For most part of my life I have lived in a big and busy city...so a getaway break was something I always looked forward to. And then some remarkable events brought me to Tassie, a pure travel destination, a physical stunner! And ever since I have looked around for 'unique experiences', not featured in Lonely Planet Guides...Here is a list I hope to keep updating for the rest of the year.
Hollybank:
Tree Top Adventures Catch an incredible bird's eye view of the intriguing forests of Tasmania by gliding across treetops. You can enjoy the adrenaline rush of a high-wire, super-fast canopy ride in Hollybank, just twenty minutes from Launceston.
Wynyard: Unforgettable Views
The Wynyard Tulip Festival (September-October) is a chance to walk amidst thousands of blooming tulips and feel like a Bollywood star in a romantic song sequence. If flowers do you no good then explore the bleached sands of Sisters Beach and go swimming in the crystal clear waters of Boat Harbour Beach.
As they say, Tassie is nothing if not for its dazzling wilderness, colonial charm untouched beaches and incredible wine and food. Its urban spirit, fairly recent, will make you wonder if God froze time in Tassie for a small period in time. For a place that accommodates some amazing natural wonders, Tasmania is rather shy...this is my attempt to unearth its dazzling character.
In the beginning there was nothing. God said, "Let there be light!" And there was light... Watching jaw-dropping fireworks by the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been the highlight of the new year so far! Here's to a terrific, mad and exciting 2010!
The only way Parvathi kept track of days during summer holidays was by following serials that appeared on DD Metro. This morning the unimaginative tune of Chandrakantha woke her up...just when she was about to ride appa’s brand new scooter. For a while she wriggled in her bed in an effort to shed the drowsiness and then jumped on to the mosaic floor. As she walked past her thatha (whose hands were busy conducting the coffee wave from the tumbler to the davara) Parvathi gave him a dramatic good morning salute. She didn’t notice his gesture in response, as Parvathi was already headed in the direction of an aroma that was beginning to envelope the house.
In the kitchen Paati sat meddling with the karuveppalaia and the delicious scent of arachi vita sambhar made Parvathi hungry instantly. But as it happens with children, Parvathi’s attention to food was brief and it hopped on to her young cousin in the verandah. He sat there memorizing the ranks of gigantic men on ‘WWF’ cards.
While Amma had forbidden them from playing The Singapore Airlines cards, somehow it was okay to engage oneself with meaningless cards that had men’s biceps and chest sizes listed on them...As she stood at the entrance of the verandah staring at her cousin who had staunchly refused to play more intelligent games, she noticed something.
Something beyond the dependable walls of her grand parents’ cosy home in Officer’s colony. Something that grabbed her attention in a manner that the sambhar or the Herculean men on those cards had failed to do! As she took in the scene, Parvathi stood defeated by many emotions that swamped her all at once....May be it was the peppery air around her or the hopelessness she felt when it came to her cousin’s silly games, you see, Parvathi couldn’t stop crying.
I believe that sometime during his sailing years Sid got the idea that continent hopping was fashionable. That can probably explain how we found ourselves in Australia. Of course there was the motive of higher education. I, for once followed him like a dutiful obedient wife to the second largest city in Tasmania,Launceston...
Honestly to call Launceston a city might be a bit of an exaggeration. When I look at it, the place reminds me of surreal pictures in exotic travel magazines and Lonely Planet guides. Nothing like the ever-so-crowded world of Pondy Bazaar or the urban ruggedness of Dallas.
But I get the feeling I am not remotely disappointed by the absence of bling malls and gigantic super markets. You see for a non-nature lover I surprised myself by falling in love with this small yet beautiful place. I wouldn’t call it quaint...but Launceston seems to be lost somewhere in between its natural unspoilt environment and its raging enthusiasm to keep up with the concrete civilization.
Caught sight of a massive and perfectly semi-circular rainbow while walking back from work and was reminded of how...
We may run, walk, stumble, drive or fly but let us never lose sight of the reason for the journey or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way!
Wynyard: Unforgettable Views
As they say, Tassie is nothing if not for its dazzling wilderness, colonial charm untouched beaches and incredible wine and food. Its urban spirit, fairly recent, will make you wonder if God froze time in Tassie for a small period in time. For a place that accommodates some amazing natural wonders, Tasmania is rather shy...this is my attempt to unearth its dazzling character.
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