Project.Jilapi

This past 4th of July week we headed back to Europe to see friends and fam in Sweden, but also managed to sneak in 5 days to explore Portugal. We had been to Lisbon before, so this time we got a car and headed out to explore the rest of the country instead. Sintra, Obidos and finally up to Porto - it was one of the best trips ever, and such a welcome break. Every time I go by Portugal, I think about how wonderful it is with its beautiful food, art and culture, but here is a q

My friend N and I are fellow foodie sisters, so it is no surprise that our adventures often lead us to great food. This time around when I went to visit her in Boston, N picked Yume Ga Arukara and we made our way there on Friday night. Yume Ga Arukara is the sister restaurant of the famous Yume Wo Katare, and like its famous sister who specializes in pork ramens, Yume Ga Arukara only serves a single dish: niku udon, or udon noodles with beef. You can get the dish served hot o

​It's a magical place. Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party is a curious bookshop that specializes in tea, cakes and yes - SAMOSAS. The spacious yet warm, welcoming space is furnished with craftsman tables, and comfy couches. Curious decor all around, the theme is kind-of-underwater magic land. It is so well executed that you will often find yourself looking up and wondering who has conceived of this wonderful madness and how you can make them a part of your life. Plants potted

People we crossed paths with at the airport, friends, co workers all asked WHY when we said we were headed to Minneapolis from NYC for the weekend, and to all of them I say you have no idea what you are missing out on. Getting there took some time - we missed the first flight because of horrendous Friday NY traffic, the second one got cancelled and finally the third flight (the morning flight delayed for 12 hours...) picked us up - gave us an upgrade to 1st class and got us t

After some of the most stressful days at work, I come home and think about what I could use more of in my life and almost always invariably land at books, and my love of cooking.... We spent some days over this July 4th week driving around Portugal. One of our stops was Óbidos and hopefully I will write about that sometime soon, but for now - let me tell you about our magical hotel. D had showed it to me peripherally before the trip but I was so busy with work and life that I

A classic case of over tourist-acized, but even choked full of tourists - it is hard to overlook the beautiful bones and the care and love with which the space is till maintained. From the intricate wood carvings that cover all exposed surfaces, to the blown glass bookshelf panes polished crystal clear, Lello is hard to not love. The architectural design flows like water. The word on the street is that J. K. Rowling was a regular customer at some point and used Lello as an in

Mumbai to Johannesburg, with an 8 hour stop in Addis can only mean one thing - LETS GO. Some delays, yes the immigration counter at Bole does feel like you are at the fish monger's (renovations and a new airport is underway), but overall we got there without incidences and was soon picked up by our pre arranged driver. Away we went then, driving around the city and exploring what we could during our short trip. This was my first time in Ethiopia and I must say, it's so easy t

When you don't have time for a single meal during a trip you know that it was short, and also really full. We took the first flight out Santiago and the last one back for a day trip to Patagonia. Initially I was bummed to have to wake up super early and be on time and meh let me just enjoy my vacation will you, can I please be in the pool....but oh my, what a trip, so glad I made the effort.​​ Only an hours flight out we reached early in the day and it took mere minutes to ge

The first caveat here is that my views on Montevideo are solely based on a day trip I took from Buenos Aires. Total time spent in Montevideo : 10 hours. Don't any of you all come at me with but oh there is so much more to Montevideo, oh you don't know - the beauty lies within, oh you dont know how it is in the rest of the country blah blah blah. Yeah I get it. This is a commentary on the surface; I ain't no guru on Uru. Having said that, here goes. Montevideo is almost exactl

​ ​Buenos Aires feels like it was made by and for the rich.The city is full of grand buildings that stand tall and proud, still holding the air of economic prosperity this city clearly enjoyed when they were built. The best places to walk around and see these incredible structures is the areas of La Recoleta and Retiro. To familiarize ourselves with the different neighborhoods, we started off the trip on a hop on hop off bus. Ignore the insistence to consistently play the sam