Posted by Navin Ganesh on May 15, 2007 in
Miscellaneous I just can’t believe how soon this last month has flown by. After working really hard for more than 2 weeks to get this blog up and running, it has become an integral part of my life, a routine. Seeing more posts and lot more people coming forward to share their experiences and information about various hangouts gives me the feeling of being rewarded for all the hard work we put in. This would not have been possible without all the support we have received from people who have contributed with their reviews and invaluable comments and ofcourse our visitors.
Hangout Digger had its first post on 15th April 2007 about Amethyst. From then, over a month, we have had 26 new reviews of various hangouts spanning 6 different cities across 4 countries and 2 continents.
Thanks to the response, both Narayanan and I are now highly motivated to making this blog a huge success. We hope to get lot more people from different parts of the globe to share their experiences across various cities of the world.
Special Thanks to Kavitha Mohan, Gayathri Jagannathan, Niveditha Ramaswamy, Girish Ganesh, Anush Srivatsan, Vasisht, Aparna Natarajan, Kanchana Pradeep and Shweta Sharma who have enriched Hangout Digger with their wonderful reviews about various hangouts and eatouts.
We are planning to introduce lots of new features that will make Hangout Digger a truly enjoyable experience. So look forward to our updates and plenty more reviews. As of now, we are averaging at one post a day. We hope to be able to increase that, as and when we get more people to send in their reviews.
Henceforth at Hangout Digger, we’ll have a Weekly Roundup that would be posted every Sunday listing all posts from the previous sunday to the saturday just gone by. Also on the 1st of every month, a Monthly Roundup listing all the posts of the previous month would be put up.
Do find below the posts we have had since Day 1 at Hangout Digger:
15th April 2007 – Amethyst by Kavitha Mohan.
17th April 2007 – High Street by Narayanan Hariharan.
18th April 2007 – Beach Kart – Vroom!! by Kavitha Mohan.
20th April 2007 – Star City by Gayathri Jagannathan.
20th April 2007 – Gangotree – Chaat Central by Niveditha Ramaswamy.
21st April 2007 – Mandarin – The Place for Chinese by Girish Ganesh.
23rd April 2007 – Cunningham Road – One of the most happening places in Bangalore! by Navin Ganesh.
24th April 2007 – Fifth Avenue Bakery aka FABS by Narayanan Hariharan.
28th April 2007 – Sigma Mall – The Highlight of Cunningham Road by Navin Ganesh.
29th April 2007 – Bowl O’ (Oh No) China by Kavitha Mohan.
30th April 2007 – Food Village by Navin Ganesh.
1st May 2007 – Sandeepha – TTK Road by Anush Srivatsan.
2nd May 2007 – Sandwich Shop @ Alsa Mall, Chennai by Narayanan Hariharan.
3rd May 2007 – Bay Leaf – Authentic North Indian Cuisine by Navin Ganesh.
4th May 2007 – The CN Tower, Toronto by Vasisht.
5th May 2007 – Tandoor by Kavitha Mohan.
6th May 2007 – Narayan Reddy Sweets and Chaat by Kavitha Mohan.
7th May 2007 – Aangan – Irresistably North Indian! by Niveditha Ramaswamy.
8th May 2007 – The Polo Club @ The Oberoi, Bangalore by Aparna Natarajan.
9th May 2007 – Rasilas by Vasisht.
10th May 2007 – Corniche – Carving A Niche For Itself by Kanchana Pradeep.
11th May 2007 – Emirates Palace – The World’s Most Expensive Hotel by Kanchana Pradeep.
12th May 2007 – Zara – The Tapas Pub @ Cathedral Road by Aparna Natarajan.
13th May 2007 – Hasik – A 200km Drive from Salalah by Gayathri Jagannathan.
15th May 2007 – Mughsayl Beach Blowholes & Road to Yemen by Navin Ganesh.
15th May 2007 – Casa Piccola & Infinitea on Cunnigham Road by Shweta Sharma.
Thanks for all your cooperation and support. We really hope that you enjoy spending time at Hangout Digger as much as we enjoy bringing it to you.
Posted by Shweta Sharma on May 15, 2007 in
Bangalore This is just to continue the post on Cunningham Road, which happens to be one of my favorite hangouts not just because of the close proximity to my place but also because it still gives me the feeling of our old sweet BANGALORE. Without a second thought I would rate Casa Piccola as the best place to just sit around, sipping Irish coffee and munching fries. The place offers a variety of continental food and desserts which are quite affordable. On a non-sunny day you can just come for lunch and sit and read papers while enjoying your food. It’s a place to watch world cups since all the chairs are turned towards the TV and you have big company to enjoy the game with you. If you aren’t very hungry and in a mood for just salads, go for chicken macaroni salad (the most economical food available). 
If you want to just laze around with you friends and you happen to be a tea lover, Infinitea is just the right place for you. The ambience and music just like the tea will not let you down. It offers a great range of tea (hot and cold) and an above average range of food (continental). If you are scared of trying anything new, go for the typical masala tea pot. The different ice tea available get an 8 on 10 while I will give Lemon ice tea a 9 on 10. The small samosas are worth trying with a pot of masala tea and yes if you happen to be a momo fan, the momos available are not really great but not bad either. Try this place for a different atmosphere and of course different tea.
Posted by Navin Ganesh on May 15, 2007 in
Salalah This is a very famous tourist attraction just 50kms from Salalah city. Salalah is about 1000kms from Muscat, which is the capital of Oman. Salalah has a lot of natural tourist spots which are a must see. So, if you are visiting Oman don’t miss it.
The drive to Mughsayl is quite ordinary and is desert on both sides pretty much all the way. But once you get to Mughsayl, you can have great fun getting amused by the blowholes. The blowholes are actually air holes on the floor which cut through rock to the bottom, where the sea hits land. I guess its difficult to visualize, as I can’t remember hearing about anything similar, anywhere else in the world. (Hope the photos would be of some help!).
When the waves from the sea hit the rock, because of these vents on the ground, air and water is forced up the vent and comes up almost like a fountain, but the volume of water and force of air is awesome. It is something that is very enjoyable when you are actually waiting near the blowholes for the air and water to spray up.
Ofcourse there is an element of luck. If the waves are not strong then you might not get the chance to see the blowholes spraying up in full vigour. But I would say, for the experience, its worth a shot. And there are also other things, so you invariably end up having a great time anyway.
Anyway the whole place is very beautiful, with water hitting against solid rock mountains of the Southern Oman coast. Just a short drive from the blowholes place you have a nice beach where you can hangout over a snack. It’s a great picnic spot and if you go as a group, you are bound to have great fun.
Once you are done at the Blowholes, you can head further down the road and away from Salalah. This road leads you to the neighboring country, Yemen, which is about 150kms from there. But you can have a great time driving through these mountainous roads.
They roads are wide, very safe and its a thrilling experience driving through the mountainous roads which go up and down. You’ve got roads that are really steep with over a 45 degrees climb. You might even encounter some camels and mountain goats on your way. There are also some nice spots to park your car and click some scenic photos with the mountains in the background. Its definitely something you are going to want to remember for a long time.
