Honeymoon Travels

I love planning trips. There are just no two ways about that. So you'll understand when I say that Planning the Honeymoon has been a dream come true!!! W is awesome that way. He tells me where he absolutely wants to go and what he wants to do and lets me do the rest my way. And because of that, the last two months of Lonely Planet guide reading and Online browsing have been absolute bliss. 

Our destination: Italy. Though we explored a few other options (prompted mostly by trigger happy me... who wanted to go pretty much everywhere, including, Antarctica), W was pretty clear that he wanted to go to Italy. So Italy it is. To tell the truth, I am much excited about Rome (the Vatican, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, endless amounts of Gelato... yummm!) and Florence. Apart from all the gorgeous architecture, rich history and fabulous museums, Italy is also supposed to be a Gastronomic delight - a very important consideration for two foodies such as ourselves.

The thing that excites me about planning a trip (apart from the actual trip that is), is the thrill of figuring out which specific places to go to and getting awesome deals online. Here's my little two bit on planning a trip:

1. Decide the trip style - are you going for a luxury vacation or a more functional (the room is there to sleep in and I don't need silk bedsheets) one?
2. The country/region you want to explore. Very important. Else you will be inundated with choices.
3. Decide if you are going to travel light or heavy. Keep the country you are going to in mind when you decide this. In Italy for example, most of our friends have told us that there will be a lot of walking involved so we've decided to travel light. This will also impact what kind of local point-to-point transportation you can take and the kind of accommodation you book.
4. Explore the various options in the region with an open mind. While we started out thinking we would cover Rome, Venice, Florence and Naples, our route map finally reads Rome-Como-Modena-Florence. Only two of the original four have survived. And with good reason.
 
• Talk to people, read up, explore blogs. You never know what will excite you. And you totally don't want to come back thinking, "I wish I had gone here instead of there". And that's also the whole point of planning a trip yourself - that you can visit places that tourist groups don't normally plan for.
• Check on modes of local transport, tourist passes etc. Browse websites like tripadvisor and lonely planet to see what other travellers are saying, what suggestions they have for you. 
• Also check any websites run by the tourism department of the country you are visiting. For example we checked Italian Toursim and Tuscany Tourism. It is on the Tuscany tourism website that we realised we could actually stay in a villa/farmhouse when visiting Florence and the tuscany region (It's the reason Florence didn't get booted off that itinerary).
• Explore various types of accommodation - today there are more than just hotels available as choices for accommodation. Explore what bed and breakfasts, home stays and unique dwellings have to offer. They bring economy, interaction with locals and memorable experiences with them. Sites I would recommend include Tripadvisor and Airbnb.
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5. Check all Visa requirements and timelines so that you don't have to cancel your trip for that lamest of reasons - No Visa!
6. Check on what local transport you are going to use from one point to the next. Book all major routes in advance if possible. You get some amazing price offs when you book early. In fact, I was almost scared off travelling to Europe when I saw the cost of the Eurail pass and by feedback from a friend. But when I actually explored Italy's train service provider more closely (Trenitalia) I figured that the two of us could cover all our point to point travel within 100 Euros. 
7. Draw up a budget plan after your initial research and stick to it. It's very easy to get tempted and swayed and you won't realise when the budget shoots up!
8. If you are travelling as a couple, no matter how much you like taking the decisions, get HIM or HER involved. It won't be a pleasant experience for either of you if your partner or travel companion isn't on board with your travel style and plans.
9. Talk to people and figure out the essentials that you MUST carry: plug convertors, umbrellas, hats. No matter how trivial they sound, you don't want to be stuck with a phone you cannot charge. :P

There you go! My two bit on a Do-it-yourself trip to anywhere in the world.

PS: Do it yourself is so much cheaper and a truckload more fun than a packaged tour. <3 <3 <3

THE shopping trip

After detailing out the number of Sarees I would need for the big fat Indian wedding, here's a glimpse of my "shopping trip to Chennai".

