tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27584403706044496862024-03-24T12:40:07.693+05:30Hazaaron khwaishein aisi...............Explore Think Observe Create Discover Chaos Thass Read Listen Write Visualize Rant Wander Sing Exaggerate Hallucinate Hear Speak Ramble Question Search Research Love Live ....................................................................a bit of everythingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger601125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-26902623087674901422024-03-23T09:27:00.004+05:302024-03-23T09:27:56.379+05:30Life in 7 Jan - 23 Mar 2024<p>Udupi The new year resolutions are gone and dead now. Book reading, work life balance, instrument, gym are now fantasy land. Yet three quarters of the year remains. What will it be?</p><p>But this year has been to a beautiful start. Amazing things have happened. My movie viewings has been at an awesome level. My no-travel plan has resulted in two travel trips already :) Also, one of the amazing milestone is me being getting promoted at work. Good to see the recognition coming and in general I am at a happy place. </p><p>Movies</p><p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21626284/">Laapataa ladies</a> By Kiran Rao - 4 out of 5 (may be 4.5 too)</p><p>An amazing down to earth, cute, niche Bollywood movie that says what it want to say, with simple humor. Just a good humanity movie and I loved it. It reminded me of Nagesh Kukunoor's Dor but it is even better. </p><p>Dune 2 (4/5) (may be 4.5 too)</p><p>The finale of first Dune book asks a lot from its reader to imagine. There is a siege in the middle of a dessert storm and many things happen in parallel. I had always wondered how will this even come to screen. Dennie Villevue has done it. It is perfect. I would have liked another 1-2 mins of the siege action but it is just an ask to satisfy. Overall, Dune 2 and Dune 1 should be seen together only. They are amazing. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anatomy_of_a_fall">Anatomy of a Fall</a> By Justin Triet 4 out of 5 (may be 4.5 too)</p><p>Husband and wife are having difficulties in their marriage. The husband dies by falling from the roof while working on some home-repairs. Was he pushed or did he slip ? The answer is for the reader to decide - an excellent court room drama that poses questions to think long after the movie is done. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23561236/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">American Fiction</a> By Cord Jefferson (4 out of 5)</p><p>It is awesome when an actor gets a movie to showcase themselves. This is Jeffrey Right's movie and he just nails it. A satire, masterfully written. This kind of drama movies need to be celebrated more and more. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4048272/?ref_=nm_knf_t_2">Toni Erdmann</a> By Maren Ade (3.5 out of 5)</p><p>I discovered Sandra Huller in Toni Erdmann and then saw her in Anatomy of a Fall. She is brilliant. Toni Erdmann is a silly movie that makes sure that you also do not take it seriously. Yet, it is a poignant portrait of a father-daughter relationship in this work obsessed, self obsessed world where we do not have time for our loved ones. </p><p><br /></p><p>To compensate for these amazing ones, I also saw brain-dead ones like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21830902/">Upgraded</a> (1.5/5), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26047818/">Anyone but you</a> (2/5)<a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/true_detective/s04">True Detective Night Country</a> (3/5) (BTW, Alaska Daily did it much better) </p><p>I started Wheel of Time but could not go past episode 2 of season 2. Didn't like it at all. </p><p><br /></p><p>----</p><p>Travel</p><p>Weekend travel to Delhi to attend Wedding reception of Aabhas. Met with family and had good fun. Went and watched a play Ghalib in New Delhi in Little theatre. Play was ok. Also, had golgappas in Bengali market and that was amazing. Got golgappas packed too for BLR. </p><p>Weekend travel to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayiladuthurai">Mayiladuthurai</a> for Mamaji's sixty'th birthday puja. Attended half of it. Went to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagore_Dargah">Nagore Dargah</a>, <a href="https://www.thirucadaiyurtemple.org/">Thircudaiyur temple</a> and Velankanni Church in a day. No one is more secular than me :)</p><p>------</p><p>Attended Lucky Ali's live concert at Mall of Asia, Bengaluru. Also, Swarathama came and performed there. Concert was ok, more nostalgia than concert :) Lucky Ali is getting old and this may be my last concert of him. </p><p>Attended Ruhaniyat at the Jayamahal palace this year. Saw performances from </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Blissful world of Tamil Mystics - By Sivasri Skandaprasad and group. </li><li>Through the Eyes of Kabir by Prahalad Singh Tipaniya and group</li><li>Secret Path of Javanese masters to peace by Ida Lala</li><li>Invoking the feminine force - Bharud of Maharashtra</li><li>Ubuntu - The spirit of togetherness Dumza Maswana</li><li>Qawwali by Warsi brothers</li></ul><p></p><p>This year's anniversary celebration was a discover-city walking tour of Indiranagar. We covered the following places</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/baobangalore/?hl=en">Bao Bangalore</a> Indiranagar - Veg bao was amazing </li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/lavonnecafe/?hl=en">Lavonne Cafe</a> Indiranagar - Tried the Dule Tres Leches for the first time. On the sweeter side but good. </li><li><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Calcutta+Victoria+Chat+House+(Jeevan+Bhima+Nagar)/@12.9686657,77.6494582,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipNc0RIuYOevOyHl1_xaLV70mEnodfaJjuAs1Mxb!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNc0RIuYOevOyHl1_xaLV70mEnodfaJjuAs1Mxb%3Dw114-h86-k-no!7i4000!8i3000!4m11!1m2!2m1!1schaat!3m7!1s0x3bae140068717531:0x8f7c52857ced6a23!8m2!3d12.9685237!4d77.6494319!10e5!15sCgVjaGFhdFoHIgVjaGFhdJIBFGZhc3RfZm9vZF9yZXN0YXVyYW50mgEkQ2hkRFNVaE5NRzluUzBWSlEwRm5TVVJ0TnkxWVZEZFJSUkFC4AEA!16s%2Fg%2F11byxfb37h?entry=ttu">Calcutta Victoria Chat House (Jeevan Bhima Nagar)</a></li><li>Taco Street Indiranagar - Bad service and bad tacos. </li><li><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nirula's+Indiranagar/@12.9669631,77.6371106,20.43z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x3bae141dd14789a1:0x7119c0ddc5321683!2sLavonne+Caf%C3%A9!8m2!3d12.9668887!4d77.636857!16s%2Fg%2F11g6j718dy!3m5!1s0x3bae15e466f272ab:0x5a188740106771de!8m2!3d12.9668686!4d77.6372301!16s%2Fg%2F11t1bqnfs5?entry=ttu">Nirula's Indiranagar</a> - Butterscotch icecream at Nirulas. </li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Did the Walking tour of Pete - <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/AttractionProductReview-g297628-d19008366-Pete_city_Walk-Bengaluru_Bangalore_District_Karnataka.html">Pete Walk by Unhurried</a> - 4.5/5 </p><p>Covered Chickpete, CottonPete, three temples, one church and food at the oldest Darshini of Bangalore - <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g297628-d7928882-Reviews-Udupi_Sri_Krishna_Bhavan-Bengaluru_Bangalore_District_Karnataka.html">Udupi Sri Krishna Bhawan hotel</a>. Went with the office crowd as part of team outing. </p><p>----</p><p>Puchka Taco continue to delight us</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sYmZFY4t23-XuGa0_9CxTimr7dWrXDnEfcuFGmFE8wXNbwr9huVWMKDtT8NwXihu3kcBQEJ1GDXFobFqULvfy62eAVVXn9_flAQY7mVfNwHl4Uy1LJSuMyMyQgM9JuEWgUY2c-JYlfsZm-XPchb4dqdVAvP17Smaqz27QfN7QGC0-vjHdOiMMD0erHVz/s4000/IMG_20240321_094122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sYmZFY4t23-XuGa0_9CxTimr7dWrXDnEfcuFGmFE8wXNbwr9huVWMKDtT8NwXihu3kcBQEJ1GDXFobFqULvfy62eAVVXn9_flAQY7mVfNwHl4Uy1LJSuMyMyQgM9JuEWgUY2c-JYlfsZm-XPchb4dqdVAvP17Smaqz27QfN7QGC0-vjHdOiMMD0erHVz/w640-h480/IMG_20240321_094122.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In other news - </p><p>- Sold the ND Sunspurge apartment. </p><p>- Sobha daffodil apartment has massive governance issues. Attended a 3 hr long internal RWA meeting to discuss these issues. </p><p>- Water problems are plaguing bangalore. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-47544861076992004432024-02-17T16:50:00.002+05:302024-02-17T16:50:34.603+05:30Wheel of Time Book 11-14 Review<p> </p><p>Wheel Of Time</p><p>By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (Book 12-14)</p><p><br /></p><p>Phew! A project comes to an end. I finished the last 14th book last night and it is 3 pm Saturday today and I am still not out of the Wheel of Time World. I liked the ending, I liked that it has ended. It has delivered on many promises, not so much on few. One of the reason that fantasy books, especially series are so popular is because there is a community around it. For WoT, it is the <a href="https://wot.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Main_Series">fandom</a> and each one has a different take on it. Since yesterday, I have been reading reddit forums and watching youtube videos, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTifdnXH4lg">watching secret-sharing videos from Brandon Sanderson</a> - all this to share what has been a fairly significant emotional journey. </p><p>For a series like this one, ones where a final battle has been promised, the ending carries a lot of weight. More so in WoT because there has been so many characters, side characters and we have spent so much time with them, before starting book 11, I had began to wonder that how will all this end. Fore the most part, I had stayed away from the fandom while reading books, but I did check the book rankings and everyone shared that it gets better from book 11 onwards. So, I was prepared for this set. </p><p>I had high, or maybe more expectations. I did not like the 8-9-10 (didn't read 10). My grouse was less with that pot did not move forward but just the environment of the books. I felt that almost all characters were not supportive of each other, lacked empathy, even to folks who were helping them. I was unable to root for anyone of them and that made me didn't care. Plus, the writing was repetitive. But, I am glad that all was fixed and 11-14 are worth a read, infact the series is a worthy read. </p><p><br /></p><p>Book 11 -<a href="https://wot.fandom.com/wiki/Knife_of_Dreams"> The Knife of Dreams</a></p><p>Jordan definitely got his mission back and this is a book when many threads are resolved and we start to see a beginning of the Tarmon Gaidan - the final battle. First, it is Perrin who rescues Faile and that whole arc comes to an end. It is a good battle scene and this is also an end to Shaido Aiels. I think we spent more time with Shaidos than we needed to but it is ok. Next this is Egwene's book - I really liked the whole arc of Egwene from book 11 to when she becomes Amryllin in Book 12. Yes, she is not yet an Amyrlin in book 11 but this is a slow burn that I enjoyed. Also, this is a story of grit and you root for her. This has been missing for such a long time. Mat also fares better, marries the daughter of the nine moons and again shows off his battle stratagems. Rand is still annoying, albeit a little less. Overall, the pacing is much better and many arc closures are well handled. Some world building tropes are good such as dead-people walking but others like rooms or building architecture changing seem more far fetched. </p><p>What I absolutely hate about this book and the whole series is the Elayne character. Absolutely reckless. Even though she is the queen of Andor, such entitlement without much struggle. Yes, she becomes the queen and has affairs to manage etc but her character just did not work for me. Like at-all. </p><p>Nyaneve as a character in book 11 is awesome, in particular, how she encourages Lan to ride. Perhaps the best setup here and that too for a character that is so much loved but so less cover. </p><p>Book 12 - <a href="https://wot.fandom.com/wiki/The_Gathering_Storm">The Gathering Storm</a></p><p>The reins change - now we are in the Brandon Sanderson writing world. And to be honest, I preferred Sanderson over Jordan. Gone are the repetitiveness, the cut of blouses, the spankings the braid tugging. Sanderson has a mission to tie all these threads together and take us to the promised final battle. </p><p>I loved book 12. It may be my second (or may be third, we will see) most favorite book of the series. This is the book where people come together to help each other. The underdogs win - the long arc of Egwene becoming Amyrlin is closed with a fantastic Seanchan siege of the White Tower - one that was promised some 9 books ago. It is epic and it is awesome! The second best part is the change in Rand. In such epic series, the main characters are not the best, it is the side character that drives the series. But in WoT, I just didn't care for Rand at all. Book 12 still has the same aloofness, and he is even pushed to the extreme but he returns to sanity. This transition is deftly handled and I liked it when I read it. Elayne, Matt, Perrin are absent and it is ok. But the twists in this book are amazing - in particular the Verin one. Books, the good vs bad ones, need to re-confirm your faith in humanity. WoT had stopped doing so for so long that it was so refreshing to see it. </p><p><br /></p><p>Book 13 - <a href="https://wot.fandom.com/wiki/Towers_of_Midnight">Towers of Midnight</a></p><p>Or in which everyone gets ready for <a href="https://wot.fandom.com/wiki/Tarmon_Gai%27don">Tarmon Gaidan</a>. Book 13 starts when Rand visits Egwene, ow Amyrlin and shares that he is going to break the seals of the dark one. Interesting! But this time, he wants everyone to be together. So, folks are indeed coming together. This is Perrin's book since he finally accepts his destiny to be a leader. This transformation is awesome! The whole sequence of forging of his hammer is amazing. Elayne continues to be the most annoying one and I would just not talk about it. My next favorite bit it Nyaneve and Egwene and how Nyaneve comes to call her as Mother but she is her own one. Nyaneve's tranformation in the series, her arc is one of the best one. Mat kills Golam, arranges for the dragons to be manufactured and finally rescues Moraine. Moraine rescue is brilliant with many reveals in those pages. Mat is the comic relief and he does a good job. At the end of 13, everyone has assembled at a common field - fields of Merrilor and we are now ready for the final instalment. Overall, now we have the sense of mission and camaraderie that is expected. </p><p>Things that I did not like - Morgase's reveal was meh. Could have been much better and then she goes to a really side-y character. Gawyn/Egwene has little weight, it was flimsy before and continues to be so. I also feel that Siuan's arc could have been much better handled - she deserved better. </p><p>Things that I like -We do not read more about Kinswoman or the Seafolk, beyond casual mentions. It keeps the series focussed. Faile/Berlaine peace was nicely handled. There are many wonderful nuggets such as the chapter where Matt gets stuck in a village where folks are zombies. </p><p>Book 14 - <a href="https://wot.fandom.com/wiki/A_Memory_of_Light">Memory of Light</a> </p><p>There is a section in MoL where Thom is wondering how to describe the last battle - is it magnificent, epic? He finally settles on 'exquisite' . I think it is wonderful that Sanderson takes a detour here and I think it is introspective. </p><p>MoL is exquisite. It is 1000 pages of battle, it is truly the epic battle that was promised. I liked the book and I read it through the week Mon-Fri, often spending my morning and late evening hrs, post-office hrs, finishing this. There are so many things that I like - it is the one which makes all the character arcs finally worth it. Sanderson also does justice to so many characters that it is amazing. An epic series has to land the ending and WoT does and it is for this reason that the journey is worth it. </p><p>And as expected, many good people die in the final book and it is why it is truly heart-breaking. But, this is Lan's book. Lan is the Aragorn promised in book #1 and he is delivered in book #14. The fact that Lan gets justice makes up for many injustices :) </p><p>There are many things to like here - some small and some big. I am going to talk about all in this long-ish post below</p><p>I really liked the meeting before the battle where Rand lays out his plan. It leads to bickering between houses and Elayne continues to annoy here. Rand wants to break the seals and let the dark one free and here Egwene behaves immaturely. Rand, though, is now the hero, the one who is trying to take everyone together. For this itself, it is just amazing. Perrin is the loyal friend and hence supports unconditionally. The deal clincher, the maker of truce is no other than Moraine and it is just so satisfying to read those pages. YES! YES! </p><p>What follows next is the the creation of four battle grounds, the four generals and distribution of all characters in between these four grounds. Oh my! This scale is EPIC now. All characters have a purpose now. Faile is in charge of organizing food, Beralin for maintaining hospital for injured. Sanderson shuffles through each battle scene masterfully, it is just fascinating read. We see Uno, Hurin, Tam, Alliandre, Talmanes, Ituralde all side characters and now we know each one. What I absolutely hate here is that Mat is missing and Elayne is chosen as the leader of the battle. I had to make peace with Elayne and I did it. Amongst so many goodness, this was a duh. </p><p>I just loved the plot twist of what the forsaken does here, in particular the Granedal's one where each general is now under compulsion. Massive hordes of Trollocs, we witness scenes when the strengths of men fail yet they continue. The prose is okay-ish, shines on few pages but lands a few punches. But, the screenplay is just amazing. </p><p>What I also liked that in this book of final battle, we have a new character Andhrol, an Ashaman of low power who architects a plot to save the Black Tower. A problem created by the chosen one but fixed by normal (or non-chosen) people. It is an amazing story development and that it happens in the last book is just amazing. </p><p>I also liked the few scenes which just make the book shine. For example - the banter between Matt and Rand on who has done more for the world. Or how gateways are used to spy on the war by spinning them in the sky, at drone level. There are many nuggets which are just too good. </p><p>What I absolutely do not like is the whole Seanchan bit - this is a closure that I needed but did not get. It was told from book #2 that the empire will fall when it is discovered that Suldan can also be damane but nothing happens. Seanchan, in particular, Tuon, are shown to be little sympathetic, because of Matt's marriage but it does not land. </p><p>Eventually, the three fronts loose and are forced to join hands and take a last stand at the Fields of Merrilor. Now, this is where the battle is epic because you know who is in charge now - Matt. Matt in his characteristic style drives the battle and it is a ~200 page chapter and just a delight to read. We say goodbye to many favorite characters but it is ok. I think 80% of the armies are dead. It is also a battle of both one-power and non-power people fighting alongside. It is interesting to see how it comes together. Because so far, be it Dumai Wells or in Tar-Valon Seanchan attack, once the one-power is involved, it is all one-power. In Perrin's rescue of Faile, one-power is disabled via Forkroot, so you see battle of only strength. But the final battle has forsaken going against people who is non-Rand. </p><p>Things that were satisfying but could have been better - Role played by Perrin and Nyaneve in the final battle. They did a lot but they could have done better. Egwene is satisfying but could have been better. Ashaman and in general the conflict of Logain is good to see. </p><p>Things that ticked me off - Galad and Gawyn - why o why. Elayne should have just died. </p><p>Things that where extremely satisfying - Lan killing Demandred. Death is lighter than feather. Loial and Ogier joining fight and singing while fighting. Matt's moves and his whole attitude lifts the pages - Demandred thinking that it would be Lewis Therin himself. Lanfear's last gamble is great too. I am also pleased with Rand's battle with the dark-one. </p><p>Finally, Tam al'Thor - man, after Lan, if there is some character with minimal presence and maximal impact. Two Rivers is awesome</p><p>Overall, it was a satisfying end. </p><p>And this is where I am reminded that why the ending of LOTR is so amazing. There is no saving of Shire here, there is no post-credits. The saving of Shire brings things home in such an amazing fashion that no other fantasy book has done it for me. </p><p>My rankings between these books are 12>14>13>11. Here are my <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/10/wheel-of-time-book-1-to-book-5-review.html">book 1-5</a> and<a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/12/wheel-of-time-book-6-to-10-review.html"> book 6-10</a> reviews </p><p>My overall rankings are - </p><p>4 > 2>12 >14>13 > 3 > 6 > 11 > 5 > 1 > 7 > 8 > 9 > 10</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-35821993044099553532024-01-06T10:59:00.002+05:302024-01-06T10:59:08.177+05:30Life in 5 Nov'23 to 6 Jan'24<p> Happy new year 2024! Welcome to our lives. And goodbye 2023! Fare well.</p><p><br /></p><p>I am writing this from Mahatama Nature Cure centre, Kannur, with my luggage packed and another 40 mins or so before I leave here. Today is the last day of my 14 day treatment out of which I spent 9 day in fasting. A feat that I never thought would achieve but today I am happy to report that it is done and not that difficult. </p><p>In my young age, when my weight would go up, I had a feeling that I will feel sick one day, high-fever/bad stomach, and as part of the healing, my weight would loose. That may have happened but loss was not proportional. Indeed, my weight went up. But at Mahatama, I got the feeling back - a truly magical place where you come in for two weeks and go back with reduced weight. 7.5 kgs to be precise in my case. I have documented my whole <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2024/01/mahatama-nature-camp-story-of-my-two.html">Mahatma journey here </a>. I am impressed, believer and I would highly recommend this. </p><p><br /></p><p>I have finished three Wheel of Time books - book 8, 9 an 11. Now, I am onto book 12. </p><p><br /></p><p>Travel</p><p><a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/11/bali-2023.html">Family trip to Bali </a></p><p>Half-Day outing in Kannur city with Aarti before she boards her train. Visited For Saint Angelo.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsLTgKYTuubC-qc45FbP2Uf9CMuACoVzjDr8ab3UcuplXRytFbvRCCs3xrFh1saxXbQWb88Br-VaqPVJkJrNS3RwnP0_aZ1RrIXpQDOnu30tG-NtjvKhYxMD989AcMtQBngl0Ske0HnVPfcgOSD4ay39wIrEUx_0bdxkmR1jtuxZJoG3Xf8URjxUrSWkS/s4000/IMG20231223134111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSsLTgKYTuubC-qc45FbP2Uf9CMuACoVzjDr8ab3UcuplXRytFbvRCCs3xrFh1saxXbQWb88Br-VaqPVJkJrNS3RwnP0_aZ1RrIXpQDOnu30tG-NtjvKhYxMD989AcMtQBngl0Ske0HnVPfcgOSD4ay39wIrEUx_0bdxkmR1jtuxZJoG3Xf8URjxUrSWkS/w300-h400/IMG20231223134111.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><b>Interesting things</b></p><p><br /></p><p>- Office holiday party where I donned a suit and tie after ages </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDYQGq0P6iDNW5cFNm6W4CoSl1KZbFMov_ICBsfdBZx9fOUZfaILPXFbIcJfegcTFHQPWqiZ3O9Efh7-bCCXeao05yD-uRHmb27bNL75nL9NObGw-WQNASQIj3aJ3fv_8KZIQ7XBV9HjiN7J1oXTsCRsKkx4FgKS3fNGZwKxQFWbrTWZvbXjNBvcZS_Zh/s4000/IMG20231217222035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDYQGq0P6iDNW5cFNm6W4CoSl1KZbFMov_ICBsfdBZx9fOUZfaILPXFbIcJfegcTFHQPWqiZ3O9Efh7-bCCXeao05yD-uRHmb27bNL75nL9NObGw-WQNASQIj3aJ3fv_8KZIQ7XBV9HjiN7J1oXTsCRsKkx4FgKS3fNGZwKxQFWbrTWZvbXjNBvcZS_Zh/w480-h640/IMG20231217222035.jpg" width="480" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>- Attended my first ever comic-con in Bangalore. It was an okay experience. Lot of stalls, basically pay money to enjoy. Main stage events were okay-ish. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaC61NCyGNq2vtfU7SEYdmr4-NbJWQ-VA3m7ggYBz4h7pDfCisyHSXNnOb3aPuOP09bwSlegZ-Wp-afG4ap199DJW6V00KInC0gc-p9yKNPWo69n095pd137sqZjBB4O5wDkG5njafKlKz794LJayW9dE_P6G6QUf-edxSonf_gpbMwKfDadHQBos-K7_X/s4096/IMG20231118173550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaC61NCyGNq2vtfU7SEYdmr4-NbJWQ-VA3m7ggYBz4h7pDfCisyHSXNnOb3aPuOP09bwSlegZ-Wp-afG4ap199DJW6V00KInC0gc-p9yKNPWo69n095pd137sqZjBB4O5wDkG5njafKlKz794LJayW9dE_P6G6QUf-edxSonf_gpbMwKfDadHQBos-K7_X/w480-h640/IMG20231118173550.jpg" width="480" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIYyw-KFH6oOOrqwVraZeZ66heWMxPbjk5m7vgit4FiwjOWxlsu4_zoOWlddI8UTQF2xjJ60XtFj59O25nOGt13ZdWP-4k68bvLvArOFt6LjWGo4OSi0PGF18vCjU7yld9SbGw2wuARVB2acvGUYaWJe_slhGDAtd4wlCRG8QKzjHcSgOkMhHEwRFTIOe/s4000/IMG_20231118_161733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIYyw-KFH6oOOrqwVraZeZ66heWMxPbjk5m7vgit4FiwjOWxlsu4_zoOWlddI8UTQF2xjJ60XtFj59O25nOGt13ZdWP-4k68bvLvArOFt6LjWGo4OSi0PGF18vCjU7yld9SbGw2wuARVB2acvGUYaWJe_slhGDAtd4wlCRG8QKzjHcSgOkMhHEwRFTIOe/w640-h480/IMG_20231118_161733.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Attended a kid's birthday part - Arjun, son of Abhishek and Sonal :) It was at McDonalds and they had cool kid games that I also played. Lot of fun!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Did a small food-walk in HSR with Abhishek and Sonal. Places tried</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dhanraj+Ji+Chole+Bhature/@12.9093837,77.6196819,15z/data=!4m10!1m2!2m1!1schole+bhature+hsr!3m6!1s0x3bae153485a1aa3b:0x457b9ce4f709c36e!8m2!3d12.9093837!4d77.6387363!15sChFjaG9sZSBiaGF0dXJlIGhzcloTIhFjaG9sZSBiaGF0dXJlIGhzcpIBCnJlc3RhdXJhbnSaASRDaGREU1VoTk1HOW5TMFZKUTBGblNVUmFhWEV5TVdsM1JSQULgAQA!16s%2Fg%2F11s58ht3v6?entry=ttu">Dhanraj Ji Chole Bhature</a> - Decent place. Not very rich chole, but good to try once. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Shiv+Shakti+Samosa+Center/@12.9091771,77.6385549,20z/data=!4m9!1m2!2m1!1srestaurants!3m5!1s0x3bae1491c074ed1b:0x6b9219bd8e526030!8m2!3d12.9091771!4d77.6391504!16s%2Fg%2F11c328l7d5?entry=ttu">Shiv Shakti Samosa Center</a> - Had their Poha and Samosa. I liked it a lot ! Very tasty Poha. And this is a crowded place. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally Idli and coffee at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/MDP+Coffee+House/@12.9091771,77.6385549,20z/data=!4m10!1m2!2m1!1srestaurants!3m6!1s0x3bae15249ba4a395:0x8839ae267b0f95d3!8m2!3d12.9093199!4d77.6392506!15sCgtyZXN0YXVyYW50c1oNIgtyZXN0YXVyYW50c5IBFXZlZ2V0YXJpYW5fcmVzdGF1cmFudOABAA!16s%2Fg%2F11h8k5k9cf?entry=ttu">MDP Coffee house</a>. Decent thindi it is.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Went to Alif Concert at Gilly's fandom.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcu3PFszgqYQUxMpjXh8ChA"> Alif </a>is a kashmiri band with a meaningful lyrics and a soulful voice. His music videos are unique in their own way. Loved the concert and the songs. Lot of Kashmiri folks in the audience and they were having an amazing time- something to connect them to their native places. Songs are in Kashmiri language that adds on to the connection. Loved the experience. I will attend them again if I get a chance. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Lunch at Nammiga Basura - loved it! Went to an impromptu meals and this was really good place. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Followed India's world cup journey. Watched semi and final matches. Good fun though India lost :(</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Did a week long detox diet from Team Sharan. Much needed one after the Diwali sweet binge. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Signed up for Iconic fitness gym. Attendance would be around 60%. Liking the trainer this time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">House parties - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Diwali celebration at Didi's place - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCquLCZ0-XQ5Sk7J4pGQBGSweMsy9fjDufw_3W20BJQtUD-9bexB3B8NxP-SHu-p5JsbJp6phLILlZVVIce_KXPeUwczm6bITxfDIgbZ1z0J0shRPRkND3J7YxHsX4R7iW_80dTQ2DMLbd1H07UyZ7w0he8JDSgwbY1hqUV9eyKr4qVTzr4CfRdaeSO5E/s4608/IMG20231111155506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCquLCZ0-XQ5Sk7J4pGQBGSweMsy9fjDufw_3W20BJQtUD-9bexB3B8NxP-SHu-p5JsbJp6phLILlZVVIce_KXPeUwczm6bITxfDIgbZ1z0J0shRPRkND3J7YxHsX4R7iW_80dTQ2DMLbd1H07UyZ7w0he8JDSgwbY1hqUV9eyKr4qVTzr4CfRdaeSO5E/w400-h300/IMG20231111155506.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Diwali/Rangoli in 1023 - </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdDqoopHUzRxvnVu9J-L8Zxbop5ImS2NaymMQ7c32MZbu59ncr1aqdH7lK63LlTYciNUyd3ui82bWOnBUnTYzbOeVJUHRhn0vOZtPna3SrM5QSC36aP14-HLoUOB5ygv0bS9uZ2_psFVvgxRxBI414LjQicPmxizYpnvSLGz0W4j9Y8gcRZtidUHxkmbv/s4096/IMG20231112202228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdDqoopHUzRxvnVu9J-L8Zxbop5ImS2NaymMQ7c32MZbu59ncr1aqdH7lK63LlTYciNUyd3ui82bWOnBUnTYzbOeVJUHRhn0vOZtPna3SrM5QSC36aP14-HLoUOB5ygv0bS9uZ2_psFVvgxRxBI414LjQicPmxizYpnvSLGz0W4j9Y8gcRZtidUHxkmbv/w400-h300/IMG20231112202228.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>- Family Christmas dinner a week before Christmas at Deck of Brews, ORR<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Bhanu did breakfast at Monkey Cafe Sarjapur and celebration of their house registration at 1522 Sarjapur road. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Movies</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumb_Money">Dumb Money</a> - 3/5 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Based on a true story on how a bunch of reddit folks did stock trades on Gamestop stock which a lot of analysts were betting to fail. Caused multi-billion dollar loss to financial firms. A true David vs Goliath story. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 36th temple of Shaolin - Truly a Cult 4.5/5</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oppenheimer - 4/5</div><p>The Killers of the flower moon - 3.5/5</p><p>We made a beautiful boutquet. Thoroughly enjoyed it and <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/12/we-made-beautiful-bouquet-breaking-down.html">wrote a long review</a>. 4/5</p><p>Equalizer 3 - Passable. 2.5/5</p><p>Mission Impossible 7 - 2.5/5 This could and should have been much better, especially with AI as villian</p><p><br /></p><p>Ted Lasso - Big fan. 4.5/5 - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/12/ted-lasso-masterclass-of-show-dont-tell.html">Masterclass of Show Don't Tell</a></p><p>Slow horses - season 1. Binge-able. 3/5</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-6024380516655977012024-01-06T09:59:00.005+05:302024-01-06T10:16:59.603+05:30Mahatama Nature Camp - Story of my two week Tapasya<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Mahatma Naturopathy course</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-785748c5-7fff-f90e-60f2-36652043e83c" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Dates - Dec 24, 2023 to Jan 7, 2024</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had been to visit a naturopathy retreat for a while. Last year, Kanishka and I tried Udupi but that was a bad experience. Through reference, got to know about <a href="https://mahathmanaturalhygiene.com/contact.htm">Mahatama Nature Cure Centre</a> and utilized my end of the year leaves to plan a 2 week course. I had little knowledge of what goes here. So, a lot of it was new. </span></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEL8Y1LpUrkTm09qeX2uDToPlmeXXWbUrZGSPzaxgohbPA9FejfKmRzS-XfNqTEdRcGWYBs2f9IQbFrt90e1HpQ0PDo_ETzZLeuvNgvsspNOWurkvTd4A09qr0VnSwfXNgdQaliR-mfLJWMimkOEgfyIke8Urp2tuQD0OHezCjue8AkPVBlghua5fON7Y/s2046/IMG20231225170823-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEL8Y1LpUrkTm09qeX2uDToPlmeXXWbUrZGSPzaxgohbPA9FejfKmRzS-XfNqTEdRcGWYBs2f9IQbFrt90e1HpQ0PDo_ETzZLeuvNgvsspNOWurkvTd4A09qr0VnSwfXNgdQaliR-mfLJWMimkOEgfyIke8Urp2tuQD0OHezCjue8AkPVBlghua5fON7Y/s2046/IMG20231225170823-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My main aim was detox of body and weight loss. Mahatama is known for its fasting therapy. 99% of patients who come here are given fasting therapy. I have never fasted a single day before in my life. It was a scary thought to begin with - to fast for so long. But I was committed to sign up. Their recommended stay is 21 days here with a 14 day fast with 5 day of juice diet. They curated the plan for me for a 14 day stay. Below is the schedule, plan and my day by day activities. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Overall, I am a believer. I would rate this 5/5 - one of the best things that I have done in my life. I would highly recommend anyone to visit. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">14 day fasting plan </span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px; text-align: left;"><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">9 days of fasting</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">3 days of juice</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1 day of fruits</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1 day of normal food. </span></p></li></ul><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Schedule - </span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px; text-align: left;"><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1 hr walk in the morning. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">7 am JIRA water</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">8 am Yoga</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">9 am JIRA water</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">9:10 am - Daily doctor visit. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">9:30 am - Mud pack treatment - 30 mins</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">11 am - Coconut water</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1 pm - Honey water lemon (honey is used generously, it is sweet in taste)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1:30 pm - Cold pack treatment (Towel is soaked in normal water and wrapped around the chest)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">5 pm - coconut water</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">7pm - Honey water lemon</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1 hr walk in the evening. </span></p></li></ul><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><b>Day 0 (Dec 23, 2023)</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Reached Mahatma nature at around 4 pm. Had roti alu sabji (interesting take on alu sabji </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">with gravy but without tomatoes. Also had an energy bar and an egg puff :) </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 1</b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 120/90</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Had a doctor consultation in the morning. He shared the plan. Did 30 mins walk at 10 am </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEL8Y1LpUrkTm09qeX2uDToPlmeXXWbUrZGSPzaxgohbPA9FejfKmRzS-XfNqTEdRcGWYBs2f9IQbFrt90e1HpQ0PDo_ETzZLeuvNgvsspNOWurkvTd4A09qr0VnSwfXNgdQaliR-mfLJWMimkOEgfyIke8Urp2tuQD0OHezCjue8AkPVBlghua5fON7Y/w640-h640/IMG20231225170823-COLLAGE.jpg" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and an hr long walk in the evening. Slept for 2.5 hrs in afternoon and hence could not sleep</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in the night. Watched Season 1 of Slow Horses, 5 episodes. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Forced myself to sleep at 6th episode. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 2</b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 120/70</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt - 1.5 kgs loss from day before</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Started Yoga at 8 am. Did a short 20 mins walk at 10 am. At this time, it is quite hot </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and you feel VitaminD going inside your body :) </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Night binge watch had an effect, so I slept at 1130 for 1.5 hrs. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Afternoon was difficult - felt headaches and weakness. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">At 430, went to </span><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vellikkeel+Eco+Tourism+Park/@12.000809,75.3397858,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xc7a4083200a8c7be?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiS0JO7w66DAxU0TGwGHcsaBSsQ_BJ6BAhGEAA" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Vellikkeel eco park</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. This is an amazing park at about 4.4 kms from my</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> stay,. First, I thought to walk all the way but looked risky. Energy levels are not what they </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">are. So, I took my car and parked it at 2kms before the park. The park was amazing. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Good 90 mins walk. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Came home tired, drank both coconut water and honey lemon water and slept within 30 mins. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Day 3 </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 120/90</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss- 800 gms </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Woke up at 430 am. Finished book 8 of Wheel of Time. Spent most of the day reading the book. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Afternoon was again slightly difficult. DIfficult to concentrate. Mild headaches come and go. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Evening - went to </span><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kavin+Munampu+Kadavu/@12.003485,75.3012049,16z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x3ba4157ff5295ca9:0xc7a4083200a8c7be!2sVellikkeel+Eco+Tourism+Park!8m2!3d12.000809!4d75.3397858!16s%2Fg%2F11bzt0xhz9!3m5!1s0x3ba41502cf5f41d9:0xd6033f806780fc1e!8m2!3d12.0087715!4d75.2964655!16s%2Fg%2F11b6d07306?entry=ttu" style="text-decoration: none;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Kavin Munampu Kadavu</span></a><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> (jetty point) . Parked my car at about 3kms away and then did a 6km round trip walk. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Took about 90 mins. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Evening long walks make me tired and sleep comes quite early. Slept by 830pm. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Finished watching Transformers Rise of the Beasts - such brainless movies are ok </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to watch before going to sleep. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div></span><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWJUc9VzQoCy4Mp3NEYPNWrv8utt5eR94rLKdrFAQ1CJvtFPwWe6Fq1-qGCzVIjnlvpG1zJC4czFybn3psdkaZUxEYe5iDFyOaMEQLGDrC-up5O8s6NmBVdFgmtfJYaqIRmBJ9pRQIYZ7vL1D010PE8SogrAptfBvaaaMd92pPOUpa3nlXZEPQKS2YlDZ/s2046/IMG20231226174328-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWJUc9VzQoCy4Mp3NEYPNWrv8utt5eR94rLKdrFAQ1CJvtFPwWe6Fq1-qGCzVIjnlvpG1zJC4czFybn3psdkaZUxEYe5iDFyOaMEQLGDrC-up5O8s6NmBVdFgmtfJYaqIRmBJ9pRQIYZ7vL1D010PE8SogrAptfBvaaaMd92pPOUpa3nlXZEPQKS2YlDZ/w640-h640/IMG20231226174328-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 4 </b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 120/80</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss - 1.3 kgs</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Started book 9 of Wheel of Thrones. Day 4 was normal. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Woke up at 330 am and then </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">tried to put </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre;">mys</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> to sleep. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Managed to get up again at 5 and then went for a morning walk. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Starting today, moved my moring walk schedule to 530-6am. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Went to </span><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Koovode+check+Dam/@12.0112613,75.3415865,15z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x3ba43fca4c907553:0x347c74aa9335ca47!2sMahathma+Natural+Cure+centre!8m2!3d12.0056218!4d75.3617594!16s%2Fg%2F11r8q4yjx!3m5!1s0x3ba43fcf02e8b9df:0xb9b385b7eaa68ad1!8m2!3d12.0100026!4d75.3564105!16s%2Fg%2F11bx8m3glw?entry=ttu" style="text-decoration: none;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Koovede Check Dam</span></a><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> for evening walk. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Interestingly there is a trail at the other end of the dam that goes via dense coconut forests. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Walked about half a km on this stony trail. It was pretty and calm.</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> There were folks who were climbing trees to break coconuts. Hunger wise was manageable. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMYrYvkzcgYb5Z0BoGLsFKIgaMQ-9fy5e9XpmlpyYO7hbW6_DKoL-09ZcXsknyOrCc20siMWdsxZaVY3B1rBtanzA8rk5wvD8gRQ49nbCfzXQ2aHxkkfaiVGYX06nCGRSoYHEMIP5QC09cwZeVsMQCrOn_npMQ3jY9mHzMOugS80ESwGc4Bz4X-lAvvQK/s2047/IMG20231227174357-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMYrYvkzcgYb5Z0BoGLsFKIgaMQ-9fy5e9XpmlpyYO7hbW6_DKoL-09ZcXsknyOrCc20siMWdsxZaVY3B1rBtanzA8rk5wvD8gRQ49nbCfzXQ2aHxkkfaiVGYX06nCGRSoYHEMIP5QC09cwZeVsMQCrOn_npMQ3jY9mHzMOugS80ESwGc4Bz4X-lAvvQK/w640-h640/IMG20231227174357-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 5 </b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 110/90</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss - 1.4 kgs</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Day 5 was tough. In today's Yoga session, it had 30 back to back Surya Namaskara in Yoga.