Lost in Maharashtra

On my way back from my trip to Sula Vineyards with the family, we got lost.

One wrong turn + depending on Google maps took us through the countryside of Maharashtra for 2 hours.

There was a point when there were no cars, people, animals or houses in sight.

Just terrible roads surrounded by hills and beauteous fields.

It was dreamy but stressful till we hit the highway.

Here's some of what we saw on the way.

All photos by me.

Tourists for a day

I've lived in Bombay all my life and love to call myself a Bombay girl.
But after I went for the Bombay Heritage Walk, I felt like a complete idiot.
I realized I knew absolutely nothing about this beautiful city that I live in and call home.

I had always wanted to go for one of these Heritage walks but never planned it out properly.
And then we had visitors from France.
Well, 2 of the 3 of them were from Bombay just like me and were just as clueless as me.

So there are 3 walks you can choose from depending on the route you'd like to take and the duration you're comfortable with.

- Walk A : The Kala Ghoda Route [2 hrs]
- Walk B : The Horniman Circle Route [2 hrs]
- Combo Fort Tour - Walk A & B [3.5-4 hrs]

We decided to go with the Kala Ghoda Route.

We started at the Gateway of India where we were told about the history of Bombay and how it became what it is today only because it was a port.
We were told many stories about the Gateway, The Taj Mahal Hotel, Mr. Tata and why he built the hotel, the Readymoney family, about other monuments, colleges, fountains, churches, old statues in secret locations and Art Deco buildings along the way.

We walked from the Gateway of India, passing the Yacht Club, Regal Cinema, a church close to the YMCA, down to NGMA, the University, Jehangir Art Gallery, Watson Hotel, the High Court and ended the walk at Kala Ghoda with a good breakfast at the Pantry.

The walks are conducted by young students of Architecture who are so passionate about the subject and can answer any question you throw at them.
I must say I was very impressed and highly recommend it to anyone interested in history, art or architecture who enjoys long walks.


The walk costs Rs. 2500 for 5 persons or less.
Every additional person is Rs. 500
The walks are conducted at 8am and 5pm.
Bookings need to be done in advance.
I'd recommend going in the cooler months.

All photos by me.

Baden-Württemberg in 15 seconds

via

Last month I travelled all over Baden-Württemberg for 2 weeks.

And I had the best time ever.

In a nutshell I saw castles, sunflower fields, more castles, more sunflower fields, neat haystacks, stalagmites and stalactites, the bluest pond, organic farms, hills, forests, music shows and car museums while always being surrounded by beautiful vineyards and amazing company.

It felt like I was living a dream for 2 weeks.

We'd eat fresh berries and fruit picked directly from the trees.

Have the sweetest Aplesaft.

Eat Spaetzle. Drink Sekt.

And have the best breads and cheeses.

Everyday.

What does one call this if not heaven.

I spent 15 days in the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany.

Here it is, in 15 seconds.

Video by me.
Music : Groove Armada - At The River.

Baden-Württemberg - A Photographic Journey

All photos by me.

Discovering Auvers-sur-Oise

via

A few weeks ago I visited some friends in Paris.
And together we did a day trip to Auvers-sur-Oise, a town only 30km from Paris.
It's where Vincent Van Gogh lived and painted for the last 3 months of his life.

We took the train from Paris to Auvers-sur-oise one morning and spent the entire day there.
It was a day so well spent.

Jumping in the Wheatfields

I have always been a fan of Van Gogh's.
Maybe because he was the first artist I ever knew of at age 5.
Back then I knew nothing about art or his distinct style or anything about his life.
But when I went home after visiting the museum and seeing his art, I painted my own version of Van Gogh's sunflowers.
What's funny is that I still remember how I was convinced that our paintings looked identical.
I love how confident and sure of myself I was at that age even when I didn't make sense.

Sketch of Eglise Auvers-sur-Oise by me

So when I got to visit Auvers-sur-oise and see where he lived and painted, it was quite an experience for me.
Van Gogh wanted to leave the hustle and bustle of Paris and so this is where he moved to find peace in the countryside.
He made 80 paintings in 70 days.

