Leela Mumbai Green Oasis! “Bringing the world closer, with one review at a time”, Holiday IQ by Elsie Gabriel

“Bringing the world closer, with one review at a time”, Holiday IQ

Rapid increasing interest in the travel world by people all over the world, brought Holiday.IQ to get a handful of hardcore travelers and vacation writers together, on a discussion ‘journey’ over luncheon at the LEELAS Mumbai. HolidayIQ.com is an online travel  information portal supported by firsthand comments and reviews from travelers all over the world. Yes, believe it or not they get over  millions views a day, real, organic and true stories, ‘in your face’ true tales, which mince no words. I can tell you that if you simply download the app or visit the site online, you will see that you get minute details and hints of every spot on the planet visited, either in its exotic form or in the raw; blatantly telling you to keep away. So if you are set to travel, simply log onto to Holiday IQ before you pack!!

 

 All great travel apps have one thing in common, they all solve a problem you didn’t even realize you had. That said, with the Holiday IQ app you will be cutting down journey times, pointing you in the direction of authentic local hangouts, or simply showing you how to ask for the washrooms in the local language or help you to choose the best room in the hotel. So browse well, choose well and after you have travelled, please do get back on and review.

 

 The Leela never fails to disappoint me when I visit. Green lucious trees and endless plants surround the hotel. Keeping carbon footprints in check right from the entrance all the way upto the equsite lobby.Keeping its promise, at Leela Mumbai I was welcomed with utmost courtesy, totally unrushed at the entrance.

 

 

 

 

The travellers forum took place at the lobby level quant, little and cozy outlet called the Six Degrees. Vibrant music, small plates and expertly crafted cocktails define Six Degrees, the cosmopolitan bar at The Leela Mumbai. Contemporary décor and floor-to-ceiling selection of premium beverages helps you later unwind as you sip your drink on their spacious poolside connecting terrace.

Of course we were escorted by Sunila Duggal, the hotels communications expert who has all the sophistication required for the hospitality industry, you can see why the Leelas has an added advantage now.

Going deeper into the labyrinths of the kitchen inside, I considered it a rare privilege. Chef Surender Mohan, showed us the fine details of the kitchen workings. Mohan is a name that needs no introduction, makes you fall in love with Indian dishes all over again! The food at Jamavar is divine.

 Mohan has over fifteen years of experience in mastering the art of Indian Cuisine and his eclectic clientele across the globe consider him a true ambassador of India. His zest to bring the hidden treasures of Indian spices and cuisines to Jamavar is evident from the elaborate menu.

Jamavar is the ultimate Indian dining experience providing the best from northern and southern India. Tender kebabs to rich curries. The ambience is warm and inviting with hand-carved wooden screens and flower laden urlis with floating candles .Being garlanded with fresh flowers was only the start to a whole new journey of Kababs and fresh Indian culinary travels from all across the country. I simply gave in.

Again the decor is high profile contemporary with a good eye for comfort and functionality blend with extravagant opulence inspired by India’s rich history. I have to tell you that the hotel is just a five minute’s drive from the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.

If you ask me which corner of the hotel, inspired me the most, it was the poolside which enveloped me with all the greenery and swaying palms. Would you believe it, the Leela offers guests an hour of Yoga by the poolside with their trained instructors, a service with the compliments of the hotel. Cascading waterfalls beckon you outside as you sip your drink inside. You sure can’t miss this world class hotel on your journey to Mumbai India. Take it from me.

Loreto Nepal shines brightly and stands strong!Elsie Gabriel

Loreto Nepal shines brightly and stands strong!

Elsie Gabriel

 

[Elsie Gabriel is the founder of the Young Environmentalists Programme trust NGO and a Climate Reality Mentor trained by former vice President of USA Mr.Al Gore.She is an award winning author, a certified Green teacher and a post graduate in Environment law. She is an alumni of Loreto Convent Asansol and Loreto College Calcutta India where she graduated with honours in the subject of Education, after which she joined the Mass Communication course in Sophias college Mumbai.]

More than forty smiling bright faces welcomed us, at the Loreto Dharan Nepals  Educational development Center in July 2015 during our social service visit to the center.

