Sun, Sand, and Sea

Getting back to my readers after such a long gap…I’m feeling awesome actually. Life has been different and great at the same with lots of changes but traveling never took a back seat though. I moved to US almost 3 years back and life had been really busy. Needless to say, that reconnecting with my readers had always been at the back of my mind and finally after so many years I am here again to share those exhilarating experiences I had gathered over the years with you all. So, let’s start with my latest trip experience – trip to Miami in the state of Florida.

It struck us last October when suddenly it started getting chilly signaling the onset of an early winter in the east coast, and as most of us are pretty much aware of the harsh and unpredictable winter scenes here, we kind of rushed into enjoying the ‘good weather’ a bit more. Hence, we headed to enjoy some sun, sand, and sea at early November 2018.

We checked in to Staybridge Inn and Suites at Miami which is a 15-min-drive from the South Beach. It was a good find at such a short notice I must say. However, parking is a concern here; there was an overnight fee for the valet parking which was waived off for us fortunately. Also, anywhere you go, it’s hard to find a free parking.

Anyway, the wait was finally over as we headed straight to the South Beach after fueling ourselves up at the sumptuous breakfast buffet at Staybridge Inn and Suites and Whoa Whoa Whoa! I instantly felt energized the moment my feet touched its smooth white sand; I breathed the warm, relaxing breeze, and the sound of the waves was like music to my ears. My first feeling was, I could have stayed here all year long instead of suffering the agony of five months of bleak winter at the New Jersey. But, guess what! Every place has its pros and cons. It was November and Miami was ‘the destination’ then; come summer, I swear I would have never felt the same way considering the extreme heat and humidity. On our way, we hopped into the Lummus Park for a while; it connects you to the South Beach. It’s a nice sandy spot with a playground for children and an ecstatic view to the sea.

Florida beaches are known for its white sand and clear blue water and South Beach Miami is probably the most populated and happening amongst all. It’s an eclectic mix of world-class boutiques, fusion fashion, beachside cuisine, celebrity-chef eateries, and a lively ready-to-go crowd. Trust me, we spent almost 3 days just enjoying this culture; there’s so much to it.

Popularly known as the American Riviera and an art deco playground, South Beach Miami is a hot spot day and night. It was a family trip after a long time and we kept it more of a relaxing kind.  While we spent most of our daytime lazing around in the beach; post-evening, we used to take a nice stroll along the glamorous ocean drive amidst the delightful, cuisine-themed eateries, the indie fashion shops, and the uniquely decorated outdoor cafes. We chose to sit with beer cans by the sea during the sunset… pure bliss.

If you are in Miami, there’s no way you can skip the Cuban food. Cuban sandwiches to Cuban coffee shots, everything is worth a try. Filled with a combination of ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, and mustard on Cuban bread, the Miami Cuban food is one of the gorgeous things that you would never regret. Some more cuisines I tried are Vaca frita de Pollo at Havana 1957 Ocean Drive, lobster roll and Cuban sandwiches at Larios on the Beach, and Cuban Cafecito at Versailles (it was a task remembering all the names J!). Miami is the place to try Cuban cuisine and seafood varieties and do try the jumbo Margarita in any of the ocean drive restaurants. The local craft beers are also a must-try when in Miami. Not an avid drinker, but did try some of them and I must say, some of them were unique.

Well, now let’s take a break from the beach and step into the city!

Lot of us know Miami for its mesmerizing beaches, glamorous night-life, and delectable cuisines, but there’s more to Miami. The art district of Miami is one thing you cannot miss here. Known for its variety of colorful murals, Wynwood Walls is an outdoor museum that has brought together some brilliant works by world’s best street artists. You have to see it to believe it. Located just south of the Miami design district, Wynwood walls is home to more than 70 art galleries, boutiques, and museums. You will be amazed to see the growing arts scene in this diamond-in-the-rough place which is surrounded by some stunningly decorated bars and lounges. You’ll often find a hip-hop young crowd frequenting the neighborhood because of its ambiance, décor, shopping streets, and some fabulous food joints. It was quite hot that day and we spent almost the entire day hopping from one art gallery to another, but nevertheless there were enough shades for our respite. We had some delectable homemade ice-creams from an ice-cream truck there which further cooled us down. 

