Month / Feb 2020

by Aman Sharma

In the Lap of mother nature- Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. Recently one of my friend went to this Beautiful country, it has been my dream to visit this country. I will go there one day but for now I went straight to his place to ask about his experience as it was his first time going out of the country. In this way I will also get a detailed note on my bucket list destination by sitting on a comfortable couch and a cup of coffee probably at his place.

The next paragraphs will be completely based on what he told me in his own wordings. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did listening to his experience.

“On my way to Colombo, I was filled with lot of questions in my mind. A bit nervous, you know…It was my first time out of country. I was a little worried that what type of people will be there, how they will treat an Indian. But above all I was very excited to visit this beautiful country sitting in the lap of Mother Nature, and I guess this things kept me going.”

With this all going through me I didn’t came to know when I reached there. Picked up my luggage and started moving towards the exit of the Airport. As soon as I stepped out I heard my name being called out. A person standing on the other side with a board on which my name was written was calling me. I went to him, He was very polite and we gently shake our hands. He told me he is here to pick me up and drop at the location where I will be staying. He must be in his early 50’s but was sharply dressed in his chauffeur uniform and his body language didn’t show any signs of aging. I sat in the car and he put up my luggage in the boot of the car and started driving. We went out from the Colombo airport and were cruising towards the guest house. The guest house was quite far from airport around 35 kilometers. After getting out of the airport Lush green fields accompanied us on both side of highway. It cheered me up and all the worries I was carrying with me, simply vanished. This was way better than I ever could demand off. I slide my window down and let the cool breeze strike on my face, this made my whole body relaxed and all the fatigue of travel was now gone. The car driver probably guessed my happiness and to make it better, he played a local music radio station. I couldn’t understand it properly as it was in the local language but its beat get me grooving in the back seat of the car. Small Coconut trees also started making their appearances on our way. The road to guest went through Small jungles which makes you feel like you have come to a trip to safari. After a couple of turns the driver slowed down the car and parked it in a front of the well maintained house which was surrounded by coconut trees. Bonfire preparations were going on. I read the name on the hoarding and yes it was the place I will be staying. Driver unloaded my luggage and took it to the reception while I was still making my way out of the car. My fatigue was already gone on my way here and this guest house was a cherry on the cake. The guest house was right in front of the ocean. It took us around 30 minutes to reach here but this place was worth the wait. Ocean waves coming and touching your footsteps and going back. I paid the driver and thanked him for such a wonderful drive, meanwhile my luggage was shifted to my room so I decided to sit down on the beach to enjoy this wonderful moment. I kept sitting there until a butler from the guest house came and asked ‘If I would like to order something?’ by that time I came to know I have spent 2 hours sitting there, but for me it was just a blink of eye, I went in and order my meal and came back to my room to prepare for my meeting tomorrow.

Shopping fun.

It was my day 2 here or shall I say evening 2. Well, my most of the day was spent in the office work and in meetings. I got free by 6 in evening and went straight to the market for some shopping for my friends and family back in India. Usually in normal places there is a lot of crowd and traffic. But here things were completely different. If someone raises his/her hand to cross the road, vehicles will stop like sowing their respect towards the pedestrian. I didn’t saw a single overtaking and every single car was parked on one side. Market place were well maintain and totally clean. Despite of so much people in market there was a way of moving and not disturbing the traffic or blocking the paths. People were very friendly and disciplined. Colombo is not only famous for its cleanliness but you will also find a lot of variety to shop. It offers a wide array of shopping items, the most recognized being gems, batik, tea, and handicrafts. The most popular items among tourists are hand loom fabrics, leather products, reproduction antiques, jewelry and ceramics.

An image of my market visit.

Art and craft.

It’s my 3rd and final day of the trip. Today I will be exploring the local traditions, art & craft etc. If you have interest in local and traditional art than you should must visit Galle road in Colombo. Barefoot gallery is situated on this road and it’s a must visit. From clothes to Floor mats, books, paintings, wall hangings you will find everything here. Raavan is still alive here in masks. After visiting this gallery I went out straight to the local market nearby, I don’t usually go to purchase handcrafts or décor material but this time I couldn’t stop myself. You can find a lot of antique and unique items for your home décor and that too at a reasonable cost.

(a) Barefoot gallery
(b) Inside Barefoot gallery

Sea food to North Indian food.