 

The aftermath of the traumatic summer earthquake tremors were still being felt off and on, but the members of the entire Loreto center community were holding strong and confident as ever. The Loreto sisters are a happy and hard working community in Dharan, led by Sister Flora, Sr.Purnima and Sr.Aruna. You can see concrete results of their dedication and training of the student community who live with them in the hostel. From academics to behavior management, the students displayed  warm and active personalities, enriched with love and prayer.

The timetable is well organized for the hostelites to wake up praying and studying. they also take turns in cooking and cleaning, which equips them to be better experienced women in the future. The girls later go to the local afternoon school, very neatly dressed and well groomed.

 The sisters of Nepal also provide educational  and private day care services for ages 1 to 5,helping working and studying mothers from the local community find extra time.

 

The center is productive yet involves plenty of challenging work. We were happy to reach out to the students and talk to them about the climate change and rehabilitation, the earthquake tremors and its effects .And that it was all part of nature, we also showed them a Climate Reality Presentation where they saw disasters from all over the world happening due to global warming, this helped them see disasters from a more higher perspective and how it effects people equally all over the world.

 We also conducted a talk on the ‘Productive Cloth bag revolution’, on how each one could make one and help stay away from the plastic bags. Stitching one also involved art and craft as well as brought out talent in a person. We distributed cloth bags and silk scarves for the students to get an idea of the productive work they could also conduct.

We rewarded some students  for good behavior shown throughout the year, which  Sister felt is also an important part of the learning process for all students.

We as environment social workers focused on a few days of short but intensely satisfying therapeutic recreation activities for the children which included gardening activities with sapling plantations and reinventing the farm by providing piglets, ducks and hens. During these sessions we found that good team spirit existed.

One could clearly see that the Loreto philosophy of education in Dharan had founded upon strong behavioral support and student accountability. We saw a holistic approach to education that provided the foundation for success and survival in every aspect of a young person’s life, developing good social and behavioral skills.

We also sang songs with the children after dinner and we found the children to be very talented and focused.

 On the last day we cooked a special supper for the children on the wood fire. It was a humbling experience and gave us an insight that the seniors learn to cook here, enabling them to play active and successful roles in families and society.

 

The multidisciplinary approach at The Educational Development Center placed an emphasis on individual, student-centered learning techniques to help young people complete grade-appropriate course requirements and fulfill their highest level of academic achievement. We found that a special mathematics teacher gave tuition to the students  and coached them for the examinations.

Every night before going to bed, one would hear hymns in praise of God, sung out with so much love and dedication, and gratitude towards life. Every night that we joined them, I would peek through my shut eyes, only to see such innocent faces filled with hope and love, standing in perfect rows, their eyes tightly closed singing away to glory, as the stars blessed them from above in the central portico of the Loreto Fortress.

I encourage you to contact me if you like what you have read about the Loreto Convent Nuns and if you as an alumni could help support the Loreto Convents,it would be great to hear from you. elsiegabriel@gmail.com

What more can one ask for in the world, the wealth of love and contentment is all that we really need in life, after all! These are the lessons we came away enriched with. God bless Loreto!

 

'Women in time to come will do much'  Mary Ward had rightly said.

Loreto Chorus

To East and West of that fair Isle
Where the first Loreto stands,
Loreto's banner now doth fly in many distant lands,
In sunny Spain, on Africa's strand and
Under the Southern Cross
And Westward ho, where rainbow hued
Nigeria's waters toss.

CHORUS

Loreto's banner gaily floats
In lands both East and West
Loreto's name each girl reveres
And holds it ever blest.

But first Loreto found a home beneath our Indian skies
Where now o'er plain and mountain peak
The well loved banner flies.
Loreto's standard bearers we
In girlhood springtime gay
O may we e'er be loyal and true
To the school friends of today.

And when our school days ended are
And our varied paths divide O may the ideals of our youth
Still ever be our guide;
High ideals of purity, of duty and of truth
Learnt while we bore Loreto's flag
In the sunny days of youth.

 

 

Enter the Dragon and tickle your taste buds at the Asian cuisine festival hosted by Master Chef Zong Shou Chen at Trident BKC!

Enter the Dragon and tickle your taste buds at the Asian cuisine festival hosted by Master Chef Zong Shou Chen at Trident BKC!

