Vast Blue Skies

SILVER PANCHGANI - My Panchgani Diary The rolling hills and silver oaks invited us to visit them at Panchgani. We had heard a lot about the breathtaking view from every corner of Panchgani and were intrigued. So finally, we decided to make the trip in December 2009. Yes! My mother and I are just back from the cozy town of Panchgani. Panchgani is around 21 kms (30 mins) before the other more popular and populated sister hill station, Mahabaleshwar. It is in the state of Maharashtra, India and an ideal place for a quick getaway. The travel agents tried very hard persuading us to go to Mahabaleshwar instead but we were firm on our decision. So we booked our bus tickets from Mumbai to Panchgani bus stand. That’s what I kept asking for as I had booked our stay at Hotel Summer Palace which was close to the bus stand and shopping area. The bus tickets were around Rs. 400 /- per seat in a Volvo AC bus. It seems that all buses plying to and fro to Panchgani/Mahabaleshwar are AC ones; they don’t...

CAPTIVATING KERALA Kerala – God’s own Country. A most sought after holiday destination for Indians and foreigners alike. Though small, this south Indian state boasts of all the necessary things to attract any earnest tourist. There may be so many others who have already made it their home! J and I were looking out for a honeymoon destination and we zeroed in on Kerala because we had heard so much about it. He wanted to visit Munnar and I have always dreamed of cruising down the backwaters. The Kerala Tourism Department’s green coconut palm-swaying logo beckoned. It brought about visions of tall, swaying coconut trees, blue backwaters, sandy beaches, lush green hills, blue-green sea. Putting aside the clichéd “Ayurvedic treatment packages” marketed all over, I wanted to know more about “Enchanting Kerala”. I was soon listing hotels, tour packages, train schedules, houseboat tariffs, sightseeing spots, how to get from one place to another, the best package deal, etc. etc. Whew!!! But it...