The land of Spices

The 'Queen of the Arabian Sea', Cochin or Kochi is the largest city in Kerala.According to the National Geographic Travel magazine, is one of the 50 must-see destinations of a lifetime. Gifted with unmatched tropical greenery and beautiful lagoons, Kerala will leave you enchanted.Cochin has always been a centre of commerce and trade
.Its a beautiful place and the hotel which I selected for the stay makes it more special. Trident, Cochin is set amidst a picturesque central courtyard and landscaped gardens. Located on Willingdon Island, Trident, Cochin is within easy distance of famed sites such as the Jewish Synagogue (8 km approx.), Chinese fishing nets (11 km approx.), Mattancherry Palace (8 km approx.) and St Francis Church (9 km approx.). Travellers can take some time to take a sunset cruise and explore the meandering backwaters.

Fusion of classic charm with chic interiors.

Trident, Cochin offers 77 rooms (43 superior rooms and 34 deluxe rooms) and 8 suites, set amidst a picturesque central courtyard and landscaped gardens. Furnished in soft, muted tones and interspersed with local artefacts, the rooms are well-appointed with all the contemporary comforts.
With views of the lush gardens from the large picture windows, the rooms bring the natural beauty of the outdoors within.
My room offered views of the green vistas outside and let in plenty of natural light, adding a refreshing touch to the décor. Light, muted furnishings were dotted with thick, colourful cushions to add a cosy touch.
The staff ensured that my room is always fresh with flowers and fruits.

One can choose from Deluxe Rooms - 20 Deluxe Rooms are spacious and offer views of the garden or the swimming pool. Tastefully furnished, they feature all the modern amenities for discerning travellers, including a comfortable seating area and high speed Internet. The ensuite bathrooms feature luxury amenities by Kama.Superior Rooms -  56 Superior Rooms and enjoy views of the scenic swimming pool or landscaped gardens. The rooms feature seating areas which are ideal to catch the morning news along with a fresh cup of tea or coffee. 24-hour in room dining menu is extensive.

Suites - The suites are located on the top most floor of the hotel and offer serene views of the landscaped gardens and the pool. Tastefully appointed with all the modern amenities to make your stay comfortable, the suites also feature a rollaway sofa, ideal for children. The soft, muted tones in the décor are complemented by traditional artefacts and specially commissioned artworks.

Family Suite - family suites are located on the top most floor of the hotel and offer views of the manicured gardens and the pool. The suites have a separate bedroom, a well-appointed living room and dining area, making it the perfect choice for family travel, entertaining or long term stays. The kids can watch a movie on the DVD player in the living room, while you curl up with a book in the bedroom. The personal bar is well stocked and the in-room dining menu has plenty of options for a snack or a meal, anytime of the day.

Kerala is described as the 'land of spices' and food is an intrinsic part of the local life and culture. Being an important centre for spice trade, the local cuisine has been influenced by many travellers from across the shores, creating a distinctive and delectable cuisine, unique to the region.Savour authentic, local flavours at Travancore, which offers regional delights as well as dishes from European and Asian cuisine.
For an evening drink or a nightcap I headed to The Cochin Trader Bar, which also serves light snacks. I enjoyed the cool breeze and dined al fresco at The Seafood Grill, which is open from November till March. The restaurant, by the poolside, has an appetizing ambience to match its fine flavours.

Trident, Cochin is the only hotel in the city to feature an authentic Ayurveda centre.
Trident's facilities are well-equipped and perfectly complemented by its dedicated service teams. They bring
together superior technology, innovative ideas for themes and decor as well as a choice of menus to make any event memorable.
 “I am blogging about my luxury stay experience for an activity at BlogAdda in association with MakeMyTrip“

My Stay at JW Marriott Juhu Mumbai

JW Marriott Hotel, Mumbai redefines luxury and provides an enchanting experience.Located on the Juhu beach, this hotel is situated in close proximity to the Airport, Versova Beach (Approx. 5 km) and Prince of Wales Museum.Its award-winning Spa, exquisite sea facing rooms, International looks, great hospitality is all what you require for a luxurious holiday. Great place to stay for the business and luxury travelers.

