To be able to take advantage of what’s happening now, start thinking mango. As we all know, summer is upon us, and that means the abundance of one of India’s favourite flavours. A few days back I was in Kerala and this dessert is fusion of French style vanilla sauce with Asian tapioca.

 Pearl Martini: A dessert with tapioca (sago) and fresh mangoes.

 1 ½ cups Tapioca pearls

3 Tbsp Sugar

A pot full of water

1 ½ cups Mango Puree

1 cup Mango diced small

½ cup Coconut Milk

• Bring water to a boil.
• Once the water is ready, pour tapioca pearl in all at once and wait 1 min or until all the tapioca float to the top.
• Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot with a tight lid. Make sure the pot is big enough so boiling tapioca water will not spill over. Set timer for 20 min and keep the lid on all the time. This will help the tapioca pearls to have a consistent texture.
• After 20 min, turn off the heat. While stirring the pot, add sugar into the pot and close the lid for another 20 min.
• Strain and cool.

Vanilla Sauce:

 500 Grams Milk

500 Grams Heavy Cream

100 Yolks

50 Grams Castor Sugar

2 Vanilla Pods

• Boil Milk and Cream with half of the sugar and the vanilla pods.
• Temper * the yolks with the boiled cream and milk mixture and the remaining sugar.
• Strain and allow the mixture to cool.
• Putting the dessert together:
• Mix the pre-made vanilla sauce with cooked tapioca.
• Add mango puree and coconut milk.
• Put some fresh diced mangoes in the bottom of a martini glass and then add the tapioca mixture.
• Garnish with fresh mangoes, almond flakes, and mint.
• Serve cold and JIYO LIFE!

*TEMPERING THE EGGS:

 Add a small amount of the hot liquid or substance to the egg, stirring vigorously.

Once the egg is well incorporated you can add a little more then stir some more. Then you can place the mixture back in the pot.

It is crucial that you add them very slowly to what ever you are cooking. If not, you will end up with scrambled eggs. This is why it is very important to slowly bring them up to the same temperature as what is in the pan.

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About the Author:
A pastry chef by profession and also a TED fellow, Kishi Arora, spends her day dreaming up ways to tickle surprise and indulge the taste buds of discerning foodies in Delhi.

Kishi started ‘Foodaholics’, a popular Dessert shop. Now Foodaholics extends consultancy services to organisations and enterprises involved in food business. For an exotic desert customized to your tastes place your order at www.foodaholics.in

The Hoysala trail continues from Part 1 where we visited Doddagaddavalli and Belur. We now move on to the next temples in Halebeedu and Belavadi .

Taking a walk along the outer walls of the Hoysaleshwara Temple in Halebeedu, I was treated to a deluge of beauty in stone. Present along the outer wall were the finest engravings of images of gods and of events from Indian Mythology, all in the confines of a 4 feet high horizontal band.

One such figure is of Lord Krishna lifting Govardhanagiri to protect Gokula from torrential rains. I saw the ecosystem of the hill comes alive even in that little space. The architect had carved out in it a forest full of trees, a monkey climbing a tree, a hunter aiming at a pig and a lion looking out from its cave. Rendered under the shelter of the hill were the subjects of Krishna – cows, his cowherd friends and other villagers. All these may not be apparent to a quick passer by, but as the guides explained these nuances to tourists, I saw people pausing to take a closer look and gasping with awe. Another similarly detailed section of the wall showed Ravana attempting to lift Kailasa Parvatha, the expression of his face clearly showing his suffering under the weight of the mountain.

The one figure on the wall that awed me the most was of Lord Shiva as Gajacharmambaradhari – an appearance where the lord dances inside the body of a demon in the form of an elephant. I found it difficult just to imagine the concept, but the sculptor depicted it effortlessly in an elegant manner. There is so much attention to detail in this work of art; I could even see Shiva’s finger nails shown piercing through the skin of the pachyderm.

Walking me along these marvels of art, my guide Uma occasionally slipped in carefully practiced humorous quotes. Pointing at an image of a monkey pulling drapes of a lady, she winked and declared it as ‘monkey business’ and watched with delight as a short group of tourists burst out laughing at the remark. In another instance, she asked me what is God, and waited for me to come up with an answer. Not expecting a question from someone who should be giving me answers, I paused, not knowing what to say. She then showed me figures of the trinity on the wall – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and explained me – “G-O-D god; it means Generator, Operator and Destroyer!”

