Travel> Kerala> Idukki

Image: Mattuppetty Dam Munnar
Image by: Dhruvaraja

Text by: Tanya Munshi

Do the mountains and thick forests beckon the peace starved soul in you? Then a trip to Idukki is a must. Idukki is known for its hydroelectric power projects where more than 60% of entire Kerala state’s electricity needs are met, and more than half of Idukki is protected as forest reserve.

About the place
With mountains at the height of 2,500 to 5,000 feet above sea level, Idukki has enough reasons to make your holiday memorable. Known for the 1500 sq ft Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary and the Idukki reservoir, this place is a photographer’s delight.

Apart from being a home to a variety of plants and wildlife, this forest also has sandalwood, rosewood and other exotic variety of wood. Lush green valleys, streams and mountains complete the picture of ideal weekend getaway.

How to get there
Like all places in and around Kochi, Idukki is well connected by good roads. The NH49 is the main highway connecting Idduki to other parts of the state. It is about 40 kms from Thodupuzha.

1

Air: Nearest airport from Idukki is the Cochin International Airport which is about 132kms.

2

Rail: Nearest railway station is Kottayam which is about 133kms away.
3
Hotels in Idukki
http://www.hotelskerala.net/kerala_idukki.htm
4
Websites
http://www.idk.kerala.gov.in/

http://www.idukki.com/home.htm

Recipe> Chicken & Onion Soup

Text by: Tanya Munshi

As a home remedy for common cold, I suggest you have a bowl of chicken and onion soup. The days you don’t feel too hungry, don’t skip a meal, have a bowl of soup and that should fill your tummy.

Normally when I buy chicken, I keep a portion of soup bones and some chicken meat away that comes handy when I make the soup. These are the type of pieces that you can skip adding in a curry. By the way, you can add the usual chicken pieces too if you want.

Ingredients
250 gms of soup bones/ small chicken pieces
1 large size onion rings
5-6 nos. garlic cleaned, but not chopped
A pinch of thyme
A pinch of dried lemon grass
½ tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of low fat butter/ olive oil
2 cups water

Method

• Heat a pressure cooker and add the butter/ oil.
• Now add the onion rings and garlic and sauté very lightly. We don’t intend browning the onions and garlic. We only want to coat them well with butter/ oil.
• Now add the chicken pieces and mix well.
• Pour 2 cups of water and add salt, black pepper, thyme, lemon grass and mix well.
  After the first boil, cover the lid and give it 2-3 whistles.
• Allow the steam to escape completely and once it cools, take out all the chicken pieces and bones.
• Pour the entire soup in a mixer-grinder and mix well.
• Heat before serving, place garlic bread/ bread sticks on the side.

Note: You must be wondering, what happened to all the chicken pieces I took out? There’s another recipe for that too! Read on.

Travel> Karnataka > Coorg

Image: Misty hills of Coorg
Image by: Enchant_Me

Text by: Tanya Munshi

Bangalore is the focus today in our series on weekend getaways. This IT hub is just a short drive away from beautiful plantation country, known for its coffee and spices. Here are nine interesting places to choose from:
1
Coorg/ Madikeri
Steep, winding roads, interesting bazaars and fresh coffee and spices is the flavour of this locale. Coorg is a great place to take long walks. And pig out at local restaurants.

Do not forget to stop on your way to Coorg at Nisargadhama, a serene island accessed by a 90 metre rope bridge, and Verrabhoomi, an artisan village showcasing the fine arts of Karnataka.
If you have the time visit the Tibetan monastery near Nisargadhama on the way from Mysore to Coorg. This is a spectacular stopover where not many go. As too are Madikeri Fort, Iruppu Falls and Abbey Falls.

2

How to get there:

The total distance from Bangalore is about 252 km. The best way to reach Coorg is by road on the Bangalore-Mysore highway, which should take you about five to six hours by car. By bus, it is almost seven hours. You can catch a bus from the KSRTC bus depot near the Bangalore railway station. Buses head to Coorg every half an hour or so.

3

Where to stay:

The Capitol Village (Rs 750 to Rs 1,800) in Coorg, a comfortable resort nestled amidst a coffee plantation. The breakfast and the dinner is very good. Alternatively, you can try the Hotel Coorg International.

