Category Archives: Fun

Palolem Beach, Goa

Posted by Padmanabh Padiyar on

My second visit to Goa in less than a year… Some how the place makes me keep wanting for more with every visit. This time i decided to stick to South Goa – Palolem beach, away from all the action in the North. This definitely came as a welcome surprise. Didn’t imagine theres so little to do here but thats exactly what i wanted.. Not to do anything but laze around in the various shacks, soak in the sand and sun, guzzle up on beer as much as you can fill yourself up.

When at Palolem, Dont miss a visit to the famous German Bakery, The food is amazingly yummy.. One of the best english breakfasts i’ve ever had.  I stayed at Shawnels Beach Resort, one of the best beach huts you can find. Worth the buck you spend. Have a drink at Sundowners beach shack watching the sunset.  Go kayaking around the Monkey Island if u wanna get adventurous or just just laze around on the beach with a beer in your hand, sand at your feet and wind in your hair like i did ;)

 

Cheerios.

Dholu Kunita @ Janapada Loka

Posted by Padmanabh Padiyar on

Almost right from my childhood days, a travel on the Bangalore-Mysore highway would always  be incomplete without a stopover at Kamat Lokaruchi and Janapada Loka.  The food is yummy and it is probably one of the best veggie joints on the highway. This one time, we decided to take a walk inside the Janapada Loka to check the place out. The place is a treat for anybody with a keen interest and love for folk  art, heritage, crafts and music. During this one visit, there was a training camp on folk music and we were lucky to catch a quick glimpse of the folks in action practicing the famous Dholu Kunitha.

 

Cheerios

 

The French Riviera of the East – Puducherry

Posted by Padmanabh Padiyar on

Earlier i mentioned one of the items on my wish list was to try n have atleast 4 vacations in a year. Some as a personal trip to let loose from the hectic schedules @ work,  and a few when i can sneak in pleasure with business ;) . A trip which would count among  of the most memorable ones happened when i decided to make a trip down to Puducherry (formerly known as Pondicherry a.k.a Pondy).  When i decided to head down to Pondy for bout 4 days, a lot of my frens asked me whatever i planned to do around there for such a long time, but then when i finally got there, i found my calling… The place is magical, it has an unusually beautiful ambiance anywhere you go around in the small town. Went around to the Auroville Ashram where you find the mammoth Matri Mandir, There is every possibility that you would find yourself to be a minority among the huge foreign tourist population.  The route to the Auroville Ashram is covered with a Green Canopy almost as soon as you leave the ECR highway and head left towards the Ashram. The Auroville beach was a disappointment though however when i drove further north on the famous East Coast Road, i landed at a remote beach at a village called Marakkanam which could probably be one of cleanest beaches which i have been to.  Apart from a handful of nearby villagers, i couldnt find any modern crowd around there.  The other place was the Chunnambar boat house from where you can hire a speed boat to the Plage Paradiso beach. The thrill of sitting in a speed boat with the wind in your hair is really an awesome experience. You sure wouldn’t wanna miss it. Food and booze was never a problem, You should visit LeClub, LeCafe, LaTerrace, Satsang, LeSpace (my favorite)…Try the banana flambe, pancakes, Firewood Pizza and several delicacies.. Treat your taste buds :) I learnt some french words myself, fun to walk in to a restaurant and ask for Poulet, Poisson, Crevette, etc..  By the time you return, you’d ve gotten used to addressing a street as Rue ;)  Obtain a Pondy tour map from the Tourist Centre on the Goubert Avenue facing the sea at the Bay Of Bengal. Its very informative and can be really useful to locate some of the heritage buildings. I would love to visit Pondy again and next time probably try n stay at one of the several colonial  heritage buildings and live life french ishtyle ;) . Here are a few random clicks taken during my stay @ Pondy.

 

Cheerios

Bangalore Revisited – Part 2

Posted by Padmanabh Padiyar on

Finally yet another weekend comes to an end..  Hasn’t been the best one though but of course managed to keep myself more or less completely buzzzzzzzzzyyyyyy !!  The past week couldn’t have been more hectic.. Had my ITIL V3 Foundation Certification at  IBM MTP campus.. And i had to leave home by around 7 AM  to get to the land far far away.. MTP feels like its almost in another city and coming back is an absolute nightmare considering the traffic jams on the outer ring road.. Whoever said the ring roads were meant to ease traffic congestion should eat their words. Anyways Mon – Wed was eventfull.. Am ITIL V3 Certified :) .  And thankfully to the chaos of the Babri Verdict, had to get to work by around 6 AM on Thur  and about Fri was pretty much relaxed. The Worst thing bout my job is that its similar to “Hotel California” ;)  – “you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave !!!” :-P  . I do have a fixed 9 hour shift but somehow time flies and the 9 hours feel like its just been a couple.. So i end up staying back. Hope i dont end up with a receding hairline soon.. My boss already seems to have one and i dont intend to follow suite.  Anyways i am gonna try n build 2 resolutions for the next year: 1)  to be back home everyday  on time after completing 9 hours of work and 2) to follow Resolution 1 ;)

So there i was on a Saturday morning struggling to wake up coz a dear fren of mine and i had planned to Watch “Anjaana Anjaani” at Urvashi Cinemas, an old cinema theatre with latest sound systems but yet one of the few cinemas in Blore yet to be bitten by the Multiplex syndrome.  After a long time i heard folks hooting and whistling as the stars made their entry on to the silver screen… Something rarely seen in a civilized multiplex unless you have a Rajni starer movie.. which i will tell you bout as you read further.

Anyways the movie was kinda ok, definitely not impressive but a one time watch timepass flick..  Got tired of  watching useless attempts of suicides, I am sure the movie would be flooded by folks who want to think of innovative ways to kill themselves. ;) . Utter no brainer !!

