Common misconceptions about Bangalore

Many people (especially foreigners) look at me in disbelief when I tell them I lived in Bangalore for close to seven years. Most foreign travellers to India avoid Bangalore because they think it doesn't have a lot to offer, or they think it's too 'modern' and therefore uninteresting. It may be true that Bangalore doesn't have a lot of tourist attractions compared to other Indian cities, but what I love about this city is everything it doesn't offer to the tourist. The city takes time to get to know and appreciate, and offers many pleasant surprises to those who choose to explore it.

Unfortunately Bangalore's image suffers from a lot of misconceptions, assumptions and even untruths. Here are a few of the most common ones...

Jane's chocolate factory

Auroville, the international township near Pondicherry, is a special place for many reasons. One of the fascinating things about it is the many creative, ecological, and entrepreneurial projects that its residents bring into being. Here, you meet many people who have left their conventional lives and careers far behind, and have created a completely different life for themselves by contributing their skills, creativity and talents in new ways.

Auroville has a growing food scene based on authentic, artisanal products. The story of Jane's chocolate factory is not unusual for Auroville. This is the story of Jane, a lawyer from Australia who started an artisanal chocolate business in South India. I tell her story and explain her bean-to-bar chocolate-making process in an article I wrote for Chickpea, my favourite vegan magazine. You can read it here.

You can read some of my other published articles on India here.

A place I love: Elsewhere in Goa

Finding the perfect beach hideaway in Goa is a challenge... But Elsewhere is like nowhere else. This beachside hideaway is made up of four old beach houses surrounded by untamed nature with a private beach. My description of it below is an excerpt from an article I had written on luxury travel to Goa for a magazine distributed on private jets.

Goa's peak season for beach lovers is November to March when days are sunny and dry. With many beaches becoming increasingly congested, Elsewhere is the perfect hideaway for those looking for some peace and privacy. Located on a spit of private beachfront naturally isolated between the ocean and a salt-water creek, this is one of the most unique and exclusive places to stay in Goa.

Privacy is perhaps the ultimate luxury. Here it is of utmost importance, as many of Elsewhere’s high profile guests include famous authors, royal families and Bollywood and Hollywood stars – this is where Brad Pit and Angelina Jolie holidayed with their kids. Elsewhere’s exact location is kept secret, revealed only at the time of booking.

A bamboo footbridge leads across the creek and into what seems like another time and place. This slice of paradise belongs to Denzil Sequiera, a photographer who inherited it from his uncle. He could have easily cashed in on the tourism boom and sold out to developers. Instead he decided to preserve this small piece of ‘real’ Goa before it disappears completely. He has saved not only the old colonial-style houses, and pristine undeveloped beachfront but also the natural habitat of the local wildlife.

The ambience here is one of rustic charm and untamed nature. The four old beach houses have been lovingly and tastefully restored offering all necessary comforts with no added frills, because they are not needed. There is no room service, but each house has a refrigerator full of drinks and delicious home-cooked meals are served in the delightful open-air dining area. At Elsewhere you feel like a privileged guest at a friend's summer hideaway.

The private beach is almost empty, indeed a luxury in Goa. Staff can arrange a morning trip to see dolphins on The Solita, a luxury yacht, or a romantic dinner cruise at sunset. The yacht can also be chartered on a daily basis for longer trips to see the 18^th century Tiracol Fort, the magnificent cathedrals and churches of Old Goa, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the charming capital of Goa, Panjim.

You can read some of my other published articles on India here.

A place I love: Vegan Bites in Mumbai

Photo courtesy of Vegan Bites

While I was in Mumbai I had the chance to spend time with my friends Samir and Hemali and have some amazingly good food. They run their own business called Vegan Bites, a catering service that prepares healthy, 100% vegan meals which are delivered to Mumbai’s busy office workers six days a week...

A place I love: Amethyst in Chennai

Chennai is a busy, bustling, noisy city. In the middle of all the hustle and bustle is a calm and green oasis called Amethyst.

Amethyst used to be housed in a beautiful century-old colonial mansion. There was a charming café on its veranda which wrapped around three sides of the house, and you could also sit in the elegant black-and-white-tiled drawing room decorated with old furniture. On the ground floor there was also a small bookshop, another selling designer clothes, and a flower shop. Upstairs there was space for exhibitions and cultural events.

This was a favourite haunt for me when visiting Chennai because the atmosphere was truly unique. I had written about it on this blog back in 2007 and posted some photographs of what it was like then.

Then at the end of 2010, I heard the news that it was closing down. Shock. Horror. How could that be possible? But a new Amethyst soon opened not too far away from the old Amethyst, but it just wasn’t the same is what I had written back then. The new Amethyst was not a charming old mansion but a new construction. The colonial-style furniture and even the floor tiles were transplanted to the new building, an attempt at retaining a few remnants of the old Amethyst. The new building also had a wrap-around veranda and an even bigger garden. This is the most amazing part of the new Amethyst: its beautiful lush garden which was newly planted and lovingly tended and now years later has been transformed into a tropical paradise.

So Amethyst’s lovely Wild Garden Café  has once again become a favourite haunt. However, the service and food have not improved much since it got a new avatar. It’s still a challenge to get the waiters’ attention, and though the menu has been spiffed up a bit, the food is really hit and miss. Oh, and pricey.

“So why do we keep coming here?” my friends and I ask each time.

“Because there is no other place like this in Chennai,” is the simple answer.

A place where you can escape from the hustle and bustle. A place where you can sit under the plants and trees and breathe. A calm and green oasis.

                    

Address: Amethyst, next to Corporation Bank, Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai 600 014. Website: http://www.amethystchennai.com/