we are same same but different!

was a terrible song from what I hear was a terrible film made by Nagesh Kukunoor of all people! But nopes, this post isn't about bad songs or bad movies or even the NK mentioned above whose previous movies I have loved!

G(a)R(l)AND welcome! The view and space just outside the balcony!

So we celebrated our 5th anniversary over last weekend and went to this gorgeous resort called Our Native Village which is pretty close to Nrityagram in an area called Hessarghatta. WE fell in love with the place the moment we saw smiling faces, were offered yummiest jal jeera I have had and stepped into our pretty sunlit room.

The Room! You can see how happy Cubby is! So were we! :D

The low bed on high stone block had Cubby happily jumping all over the place. The wall behind had a beautiful painting and the orange "curtains" made outta mats just added to the feel. The Balcony opened to vast amounts of green and the stone structure that was our room was naturally cool and didn't need AC which they anyway don't have. TV and AC are two modern amenities that this "eco resort" doesn't offer and you don't miss it at all.

The bookshelf in the dining hall! Cubby was fascinated with a lion and the Ferris wheel!

The airy dining hall has a book shelf full of well thumbed books and some broken wooden toys that kept Cubby occupied every time we were having a meal. And yes, the food was delicious enough for us to spend long time at our table! :) What followed such a hearty meal was what you see below;

a much needed siesta! :)

So that we wake up fresh to see, do and enjoy all that there is!



Gawking at the turkey! It was huge and strutted around making weird sounds!

There were turkeys, roosters and hens to run after or just gawk at because I for one had never seen an asli turkey! There were the owners' dogs and their absolutely adorable puppies! So totally cute that even Cubby who is usually guarded when around anything new was OK having them sniff at him and jump on him! :)

The gorgeous pond / pool! :)

They have a beautiful natural pool in form of a pond with lotus flowers and occasional toads to keep you company! Cubby had fun in the pool with his papa. Ofcos his ego kept coming up every now and then when he realized he isn't supposed to enjoy all this after having said "nahi jaana hai" pretty vehemently. So rona dhona in between laughter kept happening! :)

Getting our hands dirty! The guy Umesh did most of the work but we did get two pots back! :)

You can indulge in all that rustic life entails. Starting from milking a cow (we were quite content just watching, thank you!) to getting your hands dirty as you try your hand at pottery! They also offer kite flying and gilli danda if thats what fancies you! We did the bullock cart ride and though it was nice to know what it feels like by end of it it just didn't seem fair to use it as a joyride.

Mom and son by the small pond while Father got his massage!

There is a spa as well and though not as fancy or spic n span as some of the newer ones (this one has oil on its floor etc), the person offering the massage was awesome. M got a full body massage and came out maha refreshed! Since they didn't have a female masseuse that day, I had to make do with a foot massage the next day which was quite nice too!

The view that greeted us next day morning! A flock of cranes! :)



I dunno why but i LOVE this picture! :)

The room rents are a tad steep but it is totally worth it. Only slight discomfort is the number of flies flitting around because they dont use any chemicals etc, but somehow you dont notice it much! Almost not at all! :)

Anyhoo, we casually mentioned it to the owner that we have come to celebrate our anniversary. Imagine our surprise when we were told that they have arranged a candle light dinner for us by the pool side! When we went back to the room post dinner is when the post with this title started happening in my head! Have a look and tell me what you think! ;)

Our bed decorated with flowers at ONV! we giggled like l'il kids!

This is why! The bed on our honeymoon in Himachal Pradesh! :D

sitting on the khatiya around the bonfire with tired Cub!

The Bonfire!

Us in front of the fireplace in our room during honeymoon! :p

Us at the bonfire at a lovely hotel in Thanedar!

Us holding hands at restaurant in Parwanoo in Himachal!

Holding hands over a romantic candle light dinner at ONV! :p

Me, the new bride at the hotel table during honeymoon!

Me, 5 years later, with Cubby next to us as we are about to start the dinner! :)

Yup that's him on the khatiya in the passage! :D We were meant to have a peaceful dinner! We just made a request to the hotel guys and within minutes a comfy bed for the sleeping Cub was ready! :)

Me making funny faces at mall road in Shimla because M kept insisting on some pose!

Me making funny faces at Nrityagram because M kept insisting on some pose!

Us taking random picture in Shimla!

Us, getting a random picture taken at Taj Kuteeram!

Isn't it all too similar? That's why the title!

So does this qualify as second honeymoon?! hehe!