Get To Know Singapore Better

     Hello peeps, I recently visited Singapore with my family. It is such a lovely place, but there are many things about Singapore that tourists may not know. We got to know about these things through the locals, so I thought I should share it with you guys, so that you get to know Singapore better.

     Singapore in ancient times was known as Temasek or Sea Town. It has been a busy trading centre since then. Temasek was destroyed at the end of 4th century A.D. and was rediscovered again by Prince Sang Nila Utama of the Sri Vijaya Empire in 11th century A.D. Upon landing in now Singapore, Sang Nila saw a strange animal which he thought was a lion and therefore named the island 'Singapura' a Sanskrit word for Lion City. This story is not confirmed and might be a myth just like the Merlion which is half mermaid half lion mythical creature who is said to protect the land from all bad things, but the locals go by this story to tell how Singapore came to existence.

Singapore Merlion

     Our driver said, Singapore is a very 'fine city', why so? Because the government fines you for almost each and every wrong thing you do. You cannot eat or drink in a vehicle, bus or MRT, no littering, you know how in India we heedless just run in the middle of the road to cross it? Just like that CEAT ad 'yeh hai Mr. Haathdikhao', don't even think of doing that in Singapore. There are crosswalks on every street and you have to cross your path using those and following the signals or else be ready to be fined. Unlike India you won't see traffic police there to control the situation (except for some occasions which I am going to tell y'all later). In Singapore the CCTVs and citizen patrolling do the work and if you are a tourist be extra cautious because these citizen patrols will have a keen eye on you.

the super clean MRT station and my mom :-P

     What are citizen patrols?

They are the citizens of Singapore who care for their country (which basically means every citizen of Singapore). They see you not following their laws, they will hand you to the police. Now I don't exactly remember how much fine is taken for what, so I don't want to quote a wrong number, but the fines are above 100S$. 

and the super clean MRT

     A few years ago people were facing a problem with chewing gum in Singapore. People would eat chewing gum and throw it or stick it somewhere and then that chewing gum would end up on the jeans or shirt or shoes of some other person. So what did the government of Singapore do? They banned chewing gum from Singapore.

     If you look at the streets of Singapore you won't hesitate to sleep on it, they are so clean. And now you know the reason why. The laws in Singapore are very strict and no matter if you are a tourist or a local you have to follow them. But don't let this thing scare you, people are very sweet and helpful and you will find yourself knowingly or unknowingly following the laws when you are there.

clean and green roads of Singapore

     Now let me tell you about the punctuality of Singaporeans. Man these people are punctual as hell. So if you go there and the driver says be here by say maybe 9 AM, be sure to be there at 9AM or the driver will get super mad at you. Because if you get late the driver will get late for another pickup which might cost him to loose his job. So be super punctual just like the Singaporeans. If the driver says he'll be there by 6:30, he will be there at 6:25, 5 minutes before the time he told you. There is no 'yaar 5 minute hi to late hua hai, kya farak padta hai' thing there. In Singapore time is money and people follow time like nothing else in the world.

     Talking about drivers, the blue and yellow comfort cabs in Singapore are a good option to commute. If you are looking for a cheaper option MRTs and buses are available, but if you are too lazy to walk up to the MRT or bus stations, opt for the comfort cabs. These cabs are owned by the government and to be a driver of this cab, one needs to be Singaporean citizen and a permanent resident. So each and every comfort cab driver has an experience of at least 15 years of driving and know Singapore in and out. They know what place is where, which is a shortcut, at what time will you find traffic in which place, so if you are not sure about a certain thing, comfort cab drivers are your best friend. Don't hesitate to ask them for help and 99% of the times these people will be happy to help you. These cab drivers never take a day off. If they need a holiday their cab gets toed, they then have to pay a fine and get the cab back. 

comfort cabs (Image Courtesy: google images)

     Now being an Indian like every other Indian even we were attracted to Little India. On the first day we tried China Town for our lunch, but come on, we all know that there is a major difference in 'desi Chinese' and 'authentic Chinese'. My brother loves pork, so in China Town he ordered some pork dish and he had just two bites of it, because he didn't like how it tasted. Now obviously we Indians have a habit of eating all 'maal masala', so mostly we don't like the taste of bland food. So when it came to food Little India was our holy grail. We would gorge on the tasty Pratas (Singaporean word for parathas), butter chicken, paneer butter masala and biryani. As Indians we loved having food at Little India.

