Amazon forest jungle..swimming with the Piranhas....Elsie Gabriel

 

Amazon forest jungle..swimming with the Piranhas....Elsie Gabriel

 

 

 

Oh to be alive!!! In the Amazon forest jungle…these boys know more about rainforests than scientists who have studied rainforests for many years! Various tribes still live much as did their ancestors hundreds of years before them. Everyday they organize their daily lives very meticulously; their food, medicines and clothing come primarily from the forest. They hunt…for food….and  I went hunting with them….fishing for Piranhas and swimming with Piranhas….outrageously adventurous..I was so over whelmed with elation,…I kept grinning like a Cheshire cat at one time and  sometimes just stood with awe and silence at the wonder of nature…….like I keep telling you after every forest trip…...I simply wanted to curl up and die……same feeling occurred in the Nepal forests, Indonesian jungles, African wild spaces, and the North eastern forests of India…….the forest is what keeps us alive, keeps us breathing…..

I wasn’t exactly the Jane in the Tarzan series in the forest, you know….but researching, documenting and simply letting the forest take over…was what  I did…..

You can reach Manaus in about 6 hours from Rio, while touring Brazil, you should not miss out on this Amazon jungle experience. In South America, Manaus is in the north, which is located on the left banks of the black water Rio Negro river and about 18 km from meeting with the waters of the claylike white water Rio Solimões, at which point both rivers join into the great Amazon river. Thicketed jungles and green forests are the gateway to the inner Amazon region and has been of significant importance for the conquest of the whole region, a fact for which, the jungle theater and the harbor among others, deliver rich testimony. Founded by the Portuguese military during the 17th century, the significant economic development of Manaus took place at the end of the 19th century, with the worldwide demand for rubber or caoutchouc, at an all time high. At that time Brazil had the monopoly for the commodity which was extracted from the Hevea brasiliensis rubber tree.

Gosh there are Rubber trees every where in plenty, thats where all the trade must have started and broken the forest peace.I guess.

If I must share, Manaus is a Brazilain city of about 2.5 million, but the actual Amazoan jungle is through the river boat rides way inside the jungles.  Actually Manaus is located on the Rio Negro a few miles before it meets the Rio Solimões to form the Amazon River proper. The two rivers flow side by side for many miles, different in color, mixing in eddies: the "Meeting of the Waters." Legend has it that they never mix. You get to see all of this during your cruise.

Our expeditions to the inside and deeper Amazonian environment started with various river trails. The miracles of the Amazonian forest and river systems came alive. I was in awe, nirvana and a state of quietness all in one, one of the last great natural environments of the planet and cradle of the species is here. So if you ever ask me ..have I been to heaven , Id say YES to heaven and back.

Trekking through deep virgin rain forest, canoeing through lonesome Igarapes, fishing Piranha or Peacock Bass, watching dolphins, birds, monkeys, alligators, snakes and spiders.Be ready to walk and be ready to rough it out.Not a place for delicate darlings mind you... 

The schedule of the excursions is depending on the weather condition, changes can be made according to your wishes. Learn how to identify trees that produce fruits and nuts you can eat -- like açai palm berries, passion fruit and Brazilian nuts -- as well as vegetation to avoid. Spot medicinal leaves and roots; learn how to find sources of clean water; and practice building traps for small animals. Afterward, enjoy lunch and take a scenic canoe ride before discovering local village life with a visit to a real Amazonian home.

Boat transportation is available in yacht with air-conditioned cabin, regional boat or motorized canoe.Included in the packages are all transfers, lunch, mineral water, bilingual guide and insurance. So choose wisely, cover as much as you can, enrich yourself, you may never come back here, so don’t cringe at the price, remember you are helping promote an ecological site.

All my cow boy and red Indian stories came alive right here!! I got to live inside the geography book pages.Biss!

Lets go Dutch! The Netherlands is a nation known to have a good framework for sustainability. Elsie Gabriel

Lets go Dutch!

