Tag Archive for 'travel'

Vacation – 2010

Published on January 22, 2011 in Good things, Lee, Life as it happens and Wanderlust. 14 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Auroville beach - December 2010

I love the beach. As I walked on the warm sands of Auroville beach, I realized that it took me 10 years to come back to the ocean. Imagine. How in the world did I ever let that happen? This does not bode well. Pencilling in “New year 2012 at Goa” immediately before I forget. Also waiting for Sidin Vadakut to reply once again to my email but I guess thats pushing it too far.

So back in August this year, I had been wondering where to spend my precious winter vacation. Precious because this was my first vacation post baby girl Lee as well as post M-Tech 1st semester, my brain had sufficiently stopped working and needed a kickstart in order to usher in the next semester. Oh yes, the M-tech thing. We go further back to May this year.

I was happily on my long extended maternity leave when a colleague suggested applying for further studies from July at SMIT, Majhitar. It all seemed impossible at that time, what with going back to studies after (gasp) 9 years and that too, with a baby and (gasp gasp) I still hadnt got a maid to help around the house. But like all good movies, everything started to fall back into place and before long, I gathered enough courage to leave my baby with the maid at home while I went about gallivanting around for stuff like work and studies.

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Hello Bangalore!

Published on April 21, 2009 in Life as it happens, Musings and Wanderlust. 13 Comments Tags: , .

I am happy to be back in Bangalore but I have to say – this place has grown so hot! And now I finally know how bad it is to be stuck in one of its horrific traffic jams. Just yesterday, we were being driven around in town and the driver was so friendly that every time we asked him a question, he would turn right back at us to look at us as we speak!

We decided not to ask him any questions since we would ultimately end up being dead that way. After a while, I see the guy’s eyes dozing off in the rear view mirror while the car moves at full speed! What a temperature and what an incredible driver. I am alive as I write this post, to all concerned enough.

Visited some industries today since this is supposed to be an official tour. My colleague asked some impressive whats-the-spindle-rpm questions to the guy who was escorting us for a manufacturing plant tour.

So I decided that I would ask this question on the next tour, only to be reminded by my colleague to make sure that there was actually a spindle on the machine in the first place. Har har.

No, I am not a mechanical engineer. And yes, I know what a spindle looks like. What else do you think is that lady doing on my header with all that yarn???

My hotel room is the hottest place in Bangalore, I’d have to admit. I try leaving the windows open when I leave in the morning. In return, the housekeeping staff are so diligent that they close the windows once they’re done with the daily cleaning so that the room represents a 100 degree centigrade oven when I get back but other than that, the stay is okay.

We’re supposed to keep the receipts of the expensed incurred so that we can get it reimbursed when we get back to office. I wonder if I can sneak in a few INOX theatre tickets in my bunch when no one is looking.

I’m yet to meet my friends here – most of them dont even know that I’m in their city.

Hello once again, Bangalore! Its nice to be back.

I (heart) Bhutan

Published on January 7, 2009 in Good things and Wanderlust. 18 Comments Tags: , , .

I had wanted to visit Bhutan for a long time and finally set off towards the Land of the Thunder Dragon this December 30th. The journey from Sikkim to the Bhutan border town of Phuntsholing takes about 7 hours by road. A long drive indeed and I believe I slept most of the way. So after traveling for what felt like eternity, we reached Phuntsholing at 3 pm. Now the difference between the two sides of the border is startling. Jaigaon, the last town of India is this bustling, clouds of dust-billowing-in-the-air, crowded place where cows rule. As you cross over to Bhutan (while the Bhutan police looks suspiciously at the back seat of your car – not their fault actually, cause we had piled our luggage in such a manner we appeared to be smuggling something across the border), you feel more clean and the slope uphill made me feel immediately at home.

chorten

Memorial Shrine, Thimpu

No major formality to enter the country, really; just drive through in your car and you’re in a foreign country! Easy as that. Once inside Bhutan, we hunted for a hotel to dump our baggage and in a hurry to eat, ended up choosing a not so great hotel although if we’d just circled the block, we’d have found much nicer hotels. I’d forgotten how it was to be a tourist.

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Bhutan

Published on October 20, 2008 in Wanderlust. 14 Comments Tags: , , .

I want to visit Bhutan. My friend did last week and she said that the people there are very hospitable, friendly and helpful. She talked about huge, red apples being sold for 30 rupees/kilo and the hotels being run by local families. When they asked for the bill at checking out time, the owner said – How many plates of food did you have? Its okay, just pay an approximate amount. Quite unbelievable.

Almost every business in Bhutan is run by women. It is a very safe place to visit. The cops are extremely smart and incapable of bribes. And also , Bhutanese people know hindi and are major Bollywood fans!

I then got a copy of a Bhutanese movie called Travellers and Magicians which deals with a young government official, trapped in a remote outpost – harbouring a dream to escape to America. Loved the movie and fell in love with this wonderful place called Bhutan. Want to go there soon.

We were on a break

Published on October 9, 2008 in Sikkim and Wanderlust. 16 Comments Tags: , , .

I had eleven days off from work, thanks to puja vacations. I decided not to grow roots at home and travel with friends instead. And that is how we headed off into the sunrise, since we started early morning at 7 am.

The exit road from my house till the main road is a steep uphill. Now many may wonder how it is that we actually navigate the vehicles out without getting killed everyday. Those who live here, like me, do the same – but only once a week if you must know.

