Monsoon through my lenses

At the back of my school, there was a creek. Due to continuous rainfalls, the water in the creek logged, and slowly it enters our school ground. We were eagerly waiting for that and checking the level of water. Because at a particular level we got the holiday. Then viola…. Screaming, laughs, and lots of cheering! We went always with a group of 8 to 10 people and enjoyed the monsoon. Only one or two people had an umbrella and rest of us were trying to hide in the same one 😀

PC: Alamy stock photo

I am missing those days. How many of you have these kinds of childhood monsoon memory? Do you still remember your school incident guys? Comment, please.

Me and Mr. hubby love to have the monsoon ride on a bike. This monsoon ride rejuvenates us from the busy weekdays. This is one of the best ways to refresh our minds and body. Sipping tea on a roadside stall with hot pakodas… 😋 and adoring nature give us relaxation. It is one kind of meditation for us.

We are grateful to have our home at this place where we have a beautiful monsoon. People used to plan for a monsoon trekking and we are blessed to have such kind of road trip whenever we want throughout this monsoon season. Feel this monsoon through my lenses and comment down which picture you like the most.

Now our daughter is also a part of our “Pagalpanti” 😊 She asked whenever she wants to have a ride but we insist her to wait for the monsoon. She asked me what is the monsoon? 

I simply replied it is a rainy season. She said that I know mamma, but what it is exactly? How it works? Why clouds are black and grey? Blaa…blaaa….blaa..

Hmmm, kid’s mind have a lot of queries. I tried to explain in a kid’s manner. Monsoon is the rainy season where we have heavy and cold winds. These winds bring rain. Due to the black and grey clouds, we have rainfall.

Unfortunately monsoon in this year 2020 adds more trouble with COVID -19. Mumbai was flooded and most of the buildings were collapsed due to this heavy rain.

 

Back to the topic,😀we experience this greenery in the month of July to August. Monsoon start from the June and it may end in November too, kidding but yes last year we had monsoon in winter too. The bottom line is you will not find this greenery after august. Because the grasses tend to increase more and it looks like a mushy green forest.

I like monsoon very much. Sipping a hot cup of coffee, ginger cardamom tea with kanda bhajji and hot piping khichdi with pickle and papad, tomato soup, love to have all this with chirping sound of rainfall. Being a foodie I love to have all monsoon season foods + festive food in our home.

What is your favorite comfort food for the rainy season?

 

Hope you like our monsoon photography. Don’t forget to check out my FACEBOOK PAGE page.

 

 

©Neeta Kadam. This article and image are the property of Memory Flies. Any unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author is strictly prohibited.

 

An accidental visit to the Apple Farm

I am belonging to the west coast and love to roam freely with mango orchards especially in the summer holiday. It was an awesome feeling to have Alphonso mango tree around you at reachable heights from where you can pluck mango easily 😀. We have mango once in the year and yes that “AMARAI” looks awesome.

(PS: Amazon)

Since my childhood, I always wonder how the apple is cultivated. The same question is now asked by my daughter too. She is an apple lover and I am not. Glad that my child loves to eat apple more than a banana. As I grew up I came to know the details procedure and wished to have a visit to the Apple Orchards once in a lifetime and yes, my dreams come true.

(PS: India Mart)

It was on Kashmir's visit when we were on our way to Pahalgam. A visit to Apple Orchard was not on our tour list. Still, wherever we went we saw only and only rose and apple tree. Each house had these trees in front of their door. This is the way nature is cultivated and preserved by this society. 

They do not have tall buildings, big complexes, and tons of vehicles. That is why Kashmir air is so fresh and you can feel the cool breeze. Nature is always showering their love to humans but it is “WE” cannot able to sustain it. If we can preserve in a little bit manner I think everywhere will be the greenery.

Yes, that is why now nature tested us. Nature giving abundantly and we humans start to misuse it. We deserve this "CORONA" and all other natural calamities which we are facing since March 2020. These all are a big punishment by nature. Let's understand and accept that nature creates us and it is only and only nature who can destroy us. And that also within a blink of eyes. Respect and preserve nature.

Back in the story, we had our small van and at one point of highway-side, we stopped for our lunch. Oh my God! The rush of the hotel was terrific. You will be surprised to know that we have to stand behind the table like we do in the marriage ceremony😆  and turn by turn we all got our seats and the magic was our order came on a table within a few minutes you can say, 10 minutes. But the waiters were very rude or I can say they have to act rude so that more customers can have their meal.

After finishing our meal we stopped on the other side of the highway for photo-shoot! You know, we can’t miss a single chance of photo-shoot. Near our van, there was a small shop of Apple Juice and we were talking with him. He said here is the Apple Farm. I ran with my friend on that farm with his permission before anyone enters because we have to complete our photo-shoot.😎 jokes apart but yes once you go with the big group it is very difficult to manage them without hurting anyone. 

So this is the Apple Farm. Do you know what was the cost of this Apple? Rs.20 or Rs.10 Per kg.  I wished I can bring as more as I can, the red, green KASHMIRI APPLE.

He was telling us about the farm and showed us the baby apple. April is not the season of apples but yes it is July and August. He took that baby apple in his hand and said, madam, you can take photos too. I was so happy that we got an entry into that apple orchard and also had some pics. It happens very rarely. See here is the bunch of tiny apples. 

Both sides of each highway were filled with only and only apple farms. Seriously nature gives us everything without charging a single penny and we have to preserve this for our next generation.

{PS: Amazon}

If you want red chicks just stay for some days in Kashmir and eat too many apples and within one week you will have red chicks. You don't need to apply any blush. Our kids had such natural blush on their cheeks within a week.

