Welcoming New Year in Aladdin’s castle: Jaisalmer!

Most of us spend our life as if we have another one reserved in the bank -- Ben Irwin.

I can relate to this as I know I don't have a reserve and I intend to leave no regrets in life and live this one dedicating it to my heart's desire J

Another year went by so quickly like speed of light. I began this year with many promises to myself including a positive outlook, my personal growth, wonderful memories, new achievements, a doze of maturity and lots of travel. Writing about how the past 365 days changed my life is definitely no easy task. People came and went, I cried, laughed, loved, cared, envied, desired, bitched, and above all discovered myself further.

2011 certainly hailed as super lucky to me. I began to blog, got deal of the year award, did bungee jump, participated in a car rally, got promoted, few dance shows and above all traveled a lot including one international trip. There could not have been a better way to end this wonderful year by adding one more chapter to my travel diaries and I chose to visit what people often call as Aladdin’s castle – Jaisalmer!

Traveling is exhilarating for me and the thrill of exploring things anew keeps the traveler in me tickling. I was excited to the core as I was about to spend this long awaited vacation with the people close to my heart. As soon as we arrived at the hotel we straight away went to the terrace. The views were unbelievable and the roof top was lovely overlooking an amazing red fort.  It was lovely!

The attraction in Jaisalmer is a beautiful fort that looks like it is has been carved out like a sand castle on a hill. Inside is a living city where about 1500 people reside. The fort is the oldest occupied fort in the world and it was amazing walking though the tiny alleys. It was really something else wandering the streets.  It really did feel like a scene from Aladdin and I portrayed like no less than princess Jasmine ;-)

After climbing a huge set of stairs and we came to roof top and I was amazed with the 360 view all around. That’s Jaisalmer for us - a wonder view. The architecture was incredible and the whole atmosphere out of this world.

But the most exciting part of the trip was still to be witnessed. Our trip to the golden sands of Thar Desert and to spend whole night there without a tent just below the open sky watching twinkling stars! Yes! You heard it right on the sand in the chilly December night J We hopped into the jeep. On our way we spent about half an hour in a ruined place which locals consider to be haunted [mostly getting ourselves clicked and just hoping if we could spot a ghost and the narrate story to our friends :P] lol

  

As the sun set it appeared God has painted a wonderful painting on the desert canvas.

We reached our destination for the night; a beautiful expanse of rolling sand dunes with not another soul to be seen. It’s mere 150km from the India/Pakistan border, and so has a strong military presence. As we took our seats around the fireplace in the star lit night sky, my friend started to play guitar and we all started singing sufi songs.  Post our musical performance; it was time to treat ourselves on conventional Rajasthani cuisine. We made delicious “lal maas” in the desert. Rajasthan's traditional food is a national treasure, undoubtedly. After dinner, we all slept in the cold sand below beautiful sky in that cold night and made it a night to remember through out our lives …. Yes, this memory will stay with me for many years to come. I spent the wonderful night with equally cordial people discovering the enticing vast desert. Locals in Jaisalmer told me not to miss the sunrise, as it was one of the most beautiful moments of the day and I was fortunate enough to see it early morning as I woke up. I took some beautiful shots of the sunrise in the desert. I was surprised by the nature’s wonder J

As all good things come to an end so did this magical night and we headed for our hotel. I can’t forget to mention that sitting on the roof top terrace of “Little Italy” restaurant overlooking the fort, with golden lights in the night and spending many lazy hours discussing the beauty of life with my dear ones was one of the marvelous moment of my life. The next few days were spent relaxing and enjoying the delicious local food (not to forget onion kachoris and bhel) and soaking up the sun.

What a wonderful start of the year it was! And soon came the time to pack our bags and return to Delhi. Jaisalmer is a dream come true for any traveler and I was also mesmerized by its beauty. The charm and the beauty of the city are awesomely alluring and I would love to visit this golden city with my dear ones again for sure.

Bagwati - A new adornment to my closet!

I finally realized that there is no Santa. After years of keeping those lists under my pillow and waiting endlessly for some old man from the sky to come and drop in an awesome gift or two, my wait has officially come to an end. I know I took a little more time than all you grown ups. :P Okay, So I take it upon myself to be my Santa, to quench my desires for those gifts. And well, during one of my recent quests to get hold of something good in a mall, I saw this Bag.

