How nice it is to wake up to an agenda-less day... Nothing planned at all...Let time flow into whichever crevice it wants to... just go with the flow. Ideally that is what we should do in daily life but it is so difficult to not bother about pressures creeping in from all quarters. The one who masters this art wins the battle of life and his journey becomes so much smoother.
I update my blog while J & D are still dreamland. When they get ready, we go down for breakfast. The chef finally has understood my request. As the others are eating some nice innovative breakfast items that are calling out to me from the nicely laid table, he walks in with 3 glasses of bright red juice. It tastes divine. I think it is a mixture of watermelon, pineapple, apple and peppermint freshly picked from the herb garden. 2 glasses of it and I am feeling full. We notice a small stream behind the property. It has become quite filthy with the affluents from the surrounding areas but we notice a lot of waders in the murky water. J & me spend the next hour watching birds while D pampers herself some more at the spa. I feel bad that I have not carried my camera as I spot median egrets, a grey heron, Cormorants, a pair of ducks, a painted stork in the air, bee eaters, wire tailed swallows, little kingfishers, sunbirds, tailor birds, wagtails and some more.
It is quite sunny and hot by the time we come back to the room. As we are thinking of killing the heat by enjoying the small pool, we hear cackle of a lot of kids. It being Saturday, people from in and around Pune have come down and the pool is flooded with kids and adults of all sizes and shapes. I hate crowds and I have come this far to escape them, so I dissuade the rest to forget about the pool too. We come back to the room and play cards and basically laze around.
For lunch, the server walks in with 3 bowls of salad! Finally I think they have understood what I want :) Two of the salads are coated with what looks like Mayo. I worry a bit but it doesn't taste like Mayonnaise, so I relax. The chef walks in and ensures me that it indeed is not Mayo, but a paste of cashew nuts in one and desiccated coconut in the other. The salads are quite yummy and innovative. This has made my day.
Salad 1:
Cabbage & Lady Finger Salad
Finely chopped Purple and Green Cabbage
Lady's Finger - 6-7 thinly sliced
For the Dressing:
Garlic Powder - generous sprinkle
Salt
Pepper
Method: All the ingredients are mixed well
Salad 2:
Veggies in Cashewnut paste
Broccoli, Zucchini, Carrots, Apple finely Chopped
For the dressing:
Paste made out of Soaked Cashewnuts
Mixed Herbs
Salt
Chilli flakes
Method: Mix all the ingredients well
Salad 3:
Apple & Cherry Salad
Apples - cubed
Canned Cherries (this one had cherries out of a can but I would have preferred fresh) Pineapple cubed
For the Dressing:
Desiccated Coconut 1- tbsp (Again I would have preferred fresh)
Pepper
A tsp of water drizzled to wet the salad a bit
My tummy is stuffed with so much food. J & D also enjoy the salads with me. We retire to the AC room as it is getting too hot and play cards. Both J & me take a brief siesta while D watches TV. At tea-time I am treated to another mixed juice of what tastes like pomegranate, pineapple & apple. This also doesn't taste too bad.
The three of us then head to the lawns and play badminton barefoot. The sensation of fluffy grass or sand caressing my feet is something I love. It has been ages that I have played badminton and I know my body is going to be sore tomorrow. After we tire out we walk the grounds and admire the fruits and flower laden garden and also explore their herb garden. Wish I could take some saplings home but I know the summer heat will not let them survive by the time I get back to Mumbai.
J & me have a couple of pegs back in our room after freshening up and head down for dinner. I am quite full with the drink and not really in the mood to eat. They have served the fruit salad (apple & cherries) with the cashewnut paste and cut leaves of a leafy vegetable called ambat chuka. This is the first time I am having it raw. It tastes quite unique.
The other salad I could have given a miss. It was a mix salad of finely chopped cabbage, bell peppers and carrots in a pepper, garlic powder and salt dressing. The salad could have done with a lot more of all three. The chef has also added a lot of chilli flakes and since I have not really been eating a lot of spices for a long time now, my mouth is on fire. I ask for some honey to see if it will balance the hot flavour. It doesn't help much. J & D are busy gorging on the food and the novelty of raw food seems to have worn off for them... so I get little help from them. I finish as much as I can and we walk around the property some more an try and capture some more of the nature amidst the stridulating crickets and croaking frogs. Tomorrow our mini vacation ends. Thinking thus, and chatting away into the night much after the lights are off, we end Day 26...with a bit of sadness in all three hearts and promises to travel together for a weekend at least, every every year.