Places to enjoy in manipal

Honestly I have not known many(except my college mates , off course) , who know much about Manipal , this place because indeed it’s an isolated area where out of the 10 people you see, probably 7 are students of the various institutions of Manipal University (more like the Harvard of India)=p.

It was an initial August day when I first arrived here, and the first reaction was like what a place. For a person living in a metropolitan like Delhi for nothing but 17 years of their life , the change was going to be difficult. Plus the monsoon, killer rains. Its shining bright and suddenly it starts to pour HEAVY and while you think of settling underneath some shelter its gone, and there’s sun again. =D And the humid March heat, it can almost get to your nerves. Overall except a few bad months the climate is pleasant (especially at night) and for rain lovers it’s a delight.

Manipal is a small town(doesn’t give me a tough time writing about it).=P

As you enter Manipal , coming from Udupi you see a line of small almost shop sized showrooms of brands like Adidas, Benetton, Fast Track , Nike. (Yes this is the first and last time you will see branded stuff in Manipal). As you go up comes the road to Domino’s ,while there’s nothing really to tell you about it there indeed is. In Manipal, we don’t have  Mc Donalds or Kfc or Pizza Hut so if its your birthday and you are kind enough to splurge this is the place to treat , henceforth its always full .=P Having said that food at Manipal is definitely NOT a disappointment. We may not have the best Chinese , Italian or north Indian food, but we can always surprise you and the best part is the fact that it is never a burden on your purse. Some of our very own eating places are China Valley, Basil, Tasty Bites, Snack shack(speciality: potato lovers), Planet Café , Café 7 bees (best known for it’s yummy burgers), Saiba . (it is never difficult to find these or infact any place in Manipal, because the auto walla’s just always know everything and anything you name).

Coming back to the road, we go ahead to the heart of Manipal, Tiger Circle better known as TC is basically where 4 roads from different parts of the town meet, this place is never out of life.Be it awesome juice parlours, travel agents , Manipal’s biggest grocery, you get it all. Move forward through the line of shops, local dhabas on one side and THE Kasturba Medical College and Hospital on the other side, till you reach the turn to Manipal Insititute of Technology (MIT), or move forward to reach End point . Yes this is the place where you can have an enriching, panoramic view of the Suarna river and lush green landscape overlooking the Arabian Sea. The trek to the river downhill is one of its kind as it adds the perfect element of adventure =D.

So going to the other side of our campus, the lake side, Yes Manipal derives its name from this lake also called as Manupala Lake. In peak season it is a great place to go in the evening/early morning, sit by the side and enjoy the beauty of nature .Scenically this is the best place in Manipal. And nearby is the Venugopal temple where the both localites go for their prayers. (Yes this is the most IN place around the time of end sems=P).

Being a coastal area, it would be unfair on my part to not talk about the beautiful beaches near Manipal. Malpe and Kaup are the two most nearby beaches. Unlike other commercial beaches of Mumbai and Goa, these beaches are not so adulterated in the sense of commercialisation. Malpebeing very popular amongst the locals for fishing and port, St. Mary’s Island is a tourist destination having its own historical importance. While Kaupe is a more “dangerous “ beach and has a lighthouse perfectly located and a photographer’s delight. For those looking for some fun we have places like the railway bridge which is basically a bridge with a twist, Yes you can climb down below the bridge, while the train passes over it (:

Now about the life of people at Manipal , despite being far away from being a major city we manage to have our share of fun . Yes there is no dearth of pubs, bars, discos and restaurants in Manipal. A place to mention here is Deetee( patronised by the students).After every exam or generally on Saturdays you will see this place crowded, with people getting high on the heavy music if nothing else . Besides you have Blue waters , edge , enigma, Cox and Mox and many more.

This may not be the best place to live , but definitely an awesome place to visit .