Mediterranean Grill, Bel Red Road

Often when I go to bed early I wake up in the middle of the night and then I often have trouble going back to sleep. So if you notice closely most of my blogs say in the middle of the night. :)

So today is no different, went to bed early woke up and couldn't sleep, so I was reminiscing events of the day and this one kind of stood out.

There is this Mediterranean Grill on Bel Red Road Bellevue, Washington. I have been there thrice (today was third time).
It is kind of a small, cozy place with very good food. They say they make it all fresh and I think the freshness of ingredients kind of seeps into the taste of  food they serve too.

First time I went there, there was a lady serving the food, she was not very nice but wasn't very rude either. Second time I went with one of my colleagues and there was this guy at the counter and he was not so nice and looked like he was in scurry, I didn't see anyone waiting while we ordered (we had just entered the place), it being a small place I looked around and the crowd wasn't thick either, I thought may be he is preoccupied or something. I didn't give that much heave of thought then. Last time my colleague complained of him being rude but I thought it was just a bad day.

Today being Friday and after 2 weeks of fire fighting, late nights and dealing with multiple "Bosses" we decided to go out for lunch. My colleague said "Shall we do Mediterranean again?"
Me: ???? Again?
Her: Yheah, I didn't like the guy but I liked the food. I have decided if he doesn't smile today I wont tip him but I like the food.
Me: Okay, but I have 2 more colleagues joining us.
Her: That's okay, if its only 2 I am not in mood to socialize today unless it's you.
Me: Just 2 more girls. It would be fine lets go.

When I reached there I saw same expressions on his face (intimidating, like he has lost patience already and hey we just walked in, whats the deal with this guy). After 2 weeks of all of the things mentioned above we did not want this kind of behavior for lunch was for sure.

I knew that both of my new found colleagues had never tried Mediterranean food and my other colleague is low in energy and just like last time this guy is intimidating and in a scurry let me order first and fast as being the vegetarian I have limited options to choose from and them (all 3) being non-vegetarians had much more choices. So after I placed my order I was waiting for my 2 newly added to group colleagues struggle to order at the counter and he was being himself (a jerk in a scurry for no reason visible to us). When I observed from a distance how he was intimidating these 2 little girls fresh out of college in a new country, I couldn't help myself but tell him "Oh come on be nice, they are coming here for the first time, having Mediterranean for first time", and I also told him that my other friend standing near the door has already decided not to tip because he is being himself ...yup ooopsie daisy.
(My other friend was not happy because she felt obliged to pay tip because of my big mouth.)

His response was "I cant read minds, and its a to go place no pressure for tips." Well this is where I got tongue tied, I didn't say anything but mean while my 2 new friends could make up their minds on what they wanted to try. I knew after this its up-to him to decide either to be nice or continue being himself. Cant help it.

While we were seated and waiting for our food to arrive I thought he might as well spit in our food before serving and trust me I didn't want to think about it, I was hoping against all hopes that he didn't as he is not the one making our food. (I had seen it in some Hollywood movies).

Finally he comes with our food and a smile, he was trying to be nice when he got our food I wasn't sure if it was genuine but now that I think of it, I think he was genuinely trying to be nice. My first friend (who had to tip) asked why did you have to open your big mouth and I was like well he seemed to be a straight forward person I know that language being one myself. (I don't know some how it felt right to do so, I cant tell why?... but it did).

After that he was nice to us all and even asked if my new friends liked the food for the first time.
Before leaving I wished him to have a good day.

Now that I am thinking the first thought passed my mind was that perhaps he didn't like Asians or did not like our faces. He himself was a tall, good looking guy in a rugged way as he didn't bother to shave but carried it off pretty well. Yes we Asians esp Indians we don't have those good looking genes like others, our height, body, color and the way we dress up (not) is far from something we can say good looking or fitting in; and top it with the cherry of language barrier (often not always).

I was thinking I should have told him we may not be pretty faces to look at but we are humans we have a brain, heart, liver, kidney just like him and we have pure blood running in our veins not mud as he might have expected. I also wanted to tell him that one of my 2 new friends is so sweet that if he was a Vampire (yheah Washington state and Vampires, Werewolves kind of go hand in hand in my mind :| :) ) he could smell the sweetness in her blood from afar.

But then another thought entered my mind, I realized that he was just being himself, which makes him a jerk to others and I felt it was more like a wall to protect himself (don't know from what) but it wasn't for us, perhaps it was for himself. perhaps he was scared of something so it was his facade.
These people (jerks) are just being themselves and in the lee they become jerks to others.