     Also we were in Singapore during Diwali, so the streets of Little India were lit up with lighting. We actually felt like we were in India, no crackers though, which I really liked, because I hate the noise they make. In Singapore they have an off on the second day of Diwali. There was a market that was put up for Diwali on an open ground where sellers were selling everything from eatables to clothes to electronics and Indians were flocking there. This was the only time we saw some 20+ police officials controlling the crowd. Upon asking we got to know that there was an accident which happened last year during Diwali in Little India which injured almost 20 people, therefore, this year they had police to control the crowd and traffic.

lit up streets of Little India

     Now let me tell you about shopping in Singapore. I mean shopping ke bina trip adhuri reh jati hai na. Mustafa centre is a shopping centre or say mall in Little India. We saw Indian tourists flocking there to shop. But according to me, Mustafa is not for tourists, it is for Indians who live in Singapore and want Indian stuff. Because what I saw there was, stuff that we get in India at double the price. So as a tourist if you want to shop and save money Bugis is the place you should be at. Bugis which is just about a kilometer away from Little India has better quality items, better variety and better prices when it comes to shopping. We purchased 3 t-shirts from Little India for 10S$ whereas in Bugis we got 4 t-shirts of better quality (see pic below for reference) at 10S$. Little India had 6 keychains for 10S$, Bugis we bought 24 keychains (same quality) for 10S$. Souvenir lighters were 3 pieces for 15S$ in Little India and in Bugis they were 4 for 15S$. And if you are good in bargaining, way to go, because Bugis is a bargain street. Not all shopkeepers bargain, so don't feel offended if you start to bargain and they say 'no discount, thank you' literally asking you to leave. But most of the shopkeepers do bargain, you just need to be good at it. In Bugis you will find high end shops as well, looking at the shop you get to know that this might be a high end shop, so enter a shop depending on your budget. Its ok to take a look but don't expect to get a high end piece at a street price. So now you know from where to shop (till you drop). For Indian food Little India zindabad, but for shopping, Bugis street zindabad.

(L) bought from Bugis: good quality thick material
(R) Bought from Little India: see through quality thin material

     Next I am going to talk about Singapore Pools. These are state owned lottery shops. There is a draw every week and the price money is in millions. If no one wins the price in a particular week the price is carried forward and added to the next week price making that price money greater. When we were there the price money was 7 million dollars. We purchased 10 tickets (1S$ each) worth 10S$, but we weren't lucky and didn't win anything. But if you want to try your luck sure buy a ticket. There was an Indian man who won the lottery. Then Singaporean government invited him to be a Singapore citizen, because if you have money, Singapore will welcome you with open arms. But that man rejected the offer and said he would like to use that money for his country. I don't know if he used it for his country or not, but his thought is praise-worthy.

Singapore Pools (image courtesy: google images)

     Now why did I say that if you have money Singapore will welcome you with open arms, because Singapore has got nothing of its own. Even the water in Singapore is imported from Malaysia. But still there is no shortage of water and you can find drinking water at every step in Singapore. Plus the water purification process is so advanced that you can even drink water from the toilet. Import export is the first source of income for Singapore, tourism is fourth. So if you are ready to invest in Singapore, they will be happy to offer you a citizenship.

     So these were some things that we got to know about Singapore from the locals. Sentosa, Universal, Gardens By The Bays and so on are all well known tourist attractions, so I wanted to tell you'll something different about Singapore. Hope you'll got to know a few new things about Singapore from this blog. So now you have a mini travel guide when you visit Singapore. 

Is there anything about Singapore that you know, which I might have missed? Let me know that in the comments down below, so that I get to know Singapore even better.

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A Walk To A Sacred Forest....Ajivali Devrai

In today's world we are surrounded with so much technology and advancements that we often forget where we come from and what are we made of. Even though I am absolutely addicted to my phone I can totally ditch it when it comes to nature. When in the lap of nature I often forget that I have a phone or that in the normal world we are surrounded with so much of advance technology. I feel like stone age when in nature and I absolutely love that feeling. I got to live this feeling yesterday, when I took a walk to a sacred forest.

Now actually I should thank technology, because if it wasn't for facebook, I would never know about this sacred patch of forest, Ajivali Devrai which is just 50-55kms from Pune. One day while browsing my facebook feed I got to know about this place and I decided that I am going to visit this soon.

                     

So yesterday I woke up early and left my house at 8:30AM. My sundays often begin at 9 or 9:30AM, but yesterday was different. I was pumped and energized. I turned on the GPS on my phone plugged in my earphones and started my ride to Ajivali Devrai. I took the highway till Chandni Chowk. The road till Paud was normal, but as I crossed Paud my eyes were in for a treat. Lush green mountains, fields, big trees, colourful flowers, the nature was literally sparkling in front of me. Now this was all a village area and thanks to the rains the road wasn't at all in a good condition. This made my ride bumpy yet fun.

