The Sri Lanka holiday

So it’s been over a month now since I returned from Sri Lanka and I have not blogged about it. Have you been wondering? (and if not, why not?). The truth is, the entire holiday was slightly underwhelming and I have been mulling over what was not quite right – actually, I knew what was wrong even while in Sri Lanka but I have been trying to think objectively about it since my return.

A combination of many things really – it was raining heavily the first few days of the trip, I was in poor health (and had to visit a doctor in Colombo finally – the worst thing on a holiday)… but the main culprit – without which, the others would still have been alright – is that my travel planning agents had screwed up big time.

In my travels, I have rarely used a travel agent of any sort – except to book tickets and such basic requirements – and have been wary of them. To me, ‘travel agent’ has always spelt trouble – from minor bloopers, wrong dates, unkept promises all the way to blatant cheating, I had hard all the stories and sworn off them. The only reason I considered ivinca was that I was busy during that period and was glad to have someone plan and book for me (otherwise, I love the travel planning as much, or nearly as much as the actual travel!) – and I had met the owner / promoter who had spun a story of “we are not a booking agent – we are your holiday partners and will plan your entire trip for you based on your interests and requirements” – serves me right for falling for that.

So, finally what happened was – Murphy struck – in the form of the highly inefficient and unimaginative ivinca. And everything that could go wrong, pretty much did.

Sri Lanka itself, falls flat, especially on the visual front, if you have traveled a lot within India – the feel of being in rural India, say a cleaner Kerala never left us through our time in the country. And for all that, given the kind of things I had been hearing and reading about it, I felt that it did not match those expectations.

However, what I did love about being in Sri Lanka was the buzz in the country about a peaceful and prosperous future – I was lucky to be there at the right time and the enthusiasm of a country that is enjoying peace after prolonged war is infectious. I also stayed at some wonderful hotels and resorts across the country (places I had chosen from user reviews on the internet – since the choices offered by ivinca had terrible reviews everywhere).

Anyway, I am back and still bitter about that experience – what irks me more than anything else was the initial response to my feedback from the partners at ivinca. It is just.not.acceptable. to not take responsibility for your mistakes – and it is worse to try passing it on to the customer. A customer who has paid big bucks for a premium package, I may add.

Here are some tips for you from a travel-agent-weary traveler, for what it is worth:

1. Choose wisely – Trust your initial impressions and judgment about the travel company / person you choose – I ignored my instincts that screamed that they were clueless but given my situation then, I went ahead. Talk to your agents, if possible, meet them a couple of times to discuss the itinerary together – and make sure that they are intelligent and understand your needs and expectations. This, I cannot stress enough, is critical.

2. Double check on the vehicle – If you are paying for a car and / or driver – check before you leave on what kind of car you are getting – we paid for a large car and ended up with a large car that was twelve years old – my husband and I were the only properly-functioning elements inside the car (and that too, not all the time!) – and this is in a country of swanky Mercedes and Toyotas for tourists.

3. Agree on your guide’s role – Have you paid for a guide? Is the driver going to act as your tour guide – according to the package? Do confirm these – since we paid for a driver-guide and ended up having to look for a separate guide at some places since our man did not feel inclined to step out of the car in the rain on those days.

We also ended up skipping a couple of important places from our itinerary thanks to, again, our guide’s machinations – and at that time, there was not much we could do to actually force him. In such cases, my advice to you is to call your agent and demand a replacement or repair of the situation. It is not a time to be nice or resigned (we were both, unfortunately).

4. Be prepared – Rain reminds me – there is nothing you can do about the weather – but do check likely weather conditions (especially possibility of rain) before you leave – and be prepared. Luckily for us, by the time we left for the hills, the skies had cleared up and we spent three glorious days among the tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya.

5. Do your own research – Even if you go through a so-called trip planner, spend some time on the internet or asking friends who have traveled to the place for suggestions – what to do, and equally importantly, what not, special places to see, unmissables and suchlike.

For instance, December, when we went to Sri Lanka, is prime time to spot migratory whales on the Southern beaches. And our blessed holiday-planners had no idea – they did not suggest it (how could they – when they drafted my itinerary, none of them had actually visited Sri Lanka!), and in my lack of time, I had not bothered to ask around. By the time, I read about it and heard about it from several friends – as a total must-do, it was too late – our hotels were booked and there was no way of changing plans without a significant loss of money.

