2015 Travel Calendar

‘Short trips’ was this year’s recurring theme, making the best of my sparse holidays and sparser travel money.  If the last two years had been about discovering the joys of road-trips and solo travel, this year led me down a new path – food trips. Having always been a foodie, enjoying regional cuisine whenever I travelled, this year’s trips took this passion to new heights – trips where we ate like there was no tomorrow, hunting down the tastiest local specialities a place had to offer. I had more than enough food to savour, despite my supposed ‘drawback’ of being a vegetarian.

In between gorging on food, I photographed these delicacies, resulting in outright bad photos at first, but improving slowly by the next trip. This has made me want to better my food photography skills, something I’ve resolved to practice next year; not your glossy, studio set-up food photos, but photographing food on the streets. I love how travel brings such new challenges my way!

With a trip already planned for the first month of 2016, I sign off excitedly for this year, wishing everybody a very happy, healthy and travel-filled 2016.

                                                                                                         

Madurai

I travelled to Madurai by chance, as my husband, who spent a few years living there, wanted to visit the city to re-live his childhood memories. The trip quickly snowballed into a larger agenda, of also enjoying Madurai’s famed food. The city takes its title of 'thoonga nagaram' (the town that never sleeps) very seriously, buzzing from the wee hours of the morning, well into the night. Catering to the teeming mass of people are hole-in-the-wall eateries and road-side vendors, with a wide array of meals and tiffin items. While meals include a lot of non-vegetarian dishes, tiffin is predominantly vegetarian, and can be a meal in itself. Madurai's residents have a discerning palate, which reflects in the food they prepare, and it is almost impossible to get bad food anywhere in the city. I ate my way through Madurai tiffin, which offers a mind-boggling variety of dishes and beverages: from popular dishes like kotthu parotta and idli to unique local items like jigarthanda and thennangkuruthu. 

Kodaikanal

The best way to atone for indulging in such excesses at Madurai was to walk it off, I thought. What better way to do that than to spend a few days at nearby Kodaikanal? Kodaikanal’s crisp winter weather and laidback weekday disposition proved to be the perfect setting for rambling walks, energetic cycling around the Kodai Lake, and a sweaty hike to Dolphin’s Nose. Our determination to not focus on food, however, was thrown out of the window thanks to our gregarious home-stay hosts, who broke our resolve with every lip-smacking meal they cooked for us.  All the food sent us scrambling for more walks, and we returned to Bangalore refreshed by Kodaikanal’s charm and natural beauty.

Read about this trip: http://nomadandabag.blogspot.com/2016/08/seeking-nostalgia-in-kodaikanal.html

Kabini, Karnataka

This quick jaunt to Kabini in the monsoon was intended as a rejuvenating break after a strenuous first half of the year, and to celebrate hubby’s milestone birthday. As usual, Kabini lived up to its promise. Threatening clouds loomed, but it never rained hard enough to foil our plans. Four safaris into the forest, short walks around Kabini River Lodge’s campus, and contemplative sessions gazing at the Kabini reservoir got us fully recharged for the latter half of 2015.

Delhi

Dilli ki sardi was something my friend would often poetically rave about. I decided that it was finally time to experience it first-hand, inviting myself over to my aforesaid friend’s home. Research prior to the trip had armed me with a list of over 40 eateries to visit, many serving winter specialities, and I lost no time in dragging my friends along for the food mania. Over three days, we systematically chomped our way through the list, walking for hours through Old Delhi, seeking out nondescript push-carts and not-marked-on-any-map eateries, all serving some of the cheapest, freshest and most delicious food I have ever eaten. When we could walk no more, we took breaks at some of Delhi’s lovely monuments, catching forty winks and resting our tired legs, only to resume our mission soon after. Not for the faint-hearted, this trail!

A Chequered Date with the Chequered-flag

 

Panoramic view from my seat, of turns 10 & 11

India’s first ever Grand-Prix: beyond cynics’ wildest dreams; and, for F1 fans, their wildest dream come true. I myself couldn’t believe it, as I sat in the electrifying atmosphere at the circuit; stands chock-a-block with spectators. For most people, it was akin to a family picnic or a chance to hang out with friends in a ‘different’ ambience. You had the noise, the food & the drinks. And, the snob value. It was ‘the place’ to be seen in. People were dressed to the nines. Air-kissing was rampant, as was the clicking of heels. But, the deafening roar of the engines silenced everything, as people watched in awe. I think the sport gained a few fans at the end of that weekend. And those who were fans already were re-converted, vowing to come & watch this each year.

