Musings of Wandering Mind

For the longest time, I have had two images stuck in my head. One of Tiger's Nest Monastery and another of Borobudur Temple. One is in Bhutan; while the other is in Indonesia. With my birthday coming near, I knew I wanted to touch one of them. For a change, didn't want to travel alone; checked with few friends, and somehow nothing worked out. 

Did the universe conspire in helping me achieve it? Maybe Yes!!

I saw this ad, by Women On Wanderlust (WoW) a quite famous all women travel group, for Bhutan. The group has some very exciting destinations on its list, and I have always been fascinated and interested in them. Especially their Facebook page, which I think not only captures the travels but is also quite witty; and posts some inspiring things on women. 

However, liking, admiring and ... traveling with them is another thing. To be honest, I am not a very social person. My work makes me interact with people non-stop, round the clock. Hence, taking a break means - spending time by myself; talking less or better not talking at all; interacting with only a chosen few. And to travel with a fixed itinerary, then to top it an all women group... I wasn't sure I would survive that. 

The urge to visit Tiger's Nest was strong, hence, asked for the itinerary. Bhutan being a small place, WoW had almost the perfect plan to cover it - 90% similar to how I would cover it with my own plan. So far so good... finally decide to book it. Fate loves to play games - when I call to confirm my interest - come to know it's sold out! But I did make it.. thanks to some last moment cancelation. 

20 women including the coordinator from WoW - made the gang for Bhutan. 

This is the first time I must have traveled with so many people. Even my family trips have a max head count of 6 to 7! The group had women from all age groups, <10 yrs, women in 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's. Some were professionals, some retired, some homemakers, some freelancers. Some married; some single; some single mothers; some married but with no plan to be a mother; some free from the family duty (husband & children) and finally focusing on themselves; some widowed. Some escaping husband, some escaping children, some escaping parents, some escaping mundane routine, some escaping work.... but all exploring themselves. Giving time to themselves as they all realised how easy it is to forget oneself in everyday chaos. 

Women have it tough... am not saying that men have it easy. Just to put it better, we all have our struggles. Even the millionaires. Our experiences in life make us naggers, cribbers, warmer, friendlier, carefree and much more... These women in my group were all that. Everyone had some dominant personality streak which would come out in spurts. The cribbers couldn't help themselves, just as the pacifiers would jump in at the drop of a hat to soothe the ruffled feathers. 

What was interesting was to see the life from their eyes, from their viewpoint. 

"The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, 

but with the people you meet on them."

What was regular to me, was odd for them and vice versa. I learnt a lot... about how not to let the family clutter you, some kick ass responses to regular things in life. What also really warmed me was no one batted an eyelash or frowned on my single status. Some advised me to never marry, some wished me luck on finding the one, but almost all told me never to settle down because that's the society norm; in fact I even got advice on the legality of single motherhood in India and IVF. 

This left me wondering how our Indian society is changing... or is it only for strangers. Would they have the same advice for their daughters or their sisters. I don't know about that. All I know is that they let me be, which is what matters.

I wasn't forced to interact when I wanted silence, I didn't have to adhere to anyone's moods. If I needed help for anything, I got it. In all very non-judgemental, yet very supportive. 

I briefly saw the world from almost 15 different perspectives and it enriched my own. Made me create a wider frame for myself, adjust my filters better.  

Was I alone? Was I in a group? 

Nagarjuna's catuskoti can surely be aptly applied here.

Frankly, I didn't expect 20 women to behave like this when put together. I don't know how the other groups of WoW bond, but here made some new friends, some cool memories. Cheers to that. “You do not travel if you are afraid of the unknown, you travel for the unknown, that reveals you with yourself.” 

We all should travel more, travel alone, wander alone in a group, especially women. 

Bharat Ek Khoj (Discovery of India) Title Track Decoded

Baader-Meinhof phenomenon - a word I recently learned means Frequency Illusion. Which in turn means say for example - you see a movie with fields of daffodils in them, the next day you chance upon a poem on them, a few days later you notice an apartment named The Daffodil or someone sends you daffodil flowers or you overhear a conversation with them as topic! That's, to say your brain picks certain patterns or selective attention or to put it simply - you keep encountering something and with every encounter you become more aware of it.

