Sri Lanka is a heaven for family vacations. 

So here I am with all my great experiences of Srilanka visit in this June. Trust me it is one of the best place to visit if you really like greenery too much. It is an amzing destination for those who believe in travelling at simple cost but for big relaxation. I will try to discuss and give you few hints that why as a family you should must visit this small and beautiful country. Srilankans are most happy heart and simple citizens. My kids learnt a by travelling to this country. 

We had been to Kerala last year and we found lot many cultural similarities between Sri Lanka and Kerala. Sri Lanka is less crowded without concrete jungles too. Which we saw in Kochi. Sri Lanka is like opening eyes in heavily forested land. We hired a taxi from the airport for three days stay.Our hotel Cinnamon Citadel was located into Kandy. 

Landing at the Colombo airport was bit bad experience as it is still in to mediaval ages structure without much facilities. Toilet was not maintained too. But when we started our trip it was like freshest air on this Earth going into your lungs. All the way to Kandy we were just stunned by the beauty of this land. 


You will see loads of pottery shops and fruits shops on the way. I really wished to buy a lot many things but our trip was furth to few other countries so controlled  my shopping urges very decently. But if you have no luggae weight problems and this is the only destination than you can buy great fruits and local handicrafts. 

 

Our taxi driver was a regular highly commercialized guy and forced us to a local tea shop with high prices for the refreshments n tea. Somehow we sensed it then later on refused his smart suggestions to visit particular spice gardens etc. I think I was quite wise for carrying snacks in small packs like dry fruits, baked goods and laddu mathri for both kids. If you have water and snacks you can travel very easily with kids. Hungry kids create more fuss in travelling long distances by road.

We covered first tourist attraction Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage on the way to Kandy. Nothing just over hyped place but very organized way they feed baby elephants in front of you n crowd. There are specific timings for it and after this 30 minutes show they take 7-9 elephants for river bath. So wait for it. Spend some leisure time. But I kept scratching my head all the time that a small country can think about it and we saw 800-900 Japanese and Europeans group enjoying the show cheerfully but why Indian wild life sanctuaries can not opt this easy thing to attract the tourists? 


Our hotel was great. We enjoyed their amazing spread of dinner and breakfast all three days. Ample of local fruits, baked goods, Indian food specialities and quality of each product was amazing. Their rooms were big, bathrooms were huge  and their room service was very quick too. We really felt bad in Taj Vivanta Trivendrum for tiny rooms and pathetic bathrooms at high prices last year. But Cinnamon Citadel is lush green hotel with own boating services. This hotel is having backside river bank. Very stunning back view. 


We started our trip with brunch at Balaji Dosai in Kandy. Very tasty and fresh masala dosa they prepared. We ordered regular thali meal but due to lack of taste in local meals were not able to eat it full. But over all quality was too good. Take your own hand towel or tissue papers. They offer some rough paper only to wipe hands. 


We had been to the Temple of the Tooth( Mahatma Budh’s tooth is preserved here). It is very well kept here. Full of Buddhist monks and full of fresh lotus offerings. One of the most cleanest temple I have seen in my life. They open the views of tooth at 6.30 pm. It is kept upstairs. Down stairs several drummers present awesome beats for two hours continuosly. Please avoid short clothes. 


Our trip to Ceylon museam was eye opeing for the both kids. Multiple story building is very ancient and made of mahogani teakwood. Ticket prices are bit high but the tea they offer in the last is magical indeed. It is situated in the first tea garden of Srilanka. Offers a technical view on the ancient to modern ways of making tea. If you have well behave and quite kids than please  do visit this place. 


The most satisfying place we visited was Mahalaya Bodh Vihar. I have no idea why my husband took us this place where even locals were not presented but the moment we started hiking up it was like direct interaction with our own soul. We all were dead tired but when reached the top it was a breathless view indeed. Walking Budha’s tall statue and surrounding temple is amazingly built. Do visit. Kids will enjoy the little mountaineering. 


Our visit to another Budha temple on top mountain as Big Budha was to check whole Kandy  with bird’s eye view. Again this Budha structure also huge and very tall but in sitting position. Kandy looks mesmeriIng and cool from this temple. The breeze is so magical that you will fall in love with this place. Need some clean cut clicks of Kandy from high place?mThan visit this temple. 

Our final destination in Sri Lanka was Dambula caves. We saw it and it conquered our hearts. Thousands of foreighners to see this place, multiple positions of Budha carved under the mountain blocks and place is damn clean and beautiful. Just avoid the easy staircases as they are full of monkeys. But the main cave complex is well protected with electric fences to avoid the monkey menace. 


