I don’t know where I’m going
But, I sure know where I’ve been
Hanging on the promises
In songs of yesterday
An’ I’ve made up my mind
I ain’t wasting no more time
But, here I go again
Here I go again

It’s been quite a year. But it’s time to wrap it up in tissue and relegate it to the back of the cupboard along with all the other memories! And look with renewed hope and optimism at the coming year.

Here’s something really beautiful that a friend sent me and I’ve been listening to it again and again. It’s a beautiful chant and do get hold of it if you can…

Om Sarvesham swasthir bhavatu (May auspiciousness be unto all)
Sarvesham shantir bhavatu (May peace be unto all)
Sarvesham poornam bhavatu (May fullness be unto all)
Sarvesham mangalam bhavatu (May goodness be unto all)
Sarve bhavantu sukinaha (May everyone be happy)
Sarve santu niramiyaha (May everyone be without affliction)
Sarve bhadrani pashyantu (May everyone see only goodness)
Ma kashchit dukha bhak bhavet (Let none be the victim of suffering)
Asato ma sat gamaya (Lead me from the unreal to the real)
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya (Lead me from darkness to light)
Mrtyor ma amritam gamaya (Lead me from death to immortality)
Om Poorna mada poorna midam (Om, that is full, this is full)
Poornad poorna mudachyate (From that full, this full is removed)
Poornasaya poornamadaya Poornameva vasishyate (Yet the full remains full always)
Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu (May the whole world attain peace & harmony)
Om Shanti, shanti, shanti

Wishing all of you an awesome, rocking 2007!!!

You must go to Fontainhas, said my friend Albert on the phone. It’s a heritage area where you can still see influence of Portugese architecture. He’s a true blue Goan so I couldn’t possibly not listen to him!

On our last day in Goa, we headed to this old quartier of Panjim beside the Ourem creek. It’s a delightful area with so much colour and beauty that I wanted to spend much more time there. Next time, I hope I can stay somewhere in that area and take some more time to explore it.

Inside the courtyard of Panjim Inn

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I feel lucky to have been in quite a few places this year. And especially to witness some of these memorable sunsets that will forever live in a corner of my heart!

Top Slip, Pollachi: We stayed at a forest outpost in the night. A single structure on 4 stilts on the top of a hillock, with a lovely view of the whole forest. It was eerie and silent, and we were hoping for a tiger’s roar! But it was a quiet night, after all.

McLeodganj, Uttaranchal: A magical place where you can enjoy life at whatever pace you like. I spent a chilled out 3 days taking in the sights and sounds of this small hill town.

Nagarhole Forest, Karnataka: On the way back from Coorg, we made a trip through the jungle, didn’t sight anything much but we did have a wild elephant blocking the path for quite a while.

On the road, Chikmaglur to Bangalore: After a fabulous weekend at a plantation homestay nestled in the hills, this was a bonus to end the trip!

On the road, Bekal to Mangalore: We went to witness the Kadri Kambala festival, but managed to take in quite a few other sights during the time including this gorgeous sunset

Watching the ships sail by, Candolim Beach: A must visit and I’m so glad I made it for Christmas. It was just the perfect way to end 2006!

It’s one of my most favourite times of the whole year - Christmas and New Year!

The bright shining stars light up the houses and streets everywhere, there are children singing carols and there’s a general spirit of bonhomie everywhere.

In Goa right now, enjoying a chilled out Christmas. Yesterday, took the whole day and explored North Goa driving right up to Fort Tiracol at the tip of the state and watched the sunset. Today, we set off to explore the Old Goa area.

A very merry Christmas to all of you!

View of the sunset on the way to Fort Tiracol

Where on earth can you witness hefty buffalos running 100 metres through mud and slush in under 14 seconds? The answer folks is a few hundred kilometers away from the city in Mangalore during the Kadri Kambala festival! And that’s where three of us - Venkatesh, Sandeep and I headed on the Dec 10-11 weekend.

