The second day of our Road Trip to Manipal was a quiet one. We spent a relaxed day taking in a couple of sights around the town.

The first place we visited was the Heritage Village Museum. This is a private initiative of the Hasta Shilpa Trust which is striving to restore and conserve India’s incredible architectural heritage of private homes. They have meticulously reconstructed examples of traditional houses from different parts of the country, some dating back to the 13th Century! We went on a one hour guided tour which was an enlightening experience. Some of the houses have to be seen to be believed. This is a not-to-be-missed attraction while in the region.

We then went to a local hang-out for lunch. Manipal is essentially an University town. Having studies in one (Pune), it was nice to spend time in another, much smaller and more student oriented.

After lunch, we headed to Mannapalla Lake. There was a small children’s play area that the kids enjoyed playing in before we took a walk around the lake. The sun setting over the lake was a beautiful way to end the day.