My frequency bombardment with Bharat Ek Khoj title song happened with the clearance sale at Om Book Shop. I entered the shop to buy some cool books for my 19-month niece, to only notice that they had some major discounts going on. While surfing, I came to the section of Vedas Decoded, Vedas translated etc... beautiful leather bound books at good rates. As a child, I always thought of reading the Vedas in detail (I still do!).. though at that time my practical side took over and told me that they would be just another addition in my library.

This is when I randomly picked a book on Rigveda (English translation) and flipping through verses in it, only made me think of Bharat Ek Khoj title song. Few days later, friends are discussing their fav. childhood serials like Spiderman, He-Man, Chanakya (my fav) when another mentions Bharat Ek Khoj and we all agree we loved the title track. And now a week later, GarbageBin does a cartoon that mentions it too.. which made me search the song and understand it better.

I have loved that song forever, I remember in my pre-teens, my sisters & I trying to decode the meaning of the song, discussing it. We didn't know back then that it was inspired by Rigveda Book 10, Hymn 129 - also known as Nasadiya Sukta or The Hymn of Creation that has been translated, explained by scholars forever and still continues.

Surprisingly I remember my childhood impression of the song, where I marveled on the lyricist talent! (Yes, I had a funny childhood where decoding existential questions kept us busy) In my naivety, I would wait for the title song lyricist name to appear, which it never did! (Now I know why) The songs discussed here should be the work of Vasant Dev as he is acknowledged for all translations from Sanskrit and for lyrics.

The scope of my blog or even my mind (lol) can't really decode the song - which for centuries has attracted the attention of philosophers across the world. To imagine this was written 3000 years back or more or later (which remains debatable) - but definitely a  few centuries old and has questions which the science keep proving right every day. Well - that is one thread of Indian Philosophy or ancient Hindu texts that one can go on forever. Here am sharing the text, translation and few audios that are the clearest clips that I found on Net and can be added to one's playing list.

To begin let's hear it first. Thanks to Archives.org - this was the clearest, most crisp rendition of the recording that I found. (Made into a small video clip by me)

The title track starts with chanting in Sanskrit - that are the first two lines from the 14 lines that make Nasadiya Sukta. The rest is a translation of remaining 12 lines of Sanskrit in Hindi. 

नासदासीन्नोसदासीत्तादानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमापरो यत |
किमावरीव: कुहकस्यशर्मन्नम्भ: किमासीद्गहनं गभीरं ||

(Using translation by Prof. Raimundo Panikkar here, what they mean - can be pondered for lifetime)

At first was neither Being nor Nonbeing.
There was not air nor yet sky beyond.
What was wrapping? Where? In whose protection?
Was Water there, unfathomable deep?

These same lines as sung in Sanskrit are then translated in Hindi and the Hindi portion starts.

सृष्टी से पहले सत् नहीं था, असत् भी नहीं
अन्तरिक्ष भी नहीं, आकाश भी नहीं था
छिपा था क्या? कहाँ? किसने ढका था?
उस पल तो, अगम अतल जल भी कहाँ था? 

Here, I would like to bring attention to the fact that that the whole song was translated & sung by Bharat Ek Khoj team. The song posted earlier in the title track only captures two paras. See below for the whole song. Thanks to YouTube Sharbhanu for this rare piece. (Like the earlier clip, audio is picked from Youtube and made a lighter video)  

The song goes like:

नहीं थी मृत्यू, थी अमरता भी नहीं
नहीं था दिन, रात भी नहीं
हवा भी नहीं, साँस थी स्वयमेव फिर भी
नही था कोई कुछ भी, परमतत्त्व से अलग या परे भी।।

There was no death then, nor yet deathlessness;
of night or day there was not any sign.
The One breathed without breath by its own impulse.
Other than that was nothing at all.

न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः ।
आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्न परः किञ्चनास ॥२॥

The 5th & 6th lines of 14 line sukta, or the third couplet of 7 couplets that form The Hymn of Creation - few claim have been sung by Discovery of India team - but I could not find any version of that. However, still sharing these lines though they not in recording shared on this blog. 

अंधेरे में अंधेरा-मुँदा अँधेरा था
जल भी केवल निराकार जल था
परमतत्त्व था सृजन-कामना से भरा, ओछे जल से घिरा, 
वही अपनी तपस्या की महिमा से उभरा ।।

Darkness was there, all wrapped around by darkness,
and all was Water indiscriminate, Then
that which was hidden by Void, that One, emerging,
stirring, through power of Ardor, came to be.

