Personal website of Mithun Divakaran, a guy you may or may not know -- or like.
Date: October 2005
Yes, 2005 🙂 I’m going all the way back in my travel archives! This was the first time I went to Goa, one of the most popular (and much hyped) tourist spots in India. It was group of two cars, all of whom were my friends and co-workers at the time.
Continue reading “First Goa trip (Colva beach, Se Cathedral, Bom Jesus Basilica) and Murudeshwara” »
We began our day in hilly Thekkady and by nightfall we were in Ernakulam city. We took a rickshaw to Fort Kochi, and once there we took a room at Sonnetta Residency.
Date: September 1st, 2009
The next morning, we had breakfast at the famous Kashi Art Cafe.
After breakfast, we hired an auto to take us to Jew Town, the first sight on our to-do list.
We first entered an old building, which I believe was Mattancherry Palace. It housed artifacts and had several murals, but there was a lot of restoration work going on while we were there. We were in and out very quickly.
Unfortunately, they don’t allow photography inside the Paradesi Synagogue, but from what I saw, it isn’t very big. The tale of Cochin Jews is an interesting one, dating back centuries. It was at this point, reading about how Jews ended up Kerala (and even the Syrian Christians) that I began to realize how Kerala has always had a historical connection with the Middle East.
I guess it was a privilege to meet someone like Mrs. Selam, one among the few remaining Jews of Kerala. (Read the story of Yaheh Hallegua, she’s apparently the last remaining Pardesi Jew of ‘child-bearing’ age)
I bought a few tiger prawns and a small lobster for myself (if I remember correctly, both together cost less than Rs. 300). As they were getting grilled nearby, we went for a quick stroll along the promenade.
We sat by the fish stalls and had our lunch.
Post lunch, we went for a stroll.
So here it is:
After sunset, we all had something to eat before parting ways. Ramesh and Anand were heading back to Bangalore, while I took a bus to head up north to my hometown in Kerala.
*Onam is the biggest festival in Kerala and one of the celebratory highlights include making pookkalam (a floral creation)
Previous posts in this series:
Kerala 2009: Thekkady, Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary
Date: 23rd January, 2012
After how well-received my last flower show post was, I decided to cover this year’s Republic Day Flower show at Bangalore’s Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens.
I initially planned on waking up really early to avoid the crowds that would be thronging Lal Bagh in the days leading up to 26th January (India’s Republic Day), but given the cold weather, throwing aside my cozy blanket and getting out of bed early morning seemed near impossible.
So post lunch, I set off.
Needless to say the orchids on display were nowhere near the orchid collection I saw in Singapore’s Orchid Garden.
I actually did two rounds — first with my wide angle lens mounted on the camera, and then a second round with my Tamron 28-75mm macro lens.
There weren’t many new flower varieties on display inside, many of which I had seen in the last flower show I attended. Still, I got my money’s worth of photographs.
I wonder what the organizers have in store for this year’s Independence Day Flower Show.
If you liked this post, and would like to see more flower photography, also check out:
Photos from the 2010 Lal Bagh Botanical Garden Flower Show, Bangalore
Singapore 2011: Day 3 – Bukit Timah and Singapore Botanic Gardens