It’s been over a month since we stepped out of the apartment and it was high time. The kid’s mid-term exams were over, festival holidays were underway and we were yearning for a change in scenery. It was late morning on a Sunday and we drove over to MG Road. The shop fronts were decorated…
Tag: Travel
Stalk and the Bean 🍃 (guest post)
Our appetite for coffee took us further north (a gruelling road trip 300-km long) to the heartland of coffee plantations in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka state where a homestay, Nature Nirvana was arranged. Genuinely located in the lap of nature, this was a place for which Google could not find travel routes. Instead, we had to rely…
Postcards from Wayanad 🛤 (guest post)
Bidding adieu to the teak forests in Nilambur, we travelled further north of Kerala to reach the district of Wayanad. This sleepy district was suddenly thrust into the limelight when Rahul Gandhi decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections from here. Barring the sudden political spotlight, Wayanad has always been a popular weekend getaway for…
Green escapades in north Kerala🌴 (guest post)
Nilambur is a green, picturesque town in the northern district of Malappuram, Kerala renowned for it’s magnificent teak plantations and forests. A perfect green escape from the concrete jungles and asphalt plains of the city. The place is chequered in spectacular hues of green and there is no escaping the majestic trees !! Teak wood…
Act of kindness 🌹 (guest post)
It was almost a year ago. We (I and spouse) were sight-hopping in Croatia and Slovenia, and had reserved this two-bed aparthotel in Ljubljana to stay on arrival from Zagreb late in the evening. Our estimated check-in time was 10:00 p.m. on 18 June 2019 as communicated, but by twist of fate, the train from Zagreb was…
Profit from panic: The MakeMyTrip strategy✈️
How is that a company listed on NASDAQ in US does not have an email id on their website for customer complaints ? Difficult to digest, right? But this is the case with the online travel company MakeMyTrip. Their answer is a customer support link that lets you cancel or re-schedule an existing booking; but where…
Hyd after dusk 🌃
Hyderabad is probably the only city so far where we have ventured out in the evening for sight-seeing. The city felt safe even after dusk; Ola and Uber were available to ferry us to and fro. On the evening of the first day, we were at the famous Golconda fort, just in time to see it’s…
Magical monuments of Mahabalipuram✨
Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu is unique in having a display of the four sculpture forms – Cave Temples, Carved Monoliths, Sculptured Scenes and Masonry Temples. They were built during the rule of the Pallava kings between 6th to 8th century AD. