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realising that all in life is not forever.. and thats a good thing. arriving at the beach with expectations boosted by the sight of clear water and sunshine. 7 days on an Indian island..
midnight on the beach.. cicadas, wild dogs and of course waves breaking.
being able to return to a land i love with a loved one, and being able to share such an adventure which is totally magical.
to be able to laugh when staggered at all the things we went thru, even when we were meant to be taking it "easy".
what i never tire of
stars, moonlight, falling snow, fire and flames, water - seas and rivers, the buzz on travelling and meeting new people.
the hardest thing
>> having to leave somewhere you really love, not knowing what date you may return, if at all..
>> not always being able to understand people who have nothing at all
learnt in india>> to channel emotions and feelings - ie: not to get angry so quickly
>> to understand more than ever peoples struggles and challenges, and the spirit to overcome them
>> to appreciate people do get the same results by doing things differently
every experience offers lessons
lesson 1: run inspiring, imaginative pictures thru your mind for this to become ultimately reality
either close your eyes, or look at the reflection of yourself in water, like a river or lake and imagine a successfull person (in what ever you want) to become true.
lesson 2: make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into the flames of achievement.
lesson 3: every second you spend thinking about someone elses dream, you take time away from your own.
best of india, well my our favourite bits anyway
Palaces
- taj mahal, uttar pradesh
- mysore palace, karnataka
- jodphur fort, rajasthan
- jaisalmer fort, rajasthan
- mamallapuram, tamil nadu
temples
- kanyakumari, tamil nadu
- madurai, tamil nadu
- chennai, tamil nadu
- tanjore, tamil nadu (UNESCO site)
- banganga tank, mumbai
- manikaram baths, himachal pradesh
cities
- mumbai
- chennai
- bangalore
not forgetting hampi for its sheer cosmic charm
and its difficult to sum up rajasthan in one word, but the camel safari, jodphur fort and jaisalmer desert festival were the real highlights of the desert.. om shanti
indian recipes
flicking thru the page of my Indian journal, i came across some recipes i havent written up yet, so here they are. they are based on a Keralan cookery class i took last december in varkalla.
quantities of the ingredients are up to you, and the type of veg doesnt have to be so strict, use the correct spices and you'll be recreating those authentic kitchen smells in no time :)
dosa (dosai)
prepare 10hrs before
- rice powder
- yeast
- black gram
>> onto greased skillet, 1.5 ladel spoons, 5 mins each side, or cook until brown.
serve immediately with sambar and coconut chutney
idly
ground rice powder and water mix 10 hrs before cooking,
- add slices of ginger, green chillies and salt
steam, like poached egg for 15 mins, use fork to test if spongy - cooked.
serve immediately with sambar and coconut chutney
coconut chutney
- coconut flesh
- 2 fresh chillies - chopped
- slices of fresh ginger
>> into blender for 2 mins
put into pan with oil,
- add peppercorns
- cup of water, pinch of salt
- curry leaves
heat for 5 mins, leave to cool and serve
sambar
- ladyfingers
- unripe banana
- carrots
- cucumber
- potatoes
- green beans
- green chillies
- aubergine
- salt
>> all veg chopped = thick and chunky
- in a pan with yellow lentils in that have already boiled for 40 mins, add all the veg,
- boil untill the water forms a stock/gravy,
- add onions, then 3 tbsp of sambar powder - boil for 10 mins,
- add garlic, curry leaves, ginger, peppercorns at end to bring out flavour, reheat then serve
dhal
- turmeric powder
- coconut flesh
- fresh chillies x 3
- garlic
- salt
- cumin
- water
- ginger (all veg chopped)
>> into food blender for 2 mins
add to a pan with yellow lentils in that have already boiled for 40 mins, boil all together for 10 mins
cabbage sabji
- cabbage
- onions
- garlic (all veg chopped)
- coconut flesh
- turmeric
- salt
- 1 tbsp oil
>> fry in a pan until brown (approx 10mins)
green bean chutney
- green beans
- garlic
- onions (all veg chopped)
- salt
- 1 tbsp oil
>> fry in a pan until brown (approx 10mins)
indian salad
- onion
- tomato (all veg chopped)
- curd/yoghurt
- salt
recipe for basmati rice
wash in cold water, put into already boiling water, cook for 30mins with lid