Capitol Village

Phone: (08272) 225929, 75

Hotel Mayura Valley View

Phone: (08272) 28387

Hotel Coorg International

(Standard Non A/C: Rs 2350 Standard A/C: Rs 2650)

Convent Road, Madigeri

Coorg -- 571 201

Published in Rediff.com, on January 24, 2007
Link: http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2007/jan/24slid1.htm

Recipe> Bournvita Shake

Text by: Tanya Munshi
The month of May brings in the heat and humidity. You miss the spring magic of March and April, when winter bids us good bye. Till the monsoons arrive, we have to make do with the summer and battling the heat.

Summer is a time when you start preparing a variety of cold drinks to keep you cool from within. I tried this milk shake; it’s filling and very refreshing. It’s easy to make and takes hardly any time.

Ingredients
1/4 cup chilled milk
Very little water
1 tsp sugar
2-3 heap full of Bournvita/ Horlicks (preferably use chocolate flavour)
2-3 tbsp of vanilla ice-cream (optional)

What you need
Mixer grinder
Large glass/ mug

Method
· In the mixer jar, pour the chilled milk, very little water, sugar and Bournvita.
· Add the vanilla ice-cream if you want.
· Give it a few churns
· Pour it from a height to get froth on top of the drink
· Serve chilled

Accessories> It's all in the bag (for Women)

Text by: Tanya Munshi
Dressing attractively for work builds confidence. So does shouldering a good handbag or gripping a neat briefcase. "A handbag can transform even the dullest outfit," says fashion consultant Shadaab Razak. "Your choice of handbag should depend on your job profile and lifestyle. But most people don't give this any thought when buying one."

For women
Make sure your handbag/ briefcase is not dull. It should not be inconvenient to use either. Here are some bag ideas to match your work profile:
~ Executive
"A checked/ striped bag will do wonders to your business suit," says Shadaab. "You can select a bag with a light background like beige, with darker stripes of brown, black or even red. A beige, brown or dark tan handbag with a sturdy handle is your best choice if you are an executive. Remember, your bag must be able to carry a diary, pens, your cellphone, comb, compact and lipstick."

~ Senior management
A classic bag with a big buckle will give you just the right image. The bag must have a clean-cut appearance, with just a dash of bling, courtesy the buckle.

~ Teacher/ professor
Naina De, a 33-year-old senior lecturer in Kolkata, says, "I always choose a sturdy, roomy bag for work; it should be able to carry my books, a purse and my tiffin box and water bottle."
"In Naina's case," says Shadaab, a tote or a large bag is her best option. It's very roomy. At the same time, it does not look obnoxiously big since it's made of soft fabric and has short handles which fit on the shoulder."

~ College student/ athlete
A sling bag, as the name suggests, is flung across the shoulder. It usually has one or two long straps attached to it. Carrying a sling bag keeps your hands free, while adding value to your outfit.

"Women should choose a sling bag that is not too big; it must be just the right size to complement your hips. We Indians have started quite a trend internationally with our glass studded and embroidered slings," says Shadaab.

"This fashion trend has been internationally copied by top Hollywood stars. A sling was a constant in the serial, Friends; it would be slung across Phoebe's shoulder most of the times. This kind of bag is usually preferred by the younger generation, who carry it off easily," he adds.

~ Media/ creative
If you are in the creative field, use a large tote. This tote can be either in one colour like black, or self-printed in chocolate brown, cream or any other flat colour that suits your wardrobe.
"You cannot imagine all the stuff a tote can hold," says Shadaab.

~ Bags for Indian wear

• A good-sized shoulder bag is what you need. They are available in a variety of colours and styles.
• There is no standard size -- it could vary from person to person. These days, large bags are in vogue, so those who are fashion conscious are using large totes/ bags.
• If you wear a salwar kameez, sari or fusion wear to work, a smart shoulder bag in a bold fabric print will accentuate your attire.
• Shadaab adds, "Most people prefer carrying a bag in a flat colour to work, thinking it's more conservative. Well, not really. You can pick up hand bags which have flowers/ motifs printed on the fabric of the purse, or are embroidered or jewelled."
• A medium-sized shoulder bag, with a flap, which showcases a smart buckle, is what you need.

Published in Rediff.com, on January 18, 2007
Link: http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/jan/18bag.htm

Recipe> Butter Garlic Crabs

Text by: Tanya Munshi

We were taught how to identify crabs by a fish seller. According to him one should be careful while buying crabs. At times, a fish seller/ fisherman will try and sell you mud crabs or land crabs. Mud crabs are plain and dirty to look at. Sea crabs usually have some kind of design on their shells and will look somewhat cleaner.

