Murphy's Law

This is just an introspection...May not be interesting but I am sure there are people on common grounds.

I married at the onset of 30s and my husband in his mid 30s. Because of marriage, subsequent relocation and lots of  (my husband's) work related travel, I took a sabbatical when my career was going full throttle. We would travel by road every week with limited notice. Most notices came couple of hours before we could pack up and leave. The road trips would last anywhere between 400 kms to 2000 kms a week.  I would pack everything from vegetables to cooked food and what not!! My sabbatical lasted a little over 2 years.  Meanwhile our travel reduced and we settled in one location. Since I was on a sabbatical, I wanted to finish the baby making routine before I kick start my career again.  We consulted doctors when I wasn't getting pregnant.  Went on medication for a couple of months and then gave up the hassle.

One day, without making the effort of looking around for jobs, I got an interview call. With a few more rounds I managed to get a job in a city where jobs are limited.  So I started  my career full steam ahead, fully motivated, and driven to bring my career back to the place where I left off.

And then comes the Murphy's Law...5 months after I started working.... I am Pregnant!!!!!!! :D I was shocked, excited, worried about my job.. End of the day, it was the most happiest moment in recent times. Heeehawwwww!!!!

That's when realization struck....And I have resolved...that it's pointless to plan. There is a time and place for everything, for everyone....It's not necessary that things will materialize as per plan...What is meant to happen will happen when they are meant to be.  My career has gone to the back burner but soon enough I would have achieved another milestone.

C`est la vie!!!

Happy Livinggggggggg!!! :D

Thrikarthika - Festival of Lights in Kerala

This is a rather short write up.  Considering, I am not religiously obedient or fall within the devout part of the population, I hadn't imagined writing up on something such as "Thrikarthika".  My inspiration to write came from yesterday's visit to the Raja Rajeswari Temple located in Palarivattom, Kochi.  

Thrikarthika is the festival of lights celebrated in Kerala on a full moon day during November/December months.  The dates differ year to year, I believe with the changes in the moon or so.  It is also celebrated in other states of South India with different nomenclatures like Karthiga Deepam, Karthika Poornima, Karthika Pournami etc. 

At Raja Rajeshwari Temple, the floor surrounding the temple, the chuttuvilakku - which are the rows of lamps that are embedded into the temple walls, were all filled with oil and thiri (wick).  Every person who came could  take a stick (seemed like small branches ripped off from trees), a strip of white cloth and a piece of thread.  Once the strip of cloth is tied onto the stick and tied with the thread, it is dipped into a huge vessel of oil.  Then, we lit the oil cloth that is clad on the stick and went lighting the diyas on the floor surrounding the temple. The happiness from seeing a thousand illuminating lights alike gold dust sprinkled on the floor, when all the lamps are lit simulteanously is fulfilling, peaceful and lights up the heart. Ohh! the golden hues....Here goes a few pictures!! 

Queen of Arabian Sea

Kochi, Cochin, Ernakulam - Kerala 

So after many years of living in Tier 1 cities, we live in Kochi now. Personally, I was resistant to this change of moving from Bangalore to Kochi.  It's been a year since we moved here.  We explored a few places and I sort of like the fact that Kochi is coming up to speed.  People are a lot more cosmopolitan, than I had picturised.  Though the larger population is still very "Mallu" (a short form for Malayalees - natives of Kerala), I believe the crowd is getting trendier.  And this phenomenon, in my opinion, is due to this.  In the last decade or so, most Mallus have shifted from the "Gelf" going "Ungles" phenomenon. Many study abroad or work abroad, living in many countries of the world and other metros in India.  Families travel across borders.  With that exposure and getting used to a certain way of life, Mallus seems to want a lot more from here.  Well, there is a lot more to the phenomenon I am sure, but I am listing down a few places we explored and may help a few of you travelling to Kochi for a vacation or may be even shifting to Kochi with a long face like me, ;)

PLACES TO EAT:

This is what we do on most of our weekends.  Find new places to eat and EAT. :D 

COCOA TREE - This is a Cafe/Restaurant located in Panampilly Nagar, Kochi. The food here is a welcome surprise.  The portions are large and they put their heart into every plate of food that is served. The cafe is well decorated - largely painted in dark chocolate brown and apple green.   I particularly like the use of old 'goli soda' bottles as a part of their decor.  The menu has a segregation of steaks, hotdogs, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, a kids menu and needless to say a good list of sinful, decadent desserts.  Yes, I have a Big Sweet Tooth popping out of my nose!! :D. The good thing about this restaurant is that they make their food like it should be made. The food we've tried so far are as follows.   

Charred Mushroom Soup - Warm and comforting. Love it!