Nowhere before had I seen so many images of stone carved to such great detail. How did the Hoysala architects manage to bring in elaborateness in stone that was achieved by none else, not even by their contemporary neighbours? It is Uma who unfolded the mystery to me. “The temples here are built using soap stone,” she told me, “this type of stone is soft like butter when it is taken out from the earth. It hardens over continuous exposure to the atmosphere.” With its butter-like characteristic, the stones could be carved to greater details, a task impossible with any harder form of stone.

It would not be easy to believe that a stone could be so soft. But I was to see a demonstration very soon. Outside one of the temples, I was surrounded by hawkers selling postcards, small metal statues and artifacts made of stone. I managed to escape from them without buying anything, but a friend bought a small grinding stone that happened to be made of soap stone. Its surface was so soft, we could easily make scratches and marks on it using fingernails!

Halebeedu is not just about its famed Hoysaleshwara Temple. Few people who come here realize that the place is littered with the remains of the ancient kingdom. It was the capital of the Hoysalas for most duration of their rule, complete with bustling markets, temples and housing colonies. We can still see remains of the old habitat – a large area strewn with carved rocks and remains of the pedestals of a few temples. Also within the fortification of the town are three Jain Bastis and Kedareshwara Temple – a smaller replica of Hoysaleshwara Temple built by Vishnuvardhana’s grandson.

My prized discovery of Halebeedu turned out to be none of these grand structures, but a small kalayani in the village of Hulikere. It is an ornate tank hidden inside a coconut grove. The Kalyani’s waters are surrounded by small shrines of stone in all the eight directions, giving a reverent feel to the tank. Its calm waters reflected the tall coconut trees and the puffy clouds in the sky. The steps leading into the water served as perfect place to rest and watch the fish gently moving in the still water. I sat there for a long time all by myself, with no one else but fish for company. The silence here was so filling for the heart, I would never have bothered to leave but for my greed to explore more.

About 12km from Halebeedu is another temple at the small village of Belavadi, again hidden from the weekend crowds and day-trippers. On my way here during another visit in the middle of the monsoons, I was welcome with carpets of yellow sunflowers that were splashed amidst lush greenery, often larger than several football fields joined together. Occasional marigold fields added further to the riot of colours. Silhouetted far away to the west were the hills of Western Ghats that rose from the plains and merged with monsoon clouds. A gentle drizzle constantly reminded me of the wet season.

When it comes to intricate carvings, Veeranarayana Temple at Belavadi does not compete with Belur and Halebeedu. The temple’s prized possession is its 108 circular pillars that are polished so well that I could see my own reflection on their surface. An array of these pillars leading to the sanctum makes the temple look as grand as a king’s court.

When I needed a break from hopping from temple to temple, I found refuge in a coffee estate in the small village of Bikkodu near Belur. It was located at the edge of the plains where barren landscape made way to an evergreen canopy. The estate, with many tropical trees preserved intact to provide shade for coffee plants, was home to birds with dazzling colours and beauty. In my two hours of wandering in this green expanse, I saw crimson coloured scarlet minivets, green pigeons, emerald doves, rose ringed parakeets, coucals and a few dozen other colourful birds that whizzed past me as though they were getting late for an appointment. If the walk under the evergreen forest refreshed me, coffee made from freshly ground powder offered by Vipin, the estate manager, kept me going further.

My last stop in the journey into Hoysala heartland also happened to be in a coffee estate. Searching for the origin of these kings who were connoisseurs of art in stone, I arrived at the small village of Angadi in the heart of Sahyadris. It was here in a small temple that a brave young man killed a tiger with bare hands and subsequently scripted the creation of a kingdom. His descendants moved to Halebeedu and established a capital, from where they ruled a large part of Deccan for more than three hundred years.

Still standing proudly inside a coffee plantation in Angadi are three small beautiful temples that are said to date back to tenth century. The temples do not compare against the grandiose structures built in the later days, but it is here that the story began in a small way. As I departed from Angadi on my way back Bangalore, I wondered for once how every creation of greatness has a very humble beginning.

Travelwise is conducting a Hoysala trail this June 19,20. For details , check here

One would not expect to find a 900-year old temple in a non-descript village with a tongue twister name like Doddagaddavalli. Driving past gently undulating vistas sparingly dotted with stout trees and small irrigation ponds – they added a dash of beauty to the widespread vegetable fields – I suddenly encountered a colourful sign by the road that announced the presence of an ancient temple. Turning off the main road and going past a small village with its usual share of chickens and cows that blocked my way, I found myself gliding from the top of a mound, down an easy slope. At the base of the valley was a small black structure of stone, a temple with shrines rising up from all its corners, a saffron flags fluttering over one of those projections. Its location could not have been better, situated at the edge of the village overlooking a lake and visible from every crest of the wavy landscape that surrounded it.

