Exploring Andaman & Nicobar Islands!!! Part 1

Our trip to Andaman was an experience in itself. It was a special trip for a special occasion, as we celebrated our bond of marriage. My first time to visit an island and it was a spectacular sight from up there. The striking blue water, with varying color intensities that made it look turquoise/ aqua at one point and dark blue at the other. And the island was lush green, looking at this pattern up from the plane was mind blowing. It felt as if you were looking at bacterial cell under microscope with nuclei being the island surrounding by those varying blue color water felt as the cell walls. It was just beautiful.

We went straight to our homestay from the airport in Port Blair. Surprisingly, people here speak very good Hindi. So it is very easy to move around here. Travel is mostly done by auto rickshaws or taxis, which is definitely a rip-off because the minimum amount they charge is Rs.200-300 no matter how short the distance is. My tip would be to rent a bike and it is a cheaper option. But there are no maps so you will have to rely on asking people. Thankfully, people here are simple, sweet and ready to help. A lot of people come to Port Blair for work from different places such as Bengal and Tamil Nadu, hence the main language for communication is Hindi.

Our first day at Port Blair wasn't as good as we expected. But it was a different experience for sure. We went to the New Light House for lunch and ordered a crab which was kind of a Chinese batter fry (completely killed the subtle and sweet taste of crab) and we were like what happened! For main course, we ordered a coconut milk based fish curry which was very southern and yummy to have with steamed rice. I feel the food here is extra salty and almost everything is fried. It could be due to the mixed southern and Bengali influence, and the food reflects it very well. After lunch, we decided to go to Corbyn’s Cove Beach and do some water sports. I started with the JetSki, it’s hard to describe those feelings as I could feel the power of harsh water beneath me. It was crazy and I could feel the adrenaline rush in my nerves. But I loved it, I guess it’s the power with a slight hint of danger that gives us that pleasure. We also did a speed boat ride to the snake island that was home for some dangerous species which got destroyed after Tsumani. We could see the sunset from out boat and a couple of other surrounding islands. We sat at the beach sipping some tea and enjoying the quite evening, followed by a wonderful candle lit dinner at SeaShells restaurant.

It is just 9 pm and it feels like it 12 am, we went to bed early and were looking forward to our next day. I got up and felt the sun was very strong but when I checked the time it was just 5 am and I was like what!!! We had a wonderful English breakfast at the home stay that was simple and yummy. A masala omlette with a yummy hot chocolate pancake was just what I was looking for on my holiday. Our plan for the day was to go to Ross Island and then see the sunset at Chidya Tapu.

Ross Island We started for Ross Island by taking a speed boat from the water sports complex. It is just a 15-20 min. journey to the island but the vastness of the sea is beautiful. I was happy, satisfied and scared at the same time. As we approached Ross Island, it looked like a perfect contrast of colors. The deep blue water, lush green coconut trees and the light blue sky as the background painted a beautiful picture for travelers. We got our tickets and got into the island. A small island with a history of its own. We saw some animals roaming freely, I guess they are used to people and believe me they would not mind posing for you. There are some old distillery containers, old structural buildings that are held by just some branches. That sight is really something, all the structures were protected during Tsunami by these branches that held on to the bricks tightly. These branches have stood the test of time and Tsunami. It looks spooky but I loved the way those branches held on to those lifeless walls may be for support initially but now they look inseparable, as if they were meant to be together.

Chidya Tapu As soon as we entered through the gates, we already knew this place is worth a visit. There are beautiful wood sofas made out of huge logs of wood...... I feel so short of words to describe their beauty. They are elegant, simple and just awesome..... I could see Vivek's eyes popping out looking at all the wonderful wood work. It's funny how we create and work hard to get glamorous lives for ourselves but all we crave for is simplicity and elegance........

The trek up the chidya tapu was fun, it was hardly 1.5km but man it was tough...... Up and up we went all surrounding by huge trees, felt as if we were playing hide and seek with the sun. The steps are all natural, just some branches here and there making a way for you, after every 0.5 km there is a wonderful wooded bench for you to take a break and a mile-log instead of a milestone which is just beautiful. I love the way this place is, just the way nature intended it to be. The over-protective trees are holding on to the land so hard as if it won't let it go, no matter how hard the water tries to take it. I guess its nature's way of protecting and preserving what it has created. Once we reached the top, the view was breathtaking...... You could see the Chidya Tapu which is the home of all the birds and the birds had started to come home in the evening. Their chirping felt so refreshing that all you wanted to do was to just keep looking at the beautiful water with varying intensities of color. We came down to witness the sunset from the beach. The calm sunset at the beach with water beneath us was splendid and being together to witness such a beautiful sight is wonderful....In Andaman, everyone inclusing the mighty sun seems to be in a hurry to say goodbye and go home.

