FunderfulWorld

Well, this was a good month to catch up on some reading. This October, I thoroughly enjoyed several afternoons curled up with “Le Temps des Secrets”, the third book in the series “Souvenirs d’Enfance” by Marcel Pagnol. For intense and thought-provoking reading, I picked “L’Étranger” by Albert Camus from the library at Alliance Française.

Wish comes true! Destiny has a way with making wishes come true unexpectedly. For the past several years, I’ve been trying to plan a trip to Pune during Ganesh Chaturthi. I earnestly wanted my husband to experience the vibrant festivities first-hand. Somehow, the plans never worked. I almost forgot about this wish. And then, out of the blue, with less than a week’s notice, we had to visit Mumbai(and hence, an opportunity to visit Pune) right in the middle of the 10-day long festival.

And after that trip down memory lane, here’s what Maximum City Mumbai actually had in store for us during a very short visit this year: A breezy taxi ride over the “much talked-about” Bandra-Worli Sea Link (pretty impressive!). Picturesque glimpses of Haji Ali. A pleasant evening stroll along Napean Sea Road. A magnificent surprise: Glorious views of the Arabian Sea from the Priyadarshini Park (We happened to spot this park during our evening walk, and after much debate, decided to spend about 15 minutes there.

A sudden and unexpected short trip to Mumbai (Bombay) was the perfect stimulus for another vacation. As we hurriedly planned our travel, I traveled back in time… Bombay, Mumbai, Bambai – brings back a host of memories. For my family, long-time residents of the “slow-paced” Pune, life in Mumbai always seemed to have a “very fast pace”. However, the lively spirit and energy of the financial and entertainment capital of India ensured that we visited Mumbai several times.

Day 3: We couldn’t leave the city without visiting the lake. Off to Kankaria Lake in the morning!

Where, in India, would the gentleman driving an auto spontaneously offer suggestions on restaurants to visit and the best items on the menu, and point out all the tourist attractions on the way to your destination (when all you asked for was a ride to your hotel)? AHMEDABAD! After our unforgettable trip to the capital of Gujarat last year, we jumped on the opportunity to pay another visit to this friendly city last month.

Well, among other experiments with social media, I tried my hand at creating a Facebook page for this blog yesterday. Although I thought it would be a breeze, there were a couple of minor glitches. All resolved in good time (tips from WordPress supportfor linking blogs with social media), and hey, It’s a Funderful World has a Facebook page now! All new posts and other updates will also show up at: http://www.

After a rejuvenating holiday at Sakleshpur, we spent the next couple of days at another magical GREEN location – The Hidden Valley, Chikmagalur. This getaway was chosen based on some internet research and very prompt responses to our email enquiries. A scenic drive past the very well-known Serai Resortand endless expanses of coffee estates led us to the Hidden Valley Resort. Long walks in the coffee plantation, rays of sunshine through the tall trees, a magpie robin chirping all day, delicious food in the dining room overlooking the little lake, absolute calm, serenity, peace.

An unexpected break in our regular schedules provided instant fuel for a holiday plan. With the summer heat beating down on most regions in India, an escape to cooler and verdant climes would be a welcome change. We decided to explore the Malnad region of Karnataka. Sakleshpur and Chikmagalur were the chosen destinations. This time we were willing to explore more “remote” locations with “Junior”. It would be his first “homestay” experience in the lap of nature.