DocDivaTraveller: December 2016

As the year 2016 is coming to an end, I am getting really nostalgic. This year had not been very good in terms of health; both for me and my daughter. Professionally too, I had my share of downs. But on the travel front, it had been super amazing!! I had travelled to two countries abroad and two new states in India; apart from travelling to various new locations. The two new states being Telangana and Kerala. While the trip to Hyderabad was a surprise one; the trip to Kerala was a long awaited one. Yes, our last vacation of 2016 have been to God's own country, Kerala.

Vacation means fabulous breakfast!

I had wanted to go to Kerala long before but somehow it never got materialized. So when hubs booked our tickets two months back; I was super excited. Partly because it would be my munchkin's first long trip. Partly because I had been dying to conclude the year with a full family trip to a wonderful destination. Though it is million times easier to travel without our daughter but a mother's heart is always craving for her honey bun. Also I buy so many cute kids wear for her but she is hardly ever photographed! The blogger in me wants outfit pictures of her!

We were quite worried for her as it was her first flight and that too such a long one (as per domestic standards). However she proved to be just like her parents..so enthusiastic about travelling that she hardly noticed any atmospheric pressure changes.

Excited on arriving in Kerala!

We landed in Kochi in the afternoon. Our baby fell asleep in the cab. She was too excited to sleep in the plane. Nap deprived kid had to doze off somewhere.

Vacation means room service!

After we checked into our beautiful hotel, the first thing we did (after ordering room service) was jumping into the pool. Our daughter (just like me) got so excited on seeing the water that she immediately took out her top. Our apartments has a swimming pool but we don't use it. Similarly last year she was too young to swim into The Lalit's pool in Jaipur. So technically this was her first swim too! We were overjoyed to see the tiny mermaid.

Apart from all the sumptuous food and luxurious stay, we enjoyed every bit of our Malabari sojourn. Though my partner believes that we enjoyed a tad less as we could not be too adventurous with our munchkin. I however feel that I had the best time of my life with my daughter and husband.

As family vacations are precious, so are the vacation pictures. In order to make them postcard pretty, you need to accessorize well. Here is a list of vacation essentials.

Ladies handbags

Sunglasses for women: Keep the glare at bay in style.

Ladies Shoes: Strut in comfort and style.

Artificial Jewelry: A pair of statement earrings to glam up any look.

Dresses for girls: A cute dress to doll up your very own Barbie.

12/27/2016 4 comments

With temperatures in Delhi dipping, its finally time to pull out your winter clothes! Who's complaining anyway? Our hands had been itching to pull out all those dresses for winter from the closet. And with winter wonderland on my mind, I recapitulate my best ever winter experience till date. Our trek to the highest peak in Dalhousie, the Dainkund Peak amidst cold and snow.

Our morning started pretty early. Our driver dropped us at the foot of the hill from where the trek started. Even though he tried to deter us from the trek, we were determined. My father was supposed to take care of his grand daughter; me, hubs and my mom were to trek. My father was a bit skeptical of managing our troublemaker solely; but he did not have any other option.

We started climbing the slopes. Initially it was fun but gradually it started getting tough. It was around 1.5 kms one way. But one and half kms on the hills that too on slippery snow and ground is an uphill task. After a while the road became really narrow and was covered with snow. That's when hubs got adamant and he demanded to turn back. He said he was in charge of his MIL and his wife and he was answerable to his FIL. I and and my mom were almost in tears. We had covered almost half of the climb and returning from there was a defeat. Anyways we had to yield to his wishes.

After a sometime of walking back, we met a bunch of people whom we had befriended back in Dalhousie. They were returning after conquering the Dainkund Peak. They were so sweet that they convinced my husband to complete the trek. They said that it was tough, but worth every drop of sweat shed to reach there! My mom and me were elated. Together we all convinced him to complete the trek.

So we again changed our direction. Too bad it was a bit wastage of time climbing again the trodden path. But we enjoyed it nonetheless. We played with snow in between. Hubs did not forget to take pictures of the milestones. It encouraged us to finish the trail quickly.

After one and a half hours, we made to the peak. There was a temple of Pohlani Devi. There were snow capped peaks around. The view was really worth the climb.

The Kailash Mansarovar Peak in the backdrop

After resting and rehydrating ourselves, we made our way back. The sun seemed to play peek a boo. Suddenly the sky got overcast. Now we got really scared. What if it rained? We neither had umbrellas to protect ourselves nor a waterproof bag for our camera. We tried to cover the path as early as possible. It was afternoon. No other soul could be seen anywhere. We were the last ones to be in the mountains. If anything happened to us, the news would not even reach my father. Praying and walking as fast yet safe as we could, we finally covered the entire distance in an hour.

Phew! we were dead tired when we reached. Though climbing to the peak was the biggest prize, but the trek itself was the best adventure we had!

Coming back safely to my daughter!

