Mumbai rains!!!

I don't know what you think of the rains. But for me the rains are magical. They bring along with them,

* a hope of hapiness and freshness

* fragrance of wet earth

* colourful umbrellas, raincoats and gumboots

* puddles everywhere (not to forget potholes)

* masala chai and pakodas

* cool breeze

* colourful slippers

* new planters for repotting

* weekend getaways

* holidays due to waterlogging

* masaledaar butte

and a lot of joy...

The knoll that always appeared dry and barren suddenly manages to get itself a bright lush green outfit as if it has just plucked a new leaf out of life.

The gentle breeze suddenly decides to transform itself into a strong current of air, provoking the

curtains to sway back and forth, taking it under it's magical prowess.

I sit sipping my tea,

It starts raining heavily, a downpour as they say

I rush to shut the windows,

I forget for a while that I was relaxing by an open window, my tea on my favourite piece of furniture.

I rush back and I see that the rains have already done the needful.

They have decorated the table with tiny droplets and a few bougainvillea flowers.

They have created a beautiful moment for me.

I stand by the balcony and see that the cherry umbrella that was packed away has finally breathed a sigh of relief when it felt the tiny droplets touched the fine weave of the cloth...

The motorcyclist has left his bike and his yellow helmet, maybe he wanted to escape the rains...

And I see small circles everywhere..

The fresh green makeover

Showing off the new raincoat...

I can go on and on...but for now let me take pleasure in enjoying the rains. And make some pakodas and chai for the husband, the son and the daughter :)

The Palacio Do Deão

If you are an offbeat traveller and if Goa means more than the beach and sand, then the Palacio Do Deão is the place for you.

Nestled in the small town of Quepem, the Palacio Do Deão is a 213 year old mansion, built by the then Dean of the Church, Jose Paulo who incidentally was also the founder of Quepem Town. Today this beautiful mansion is owned by Ruben and Celia Vasco-da-Gama. They restored this wonderful piece of architecture, doing their bit to retain its former glory and their work has to be seen to be believed.

We were in Goa a few days back, and having read about the place it was definitely one of the must-dos on my itinerary. To reach the Palacio Do Deão, we hired a cab from Baga and travelled all the way to Quepem, which is quite a distance, but believe me - worth it!

Having informed Ruben about our visit, we were delighted to see that the preparations to welcome us were in full swing. Preparations here should not be confused with anything else, but food - delicious, aromatic, Goan and Portuguese cuisine. Mouth-watering delicacies, carefully baked, cooked and fried by their team under the supervision of Celia.

Before lunch, Ruben took us on a tour of the mansion. And this is what we saw...

The Palacio Do Deão

The verandah

The corridor that leads to the dining place

Let me not indulge in sadistic pleasures and make you feel miserable and guilty for not taking a trip to this quiet part of Goa. But yes, will definitely take the liberty to show you what came out of Celia's kitchen.

Prawns cooked in Goan style 

Goan poi with salads

Yummilicious, isn't it? Then what are you waiting for? Goa is not far away. Just ensure that the next time you plan a trip, a visit to the Palacio is a part of your itinerary :-)

There are two ways of exploring the palace.

1. You call up Ruben, inform him that you are coming to see the mansion, reach there, take a tour of the place, understand its architecture and its restoration, stroll in the gardens - leave.

2. You call up Ruben , inform him that you are coming to visit the place and would also taste the rich Indo-Portuguese cuisine, give him a head count, reach there, see the place and stimulate your taste buds by enjoying the simple, home-cooked fare prepared for you. The food is not free, by the way.

Well, the pictures are testimony to the fact that we chose the latter option :)

And here is the website for you.
http://www.palaciododeao.com/index.htm

Try it! It's worth it.
And remember to call up Ruben before you land up. After all, this is sussegaad Goa that we are talking about ;-)

Journey to the north...of India :)

This winter we decided to rock the northern part of India with our presence. Little did we know that it was going to be the other way round. Having spent most of our life on the coasts of Maharashtra, in a city known as Mumbai, we were yet to experience the real harsh winters of the north. And boy! Here we were trembling, quivering and shivering with cold.

