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DocDivaTraveller

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Delhi is one such city where you can manage to do something new everyday. I mean even if you have lived in the city for 20 years, it never ceases to surprise you! We have covered almost every piece of historical monument in Delhi. I would say almost as there are still a few more spots to explore. But apart from from monuments there are hundreds of museums and other places of entertainment. And I have not even started on the hundreds of happening places to eat and drink that are already here and mushrooming up everyday.
Among the myriads of museums that are in Delhi, the one that used to fascinate me the most yet was unexplored was the National Rail Museum. Established in 1977, this place is a shining example of our 163 years of rich experience in the field of Railways. After our daughter was born, we deliberately did not go here as we thought that we all would go when she would be old enough to understand. Well last Sunday, we planned an impromptu visit to this place. The moment we arrived there, our daughter was more excited than us!
The entry prices are pretty steep (as per Indian standards). I mean we did not bat an eyelid when we had to pay 12 Euros for visiting the Acropolis. But when it comes to paying tickets in India, we become misers.
For adults its 100 INR on weekends and public holidays and 50 INR on weekdays. There is a joytrain whose tickets you have to buy separately..150 INR. The museum is closed on Mondays. Its spread over an area of 10 acres so if you want you can spend as much time as possible.
The museum is located in Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri (the best part of Delhi according to me) It has both indoor and outdoor exhibits; so if the Delhi sun is not for you, you can remain inside the airconditioned indoor exhibits! The indoor museum traces the journey of railways through models and simulators. There is also a huge working model of Miniature India which is very interesting. Its really so fascinating to see hundreds of models of engines and coaches, the process of laying rails, boring tunnels, etc. There is a quiz section too but our favourite was an interactive game which asks you to trace rail journeys on the Indian map. Our daughter was too sad that she could not be a part of that game!
The outdoor exhibits include historical engines, coaches, electric, diesel and steam locomotives and simulators. The Joy Train gives you a ride across the entire place on its wheels. We would have definitely loved to spend an hour more there but my husband had a cricket match to play in the evening. Hence we had to return early. It was one hot afternoon but definitely very eventful. I think I should have worn one of my summer dresses but I am actually head over heels in love with this neon body con dress from Rosegal! Apply Surprise code: RGEN on checkout to avail additional discounts on shopping from Rosegal.com





Dress: Rosegal.com
Purse: Rosegal.com
Sunnies: Forever 21
8/29/2017 5 comments
Hebrew written everywhere..
Is not the title fascinating in itself? I have been intrigued by Jews ever since I had known about them.The truth is that I am equally excited for any new culture/ religion/ language. Jews more because firstly they are a very small community. Secondly I never thought that I would encounter them here in India itself. So when we went sightseeing Kochi, I was particularly prepped up for this particular spot.


To start with the Keralite or Malabari Jews are the oldest community of Jews living in India. They were supposedly sailors from King Solomon's times. It is believed that after the destruction of the First Temple in the seige of Jerusalem, some Jewish exiles came to India to seek shelter. There are 4 communities of Jews in India. (Cochin, Kolkata, Bombay and Delhi) Although I have never heard of this community in either Delhi or Kolkata or even Bombay!
The synagogue was closed when we reached there
The Black and While Jews of Cochin don't eat, drink together or intermarry but they seem to follow the same rituals. There is a synagogue too (obviously) but it was closed by the time we reached there. I would have really loved to go inside the Paradesi Synagogue.
The town was really different and it was bustling with tourists. There was Hebrew written everywhere and the localites could be easily recognised with their quintessential hat (Kippah) and the beard. There were hundreds of antique shops with really intriguing pieces and some really posh restaurants.
We strolled along the streets for half an hour. I was really glad by the exposure of a completely different culture. However the ending was rather sad. Our naughty daughter who was running around the streets inspite of repeated warnings, slipped and bruised her knee badly on the concrete road. We did not know what to do with the bleeding and hence hastily left for our cab.
After she got settled, we made our way to the Matancherry Palace. It was dark already and we could not explore it too well. This palace was gift from the Portuguese to the King of Cochin. The Palace is built in traditional Keralite style (Nalukettu style) with a courtyard in the middle. The flooring is unique too. It looks like polished black marble but is infact a mixture of burnt coconut shells, charcoal, lime, plant juices and egg whites. It is a rare example of Kerala flooring.
Temple near the Matancherry Palace...the palace was of course closed when we reached there.
Interesting street art
We called it a day at Fort Kochi, the waterfront. The ambiance there was absolutely like Goa with shacks everywhere and peppy music. We watched some enormous vessels pass by. Never in our lives we could have imagined that they could be so fast! Also we saw myriads of Chinese Fishing Nets. 
Fort Kochi at night...huge ships crossing the port.
These nets use 500 years old technology and yet still so efficient! Whoa what a day!

