Let's go places...

Rajasthan Road Trip

2010-05-15T02:57:00.000-07:00

Bundi Fort

Day 2:

After spending the night before, at a roadside motel on Jaipur-Tonk highway we were geared up for the next day. Although the day was a long & tiring to an extent but the breakfast at Tonk and the Chittaur Fort at the end of the day was delightful and compensated for all the fatigue.

The mutter samosas, dal & onion khachoris along with hot jalebis at breakfast was a brilliant start to the day. The thought of the breakfast makes me hungry!

Tonk is small place and doesn’t have anything to see or do, but it’s a popular place because of its connectivity to other major towns of Rajasthan. From Tonk we headed to Kota, which is one of the cleanest small towns I’ve ever seen. The city thrives on education business and a big population is of students. The City Fort Palace, Haveli of Deaji, Chambal Gardens are some of the places we checked out. Before heading out for Bundi, we had a delectable special Rajasthani lunch at The Maheswari (at Chhawani Chouraha). This is apparently the best place to eat Kota(rajasthan) special food.

After quite a long drive we reached Bundi at around 5pm in the evening. The Bundi fort was looking especially beautiful in the backdrop of the sunset. Although we didn’t get much time to visit other places but still I took back fond memories of the beautiful fort.

All the time when we were on road, the only two things I did were eating and catching up on my sleep. The distance was quite a lot but the wide, well maintained roads made up for the distance. By the time we reached Chittaurgarh, it was almost 7pm. We rushed into our rooms in the hotel to freshen up and drive to the Chittaur Fort for the Light&Sound show.

The show was very good and interestingly Sharukh Khan had lent his voice for the character of Babur while Sharmila Tagore lent her voice for Rani Padmini. We were little disappointed as Maharana Pratap’s history was not a part of this but, overall the narration was amazing.

The long day did pay off well!!!

Rajathan Road Trip

2010-05-05T21:14:00.001-07:00

‘Summer is not a great time to visit Rajasthan’ – that’s what most people believe. I believed too until I took a road trip across 7 cities of Rajasthan in April, when the sun was shining high & bright.

So, my husband and I went on this crazy 3day trip across Jaipur, Tonk, Kota, Bundi, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur & Ajmer, by road. The trip was somewhat tiring because of the heat but no doubt it was exhilarating! And the most interesting part of the trip was, since it was a short trip so we made it a point to take back home some specific to city & typical memories from Rajasthan.

Like Jaipur city is anyways the biggest centre of attraction, but it unfolds well beyond the city limits into the outskirts as well. Unlike Jaipur, Tonk and Kota are smaller cities but they have their own significance. Even though Tonk doesn’t even have a proper hotel to stay at, but it’s still popular among travellers because of it’s connectivity from other cities of Rajasthan. While the amazing, lip-smacking morning dal & onion kachoris and hot jalebis at Tonk took my heart away; Kota’s neat, clean city roads & inroads just blew my mind. A smaller city but much disciplined by itself. There are many more such nuggets of interesting memories.

Let’s start with Day 1:

We started from Delhi on a Thursday and our first destination was Jaipur, which has lots to see and enjoy. The Amer Fort, is one of the prominent landmarks of Jaipur and it would take half your day to take tour of the fort alone. The fort is huge and pretty well maintained. We got to see the old canons, the old water tanks, gardens etc besides the fort. Besides this, the Jal Mahal, the Hawa Mahal, Jantar-Mantar and the City Palace were our must visits. By the way, for City Palace again, you must have ample time on hand to take a good look of the palace. The palace has very interesting synthesis of Rajasthani & Mughal architecture along with multiple artifacts which is a treat to the eye.

After a full day of historical monument visiting, we decided to chill out at Chokhi Dhani, which are few kilometers away from Jaipur main city. The place is essentially an ethnic village which offers entertainment in form of Rajasthani music & dance, typical Rajasthani food and also place to stay. It rocks in the evening with various dance shows, puppet shows, elephant & camel rides etc. But, getting into the village can be quite tough due to long waiting on weekends.

After an eventful day, we wanted to retire. But not at Jaipur because our destination wasn’t one but many! So, we head towards Tonk.

…to be continued.

Wishing everyone a very Happy & Safe Holi.

2010-02-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

Holi, the ancient festival of India, is not only one of the most popular Hindu festivals, but also has many mythological stories attached to it. The festival was originally called 'Holika' which stood for burning or demolishing evil in the society. However, over time more and more legends were created and newer stories got associated with the festival 'Holi'.

One of the legends go as, Lord Krishna, who is believed to have started the festival in Mathura to smear color on Radha to change her complexion. What followed was not the desired change but a riot of colors and festivities in Mathura, Braj, Vrindavan, Barsana and other adjoining areas, which has become the tradition now.

Although most Indian cities play Holi, but still some places where it's worth watching are Mathura-Vridavan, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Andhra Pradesh. The festivities and the colors of Holi build newer bonds, clears the rust of tainted relationships, and gives the society, an opportunity to forget all woes and move ahead.

The most famous of all these festivities, is that of Mathura which start almost a week before and almost every major temple in Mathura celebrates the festival with great vigour and respect. Another interesting place to catch the special Holi celebrations is, Gulal Kunj in Braj. Pilgrims can catch a show of Holi enactment almost all the year round at this place. Even Rajasthan (esp in Jaipur) celebrates the festival with equal enthusiasm.