When I crossed Javan there was a small ghat which gave a lovely view of the Pawana Lake on one side and beautiful green mountains on the other side. I felt so relaxed and stress free. I so wished I had magical powers, I would build a house for myself there and would stay there happily ever after. As I crossed almost half of the ghat I read a small board on my left that read welcome to Ajivali. I reconfirmed on my GPS whether this is where I need to make a turn and then took the left turn. Just after taking the turn and riding for about half a minute I was in Ajivali village. I asked a little boy standing there were the temple was. He showed me the path. Then I asked him can I take my vehicle up to the temple? He said the road is very bad. If you are a skilled driver you can take it up. Now I am not a very skilled driver. Also if I keep on concentrating on the bad roads and how to ride here I won't be able to enjoy the natural beauty and moreover I will be polluting the pure air with my vehicle. So I decided to take a walk uphill to the temple.

the path that takes you up to the temple

I parked my vehicle, took out my scarf and jacket and got ready for the walk to a sacred forest. I saw two paths so I asked an elderly person standing there which path goes up to the temple. He told me both the paths go to the temple and asked me to choose the one which was less risky. He said the road on the other path has become mushy due to the rains. I thanked him and started walking. I hadn't even walked two steps and I heard a voice from behind asking me whether I was going to the temple. I turned behind and saw an elderly lady. I said 'yes, are you going there too'?. She said she was going up to pick some flowers and will accompany me till she finds some flowers. I thought that this was a good idea and agreed to it. She then started to tell me about her family, her fields and all the normal village talks. After about 10 minutes of walking she found some flowers. She said now 'I'll go back from here you go straight. Its just a single path and will take you straight to the temple'. I thanked her for accompanying me and said good bye. I don't know what she thought, she said ,wait I'll show you our fields. Its up on the hills, I'll accompany you till there'. I said OK and we started walking. She was really sweet and kept talking all the way. If you are alone or not sure about the path just ask the villagers for help and they will be more than happy to help you. As we were walking she was telling me tales about the temple and the village. It was refreshing to here all those things.

walking this muddy road can also turn out to be fun when you've got a great company like grandma

While walking I was also spotting places that were beautiful so that I could take pictures while coming down. Grandma was so busy talking that I didn't feel like stopping her for the sake of clicking pictures. After showing me both her fields she said that now she will go back to the village as she has preparations to do for Navratri. She then showed me a big stone which was stuck midway on the mountain and said that the stone has been stuck there with the grace of God. If it rolls down it will fall directly on the temple. But God doesn't let it roll down. We then bid adieu to each other, I thanked her, she smiled at me and asked me to come for lunch when I came back down. I agreed and we started walking on our respective paths.

now I had to go alone up to the temple

So basically the people of the village believe that Goddess Waghjai blesses the village and therefore they have a temple dedicated to her on the hill at the base of which the village lies. The villagers have cultivated crops on the hills, mostly rice. Almost quarter of the hill is filled with fields. Remaining of the hill is filled with wild plants. There are also waterfalls and streams that can be spotted all over the hill. The water is fresh and pure and the villagers use this water for drinking and farming.

waterfalls and streams can be spotted all along the path

I was walking towards the temple alone. I took a few breaks, sometimes to admire the nature and sometimes because I was tired. I was walking for almost an hour now. I'm not used to so much of walking, I was so exhausted and wanted to give up. But just then I saw huge trees a few steps away. I had finally reached the sacred forest. Huge trees through which the sunlight peeked slowly. I felt like a dwarf standing in the forest. All my tiredness had disappeared and I had a new found energy in me. This patch of forest is believed to be sacred and is called 'devrai'.

the sacred patch of forest or the 'devrai'

Now this was an absolutely a treat to my eyes and a blessing for my soul. I could see the temple which was now just a few steps away from me. But to be honest, the man-made temple looked really ordinary in front of the beautiful forest. I went up to the temple and offered my prayers to Goddess Waghjai.