Dress: Limeroad.com
Sunnies: Fastrack
8/26/2017 4 comments
When I wrote about Novotel Hyderabad Airport and The Lalit Jaipur, the feature that touched me the most was the behaviour of the staff. The staff was overtly polite and sweet. Maybe I belong to that part of the country where rudeness is an integral part of the people! Anyways in my extensive experience of travelling, the rudest staff we found was in Mauritius! Yes, for a honeymoon, Hotel Ambre was perfect but their staff was more than scary!
When we landed in Kochi, we had bookings in the Abad Plaza. Its a good name down South and we liked the property; hence we booked. However I found out that the best part of the place was their sweet staff!


After a long flight with our rather naughty daughter, we had an hour drive to the hotel from the airport. All I was waiting for was a dip in the hot Kerala weather. It was very cold in Delhi that morning; hence we found Kochi to be very hot. But after we checked in, we ordered room service as we were famished.

Hubs had plans of having all kinds of dosa day and night. But he was dismayed to find out that they had only good old Masala Dosa in room service. I settled for fish fingers.

After we had our tummies full, we went to the rooftop pool to take a dip. It was already dark but who cared? It was summer! As soon as my daughter saw the pool, she immediately took out her top and ordered us to put her into the water! Seems like a mermaid is in the making! After all she is my daughter!
For dinner we had an amazing spread. For people like us living in the North, South Indian cuisine means just idli, dosa and sambhar vada. But its SO not true! I mean my besties at school were Malayalis and I knew it very well. But not hubs. I just fell in love with Malabari cuisine. The fish curries, the egg curries and the chicken. And the mix vegetable too: it was nothing similar to the Punjabi Tadka we have here. It was so different, so amazing. However I feel it was either too sour or too spicy. I person like me can handle end number of chillies in a dish. But its not true for everyone else. Anyways I have found new love in Malabari cuisine.
My daughter is a real picky eater. I know every parent seems to say that she is extra trouble making. My friends who have been to my home know how tough our lives are. My mom and me have developed severe back problems owing to running after her. Anyways, her diet consisted of just cucumber and tomato slices for dinner. I think I should exchange my diet with her (sans the meat). She is a pure vegetarian.
The staff at the restaurant treated us like family. There was a sweet man in particular who had a daughter of the same age. He used to pamper my kid and bring her a plate of cucumber and tomatoes! I mean when you stay at a hotel for continuous 5 days (which seldom happens) you become like family! The warm hospitality was the very reason why we did not have a night stay at Munnar. We wanted to come back to our home away from home after an exhausting day. People come and go in our lives; its the memories which remain etched forever.

Dress: Forever 21
Sunnies: Fastrack

8/22/2017 8 comments

If there is something else Kerala is known for apart from backwaters and > 90% literacy, its the picturesque hill town of Munnar. So a trip to Kerala is definitely incomplete without a visit to Allepey and Munnar if not Thekaddy and Kovalam. However Munnar is not that near to Kochi. Its around 120 kms that too hilly route and not at all a day excursion place. It is to be experienced, to be savoured and to be felt. However we did the unexpected (like everytime) We did a day trip to Munnar from Kochi!




If you have been following our Malabar diaries, you must be knowing that we were on a very short trip to Kerala (5 days to be precise). So we had barely squeezed Allepey and Munnar into our itinerary. Munnar was on our third day. We could have easily made it a two days trip but I did not want to miss out the luxuries what Kochi had to offer. I am still in love with our hotel!
So we boarded the 7 AM bus to Munnar. The ride was rather bumpy. All the other passengers were local and they were astonished that we were on a day trip to Munnar; that too with such a small kid! Since Kerala is unbearably hot for most months of the year, Munnar offers the much needed respite. However we overestimated the expressions of our driver and the locals when they said that it was very cold over there. Now how could I have ever imagined that in the midst of December it would be warm on the hills? So I packed according to what our driver said long coats and sweaters. His hometown was in Munnar; so i believed every word he said about the weather there.
It was a five hour bumpy ride to the hills. We were relieved that we finally got to breathe the fresh air. The weather was unexpectedly warm. Actually we Delhiites are used to harsh winters and I had imagined the same in the hills. But since I had not packed substantial warm weather clothing, I and my daughter had to roam around in our sweaters! Poor us!
The first Aha moment was when we started spotting infinite acres of Tea Plantations. I had seen tea gardens in Darjeeling before (10 years ago) and had been in love ever since. Women were harvesting tea leaves (which is the tea bud: the first three leaves). A kind lady handed us over a bunch of tea leaves. Too bad they did not smell anything like tea!