Not to forget the special sweets and dishes cooked specially for this festival. The gujias, the thandai lassi, dahi bhalle, bhang pakore, matar ki kheer etc are few of the many delectable fare prepared to mark this festival.

So, enjoy the festivity.

My journey of digitisation

2010-02-20T00:08:00.000-08:00

It seems like a long tiring yet interesting travel between two worlds - Offline & Online Marketing worlds. Hailing from an advertising & marketing communications background, it was pretty difficult to get acclimatised to the very dynamic online world.

To add on to my grief, there's been jargon's thrown everyday which went off like tangents to my little mind. However, as the journey took its course, it went on to become one of my most interesting learning till date. Probably, I was slowly but surely getting digitised!

This space is on the way to become a very effective platform to market/sale your product or promote brands or even position oneself as a thought leader. I practically had to learn lots from basics like CPC, PPC, adwords, social media marketing - facebook, linkedin etc; to understand some part of markup languages in order to implement some customization on my fan pages. But it's possibly worth it, looking at the growth of online space and social media!

Merry Today, Merry Tomorrow, and Merry 2010.

2009-12-30T02:19:00.000-08:00

Year 2009 seem to have been pretty swift! Some of us did achieve the resolutions while some missed it – may be by a milestone or just inches! But it’s ok, because 2010 would give us all another chance to get the right of the wrongs.

Overall the year was imperative & decisive for both politics & business (be it industrial, digital, media or the potboilers) in India & worldwide. Year 2009 was crucial for India Inc to recover from the global meltdown and for Indian democracy to have a stable & coherent Government.

Moments that made difference to our lives and which defined India 2009 have been, the launch of Tata Nano – the neat little car standing testimony to Mr Ratan Tata’s vision; Dr. Manmohan Singh being chosen unanimously as the Prime Minister of India, by the Indian Voter; the Satyam Saga; the glittering Oscars for ‘Jai ho..’; the walking in of more competition like MTN, Dokomo in the telecom industry; the milestone of 17,000 ODI runs from the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar; Bollywood is riding slow with big budget movies flopped, and expects to recover from the December releases; and, the goodbye to Bajaj Scooters – the household name which we would fondly remember in the years to come..

Let’s hold 2009 in our memory bags and extend a warm welcome to the Year 2010. Rejoice & indulge at any of these New Year Celebrations and mark the wonderful beginning of the New Year.

New Year Celebrations:

New Delhi
Family New Year's Eve@ Epicentre, Sector 44, Gurgaon, 31 Dec,
8:30 pm onwards

Temptation 2010@ Capitol, Chanakyapuri ,
9:00 pm - 4:00 am

Rock Into 2010@ Hard Rock Cafe, Saket
9:00 pm - 2:00 am

New Year Eve Party Express@ Tivoli Garden Resort,Chattarpur Road, Near Chattarpur Mandir
9:00 pm - 4:00 am

31st ka Tadka, New Years Eve 2010@ VNV, Pitampura
3rd floor, Mamaram Majesty Mall Road No.43,
7:00 pm - 2:00 am

Bangalore
Passion Carnival NYE 2010 @ Exotica, Dickenson Road
7:00 pm onwards

Gravity 2010 @ Savvy, Whitefield
08.00 pm Onwards

The Last Party of the Year @ Citrus, Airport Road,
07.00 pm onwards

New Year with Saxophone and Violin Performance @ Graze,
MG Road, 7:30 pm - 12:30 am

Kickstart 2K10 @ Club Cabana, Sadahalli,
07.00 pm onwards

Hyderabad
Get High On 'New Year' S Eve' @ Xtreme Sports Bar, Banjara Hills,
8:15 pm - 1:00 am

Golden Key to New Year @ Hotel Green Park,
Greenlands, Begumpet

Kolkata
New Year Eve Party @ Saturday Club Limited, Park Street,
8:00 pm onwards

New Year Eve 2010 @ Soho, Ballygunge,
8:00 pm - 2:00 am

Mumbai
Big Nite 2010 @ Essel World, Borivali (W),
07:00 pm onwards

3 Zone Party 2010 @ Temptation, Bandra (W)
9:00 pm - 4:00 am

New Year's Eve 09 - Jalebee Cartel Live! @ Hyatt Regency
9:00 pm - 5:00 am

Winter Sports in India

2009-12-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

With Christmas & New Year just around the corner, a lot of people would be ready to head to the hills and enjoy the pristine beauty of the snow-capped mountains. While some like me would like to belief that upper Himalayas are buried under snow & hence no activities possible, but many others would be likely to indulge in the winter sports at some exciting locations.

Whether you’re looking for a thrilling trekking expedition through the snow-covered mountains or irresistible skiing or snow boarding or ice climbing – India has it all.

Snowfall is no longer a luring attraction today. Rather, tourists are looking for something new and rejoicing in the winter sports as the spine thrilling adventures make it once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Although winter sports in India hold huge appeal among travellers, adventure lovers but the availability of information to a fresher is limited to an extent. Here are some of the adventure activities which you indulge in this winter:

- Mountaineering – this is a perfect adventure for the climber enthusiast. But for beginners it might take a lot of energy & stamina to reach the desired point. Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Manali, Sikkim & Uttaranchal offer mountaineering opportunities in the vast Himalayan ranges. The ranges of Lahaul, Spiti, Kinnaur, Garhwal, Kumaon, Assam, Meghalaya have much mountaineering scope. There is plethora of websites offering Mountaineering Trips like himalayavisit.com, indiaadventureportal.com, India-adventure-travel.com etc.

