Istanbul – the EurAsian paradise..

The first feel in Istanbul, is just like a scene from a Bondmovie..i couldn’t  help but just imaginea charming Bond getting chased by some ruffians through the Grand Bazar.

Honestly i don’t even know where to start from, i mean icould start from the past going all the way back to the Romans when Istanbulwas still Constantinople or absolute present day where it is such an amazingfusion of Islamic & European life style. It is the only city which falls on2 continents, Asia &  Europe..

Istanbul has my heart from the minute i landed there, it hasthis magical power to make everyone fall in love with it. Though we had a verytouristy trip in a very touristy place, it is just too charming a city not tolove.

Our first day started with the famous Blue Mosque also knownas the Sultan Ahmet Mosque. It is an imperial mosque ( any mosque with 2 ormore minarets is called as the imperial mosque as was built by a Sultan ).There are about 2800 mosques in Istanbul alone, which explains the echo ofprayer calls throughout the city on a Friday afternoon. From here we headed toHippodrome, the sports & cultural centre of the Roman empire back in 330A.D.

After the hippodrome we moved to the hagia Sophia, a churchin roman times, a mosque in the Ottoman empire & now a museum. This placeshows us that the difference between Christianity & Islam is only 10degrees ( to know in depth, you will have to visit the place).

From there we went to Rustam Pasha Mosque which is more Bluethan the blue mosque & finally to the GRAND Bazaar.

Grand bazaar is Grand in the true sense, the largest coveredmarket in the world, with about 4000 shops & about 82 streets. Its a mazeof shops of various articles ranging from carpets to lamp shades to ceramicarticles to leather goods to beautiful jewellery to souvenir shops, in shortthe place is a riot of colours & culture. Once you enter, you will be lostin a different world, but you should shop here only if you hold a Mastersdegree in Bargaining.

Finally came our lunch break starting with typical Turkish cold appetizer & salads ( calledMezze) followed by main course of rice & curry & finishing with ricepudding or baklava.

Our last stop for the first day was the Topkapi Palace,built by the Ottoman emperors. The highlight of the palace is an 86 caratdiamond & OUR very own Peacock throne.

Day 2 started with a visit to the Egyptian spice Bazaar,where the Aromas, colours & Flavours of the Exotic East welcome you. You canfind various different types of spices, nuts & seeds, seets, condiments,teas, Turkish delights, etc., which will make your mouth water.

From here we continued to take a nice hour’s ride on theferry enjoying the serene Bosphorous strait in the company of 100s of sea gulls. We enjoyed seeing thebeautiful houses on both the sides, i.e. the Asian as well as the European shores.We had a wonderful end to our ride, when we spotted a dozen dolphins enjoyingthe sun & the sea. After the ride we spent the day shopping at Taksimsquare & Istiklal street, a shopper’s, foodie’s & drinker’s paradise.

Day 3 we took a ferry to Buyuk Ada (meaning Big island), thelargest of the island chain. Motorised vevehicles on the island are forbidden,so visitors have to explore the island by foot, bicycle or in a horse drawn carriageknown as the Phaeton. We hoped on to one of these phaetons & took acircular tour of the Buyuk ada, passing elegant mansions draped in brilliantpurple bougainvillae. It felt like we has stepped back into a more leisured& gracious age, almost expecting 19^th century ladies &gentlemen to come strolling down to waterfront on afternoon promenade. Visitorscan have lunch at any of the many excellent traditional fish restaurants on thewaterfront, gazing across the water at the Asian shore of Istanbul, so closethough it felt worlds away.

Day 4  free for us. Sowe decided to indulge ourselves & went for a traditional Turkish Hammam toGedik Pasa. Gedik pasa is one of their oldest traditional hammams. It is a musthave experience for everybody. I can not explain the feel & experience inwords, i forgot all the spas & massages i had taken all these years.

We ended our day with a relaxed evening & a glass ofmulled wine to give us warmth from the chilly weather.

Day 5 was also a free day, so we explored the Asian side ofIstanbul, where we visited their weekly farmer’s market & then shopped atlocal shops & places. In the evening we returned to the European side &has dinner at istiklal street.