The size of his room at the Auberge Ravoux was tiny (only 7 sq.m.) and it seemed pretty depressing.
But Van Gogh didn't really paint here since it wasn't allowed so his paintings were mainly landscapes, and churches. And he also did a couple of portraits.
When you walk around the town you can actually see where each painting was painted.

Room No.5 on the 2nd floor of the Auberge Ravoux.

He was very close to his brother Theo [Thedore Van Gogh] and Dr. Gachet and wrote to them often.
Through his letters one can see that he was quite depressed - like an artist so immersed in his art that he drowned in it and couldn't come up for air and save himself.

Van Gogh shot himself in the wheatfields and came back to his room to die. He was only 38.
Dr. Gachet and Theo were by his side at his death.

Vincent and Theo's graves.

Van Gogh's life was as depressing as his art was beautiful.
It's sad that his art was appreciated only after his death.
Today people adorn their walls with his prints.
Some are even using his art to make art of their own.
While other's are making a feature length animation based on his life.



Here are some of his works juxtaposed with the locations where they were painted.

The Church at Auvers, 1890

Wheatfield with crows, July 1890

We ended the day with a picnic by the river Oise.
We bought some ham and camambert to eat with our baguettes.
And eclairs for dessert.

The day couldn't have been more perfect.

Photos by me.

Yoga Station Retreat

A couple of months ago I started learning Ashtanga Yoga at Yoga Station from my friend, Tanvi Mehra who not only happens to be an amazing yoga teacher and dancer but also someone with such a big heart. When you meet her, you just want to give her a hug.

Her classes are sometimes hard but at the same time so relaxing.

I go for her evening class and I get some amazing sleep after it.

Over the last weekend I went for a Yoga retreat with my entire class to Tanvi's beautiful house in Badlapur.

The weather was lovely. It was raining and we were surrounded by every shade of green that exists.

We went for a walk, through the stream to the hills.

And we had cows for company.

The beauty was surreal.

Once we got to the hill, it started raining.

But that didn't stop us.

We did yoga in the rain and it was amazing.

And my sister did a cartwheel.

We came back to a huge spread that was put together by all the students.
Everyone brought with them healthy versions of tasty food.
And obviously there was cake too.

A day so well spent!

Update: Yoga Station classes are now at Tangerine Arts Studio in Bandra.

On the treetop

I've never climbed a tree.

I have gone swinging from the roots a couple of times but that's about it.

But a couple of days ago, I went straight to the treetop.

Luckily there was a staircase.

Panoramic photo by me (with a little help from my iPhone)

I went to the Machan in Lonavla.

It was my second time there.

It's like you're living in a salad while being surrounded by broccoli.

And as weird as that sounds, it was nothing but magical.

The Machan is made up of treehouses.

Yes, actual tent-like houses above the trees.

They stand on two beams and a part of it is suspended.
So they move a bit with the wind and even though that sounds scary, it really isn't.

And makes a great bed-shaking morning alarm.

It's such a well thought out place.

Where they use wind energy and solar panels.

Where you can be one with nature.

Without being surrounded by the creepy crawlies.
They also keep a tube of Odomos. As thoughtful as that is, it isn't the best packaging for insect repellent and I say that because I have known people who have brushed their teeth with it.
But what was really thoughtful was that they went that extra mile to make make a special day even more special. We got a Sky lantern! And got to make wishes.
It was somewhat like inception - A wish within a wish.
Does that make any sense?

I love nature.

But have never been someone who enjoys camping.

Living in a tent while being surrounded by insects just isn't my thing.

And even if there are 100 people in that tent, I know the insect is only going to bite me.

We just don't get along.

Also, I don't go anywhere where there isn't a proper toilet.

So this place was perfect for me.

I could check all the boxes in my list for the things that make up a perfect weekend getaway.

Nature ✓
Pleasant weather ✓

Great food (that comes close to my mother's) ✓

Clean rooms ✓

No insects ✓
Starry skies ✓

A good and modern bathroom ✓

Nice people ✓

A guided tour ✓ where a man tells you about all the trees and which ones are good and which one will make your teeth fall out (that's right, there are evil trees too)

& Complete disconnection from reality ✓

Photos and drawings by me.