As my friend sped the vehicle uphill, I yelled BODY WEIGHT agay (front) and not surprisingly, no one understood what to do. Well, you see a few years back, we were on an adventurous horse back riding trip up the steep, slush-filled hill slopes of Kufri, which was some kilometres after Shimla.

The horse guide walking in front screamed: body weight agay – after which we had to lean ahead. The call downhill was – body weight peechay! (back) and we had to lean backwards accordingly.

It was either lean or die laughing at that point of time. I leaned all right. Then felt sorry for the poor horse afterwards.

The day turned out to be quite pleasant. I like this pic here cause the sun had just risen and the whole image has different shades of blue for all contemplation. The bridge leads all the way to The Avenue. This is my favourite spot throughout the journey. 

The moment we reached there, I turned and before I could speak, my fellow passenger says - I know, The Avenue – a road which is lined with trees. I thought the I know part was stressed a bit sarcastically but I was too caught up to respond.

I think I forgot to add the Feel free to click on the pics for a larger view part in the beginning. I know most of you are smart enough to know that without me having to tell you. If nothing else, I know that I run the risk of those people getting pissed and wondering if they should stop visiting my blog for the insult. 

It may come as a surprise but I’ve recently learnt the arts of Changing The Topic When Needed Most. LOOK AT THE PRETTY PIC BELOW!

P.S. All the pics were taken from a moving car so the blur you see (if any) isnt intentional and most certainly is not bad photography, how dare you. Good trip, with Tiger and especially Stan Marsh from South Park behaving extremely well for a change.

Stupidly fearless girl

Published on September 20, 2008 in memoirs. 18 Comments Tags: , , .

As you grow older (and wiser perhaps: seems aging is mandatory, wisdom optional), you look back at all the things you used to do back when you were young and wonder how on earth are you still alive today to blog about it.

Me and a friend were talking about college days when we used to make the arduous journey from Sikkim all the way to different parts of South India which meant four days of very long travelling. Most of the times, we used to have other batch mates escorting us. But there were vacations such as Onam holidays for me during which they (the guys, if you could call them that) wouldnt want to travel back and forth in such a very short period of time; so they decided on staying back in Calicut.

I, on the other hand, HAD TO travel, even if I had to do it all alone, just so that I could come back home, stay for a couple of days and head back again. Stupidity number one.

Once, I traveled all the way till Calcutta along with other friends. They reached their destinations and went home happily. My connecting overnight train to Sikkim was at 6 pm and I remember one very decent batch mate worried about how I would wait all alone in the platform. I exclaimed – Come on! I’ll wait in the ladies waiting room – its no big deal, yaar! Thats when he informed me that I was standing in the wrong railway terminal in the first place. Stupidity number two.

He kindly escorted me to the other platform, which was miles(?) away from the previous one and he finally had to take off since I had hours to kill before the train arrived. His face was all scrunched up with worry while I laughingly waved him goodbye.

Six pm came and went – I had already left the ladies waiting room and was in the platform waiting for the stupid train to show up. Night fell and everything started becoming dark. There I sat on the platform, propped up on my rucksack, reading a book while porters in their red uniform and other creatures eyed me quizzically till 11 pm. Thats when the train finally showed up and I took the upper side berth to promptly fall asleep. Needless to say, I reached home in one piece.

Looking back, I kind of fear for my own safety and thank god nothing happened to me. During that particular journey and so many others after that.  I cant imagine traveling alone right now. I need an escort to reach me till the train bathroom – thats how much I’m scared to death, honestly speaking.

I guess thats what age does to you. It makes you aware of how fearless you once were.

Highway on my plate

Published on May 14, 2008 in Good things. 9 Comments Tags: , , .

I’m a self confessed TV junkie but most of you already know that by now. Even my dog thinks its highly strange of me to be glued to the idiot box as soon as I return home from work as opposed to petting its stupid head. I agree to disagree, as Ron Burgundy a.k.a. Will Ferrell says in The Anchorman. (Further proof of my unnatural fixation to everything that airs on TV, one may think. Again, agree to disagree)

My TV is one of the most important (materialistic) things in my life. That is why, I am a slave to Tata Sky’s whimsical offers and myriad packages that they offer on a monthly basis. Like the blessed time when NDTV Good Times was showcased for free and my instant favourite was Highway on my plate.

But alas, Tata Sky made this channel payable for an extra sum of Rs. 30 per month. Oh, never underestimate the evil corporate mind! First they dangle the carrot and get TV addicts like me hooked, line & sinker. Then they withdraw the string in a mighty hurry. Now, its not about the money. Just my chagrin at devious media plots.

I tried to resist as much as I could – I truly did. But in the end, the very thought of missing Rocky & Mayur’s “Food Quote of The Day” on Highway on my plate was too overpowering to resist. So I caved in and got poorer by 30 bucks. And the show is all I look forward to watching on NDTV Good Times ever since I got the connection back.

The show is about two hungry people scouring the highways of India in search of local culinary delicacies. Its also about two extremely witty friends who liven up the show with their hilariously funny comments. I’m more partial to Rocky than Mayur because as all non-vegetarians would unanimously agree, we tend to stick together through meat and bones.

This was written on the walls of a dhaba they once visited – Tehzeeb se mango, izzat muft milegi. After which they proceeded to ask the cook to call Mr. Tehzeeb so that they could get free Izzat for lunch!

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