Thursday, November 4, 2010

Windows to the rescue!


Anytime we travelled by public transport, Tims and me would always vie for the window-seat. That was until I gave him some logical reasoning...'Window' seats belong to 'Software Engineers'. The Mech guy now just makes way and moves away silently... and like always, the better half wins!! ;)

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The fort of the 'Pepper Queen'


A fort at Mirjan, hidden from the view of sandy-eyed tourists heading towards Goa.
This beautiful fort is located just 1km off the NH 17 (a left turn by the side of the fish market) at Mirjan, which is located 8 kms away from Kumta enroute Goa. The drawback? Lack of information at the site, though it is now being renovated by the ASI.
So, here goes-
"The Fort at Mirjan was constructed during A.D 1608-1640. Excavation conducted at the site during the field season 2000-01 has unearthed a number of laterite structures of medieval period . The structural remains include a U shaped structure with a cloister all around. Towards the west of the U shaped structures, a circular soakage pit constructed of dressed laterite stones and water tank connected with water carrier were exposed. Among the antiquities mention may be made of a unique gold coin issued in A.D. 1652 by the Portuguese Viceroy Conde De Sarzedas during the rule of JOAO IV. The other antiquities include canon balls, Chinese Porcelain, clay tablets with Islamic inscriptions."
Intrigued by the 'Pepper Queen'?!... Read on @ http://southcanara.blogspot.com/2009/06/mirjan-fort-tribute-to-pepper-queen.html

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Names can be deceptive!


A deviation on NH-5 before Khurda, Orissa takes you to Puri. The road is named "Jagannath New Sadak". Anything 'New' about this road ends just as you start on the same. A nightmare and more if you are traveling by this route after cyclonic showers. Added to this misery, we were here at night. Armed with an atlas, we braved a stretch of what will probably be the worst-road-traveled in all our trips. We bumped on never ending potholes...ahem- I'd say potpools which could pass as arenas for mud wrestling. Came across a couple of people walking along the route, their backs slathered with mud. If mud packs are to be believed, their butts must have had a great time! A tired & distraught Tims, worrying that Eva might end up with multiple punctures and me, a saucer-eyed navigator, vowed never to fall for fancy names ever again!
Note: the decision to take this road was not just that of the navigator. The driver enthused about it too! ;)

The minar story...


Ever wondered why the Charminar has four minars? Legend says there was an attack of plague in the city. The king raised both his hands towards the skies in prayer, asking the Almighty to save his people. Once the epidemic weaned off, the king built the 'Char'minar with gratitude for favors received. Apparently, the king believed in returning what he received in two-fold (four minars for blessings asked with two raised hands).
If you look closely, you can see the face of a cat(signifying the demise of rats/plague) engraved in the midst of the beautiful interiors of the Charminar.
Source: a security personnel at the site. :)

Friday, October 8, 2010

Who says imitations are passé?


The Eiffel tower mimicked on the Vegas strip...

Thursday, October 7, 2010

4340...


Clicked from my bedroom window on a wintry morn. Bennington Pond, Groveport.

Bliss!!


One of the best things about the Kalahari water park at Sandusky,OH. LUVd it!!! Soaking in a heated pool with a swim-up bar in the end-of-winter chilly weather...with great friends around. A word danced across my mind - BLISS!!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

En route Enlightenments!!