While you gratify your mind and soul with the awe-inspiring works of art at the Wynwood Walls, you can also take a quick stroll at the Miami Design District. A posh and creative neighborhood known for its sleek modern architecture, high-end fashion and jewelry stores, celebrity-chef restaurants, and luxury interior design stores. It’s an excellent place for recreation and taking photos. Besides the chic look and feel of this neighborhood, Miami Design District is also home to contemporary art work and art events. Viewing these art galleries was a real treat to eyes, I must say. I wonder how much each of the art pieces would cost!

Four days just whizzed by before we could realize its time to head back home. We spent a night at The Fort Lauderdale but didn’t do any sightseeing there. Vacations are so refreshing and there are so many places at the east coast itself. Let’s see what tops our list among the upcoming gateway destinations J

and Tigers...

The desire to visit a jungle sprung up when my school friend Sumit mentioned about his desire to visit Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve, Nagpur, Maharashtra sometime soon to add to his elaborate list of forest visits… well, they are not ordinary forests, but have to be tiger reserves, that’s how passionate this friend of mine is about tigers and seriously concerned about their dimming count. I was sure that irrespective of the Oppressive (with a capital O) summer heat, tiger sightings or not, I will have a good time with him given his experience in the wild. Another friend Debu, from my college tagged with me, so it was a threesome gearing up for a ride of expectation.

We took a train that starts from Kolkata in the afternoon and reached the heart of India, Nagpur early morning the next day. Then it was a car ride till a town Chandrapur, and then another 30 km ride to reach Tadoba. In-between Sumit’s experience warmed (literally) us to the fact that we have to purchase (and eat) lots of water melons to keep the body cool. In the meanwhile we had come to know that the temperature touches mid forties easily and the effect could be felt at Nagpur or Chandrapur… everyone on bikes seemed to have hit the road after robbing the bank, that how they have their faces covered, revealing only the eyes. We managed to load our car with two jumbo water melons, lot of grapes, and of course our bottles of chilled bear and headed towards MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corp) resort.

When we reached Tadoba, it was 2 PM and the first ride into the Mohrali Range set off at3 PM. We changed, had a light lunch and hit the open green Maruti Suzuki jeep that we had booked. We were told that only petrol jeeps are permitted to ply in the forest area, keeping in mind the pollution and probably the sound that the diesel engine creates. The driver Bandu was a confident, strong lad, for whom we developed a liking in an hour of conversation. Slightly late for the first trip in-between a sea of cars, we set into the core with lot of expectations and thrills. Add Stayed at MTDC Resort. The first animal we saw within the first km was a langoor busy shuttling between trees. Our fingers started clicking the camera shutters to savor the moment of the first capture. One thing we, the first timers observed that there were lots of pools of water, locally called Taka constructed by the side of the road which feeds the animals with much needed water during the hot days and gives us opportunity to take their pictures in the process.

As we went a little deep, we saw few cars huddled by the side of such a pool, waiting in expectantly with their cameras outstretched. Their cameras wore huge lenses and our digicams looked like toddlers to those. Bandu was quick to understand the situation and parked the car instantly to join the rest. The forest rule does not permit us to get down from our cars, all we could do is wait patiently without making much of a fuss in the stinging sun.

The Royal family crossing over

Then came the moment when the tigress made a grand entry and became centrestage, the cameras went berserk in burst mode. Content with everything going around, we thought “And it is just the start”. From that trip onwards, once we became bored, we came back to that waterhole for a sure sighting of the royal family, and they barely disappointed us.