Waghjai Temple on the hill

I came out from the temple and went to the forest. I felt as if I was a part of a fairyland. Since childhood I would always dream of staying in a fairyland and this seemed like a dream come true. I just didn't want to go down. I wish I could stay there all my life, bit sadly that wasn't possible. But that didn't mean I couldn't spend quality time there. So I did just that. It was just me and nature and the feeling of bliss. After I was satisfied I started my walk back down.

the huge trees making me look like a dwarf

Coming down was much easier than going up. I took stops at all the beautiful places that I had spotted while going up. I sat near a waterfall for a brief amount of time. The sound of water was so magical. It was loud, yet felt like soothing music.

sitting by a waterfall and enjoying myself had been a dream for so long

After a brief stop at the waterfall I started walking down again. I took longer to come down than going up because I took many halts to admire the beauty of nature. I didn't want the road to end, it was heavenly. But sadly, I had now reached at the base of the village. My walk to and fro the sacred forest was done. I looked for grandma's house who had accompanied me up hill, but I forgot her name and couldn't find her house. I then left the village and started my journey back home. The ride till Paud was lovely, but after than I entered the concrete jungle. The world filled with dust and dirt. We are absolutely insane for destroying the nature in the name of infrastructure. I would rather live in a small hut in the pure and non-polluted forest away from technology, than living in a luxurious house filled with all amenities.

wish this path wouldn't end

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Would You Like To Have Some?

chocolate charcoal ice cream

Activated charcoal. Its in our face wash, its in our toothpaste, its in our shampoo, its almost everywhere. But what if I told you that activated charcoal is in an ice cream as well. Yes, you read that right, charcoal ice cream. So I recently came to know that an ice cream parlour in Pune makes ice cream using charcoal. Now we all have read that activated charcoal is good for our skin, teeth, hair, almost every part of our body. So when I read that there  is activated charcoal in an ice cream and that too in Pune, I had to try it.

So I made plans to go and have this charcoal ice cream. There are three outlets of this ice cream parlour, but I decided to go to the Viman nagar outlet (no particular reason). So I went there. I started going through the menu, but couldn't find charcoal anywhere, I hope I've not come to the wrong place, I thought. Then I hesitantly asked, "ummm, do you have some ice cream made from charcoal"?, "yes, chocolate charcoal ice cream" the guy behind the counter replied. "I'll have one" I said.

Then started the process of making the ice cream. Brownie crumble, nutella, oreo, chocolate cookie crumble and activated charcoal, everything on the pan. Then started the mixing process. Oh! By the way, I have uploaded a video of the process on my YouTube channel. You can watch it if you are interested. The link is given below. So coming back to the ice cream. After mixing all the ingredients together, it turned all black in colour. It was truly a black beauty. The guy started to roll the ice cream and stack the rolls in a black cone and I in my mind was like, 'oh give it to me already!'

Then he handed me the black beauty. *play angels singing in the background and a halo on the ice cream* I'm so weird, no? But I actually felt that way. Now it was time to dig right into the ice cream. I had one bite, and it was amazing. I absolutely loved it. Now I'm not sure how many of you will like or hate the taste of this ice cream, but I absolutely loved it. It tasted like charcoal and chocolate. Like duh! Were you expecting something else? I really enjoyed the earthy taste that came from the charcoal and chocolate is an all time favorite, so it was just wow for me.

I then asked the guys about the ice cream. I asked them what is the charcoal made of? And they told me that the ice cream contains real activated charcoal. I asked them about the process and the other stuff that they have there.

My lips had turnd black due to the charcoal in my ice cream and it took me about half an hour to finish the ice cream. I was so full that I didn't even have dinner that night. It was one of the best ice creams I've ever had. Not that I would share it with anyone, but as a formality, 'Would you like to have some?'

Watch the process of making the ice cream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU0aghl9Vv4&t=5s

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Life Admist Nature.....Muredha Nala Park

"While the world wants to live in the lap of luxury, I find pleasure in the arms of nature"

I love to travel and explore, but my recent schedule was refraining me from doing so. But, whenever I find some free time, though not far away places, I go and explore the nooks or the unexplored places of my city. Recently I had some free time, also it had been long enough that I had been out to a place that I've never been before. So I thought of making the most use of my time. Now I generally like to search for places on google or visit places suggested by family or friends.

So I started going through the list of places to visit on google. But every time I saw a place in the list, I would be like, 'been here', 'too far', 'too crowded' or 'not interesting'. Now the list was slowly coming to an end & my level of anxiety had started to increase. Come on girl, there has to be at least one place that you can visit. Don't give up yet, and soon as I thought so, I read a name 'Muredha Nala Park'. At first I ignored it. I mean, come on, I ain't gonna visit a nala (drain), but when I couldn't find anything in the list of places to visit, I thought about giving it a shot. So I went to the review section and started reading the reviews and to my surprise all the reviews were good. Every review said that the place is good or its a must visit for nature lovers.

entrance to the park

So it was finalized that I will visit the Muredha Nala Park. So I turned on my GPS and left for the park. The timings of the park are 6AM to 10 AM and 4PM to 7PM. I left my house a bit early as I had no clue of the exact location. But since I was using GPS, I reached there before time. It was 3:40PM. I saw that the gate was open and there was no security. I went in, they have a parking facility, so I parked my bike there.