I also realized that I have been accommodating his behavior all this time. It didn't affect me until I saw him being rude to others. Perhaps being close friends with one (jerk) once, I have got a little immune to people being jerks, and I knew he wasn't all that bad he was just being himself. These borderline jerks are often (not always) very good at heart inside, they can be amazing human beings if they decide to be so.

Only good thing was he took the feedback positively and if he continues serving with a smile he would perhaps cover up the fifth star missing for his restaurant in Yelp. :)

Well this blog is for him.(I don't know his name).
Cheers and serve with a smile. :)

The Trade Off

I moved to The United States of America a year ago. I always wanted to visit USA, wanted to visit places and use to wonder how Christmas festivities would feel in The US ( as I was fan of Hollywood movies).
Back home we used to feel "ooh" that guy settled in The US, he is minting money. She got to travel and visit. There was this hype of visiting or settling in The United States of America.
Since childhood I knew I would love to visit but I never wanted to live there forever.

Now that I am here I can see my friends and family envy me being in US. Everyone asks me hows life there with loads of expectations and all I end up saying is "it's all same". Am I earning good perhaps yes if I convert the currencies but otherwise it's same as the life style I had back in my own country. In fact I ended up living alone far from family and friends, however much it felt good initially there are times it gets me and makes me very very sad, lonely and nostalgic. :)

While I am busy here earning my livelihood which is nothing great, life moves on back home. Births, Weddings, Deaths, Festivals, new trends, graduations. Moments which happen once in life time.

Thanks to technology I can keep in touch with them, do Skype calls and Watsapp and international calls but its not same as hugging them, holding hands, sleeping in the laps of grandmother, crying and laughing out over a cup of coffee with friends, being there with them.

I would admit there are some comforts like less crowded grocery stores, cleaner air to breath and wider roads to travel on; and for some perhaps its the freedom from the cultural prejudices, freedom to dress and act different from the society back home. But for me I am set in my ways and what I am today is very much chiseled and sculpted by my country's culture and values of society when I was growing up back home. I can deviate a bit here and there, accept things and ways of new country but still deep inside I am me (the one chiseled and sculpted by my country, culture, values and society).

I miss the weather, food, friends, family and festivities, the time back home. Miss being that younger me in that all (culture and festivities). I miss Makarashankarati, Gudi Padva, Ugadi, Pongal, Holi, Baisakhi, Haldi Kumkum, Ayudha Puja, Navratri, Durga Puja, Dasara, Diwali, Indian version of Christmas and New years, list is endless. I miss the festivity that start way before actual festival time and lingere in air long after. Those sweets, twinkling lights, fire crackers, kites, pujas, temple visits, Diyas, Rangolis, Ethinic Days in office and society decorations even if you didn't do anything, inadvertently you become part of it all.

I miss Indian Cinema, there, it was all around you; you know what's new coming up in market, new trends in Fashion and things, but here you really need to keep up with things happening back home, many people are able to do it but I don't know how to do it myself (being a loner). Back home it was easy like breathing because it was all around you.

I miss knowing my people, the culture, sand, water, earth, trees, animals, birds.

Here days come and go, festivals like Halloween, Thanks Giving, Christmas and New Years however amusing they are ... they make me feel lost and lonely as my roots belong some where else. They don't feel the same, I haven't been able to connect to it yet.

I miss everything that is good back home and I haven't reached to the conclusion if Trade -Off is worth or not but at this time of Diwali festivities I want to wish you all a Very Very Happy Diwali.
I would be in full day office training on Diwali day and the Day after (Gujarati New year), do remember me in your festivities and enjoy on my behalf.

HAPPY DIWALI and HAPPY GUJARATI NEW YEAR. :)

PS: I agree being happy is in my hands no-matter where I am but I guess I am allowed to miss home.

Miss you all !!!
:)

Hope

I have been reading the book "Act of Love" where a top notch theater actress Jessica meets an accident and is no more capable of walking straight or walking without a cane, she no more looks beautiful with her gray hair and a stoop. She isolates herself from the rest of the world especially from theater, New York and her closest friend Constance (an 80+ years old lady and a retired top notch actress herself), on an Island of Lopez.

Luke, a top theater director and grandson of Constance reads her conversations with Jessica in her exile after death of Constance and decides to find out more about Jessica because he falls in love with her while reading her letters to Constance. He goes to Lopez island and finds Jessica but Jessica looked nothing like what he had imagined her from her letters and what he had seen her like before. He returns without meeting her, but is not able to stop loving her and goes back to meet her. He falls in love and makes Jessica fall in love with him, herself and he discovers a little flicker of hope that Jessica was hiding inside her to return to theater. He loves her, probes her and pokes her to return to theater.