Orange it is! The Dutch are painting the town Orange alright in Mumbai!! The Holland meets Mumbai festival 2015 is bringing in a lot of culture, dance and food. Truly a good exchange of ideas and  events. I was happy to witness and  kick start the Holland festival in Mumbai with Consul General of Netherlands, Geoffrey van Leeuwen at Foodhall, India’s premium lifestyle food superstore– enabling its patrons to experience the culinary flavours of Dutch.!

Dutch foods of the Netherlands may not be as well-known as French or Chinese cuisines but it is worth experiencing the delight at least once. The Dutch cuisine has gained popularity amongst food connoisseurs across the globe owing to its simple and straightforward flavours. This food festival will take you to the Orange land with some of its most enjoyable savouries such as StroopWaffles - a waffle made from thin layers of baked dough with a caramel-like syrup filling and world famous cheeses such as Edam and Gouda.

The ever popular Stroopwaffles, delectable Dutch apple tart, bread and butter pudding and Dutch pancakes with blueberries were some of the delicasies laid out .The Dutch pea soup that serves as a substantial and healthy meal in this cuisine was added.Cross Maidan Garden from 5th-7th June and experience what the Netherlands has to offer you! One of the attractions is a live clog demo conducted by  Dijkman Klompen-atelier.

 

The mouth watering Stamppot which is a delicacy made out of mashed potatoes, chopped kale and carrots were sighted as the consul genrals favourite.You can indulge in some exotic Heksenkaas (a flavoured cream cheese or sandwich spread) with Rye bread toasties and White Asparagus with Hollandaise saucealong with mashed potatoes at the demo counter and of course say  Cheese with varieties such as Edam and Gouda.

The Holland Village at the Cross Maidan Mumbai  brought Holland to Mumbai, also hosted  a performance of Kleintje Pils , a very popular Dutch group!  You simply have to check out their footwear. Visit Holland in Mumbai and travel to the land of tulips, windmills and Dutch food.

The street art tucked away in a small bilane in Dharavir Mumbai was striking, so orange to say the least,wish the art works adorned more accessable streets, frequented by the appreciative public and art entusiasts.

Standing below the treet art in Dharavir Mumbai.

The country boasts of  pro-active environment friendly industry-led advocacy groups. Public civic awareness is also high, with sustainability issues integrated into the college and school curriculum. The Netherlands is a nation known to have a good framework for sustainability. The country’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and investing in renewable energy sources is very high and consistent. A conscious and active civil society, coupled with consistent business-friendly government departments help the Dutch keep sustainable actions on top priority.

I have visited Holland and know first hand, living in the most eco friendly hotels, large tulip gardens and parks, miles of green cover,windmills and water management are just some of the areas which a common tourist is witness to, but Netherland has a powerful commitment to check pollution in every aspect of life, which are also unseen by the travel and tourism industry, like legislation and green policies.

Lets go Dutch,for a change right here in Mumbai.

Brick House Café- Watch the flames dance on the Smoked Godfather! Tanya Satish

       Brick House Café.

         Tanya Satish

 

“We loved the Smoked Godfather cocktail, which works up quite an opera in itself and takes you through the light drama as the drink is placed with stacks of cinnamon sticks and set on blue flames, enough to work up an exciting hunger pang with fun filled fascination. The Scotch and Amaretto danced to the tunes of the apple wood alright!”- Tanya satish

      

 

.......Whether starting the day with a very lazy late breakfast and the newspaper at this café, spending a long lunch tucked into this cozy gourmet center, or ending it with a starlight continental dinner; the Brick House Café situated at the up market address of Lokhandwala Mumbai, provides wonderful American and English array of cuisines, for every mood, taste, and time of the day.

 

Nestled  inside a brick walled interiors literally decorated with exterior pipes skirting the lower borders , the front patio invites you in to the offerings of  the celebrated chefs and staff which provide delicious menus, superb wine lists, live entertainment, outdoor patio dining, and an ‘unwinding’ ambience that makes dining a delight. The raw in your face ‘unfinished rustic un cemented brick mosaic wall exterior’  is the interior; replete with light fixtures of bulbs hanging attractively from the ceiling.

