Awesome Chance Meeting with The Lost Girls at the Ace Hotel in NYC

Image Copyright: LostGirlsWorld.com

As it happens in life (and quite often in NYC), you get to meet great/interesting/intriguing people as you go about life. Just back from two great sunny weeks in Pasadena, CA and Los Angeles (more about that some time in the future), i was looking forward to going to a nice cafe and getting some thinking and writing done (one of my fav things to do on sat is to spend time in a nice cafe/cafe-like-place). And the lobby of the Ace Hotel had been on my mind for sometime.

And so it was, i landed up in the lobby around noon. And true to what i had heard and just glimpsed earlier in an in-and-out 5-min trip, this gotta be one of the best places to spend a weekend morning/afternoon sipping coffee , reading, writing, thinking and yes, even watching... The place is part lobby, part cafe, part library, part living room and all with a bar at the back. And if the setting wasnt good enough, i happened to meet 2 (Holly and Amanda)of the 3 original 'Lost Girls' (H, A and Jen). I was introduced to them by a writer of tremendous potential, who was busily revising her (potential best seller) to be submitted to the publishers on Monday!!

If you havent yet come across/heard about/read the 'Lost Girls', then just sample some of their fares. The three 20-something girls (as they call themselves) quit their media jobs and went traveling around the world for a year. And what can one say other than.. the 'rest is history'. The year-long trip became a famous award winning blog - LostGirlsWorld.com and a book that is being released in May by Harper Collins. But wait... there is more.. Warner Bros has bought the rights to make a film (or sthng like that).

Needless to say the girls write masterfully, peppering their blogs with wit('Om My God' takes the cake), keen observations, humor and good story-telling. They have traveled four continents and are now back in NYC and working on the launch of their book.

It will create a buzz (perhaps the 'Lost Girls' will fill the vacuum that the 4 women imagined by Candace Bushnell have left behind for countless women [even men] after the end of their series). And as we kept talking, more friends of the Lost Girls came and then very soon it was time for me to head for my Iyengar Yoga Klass (which rocks beyond, words by the way). The chance meeting captured what travels ultimately are about - being able to share stories, even when we meet as strangers.

Who knows where the 'Lost Girls' will find themselves next. Perhaps they are planning to visit some of the places we got to talk about today, like the breathtaking mountains of Leh/Ladakh, the relatively unexplored Zanskar Valley, the 30-day trek to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarover (the heavenly abode of Lord Shiva), the drive from Tijuana down into the cactus desert of Baja California via a gorgeous stretch of the highway kissing the pacific ocean(route 1/pacific coast highway pales in comparison), visiting the ruins of Nalanda University (the Worlds first university and which is 2 hrs from my hometown), cheering the Afghan horse riders in the game of Buzhkashi or organizing their book tour as they ride the California Zephyr across the rocky mountains on the Amtrak (you can get a whole 15/30 days pass to travel on the Amtrak for dirt cheap).

Go girls!! The World is to be discovered all over again and then some more....

From one globalwander to you and the many other lost and then perhaps, found souls.

Bon Voyage!

GlobalWanderer

P.S. - i havent said much but the writer mentioned here briefly but she has a mind blowing story being written in her upcoming book. I hope i can write about it when the time is right (and when its fine to tell what she is writing about).

The Best Frickin' Deal for a Round Trip from New York to Delhi. CheapOair.com rocks

Okay folks, so whats the best deal you have got for a round trip from New York City to Delhi in the last 1-2 years. Lets start with $800. Perhaps some of you can say , yea. I am sure you can fly cheaper.
$700..... (maybe)
$650....
$600... (i am begininng to see no hands raised)

Well i just got it for $550! yes you read the right $550 roundtrip from NYC to Delhi. Thats $550 with all taxes and fees added. No other fees applies!
And do note I am flying British Airways with one stop over in London and then returning via Jet Airways with one stop over in brussels. Now that is a rare deal! See the confirmed itinerary below.


In fact the ticket price was just $275 with some $300 for taxes (i got a $30 promotion discount).



And i got it just like that. Today.
Just a few hours ago on CheapOair.com
I had been looking for a deal for the past few days and was about to settle on a $950 round trip on Qatar airways (a 5 star rated airline. i was excited to try them out). But their site had some issues in the online booking payment page! I tried three times and then gave up.

It was meant to be i guess because it really paid off to look at CheapOair.com. Till yesterday they had been showing flights as low as $775 but this was unbeatable.

Way to go guys. i am definitely going to look at your rates before i go to kayak.com or cheaptickets.com for my future reservations. Looks like you have the cheapest airfare deals

A Conversation about Traveling to India, Eating at Karims Jama Masjid and Many Things to do and See

Its a cracker of a day in New York City. Bright, Sunny with a cold crispy breeze. Which makes one want to grab a cup of coffee and just sit and enjoy the usual hustle and bustle of the city. And as you let your mind wander into myriad thoughts, if you end up meeting people and get to talk to them about what to do and what to see in your home country (in my case India), then its even better.

I just had a great conversation with three people, one of who (lets say JB) is planning to visit India in February. As i took a seat at a table next to them, i overhead them talk about India and they had guide books (frommers, lonely planet). One of them had visited Delhi in 2007 and was sharing her experience and delight of visiting India. I ventured to give them some tips based on my own experiences in Delhi and other places.