In-between, we saw various kinds of deer, the spotted ones were plenty, the barking ones (they actually bark and also the smallest variety) and the sambars (the biggest and as legend goes, the stupidest). The sambars were never scared to have their profile been shot, and it was fun filling up our cameras with their pictures. Then there were huge bisons (Indian Gaur) sipping from some waterhole or the other. In a place called Katezari (a range), which is greener of all ranges in the forest and holds subsequent amount of water even in the oppressive summer heat, we found bear footmarks on trees laden with honey bees, but always remained short of coming across one of them.

A lush Telia-dharan (Telia dam) in the midst of otherwise dry forest

Been through so much in so little time, the male tigers stole the show. There were two of them one of which fondly called teri-poonch, meaning slanted tail (nothing more than a demarcation). We reached that in a cinematic way when our car followed the trail of a male tiger in a narrow road. After almost 20 mins of search, finally got to check out the huge species. Our meeting with the second male happened when we were only 20 feet away from each other, almost ignorant of our presence, he walked the other way and into the forest.

Going through this, we may feel "Aal Is Well" with the gorgeous beasts, but it is far from so. Poaching is still active is few reserves, villagers in-between the forest throw tantrums when asked to be shifted somewhere else, politics in taking up responsibilities, are all burning issues. So much so that our PM Manmohan Singh had to step up and comment on the conservation of tigers in India. Precious little are being done since while we keep our fingers crossed that the count of tigers surpasses all expectations and crosses the official figure of 1411 till now.

from Zurich

A month back, I had to take on the toughest assignment (not as tough as the assignment I am working on now!) of coming back to India.... leaving behind all the fun and friends in Switzerland! It was difficult, the recession had set in, but again, perhaps I also wanted to come back for some reason or the other.

First Mumbai, and now Zurich... being there for work, and then leaving them after being there for almost a year, then leaving them to come back to my city with a new assignment... had been difficult to deal with. I still miss my days in Mumbai, and now add Zurich to that :(.

Each and every moment in Zurich had been fun filled, even the not so exciting work at office seemed great, thanks to some wonderful friends I managed to make at work. Friends, who have been with me through the good and the bad times (yes, I had my share of bad times too ;-)) there... I miss many moments I spent there: I miss my night-outs on almost every Friday or Saturday, my swimming, my fussball post-lunch at office.. I miss them all. My friends back there complain that post my home-coming, their social lives is not half as rocking as it used to be... and its true for me too!

A gathering of patrons of Indian Association of Zurich

But again, coming back is an awesome feeling, I got to meet my parents after a long gap, met so many old friends, met relatives. Seriously speaking, I never felt like missing any of them over the period! Communication has made things so easy!!

Given an option, I would definitely like to go back there, into the greens of Switzerland, into the not-so-good English speaking but wonderfully nice people, into the stringent and monitoring laws, within the friends I had made there, and ofcourse make my parents travel and be witness to all of this. I probably will meet most of my friends currently in Switzerland sometime in Kolkata, but those I dont get to meet here, I am already working on plans to meet ;-)....

Till then, take care.. and dont u dare forget me.. just happened to remember a high voltage hindi film dialog from a drama, where the ex lover utters the nonsense about his girlfriend: "Main tumhe bhul jau, ye ho nahi sakta! Aur tum mujhe bhul jao, ye main hone nahi dunga!!" The dialog still rocks..... ha ha.

in Zürich

A few days back I experienced the first snow of the season. And I came to know, snowfall happened a tad earlier this year than normal... nevertheless, I enjoyed the white-cotton snowfall immensely. Well, its not that I did not encounter a anything like that earlier... I came across this when I came here early this year, but there is a special place for the season's first in everybody's heart.. so is this :). I still remember the first rainfall in Hyderabad after a sweltering heat several years back, when I went there for a short assignment... the summer temperature had touched 48 degrees and I was dancing like a peacock in the balcony of our hotel in the rain...... such is the charm of a first experience. The plants have almost completed their formality of shedding their leaves but the real cold is still to set in... and I already have a few maple leaves in my possession, by public demand :) (considering they are not found back home). Its an indication of a cold winter in the wings..... not that I dont like cold winter, its just that being in India, its hard to have a real cold winter ;)! The next few days (and months) is going to be really exciting, looking at the celebration we have next month. Switzerland is getting all decked up for the coming celebrations... I hope to have a real good time with the close ones, enjoying their warmth in the 'not used to' cold :).

