Beautiful Siem Reap!

Siem Reap was charming, like a breath of fresh air! We were booked in the “Two Dragons Guesthouse” and one look at the place and we were in love. Two Dragons is a cozy little guesthouse tucked away in a small lane in Siem Reap. It is away from the din and bustle of the old market and the "Pub street" and so one can spend the night in peace and tranquility and wake up to sounds of traditional Khmer music every morning.

The place is run by Gordon Sharpless - an American married to a Thai. Gordon is the author of “www.talesofasia.com” - which is quite easily the most comprehensive guide to Cambodia. Gordon is sort of a walking, talking guide on anything and everything related to Cambodia. An extensively traveled gentleman, his experience was of great help to us and we kept asking for his recommendations on a lot of things.

We had the second biggest room in the guesthouse and it was an absolute delight. We had opted for a fan room and it was a lovely, spacious room with all modern amenities like a fridge, ensuite bathroom with hot shower, a TV and two huge beds which could comfortably accommodate two people on one. We paid 22USD per night for this room. There was a very interesting menu in the room where the first few pages were dedicated to food and the last few pages to hilarious signs which were actually observed at hotels around the world. It is a good testament of the sense of humor of the owner.

Two Dragons has a wonderful café where we spent a lot of time in between our temple visits. The restaurant serves up delicious thai, khmer and European delicacies. The breakfast options are named – Big Dragon breakfast, little dragon breakfast and baby dragon breakfast. Mind you, the Big Dragon is exactly that – BIG. What I liked best was their Hot Chocolate. It was to die for. According to my non-vegetarian friend the Lok Lak - which is a beef preparation is quite nice as well.

We could only spend one evening on the famous pub street in Siem Reap because the temples would tire us a lot. But it was a treat. I simply loved the place. Influences of European culture are quite predominant in the fabric of Siem Reap. Absolutely not to be missed is the Angkor What? bar. The name of this place had intrigued us since the time we were leaving for our trip. So Angkor What? was on our list since the very beginning. And our excitement paid off quite well!Angkor What? is a crazily done up place. Bright colours on the walls and patrons are given markers so the graffitti on the walls is generated by the patrons. The music is popular rock. It’s a great place for people watching and the drinks are economical too – atleast compared to India.

Angkor What? is only a bar, so we had to search for a place to satisfy our rumbling tummies and we found heaven at Red Piano. It is a tastefully done up restaurant which serves up really nice pasta. The restaurant has a special cocktail dedicated to Angelina Jolie and you will find many other influences of Ms Jolie there. The food and the ambience are truly amazing. We took up a table overlooking the street and enjoyed some really nice wine and food there.

Technorati Tags: Cambodia, Twodragons, talesofasia.com, SiemReap, RedPiano, AngkorWhat, AngelinaJolie,

My Big Fat International Holiday!

The Crazy Start

It was that time of the year again when my creative juices were failing me and all I needed was a break. This time, however, the break was planned well in advance at the beginning of the year as me and two of my friends were to experience our first international vacation. Us three musketeers set out on a 2 week long trip first to soak in the beautiful temple ruins of Angkor and then to relax at the gorgeous beaches of Thailand and lived to tell our tale. So here goes.

Two of us began our journey from Mumbai International Airport at 11:30 pm on a Thai Airways flight from Mumbai to Bangkok on Dec 14, 2007. Our friend began her journey from the other corner of the world – US of A on a similar Thai Airways flight from LA to Bangkok. Our flights were to reach Bangkok early in the morning with a difference of about one odd hour between the two landings. The Mumbai flight landed on time, but the LA flight just refused to come. Two of us were at the departure terminal of Bangkok airport from 5:30 in the morning till 12:00 in the afternoon after which we were joined by our friend and we continued to stay at the airport till about 3:30 in the afternoon. We finally bid farewell to our “beloved” airport and left on an adventurous journey from Bangkok to Cambodia in a cab. We paid 3000 THB for our journey from Bangkok to Aranyapeth.

The Thailand – Cambodia border on the Thai side is called Aranyapeth while that on the Cambodia side is called Poipet. The Bangkok to Aranyapeth ride was a breeze. We had our guesthouse arrange for a pick-up for us from Poipet to Siem Reap so we had someone waiting for us while we waited patiently for immigration clearance. Not that any of us look liked terrorists, but the immigration officer was somehow fascinated with all our passports and took his own sweet time to clear all of us. As we entered Poipet we were met by a stark change in the countryside, peppered with casinos, glimpses of extreme poverty and lack of infrastructure. It is said that they are trying to develop Poipet as the Las Vegas of the east. If you ask me, they have a long way to go.

