Posted in bali, streets to visit, things to do

Shopping in bali markets

Bali is famous for its handicrafts and the artisans and craftsmen are very dedicated and creative in terms of the variety of products they offers and also you will not get the same design in different shops so be ready to be amazed by the intricacy and detailed art.

If you like some unique designs do check below items

Silver jewellery

Silver lovers will go crazy when it comes to the detailing and intricacy in the silver jewellery and you can get customised designs in some shops. Balinese silverwork tradition is very ancient.

Bali rattan bag

Handmade in Bali from the ata plant (aka rattan) the Balinese artisans use the leaf ribs and stalk of the plant to weave these beautiful bags. After they have been woven, they are dried and smoked in an oven to create their distinctive colour. You get wide variety of option in terms in shapes and designs on them.

Furniture

Furniture are made with natural fibres, including cane, sea-grass, water hyacinth and banana leaves are durable, beautiful and sustainable fibres that are smooth to the hand and naturally very attractive to the eye, making them a good choice from a functional and contemporary design perspective.

Handlooms

Visiting bali and not getting an authentic Ikat and Batik fabric outfits will be a miss. So, the handlooms in bali are very beautiful and is a must buy.

Ceramics

As the artisans are very creative and detail oriented their ceramic work is very intricate and worth buying. They have mirror work and beadwork ceramics which were very unique.

The ceramic plate which we bought

Slogan boards

You can find lots of slogan boards of various sizes and shapes .Some slogans are even painted and carved on surfboards. Mostly the boards are wooden/ ceramic have all kinds of Hippie quotes on them.

Wooden items

Markets are filled with numerous wooden items ranging from culinary items to sculpture. Each and every item is unique and can’t be found in the next shop. Talking about the sculptures they have a very surreal inspiration to them. I was awestruck looking at the beautiful sculptures

The wooden bowl which we bought

Incense sticks

You can get a wide variety when it comes to homemade incense sticks and each one is eco friendly and natural.

Beachwear

As Bali is famous for its beaches and water sports definitely you can get some really aesthetic beachwear. Tie dye, batik, floral prints are the most famous ones.

Dreamcatchers

Bali is usually associated with hippie culture; so, the presence of dreamcatchers is obvious. You can find a wide variety of dreamcatchers in various sizes and we bet that you won’t buy just one because it’s so unique and beautiful you would go on and on while selecting them.

Bath necessities

When it comes to bath necessities, where everything is claimed to be organic and sustainable, you can find wide varieties of oils, soaps, shampoos and moisturisers. Scented candles are also among top selling items.

Macramé home decor

Macramé is a form of textile produced using knotting (rather than weaving or knitting) techniques. Though macramé was one of the 1970s crafty trends (often involving owls), has a long, rich history as both a decorative and functional art form and today macramé is back in flavour, revitalized by modern makers who are putting their own stamp on this age-old craft.

Slippers from flippers

We can’t stop promoting the brand specially for flip flops because they are trendy as well as sturdy and even helped us during a trek at Nusa Penida. This brand is totally recommended if you love flip flops. Their collection will suit everyone taste and is reasonable too.

IC: from flipper website
Posted in India, streets to visit, things to do, varanasi

Ganga Aarti

During the evening we decided to witness our first Ganga Aarti .The Ghats were getting prepared for the pooja with 6 stands for the priest to perform the pooja beautifully lit and decorated .All the buildings are also lit so colourfully. Behind the stands there was arrangement for people to watch the pooja. Also there were also arrangements to see the Aarti from front view from the boat which costs 50 per person, it’s not very expensive and if you are witnessing the Ganga Aarti for the first time you must sit here n watch it, you can see the beautiful Ganga Aarti been performed over here.

Ganga Aarti starts at the sunset and stretches up to 15 to 20 minutes. Ganga Aarti which is being performed by 6 priest all dressed in uniform of Maroon  sweater and cream colour dhoti with cream colour veshti.As they perform Pooja with different procedures  by lighting  the lamp in all four directions. This Pooja is being offered to the Holy River Ganga and it happens every evening and every morning in the same method. It is so mesmerising to view that Ganga Aarti it is like magic the synchronisation of the priest and the bhajans which is being sung in the background everything is so magical it is a lifetime experience to see that because you go into that essence of the Pooja and you get spell bound in its whole essence, it is very beautiful.

Note: After the Ganga Aarti there is a Devi temple over there and they distribute Khichdi as the Prasad because simultaneously with the Ganga Aarti Evening Aarti in the temple also starts and finish at the same time so after attending the pooja.

Al so second day we went to watch the Ganga Aarti from dashashwamedh Ghat but from behind this time also it was as magical as it was from the front view because this pandit perform the pooja from all the four sides north south east west so whenever you are sitting you can witness the pooja as the grand as it is. The ambience when Ganga aarti is performed and everyone is involved its prayers and bhajans is mesmerising.

 On the third day and last evening in Banaras to be decided to watch the Ganga Aarti  from Shitala Ghat and this time we felt that dashashwamedh Ghat has much more elaborate Ganga Aarti than shitala Ghat the difference between both is  Dashashwamedh ghat is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Shitala Ghat is for Goddess Parvati  so all the bhajans which are sung in Shitala Ghat is regarding Devi and there will be difference in the way they perform the pooja and the number of priests performing the aarti were also less. The Ganga aarti in Dashashwamedh ghat is extravagant however in Shitala ghat is much more subtle.

Ganga aarti Varanasi

Fourth day we decided to visit the Ghat in the morning to watch the morning Pooja and so what we saw the difference is in the morning there is only one priest which performs the Ganga aarti in the dashashwamedh Ghat as compared to 6th priest in the evening This is a different experience to see Ganga aarti before the sunrise.

Posted in food review, singapore, streets to visit

Fashion forward shopping street:Bugis

Bugis is the best place to shopping for all shopaholics in town.

For street shopping go to bugis  street and for brands go to bugis mall.

Bugis mall

Clothing

There is  whole street full of funky and quirky clothes and these are really good in quality but the only sizes available are XS, S and M, Can’t blame these shops because everyone is super petite in Singapore including the men . So to buy clothes from the streets you need to be petite. Also as Indians our body is on a curvy side and its little difficult to fit into these pretty, cute and beautiful clothes  which you get it at a very reasonable cost only if you bargain well.Also there is no fitting rooms in most of the shops so buy it on your own risk.

Just after the street you can see a beautiful building which is the bugis mall and there you can find almost all the good brands to shop from.

Happy to see some of my designs in the store

Accessories

Talking about the bags we got some really beautiful bags which was in offer got 3 bags for 10 SGD.Also tnere are many shops which sell earring ,necklaces and other pretty accessories in a n offer such as 8 for 10SGD and 4 for 10 SGD depending on what you are buying.Also there are many options for footwear also , the only main important factor is bargaining. Bargain as much as you can.

So many options to chose from 🙂

Bugis food street

Bugis food street has so much to offer to a foodie couple like us ans because we were really tired after so much of bargaining ,walking , window shopping that our stomachs were grumbling with hunger.

Visit Bugis for an amazing shopping experience