- Skiing – In the summer, Auli is inviting but in winters it becomes irresistible for skiers with the snow-white slopes and skiing facilities. It provides an excellent panoramic view of the giant mountain peaks like Nanda Devi, Kamet and Dunagiri. A 500m ski-lift system, the longest cable car in Asia, connects Joshimath with Gorson, above Auli. From Gorson, Auli's only chair lift travels to the base lodge, that marks the starting point of all the ski runs.

For beginners, the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) offers 7-day non-certificate and 14-day certificate courses. For more information you can visit http://www.oktatabyebye.com/travel-ideas/weekend-getaways/auli.aspx

- Snow boarding –

This is a relatively new winter sport wherein one rides a fibreglass board, with the feet strapped on it, and sliding down a ski slope or a particularly designed pipe. It’s a grownup version of skateboarding & surfing. Snowboarding is fast developing into foremost adventure sports among the die-hard snow enthusiasts. Mainly 3 leading styles of competition exist in snowboarding - Alpine, Freestyle and Boarder cross. Some of the places with snow boarding facilities in India are Garhwal Himalayas, in the Chamoli district, Auli, Gulmarg.

- Trekking –

This is one of those adventure activities which you can participate in almost in all season and at almost all hill stations. Some of the famous treks are Chadar(Frozen River) Trek in Ladakh, Valley of Flower Trek, Sikkim & Kanchenjunga Trek, Nanda Devi Trek, Har ki Dun Trek etc.

For more information you can check http://www.mountainkingdoms.com/ and http://www.trekkinginindia.com. Read trekking experiences of avid travellers at OkTataByebye.

Travel Responsibly

2009-11-16T23:32:00.000-08:00

Again the best time of the year to travel is here! No sweats, only fun.

But, how many of us do take out time to find out about the culture of the new place or even take conscious steps to travel responsibly?

Travelling responsibly is not synonymous to eco-tourism. It doesn’t necessarily mean buying eco-holiday packages, staying close to nature etc. Responsible travel is more about considering the local culture – what we shouldn’t do as travelers; protecting the nature – how best we can avoid littering any place; preserving monuments – how we should contribute to preservation of the monuments in own small ways.

One can surely take care of all these with little information & planning before traveling to any destination and yet have a wonderful vacation. Here are few tips to a responsible holiday planning:

- Travellers must well plan the routes & modes of travel to reduce additional carbon emissions. Travel by train has a huge fan following because it has much lower carbon impact than flying and also it’s cheap! If flight is a must then may be one can try to avoid stopover flights.

- One must read up on local cultures before traveling and learn about the Dos & Don’ts which would earn respect for respecting their culture. Learning a few words of the local language helps in communicating, just when you reach the place.

- Choosing an eco-hotel for your vacation might be one of the best ways to show that you care for the ecosystems. Green hotels are usually rated by a third party organization and follow strict green guidelines to ensure that their guests are staying in a safe, non-toxic and energy-efficient accommodation & has following characteristics:

100% organic cotton sheets, towels and mattresses
100% usage of organic soaps and other amenities
Non-smoking environment
Non-disposable dishes
Guest room and hotel lobby recycling bins
Towel and sheet re-use (guests can tell housekeeping to leave these slightly used items to reduce water consumption)
Energy-efficient lighting
On-site transportation with green vehicles

- While one is enjoying a gala holiday, few things to be kept in mind are:

When on sight-seeing visit, please DO NOT write names or draw pictures on the walls of historic monuments.
Please read carefully the instructions & abide by them when you visit any heritage monument, temples, and national parks.
Wastes to be disposed only in dustbins or recycle bins. Remove excess packaging as waste disposal is difficult in developing cities & nations.
Satisfy your shopping urge with local handicrafts, textiles or other local produce. Not buying products made from endangered species, hard woods or ancient artifacts would discourage these products.
Use water wisely. In lot of places & especially hill stations, water scarcity is a big problem.

These are just a few tips to travel responsibly which would preserve our historic monuments, culture and leave a safer, non-toxic world for the next generation.

Most talked about cities…

2009-03-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

Two metro cities…getting all the attention - be it in India or across the globe! Isn’t it something to be proud of and interesting as well? Yes, surely it is.

These days 2 cities – Delhi and Mumbai, are being most talked about, read about and written about. Mumbai is being talked about because of the Oscar winning Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and Delhi is being talked about because of Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s latest flick Dilli6. So now, movies are the new windows to these cities offering a glimpse of what makes these cities.

Although, the Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire candidly potrays the slums of Mumbai– Asia’s biggest slum, but Mumbai has much more to it as a city. The huge coastline running along the city makes it spectacular as a tourist destination. Besides being the India’s commercial capital, the city’s Gateway of India, Church Gate, Elephanta Caves and so on attracts its share of tourists.