The Machan is so cut off from the world without being far from it.

It's so peaceful that 20 minutes of sleep feels like a lifetime.

You can hear every sound.

You feel like breathing in all that clean air has improved your hearing.

But that's not it. Miracles don't happen that easily.

It's so quiet that you can finally understand the meaning of pin drop silence.

Because if you dropped a pin you'd surely hear it.

And your iPad which sounds not that loud at home on full volume suddenly makes you feel like you're at a nighclub on only half the volume.
Every room also has an iPod dock which you really have no use for.

You barely get any network. And I love that.

In this day and age where conversations are replaced with text messages, emails and Likes, I think this is something we really need.

But who am I kidding? I am a Bombay girl.

Ofcourse I had my moments of weakness where I'd try to upload a picture on instagram or stalk someone on Facebook and almost walk into a tree.

Looking for network while staring at your phone and being surrounded by trees can be tricky.

But if you can do without network or can walk through trees, this place is for you.

I had the most relaxing time there and totally recommend it to everyone.

I left the Machan drunk with happiness.

It had only been a day but it felt like I had been away from Bombay for 2 weeks (the amount of time I think it takes me to feel like a holiday has changed my life forever).

A weekend in Goa

Photo by me.

I spent my weekend in Goa and it was nothing but fantabulous.

I went with two of my oldest friends with whom being lame just comes naturally.

And what could be more fun than that.

This was our routine:

Wake up.

Have a beer with breakfast.

Jump into the pool.
Follow one of Oshos's 10 commandments.*

Head to the beach.

Jump into the sea.

Beer no.2.

Eat seafood.

Beer no.3.

Eat anything fried.

Swim around.

Do cartwheels on the beach.

Take bad photos on my Lomo camera.

Come home and finally bathe in the evening. (Evening baths are justified on holidays).

Dress up like lovely ladies and go out once again.

And then one of my friends would get hit on even more than a piñata.

Photo of me by me.

In the middle of all that we found time to:

- watch a movie (Argo)

- go swimsuit shopping

- do underwater photography with my iPhone (Yes, I have courage and a scubasuit)

- and find doppelgangers - Kenny G and Yash Birla.

The only low point was when a Sadhu-like man tried to charge me 100 rupees to take a picture with his elephant. I told him are you serious? It's an animal.

Minus 100 points to Goa.

But it's still heavenly.

*And if you're wondering which of Osho's commanments we managed to follow, it was No.8:
Do not swim. Float.

Stam

The big icecream on the road, Tel Aviv

Do you want to go 2theloo in Tel aviv

Cute old lady playing weird music near the Dizengoff center, Tel aviv

Entry fee for the Art Museum - A good time to be a soldier. Not a good time to be an adult.

Tinkerbell/ The absinthe fairy/ a crazy girl in a green costume in Tel Aviv shuk.

What I thought was the best juice in Tel Aviv on Ben Yehuda. (the oscar was misleading)

And then I met the Juice Doctor. If only I could have juice shipped to me everyday.

Burger Loyalty in Bat Yam. If only people would learn something from this.

Vintage Guitar shop, Tel Aviv

Scary childrens Giant Octopus play area, Bat Yam.

A pet store or just a store with a dog on it, Tel aviv

Where all roads lead to a hummus place

1. Hummus 2. The road near the hummus place 3. The blue sea in bat yam 4. Wine tasting in Golan Heights 6. Wedding in Tel Aviv 7. Kinneret/ Sea of Galilee 8. Army cars 9. Happy Neha early in the morning 10. Near the Western Wall, Jerusalem 11. View of the Old City, Jerusalem 12. Me in Bethlehem 13. Divine Light, Bethlehem 14. Modern art, Jerusalem 15. A young Jewish boy, Jerusalem 16. Lotus pond, Tel Aviv 17. The Double cross, Bethlehem 18. Picnic in Kinneret 19. tree sketch by me, Bat yam 20. Somewhere between Golan heights and Kinneret.

