Running to educate and to empower the future - Teach for India Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2016

Hey All,

This one is a personal post!

Well, I was approached by an NGO called "Teach For India" to run for the Standard Chartered Marathon 2016 to help raise funds towards the cause of empowering children through education.

For those who are unaware, Teach For India is a nationwide movement aiming to bridge the educational gap in India by placing the country's most promising college graduates, young professionals, in under resourced schools to teach full-time for two years and create a large movement of leaders to build sustainable educational reform in the country.

Read more on the link: http://www.teachforindia.org/about-us

I believe in this cause as education has made a big impact in my life.I feel privileged! Among st other things, I am able to write a blog and share it with the worldwide audience because of EDUCATION. Hence I would like to contribute in my own small way by spreading the word and encouraging each one of you to donate to this cause for a better tomorrow.

It is time to lighten your pockets and GIVE for an equitable world! It is very easy, will take 2 minutes of your time and you have the option to donate anonymously too!

Please go to this link http://unitedwaymumbai.org/scmm-fundraiser-5294 and press on the donate button. The first page will ask you for your details. After you submit that page you will be redirected to pay via online transaction or alternatively you can make an offline donation by cheque.

At an individual level, education is a priceless asset which dictates one's course in life. A lack of education creates ignorance, which in turn fosters issues from corruption to violence to populist government policies, which in turn creates problems which could have a big impact on the global front. If we educate in the right way, the future holds great promise. India, being the most populous country, needs the support and the cooperation to help achieve the basic educational needs to give every child at least an opportunity to pursue their goals.

Below are a couple of facts that I would like to share with you about Teach for India.

1) Out of every rupee that is donated to Teach For India, 86 paise goes towards classroom expenses like fellow salary, classroom resources, field trips etc. and 14 paise goes towards ensuring that the Teach For India Fellowship program is successful in all the five cities.

2)Further, the government encourages donations. All contributions above Rs 100 are eligible for tax deductions. Giving lets us work toward building a better world—one that's safer, healthier, more stable, TOLERANT (if, i may so) and happier for all of us. Donate what you can ( say as much as one dollar) - Even a small donation can make an impact.

Supporting the campaign for Teach For India means supporting the mission to provide basic educational needs and giving every child a chance to pursue their dreams and goals.

And, if none of the above, help me through the difficult, by encouraging me and sharing tips on running a marathon! :)

Thank you for removing your time to read this post. I know it is not about traveling, but it is an experience and I wanted to share it with you.

Ruchita.

Note: You can also make an offline donate by cheque, however, a small cut will go toward United Way of Mumbai for cheques (online donations have 100% of donations go directly to Teach for India). I would encourage you to make an online payment, as it is just convenient for everybody.

Broke, A Beach bum, and enjoy a brunch BUZZ - you are all set to be bedazzled by Bali! :)

Time of Travel - 1st week November

Weather - Hot 

Number of Days - 7

Hotel - Peninsula Beach Resort, Nusa Dua for 6 days.

Peninsula Beach Resort, Nusa Dua

Nusa Dua Bali Beach Resort - Stayed here for the a night. Our flight Jetstar Airways had cancelled flights due to the volcanic ash situation, hence had to stay an extra night.

Please note: During the volcanic ash situation, all the other airlines were flying out. except Jet Star.

Good Property - You can take a walk alongside the beach strip and take in the sights of all the 5 star hotel properties.

Nusa Dua Bali Beach Resort- Pool Side

Nusa Dua Bali Beach Resort- Entra

Nusa Dua is a more relaxed, laid back and lazy type of a place, hence was an ideal choice for a family holiday. If you are looking for something peppy, young and which has a vibrant vibe - definitely Seminyak. But, If you are a party animal and belong to the age group of 16-23, hit Kuta.

Nusa Dua - The Beach Life

Travel mode in Bali - Hire a car for the day. It is very inexpensive and a comfortable option. Contact Wisnu - +62818553497.  Honest and a good driver. He may guide you, But, I would recommend to do your own research on the places that you would like to see and he can drive you around. 

