Voila Men!

1. One of my friends was waiting for red light to turn green when a girl bumped her car into his car. He got out of his car in a rage and saw a large dent on it and then looked at her. She with a embarrassed smile said sorry. His anger vanished in a flash. “It’s okay!”, He said smiling back.
She, with a little reluctance got out of car and asked him to reverse it as being a learner she wasn’t good at reversing. He reversed her car as if hypnotized. When he came back home, he called me to shared his story. I was clueless and silent for a while. Understanding my silence he told me she was pretty and hence he was helpless!

2. He was exhausted after almost an hour of running on treadmill in the gym. When he was about to step out of it, an extremely good looking girl came in. Looking at her he pushed himself more to run for another 15 minutes, in order to grab her attention. She didn’t notice him. He ended up having sprain in his legs!

3. We were waiting for a business meeting, when this friend of mine saw a very beautiful girl. After looking at her, he looked at me and said, “You know, she is my could-be…” I had a straight face

4. My brother told his friend’s story. In a restaurant he had a pathetic meal and even worse service. Determined not to pay bill for that wretched meal, in anger he called the manager. When manager came, his voice turned soft. He looked at her charming face, and softly discussed the issue. Manager apologized, and he ended up giving a good tip to waiter after paying the bill. He visited the same restaurant again several times.

5. I was out with another friend. While walking a very attractive lady crossed our way, his face turned and eyes followed like a sunflower. Coming back to his senses he realized I had noticed him, he remarked, “Such a dark lipstick she was wearing, it looks odd!” I knew that was a gaze in admiration. ***Sigh!!!

Men will be Men #IndianCricketTeam

Image courtesy: http://www.flixya.com

V is for Voila Men on April 25,
A to Z Challenge!

Udaipur in photographs

 It was an all-girls trip to Udaipur. We were excited, with our spirits touching the sky. We had our own reasons to be thrilled with the idea of this trip. For last two years Udaipur had become my must visit destination. After looking at photographs on my cousins’ and on my uncles Facebook wall and reading about city of lakes and palaces I became determined. We took over night train from Delhi. Being in an all-girls group and loud laugh-errs we grabbed the attention of many fellow passengers. One old aged man came from his seat to our adda, smiled and said;" Listening to your laughs I was thinking today’s world still has such joyous hearts..." we laughed out again...

 We checked in Hotel Amantra (near Saheliyon ki Bari)- which was a comfortable place with good service and decently priced. On the day of our arrival we checked with two cab providing entities. First one was Rajasthan tourism's office at the railway station. Another one was our hotel's cab providers. We hired the latter one as it had a better deal. As per our homework we jotted down our list of must visit places.

On day one we visited Chetak memorial which wasn’t very great and can be skipped. After it we visited Vintage car museum. It is a place for car lovers, and if one loves to relish over the classic car models, there is a good variety here. For the non-interested folks there is a restaurant nearby where one can enjoy a thali- meal. After museum, we decided to visit the famous City Palace- one of the most visited tourist destination in Udaipur. It has the fusion of Mughal and Rajasthani styles of architecture and is situated on the banks of Lake Pichola.

 

 From City Palace one can have a panoramic view of the city. There are small shops inside the complex. Though according to locals those shops are over priced and one can get things at cheaper rates from outside market.  

From the palace we had a view of Lake Pichola and buildings like Jag Mandir and Lake Palace on it. If you are in Udaipur- City Palace is a must visit destination.

We went Karni Mata temple next through a rope-way. Situated on a higher altitude, the place provided a handsome view of Udaipur City lying below. We decided to wait there for sunset.

From above we could see Dhudhtalai (a small lake near Lake Pichola). It is a popular sunset point with fountains in the middle of the lake. 

A view of lake Pichola from Karni mata temple just before Sunset.

After the sunset the City turned brighter in the night with terrific lighting that made it look more heavenly.
 

We decided to go for boating in Lake Pichola and look around at beautifully lighted Lake Palace, City Palace and Jag Mandir with their reflections in the lake.

After that our cab driver took us to Rajasthan Emporium and then to Raaj-Bagh besides Fateh Sagar Lake. The food and service was not very nice but ambiance was good.

Next day we planned for Kumbhalgarh fort and Ranakpur Jain temple which are on outskirts of Udaipur. If you love visiting old forts, enjoy their architecture and love to trek, Kumbhalgarh fort is for you. There small eating joints around the fort for lunch, though food wasn’t very awesome but edible. After visiting the fort we started for Ranakpur temple, a must visit for every person in or around Udaipur. The architecture of this temple is enthralling. Beautiful sculptures are sculpted in the walls and pillars around.

After  reaching back to Udaipur our cab left us near Bagore ki Haveli. We enjoyed variety of Rajasthani dance performances for an hour there. The show starts at 7 in the evening and ends at 8. 

 After enjoying it we went to one of the famous restaurant Ambrai which is exactly opposite to City Palace. Sitting by the lake side in candle light and looking at beautifully lighted city Palace was a delightful experience. If one is in Udaipur one should not miss this view during evening. 

Our third day was a bit relaxed. We decided to walk/jog around Fateh Sagar to see the sun rise early morning at 5. The lake was approx. 1.5 to 2 kms away from our hotel. We walked, enjoyed the greenery and morning of Udaipur to the lake. There are better sunrise points, for which one needs to hire cab in advance as local transports are not available before 6 am. After coming back we enjoyed our complimentary buffet for breakfast.

We got ready and visited Jagdish temple. One of the very famous temple of Udaipur.

