India Escapes

Rainy romance with beautiful India..

2012-06-08T13:19:00.001+05:30

In India monsoon has just started knocking doors. So it’s time to celebrate rain with a cup of Tea and yummy Pakoras. Our favorite Picks for this season

1. Romance in the Kerala backwaters in the lap of nature.

2. Go to Goa to walk on the beach and watch the clouds rise from Arabian Sea.

3. Play hide and seek with rain in the lush green valley of Himachal.

So what is your favorite monsoon destination - beautiful Himachal, lush green Goa or God’s own country Kerala??

Images from Myindiapictures.com, imageclixs.com, media.tumblr.com, tinyhousewoon.com, twitpic.com, nagscanclick.blogspot.sg

Summer Travel Style

2012-05-11T17:25:00.001+05:30

Vacation on your mind ? Check out our summer favorites to make your i|e getaway stylish and fun!

Jimmy Choo Letitia - Fun, vibrant and very summery!

Printed cotton silk dress from Tambourine - This multi-color print dress is bright and playful and available at shopo.in

Péro by Aneeth Arora - Perfect summer accessory to add glamour while protecting you from the sun.

Tod's large tote with yellow fringe - Spacious and sporty this tote is perfect for travel

Mughal India

2012-03-28T00:24:00.001+05:30

Found this interesting website by British Museum - Mughal India. Great fun way to learn about the Mughal history, art and architecture. There is information on Taj Mahal, the Mughal emperors, the artwork, traditions, and what not. Could be a fun way to make history interesting for kids.

Mughal India

If you are in Delhi, other fun way to learn about Delhi and Mughal history is Ishq-e-dilli. A colorful sound and light show showcased at Purana Quila (Old Fort) every evening in two languages. Perfect outing for the breezy March evenings.

Ishq-e-dilli at Purana Quila, Delhi

Sura Vie - New lounge in Delhi with live music & great food!!

2012-01-24T18:26:00.000+05:30

Recently attended an Indian Ocean Concert at a new restaurant - bar called Sura Vie in Delhi. While the concert (as always) was an experience to remember, it was the place that forced me to write more about!

The website explains - "Sura Vie ( pronounced "Soo-ra eve") is the new casual eclectic lounge that showcases contemporary Indian music live." It is located in the heart of Delhi at Connaught Place. What makes it an interesting place is the combination of live entertainment with great food! The space has been very well designed and can be used for various purposes. And that is why they have different things going on, on different days of the week. From live concerts to ladies night, to brunch with an option for outside seating! The mezzanine floor acting as the stage for the live events, complemented with amazing acoustics gives a feel of a mini-amphitheater.

With a menu designed by the Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor ( also seen chatting around with the guests), the place has tasty options from all over the world! There is also a mini-terrace with heaters for those Delhi winter night romances :) All in all a promising place… and worth a visit!

Chilly Delhi @ night

Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

2011-12-17T20:34:00.002+05:30

Humayun's tomb- the front view

The view from the side shows the chamfered edges making the design appear octagonal

The first Mughal building in India to feature Charbagh garden, fountains and the water channels.

Two weeks back I drove to the Taj Mahal from Delhi – a grueling six hour drive fighting through the traffic of Faridabad and the congested city of Agra. And today, I drove 5 kilometres from my place to the Humayun’s Tomb. And to my wildest surprise, the experience was equally wonderful!!

The side view showing the two level structure

The monument through a jaali window

Read outside the tomb " The jaalis in the Humayun's tomb are the triumph of architect in controlling the rays of the sun while drawing in the breeze". Added to that, the jaalis create a beautiful affect when light passes through the different patterns.

I am sure that it’s hard to believe – so it was for me as well! But, I was awe-struck by the work done by the archeological survey of India at the Humayun’s Tomb. The tomb has been brilliantly restored and lush gardens around the structure add to the very delightful experience! The architecture of the Humayun’s Tomb was very “Mughal” and very similar to the Taj Mahal – it has the same shape arches, similar use of jaali work; and very similar use of the open spaces and terraces. To me and my wife, the stark difference between the two world heritage sites was the use of a lot of red stone at the Delhi monument. The tomb is perfectly carved out of red stone and marble, and according to a sign board at the site, this was the first Mughal construction with such work.