We were escorted by our man Friday to our car where we were handed over to our driver. Then the strangest of things started happening. First the driver decided he needed to fill gas. Poipet offered retail options for gas we had never seen before – not even in India. Gas was sold in make-shift shacks and was pumped through hand-made instruments. As if this was not enough to fascinate us, the driver started shaking the car once the gas was filled. We had no clue what was going on and could not help but laugh about all that was happening around us. It was also getting dark and we wanted to leave. We made sure that the driver understood the fact that we were not to stop anywhere now until we reach Siem Reap. Little did we know that there WAS nowhere we could stop before Siem Reap. Thus began an adventurous, hectic and the most treacherous journey I have undertaken in my life. The road from Poipet to Siem Reap was the most back-breaking road I have ever been on. In fact, it was no road at all. Just miles and miles of dusty, uneven roads with massive potholes, mountains of dust acting as speed breakers – landing from one of these felt as if we landed in a deep pit from a mountain.

But come Siem Reap, we were in for a refreshing change. The first thing one my friends exclaimed on arriving in Siem Reap was – “Oh this place has roads!!”. This trip cost us 45 USD and unless you are the adventurous kind, I would not recommend taking this road-trip. For anyone wanting to go from Bangkok to Siem Reap, I suggest take the flight!! But mind you the flight is very expensive – one of the reasons why we decided on the road-trip.

Well, thankfully, the rest of our trip was quite unlike our first day – things had already started to look up as we entered Siem Reap.

Technorati Tags: Cambodia, Thailand, Bangkok, roadtrip, Aranyapeth, Poipet

A Rendevous with Taj Mahal

What happens when you have an enterprising brother studying in IIT Kanpur and you are to visit him with your parents? Well, you visit not only IITK but Agra and Lucknow which happen to be close by. And that’s exactly what I did from Sept 30^th to Oct 2^nd, 2007. I know I am a month late in describing my adventures, but hey, don’t blame me, blame my rather hectic work schedule and MBA applications. So, get set for a trip seeped in history and architecture as I take you through my tour of the exquisite Taj Mahal.

Me and my parents started from Mumbai at 4:30 pm. We took the Agra Lashkar express which starts from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus – erstwhile Kurla terminus at 4:25 and reaches Agra at 12:45 the next day. An enjoyable and quite a relaxed journey this was. We arrived at Agra Cantt station slightly later than the scheduled time but we were in no hurry. We haggled for the rickshaw fare and managed to get a rickshaw to take us to our hotel in 60 rupees. As a rule of thumb, in Agra, all rickshaws charge 10 rupees per person and the minimum is 30 rupees, whatever the distance – atleast this is what we experienced. We were staying at Howard Park Plaza - a four star hotel at about 900 rupees per person. We had booked through travelguru and I think we had a great deal for the hotel. There are many cheaper options available in Agra, but since I was traveling with my parents, we decided on a more comfortable one. My brother was to join us from Kanpur at about 3 in the afternoon in Agra but his train was delayed and he managed to reach Agra only by 6 in the evening. As soon as he landed, he was immediately whisked away for a walk to Taj Mahal. We were running against time as the last tickets are sold till 6:30 pm and the place closes down at 7:00 pm.

It was twilight by the time we reached. The entrance of this monument was so magnificient that we were completely blown away. We walked slowly with great anticipation and what met our eyes was the most majestic, beautiful and overwhelming sight we had ever seen. We were looking at Taj Mahal. We could not take our eyes off the monument despite huge crowds thronging the area. It was turning dark and we had to decide if we would want to go inside the monument today or wait until tomorrow. Me and my mom could not wait and dragged both the men inside the monument. As you approach the main structure, the monument grows on you, almost intoxicating you with its splendor. Intricate carvings, Persian writings, beautiful creepers, I wish I could describe this place in words.

We were so enchanted by the beauty of Taj Mahal that the visual stayed with us all night. We got up early next morning to sink into the beauty of this wonder to our hearts content. We reached Taj Mahal at 7 in the morning and I could not stop clicking pictures. We took pictures of Taj Mahal from various angles. We sat in the huge courtyard for quite sometime and admired the beauty of this monument which gleamed in the soft sunlight. It was 8:30 when we finally left as our tummies were rumbling for breakfast. Breakfast was complimentary and we stuffed ourselves to the brim.

We were to visit Fatehpur Sikri and Agra fort that day. We hired an A/C indica car at 900 rupees to take us to Fatehpur and back. The car had to be parked at the outskirts of Fatehpur and we had the options of either a Tonga or a CNG bus. We opted for the royal Tonga experience. We had hired a guide here for 250 rupees who showed us around Fatehpur. Fatehpur is a red sandstone complex with the only white structure being Salim Chisti’s dargah. The complex houses a mosque, a school and a dargah, all of which are functional till date. The structure was beautiful with the most interesting aspect being the intricacy of the jaalis at Salim Chisti's dargah. We took some fun pictures there with the family as our guide entertained us with the history behind each structure.

We head back to Agra to gorge on thalis at a restaurant called “ONLY” which interestingly offered both veg and non-veg in the same thali. It was decent, simple fare. We were to relieve our car there, however we had a kind soul as our driver - Manek and he agreed to take us to Agra Fort and to Sadar Bazaar for another 200 rupees. Agra Fort is this huge edifice made of red sandstone with beautiful structures of red sandstone and marble housed inside. We visited Jehangir’s bath tub – quite literally, which was put in full public view. We ditched the guide here and roamed about on our own. The fort is a huge complex and mind you it can get tiring as there are lots of structures to be seen inside. Each better than the other. It also has some wonderful gardens which have been maintained very well. You can see Taj Mahal from everywhere in this fort.

