Close your eyes. Imagine. The start of winters. Morning. There is a little nip in the air, a bit of hanging fog. You are standing in a lawn, the grass underneath your feet has moist pure water on its blades; there is silence all around you, broken only by a cacophony of barbells. All around...Read More

Everyone likes a royal treatment. Being treated and pampered like a royal is a desire most people carry. That doesn’t always mean staying in palaces, moving around in expensive salons, endless ceremonies and the likes. I have picked up an easy and practical way to live like royalty even now and satiate my senses. Read...Read More

Wildlife enthusiasts love the Leopard. Though the Lion and the Tiger hold their places because of their majesty and élan, it is the Leopard that is big game hunting’s (with the camera) ultimate prize. Seen atop trees, rock dens, thick foliage, dense green bushes, the Leopard’s rosettes make amazing clicks for the camera. Problem is...Read More

This year hasn’t been kinder to anyone, and it’s been 8 months it has stayed this way. We were reminiscing our travels in 2019 and rueful that we have spent most of the year at home sitting it out. How does one travel with so much uncertainty around safety, people and distance. And then it...Read More

I had heard of Chauragarh, second time in my life when we reached Kedarnath an year ago (Oct 2019). There, after the arduous trek to the sacred temple from the base camp, and after we had our “darshan” with the Lord, we were perambulating the temple courtyard when I noticed a huge and heavy steel...Read More

3 months of Coronavirus driven lockdown was tough life for many of us, from many perspectives. Hence when the lockdown was eased up and traveling was opened, we were keen to get out and quench our wanderlust. In these times, taking precautions and studying what options are safest for travel and stay are very necessary,...Read More

A stunning and very inaccessible vale in the larger Bhyundar valley of Uttarakhand was made known to the world when in 1931, 3 British mountaineers – Shipton, Holdsworth and Frank Smythe – who had lost their way after a successful ascent of Mt. Kamet, stumbled into it. Smythe was so smitten by it that he...Read More

We recently spent 7 hours this New Year’s Eve in the Grand Bazaar. Had it not been for the closing time of 7pm, we would perhaps have had stretched our window shopping till midnight and still come back dissatisfied. We have traveled to many places and many Bazaars (take for example the Khan El Khalili...Read More

We were quite excited to leave Masaimara (Mara for short) for Serengeti (Geti for short and cool). We had reasons to be. We had seen almost everything there was in wildlife (except Leopard) in Mara, where every safari session was pure awesome. And now, Serengeti – which is ten times the size of Mara –...Read More

During my childhood days, I would find a common picture in wall calendars, school copy books, sometimes magazines as well – that of a small stony temple against the backdrop of huge icy mountains. That was Kedarnath. Perched at somewhat around 12,000 feet, the picture always fascinated me with thoughts and questions – why did...Read More

Most bloggers and travel companies routinely publish such lists to spike interest with their clientele. Not this one; this is my personal bucket list, with my own biases and reasons. I am a geography buff (regular in Top 10s in Quiz Up) and I love this planet because it offers so much. These places fascinate...Read More

Travelers within Indian destinations is increasing every year. You would inadvertently find huge crowds and cramped logistics unless you plan off hand or plan to be there in off season. Also, with almost all places seem to be captured by one or another, one rarely finds novel / untouched places in the Indian subcontinent. Here...Read More

The last leg of our Australian trip was Airlie beach. It was a 10-hour overnight bus drive from Cairns for us. But the ride suited us as we left Cairns at midnight and reached Airlie at brunch time. While Airlie beach itself is quite beautiful, we were here to visit the world-famous White haven beach....Read More

The Earth is beautiful and there are so many spots of unparalleled beauty on it that a lifetime of travel is short to accomplish those visits. Hence, humans came up with a list of top 10 for many categories, so that ordinary mortals can atleast see the best. One such category that amazes me is...Read More

Maharana Udai Singh II, looked across the room, upon his self-portrait, hung on the other wall, while light fell thru the grilled wooden windows into the antechamber. The shades of blue walls, looking a bit wheatish as the cream daylight washed the walls, lifted his mood up. It was a tough year for him. It...Read More

If you are up early one fine August morning by the Mara river, you will notice small specks rise rapidly through the green bushes along the stretch of the river you can see. Quite rapidly, those specks grow into hundreds, and then thousands and then they start growing bigger and bigger. Thousands of Wildebeest and...Read More

We were in a sullen mood a day before. Serengeti National Park  was turning out to be a real pain. First, it was such a huge park that one needs to drive for hours before one could see something crawling at a distance and hope it was a predator. Second, roads are fairly limited within...Read More

This, is a bucket-list item. I just ticked it off last week. The remote Zanskar valley in Jammu & Kashmir (India) is connected to the rest of the world through the town of Kargil. In winters, when the high passes towards Kargil are unmanageable, the inhabitants of this region walk upon the frozen Zanskar River...Read More

Its time to prepare plans for 2018. I have always been very fond of Palaces and the richness they exude, with countless stories to tell about themselves and the people who built them. India has a terrific collection to choose from, and here is my personal list of absolute best in India. Traveling to see...Read More

Neuschwanstein – meaning the “new swan stone” castle is a huge tourist draw for Germany. Inspiring artists like Walt Disney, who modeled his “sleeping beauty” and “Cinderella” castles on it, the Neuschwanstein attracts 1.4M tourists every year. This makes it a must visit if you are in Germany, and an absolute must if you are...Read More