DocDivaTraveller: January 2016

This trip started as our annual ritual. The day which has had the maximum impact on our lives till date needed to be celebrated. Yes it was our marriage anniversary. When hubs was trying to convince me for marrying him, I set a condition that vacations would be an integral part of our life. He being a busy surgeon meant that he would have a very busy schedule. At least he could promise me some quality time on the pretext of vacations. So we settled on at least an exotic vacation and a number of domestic vacations in a year. Poor thing, this agreement had such a huge impact in his life that he started working even harder to arrange those vacations!

Our wedding anniversary was supposed to be celebrated outside the town but I did not know where. I am not in favour of travelling with an infant. So all our previous trips had been sans her. My mom had already been taking care of her during weekdays when I went to the hospital but being away from her even on weekends was really not a good idea. So the travel planner in me took a backseat. I really did not have anything in mind but miracles do happen! This time the husband..Mr Lazy Bones donned the hat of the planner!

One fine morning, my husband surprised me with the tickets to Udaipur. Not only that he even decided the hotel which turned out to be fantastico! Anyways it was lovely to take a backseat and see things getting done for a change. I never thought that such kind of day would ever come in my life!

We went to Udaipur by the Mewar Express. Mewar is a region of South Central Rajasthan which includes the present day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand and Udaipur and even some parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Lord Shiva is called the king of Mewar. The entire region is surrounded by the Aravalli ranges.

We boarded the train in the evening and reached Udaipur the next day morning. I had expected Udaipur to be a lot warmer than Delhi. Surprisingly, it was not! Maybe this is was a desert phenomenon. Mornings and nights are freezing while the days are scorching! I kept on wearing the thick sweater which I had on from Delhi. The auto ride to our hotel was a very windy one and I clung to my sweater. Anyways as the day progressed, the heat of the sun got intense too and I finally able to get a taste of the desert like weather.

For such a short and husband planned trip, it was way more delightful than what I had expected it to be! It turned out to be a fantastico experience!

The chaotic Nizamuddin station...

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

1/30/2016 3 comments

As our tropical vacation is coming nearer, I have been reminiscing my previous island conquests. Of course Mauritius tops them all. Not only because it was our first getaway together but its actually one of the loveliest places on earth. Out of all the fantastico places I have visited in my life till date, this place has had the maximum impact in my life! After all it was our honeymoon! No matter how many countries I strike off from my bucket list, this island would always remain at the top!

The first day of our seven day tour was North Mauritius. It included Port Louis, the capital city and the Pamplemousses Botanical garden. We were one of the very few couples of our hotel who actually took all the sightseeing trips. All of our acquaintances preferred to stay in the hotel itself for romance. If coochy cooing was so important, why to spend lakhs to fly so far? That can be done in any 5 star hotel in India itself ;)

Anyways, Port Louis has been a very important city in the medieval times. Its location had a great impact on how international ship trade took place. The Portugese, French, British all with strong fleet used this place as a stopover in the Indian Ocean . The reason being Port Louis is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Therefore its safe from natural calamities as well as pirates. Even today the British and French have disputes over its name..Mauritius is a British name while the French call it Ile Maurice.
Also it has the oldest race course in the world!!

giant water lilies...Victoria Amazonica to be precise... these leaves are so big and buoyant that they can withstand the weight of a human baby!!

Coming to the Pamplemousses botanical gardens, this place was really unique. India has pretty large botanical gardens where I have seen rare flora. So I did not have much expectations. But the giant water lilies ( Victoria amazonica) astounded me!! The leaves are so large that they can support a baby's weight and wont drown!

the Champ de mars racecourse...the world's oldest racecourse in the Southern hemisphere...

Also we saw giant tortoises ( Galapagos)of evolutionary significance there. So this tiny fantastico island has an impact on all of us! I mean who can escape evolution? We all have studied about Charles Darwin and his theories on evolution and Galapagos Islands. Its Africa after all! The entire African continent has so much to offer...its a fantastico destination!

Speaking of evolution, an episode of FRIENDS comes to my mind. Have you watched the series? Ross is an paleontologist whose bread and butter is evolution. Once a fight crops up between Ross and the eternal moron Phoebe when she says that she does not 'buy' evolution. Ross flies to rage and says that evolution is not something to be bought but to believe it whether you like it or not!!
I hope we all swear by evolution!!

my affair with trees...

entangled in the web of branches!!

entry to the fort Adelaide...

catching a bird's eye view of the city through telescope...

the city from top of the fort...

the Champ de mars racecourse from the fort...

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

1/27/2016 2 comments

Now that I even wrote an 'ode' to summers, that means I am missing it already!! Right now the weather is bitter cold, so it really does not mean its appropriate to remain in the pools. So here I am reminiscing the warm golden days!! It was one of the most fantastico birthdays I ever had since I was born!

The fantastico Fort Palace...everything is blue and pink!!

It was my first birthday since I became a mom and we went to Alwar. I desparately needed a break after all those days of house arrest. The fantastico fort palace had everything to offer that is required on a summer day to feel chilled out. And above everything, the palace made us feel absolutely royal!!