Things to do:

The first day we reached, it was afternoon till we settled in. So we stepped out of the hotel in the evening around 4.30 to go to the Jimbaran area to the Ayana Resort to  enjoy the sunset at the gorgeous Rock Bar. It must be around 30 mins away. Definitely a go go. Sadly, Rock Bar doesn't have enough food choices to satiate a vegetarians palette. Being a  vegetarian, we nibbled on the fries and Vietnamese rolls. The cocktails are yummylicious.  Reach in time to enjoy the sunset.

Rock Bar- Bali

Sunset at Rock Bar, Ayana Bali

The next day, we set off to Ubud for a day trip. Approximately an hour away from Nusa Dua.
1st Stop - The monkey forest -  It's great for people who live in places where they do not frequent animal counters. Well, in India, one does not need to pay to see monkeys. Yes, you can experience the live safari at zero cost at hill stations in India at your own risk.

Hello there! - Monkey Forest

Then we took a break for lunch at 'The Elephant' restaurant. It serves only vegetarian food (Luck favours the like of us too sometimes) It is uphill at a nice location with a good view, but the food is okay-ish. I guess very organic for my taste too. ;). 

Then we scoured the market area. Hot Tips -  Ubud is good for money exchange rates. If you would like to buy a souvenir or buy bali manufactured handicrafts, buy it from here. It will be difficult to find these and at a good price anywhere else. Ubud has a lot of handicraft, wooden, idols, workshops.

Running out of time, we made a quick photo stop to see the rice paddy field. We did not do the tour. India is an agricultural country, but we go all the distance to check out the rice terraces in bali :)

Tegallalang Rice Terraces, famous for its beautiful scenes of rice paddies.

We finished the day by catching another Sunset at the Tanah Lot temple. It is nice. But skippable. I am not sure whether it was low tide or it is always like this but the temple did not seem to be located in the middle of the water. If you pay a donation, you can hold a snake.

Sunset at Tanah Lot Temple

View at Tanah Lot

Honestly, by the second day I have inferred, that Bali should be called the sunset capital. Keep reading and you will totally agree with me.

We ran out of time so we could not visit goa gajah the elephant cave so plan to start early. But honestly, it is difficult to do so much in a day. 

After being in bali for 1 and a half days, we finally set foot on the beach.

Sigh! A ready set for a wedding venue!

As a family we enjoy/love adventure sports. So, We spent an entire day on the beach to enjoy the Sports Activities at Tanjong Benoa.

Para Sailing

Banana Boat Ride

Jet Ski

Flying Fish

Snorkelling

Turtle Island

Glass boat

A turn of turtles at Turtle Island

We reached the hotel for an evening swim ( also our first dip in the pool after 1 & a half days).

We went to Bali Collection for Dinner. It is a base level mall with shops and restaurants in Nusa Dua.

There is a free shuttle which runs from Bali Collection to almost all hotel properties, so use that and visit the centre. It has restaurants, shops, money changers. Spent couple of hours just browsing and shopping and eating and drinking.

The night ended in a Karaoke session  - I almost had a fan club.

It's been 3 days, we've been in Bali,  and are now craving some city life and shopping. I spear head the shopping agenda but my family is not far behind. So we went to Seminyak the next day. There are a lot of small boutiques, small labels originally from bali or opened by expats amidst the throng of restaurants and bars at Seminyak Square. It is good shopping, but expensive. If you are looking for swimwear then hit universo it houses an australian swimwear brand Sea Folly - which is super! 

After that, we went to the Potato Head Beach Bar - It is brunch/ lunch bar on the beach with a pool overlooking the beach and the sea. You have to go here.  Awesome music, Awesome alcohol, Awesome ambience, Awesome atmosphere - it is just an AWESOME place. The only downside for me was the food. Do not eat here if you are a vegetarian.  The zucchini fritters and falafel is so bland, that you will need copious amounts of alcohol to wash it down with. However enjoy the yummy cocktails at the pool bar. Tips: Carry your swimsuit, Towels and just enjoy the Bali beat. You can easily spend 4-5 hours chilling, reading a book, plunging in the pool or dirtying yourself in the beach. 