information board

logs like structure in the parking 

There was a bike in the parking and a bunch of people who seemed like a group of college going students. Now I have a habit to read the information board before I enter the venue. So that is what I did. It said that this place was a wasteland that has been converted into a nature filled landscape. While I was reading, I could hear the sound of water but couldn't really understand from where was it coming. As I set foot on the walking track, I noticed a stream flowing in between the two tracks that were opposite to each other. There were little causeways connecting the two tracks.

walking/jogging track

little causeways joining the tracks

It was a true treat to the eyes, but my mind was somewhere else, I still could hear the water and wanted to find out from where was that coming, because it surely wasn't this stream. So I started walking ahead and the sound of the water started to become more and more clear. I finally reached a spot where I felt that I am standing in the water, but couldn't see it. So I just turned to my right and then to my left and look, what do I see. A waterfall, it was a waterfall from where the sound was coming. I hadn't seen a waterfall for very long, so I was very excited to see one right in front of me. Though it wasn't a natural one, it was still a waterfall.

the waterfall

I went closer to it and guess what, there were benches to sit there with some lovely art carved on the walls. What more could I ask for? I immediately went and sat on one of those benches. I forgot to mention that apart from that group of friends in the parking, there was no one in the park. So basically, it was just me and nature. It felt so divine, I could stay there all my life admiring the waterfall. If you want to get your zen on, find peace of mind or simply want to de-stress, this is the perfect place. I spent a fair amount of time sitting there. But after a while, I guess the mosquitos started to dislike my presence. Yes, its a wasteland you see, you cannot expect that it'll be mosquito free. I buzzed the mosquitos off at first, but later it became really difficult. Now they had increased in number and were distracting me and I didn't want to get dengue, so I decided to get moving and explore the remaining park. So I took the track and started walking ahead.

carved art on the walls

So the park isn't too fancy, but it is definitely worth a visit. It has got two tracks on either sides with a stream flowing from between and lush green plants everywhere. Though not fancy, it was sure a treat for a nature lover like me. I went till the end and then from the causeway went to the opposite side track. There was a small play area for children on the other end. They also have toilet facilities, I cannot comment on the cleanliness as I didn't use it, but it was good that they at least have the facility.

There were many plants, I'm sure an expert can definitely distinguish between them. But for a nature lover like me, just looking at the green colour was a true treat to the eyes. There was even a broken tree house there and it is in middle of a military area, so its very peaceful.

tree house

Overall, I absolutely enjoyed my visit at Muredha Nala Park. The lush green carpet of plants, the water flowing between the tracks, the little causeways and the waterfall all reminded me of a fairyland. The only negative point is that there are many mosquitos there. As the day begins to fall the number of mosquitos increase. Other than that the place is a must visit. I've even read that in winter one can spot migratory birds. So I've already planned my next visit. I would recommend you'll to visit the park at least once.

Where: Muredha Nala Park General Thimayya Road, Camp, Pune

-A must visit for nature lovers

-Total time required: half an hour (until and unless you want to sit there and spend some quality time with yourself)

Beat The Summer Heat, With This Icy Cold Treat

   I remember when I was in school, summer vacations were the only days when we would get to eat the cold treats like ice cream or ice golas. Ice creams had no restrictions but ice golas had many. The water they use will not be good, eating ice directly will make u fall ill, the ice is not nice and so on would be the excuses that my parents would make to stop us from eating the ice gola.

   But today I am going to tell you about this amazing ice gola that we recently had. This is a gola that not only children but even elders enjoying eating.

   On Bajirao Road (Pune) in the evening around 8 p.m. comes a man with his small mobile gola shop and his team of about 6-7 members to serve the crowd this amazing delight.

Manasi Malai Gola

   We came to know about Manasi Malai Gola from a whatsapp video. It was a Sunday, my dad said lets go to have this gola. We reached there early. At first we thought there'll be a shop or something, but after inquiring we came to know that they come in the chowk after 7:30 p.m.

   So in the meanwhile we decided to take a stroll in Tulshi Baug. We then came back only to see more than 100 people standing in a queue in front of a small 3 feet * 4 feet hand car. That was Manasi Malai Gola. I was surprised to see so many people standing in a queue to eat an ice gola. This is got to be special I thought. While my mother was waiting in the queue, I decided to go ahead and see why is this gola so famous.

the queue to have the gola

   I saw a news article besides the menu in which there were details about the owner and how he started this ice gola. I stood there reading it & then I took a glance at the menu. There was a variety ranging from 40Rs. to 200Rs.

