By Ashwini, on March 19th, 2010%
“To the Dead Of the Indian Armies Who fell and are honoured in France,Persia,East Africa…the near and the far east and in sacred memory also of those whose names are here….”
Above are the 2 lines written on the India Gate,New Delhi the Capital of India.Reading those 2 lines I became emotional….so many soldiers sacrificed their lives.somebody’s . . . → Read More: India Gate,New Delhi,India
By Ashwini, on March 19th, 2010%
Kovilpatti is a small village in TamilNadu, which is my husband’s granny’s place. Basically ajji mane
.Though his grand-pa/grand-ma nobody is there, still he has his sweet memories here.Most of the summer vacations he has spent here when he was young and he always says he can never forget the taste of idly and chutney that his grand-ma used to do. Sweet!
He wanted to show me the paddy fields where he played, the pond where he used to swim, his favt Perumaal Temple…..
Kovilpatti is close to Tirunelvelli.From Coimbatore to Tirunelvelli there is a beautiful highway NH209 which passes through Palani,Dindigul etc.Where ever you travel in TamilNadu, the roads would be really good, which I miss in Karnataka.
On the way we found this small road side shop where he is putting idlies.
Continue reading Touring Tirunelvelli in TamilNadu
By Ashwini, on March 16th, 2010%
I had seen TajMahal 10 years back when I was kid..I still remember it was so hot when we went there and I was just looking out for some shades there!!. TajMahal didn’t mean anything to me in that age. It was just another monument.
But as I started travelling more, I realized that whereever you go, that place should give you a nice feeler to you.Then that memories will be there in your heart forever and you will cherish them lifelong.When Logu told, we will plan for TajMahal, I started searching in the internet for all possible options so that I can make this trip a nice remembrance.
I was not disappointed and I got this info about the Moonlight view of TajMahal. Seeing Taj in moonlight!!..Wow…that’s amazing!! 
Every month on full moon days the Agra Tourism Board arranges for this moon light view of Taj [except in the month of Ramzan].Tickets are priced at 500 per head and you must buy the tickets 1 day in advance.
So after finalizing all these, we flied to Delhi, then to Agra by taxi. Delhi to Agra journey was cool. As we started early we didn’t get much traffic also. You can find a lot of dhabhas along the way from Delhi to Agra and food is really not a problem.
Taj opens at early morning 6 30.To avoid the crowd, we were there by 7 30.Its a pleasure to see this magnificent monument when morning sun rays fall on it. When we entered the premises, crowd was less and weather was also pretty good. You should sit on the front marble seat to get the full and marvelous view of the TajMahal. Mumtaz’s & Shahajahan’s tombs are inside the building.
Backside of the taj gives a beautiful view of Yamuna River.Whole structure has been carved in parsian style and engraved with precious stones in colors of red,green,blue and yellow.
Basically there are 2 amazing things you should know about TajMahal.
One is the entire structure has a wooden base!!.The wood, which is of a special kind becomes stronger and stronger as it comes in contact with water.Since Taj was built beside Yamuna River this was absolutely required.
Secondly there is a small unspotted hole on the top, from which water droplets will fall on the tombs of Mumtaz and Shahajahan during rainy season.Truly it deserves to be one among the wonders of the world.
I was also fascinated by the pool in front which gives the complete reflection of the Taj.

Taj with Reflections
After taking pics from different angle we were exhausted for the day and head back to hotel.Also we had tickets for the Moonlight view of the Taj at 12 for which I wanted to take some rest and be fresh.
Night we started around 10PM towards the west gate of the TajMahal for the MoonLight View. Video cams and Mobiles are not allowed and security would be very high.They will allow people to go in slots of 50 for a duration of half an hour. I have attached some pics of the moonlight view.I enjoyed the view so much and it is really something special
.
Continue reading TajMahal in moonlight !!!
By Ashwini, on March 16th, 2010%
Juhu beach is one among the main tourist spots in Mumbai.Like Chowpatty Beach, it is a popular place to spend time in the evenings and enjoy the appetizing local snacks of Mumbai.You should definitely taste Paanipuri and Pav Bhaji here.We stayed for a week in Mumbai and everyday I ate paanipuri and Bhelpuri.Chats were very tasty here compared to what we get in Bangalore and people eat paanipuri everywhere roadside,busstop,shopping place. Usually all taxi drivers eat 2 VadaPav [6Rs/- each] and a chai which makes their breakfast..I understood why my northy friends feel dried here in South!! 
I will try to post the chats recipes in my cooking section soon.
Juhu area is also one of the posh areas in Mumbai where you can see all the branded show rooms,luxury hotels and resorts as well as most of the Bollywood actors bunglaws.You can find Mocha,Coffeeday and some roof garden restaurants.We enjoyed our dinner in a nice Italian Restaurant here..

Italian Resturant,Juhu
Continue reading Mumbai Trip – Part 2
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