Tag: traveller

Kolkata – Durga Puja Festival!

Four Years ago… The First time we visited Kolkata for a Bengali wedding….In the heart of kolkata Park Street. We spent two days doing the most obvious kolkata things… Having the Kolkata Paan, Puchka and visiting the tourist attraction like Victoria museum besides attending the Punjabi- Bengali wedding… we visited Flurys one of the oldest Cafes in Kolkata almost 100 years old today.
To visiting a Chinese restaurant and having Indian Chinese since … Hakka Noodles we’re first discovered here in Kolkata. We also had the Rolls from Kusum .. Kolkata is popularly known for their Rolls!
While we had meals! How could we miss out on the desserts… Misthi Doi from Balaram Mullick one of the oldest sweet shop now has multiple outlets across kolkata. To having the Nolen Gur Ice cream & Paan ice cream from Pabrai to enjoying an Bengali-French meal at 6th Ballygunge restaurant.
Four years later…
We tried most of these things again … But visited places that we had missed Peter Cat & Mocambo known for their Chelo Kebab & Crab meat In Mustard Sauce & Pork Nuggets Both of these places are owned by the same owners, have same interiors but both offer a different menu… Besides the regular meal break we took.. we visited the Roastery House Cafe in Hindustan Park… A cafe done in an old bungalow with mustard colour walls and simple interiors.. Any place we visited Kolkata without booking we had a waiting for about forty minutes… but, Wait!
We did not just Eat & Sleep.
We also attended grand Bengali ceremony Durga Puja! One day we toured across the city visiting Durga Puja Pandal, that were beautifully designed keeping a theme & idea behind and with such creativity and deadlines…From Library, to the lockdown life to Football & Bollywood were some of the pandal we visited.
You keep wondering why isn’t Kolkata visited by Tourist or why don’t people from other states come here!! And why don’t travel magazines promote Kolkata as a destination… why just Rajasthan, Goa, Mumbai and Bangalore?
The visit couldn’t be more kolkata, when we met the Superstar of Bengali Cinema Parambrata Chatterjee who is a very popular face in Bengali Cinema and someone who acted in a Bollywood movie Kahaani! The film made me first want to visit Kolkata….

So Yes! I believe I have been lucky to have seen Kolkata like a local both times!!

Durga puja Pandal

Made In America by Bill Bryson-Book Review

 

Made In America by Bill Bryson.

Bill Bryson is an author, I discovered accidentally while reading “Neither here Nor there “a book on his travel journeys around Europe a couple of years ago. Then read “Down Under “- A book on Australia. Though he is better known for his book “A Walk in the woods” The author’s book that I haven’t read is about A Journey the authors goes through wanting to find peace and rediscover himself. By going on a trekking trail with his friend Stephan Katz.

And after nearly two years I read another book written by Bill Bryson

“Made In America” A book that fascinated me as soon as I had undertaken the journey of neither being here nor there. But, being a very heavy book with a lot to grasp it needed a lot of time. And what perfect time than now to have read this book.

“Made In America “who should read this book & why?

Made in America is about this whole new world discovered and how did it come to be called America. It’s for someone who likes to know about history, The past of America and the future of where it is going.

You need to read the book to know how English as a language was altered to have suited the American.

You need to read to understand again and again America is a land built with immigrates who have migrated from centuries ago and is the land of just a small population of natives.

How the modern-day luxuries- The Escalators, The Automobiles, The Restaurants, Ice cream, Chocolates, Whisky’s and Air conditioner’s had come to existence in this world.

Yes, It’s perfect to call them luxuries today with the pandemic making us aware of what privileged life we live as a human. And how well the Americans have marketed, Branded and Advertised things that were invented in The United States of America and Things that weren’t but made the people believe they were the ones who had thought about it.

The Made in America book takes you on a journey about Americans with a perceptive from an American’s Eye and questions you America you thought it was or it is.

Nagpur!!

Hereafter nearly two years again! The last time I was here it was summer, And now it’s winter.

Nagpur is growing and expanding, so huge last time had seen one side of the town & this time another.

After nearly the whole day went by ,and we decided to go for dinner.The moment we turned towards our location, I broke into a whole new level of excitement as for once we were in the right direction and this is somewhere exactly I had come last time!

We were at Chill & Grill literally enjoying the chilling winter of Nagpur with my colleagues enjoying the hookah and we were enjoying some Indian food.

Even during the day just like in the night, we were lost in finding the place.

And With this time around having a few days in hand to explore the city – Visited a very interesting cafe seven corridor a very urban looking cafe in the by lanes of the city with college kids and adults enjoying coffee,Cakes and each other’s company.

This time in Nagpur,After nearly two years visited my friends parents and noticed a Macdonald has finally now opened in the city. Two Years ago I had tweeted- There was not a single macdonald to my surprise in a city that’s one of the smart cities to watch out for.

Nagpur also made me try quite a few places and sharing some of the places you must try or go to if you visit the city.

• Juhi’s Kitchen – Indian food Kebabs a must try.

• Plan B – If you ever plan to have Burgers or feel like having burgers.

• Pablo Cafe – The Pizza’s and the cafe looked really cool ! Haven’t visited though just ordered food from there.

• Bouffage – The Sandwhich here were yum !

• Della Italia – For Ice creams.

• Chill & Grill – For The ambience and Indian food.

Saoji’s a traditional dish that is served in Meat & Chicken too is a must must try here in Nagpur and last but not the least- Oranges here are the juicest.

Book Review – Bastard of Istanbul!

Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak’s is a story of Nineteen year old unmarried woman who walks into a doctor’s surgery.

‘I need to have an abortion,’ she announces. And twenty years later the daughter is born from the unmarried woman, Asya Kazanci who lives with her extended family in Istanbul. But, All the Kazanci men die in their early forties, Victims of mysterious family curse, so it’s a house of women. Asya’s cousin visit‘s the family in Istanbul and she bringing long- hidden family secrets connected with turkey’s past. Elif Shafak the author had been on my reading list for a long time and my sister got this book as a souvenir from turkey. In many ways It was like revisiting Turkey, Istanbul and enjoying all the local delicacies through the storytelling as the story unfolds and explores sides of Istanbul that only a local could show you around. The locals delicacies described in the book from Pilaf a popular rice dish in the middle east to Bastrima – Beef cold cuts like Salami is more commonly known as Pastrami to the Manti a type of Turkish dumpling to musaqa baked dish that mainly consist of eggplants ( Aubergines) or potatoes with meat. Very popular in Greece and the Middle East.To the last but not the least Kaburga a Turkish term used for Ribs make the book more authentic and enjoyable.And besides the food, the whole experience and details written, Are more relatable and deepens the connect to understands the country and locals. A Book that will make you want to travel to turkey if you haven’t. And if you have would make you want to revisit turkey.