 

Elsie Gabriel

 

 

 

If you are looking for some real authentic Chinese food, simply head to the Trident at the B.K.C Mumbai. I sure did enter the Dragon food festival and was swept away with the fresh and luscious oriental specialties. I was happy to have been invited by the 022 at the Trident Mumbai and  welcomed by Chef Jeevan Singh who graciously explained the fineries of the Chinese spread. The open cooking alleys spread with colours and smells of China could only be curated by the master himself-  Chef Zong Shou Chen!

 

I loved my tete a tete with the master as we kept hitting the google translate each time to converse. I found it quite fascinating and the entire google conversation actually stirred up quite an appetite after all. The master loves Shezuan as his favorite Chinese style of cooking and he also translated that he is super happy with the great response he was getting. His smiles and face expressions take it all away as he surveys his kingdom of the endless spread, with a pleasing frown. He pleased us by offering glazed baked crispy pork and of course the water chestnut in Chinese style was my best. You don’t need to know the language to find love in the food, do you?

 It is here that the guests fall in love with life, all over again! Delicate chandeliers adorn the entrances and neatly cut staircases take you to the all day dining inhouse bay. Being one of the most reputed BKC hotel, The Trident here knows how to treat and pamper their guests to their heart’s content. This luxury hotel  is equipped with the best of recipes along with the most valued team of chefs.

The Oriental culinary tour of items displayed before your eyes from all over Asia was amazing. For instance the Butanese style vegetarian momo’s were drop dead delicate. Light oriental cuisine is perhaps the real way to treat yourself as the lip-smacking aromas infuse within your tastebuds only to enhance your appetite without leaving you too full. No overpowering tastes, just subtle hints keeping the flavours of the salmon and pork all so simple.  

I loved the use of fresh herbs and light cooking.The steamed Salmon with assorted vegetables were simply exotic. The festival is on till the end of the month, so pamper your eyes and palates with a wonderful spread of soups, starters, main course and desserts. The Trident is really world class and it never fails to disappoint me, ever!

PS-The Wine wall ascends and descends each time you watch the array through the glass lifts, only because the wines are stored showcased beautifully adjacent to the lifts plying up and down to the floors. It’s a sight to behold,you have to simply visit the place to take in the opulence!

Squirrel Monkeys of the Amazon Forests. Wilderness is where I belong.....Elsie Gabriel

Squirrel Monkeys of the Amazon Forests. Wilderness is where I belong.....Elsie Gabriel

 

 

 

Researching this Cebidae primate was over whelming. These common squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) at the Rio Negro, Amazon near Manaus, Brazil; were the friendliest lot I had ever seen. May be they found something in common with me, after all.

The Amazon forest  in South America is the most fascinating store house of the worlds carbon kingdom, you could ever imagine. It is an intricate archipelago of narrow green ribbons of forest, punctuated by the Amazon river and its tributaries.If you ever hit for the South American discovery, do not leave out the Amazon forests, enjoy the earth in it smost natural state,believe me.

 

Well, let me tell you more about these little squirrel monkeys. The crown lineage of the squirrel monkeys appears to have diverged around 1.5 million years ago. Imagine!!

This new world monkey does not use its tail for climbing, although when you watch it move, you observe it kind of uses it as a tool and balancing pole of sorts to help him jump from one spot to another. Their movements in the branches can be very rapid.

They live together in groups. These little chimps kept giving out vocal calls, warning sounds to the rest of the troupes, I guess they were either protecting themselves or calling in the rest of the gang to show me off. I guess the later.

They are so tiny and hairy, but alert at all times. Their small body size also makes them susceptible to predators .Squirrel monkeys are omnivores, eating primarily fruits and insects. Occasionally they also eat seeds, leaves, flowers, buds, nuts, and eggs.

The Amazon jungle is the largest tropical rainforest on Earth and a World Natural Heritage site.  I drowned myself in its grandeur and was captivated by its wonder. It's dense forests made for excellent hiking trails, intense smells and foilage kept drawing me into the thickest depth of the jungle life I have ever experienced. I just didn’t want to leave.

Wilderness is where I belong and God am going back!! Every night before I sleep I say a prayer for the rainforests of the world, may they multiply, may they be left alone; and may they continue to provide us the essence of life-Oxygen! Reuse,Reduce,Rethink and Replenish.We belong to the forest, the forest does not belong to us?! Respect Forests…

If you liked what you just read, do not forget to please share it and follow my blog to travel into the wilderness along with me....

