World of Books and Travel

During my recent visit to Thiruvananthapuram, I was keen to visit Veli Tourist Village. Veli Tourist Home is located amidst the lush green coconut groves and backwaters of Thiruvananthapuram, in the Veli Tourist Village, bordered by the Arabian Sea and the Veli Lagoon. It is a great picnic spot, with a beautiful garden and facilities for water sports. There is also a waterfront park which has a floating bridge that connects to the Shanghumukham Beach. The Veli Tourist Village is the place where the lake merges with the Arabian sea. The lagoon here is separated from the sea by a narrow sand bar. It is a nice place for tourists with young children to spend an afternoon. There are lots for the kids to do. Children can also enjoy a horse ride. Thiruvananthapuram Airport is just 3 kms away, and the railway station is just 8 kms away.

On the early morning of a Saturday we reached Badami House at Bangalore to board the KSTDC tourist bus to Mysore. There were few other buses also ready to proceed to different tourist destinations. Sharp at 7.15 a.m. our Volvo bus, began its journey through the "not-so-crowded" roads (because of the time) towards its destination Mysore, located 140 kms away. Among the tourists, there were many domestic and international tourists as 'first-timers' to experience the well known "City of Palaces" and many repeated visitors like me. The weather was extremely pleasant and hence our journey was enjoyable. By 9.30 a.m. we stopped for our breakfast at "Hanchina Mane Restaurant" at Somanahalli. Our next stop was at historic town Srirangapatna . It was the capital of Mysore rulers Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, popularly known as Mysore Tiger. (Chamundeswari Temple) (Music Fountain) See the people trying to capture it in their mobile camera. (Hotel Mayur