Star studded flick Dilli6 has been doing rounds in media, public and news channels. The movie captures the essence of Delhi – the more traditional Delhi and brings home a viewpoint. It also tries to differentiate between how a delhite sees Delhi and how an NRI (Abhishek Bacchan in the movie) sees Delhi. The reviews of Dilli6 has been quite varied and mixed – from being an identifiable movie to boring and lengthy movie. The movie might not have been able to impress all, but Delhi never fails to impress anyone who visits the city.

Delhi has always been the seat of power – be it during the Mughal rule or post independence. With the Parliament and Raj bhawan, Delhi’s power seats also attract a lot of Indian & foreign audience. The age old forts & monuments of the city emphasizes the great historical importance of the city. The Red Fort, the Qutab Minar, the India Gate, the Tughlakabad Fort, the Jamali Kamali complex, the Humayun’s Tomb, the Jama Masjid are just a few historical attractions in the city. Before summer sets in, this is the best time to take a tour of the city monuments, catch the Flower festival at Mughal Gardens or take a trip to the zoo with your kids for the last time this season.

Check out more information on Delhi and Mumbai on Oktatabyebye.com.

While I take a trip to the Flower Festival, you guys can go for Dilli Darshan or Mumbai day out. Enjoy your cities!

Take a Shopping break!

2009-02-25T23:38:00.000-08:00

It’s been a longtime since I wrote last. I’ve been busy window shopping!!!

Since last couple of weeks there has been a crisis for space in newspaper supplements because of the BIG SALE ads which were clamoring for eyeballs. From apparel & clothing brands to footwear, home décor brands and even mobile stores were on discounts. Choose any brand, any shopping mall, any market…discounts were all over.

Every weekend, every market was flooded with ‘unlimited’ people. I was so thrilled seeing so many people shopping even in these so called ‘recession’ times. It showed that the spending confidence of the Indian consumers are not at all dwindling but rather going strong, which is a very good sign for the economy as well.

Every year this time around shopping becomes highlight of the season. Not only because of the sale offers and discounts but also because of some of the great shopping melas which happen this time.

The Surajkund Crafts Mela which happens every year around early February or the Patiala Heritage Festival organized during mid-February every year adds to the excitement of the even the non-shopoholics.

While I was observing the city shopping trends, one of my friend was busy putting together the must-visit markets/ shopping attractions of India. Here’s a list of destinations which are also famous for shopping:

1. Srinagar – Famous for Kashmiri carpets, shawls. One of the main markets there is the Floating market which you must visit when in Srinagar.

2. Goa – The flea market at Anjuna Beach is a hit among all tourists and residents alike. The must picks from there are the floral dresses, chappals and goan handicrafts. There’s also a good selection of clothes in Indonesian styles, Nepali goods, fancy jewellery, semi-precious stones etc that’s almost every shoppers’ delight.

3. Shillong – The locals markets of Shillong are flooded with variety of goods. Clothing fabrics, much cheaper yet well-fitted jeans, leather shoes and accessories, North-east special fabrics & shawls etc dominate the markets.

4. Jaipur – Shopping in Jaipur could be an electrifying and wonderful experience if only you buy from the right places/shops. Jaipur is famous for its’Bandhni’ fabrics, handicrafts, jootis & other items made from camel leather. Johri bazaar, situated in the heart of the city, is famous for the precious stones and jewellery.

5. Hyderabad – Some of the major markets in the city are Abids, Nampally, Begum Bazar, and Laad Bazar. The city’s Laad Bazaar is famous for the pearls and jewellery which excites residents and tourists shoppers alike. Some other related items merchandised in the city include brass ware, Nirmal paintings, Kondapalli toys and Bidri ware.

These are markets which you must visit when you are traveling to that place or you plan to buy that special thing.

Till my next blog, happy shopping!

2008-05-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

Restaurants in Delhi NCR
...Check these eateries in Delhi! Still to find more...

Saleem's, East of Kailash - Mughlai food ...read review
Lakshmi Villas Madras Cafe, Green Park - South Indian ...read review
Potpourri, Connaught Place - Salad Bar, Pastas etc ...read review
Yo China, Vasant Vihar - Chinese ... read review
Swagath Restaurant, Defence Colony - South Indian ...read review
Relax, East of Kailash - Multi-cuisine
Kitchens - Khan Market - Multi-cuisine
Laxmi, Noida - South indian
Big Chill, East of Kailash - Italian
Chonas, Khan Market - Multi-cuisine
Khan Chachha, Khan Mkt - Rolls
Kakke Da Dhaba, Connaught Place - Punjabi
Golas, Connaught Place - Sizzlers
Bernado's, Gurgaon - Goan Restaurant ...read reviews
Oh! Calcutta, Nehru Place - Bengali food ...read review
Spicy South, Kalkaji - South Indian
Yatra, Noida - Multi-cuisine
Angeethi, Siri Fort - North Indian
Pind Baluchi, Gurgaon -North Indian
Park Baluchi, Hauz Khas - Mughlai, Afghani
Chopsticks, Siri Fort - Chinese
Color & Spice, Siri Fort - Indian
Suribachi, Malviya Nagar - Oriental
Lavanya, Noida - Indian
Naivadyam, Kalkaji - South Indian
Karim Hotel, Jama Masjid - Mughlai, Afghani
Sikkim House, Chanakyapuri - North-Eastern food ...read review
Govardhan, Adchini - Indian
Moets, Defence Colony - Indian
Aap Ki Khatir, Near Oberoi Grand - Mughlai
Storm, East of Kailash - Resto-bar
Shack, Defence Colony - Sea Food
Stone, Defence Colony - Italian Cuisine Lounge Bar
Andhra Bhawan, South Indian
Ichiban, Pandara Road - Chinese, Japanese
Gulati's, Pandara Road - North Indian
Saravana Bhawan, Connaught Circus - South Indian