तम आसीत्तमसा गूहळमग्रे प्रकेतं सलिलं सर्वाऽइदम् ।
तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिनाजायतैकम् ॥३॥

From 4th - the song follows the regular pattern 

परम मन में बीज पहला जो उगा
काम बनकर वह जगा
कवियों ग्यानियों ने जाना
असत् और सत् का निकट संबंध पहचाना ।।

In the beginning Love arose,
which was primal germ cell of mind.
The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom,
discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing.

कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत् ।
सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन्हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा ॥

फैले संबंध के किरण धागे तिरछे
परमतत्त्व उस पल ऊपर या नीचे?
वह था बँटा हुआ, पुरुष और स्त्री बना हुआ
ऊपर दाता वही भोक्ता, नीचे वसुधा स्वधा हो गया ।।

A crosswise line cut Being from Nonbeing.
What was described above it, what below?
Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces,
thrust from below and forward move above.

तिरश्चीनो विततो रश्मिरेषामधः स्विदासीदुपरि स्विदासीत् ।
रेतोधा आसन्महिमान आसन्त्स्वधा अवस्तात्प्रयतिः परस्तात् ॥

सृष्टी यह बनी कैसे? किससे? आई है कहाँ से?
कोई क्या जानता है? बता सकता है?
देवताओं को नहीं ग्यात, वे आए सृजन के बाद
सृष्टी को रचां है जिसने, उसको जाना किसने? ।।

Who really knows? Who can presume to tell it?
Whence was it born? Whence issued this creation?
Even the Gods came after its emergence.
Then who can tell from whence it came to be?

को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः ।
अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव ॥

And then the famous para...

सृष्टी का कौन है कर्ता? कर्ता है वा अकर्ता?
ऊँचे आकाश में रहता, सदा अध्यक्ष बना रहता
वही सचमुच में जानता, या नहीं भी जानता
है किसी को नहीं पता, नहीं पता, नहीं है पता ।।

That out of which creation has arisen,
whether it held it firm or it did not,
He who surveys it in the highest heaven,
He surely knows - or maybe He does not!

इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न ।
यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥

While doing this post, I was sharing the song with a friend, and he happened to mention listening to it might just put him in a trance! which is interesting - as isn't that what chanting also does. This song is a simple clear chant, and that's why may be it induces relaxation and awareness at the same time, pure pleasure.

Rendezvous With French Alps & Annecy

There goes a saying “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”
Nothing could be truer for my friend and me when we decided to explore a quaint town of France called Annecy. 
Thanks to my subscription to various blogs and websites such as "Places to see before you die" or "Must visit places in your bucket list" "10 most beautiful villages in the world".... so on and on... (you get the idea).. my friend and I were mesmerized by the pics of Annecy that we saw on Google.
Yes, go ahead... Google "Annecy" images and you will know what am talking about!

Our trip to France was more about exploring the beauty, nature, and just soaking in the local culture rather than tick off the "to see places". Hence, we zeroed on this place, after Paris, as our second stopover. 

From Paris to reach Annecy - took the TGV till Lyon - from Lyon another train till Annecy.

The trains in France are spot on time. Not even one minute late! unbelievable for us.

Usually for transit, there would be ten minutes in between to change the station and we would always wonder what if we missed the train! but the ticket sale counter would always tell us that you wouldn't and it's fine. Only to realize later what they meant. It's smooth, convenient and efficient.

From Lyon to Annecy - am at a loss of adjectives to be used. We were in the train and hence, could not capture the pics.. there is a huge vast never ending mountain lake... where you see the boats sailing, people doing various water sports... better than one's imagination or any movie! We crossed this lake to land in Annecy and start our search for locating the B&B with which we had made the booking. Oh boy...was that some task! Apparently the hotel was a little away from the main town.. that is Hotel "Ace Annecy" had limited bus services .. what an ironical name! 

We figured our bus won't arrive for another 40 minutes or so... and that gave us time to take a quick walk of the village. It's quite a small one, and in 30 minutes one should have walked through all the lanes... Hotel Ibis is right in the center of the town and a good choice to stay if one is planning Annecy. The town is pretty, the day we landed was a local music festival and a lot of young guys, gals were sitting around with their guitars .. singing, playing music. While at few food joints, in their outside sitting area, rock bands with mini sound systems were performing. It was very lively and seemed perfect with the river flowing right in the center of the town, people laughing, playing music .. surrounded by beautiful flowers and greenery... no matter where your eye went. 

