Winc-ies!

Hello winkies,
We have wanted to call you that for a while now! “So how're you doin?” (we've wanted to say that too, for quite sometime now – like how Joey sa(ys)(id) it). We at Winc, have a done a lot of travelling just to bring you something new to read (How do you like THAT?) And we've also been eating out a lot – just to give you a new Wine,Dine and Dance. The things we do for you!
So, in our wanderlust – we take you to Vizag, in our wine,dine and dance, we take you to Rajdhani. In our ha-ha-something we don't do much.
Lap it all up. As we said, “Its just FOR YOU” this time :)

Wine, Dine and Dance - Rajdhani

Once in a while, when you have had too much of Pasta, you'll love to go to Rajdhani. Not only because they'll bring you a fancy-King-type bowl to wash your hands, not only because they'll be dressed like they are in a palace, but also to try their Khichdi, Dhokla and more. I went to the Rajdhani in Ahmedabad. And they have chains all over bangalore (one in Forum Value Mall) and other cities. They'll bring you unlimited food in a “thali” (plate). They'll bring you all that your gran makes best, but well dressed. The rotis, the million curries-to-go-with-it, the khichdi, the daal, the Indian desserts like “Halwa” and “custard-fruit-cream-thing” (whose name escapes me) – are so “wah! Wah!” I felt like an “athithi” in the “Athithi-devo-bhava” theme song. The staff are sub servient, friendly and say “Namaste” very nicely. Its an experience – eat how much ever you want, if you can – and you'll feel very happy, about the food, ambience and the bill. No kidding.

Wanderlust - vizag

Vizag is a breather. Its a break from the-Goa-coastal scene and way cooler (in temperature) than the Chennai-Pondy ones. And its much much more “do-your-own-thing” type. If you want to drive across the coast, do that on RK Beach road. RK Beach road offers one the idyllic shore. Not too many people, not too many touts, not too many dogs, not too much litter. But you won't find “VOOHOO PARTY!” type people. You'll find a resiliant rock to sit on, and watch the waves in some peace. The RK Road is full of bright stores, lights, ice-cream and corn gaadis, and statues of famous people. You can also go into the submarine museum there. Vizag has some famous restaurants – one being Dasmallah, which is close to the beach. Apart from that, the town is so-typically-a-typical-town with theatres, narrow streets and honking autos, some fancy clothing stores and a couple of eateries. Vizag snuggles all nicely between the sea and hills. Wander off into the “Simhachalam” “Annavaram” “Kailashgiri” hills near by – where it is incredibly scenic and not very toursity (again). Where Simhachalam and Annavaram are also piligrimages, Kailaishgiri is a “hill-hang-out” for tourists and locals, with “parks”. You can see the vizag coast line, beautifully marginning the city from there. If you are around vizag, try to make it to Araku-valley near-by. We'll write you a separate note on that. Go to Vizag for that “breather” you need, go with a book to read, go there because its such a simple beautiful coastal India city without too much-ado.

Funny Side Up

I was watching a Tamil movie last night – a mind-numbing senseless one where people wear parti-colored-clothes and run around, and a guaranteed mood-lifter. So Tamil-mass-flicks are all about “punch dialogues”, yes? The Hero (ahem!) is generally an auto-rickshaw guy who can lift his own auto with his own pinky (Hail! Hail!). The heroine, is irrelevant and shows up in rain-songs. The music director, well, is deaf. Its good fun, you start of with a villian – the meanest chap, ugliest and the one that never brushes his teeth, crosses words, arms and lorries with a hero – virtuous, hilarious, and never-before-born type. Hero outwits villian, first in words, then in lorries and arms. Entry heroine in between – with 3-4 songs, some feet-tappers from the streets. Gimme pop corn and i will watch again. If only to learn up some useful slang. (i picked up “capemari”). Hail mindless movies. I will watch you, if only to escape too-much-sense, for a while. Deal, capemari?