Long stay at Delhi and Visit to Jaipur

As usual...after a lot of confusion and wait, we finally decided to travel to Delhi and mumbai for his work. I decided to take a break from work and travel along with Raveen. Good or bad my leave for 2 months got approved..ofcourse with out pay!

We left for Delhi on the 22nd of July 2009. All of us in the family went out for dinner on the friday before the 22nd to celebrate my birthday. I got a lot of gifts.

We stayed in a place called the comfort inn, at Kalkaji, Delhi. The room was a little small (actually very small) but it was really homely. All the days we were there, we felt we were literally over each other. May be staying in such a big and spicious house in Bangalore made us feel the space-less-ness even more. Unlike Bangalore, Delhi was very hot. We made sure both of us got enough space by going out and getting some alone time. Raveen any way left for work every morning; so that was easy and we didn't have to fight much for that.

Kalkaji main road was a very happening place. The second day of our stay I throughly knew what was where on the main road. There was a temple in the next street where I used to go quiet often. I visited the temple for my Birthday. That night we went out for dinner and had a lot fo fun. I didn't mention what Raveen gifted me! He gifted me a touch screen - Samgsung Star cell phone. The next 2 day I spent my time trying to figure out the new phone and its features. .

As we do not know any one in Delhi, I had to depend on Raveen to go to any place. I was sad that I haven't gone shopping but fortunately there was a shop in Kalkaji, 3rd left on the main road, which was a combination of the Sarojini nagar, Connaught Place in terms of dresses shopping. They had good stuff and that was my shopping hub. The lady there, Neha, was good enough to me to show all her collections even if I didn't buy anything. That was a good time pass for some time. But I did buy some interesting stuff from her. I found another designer who designes dresses and stitches them. Her name is Ishwin. I gave my dresses to Ishwin for stitching.

Our actual plan was to stay in Delhi till the 14th of August and come back to Bangalore for Raveen's birthday. So this gave me enough time to give my dresses for stitching and also think abt doing something useful for 3 weeks. I was in a confusion whether to join some computer classes or photography classes or makeup classes 'coz every this was there at Kalkaji. We have also registered and paid for using the fitness center that was close by to the place we were staying. I found a good and resonable beauty parlour to keep me occupied for a day.

We went around the city the 1st week end we were there. We went to Lal Khila, Veer Bhoomi, Raj Ghat and Shakthi Sthal. We watched 2 movies each day of the week end. (Kambakth Ishq and I don't remember the other one)

In between we went to the Canadian High commission to submit Raveen's passport for renewal. Raveen was called to attend a student counselling program (as a counseller) that was being conducted at the High Commission. He got my name also added to the list. The High commission was amazing. They have all 5 start facilities. We were provided with some snacks and they tasted out of the world. To mention more...the bathrooms were so clean, big and fresh. It was a good experience for both of us to go around the high commission for some time.

Another week passed and we decided to go to Jaipur that week end.

Jaiput trip was a lot of fun. We took the Jaipur shatabdi express. Reached in the afternoon on the 1st of august, saturday. It was about 10 in the morning when we reached Jaipur. We booked our stay at a Chokhi Dhani, an ethinic 5 star village resort. http://www.chokhidhani.com/ We got a Cab and the driver was very helpful and friendly. We decided to go and see the city 1st before going to the resort as it was a little far from the actual city. We went to see Jal Mahal Palace and then did some shopping. We went to a Governement store managed by the Rajasthan Textile Development Coporation. http://www.rtdcjaipur.com/. We were over-whelmed to see the collections they have. We hardly shopped anything and the bill was 10,000 INR. For thr 1st time after our marriage, Raveen selected a saree and got it for me. I loved it :) We went to the the resort towards the evening.
Our cottage was very beautiful. It was just like a village house with a low roof and the furniture that looked very villageee..

Chokhi Dhani resort has a village which is open to the public. This is like a mela that happens in the villages. People from the near by villages come to this place and perform. There are so many activities like the camel rides, elephant rides, mehandi, dances, puppet shows, eating places, magic showes, games, folk dances, shopping etc.


We got absorbed in the celebrations. After a long time we had so much fun.
We spoke to different people from the village and came to know that these villarges whoc come here to perform get only Rs. 50(women) and Rs. 100(men) a day. They stay there till around 11 in the night and go back to their village by walk whick is a little far from this place. They come back at around 4 every evening.

We got up late and missed the free break fast. We had lunch the next morning, checked out and went around the city. We saw Hawa Mahal, Royal Palace, the pink city etc. and then took the train back to Delhi on the August 2nd night which was a sunday.

