Vacation...Bintan Island...!!!

'WHAT!!!... are you freaking insane !!!'

A screams at me over the long distance international call...I had just informed her of my intention to go to Bintan Island, Indonesia, my first solo vacation in all my years of existance. I am excluding the Birmingham, Mangalore and Kerala trips here as I had people waiting for me in each of these places and it was only the travelling that was solo.

 'The place is reeling from the effects of the latest tsunami with the added tension of a volcano that might erupt anytime and you are telling me you are planning to go there via FERRY, have you completely lost it?'.

Holding the phone a few inches away from my ear, I tried reasoning that I am going to Bintan and not the tsunami hit area. But A is beyond caring, 'Why do you have to be so masochistic ?, Can't you think of any other ways to torture yourself and others around you ?'

'But A, it is just a vacation, I have not enrolled myself at a concentration camp of any sort you know, my colleague lives in Bintan Island, she is planning to go so I am tagging alone, OK, granted that I will be on my own once there, I think it is about time I started taking some risks...'

Also come to think of it, this travelling by ferry bit is kind of funny, it keeps reminding me of a film I saw years ago, about two conmen who run a travel cum employment agency who promise people that they will take them to Dubai. The travellers are taken aboard a ferry and after a few hours they are told that they have arrived in Dubai and asked to alight. It is only after the ferry has left that they realise they have been duped and are actually at Madh Island on the other side of Mumbai. I dare not say this to A, she would just punch me through the phone if it were possible.

To be honest I would not dream of going on such a trip if I were in India, but so far this trip has been full of surprises so I am hoping that I will be pleasantly surprised by the good time that I have in Bintan !!!

More on the trip once I am back...

Makan Oh Lydia ??

Can't make any sense lah, no problem lah, read on lah!!

As I inch towards completing my third week in Singapore, I look back at the time that I spent in this magical tropical island nation. This country and its people have such a tolerant attitude and they have accepted me as one of their own. It just feels like yesterday that I landed here full of apprehensions about the new land and culture. The other fear that was plaguing me was the fact that Singapore is 2.5 hours ahead of India and to get to office at nine in the morning I would have to get up at 4 am India time, which is something I have never done in my entire life, if you possibly exclude the time as a newborn I might have woken up every two hours for feeding (the operative word here being might, as knowing myself as I do I strongly suspect I did not!!!) I had these nightmares I would be sent home in disgrace for never reaching office on time! Having said that I think I have done quite OK these couple of weeks and will miss Singapore on my return to India.

The thing that I will miss most is the quaint language known as Singlish. Which is spoken in a sing song manner and I am sure is a literal translation of sentences in their native tongue into English. Quite similar to the literal translations of Hindi into English, "Why you rotating outside the girls hostel" a literal translation of "Ladkiyo ke hostel ke bahar kyon chakkar kaat rahe the" :))

You OK lah ?

Please lah, Dont like that lah!!!

Aeiyo, I don know, but I find for you lah ?

I pass it already lah?

Also Can Lah!!!

Can Can Lah!!!

These ones you can still understand, but the one that had me scratching my head was "You Makan Oh lydia". We have this lady in office who helps keep the office clean and tidy, everyone calls her Auntie. She has been very friendly since day one and I quite like her smiling face, she reminds me of a happy sunflower. I was in the washroom when she asked me "You Makan Oh lydia" and I was left staring at her for a few secs,  and I like a dumb idiot told her "Haan main theek hoon", I realised what I had done and answered in English at which she "OK lah" followed by a burst of Chinese amid great laughter!!! I walked back to me desk and asked my colleagues what "You Makan Oh  lydia" meant, they were at sea and said it meant nothing! After a while one of girls burst into laughter and said Auntie asked "Whether you had food...YOU MAKAN ALREADY!!!" Apparently most of the Indians in Singapore know Malay and MAKAN in Malay mean food, as in you ate already!!!

