Hubli

The only place I travelled to on my Bangalore trip was to Hubli. Garima and I were most excited that it was the place where Rajkumar unca(as she calls him) sang "huttidare kannada naadali..." in akasmika, the kannada movie. It was a first for Garima where the "great Indian railways" are concerned. I have a lifelong love of them and the feeling of peace and sheer enjoyment I get while on a train and in transit. In a plane I find myself waiting to get off and its quite a imprisoning experience. On a train on the other hand there are endless rounds of tea and coffee, however tasteless they may taste, deep fried snacks and other better foods that you can choose from. You can walk about, chat with people or stand near the doorway, if so inclined and get almost blown away by the wind.
I boarded somewhat helter skelter with baggage in one hand and Garima hoisted on the opposite hip, pulled in by a kindly fellow passenger, pushed in by my brother in law. The door was locked from inside and when it was opened the train had begun to move and hence the above situation. A bruised shoulder and shaking knees made it imperative for me to stand where I was, about one meter away from the door, steady myself and then find my way to our seats. From here the next eight hours were pure fun. Garima had a nap and after much dancing and playing with fellow passengers we reached our destination.
Apart from the blissful company of my friends here the highlight of our stay was the dinner at, hold your breath, "Basaveshwar khanavali". The place was one of the hole in the wall variety and their fare was something I would wish to eat again and again. My jolada rotti thali (jowar roti meal), had the aforesaid rotis accompanied by a methi leaf and radish salad, ennegayi (stuffed eggplant curry), dal with fragrant greens, a few chutnies and rice and fiery hot sambar to finish off with. Ironically places with the best ambience rarely manage to cook up such a storm that would have me drooling at the very thought of it.
Anyway thanks to the many Bullet motorbike rides we had and the change of water and air, Garima fell ill the next day and put a stop to my returning to the above place for more of the divine food. The journey back was a bit anxiety ridden as I only wanted to get back to Bangalore and get Garima well and rested before we headed back from our holiday. Now that we r back and settled back into our lives here its a pleasure to look back and hope to go back for more then next time.