Bekal Fort was on my list of places to see - I’d missed it during my earlier visit, so we hired a cab on Saturday and drove down to the fort. It’s about one and a half hours away from Mangalore and we reached around 3 in the afternoon. From the fort, you get a sweeping view of the sea and Bekal beach, which seemed quite deserted. Of course, it was the middle of the afternoon and though it was winter, we were still getting sufficiently roasted.

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(Update - December 21: After more than a week, they finally emailed the ticket! Phew. That was one long wait!)

For all their promises to ensure customer satisfaction, it’s hard to understand why they continue to be so slack!

This happened to me on Monday while booking an online ticket. The page timed out and I didn’t get the ticket. I called up customer service and they assured me that the booking was done and the lady gave me my PNR number. She also said I could retrieve my booking from the online site. She assured me they would email the ticket. Definitely. Not a problem at all.

So far so good.

Not really. Tuesday, I made a call and told them the ticket was yet to come. We will definitely email it within half an hour. Please check in half an hour the customer service person says. Okay, I sigh with relief, thinking this time they mean what they say.

Day 3: Tried calling their centre and can’t get through – it’s either engaged or no one picks up the phone!

Day 4: The saga continues. Will I get my ticket at some point of time, I wonder? I call back and explain my whole story. Our systems have been a little slow says the customer service person in the lines of an excuse. Air Sahara’s systems down for 2 days and so she can’t email me the ticket!! Wonder, of wonders. What do I do, I ask? She says I can pick it up from their office on St Marks Road. So basically, I go through the whole processing of online booking to AVOID going to a counter. And finally, I have to go to a counter to pick up the ticket!

Day 5: Friday has dawned. No sign of the ticket. Should I give up hope? Will one of the nice people at Sahara finally take pity on me and send me what is rightfully mine? Or are their systems still down? Or they obviously don’t take their jobs very seriously, if you need to call them 4 days in a row to ask (no, beg, literally) to send you the ticket!

Hail, Sahara, I say!

It was an interesting weekend, to say the least. Monday comes around again and I’m left with memories of the lovely seaf00d (we tried everything from prawns, kingfish, seer fish to pomfret!), the beautiful seaside by Bekal and the endless walk along the renovated fort, the sunset we caught on the way back to Mangalore.

The bullocks race festival where man and animal raced furiously in the muddy slush, in what continues to be a tradition in the state. Before that we witnessed other interesting events like running races and tug of war (everything held in a mud/slush filled field!). And to end the visit, some time spent at Mangalore’s Liquid Lounge, a really cool place, where you can have a drink at prices unimaginable in Bangalore!

The traditional bullock racing festival in Mangalore, Kambala, is an annual event

Yet another memorable sunset, near Bekal

I have no idea how Monday turned to Friday, but it just did!

Monday evening I caught up with three girlfriends and their 3 moms and had a lovely seafood dinner at Sanadige’s. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to fly my mum in to join the party :) Have you folks tried it yet? If you like seafood, please try the prawns and crab. Mouthwateringly delicious is the only way to describe it!

Tuesday, saw me shooting my office in the evening with a few other enthusiasts. I had a great time overall and got a few nice pictures of our beautiful campus. Here’s the set.

Wednesday came and I caught up with Aqua for some lovely Indian food at Sikandar. It’s at Garuda Mall and if you haven’t gone yet, please TRY it. We had mutton and dal with rotis and everything was delicious!

Thursday was a movie marathon and I landed up watching a great documentary called Riding Solo to the Top of the World - if you like travelling and / or bikes, adventure etc. this is a must watch! Gaurav Jani, drives to Chanthang Plateau in Ladakh on his bullet and also documents the whole journey. It’s quite amazing as he travels through some very difficult terrain and also manages to film the whole thing! The video is also up for sale, if you’re interested in getting yourself a copy. The other movies we watched were Terrorist and then by the time we put on Water, sleep took over and we had to cut the marathon short there!

It’s Friday and I’m off to Mangalore to catch this festival. Have a great weekend folks. And do catch the Habba if you’re in town. :)