Eat..Travel and Fun

Alibaug !!

My first trip with Mr Nair to Alibaug was in 2012 when, we went for our first holiday sans the little one..The little one was merely 5 months old and we packed our bags for a night stay..Ghosh !! Don’t know if I would call it a get away because the entire journey was spent wondering and thinking on how would he manage without me..The other setback was when I landed at a resort with no network and no access to communication..Had sleepless night and next day started early to get a  sight of my sunshine...A total let down was it :(

This was definitely one such trip where, I wished I could have not gone...what a nightmare was it !!

2015- Second trip to Alibaug with Mr Nair..and accompanied by my Sunshine boy- everything is the same and I enjoyed every bit of my stay here this time...The little ones presence makes all the difference...Siddhanth's adventurous journey started right from the time we left home...

An auto ride from home to station..Followed by a train journey to Churchgate...got into a cab and finally a Ferry...the little one's happiness reached its peak..He was all excited about his trip and with every such small getaway ..The lad is getting super charged up.

It is said that when you live a crazy week Monday to Friday at Mumbai, all you want to do on a weekend is escape to a place where you could let out the week’s stress and that’s what Mr Nair wanted....I anyways get enough space and time to chill considering the 3 day week that I work now...For the Toddler, it was the much needed family time. He loves the family time spent with Acha Amma...The recent trips be it the annual Kerala trip he has taken or the short strip to Mysore Coorg, Daman, Manor , Dhapoli or Alibaug he has been thoroughly enjoying every minute of these get aways.

Alibaug-The coastal town in Raigad district is a nice and a must place to be if you are a Mumbaikar..After all, where do you get to spend a relaxed weekend at an affordable rate..Alibaug is comparatively a cheap destination to be..Food is good ( if you are a sea foodie ) then you are at a right place..And if you love maharshtrain style sea food then Alibaug is the place to be.

Food has always been the most important part of all our weekend getaway plans.

The stay this time was unique because we were staying at a home style set up at Mundavli ( a small village ) which falls on the way to Alibaug from Mandwa port.

Kheem beach is  a mere  8 kms from this place ..I would love to call it a naturist abode because of the nature surrounding the place...The place is called Satyam Shivam Sundaram and there is a temple of Shiva built in the midst of these fantastic looking independent houses.

You just need to move inside the huge and spacious property to get a feel of rural.Siddhanth had this full access to the property..He enjoyed every minute of his stay at SSS..Running around with no one to stop and hold him with his occasional falls and yet all geared for his next trick.

He was surprised to see his Acha Amma enjoying the sight of him rolling on the ground and covered himself with dirt..Mud and god knows what all !!

Spend hours at the beach soaking sun..Building sand castles and simply relaxing..Siddhanth was right inside the beach ..All drenched..Played for long till the lad started shivering badly...packed him back to SSS.

Food served had an authentic taste of Raigad flavour ...the peculiar taste of Goda Masala that is used stands out in each dish...It was such a comfort for the tummy and I did not had to worry about Siddhanth since all the meals were home cooked...yet yummy !

The best part of the journey was that there was no access to TV and other entertainment at the respective stay area so spent majority of the time playing with the little one and simply lazing around..SSS has a decent library and we picked up couple of books in the midst of nature just lying on the hammock..Now isn’t that the perfect way for a getaway.This is the second holiday in a row where I preferred tucking the cameras inside and enjoying the moment..So not many pics to share but every moment spent at SSS has become a perfect moment for me to relish.

With all the smiles, signing off !

My Boy..........

My Boy…

Warning: Long post ahead and am all the way cribbing.  Go grab a cup of coffee, maybe a snack.

Iam just trying to compile a lists if some basic boy truths ( p.s – have closely observed my 2.5 year old son to arrive at these analysis )

Boys fart – Sounds funny ! Yes but my toddler learnt this at the very early stage..He farts and then claps as if it’s the borderline of victory.