Potato Head Beach Bar

Go early or reserve to book a day bed by the pool. Minimum spend must be IDR 500000 for a bed.

Sun loungers at Potato Head

Thursday, we lounged in the resort. Went to Bali Collection for Lunch. Went around Nusa Dua. Stopped by the Nikki Beach property at Sofitel. Not a soul, so we left it to peace and went back to the hotel to spend another evening at Karaoke. So, this was our first attempt at what actually is the definition of a holiday.

Friday being the last day was planned. It was the morning pool and the brunch sessions. After that we had our 3 hour spa appointments booked. Following that, we set off for Ku de ta, Seminyak to spend another evening to see the last of the sunset at Bali. The place was quite a disappointment. However, we were luckily steered in the direction of Woo Bar. 

Woo Bar- W HOTEL, My most favourite place. It is on the similar lines of potato beach and rock bar. But it is just more posh. Surprisingly, it has a separate vegetarian menu, and were amazed by their molecular gastronomy. Highlights being the cocktails again and the Pink Bean bags for the Pool. This place is  done up so well and has such an oomph factor. Loved it. Skip everything else and go here if you have to,but do not miss this place.

Can you spot the 'W'?

Friday went well. All packed and ready to say bye to Bali. But then Bali fell in love with us. So due to unforeseen circumstances as already mentioned earlier we had to extend another day. We spent the whole day at the beach resort lounging and enjoying the spa activities.

The Et cetera things to do:
Scuba Dive
Bali is famous for its scuba diving sites. Pedang Bai is supposed to be one of the better sites for diving. You could call on a company called Adventure Scuba Dive, A friend recommended it. I went to another school goes by the name of Baliscubamasters. They were right opposite my hotel. Do not go to them. I was lazy and it was convenient and it said 5 star PADI. But, I would recommend go to Adventure Scuba since my friend did like them. I signed up for the Open Water Course and then backed out after one pool dive. I never do back out of things, however challenging they are but I just did not want to go unaccompanied and only with an instructor, and i was doing miserably at mask cleaning. I haven't given up yet, and I think the next time when I do try to get trained I will do it India and with a friend because with other countries there is always the language barrier and I wouldn't mind familiar faces in an unfamiliar space.

There are other things like Bali Safari, Dolphins at Lovina or a trek to the volcanic mountain. But all these places would take up almost 3 hours to reach from where I was staying. The thought of travelling so much makes me cringe. So if you do not mind moving around, then do visit these places.

From the airport, take a regular taxi - it is not expensive. Just see to it that they are running by the metre.

While exchanging money go to a proper exchange place, else you may get cheated. They have a magicians hand while tricking you into giving you less money. They are scared of the police, so if you do get caught up in the situation just mention police.

Restaurants:
There are quite a few restaurants, but I didn't frequent that many. Below are the few ones that I did manage to go to.

Tropicana - Indonesian Food, Nachos were not good - so just try and pick options from the staple Indonesian menu.

Bali Bangle - Indian Food

Queens - Indian Restaurant - Good Indian Food

Bumbu Bali - Indonesian Food - My sister quite liked it. I take time to appreciate different 

Karaoke, Live Bands - almost every night at nusa dua.
The Elephant- Ubud
Woobar - Seminyak
Anomali Cafe- Good coffee

Visit Tamarind Restaurant at Nusa Dua Beach Bali Resort- It is made of cane and bamboos and straw- Amazing!!!! Somebody needs to replicate it. Super architecture. I did not eat there, so I am not sure of the food - but the place looks Preetttyyy~

Tamarind Restaurant at Nusa Dua Beach Bali Resort

If you stay in Nusa Dua, do note that all restaurants provide you with free transport - so you can use that.

Shopping:

Bali Collection

New Look

Universo

Sogo - buy a souvenir from here

Seminyak Square
A lot of small boutiques. No big brand.

Ubud
The market area

Massage  
What I didn't mention earlier is the massage. The best of Bali is the Balinese Massage. It is exactly like thailand. Walk out of your hotel if you want cheap massages everyday or enjoy a spa at the hotel itself. Totally worth it.

