Marrakesh

The city of spices, flavors and smells

We travelled to Marakkesh from Madrid after having spent a good 10 days in Aldusia region of Spain (South spain). The thing with  Europe is that whether you like it or not, you just get used to the orderliness of it all very quickly. And so travelling straight away into a place like Marakkesh can be a bit overwhelming to start with all its chaos.

It is very Jaipur-like in its soul. I mean that I felt almost immediately after setting my foot there but then as you slowly uncover the city, it does reveal very its Moroccan soul.

We stayed in the Riads, which is pretty much the centre of Old Marakkesh.  

We had picked up this small, quaint Riad called Riad Linda run by a German woman quite obviously called Linda. The entire street is lined with many many Riads such as this one with a beautiful door which completely enamoured me.

The good thing about living in the city centre is that you are within walking distance of most of the famous souks. And souks are the soul of this city.

They will call you, capture your imagination and then make you reminisce about an era gone by, because time does stand frozen here. The souks are a treasure trove of all things beautiful- the glass works, the ittars (perfumes), the spices, beauty products, the argan oil cooperative shops. Sometimes you can’t help think like you are running in a disney world set of Aladdin and Chalees chor.

Don’t believe me, just watch: 

The pots and pans - Aah! the explosion of colours

The story in all these weaves

 This is sheer beauty- All these dishes and those tagine pots

Somewhere near a Hammam

The flowers and the smell

  If looks could kill- mountain of spices

The beauty  in all these  dishes

 On way to Atlas mountain

At Atlas mountain

This city has an abundance of my favourite colour

The  Atlas mountains

Marakkesh you stole my heart. 

I promise to see you some time again...

The food and the foodie in Goa!!

Goa, Cochin and Udaipur are the three cities in India that I visit ever so often. And given that me and my husband are the types who love exploring new places all the time , it actually says sth about these cities. Every time we go to these places we discover sth new, we do something new. So this year, we sort of broke away from our tradition of an annual Goa trip in the monsoons. For this year we celebrated x-mas in Goa.

Even before we landed we had decided that we are going food tripping in Goa this time around. A lot of my friend found the idea weird given that we are vegetarians and to them Goa spells sea food heaven with a capital S.

So now I am going to straight away tell you about all the awesome restaurants that we visited and all the food awesomeness that happened. 

Here s the grand list : Veenu's list of Goa restaurant:

Tried and tasted:

Restaurants-

1. La plage, Ashwem: 

The location, the uninterrupted view of the sea and this flower salad is reason enough to keep coming.

Flower Salad, La PLage, Photo Credit: Veenu Gupta

2. Anteras, Vagator: Run by a young Australian woman , I loved the name of the restaurant and then I had seen it featured on TLC so anyways I knew I was going to go this one. Once in, wasn't disappointed by the food at all. I mean it was pretty MasterChef types given the chef s background. Just check this icecream here 

Amazing Ice-cream, Antennas, Photo Credit: Veenu Gupta

3. Cafe Blanche, Assagoa: this one was off the beaten track, with no beach in sight but such a pretty little bistro run by a German lady. What I loved the most was that there was such simplicity in all the vegan stuff that the flavours spoke for themselves. 

Cafe Blache, Pretty pretty place, Photo credit: Veenu Gupta

4. Gunpowder cafe, Assagoa: The food was good but what was better was the ambience. Its like tropics defined for one. The colourful umbrellas, the sun filtering through them is enough for anyone to feel soul quenched. The food is all Indian and yum..

5. A Reverie, Calangute: This place is an experience and the food is a sight to behold. Tastefully done decor and beautiful food presentation defines the place. What i liked the most was that the way all the flavours come together in a simple and 

The deconstructed Bharta, A Reverie, Photo Credit: Veenu Gupta

6. Om made cafe, Anjuna

7. Thalassa, vagator: A greek restaurant with open view of the sea, soft breeze, awesome setting with good food. Need I say more..

9. One calangute, calangute: Frankly this was always more of the husband's favourite. But i won't deny that the setting is pretty awesome and its right  on the calangute beach and their crisps are pretty much the best crisps in the town.

10. Sol de Goa, Nerul: A quaint hotel by the river side, I loved sitting here for hours 

11. Black sheep bistro, Panjim: This place, this place and this place. When it comes to food and experimentation there are no parallels to this one. The red salad was simply out of the world. So was this dessert which is a take on Indian Kheer. 

Dessert, Black Sheep Bistro, Panjim, Photo Credit: Veenu Gupta

12. Fisherman wharf, Panjim: The soulful music, the goan food and the fresh sea food (even though i don't eat it) make it a must visit in Goa

13. L' Atelier, ashram : Another little gem by the Ashwem, with beautiful view of the waters

I followed the night whispers
 I traversed all the hundred empty roads
   I felt sure that along the myriad turns
     Someday I'd lose you amongst all the loads

All along with me
 The moon moved at its own pace
  Waxing, veining-crescending
    For a bit I smiled, for a bit I cried and I thought this was my space
     It felt alright, it felt all fine- the life that I was living

Lakshwadweep- The blue lagoon of India

Off the coasts of India, there are virgin, tiny parcels of lands that have emerged out of the waters and they tell stories of the vastness of the oceans, the might of  water, the spread of humanity, the treasures of aquatic life, the purity of nature, the mysteries of universe and the secrets behind the twinkling stars. To me at least!

