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This is LIFE .... As I see it....experience it and Live it !!!
Sunday, February 03, 2019
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
5 day trip to Jaisalmer
My husband and I just got back from a 5 day trip to
Jaisalmer to end 2018 and welcome the New year 2019. While planning my
itinerary I realized there are very less resources on the internet available to
plan a 5 day trip to this beautiful town. I think the main reason being usually
people do not stay for more than 2-3 days at Jaisalmer.
Day 4 – after some hot chai and a warm breakfast we headed back to the city. You can choose to take a camel-ride or a jeep ride back. The hotel was nice enough to give us a room to shower and freshen up and post lunch hired a taxi and headed to winds dessert camps.
So here goes our itinerary which was well spaced out and not
too hectic.
Day 1 – Our
flight landed in the morning and we took a taxi to our hotel which was less
than half an hour away. (While on the flight don’t miss to look out of your
window when you’re close to landing, you would tend to see stretches of
windmills below). We didn’t want to waste the day and got out at 12:00pm to
tour the city. Depends on where you are staying within the city, it is quite
small and can be traversed on foot.
Patwon Ki Haveli |
Patwon Ki Haveli |
We first headed to see the Patwon Ki Haveli and with the help of a guide learnt a lot about
the palace and its history. There is a small courtyard in front of the Haveli
where you can stop and relax and listen to some local Rajasthani folk street singers.
Being lunchtime we headed to KB café
which was highly recommended but unfortunately when we reached they had a
waiting time of 20 minutes. We landed up at eating at another café which wasn’t
that great. Post lunch we headed to the next Haveli which was Nathmal Ki Haveli, since the Haveli is
occupied by its owners you can only view it from outside which was a pretty
site but could be skipped.
Vyas Chatri |
Vyas Chatri |
We then caught an auto-rickshaw and headed to Vyas Chatri which was 15 minutes away.
This cemetery (cenotaphs) is a hilltop of beautiful golden sandstone structures
and not very touristy so quite peaceful.
Gadisar Lake |
From here you can head by
auto-rickshaw to Gadisar lake which
was an artificial lake constructed to supply drinking water to the city of
Jaisalmer. Now it isn’t used anymore
for supplying drinking water and you can catch a boat ride to enjoy the view of
the setting sun.
Opposite the road from the lake is a Desert Cultural Centre
where you can catch a puppet show at
6:30pm and 7:30pm daily. After which we headed back to our hotel Pleasant Haveli and enjoyed a quite
candle light dinner under the stars.
Pleasant Haveli |
Pleasant Haveli |
Pleasant Haveli |
Day 2 – Morning
post breakfast at the hotel we headed to Jaisalmer
Fort.
Jaisalmer Fort |
Don’t forget to get a guide to explain the history and anecdotes of
the fort.
Jain Temple |
Jain Temple |
The Jain temple inside is
a must-see for the intricate architecture which is quite mind blowing. (Note
the temple closes to visitors at 12:00pm so please plan your visit accordingly).
Post which we visited a 400 year old
house which was converted to a museum.
Golden City |
We stopped for lunch at Dessertboys café which had a very cute
garden filled with Bougenvillas and an even more beautiful view of the golden
city of Jaisalmer from the fort. Even though it’s a vegetarian place, the food
was quite delicious. We then headed to get a taste of some local bhang (marijuana) which is sold legally
in Jaisalmer. The government authorized
shop at the entrance of the fort sold bhang in various options (Tandai, banana
Lassi, etc.). We then decided to return to our hotel and have a siesta. Post a
short nap headed to Bada Bagh in an
auto-rickshaw which is a garden filled with ornate cenotaphs dedicated to the
royal family.
Mandir Palace |
We then returned to the city and went to Trio restaurant at Mandir palace but all tables being booked, headed to Saffron restaurant at Nachna Haveli.
They had some live Rajasthani music which kept us entertained during dinner.
Day 3 – Since we
were heading to the dessert today we had to checkout at 10:00am and had free
time up to 2:00pm. So we wandered back to the Havelis and thought we’d just
laze around at the Patwon Haveli courtyard and listen to Rajasthani folk music. We realized we hadn’t visited all the 5
Havelis on day 1 and thought we’d explore one more on our own.
Vampire Bats |
What I loved
about this Haveli was that there weren’t much tourists inside so we had the
Haveli to ourselves. We soon figured why not many visited, when we found
pathways with vampire bats on the ceilings. They were spooky and interesting at
the same time making this Bat-Haveli
my favorite one. It also has by far the best view of the Jaisalmer fort from
its rooftop.
Marwari Thali |
We then headed for an early lunch to KB café (this time since we were early we got a table). We shared a
Marwari vegetarian Thali which was one of the best we’ve had. Our hotel
Pleasant haveli had then arranged for a non-touristy trip to the dessert.
Abondoned Village |
They
took us in their 4 wheel drive car to the desert. On the way they stopped at Kuldhara which is an abandoned village. It was quite interesting walking amongst the
remains of the village which is believed to be haunted as well. After an hour
they stopped at where our camels were ready to take us for a ride to our sand dunes.
Thar dessert camel ride |
The one hour journey was
quite interesting since we spotted foxes, deer, wild camels and other creatures
on the way. bonfire and were cooking
our meal. After a hearty meal we sat by the fire enjoying the star-studded sky. The helpers put out
mattresses on the sand and blankets to keep us warm. We slept literally under
the stars and was one of the best new-year eve experiences ever.