Suitcase-ing

I'd love to go backpacking.
Right about NOW.
But I don't own a backpack.
So am I not allowed?

I know suitcases just don't have that cool, young, bohemian effect which adds to the whole backpacking experience.
Their rectangular shape just kills the coolness.

But, I just can't get myself to buy one.
I can't imagine carrying my bag on my back because:
> I sit 12 hours a day at the computer and this would only worsen my back problems.
> I am not a cow/ horse/ donkey.
> I am lazy and I like to drag my bag on wheels.

Also, with everything piled up together wouldn't I need to unpack every time I need to find one item?
And won't my clothes get completely crushed?
I have a very mild version of OCD and folding my clothes like this makes me happy.

Looks like I'll be suitcase-ing for the rest of my life.

Incase the Japanese shirt folding video was too quick, here's another video in English for you slow learners. Personally I prefer the Japanese video. It's more challenging!
Yes, this is how my weekends get more adventurous.

Thank You #21

Inspired by thxthxthx.

Concept & design by me. 

Photo by a kind man who understood my camera.

Thank You #20

Inspired by thxthxthx.

Concept, photo & design by me. 

Thank You #11

Inspired by thxthxthx.

Concept & design by me. 

Photo by Akshaya.

Thank You #10

I'm going on a holiday tomorrow.
It's also the reason for my special Thank you to my passport.
I'll be back in September full of stories of my travels.
Till then, I'll be posting a bunch of Thank You notes while I'm away.

So everyday feels like Sunday.

Enjoy!

Inspired by thxthxthx.

Concept & design by me. 

Photo by Akshaya.

Discovering the Lonely Planet



World Metro Map by Alan Foale.

Traveling is the love of my life. And there's nothing more that I want to do at this point in my life.

I have such a long list of places I want to visit. 

To Rio to see Christ the Redeemer.

To the Arctic region to see Aurora Borealis.

To Italy to see Mt. Vesuvius. The Discovery Channel made it look amazingly amazing.

Or even Timbuktu. Just so when anyone asks me Where are you? I can say In Timbuktu.

Do you know where Timbuktu is?

It's in Africa.

But, that's one place that I'm not so keen on visiting. Only because you need to take a couple of shots before going there. Now, how could doing that make you feel all Yay! about your holiday?

Which is why I never understood how people travel to India.

I remember listening to the Boney M song By the rivers of Babylon while growing up and thinking Babylon sounds like such a cool name for a city. I thought someday I will go there. And then I googled it and found that it's in Iraq.

So, maybe not.

I just realised how every place on my wishlist is not in India.

But, that's only because I've seen so much of India already. I went on all the camps in school and went to all corners of India. I actually am not even sure of how many places I've visited.

I've been white water rafting in Manali.

Pretended to see tigers in Bandhavgarh.

Seen the Taj Mahal in Agra and wondered why it was so yellow and how in the photo it's so white.

Been to colourful Rajasthan 2 or 3 times. But, didn't get the 'Oh my God! look at the colours' feeling that most foriegners do.

Visited Khajuraho when I was 12 and thought sex was a funny thing.

Sailed to Lakshdweep on a ship called Tipu Sultan where I had to shower in a 2x2 feet prison-like cubicle. And visited different islands everyday where we were greeted with coconut water and saw colourful fish swimming around us in the clear blue sea.

And so many more places.

I love my parents even more for letting me experience all this.

+

there was...

• The traveling and sleeping in a 3 bunk non-AC train in my blue sleeping bag while hoping to not fall off my bunk which was also randomly fun.
• Just like the spoonfull of brandy that was given to us at night to keep us warm in the colder cities which was like our teenage bar night. Wohoo!
• And those childish camp crushes which lasted for 10 days.

That was the life!

I pretty much saw most of India this way.

And having covered so many places there was nothing left on my places to see wishlist except Baroda.

Now, you may think 'Why Baroda?'

Well, when I was little, I thought Baroda was Abroad.