Well, to be honest, I do not shop, I normally go on a quest. A mission rather to get hold of something awesome…. frisking unknown things, visiting an infinite number of shops, sometimes even talking to those inanimate objects to let them excite me.. and then, you guys think that we girls take a lot of time to shop! Come on, it is more of a religion to us..

So, yes, coming back to the topic. I see this awesome bag sitting beautifully in the window of this showroom. One look and I knew that’s exactly what I wanted. I mean, in spite of the price tag attached to it. Hmm, yeah it costed a bit, Rs 8500 to be exact, but then, as they say all good things come for a price.. well, most of them certainly do.. sadly! So, here was my Bagwati. Staring me right into my eyes, like some prince charming to get her.

Introducing Ms. Bagwati : An extremely welcome addition to my collection. Yes, sweet heart you adorn my closet quite well. And I'm absolutely lovin' this. It has space for everything that goes into a woman's bag.. My heart-shaped mirror, hair-brushes, mascara.. and the rest. Ah, well guys stop right there. You're not supposed to know what goes into a woman's bag!  J 

So, Ms. Bagwati finally ends my quest for a perfect bag officially, Until it starts again….. :P

One for the man of my dreams…

Driving down on a foggy morning with my car’s music player on repeat mode at just one song “you are beautiful” by James Blunt, made me feel heavenly and put this soft smile on my face today. It’s not that there was something special today but some how I smiled every time he repeated “You are beautiful, It’s true” ' It may be for the way he hums these words is a lot more than just a compliment to a girl J  

I know I am one of those hopeless romantics at heart who believe in concepts like “Happy ever after”, “made for each other” and “soul mates”. Who gets touched with most of these love stories no matter how clichéd they are, who live for the feeling of possibility and hope, who know that love does not exist only in books….

As a little girl I always dreamt of fun, spontaneous and wonderful surprises that love will bring in my life. In my early teens, I was fascinated to imagine that when I will fall in love my life will become more beautiful, every day more colorful, every morning more bright. It’s like when you feel like any other protagonist in Yash Raj films. You will wake up happy every morning, people will suddenly start smiling at you, music will play in the back ground, you will look yourself into mirror some twenty times a day, the wind will make your hair blow in the right directions, and it will rain only so that you can look supremely gorgeous. Every thing will be just PERFECT. We all have thought like this at some point in our life. Haven’t we? :) Perhaps that’s what we call innocent growing up days. But then, as years passed, I realized that it’s not this music in back ground, wind or rain that makes it perfect it’s just HIM

We all have to accept the fact that life is not like a typical bollywood movie where you come across him at an epic moment, with some soft music playing at the back drop and you know that he is the one! Yet, deep down I strongly feel that when that person is around, you know that he is the one with whom you really want to spend the rest of your life with and your heart says, “Yes he is the one, go grab him girl!” :)

I know….. I know for a fact many things…..

No one secretly leaves flowers at your doorstep each day.

Agreed! But he may just know my favourite flowers and gets them for me. 

No one surprises us daily

Agreed! But one day he may just suddenly drop in to my office to make sure if I am fine

No one tells you every day that how much they love you,

Agreed! It might be at least expected moment when he says, I LOVE YOU.... and I turn speechless

Falling in love is certainly beautiful. Something that heightens the wonderful experience that is life. Some day, I want to get married looking at my best to someone who cannot believe how unbelievably gorgeous I am [ok now even if I am stretching it a bit, but it's my wedding day ;-) ]. Lol

And now till that day comes I write this blog for this future guy so that one day when he will read all this he will just know how long I have been waiting for him to come along :)

A classy evening watching Polo: The game of Kings and the king of Games

I still remember the days when any polo match used to telecast and leaving all my stuff aside, I used to glue to my couch with large glass of coke and nachos in hand. The time when with every goal, I used to jump off my couch making loud noise and almost shaking the walls of my rooms. Lol That was the time when my love for this sport began to flourish J  I used to think a day will come, when I will also watch this match live and will experience this game of kings with great deal of amusement and mirth. Months and years passed and one fine day I got a special invite from The Reid and Taylor to come and watch the match at their premium lounge at Jaipur Polo Ground.

