Gobbledegook

Trip To Kihim Beach

2007-11-08T22:49:00.000+05:30

It was after much planning that we set off to trip to Kihim beach. Having got a day's leave from office I had good 4 days weekend! And what better way to spend it than visiting one of the beaches of West Coast of Maharashtra called Kihim Beach.

The route that we followed was as follows:
Pune Via Express Highway to Khopoli bypass. Then towards Alibaug. On way to Alibaug a turn towards Kihim. One can reach Kihim from Pune in around 3.5 hours max. travelling by private vehicle.

We had made reservations in advance at one of the cottages that is available on rent. There is one with MTDS approval too.The cottage that I stayed in is called Datarwadi and is situated right on the edge of Kihim beach. The rent is reasonable and families can easily get cottages for around Rs. 500 per day here. Both Veg/NonVeg food is available.

Some of the attractions for Kihim beach are:
1. Located at a very short distance from Pune.
2. Can be used as a base location for night halt while visiting other places on
Kokan strip such as Dive Agar, Alibaug, Nagaon, etc.
3. Launch rides to Mumbai Gate Way of India.
4. Good home-cooked sea food.

One of the major let downs is the beach itself. There is nothing like it here. It is all rocky and one simply cannot go swimming here.

November - March shall be the best season to visit, the weather being quite pleasant. Rest of the months are a definite no-no with load shedding extending upto 6 hours per day. Also, please do not forget to make bookings of the cottages/lodges in advance. They are full almost all of the "in-season" days.

So basically any one for enjoying a few days at a beach should look at Kihim beach as a very good option.And one more thing - The more the merrier.

Spiderman 3 - A Typical Masala Movie

2007-05-08T12:38:00.000+05:30

Was it that I started off with very high expectations from the movie? And then, even if the movie is not that bad, it seems worse when you think of it? Let me list out some of my expectations from Spidey 3:
1. Edge of the seat special effects with Spiderman jumping and swaying throughout
the city
2. Some bad guys who bash up Spidey and later our hero does the same to them

Now, am I asking for a lot? I do not think so.

But what do I get? A 2 1/2 hour epic with a lots and lots of drama. Every character in the movie cries.. mark me... each one, starting with our hero, his aunt, his girlfriend, the 3 villains and most tragically... the audience.

I have seen both the sequels of Spiderman... infact loved them. The best thing about the earlier movies was the action... It felt great to see Spidey jump from one high-rise to another at an awesome pace. Add to that lots of cool special effects.

But alas! Spidey 3 does come even close to the previous sequel. I wonder what happens to the directors... I mean, do they forget or simply not understand what people love to see in their movies? Spidey 3 was supposedly the most expensive movie ever made with close to $258 million gross expenditure... but frankly it does not show. I expected a lot of special effects with Spiderman jumping from one flagpost to another, but except a few lame sequences towards the end and some sporadic ones between, there are none.

Coming back to the movie, there are not one, not two, but four villains, viz.,
1. Spiderman himself who becomes mean
2. An escaped convict Flint Marko who becomes "Sandman"
3. Peter's rival photo journalist, Eddie Brock Jr., who becomes a monster
4. Harry Osbourne who is Spidey's rival for first half the movie
The fact of the matter is, these 4 villains could be used in 4 sequels!

The whole story line revolves around Spidey and Mary Jane's love story. It starts off with our good old Spidey becoming very confident and a sort of a egotist. Mary Jane and Spidey are estranged. A character change is also bought about in Spiderman by an alien symbiote which comes to earth aboard a meteorite. It leads our mild mannered hero to be very mean towards everybody. These charateristic changes leads him to be very mean (compared to Spidey's sandards) to his rival photographer Eddie Brock Jr., who later turns to be one of the villains. Spiderman in this movie is a more "black", more aggressive and ready to kill people.

Interspersed between all of this, is the story of an escaped convict who has accidently killed Peter's uncle. He while serving his time, escapes and lands in a laboratory where a machine converts him into sand. This gives birth to another villian "Sandman".

