Blogs from Maharashtra, India, Asia - page 17

And then before you know it it’s the last train journey the last city you will visit in India and the last days and hours. The train journey was lovely the country side was very hilly we seemed to be going up into the mountains passing through great valleys. It was only a 3 hour trip and it went very quickly. What I love about Indian trains is that you are constantly plied with drinks and food as well as that you can order breakfast, lunch or dinner. I had omelet toast which usually means there is chilli in the egg and it comes as a sandwich mildly warm and hardly toasted but amazing how the orders are taken on long slips of paper and that you always getthe right order. The Mumbai train station- the ... read more

After an overnight flight from London, we spent a long boring afternoon in Mumbai airport waiting to catch our one hour hop to Aurangabad. Arriving at the Taj hotel the car was checked for bombs with the mirror on the stick and our bags were X rayed before we were let through the ram proof barrier. Always slightly disconcerting but this is the 21stcentury in a country that has known its share of terrorism. The “modern” Aurangabad was founded in 1610 by Malik Amber, an Ethiopian slave who rose to become the prime minister of the local Nizam. Aurangzeb, the sixth and last of the Great Mughal Emperors, made the city his capital in 1653 as he pursued his relentless campaigns in the Deccan till his death here in 1707. Today was relatively undemanding, a city ... read more

The best thing about the Palolem beach is that they are not allowed to cut down any trees especially coconut trees. You might even have a tree trunk going right through your bedroom. This also means there is a dense forest of trees right down to the water. I have to say the tidal line is also incredibly clean and one I find remarkable as the rest of the beach, town and country is completely different where no one thinks twice about dropping their rubbish where they are. It might all change when the monsoon comes and all the rubbish from the fishing boats comes floating in and all the rubbish on the land gets washed into the sea. As I went to the shop with Annalaxmi she peeled open an ice-cream for her daughter and ... read more

My mom and I went out one morning to see Ghandi's memorial thing they have here. "the Aga Khan Palace was built by Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan III in Pune, India. Built in 1892, it is one of the biggest landmarks in Indian history. The palace was an act of charity by the Sultan who wanted to help the poor in the neighbouring areas of Pune, who were drastically hit by famine" If you care, the link is (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_Palace) It was really amazing to see the story and pictures of Ghandi. He is always looking down. I don't think I saw a single picture of him looking at the camera or looking up. Th... read more

After hearing good about this place from many friends mouth, it was in my wish list for quite a long! The wish came to the action one Friday night. What a delightful experience!! The place welcomes you with a typical dhaba atmosphere which is a refreshing change from the usual restaurants. Tables, chairs and charpais are laid out to get an even closer feel of the dhaba. Small elements like a cycle rickshaw, boards in Punjabi language, dhinchak color combinations etc. also add to the ‘flavor’ of the place. The place is spacious; ‘covered’ open air premises with a separate smoking section on an elevated level. Even the bar is designed in a Punjabi styled Tapri. Coming to food, we had both vegeterian and non-vegeterian items. Every item was superb. To sum it up, we were ... read more