12/26/2016 2 comments

Lately, all my friends have been getting married. Be it my clollege friends, school mates, colleagues or even fellow bloggers! I am not complaining though. I am getting to wear a lot of ethnic wear!

I was the first person in my group to get married (both in my school and college friend circles). That was almost six years back. I was not even out of college yet! Though I am not complaining about why I got married so early, I definitely feel I would have looked better in my bridal wear if I was more mature. Now I can confidently say that I understand fashion!

For the past few years, wedding industry has seen a boom like never before. I mean it always has been The Big Fat Indian Wedding. But this phrase has gotten a new makeover in the past few years. Now wedding essentials are not only restricted to trousseau and catering. It includes pre and post wedding photoshoots too and a lot of wardrobe and locations along with it. I would have loved to conduct a Pre Wedding shoot and a Bridesmaid shoot. It would have been so much fun! But back in 2011, these were not at all in vogue.

Last week one of my close college friends got married. We had been eagerly waiting for her wedding and it was a kind of our class reunion. Some of us met after years while some after many months. We danced, ate and made merry. I used to think that what's the use to splurge so much on weddings? I had even asked my Dad not to spend so much on my nuptuals. But it was a big, fat ceremony nonetheless. The guests still rave about the food at my wedding. I now understand why we invite so many people in our ceremonies. Its just not two people tying the not. Its the union of two families and their families too. So many expectations are connected with these kind of ceremonies. Also they are the best reunions ever; forever to be cherished.

Now time for some wedding shopping!

Wedding is the time to embellish your feet! Its not everyday you get to choose such gorgeous wedding accessories for your feet. Find this here.

Red/ Pinkish toned arm candy for mehandi adorned arms. Find this here.

Wedding jewelry does not necessarily have to be gawdy. You can opt for a sophisticated emerald piece like this.

No matter what kind of wedding outfits you prefer, the bridal trousseau is incomplete without a bright red lehenga!

Wedding footwear needs to have solid heels so that you don't trip over your heavy lehenga. Heels are a must as you need a bit of height to carry the Lehenga no matter how tall you are. Find these gold darlings here.

For wedding handbags, an emebellished, gold clutch is apt to go with your outfit and to keep your phone and lipstick.

12/22/2016 3 comments

It was our fourth and last day in paradise. Our stay in Santorini had been pretty spectacular and fabulous. Though we did not even have a moment to relax, we enjoyed every moment spent in the volcanic island ..literally. As you know we were staying in the black beach of Perissa. Its true that the place closest to you gets the least importance. It often happens that you tend to ignore the special things that are closest to you. We however could not let that happen with our unique Perissa. We had explored this black beach (the first of our lives) on our first day in the evening. We had also witnessed the iconic sunrise from the Aegean Sea on this beach. So it had either been dawn or dusk here. Therefore for the daytime exploration, we had scheduled our last and final morning.

The port at Vlihada Beach...

Our first stop was a big church at the end of the Black Beach. The point where Perissa ended in Vesa Vouno and Kamari started. Churches in Greece (just like the flag and the homes) are very pretty. They have blue domes and whitewashed walls which look absolutely divine!

Then we started walking back. We had fathomed the length and breadth of the Black Beach. On our first day her I had spotted a hip looking restaurant. We had planned to have lunch there on our last day.

Our problem that day was very pathognomic of us. We were of course running late. We had our ferry back to Athens in the afternoon and then our flight to Istanbul. Missing the ferry meant dropping the idea of Turkey altogether. And the restaurant where I dreamt of having lunch was on the other side of Perissa almost adjacent to Perivolos. I wanted to drop the idea and have lunch in any of the hundreds of places that were nearby. But hubs wanted me to go there. Okay he being the guide, I had to abide by his wishes.

So we started walking fast...kept looking at our watches and kept walking. We did not even remember its name...all I knew was that it had a big gorgeous pool that was visible from outside. Finally I spotted the place..it read 'The BLACK ROSE'.

It looked more like a bar. I wondered if they served proper food. I went over to the bar counter and requested for a menu. They served only sandwiches. I wanted to go somewhere else. But it was too late.

I decided to order a sandwich and soak in the fabulous ambiance. The place was surrounded by barren volcanic hills with a pool in between. There were straw huts all over. I requested the waiter to be quick while we took photos all over the place.

I had ordered a salmon bagette. I have had salmon before but when I dug a bite into it, I got a strange smell. When I opened it, it was RAW SALMON! Oh my Gawwd! I am a very experimental eater but raw fish is simply out my capacity! That is the reason I never have sushi! Now what? I could not even leave it! It was of 12 euros. For an Indian, 12 euro for a sandwich is HUGE!

I split the bagette into half and asked the waiter to pack it. For that time, I removed the salmon slices and gobbled up the first half. It was still stinking from raw fish but I had to anyway.

Next time I have to be really careful when I order salmon abroad!