To summarise,  Just. Binge on the beach life and enjoy the many sunset views! C'est la vie !!Bali is the definition of a retreat. 

The only hard time I had was making my flight from Bali to Singapore. But I do not blame Bali for that, more like the airline agency and circumstantially the volcanic ash clouds. More than that grateful that we reached home safely. Though, I hope there is a direct airline from Mumbai to Bali soon.

Mahabeleshwar - Escape to the Hills

Month of Travel - April
Number of days - A Weekend
Accommodation - Evershine - A Keys Resort

The choice of the hotel is because it is close to the market area, and you can literally walk down. Perhaps 5-10 mins from the hotel. It was a last minute reservation.

Going by most reviews, it is ranked one of the best hotels in Mahabeleshwar. In my opinion, very 3-star. Prefer staying in the cottages.

So, this is not my first visit to Mahabeleshwar. Been there umpteen times! For a camp, for family holidays, with friends. By this I mean, there is a lot one can do there!

It is a beautiful enchanting hill station secluded from the hustle bustle of city life. You can busy yourself in the nature's tranquility. Of course, it is not as isolated as it used to be. In fact, due to the good weather all year round, people frequent it often.

How to travel : I have always travelled by car. So, my guess is there is only road transportation to get there. However there are 2 routes; one going via pune and the other via mahad.

April was pretty cool this time around the year. You can visit to enjoy the monsoons, or the strawberry season. However to experience cold weather the ideal months to travel would be Nov- Feb.

Things To Do:

My most favorite spot has been the Polo Grounds! I have a lot of childhood memories attached to this place. I love going horse riding there. In fact my first stint at driving a car has been there. Back in the days, not many people knew of it, hence had its own charm by not being commercialized by tourism.

Horse Riding at Polo Grounds

The Market Area
Somehow, Mahabeleshwar's market area has been the same, but still holds my fascination to keep going back there - shopping for chappals/ kolhapuris or snacking on the corn, golas, candy, strawberries. It is like a food paradise of junk food! Love it! But the best part is gambling on the slot machines!! It's like India's China town. You can keep playing on those slots for hours. It is so cheap to gamble! This is the first time I have actually lost in gambling at mahabeleshwar. Sigh!!

Berry berry very strawBerry!

Lake
The most famous lake of Mahabeleshwar where you will find the entire population of Mahabeleshwar. There are 2 options :Paddle Boat or Row Boat. You can go for boating and see the sunset!

Boating at the Lake

Food Stalls and Fun and Fair
Opposite the lake there a lot of food stalls and the offshoot of gambling ghettos. To entertain yourself, there is balloon shooting, 7 up 7 down, ring an item and win a gift and the likes. Basically a fun and fair. Dont think it's child's play! It is difficult to win!
So you can spend an evening eating strawberries and cream and frolicking at the fun and fair.
There is a garden bang opposite from where you can view the sunset at the lake while enjoying the greens.

Sunset Point

Garden Trails

Fortess of Nature

Mapro Garden
I did not go there this time around. But have been there a number of times before. For most, it is a must visit in Mahabeleshwar.
Popular for Mapro Jam or Syrups. Enjoy the food there.etc.

Restaurants:
Little Italy has opened - so obviously yum food!!
BrightLand - Haven't been there recently, but got a recommendation for their fantastic pizzas.
Food Stalls - Various food stalls where you can pick up food from at the market as well as opposite the lake!

Shopping:
You get everything in Mumbai, but the charm of the market place allures you to buy something and return!
Kolhapuri Chappals
Raspberries and Strawberries
Handicrafts

It's not Cadbury GEMS - it is a clutch! - shopping like this :)

Various other things to do:

There will be a lot of points to visit in Mahabeleshwar. Ask around and drive there!
Paintball, Go Karting, Horse Riding, Trekking. As I said I have come for camps so they have points for rappelling and river crossing.

Stop by Panchgani- the table top plateau - there are activities there too! If I remember there is para gliding also.

