Spicy Laksa Noodle Soup : I recently had an opportunity to taste the Spicy Laksa Noodle Soup of the Peranakan cuisine. It is spicy Asian noodle soup made from coconut milk as its base and is very vibrant to taste with lemony notes. Meats like chicken and seafood like prawns and shrimps were added to enhance the taste.

So far it has been a wonderful year for me. I visited many new places; Goa tops my list. I was impressed by the rich culture, authentic cuisine and fun life. Professionally also it was a great year. On this happy note, I wish everyone a merry Christmas. Hope Santa fulfils all your dreams.

Since my childhood days, I have always been an explorer at heart. I love visiting new places, doing new things in life, and tasting new cuisines. It has been more than three years since I got married, and I am really lucky to find a husband who is as enthusiastic as I am.

Our last trip to Kerala was one of the most memorable ones, and the reason behind was the luxury houseboat that we stayed in. I had heard a lot about the romantic and exclusive house boats from my friends and I was bent on enjoying this experience for my honeymoon.

With excitement brimming in my heart, I browsed through some of the best options that I could lay my hand on. There was a lot of choice in single bedroom, double bedroom and even three bedroom houseboats, which can be booked for family trips. The names too were really awesome like for example, Floating Holiday, Taste of Heaven, and so on!

Special Packages for Honeymooners in these Floating Paradises!

There were even special packages for honeymooners and our single bedroom houseboat was beautiful and exotic and I fell in love with it the moment I set my eyes on this floating paradise! And once we set foot on the exotic houseboat, we were truly impressed by the scenic beauty that surrounded it and I knew for sure this trip was going to be a memorable one!

Even though the Alleppey houseboat looked small from outside, inside it was quite spacious and very well maintained. The bedrooms had very comfy beds and soft pillows and the interiors were done very beautifully .Without any doubt, staying inside the houseboat was truly a magical experience and the smooth sailing was like being rocked in a cradle!

Ascending Luxury with Inclining Rates: Exotic Houseboats in Alleppey!

Away from the chaos of the city life, the houseboat provides all the amenities and was a real soother to the frayed nerves from the back breaking work schedules! From a comfortable sofa to a well decorated double bed, our houseboat was truly a symbol of luxury and comfort.

Quite obviously, the numbers of elements of luxury increases as you spend more money on them. Some of them were a replica of the five star hotels and the facilities too matched them step by step and inch by inch. The Alleppey houseboat we had booked was about 100 feet long, and it was equipped with facilities like a cupboard, double bed, and a clean bathroom.

Delicious Sea Food dishes Caught in the Backwaters and cooked by the chef!

In addition, there was also a small kitchenette that had enough options to cook food for two people. However, we decided to taste the local cuisines of Kerala from the hands of the cook who turned out spicy and delicious seafood dishes in a jiffy! The best thing was that the sea food was so fresh that it was directly caught and cooked within minutes with all the aromatic spices of Kerala.

The crew of the boat comprised of three guys and besides the cook, there was a guide and an oarsman. They sailed the boat through the natural backwaters of Kerala and the views were definitely breathtaking for us. If you want to revive the lost fire in your life, you must consider this option.

Our next stop was Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Malacca. It is Malaysia’s oldest traditional Chinese temple. As I stood before the magnificent gates of the temple, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of grandeur. Its traditional Chinese architecture with the curved roof was nothing short of a wonder. The Chinese sculptures of lions on the gate stared at me as though they were welcoming me inside. I had read that they were supposed to act as the guardian angels of the worshippers who visit the temple. I stepped inside to find out more.

The entrance to the temple was rich in decoration. The curved rooftop was dotted with various sculptures of Chinese origin. There were Buddhist scriptures written in gold colour all over the front wall and the pillars, which were made of stone. The numerous lamps that hung from the roof added to the beauty of it all. The sight stirred up the art lover in me. I was overcome with a wonderful feeling of joy as I went into the temple.

The temple was made up of several prayer halls each flamboyantly decorated. I walked into the main prayer hall that was huge in size. It contained the central altar of the temple, which was dedicated to the goddess of mercy, Kuan Yin. I visited numerous other prayer halls and found Buddhist goddesses of wealth, longevity and propagation residing in them. One of the prayer halls contained ancestral tablets. As I looked at them, I couldn’t help but marvel at the rich cultural heritage the temple bore.

As I explored the temple some more, I got to see various wall paintings that depicted ancient wars, sculptures of mythical creatures like golden phoenixes and dragons. I was more than excited to find stone tablets in the temple, which contained scriptures that were said to describe the main events in the Chinese history. For a while there, I was transported back in time and got to feel a slice of ancient China.

My visit to the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple (translated as the temple of green clouds) was truly majestic. Just as it provided rest and refreshment to the travellers under the green and clear clouds of ancient Malacca, it provides its present visitors a breathtaking experience of history, culture and grandeur.

South Asia has always been an intriguing place for every traveller. The culture and diversity when fused with modernisation creates a beautiful experience for the traveller. The Berjaya Langkawi Resort in Malaysia is one of the few places where the experience of the entire South Asian domain is clubbed into a beautiful basket complete with a colourful ribbon.

Located at the coast of the island, we were taken by surprise the moment we entered the resort. We were ushered in to a beautifully constructed South Asian Styled building which was the reception. We felt that we had entered a 25th century monastery with hymns being played on speakers and people booking for offering prayers.

After we settled, we went out scouting for a good restaurant to dine in. Berjaya Langkawi has cuisine themed restaurants ranging from their renowned Pahn-Thai restaurant to the Japanese Mizumi restaurant. We chose the Thai restaurant. We were served dishes prepared by award winning chefs and we couldn’t resist asking for the chef and thanking him personally.

Post lunch we went to the beach to get some fresh air. The beach looked too good to be true. The fine sand perfectly complemented the blue ocean floor that washed up calmly every now and then.

After walking for a long time, we came across a sport that involved the instructor riding a Jet Ski and a couple of travellers sitting in a sofa like raft tied behind the Jet Ski. We tried the thing and it turned out to be one of the most unique experiences I had in my life. After the beach saga, we went for a walk in the lush mangrove forest situated in the premise. It had us gripped the whole time as there was always something new and unknown around the corner.

As the sun went to sleep and the sky turned orange, the activities in the resort changed. We entered the Rimba Lounge which had everything ranging from pool and foosball tables to live entertainment. Our stay at the Berjaya Langkawi was a memory that we would treasure for years to come.

Rojak Salad : I visited Sri Lanka for the international Medical Conference and the Rojak Salad Dish was served there. I loved the salad as it had a refreshing quality to it and was made out of ingredients like Jicama, green apples, pineapple and bean sprouts. It also had acid notes from the vinaigrette dressing.