Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Scuba dive to life & bliss

         



                      " The world's finest wilderness lies beneath the waves " - Wyland





Goa is my most favourite holiday destination in the country. I fell in love with the lush groves, panoramic waters and the laid back way of life, when I set my foot here almost 2 decades back. Yes, I came to Goa as a child and it has been a big part of my life ever since. I have been here at least once in  two years and would want to continue this tradition for the rest of my life.

Being an adventure junkie, I have had tried almost all kinds of water sports in Goa - paragliding, jet ski, banana boat ride to name a few. This time SCUBA DIVING is on my bucket list. Ever since I saw the underwater scene in "ZINDAGI MILEGI NA DOBARA", I am just mesmerized by the life deep down.

Goa is an ideal place for such adventure sports especially scuba diving. The absence of riptide currents makes Goa safe for such sports. The ideal season is from October to April where underwater visibility is between 5-10 m. The depth of water is generally 3- 30 m and the water temperature is around 27- 30 degrees making the diving very comfortable.

" Diving is an investment of time and money but rewards can be life changing, literally " - Andy Cummings.

Once inside the waters, Snappers, angelfish, tuna, batfish, sergeant majors are a few of fish that one could spot. In addition to the amazing corals and marine life, Goan waters have large numbers of ship wrecks including the Portugal and Spanish galleons and world war 2 wrecks. Reportedly, there are around thousand unexplored wrecks and you could be lucky to spot one !


One should be normally fit to indulge in scuba diving. It should always be done in the presence of an instructor. Knowing swimming would be an added advantage but is not mandatory. There are quite a few school for scuba diving in Goa, MOJHI being the biggest marketplace for adventure sports. You will be imparted training before hitting the waters. The important equipments for scuba diving includes a special suit, a mask, fins, regulator, buoyancy compensator and a snorkel. Also, a portable medical kit is a part of the equipment.


So, this October, book a scuba diving session and be perplexed and bewildered by the breathtaking beauty underneath. After all,

" A picture is worth a thousand words, underwater ones are worth at least a million " - Stephan Frink













Monday, September 12, 2016

If DDLJ Was remade by Ekta kapoor

There are some movies which enjoy the cult status and to just imagine it being remade is sort of criminal. Remember how Ramgopal Verma spoiled the best entertainer ever made in Bollywood, the epic SHOLAY.







Imagine if Soap Queen Ekta Kapoor plans to remake our favourite love story "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" starring  superstar Shahrukh khan and Kajol. And  whom does she pick to play the lead roles.....any guesses?? Salman khan some would say or maybe Ranveer Singh for the main lead whereas Priyanka Chopra, Deepika or even Katrina Kaif could play the leading lady. Going by the past, it's difficult to even imagine the obvious. EKTA being Ekta will alway do the unpredictable like casting Living legend Rajnikant for the role of Raj while opting for the gorgeous Sunny Leone to play Simran. Now, let the drama unfold.

So, Raj aka Rajnikant meets Sunny babe on Chennai express while going to the same jungles where slain sandalwood smuggler Veerappan once lived. Why these jungles, you may want to know? Going by EKTA's  reputation, what can you expect from someone who made Ragini MMS  and Krishna cottage. Now, the iconic shot of Raj giving his hand to Simran to help her board the the moving train.....Rajni gives his hand to Sunny, who manages to catch it but leaves it twice before grabbing it the third time ( remember the saas bahu serials where each important shot is shown thrice- kya, kya, kya ) . And about the famous bedroom scene where Raj convinces Simran that she kissed him last night in the inebriated state. Rajnikant tells the just woken up Sunny that she kissed him last night to scare the shit out of her....and when he turns back to look at her, there's a snake (Icchadhari naagin or shape shifting snake) swooning " Tujhe dekha toh yeh jaana sanam". Oh! And I am not done yet!!
Ekta gets Aamir to play "BAUJI", "oh! Teri, jaa jee le apni zindagi "  becomes the tag line of the movie. Kareena  kapoor was initially roped in to do the role of Preeti, originally played by Mandira Bedi. She lays a certain conditions to do the part as in - there should be atleast 1 sizzling item number  in the movie so that the audiences only remember her and not the "heroine" Sunny Leone like in Dabangg 2 where her "fevicol" song outshone everyone. But now that she is preggers and it's difficult gyrating to an item song she opts out. The original is out and lookalike is in. Yes, the small wonder Alia Bhat now plays the demure and docile Preeti. She has a question - whom do I get to romance, Aamir or Rajnikant? Haha 

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Saturday, September 10, 2016

Marching my way into culinary delights @ 38 Barracks

38 Barracks ! Does the word ring a bell? Ding ding ding....Well, yes & very proudly so. It reminds us of our glorious Army and THE REAL HEROES.

                     " Some people make their parents proud but few make their country proud "





38 barracks, located in the heart of the capital at Connaught Place or CP as it is fondly called, takes its inspiration from the great heritage and timeless traditions of our army. As I make my way into the restaurant, I am amazed by the skillfully done decor. It is festooned with the memorabilia of an army man. The medals, trophies, rifles, souvenirs, photographs transporting you into a world reminiscent of bravery, integrity, candor and uprightness.



I was a part of the food bloggers group invited for chef tasting menu curated by Michelin recommended chef Gautam Choudhry. We were welcomed by pretty as a picture amuse bouche which is essentially a bite sized appetizer served according to chef's selection. It had a piece of watermelon dressed with Cream cheese and balsamic caviars.


As for drinks, I opted for the very delightful Banta which comes in three flavours - kala khatta, blueberry and raspberry.  I tried kala khatta, which was a winner hands down and blueberry was also good.



We were served an array of delectable starters like the mirchi vada which was made to perfection. I love spicy stuff and I relished it completely.


Next was beet root galouti kebabs which to my amusement did not have that peculiar beet root-y smell or taste. It's a great way to feed kids the veggies they detest. 





Corn tarts were my favourite along with panner tikka barrels. The delicate and succulent tart was balanced by the tangy corn. Yummm!!!  The paneer tikka stuffed with dried fruits is easily the bestest I have had so far. Take my word for it, it's a sure shot hit.


There were a lot of non veg starters like chicken satay, mutton kebabs served as well.



Much to my delight,  we were served the biggest burger I had ever seen. It was almost thrice the size of an average burger and could easily be enough for 2-3 people. The bun was soft and the patty was very flavourful and luscious.





And as everyone knows, life is too short to say no to desserts. I opted for two of them - a baked pie stuffed with rasogulla and served with Icecream along with my favourite melt-in-the-mouth brownie with vanilla icecream. Need I say more!!! 








And as the saying goes "people who love to eat are always the best people". Loved meeting you all Vickrham, Nora, Sonalini, Aditi, Saumya and Chavvi.











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