Paris, Carnac & Barcelona - The final part

Barcelona is a beautiful city. With soothing waterways and amazing architecture, Barcelona almost appeared like an apt cross between the lovely cities of Sydney and Rome to me.

But, it was not really the beauty that made Barcelona the best leg of our holiday; it was the liveliness rather. Imagine a city that has much wider streets for pedestrians than the roads - streets which are buzzing with people; live performances and human statue art constantly entertaining you as busy hawkers retail cheap but interesting stuff by the side. So much energy and life throbs into the city that it can almost lift you up from the lowest of moods and make you feel happy about the most mundane things in life.

The city also brims over with things to see – museums, squares, parks, churches, art galleries etc. Our favorite place though was the Sagrada Familia, a beautiful church envisioned by Spain’s modernist architect, Gaudi which is still in the process of being built.

It is a mammoth structure that depicts the birth as well as crucifixion of Jesus on its 2 facades, with 1 being still under construction. There are breath-taking statues all over it made of unusual materials and unbelievable precision. The monument though beautiful, leaves one with a strong sense of loneliness - the high ceiling, the expansive interiors and the somber statues set you up in an introspective mode as one surrenders oneself to the will of God.

While the Sagrada Familia presented the epitome of architecture to Papa and me, it didn’t quite make it to Mira’s list. For her, the biggest and the foremost highlight of Barcelona was pigeon chasing. Yup – pigeon chasing! She was off my lap as soon as she spotted some pigeons – chased them enthusiastically and chuckled loudly as they fluttered away into the sky.

The other highlight was Mira’s discovery of Mc Donald’s, rather Mc Donald’s chicken nuggets. Oh, I tell you these guys have just got the recipe right. For someone like Mira, who has rejected right from ice-creams to Cerelac, Mc Donald’s nuggets qualified as the rare ready made food which successfully made its way to her usually uncooperative mouth. Believe me, It was a divine sight and I was so very loving it!

Final highlight – the parks and the play areas. As soon as the guilt of visiting monuments, museums and other places of adult interest dawned upon us, we quickly relieved ourselves of the burden by visiting the closest park or play area. It was good fun as Mira and I rode the swings and enjoyed the rides while Papa dug his head into the city map to locate our next destination of interest.

In short, it was all going amazingly well till one fine morning when Mira got up to see her mom hurriedly dumping clothes into bags. She did declare “ghumi” and was confidently heading towards the stroller, but was whisked away and carried off to a waiting taxi instead - Barcelona airport being our next destination. Ironically, while Mira and I still longed to stay back to chase that one last pigeon or admire that one last monument, Papa was already dreaming about getting back to Bangkok – looking forward to gulping a full bowl of Thai noodles as he watched one of his latest DVDs on TV.

And guess what, we are back – back to the ordinary but deliciously familiar life. Nothing much has changed - the noodles are still being cooked, the DVDs still being played, the playroom still being frequented, except that a scatter-brained mom keeps visiting it every now and then to boast about her flawless planning and execution which got her entire family to spend a lovely holiday together – a holiday made of 11 long days, 3 unfamiliar places and a really harsh winter:-)

Paris, Carnac & Barcelona - Part II

The plan to go to Carnac was last minute. In fact, it happened only because a dear friend invited us over to spend a few days with him in his ancestral house there. Being the eager-to-meet-up people we are, we said yes and so did a couple of colleagues more, making the group bigger and merrier.

The house was beautiful – the living room opened up into a small well-kept garden which led upto a white sand beach. The colors of the sea were nicely extended to the interiors of the house with a soothing white and blue theme, making it look modern but yet so very natural.

Our all four days in Carnac were absolutely relaxing. Papa and I split our jobs in the morning with him playing the vigilant parent at the beach while I slogged out in the kitchen (yes – the roles never reverse!). Mira had a blast on the beach – she either ran around wildly feeling the cold breeze on her face or held onto Papa’s hand and walked around slowly noticing her footprints on the sand.