You can ask the fisherman to clean the crabs for you or do it at home. But the process is quite tedious and one has to know exactly how to clean crabs.

I recently tried out a recipe called butter garlic crab which I learnt through one of the cookery shows on television. Crab has the softest meat and it tastes kind of sweet. In the the cookery show, they recommended that crabs should be cooked in least possible masalas to keep the taste of crab meat intact. Too much of masalas can have an overwhelming effect on crab meat. I tried this recipe at home and it tasted superb.

Ingredients
2 large crabs
-or-
4-5 small/ medium size crabs
1 bowl of chopped garlic
2-3 slit green chilies
1-2 tbsp of salted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste (optional)

Method

• Heat the wok and add the olive oil first.Then add the butter.
• The butter is added second along with the oil to prevent it from burning on the work.
• Now add the chopped garlic and the slit green chilies.
• Sauté very lightly, here we do not want to brown the garlic.
• By now the oil would be hot so add the crabs and mix well.
• Cover the lid and allow the crabs to cook in the steam.
• After 5-7 minutes, take off the lid to check.
• The crabs should turn a shade of pink to red.
• Mix well.
• Try and taste the juices/ gravy. If need be you can add a pinch of salt. This is because we have already added salted butter. We don’t want salt to override the crab meat.
• Cover again for about another 10 minutes. But keep checking in between to see that it does not burn.
• Serve hot with steamed rice/ parantha/ garlic bread.
• It tastes best with steamed rice and mind you, there won’t be much of gravy, just the juices of the crab meat mixed with garlic and chilies.

Note – You can add/ subtract the number of chilies depending upon how spicy you want the crabs to taste. But I suggest you keep the flavour mild.

Travel> 10 Tips to Get the Best out of Eurailing

Image: Making the most out of your Europe
Image by: Believe Kevin

Text by: Tanya Munshi
Before selecting your Eurail passes and chalking out your travel plan, it is helpful to know where all your passes are applicable and what benefits can you avail from them. Also a few important points if kept in mind can help you make the most of your Europe trip.

1. Eurail Pass: A Eurail pass will cover border cities, even if they are not mentioned on the pass.

2. Eurail FlexiPass: You can extend a Eurail Flexipass and go for a few short trips, by shelling out a little extra from your pocket.

3. Eurail Night Trains: Night trains are useful as it saves money on hostels and while you’re asleep, the train speeds you to the next destination. When you wake up, you have already reached a new destination early in the morning, that gives you the entire day to explore.

4. Timing: Ideally, you should board a night train after 7:00 pm to save on valuable travel days and some money. It’s only when you arrive at a new destination that the day of reaching is accounted for. This way, you save a travel day.

5. Sleeper and Couchettes: Sleeper and couchettes are far cheaper than a regular hostel room.

6. Costing and Reservations: You spend about $USD80-90 per person per reservation in private sleepers and $USD25-35 per person in couchettes. Reservations are as easy as dropping by at any train station ticket window and getting it done. Reservations are a must for all overnight train journeys.

7. Documents and Daypack: Keep all your important documents – passports, railpass, and traveler’s checks in your money belt. You can make your daypack your pillow.

8. Be aware: Be aware of your surroundings, especially commotions of groups of kids or people. At times, commotions can crafted be by pickpockets to divert your attention.

9. Lockers: Main train stations are equipped with lockers. This is a great way of leaving your bags in safe custody that allows you to travel light in a new city.

10. Food and Water: Carry your own food and water while traveling by rail. This will help you save some extra dough.

Published in Eurailing.com, on June 10, 2007
Link: http://www.eurailing.com/category/Eurailing-across-Europe/10-Tips-to-Get-the-Best-out-of-Eurailing/

Health> 10 ways to soothe your eyes

Text by: Tanya Munshi
In a normal day to day routine, our eyes are exposed to numerous forms of media – right from the time we wake up we begin with a newspaper, then we read a book or a magazine while traveling. At work we spend the whole day working on our PCs, and evenings or late nights are spent in front of the television. Have you thought of giving your eyes a break?

What causes eye strain?
o Prolonged glare from the computer monitor/ television screen
o A sudden doze of bright light like a car head light from the opposite direction
o Sitting too close to the computer monitor or reading a book too close to your eyes
o Trying to read fine print, or word documents with tiny fonts
o Trying to work on your computer or read a book in poor light.
Here are some easy eye soothing tips that you could try at home or office.