Do you like an apple? Comment down, please. I hope you enjoy this virtual farm visit where I can able to take you. Stay tuned for more such exciting travel post.

Till then stay home and take care.

Tour of ND Studio

Hi, all,

Finally, the lockdown 4 is announced and I think it will be going on continuously. We all are aware of the situation. Will our Mumbai will be locked down for 6 months? Guessing and guessing, the saddest thing is we can keep only guessing and nothing. 

Image: Shutterstock.com 

" HOPE" is the only thing which we have. So never lose hope. These days will be passed and we will have a fresh restart again. 

 We are locked in our house so I want to take you all on tour, 😇, what do you think? 

Q: Where?

Ans: At ND Studio.

Q: Why? 

Ans: Because you all are stuck in a home so for a change come with me.😊

Q: We know it already?

Ans: I guess,😎 it is good. But still, those who do not know they can have a tour.

Q: Where it is?

Ans: It is in Karjat.

Q: What is there?

Ans: Actual Film Studio, as the name suggests ND Studio. It is designed by well know architect Mr. Nitin Desai. The whole studio is beautiful and extremely large beyond our imagination. Each set up is marvelous.

So, are you ready?

Lets, go................................😝

This is the outer wall and you might have seen this when you passed by this karjat road. Love the stone carving of these legends,

Entrance and ticket window where you have to buy a ticket. Do not go on the weekend because there will be a rush and you will get fed up. Try to go on weekdays when tickets have a discount and no rush. you can have a whole tour with patience and can have fun with your friends and family. 

Tip: Do not go with small kids below 4 years or babies. It will be exhausted.

The whole studio is designed by Mr. Nitin Chandrakant Desai. You will get the details on google. It is a very big studio. I will try to show up the main things as possible.

Everything is so huge!

You can have your photoshoot, pre-wedding photoshoot, videos of course by paying the huge amount😐

After the entrance, you will be asked to enter a theater where they will show the picture of the whole ND studio with information about everything related to the studio. You will also have one guide who will be with you for the whole tour of the studio.

This is LAL Mahal, see how big it is,

The Prem Ratan Dhan Payo - Palace,

Flooring is awesome.

Check out this video for this palace:

This is one of the historic palaces- JODHA AKABAR set.

From outside

And when you enter :

 Most of the shooting is from here. 

The seating place of King Akbar.

Love this Palakhi and velvet curtain

Kon banega Cororepati Set:

Our CSMT 

The main interesting is the WAX Museum:

I feel that the real one is standing in front of me.

Tom Cruise

Imitating Angelina

Mr. Bean

These are some village sets :

Stone made Saint's Statue

My little one like this garden due to dinosaur :

Actual it is very big

After so much of roaming, you might be hungry. Don't worry the food plaza is there where you can get a variety of foods with icecream and drinks.

Food Plaza

Agadi gharasarkhe jevan..

The studio is very huge and I can not compile each and everything. Some of the tours I captured in a video form. Don't forget to check out the video on TikTok. Try to show as much as I can. 

Check the above video. 

Do not forget to check out my TikTok id: neetakadam68 for ND studio tours.

Have you enjoyed it? Which place you like the most? Comment below please.

Visit at Karla Lane

I never visited such historical caves ever before. I heard about it and read on Google what exactly it has and have an interest to visit there. It is on high hills due to which Mr. hubby is not ready. It will be very hectic as our daughter was very small and I am very miserable at climbing up 😒

But now after a couple of years we decided to have a one day trip which is very convenient and we successfully made it. It has been told there is nothing to see in karla lane and it is in miserable condition. But I am very curious to visit historical place and their architectures which is around 2000 years before. With proper maintenance it could be more secure for tourist but you know what is the actual status of our Tourism Department especially for Maharashtra. Forts are also in miserable condition😔

All I want that please adore these caves from my lenses. I am sure you will love it.

Some information 😊 I do not think to update here, but as a travel blogger it is rituals....haaa...haaa... to update whatever you know it might be helpful apart from “Google Baba”.

How to travel: The most convenient is hiring a vehicle or have it your own. Mumbai- Pune highway road trip is most comfortable for kids. You will get plenty of option for food and resting.

Cost: Nothing apart from your vehicle and food expense. As it is free of cost with minimal entry fee Rs.10/- per person.

When to visit: It has been said the best season is rainy season where you can lure out greenery and will find some waterfall inside the cave. But I think it is more dangerous because there is the message to be cautious at every lane. So better to go in winter or in summer when your kids have holiday.

Height: No, it is not that much on high though it is situated on hill top. But at some distance you can park your car and easily climb up with the staircase.

Historical Information: Everything is available on Goggle. But still why I love this place is because it is historical and it is a prayer house of Buddhist monk. Moreover it is built by stone and wood structure. It has most of stone carving. It is called as Chaitygrihas. Dome like structure is called Chaitya and monks are living here and they do allow the trade person to take rest here so it is called grihas.  This cave comprise of 16 rock cut excavation which I think we are unable to count due to destruction.

It has semi circular ceiling which is main object of worship which is surrounded by wooden carving. 

Each pillar have sculpture of man and women. There are some messages written on pillar which is in Brahmi language. 

Stone have carving of three elephants which is broken 😒

One of the most favorite think that it has our preamble-  Ashokan Pillars which have carving of Buddha seated on a lion.

Carla lanes carved around 2000 years ago around the 2^nd century of BC. 

Ekvira Goddes temple is near the entrance of Lane.

We enjoyed it as our family trip with small bachcha party and hope you also like it.