She could have probably spent her entire day there if not for the “Breakfast is ready” call which made Papa spring into action and literally drag her to the house.

Afternoons were either reserved for siestas (if Mira was too tired and sleepy) or chit chatting with friends (if Mira was not too tired and sleepy). Since any parent would know that the former happens very rarely on a holiday, we ended up making nice wide-ranging conversations with friends, as Mira pottered around the place with her toys. It was just wonderful to laze around and gossip, to pick on each other’s nationalities (1 French, 1 Thai, 1 Chinese & 2 Indians believe me, make quite a group!), to check out past days pictures on our cameras and to generally crib about how the holiday is coming to an end a bit too early.

The mood kind of continued in the evening though we did get off our backs and moved around in the town. Carnac is a lovely French village where life seemed to be in no hurry at all –people played by the sea despite the lowest of temperatures, restaurants overflowed with people as if nobody wished to cook at home and the stone cobbled streets carried more people on foot than in cars.

So, we decided to do the Carnac way – we got into our sports shoes and just walked from one street to another. Mira helped out the process by taking to the stroller. Though a bit resistant in the beginning, she did finally decide to rescue my labor stricken back and grace the stroller instead.

And that’s how we covered most of the town – the churches, the squares, the souvenir shops and not to forget some of the best French restaurants with really delicious and memorable food.

Now that I look back at the Carnac trip, I realize that it was wonderful not just for the sights and the sea but for the company we had. It was great to hang out together, to talk silly stuff till late in the night, to get someone else to push the stroller once in a while and to be able to dig into 5 different dishes in any possible meal.

Carnac also served as a high point for the mom in me – the trip had gone exceedingly well till now – Mira didn’t miss a single meal, the cold virus remained miles away, she slept peacefully through the nights and most importantly, she enjoyed every day and every bit of the trip.

My confidence was at its peak. I somehow knew that the next 4 days of our trip were going to be equally good. I was so very ready for them.

I was so very ready for Barcelona.

Paris, Carnac & Barcelona - Part I

3 new places, 11 long days, a really harsh winter and 1 inexperienced toddler - believe me carry the most potent capacity to cook up an inevitable disaster for anyone. And being the paranoid mom I am – I was going crazy imagining these very disasters that could possibly crop up in the course of our holiday – like what if Mira decides to go on a hunger strike?, what if cold waves penetrate the thick layers of woolens on her body and engulf Mira in a long-lasting spell of fever or what if she just misses her normal routine at home – the pranks with her nanny, the fun at the playroom, the familiarity of the house……etc. etc. etc.

So what do you think really happened? A great holiday or a day-counting return to home?...Well-traveled legs or cold blocked noses?...An extra-obsessed mom or err…an extra-obsessed mom? Well, let’s not jump the gun, instead walk with me through these 11 unpredictable days and 3 wonderful places to discover what actually lay at the end of our journey. Deal? Deal. So, let’s now begin!

Paris, as the headline says was our first stop in the vacation. We arrived at our hotel around noon, having gone through a back-breaking 12 hours journey in the plane. Though Mira dozed off pretty early in the flight, giving Papa and me a good sigh of relief, she did remain restless through the night - her movements restrained by the grip of the seatbelt. As a result, we were all tired and sleepy by the time we reached Paris the next day.

We decided to take our first day easy and ventured out only in the evening. Walking from one street to another, we enjoyed the beautiful boulevards and pedestrian friendly roads of the city. We had our dinner in a sidewalk café – clearly one of our best experiences in the city! With cold breeze caressing our faces, it was just lovely to watch people pass by - women dressed in their trendy over-coats and high-heels, kids whizzing by on roller-skates and men going about their business, as usual. Mira almost behaved like an animal set free, running from one end of the street to the other, talking to herself and bumping into people every now and then.