Tenderloin Steak - My husbands favourite and his regular order every time

Zingy Asian Style Chicken Wings - Zingy spicy starter.  They have milder versions too

Pesto Penne Pasta - My 2 year old niece gets restless once the pasta is ordered.  Once the order arrives,  we share it while she is sitting on my lap and there is no cute conversation = enjoying the pure bliss of eating hot pasta. 

All American Burger - My 11 year old nephew swears by it

Mushroom Burger

Moroccan Lamb and Couscous

Shrimp Pops

Butterscotch Sundae

Creme Brulee`

Banofee Waffle - Don't make the mistake of ordering it after a full meal unless you intend to share. It's a rather big portion even for an adult.  It's freshly made in the Waffle Iron at the counter and yummy yum.

 I am yet to try the Quesadilla Platter, Mudslide and all the other desserts.  :D 

Price - They are slightly high priced than other restaurants.  A meal and dessert for 2 of us costs between 1500/- and 2000/- rupees usually.  But it's totally worth it.  I prefer paying for good food than pay less for bad food.  Here's the facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/cocoatreecafe

BIRIYANIS:

Biriyani is a mixed rice dish made of chicken, beef, mutton/lamb or fish.  There are vegetarian versions too. 

A mixture of either meat or vegetable with rice, ghee and spices and after a long cooking process becomes an end product called Biriyani.  India being vastly varied in culture, the Biriyani has many varied versions too across the country.  The malabar biriyanis are mildly spiced and fragrant.  That's info for visitors. 

KAYEES BIRIYANI - If it's a weekend and you want to have biriyani at Kayees, you better set out ahead of time.  They are packed on weekends and you have to share tables with other people.  The wall boasts of reviews from the who's who, newspaper cut-outs and the world famous painter and artist M.F.Hussain.  The biriyani is great.  They have mutton, egg, fish and chicken biriyani.  We didn't have the time to look at the rest of the menu as it was a weekend and it was crowded.  I must say the food is good.  Though there is wait time on weekends, it's not a long wait. 

TELICHERRY KITCHEN - They boast of the Thalasherry / Malabar biriyani.  Their mutton biriyani is awesome. But make sure you ask for the Malabar or Thalasherry biriyani.  They also have mysore biriyani in their menu which is quite different in flavour.  "Be a Mallu in the Mallu land, I say!!" :D 

CHILLIES RESTAURANT - This is an Andhra restaurant and serves authentic Andhra meal. I grew up in Vishakapatnam and Telugu food fancies me. Sumptuous south Indian meal served on a plantain/banana leaf.  Eating a meal here for me is such a feel good factor. If you like spice, try their mutton pepper fry - it will make your eye balls merry-go-round. Haha!  I thoroughly enjoy it.  The Andhra Mutton biriyani is good too.  

DESSERTS AND COFFEE SHOPS:

DONUT FACTORY - Yes, they serve donuts and coffee. One of a kind in Kochi.  All the children and adults in our household love donuts from donut factory.  I asked my nephew, "Is it better than the donuts you have in Bangalore?" His reply with a chocolate smeared face - "What a question, Ammayi?" The Panampilly nagar store is small, neat and clean.  There are tables outside as well, which is where we sit most times. They have takeaways too. Box of 6, 12 etc.

What we've had: 

3 chocolates

Black or White 

Marble

Custard Filled

Chocolate filled

UFO

Oreo Delight

White Chocolate

Dark Chocolate

They have many more in the list. We usually land there around 830-ish in the evening and they are left with a select few.  Land up early for a larger spread.  Here's the facebook page for a visual treat. https://www.facebook.com/coffeemeetsdonuts

NATURALS - They are well known for their ice creams made of seasonal fruits.  They have watermelon, chikoo, jackfruit (chakka), custard apple, mango, jamun, tender coconut etc.  They are not icecreams made of fruit flavouring agents but made of the actual fruit itself.  Naturals has branches across India. It's a pleasure to have them in Kochi.

SIDE WALK CAFE` - This is a Pizzeria, indeed placed on the side walk of Woods Manor Hotel. A side walk or verandah converted into a simple well furnished restaurant. It's located on the main road, so it's easy to find - yet very calm inside. They have an open kitchen with the old world,wood-fired, dome shaped brick oven.  If you're interested in thin-crust wood-fired pizza, this is a great place. The pizzas take time as they are made on order in the wood-fired oven but the wait is totally worth it. They leave olive oil and seasonings on the table.  We tried the lamb, chicken and vegetarian pizzas.  