I think my mind was just set in Anagram mode for a while.

And around that time my sister even got me to believe that Kannada was the national language of Canada.

Way back when I was innocent (and stupid).

Luckily things have changed.

It's not that I don't like traveling in India. I love the motherland. I just wish we as Indians could maintain everything we have (which is a lot) and make it worth seeing.
I remember going to Ajanta - Ellora caves when I was 10 and I just couldn't understand why my school had taken us there. Was it to see I love Tinku, Bunty, Pinky and the rest of the Indian family carved out onto the paintings?

And then to add to that, the pollution makes holiday photos look so saturated. Unless you cheat and adjust levels on photoshop. Or actually do something about it.
But, when you travel away from the cities, I love how the colours just pop in the pictures.

by Muji (via Swissmiss)

When I think of my travels outside of India, I somehow always associate it with food + drink.

Oolong, Pu'er and Lychee Tea in China.

Apple tea, dolmas, white cheese and goat's milk icecream in Turkey.

Gelato, gelato and gelato in Italy.

Sangria and Tapas in Spain.

Dessert and cheese in France.

Shawerma in Dubai.

In Nepal I only had a cup of regular milky tea. Since I crossed the border and was there for just an hour.
Chocolate in Switzerland.
Everything in London.

And Amsterdam was all about Strawberries. I was 5.

But there were exceptions.

Bangkok was about wearing my Leonardo DiCaprio T-shirt. I was 12.

And America was all about the shopping and underage gambling.

I love holidays. Maybe not planning them.

I love going far away. But not the jet lag.
I love taking photos. Not practising using manual features.
I love dressing up on holiday. Not packing it all in.

And most of all I enjoy turning into currency converter and time difference calculator.

It brings out the travel geek in me.

Cushions by My bearded pigeon.

Here are my tips for planning a great holiday:

• Bring out the Kalnirnay to plan holiday dates. I check for good and bad days to keep my mother happy.
• Don't drive down anywhere. I don't enjoy drives that last more than an hour. I'd rather just start enjoying my holiday asap. My friend actually drugged me once so I wouldn't complain while driving from Bombay to Goa (with what I thought was an anti-throwing up pill). Thanks Mallika.
• Book the cheapest and quickest flight. I hate flying. I'm lean and mean but no flying machine.
• Check hotel reviews on tripadvisor.
• Or book hostels on hostels.com. They're as good as hotels.
• Get full itineraries made by someone who was kind enough to write and post them online.
• Use Google a lot. Don't worry, it won't feel violated.
• Pack light. Don't carry extra shoes. You can buy flip-flops even in a supermarket.
• And take lots of photos and capture every moment. Because your mind may explode trying to hold in all that beauty.
• And when photography is not allowed, buy postcards. Or be shady and take photos when noone's looking.

So much to see. So little time.

But, what a time to be alive!

Parlez-Vous Français?

I was watching the French Open last night. I watched Nadal beat Soderling. Soderling was a strong competitior but was having a bad day and all he had going for him were his cute dimples. Nadal on the other hand pulled his underwear out of his butt after every two mintues and made countless number of monkey-like expressions. But, I heart Nadal. Way to go!
Wish I could've been at Rolland Garros. What a time to be in Paris.

Two of my friends live in Paris - Smita and Nam. Probably wake up and eat baguettes everyday.

I love French food. Mainly because it is covered in butter - such a beautiful thing in such a happy colour. Everything is avec Crème. Crème brûlée, Crème caramel. I think the French even go swimming in Crème.

In 2005 I went on a holiday to France with my sister and mother. We ate croissants (don't know if I'll ever say it right) and even Escargot (boneless meat that's easy to eat), and salmon before, during and after every meal. Everytime Aku and I ate Camembert we could feel firecrackers going off in our mouths. It has that certain Je ne sais quoi. You'll know when you're eating it. And we enjoyed saying it with our fake French accents just as much as we loved eating it.

Cam-om-bear-t



by Vahram Muratyan

There were also others that stuck on for a lot longer. Till today we say Weefee for Wifi. It's just more fun that way.
They even say Mc Do for Mc Donald's. How cute is that?