 

We visited this place some weeks ago and felt that this new kind of restaurant will grow on you with their delicious popular offerings like Pastas, Nachos, pizzas and  hummus platters.

 And the beer battered Fish and chips as well as their stripped chicken is relishing. Their signature dish is the Brick of India which is a huge plate of spicy chicken wings. Of course their melting grilled tuna sandwich is to die for.

 

The menu is extensive, you will be spoilt for choice, all of them are carefully  inspired by contemporary  cooking with its -grilled specialties. This café also provides take-out food and catering for parties, in the tradition of total service that defines Brick House Cafe.

We loved the Smoked Godfather cocktail, which works up quite an opera in itself and takes you through the light drama as the drink is placed with stacks of cinnamon sticks and set on blue flames, enough to work up an exciting hunger pang with fun filled fascination. The Scotch and Amaretto danced to the tunes of the apple wood alright! The staff are very pleasing and enjoy pampering you.

 

Running a successful restaurant requires keeping customers happy, to keep them coming back. Serving excellent food, consistently is an imperative. Bunty Arora, the owner has what it takes to bind that cultural mosaic that is Mumbai and readily define the enticing array of culinary prowess, all here at Brick House Cafe.

 

Brick House Cafe,

Greenfields Apartment, Main Road,
End of Lokhandwala Market, Opp. HDFC Bank,
Andheri West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400053

022 - 6586 0666

Ruby Khan helps me revisit Holland’s Keukenhof in full bloom! Summer of 2004!

Ruby Khan, am thankful to you for helping me revisit Holland’s Keukenhof in full bloom!

Summer of 2004!

Elsie Gabriel

 

Intellectually vivacious and dynamic, Ruby Khan, known her for almost 18 years, is like a second daughter to me. A young lady now whom am very proud of, to say the least. Well now she is a world citizen, literally! Having a fantastic record of studying worldwide,  Boston, Massachusetts,Yunnan University ,Class of 2012 · Chinese · Kunming Shi, Yunnan, China and Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts.Recently she shared with me pictures of the Worlds largest flower garden in Holland, which brought back so many beautiful colourful memories of the thousands of Tulips at the Keukenhof, which I had visited almost ten years ago or more.

 I thank Ruby for bringing these pictures alive once again for me to enjoy through her recent visit and beautiful eyes! Being a nature enthusiast and outdoor addict,I simply couldn’t resist writing about it. Ahhh what a joy to re-live stunning moments through appreciative souls like you!

 

Well if must know the year 2015 is a vital milestone date for the Dutch, Tulip gardens, as it is exactly 125 years since the death of Vincent van Gogh. This moment was seized by Keukenhof to honour the famous Dutch artist. This season there is a great deal that links Van Gogh and Keukenhof. Willem van Gogh, a relative of Vincent van Gogh, officially opened the 66^th edition of Keukenhof today. This year is the Van Gogh year at Keukenhof. The most beautiful spring garden in the world is open from Friday 20 March up to and including Sunday 17 May. Keukenhof is already in full bloom.

The highlight of the Van Gogh year is a flower bulb mosaic of Vincent van Gogh covering an area of 250m2 and made up of thousands of tulips. The flower shows display wonderful combinations of thousands of tulips and his paintings. this year specially there is a lovely new Selfie garden inspired by the self-portraits of Van Gogh in a modern setting. Even 125 years after his death Van Gogh is still inspiring plenty of people. Says Ruby, “It's the biggest flower garden in the world and true to Dutch culture it's remarkable but not ostentatious.It's very well planned -- the paths across the flower fields are big enough to not run into the thousands of tourists it attracts everyday but it's small enough for you to feel intimate with the beautiful flowers around you. There are cafe's and open spaces for adults and a petting zoo and park for children, if you need a break from all the walking. "   Adds Ruby further describing details of how one could reach there, “One should definitely plan on visiting this garden when the weather's nice out because I don't think one can take in the beauty of the garden when it's raining out. You can buy tickets directly from their official website. There's a shuttle that picks you up and drops you off to/from Schipol AMS Airport and Keukenhof. That shuttle leaves every 5 mins from the Schipol airport.”  Keukenhof has reached a new record with 1.175.000 visitors in 2015. 2015 is the second consecutive year that Keukenhof has attracted more than 1 million visitors. The beautiful, cool spring enabled the flowers to bloom for the complete 8 weeks. The large number of visitors is the result of the publicity around the Van Gogh theme and the increasing popularity of Keukenhof by Americans, Germans, Chinese and visitors from South-East Asia. The average age of the visitors was noticeably lower than in previous years. More Dutch families have visited Keukenhof this year mainly because of all the new events and extra children’s activities. Ruby Khan,am thankful to you for helping me revisit Holland’s Keukenhof in full bloom! Summer of 2004!

