Showing posts with label mumbai. Show all posts

Drapes and Glitter


Trying to know the city better I took a stroll in the lanes of South Mumbai and found myself in the midst of one of the most famous local markets of Mumbai. Making my way through the cramped streets of Crawford market, a signboard with Mangaldas market written in English, Hindi and Gujarati welcomed me. From outside, the place seems like just an alley of clothing shops but on the inside, it is a maze, draped in colours and glitter. One lane lead to three others and those three will take you deeper into the market to more alleys. The lanes are small and narrow but explode with colours and textures ranging from silk to chiffon, from print to embroidery, from plain to bling, name it and you’ve got it. The profusion of skirts sarees, and dupattas, made me want to own them all.

courtesy: www.flicker.com
he market, a hub for fabric lovers is always bustling with crowds leaving no space to spare. Be it a wedding season or not, it is always festive here. The shopkeepers here, though busy, are very polite and receive everyone enthusiastically, no matter if someone bought just a dupatta or a dozen sarees. 
The crowded lanes filled with shimmering fabric and hues of colour reminded me of Chandni Chowk in Delhi. Though the market in Chandni Chowk is bigger but the atmosphere of the both the markets is the same.

courtesy: www.tripgator.com

courtesy: www.enkivillage.com

courtesy: www.sancia.com
After exploring the lanes of Mangaldas market, I went to Zaveri Bazar on the street opposite to Mangaldas market. A jewellery market, Zaveri Bazar is the place to gold, silver and imitation jewellery. The market has both branded jewellers such as TBZ and the local ones. I got a pretty good deal for silver rings at one of the local shops and it made me beam like a kid.

courtesy: www.indianexress.com

courtesy: www.rediff.com

courtesy:www.sepiaeye.com
Though there is no dearth of branded stores and shopping complexes in Mumbai, markets like Mangaldas market and Zaveri Bazar are the charm of the city. If you want to see another side of the bustling maximum city, do visit these markets once.
mumbai

Weekend Getaway: My journey to Lavasa


"It’s a long weekend lets go somewhere" and that’s how my journey to Lavasa, India's first planned hill station/city came into being. Drenched in the excitement of the trip I didn't even have to wait for the alarm to wake me up, that too on a Sunday morning.

Reaching Lavasa



We boarded the Hubli Express and began our weekend gateway to Lavasa. The hill city built amidst the Sahyadri hills on the banks of river Baji Pasalkar is 193 kilometres (km) from Mumbai and 57 km from Pune. Since there is no direct connectivity from Mumbai to Lavasa as of yet, we divided the journey into 2 destinations; from Mumbai to Pune (by train) and then further to Lavasa (by cab).
As soon as the train blew the whistle, our lips started moving to the tunes of Hindi songs and then we played the customary journey game ‘Antakshari’. The fellow passengers seemed amused listening to our mettlesome group of ladies.

The Journey

The scene before our eyes started turning into shades of green with trees swinging to the rhythm of the breeze as we crossed the Panvel station. Moving further ahead towards Pune, it started raining making my view from the window even better. Now we were surrounded with small green hills and pleasant wind flowing by, making my heart glee and lips stretch into a smile. It is something with hills that makes me euphoric every time. Like a child, I was asking everybody to look out of the train and see how beautiful it was.














After two and a half hours, we crossed the station Khandala and then Lonavala, the two prominent tourist destinations around Mumbai.
I had already read on various blogs that the journey to Lavasa is what makes the destination more alluring, well that holds true. The way to Lavasa is worth the ride with rivers and mini waterfalls in the valley moving with you. When you are used to living in cities like Delhi and Mumbai you hardly care to stop and look around you, but here the view compels you to leave everything aside and sink into the landscape.



















After the 58 kilometers ride, we entered the picturesque city. The hill city is the Indian replica of the Italian city Portofino and it surely does resemble a foreign location with clouds reaching for the river and the bridge across it with colorful buildings adding a different tint to the scene. I read online that there are water sports and safari here, bu didn't find any such activity happening .When it came to food, we had quite a few options to choose from, The All American Diner, Hungry Hippo and Chor Bizzare to name some.



There are plenty of hotels if you plan on staying the weekend at Lavasa, . The place is less crowd and
 thus cleaner. This hill city is an ideal place for a peaceful weekend and escape from the tedious cycle of our daily routine.
I loved Lavasa, but my favorite part of the trip was the journey leading to it.
#traveldiaries

Bade Miyan- The Kebab Restaraunt


Adding to my food trail in Mumbai, I recently tasted the menu of the famous ‘Bade Miyan-The Kebab Restaurant’, thanks to my lovely brother who sponsors my wish list like anything. We went to the Apollo Bandar outlet to have our meal and add ourselves to its long list of customers.Here’s my mini-review of the restaurant.
Photo Credit: tripadvisor












The place is not very spacious as such but I liked the cute mini fans over my seat, keeping me cool. To begin with, we ordered the Chicken Shami Kebab. I’ve always loved shami kebabs and Bade Miyan lived up to my expectations. The combination of minced chicken and egg dipped in the secret recipe of ‘Bade Miyan’ worked for me.

The next dish on our plate was the Mutton Baidi Roti. It was my first time to have baidi roti and was quite excited about it. The baidi roti is a minced mutton patty with a layer of egg on the outside. It’s like mutton in an omelette. The dish tasted good with the right amount of spices to enthuse your taste buds. But a thinner layer of egg would have made the baidi roti even better.











After baidi roti, we went fishing and ordered Tandoori Promfet Fish. Since I am not a fish person, I am going to be biased about it (that’s just how I am :P). I found the fish okayish and not very great. But on the contrary my brother, who by the likes fish, was happy finishing the whole dish by himself.












The ambiance is fine, not much of a fancy scene to look up to. The service was a little slow but the waiters are nice and polite and will ask you if you how you liked the food. All-in-all it was a fine experience with the 69 year old brand. I am looking forward to trying out the adored kebabs at the street stall in Colaba.
I will be ticking off many more things off my bucket list and blabbing about it here. Stay tuned for more.
What: Bade Miyan- The Kebab Restaurant
Where: Tullock Road, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400004
Timings: 11a.m.- 1a.m.
Cost: Rs.600 for two
Must Try Suggestion: Mutton Baidi Roti
food
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