I spent my whole day in the local markets and purchasing a lot of stuff which I have no idea how I will take along with me back to home. My both hands were filled with bags and was no short of a moving store and my arms work as a shelf to display products. I quickly booked a cab and put my bags in it. Settled down and could feel how lighter my arms have become after unloading those heavy bags. Pat myself for the efforts and asked the driver to take me to the guest house. It has been two days in Sri Lanka and I have only eaten the food from the guest house only. So I decided to take out myself for the dinner today. It was 5:30 in evening by the time I came back. So I decided to freshen up and then move out for dinner. Relaxed a bit, got freshen up and it was 7 by the time and it was time to move out. I asked the receptionist of the guest house to suggest a few good places. He suggested me the Pettah market. Pettah market is the biggest and reasonable price market to enjoy the food. If you are a foodie like me than you will find no better place than this. From sea food to North Indian, Chinese , South Indian you will get everything here. Don’t forget to try some local food including Asmi, Polos, Sri Lankan egg hoopers etc. This are some of the dishes you will absolutely love.

So this was his experience of travelling to Sri Lanka and now his new found love for travel has overcome his fears of meeting up new people and settling in new places. There are few more places to visit there including Independence square, Independence hall, Gangaramaya temple and much more. I hope you like reading this article, I have done my best to put every worthful detail of his trip in this blog. You can also share your views down in comment section.

Thank you

Escape Window.

by Aman Sharma

Design trends which are popular….but not useful.

1- Open shelves- This is really popular concept which is being used in our homes today.  This design looks very good and stylish in the pictures but it might not be the right choice for you. Open units are much better than open shelves. Open shelves shall not be given in the area where you work manually most of the time like the chopping or mixing area in kitchen because if you mistakenly touch anything than chances are every other thing on the shelf might also fall down. This can also result in damaging of the expensive glasses which are mostly put on these shelves. Open units/cabinets are a far better option because they provide more space and ease of use. But if you have an open shelf than put a bar (1/2 inch thick wooden or steel) in front of it, so when you want to take out something other things don’t fall down.

2-Cool colors- Cool colors are trending, but do you know the color of the walls also plays a key role in controlling the room temperature. If you live in a place which is less hot than cool colors can depress you. You can keep aside the white and grey if you are bored from them. Try using Red, Orange or Yellow these bright colors are suitable for any weather and will also enlighten the space if painted correctly.

3-Corner couch- The use of ‘L’ shaped or the corner couches has increased in the recent times. People tend to buy this just because everyone is loving them, but will it really look nice at your place? Rethink about it. The ‘L’ shape or corner couch only look good when they are placed at a corner of the house and not in the center of your living or drawing room. This will only result in filling of the space. If possible try to opt for long and simple couches which are more comfortable while sitting. Keep this bigger furniture items at a distance of few inches from the wall. This bigger couches will be perfect when you have a group of friends or family at your place.

4-Plain white wall- Light color walls have been in trend since the beginning of the design era. White, Ivory or Grey these color walls can be found in every house or commercial place. This might suit you if you are minimalist. But if you want a cozy space than you will get bore of this easily in few days and will start decorating the walls with paintings or any other hanging items, and slowly-slowly the wall will convert into an art gallery. But if you really want that ‘Scandinavian’ look than you can invest in a big and bright piece of art for your wall. This can result in converting of your plain dull wall to an accent wall.

5- Long Curtains- Curtains are the energy boosters for any interior. Floor length curtains are trending today. The main reason for choosing floor length curtain is they make an illusion of more space in the homes. Well if they have a pro than it also has a con at the same time, Floor length curtains may stuck in your feet while walking close to them. They also touch the floor so they get really dirty after a short of period time. Either you need to keep floor very clean or keep washing them again and again. But if you can’t manage it try keeping curtains a few inch high from the floor.

6- Exposed wearing- Exposed wiring trend has increased overtime, Now in bedrooms or work spaces people are preferring for exposed wiring than the switch boards in the wall. There various types of switch and sockets available in the market which are being used. These are not safe firstly and secondly if you are providing exposed wiring, there must be proper ventilation in the room. However you should never be giving exposed wiring in kitchen and bathrooms.

7- Vintage look- Vintage look is still inn. But most people today confuse the vintage look with the short term trend. If you have the furniture or any other items which have a history than these are always special. Don’t buy poor quality and cheap items in the name of vintage piece because these are only temporary and get out of style soon.

8- Stone tiles- So this one is a point that I notice during my recent visit to a house. Various types of tiles made up of stone are really in trend these days. These are being excessively used in bathrooms, kitchen, living rooms etc. But using them too much in a continuity may result in a dull interior and your place might look like a Stone Age museum. Use various types of tiles and textures over different areas. If you don’t want various textures try some different colors at-least.

9- Kitchen appliance display- No matter how expensive your microwave or oven is, it can’t stand up to its cost until it is placed at a right place. Appliances put on a kitchen counter only consumes space and make your kitchen look like a restaurant kitchen. Modular kitchens has removed this burden form the counters as there are so many options for storage including a tall unit specially designed for your micro and oven.

These were some the latest interior trends which if not used properly or according to your place might become a blunder for you rather than being decorative or making your easier than before. I hope you all liked above mentioned points and it might help you if you are thinking to renovate your house or a room or any commercial place.

Thank you.

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