Look at greener pastures
Looking at anything, other than you computer screen helps a lot. Especially looking at plants and greenery refreshes your eyes and your mind. Rahil Mahtani, an instructional designer says, “When my eyes feel tired and weary, I go out and look at some greenery. Luckily for me, there are hills right outside my office. All I have to do is just walk to the window or up to the terrace and look around.”
Psychologist, Prachi Vaish adds, “One of the tactics I do is take my eyes off the screen every 20 minutes, look around and close them for a few seconds. I repeat this as and when required.”

Drink water
One of the basic remedies for tired eyes is to drink lots of water. Especially in an office environment you tend to get dehydrated faster, due to sweating or the air conditioning. You need to replenish all that you loose, by drinking lots of fluids like water or juices. Also, whenever your eyes feel tired take a break and splash some water on your face and eyes.

Soothe with eye gels
Choose eye gels that contain organic aloe vera, chamomile and plant proteins. Apply night or day eye cream which will have a soothing effect on your eyes and active vitamins and minerals will nourish, moisturize and refresh the delicate skin around the eyes. Plant proteins help reduce puffiness, chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties to help restore the sensitive skin around the eyes. Shadaab Razak a television anchor and a fashion consultant says, “I use Clinique eye gel, which helps reduce the puffiness in the delicate area around the eyes.”

Palming
One of the oldest, tried and tested formulas for relaxing tired eye muscles is palming. This can be done anywhere—in office or at home. Rub the palms of your hands to generate warmth by friction. Then gently place your palms over your eyes and keep for about a minute. Repeat this as often as you like. Palming is known to relax the tense eye balls thereby soothing weary eyes.

Eye drops
Shadaab adds, “At work I normally use Genteel eye drops as advised by my doctor and is readily available in most chemist outlets.” She continues, “I use these eye drops as and when my eyes feel tired and it cools my eyes immediately.”

Rose water
Shadaab offers a tip on how to prepare a rose water pack at home. “Since rosewater is present in every household, it’s the easiest to make. Keep a bowl of rosewater with cotton swabs and refrigerate it. Once you return home, place the cotton swabs over your eyes for about 10 minutes and relax.” This is a good remedy to reduce dark circles and soothe tired and weary eyes.

Try strawberry
Refrigerated strawberry slices if kept over the eyes are equally effective. Strawberries are rich in alpha-hydroxy which is instrumental in keeping the skin young and refreshed.

Chilled cucumbers
Prachi vouches that cucumber slices are a huge de-stressor for eyes! “I use them as often I can. In fact, potato slices can be used for dark circles and under eye bags.” Cucumber is known for its cooling, anti-inflammatory, skin tightening and astringent properties. Keep two slices of cucumber over your eyes, as the cooling effect of cucumber can soothe puffy eyes and dark circles.

Tea bags
Refrigerated tea bags if kept over the eyes for about 10-15 minutes can help reduce soreness of the eyes. Especially go for green tea bags as they contain anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce under eye circles, dark circles and puffy eyes.

Chilled milk
Drop two cotton balls in a bowl of chilled milk. Once you’re home you can give a cold compress to your eyes with chilled milk.

It is important to remember, that most of the times, when we try to concentrate on reading a document on paper or on the computer monitor, our brain works along with our eyes to help us comprehend and retain information. At times, headaches can occur due to over straining our eyes to read fine print or trying to rack our brains to understand something complex. In such cases, taking frequent breaks every half an hour to an hour, where our eyes get defocused and giving a breather to our brain, can help us in relieving eye strain.

Travel> Kerala> Kozhikode

Image: Kappad beach, Calicut, of da Gama fame.
Image by: Mujib

Text by: Tanya Munshi
One of the prime commercial centres in its yesteryears, Kozhikode now opens up its natural beauty of the greenery, beaches and historical sites for one and all.

About the place
Described as the ‘great province of Malabar’, by the famed explorer Marco Polo, today, Calicut’s (the other name for Kozhikode), historical monuments bear testimony of the once enormous wealth that existed here. From a whole lot of condiments and spices, to ivory and wood, it attracted traders mostly from Europe to reap the benefits of Kozhikode.

Kozikode today offers tonic for the eyes when you set your sights on the lush green forests around the Tusharagiri Waterfalls. Surrounded by rubber, pepper, ginger and other spice plantations with flora and fauna giving you company makes Kozhikode an ideal weekend destination.

