Tag: Movies

Brazil! South America Journey

After Nearly a year of waiting! 

The trip  or opportunity happened. 

The 25+ Hours journey through the UK to Sao Paulo was slightly tiring. 

The first impression, Sao Paulo is a huge city! 

The architecture and construction are lovely. 

Water! No Water in the rooms! This was going to become a common observation as we would travel around the country! 

The restaurants too don’t serve you water. 

This was  quite alarming, Maybe the water isn’t quite hygienic here! Or maybe they aren’t hospitable or maybe they are going through a Water Crisis. 

Sao Paulo had the appeal of New York, Wall Street and  Fifth Avenue. The Liberade, Japanese Neibhourhood did remind me of being lost in Japan! 

The Food whether it was the local Brazilian Meat, Mexican Gucaomole, American Burgers, Italian Pizza, Thai or Japanese was the best in Sao Paulo. In the places we visited, we realised  they were either part of the best Restaurants in the World and Latin America or were part of the Michelin restaurant guide. 

The Cafes and coffee were also some of the finest we had here in the city! 

Rosewood in Sao Paulo. Ranked #25 in the Worlds best was truly an experience. Walking into the lush green arches and being welcomed by books at the entrance/Waiting area. As you make yourself comfortable through the hotel you pass through a couple of more coffee table bookshelves before you reach the restaurant, which you feel is in the middle of the forest. 

The Acai Berry Smoothie, Pastrami Sandwich and Burger were the juiciest, healthiest and most satisfying meals of our trip. 

Rosewood was a nice experience. 

The city, Was so clean with ample of dustbins, unlike Japan. Where you struggle to find even one. 

The shopping malls, Each one competing with the size and the interiors.

The weather, Yes, we did feel the heat waves.

The roads were so broad and well-maintained. It was a challenge to find even one pothole in the country. 

Rio was a tourist hub, and so was our instruction. Be extra careful while walking on the streets of Rio, After 5 pm avoid strolling on the street with Mobile Phones, Jewellery or Watches/Smart Watches.

The Sugarloaf Mountain & Christ The Redeemer have to be our typical tourist highlight. One for the sunset view and the other for getting the structure to the top. 

Copacabana Beach was going through a post-event pack-up! Madonna had performed a free concert two days before we planned to reach Rio de Janeiro. 

Language is a huge barrier! The locals don’t understand English and as Tourist, we had no understanding of Portuguese. 

Brazil has their measurement too! 

P being M , The universal Medium size, G being large, GG being Extra large in clothing. For Footwear too, they are normally a size or two smaller than the Typical US sizes one Wears. 

Salvador was a small quaint colourful city that would remind you  a lot about Europe’s small towns. 

While travelling across the city we flew through GOl or Latam. The local airlines of Brazil were always on time and internally we travelled through the  Uber App with minimum communication! 

Oh! One thing that was a huge disappointment was Google Maps! Often they did not take us at the right location, either 100 meters away from our location or would be pinned at another entrance/Exit of the same location. 

The Google Maps, were always not updated with locations that had been permanently closed or had being relocated to another location. 

In both of these times, We were faced with challenges on how to communicate to the exact location. 

While planning Brazil  I had also noted a few bookstores I wanted to visit in Brazil! 

To my disappointment both of the bookstores that were listed for the longest time as the most beautiful bookstores in the world had been closed now! One in Sao Paulo And the other in Rio. While I visited other bookstores across the cities. There weren’t any books available in English at all. 

Brazil with two of the most prominent global events like FIFA and the Olympics in the past decade is still not considered a Tourist Destination. With Food options, the Weather being pleasant,   Globally recognised homegrown Fashion brands and Warm and friendly people you wonder if the Country’s not being  Safe Image is playing a key role in tourism. 

Information: 

Currency: 1 Brazilian Relias = 17 INR, 1 USD – 5 Brazilian Relias 

Time Zone: -8:30 Hrs From India Time. 

Sao Paulo Guide:

Sightseeing: #saopaulo
@becodobatman.oficial
@japanhousesp
@ibirapueraoficial
@minhaliba

Cafes:
@confeitariacolombo : One of the Worlds Oldest Cafe! 175 Years old Cafe. #rio

Coffee: #saopaulo
@coffeelab_br
@89coffeestation
@takkocafesp
@wecoffee.br
@thecoffee.jp

Eat: #saopaulo
@ranchoportuguessp
@nbsteak @michelinguide
@aizomerestaurante – Part of @theworlds50best #latinamerica
@pingyangsp – #11 Best Place to eat in #Brazil

Taro Sushi – Michelinguide

@rosewoodsaopaulo -#25 Worlds Best Hotel @theworlds50best
@sisenorbrasil
@brazpizzaria – #4 best pizzeria brand in the World
@pecorinoteresina
@apizzadamooca – #77 in the Worlds Best Pizza

Chocolates: #brazil
@dengochocolates
@kopenhagen_

Personal favourite for Shopping :
@farmrio
@osklen

Stay:
@belmondcopacabanapalace
@santateresamgallery
@ferahoteis

Cafes:
@confeitariacolombo
@plagecafe
@cafeliercarmo

Eat:
@labicycletterio
@gurume_oficial
@omirestaurante
@restaurante.tereze

Mee copacabana palace

Shopping:
@salvadorshopping

Shopping Rio Sul

#saopaulo
@morumbishopping
@jkiguatemi

A few Facts:

Carry Cash & Change – The change isn’t easily available in the country.

Brazilian prisoners are allowed to reduce their sentence by four days for every book that they read.

Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of coffee.

Brazil is the largest orange producer in the world. Responsible for more than 30% of global production.

