24 to 28-Dec-2008 Kokan Trip

I have always heard that Kokan is beautiful. Prior to this trip, I visited Ratnagiri and Ganapatipule. (Leaving Mumbai aside). Giridarshan Trekking Club had arranged a trip of sea forts in South Kokan. Since all the forts were almost at ground level, we decided to take children with us. Aditi and Omkar Wagh were also joining the trip. Hence the four kids formed their own team.

24-Dec-2008
11:00 PM Started from Pune
We started from Pune by a 17 seater van. Both the families were sitting on the last two rows. It was cold in the night.

25-Dec-2008
3:00 AM Reached Kolhapur
The bus stopped at a couple of places and reached Kolhapur.

7:00 AM Malvan via Gaganbanda
From Kolhapur, the bus proceeded to Malvan via Gaganbanda. We reached Malvan at 7:00 AM. Since the bus was not not comfortable to sleep, many of us were deprived of sleep. Some of us could sleep for an hour or so at the hotel where we had our breakfast.

10:00 AM Sindhudurg fort
After breakfast, we went straight to see the famous Sindhudurg fort. The fort is off the coast of Malvan. This is one of the most famous sea forts.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Malvan coastline

We took a trawler (motor boat) for 2 hours. Most of the fortification is intact. There are 2-3 temples inside the fort. There is hand and palm impressions of Shivaji Maharaj. A temple is also dedicated to him. Inside the fort, there is a coconut tree which has two branches forked.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Entrance of Sindhudurg fort

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Forked palm tree

There is one small doorway which opens in the sea. A small beach is formed in front of this door. The fort is quite big. No building has survived.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

After spending nearly 2 hours inside the fort, we came back to Malvan.

Between Malvan beach and Sindhudurg fort, there is one small rock cluster. It is called Padmagad. There is some fortification visible. A flag is also posted on the fort.

1:00 PM Lunch at the same hotel
Had our lunch in the same hotel where we stopped in the morning.

3:00 PM Kunakeshwar temple
We immediately proceeded to Kunakeshwar (Lord Shiva) temple. This temple is adjacent to Kunakeshwar beach. The beach is on the back side of the temple. The temple has been renovated. The hillock behind the temple and before beach offers magnificent view.

5:00 PM Devgad fort
Our next stop was Devgad fort. Devgad is very famous for hapus mangoes. On the way to the fort, there were several windmills. At one particular place, the road had sharp turns to climb a hillock. A lot of fishes were thrown on the ground. Several flamingos were came to eat the fish. The entire area was stinking. However, the scene was very nice.

Inside the fort, there is a temple. After spending some time in temple, we realized that the light house will close soon. Hence we rushed to light house. The view from the lighthouse was very nice. We could see the creek. The guard on the lighthouse explained us the mechanics of lighthouse. The mirror rotates with some specific frequency. This frequency is different for each lighthouse. By knowing the frequency, the fishermen can know where they are. Since the mirror starts rotating from dusk to dawn, no one is allowed on top of lighthouse during this time. There are few quarters inside the fort. There is nothing significant except the fortifications. Only a couple of structures are remaining in a dilepid condition. We saw some birds. For the first time, I know that there is something call Bramhiny Kite, Fish Eagle. We could click a photo of a fish eagle holding a fish in the claws.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Devgad fort from the Lighthouse

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Lighthouse in Devgad fort

7:30 PM Night halt at Padel near Devgad
After dusk, we went to Padel near Devgad. We stayed in a hotel in the night. The hotel was good as compared to the location it was in. There were 3-4 mango trees in the front yard. We had our dinner and slept. Most of us were deprived of sleep in the previous night.

One would imagine that Devgad has mango trees all over. But that is not true. It has some fields.

26-Dec-2008
10:00 AM Vijaydurg fort
The next day morning, after having our breakfast, we visited Vijaydurg fort. The fort was seat of Kanhoji Angre during early 18th century. He had built a fleet of navy which checked foreign intrusions in the Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal. Due to him Andaman and Nicobar islands are in India.

Just before entering the fort, there is a very small temple on a small rock in the sea. The temple is tilted.