To a boy, if it has wheels then it needs to be dragged around the house-  my boy picks up anything that remotely looks like car and pretends to ride it from windows to walls to cupboards to bathroom ( oh yes, he takes the car to the wash basin..gets them under the tap and after that the evilish smiles at me saying that he is bathing them. He has been regularly using my conditioner and shampoo to bathe his plastic animals and all the toys…I remember he is almost emptied the ‘ foreign brand of conditioner  ‘ I picked from Inorbit mall the other day rubbing of the horse that he has which is black ( the poor guy is trying to make it turn white ..maybe )

Every damn thing round is a Ball – Imagine how dangerous it could be..he then cleverly picks it up and uses it as his favorite ball.kick it wherever possible.

If it remotely looks like a bat- Swung it high and hit it at anyone on earth who could be a hindrance to his evilish thoughts of the day. Have received several of them this week including the one I got yesterday with a wooden spatula.

If they can climb then the obvious thing is to jump- The little one climbs every where and with a pause tries to jump…God has been kind so far as we were around. Hope he doesn’t feel the need to do it without our presence.

Dirt and Mud are the most favorite things in his lists…wait forget to add, newspapers are equally good-

He licks the walls with the hope to get some colored wall scrap to fall on him..and dirt irrespective of where it is makes his day…He equally craves  for newspapers  as if they taste like his regular chips.

And the best of all activity is Destruction—If you could arrange a pile of books or clothes neatly folded would be messed up within a fraction of time. They have this edge over us in terms of speed. The speed in which they attack is directly proportional to the quantity of stock…More the stuff..More is the happiness to destruct.

My toddler strongly feel that his mom isn’t working that hard..maybe that’s one reason..he climbs the kitchen platform to grab all the possible utensils that are cleaned to dump it back to the wash basin with a sweet note saying- Amma Siddhu is helping you with utensils…Oh yes, cleaning the cleaned ones L

Have been spending a lot of time with him in the play area where his friends ( majority being girls ) are obsessed with me as I make up fancy stories  for them and they let loose their bicycle and other stuff to Siddhu.

There are some things that I absolutely adore is the way he perceives things…The little one knows that his mother is the only living being that can be hit without being hit back. Though he regularly hits it out to me but admits that every minute that he loves me the most. 

Post Republic day paade, the little one has learnt that NaYendra Modi is the prime minitsre and Pranab Mukherjee ( he gets the pronunciation right ) is the president and Obama is best friend of Modi ( how on earth has he assumed this is still a question to me )..With his dad glued to the news channels the moment TV is put on, the poor baby knows politicians more than the cartoon character he and the kids of his age know.

With passing day, his love for bicycles outpasses..He gets to the play area in search of his friends cycle he could grab the moment they get busy with something else. He is showing equally interest in cooking where the lad, opens up fridge and picks up raw veggies that he could cook.

There has been numerous rhymes he is chanting day in and day out but the favourite being the National Anthem that he sings without interruption..He is also enjoying black coffee that he

I give up…iam going for a coffee break right away..                   

Dhapoli Visit....

Now that's what i call a Perfect Holidays....

We packed our bags in the last of December for a risky trip- risk here was the travel...We were traveling to Dhapoli.Dapoli is a town located in Ratnagiri district in the state of Maharashtra in India. 

It is 215 km away from the state capital of Mumbai so our obvious choice was booking a car to and fro and knowing Siddhu's motion sickness , we knew it was a risk. But the only thing that excited us the most was ‘ Dolphins ‘- yeah. Dhapoli is the place where you get to see Dolphins..though this was one important reason as Siddhu is exteremely fond of animals.

The other reason  is we ( me and spouse ) love Maharashtrian sea food and what better than a small town to explore the rustic taste.

We booked our stay at the Fern Samali which by every means got us excited because the reviews all over social media about this resort has been great. Must tell you – Mr Nair does his thorough home work before deciding on the holiday spot as the trip needs to be ideal as far as the little one is concerned.

