Arts Reverie charming haveli in Ahmedabad

Arts Reverie is set in Dhal Ni Pol, one of the several pols that line the wall city of the Ahemdabad, weekend destination from Mumbai. Its one belongs to the Jain jeweler but has been brought up by Ahemdabad based author and art critic. It was 11 pm when I reached the pol house with my colleagues; we went for a workshop and heard about it. The two storied white havelis with green and blue windows, carved pillars and white walls, in some parts with red is easy to spot. However it was recently restored as the paint was fresh and it was the only building in the pol with a large white sculpture of two warriors on their horses, located on the roof and there was one emblem of the power that jeweler’s family once wielded. The walled city is the perfect place for any artist looking to history and ancient architecture for inspiration. The buildings around may be decaying but they were telling the stories when Ahemdabad was controlled by the traders and merchants, who constructed many of these embellished and carved havelis.

Unlike other hotels, it has no lobby. From the courtyard, I took the wooden staircase with a trap door, which has to be pushed open to enter the first level. A veranda was converted into a functional lounge or a common meeting space. Then there was a white wall with jeweled pattern of neckpiece, which was drawn by an American artist, forms the backdrop for a small library filled with books on art, travel and architecture. The furniture was basic a long table with wooden stools, topped by cushions. This is where we had dinner and watched television along.

It had three floors, on the ground level was the office and the kitchen and on the first was three rooms and the second had mosaic floored terrace, bedroom and an exhibition space for artists. The bathroom, a large all white space is common to all the rooms. Well ventilated, the havelis had 25 windows, some opening to the courtyard and others to the road side. My room was in soothing blue and white. Everything about the hotel was heritage as there were large teakwood cupboards, the wooden beds, the mosaic patterned flooring and the jharokhas that hide either a wardrobe or another door behind them. Oil lamps were lit every evening when the sun sets. We were able to view the other homes from the terrace. Meals were simple but varied my dinner consisted of rice, dal three kinds of vegetable some salad and a delicious khajur raita. In breakfast there were fresh juices, toast, butter and jam, poha or upma, slicers of fresh fruit and the dhokla. It is a strict vegetarian cuisine as the havelis is located in Jain cluster. The havelis also had world space radio and a WI fi environment.

Evenings are the best spent at arts Reverie, that’s when Dhal Ni Pol comes alive to the sounds of boisterous kids playing gali cricket and aunties gossiping on street corners.

Art Reverie is an art residency a retreat for artists, arts critics, filmmakers and writers, where they can stay for weeks or months.

Look for Driving Directions for Arts Reverie.

Pataudi Palace, the royal weekend destination from Delhi

To me it was more than enough that I was visiting the home of Saif Ali Khan my favorite actor. However it was the Pataudi Palace the royal palace which is now run by the Neemrana hotels. I went to enjoy my weekend in a royal style with my friends. It is a perfect weekend destination from Delhi. Only 60 kms from Gurgaon the palace was amazingly beautiful in all white. Pataudi palace belongs to the Indian cricketing legend and royal scion, Nawab Mansur Ali Khan. He is nicknamed as “Tiger” amongst his cricket fans. But he is a true Nawab in every way. This palace was built by Nawab Ibrahim Ali Khan, his father and the ruler of the princely state of Pataudi in Haryana, India. This palace was designed by Heinz in 1935.

It has so many gardens along with the beautiful carved marble water fountains everywhere. It was the true nature walk one would love to have. The white pillars all around were reminding me about the British buildings in Delhi. It is a heritage hotel in pure white with beautiful gardens covering up the entire surroundings. After seeing the exteriors I was keener to view the interiors of the palace. It was very pretty and looked like the old days. The lobby was full of images of Pataudi’s cricket days and his marriage with the famous actress Sharmila Tagore including there children Saif and Soha. The ceiling was high and it was all decorated with beautiful candle chandeliers, curtains and many pictures of the family. There was also the Saif Mahal which had the pictures of Saif from his childhood and it was pretty nice. They accommodate only 10 people at a time that to informed prior to check in date. So we were given 2 rooms Sajida and Silvat Mahal, it also has suites name as Mansur, Saif, Mumtaz Mahal. The rooms were pretty big and had all the modern facilities available. The bathrooms were occupied by the old days marble tub and taking a bath in them, I felt as I was one of the princess from history.

The meal was amazingly good as they offered us the Avadhi cuisine. The meal rate is nominal for all only Rs 300 per head. After having the delicious meal we went for little walk in the garden. There were so many of them with beautiful water fountains in different shapes and sizes all around the palace. We were so amazed to hear the voice of the peacock from near by and then in a tree nearby we could see 2 of them with so many other species of bird whose name I m not aware of. It was a naturist walk. After relaxing in the garden we went to play billiards in the billiards room and half of my friends went for swimming.

The entire stay was so royal that the next day we were not in the mood to leave the palace and asked the manager to extend our stay for one more day, but our bad luck the palace was already booked for a conference so we have to check out at 2 pm which is the check out time here. But the experience was totally fantastic and breath taking, experience once in a lifetime. In further future would definitely visit it again hopefully with my family.