6. Discuss meal plans – About the hotels you finally choose, do check for proximity from tourist spots and places of your interest – what I mean is, we ended up in hotels that were gorgeous (Amaya Lake, Tea Factory) but miles from anywhere – including anywhere that serves food. And we were on an only-breakfast plan – combine this isolation with an uncooperative driver and you get a situation where you are forced to eat all meals at the hotel – and pay top-end, ridiculous hotel rates for food that you would rather avoid. By all means, choose the resorts and hotels that appeal to you, but discuss your meal plans with your travel agent – in case of far-flung locations, I recommend throwing in atleast one meal, say, dinner, along with your breakfast.

7. Avoid ivinca – After all this, I have only one bit of advice left – do not use ivinca. I regretted the day I decided to use their services for a holiday I was so looking forward to. Better holidays in every way? Sorry, but do you mean bitter?

As an aside, I find that my name used to feature on the blogroll of the ivinca blog – and has since disappeared. Shame on you, ivinca!

Also read: I had read this post about the tricks tour companies play – only I had never thought I would one day fall prey to these. Such is life…

Why ‘Itchy Feet’

So far, I have not felt the need to tell you. I assumed – please tell me, rightly – that if you are a regular reader of a blog called Itchy Feet, then you long for the great outdoors as much as I do. And something happened today that made me want to explain.

Here it is – to the person who arrived here looking for ‘ugly new born turkey pictures’. First of all, why? Of all things bright and beautiful that there are to see, why would you want to search for the u.n.b.t.? But then, who am I to question you? People have been known to search for weirder things – ‘the meaning of life’ instantly springs to mind.

But I digress. The tag ‘Turkey’ in this blog does not, let me repeat- does not, refer to the fat birds that find their sorry way to the kitchens and subsequently, plates of a million well-fed Americans late in the year. It refers to the country whose capital Istanbul straddles Asia and Europe and which is edging speedily into the European Union. A country I fell in love with and dream of going back to, the first chance I get. Which is why I keep writing about it.

So, my suggestion is, stop looking for food / bird porn and find better things to do with your time.

You too, people who come here every.single.day. looking for a solution for your health and hygiene problems. ‘Special meanings to feet itching’? – it is time to get a new pair of socks – and wash them frequently. And try specialist products – I recommend Dr. Scholls’. Ditto for he who comes here because ‘my feet itch after i stand for long periods’. Sit down, man.

As for you, seeking ‘itchy souls of feet’, what can I tell you, the ultimate seeker?

Turkish delights

“I am not a terrorist or a thief, I am only trying to help you”. This is a new one. Walking through the Sultanahment area on a autumn morning, I am stopped (is the word accosted?) by many men offering their ahem, services – from proposing to act as unauthorized guide inside the Topkapi Palace to taking me to the cheapest and best place for carpets. Most of them go away when ignored; I don’t think they really expect to be taken seriously. It is just one of the things Turkish men seem to do to pass time during the long off-season days.

There is something about Turkish men. And it is not just now. Look at the Topkapi Palace, built in the mid 15th century. The star attraction within the palace, with separate tickets and specialist guides, is the Harem Tour. An entire area devoted to the Sultan’s private proclivities, his wives and concubines and their affairs (marital and otherwise); that is where I head first. At the entrance to the Harem, the tour guide is saying something in French, his group in splits at what must have been an obviously lewd reference to the activities within the Harem. Or so I imagine, mentally composing Harem jokes as I walk in.

As any place with so many women, especially women competing for the Sultan’s affections and the throne for their male offspring, the palace must have been abuzz with political activity at all times. Think of prime-time soaps on Indian television with all their squabbling and scheming and multiply that by a few degrees and you will begin to get an idea of the hot-bed of intrigue that the Harem was. (Chew on this for a sampler, the Sultan’s mother, the quintessential mother-in-law or saas ruled the palace, and sometimes the empire from inside here).

But I am not thinking about such unpleasantness as I walk through the huge rooms with their ornate chandeliers and gilded mirrors, the stained glass windows and best of all, the striking Turkish enamel panels. It is true that the rest of the palace pales in comparison to the opulence of the women’s quarters. Or perhaps it feels that way because I am tired after a long walk through the palace grounds and cannot wait to get to the Konyali, which comes highly recommended. Not another royal chamber, Konyali is the restaurant inside the palace complex, with gorgeous views of the Bosphorus all the way to the bridges connecting the European side of Istanbul with the Asian.