We had to step out of a live dream to concentrate back on reaching our hotel. Turned out the bus we were waiting for didn't go the route we wanted to. We decided to check with more bus drivers there.. and it was quite a scene. In no time, we had these three to four bus drivers, all with their maps out... talking in rapid French.. discussing how to help the two "oh so lost girls". For some reason, since we were enjoying watching their conversation so much, and music in the air that we too weren't taking the taxi and letting it be. After a while, they mutually agreed and packed us on a bus. They didn't even charge us! that was super sweet... and after 3km.. dropped us on this bus stop, from where we were supposed to walk only a bit.
Turned out .. it was almost 1.5 km walk... we lugging our luggage.. yet not sure if we in the right direction... got again helped by some locals. I think .. two people lugging their luggage...with mixed emotions of laughing, crying etc.. in the middle of nowhere do stand out! Some guys from the neighborhood who were out chatting helped us with the address and by calling the hotel for exact location details. Seems we were on the right path. All quite a tussle.. but it was fun!

On reaching, were more than happy to find that the place was really nice. Compact, neat, clean and perfectly comfy. Thumbs up for Hotel Ace Annecy. Once you figure the bus routes.. its super easy and fully recommended. If you plan Annecy and this hotel, just ask them to mail you the right bus numbers. 

While checking in... we had the "secret destinations" moment. Girl At Reception (let's call her Nelly) 

Me: "Hi, Can you help us with what all one can explore here in Annecy."

Nelly: "Ah, which part of Alps you want to explore?"

Me: "Alps!!! you mean we are near the Alps!"

Nelly (gives me and my friend one long funny look): "Yeah, you came to Annecy for that."

Me: "No, we came for the village!" (then rapid mumble) "We knew Alps is nearby but not this near! I mean...we didn't think much... we thought we will figure out once we reach... and blah blah" 

Nelly: "Oh then, then you can explore the church, the market, and walk to a small mountain nearby"

Me: "No, No, tell us about the Alps!!"

Nelly (opens a big huge map): "Ok, let me see... where can you go... you are here only for two days, and one for the village and in the other half day...hmmm.. let me think..."

My friend & I (in chorus): "Forget village, we will cover that... tell us the best part of Alps that one can go to"

Nelly gives us some options... and then we are like if you had a day where would you go..

She confidently points to a dot called "Chamonix Mont Blanc"

Now, that is a name my BFF had texted me while I was in Paris .. that I should definitely explore. I had looked at it briefly on the internet and after seeing it a part of Alps.. had really not considered.. as I was like.. I am not even going towards the main Alps.. this won't be possible in this trip.. and Viola.. here it was ... in front of me.. 

Needless to say... the first thing the next day we did was ... take the train to Alps! 

Place from where changed train for Chamonix

Again we had to change two trains to reach Chamonix Mont Blanc. The second train was a tiny one that goes slowly but quite uphill. Had the toy train sort of charm. While crossing the Alpine town of Annecy and entering Chamonix - we were again struck by the lifestyle of farmers there. Merc, BMW, plunge pools for every house, the tiny villages yelled out riches. Such a stark contrast to our countrysides! feels sad...pinches one to the core... but a truth of this sort usually does that.

Chamonix is surrounded by Italy, France and Switzerland. No wonder the moment we landed, we found the place to be quite touristy. Buzzing with tourists, every corner we thought we heard a different language, quite a few shops had great collection, great place to buy souvenirs - the kind you will not find easily except in an Alpine town - such as horn whistle, carved knives fit for a Viking collection and awesome cool stuff... which sadly we couldn't buy any due to shortage of time.
This is a place for at least one night stay for sure! don't miss that if you head here. Had we known - we would have planned accordingly. A day trip does no justice to this place.

We were surrounded by cable cars! After strolling through the town, we decided at end moment - why not... let's do it! The tourism office after realizing the "short" time we had, suggested us the nearest one - which turned out to be Le Brevent. They told us to take the road uphill and to be fast to make it! Get Set Go time for quick good uphill exercise.

Le Brevent Station

Again amazed at the efficiency with which they work. It took us a moment to gather how they operate as once you punch in the ticket, getting on the gondola lift is your own task. In India, we are so used to people helping at every step, and here we were taking off from the platform to this car cabin in air, meant a small jump... we looked around if hopefully we are doing it right! to realize that was the only way... things running by themselves. That's what technology is for.. after all!

Journey to Le Brevent is in two parts. One gets off from gondola lift at Plan Praz 1999m to get onto another cable car which takes one to 2525m.

When one changes cable cars midway - the halls of the stations are lined with historic stuff which is really something. To see vintage pics of men and women exploring these heights when one didn't even have good protection from snow or roads made. To reach these heights in wooden cars.. almost akin to sleds makes you wonder on human spirit!

To amaze one more - some people start the trek from Le Brevent to walk all the way to Aiguille while some end there and while some are passers-by. When we visited - the summit seemed under construction and a small portion could not be accessed. However, we barely noticed that, as we went around the summit and soaked in the panoramic view of Alps. Cannot be put in words.

We were so lost in Alps - and my travel partner who excels in missing trains, buses, flights... for a change saved us! She was like "Hey, what time is the return train" only to realise we have 40 minutes to make it!. and we were at 2525m lost in the beauty of the Alps and Alpine lakes!
And then the cable car wouldn't leave the summit till its full - we were in soup! ran non-stop from the base of the station to Chamonix railway station. Needless to say - again a sight! we had kind people stepping on the side and giving way to two (decently) crazy running girls ... well well.. we did make it. I bet, had we also not.. we would have cried a bit on missing it.. but might have stayed a day more there happily... who knows.
Chamonix has lovely food, even loads of good veg options as apparently it's quite a busy town and frequented by people from all over the world. A must stay place for at least two days!

The next day we explored Annecy before taking the train and landed doing my fav activity - explore the local grocery market.

Apparently every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, there is a market where the locals come with their produce. It has a very old world charm to it. It being a Tuesday, we were lucky to have experienced it.
Post that, we bid adieu to Annecy, but can say this safely, a piece of heart got left with Alps. Will visit that part again someday! 

Paris je t'aime

Where do I even begin? I sound like Elizabeth Barret who when in love wrote... "how do I love thee.. let me count the ways" I wouldn't be exaggerating that I felt the same for France.

France is the most visited country in the world; Paris is called the most romantic city in the world. I did not have these facts in my mind when I decided to visit this place.

But once there, I knew why these facts haven't changed over the years...

Disclaimer: This blogpost is not about French architecture trail, or historical facts, or its museums or a top places list to visit in 10 - 12 day visit to France.

The consistent temptation - aided by nudges from everyone around about exploring more than one country was really hard to resist. However, how tempting it was, my friend and I stuck to our plan... and roamed the streets of Paris, exploring local markets in French villages and.. yeah.. this trip was mainly about chilling, catching the pulse of French culture.

Our itinerary was simple - Paris - Idyllic Alpine Village Annecy  - Provencal Village Vensaque - back to Paris

Paris: Landing in Paris - we were greeted by friendly immigration officers, whether one blames it on Jet Airways or Charles De Gaulle Airport itself - it wasn't very organised. Finding out our belt number was quite a task, and then figuring out where it is even bigger. Post our adventure of one hour or so on the airport.. we finally lugged our luggage to the Metro and off we were! The moment our metro starting crossing the city - we were delighted to see the quaintness outside.. and for me the broad daylight even at 9 pm was such a treat! 

My friend and I did a home stay with a French family in the heart of the Paris, right next to Luxembourg Gardens. An elderly couple who were into sculpting, graffiti and painting. Staying with them gave me an insight into the ways and the lives of a French common man. 

Once with them - we realized that Parisians have so much beauty in their everyday lives. All the houses, flats around had wooden interiors with glass roofs. Lots of  greenery in form of balcony flower plants, ivy and creepers everywhere. The houses were marked by solid wood furniture that looks grand. Glass tops allow natural light to stream in the house everywhere ... making it super cool! The crockery used everyday is ceramic plates, ceramic mugs and jars, wooden spatulas etc. Anne & Jean (couple we were staying with) mostly cooked in Le Creuset pans...so just the living room and the kitchen packed with layers of wood, ceramic stuff, painted cotton fabrics, wicker baskets made a perfect picture for life style magazine. 