Day 2 was much more eventful – we went for a river cruise, visited the famous Sacre-Coeur Basilica, sat through a fashion show but the Louvre museum was undoubtedly the highlight of the day. Now, this museum runs into 4 huge floors with thousands and thousands of paintings on display. We straight headed towards the Mona Lisa. I mean, THE Mona Lisa. Like any small-town Indian, we first clicked some 10 different photos with the much-talked about lady in question, before we set our prying eyes on her. It was weird – though Mona Lisa is hailed as Leonardo Da Vinci’s best creation ever, I seriously struggled to see what really made it so special. I agree – the enigmatic smile is there but you know, is it good enough to be rated as highly as it is done by all? But on a different note, the museum was really quite awesome - going through different eras of paintings, each supported with an individual piece of history and reasoning was clearly once in a lifetime experience. It was probably one of the few times that Papa and I walked for 3 hours at a stretch, without him asking for food or me complaining about the pain in my legs. A big achievement, I tell you! Mira too was overwhelmed by the sights - she soon stretched out in her stroller and we called it a day.

Day 3 – For first half of the final day, Mira and I were resigned to four walls of our hotel room while Papa was busy cracking some marketing strategies with his colleagues. I finished off all urgent tasks in Papa’s absence – cooked Mira’s khichdi in my mini rice cooker, packed all the essential stuff for the travel the next day and kept my 19 month amused till she got tired and fell off to sleep.

The evening was reserved for visiting the Eiffel Tower - one of the most celebrated monuments in the world. Big and beautiful, Eiffel Tower is strategically located beside the Seine river and is led by huge green lawns, with rows of trees on either sides. The Tower at any point in time looks great but the night shot was clearly the best with the entire structure being lit up with tiny lights. And here’s a picture to prove the fact!

And with that we bid goodbye to the romantic city of Paris and set our sights on the beautiful town of Carnac.

More details in the upcoming post.

Tales of Krabi

Ahha……….now this is where we went to!

Pristine white sand beaches, crystal clear blue water, random huge limestone hills and the lovely sunny sky – in short, the beautiful province of Krabi. Located at the shore of the Andaman sea with almost 130 islands in its possession, Krabi undoubtedly is one of the most relaxing places in Thailand.

Baffled with the vastness of the province, Papa and I quickly drew up a 3 day itinerary focusing on the key islands of Krabi, leaving us with enough time to relax as well as explore the entertainment facilities of our hotel. Since we were a bit nervous about Mira’s first encounter with water, we decided to sign up for a half day trip that allowed us to hop between Krabi’s 4 big islands.

Sunglasses, sunscreen, swim suits, baby food – all nicely packed in a bag, Papa, Daadi, Mira and I set out for our trip. A speedboat transported us from the hotel beach to the destination. While Papa and I headed straight towards the bow of the boat, Mira clung tightly to Daadi scared of the gurgling sound of the water and the noisy engine of the boat. Having sat right in front of the bow, my view of the sights was completely uninterrupted. The rush of cold wind in my face, hair fluttering against the forehead, the never-ending stretch of water and the birds flying by made the scene so very beautiful! Don’t think Papa enjoyed it as much as he kept struggling to retain the cap on his head, which was ready to give in to the will of the wind.

The islands were even better –simple, peaceful and yet so very beautiful. Walking into the sea made the whole experience real – touch of the water suddenly transformed us into a part of the nature, rather than being mere spectators from outside. The sea, the fish, the hills and the sky all seemed so much more approachable and intrinsic at that point in time.

Papa and I enjoyed the sea by constantly dipping into it, sometimes near the beach and sometimes a bit far. In the true teenager style, we had great fun splashing water onto each other rather than resorting to the complicated adventures of snorkeling and diving. And Mira, she turned out to be a true water baby – comfortably seated in her small swim tube held onto by Papa’s dependable arms, Mira joined in the fun by cheerfully swaying and babbling in the sea.