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Felt quite hungry through the day. Morning walk was 55 mins and in the evening </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">went to </span><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kottakkunnu+Hill+View/@12.0454484,75.2905173,12.95z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x3ba43fca4c907553:0x347c74aa9335ca47!2sMahathma+Natural+Cure+centre!8m2!3d12.0056218!4d75.3617594!16s%2Fg%2F11r8q4yjx!3m5!1s0x3ba44005949cc219:0x9833d69accb6c039!8m2!3d12.052854!4d75.3517693!16s%2Fg%2F11cppr52vk?entry=ttu" style="text-decoration: none;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Kottakkunnu Hill Vi</span></a><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>ew </u></span></span><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Saw sunset from this view point. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Walked only for about 40 mins (~3kms) and then came back. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Did some shopping (toiletries) and petrol+air in car. Binge watched </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6868278/" style="font-family: verdana; text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Test Case</span></a><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">TV series in the night. 4 hrs. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Series is decent. Keeps you hooked though it had potential to be much better. 2.5/5</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk5qgpx83r2nDTIxoZWpcsvTLeM7QOQRNmI2DxuZIeGUWXXIH5pkMtTghWKGmpegZ5bRIrhX1CTyXGyul04ChOQBkVPSkzYSz2LIsYOlQrM3fYnIM5FcMq2E4ozcVNH1xDdiOyujRzezh9zMz55l27AAlLJWBVjvKlEwmBr-et25PCBxkYZA4P5MMcuL_/s4000/IMG20231228180516.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk5qgpx83r2nDTIxoZWpcsvTLeM7QOQRNmI2DxuZIeGUWXXIH5pkMtTghWKGmpegZ5bRIrhX1CTyXGyul04ChOQBkVPSkzYSz2LIsYOlQrM3fYnIM5FcMq2E4ozcVNH1xDdiOyujRzezh9zMz55l27AAlLJWBVjvKlEwmBr-et25PCBxkYZA4P5MMcuL_/w640-h480/IMG20231228180516.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 6 </b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 100/80</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss - No change from yesterday</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Woke up late due to the binge watch last night, at 630 am. <br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Went for an hr walk. Yoga was easy today. <br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Little disappointed that there is no weight change given that hunger pangs were more <br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">yesterday. Day six was the easiest to handle. Not many hunger pangs, not much cravings. In the evening, did my walk around Vellikkeel eco park and then went to salon for a haircut and shave. </span></div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 7</b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 100/80</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss - 200 gms</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Slept nicely for 9 hrs. Woke up at 530 am and did a comfortable walk. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Yoga was peaceful today - breathing exercises and meditation. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Had a lot of craving for good Idli Sambhar through the day. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Disappointment for not loosing more weight was there too - <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">spoke to doctor and he said that it is all part of physiology, <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">sometimes it will be much, sometimes not so much. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I guess this part of the program is the trying part - to go through with it. <br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Did local walk in the evening. Finished book 9 of Wheel of Time -Winter’s heart. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 8 - Dec 31</b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 120/80</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss - 550 gms</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Kind of a difficult day. There was no Yoga given it was a Sunday. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In between the two walks, time went slow. Unable to focus and felt quite hungry today. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Watched a bunch of reels that had some food things and that made it worse. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Slept early at 845 after watching a couple of episodes of Modern Family. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 9 - Jan 1</b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 120/80</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss - 400 gms</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Last day of fasting. Good to see that weight loss momentum has picked up. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But at the same time, getting bored of this place. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Had a big feeling about quitting and going home most of the day. Survived somehow. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Most of the day was spent wishing new years to family and friends. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Watched </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_36th_Chamber_of_Shaolin" style="text-decoration: none;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The 36th chamber of Shaolin</span></a><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> and that was good fun. Truly a cult movie. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 10 - Jan 2</b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 120/80</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss - 500 gms</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Went to Vellikkeel eco park for a morning walk this time. Walked close to 4 kms near a water </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">body, with no people, perfect calm and on a well tarred road. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Good experience to begin the day. Yoga teacher was on leave so bailed out. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Did early mud pack treatment instead. Evening walk was local only. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Juice schedule</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">11 am - Grape juice</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1 pm - Aamla juice</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">5 pm - Hot kashaya (coriander coffee per them)</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">7 pm - Pineapple juice</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Day 11 - Jan 3</span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 120/80</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss - 100 gms</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Spoke to doc today for a Saturday release. Agreed that I can leave after 11 am breakfast/lunch.</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It rained mid-way when I went for my morning walk. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Got drenched and eventually sat on a bench with a roof, next to a small rivulet. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It was serene. Calming. Must have sat for about 30 odd minutes. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Came back when rain stopped and there was no Yoga. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Day was mostly writing peer reviews with a break to attend a doctor session on naturopathy. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I really liked the session, I am now a believer in naturopathy. She explained how it works, </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">what happens after 18, 24, 48 hrs in the body. Why do we get cravings? </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">What to expect when you go back? All this was useful. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">What I truly like about naturopathy is that it is from within. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Nature, in this case the body, has many self healing properties. So, fasting is body getting</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> time to heal and fix many things. Also, largely scientific process. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Went for a local walk in the evening. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Today it was Grape juice at 11, Pineapple at 1 and Mosambi at 7. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Mosambi without salt was not that fun :) </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Day 12 - Jan 4</b></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 100/80</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss - 450 gms</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It was raining like anything this morning. So, sat on my balcony and read book for 2 hrs. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Good relaxation. Wot 11 is definitely getting better in 2nd half. Skipped walk and did Yoga</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Also, had requested for a massage and today was massage day. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Full coconut oil, almost bathed with it. Good to try out. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Day 13 - Jan 5</span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 100/80</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt loss - no change</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">No change in weight. Did a nice long walk in the morning. Followed by some office work. After the massage, it was some TV. At breakfast, there were 5 small bananas - my stomach was stuffed after eating 5 bananas. There was another doctor session where they explained about some common symptoms that folks face while doing fasting like headaches, acidity, loose motion etc and why they happen. They have a tradition of giving a goodbye present and I got one - a mug. (Interestingly, why would they give a mug given they discourage tea coffee :) ) </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In the evening, I went to Talipramba market to get my shave and visit a bakery. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Did my evening walk in the market onlyI broke my food fast by having Kerala Idli. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">After eating only 2 idlis, I felt that I have eaten a whole sadya. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Restaurant guys were sneering when they saw that I could not have my 3rd idli. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It was unbelievable. Idli was delicious - typical Kerala taste sambhar and chutney. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Back at Mahathama, at 7, they had a large bowl of cucumber salad which I managed to eat</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> only 50% since my stomach was full.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Day 14 - Jan 6</span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">BP - 100/80</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Wt - 300 gms</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Total wt. loss is 7.5 kgs</span></p><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Last day today. Did my regular walk of an hour followed by Yoga. Skipping the mud pack today. </span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The emotion associated with leaving a place is something that everyone should experience. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Whether when you checkout from a hotel after a 2 night stay or leave an apartment </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">after 2-3 years. There is a joy of new things to come, while a nostalgia of good times spent here. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A two week stay will be a memorable one. A very unique experience. A bragging experience.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> Looking back, the challenges of a day to day are not what I recall. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It is a positive feeling and even after losing weight, I feel I have more to loose :) .</span></div></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The environment nearby is green, with lots of birds. Vellikkeel eco park is my favorite. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But, I also see a lot of houses, lot of construction going on. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I wonder how this would evolve after 5/10 years. But at this point, it is serene. Good for walks</span></div></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">More importantly, I liked the process a lot. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Natural things are what I believe in and this naturopathy program aligned with me. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I was more impressed that so many things are scientific here, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">it is largely a study of your body. </span></div></span></div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">—-</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Good things I packed - </span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px; text-align: left;"><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Running shoes, shirts, socks - Very helpful in long walks. I feel prepared. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Car - Having a car makes it very easy to get any missing items or go to interesting places for walks. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Water bottles - Makes it easier for me to take them for walks. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Odomos - there are mosquitos here.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Small towels</span></p></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Thankful that Airtel connection is decent enough to run internet here. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Things that I should have packed</span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px; text-align: left;"><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Extra towel. One is being used for cold pack treatment</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Soap and toiletries</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">All Out</span></p></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-19270482676924072332023-12-31T18:49:00.000+05:302023-12-31T18:49:01.324+05:30Wheel of Time - Book 6 to 10 review<p> Wheel of Time </p><p>By Robert Jordan</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/35231">Book 6 - Lord of chaos</a></p><p>Well, it has one of the epic ending of the entire series, Dumai Wells, - a fight with multiple tribes fighting at a common scene, some for the hero, some against. Other than the ending though, Robert Jordan continues to build on this fantasy world. New systems like asha'man are introduced and built. Lot of interesting character movements especially for the three women (Nyaneve, Egwene and Elayne) who are shaping well. However, the bit of born with gifts continue on. Example Nyaneve knows how to heal stilled folks and Elayne can make duplicates of Ter'ngreal by studying them, both lost powers are now discovered. It is a bit too much and little too much. However, overall plot developments are very well done and book moves at a quick pace. </p><p>A point to note is that the book remains shallow in many aspects. For example - Egewne becomes Amrylin out of the blue. In contrast, remember how Jon Snow gets elected as the Lord Commander of the Watch in GoT. Similar scheming happens here but Jordan does not dwell much on the scheming. He shows a flashlight that such schemes occurred but refuses to go deeper into them. </p><p>Whenever he goes deeper, the book becomes richer. For example Rand's capture is nicely detailed and is a great arc to follow. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13890.A_Crown_of_Swords">Book 7 - A Crown of Swords</a></p><p>Things take a turn post Dumai Wells and shape most of the events that follow. However, we also start to see the verbosity starting to creep in. Siaun always complains about washing the smallclothes of the general. The whole Ebou Dar arc and Egwene rebel Aes Sedai is beautiful in conceptual development but it could have been done much better in prose. For example, you would expect that Egwene being so young will need help to manoever things and likely need a confidante, she gets one too in the name of Siuan but there is rarely a bond between the two. Infact both seem to taunt each other and it gets annoying. </p><p>Pacing at Ebou Dar is very slow and here too - you would assume main characters to be friendly to each other does not happen. Elayne, Nyaneve keep Mat out and sneer at him. In every good vs evil story, the hero has friends while the hero may lack in strength, it is the friendship that is the true power. In Wheel of Time, this friendship is not only taken for granted, but outside of the need, there is always<i> tu-tu-main-main</i> between these friends. This is a trend that goes into book 8 and 9 as well. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://dragonmount.com/Books/Path_of_Daggers/">Book 8 - Path of Daggers</a></p><p>Finally, the bowl of winds, Ebou dar arc comes to an end. Where Jordan excels is the world building, there is a notion of similarity that gets repititive over pages - the Kin group and their hierarchy, the sea-women, Seanchen, the forsaken, all have levels, rules and an inherent notion of slavery. Jordan defines slavery in various forms, it is penance in Aes Sedai, ji'e'toh for Aiel, each society has its rules, its culture. But each society is one dimensional after a point. It is just different flavors, different renditions of the same raaga. </p><p>Overall, one thing is clear is that this is far away from the happy world of Two-rivers aka Shire. It is much bleaker world than GoT</p><p>And beyond a point it makes no sense. For example. the sea-women as part of their bargain get agreement that they will get Aes Sedai to train them but then they treat the Aes Sedai like a slave instead of a guest. An instructor who is a slave is a pattern that repeats - Rand-Asmodean, Rand-Moraine, Egwene-Siuan. In this particular instance, it does not makes sense. </p><p>Overall. things move slow in book 8. Book 8-10 are considered slog books of the series. It was evident why. </p><p>One other aspect of Jorden's writing is that he introduces many characters, what they wear, describing places as they occur in detail and it takes a lot of page. It is not important to describe the neckline of each woman's dress. However, considering everything Jordan does it well. However, the inner monologues of each character are okay-ish. Where Jordan excels is to not explain things in detail and letting audience connect. An important aspect like Ashaman going mad and then put to sleep is covered in mere two pages and if you are not paying attention, they tend to slip away fast. So, amid the verbosity of world building, such important incidents tend to get missed and I had to refer to web couple of times to understand how did that happen. </p><p><br /></p><p>Book 9 - <a href="https://dragonmount.com/Books/Winters_Heart/">Winter's Heart</a></p><p>A very bold plot premise - Rand wants to remove taint from the Saidin. But it is never explained how this will work. Yes, there are couple of points to explain it but then more logic here could have helped. Overall, the final sequence is written from multiple povs and it is done well. However, it comes so late in the book, so definitely book is slow. Matt's chapters are much better to read but somethings like bellfounder makes no sense. Overall, a decent end. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://dragonmount.com/Books/Crossroads_of_Twilight/">Book 10 - Crossroads of Twilight</a></p><p>I skipped this book since so many had told that this is a slog. Read the chapter summaries on dragonmount.com and I kinda agree. Many arcs are not yet resolved. So, I am jumping to book 11. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Ranking of this series - 6 > 7 > 8 > 9 > 10, haha, this is linear. Looking at my <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/10/wheel-of-time-book-1-to-book-5-review.html">first part review</a>, my overall ranking would be - 4 > 2 > 3 > 6 > 5 > 1 > 7 > 8 > 9 > 10</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-2503232498719522322023-12-10T15:41:00.004+05:302023-12-10T15:41:50.291+05:30We made a beautiful bouquet - Breaking down the romantic movie genre<p> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11219254/">We made a beautiful bouquet </a>- Movie review</p><p>What makes a really good romantic movie? </p><p>Yes, it is a generic question and there are many aspects but there is one which is undisputed. There are a lot of romantic movies our there - Netflix is now the new Hallmark (unpopular opinion of yours truly) with a lot of mushy mushy shows, there is classic romcom genre, there is teenage first-love romance trope, and there is the Bollywood style urban-rich trope with some parental issues etc. These are all one-time watchable but you do not care for them after watching. You do not remember their names or anything later, like episodes of Law and Order :)</p><p>In past, as part of <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2013/05/silver-linings-playbook.html">Silver Linings Playbook review</a>, I wrote that how romantic films have to go into niche spaces to make it truly work and stand out. Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind is just genius to the power of infinity, a movie which is my all time best yet I have never written about it because it is that great, yet it is a romantic movie at its core. Perhaps the best that ever will be :)</p><p>While romantic movies made with niche genres are really awesome, the traditional and classic romantic films are hugely enjoyable when done well. I am talking about You've got mail, Sleepless in Seattle kind. The familiarity of the structure, execution done well, good actors are needed but it is so rare to find. When was the last time you watched a traditional romantic movie and said - I love it. Think about it. </p><p>At-least for me it has been ages. This made me thinking - why most of these are forgotten the next day? aka what makes a good romantic film? </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l4BWZ8lwzYs" width="320" youtube-src-id="l4BWZ8lwzYs"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>And I found my answer in We made a beautiful bouquet - a cute Japanese film (saw this part of Japanese film festival Bangalore, 2023) with a highly classic traditional romcom structure. And I loved it. Just adored it . And wondered, why are there no more movies like this one? </p><p>As I was thinking, the answer came to me - a really good romantic film is when the audience, that is me, feels that the two people should be together. It does not matter if they see it or not but I see it, I feel it . If a movie is able to convince you, makes you care for them, then it is a really good film. It could be because they share the same interests - same books, same authors, same shoes, they discover each other by luck and their chemistry lights up the screen. I as an audience member is rooting for them to be together. It then transforms into the sports movie where you are the underdog waiting for this relationship to happen against the conflict, whatever the film thinks of. A great romantic movie convinces you of this underdog feeling. </p><p>See the Before-* movies, absolutely convinced. We just can not fathom that they will not hook up after what we have seen. </p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_(film)">Once</a> - Two gentle souls, chance discover each other on the streets of Dublin, their mutual interest in music, their collaboration leads to an awesome album. You just want them to be together and do more. This, their being in the studio, her on piano, him on guitar, that is the happy space. </p><p>Most romantic films fail to do so. Take for example the insanely hit romantic film - Hum Aapke hain Koun and if I ask you - why do you think Madhuri and Salman's characters should be together? The movies has done zilch to make us root for them in terms of character development, other than just put the pieces in a way that we should care. Ditto goes for SRK/Kajol flick DDLJ - Yes, Simran is being forced into a bad relationship, anyone like Raj will be better but why should it be Raj only? Most Bolly films just tell you and then build things around it to fit this. It is for this reason, HAHK is totally unwatchable now as a movie, other than the pure nostalgia that it provides. </p><p>We made a beautiful bouquet is that classic romantic film that I have not seen in a long time but I would rewatch it anyday. Beautifully acted. The title has the ending written in it - 'made' is a past tense verb. So, along the whole film, I was rooting to prove the title wrong. Yet, it is inevitable. It is painful in a good way - leaves an ache in the heart. The conflict is also not contrived - it is everyday life, it is money/job - means to sustain, a job - not even a glamorous job but an average job. It is such a simple movie about everyday life that it transcends it. </p><p>And then there is a scene that just fills my heart with joy. (Spoilers ahead) At the climax, you know that they are there to break-up. The beautiful bouquet is now going to wilt. The girl sees it more clearly, women often do so. We have heard the boy speak so far and we know it is not working. It is the turn of the girl to share her side. You know what she opens with - it is a feeling that is there in almost all romantic movies which leads to a breakup but never uttered once. Not even in Before-* movies. It is so obvious. She says - Thank you! Five years in a relationship and she has gratitude for the good times. Mind blown.! You accept this movie also with the same feeling - gratitude. Thank you for showing such a nice romantic film even though it has this ending that you told us about. Plus the movie takes the breakup too maturely - not only they remain friends but they stay together for 3 months after breakup so that she can find an apartment. They do rock-paper-scissors for their cat. (Yes, there has to be a cat in every Japanese movie.) </p><p>It is my kind of movie. If there are other romantic movies, let them be like this one. </p><p>It is 4/5 </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-25287618003989833282023-12-10T09:40:00.003+05:302023-12-10T09:40:23.874+05:30Ted Lasso - Masterclass of Show Don't Tell<p> Ted Lasso review</p><p><br /></p><p>Ted Lasso - the three season, multiple Emmy winning, sports-show set in England with a US coach is a masterclass in Show-Don't-Tell writing. </p><p>It is also so evident that even I can spot it :) </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6h07KijO-4g" width="320" youtube-src-id="6h07KijO-4g"></iframe></div><br /><p>Take the above clip - the famous Roy Kent interview. If you have not seen it yet, go on and see it. Then read the comments. Then watch the video again and look at the camera close-ups. </p><p>The context is simple - the captain of their team was given a red card earlier in the game because he went and argued with one of the spectators who had heckled him earlier. Now, Roy has been sent to give the post match press conference where he is asked this as the first question. Roy's character is shown to be terrible in people interactions and in general avoids such questions. So, for him to be a coach, he has to learn this skill and put himself out there. This arc has been going on and as you can see in the scene, he volunteers to take this conference. </p><p>In the press conference, this is the first question that is asked and he starts off like in his typical mode to swear and belittle the interviewer. But, the reporter follows through and asks the reason for such an action. Roy smirks, but then he realizes that it is not enough and there needs to be a decent answer here. Because the answer is simple - it is none of his business. But that is the 'tell' without the 'show'. How do you 'show' something here? Pause for a moment and think how would you explain 'none of your business' ? It is damn difficult. </p><p>This is where Ted Lasso is a masterclass in writing. Roy sits straight and then pushes himself back, this is to get support and be comfortable, and then he gives a story to contextualize the answer. The story is the 'show', it has got nothing to do with the current incident except that it provides an analogy for folks to understand. The camera work is brilliant and when you have good actors, their expressions, act as subtle hints to land the story. See Rebecca, Keeley and the press-woman's closeups. They are there for a reason. </p><p>This technique is used many times in the series. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jp6gLm4cJKU" width="320" youtube-src-id="jp6gLm4cJKU"></iframe></div><br /><p>(Big Spoilter alert) Or this one where all Coach Beard wants to communicate to Nate is - I forgive you. But, see how he says it - </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FbjHC00FvgQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="FbjHC00FvgQ"></iframe></div><br /><p>Ted Lasso is not perfect. There are many things that do not go well. In Season 3, the Zava character was just bad. Total Football strategy in mid-season is fairy-tale impractical. Season 2 had those Christmas episode or Beard after hrs that just fell out of place. </p><p>But, there are just many many things that work here. The whole show's constant banter on pop-culture. Example - Rupert Mannion says that he had dinner with friends and calls them <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TedLasso/comments/16g0s8i/the_sacklers/">the Slacklers </a>(the Purdue Pharma guys) - it is just one way of building context that Rupert is pure evil . Onkly few people caught it but when you do, it is just pure class. And there are many. </p><p>The other awesome bit about Ted Lasso is the use of puns - and they are just amazing. </p><p>Example - </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6Fdpuhib4Dc" width="320" youtube-src-id="6Fdpuhib4Dc"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>Or this one - <a href="https://twitter.com/TedLassoism/status/1650913851804884992"> I loved Once so much that I saw it twice</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TedLassoIsLife/status/1649833934463676419">more</a> . There is so much here that there are groups called <a href="http://lassoism.com">lassoism.com</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TedLassoIsLife">TedLassoIsLife </a> </p><p>Ted Lasso personifies the American culture that I love. It it the Stephen Colbert of the Comedy Show Central, the Steve Carell correspondent in the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It is a light hearted show about some serious topics but done in a goofy manner that just lightens your heart. If shows gives you feelings then this is a show that just goes straight to the heart. Not heart warming but heart gratifying, heart soothing. I end this with perhaps is the best scene of the show - </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oZ4YSXv6Xkg" width="320" youtube-src-id="oZ4YSXv6Xkg"></iframe></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-4909906585489026762023-11-05T10:28:00.001+05:302023-11-05T10:28:09.061+05:30Bali 2023<p><b>Bali 2023</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKrtWLNnOpSbKRqlkf62i0GkGVSPmjbIVr2sGWsVH3jdjQqa4Mht9XfcEps2ucTwp5f8c6NR1-HoXoKuwtTHJHd0p7vehTqkE8PJMgodxy8iBnjqarx0-WDR1jggWx8mWZSlZl-ZxxZysK51nvQoX_viwgczqWxb0_-WKpqqO78a8rL4r6LFAYmIYkwEg/s4096/IMG20231027122519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKrtWLNnOpSbKRqlkf62i0GkGVSPmjbIVr2sGWsVH3jdjQqa4Mht9XfcEps2ucTwp5f8c6NR1-HoXoKuwtTHJHd0p7vehTqkE8PJMgodxy8iBnjqarx0-WDR1jggWx8mWZSlZl-ZxxZysK51nvQoX_viwgczqWxb0_-WKpqqO78a8rL4r6LFAYmIYkwEg/w480-h640/IMG20231027122519.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Bali - a land of monkeys, Ramayana and now a major tourist destination for Indians. This was a family trip with 8 people with 3 over 65 age. Trip was planned to cover major attractions, temples and then something special. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Transportation </b></div><div>Bali is a very small island but still it takes considerable time to go from one place to another. The roads are narrow and jams are common. So, unless you rent out a scooty, you will be spending good amount of time in the car. So, get a good car and a good driver. Our driver, was Mr. newman, was awesome. He was punctual, drove safely, knowledgable about local places and overall an excellent companion. </div><div>In Bali, guides/drivers can also visit attractions without paying the entry charges. So, Mr. Newman accompanied us and was a big help in clicking family photos :) . He also helped purchase tickets for us while we did sight seeing. <br /><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqI_O29K8v1jpakQFc4XJaE_T3wYPmbg36jfYpXQCcIv8lQIvO4e7j855C_BJu7jAzeM5DHGJe2BHgkXQkXSPq0Z_pHsa9tmec0oyME3Sa_vtqlJSU2dg6RQR_7tfLW3T_ZWBNfjnCrqNFd6pNodoxC1j8IonE1MiDiuZrN0uhJlgZuVSyrSZMH_hPFqF3/s3264/IMG_20231027_114823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqI_O29K8v1jpakQFc4XJaE_T3wYPmbg36jfYpXQCcIv8lQIvO4e7j855C_BJu7jAzeM5DHGJe2BHgkXQkXSPq0Z_pHsa9tmec0oyME3Sa_vtqlJSU2dg6RQR_7tfLW3T_ZWBNfjnCrqNFd6pNodoxC1j8IonE1MiDiuZrN0uhJlgZuVSyrSZMH_hPFqF3/w640-h480/IMG_20231027_114823.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Stay</b></div><div>Bali's 80% economy is tourism. Practically, the entire island is converted into homestays or resorts. There are thousands of options to choose from. </div><div>We stayed at an <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/40811313?source_impression_id=p3_1699152932_4ib4bbhhOvLmiAOB">Airbnb near Ubud</a> during our first 3 nights. Ubud had many attractions nearby plus, it is more towards the centre of Bali. Both of our bookings were a 4 bedroom villa with a private pool and kitchen. Kitchen is a big requirement in family travel and we also used it extensively. </div><div>For our second stay, I wanted to stay at a beach-side property. We picked up <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/id/swan-keramas-bali-villa.en-gb.html?label=Low_CPA_English_EN_IN_21456997105-hJ4rUEGS3eGv9fzrUDj3NgS634117823733%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap%3Aneg%3Afi55064655373%3Atidsa-302962658775%3Alp9062009%3Ali%3Adec%3Adm%3Aag21456997105%3Acmp339861625&sid=7d4cc99b27a87c6a886aee70e9a5ecf6&gclid=CjwKCAjw15eqBhBZEiwAbDomEmvCbX9bnMGc1PeeN9yJgrNU_2sCGEpvuKBinL5aiSURaTZojegRjRoCRWcQAvD_BwE&aid=318615&ucfs=1&arphpl=1&dest_id=900050857&dest_type=city&group_adults=2&req_adults=2&no_rooms=1&group_children=0&req_children=0&hpos=1&hapos=1&sr_order=popularity&srpvid=edf715f58fd70038&srepoch=1699153650&from_sustainable_property_sr=1&from=searchresults#hotelTmpl">Desa Swan Villas</a> - Desa Swan was undergoing a name change and hence trying to market themselves. Their offer had free 30 mins massage for everyone :) </div><div>Both properties were lovely and private pool was heavily used along with kitchen. The service/staff at both places was extremely helpful. </div><div>We also stayed away from the more touristy areas like Nusa Dua or Seminyak - partly attributed to geography, partly to cost as well. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Elements of good family travel</b></div><div>There are certain attributes that makes a trip great. You have to pay attention and ensure that they are taken care of. Good vehicle for transportation, of a size that everyone can be together is key. Ours was a Toyota HiAce a 11 seater vehicle with a XL sized trunk space. Light travel is oxymoron in a family travel. Hotel with kitchen is a must. </div><div>Outside of these, the idea is to make it inclusive and distribute the workload. One person doing everything becomes overwhelming. So, just like a project execution, you identify independent modules and make sure that there is an owner for everything. Applying good management principles in life makes life management easier :)</div><div>So, these are the independent modules - Visa process, Travel Insurance, Currency, Snacks/Nibbles during travel, Meal planning, First-Aid kit with medicines, travel itinerary - each one of them was done by a different person. It made my life much easier :) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Itinerary</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Day one - Airport to Ubud</b></div><div>Ubud is about two hrs away from airport during peak traffic. We landed at noon and it took us 2 hrs to come out with visa etc. Our first stop was at a touristy lunch place - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Semar+Kuning+Restaurant/@-8.5497996,115.2619443,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x2dd23dc2c683e3cb:0x936140d61781cb2a!8m2!3d-8.5497996!4d115.2619443!16s%2Fg%2F11h02cdnt6?entry=ttu">Semar Kunig restaurant</a>, touristy because they welcomed us with flower, holy water etc. Place is designed with places of photography, next to rice paddy fields, statues etc. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTRc8XDDGqL-URGk1deiIUUwdWE8K6G4JOROwQ96Dhvj0z1VjmR0SGMsWigFF2w1fFMekapdydG3XENshWtZA83YD0VIFrd7LCDiC3P43oNoE9gz2RlbZEnbzjqQ_kE_pONauQZv2YrSEFn5VZeC9wxj2mfZU0wrbH0KRSLwIKextMukVUhS80l-_7pW0/s4096/IMG20231026151913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTRc8XDDGqL-URGk1deiIUUwdWE8K6G4JOROwQ96Dhvj0z1VjmR0SGMsWigFF2w1fFMekapdydG3XENshWtZA83YD0VIFrd7LCDiC3P43oNoE9gz2RlbZEnbzjqQ_kE_pONauQZv2YrSEFn5VZeC9wxj2mfZU0wrbH0KRSLwIKextMukVUhS80l-_7pW0/w640-h480/IMG20231026151913.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Bali has done an interesting thing to blend this rapid tourism with the rustic feel of a village. Most of the homestays, some restaurants too, have an acre or half-acre of rice paddy fields next to them. These rice paddy fields give the feel of living a pastural life, provides separation from other homestays and looks cool too. But, they are only there for namesake, these are not farmlands or meant to meet its own needs, it is for show only. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKUq7Yzv5SZVcx0h3IMj3eTFBkYUyBkOF0moUQ9sxnO0eAlzc_QJ3-GhK-nWl5XfzhXc2dIfWBtMzaYe70a_ttrJvZoS7DjpZf8R3LnGF8YlZ4FRiXVPwdkHKfv9DH7_Y8W46q20vBrs9Ki7fVO7wklXsD4C1b5OvCfiRW3hzCpoAEePPsSzCZka0nGb8/s4096/IMG20231026163925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKUq7Yzv5SZVcx0h3IMj3eTFBkYUyBkOF0moUQ9sxnO0eAlzc_QJ3-GhK-nWl5XfzhXc2dIfWBtMzaYe70a_ttrJvZoS7DjpZf8R3LnGF8YlZ4FRiXVPwdkHKfv9DH7_Y8W46q20vBrs9Ki7fVO7wklXsD4C1b5OvCfiRW3hzCpoAEePPsSzCZka0nGb8/w640-h480/IMG20231026163925.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4k9k3C3QxAZrt1bhceVDIiN9g4NDRdtIgDureVkcNXS8Pnd3IGCtyx-eJPYlYam2tchTgA_Z3TbwMlv00s4DHAdnEgo4mjmqYDgeUwi8nqYBQd8_EULOwUUlUsSJGU022Px5RmmRGNVl6RqN2-sIh3Ncwf5exsAvGqdH1XZ3qpFMbLW8V6Eea1CgQcfbj/s4000/IMG_20231026_141741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4k9k3C3QxAZrt1bhceVDIiN9g4NDRdtIgDureVkcNXS8Pnd3IGCtyx-eJPYlYam2tchTgA_Z3TbwMlv00s4DHAdnEgo4mjmqYDgeUwi8nqYBQd8_EULOwUUlUsSJGU022Px5RmmRGNVl6RqN2-sIh3Ncwf5exsAvGqdH1XZ3qpFMbLW8V6Eea1CgQcfbj/w480-h640/IMG_20231026_141741.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This was followed by visit to<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297695-d8822777-Reviews-Kemenuh_Butterfly_Park-Gianyar_Gianyar_Regency_Bali.html"> Kemenuh Butterfly Park</a>, near Ubud. I believe there are even bigger butterfly parks in Bali. We visited only this one, it is a small one but decent. Very clean, well maintained, not many tourists. Also, has a small zoo thing. Good stop to go to given that it is on the way. May not be worth to go out of the way. </div><div>Day one dinner was at Airbnb - homecooked Methi ke Parathe with Hadiram's readyToEat Dal Makhni. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Day 2 - Ubud Sightseeing</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Day 2 started by visiting the<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297701-d1048257-Reviews-Saraswati_Temple-Ubud_Gianyar_Regency_Bali.html"> Saraswati temple</a>, also known as the Ubud Water palace. Located next to Starbucks :) In Bali, one can not go inside temples, but one can see from outside and take lot of pictures. </div><div>Water Palace is small but beautiful, lot of lotuses. Plus, they ask you to wear a Sarong to follow the temple rules and customs</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihB1MGgsptzz5bqOLupvhDQzTaO6DpJIRbwGPkNahZ6wPuSVdtU0WyTbDuVe3ScWFUkUUDN7mYFBB9c42EADnONtm0RevHPUsUzQqtsC6fyV4Wy89DpH5j-S3hGW4gmdI8M7ieU4Qz6X-t8eCtDFuWmgwO2_eHTjbLOPiVP-o0V6bz1GPv2aq-EYeSKFfN/s4000/IMG_20231027_105235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihB1MGgsptzz5bqOLupvhDQzTaO6DpJIRbwGPkNahZ6wPuSVdtU0WyTbDuVe3ScWFUkUUDN7mYFBB9c42EADnONtm0RevHPUsUzQqtsC6fyV4Wy89DpH5j-S3hGW4gmdI8M7ieU4Qz6X-t8eCtDFuWmgwO2_eHTjbLOPiVP-o0V6bz1GPv2aq-EYeSKFfN/w480-h640/IMG_20231027_105235.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our next stop was the famous<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297701-d378969-Reviews-Sacred_Monkey_Forest_Sanctuary-Ubud_Gianyar_Regency_Bali.html"> Sacred Monkey Forest</a>. Beautiful serene forest with lots of monkeys and tourists. A must visit place, to see our ancestors. You should not look monkeys into the eyes. It is interesting how they have commercialised this experience, including a concept of a selfie with a monkey. Overall, a good walk to stretch the legs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAZBDYTh70xn5lCRhFMUz90NCcD4pV3_dORo5slPVZ1Xlc77IkcDHjgH_BqOJxeQedehqsQ4TS8XsiAc45p1C5Bxqiuda2KUvdcV39xspH683tdKxpHMRzcfxk95QCzioJoKSX3vUDxUmvonpE1ZzQvFJ7oIbdd9jExfF0dDB4wRMKlMcl3W1VpDwmTaj/s1920/IMG20231027122506_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAZBDYTh70xn5lCRhFMUz90NCcD4pV3_dORo5slPVZ1Xlc77IkcDHjgH_BqOJxeQedehqsQ4TS8XsiAc45p1C5Bxqiuda2KUvdcV39xspH683tdKxpHMRzcfxk95QCzioJoKSX3vUDxUmvonpE1ZzQvFJ7oIbdd9jExfF0dDB4wRMKlMcl3W1VpDwmTaj/w360-h640/IMG20231027122506_03.