When counting sheep doesn’t seem to help and I end up staying awake throughout my 80km journey to work, here is a peek into the stuff I get to see…
- A dog pees like a man…standing on hind legs!
- A woman in a half sari does that too… balancing a basket on her head. Wonder how though!!
- I see little chicks that grow up into well fed hens and disappear one fine day, only to be replaced by little chicks again in the coop.
- Fully blown pictures of young gals dressed in all finery put up in villages to celebrate their first period! A feast follows and the picture is left to the mercy of the winds – probably till the fact that the little girl has ‘come of age’ is etched in every villager’s memory.
- Irrespective of the number of people boarding the college bus, there is not one person standing when the bus is on the move. Thanks to flexible bases and accommodating laps.
- Seats that I choose or begin to think are comfy get occupied when I just start thinking of the seat as ‘mine’!
- Saw some people bidding goodbyes to their dead, sitting by the road(!) and performing the last rites.
- Veggies being transported – some fall almost into the gutter but as long as they are retrievable, they are hauled back into the cart! Makes me wash veggies n times more!!! Ugh!!
- Stuff that blocks the gutter – plastic and the like is fished out and deposited by the side of the pavement in a heap. Only to be spread out on the road by scurrying feet/ the ever flowing vehicles. Heavy rains and they all go back into the gutter and the cycle continues. Ahem – atleast somebody has a job. So what if it is redundant? Huh!
- People spit out/blow their noses (double yuck!!!) out of windows, oblivious to others in the bus.
- This year, I knew the birthdays of high rung Telgu actors. Thanks to the innumerous wishes flashed in almost every village! Those guys must be shivering with so many ‘fans’ following. ;)
- Ice blocks are put in sacks and beaten up to be broken to be used in ‘on-the-move’ foodie carts. I sit back and hope with fervor that this is not followed elsewhere!
- All the weird little boards that are spelt wrong! Makes me want to go on a correcting spree with a bucket of paint & brush in hand! But on second thoughts, the struggle to decipher what it means and the smile that breaks out once you have it figured out … well, I guess it is worth the mistake!
- Love the green..Green and GREEN – the route that our bus takes!! But fellow travelers think that the city route is better since you get to check out lots of babes.. guess I’m growing old!!! – not that I’d prefer checking out babes anyways! ;)
- And yeah! It is beyond my comprehension as to how a village nested in the folds of the Simhachalam hill range can be HOT!!!
- Potters at their wheel – an everyday reminder that this is something I have to learn. Hmmnn.. got to learn enough Telgu to ask them to let me try my hand at it.
- Dads/friends/husbands/kids who come to drop off their dear ones… Kids waving byes to their mommies even after the bus moves on… awwww!! Makes me miss home!!
- Old beady eyed women dragging on their ‘sutta’ – an epitome of bliss!
- The never ending rows of lorries waiting for ore – the drivers caked in dust and soot, snoring under the shade of their vehicles, waiting for their turn.
- The whiff of freshly roasted cashews… makes me forgive and forget the dung and hen coop stenches that we just passed by.
...Counting on more sleepless rides!! :)

Thursday, September 16, 2010

AP's Coorg- Araku!


Mist-kissed mountain tops, amazing weather with little drizzles and coffee plantations... the nearest we could get to the feeling of being in Coorg when in AP- Araku! Made us miss Coorg all the more- if that is ever possible!

AI Delight!!!

Was at the airport and jobless!!!! AI has a real easy check-in process..the check-in bags were scanned well enough..was made to show that the electronic device that I carried along was a curling iron..nice helpful people around(good that I get 2 meet a lot of them)..got a through check-in to B’lore.. so nothing much to do in Hyderabad.. just sit around and watch people/crap talk..AI has a better way than the developed country policies at screening people during security check-in..just had to walk through- belt, rings, watch, bangles et al..and then, a lady(P.S. I jus substituted lady for female!!! The Navy is getting on my nervesssszzz!!!;):D) scans you wit that electronic thingy..and for every beep, you just have to show her the cause!! Cool, huh?.. no stripping down..and no losing out on stuff..customer delight- yes!!!..but would take lots of man power at a busy port.No wonder d US of A doesn’t want this..;)

Monday, July 19, 2010

...and my heart chugged along!!