Metro is the easiest, cost effective and fastest way to travel in Paris. Rather than take a metro week pass, we took the day pass priced at approx 7 euros - for days when we would hop from one corner to another. Rest of the days saw us exploring the streets on foot, hence expense on travel was even lower. It was something to see French men immaculately dressed, with a cross bag ... on a bicycle! same goes for women. I was surprised to see so many people on cycles going to office, picking and dropping school going children, shopping or just for fun. Cycles were everywhere! which made me search on how Paris became a biker friendly city and found that about 10 years ago, city authorities of Paris, led by Denis Baupin, then Deputy Mayor of Transportation, decided to reduce the space occupied by cars, replacing it with wider bus-bike lanes and bike paths. You can read more on this here. How cool! we definitely need this in Mumbai and Delhi. 

 

There is so much to see in Paris, that even for a person who is quick , would need minimum 20 days to soak in everything - Eiffel. Luxembourg, my fav. Goth architecture Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Triomphe. Palais Royal, Moulin Rouge, Lido, Opera, Theater, cuisine... one can go on and on... and who can forget its world famous shopping destination too!  

Paris is known as The City of Lights... once there, I did not find anything remarkable in their lighting. Certainly just the bright Eiffel cannot make the city earn this name! Dubai, Singapore, Las Vegas are the ones which more fit the bill. Thanks to Google, I found out that the name has nothing to do with the Eiffel Tower lights or the streetlights of the city. Intellectuals are the lights!! the name refers to the high-concentration of writers, artists and academicians that have always been drawn to the city.

Sigh - even the name is poetic! 

Apart from all the historical monsters as mentioned above, that are on everyone's to do Paris list - few things that cannot be missed are - Seine River tour... Its so beautiful that its almost criminal! Now Seine by the day or Seine by the night was the big Q in front of us that we ended up touring twice! Seine by the day is my fav as it shows the architecture of the city clearly. How every building blends into another, yet has its own identity... no jarring lines, no odd structures that are an eye sore... 

By law, no buildings can exceed six stories in Paris. As its important that "Pour que tout le monde ait du soleil" which means "so that all have sunshine", resulting in a metro that has retained old world charm, unique in the world. 

It was a noon with a hint of rain in the air when we sailed on Seine.. so was right out of a story book.  

Surrounded by the beauty, by the love lock bridges, by people dancing and singing on banks of Seine, there one can muse why Paris motto is "Fluctuat nec mergitur" meaning "It is tossed by the waves, but does not sink."

Another was Saint Ouen Market - its 150-year-old market and the world's largest and most famous flea market. I think this was the only place that was on to-do list in Paris. Eiffel tower or Louvre is something one will visit - so for all historical destinations, we really hadn't even checked the timings or days or how to get there...as that's what all tourists do and info should be easily available anywhere. For St. Ouen market, we checked on days, as it is only open on weekends and made our plan around it. It has labyrinthine alleys and stalls where one can find anything imaginable.

Ever been to Mumbai Chor Bazaar... well.. this was French Chor Bazaar. If you like exploring places where you can find first LV bag, Dior 1950 collection, miniature perfume bottles, how did old Chanel smelled like, magazines out of print or more antiques, here is where you go!

The rates are exorbitant. We couldn't buy anything except a few trinkets here and there, but the market's ambiance is adorable to explore.

Lastly, every city is made by its people. French people were warm and helpful. A lot of French guys volunteered for help when I was travelling cross cities and had heavy bags with me. My friend would always get lost when she would go on a run.. to be helped by people who didn't hesitate to use Google Maps on their mobiles; for pure vegetarian food... they would take the trouble of reading all ingredients and informing. At so many places when lost and where we could not communicate due to language barrier - we were escorted till the closest correct metro station or bus stop. (which made me think if I would ever do the same - tell the way (yes), GPS (yes) but escorting takes time .. even if 5 minutes) - which was very heart warming. 

Chance discovery for us... and not to be missed - Eiffel blinks at 12.00 am! What a sight it is.

Our home in France

& 

Our friendly neighborhood Luxembourg

That's all on Paris for now...truly a seat of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

One feels it in the air.

Lap of Nature: Neemrana "The Ramgarh Bungalows"

Finding a nice getaway near Delhi - that you can manage by taking only one day's leave is more difficult than it sounds. I was restless to get away after the hectic quarter of JFM, and with even more work associated with new financial year staring at me was making my senses dim. Zeroed in to Neemrana - Ramgarh Bungalows for a quick getaway from the noise, hustle bustle of city & work life. And needless to say - couldn't have chosen a better place!