Manasi Malai Gola Menu Card

   I stood there seeing how the gola is made. So much of ice in one big bowl, topped with flavours, aamras, milkmaid, malai, cheese, sprinkles and what not. So now depending on which gola you choose you get the toppings depending on that.

preparation of the gola

   So finally it was our turn to place the order. We ordered the Golden King gola. OMG! It had ice, milkmaid, almonds, cashew nuts, loads of cheese, sprinkles, flavour, etc.It truly was a king. Looking at it I was thinking, with all these things in here, how will it taste. I dug in with the spoon and took one bite & to my surprise it was amazing. We stood on the road eating the gola. I was observing the people passing by. Everyone was wondering whats the rush about. & the customers were busy enjoying the icy treat.

people waiting for their turn

   The gola was so big that me, my dad & mom had to share it. It even made our stomach so full that we had to skip dinner. Now eating something like this was a truly splendid feeling.

We all have ice golas, but I would recommend everyone to have this massive thing at Manasi Malai Gola at least once. The size of the gola is quiet big, so make sure you are sharing it with someone or else you might fall sick. It is available after 7:30 p.m. at Bajirao Road (Pune). February to May are the four months when you'll find a whole lot of people waiting to eat the gola, so if you don't reach before or in time be prepared to stand in a queue for at least an hour. But सबर का फल मिठा होता है & in this case its not just sweet but even big.

Golden King

   So we absolutely enjoyed the ice gola and I'm sure everyone will too.

This Was My Dream Come True......The Purpose Tour India

I woke up in the morning on the 10th of May. I couldn't hold my excitement, because the day that I was waiting for from the past two months (read 7 years) had finally arrived. Justin Bieber was in India for his Purpose Tour and in the next few hours I was going to see him standing right in front of me.

I became a Belieber the very first time I heard Baby. I remember my summer vacations were going on & I was watching TV. I was surfing the channels when I came across Baby. & in that summer heat Baby gave me a feeling as if I was on a snow clad mountain (weird I know) & I instantly fell in love with that song. I then started watching Vh1 (the channel that played Baby) day in and day out in hopes of listening the song again & again. & since the song was new then Vh1 played it almost every hour. I then obviously had to search for the artist (read Justin Bieber). I not only fell in love with the song but also this kiddo who was singing it.

I has turned into a Belieber. I remember those social media fights between the Beliebers & the haters. Though I laugh at my that self now, then it felt really satisfying defending Justin. Well between all this love and hate I got a golden opportunity of my life time. An opportunity which would have given me a chance to meet Justin & spend a day with him. But I was stupid enough to miss that. Vh1 (they should pay me for advertising them so much) had a contest in which one lucky winner along with a friend would get a chance to see The My World Tour (VIP Seats), a chance to meet Justin Bieber & spend a day with him & obviously flights tickets, accomodtion, etc., Now lets see how I missed this amazing opportunity. The show was on the 21st of April, 2011 in Malaysia. Now we (my family) had already booked a trip to Malaysia from the 19th to 25th April, which means we were going to be in Malaysia on the day of the concert. So I thought that I'll say we already have all the bookings so you guys at Vh1, instead of given us 2 tickets for the show & flight tickets & accomodation just give us 4 tickets for the show & a day with Justin (since we had already booked the flight & stay).

So I had completed all the basic rounds of the contest & was eagerly waiting for the telephonic interview through which I could win the 4 tickets as per my plan. So the day arrives, I get the call & out of excitement instead of letting the person complete first I directly said we have already booked a trip to Malaysia. & that was the end of it. He said ok, I'll give you a call later. & that later never happened. I never got a call & I obviously missed the opportunity. Jump to April 21st, 2011 Malaysia. After much struggles we somehow managed to sneak into the stadium & witness the last 15 minutes from the general zone of the My World Tour. I was happy, sad but mostly I was regretful. I regretted that phone call & that regret would go away only when I would see Justin (not from the general stands) perform once again. Meeting him is impossible (but never say never) but I just wanted to see him perform again, which I thought was never going to happen & I will have to die with this regret.