The bastions of the fort are very strong. One can see the bottom of the sea at some places. Such is the clarity of the water. There are lot of dolphins in the area. We spent some time watching the dolphins. There are lot of cannon balls kept inside the fort. At some sections, the rampart of the fort are collapsed recently. It pains a lot to see such historic monuments crumbling due to neglect and want of proper care. We can see how lime used to be prepared in the ancient times. The same lime which used to hold the walls for centuries.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Vijaydurg fort

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Tilted temple

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Entrance of Vijaydurg

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Entrance of Vijaydurg fort

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Beautiful hamlet outside Vijaydurg

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Canon balls

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Fortification

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Lime grinder

Vijaydurg is also the historic place from where Helium was discovered on 18-Aug-1868 by a French scientist Johnson. The spectrometer readings on this solar eclipse day confirmed a new element on the sun - Helium.

The fort has a covered place for the ships to dock. It also has an underground tunnel to Dhulap's palatial home. However, we did not see either of these.

12:00 PM Rameshwar temple
Rameshwar temple is very old. Most of the construction is wooden. From the road, we can see only one arch and no temple. However when we actually enter through the arch, there is a gradual descent cut through the rocks. On each side of the rock, several small holes are carved out to put lamps. At the end of this descent, the main arch of the temple is present. The temple has beautiful wooden carvings all centuries old and urgent need of repair/ conservation. There are many old articles like lamps, etc still in use.

The grove surrounding the temple is very nice with lot of green trees. The valley transports us to a totally different atmosphere.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Rameshwar temple

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Rameshwar temple

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Rameshwar temple

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Rameshwar temple

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Rameshwar temple

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Rameshwar temple

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08 Rameshwar temple

We came back to Padel. Had our lunch and proceeded for the next stop.

4:30 PM Mahakali temple at Adiware Wadapeth
This is Mahakali temple at Adiware. The temple has very beautiful wooden carvings. Pictures are also painted on the ceiling. It has a peculiar pot to lift water from the well.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

5:30 PM Kanakaditya temple at Kasheli
This temple is constructed in stone as well as wood. The main temple faces the opposite side that of the entrance. Actually we enter the temple complex from behind. The main sanctum has paintings from mythology.

The temple complex has two other smaller temples.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

6:30 PM Purnagad and temple
The next stop was Purnagad fort. This fort has nothing except the ramparts. We climbed ramparts and saw the view. It was a very nice view. The fort stood as a guard to a creek. The sun was setting by the time. The darkness increased. Finally we had to come out of the fort within half an hour.

At the base of the fort, there are two temples. We took darshan and sat there for some time. A news reached us from Pune that there was some trouble in Ratnagiri. Some people were seen in suspicion at railway station. Hence police are inspecting all vehicles carefully.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

8:00 PM Dinner at Ratnagiri
Naverthless, we decide to have dinner at Ratnagiri. The restaurant was small and crowded. We had ordered rice plate. However, there was nothing special Kokani in the rice plate food.

11:00 PM Halt at Ganapatipule
After having dinner, we proceeded to Ganapatipule. Since this was a long weekend, everything was full in Ganapatipule. We had booked a makeshift hall which did not have walls. It was cold in the night. I was surprised to experience such cold near the sea.

27-Dec-2008
7:00 AM Ganapatipule beach
Woke up early in the morning. Somehow got ready to go to beach. I have visited Ganapatipule before. This is one of the best beaches in India. We spent nearly more than an hour on the beach. Some of us bathed in the sea. Women and children enjoyed the waves crashing on their feet.

We returned to the place where we slept in the night. Had a bath. Had breakfast in another hotel.

11:00 AM Ganapatipule temple
Ganapatipule temple is very famous amongst devotees. The temple is renovated. It is clean. The crowd management is effecient.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

12:00 PM Ratnadurg fort (Ratnagiri)
After having a nice darshan, we proceeded to Ratnagiri to see Ratnadurg fort (Bhagirathi fort). The city derives the name from the fort.

The bastion has a temple and a statue of Kanhoji Angre. One can see Ratnagiri harbour from the fort.

4:30 PM Kolisare temple
Laxmi Keshav temple in Kolisare is one of the best renovated temple one can see. It is situated at a very nice location in a green valley. The old temple was pulled down. A new temple was put in place with exact similar structure similar design. This made the temple very attractive.