Here... take a look at the serene road after the first snow in the dawn....... isnt it great?

And there is a good news for enthusiasts who would like to venture outside Switzerland without a visa... its looks that its going to be a reality with Switzerland coming into Schenghen countries... however, I feel this is bad news for those from UK who can make it without any visa here :(, they need to have a visa in future! You see, it always works this way, whats good for one person may not necessarily be good for the other..... so my friends in UK, who wants to make a trip here have to make it reeeeeeal fast ;-)!!

I am waiting......... ..... ..

in Zürich

Its been quite some time in Zürich and till now, I loved being a part of this city. Its almost winter and the greeeeen trees are already starting to get brown and shedding their leaves in anticipation of a cold winter :). Along with the greens and lakes (comeon, we know that), this country (lemme say, this city) also has one of the best nightlifes I have seen in a long time.... thanks to the english speaking community I have bothered to join, Swiss ppl are also invited... albeit they have to speak english. Needless to say, I get to meet a lot of people from different cultures and backgrounds.. I meet people from those parts of the world I have never heard names of!! Okay, okay, I am bad in geography, so what.......!! But the best thing about being a part of this family is - it is headed by an Indian in Zürich.

Yes, you read it right, an Indian. He's been here for more than four years now, has been out of India for the last 10 yrs... he is the soul responsible for making the weekly meets come true with his presence and enthusiasm... he provides an umbrella under which people get to meet new people. He is the ultimate party freak I have ever seen and probably would ever see. We have managed to hit a note in a very short time and are like good friends now.

Being in Switzerland helps as I am in a wonderful place, and at the centre of a no of gorgeous places... and I am looking forward to going out outside this country. The good news is that Switzerland is coming within the Schengen countries from November onwards... but I dont believe it till it actually happens!! I have hearing about this for the last n months. When this happens, the residents of Swiss (now I am a resident of Swiss too ;)) would not need to apply for any additional visa for trips across Europe. However, in the short term, I would like to visit Jüngfrau....... for starters, Jüngfrau is the topmost point in Europe, where transport do reach... I dont have good feedback about the location, but its a matter of esteem... u have to be at the top.... man.

Life is going on fast and strong, with so much happening and so much being thought of. Will miss Durga Puja this season back home, but would like to see Zürich's only Durga Puja now that I am here. Atleast, its not like America's where Puja happen during the weekends!!!!!! But at the same time, its unfortunate that this time Puja is on the weekdays :(... so have to go there directly from office... anything for Ma :).

My textual travelogue comes to an end. Hope to come up with nice photographs and tidbits from the trips. At the same time, I hope Ma Durga while visiting her parents with her children on the earth (the five super busy days), ends the misery of all her disciples throughout, end the terrorrism that is plaguing the whole world now!

My friends in Kolkata, enjoy the wonderful five days... and friends outside, enjoy Navratri, Laxmi Puja, Saraswati Puja...... party, nightouts, etc. etc.

Huh! who works in Switzerland!!

Its been a few days that I have come to Zürich, Switzerland to work for my company. Barring the first few days, I am thoroughly enjoying my stay here. Zürich has a predominant German culture due to its proximity with Germany. Since I have come here, I have been to two places where I felt taste of two varied cultures: French and Italian... coz they are close to these two countries. Its amazing to see the kind of cultural exposure Switzerland has... with FOUR national languages - blah blah... yaaaa, i know you are already aware of these :).

The people here are told to be the most chilled out... compared to even those in other European countries... that this is the best place to work, because they hardly demand anything over the top... that this is the best place to tour (as u all know) due to its naturally beautiful countryside. So, it was a dream come true for me when I was asked to come here for an assignment :).