To be continued…….

In Search of Inner Peace...... Part 2

"Mandi" as popularly know as 'choti kaashi' is just the kind of place I was looking for after being in the maddening crowd of Mumbai and Pune. A wonderful place to live, with beauty and simplicity of its own. There is something about hills that has always drawn me closer to them.I love its beauty,mystery, simplicity, and friendliness. It is definitely because I am a kashmiri, even if I haven't spend more than 10 years of my childhood there. But I love going to the hills, staying there and loving the nature and culture of the hills. I don't know what is the most beautiful attribute here, the nature, surroundings, architecture, temples, people, or food.

My trip to Mandi was the best trip I have had in a long time, travelling alone to a new place always adds to the mystery and "need to be explored' feeling. After working non-stop for a couple of years I needed a break not just from work but from my regular routine as well. I wanted to feel all my senses once again, to breathe fresh air, to eat what I haven't tasted for a while, to laugh so hard that my stomach hurts, to see something so beautiful that I am mesmerised by it, to hear the birds chirping their wonderful songs in the morning and to get in touch with myself........  To sleep as if who cares what happens tomorrow, to wake up in the morning at your own ease no time to get up and run as the day is yours so is the night. I know we are keep dreaming to do this but believe is its awesome when you actually do it.

There are so many things I  can write about -  its culture, food, nature, people, temples, rituals, beliefs and and others. And I don't know what all to include and what to exclude. The culture, beliefs, fears look the the same in all hilly areas. They are god-fearing people who believe in good as well as evil forces. These simple people believe there is a supreme power that is protecting them against the evil forces whether it's natural calamities or evil doings of human beings. I am in love with the simplicity and innocence of these people. They believe in superstitions and other related things, but not because they are ignorant. I was discussing these rituals   and their superstitions with my dad and he gave me a wonderful explanation about the same. He said "people are the way they see nature and their surroundings so people living in valleys are narrow minded because they cannot see anything beyond the mighty mountains surrounding them". So true....

Cheerful people with rosy cheeks all around, all decked up and ready to do their daily chores..... But I see no rush and no anxiety in getting their chores done. Everyone looks at ease as they chat with fellows walking or a random shopkeeper. They will just sit down for a cup of tea or  sit out in the sun enjoying the nature's warm blanket. People here are happy in small things of life, whether it's chatting with your neighbour, or going to the market and meeting a long lost friend or people enjoying the local street food. I am not a big fan of street food but when I got here and saw a group of girls giggling as they ate those yummy hot and round 'Jalebis', or 'Bun tikki' or 'Chole-kulche'. I was looking at them as it reminded me of those carefree childhood days. How relaxed and happy we were?

Women From the hills seem to be more educated and liberated than their Punjabi and Haryanavi counterparts. Women study well here and believe in working and earring their bread. Women seem to take the lead here as they are financially independent where as the women from UP, Punjab and Haryana are confined to the 4-walls of the house. You should see the confidence with which women work here, I was pretty impressed. They can be sweet, friendly, firm, cold and entrepreneurial. They have a close knit community so everyone knows everyone, they help and support each other.

Culture of a community represents the overall essence of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge. Traditional embroidery patterns here are more geometric. May be because of  the surrounding hills they see day in and day out. The colours they use are generally bright as the flowers.Unlike its neighbour "Kashmir", our embroideries are focused on the flora and fauna of Kashmir. Kashmiri embroideries are know for the flowers, chinar leaves, paisley patterns and subtle colours.

Interestingly, most of embroidery/handwork is done by 'men' in the hills because women can take care of most of the stuff outside the house. But in areas like Punjab and Haryana the men go out to work to earn their bread and women take care of the house. So most of the embroidery/handwork is done by groups of women sitting at home. It seems like what started as just beautifying their own clothes for weddings and other functions finally becoming a trademark of Punjabi households popularly know as 'phulkaris'.