Review - Oh Calcutta Restaurant, Delhi

2008-05-28T05:33:00.000-07:00

Oh! Calcutta

Nehru Place

Near Satyam Cineplex, New Delhi

Type: Bengali Food

Home away from home for Bongs

It's quite a known restaurant, serves Bengali food & is best for fine dining. The dishes are mostly from Bengal but the food isn't so very Bengali. The restaurant has a plethora of dishes to choose from, like Mochar Ghonto, Aloo-r Dum, Aloo Posto, Kasha Mangsho, Chingri Macher Malaikari etc. Two of my favorite non-veg dishes are Dab Chingri & Iliish Macher Sorshebata. For Bengali's, it's always better to go fish dishes rather than chiken or mutton. It's a must visit to try the flavor of Bengal in Delhi.

Sikkim House - Restaurant Review

2008-05-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

Sikkim House
Malcha Marg, Chanakya Puri
Food Type: North-Eastern Cuisine dominated

Cheaper & closer home food
Placed inside the Sikkim House building, this restaurant is visited frequently by momo & sizzler lovers. The restaurant offers good choice of dishes along with couple of variety in sizzlers & is mostly known for no-vegetarian dishes. The food is simple, less oily & low on masala. So don't worry about the quantity of food intake, as it would take little time to digest. Gorge on the momos, thupas, pork/mutton sizzlers, noodles...till you can.

2008-05-28T03:50:00.000-07:00

Review of Swagath Restaurant

Swagath Restaurant

14, Defence Colony Market,

Delhi, Phone 24330930, 24337538,

Place Type: Restaurant ; Price: Expensive

Timings: 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Any food lover's delight

I just fell in love with the food...ambience was nothing extravagant or special but definitely soothing & pleasant. I'm not so fond of dal, but loved their dal garhwali. The prawns, the biryanis, the paneer platters are simply lip-smacking. It might seem little costly in first chance, but once you taste the food, u'll think it's worth it!

2008-05-28T03:46:00.000-07:00

Yo China, Delhi - Review

Yo China

B-7, Vasant Lok,

Vasant Vihar, Delhi, Phone 26151919 Food Type: Chinese

Timings: 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Nowhere close to china

The ambience is the only thing that make you feel better. The food quality & quantity was a big dissapointment. Although the dishes are reasonably priced, but I wish atleast the combo platters were better & worth the price. Even the service wasn't quick enough. They possibly can't handle too many people together. Quite dissapointed with the place.

Review - Nirula's Potpourri Restaurant, Delhi

2008-05-28T03:44:00.000-07:00

Nirulas' Potpourri
N-Block, Connaught Circus, Delhi,
Phone 41517070
Timings: 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Found some great salads
I might have been lucky but surely the salads I picked up from buffet were awesome. I still keep going there. It's not comparable to Big Chill salads as they are pretty different styled. As I love salads so usually end up picking that, but I've tasted some dishes as well. They weren't bad at all if not tooooo good. And after renovations & all, the new restaurant looks pretty cool. I quite like the ambience but service was surely a disaster. They do need to better their services for sure!

2008-05-28T03:41:00.000-07:00

Review on Lakshmi Villas Madras Cafe

Lakshmi Vilas Madras Café
5-26, Green Park Main Market,
Green Park, Delhi,
Place Type: South Indian Restaurant
Timings: 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

It's a treat for hungry
The restaurant offers simple south indian food which might not taste the best in town but surely won't upset tummy either. They serve hot & fresh. Out of all, i like the thali which has a good mix of veggie. Other than that the onion dosas, cocunut uttappams also won't dissapoint you. average meal for 2 would not cost anything more than 150rs. Overall it's a decent place without frills.

2008-05-28T03:39:00.000-07:00

Review on Saleem's Restaurant

Saleem's
East of Kailash Market Place
Type: Mughlai Food Speciality
Timings: 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Price: Moderate

One of hidden away eateries
The restaurant specialises in rolls, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Even being a hard-core non-vegetarian, I felt the vegetarian roll was amazingly scrumptious. It also offers good Mutton Biriyani, various Mutton preparations like kebabs, mutton kaleji, roghan josh etc. There's nothing very delightful about the ambience but the food will surely delight you.

2008-01-21T03:54:00.000-08:00

Bernado's - Review

Bernado’s
2627, HUDA Shopping Complex,
Leisure Valley, Sector 29, Gurgaon
Phone : 95124-5518323

It can make you crazy for Goan food
Bernado’s is an authentic Goan restaurant which serves an array of exotic coastal food. The speciality of this small cozy place is however, the taste of the food matches home-made flavor. The fish preparations in Goan curry, the prawn fries or the prawn curries are simply delectable. If you love pork, then you can’t miss the Vindaloo Pork preparation. Overall, it has good food & enjoyable Goan music. It’s surely a must visit for coastal food lovers.

2007-09-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

Weekend breaks from Delhi for october !!!