Distance from Mumbai Airport: Approx. 9 km
Distance from Mumbai Railway Station: Approx. 5 km

This 5 storey hotel in Mumbai offers  rooms with in-room amenities like air-conditioning,floor to ceiling windows,
newspaper, television, safe, table with seating, iron and ironing board, makeup mirror,mini-bar, bottled water,
tea/coffee maker and marble bathroom with shower and instant hot water facility.

Most of the 355 rooms of JW Marriot, Mumbai are sea-facing and gives a spectacular view. They are elegantly
designed and categorized into Superior rooms, Executive rooms, Juhu suite, Lotus suite, Ocean suite, Vice
Presidential suite and Presidential suite. Get a taste of pure luxury in these rooms, which offer the best of
hospitality.
All rooms have a mini bar, desks, coffee & tea making facility, LCD TV with International cable, 2-line phones,
data-port & voice mail service and safes. Wi-Fi is available for a surcharge. Guests may also request wake-up
calls. Bathrooms are also equipped with modern amenities.In the luxurious guest rooms, Marriott bedding includes plush mattresses and soft sheets.

The warm and inviting lobby of the JW Marriott Mumbai. The WOW experience begins right from here.Watch the Mumbai sun set over the Arabian Sea as its rays fill the extensive and luxurious lobby every evening at dusk.Its an unparalleled location overlooking the sparkling Arabian Sea, the JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu sets a new standard for luxury here in India.

Take a stroll by the Lotus Pond set alongside the Arabian Sea at one of the most prominent Juhu Beach Hotels.
There are many restaurants, churning out great food in this 5 star property. 

- Lotus Café
Enjoy a meal alongside the blooming lotus pond. Sumptuous buffets and a la carte menu are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers a wide array of continental and Indian delicacies.

- Saffron Indian Restaurant
Saffron showcases authentic Awadhi cuisine from the royal homes of Lucknow. Delight your senses with local flavors from here in Juhu Mumbai and elsewhere in India.

- Spices Oriental Restaurant
Enjoy a taste of Asia here . Spices restaurant offers a menu complete with sushi selections and an interactive 

teppanyaki grill.

- Spices Sushi Restaurant
The first Sushi bar in the city of Mumbai is at Spices offering the most delectable varieties of Sushi and 
Sashimi. Watch the chef in action as he plates these tiny morsels of pure heaven.

- Bombay Baking Company Deli
Bombay Baking Company, hotel's cake shop and leisure area welcomes all with a wonderful aroma of brewed coffee and freshly baked goodies. Enjoy warm croissants as you browse through the books and linger over a hot cappuccino.

- Mezzo Mezzo Italian Restaurant
Mezzo Mezzo is a classy Italian restaurant, serving authentic Italian market cuisine from the regions of Tuscany, 

Sicily, and Sardinia. Paired with the finest wines, Mezzo Mezzo brings Italy to the heart of Mumbai.

- Arola Restaurant & Bar
Savor contemporary flavors at our Juhu Beach hotel's Spanish restaurant, Arola, the creation of our two-star 

Michelin chef Sergi Arola.

One can relax and rejuvenate here as there is a choice between the infinity pool, the saltwater pool or the kids 
pool.The pool fountains at the JW Marriott Mumbai promise a truly refreshing dip.

Guests can keep up with their fitness regime, they have a newly redesigned fitness centre with upgraded state-of-
the-art equipment & world class facilities.Guests can take advantage of our fitness centre's state-of-the-art
cardio equipment and free weights.

The Couples Massage Room at the Quan Spa JW Marriott Mumbai offers a host of treatments in the lap of luxury. Relax and unwind in this intimate set-up . Award-winning Quan Spa in Mumbai. Featuring indigenous therapies, marine body wraps, luxurious facials and day-long packages.

 “I am blogging about my luxury stay experience for an activity at BlogAdda in association with MakeMyTrip“

You can do it for your Heart

  Staying Active
  Eating Better
  Being Happy
  These are the three steps or #ChhoteKadam that every one must follow to make your heart 50% healthier.

