Coffee Culture

Russians in Goa aren't known to be a polite lot. They fly in directly from russia, strut around in their speedos and ignore everything that doesn't influence their immediate needs. For that reason it was a surprise to hear the call of 'Fresh Turkish Coffee' from a Russian gentleman at the Lamuella boutique on beach road in Arambol, Goa. Intrigued by his setup and shop front open seating, I tried two consecutive days to catch him in place and try his wares but to no success. Either I was too late or he was visiting elsewhere. Fate seemed to be playing a game. Finally on the evening of third day I parked myself on the outside stool with a mind to wait out his return. As he got back his face showed pleasant surprise to see a ready customer. To start with he offered peanut coconut mini cakes on the house. He had me won over at that moment itself but the best was yet to come. Brewing the coffee painstakingly in a steel mug over hot sand, filled the store with an invigorating smell. His display brought in more customers, all of us eagerly awaiting the much promised cuppa.

What finally arrived was a porcelain cup of black gold. The coffee was nirvana. Full of body and character yet smooth and sinful. It glided down the throat like honey with flavor of berries on the tongue. My companion who never fancied black coffee thought it to be most delicious and became a convert. Suddenly he asked, 'Which country are you from?', and as I answered "India" he became so happy, he declared my cup to be absolutely free! Just because I was the first Indian in his 5 day old shop and broke his impression that Indian's don't drink coffee. The fruit of my patience over days couldn't be sweeter and the generosity of a stranger made it even more. In a way it justifies travel and my need for it.

Please share your opinion on this post in the comments section.

Lost

I want to get lost.
Lost in a place unhurried by time, unhurried to find a new place to get lost in.
In a place where no one worries about finding me and i don't worry about anyone wanting to find me.
A place where time stops and i stop. STOP.

Thought of the day brought to you courtesy mumbai rains.

Please share your opinion on this post in the comments section.

Pictures of Note - Malaysia

Second series of some pictures of note from my recent trip to Malaysia. For the entire set jump to my Picasa WebAlbum

Cable Car, Genting Highlands, Malaysia

Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur (KL)

Suria Shopping Mall, Kuala Lumpur City Centre

Petronas Tower, KL

City Lights, KL

Petronas Towers Skyline, KL, Malaysia

Batu Caves, KL

Stalagmite Formation, Dark Cave, Batu Caves

The Old and the new, KL

KTM Building, KL (CST, Mumbai??)

Old Railway Station Spire, KL

China Town, KL

Maybank, Sky Tower, Petronas Towers, KL


Sky Tower, KL

City, KL

Pictures of Note - Singapore

A few pictures of note from my recent trip to Singapore. For the entire set jump to my Picasa WebAlbum

Sunset at Sentosa Beach, Singapore

Merlion at Sentosa, Singapore

Siloso Beach, Sentosa, Singapore

Underwater World, Sentosa, Singapore

Dolphin Lagoon, Sentosa, Singapore

Fountain of Wealth, Suntec, Singapore

Merlion, One Fullerton, Singapore

Travel - Rebirth

Paulo Coelho writes very beautifully in "The Pilgrimage":

When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth. You confront completely new situations, the day passes more slowly, and on most journeys you don't even understand the language people speak. So you are like a child just out of the womb. You begin to attach much more importance to the things around you because your survival depends upon them. You begin to be more accessible to others because they may be able to help you in difficult situations. And you accept any small favor from the gods with great delight, as if it were an episode you would remember for the rest of your life.

At the same time, since all things are new, you see only the beauty in them, and feel happy to be alive.

Xbhp.com Bike trip to Lavasa

Trip Log
=====

Man what a ride this one was. Though I don't have the specifics we must have had around 20 bikes on this one with Rubber Smokin Angels (RSA) and Absolute Insane Riders (AIR) having thrown in their lot.

It was raining right from the word go, reminiscent of the B'day G2G to amby valley, and this one was equally fun.






However, the trip was marred with incidents. To begin with, at a halt for tea and snacks we noticed some riders going off ahead without realizing that most of us had stopped behind. I thought it apt to catch up with them and bring them back. I was able to do so with all except one who was nowhere in sight. I later on realized that he was an AIR rider who was literally throwing the bike to the curves and didn't stop before reaching the top point. With my numerous halts talking to guys and asking them to turn back coupled with phone calls back to the base, it was quite impossible to catch up with the errant rider. I turned back from after the dam without him. Still, this was the highlight of the ride for me as I rode back and forth, as hard as I could, with low visibility, leaning, sprinting and hardly a soul in sight. Biking nirvana at its best. As a side note, the white lines marking the lanes are a biker's nightmare come true. Paint that offers almost 0 traction and makes your bike fish tail like crazy. Stay on it too long and you are bound to have a spill. I survived a few scares today. :-)

Later on as we all rode as a group to the top, my friend prasun had a tangle with three locals on a boxer. Apparently they met somewhere on their side of the white line with their bike suffering some cosmetic damage and one of them being gifted a cut on his feet. It was all sorted out by paying them off 800 bucks, arrived at with the help of rash and a few other riders. Thanks guys.

But the worst was still to come. On our way back the same AIR rider I wasn't able to catch initially had an accident in one of the villages. Apparently he was hit by an Indica in the wrong lane causing him to lose his line and pile into a group of locals on the other side of the road. One of them was in a bad shape and was taken to the hospital right away. The locals ganged up on our guy and bashed him up even though he was himself bleeding with a very broken finger. Things cooled down by the time all of us arrived and he was taken to the hospital as well for some much needed attention. Needless to say he was wearing a helmet and protective gear without which it would have been a different story altogether. Dude, I sincerely hope for three things. That you recover from this as soon as possible, that you have a comprehensive insurance policy and that nothing untoward happens to the local.

The locals at the foothills of the ghats are pretty miffed about the gang of bikers who invade their terrain every Sunday. As I heard one of them of complain, they would rather have pot hole ridden roads than the new smooth tar ones which cause horde of bikes to descend upon their measly towns.

Ride and ride safe!