The day arrived and I dressed up for the occasion wearing my fancy blue hat that complimented my dress quite well. I made my red carpet entry in full princess style as if I am not the spectator but chief guest of the match. Hahaha J  There was a dash of glamour and luxury thrown in good measures every where. The Polo ground was full of Ambassadors, expats, socialites, royals and who’s who of Delhi glitterati who came in full attendance to enjoy the high voltage polo action. I spectated the final match of the royal sport polo which was full of pulsating moves, charismatic horsemanship, skillful stick work and occasional clashes and falls. It was quite the experience to feel the thundering hoofs gallop across the field and to listen to the deep, quick breaths of the horses.  I holded my glass of white wine and enjoyed the game play out in sun, cheering every “chukka”. Players changed horses after every chukka due to extreme demand placed on pony. It was a learning experience for me and I learned a lot about the game. I also continued my photography sessions in between and got some amazing shots J 

Polo was and will remain a pinnacle of sports. I enjoyed this fast and furious game in a very amiable social atmosphere. It was certainly one of the most glittering events on the social calendar of the global elite. Finally Samir Suhag smashed five goals in powering Cavalry-Jindal Polo to a 11-9 victory over Jindal-Carysil in the final round and won the match. The ground was full with applauds. It was my first live polo experience and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

After polo match we left for a nice mid evening lunch at “The living Room” which was followed by a nice musical evening at “Thadi” where we enjoyed the hot cup of tea at open terrace. The chilly winter, laung chai, amazing company and sound of drums made my evening perfect J 

The day was memorable and definitely scores a special entry in my blog J 

    

Formula 1: An encounter with thrilling beast machines

Cars, Speed, Power, Thrill, Adrenaline rush, Passion, Excitement, Action - all these words go synonyms with what I experienced in formula one race last Saturday. What an experience! Without exception, just like millions of other Indians it was a very proud moment for me as Formula One race debuted in our country. The screams of the machines howling past at over 300kph provided goose bumps to all incredibly excited F1 fans like me J  It was a dream come true for millions of racing fans in India to witness the grandest sporting spectacle.

I have always loved the thrill and passion that these adventure sports bring. While writing this blog, I am going back to the memory lane when earlier this year I participated in India’s largest women car rally based on TDS format from Delhi till Jaipur which also got an honor in Limca book of records. I know this doesn’t even come close to what these F1 racers must be feeling but I could some how relate myself with the sport as the enthusiasm to realize the sense of adventure, a love for life and curiosity about the unknown was same here as well. I still remember the freedom of open roads and loose bunch of destinations which were more refreshing than any thing else and it puts a smile on my face every time I think about it. Two girls, unknown roads, 963 kms on road and our adventurous trip… How I skipped my heart beat twice while overtaking trucks in speed and traveled till Pushkar only to meet a friend after 5 yrs.  Ever since then my love towards Formula 1 has been growing at an exponential rate. Happy memories!!!!

 

Ok ok by now we all know why I was so enthusiastic about attending this race J  I was trying for these passes for very long with no success but I guess the universe specially conspired to make this wish true for me, as just a day before the event I got the premium pass. Whoa! Chance to watch these excellent drivers from one of the best stands in the circuit J  Engines started to fire up and wheel guns started to scream. Yes! That was the time when these ultimate cars began to emerge one by one. The race began and so as my excitement level. The whining sound of Formula 1 cars made my heart also race. The 130 db sound pumped my heart like any thing. There were over 1,00,000 spectators for the exciting show. We were watching the sport from the main overtaking spot and saw some spine-tingling action, many daring overtakes and an awful lot of close racing.

The cars were flying past us at a little more than 300 kmph and they made me skip a heart beat every time a driver overtook another one. I could see the excitement on the faces of the people with me. We were discussing our expert views munching the spicy nachos and giving amazing facial expressions every time the cars past us. Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull at the end of last lap crossed the chequered flag and won the race. It was a good battle and an action packed session.

The day ended but left me with lots of happy memories. I had no clue how quickly the day passed by. All I know is I was full of smiles by the time I returned back home J 

A chapter in my life called - Mumbai!

