Accompanymeonmyjourneys is not just a blog, it is a travelogue that records itsy-bitsy, weird, conventional, sometimes not so conventional details about my travels. I believe in taking off when the need arises ever so often and trying to do things the local way wherever I go. Spontaneity, no fussing and freedom is what would be ideal company, so would you care to accompanymeonmyjourneys?
You can vote here: http://apps.facebook.com/freakytraveller/?voteprofile=236796117
I won't make long false promises if I get selected but I promise to keep this blog more alive and updated than it has been in the recent past. Click on that link, and vote, go, NOW!
Update: Did not make it to The Freaky Traveller but perhaps I am not meant to travel around alone and one is blessed to have such a good companion to experience each other's life with, right? :)
I was born on Ganpati Chaturthi twenty-five years ago. So you see, I have a special connection with the dear one. I am sort of partial to Ganpati, the Lord of prosperity and good fortune. Every year I thought, I should go see the Lalbaugh Ganpati this year but I never got around to doing it. People come from far off lands to just get a glimpse of this mighty statue at Lalbaugh, waiting for hours on end. My friend told me that people who wish for a mannat stand in a seperate special queue for atleast 15 hours.
Almost there: people trying to take pictures from their mobile phones as they are pushed ahead.
So this year when a family friend said she had special passes to see Lalbaughcha Raja, I jumped at the opportunity. The whole place to the surrounding road was under heavy supervision of military men dressed in blue, cops and traffic police trying to manage the thousands and thousands of people standing in the queues.We left at 10a.m., we stood in the VIP line for barely fifteen minutes and there we were, in front of the famous Lalbaughcha Ganpati. I had goosebumps when I finally saw the majestic statue, part of me also wanted to cry.
I felt dizzy when I was finally pushed out of the queue, you had to keep moving. After all the line behind me only kept increasing. As I walked out with the several others, some sobbing, some trying to get back in, some grinning broadly, I felt a little dizzy. Either it was the effect of the holy experience or the overcrowded space or both. But I have ticked yet another thing off my bucket list. Ganpati Bappa Morya!
Note: The birth of the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati is an interesting story for people who don't already know. It's something I remember from an old episode I saw on TV and the Amar Chitra Katha books I read as a child. Parvati collected the sandalwood paste she used prior to bathing on her body and breathed life into it, Ganpati, also known as Ganesha was born. She asked him to keep guard while she took her bath, so when Shiva arrived a little later, Ganpati didn't let him in. That's when Shiva unknowingly severed Ganesha's head and hence he has the head of an elephant.
On a regular day, post a swim at Mafatlal Bath Club, my friend and me would have headed back to our respective homes. But this was the day of the Lunar Eclipse, which last happened 40 years ago! Who knows how long you're going to live and why wait for another 40 years right? So we decided to head out to Nehru Planetarium at half past eleven.
The next thing we are at the staircase opposite Nehru Planetarium, where telescopes were set up for the public. We had a very kind and patient gentleman, who gave us gyaan about what an umbra and penumbra shadows are, bringing back flashes of scientific diagrams from school. Wiki link for umbra and penumbra here.
About the experience of it all? There was a telescope alright, but there were also a fairly decent number of excited people. We tried to weasel our way to where the scholars had setup their equipment and we did get partially lucky with the binoculars and viewfinder of a camera, attached to a telescope, capturing images. Unfortunately, I forgot my own camera, so all you get is a picture taken from my phone.
Taken on June 16th, 2011 at 12:06 (IST)
Just a blob of light in an otherwise extremely cloudy sky, taken at earlier stages of the eclipse.
My dad asked me not to go, "why don't you just watch it on TV beta?". And I'm so glad, that I didn't listen to him. Sorry Dad. But it was worth the trip. We were standing under the heavily clouded sky for two hours patiently (11:30- 1:30 a.m.), gaping as the eclipse moved in from the left over the moon, while the clouds moved in from the right. Everytime the sky would clear out even partially, there were shouts and random hands pointing, "See! Do you see that? There!".
There were sudden bursts of showers during which we were offered refuge under strangers umbrellas twice, which stopped in minutes. The anticipation of the cloud cover clearing and the atmosphere buzzing with people of all ages plus TV crews from various News Channels, while people sang rain songs, cracked jokes and shared umbrellas made it all worth it.
There were quite a few children, and they just kept amusing me. I overheard one telling the bunch of kids encircling him in Gujarati, while peering through a telescope, "What no moon? What eclipse? If we are not going to be able to see it, why don't they tell us. What timepass!"
Second week of December I was off to Delhi to spend a week of quality time with my sister. My agenda was to enjoy the weather and shop. Sight-seeing was barely even part of the itinerary.
The List: M-Block, Sarojini Nagar, Janpath, Lajpat Nagar and Carol Bagh.
It was an extensive list to begin with and the budget was pretty tight. Inspite of the hurdles I managed to cover most of the above and managed to buy sweaters, stoles, t-shirts, harems pants and lamps for the sister, mother, boyfriend, birthday girl, aunt and myself. My verdict: Sarojini is by far the best place for street shopping.
Other highlights: Steaming Tandoori Momos from QDs melt in your mouth and the best thing is they don't even taste like momos! A must try!
Image courtesy: hinduonnet.com
The All American Diner: My sister took me here for their breakfast buffet. Each of us opted for the slightly steep but totally worth it, unlimited buffet and what a jolly good time we had! What to expect? Egg pies, croissants, breads, muffins, cereals, fruits, juices, it was typically filling, English breakfast.The ambiance as you can see in the picture is flashy and extremely vibrant with an interesting collection of vintage ads and photographs of cars, bikes and an entire wall dedicated to Elvis Presley! True shinning brilliance. Situated in the Habitat Center, the American Diner is an exuberant experience that also empties your pockets. Official Website
The legendary hot chocolate fudge. Try it!
Nirula's
This place is synonymous with hot-chocolate fudge. They were the
first to bring the yummy dessert to india....Hmmmmmm.
Got distracted there with the memory of the vanilla ice-cream oozing with rich chocolate, topped with chocolate chips and nuts.......hmmmmmmm!
Its another thing to enjoy ice-cream in freezing 7 degrees temperature. Its a different kind of ecstasy as the chilling ice-cream goes down your spine and you shiver with delight. A first for me.
For the entire menu of the restaurant, check the official websites here , here and the wiki.
ps: The last poll results were quite uncomplicated: Qs: What do you eat when abroad/out of town. 87% people said local cuisine, whereas one person said Indian food, Italian, 5-stars, fruits, Thai and Chinese got no votes. Well done voters! Great choice. Local cuisine should always be examined and savoured!
Last week's question was your most preferred travel destination. There was multiple choice allowed for this question because I know I would like to have done most of them anyway.
I am sooner or later going to run out of questions so I request all of you to reply to this post with questions that do come to mind now or even after you leave this website.
The next question will only be up 17 hours later.
I have exams going on so have been under house arrest but watch out for my next posts on Long Distance Bus Escapades and Mad Travelers, not in the precise order. Sigh. Have to get back to my paper on Freud. In the meanwhile, please go and discover some new city/ town/ village/ restaurant/ dhaba/ spa/ grocery store even and feel the joy.
