Navagraha Temple Pondicherry

22feet Shani Dev

I absolutely love eating dosas and idlys daily! Staying in Chennai in fact Chidambaram wasn't tough for me.But my mom absolutely missed North Indian food.She was missing Samosa and other dishes and had tough time eating dosas specially where I use to stay(chidambaram).  There isnt much place to see in Pondicherry except for the beautiful Auroville,but we heard from the local autowala about Navagraha Temple. This temple is 7 kilometers from Pondicherry. Navagraha Temple can be on your one day  trip from Pondicherry. You need to hire an auto and visit the temple but don't forget to bargain as they charge insanely! 
It is located away from the crowded city .The mud roads were narrow and through the woods.It didn't look like a temple as its a 2-acre farmland surrounded by trees and huge deities in the middle. The entrance got  a small Ganapati temple where people can pray.Once you enter you can see a 27 feet beautiful Sanidev deity.!!   We roamed around for an hour and then decided to go back to Pondicherry. A very peaceful place.

Bugis Street-Budget Shopping In Singapore

This is the place "Bugis Street"  my husband absolutely hate going. It doesn't bother me at all. Shopping is the only purpose in my mind when I am at Bugis Street Singapore.

From Lakeside I took the MRT And  within half and hour I reached Bugis Street.In Singapore follow the heavenly signs and you wont be lost!  Every MRT is connected with a shopping mall so is the case with Bugis street. This time I avoided the mall and simply headed towards the crowded market.

Shopping paradise for any girl I would say! From Souvenirs to pretty  dresses...cosmetics. fashion jewellery anything a female would dream about!
If you are planning to buy Souvenirs this place offer  variety at $10 for 10...or 5 for $10..whether its keychain, merlion paperweight , magnets  etc.

 You can Budget shop here - cute dresses from 10-15$, gowns at 20$ .If you are hungry after shopping all day long there are food stalls to satisfy your hunger.  The Place is not so big  (for men it is ) and I roamed  all the nook and corner . With few cute dresses I happily too the MRT and back to the room.

UP cuisine At Oudh 1590- Kolkata

This place will drag you back to the historical era with their decoration, wooden carvings and  haveli chandeliers. The Ambience was beautiful with local  music playing at the background.

Oudh1590 specialises in serving Awadhi Cuisine.( known for spices)   It was a Saturday night and, therefore, the crowd was too much.People started waiting outside.The crowd slowly got overcrowded . The men in black ( black kurta) served us with our starters.
 The lighting was very dim! I couldn't figure out what the men in black were trying to serve !!The  so-called soft light made my eyes tired trying to find out what food I was actually eating. !!I couldn't even distinguish between chicken and mutton as both looked same. In fact, the men in black too got confused!!The biriyani served was not too spicy. The quantity was good enough. 2 people can grab each handi.

 The food was tasty but not great. Frankly I didn't  find anything special except the ambience! Again the lighting was negative.

Day Trip Near Pondicherry, Paradise Island

The beach shack

About 8 km from Pondicherry situated in Chunnamber, Paradise Island/ Beach.It is a small Island surrounded by sea.Paradise Island was breath-taking, and the day spent in their refreshed our mind. From Chunnamber, we took a boat. Speed Boats are also available. It was a 20 min exotic journey on the backwater which was surrounded by coconut trees.

These Shacks are Ideal to stay away from Sun

The boat Cost 75 INR person. (20 min ride)
Speed Boat for 2 persons 800 INR for 15 min OR 4 person 600 INR -15 min. These boats take you back from the island later on by 5 pm.It's free of cost.The boat Cost 75 INR person. (20 min ride)

Speed Boat for 2 persons 800 INR for 15 min OR 4 person 600 INR -15 min. These boats take you back from the island later on by 5pm.It's free of cost.

What makes it different is that just opposite to the backwater there is the Paradise beach which is surrounded by sea.The water is very clean for bathing and so is the beach. You can have a nice time in the water. Don't forget to take Sunscreen Lotion as the sun will roast you. You can take your swimming costume and change there. Small huts are available for changing though I have not seen anyone wearing bikini and swimming. The positive point is that it's not crowded by people.There are no water activities available, but you can bring your own volleyball or rent it. Chunnamber offers water activities in the backwater lake.There are arrangements for lunch in the beach too. Small restaurants and beer shops are available and also resting huts. By 5 pm, you need to return back from the Island.

Exotic Backwater surrounded by coconut trees

• How to reach:- 
• Pondicherry -to Chunnamber you can take either an auto rickshaw or a bus. Bus fare is 6 INR and an auto fare is 120 INR per ride.

• Best time to Visit: - Oct -march

• Things which I didnt like:

The beer and food shop were not up to the mark. The beer didn't seem to be of good brand (draught was the name) and it was yellow in color.

Chai Break Restaurant Kolkata

Image taken from google:

Our Sunday Brunch was well planned at Chai Break. If you haven't visited this restaurant try it out and you will surely thank me for this amazing place. Located right beside the BBQ nation, Salt Lake Sec 5, this place is a must-try-out lunch in Kolkata.  They have a hookah lounge for people who wants to enjoy an evening adda while puffing flavoured hookahs.The hookah corner was beautifully decorated  with guitars hanging on the wall giving it a kickass look !! The tables for lunch were little small for 8 of us to fit in but we managed somehow. Their buffet starts at 1 pm, the starters were served by the waiter. Items included chicken tengri kabab, chicken changezi, tandoori, fish kebabs, baby corn,  pizza, mutton seekh kebab, prawns etc. They also served chef's special chicken wings which were lip smacking.!! The Buffet also includes mocktail but as it was not available on that day we  were been given soft drinks can. I was so full gulping the kebabs that I hardly had any energy and space in my tummy to try out the main course. Their main course includes biriyani, mutton rogan josh,  salads, soups and henceforth. Lastly, the dessert was served with ice-cream, pastries and other sweet items. I was so full that I literally felt dizzy eating so much of kebabs that I planned to skip my dinner for that day. But truly at this price its worth a try.

Pros:

• Tasty food /Variety
• Kebabs were really good
• Lunch 12 Noon to 4 PM Mon-Sun
• Buffet :Rs 449 incl Tax

Cons:

• Quiet Far From South Kolkata ( So upsetting)
• Space issue
• They serve the food to fast...!!! Faster than Rajdhani Express! :P

Make sure you reserve your seats before hand, as we had faced a little problem because of some miscommunication.

Do share your views about this restaurant