Continuing our annual ritual of celebrating Holi with colours near sand and sea.
A quick getaway to celebrate the festival of colours with the kid while enjoying the sun and sea.
Happy Holi 2024
Category: Travel
Mumbai – Khandala – Lonavala vacation diaries Nov’23
Here’s the long pending post about our vacation last month (Nov 14-19). It began with a desire to take my son to every city where the husband or I have lived and worked in. My banking journey began with ICICI Bank at the Leadership Academy in Khandala in 2009. During this tenure, I also spent a few days at the Fariyas resort in Lonavala before moving to Mysore to take charge as a Branch Manager.
When we planned our annual vacation this year, it was my husband’s idea to begin with Lonavala, visit Khandala, and explore a few heritage spots and eateries of Mumbai. Needless to say, we booked Fariyas. After reaching Mumbai Internation Airport, the car took us to Lonavala in two and a half hours. Before checking in, we ate Vada Pav and Misal Pav at the famous Buvachi Misal. We spent the evening figuring out how much Fariyas had changed. Food was delicious, especially the street food festival that was in full swing.
Next morning, I took my family to the Leadership Academy for a nostalgia trip. We headed to the Lonavala Lake,Bhusi Dam followed by Tiger Point.
We climbed over two hundred and fifty steps to reach Bhaja Caves and enjoy sunset from the peak.
Mapro Garden was our last stop for the day and we picked up fresh faleros and juices.
Cooper’s served the best walnut chocolate fudge while The Anglo-Indian Cafe will be my biggest reason to return to this city. Their desi fondue, chicken margarita pizza and brownie with hot chocolate and ice-cream was a delight for a foodielike me.
It was time to return to Mumbai the following morning. We received a warm welcome at the JW Marriott Hotel, Juhu. It was a gorgeous property with private access to the Juhu beach and yummy food.
We went out in the evening to drive through the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and watch Marine Drive at night. (It does look like Queen’s necklace).
Day four began with a delectable breakfast spread at our hotel. It was time to head to Britannia & Co., an iconic eatery that served the most delicious sali chicken berry pulav, and caramel custard. We saw CST station on the way.
Post lunch, we went to the Gateway of India and the gorgeous Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. The kid had no recollection of our previous trip to the same place in 2018 but it brought back sweet memories for us.
We boarded a ferry for a ride to the Elephanta island. After over an hour in the Arabian Sea, we reached the island, managed to get a seat in the toy train to reach the Elephanta caves. On our return journey, we witnessed the gorgeous sunset with birds flying and diving all around.
Our next destination was Kyani and Co. We managed to get in half an hour before their closing time. The place serves the best Irani Chai, bun maska, veg cheese puff and chicken puff. But I must not forget the umpteen biscuit packets we brought back from the outlet (shrewberry and ginger biscuits score the highest for us.
The next destination was the world class Jio convention centre which lives up to the hype and indeed makes every other place seem pale to its humongous structure.
On our way back to hotel, we visited Shahrukh Khan’s bungalow, Mannat to witness a sea of people outside the place. It was around 11:30 P.M. We walked along the Band stand before calling it a day.
On the fifth day, we explored the private beach after breakfast and went out for an authentic Gujarati thali meal at the Sri Thakker Bhojanalaya. The place seemed to be a favourite with most celebrities as we spotted pictures of Sachin Tendulkar, Asha Bhonsle, many Bollywwod and television stars on the walls savoring the thali. The place serves food with warmth and love.
We headed to K. Rustom & Co. near Marine Drive for pan and pista flavoured ice cream. It was a wonder to see a rectangle bar of ice-cream sandwiched between two wafers. Chowpatty beach was our next destination.
We decided to end the trip with a visit to the Mahalaxmi Temple followed by Ganesh darshan at the Siddhivinayak Temple. We managed to collect prasad for our families back home. While returning back to the hotel, our driver showed us Amitabh Bachchan’s bungalow Jalsa.