Till now, there have been days when I had to work under extreme timelines (not that they baffle me... for those who know me ;)), there have been time when there have been very less work (how do u expect I found the time to come up with this blog??), but I have enjoyed working with the locals and few Indians, who are here for reasons similar to mine. True to belief, the locals (who r not locals really, most have migrated from Germany) are nice, jovial and ofcourse, very professional.

However, there is one thing I would like to change here: they definitely do not score points as conservator of energy. Starting from shops, to the restaurants, offices... all of these tend to have their lights on even when they are closed for the day. I am sure Switzerland has huge source of energy, but wasting them in this way puts me in disarray. I cannot imagine anything like this back home, where there is anyway so much energy wastage.

There are so many more things to write, but they will all come in the coming times (depending on my mood i.e.)... but in the end, I would like to stress that people call it a nice place for a reason understandable... the lakes, the mountains, the wonderful facilities, the people willing to help, etc. etc. etc.

Sometimes I would like to give them back all the good things they have offered me, till then ieanjoy........... :)

Words fall short

I had to write something about this epic movie... better late than never.

This Christmas, there has been three supposed blockbuster releases... two in Hindi - Taare Zameen Par (TZP) and Welcome, and one Bengali - Koilashe Kelenkari (KK). All three are watchable for their own reasons. TZP is Amir Khan's first directorial venture and we expect a lot from him and going by the reviews, this film promised to be a superb one. Welcome's main draw are the stars who star in the film. KK is a gripping Felu da film brought to motion by own very own, the great Satyajit Ray's son, Sandip Ray.

TZP is the first film I chose to see... I prefer to see Amir Khan's movie by the first week itself.

What can I say about the film... its one of the finest one can see in this decade, the direction being the high-point. Amir proves his ability once again and has left us wanting for more. In the theater, I could feel everybody around me sobbing, my friend (a male!) was literally shaking with emotion and I could see him wiping his eyes frequently. Believe me, no one needed to be ashamed to be crying in the open, such is the impact of the film.

Such a emotional movie, but never did we feel that the pace of is anything near slow. Normally I hate going to watch movies that are mushy and emotional in nature, but this one has a message and a lot of learning for parents. Yester-night only, Amir had turned up on the news channel, Times Now, and was supposed to face questions from callers, live. And the phone never stopped ringing... everyone has been calling to congratulate him on the wonderful film, leave alone the wonderful directorial debut and great acting skills from Amir and the wonder kid. Everyone acknowledges the fact that the film has taught them a lesson or two about parenting. The adulations left him quite emotional and choked at the end of the show.

There are so many high-points in the film that it is impossible to find one single scene worth a mention. However, Amir in the interview, described the scene where the kid's father came to him trying to assure that he takes "good care" of his son, but he, the teacher, describes what taking care is all about. The songs are apt to the plot of the film, simple, lyrical and melodious... they carry the story forward. Tremendous work by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

You might have seen and read a lot about this film, so without writing anything more, let me say this loud and clear... whether you are a film watcher or not, whether you like Hindi movies or not, this is a must watch.

to keep clean

Almost three weeks back, I was passing Nicco Park to reach my office. I discovered an unbearable stench coming from a stretch just after the entertainment park (for those who are guessing, Nicco Park is the entertainment park). I found that the stench is emanating from a stray dog that has 'passed away', maybe a good few hours before… made me ponder over the fact that "theirs is a dog's life" and hoped the body will be removed soon by Nabadigonto (responsible for cleaning and beautification of the roads).

Two weeks passed, the body still lay there unattended!! The body had become dry and almost half the actual size, though the silver lining (if you see any!) was… even the smell had dried. The cars whizzed past, not bothered (as they had not been bothered the last time, when a young engineer died on the same road… unattended… after a bike accident), not too many people walked in the nearby areas, and the nearby traffic policeman seemed to busy with his own duty. I felt that the Naba (Nabadigonto, casually) guys in the nearby area need to be told that planting trees and cutting grass isnt the only beautification job possible.