New Girl in City...Week 2

I have officially lived in Singapore for two weeks and this period has been an eye opener of sorts, I have stumbled upon facts about myself and have been been left wiser for the experience. Some of the things that I have done and discovered so far are:

1) I suddenly realised that I do not like to experiment when it comes to food, I tried to convince myself to try some local foods, but so far I have been unsuccessful, living solely on fruits, sandwiches and some some limited Indian style foods that are available. I find this weird as in Mumbai I am always game to try new food, be it off the street or in restaurants. Today I had tears of joy in my eyes when I located a McDonalds near the hotel that I am put up at...need I say more...

2) My sense of direction is not as bad as I think it is ... I just get intimidated by crowds.  Give me peace, quiet and leave me to my own devices and I can do wonders.

3) I hate having to eat out all by myself, though I must clarify that I have no problem with eating alone per se, its just the thought of having to go to a restaurant alone that really puts me off. I would have loved it if I were put up in service apartment :(

4) Just completed reading 'The Curse of the Singles Table' by Suzzane Schlosberg and realised that I am not alone. I could identify with the emotions and feelings that she went through on crossing the dreaded line from single to...still single.

5) The daily soaps on Chinese Television are similar to the ones back home, I am not sure of the level of regressiveness but I am guessig it will not be very much off the Indian Television mark.

6) I  have come to realise that Life is something that happens to you when you are busy making other plans. You just have to stop trying too hard and lighten up.

7) People everywhere are just the same, if you approach them with warmth and an open mind they will welcome you in their midst. Everyone needs a little love and understanding!!

Durians are not allowed !!!

Hello All,

I have been away from blogging for a while... not that anyone is complaining :( ... just for your information I was working hard to complete all my pending work in Mumbai so that I could come away on secondment to Singapore!!!

I arrived in Singapore on Sunday, so I have effectively been here for less than three days and in this period I have managed to get lost twice, got sandwiched between the elevator doors, ate some bird (which I strongly suspect was definitely not chicken as touted by the vendor) and almost sent a geriatric to the hospital. Also I find mystefying signs that durians are not allowed in hotels!!! Now that I have your complete attention, let me regale you with my story...

Day 0
First story featuring the geriatric...I arrived at the taxi stand a little after seven in the morning, post a enthralling five a half hour flight in a cramped economy class seat with a little girl about one who decided that my life (and her parents of course) was definitely smooth sailing and decided to rock the boat. The minute her parents sat down she began wailing and I was like "Please God, Why me". Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against kids, I love them, so far as they are all cuddles, kisses and cooing, I am their pigeon, the minute they decide to take on a more rudra avataar, I run for the hills. So, I asked for some cotton wool and resigned myself to listen to the different types of raagas that the tot was practising. After an hour or so I guess they managed to sedate her with a tranquiliser gun and she went off to sleep, but sleep evaded me, have you every tried to get some sleep while travelling on a plane, shifting this way and that trying to find the perfect position for economy class seating nirvana. I still have not achieved it!!! Five and half hours later (more like panch janam) we arrived at Singapore and I sleep walked my way to the taxi stand a little after seven thirty in the morning. I slung my handbag on my back after loading my suitcase in the boot of the taxi and barely missed this old man standing behind me to collect the trolley. God, I was so scared, I was like whoops, I have just been let loose in this country for five seconds and people have to run for cover !!!

Day 1
After resting for a while I decided to venture out to buy a prepaid SIM so, I can make sasta calls to India (Cheap, Cheap, I hear you guys say :)) and a travel card for MRT. That was when I got a bit ahead of myself and decided to check how to get to office via MRT and also partly to get a feel of how it is. I travelled upto Raffles Place(this is the station closest to the my office, btw my train station is called Dhobi Ghaut), and then got horribly lost, I walked in the opposite direction and landed up at a station close to Dhobi Ghaut on another line, did not have the heart to walk back so took a train back to the hotel. I made up my mind to take a taxi the next day and then return in the evening by train so I can get my bearings right.

Day 2
I reached office a little before eight and got sandwiched between the elevator door, some doofus pressed the close button before I could get it. Then he was so embarassed, he tried to lighten up the atmosphere by saying "I am usually a zombie till about ten... and thats at night :p". So I said "Its OK" though for a moment I thought "bas Sen ... tera antt aagaya..."