The ruins of Arab Sarai

The entrance to the tomb of Isa Khan- being restored currently.

Afsarwala tomb (Officer's tomb) and the Afsarwala Mosque

The beautiful monument and the gardens - create a wonderful experience to spend a Sunday afternoon in Delhi winters

Exterior with the use of Red Sandstone and marble inlay work.

The most wonderful part for us was that there were very few people at the tomb – well, as compared with the Taj Mahal. After all, it’s India and it has a billion people! But, I guess not many people in Delhi are aware of this precious gem in Nizamuddin :) The gardens around the monument were very peaceful and were perfect for a nice long stroll. And then there were several tiny tombs and monuments all around the park, which were exciting to explore and just wander around!

Humayun's tomb in the main chamber

The entrance gateway

Rajasthani Food: daal, baati and more!

2011-11-17T13:06:00.001+05:30

It's time to write about Rajasthani food :) and being a foodie that I am, I am surprised, that it has taken me so many weeks to come around and write about it!

As a few of you might know, daal-baati-choorma comes from Rajasthan. It is probably THE most popular dish at any multi-cuisine restaurant or eat out joint in the metropolitan cities. I believe every person I know in Delhi looks forward to go to Delhi Haat to have this Rajasthani favorite! On our trip to Rajasthan, we had it several times - in its most original setting and flavor. And mind you, baati (the bread) is "soaked" in oil or ghee. This makes it soooper unhealthy, but also equally tasty :) I guess it's ok to have it once in a while, or a couple of times on your trip to the desert state. The daal is plain and simple, no frills attached: but obviously goes wonderfully with the baati and makes it soft and soggy and easily edible. Choorma is sweet; it's the poor man's dessert after daal-baati.

Freshly baked Baatis - yet to be soaked!

Baati with Daal and Gatte

Daal-baati takes most of the limelight when it comes to food in Rajasthan. However, there is much more, and in this trip we made sure that we tried these other delicacies. Other vegetarian curries that are very tasty, and very Rajasthani are gatte, and kair sangri. Gatte is small balls of besan (gram flour) in a thin tomato less and onion less curry. I point this out as most every curry curries in India has tomatoes and onions. And then kair sangri; it is apparently made of three local farm vegetables mixed up into a very green and very healthy curry.

Rajasthani Thali @ Jaipur

Pure Veggie Meal @ Jodhpur

Last of all, we also pounced on the meat dishes in Rajasthan. Meat dishes in Rajasthan are mostly associated with the king and thakurs, and represent the food of the high society. The most popular is the laal-maas. It's a lamb curry lavishly created with lots of tomatoes and spices. It was the first time that Bhavya and I had it, and we loved it so much, that we had it four or five times during our short trip of ten days! Lastly, there was also the chicken, which was cooked with red peppers and lots of local spices, and was also a favorite with the chicken lovers.

Laal Maas

Chicken with Red Peppers

Rajasthan: the only place like it!

2011-11-07T00:16:00.001+05:30

The desert state of India is one of the most beautiful places in the sub-continent and offers a very special and unique experience. My wife and I were very fortunate to spend two weeks in Rajasthan last month. To experience it's true flavour and the local culture, we took a taxi and drove a whooping twenty five hundred kilometres within the state!

If you are traveling through Rajasthan, then there are two experiences that you must not miss: staying at a resort in a palace setting, ie an old palace or a thakur's haveli converted into a boutique hotel; and second, spending a night under luxurious tents from the king's era of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, beautifully carved out into resorts.

We obviously did a lot of research, went through all of the material available on the internet and read every available book with respect to accommodation. And thankfully, we were able to find and experience some of these very exclusive properties :)

Rajasthan was a state of the kings. If you travel on the national highway today, you will see a fort almost after every fifty kilometres. After the British rule ended, a lot of the descendents of the kings and thakurs decided to convert the forts and palaces of their fore-fathers into luxurious resorts. Staying at such properties is an amazing experience, as you can re-live the olden times, walk through the same corridors as the kings, and understand the way of their lives. Sleeping in the same rooms as the kings, give you a majestic feeling of the whole place. Most generally, these palaces have a location of top of a hill or otherwise; and offer breath-taking views of everything around them!

infinity pool, on top of a palace resort, surrounded by hills on 3 sides (jaipur)

suite patio with endless quaint views of surrounding farms (jodhpur)