Café D' Wine boasts of the best Wine Wall in the city! Elsie Gabriel

Café D'Wine boasts of the best Wine Wall in the city! Elsie Gabriel

Similar to the ones you may find in Europe, Café D’Wine in Khar Mumbai is an intimate wine café. Quant place which includes a wine boutique, this cozy setting  is the perfect place to relax with friends or have a romantic dinner conversation over wine.

 

Warmly welcomed by Sanjay Mirani of Café D’Wine, entering the wine café brought back my travels to the French sidewalks and the Italian Wine cafes, which enhance your indulgence in quality time over a glass of bubbly. The entire place is stylish and the décor has distinct Italian art works around.Its not a huge place where you would get lost, but a cozy place to simply indulge in a series of wines offered with various multi cuisines. It is a class apart and way above the average wine café .

I believe Sanjay is a well travelled and experienced restauranteur; and a wine connoisseur who knows his wines well.

Their personalized service and atmosphere will make you feel at home, as you graze over flavorful food selections. The ‘Wine Wall’ is very attractive and lets you study the wines at one glance, ofcourse all well explained in detail by Sanjay himself who finds the time to take you around the world with all the wines on display.

 

I simply loved the pairing of the Prawn cocktail my favorite appetizer, together with the White Casablanca Sparkling wine offered by Ralph Craven our dear friend whom it was lovely to meet after ages. Ralph outlined that the sparkling wine  has entered the fray by Good Drop Wine Cellars. Casablanca is affordably priced and it is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Moscato and Shiraz and is made using the Charmat method.

The afternoon was spent over Smoked Chicken salads, Char grilled cottage cheese, Crispy Lamb with glass noodles, Char grilled chicken with red wine sauce and some lovely lemon Meringue to complete the menu. All sprinkled with lovely conversations over the ‘Casablanca’ bubbly which stole the evening.

 

 

They have a great wine list at ridiculously reasonable prices, that’s why dropping in to unwind with some music around too, makes for a good experience.

 

The wine and gourmet combination dishes offered here are amazing and they go great with the atmosphere of the place. The staff is friendly and the food is served hot and quick. Café D’Wine obviously knows what they’re talking about when it comes to good wines!

Community that eats together, stays together! Meet the Bohri kitchen folks who perpetuate this!

Community that eats together, stays together!  Meet the Bohri kitchen folks who perpetuate this!

Elsie Gabriel

It’s hard for me to forget about the Bohri lunch that I had last week at The Bohri Kitchen in Colaba,Mumbai. Tucked away in a classic old fashioned building is a Borhi household ,Father, Mother and son trio which serve up the most delicious home food Bohri style.

I happily returned to my many childhood memories about eating together, when I saw the gathering who collect every weekend , which is only by invitation.

If you agree that it’s more fun to combine eating with meeting interesting people, then The Bohri kitchen is the perfect place for you.  The whole gourmet experience is about social dining. The main aim is to bring people together who might not have known each other previously, and it is all served up in a beautiful home.

Each dish is well explained even before it makes a grand entry, mouth already watering, the ingredients, style of eating it, the vessels used and also what has gone into its preparation is systematically well outlined, enough to make you salivate. Munaf  Kapadia , the brain and modern conceptualizer of the age old home community eating mastermind, of the TBK says, “This is an experimental lunch concept where we invite friends or friends of friends, to our home for a mouthwatering 5-6 course Bohri meal. Unfortunately since TBK is held at our residence we are sticklers about who we invite. If you have a mutual friend or are the prime minister of a country, it helps.”