CHILLI OUT CAFE` (CHERAI) - Chilli Out is a touristy shack located on Cherai Beach.  It's a  bamboo structure with bamboo tables.  The best part of this shack is that it faces the beach.  You can walk through the restaurant onto the other side and you step into the beach sand.  Especially pretty during sunset. Chilli out is owned by a French man who lives here with family.  You won't see the hustle bustle of waiters around here like in most restaurants. He serves good crepes and mostly European food.  Good place to relax and unwind listening to the coconut trees rustle in the sea breeze. Yes, there are coconut trees by the shack. 

BTH (Bharat Tourist Home) - BTHs coffee shop is called Kempu.  We usually go there for coffee and snacking up in the evening.  They have a good list of South Indian snacks like Vada, Idly, Dosa, Uthappam.  Our favourites are Pazhampuri (Banana fry) and Coffee.

So that's the list for now.  More to come in the next blog.  We are going for lunch tomorrow at Chillies!!! Yippeee!! :D 

Chennai - The erstwhile Madras

This travelogue is going to be a short one.  And we don't have any pictures this time around because my dear husband despises being photographed and sometimes he could become a grumpy goose at the sight of a camera. (:D On a funny note) So I decided not to take a camera along. 

Ok. Here goes! Our trip to Chennai was a quick, short 2 day trip.  We booked a serviced apartment/homestay through airbnb.com. I am sure most people are aware of Airbnb with a lot of us travelling abroad for projects, jobs etc.  I will still make a small mention for those of you who are not aware of it.  Airbnb is headquartered in California.   It is an online marketplace that connects the  hosts who rent out their properties with travellers and guests who are looking for a safe and convenient place to stay. .Every property is associated with a host whose profile includes reviews by users and other guests, government ID verification details and private messaging system.  

Airbnb lists properties in many countries including India. 

We booked 2 standard double bedroom - one with an extra bed.  Before a room is booked, you can send an inquiry to the host on the airbnb website and he/she will get back to you with relevant details and ask you relevant questions. You will need to register yourself with an email ID for sending an inquiry. My host wanted to know our arrival/departure timing, so he could arrange for transport if need be. I relied on Google maps instead. 

From Kochi to Chennai we travelled by train which was an overnight journey.  We attended a family function and had one extra day with nothing to do.  My parents wanted to go the famous vegetarian restaurant Saravana Bhavan.  This restaurant has branches across the world and many parts of Kerala.  If you are looking for a heart filling South Indian vegetarian fare, this is the best place to be.  In Chennai, Saravana Bhavan has numerous branches, so depending on where you are located, heading off to the nearest one is the best option.  Google Map was our best friend!! :D

Autorickshaw drivers in Chennai are brash.  They asked us 2 to 3 times the actual meter fare every time we stepped out.  So again, our best buddy was google maps.  We insisted that the auto drivers went by the meter and we switched our gmaps on and directed the driver.

Express Avenue Mall - If you live in a city with lots of malls, this might not be all that important. For me, I lived in Bangalore and Hyderabad for many years and was spoilt by the choice of brands. I was a regular at stores like Lifestyle, Shopperstop and Westside.  Now, I stay in Kochi (Cochin), where none of these stores exist.  Well, Westside opened a little over a year ago in Lulu mall recently.  So, an opportunity to go to a mall and shop in any city is something I take full advantage of  - to stock up on daily wear clothes.  EA (Express Avenue) is a good place to shop.  Lots of brands, lots of stores like M&S, Fabindia, Westside, Hush Puppies etc.

Gist - Like you have heard a 100 times from friends and family, Chennai is HOT and HUMID.  Carry your goggles, sunscreen, comfortable clothing, rubber bands for your hair, some face tissue and may be an umbrella. Hopefully next time, I'll have a longer trip to Chennai, explore more places and add to this blog.

Until Next Time! 

AMBOLI

My husband and I wanted a weekend getaway without the hassle of too much of planning, packing or spending too much money.  From Hubli - Karnataka (which is where we were staying then), Amboli - Maharashtra is about 160 kms.  That was just an hour and a half drive.  So we took off.  As we hit the borders of Maharashtra it was raining and pleasantly lifted our moods.  The roads were narrower but lined on both sides with paddy fields, teak plantations and then a huge stretch of forest.  A little after - the weather was foggy and there was very little visibility.  Then we reached Amboli.  Amboli is a hill station along the Sahyadri Hills.  It's on the Ghat section, so expect winding roads, fog, rain and tiny waterfalls along the way. 

The "Sunset Point" -   Since it was foggy we couldn't quite see the sunset but the place is worth making a stop at.  Experience the pure bliss of looking at the lush green valleys and listening to the whistling woods. It is definitely worth a mental picture.  Along the road you have many small waterfalls that run down from the hills.  Do make a stop for the pure pleasure of bathing in clean water from the mountains.  It is more refreshing that you can imagine. 