Having had our fill of history and mogul architecture, we hit the local market called Sadar Bazaar. Interestingly, all the four of us bought shoes from this market. The market is like any town market with branded and non-branded shops but the narrow alleys have some great options for street shopping of flip-flops, sandals and heeled shoes for the ladies. There are two such alleys in the beginning of the market, the second one does not have as many stalls as the first, but the shoes available in the second one were fantastic. This is what I bought for myself and I have never seen such shoes anywhere in Mumbai. I think they are ultra cool.

With our feet getting weary, we decided to call it a day and head back to our hotel. We had our train at 11:30 in the night for Kanpur. Our good driver dropped us back at the hotel and agreed to pick us up, take us for dinner and drop us to Agra Cantt station for an extra 150 rupees.Manek, bless his soul, hope he gets everything he desires in life as he made our journey so very comfortable and enjoyable!!

Technorati Tags: TajMahal, Agra, IITK, Shoes

Ratatouille anyone!!

I recently had the pleasure of viewing this utterly delectable movie, which completely blew me away with its simplicity and obviously its food. The fantastic combination of a rat, who, has the gift of sensing flavors and a gawky garbage boy, who, has been a loser all his life is endearing, hilarious and delicious.

The movie inspired me so much that I actually googled for the recipe of ratatouille online and may think of making it someday for my unsuspecting friends. Ratatouille is a peasant dish made with a combination of zucchinis, tomatoes, eggplants and green and red peppers flavored with onions and garlic. Apparently, an American chef was hired as a consultant for this movie and he gave a new twist to the way ratatouille is made and that’s how it was shown in the movie. The most charming scene of this movie was the time when the food critic Anton Ego tastes the ratatouille made by Remy and dreams of his mom. The scene, although hilarious, makes us realize how all of us humans think alike. For any individual in any part of the world, mom-made food is the benchmark for comparing any tastes.

The director has been very careful in making every food scene look scrumptious and yummy enough to tickle your senses. Whether it’s the scene where Remy tries to cook mushroom, cheese and a twig of rosemary on a chimney or when he tries to correct the disastrous soup made by Linguini. The scenes featuring the explosion of flavors experienced by Remy when he first eats a piece of cheese and strawberry together almost made me taste a strawberry cheesecake in my mouth.

French cuisine is amongst the few western cuisines, which has some great vegetarian options. We do not have enough options for French cuisine in Mumbai, actually none that I know of, but I do believe, that this movie should generate interest of many a food enthusiasts in experiencing what seems to be an assortment of culinary delights.

A must watch for all foodies like me. Do not miss this movie for anything in this world!!

Technorati Tags: Ratatouille, Remy, Linguini, French cuisine

Food & Nature

Its pouring outside my window. The much awaited monsoon just arrived in Mumbai and brought with it the intoxicating smell of the earth and the tastes of the various foods associated with it.

Foods are magical, combine them with the right atmosphere and they can lift any gloomy spirit.

The scorching summer, the fresh monsoon and the pleasant winter - food plays a significant role in defining the character of these moods of nature.

Gorge on the innumerable mango preparations in summer. Cut mangoes, aamras, Mango icecream, fresh mangoes with vanilla icecream, mango mousse, mango barfi – you name it and we have it. Another favourite is lime juice or nimbu paani as we call it. Ice cold nimbu paani can drive away all fatigue and give you much needed respite from heat.

Come monsoon, and with it comes the roasted corn or bhutta as it is popularly known, cutting chai – half cup of tea and onion pakoras or kanda bhajjis as they are locally known as.

Bhutta, chai, kanda bhajji – now, don’t you just want to dig into these right now?? The chai vendor outside my lane is doing brisk business these days, even in the evenings. One bhutta vendor has already set up shop in the area and by next week, I am bound to see atleast two more in the same vicinity.

I just enjoyed a juicy bhutta, while nicely getting wet in the soft drizzle.

Nothing can beat the joy of having a piping hot, tender bhutta roasted on a traditional coal sigri and top it with rain!!

And what do I say about kanda bhajji!! Mouth watering kanda bhajji combined with rain can be the best snack ever. For chai lovers, wash it down with a cup of hot tea and aren’t you in heaven already??.

So what are you doing reading this, rush to the nearest shop and have your fill. While you do that, I will continue enjoying nature at its very best.

Thanks for stopping by!

Technorati Tags: Rain, Monsoon, Roasted Corn, Kanda Bhajji

A Hole in Your Pocket

For the finale – the Dinner, my recommendations range from a live tandoori counter to dining only on different kinds of kebabs.