Before I learnt French, these are the few words I knew:

Papier mâché - I love craft.

Vol-au-vent - One of the dishes my mother makes for me on every birthday.

Petit four - the mini desserts I always love to buy (at Candies).

S'il vous plaît and Merci beaucoup - because I mind my p's and q's.

Croque-monsieur and Crepes - cheesy and yummesy.
Pot-pourri - it's so pointless but I'm so glad it was invented.

Au gratin - the way I like it.

Agent Provocateur - because I follow fashion.

When I was 15, I learnt a bit of French at the Alliance Française class and then studied it for 2 years in College. Here we learnt about La Sorbonne (I love saying Sorbonne for some reason), Arc de Triomphe & the Centre Georges Pompidou. I also learnt that the word Ananas is the same in Hindi and French. Incase you don't know, it's Pineapple.

It was fun doing the whole je suis, je m'apelle. Didn't quite make it to je t'aime. I figured that it required a couple of more years of learning to understand its proper use.

My friend Mallika went on to study French (higher level) and even mastered the art of having a Tête-à-tête with a Marathi accent. Only she can boast about such rare talents.

Mona Lisa by Graphic Nothing

Two of my friends are backpacking through Europe at the moment. I'm so jealous. I just received an email from one them.

He says "Paris is cold, the people are cold, the vibe is cold & the women are not hot". I guess all they can do is enjoy the food really. And maybe the Sienne.

But, France did have its Belle époque. With Art déco and Art Nouveau.

I'm a big fan of everything that's Art but, I'm not a fan of the Louvre. Yawn. I thought the Mona Lisa was overrated. Or did I miss something?

But France has definitely got some things going for it.

Like the Moulin Rouge - the show not the movie.

Or one of my favourite movies - Amélie. I wish I had written that story.

Or French Onion soup - the oceany broth that never disappoints.

The Monaco Grand prix and the Cannes film festival - for entertainment.

Or simply coq au vin - because I am that immature that just saying the name makes me giggle.

I love the language because it sounds so beautiful.

But, more so because it's hilarious when Indians try to speak it.

As much as I say it right when I'm referring to the city, when I'm talking about the biscuit I automatically say Mon-ack-oh.

It's an Indian thing.

Hey! Don't judge.

Atleast I know how to pronounce Champs-Élysées.

So let's sing it now.

And here's another song I learnt. I pretty much only sang the word discothèque. Have a listen.

Ciao.

Cappadocia - a Hedonistic journey

Today's Google Doodle

Today happens to be the 50th Anniversary of the Flinstones and to celebrate it I'm going to tell you about a place that's something just like Bedrock.

Where will you be flying to today? asked the man at the airport check-in counter.

My grandmother promptly replied - Turkistan.

I never quite understood her obsession with that word.

That day we were actually taking a flight to Kayseri from where we were to drive down to paradise.

Cappa-doh-shia

Kappa-doh-kya

It's one of those po-tay-to  -  po-taa-to sort of words.

We had one of the 'usual' travel stories. I stared out of the window for most of the flight watching the clouds cast their shadows on the calm blue sea while being surrounded by the 'regular' people on the flight.

• The loud family member - my grandmother - who laughed right through the flight while reading Absolute Khushwant, a book everyone came to read on the trip.
• The random person reading something weird - this time it was a lady reading The Bastard from Istanbul by Elif Shafak. I wonder what that was about.
• And lastly there's either one of the two - the crying baby OR the annoying American.

As much as I get irritated with the crying baby, you can never blame them for crying. I have also cried with ear pain on flights.

But as my luck would have it, I had an annoying American who wouldn't shut up about how the online car industry was going to be the next big thing to hit the world. I can't even say I loved her confidence. 

Driving down to Cappadocia made me feel like I had just fallen asleep and was a part of my very own dream. Rüyasi in Turkish (I can't help but show off about the few Turkish words I've learnt).

