One of the goals of visiting Baroda this time around was to take my daughter to old places show her how they had changed, visit old food haunts since she was coming with us after nearly half a decade.

And so it started, took her to my old college, station road, Home Science where she used to clamour for Dosa, where a new Soda center hold position; her favorite sandwich wallah AND now that she eats omlette to one of the most famous ones, who have now split and started at another place. Whilst every effort was made to take photographs, I was expressly forbidden most of the times by Dr. Nene & Sumir of their hogging:) But rest assured, Dilip, Manisha, Milind, Sumir, Ajay, Prashant have all been introduced to galli & laari concept, the exception being that they would bring it home and eat. BUT rest assured with the support of the Kids & their better halfs Yeh Din bhi door nahi hai….

I wish I had been able to take more pictures of our gastronomical extravaganzas like room zoom, picassa, etc. etc. However enjoy these!

After a year, during which friends kept talking about the problems in road, traffic on the NH8 near Surat, decided to take the risk and visit Baroda, then to Ambaji and back.

Left on the 17th April @ 8.30 am. The road was clean, clear, air crisp making the drive a pleasure right up till we stopped for breakfast at Kamat. However there was a complete re branding done with Vittal Kamat smiling down at you.

Thankfully the food was the same, good, hot with fast service.

After a quick break, we were on our way again. With a couple of stops to use the facilities & cold drinks, we whizzed past surat, bharuch and were in Baroda by 4 pm.

With all the stops our actual driving time was 61/2 hours. AND within the next two months, the flyovers and other work shall be completed, giving a lovely 6 lane drive from Bombay to Baroda within 5 hours!

2005/06 - Baroda, Ahmedabad, Surat, - New Destinations, money to burn, places to acquire, malls to be built.

2008 - Malls ready, high rentals, brands occupying, supposedly great footfalls BUT no conversion. And some have changed hands, closed so on & forth.

WHY? WHY? WHY? Read the rest of this entry »

Having driven 400+ kms reached Baroda exhausted.

22nd Dawned early & bright for the Barodians (Milind & Ajay) with Ati
Sundar deciding to play the devil & egg them on to wake me from my
beauty sleep at 10 am. Though to be fair the great Pandeji had woken
me up at 1.15 am with his message of deepest regrets (BTW sundar I won
the bet of his not reachingJ).

Due to a mis communication reached Dr. Nene’s clinic ~ just as he
zoomed past in his grand prix manner, jumped out with a steel bucket,
paying no heed to my desperate cries ~ but forgiven because patients
were calling & paying whereas I was calling & collecting. Read the rest of this entry »