“If the city speaks of defeat, destruction, deprivation, melancholy and poverty, the Bosphorus sings of life, pleasure and happiness”. Sipping coffee by the edge of the water, watching the passing ferries and the loud hungry seagulls, it is easy to understand Orhan Pamuk’s nostalgic fondness for this river.

When I finally come out of the palace, the day is warm and all the shops on the road are open, waiting for the tour groups to descend. Just across the road is the Yerebatan Sarayi, or the Basilica Cistern. Nothing I have read about it can prepare me for this experience. I step off the heat and the noise of Istanbul’s busiest district down a few steps, right into an underground water cistern, complete with marble columns and muted lighting. The air is cold down here and the place reeks of what I can only call atmosphere, enhanced by the music playing from invisible speakers. Local guidebooks proudly point out that a scene from the Bond movie ‘From Russia with Love’ was shot here but it is of the ‘Phantom of the Opera’ that I am thinking as I look at the water in the narrow channels on both sides of the walkway. The board outside is small and inconsequential and makes it easy for the purposeful tourist walking towards the Blue mosque to miss this place. And thank god for that.

As I step out, I spot a tram on the road and get in without thinking of where I am going. It is a lot like being on the road in India, pedestrians darting across streets at random, drivers with scant regard for traffic rules, blaring horns – everything except the cattle. I get off at the end of a crowded shopping street and find myself in front of a temple to sin. The kind of sin that comes sugar-coated and deep fried and stuffed and topped with nuts and dried fruit. Bring on the Baklava! And the shop-keeper brings it on, in flavours I had never imagined. I think about calories and suchlike only after I step out of the shop a full twenty minutes later, and decide to walk back to Sultanahmet square. Apart from anything else, I want my conscience to be quiet when I repeat this mini orgy the next day.

At the centre of the Sultanahmet square then, is the sight that graces a million postcards from Istanbul, the Blue Mosque built by Sultan Ahmet I as proof of the might of the Ottoman Empire. The blue tiles on the ceiling give the mosque its name but it could have just as easily been called the golden mosque or the multicolour mosque. Inside, muted sunlight filters in through the high windows, complementing the light from the chandeliers that hang low all across the prayer area.

As with all large places of worship, the tourist feels lost and overwhelmed but not the worshipper. Each has found a corner to call his or her own and is softly reading or praying. For all its grandeur, it is an unexpectedly warm and accessible place and the little groups of women gossiping in their own nooks after prayer, their children sleeping or playing quietly among themselves make it so.

In contrast, the Aya Sofya (or Hagia Sophia), the Church of the Divine wisdom across the road is weighed down by centuries of history. It has been built thrice over the same spot and was in later avtaars a mosque and now a museum. The high ceiling, the gilded but peeling murals of Christ and Madonna on the walls and Islamic medallions mounted on the pillars – I can only stare in silent awe, as all other visitors do here.

It is already dark and my stomach says it is dinner-time even if my watch does not. I choose a quiet restaurant down the road. The window display is inviting, and I can see the two old women inside making hot naan by the stove. Further, this is possibly the only place where the owner is not standing outside, ready to grab the hungry and the unsuspecting. That clinches it for me and I walk in with my friend and spend the next two hours over a leisurely meal, a group of four musicians performing for just the two of us. After the meal, the owner brings in steaming apple tea in their typical tulip-shaped glasses, and I think a meal cannot have a better ending (except perhaps with a baklava, but hush).

Dinner over, we are standing on the road looking for a taxi to take us back to the hotel and the stranger comes close to us and whispers, Lady, others cheating, you come with me, cheap and best food… I am glad. Nothing has changed in the couple of hours I have been inside. I go back to the hotel with a smile on my lips; Istanbul feels so much like back home.

***
A slightly shorter version of this was published in the latest issue of Forbes (February 05) – Read it here…

More Turkey photographs here

More on Turkey here on Itchy Feet -
- Outwhirling the dervish
- One river, two continents
- Of Artemis and Amazons

Beyond Angkor, what?

