Shopaholic and Sister.

It’s not a big secret that I like to shop (as does my sister); ok love to shop… well why wouldn't I? I like clothes and shoes, I love doing up my house with unusual art work and pretty table settings, I enjoy running into the most unusual things and thinking I should absolutely have one of that; and it’s not just what I buy, it’s the whole experience.  

Whether walking through a nice shiny shopping mall or a quaint street bazaar, its 360 degrees of sights and sounds to take in. As you peer through the crowds looking for familiar brands as well as new stores with unlimited potential; the background music or the sounds of from people all around fall into your subconscious and let’s not forget the mandatory cappuccino breaks to look forward to. I think a small portion of my shopping is, I really need something and I have to go out there and get it; the remaining is really, I need to ensure my day is well spent so “Lets shop”!

It’s been said that every activity needs a partner in crime; similarly shopping is never any fun without K. I think it’s because of our similar tastes and lifestyle choices. In fact, I’m going to have to blame our upbringing for this cause as that’s the only reason I can think of at the moment.

So, K and me do annual shopping trips to Bangkok… yes, yes, Bangkok and yes, once a year. The city is also known for its wholesale bargains. Where else can you go to a store to buy a lemon green linen shirt for 650 Baht and via a series of negotiations through calculator and language (mis)interpretations end up buying 5 linen shirts in different styles and colors for 600 Baht. In Bangkok, it almost seems like the more you buy, the cheaper it actually becomes.  So every time either one of us needs a cheerful wardrobe update, Bangkok it is. It’s only a 4 hour flight away, almost like driving to work for some people!

If we’re looking for shoes, where else but to the home of Jimmy Choo! So, not all of us can afford stacking our shoe drawers with Christian Louboutins, Vera Wangs or Jimmy Choos, but we’re women and we need lots of shoes…. Kuala Lumpur to me has never been a disappointment when it comes to shoes and I think Vincci secretly loves me. Between the 2 of us, our KL trips mean at least 20 pairs of shoes. Of course we need that many, I mean there’s work shoes and regular day shoes, flat slippers and evening heels and weekend heels and let’s not forget my mums favorite, wedge heels for a lawn party.

"Sale" all the way to the New York, the land where it all started…. It has to have all started here, every high end brand and budget brand seems to have launched in this city or rather this country, there’s every kind of promotion event to attract the seasoned shopper, and there’s malls and factory outlets and street markets and so much layout variety; Shopping in the US is just overwhelming and I love the Cheesecake Factory lunches, the breaks for smoothies and chocolate shakes, the lets walk through the food court and nibble everything and then let’s get some more dessert after. With all that walking and carrying those heavy shopping bags, any amount of eating is totally worked off.  And then there’s the fact that all those essentials like shower gel and moisturizer seem so much cheaper in this country; thank god US trips have 46kgs of baggage allowance.

And then there’s been the stopovers in Dubai, Singapore and Jakarta just to add some variety and culture to those Shopaholic trips.

Yes, I couldn’t ever have this much fun shopping without K; In fact, I think it’s about time for Bangkok again!

Temples

When I think temple there's a few things that spring to mind; the sound of bells ringing, peaceful chanting, ancient stone architecture that's withstood time, perhaps an elephant, or flowers that add a dash of color...

... And, the reality is most temples don't really look like that. However, in the past week I've actually been to 2 different temples that reflect my views of what a temple should look like.

Sri Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple at the foot of Nandi Hills is a 9th century temple which I'd never known existed till Maya invited me for her wedding. We set off early Saturday morning and reached the place just 60kms away in a couple of hours; welll, we got caught in bad traffic along the way. Why? Because it was the muslim festival Bakrid and there were hundreds of people steaming down the streets towards the mosque.


But we needed to reach a Temple that day so we drove along, past the city, past the airport, past open countryside, past a railway crossing just as the train passed by and reached this ancient place. Being a wedding, the sandy stone buildings seemed to have come alive with marigold  strewn along the ground. The people around brought in a lot of color and between the priests and the musicians the much needed chanting began!



The Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, I've been to several times when I was younger. I loved the place and found it extremely fascinating with all the carvings of deities, elephants and other strange things. Also, being a world heritage site junkie, the thought of going to any one of the 962 UNESCO World Heritage Sites is a welcome thought any day. So, middle of a Friday afternoon here I was at this 7th Century Temple on the eastern shore of southern India overlooking the Bay of Bengal.

I don't know whats so special about this place... the intricate carvings; the fact that its faced sand, wind and sea for over a 1000 years and yet looks untouched; that its a comparatively small temple which manages to look overpowering;

Or, maybe its just the fact that its takes my mind on a journey through time as I think about this temple amidst ancient India.

Sri Lanka... land of my ancestors.

My grandmother moved to Sri Lanka, the island country just below the southern tip of India right after she got married and returned to India a few years before I was born, hence I have always heard of this country and its magic and mystery, but to experience it was something completely different.