The Big Waterfall - Do find your way to the biggest waterfall in the area.  It is a huge ravine and had two huge waterfalls running into it.  It was windy and raining on the day we went, so the waterfall running down the hill was splashing back upwards.  The feeling of the tiny water droplets on the face is pure pleasure.  The drive back from the waterfall to the main road is just plain GREEN.  It is beautiful. 

Do take your cameras and an umbrella if you need it.  We preferred getting drenched. 

BENGALURU - HUBLI HIGHWAY DRIVE

BENGALURU - HUBLI HIGHWAY

We travel from Bangalore to Hubli and vice-versa atleast three to four times a month. The Bangalore - Hubli highway runs through Neelamangala-Tumkur-Chitradurg-Davangere-Haveri-Hubli. It's approximately 420 kms (plus or minus a few kms depending on which part of Bangalore you start from. There are multiple toll gates along the way. So ensure that you have sufficient change inorder to make a quick move at the toll booth. The highway is super smooth for most part of the journey. However, there is portion of the highway where six lane is underway and the traffic is streamlined to the corners of the road. This portion is not discomforting for the drive though, because most the road is pretty much free of potholes. But this will cut down on the usual highway speed.

About a 100 kms off of Bangalore, there is a Cafe Coffee Day. We stop for a cup of coffee to keep us going for the next 5 hours, get a few snacks for the road and empty bladders if need be :). Most part of the highway is agricultural land. When I traveled this road for the first time in April, the endless stretches of land was dark brown and barren. I hadn't imagined that the earth would transform itself in the days to come. As months passed, we could see farmers sowing on these lands, tractors and bullock carts on the sides. And as the south-west monsoons made it's grand arrival, around June, the endless stretches of land turned lush green. All sorts of farms from Paddy, Jowar, Bajra, Chillies, Tomatoes, Onions, Peanuts, Corn and many others were being grown.

THE FLAMING ORANGE BED:

One day, along the way, between the multiple shades of green paddy fields stretched over hundreds of acres until the eyes met the horizon, there was a sudden burst of orange – flaming orange. It instantly caught our attention and we stopped to figure what it was. It looked like a flower bed but was atleast about 3 kms away. So we couldn't pinpoint on what it was. We decided to take a detour and drove in towards the orange bed. As we got closer, we couldn't believe our eyes. It was a Dahlia farm with hundreds and hundreds of Dahlias. Bright orange blaze of glory for a city dweller's eyes. As we drove further, there were many other farms of Dahlia. It was delightful to see the number of shades of just one kind of flower. There were lighter shades of orange, some bright orange and some were dark orange color, rather closer to red. As Ganesh Puja came around, the flowers were plucked and packed off in truckloads to the adjoining city markets.

BLACKBUCKS:

Somewhere between Davengere and Haveri is a place called Rannebennur. This little town has a Blackbuck Deer Sanctuary. Though we have never been to the sanctuary, one of the times that we were passing by Rannebennur, we pulled over to take a break. In a faraway farm it felt like something moved near a tree. I thought it was a goat since it was too faraway. I immediately took out the camera so I could zoom in and see what it was. To my surprise it was a herd of spotted deers and blackbucks grazing in the field. It is unusual to see deers so close to the highway unless you were driving through hills. It was a spectuacular site.

WINDMILLS OF CHITRADURG:

Chitradurg is precisely half way between Bangalore and Hubli. It's called the “City of Forts”. As you approach Chitradurg you will see hills that are widespread and atop of these hills are a line of windmills, strangely synchronous, yet not. Not just one or two, but hundereds of them. It's a serene sight during the day and starry eyed during the night. The skies are studded with blinking lights almost like stars. As you get closer, you'll notice these are the center lights of the windmills running across the hills. And these blink as the fan blades of the windmills circle. It's a pretty sight. Also, running along one of the hills is a huge fort wall. Almost looks like the Great Wall of China from a distance.  Yes I've been to China!! :D

POCKET FUL OF RAINBOWS:

Between June and September, the southwest moonsoons arrive. During this period, it rains abundantly and so the fields and farms are full, healthy, luscious green and is a nature lover's paradise. And catching a rainbow is almost predictable. It rains when the sun is shining – well this is anybody's guess. Breathtaking, is when on one of our drives, we caught a rainbow arching beautifully across with the highway right at the center. The second time we saw a rainbow from the balcony of our house and the third time was the best when saw a double rainbow. One full rainbow and a half rainbow. Never heard of that? Well, there is nothing like being caught unaware - colourfully.