GO GOA !

GO GOA :
      Goa as seen in Bollywood films is a paradise for the Romantics or the ones who dream more of Romance. I too was one who also dreamt of visiting the beaches, Nightclubs and dance bars to see if it is in reality or it is in one’s imagination. I wanted to see it for myself. May be, I thought I will have plenty of attractive women in the Beaches who are willing to explore Love and Romance near the beaches! I always had plenty of Romance with strangers especially on the beaches in my dreams.
So, there I was! On September 10th 2005, I thought to visit Goa through Bombay as I wanted to witness the Ganpati Feastival in Mumbai and Goa. So,I took the day flight from New Delhi at 1300hrs to reach Mumbai at 1500hrs. After visiting Mumbai on a Cab that gave me a quick look at the Ganpati Festival pandals there, I went to check, if I could get a train Ticket to Goa as I wanted to see the picturesque beauty of Konkan Railway that connects Mumbai to Goa. Luckily, there was a Ganpati Special Train for the festival season then.I took the train at 1a.m. and reached in Madgaon next day at around noon. The sight was really beautiful. After that I checked in to a Youth Hostel at Miramar, in Panjim which has its boundary walls and on one side it nearly touches the rough sea. The sea-current is very strong there.The scenery on the way was very beautiful. The backwaters, the greeneries, the surroundings were just very romantic. It was raining a little, when I reached Goa. The weather was otherwise quite pleasant. The Miramar road was very beautiful with flowering trees on both of its sides. There were some good hotels nearby, including the Marriot. During my four days of stay there , I visited almost all the beaches. Went to all markets. The wine and alcohol there is very cheap and of high quality. So, I enjoyed a good amount of it along with Fish which Goans cook very deliciously. It is spicy, with less of chilies in it. So, it’s very tasty. The meals at Madgaon Railway Station by a Caterer is very sumptuous and delicious at a very reasonable price(It was Rs. 30/- , with Rice, Fish fry, Fish curry, Puris and 4 other subjis). If you are a foodie, you must try your meals here.The place around Dona Paula, is also quite beautiful. You can see a number of Cargo Ships from the Cliff of a monument there. It’s quite picturesque’. Calangute is another place with a sea beach with good shopping avenues. You find leading designers there with their Boutiques.The beach is quite beautiful with foreigners around. If you are there by around noon , you can have a bath in the sea. It feels good , with some bikini beauties around. They are very open. If you are decent enough , you can strike a conversation with any of the bikini clad beauties. May be, you can end up with an affair to remember…, if you are pleasing. I did not go that far, although I made some female friends. They were very nice. I had some bottles of beer with them on the beach ( There are some huts there, who provide beer and wine. You can change your dress there, if you want to have a bath ). My evenings were spent around Goa, visiting Ganesh pandals there. The festive spirit is quite high there as with the Mumbaikars in Mumbai.Cultural festivities accompanied wherever there were pooja pandals. A good number of children played and enjoyed rides and food there along with their families. The people were very receptive.
Goa, is very beautiful with greeneries, waterfronts. It’s less crowded, has decent localities with people very accommodating and helpful. Overall , it’s a very nice place to visit. But to think of it as a haven for Romance with raunchy girls is not true. One must avoid roadside bars which provide cheap liquor and it could be risky.
Overall, an enjoyable trip.

HILL-QUEEN SHIMLA

HILL-QUEEN SHIMLA :
For a change , I visited Shimla from 21st to 27 SEPT 2007 . It was my fourth visit to Shimla in those last 5 years. There is not much change out there. It’s the beginning of winter there then. Mornings and evenings were cooler. But one change that I made then was the travel by train from Shimla to Kalka while returning to Delhi . It was a very picturesque travel with mountains, tunnels, trees and natural sorroundings on the way. I started from Shimla in the Deluxe Express at 5:40pm to reach Kalka at 10:25pm.The train provided tea and snacks at the start of the journey. Later, at around 8pm it provided dinner (Chicken for me). The ticket was reasonably priced (Rs.280). The train with five bogies had around 70 passengers in all. Each compartment had 18 seats with deluxe push back chairs.It had decent passengers mostly honeymooners or young couples / lovers without kids.The travel this time was quite memorable.
If you are a member of Youth Hostel Association of India , you can stay in Satkar Hotel at Lakkad Bazaar near the Mall. It is opposite the Medical College there. Nearby Dhabas provide quite delicious food at reasonable rates. Although the local travel agents charge more for local travels , you can always bargain to see places of your interests. The places to see there are mainly Kufri, Green Valley, Sankat-Mochan Temple and Taptapani. The night view by train or bus from Shimla to Kalka is very colourful, especially around Solan with its lights that looks like a Diwali festival there.

BOOK LAUNCHES

BOOK LAUNCHES IN NEWDELHI:
Book launches are a great time to interact with the author of the book in person. It gives the perception of the author's first-hand information and clears the doubt of any intentions. It is also a great time to share your views alongwith other's-take on the author and his writtings alongwith his skills in articulating.
I attended a Book Launch titled "Tibet " by Pervez Dewan (A bureaucrat by profession who headed ITDC ) on 8th Dec 2009 at 6 pm at Hotel Lalit (Previously Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza). His description of the book was very informative, like Lhasa which he says, is very modern in its outlook and urbane-ness. It was definitely very interesting to hear him speak about Tibet . That's what we know of Lhasa, as a great tourist destination. The book was released by Kumari Selja, the Union minister for Tourism .
Yesterday ( 9th Dec 2009), there was a book release function of Dhyaan Foundation at Hotel Le Meridian. The book described some 51 miracles by the Yogi through his disciples. It was narrated and discussed where the persons who experienced the miracles, were also present. One needs to hear their experince to believe. I am a believer. I believe in miracles and God. So, to me, it was like " Yes it is possible and can happen". There was a live interaction with Yogi Ashwini who is the master or the spiritual Guru of the foundation. His answers were very direct and convincing! It was a real treat for me, as a spiritual seeker. I wish to join the foundation as early as possible and seek spiritual solace and contentment !
The programme ended at around 10 pm with a lavish spread of Dinner.





                                                A Book Launch programme in New Delhi 2012