My World Tour Stage in Malaysia 2011

Years passed by, I got busy with my work, I still had that regret but I didn't have much time to think about it or do anything about it. Now jump to January 2017 (after 6 long years), news started doing rounds that Justin Bieber is going to perform in India for his Purpose Tour, & I was like this is too good to be true. But, in February the news was confirmed & the tickets were going to go on sale. I spoke to my mother about it. I told her I am going for the concert no matter what. I was so so so excited about it I can't even explain it. Boom!! the tickets go on sale. I had a clue that they are going to be shit expensive, but these were like whoa!! way too pricey. Plus wait in the (virtual) queue for you chance to come. I told my mother I am purchasing the silver zone tickets as I had already experienced the general zone & the other zones were out of my league. She found the tickets too expensive (7700+200taxes=7900 & something extra). I told her I have an FD maturing next month & will repay her. She agreed to it. & I know how much money we need and how much we have, so I had to make this deal with her. I couldn't afford spending so much of my parents money for my dream. So I got the silver zone ticket. OMG!! was this for real, like I still couldn't believe it that I was going to see Justin right in front of me.

excited me

In the meanwhile, I made friends on Facebook who were also from the silver zone. We made a Whatsapp group & decided that we all will go together. So the day arrives. I got ready and reached the venue at around 12 pm. There were about 200 people ahead of me. So me & my Facebook Belieber friends were in touch & I was telling them to reach there asap. I met one friend who disappeared after a while. Everyone was standing, sitting, vomitting, fainting in that hot sun of Mumbai, but no one was giving up. Finally at around 3:15 the gates opened & we reached inside. The silver zone was behind the platinum zone, up till where the ramp was extended. I somehow managed to find place near the FOH which gave me a clear view of the ramp. Then I met two of my silver zone friends & even they managed to fit themselves near the FOH. Now obviously everyone wanted a clear view so everyone started trying to be near the FOH. There were fights, quarrels all through. The show began.  It was hosted by the beautiful Elarica Johnson who took a selfie with the crowd & asked everyone to @ her on Instagram. The first act was of Sartek who performed for an hour, second of Zaeden who also performed for an hour & third of Alan Walker who started his performance by saying "MUMBAI" &  performed for almost two hours. I wanted to vlog everything. Forget vlogging I couldn't even see them & most importantly I had been sandwiched between the barricades & the people. But I managed to film a few things to put up a video. I somehow survived the heat, the fights, the sandwiching uptill 8:10 pm.

Yes 8:10 pm, *screams* *OMG Justin* *I can't believe he's here* Justin is finally on stage. OMG! he's here, he's here. He starts his performance with 'Mark My Words'. I somehow remove my phone and start recording his performance. I wanted to keep the memories for lifetime. I hold my phone my in the air & keep staring at Justin. He walks forward as he performs & comes to the edge of the ramp. OMG! he is just 10 feet away from me now. People cheering & requesting songs, Justin singing, it couldn't get better. My regret had disappeared. I was just so happy I can't even tell. Justin performed a mix of his new & old songs which included Mark My Words, Purpose, Let Me Love You, Boyfriend, Baby, Children & others. While performing 'Children' there were some children who performed with Justin. After the song Justin asked them their names, I remember there were Rishi, Khushi, Aryan. Justin gave them a hi5 and a hug & I so wished I was one of them. All the girls who were quarelling before were now busy taking selfies with each other.

It was so lovely. It was such a wonderful feeling. I just didn't want it to end. There was a time when Justin was tuning his guitar, the crowd was silent & we screamed 'We Love You Justin' & he replied with a 'I Love You Too', I was literally *dead* then. At one point Justin started singing Mumbai.....Mumbai.....Mumbai.....& everyone followed him. His guitar messed up while an acoustic performance of 'Cold Water' & he blamed it on the humidity. Finally at around 9:45 he started singing 'Sorry' (which was the last song of the night). He swayed the Indian flag while the performance, it was so pleasing to watch. Then there were massive fireworks which marked the end of the show. I was hoping that he'll come back, but people started to leave the venue. I now finally met my Silver zone friends & made some new ones. I was still hoping that Justin will make a re-entry (as he had done in Malaysia), but the security came in and started to ask people to leave. It was then confirmed that this is the official end. We clicked some pictures & left the venue with happiness in our  heart & satisfaction on our faces.

my silver zone friends

It took me almost half an hour to actually get on the main street. I was standing for 10 hours straight, I hadn't eaten anything since the past 12 hours, but I neither were my legs paining nor was I hungry. I was just happy, very happy that my dream had finally come true. 

watch the glimpses of the concert here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U21I4zM018k&t=25s

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When I Revisited My Childhood Memories At Panchgani & Mahabaleshwar.....

       I truly believe that, a place where a person spends his childhood is the closest to his heart. I was brought up in Panchgani. It has been almost 15 years now that I've left Panchgani, but I still consider it as my home town. I have some of the best memories in Panchgani & recently I went to Panchgani to revisit all those memories.