The Lakshmidevi temple at Doddagaddavalli is just one of the thousands built by the Hoysala Kings who ruled a large part of South India for more than three hundred years. Returning here again a few weeks later with a small group of history-enthusiasts, I saw a few eyebrows going up in amazement when I casually mentioned that the Hoysala Kings built 1521 temples in 948 centres. It is not much, considering that it averages to about five temples every year during their long tenure of governance. But what is impressive is that 434 of these temples have survived even today, with the oldest of them built more than 1000-years ago, the most recent having survived no less than 600-years.

Thanks to this temple building spree, the land here is dotted with ancient temples in every shape, size and varying degree of craftsmanship. Some of these have intricate carvings in stone and some have simple plain walls. While a few of these temples are in various stages of dilapidation, a few more have gone through modernization by the pious villagers who have continued the tradition of regular worship in the temples. Many of them are now managed by Archaeological Survey of India. The temple at Doddagaddavalli appears to have weathered the years without having to go through much change from its original shape. Its walls and shrines appear in near perfect condition, probably not a lot different from the way it looked in the time of the Hoysalas.

Doddagaddavalli was the first stop in my journey of exploring the Hoysala Heritage. I had set out from Bangalore on a sunny April morning looking for these ancient structures in stone spread around the small town of Hassan.

Leaving in the wee hours of the morning, I drove past the city that seemed to be perennially under construction, thanks to its double digit growth rate that has refused to slow down in decades. Beyond the city were industrial areas that spewed their smelly chemical exhausts on every passer by. Further ahead was a highway that lost the charm of its open roads to a widening work.

It took me good two hours before I could breathe clean and dust free air in a clutter free environment. The next three hours of breezy driving took me past small villages, fields, lakes and vistas containing hills and greenery, before arriving at Doddagaddavalli.

The temple here is a simple structure when pitched against the better known heritage sites built by the Hoysalas. Its four sanctums, the inner hall and its walls are a lot simpler than what one would see in Belur and Halebeedu, the erstwhile capitals of the kingdom. It also deviates from the typical architecture of the temples in these parts, which are constructed within a star-shaped pedestal. However, Doddagaddavalli’s charm is not in its work of art, but its setting next to a lake in an undulating landscape, completely devoid of tourists who throng the better known temples nearby.

I was almost transposed to the era of Hoysalas as I watched the life along the lake – men washing bullocks and women washing clothes, no one in any sort of hurry. My interaction with Puttaswamy, the watchman of the temple confirms the slow pace of life here. Still in late twenties, he had moved on from a busy life as a plumber in Bangalore, and had decided to come here and take it easy.

The Lakshmidevi temple was built by a merchant in 1113AD. This was one of the earliest temples built by Hoysala Kings, just a few years before they began dominating the Deccan Plateau. In 1116AD, King Vishnuvardhana defeated the Chola generals in Talakadu (near current day Mysore), ending a hundred years of Chola occupation in the region. Following this victory and his subsequent conquests in the north, he encouraged movement of artisans into his kingdom and commissioned construction of some of the most elaborately carved temples ever to come up in these parts, perhaps anywhere in the world.

Walking around the Chennakeshava Temple in nearby Belur next morning, I was amazed at the attention to finer details that went into making every statue carved on the walls and pillars. I found here a statue of a danseuse whose bangles were chipped to rotate freely around her hands, a carving of Nandi barely larger than a chickpea and a pillar decorated with miniatures of gods and goddesses probably numbering more than a hundred. The base of the outer wall was made of layers of friezes. One of these layers contained 650 elephants – every one of them carved differently from other.

Well known among all the richly decorated sculptures in Belur are madanikas, bracket figures installed below the awnings. The sensuous damsels are depicted in various moods and activities, like Shukabhashini talking to a parrot and Darapana Sundari adoring her own figure looking into a mirror.

With carvings adorning every inch of the walls, pillars and roofing of the temple, it is no wonder that the sculptors took 103 years to complete its construction. But moving ahead into nearby Halebeedu, I was in for even more surprise. The twin temples of here are nearly twice as large as the one in Belur. It took nearly double the time to construct and hosts carvings that are no less intricate than the treasured beauties of Belur in their perfection.