We then decided to do an excursion of Munnar or whatever was possible in the next five hours. We hired a taxi which promised us to show all the important points. The first stop was the Botanical garden. Apart from satiating the latent botanist in me, the place had thousands of pretty photo ops! Rest of the spots of Munnar in the next post! Stay tuned!

Sweater: Zara
Sunnies: Fastrack
Skirt: Levi's
Boots: Forever 21
8/17/2017 10 comments
Weather seemed to play unfair with us. Since the time we arrived in Alleppey, it was horribly hot and humid. We had sensed that rain might be on the cards because of the excessive humidity. However we soon forgot about it as we were too busy in exploring the backwaters on the shikara.
After we were done gazing the houseboats and mangroves and brackish waters, it was time to hit the beach. Alleppey is in Alapuzzha district and its beach is eponymous. However as soon as we reached the beach, it started pouring horrendously.
It was way past lunchtime and we were famished. Not to forget we had a two year old with us. We made to the biggest looking restaurant both for shelter and food. I ordered the Malabari fish curry while hubs ordered greens. We hoped that our munchkin will nibble rice but we were wrong. So we got mentally prepared to face her hunger tantrums.
We finished lunch, I changed my outfit (fashion blogger problems) and then gazed outside. It was still pouring crazily. Now what? Soon it would be office time and then it would be a nightmare returning to Kochi.
Now we had two umbrellas. Our daughter and our camera needed shelter. I could easily get drenched as I had plans of dipping into the sea. So hubs picked up our doll and all the belongings and umbrella and I threw out of the door into the rain like a free spirit.
The sea water was really warm and loved every moment in it. Soon the sky started clearing up. It was the first sea beach for our daughter. As soon as her father loosened his grip, she slipped out of his lap into the sand. She started playing with the silicon dioxide particles and there was no looking back! She even started attacking her Dad with fistfuls of sand (imagine her tiny fists). I was watching both of them from the water. Then I came to the dry area and took her to gave a taste of the Arabian Sea. And suddenly a whistle blew.
The lifeguards were on their patrol and they strictly forbade me to go into the sea. The sea was really rough with huge waves crashing because of the storm. Oh did I mention that the beach was absolutely deserted? Also in the meantime there were cyclones in Andhra Pradesh and their effects were clearly visible here. I immediately handed over our daughter to my husband and they again started playing in the sand.
I, as expected, did not want to come out of the water. I am not scared of the sea but I preferred to stay near the beach in case. The lifeguards came again and this time they gave me a real stern warning. I decided not to take any further risks. I too joined in the sand throwing game with my daughter.
The sky again started getting overcast. Before it could start raining, we hastily made our way to our cab.

Dress: Globus
8/16/2017 5 comments
You must have known by now what kind of green lover I am. I love the green fields, green leaves, parrots, green clothes and even two carpets in my home are green! However there is a specific shade of green which I am obsessed with. A lot of my acquaintances gift me some rather unpleasant shades of green thinking I would love it. But the truth is that I love only light green. Like the shade of paddy fields or newly opened leaves. Okay I love sea green too but that does not come under the category of conventional green...Does it? PS I specifically detest dark green, bottle green and olive green. 
Woefully, even my husband does not seem to know this! Once he got a very expensive skirt from Qatar in olive green. Arghhhh!!






Well coming to the beautiful green fields. Once we started our shikara ride on the backwaters in Kerala, slowly we rowed across the lagoon to reach the tiny villages of Alleppey. There were thatched roof huts and lush green paddy fields everywhere. We had to explore them. So we asked the sailor to anchor our boat.
We jumped off from our boat to the swampy ground (easier written than done). The smell of the fresh air, marshes and the fields was beyond heavenly. I think I can't remember the last time I breathed this fresh air in India. Maybe decades ago. And why not. The life and environment there was simply unadulterated. There was no other way to reach those villages than by a boat. So no motor cars, no factory air. The villagers over there grew crops and harvested fish. An uncomplicated lifestyle. Some of the huts over there even served authentic Keralite food/ Malabari cuisine. With fish so fresh, they were bound to be lip smacking. However we decided not to eat there because of time constraints. So after prancing around the fields for a while and peeking into some of the huts, we made our way back to the boat.
Every trip of mine comes with a loss. I tend to lose dresses, accessories etc almost at every destination. This place was no exception. While trying to get back into the boat, my green bracelet fell into the water and I could not retrieve it :(
8/15/2017 7 comments
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