When I was 11 months old, my parents took me on a road trip from Bangalore to Delhi. A lot of people would consider that crazy -2 kids over such a long distance and that too back in the 80’s when there was little or no technology. I asked my Mom how she managed; she(…)
Adventure
The author’s trysts, shenanigans, gaffes and battles with various degrees of danger as he traveled around the world.
Five Weird Festivals You Must Attend Once in Your Lifetime
What’s your favourite part of a festival? The sweets? The gifts? The lights? What else? Where’s the crazy fun part? Like when you fill balloons with coloured water and throw it at random people on Holi. Or dress up as Catwoman on Halloween? Here are some other wild and wacky festivals around the globe that(…)
Travel to Heal Your Broken Heart
I wanna know what it means to be free And I just want to know What it is to let go… I’m on up to the land above me Dust in my hair and dust on my shoes (…)
Weirdest Places to Get Married
The terms of marriage are changing, and so are the venues. An ordinary temple, church, or banquet hall wedding is so passé. Your parents, their parents and their parents did the same. Will you be that boring? Hell, if you are allowing yourself to choose a life partner, you should definitely choose your own wedding(…)
The Romance of Travel – How to Travel without Gadgets
You are used to checking your phone every 5 minutes? You can’t live without scrolling the home page of your Facebook page ten times a day. And even when you travel, you steal in moments to check every social networking site you are on. Make an online check-in to let your friends know you are(…)
One of the Last Unknows: Bridging the (Darien) Gap
Who doesn’t want to make money by writing about their (sometimes even sponsored) travels around the world right? The advent of travel blogging has proved it possible. The more unconventional, the better; offbeat is the new ‘black’. Whether it’s dinners out, day trips or travel plans, there are the places you love and then, there(…)
The Last Leg - Malana in Smoke Rings
There are some journeys we undertake for fun, some are an escape, and some happen because we have to. Then there are those journeys that cannot be helped. There are some strange truths about this world of ours that need to be encountered in flesh and blood. Malana was one such journey. We were curious(…)
Malana Diaries – Chapter 2 - Foreigners ka Show???
Our story began in the first chapter of Malana diaries with a shady innkeeper. You would recall we had stealthily slipped away from Local Hero’s lodge after catching him in his underpants. After that we trekked for an hour. Running. Looking back to see for pursuing SUVs. Nibbling on oranges. Fishing for sunscreen in bags.Trying(…)
Malana Diaries – The First Adventure
“Trekking girl or party girl?” asked the 30-something firang from behind his shades, with a suggestive twitch of the mouth. Leaning back in his chair at the open café in Kasol, he waited for an answer. Taken completely unawares, I looked at him trying to conceal my surprise at his directness. “Trekking girl.” I replied(…)
Climbing an active volcano – My rendezvous with Mount Batur
I’ve never been one of those athletic or physically very fit types. In fact, I’m as unfit as they come. So even the idea for a five-kilometer baby-trek along neatly paved paths at a very reasonable incline, coming from me would surprise the wits out of anyone who knows me. Let alone, a two-hour trek(…)
Vitaliy Raskalov: World’s Most Daring Photographer?
It is a cold day in Moscow. The five member group has been standing behind the building for two hours now. From time to time, one of the men clicks a photograph. In a cold Russia, Decembers are bleary and not many are on the streets. The group is not noticed. The building, Mercury City,(…)
Hyderabad Diaries :Cycling around the Hussain Sagar Lake
It is cold. I pull my sweater at a feeble attempt to wrap the ends around my body. Maybe wearing jeans was not a smart choice. But then I have never been known for my smartness. It did not have gears. It did not matter. With or without gears cycling does not come easy to(…)
Tales of Romania: Who was Count Dracula?
A mist descends from the sky and slowly swirls around the carriage. The horses pick up pace, not because their driver is pulling tighter at the reins, but because they are as nervous as him. The carriage rattles along, spraying the dust and stones in its wake, as it moves rapidly through the only(…)
Up Helly Aa: The world’s strangest, largest and ‘coolest’ fire festival
Disclaimer: For, one day, we shall have kids, and this is how they shall learn history. The Viking Fire Festival? Well, let us first gather some perspective, eh? There is a lot of noise in this world, kids. Some countries wanting oil, some countries not wanting to give oil; some countries wanting more lands, others(…)
The man who hitchhiked 25,000 kilometres across the world
Can you just step out of your house one day, stand on the road watching the cars pass in a blur, and believe that you can travel across the world just through hitchhiking and asking people to let you stay in their houses? Surely one can’t really cross the world only depending on the assistance(…)
Into Thin Air
Disclaimer: First book review, and no intentions to stick to a conventional format. - The first time I heard of Into Thin Air was when Reader’s Digest India put an extract of the same in its ‘Book Section’. That was over ten years ago, and though I never tried to search for the book, it never(…)
Up in the Air : Tales from Turkey
We sat around wooden tables shivering. The hot coffee did little to warm us. Each time someone opened the door the stinging chill of the morning rushed in. It was cruel to have to get out of bed and breakfast at 5 am. A little after half past five, a not so young yet not(…)