There is so much tradition and love that goes into the food ,its amazing how the mother aka Home Chef  Nafisa Kapadia does it all, she is the entrepreneural chef who uses her years of cooking skills to conceptualize the menu and create the final gastronmoic masterpieces which are served to guests. She is TBKs backbone.

I came away satisfied and well fed, enough to boast that this Bohri clan does everything to enhance the home dining tradition. Eating meals together regularly provides more than good nutrition; it enables family members and friends to share their days with each other, relax, laugh, discuss social issues, make new friends and strengthen old relationships.

 

Come on, when was the last time you ate a meal without your laptop, or the mobile or TV running simultaneously? Stop, think, go and enjoy the Bohri kitchen experience. Feel the environment which fosters conversation during meals, the old fashioned way, giving reverence to each ingredient and natures bounty for sure.

Of course home cooked meals are healthier. Catch up on your communication skills, listen patiently and learn to expressing one’s opinion in a respectful manner. Stop eating hastily with food in your mouth, ready to rush out for another errand or job schedule. And if you must know, Eating together helps younger members appreciate family tradition. Food served at the family table helps to shape and give lasting meaning to our cultural heritage.

See, here at the Bohri kitchen each member of the family is involved in the meal preparation. Watching Mrs Kapadia’s face, at the end of the luncheon was so blissful, to see her watch everyone else enjoy her meal and leave with so much gratitude. Teach by example, they say. Well, she does it all through the Bohri kitchen table.

 

Of course the menu and dishes offered you will easily find on the webpage and through my pictures but what you will not find is the essence which I captured, that is a family which eats together, stays together! Food needs to be valued. Nature’s offerings needs its status back.Go find out through the Bohri kitchen journey, for your self!

https://www.facebook.com/thebohrikitchen#!

Vengaboys in Boom Boom Mumbai! Elsie Gabriel Vengabus, I like to party and ofcourse we're going to Ibiza!

Vengaboys in Boom Boom Mumbai!

 

 

"I've got something to tell ya, I've got news for you, Gonna put some wheels in motion
Get ready 'cause we're coming through,Hey now, hey now, hear what I say now
Happiness is just around the corner,Hey now, hey now, hear what I say now
We'll be there for you!!!....NOW SING IT!!!

pics copyright @elsiegabriel

The Vengabus is coming, And everybody's jumping,New York to San Fransisco,An intercity disco,The wheels of steel are turning,And traffic lights are burning,So if you like to party
Get on and move your body ...yeah you know them. REMEMBER.....the Vengaboys!

 

Well, the Vengaboys are very close to my heart, on their recent trip to India, not only did the pop group bring their 90s party tracks to Mumbai but brought back so many beautiful memories of Hubby and Me dancing to many of those numbers!! We would drive the car with the Vengabus belting out some of the best numbers back then!

Their high energy performance sure kept us dancing all night at the concert in Mumbai last weekend. Their on-stage chemistry simply transcended down to the crowds which responded in unison to their lyrics for sure.

 This Dutch Eurodance group  took the world by storm in the 90s, with their fun hit number, We Like To Party, which was considered a must have classic by party goers.

And if you must know, the Vengaboys are a Euro dance pop group  based in Rotterdam. The brainchild of two Dutch folks Diepen and Dennis ; the group consists of lead vocalist Kim Sasabone, vocalist Denise Post-Van Rijswijk and male vocalists Robin Pors and Donny Latupeirissa.

While the music industry has seen several new artistes, the singers are simply undeterred by competition. I guess there is a place and a song for every party in this world of music, and the Vengaboys have survived it all through the years. The Vengaboys enjoy great commercial success till today. They are best known for their two UK number-one singles, Boom Boom, We’re going to Ibiza, and of course We like to party!

My heart goes shalala lala, shalala in the morning.
Oh oh oh shalala lala, shalala in the sunshine.
Shalala lala, shalala lala in the evening.
Shalala lala shalala lala just for you!!

 

And thats my favourite!!!