So recently I returned from my favorite vacation spot – Mumbai J  I know many people who are reading this right now will say, What??? Mumbai a vacation spot? But yes, for me it has been special every single time I visited it. This year it was my fourth visit to this city of dreams. Mumbai has given and taught me a lot – Few people who changed my perspective towards life, few experiences that changed “me” forever but most importantly a sense of being independent that scores above it all…

The more I visited it, the more I seemed to be in love with it. This free spirited fun character city always makes me feel alive beyond measures. I love Mumbai for it's color, constant buzz of life, enthusiasm, people and for how it embraces everyone and everything. I have seen the crazy night life here, spent day on beach side just in my own company, enjoyed perfect bites of street - side pav bhaji , spicy pani puri, chuski and made memories that will remain in my heart till lifetime.

 

In this visit, I decided to have the real flavor of Mumbai.  I always had this fascination to travel in local train of Mumbai. After having a fabulous time with my colleagues at hard rock café, I decided to meet a friend who can be part of my crazy plans in realization of life. No matter what time of day it is, this city never sleeps. I asked the car driver to meet us exactly after two stations and I ran towards the local station as it was the last train of my life that I was about to miss. Being late at night, the train was less crowded and I got lucky enough to get the window seat. Looking outside the train I was trying to feel the heart beat of Mumbai J  It was an experience that I may not be able to put across in words….

Local train ride ended but not my greed for life. I wanted to live through that every moment of night. And there could not have been a better way to sit at Worli sea side, watching the sea and discussing the experiences of life with one of the people in my life whom I respect the most.

At around 3 am,  amidst cold breeze, watching the beautiful waves crash I was sipping what they call in local language “Cutting chai” Ahhh - little happiness of life that makes big difference and makes life look brighter J  I realized I can spend a whole night sitting in front of the sea just watching the water and having beautiful flash forwards of the upcoming attractions of my life.

 

In such a beautiful city, it takes an effort to get out of the bed and go to the office... I would rather go to the beach.... But having no choice left I crawled myself out of the bed. I came out of the hotel but don’t know why my feet steered me towards Sidhi vinayak temple instead of office where I had divine darshan of ganpati bappa. After taking his blessings I finally proceeded towards office. Such an effort na! lol

Mumbai is not amongst the most beautiful cities of India. It is not even a place where life is relaxed, yet it attracts me like no other city of India.  This city has had and still have, some spell on me. May it call me again and again to discover its versatility all the more. Amen!

'I gave this life everything' ... ♥

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-->They say all journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware and may be that’s something which makes it even more interesting as we have no clue as to what will happen next and we can’t take any coming experience for granted. My insatiable love for travel has taken me to many such places that took my breath away with their beauty and helped me to evolve as a person. But Yes, my this trip to Phuket and Bangkok was special to me in more than many ways. It brought me closer to myself than ever before. I heard the voice in my heart, jumped with bungee from 50 mtrs height and won my fear, got professional recognition in terms of getting “deal of the year” award, got drenched in rain walking at city roads at 4 am in the morning discussing life with a friend, and danced for hours as if there is no tomorrow…. 

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The journey started with immense excitement in my heart as I was about to have my first international trip and also to experience the sense of freedom in my quest to know this life all the more. It was more than seeing of sights, relishing local culture, food and history. For me it was the journey not just the destination and I loved the every halt that came on my way. Phuket was more beautiful than my imagination. The scenic view and the amazing weather stole my heart away. I decided not to follow any pre defined itinerary and continued to start my journey my way. No one in my group was interested to try the adventure sport of Bungee Jumping. Having no other option for company, I took the step of making this attempt alone. On reaching the Top of 50 mtr height, I closed my eyes, spread my hands as if I have sprouted wings and took the fall. For few seconds I felt as if my heart beat was stopped but I lived through that each and every moment with a smile. This experience will always remain close to my heart. 

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I used to party hard every night till the time we were asked to leave as it was time to shut the place and I could not wait to wake up every morning and jump straight out of my bed to see what new surprise this new day has to offer me. In a formal occasion, to my most pleasant surprise, my name was announced to receive the “Deal of the Year Award” It certainly feels great when your company recognizes your contribution and efforts and considers you to be part of their success. I got this Glow on my face while receiving congratulating notes from every one J 

My first encounter with extreme closeness to a tiger in my arms at a wildlife park, my giggles and laughs for no reason and my walk on unknown roads in middle of the night feeling the rain and the life will always be stored deep in my heart. I know, I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, not an ounce of unused desire and talent in me… To be able to say in my last days, 'I gave this life everything' ... ♥