We were there for two days. The following pictures have been taken on the next morning.

After an adventurous road trip, eventful late evening, we dragged ourselves early in the morning to explore the place. It was very hot ( Rajasthan obviously) so the only way to romp around was to bask in the early morning sun.

We woke up at at around five but our sleepy eyes opened wide on seeing the beauty everywhere. The perfect combination of heritage and greenery.

As expected, the pools were being cleaned and hence not open to the guests. Who other than crazy us could think of swimming in the wee morning hours? Anyways, that did not stop us. The whole fort palace was hanging on a hill. Therefore any amount of displacement required climbing up endless flight of stairs.

In the lust of reaching the top, we kept on ascending. We wanted to catch a bird's eye view of the city. Sunrise would have been a bonus. Finally a point came when my knees gave up. We stopped to catch our breath and our eyes fell on the surroundings. Whoa!! In the madness to conquer the steps, we had been ignoring the beauty all around. I took a firm stand and declared that instead of wasting time and energy on ascending further, we should stop right there and enjoy. Sometimes husband gets annoyed with my lack of 'over enthusiasm'...he he:D I believe that I have the right amount of enthusiasm..neither too much ( like him ) nor too less ( I would not like to mention who I am referring too ) ;)

Basking in the morning sun..

I love the early morning sun..is that possible in winters?

fooling around on the way to breakfast...

who knew that even stairways could look so grand!!

early morning yoga...

A fantastico breakfast spread..my favourite meal of the day!!

All the fruits and vegetables served here are supposedly organic. There was a huge array of jams which were made of fruits grown in the hotel premises...Isn't that great!!

In short, everything about this place and birthday was fantastico!

Dress :Globus
Hat : Accessorize
Sunnies : Aldo

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

1/24/2016 1 comments

Yesterday I was thinking that its been a while that I had done a post on Delhi. I opened up my Delhi diaries which had not been penned down yet and found these pictures. I was pleasantly shocked to see my old self. Then I remembered that it was a very important day in our lives! In fact that day has had the greatest impact in my life till date. That was the very day when I got the first sonogram done of our baby! It was the first routine prenatal sonogram that is done just to ensure that everything is fine. My parents who have old school thinking condemn unnecessary ultrasounds. They feel its simply not safe for the baby. Science however says something else. Anyways I did not have much of an option. I was consulting the best obstretician of East Delhi and she is pretty strict (no offense to her). I mean she is very senior and everyone is scared of her. So I had no choice but to abide by her instructions.
This day again had a huge impact on my parents as I had spilled this news to my Mom on this day!

After our visit to the hospital, we decided that we needed a small celebration. Delhi is not my favourite city without substantial reasons. In fact its a fantastico place to stay and of course to explore. This city has something new to offer, everyday. We both being history lovers, decided to visit a heritage site. As we were planning to dine in Central Delhi, Safdurjung tomb was a convenient option. I had seen some fantastico pictures of this monument and I needed mine too. Its my dream to have pictures of every monument of this city.

Safdurjung tomb had been built in the 18th century at around 1754. Its a sandstone and marble tomb.Its the mausoleum of Safdur Jung, the viceroy of Awadh under the Mughal Emperor, Md. Shah. Apart from the main tomb complex, it has several other pavilions. They are Jangli mahal (palace in the woods), Moti mahal ( Pearl Palace) and Badshah Pasand ( emperor's favourite). There is also a madarsa in the complex. The archeological survey of India maintains a library at the entrance.

History lover or not, you simply cannot ignore the beautiful Mughal architecture of this place. The well manicured lawns are a respite from the mundane city life. It was almost dusk when we reached there so we got to bask in the orange hues of the setting sun.

The fantastico mausoleum..

The last monumental tomb garden of Mughals..

doors have always been my favourite prop!

sandstone arches...

Fantastico architecture!

The tomb at dusk...

The fantastico reflection of the tomb...

The main entrance to the tomb...the sun had already set...

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Dress: Globus

Sunnies: Aldo

Earrings: Claire's

1/24/2016 No comments

Right after we landed in Udaipur, we set off on our first excursion. Since we were on a short trip, we decided to make out the maximum of our vacation. After dumping our luggage in our hotel room, we went to see the nearest yet a major tourist attraction of Udaipur...the Jagdish Temple. This temple was a stone's throw away from our hotel Udaigarh and we hopped and skipped and reached!
P.s When I said a stone's throw away, hubs remarked that the arms have to be really strong in order to throw a stone this far!! :D As soon as we reached the foot of the Jagadish Temple, we realised that its a fantastico architectectural wonder!

The area was known as Jagadish Chowk (of course named after the temple; no points for guessing that!) and was bustling with crowd. It was just eight on a cold winter morning yet everyone was already in their business. There were lots of flower shops (as any temple area would have), souvenir shops and of course the quintessential Rajasthani clothes and trinket shops. In short the ambiance was fantastico! After throwing a quick glance at all these things, we made our way inside the temple. We looked forward to climbing a long flight of stairs. I don't shy away from climbing stairs but that time I felt a bit lazy. It was supposed to be a vacation and not an excercise break , remember?