Finally Jessica does return to theater not in New York but in Sydney, as director, and with help of Hermione she finally becomes the actress she always wanted to be.

The interesting thing is even when she had put herself in exile where she neither talked to anyone or meet anyone she kept a dog named "Hope" with her.

A hope is a wonderful thing and can make miracles happen. :)
It's a hope that leads us forward and makes the whole journey called life worthwhile. Jessica found the love of her life in Luke and a friend of lifetime in Hermione but only because she had a hope inside, a little spark; with this she could achieve everything she had exiled herself from, thinking people wont accept her the way she is now.

Now starts my story.
This is the favorite time of year for me, onset of Summer. It's little hot though but I am sure soon some drizzle will render the whole city cool and green. Why this time is my favorite because all of a sudden the green trees around start bearing blossoms Yellow, Pink and Purple; trees are often laden with flowers only. Mango trees are laden with tiny first fruits of the season. They make an awesome view to my eyes and my heart. Perhaps they all symbolize Hope. Hope of new season a new beginning and hope of everything. I know its already March but March has been the official year-end for schools, offices and financial year and a promise of a new beginning since childhood to us all.

This year I welcome this season with mixed feelings, I have always had mixed feelings of Joy and sorrow for beginning and end at the same time. But this time more of sorrow and little less of joy as I think this would probably be my last summer in Bangalore. I would have to leave the trees, seasons, roads, flowers and my friends behind; Practically almost everything I am so familiar to have around since last 7 years. Yheah 7 years looks like a lifetime to me. But I will hold onto the hope. Hope to see them again sometime.

This tree (picture taken at one of my late evening walks in my apartment complex) is a tree which doesn't have any leaves but it still blooms with the blossoms of hope. Somewhere deep down it teaches us all that no matter what hold onto "Hope".

This blog is for everything and everyone I will miss when am gone. :)
Cheers!! :)

Sky full of stars

Main places to visit in Nepal are KathMandu, Pokhra Valley, and Nagarkot.
One can google and find loads of information about Places to Visit in Nepal.
I am going to share something else.
A different experience...

We had been to Nepal for a very short duration. We stayed close to airport in Kathmandu on our first day but its not a good place to stay unless you have a Vehicle. We were kind of not happy with our Hotel food and we had to go very far to find edible vegetarian food. However for vegetarians the best bet would be a "Nepali Thali" which consists mostly of Rice, Dal, Curry, Papad, Pickle, Salad and Sweet; it's simple food but really very tasty. Non-vegetarians can enjoy food and would have no problem with available options.

Our Journey started from Kathmandu and then we went to Pokhra valley, there you have multiple sports activities to do and loads of shopping options available for tourists. If you want to do Sports activities like Heli Hiking, Gliding, Zip through and others, one needs to spend 2 or 3 days there; This place is fun for all alike. We did Zip through and it was fun. We also came across lots of foreign nationals who had come to Nepal after visiting India and their outlook and thoughts about India is something you need to experience yourself or may be I would talk about it in some other blog, some other day.

After Pokhara we went to Nagarkot and unfortunately we reached there little after sunset :( and we were leaving to Kathmandu next day...there was no chance of seeing sunset next day.
Well I would say Nagarkot is the place to be in Nepal.
We wanted to watch early sun rise on Himalayas from  Nagarkot so we were planning to sleep early and wake up early. We stayed in a resort where our cottage was little away from main building and we had to go through the dim lit pathways. That's when I experienced an amazing thing. It was cold but sky was clear and I saw "The Sky full of Stars". Often we look up and we see few scattered stars in the sky, but until this day I had never felt that sky was really full to stars. Yes I live in city and often light pollution and sky scrappers don't let us see the real thing. Light blinds us from seeing the real thing and all this time we thought we need light to see things :|; what an irony .

My camera could not take that picture but its etched in my memory and heart. That time I wished and desired many things that would never come true but still I was happy and ecstatic and was one with myself for few moments.I just could not get rid of smile from my face.It was amazing. I wished I had more time but I also wanted to experience the sun rise next morning  or I would have probably sat there gazing at stars whole night all by myself.

So make sure you have at-least 2 days and 2 nights in Nagarkot when you visit there. I would want to go there again some day and I hope next time also I feel the same while gazing at "The Sky Full Of Stars" which took my breath away.

Its true best things in life are for free, we just ruined it all by buying expensive things that blind us and fool us to the core. :|

The sky really is full of Stars :) and its not just a thing people say :) Enjoy!!!

