Thailand

So this is a post that's been pending for long. I have always been meaning to update you miss blogs, but I have not been able to pour into you, for a variety of reasons.

Actually I think I should tell you the key one (after all, between a girl and her blog, there are no secrets) - it is tough to recollect the memories of the sober times between all the drunken revelry.

But then I am sure there's enough material for this one post:)

So let me begin with telling you about the 3 cities that I went to - Phuket, Koh Samui and Bangkok.

Phuket: I was quite amazed by the number of Indians that live, run business or travel to this place. Now guilty I am, but I did not do any touristy/traveller thing in the city. I mostly lazed in the hotel - 'Amari Coral Resort', which is located on Patong beach. Given the number of people that inhabit this beach, the resort can be credited for being comparatively secluded. Also the beach front views are awesome.

While in Phuket, I did all things one should do in Phuket- well almost! I indulged in flea market shopping, sampled some weird and some not so weird cuisines,  attended pseudo-boxing matches, scoured through it's narrow lanes, traveled in tuk-tuk's with blaring music and 'dhinchak' lights, and indulged in heavenly massages at the various spas that dot the city's land scape.

The night-life in the city can get debaucherous and nothing is beyond bounds in the city if you are looking for it. I was quite intrigued by the lady-boy culture in the city and picked up a book "Ladyboys:The Secret World of Thailand's Third Gender" and the book did make for an interesting read.

Koh Samui: The city is far less crowded when compared with Phuket and also has a definite air of comparative exclusivity. We stayed at 'buri rasa' resort on Chaweng beach (the most popular beach in the city). As unassuming as the place is from outside, once you step in, it's a world of it's own. We had booked one of their deluxe garden court with a dip pool rooms and I for once did not feel the need to step out. It's exactly what I had imagined a tropical paradise to look like.  

The evenings were spent on the Chaweng beach with unending Mohijtos and divine music for company, at one of the beach shacks.

What I really enjoyed doing in Koh-Samui was beach-hopping on a Scooter. What a lovely way to see the city and it's unexplored roads. It was fun uninterrupted.

Bangkok: Bangkok shopping experience had been sold so much to me, that I had decided that I would do nothing but shop, when in the city. So we wanted to do a quick check-in at the Tower club, Lebua hotel and head straight for shopping. But, once inside Lebua, I quickly realised that shopping would have to wait. The view from the balcony of my 51st floor room mesmerized me and held me captive and for a very long time I was doing nothing but watching in awe, at the city.

The day was spent in the hotel lounge and the evening at the Sky bar. Incidentally, I happened to be at the hotel on the new year eve, and the party scene got really livened up at night. Enjoy- I did!

It was only very afternoon of the day next, that we ventured out, in the city. And then again, I fell to the charms of the 'Grand Palace' and 'Wat Arun'. The palace is magnificent and the artistry is par excellence. Wat Arun and the temple of sleeping buddha are also definite must-visits. Having done all that, in the end I did get to shop to my heart's content at the night market and the Siam Square malls.
What a girl wants is what a girl gets!

Bangla boxing at Phuket

 Beach shack at Koh-Samui with a sand-art sculpture

 Buri-Rasa

 Some more of Buri Rasa

The view from Tower Club, Lebua

 The Grand Palace

 The wall murals

 Wow!

My top 20 restaurants in Mumbai

It's a friday afternoon. I am supposed to be busy at work. Supposed- is the key word here. I am also fasting. And I don't ever fast. This is an exception I have made. I am also very hungry. I am daydreaming about food. So, while everyone is on a lunch break, I am quickly going to tell you about all my favourite places to eat - in Mumbai off course:

Here's my top 20 (and let me say this, I must have sampled almost all of Mumbai's restaurant  (at least the good ones))

PS:

- I am a vegetarian and so this list is for those restaurants that have good vegetarian cuisine


- It includes all sorts of cuisines at absolutely all price-points (anyways, what has price got to do with good food). So there are five stars to road side dhabas, all vying for their place in the sun...

- Some of these actually don't even qualify as restaurants .

So here it begins:

1) Hakkasan, Bandra: They are good. Really good. Coming from some one who does not even like Chinese cuisine..