Part 2 of the Hoysala trail takes you to Halebid or Dwarasamudra, Belavadi and Angadi , the origin of the Hoysala dynasty. For more details, log on to travelwise who conducts these tours

Sand and water have much in common…..One always associates the sea with the seaside, that is, the beaches. When we had been to Bordi, we were amazed to see only sand as far as eyes could see. It was low tide then, and the water was far far away.

Yet, one also associates sand to deserts. For there also, there is sand as far as eyes can see. Truly, Sand and the Sea have much in common. From where one stands, one can see only the same view, stretching, maybe to the end of the world.

As we stood on the sand dunes of Jaisalmer, surrounded by sand on all sides, we felt really small… It was so easy to get lost in the never-ending desert…if it wasn’t for the guide with us…It was scary, but so beautiful…nature at her rawest… One admires the people who live there. It is probably only because they have been born there, and have it in their blood that they can survive there. It is so easy for an outsider to succumb to the vagaries of nature in that land….unbearable heat in the summer, and long, cold nights in the winter. It is the basic rule of survival of the fittest, which rules the place and one can not but help admire the people who have survived in such a place.

It is such people who have made Jaisalmer what it is today. The Kings who ruled this land were proud and brave, and they built a beautiful fort, which, till today guards a city full of life, within its walls. According to our guide, it is the only fort in India, where people still live. In his words, it is “A Living Fort”. And what a beautiful one! Like the other forts of Rajasthan, this one too is well maintained. But, unlike the other forts, here, one can catch a glimpse of what life was like, within the walls of a fort. Narrow streets take one around the fort, within which, everyone knows everyone else. There are people pursuing professions which their great grandfathers practiced, and enjoying it! Since the fort is a heritage site, there haven’t been many changes inside, and people live in the same houses their ancestors lived in, of course with slight modifications. This lends a genuine aura to the place, which makes it a hot tourist destination.

And that brings me to an interesting fact. Tourism brings in the highest revenue here, and everyone wants to have a hand in the pie. So, as our guide told us “Children all over the world learn their mother tongue first, and then the local language of the area. However, in Jaisalmer, the first language a child learns is English, followed by French and Spanish. Many children know Italian and German too. Hindi is a secondary language for them. After all, how many tourists actually speak Hindi? As far as our mother tongue is concerned, it is a dying language. No one speaks it any more. One can earn in foreign currency by speaking in the language of the tourist. Hindi brings in little, but Marwadi, nothing at all!” A very logical reasoning, borne by the truth of his words. I could see so many children conversing in foreign languages, with an ease that comes only with regular conversation, not learning. I myself have learnt French, and actually considered myself to be good at speaking the language, but honestly, I didn’t have the guts to try out my language skills on them… they were so much better at it !

Among the places we visited was the Gadi Sagar Lake. It was once the source of water supply to the city, for the lake was built in such a way that there is water throughout the year. A miracle by itself, to build a like in the middle of a desert, and also have potable water in it! The lake is filled with catfish, which are held to be sacred by the locals. No one would dare to try to fish in the lake! On the contrary, people come and feed the fish daily, as a sort of a vow! The fish have grown to enormous sizes, and the sight of them leaping to catch the crumbs thrown by the people is an impressive one.

An interesting story goes along with the lake. This is the place where the Gangaur festival takes place, attended by the royalty. It seems that at one time, there was a prostitute in the area, who was very rich. She wanted to build something that she would be remembered for, after her death. And, being a gutsy woman, she wanted to turn up her thumb in the royalty. So, she got a huge arch built at the entrance of the lake, through which the King would have to pass during the festival. The king, would, in effect be bowing before her structure. Needless to say, the royalty wasn’t impressed, and plans were made to tear down the structure. This is when the resourceful woman showed her mettle, by constructing a small temple on the arch, overnight. No one in India will knowingly destroy a temple, and the arch stands there to this day. Checkmated by the prostitute, the King pretended to ignore the arch, and entered the premises from one side. To this day, the practice continues, with the kings not using the arch as an entrance.

The old Havelis are a major tourist attraction in Jaisalmer, and rightly so. They are huge, and palatial, and belong to the erstwhile landlords of the area. They seem to be next in the rung after the royalty, and were as conscious of their comforts. The beautiful carvings and the architecture of the houses are worth a closer look.