(I am writing this blog after a year of my visit to Nepal and I still feel it and remember it in my heart as if it was yesterday; then I am sure its worth a visit guys) :) Cheers !!!

Lavasa, The Planned Hill City of India

For some Lavasa is a planned hill city near Pune, for some it's a good investment place and for others it's a place which violated the laws of Environment.

For me I would say who cares about the Lavasa City, personally I think Lavasa city is not as great as we see it on-line, also it's terribly expensive and they levy a 17% City tax on everything which is already over priced and heavily taxed.
The city is still under construction and not as well maintained as the road to Lavasa for whatever reasons.

What I loved the most is the route/road/drive to Lavasa city from Pune (after we cross the dam, that separates the whole area from Pune city), it is lush green with different shades of green and very beautiful and scenic. The pictures you see here in this blog are real and perhaps don't do the justice to the scene as it was taken from a mobile camera of 8 mg pixel.

Population in that area is relatively less and the whole place (not the Lavasa city) is so green and clean that I forgot for a while that I was in India. :| It was beautiful enough to take your breath away when you see those beautiful green mountains and river. For once I really thought that " really India is beautiful and not at all dirty and overpopulated".

The river and lakes are also very clean and very blue, the kind of blue that we used to paint and imagined how a river would be in our childhood. I still remember we all used to have a standard painting with mountains and river flowing from those mountains, birds flying above in the sky and a Sun (either setting or rising). Trust me once you visit Lavasa you would see exactly such scene and love it. One could also feel that we never did justice to drawings or paintings, in reality nature is much more pure and beautiful.

So if you want to visit this place do not bother to book a hotel in Lavasa city just hire a cab from Pune and go there for a day and return in the evening.

One can enjoy the water rides there which closes by 5 Pm, but I must admit water rides in Goa are way better and enjoyable than the ones in Lavasa, because water rides on sea/ocean is much more fun than on calm controlled lake as in Lavasa.

The Lavasa boulevard is also enjoyable in a good weather and one can try various food items (which is again over priced, but I think we can live with that for once). Something worth trying is the chips that they server in a swirl. chips with a twist :)

You can also catch a Lavasa tour bus which costs Rs.100/person but then you can take as many rides you want with the same ticket on that day. One can catch Lavasa tour bus near the boulevard or Lavasa Information centre.

One can also try the nature trail, perhaps if you want to go for a nature trail you need to go early or stay in the City but if you are not planning any trekking, its best you visit Lavasa for a day and return in the evening.
If you are planning to drive and are an experienced driver I feel Ghats are not that tricky and roads are good to return little late in the evening after you see all the lights reflecting in the lake at twilight.

I must say its worth visiting once. I had been to Lavasa in early September and it was really very green and pretty.

Love the green and clean India and wish that one day whole of India would be like that (without extra Tax :| ).
Cheers :)

Green Goa

Goa is one of the favorite vacation destinations equally amongst our Indian natives and foreign travelers.

Often I see people asking what is the right time to go to Goa and people say best time to go to Goa is from October to May but I say go Goa anytime and its fun.

Often you will find some good deals and many people say its cheaper in off season i.e. Between May to October. But I say take the deal and go to Goa. You may not be able to enjoy the water sports and some shops and Flea market might be close but you can still see some sunny days when you can go to beach and in this season i.e. between May to October Goa has a very different charm. You can enjoy a less crowded and laid back Goa and wonderful Goan people having their religions feasts and traditional mass prayers.

In this season all the waterfalls are at their best and look amazing and mesmerizing beautiful,  so much that I was ready to endure dirty, cockroaches and mosquitoes filled coaches of our Indian railways for just a glimpse of Doodh Sagar water fall. Trust me its one of a kind view when your train passes through the water fall and you can see the fall quite a after that for few minutes amidst the greenery so beautiful, that I really did not mind the roaches for a while.

You can visit spice gardens and ride elephants. You can visit beaches.

It was fun to take 2 wheeler and go around Goa ki galiyan (rambling streets), wait under a tree or a road side shelter when it rained, watching the peter patter rain drops and wishing when will it stop raining so I can continue exploring more of green Goa.  The whole fun is that you realize that you are on vacation, you have no time boundaries no meeting to reach in time to, no deadlines and you have all the time to yourself to enjoy the rain and being with yourself, friends and family. :)

I love Goa as its a kind of meditation for my soul, being a midst that greenery away from rushing and gushing life of city where we hardly have time to breath, it was like connecting to myself.