While on a visit here, you can also make a trip to the famed 14th century Tali Temple, Krishna Menon Museum, Pazhassiraja Museum, the fishing harbours of ancient Kerala at Beypore and a pleasant Kappad beach to name a few. You can also make trip to Dolphin Point, Malabar Houseboats and Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary as well. Last but not the least, a visit to the Kalaman Para Maruthilavu Tourist Spot, which is a beautiful forest area, located 50 kms away from Kozhikode City in the Kozhikode-Wynad National Highway at Chippilithodu.

How to get there
State run buses such as the KSRTC buses ply frequently. By road, Kozhikode is about 180 kms from Kochi.
1
Air: There are daily flights to Kozhikode. The nearest airport from Kozhikode is Karipur, which is 23 kms from Kzhikode town.

2

Rail: Nearest railway station which is Kozhikode railway station is 19kms away.

3

Hotels

http://www.hotelskerala.com/kozhikode.htm

4

Websites

http://www.kozhikode.com/

http://wikitravel.org/en/Kozhikode

Beauty> What's new in Hair Colour

Text by: Tanya Munshi
Feel like going blonde? Of course you can! But, is the colour right for you? Well, leave it to the experts. Ideally a good hairstylist from a reputed salon should recommend what colour will suit you best.

Krishma Gala Rajput from H20 (Hair 2 Order), Pune says, "It depends on your complexion, the colour of your eyes, profession and your lifestyle." For instance, if you're in the hospitality industry, which stresses on grooming, you may need to revamp your look more often as opposed to, say if you worked in a more conservative profession, like law.

According to Krishma, the hot colours right now are warm, subtle browns, auburns and dark chocolate. Copper and brown suit men and women with dusky skin tones while blonde and ash (pale blonde) look good on fair skin tones.

Highlights or all the way?
"The cost of colouring your hair depends on the length of your hair and the style," says Krishma.
Colouring all the hair (gobal hair) is slightly costlier than adding highlights ie colour added to sections of hair.

Men
The cost of highlighting the crown (top part of the head) should be around Rs 350 without a pre-lightener (a type of bleach that acts as a cleanser to clear the already existing colour or henna deposits).
With a pre-lightener the cost would come up to Rs 500. Global colouring on the other hand costs Rs 750.

Women
Highlighting the crown would cost up to Rs 800, half the head for Rs 1,600 to Rs 2,500, and for shoulder length hair Rs 2,850 to Rs 3,000. "If it's a combination of highlights and a global colour, for example chocolate colour with blond highlights, then the cost would come to Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000," says Krishma.

How long does it last?
Colour tends to fade after three to four months. "Ideally hair colour should last until you cut off the coloured portion, or re-colour your hair, but no colour will come off totally in a single wash," says Krishma.

Men with short hair tend to go for regular trimming, so they lose the colour faster. It's advisable to wait six months before colouring hair which has undergone henna treatment as the latter tends to make the hair dry and could affect the colour.

How safe is it?
It is important to get your hair coloured at a good hair salon, says Krishma. Make sure that the hairstylist is using a branded product like L'Oreal, Sunsilk Pro Colour or Garnier Nutrisse. Do not use a product if you have never heard of the brand.

According Krishma, those so called 'herbal hair colour', as long as the product leaves a colour on the hair, then it surely has some chemical component in it. Using these products over a period of time can lead to drying of the hair as they contain no conditioning agents to help soften the hair.

Care for coloured hair
Follow your hairstylist's recommendation with regard to hair type and colour and what shampoo and conditioner will suit you best. It is always advisable to use shampoos meant for coloured hair.

Brands like Schwarzkopf (Rs 425 for 250 ml of shampoo, Rs 425 for 200 ml of conditioner) and L'Oreal (Rs 390 to Rs 500 for 250 ml of shampoo and Rs 390 for 150 ml of conditioner) are available in salons.

Other shampoos available in department stores, chemists etc include Sunsilk - Brilliant Shine and Vibrance for Coloured Hair (Rs 100 for 200 ml), Lakme Hair Next (Rs 120 for 200 ml) and Garnier Fructis (Rs 99 for 200 ml).
If your hair is dry or damaged, get it conditioned at a hair salon. The treatment basically consists of a shampoo, conditioner and serum (to smoothen hair and give it shine).
As far as possible, keep your head covered with a scarf or cap when venturing outside.

Published in Rediff.com, on March 5, 2007 Link: http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2007/mar/05sld1.htm