We visited Jaisalmer in June, when it was hot, but not as hot it would have been in peak summer. It was the off season, and there weren’t many tourists around. What I mean is that there weren’t many foreigners around. The only tourists were Indians like us, on their holidays just before schools reopened. The guides told us that during the peak season, all the hotels would be full, and tents put up all along the roads. Most people came to stay in the tents. That was when the local performers would be around, lending a genuine touch to the heritage sites. From one and all, we heard about the festival season, when Jodhpur and Jaisalmer could be seen at their best.

I beg to differ. Of course, the festivals and the festivities are what make India the unique country that she is, and that is what people come to see and be a part of, from all over the world. Undoubtedly, that would be a great experience. However, one must not forget that these are places where all the population lived in a very small area, within the fort for instance. Outside the fort were vast open spaces, which have remained so, because of nature being what she is, a bit difficult to manage. The feelings and thoughts that permeate the atmosphere in such seclusion are never possible when there is a crowd. Just for that reason, I would like to go back there, again during off season. I can not forget the wonderful feeling I had, of being on top of the world, when I looked down from the fort, or the feeling of oneness with nature, which I felt on the never-ending sand dunes, or simply the pleasure of sliding and rolling down the sand dunes with my son. It is a feeling that stays with me, and one that I would encourage others also to experience.

Canal near St. Barnaba in Venice, Italy.

Medium: Watercolour

This is my watercolour rendition of a photograph I came across in the travel section of the LA Times e-paper while doing some research on Italy as a possible vacation destination this year. The photograph instantly captured my imagination…

Here’s why:
This is the first time that I actually thought about Venetians and the fact that this Canal city is what they call Home.

For a city that is so uniquely beautiful, steeped in culture and fascinating history, it sometimes takes on a one dimensional aspect to a foreigner. It begins to look like one of those places that exist just so that we can visit during vacation time.
This picture reminded me that Venice exists outside of tourist season; that there are people going about their lives within these colourful, quaint buildings.

The antennae on the buildings tell me that someone in there is watching cartoons, or a soap opera or a sitcom. And laughing or crying. Or cutting vegetables and yelling at someone to keep the volume down…

The two little boats anchored alongside one of the buildings are sitting there as matter-of-factly as a car would in our parking lots.
The beautiful plants over the balcony railing are being trimmed and groomed and watered by someone who cares to keep them looking beautiful.

The bright light and lack of traffic makes it seem like a lazy Sunday afternoon; or a day that everyone’s home watching Venice’s equivalent of an India- Pakistan one day match.

This is why I love this picture. It may have no people in it. But it is teeming with life.

Gyaraspur is a small town of great historical importance, medieval period, in Madhya Pradesh. This comes under Vidisha district and is 35 km away from Vidisha. The name is derived from a fair which is held at the eleventh month of the Hindu calendar, gyaras means joy at the eleventh. Gyaraspur is famous for a shalabhanjika, kept now at Gujari Mahal Museum Gwalior, statue which is considered as a matchless oriental beauty by many historians and experts. She is also called as Indian Venus or Gyaraspur Lady.

There are many monuments of importance belonging to 9th-10th century. This is a small town and all the monuments can be visited walking around.

Athakambha- 9th century
Situated very near to the local bus stand, this shrine has only eight pillars left surviving. An inscription dated 982 AD, helps to put this temple to 9th century AD. The temple was constructed on a raised platform, facing east. This can be reached with a flight of steps on eastern side. The structure of the temple suggests that it had a mukh-mandapa, antarala and garbha-griha. The pillars of the temple are extremely well carved with pot-creeper motifs. These are carved with stepped-octagonal-facets. These have an intermediate capital having lion-like faces at the corners. Above this capital is a round honey-comb style pillar segment which support another capital to support the beams.

Hindola Torana – 10th century
On the way to Mala Devi temple, this complex is on the left side. This is called Hindola Torana as it looks like a platform for a swing, however it was not intended for that purpose. It seems to be a gate entrance to a temple, where Chaukhamba would have been the mandapa of that temple. Dashavataras (ten incarnations) of Vishnu are carved on the door jambs of this torana.

Chaukhamba – 10th century
This monument, the four pillars, are within the Hindola Torana complex. This seems to be the mandapa of the temple, which entrance gate would have been Hindola Torana.

Mala Devi temple – 9th century
his temple is located on a hill, 1.6 km from the bus stand. This Pratihara period temple is constructed on the eastern slope of the hill. This is partly rock-cut and partly structural. Ornamented with Jaina Yaksha, Yakshini and Jina Tirthankar images, the sanctum door jambs have Ganga, Yamuna and other Hindu deities. Inside the sanctum are placed four Jina Tirthankar images, seated on padmasana. There is a sikhara above the sanctum, where Vaishnavi, seated on Garuda, is placed.