I also let my guards down and allowed myself to get some temporary Tattoos and loved it so much that I am actually thinking of getting permanent one (I have 0 tolerance for pain :| so I am just thinking) but it was fun to go wild for a while, play with waves on beach, collect sea shells, get scolded by lifeguards to go further inside the sea :|, make sand castles and walk from one end of beach to other, get completely drenched in water and then enter a plush restaurant with shoes in hands and sand in clothes and very little money in pocket (that also wet money :p) (they still welcome you with smiles on their face and remove their cushions from the chairs :| ). I loved every moment in Goa.

I don't say Goa in October to May is no fun, its fun too but all I say is Goa is fun round the clock and there is no particular time to go to Goa. During October to May you can see beautiful shack restaurants lined up on beaches with jingling lights and wonderful music that makes Goa even more beautiful. You can enjoy the mixed crowd of people from all over world and water sports and night clubs and casinos. Goa means fun guaranteed anytime of the year.

Go Goa!!!! :) Love Goa!!! Have fun. :)

Dubare Elephant Camp

This long weekend we thought of going to Dubare Elephant Camp and stay in Dubare Inn which is just opposite to the elephant camp on the other side of the river.

It looks quite promising place when you visit the website but there are things that you need to know before you go there.

The first thing is that though you may get to see Elephants there but you may not get a chance to ride them if its a festival day like "Ugadi" (Kannada New Year) or some national holiday so plan accordingly.

If you are interested in white water rafting the best time to go would be after July, i.e. after the rains.

If you go during summer when the water levels are low and you can not do rafting they charge you Rs.100 per head for going in a raft and after July which is the peak season for white water rafting they may charge you Rs.600 per head to Rs. 800 per head depending on the rush and time of your visit. rafting can be done anytime between 9.00 Am until 5.00 Pm in the evening. Last raft goes in the river at 4.30Pm.

Here you can see lot of elephants bathing and you can actually help the mahouts to bathe them and feed them at the minimal charges of Rs.100 + food (which can be bought at the site) for Indian citizens and Rs. 200 + food (which can be bought at the site) for foreign nationals.

These Elephants are tamed and trained. These Elephants are released in the forest at the end of the day after the days washing and riding the tourists. These are the same Elephants that are decorated and used for riding by the king of Mysore on the occasion of Dussera which is one of the biggest festivals of Mysore full of monarchical celebrations.

Elephants are washed or bathed every day starting from 10.00 Am, it is advised to reach there by 9.00 or 9.30 Am and cross the river to the place where Elephants are washed and bathed. Then you may get a chance to ride them again at the charge of Rs. 100 Per person for Indian citizens and Rs. 200 for foreign nationals.

Often these mahouts ask elephants to put their trunk on your head as a blessing for an extra tip (trust me it doesn't hurt at all, so no need to be scared). Elephants are considered to be a symbol of Lord Ganesh an Indian Deity worshiped for any new beginning. Watching the mischief and play of baby elephants is fun and worth the visit.

Dubare Inn is a good place if you compare it to a tent in a forest, it has private cottages and bathrooms but if you compare it with a resort with all urban comforts and ambiance probably you will be disappointed.
It still needs to work on hygiene and interiors. You may not like to visit their kitchen if you are planning to have food there. These cottages are old style house with older times flooring and all, but their service is good, people are courteous and nice. For a forest it provides all that one can need so it's good. They are expanding and probably coming up with new urban style rooms soon. Probably then it would be a more comfortable place to stay on your holidays.

One can see the open sky at night from the big open grounds in front of the cottages and spend night under the sky if you wish, it's the best experience of staying close to forest with all the basic facilities and safety.

Also as it is small place near the forest, be prepared with your gear to protect yourself from insects and other such stuff.

The Idli (steamed pan cakes made of rice) you get there for breakfast is very good and hot Idli should be preferred over anything else.

Dubare Inn has their own rafts but you can very well go ahead and take the other vendors who have booking offices just outside the Dubare Inn. on the bank of the river.

If you are staying in Dubare Inn then often you can see some Elephants in the evening who come to drink water or an untimely shower on the other side of the river, if you are adventurous and have swimming skills probably you can swim in the river but make sure you do not go to the part of the river where crocodiles dwell.

We spent a night there and it was fun to see all the starts in clear night sky during the summer and hear stories of insects, snakes and elephants from the locals. We also played games at night in the open grounds in front of the cottages and it was like being at one with the nature and it's galore.

Please note that it is not necessary to stay in Dubare Inn to see Elephants, you can stay in any good place of your comfort near Kushalnagar, Medikeri or any good hotel or resort near by and travel to Dubare Elephant camp to see Elephants in the morning. It's just that you need to be in time to have all the fun.

Enjoy! :)