Mahabeleshwar is your best bet to escape the heat and the crowds of Mumbai.

Brussels and Bruges

Brussels

We took a train from Ams to Brussels. Booked it on Thalys. It is a 1hr 50min journey.  It is the same amount of time you would take to take a train ride from lokhandwala to churchgate in Mumbai. Seriously!!

And you should definitely pick the train option over the flight. It is comfortable, fast and if you are running late’ kinda DDLJ moment’, chances are you can still make it.

Accomodation : Sleepwell Youth Hostel.

So the room and the ensuite bathroom were bigger than the Amsterdam Hostel.  And more sober. If luxury isn’t key you can definitely stay at youth hostels. We only used it to crash!

Location wise- pretty close to the center.

We went on a free walking tour from our hostel. So, in Europe most cities are small and it is more fun and interesting to walk around than to do a bus tour. The roads are clean, crowded sometimes, but that crowd will mostly be the tourists. And it is really interesting to hang around with new people from different cities!

For Brussels, I am going to take you through a picturesque ride. Hope you like the captures!

Yeah, some think that the pee of the Mannequin Pi's can bring them fortune ;)

Paying homage to the Adventures of Tintin - Wall painting

Restaurants

Bars and Clubs:

Shopping:

We went to the Delerium Bar. Pretty interesting. Promises to offer the largest variety of beer. I HATE BEER, but that is just me. So the interesting part is that they do these small tasting beer sample glasses for only 2 euro. So, you can have a variety of beer tastings! The only beer I enjoyed was a cherry beer – had a lil fruity taste to it. But for a beer enthusiast, you must go there.

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Restaurant – Mexican.

Waffles.

Then the next day we made a day trip to Bruges. Took a train

Canal cruise tour of the city

Chocolatier’s paradise

Lots of Shopping

Things to see

Bell Tower

Cathedral.

Best waffles in the whole world!!!!

During this whole trip we were hooked onto this game called ‘Liars Die’. It is light to carry. With that I mean one small pouch and you can play it anywhere. We played it on the square, on the pavement, at the train station, in the train.  We were addicted to it!

What happens in Amsterdam stays in Amsterdam!

Time of Visit -July

Duration of Stay -3 days

My trip to Amsterdam seems like a blur. I found it really hard to pen down everything. I went with a group of friends and even after constant consulting, I could not account for the whole trip yet. Honestly Amsterdam is most worthy of the phrase What happens in Amsterdam stays in Amsterdam!! When I was trying to do a survey before going, I did try asking around, didn't really get any solid answer of where, what, when to go. Hence the conclusion, everybody makes their own story at Amsterdam.

Going down memory lane, of whatever memory has sustained and with a little help from google maps, have managed to retrace most of the steps.

Hotel - 1 night at the St. Christophers Winston Hostel. We booked our stay last minute so obviously we couldn't grab a steal deal. And also, ours was a twin sharing room with an attached bathroom. We didnt stay in a dorm.
We basically wanted to feel the essence of the backpacker traveler. It reminded me of my days when I was studying in Manchester. That's how small our room and bathroom was.

Yeah - that's our room in Amsterdam - this is how the trip begins!

The next two nights, we stayed at the Swissotel.

Both the places were located at the best place near Dam Square. They were both located in each others proximity, barely a 5min walk. Wouldn't recommend you to stay anywhere else. Everything is close from this location.

And our accommodation at both places were awesome! The hostel room seemed a little small and cramped, more so when you are carrying 2 huge sets of suitcases. So travel light when you do plan to stay in a hostel.

The Lobby at St. Christopher's Hostel

TO DO:

Bike ride- We picked the Yellow Bike. If you enjoy cycling, you have to see the city on a bike. It is amazing. It rains anytime there but they do provide you with a poncho styles raincoat. That should be fine! It is a 3 hr tour.  The  bike ride is just a cruise through the city.You will see sights such as the harbour, the Jordaan quarter, the Anne Frank house, the Rijksmuseum, the Vondel Park, the “Skinny Bridge”, Rembrandt’s house and the Red Light District. In short it is  a glimpse of the city's culture, architecture and history. So, if you do want photo ops or spend more time at a certain place, you will have to just go there once again.

