The Bungalow on the Beach

The long trip to Tranquebar or Tharangambadi on a 'misinformed' (self-induced) whim was tiring. Travelling by road for nearly 6 hours with only a short break for lunch just wasn't enough. So, when I finally reached the Bungalow on the Beach, it was with a sense of relief. It quickly turned into sheer happiness when I saw the inside of my room and the view from the windows. 

View of the sea opposite my room

Right beside the beach, I could hear the waves crashing all through the day & night. Initially, it was a little disorienting, a new type of sound to get used to. But, after a while, the sounds of the sea were soothing and lulled me to deep, refreshing sleep. 

Neemrana's non-hotel (as they like to call it) is as described on their website - a heritage property, restored painstakingly and lovingly to its original state. Almost. There are modern conveniences like air-conditioners and ensuite bathrooms which are later additions to the property. The renovations have been done in a way where it blends in with the rest of the architecture and decor. 

The Bungalow on the Beach in the
evening just as the lights came on

The foyer with its warm vibe

The Bungalow on the Beach was built in 1845 during British rule as the collector's residence (according to a book in the hotel). The Neemrana Hotels bought the building in 2002 from the previous owners and it has been with them since. Interested guests can browse through the hotel's album which details the various stages of restoration of the Bungalow on the Beach.

My room was adequately spacious. Surprisingly, it wasn't huge like one gets to see in other heritage buildings or in most other Neemrana properties. High ceilings, large windows and a canopied bed, it was cozy and comfortable. The bathroom was a bit small but it didn't bother me too much as the rest of the environs were beautiful - inside and outside. 

Antique fixtures & artwork as seen in the hotel

The size of the bolts & hinges will give you an idea
of the huge sizes of the doors & windows in the place :)

The top floor verandah runs around the bungalow, with rooms opening on to it. It was a great place to sit and watch the waves or just day dream. An easy chair, a book to read, a cup of tea (or a tall, cold drink depending on the weather) and I could have spent hours there. One side of the building faces the beach and the one side the Dansborg Fort. A third adjoins the 14th century Massilamani Nathar temple. You can pick your choice of the views. :)

14th century temple and sea on the
far side of the swimming pool

View of the fort from the hotel at sunset.
The skies were unbelievable!

A nesting bird in the trees opposite the verandah

The staff were warm and friendly. The food was local cuisine and yummy, unless you wanted continental dishes, which were also available. There are no other places in town to try the local fare. 

Verandah on the ground floor

Made from fruits from their own orchards
in some other part of the country

I spent two days in Tranquebar and loved every moment of it. It's a small town and there aren't many places to stay there besides Neemrana's properties - the Gate House (photos at the end of this post) is the second. The Nayak House on Goldsmith Street is another place to stay. A former Neemrana property, it is reportedly now owned and operated by another entity. 

I have stayed at other Neemrana properties too (I admit I am a fan of the Hotels & the concept) but this particular one had me completely charmed. Maybe it was a bit of the place too that had me enthralled.

Photos of the Gate House:

The hotel is so named due its proximity to the old town gate. 

Traditional swing near the courtyard

Carved pillars that are jaw droppingly amazing

The bathrooms - old yet new

Yet another antique - a coconut scraper

The town gate as seen from the hotel

Note: This is NOT a sponsored trip or review. As I said, I am a fan. ;)

A bungalow & a gate - Tranquebar

Continuing my series on the landmarks in Tharangambadi. 

The Danish Governor's Bungalow

The colonnaded facade of the Governor's Bungalow

The Danish Governor's Bungalow was built around 1784. It was a private residence but later bought over by the Danish government to be made into the official residence of the Governor. It supposedly housed 33 successive Danish governors and subsequently the Sessions' Court, the Salt Office and a part of the post office under Bristish rule. 

When I visited, there was work going on as part of the restoration process started in 2008. The building seems to have been in a very dilapidated condition before work began, therefore it's no wonder the work continues. The transformation as you can see for yourself is wonderful and I imagine, painstaking.

The dilapidated bungalow before restoration

A view of the courtyard inside the bungalow

A view of the massive doors (>8ft at least) &
all the way through various other doors

There are plans to convert the bungalow into a cultural centre for the public with a library, an exhibition area as well house a shop and restaurant. 

A view of the fort & the sea beyond it from
the terrace of the bungalow

The Governor's Bungalow is situated on King's Street opposite the Dansborg Fort and just a few metres away from Neemrana's Bungalow on the Beach. 


The Gate

The town gate through which you enter Tharangambadi of old is a narrow arched structure. 

The gate was originally built in the 1600s but was torn down and rebuilt in 1792 which still stands today. Of course, the town has grown around it and there are other ways to get into Tharangambadi but it's as quaint as the town and worth a look. 

The Gate House hotel, another Neemrana property, got its name from this landmark and is another restored heritage property.

Razhu Pru - cosy & comfortable

On my trip to Kohima, I stayed at Razhu Pru, a quaint, colonial villa turned into a boutique hotel. Razhu Phru is situated in Kohima village, which is incidentally the oldest and largest of the areas that make up the city. Razhu (name of the owner) and Pru (shelter) is how the name is described in the hotel's brochure. 

Note: the photos were all shot at dusk, please view it from that perspective :)

Wood is the predominant element in the interiors and the structure of the building, similar to most houses built in hill stations in the colonial era. Wooden beams, ceiling, floors, columns can be seen all over the place.

