Personal website of Mithun Divakaran, a guy you may or may not know -- or like.
Date: 22 October 2019
I arrived in Phuket yesterday but did not go sightseeing anywhere as I ended up sleeping due to jet lag. Also, the skies were grey and it rained a bit too.
I had just one full day in Phuket and fortunately, unlike yesterday, the sun was up and the skies were blue!
Date: 21 October 2019
This trip began because earlier in the year I won a contest organized by Thailand Tourism where the prize was a two-night stay at a luxury resort in Phuket. I initially kept it thinking me and my brother could treat the rest of my family to an international vacation but when those plans did not pan out, I decided to make use of the prize myself.
I took advantage of Go Air’s direct flight from Bengaluru to Phuket. A ticket I got for Rs. 9k.
It was my first time flying a budget airline to Thailand from Bangalore. I had exclusively flown Thai Airways up until now.
I had downloaded the visa on arrival form, printed it out and filled it up in advance. The queue at the visa on arrival counter was mostly all Indians who had landed along with me and as usual, many had not filled up the form in advance, nor did they fill up the arrival card given to every passenger on the flight. I did both. Since I was also alone, I got my form inspected and done with everything in less than five minutes. After that, immigration didn’t take long.
Continue reading “Flying direct from Bangalore to Phuket; arriving at The Village, Coconut Island” »
Date: 21 December 2019
I had been longing to visit Paithalmala, the highest peak in Kannur, for quite some time. But one of my cousins told me that there is another hilltop destination that is worth visiting. Palakkayam Thattu is 50 kms from Kannur city center and actually along the same route one would take to get to Paithalmala. Elevated at 3500 feet above sea level, I figured that is high enough to get some great shots using my newly acquired drone.
Palakkayam Thattu is open from 5AM to 9PM so it’s a popular choice to come watch the sunrise and during sunset. But none of us in the group wanted to wake up that early and for me, if the hills got too foggy, then I would not have been to able to capture the height of the hills.
It took us around 40 to 45 minutes to get to the parking area near Palakkayam Thattu. Use this location on Google Maps to find your way to the parking area. The van parked and from there, we had to hire a jeep to take us to the top. Jeeps cost Rs. 700 and can accommodate 7 adults or 8 to 9 children.
Continue reading “Palakkayam Thattu – the second highest viewpoint in Kannur” »