The fish just added to the pleasure – in fact, it was probably one of the best parts of the whole experience – the sea was full of these small harmless fish which came rushing in as soon as we dropped some bread crumbs in water. The fact that they were all around us, probably kissing us around the legs was good enough to evoke happy giggles of laughter from all three of us. Daadi, who all this while was missing the fun standing at the edge of the beach, finally gave in to the temptation and walked right inside hitching her salwaar upto the knees. And then, the whole family got down to their favorite water activity - splashing water on each other!

The hotel too had lots to offer – the swimming pool, the beach, the play room, the relaxing king size bed and loads and loads to eat from! But, probably the best was the elephant show that happened by the beach with a baby elephant called Ra Ra. And one could make out that Ra Ra was having the time of his life – rolling in the sand, picking people in his trunk, blowing water on bystanders and gobbling lots and lots of bananas in a go. Mira loves haathis and Ra Ra was like a dream come true – though she was scared to get too close to the animal, she cheerfully clapped and egged him on from a distance.

And like this, three days just passed away quickly leaving us relaxed, refreshed and not to forget…… beautifully tanned. It was surely a wonderful trip with lots of beautiful memories – memories of Mira’s first encounter with water, Daadi’s first beach holiday after ages, Papa’s much-needed break from office and most importantly, lovely time spent with the whole family together.

Mira's day in Krabi

We started off with the beach,










And then, went to the pool,











A little bit of sleep,

And we were ready for some play.





Though it may sound simple but it was our schedule for the day.

For the first, the second, the third – yes for each day of our stay.

Now why is Mummy taking time for such a simple thing to say?

But you do keep tuned in while I got to say bye-bye!

Holiday time!

YES…YES…YES! After weeks and weeks of planning and cancellation, Mira’s Papa has finally managed to zero down on the coming week for him to wriggle out of office and take us all for a nice and short holiday. The plan is to go to Krabi - a beautiful beach province in the south of Thailand.

All of us are eagerly awaiting this trip but for very different reasons though. Papa’s reasons are the most uncomplicated – to put in simple words – it’s the jumbo prawns, huge pillows and the soothing seawater. And that’s it. Daadi’s are probably much more empathetic – she is finally tired of going from one mall to another in the name of fun & entertainment and is hoping that the serene surroundings and the azure water will do her some good. And for me, the very idea of going out as a family - planning out the day bit by bit, clicking some thousand unnecessary photographs, playing the instructive mom to Mira and Papa – is just too romantic to not remember and cherish this trip for long after it’s done.

Well, the only person who seems to be unaware of what’s happening around is madam Mira. But Papa is kind of training her to what’s coming. After several rounds of instructions, now whenever Papa screams at the top of his volume – “We are going to…….”, Mira enthusiastically raises both her arms in the air and declares “Kaabi………”.

Yes my dear, WE ARE GOING TO KRAAAAABI! :-)

Safari World

Mira’s Papa and I are just not the adventure kind. We’ve never parasailed in the unpredictable wind of a beach or rafted in the daring water of a river. Any adrenaline raising activity, if ever undertaken, has either been part of college curriculum or some superfluous team building initiative from office. After all, we pride ourselves as rational and practical people who prefer taking man-made safer alternatives rather than testing one’s luck through parachutes, rafts, ropes and things like these.

So, when we traveled to a fabulous open zoo called Safari World, we ensured that we stuck to our rational profile just like a honey bee does to the hive. But still, this trip was really memorable - it was Mira’s very first encounter with real animals; till now she had only seen them in different shapes and sizes in her picture books. And second, because it had the entire family in accompaniment – Mira, Mira’s cautious parents, Mira’s super-organized Daadi, Mira’s 2 hep Nepalese maids and a real clever Thai driver.