In Mumbai, the options to try out are Peshawari at Grand Maratha Sheraton. Masaledar Mughlai cuisine awaits you here. The place has a live tandoor counter where you can see the chefs cooking up your favourite tandoori. The paneer kulchas are mind numbing and apparently the grilled pomfret is to die for.

If this is too spicy for you, head to Frangipani at Oberoi in Mumbai. The fresh pizzas, made right in front of your eyes are simply irresistable. It has a great selection of salads for the calorie conscious and an equally interesting buffet spread. Although you will be completely full by the time you finish your meal, the strategically placed desserts can get better of any saint.

In Goa, Goa Marriot it is once again. It’s a dinner buffet which has one of my favourite dishes everyday - Hummus and Pita bread. The hummus is perfect and is ideal for a basic, light meal. A made-to-order pasta counter will serve up delicacies as you like it. There is a special everyday which is written on the board at the entrance. I ate there for three consecutive days and had nothing to complain about.

Park Plaza in Gurgaon has a restaurant called “ The Kebab Factory”. A unique concept, it consists of a meal of succulent kebabs of varied meats and vegetables. The server will come over and keep serving you the different varieties while explaining what the dish is all about. Check out the place for an interesting dining experience.

The in-room dining at Park Plaza is also quite a good fare. You call the room service and the chef will readily make something for you or alter a dish on the menu the way you like it. The chef will personally check on you after you are through with your meal to enquire about the food. Quite an experience I must say.

Another place on my recommendation list came as a sort of a pleasant surprise for me. I had the opportunity to stay at the Hotel Country Inn & Suites at Haridwar. A newly opened hotel by the Radisson group, considering the industrial activity in and around this holy place. The continental food served up by this place is quite something. Satisfy your pasta urges only at this hotel when in Haridwar.

So what are you waiting for, try out these places and let me know what you think. Meanwhile, I shall try some more gastronomic delights and post my experiences for you.

Happy Eating!!

Technorati Tags: dinner, Grand Maratha Sheraton, Oberoi, Park Plaza

A Hole in Your Pocket

My recommendations for the second meal of the day – the Lunch, begin with the Konkan cafe at Taj President Cuffe Parade in Mumbai.

Try the haryali vegetable with hot appams or for the non-vegetarians, manglorean chicken with appams is quite a delight. The ambience, the décor and the food – all contribute to an amazing gourmet experience.

Another place to indulge your taste buds is the lunch buffet at the newly opened, Grand Central Sheraton. Amazing spread and equally exciting food. A live pasta counter, interesting north Indian cuisine without just the regular paneer dish in red gravy and sometimes a good fusion of the Indian and continental cuisines makes this a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Don’t miss sampling the desserts in this buffet. I was stunned by the variety of desserts on offer.

The Goa Marriot buffet again takes the cake for an appetizing and enjoyable elitist luncheon in Goa. The chefs here cook up a different recipe for mushroom starters everyday for lunch. I have never seen so many different flavours for a mushroom starter ever. I simply freaked out on that one. The spread isn’t essentially extensive, but the food, the view and Goa make it a meal to remember.

Fill up your rumbling tummies and watch this space for the exciting finale of this series!!!

Technorati Tags: lunch, Taj President, Grand Central Sheraton, Goa Marriot

A Hole in Your Pocket

Disclaimer: The following series of 3 posts is not meant for people with a weak heart or for those who can develop suicidal tendencies on going bankrupt.

The places I am about to recommend are restaurants at five star hotels and can burn a serious hole in your pocket. I have been fortunate enough to experience these places due to a host of reasons, which I am not about to discuss here.

This series will also for the first time recommend places outside of Mumbai.

Lets start with the first and the most important meal of the day – The Breakfast. I personally find this meal much more enjoyable than any other meal of the day.

And one place which comes to my mind whenever I think of a HUGE breakfast is the coffee shop at J W Marriot at Juhu - Mumbai. J W Marriot boasts of an extensive breakfast buffet spanning North Indian, South Indian and Continental cuisines. Apart from the variety of choices on offer, the food is absolutely delicious. Be it Indian or Continental. They sometimes have a live pancake counter with interesting variations other than the regular banana and coconut pancakes. This place also serves up waffles with maple syrup or honey to satisfy your urge for a typical American breakfast.

If you are in Gurgaon and are looking for a healthy breakfast, which tastes as good, try the breakfast buffet at the coffee shop at Park Plaza. The cafe offers the most amazing selection of fruits when it comes to breakfast. And this is not just your regular watermelon, papaya routine. You can dig into seasonal exotic fruits like kiwis, different kinds of melons, strawberries, raspberries and the like here. Though the hotel is in Haryana – North India, it serves up the best tomato chutney with Idli and not to forget an absolute must have - the delectable aloo parathas.

When in Goa, The Goa Marriot is the place to be for your breakfast experience. They serve up fresh milkshakes of seasonal fruits as well as the regular vanilla, chocolate and coffee milkshakes. The spread – although similar to most five stars is excellent when it comes to the flavour. Settled on the banks of Mandovi, with a spectacular view, expect this hotel to crop up in many more of my recommendations.