Fern Samali- Full marks to Mr Nair for zeroing the perfect resort.The place is a bunch of well placed cottages that face the forest. The one we were staying was a Lillian Cottage that had this amazing view coupled with a unique bathing experience..An open sky bathroom with its own lily pond and wall garden..Must say this was another treat. The ambience is astounding.

The place is so quiet that you can hear the night crickets and so secluded that you probably wont have seen so many stars at a time. The cuisine was pretty decent as we could taste the best of everything- sea food, north Indian, Italian stuff , Chinese,etc..Another treat was goose that was visible across the resort..you see them moving all around the place- another treat for my son.They have these spa and threatre plays screened at various ball rooms. The staff there is very cordial and ensure that they provide you with the best and most prompt service.

There is this gracious lady in the reception who is best at her work.

Going back to Dolphins, we realized that they generally come out early morning and hit back the see before its 9 am..i.e before the morning sun is out. We unfortunately couldn’t make it to the beach early morning but yeah had fun at the beach all 2 days – riding horse cart and a boat ride..Its decently crowded on a weekend evening..The other beach which is less than 15 min drive , the Ladghar Beach from the resort has super stock of dry fish in case you plan to shop.

We had this amazing experience visiting some 100 year old temples- Kadyavarcha Ganpati in Anjarle and many others..We happen to visit a temple that has the beautiful architecture by a South Indian architect way back ..some 100 years.

Dapoli offers the best of both worlds – shimmering sea, pristine beaches, but a cool climate that will remind you of Mahabaleshwar !

I must say Dapoli exemplifies Konkan’s spirit. Lush, verdant coconut groves populate the region, and the famous Alphanso mangoes which we missed…courtesy the period of travel.

Nevertheless, all other aspects of a perfect travel was met. The experience was so divine and mesmerizing that I throughout the journey silently tucked away the camera and surrendered myself to this amazing experience of the sun in my cheeks and wind in my hair.

Here I end it with the same lines--- Now that's what i call a Perfect Holidays.

Thanks to Mr Nair and my little toddler for the best of company and I had another great holiday.

Looking forward for the next one already….

A weeks trip to Palakkad, Kerala

Palkkad or Palaghat the land of paddy fields is what am talking about..Palakkad is the entry or can be called the start of the God's own country.

Yeah that's my native..so beautiful and so enriching everytime !

This is my very first trip sans husband after marriage..he unfortunately could not make it since its been hardly a month his visit to Kerala on his grandmothers funeral...My bro accompanied us sans his wifey ( as she is in her last days of pregnancy and traveling isn't recommended) along with mom...So, there was this Menon family and my Junior Nair.We started our journey on 10th by flight to Coimbatore..Must admit, there is something about Tamil Nadu that makes it so culturally rich.Loved the 2.5 hr drive journey from Coimbatore Airport to Palakkad ( Nemmara ) with halt overs everywhere and wherever possible. Had an awesome lunch at a small town shop serving fresh ella food i.e biryani / parotha chicken curry wrapped in banana leaf..the sheer aroma of food coming out of the leaf makes you crave for more.

With the granny and the baby ( both prone to motion sickness or kinetosis quietly got into the car and dozed off ) and i enjoyed every minute of the greenery on both of the roads...Ask a mumbaikar, how it feels getting exposed to fresh air and greenery..i behaved like the kid who has been let into a toy shop)

Reached Nemmara at around 6 pm and quickly visited my ailing grandmom..she has become weak..needs help for her routine activities ..had never seen her on bed ever..she is those super active type generally.

And...the next 1 week stay i call it ' Wonderful '..It is so good to be home..Quietly had the house warming of the new house with a ' palkachal' - where the lady of the house boils milk...

Had a nice stay at our house at Nemmara..Its a  beautiful standalone house right near roadside with close proximity to city buses and auto stand.

We plan to name it ' KrishOm ' ...a name decided years back ! Had a routine of getting up early..going to temple..having breakfast on time and lunch at 12..followed by a short nap and evening coffees amidst nature.