This is how a renovation shoud be. Keep the original spirit intact. But reinforce it from time to time so that the place does not look crumbling.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

5:00 PM Karhateshwar temple at Nandiwade
The next destination was Karhateshwar temple at Nandiwade. This is Shiva temple. Immediately after seeing renovated Kolisare temple, this temple does not inspire. The location of this temple is also very good. But the temple itself is very old and crumbling.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

6:00 PM Jaigad fort
Our next destination was Jaigad fort. This fort has only walls and one temple inside.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

9:30 PM Reach Velneshwar
After seeing Jaigad fort, we went to Velneshwar. This is the place we halted for night. We had dinner.

11:00 PM Velneshwar beach
Some of us decided to visit the beach in the night. Others slept in the rooms. In the pitch dark night 7-8 of us took out our torches and went to the beach. We talked till well past 12 in the midnight. Finally we came back and slept.

28-Dec-2008
9:30 AM Velneshwar temple
In the morning, we watched the sun rise. And visited the Velneshwar temple. This is an ancient Shiva temple.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

10:30 AM Hedvi beach
Next destination was Hedvi beach. There is a rock pach on the beach. Due to erosion, the water from wave has formed a channel across the rock. When a high wave crashes, the water rises through the narrow channel and rises like a jet.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

12:00 PM Ganesh temple at Hedvi
The Ganesh temple in Hedvi is very famous. The idol has ten hands. Hence the name Dashabhuja ganapati. The stone of the idol is found in Kashmir. This is also very nice and clean temple. It is situated in a valley with lot of green trees.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

1:30 PM Gopalgad (Anjanwel) fort
The last fort in our itenary was Anjanwel fort near Guhagar. While going inside the fort, we had placed order for lunch in Guhagar.

This fort has been sold out to some private party! The walls of the fort are crumbling. But it has an iron gate. A lot of mango trees are planted inside the fort. Security guards are placed. There is nothing much to be seen inside the fort except a couple of tanks.

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

From Trips - Konkan Dec 08

3:00 PM Lunch at Guhagar
We came back to Guhagar and had our lunch.

3:30 PM Vyadeshwar temple in Guhagar
After lunch, we saw Vyadeshwar temple in Guhagar. This temple is also neat and clean. The temple complex has 5-6 smaller temples apart from the main temple.

4:00 PM Start journey to Pune via Chiplun, Kumbharli ghat
We started our journey back to Pune via Chiplun through Kumbharli ghat. By 10:00 PM we reached Pune.

Afterthoughts
Kokan is very beautiful. However, the beauty is not exploited by the human. Kokan remains one of the poor regions.

The temples in Kokan are very nice, neat and clean. One would fall in love with the temple first and then with the god. This aspect should be taken across all the temples.

The temples are renovated in a nice manner. The renvation retains the basic essence of the structure.

The forts all over the country are in dilepid condition. They need to be restored.

14-Dec-2008 Shivaneri Fort

Shivaneri is the birthplace of Shivaji Maharaj. It has a special place in the history.

From Pune, one has to go to Junnar. Shivaneri fort is just outside the town.

14-Dec-2008
6:00 AM Shivaji Nagar bus stand
We met at the Shivaji Nagar bus stand at 6:00 AM. We did not board the bus to Junnar. It did not have place for our group.

8:00 AM Started from Pune
Finally we boarded a bus to Rajguru Nagar. There we had breakfast near bus stand.

10:30 AM Reached Junnar
After breakfast, we took another bus to Junnar.

11:00 AM Started climbing the fort
From the bus stand, we took one vehicle which dropped us at the base of the fort. We started to climb the fort. This fort is relatively small. It has gardens created at many places. There are trees planted.

From Trips - Shivaneri fort Dec 08

From Trips - Shivaneri fort Dec 08

11:30 AM Temple
We first went to a temple.

12:00 PM Caves
Just behind the temple, there are few caves. These served as stupas in the earlier times. There is one chaitya and several viharas.

After the caves, we went to the other side of the fort. This is the place where Shivaji Maharaj was born. Now a building stands at the place.

From Trips - Shivaneri fort Dec 08 Stupa on Shivaneri fort

We had our lunch.

After lunch, we roamed the other parts of the fort. There are tanks which are covered and interconnected.

4:00 PM Started descending the fort
Finally we started to descend the fort. We could reach Rajguru Nagar fairly quickly. However, getting a conveyance from there to Pune was really difficult. This was Sunday evening. All buses were full.