The highlight was when we reached the dunes, they were just
gorgeous and we couldn’t have enough of them. We perched ourselves on top of
one sand dune and stared into the horizon looking at the sun set in front of us
with hot chai in our hands. Some time after the sunset it starting getting
really cold and we walked back to our little makeshift camp. The helpers had
started a bonfire and were
cooking our meal. After a hearty meal we sat by the fire enjoying the star-studded sky. The helpers put out
mattresses on the sand and blankets to keep us warm. We slept literally under
the stars and was one of the best new-year eve experiences ever.Day 4 – after some hot chai and a warm breakfast we headed back to the city. You can choose to take a camel-ride or a jeep ride back. The hotel was nice enough to give us a room to shower and freshen up and post lunch hired a taxi and headed to winds dessert camps.
Winds Dessert camps |
The camp was around 45 minutes away from the city and had
these nice Swiss luxury tents. We reached and caught a shot nap. They had
planned a camel ride to the sand dunes but since we had our bit of camel fun
already we skipped it. In the evening they had arranged for live Rajasthani
music and dance around a bonfire which was delightful followed by a good spread
of local delicacies.
Day 5 – We had
applied for a pass to visit the India-Pakistan border the day before. (Note: no
foreign nationals allowed, only Indians).
Longewala Post |
So our taxi driver picked us up at
10:00am and we headed to Longewala post
which was two hours away. A half an hour visit highlights the battle of
Longewala with the help of a museum, and a short movie.
Tanot Mata Mandir |
Tanot Mata Mandir |
We then carried on to Tanot Mata Mandir where we hear about
the miraculous tale of how the Pakastani tank bombs that were fired at the
temple didn’t explode and protected the soldiers.
India-Pak Border |
India-Pak Border |
We then had a quick hunger
stop for some Maggi noodles and then carried on to visit the India-Pakistan border which awoken the
patriot in both of us. On our long drive back we stopped at a local dhaba at
Ramgarh and enjoyed some good vegetarian food. We reached the hotel late in the
evening and after freshening up headed to Trio
for dinner.
View of Mandir Palace from Trio |
Day 6 – caught
the flight out of Jaisalmer 😊
Saturday, January 05, 2019
Chocolate Truffles with leftover egg yolks
I'm always wondering what to do with the extra egg yolks we have lying around. I usually cook them and give them to the crows or pigeons to eat. But this is definately a yummier way to use those leftover egg yolks.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup chopped chocolate
- 1/4 cup of chopped Nuts
Instructions:
- Take the chopped pieces of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat it at 15 seconds intervals until melted well.
- Mix one egg yolk in the melted chocolate until blended well.
- Roll the chocolate mixture into balls and roll them in the chopped nuts.
- Voila !! delicious Chocolate truffles !!
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Easy Leftover Chicken Oats Healthy Breakfast
We all are aware of the benefits of oats as a healthy meal option especially for breakfast and I'm always on the look out for savory options we can have for breakfast. Also hate to see any food going to waste and leftover chicken (especially from a curry) is usually the easiest to re-use since it's already got some flavorful taste from the curry.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Shredded Leftover chicken
- 1 diced medium sized onion
- 2 chopped cloves of garlic
- Olive Oil (or any other oil)
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup instant oats
- 1 cup water
Instructions:
- Heat oil in a wok, add the onions and garlic and toss around till it starts to brown but still crisp
- Add the shredded chicken and stir for few minutes
- In a seperate pan add the oats and salt to the hot water and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Once the oats are cooked add the chicken mixture to the oats and eat hot
Saturday, February 03, 2018
Sweet Potato and Peanut Chaat
Over the years I've enjoyed making healthy sweet potato snacks, one because it's taste is so unique and delicious by itself that adding just 2-3 few ingredients makes it such a filling and fulfilling snack!
After a refreshing morning walk by the sea with a friend, we had a chance of tasting this preparation at The Farmer's Market last Sunday in Bandra. And I instantly knew I had to try this recipe out. So here it goes;
Serves: 4
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ingredients:
2 Medium size Boiled sweet Potatoes
1/2 Cup crushed peanuts
1/4 tsp Chaat masala
1/4 tsp Aamchur (Mango Powder)
1/4 tsp Black Salt
1/4 Paprika (or a dash of chilli powder)
2 tsp chopped coriander leaves
1 lime (juice)
Method:
Add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together and serve warm. Yes it's that easy.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Mango French Toast
Ingredients :
1. 4 slices bread
2. 1 egg
3. 3/5 cup milk
4. 4-5 Tbsp Aamras (mango purée)
5. Oil
Method:
1. Add the egg, milk and aamras in a bow and beat till well mixed.
2. Add oil to the pan.
3. Dip one slice of bread in the mixture for 1 minute and then soak the reverse side
4. Add to the heated oil on the pan
5. Cook each side for 2-3 mins until brown and eat hot
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Dark Chocolate French toast Recipe
Ingredients:
1 Cup Milk
1 Egg
2 Tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Dark Cocoa
5 slices Bread
1 tsp Butter / Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Chopped Dark Chocolate
Procedure:
- Beat together the milk, eggs, sugar, cocoa till well blended. Not to worry if the Cocoa is not fully blended, it still tastes delicious once cooked.
- Heat a flat pan over medium heat and lightly brush with Olive oil or Butter
- Dip each side of the bread in the egg mixture until well soaked. Place in pan and cook on both sides till brown around 3-4 minutes each side.
- Add the chopped dark chocolate pieces on top while still hot and spread evenly once melted
- Enjoy warm J
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