Want some killer pizzas?

Head straight to Hampi...
No kidding.
This place caters to the gastronomic needs of people from all over the world.

I am sure a little spelling mistake won't deter you from trying out some fantastic food or the hair cutting salon for that matter...;-)

Hampi: Part 1

My head is filled with images of Hampi & my heart hasn't returned from there yet...

Till I assimilate all that we experienced in Hampi during our fantastic holiday with family, here are some colours, patterns, graphics, shapes & textures from the trip.

Pink & Red Kumkum hills...
Lemon & Goli Soda...
Multi-coloured tourist-y T-shirts...
Interesting slippers...Colourful mirror & embroidery embellishments by LambanisRent a gear-less scooter...

Enjoy! Will be back soon...

Food, Photography & Chai...

* No, no..I am not suffering from the after effects of 'Under the Tuscan Sun....
* Sunday cleaning of my book shelf yielded an amazing result.
* Result being a beautiful cook book gifted by my Mother-in-law few years back.
* What was it doing on a bookshelf for few year? Beats me!
* Italy- The Vegetarian Table by Julia Della Croce.
* Photography by Deborah Jones *Swoon*
* Many 'Colours of my life' in one place- Food, Photography, Exotic Destination (This can't be a coincidence?)
* I mean look at this...her rustic styling, attenion to detail, lighting...transports me to an imaginary world which I guess would be Italy, food cooked by Julia Della Croce, photographed by Deborah Jones and me enjoying all this & sipping my hot cup of chai... Will be away for a couple of days...will see you in a while...
Take care and enjoy your cup of chai...

Under the Tuscan Sun...

This movie might not have done well at the box office, but this is one of the movies I completely enjoyed...(well.I have a reputation of liking movies which are usually not very popular;-)* The backdrop of vineyards in Tuscany.
* Sunflowers & purple grapes.
* A dilapidated villa called 'Bramasole' with peeling paint.
* Single ornate tap in the middle of the house with no water.
* Of new beginnings in a land unknown.
* Blossoming of friendships.
* Giant wrought Iron bed with Mother Mary's image.
* Italian men on Piaggio scooters.
* Huge kitchen with a black-board for the menu(I love!)
* Olive picking in the olive grove.
* Drinking loads of red wine.
* Lines like ..."It's market day in Cortona, the piazza is an on-going party and everyone is invited".

Could it get any better than this...:-)
I watch then*sigh* then watch then *sigh* then watch.....

This weekend I picked another movie called 'A good year'...why?
You guessed it right!
It is set in the vineyards of Provence;-)

The signboards of a hillstation...

We had such a fantastic time during our holiday in the hills in June this year, I am still recovering from the beauty that enveloped us...I have to share with you these very interesting signboards & nameplates that pointed towards the most beautiful British-style estates & houses.
Very interesting names:-)

Rajasthan & Bollywood

Something extremely alluring about the sand dunes of Rajasthan and the burst of colours in the form of turbans, lehangas, odhanis(veils) & gorgeous jewellery...I find the women with colourful odhanis very mysterious & enigmatic...
Bollywood has captured these aspects in some of their recent movies like Paheli, Dor & Ekalavya

( images from Eklavya The Royal Guard.com, nowrunning.com, movietalkies.com)

Commercial Street for inspiration. Why not?

Commercial Street in Bangalore is a shopper's delight.
But, what I love are the bylanes cutting across Comm St. Here you'll find

* The most amazing colours in dupattas.
* Intricate colourful embroideries on salwar-kameez sets.
* Cut raw guava sold with salt & chilli powder ( slurp!)
* Giggling teeny-boppers checking out the latest street fashion.
* Steaming sweet corn with chat-masala, pepper or plain..take your pick.
* Ladies tailors stitching a salwar-kameez in 1 hour.
* Rows & rows of sticker bindis.
* Mothers shopping with whining children in tow. (Sometimes it is me & Mallika;-))
* Desi sweet & chat shops selling yum dahi puris, golgappas- my fav, doklas, samosas, jalebis.... Intricate Embroidery on Salwars... Street food- Pineapple & cucumber slices with salt & chilli powder...
White Jalebis from Bhagatrams...Colourful beads & sparkly bangles...
Rows of sticker bindis...
Silver on white embroidery...

I come back extremely inspired by Commercial Street...and also broke ;-))

of wines & bottles...

Nothing like sipping your favourite red wine with friends on a Saturday evening, over some interesting conversation...My husband loves Red Wine & I indulge occasionally :-) We've tried many Indian wines and Sula -Cabernet Shiraz from Nashik Valley is good. I love the packaging which is very Indian.(Did I mention I collect interesting wine bottles ;-)
Love the Sun graphic on the lid...Ok and then what do you do with empty wine bottles?

:-)

Sunday morning & the farmers' market.

* Lazy Sunday Morning.
* The local farmers' market.
* Smell of the earth.
* Burst of colours.
* Shouts of the vendors.
* Bargaining by customers ( like me;-))
* Amazing fruit art.
* Mountains of fresh coriander, mint, spinach.
* Oceans of tomatoes.
* So fresh, they were harvested just few hours before.
* Going to these markets gives me a high, the friendly farmers, the fresh produce of the earth, the bargaining & then getting so inspired by the fresh vegetables that the passionate cook in me decides on a 10-course meal :-)
Oceans of red ripe tomatoes...
Mountains of dried red chillis...Friendly chilli vendor...
Ridge Gourd...
Rows of Beetroot...

Though I didn't cook a 10-course meal...we had a sumptuous lunch made out of fresh vegetables which was grown locally...

Rainy Week.

* It's been raining off and on.
* Overcast skies with sun playing peek-a-boo.
* Faith Hill's 'Breathe' has been on replay mode in my car.
* Washed clothes mount on the laundry basket to be folded.* Gave in to sweet cravings mid-week.
* Enjoyed some hot chai & Khaara bun which I picked up from our local Iyengar's Bakery.
* Have been drinking loads of Garam-Chai in my balcony.
* Cleaned up my cupboard, took out truck loads of clothes I haven't worn in a while to be given away.
* Inspired by many interesting blogs -
bloesem's blogger's favourite,
housemartin
grijs
* Here are my fav's from flickr
This weekend I plan to watch some movies, try out some new recipes along with Mallika, sleep & pour over loads of design magazines I picked up yesterday.

Have a great weekend all of you...