Thursday 30 November 2017

My experience during volcanic eruption of Mountain Agung in Bali

This time I am in Bali when the Mount Agung in Bali is very angry and aggressive. It’s been actively throwing smoke and little magma since 21st November . Fire can be seen from its opening from far. I am writing this article so that I can make you aware of this situation and what you should do during a volcanic eruption while traveling.
Nidhi KM

Quintessential Indian cuisine at restaurant Queens of India

‘Queens of India’ is a restaurant in Kuta, Bali. It is just adjacent to The Bali Dynasty resort. It’s owned by an Indian who is married to an Indonesian. The experience of the restaurant was such that we went there twice. This review  is a collective review of both meals at The Queens of India.
[Queens of India restaurant Queens of India restaurant

Ambiance at Queens of India

The restaurant gives a feel of fine dining. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I saw beautiful red chairs. When I sat on one of the chairs, it is worth mentioning that chairs were nicely cushioned. I loved the velvet cloth of chairs and comfort of chairs. Overall design of the restaurant was fantastic. Every dining table was placed distant enough from the other to maintain privacy of each. Hindi music  was being played there.


Nidhi KM

 

Sunday 26 November 2017

Aerial view of Maldives as seen from the aeroplane

I was thrilled to go To Maldives. As we were about to touch down Maldives, there were spectacular views and worth capturing . So I decided to add a separate post on Aerial view of Maldives
Aerial view of Maldives Aerial view of Maldives
When we were about to reach Maldives there  were many islands on the way that we looked and I couldn’t resist myself clicking many photographs of the same.


Nidhi KM

Thursday 23 November 2017

Experience nature and relax away from City and pollution @ Karma Lakelands

We had gone to Karma Lakelands in Gurgaon sector 80 for a weekend get away. We reached there around four in the evening. The beautiful property which was spread over close to 300 acres having lake all around, stole our hearts! We stopped by the Lake for sometime to see fishes.
Karma Lakelands has a nine hole golf course. As we entered  the premises, a greenbelt with colourful flowers and plants welcomed us. Now, what will be your reaction if along with this greenbelt, you would suddenly see some 10 to 12 peacocks enjoying their time? Well, for a second, we thought that we are at Sariska National Park!! There is a long driveway till you reach the reception. Journey of the drive way kept us gripped on the road as every road had a new view and plants!!
After you enter the main gate, you would see a directive to Chalets which are provided on rent to guests. Each of the Chalet has got two floors.
One is the ground floor where one can enjoy the dining and living room along with a little bathroom.
There is a  courtyard at the back which is beautifully maintained and has got lush green garden along with that there is a swing with some sitting arrangement.
Above floor has got two rooms each having an attached balcony.
Many of villas have been sold to various NRIs or builders in India and some of the villas they rent for family getaways. Each Villa is about anywhere between  18,000 to 24,000 yd.² which is a huge space and it includes front big Veranda with a lawn and parking space for three or four cars. At the back there is a big space where one can sit and enjoy. Each Villa has got two floors- ground and the first floor.

Our Villa at Karma Lakelands

Villa we stayed in had beautiful interiors with one bedroom on the ground floor, a big dining space and a big drawing room. The drawing room, dining room and bedroom overlooks the garden outside at the back.  The ground floor has a well equipped kitchen. At the entrance there is the lobby and stairs going down to the basement and up to three rooms.


Nidhi KM

Monday 20 November 2017

Dine amidst greenery at restaurant On Kourse @ Karma Lakelands , Gurgaon

On Kourse restaurant at Karma Lakelands overlooks the beautiful Golf Course. It is a multi cuisine restaurant with splendid interiors and great food.

Viharin.com- Ambiance of On Kourse Restaurant  Ambiance of On Kourse Restaurant 

I met The Food and Beverage Manager Mr. Ajay Jawahar Sharma who introduced me to the Executive Chef Syed Mustaque who hails from Mushidabad.

Ambiance of On Kourse

The restaurant has a great combination of wall colours and Furnitures. There is a dedicated huge place provided to the buffet. One side of the buffet had main course, other side had snacks. There was a fruit , juice and milk section and breads section separate. Following this are tables well laid, enough to provide adequate privacy to guests. Beyond tables, there was a live counter where chef prepared dosa, omelette etc. All tables had a view to the Golf Course.
There was a seating outside and another seating in the lawn. Ample setting to choose to dine at!
Lawn and Golf Course outside restaurant  Lawn and Golf Course outside restaurant

Food at On Kourse

In the evening when we reached, we had some snacks like honey chilly potatoes, vegetable pakoras and French fries.

Nidhi KM


Friday 17 November 2017

Top 11 wildlife sanctuaries or National Parks of India

India is a great country having many hill stations, deserts, beaches rivers! The destination that teaches the world about yoga, Ayurveda and spiritually, is also a treasure of wild life, herbs and so much more! These herbs are used in many medicinal treatments. Flora and fauna of India is unique in its own way.  Wildlife sanctuaries and National Parks of India are worth visiting. Tiger being one of the major attractions in India, lakhs of tourists visit India  every year to see tiger. Bengal Tiger in India constitutes 50% of tigers in the whole world being endangered is one of the rare animals to spot. Sometimes professionals need to spend two months in a wildlife sanctuary to trace activities of a tiger. One of my experiences of spotting a tiger was divine that led me to write in this world of influencers. There are many more important animals for which the world converges to our land India.

