Saree in America

I love to travel! 

And I love my job, because it allows me to travel! 

In the past 4 years, I have traveled 5 times to the USA.

There's a lot of things I like to do there, which is naturally evident from my various US travel and food posts. But there's one more thing I so look forward to.

And that is wearing a saree in USA.

You never, I mean, literally never, fail to grab eyeballs and get compliments from total strangers. Plus they make up for such good pictures which I can post on my blog.

Now, isn't that perfect?

So, without much adieu, let's scroll down to see my various saree features on the American Land.

The first time I wore a saree in the US, was in Houston, Texas.

A quick lunch at a friends place and then visit to the Water Wall Place, the one that featured in this Sanjay Kapoor and Sushmita Sen starrer Bollywood song.

Saree bought from FashionAndYou

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The second time, I wore a saree in the USA was in Chino Hills, California. I was visiting the BAPS Swami Narayan Temple, and thought it was the perfect place to flaunt my bandhani saree. I also ate a taco at Taco Bell after the temple visit in my gorgeous saree, with plenty of customers staring at me.

Saree bought from Jaipur

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On my next trip, I wore a Khadi silk saree for dinner at a friends place. Unfortunately we don't go sightseeing in this saree, but the saree look was appreciated by the hosts and our friends.

Saree bought from a local shop in Mumbai

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This gorgeous saree that I bought from Limeroad, reached exactly a day before I was heading to yet another US trip. I didn't have time to stitch a blouse, so I simply pulled an old black blouse to teamit up with. I wore it for a lazy outing to Laguna Beach in California. I have already said that saree on a beach is definitely my thing. But when I wore this saree at Laguna Beach, I was stopped over by more than dozen of visitors to compliment me about my saree and the way I was carrying it. 

Saree bought from Limeroad

Now, that I have exhausted my self appreciation limit for the day(or may be a month), tell me; have you worn a saree in a foreign land? How was your experience?

Let me know in the comments below.

Why I Don't Watch Horror Movies

As a kid, watching a horror movie was more about proving to people that I am a grown up.
But now that I am a grown up, (really??) there's no point to prove.
And that's kind of liberating.
So, in today's post I am penning down 5 reasons why I don't watch horror movies.

1. I watch most part of the horror movie, with my eyes covered. So I miss most of the "so called" interesting/thrilling part. So what's the point in watching it at all?
2. I scream at sudden and loud sound effects or at the appearance of the scary guy/gal; which is embarrassing, if I am not with my close ones; who are now used to all my antics.
3. Nightmares, for at least a week, after I see the movie, keep me awake all night. Which means drowsy, tired days. Who has time for that?
4. I am too scared to use the rest room at night. And sometimes if you have to go, you have to go!
5. When I am home alone, I imagine super crazy stuff, like blood water coming out of my tap, a hand coming out of television and choking me, or someone staring at me, while I do regular stuff. I always took pride in my imagination power and but definitely not after watching a scary movie.

Now, that you guys have had a good laugh at my expense, let,s move on to the outfit of the day. There's nothing scary about this outfit, so scroll down.

Outfit Details:
Dress: Romwe
Sneakers: Street shopping
Yellow Jacket: Jabong

5 Things To Know Before You Plan Your Maldives Trip

For many years, the Maldives has been a top holiday destination for its exclusive island appeal. The
sun kissed beaches, crystal clear turquoise sea, colorful fishes & reefs and white sand beaches that stretch out into miles and miles of transparent lagoons and blue skies make for a perfect holiday with family, friends or even a solo trip. It truly is paradise on earth.


During my recent trip to India, I went on a family vacation to the Maldives. Needless to mention, we
had an amazing time on the island doing things every tourist does. Today I’m going to list down 5
things you should know before you travel to the Maldives.
1. When is the best time to travel?
The best time to visit the Maldives is whenever you want to go! Honestly, it’s a tropical paradise
and there cannot be a bad time to visit heaven! It’s usually hot and sunny all year round with an
average temperature of 23°to 31°c. But if you wanna do just more than relax, drink and work out
then you would want to plan your trip between November and April. It doesn’t rain much; the
weather is dry and perfect to do various activities. Since it’s the tourist season, everything is more
expensive but totally worth it.



2. How long should your vacation be?
The Maldives is a place you wanna go for a luxurious and exotic retreat. It truly is beautiful, but
the activities you can do on the island apart from sleep and drink are limited to: snorkeling, scuba
diving, whale/dolphin watching, kayaking, jet skiing, sunbathing, island exploration…all that can
be done in 5 to 7 days with still a lot of time left to explore your own luxury resort room and the
private pool.


And let’s not forget the cost. Holidaying in the Maldives is an expensive affair because almost
everything is imported from neighboring countries. Taxes apply to everything you use or consume
on the island including activities, rentals, treatments etc.
Having a quality vacation rather than quantity is the secret to enjoy Maldives.


3. Where to stay?
All the resorts in the Maldives are located on their own island. Which means you will most
probably end up staying on the same island during your entire stay. Therefore, chose a resort that
offers all the facilities that you would like to enjoy during your stay. There are over 100 resorts to
choose from depending on your budget. Most 4 and 5 star resorts offer multi-cuisine restaurants,
bars, entertainment facilities (including kid’s activities), spas & gyms. Chose a resort that also
offers excursions like Dolphin/Whale watching, water sports, scuba etc. so you have several
options to explore and don’t have to go island hopping to enjoy these activities. Traveling to
another island can be very expensive in Maldives. And don’t forget to budget for the extra costs
towards activities.

The Maldives has a reputation as a divers paradise, which is why most people come here for
Snorkeling and diving. If you love snorkeling then chose a resort that has a close-by reef. Most
resorts rent out snorkeling gears to their guests free of charge. This lets you snorkel with the
colorful tropical fishes every day at a time that suits you.