And it turned out to be a great conversation. Now two weeks is not at all sufficient to experience India, as is JB's duration of the visit (in which he plans to go to Delhi and attend a wedding in Jaipur). I have lived in India till i was 25 but have only seen or experienced so much. But even though its not the full gamut, what most guide books don't have are the small details of a place or the ability to convey an experience, many of which i have had. And these are what i shared with my three new found acquaintances who clearly where very interested in knowing about things from someone who was from India.

There is so much to do, see, eat, smell and touch in Delhi. Where could i begin from other than talking about Karim's, the famous old Delhi restaurant (started in 1913) where i have spent countless nights savoring the best mutton (goat meat) burra (roast mutton).

Karims, Jama Masjid. Delhi.

Picture Courtesy: Vikas, iFood.tv

Karim's was started by the grandson of the chef who cooked in the royal kitchen of the last Mughal emperor of India. There is something about Karim's food - the richness of their taste, the authenticity of their setting (the restaurant is ensconced in bustling old Delhi market) and the consistency of their cooking, that makes one want to go again and again. "If you happen to visit Karim definitely try the mutton burra (see another testimony), the mutton korma (mutton curry cooked in rich spices) and the Naan (indian bread)", i told JB. And as i began to talk about the food, the more i vividly i could remember and thus describe my experiences in Delhi.

I did however, warn John that getting inside old Delhi is an arduous task - its a crowded marketplace (with a stretch that reeks of rotting fish ). But it has its rewards, like watching the numerous street vendors selling kebabs, rice pudding (kheer) and other goodies. And of course the reward of getting to eat Karim's food which as the restaurant says, "The secret to good mood, is Karim's food"

Since i am quite a foodie, i couldn't stop from talking more about it (and also how i ended up getting iFood.tv off the ground with some friends). Like recommending JB to definitely try some of the unique and just delicious snacks and sweets at Haldiram's a very popular (and deservingly so) chain of Indian snack food restaurants. Haldiram's is a story in itself. From its panipuri, raj kachori, dhoklas, aloo-tikki (cutlet)to the rasmalais and other goodies, the list is endless (see pics below). I have often wondered why they dont have a branch here in New York - perhaps bang at times square. America hasn't yet been introduced to the goodness of indian snacks and sweets.
Pictures Courtesy: Vikas Kumar, iFood.tv

Aloo-Tikki


Pani-Puri

By now my friends were also beginning to feel hungry! And as i talked about other things to taste, how could i forget the frozen paan sold on Rajpur road in delhi. I can only describe this as a mouthful of tantalizing tastes and an experience all on its own.

From the foods of delhi we moved on to other things - the drive around India gate, the president's house, the neighborhoods of south delhi, to the mausoleum of the sufi saint Hazrat Nizaamuddin Aulia and even the wish granting matka peer (where people hang clay pots when their wishes are granted) ... to navigating the crazy traffic of delhi as a pillion rider on a hero honda motorbike. To standing on the ramparts of the Red Fort and overlooking the bustling old delhi markets, to taking a meditative break in the peaceful confines of the lotus temple. And also to ride the swanky new Metro in Delhi

Till we talked about driving to Agra to make the customary (but highly recommended) visit to the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. And as i talk about the Taj, i remember being there and watching Yanni conjure his musical magic at the Taj in 1997. And then we moved further east to Benaras and its timeless ghats with their enchanting 'Ganga Aarti' (see below and more pictures taken by a friend . )


Pic Courtesy: Smarth

And from there to Hardwar, the town where the sacred river Ganga enters the plains in all its rushing might. I hope John can make it there and take a dip in the river - no matter how cold the waters. its worth the effort. And to reward yourself, you can fill up on aloo-puri (a popular Indian snack) at the adjoining bazaar and then top that with a glass of heavenly lassi at the Prakash Lassi shop. And from Hardwar we even went further north upto Ladakh, the mystical land, up at the northern tip of India bordering Kashmir, Pakistan and Tibet. Funny how quickly and easily the mind can condense vast spans of time and geographies (i had visited Ladakh when in 4th yr of medical school in 1998, but i still vividly remember the cup of tea with yaks butter in it ).

By now all of us seemed to be immersed in our own imagination of this land far away - of this country with these myriad tastes, smells and sights, people and stories. We traversed trough our mindscape from the North to the West, where JB is headed to the capital city Jaipur of the royal state, Rajasthan, for a wedding. I hope JB can get there in the train, on a regular class ticket. I have always loved the trains in India despite their ordeals.

I had to stop somewhere. In two weeks, JB can only do so much and to give him all these visions would only make his heart desire more and expect more. I had to ground him in the realities too. For India comes at you in different ways. There is the excitement and fantasies that one begins to create reading books, hearing stories and sometimes watching Bollywood or movies showing aspects of India. But then there is no 'One India'. There have never been one. India reveals itself as one wants to see and experience it. It is a kaleidoscope and i told John he should be prepared to face the ugly with the beautiful, the desperation with the satisfaction and the chaos with utter serenity and peace. And of course, my experiences are just another snapshot of time and perspective.

I hope JB has a great trip and gets the taste of the many different Indias. And as they were leaving, i thanked them. For in the space of 30-40 mins i had relived so many memories. And yes i promised JB and his friends that i will invite them to some of my favorite Indian places in the city next time i do a dine out with some friends