In Nature's Arms at Bawali Farmhouse

After our disappointing drive to Diamond Harbour a couple of days ago, we decided to find a nice destination to getaway for a couple of days.

Thanks to a Facebook post, I discovered a place called Bawali and after some research, we decided to head there. Though we had planned to go for a couple of days, we juts managed to get a booking for one night. But that didn't deter us from taking the break.


The drive to Bawali, save a few places of nice roads through countryside, was mostly through crowded village markets. But when we finally got to the Bawali Farmhouse, it was like the Garden of Eden. The walk from The Parking Lot next to the gate upto the main Hut was lined with a beautiful nursery, plants like I've never seen.

The first order of business after we checked in to our Cottage was an amazing breakfast in the common dining Hut. Luchi Torkari and Aloo Parantha along with Omelettes. A Cupppa Tea and Coffee and we were rejuvenated.

We were lucky to get the most secluded Cottage: NIBHRITI: As the name suggests, this cottage is located in the quietest corner of our farmhouse. With a cozy balcony overlooking the paddy fields and ponds, this is the best place to take your favourite book. For those, who want to shut down all the noise of civilization for a day, Nibhriti should be their choice. With a private sit-out area, a small corner garden and a balcony, this cottage is simple, elegant and very private.) source: bawalifarmhouse.com

Bawali Rajbari

Bawali Rajbari

Bawali Rajbari

Bawali Rajbari

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) also known as the Eurasian Kingfisher and River Kingfisher

Green Bee-Eater (Merops orientalis)

Green Bee-Eater (Merops orientalis) eating a Bee.

Rufous Treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda)

Bronze-winged Jacana (Metopidius indicus)

Asian Palm-Swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis).

New Market, Chana Batura & Christmas Shopping

 

New Market is the destination if you're going to do Christmas decorations shopping in Kolkata. Come December, the place has a completely different energy, with shops and stalls overflowing with Christmas trees, baubles, lights, stars and all those little things that somehow make you believe you need to decorate your house like Santa himself is moving in!

For me, however, visiting New Market is also a convenient excuse whenever I get a craving for Chana Batura.

The pavement on Bertram Street has some of the yummiest Chana Batura you can find. And if you're up for the full experience, you don't just eat it—you sit on one of those narrow little benches on the sidewalk, surrounded by millions of people, with the constant hustle and bustle of what is probably one of the busiest places in Kolkata happening all around you.

It's hardly fine dining, but that's precisely the point.

There is something wonderfully Kolkata about sitting on a pavement, balancing a plate of hot, fluffy Batura and spicy Chana, while pedestrians, shoppers, hawkers, taxis and just about everything else in the city rushes past you.

And once you've polished that plate off, the next logical step is a fresh fruit juice.

Chana Batura followed by a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice—and suddenly you're ready to take on New Market, the Christmas crowds and probably another round of shopping you never intended to do in the first place!

That's my kind of Christmas shopping. 🎄😋

Golden Joy Restaurant in Tangra — Our Go-To for Chinese

olden Joy Restaurant in Tangra is one of our go-to places whenever the craving for Chinese food strikes. By now, the menu is familiar, the people are familiar, and, most importantly, the food is exactly how we like it. There is something comforting about walking into a place where you don't need to spend half an hour studying the menu as if you are preparing for an entrance examination!

Since we got there quite late in the afternoon, we decided not to go all out. The plan was simple — have a tiny bite while we were there and get the main course packed for dinner. In theory, this sounded like a very sensible plan. In practice, ordering Chinese food when you're hungry is never quite that simple!

We started with their Chilli Garlic Pepper Chicken (Dry), which had just the right combination of spice and flavour, followed by the Golden Fried Prawns — because, frankly, when prawns are on the menu, pretending you didn't see them is just bad manners.

We also ordered a bowl of Mixed Non-Veg Thai Soup, which made for a comforting little interlude before we packed up the rest of our dinner.

And what was dinner? The classics, of course — Chowmein, Fried Rice and Chilli Chicken, all packed neatly to take home.

So, technically, we only went to Golden Joy for a tiny bite.

We came back with dinner for the evening.

Which, in my book, qualifies as a very successful Chinese food outing!