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Next stop is the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297701-d451059-Reviews-Elephant_Cave-Ubud_Gianyar_Regency_Bali.html">Elephant cave</a> - again a very small temple inside but the carvings on the cave are awesome. A place built for picture taking only. Ca be skipped if you are running short of time but otherwise a good visit place. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1L-ihrCPpNECVPgPayXc3S5nh1lhLWqVinA1E6ZtF5pDCxx65Kxx_rwI0mgpel6S5tr4T5erK23bhPOR9EaCb9sRVIW2KRMRX_14pSl0ivKWgx_U954sRXk3pL08pjNjl7qgO-jA_2qQSfmNelrsHjaPtLkBf4DzieVtHBUW9NSjQUAouVST1hXb3y7B/s4000/IMG_20231027_154730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1L-ihrCPpNECVPgPayXc3S5nh1lhLWqVinA1E6ZtF5pDCxx65Kxx_rwI0mgpel6S5tr4T5erK23bhPOR9EaCb9sRVIW2KRMRX_14pSl0ivKWgx_U954sRXk3pL08pjNjl7qgO-jA_2qQSfmNelrsHjaPtLkBf4DzieVtHBUW9NSjQUAouVST1hXb3y7B/w640-h480/IMG_20231027_154730.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We stretched our Day 2 by adding the Una Ceking Rice terraces to the list as well. Bali season ends in October and we travelled during the shoulder season time. There was still some green left in rice terraces but not at its peak. It was still beautiful. They have commercialized rice terraces by placing swings and lot of spots to take pics. I ended up doing a walk on the rice plains. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ic7RYmtIA9Tr-mCdEIikkc4BsNzXGDKTd3-GQ-OVmY9sz6u9NR2HX68SDByY8pfg236vVdPScCPu8ekz0MrGuPF4wBUxHoRurCrizZl-1G99mbrTHR6oLLZM-Q2_-1DH8rmn-ndJLqwRCgI3YMhfzcVO2KYO2ka4xzNSsoTAdiTOhA3I3JR7m96rk2eI/s3264/IMG_20231027_173757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ic7RYmtIA9Tr-mCdEIikkc4BsNzXGDKTd3-GQ-OVmY9sz6u9NR2HX68SDByY8pfg236vVdPScCPu8ekz0MrGuPF4wBUxHoRurCrizZl-1G99mbrTHR6oLLZM-Q2_-1DH8rmn-ndJLqwRCgI3YMhfzcVO2KYO2ka4xzNSsoTAdiTOhA3I3JR7m96rk2eI/w640-h480/IMG_20231027_173757.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b>Day 3 - Temple tours </b></div><div><br /></div><div>The things to understand about Bali temples, Bali in general, is that it is an Instagram island. The place is beautiful to begin with and then they have artificially places artifacts at places so that folks go and click photos. Temples can only be visited from outside, so come in click photos. and share. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our first stop was <a href="https://ulundanuberatan.com/"> Ulun Danu Beratan Temple</a>. At a drive of 75 mins, it is a highly rated beautiful temple next to a lake. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>On the way, we stopped at a Chocolate factory and bought local chocolates. Interestingly, Bali chocolates are vegan, milk based means coconut based milk. There is very less dairy production in Bali. It was very difficult to get curd on the island and I did not see any Paneer (cottage cheese either). Eggs and poultry is ok. Dominant in non-veg food, veg food is available but limited options. Most veg food is actually vegan. </div><div><br /><p>You can do boat ride on the temple lake and it was good. It was warm weather but not too hot. Inside the temple premises, there are various places where you can click photos, you will see a same below. This is an Insta-gram temple. The garden though is well maintained and they also had many other touristy things like an artificial dummy volcano, owls on your arm for photo, pet a rabbit, feed fishes kind of thing. Much more targeted towards kids. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sysXMxBfJKRJ64Zjv6SPySJIdYUPNhJccCF04nQujw-fPtYW3i2TwiKuvMy4_zADEGQiETKzt8mCqKaR4zSwJaC0rriq4Gof26AwzD1N19xyUAjS-gIBSvlPt-2p_J-vpU9PE36RQouIbzXwBookvjejd7qu_5WMj5iJxy79TR94YkRjppSqSPqCpP0H/s2047/IMG_20231028_103330-EFFECTS-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sysXMxBfJKRJ64Zjv6SPySJIdYUPNhJccCF04nQujw-fPtYW3i2TwiKuvMy4_zADEGQiETKzt8mCqKaR4zSwJaC0rriq4Gof26AwzD1N19xyUAjS-gIBSvlPt-2p_J-vpU9PE36RQouIbzXwBookvjejd7qu_5WMj5iJxy79TR94YkRjppSqSPqCpP0H/w640-h640/IMG_20231028_103330-EFFECTS-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p> </p><p>Our second temple was again the iconic<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g2283829-d379340-Reviews-Tanah_Lot_Temple-Beraban_Bali.html"> Tanah Lot temple </a>. We visited this place during evening and sat at a cozy spot to see sunset. Sunset was beautiful. Temple pillars are amazing and it is the quintessential Bali things to do. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4pcN__7DrOLKg8cqaSFiuXKuWKjcHoHS_3aOpUL9Gp58RFw7WwHSBrVXcfquMrw-k-6D2aYi00zM1AbSnun1IQzdDFUSWnr9w2vEwt5BtSeOuuubk0l9qC4013mCIJLqruNxWMUoch6LcmLiro_6c5lhkzvGS06agieqzeLEUItjS7veWOTBhQOMAGCj/s4096/IMG20231028172832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4pcN__7DrOLKg8cqaSFiuXKuWKjcHoHS_3aOpUL9Gp58RFw7WwHSBrVXcfquMrw-k-6D2aYi00zM1AbSnun1IQzdDFUSWnr9w2vEwt5BtSeOuuubk0l9qC4013mCIJLqruNxWMUoch6LcmLiro_6c5lhkzvGS06agieqzeLEUItjS7veWOTBhQOMAGCj/w640-h480/IMG20231028172832.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwER8nVlEUfuUOJkyiwx4kYu1LHOo1FesKIGLORi-TyNvuYSukcHg2pYb25hrgB1UG4g0YGgfoRIo8kynHUyScWy8NJ_wygUxGHl0K6BC4fdklpIn2TRyqGnofzEg6ejoGp_EGI0Bvdkq6thT6e2SuHn94VLy6ZZScaROohyphenhyphenPJEdDXJ_HQ1l1XCBoAz4l/s4096/IMG20231028182217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwER8nVlEUfuUOJkyiwx4kYu1LHOo1FesKIGLORi-TyNvuYSukcHg2pYb25hrgB1UG4g0YGgfoRIo8kynHUyScWy8NJ_wygUxGHl0K6BC4fdklpIn2TRyqGnofzEg6ejoGp_EGI0Bvdkq6thT6e2SuHn94VLy6ZZScaROohyphenhyphenPJEdDXJ_HQ1l1XCBoAz4l/w640-h480/IMG20231028182217.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Day 4 - Experiences</b></p><p>Day 4 was hotel change day. So, we packed our bags in the morning. Day 4 started by going to a Barong dance experience at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Legong+%26+Barong+Dance+Ubud+Palace/@-8.5067886,115.2626691,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipOuCRxxeR1LFjZMMX5SQoCdnGTm8bW1HYViimwu!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOuCRxxeR1LFjZMMX5SQoCdnGTm8bW1HYViimwu%3Dw114-h86-k-no!7i4032!8i3024!4m11!1m2!2m1!1sbarong+dance+bali!3m7!1s0x2dd23d612e5b2bab:0xa05ae5e9a7dcaf64!8m2!3d-8.5067886!4d115.2626691!10e5!15sChFiYXJvbmcgZGFuY2UgYmFsaZIBFXBlcmZvcm1pbmdfYXJ0c19ncm91cOABAA!16s%2Fg%2F11kj9799kb?entry=ttu">Legong & Barong Dance Ubud Palace</a>. Recommended by our driver, Barong dance is a local traditional dance on a story on Ramayana. The dance was okay-ish except that in between there was a highly vulgar but that put everyone off. Vulgarity in relgious context is a big NO and it was not humorous either. Bali folks are quite open about the fertility aspects - you will find Dildo keychains everywhere but in an experience was not only unexpected but done in a bad taste. I would not recommend it.</p><p>After the experience, we went back to our Airbnb to collect our luggage. Our first stop was at the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297695-d2470752-Reviews-Sukawati_Art_Market-Gianyar_Gianyar_Regency_Bali.html">Sukhawati art market</a> . While it is Art Market by name, it is basically like the Palika Bazaar of Delhi - cheap clothes and lot of bargaining. But there are some shops in between which are unique, lot of wood-made stuff and something that I have not seen anywhere else. Also, after bargaining, it is extremely cheap. So, I would recommend this and would recommend that in case you are looking for gifts back home, this is a good place. </p><p>We also decided to check out the Kecak dance aka Ramleela at Uluwatu temple. It was recommended highly though it was quite a drive. But, it was worth it. The Kecak dance, in particular the 6 pm show happens in an open air amphitheatre next to the ocean where you can see a beautiful sunset along with a mesmerizing performance. This will remain the highlight of the trip. It is amazing that Bali has such high Ramayan influence and so many of its culture is based on Indian mythology - you will find large statues of Karna or Bhima or Arjun at intersections here. </p><p>Uluwatu is also notorious where monkeys come and steal your stuff, and then barter (or extort) goodies in their exchange. Kanishka had a monkey jump on her and took her glasses. So did it happen to Papa. Papa also fell after that on a stair. Both got it back but it was amazing to see this in action. It is definitely difficult to believe but it is true. </p><p>Kecak dance is based on Ravan abduting Sita, Hanuman visiting Sita in her captivity and finally Ram killing Ravana. It is Ram-leela done in 40 mins and done very well. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsam9waDExTR8RqReNXkoXjlfoxFUpDqliz2VkxuV4uWsj-RGgmkfH7pGDJS0b9ZcxVRbP6pY_Z4pfWTwiSh_zwYG56XxYdjqNQlt2wXEQ4y0gpb6xasXxIHbJlSxE0DsCsy4vO6Y4fu4CtYE_hwVkAC0mQIDlv1PvxQpxDwca4qQEvRSyvQlO0fGXQYm/s2047/IMG20231029172652-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsam9waDExTR8RqReNXkoXjlfoxFUpDqliz2VkxuV4uWsj-RGgmkfH7pGDJS0b9ZcxVRbP6pY_Z4pfWTwiSh_zwYG56XxYdjqNQlt2wXEQ4y0gpb6xasXxIHbJlSxE0DsCsy4vO6Y4fu4CtYE_hwVkAC0mQIDlv1PvxQpxDwca4qQEvRSyvQlO0fGXQYm/w640-h640/IMG20231029172652-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Our day ended by us going to the new stay - Desa Swan Villas<br /><p><br /></p><p><b>Day 5 - Chill and Special</b> </p><p>By day 5, folks were getting tired. Kanishka's mom got cold, papa had nose-bleeds and pain in shoulders from his fall the previous day. Folks also wanted to just relax. Desa Swan villa was also a beanch-front property with a gorgeous pool. So, the plan was to just chill - go to beach and relax. Then dip in the pool and relax. Almost everyone came in the pool, either fully or getting their feet wet. All of us also took our complimentary 30 min massage at the place. Kanishka and I extended it to an hr too. Overall, a very relaxed morning. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DmayQlIqOIN6eCVcNuhfOpOXLI2gisTkvEcaT6wBtr7-OF1PSyQXgK8hy4Am4JzjFo2Yw7Rm9FqFDiC_RGib9Ev3wr7V6KAtEVBfyjgde6C_F-0WkhIJlBU1Vgw9XyeR70xESulkEHBsaS0BMDr7dm8og2yaNR0oCA4KkJnwv4trpvFxFLp4ty37iEL8/s1758/IMG20231030065848-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1758" data-original-width="1758" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DmayQlIqOIN6eCVcNuhfOpOXLI2gisTkvEcaT6wBtr7-OF1PSyQXgK8hy4Am4JzjFo2Yw7Rm9FqFDiC_RGib9Ev3wr7V6KAtEVBfyjgde6C_F-0WkhIJlBU1Vgw9XyeR70xESulkEHBsaS0BMDr7dm8og2yaNR0oCA4KkJnwv4trpvFxFLp4ty37iEL8/w640-h640/IMG20231030065848-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We left the hotel at 3 pm to go to our fancy dinner special -<a href="https://www.kempinski.com/en/the-apurva-kempinski-bali/restaurants-bars/koral-restaurant"> Koral restaurant at Apurva Kempinski </a>- one of the few dinner places which is inside an aquarium. It is also a 5-star place with a set menu - one of those master-chef kind of food - lot of courses but small and high in decor. Aquarium is what made it special. The Apurva Kempinski itself is a beautiful hotel. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxNF0HhkQR94Vg5xAe4y_ERzqIcYqHJfBNzu17mUX7ihSy05ryL8NlMGV9zzA1WCCDKHktWGllVR9t1i9C-0A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5PV_KGwoZGOMsu1scorO76IjVIhQ0m4tRmLb9YwG6PhY4PHBQeS6AgkqSeayEIpadX96-1Bh-_Nn8t7AzQeRbdpT9NMsNYgIM7U4mljZi49Wx1hLTaaBuN4H-C1v_ggPIEZTwnEyyosetGmjiouEseV1_UcjSvvExTV7fZPao1h-1q3zeqaiCCxMVFc8/s2046/IMG20231030175112-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ5PV_KGwoZGOMsu1scorO76IjVIhQ0m4tRmLb9YwG6PhY4PHBQeS6AgkqSeayEIpadX96-1Bh-_Nn8t7AzQeRbdpT9NMsNYgIM7U4mljZi49Wx1hLTaaBuN4H-C1v_ggPIEZTwnEyyosetGmjiouEseV1_UcjSvvExTV7fZPao1h-1q3zeqaiCCxMVFc8/w640-h640/IMG20231030175112-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Koral is an expensive place - but worth an experience. If you can afford it, I would recommend it very much. For us, it was a treat by Sandeep Jijai on Shraddha's job. Having not done anything in the morning made us enjoy this place even more. I think going to one such place in every trip is something that makes the trip more memorable. Something that we should add to our trips going forward. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Day 6 - Back to BLR</b></p><p>Our flights were booked via Singapore airlines and we had a 5 hrs stopover on the way back. This meant that we had good time to visit the Butterfly garden inside the airport. It is a decent space, good to visit for 15 mins. Some duty free shopping too!</p><p>Overall, a good trip, a good destination. </p><p><br /></p><p> </p></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-49476512887388246222023-10-24T23:41:00.000+05:302023-10-24T23:41:17.675+05:30Wheel of Time - Book 1 to Book 5 review<p> Wheel of Time - Book 1 to Book 5 review</p><p>By Robert Jordan</p><p>It takes a special effort to start a book series which has 14 parts. At-least special effort to me since my reading has generally been below par and my reading speed should improve. This is a decent page turned, rated well, has good world building, and now has a TV-series as well . So, I have signed up for it. Finished book 5. Here is my review</p><p><br /></p><p>Book 1 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_the_World">The Eye of the World</a></p><p>Truth be told, I didn't like it too much. Why?</p><p>1. This one felt too much of a rip-off of LOTR. Two Rivers is Shire, Dark one is Saruman, Trollocs are Orcs/trolls, Myrddarral are similar to black-riders, characters are pushed because of their destiny etc etc. </p><p>2. When an ordinary person defeats the evil, it is interesting only when the journey of the ordinary person to become a hero has a transformation that leads to the victory. It is off-putting for me when the ordinary person is a hero because it is their destiny (it is written). In the Eye of the World, the ending is mostly because of the latter. </p><p>3. Prose - It is okay, lacks the richness of LOTR to be honest. </p><p>What works though is the world building - The Aes Sedai world is super fascinating, dark-world characters are wonderful. Magic and non-magic co-exists in a balanced manner. </p><p>I actually stopped #1 and asked myself if I want to commit to this 14 book series. It was not that bad, plus, I really wanted to increase my reading speed. So, I singed up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Book 2 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Hunt">The Great Hunt</a></p><p>The first and last 200 pages of the Great Hunt are mind blowing! I just loved the world building. Seanchans are pure evil and this time the writing matches up to vileness. The book opens with Amrylin Seat (Head of Aes Sedais) visiting Fal Dara and meeting the ta'verns (people who play a substantial role in weaving the pattern or pattern weaves around them) and lot of interesting things happen including prophesies, scheming and what nots. The character development is much better here, pacing is decent and the ending is powerful. Book 2 also deviates a lot from LOTR and now we are in the world of Wheel of Time.</p><p>Rand begins his sword training which is good. Mat is poorly fleshed out. Nyaneve / Egwene evolve much better. My favorite by #2 is Moraine - the Aes Sedai who is genuinely trying to make this work. So much so that she goes to do research to understand things. Yes, that is how it should be. </p><p><br /></p><p>Book 3 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dragon_Reborn">The Dragon Reborn</a></p><p>After a really good book 2, it is now established that Rand-Al Thor is the Dragon Reborn and he is going to fight the Dark One in the end. Now, the journey starts. If you are the chosen one, with tons of prophecies written about you, do you have any choice left? Are you just a puppet of destiny or can you exercise free will to choose your own path, even though it may lead you to the same end. </p><p>Book 3 is where this journey starts. It is a decent book. What I like here is that both in book 2 and book 3, all main characters are together at the start, then they follow different paths and then they all meet together at the climax. To pull this off in #2 was good but to pull it off again in #3, but now making sense, it is pretty impressive. </p><p>World Building gets bigger with Aiel folks coming in. We get to know more about each city here and each city has its own politics, its own customs, this is fairly interesting. </p><p>However, some characters are becoming irritating - Mat/Nyaneve hating Moraine/Aes-Sedais even when Moraine protects them is little painful. </p><p>Book 4 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_Rising">The Shadow Rising</a></p><p>Perrin's arc so far has been satisfying and Book 4 is much of Perrin's story. I also like Falme's character and overall their arc is one of the most satisfying reads of the series. Here is also an arc where Perrin has become a hero, some my fate but mostly by his journey and its learnings. Also, he goes back to Two Rivers - hero goes back to village to save it from evil because evil is everywhere now. </p><p>But the start of The Shadow Rising is amazing! Parallel events synchronized by the cockadoo sound, each event is intensely creative and leads to a great battle early in the chapters. From here, we go deeper into the Aiel waste where the world building just shifts gears. The Rhuiedaan and its discovery of Aiel history is very good. </p><p>Post Rhuiedaan, atleast the Mat character becomes more evolved and seems more likeable. Other character arcs of Nyaneve, Elayne, Egwene are proper. Rand understands the weight of his destiny and is trying his best to cope up. </p><p>TSR covers a lot of ground and is very well written, with many plot twists that are difficult to see. It introduces and uses Forsaken very effectively as means to have intermediate villains before the dark one gets out. More interesting events happen at Tar Valon (HQ of Aes Sedai). </p><p>While TSR is so far the best, by now, it is also becoming clear on positives and shortcomings of Robert Jordan's style. While world building is great, it takes characters time to get fleshed out, perhaps little too slowly for my taste. The transition period is incredibly painful, mostly because of writing. Plus, the writing is difficult to follow because it just assumes that readers remember everything. Example - the septs or clans of Aiel, some are with Rand, some are not. It is difficult to follow this and you just go from one para to another hoping that things resolve. </p><p><br /></p><p>Book 5 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fires_of_Heaven">The Fires Of Heaven</a></p><p>After an satisfying book 4, book 5 is a so-so for first 80% and then the last 20%, it just shifts gears and has an ending that has true pain for me. In any epic journey, good people will die and we see it happen for the first time at the end of book 5. Hopefully, they stay dead, unlike the Thom the Gleeman or our Gandalf in LOTR :) It is the death that creates the pain and then the fear. </p><p>The middle part of Fires of Heaven is a slog - the whole circus bit is repetitive and not so interesting. But some episodes are very interesting - like how Elayne gets Brigette as a the Warder - very creative! But somethings are not fun - like why Couladin will kill people on his journey to Cairhein or why will Elayne know how to make Ta'angreal. Plus, the decision to not focus on Perrin at all is brave but may not be the best one. </p><p>The ending of Fires of Heaven seems a little stretch, the dream to real world mapping just so happens. Just so happens the adam thing, just so happens that Mat has killed Couladin. Mat as a military strategist is also a fated role instead of an earned one. </p><p><br /></p><p>My decision to continue till the end is still on. So, far my ranking is 4 > 2 > 3 > 5 > 1.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-21020293771607797562023-10-04T22:14:00.002+05:302023-10-04T22:14:19.817+05:30Life In 17 July - 4 Oct, 2023<p> </p><p>I am on a break :)</p><p>I am on day 5 of a 9 day work break to just recharge my batteries. Work became too much chaotic last few weeks, so I decided to take a breather, focus on other aspects of life and spend some days without worrying about work. Blog writing does seem one of them</p><p><br /></p><p>Before I start, here is a quick recap of my break journey so far - </p><p><br /></p><p>Day 0 - Fri evening. Took a trial class at local CrossFit. Something that has been in my TODO list for a long time. Wanted to start weight training and felt cross-fit could be a place to make it happen.</p><p>Day 1 - Finished book 3 of Wheel of time series - The Dragon Reborn. Decent read. Decided to take on the impromptu class of learning how to make dream cake - apparently a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=090WtOI0jIQ">Insta viral thing presently</a> Kanishka and I took this workshop organized by Yellow Pumpkin, in HSR. The workshop was good. Dream cake is a layered cake, so we learnt how to make Chocolate cake, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate mousse (which goes via Chocolate truffle), Caramal sauce, chocolate wall and dust. 4 hrs well spent!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyBUyqvZ9BT4uZWTMzsKIHQjsnWgPfWkVkDzLtPwddN1w1WhLo4LMZEFoAwv8KVkWUsvqneoN-ZGpl8drRC5Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>Day 2 - Demo class of Cello. Likely going to sign up for it. Fingers crossed if I can be regular on it. Also, went to another gym to sign up for their demo class. Day 2 evening was spent reading book 4 of Wheel of time series at a local cafe - Beanlore - new cafe exploration in parallel :) Interestingly Beanlore had Fountainhead the book there and it has been a while since I had read it (there is a story here for some other time). Spent most of the evening reading Fountainhead part 4. Maybe because I read from the middle but some content is pretty difficult to stomach - as in the point is stated as a fact first and then a long winded verbiage to justify it. </p><p>Day 3 - Demo class at the new gym. Ended up taking membership for 3 months. Fingers crossed. Board game night with friends. Lost both games of Splendor. Also watched this amazing movie - <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15301048/">Argentina 1985</a></p><p>Day 4 - I always wanted to get one of our study room walls hand painted. Made few calls but finally got someone who can do it. But that meant cleaning any wall accessories. This led from a wall-cleaning exercise to major wardrobe cleaning to eventually home cleaning project that went from 9 am to 9 pm and finally Kanishka and I crashed :). Atleast 5 boxes worth of items disposed. Day well spent :) </p><p>Day 5 - Got my hair colored again. Not happy this time but happy of my experimentation. Wall painting guy finalized. Gym schedule started. Plans in motion for a new toy place for Puchka and Taco :) </p><p>The good thing is that none of this is pre-planned. Each plan is materialized mostly a day before or on the morning of the day. Whenever, I have taken a break, I have travelled. So, taking a break and being at home is something that I am happy to do this time. Plus, there are so many small small items that were neglected are finally getting some attention. </p><p>------------</p><p><a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/08/varanasi-2023.html">Trip to Varanasi - </a>A 4 day trip Varanasi which was partly official partly travel. Loved the Ghat walks and food this time.</p><p>Amritsar-Kartarpur-Delhi trip - Crazy hectic but full worth it. And that both Varanasi and Amritsar happened back to back, it is just mind boggling. Highlight was Karptarpur, <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/08/visiting-kartarpur-from-india-all-that.html">documented here in detail</a>. Amritsar was also decent - Wagar border had this women only flag event and dancing to patriotic bollywood songs, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STfIzJV2BwE">Sandeshein aate hain</a> emanating from the loudspeakers. Felt like all 90s or older songs only and too simplistic but liked this time I liked it. Way better experience than my last visit when I thought that I would never come here again. Golden temple was very crowded and Kesar da dhaba is highly over-rated. Satpura is a must-try because of its innovation over Samosa :) </p><p>Multiple weekend trips to Denkanikottai including one where we went to Murugan Idli in Krishnagiri </p><p>--------------</p><p>Movies - Started my bollywood binge to reconnect with Bollywood</p><p>Javan - SRK starrer. Lets leave it at that </p><p>Rocky aur Rani ki Prem Kahanai - Karan Johar goes back to the director seat. Flashy, royal, breaking taboos and 100% bolllywood. Some people understand the industry/genre really well.</p><p>Tu Joothi Mein Makkar - Time pass. Lets not apply logic. But, Bollywood is definitely continuing its liberal streak in whole new ways, especially around sexuality, women freedom and rights. This part is good to see. I had thought how Hrushikesh Mukherjee films used to make middle class push the boundary on what values we want nation to follow. By no means TJMM is a Hrushikesh-da movie but collectively, today's Bollywood movies, though standing for upper class, is brazenly calling out the freedom expected in today's times. I do not think that we should take it for granted. Because we have seen how regressive the TV series industry became. </p><p>Mimi - A Pankaj Tripathi film on surrogacy where the worst fears are actualized and resolved too in the end. It avoids the difficult question on what if the son was mentally challenged. But, nevertheless a different film. </p><p>Masala ones - </p><p>Star Wars 4, 5 and 6. Wanted to get Kanishka acquainted to origins of Star Wars universe. Never liked before, do not like them now. The new JJ Abrams era and Andor is impressive though. </p><p>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 - So good that i am not seeing this in cinemas anymore. Watchable but they are not at all enjoyable anymore. </p><p><br /></p><p>Amazing ones - </p><p>Perry Mason - Season 2 - 4.5/5. Matthew Rhys continues to cement his place as one of the best actors of my generation. I am such a big fan of him. </p><p>Jury Duty - 4.5/5 - How much I have loved the premise. And boy, how lucky they were to find the right person. Plus, it is legal drama :) I absolutely adored it. Creativity, things done to pull it off, the docu style. </p><p>The Bear Season 2 - 5/5 - It is just brilliant. All episodes are amazing. This has to be rewatched. and then watched again. I am not sure how many times I have told people to watch this series. </p><p>Decision to leave - 3.5/5 - Nice noir thriller and a delight to watch.</p><p>I also went through a phase of 90s 6-pointers which I feel are missing in today's world. These simple plot-based couple of twist thrillers are so watchable. </p><p>High Crimes - 2.5-3/5.</p><p>The Sum of all fears - 2.5-3/5 </p><p>Contrast to the current ones require a lot of mental energy to see them. Example - I saw this series Inventing Anna on how a girl frauded the whose-who of elite but she had a modest background. Besides a badly acted protagonist role, this could have been cut short to a 2 hr movie. </p><p><br /></p><p>--------------------</p><p>New things - </p><p>Played new board game - <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266192/wingspan">Wingspan</a> - Liked it a lot. Good strategy and competitive play but not at all combative. Peaceful competitive game. </p><p>New board game - <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/152162/diamonds">Diamonds</a> - A new family board game in our kitty. Nice combination of both playing cards and elements from board game world. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FCk44U0tgRhENK5C7O1piy-omSayqN21uFYE5mjwpKvdPEC_fsuAIOHQPrWP4bX7zFTJ4lkvuXyKXxZ1jv_fEn4RSwmZJCg8u7MQC7weqJ6exRcEILPUPLyadoVPYdpYfD2oa7Qf8rUfGdVNGb6lVbO7QDtws1rP_wqy5BdMrrFhvypYx3Z7xiZPpAW5/s4000/IMG_20230910_190623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FCk44U0tgRhENK5C7O1piy-omSayqN21uFYE5mjwpKvdPEC_fsuAIOHQPrWP4bX7zFTJ4lkvuXyKXxZ1jv_fEn4RSwmZJCg8u7MQC7weqJ6exRcEILPUPLyadoVPYdpYfD2oa7Qf8rUfGdVNGb6lVbO7QDtws1rP_wqy5BdMrrFhvypYx3Z7xiZPpAW5/w640-h480/IMG_20230910_190623.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Food stall - Independence day celebration - Kanishka and I along with family, particularly Kanishka's mom had a food stall in Sobha. Featuring Litti Chokha Churma and Hummus with Nachos. Kids came for nachos more than hummus. Litti Chokha was amazing </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDeeN-W96NsFsVIPE8-_WqlDIRRt20blgMFpzcs5HUmPB3taJpH6LjatVaYjdsigzwk0DPylQyHQusn9nCHTn7RdXMLeWxLCS-OUVKsux-PLFvlgMVIgMntwuV4UufyzoreMnQN-ks9HWrKHuK2yr73ng3dr027CL5BkSQb6EKiLVjA2556yx-eF8yC8o/s4000/IMG_20230815_115412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDeeN-W96NsFsVIPE8-_WqlDIRRt20blgMFpzcs5HUmPB3taJpH6LjatVaYjdsigzwk0DPylQyHQusn9nCHTn7RdXMLeWxLCS-OUVKsux-PLFvlgMVIgMntwuV4UufyzoreMnQN-ks9HWrKHuK2yr73ng3dr027CL5BkSQb6EKiLVjA2556yx-eF8yC8o/w640-h480/IMG_20230815_115412.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>New places tried - Long Boat Brewery (3.5/5), Urban Monkey Sarjapur (2.5/5 - though with Bad coffee you can not call yourself an English breakfast place), Indian Coffee House HSR (new outlet launch and it is awesome), Shree Aahar HSR (new Darshini in HSR which is passable). </p><p>From office - Deck of Brews, Misosexy Indiranagar. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-75835290231257293802023-08-13T07:52:00.003+05:302023-08-13T07:52:19.784+05:30Visiting Kartarpur From India - All that you need to know<p> Visiting Kartarpur From India - All that you need to know</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkaeUY_-yuPM1b_gdmQai8Lmv1QrNLjZqqu-ObOZA47jC8JUyz1W3u2T5LJO6_qYWuncBrIHdh54VN2TKn6637wycpH-ygDVophMmn1C0q1FfSyQB4r9Wgy45ezIli1kkQoHxzgZUD4W76NjPW6PMTCTZ0cPqQEwP8-qjpz6ujZObn4tNvJe2lb-3hX5h/s4000/IMG_20230805_112532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkaeUY_-yuPM1b_gdmQai8Lmv1QrNLjZqqu-ObOZA47jC8JUyz1W3u2T5LJO6_qYWuncBrIHdh54VN2TKn6637wycpH-ygDVophMmn1C0q1FfSyQB4r9Wgy45ezIli1kkQoHxzgZUD4W76NjPW6PMTCTZ0cPqQEwP8-qjpz6ujZObn4tNvJe2lb-3hX5h/w640-h480/IMG_20230805_112532.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>Kartarpur Sahib is the largest gurudwara in the world. It is the second holiest place for Sikhs after Golden temple in Amritsar. It is also the only place that an Indian can travel in Pakistan without having a VISA. You travel by going through a Landport (just like an airport but for land borders). There is a 4km corridor build on Pakistan side, barbed wires on both sides but a highway in between for tourists to travel via a bus, operated by govt. of Pakistan. </p><p>There are just too many cool things associated with Kartarpur. Whether you travel for spiritual reasons or for fun or just to place your foot in another country, that too Pakistan, it makes a great travel story. But you have to work for it. In this post, I will share a step by step guide on how to plan your visit to Kartarpur Sahib, what to expect and dos and donts. </p><p><br /></p><p>Step 1 - Application</p><p>Govt. of India has a <a href="https://prakashpurb550.mha.gov.in/kpr/">website</a> where you have to submit an application to visit the Gurudwara. There is an upper limit of 5000 people who can travel in a day. You need to know your travel date in advance. Yes, dates are not flexible and you have to return the same day, you can not stay overnight. Filling application is easy and takes max 20 mins. You will need your passport handy. Kanishka and I submitted our applications independently. At the end, we got an application number that is needed for all tracking purposes. We applied about 8 weeks before our travel date. </p><p><br /></p><p>Step 2 - Police verification</p><p>The next step after submitting application is police verification. The form asks details of your local police station. For us, it was Bandepalya Police station. The station inspector was surprised to receive such a request. We were asked a lot of questions - why did we want to travel, how come VISA is not needed, can you escape into Pakistan? For me, my birthplace is in Kochi Kerala, so I had to explain why a Mallu wants to go to Gurudwara :) </p><p>We had to visit the station twice - first to meet an inspector where we were asked to write a letter requesting to approve the background verification. Second time, the station chief wanted to meet with us, asking the same questions again. Very likely it was the first case of this kind for them, it was a mix of curiosity and surprise for them. </p><p>Step 3 - Waiting</p><p>Next step is on Pakistan where they have to approve each request. While the police inspector confirmed that they have verified us and approved our request, we did not hear back for a long time. The website also did not share any updates. Turns out, the actual confirmation comes 4-5 days before the travel date. It came via SMS, almost parallel for both of us. So, there will be a period of uncertainty but that is expected, part of the plan and faith - agar likha hai toh hoga </p><p><br /></p><p>Step 4 - Preparation & getting there. </p><p>A visit to Kartarpur needs passport, copy of the confirmation slip and a negative RT-PCR report. Yes, they still need one. We missed it and got it from the nearby govt hospital. </p><p>The nearest border town on the Indian side is called Dera Baba Nanak , about 50 kms from Amritsar. The landport opens at 8 am and you have to be back by 5 pm. Our taxi picked us up from the airport and charged us around INR 2000. The driver waited while we visited the Gurudwara at the landport. It takes about 1.5 hrs to get there from Amritsar, one way. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNGnMlcJ6skqW1n1MaEotG0oZw69FFV8MLk4GYeO0OsYhDe2Qfe56uSJHof2kTX1r3-1En6r1ZwswD6Z1yAJj45c1KEz7v1MJMTI6Skdkd5fHVB3xr_aoX10rGfFkM0YIcIA7LiQ-3wjVETbfD_NhirJPHNHGJYNwOzylAWeVB2BLVLClInaIZGQfiOLD/s4000/IMG20230805093524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNGnMlcJ6skqW1n1MaEotG0oZw69FFV8MLk4GYeO0OsYhDe2Qfe56uSJHof2kTX1r3-1En6r1ZwswD6Z1yAJj45c1KEz7v1MJMTI6Skdkd5fHVB3xr_aoX10rGfFkM0YIcIA7LiQ-3wjVETbfD_NhirJPHNHGJYNwOzylAWeVB2BLVLClInaIZGQfiOLD/w640-h480/IMG20230805093524.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>Step 5 - What to expect there</p><p>Just like at an airport, one goes through a rigorous security check at Dera Baba Nanak landport as well. There are couple of more steps - they count your money, including coins. One can only take INR 9000 per person across the border. Kindle is not allowed.</p><p>At the landport, you need to collect dollars - $20 per person to be paid at the Pakistan side. This is the entry charge. They also gave us polio drops, apparently polio is common on that side. </p><p>After that, you go through immigration where they affix a stamp, not on your passport but on the confirmation slip. Once through immigration, a golf cart takes you to the border gate. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTU5x702iKF60ZxHGzKHERWdaLyetXSUVns--qpws-N5zB1JrDc6OTjZgHNgE0J7ehlcL3KKz3YhtdF0jp5E6dZyYXc9N9bwzHw14Rj4PeLdAPF2UU7svafLC52DnbZPdxf788BOd8GMyGayjGVOVyTDQiHG09Waen6RDVeR1U_CvM8YUp2E2NC-YxJgpI/s4000/IMG20230805101843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTU5x702iKF60ZxHGzKHERWdaLyetXSUVns--qpws-N5zB1JrDc6OTjZgHNgE0J7ehlcL3KKz3YhtdF0jp5E6dZyYXc9N9bwzHw14Rj4PeLdAPF2UU7svafLC52DnbZPdxf788BOd8GMyGayjGVOVyTDQiHG09Waen6RDVeR1U_CvM8YUp2E2NC-YxJgpI/w640-h480/IMG20230805101843.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Once you cross the border on foot, a bus awaits on the other side that takes you to the Pakistan embassy. Here you pay the entry fees, and then go through immigration on their side. They again affix a stamp, not on the passport but on a slip that has to be returned to them when you are back. Keep this slip handy. You go through another security check, this time a lenient one. Once through another bus will take you to the gurudwara. <div><br /></div><div>There is a canteen at the landport but it is not accessible once you are inside. The only food next is langar at the gurudwara. Our golf cart driver was a Sikh shared that eat langar first before you go to Gurudwara, there is a Sikh saying - <i>pehle Pangat phir Sangat</i>. One can only meditate once you are full stomach. Langar at Gurudwara was nice Chole Pudi, roti and halwa. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once you reach the Gurudwara, there will be a welcome and some instructions shared. Listen carefully. You can take photos and videos at the Gurudwara (videos are not allowed for Pakistan folks for some reason). Behind the gurudwara, there is also a market where you can buy some artifacts and clothes. Indian currency to Pakistan currency ration is 1:2.7 and market is cheaper on the other side. There is a Pakistan bank there where you can exchange notes. You can not bring back a single Pakistan currency note or coin back. Indian govt is very strict about it and you will be in jail if you do so. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They speak hindi and you can bargain to some degree. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-ar2bDYK5PhtE5rUIPlw06WSoajKHYU8RK-BCyNeo8R4fzyxBtPVb9eYwaFx-UPZWWDvgPvhRMCO6MulHDz--7IkMlB2Fsy-4inSA8d8DVA_h9odZE7ntXPk9-19bSmct4G5Y0n00DheIA6YLMnNmTlCELfXpsxtCHVBOWCbxDOAAB2B3YD9b3qIOuki/s7568/IMG20230805111811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="7568" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-ar2bDYK5PhtE5rUIPlw06WSoajKHYU8RK-BCyNeo8R4fzyxBtPVb9eYwaFx-UPZWWDvgPvhRMCO6MulHDz--7IkMlB2Fsy-4inSA8d8DVA_h9odZE7ntXPk9-19bSmct4G5Y0n00DheIA6YLMnNmTlCELfXpsxtCHVBOWCbxDOAAB2B3YD9b3qIOuki/w640-h304/IMG20230805111811.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Gurudwara itself is lovely. Its huge, with not many travellers. So, it is very peaceful. We went inside and heard gurbani for about an hr before heading back. </p><p>The story of how Indians were allowed to travel VISA-free is interesting. Apparently, it is because of cricket and politics - When Imrank Khan became PM, he invited Sidhu who attended and this gesture of an Indian visiting Pakistan, a friendship has led to this. </p><p>There may be enmity between nations but not among people. We were greeted warmly by everyone there. We had to wait for a bus for about 20 mins, the person in-charge apologized for us to wait. There was no need for him to do so. Inside Gurudwara, it is like any Sikh gurudwara, you get the feeling that people are doing sewa. Folks in market also spoke kindly. Their voice / language definitely has a touch of royalty and <i>izzat, tehzeeb</i> to it, something that is missing on our side now. </p><p>The 4km corridor though has barbed wire running on both sides, it is actually in the middle of farmlands and it was covered with green wheat fields this time of the year. Weather was hot. Pakistan as a country looks less developed than ours, their landport much underwhelming, it was as if we were in a rural village, not a historic temple-town. </p><p>It is a visit just for the bragging rights but the Gurudwara itself is a treat to visit. It wins your heart. It is majestic. A land less explored, preserved through centuries. It made me wish the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radcliffe_Line">radcliffe line</a> was 4 kms on that side but then maybe, it will not be as special as it is now. Things with effort are savored more! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-36766296378317439862023-08-13T05:39:00.005+05:302023-08-13T06:02:15.871+05:30Varanasi - 2023<p>Varanasi - 2023 - A business leisure trip </p><p>What is a business leisure trip? When you travel for business but end up making a leisure trip out of it. </p><p>Varanasi happened because of IIT-BHU hiring as part of my workplace. Stars had to align for this one because we do not typically visit BHU for hiring, this was happening for the first time as part of our campus expansion. Next, I was slated for a different campus but because the other campus was to happen over a weekend when I was not available, I was re-assigned and lo and behold, I am going to Varanasi - hometown of my better half and out of nowhere, we had a trip at our hands. </p><p>Day 0 - Thu - Flight to Varanasi.</p><p>We flew on Thu because I wanted to attend some meetings on Fri, virtually. Thu 2nd half flight meant landing in Varanasi just in time for dinner. Kanishka in her last trip had showed pics of Baati Chokha and it had been in my list since then. We wasted no time and started dinner at Baati Chokha restaurant. I liked the food overall, also the ambience. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hmnDVbdk8PlYCiHmWs3cCvw17y3YmXvk_nL5BnWgYbRMkeO3Fm9zDvwIFOcPo0l1VvgZvzboNo-IHBQ7YOpySUHf6SJ9OfidkFs33A0uG28aIsBjEqfz4q4eYg86yS8y4mmMT6NNrr1OYiqoyEGlzo1yNSytc9lGmzUFBmPKO9gTJRHajA8N7ZXFd2IW/s4608/IMG20230727214403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hmnDVbdk8PlYCiHmWs3cCvw17y3YmXvk_nL5BnWgYbRMkeO3Fm9zDvwIFOcPo0l1VvgZvzboNo-IHBQ7YOpySUHf6SJ9OfidkFs33A0uG28aIsBjEqfz4q4eYg86yS8y4mmMT6NNrr1OYiqoyEGlzo1yNSytc9lGmzUFBmPKO9gTJRHajA8N7ZXFd2IW/w640-h480/IMG20230727214403.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Varanasi in July/Aug timeframe is hot and humid - kind of the worst season to travel. To top this, we are from Bengaluru where we are spoilt from weather point of view. Plus, this was Saavan season in Varanasi when crowds throng this holy city. So, it was people people everywhere. All this combination would have meant that I stay in my AC hotel room and do not venture out but then it is Varanasi. Even in its best of seasons, crowd goes down only by hairline :) So, the only way to enjoy the city is to embrace it, embrace the weather (wear antiwick shirts :) ) and then go out there. </p><p>Day 1 - Friday. S</p><p>Day 1 started by visiting to Assi ghat to witness Subah-e-benares. Subah-e-benares is a morning 5 am Aarti at the Assi ghat. We woke up at 4 am to reach the ghats at 430 am. There is a daily morning ritual which includes Aarti, classical music, Yoga session and some prayers. We attended the Aarti and then took a boat ride. </p><p>Our companions were two colleageus from workplace - Gnanavel who was with me at IIT-Bombay hiring event previous year and Bhagya, alumni of IIT BHU, acting as a campus ambassdor this year. For whatever reason, they were ok to trust the trip itinerary in my hands, and that meant in Kanishka's hands since it was her 'gadh', her backyard. But even Kanishka had not attended Subah-e-benares yet. While she discovered this event, I can claim credit for the event, atleast 50%. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98gvQCUSi4_EQLRdSqwOyxx3zfat7FNqPNoCQo0TuzPl0bxfB4bdi5W6RTxP3Nl8CRax86jJ4HrKmNpfuqOGN2zRX5JqNQiDVcE46Mkf6jr7xmKswKiU887XLYHwaqdtiWwWwUUzh1oTs41MY7H00d43ZmkOodZ32GXKJVBNZ4RSlTId4x6RqwuMk1aCG/s4000/IMG_20230728_050612-EFFECTS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98gvQCUSi4_EQLRdSqwOyxx3zfat7FNqPNoCQo0TuzPl0bxfB4bdi5W6RTxP3Nl8CRax86jJ4HrKmNpfuqOGN2zRX5JqNQiDVcE46Mkf6jr7xmKswKiU887XLYHwaqdtiWwWwUUzh1oTs41MY7H00d43ZmkOodZ32GXKJVBNZ4RSlTId4x6RqwuMk1aCG/w640-h480/IMG_20230728_050612-EFFECTS.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>Subah-e-beanres was very good. The morning sunrise, the spiritual Aarti, bhajans in the morning, lesser crowds, all of it makes it a really good experience. Place was clean too. We followed the Aarti by taking a boat ride seeing all Ghats. Ganga level was quiet high so only motor boats were allowed. We were lucky since sometimes boat rides do not happen in monsoon season. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdu55kb8rhgSlZqp2Oehhxv3LBWdNMC9OWXMe9lCbrwDsARN47G4BPxVTqd_AhhnY4JyagSC5KlzD-tjSfQ8leDt8m2m-GY2ND6muq_4SWreznoilx53N9Xxtlj5mj58ikQtVD3TIGujsXqpsBzg_yXo9CuVXA_WMgn0yBGKqED9E9lW_tKuhzrV5dh1e/s4096/IMG20230728060734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdu55kb8rhgSlZqp2Oehhxv3LBWdNMC9OWXMe9lCbrwDsARN47G4BPxVTqd_AhhnY4JyagSC5KlzD-tjSfQ8leDt8m2m-GY2ND6muq_4SWreznoilx53N9Xxtlj5mj58ikQtVD3TIGujsXqpsBzg_yXo9CuVXA_WMgn0yBGKqED9E9lW_tKuhzrV5dh1e/w640-h480/IMG20230728060734.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>What is Benares without the morning breakfast of Kachodis. While returning back from the boat-ride, a thela guy had already setup his breakfast joint and Kanishka had to try it. I too ate it and it was pretty good. Kachodis are small, stuffed with alus with a kala-chana gravy (for protein you know :) ) and some chutney on top with some more crunchy triangle namkeen. A good taste overall. </div><div><br /></div><div>I slept after this morning excursion to wake up to Bedmi Poodi and alu for breakfast. Kanishka had went out and got it packed along with famous lassi of Benaras. A perfect bedtime breakfast. We were staying at Vijaigarh Kothi - a recommeded place at a walking distance from Assi ghat. Room was really spacious with AC working :) </div><div><br /></div><div>Post breakfast, I attended my calls virtually and then travelled to BHU campus. The e-rickshaw guy dropped me just outside the Vishwanath temple and I had to walk at noon to the guest house 1.2 kms away, in that sun/humid condition. I was drenched. But I did stop at the Samosa place next to temple and had that INR 7 samosa, a highlight of this trip. They are really good. Rest of the evening went in campus hiring and work. Our dinner was at Cafe ROma which I felt was a much over-hyped place. </div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgqb52AP9Hjb1Jvow3EU_OcWRlaBWJaBLcDaBEVyl08P2G5kfoyT2G7tuTh7NAuHEeQACpb1uwe7Bf4DCxIoZ8oGotBcH8TA2NR8sdmTQt7TnIouwpryOA-kQPqZpsHOBZg76TNjo6Kx3OB6PUxHd79CQyvl7Bmgn2N35YVN8mQJbvjxnUDAhbju4zO8_/s4096/IMG20230728065729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgqb52AP9Hjb1Jvow3EU_OcWRlaBWJaBLcDaBEVyl08P2G5kfoyT2G7tuTh7NAuHEeQACpb1uwe7Bf4DCxIoZ8oGotBcH8TA2NR8sdmTQt7TnIouwpryOA-kQPqZpsHOBZg76TNjo6Kx3OB6PUxHd79CQyvl7Bmgn2N35YVN8mQJbvjxnUDAhbju4zO8_/w640-h480/IMG20230728065729.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Day 2 - Sat. Travel starts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Day 2 started by us changing accommodation from Vijaigarh Kothi to Shree Ganesha place at Girja Ghar. The morning plan was to take the offered candidates out for lunch. We took them to Taj Ganges a 5-star place where we were the only guests. Taj's service was really slow, food was also ok. On the way back we hit traffic and then asked us to be dropped down at the Bharat Mata ka Mandir. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8tmwAEg8ss11K0CeSoImOWtdAioZ5WGrxCXwsyxOBsCYVcSFLpkUqHfOTDtIY_dJWNYtX6j-bCSbxCphxy5NLGf6yjoXQCFZvHF5QOmBkuCriSQDGcAcA0wEuuxn9QoTBXKklFPqPrxSPaEn82vgnSwj_mvjY8TFlB5o7gcsYWlNZLUywWiGDvJjSRuF/s4000/IMG20230729153917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8tmwAEg8ss11K0CeSoImOWtdAioZ5WGrxCXwsyxOBsCYVcSFLpkUqHfOTDtIY_dJWNYtX6j-bCSbxCphxy5NLGf6yjoXQCFZvHF5QOmBkuCriSQDGcAcA0wEuuxn9QoTBXKklFPqPrxSPaEn82vgnSwj_mvjY8TFlB5o7gcsYWlNZLUywWiGDvJjSRuF/w640-h480/IMG20230729153917.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bharat Mata ka mandir, as the name suggests, a temple dedicated to motherland India. It has a marble-made map of India in a temple like setting. It is an interesting concept but it needs something more to be made into a good place. Rest of the evening was planned - Kanishka had helped hire a local guide for us to do sightseeing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bhawna from<a href="https://theghumakkads.in/author/bhawna/"> The Ghumakkads</a> was our guide and she is really good (5/5). We covered <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga_Mandir,_Varanasi">Durga mata mandir</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi_Manas_Mandir"> Tulsi Manas Mandir</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankat_Mochan_Hanuman_Temple">Sankat Mochan Mandir </a>and then finally to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shri_Vishwanath_Mandir">Vishwanath temple</a> inside BHU campus. Yes, it was a temple hopping tour :). Along the way, Bhawna shared history of each temple. Behind Durga Mata temple, due to the month of Saavn, a mela was going on and we walked through the mela as well. At Tulsi Manas Mandir, there were Jhaakis setup, a special once a year event that should be seen. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRC-N84x7lK03geThxV_JDEzUrIFenVfZCjmyw9NXYXjtmqytdKtMu-t1Q57Be3XuaEmscFCGPv110u79pK-g43U7ssqtXneEF-gQ7z8A482dDsRhPlUu5nvJMaSOSqw9CdOomxrvSSXAwf7RiBmcdroXVx4AZ-FNc3WFsysjKWfkiFFsYZ41ncwfc085S/s4000/IMG20230729172917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRC-N84x7lK03geThxV_JDEzUrIFenVfZCjmyw9NXYXjtmqytdKtMu-t1Q57Be3XuaEmscFCGPv110u79pK-g43U7ssqtXneEF-gQ7z8A482dDsRhPlUu5nvJMaSOSqw9CdOomxrvSSXAwf7RiBmcdroXVx4AZ-FNc3WFsysjKWfkiFFsYZ41ncwfc085S/w640-h480/IMG20230729172917.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Vishwanath temple was more peaceful. Mostly visited by students. Post the temple visit, we had the famous cold coffee and samosa from shops just outside. It did not disappoint which is a compliment. We also had Pehalwan ki lassi and then walked to Assi ghat for some coin shopping. Our plan was to see evening Aarti but that did not materialize since we were late. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dinner was at Deena Chat house. The pani-puri was good along with the Chats. Post dinner, we walked to a local thandai shop which serves bhaang flavored Thandai, legally. There are legal Govt. Bhaang shops as well, a unique thing about Varanasi. The bhaang thandai was shared by Kanishka, Gnan and myself. It had no effect on me, I just went to hotel and slept. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2DgjOZLjJY08QtbINsXEHv_07hdlMDGep-S92c6lr94EAHC3KH4yD7XDXaVWu-bSdLdiFWnkseq6mUoQ8e-ZXtA0Mmx6Z5wU3XbNcvpTUBy5A9-24sIV0Grbhq9h2ydM0UU4Vb8qFGawOFStDBPr0MScBBxJn5h5haEoY2nE53Z2YQ9eNMMG9vgZDccU/s4608/IMG20230729191542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2DgjOZLjJY08QtbINsXEHv_07hdlMDGep-S92c6lr94EAHC3KH4yD7XDXaVWu-bSdLdiFWnkseq6mUoQ8e-ZXtA0Mmx6Z5wU3XbNcvpTUBy5A9-24sIV0Grbhq9h2ydM0UU4Vb8qFGawOFStDBPr0MScBBxJn5h5haEoY2nE53Z2YQ9eNMMG9vgZDccU/w640-h480/IMG20230729191542.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Day 3 - Ghat walks<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Day 3 morning was by another walking organizer - Mr. Aman from Varanasi Vibes. The idea was just to walk in the galis and ghats of Varanasi. This Ghat walk is an experience. It does not matter what you visit, you just have to see these galis and ghats on foot. The lanes are narrow, people going from here and there. Next to every turn is a temple, some small, some big. Walls are covered with painting, there are food-stalls on cycles, small shops, people living in their homes, hostels, guest houses, restaurants making malpuas, kachodis, and more temples, more shivlings. And then crowds, people going from here to there, on foot, on cycles, on bikes, whatever that can fit in these lanes. Then there are ghats, temples on ghats, cremation happening on ghats, there is the famous Vishwanath temple, with thousands of people standing in queue to visit the temple, there is the new corridor that govt has constructed, there is an entry to this temple that goes to the ghat, giant spaces and buildings, all newly built, sanwiched in between ghats which are centuries old. It is difficult to explain but one has to experience this. This is true Kashi - the oldest city, the holy city. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_cyoHNnQQj7kvgY_8yBIQX5M7iC_8OcsLUzbZwLRQfetOFt_qXvrewgYK2XG2D2jdXp6zVCRV-c-wpjlClEkCUOJ8fD8whygExl3p8ZjlIkQdqQkHuFqL2MNGE_FBksPsgxohZRisw4PQhJpdTEH3DUARMscGLYsUv5BiMOU2hh6gx9rEP2yVvtLvWDY/s2046/IMG20230730074328-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_cyoHNnQQj7kvgY_8yBIQX5M7iC_8OcsLUzbZwLRQfetOFt_qXvrewgYK2XG2D2jdXp6zVCRV-c-wpjlClEkCUOJ8fD8whygExl3p8ZjlIkQdqQkHuFqL2MNGE_FBksPsgxohZRisw4PQhJpdTEH3DUARMscGLYsUv5BiMOU2hh6gx9rEP2yVvtLvWDY/w640-h640/IMG20230730074328-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKa6FdpX6z0R0RWtbb_nGdARo0KFyQnDXY4LyIZZ70Gs2vYQGvs0yW3TFyw_UELSwFcjArmZLckfRWKpUBcTI2AVU8QlTek0UKN4MObTK6rbZPFJkhV0dho3pBdp7BXuWzCE7S6x-PT7lK4hW5Qk8PPuNEP4yziQH5-oBMBLskoMg3dt3r1OSzRdgbFmBW/s3264/IMG_20230730_075432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKa6FdpX6z0R0RWtbb_nGdARo0KFyQnDXY4LyIZZ70Gs2vYQGvs0yW3TFyw_UELSwFcjArmZLckfRWKpUBcTI2AVU8QlTek0UKN4MObTK6rbZPFJkhV0dho3pBdp7BXuWzCE7S6x-PT7lK4hW5Qk8PPuNEP4yziQH5-oBMBLskoMg3dt3r1OSzRdgbFmBW/w640-h480/IMG_20230730_075432.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My favorite of all places that we visited was the Nepali temple - a Shiv temple built by king of Nepal. It is situated at the river where the river turns slightly. So you get a beautiful view of the river. They have also carved out space to sit and enjoy the scenery. It had rained in the night so weather was good, bearable and enjoyable. The fact that amidst all the chaos of the city, there is a place just to enjoy the beauty is awesome. The opposite of Ganges is all trees and it makes a good sight. You could see how Tulsidas would have sat here and wrote Ramayan in Awadhi language. You could see why kings will visit this place, centuries ago and fall in love with this place. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbIcD84Mm7CP3NlPA90-ELcl_Kg9KkaXkD-Ubyetg1D4r53U_FxXXvt4nN4zuWg9hPaBtGOmvBbwY18iJO4kCw0tlMpN6hAwVp-DzK12PdKsJneryKG_dijiaUZKHGN-Tuu2VCevG12PbK0K6HUxJ9SpvTgRctd2wEKBU1QvaHwBTyC6h9f9HhF8aoPPn/s4000/IMG_20230730_092238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbIcD84Mm7CP3NlPA90-ELcl_Kg9KkaXkD-Ubyetg1D4r53U_FxXXvt4nN4zuWg9hPaBtGOmvBbwY18iJO4kCw0tlMpN6hAwVp-DzK12PdKsJneryKG_dijiaUZKHGN-Tuu2VCevG12PbK0K6HUxJ9SpvTgRctd2wEKBU1QvaHwBTyC6h9f9HhF8aoPPn/w640-h480/IMG_20230730_092238.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We saw all sort of temples - big, small, and underground. The one below was the unique of them all - The actual Shivling is down, 15 feet down and there is a hole on top to see it below. Unless you know that it is there, you will not know. Our guide knew. So bizarre of a temple. Each temple has a caretaker, someone who lives near it, or within the premises. Temples can not be neglected. It is a full time job for them. 28,000 temples someone wrote a book too . A lot of temples are hidden, not underground, but hidden due to construction all around them. Some where purposefully hidden to prevent them from destruction years ago. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrVd3TnSLWUs5WEvxjrPB2PBghHYYCi7m-IUgQLgbI1fMQEfZY6wTSIP9bBrB27ovQq43VlrzVGT6uHqdZumBxryD93-tQpjdTkdZtWmcZNfBcgTczYZVvRmhIA8R09ZSssFpzK9HMDM32TJiZk_z7SmMj3JYhp7kHyWf12_cxNDepnfRyqc4UtWzV_6z/s4000/IMG20230730103221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrVd3TnSLWUs5WEvxjrPB2PBghHYYCi7m-IUgQLgbI1fMQEfZY6wTSIP9bBrB27ovQq43VlrzVGT6uHqdZumBxryD93-tQpjdTkdZtWmcZNfBcgTczYZVvRmhIA8R09ZSssFpzK9HMDM32TJiZk_z7SmMj3JYhp7kHyWf12_cxNDepnfRyqc4UtWzV_6z/w480-h640/IMG20230730103221.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is no walk in Kashi without its food. We had Kachodis- both small one, the Poodi one, we had Malpuas, visited the iconic Blue lassi shop. We saw the flower market. Again, it is not the food that matters, it is the experience - having food while sitting 2 feet away where poodis are being fried. In that low roofed, small corner place. Same food brought home would be rated bad but at that time, in the middle this small gali, when the hot food is just served right from frying pan, it is <i>lajawaab</i>, tasty. You ask for one more serving even when you know that you are full, you do not want that another poodi, you want to immerse yourself one more time in that experience, spend more time in that den of a restaurant, on the uncomfortable chair but you have a place to sit now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BO1sELMznFS87el1k1Xy9BqYN1Tk2E0ceLj5E3fHfok7hbDCGvcKRf13hXRChO_Ej1EktwBJvEnLUoKiFy0jJUb9E6zN0pFSBN68V_DPa8KXWSVNYDKX_DyB4K5gJHb6ZrI7M7wTrwcHjHoJrtEIDHlog5tRlLOyNxMpj91tLdzwzy8IprEoStY9TulA/s2047/IMG_20230730_101757-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BO1sELMznFS87el1k1Xy9BqYN1Tk2E0ceLj5E3fHfok7hbDCGvcKRf13hXRChO_Ej1EktwBJvEnLUoKiFy0jJUb9E6zN0pFSBN68V_DPa8KXWSVNYDKX_DyB4K5gJHb6ZrI7M7wTrwcHjHoJrtEIDHlog5tRlLOyNxMpj91tLdzwzy8IprEoStY9TulA/w640-h640/IMG_20230730_101757-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Our walk took us to Manikarnika Ghat, to Vishwanath temple's gate that leads to the ghat, to Nepali temple, to Kedar ghat and some galis etc evenutally bring us back to our hotel. Folks were tired at the end of it. We retired to our rooms. Kanishka and I stepped out after an hr for some shopping. Our lunch was late at Kaashi chat bhandar, again walkable from our hotel. Varanasi is actually a very small city. its like HSR and Koramangala put together, maybe Domlur too :) But just like in BLR, distance is measured in time not in kms. We had the evening flight back. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am not sure if I will ever go back to Varanasi. It is an experience lived but is it repeatable? I am not sure but I find the answer leaning more towards a yes than a no. It is surprising. I am not sure why is it so? Fundamentally, Kashi and its galis is the microcosm of India, you have to embrace the city just like you embrace this country. with all its positives and what nots. Who knows what future holds. Maybe there are more ghat walks. </div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-10073272596977915962023-08-13T04:02:00.007+05:302023-08-13T04:02:47.852+05:30Merthi Gudda - A 'technical' trek<p> Merthi Gudda - A 'technical' trek</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJXobSlFO4mJGZc8JMgvXBsQxRB1XHUvezU6t9fMNUaR1rWPbi4hWMFVZ14w1Yl_PWljXHYxydD5tXRKdqs4VLfrWhPIfUzHzX7cdC2tpoeNSzlH5jh95O7oNmNqD1TVcgPNK-yhZFsroGwZXFMKAgJ3WiEMTSzmBvZMkbuGCuDgCyYf0xA8qUmYOz9Z9/s4096/IMG20230708110753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJXobSlFO4mJGZc8JMgvXBsQxRB1XHUvezU6t9fMNUaR1rWPbi4hWMFVZ14w1Yl_PWljXHYxydD5tXRKdqs4VLfrWhPIfUzHzX7cdC2tpoeNSzlH5jh95O7oNmNqD1TVcgPNK-yhZFsroGwZXFMKAgJ3WiEMTSzmBvZMkbuGCuDgCyYf0xA8qUmYOz9Z9/w640-h480/IMG20230708110753.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>Monsoon treks in Western Ghat is an experience in itself. You do it just for the experience of trekking, because most likely your views are going to be cloudy. And then there are leeches as well, you have to get used to them. Wet trails, slippery rocks, slushy ground, all makes the trek to be fairly interesting, sometimes risky as well. </p><p>Merthi Gudda is a lesser known peak in the Kudremukh range. Our plan was to do Kudremukh trek but due to some incident (someone had died), they had closed the trek for two weeks. Our plan then changed to go to Merthi Gudda. This was a guided trek organized by Shyam, an avid runner. I got connected via my running group (JJ - Jayanagar Jaguars) </p><p>Shyam was really awesome and so were my trek friends. Theirs was an existing circle and I was the newbie noob. Most of them were kannadigas but they made me feel welcome. They helped me a lot in the trail when some patches were difficult to climb.</p><p>The itinerary - Take the bus from Majestic on Fri night. Reach Kalasa in the morning. Get a hotel to freshen up. Have an early breakfast and start the trek. Finish the trek by evening, go back to hotel and clean up. Dinner and take the bus back on Sat night. The Sat night bus was sleeper and Fri night was semi-sleeper. It was a packed schedule. We were asked to carry tiffin boxes for packed lunch. </p><p>The trail of Merthi Gudda is amazing. I loved it. It was 'technical' - a new term shared by Shyam during the trail. I liked the term, did not understood it how a trail can be 'technical'. But on the trail I realized why was it called so - it was not a slam dunk easy. The trek will be called moderate difficulty level but there are some portions, like some rock steps where one has to take extra precautions (and sometimes support of peers) to climb up. </p><p>There were leeches but I did not bother - that is the trick. It had a decent uphill climb, first 20 mins in sludgy mud where I struggled. And some more climbs after that :) But the best part of this trail is that a significant portion is ridge walk - you walk from one hill to another, walking on the ridge. I have always wanted to do ridge walks. Whenever I see hill outlines from a distance, my first thought is how it will be to walk on the ridge, LOTR scenes on ridge walks were my fav as well, they had always fascinated me. Ridge walks made this trail awesome but I also learnt a lesson - Ridge walks are not that easy either, sure it depends on the ridge but not all of it was easy. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6V0f7h-xSu_shJPTqdfhIuJb2DUjILMMBJ86RtPZTRw7tZ1NhAraibWJIYGy41dFIXpf5qDnkiIb5BP2ta-3gu50T0JIxPkb82_zJ7bCAFkLQpi2ksWnRwtGLVoT9WZd18OJ_F9N6vOfzqYU92edsOv7fmyLDihtpsaqRWiry38LRaQX37dYvERFAEeme/s4000/IMG_20230708_130322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6V0f7h-xSu_shJPTqdfhIuJb2DUjILMMBJ86RtPZTRw7tZ1NhAraibWJIYGy41dFIXpf5qDnkiIb5BP2ta-3gu50T0JIxPkb82_zJ7bCAFkLQpi2ksWnRwtGLVoT9WZd18OJ_F9N6vOfzqYU92edsOv7fmyLDihtpsaqRWiry38LRaQX37dYvERFAEeme/w640-h480/IMG_20230708_130322.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>We climbed couple of hills, one was a steep one. The hill tops were view-less, surrounded by clouds, extremely windy. It rained most of the time, raincoats were helpful. Truth be told, compared to the gang, I had struggled, I was the last one in the group. They were very kind to give me company in the end, I was not a lot behind but my fitness or the lack of it was in display. I was also trekking after a very long time. My fitness thankfully had improved due to recent runs. I was ok, not that bad either but not like them. </p><p>We had our packed lunch somewhere between hills. I had got some leech bites but it was not painful. The walk down was through this amazing treeline - this is yet another awesome thing about this trail - the upstream and downstream are totally different trails. We walked a total of about 9kms. I was fairly tired by the end of it. </p><p>Back at the hotel, there was no hot water so a cold bath was also an experience. I slept like a baby in the bus ride back. And slept through most of my Sunday as well :) Overall, very happy to have done the trek. Liked the trail, the group and everything about it. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdyP3ShZogWTabE2N2nXIX7Ho5O9FitGjFIbWVC2mrkuhH53Ve-B4LbnIWCfWhB7S4KySkT3w2kyySnnctt8EHwpxDn0yifEx2Ub9T_ooq8L47dDCePrKeukbj0JbJIekqxQHqe94YIFT5xvzJ9EKMiDRiUuv-O3cF-vEBMp63cOZf4-BbhASuBEcmdSc/s4000/IMG20230708142501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdyP3ShZogWTabE2N2nXIX7Ho5O9FitGjFIbWVC2mrkuhH53Ve-B4LbnIWCfWhB7S4KySkT3w2kyySnnctt8EHwpxDn0yifEx2Ub9T_ooq8L47dDCePrKeukbj0JbJIekqxQHqe94YIFT5xvzJ9EKMiDRiUuv-O3cF-vEBMp63cOZf4-BbhASuBEcmdSc/w640-h480/IMG20230708142501.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnwCMj_L4HGIQ2Muo5E-XvgYUK6njbIvsHrtK9-afaL1cJULd0E_6I045WmHRUFXeiza_1Sfo6cqTx72D_bC5cG_6MPRx5M3vEG54GKxbiMQqtnwCVV9i87tE3XkXl-CzyQQiXvekzHDGW2OPuhecz5EjBEgOcIa6TxNj9mhrUhOKnOaRPoy9_Y0t0DDX/s4000/IMG20230708135556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNGifj7XduBSbzaueNYhcItfjQ4bRwiimvto1pcgHhwAZlW9H6voGy5y78dQqpBF2f-L4sumih9A5XPO6V00jYGcv-kIpQG1K-M7hw3q-hNdTgjszLfuMwo4z_SLYKKfk28qIBOR0eoXj4Bb7SkpNWvqGBZ9FnCLyYnEp1imlSCJZfFCgp45kAwvrEy9I/w640-h480/IMG20230708094052.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzk4PQPvwcYta6EU-qcWfwwTfVFLosJuwir9nEgwfFTtU7zdoRlYPCwMFJFcRGkHKQGd4_h3GBM82R0K3B8ag' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-30149372565134414622023-07-23T07:50:00.006+05:302023-08-13T06:01:29.530+05:30Guide to buying managed farmland in Bangalore 2023<p><br /></p><p>Should I buy a farmland? What is the purpose of owning a farmland? Is this a new fad going on? If you are plagued by these questions, then perhaps this post will be useful. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Reasons to invest in a farmland?</b></h3><p>- Connect with the roots - Most of us have come from tier-2/tier-3 towns and now have settled in cities. It is an adjusted life, now a lifestyle, but somewhere in the back of the head, we miss the life of living amongst fields, away from the traffic. I remember my growing years were spent in a house which had a garden with large trees. Very low population, even less pollution. Let's admit, most of our weekend excursions are to get away from the city, we head to Coorg/Chikamgalur to enjoy trees, nature and some tranquility.</p><p>- Be a farmer - Not my reason, but I have heard folks say this. A variant of connect-with-the-roots, many folks come from farming families and this is their way to get back to it. Some do for commercial farming like coffee or arecanut. Others, want to grow their own food, completely organic they say. </p><p>- Retirement home - Where will you be once you retire? Existential life questions are more difficult to answer but having an option now does not hurt. </p><p>- Weekend getaway - After lot of weekend getaways, one realizes that it is not the destination that matters, it is the mindset. The ability to switch off your daily life, relax in nature, go for long walks, enjoy the sunrise, sunset, sound of birds, read a book and have a simple life. </p><p>- Financial investment - This is a new entry to the canon, managed farmlands is a growing industry and this may be another financial investment instrument.</p><p><br /></p><p>No matter what your reasons are, it is eventually an emotional decision. </p><p>Being a farmer is a very idealistic notion, do one week of back bending farm work, looking at economics, water issues, rainfall etc, one realizes that in practice it requires 120% commitment to make it work. We are so inured in our city lifestyles - access to doctors, dentists, cinema halls, high speed internet connectivity that decoupling from this is like entering a de-addiction program. Can be done, hard at first but it is realizable. </p><p>So, one has to accept that it is going to be an emotional decision. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>How much area do I need ? </b></h3><p>Once the emotional decision is reached, there comes the next practical one - how much area (sq.ft / acres) should I go for. Typically, managed farmlands start with 0.25 acres (~11k sq. ft) and then go to 0.5 acres, 1 acres and beyond. </p><p>The answer to this is deceptively simple. You buy land that you can financially afford. There is no end to the area that you will need to make satisfy your needs. Similarly, your neighbors, friends will always have something that you desire - bigger areas, lake inside their plot, what not, what not. </p><p>So, stick to a decent financial discipline. One blessing in disguise here is that there are not bank-loans for buying a farmland, so you will have to dip in your savings/investments to buy this.</p><p>Keep in mind that legally, only 10% of the farmland can be used for residential purpose. Remaining has to be for agriculture purpose only. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Why should I go the managed route? Why not buy directly? </b></h3><p>In my observation, a managed farmland is at-least 2.5x more expensive than buying directly. 2.5x is a fairly steep multiplier when it comes to real-estate. So, why bother going the managed route ?</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Authenticity of title - Buying land is fraught with so many title verification intricacies that it is very difficult to navigate this. Particularly, when you are not versed with local language / local laws. The company, which manages the farmland, plays a key role to validate the authenticity, get necessary approvals etc to ensure that it can not be disputed in any court of law. </li><li>Maintaining the land - Let's be realistic. No-matter what happens, it is not that you will leave your city home and move to this farmland. So, in your absence, you need someone to maintain the place, ensure trees, crops are getting nutrition etc. A key part is water maintenance - in city you just assume that you will get water, rain-water drainage exists. In farmlands, water will accumulate in your plot, mechanisms are needed for harvesting, preservation etc. This is a fairly important part of this management. </li><li>Security - Khosla-ka-ghosla situations are not uncommon, atleast the fear is always there. Having a company ensure security provides that comfort to sleep peacefully. </li><li>Having a community - Sense of commune, group of folks agreeing to live by a common set of dreams and rules, having the social fabric to rely on each other is not only appealing but a key ingredient for happiness.</li><li>Clubhouse and other amenities - Most managed farmland companies also maintain a clubhouse kind of setup, with few rooms to stay. This is needed to stay there, tend to your plot while you get it in a shape that you can enjoy. Some companies are planning to make this into resort-like setup with swimming pools, kids play area etc while others are keeping it minimal. </li></ul><div>One more side-case scenario is when a bunch of friends come together to buy a large land and then divide amongst themselves. Then the management is split between the group instead of one. This is also a good option, provided you have such good friends who are aligned to this idea. In the absence of it, managed one seems like the next best option. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Managed Farmland considerations</h3><div><br /></div><div>Ok, so you have decided to buy a managed farmland. What are the other factors that should be considered?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Distance (or time) from your current place </b>- There are options in Chikamagalur, Coorg, Kanakpura, North Bangalore, as far as Goa as well. However, they key factor is how much you are ok to travel to visit this farmland. A related question is how frequently you want to travel. </div><div>In our case, we know that the charm of traveling will wave off after few months and after that it would be a chore to visit. Hence, having so in close proximity to where we live is an important factor. A 2 hr commute to get to this place is acceptable. 4 hrs is not. 2-3 hr is manageable but not ideal. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Location of the property - </b>Since we live in HSR, we explored options at Thalli, Denkanikottai and Kanakapura. Jain farms near Hosur was also an option but they didn't respond back in time. </div><div><br /></div><div>The location you decide influences your cost of per sq. ft. Kanakpura is huge, the away you go from Nice road, the price decreases and you are more towards nature. Closer to BLR is expensive, it is simple.</div><div>One other factor is Hosur and south of it is actually in Tamil Nadu while Kanakapura is in Karnataka. State change have implications in registration charges, language and other laws. In Karnataka, up until recently, one can not buy a farmland directly, this rule was changed only in last 3-4 years. Tamil Nadu is more friendly but they have a higher stamp duty charges. For us, state boundaries were never a consideration. Price per sq. ft definitely was :) </div><p></p><p></p><div><br /></div><div><b>Location of the plot within the property</b>- Even within a community, plot location implies amount of wind, water that you get. Some are at slightly higher altitude leading to better air flow while others may have better options for lake etc. And just like any real estate, plots tend to sell quickly, so once you like it, make an offer as quickly as possible. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Quality of the management company </b>- Just like in apartments, builder matters, similarly, the management company matters a lot. You can get early hints on how they are crafting the message, their brochure, their temporary setup, calls etc. We saw one farmland plot which is surrounded by hills on all sides, lush green and an amazing locale and we saw a really good plot. But, the management was not up to the bar. They didn't had drinking water available, local staff was also ill equipped to handle queries. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are also some management companies which are ok for their plot owners to use more than 10% of the plot size for residential purpose. We visited one which was again looking like a concrete city type construction, just at a bigger scale. We also saw other companies which were little more pedantic on the farming side, very prescriptive on things like you can not have your own boundary fencing as it will destroy the aesthetic look. So there is a spectrum here. </div><div><br /></div><div>Other important factor is who are the promoters of the company. Many real estate companies are venturing into this as a mechanism of financial instrument diversity. There are also few startup-ish firms who are trying to make this as first class lifestyle decision choice. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Amenities -</b> My usecase of this place was that it should be usable as a weekend getaway. It is likely that we will not build any house immediately, so having a clubhouse with amenities like swimming pool will be helpful for us to visit this place as a weekend getaway. So, clubhouse rooms with kitchen setup and amenities became an important consideration for us to consider a commune. </div><div><br /></div><div>The golden rule of any real estate buying is <i>sabko sab kuch nahin milta (You do not get everything). </i>The key is to know which trade offs are acceptable and which ones are not. Eventually, you have to make a decision. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Management companies that we explored - </b></h3><div>It does not make sense to talk in terms of projects because most of them are selling out quickly. Each company has its philosophy and principles. Below is merely our observations and you may or may not agree to them. It is a biased subset with our prejudiced notions. Disclaimer shared to avoid any future defamation cases :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.hosachiguru.com/">Hosachiguru</a> </div><div>Properties visited - Sambramha farms Denkanikottai, Dhanvi farms Kanakpura</div><div>Hosachiguru is very active in digital media - they have ads on Insta, webinars happening every weekend, largely on educating a farmland but targeting to the digital IT crowd of BLR. Hosachiguru can be credited for seeding this whole farmland idea to many IT people. </div><div>I liked Hosachiguru, they were more oriented towards the agricultural aspects. They had well defined water pathways that flow through their plots. They also had a more extensive brochure on trees and plantations. They were fairly limited on amenities though.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.urban-farmers.co/">UrbanFarmer</a></div><div>Properties visited - Bird berry Kanakpura. </div><div>Quiet a fancy website. Absolutely stunner of location in Kanakapura. Just the drive to bird berry was amazing. It is meant for a resort :) But quiet far from our place - their brochure says only "1 hour" from Nice road as if Nice road was city centre. They can definitely improve their on-site experience, when we visited it was looking deserted. Plus, didn't look like any agriculture thing was going on. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://aranyakaa.com/">Aranyakaa farms</a></div><div>Properties visited - Vrindavan, Tapovan, Shivalik hills. </div><div>Offering a nice balance between real estate world and farmlands, Aranyakaa seems to be heavily betting on this space. Like a young start-up, they are moving fast and have invested in good onsite experience as well. Vrindavan for example has a igloo-like tent setup for stay as well. Each project has a clubhouse with food options. Some projects have more amenities than others. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.prakruthifarms.com/">Prakruthi farms</a></div><div>Properties visited - Prakruthi farms, Nature senses. </div><div>Prakruthi farms seems to be more mature, didnt had an office. We took a trip in our car only. Nature senses is a huge project and they seem to be focussing on it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We didn't explore north of Bangalore options because it would be too far and also, heard that water options on that side are limited. Other farms considered - Jain farms but did not get any revert. Sanvi Sandalwood - called them but never visited them. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Other things to keep in mind - </b></div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Move fast :) - Plots will get sold out. Your interest may dwindle. So, once you have momentum, leverage it and then close at the earliest. </li><li>Asking around may not help since everyone else is doing it as an experiment. This is a second-home concept. Most folks are unaware and those who have done so, have done it with varied reasons. </li><li>Proximity to hospitals was a criterion that many folks shared but I have not included here. I think hospitals will develop over time, and nothing will compare to BLR facilities. Plus, I have a personal belief that life should not be governed based on proximity to hospitals. Rather live in nature and invest in health so that this becomes a moot point. </li><li>Manage finances well - there are no home loans available. </li><li>Get a lawyer to review documents.</li></ul><div>For any interesting ideas, questions, you can reach out to me at arvindbatra@gmail.com </div></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-11452259766678683692023-07-22T08:26:00.005+05:302023-07-22T08:27:26.509+05:30Malnad 2023 - A perfect monsoon escapade<p> </p><p>Monsoon in Western Ghats is meant to be explored. One has to get outside, soak in the rain and walk amidst the clouds. Yes, there are leeches but they only suck the bad blood :) Once you accept the sight of blood coming out, slimy creatures crawling inside your shoe cracks, you realize that it is not painful, then, it is just another part of nature and the whole idea in the first place is to soak yourself in nature. </p><p>This was an Eid long weekend and it was known that everyone from BLR is traveling. There are certain areas in Western Ghats which are insanely crowded that instead of enjoying nature, it sometimes becomes a walk through metro train. So, the place that you choose becomes very important. The irony is not lost on me that I am part of the problem of this man-in-nature and this blog is going to make unknown places more discoverable, but hey, there is a price to pay to travel in India and one has to be selective about it. </p><p>We decided to travel to Kodachadri/Nittur region. Shimoga/Sharavati valley is something that I was meaning to explore for sometime. Kodachadri's views are something that I wanted to see for a long time. This was anyways a plan hatched 10 days before the travel time, so places were sold out. Fortunately, we found a nice Airbnb - Haalkere homes. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Day 1 - BLR to Sharavati valley</b></p><p>We left BLR at around 4:20 am with all luggage packed in our i10 car (equivalent to Thar for us :) ) Breakfast was at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g1676032-d12404643-Reviews-Upadhya_Veg-Chitradurga_Chitradurga_District_Karnataka.html">Upadhyay veg Chitradurga </a>which can be avoided. Not a great start food-wise. We were little hungry and this place was rated well on G-maps. But, it was not the case. </p><p>Our first stop was at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tunga+bhadra+sangama+Kudli/@14.0060015,75.6741936,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x7a9d72facde92a7b?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj6yMXI2pSAAxX3cGwGHUJCBl4Q_BJ6BAhKEAA&ved=2ahUKEwj6yMXI2pSAAxX3cGwGHUJCBl4Q_BJ6BAhSEAg">Tunga Bhadra Sangama Kudli</a> - a place where rivers Tunga and Bhadra join. It is a beautiful place with a 9th century era clean temple next to it. But our experience was marred since the Sangama was littered with idols, trash from Puja etc. This should have been an extreme serene place, it is a serene place but we have kind of destroyed its natural calmness. I did not enjoy this place as much as I would have liked to. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStjuzA1iv4Z5-gFLE-M14MoG_5e5eTsSwjzQyW1ET_VAS_NEhaozkxcr09JkGYju2ovNmM6zlFsGy-LWFa1d-wbsT8nGID40kuCPZFdCvLy1YC5hbZ8-Meq6-JyTa7AKF52dh9ol-1jr3xsT0GWmAtK6XLureeUYo6SLdZkoZxmhCxfwpfVLlxm9eymIT/s2046/IMG_20230629_112549-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStjuzA1iv4Z5-gFLE-M14MoG_5e5eTsSwjzQyW1ET_VAS_NEhaozkxcr09JkGYju2ovNmM6zlFsGy-LWFa1d-wbsT8nGID40kuCPZFdCvLy1YC5hbZ8-Meq6-JyTa7AKF52dh9ol-1jr3xsT0GWmAtK6XLureeUYo6SLdZkoZxmhCxfwpfVLlxm9eymIT/w640-h640/IMG_20230629_112549-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We stopped for lunch in Hosanagar. The highest recommended place was closed and a Udupi aahara thali had a match stick dipped in the dal. So, we ditched it and our it looked like that this will be a bad-food-trip. Weended up a hole-in-the-wall place called <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x3bbb85945339cb95%3A0xb9e2d7ac453fe06d!3m1!7e115!4s%2Fmaps%2Fplace%2Fmalnad%2Bmess%2Bhosanagar%2F%4013.9171011%2C75.0684525%2C3a%2C75y%2C5.07h%2C90t%2Fdata%3D*213m4*211e1*213m2*211seJhUFZwnwB87h8zUQ4OXdA*212e0*214m2*213m1*211s0x3bbb85945339cb95%3A0xb9e2d7ac453fe06d%3Fsa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwjyxrj12pSAAxVlTGwGHVM_B-8Qpx96BAg_EAA!5smalnad%20mess%20hosanagar%20-%20Google%20Search!15sCgIgAQ&imagekey=!1e2!2seJhUFZwnwB87h8zUQ4OXdA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjyxrj12pSAAxVlTGwGHVM_B-8Qpx96BAhUEA0">Malnad mess and catering</a>, and it was very a homely authentic Malnad food with thin and soft Akki roti, Jowar roti, hot sambhar and very tasty palaya (sabzi). Our food fate just turned.</p><p>For stay, our Airbnb was about 45 mins from Nittur, base town for Kodachadri. <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g2531527-d2695817-Reviews-Haalkere_Homes-Sagara_Shimoga_District_Karnataka.html">Haalkere homes</a>, is right at the banks of Sharavati valley/back-waters and I have been meaning to visit this place for about 10 years now. Get-Beyond-Limits was an outdoor trek organizer (they have shut shop now :( ), they had this trek to Sharavati valley and their cover photo had this back water with dead wooden trees standing erect with black crows sitting on them. This imagery amidst green forest always wanted me to travel here. It is amazing how a photo seen a decade ago can leave such a subconscious impression. </p><p>Sharavati valley was dry - a sign that rainfall has not been enough this year. The good part here was that now we could walk on this valley floor and it was soft, muddy. We did a short 3-4km walk. There were no other people, just the two of us walking with forests on the left and right banks, with slight drizzle, it was surreal. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZCPGcH4oIltYHzbfaEyVokRG7y1Tf7V90aLQTlPrCjcwY_-br_h2y5zv7aXrUaV5rhtGJc3gxZHidnPTPwNiBjJoKS6w8SxDfXcyNQEWSxGvQL80k39p9g3GgJirEXyhOi6tvTTdGRJ-U_vTxEpkPcaO3JHCBYKhDW8FyqUDm6SnHZrIlI4jEN442OQ5/s1225/IMG20230629174616-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="1225" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZCPGcH4oIltYHzbfaEyVokRG7y1Tf7V90aLQTlPrCjcwY_-br_h2y5zv7aXrUaV5rhtGJc3gxZHidnPTPwNiBjJoKS6w8SxDfXcyNQEWSxGvQL80k39p9g3GgJirEXyhOi6tvTTdGRJ-U_vTxEpkPcaO3JHCBYKhDW8FyqUDm6SnHZrIlI4jEN442OQ5/w640-h640/IMG20230629174616-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Haalkere homes is a rustic no-frills homestay where our warm hosts served authentic local Malnad cuisine. Malnad meal is a two course dinner - first is Roti with paalya (sabzi) and next course is rice, sambhar, rasam. We relished it. Homestay is decent, but we were expecting toileteries, towels etc but we had to buy them. </p><p><br /></p><p>Day 2 - Kodachadri</p><p>There is no network at Haalkere homes, thankfully they had wifi to make some internet calls. Thankfully our homestay owners had booked us a Jeep to take us to the top of Kodachadri. Day 2 started with a homemade dosas, sambhar, chutney and then a drive to Nittur. </p><p>Nittur is a small town and our driver met us on the road, just guessing that we would arrive at the intended time. I just love it when folks show up on time, old-school coordination - time and place is all that is needed. No calls to further coordinate. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">There are two ways to enjoy western ghats - One for the views (Oct onwards) and one for the weather (monsoon).