After a full month of no long weekends and with festivities round the corner, most of the people would now be planning for vacations, weekend getaways for October. Some of them would have planned long back and some as usual would be bag packers, who are still waiting for their chutti to be sanctioned.

I’m also quite one of them, as I’ve been listing places since last two weeks but still can’t finalise because of that “chutti” factor. My friend has been teasing me for that and finally she gave me the idea of sharing the list of places with others, so that they can atleast benefit from that.

So here I’m to put down my list of options for weekend getaways from Delhi. Alaknanda, Chamba, Binsar, Surajgarh, Kuchaman & Gwalior are few selected destinations of many.

Alaknanda - As the season for rafting has already begun and the water is slightly less chilly so this seems to be the best time. A 4hr drive from Haridwar will take one to Rudraprayag which is generally the start point. From here one would raft past the Temple Rapids, the town of Srinagar, Maletha beach, Devprayag till one of the lower ghats. Besides rafting one the Badrinath temple, sited at a breathtaking altitude of 11,268 ft on the banks of the Alaknanda is surely the heaven within reach. Several thermal springs — Tapta Kund, Narad Kund and Surya Kund, associated with remedial and religious significance are also scattered around the region.

Binsar: Just 30kms from Almora, are the beautiful, quiet and peaceful Binsar in the Kumaon Hills, always ready to soothe the city jaded soul. Far from the maddening crowd that has invaded most of the hill stations in the north, one can safely head to Binsar for its scenic vistas and tranquil environs. Binsar is perched on top of the Jhandi Dhar hills and completely surrounded by dense forests. Oak, rhododendron, pine and deodar grow in abundance here, which not only refreshes but also gives the tired souls a mesmeric relief. Binsar is a wildlife sanctuary that may be termed as a goldmine for birdwatchers.

Chamba: Away from the din of Mussoorie, Chamba is a quiet getaway that offers 360 degree views of the Himalayas. Situated at an altitude of 1600m above sea level, this haven in the Garhwal Himalayas serves as a junction to the destinations located in the higher reaches. Best suited for those looking for a slice of nature and great views in peaceful environs, Chamba is the place to be. One can reach Chamba in about 7-8 hrs from Delhi via Hardwar, Rishikesh and Narendranagar. (Uttarakhand, 80 km from Dehradun)

Surajgarh: Situated in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, 150kms from Gurgaon, Surajgarh derives its name from the 18th century fortified Palace Surajgarh. The name literally means 'The Castle of The Sun'.

The fortified palace spread over 4 acres is lovingly restored and has been converted into a heritage hotel. There is plenty to do in Surajgarh. Visit painted havelis in the Shekhwati region known as an open-air art gallery. Kajra, famous of its havelis is just 5 kilometers away. Go shopping, as Surajgarh is famed for Laak bangles. Enjoy countryside views setting on a camel or cart.

Kuchaman - Around 145-km drive from Jaipur to the Nagaur district till Kuchaman covers strategic sites such as the white fields of marble in Makrana and Kishengarh – famed for it miniature paintings. The place is named after the Kuchaman fort, which used to be a popular trade route 1200 years back.Towering parapets, numerous balconies, ten gates, various defenses and its sheer vantage of height have made it one of the most formidable and unconquerable bastions through time. Besides the fort, the Sambar lake, the Meena Bazar and the bustling colorful people all over the streets are surely a traveler’s delight.

Gwalior - A historical city, lies around 320kms from Delhi. At the heart of Gwalior is its fortress – Gwalior Fort, built by Raja Man Singh Tomar, which is reputed to be the one of the most invincible forts of India. The fort is often refered as the Gibraltar of India overlooks the city. The new city consists of three large areas, called Lashkar, Morar and Gwalior. In the east of the city are two magnificent examples of early Mughal architecture. One is mausoleum of, 16th century Sufi saint Ghous Mohammed, and another is tomb of Mian Tansen, a great singer and one of the 'Nine Jewels' of Emperor Akbar's court, which are worth visits. If time permits, one could visit the grand Jai Vilas Palace, patterned on the style of the 'Palais de Versailles' in France combines Tuscan, Italian and Corinthian styles of architecture. Rich in cultural heritage and architectural marvels, Gwalior has the added advantage of it's proximity to Agra, the city of Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, the city of great temples and Delhi, the national capital.

So why wait, just pack your bags and get set go!

2007-09-17T00:34:00.000-07:00

Pushkar Fair - Colorful Desert

It was yet another year, when I so wanted to visit the Pushkar Fair, which I’d heard about so much.
To add on to my untamed enthusiasm, I discovered that the last few days of the fair would fall on weekend. I had already decided to go to Pushkar, but was only waiting if I could persuade any of my friend for trip company. The saying, when you have will, you have the way was so very true for me. I was sitting in office on Friday afternoon when I got to know that my old friend was also contemplating to go. Thanks to all modern technology which lets you connect instantly and get such pleasant surprises!

Pushkar, one of the oldest cities of India is the only pilgrim for the Brahma devotees. It is famous for the extravagant, flamboyant Pushkar Fair. The fair brings alive the glorious tradition of Rajasthan and the roaring enthusiasm of fair participants as well as visitors makes it a lifetime experience. It’s the only fair which attracts unbelievable amount of foreign tourists.