I started by nagging two policeman in a nearby check post and asked them to own the added responsibility and let the Naba guys know about the carcass they have failed to clear till then. It went for two days… needless to say - without any result. Then I walked along the stretch of our office to find a Naba guy working on beautification. Asked him to let his colleagues know about the body merely a 100 m from there; he also promised me the contact number of Naba; but, never got to see him since.

However, the last few days, the body is not there… maybe my nagging has worked… maybe they have found their mistake. Better Late Than Never… B.U.T. another dog seemed to have given up its life for the sake of 'dog'kind probably expecting a better treatment this time. I also hope the same and if this does not happen, I may have to get down on the roads this time as well. Or, may be, a few more associates take it up on themselves to get rid of the mess.

Whatever happens, we need to take a little more onto ourselves to ensure a clean and green ambience, and I believe that we have still not started.

With the good wishes of all you friends, I introduce to you a new place where I have managed to write a new story. The place is a publication on the internet, Indo Canada Outlook; the url being IndoCanadaOutlook.com. It is an electronic monthly, produced by GlobalomMedia (GlobalomMedia.com). We can write for this and/or its sister publication South Asian Outlook (SouthAsianOutlook.com). Volunteers can submit their article/story/interview for consideration for publication.

I hope to write more articles in future on various topics. Will keep you posted on my latest releases as I have always done.

Cheers...........

Second Day Last Show

Oops, this time I was indecisive about seeing the film the first day!!

Initially, I was not eager to see the film as I thought of not going to the theater to see the couple that has failed miserably every time they have come on-screen. However, the change this time was that.. this film is directed by Maniratnam, music composed by A.R. rahman, this this duo makes any film likeable by their taut script and wonderful music. Plus, the thought that this was a story of inspiration pushed me to the theater when my friends asked me to pursue them. And yes, the duo did not let me down. The script was very good, the film wasting no time in getting into the actual matter at breakneck speed... ufff, there is not a min. to lose. The background score, as usual is beautiful and the songs picturesque.

However, what surprised me was the performance of the lead pair, specially mentioning Abhishek. He has been spot on from the very first scene, looked at ease with the character, looked like he has done a lot of home work for the role. He is in(to) the film in almost every scene and looked like pulling every scene with elan. Rumours are Abhishek has put on 11 kgs for this film, looked true. One more thing that an average cinegoer will be interested is the comparison of this film with the life of the great enterpreuner, Dhirubhai Ambani. The great man is said to have started from Dubai, our Guru Kant Desai started from Turkey set in an old time. His rise to fame is very fast, not only in the reel, but in his actual life as well. This raised a lot of eyebrows. Here comes the quality acting of Mithun and his aide, Madhavan. Mithun, as the owner of a succesful english daily, looked to uncover the 400% growth of the 'Shakti Parivaar' as Guru prefers to call the corp; though internally the two man bled for each other internally. In the end, how Guru comes of the whole mess is for everyone to see.

The film is a rocking one if you want to draw inspiration from the characters. However, it lacks a bit to highlight the emotional side of the relationships. There are so many things to show, that too is such less time. Other than a few emotional moments, the characters get lost midway. This film truly belongs to Abhishek for the length of his role, his screen presence and his performance. Ash does not disappoint as well.. her transformation to a Gujarati village belle from the Dhoom2 mould is cool. Mithun da's performance is worth a wow as well. Maddy (as we refer Madhavan) looks nice and young and has considerable role towards the end. And how can I forget the beautiful Vidya Balan? She plays Mithun's grand daughter in the film, down with an ailment.. her chemistry with Maddy (never mind they aren't sharing screen too much) and the kiss are not to be missed.

To cut the looooong story short, this film definitely worth a watch. Jr. B fans will lap up the film with both hands. Its not for any reason that Jr. says that this is his biggest film till now. Congrats to Abhi and Ash to have hit the bull's eye in such a time when they have decided to tie the knot.

There is a trivia I would like to share: In the reel life like in actual life, Aishwarya plays a lady who is older than Abhishek.