DocDivaTraveller: July 2015

This trip we wanted to experience two different places. So we stayed at Anjuna in the first part and the second half at Calangute, the longest beach of Goa. Our resort at Anjuna had a beautiful pool, but not our Calangute one. We were drawn towards this property because of the traditional Goan building. It was a budget guest house but very beautiful nonetheless.

As much as staying at two different places gives varied experiences, so does it come with a lot of problems. Hubby had booked his bike from Anjuna, so we had two options. We could reach Calangute by taxi and dump our luggage at the hotel. Then I could have waited while hubby took the taxi back to Anjuna and came by bike. This was a long and tedious process. It could lead to wastage of precious travel time. The second option was to ride the bike from Anjuna to Calangute with bag and baggage.

Calangute is not that close to Anjuna..about 10 kms. Our main backpack weighed around 13 kilos. Along with that, we had a lot of knick knacks and my bundle of hats of course. I had to take the heavy backpack on my back. Hubby managed rest of the luggage. Then we started. Those were the longest 10 kms I knew. When we reached our guest house, the owner was shocked to see us with so many luggage on a bike!! He saluted our courage!! I got a free back massage from hubby ( which is really a difficult thing to get :p).

It was our last day when we took pictures of this guest house. I had been tanned charcoal black by that time!! In our local language, I am looking like Kali Maa (no offence, I am a Kali worshipper myself) haha!! Dont know how long its going to take for my real self to return back!!

bird of paradise flowers adorning the windows...

Breakfast consisted of Vegetable uttapam and masala dosa...

the beautiful reception...

A small church inside the guest house...

the bar...

the restaurant...

This water was probably for the birds to drink...

can you spot me?

Dress: Tommy Hilfiger
Sunnnies: Aldo

7/29/2015 10 comments

7/24/2015 9 comments

It was our last morning on the last day in paradise. We would be in Delhi 14 hours from then! In this whirlwind trip we had tried to cover every possible inch of Goa. Infact except for the mandatory five hours of sleep everyday, we spent every other minute outdoors..exploring! Later I counted we swam in 11 beaches ( Vagator, Anjuna, Calangute, Baga, Sinquerim, Candolim, Morjim, Arossim, majorda, Colva and Varca), visited innumerable churches, two forts, stayed at two hotels and uncountable other things. One last thing which was left was swimming in Baga beach in the morning.

We had been to Baga thrice before but in the dark. It was important that we saw the toned down face of its notorious counterpart. Its my personal experience that those places which are very active at night are usually very calm and peaceful during daytime.

We had to return our bike in the morning. So my partner dropped me on the beach and went ahead to Anjuna (which was 10 kms from there) to return the bike. I was supposed to cover the entire Baga beach on foot and meet him at the starting of Calangute beach, Baga's neigbour.

So I walked and walked. Took photographs wherever I found something interesting. Seemed that Baga was not sleepy at all at seven in the morning. The shack people were laying sunbeds, setting up their places for the following day. Suddenly a guy called me and started running after me. Then he asked whether I needed a guesthouse. I politely replied that no, we were leaving in that very afternoon. I kept on walking when I realised he too was walking with me!! Then he started a deliberate conversation. I persistently said that I don't want to talk to him and was scared of strangers. But he was so shameless that he kept on walking with me and teased me that I was so scared of my husband. :D

In the meantime I came to know that he was a bartender who had moved to Goa from Cape Town three weeks earlier. I even showed him my daughter's picture and that I was not interested in him but he kept on accompanying me. When I said that my hubs was a bone doctor, he laughingly said that he was not scared of his bones being broken!!
Suddenly my phone rang and I realised that we had reached Calangute. Hubs had come back and I stopped and waited for him. I was desparately waiting for him to appear. He took the whole thing very casually and even shook hands with that crazy guy!! I am really scared of my hubby's possessiveness..he can beat anyone up if he finds out someone bugging his wife!! Anyways the plus point of the whole situation? I did not have to brave the innumerable barking dogs on the way!! I am really scared of streetdogs!!

The beautiful Arabian Sea during sunrise...

The fishermen were already back after their catch from the sea...

I wish I could surf!! All tanned from our crazy adventure!!

Even the umbrellas have been bitten by the neon bug!! Who's complaining anyways?

At the enty of Calangute beach...

Dress: Globus
Sunnies: Aldo

7/18/2015 10 comments

Are you a brand person? I mean do you run after a particular thing just for its name? Well then its time to stop. You should look outside the box and start using something new! This holds perfectly true for the Asus Zenfone2! This smartphone is not only the world's first 4GB smartphone but is also much superior to its 'branded' counterparts!