And then the tents! Its a "wow" experience. These tents were used by the kings on their safaris, or hunting expeditions. This tradition has been very delicately preserved by some of their descendents. Some of the resorts in Rajasthan provide you with the exclusive opportunity to experience living in such tents! Plain canvas tents, with a quiet environment around them. I guess Rajasthan is the only place in India (and prolly the whole world) which offers such an exclusive experience! Its wonderful to walk on the floors made of mud, and to look through the doors and windows of canvas. And don't worry, most of these tents offer a nice fully equipped bathroom and full amenities; so you kinda have the best of both worlds :)

hunting tents on top of a reservoir (jodhpur)

tented spa! in the middle of a forest (ranthambore)

The Rock Garden @ Chandigarh

2011-10-07T23:48:00.001+05:30

On our way to Kasuali last month, we wandered over to Chandigarh. Chandigarh, is the capital of two states in India; and also a union territory. Quite unique! It is called the 'City Beautiful' or 'The Beautiful City' and also the 'Garden City of India'. Sounds very interesting!

Now, if you talk about gardens in Chandigarh, the rock garden comes up in every conversation, and trust me, everyone (except me, of-course!) seems to know about it. So, Bhavya and I decided to stop over and take a break at these beautiful gardens.

It is a sculpture garden. History goes that some Mr. Nek Chand starting building it illegally near the Sukhna lake, and was able to hide it from the Government for almost 18 years! All the sculptures in the garden are made from waste and thrown-away material. It is amazing! You can see a wall created with switches and sockets, and peacocks made from thrown away bangles. There are lots and lots of sculptures made with waste tiles and stones.

I guess my personal favorite were the numerous waterfalls and canals that ran through-out the rock garden. These waterways add exceptional beauty to the entire place. And then it is also lush green! Well, I guess we had the benefit of visiting it in the monsoon season - but I would be surprised if it is any different in other seasons.

You can easily spend 2 to 4 hours at this place. And if you are an avid photographer, then probably much more! In the last section of the garden, you can find a few small shacks for snacks and a few swings in a very nice nature setting. So, after you get tired with lots of walking along the water canals and alleys leading to the varieties of creative sculptures - it is a nice place to sit back and relax, and refresh your energies for your further adventures in Chandigarh!

Road Trip to the Old World Charm!

2011-09-21T18:53:00.000+05:30

The one thing that we used to absolutely love in United States was our road trips! No wonder, we could be seen in Vegas every other weekend :) As it was just a couple of hours away from LA, we probably visited it more than ten times in the last two years! So now back in India – we thought of keeping our “tradition” of road trips alive. Our first pick was the Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan.

Neemrana Fort Palace is about 3 hours from Delhi, and a pleasurable road trip. Well, let me correct myself – after you cross the Delhi border: it is a pleasurable trip. It felt good to drive above 100 kilometres per hour after the hussle and bussle of Delhi traffic. It was a fun drive – with lots of singing, games and snacks. The Neemrana village had a character of its own; obviously different from the much developed metropolitan cities. The brightly painted doors, small alleys, and peacocks brought us to the India that we had only seen in Bollywood movies!

The fort is nestled on top of a small hill and offers magnificent views of the village. The resort is a 14th century fort palace beautifully and exceptionally well restored! As you enter, you can feel the grandiose of old times in its huge stone walls and beautiful ornate doors.

All the rooms in the resort have different names and character, and have been designed with utmost attention to details. Because of its location, every room offers beautiful views. To say the least, one of the bathroom at the fort palace is called the “Loo with a View”, and it surely lives up to its name ;) We spend two days at the fort, and they went past quickly in exploring the huge fort. Even though it was a bit tiring to climb up and down the several levels in the fort; it was at the same exciting, as it offered many wonderful spaces to discover. You can probably play hide and seek in this fort, or better set up a treasure hunt!

There were several nooks and corners to laze around, and simply gaze at the sky or the town beneath. The swimming pool was a relaxing treat in the hot weather! The mornings were beautiful with the birds chirping and peacocks and peahens running around. And a sumptuous buffet breakfast, kept us happy on our way back as well :)

All in all, it was a fun weekend! And we would love to go back, to relive this old romantic charm in the Neemrana village.

Where was I?