Truly breathtaking. It's one of those must-see places. It's basically made up of volcanic rock that was formed from the ashes of 3 volcanoes that erupted millions of years ago. This soft rock made it easy to carve out of and people built homes, churches and amazing hotels too.

It was more than obvious then that I would be soon buying myself an authentic pumice stone. Bye bye Dr. Scholl.

Wine at Turasan

It was one of those places you go to to relax. Not much to do besides basking in the sunlight, eating, reading magazines, drinking freshly squeezed orange juice, going for walks, eating more, playing cards, drinking wine and eating some more. 

And obviously drinking apple tea. 

My most amazing observation: When the granules of apple tea mix with the hot water, it looks just like the bioluminescent plankton in the movie The Beach. 

The highlight of being in Cappadocia was going for the hot air balloon ride.

We woke up at 4:30 am. It was so cold. Not a time for the bum shorts to make an appearance.

We got to an open ground where they were setting up 2 balloons.

Watched the sunrise as we went up in the balloon.

At one time I counted about 50 balloons. Try it.

Cappadocia from up above looks like a beautiful meringue made by Jamie Oliver. It nearly made my mouth water.

Weren't quite ready to land even after an hour.

Celebrated our flight with Champagne.

No checking-in, no immigration, no turbulence and a pilot with a great sense of humour - Undoubtedly the best flight ever!

And we even got a certificate.

Our wonderful hotel

Cappadocia was awesome. What made it even better was our hotel, Elkep Evi.

We had large cave rooms with big comfy beds, lots of magazines to read, a sit-in closet and a music system with a lot of cds. 

I was expecting to find a CD of Tarkan's Kiss Kiss but found and listened to everything from La Traviata to Christmas Carols and Kenny G.

Now La traviata isn't my kind of music but it was weirdly relaxing. Which made me wonder, did I enjoy it cause I'm from a different time?

As a child, I believed that I was from the future cause when I heard the Macarena for the first time, it felt like a deja vu. Does that make any sense?

Aku, Halil & me with
 a random Japanese lady

We also did a day tour of Cappadocia with our guide, Halil. 

He made Turkey seem even more beautiful than it was.

He told us about their culture. Turkish people seem quite similar to Indians in a way. Quite family oriented. It isn't a very strict Islamic country as people seem to be eating and drinking freely even during Ramadan. They also call Eid Bayram.

Another random fact about Turkish people : They're not much into junk food. They prefer to munch on sunflower and pumpkin seeds instead of chips.

Being scared away by Muhammed in Istanbul, we thought of going for a Hamam in Cappadocia but luckily Halil warned us in time and saved us from being bathed by men yet again.

Trying hard to make the
Will you Marry me sugar pot at Avanos

He took us to see

• the beautiful churches in Goreme. All carved out. 
• To Avanos, famous for its pottery. It is said that back in the day if a boy wanted to marry a girl, her father would ask him to make a sugar pot. Now, a sugar pot has 2 parts, the jar and the lid. If the lid fit the jar meant that the boy was a good potter, fit enough to marry the girl.
• To a wine store - Cappa wines where we tasted wines - don't know what else we could've really done there. I also learnt the Turkish word for Wine from the paper bag. It's şarap.
• A jewellery store where I learnt that Turquoise is called Turquoise because it's Turkish quartz. I think. And the men at the store were for some reason trying to find me a Turkish husband.

Why I loved Cappadocia

Waking up in Cappadocia everyday brought a smile to my face.

I felt like I was in a room carved out with love.

My sit-in closet

A room with a view

I was surrounded by the kindest of animals.

Ate lovely cheese pancake - like stuff for breakfast.

My hair looked straight everyday.

At breakfast here was jam, jam and more jam.

And they have the cutest ice-cream man who entertains you.

Hated to have to leave Cappadocia for obvious reasons.

While we were in Avanos, we visited a pottery store where we were shown a special bottle that the Turkish people would make to store their tears. This was used by women when their men were at war so when their husbands returned they could show them how much they were missed.

I thought this was just so beautiful.

To be dramatic I would've loved showing how much I miss Cappadocia in the very same way but then again I think my blogpost makes it pretty clear.