Popular TV anchor and actress Ranjini Haridas is not an ordinary traveller as she loves to ferret out more information about the places she is visiting and soak in the beauty of new vistas. Ranjini, who is also an acclaimed radio jockey, has travelled extensively for work and otherwise and makes it a point to vicariously take people to various destinations through her YouTube channel, and her travel credo is simple: ‘Visit places wherever you desire to go’.
The ace presenter is more into adventure travel and before visiting a place she digs deep into its culture, history, cuisine and people. She also surfs the internet to find out nearby places of interest. Ranjini has a craving to walk on sandy beaches and to go on trips that would take her to the lap of Mother Nature.
How was 2020?
Like others, Ranjini too had her share of hiccups that were triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. On the brighter side, she had lot of time to herself and enjoyed life in 2020. “Lockdown was a relief as I like to be all alone. When the restrictions were lifted in a phased manner, I made some sojourns following the Covid-19 protocol. The pandemic poured cold water on my plans to tour South America and I hope it will happen this year,” says Ranjini.
Recently, Ranjini has been to Coorg, Kabini, Wayanad and Thekkady, and her latest vlog gives an insight into the enchanting Kabini. She has also posted some interesting details about her trip to Coorg on her online channel.
Trip to Coorg
Coorg can bowl over anyone with its pristine natural beauty and serenity. This hill station tucked away in the Western Ghats, without surprise, has earned many sobriquets such as ‘India’s Scotland’ and ‘Karnataka’s Kashmir’.
Work took Ranjini to Coorg and after the programme she wore a traveller’s cloak to explore this ethereal place. She has shared her wonderful experience of walking through the coffee and pepper plantations of Sundigopa in Coorg on social media. Ranjini has also uploaded videos of how coffee beans are processed to make aromatic coffee powder.
‘Red Earth’ resort stands out
Ranjini's next destination after visiting Coorg was Kabini, which is part of the Nagarhole National Park. The drive to Kabini is an out-of-the-world experience as one could spot many wild animals on the way. Ranjini stayed at ‘Red Earth’ resort which is owned by one of her friends. The resort, which is adjacent to the Kabini dam, has an aesthetic look as it blends with nature and the stay at the retreat can only be outstanding.
One of the highpoints of the resort is that majority of the people working in the facility belong to the local tribal community. Moreover, various cultural activities of the tribal people are organized to entertain the guests. “One gets the opportunity to know about nature while staying at ‘Red Earth’ resort,” notes Ranjini. From Kabini, the sought-after TV anchor left for Wayanad and Thekkady.
More journeys on the cards
“I don’t have a dream trip. I want to see all the beautiful places on earth and am planning to travel to North-east India. I also hope that the South American tour would materialize this year,” she adds.