</span></i> </p><p><br /></p><p>Kodachadri can be trekked to the top with a 8Km long trail but we took the Jeep and walked the last 1.5 kms. It was full misty but the trek was enjoyable. We were walking through the clouds :) There is a temple on top of Kodachadri with decent footfalls, we saw lot of families, old Aunties in Saris, walking this narrow trail to get to the top. With trekking pole, anti-leech socks, we were definitely over dressed :) leading to good stares. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jb963bIoTJt_2aMCKfNnKEPEir7UZQ9x_GrH4Lv3s2mfBrA2b-UGSfq_DuAGvWlGsl3P1BG5u-88b-7VVnKony57WzfOyTzDaFXlBqFP__jauYe0bh1Rcco4NKfm8nghm0c-6Sbq7PXrS8foe2XjqavxbaADUX-SibkZDzF_zi7R6SfpgQ0m9Qkaoq1B/s4096/IMG20230630112028.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jb963bIoTJt_2aMCKfNnKEPEir7UZQ9x_GrH4Lv3s2mfBrA2b-UGSfq_DuAGvWlGsl3P1BG5u-88b-7VVnKony57WzfOyTzDaFXlBqFP__jauYe0bh1Rcco4NKfm8nghm0c-6Sbq7PXrS8foe2XjqavxbaADUX-SibkZDzF_zi7R6SfpgQ0m9Qkaoq1B/w640-h480/IMG20230630112028.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>By the time. we came back to the car, clouds cleared up a bit. Our luck with mist continues to be there . Fortunately, there was a spot (known as Shooting point) where we could get some good views </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIv9FXDeiQatlpByLuBRgRFJc7Aqg8LqvZdsKtIDkyE5u3hDqLe0kCXmGCDhzdTxMo7eXoCXaGbkuhCBhySR_i_fbFq8VniO7RWTKgwmFq5n6lR5Ab6kvILL0NChLV-ao-R7lpjtFsrPEzGqeI1TL0aAhCnagC1xEfsmXYi_sY_xC3_O8__os7jIPEEWaN/s4000/IMG_20230630_115121.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIv9FXDeiQatlpByLuBRgRFJc7Aqg8LqvZdsKtIDkyE5u3hDqLe0kCXmGCDhzdTxMo7eXoCXaGbkuhCBhySR_i_fbFq8VniO7RWTKgwmFq5n6lR5Ab6kvILL0NChLV-ao-R7lpjtFsrPEzGqeI1TL0aAhCnagC1xEfsmXYi_sY_xC3_O8__os7jIPEEWaN/w640-h480/IMG_20230630_115121.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWE9Cxqghj0iQE6RoEZs8ccfp51AJrxCxXOo0jm1gk6KtAGgvJwEGaQe0s2N22cqzT0EJtgM3OKd-XWD2mShM0a-1yWyWGyNxLXTVOLx1CquXPPdKvPwo1TmwMvgVyUQFDmCjJZjdgVZhvFeguNHmsMV7fGH0EUooQvQSQ8BA1yoVZ1HbCfNwAYK7aWFx/s9984/IMG20230630115034.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="9984" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWE9Cxqghj0iQE6RoEZs8ccfp51AJrxCxXOo0jm1gk6KtAGgvJwEGaQe0s2N22cqzT0EJtgM3OKd-XWD2mShM0a-1yWyWGyNxLXTVOLx1CquXPPdKvPwo1TmwMvgVyUQFDmCjJZjdgVZhvFeguNHmsMV7fGH0EUooQvQSQ8BA1yoVZ1HbCfNwAYK7aWFx/w640-h230/IMG20230630115034.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>After getting down from Kodachadri, we went to have lunch at Annapurna hotel in Nittur. We got company of a stranger who had come solo and was ok to join us. Post lunch, we went to Hidlumane falls. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfreV2t7pKLtICgYiIHO-qKByNjQoloPJDuFVykqOajdJepxo1sWFU0VxdGsBYBVvMvx84jbcAvQeH_-1GY-tzJxSovgifzizf4w8WXGVJz68t8WWgnICYeVnI9OyC_vjhQbMwPgSLCnZsrk4rVhblhS2KTrD9Q7W1imeH-hKJUKr6TIuZmcDQRF4U5Gc/s2046/IMG20230630135456-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfreV2t7pKLtICgYiIHO-qKByNjQoloPJDuFVykqOajdJepxo1sWFU0VxdGsBYBVvMvx84jbcAvQeH_-1GY-tzJxSovgifzizf4w8WXGVJz68t8WWgnICYeVnI9OyC_vjhQbMwPgSLCnZsrk4rVhblhS2KTrD9Q7W1imeH-hKJUKr6TIuZmcDQRF4U5Gc/w640-h640/IMG20230630135456-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Hidlumane falls trail is something, our driver said that falls have multiple steps and after 2nd step, you will have to use rope to climb. It was insanely slippery and Kanishka after seeing the trail decided to return after the first two steps. I was looking for ropes only to realize that these are roots of trees that can be used as ropes. I made the daring call to climb up and go to the main fall. Water flow was not that much, again not much rains. It was a difficult trail, slippery but I managed to do it<br /><p></p><p>Kanishka drove us back to the homestay, from Nittur to Haalkere homes, her first time in ghats and rain. Dinner was same but this time, it was beetroot Sambhar. </p><p><br /></p><p>Day 3 - Kaveledurga fort </p><p>Breakfast was homemade Katori idlis. We stopped at Annapurna again to have their Mangalore buns but that was a disappointment. Day 3 plan was to visit Kaveledurga fort and then night stay at Elephant camp, Jungle lodges. </p><p>Drive to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavaledurga_Fort">Kavaledurga fort</a> was really good, scenic and very few cars. We really loved the fort, it was a perfect mix of hike, awesome views, walking in rain, stony trail, forest trail. It was a 2k+1km hike one way, 2km to get to the fort and 1Km from there to reach to the top point. We stopped near the fort first to get some good views</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkilrXaHyxY8wNv_374Nh4yCWZYvdIGU_A38f_sK8aRQWROTZ67R7xNgyjygEOb2mP438bd5eetG3JQwJMbN9Y2J0rLmRFGkw3sZfVgi7qDeggCsjJZfKp1lqiMKf5iFlzuX-9s7srizsFlQmqPI7ONA5jRNB37WuKrf2mZS8ADGM7kXVHc_KLhbegK3C2/s8192/IMG20230701112229.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6144" data-original-width="8192" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkilrXaHyxY8wNv_374Nh4yCWZYvdIGU_A38f_sK8aRQWROTZ67R7xNgyjygEOb2mP438bd5eetG3JQwJMbN9Y2J0rLmRFGkw3sZfVgi7qDeggCsjJZfKp1lqiMKf5iFlzuX-9s7srizsFlQmqPI7ONA5jRNB37WuKrf2mZS8ADGM7kXVHc_KLhbegK3C2/w640-h480/IMG20230701112229.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>After the fort, there is trail that goes to the top of the hill. Very beautiful trail and easily doable. When we started to climb, it was clear sky but by the time we reached the peak, weather gods smiled and gave us a cloudy experience. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzYG80yaZTPHiUPnXSMzndBlWj7_wB8XpgQqZeMkihJSLJPLoX2QD-2RVlLd0eaXwlnZmMDtz2Tbmvq2nrnfw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /></div>Kavaledurga is a nice excursion and one I would highly recommend. <div><br /></div><div>Lunch was at Tirthahalli at cafe Mayura. Okay-ish lunch. We drove to <a href="https://www.junglelodges.com/resort/sakrebyle-elephant-camp/">Sakrabyle elephant camp</a> and reached there by 4 pm. At this point, I wanted to relax and I decided to skip all the Jungle lodge activities - walk, see elephants etc. Sakrabyle Jungle lodge is neat, well maintained and living within forest. Stay-wise, it is very good. Activity-wise, no way close to River tern :) (Yes, I will compare)</div><div><br /></div><div>I relaxed on the hammock, read some book and then slept early. Next day morning, we left early to reach BLR by lunch time. We wanted to have Sunday evening to relax and get back to routine. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p>This was a perfect monsoon escapade with lot of walks in rain. Ponchos, trekking poles had the highest ROI. So happy to have done it this season and maybe one such trip has to happen every year. Also, Kodachadri deserves one more trip to see the views :) </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-82403542540896953582023-07-16T12:07:00.006+05:302023-07-16T12:13:32.229+05:30Life in 27th Mar 2023 to July 16 2023<p>Just as objects in the rear view mirror are closer than they appear, similarly time in hindsight, (like when I sit to write down this blog), appears to be only yesterday. Feels like it was only a few days ago, I wrote the previous instance of my life-in series. </p><p>A lot of other blog posts are due, some travel posts, and some more. This will be a summary recap and hopefully, I will get time today/this week to cover the rest. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>First things first </b></p><p>(Things that I have done first time in my life)</p><p>Colored my hair - Long outstanding bucket list item to color my hair. Had to act urgently since hairfall is going on :) </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNP3LfFvwiuFOO3DWZp0RGpB4pRYAowB8Aj1g3rGLiACESM9aoe8mtA2n89-GcVHik9YskySSIHTnuSLadyB1N0CEzKMf4CDWRQkZytrGgT53rwl6uAJwqSrmMkeYeSBfBjWROr2j9eLpupOQrnEzxwheYs-z3LP0XGb6DHkqfPUBtFRHhM6vUjEHMAjjG/s1488/IMG_20230629_112417.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1216" data-original-width="1488" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNP3LfFvwiuFOO3DWZp0RGpB4pRYAowB8Aj1g3rGLiACESM9aoe8mtA2n89-GcVHik9YskySSIHTnuSLadyB1N0CEzKMf4CDWRQkZytrGgT53rwl6uAJwqSrmMkeYeSBfBjWROr2j9eLpupOQrnEzxwheYs-z3LP0XGb6DHkqfPUBtFRHhM6vUjEHMAjjG/w400-h328/IMG_20230629_112417.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Thinking what have I done</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><b>Made Vettu Cake -</b> Kanishka and I decided to take the plunge and make Vettu cake. As usual, we had multiple experiments going on. Different sugar types, different shapes. They turned out to be decent, ofcourse no where good to where it should be. But, decent experiment to begin. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3F9q5HtpfURGXRzgThVgybb-xg0SiG2BsNEVW7WzcO1vPPLK9k068yd9EMVhs2j8abS-fjaXlq6B9Uw6xG50-gVduzz3plXFHmcPEZ67hR-t3rtxzrjcdLy_xBVMgs0g8hsIPIi4aDFKskcxf12wUWOBC7iQcHN-zvpadsM4w0hxWampzO6PjGk7LLJ1I/s2046/IMG20230429152116-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="1535" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3F9q5HtpfURGXRzgThVgybb-xg0SiG2BsNEVW7WzcO1vPPLK9k068yd9EMVhs2j8abS-fjaXlq6B9Uw6xG50-gVduzz3plXFHmcPEZ67hR-t3rtxzrjcdLy_xBVMgs0g8hsIPIi4aDFKskcxf12wUWOBC7iQcHN-zvpadsM4w0hxWampzO6PjGk7LLJ1I/w300-h400/IMG20230429152116-COLLAGE.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><br /></p><p>Color coordinated t-shirts - Kanishka and I decided to have same color coordinate T-shirts for our combined birthday treat. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOhzWxGvaDHNnJ9yHBL9vvmP4YGhFCSgCaRlvDcCi6SLb7UP15SoveFJuz-PergC4SKvSghMum_caOaegEDD8Hzb4Q15kwoLsrS5Y8wfm-WtH4RiFd9H1kOhyom4ElWt6SSqYXvw3HIM78S4TFy2vvX1TEqFgVpkbC-s6G7kBtjKhaPXmkE796N0ycF_m/s4000/IMG20230611145238.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOhzWxGvaDHNnJ9yHBL9vvmP4YGhFCSgCaRlvDcCi6SLb7UP15SoveFJuz-PergC4SKvSghMum_caOaegEDD8Hzb4Q15kwoLsrS5Y8wfm-WtH4RiFd9H1kOhyom4ElWt6SSqYXvw3HIM78S4TFy2vvX1TEqFgVpkbC-s6G7kBtjKhaPXmkE796N0ycF_m/w640-h480/IMG20230611145238.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />- Purchased a farm land near Bangalore, detailed post to be published.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>- Thindi walks - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/05/thindi-walk-nr-colony-beganluru.html">Thindi Walk in N.R. Colony organized by Ajit/Enthu-cutlets</a>, Thindi walk in <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/05/thindi-walk-malleshwaram.html">Malleshwaram organized by Kanishka</a><br /><br /><p><b>Travel</b></p><p>(1) Short trip to Goa - Apr 6 - Apr 8. Partly driven by the desire to just rest, partly to go to Casino and rest to just get out of town :) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjI9RtvAWAyhPYGqEBiAEgRGteTI-ojkVrgpfgGtXvXtBWkdXJ1GYMZlsfq3Qba2HNNwL2x5xMYkuGUnKbVsGOT9lhGre3fhDE46OVPKkC2eqaTgoOk-hrnzOmkmwtM5ouQuKTzIHaqIt0n9Pkzt-Pto3TpGv8wZFZLnMqjQEXoIhlbmDELetgi9JcXFl/s4000/IMG20230406110512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjI9RtvAWAyhPYGqEBiAEgRGteTI-ojkVrgpfgGtXvXtBWkdXJ1GYMZlsfq3Qba2HNNwL2x5xMYkuGUnKbVsGOT9lhGre3fhDE46OVPKkC2eqaTgoOk-hrnzOmkmwtM5ouQuKTzIHaqIt0n9Pkzt-Pto3TpGv8wZFZLnMqjQEXoIhlbmDELetgi9JcXFl/w640-h480/IMG20230406110512.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(2) Kodachadri/Malnad - A near perfect monsoon outing to a perfect area in Western Ghats. Detailed post to come but just to say, this was amazing! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4ri8R4vAXa6BDsDukE7kbK_R-753A65moRqRumseAn3KOt9xXUcQamZolvCi8RzL3N1DIu29qQ4K1ruaBXg3vEDq2uEulUv6WjhSe6NqABzDmT__PegqOx7Z2YFHZt9eZU2yMueQ3Igu9qg6bQPx5S9pRWikQJPBa-JrAasuvruaks9hRwfu-NLuoUSf/s4608/IMG20230629181033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4ri8R4vAXa6BDsDukE7kbK_R-753A65moRqRumseAn3KOt9xXUcQamZolvCi8RzL3N1DIu29qQ4K1ruaBXg3vEDq2uEulUv6WjhSe6NqABzDmT__PegqOx7Z2YFHZt9eZU2yMueQ3Igu9qg6bQPx5S9pRWikQJPBa-JrAasuvruaks9hRwfu-NLuoUSf/w640-h480/IMG20230629181033.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(3) Merthi Gudda trek - A short 1-day trip to an amazing trek to Merthi Gudda. Just loved everything about this trek. Full in nature, very few people, great company, 'technical' trek, and an amazing monsoon weather </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtaqlTvXnf4YYnTydZoUOvfvlOLq1l3goeIetI3pHsLa5h9NsOKHQNfbm57hWJrFkOfY2FVByQhHVKHxWq4wZsjDFh8Ubw2qzmpTNXVvHWA3TDaWWid_kzH2NU0I1wcJi671i3P8armuCIEOP4WBr1CGfz7zp2R0jyDTNuc6VtD82MakUO0WfcfMO2Yym/s4096/IMG20230708094229.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtaqlTvXnf4YYnTydZoUOvfvlOLq1l3goeIetI3pHsLa5h9NsOKHQNfbm57hWJrFkOfY2FVByQhHVKHxWq4wZsjDFh8Ubw2qzmpTNXVvHWA3TDaWWid_kzH2NU0I1wcJi671i3P8armuCIEOP4WBr1CGfz7zp2R0jyDTNuc6VtD82MakUO0WfcfMO2Yym/w640-h480/IMG20230708094229.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>(4) Upcoming trips - Because once the wheels start to roll, then they roll :) Likely to go to Varanasi for campus hiring (IIT BHU), Amritsar/Delhi in Aug, Bali in Oct. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Outings - Social and otherwise</b></div><div><br /></div><div>- Club Cabana - A day trip team offsite to the adventure park Club Cabana. Played Mafia :)</div><div><br /></div><div>- Mother's day dinner at Chula Chauki Da dhaba, Sarjapur</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-Ck28RKozXIfpF3nKr4yIEn1bMWwuRbyEwREpESgDhCyyAN1AYt4ZPNVlumvXGm16KIMflMre8pYLAYpQnWM1AkQhdC3ObnC-BNysEKJk3f9sed0bVV5ex_-A7cXvANTRHVjK-oueW2ehUTz6iEg7TosO_162RUV8q5AOc4rsZuWgWRwXMrt0IjA7dNL/s4000/IMG20230514205035.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-Ck28RKozXIfpF3nKr4yIEn1bMWwuRbyEwREpESgDhCyyAN1AYt4ZPNVlumvXGm16KIMflMre8pYLAYpQnWM1AkQhdC3ObnC-BNysEKJk3f9sed0bVV5ex_-A7cXvANTRHVjK-oueW2ehUTz6iEg7TosO_162RUV8q5AOc4rsZuWgWRwXMrt0IjA7dNL/w300-h400/IMG20230514205035.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>- First Haldiram's in HSR - gotta have that Bhatura</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpxGX52SHs5egcW_-17FiTiFTcmU_9NMrxFRswL_H0WQ3DO5PBkOsuHMbE6mUrYNr5nPYEFloy85AcFoqT2MX_LYK6rGXkEVyOH-cVvf72NVYHEjo7j-ep-1bcj2f3VkYXKMO4YuXtsYIjnfSVtXyg2s-o9fACGXoU7Eq22P6BzCIfhEn6IeUSaTFfbFK/s4000/IMG20230523194845.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpxGX52SHs5egcW_-17FiTiFTcmU_9NMrxFRswL_H0WQ3DO5PBkOsuHMbE6mUrYNr5nPYEFloy85AcFoqT2MX_LYK6rGXkEVyOH-cVvf72NVYHEjo7j-ep-1bcj2f3VkYXKMO4YuXtsYIjnfSVtXyg2s-o9fACGXoU7Eq22P6BzCIfhEn6IeUSaTFfbFK/w400-h300/IMG20230523194845.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>- IPL finals at Boho's Koramangala</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUF-TduVQg5IFfCY8jdfXiWzESAT4oM5vR4Lte27yosYg_fpYm_iosZkSuF8oI1dE4pLBah8ZeAu6Dlrwa7I0xwo_ygdgxo5u3HqLjUjgapzS00aW5uJyuOUdjfI7Ck1Q5RK3Y8TrtUxNCseNceK88dYwXSmCk28BYA7lW67VgEVkcEMuJBRvFXny_RPD/s4000/IMG20230529192403.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUF-TduVQg5IFfCY8jdfXiWzESAT4oM5vR4Lte27yosYg_fpYm_iosZkSuF8oI1dE4pLBah8ZeAu6Dlrwa7I0xwo_ygdgxo5u3HqLjUjgapzS00aW5uJyuOUdjfI7Ck1Q5RK3Y8TrtUxNCseNceK88dYwXSmCk28BYA7lW67VgEVkcEMuJBRvFXny_RPD/s320/IMG20230529192403.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>- Kanishka Birthday dinner at Rim Naam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_kmIpUd4SkSzKrZXQeo_AVFDDA6B0bqVEsS0Ecda-NhVgJDzt6cF0W4DbpSWyG2FusSOacbnN68P7mzmrfzfKIQ0HXMQLts9f1BiSblRpC29dOLBIM2X0cX4w1dGEWZRSKAOTX-JSzE0rlxOaBsajtSH6JwCucvUGIUL_UckknQeE3wuXPL59PNE_u1D/s4000/IMG20230609191002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_kmIpUd4SkSzKrZXQeo_AVFDDA6B0bqVEsS0Ecda-NhVgJDzt6cF0W4DbpSWyG2FusSOacbnN68P7mzmrfzfKIQ0HXMQLts9f1BiSblRpC29dOLBIM2X0cX4w1dGEWZRSKAOTX-JSzE0rlxOaBsajtSH6JwCucvUGIUL_UckknQeE3wuXPL59PNE_u1D/s320/IMG20230609191002.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Namo's birthday at Sultans of Spice, Koramangala</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Anshika didi'40 birthday celebration</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- BBQ treat of Kanishka & my birthday</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2Yu6wEfxYjPXERQURM4uWzS91LbZQ9pnBZlZfcvBW7CmHAFuRzirFnPwQYzfK6YKec3TzY4dROam2MyyTsV7L3K1csejAjm10ZISB9adYlSyJOpnaI408mWn2Wd0nYfSGB1jsd-DH4SC67Srp-W7n98LQ4HhIlQO8e4e-4Oja4C6k_c2Vnth--8x5Qzj/s2046/IMG20230604155732-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2Yu6wEfxYjPXERQURM4uWzS91LbZQ9pnBZlZfcvBW7CmHAFuRzirFnPwQYzfK6YKec3TzY4dROam2MyyTsV7L3K1csejAjm10ZISB9adYlSyJOpnaI408mWn2Wd0nYfSGB1jsd-DH4SC67Srp-W7n98LQ4HhIlQO8e4e-4Oja4C6k_c2Vnth--8x5Qzj/w640-h640/IMG20230604155732-COLLAGE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>- Lunch with Parul at <a href="https://www.zomato.com/bangalore/yuki-koramangala-5th-block-bangalore">Yuki Koramangala</a> - Great place for pan-Asian cuisine with crafted beer<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div>Other Misc</div><div><br /></div><div>- Went to Board game meetup vipo-games at Dialogues cafe, Koramangala</div><div><br /></div><div>- Ran 15K and participated in HSR Jatre 10K race. </div><div><br /></div><div>- Went again to N.R. Colony for a mini Thindi walk on Aarti's bday. </div><div><br /></div><div>- Board games are back - Played almost all board games, whose rules I know again, in March/April timeframe. Including a back to back game of Powergrid with Justin. Felt good to be back in board-game world </div><div><br /></div><div>- Attended Dance performance by Aarti at the White house </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Movies/TV-Series</div><div><br /></div><div>Surprisingly, I have seen only one movie in cinema hall in this time period - </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/suzume">Suzume</a> - 3.5/5 - Good fun anime movie. Made by Makoto Shinkai (Your Name, Weathering with you), lot of action and kind of a road-movie :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10640346/">Babylon</a> - 3/5 - Takes something to make a film like Babylon. At 3hrs+, it is definitely an experience. Babylon covers time in Hollywood where silent era of films is ending and sound is coming. Brad Pitt was miscast IMO, rest was decent. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_law_according_to_lidia_poet">Lidia Poet TV Series</a> - 3/5 - Gets 3 only for the costumes and concept. Rest is ok. </div><div><br /></div><div>Citizen Kane - 4/5 - Finally, I have seen it :) . One of my top bucket list movies, took me a while to find time to check it. Liked it, definitely lot of fun but somewhat stretched as well. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15421858/">Alaska daily</a> (TV Series) - 3.5/5 - Intersection of journalism, politics with a David vs Goliath battle, I do have a soft spot for such series. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17491088/?ref_=tt_sims_tt_i_12">The Diplomat </a>(TV Series) - 3/5 - Well, its politics, made by folks who were associated with West wing, has Keri Russel of Americans fame, intrigue and mostly office politics. Sign me up! waiting for season 2 </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bear_(TV_series)">The Bear</a> (TV Series) - 4/5 - Binge watched this in an evening, 8-10, 30 min episodes. Liked the food-drama genre. Nicely done!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Recruit - 1/5 I wish I did not see this</div><div>Night agent - 2.5/5 - decent masala series. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rewatched West wing - Season 2-5 . Just like that :) (5/5) even in repeat watching. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-55059266345513397952023-05-14T12:01:00.003+05:302023-05-14T12:01:21.349+05:30Thindi Walk - Malleshwaram<p>Inspired by the <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/05/thindi-walk-nr-colony-beganluru.html">N.R. Colony's Thindi walk</a>, Kanishka decided to plan her own walk - this time in Malleshwaram. But with two people, it was a challenge since sharing is limited. So, we decided to cover only three places and also focus on the walk. Places were identified from Thindi Capital - a Whatsapp group of Thindi lovers. </p><p><br /></p><p>Car park point - Near <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Central+Tiffin+Room/@12.9981436,77.5695575,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x6941d824e3c07d0b?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj35ca-kfT-AhUCTmwGHX5RAZwQ_BJ6BQiPARAI">C.T.R Malleshwaram</a></p><p>By design this place was skipped since it was tried and tested. Also, limited apetite:)</p><p><br /></p><p>Stop 1 - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sri+Raghavendra+Stores/@13.000746,77.5447296,15z/data=!4m10!1m2!2m1!1sraghavendra+hotel+malleshwaram!3m6!1s0x3bae1628690d41f3:0x5d3f7b8cc1e5e0ac!8m2!3d13.000746!4d77.563784!15sCh5yYWdoYXZlbmRyYSBob3RlbCBtYWxsZXNod2FyYW1aICIecmFnaGF2ZW5kcmEgaG90ZWwgbWFsbGVzaHdhcmFtkgEUYnJlYWtmYXN0X3Jlc3RhdXJhbnSaASRDaGREU1VoTk1HOW5TMFZKUTBGblNVUlhPRWxMUVhOUlJSQULgAQA!16s%2Fg%2F124ycq4qf">Shri Raghvendra Stores, Malleshwaram</a></p><p>Located right outside the Malleshwaram train station, this was decently crowded. Its a small hole in the wall setup but amazingly soft Idlis. Chutney was not too chlli but had a nice thick consistency to it. Dosa and vada were ok. Its Idlis are worth to get down at Malleshwaram train station, have breakfast and then take auto/cab to home.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAC70hAU-Lyk3AM9NscA_44cDNVkj3DFsdrWMIDvWWntgyX4KLjKbZW3w46Dfirygu1SvBcWDdfbUVAB-c6kOhiL-iLVEASJGtg_CE54Kp1TD9knqf0Q9G_jAOyz71s61e2tXeMOoiFo9_T2kkVxdSkFpf6DvPhH4I0shsTNGVcmWGeZYuo0XXzJreA/s4000/IMG_20230429_082239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAC70hAU-Lyk3AM9NscA_44cDNVkj3DFsdrWMIDvWWntgyX4KLjKbZW3w46Dfirygu1SvBcWDdfbUVAB-c6kOhiL-iLVEASJGtg_CE54Kp1TD9knqf0Q9G_jAOyz71s61e2tXeMOoiFo9_T2kkVxdSkFpf6DvPhH4I0shsTNGVcmWGeZYuo0XXzJreA/w640-h480/IMG_20230429_082239.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPs4Px330-8PTCuxEKr8-GRm5czpZRdcgKcbH90tuygfQHJ0t2k-iNYeB6HCsj8MQWBxXki_0hCJ4Nrj53UpinlMgRkHqVvQIocZtrqn_H1yOnJC-BGEBSYGE7ROsVRJGGCqhfeTxYAWKNSvk_m9m4UA9SNP8cHboUAXTgSjlx0DKbPs1-gdB9ZcR3Q/s4000/IMG_20230429_082532%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPs4Px330-8PTCuxEKr8-GRm5czpZRdcgKcbH90tuygfQHJ0t2k-iNYeB6HCsj8MQWBxXki_0hCJ4Nrj53UpinlMgRkHqVvQIocZtrqn_H1yOnJC-BGEBSYGE7ROsVRJGGCqhfeTxYAWKNSvk_m9m4UA9SNP8cHboUAXTgSjlx0DKbPs1-gdB9ZcR3Q/w640-h480/IMG_20230429_082532%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='567' height='342' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx7wFY4a9GpVrvVYmFfcyuFYcIXEOEfVzkGLZklNV7YzUyiDjxUKVdZ1qTjr0IC4kIaRRSaXQbcY1VuTLEjbg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stop 2 - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Malleshwaram+Dose+Corner/@13.0072082,77.5709683,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipM8_pO2yq6e7un2u50mqHQs83-qbxVhUbh6CT8M!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipM8_pO2yq6e7un2u50mqHQs83-qbxVhUbh6CT8M%3Dw114-h86-k-no!7i4032!8i3024!4m11!1m2!2m1!1smalleshwaram+benne+dose!3m7!1s0x3bae162db66eab39:0x3ee4c69aa1fdd8c1!8m2!3d13.0070765!4d77.5709676!10e5!15sChdtYWxsZXNod2FyYW0gYmVubmUgZG9zZVoZIhdtYWxsZXNod2FyYW0gYmVubmUgZG9zZZIBF3NvdXRoX2luZGlhbl9yZXN0YXVyYW50mgEkQ2hkRFNVaE5NRzluUzBWSlEwRm5TVVJsZFZCaGJIaG5SUkFC4AEA!16s%2Fg%2F11dxc04zgk">Malleshwaram Dose corner</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Known for its Davangere style Benne (butter) dose, this was a decent walk from first stop. This walk gave us good opportunity to digest the food. The Davangere style dosa was crispy. Chutney was watery, less chilli than the benne dose at NR colony. We decided to Skip the palya (potato) and savored the dosa. Dosa was good. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not very crowded though. It had a nice token system. The place is also very prescriptive though - they had a poster saying - "Dear Citizen, If you are living here and do not know Kannada, please learn and be one among us. Do not be a stranger." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was amusing :) </div><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzAqNZ3Cz3I3fMJd0-cgAByWjBTxmClF9far0rI8UGIo732BlyAuQ8g1vgW7r1Gpfnqcw_juVkRFDpjr54eDEMdXcJ5deec42yOGbisA39HeUeCLqR2yA5Q5LP8zoiUr_ZWaqjvP9KIYeWggv5Jpwqi41gkNqRflJE6HGxdiDI84s6S4LYEVVCn9GvQ/s4000/IMG20230429091216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzAqNZ3Cz3I3fMJd0-cgAByWjBTxmClF9far0rI8UGIo732BlyAuQ8g1vgW7r1Gpfnqcw_juVkRFDpjr54eDEMdXcJ5deec42yOGbisA39HeUeCLqR2yA5Q5LP8zoiUr_ZWaqjvP9KIYeWggv5Jpwqi41gkNqRflJE6HGxdiDI84s6S4LYEVVCn9GvQ/w640-h480/IMG20230429091216.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stop 3 - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Veena+Stores/@13.0056609,77.566744,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x3bae162eebc239d7:0x3f4b0c24f9bb719c!8m2!3d13.0056609!4d77.5693243!16s%2Fg%2F1td1hf9_">Veena Stores, Malleshwaram</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No Thindi walk is possible in Malleshwaram without a stop at Veena stores. Having been there, we decided to only do parcel from this place. Not just for us but for family as well. Even when we had the food at home, it was very tasty. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiakX_03gpZK866aac6F59r_Ys7C96kyOJCAn4mJn1dmCWb0MlZdAIyErLtVXY76OuVUZvU6AAnvPz48jE-xMCGQ-hu-yAEr8uX1DAxE_m1VOXGjIjYgKhwAvJWuCsQ7Tns8Vya-INyvV6PuMESudAHwlwRz5agNaxrX7hHiPAzy1t7J8qQzAS68ZHg/s3264/IMG_20230429_085302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiakX_03gpZK866aac6F59r_Ys7C96kyOJCAn4mJn1dmCWb0MlZdAIyErLtVXY76OuVUZvU6AAnvPz48jE-xMCGQ-hu-yAEr8uX1DAxE_m1VOXGjIjYgKhwAvJWuCsQ7Tns8Vya-INyvV6PuMESudAHwlwRz5agNaxrX7hHiPAzy1t7J8qQzAS68ZHg/w640-h480/IMG_20230429_085302.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stop 4 - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sri+Krishna+Sweets+Private+Limited/@12.9983143,77.5697387,17z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x3bae1625bfab76e5:0x2d485971bcfc7449!8m2!3d12.9983338!4d77.5697077!16s%2Fg%2F1w110mt5">Shri Krishna Sweets Malleshwaram</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kanishka decided to satisfy her Mysore Pak carving here. Shri Krishna sweets perhaps makes the best Mysore Pak. It is dipped in Ghee and sweet, but not very sweet. The Mysore Pak melts in mouth and it is irresistible to have just one. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGv1_Fa45z7CQGTgHhuiw_5A5o-kByWnF5BoGz9QFe4niY6m6j3GF-lbeO6fRNoNPiZ-6zLCpVZyx9AKyCRla8YS-KYievwNKH9r_uVKZgCrD7-7gHXgCud9y9Ucpak9h7vcGT9dQpAejNjjYCsULtoJYB8fiR0P-bTdPL_nXKN-nsC28mNB4819xUDg/s4000/IMG20230429095040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGv1_Fa45z7CQGTgHhuiw_5A5o-kByWnF5BoGz9QFe4niY6m6j3GF-lbeO6fRNoNPiZ-6zLCpVZyx9AKyCRla8YS-KYievwNKH9r_uVKZgCrD7-7gHXgCud9y9Ucpak9h7vcGT9dQpAejNjjYCsULtoJYB8fiR0P-bTdPL_nXKN-nsC28mNB4819xUDg/w480-h640/IMG20230429095040.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stop 5 - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hotel+Janatha/@12.9991156,77.5685602,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x3bae1625700de12f:0x6845035fa8bb08f8!8m2!3d12.9991156!4d77.5711405!16s%2Fg%2F11cssqvxl_">Hotel Janatha</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By this time, our stomachs were full. But hotel Janatha is an iconic shop, having been around for more than 50 years. It has that old place feeling - high walls airy, wooden tables. This is also not a self-serve place, someone comes to take your order. Dosa and Idli were decent. Either we were full or tired, it did not gave us the Aha moment but still pretty decent. Like most of the yesteryear place, it can be made into much better space. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJC927OV2lTB9xryvJiYpc49jAfsqu-TFKZLb1YVtEygjHaLwp3CigzvlNn93KL0Knt9ZsL9jp8R-J_hYcxXFIfTaMrmDxN5bjmWYMi0OdIrKJ71LLTvWCdpvyXEMOZF2rF6XhhsypCzLdYxxX22YuaPrkQ6GXUlWrFmmG2tUbPZYPFQ0yMlbMKCAwA/s4000/IMG_20230429_101102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJC927OV2lTB9xryvJiYpc49jAfsqu-TFKZLb1YVtEygjHaLwp3CigzvlNn93KL0Knt9ZsL9jp8R-J_hYcxXFIfTaMrmDxN5bjmWYMi0OdIrKJ71LLTvWCdpvyXEMOZF2rF6XhhsypCzLdYxxX22YuaPrkQ6GXUlWrFmmG2tUbPZYPFQ0yMlbMKCAwA/w480-h640/IMG_20230429_101102.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrObFNyLcRt1JKaIx_Sjt3AUoxE5vGKxse_ppuaKmKyGeWq_s45paAUWdonuIatF-BhvJEgB41YfVfzWyJmmOI7CNlJxMDZYsbzYyG-FkWZxGF2k82a59sxXw4Ydh4wcw_FvZZc4u25EMA5CqAxGSNwvtxKCbcMEC0yqgz0jYLjaGRcLF89i0uZAQ5ZQ/s4000/IMG_20230429_102248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrObFNyLcRt1JKaIx_Sjt3AUoxE5vGKxse_ppuaKmKyGeWq_s45paAUWdonuIatF-BhvJEgB41YfVfzWyJmmOI7CNlJxMDZYsbzYyG-FkWZxGF2k82a59sxXw4Ydh4wcw_FvZZc4u25EMA5CqAxGSNwvtxKCbcMEC0yqgz0jYLjaGRcLF89i0uZAQ5ZQ/w480-h640/IMG_20230429_102248.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our intention behind this walk was to try out new places. That is why CTR and Veena were skipped. CTR had a long queue outside it. Walking in Malleshwaram is comfy - enough bylanes to avoid traffic, nice trees to have shade. Overall, a delightful breakfast Thindi walk. Took us three hours in total. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-63670917244558955542023-05-02T08:55:00.009+05:302023-05-02T08:55:51.900+05:30Thindi Walk - N.R. Colony, Beganluru<p> </p><p>Kanishka and I did a Thindi walk in N.R. Colony. This walk was organized by <a href="https://twitter.com/ajit_bhaskar">Ajit Bhaskar</a> along with <a href="https://enthucutlet.com/">Enthu Cutlet</a> (what a cool name!) and <a href="https://twitter.com/EdibleIssues">Edible Issues</a>. Icame to know about these walks organized by Ajit on Twitter, started following him and landed on the first one that was organized. </p><p>As a Thindi lover, this walk was delightful, informative, with a gang of people who are serious about their breakfasts. It was super fun. Plus, the new places were super cool. In this blog, I will cover the restaurants but this is just information and the walk is an experience. It is a must! </p><p>Meeting Point - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/South+Kitchen/@12.937999,77.5687306,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x667dea23cbc59750?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiKwIqou9X-AhUycWwGHdzBA78Q_BJ6BAh7EAg">South Kitchen</a>, NR colony</p><p> </p><p>Stop 1 - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hotel+Dwarka/@12.9376697,77.5678428,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x4c1f091a8dfde839?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjj6IG9u9X-AhUbSWwGHfiMDvwQ_BJ6BAhxEAg">Hotel Dwarka</a></p><p>No walk in N.R. colony will be respectable if it does not include the Khali Dosa of NR colony. This is the only place that I had been before out of the below list. Khali Dosa is amazing, fluffy, no oil (yes, it is dosa without oil) along with a liquidy chutney. You dip your dosa in the chutney to just soak it in and then have a bite. It is legendary. </p><p>We also tried the Vada Sambhar here which was also good</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoENZGUdqL-FQE2sbENAKgYC5hsQExbj40Sn7OTQlEqxq4euTxqJS08myix9D9DKpwlT-3UvZggwXl7fAQrotM6_AVzKYO2camg8ugTGhX4SyL_liCtRU43bGHg-UnNqDTLurghDadK8cRFLx3vLvrDR2qZXmeNRMvXI9IAH8pJgpv1JIXY6Jxwn41Pw/s4000/IMG_20230422_080815.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="4000" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoENZGUdqL-FQE2sbENAKgYC5hsQExbj40Sn7OTQlEqxq4euTxqJS08myix9D9DKpwlT-3UvZggwXl7fAQrotM6_AVzKYO2camg8ugTGhX4SyL_liCtRU43bGHg-UnNqDTLurghDadK8cRFLx3vLvrDR2qZXmeNRMvXI9IAH8pJgpv1JIXY6Jxwn41Pw/w640-h292/IMG_20230422_080815.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8529kEaZGX1LsKI8pDyENB3oSE5eZb-Of8CLSwUZRCzc1rn-nl4-eGM9qBZPKnPiSKEvBhJu5t8oqC_oRdt3aWL8yGbrNcHC2U2Rh-QEEJWurtH_Uxtbfu7kooXmf_z9uO3q5ug0VPDID8U4AX6gHFR37e60ALm60H2xx2Apf-rbnADVB9U8X9LEslw/s3614/original_a8a5d216-1bc3-458e-a009-8f59d40e0c31_20230422_082057~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3614" data-original-width="2855" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8529kEaZGX1LsKI8pDyENB3oSE5eZb-Of8CLSwUZRCzc1rn-nl4-eGM9qBZPKnPiSKEvBhJu5t8oqC_oRdt3aWL8yGbrNcHC2U2Rh-QEEJWurtH_Uxtbfu7kooXmf_z9uO3q5ug0VPDID8U4AX6gHFR37e60ALm60H2xx2Apf-rbnADVB9U8X9LEslw/w506-h640/original_a8a5d216-1bc3-458e-a009-8f59d40e0c31_20230422_082057~2.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Stop 2 - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Trupthi+Ahaar/@12.9379863,77.5676645,15z/data=!4m8!3m7!1s0x3bae15067a74c7f9:0x4f97068b4c7d599b!8m2!3d12.9379863!4d77.5676645!9m1!1b1!16s%2Fg%2F11nx5glm0f">Trupthi Aahar</a></div><p>We largely stopped here to get a taste of Mangalore Buns. Again, how can you have a Thindi walk without Mangalore buns. Buns were decent. Not the best :) But still Mangalore Buns plus coffee is a combination that is difficult to beat. We also had a Pudina Masala dosa here, I just had a bite and it was good. This place also deserves respect for its audacity to open right opposite Hotel Dwarka :)</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3xTqeK_Yf9HvvFmeKUDmgVVByE-qCS1RRMlCnomIWXaM7gNw3oj-4kNWGnYtrOx8jg3_gTIw3wr6PVxylXFvl1m5_Kp3N9La1ChMiD-C_9gGSCHgrU54NezBpDMWx05K27iYX-vnkaX8jMQ_HnBK28NhHX7f_XRXivaozAx75PpeWjJ-8bqaf2sMJQ/s3357/20230422_084202~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3357" data-original-width="2611" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3xTqeK_Yf9HvvFmeKUDmgVVByE-qCS1RRMlCnomIWXaM7gNw3oj-4kNWGnYtrOx8jg3_gTIw3wr6PVxylXFvl1m5_Kp3N9La1ChMiD-C_9gGSCHgrU54NezBpDMWx05K27iYX-vnkaX8jMQ_HnBK28NhHX7f_XRXivaozAx75PpeWjJ-8bqaf2sMJQ/w498-h640/20230422_084202~2.jpg" width="498" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stop 2.5: <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sri+Mookambika+Condiments+%26+Bajji+Centre/@12.9379341,77.5680175,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x3f163956b0461b14?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2gtGyxNX-AhUjTmwGHTO3C8EQ_BJ6BAhQEAg">Mookambika sweets</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just ahead of Trupthi Aahar on the way to South Kitchen is this small chat shop called Mookambika. It was not a planned stop but the Rawa Wada (Suji Pakoda) made us stop. Apparently, Hotel Dwarka also has it but only in the 2nd half. Suji Pakoda are anyways my favorite. So good to see it here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LP5Y31pZTN7om_xb_UbxJ-ZfucvwknAb9T2R7HevhEwWsVql8Dd9tctURT5lSvsrWNTh-TPhz17plxDK6p_7OQi7aFps9Xzo_8wxoGOvE-sW7Ola8BZfEOcMQmrJiIDpNVeln1S5mVUU9aJM-9UPBZ3qn8jkz75m1TAHaDbCRUE9jIsDmwT0B68MsQ/s4624/20230422_085809.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LP5Y31pZTN7om_xb_UbxJ-ZfucvwknAb9T2R7HevhEwWsVql8Dd9tctURT5lSvsrWNTh-TPhz17plxDK6p_7OQi7aFps9Xzo_8wxoGOvE-sW7Ola8BZfEOcMQmrJiIDpNVeln1S5mVUU9aJM-9UPBZ3qn8jkz75m1TAHaDbCRUE9jIsDmwT0B68MsQ/w480-h640/20230422_085809.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwMvx3L2VflUSJfzpFXneaQMuH93exZjxsUoji5rbIRCUF2z0XooDnVA3_nnjnZVtxa4b3JVVdUZ_VI1G_ww0XPAfP3WVaKejkLOrD0uy0E0CJQAenj-u8E-0OXPGJxaG85H6VNXBw40WiQt94JaIrMo3QKkkoMaNg-MWgoLbzw6VQSesv6Mfev6gWw/s4624/20230422_085834.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwMvx3L2VflUSJfzpFXneaQMuH93exZjxsUoji5rbIRCUF2z0XooDnVA3_nnjnZVtxa4b3JVVdUZ_VI1G_ww0XPAfP3WVaKejkLOrD0uy0E0CJQAenj-u8E-0OXPGJxaG85H6VNXBw40WiQt94JaIrMo3QKkkoMaNg-MWgoLbzw6VQSesv6Mfev6gWw/w480-h640/20230422_085834.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stop 3 - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Namma+SLN/@12.9447716,77.5671781,17z/data=!3m1!5s0x3bae15f2c0bede95:0x4bda2a7f9673892f!4m10!1m2!2m1!1shotel+SLN+gandhi+bazaar!3m6!1s0x3bae158922a12f97:0x1dc5883e9e8cc62!8m2!3d12.9447716!4d77.5719417!15sChdob3RlbCBTTE4gZ2FuZGhpIGJhemFhcloZIhdob3RlbCBzbG4gZ2FuZGhpIGJhemFhcpIBEWluZGlhbl9yZXN0YXVyYW50mgEkQ2hkRFNVaE5NRzluUzBWSlEwRm5TVVF0TUVsaVUyMUJSUkFC4AEA!16s%2Fg%2F11sgcwny95">Namma SLN, Gandhi Bazaar</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was fair bit of walk from NR colony to Gandhi bazaar but it was worth it to get time to digest the food. Along the way, we crossed Vidyarthi Bhawan and saw huge lines there. Some part of me likes to believe that Ajit planned this intentionally :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Namma SLN is a Darshini in they style of Cubbonpet Muddanna - a variation of breakfast where dosa has a filling of rice bhat inside it. Done so that the breakfast is a meal higher in calories, meant for folks who work in factories, high laborious kind of work, it is a twist to the standard Darshini fair. Served with a delicious chutney, in an open dosa style, it was very delicious. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another tid bit here is that you do not pay before your meal. You come, order from this hole in the wall outlet, eat food outside and then inform the owner what you ate so that he give you the amount to pay. talk about integrity, heh. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/ajit_bhaskar/status/1649774151748714496?s=20">Plus Ajit's tweet sums up my feelings here - </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo28_1lgPVLnfXc277YfSBft0VKc58nncsoyJYJC55RemfiYXobgr61eesKZwSJcmlvaUv8kQdWu48dlFcInRZUaxk9WgG0_fan_wvphg8w5thKv-4dtpPTeMlHbPdlI4-ivglaH-t1bhbU9dueXL1dfrbceLcrzv-DcNGodS5VLrF5GQpa8pWEOAB3Q/s3264/IMG20230422093130.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1840" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo28_1lgPVLnfXc277YfSBft0VKc58nncsoyJYJC55RemfiYXobgr61eesKZwSJcmlvaUv8kQdWu48dlFcInRZUaxk9WgG0_fan_wvphg8w5thKv-4dtpPTeMlHbPdlI4-ivglaH-t1bhbU9dueXL1dfrbceLcrzv-DcNGodS5VLrF5GQpa8pWEOAB3Q/w360-h640/IMG20230422093130.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stop 4 - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Srinivasa+Hotel/@12.9332061,77.5602851,15z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x3bae156c145699ab:0x3e5af40223ed77a8!2sSrinivasa+Hotel!8m2!3d12.9332061!4d77.5690398!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11ghprs9x6!3m5!1s0x3bae156c145699ab:0x3e5af40223ed77a8!8m2!3d12.9332061!4d77.5690398!16s%2Fg%2F11ghprs9x6">Hotel Srinivasa, NR Colony</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, this was a total surprise. Just wow. A hidden gem in between some residential quarters. You know this place is good just by looking at the queue outside. It is known for its chutney dosa, but we could not have it because it had a massive waiting time. We settled for its Podi Thatte idli and it was awesome. Look at the pic below, it is mouth watering just to look at it. This place needs a second visit :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPditR4btYcbU7zs8SCax0K6LKFmM7xKA2I5BElSJiwl9KOuaj8JzytIayt-FmxMCBqNp8VBJRewOpVpp3gmpXvRjuRPOHwEEoi_DKMRSWFATmSnOv2YChHE09kM3wHhtnWTKau-FcGGvxn6CdpU3T0UkLGof5WwPTScNBgF1O9V8psEme3WZJc57Vg/s3359/20230422_104048~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3359" data-original-width="2947" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPditR4btYcbU7zs8SCax0K6LKFmM7xKA2I5BElSJiwl9KOuaj8JzytIayt-FmxMCBqNp8VBJRewOpVpp3gmpXvRjuRPOHwEEoi_DKMRSWFATmSnOv2YChHE09kM3wHhtnWTKau-FcGGvxn6CdpU3T0UkLGof5WwPTScNBgF1O9V8psEme3WZJc57Vg/w562-h640/20230422_104048~2.jpg" width="562" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stop 5 - <span face="TwitterChirp, -apple-system, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sri+Guru+Kottureshwara+Davangere+Benne+Dose/@12.9389237,77.5682176,17z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x3bae158dc1c90571:0xfe1c1d27b12b5579!2sSri+Guru+Kottureshwara+Davangere+Benne+Dose!8m2!3d12.9389185!4d77.5707979!16s%2Fg%2F1tvt8st9!3m5!1s0x3bae158dc1c90571:0xfe1c1d27b12b5579!8m2!3d12.9389185!4d77.5707979!16s%2Fg%2F1tvt8st9">Sri Gurukottureshwara Davangere benne dosE, NR Colony</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>In this carefully curated itinerary, Ajit ensured that we do not try the standard dosa (masala dosa) faire. It is available everywhere. The idea is to check out different variations, preparations. and understand the history behind it. One such is the Davangere benne dose (benne=butter). This one was crispy, I had never had a crispy davangere benne dosa before. Chutney had too much chillies and with bland mashed potatoes, this combination, though got sweat to foreheads, but definitely a unique culinary delight to taste. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgZM8AB4Ko0LPFf7skKDKpqJ2bUcHKz7mn1Z37V0AACUczp5uVfcmMjDZC8KaiHAeLl1o1ZhifUYjvTtnNyh7vG2g8B7jXmc964U-gvW--liWxt7rr5eqMEJa9rgf36Oxv9oQP1QYX4Qyh4HdoHZhEIZ9xcKKuybBhoGMf3ghSTOqNUWRYPN4m53GTQ/s4096/IMG20230422111056.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="2304" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgZM8AB4Ko0LPFf7skKDKpqJ2bUcHKz7mn1Z37V0AACUczp5uVfcmMjDZC8KaiHAeLl1o1ZhifUYjvTtnNyh7vG2g8B7jXmc964U-gvW--liWxt7rr5eqMEJa9rgf36Oxv9oQP1QYX4Qyh4HdoHZhEIZ9xcKKuybBhoGMf3ghSTOqNUWRYPN4m53GTQ/w360-h640/IMG20230422111056.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Stop 6 - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/South+Kitchen/@12.937999,77.5687306,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x667dea23cbc59750?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiKwIqou9X-AhUycWwGHdzBA78Q_BJ6BAh7EAg">South Kitchen, NR Colony</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Back where it all started :) . Little did I know that this ordinary looking Darshini is a cult place. Its choice of offering were delightful. Even though we were stuffed, this place forces you to make room (overeat) and then some more. The Halabai (square kalakand made with rice though was amazing). Regular Idli, Shavige bhath were very well done. The chutney here is similar to Taaza Thindi style one. Overall, it is yet another new discovery place to not miss out. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMA7azoM8cdKiBdVhFE-arwk_qXW8CbpGcswo6wxGqgi9rmOVkBJXGX2QwF-rS4VP7gBb1xuWn8ackbg1kP00s933CpzEZC2oEG50HEvtKdOLZJt_5lOBtzCyxhCQhYziVdTsZXk1ovqg3OaYE1div8YR2ASckO-luc1SlzrtL-qgKIUjfk7p4Bq21g/s3952/20230422_113111~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3952" data-original-width="2379" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMA7azoM8cdKiBdVhFE-arwk_qXW8CbpGcswo6wxGqgi9rmOVkBJXGX2QwF-rS4VP7gBb1xuWn8ackbg1kP00s933CpzEZC2oEG50HEvtKdOLZJt_5lOBtzCyxhCQhYziVdTsZXk1ovqg3OaYE1div8YR2ASckO-luc1SlzrtL-qgKIUjfk7p4Bq21g/w386-h640/20230422_113111~2.jpg" width="386" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_eHI8Fto56PHOrk42THMK6BN-VvOSZBGY8Vv6NcjYSF3Do6SqnlqJxjbInUXABkR2BFIn1aCN3nojhVHuhhv25JhVj5dIp7ZZeuuzmsm53pCmiZASbMxW3NwTocaOtdJysOwdKCzFZQ9d4hsl17THUp0o7kEhN01hblHrkep5ibz8sL0Nd_cgotUPg/s4096/IMG20230422112914.