  Create realistic goals and strategies.Set a goal you know you can keep.Keep it simple. 
   Eating Better is one of the steps to be taken by all.

  If you aren’t used to eating something, try gradually adding it to your diet.Be patient.Changing it isn’t            always easy.Drink more water.Drinking the right amount of water is a key ingredient in staying healthy. If you’re drinking more water, you’ll have less room for sugary sodas.More than half of the calories we consume everyday come from sweetened beverages.

Go green.Eat heart healthy fruits and vegetables.Eat seasonally.This means you are getting food at it’s peak performance and flavor level.Cut out processed food.Higher salt intake puts you at risk for high blood pressure. So take control and cut out salt where you can.Eat more fiber.Whole grains are filled with fiber, which makes digestion easier and helps you feel fuller when you’re done eating.

Replacing processed, junk food for heart-healthy, fiber-filled options.Try milk substitutes. Soy, almond and rice milk are all rich in calcium and Vitamins A and D and add great flavor. 
 Being Happy is the second step

Setting and pursuing goals is an important part of moving forward in life, and making time for ourselves to Relax, Renew and Recharge should be no different. We all need to step back now and then and take a breather. It’s impossible to go full speed all the time.Stress affects each of us in different ways.Stress can weaken your immune system and cause uncomfortable physical symptoms like headaches and stomach problems, as well as insomnia and irritability. Happiness can cut off stress from your life and help in keeping the heart healthy. A daily dose of friendship is a great medicine. Call or write your friends and family to share your feelings, hopes and joys.
 Staying Active

Regular physical activity relieves mental and physical tension. Physically active adults have lower risk of depression and loss of mental functioning. Physical activity can be a great source of pleasure, too. Try walking, swimming, biking or dancing every day.Laughter makes you feel good. Don’t be afraid to laugh out loud even when you’re alone. 

Too much alcohol, cigarettes or caffeine can increase stress. If you smoke, decide to quit now.Try to “pace” instead of “race.” Plan ahead and allow enough time to get the most important things done.Try to get six to eight hours of sleep each night. If you can’t sleep, take steps to help reduce stress and depression. Physical activity also may improve the quality of sleep.Approach the big tasks one step at a time.Be positive that you can handle it right Try not to worry.Eating a heart-healthy diet, being physically active on a regular basis, not smoking and staying at a healthy weight. This is not that difficult to achieve after all its your Heart that is at stake.

“I am joining the Saffolalife #ChhoteKadam initiative in association with BlogAdda and follow these small steps for a healthy heart.”

Act before it is late

A healthy heart should be foremost on your list. You need to take just three steps #ChhoteKadam.
They are Staying Active,Eating Better and Being Happy
Want to make your heart 50% healthier then do take these three steps.

If you are still wondering from where to start I suggest a walking schedule. The heart-healthy benefits of exercising for just 30 minutes a day are nearly endless. To name a few, exercise:

Improves blood circulation

Keeps your weight under control

Helps you quit smoking

Improves cholesterol levels

Prevents and manages high blood pressure

Prevents bone loss

Boosts energy level

Helps manage stress

Helps you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly

Reduces coronary heart disease in women by 30-40 percent

Reduces risk of stroke by 20 percent in moderately active people

Delays chronic illness and disease associated with aging

Eat Well to Prevent Heart Disease.

With family, career,  education and other responsibilities, keeping a track of  our nutritional needs becomes impossible.One can reduce the risk of heart problems with a diet rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats and whole grains.Small but consistent changes can make a big difference in the long run.

Fruits and vegetables: At least 4.5 cups a day.

Fish (preferably oily fish, like salmon): At least two 3.5-ounce servings a week.

Fiber-rich whole grains: At least three 1-ounce servings a day.

Nuts, legumes and seeds: At least 4 servings a week, opting for unsalted varieties whenever possible

Sodium: Less than 1,500 mg a day.

