Auntie Annes @ 360 Mall

I decided to check out the much publicized 360 mall today. Since it was a Friday morning there wasn't much of a crowd except for the shoppers at Geant. I wasnt really interested in any of the shops in 360 except for Toy'R'us but because of the rush of shoppers going to the basement I headed in the opposite direction.

The food court seating area is probably the best I've seen in Kuwait. A variety of seating arrangements from booths to counters and bar stools makes it look good. We bought a couple of hot pretzels from Auntie Anne's and then washed it down with a couple of drinks from Boost.

I had the Pepperoni and Cheese Pretzel and a 'Vita C' juice. The pretzel was hot, chewy and perfect but needed a little more pepperoni while my Vitamin C drink was refreshing and cool.

New blog friends

I'd like welcome some new guys to the Blog roll

Mentabolism

Elegant Chic

Name is Bond

Lordraj

Abid

and thanks to all my regular readers like Purple, Jonyboy, Onlooker, Q8NRI etc for your comments and feedback :)

Scenes from a moving train

Random scenes from a train traveling from Trivandrum to Cochin. By the time I reached Kottayam I was caught by the Police who wanted to confiscate my film roll and were confused when I told them that I didnt have any film in the camera. Apparently photography on a train is prohibited ! WTF ??? Since when ?

We like to do it 'Indian Style' :P

Pai Brothers Fast Food

After a night out in the city or after a late movie ,Pai Brothers Fast Food is the place to go to if you're looking for a bite to eat in the wee hours in Cochin. When we got there it was jam packed even though it was close to midnight! They serve 36 different kinds of Dosa, kind of like Baskin Robbins but with Dosa!

I had the Spicy Humman Egg Dosa (I didnt get a chance to find out what 'Humman' means) which is the basic 'Paper' Roast layered with onions, tomatoes, green chilies, chutney powder, chili powder and a couple of chicken eggs. It was served with coconut chutney and sambar but with so many flavors in the dosa I really didnt need it.

The place is neat and the food looks hygenic so I'm sure most travellers can safely eat there. Just be sure to order bottled water since Monsoon season can bring with it a lot of water borne illnesses.

Michael Crichton- Next

I just finished this book and I'm not too pleased with it. OK I like the plot which is about industrial espionage, Genetic engineering and bio medical research but some of the stuff in it is just like its out of a Hindi movie. Although I'm a fan of Michael Crichton this book is not gonna be in my favorites list.

I'm back !

I'm back to *cough cough* dusty ol' Kuwait. I have a ton of catching up to do, especially with email and my blog feeds, which has about 1000+ unread posts ! Sorry if I haven't visited your blogs in a while but I'll see you guys soon.

Vasudeva Vilasom Rejuvenation massage

Vasudeva vilasom Rejuvenation massage

Since i've been dealing with some work related stress recently I had decided earlier on during my vacation to make a trip to one of the well known Ayurvedic wellness centers in the city. As some of you know, my shoulder acts up sometimes so I needed to get that checked out too.

View from my room

I went to Vasudeva Vilasom for a check-up and consultation on my condition... as most doctors have said to me in the past " You need to lose some weight" !!. Alright alright, old news. After all, I'm a Mallu in the Gulf.. I'm bound to gain weight whether I like it or not. Ok now onto the oily slimy details.

Many of my friends get an instant hard-on when the phrase "full body massage" is mentioned, well I have one thing to say to my buddies..."go to Thailand" coz you wont be getting any oiled-up, sexed-up, limber asian girls to massage every nook and crany of your disgusting body. Instead you get an a 5 1/2 foot tall dark muscular guy with hands of steel that can turn your body into a pile of mush in minutes.

For those of you not yet initiated into the world of Ayurvedic Rejuvination here are the steps involved.

1. Strip buck naked and wear a 'loin cloth' also affectionately called an Indian Tie by some people.

2. Lay down on a solid wooden bed called an Enna Thonni (Oil Boat). I found out that this wood is treated by oil and herbs to impart its goodness onto the client, ie yours truly.

