2012�Thank you !

Yes, I have been saying what a bad year it has been health wise ..yet I thank 2012 for taking me to some of the most beautiful places in the world . From a small little princely state in India � Jamakhandi, which was the biggest surprise for me to some of the European capitals in the world.
You can see my entire Flashback2012 album here . This was the last destination I visited in 2012. The sunset in Badami was a special moment.

Backpacker meanwhile wishes you a wonderful 2013 and hope the year takes you places as well. I look forward to more meaningful journeys and associations this year and wish the same for all of you.

Flashback 2012 � A Perspective for Skywatch

Bekal Fort � A view of the Arabian Ocean

To see more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch

Christmas Greetings� A little convent from Spain

In Avila, a city walled in almost on all sides, I walk into a small shrine which was built on the home of the famous saint, St.Theresa. The 17th century convent , built after her canonisation is largely closed to public but it opens its doors to tourists who want to visit St Theresa�s chapel inside the Baroque church. We see scenes from her life, besides her relics � a finger from her right hand besides rosary beads among other things she used.

Here is a video of the chapel in the convent.

Skywatch Friday�Badami from the caves

Everybody goes to Badami to see the caves. But here is a perspective of the ancient town from the caves.

To see more beautiful skies around the world, visit Skywatch

Travels in 2013 - A bucketlist

Every December I make a bucket list - the destinations I would like to visit, the festivals I would like to attend, the stories I would like to write...But most of them remain inside the bucket :) In 2012, I was plagued with an ill health phase since March and hence all my plans went awry. But the interesting part is that a lot of new travels fell into my lap like my journeys to Poland and Spain.

I have kept my slate blank for 2013 ; however, I have been glancing through online ticket booking sites when it comes to looking for cheap deals. I am not too much of a package person, but I keep looking for airlines offering discounts . Srilanka is on my agenda ; the airfares are rather inexpensive ; I saw return fares ex Chennai for less than Rs 10,000/. Thailand is another destination that is on my radar. I have briefly been to Bangkok and that is about it. In India, Rajasthan , West Bengal, Kutch and the North East have been luring me. I would have visited all these destinations this year, if my health had not failed me.

Well, I have decided not to make any plans for 2013 as of now . Am sure some new trips will fall into my lap. What about you guys ? Any new plans ?

December�a quick travel update

The blog has been silent for the last ten days as I have been travelling in and around Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. I was in Ramesvaram and Chettinadu over an extended weekend last week and then we went for a wedding to Jamakhandi and decided to take off to Bijapur, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal from there. Been a rather exciting phase but now, am a bit travel weary and nursing my tired feet. Refreshing myself by looking at this gorgeous blue in Ramesvaram .

Travel smart with discounts

A lot of us refer to summer as the travel season, with holidays galore. But for most travellers,  winter is the season. Almost every state is celebrating in India. The December season in Chennai followed by the Mahabalipuram music and dance festival, there are festivals in Kutch and Orissa . I am personally not a great fan of winters, but I enjoy travelling in this phase as it is the birding season as well.

There is a mad rush to get anywhere and everywhere and it helps to plan early. There are sites today that offer discounts like Cuponation and they do it via a few retailers like online travel sites. So,if you are looking for great online hotel deals or discounts on flight tickets do check it out, as there is an exclusive discount code only for you, which is then used to reduce the price when buying from them . Plan your holiday now !

Skywatch Friday�Dawn and dusk at Kanatal, Uttarakhand

Standing from my balcony at the Club Mahindra resort in Kanatal, this is how the dawn looked.

And this is how it was at dusk

To see more magical skies, visit Skywatch

Bangalore - Madurai sector - Desperate in need of a Jigar Thanda

Sometimes its easier to book a ticket to an international destination that book a ticket within India. I have been planning Madurai for ages from Bangalore and it seems to be next to impossible to get a ticket to this ancient Tamil city. There is just one train that runs on this sector everyday and a few others are scattered through the week but they are booked this entire month.

I tried for some cheap flight tickets and was surprised when I realized that there are no direct flights. All flights are routed through Chennai. I checked Air India, as I thought the national carrier should have better connectivity but the flights had a stop over at Chennai too. I have been online the entire week, looking at fares and some of them are as high as Rs15,000/- Yup..you read that right. Besides Jet and Spice Jet that offered cheap fares, the rest of them were expensive. And most airlines like Go Indigo does not fly to Madurai unfortunately , for I have now started flying them everywhere thanks to their penchant for being punctual.

I vaguely remember an airline that used to fly directly to Bangalore. I guess with Kingfisher folding its wings, loads of airlines have now dropped sectors on their routes. Madurai is not even a remote destination for that matter. I can understand if I was flying to Timbaktu. I have no choice but to go back to the Indian railways and check for tatkal . If all goes well, I leave tomorrow and will be cooling off with some Jil Jil Jigar Thanda

Markets of the world�Sunflowers from Gdansk, Poland

We were at the fruit and vegetable market in Gdansk in Poland and I was fascinated by these sunflowers that were for sale.The market has been around since the 19th century and is one of the most colourful places to hang out in this town .



And in a shop nearby, they were selling these as well