The journey to this land of my ancestors started off by taking my grandmother back to the country she spent 25 years in so she could meet old friends and distant family and relive all those memories.

My knowledge of Sri Lanka was riddled between bedtime stories, architectural and historical research and tourist information. My experiences of Sri Lanka in those 11 days felt exactly like I relived every bedtime story, every piece of research and every tourist guidebook on this country!


No, we didn't fly Sri Lankan, we flew Air India, which was absolutely pleasant as the flight took off mid-morning and flew so far below the clouds we got the best view of the eastern coastline of India, the historical Rama's Bridge or rather Rameswaram Island and were welcomed by the absolutely greenery of a tropical Island. 

I write this blog for Nana, to capture some of the special things that mum, K and me were able to do thanks to her.

And then we landed - at Colombo 

12 Retreat Rd, Bambalapitiya - A house that looked so similar to my grandparent’s house in Bangalore; it could only be the house they lived in. Everything around this one house seemed to have changed; the multi story apartment complex next door, the small lane at the end of the road (the very popular Marine drive) but this house seemed to have stopped in time.

Chinese Dragon Cafe, on Milagiriya Ave - So the story I've always heard was when my grandmother was expecting my mother, she'd be craving Chinese food and would wait for my grandfather to get back home so they could go to Chinese Dragon Cafe. (But then they stopped going cause someone claimed they served cat meat!! Really!!!)

Well, we went there and this has to be one of my all time favorite Chinese restaurants ever. The decor may not be great, but the food was just excellent.

Green Cabin

Hmmm Chocolate cake... no wait, not just chocolate cake.. they have a whole garden at the back laid out and lit with candles and there's hoppers, lamprais, kottu roti; food that can never be described. They have to be eaten to be believed.

Christ Church, Galle Face

"Play tennis at Church?" seems very unusual but I suppose if your tennis courts were at the back of the church, it might explain why you were playing tennis at church!

 Elephant House - Necto, Ice Cream Soda, Ginger Beer, Orange Crush... why don't they have elephant house in other parts of this world? *Sigh*


P&S - Perera and Sons was a small bakery down the road; No Nana, I've seen really large Perera and Sons all over the country or should I say P&S.

Kandos Chocolates – Once upon a time, a gentleman walked up the road and asked my grandfather if he could taste some chocolate samples for his new business. These turned out to be Kandos, Sri Lanka’s No. 1 chocolate brand. What a coincidence?

Noritake Factory - Who goes to Sri Lanka and doesn't leave without a piece of Noritake? Well definitely not a connosieur of fine dining...

Hikkaduwa - Glass bottom boats and colorful coral reefs... I never could quite imagine what a glass bottom boat was, but the truth is the boats do have a part of their bottom made out of glass and as you cruise along you see the not so colorful coral reefs and the exotic fish that life in this area. Without falling out of the boat or getting sea sick with the tossing and turning, we made it through the adventure ride; adventure yes, not a gentle glamorous boat ride that nana made it out to be.

I completely understand the lack of color tho; once a sanctuary rich in corals, flora, fauna and vibrant marine life, today the Hikkaduwa Coral Sanctuary is not as colourful and abundant as it used to be due to coral bleaching and man-made destruction. While there are many restrictions and efforts at conservation, I know this place will never be the same and to me I will always remember Hikkaduwa, its colors and its vibrancy with my eyes closed, the way my grandmother described it to me.

Sigiria – Or, the Lion’s rock; a picture of which I’d seen years ago in a travel magazine and always aspired to climb. The climb itself isn’t hard and doesn’t take more than 45 minutes. If I lived in Sri Lanka, like Nana I too would have always gone here for picnics, dog and everything else included!

 

Though I have to say, all the terrifying stories I heard about how hard it is to climb are totally untrue; but then again evolving times and tourism, they now have a metal staircase attached to the rock so you can slide right up, no need to ensure your foot’s firmly on every foothold carved onto the rock while you grab onto the metal poles and pray you reach the top! :-)

Marine Drive - The lane at the end of the street , the one that runs along the sea, the one that has a train track between the lane and the sea... Expanded and modernized today but still a road with a train track that runs along the sea. Yes, if I lived here I would go for walks down this road everyday......

...... Nothing, not time, not people, not economic improvement can change the beauty of this "lane". This is how I imagined Colombo to be and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

Curiouser and curiouser!

Growing up, Alice in Wonderland was by far one of the most influential characters in my life. Her adventures down the rabbit hole while far from reality made me want to believe that a fascinating world did exist some where.

And as I grew older and left my front porch, I realized that the world we live in is just as fascinating if not more. I might have just fallen down a rabbit hole for every person I meet in this world has a story, every city a special charm and every day brings with it a new adventure.

As the grinning Cheshire Cat said to Alice, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there"; and sometimes I think that's the best advise anyone could give you... I never quite know exactly where I'm going but I'm certain which ever path I choose its bound to be action packed with lots to learn and lots to discover.

Lets hope that I will always stay Curiouser and curiouser....