Bajra Matha – 10th century
Located near the bus stand, this is an example of a triple shrine temple. In the 10th century development, this temple’s gate, doors and back parts are engraved with Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Later on this temple was transformed as Jain temple in which Tirthankar statues are established. Narasimha, Varaha, Vishnu, Shiva, Tripurantaka are shown in the various niches on the external walls.

Dhaikinath Stupa – 6th-7th century
This about 1.3 km from the bus stand. The Hemispherical dome (10.05 m) of the stupa resting on a circular berm (height 2.74 m and diameter 18.4 m) is incompletely preserved. Small platform like structures project from the berm in each cardinal direction. Pieced of plain railing are found scattered at the site which also shows an image of Buddha seated in Bhumisparsha-mudra.

Food and accomodation
This is a small town with not proper lodging facilities. You will find small eateries where you can get limited Indian food. Better option would be to stay at Sanchi, Vidisha or Bhopal and visit Gyaraspur for a day.

How to reach
Gyaraspur is about 35 km from Vidisha. Regular buses ply from Vidisha to here. Nearest railways station is Vidisha and nearest airport is at Bhopal.

Mashobra is a town along the historic Hindustan–Tibet Road built in 1850 by Lord Dalhousie.

Talli
Talli, a meadow near the Mahakali temple, hosts the annual Jotton ka Mela in October. This mela is very popular for its Bull Fights.

Mahakali Temple

Craignano
Craignano is a pre independence era retreat, named after the Italian countess of Craignano (in the Province of Turin)

Craignano Camp, located about 100m from the Craignano House, offers a slew of activities including rappelling, rock climbing, mountain biking, and rafting.

Craignano Camp

Craignano House

Craignano has the world’s highest water lift (7657ft) built by the British that still serves Shimla.

Apple Orchards

Regional Horticultural Research Institute


There are two shacks, serving simple Himachali food, opposite the Maha Kali Temple.

Shack where we had some pakodas and chatted with the locals – super friendly junta.
Mashobra Town and Beyond

After lunch, we proceeded towards the town. Along the way we saw some luxurious villas … Money, Money, Money !!!

Priyanka Gandhi’s vacation home
The locals are not particularly happy with the Gandhis moving into their little town because of the increased security and property resale restrictions.

We were doing a 360* sightseeing of Fukuoka in Part 1 and we covered quite a few places where one can take a chill pill. We are now moving on to festivities and shopping opportunities in Fukuoka.

Hakata Dontaku is a colorful festival in Fukuoka. Held during the Golden week every year on May 3rd and 4th, this festival showcases really colorful parades and floats, kids and elders in colorful costumes and traditional kimonos playing some traditional instruments or clapping with wooden spoons. Also, this parade includes an International float and Indian dances as well .You can see a video of the festival here

Two things which are most popular in Japan – One is the point card system wherein you can get some discounts or free gifts and the other is the gift wrappers, I just love the way the shop keepers wrap up each gift for you free of charge. Also, if you are taking any fragile items home, you can always ask the shop keeper to pack with packing material.

Marinoa City – Well this is like a all-in-all huge shopping mall or rather a shopping playground…. What I like about this place is you can get clothes whichever size and shape you maybe. (Let me tell you my sad story… I found it hard to find clothes for me because I was overweight and Japanese girls are really slim and trim … Until I discovered Marinoa City… So am happy happy now…). Please do give these shops a try (you may/may not like) – Axes Femme (I find their clothes a bit different from the other shops), Edwin (for jeans galore), Nittori (1 stop destination for all your home needs…), well you can just roam around and discover this place…
(Secret: Prices are lower during the sale season… but I always see sale whenever I go to this place…. Till now I have seen golden week sale, silver week sale, spring sale, winter sale, autumn sale …. but stuff is good during sale also … So go for it…)

Mina Tenjin – This is a 8 floor mall in the core of Tenjin which caters to probably a lot of things from Accessories to Casuals to Formals to Spa… and whole 2 floors of UniQlo