So you have risen at the crack of dawn, or even earlier, and made your sleepy way to the Angkor Wat to see the famed sunrise. You have followed in the glamorous footsteps of Anjelina Jolie to the ruins of the Ta Prohm temple (where parts of the film ‘Tomb Raider’ was shot), held captive for centuries by the ancient trees. And at the Angkor Thom complex, you have been awed by the sight of the smiling Buddha faces on the walls of the Bayon temple. So, now what?

Discover Angkor, Wats and all: If you have missed the sunrise at Angkor Wat (though it is entirely worth the effort, despite the pushy crowds), head to Phnom Bakheng for the sunset. Get there early before the hordes and find a vantage position from which to watch the sun go down the Angkor archaeological park. Take some time to enjoy the smaller temples; in particular the exquisite Bantaey Srei (translated as the ‘citadel of women’). Diminutive in size, the pinkish sandstone temple is a welcome relief from the imposing size and dull grey-brown tones of most of the other temples here.

Art at Angkor: It is impossible to visit Siem Reap and not get tempted into watching an apsara dance performance. The apsara is a symbol of ancient Khmer culture and the performing tradition of Cambodia has seen a revival in recent years. Most restaurants offer them as part of the evening meal, though if you have the money and interest, it is advisable to watch it at one of the more up-market hotels, such as the Angkor Village Apsara Theatre or the Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor. And if you have the time, make a trip to the Artisans d’ Angkor workshop (near the old market) for Khmer handicraft including stone and wood carving, silk painting and lacquer work – or head outside town to the silk farm, also managed by the same trust.

Walkabouts: Walk along the river when the weather is cool, towards the Psar Chaa old market to shop for souvenirs and local food. Also drop in at the Angkor night market – open till midnight – just at the end of Pub Street (off Sivatha Road) for unusual Khmer artefact, and the experience. A good place to visit even before you get on the temple circuit is the Angkor National Museum (even if you are not the “museum types”) – at $12 for an entry ticket, it is an expensive but excellent way to get an orientation of Khmer history, both ancient and recent. Several hundred statues, hidden for the last century and therefore preserved, have found their way here and the stories on the well-made audio-video guides are interesting, if only for the striking similarities with Indian mythology. If you ever make your weary way to FCC Angkor hotel, a visit to McDermott gallery nearby is a must, for sepia-tinted glimpses of Cambodia and the Angkor temples.

Travel in style: And I do not mean the tuk-tuks here, even those unique Cambodian ones, pulled by motorbikes. Go up on a helium balloon or a helicopter for a comprehensive aerial view of the Angkor temples. At sunset, take a cruise on the Tonle Sap lake to see the floating village; Chong Kneas is the closest and has a floating school and church among other things. The boats usually dock at the crocodile farm (which doubles up as a small coffee and souvenir shop) and the view from the rooftop is stunning. The lake sprawls all round you like a minor placid ocean, and the Vietnamese refugees who have made it their home go about their routine evening activities, as the sun sets in the horizon. If you are fit and adventurous, hire a bicycle or motorbike to travel around the Angkor archaeological sites; the terrain is flat and most of the major temples are located close to each other.

Eat, drink and be merry: Siem Reap has some excellent café and restaurants, including several authentic – I am told – Indian restaurants (KamaSutra, Maharajah). Most of them are clustered around the main market area and the accurately if unimaginatively named Pub Street. Eateries here compete for business, not just with great food, live music and cheap booze, but also with clever names; I was lured by Kampuchino, Angkor what?, Blue Pumpkin and Laundry Bar. A drink at the FCC Angkor, overlooking the river is highly recommended, as is a (vegetarian) meal at the Singing Tree Garden Café.

***
This piece was published in the Sunday Mid-day dated January 17th.
More photographs from the Angkor complex here…

Mumbai Diary 2010

From Jerry Pinto’s lovely introduction to Mumbai Diary 2010, based on the theme of Mumbai at work – Fourteen million people on the tiny finger of land pushing its way cockily into the sea? It’s room enough to get lost in but Mumbaikers refused to get swamped. We know that the only chance is to be seen and to be heard and to work that tiny patch of pavement into a mansion. The man unloading the truck then takes on the air of a sultan, surveying his domain. The man selling snake oil looks you in the eye and promises you a new life where you want a new life. They know they have a place in the world.

There are some stunning images of people at work – knife grinders, ear wax cleaners, tattoo artists, street performers, fisherfolk, window cleaners, chaiwalas – all of them make an appearance in this diary. A couple of my photographs are part of this superb diary.