Accompanied by aunts and mommy dear we combed through Chennai's Sarees shops for Sarees that matched all the little ideas I had gotten stuck in my head such as finding a Saree that matched perfectly with a piece of mom's jewellery that I love that could be worn for long enough! Or the fact that I wanted ONLY a oniony-purple and gold Saree for the reception ;)


As you can clearly see there are a bunch of undecideds that I am currently thoroughly confused about when to wear!

PS: The photos do not do justice to the prettiness of the Sarees. They shall be in their full glory on 4th, 5th & 6th May 2013

On wedding travel

It’s no joke I tell you. As I look at the year ahead, I see no less than 4 weddings I’ll have to travel to.  Averaging at a wedding a quarter, that adds up to quite a few days of leave. Not to mention a fair amount spent on travel.

I love attending friends’ weddings. I’m a sucker for romance and weddings to begin with. Not to mention fashion, make up, the general dressing up number. Perfect candidate for wedding attendance I tell you!

But this year is going to end with me going bankrupt over the travel, not to mention really tired with all the flying. So in empathy with everyone travelling to all kinds of weddings in the coming year – here are a few tips on wedding travel that I intend to follow in my wedding jet-setting!

1. Plan early: no matter how last minute, disorganized or delightfully spontaneous you are, PLAN. Air fares usually go UP not down at the last minute, so chances are you won’t land a good deal closer to the date.

2   2.  Get a hang of the ceremonies and timings: avoid the last minute surprises, ask the bride/groom to tell exactly whats happening, when, what kind of thing it is, and figure out what you’re attending.

3.  Give buffer time: don’t rush from the airport to the wedding (or a pre wedding ceremony). The romance of it works only in the movies, in reality, you’ll just be stressed, and probably late.  

4. (the ones for the first ceremony on top etc.). Also, pack the essentials of towels and nightclothes and other peripherals in a separate compartment/bag if possible, or at least separate the two sides of the bag. 

5 .Lists!: This may seem ‘too organized’ (ha! Is that even possible? Really?? J ) but make a quick list of the clothes, the underclothes, specific make up and jewellery that you’ll need to carry. It’s upsetting to have left that ‘perfect’ pair of earrings behind. Seriously. 

  

      6. Get some sleep: yes work has been crazy in those days before you left, and once there you’ll be up all night catching up with friends, but seriously try and find time for your beauty sleep too. Its no fun to attend the ceremonies yawning.  

Bonus clothes tip: uncrushable farbric if possible, cotton’s the worst; and make sure you can get ready without too much fuss with the clothing. You won’t necessarily have all the luxury of time and space to get dressed up like a princess. That’s for the bride. 

Oh and of course, try not to outshine the bride ;) #justsaying

Every wedding is a Bollywood song

Most Bollywood songs have the lead actors changing at least 3 times within a short 4-5 minutes. Indian weddings are like that too. Having spent the last few days shopping for my "wedding saris , I've realised that perhaps more time will be spent in the changing room than in the ceremonies. Here goes a short list of the changes (Please note timings are indicative):

• Sari #1: Day 1 afternoon - Sari in which to begin the first ceremony
• Sari #2: 2nd Change - Change into sari given by my in-laws in the first part of the ceremony to complete the 2nd part. Time since 1st sari: 10-15 mins
• Sari #3: to be worn in the interim period between the first ceremony and the evening reception. Time since 2nd sari: 30 mins-1 hr
• Sari #4: Evening reception. Time since 3rd sari: 2 hrs (if I'm lucky)
• Sari #5: Day 2, preliminary ceremonies. Time since 4th sari: Overnight (Phew!)
• Sari #6: Main wedding sari. Time since 5th sari: 30 mins-1 hr
• Sari #7: Post wedding/afternoon/interim sari. Time since 6th sari: 1-2 hrs
• Sari #8: Wedding evening sari. Time since 7th sari: 3-4 hrs

Phew! Thankfully on the 7th of May 2013 I will have completed the great Sari marathon. I reckon this should satisfy even a sari aficionado such as me.

A post on all the Sari shopping soon. I've been up to a fair bit in the last few days after a huge-ish lull in  wedding preparations.

PS: I've missed all my girl friends sorely since none of them are in Chennai at this time. This would have been even more fun if some of you had been around! But more on all that later!