Day 6 was departure to India so we spent the morning atGalata tower &  exploring thesurrounding area  & enjoying thebright sun & Turkish kahve. We ended our stay with lunchat a  very typical road side cafe, it was a deliciousend.

china ina whirlwind..

Ni hau (helo)..

wow..is wot i can start dis note wid for china..

a sudden trip again..decided on the spur of the moment to join ma cus in beijing..got tru visa process in 4 days n off to beijing on 7th day..

Beijing..a totally foreign friendly city..

the Great Wall of China, forbidden city, tianmen square, summer palace, lama temple, ming tombs, temple of heaven & the hutongs.the emotions one feels when standing on he Great wall are simply unbelievable. how did somebody think of building something so majestic (6700 km)?. the day we reached the wall, we experienced a hail storm, so the scene was of this majestic structure with mountains surrounding & the clouds kissing us..beautiful.

forbidden city was extremely big & tiresome but very nice. but once we see the forbidden city, all the other places above have the same architectural & structural feel, so they will not excite us.lama temple has a beautiful 18m high Buddha statue carved outta a single log & it is truly magnanimous.

the specialty of summer palace was its long corridor (728 m) which held a record of being the worlds longest corridor in the Guiness book upto the 90s.we even visited the jade, silk & cloisonne enamaling(copper enamaling) factories, all of them had their own charm. We had an experience of the traditional tea tasting, which was quite informative & enchanting.OMG how could i forget to mention the Bird's Nest (olympic stadium). well dat was something.

but beijing as a city in itself was awesome, with an amazing subway system dat connects you to all the possible places in the city upto the airport.

Xi'an..best food

terra cota warriors, panda breeding center, muslim qaurters, bell tower & drum tower.

the terraa cota warriors was the result of one of chinas former crazy emperor's (same who built the great wall) illusion. it is a site which will make u shudder, when you think of all the thousands of people he killed after building the terra cota army & the wall.

muslim quarters was an alley of chinese muslims, just like our fashion street but much more cleaner & peaceful. also situated in the muslim quarters was the mosque, which was totally different from any mosque i have ever seen. it had a very mystical feel to it & no feel of being a muslim praying place. it was very serene. by evening, the street starts filling up with food vendors & it is a transformation of a peaceful street to a chaotic in a good way street. the food is an absolute treat with the persemian cake stealingthe show.

Hangzhou..the lake in the middle of the city

west lake, pagoda, hefang street & snack street.

it is an experience in itself to rent a bicycle & go around the huge lake. it is so cool with the wind blowing in your face & the sun setting on one side. one can walk through the gardens surrounding the lake, which has parts of them built through the lake.

on way to the hefang street & snack street, we get to see the Bond car showroom ( Aston Martin), OMG!!..

oh & we got a chinese haircut in Hangzhou & took so much time in coloring ma hair, that we missed our last bus & train to our next destination. lolzz..

but missing the last transport, made us have nother adventure, where we reached out next stop but were in fear of being kidnapped, beaten & killed..oh God the terror we had when we were taken to Suzhou in a small private van by people who didn know our language & vice versa at 11 pm. but we reached there in a coupla hours as promised wid all our body parts intact.

Suzhou..venice of china

pin jieng street & the gardens

we lived in a hostel situated in the ping jien streetm which has a long canal on one side & old house & cafes on the other. it gave a total feel of venice wid gondolas in the canal & bistros & cafes on its bank.

walking through the street in day time & at nite has a complete different feel. & then there are a bunch of cute old ladies who do aerobic & dance on the street every evenin as community service & for stayin healthy.

Shanghai..the decadent city ( a friends description for shanghai).

the bund, the french concession, museums, shopping streets & bar rouge

shanghai is asia's New York, full of life & energy & people. its a city with history & lot of western influence which makes it even more interestin.

the french concession has some of the best bakerys & the taicang road on in the area is a must. French concession is an infusion if the french boutiques, pattissaries, cafes & old chinese houses.

the bund is a must walk in the evenin after sun set, with a big river flowing through the heart of the city. we can get to see the former head quarters of the communist party ( now called the Peace hotel - which will take your breadth away on entering it) & the japanese from the bund.

nite life is obviously superb & bar rouge on the bund - has an open terrace bar on 7th floor with the view of shanghai skyline & the bund.