Massage bed

The massage is split into 4 sections
a) The special oil is heated to a specific temperature and then slapped all over you as you turn over to your right, left and face down
b) now here comes the hard part, your personal massuer then works his magic by twisting, wringing, squeezing and massaging all the stress points in your body. At first it may be a little hard to handle but feels really good at the end.
c)He then runs steam all over your body while gently massaging it so that all the pores open up and absorb the 'goodness'. The water used to create the steam contains Eucalytpus leaves, Neem leaves among other herbs.
d)Another oil is used for your head and face, he firmly rubs each part of your skull and you end feeling like you've just had brain surgery!

3. While all this is going on, your bath has been prepared in the ajoining bathroom where the following greets you; hot water, Payaru Podi(exfoliant/body scrubbing paste), shampoo and herbal soap. They are willing to bathe you as well but I just asked him to scrub my back.

Imagine doing this over a period of three days and you'll know what its like to have a new body.
The generic Rejuvenation massage is 600 Rs per session and varies if you add other extras.

Vasudeva Vilasom Homepage [link]

Scenes from a Village

This was shot on a clear sunny day in my Dad's village. I just love this place.. the air is clean, the skies are blue and the grass is green. My short vacation is halfway thru and I'm trying to make the most of it.

BSNL Cellone Excel

I got this new connection from BSNL cellone as my old number had expired. Its a good option for NRIs if your visit to India is not very frequent and you want to maintain the same mobile number.

Starting charge: RS 499
Talktime: RS 400
Validity: 3 years !!!

So now I don't have to worry about an expired pre-paid connection.

BSNL mobile [link]

Kingfisher chicken

First off I'd like to thank Dr. Vijay Mallya for making one of the best beers in the world. Even though I've had a lot of other brands of beer, a chilled bottle of KF has a special place in my heart. As some people already might know, beer can quench your thirst and be used as an excellent marinade!

As usual more pictures and less talk.

You need:

2 chickens quartered (or 1/8ths depending on the size)
Half a packet of chicken masala
Half a packet of Ginger Garlic paste
Salt and Pepper
2 bottles of Kingfisher Beer (one for the chicken and one for you)







How to:

Score the chicken pieces with a sharp knife and pat dry. Mix the curry powder,salt,pepper and ginger garlic paste in a bowl then slowly add the beer in small amounts. The mixture will be frothy and the consistency of a cake mixture. Now pour it over the chicken pieces and thoroughly coat them. Cover and set aside for atleast 4-5 hours.







Get the coals nice and red hot then grill them till the juices run clear from the chicken. Enjoy !

Sights and sounds of cochin

This being the monsoon season, the skies were overcast and grey most of the time but I managed to visit a few places when it wasnt raining. The face of the city is changing because of all the construction going on. Pretty soon its gonna turn into a concrete jungle like Bombay or Dubai which is sad.

click on the pictures to view in larger size

View from my wife's apartment

Mattanchery and Fort Cochin
You can read about my previous visit to Fort Cochin here link

Santa Cruze Bascilica
This is and old town with a lot of history and some really old churches. First stop was Santa Cruze Bascilica. The Bascilica has a lot of art work on the ceiling much like the Sistine Chapel. There are lots of textures and colors which makes this a good opportunity to take an HDR shot.. so I did !

St. Francis Church
This church was made by the Portugese in 1516 and was the original resting place of explorer Vasco da Gama. His remains were later moved to Lisbon in his home country.

Jew town and Jew street
This was one of the oldest Jewsish settlements in India and is place to the oldest existing Synagoge in the Commonwealth. It was built in 1568 and is maintained by the few remaining Jews in Cochin. There was an older Synagoge in Kochangadi, built in 1344 but it no longer exists. Photography is strictly prohibited. All along Jew street there are many antique shops and handicraft workshops.


Lagoons and backwaters
I took a couple of shots of a fishing boat leaving the shores of the lagoon. This was a single RAW file then made into an HDR image.

Syrian Orthodox wedding
I was lucky enough to attend a cousins wedding while I was in Cochin. Had a good time catching up with relatives.

Kerala Breakfast
Puttu and Kadala (steamed rice cakes with brown chickpeas)

Idiyappam and Motta curry (rice hoppers and egg curry)