I was mesmerized by the Zenfone2 at its epic launch itself. With so many incredible features, it absolutely lives up to its title: See what others can't see! It has taken the world by storm and has beaten its flagship counterparts.

The experts have called it a game changer and they were right! The sales of Zenfone 2 broke all records and it almost broke the internet on its launch day with 25000 units sold in the first 24 hours in India! The main reason behind it is the power packed phone at such a low price! The whole tech world has been raving about its unique features. Its been called 'The Rahul Dravid of smartphones'. Not only in India but in terms of sales it has done tremendously good in South East Asia like Taiwan, Singapore, China, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Japan. It has been the best seller of Amazon in Italy! In the United States it zoomed to number one position in the unlocked phones on Amazon USA within 10 hours! Well it is continuing to challenge the so called flagships.

Here is to why this incredible phone should be on everyone's wishlist:

Superb Camera : With its 13 MP rear camera, take pictures like never before. Infused with Pixelmaster technology, pictures are sharper, clearer and brighter. Also its low light and night mode takes unprecedented pictures in low light. The Super Resolution mode helps you to see upto 52 MP of details!

The front camera is 5MP which is more than enough. Also the selfie panorama feature makes sure none of your friends are left behind! The fully manual mode takes pictures like that of a DSLR!

Sleek design: Not only the Zenfone2 has impeccable performance but its good looking too! With just 3.9 mm edges, its beautifully crafted and gives a premier look and feel.

Zen UI: The Zenfone2 is the world's first 4GB smartphone. Hence its very fast like that of your laptop. You can switch tasks without any lags and work seamlessly.

Fast Charging: One of the major drawbacks of too much web surfing on your smartphone is the draining of battery. The Zenfone 2 has won this battle too with its power of charging upto 60% in just 39 minutes!

All said, the Zenfone 2 is incredible in its all round performance. So order yours today!

The sleek and elegant Zenfone

7/13/2015 3 comments

It all started with a dreamy invite...an invite to drive the all new 3rd generation Honda Jazz on the BUDDHA INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT!! Well I could not believe my eyes. I mean BIC!! The only Formula one racing track of India! It was one privilege I was not going to miss at any cost. The only thing bothering me was the date. It was not confirmed and I was praying that it should not clash with our vacation!

I breathed a sigh of relief when the event was announced to be on the 4th of July. I could not contain my excitement!

I took off from the hospital that day. People give me strange glances when I say that. No, I am not among those lucky people for whom Saturdays are off and nor is my husband. Medicos are not humans! But I never bat an eyelid to take off from work when it comes to blogging! Well our day started as usual....early. After dropping off our angel at my parents' place, the cab picked us up from there and we zoomed off! We took the Noida Greater Noida Expressway to reach Hotel Radisson Greater Noida. And then the fun began!

All set to drive the new JAZZ!

After registration, we all fellow bloggers exchanged hugs. Almost everyone is a familiar face in the Delhi Blogging circuit and I really look forward to meeting these wonderful people. A lot of chatter, photoshoot and a sumptuous lunch led to us changing into our 'Honda' tee shirts. And then we got into our cabs to leave for the Buddha International Circuit!

We took the Yamuna Expressway and after driving at around 150 km/hour for few minutes, we reached the F1 track. We all were too excited to drive on the track.

MTV Veejay Yudhishtir (VJ Yudi) presenting the evening....various snapshots of the presentation.....

A detailed introduction of the 3rd Generation Honda Jazz by the Honda people was followed by the launching of the car by the CEO of Honda. Then the stage was took over by none other that MTV VJ Yudi, Yudhishtir. There was a fun twitter quiz as well as soccer pool where I scored myself a cool water bottle.

Myriads of fun activities taking place...'photo slingshot', soccer pool with VJ Yudi

We all were too impatient to listen to the presentation and soon all the bloggers were divided into 4 teams: yellow, green, purple and orange. I and my partner were in the yellow team and we waved the yellow flag and proceeded to the instruction room for safety guidelines and precautions.

Waving the Yellow flag...All set for the ride!!

There were 10 cars in one group which were to follow each other. There were two pilot cars: one at the front and the other at the back. We were not to overtake anyone at under any circumstances. Helmets and seat belts had to be worn all the time. We had to bind to the guidelines of the instructor. Any violation of the rules would lead to disruption of the test drive of the entire group.

A victorious face....