Our journey started with a train ride from Mumbai to Delhi, from where we were to travel further ahead.

The first halt: New Delhi - the capital city of India.

This was my second visit to Delhi, for my kids the first one and we were going to be here for exactly twelve hours. The first thing to catch the broods' attention was the cycle-rickshaw outside New Delhi railway station . Something that the brats were seeing for the first time. We hailed two of them, boarded our luggage and ourselves onto it and took off for the Grand Godwin at Paharganj.

Cycle-rickshaw

Most Delhiites think Paharganj is really down market. But let me tell you, it's not. The place is home to several good hotels to stay, at affordable prices and in the night the neon signboards give the whole place a very Las Vegas look. Okay, a wee bit of exaggeration. But it does look great.

Paharganj

This was the capital city. It had the Parliament, the Supreme court, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the India Gate, stepwells and mausoleums, Delhi Haat and the metro. Yes! The METRO...something that would excite a seven year old boy and a four year girl.  We spent the whole day taking a few train journeys and then grabbed some chaat at Haldiram's, CP - the same place which was earlier Narula's.

Dinner was at Karim's, a famous eatery in Chandni Chowk, well-known for its Mughlai cuisine. To reach this place you can either take an auto or a cycle-rickshaw. This is where you find the hustle and bustle of India, the crowd, the grime, the various aromas of food, piping hot chai, the paranthe waali gully, sweaty rickshaw pullers, little shops selling a variety of things, the web of electric wires hovering over your head, and of course, Karim's.

The busy lanes of Chandni Chowk

At a tea-shop in Chandni Chowk

Karim's was started in the early twentieth century by Haji Karimuddin, who's ancestors, apparently,  were known as the royal cooks for the Mughal king Babur. Haji Karimuddin decided to take the royal delicacies to the common man and thus was born the famous eatery. Walk into it and you'll be greeted with the aroma of freshly ground spices emanating out of the kebabs and meat curries.

Delicious seekh kebabs

Breads and buna chicken with coriander chutney and onion slices

Gobhi ghosht

The empty vessels after a hard day's work

The food at Karim's was delicious. The meat was succulent and gravies were thick (and greasy too). 

This was my first hand experience of Delhi 6. And I hadn't even begun. Karim's is just one part of Chandni chowk. There are several other delights that still lie unexplored...

The Nomadic Gene: Uttarakhand Page I

It's high time I posted a few pictures from our trip to the north. It was fun. The kids freaked out and experienced harsh, cold weather for the first time in their lives. Rish was all excited and was dying to feel snow, but unfortunately the timing was just not right. Maybe, we should have started a little later in the year. But nevertheless, we had our share of fun without the snow too. Sometimes the temperatures did dip to low as 2 º C, but did we care?

Nooooooooooooooo!

Little Amu had a gala time running around her big brother at the Jim Corbett National Park. She loved the place where we put up - The Club Mahindra Nature Trails Resort. 

Early mornings were fun-filled with a grand spread for breakfast and then soaking in some sun by the pool followed by bicycle rides inside the resort.

Big brother too enjoyed posing in the sun and jumping up and down the huge rocks that were strategically placed inside the compound.

And that's us with our printed guide on Uttarakhand.

We managed to go tiger spotting into the park but, Alas! we missed seeing them. But no worries guys, the whole drive from our resort to the tiger reserve was an experience in itself. Open gypsy, spine-chilling cold, warm snuggles and lots of guffaws and giggles.

En route we stopped at a tea stall for some chai and pakodas...

and also clicked a few snaps...

and some more...

Inside the reserve

The Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand is  one of the oldest national parks in the country and is home to a decent number of Bengal tigers and close to 600 species of birds. Statistics point out that out of the 1200 species of birds found in India around half of them can be spotted at the JCNP. But if you are serious about tiger spotting ensure that you get yourself a place inside the reserve. There are a few Government of India run guest-houses. 

You can get more information on

http://www.uttaranchaltourism.in

The Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge

"We had a kettle; we let it leak:
Our not repairing made it worse.
We haven't had any tea for a week...
The bottom is out of the Universe."

