Stories From SL - IV

 Imagine walking for a early morning stroll and witnessing this sunrise n having the beach almost to urself(barring a few fishermen n a odd tourist)! This is the best thing I liked abt Trincmalee in Srilanka - Beautiful, untouched beaches with no usual tourist trappings!

You hv a hotel ~~ Almost basic, nothing v fancy but bang on the beach! Hop on here to read more abt Coral Bay ~~ the Hotel where we stayed.....

N when at Trinco, do drop in at Pigeon Island ~~ A haven for snorkeling with crystal clear - almost see thru water! The approach to the island is adventure enuf(at least for the faint hearted like me) ~~ You are cruising thru the ocean with jus the diver for company n no sign of land n man for miles together! Hats off to the Navy for maintaining this place spic n span despite the crowd coming in everyday........
 

Linking this upto Thursday Challenge - "GOLDEN" (Fields, Sun, Flowers, Hair, Gold,...)

Stories From SL - III

Pic Clicked at Kandy, Srilanka. Loved this concept of Srilanka Tourism tourism where they capsule the entire dance forms of SL into a 1 hour live program every evening for the tourists! Imagine replicating this in India ~~ Wont each state hv its own customized dance-drama capsules!

N when we at this pic ~~ The dance here is the famous Srilankan mask dance(chk the link in youtube for a hazy glimpse of it)! The masks hv a socio-religious significance around them.. But I will park tht story for some other day.....

You can look up the othe pics of SL Dance forms here (Hubbs FB Album page)

Linking this upto ABC Wednesdays(K for Kandy), Wordless Wednesday...

Making a Mango Whistle!

"There was always a way you had to do everything. For instance you had to bathe before you begin making Kasundhi, the Bengali version of tart mustard sauce. All these rituals running thru the seaons.... You simply pick them up  by living in an extended family. Ofcourse, they were mostly practical kinds of activities, but the color, the touch and the taste were always special to the season. It was like being surrounded by art".

Aint there a magic in those lines , possibly the hit of nostalgia ~~ Replace the "Kasundhi" with whateva is ur local delicacy from childhood days and there you hv a longing that weaves into ur mind n heart...... Possbly heightened in ma cas as I hv ma mom staying over ~~ A sure shot recipe to revisit the childhood days.....

This is a extract from the book "Making a Mango Whistle" ~~ By Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay ~~ The abridged version of the Bengali classic Pather Panchali.This extract is politically speaking from the introduction penned by Sharmila Tagore.

This book along with other translations from across India (Malyalamundoudtedly tops ma list) is my new reading muse! Here is to happy reading n a happy week ahead........

Linking this to Color Deckors Weekly Story! http://coloursdekor.blogspot.com/2011/09/weekly-story-wk-50.html

The Teacher.....

.... and preacher who taught the world the values of peace and non violence

Clicked at Dambulla in Srilanka!

Linking this upto Thursday Challenge!

Onam Visheshangal - 2011!

While the visheshams can wait, heres a quick glance of the Onam pookalam ...

Liked it? Much betta than all the amateurish attempts till last year... The credit goes well not to me but ma sis... nobody like ur sibling to buck you up and take the task to completion!

No Onam is complete without the Sadhya ... Heres something for you to slurp on :-P! Credit to ma amma ofcourse....

Linking this upto Colordeckors ~~ Story of the week! 

Back from SriLanka!

A trip tht was on our minds for few years... something tht neva worked out for myriad reasons ~~ passports, finance u name it! So this time with no prior planning, we leapt into it head first and guess what the hol jus materialized!

The first thing tht comes into ma mind after spending a week in SL? Not the places, not the food, not the hotels its the people ~~ warm, friendly people across the length &  breadth of the country! From the waiters to the hotel staff to the pavement vendors everybody is more than happy to go outta their way to make u comfy in their country! Evn the street vendor is happy to let u sample his fares before u zero on what suits ur taste buds!

Speaking of people, the western influence here is profound from their names to their dressing! But well its a diff story when it comes to speaking English, they are still true to their mother tongue! Something we could learn from!

The touch of Buddhism is what adds tht other distinctive touch  to the country! Possibly its the novelty of a new religion but for me I equate the pristine white Buddhist temples with "calm n peace"!

Hang on here to read on abt the masks, dances, temples of Srilanka!

Ayubowan!

Ages I hv managed to take a peep into ma blog and so Ayobowan it indeed is for me and for any lone reader left! So what kept me away? Well at times you get so lost with soaking in simple  moments of life(viz. spending time with mom n sis) that blogging is the last thing in your mind... Indeed this statement surprises me as much as not missing the blogging!

So in an attempt to keep the blog alive, am leaving u with a recipe of a dish thats been figuring right at the top of ma hubbs fav list the past week ~~ If u know ma hubbs remotely n so are now pukka tht its gona be a non veg dish or possibly a cocktail then well well heres a shocker for u! This is a coconut based dish... Yea u heard it rt! N for those of u who dono him ~~ The pseudo mallu he is, coconut n him are like poles apart ~~ He runs off at the v whiff of coconut oil `` So he taking to this like fish to water is a shocker! Now with no more diversions, heres the recipe:

Mix together grated coconut, finely chopped onions, red chilly powder, lime juice, salt and there u hv the pol sambal ready! Trust me its yummmmm ..... Gos perfectly with rice, sevai n such!!!!

Pic Courtesy: Google!

Now go ahead google up the words "Ayubowan", "Pol Smbal" and u possibly know where I was headed to the last week!