2011-08-25T14:53:00.000+05:30

In Goa of-course! Where else could I be; after all, Goa is the topmost tourist destination in the country :) Goa is lush green in July and August, soaked with lots and lots of rain over the summer months. Endless paddy fields with breath-taking beauty and greenery to the extent that the eyes can see. It was wonderful!

Being a foodie as I am - i'll dedicate my first blog on Goa to food :) So well, I was given my first lesson right on day 1: beta, you need to eat fish!! You need to eat fish to truly enjoy the local cuisine and get a taste of real Goa. So, yes - I did. And now I can say that I miss it!

Left: Fresh Fish for Sale ; Right: Post-Processed Fried Fish

Souza Lobo in Calangute is wow! Excellent food - lot's of variety in starters, nice spicy taste and beer! The restaurant sits on the beach with one side facing the ocean. So, you listen to the waves and enjoy the pleasant breeze while gobbling down your food. Plus, at night they start live music and apparently during season, part of this restaurant also converts into a dance place. Great experience :)

The most hep and happening place might be Cavala, again in Calangute. If I must name one place where the hip Goan crowd meets up - this is it! This is not on the beach, but pretty close to the beach. The only thing we tried here were starters, which were pretty amazing. They have a chicken kebab dish which is really good :) We tried feni here (the local Goan drink) - which was pretty good. Tell them to make it spicy, and add a green chilly to the drink - awesome! But mind you, this place is packed - even in the off-season! So, go there with a mind-set to enjoy live music at the bar till you get your seat!

Typical Goan Lunch Thali

Mum's Kitchen in Panji has the real spicy stuff! The locals say that its the best and the most original Goan food in Goa! And true, my family kept feeling sizzled by the spices, but at the same time kept licking their fingers ;) Well, just to be clear this is a proper air-conditioned restaurant and not on the beach! It is located in Panji, so you can eat here on the day when you decide to visit the casinos in the city.

Last of all, there is Sunny Side Up in Candolim. Once again, this place tops in its location. On the beach, outside seating, and unobstructed views of the ocean. We had bhaaji here with poi, the local bread. Great, with a fresh lime soda! Sits in a beautiful setting, perfect place to hang out, eat and relax!

Goan Prawn Curry and Chicken Curry

Oh, and one thing that you must try in Goa is the sitaphal ice-cream! Brilliant :) Obviously there is tons and tons more, but hopefully the above list will excite you taste buds! And hopefully food and beach shacks will become an equally motivating reason to visit Goa along with obviously, its fabulous beaches!

The Red Fort

2011-06-20T21:33:00.000+05:30

Plans are best when they are un-planned :) and made at the spur of the moment! Something similar happened last weekend – one of our American friend was in Bangalore for work; and impromptu decided to visit us in Delhi. It was Sunday morning, and after a rich, heavy, and tasty Indian meal, we started our voyage for the most prominent, but probably also the most ignored national heritage site in India – THE RED FORT.

Besides the soaring mercury of over a hundred degrees, it was a fantastic trip! We parked our car about a mile away, and then took a joyful rikshaw ride to the entry gate. Joyful because it costed us just forty rupees (less than a dollar), but provided us with more than forty experiences! We saw thousands of people, lots of tourists, street-hawkers, beggars, people running after buses, trinket sellers, a short glimpse of Jama Masjid and much much more.

Anyway, once we got there – surprisingly and thankfully, we got lucky! As my friend was with me, we could skip the ‘very’ long line for tickets and go to the foreign ticket counter. It was more of less empty, and this saved us a good half hour. Not to forget to mention, there was no line to enter the red-fort; unlike about a thousand people who were waiting in line to get in when we came out. Tip 1: Go early :)

Ok, enough laundering around – now about the fort: You enter the fort from ‘Lahori Darwaza’. It’s a huge, say about 5 storey high entry point which speaks of the mughal era. Once inside the gate, you immediately hit a large market that sells trinkets and ancient articles: like itra (purest perfume made from flowers), stamps from the British era, and loads of other collectibles. And obviously, the price depends on the dress you are wearing and the language u speak ;) In other words, prepare yourself to negotiate the prices down to one-third to half of the vendor price. We did well at this! Oh, between – this place is called the Chatta Chowk.

