Checking In

I am sitting beneath a sky lit up by stars, a cool breeze playing with the wind chime and the night sounds from the forest around my cottage adding chorus to the playlist humming in the background. I haven't been wrong about Goa inspiring me; I am typing out this post on the leetle notepad app on my phone with a broken screen, so inspired I am! When do I actually get to post this will depend on when I get decent wifi. As you may gradually notice, while in Goa, I am also embracing patience and becoming more zen (ahem) as the days pass. Well, almost. It's a start to zen-ness, let's just put it this way.

I have so many stories to tell you. To begin with, my brand new rental car to which I was handed the keys very ceremoniously by the obviously proud owner, turned out to be this shiny silver thing with the driver's seat just a few inches above the ground. The people in the know know that low cars and and I just don't see eye to eye. I didn't have the heart to request for another car and with my arm barely reaching the window, I waved goodbye to the proud owner, his prouder flunkey and the beaming staff. What with getting wonderfully lost (sometimes) to terribly lost (every single day) to hurling bad, very bad words at the wayward GPS signal, to smartass google maps taking this cue to reroute such that I cover every possible road in Goa, well, it has been quite an adventure so far when it comes to getting my good self from point A to point Z. But but, I am happy to declare that more & more, I am able to navigate Goa without the help of that stoned (clearly!) google maps app. When I can actually see the road from this darned car, ie. And when I am not getting all nostalgic traversing through familiar roads traversed during journeys past.

And then there are these people I am meeting. Strangers, new friends, friends of friends, breakfast buddies, dinner companions, home owners, cocktail cheerers, direction givers, tech issue solvers, creative visionaries, big-city-corporate-job-deserters  - such an eclectic bunch and all so very nice! I have also been bumping into people who exclaim 'Ah! An Indian Summer!' and I respond, surprised and chuffed, 'Yes! That's me!' and then we laugh and talk about all things creative and I am welcomed with open arms. To add to the merry party, a dear friend joined me for the Holi weekend. The day began with wine for breakfast and six shades of organic colors, leading to driving wherever the road took us with us screaming singing along with Bon Jovi, to chatting incessantly about anything and everything, as only the closest friends can do, to almost drowning in the pool for we were laughing so hysterically! Well, we can satisfactorily say that Holi was celebrated as it should be celebrated!

Now that I have figured out wifi with the help of some good folks, you will see the blog and I get back to regular posts. If you have emailed me and haven't heard back yet, I will get to your email within a day or two. You guys, you do overwhelm me sometimes, you know. All in a good way. I love love the emails you have been sending, sharing tips, wishing me well, joining me vicariously in Goa...you guys are to me what puddles of warm sunshine are to my boy cat! Keep writing and I will see you again before this week is through.

[All images: An Indian Summer]

Have Feet, Will Travel

It's time again to take off.

Where to now? You ask.

And I say that you ask a pertinent question, Milady & Milord.

I will pause the obsessive marathon sessions of Downton Abbey and take this post to apprise you of my forthcoming wanderings.

I am going to be in Goa for the next few weeks. I will be hopping across the length (primarily) and breadth of North Goa on my own (gasp! & yaay!) exploring the country side, the old cities, the villages, the beaches, looking up homes, meeting fresh-off-the-oven friends, visiting creative folks, avoiding snakes, attending events and getting inspired by it all. Except the snakes bit ie. And don't even start on the what-you-do-unto-snakes-the-poor-snakes-won't-ever-dream-of-doing-unto-you  spiel. They can be the most pious, gentle creatures to slither on the face of the earth and I am happy for their general goodness. But I do hope one of them reads this blog post and tweets about re-routing their slithering to the direction opposite to my general direction. And by doing so we avoid general nuisance, mutual inconvenience & singular oscar winning dramatic episodes. There. This is as environmentally, herpetologically & politically correct as I can be when talking about them slitherers.

So, moving on, if you happen to be in Goa and notice a petite woman standing by the side of a lovely  winding road, next to a lush green field, with a large map flapping wildly in the Goan breeze, that, that will be me! Please stop, say hello (for we are always polite, even when not under the influence of Downton Abbey) and help with directions and such.