In short china tops the list of countries which are a must see, coz dis was just a part of the country that i saw in a jiffy in jus 10 dasys. china has some gorgeous provinces, like the Yunan province, which i missed due to shortage of time.

it has the upcomin worlds fastest train, it is clean & beautiful & the people are very friendly & helpful.

it is a heaven for street food & a shoppers paradise..

Wo ai China ( i love china)..

((:

halloween in shanghai..

48 hours...3 different worlds...

wot a sudden & an unplanned trip can turn into is jus amazin!!... on wednesday i convinces rather blackmailed ma dad into comin wid me to the Maha Kumbh mela & friday evenin we took off. & the journey into 3 different worlds began...

'the very rich & high on life world'


I reached Delhi at 9 p.m. We had dinner wid family friends & were back at the hotel by 10:30.
At 11 p.m. I was out with a friend with nothing specific in mind but we landed at Zoo bar for a nite of monkey business. I met a few very interestin & entertainin people. It was this typical rich kidz party wid good music & total entertainment. people were so high on a lot of thins...twas fun to see them.
we finished partyin & left bout 3 a.m.
didn know wot to do next...so we jus parkd the car back @ home & decided to watch a movie on the lappy...almos half thru the damn movie...the battery conced off n so did our batteries...n we went back to our respective beds @ our respective homes..

'the world of faith & beliefs'

We took of from Delhi to Haridwar at 9:30 a.m. by car. Our driver took us through a short road which runs along a 'nahar' upto Khatauli. its a beautiful way. At Khatauli we stopped at Cheetal grand for a tea break. Cheetal has a beautifully maintained garden wid a riot of colorful flowers & a few beautiful species of birds. From khatouli we left for Haridwar, non-stop. We reached Haridwar by 3:30 p.m.
We were escorted to the tent where we were gonna spend the nite. At the tent we met the babaji whose 'akhada' it was. He had a very magnetic personality. A friend wid his grand parents joined me & dad at the tent for the rest of the day & nite. The Babaji took us all to Bhairu ghat for our first Ganga Snaan. We did the puja & the snaan, it was an amazing feelin to take a dip in the Holy Ganga. We got back to the tent & did a havan. After the evening Aarti, there was a Langaar for the SADHUS & BAVAS from all around. There were about 700 of them who had come to eat in the langaar. It was a not to be missed site. All these people there & absolute pin drop silence wid a hummin of Ram bhagwan Ki Jai in the background. We ended the day at 10:30 p.m. & returned to our tents for a much needed sleep. But outside the Bhajans go on till almost midnight.
Our second Ganga Snaan was scheduled for 5:30 a.m. When we got up at 5 a.m. it was so chilling that for sometime we decided against the whole snaan thing. then we had a steamin hot cup of spicy tea & were wide awake & fresh. We reached the Har Ki Podi at 5:30a.m. it was a beautiful morning wid hoards of peole ther for a morning aarti & snaan. Trust me when you reach the ghat n even if you are freezin to death, you jus cant stop urself from takin the dip. The mornin puja songs & mantra reverberatin through the air put u in a trance.
from hereon we moved to Rishikesh Laxman jhula. It was so windy & serene standin on the Jhula & watchin the Ganga flow underneath.

'a world of total bliss'

From the holy lands we moved up towards the Queen of Hillstations - Mussoorie. the journey upwards is absolutely scenic. once we reached Mussoorie, we go eastwards towards Landour.
I have never been to a more peaceful place than Landour. I was staying at an altitude of 7500 ft above sea level. In the mornin when I would step out of my room onto the terrace, I could see the snow clad peaks Of Badrinath. The place I stayed in was a victorian style 120 yrs old house.
Met very interestin people in Landour. There is one of the oldest church built in 1804 called St. Pauls church. Just walkin through the whole town is a blissful experience. There is a language school near Kellogs church, where people from all nationalities & from all over the world come to learn Indian languages. Due tothis as well i bumped into e few intersetin people.