And here are some more of my ‘Mumbai at work’ images…

At Sardar Pav Bhaji near Bombay Central

This could be anywhere in India, the street acrobats – this family lives and performs near the Kala Ghoda area.

Rings of fire

A fine balance

This one is from Crawford market – the coconut vendor moonlighting as mobile phone card salesman…

Coconuts and connections

And finally one of my favourites – from Juhu beach one rainy evening last August…

Blowing in the wind

Also read this piece on CNNGo’s Mumbai edition on the Mumbai Diary.

A new way of seeing

This piece appeared in the January issue of Windows & Aisles, the inflight magazine of Paramount Airways as Rediscover Your City.

***

Imagine this situation. Your friends are visiting from out of town and you have gone out with them. They are new to your city and stop to stare and comment over every single thing they see on the way. And you gamely join in their conversation, trying not to show your impatience. You are thinking, what is the big deal anyway? I have seen this a hundred times. Sounds familiar so far? And suddenly, you spot something that grabs your attention: a shop, a signboard, a temple, or even a large tree that you notice for the first time.

And you think, how come I have never seen this before? At that time, you look around and are truly aware of your surroundings for the first time that day. You have started seeing your own city through the eyes of an outsider.

And what a wonderful feeling that is! French writer and essayist Marcel Proust said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Sometimes, it is nice to step back and look at the familiar, in this case, your own city, with fresh eyes. A quick in-town vacation serves to renew your fondness for your city and acts as a refresher for your tired nerves. However, we tend to take familiar things for granted and it is not always possible or easy to see something new and exciting in a place we are used to. American writer Helen Hanff’s book ‘Apple of my eye’, an unabashed tribute to her beloved New York, was written after two months of exploring the city with her friend Patsy. Hanff began her own voyage of discovery when she was commissioned to write copy for a book of photographs on New York, and realized that she actually knew little about her city. And towards the end of the book, Patsy remarks, “We own this city now. Do you feel that way?”

So here are some ideas on how to rediscover, and thus, own your city.

1. Change your usual mode of transport – If you normally drive around town, walk for a change. Walking is really the best way to take in the sights and sounds of any place. Walking, especially walking without a purpose forces you to slow down and notice the small details that make things seem new and different. It lets you stop where you wish, to take photographs or just stare and assimilate. You could even take a guided walking tour through an interesting area of the city. For instance, try Bangalore Walks or Delhi Magic one weekend for personalized walking tours of your city.

Alternatively, take a round bus tour, getting off to explore where you find something interesting. To enhance this experience further, use this time to indulge in your particular passion, as when you travel. For instance, you could take a quick spa vacation within the city (hunt for and indulge yourself in the two best spas in you town on two consecutive weekends), or a heritage tour say, covering the churches of Goa or the Portuguese remnants in Cochin or the Nawabi lifestyle in Hyderabad.

2. Eat at a restaurant serving authentic local food – This may sound like a crazy idea (especially if you eat the same kind of food mostly at home), but it is one of the easiest ways to start thinking afresh about your city and culture. When I lived in Ahmedabad, I used to be surprised by how many locals thronged specialty Gujarati restaurants like Vishala or Agashiye but it was soon clear that they were there to savour their culture as much as their food. These need not be fancy or expensive restaurants; for instance, if you live in Bangalore, make a weekend evening trip to the thindi beedi (food street) at V.V. Puram opposite the Lalbagh Gate or the small popular eateries of Malleswaram and Basavangudi to sample local Karnataka fare like obbattu or benne dosa.

3. Explore a local market – Close on the heels of eating authentic local food is visiting a local market – preferably a specialty fresh food or flower market. A stroll through a marketplace offers a variety of experiences, many of them new even to a long-time resident. There is truly nothing that radiates the essence of a city, or offers the experience of cultural immersion better.

“Every time I start to feel tired of Delhi, I head to the lanes of Chandni Chowk with my camera”, says a photographer friend, adding, “It is a great experience, at the same time to get away from it all while getting more absorbed in the city’s rhythm”. You could go shopping, either by yourself, or with friends or visitors and hunt for unique souvenirs or specialties that your city is famous for. The other exciting part about market visits is that such places are usually filled with people from other towns who have moved to yours for a living. Talking to them is a wonderful way of seeing your city from an entirely new perspective.