Getting to Ramgarh: There are many options to get here, it is quite close to Delhi considering other options such as Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala. The nearest train station is Kathgodam - which has good connectivity through trains. There is a morning Shatabadi too from Delhi to this place. My friend and I took Ranikhet express which is overnight journey, and the train was spot on time. One can even take a flight till Pantnagar and from there it takes 3 hrs to reach Neemrana. We were picked by Neemrana staff and it took us 1.5 hours to reach our weekend home.

Lap of Nature: From the moment we sat in the car for our journey to Neemrana... we were in the lap of nature. On the way, crossed Bhimtal too!

Bhimtal at start of Sunrise

Sunrays streaming through trees on way to Ramgarh

We were taken aback by seeing our cottage that was right out of the English countryside novel!

Call it fate, but by the time we were trying to book, almost all the rooms that sounded good on the website (good combo of view and rate) were sold out - leaving us with the more expensive option of taking Ashok Vatika Blue Room. Turns out, that's the best place to stay in the property. If you headed to this place, book nothing other than this, that is if you want to experience the serenity. It's worth the price.


Ramgarh is also known as the "fruit bowl of Kumaon". The garden itself had a flowering Pear tree - as can be seen in the pic with the table.
Around the cottage, there were plum trees, quite a few apricot tress and a grand lush walnut tree.

My mornings and noon were spent under that walnut tree - sleeping - staring into the sky.

From Ashok Vatika to Neemrana reception (thats where all the staff is located, and also the jam factory) is just 500 metres but quite an uphill -on way back to your room.

On the first day, we went for a hike to the base of Ramgarh.
Ramgarh is sparsely populated as compared to its neighbouring towns such as Naintal, Bhimtal. It has two portions: Talla (bottom Ramgarh) - where the river flows, and Malla (top Ramgarh) where all the guesthouses, including Neemrana are situated.

The hike from the road less travelled that is, the kuccha road is approx 4 km only but steep. While coming back, its a good work out! Taking the side road has perks such as stunning views, and the whole adventurous feel to the activity.
While taking the car roadway - its about 10 km... that has a gradual slope and is less tiring, though more time consuming. (and regular hike)

At Talla, there isn't much to do. There is a gushing river, with few shops around where one can sit and have maggi and tea.

The place is quite laid back, away from commercialism, and an example of perfect rustic simple setting. It seems like an ideal place for writers... no wonder so many cottages around are named as "Writers Paradise", "Writers Bungalow", "Whispering Woods" .. all emphasizing the nature in its natural untamed form.

One hour from Ramgarh is Mukteshwar, that almost all the tourists to this place do visit. However, we gave the place a miss, as we were quite content to be in midst of the mountains and beauty of Ramgarh itself. Nainital too is just one hour away and makes for an interesting day trip.

Ramgarh in the start of April - was a land of flowers. Rather than the fruit bowl - I was surprised to see the flowers all across the place. There were daisies growing wildly on the roadsides, and the grass too was full of flowers and ladybirds. It was a pure treat to the eyes. Never before in India - have I seen Irises... and to see rows of them in the cottages around.. and then on my breakfast table! I kept on smelling the sweet Irises as much as I could..


 

The locals kept telling us about how beautiful it is in May and June - when the trees are laden with the fruits. While as I am more of a flowers person...think this was the best season for me to go!

The weather while we were there ranged between 18 degrees to 12 degrees. So a light sweater is recommended. The cottages have no fans in them - even in summers the temperature never exceeds 28 degrees, making it quite a perfect hill station.

Our days were full of leisure and with phone connectivity a bit low - couldn't have asked for more :P




The Blue Room has a baby room with a single bed in the adjoining room. That room is the place to be... by opening the windows - one feels as though one is lounging in the garden itself. Also, that's the place what one calls with a real sunrise view. The sunrise happens right in front and one can watch it while lying in one's bed... now that is a truly stunning view.

Sunrise

Sunset

The sunset is even more amazing ... something that the painters can truly paint. Even for the birdwatchers, the place can be paradise. 

While coming back, we even got to see the rains - that can be quite heavy in the mountains. There was a hailstorm that was next to sleet in its nature.  

Find your blue sky, ray of sunshine, patch of shade under a beautiful walnut tree at Ramgarh...