From Mumbai to Cochin airport and from Cochin airport to Agatti island airport- the journey wasn't that long and yet once I set my foot at Agatti, after landing down at the thinnest airstrip that I have ever seen, the swaying palms around me, the balmy air and the crystal clear waters that surrounded us, told me that I have traveled a lifetime away.

After waiting for a while at Agatti, we quickly set off for Bangaram islands in a speed boat. And then I saw what I think was amongst the most mesmerizing sights that I had ever seen- the waters that were so clear that they revealed all the glories of their innards. Oh! the colourful coral reefs, the tortoises, the myriad hued fishes.

The blue lagoon cast its magic on me and I ain't forgetting it ever.

Here's the story:

                                                                     The air strip

                                                             The stormy waters

The map

'Bangaram' island 

                                                               
                                                                       The cottages

The sunrise from my cottage 

The clean, clear waters

                                                                 
                                                              Scuba-diving time

                                                             
                                                        Some more scuba-diving shots

                                                               The sun beckons

About us..

Come to think of it, you and I share a weird relationship Ms. blogs. I mean, I don't think of you all that often, but then some days there is this intensity of feelings, and I just wish to pour into you. You are silent and loyal reader. You just let me be. You hear me ramble, you hear me happy and you hear me sad.

You don't demand my time or attention and yet when I wish to come to you, you welcome me in your world. You are special in so many senses.

Very soon, I'll be an year older. I am a birthday person. Always have been. I love birthdays and specially my own. I love being reminded, being wished,  being thought about and I love all the attention that comes with birthdays.

This birthday, however is the first time, I am thinking about time- as an absolute entity. I feel very old when I think of all the wisdom I have seemingly acquired and I feel very young when I look in the mirror or when I think of all that I have to accomplish.

I think this is going to be a special birthday. I feel I am going to turn a cornerstone. Pretty soon, when the trees will shed their leaves, when the winter would be just around the corner and when the nights will start coming in a little earlier than usual, I think something will emerge for me too.

And then as always Ms. Blogs, I'll come to you. Maybe even sooner.

Amidst the mayhem..

Closer home, the 'Rupee' is caught in a free fall, the food security bill has just been passed, onion prices are still up, a girl has just been raped in the bylanes of Mumbai and another one is suffering at the hands of a godman in Gujarat.

I also hear that US is preparing to go to war against Syria, Egypt is still simmering, Arctic zone is greener than ever while just today the world is getting inspired by Martin Luther Kings's - "I have a dream" speech.

So amidst the mayhem, life continues. It is designed to be that way. And so while there is so much hatred, tensions, and issues that plague our world, let me take you to  another one. 

The world in which a wild elephant leisurely walks past me, where birds sit besides me and sing their melodies, where a troop of monkeys swing on the branches just outside my balcony, where the grass is the freshest shade of green, where each tree has a story to tell, and each passing cloud has time to come down and envelop me in all its morning glory, where the women of the village just go on their task of picking the tiny little tea leaves with their nimble fingers with a song on their lips and a smile on their face.

Such a world does exist. Up in the Nilgiris, in the not so faraway lands of Tamil Nadu, near the town of Connoor. Presenting the pristine landscape:
                                                 
                                                     The morning Sun

The multi-hued greens

At the end of all habitation, I meet the books. Happiness! @O'land plantation(Connoor)

The tree plantation

The bungalow nestled in the hills

The bungalow yet again

The clouds..

The beautiful creeper

@Kurumba Valley resort, Ooty

 @ Kurumba Valley Resort

 Toy train's route (Mettupalayam to Coonoor)

Poetry in motion

Stories defined me, even when I was 7 years old. Ya! I must have been seven then, when my father presented me my first ever hard bound book.

Oh! love at first site it was. I turned and re-turned all of its pages, I marvelled at its glossy paper, I looked at the pictures forever, and then thru' the nights, I read it. Every single night, for god knows how many nights, I just read it. There came a time, when I knew every single word by-heart. Every night as I would open the book, I would be transported, straight from lanes and bylanes of Jodhpur where I lived then, to icy-snowy lands, where people lighted up fire-places to keep themselves warm, and sipped on brandy and ginger-ale and ate cheese and made merry by dancing to folk-tunes in a language which I was just learning then.

It  was a story-book called 'Heidi' and like a true-blood first love, it has stayed with me forever.  I was addicted and read many-many more books in the years to come by. I became a Victorian princess fainting at the drop of a hat, a superwoman (/man) on a mission to save the world, an explorer navigating on high-seas,  a spy trying to unearth mysteries, a queen in the evil clutches of a ruthless king, a mistress having a passionate affair with her secret lover, and so much more, courtesy my books.

Today as I watched 'Lootera', I felt as if someone has taken me back to those times, when books were my eyes and books were my language. It was as if someone was reading poetry to me on the screen -lyrically, slowly, gently- just as it should be. I was back in the land where Heidi resides. She was speaking in slow whispers and through stolen glances, over cups of teas, in green grasslands and then at snowy high-lands. She was loved and betrayed and broken and amazed. She laughed and smiled, she got ill and survived. It is just as it should be, it was like I had just read a beautiful book....

Thank you for taking me back to where I belong- between the pages.........