 

Jagdish Temple

 After visiting temple it was the time for some local shopping for us.. Udaipur has some leather work wallets, bags and small sling bags which had multicolored embroideries over them. Also there were handmade diaries with traditional cloth cover.

   One not to be missed food joint was Nataraj where they offer unlimited thali with too many options. The place doesn't offer very good ambience and is a bit noisy but nothing can beat a plate full of sumptuous and economical meal- another must visit place.

Photo Courtesy: Manisha Raj (Fellow Traveler)

 The photo below was taken at Lake Pichola on our second day.

Another Sunset at Lake Pichola

 Locals were welcoming and warm. We enjoyed our tour a lot. If you are planning your tour-de-Udaipur, don’t miss the places mentioned above.

 

 Places we missed this time but would see in our next trip to Udaipur:
- Sajjangarh (sunset point)
-  Eklingji and Nathakdwar Temple

Note: Chittorgarh is another beautiful fort near Udaipur but not safe for all girls. Ask locals before going there.

U is for Udaipur, On April 24
A to Z Challenge

Travel

I mind tans when I am living in my home. I feel lazy and under spirited at times. I don't want to step out in harsh sun or deadly winters and wait for the weather to turn better. I love to stay indoors. And then everything opposite happens when I am traveling. As I was introspecting about my travel experiences I realized there is something common in every trip I have made since childhood. Being born to parents who love to explore either one or two or even three places every year, traveling has become more than a habit.
I don't think about tans on travel. I talk to the locals and listen to the tales of fellow- travelers. Trains look awesome for small journey. I love holding tickets in my hands. I don’t mind harsh sun or deadly winters. Anytime of the day/night is worth leaving my hideout and go for expeditions. My comfort on travel takes a back seat. Travel makes me a different person, a lively person, a person who doesn’t want to miss anything. Travel makes me a story teller... 

Things I take care of while going on a tour-

-Keeping my suitcase lite.
-Two pair of foot wears maximum three (sport shoes, slippers, and belly)
-Sunscreen
-A handbag containing soaps, towels, sanitizer.
-Pills (for headache and stomach infections)
-Camera, camera charger with extra memory card

What I normally forget to pack. (Last two trips were exceptional)
-My comb and my toothbrush! :D

T is for Travel, on April 21
A to Z Challenge

What does traveling do to you? What things you normally forget to pack before going on trips?
Image courtesy: Google

Selflessness- a story

Photo courtesy: http://p4.storage.canalblog.com

I have read this story long back. Once a group of asura (demons) asked Lord Vishnu (Supremacy), “Why have you given special authority to Gods and not to us? Since there is nothing they can do and we cannot, we demand equal respect and status. “
Lord Vishnu heard to their plea and decided to invite all Gods and Demons together on lunch to talk about the matter. The date was decided, and both Gods and Demons reached the venue. Since Demons and Gods are enemies, hence they were seated in different rooms for lunch. Lord Vishnu welcomed them both. He asked them to tie wooden logs on their elbows during lunch, if they want to know why Gods are given higher status than them. They agreed. Demons picked up their bite but their hands couldn’t reach their mouth because the logs didn't allow their elbows to bend. For some minutes they kept on trying to eat something but all in vain. None of them could succeed. After half an hour Lord Vishnu entered their room to ask them if they liked their food but saw all the demons red in anger. Their logs were broken, food was spilled around. They were fighting with each other in frustration as in an attempt to eat something some of them had accidentally hit the other. Looking at lord Vishnu, all of them asked aloud with angry eyes, “Did you call us here to insult us?”
To which lord Vishnu smiled and asked them to follow him calmly to another room. Lord Vishnu took them in the room where Gods were eating. Demons were surprised to see that they had divided themselves in teams of two and were feeding bites in each others’ mouths. They were enjoying their food and the room was filled with peace and love.
Lord Vishnu said, “Dear demons may be now you know where you lag behind from Gods.”
All the demons, in shame, went back to their homes.

We can be either like those Demons or Gods. We can become totally selfish, thinking about our good, our comfort, ourselves and ignoring the other person. And in long run remain dissatisfied, unattended and isolated. Or we can give love and get love in return like Gods. The one who works selflessly never walks alone.
Isn’t life all about living for each other and enjoying pleasure in giving!

S is for Selfishness and Selflessness, Story on April 21
A to Z challenge

The Regrets

“What is the biggest regret in your life?” a friend probed me.
I said “nothing.”
“Really?” he was astounded.
"I did take my chances, I did fail too. I stood up again. Isn’t it how life should be? Why should I have regrets?”
He knew I wasn't wrong!
I thought further. The things we did in our lives were exactly the ones that we wanted to do at one point of time. Repercussions, good or bad, are ours. Then why do we need to hold remorse or guilt for our own actions. Why is there a need to recall our impulsive actions, failed dreams and aspirations or lack of hard work throughout our lives? We all are accountable for our lives and mistakes we make. We may repent for the chances we didn’t take but why to repent for long. I may have regretted for knowing someone or may have regretted for not working hard, or putting myself in vulnerable positions, but the regrets came and went. None lasted for long. Rather than repenting- we can either work hard or we can be glad that we gave our best shot for what we believed in. Or at least did what we felt is right and suitable for ourselves. Or may be try once again without leading a reproachful life. Looking at bigger picture or being optimist- it might also be possible that we have dodged some bigger accidents by missing on a few things. As they say put your all efforts on what you believe in and then have faith-‘whatever happens, happens for good…”

R is for Regret, on April 21
A to Z Challenge.

Read my guest post on Shine Kapoor's blog on Right Age.