*Grand Park resort has one of the best house reefs in the Maldives, and offers you the
opportunity to get up close and personal with beautiful, glowing corals, a variety of turtles, sting
rays and hundreds of colorful fish species directly from your water villa.
https://www.parkhotelgroup.com/en/maldives



4. Getting to the Resort?
Every visitor will arrive at Male, the capital of Maldives. To get to your resort island, you’ll either
need a seaplane or speedboat ride depending on the distance. The resort provides airport
transfers to its guests. Therefore, knowing the distance of your resort from the city/airport is a very
important criterion most people overlook before booking their stay. Sometimes airport transfers
can be as expensive as a one night stay at your resort. When you’re booking the resorts, you’ll
notice that some 4 and 5 star resorts will offer a fully-inclusive package at a very reasonable rate
in comparison to other similar resorts. Most probably the reason would be that these resorts are
located at far away islands that need a seaplane ride or a longer (45 to 60 mins) speedboat ride
to reach the resort. These rides are very expensive so check the airport transfer rates before you
book any resort.


5. General things to be aware of:

• The local currency is Maldivian Rufiyaa, but US Dollars are accepted as legal tender throughout the Maldives. I would suggest purchasing the USD currency beforehand.
• The Maldives is a Muslim country – There are specific bans on certain things such pork products and alcohol from your connecting flights. Alcohol is available at the resort.
• Maldives follows a business week from Sunday to Thursday.  Most local places are closed on a Friday until after Friday prayer. If you’re staying at a resort you don’t have to worry about this.
• Things you must not forget to carry on your trip – sunscreen, sun glasses, bathing suit, hat, umbrella, flip-flops and a good camera.

-SOnali for So-Saree

A Desi's Guide on How to Order a Chipotle Bowl

I am (un)officially the biggest Chipotle Fan. And every time I visit the US, I devour the Chipotle rice bowl at least once a day(sometimes even twice.) :)
The first time I went to Chipotle was about 4 years ago. I had no clue what to order, but I was fortunate to have an office colleague with me, who placed the order for me and from that day I became a Chipotle fan for life.
Many times, whenever I visited Chipotle, I have seen so many Desi's visiting the place and a lot of them look confused and a little overwhelmed too...with the numerous options they offer.
They don't know what to order, what is vegetarian, what is not, etc. and I have had to really control my urge to walk to them and guide them with their order.
So I wanted to do this post for the benefit of those people who might visit Chipotle for the first time.
Also, when my friends taste my Chipotle rice bowl, they love it and want to know what I add to my bowl. Hence the post.
So lets begin - A Desi's Guide to ordering the Chipotle Rice Bowl.

Though I eat non-vegetarian food as well, I always order the vegetarian Chipotle Rice bowl.
Chipotle is a fast food restaurant, and there are a number of ingredients set up on display and as you move on, the staff starts filling up your bowl as per your request. 

When you are at Chipotle, you mainly have two options:  order the Rice Bowl or the Burrito.
Of course, there's Chips and Salsa, and the kiddie menu too.
But majorly it's just these two things, pretty simple right?

I always order the rice bowl instead of the burrito, because eating a burrito can get really messy.

The first thing they will ask you is if you want a burrito or a rice bowl.
I order the rice bowl.
Next question, White/Brown rice?
I say White.
Next, black beans/pinto beans?
I say Black.
Then they ask you if you would like some veggies.
The veggies are basically fajita veggies- sauteed bell peppers and onions with their special seasoning. You absolutely should include this in your bowl.
Then is the choice of meat.
You can choose from a variety of meat, but since I am ordering a vegetarian bowl, I ask for Sofritas. Sofritas are basically tofu marinated in a spicy sauce made from Chipotle chilies, roasted poblanos, and Mexican spices. You can skip it if you want, but the rice bowl with the Sofritas just makes it way way better.
Then, they ask you for your choice of sauce. Hot, medium, mild.
I ask for the hot and medium, both.
They have corn too, but I skip it, since it makes the dish a bit bland.
Next they will ask you if you would like some sour cream, cheese and lettuce in your bowl.
I take just a small spoon of sour cream, some cheese and lots of lettuce.
You can also order the Guacamole on your bowl for an additional charge, but even if I order it, I ask them to serve it separately and not in the bowl.
That's it. The Chipotle bowl is ready to be devoured.

If you order the Chipotle bowl the way I do, I assure you, your affair with Chipotle will be an eternal one, like mine.

Have you  been to Chipotle? What do you eat?
Let me know in the comments below.

P.S. If you want to skip the rice, you also have the option to order the Salad bowl. Here all the ingredients can remain the same and you just replace the rice with some salad greens.

Outfit Post: Black and White

Hi Guys..hope you had a colorful Holi  and a safe one too.
As far as I am concerned, I don't play Holi. It is one of those rare Indian festivals I am least interested in celebrating. Nothing wrong with the festival. But I just feel it's not for me.
You try to use the best products for your skin and hair and take good care of it all year round, and then one fine day, you allow, the most harsh and sometimes even harmful chemicals to be smothered on your skin. That definitely isn't my idea of fun.  
 
Oh yeah...I do attend the bonfire celebrations a day prior to Holi and gorge on all the yummy Holi sweets. Also as a child I loved hearing the story of Prahlad and Holika again and again, but now since I am the "grown up" (it sucks) in the house no one makes me sit down and tell stories. ;)

Anyways, here's another outfit from our Hawaiian escapade. This was our last day in Hawaii and we were really sad that we had to leave. But that didn't stop us from clicking pictures. So here we go.

Outfit Details:
Plaid shirt: Target
Black Sleeveless Inner: Ross
Denim: Shoppers Stop
Sneakers: H&M