Almost everyone identifies Kumarakom with an image of a houseboat. For me this image with the 'vallams' all anchored to a pier is what Kumarakom is. The place is beautiful....so peaceful and fills you with serenity and one of the only places that all the resorts on the banks of the lake do full justice to.


When in Kumarakom, a boat ride on the Vembanad lake is a must if you are not already on a houseboat. The lake is so serene and the boat goes through the little villages all along the backwaters lending a amazing insight into the lives of the local people. The waters are their lifeline and it shows....



A little secret about Kumarakom is that the Vembanad lake is also a bird sanctuary where migratory birds keep coming and going.....its a tough task to catch sight of them but the usual like the kingfisher are a common sight...



The best part about the trip for me was that Max(our boxer) was with us... we had driven down from Bangalore with him. We spent a lot of time finding a resort which allowed dogs. I will forever regret not remembering the name of the place but the staff there were so sweet to him....got him milk and bowls of food and were absolutely friendly with him!! He had the best time....fabulous food, lots and lots of attention, boat rides, AC rooms and high adventure!! He came on the boat ride with us and the people in Kumarakom got their cameras out to take pictures of him!!



A beautiful place...a beautiful trip. We will go another time....the peace and serenity of Kumarakom always beckons.....

I'm beginning to really enjoy all my Sundays this month....its not just about being in front of the TV and comp whole day long anymore. We've been going out and having a great time with some fabulous people and at some really good places. What more can one ask for huh?

The last Sunday was Saishta's birthday celebrations at the Parkfield Resotel near Hoskote in Bangalore. First time we're going there and it was a great idea for a party!! All the kids enjoyed playing in the pool and garden and us adults lazed about watching them and playing a few games and relishing the food.



It was really entertaining to watch all the little ones have fun in their own ways...the birthday girl and my daughter were busy eating grass off the lawn, their cousins were busy running about, the elder boys and men were playing cricket and football and Ananya was taking care of all the younger little girls....a really heart warming sight to witness :-)



Kudos to Padmini and Vikram for organising such a fabulous outing for all of us....we needed it :-)

Road journeys....

I've never been much of a fan of driving holidays though i love driving... Max of 5 hours and i am fine but anything more and i start getting cranky!! And driving anywhere in India means at least 3-4 hours because of the roads and all the crazy suicidal people on them!!





Driving through a highway in India is like a video game...there are lots of obstacles and things jumping out at you from all sides and you have to avoid hitting all that and try and maintain a decent average speed!! In fact, someone should make a video game out of it...it'll definitely be one of the most difficult road games!



That said, the most amazing things and sights I've seen are during our drives. And if you are driving in the monsoons, the whole roadsides are beautiful and green and clean...and the skies you see are some of the best ever!!

We have not been taking too many driving holidays since Ally was born but the few we went on have been beautiful...its all the rains...makes everything so fresh and beautiful....



We drove through a forest reserve to get to the Annapoorneshwari Temple in Horanadu and the drive was beautiful....saw a peacock, elephants and wild deer....its amazing how they have all adapted so well to the traffic. The ECR is an amazing drive....peeks of the beautiful Bay of Bengal and fabulous antique shops all the way to Pondicherry. But my all time favourite drive will always be the Bangalore-Mysore highway en route to all other destinations....have seen the most beautiful skies and scenery on this road and the drive itself is so smooth....



Till my next drive through the truly incredible Indian roads i'll sign off with one of my favourite shots from our recent drive....a beautiful laser show in the sky...