It was freezing cold in Mandi and all the snowfall added to my worst nightmares. I was so close to freezing to death, thank god I could use some warm clothes. I would pray for the sun to come out the next day so that at least the days are warm....... One thing worth mentioning is that people here use technology to check the weather and then plan their days accordingly. I did the same, sunny meaning going out for a trek or a long walk and rains would mean shopping and eating. Shopping is the best thing to do if you want feel happy instantly, at least for me it works perfect. I can shop, shop for almost anything, and believe me I don't even get tired of it.

One fine and sunny day we decided to go to a 'Kangani mata' temple..... A long trek up the mountain was definitely a tough one but The view from the top was just splendid. It was a funny trek.... Half of the trek the blazing sun almost burned our skin and we were freezing with the cold wind blowing in the shady areas around the hill. It felt like a regular day and night cycle or a happy-sad cycle. Beautiful pine trees all around and what is called some snake climber trees were just phenomenal. They were so up and high in the sky standing so tall and proud as if mocking the mountain as they are higher.

Festivals are the heart and soul of every community and culture in India. "Shivratri" is the main festival of Mandi like we have in Kashmir. It literally means 'the great night of Lord Shiva'. Every second temple in Mandi belongs to Lord Shiva. It is more than a week long preparation and celebration here. The local people go around and invite all the local deities for the big night. Everyone is invited from nearby places to come and celebrate Maha Shivratri - the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. The union of man and nature.Sadly, I missed the celebration part here because I went home to celebrate it with my parents.

Time really flies when you are having fun. I can't believe I was off the Mumbai-Pune for almost 2 weeks. But I wanted to stay a little longer, I know I'm getting greedy. I was having so much fun here in Mandi and then back home after a long time with mom and dad. I could talk to them and do nothing....wake up when I wanted, eat what I feel like, sleep when I feel like, talk to them non-stop, go to the market with them. There is definitely something about home that relaxes you instantly and you feel so protected as if nothing can harm you. Nothing is as  reassuring as your dad's smile and nothing is as encouraging as your mom's smile..........

Thank you Su-per-Man for making my trip wonderful, and I'm so glad I did this. I so plan to make Mandi my chilling out place from now on. 

In Search of Inner Peace - Part 1

It is an awesome feeling to turn off all the alarms on your phone and go to the bed without thinking of the next day being a Monday. Yessss, I have finally overcome my Monday blues obviously because I don't have to go to work. So as soon as I hit the bed, I was asleep like a baby with no worries. Next day morning, I finished with my last minute packing and felt no anxiety to travel. Weird right? May be I already found my inner peace. ;p

Finally got into a taxi and left for the airport. The drive from my place to the airport takes almost the same time I will take to get to Delhi or Chandigarh from Mumbai. It is a long drive with crazy Mumbai traffic but thankfully people don't honk that often so it is a peaceful ride. Life in Mumbai is fast, everyone is running either to work or to get their chores going. Looking at all these people, I was thinking thank God I am off for a while. I really need a break to feel what it is like to breath, to do nothing and live for a while. I feel fresh as the morning dew, as energetic as a young cub who plans to go hunting all by himself. I want to explore a new place, a new culture, do some random things, and obviously shoppppp. So I decided to go and visit my BFF staying in Mandi (Himachal) to bask in nature's glory.

The excitement and the delight of meeting old friends is beyond description. The funny thing is you might be meeting them after a year or so but the discussion starts from where you had left it last time. Same feelings, same tempo, same energy and that same carefree attitude, as if you are young again. It's like you are time travelling in a time machine and we are back in 2007. It's funny how we cherish small things in life and laugh and joke over them for the rest of our lives. I guess that's what friendship is about. 

A 12 hours long journey to reach Mandi was tiring for sure but the company made it easy. The journey was smooth till Chandigarh and then the adventure of the ghats started. Scary turns, traffic from both the sides was crazy, but fun. Thankfully our bus had proper heating so it was warm and we could almost sleep through the whole night. Finally, early morning we reached Mandi and I could smell the freshness in the air. Everything was dark and cold, very cold........ And I was shivering. We took an auto to get home and the ride was chilling and freezing. There was nothing more than a hot cup of tea and a warm bed to recover from the cold wave...............

To be continued......