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="2304" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_eHI8Fto56PHOrk42THMK6BN-VvOSZBGY8Vv6NcjYSF3Do6SqnlqJxjbInUXABkR2BFIn1aCN3nojhVHuhhv25JhVj5dIp7ZZeuuzmsm53pCmiZASbMxW3NwTocaOtdJysOwdKCzFZQ9d4hsl17THUp0o7kEhN01hblHrkep5ibz8sL0Nd_cgotUPg/w360-h640/IMG20230422112914.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lastly a group photo and an enthu cutlet badge because I am one :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1NNobOpDV8ddxn2U0xW51IJdjxZS3sbTOMgC8iPQgDfhTi4Ksd0NSW5lLBelRwlmZsIrqfx9wzQw_Vv93XYOARnFkKYdmYD-NAFa6KcX1X2xX4QFTK_NIBlxWDSKiiMn_E_V69bPBA7kghkguW8ADcENGP1lxedASW7BpKVMorf-yuddNQ9fFGVAgA/s1920/IMG20230422083024_01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1NNobOpDV8ddxn2U0xW51IJdjxZS3sbTOMgC8iPQgDfhTi4Ksd0NSW5lLBelRwlmZsIrqfx9wzQw_Vv93XYOARnFkKYdmYD-NAFa6KcX1X2xX4QFTK_NIBlxWDSKiiMn_E_V69bPBA7kghkguW8ADcENGP1lxedASW7BpKVMorf-yuddNQ9fFGVAgA/w640-h360/IMG20230422083024_01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyT03xwoPc8bodlrmNySdoOspG2MwjsJbaFkMsy8bkFXVeY6NZKKRH0jAFi6gDQYssLsyVdoSrs-KBzlhypo059YsXASinhDNwps9Gu6fswucqU8ud5frnKkS37HYD6ybMSosy11aBBo_lVlts6osZUrxFk1niS0yPLj8hZ8QjWqVXXJdtAWfNxRLlw/s4096/IMG20230422073201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="2304" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyT03xwoPc8bodlrmNySdoOspG2MwjsJbaFkMsy8bkFXVeY6NZKKRH0jAFi6gDQYssLsyVdoSrs-KBzlhypo059YsXASinhDNwps9Gu6fswucqU8ud5frnKkS37HYD6ybMSosy11aBBo_lVlts6osZUrxFk1niS0yPLj8hZ8QjWqVXXJdtAWfNxRLlw/w360-h640/IMG20230422073201.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-46126593226632555132023-03-26T15:43:00.004+05:302023-03-26T15:43:47.867+05:30Life In 30 Oct 2022 to 26th Mar 2023<p>A quarter of the year is over and as years go, this year has started at a much better pace than others. There are good highs to go over, so lets get started</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX49yFEP8ZJT2i5uyrqHiQxzh_pWbItJqTRoanrhhFNm1IXdknNEBX3_bWswXTysHs7mDwq6T7SqBElK9F3VDGFaNyums_CZHu3pL6YvZ23vCs4gUfb6as4d9Tr0aEr7xXAN6RJqFOpAlj4S0Yh0eaFxy0khP6HlN0MPWhEhaYfqJSLVlevk7_sFmAMA/s4000/IMG_20230312_075521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX49yFEP8ZJT2i5uyrqHiQxzh_pWbItJqTRoanrhhFNm1IXdknNEBX3_bWswXTysHs7mDwq6T7SqBElK9F3VDGFaNyums_CZHu3pL6YvZ23vCs4gUfb6as4d9Tr0aEr7xXAN6RJqFOpAlj4S0Yh0eaFxy0khP6HlN0MPWhEhaYfqJSLVlevk7_sFmAMA/w400-h300/IMG_20230312_075521.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Started running again and joined Jayanagar Jaguars in HSR. It has been a crazy thing so far to meet the running schedule, my attendance would be around 50% only but I did manage to finish a 10K in 81 mins. Jatin invited us to a Jagsom organized run - Kanyathon 2023. Had a real good run and felt a high post run!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Puchka & Taco continue to bring joy with their cuteness. As I am writing this, Taco is sleeping on the table behind my monitor and Puchka is curled up in the cat tree. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1sdk46iJObQAtz4RBX4uvj9yg-fFHyw6ZHqZxjExI9r-B01ckAiwOP71XmbuFT4skXA_ka-bkx0lcSSDeZGw4DAiK_vWgCQO6yVhqZEjqMwl6j7PTO5QqhrGUJ_753JHOI3GyLiPpPTR6YBt_bLNiKMjpCYCoU1WEqi-bNr7iojZU92DM1fqxRlmog/s4000/IMG_20230201_090718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1sdk46iJObQAtz4RBX4uvj9yg-fFHyw6ZHqZxjExI9r-B01ckAiwOP71XmbuFT4skXA_ka-bkx0lcSSDeZGw4DAiK_vWgCQO6yVhqZEjqMwl6j7PTO5QqhrGUJ_753JHOI3GyLiPpPTR6YBt_bLNiKMjpCYCoU1WEqi-bNr7iojZU92DM1fqxRlmog/w300-h400/IMG_20230201_090718.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddbIRXDtAS44k1L8DLoEggSd_WSe0dPfhY-rtY01JsvCSNjlO65jcA0TeNTDXfv8zd2Ec3pO3nIreky2pRZz9SKXfK8kGMH8bEmoHhoK_-7TCbyc6WNGzaAIzc2g3f_fbqOXTqOJ7gRWCMWaNYY6Rs-4d3tjse2yfpePPCXjBh3svTJgKV0gx5iTBag/s4000/IMG_20230209_083615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddbIRXDtAS44k1L8DLoEggSd_WSe0dPfhY-rtY01JsvCSNjlO65jcA0TeNTDXfv8zd2Ec3pO3nIreky2pRZz9SKXfK8kGMH8bEmoHhoK_-7TCbyc6WNGzaAIzc2g3f_fbqOXTqOJ7gRWCMWaNYY6Rs-4d3tjse2yfpePPCXjBh3svTJgKV0gx5iTBag/w640-h480/IMG_20230209_083615.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1e0NrFkgJwPLiob7XVxsCN1E5BOE7MFjtnYUXkvAr6TJehsm3Yvltk6nRtTu2Wt_1aC5dUS-t_rRgxPrhlt1KBxCXcZruONk4m1a1SNaPI7WOwckuDDZrsXM9ZJ7Pzo8V5MVWyw2to88oIJqQ2-YvvS1-V6HH31ejhxWvf3OlkM2HvDDSUCDYxPqMdg/s4000/IMG_20230301_072202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1e0NrFkgJwPLiob7XVxsCN1E5BOE7MFjtnYUXkvAr6TJehsm3Yvltk6nRtTu2Wt_1aC5dUS-t_rRgxPrhlt1KBxCXcZruONk4m1a1SNaPI7WOwckuDDZrsXM9ZJ7Pzo8V5MVWyw2to88oIJqQ2-YvvS1-V6HH31ejhxWvf3OlkM2HvDDSUCDYxPqMdg/w640-h480/IMG_20230301_072202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVMqfogXN-QxXtKC-ZG2bDlTZzTDURzB_zemlxmr5AJiKr7XlqnachW11uIhrge_TBmjwDueZDESLadvmibXMhxG8nQophqnpXLuwBQSSthz6nx0Fg6bDDltUkhxZeoIb67stIjk8AA6PbVLY02VqotUuEfYIDVorPNq95DEGO0NisOluMIdJQo5YKw/s4000/IMG_20230301_074757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVMqfogXN-QxXtKC-ZG2bDlTZzTDURzB_zemlxmr5AJiKr7XlqnachW11uIhrge_TBmjwDueZDESLadvmibXMhxG8nQophqnpXLuwBQSSthz6nx0Fg6bDDltUkhxZeoIb67stIjk8AA6PbVLY02VqotUuEfYIDVorPNq95DEGO0NisOluMIdJQo5YKw/w640-h480/IMG_20230301_074757.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kanishka also rescued a cute little baby kitten in her society and took care of her for a week. She called her Choco chips. Choco chips was adopted by a neighbor's friend. If cats are cute, then baby kittens are hyper-cute and they lovingly crawl on you. They are yet to develop attitude (instincts :)) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrfnFALhBicd70TKFtJxn-jJXmzS_Q9vJFemlZeLzrfFS6_SdIxHsBCOKbtSIp60xHMffrafup8gNYMK5rRYPApWWbMvdMuiyYJ8WK8_KeTpES7zFpwruTXX9CYzEo7yG8_R0GgbhWzLVrxC_NoaNE4MY_Ic7hOS1msdpnvjPc2e2Rh8e1DHwOn4wsQ/s4000/IMG_20230129_234238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrfnFALhBicd70TKFtJxn-jJXmzS_Q9vJFemlZeLzrfFS6_SdIxHsBCOKbtSIp60xHMffrafup8gNYMK5rRYPApWWbMvdMuiyYJ8WK8_KeTpES7zFpwruTXX9CYzEo7yG8_R0GgbhWzLVrxC_NoaNE4MY_Ic7hOS1msdpnvjPc2e2Rh8e1DHwOn4wsQ/w400-h300/IMG_20230129_234238.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Events </div><div><br /></div><div>- Bengaluru Percussion Festival - Attended this awesome event at the ever beautiful Jayamahal palace. Very well organized, not a lot of crowd, decent food stalls and a very clean loo :) . Artist wise, V Selvaganesh was awesome. Other ones whom I did enjoy was Ta Dhom project (they have Rap compositions with rapper names as Tod Fod, Mawalli - any artists which takes itself lightly, has a panache to it, has my respect) , Kerala based Chemmeen band (tens of percussion instruments) </div><div><br /></div><div>Charnadas Chor at Rangashankara. Inspired by Habib Tanvir, it is the same script but different implementation. Did not like it at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Piyush Mishra has a band - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ballimaaraan/?hl=en">Ballimaran</a>, attended their concert at Phoenix Marketcity. Loved it. Piyush gets goofiness, applies in his songs, in his music. There is a playfulness in him. I love goofy (no wonder I have seen B99 many many times) . Most of the songs were new for me. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yCJEByGYiQtsGnyhwtd76iV5GxanfJMT6rfPPT3WGqy-lqoHBG6tKZwkMpVo8NwOoHvsXAlWmhDaO6V2slMEWp-Vyfl5I-r4rv5iQJ48E06zkZzXqOyr0ATFoe6OrZM79kL63KakdSWWMyJHtGiPEYhDDMGzeVbbrQrrSMraH-z4gpRtEAUrqrbwkw/s4000/IMG20221119194553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yCJEByGYiQtsGnyhwtd76iV5GxanfJMT6rfPPT3WGqy-lqoHBG6tKZwkMpVo8NwOoHvsXAlWmhDaO6V2slMEWp-Vyfl5I-r4rv5iQJ48E06zkZzXqOyr0ATFoe6OrZM79kL63KakdSWWMyJHtGiPEYhDDMGzeVbbrQrrSMraH-z4gpRtEAUrqrbwkw/w640-h480/IMG20221119194553.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Travels</div><div><br /></div><div>Travelled to Ireland - Covered in my three part blog series</div><div><ul><li>Part 1 -<a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-1-why-why-in-dec.html"> Ireland Travelogue Part 1 - Why? Why in Dec?</a></li><li>Part 2 - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-2-itinerary.html">Ireland Travelogue Part 2 - Itinerary</a></li><li>Part 3 - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-3-irish-love.html">Ireland Travelogue Part 3 - Irish love, North vs South Ireland, & some learnings</a></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Chandigarh - 1 night 2 day trip to Chandigarh to attend Chinki's wedding. Amazing city, and amazing wedding. Very royal and lavish. Visited Chandigarh Handloom and in an hr bought 40 kgs worth of blankets, comforters, etc. It had to be couriered :)</p><p><br /></p><p>Visited Delhi to meet Gurshi and Aman. Friends meeting after a long long time</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNvVBhhOCo9aEHQP9bEi4jIs2cjwKTw0GxJC6hhvTKJeJrdVw1S2Q8RPvLz0mTF2XWBO3s72is_5VvLzE14Th0sZBZ7sCpv2ZDIQaiL5xKMiqUc8Da9pUCYy-KqPR4zaTT1UfztrJlFtr8lby16Z1YA-9q_cCZE-vritE2HSlcYbdEQ5eQUn2uZMN3A/s4608/IMG20221112202032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNvVBhhOCo9aEHQP9bEi4jIs2cjwKTw0GxJC6hhvTKJeJrdVw1S2Q8RPvLz0mTF2XWBO3s72is_5VvLzE14Th0sZBZ7sCpv2ZDIQaiL5xKMiqUc8Da9pUCYy-KqPR4zaTT1UfztrJlFtr8lby16Z1YA-9q_cCZE-vritE2HSlcYbdEQ5eQUn2uZMN3A/w400-h300/IMG20221112202032.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Movies</p><p>Pathaan - 2.5/5 </p><p>Took a 6 member group to see Pathaan / SRK. Bad movie but had to do this for SRK. Good to see that this movie got so much love.</p><p>John Wick 4 - 4/5</p><p>Loved it. Very very satisfied with the ending. It is not easy to make endings bring closure (main difference between Lotr vs Got) , this one did. But before the end, it was out an out an action movie meant for fans of action who love world building. This one is for the fans. (Also disappointed that none in my friend circle was excited about this one)</p><p>Banshees of Insherein - 4/5</p><p>So heart-breakingly delightful. First of all an Irish movie :) A delightful thing to see after our Ireland trip. Plus, has a heart of a simple message - is being good enough? Powerful performances everywhere. </p><p>Triangle of Sadness - 3/5</p><p>First movie in PVR Rex - a fancy recliner seat theatre. From the director, Rubrn Ostlund, who made The Square, ordinary is not expected. Keeps you at the edge of the seat, a brutal commentary on class and on our times. Ruben Ostlund will continue to make us uncomfortable till he is alive. </p><p><br /></p><p>Aftersun - 3/5</p><p>A depressed father goes to a vacation trip with his early-teen daughter. He is separated with his wife. THe whole trip is about hiding depression from his daughter, they having fun together and the daughter coming of age. Deep study of relationships and depression. Slightly difficult to watch but very well acted. </p><p>The Boys (Season 3) - 3.5/5</p><p>Well, it continues to have panache. Started off brilliantly, loved the momentum. The Boys continues on with its satire on consumerism, super hero culture and now also mainstreams the MAGA/QAnon culture in itself. I would have rated it higher if only it gave some satisfaction of killing atleast one main bad guy. Instead, the good guys just continue to loose. Bonus - side supes, their powers are just too bizarre and funny!</p><p><br /></p><p>Everything Everywhere All At Once - 4.5/5</p><p>Dream big. And what a dream it is. What a story. Comes out of nowhere and just sweeps you in. And you go in and in only to reveal that it is a mother daughter film. Mind bending genre done right </p><p><br /></p><p>65 - 2.5/5 Skippable, average masala film.</p><p><br /></p><p>Knives Out 2 A glass onion mystery. - 3/5</p><p>Again, a 0.5 extra for just the panache. Story is okay. Daniel Craig holds your interest till the end.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Man called Otto - 3.5/5</p><p>I cried. I cried a lot in this one. I had read the book, I knew exactly what was going to happen, yet I sobbed. This is the power of cinema. I had not enjoyed the book as much but it was written for it to be made into a movie. Did not see Tom Hanks playing Otto, but now I ask who else . Supporting cast is amazing and I would say, just watch it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Fablemans - 3/5</p><p>Good Speilberg flic. Michelle Williams is an outstanding actress and Paul Dano never stops to surprise me (ever since There will be blood). Good story, acting, direction all around. Good movie to watch. </p><p><br /></p><p>She said - 3.5/5</p><p>Documentary done right. Based on the story that brought down Harvey Weinstein. I am anyways a softiy for good journalism based procedural, women lead cast even makes it better. This one is no Spotlight but it is still very good. </p><p>His Dark Materials (Season 3) - 3/5</p><p>The thing about HDM is that it covers a lot of ground both in books and tv series is an almost faithful adaptation. It is good but it is never able to pass that boundary of going to excellent for me. It also lacks some elements in getting a satisfying closure in the end. </p><p><br /></p><p>Parties</p><p>- Went to Roxie for Anshika didi's anniversay celebration. Decent venue.</p><p>- Gawky Goose - Took my immediate team for a thank you lunch. Pretty good place</p><p>- Stories at BTM - Grub post dinner. Okay place. </p><p>- Oz by Kebabci - Kanishka and I went for our anniversary</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhVosmM3DEfxRuIcPSonYvuZkH97O9TTY9FO047pNm3czrc-FfdHmscThgKdwKCuYFKOxs8Q2UklpkTYC2eFr8M8bOWYijW0zlniecHsypSQH8TzUj4cHSqx_AcmpL0gh5XwO7uI_F0me76lnIUXsRtQQW2MZHslH-TuQj-TbI6wAIjRjKYvELFR8BA/s4000/IMG20230125164335%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhVosmM3DEfxRuIcPSonYvuZkH97O9TTY9FO047pNm3czrc-FfdHmscThgKdwKCuYFKOxs8Q2UklpkTYC2eFr8M8bOWYijW0zlniecHsypSQH8TzUj4cHSqx_AcmpL0gh5XwO7uI_F0me76lnIUXsRtQQW2MZHslH-TuQj-TbI6wAIjRjKYvELFR8BA/w400-h300/IMG20230125164335%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>- Hanoi to celebrate Mummy's birthday</p><p>- Holika Dahan in Sobha</p><p>- MTR breakfast after the Kanyathon run</p><p>- Marco Polo cafe - treat by Parul on her birthday!</p><p>-----</p><p>New event innovation</p><p>Kanishka & I have created a new kind of event format to celebrate our special occasions - walking tour of an area.</p><p>For our anniversary, we walked from UB city to Brigade road, MG road, Lavelle road and back. No agenda, just walk, explore the city and have fun. </p><p>For valentine's day, we did this at Jayanagar 4th block market. We covered about 5 kms but discovered some amazing places. </p><p>Like Varanasi cafe which serves Tamatar Chat, launglatta among other things. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-q_BxvwZbbk9neEYqGdZh3cZHNkh1ZRRcSsa5T_anAphDJi8-751VyTooh9viC_AWicjH0ApDN-ki61R7m-FMdP4ua9y2v6xD5b3mqHuFeXI6fqxYNhjCFNXqVc6mjkf7PZQL8rSIMBP-NPwEl8DsSJMtmN6opgLHow8PJwIqZW7eHT3_fdk3gO_RmQ/s4000/IMG20230212180130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-q_BxvwZbbk9neEYqGdZh3cZHNkh1ZRRcSsa5T_anAphDJi8-751VyTooh9viC_AWicjH0ApDN-ki61R7m-FMdP4ua9y2v6xD5b3mqHuFeXI6fqxYNhjCFNXqVc6mjkf7PZQL8rSIMBP-NPwEl8DsSJMtmN6opgLHow8PJwIqZW7eHT3_fdk3gO_RmQ/w300-h400/IMG20230212180130.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>Also, discovered in Jayanagar a physical shop for the ecom portal - https://www.worldebazaar.com/ - a site dedicated to selling K-pop merchandise, manga and some other amazing goodies </p><p>These walking tours have been amazing to discover a place, and just soak it in. We typically do so when we travel outside but applying the same principles to local markets - never done that. </p><p>----</p><p>And before I sign off, here is another cat pic :) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOUDOo3ilUkYh6-UYKtQonrdBtxgM2_nR5Zx66GZfX1Ai8kem31n6UKg4j7fmDlOtEFJf6qsR1gszEbAdF6AggieSmux_FC8eCI0VnmUAIU88UMpa9PAJgkWmRLYVaa5y76CkHXPvm4gfLKt5izv63I21G9cphJlHNwW52QNb4lCXDVNpsezes8_LLw/s4000/IMG_20221106_081050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOUDOo3ilUkYh6-UYKtQonrdBtxgM2_nR5Zx66GZfX1Ai8kem31n6UKg4j7fmDlOtEFJf6qsR1gszEbAdF6AggieSmux_FC8eCI0VnmUAIU88UMpa9PAJgkWmRLYVaa5y76CkHXPvm4gfLKt5izv63I21G9cphJlHNwW52QNb4lCXDVNpsezes8_LLw/s320/IMG_20221106_081050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-28174352908367124072023-01-22T10:38:00.007+05:302023-01-22T10:38:56.042+05:302022 - Ain't over for me<p> </p><p>2022 - Ain't over for me</p><p>I refuse to believe that we are in 2023. Cuz, I have not caught up to 2023 yet. At-least not in my blog. It was a crazy year and I think I slayed it :)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Top Books</b></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.in/New-Kings-Nonfiction-Ira-Glass/dp/1594482675">The new kings of Non-Fiction</a> by Ira Glass</p><p>Rupi Kaur's books of poems - Sun and her flowers, Milk and Honey</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58265674-absolute-power---inside-story-of-the-national-stock-exchange-s-amazing-s">ABSOLUTE POWER</a> - Inside story of the National Stock Exchange’s amazing success, leading to hubris, regulatory capture and algo scam. by Sucheta Dalal and Debashis Basu</p><p>Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From. by Tony Joseph</p><p>Started the series - Wheel of Time. Not enjoying them that much. Finished one. </p><p>Stumbling into happiness by Daniel Gilbert. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Top Movies</b></p><p>Athena</p><p>She Said</p><p>Drive My car</p><p>Everything Everyone All at Once</p><p>Worst person in the world</p><p>Power of the dog</p><p>Top Gun Maverick</p><p>Max Richter's Sleep </p><p><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Arts & Culture - </b></p><p>Peeyush Mishra concert - You should never miss such an event. It is amazing how much goofiness is there in Peeyush Mishra's performance. Loved it. </p><p>Lucky Ali concert</p><p>Atul Khatri comedy show @ Mumbai</p><p>Salaam India concert at IHC</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Top Music</b></p><p>Max Richter dominated my playlist. Along with Nyman, they are my best work companions. I feel so lucky to live in world with this music. </p><p>The Piano OST. </p><p>Little miss sunshine - The Winner is by Devotchka - somehow I had missed this album. Everytime it plays, I am transported to a different world. </p><p>Re-discovered and listened in-loop - Nitin Sawhney in Namesake. Hautingly beaitiful, as the movie :)</p><p>Enya was top of my mind as we prepped for Ireland. </p><p>And of-course Once OST</p><p>Lenka's Everything at Once . Also became my ringtone for the year</p><p>Also, pined for and listened Udit Narayan and Kumar Sanu. After all, I am a 90s kid :) Bucket list items is to attend them in concert.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Top Online content</b></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@randomchikibumofficial/featured">Random Chikibum </a>- Rahul Subramaniam and Kumar Varun has this series called Random Daftar - few videos on various office scenarios. Recorded few years ago, they are ageless and hilarious</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AiyyoShraddha">Aiyyo Shraddha</a>'s take on corporate humor is just amazing. Her Manager video touches a nerve very close to the heart </p><p>Caravan's covers, Atlantic and NYtimes continued to top my reading. I need to buy Atlantic's subscription this year. </p><p>MorningContext's daily email is now part of routine. </p><p>Will miss Trevor Noah as he departs DailyShow. His commentaries on police brutalities, gun shootings are a masterclass on public speaking, IMO</p><p>Tanmay Bhatt has this series called Pakistanis are savage and it is just amazing :) . Tanmay has invented a new content form and I just love it. I have seen some other series as well (Pitai one is cringe/hilarious) but ... are savage is a must watch. </p><p>On this note - Zakir Khan's Farzi Mushaira has a fan-boy in me. This is the kind of goofiness that has gone missing from the public discourse. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-13400552260062166252023-01-15T00:01:00.003+05:302023-01-15T00:03:06.320+05:30Ireland Travelogue Part 3 - Irish love, North vs South Ireland, & some learnings<p><br /></p><p>This is the third and last part of my Ireland travelogue </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Part 1 -<a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-1-why-why-in-dec.html"> Ireland Travelogue Part 1 - Why? Why in Dec?</a></li><li>Part 2 - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-2-itinerary.html">Ireland Travelogue Part 2 - Itinerary</a></li><li>Part 3 - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-3-irish-love.html">Ireland Travelogue Part 3 - Irish love, North vs South Ireland, & some learnings</a></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>In this post, I will talk about various takeaways that I had during the trip. This is a stream of thoughts and do not follow any order</p><p><br /></p><p>Ireland & India - we have much in common </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0ukSWxvqLNE0UNx-tpur8wjkP3guOuVLH6xhv13II1iZfN2yJwArgW_nEMRIdrrxKj23eP1IzMLc3rPp9F_OAj3-ESqgmZ7BxUWnEP7pFbe5UavBpm9W4HPZ4prXJggjJAwjYi4XgB8FQL0X1q7vMlQKTdhlMKZFTGReRqmnhEV1d_zfrsRCsfSUCQ/s1000/flags-of-india-and-ireland-vector-23316309.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1000" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0ukSWxvqLNE0UNx-tpur8wjkP3guOuVLH6xhv13II1iZfN2yJwArgW_nEMRIdrrxKj23eP1IzMLc3rPp9F_OAj3-ESqgmZ7BxUWnEP7pFbe5UavBpm9W4HPZ4prXJggjJAwjYi4XgB8FQL0X1q7vMlQKTdhlMKZFTGReRqmnhEV1d_zfrsRCsfSUCQ/s320/flags-of-india-and-ireland-vector-23316309.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>First time, I saw the Irish flag, I was astonished - how is it so familiar to Indian flag? Turns out that it is likely that the Indian flag was inspired by Irish one. Ireland got its independence in 1922 from Britishers. Not only this, we also share this history that the landmass was divided when independence was granted, again largely based on religion. Bengal & Irish famine also have some very stark commonalities <div><div>It is our common disliking towards the British, atleast the old guard, makes us united, I guess. </div><div><br /></div><div>Irish folks - the friendliest people</div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps, the nicest people that I have met in my travels. When we landed at Dublin, our luggage did not come and we were in a queue to submit form to claim luggage. In this queue, a stranger Irish lady comes to us and apologizes and says that this is not a true characterisation of Ireland. She didn't had to do it, she did not even know us. But she felt that she had to clarify this. She felt that she had to defend, to apologize for no reason. </div><div>We saw this again at the Gap of Dunhoe where at the other end of our hike, at around 11:30 am, a cafe which was expected to be open was closed. A stranger walked up to us and shared that given it is holiday season, the cafe staff may not come and he apologized. Later, he corrected that he didn't had to apologize but he felt bad. Again, there was no need for him to come to us. </div><div>At the end of concert, at the midnight of 31st december, the entire concert hall audience stood up, interlocked their hands, right hand holding the left hand of the person sitting on their left and left hand holding the right hand of the person sitting on right and did a shake. All strangers coming together and included us. </div><div>The pub servers were very friendly, I never got an us vs them kind of feeling. Even in NZ, in Germany, I found atleast one instance of racism. In my 18 days here, not one. A lot of people assumed that we live in UK and have come here. On clarifying that we are just traveling from BLR, they were amused and often asked why. </div><div>I also felt that there is a sense of camaraderie still in the Irish folk which used to exist in India and is slowly going away. Perhaps, because their population is still less, they need each other and hence continue to be more open towards others. Trust comes very naturally to them. </div><div><br /></div><div>North vs South island</div><div>One of the most striking aspect when you enter or exit North Ireland is that there are no sign boards signalling this. The only way we got to know was that suddenly kilometers became miles :) Both in Google maps & in the signs. Other than that, you would not even know that you have changed a country. Our visa/passport was also not checked at any point of time. It looked deliberate that they do not want to call it out. </div><div>North Ireland had damn straight roads, straight roads going for 10+ kms. If there was a hill or mountain up ahead, it did not matter. The road will climb the hill and come down. But it will be straight. </div><div>Driving in Ireland is all about roundabouts, everything is a roundabout. North Ireland while has much straight roads also has roundabouts but they are laned roundabouts which makes it little difficult to follow. I made some lane discipline mistakes during my driving. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIcVnJQW-qO3eRAzL7vv3XLRzeQM65YAVgDHym4S8CYM8BLwt6ce6KU-EwJUMTAXg5-OaCeJDb3j_6LWWDDOG-TESddwTvTKRQ3E0JLIfKZl7ONo4EfYssVckhWp2YGASOwc5HOoN3KejnMSs7zH7SXXiDVjjtxFDyt86Z1p5injO_9Li30VzPZ3w9Q/s4000/IMG20221226150019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIcVnJQW-qO3eRAzL7vv3XLRzeQM65YAVgDHym4S8CYM8BLwt6ce6KU-EwJUMTAXg5-OaCeJDb3j_6LWWDDOG-TESddwTvTKRQ3E0JLIfKZl7ONo4EfYssVckhWp2YGASOwc5HOoN3KejnMSs7zH7SXXiDVjjtxFDyt86Z1p5injO_9Li30VzPZ3w9Q/w400-h300/IMG20221226150019.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I also saw many more Indians in North Ireland than in Ireland. Dublin had few but outside of Dublin, I did not see a single one. North Ireland also had a larger population density than south, just based on anecdotal observation. </div><div>The history of violence, the separation still plays a key role in the minds of people. More so now, ever since the Brexit has happened and North Ireland folks are asking that they did not sign up for this. Ireland as a country has done quite well economically, so there may be more developments here in the near future. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ireland is expensive</div><div><br /></div><div>One of my big discovery was that Ireland is expensive. At the time of Visa date booking, I had not booked flight/hotels. But soon after, as I started to plan and realized that hotels/flights were expensive. Ireland, I felt is 30% more expensive than Germany. Perhaps, it is also the timing, the war in Ukraine had definitely led to inflation. The petrol price was 1.55 Euro which translated to INR 136 per litre. This is even higher than Indian petrol price. I found that North Ireland was even more expensive than Ireland. Experiences like Titanic centre were quite expensive. </div><div>Typically, I would expect off-season rates to be slightly cheaper but perhaps lack of demand has resulted in a lack of supply which in turn has kept the rates same. It is an expensive place to travel to and the budget friendly options are not so budget friendly. Surprisingly, the cost difference between an average hotel and a good hotel was not that much either. </div><div>Maybe because most things are imported, maybe because there is worker scarcity, or not sure but it did feel expensive. </div><div><br /></div><div>Travel without luggage</div><div>Last year, our Germany trip was a backpacking trip, so we had planned a lot and taken only selective things. This time in Ireland, we knew that we would have a car during the entire trip, we went overboard and took everything. When the luggage did not come, it was like a wake-up call. A lot of planning had gone in before the trip started and all that was lost. </div><div>But, two things worked - First, the decision to continue with the trip instead of waiting for luggage. Had we not made this call, we would have lost more time and gotten more frustrated. Second, surviving on minimalism - minimal clothes, accessories etc. </div><div>This trip taught me that you can do a 15+ day trip surviving on 3 pairs of clothes. A learning that I do intend to apply for my next trips. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ireland is not a veg friendly country</div><div>There are veg restaurants or restaurants with more vegetarian options. It is not that they do not exist but if you go to a pub, the popular ones, and look at their menu, veg options is less than 10%. Outside of big cities, options of veg restaurants also become very low. </div><div>You can survive on bread, cheese salads etc but it it not the best of foodie experience places. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Winter is an off-season but not because of weather. </div><div>Weather-wise, it was an amazing time to be out there. I have traveled in worse weather. I think it is more of a perception that this is an off-season. It is in a negative cycle - places are closed because there are no tourists and even when few tourists come, they say that places are closed. Longer daylight hrs may also be a factor. I believe as demand improves, this will change. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ireland is incredibly beautiful!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_m90SxrCyiOylARdt9kyVtEgD-493s2cZR63KgWvPlUSbcppNg8mj45pLCe38p9JjsZU8utSeccIyXOCQ9TMpa-LJfFnMjep7OpW1EppRgPXtyb5TK3ADXG3TZpOz2zlnKr0SSqqYrJGxXJa8OkEqexIophsRQUR2aLxneI2EP0GeURE9SPwlgkfhsQ/s4000/IMG_20221219_154716.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_m90SxrCyiOylARdt9kyVtEgD-493s2cZR63KgWvPlUSbcppNg8mj45pLCe38p9JjsZU8utSeccIyXOCQ9TMpa-LJfFnMjep7OpW1EppRgPXtyb5TK3ADXG3TZpOz2zlnKr0SSqqYrJGxXJa8OkEqexIophsRQUR2aLxneI2EP0GeURE9SPwlgkfhsQ/w640-h480/IMG_20221219_154716.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><div><p><br /></p></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-1919955868808449192023-01-14T19:31:00.008+05:302023-01-15T00:03:17.855+05:30Ireland Travelogue Part 2 - Itinerary<p><br /></p><p>This is part two of my Ireland travelogue </p><ul><li>Part 1 -<a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-1-why-why-in-dec.html"> Ireland Travelogue Part 1 - Why? Why in Dec?</a></li><li>Part 2 - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-2-itinerary.html">Ireland Travelogue Part 2 - Itinerary</a></li><li>Part 3 - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-3-irish-love.html">Ireland Travelogue Part 3 - Irish love, North vs South Ireland, & some learnings</a></li></ul><p>-----</p><p>Dates -15 Dec - 1st Jan (technically 3am 2nd Jan)- 18 days, 17 nights</p><p>Some background - </p><p>The reason to start early is because many Christmas markets close by 23 Dec. So, if you want to cover 2-3 of them, then it is good to go early. 1st Jan is largely an emotional call to spend 31st Dec in a different country :) </p><p>Visa process forces you to book flights & hotels beforehand. For the most part, we stuck to the same hotels that we submitted, only couple of places were changed. But the travel route remained the same. It is remarkable, that means the entire planning was done over two half days :) </p><p>This trip will be forever remembered since when we landed in Dublin, first, we landed on 16th instead of 15th since our flight was delayed in Frankfurt. we spent the night at the Frankfurt airport. Secondly, our checked in luggage did not come. This no-luggage influenced our itinerary in interesting ways. We were lucky since right at the last minute we decided to take our jackets in carry on. Otherwise, we would be frozen. But, we had no change of clothes, no toiletries for a 17 day trip. </p><p>At the Dublin airport, the representative was optimistic that the luggage will come in the next flight or by next day. Some fellow passengers shared that a realistic expectation would be two weeks. Fortunately, we did had another day in Dublin before we had to travel ahead. A call that we made early was instrumental in making this trip successful. That we will not let no-luggage influence our itinerary. It took us sometime to internalize this, looked more difficult because we had packed very nicely this time with new trekking poles, new clothes for cold weather etc, but this was a wise call. </p><p>-------</p><p>Day 1 - 16 Dec - Dublin</p><p>Landed in Dublin at 9 am. At this time, we had two bad nights of sleep, 14 Dec night was spent at BLR aiport to catch the 3 am flight and 15 Dec was spent at Frankfurt airport in bitter cold. With no luggage, we took the bus to Dublin downtime and our first night stay was at Abbey court hostel. After checking in, we went for a good brunch (hot-food) at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g186605-d7907555-Reviews-Cafe_crema-Dublin_County_Dublin.html">Cafe Crema, Dublin</a>. Our first order of business was to buy some essentials to survive a day or two till luggage comes. Thankfully, Penneys chain is affordable with fairly decent inventory. Socks, woolen caps, change of under-garments meant that we can at-least venture out. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvhQTgaMDtI9okMxxtnDXgp_ydzuTsCe6R9sjqVotDPvX7jZGB3z9fUpfklyuR2ml5B9HzB0_WBEGqvxIJhR2j62MhKfWJ-Gt2qFD9-jy1GHvs6pFkRnQsr-P_GhB2w8U3NMlI3eY_Fuc6ARZ4CVjM_sTpGYfL3eihw4a2a805bGrqAl0dKN0G8cnbw/s4000/IMG20221216162756.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvhQTgaMDtI9okMxxtnDXgp_ydzuTsCe6R9sjqVotDPvX7jZGB3z9fUpfklyuR2ml5B9HzB0_WBEGqvxIJhR2j62MhKfWJ-Gt2qFD9-jy1GHvs6pFkRnQsr-P_GhB2w8U3NMlI3eY_Fuc6ARZ4CVjM_sTpGYfL3eihw4a2a805bGrqAl0dKN0G8cnbw/w640-h480/IMG20221216162756.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We had booked a 10 am tour of Trinity college with book of Kells library. We unfortunately missed it but they were kind to accommodate us for the 3 pm one. The tour was taken by a college student, interestingly an Indian, and it was okay-ish. The institution is beautiful, full of history. The library indeed is very interesting and majestic. After Book of Kells, we walked to the Dublin castle where the christmas market was going on. Had mulled wine, freshly baked pizza and roasted chestnuts (Kanishka had seen many cheesy xmas movies and most of them featured this). Interestingly, roasted chestnut was sold by an Indian and it is not so easy to peel them (unlike peanuts) - but hey, been there done that now :) Christmas market was a decent one. </p><p>We came back to hostel to take some rest before heading out for a pub crawl. But two nights of no sleep meant that we dozed off at 7 pm, only to wake up the next day morning :)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj908LecIyZUR4pdIBM-PKMZVS8qkE9IIt6kpxXvUKFkQDPO-EekYmjAbwRyTaEV7RXSuXI_8TO71eJu1Q9PGwiOYiD3CLTCFqY-J6RcvdQ_GyROYaOvYy3hB_NNKZtwpBJjiHVnhh-ejfz-ZXr9-Ac8nnqTDFzP6XQQt3gEJRfr9Glr847Dyi2x2DFFA/s4000/IMG20221216183530.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj908LecIyZUR4pdIBM-PKMZVS8qkE9IIt6kpxXvUKFkQDPO-EekYmjAbwRyTaEV7RXSuXI_8TO71eJu1Q9PGwiOYiD3CLTCFqY-J6RcvdQ_GyROYaOvYy3hB_NNKZtwpBJjiHVnhh-ejfz-ZXr9-Ac8nnqTDFzP6XQQt3gEJRfr9Glr847Dyi2x2DFFA/w300-h400/IMG20221216183530.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Day 2 - Leave Dublin, Kilkenny castle, Waterford</p><p>The first order of business of day two was to collect the rental car. We took the bus to SixT office, some 20 kms from our hostel. It was cheaper to rent from here than other centres :) With the car, we debated on whether to check on airport to see if the luggage has come or not. They were not picking any phone calls, so we decided to chuck it and then start our trip. </p><p><a href="https://kilkennycastle.ie/">Kilkenny castle</a> and Yulefest - Yulefest is the xmas market right outside this castle. They had a nice music group performing which added a festive cheer to an otherwise cold weather (It was near zero degrees). We had nice veg tacos from a food truck. The castle itself is decent, one of the better ones in Ireland. But, it is no way close to any German castle. Castle visits in Germany actually spoiled us :) Bavarian castles are grand, majestic. They gave you a sense of royalty. In comparison, Irish castles are austere. This Kilkenny one in particular was made/used by merchants. So, it still had some grandeur but one can not compare them :) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgMV7eAwgpYrBy976MWlKMGpxpkW5IdaSr1wUn8_ucbapkiTUPW6hychD1xXze1tA5YNlc3gpYnNZP9_bxyEyiD9Ay1wSr1CCfRjnpeC4E8TD7QYnXTmnxWZTrDmObxHeBNUPQF_Bcbb6CZQzDVQNVfvuSLcMzpFfQWVUZ4WysuADLTtf2OtPVswRTw/s4000/IMG20221217124514.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgMV7eAwgpYrBy976MWlKMGpxpkW5IdaSr1wUn8_ucbapkiTUPW6hychD1xXze1tA5YNlc3gpYnNZP9_bxyEyiD9Ay1wSr1CCfRjnpeC4E8TD7QYnXTmnxWZTrDmObxHeBNUPQF_Bcbb6CZQzDVQNVfvuSLcMzpFfQWVUZ4WysuADLTtf2OtPVswRTw/w300-h400/IMG20221217124514.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ18oFHotfR-FVvomnIMY9HBBwWmT3bI_6pgY3h00q0K2H_miN0uW99GuNxs-1x99jTOa3q_5xhKJQ2OTshmPZbGYAgFUMC_-KmxCoME05Gwp3APQW7L7qlestfSDpib_GQv5p0wHGwoMSbSyZUHlPw8olsF7mypaDFAr8uJlqsWo58-e2kf81SNGCAw/s4000/IMG20221217133542.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ18oFHotfR-FVvomnIMY9HBBwWmT3bI_6pgY3h00q0K2H_miN0uW99GuNxs-1x99jTOa3q_5xhKJQ2OTshmPZbGYAgFUMC_-KmxCoME05Gwp3APQW7L7qlestfSDpib_GQv5p0wHGwoMSbSyZUHlPw8olsF7mypaDFAr8uJlqsWo58-e2kf81SNGCAw/w640-h480/IMG20221217133542.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Post Kilkenny castle, we drove to Waterford to have enjoy the best Irish xmas market. But we chose, wrongly, to first do shopping at Penneys. By the time, we concluded that our luggage will not come and we should finish our minimal shopping. Penneys Waterford was crowded and it took us 2+ hrs. We were tired and it started to rain, so we decided to then head to our <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/42213683?source_impression_id=p3_1673702778_t%2F8YGGjOL3BslX3y">AirBnb</a>, some 35+ kms away in Duncannon. Our dinner was at a lovely Irish tavern - <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1925972-d2213238-Reviews-The_Strand_Tavern-Duncannon_County_Wexford.html">Strand Irish tavern</a> where I had my first Guinness (it was amazing!) paired with Nachos, burger and fries. </p>Day 3 - Rock of Cashel, Blarney castle, Kinsale & Cork<div><br /></div><div>We decided to start early and do both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Cashel">Rock of cashel</a> and<a href="https://blarneycastle.ie/"> Blarney castle</a> in a day. It was windy & cold when we arrived at Rock of Cashel. These are largely ruins of once beautiful castle that was later given to Church and then historical events led to its abandoment. The ruins are interesting to see. Fairly well preserved with some good views.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53Rn8m5ppfGstvfaBjEE5LVYeE9Xg8JguXJSZHE3IngLVvlqfKEmBLUJdFQ22qFH3psevtL_Rm04qtTXRrBp3smYyJ7L5xhMAEZVm_26QRD6O6l3tBZOJtguJME9kZeitockrTnAZNtHi8FAzaetxOALdPHtGukx3mMbOK9LUvI22iCMV8IfvMlAedg/s4000/IMG20221218092159.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53Rn8m5ppfGstvfaBjEE5LVYeE9Xg8JguXJSZHE3IngLVvlqfKEmBLUJdFQ22qFH3psevtL_Rm04qtTXRrBp3smYyJ7L5xhMAEZVm_26QRD6O6l3tBZOJtguJME9kZeitockrTnAZNtHi8FAzaetxOALdPHtGukx3mMbOK9LUvI22iCMV8IfvMlAedg/w400-h300/IMG20221218092159.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Tickets to Blarney castle were expensive but they include garden visit. The Blarney gardens are really good, perhaps more interesting than the castle. We did a 2hr plus walk in the garden and loved being in nature, stretching our legs. It was cold but scenic cold (Reminded me of gardens in Munich) . The castle is famous since it has a stone on top and if you kiss the stone, your wish will come true. Some myths around the stone exist but the stone is placed at a bottom slab which makes it really difficult to kiss, I could not make it there. Plus, a hygiene issue :) . I would absolutely recommend this place for its natural beauty</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJar6snLmvJrBwdv2-nhrOq0QQ3zYojVLcCxjd9iXcfTZZzCBNpz8nduzycKzthjsoOtsGSXPJI4xcY81s71CHbjd1Bube0ISm0E1mMPIjXTArWblTpmH9aIR3whKkhBTcQSZixIGd6jaW7wBdACGSwM3s_kRw6heWvYqCq8BgCYo0lTjK5wCDB5G0Q/s4000/IMG20221218133355.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJar6snLmvJrBwdv2-nhrOq0QQ3zYojVLcCxjd9iXcfTZZzCBNpz8nduzycKzthjsoOtsGSXPJI4xcY81s71CHbjd1Bube0ISm0E1mMPIjXTArWblTpmH9aIR3whKkhBTcQSZixIGd6jaW7wBdACGSwM3s_kRw6heWvYqCq8BgCYo0lTjK5wCDB5G0Q/w400-h300/IMG20221218133355.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBr-k_vFJNlXOrJBq1Jr0om-uDjgyREnL0t_w-vxySCMTnjNyveOOuqsMLBzB0OQx4w5fui6yHeydoQLNu5OruqGZ_oJ78zFkHK4J2i5jGX2Aj3DO18quPLGf9wZNBH61-QH2FZmXdRgUGHqX9uvhrFjoUv4HpKYouQWCWTDPQWMECxgENm6q7LIkT-w/s4096/IMG20221218145839.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBr-k_vFJNlXOrJBq1Jr0om-uDjgyREnL0t_w-vxySCMTnjNyveOOuqsMLBzB0OQx4w5fui6yHeydoQLNu5OruqGZ_oJ78zFkHK4J2i5jGX2Aj3DO18quPLGf9wZNBH61-QH2FZmXdRgUGHqX9uvhrFjoUv4HpKYouQWCWTDPQWMECxgENm6q7LIkT-w/w400-h300/IMG20221218145839.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Blarney castle, we drove to the scenic town of Kinsale with its multi-colored shops. We had our dinner at <a href="https://www.jimedwardskinsale.com/information-and-location/">Jim Edwards Kinsale</a> where we were able to to catch 2nd half of World cup final between France & Argentina. In front of me, France equalled Argentina score to take it to extra time. We did not stick around for the extra time and decided to instead explore this small place. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Centra is a local chain of quick-grocery shops that we were discovering everywhere. Kinsale was quiet with everyone glued to watch the final. We decided to drive to Cork to checkout their christmas market. While the market was closed, we did saw their light show which was interesting. Our stay was at perhaps one of the<a href="https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/32152392?source_impression_id=p3_1673702703_SygbWo55F4EsP1IY"> best Airbnbs ever </a>:) They had heated bathroom flooring, french press machine for coffee, selection of jams (one with whiskey too) and very cozy ambience. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ooB5Z7J9dYz-NHlPzolikDJVn3B8O7vET34H4qaUEiroUhZZbT74We8jlfaZEJXZg4u28Il7eooZKIUi2g6aMX-QuJ7pVqvQb5esW630_h28EWznaTeP9-Lutinjd-6Dk8WdjjapogOOpbLvJC4wBECZdkmQpaN0pZRBCU6m5E4UT8KJv-VThRdY8Q/s4000/IMG20221218161602.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ooB5Z7J9dYz-NHlPzolikDJVn3B8O7vET34H4qaUEiroUhZZbT74We8jlfaZEJXZg4u28Il7eooZKIUi2g6aMX-QuJ7pVqvQb5esW630_h28EWznaTeP9-Lutinjd-6Dk8WdjjapogOOpbLvJC4wBECZdkmQpaN0pZRBCU6m5E4UT8KJv-VThRdY8Q/w640-h480/IMG20221218161602.