Before I forget, another one I just have to tell you, I went to the loo and and my bum must have just left the toilet seat and it auto flushed... I remembered an old office joke about employees being asked to take only a 30 second loo break, if the employees takes longer to finish, the toilet would auto flush, the paper would roll back, the door would open and a picture would be taken of the employee and put out on the notice board as a defaulter... For a sec...I thought it really does happen here in Singapore :))

Day 3
Today I left office around seven, grabbed a quick dinner and decided to hit the sack early, but fate decided that I have not had enough excitement in my life. I took the MRT to Dhobi Ghaut and as usual took the wrong exit and landed inside the Shopping Mall(one of these days my lack of sense of direction is going to get me into great trouble) and spent the next twenty odd minutes of my life looking for an exit to get out of the Mall... I went to each of the levels looking for an exit that would take me outside the mall but I kept coming back to the same place, after a point I was nearly close to losing it and suddenly I had a brain wave, I popped into a nearby shop, it happened to be a cake shop, bought a slice of Chocolate Rice Cake, paid S$1.50 (a small price for freedom) and casually asked the attendant directions to the nearest exit ... and freedom. I meekly followed the directions and it is thanks to the S$1.50 Chocolate Rice Cake that I sit here typing... as a free woman !!!

Before I sign off for today here is the reason why Durians are not allowed, courtesy wikipedia:
'The durian (pronounced /ˈdʊəriən/)[2] is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family[1][3] (although some taxonomists place Durio in a distinct family, Durionaceae[1]). Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species.The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust and has been described variously as almonds, rotten onions, turpentine and gym socks. The odour has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia'.

Koal Sukka (Clams in semi-dry coconut gravy)

This one is for you Manju, thank you for sharing the Dry Pasta and Sidhi Kadi recipe !

I am basically from the coastal village of Someshwar which is just outside Mangalore,Karnataka and five minutes from the Kerala border. So I am a Malyalee from Karnataka and as usually happens with the border people our cusine is a mix of the best of Mangalorean and Keralite cusine. I have some really great memories of my summer and winter vacations at Mangalore and it is still something that I look forward to. Koal Sukka is my all time favourite Mangalorean dish and I love the way it is made at home. The aromas that waft from the kitchen when it is being prepared are quite capable of rousing Kumbhakarna from his sleep. Wake up and smell the Koal Sukka I say!!!

So without much ado, I proudly present the recipe to the delectable manna from heaven!

P.S.: I will put up a picture soon!!

Ingredients

50-60 clams (small sized, black in colour and with thin shell,my mum says that big thick shelled clams have very little flesh in them, the smaller ones are better and much tastier)

For the White Masala
1/2 (half) a Coconut, grated
4-5 garlic cloves
1/2 (half) an onion
1/2 (half) tsp cumin seeds

For the Red Masala
3 Bedgi Chillies (for colour)
2 Madras Chillies
10-12 fenugreek seeds
6-7 black pepper corns
2 tsp corriander seeds
Tamrind (about the size of a small lemon)
1/2 (half) tsp Turmeric powder

Method:

1) Clean the clams throughly to dislodge any impurties sticking to the shells.
2) Add a little water to a pan and steam the clams for about 2-3 mins. Do not cover the pan while steaming. Once steamed the clams will open up. Retain the water left over from the steaming. (Tip: Do not drown the clams in water, just use a little water, enough to cover an inch off the bottom of the pan).
3) Dry roast all the ingredients for the red masala, except the tamrind and turmeric powder. Put the tamrind in lukewarm water and let it sit. (Tip: My mum dry roasts the spices as soon as she buys them, the same ingredients are used for other curries, so it saves time while actually making the dish)
4) Put the roasted spices in a mixer with a little water and make a fine paste. When the paste is just about done add the turmeric powder and tamrind (along with the water in which it was soaked) and blitz for about 30 seconds.(Tip: Ensure that the paste is is not too watery)
5) Grind the grated coconut in the mixer, we are not looking for a fine paste, a coarse mixture is just fine. Just before removing the mixture, add the cumin seeds, garlic cloves and onion. Blitz for about a minute. (Tip: Do not add water).
5) Mix the red masala with the water retained from the steaming of the clams and bring to a boil.
6) Add clams and simmer for 5-6 mins.
7) Add the white masala and cook till the coconut is nicely done.
8) Garnish with chopped coriader leaves.