- Rudyard Kipling

* The first of its kind tea lounge in Mumbai

* Assam tea, South Indian tea, organic tea, green tea, Darjeeling tea, flavoured tea

* Taste your tea before buying it

* A good variety of snacks...brun maska incuded

Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge

Opp. Parleshwar Temple,

Hanuman Road,

Vile Parle (E)

The stepwell near Connaught Place

A few weeks back I was watching Malishka on TV, gallivanting through the streets of Delhi, both old and new, showcasing the splendours that lay hidden in some of the busy lanes of the capital city. Delhi, definitely, is one of the cities that can flash with pride its resplendent and glorious past through its various monuments.

And one SHOULD visit the capital city to feel and experience the magnificence and flamboyance of the Mughal Empire that ruled it...once upon a time. Amidst the silence of a bygone era lies the cacophony of a city that can throw the most staggering surprise to the one who has an eye for architectural marvels. Yours truly was one of them. I was fascinated by this particular step well, right in the heart of the city, a few kilometres away from the famous CP (Connaught Place).  I remember Malishka showing it on TV and the mind had made up its mind to see the place, to be there, to breathe the air.

Since this was my first visit to the city, I had my friend Kabir take me around the place. He had spent a good part of his life growing up in Delhi but had never heard of a step well right in the centre of the city, that too close to one of his regular hangouts, CP. In plain words, he refused to believe of its existence. And to add to my woes, none of the rickshaw wallahs had heard of the place either.

We stood there like anomalies. And then, suddenly, he walked towards us, like Zeus. A sturdy figure with a few days old stubble, he spoke, "Kay chal rahya se?" On hearing "Agrasen ki Baoli', he told us he'd charge Rs.50/- and to hop into his auto if we agreed. Of course, we agreed!

Finally, winding our way through twisted alleys and lanes we reached the place we had set out for. 'Agrasen Ki Baoli' (Agrasen's Stepwell). And believe me...it was worth it!

Here it is,

Read about it here

FAQs

Was it difficult reaching the place?

I would not say no. We had a tough time explaining it to people that a place like that does exist. But I am sure you will get people to help you reach there like we did. If you are a walkaholic with a keen interest in triangulation, walk it up, I say!

Is it a safe place?

Tough it's an isolated structure, it is a safe place. But to keep your fears at bay, it would be ideal to travel with someone familiar to you.  

Kerala - Postcards from Mattancherry

I got introduced to the alleys of Mattancherry when the husband and I went furniture shopping for the new  house. Our research had led us to this shop called Crafter's Antique which is more like a storehouse of beautiful and intricately designed furniture and other accessories for your house. The trip being a very short one, did not give us much time to gallivant through the lanes of this old town. But nevertheless, we enjoyed our trip, not to forget the sumptuous lunch at Hotel Abad.
    

Crafter's Antique

The world's biggest varpu - 12 ft diameter, 3184 kgs

Mattancherry is a few kilometres away from Ernakulam Town and can be reached by bus or by a boat. Yes, there are boat services available from the boat jetty near Subhash Park. Historically significant, this place is famous for it's Jew Town, synagogue, the palace, the museum, the spice markets and the streets selling antiques, providing you with plenty of opportunities to shop. 

Pallankuzhi - a traditional board game, at Crafter's

http://kickingboredom.blogspot.com/2008/09/pallankuzhi.html

It is said that most of the items that you see here on sale are things that were left behind by the Jewish traders when they migrated to Israel. 
You can buy Chinese jars, wooden spoons, Kerala style doors, spice boxes, dowry chests, lacquer boxes, traditional cooking vessels from Kerala, furniture, murals, paintings et al.

Spices and more spices

 

Variety is indeed in this box of spice

Wooden cowheads

A perfect combination of busy arterial lanes on one side and serene backwaters on the other, the place exudes bits and pieces of history in all that you get to see there.  
Though a good and productive two days were spent in Mattancherry in two different trips, I am yet to discover more about this historic place. The synagogue, the samaj temples and the palace are yet to be seen. 
I only wish to say that right now I am enjoying the pace at which I am unravelling the pages of Kerala.