So folks, savour your breakfast and watch out for my Lunch recommendations!!!!

Technorati Tags: breakfast, JWMarriot, Park Plaza, Goa Marriot

The Goan Holiday - January 20th 2007

It was our last day in Goa. I woke up with a heavy heart knowing that the trip had almost ended. We had breakfast at Café Del Mar and enjoyed a live entertainment session of a rope walk by a local girl.

We had been to the nearby market the previous night and we thought of exploring that area after breakfast.

After a long lazy stroll and some shopping, we head back to Palolem to catch lunch. We ate at Ciranas camp, which is a beautiful place on the beach. The accommodation is slightly expensive but its amazing. Its not a food place though since the portions are very small.

My friend had to fill up again at a cheaper shack nearby. There was this Gujarati lady who was selling stuff to people at Palolem and had approached us before as well. My friend was fascinated with the henna tattoos and decided to get one done. We found this lady and my Gujarati was put to use. So here we were, all packed and ready to go with my friend getting a tattoo done on the arm.

We picked up our bags and hailed a taxi to go to Margao (pronounced as Madgaon) from where we were to take Konkan Kanya back to Mumbai. It cost us 600 Rs.

Our trip had ended and we were refreshed and ready to take on the world.

We had no connection whatsoever with the world outside of Goa during this entire trip. We read our first newspaper in 8 days at Margao station.

The trip will be treasured and cherished all our lives by both of us.

It was a pleasure living the trip again with you.

Technorati Tags: Ciranas camp, tatoo, gujarati, Margao

The Goan Holiday - January 19th 2007

We started the day with breakfast at Café Del Mar. Palolem is a different beach in the morning - quiet and peaceful.

We spend sometime in the water and then decided to explore a bit.

There are many beach hut accommodations built on the various hillocks at Palolem. We climbed these various places to catch the view from these heights. It was spectacular.

We also found that there was another very small and rocky beach known as Columb which was separated from Palolem by rocks.

In fact, if we would not have read the sign boards of various accommodations set up there, we would not have realized that this was different from Palolem. This area had a lot of influence of yoga with banners giving details of yoga classes and yoga centres all throughout the stretch.

The accommodation here is expensive because of the height and view it offers thereof.

There are many locals offering boat rides at Palolem. They charge separately for a dolphin trip and a sunset trip and many others. We negotiated with a guy named Umesh and got a boat trip for 250 Rs just for the two of us and we saw dolphins, two beaches – butterfly and honeymoon, a fishing boat collecting its catch for the day for that much. Umesh had not been getting any clients since quite some time and so was happy to get us on board.

Umesh had his two sons with us on the boat. He used to work on a fishing boat in Colaba which used to stay in the seas for days to catch fish. We saw people scrapping clams off the surface of the rocks and Umesh told us that the meat of clams makes a very nice spicy goan dish.

The ride was a memorable one and when we gave money to Umesh, he was sort of overwhelmed. He was a genuine man I felt and prayed that he makes good money for his business.

Once on the shore, it was low tide and I saw some beautiful shells on the wet sand. I collected I don’t know how many of them. It was sunset by then and as the sun disappeared we realized that we were approaching the end of our trip.

We needed to go to an ATM approximately 3 kms from the beach to withdraw money to pay up Café Del Mar the next day. We went to ask Blaise if a transport could be arranged and he was sitting with this Brit guy – Gary who offered us his bike just like that.

We were amazed by his gesture which made things so easy for us. When we came back, Gary and his friend Raffus were chilling with Blaise and they asked us to join them. In no time, we were discussing topics ranging from politics to economics to defense to what not.

Gary had traveled almost all of India on his bike. He now has a house in Palolem and is planning to move to India for good. He had traveled 94 countries and was 35 years old. It was amazing how complete strangers became buddies in Goa.

Technorati Tags: Dolphins, Butterfly, Honeymoon, Brit

The Goan Holiday - January 18th 2007

Palolem grows on to you gradually. I decided that I should try and see if I can like this place. It is a very beautiful beach I realized and even if you are not doing anything there, you can still enjoy yourself by observing the various moods of the beach.

This is exactly what I did on this day. Our hangout this day was a restaurant on a rock from where one can see the whole of Palolem beach. The restaurant was called Chaska.

We were there since lunch time till sunset. Drinking, eating, chatting, clicking. Having the time of our lives.

As sunset came, Palolem transformed. We came back to reclaim our table at Café Del Mar and play audience for a game of volleyball at dusk.

Every evening all the shack owners transform the beach beds into tables on the beach with candle light.

A live barbeque was set up outside Café Del Mar with the manager Blaise cooking for patrons. Some other beach shack had a fireworks display which lit the night sky.

It was time to say Goodnight to Palolem.

Technorati Tags: Palolem, Chaska, sunset, volleyball

The Goan Holiday - January 17th 2007

It was time to leave Morjim to go to Palolem.

