There and back again

I know it's been a long time since my last blog ,but to answer all your questions, i was traveling with lotsa more stories to write about.The one trip worth mentioning is my trip to mount abu.Initially we decided to travel to coorg but since a visit to ajmer was on our list ,we changed our destination.Trust me, nothing beats a last minute adventure and you can quote me on that.Calls to various travel operators proved futile for all they had to offer was a mundane journey with the same tried and tested methods.I took matters in my own hands and began my quest for various online offers.We totally detest five star accomodations ,so i narrowed down my list to affordable and neat joints.We decided to travel by road and with light bags in tow, we first reached ahmedabad and then mount abu .The trip ,though strenuous was totally worth it.We couldn't help but gape in amazement when we reached our hotel blue valley because we got nothing short of a royal treatment as the whole place was vacant ,for it being non-peak season(talk about time management huh).Not only did we get a discount but full time service and since we had not paid in advance,we had the liberty of checking out the room first and paying only when satisfied.The rooms were not only spacious and comfy but also close and yet away from the hustle bustle of the city with only the sounds of the birds chirping and squirrels running about.We woke up to a beautiful sunrise overlooking the valley,a rare sight in a noisy city like mumbai.The breakfast was a wide range of dishes starting from bread pakoras to alu parathas which was available one call away.The place is famous for it's dal bati churmas which is a must try.Another treat was the unlimited rajasthani and gujrati thalis which you find in the market area (not those flashy restaurants but small joints).A visit to the Nakki lake is a must if you want to ride a boat.You can never miss the guy selling freaky souvenirs by the lake, like for example jelly snakes which expands when thrown on a flat surface.Try the balloon ride too, a little steep if i may say, but totally worth it.For the faint hearted , there's always the horse ride(for example me). The journey continues as soon as i am back from another trip to goa. Do visit for more.ciao for now

smart alec mechanic

Yesterday my bike broke down for the umpteenth time.After endless calculations whether the visit to the mechanic's garage would make me lighter by a few bucks,i was on my way .My bike refused to move any further and i had to drag it for half a kilometre(wish i had bought that horse when i had the chance).One look at the bike and the mechanic exclaimed "Saab,silencer choke up ho gaya hai(i didn't strangle it,trust me). He quoted 250 bucks as damages, promised to rectify it and hand it over to me in the evening.To top it up,I had a lots of appointments on that day for which I had to take bus no.11(I had to walk).My sixth sense nudged me to give him a surprise visit.I reached the garage at 4.30 p.m and was told he had gone away to pick up the silencer.After circling the place for 15 minutes,I sat on the bike and decided to wait.The other mechanic completely unaware of my presence with a bottle in one hand,a plastic pipe in another,proceeded towards my bike.To my horror,he told me to get off the bike so that he could take petrol.I replied it was mine and he wouldn't get a single drop.He didn't know what hit him and sheepishly went back to his domain.Never ever would Ileave my bike unattended for sure

Valentine's day

Today is valentine's day(guess everybody knows that).I wonder what makes this day so special.Back in college, i used to anxiously wait for this day(not that i had date on my arm).Though i had a girlfriend at that point of time , we were not allowed to go out coz her mother didn't want people to gossip (POINT TO BE NOTED...never date a mama's girl). ANYHOO, to make it special we used to organize "socials" in college just to let people know that we existed(Ah those wonder years). Now i realise ,it's just another day and i'm sure lot of people would agree. I'm sure if St.Valentine was alive,he would have been the brand ambassador of some merchandise.While browsing through the channels,i came across news of protests made by political parities against V-day.What gives them the right to decide what's best for others???.Isn't this supposed to be a democratic country??? Well!!!! I guess some things will never change....till then ..HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!

Weddings:A Family Drama

I simply dread getting an invitation for a wedding.I mean it's fun when you are a kid,playing around,eating lots of icecreams without being conscious.When you grow up it's a complete different scenario.It's a tedious task to constantly dodge curious glances from the relatives of the bride and groom.They judge you by the gift you hold in your hand.The bigger the gift,the better chances of you getting an outstanding welcome.It's even more complicated when you are single,there is absolutely no way of avoiding the most obvious question "So,when are you getting married?"(as if the population of the country isn't enough).And if you are married "When are you planning to start a family"?(prompting me to response "as soon as you promise to babysit").Oh and ,there are those suitable matchmakers planning to organize another wedding as soon as this is over.And some people just can't get enough of the buffet as if they are stranded on an island .It's even more hilarious to see people greet each other with fake expressions on their faces(for all you know they might be bitching about the same person in their head).Some make a beeline the minute they spot an open bar at the wedding(Few even try to sneak a bottle or two when the bar tender is not looking).The aftermath that follows after downing a couple of drinks makes the visit even more enjoyable.Seeing all this hulabooloo surrounding weddings,we decided to have a court marriage with a small get together for my family sans the trumpet.But how could i be left behind without being asked "When did you get married,bulaya bhi nahin"?...some things never change......