Beautifully dressed ladies with long braided hair and mens comfortable with their munda.How i loved feasting on the local snacks available there..they taste heavenly...Parrappuvada and Medu Vada remains a  hit..have shamelessly had it all the days with evening coffee...Have lost count on the kaapi's i consumed full day..aww yes, since it was a holiday trip so 'watch what you eat ' isn't applicable.

Siddhanth had an amazing time bonding with his mama and grannny..He did whatever he could..Had displayed all the trantrums he could...he enjoyed every minute of his stay at Kerala.

Siddhanth continued to impress people with his charm..He was happy..He was enjoying and yet he missed his acha..He kept enquiring abou his acha to every stranger passing by the road...and Acha missed his monu too :)

Hope to go back to Palakkad sometime soon !

Till then, will miss my beautiful naad !

Signing off

A short trip to Manor....

It was our toddlers post birthday celebrations and we landed up at Manor...Yeah Manor..a beautiful town located in the banks of Vaitarna river.

Only a Mumbaikar knows how important is it to have a serene lush greenery view when you lead a life here...It was such a relaxing weekend..We packed our bags and took a direct train from Borivilii to get down at Palghar ( our short trips always comprises of a local train and its airways for a relatively long journey as my tiny tot has motion sickness so road isn't a good option for us.

Though we badly wanted to be at a hill station like Lonavala experiencing monsoon but thanks to siddhu..we landed at Manor.

Before the journey started, i was told by my husband that we would be staying at a pure veg resort and yes, i was taken aback...why on earth will someone go on a weekend trip and eat ' ghaas - phooss ' but as always i never question is analyzing abilities...courtesy his desk researching abilities.He ensures that be it everything from journey to stay to other factors are well taken care so that we ( specially our prince ) has no problems.

The resort- Silent Hill ' is right on the Mumbai- Ahmedabad highway.This property is on 60+ acers land with good manicured gardens, landscapes.I give full marks to the view..most of their rooms have an awesome view..imagine getting up with a view of a flowing river..aha..thats the best part.

Its a beautiful option if you have kids along ..there are quite a few rides...a equally beautiful garden and lots of open space...and of course a decent water park ( please dont compare it with a water kingdom / suraj waterpark )..its a small yet exciting place with multiple water rides...Siddhanth thouroughly enjoyed hours at the swimming pool and the rain dance...thats one thing is definitely the value for the buck.

I was a bit dissapointed with the quality of the food served..though the options were there..it was a multi cuisine buffet options but overall it was a let down.

Food has always been the most exciting part of our trips but this time it was a sure shot let down.

Hospitality was a bit laid back...though the staff was quite cordial but i somehow thought it could have been a little more prompt.

I  don't think we might want to go back to the resort again...but yeah, the day charges at the waterpark sounds a good option for a second chance.

Siddhanth had a great time but yes, we realized that he missed riding on a horse and a camel safari which he truly enjoyed in his last trips to mysore, coorg and daman.

Nothing much to talk about..but yeah one must try this resort once..maybe just for the stay and the view.

Siddhanth is a 2 year old !!!

Just a few weeks back my sweet little boy turned 2 !! 

I have noticed some real changes in my toddler's personality and demeanor. While some things are definitely annoying, all have been a welcomed addition to my child's awesomeness..Aww...i just love his new emerged personality..though i been complaining about it but the lad has become strong !  Strong in terms of his demands.

His 2nd birthday was again a family affair..yeah but this time it was a close knit family affair. both his grannies- nani & dadi were there to bless him along with his uncle aunt n his Aditya Bhaiya..His mama was missing since he didnt get a leave and mami who is expecting could not travel..Nevertheless, they both called, wished and blessed him.

Its a full packed day and siddhanth as always entertained the guests with his new antics he learnt over the weeks.