Top 11 Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks of India

1. Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh is known for one of the highest density of Tigers in India. It is a breeding ground for leopards
2. Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary now named as Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana National Park  houses 230 species of birds. Thousands of migratory birds visit here for breeding and wintering. It is one of the richest birds area in the world
3. Gir forest in Gujarat is the only home for Asiatic Lions. It is considered as the most important protected areas in Asia. I had myself visited Gir Forest and loved the experience. Due to lack of time, we straight away went to Devaliya in Gir where there is a sure shot Lion spotting. It is a restricted area created in the National Park where Lions are being monitored. It is a must visit place for sure shot lion spotting.
[caption id="attachment_11221" align="alignnone" width="669"]Gir forest/ one of the National Parks of India Gir forest- one of the National Parks of India[/caption]
4. Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest National Park in India established in 1936 to save the Bengal Tiger.
[caption id="attachment_544" align="alignnone" width="800" Elephant ready to cross the river[/caption]
We had done elephant Safari there and enjoyed to the core. We had to cross the river on elephant to reach the forest. It was an amazing experience to be there.


Nidhi KM

Tuesday 14 November 2017

A visit to GA. Nilandhoo island in Maldives

We had gone to an GA. Nilandhoo island near by Falhumaafushi island of The Residence Maldives. I was curious to know about the lifestyle of people there. While we were on speedboat, it was a superb journey.
When we reached the island, it started raining heavily. We waited for another 10 minutes in a shed and everything was alright. Staff from The Residence Maldives informed that there were only 800 people living on the island GA. Nilandhoo.


Nidhi KM
GA. Nilandhoo

Sunday 12 November 2017

Spa by Clarins at The Residence Maldives

During my stay at The Residence Maldives, I was supposed to experience the Spa by Clarins, a brand associated with The Residence Maldives.
[caption id="attachment_11192" align="alignnone" width="669"]Spa by clarins Spa by clarins[/caption]
I reached the Spa area by Golf cart. A separate huge section has been provided to Spa by Clarins. I was happy to see this kind of space being provided which clearly showed how much importance was provided to spa. There were around 10+ rooms for spa.


Nidhi KM

Thursday 9 November 2017

Interaction with Meenakshi Sundaram- General Manager at The Residence Maldives

While I was experiencing The Residence Maldives, I wondered about one thing. How can a property be so well kept and employees genuinely smiling and being caring. Be it the ambiance, food, service , everything was pleasing. I had many questions in my mind for the General Manager of the property- Mr. Meenakshi Sundaram. Good that I got an opportunity to interact with him.


Interaction with Mr. Meenakshi Sundaram 
1. Which country’s people visit The Residence  Maldives
The Resort is most visited by Korea, Japan, China, UK, Germany, Spain and France. Generally the occupancy rate is 65-70% and during peak season it goes up till 80%
2. What are you doing for Indian guests to come
We didn’t have an Indian menu. Now we have trained staff and also Chefs from India. Our spa- clarins is our pride. Marine environment is unique. It is the largest and deepest in the the world.
3. I see all employees happy and motivated. They serve with passion. What is the secret behind happy employees
We deal with frontline staff and look after them well. A happy staff makes guest happy. We have ongoing training programs to up skill our employees. Also, the key to pleasing staff is that during interviews, whether a person has less skill but a good attitude and has a smiling face, we try and employ that person. A smiling face tries to bring in a lot of positivity and such people are easy to work with. They have better skills for guest service.



Nidhi KM

Tuesday 7 November 2017

Review- SriLankan Airlines Business Class from Male to Sri Lanka

We were supposed to board Business Class from Male to Srilanka while going back to India. My experience with the first airline was very good! I was wondering how this Business Class would be different. Well, Mr. Chinthaka Weerasinghe , the Country Manager of Srilankan Airlines who was in the Maldives trip with us had hinted to us about the new Business Class that was about to welcome us. So, I was excited about my flight to Srilanka!

Ambiance of Srilankan Airlines Business class

As I entered the plane, I was pleasantly surprised to see the elite and sophisticated class. There were separate aisles provided to each passenger. I loved the privacy which was taken care in this set up.

I was totally impressed! Each aisle had the provision of enough storage and dining space and also comfortable leg space. You would love to see how strategic placement of electrical gadgets and storage has optimally utilized the space. I loved it totally.

Remote control, Flat screen, Head phones, newspapers and magazines, arm rest, foot rest and the reclining to full flat bed were just perfect.

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Saturday 4 November 2017

Dine with Royalty an Eat with India initiative

I was thrilled to know about the dining session with the Royals of India. Dine with Royalty is the initiative taken by ‘Eat with India’ team. The event was held at the Embassy of Belgium. During the evening when all guests arrived at the venue, Ambassador of Belgium , His Excellency Jan Luykx addressed audiences by saying Belgium is a foodie paradise. People in Belgium love to eat! Hence the choice of the foodie evening!
Dine with Royalty- Event by Eat with India Dine with Royalty- Event by ‘Eat with India’
H.E. said Sonal Saxena and Siddharth Katoch of Eat with India are food lovers and strongly believe that the regional cuisine does not get the required recognition. Everyone wants to eat international food. People are forgetting  Indian cuisine which has a treasure of luscious dishes. So Sonal and Siddharth want to promote Indian cuisine. The idea was to promote it in a non restaurant place.



(L-R) Rao Saheb Laxman Singh Ji , Daughter inlaw Princess Baisa Vijeta Singh Shekhawat, Nidhi KM - Founder Director Viharin.com, Rani Sahib Gajendra Kumari And Kunwar Akshraj Jodha (L-R) Rao Saheb Laxman Singh Ji , Daughter inlaw Princess Baisa Vijeta Singh Shekhawat, Nidhi KM - Founder Director Viharin.com, Rani Sahib Gajendra Kumari And Kunwar Akshraj Jodha