There is one question that I heard being repeated to the guide by the tourists. Any guesses…………..? The same question was asked in the Nadi tour and another gentleman repeated the question during the Suva trip. How much does a house cost here in Fiji? Can’t blame the tourists. Fiji is beautiful and very rightly an…
Bula Fiji : The Nadi tour
It is very tempting to arrive in Fiji and make a dash for the blue waters. Once in, it is very difficult to come out. It would be a shame to spent the next three precious days just frolicking in water. So I decide to avoid the temptation by opting to travel and see a…
Happy Onam
The most well known symbol of the Onam celebrations in Kerala is the Flower carpet called Pookalam in Malayalam. Onam is the harvest festival in Kerala. The celebrations are not confined within the borders of the state. Though families make it a point to travel home to celebrate Onam; the Malayalee diaspora across the world…
Bula Fiji !!
Good morning sunshine !! We landed at the Nadi International Airport, Fiji. Nadi is the tourist capital of Fiji located on the island called Viti Levu and Suva is the political capital. The Nadi airport was once an American airforce base. The there is a smaller airport near Suva, but catering to domestic flights. The…
Hong Kong to Fiji 2018
On Sunday, 19 Aug 2018, a powerful earthquake of magnitude 8.2 occurred in the Pacific Ocean, close to the islands of Tonga and Fiji, the US Geological Survey reported. As per the reports ” But the undersea quake was too deep to trigger a tsunami, according to the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which added that small tsunami waves…
When crisis hits home : Floods in Kerala
17 August 2018 : Today is Chingam 1, an auspicious day in Kerala, marking the first day of the New Year as per the Malayalam calendar. This day marks the end of the rainy season and people eagerly look forward to celebrating the festival of Onam during this month. But sadly this is not the situation…
On our 72nd Independence Day
We joined the Independence Day celebrations at our kid’s school. The weather was kind and the rains held out until after the event. The school’s festivities were based on the theme ” Me and my country, we grow together“. Here’s some snaps of the morning festivities. The celebrations were concluded with an exhibition of the…
A Slice of Kowloon 2018
7 pm and as we stepped out of the Hong Kong Museum of History, the rain had petered out and twilight transformed Hong Kong into the neon city. Soaking in all that history and culture made me hungry. Last stop for the evening, dinner and we are heading to Mak’s Noodles. It was a small…
A journey to the beginning : Hong Kong 2018
There were four ethnic groups in Hong Kong – the Boat Dwellers, the Hoklo settlers, the Punti and the Hakka people. The Hoklo settlers built thatched houses along the water’s edge. The Punti were traditionally farmers, landlords and shopowners. The Hakka people settled the poorer land in the hilly areas. And where else for this…
A day of discovery and duck in Hong Kong 2018
Let’s begin with a puzzle in keeping with the spirit of the Hong Kong Science Museum, where it is not about merely viewing the models enclosed in glass cases; the exhibits prompt your action and attention. The museum provides an awesome experience with each exhibit inviting some sort of action from your side – press this…
Morning delights in Hong Kong 2018
New day; 2nd day in Hong Kong. Wet, wet, wet; we head out for breakfast armed with the umbrella. A 5 min walk and we are in front of this cute looking place called Lai Yuen Restaurant. Our English breakfast arrives, beautifully plated and super tasty. We have the Mushroom and Ham Omelette with Salad…
Tsim Sha Tsui escapades 2018
The one image that comes to mind when I think of Hong Kong, are the junk boats with their characteristic red sails. And the Hong Kong skyline picture below, in this aspect is complete with the junk boat. We were gathered with the rest of the crowd on the platform at the Tsim Sha Tsui…
Central in Hong Kong 2018
This trip to Hong Kong is a DIY tour and we couldn’t cover all the places we had crammed into our list. So a very practical Day 1 in Hong Kong went as follows: 9:30 am – Arrival at the Hong Kong Intl Airport 12:30 pm – Reached the Guang Dong Hotel and lunch 2:30 pm…
Wet and green : Hong Kong in July 2018
Our first souvenir in Hong Kong was an umbrella from a 7Eleven store. It was raining throughout, but not a deterrent to the shoppers and tourists flocking the streets. 2 days in Hong Kong !! We caught a City Flyer (A21) – the double-decker bus from the airport to Tsim Sha Tsui. We were staying at…
In transit to Fiji
Fiji is far away and this realisation dawned when I saw the flight bookings. There are no direct flights and the transit time in another country is a tempting opportunity to spend a day or two exploring that place also. So we planned 2 days in Hong Kong en route Fiji. This would be our…
A delightful Fiji tale
Fiji; the internet photos show sun, sand and blue skies; the articles talk about cannibalism, coups and tourism. Not very fond of reading on screens, I turn to find a book which will introduce me to Fiji. It was difficult to choose one – the choices were narrowed down to – [1] Getting Stoned with Savages:…
Vaca on an island paradise
Our next destination. Can you guess the place ? Below are 10 fun facts about the place: {1} It’s cannot be called an island, more an archipelago. {2} Situated in the Pacific Ocean. {3} Located on the International Date Line or the 180˚ meridian, which is the imaginary line in the Pacific Ocean that splits consecutive…
An itinerary for Sri Lanka
Ayubowan ! …. a greeting in Sinhalese, meaning Long life. A 4N, 5D trip to Sri Lanka, covering four places – Bentota, Yala, Kandy & Colombo. Here’s the itinerary. Day 1: Arrival @Colombo and off to Bentota Flew SriLankan airlines from Kochi to Colombo. Green Holiday was the local agent engaged for the trip, hired through a…
A book for Ceylon
It was a holiday homework from school for the kid; to read and present a book, when the school re-opened after the summer vacations of April-May. Choosing a book is no easy task, especially when the sole aim of the holidays is to get away from books and reading. The kid was going on a…
For the Best Breakfast in Bengaluru
Remember the bookshelf? Our second visit to this great food joint on a Saturday morning. Here’s the link to the post of the first visit…Hole in the Wall Cafe @Bengaluru : Good things come in small packages Here’s what we ordered this time round. The best dish in the trio for the morning was The…