We loved Sri Lanka so much. People are very friendly. Just avoid wearing regular revealing or short clothes. Local women are very modest and humbly dressed. Keep some first aid box handy because not much medical shops around. Itis obviously they are living avery happy and peaceful life so not much medicines needed too. 

Please avoid litering in the public places. Sri Lankans are very cleanliness loving people. 

One day I will go back there to live few more days in this green heaven. 







Majestic Thailand with millions of temples in it.

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We started our trip with Phuket in June 2016 end. Phuket is amazingly beautiful place. We loved the mountains and beaches combination.

We saw every second home or shop having tiny temples with floral offerings.In the evening each n every temple was having Fanta(Strawberry flavored) with straw in the offering.

Our kids loved the view. It was wonderful feeling to see all those tiny temple cleaned and well maintained. Such a surprise for us.

I remembered Indian tiny temples on the roads squares and cows around it. But in Thailand you will not see a single cow around those temples. Very well maintained temples.

Our temple darshans kept going on throughout the Thailand visit. In Bangkok we saw the emerald Budha’s temple in the full glory. Oh My God! They preserved the whole old temple into the museum and recreated a new one. such a delightful visit to the Thailand.

If you have little kids with love for architecture than please do visit Thailand sometime.

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10 Reasons for Non Muslim kids to visit a Mosque.

10 Reasons for Non Muslim kids to visit a Mosque.

Image courtesy – Mr. Google

Well this article is purely based on my own experiences and it has to do nothing with any religious purposes.I am a Hindu but practicing Buddhism for long time. Recently my son corrected somebody in his friend circle about mosque concepts. That boy’s mother asked me later “how do you know so much about Mosques and your kids too?” I smiled back to her ” I was born in a house adjacent to a mosque, my mother’s parents used to live on the corner of a Mosque, I got married to Mosque’s next door living Architect, than I was a widow and my parents got me remarried to a person who lives in here in Qatar again living a close proximity to a Mosque”. Than I felt of writing this article. About my own experiences about Mosques.

I took my kids to Golden Temple, Amritsar,Punjab India.My son loved those tiny water filled canals on the entry to wash n purify the feet. He didn’t remembered once the heavy gold plated temple inside but yes the fishes in the pond a lot. Kids are like that.They are pure heart and remember the simplest things only.

We had been to a big church in Kanyakumari last year.My both kids remember tiny glass displays on Christ’s life out side the church compound. They dont remember the gold inside the church at all. No carvings no architecture just those mini sculptures all they remember.We also visited Shri Padmanabhan temple in Thiruananthpuram, Kerala,India but all my son remembers an ancient clock on the gateway of temple and his chance to wear Mundu(Lungi) which is necessary to enter the temple. He got first time body checking too due to security reasons.But he loved it as giggle time. Kids have their own perspective to see the things their way.That is why I thought of writing few things about mosques too. I request all to read my full article before commenting or sending me messages.

1- Architecture  – I asked my 8 years old daughter about architecture of few things. Her own father was an eminent architect so I always want her to be an architect. But see how kids see the things in their imaginations. She turn toward me and told me that Mosques architecture reminds her of big chubby granny (my mother is quite chubby and tall lady).I felt surprised and asked her why?She told me “I feel calm looking at Granny(Nani) so do I feel  when I look at mosque. I admit Mosques gives me too same feeling.I feel protected and calm by just looking at them.May be she is relating the building structure to a big granny standing.How good it feels to see a motherly figure in mosque.I am so happy on my daughter’s innocence. Mosques are always same everywhere. Being a sign of protection and shelter. This is how may be my daughter looked at this point.

2- Solidarity – My mother’s parental house in Moradabad India is adjacent to Shahi Masjid with onecorner.We used to jump in on terrace and play a lot with tiny madsarsa kids in summer vacations. That cold water and big huge compound was our second home always.Later on they leveled up to increase the Madarsa capacity and we were busy in our higher studies too. My son likes that Mosque a lot. He feels that I was lucky to play there a lot. It is actually a huge mosque in dense Mandi Chowk street.Without any park or ground we were always ended up in mosque to play a lot. Several years later I passed by and stepped in to drink some water in summers to feel that precious childhood again and head cleric called me by name.It was a pure solidarity of his heart that I felt like my own father called my name.Such precious moments.

3- Peace – My childhood was a normal one with mumps, chickenpox(mata) and choliya(bigger chickenpox). And trust me in Uttar Pradesh still people of all religion go to mosque for jhada(with a peacock feather bunch by cleric) and water to drink from Mosque.It is considered as most holy water just like Ganga river water. So once I had mumps and my glands were swollen and same time I was having very high fever too. My father picked me in his lap and visited nearby mosque.I was on boiled warm water and having all that boiled food.But cleric did jhada and gave me two batashas(sugar cubes)with cool water to eat. I felt so happy and within two days I was recovered with that happiness and his blessings.That taste of cold water I never forgot.