This temple was built in 1651 in Indo Aryan style of architecture. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, its the largest temple complex in Udaipur.

The fantastico architectural wonder...

This three storied temple is a fantastico monument that comprises of beautifully carved pillars, painted ceilings, decorated walls and lush halls. Built by Maharana Jagat Singh, it has a pyramidal spire, prayer hall and a porch. The main idol of Lord Vishnu is carved out from a single piece of black stone. Like in every temple, photography inside the main shrine is always prohibited.

I had expected Udaipur to be hot and had packed accordingly. Last time I had visited Rajasthan with my parents during Christmas and it was terribly hot. But surprisingly the climate was very weird this time. During the early hours it was as chilly as Delhi. As the day broadened, temperatures rose to an uncomfortable extent only to dip during the night. Thankfully I had this leather jacket of mine with me at all times; it protected me so much! This jacket would probably making an appearance in most of the pictures of this trip!!

The marble floors of the temple complex was unsparingly cold in the morning ( when we visited). It was indeed an adventure to romp around barefoot. The ultimate challenge was to pose for pictures with a smile on our face while the cold was burning our feet!!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

1/24/2016 3 comments

Being a medico means weighing everything logically and scientifically. This applies for investments too...superstitions don't have any role. Invest smart, Save smart!

Did you watch the video? I mean that guy (Biswa) is such a fool! He believes that by forwarding messages and emails one can multiply money. I wish life could be that simple. I get tonnes of these kind of whatsapp messages and emails on a daily basis and if they would have been true, I would have been a billionaire by now and that too without any efforts!

I once read in a very famous article that the first step to becoming rich is to SAVE. And the second step is to find out new methods to earn money!

When was the first time that you did your first savings? I remember I was very small when my mom handed me my first pocket money. I was elated. And I decided that I would not spend it. I mean since I was really small, everything was given to me by my parents. But it felt nice to have money in my own pocket during lunch time. Many of my friends would buy a packet of chips from the canteen and having money meant I could buy too! It was from that very moment that I decided that I need to earn lots and lots when I grow up!

I have been a big spender right from the beginning. The first watch that I uttered was 'Titan' as my mom says (when I was three) ; I mean Titan was The Watch of that time...there were no Michael Kors or Omega. But it was not like that I used to spend only on myself. I loved buying gifts (I do now too) and used to save my meager pocket money for getting gifts for my loved ones. Whatever money my relatives used to give me or the regular allowance from my parents; a part of it went to satisfying my chocolate or hair band cravings and the rest for buying gifts. I understood the importance of money pretty soon in my life.

Slowly as I started growing up, I learnt the importance of saving. As I have said above, the first step to becoming rich is to save. And adding a modern corollary, SAVE SMART! Now how can you save smart? Of Course by INVESTING smart!

Money doesn't grow on trees and neither do they multiply by forwarding. However if you invest your savings smartly, you can get a really big chunk of moolah at the end! Want to know how much your money is capable of multiplying into?
Log onto Jano Toh Mano.com. You can enter the amount of money you want to invest and you can very well see how much amount it turns into at the end of tenure! It is a very comprehensive guide to Mutual Fund Investments. There are no no rituals or superstitions when it comes to smart investments...only sound thinking. Look out for it yourself...#JanoTohMano

1/23/2016 3 comments

Donning a beautiful Triveni Saree

My association with Triveni sarees is not new. I am the brand ambassador of this amazing brand and have done a post earlier on Diwali. You can read the full post here. But this was was the first time I was a part of Triveni Sangam ..an ethnic wear confluence.

It was yesterday, a Sunday and that meant no need of taking leave from my clinic. But a major problem arose. Sundays are the only time when my daughter is with me the entire day. I can't justify myself if I leave her even on a Sunday. So I asked the organisers if I could bring her with me. Nupur from the marketing team was very generous and she said that I could. I was relieved and was very much looking forward to the event.

The venue was Vintage 31 Cafe in upscale Mehar Chand Market. It was a cute little bistro which was beautifully decorated. There were many known faces from the Delhi blogging circuit and I made new friends too. My daughter was elated to see so many people and she was happily interacting with everyone in her own language!

Mr Arvind Sarraf , the director of Triveni, introducing the audience with the brand

The afternoon started with introduction of The Triveni Brand by the director of Triveni Ethnics.com, Mr Arvind Sarraf. Joining him was Shalini Raj, the head designer of Triveni ethnics.Then came the gorgeous Garima who shared her Dare to Drape experiences. Then the ultimate fun began. We were asked to choose a saree of our choice and then drape it according to our taste. The best part? We could seek help from the experts. I requested Sweet Shalini to help me drape the saree in Mumtaz style.

The saree which I has chosen was Art Silk (artificial silk) and was not suited for Mumtaz style. Still somehow we managed to drape it and the outcome was quite pretty (What do you think?).
While I was draping it I did not know that we would be allowed to take that saree for ourselves! Now that was a great return gift!

Flanked by designer Shalini and organiser Nupur

Bloggers in different sarees...

Before the afternoon would conclude, I chose a saree and draped it in six different ways. Shalini helped me again and I loved the wonders of the six yard.