Sugar-sweetened beverages: Aim to consume no more than 450 calories a week.

Processed meats: No more than two servings a week.

Saturated fat: Should comprise no more than 7 percent of your total calorie intake

 Being Happy should be an important part of our life.Make a list of all those things or actions that have ever given you happiness. Try to have a positive attitude to be stress free.Less stress means a happier and healthier heart. Do all those things which make you happy.

For many women, the demands of family, friends, marriage and career can leave little time for the small things – even routine doctors visits.

Make time for annual heart checkups.It’s crucial to schedule and keep annual exam appointments with your primary care physician.We should all encourage the women in our life to join in scheduling and keeping regular exams to prevent heart disease.

Some Don'ts

Smoking causes about 30 percent of all heart disease and strokes.

Nicotine makes your heart rate and blood pressure skyrocket.

Carbon monoxide and tobacco rob your heart, brain and arteries of oxygen.

Smoking damages your blood vessels and makes your blood sticky, which is a recipe for blood clots.

Smoking lowers your tolerance for physical activity and decreases HDL (good) cholesterol.

If you take oral contraceptives, smoking increases your blood pressure and risk for stroke and heart attack.

Smoking can kill you even if you don’t smoke. Second hand smoke increases the risk for heart disease by 25-30 percent and results in cardiac related death for about 38,000 people each year. Act now for your heart

“I am joining the Saffolalife #ChhoteKadam initiative in association with BlogAdda and follow these small steps for a healthy heart.”

My Holi as a child

Holi the festival of colors when colors run riot is a passion for many and a fear for some.

It is an Indian festival celebrated every year at the onset of spring. It is like saying goodbye to the winters. It is usually celebrated with colored gulal, colored water and it can never be complete without sweets. The traditional Holi sweets are the Gujiya along with Dahi Bhalla and Thandai a milk based drink containing a paste of melon seeds, musk melon seeds, almonds and a little black pepper with sugar added to it. It was a common feature to prepare these items at home. Many Indian households followed this tradition and some homes still prepare them. Now with both the partners being working ones the women of the new generation do not have the time to prepare them. Moreover all these items are easily available at all the sweet shops so they prefer to buy them ready made.

The spirit of Holi lies not only in playing with colors and eating sweets but more significantly in sharing love. Today maybe there are more work pressures and related stress which does not allow individuals to enjoy Holi as it used to be.

Things were quite different when I was a child. In those days this was a festival that was more of a common celebration. Every one in the locality collected in a large common place that was central to our colony. Each person had a packet of Gulal in their hands. Every one applied Gulal on each other and then embraced. The youth on the other hand were in a more masti mood as they danced to the tunes of famous Holi songs and splashed colors on each other. Soon every one was so engulfed with colors that only the colors were visible.

We the children too were not to be left behind as we played with water colors and were soon drenched to the bone. Soon plates full of sweets were brought in which were the common effort of several households. We all enjoyed the sweets as we laughed at each other because we all looked so funny.

The women too formed groups and visited each other’s house to apply Gulal and enjoy the festivity.

Looking multi colored the youth of the colony would ride on their cycles shouting Holi hai.

This was not all even our cousins and uncles came visiting and played Holi with us. They also brought boxes of sweets for us. My mother used to invite them for lunch and we truly enjoyed ourselves. Soon it was time to end the play of colors and take a bath. Thankfully it was easy to remove the colors from our hair and face as our mother had taken the precaution of applying oil to our hair and face.

Today when I look around I find that spirit of Holi missing as today every one is busy.

 “I’m pledging to #KhulKeKheloHoli this year by sharing my Holi memories at BlogAdda in association with Parachute Advansed.”

Recreating the old magic

Holi has always been a festival which was greatly enjoyed by the youth and the children.

We loved the splashing of colors, shouting, singing songs and running after each other. These used to be our main activities. The entire family used to be involved in making this festival enjoyable, memorable and a huge success.

It was my father’s task to do the shopping for the colors and the Gulal. So I used to give a list of the colors that I wanted to my father. I still remember how happy and surprised I was when he brought a beautiful brass pichkari for me along with the colors.