Underground Tenjin Plaza – Well I just love to walk along this place…. Really cool and certainly doesn’t look like Japan. It gives you the feeling of walking in a heritage building. The whole path has kind of cobbled stones feeling and a lot of architecture can be observed on the roofing. Very Good for Window Shopping and enjoying some good view of people loitering around with a hot Starbucks coffee.
Solaria Plaza, Iwataya and Marco – Well decorated and glamorous malls. Good for window shopping. These are located close to each other so you can get out of Marco, then go to Solaria Plaza and then to Iwataya behind it. Iwataya has a whole floor only for cosmetics and is sure nice to look at all the girls being decked up. In general the entire area is a shopping area, so you can take a stroll around.
Shintencho – Another area to spend your time (just behind Solaria Plaza). One shop caught my attention here though. Reimei sells a lot of home decoration articles likes vases, clocks of venetian glasses, tea sets, carpets, night lamps, decoration pieces (although on the costlier side) but worth a try if you are looking for something to take back home. (Well I did find some Indian stuff here and it seems the owner travels to India to get those stuff)

Canal City – What I like more about this place are the shows which are organized the year round. The mall shaped in a peculiar half-oval structure houses a theatre (3-D movies are also filmed here) as well as many shops. So, you could see a show, watch a movie and then shop about.

Hakata Station – Hakata is the old part of Fukuoka and particularly famous for Hakata Dolls – One of the major souvenirs to take back from Fukuoka.

Yodobashi – One stop for all electronic items. More popular is the point card which they issue. Each Item you buy gives you some points and you can either use them (which will be subtracted from the total amount) or add them to your second purchase.

Hawk’s Town – Well the main attractions here are the bowling alleys and the theatre. This place also houses some shops for clothes, a 100 yen shop seria, GAP, and the best I like here – Glass land. This place sells glass articles which are really sweet to look at.

And well that’s all about what you can see in Fukuoka. We will come back to you with more sights and sounds soon.

Driving to the remote part of Arunachal Pradesh in the northeast corner of India is a surreal experience. Colors change with every curve in the mountains along with the scenery.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

Bright yellow mustard fields merge with some brilliant orchids that suddenly morph into dense forests with rivers gliding past them to snow clad mountains and conifers kissed by snow flakes to frozen lakes to a valley of clouds that wrapped the mountains…

CHENNAI TO DIRANG

Day 1 – Chennai: 4 am – What a way to start a holiday. Airlines have a way of making you work hard even when you are holidaying – so here we are (my husband and I) packed and ready, traveling from southern India to the northeast corner. It is the New Year’s Eve and the excitement is just about enough to keep us warm.

We flew from Chennai, transited at Kolkata, crossed the Bangalesh border to reach Gauwhati. Our holiday had begun. We journeyed on. Another long drive to Tezpur, our transit point before reaching our destination – Tawang at a distance of 400 kms uphill nestled at 10,000 feet high. So, four cities, three airports and one long drive – day one was almost over.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

There was a bit of unrest and hence there was heavy security. We crossed the Brahmaputra and were instructed that we could not take a photograph of this majestic river or the bridge. It was the twilight hour as we reached Tezpur, a town filled with legends and myths and even associated with the Mahabharatha.

Everything seemed shut. There was a grim silence everywhere. We were told that there was a bandh. A dull beginning to a holiday.

ROMANCING THE BRAHMAPUTRA
Day 2 – A ray of light streaked into our room and cheered us up. The new year had dawned and the morning seemed promising. We were to cross into Arunachal Pradesh from Assam. Dirang, enroute to Tawang was our destination.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

We started our journey with a glimpse of the mighty Brahmaputra. A hillock, Agnigarh, overlooking the river is a tribute to the romance between Princess Usha and Anirudha, who is grandson of Lord Krishna.

My driver told me this story which dates back to the ancient epic Mahabharat, when the king Banasura had imprisoned princess Usha in this hillock and surrounded it by a rampart of fire. Hence the name, Agnigarh (house of fire).

A few scattered ruins and an ancient serene temple, Mahabhairab, were our sightseeing experiences. We continued and suddenly the scenery changed dramatically.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

Golden mustard fields, lush dense forests, gushing streams, waterfalls and colorful orchids filled our landscape as we crossed Bhalukpung, where there was rigorous security.
We were asked for our permit and questions were hurled at us regarding our journey. We were finally allowed to proceed and we stopped at Tipi, at the orchidarium, claimed to be Asia’s third largest.

A small roadside motel was our next halt where we had hot noodles and chai (tea). For vegetarians like us, even that was a luxury.

The journey resumed and the mounatins and rivers kept us company. After eight hours of driving, we finally reached Dirang, a hill station tucked in a valley of orchards. We stayed in a lovely resort, overlooking the River Kemeng with the entire town on its banks.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

The cold had just set in. We rubbed our palms in glee. We had no idea that this was just the beginning… but I had begun to enjoy my holiday.