10:00 PM Back to Pune
Finally, we entered one bus. We covered most of the journey standing between the seats. This bus failed near Bhosari. We took another bus after much difficulty. Finally we reached Pune by 10:00 PM.

15 to 16-Nov-2008 Rajgad Fort

I wanted to see different forts. However accessibility was a big challenge. The public transport is not good enough to see many places on our own. Fortunately, I came in contact with trekking groups. I decided to take the first trek available at the time. This was arranged by Giridarshan to fort Rajgad.

Rajgad has been the capital fort for Shivaji Maharaj for maximum time. I was very happy that I will be able to see the fort.

To visit the fort, one has to take MSRTC buses from Swargate in Pune. Any bus going to Gunjwane, Vajeghar, Velhe would take us to the base of Rajgad.

15-Nov-2008
3:00 PM Swargate bus stand
As per the email, I reached Swargate bus stand and located the group. I payed my fees and registered my name.

There was no sign of any bus. Repeated enquires revealed us that sometime the driver was not available but the bus was available and vice versa. This waiting was very tiresome.

6:00 PM Took a bus to Gunjawane
As per plan we were supposed to go to Vajeghar. However in the evening, we had to take a bus to Gunjwane.

At last, the bus reached Gunjawane. It was dark in the night. We were supposed to climb the fort in darkness.

8:30 PM Started climbing the fort
A couple of villagers were taken to show us the route to the road. Initially all the torches were on. However, after some time, the sky cleared and moonlight was spread. We switched the torches.

10:30 PM Reached Padmavati machi
Nearly two hours of climb took us to Padmavati machi. There was a rock patch. In the night, I did not realize the dufficulty.

Most of us were exhausted after we reached the place. We rested there for some time until some of us found the place to sleep. Unfortunately, on that day, 3-4 other groups were also on the top. Hence all the shelters were occupied. Finally, the archeology department room was available to us.

11:00 PM Diner
Once the place to stay was finalized, we took out food and had dinner.

11:30 PM Bedtime
Immediately after the dinner, we found a place for ourselves and slept inthe cramped room.

16-Nov-2008
6:00 AM Wakeup
In the morning, wakeup call was given. In the dark, we went and fetched water to drink. We got ready for the next phase. There is no proper facility for sanitation.

We could not start until 9:00 PM. Tea had to be ready so that everyone was able to start the day.

9:00 AM Started for Suvela machi
The first thing that we did after we packed our bags was to see Padmavati machi. There is one temple. One water tank, and one partial store which used to house ammunition.

After seeing this, we saw Suvela machi. This machi has a Ganesh idol. It was worshipped by Shivaji Maharaj on an auspocious time before the construction for Rajgad began.

We spent some time on Suvela machi.

1:00 PM Climbed bastion and breakfast
Then we started to climb the bastion - bale killa. This is steep without much gradient. For the first time climbers like me, it poses a difficult challenge.

Somehow with the help of others, I could climb the bastion. 3-4 of us stayed back on the machi.

We had our breakfast of bread and jam. We would get lunch only when we reached the base of the fort. There we saw a few birds in the sky.

3:00 PM Started descending
We saw the palace and a couple of other buildings all in ruins. We saw the main entrance of the fort. This entrance faces Torna fort.

I was very much afraid of descending the bastion. Somehow, I managed the get down with the help and courage given to me by others. It was terrifying.

Once the rock patch was over, we came back to the place where we had kept the bags. Some of us started to descend.

4:30 PM Lunch
We reached the base fairly quickly. Behind the hotel, there was a stream flowing. Some of us cleaned ourselves. It was refreshing.

We had lunch. Most of us were very hungry.

6:00 PM Vehicles to main road
We waited for the bus to arrive from Pune. After waiting for a long time, we telephoned the Swargate station. We came to know that the bus did not leave at all.

One vehicle was arranged for Pune. Mostly the females were sent by the vehicle.

8:00 PM Reached Pune
We took other two vehicles to the main road. We took a city bus to Swargate.

31-Oct to 7-Nov-2008 Trip to Singapore and Malaysia

For quite some time, Thiru and myself were discussing about visiting him in Singapore. For some reason or the other, this did not materialize. I have visited Singapore on 4-5 occasions. I always thought that there is nothing new for me to see. During the visit, I saw that I was wrong. Probably my perspective has changed. Partly due to the fact that Singapore has changed significantly during this period.