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRNlzzo8PBdhZo07-CHVOYkIOTTTsZkrkVjCx7PwqmKrdbkwrvt0dsH5dHvkchqdYKeH9TRfqxf28xO8xICm4kUDlMFfK_SRBd0nu-tI0unKcHxYDrNeyV1zzIGLv3oVt-IpwIeRqf4L88JRP1vWKFpyZRlEvqxfSTsMiUb5bUPW9F7vuP7m2_czr6A/s4000/IMG20221219064031.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRNlzzo8PBdhZo07-CHVOYkIOTTTsZkrkVjCx7PwqmKrdbkwrvt0dsH5dHvkchqdYKeH9TRfqxf28xO8xICm4kUDlMFfK_SRBd0nu-tI0unKcHxYDrNeyV1zzIGLv3oVt-IpwIeRqf4L88JRP1vWKFpyZRlEvqxfSTsMiUb5bUPW9F7vuP7m2_czr6A/w640-h480/IMG20221219064031.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div>Day 4 - Killarney, Ring of Beara</div><div>We only had daylight between 8 am to 5 pm. So, we typically used to start at 7 am so that we can cover first hr in darkness and make the most of the daylight. We left Cork and first went to Killarney visitor centre to get some recommendations of things to do. We got to know about <a href="https://www.ireland.com/en-in/destinations/regions/ring-of-kerry/">Ring of Kerry</a>, <a href="https://www.dreambigtravelfarblog.com/blog/driving-ring-of-beara">Ring of Beara</a> and<a href="https://dingle-peninsula.ie/"> Dingle peninsula</a>. </div><div>Per the guide at visitor centre, all three are beautiful. Kerry is the most popular one, Beara is the unexplored one and Dingle, well it is very very pretty. Tough choices ahead :) We decided to do Ring of Beara today but ended up doing all three during the trip.</div><div>Our first stop in the ring of Beara was <a href="https://bonaneheritagepark.com/">Bonane Heritage Park</a> where we saw our first Ireland's stone circle, a human settlement evidence from Stone age. Pretty amazing if you think about it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sg4lBdMjMWSgrT6pVatSHRgl5a5flb8CTbrdYdAcZnVGS3d5rwSVwmM15PIVFvZmcH5QMO_1Of8IwGGMpdgc5SCSxJQbU7V5s4_NlH2J6ZMFQPoH3A3JUk2pY3PCkgCHDPeNEcGhTsGSKaHKdhe9w2HUE2CYOiYwfsyVtC0s8VVipTL3yBZNW6NYmg/s4000/IMG20221219121225.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sg4lBdMjMWSgrT6pVatSHRgl5a5flb8CTbrdYdAcZnVGS3d5rwSVwmM15PIVFvZmcH5QMO_1Of8IwGGMpdgc5SCSxJQbU7V5s4_NlH2J6ZMFQPoH3A3JUk2pY3PCkgCHDPeNEcGhTsGSKaHKdhe9w2HUE2CYOiYwfsyVtC0s8VVipTL3yBZNW6NYmg/w640-h480/IMG20221219121225.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>After Bonane we connected to the Wild Atlantic Way. The coastal drive in Ireland is known as Wild Atlantic way and it is very very beautiful. Most of the ring of beara is sparsely populated, Dec season makes it extremely less touristy and it is very very beautiful :) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGYhpLFZ7UD9whQRLL7znk0fqw7HW9-2JWuZNe2dMnwJtrCkouEsBGGrMuQiZyGf5A40ENUWCANvxhAYiCkjgtRvc_SI2m9JTryeNMh_bVXCEXnaF3hUSc9UZf26yOkqebpj-fUmA3PmrhuPDqQpM3IF-As2GD1-hJC9GQCiKO3PVAu6vrPhXcrzyqQ/s4000/IMG_20221219_154711.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGYhpLFZ7UD9whQRLL7znk0fqw7HW9-2JWuZNe2dMnwJtrCkouEsBGGrMuQiZyGf5A40ENUWCANvxhAYiCkjgtRvc_SI2m9JTryeNMh_bVXCEXnaF3hUSc9UZf26yOkqebpj-fUmA3PmrhuPDqQpM3IF-As2GD1-hJC9GQCiKO3PVAu6vrPhXcrzyqQ/w640-h480/IMG_20221219_154711.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTVOh1ETy278tazFU-PN518oMGYRj0Yu_5EfsEbNoRxmU0m_E5QBt2XEBe_A2cUqkZg5S1aIdgbfpapvYkOozuG0nJOsnSUa6RqGrB1hQcIq_RlDeRt0AacM9Xet5gBKWfdCebjmSxrwAW0pgKraEUfRxGjbD6P_gZQ_VVhDJys0-YpzZQZRlnOymaQ/s4000/IMG_20221219_133543.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTVOh1ETy278tazFU-PN518oMGYRj0Yu_5EfsEbNoRxmU0m_E5QBt2XEBe_A2cUqkZg5S1aIdgbfpapvYkOozuG0nJOsnSUa6RqGrB1hQcIq_RlDeRt0AacM9Xet5gBKWfdCebjmSxrwAW0pgKraEUfRxGjbD6P_gZQ_VVhDJys0-YpzZQZRlnOymaQ/w640-h480/IMG_20221219_133543.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_rn8aG6Ukh9-tFiOIatRCAPlTkMjCCwQiGszWrfCx0-KNOuiIkkcgTseSDdfDVj05M5vM3J-0yYp9plrtyOho7yQK6Wbp1dPoGeAnQsEAcKjdSdzw4AACDsCw0XTFioBJn_Dh2tPPqcCKcsObcWRKt_D8tuY91PJIBZhPg0QDWrJn8JDeEBv-9JLvA/s4096/IMG20221219161141.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_rn8aG6Ukh9-tFiOIatRCAPlTkMjCCwQiGszWrfCx0-KNOuiIkkcgTseSDdfDVj05M5vM3J-0yYp9plrtyOho7yQK6Wbp1dPoGeAnQsEAcKjdSdzw4AACDsCw0XTFioBJn_Dh2tPPqcCKcsObcWRKt_D8tuY91PJIBZhPg0QDWrJn8JDeEBv-9JLvA/w640-h480/IMG20221219161141.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_lm53sbEwGybbub5gLKMR9MeyQ0AD7aYsNqjVWHbGZdZVxb28cL7_e-XuTKpKDkxReQDtyaOrOXELo8t0ytF1n4GOPH17ZMv81njn6io9x2lIdNElWpR8bCb83C6LV2wpqg2fjCuq4DZni4sjRCvmDx38V7O8CPCLm1tB_hwZsU-AxiHh-4YNJ1blg/s4000/IMG20221219151731.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_lm53sbEwGybbub5gLKMR9MeyQ0AD7aYsNqjVWHbGZdZVxb28cL7_e-XuTKpKDkxReQDtyaOrOXELo8t0ytF1n4GOPH17ZMv81njn6io9x2lIdNElWpR8bCb83C6LV2wpqg2fjCuq4DZni4sjRCvmDx38V7O8CPCLm1tB_hwZsU-AxiHh-4YNJ1blg/w640-h480/IMG20221219151731.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-GponF24CFUzWfqWPAPZUX4Mdxa3pou_3A0In8C9sJezKSUqSyhbeNRF9nzpH_lSJ6Ywm5AkbyXP9SeAG4n2mblJRs1HLmSUaK7-ftkVd5fPb24QAf-HmOoJvvcsSnWrdW0ycnu7o51tSXOqETKQ1FNLR2d9wIPN0Kgr7l8hhNz4OK86_F67RIu4QQ/s12256/IMG20221219124203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3760" data-original-width="12256" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-GponF24CFUzWfqWPAPZUX4Mdxa3pou_3A0In8C9sJezKSUqSyhbeNRF9nzpH_lSJ6Ywm5AkbyXP9SeAG4n2mblJRs1HLmSUaK7-ftkVd5fPb24QAf-HmOoJvvcsSnWrdW0ycnu7o51tSXOqETKQ1FNLR2d9wIPN0Kgr7l8hhNz4OK86_F67RIu4QQ/w640-h196/IMG20221219124203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>We stopped at the Mare's tail waterfall, had lunch at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Lynchsontheo/#_=_">Lynch at Piere in CastleTownebere </a>(amazing soup and sandwich), went to Dursey Island cable car spot (right at the end) and just soaked in the beauty. We would stop at a place and then do a 20-30 min walk to soak it in. At Castletownebere, we saw their church and explored the town Ring of beara was our introduction to Irish coastal beauty and it is indeed worth it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Day 5, Gap of Dunhoe</div><div>Our stay was at this<a href="https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/35840420?source_impression_id=p3_1673702837_hdnzHp2di33Cdhwy"> out-of-nowhere Airbnb</a>, a farmstay which had a kitchen. We cooked our dinner last night and prepared breakfast. This Airbnb happened to be next to Gap of Dunhoe which we hiked today. Perhaps, our best day of the trip. </div><div>Gap of Dunhoe is a simple 14km long trail that just goes through some mountains with some water bodies in between. It reminded me of Kashmir's great lakes trek. It is absolutely stunning to walk and the walk is very easy as well. What made it interesting for us is that in these 14 kms, we walked in cold, in sun, in rain, and few mins in small hail stones as well. The views around you just made up for everything. We took many clicks and took 4.5 hrs to finish this simple walk </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGtrS4JbrTtEW1mwSfDujsN8HnVix04551-G9aIeUyM97SQWWEL6gDkqR_Fp16dWx0X8xb8AjysnXE5tabYQdo9XzwnHNsjkLnR3BgVOAJRTv9i1t40zjvvOjIIrGH6ycG77qrW4cbU43rvYqzbZfCtBU0YtpRy8G0Dl1pstsWWr0KQWN2zB-KLPgIA/s4000/IMG20221220083925.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGtrS4JbrTtEW1mwSfDujsN8HnVix04551-G9aIeUyM97SQWWEL6gDkqR_Fp16dWx0X8xb8AjysnXE5tabYQdo9XzwnHNsjkLnR3BgVOAJRTv9i1t40zjvvOjIIrGH6ycG77qrW4cbU43rvYqzbZfCtBU0YtpRy8G0Dl1pstsWWr0KQWN2zB-KLPgIA/w640-h480/IMG20221220083925.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtJ4Hbn7nEfMK6I4il-ixXHowL8GxnXgY-Qjpfa9UJKveq5SlStyKP0__oDhwn_eGs60-25wmYY3mRwxVX3VTeeAQf7pik6I3f9AqIIFF9-FFRnIPVsaLbJZGYIpyTfsYItMBACP6gphycdW8z6gPGZfXU-BYsPOaArowOHU3VoguSfQIed26QDAlmQ/s4096/IMG20221220100530.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtJ4Hbn7nEfMK6I4il-ixXHowL8GxnXgY-Qjpfa9UJKveq5SlStyKP0__oDhwn_eGs60-25wmYY3mRwxVX3VTeeAQf7pik6I3f9AqIIFF9-FFRnIPVsaLbJZGYIpyTfsYItMBACP6gphycdW8z6gPGZfXU-BYsPOaArowOHU3VoguSfQIed26QDAlmQ/w640-h480/IMG20221220100530.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSP9mGI8wQyjDdFuBLQDo2JO-loVLzSgJIn8ZLts_Kf1kkKf3t9zfIzlbMGo8VEmEX3dy6fOGlaNSsurkZCh8HVtLmVUEEUdX19uk3AR6fx5PiCADi_B6BEYRkS--8FCqOiYDfFYAcNdzDEsBz1Nw8PotnNWf06J6PxYHoda36AzHBwTMW5cru-Jo7cw/s4000/IMG20221220114058.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSP9mGI8wQyjDdFuBLQDo2JO-loVLzSgJIn8ZLts_Kf1kkKf3t9zfIzlbMGo8VEmEX3dy6fOGlaNSsurkZCh8HVtLmVUEEUdX19uk3AR6fx5PiCADi_B6BEYRkS--8FCqOiYDfFYAcNdzDEsBz1Nw8PotnNWf06J6PxYHoda36AzHBwTMW5cru-Jo7cw/w640-h480/IMG20221220114058.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Post this hike, we had a wonderful lunch at Sneem - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/villagekitchensneem/">The village kitchen</a>. They had this bread pudding custard (bread-cake + pudding + custard, all in one dessert) which was heavenly. Together with soup, irish coffee and pasta, it was a sumptuous meal after a good long walk. After food, we went to Kenmare to get our clothes washed, again at Centra stations, there are washing machines at the back. We knew that we had to visit a washing machine once every 4-5 days, this was the first one of it. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLO4Hp_dZ9DufMCIdajQB-obp3cRERMb4zJai_ZX7rdc1vHNnKA5m5ZQpbysvX-cpHdF2Uot236sd3W8-ohbtZfNjQA1W9NpDFvDOG67ftmTpfkF0Fq95S7WLGPAYjONk8QesMQfLuhOecd4ES8yhtOK-GpWeAIEJ9yhq95XdwXLpKg9kKLRG0UIU-lw/s4000/IMG_20221220_141035.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLO4Hp_dZ9DufMCIdajQB-obp3cRERMb4zJai_ZX7rdc1vHNnKA5m5ZQpbysvX-cpHdF2Uot236sd3W8-ohbtZfNjQA1W9NpDFvDOG67ftmTpfkF0Fq95S7WLGPAYjONk8QesMQfLuhOecd4ES8yhtOK-GpWeAIEJ9yhq95XdwXLpKg9kKLRG0UIU-lw/w400-h300/IMG_20221220_141035.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div>Day 6, Ring of Kerry</div><div>We left the Airbnb sufficiently early to reach wild atlantic way by the time daylight hits. Our night stay today was our poshest - a stay at a castle (a bucket list item :) ) We had booked a night stay at <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/ballyseede-castle.en-gb.html">Ballyseede castle</a>. So, we had to drive through ring of kerry and then reach the castle by 4 pm.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ring of Kerry has many stop points but we chose a few. We were fascinated by these stone-based architectures, from 800 years ago. The same time when in India we already had large palaces, intricate architectures, Ireland folks were still living in these stone made basic homes but it still is pretty fascinating on how they made it. In the first one that we visited, there was a group of folks already present there. </div><div>With some fire, and some instruments, they were calling to spirits. It was little spooky to be there with them but it was fun. Turns out Irish folks believe in these mystical arts, chakras, shamans very much. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2dPYr_n0MlQsehzBEG8EvrIrGAhkp2p8pMdb-2zTn9q2NcLTg0WYXHiCwLkNC8TWVZBK9bHDup3FMipb821G1MsC184vvMS8_h0_78RT3-uLba_kMWW0OrxZVAhzql_ItTUUMeXluNudLw2zPQeXXeXuOPAR2oL-42F3mimllxh8Zs9RpSCNZbWoHw/s4096/IMG20221221130648.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc8vUpzhpJDmvKtzySi7I-PgNv73mhQrEdp_14y8gQlndsAxEuowK68cmkAJM_oviFUG6AbnYOxvdcWsf_cbYFvjlnOfZ3DqviejyZCPUMmVxTm-xvsJCoaC7OqOcbdOY6pEEkiMXUB0mjoiWjxJgnYO0aK7A0reBfcAWyjtcvkP667nUPTkO9kXrPg/s4096/IMG20221221091040.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc8vUpzhpJDmvKtzySi7I-PgNv73mhQrEdp_14y8gQlndsAxEuowK68cmkAJM_oviFUG6AbnYOxvdcWsf_cbYFvjlnOfZ3DqviejyZCPUMmVxTm-xvsJCoaC7OqOcbdOY6pEEkiMXUB0mjoiWjxJgnYO0aK7A0reBfcAWyjtcvkP667nUPTkO9kXrPg/w640-h480/IMG20221221091040.jpg" width="640" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2dPYr_n0MlQsehzBEG8EvrIrGAhkp2p8pMdb-2zTn9q2NcLTg0WYXHiCwLkNC8TWVZBK9bHDup3FMipb821G1MsC184vvMS8_h0_78RT3-uLba_kMWW0OrxZVAhzql_ItTUUMeXluNudLw2zPQeXXeXuOPAR2oL-42F3mimllxh8Zs9RpSCNZbWoHw/w640-h480/IMG20221221130648.jpg" width="640" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Along the way, we made a quick pitstop at the Charlie chaplin statue. Our next big stop was the Kerry cliffs which I thought were magnificent. The cliffs is basically a land which is next to ocean at an elevation range. It gives spectacular views of the sea and you can see how the sea-waves has cut the rocks. Most of these cliffs were formed thousands of years ago as part of volcanic eruption. </div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1Lk101yNPMgehxWe-Sn64gb7wcB0dSSnAvM3kvwxJY9eDipoVmxJIqnMwhsp_XaT0hXc04KE6kP2bvrPRg2dPtG9D_-uleAze59CnhJk7eL0DAHXGpuC8KB4V-G35mBSxwp4uXxkBg0zk0QDEOpue3S0nRewvdhyjh8gOW9PXaHnS2D-gTei0IILmg/s4000/IMG20221221105339.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1Lk101yNPMgehxWe-Sn64gb7wcB0dSSnAvM3kvwxJY9eDipoVmxJIqnMwhsp_XaT0hXc04KE6kP2bvrPRg2dPtG9D_-uleAze59CnhJk7eL0DAHXGpuC8KB4V-G35mBSxwp4uXxkBg0zk0QDEOpue3S0nRewvdhyjh8gOW9PXaHnS2D-gTei0IILmg/s4000/IMG20221221105339.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1Lk101yNPMgehxWe-Sn64gb7wcB0dSSnAvM3kvwxJY9eDipoVmxJIqnMwhsp_XaT0hXc04KE6kP2bvrPRg2dPtG9D_-uleAze59CnhJk7eL0DAHXGpuC8KB4V-G35mBSxwp4uXxkBg0zk0QDEOpue3S0nRewvdhyjh8gOW9PXaHnS2D-gTei0IILmg/w400-h300/IMG20221221105339.jpg" width="400" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLsZkuFy90mtaUf5wA0S57Hs94tsFvtZCV5GI42ahMWeQDCD1eNRGTADmpDwCe8twIcOkdCMK1mHb-5AJGsZMHnjNK8fSqUhN2Y4YjxHUey7QzD54D6qvWqp18hZ9utUEqLI9lBPqubzapv7grFuTPx2WlOj3yaKljZTWWiZqyfFuVqmYBrrWfs1dXw/s4096/IMG20221221114419.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLsZkuFy90mtaUf5wA0S57Hs94tsFvtZCV5GI42ahMWeQDCD1eNRGTADmpDwCe8twIcOkdCMK1mHb-5AJGsZMHnjNK8fSqUhN2Y4YjxHUey7QzD54D6qvWqp18hZ9utUEqLI9lBPqubzapv7grFuTPx2WlOj3yaKljZTWWiZqyfFuVqmYBrrWfs1dXw/w640-h480/IMG20221221114419.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tlJ7qbgp4XE83GI00mCKQdBrU8xPyY1Xxwq2cKhHdxZJPZ9h84iguXfHKqe3agv6ayuqgZ0On0QRvWdZHTcs6hSyt2pJwTSTnN9MM68NZoH1EKG6-xHg6HIdZJ4LOEnUkrncxlzsUebliDJ0nc7yEoSEhTUbcbymBIvq-wP6GfvKyoWJ7JN4J38cmg/s4096/IMG20221221114958.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tlJ7qbgp4XE83GI00mCKQdBrU8xPyY1Xxwq2cKhHdxZJPZ9h84iguXfHKqe3agv6ayuqgZ0On0QRvWdZHTcs6hSyt2pJwTSTnN9MM68NZoH1EKG6-xHg6HIdZJ4LOEnUkrncxlzsUebliDJ0nc7yEoSEhTUbcbymBIvq-wP6GfvKyoWJ7JN4J38cmg/w640-h480/IMG20221221114958.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The entire drive was beautiful and being in December, it did not feel that crowded either. We stopped at the Red fox inn where I had a pint of Guinness before driving to the castle. Ballyseede castle is a true hotel-castle, it has giant statues outside, rounded pillars on the sides. Inside, it has been completely remodelled with all the modern hotel amenities but it retains some of the stone-elements of castle, in particular near fireplaces. The xmas decor was in full swing and sofas, and the decor made it really royal. We had dinner at the castle itself with more Guinness :)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoZfAto2VwKDBuTlBf5crhhkyU1EfI5zbRhiAxF7aj6O5r5qalQKflmqq72e2hM4YV9PCI2-j4nFhtZzCZyh6n8Z6ULuTxrvRmJtYr3HPXTb94lo00KZJT3tpr1ngq4u6UFdZTeN7c9jWutVeRyVX-xrqp-vARL8JdjTUGQsyj3iNQANRiXf39H6ORQ/s4096/IMG20221222094424.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoZfAto2VwKDBuTlBf5crhhkyU1EfI5zbRhiAxF7aj6O5r5qalQKflmqq72e2hM4YV9PCI2-j4nFhtZzCZyh6n8Z6ULuTxrvRmJtYr3HPXTb94lo00KZJT3tpr1ngq4u6UFdZTeN7c9jWutVeRyVX-xrqp-vARL8JdjTUGQsyj3iNQANRiXf39H6ORQ/w640-h480/IMG20221222094424.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzw_YHabbKpXaBpFEF_wTZVRvI4l-uMdZRDGxJOkZgUM1BC5BcTy7GRDqtjQzv9zuMxdyoIshRKA3FQ7jGUtK6qdhkBA4Uxzs1FozLNyl8KamNozA4vvwXvLOHyDPiYl0-vXmodkVuF4qjH3HEko6YctOnft_oFPZBm6gJxQ_mERFLNLJ8IkyjQI_Kg/s4000/IMG20221221163615.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzw_YHabbKpXaBpFEF_wTZVRvI4l-uMdZRDGxJOkZgUM1BC5BcTy7GRDqtjQzv9zuMxdyoIshRKA3FQ7jGUtK6qdhkBA4Uxzs1FozLNyl8KamNozA4vvwXvLOHyDPiYl0-vXmodkVuF4qjH3HEko6YctOnft_oFPZBm6gJxQ_mERFLNLJ8IkyjQI_Kg/w640-h480/IMG20221221163615.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsEuD2f4-DmfVt2OkXWwRA8OrDmnP0PlcXn0gUg_AriLqtx5WnVl6M_MJ9v4x8YTVG9vu4YsZJqZEOQ0OtJ8KJmrEucLiUvpG3giOWtl8i52VabqxNfqt2EozKjGwPlFN4babv98k4D07sbJ6ov1mCBWE5YYPjT3mqJec6cN_nG1GVYhbW-O0FCLaWA/s4096/IMG20221221184659.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsEuD2f4-DmfVt2OkXWwRA8OrDmnP0PlcXn0gUg_AriLqtx5WnVl6M_MJ9v4x8YTVG9vu4YsZJqZEOQ0OtJ8KJmrEucLiUvpG3giOWtl8i52VabqxNfqt2EozKjGwPlFN4babv98k4D07sbJ6ov1mCBWE5YYPjT3mqJec6cN_nG1GVYhbW-O0FCLaWA/w640-h480/IMG20221221184659.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsEuD2f4-DmfVt2OkXWwRA8OrDmnP0PlcXn0gUg_AriLqtx5WnVl6M_MJ9v4x8YTVG9vu4YsZJqZEOQ0OtJ8KJmrEucLiUvpG3giOWtl8i52VabqxNfqt2EozKjGwPlFN4babv98k4D07sbJ6ov1mCBWE5YYPjT3mqJec6cN_nG1GVYhbW-O0FCLaWA/s4096/IMG20221221184659.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Day 7, Dingle Peninsula</div><div>Day 7 began with perhaps the best breakfast of the trip, in the castle. Freshly prepared omlettes, amazing bread, juices cakes - we feasted like there is no tomorrow. Our plan of the day was to visit Dingle peninsula and I am so glad that we did it.</div><div>Dingle peninsula is spectacularly beautiful, my favorite among the three. If I had to choose one, I will pick Dingle over rings of Kerry & Beara. It is just amazing. </div><div>We also stopped at a famine hut along the way which documented how locals survived the terrible famine. Painful history. But this was remedied by the scenic way that came. We stopped at multiple places, had our apple while sitting next to this bay. At one place, we were able to do a short walk, walk on cushiony grass and explore raw nature. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQ0km_jAqWLDsm4mKvkT-4Lts-MOZtHwhZpr3dhz5w8REgcj9rn-2bxdhz6Mt4YRf1fjrfLCY9aMmVMRoCfRkH0-ad64CfwbbTgz9NKUW9N6vRFxnPmVNP0Ki0AoR7KE3ElNP5ixh3fxApAkCgTQNGlvFiI-o8IiNsJIQTPhCE7u7XHV9UreCDGBbDQ/s10608/IMG20221222125811.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3616" data-original-width="10608" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQ0km_jAqWLDsm4mKvkT-4Lts-MOZtHwhZpr3dhz5w8REgcj9rn-2bxdhz6Mt4YRf1fjrfLCY9aMmVMRoCfRkH0-ad64CfwbbTgz9NKUW9N6vRFxnPmVNP0Ki0AoR7KE3ElNP5ixh3fxApAkCgTQNGlvFiI-o8IiNsJIQTPhCE7u7XHV9UreCDGBbDQ/w640-h218/IMG20221222125811.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aHHsXcQCpk2XV9aBS__snWEuGt0380nsiI_ufqN_8uHTDUKXiswQnGZQNU9tf5-56AOlLIwB9Jt5fzPfJT79bqbcrWf8Nr-O_UjR3zeTPLTRR_Ncy7G-YitP1Dwd4YiYSA4OPuvRqSzodjEiLfQUJrOhGy17DWrPK3QA3btV-Th1N1zQQPqjGNrCPg/s5600/IMG20221222123646.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="5600" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aHHsXcQCpk2XV9aBS__snWEuGt0380nsiI_ufqN_8uHTDUKXiswQnGZQNU9tf5-56AOlLIwB9Jt5fzPfJT79bqbcrWf8Nr-O_UjR3zeTPLTRR_Ncy7G-YitP1Dwd4YiYSA4OPuvRqSzodjEiLfQUJrOhGy17DWrPK3QA3btV-Th1N1zQQPqjGNrCPg/w640-h411/IMG20221222123646.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjVfyGMJfGy6upSyIevQRc2Ir52XnAJNAR2PzskjH-QMtMqH8YbGv6nztfPML0AqbWl6m9C5pRmE_rwp73IHi66tqhAFUYqziyaCLpyZfZqpqZlyGFWWc6OBQ0uV76aJnTCM6W6aKUCd_9z5UjCXGpVnRRN5DJnMmYDHzYkc-bPTvE1iq1sDEEQ8uqA/s3264/IMG_20221222_124818.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjVfyGMJfGy6upSyIevQRc2Ir52XnAJNAR2PzskjH-QMtMqH8YbGv6nztfPML0AqbWl6m9C5pRmE_rwp73IHi66tqhAFUYqziyaCLpyZfZqpqZlyGFWWc6OBQ0uV76aJnTCM6W6aKUCd_9z5UjCXGpVnRRN5DJnMmYDHzYkc-bPTvE1iq1sDEEQ8uqA/w640-h480/IMG_20221222_124818.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><p>We also stopped at a local famous pottery place to buy our new coffee mugs. I am writing this blog while sipping coffee from this mug as of now :) After Dingle, we drove to Doolin, where we stayed at <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/glasha-meadows.en-gb.html?">Glasha Meadows Bread n Breakfast</a> . At night we headed to <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g214506-d4757525-Reviews-McGann_s_Pub_Restaurant-Doolin_The_Burren_County_Clare.html">Mcganns pub</a> where for the first night we heard local Irish music. </p><p>A note on understanding Irish pub scene - Most pubs will have music but it will start only after 730 pm, likely 8 pm. Pubs are full by then. Everyone in the town finishes up their work and heads to these pubs for socializing. Everyone knows each other. Irish folks love to chitchat with their Guiness and listen to music. But, they only serve food till 8 pm only. Pubs will be open, music will go on till 1 am but no food. Folks drink alcohol without any food, Guinness is also a heavy stout, a pint takes 45 mins to finish and folks drink it casually. Pubs will not come to ask you to leave if you are not ordering. Musicians also come and play as if they are practicing, It is very informal (for example - they may have their backs against audience) . On food, veg options are very limited. But they do love potatoes. We got potato fries (french fries) everywhere. They call it chips and it is served with every meal. Potatoes is the most common thing that is grown there and they do love their chips. At Mcganns, they custom made a veg dish for us and we hungry folks ate it all. Understanding this nuance of pub culture took us sometime. </p><p>Having driven all day, filled with sight seeing, coupled with a sense of jetlag, I used to feel very sleepy by 8 pm local (1:30 am IST), more so since it became dark after 5 pm. Plus, alcohol makes me sleepy. After a pint of Guinness, I really wanted my bed :) . So, it became difficult to overlap with pub music time but Mcganns had this lovely local pub feel which we liked. We listened to an hr before heading back. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuXmHPdNptrb--YwjtMp1x5ttgk1eGf1ot1aCtfiJZNbCel2kDPiay6KOc1PYyWqv9DuUXCNFivGMeRCBJ0EoZd6lruyDHg5VaiMXFiySbUEL2ykg4OHrquuIasrJ1p35SPQ4M8OjPUWv5c_MZGVG_TtzzJz42xh52J2x-b4z0stU6cZEZetWgasoBA/s4615/IMG_20221222_201342.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3467" data-original-width="4615" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuXmHPdNptrb--YwjtMp1x5ttgk1eGf1ot1aCtfiJZNbCel2kDPiay6KOc1PYyWqv9DuUXCNFivGMeRCBJ0EoZd6lruyDHg5VaiMXFiySbUEL2ykg4OHrquuIasrJ1p35SPQ4M8OjPUWv5c_MZGVG_TtzzJz42xh52J2x-b4z0stU6cZEZetWgasoBA/w400-h300/IMG_20221222_201342.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Day 8, Cliffs of Moher, Doolin</p><p>Perhaps, the most famous landmark of Ireland is Cliffs of Moher. We would have spent 3 hrs here - very windy, cold weather. Parts of the trail were closed due to winds. But, we did saw music being played at the cliff. Cliffs on its own are very beautiful. At couple of places, there is waterfall coming out of the cliff-rocks but the wind carries the water upwards instead of letting it fall. This makes it water-rising, pretty interesting phenomenon</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgjCwAy8hEIeJvRuFYzZW4Ub0tacdRp_bfDD5ivftQ5bTdn4aHe8fjn2LiVaDgv-mCnBpEvpQtZsGtMpEKpsCbUktVTeBPk3fk_1SwMjCVppyX4-xwiD3EhHg-a5rxllYbsBsapwDKPriWvmCUO0EgFksg95R6LLS_O-2SOrXUBOY7Ud79iu4WCcG6Q/s4000/IMG20221223103829.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgjCwAy8hEIeJvRuFYzZW4Ub0tacdRp_bfDD5ivftQ5bTdn4aHe8fjn2LiVaDgv-mCnBpEvpQtZsGtMpEKpsCbUktVTeBPk3fk_1SwMjCVppyX4-xwiD3EhHg-a5rxllYbsBsapwDKPriWvmCUO0EgFksg95R6LLS_O-2SOrXUBOY7Ud79iu4WCcG6Q/w400-h300/IMG20221223103829.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPGHnBB9Gnk1vI5nqgZG25r3zvCYkoUsb8jJJivQYXuRQ9td9NM4pdwMIKAZ30z3EK1783ONmRBulRsVNGhn4AsAeiyFiGbL_GfhxLqOHhi-xyxGX9F41eMy822G5rPtVW6pVZPs8hEs5-fDl2xXiOPfYKWbFptfAzKO39spCU9XWKBykNBb1iv0e3Q/s8192/IMG20221223110405.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6144" data-original-width="8192" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPGHnBB9Gnk1vI5nqgZG25r3zvCYkoUsb8jJJivQYXuRQ9td9NM4pdwMIKAZ30z3EK1783ONmRBulRsVNGhn4AsAeiyFiGbL_GfhxLqOHhi-xyxGX9F41eMy822G5rPtVW6pVZPs8hEs5-fDl2xXiOPfYKWbFptfAzKO39spCU9XWKBykNBb1iv0e3Q/w400-h300/IMG20221223110405.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigu7qyMVlQ4sd8y1vEniZW4LTFmKMuHrWeto4x4LaPhnR_fNg1EN1o_3zIw3NyK1xMFeHWiTAr7YvMy77onitFa5oIMkxWk0SDaFfcFEe_ap29Ku0XcsiT73wvXblRJy-zHJAYQyo-Cq4MZORQFCztqKrjVuszJuZWTZ231ocN69D9551JPM4anQy51Q/s4000/IMG20221223121256.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigu7qyMVlQ4sd8y1vEniZW4LTFmKMuHrWeto4x4LaPhnR_fNg1EN1o_3zIw3NyK1xMFeHWiTAr7YvMy77onitFa5oIMkxWk0SDaFfcFEe_ap29Ku0XcsiT73wvXblRJy-zHJAYQyo-Cq4MZORQFCztqKrjVuszJuZWTZ231ocN69D9551JPM4anQy51Q/w400-h300/IMG20221223121256.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Post the cliffs, we had a lazy lunch at the cafe itself. We went for some local shopping and bought some magnets. We decided to check this <a href="https://www.nationalparks.ie/burren/">Burren national park</a> which may have been better named as barren national park. We did an hr long walk and then decided to checkout local markets. We found an Indian restaurant nearby at Ennistymon and got Kebab packed. We also visited this cool indie bakery - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unglerts/?hl=en">Unglerts bakery</a> </p><p>At this point, we got confirmation that both of our suitcases has been delivered to a friend's place in Dublin (a friend whom we made at airport lounge only). Earlier, we got confirmation of one and a day before, we got the confirmation for the other. We were near west coast but a point that is closest to Dublin by road in our entire itinerary. 24-25-26 Dec are anyways days where things were going to be closed. So, our earlier plan was anyways to do some more local walks. But instead, we decided to drive to Dublin, collect our luggage and be back. This will give us fresh clothes, other utilities and perhaps also save us the time to wash our clothes again. </p><p>Day 9 - Doolin - Dublin - Westport</p><p>It was a 500km drive day. We left Doolin early and went from the right of island to left, on a highway that just straight to the heart of Ireland and reached Dublin. Our luggage was there and our new friends offered us tea, home-made Poha, Sev and were very hospitable. We discussed a lot about living as Indians in this country - they were enjoying here, this country is extremely friendly and no trace of racism. We bonded well on this. We took the suitcases back to our car and now again drove back, again cutting across the Ireland. This is how the maps looks like - </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EquRFNq3qysWvTx7IoR7d0xOSm2dS-4tfUFKJDiPxbD4ITJRN4XONCMNmJ0gPsGxXg8cNMY_AyY9XtgJAHWTb-_Kypoz4-5pYsEsy6pheO3yR2lbn0POpT-V_VvNayNhjOuMRuRAy53qYqEVFjur1DKz6rITuuVjwxLF1P8MrzoWiNYblRUCM22YLg/s1295/Screenshot%202023-01-14%20at%209.29.37%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1295" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EquRFNq3qysWvTx7IoR7d0xOSm2dS-4tfUFKJDiPxbD4ITJRN4XONCMNmJ0gPsGxXg8cNMY_AyY9XtgJAHWTb-_Kypoz4-5pYsEsy6pheO3yR2lbn0POpT-V_VvNayNhjOuMRuRAy53qYqEVFjur1DKz6rITuuVjwxLF1P8MrzoWiNYblRUCM22YLg/w640-h334/Screenshot%202023-01-14%20at%209.29.37%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>On the way back, we stopped for a late-lunch/dinner at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g315879-d12171008-Reviews-Mekong_Asian_Street_Food-Longford_County_Longford.html">Mekong Chinese food </a>in Longford. This place had plenty of veg options, big portions and warmth :) It had started to rain and when it rains, it is cold rain. Things were closing since folks were going for their Christmas eve celebrations. We did some grocery shopping knowing that everything will be closed tomorrow. </p><p>Day 10 - Westport</p><p>Our night stay was at a lovely homestay - <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/ie/quiet-peacefull-homestead.en-gb.html?">Catherine's lair</a>. It had full access to kitchen, a living room, bed and everything. It was 25th, the day of Christmas and nothing was open. Catherine had a lovely spread of breakfast and we enjoyed it. The weather prediction was of rain the whole day, it was going to be a gloomy christmas. But in the morning it was sunny. We pushed ourselves for a drive and to see if anything was open, nothing was. By the time, we hit the road, rains had started. </p><p>We took the Nephin road and drove to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulranny">Malaranny beach</a>. To our surprise, there were a few cars where folks where getting out in their swimming costumes and heading to the sea for a quick dip, in freezing rain, strong rain and a temperature of 4 degree celcius. Seems that this was some kind of christmas tradition. We looked at them in utter shock. </p><p>We drove further and Nephin is also part of Wild atlantic way and the views are stunning. My god, this country, this teeny country has packed nature, pristine nature, no civilization in abundance. God bless them. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMKfSSejQJB9eErsBVMHXVExRf6HDJIYLZaiQvrIDe2GxAae8E57tSBfLCHMzpsAug6-rdJSISyEUqpd7zTHPQYpQjk5QhSq_iz5ARelt3P2DCf4ev4iBNCAwzY1oZn3kpXf9cnYBS2vrwYq05OmZQAV2GiqDVlwFYd4fvfbb4E8VCNyuApa0Z6UzPA/s4000/IMG20221225105238.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMKfSSejQJB9eErsBVMHXVExRf6HDJIYLZaiQvrIDe2GxAae8E57tSBfLCHMzpsAug6-rdJSISyEUqpd7zTHPQYpQjk5QhSq_iz5ARelt3P2DCf4ev4iBNCAwzY1oZn3kpXf9cnYBS2vrwYq05OmZQAV2GiqDVlwFYd4fvfbb4E8VCNyuApa0Z6UzPA/w640-h480/IMG20221225105238.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumE5Q0koTXjzjT67sPOljeDk7942KSUXnE2AYaCiIMaDVY-EN-TQeb7PaUlz0B-Zz_a6jub1CPXwZyNf-zdG_sVvhnOe8yMEikPuevi9z3Q9rD-PE58Hxl4Zdk3nViR8jCwPKC_xwbSwfcw-ulbomUjD79wZUJ8aBknAAOpyD-obuJfQJiWSyCthaPw/s4000/IMG20221225111153.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumE5Q0koTXjzjT67sPOljeDk7942KSUXnE2AYaCiIMaDVY-EN-TQeb7PaUlz0B-Zz_a6jub1CPXwZyNf-zdG_sVvhnOe8yMEikPuevi9z3Q9rD-PE58Hxl4Zdk3nViR8jCwPKC_xwbSwfcw-ulbomUjD79wZUJ8aBknAAOpyD-obuJfQJiWSyCthaPw/w640-h480/IMG20221225111153.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqtLxYhvpDldGLS-YZc5Xa-umghn0olslXdkdp2BU6HjNB9rv_04L-t-nHhuafRRiUyTCh5JSyWAtVLlH-gjMU73KcjY8Qsflo-qTZcXFnHEi6VK5Wes7N0C5sAhx8mZu2wSTG1TwhqbIfp9Enq8J8PMJvHjnLlwggaznylw9dWZw78nJrK6c-4dsZw/s10384/IMG20221225113648%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3664" data-original-width="10384" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqtLxYhvpDldGLS-YZc5Xa-umghn0olslXdkdp2BU6HjNB9rv_04L-t-nHhuafRRiUyTCh5JSyWAtVLlH-gjMU73KcjY8Qsflo-qTZcXFnHEi6VK5Wes7N0C5sAhx8mZu2wSTG1TwhqbIfp9Enq8J8PMJvHjnLlwggaznylw9dWZw78nJrK6c-4dsZw/w640-h226/IMG20221225113648%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>In about three hrs, we were back at our homestay. We decided to finally use their living room with a Netflix-tv and watch some movies. Our homemade lunch was three bean salad with sauted tofu, naan and hummus. It tasted heavenly. </p><p>Our generous homestay host recommended us to use the fireplace and gave their wood to us. Another guest had purchased coal blocks and suggested that we should add it to create warmth. We did it and the room became heavenly. We ended up watching two movies, one of them will be in my top 10 of this year. </p><p>First movie was the cheesy Glass Onion - A Knives out mystery. Full of style, clever writing and acting, it was a fun watch. The second one was Everything Everywhere All at Once - and it is 4.5/5. Mind bending mystery, so many things happen and so much power. Loved it. Great movies, cozy room, fireplace, all this meant a perfect 25th Dec</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo25PNcmAJMFfkQC9G9soCv0vYKijcbxjtgIiTfRPPsXr5MwWrqbz49vBL6l7MsDG0bgcLLIY2Fp1qgzPkeYqReLMYyA3J7xmTYQAwtmB-bkNnhAdTRRoaCbkV_XBWc-XwMO3KInBYdvKvNXNdWQCTJ3qgTFnlVEezC55grKqwFjNJu-mezDqDgCU6kQ/s4000/IMG20221225142417.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo25PNcmAJMFfkQC9G9soCv0vYKijcbxjtgIiTfRPPsXr5MwWrqbz49vBL6l7MsDG0bgcLLIY2Fp1qgzPkeYqReLMYyA3J7xmTYQAwtmB-bkNnhAdTRRoaCbkV_XBWc-XwMO3KInBYdvKvNXNdWQCTJ3qgTFnlVEezC55grKqwFjNJu-mezDqDgCU6kQ/w640-h480/IMG20221225142417.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Day 11 - Westport - Cuilcagh Boardwalk trail, Coleraine-Londonderry</p><p>This was the day where we leave Ireland to enter North Ireland. Our night stay was at a small town called Coleraine in Londonderry. But on the way, right at the border of these two countries, we found an amazing hiking place - <a href="https://walkni.com/walks/cuilcagh-boardwalk-trail/">Cuilcagh Boardwalk trail</a>. As usual we left early but I wanted my morning coffee but no shops were open in morning, it was 26th morning after all. We ended up driving via Sligo, again a grand drive. </p><p>Cuilcagh boardwalk trail was very interesting, we started when it was bright sunny. But within 30 mins, we went from sunny to rain to snowfall. Interestingly this was Kanishka's first snowfall. We hiked for an hr and the entire natural park around us turned from green to white. While it was cold, it was also very cool to walk in this. From the carpark, you walk 3kms to get to the start of boardwalk trail. Our raincoats saved us from getting wet (Quechua raincoats had the highest ROI in the trip) but the snow made us slow. At the start of boardwalk, the wooden boards were also snowy/icey making them slippery. Almost everyone who went with us turned back at that point, so did we. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJt195g29U7emYMpjYYkomUeAw8C7RKfyLYn7WHS-FkhIM6lVtmJt73V4wASb7JJh3eRunaf0epoqp2QAQXcEJaWJ8KsnABhQJa03t0pJpUkFWfOkWoAziUwZ7LUN0ElOjFv1C5vEjBgY2-oExW3BSBcItm6F1M9J0K-oMjgZAWh9VqsTuCIUZxrHEg/s4000/IMG20221226114702.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJt195g29U7emYMpjYYkomUeAw8C7RKfyLYn7WHS-FkhIM6lVtmJt73V4wASb7JJh3eRunaf0epoqp2QAQXcEJaWJ8KsnABhQJa03t0pJpUkFWfOkWoAziUwZ7LUN0ElOjFv1C5vEjBgY2-oExW3BSBcItm6F1M9J0K-oMjgZAWh9VqsTuCIUZxrHEg/s4000/IMG20221226114702.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3vrrOFHL8abrlD6UQQl3ZRbMAy_4mFAi6PHr9lg250DhaHsrkSGSfkrMkw3xCw5Ivgmh1KFf_SHZHU7Lxc6vVAKvJ5iHNQ6662l4kUPKaPqEW3OVEmS15TA1qhF13eYpSMPsG6BUYaF_AodFsKUfeCcPvup1BkwQnkfI7gZB7FdTuWSnK0MJXVqcWA/s4000/IMG_20221226_103752.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3vrrOFHL8abrlD6UQQl3ZRbMAy_4mFAi6PHr9lg250DhaHsrkSGSfkrMkw3xCw5Ivgmh1KFf_SHZHU7Lxc6vVAKvJ5iHNQ6662l4kUPKaPqEW3OVEmS15TA1qhF13eYpSMPsG6BUYaF_AodFsKUfeCcPvup1BkwQnkfI7gZB7FdTuWSnK0MJXVqcWA/w640-h480/IMG_20221226_103752.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJt195g29U7emYMpjYYkomUeAw8C7RKfyLYn7WHS-FkhIM6lVtmJt73V4wASb7JJh3eRunaf0epoqp2QAQXcEJaWJ8KsnABhQJa03t0pJpUkFWfOkWoAziUwZ7LUN0ElOjFv1C5vEjBgY2-oExW3BSBcItm6F1M9J0K-oMjgZAWh9VqsTuCIUZxrHEg/w640-h480/IMG20221226114702.jpg" width="640" /></div><br /><br /> We did close to 7km hike and then returned. Hungry after the long walk, we went to a pretty quirky cafe/pub called <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g190795-d12460134-Reviews-Granny_Annie_s_Bar_Kitchen-Enniskillen_County_Fermanagh_Northern_Ireland.html">Granny Annie's at Enniskillen</a>. We had our regular - soup of the day and a veg dish (pasta here). By the time we reached Coleraine, I was drained and we decided to order in Dominos, it was not good. <p></p><p><br /></p><p>Day 12 - Giant Causeway, Carrick-a-rede rope bridge</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Now in Northern Island, under the rule of British, we decided to visit the most famous place here - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant%27s_Causeway">Giant causeway</a> followed by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrick-a-Rede_Rope_Bridge">Carrick-a-rede rope bridge</a>. Giant causeway was very interesting. They have maintained it well with running tours available. Our guide explained the geology of the causeway and shared some fun giant-stories to make it more interesting. The causeway indeed is nature's marvel and it is pretty amazing to walk on them. We ended up walking more and took the long red-trail to reach back Had some amazing panoramic views of the entire area from up top. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRENOyYz5p932sOB4FJP61MMzCN-NENPpv7yoNtaGS-BT8zMF-B66R977y60hmJdBB5xuWC3WedNEXDiPKK-TPpKGccc7MHGqZKZs3Hk4A7bQVFjf0t7pl-Zj-sce5XxzMHuwlPy_7WLEOrOMkyDOq02KAi8e5aiTlvFP1T229clJh4Wlgn7x-bvY7w/s4096/IMG20221227114533.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRENOyYz5p932sOB4FJP61MMzCN-NENPpv7yoNtaGS-BT8zMF-B66R977y60hmJdBB5xuWC3WedNEXDiPKK-TPpKGccc7MHGqZKZs3Hk4A7bQVFjf0t7pl-Zj-sce5XxzMHuwlPy_7WLEOrOMkyDOq02KAi8e5aiTlvFP1T229clJh4Wlgn7x-bvY7w/w640-h480/IMG20221227114533.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhhAsGYSLaLrXEz461yZRLm1dWB4rJTfQV16Jp8e7Z_H6jLTlVRPaj7o8tHeA0x2UHn9t0M0FrkTiPHF37E9K9conx2YhjCcL0iDZFWe28pQtu5wOc3kLdRP4f6g5mJIoWcfhwNW1c_P5bp-JKhkWJcx51Oas-vYK0lldnoyynit8hHEKQvJr2qV9oQ/s4000/IMG20221227123348.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhhAsGYSLaLrXEz461yZRLm1dWB4rJTfQV16Jp8e7Z_H6jLTlVRPaj7o8tHeA0x2UHn9t0M0FrkTiPHF37E9K9conx2YhjCcL0iDZFWe28pQtu5wOc3kLdRP4f6g5mJIoWcfhwNW1c_P5bp-JKhkWJcx51Oas-vYK0lldnoyynit8hHEKQvJr2qV9oQ/w640-h480/IMG20221227123348.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the Giant casuseway, we went to the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, an actual bridge that connects to a remote island-rock ahead. This bridge was actually used by fishermen back in 100 years ago, with a much poorer construction. It is pretty safe now to walk on but a walk here does offer amazing scenery to soothe eyes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV6Wp1UjsH8dn61EGv2jY6tlvVkkcD3_U4ESToYzDMz3h5msdysltHhk87QqKHMkgjnb60QFc4piqtQsN6XcWl7XxbrM9DWqJjdDtqcDs1VrIZza_6oua2nO3kS-Bi8Gm8c812mQdnDRh9h6QgO_yo-DqAnWF6PUnpO0v1IRnQIAij0zI1LmZ_WQ8LQ/s4000/IMG20221227144549.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV6Wp1UjsH8dn61EGv2jY6tlvVkkcD3_U4ESToYzDMz3h5msdysltHhk87QqKHMkgjnb60QFc4piqtQsN6XcWl7XxbrM9DWqJjdDtqcDs1VrIZza_6oua2nO3kS-Bi8Gm8c812mQdnDRh9h6QgO_yo-DqAnWF6PUnpO0v1IRnQIAij0zI1LmZ_WQ8LQ/w640-h480/IMG20221227144549.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Post the rope bridge, we also made the customary stop at the Dark Hedges, a shooting place used in Game of thrones. I think in season 1 but I do not recall. Anyways, it is a highly touristy spot now but hey, we are tourists too ! Our dinner was at this pub <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g209952-d3475644-Reviews-The_Quays_Bar-Portrush_County_Antrim_Northern_Ireland.html">The Quays</a>. Kanishka tried whiskey from the oldest registered distillery - Bushmills. </p><p><br /></p><p>Day 13 - Belfast</p><p>Day 13 started with a quick drive to Belfast. We stopped for breakfast at this Bob & Berts cafe- I assumed this to be a mom-n-pop kind of cafe but it turned out to be a chain. Anyhow, the breakfast was decent. Our main attraction for the day was the Titanic museum. </p><p>Titanic museum is actually a museum on the shipping industry of Belfast but boy, what a museum. It is perhaps the most modern museum that I have seen. Very fancy, very clever use of projectors, amazing representations and in all of this a woven story of Titanic - what happened, how, aftermath etc. I would say, it is a must attend though it is expensive. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-I4UgC_3CqUDQJk1G8ly5cDtuDWAQG-BhHgOAuHdckozB5R99MvIHkUKNrBx8sq03emPVS84mEL8YTU-Gqf271sGzT17GYc1GFIYaRYicd5o_sqrMncAx77V2K0J5x6nt3cOfMTdeRDEKhUqN4-8IDyJEevjWOeiGn7EULk-KD77IFwzdVg9a9rr0w/s4096/IMG20221228115709.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-I4UgC_3CqUDQJk1G8ly5cDtuDWAQG-BhHgOAuHdckozB5R99MvIHkUKNrBx8sq03emPVS84mEL8YTU-Gqf271sGzT17GYc1GFIYaRYicd5o_sqrMncAx77V2K0J5x6nt3cOfMTdeRDEKhUqN4-8IDyJEevjWOeiGn7EULk-KD77IFwzdVg9a9rr0w/w640-h480/IMG20221228115709.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We ended up walking a lot post the museum. We went to city hall and explored their historic museum as well. Decent one. We had dinner at this Punk Pizza place which had one veg pizza :) At night, we went to this iconic music space where a bunch of folks had come to play traditional music. We stayed there for 1.5 hrs before calling it a day. Our night stay was at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g186470-d15528194-Reviews-Ashfield_Bed_and_Breakfast-Belfast_Northern_Ireland.html">Ashfield Bnb</a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi2NoPVXF_5kwmx3BK8fttYhEJRtR1sjGxVOasTX-NJtqkELtqRm4YzZVLfFPt2hE2g87DM0eNp0-S0g5Z86F3nqPTQfpFHWOCRr3dt1W-5B5X_S_epFQj47gjXEEc78nPSVlPl1kZ40Rej53VWO-omw6DaW-XyOKBS5zCEpiJGT7yBgXOJuhbF7Wfg/s4000/IMG_20221228_200424.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi2NoPVXF_5kwmx3BK8fttYhEJRtR1sjGxVOasTX-NJtqkELtqRm4YzZVLfFPt2hE2g87DM0eNp0-S0g5Z86F3nqPTQfpFHWOCRr3dt1W-5B5X_S_epFQj47gjXEEc78nPSVlPl1kZ40Rej53VWO-omw6DaW-XyOKBS5zCEpiJGT7yBgXOJuhbF7Wfg/w640-h480/IMG_20221228_200424.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Day 14 - Belfast -Malahide - Dublin</p><p>The day 14 morning began with an amazing walking tour organized by <a href="https://deadcentretours.com/tours/a-history-of-terror-the-tour/?g">Deadcenter tours</a> who has a tour called A History of Terror tour. It was rated very high and I also loved it. This is a tour of the violence in Belfast during 1970s, IRA vs non-IRA, unionists vs nationalists and how it impacted the daily lives. Our guide was non-partisan and shared lot of historical facts, its consequences and how it impacts the present day lives of folks. Like in Germany, I am in love with such walking tours, and this one was also 5/5. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy00bRAybKrQNtyGZqVB5AY8_A6HIpAjW7IVNsDBAgNOJpErre8daldZpBUFsuj6ALO7o49sCbpfIkDZuQTQu_fGjPeN-xIwPiLLgufm40s3Eu1fHi5z0ibPrPf-zdZMNbcTaW2enAsIJ7bdwojoVIZRuYWQ2evtTPylANg1_msqqEBXyaF24rMMls3w/s4000/IMG20221229112800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy00bRAybKrQNtyGZqVB5AY8_A6HIpAjW7IVNsDBAgNOJpErre8daldZpBUFsuj6ALO7o49sCbpfIkDZuQTQu_fGjPeN-xIwPiLLgufm40s3Eu1fHi5z0ibPrPf-zdZMNbcTaW2enAsIJ7bdwojoVIZRuYWQ2evtTPylANg1_msqqEBXyaF24rMMls3w/w640-h480/IMG20221229112800.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>It was a 4 hr tour and because of this tour, I had to cancel the trip to Ward castle where Winterfell was shot in GoT. One was a touristy checkbox item while this one was perhaps one of the 10 best things of the trip. We were also under a clock since I had evening tickets for a light show at the Malahide castle. During this season, they deck up the garden area around the castle with interesting light shows and it gets sold out. I had booked tickets back in Nov only. Light show was good, some very interesting play on light reflection. Good fun! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb84Ga9uEBCT-Tkr_GC8i_FlikI3CM-JpLD0MJFrzFo2bQ-Y8D02I_m1YOumCBGLSEEi1pGm7laYjZy3NV1LkasbJ-2dS8xAVv4OH8G6xfQNf05Fs7dZB5IWvVMaEzW96MtrOy9EIKen3Aiyv14EcUUpQoHMx3J5ElpRLA7drkS7tlHUi7xn8k0ouiUw/s4000/IMG20221229171629.