Korea trip

It was a business trip to Korea for a day. A comfortable flight from Bangalore to Hong Kong and after waiting for few hours in Hong Kong airport I landed in Incheon airport in Seoul in late night. A pre-booked taxi helped in reaching my hotel Holiday-Inn in Central Park area swiftly. Getting a first view of twinkling and flashing Seoul in late night was fascinating. After a dinner in my room, I could get a quick sleep very fast. After getting up early in morning and a breakfast in the restaurant on rooftop of hotel, I could go out for an early morning to walk around the hotel. First impression of Korea I felt is about its amazing feet on maintaining its core eastern values and its achieved development on par with western countries. My host has sent his car to visit his facility and my full day was full on business discussions and by evening I could come back to my hotel. With two of my hosts I went to Central Park mall to buy some gifts for my family. As it was a one day trip with my return ticket on next day, there was no plan to visit the city and explore it. While coming back to hotel I got the news of possible storm on next day. I slept with uncertainty if flight will be cancelled. Next day, I got up early morning and checked my mail. My flight was cancelled and scheduled on next day. With no plan for the day and storm was expected in late evening only I decided to explore the city. 

I talked to the receptionist on hiring a taxi for visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village. He strongly recommended me to use metro service. I am thankful to him for this advice as it is the best means to roam in and around the city. Seoul metro is one of the best, covering all nooks and corners of the city with multiple lines and services. Receptionist did a marking on map of metro route, with identified locations to change the train. A lady helped me in getting the ticket at first station and after that there was smooth experience. With the help of English signs on station and help of Google map, ride was smooth. 

After two hours and three exchanges between Subway and Metro, finally I reached to the final station which has exit just inside courtyard of Gyeongbokgung Palace. A number of people were in traditional beautiful Korean dress, seems to recreate the Korea's ancient culture. This palace is a beautifully restored campus with a lush idyllic ambience and good walk which make its visit worthy. From here, ancient Bukchon Hanok Village is not vary far. It is a good happy walk amidst beautiful shops and cafes attracting tourists. This walk appears to be a live meeting with elegant fusion of new and old cultures. Hanok is the traditional village settled here for more than six hundred years. Houses and its traditional architecture are pretty and perfect spot for loads of photos.

 

I had to walk back to the nearest metro station at earliest as storm was expected in late evening. By the time I reached to hotel, storm has arrived. I went to my room with a pleased mood and was watching the rain and wind outside. This storm provided me a day to get amazing and unforgettable experience. Next early morning I took the bus to airport to catch my flight back to India. It was still drizzling and moist weather, my flight was delayed by more than a day but I was happy.

Dandiganahalli Dam Trip

Recently I went through a beautiful picture of Dandiganahalli Dam. After exploring about this place I realised that it is one of the least discovered places around Bangalore. This place is located in a serene natural dwelling just ninety kilometres outside of Bangalore. On a beautiful Saturday morning, we started the drive for this less known place. On the way we stopped at a famous restaurant “Paratha Factory” for getting the taste of yummy parathas and hot refreshing tea. We passed through the bustling town Chikkaballapura. Drive of last five kilometres was though narrow lanes of villages and secluded hills. When we reached, we were welcomed by a slice of untouched serenity. Nestled in between green hills, the reservoir reverberates with peace and calm and is the best place to relax and rejuvenate. There is a long wooden bridge built that stretches out to the water and boasts of beautiful views of the surroundings. 

The place is great to have some good photoshoots and walk in the lap of nature. Dandiganahalli Dam makes for the best day trip and a perfect escape from the chaos of the city.

Day Trip to Shivanasamudra and Talakad

When my sister and her family visited us during Dussera holiday, we were looking for a short one day outing from Bangalore. After a lot of discussions we decided for the trip to Shivanasamudra falls. With kids very excited about the trip, we hit the road early morning. Once we were out of Bangalore, we stopped at a small eatery in Kanakpura road. We had south Indian breakfast and tea before we started our journey once again. Road was well maintained and morning drive was good. Our first stop was at Barachukki waterfalls. After parking our vehicle we had sugarcane juice before everyone started walking towards the fall. One of the monkey snatched juice glass from hands of my five year old son and having feast upon it on roadside. After having a loud monkey laugh, mood was on high. It got elevated when we reached to the viewing point. Fall was not at its peak but still it was full flow of water pouring down from the rocky cliffs. It was a first visit to falls for my nephews and they were delighted. Our next stop was Gaganchukki falls. We passed along river Kaveri passing some old bridges. Soon we reached to Gaganchukki falls which is much bigger than Barachukki falls. There is a view point downstairs. A loud noise from gushing water makes the view more memorable. The greenery around the falls and milky white mist water are the sights, to be remembered for long. From here I could see the first hydropower plant of India built by GE. Karnataka tourism maintains a nice resort and restaurant here. A delicious lunch here makes the trip complete.

After an hour rest we started for Talakadu which is at further half an hour drive. Roads were beautifully laid and one will get to cross few bridges which will give a beautiful view of Kavery river flowing in full brim. We could also enjoy beautiful paddy fields along our drive. The place is famous for sandy river bank. It was a big crowd when we reached. It was a feel and ambience of beach there. We had a coracle ride in Kaveri. It was a lovely place where we enjoyed in the water. The drive back to Bangalore was full of talk about beautiful pictures we took and moments we enjoyed there.