The next day went as usual. Tuesday morning we got up as Raveen got a call from his office. He was on the phone for some time. At about 9 in the morning he got ready and went to the office. Before leaving he asked me if I wanted to go back to Banaglore that evening. It was too shot a notice a notice to pack up everything and so I discouraged. In any case he said he will confirm by 11 that same day. It was 11:30 and I haven't gotten any call from him. I thought there is no plan to go and casually called him to here that we are leaving and he is booking the flight ticket for the 9PM flight that night, which means we hve to leave the place by 6 in the evening. He had to be in Bangalore the next morning for a meeting.

I was alarmed. I then realized that i had to start running. I had to collect my clothes from the tailor, get the refund from the gym, get the bill ready for the place we were staying (which Raveen wanted me to do) and on top of all this Pack. We had to pay an amount of Rs. 400 while coming to Delhi as our luggage weighed 45Kgs as against 40Kgs. So this time I have to pack intelligently. I had lot more things to carry than what we came with (obviously I did a little bit of shopping).

I told the hotel fellow to start the billing process. I then went to tailor to collect my clothes. Added to all this confusion, the tailor had 100 questions and some design changes as he didnot get the material for the first design we had decided on. And she said she will get them stitched and give it by 4:30pm. I then went to the fitness center to talk to the owner. Each place was a little far from each other and the only mode of transport was to walk. I went to the center and the owner was not available. I waited there for some time as i thought I will not have enought to go back to the place. I decided to reach him on the phone and left the place. Came back to the hotel and started to pack. In between all this there is an important thing called hunger which started to bother me. I ordered for some quick lunch and got back to the packing again. I have to be careful in packing so that i do not pay naything extra this time. I made 3 hand luggage and 2 check-in luggage. I finished half of it and again went to the tailor once again. this time she said she can't finish my clothes before I leave and so she will get the dress couriered .we discussed abt it a little and then I came back. By the time I was done, It was 5 in the evening. Raveen came around the same time and then settled the hotel bill. We then called a cab and left for the airport.

Thinking about all the running made me type the above paragraph so fast with out stopping.

O Man!!! All the rest I took for the 2 weeks was just over in a day. I badly needed an other holiday immediately. I don't know how successful his meeting was, but I the day has become memorable for me.

No one at home knew that we were coming back. We decided to give them a surprise. The next morning I went to see parents and they were really surprised.

Weekend trip to Nainital

..Hill view from the resort

Raveen has been to Delhi for a couple of weeks. I decided to join him for the week end and we planned to go to Nainital.

Nainital as I heard is a very beautiful place. April to June and September to November is the right season to visit Nainital.

Our actual plan was to take an over night bus to Nainitaland then take a taxi back home. We went to the bust station 1/2 hour early. we had ice cream. The bus arrives. We get into the bus and realized that we were not allotted the seats. It was a Volvo sleeper. In between all the confusion, the cleaner came and started to spray a strong and badly smelling perfume just to make sure that the seats do not stink! The cushions were all wet and no one know what was spilt on them. We saw the driver with a bottle of beer in his hand, standing next to the bus and drinking.

This was the height of it! we decided to forget the bus. We decided to take a cab early next morning.

We reached only around the afternoon of the Saturday, the 6th June. Only after reaching the place we came to know that we choose the wrong time to go there. It was so crowded that it took around 2 hours to travel 15 km once we reached. One good thing this was that the place we choose to stay. It was a Garden valley resort, a little away from Nainital, called Bhimtal.

This resort where we stayed is very beautiful and is located in a Vally between 2 hills. the location, atmosphere, ambiance and everything else was so beautiful. The food the made was awesome. The head chef, Akshay, makes food with the help of his mom. The father looks after the rest of the issues of the layout. The bread is also baked in house. We had a very good time relaxing in there. We were woken up by the birds singing beautifully early in the morning. What we did was just to be with the nature, admire the flowers and be with the nature. We spent a lot of time near the natural water body that formed under the hills. The water was so clear and fresh. .....This plant is found a lot near the water body. Its not poisonous but if you touch any part of the plant, you feel like the thons of this plant have gone into your body and its starts paining as if some one is poking you with a very sharp needle continuously. This feeling will be there for about 3 to 4 days and will subside automatically. The funny thing is that no thons are visible if you see the plant.
In the vicinity of this plant there is always another plant whose leaves can be used as a cure for this.

It so happened that when we went to see the water body for the 1st time, by mistake Raveen touched this plant and the wierd feeling started on his thumb finger. After 10 minutes, both of us got scared if something has gone inside the finger and we rushed back. One the way up the hill, we met the lady who is the owner and also takes care of the garden and plants in the resort. She told us about the funny rather interesting nature of this plant. Due to our poor memories, we donot remember the name of this plant ;). God's creation is amazing....regarding the plant and also our memories (hahaHa)


The stay was just for a night but was really unforgettable.
An other unforgettable event happened while coming back from Nainital to Delhi. We left for Delhi at 2:30 in the afternoon. We could reach there only at 12 in the night. There was a huge traffic jam in UP for more than 2 hours. The story behind the traffic jam goes like this - There is a place in UP called 'GadGanga'. It is said that lord Shiva started to leave Ganga on earth from his head at this place. It is very auspicious to have a bath in this river on a full moon day.
Our luck took us to the same place on a full moon day which led to a traffic jam for more than 2 hours.