My interesting Life - Friday the 13th!!!

Anyone who says, Friday the 13th is unlucky can go take a walk, I had the most interesting, fun-filled day yesterday!!! We had Independence week at work, with activities like quizzes, crosswords, contests etc, culminating with a traditional day on Friday.

The day began at seven and voila, the throbbing pain & swelling that I had in my foot all week thanks to a pair of ill-fitting sandals had vanished. I sent a quick thank you to the gods who look after peoples feet (I figure we got 33 crore gods in hindu mythology, there must be a segregation of duties) and promptly went out to the closet to pull out my muted gold three inch heels that is a must with any  saree. Not only does it make me look taller, it also makes me look thinner and what woman does not like instant weight loss!!!...So Friday the 13th was looking up alright!!!

After a quick breakfast, I draped the saree in 10 minutes flat, which is quite a accomplishment, given in the past my mum, sister and I would be on verge of world war three after one such session. Sometimes I would be such a nervous wreck after the saree refused to behave that I cancelled out of attending weddings and social events at the last minute. My mum still blesses the day I learnt to drape the saree on my own...Friday the 13th was still galloping the wrong way like a horse on steroids!!!

My office is actually a 40 minute drive, but thanks to the traffic which is further aggravated by potholes and stretches of useable road being cordoned off for the Metro project, of late it takes me two hours at times to get there. Needless to say, I arrive in office already looking forward to call it a day. However yesterday I managed that distance in 50 minutes flat, a miracle no less!!!...Then my team decided to treat ourselves to a buffet lunch at Saffron Spice, the food divine, the conversation sparkling, all in all, it was time well spent!!!...way to go Friday the 13th!!!

In the evening I got a call from an unknown number, surprise, surprise, my cousin who got married last year and went off to Dubai with hubby dearest had arrived in town that afternoon and wanted to catch up!!! We met up for dinner chattering ninteen to a dozen, btw dinner was at Aromas of China, after Mainland China this place has the most amazing food, try the Snow White Crispy Squid, Chilli Butter Noodles and Seafood Fried rice. Yes, we went seafood mad...Friday the 13th, unlucky, sez who???

Matheran Adventures!!!

As doctor Watson would say, the time has come when it is quite safe to speak about events that took place in the past, I can place the facts before the discerning public. About a month ago I had been to Matheran with a couple of my college friends. Just the three of us, a total girly road trip. Names have been withheld in this blog post as my friends are still under a witness protection programme, my friend drove all the way and if any of our parents found out they would have a coronary and we would become orphans, because the road up to Dasturi (the point upto which you can take vehicles) is quite treacherous, what with it winding this way and that. But B, bless her, is the most amazing driver...when B drives, she can change gears, text message, change the music station and talk... all at once...and the way she handles the car is great, she is in total control, no jerky movements whatsoever. I am in absolute awe of her. Back to the story, A, called me on Monday to ask if I was OK with a day trip to Matheran...I was more that happy as the past few weeks had been crazy busy at work and I could use a break. A also dangled the added carrot that I could stay over at her place on Saturday so we could travel together in the morning to B's house. This was but ofcourse an excuse to spend the entire night gossiping and giggling.

Accordingly I arrived on Saturday at A's place around eight, we had an early dinner and retired to her room, to google up the route. A, had been to Matheran with her family in the past and took it on herself to be the guide, I being hopeless with directions decided to be the photographer, all the pictures you see in the blog post have been captured by your truly on her trusty blackberry. Photos which contain the three of us have been withheld for reasons disclosed above. We wrote down the directions and then settled down for some serious gossiping.

We had not met up for quite a while and had some serious catching up to do. By the time we were done it was one in the morning as we decided to call it a day, else we would not be able to wake up the following day.We set the alarm for six as we had agreed to meet B at seven in the morning, prayed that it be a perfect day for a trip and hoped the rain gods would not play spoilsport and went off to sleep. We woke up on time thanks to the chirping of the multitude of birds who live in the trees opposite A's house. A little background, A's house is situated in a delightfully shady street and the view from her bedroom balcony is to die for. You open your eyes to a green canopy, where a multitude of birds are chirping praises to nature in all her glory. You simply cannot have a bad day when you wake up to all this beauty. To make it all the more beautiful, it was a pleasant day with no rain clouds in sight!!!