St. Joseph's

         My schooling was done at St. Joseph's. I had the best time of my life in school. The friends, the teachers, the sisters, the school itself was so amazing. St. Joseph's church is more than 100 years old. & the school is on the way to Table Land, Asia's second longest mountain plataeu. I remember, we would often go to Table Land. There was a big giant wheel, horse carts many games and food stalls. This time there was nothing. All the food stalls are now placed on the outside, there is some tax of ₹20 per person. Table Land is now just a piece of land. I found it plain and boring, maybe just because I'm not used to seeing it that way. However, the cave restaurant is still amazing and still the same.

Table Land

        Lucky's and Hilltop were two of my favorite places to eat. Lucky cafe & bakery is basically a bakery run by a Parsi family. The sweet and loving family know just how to make their customers happy. I remember their chicken roll was my most favorite food item. & Hilltop which is an ice cream parlour serves some of the best ice creams and fresh creams. Its been almost a year now that I've turned vegeterian & Lucky is closed from 1-4pm I did not visit Lucky and I had a stuffy nose, so I didn't take the risk of eating ice cream.

Lucky Bakery

Hilltop Ice Cream

        I even remember that we would often go to the Ghatjai temple. The temple is on a little hill surrounded with trees. The temple is a very peaceful place & one will definitely feel light and free from all worries while visiting the temple. I remember during Navratri, the temple would hold a fair. We would buy many toys from there. Now when I visited the temple, there were not many people there, the surrounding and the feel was still the same. Nothing has changed. The feeling was just divine.

Ghatjai Temple

       On sundays we would visit Parsi Point, Sydney Point, Baby Point or Thapa Point. There were these games that we would play sometimes and watch others playing sometimes, but mostly we would go to eat corn. Now all the points are just plain and boring with a few games and activities happening there. Parsi point still has the games and eateries & Thapa point conducts paragliding activities.

Parsi Point

      I lived in Panchgani & Mahabaleshwar was our go to picnic place. A big picnic would always be to Mahabaleshwar. On the way to Mahabaleswar are Lingmala waterfalls. I remember that we would go there sometimes for a family picnic. Nothing much has changed at Lingmala, it is all the same. I sat there for sometime recollecting all the memories.

      Another favorite place of ours on the Panchgani-Mahabaleshwar route was Mapro Garden. First Mapro was a small place, now it changed a lot. They now have a food mall where they sell all their products and behind the mall is the restaurant. The menu and the taste hasn't changed, just the price has increased. I had the good old classic grilled sandwich.

Mapro's Classic Grilled Sandwich

          I remember going to Mahabaleshwar would be either for boating at Venna Lake or shopping at the Mahabaleshwar market. I was first skeptical about going boating, but then I thought, I should go. So I enjoyed a half hour boat ride.

Venna Lake Boat Club

         This time I didn't shop, because it wasn't necessary & budget. But as I took a stroll in the market I remembered the time we would shop and play at the local casinos. Mahabaleshwar has these small shops where they sell coins with which you can play these games and if luck favors or if you are an expert can win big. So basically its a local casino.

We wouldn't often visit the points in Mahabaleshwar. But this time I visited as many as I could. The Lodwick Point, Elphinstone Point, Arthur Seat, Savitri Point, Castle Rock Point all give an amazing view of the Sahyadri Mountain range. The 3 Monkey Point is a point from where a part of a mountain can be seen as though three monkeys are sitting on the mountain. Needle Point or Elephant Head Point resembles both a needle hole and an elephant head, thus the name.

Needle Hole/Elephant Head Point

        Apart from these some of the many points Old Mahabaleshwar is an amazing place to visit. It has the Panchgana Temple, panch mean five. There are origins of seven rivers, Saraswati, Gayatri, Savitri, Venna, Krishna, Koyana & Bhagirathi. Saraswati and Bhagirathi are hidden so only five are visible. Near the Panchganga temple is the Krishnai temple. This temple is an lovely piece of architecture. A small stream of the river Krishna flows from a gomukh. The temple gives an amazing view of the Krishna River and the Krishna Valley.

Krishna Temple

          I was in Panchgani for half day and in Mahabaleshwar for one day. I can spend my entire life here, but i relived all my childhood memories in these two days that I visited Panchgani & Mahabaleshwar. 

Sahyadri Mountain Range

         These are two places that I would recommend everyone to visit, specially after the rainy season, when the weather is cold yet pleasent and the mountains are covered with lush green grass and waterfalls making it an absolute treat for everyone.

Watch my video on 9 Things To Do In Panchgani & Mahabaleshwar here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR-K3FZc06M

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