The common area, what might have been the erstwhile drawing room, is charmingly decorated with furniture and artefacts from traditional Naga culture. It's a room where I spent a pleasant half hour just browsing through the art on the walls and admiring the furniture. The only drawback to this room is that it has no windows, therefore the only natural light is from the entrance doors. 

A view of the garden from the verandah

The rooms are all well-furnished and bright with an understated elegance. I was told the pretty fabrics come from the factories owned by the proprietors themselves. My room was charming, faced the front of the house with windows overlooking the garden. It was brightly lit and gave off a comfy, cosy vibe. Some of the other rooms on the opposite side of the property, I believe, have clear views of the hillside. 

The food they offer is both traditional Naga cuisine as well as some of the popular Indian and Western dishes. Breakfast is simple and limited. But for lunch and dinner, you can place your order from their vast menu. I was all for the local cuisine, I could not seem to get enough of the bamboo shoot with meat preparations in Nagaland. A word of caution though, bamboo shoot tastes nothing like regular vegetables or greens. It's definitely an acquired taste. 

Razhu Pru has schools in the vicinity and you can see and hear students clearly in the mornings and evenings when they are on their way to or out of school. It was a tad bit noisy but definitely not a deal breaker (at least for me) though I spent two days there which included a very vocal basket ball match in the school opposite. 

I was there in October, so the weather was just turning chilly. The days were fine with the sun warm enough not to warrant any warm clothes but the evenings and early mornings were cold. The area around the hotel, while quite urbanised has some small (hillside) lanes which I walked, exploring the neighbourhood. There were pretty houses, friendly people and some fabulous views. 

View of Kohima town & the surrounding hills
with their cloud covered peaks

The staff at Razhu Pru are friendly and helpful and ready with helpful suggestions on things to see and do in the neighbourhood. 

All across the North East, the places I stayed in were clean and comfortable even if they were basic. Razhu Phru was the same but more luxurious. After two weeks on the road, ending the trip here was probably the best decision I made. It felt so good!

For more information, photos or to contact the hotel directly, you can visit their facebook page - http://on.fb.me/1AyKdtm

Other posts on the North East in this blog:

Peace & Eternal Rest (Nagaland) 

Country Roads (Arunachal Pradesh)

Of lights & curiosities

Apart from the well-known Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum), Mumbai also has a much smaller musem, quaint but interesting. 

Now, known as the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad City Museum, it was formerly the Victoria and Albert Museum and is located in the Jijamata Udyan premises (erstwhile Victoria Gardens) in Byculla. So much for our country's colonial past! :)

Much has been written about this 130+ years old museum by better bloggers than me, for it's an irresistible piece of history of this intriguing, ever changing and evolving city. 

Rather than repeat all that's been written about this beautiful building and all that it contains, I am going to post a few photos of some of the bits that I found interesting, in and around the museum. 

The beautifully restored interiors of the museum. You can catch a glimpse of the statue of Prince Albert that rests on the ground floor. It's huge!

The tiles on the grand staircase that leads up to the top floor. They are supposed to be the original Minton tiles imported all the way from England when the museum was built. 

A view of the decorated ceiling from the first floor

The gorgeous chandelier suspended from the ceiling close to the staircase

The turnstile that still allows entry into the main hall of the museum from the foyer outside

The plate on the turnstile that vouches for its British origins

A lamp post on a huge pedestal was lying in a small patch of garden on one side of the museum building. Giving it company were a few statues, some headless (more of that later). They all seemed to have been moved from various parts of the city, too interesting to be junked (thankfully) but past their usefulness. 

The lamp had a plaque on it that said "Erected A.D. 1867 in honour of The Right Honourable Sir Seymour Fitzgerald, K.C.S.I., The Governor of Bombay by the Esplanade Committee." There is a mention of A.F. Bellasis, A.T. Crawford and (I think) K Muncharam as President and Members (of the committee). No other details of the lamp or its history were available.

The heavily ornamented street lamp. Unlikely to be electric as Bombay hadn't seen electricity until 1882. 

 . 

The sides of the lamp's pedestal had this bowl and lion's head. Wonder if the mechanics of a fountain were in-built into the pedestal.

One side had a metal ladder reaching up to the top. Presumably, to operate the lamp and occasionally clean it too.

Headless marble statues of various colonial figures. Plaques mentioned Lord Cornwallis (standing) and Lord Wellesley (seated) as two of them.

I haven't included any photographs of the artefacts and dioramas that are inside the museum as they were overwhelmingly large in number. Since the museum was set up to showcase India's (under colonial rule) arts, crafts and industry it has numerours artefacts from the subcontinent - carved objects, metal work, inlay work. It also includes models of various scenes - in villages, of tradesmen, of various communities and their culture etc. 

Among them are images with descriptions of some of the Gods and Goddesses from Hinduism. Considering it's almost Valentine's Day, I think it's appropriate to end this post with the image and description of Kamdev (Cupid's equivalent) as seen in the museum. :)

The label says, "Kamdeva, the God of love, is the son of Brahma. He holds a bow made of sugarcane with humming bees and arrows with flower-tipped shafts of desire. It is said that he roams the earth during spring and fires his arrows at sages, young girls and married women."

:)