 

Nikit Surve - the Scatman! Disecting and studying Leopard poo to track the diet/ecology of leopards in SGNP Mumbai.

                   Nikit Surve- the Scatman!

Elsie Gabriel.

 

 

Of course, I have seen the Leopard which appeared diagonally in front of my building arena in Hiranandani Powai Mumbai about six months ago. All I could do as a lay person and environmentalist, was to shoo people away from the scene and call the authorities, pave way to give the leopard some dignity and respect; as it was on it’s own home ground. It was no use crowding around and clicking pictures, or gawking at it, collecting a large gathering around it. The leopard was not in a circus, it was in its own jungle surrounded by us creatures, humans!

copyright pics SNGP/Elsie Gabriel/Nikit Surve

The man and animal conflict has risen in fact with more cases showing up, as experts attribute this to human encroachment of forest land.

The shrinking natural habitat of wild animals like deer, rabbits, and jackals has been forcing them to enter human habitations sometimes, where they come in conflict with human beings competing for space and food.

At many places wild life suffers loss as people hound the beast and then kill it to spare from its expected attacks. With climate change and deforestation, more and more of the poorer sections of society get the bitter end of the bargain, like in the case of the Arey hutments.

Today, 30th June 2015, watching Nikit Surve, a masters student from the Wild life Institute of India was very enlightening. Nikit unveiled his research methods on leopards to obtain the density and census of leopards in SNGP; and to also estimate the density of wild prey in SGNP as well as its diet and domestic preys. Nikit has carried out a study of the different aspects of the ecology of leopard which was all studied at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park Mumbai from December 2014 to June 2015.This study was conducted under the supervision of Dr. S.Sathkumar, Dr. K.Sankar, and Dr.Vidya Athreya in collaboration with the park authorities and the Park director Vikas Gupta.  

 

Nikit and his teams used ‘camera traps’ deployed both sides of the trails and ‘Distance sampling’ with the help of  ‘line transects’ among numerous other methods all around the periphery of the park including the Arey Milk colony, the Manpada  Yeoor belt and  Nagla zone of Borivli . For this he said that they even collected Leopard scat [feces] to analyze the leopards food habits. “Prey density outlined where leopards were moving for prey. Along with marking transects, pug marks, scats and tracks, cameras at ideal locations were placed to study the ecology of the leopard habitat.”Added Nikit, as he showed several captures of the team washing Leopard poo and documenting findings from its contents to prove it's diet chart.Thererfore I proudly call him the Leopard Scatman!

copyright Pics Nikit Surve

 

“This study is excellent, we can now manage the park in a more systematic manner and also help with  mitigation where the leopard-human conflict is concerned. We appeal to the public to be sensitive towards the leopards and not sensationalize the creatures.” said Vikas Gupta, director, SGNP congratulating Nikit and his team. Therefore in conclusion at least thirtyfive leopards feeding on wild pigs, stray dogs, civets, jungle cats,macaques, langurs, deer, sambars and other preys like Hare and Mouse Deer exist in the SNGP. According to the study findings, 24% of prey base is stray dogs alone, total domestic animals prey base including dogs is 43% while the remaining prey base of 57% is from the wilderness . Nikits presentation of his pictorial findings were very entertaining but factual.This is the first time a density estimation has been done of the leopards of SGNP.

So, if you ever see a leopard, do not be alarmed, infact any wild life animal, simply walk away. Do not provocate the animal,or gather in large crowds. The leopard was accorded full protection by awarding it the Schedule I status in 1983 which gives it the highest protection in India.

Do not take the matter in your own hands. Call the forest department or BMC or Police to help. Do not pressurize the forest rescue team to capture the wild animals, you never know if there are young ones being left behind for poachers. You also never know if you are creating a space for bigger wild animals to come in. You may call the Forest rescue team where ever you are or simply the police and if in Mumbai call the Sanjay Gandhi National Park control room: 022- 28866449.

 

 

[Elsie Gabriel is the founder of Young Environmentalists Programme Trust and Mentor Climate Reality leader for Al Gores climate change education. Expert Environment Law and Mass communications Elsie is a certified Green Teacher.You may contact 9967347511/elsiegabriel for more EVS ecucational trails and presentations on climate change.]