Just 4-5 decades back, it was like any other city in Asia. Right now, it is one of the most modern cities in the world.

I coordinated with Thiru about timings and his availability. Accordingly, I booked airplane tickets from Chennai to Singapore. Got the visa from a travel agent. Bought some US dollars for the journey. For the week of Deepawali, we stayed in Bangalore.

31-Oct-2008
8:00 PM Reached Singapore from Chennai
From Chennai, we had an Indian Airlines flight at around 12:00 noon local time. At the airport, we passed through the immigration. The officer called us of the queue. He smilingly explained that this was due to the children accompanying us.

In the airplane, we were requested to sit in the business class. Again due to children accompanying us. This was the first time I was able to see what happens behind the curtain of the business class!

To my surprise, the service in the airplane was extremely nice. Everyone from ground staff to airplane crew were very nice and professional. It was no more the same airline that I have experienced in the past.

The airplane landed in Singapore at 8:00 PM local time. After coming out of immigration, we saw Thiru waiting for us. We took a cab and reached his house.

A dinner was ready. We had the dinner. Then we spent time in planning what to be done in the next 3-4 days. Thiru had booked our tickets for Kuala Lampur and Genting. He was not able to come to Malaysia as he had to visit Vietnam on some official visit.

1-Nov-2008
2:00 PM to 6:30 PM Jurong Bird Park
We were supposed to start earlier in the morning for Jurong Bird Park. However, we could not leave the house before 11:00 AM. We reached Jurong. Had lunch near MRT station. Then we took a bus to the Bird Park. There we bought tickets for the zoo and night safari as well.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

The first thing we saw in the park was a bird show. There are several shows organized at different time. The birds are trained to do certain things. This is nice way to create interest. We can easily see that it requires a lot of effort from the staff.

Then we saw many different birds. We were amazed to know that there can be several species of owls, Penguins, etc. Special enclosures are created for specific birds. For owls, a night atmosphere is created. We can see them through dim light. For penguins, a cold enclosure is created along with water pool.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

Then we saw Birds of Prey show. In this show, vultures and kites can be seen. They are trained to do certain things.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

There was an enclosure which contained several different colorful parakeets. The visitors can touch them, feed them with the articles available there.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

There are several different birds out in the open. Swans, ducks, flamingos, storks, many more varieties of parakeets enclosed and outside the enclosure.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

For the uninitiated, this can be a tiring exercise. But those who like birds, this is the place to be in. We can find birds from across the globe. Nice information is given for each bird.

7:00 PM Boat ride in Singapore river
From Jurong, we came to Clark Quay. We took a boat ride in Singapore river. This ride shows us the Singapore waterfront in the evening. It is very beautiful waterfront. The buildings are nicely lit.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

9:30 PM Dinner in Little India
We went Little India for dinner. We had South Indian meal. In this area, we really feel like being in India.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

2-Nov-2008
4:00 PM to 11:00 PM Zoo and night safari
This day, was for Singapore Zoo and Night Safari. Orchid garden was closed on that particular day. All three places are in Mandai. As we travel to the zoo, we cannot believe that we are in Singapore. This area has thick vegetation with lots of trees.

As we started to see the zoo, it started raining heavily for nearly 2 hours. We had to wait until the rain stopped. At that time, we were about to see the elephant show. This show was canceled because of rain. We had to pass our time by watching the elephants.

As soon as the rain receded, we bought raincoats available there and continued out tour. We saw walrus show. Then we saw different animals like bear, crocodile, giant tortoise, different varieties of deadly snakes, a huge python, cheetah, zebra, deer, rhino, etc.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

We had our dinner and then proceeded to see the night safari. This contained 2 different trails. One could see different animals as close to natural habitat as possible. The best sight was that of lions. In the dim light the lions were very beautiful. This is one of the most cherished moment in my lifetime. Unfortunately due to low light, we could not click any photos. It is requested in zoo not to use any flash as it may damage the eyes of the animals. Finally at 11:00 PM we started back home.

3-Nov-2008
4:00 PM to 10:00 PM Sentosa
This day was a disaster in terms of time management. I did not have much money in the pocket. Thiru could not come from his office early enough. Hence we roamed the VivoCity mall. Finally things started moving for us.