Trip to Alibaug

We were a group of five friends including my younger brother and we called ourselves "Cult_Harts".Tikku had bought a new santro(well,his family had bought it,to be precise).They decided to visit his granny in kerala.He was responsible for taking the car to the service station for the monthly check up.While having our cuppa at cafe coffee day,sriram suggested we go to his farmhouse in alibaug.Tikku agreed to it almost instantly and this came as a shock coz he never says yes abruptly specially when there is a risk and especially if it involves his brand new car.After a few calls for leave from work,we started packing.With bags in tow,we embarked on our journey overlooking a few envious glances from our neighbours.For some reason,tikku was all pepped up for this journey.As soon as we crossed panvel,we reached a sign which pointed goa on one end and alibaug on the other.Though tempted to go to goa,we changed our mind coz this was only a 3 day trip.Finally,we reached the farmhouse where the caretaker was expecting us.It was a huge farmhouse in a village with 5 bedrooms and a kitchen including a guest room.We reached on time courtesy the statistics done by three engineers about the speed and distance (talk about being a perfectionist,Aamir, take a hike)We hopped on to a hotel closeby for lunch,bought a map of alibaug and proceeded.The beaches are awesome with absolutely no sign of litter.It being a monsoon season ,the fort was shut down due to high tides.However,refusing to accept defeat,we decided to make this trip adventurous by trekking on the opposite hill.Warned by a few locals against it due to the slippery surface we took a chnace(actually i chickened out due to a fear of heights). Those devils clicked my snap from above waiting for them by the car below to show it to everybody.Someday,i'll take my revenge(haha)This was the most memorable trip specially since tikku left for states soon after.Until the next blog adios amigos.

Interview dilemma Part 2

I'm back folks after a long time.The reason being my decision to get back to the corporate sector.After a sabatical break of 2 yrs,i was tempted by the green monster(money) and began my quest to face the interviewer AGAIN!!!.I realized it was a big mistake specially because of the recent terror attacks and my last name.It finally dawned on me that even after endless peaceful demonstrations outside the gateway of india or should i say taj since that was how it was portrayed by the media IN A LOOP,we still have this biased attitude towards certain communities.Being a consultant and self employed,i found it difficult to convince the interviewer about my self imposed break.They fired a wholly of questions like ,what have you been doing these past 2 yrs etc etc.I was told to submit a proof of my current profession such as my license for which i had paid a considerable amount.It was an integrity issue for me as it would be doomsday if it falls into wrong hands.Anybody can commit a fraud in my name and i would be in a jail suit in no time.Although i tried my best to convince them that my business involved frequent visits to the police station for verification of my clients,they refused to accept it.I felt so annoyed with the entire procedure that i walked out.Do we live in a country with diverse backgrounds and culture or are we in still in denial???

A Trip to Ooty

Three years ago,my friends decided to visit manali during the monsoons.We were excited since we had seen a documentary on the channel Travel and Living about it.Unfortunately ,due to heavy flooding,we had to cancel our visit.Nevertheless,our friend suggested an alternative.Since,his mother was the vice president in Reliance,one of her perks included free stay in hotels all over India.We narrowed down on Ooty and started making preparations.One of us was leaving for U.S the next month, so we decided to go on this last trip together.Sadly,few had other priorities and that left just the three of us me,my brother and my friend.We were all pumped up,especially me and my brother because this was our first trip on a plane.Like most single men,we started flirting with the air hostess.We pressed the buzzer for the silliest reason but she never got irritated and was enjoying the attention.My friend even suggested taking down her number,which i turned down because frankly ,I was too chicken.We landed at Coimbatore and were searching for a shared cab.Our friend being a south indian was well versed in tamil which was a blessing for that was the only language they understood.He negotiated with the driver and told him to take us to Sterling Resort which was high on a hill.There were a couple of other passengers including a newly married couple who were scared out of their wits on learning they were travelling with us.A couple of minutes into the journey ,and they realized we were not abd guys after all.On reaching the resort,we were shown to our room which had a living room,a kitchen and a bedroom with a balcony overlooking the hills.We paid a visit to the wildlife sanctuary,boating club,botanical garden and Dodapetta peak which is the highest peak in Asia.Unfortunately,we didn't spot tigers because we were travelling in a bus and that scared them away.The driver milked every opportunity to charge us (twenty rupees for taking pictures of deers and elephants) and the rest for being a guide.The weather was quite pleasant ,firstly because of the monsoons and secondly because there was no noise and air pollution.There are no fans in hotels and restaurants and everything is eco-friendly.Even while shopping,we were handed out paper bags.Some of those should be applied to mumbai as well.We bought different types of chocolates(rum n raisins,mints,dates and walnuts,cherry to name a few).The bus tour turned out to be amazing.Always the last ones to board the bus after sightseeing, the expression on the passenger's faces was priceless.On our last day,we cooked food which was a total disaster ,burnt potatoes,dal and soggy rice.We visited the loo soon after.We were sad that the trip ended so quickly.We shopped for almost everything including souvenirs,chocolates,oil,tea and clothes.At the airport, the cops inquired about the brown stuff in our bag which was nothing but tea packed in a transparent plastic bag.The trip turned out to be my best trip ever so far.