Post dinner, it was time to pack since we had an early morning flight the next day. It was my fourth visit to the city while a second for the husband and the kid. The pace of the city never fails to amaze me. We faced huge traffic even at midnight. Possibly that’s why they say Mumbai never sleeps. As we boarded our flight to Kolkata the next morning, I knew it won’t be very long before we return to city for another trip.
Snippets of Mumbai, Lonavala, and Khandala trip – Nov’23
A family outing to Aquatica Water Park
Summer holidays are soon about to get over for the kid. So, we decided to take him for a day’s outing to one of our unexplored places of entertainment, the Aquatica Water Park in Kolkata. The place also has a resort for accommodation.
The son and his father are water babies; it was a delight to see them jump into the water at every possible opportunity. After getting the tickets (1000 for adults and 500 for kids on weekdays), we rented a locker to keep the spare clothes and valuables. It cost us Rs. 50 and a refundable deposit of Rs. 200. Costumes are also available for rent.
We went into the waves zone first, where the water level kept increasing, giving us a feeling of being in the sea. The kid thoroughly enjoyed it and wouldn’t let us get out of the waves area.
Weekend trip to Taki – April 2023
“The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.” – Og Mandino. After our trip to Mandarmani in March, we decided to take a road trip to Taki over the Eid weekend.
It took us around two hours from our residence in Kolkata by car to reach Hotel Sonar Bangla, Taki. After checking into our room on the second floor, it was a deja vu moment for us since we had visited the same hotel and stayed in the same block two years ago.
For lunch, we went to the hotel’s in-house restaurant. The mutton rogan josh was to die for though the Paneer makhani gave it serious competition. After exploring the property for a while, we decided to book the steamer ride on the Ichchamati River.
Continue reading “Weekend trip to Taki – April 2023”How’s 2023 going so far?
I could wrap up 2022 with joy and satisfaction as I hit the send button for book no. 2 (the second in the Detective Raya Ray series) to my publisher. Unfortunately, 2023 began with a shock as my father-in-law had a nasty fall. He underwent surgery for a broken bone. By God’s grace, he’s better now and recovering well. In January, we celebrated Saraswati puja and explored some delectable cuisines at different restaurants.
A month into 2023, I was chasing the deadline for book no. 3, my first commissioned project for a true crime story from the past. It was also the month my seven-and-a-half-year-old was due for his final assessment. Kolkata was under the grip of a deadly virus, and almost everyone I know, including me, was grappling with a weird kind of flu that just refused to go away.
By the beginning of March, things started looking better as I delivered the manuscript within the deadline, and we showed signs of recovery from the flu. The son finished his exams on the 6th of March, and we took off for a mini vacation to Mandarmani the next day.
Since the 7th of March was Holi, we played with colors before diving into the Mandarmani sea. Three days of a beach holiday rejuvenated our minds and bodies as we explored Tajpur Beach and Mohana near Digha Beach, experimented with local cuisine, and spent hours at Mandarmani beach. Of course, we didn’t want to return as the break got over.
The kid has his session break; I have taken another week off to spend time and play various indoor games with him. After three years of working non-stop on both books, writing and editing them, I decided to take time off before getting involved in the prepublication stages of my upcoming books. So, here we are, watching children’s movies like Sonar Kella, reading story books, playing puzzles and brain games, and squeezing out every minute to enjoy to the fullest.
I hope you had a great start to 2023 and that the year is treating you kindly so far.
Exploring North Goa in Oct’22
Exploring South Goa in Oct’22
The gorgeous Kolkata sky at dusk
On Tuesday, we took a day off to explore New Town and its surrounding areas in Kolkata since the kid finished his first offline term examinations. We lunched at the Golden Joy in China Town, went on a long drive to Khoribari for hot and tasty tea, and shopped at the old Shyambazar/Haitbagan market, followed by book purchases at the famous boi para on College Street.
Here’s sharing some memorable pictures from a day where we spend quality family time while soaking in the beauty of nature. It rained the entire day, and I captured some gorgeous photos of the blue sky at dusk.
soniasmusings 