Category: Travel


Keukenhof – The tulip garden in paradise

Keukenhof is Dutch would be “Kitchen garden”. It is also known as the Garden of Europe, is situated near Lisse Netherlands. It is the largest flower garden in the world. Acording to the official website for the Keukenhof Park, approximately seven million flower bulbs are planted annually in the park. It’s in southwest of Amsterdam.

fairyland

It has been the most enthralling experience of my whole life… The grandiose of a flower garden of this magnitude, can improve the vibes of any human and make him dance with joy.

traditionalWe took a rented mercedes from Mannheim, Germany and drove down to Keukenhof.  mc  It was april and so called the best season to visit this place. This place is open only during summer for few months and people from all parts of the globe come down to capture this artificial beauty. The drive was great and I have included pictures of the vast open farms as we enter netherlands. Also there was a Mc Donalds which are preety big than i normally had seen. Maybe because it should gather the attention of Cars speeding away in Auto Bahn. Then the welcome board in Keukenhof and waiting in a long traffic jam is also memorable. We took almost two hours in the jam. But once we parked, it was all worth it. Greeting the visitors at the entry gate, were two ladies dressed in traditional Dutch costumes (picture added ) and a ball fountain where everyone sat and relaxed. Then you can start your walk over a variety of Tulip species, well decorated. And colorful. Here and there you can also notice some statues in stone and most of them were lewd. It was fun to pose with them. Then comes a maze which is again fun to break. At the end there is a wind mill where you can wind down.  windmill

It was the largest and most beautiful I have seen. As they say this place is known for tulips and windmills. And yes, it was windy. So we could see it functional. After that we went to an open restaurant with lot of people relaxing with a pint of beer and food.restaurant

 On our way back we went to a museum where some special tulip.breeds were flaunted. On our way back we saw the tulip farms. They were awesome and huge. We played around and clicked a lot of pics there. farms

I would definitely say Keukenhof was among the best places I visited. I also carried two fridge magnets (one windmill, another tulips) as mementoes.

coorg..  valley... from a cliff while trekking

coorg.. valley... from a cliff while trekking

So finally the weekend has arrived. The most waited days of the week, for which we usually do loads of planning and googling. Being in Bangalore there are lots of options to do something really exploring. Among them one is Coorg, one of the sought after destination. Noted for its scenic beauty, Coorg is a hill resort in Karnataka in nilgiri hills, Located at an altitude of 1,100 metres above level.. Coorg is also called as Scotland of India. Dotted with coffee plantations, Coorg offers a perfect blend of sight and smell. I started the journey with friends on Friday night and we reached early morning. Reached Raja seat, (from where u can have a glance of entire coorg valley) in morning. It was awesome. I was amazed to see the picture perfect green hills enveloped in mist in the morning.  Then we all headed towards Abbey falls, also visited the local city which includes the local sight places. Coorg is actually a valley with many villages/cities. Then finally we headed towards the resort where we have booked out nxt 2 days. The resort Honey Valley Estate is located outskirts of madikery, main city of coorg. The resort was spread over a huge  land area, with 15+ of trekking routes and owns a water fall. It is an awesome place for those who love trekking and who love being in the lap of nature nature. The resort is isolated from pollution and dotted with coffee plantation. The coffee beans were spread on floors which were creating a nice aroma. The ambience was also very nice, calm and relaxing. The rooms/ huts were clean and well maintained. The food is undoubtedly good. It is a perfect place for a perfect relaxing weekend.

 

How to reach Coorg?

 

It 8 hours overnight drive from Bangalore.

From Bangalore, there are 2 ways to reach Coorg. Both routes are almost the same distance-wise, maybe around 250-260 kilometers.

1)The route via Mysore, is the oft-frequented route. But, this is entirely on State highways and after a place called Hunsur, there is a stretch of pretty bad road. Once you cross this stretch, the scenic view of the drive through the coffee plantations will absorb you more than the not-so-good condition of the road.

2)The other route is via Neelamangal, Kunigal, Chanrayapatna, which are all located on the National highway. This is a beauty

Honey valley resort

International Airport: Bangalore- 230 Kms , Domestic Airport: Mangalore- 165 Kms
Railway Station: Mysore 112 kms
Bus Depot: Yavakapadi (also called Kabbina Kad) Post Office
City Center: Kakkabe

Honey Valley Home Stay Retreat
Yavakapady P.O, Kodagu – 571 212, Karnataka. Tele:08272–238339

Places to visit:

1)Raja Seat, Talakaveri ,MADIKERI FORT, Golden Temple, Dubbare national forests
Languages spoken:  Kodava, Kannada, Malayalam.. more details to be added sooner.. till then happy mind swapping

P. F. Chang’s – China Bistro

Howdi…

A few friends and I were recently in Loveland, CO and had dinner at P. F. Chang’s …. it was an awesome experience… everything from the food and the ambience to the service was exceptional….I have always been a chinese food lover and chang’s was the best i have had so far in my 6 years in the mountain region….

I had the mongolian beef and my friends had a lamb entree….. both were mouth wateringly good…. and the tiramisu was just out of this world…. although we had “other reasons” to like the desert…..  

Wherever you are in the U. S. try P. F. Chang’s …..you will love it!!!

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