2) Yuatcha, BKC: Again, total love affair

3) Oven fresh, Shivaji Park: Ok! their veg wok is to die for. And in-fact, almost all stuff on the menu is amazing. Hate the wait though. Btw they are quite economic too

4) Soam, Babulnath : For their super-interesting, economic and self-sufficient dishes and menu. The 'Pankis' are a must-try item

5) Shiro, Worli: For their ambiance. I am a fan..

6) The Golconda, Bandra: I actually love Hyderabadi cuisine, so may be that's the reason,  I like this place so much. Though the husband does not quite like this restaurant. So may be it's just me..

7)   Ellipsis, Colaba: Truth be told, whether the food turns out to be good or not depends on what you order, but I like hanging around here. Cool vibe..


8) O22, Trident, BKC- The buffet spread is so finger-licking good, it's a favourite with my 5 year old. Imagine! he already has favourites

9) Oh! Calcutta,Tardeo- Surprise, surprise! their veg menu is actually scrumdiddlyumptious. Anything with mustard sauce goes for me

10) Hangla's, Bandra- Another bengali place. This is a cute little place, which offers good food.

11) Moshe's- Now you can't go wrong with this one. When I really don't know what I wish to eat, this is where I head to. And nowadays they are almost everywhere.

12) Oye Punjabi, Kalyan- What would we not do for good food. We would find excuses to travel all the way to Kalyan and sneak out for this one. Unabashedly punjabi, fail-safe good

13) Neel on the turf, Mahalaxmi Racecourse- Limited menu, done not-so-surprisingly well. Btw, I did love 'Tote' (now, why oh why, did they have to close it)

14) Mainland China- Nobody believes me when I say that I dislike Chinese food. Actually, I love Italian cuisine. But, at Mainland china, they are good at what they do.

15) Out of Blue, Khar: Food- as good as it gets. Ambiance- So good, that I don't want to get up..

15)  Piccadily - What a sad looking place, but what food. Yummmm all the way. The veg lebanese platter is so so so good..

16) Bikaji, Malad- The Rajasthani in me roots for this one.You should just taste the jalebis, just once..

17) Eat around the corner- Why does this place remind me of Europe. May be, that's by design. The salads are a must have.


18) The Village - Loud, garish and totally over the top. Heck! I love it, specially when with the extended family. Bring it on..

20) Pritam the dhaba- The charpais are the sole reason I keep going here. Well! the food ain't bad either


Can I also tell you the ones which are over-hyped, but actually not so great:

1) Indigo Deli- I really really don't like the food there. Like ever! uhh!

2) Lake View restaurant, Renaissance- And what was that. I have given umpteen opportunities to several restaurants at Renaissance and always been disappointed

3) Basilico- I can't tell you why I don't like this. But I can tell you that I don't like it.

4) Suzzette- Aww..Spanish (or whatever cuisine that is) is so not for me

5) Some roof top restaurants (newly opened), Powai- There good luck- I can't remember the name. But, how bad was the food..

The Alpine lands of Switzerland

Yeah! So off course Switzerland is beautiful, and the cheese and the wine make it even more amazing. That is old news. And yet, this is exactly what I wish to begin with.

My trip to Switzerland was not regular in the sense that it was not a leisure trip but rather I happened to be travelling with the husband, who was on a business trip. The good part though was that his work involved travelling across cities, towns and villages. And so while I probably did not do the usual touristy stuff, I still think that I did manage to see the best of Switzerland.

Gstaad:

After landing in Zurich, we immediately proceeded to Gstaad. We decided to take the train (Dilwale Dulhaniya hangover). The first class tickets did cost quite a lot besides the fact that train travel from Zurich to Gstaad meant changing trains thrice and we did realise that we should have researched on that and should have taken the cab instead.

But then once we arrived at the Gstaad Palace, all the travel weariness, was worn off. The place has this subtle elegance around  it. No doubt, that it has been a firm favorite of celebrities ranging from Elizabeth Taylor to Paris Hilton to Kareena Kapoor's of the world.

