I look at my pictures now and think… was it just a month ago that we were actually there? Like all holidays, the memories become a little distant, but they keep coming back to haunt me.

The Himalayas is definitely a place I’d like to keep going back to. The only unfortunate thing about travelling in that region are the bad roads and the extremely bad (even non-existent) loos! But apart from that, it’s difficult not to be awed and breathless at the sheer beauty of this region…

The complete album

So this is how it works. You invite a few friends. Open some nice wine. And make them get a dish each! Isn’t that the coolest idea? That way, you spend less time in front of the stove, and more time with the friends :)

Apparently, it’s called potluck and I chanced upon it on someone else’s blog and decided to use the idea to my advantage. Besides, there were 3 nice bottles of Himalayan wine, waiting to be opened.

So this is what I managed to get my guests to bring for the potluck:

A totally yummy vegetable and fusili bake from Zoo:

Kachoris and icecream from G:

Tasty chiken and veg momos from Apra:

Aloo Parathas that I cooked (with loads of help from Aqua and G! – it’s been about 3 years since I last cooked an aloo paratha!!)

Chicken wings, slightly overdone, but chicken is chicken!:

And loads of great plum, pear and apple wine!

And though no pics, there were also delicious chili potatoes from Aqua & P, red wine from Shibs and vodka from Venx.

So if you’re running out of ideas for an evening, invite friends and say it’s a potluck, sit back in your cosy chair and relax/watch television!

The only hard thing is cleaning up and fitting all the leftovers in the fridge. But on the bright side, I had enough to eat for about 3-4 days without having to step into the kitchen!

Fast paced, clever dialogues, some brilliant star power (Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Clive Owen, you could watch the movie just for them!) and a bank robbery situation. I quite enjoyed Inside Man, which I watched last evening. The twists and turns keep you guessing and you’re not quite sure why the robbery is happening and whether it is a robbery at all. If you’re looking for wholesome evening entertainment, then this movie is worth watching.

The day before, I finally watched Da Vinci Code. I can understand why people might come away a little disappointed with the movie. I think it’s a tough task to come up with a movie that is equally thrilling as the book.

Also, if you haven’t read the book, some of the flash back sequences (Silas and the Bishop), Sophie’s childhood, the ritual she encounters, won’t make too much sense. Ron Howard gives it all he has, and comes up with a decent film. I’ve read some pretty harsh reviews, but I think a lot of critics react that way because of the impact the book had already created. I found it, if not anywhere as exciting as the book, reasonably well done. And Audrey Tatou had me impressed ever since I watched her in Amelie (what a movie!) and I thought she fitted quite well into the role of Sophie Neveau. So, while the book gets my vote, the movie is still worth a dekko, I’d say.

(PS: I got a phone call during Da Vinci from a friend and I smsd him saying I was watching a movie and I’d call back. He smsd back saying he had wanted to enquire about my health and that I had answered his question already! So yes, I am definitely much better, and on my way to 100% pretty soon! )

I have been back for a week, but took some (more) time off to relax. I know my holiday was meant to do that, but with my health continuing to bother me, I needed a few extra days to recover.

I hate being out of sorts mainly because I have to put on hold the hundred things that I usually rush about doing. But as a friend of mine commented, when I complained about my lack of enthusiasm and lacklustre spirits over the last few weeks, “It’s good you did nothing for a change!”

My abode in Manali for a few days.

And ‘nothing’ sums up exactly what I did! I lazed around and looked at the beautiful snow clad mountains everyday for 10 days. In Manali, I stayed in a little cottage right in the middle of a valley waking up to 360 degree views of mountains all around. Then in McLeodganj, Dharamsala where I headed in the hope of bumping into Richard Gere (no, not the Dalai Lama!), I took up room in a hotel overlooking the valley, so I could see both the market and the mountains from my window every day.

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