Notice this architectural beauty - It is triangulated at the edge! not a rectangular corner.

Also, you can take these free walking tours. So, Amsterdam is not that huge. It would be really fun to walk it too. 

Cruising through the serence city of Amsterdam

Places to see:

1)Flower Market

Ohhh -so pretty!!

The variety of Cacti amazes me!

2)Canals - Amsterdam is a very scenic city.  In fact, I think Venice is overrated. In comparison to Venice, the canals are way better in Amsterdam than Venice. VERY VERY clean city! And the canals are there at every 10 mins distance. So now you know amongst many other names, why is Amsterdam called the canal city too!

Canal City - Amsterdam

3)Red Light District - You have to see it to believe it. Sharing no pictures for it!. Enticing the curious mind. :)  In fact, honestly it is literally 'window shopping.' However, in the true sense, being no moral police or going by the laws of ethics, I appreciate the concept of the  display of the Red Light District.  Going by my opinion, I didnt find it distasteful at all!

4)Van Gogh Museum - We reached after 5 pm. Try reaching there before closing time. So we missed out on seeing some of the most beautiful art work.

5)Anne Franks Museum- If you are into hitler and nazis and history. Definitely worth a visit. Always a long qeueu. Huge wait to get in.

6)iAMsterdam - You cannot come back without taking a picture there.

Being Touristy - and why not!

Vondel Park - It is immense, so you can bike ride through it, lounge around the garden area. Since everything is legit in Amsterdam, you can do illegit legitimately.

Another thing, you could do is go to the Heineken museum and have some heineken beer.
There are all sorts of museum, the other popular one would be the sex museum.

Heineken Beer Museum

Shopping:

This is the first and only time, I did not find time to shop. Sigh!!!!
But, there is this huge street right behind swissotel with all the stores. And it extends all the way to the other side of the Dam square running horizontal. MUST MUST check it out.
There will be all the European Brands - H&M, Pimkie to name a few!

Buy Cheese, Mayonnaise and Sauces of different types - there are a lot of choices with respect to that. And they are all good!

Red Window Capture - There is a cheese and sauce store in the basement

Food
The Mexican Restaurant- for mexican food; Damstreet. Really good food!
Umami - Tapas- That meal was uber delicious.
Chipsy King- amazing fries!!

Around our hostel Christopher Winston there are a lot of cafe's and restaurants and small bars. Can go visit any. You will definitely find something to satiate your taste buds.

Then we went to a restaurant on the Spuitstraat street. There are a lot of options there too.

Leidseplein - This area is super for a night out! There are restaurants, clubs and basically a party scene.
I think we went to the club Jimmy Woo and then around that there are a few others.

Rembrandt Square for the Night Life, Food, and the like.

Bulldog Cafe - When in Amsterdam, people tell you oh you must go to any cafe and youll find the brownie, but NO, that is not true. You have have have to go to CAFE BULLDOG  and have the out of the space cake. That's it. There is no other brownie!

Aptly named 'Out of Space' Brownie

 Cafe Metropolitan - You can actually sniff chocolate. I didnt do it, so I dont know how it is done, though you should try it. It is neighbouring to our hostel.

All in all, Amsterdam is Beautiful. I'd identify it with a split personality. It is a scenic, serene, all things pretty and can be called a family place to go to.
But yeah, then on the other side, it has it's Wild Side, but I guess you choose which side you want to be on and you can experience both. It is pretty balanced. Safe to visit. I don't remember us taking a cab ever.

Resplendent in its architectural beauty - Dam Square

As I already did mention, this blog is a little incomplete. I dont have the names of the restaurants, the clubs that we went to, to suggest the exact places which would be worth your time. But I have managed to identify the areas. Hope it helps!!

3 days flew by. But you dont need more time than this to explore the city. And I haven't even yet accounted for the real story !  Somethings are just better not shared. I wish you ' Bon Voyage' and hope you have your own story to tell or not ;).