The sheer excitement to see colorful desert, we drove the whole night and landed up at a small hotel, as all hotels were either occupied or pre-booked. The best place to stay is the RTDC Tourist Village because of its proximity to the fair ground, as during the fair vehicle movements are restricted.

Besides this, budget hotels, deluxe hotels and heritage hotels like Pushkar palace or Sarovar are also available, but all need to be pre-booked if you come during the fair. But this didn’t bother us much as we were meant to stay out mostly. By 4.30am, the desert was already awake and people have started for the fair ground to put up their stalls and get ready for the day’s festivities.

We started our day by visiting the Pushkar Lake, one of the foremost places to see. The lake has a mythological significance and is surrounded by temples. The Jagat Pita Brahma Temple-only one in India is of utmost importance to pilgrims is also situated here.

Our next attraction, was the Pushkar Camel Fair - one of the largest in India and the only one of its kind in the entire world, which is held every year during kartik purnima. During the fair, lakhs of people from rural India as well as foreigners flock to Pushkar. From a mere 14,000 to a massive 200,000! This is how the population of Pushkar swells during the Pushkar Fair. According to lonely planet -"Its truly a feast for the eyes.

The festival hosts around 50,000 camels which are sold, decorated, shaved and raced. The show goes on for a whole week as travellers continue to join in the fun, which includes a number of cultural competitions. Colourfully dressed devotees, musicians, acrobats, folk dancers, traders, comedians, sadhus and tourists crowds, decorated camels, cattles, the exotic delicacies, the vivid stalls, competitions, the spectacular fair ground, exotic food makes it a lifetime experience. The entire desert looks so full of life, colorful and vibrant.

The fair has loads of activities like camel ridding, shooting, wheel rides etc along with a huge shopper’s corner. From here one can buy showpieces like armours, swords or the colorful rajasthani pagdi’s, clothes, accessories, etc. There’s enough activities and hustle bustle to keep one engaged. Within the fair, are stalls/tents serving authentic rajasthani food. The mouth-watering kormas cooked in pure ghee, the sumptuous gatte-ki-sabzi, papad ki sabzi and the famous dal-bati-churma are any food lover’s delight.

Each day brought different folk dances and music of Rajasthan, performers delivering live shows to the roaring and applauding crowds. The entire experience lived up to the spirit of festivities and was colorful beyong our thoughts!

2007-09-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

50 photographs win in Freeze Frame

Oktatabyebye.com, India’s most popular online travel community today announced the winners of the India’s first ever publicly-polled Travel Photography Contest. With 21,000 votes and ranks, 4,500 registrations from across the country and 2,200 entries across categories, Freeze Frame was India’s first and largest publicly-polled online photo contest. The winners were chosen on the basis of popular ratings received for their respective photographs, followed by ratings from a panel of expert judges including Gustasp Irani, Ashok Dilwali and Peter Graffin.

The contest created a ripple effect with partners like Fuji, Epson and PicSquare receiving a huge inflow of traffic to their sites. Winners from the five categories – Wildlife, Portraits, Bye-Bye Moments, Landscape and Videos – will receive prizes ranging from high end Fuji cameras to Epson photo printers, Holiday packages and Air Tickets.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Parthasarathi Mandal, Business Head Oktatabyebye.com said, “At Oktatabyebye.com, we are committed to providing the most relevant, detailed and user-generated travel information possible to both travel enthusiasts and travel shoppers. Freeze Frame was our effort to provide our members the opportunity to share and rank their favorite travel photographs. The credit for the success of the contest goes to the active participation by all the members, and their efforts to recognize the best photographs in each category.”

The winners of the first prize in the contest, in each category are as under:
Wildlife: Aditya Singh
Portraits: Partha Pal
Bye-Bye Moments: Sudipto Das
Landscape: Sunil Agarwal
Videos: Ashoke Singhi

Sourced From: Vox Public Relations

2007-09-13T22:49:00.000-07:00

Shillong - 'Scotland of the East'

In an effort to not get bored during a week’s stay at Guwahati, my cousin Priya and me planned a trip to Shillong. While planning for the trip, little did I know how romantic the city of Meghalaya was. By the time we were ready to go, I’d already heard a lot about the city and tried to visualize it throughout the 3hr drive from Guwahati to Shillong.

The capital of Meghalaya (one of the seven sisters - Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh), Shillong lies on the eastern part of the state, perched at an altitude of 1,520 meters (4,990 feet) above sea level. The Umshyrpi and the Umkhra rivers, which finally merge and form the Umiam River, water it. The city derives its name from “Leishyllong”—the Superpower or God who is believed to reside on the Shillong peak, overlooking the city.

It was 10 in the morning, still 45minutes more to reach Shillong and we could already feel the romance in the air. Lying in the cradle of the tall pine conifers and pineapple shrubs, the city’s undulating terrain, the surrounding hills and the abundant greenery was absolutely captivating.

By the time we finally got into our room at the Hotel Pinewood, Priya was tired and wanted to catch up on her sleep. So I left her on her own and freshened up to take a stroll. I walked down the street behind my hotel which took me to a junction where, one road led to the market, the Police Bazar and the other led to the Ward’s Lake, a popular garden with a lake. I took a while to look around and started walking down the lane which would take me to Ward’s Lake.