Sigh. The romanticism of paper maps and a breeze in Goa at this time of the year! In reality, if you see a petite woman, standing, to begin with, in the middle of a road, and then jumping indignantly to the side of the road, next to a lush green field (we like fields and always stop by their side), rotating her smart phone left to right to get the orientation right and muttering terrible threats at google maps, that, that will be me! Please stop, say hello and wassup (for we like some American soaps too) and help with directions and such.

Apart from your Advanced Directional Support, tell me things about Goa, people. Things you have discovered. Things you love. Or don't love. Nooks to see. Homes I would love to stay in.  People to meet. Those winding roads off the map. The ways to spend evenings. And nights. THE beach to catch the first rays of the rising sun. Where do I get to hear the most sublime music. Where are the cats. What about the dogs. I would love to know all, for Goa is going to see a lot more of me in the coming months. And it's about time that we got better acquainted. Email me, message me here, tweet me. Tell me all. And I will tell you all that I experience and discover as my Goa saga evolves.

This trip is as much about working as it is about exploring. So I won't be missing in action completely, but will keep popping in, if not with a post, then with updates on my wanderings (with pretty pictures. always with pretty pictures) on facebook and twitter. If you don't hear back from me within reasonable time, rest assured that some *&h%$ snake, who CLEARLY has been living under a rock and doesn't follow that twitterati snake fellow respectfully mentioned above, has gotten the better of me. No other reason will keep me away from you. Except maybe Desmondji. Just maybe. :)

While I expound on all that I have been expounding about, you must have noticed these gorgeous rooms that keep popping up between my monologue. What to do. Hard to keep pretty rooms away from this blog of mine, irrespective of how profound the monologue is. These rooms, my dear people, are from Morocco. The lovely Villa Maroc, located in the heart of Medina of Essaouira, in Morocco. Such rooms, spaces and decor, that for a moment I forgot about Goa. Just for a moment that is. If not for the early morning flight that I need to catch, I would have gladly spent another page or two talking about oh, my pretteh feet and all their wanderlusting!

You, my favorite people, you have a marvelous weekend.

I'll talk to you again, soon, reporting live, from Goa!

[All images: Villa Maroc. Villa Maroc on Facebook]

A Good Storm

 Riders on the storm

 Riders on the storm

Into this house we're born

Into this world we're thrown...

[Play this as you take in the images below]

I love storms! The rain, the wind, thunder and lightning. People run to take shelter when there is an incoming storm, I run outside to stand in the vortex of it all. Hair flying, wind biting the face, grit on lips, eyes closed shut against the odds and ends flying around, the roar of the wind, the distant thunder and the flash of lightning - Ah! nothing beats this feeling! And you may wonder why I am all stormed up today - well, the weather here is just lovely! Strong winds, warm yet with a hint of oncoming cold rain. The trees outside my windows have been swaying wildly and I have been working and listening to my favorite stormy time music. I had a completely different post to do today, but the weather took over, and here we are. It's hard to explain why these rooms and spaces are perfect to go with storms and this song, but they are. Evocative, full of character and depth, I would love to be in these spaces as a storm rages outside.

 

Tell me,

If you feel it too? 

And if you love storms as much as I do

[Images from: 1, 2, 3]

Look Ma, No Furniture

Well, Almost, No Furniture!

I love it when there's the challenge of putting a room together with limited resources or within a limited budget. The idea of re-purposing, up-cycling, being ingenious in a manner that a beautiful space is created almost out of thin air - that's what gets my creative juices flowing. The simplest of things can add such personality and beauty to a space, and these rooms prove exactly that!

Would love to see images of spaces that you might have put together in a similar fashion or get inspired to do up a space at your home. Do send them my way! 

[Image sources: 1, 2]

The House Of Wonders

 

Lamu and it's many wonders. I keep going back to this little coastal town to take in the pristine beaches, the whitewashed homes and the quaint B&B's and hotels. The one that caught my eye today is called Baytil Ajaib (House of Wonders), a beautifully restored 17th century Swahili house. I love the sense of calm that these rooms and spaces exude; the furniture and decor is just right and doesn't overpower the senses. Read more about Baytil Ajaib's restoration and 'evolving' architecture right here.

 

[All Images: Baytil Ajaib]