My husband died and I got remarried very soon to a fresh widower as my parents wish.I came to Qatar. I was restless and was continuously dreaming of my first husband. Somebody suggested me to ask any cleric to read Fatiha for his soul. But I hesitated.One afternoon I went to mosque nearby stand in front of its main door. It was prayer time. I remembered my husband and washed my hands and face with water outlet.I sat there for a while. I was a fresh grieving widow. I had so much towards the God that my 39 years old husband was taken, leaving two little kids behind. After sometime I felt something in my heart like being strong and stress free. I came back to my home.I was at peace.I was calmer person now.I was back to my responsibilities. That day that one hour outside of mosque I realized that religion has to do nothing.Your faith decides who will take care of you.For me it is a deep unknown connection with Azans and Mosques. I can feel them immensely related to my own life routine.

4- Discipline – My father is a retired Indian Army officer. We are raised in much stricter disciplined life rather than civilians do. I get up at sharp 4.15-.4.30 everyday since my childhood. I take early morningbath.At sharp 5.15 pm around I light the lamp in my worship place and every single thing important is related to the mosque nearby my house I have observed. Every Azan is related to my most important work. When people say they sleep late or come home late or their belated wishes even that moment I feel thankful to almighty that I am never away from Mosques ever in my life.Their timing of prayers keep me up to date and more disciplined always. My kids are learning same thing of being disciplined always.

5- Cleanliness – You slip your shoes out, wash your feet and hands to enter a mosque. You are pure now to pray but for first time visitors it is more surprising to see that a big carpeted hall is inside with nothing inside except few chairs for elders and holy books in small beautiful fold-able benches.Youjust feel the concept of being clean and simple.A building devoted to almighty gives you a finest example of being simple in life. Stepping in mosque for the first time feels like standing under the hands of a holy n divine person. You can feel the cleanliness in your heart and tears start rolling out. You can feel the warmth on your shoulders of somebody’s calm hands assuring of taking care of you.

6- Unity – Every fasting time you can see people opening their fast together in one plate without any nuisance around. Quietly, smilingly and being thankful to almighty. This gives a visual of being happy in being equal and united. It reminds of my early childhood eating in one big large plate with my so many cousins. I wait all year to see these happy timings near mosques.Feels good and very own to me.

7- Most scientific devotion – The Azan (Prayer call) reminds the time to pray but before that also people with set timings start walking towards the mosque. You going anywhere or coming back from anywhere, the moment you see lot many people walking towards the mosque that means you can easily understand what is the time now. I told this few times to my both kids and now they understand well that how scientific and amazing this time system of praying is actually. Five times round the day they hear Azan and come to know what is time now. So good,so pure,so systemically kids learn the time without looking at the wrist watch or wall clock. I personally loved this concept as well as my kids too.

8- Respect of books – Now a days kids have common tendency of throwing books here and there and no value for money spent in books. I looked at holy books kept well and people reading them with utmost respect while turning the pages too praying a lot. I never saw myself throwing a book in floor ever. I learnt a lesson for Shahi Masjid early childhood that we should respect our books always. In ancient times it must be very hard to get a paper or book. Several times I feel that our ancestors already taught us several things indirectly but we ignored and kept cutting trees to get more paper to waste more books to throw here and there. Here is global warming due to this. Visiting a mosque for me was an early eye opening to keep my books in more dignified way always.

9- Praying is healthy – Five times a day you are praying and remembering the almighty. Five times you are stretching your entire body.Five times you are washing your hands and feet. Five times you are walking to pray at a certain place or mosque. Five times you are sitting close to Earth. Can you count the benefits all in all? That means if you are following the prayer system you will feel more energetic and remain more healthy. You will be more calm, relaxed and happy. Isn’t it? This is for every religion on Earth but actually we are not punctual so are our kids. But explaining the concept of prayer by visiting a mosque can be an eye opening point for little kids. They can learn so many benefits of praying every day.Now a days when our kids are getting into more tough scenario to develop themselves it is important to remained calm and relaxed a lot.Praying helps.

10- Charity – Nobody needs anything on this Earth. By visiting a mosque you learn this. I have learnt this. All you need is a pure heart for all human kinds and living beings. You learn to sacrifice your own happiness for others happiness. Mosques being simple and open for all gives us the finest examples of being kind heart. You stand in front of a mosque and can feel it. It is big, clean, water available and open for all. What else you want in a shelter in bad weather?Life is full of several kind of weathers and clean open mosques are best place to visit for some peace in those moments and to take kids for teaching something good in life too!Visit a mosque with your kids to learn “how to live a clean, simple and disciplined life”.

Happy life!