While Spidey is recovering from his attachment to the alien symbiote, the substance clings to his rival photographer Eddie Brock Jr. and he becomes a monster. Eddie is out to take his revenge on Peter Parker. Eddie teams up the Sandman to get rid of Spiderman. To lure Spiderman, they kidnap Mary Jane. Spidey comes to save her and in the climax Harry Osbourne helps him in getting rid of the bad guys. In that attempt, Harry loses his own life.

Overall, Spiderman 3 has all the ingridients of a typical masala movie. To say that, it is different from a Bollywood movie is unjust. Infact, I go the the extent of saying that if there were a few song and dance sequences, it would be a big Bollywood movie with all the Hollywood actors.

Shots to watch out for: 1. Peter Parker crying when Mary Jane tells him she has had enough of him (comedy)
2. The fight between Spidey and Harry Osbourne

My Rating: 1.5 / 5

Eatouts in Pune

2007-04-23T11:55:00.000+05:30

I love to eat out. Not being too keen on riding everywhere,especially on the horrible traffic in Pune, I prefer places which are closer to where I stay, i.e. near Karve Road.

Here are a few places which are at a stone throw distance from Paud Phata. All of them are reasonable and are definitely worth a visit.

1. Darshan: This place is my favorite and definitely heads my list of favorite eat-outs. It has some wonderful, mouth-watering dishes at a reasonable price. Continental and North-Indian dishes are Darshan's USP's.
Speciality: Chana bread butter, Chana Bhatura, Garlic Bread, Tachos, Nachos, Baked Beans & Toast
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Cost: 3/5
Location: Near Deccan Police Chowky

2. Vaishali: The best thing about this place is that any true Punekar has been here atleast once. After all, who can resist mouth-watering Dosas, Idlis and Uttapa? Located on F.C. Road, I think it is the favorite amongst collegians for almost 25 years. The only draw-back off late is the waiting time.
Speciality: Dosa, Idli, Uttabpa, other South Indian Dishes
Service: 4/5
Ambience 3/5
Cost: 4/5
Location: F. C. Road

3. Bedekar Misal: This is one place which only the "pakka Punekar" would know about... it is located off Laxmi Road. It is one of the oldest "misal kaatas" in Pune and is famous for its misal which is indeed very spicy. A word of caution though, if you are not used to eating spicy food, eating here might not be to one's liking.
Speciality: Misal
Service: 2/5
Ambience: 2/5
Cost: 3/5
Location: Off Laxmi Road

4. Durga: This one is very famous among students. Located near campus of two colleges, viz., MIT Engg. College and Bharati Vidyapeeth MBA college, Durga has become something of a rage among all the students. It boasts of fan clubs on Orkut and its clientele has been exponentially increasing. This place is very famous for its cold coffee which is available at a very cheap rate... Nothing better can come at Rs. 8/- The place remains open till midnight and is overfull till then... Do not expect to get a place to sit though...
Speciality: Cold Coffee, Misal Pav
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 2/5
Cost: 5/5
Location: Near MIT Engg. College

5. Bistro: Located adjoning to Durga, this place has one thing that Durga just cannot beat... place to sit!! It is a more sophisticated than Durga... Has a good ambience and has enough room for privacy.
Speciality: Americano Pizza, Garlic Toast, Cold Coffee
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Cost: 2/5
Location: Near MIT Engg. College

6. University Canteen: Located in the Pune University campus, this is one place which really deserves a mention purely due to its location... Surrounded by huge trees, one feels serene in the canteen. Snacks are available here at very affordable rates. The preparation is somewhat different, ahving south indian touch to it.
Speciality: Shira, Upma, Pattice
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 4/5
Cost: 4/5
Location: Pune University Campus - Road to the right when entering university via Ganeshkhind entrance.

7. Anand Juice Bar: If you want to eat excellent pav-bhaji... this is the place. Located just off Karve Road, this place is open till late night and is quite a good place to go after watching a 9-12 movie.
Speciality: Pav-Bhaji, Fruit Juices
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 2/5
Cost: 3/5
Location: Off Karve Road, Near MBT