The Flat Lands.... Canals, Beautiful buildings, Windmills & Cheese

Arriving by KLM's city hopper from London to Amsterdam was like a breath of fresh air happy to leave the hustle and bustle. Schipol known to be a very nice airport was nice and warm no doubt and very big. Everything was pretty smooth sailing right from immigration to collection of bags. We got our taxi outside almost immediately and was on our way to our hotel.

NH Carlton was right next to the flower market in the heart of the city, a perfect little hotel where everything was within walking distance. We didn't once have to use a taxi or the tram. Well the sights were so beautiful we rather walk anyways. Its definitely a postcard city. The flower market was just next door but unfortunately i couldn't buy any back... :(

We visited All The museums during our city tour around Amsterdam and those art lovers will just love the history of great artists. Im not a museum person so i didnt really love it but if you are a historic kind of person then this city has lots to offer for sure.

What I loved most was the trip to Marken and Volendam .... that was an experience that i will remember for a life time. Thanks to Amsterdam City Tours who arranged the tour smoothly and hassle free. The fishing village and windmills were simply amazing.

The cheese factory was next on our list and we saw how traditional cheese was made and ate alot of cheese of course .... it was so yummy.

Wooden shoes a very dutch thing... was very interesting to watch them make.... cute little clogs.

The windmills were so pretty in Zaanse Schans i just couldn't get enough of it at all. We also learnt and understood the use of windmills back in the days.

It is definitely a must do tour when you come to Amsterdam only because you feel very Holland here.... once you are back in Amsterdam proper its the canal and bicycle life once again. Its pretty easy to get around Amsterdam and if not by foot just rent a bike. The city probably has the biggest bike park in the world where you can park 3000 bicycles at a time.

Taking a leisurely cruise along the canals is one of the best ways to enjoy the city and its beautiful surroundings.  Everything was just very picturesque.

Now my favourite part was course the food.... you can get almost anything you want here, from dutch to italian to chinese and indonesian.... and the most interesting food escapade for me was getting a burger out of a vending machine... all you had to do was slot 2 Euros in and Walla you get a nice hot burger... very intelligent i must say. There was also this fish stall just across my hotel and the fresh fried fish was simply unforgettable! Best thing to eat in the cold i must say.

And one cannot leave Amsterdam without trying the fries.... its everywhere and you can have it with any sauce you wish... a small packet is big for my standards so be careful what you order.

Small little pancakes was a tea time snack for me... so hot and so cute.... it was delicious and melted in your mouth ..poffertjes is what its called...














Chinese was pretty good too, their noodles and sui kow are very famous everywhere. Its worth a try for sure. I enjoyed breakfast at a little breakfast bar not too far from the hotel called Roghs Deli and everything was organic, from the bread to the eggs to the bacon.... it was one of the best breakfasts I've had in a long time.

I didnt get to venture to the Red Light District, mainly because i read a lot of reviews about it being very sad.... i didnt like seeing sad faces so i gave it a miss... i dont think i missed out on much... the other thing the city was popular with was of course Magic mushrooms.... hehehe..... the smell was everywhere ... its legal to a certain extent so marijuana is in cookies and brownies or in drinks... just the way you want it. N no i didnt have a go....












It was so pretty in November and not so cold nice to walk around  Leidseplein with all its bars, restaurants and there was a little skating ring in the middle. It just looked like a really happy environment.

You dont ever get tired of Amsterdam ... there is so much to do all the time .... im going back for sure....

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Haridwar was never on my list of places to visit in India .... It only happened because a good friend of mine was going to get married to a boy from Haridwar...now I've been to India several times and not once I actually heard of this place as I never thought anything was worth seeing in this small city. But boy was I wrong.......  

From Delhi we took a shatabi train which was fairly comfortable to say the least and it took us around 4 hours to reach the city of Haridwar. With a temperature of 15 degrees it wasn't too cold and was quiet pleasant. At the train station we were greeted by the warm and very friendly hotel staff. I was travelling with some of the brides friends that were from Japan so we did stick out like a sore thumb. 

On the way to the hotel I still didn't think much of this place it just looked like any other city in north india and was wondering to myself besides the wedding what do I do here for 4 days... 

I was greeted by Amy the bride to be being Japanese she already looked very indian and it was so good to see her and to finally meet her mom. She tells me then that I need to help her friends find some Indian outfits for the wedding and that I would need to go into town. So we got freshened up had a lovely vegetarian lunch at hotel, lots of dhall, naan, cottage cheese which I don't eat! And rice flavoured with cumin seeds... 

Prem the groom called and said that his friends will be picking us up and would help take us around. We went to a place called Jawalpur which was not too for from the Ganga river so no meat or alcohol was to be sold within this 10 km radius... This was when they told me about the holy city and a place called Har ki pauri. Which means " the foot of lord Shiva" a very important deity in Hinduism. 

We went shopping at a one stop centre called fashion bazaar and got some really nice outfits for the wedding. The selections were really good and i never expected it for a small town... The tailor got it all altered and ready in time for the wedding the very next day. The staff were really helpful and the owner gave us a good discount too.

We then thought of going to witness The sunset prayer that takes place every evening. Unfortunately we were too late so we had to keep that for the next day or so. 

The next day we went to Har ki pauri in the morning.... The view of the river from far was breathtaking... I thought it was going to be dirty and would smell but much to the contrary it looked so clean and alive and there was no smell.