Lunch was good around late noon.. Went to this new north indian joint.. well new for us.. its been there for quite some time.. “Oye Amritsar” .. Damn good food.. Yummy thick Lassi and Butter Milk.. Well cooked meat.. Superb quantity.. amazing paan at the end. Only peeve was that the finger bowls were too small… I dont say i have Monster Fingers but the bowls were definitely small. I didnt like the bill but i liked the way it was presented.. Came in a neat container which looked like a Rajnigandha paan masala wala with some witty lines on it. we billed bout 1100 without desserts for two of us.. But the quantity was good enuf for three.

Then around evening, met a few more buddies at Garuda near M.Gs .. Some nice coffee and off we went to watch a 4-D entertainment visual called FUNMAX .. Its not the first time i was watching a 4D cinema but this one was kinda nice.. The duration is definitely a bummer.. they promise a 20 min movie but you might be lucky if the movie plays on for 10 min or less.  Absolute ripoff after paying 150 bucks a head. The seats aren’t really great for a tall person and could definitely do with a feet in the air effect.  My advice.. Watch it if you have never been to one before.. It would be a good experience.. I found the 3d effects of the movie better but the 4d aspects not so great.

End of Saturday… Sunday was kinda dull and gloomy until evening.. Watched the much awaited Tamil Superstar Rajni Starrer flick “Endhiran“.. Yes … no points for guessing.. we shelled out a bomb to watch this in a multiplex cinema and YESSSS the crowd turned uncivilized and there was hooting and whistling… Who cares.. Its a Rajni flick… I joined in too… ;)  I am Impressed with the movie.. I dont speak nor understand much of Tamil but you dont need to coz the movie speaks for itself.. You might feel a lil lost but then you will be able to connect with the movie… Hell yeah… i had a punjabi fren watching a tamil movie.. If she could understand, anyone can :) . The movie has quite a few scenes which would seem as if its a straight lift out of Will Smiths “I-Robot” .. The special effects in the movie have definitely raised the standards of Indian Cinema and the techniques used. Truly fantastic.. Total Paisa Wasool  :)

And for the finale.. Theres no better way to end the week than with a feeling of pride watching India’s CWG spectacle.. It was one of the best openings the country could have ever imagined after all the unwanted unsolicited media hype and controversies.  Hats off and Kudos to the people of this great nation for the solidarity and commitment shown to ensure the event goes on to become one of the most memorable ones in the years to come.

Bangalore Revisited – Part 1

Posted by Padmanabh Padiyar on

Have been thinking bout this for quite a while now… The face of Bangalore has changed beyond recognition. I somehow dont seem to connect with most of the places in the city. I was part of this discussion on FB  with a few very close buddies of mine regarding how certain key areas of Bangalore has changed and the landmarks have started disappearing.  Few of the favorite hangouts of our yester years is too hard to connect with. Missing those somewhat quite evenings in 4th block complex, drive in one of the most beautiful roads in south Bangalore – Sangam circle to Southend Circle.  Having Softee opp Jain Temple, run down the Ragigudda temple hill.. wish it were un-barricaded as earlier, 20 rs movies at Swagath theatre, Cricket matches at Green Pitch (not so green anymore)  and Quality pitch.., Vadilal icecreams opp telephone exchange, etc ..  Gone are the days when one didn’t have to worry about traffic woes in the city but now shudder at the thought of driving out in the weekend even if its to pick up grocery. I would prefer a weekday anytime than venture out around the weekend. The other pain which i personally feel is the new “mall culture”.. Every block seems to come up with a new superstore ever week. Though it means a lot of options but it somehow seems to be a hassle as well.. Jayanagar’s traffic and parking woes in 9th block seem to have increased after the opening up of a very famous mall. I don’t completely say they are bad coz i frequent them quite often myself. I am ready to live with “mall culture” , most Bangaloreans wouldn’t mind either ;-) .. So before i completely fail to connect with this city beautiful, a dear friend and i thought of having this bucket list of things we wanna do in Bangalore and places  we would wanna visit while we still breathe and are alive in the few green pockets of Bangalore. So here goes……

Number 1 : though not in any order was to visit the famed Bangalore Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM). I wouldn’t say that i was completely impressed with the place though but it is definitely a must visit. I have been to better museums but this had a nostalgic feel since i was visiting this place after almost 15 years.. Few old memories of the place was us running around as kids  pressing all the buttons which bring the models into play. The ground floor has the engines and dinosaur exhibits.  Also try n catch up on the several shows which are presented, for instance we watched the “Taramandal Show” which explains how to identify Constellations and star patterns in the night sky. Pretty interesting. Also saw a replica of the wright brothers Smithsonian flight model.    The First floor had the Fun Science and the Electronic exhibits.  The Second floor had the Space and Biotechnological exhibits. The Third floor housed the BEL house of electronics and a kiddies corner with a few fun learning games. The entry fee is bout 20 bucks and the various shows inside cost bout 5 bucks each. You could easily spend a good 3-4 hours in there and though you wouldn’t be raving bout the place but certainly you will not be disappointed.  My advice : Take your kids along, have fun learning and relive your childhood.

Here are a few pics from the visit.

The Museum is located on Kasturba Road. Parking can be done near the Cubbon Park entrance and then a 100m walk back on Kasturba road should take you right to the museum. You could also visit the Aquarium and take a toy train ride at Cubbon Park, We skipped the toy train ride. and the Aquarium isn’t a pretty sight to watch either. Go if you must !!

For more info, check the museum wiki link here.

PS : Feel free to help me add on items to my bucket list of things to do in Bangalore. I would try and update my list on here in the next few days.

Cheers

me