So overall the whole unplanned trip was a much needed refreshin break. I am already yearnin for breaks like these...

love....

i have been in love many a times before. dis time around i m stil in love for almos 3 yrs now. off course i fell in & outta love in these 3yrs as ..i strayed a bit eere n a bit der..but then who doesnt..i mean it kindda keeps the flame alive..now dis doesnt mean i support infidelity, jus dat a little strayin keeps u gettin back to ur loved one. it makes u realize what u will miss not being wid dat one person.
every time i went wanderin n came back, i told ma man bout it. n he did falter a few times as well. but for some odd reason our bond got stronger each time v were almos on the verge of endin everything. i gues dis happnd only coz v were downright blunt bout how n wid whom v wandered aroun n shared the intimate details...its jus amazin how u can open up 2 dis some one about the darkest of ur secrets. for me more than ma love hes ma buddy, i sing, dance, bitch n laff wid.
v dunno whether v hav a future or not, but the present is soooo beautiful, dat v dont wanna think bout da hurt n pain which lies ahead of us for sure...

April Fool

Well today's april fools(AF) day & I was thinking since mornin किसको उल्लू बनू और कैसे ? Then I got busy with my day to day chores & forgot bout the whole AF thing & when I reached office & opened ma mail, the first mail's subject read 101 ways to fool ur freinds.

And it all came back to me so getting excited I opened the damn mail & baaam! it said
' APRIL FOOL'. The rest 100 ways i will mail u later.

It made me laugh at maself & also made me wonder, y are v always so excited bout foolin others? So whot if its jus for fun & will do no harm to anyone but at the end of everything, it is being a sadist, Laffing at the xpense of some1 else. And I always praised ma self for not being a sadist but this 01/04/08 snapped me outta ma disillusion!

Every year since the last 7 or 8 years I have been makin ma neighbour aunt a fool first thing in the mornin on 1st Aprils. But today for some odd reason I cudn't think of anythin to fool her with, which actually saddend me a l'il. Then I got fooled & realised she is so kewl, she takes it in such great spirit every year. I guess this called for an appreciation, so will make it a point & do that.

But I gues i am gonna live this shade of l'il sadism in me, coz, beleive it or not it makes me happy & also makes me laff wen sum1 gets fooled ( obviously without gettin emotionaly or physically hurt).

black & white

मैंने लास्ट वीक ब्लैक & व्हाइटd मूवी देखि तब एहसास हुआ की मेरी सोच मुस्लिम्स के लिए काफी हद तक ग़लत है। पर बचपन से ही हम यह देखते और सुनते आए हैं की हिंदू और मुस्लिम्स बड़े दुश्मन है। इस मूवी ने मुझे सोचने पे मजबूर कर दिया की कुछ लोग है जो यह हिंदू मुस्लिम दंगे करवा कर हमारी युवे पीढ़ी के मॅन में कितना ज़हर घौल रहे है।

इस मूवी में प्यार की भावना को बहुत सुंदर और मन् को छु जाने वाली भांति पेश किया है। मुझे अपनी सोच पर शर्म आई। हाँ पर इसका मतलब यह नही की मेरी पुरी सोच बदल गई, पर मुझे सोचने का एक नया नज़रिया ज़रूर मिला। नाव आई थिंक हम कभी कबार कितना स्तुपिद सोचते है! इतनी फास्ट लाइफ में जब हमें प्यार के लिए वक़्त नही, हम यह हेट और दुश्मनी जैसे व्यर्थ इमोशंस पर टाइम वेस्ट करते है।

अब मैंने फ़ैसला लिया है की सिर्फ़ कुछ सेल्फिश और मक्कार लोगों की वजह से में पुरी एक जाती के खिलाफ नही रहूंगी। वे भी उतने ही इंसान है जितने हम, उन्हें भी मार पड़ ने पर उतना ही लगता है जितना हमें।
काश ऐसा हो की हमारी पुरी पीढ़ी यह सारी कास्ट, रेस, कलर, क्रिद सब भूल जाए और हम एक होकर बिना किसी खौफ और डर के जिए।

न कोई सरहद या न कोई रोक हो! जो जब चाहे, जहा चाहे आ जा सके। और यह सिर्फ़ इंडिया में नही पुरी दुनिया में हो। हम इंडियन नाशनाल्स की जगह वर्ल्ड सितिजेंस के जैसे जिए।
आई ऍम श्योर ऐसा बहुत जल्द होगा और हमारी दुनिया एक परियों के देश सी होगी, जहा हर जगह सिर्फ़ खुशी और प्यार होंगे।