There was a cake cutting..and a feast ( prepared by his dad n mom together ) followed by gifts showered on him. Highlight of the day was wen the tiny tot fell down and kissed the feet of both his grannies..i could see how emotional they had become...yeah though this was instructed to him the same day morning..my little cutiepie remembered without being reminded...Aww.. love him for being mature of his age.  

He is growing..He is learning..he is learning fast..his vocabulary is developing on a daily basis..its a cute mix of Hindi , Malayalam, English and Marathi.

What defines him today is what i called ' Dadagiri ' ...always up to some tactics...he wants it his way and i have a tough time balancing both these men's in my life who are equally adamant.Siddhu and his acha have a special bonding which is hard to describe..they fight..they pamper each other..they kiss and they again fight !!
Siddhu continues his saturdays and sundays morning walk n privy time with his dad.


His obsession with animals continue..specially the elephant, dogs, cats..He continued to be bothered abt their whereabouts, what they eat, whether they go to school etc....he never forgets to remind me that his left over tiffin needs to be given to Raju ( the dog who is regular at our building premises ) ..i know his name courtsey Siddhanth.

Its been almost 5 months and he still talks about the Daman trip where, he got to sit on a Camel and Horse.

He has been doing a lot of new stunts with his favourite footbal which he continues playing for almost a year now..seems like he is gonna be a solid football player.

He reamins a Mommas boy...I am so thankful that as he gets older, he is still a momma's boy. In fact, even more so! He wants more cuddles lately, stays a little more closer to me, and always makes sure I am around him and watching him. And the best, best, best part of it, he comes to me and gives me unsolicited hugs, kisses, cuddles all the time....I feel blessed ! Thank you God !

Hope my tiny tot stay happy and healthy !

Daman..Ab toh lag gaya Mannnn

Guys,

Yeah..Daman !! Daman was our impromptu planned decision...anyways, Daman can not be a planned tourist spot for many..but why not !!

Completely satisfied is what i call the experience at Daman...My husband kept telling me right from the journey start that my expectation needs to be NIL so that i enjoy whatever is stored...Thats when i went there with 0 expectation and it turned out to be good..Yeah..good !

Guys, that’s what i define as a quiet holiday..away from the traffic and chaos…Something that’s beautiful about Daman is its look and feel..the relics of Portuguese past…the legacy to some extent still lives on- in life, the buildings( church, forts and so on..).Being the closest wet region in South Gujarat, its a popular destination for those who want to wet their throats occasionally close to home. Beer flows at every corner and one can see the young crowd absolutely in the mood…A day prior to our exit was elections at Daman and the chilled ambience converted into little grim where, one could see people desperately in search of a beer shop…shops were closed a day prior from noon and those with zero planning were totally left in lurch.

Daman seems to be very safe city for one and all, and hooglism is rare unlike other tourist places where, the local auto / taxi wala take you for a good ride. Some places were absolute pleasure visiting..Our viist to The Chapel of our Lady Rosary located within the fort was one such…and of course the sunsets are so magical ! Spent some quality time at Devka and Jambore beach where the latter was comparatively better maintained than the former..Nothing beats lazing and dozing off on a shack when you have a good company.

I have always loved places with low population density and Daman was just perfect ! A few people scattered here and there... and you at times , do get the Goa feeling here..though the profile of people visit both these places are pole apart...didnt see a single firang here during my 4 day stay.

Staying at Silver Sand was a good experience…it’s an absolute value for money ! The food was quite decent and we landed up eating all our meals from the resort itself.Rooms were okay..could have been little better in terms of hygiene but nevertheless hospitality of the staff was at place.

Stress free traveling and good food combined with a decent stay ..We just had a good time !

Trains from Borivili lands you to Vapi and from there you get easy access to Daman through multiple options like Taxis and Autos and the charges are quite nominal. Realized that it could be a easy and better options to plan extended weekends at Daman ( and why not ! good food + relax cozy nominal stay and of course cheap liquor ) makes it a good choice !