We bought tickets of different shows. We saw Dolphin show. The dolphins are trained a lot. They displayed their skills.

Next, we saw the southern most point of Asia continent's mainland. Then we saw Merlion. Then we went to "Song of the Seas" show. This show is nice technically. The story may not be liked by everybody. The way water is used to create different illusions is amazing.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

We just managed to enter the Underwater World. This place has may different fishes. Within half an hour, we could see whatever we can. We saw starfish, sting ray, sharks, octopuses, spider, etc. I wish we could spend 3-4 hours in this place.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

We had our dinner in boat quay and returned home.

4-Nov-2008
7:00 AM Start from Singapore
In the morning, we took a 7 AM bus to Genting. The bus stopped at Tuas checkpoint for immigration. I always thought that Malaysia is just like India. 8-10 years back when I used to visit Singapore often, I used to hear from firends who visited Malaysia that the infrastructure reminds us on India. However, once I entered the country, things were entirely different. The expressways are as nice as Singapore. All the road side is green with teak and palm trees. After nearly 5 hours of journey, the bus entered Kuala Lampur. We saw the famous Petronas towers en route. The moment, bus was out of Kuala Lampur, there was a thick forest and hilly area.

1:00 PM Reached Genting
The bus climbed all the way to Genting. The journey was about 1 hour from Kuala Lampur. There are several resorts in Genting. But not many people on the road. I wondered how can I see the place. Our rooms were booked in First World hotel. This hotel is the largest in the world with 8,000 plus rooms. It took us nearly 2 hours in the queue to get the rooms. We took possession of the rooms and started to explore the place.

Genting is a nice hill resort with a lot of forest around the hills. I learnt later that the forest is artificial. I am still wondering how can a forest be artificial.

5:00 PM to 10:00 PM Roamed in hotel
After some efforts, we came to conclusion that there is nothing that we can do outside. Everything is inside the hotels and the shopping corridors. The kind of hotels and the shops are the same as we can see anywhere in Singapore and even India. The only thing different is the casino. We were informed that entry is allowed only to those who are wearing a formal dress. Seeing a casino was also ruled out. The children did play some of the games that they usually like. All of us were disenchanted with the place. We met few groups. We inquired about what they have seen in Genting. It was all about the shopping plazas and the casinos. There was nothing outside. Hence we thought we will go back to Kuala Lampur earlier and see the city at least.

5-Nov-2008
10:00 AM Started for Kuala Lumpur
We started early for Kuala Lampur. The shuttle dropped us at Barjaya Times Square hotel.

12:45 PM Reached Barjaya Times Square hotel
We checked in. By chance we were checked into a suite! We got to know what a suite is. We ate some fruits kept in the suite.

2:30 PM to 10:00 PM Sight seeing KL
Our aim was to see maximum of Kuala Lampur during the day. Hence we booked a taxi for about 250 ringgits. The driver Ruslan was very friendly person. He had some connection with India from his mother's side. We saw war memorial, Chinese temple, Batu caves, KLCC towers, Petronas towers.

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

From Trips - Singapore Nov 08

At the entrance of Batu caves is Hanuman statue. This must be one of the largest statues in the world. The caves have a temple.

In the night, we did some shopping in Petaling street - Chinatown in Kuala Lampur.

6-Nov-2008
7:00 AM Started from KL to Singapore
After having our breakfast, we started for Singapore. Ruslan dropped us to the bus stop. It was nice to meet him. He surely knows how to handle tourists.

3:00 PM Reached Singapore
By afternoon, we were back in Singapore.

5:00 PM 10:00 PM Roamed Orchard Road and Chinatown
In the evening, we decided to see Orchard road and Chinatown. I have spent entire day on Orchard Road without spending a single dollar! This was one of my tricks to save unnecessary expenditure in Singapore.

In Chinatown we saw a different kind of restaurant Annalaxmi. Pay as much as you like. I wonder how can such a thing exist. However it is running for the last 15 years of so. This was a worth visit.

From Chinatown, we could buy some gift articles. We reached home very late.

7-Nov-2008
9:30 AM Return flight to Chennai
In the morning, we went to the airport early. The children saw how airplanes land and take off. It was fun for them. We landed in Chennai by 12:00 PM local time. Headed straight to Balaji's house.