As soon as this eclectic mix of ours reached the park, we were supplied with all-in-one guide maps, which carried the various animals we would encounter on our way inside along with their brief descriptions. This jungle trail was supposed to be done in one’s vehicle since the animals were let loose in their natural habitats. The other section on the map talked about the different animal shows/ interactions along with their precise timings. Having taken a copy each, we headed towards the park and came across the first set of activities:

a) Feed a tiger cub by a milk bottle;
b) Shake hands with orang utans dressed in the most fluorescent of clothes;
c) Click pictures with the super-trained elephants (in dangerous proximity).

The mere sight of people queuing up to do such unbelievably meaningless stuff triggered off a series of nervous spasms in my body and the brain worked overtime to look for a well-suited excuse, when Papa (who might be under the same stress) announced single-mindedly, “Let’s hit the jungle trail first”. Mira’s Daadi who had barely reached the inside was taken by surprise and mused out loudly about the change in plan. “We don’t have much time on hand,” Papa answered back in the most matter-of-fact manner. “We are here for Mira – to show her the animals. We’ll do all this stuff later, if there’s time that is,” Papa said conclusively eliminating all possible chances of us ever coming back to this dangerous animal trio while we all proceeded towards the car.

So, there we were – four reasonably large women occupying the rear seat in a zig zag pattern, while Papa & Mira made themselves comfortable in the front seat along with the driver. As the trail began, we took up our individual roles. I played the official guide – spreading out my jungle map awkwardly with Daadi on one side and a maid on the other, announcing the name of each upcoming animal as we moved from point to point. Papa, as usual, continued with his role of confusing us by presenting his half baked knowledge (this time on animals!) which was interspersed with distracting Mira from pulling out A/C knobs from the dashboard in front. The maids interestingly transformed themselves into photographers who kept clicking random photos on their fancy cell phones. Daadi got busy with circulating some home-made namkeen and then, carefully sealing the mouth of the packet to prevent the ensuing moisture and sogginess of the snack. Our Driver, all this while fiddled through the glove box to extract the most favorite Beatles CD. Whose favorite? Driver’s favorite! Obviously, nothing plays in our car till it appeals to the refined tastes of our man-in-command.

The trail was lovely. The best part was that animals were visible and that too, in really good numbers. Mira, we could make out was completely ecstatic. She almost behaved like a drunk little person on the verge of collapsing, with her constant muttering of “Hhhhhhhhh”, “Oohhhhhhhh”, “Eehhhhhhhh” in the hoarsest of voices she could manage. The funny thing was that her reactions remained the same, no matter whether it was a beautiful bird in view or a dangerous tiger – probably she was just amazed by how life could manifest itself in such varied forms, sizes and colors; something which she was experiencing for the first time in her life.


We were happily cruising through this jungle path, when a lovely deer just decided to abandon his group and check out the occupants of our car. Can you see how close he got to our car, rather to the front seat where Papa & Mira were seated? Papa retrieved a bit in his seat, as the deer further neared himself to sniff/see/ lick both Mira & him. “That’s just a harmless deer,” I said mockingly as Papa unsuccessfully attributed it to his concern for Mira. Anyhow, we just drove past the animal and decided that it was time to be spectators (passive) to some of the recommended shows.

We went for the “Cowboy show”. Now, I wish that I could give you lucid flowing details about this but unfortunately, Mira was just not upto it. She insisted to be carried around while our entire team sat through the show with unabated attention. Though, Daadi and Papa did turn their necks over every now and then to sympathise with this sincere mom, both the maids were too caught up with the cowboys and their horses, to look away anywhere else. Mira had gone off to deep sleep as our impressed audience emerged out of the hall, leaving us with not much to do with the rest of the evening. And so, we decided to call it a day – a nice, happy interesting day.

And there we were – four reasonably large women with a sleeping toddler occupying the rear seat of the car while Papa made himself comfortable in the front seat along with the driver. It was a nice breezy journey going back home with a lovely Beatles CD playing in the background.