Bridal Bootcamp 1 - Skin

The kind of skin I have (oily, acne prone) means I can never afford to neglect it completely unless of course, I wish to look like an ogre. However, with an impending marriage, I've become more conscious and conscientious of how I treat my skin. I do want to get rid of most of my Acne scars without having to resort to any cosmetic treatments. So ever since there's been the sword of a big day hanging over my head, I've been trying to stick to the basics regularly. Here's what I've learned in the last two weeks:

1. Pomegranate is your best friend - as a fruit, as juice. Consume loots of it. It's softened and cleared my skin like nothing else has. Pomegranate alternated with what I am going to mention in point 2.
2. Also berries - cranberry, strawberry whatever berry you can lay your hands on. Again if not the berry then it's juice.
3. If you like walnuts, pop in a couple every day. If you are like me and don't like to eat the nut solo, head for a walnut brownie now and then! (Just kidding there... just have more pomegranate. You'll be sick of pomegranate but that's still better than walnuts. Ugh!)
4. No matter what your skin type, hydrate hydrate, hydrate a.k.a drink lots of water.
5. Replace carbs with fibre (eat fruit with the skin on where possible, lots of salads, you get the drift). It fills your tummy and helps your body detoxify as well. The more your body flushes toxins, the clearer your skin.
6. If you have oily, pimply skin like me, cinnamon powder mixed with honey and applied every other day does wonders.
7. Use a good toner at least once a day. For my skin type (oily, prone to breakouts), I recommend Clinique's No 3 Toner. It's stood me in good stead and cleans up the skin real well. 
8. If you are heading into dusty terrain, use foundation. It protects your skin from all the dirt and grit.
9. Sleep. At least 8 hrs. a day. On a good, comfy pillow. They ARE right about beauty sleep... fortunately or unfortunately.
10. Don't experiment with skin products. Stick to what you know works for you. Just make sure you are super regular about it. It's really all that I have done different these two weeks and I can begin to see results already.

Bucket List Time!

With much of the bridal crew focussing on what needs to be done for the upcoming wedding, my focus is going to be on reminding the bride that she must thoroughly enjoy her last few months of flying solo (whilst also preparing for the nuptials of course)!

So here it is...some inspiration for my beautiful sister to create her own bridal bucket list. Nithya, feel free to add, edit and delete as you deem fit :)


1. Learn (or refresh) a dance form (Salsa/Tango)and go out dancing with your friends at least once a month

2. Take one last vacation sans husband (to soul search and realize how much you miss the aforementioned husband)

3. Start a Bridal Bootcamp fitness regime (to look and feel your very best during the wedding week)

4. Try a new bakery. Once a week. (to remind yourself that you're human and reward yourself for all the hard work you're putting in)

5. Splurge on a beautiful pair of non sensical shoes (because sometimes when things get crazy, you can prance around in them and feel like you're the queen of the world)

6. Try all possible nail colors. One color a week. Till you've found the perfect shade for your wedding day.

7. Attend a costume party dressed as a bride. Just for fun.

8. Get a massage (or facial/hair spa) once every few weeks to de-stress.

9. Buy yourself one luxury item that you've always wanted (before you have to start saving for the serious things in life like houses and babies and college for those babies).

10.Make a list of sensible but AWESOME presents you'd like to receive for your wedding (to avoid nasty surprises) with the help of your other married friends!

Gud Dhana - the first official ceremony

Our parents met earlier this week for the first time and since then it's been fairly hectic with lots of visits, dinners, lunches and much socialisation. Yesterday was the first official ceremony at W's place. Preps for the ceremony, at least for me, started on Tuesday itself with his mom putting Mehendi for me.

Gud Dhana essentially involves formalising the promise to get married by giving the bride and groom to be Coriander seeds with Gud (Raw cane sugar). The couple is then blessed by all the elders of the family as well. The custom is a Marwari one (W is half Gujarati, half Marwari). 

Apart from the short (and sweet ceremony), we also got to meet most of his family and were treated to a typical lunch of Puris, Undhiyon, Kofta, Rice, Dhokla, Basundhi and Moong Dal Halwa as well. Lots of good food after which skipping dinner was not a problem at all!