A VALLEY OF CLOUDS
If there is heaven on earth, this is it. A valley of clouds that hid everything from mountain peaks to grasslands, flowers and birds and touched our cheeks gently as we got down to capture it on our lens.

Day 3 – We were driving from Dirang, a small hill station in Arunachal Pradesh towards Tawang set high in the Eastern Himalayas The mountains curved as River Kameng flowed along with us.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

It had just snowed. All of a sudden, it was white all around. Snow, ice and clouds all around. Snow-clad mountains wrapped in a valley of clouds was all we could see till we came to a glacier which opened to a gate guarded by dragons with bright colored flags fluttering all around.

We were at Sella Pass, where history and romance meet at 13,700 feet. At the height of Indo-China war in 1960s, Sella was a local maiden who had fallen in love with Jaswant Singh, an Indian soldier. She died a martyr and the pass was named after her and here was marked as a boundary between India and China. Jaswant Garh, a memorial for the soldier is also close by.

We had noone for company except for a couple of dogs and a small tea shop that served us some hot tea and noodles. The cold breeze tickled the bones as we stopped and stared hard at the placid clouds, tugging at the mountains.

A bright shaft of sunshine pierced through our skin as we let the heat in and rubbed our frozen fingers in glee. It was just us, the dogs and nature at its silent best.

BEYOND TAWANG

Day 4 – It is an understatement to say that Tawang was freezing cold. This is a town which sees the first rays of sun in India, but ironically the sun never shines. The temperature was many numbers below zero.

We had just checked in Tawang Inn the previous evening after another seven-hour drive and had tried sleeping in the bitter cold. Morning came but the cold spell continued. We stuffed ourselves with as many layers of clothing as possible and decided to move out of our room in Tawang Inn.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

Tawang, which means ‘chosen by horse’ is full of magical monasteries and mystical gompas on one end and a war memorial on the other. A heady mix of religion, history and nature, this town was ravaged during the Indo-China War in 1962.

The home of the Mompas, the monastery was founded in 17th century.Tawang is known for the lakes and waterfalls and we set out looking for them.

A thick layer of mist hung over the roads as we drove up hill. This is the road that takes us to Tibet and China, but we did not have the requisite permits to get there.

A sea of clouds envelopes everything, as mountain peaks jut out.

A LITTLE CAJOLING

Our driver told us that there were more than 100 lakes up hill and if the army gave us permission, we would get there. A little cajoling with the army got us trudging uphill in our jeep.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

The mist descended even thicker and many times we stopped dead in our tracks wondering if there was a curve ahead or if we were at a cliff. Visibility was at zero.

We kept climbing higer and higher. And suddenly the veil was lifted and we saw the blue sky. A sea of clouds encircled us, wrapping everything below. The sun shone brightly out of a clear and spotless sky.

Small peaks jutted out of the clouds which had spread themselves. We stared right into the clouds and could not see anything below. It was just that -– a 180-degree view of the clouds and the sky and the mountains on the other side.

We kept climbing uphill till we came to the first lake – the Patang Teng Tso or the PT Tso lake. It was just 20 kilometers from Tawang and it seemed like a long journey. There was not a soul around, not even the occassional yak or mountain goat. Even the army was not there.

Snow was snow scattered all over, carpeting a mountain here and there, while the lake was frozen. There were several lakes, a mix of water and ice; some with colored flags fluttering high, some dotted with a small temple.

The colors were stark, blue and white, black and brown. I had not seen anything so majestic, peaceful and beautiful. I wanted to capture every image with my lens, but a lot is still in my mind’s eye.

Pic : Lakshmi Sharath

We saw several bunkers used by the Indian army way back in 1962. The war memorial was a tribute to the martyrs. We crossed several tombstones on the way. It is a scary thought that this peaceful place was once a battle field. And to give assurance was a temple tucked away in the ice.

GETTING THERE

Tawang is in Arunachal Pradesh and you need a permit to visit it even if you are an Indian citizen. You can get one at Gauwhati which was my first port of call.

It is a long journey by road via Tezpur and a stopover at Bomdila or Dirang is a must. Ideally you should break the jouney into two days. And believe me, the drive is worth it! Though there are flights to Tezpur, it is advisable to avoid the same.

ACCOMODATION

Extremely basic. There is no power most of the time. You could also stay in Bomdila, but I prefer Dirang, en route to Tawang. You need a permit to get here. For details, check out ArunachalPradeshTourism.com

This article was published earlier in a travel website gonomad