Putting that down a good omen, we got dressed and arrived at B's house a little after seven. After a quick stop at the petrol pump we were off on our trip!!! The trip to Mahape was uneventful and we made good time, things got a bit mixed up after that, we kept asking people the way to Neral which is at the foothills and they kept pointing us to Nerul, which is a place near Vashi. One rickshaw fellow confidently pointed us in one direction and after travelling on it for a while B declared that if I take one more right turn on this road we will be back in Mumbai!!! Finally we chanced on a traffic police check post and the constable there helped direct us to the right road. Much to our chagrin we realised that we were on the right track before asking for directions and would have reached this place an hour ago if the locals had not misguided us. All of us decided never to ask for directons going forward!!! We arrived at Dasturi a little after eleven and after finding a place to park the car (the whole of Mumbai seemed to have decended here) we started trekking up to Matheran.

A little history lesson on Matheran, courtesy wikipedia, Matheran (Marathi: Marathi: माथेरान is a city and a Hill Station municipal council in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is also the smallest hill station in India. It is located on the Western Ghats range at an elevation of around 800 m (2,625 feet) above sea level. It is located around 90 km from Mumbai, and 120 km from Pune. Matheran's proximity to the metros makes it a popular weekend getaway for urban residents. The name Matheran means either "forest on top" or "mother forest".Matheran is an eco-sensitive region, declared by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India. It is one of the few places in the world where vehicles are not allowed, which makes the place different from others.

Matheran takes you over a hundred years back in time when there were no vehicles.Because of vehicles being banned in Matheran, the place is quite peaceful despite the thousands of visitors coming to visit throughout the year. There are lots of lookout points that provide spectacular views of the surrounding hills and valleys. Matheran has a reasonably dense forest cover. There are around 38 designated look-out points in Matheran, including the Panorma Point that provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding area and also the Neral town. From this point, the view of sunset and sunrise is breathtaking. The Louisa Point offers crystal clear view of the Prabal Fort. The other points are the One Tree Hill Point, Hart Point, Monkey Point, Porcupine Point, Rambgh Point, and more.

Back to the present when we arrived at Dasturi there was a slight drizzle and a dense fog, we felt like we were walking through coulds!!! After a thirty minute trek we arrived at the quaint town of Matheran, you really feel like you are in an old black and white movie, the shops in this place still play old songs, everyone is on foot and you can see horses trotting grandly down the main streets. After a while you half expect to see an officer from the British era riding a buggy with his lady sitting pretty beside him. I can see the snicker on your face, yes, I admit it, I am a sucker for the victorian era "Angrez chale gaye, mujhe chod gaye". Its like time stood still here!!!

On arriving at the main market square we decided to tuck in some lunch before we started visiting the various points and accordingly went to Kumar Plaza. The red tiled roof of the kitchen looked so pretty against the backdrop of the fog and the shillouttes of the trees made for some interesting photography subjects. Post lunch we visited Sunrise Point (on the map it is down as "Sunrice Point, refer picture), Lord Point (the sign said "its Onely 1 Mint" away, refer picture), Charlotte Lake (it looked like a giant lake filled with tea) and Echo Point (I chickened out of this one as the approach road was too slippery and I could not afford to take any days off work!!!).

By the time it was four in the evening we were craving for some tea. A small road side hotel provided us with steaming mugfuls of tea, refreshed we hit the stalls for a spot of shopping. We purchased some chikkis, fudges, chappals (you get the most amazing footwear at throw away prices here). With our bags over flowing with all these goodies we desended to Dasturi, this time we walked along the railway track. 

A small toy train is operated here, however it is quite to safe to walk along this route during the monsoons as the train is not operated during this period. We arrived at Dasturi physically tired but mentally refreshed. I quite loved this trip as we could be ourselves, no pretence, no rush, enjoying the simple pleasure which nature offers in the company of the people who matter. I look forward to more such trips in the future!!!