A Family Gathering at Fung Shway: Where the Food Was Plenty and the Conversation Even More

 

I'm never one to shy away from an invite, especially if it involves food! So that's exactly how I ended up at Fung Shway, the restaurant chosen for this family get-together.

The invite came from one of my in-laws' friends, and we were happily included. You know how things get when families get together, and this was a gathering of two families. Before long, the table was overflowing with food, the conversations were flowing in every direction, and everyone seemed to have something to say.

There was so much food and so much conversation that it's honestly difficult to put the evening into words.

But then again, some evenings aren't really about documenting every dish or every conversation. They're about sitting around a table, eating far more than you planned to, laughing, catching up and simply enjoying the company.

And this was definitely one of those evenings.

Good food, great company and plenty of conversation — what more could one ask for?

No Helmet, No Petrol

 

A fantastic initiative to reign in Bikers who are breaking the law by not wearing Helmets.

A Seafood Feast at Mangalore Pearl

 

Our gracious hosts took us out for dinner today and insisted that we try a seafood restaurant called Mangalore Pearl. I can't even begin to describe the food—it was an absolute feast! I'll simply let the images do the talking.

Adding to the experience were the incredible caricatures adorning the walls, which gave the restaurant a wonderfully distinctive character. Mangalore Pearl specialises in authentic coastal and Mangalorean flavours, and our hosts certainly knew exactly where to take us for a memorable meal.

If you look them up online, you'll find their menu. Better still, drop into Mangalore Pearl yourself and indulge in their splendid delicacies. You won't be disappointed!

Random Photographs from Streets of Bangalore

 

On our way back from HAL Museum I managed to click some photographs of these old Tanks out side an Army cantonment area we crossed.

IAF Rudra Helicopter

So while I was getting amazed with the Aircraft on display at the HAL Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum, and the constant buzz of LCA Tejas Aircraft & MI-8 Helicopters taking off and landing at the HAL Airport across the road, I suddenly heard the load humming of rotors and instantly knew that there was a Helicopter close by.

Suddenly from behind a tree I saw this magnificent bird rise up and just float in mid air while the nose gun turret kept swiveling from side to side.

It was an HAL Rudra Helicopter with Indian Air Force markings.

HAL RUDRA

Specifications:

HAL/Turbomeca Shakti engine

General characteristics:

Crew: 1 or 2 pilots

Capacity: 12 passengers (14 passengers with high density seating) or 4 stretchers.

Length: 15.87 m (52 ft 0.8 in)

Rotor diameter: 13.20 m (43 ft 3.7 in)

Height: 4.98 m (16 ft 4.06 in)

Disc area: 137 m2 (1,472 ft2)

Empty weight: 2,502 kg (5,515 lb)

Useful load: 2,600 kg (5,731 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 5,500 kg (12,125 lb)

Powerplant: 2 × HAL/Turbomeca Shakti turboshafts, 1,000 kW (1,400 shp[17])

Alternate engine: 2 x Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 turboshaft, 746 kW (1,000 shp) each

Performance:

Maximum speed: 290 km/h (180 mph, 156.58 kn)

Combat radius: 320 km (200 mi, 175 nmi)

Ferry range: 827 km (516 mi, 447 nmi)

Service ceiling: 6,096 m[18] (20,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 10.3 m/s (2,030 ft/min)

Power/mass: 329.73 W/kg (0.20 hp/lb)

Armament:

Guns:

1 x 20mm M621 cannon into the Nexter THL-20 chin mounted gun turret (Air-Force & Army version)

Missiles:

8 Helina (Helicopter-launched Nag) Anti-tank guided missiles (planned for Air-Force & Army version)

4 MBDA Mistral short-range Air-to-air missiles (Air-Force & Army version)

4 x 68 mm or 70 mm Rocket Pods (Air-Force & Army version)

2 Torpedoes or Depth charges (Navy version)

2 Anti-ship missiles (Navy version)

Avionics:

Elbit CoMPASS optoelectronic suite for reconnaissance and target acquisition

SAAB IDAS-3 self-protection suite

Source: Wikipedia (Data from Indian Army, Crawford, HAL, and Defence Update.)