Thursday, January 13, 2011

Vacation wrap up.....

Yes, am back from a lovely vacation, short but sweet. For those who may not know, my son and son-in-law visited from DC, spent a week here in Hyderabad, then were joined by another friend of theirs, Muriam, from New York, and together the 5 of us headed to Chennai and Pondy and then back to Chennai. Here are a few pics....we stayed at the Taj at Fisherman's Cove in Chennai and The Dune at Pondicherry, both fabulous places, one outrageously expensive and the other much more affordable, but both my idea of heaven on earth!
Getting ready to leave, the boys saying bye to the doggies
 The Taj at F. Cove....opulent, gorgeous, decadent, ridiculously expensive bliss! I don't think I'll be going back.....







The Dune....2 days of amazing food, yoga, ayurvedic massages, hammock swinging, star gazing, playing with dogs, biking.....pure absolute down-to-earth bliss! I'd go back in a jiffy......







Back in Chennai I visited my tiny 88 year old grandma, and even though she cannot remember what happened 5 minutes ago, she can easily remember all the songs she learned and sang in her hey days
then we visited Sharavana Bhavan for their famous filter coffee....and realized why they were so famous for it.....I also think the ambience has something to do with it, after all they say you eat with your eyes too.....the tiny rickety steel tables, waiters yelling out orders for dosas and idlis, fragrance of coconut chutney permeating the room, piping hot coffee in small tumblers, it all adds up!
I also visited - after much phone calling and direction asking and finger pointing and my son's blackberry internet googling - the much touted Amethyst store in Chennai. They have moved locations recently and ever since Vineeta blogged about it, I have been wanting to go. After about a half hour of driving round and round in a 1/2 mile radius, we finally located it and I was determined to buy something to show for all that searching. But maybe it was that they hadn't moved all of their stock, maybe it was the ambience which I really didn't care for (too frou frou and NRI-ey) or maybe it was the hugely overpriced items that I simply could not justify buying....whatever it was, I could not bring myself to buy anything and left in a hurry! Oh well!

We also visited Mahabalipuram en route to Pondy, check my travel blog in a few days to see all the hundreds of pics I took in all the places.....

Now I am back, really ready to take on 2011! 

13 comments:

GB said...

Oh this is fabulous, K! And tiny grandmas make my heart sing!

Lovely, lovely pictures, am dying of envy here!

Shanthi said...

Lovely pictures kamini. U brought back the fond memories of our stay at Fisherman's cove. Their early morning catamaran ride is my all time favorite. Loved the new abode of Amethyst - one of my MUST visit stores in Chennai.

Shanthi said...

BTW - the pic with the Grandma was the best :-)

Unknown said...

Lovely pictures Kamini...and the Dune seems to be a fabulous place to visit, rest and rejunevate onself. I need a vacation very badly now...That picture with a your grandma is something to cherish...:-)

PreeOccupied said...

Love all the photographs, especially with Grandmum and the boys with the pooch.

Anonymous said...

We had lunch here and then drove to Pondy. Wish I had known about the Dune. Lovely pictures of family.
I went to a store in Bangalore which had a wooden necklace for 3000 rupees. Even for an NRI it is impossible to justify $75 for a wooden trinket :).

My3

Krithika said...

Lovely photos Kamini.....the picture of you and grandma brought tears to my eyes.....I was very close to my granny.....she used to spoil me rotten...miss her so much.
Krithika

Anonymous said...

*sigh* what a gorgeous holiday.. I'd love to hear your gradma sing.. and sing a long with her..

Oh.. that place is calling me.. the hammock, the lilly pond, the sounds.. *sigh* I'll surely check your travel blog and email you when I plan a trip.. Hope to do it sometime this year..

Oh.. and the coffee.. dosa & the powerdy thing (puddi - I think) at Sharavana are awesome.. I totally love that place... and am amused at home basic the interiors are.. yet.. the food.. yummmm!!

I'm glad you are back!! We missed you!:-)

Sudha said...

beautiful memories!

The Interior perspective said...

Lovely post,Kamini---and I got to discover your travel blog as well :)

Iniyaal said...

I look at Fisherman cove pictures often over the web, but have stayed off it mostly due to their pricing :) Love the peaceful calm surroundings of Taj at fiserman's cove and The dune.
I have been searching for Amethyst for quite some time now after reading about it. Can you please tell where it is located now?

Unknown said...

Lovely snaps...good to hear all of you had such a great time! Tiny grandma's picture made my heart go all gooey

Jyotsna Wase said...

The pictures make me want to go on a vacation myself. Greens, woody ambiance, beach(?). Perfect!