We were back in Delhi at around 11:30 in the night and were very hungry. Once place we saw was open. The place to sit was open to sky under a tree. we ordered roti and curry and started to eat. We felt something from the top fell into the plate. We mistook it to be a leaf or something. But guess what it is! It was a cockroach!!!
We got away from the table with a load shout. may be all this just to realize how good home is!

Long weekend Pondicherry trip

.......the beach view from Nalla beach resort

Here we go to Pondicherry after a lot of confusion....
100 holiday destinations were on our mind.
Finally planned to leave at 1pm but as we had to catch up with the family, we could leave only at 3 in the afternoon on the 1st of May, 2009 (Friday).

Raveen drove very well I must say, as we reached Pondi (Pondicherry) in 5 hours. Our stay was booked at a place called 'Nalla eco breach resort'. Nalla is tamil means good. This is a new resort with still things coming up. The beach is just 100 Mt's away from the resort.

The trip went on very well as we relaxed and had a lot of fun. Saturday morning, we swam in the beach, jogged in the waters and had a little bit of sun bath. Visiting Arabindo Ashram was in out things to do list but we could not as it would open only at 2 in the afternoon and we were too tired because of the heat. It was 40 degree Centigrade! We did some shopping all morning. Pondi is famous for its terracotta stuff. After lunch we got back home and slept....which we are deprived of in a normal working week!

One funny thing happened here when we got back to the resort in the afternoon. By the dinning hall in the resort there are a lot of coconut trees and a huge lawn area. People generally park their cars there as it is good to drive through these coconut trees.
Raveen loves speaking in Tamil. He tries to converse in Tamil as much as possible with people. His favorite is Rajnikanth.
I have a habit of scolding people as 'waste fellow' when 'm angry. Raveen also got used to scolding people like that. It is not out of anger buy just like that.

Our favorite parking place in the resort was under the last coconut tree. We came back in the afternoon, we found a car parked blocking the way to go to these coconut trees. I found Raveen's immediate reaction very hilarious and could not stop laughing for some time. I laughed so much I slept immediately when we got back to the room. He tried to convert waste fellow to Tamil. So he called the car fellow a 'waste payya'. The way he said it with an accent was too funny. He explained later that payya means person in tamil.

Towards the evening we decided to explore pondi a little bit and so we just kept on driving where ever we wanted. We reached a shopping place which was at least 3 times bigger than our commercial street in Bangalore. Too good...
From the moment we came to pondi we were craving about eating at a place rendez-vous. We finally found time to go there for dinner. But, that place was closed for renovation and would be open from the next day, i.e 3rd may. Pondicherry being a French colony in the past, had a lot of French restaurants and a lot of French people. Actually the manager of 'nalla' was also French. he married a Pondi girl and settled there. We found this restaurants called 'Le space'. This place was on the terrace, evolved over time. The owner of this place is a artist...that's what he said. He put up some of his abstract people paintings...we didn't understand even a single one; but all the French people who came there admired them.

The next morning we decide to go for the Sunday bazaar which was very famous and have lunch at rendez-vous before we left for Bangalore. But because we had to meet some one at Thiruvannamalai (Thiruvannamalai is a religious place and a 2 hour drive from Pondi, on the way to Bangalore). Because of some reasons we could neither meet them nor could we do what we wanted.
We were on the way to Bangalore. Petrol in Tamil Nadu is cheaper compared to Karnaraka. While coming we filled gas in the car at Krishnagiri. We wanted to fill it before we let pondicherry But could not as we were in a hurry. This put us in danger. Half way we realized that we do not have enough fuel in the car!!!

No option other than to keep driving 'coz there we no gas stations any where in the vicinity. The fuel in the car was just enough to go 10 km. We asked a passer by about the gas station and he said there is one in around 10 km. That made us relax a little bit. But we do not have any idea about how accurate that information was! We kept driving.....4 km .... 3 km... 2 km... 1km... we don't see any gas station ahead...we were already planning what to do if the car stops.. then came 0 km.....I was waiting for the car to stop..but it didn't! We asked some one as they said its 2 km away. We finally reach the gas station. hamma...and another twist in the story. The waste payya doesn't accept credit cards. We just had 500/-. Filled gas for 400/-. We wanted to keep 100 as we wanted to eat 'munjalu'. That would be enough gas to reach Krishnagiri. And then in krishnagiri we filled the tank.
@$#%^$^%&^*(%^%&$%$&^*&^&^ good fun!

we reached home by 6:30 in the evening. Our return journey was around 5 hours.
It was a very good trip I must say. both of us have been very naughty through out the trip in doing different things which made it even more interesting. ;)