We had our regular breakfast of scrambled eggs and cold coffee at Camp 69 and settled our bills. There is a huge Smirnoff vodka bottle kept at the reception counter at Camp 69, with Thank You Staff written on it. We put in our contribution for Thanking the Staff in it.

I left Morjim and Camp 69 with a heavy heart and full of wonderful memories.

Thank You Geoffery, Rupesh, Centhil (waiters), Francis (the bike owner) and Ramnik (the car driver) for making my trip so memorable.

Geoffery had arranged for a car for us to go to Palolem. We paid 1700 Rs for this 1 hr 45 mins trip.

It’s a long drive from Morjim to Palolem. Morjim being the extreme North and Palolem extreme South of Goa.

Palolem

Café Del Mar was expecting us. We were shown our home for the next 3 days – a hut with a huge bathroom and slightly small bedroom. But then, how often would you be in your hut if you are in Goa.

We changed and it was time to check out Palolem and its waters. The beach is cove surrounded by rocks and deep forests on three sides. There is an island on one end of the beach called Cancona island and during low tide, one can walk from Palolem to Cancona. We did just that since when we reached it was a low tide.

We found huts built on rocks overlooking Cancona and a signboard which said “Look back, this is the view from my window” These places were supposed to be very expensive because of this view.

I must say, at first sight, I was slightly disappointed with Palolem after Morjim. Since, when we were planning our trip, we thought that North Goa will be the commercialised beach experience while south will be the calm, peaceful one. But it turned out otherwise.

Palolem was crowded and quite contrary to what we had read. The beach was full of beach huts, shacks and people.

We went kayaking and I was really scared at first because I had never been so deep into the sea. Gradually, I started enjoying it and particularly liked the effortless coming back to the shore.

We had lunch at Café Del Mar after all that exercise of oaring. The food was good but again it was nothing special. It was a regular fare.

But then came evening and my opinion about Palolem changed.

We saw the most spectacular sunset ever with the sky and sun playing in a riot of colours. It’s a sight I will never forget.

Café Del Mar is a watering hole for Palolem folks since it has an all night bar. They play popular music and a table overlooking the beach can ensure that you will never know how much time has elapsed.

The place hosts a barbeque almost every night with specials like seafood, beef and chicken barbeques on different nights.

We were at our table from 6 in the evening till 9:30 in the night that night.

Technorati Tags: Palolem, South Goa, Cafe Del Mar, barbecues

The Goan Holiday - January 16th 2007

This was the last day at Morjim. We decided to dedicate it to our beautiful beach. Again we gave money to a beach shack and hit the water.

This shack was run by a French guy and served French cuisine. The food was delicious and my friend ate a sea food pasta which had stuff which we had never seen before, let alone eaten. The portion however was typically European and hence quite small and the prices were high.

We were starving and so we decided to check if Camp 69 will serve us hungry souls. So we go to the restaurant, call Centhil and ask him if the chef will make something for us specifically. He agreed. I asked him to make me spaghetti with olive oil, garlic and mushrooms.

In no time, I was munching away to glory on my absolutely delicious pasta. Can’t thank the chef enough for this.

By sunset, our cameras were in action again and we captured the beautiful Morjim till light permitted us to do so.

We had seen a shack done up in Arabian style the previous night and we decided to have dinner there that night. Well, it turned out that the shack was only done up well but did not have anything to offer in terms of food.

So we had a drink and moved on. Another Russian shack called Glavfish caught our fantasy and we decided to check it out. This place had a huge screen where some patrons were watching posiedon dubbed in Russian. So when you want to say No in Russian, you say Nyet.
Again the place had nothing much to offer to the poor vegetarian and finally I had to end my day with a hot chocolate and a sandwich at Camp 69.

Technorati Tags: French, Hot Chocolate, Camp 69, Russian

The Goan Holiday - January 15th 2007

The plan was to go to Old Goa and put our cameras to work. We had decided to leave early since we were in for a long bike ride. But people, we were on a holiday, so the day started late.

For the first time in three days we took a wash in the morning :). Breakfast was scrambled eggs on toast and the worlds best cold coffee. Bandanas on our heads and glares on our eyes, we started our journey to the land of churches, chapels and basilica.

We biked from Morjim, passing through Siolim, clicking pictures of the serene Chapora river from the Siolim bridge. Our first stop was the beautiful Siolim church. We tried to capture the calm of this church in our pictures and could also click the holy sacrament.

Moving on, we reached Calangute and decided to stop for grub. An inviting board of Bob’s Inn made us check out the place and well, we were in luck. The place was done up with all things Goan and the delicious food made our day. Do try the Chicken Cafreal (a typical Goan delicacy) if you stop by. Now, before any of you gasp at my recommending a non-vegetarian dish, I must clarify that I tasted the curry and it was refreshingly different from the usual Punjabi fare that we end up getting. The curry is a base of mint leaves with Goan spices.

Bob is your typical, friendly Goan who loves to tell his stories. He started out as a tour guide, which was his father’s business as well. According to him, he quit because of excessive work load and women falling for him. He then went abroad and worked for restaurants. When he came back to India he started Bob’s Inn.

