Sangam and Mekedattu are ideal for a day’s getaway from Bangalore. Though the peak of summer is not the right time to head there, we bravehearts decided not to be fazed by the intense heat anyway. On a warm Sunday morning, we packed some lunch and our equipment and started off at around 730 am in the morning when all sane folks were snoozing.

A colourful window of a village house on the way to Sangama

By the time we reached Kanakpura, it was around 930 am and we had our breakfast of idli-dosas there.
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When I read this review on Bangalore Metblogs, I couldn’t resist the temptation to go and check out the food myself.

So along with Charles & Debbie (who were game to visit again!), Aqua and hubby, my sister and blogger Sathish K, we had a nice and lovely long meal at Saigon yesterday evening.

Warning: Lots of food pictures ahead!

One of the starters was lettuce leaves served with chutney, chillis, onions, ginger, peanuts… you mix everything, put on lettuce and eat. Yummy!

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Why is this so hard, I am thinking?

It should be as easy as walking in to the vendor, getting the information and then the connection.

But if life was that easy, this wouldn’t be India, would it?!

So here I am, still struggling to find a broadband connection at home, after Airtel cancelled my line because they didn’t have a port in the new apartment I shifted to recently. I’ve posted about my experience with them here.

I thought I would try and get the Reliance Data and Voice Modem, but after 4 visits to their Webworld, this is what happened yesterday.

Needless to say, I am mostly speechless about how difficult a simple thing can turn out to be! And it’s their smug and ‘we-don’t-need-you’ attitude that really bothers me. Even if I can pay cash now, I don’t want to go back to that place. Ever again.

Next is BSNL, and let’s see what happens there.

Well folks, fellow travelers and adventurous bloggers - this is going to be a challenge for sure!

While I am sure it’s really easy to spend 1000 bucks on a single destination – here’s something to think about. Can you make the same amount last for 10 destinations? Sounds impossible? But then we’re all crazy people thinking up and doing crazy things, so why not another crazy idea?!

Fellow blogger Sathish K, who has wanderlust flowing in his veins, and a few others have come up with this fun travel idea and the details are here.

o Start Date: 10th June 2007 Morning (Sunday)
o End Date : 24th June 2007 evening (Sunday)

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North East Chronicles: On March 19, we travelled from Shillong to the lovely picture perfect village of Mawlynnong, Meghalaya. The village prides itself on being the cleanest in Asia - and and it’s not an empty boast we discovered!

Well, I never thought I’d get to live in a house on stilts though I’ve harboured the fancy for some time. And I got my wish twice this year – in March and May. But let me tell you the March story first.

My wish came true this one night at Mawlynnong - a little village around 90 kms from the town of Shillong – very close to the Bangladesh border.

And why Mawlynnong? You have to see it, gushed a school friend. It’s supposedly the cleanest village in Asia and there’s a tree house with a machan. I was sold as soon as I heard that. Cleanest village sounded interesting too – we were soon to find out that it was a claim they took quite seriously.

I have yet to see a more spic and span and well-maintained village. Cities of today could perhaps learn a few lessons from the folks of this picture perfect little place.

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North East Chronicles: On March 18, we visit the town of Cherrapunjee, about a two hour drive from Shillong, through curvy roads and some beautiful scenery. Cherrapunjee, until recently, held the record of being one of the wettest regions on earth.

Cherrapunjee, which is known by the local name of Sohra, is located in the East Khasi Hills at an altitude of 1484 metres. The average rainfall between the years 1973-2006 has been 39.14 feet, and that’s a lot of rain!

Unfortunately, due to below average rainfall in 2006, it had to forgo its title of the wettest place to its neighbour Mawsynrem, but still holds stubbornly to its reputation.

A viewpoint in Cherrapunjee

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It’s amazing what can take over the collective consciousness of a minority of the population and get a seemingly trivial non-issue hyped all over the media!

A kiss, a saree and now Buddha in the bathroom?

Like someone said, it’s okay to relieve yourself in public places (that’s obviously a part of our great culture) but a kiss - hai ram!! And whoever said you can’t have a Buddha statue in a bathroom? When has that been against the law?! It’s getting more ridiculous by the day.

We’re going to set some kind of a record in filing public litigation cases. And burning effigies. At this rate we’ll have an booming effigy making business at least, if nothing else.

Thankfully, this case has been thrown out!