I loved walking around the small and obviously well-to-do town of Gstaad.Rows of beautiful chalets covered with thick snow, high-end brands dotted shopping centre and joggers in their singular layer of clothing (with me covered in layers and layers) made for an interesting sight.

Interlaken:

The taxi drive from Gtaad to Interlaken took around 2 hours and was beautiful to say the least. At Interlaken, we checked in Victoria Jungfrau, another firm favorite of Bollywood biggies. A chunk of Dilwale Dulhania was shot here. The hotel is all about old hollywood glamour and a dip in the swimming pool which is nicely ensconced amidst the snow covered peaks,  is an experience to be not missed.

Btw, just for disclaimers, since the husband was busy at work, my touring was mostly about pedestrian walks across the city and hotel leisure.

Grindelwald:

The big Harry Potter fan that I am, I could not help but chuckle at the obvious inspiration that the town has been for crafting the name of one of the characters in the series i.e. Gellert Grindelwald.

That apart, one step into the town and we were cursing under our breath for not knowing 'skiing'. The place is a ski-lover's delight. Just a look at the ski-infrastructure that the swiss have created made us go all wooh-wooah-wow!

Aeschi

One of the swiss business associates of the husband had suggested us to squeeze out time and go to 'Chimney Hut' - a local favourite swiss restaurant. So on a sunday afternoon, after a long drive from Interlaken to the sleepy town of Aeschi (just for the restaurant :)), we reached the restaurant. And bingo! we were taken aback by seeing the number of families that were there (given that the Swiss don't seem to be numerous). It definitely looked like a very popular place. The fact that we did not know German or ate non-vegetarian food did complicate the ordering process. But the food was oh so yummy! I totally understand why it's so famous. Totally worth the drive.

Mt. Titlis

Truth be told, apart from the 'hindi script' instructions at various junctures, I did not enjoy this place much. Reason no.1 - biting cold and reason no 2- the fact  that I was constantly ruing the fact that I did not know how to ski, in that skiing paradise.

Rhine River Fall:

Just a little detour on our trip from Interlaken to Lucerne, this fall is as pretty as they come. Waters- crystal clear, glacier blue hued, descending straight with all their gusto into the river down below. I have always loved looking at the water, and this was an experience to relish.

Lucerne

Lucerne is what I have always thought of Europe to look like. It is a shopper's delight ( and a husband's nightmare:)), quaint (at least the old town part) and picturesque. I  did love watching the swans forever, as they merrily danced around in the icy cold lake that separates the old town and the new town.

Zurich:
I chose the 'Wellenberg hotel' in the old town for the night over stay. Nothing very fancy, but nice and functional and most importantly  quite in the midst of all places I did want to go to. What I loved most about Zurich- the trains, the dinner at the all-veg upscale restaurant 'Hilti' and  the walks on the streets of Zurich, with a lot of window-shopping thrown in for good measure.

I was staring hard at the Swiss franc 1900 Christian Louboutins strap sandals when a fellow window-shopper quipped- ah! those shoes are exquisite. They are so you. I moaned-just so slightly!

Walking down the Gstaad Palace

Some more of the Alpine forests
  

 Lucerne

 Grindelwald

 Rhine Falls

 More of Lucerene

 The majestic swans

 Walking down the streets

Lachen, Lachung and Gangtok

When I am the most overworked, I remember this blog the most! So this confirms my suspicions- when you really wish to make time for something, you often do:)

Also, the husband is enjoying Zurich just now and I am tad disappointed of not being able to make it. But then, as he was describing the Alps and the ranges, I was thinking about the Himalayas.

So, I decided to do this travelogue of a place I visited some time back and which to date, figures in my top 3.

Sikkim is yet not extremely commercialised and specially in  the interiors, the roads are so bad that travel becomes really tough. Thank god for that though, otherwise I could have imagined how these places would have been exploited.