I and my partner in crime were in car number 9. I was to nervous to be at the wheel myself. So my portion of driving too was given to my husband. We were in the automatic diesel car. The interiors were superb...in an elegant beige hue. The car has 9 cup holders! Imagine! There is a lot of leg space in the back as well as in the front. All set, we started.

All set for the phenomenal drive...my loyal driver..my hubs. A selfie with the beautiful beige interiors. Speedometer reading 120 km/hour....We were not allowed to go beyond that :(

The track is about 5 kms long with 16 turns. The first lap was slow as everyone was getting acquainted with the car and the track. The track was beautiful. We were slow and steady with ups and downs, twists and turns on the track. In the second lap, we were supposed to speed up (but keeping the rules in mind). As the car and track both were familiar, the accelerator was pressed hard. Whoa! it was a wonderful feeling! The best parts were the turns which felt like I was on a roller coaster! Although we could not really 'speed up' as we still had to drive one after another. The maximum speed which we could reach was 130 kmph which is nothing for a Formula one track. But it was an awesome adventure nonetheless. Then it was my turn to drive. Instead of taking over the steering, I insisted my husband to give me one more ride. So in all, we took five laps! That was the best part!

What all I loved about the car:

The ride was butter smooth and so were its brakes.

The lovely and elegant beige interiors and its nine cup holders :D

The metallic colors of the car exterior....my favourite was the bright orange one (sunset orange) which we drove.

Very spacious interiors with a powerful AC. The AC has a touchscreen control panel.

Multi functional steering wheel with handsfree telephone control, audio controls and paddle shifts.

Superb Audio system

Rear Parking Camera with multi view display and guidelines.

There are various seating modes: utility, long, refresh and tall ( seats adjustable to what all you want to do!)

a proud driver after the phenomenal ride...

Besides allowing for more space and giving it a super-slick, uber-urbane look, it also enhances the car's aerodynamics, accounting for more speed and more control.

From the inside, the car is all about comfort, beauty and space. The All New Jazz is the epitome of Honda's Man Maximum Machine Minimum philosophy.

The best part about Blogger Meets...meeting old friends and making new ones!!

Coral Top: Esprit

Bag:Guess

Accessories: Forever21

Capri: Forever21

Check out the video below.....

7/09/2015 11 comments

This day was kept for beach hopping. Yes...if island hopping is possible, why not beach hopping ;) ? The South Goa beaches were on our bucket list. Since we were staying in Calangute, North Goa, South was quite far. The first prominent Southern beach was Arossim and was around 45 kms far. WE took two breaks on the way to straighten our spine. Riding a bike on National highway 17 is not a joke especially when it connects big cities like Mumbai and Mangalore! All the traffic was zooming past by. Our eyes were set firmly on the road.

WE must be riding at around 60 kmph when suddenly there was a loud clink. Before I realised and could tell hubby to stop, we were already a kilometre away. My chunky gold forever21 bracelet had slipped off my wrist. Husband started scolding me. He accused me for dressing inappropriately. According to him, pillion riders should have minimum accessories. Anyways I started begging him to go back to hunt for it. There wasn't any guarantee that I would find it but was worth a try. It was not only expensive, but my favourite too. Hubby was very reluctant. He said our lives could be in danger while taking a U turn on the national highway. After going back for a kilometer, I spotted it lying on the corner of the road. Yipee. But there were so many vehicles that there was hardly any chance we could cross the road. After waiting for a while and praying to God vehemently for our safety, we could cross the wide road. I jumped from the bike and picked it up. It was bruised and dented from the shock, but I got it back nonetheless. I swear never to wear such jewelry in future while bike riding.

On the way to Arossim came the Cansaulim Railway station. Railway tracks have always fascinated me and we stopped for photos. After that it was straight to the beach.

Arossim beach is solely for the rich. There are no budget hotels but only expensive villas. Its a secluded, beautiful beach with silvery white sands. Not a third Indian could be seen other than us. The foreign tourists prefer to come here to enjoy some privacy. Contrary to the Nothern beaches where Russians and East Europeans dominate, this place had British and American tourists. We even made friends withan elerly Welsh couple.We had a delicious breakfast of crispy chilli garlic prawns( I could have them everyday). After that we swam and collected shells. We collected star fish too!!
Then it was time to leave the cover the rest of the Southern beaches. Our motorbike got stuck in the fine sand and the shack owner helped us in dragging it out. It was only 10 in the morning and we had already learnt two bike lessons....never accessorize, always park your bike outside the beach!!