Such stories are typical of the ethos of a Goan holiday. It was time to move on. We reached Verem from where we took a ferry to Panjim. Panjim to old goa was a breezy ride and before we knew it we were greeted by Basicila of Bom Jesus.

The Basilica of Bom Jesus is a majestic building with intricately detailed structures both form the outside and the inside. The magnificient altar is completed gilded and extremely detailed.

Your camera will not stop clicking till the time that you click all the structures adorning the walls of the basilica.

From one wonder to another, just across the road, the chapel of Francis Assisi and the Se Cathedral awaited us. The majestic architecture of the chapel and cathedral continued to enthrall us and our cameras.

Someone had a very good vision when constructing these buildings. He/She made sure all the wonderful ones are in the same vicinity at walking distance from each other so that centuries later when tourists like me visit the place, we don’t need to travel a lot.


The compound has many other attractions like the Cajetan church, the chapel of St. Catherine which we decided to skip.

We wanted to go the Chapora fort as well but the back breaking ride made us decide otherwise and we headed straight to Camp 69.

Dinner was to be had at our humble restaurant and when we arrived there, we saw a huge bunch of Europeans celebrating with the owner of the place – Bosco.

A lot of Europeans have been coming to Goa since many years and stay for as long as 6 months. This bunch had many such veterans. I am sure if we had stayed long enough, we would also have been a part of that group.

The music was Bob Marley and the food was aloo palak and rotis and this was followed by a stroll at Morjim beach underneath the starlit sky. Heavenly!!!!

Technorati Tags: Chapora, Bom Jesus, Old Goa, Bob Marley

The Goan Holiday - January 14th 2007

After a scrumptious breakfast at Camp 69, we hit the beach. The day was to be dedicated to Morjim beach. We gave some money to a beach shack called Golden Eagle and asked them to care of our belongings. That money was to be used to pay for our lunch.

It was time to conquer the sea. I am not a swimmer and was really scared at first of getting into the sea with the waves crashing on my head. But then I slowly got used to it and enjoyed frolicking in the water for quite some time.

We waded through water till we reached the end of the beach and waded back to Golden Eagle because by then our stomachs were screaming with hunger.

Like many shacks on the beach, this one was owned by a Russian, which was obvious when we went through the menu. Each item on the menu had a Russian translation for it. I had Mojito for the first time here and I haven’t had a better one anywhere since.

With our tummies full, we were getting sleepy and what better place to take a nap than the beach beds. So here we were, lying on our beach beds talking, watching the few people on the beach and at peace with ourselves.

The next day was photography day!!!

Technorati Tags: Morjim, Mojito, Goa, beach

The Goan Holiday -January 13th, 07

What do I do when I have slogged for over a year and need a break desparately? I go away for a week to GOA!!! So from Jan 13th to Jan 20th, yours truly was enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of this wonderful state of India.

We divided our trip in two parts, wherein the first leg was spent in North Goa and the second leg in South Goa. We decided to take the train from Mumbai to Goa and were aboard the Konkan Kanya express at 11:00 in the night from Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

As the eventful journey began, we decided to switch off our mobile phones and keep it that way for the rest of the trip. So for a week we did not know or care to know about whether the world other than Goa existed or not.

We arrived at our destination Pernem at about 11:00 in the morning. We were to stay at Morjim and Pernem was the nearest station. Haggling and negotiating forms a major part of a Goan holiday and we were at it since the time we landed in Goa. We haggled with the rickshaw fellow to take us to Morjim who finally agreed on Rs. 250 for the 30 – 45 mins ride.

We finally reached our abode-to-be for the next 4 days – Camp 69.

This is the oldest establishment at Morjim and is a perfect place for a peaceful holiday. It boasts of log cabins with ensuite bathrooms surrounded by palm trees on all sides. We were the only Indian revelers at this place and on the beach as well.

The Morjim beach is just across the road. We checked in, made ourselves comfortable and hogged at the hotel’s restaurant. This place was never dull when it came to food. I have not eaten such food anywhere. I mean, how exciting can an egg biryani get? But the chef managed to create wonders with this simple dish as well.

After filling up our rumbling tummies, we head straight to the beach. We walk and we walk and we walk along the entire stretch of Morjim and Ashwem and amazingly we never felt the distance. It’s a beautiful stretch of white sand and pristine blue waters.

Later that evening we hired a bike from Francis and head to Anjuna for dinner. Dinner was had at Zoories – a beautiful restaurant on a cliff overlooking the sea. It was Saturday and we HAD to go to the famous Saturday night market at Arpora. The market is an interesting sight in itself peppered with stalls selling trinkets, clothes, leather, silver, food and alcohol – all in one huge space. The stalls are leased by Indians and Europeans alike. The Saturday night market can be called a hagglers paradise. The sheer joy of getting something at 50% its cost cannot be explained.