4. Accompany a guest to famous city landmarks – This may be an often-visited place or one that you have been meaning to visit but never did so far (Helene Hanff admits in the beginning of her book that in all those years in New York, she had never visited the Statue of Liberty). While on this trip, be aware of your own experience and look through the eyes of a tourist. And if you find that cannot bring yourself to see your city through fresh eyes, borrow them! Allow the enthusiasm of your visitors to rub off on you.

You could pack a hamper and take your visiting friends to Lodi Gardens (in Delhi) or Cubbon Park (in Bangalore) for a leisurely picnic lunch (especially recommended during the salubrious winter months). Or take guests early in the morning to see the splendour of Howrah Bridge (Calcutta) or the Chinese fishing nets (Cochin) or the Meenakshi temple (Madurai) – and you will be surprised by how attractive your city really is.

5. Peep into a guidebook on your city – This could be a Lonely Planet equivalent for your city which directs you on places to visit, dine and have fun. Be a tourist for the day, carrying a guide book and a map, if required, and go exploring. You would do well to pay particular attention to the ‘off the beaten path’ tips that such guides offer.

Better still, read a book about your city and then go out to explore. This need not be a travel guide; it could be a traditional travelogue or a work of fiction with the city as the protagonist. Examples are ‘Madras Rediscovered’ by historian S.Muthiah, where the stunning black and white photographs alone are sure to make you long for an era long gone, or William Dalrymple’s ‘City of Djinns’ where the past and present intermingle to create an ode to the city as it stands today. Or ‘Reflected in Water: Writings on Goa’ edited by Jerry Pinto and Geoffrey Moorhouse’s ‘Calcutta’, which delves with patience, and even fondness, into the complex fabric of Calcutta’s history and contemporary society.

It is time to get into rediscovery mode now. Pretend that you are moving out of the city and devote a weekend, or even a week to doing all the things you will later regret not doing. Happy in-town vacationing!

Give me an h, give me an i

Some days, ok, most days, I wonder if anybody reads this blog at all.

Itchy Feet has been up and about for over six years(!) now – in its earlier avtaar, it was a part of my main blog. But I see no signs that real people (as opposed to spam bots and sellers of miracle medicine) are actually reading this…

So here is the thing. If you are a reader of this blog – if you have been lurking quietly on these pages, if you have been reading my infrequent updates through rss feed, if you have been making travel plans based on anything you see here, if you have been leaving rare comments here… In short, if you have been gasping in silent admiration for all these years (heh!), now is the time to step forward and say hi. Drop in a comment or send a cheery wave – I would love to get to know you.

2009 on Itchy Feet

Looking back at the year that was…

I started the year with a three week stint at the ayurvedic hospital in Cochin, seeking yet again a cure for my aching back. We ended that with a relaxed couple of days in Fort Kochi.

Kitsch is king

April saw us taking off to Sikkim, my birthday on the snow near Nathu-La, a desperate search for the Kanchenjunga from Pelling and a bone-crunching trip up North to Gurudongmar Lake and Yumthang Valley. 2009 was the year V and I took our longest holiday together – 2 weeks in Sikkim – it is usually long weekends, or a week with both ends combined, for us.

Weekend market near Pelling

Sunset on Mt.Narsing

We made a couple of trips to the Sindhudurg region in June-July, where I met fellow traveler Lakshmi for the first time. Both times, we stayed at homestays managed by Culture Aangan and drove through the region, soaking in the greens of the Konkan during the rains.

Sunset at Damapur lake

It was the year we moved to Bangalore. Just before the move, in August, we took part in the Great Driving Challenge and went to the semi-finals stage, participating in the four day audition at the Royal Palms Hotel in Mumbai. We had great fun, made new friends and several plans to resume road trips.

On to the auditions

I made several trips to Chennai through September and October to be with my parents, since my father went through a bypass surgery in early October. I managed to squeeze in a day at Melkote with friends and a three day photography workshop at Hampi with the getoffrass guys in early November.

At the Melkote temple

Twilight in Hampi

We ended the year with a week long visit to Sri Lanka (more on that soon) – covering mainly the Buddhist circuit around Anuradhapura and the hills of Nuwaya Eliya.