Bruno Senna misses the apex

We all waited with bated breath, for the drivers’ verdict of the Buddh International circuit. Did the much-hyped design live up to its name? After 2 days’ practice, it received a unanimous thumbs-up. And the spectators’ verdict? Another thumbs-up. Seated at the premium South stand, with its double turn & some elevation in the track, I had plenty of action to keep me happy. The circuit was loaded with over-taking possibilities & thrilling ones at that. Initially bothered by the dust that hadn’t quite settled down, the drivers soon took to the track. 

Practice session

I watched the race with one bad eye, having had a metal piece fly & embed itself into my cornea when dust flew into it just as I left my hotel, eagerly heading to the race. After a frantic visit to the doctor & fervent prayers for the race to begin at ‘IST’ so that I don’t miss the drivers’ parade at 1:30, I made it to the circuit just as the last three drivers drove past. My prayers weren’t answered; the parade had begun on time. 

Fernando Alonso

Felipe Massa

The race was exciting, with Massa & Hamilton again at loggerheads; one of their many clashes this year. Massa’s suspension, which had already troubled him at qualifying, broke soon after. When his car stalled near my turn, you could sense his disappointment as he was driven away on a scooter. Vettel’s lead was stupendous & he’d cemented his place on the podium right from the first lap. Credibly, Narain Karthikeyan finished the race. Karun Chandhok waved to spectators as he vroom-ed past during the practice sessions. I threw away my ear-plugs; it wasn’t half as fun without the sound of these beauties zooming past. 

The first lap of the race, with Vettel in the lead (outside the photo) with Button seen here, ahead of Webber.

Massa's car, carted away

Massa walks away from his car after the suspension broke

Lewis Hamilton

Michael Schumacher

I was wondering how people who didn’t follow the sport would enjoy. To add to their woes, the commentary wasn’t audible at all as it was drowned by the cars’ sound. But, people discovered their own little ways to have fun: they cheered as Karthikeyan drove past, they cheered for Force India’s cars, they posed for pictures with the race in the background, they came armed with Force India flags (which they waved), and they applauded as cars tackled corners at un-imaginable speeds. 

Vettel & Hamilton on the victory lap

Now for the minor irritants: As an architect, I first noticed it & then, it irked me that the stand design was clumsy, with the roof barely covering me (I was in the last row, last column, but I still expect to be covered when I pay for a ‘covered seating area’). Four annoying columns right in the front did block a bit of my view of the exciting double turn. And yes, Jaypee Sports goofed up the travel arrangements. Yes, the food was over-priced & bad. Yes, they’d barely completed the work on time & we had to walk through undulating sand (fine by me, but it inconvenienced children & the elderly quite a bit). And, I was stranded after the race when the taxi service didn’t send me my ‘confirmed’ cab because they couldn’t find a cabbie who wanted to venture so far to pick me up. I waited in hope until it turned dark & even the organizers had left; I then almost hijacked the next taxi that drove past, thankfully empty.

Vettel receives his trophy from Mayawati

The view outside the stand

The arrival of F1 in India has not been without its share of brick-bats. Organizers have been accused of wasting money. There are factions that say that the money could have been spent to boost other sports. Some are worried that F1 will now lure all sponsors who were supporting other sports. And then, there is the question of affordability; with prices like this, it will be accessible only to a niche audience.

Looking back at the lighter moments, a dog ran across the track on the first day, only to be promptly christened the ‘race dog’. Luckily, it escaped, un-injured. Mayawati caused not a little mirth when she was called to present the trophy. She did that, amongst boos & speculations about whether each of the three winners on the podium would get designer handbags, especially chosen by her. But, undoubtedly, the star of the show was the circuit. We ooh-ed & aah-ed each time the giant screen flashed a view of the entire track, shot from the helicopter hovering above. All the circuit needs is a little polishing. Hopefully, a year should remedy that. But, the race more than made up for it. Until next year, then!

For information about our trip & tips, read this:

http://nomadandabag-guides.blogspot.com/2013/01/indian-grand-prix-f1-information-tips.html