The day ended with a bike ride from Arpora to Morjim through the eerie roads of Goa.
Goodnight Morjim J

Technorati Tags: Morjim, Camp 69, Saturday night market, Arpora

Happy New Year!!

Here's wishing everyone a Wonderful, Slightly whacky and an Absolutely rocking 2007!!!

Me Mumbai Guide!

I fulfilled one of my long desired fantasies last weekend – that of being a guide to Mumbai J

I had quite some colleagues (ladies to be precise) in Mumbai for the first time and of course all of them wanted to go around the city, shop, - basically experience Mumbai.

Mumbai offers something for everyone. We do not have historic monuments a plenty which most Delhities can boast about, but we do have some really interesting things that you can do here.

Revel in history with a walk around colaba (churchgate), Victoria Terminus station and the Gateway of India. Experience majestic, heritage structures being put to modern age commercial use. The place is a treat for photographers, sea lovers, people watchers and architects.

There is a café which features in my must see lists - café mondegar. The café heralds the beginning of the colaba causeway. A beer café with an old style jukebox, a must see place even if you don’t drink beer. The place has an airconditioned bar inside – I have never been inside. Sit outside and enjoy an evening of vibrant atmosphere, great music and the clutter and chaos typical to Mumbai.

Pump up your adrenaline with a speed boat ride at H2O near Girgaum Chowpaty. This is right next to Salt water grill and also offers other exhilarating water sports like Jet ski, parasailing etc.

For a more relaxing ride, take the colaba cruise from the Gateway of India. This is a 30 minutes ride in a ferry with locals. Take the ride towards twilight and you will amazed to find how beautiful chaos can be.

For the flea market shopalcoholic, the colaba causeway aka colaba flea market is the best place for a great bargain. Shop for trinkets, artifacts (you even get old world, working gramophones here), woolen stoles, trendy footwear, bags, casual clothes here. A bargaining tip – Start with 50% of the cost informed by the shopkeeper. You never know, you might just get the stuff in that rate. I have bought stuff like that.

For beautiful sterling silver trinkets shop at Curios. This shop is just across Café Mondegar. It is run by a friendly Gujarati Uncle who will give you a discount if asked for.

A huge footwear and trinket market awaits you at Bandra Linking Road. Get the latest footwear for as low as 100 rupees. Don’t expect them to last longer than a couple of months. Look at the brighter side – you can wear new footwear after every three months ;).

Looking for a classier place to shop. Hit the Lower Parel Phoenix Mills or Inorbit Mall at Malad. There is a shop called In Touch in Inorbit Mall. This one sells only bags. You will be amazed by the sheer number of designs on offer. Browse through Bandhej, AND (yes, that’s the name of a shop) and Rhu stores in Phoenix Mills for ethnic clothes in cotton.

If you do not like touristry places try these. Dhobitalao – a huge washing place right outside Marine Lines station, Chor bazaar – you can find any kind of antique here for peanuts (I have never been here till date), Zaveri bazaar – A precious jewelery bazaar where you can find any kind of precious jewellery for less.

This is the way I would enjoy Mumbai. Let me know how would you!

Technorati Tags: Dhobitalao, Colaba, Bandra, VT

A Blue Synagogue

A lucky visual treat is what I had the chance to experience in the alleys of south mumbai this weekend, have fun!!

Food for thought …

Lot has been said about the booming economy and particularly the boom in the organized retail sector in India. Malls have been mushrooming at every nook and corner of the smallest of cities in India. Malls are equated to a shopping experience where people not only go to shop but they are the new parks where families go on a weekend to spend time.

This Diwali, I did the opposite. Me and my mom went shopping on the Gujarati New Year’s day to a traditional market - the Natraj Market at Malad station.

The place is dominated by Gujarati traders selling cloth, readymade garments, stuff to decorate your garment and the works. We happened to be the first customers for everyone that day and I was amazed with the warmth that we were showered with in each shop that we visited.

Each shop had a bowl of sweets kept at the entrance. Whether you buy something or not, you are insisted to take some sweet alongwith you as a token of well being. I was pleasantly surprised that these people had kept this tradition alive of offering sweets to anyone who visits your house on the New Years Day, in this hectic and extremely materialistic world.

We ended up purchasing some dresses from a shop and the shopkeeper ended up making an invoice of an amount like Rs. 501. He said, that the one rupee was as a shagun. We readily gave the amount and imagine our surprise when he gives us a full box of sweets as we were his first clients for the New Year. I was particularly taken in by the warmth of this gesture.

I am sure we would not have ever been received with such affection at any mall. Nobody would have really cared if it were the New Year or if we were the first client for the New Year.

These are simple and very tiny gestures which make the fabric of India. It saddens me that we tend to forget the rich culture that we live in, the talents that we have, in blatantly copying the west in our race for becoming the next superpower.

I sincerely hope that somewhere we do not loose this identity which is India. Economy boom or not and it is this identity which makes us different from the rest of the world’s so-called successful economies.

Would be nice to know your opinions on this.

Technorati Tags: Retail, Economy, India, Gujarati New Year