I passed by the lake’s gate and kept walking leisurely surrounded by a green blanket. I was so enthralled with the lush green mountains and the seemingly low clouds, that I lost account of time. At one of the precarious road turns, I couldn’t help but stand still and cherish the scenic beauty, the distant houses, food stalls which were looking like toy houses.
By time time I returned to hotel, it was 2.00pm and priya had already booked a guide to take us the around the city. I was quite tired by now, so pushed the sightseeing tour to next morning. For the evening we planned to visit the market and the Ward’s Lake, where we did good 1hr boating.

The evenings don quite early here, so is the dinner. We weren’t hungry when dinner was getting served as we’d already gorged on the famous sumptuous momos at Shillong restaurant. We slept in early, so that we could start our touring early next morning.

We were quite lucky to have been able to see the Shillong peak, an ideal picnic spot, 10 km. from the city on a clear day. The breath-taking height, a part view of Bangladesh and the panoramic view of the country side from here made it clear to us why Shillong is also popularly referred to as “Scotland of the East”. From here we moved on to the Sohpetbneng Peak, set against the backdrop of a sacred forest. This 'Navel of Heaven' as per Khasi mythology is a heavenly peak which offers to fill the spiritual void and emptiness, to those who seek and desire solace and peace of mind.

From here we moved to Cherrapunjee (Sohra), 56 km from Shillong, situated in one of the rainiest rain-belt in the world, 1,300 m above sea level. It was a pleasant drive to see the roaring water falls leaping into deep gorges, including the famed Nohsngithiang falls. We kept sitting on a rock near the falls and captured the beauty in our cameras. The charismatic town is also famous for its limestone caves and orange honey. It also has the oldest Presbyterian Church and also an establishment of the Ramkrishna Mission.

By the time we returned, it was dark. So we planned to go to Elephant Falls the next morning. 12 km on the outskirts of the city, the mountain stream descends through two successive falls set in dells of fern covered rocks. From there we moved to Umiam Khwan (Barapani), where we indulged in some water sports. Barapani also offers sports like water skiing, water scooter etc and trekking routes. As we got tired enough, so we could only go shopping in the evening, where we got some really good leather chappals and bags for ourselves at unbelievably cheap rates.

We were so fascinated by the alluring scenic beauty that we decide to spend a day more and just relax. Though there were some more places to visit like the Lady Hydari Park, a popular charming tourist draw with an adjacent mini zoo, the State Museum and several falls like Spread Eagle Falls, Sweet Falls, Crinoline Falls and the Bishop & Beadon Falls, but we wanted to spent the day relaxing and knowing the place a little more.

Before coming, we’d heard of live bands which perform locally and of the typical Meghalaya food. So we decided to hunt for live bands if any performing and went looking for food with local flavour as without it the trip is always incomplete. We were successful only in the search of local food. Besides the famous momos, the Meghalayan cuisine is heavily tilted in favour of meat, particularly pork. Jadoh - a spicy dish of rice and pork is eaten almost any time. Here fish also is a favorite dish for many. The appetizing chicken clear soup followed by steamed rice and mutton cooked with bamboo shoots was simply awesome!

After the meal my tummy was gratified but my mind was still longing to stay on in the place of amazing hide-outs. The trip was just refreshing. But we’d to return, so we hopped into our car and kept gazing at the pristine beauty till the time I could and reinforced my belief that nature inspires!

2007-09-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

Weekend Getaway: Mussoorie

Mussoorie, popularly known as the queen of hills is unmistakably one of the most blissful hill stations of India. Just around 300 kms from Delhi, the city week.

Once you are there, you can either relax and enjoy the breathtaking view of valley while sipping a cup of coffee or start discovering mussoorie. The city of Mussoorie is dotted with Hotels and lodges of various quality & pricing, but prior booking is must during peak season. Tried and tested ones are Jaypee Residency Manor, The Green Castle and the The Country Inn with valley facing rooms.

For sight seeing, you can start with a dip at the Kempty Falls, or the Mussoorie Lake. From there you can have a romantic drive till the Yamuna Pool, where river Yamuna gushes amidst the Doon Valley. Later in the day one can take the cable-car/ walk till gun-hill / head to the Camel-back loop. The evening can be reserved for shopping at the Mall Road or visit the temples & monastaries around.

Other attractions for the romance lovers are the Landour road, the Lal Tibba - Sister’s Bazaar area. It's the place to feel the nature while enjoying a cool, serene walk and passing by the homes of Ruskin Bond and Victor Bannerjee. For the adventure lovers, there's plethora of activities like para gliding, trekking, river rafting. While for the shoppers, there's both expensive & cheap export surplus stuff available in the market.

Among the offbeat attractions, are the nearby places like Dhanolty, Shahasra Dhara, Ponta Sahib and some more for which you would need another day's time. Everytime you visit, you will keep discovering the Queen of Hills.

Without good food the trip remains imcomplete. There are plenty of food joints and also the hotels offer some sumptous dishes. Though for local food lovers the place might be a little dissapointment these days as it's difficult to find the spicy Garwali food - the local cuisine. If one can, Garwali chicken, Dal Tadkas are must haves. The spicy appetizing dishes are definitely a food lovers' delight. Besides this, the yummy Veg Maggi near Kempty Falls is a treat by itself.

Driving 300kms isn't that very difficult. If you haven't visited the place yet, plan it for the next weekend!