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb84Ga9uEBCT-Tkr_GC8i_FlikI3CM-JpLD0MJFrzFo2bQ-Y8D02I_m1YOumCBGLSEEi1pGm7laYjZy3NV1LkasbJ-2dS8xAVv4OH8G6xfQNf05Fs7dZB5IWvVMaEzW96MtrOy9EIKen3Aiyv14EcUUpQoHMx3J5ElpRLA7drkS7tlHUi7xn8k0ouiUw/w640-h480/IMG20221229171629.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Day 15 - Dublin</p><p>We were staying at a very friendly <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/6602165?">host Airbnb in Stillorgan</a>, a wee bit far from Dublin though. Now was the time to soak in Dublin and the very first thing that we did was to take the Jameson Irish whiskey tour :) The tour itself was good fun, all new for both of us who do not drink whiskey and can not even tell from one whiskey to another :) But it did include a tasting and we acted like we know this stuff - it burns like hell :) </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKpCAPRcvuUjGXcouOJHKbRnQ3T_-DIx3lzcoBVO9wo1bzo_3ukz8-pU54A_fhqhsbER3tXB4wFTB5KucPOg958vcCF_N-l-xQPiELshOkqqrEp7d01HD1iVTRb6TZj_oabbbH6ACceJgoXnN_4i_ijqCf7K355J-97c1j2Uz3rK0g040u6nNzJat6w/s4000/IMG20221230113958.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKpCAPRcvuUjGXcouOJHKbRnQ3T_-DIx3lzcoBVO9wo1bzo_3ukz8-pU54A_fhqhsbER3tXB4wFTB5KucPOg958vcCF_N-l-xQPiELshOkqqrEp7d01HD1iVTRb6TZj_oabbbH6ACceJgoXnN_4i_ijqCf7K355J-97c1j2Uz3rK0g040u6nNzJat6w/w400-h300/IMG20221230113958.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3itj_OaItcHlMFzpGaCpptHAcAKY2JdE-hRwpCSrDXuUhJKorNhy8vjEWirhxYPnHi3bLsiEVKqvJDriEXDFFEs69HYXDvLgiATqmCFnI901TvCW-KNcCDqYk1tIKgPhibWkyRq0VxzuOy-wwWKyXevJfZu5LNW_wz0z1vSL6Gyqi_WRFNV4XDJdsA/s4000/IMG20221230123044.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3itj_OaItcHlMFzpGaCpptHAcAKY2JdE-hRwpCSrDXuUhJKorNhy8vjEWirhxYPnHi3bLsiEVKqvJDriEXDFFEs69HYXDvLgiATqmCFnI901TvCW-KNcCDqYk1tIKgPhibWkyRq0VxzuOy-wwWKyXevJfZu5LNW_wz0z1vSL6Gyqi_WRFNV4XDJdsA/w300-h400/IMG20221230123044.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>After the whiskey tour. we walked to <a href="https://www.littlemuseum.ie/">Little museum of Dubli</a>n. They had a quick 30 min tour of Irish history filled with quirky facts. While this museum/tour was rated high, I found to be ok. Museum has lots of quirky facts, and a big exhibition on U2, who I came to know is an Irish band, but overall, it is a skippable one. We had lunch at this Mexican place where we had tacos with rice - our only rice during the entire trip. The day ended with us again at Penneys buying a suitcase for our luggage. </p><p>Day 16 - Last day, Dublin</p><p>You have not visited Dublin if you have not visited the Guinness storehouse. While it is ridicilously expensive, it does offer a pint in the end and it goes through the entire process of beer-making, includes beer tasting along with some very fancy gadgets/exhibits. For example, they have one section for ingredients in a beer and when it comes to water, they have built a giant indoor waterfall, just for the sake of it. The marketing/advertisements of Guinness were very cool, ahead of its time. Some of these were good and they have a nice panoramic glass dome on top where you can drink your free pint and enjoy the city. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDVdA_y1-dPIctsMQDgjjv8153Epz_YdKAv-qNiuRGD8ZEZXeWgxVxo-S38-Be4Qp3r8zP5tCTk6VLiL89WZdROiivBywwgt9ifaBrubxrpQL-8Ox0WOMqURMslSONopbWrft8EAS-fllWGjN68ZhEUvgf6F3zornzl8w9OI5Sd_xGdf23CC95NJHuw/s4000/IMG20221231143516.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDVdA_y1-dPIctsMQDgjjv8153Epz_YdKAv-qNiuRGD8ZEZXeWgxVxo-S38-Be4Qp3r8zP5tCTk6VLiL89WZdROiivBywwgt9ifaBrubxrpQL-8Ox0WOMqURMslSONopbWrft8EAS-fllWGjN68ZhEUvgf6F3zornzl8w9OI5Sd_xGdf23CC95NJHuw/w400-h300/IMG20221231143516.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaw3hpc17UE-TgC0MqfAq_d-v-0BPsTBzyrzFx4MJJu4SGvLtAhzuqVdEPGHv7aWSh9pcery0-eKcqt-RnI_Rs9A6sERepDVXZvV5STqq-k-x66neTawnilZEsij5tRgbDoHsBtoK0hPlQVPyDAZ75JZTN5C_LzvE0uOEClI2pupjLiijFi7fI29TVSA/s4000/IMG20221231152019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaw3hpc17UE-TgC0MqfAq_d-v-0BPsTBzyrzFx4MJJu4SGvLtAhzuqVdEPGHv7aWSh9pcery0-eKcqt-RnI_Rs9A6sERepDVXZvV5STqq-k-x66neTawnilZEsij5tRgbDoHsBtoK0hPlQVPyDAZ75JZTN5C_LzvE0uOEClI2pupjLiijFi7fI29TVSA/w400-h300/IMG20221231152019.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Before Guinness storehouse, we went to the local church and did a self guided tour. Church, like all churches was a normal church but with some fanciful things. This one was bigger than others and a giant organ for a gong. I have always liked glass painted window-walls in churches and this one had plenty of those. Before the church, our day started late with us finishing the packing. </p><p>The last engagement of the trip was a 31st night concert 10pm-midnight to welcome the new year. It was a musical concert orchestra with two leading singers. But we saw something pretty extraordinary during this event. First, the music was really good and the singers did a great job. But the leading female singer changed her dress between each one of her appearances. The male singer did not do so. Never understood it why. At midnight, they also had a unique crossed arm shake with strangers sitting next to each other joining their hands. Irish folks, as we had seen the entire trip are very friendly and included us as well. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNsbOMCTN2OQl4lbGlG0piDthTXmRaJM6CQ4tNdsU1gIPONNYUtaLDNdMeiV7ff5DZ4lvyXcNo-trpgS1B9xgkWzPqRJicZwT3OdZJJQ6biBdfcRKLY0EMrpXKiPbBQNbNKVumQr27KH1cuFFVHrKRNgr8L6TBe7nKm40tdUJmSSs6HgqeTGbbhgKQw/s4000/IMG_20221231_235611.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNsbOMCTN2OQl4lbGlG0piDthTXmRaJM6CQ4tNdsU1gIPONNYUtaLDNdMeiV7ff5DZ4lvyXcNo-trpgS1B9xgkWzPqRJicZwT3OdZJJQ6biBdfcRKLY0EMrpXKiPbBQNbNKVumQr27KH1cuFFVHrKRNgr8L6TBe7nKm40tdUJmSSs6HgqeTGbbhgKQw/w640-h480/IMG_20221231_235611.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The concert ended at 12:15, we reached home by 1 and then left for airport at 4 am. We had stopover at Frankfurt for only 75 mins and I was expecting that we would miss our connection. But miraculously we didn't. On the way back, they got us via route which bypassed security check for transit, this made all the difference. I bought nice Paninis at the Frankfurt airport and had them in the plane. </p><p><br /></p><p>We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I ended up driving 3000 kms during the entire trip. Kanishka also drove in a foreign country for the first time. If there are three take-aways from this trip, these are - </p><p>1. Ireland is ridiculously beautiful. Sheer abundance of beauty, pristine beauty, untouched, it is just amazing. </p><p>2. Irish people are the friendliest. In all of my travels, I had never seen a more happy group, warm, welcoming and strangers walking and offering help, it is just mind boggling. </p><p>3. Ireland is expensive. </p><p>I will expand on all three in the next post. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-68349691634331915582023-01-14T17:43:00.003+05:302023-01-15T00:03:36.192+05:30Ireland Travelogue Part 1 - Why? Why in Dec?<p> </p><p>Back in Oct'22, it hit that Dec will be soon upon us. Last two weeks of December, what will we do? Where should we go?</p><p>The answer came down to Ireland. And the way I do, to make my plans concrete, I tend to broadcast them, especially in office. This acts as a way to give heads-up to my colleagues that I am not going to be available. But to whomsoever, I have shared this, to folks who met us at airport in transit, to Irish-folks who we met, they all had this question - Why are you going to Ireland? Or why are you going to Ireland in December. It is amazing that so many folks have asked this question. </p><p>So, in my this three part Ireland blogpost, I am going to start by answering this question. The three parts will cover - </p><ul><li>Part 1 -<a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-1-why-why-in-dec.html"> Ireland Travelogue Part 1 - Why? Why in Dec?</a></li><li>Part 2 - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-2-itinerary.html">Ireland Travelogue Part 2 - Itinerary</a></li><li>Part 3 - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2023/01/ireland-travelogue-part-3-irish-love.html">Ireland Travelogue Part 3 - Irish love, North vs South Ireland, & some learnings</a></li></ul><p><br /></p><p>There is no single answer to why Ireland. It has many nuances and let me unfold each one -</p><p>Because it is so beautiful !</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Cf0LJO-M1L52oGf-sdii9e766Jj92_NuLTQjS9QeQ8cLLmnoXqxzNrFO-vQURrQlBNsNJuNsh9yF6asUJ-SX4HlLUS5CQpo_FewLDUQKGHjTnkQrg3za8tIn-ipsyykjQ5vgIoyS_9_2aeL8ujnwydkBF6y44u5DmTukbd84Sm-DB3m_mk0l4YfHNA/s10384/IMG20221225113648.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3664" data-original-width="10384" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Cf0LJO-M1L52oGf-sdii9e766Jj92_NuLTQjS9QeQ8cLLmnoXqxzNrFO-vQURrQlBNsNJuNsh9yF6asUJ-SX4HlLUS5CQpo_FewLDUQKGHjTnkQrg3za8tIn-ipsyykjQ5vgIoyS_9_2aeL8ujnwydkBF6y44u5DmTukbd84Sm-DB3m_mk0l4YfHNA/w640-h226/IMG20221225113648.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br />Compare the google image search results of various countries - <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=ireland&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjpuK7t98b8AhWgktgFHQYoBBkQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=ireland&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECCMQJzIHCAAQsQMQQzIECAAQQzIHCAAQsQMQQzIHCAAQsQMQQzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIICAAQgAQQsQMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDoHCAAQgAQQDToKCAAQgAQQsQMQDVCNCFjPDWCRD2gAcAB4AIABV4gB7wSSAQE4mAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=NY_CY6nKBKCl4t4PhtCQyAE&bih=871&biw=1774&rlz=1C5CHFA_en">Ireland</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=india&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiGzufv98b8AhXxj9gFHTblClgQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=india&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECCMQJzIECAAQQzIHCAAQsQMQQzIHCAAQsQMQQzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIICAAQgAQQsQMyCAgAEIAEELEDOgUIABCABDoICAAQsQMQgwE6BwgjEOoCECdQ7QdY2RlghxtoAXAAeACAAWyIAcQEkgEDNi4xmAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWewAQrAAQE&sclient=img&ei=Oo_CY4bJDPGf4t4PtsqrwAU&bih=871&biw=1774&rlz=1C5CHFA_en">India</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Germany&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjrveiT-Mb8AhWnjtgFHVuTDwsQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=Germany&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECCMQJzIHCAAQsQMQQzIHCAAQsQMQQzIHCAAQsQMQQzIHCAAQsQMQQzIECAAQQzIHCAAQgAQQDTIHCAAQgAQQDTIHCAAQgAQQDTIKCAAQgAQQsQMQDToFCAAQgAQ6CAgAEIAEELEDUNUEWMkNYMcQaABwAHgAgAFZiAHfBJIBATiYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=hY_CY6vnK6ed4t4P26a-WA&bih=871&biw=1774&rlz=1C5CHFA_en">Germany</a> and you will get an idea. It has castles, lush green grasslands, blue ocean, beaches, beer etc. Our New Zealand trip three years ago was awesome and I would have again gone there but the flight costs were 2x. Next to NZ, it has always been Ireland for me to visit. Ireland has always been in the bucket list. </p><p>Enya & her castle, Once, Irish music</p><p>I read this <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/annehelenpetersen/the-keys-to-enyas-kingdom">buzzfeed article on Enya</a> in July/Aug. First, I am a big fan of Enya. Secondly, this article shared how she owned and lived in a castle, how you can stay in castles in Ireland; the article has some pics with some amazing scenery. Plus, I am in love with the movie <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_(film)">Once</a>, it is simple, brilliant, full of love, warmth, struggles and genuinely good people. Once put Ireland to my bucket-list and Enya's article sealed it. In general, Irish music has occupied a special place. I had a CD of Irish folk that I bought from a yard sale in US, it came back with me and I still play it in some road trips. </p><p>Visa, Cost. </p><p>To be honest, I also did check Visa dates for some other countries like Italy and they were not available. I submitted my application on 3rd Oct and my VISA was on 14th Oct. No other country was this quick. South American countries like Peru were also considered but flights were crazily expensive. So, Ireland was also practical :)</p><p>GoT :)</p><p>If NZ was LOTR, then Ireland, atleast North Ireland is GoT. Makes it a bucket list place to go and see Winterfell castle. Though it is unfortunate that we could not make it there :) </p><p><br /></p><p>Why December?</p><p>Because I work in an MNC and it is the least productive time of the company. Most of the company is on a break after 21st Dec, it is just the best time to take off with least impact on work. It also has many holidays in-built, so number of leaves that you have to take also come down. </p><p>Plus, I needed this break for myself. Not to check up on work. 2022 challenged me a lot and I needed time off to focus on myself. </p><p>But, Ireland is so cold in Dec</p><p>So many folks told me this. It rains in Ireland 300 days so, it just becomes cold rain :) We spent the last winter in Germany, so we were prepared for it. Temperature was also showing around 7 degrees which is better since we survived upto -13 in Germany :) </p><p>Plus, I also strongly feel that the classical definitions of weather are no longer true. Weather patterns are changing drastically. For example, in Delhi, the cold wave hit on Jan 7 and December was very normal. When we visited Delhi in Sept, it was hot. like old-summer hot. </p><p>In hindsight, I was right. We got cold weather, saw snowfall, some sleet as well, but overall it was cold but very manageable. Nothing that a nice warm woolen hat, jacket with raincoat, maybe some gloves that can not solve. The natural scenery was very beautiful even in Dec. Maybe it is more so in summer but gosh, Ireland is incredibly blessed with nature. </p><p>However, there is another aspect which I did not consider and my wife knows that I do not consider this. That is that in off season, things are also not that open as they are in summer. Winter season implies less daylight time. It is dark by 5 pm and folks tend to stay at home. In rural areas, not-so-populated towns, things shut down and it becomes very quiet. Some places like the Dark Sky reserves were closed this time as well. I have heard that pubs are more livelier in summer time with more people. We felt this in Vietnam and I must admit that I did feel some regret in this aspect. </p><p>Christmas markets</p><p>Our Germany trip last year got us hooked to Christmas markets, they were awesome - lively, good food, music, lights. We assumed that Ireland may also have a similar culture and hence you can only see these markets before 25th Dec. So, this also becomes part of a draw. However, now-we-know, Irish Christmas markets are no-way close to German ones and they were skippable. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIafhWOVJU-7NQcwV1Cwr0fmasB-M9ah-cRz_6G7IoeAZhFuJFAGUhcj73ntjVNbtAbAoEw8erblbFeHejLTMJWT_S8Hspq_oxH0CklGVvae14RM6pB2Ubx_zDDaqgOi7ivk_fgnZOjwlQGHvg29eqbQNr-pQN_eltS-IDIcoLeYWxQN9IaGKRJQbdRg/s4096/IMG20221222130111.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIafhWOVJU-7NQcwV1Cwr0fmasB-M9ah-cRz_6G7IoeAZhFuJFAGUhcj73ntjVNbtAbAoEw8erblbFeHejLTMJWT_S8Hspq_oxH0CklGVvae14RM6pB2Ubx_zDDaqgOi7ivk_fgnZOjwlQGHvg29eqbQNr-pQN_eltS-IDIcoLeYWxQN9IaGKRJQbdRg/w400-h300/IMG20221222130111.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>------<p></p><p>A note on Visa process & prep</p><p>Irish visa process asks so many documents - they wanted my old passports, old place of work, countries that I have visited with Visa dates etc. Took me a while to get all of this. Plus, they wanted photocopy of all pages of old passport for some reason. But apart from this, the process was smooth. Not much queue, very few people were traveling it seems :)</p><p>As part of prep, we watched this movie <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Collins_(film)">Michael Collins</a>, rewatched Once :), and I bought this book - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2065155.Modern_Ireland_1600_1972">Modern Ireland</a>, though I could not make much progress. We had anyways seen movies like Brooklyn in the past. I wanted to watch The wind that shakes the barley but it was not available in any OTT platforms. I also remembered In the name of the father, though vaguely. Perhaps, I should revisit it. Some other Ireland history videos like the Ireland population decline - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wViBPPjEdD8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wViBPPjEdD8</a> gave decent context for us to understand this country before.</p><p>Shamefully, I was also not aware of the Ireland vs North Ireland split until I started filling the Visa application and understood the BIVS clause which gave Indians entry into North Ireland. It definitely piqued a lot of curiosity on how a country, a small island has two countries living side by side with a history of violence behind it. This curiosity, plus the fact that Britishers were behind this, or atleast had a role to play in all this, made me really wanted to know more about this place. It is really fascinating to understand how this small tiny country has evolved. Geographically, it is 1/40th of the size of India yet it packs so much. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUSfRLsr2vartp_wwNZ0AxnJxLCF66SWvqo8fpZHz-1AqEHy-r72iQ5X9o9U8c7CrZEXE8pQ94VRza23W_bPSiMmDmOulJJipHx5_pOFuAb081D6xJXM1CUOIjgZe68p3ekuav4CeoFQ53SQvr8Ggw5Jpx1PSRqWtB8cX_X6K6n9O6IQXxk2O6oNDFQ/s4000/IMG_20221222_125455.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUSfRLsr2vartp_wwNZ0AxnJxLCF66SWvqo8fpZHz-1AqEHy-r72iQ5X9o9U8c7CrZEXE8pQ94VRza23W_bPSiMmDmOulJJipHx5_pOFuAb081D6xJXM1CUOIjgZe68p3ekuav4CeoFQ53SQvr8Ggw5Jpx1PSRqWtB8cX_X6K6n9O6IQXxk2O6oNDFQ/w640-h480/IMG_20221222_125455.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-12869394595246493382022-10-29T08:30:00.001+05:302022-10-29T08:30:05.292+05:30Life in 15 Aug to 29 Oct 2022<p> Jeez, two back to back posts on Life In Series. Is nothing of consequence happening in between?</p><p>The truth is that many small small things happen and instead of putting them individually, it felt better to put it here. So, without further ado (like the word ado, how much we use it in this cliched phrase, very handy word in crossword :) ) </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Travel</b></p><p>- Trip to Delhi</p><p>Went to Delhi for an extended weekend tour. Went to some unique places - India Habitat centre and watched a play Salaam India, based on the book by Pavan K Varma. Mr. Pavan Varma was also there. </p><p>Also visited Lodhi gardens for the first time in life, had chaat at Atul's @ Rajori Garden. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmh0T8ex8k5qmTho67P6G_W-8tUpLf8IwOkr8pWQF4xK3pHMh9FctqaasBiwGVODqmGspq9LKFzk5QmfDOC4qC0ICBdAcLte0jnK58QkcpEwIMpWIzil1SBi80mlFicS0kwt8WrW_1ZiWG56ptSIfdAoqqxFEA0izejR5gIDzURwY2fn3a7sK8W2UYtg/s4608/IMG20220903190233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmh0T8ex8k5qmTho67P6G_W-8tUpLf8IwOkr8pWQF4xK3pHMh9FctqaasBiwGVODqmGspq9LKFzk5QmfDOC4qC0ICBdAcLte0jnK58QkcpEwIMpWIzil1SBi80mlFicS0kwt8WrW_1ZiWG56ptSIfdAoqqxFEA0izejR5gIDzURwY2fn3a7sK8W2UYtg/w400-h300/IMG20220903190233.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>River Tern Lodge</p><p>An office outing to River Tern Lodge. It is always a pleasure for me to visit River Tern Lodge. There was some doubt on what is the right venue and I was like River Tern it is. Played board games, Madia all the way, Poker and took two cruises. Also, saw a nice giant rainbow. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3x_TQYeEMSPwqC-uiuMyqO3n6LLCRtD6pvtibitnTIIwF_J1PmeSyi-dFEYqqtbwH_5s2H1ZJPXFzw3X5NCiQ-Q7nauUeY8yfjRqcT8T57ubc4fVSqv6iBVUR81A7jwL8hMfe_Ljz0gqnAaa0iUrMTw-LGKKS-LIViG2uo_Qd2gYqwiISQmktZ-z8A/s6000/DSC_0166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3x_TQYeEMSPwqC-uiuMyqO3n6LLCRtD6pvtibitnTIIwF_J1PmeSyi-dFEYqqtbwH_5s2H1ZJPXFzw3X5NCiQ-Q7nauUeY8yfjRqcT8T57ubc4fVSqv6iBVUR81A7jwL8hMfe_Ljz0gqnAaa0iUrMTw-LGKKS-LIViG2uo_Qd2gYqwiISQmktZ-z8A/w400-h266/DSC_0166.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>-------<div>Events & celebrations</div><div><br /></div><div>Had three Onam Sadhyas this year - First one was at BIC (Bangalore International centre) organized by VS Mani. Second one was made by Mummy and third one was at office. </div><div>But in a twist, we also celebrated Onam for our cats as well :) <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxehpyItA01JJh2YfEl_uyPyggJxhrZSPG3T4Tpkpdv_BCk3aDSVTZXdHQ9upsPQsIn3ixLVaJ51dkPtloi_0RLZekftHBTJErN5wIrYwh1nJ0vnX_8Y4WB8fraThXzeZOyWpzrKpNDxc-hT6P3vuQkXNlHLGslVHiq2nDvovUbh-pZK0bbtrSmmCtQ/s4000/IMG_20220912_065837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxehpyItA01JJh2YfEl_uyPyggJxhrZSPG3T4Tpkpdv_BCk3aDSVTZXdHQ9upsPQsIn3ixLVaJ51dkPtloi_0RLZekftHBTJErN5wIrYwh1nJ0vnX_8Y4WB8fraThXzeZOyWpzrKpNDxc-hT6P3vuQkXNlHLGslVHiq2nDvovUbh-pZK0bbtrSmmCtQ/w400-h300/IMG_20220912_065837.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTnCxGMDYoHDrHYICF7MDLSp3BOg6FSlLS2NSRB6YselbPeZI_Qz9GV3ZbLdJ6Alj6EpaOatjGwLZCfpVt6J8tmHvvV2o3j-yCuXUyvhSm9U8Dn2GVfSOWKVJMOpf3oELVhm10DxMGWFQJ4AxcEEyMWkjL141_BqkTDxnO-uBVjM9aGiA_aantfu45w/s4000/IMG_20220912_070202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTnCxGMDYoHDrHYICF7MDLSp3BOg6FSlLS2NSRB6YselbPeZI_Qz9GV3ZbLdJ6Alj6EpaOatjGwLZCfpVt6J8tmHvvV2o3j-yCuXUyvhSm9U8Dn2GVfSOWKVJMOpf3oELVhm10DxMGWFQJ4AxcEEyMWkjL141_BqkTDxnO-uBVjM9aGiA_aantfu45w/w300-h400/IMG_20220912_070202.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>Lucky Ali concert</p><p>Met with old EventsHigh gang - Simran, Sonal, Rituja, had lunch at Nikesh/Sujata's place at a Lucky Ali concert</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSaJ3auzufncbH5OGNneK2PkEe4nOV77PnAiGYi5hhwETezLsjvYyUFBVoimT_POE5WKP7-aJd6rF4YFVyXtVAsTFBBhTdfKw510oMai3KfzW7NtsgoErRyAZqdniukC40dA8Z09S6g6KAfdaX8i4JuYwESMChwtkSV1rEj5U36vGjomqhTViNg95Xw/s4608/IMG20220924185650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSaJ3auzufncbH5OGNneK2PkEe4nOV77PnAiGYi5hhwETezLsjvYyUFBVoimT_POE5WKP7-aJd6rF4YFVyXtVAsTFBBhTdfKw510oMai3KfzW7NtsgoErRyAZqdniukC40dA8Z09S6g6KAfdaX8i4JuYwESMChwtkSV1rEj5U36vGjomqhTViNg95Xw/w400-h300/IMG20220924185650.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Met Justin & Akhila and went for a play - Sakal Jaani hai Gaath. A play in hindustani on the friendship of Krishna Sudama which is pretty hilarious except in last 10 mins where it takes a very dark turn</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BDCDNZ-orMGo5ghliwk40-eGCKKzWjo1ShJHc0xP1WacombFccxIkNCWsxz7DLtJgN7RnsCfEyJHKqsN_wU2zGIMM5AsVlHPxPXFOYzx9FH9PdBm-9_CzYIoB7wp4LvnEq8PYAtqRKKkL8_FRX0O3o08KJs5AMUkURWsf01igSujabKJDxZsnkKgkQ/s4000/IMG20221019185500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BDCDNZ-orMGo5ghliwk40-eGCKKzWjo1ShJHc0xP1WacombFccxIkNCWsxz7DLtJgN7RnsCfEyJHKqsN_wU2zGIMM5AsVlHPxPXFOYzx9FH9PdBm-9_CzYIoB7wp4LvnEq8PYAtqRKKkL8_FRX0O3o08KJs5AMUkURWsf01igSujabKJDxZsnkKgkQ/w300-h400/IMG20221019185500.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Diwali celebrations</p><p>Continuing our tradition of making a sweet at home, this year we made Mawa Jalebis at home. Also known as Burhanpur ki Jalebis, these are dark thick Jalebis. We followed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwqcyalXArU&t=289s">this video </a>(which worked), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5LercVCQ0g">NIsha Madhulika's video</a> (which did not work for us). Interesting thing is that Mawa Jalebi is not well documented, not even covered by our Ranbir Brar. Took some iteration to get the right nozzle experiments but turned out to be good. </p><p>We also made normal Jalebis and Paneer Jalebis. Paneer Jalebis came out very well as well. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4mDrMmKhC2_mRd7SZ8vvkIgF4LmImDAjVcdRBKGKnNbLKadDIqM-c4MtHUJHqVgOl-QYuAJmLOzS6lQpUrm_32CNgt-uCXSgfxW099i1NzOZ20Kd-AU57wtGDcD6EuQD-Ou-bYujsk5EHmBgUuYtGv55E8PpjJQh-SXISoMtRlYCSxyeX7r3UDm-KQ/s1600/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-10-29%20at%207.51.38%20AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4mDrMmKhC2_mRd7SZ8vvkIgF4LmImDAjVcdRBKGKnNbLKadDIqM-c4MtHUJHqVgOl-QYuAJmLOzS6lQpUrm_32CNgt-uCXSgfxW099i1NzOZ20Kd-AU57wtGDcD6EuQD-Ou-bYujsk5EHmBgUuYtGv55E8PpjJQh-SXISoMtRlYCSxyeX7r3UDm-KQ/w400-h300/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-10-29%20at%207.51.38%20AM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrw9m9OLs9P_QXVFdZoTYhsCPREdXvNTWCaf182Rq9eb6ZlC5juZ7M7X-z8dsyt2IrAEnpCgI8yyFFXowz7Yo_16IHzcjDyxV5B-jwZwgb6k5lm9u2UoXCfnAtyAyLp6nDsY3uYUHHYnhP2EBOf8v5kRU6u-Hp5_u2Xnsaf06X4ooWtrNMz0tuA9F32w/s1600/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-10-29%20at%207.51.38%20AM%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrw9m9OLs9P_QXVFdZoTYhsCPREdXvNTWCaf182Rq9eb6ZlC5juZ7M7X-z8dsyt2IrAEnpCgI8yyFFXowz7Yo_16IHzcjDyxV5B-jwZwgb6k5lm9u2UoXCfnAtyAyLp6nDsY3uYUHHYnhP2EBOf8v5kRU6u-Hp5_u2Xnsaf06X4ooWtrNMz0tuA9F32w/w400-h300/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-10-29%20at%207.51.38%20AM%20(1).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_tf1z2L49oVic_pKOssLMrn9i8FYa7NFS3Ulsm5zeH69tHM9y8BRn1WEIOKcYm6fXqHhVfRNLSPbChkjr6UxzpSwULbFDGWH3uuY8aKdtGRaNL8D1jTMxU2NpirvkRQ0qW6kQ6cxejc6ufeI_lNe5xaE2YajO_xb3MOvJu4N8V-tiZOG3Dr693n6wA/s1600/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-10-29%20at%207.51.37%20AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_tf1z2L49oVic_pKOssLMrn9i8FYa7NFS3Ulsm5zeH69tHM9y8BRn1WEIOKcYm6fXqHhVfRNLSPbChkjr6UxzpSwULbFDGWH3uuY8aKdtGRaNL8D1jTMxU2NpirvkRQ0qW6kQ6cxejc6ufeI_lNe5xaE2YajO_xb3MOvJu4N8V-tiZOG3Dr693n6wA/w400-h300/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-10-29%20at%207.51.37%20AM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Also, we decked our Balcony with some fancy lights - <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8kDn0orNbGCCQtfhnq9oQSPUe8oBoWC5GbtHeZFnoDqR64NbS_4BRUgoe-Ez8dy3bGut88GmOhGlUE4tUacQ6jaiihDg6My3SwkrXxjRgXyJuMVdRkz3mY_h9vpgf0uZ3PY_u0WvrBw-cuERMUmSb6ywPjR_4JvW7QLKaIj-VZEWP6-32e4pEBqxXQ/s4000/IMG20221024190525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8kDn0orNbGCCQtfhnq9oQSPUe8oBoWC5GbtHeZFnoDqR64NbS_4BRUgoe-Ez8dy3bGut88GmOhGlUE4tUacQ6jaiihDg6My3SwkrXxjRgXyJuMVdRkz3mY_h9vpgf0uZ3PY_u0WvrBw-cuERMUmSb6ywPjR_4JvW7QLKaIj-VZEWP6-32e4pEBqxXQ/w400-h300/IMG20221024190525.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4kFPctP0S0oBtlChrGXXLrtwouNrO3_ihO0sWOIMuRp--C9wtykJluSjlIkWydy4b_p4DmrnKE9cPPjnstRHoFcAW8kk3PMiYswTGeHPtamd-ICND1BMDYjNPaTHc1fLnRpPtoyaT2C4nsuIKvV1vDIMrkhJ9p0GS4pxYSAnXm819KGUmqaOWE4hgQ/s4000/IMG_20221022_223151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4kFPctP0S0oBtlChrGXXLrtwouNrO3_ihO0sWOIMuRp--C9wtykJluSjlIkWydy4b_p4DmrnKE9cPPjnstRHoFcAW8kk3PMiYswTGeHPtamd-ICND1BMDYjNPaTHc1fLnRpPtoyaT2C4nsuIKvV1vDIMrkhJ9p0GS4pxYSAnXm819KGUmqaOWE4hgQ/w300-h400/IMG_20221022_223151.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>Also, celebrations were there for Rakhi, Bhai Dooj, Diwali etc etc</p><p>In other news, </p><p>Got net installed on windows for our cats. Puckha has been trying to open windows on her own. Just to save any bad situation, got net installed on all our windows. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRimYLiesmvdIuVy7hDIkr70tbYp59CXarkQyoofRbvWJ5iEiwf5qMIlXWccf3zlrf_rA4oXqoOSkdprrX27n7BZATvvdGeQsoMVorB8wY10bKoEDqnRjCkuCgssXhRmGHuiH7i6YKNYmF-9pBenE01TDcRNkOo_VA9nCBUhPZH7EOaWHwm7LZABYo_A/s4000/IMG_20221010_164416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRimYLiesmvdIuVy7hDIkr70tbYp59CXarkQyoofRbvWJ5iEiwf5qMIlXWccf3zlrf_rA4oXqoOSkdprrX27n7BZATvvdGeQsoMVorB8wY10bKoEDqnRjCkuCgssXhRmGHuiH7i6YKNYmF-9pBenE01TDcRNkOo_VA9nCBUhPZH7EOaWHwm7LZABYo_A/s320/IMG_20221010_164416.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><br /></p><p>Started workout and got hit by bad backache but all well now. Also, hurt my wrist with some inflammation. Something something continued to happen last couple of months</p><p>Also, visited some fancy places in BLR</p><p>- Went to Uru Brewpub in JP Nagar - decent place, not very expensive compared to other restaurants. </p><p>- Beer Library - Went for the farewell for Fai/Vikas from office. </p><p>- Went to Rasoiya street with Ramya and Anand from Sobha. Decent place</p><p>- Ironhill continues to be the goto place for Office parties :)</p><p><br /></p><p>Also, back to back trips to Gopalan Mall - One was for my US visa renewal and one a fresh application for an upcoming trip to Ireland :)</p><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2758440370604449686.post-70737489086174919212022-08-14T19:41:00.003+05:302022-08-14T19:41:32.545+05:30Life in 13 March 2022-14 Aug 2022<p> </p><p>15 Aug weekend is a long weekend this year. And I intend to make the most of it to get back to my blog updates which have been pending for a while.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>- <b>NYTimes <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html">Wordle</a> and crossword</b> - </p><p>When Wordle got acquired by NYT, it was already a daily habit. I soon bought the Games subscription and since then, have been fairly active on Crossword, mini-crossword and spelling bee. My Wordle stats are decent, having lost only one so far. Crossword - I am fairly decent at Mon/Tue ones and attempt other ones with autocheck on. Sun one takes 2-3 hrs. Overall, I love the whole gameplay thing. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8bPB5lzNNugzfXgGXYUJ3uzu3MAsYuQ6826EBDdsmi2_Btg-PN4jf4MONg2PZoTdrBmjkPVGhElhgSDWAT0i8hIvnF0K01PAy4SstDHzRg_3fZg2GVznoiiRuN8MzWiykBT6jRPX7DViRVGrY40h8TsVTOqOAVXn8bNuX4WFxL-nupe2M7fqoeqexQ/s499/Screenshot%202022-08-14%20at%205.52.15%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="499" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8bPB5lzNNugzfXgGXYUJ3uzu3MAsYuQ6826EBDdsmi2_Btg-PN4jf4MONg2PZoTdrBmjkPVGhElhgSDWAT0i8hIvnF0K01PAy4SstDHzRg_3fZg2GVznoiiRuN8MzWiykBT6jRPX7DViRVGrY40h8TsVTOqOAVXn8bNuX4WFxL-nupe2M7fqoeqexQ/w400-h279/Screenshot%202022-08-14%20at%205.52.15%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- <b>Puchka & Taco - </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love playing with them. They are amazing. I love the fact that whenever I come home, Taco is at the door to greet. Puchka stays hidden but she can see me. Love that they make this noise in the morning to get food. I love designing random activities for them and then for them to go at it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html">Album of 2022</a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVfnqkF4qblaYAsmizsZ9brPFj0dROm9H1myrPxWR0MJR7BmRix8BkD8s5ZXfIBN96SqrcCqPdlyn2zV5J1hCMoQOqm80Wqho5auCBrLHuJnlY6l63elu4haqfeBpaMC-lZjplzwwDi6yGhIIC3h1_f8tGT_IieR4-X-PQszvyPcPIWKeayl-eHxxuw/s4000/IMG_20220327_074316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVfnqkF4qblaYAsmizsZ9brPFj0dROm9H1myrPxWR0MJR7BmRix8BkD8s5ZXfIBN96SqrcCqPdlyn2zV5J1hCMoQOqm80Wqho5auCBrLHuJnlY6l63elu4haqfeBpaMC-lZjplzwwDi6yGhIIC3h1_f8tGT_IieR4-X-PQszvyPcPIWKeayl-eHxxuw/w300-h400/IMG_20220327_074316.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>- <b>Office parties :)</b></p><p>As office opened up, we decided to get together with colleagues and go to different locations. So far, we have gone to </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Bowling at the Grid followed by party at Biergarten</li><li>Ironhill - thrice. Farewell of a colleague, a team dinner and a team lunch</li><li>Bombay brasserie - Another team's lunch that we got self-invited.</li><li>Irish house</li><li>Black Pearl Kadubeesanhalli </li><li>Hilton whitefield - CEO's India visit </li><li>Prestige Oasis - Kanishka' office colleague party at his grand villa </li><li><br /></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyk_XrIJDOcuajxuYP4yIEm2JO48WpA68RhnfXwjSMRIrUSax1q88xrxV_T6_5tOa2kubIehI-LrJpv8pfD9MUQY2f08rwAfdW038AdiyqYTVXiMZYNvbxl3eitxb1UmAR1oMISrD6UF5T-NwOYjnH2RPCag0RDUisdY8-X_xPPZblbOqB_d3nf7TVg/s4000/IMG20220507204758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyk_XrIJDOcuajxuYP4yIEm2JO48WpA68RhnfXwjSMRIrUSax1q88xrxV_T6_5tOa2kubIehI-LrJpv8pfD9MUQY2f08rwAfdW038AdiyqYTVXiMZYNvbxl3eitxb1UmAR1oMISrD6UF5T-NwOYjnH2RPCag0RDUisdY8-X_xPPZblbOqB_d3nf7TVg/w400-h300/IMG20220507204758.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Family parties</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Bombay brasserie - Mother's day celebration</li><li>Chung Wah - Kanishka's mummy bday celebration</li><li>Xochi - Aarti/Anshika's bday celebration. </li><li>Arvind & Kanishka's bday celebration at home</li><li>Authentic Andhra restaurant - Father's day celebration</li><li>Fisherman's wharf - Dinner with Aarti</li><li>Home - Papa's birthday celebration</li><li>Elan Home - Rakhi celebration</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dqXxICTVj45CuAhbAbFVe-JVyRCKLyWr7z4Ro7PN0EqQtYvJrjOWPxc1ZSgcudvdIDZ5W_kJciyLDlPTTajZQTN-Gbjiuff6igYHYFVk95UAwP5fc6sgBSBpKo8KVoxf_YPFil4NMX4YJ89S7OXF7OR3QNhdMA_GSTIEduaz1J4moNNmD2gwvHpKUg/s4608/IMG20220710201333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dqXxICTVj45CuAhbAbFVe-JVyRCKLyWr7z4Ro7PN0EqQtYvJrjOWPxc1ZSgcudvdIDZ5W_kJciyLDlPTTajZQTN-Gbjiuff6igYHYFVk95UAwP5fc6sgBSBpKo8KVoxf_YPFil4NMX4YJ89S7OXF7OR3QNhdMA_GSTIEduaz1J4moNNmD2gwvHpKUg/w400-h300/IMG20220710201333.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Parties with Kanishka</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ironhill</li><li>Irish house - Kadibeesanhalli</li><li>Fenny's kitchen and lounge - Koramangala</li><li>MG/Brigade road - walking + street food</li><li>Broadway HSR</li></ul><div>Some venues are repeated because Kanishka has a list of places where I have been and she has not been and vice versa. The idea is to get places off her list asap :) . I also have a similar list and it is getting longer :) </div><div><br /></div><div>-------</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Travels & Tours</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Mumbai - Office trip - for hiring. But also did a city heritage tour via Heritage tours, attended an Atul Khatri performance, walked on Marine drive, had amazing Pizza at Pizza by the bay. Great outing!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2022/08/bodhi-zendo-kodai-june-2022.html">Meditation retreat at Bodhi Zendo and Kodai </a>- Big thanks to Parul for pushing us to sign up for meditation</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2022/05/shillong-2022.html">Trip to Shillong</a> </div><div><br /></div><div>An upcoming trip to Delhi is planned</div><div>-----------</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Books</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228665.The_Eye_of_the_World">The Wheel of Time - Book 1 - The Eye of the world</a></div><div>By Robert Jordan</div><div>Found it so-so. For the first half, it seems like a giant rip-off of LOTR but after mid-point or so, it gets its own arc. I am ok with chosen-one protagonist tropes but I do not like a bit if they get there without going through the phase of learning/challenges. To me, the end here is something of that sort. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58265674-absolute-power---inside-story-of-the-national-stock-exchange-s-amazing-s">ABSOLUTE POWER - Inside story of the National Stock Exchange’s amazing success, leading to hubris, regulatory capture and algo scam.</a></div><div>By Sucheta Dalal, Debashis Basu</div><div>Loved it. Highly recommended!</div><div>This was on the reading list ever since I watched Scam 1992 last year. More so, when the news came recently on the chief of NSE getting her instructions via an online Guru etc. Before we get to the scams, this is an amazing appreciation book on the coming up of NSE in India. It covers the adhoc-ness of then BSE, challenges in setting up NSE, its noble objectives and how somer really good people came together to do their best work and in the process set up a world class trading exchange!</div><div>But power corrupts and one unpunished deed leads to another. The regulatory authority has to be vigilant, action swift and the price of not doing the right thing is always very high. Hats off to its authors. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_Messiah">Dune Messiah </a></div><div>By Frank Herbert</div><div>I for some reason did not like it. It lacked the flow that Dune had for me. New concepts like Ghola seemed more mechanical and there was a weirdness in visualizing them. There are elements of Dune but not too many. Maybe, I will try the third one :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35606560-the-sun-and-her-flowers">The Sun and her flowers</a></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23513349-milk-and-honey">Milk and Honey</a></div><div>Poems by<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8075577.Rupi_Kaur"> Rupi Kaur</a></div><div><br /></div><div>I am a fan-boy :) . She belongs to the saare-gunaah-maaf league. I have read both of her books, front to end, at-least twice now. This is also now my number one gift item to give!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43305406">Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From</a></div><div>By Tony Joseph</div><div>80% read. </div><div>Part of my non-fiction reading streak. Early Indians traces the migrations of pre-historic humans to the geography that we call India now. Using genetic research which is able to point out patterns of human migration over years, the book is very lucky to come out at the right time. At the heart of it, it basically argues that there were two migrations coming out of Africa spread apart by few decades which is basically an Ice-age in between. It is by far the best account of origin of Aryan race, Dravidian race and where we all came from - which is, as we all know, from Africa. </div><div>It is fascinating read. Tony breaks the complex scientific paper articles into an easy to follow language. Must read for fans of history. </div><div><br /></div><div>------</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Movies & TV</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Lincoln Lawyer - TV Series on Netflix - 3/5</div><div>Guilty pleasure, legal drama :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Reacher - TV Series on Prime video - 3/5</div><div>Same - guilty pleasure - this one I enjoyed more than I hoped I would :) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Series ends - 5/5</div><div>This one goes to my top-10 ever. Dard ki dawa hai yeh :) My goto series when I am not well. </div><div>I love the goofiness in the series. Love the characters, the desire to laugh, the over the top heists, cool side of police, do-gooders doing good. Made by the same team who made Good place. This one is for the ages!</div><div><br /></div><div>Modern Family - Series - 3.5/5</div><div>I do not know why I like this one but I do. Motley characters going through daily life experiences, creating a goody-goody vibe. I may not re-watch it, may not recommend it but it is something that I love watching with my meals. I am currently on season 7 and I like it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Big Bang theory - Series - 1.5/5</div><div>May have binge watched upto third season. I absolutely hate it. I do not know why I went to season three. Maybe Sheldon's idiosyncrasy made me curious but it gets so much repetitive. Also, beyond a point, it is obnoxious to live with him, to watch him. I can not empathize with a person who depends on others for basic life things, no matter how smart they are. Sorry, cannot do it. Also, this is even below Friends for me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Succession -4/5 </div><div>(Season 1, 2 & half of season three)</div><div>The reason I am half of season three is that I do not want to binge watch and end the excitement. It did not start well but once I understood what this is, it is very fascinating. Ultra-ultra rich people are ass*** and are so up in their heads that they have no idea what happens on the ground. I really like the sets that they come up with - bachelor's party, or birthday party or yatch party, or a fundraising dinner. These events are so obscene that they do not look appealing either. </div><div>But the series is a gem, again a series of characters not known before but perfectly cast for this. Narration includes corporate manoeuvrings which are interesting but more than that, it is just the greed, the sense of entitlement, the lack of any empathy, it just makes riveting TV. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Some good cinema - <a href="https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2022/08/good-cinema-2022.html">https://arvindbatra.blogspot.com/2022/08/good-cinema-2022.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> -------</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Among other things - </div><div>- Applied to renew my tourist Visa for US. Appointment coming up. </div><div>- Took Puchka & Taco for their annual vaccinations - Puchka did not come to me for a month after the visit. </div><div>- Kanishka & I got booster-vaccinated</div><div>- Went to a play - Tajmahal ka tender at Ranga Shankara - Decent. 3/5</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>- Lastly, we had a grand Holi celebration this time !</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ptoRRw7onSDL2Hs-mp8okWOijLqrFmuuFJcLyysj4cPvDeydayWz8oe1lhSyqMPfPCRgWeAj7y7Q91EkyNqco6zSgmDzmFxkYLdiameaVm3mKaBAjF_XWsoTdibL_Es663YIyvcDa6qblTMbZqr_JJg5g_JsNeOiOc0MlDq31dIC93rMdx6WB2mhhA/s4608/IMG20220318104115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ptoRRw7onSDL2Hs-mp8okWOijLqrFmuuFJcLyysj4cPvDeydayWz8oe1lhSyqMPfPCRgWeAj7y7Q91EkyNqco6zSgmDzmFxkYLdiameaVm3mKaBAjF_XWsoTdibL_Es663YIyvcDa6qblTMbZqr_JJg5g_JsNeOiOc0MlDq31dIC93rMdx6WB2mhhA/w400-h300/IMG20220318104115.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ghiwPBJIxNU6JxlH_-Ylcd7lB6cBIP9U7YUTmlbeXfCWhJWs0ppP-Rs5wQTXAxlewOiDwe06TSWE1DufNIBGFSmzd1INr9HkeyQtiYIBCweCRFIZuE6GAadzBj1fQ1oyqv1MbXcG8z8n_1k1V9YS-IswYCazavBk6opLt8vaxtKYUFJqDYMXrv6IpQ/s4000/IMG20220318113638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ghiwPBJIxNU6JxlH_-Ylcd7lB6cBIP9U7YUTmlbeXfCWhJWs0ppP-Rs5wQTXAxlewOiDwe06TSWE1DufNIBGFSmzd1INr9HkeyQtiYIBCweCRFIZuE6GAadzBj1fQ1oyqv1MbXcG8z8n_1k1V9YS-IswYCazavBk6opLt8vaxtKYUFJqDYMXrv6IpQ/w400-h300/IMG20220318113638.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0