And next, finally – u see the internals of the grand palace. Right in front of you is Naubat Khana, apparently where drums were kept and music was made (boring! – hehe, to me atleast). But, no - this single structure is currently the talk of the town – guess why? Because it is being painted white by ASI (archeological survey of India) as it believes that this was the original color of the structure under the Mughals. Where as the useless politicians or some sects of public think that its destroying the sanctity of the red color (it’s called Red Fort, remember!). Well, just like all other pointless politicized issues in India – this is just another one; so we moved on!

Then comes the Diwan-i-am. You got to understand the culture in the Mughal era a bit here – the kings usually had two courts: one where he used to hear the public pleas and was open to the general junta. The other was his special court – where only the elite and the elitest were allowed, and this is where the more critical decisions were made by the king. ‘am’ in hindi means ‘general’ – so obviously you can guess that Diwan-i-am was the public court. Pretty plain red-stone construction; however, the king’s seat was made in marble and stood out at the Diwan-i-am.

Keep walking past the Diwan-i-aam and lots of lush green gardens and then you reach the buildings at the rear end of the palace. These include Mumtaz Mahal, Rang Mahal, Diwan-i-khas (the special court), and quite a large section of the king’s personal quarters. Let’s go one by one – Mumtaz Mahal: I believe Mumtaz was either the wife of one of the kings, and/or Mumtaz was the most common name of the queens in the Mughal era! Does not matter – now the mahal is a museum, with tons of artifacts, manuscripts, letters, swords and portraits. Pretty nice experience (and its free)! The Diwan-i-khas was fantabulous – in pure marble (like most other buildings in this area), and it had a very nice architectural feel to it; plus the roofs had some kind of adornment which looked beautiful.

Diwan-i-Am

Diwan-i-Khas

All this apart, now let’s come to my absolute favorite – the water system inside the palace. Both of us being engineers, my friend and I spent a lot of time to understand its construction and value to the palace. Brings us back to the hundred degrees; and add on to it - no air-conditioners. So how does the palace remain cool? Turns out that this waterway was so designed that it went through the entire palace – sometimes below the ground and sometimes visible and accessible – keeping the whole place very cool. And then, this water would be left go to irrigate the numerous gardens of the palace. Brilliant engineering!! Structures like this make me think that our predecessors were seriously ahead of us in terms of engineering :)

So well – we ended it there. There were a few places left (like the royals baths and the kings quarters), but the sun god demanded that we return back home for our next sumptuous meal!

Ma, I'm back home!

2011-06-13T13:35:00.000+05:30

On my first trip to Japan, I was fascinated by cell-phones! Ask me why? Well, as you would expect with anything ‘Japanese’ – their cell-phones were also about a decade ahead of us :) Every person on the train was watching live TV on their cell-phones or using them to connect to the internet. I guess the best part was to look at people swinging their cell-phones to pay for train and metro passes and/or to pay for burgers at McDonalds. Hep!!

And then I am reminded of my adventures in China – 7 am in the morning, severely jet-lagged and super hungry, I enter a ‘very’ crowded shack that is serving kungu-fu panda size dumplings and something that looked like soup. I remember myself pointing to plates of other people to explain to the seller that I need food, and then having an equally difficult time to figure out how much and how to pay! Language – it was evident was a huge problem was an english-speaking person like me in China.

And finally getting a ticket on the train! Gosh, for keeping my bare foot on the train seat. Mind you no shoes, no socks – just bare foot! And I get a ticket!! People say it can happen only in Switzerland :) But then I also remember the red flowers and the exceptionally serene beauty of Murren which made me fall in love with the country.

A beautiful chalet in Switzerland

All in all, I have had a great run. Within the past ten years, my wife and I have visited numerous countries, and experienced their cultures and diversity. And it has been great! And now we are back – back to our home, back to India. And the goal is to travel! Being travel fanatics, we both have read so much about India that it seems that there is much more to do, and much more to experience in India than most countries put together! I am pretty sure that the lonely planet for India is the thickest book produced by lonely planet for travel ;)

So, this is my first post on this blog – and I hope that this will start an eventful journey for me and wife to travel within India. And post our pictures, special tips, and experiences for people to read and explore India in it’s true sense. Away from the net of commercial enterprises, we envision that this blog will provide first-hand reviews and our personal experiences of our adventures in India.