                                                              Mayfair, Gangtok

The open skies boast of their blue vastness

They tease, they prod - can I match their textures

 

He smiles his knowing smile

catching a breath, marvelling at his perfectness

at the sweetness of innocence

at the magic of effervescence

 

The icy teesta flows

I question and I reason

it looks back at me

and says this-

sometimes 'flowing' is the only way 

The smallness of the door

masks the grandness of the view

 

 Between the rocks and the gravels

our shrill waters travel

and then somewhere in someunknown lands

the mystery unravels 

 

                                                            

Roadway to heaven

 

Stories of people not met

tales of clans not heard before

and yet I feel I know them

intimately, closely

 

Seven Sister Falls





I met some people

I heard some voices

I saw some places

I think I belong

 

 

Simplicity - charms

life - moments

pictures - stories

fields afar...

 

                                                                 Those really are roads

Humanity has unique ways of making itself visible

furry, white, cottony

the snow engulfs

The masks - at apple orchard, lachen

fierce, sudden - pop of colour

 

Black, Blank and Bleak

And then there are days like today,
  black, blank and bleak..
    they remind me of deep secrets and dark fears
        of arid lands, undusted cobwebs and cold gushing winds
     
my sunshine is in distant lands
  and the moon is light years away
   the mind is playing weird games
       the body is in its complete sway

'less' is occupying more of me
     and the 'more' seems to be watching me from distance
       holding on, waiting, egging me to hold all of it
          I- hesistant and wary, taking unsure steps

But then tomorrow is another day.....

   

Memories of Hanoi

Oh! its been so long, since I have come to you miss blogs! not that i did not travel or miss you in the interim, but life's been a roller-coaster.

But then here I am. And today I will share the secrets of Hanoi with you. I visited Hanoi in the December of '12. The city is not something which will make you go all 'wowish' from the onset. But it has something that does stay with you, quite like the fragrance of sandal-wood - it has a lingering effect. It grows on you and is specially sweeter in after-thought.

I stayed in the old-quarter and I would recommend that to everyone visiting the place, because it's the epi-centre of the city's culture and all its happenings. It is very soaked in the vietnamese way of living. Some things strike you as 'alag' - like how the locals huddle on the dining table to slurp their soups and eat their noodles punctually at the designated lunch hours, right in the middle of their shops, all curtains up or how the streets are so structured amidst the chaos and there are these lines of shops selling chinese-wares at one end and just as you take a sharp turn, the next street would be all about groceries and next about flowers and the very next about pots and pans or even knives.

Also, I could not understand the obsession with hair. They may be cleaning up toilets for all you could care but the women are so particular about their hair- freshly streaked, curled, touched up- ah-may-zing!

The people ever so polite, the language ever so confounding, the obsession with Ho-chi-minh so difficult to fathom, the chinese cultural influences so evident, buddhism so different from the one practised in our country makes the city a nice little conundrum.

Will I visit Hanoi again- I can't say, but what I would never forget would be the vegetarian meals at 'Namaste hanoi', the visit to 'perfume pagoda' on that tiny little thing of a boat, the kayaking trip, the 'water puppet' show.

Of memories (Unknown author)-

"Imagine if I was given one moment,
just a single slice of my past.
I could hold it close forever,
and that moment would always last.

I'd put the moment in a safe,
within my hearts abode.
I could open it when I wanted,
and only I would know the code."

The city is now in my memories........

Mea 'Kalpa'

There is a place in Himachal, in the valley of Sutlej River, enway to Spiti valley, called 'Recong Peo'. I really don't know why it is named how it is named, but its an interesting name....

As you travel upwards from Recong Peo, at the feet of Kinnaur Kailash snow capped peaks, is a tiny hamlet called 'Kalpa'. And when you enter this place, you pretty much forget everything else.

It's a world of it's own, ironical and beautiful - sleepy livewire people, buddhist hinduism followers, rows of neat emptiness, monateries followed by nagini temple.

The place enthralls, the apple and peach orchards hold you captive. The walks on the narrow lanes with small water streams of pure and ice-cold crytalline waters, gushing out from unsuspecting corners, are all stuff memories are made of.

                                   At a monastery cum School in Rekong Peo (do you notice how big is the Buddha Statue...)

 

Inegenious ways to go to class. 

 

 

 The Kinnaur Kailash

 

Near the orchards

 

On the roads

 

 Buddha looks at me

And thats the main monastery of Kalpa

I am in love with the mountains and this place makes me go - Mea culpa, Kyrie eleison .....Aha!!