your hair

When they play hide and seek 

In Love with your walk

For no reason at all

In Love with your anger

It makes you look real

In Love when your not around

Cos your on my mind

In Love when your silent

The more to look forward to

In Love when your nonsensical

It reminds me of Life

In Love with everything, 

In Love with you, cos I realized

This nut needed a bolt, and yes, thats you

Cheers :)

MaDdY

Red Alert - W.O.R.K Virus

You know what am talking about. Oh Yeah. I see those heads bobbing up and down.

Well fear not. Yours truly is about to reveal the master code on bracing yourself for those monthly attacks of the deadly, the dangerous, the despicable, the (running out of "d" words) ....

Willing Oppression & Recreation Killer.

The Dog, The Spider and Beauty

From the Past 4 days, this dog has me in a fix. We have no idea where he comes from, where he disappears to, and apparently am the only one apart from my ground floor neighbors who have seen him. His face looks just like Jimmy's. The First day he was outside the gate, and he didn't wake up from his classic "chin on the floor" slump look (classic Labradorean style). He didn't budge an inch when my bike was almost over him. Strange. And no response to the regular whistle, coochie coos and all that.

My Experiments with Chicken

Am a great cook. Especially when the menu is a seven course meal. I prepare a signature seven course meal, and they comprise of the following

1. Home decorated Lays for the appetizer

2. Maggi Soup

3. Cucumber Salad

4. Maggi sorbet (whatever that is)

5. Maggi with Onions

6. Maggi with tomatoes

7. Home Decorated Baskin Robins ice cream

However I recently discovered that this meal did not live up to expectations of others (that's everyone else but me) and what with all this Master chef this, and master chef that, I had to prove that there were other things that I could cook. 

My Mum and Dad are Awesome cooks. I mean really really awesome. Friends who have come home swear by it, and apparently I don't seem to have picked up anything from my genes.

But I was out to prove them wrong. And here, I present, My experiments with Chicken. 

***

Chicken Kum-gas-pe  

This should be also called the Chicken Tandoori, but my narration will tell you why the name was adapted to the story. I'll cut the background story and skip right to the interesting part. After goading over the careful marination of the chicken, I had it all ready to be cooked on the slow fire, exactly how the instructions read on the pack. 

I beautifully placed the well cut pieces of tender spiced chicken in straight lines on the pan, that was gently greased with butter. I ensured that it was perfect fit, and pulled out the phone for some snaps. I savored the moment.

Then I pulled out the match, and struck it with that hint of aggression that resulted in a peppy spark. As I turned the gas knob, ever so gingerly, to ensure that perfect flame for that perfect frying, I heard the click, and waited for the hiss of gas, bursting out of its enslaved cylinder to burn bright blue.

Click. No hiss

Click. No hiss

Clickety Clickety Click. Nothing.Zilch

I was feeling nauseated. I fumbled around the kitchen for the instructions. There was supposed to be a damn flame under the damn pan after the click. In my mind, chickens were ganging up, laughing, taunting.

Where the hell are the instructions to check the cooking gas!!!  I should have picked up the phone and called my lawyer to sue Everest Masalas. But then it was a Sunday and my lawyer would have probably on leave. 

And then, the roof parted, the blue sky opened, it was when Fate spoke to me.

FATE : "Madan!!!, Its time for you to show those delicious scrumptious pieces of chicken, who's the boss. If you have to pull out all those management text books in your shelves to make a bonfire and cook that chicken, you will. If it takes robbing a few bricks to make a barbecue, you will. Hell, if it takes you to stare at that damn pan and heat it with telepathy, YOU WILL DO IT. This is your calling, this is your DESTINY"

And then I had my Transformers moment

Me : And I am Madanus Prime,leader of the Bachelor-o-bots and I send this message to all you chickens. "Your Fried meat!!!"

Me and my trusted roomy made frantic calls to all the gas agency's in the country. It was a Sunday. And no one was answering. We then tried sweet talking a the cooking gas guy near our house in to lending us a mini gas cylinder. But he dint have one. It was then that we decided, that if there ever was someone who would work on a Sunday, and get us what we wanted, it was the country's most enterprising citizen, the Marwari Business man. 

And we knew that in any market street in the country, there would be a marwari sales man, a marwari cosmetic/bangle shop and a marwari utensil dealer. 

And we did find the Marwari Dealer. Selling utensils. And the stuff that we needed. Needless to say, we got we were looking for.

Later in the evening, over a delicious plate of fried Chicken Tandoor, a thought crossed my mind. This was no ordinary chicken, this was a masterpiece, cooked over a stove that had no gas supply.

And thats when Chicken Kum-gas-pe (Hindi Translation - On less Gass) was born. My First non Maggi dish. sniff. sniff.

I shall leave with proof :) --->

Coming Soon, Chicken Binacooka

MaDdY :)

Soul Searching

No, its not a movie title starring saucer shaped spaceships stealing souls in an effort to wipe out the human race. Come to think of it though, it is a possible movie title, and vague enough to get you into a multiplex.

Pondi, Chennai and Coimbatore

Lond due travelogue update. In the month of June, had gone on an official tour of South India. So Apart from loosing most of my hair, and going from wheaty to "This shade does not exsist" on the Garnier Fairness Scale, I had a fun time picking up some interesting observations.