Bangalore. One of those days... When there had to be a jam in traffic at every signal on a dark dark evening. When the metro work had to unearth a ton of soil and add barricades to the already narrow roads. When Nature decided to turn on her faucet and it poured like crazy. When I would have been run over by a HV. When abuses for crossing a slushy road with a huge backpack, in the midst of moving traffic sounded like music for the sheer reason that I had made it to the other end. When I was probably destined to miss my train!
With a few minutes left for my train to depart, I was stuck up like a fat hen trying to cross a road with breezing traffic. I could see the train on the platform with red blinkies and announcements for departure. Dripping from head to toe and dragging on with almost drained out confidence of making it on time, I pulled myself together. Getting directions from the auto guys as to where the entrance to the station was-after ruling out the possibility of climbing the walls, I managed to reach the platform. More goof ups on getting to the bogie and dragging along feet that felt like logs soaked for lumbering, I made it to 2AC. Oopss!! did i say "my train"?.. Well, I am on WL1.
I sit on some random berth and end up with real nice berth-mates. I wait for the TT with water dripping from clinging jeans and craving for a blanket. My non-confirmed ticket leaves me blanket-less. Finally the TT comes along at around 20:30ish and asks me why I boarded the train if I was on the WL. I make a mental note to lash out on Tims for telling me that I could pay the TT for a berth. I ask if I can buy a new ticket/for any other possibility. Anyways, turns out that there is no berth that the TT can offer and he asks me to get off the train! Berth-mates ask me to hang on and I squeeze on to a corner and fall asleep, head hanging like an over-sized fruit. The next TT comes along and asks for my ticket. I am called over for a chat.
The whole compartment is asleep with dimmed lights. The TT sits on the side berth near the door and asks me if I am a Manipuri. I answer in the negative & he says that he figured it out since my nose wasn't flat! OMG!! Once he gets my identification details, he asks me to sit at the other end of his berth. The reason?- to give him company since the travel would be boring for him!! Me the WL traveler, stuck up with a huge cauldron-bellied TT who found it hard to believe that I was married. And then, my heart does a somersault! He pulls the curtain half way through citing reasons that even the dim light hurts his eye. I stop it midway to the seat, offering prayers in parallel. He then pulls my cheek and calls me a 'sweet little kid'. By now I am wondering if I should tell him off.. possibilities- I could be thrown out for not having a confirmed ticket at 1:00AM. He then tells me that I am like a daughter to him and that he will see to it that I get a berth. In return, I would have to 'take care' of him, he says this with a pat on my knee. By now, I hit multiple 'OMG's. He follows this by stories of his family and of all things- women using pills to avoid having kids to look beautiful!! (OMG! OMG!)*n .. why me!!!??...
All this while I try to look strong(ahem.. that I am! ;) karate classes;) you see)... and start questioning him about Tirupati. I end up asking him the geography/history/politics of the place just so that I keep him at a safe topic!! Pheww!!
With another pull on my cheek and a 'sweet little child of mine', he asks me how much I would pay him. Takes 200bucks and gives me back a 100. I finally get a berth at 3:30AM!!! By now my muscles are cramped and the jeans are clinging on like a second skin. I wrap myself up and doze off to the rumble of snores and whistles.
When I look back I can't help but remember the shudder I felt with the way the TT behaved. But the poor man was probably putting forward his grievances and having a brave looking freaked out girl listen to him. His eyes welled up when he mentioned his son who was no longer with him. A sullen face when he said that his daughter-in-law wanted their savings but not them. And he probably meant it when he called me his daughter. But the media, circumstances & incidents around have made us so wary of our surroundings that we have a hard time trusting people. And like Vishu had foreseen, I now think of that night with a smile, happy that I didn't shout but unwillingly ended up listening to the sorrow of a fellow being. :)

Being Acrophobic...


Was at a dinner when I noticed a tall mom lifting up her tiny tot. The height at which the kid was swaying in mid-air would probably ensure that he would never be acrophobic. Got me thinking if this was the reason why I need to pull myself together to get a peek from heights. My manufacturers are not the model-tall type which was probably why I got used to being at a comfortable height ;) ..just a thought. Not that my fear has stopped me from being adventurous...I can walk on a high ledge with a little quiver- but walk nonetheless.
And now, I am in search of an acrophobic person with tall parents who did carry him/her around as a kid.. :) I hope not to find one.. lest my theory fails!! ;)

Friday, June 18, 2010

Take a dip- with/without salt?.. ;)


Trashi beach, S.Canara.
On one side is the sea & a fresh water lake on the other.

The berry story!


The flower & different stages of the berry...
At a farm in Mahabaleshwar, Satara.
Must have- strawberries with cream @Mapro Gardens. Yummmmmmm!!! :)

A customized click! ;)



Taken en-route Panchgani, dist-Satara.
I chose the subject..set the frame..n Tims clicked :)
A fresh bloom under the scorching sun!