Find driving directions from Delhi.

Gokarna a weekend getaway

I was traveling in a bus to the town of Gokarna a weekend destination from Bangalore. When I reached Gokarna in Karnataka I asked for Swa Swara, the local name for this beach resort is simply aa hosa jaaga. I took an auto rickshaw and reached my place. My room in the resort was a miniature Konkan villa with cool red oxide floor and tiled roof. The bathroom was open roof, and then there was the yoga room upstairs soon became my regular spot for tea and staring. Om Beach was five minutes from the resort. People live in here in off season mode, believe that the tourists don’t want their hair and feets to get wet so although Gokarna is near round the year destination, most places that let out beach shacks and cottages close down almost as soon as the first dark cloud makes its appearance. But those that are open are glad to serve up well meaning chai and fried rice. Even when Gokarna is playing introvert, it manages to make endless expanse of the Arabian Sea seem like my own little holiday space. From Om beach I walk along a marked route up a mountain, stopping once in a while to get a top view of the beach’s Om shape.

Kudla beach shines many shades of orange through the forest darkening after sunset. Palm trees line the beach, as if it’s perfectly normal to stand there right next to masses of sea eroded boulders. A few fishermen come out with torches, searching for fish that might get thrown out when the waves mess about in mountain. Back at my resort I had fish with few vegetables which was amazingly cooked.

Next day I went to the Western Ghats. There were shopkeepers, temple priests, and local tribes selling flowers everyone was ready to break into a story. The temple town of Gokarna has 8 temples more than two temples per street. I visited the town main lord Mahabaleshwar, its one temple stop for holiness. The board there said foreigners are prohibited inside the temple, many agitated priests argue that god doesn’t like unbathed people and they are not sure if foreigners bathe. After making my prayers I walked to the nearby Gokarna Beach, the only one accessible from inside the town. The town covered with half a day, I heard to the two beaches I have been warned to only touch by road Half moon and Paradise beaches, which can be reached by auto or a trek. More peril less sand in Half Moon Beach. But any peril will seem worth if dolphins suddenly slice through the sea surface which I watched for a long time. And then the rains start in Gokarna and I have to go back to my resort.

Check out Driving Directions from Bangalore to Gokarna

Kumarakom, Queen of Vembanad

It is the perfect backwater village of KumarakomVembanad Lake, 15 km west of Kottayam. My biggest dream of seeing the backwaters of Kerala came live when I went there. It is the best weekend destination or getaway of the people of Kerala. Kumarakom is a perfect resort destination for the honeymooners, couples and the backwaters lover. It is a tiny village on the edge of Vembanad Lake which was practically unknown till Henry Baker purchased the land from the erstwhile Raja of Travancore to build himself a grand home. When they left India, Taj hotels stepped in to turn it into a fancy resort, changing the fortunes of the once quiet fishing hamlet. But today when I see it, it is a maze of modern resorts and heritage homes cum hotels spilling over the island banks.

I started experiencing the Vembanad backwaters slowly and leisurely. I hired a kettuvallom, the traditional rice boat turned houseboat. There are many floating hotels range from tiny canoes to houseboats capped by elaborate superstructures of bamboo and rosewood, paneled with mats of screwpine. There are scores of motorboats available to take a ride on Vembanad Lake. I saw the past paddy and coconut groves, mangroves, along fresh water canals and rivers that debouch into Vembanad Lake. Around Onam the waters of Vembanad at Kumarakom come alive with boat races such as the Kumarakom Arpookara Vanitha Jalmela and the Kavanthikara Boat Race. I also came to know that I can even fish in these waters and some of the resorts also offered water skiing and wind sailing.

The next day my plan was to view the bird sanctuary of Kumarakom which is spread across 14 acres on the eastern banks of Vembanad Lake. It is best to visit the sanctuary on foot by a 1 ½ km long walking track, where I spot heron, darters, storks, teals and common egrets. I also took the boat ride and came across waders like waterfall and ducks and some filers like parrots, larks and flycatchers. And I went in mid November last year which is the time when the sanctuary turns into a transit lounge for migratory birds. The entry fees was only Rs. 5 however the guide took Rs. 100 from me and the timings were 6 am to 6.30 pm which meant I had to go back soon to reach the starting point of the sanctuary.

My third and the last day were to relax on my houseboat and view the Museum of VembanadLake. On the Kumarakom jetty itself a distinctive building with its pillared verandah and sloping tiled roof at the Market junction is the Bay Island Driftwood Museum. It displays the art of the sea chiseled driftwood gathered from the beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. It was unique as I haven’t seen any museum displaying these things before. Raji Punnoose, a retired teacher were chiseled by him into shapes that vary from a crocodile found off Port Blair’s Wandoor Beach to a sculpture Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose I also purchased few sculptures here to gift them to my family and friends. And my last night in Kumarakom Lake Resort which also offered ayurvedic centre, backwater cruises, gift shop, Jacuzzi and water sports, I though of enjoying few of them.

There are many Kumarakom Holiday Packages available now. For Driving Directions from Kochi to Kumarakom check this out.