Brazil is the 2nd largest tobacco producer in the world.

Brazil is home to the largest population of Japanese people outside of Japan.

Food & Summer Writing

Merry Christmas – Not A Movie Review!

Merry Christmas by Sriram Raghavan!
When you watch a movie and instantly remember the source of inspiration.
You know exactly what the result would be and how the story would unfold.
But, at the same time you always feel the Book would be better! I remember Reading the book last year. And a while later Realised the simplicity of the story. This is a slow burn, French Noir But having been adapted to the screen it could have been a little more edgier. The story is about two strangers who meet each other. One who is revisiting his home after 7 Years And the other who is out for dinner.
They both go to the latter’s house and enjoy a drink! Then she remembers she has forgotten something and they go looking for it and are back home only to discover that her husband is killed ! This is when the story unfolds… And then this incident happens again With another man
The plot thickens and slowly the mystery unravels. Merry Christmas is an inspiration and adaption of Bird in a Cage by Fredrick Dard a French noir writer and the film is now streaming on A popular Ott platform.

The Roastery Tour -Blue Tokai

Having been a home brewer for years, and enjoying a good cup of coffee daily!

The Roastery tour was fascinating.

The effort, that goes into the brew of a single cup of coffee is huge, and within a few sips/Slurps, we have our verdict of liking or disliking the coffee.

The tour began with all those interested in assembling in a room and introduction of themselves, and what interested them about coffee and the tour.

We then moved to the storage room, where 1000 Kg gunny bags of green coffee beans were stored.

Each bag had a variety of green coffee beans which is sorted manually for good, bad and damaged beans.

They are then collected into a storage box before they go into roasting.

Each day 180 Kgs of green coffee beans are sorted manually at the Roastery.

There are a couple of green coffee varieties. They are Natural, Washed, Honey Processed (Red/Yellow) Malabar, and anaerobic fermentation.

Each of these beans have their own texture and size.

Natural: They are the natural ones. No Water or machines used to remove the coffee beans

Washed: They get washed away by water and then dried.

Malabar: A variety that’s popular in India. Is salt-panned coffee beans.

Honey Processed: A Process where coffee beans are de-pulped and dried without being washed. The golden sticky substance that remains is something like honey, which is why it’s known as honey processed.

Anaerobic fermentation: This is when the coffee cherries are locked into an airtight fermentation tank after being harvested, to stop any Carbon -dioxide from escaping.

The second room was the roasting room. 

The green coffee beans that has to be roasted are thrown into a hopper then a roasting profile is set ,that the roasters thinks  is the most appropriate for the coffee beans and then the coffee is roasted into the roaster. There are three drums within the roaster. 

And the coffee once roasted is flushed out in a section and spun over a few minutes where it cools down, before it can be taken into production for the cafés brewing, for cafe retailing, for E-Commerce purchases and other outlets that source beans from the Roastery. 

The packaging is done within minutes and ready to be sent all over.

The beans Preferably should be consumed within a month from the date it has been roasted to enjoy the flavour profile and taste of the coffee.

Post our Tour we also tried the coffees at the Roastery.

We brewed the pour over method and tried the drip bags too.

Oh! Please note before the Roastery brews a large batch of coffee, they have a portable roasting machine, that they use to sample beans.

The Roastery has to choose coffee from about 800 odd samples from which they choose about 40 odd samples they would produce under their Roastery.

The Relationship’s Today!

I worked on a Wedding show for television.
And learnt something that would make me teach how things worked in the years to come. “Storytelling” and “stories” are the two things that connect us the most. A good story, Told beautifully or interestingly would hook us on immediately. That was the foundation of marriage: Make someone believe they are in love with you over and over again until the “Drama” and “Nonsense” won’t be tolerated or “You are exposed” and can’t hide the truth behind the “affair” or sudden suspicion that you are dealing with. Going over hundreds of stories and looking for the right one was “Essential” The one that should be telecasted and would bring the eyeballs to keep the audience interested. “The Love” “The second marriage” The divorce, The triangle and the backgrounds were all some of the criteria. While this you would believe is just a real story. The Reel Story is made to be believed and looked more real in many ways.


When I look around people who have either been married for too long or haven’t got married at all. All I see is that they are trying to make it work, have made a deal to make it work or are too afraid to leave the marriage to start all over again. Many reasons ( Family Pressure, Society Pressure, Confidence, Pain of going through loneliness and afraid they might fall into the trap with somebody else)(At this moment a known devil is better than the unknown. )
Marriage/Relationship: Shouldn’t be something we fall under “Peer or Family” Pressure. The post-marriage, if it doesn’t work out can be hard to deal with psychologically
Coming back to the question, how do we choose the one?


Well, Today there are many factors to consider when getting into a relationship besides of course Compatibility and how can this transition become more successful rather than getting declined.
Environmental factors, Geographical factors, and others are very critical of the political factors (If we follow the ideology of the same political party) if we are tolerant with humour, Sarcasm and Freedom.
Considering so many filters that one has to consider when looking for a relationship/marriage to last or vice versa for a relationship first to last until marriage and marriage to last until one becomes intolerant of each other.
It has only made it more difficult to find the right one rather than believing too many filters would help us in giving more clarity to the choices.


And now imagine the worst of the lot: You suddenly notice people moving from smaller towns to bigger cities and this brings its own set of challenges and problems. While trust issues aren’t the real issues. It’s the how will one settle when one goes back home or how will they take the changes of all the bigger city? Wouldn’t one definition, meaning and expectation of love, relationships and marriage change from this exposure?
Will Love, relationships and words that are associated with bonding, friendship and companionship just remain words in the dictionary like a glossary used for historical references?