Mumbaiya Hyderabadi!

Getting Ready The All Hearts Tour by Shreya Ghoshal, on 30th November at LB Stadium in Hyderabad was a concert to look forward to. Our first experience of a Shreya Ghoshal concert, we took a less tiring approach to travelling by metro to the concert, avoiding the traffic induced pressure, anxieties and long waits. Travel by metro was a breeze. For the concert scheduled to start at 7 PM, we reached the stadium around 6:15 PM. The stadium was a short walk from the “Assembly” metro station. At the stadium, quickly headed to the ticket counters to gather the wrist band for entry into the designated viewing areas. A gold class ticket with seating that cost Rs.2,300/ticket, was too far from the stage, though the viewing area was within the grounds and not the stadium seating (which was silver). The stadium facilities were inadequate, with temporary outdoor toilets and a limited selection of overpriced snacks (a small popcorn bowl for Rs. 200).  Concert The concert started around 40 minut...

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is one of the best places to spot the majestic big cats in their natural habitat. Located in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, India, the reserve covers an area of 625 square kilometers and is home to around 115+ tigers, as well as leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, gaur, sambar, nilgai, and many other wildlife species. The national park is divided into 3 forest ranges: Tadoba North Range, Moharli Range and Kolsa South Range. Each of these ranges has core zones and buffer zones. The buffer zone is the area surrounding or adjoining the Core Zone where conservation takes place along with some limited human activity. We visited Tadoba in April 2024, which is considered the peak season for tiger sightings. The weather was hot and dry, with temperatures reaching 40+ degrees Celsius during the day. The forest was mostly brown and yellow, with patches of green here and there. The water sources were scarce and the animals were forced to come out of their hi...

Day 1: Arrival in Goa Started early from Hyderabad, around 4 AM, embarking on a long drive to Goa through highways and deserted roads (at times) with long stretches. Our plan was to take a breakfast pitstop at Hotel Nisarga, Manvi, but to our surprise that day it wasn’t open around 8:30 AM. Thus, dropping the breakfast plan, we sped to our next pitstop for lunch at Sugar N Spice, Hubli (slight detour). Non-stop drive except for fuel breaks (& toilet) and lunch, at decent speed, deserted to manageable traffic, helped us cover ~700 Kms in around 12 hours, reaching Club Mahindra, Varca.  There are 2 major road routes from Hyderabad to Goa, 1) via Raichur - Hubli; 2) Solapur. We took Route 1 while going to Goa. It had long stretch of highways, especially NH 67 that was deserted for stretches. However quite a few areas on this route were rough and bumpy. Watch out for high-speed bumps on this road, multiple times our car's bottom was tested putting shock absorbers at play. On the w...

Blessed with a spectacular topography, Seychelles is home to unique flora and fauna. The island is the only place where you can get your hands on the ‘forbidden fruit’ – the Coco de Mer which is the largest and heaviest fruit in the world. Seychelles is also one of very few destinations where you can get up close to wild, giant tortoises. The islands of Seychelles are perfectly spaced from one another, allowing you to hop your way easily. Mahe, Praslin and La Digue are less than an hour away by ferry ride, and travelers can avail of the Inter-Island Ferry Service.  You can also visit Cousin, Curieuse, St. Pierre Islands by signing up for private boat trips, as well the Saint Anne Marine National Park (from Mahe). Explore the stunning, secluded beaches, go bird watching, swim around spectacular reefs and say hello to giant tortoises; the range of activities you can try out is excellent.  We chose to travel during last week of Apr-May Before Travel International Travel Insu...

Coorg: A hill town, coffee and getaways for ages  Never been to Scotland, but if Coorg is considered to be the Scotland of the South, I can imagine how beautiful Scotland would be. Started the day with a Coffee plantation tour at Mercara Gold Estate , on the way from Club Mahindra, Virajpet to Madikeri. Was a tour well spent (Rs. 200/head). Booked the guided tour through TripAdvisor Post the tour, a free filter coffee, and coffee shopping at the estate, we headed to Choci Coorg. Being a Friday, the chocolate shop wasn't open around noon. We were in a dilemma, should we wait or come back later. There was a vegetarian restaurant in the same complex, and folks around were promoting it to be good. As per the well drawn itinerary, we were supposed to have lunch at Coorg Cuisine to relish on local delicacies. Finally took a decision to go the one at the complex, Ambika Upahar Udupi restaurant and it turned out to be a relative  disappointment. Post lunch and check-in at Club Mahin...

Club Mahindra, Madikeri Near to Madikeri town, is one of the oldest resort, and brings its own charm. The rooms are antiquated, and couple of storeys below, without AC (never feel a need for the same here). Restaurants and the High-Tea reminds of the old-world charm where time stands still, for friends and families to chit-chat and while away. Sipping coffee at the porch, with morning sunrays glowing your face, is an experience to behold. Restaurants Barbeque Bay by Club Mahindra Madikeri 7 PM - 10:30 PM Green Cardamom - Breakfast, Lunch/Dinner Others nearby Coorg Cuisine Restaurant