Tea at Nuwara Eliya

Sunset at Negombo

Overall, the year was a bit subdued in terms of travel – ok, we did take two long holidays, but you know I am a great fan of short and several travel breaks. On the other hand, I got around to writing more regularly on this blog – which I hope to continue this year. I bought myself an SLR camera finally towards the end of the year. And I published several travel pieces in newspapers and magazines that I had not worked with before.

And the plans dreams for 2010? A couple of weeks in Europe definitely. I keep saying this at the beginning of every year – but this year, I hope to see this through. Weekends out of Bangalore (the Bandipur, Kabini circuit, Coonoor and the Nilgiris), Pushkar during the mela (again, how many years has it been now since I started saying this?), more of Rajasthan (again!) if possible or Madhya Pradesh.

Anyone game for a trip together? Give me a holler!

And so I dream on…

Bangalore’s Food Street

A short piece I wrote on Bangalore’s Food Street appeared recently in The India Tube. Every time someone asked me what I missed most about Bombay, street food came somewhere on top of that list, so this came as quite a nice surprise. We headed there one Sunday night and walked from one end to the other sampling from several stalls, taking photographs and enjoying the unique spellings.

***

I have been hearing about the Food Street in Bangalore in several conversations with friends and I finally make my way there one weekend. Known locally as thindi beedi, a literal translation, the street stretches out long and narrow in front of me, filled with eateries on either side and with several food carts (thela) spilling over to the road.

At the entrance to the road stands the corn seller, stocking over ten varieties of corn, including the slightly puzzling ‘lemon butter baby masala corn’.

We have been advised to check out all the shops before deciding on the night’s menu and duly make our way down the street with that in mind. However, at the third stall selling holige (a sweet made with jaggery, known as puran poli in Hindi) our resolve crumbles. The cook stands rooted to his spot, patting the dough filled with the jaggery, his fingers flying over the hot stove, now putting one more on it, now turning a semi-cooked one or taking one off it. He has a helper, a chhotu (small one) who serves it piping hot to the waiting customers, after adding a generous dollop of ghee on top.

The best way to derive maximum enjoyment from Food Street is to sample judiciously and return to what you really like; as many stalls and as many types of food as possible. Of course, it could (and indeed does) happen that several of these small samples make a heavy meal in itself and there is just no room for seconds. There is street food of every kind here, from Karnataka specialties like akki roti (a thin roti made with rice flour and eaten with spicy chutney and curry) and holige, to typically North Indian chaat (I read somewhere that the chaatwala is originally from Ajmer in Rajasthan) and Bombay’s famous pav bhaji and vada pav. There are shops selling only South Indian short eats, from steaming idli to fried bonda and vada while others offer a “multi-cuisine” eating experience, which includes Indian Chinese – the ‘Gobi Manjuri’ variety.

The specialty of Food Street however is dosa – there is a huge a variety on offer, from the usual suspects like masala and rava to ragi and podi (gunpowder) roast all the way to bhath masala dosa – a name that invites closer inspection! Regulars also seem to believe that the right way to end a meal at thindi beedi is by washing it down with badam (almond) milk, served hot or cold.

It is a Sunday night and the entire area has the feel of a mela (fun fair) – parents with children, groups of friends (one orders twenty pieces of holige in front of me, causing a mini stampede among the waiting crowds), balloon sellers and plastic toy vendors. The Food Street is very popular with locals as a weekend evening destination for the entire family. Unlike most small eateries in Bangalore, this is open till late in the night, and there is something for everyone. The food (all vegetarian) is reasonably priced, with most costing between Rs.15-30. And the best thing is that everything is fresh and hot, made in front of you and consumed before it has even had a chance to cool.

General Information

Food Street is located at V.V.Puram, close to the Lalbagh West Gate. It is open all days of the week, from 6 p.m. till about 11 p.m. (although sometime the stalls shut earlier due to police interference). The weeks before Sankranti (the harvest festival celebrated in mid January) are a good time to go to Food Street, since vendors are known to rustle up regional food specialities.

Happy 2010!

“Courage,” the Old Year whispers as it ends,
Weary’s the world and penitent and sad,
Waiting the touch to make all mankind friends,
Yours be the luck and strength to do it, lad.

~ Harry Irving Phillips

Here is wishing you happy Christmas and a wonderful new year in advance! I am headed to Sri Lanka on Friday – see you all here in the new year!