My mother was the in charge of the food department. She would too make a list of the items needed to make the delicious sweets and food for that special day. Since we had quite a number of relatives who came to visit us on the day of Holi she had to prepare quite a large amount of sweets and snacks. She used to start preparing the items at least one week in advance. I used to hover near the kitchen with the intention of offering her help and also to sample the sweets and snacks that she was preparing. Our home used to be full of the aroma of the snacks being prepared. My mother used to make the yummiest laddoos I have ever eaten. I used to request her to keep some aside for me to take to school in my tiffin after Holi so that I could share them with my friends.

We were now all set for the big day. A day before the playing of colors a huge bonfire used to be lit at the end of our street. Women dressed in colorful attire with a large plate containing items for worship used to go round the bonfire.

On the day of Holi we all got up early and after applying Gulal to Lord Krisna my mother applied Gulal on my forehead. We had our breakfast because lunch was going to be quite delayed. Then my mother oiled my hair to prevent any damage the colors may cause. She also applied some onto my face and arms. She told me that it would help in removing the colors easily. This done I filled my brand new Pichkari with colored water and waited for the guests to arrive. Soon our compound was filled with people comprising of relatives and neighbors. I had a great time splashing color on them with my shining Pichkari. I then helped my mother in serving the snacks to the assembled guests. There was a lot of bonhomie with the sharing of jokes and laughter all around. Soon the neighbors left as they had to visit some other homes. Then we served the food on a big table and we all took lunch along with our relatives. Eating like this was a wonderful feeling.

Those days are no more as people have moved to distant places and no longer gather at our place. My childhood memories do not let me rest in peace. So I have decided to invite my friends and neighbors to play Holi and stay back for a family lunch.

 “I’m pledging to #KhulKeKheloHoli this year by sharing my Holi memories at BlogAdda in association with Parachute Advansed.”

Time to learn

I was born and brought up in the walled city of Delhi. Ours was a joint house hold where my father and mother lived with his uncle and aunt along with their son and three daughters. It was a big family indeed. We lived in that part of Delhi where the people were old fashioned and traditional to the core. In spite of this fact our family was quite surprisingly different in some ways. The biggest difference was that the men of our house believed in doing their own laundry. The women were strictly forbidden from washing the clothes of the men folk.

The initiator of this norm was my father’s uncle that is my grandfather. He was a great swimmer and practiced wrestling too. This involved the ritual of an oil massage which in turn resulted in his under garments to become stained with oil. He did not want any women of the house to even touch his clothes for the purpose of washing them. After he returned home from his swim he would take a bath and at the same time wash each and every cloth that he had worn. All the men followed suit and it was a daily practice for my father and uncle to wash their clothes at the time of taking a bath. The biggest advantage of this practice was that there was no clutter of any dirty clothes piled up. Also the women were saved from the additional burden of washing the clothes of the men.

When I grew up and got married I found that my husband too had this great habit of washing his clothes himself. Although my mother-in-law objected to this saying that since he was now married it was the duty of his wife to do his laundry. My husband simply smiled as he went on with the washing of his clothes. He told her that he may have got married but it would not bring any change to his years of long habit. He did not see any reason to bring any change in his routine of doing his laundry. Now my mother-in law had no option but to accept his decision.

Then I read about the survey conducted by a third party on the habits of doing house hold chores and specially laundry. The stats revealed that 2 out of 3 children take it for granted that house hold chores and laundry is a mother’s job. Majority of the men agreed that laundry is a women’s job. All this reminds one of gender bias and the prejudice which men have against women.

I am happy that I never faced this situation neither at my parent’s home and thanks to my husband nor after my marriage.

I am happy and relieved that Ariel and BlogAdda are taking the cause of women doing all the house hold chores and laundry all alone. They are inspiring the men to come forward and give a helping hand to their women by #ShareTheLoad.

 “I am joining the Ariel #ShareTheLoad campaign at BlogAdda and blogging about the prejudice related to household chores being passed on to the next generation.”