Having read that it is the 2nd most polluted river in the world it did scare me. I saw people dipping in and doing the rituals and yet I didn't dare even put my feet in, however as I got closer to the banks of the river I was drawn to actually put my feet in at least. 

I don't know what it was but I said to myself "hey I came all the way to the most scared river in the world, I'm just going to get some blessings keep the faith and nothing will go wrong" and so I did ..... It was cold running water... It wasn't that bad .... It felt good doing it... :) 

The wedding was experience by itself... It started at 7 in the evening and finished  at 5 in the morning..... No its not what you think!! It wasn't party all night! Well it started with what seemed like a full on  5 km dance floor where you just keep dancing while the groom sits on a chariot of horses and people just keeping dancing and singing along with a live band! This is what they called the Barat. 

I too joined in the merriment till my feet hurt! It was rather fun though and the Japanese were all having so much fun. We reached the hotel where the groom was greeted by the brides entourage and was welcomed in. The bride my friend Amy, looked stunning as a bride should be.., a Japanese Indian doll .... Prem is a lucky man! They exchanged garlands, people ate, people danced and then there was a break. The actual ceremony would only start 3 am! Wow! That was something different. So Amy changed into her 2nd outfit and we all waited for actual ceremony to begin... By that time everyone was in a circle and fast asleep! This was indeed an experience for me! It was amusing to watch to say the least, with all the language barriers and what not. 

The next day we had a lazy morning and afternoon and decided to make it for the evening prayers at Har ki pauri .... And we left thinking we'll be on time this time but much to our dismay we were late once again! We really needed to earn this and I was beginning think this prayer must be something special! So we wandered around took some pictures and tried various local street food! 

 Rishikesh was planned for the following day and it was our last day. We had to do the sunset prayer too so everything was planned and the timing was set. 

As we headed towards another holy city said to be the place where lord Shiva paid penance after killing the bad demon Ravana. We stopped by a temple known to be pavarthi's birth place and home. She is lord Shiva's wife. It was a peaceful temple and very clean. The atmosphere surrounding this place was really nice. 

Rishikesh was a nice hilly place which was even colder than expected. Other than praying and meditating here the most popular activity is water rafting. Not something I would want to do during winter though. There were bridges that we saw, the one I liked the most the Ram Jhula ... Known to be a swing for the lords. The scenery was surreal .... Overlooking the Ganga river was simply breathtaking. 

We rushed back to make it to Har ki pauri for the evening arti, it was our last day and we couldn't miss it this time. As the saying goes 3 times lucky and so we were. It was the most amazing experience that I have had. 

The prayers are still ringing in my ears. It was calm and peaceful and as the sun was setting the Temple grounds and the river looked alive and full of energy. It was indeed very special and it made you feel like you had a connection with the man up there for a second. The chants, the prayers, the songs and lights and flowers floating along the river was divine... The holy city indeed. From the people to the river... It was a magical experience I must say and a must to visit if India. 

The Food Riots Begin ....

Food Riots.....

It all started when a friend of mine who makes lovely desserts and to die for dinners or lunches started something called " My test Kitchen " .... she then started giving classes... Sapna Anand, is simply great when it comes to food.

Me being in the line of production looked at this as an opportunity to do something with her that will sell and leave the world rocking.... this is because she always keeps saying to me...

Sasha it only takes 30 minutes to do this and that.... and dessert in 30 minutes? Are you serious??

So i sat down one night and wrote Food Riots.... me being the avid traveller and a foodie.... and she being able to fuse anything up in just 30 minutes.... what a perfect combination for a show....

After months and months of discussion and getting the right concept.... we shot our pilot...traveling and looking for the place and trying out local flavours is what the show aims to feature... the most important thing is we want people to know that cooking is not a chore! It can be fun and its certainly easy....

Our show showcases us two girls traveling thru cities in Asia where there is diverse culture, hotels that pick are well suited for us, places of interest and trying so many different type of food and making it into our very own recipe.... from shopping at the grocerries to eating out at the most yummiest places.... to going home cooking up a feast for the family, or having friends over for a cocktail party.... it can be done....

The shooting was fun and we did have a good time.. a new experience for Sapna... but she loved it.... i was happy it turned out well and with all the corporation from the crew to the restauranteurs and hoteliers .... it was all good....

We traveled alot thru KL city and Langkawi, we ate so much .... and we also cooked... for our ladies night cocktail night....... now thats what you call living the life....

The Yellow Cafe ..... Langkawi...

Just the other day... i had a fantastic time at yellow cafe... it was a relaxing evening listening to the sound of the waves while sipping on my favorite cocktail. Its one of the best places by the beach on Cenang...  The staff are very friendly and will attend to your every need... so be sure to be pampered... i surely was...

Everything about this place is yellow.... from Mr Yellow himself to the boards in this place and the chairs till the little scooter hanging at the side of the bar... everything feels so yellow and the ray of sun just compliments this place in the background.

This place is simply yellowlicious..... if there is such a word.... the menu is extensive with a good variety of beers, cocktails and mocktails... and right next door, there is a steak house, when you get hungry after watching the sun setting you dont have to look very far ... just cross over to the Yellow steak house and enjoy a great meal by the beach....

 If you are in Langkawi, this is a must do on your list, you cant come to langkawi and not visit this bar. Its one in a Million... especially when you know you can just sit back take a swig on that beer of yours and take in breeze and the sounds of the waves ... it feels like heaven alright... just remember its an off day on Monday... :)

Cheers!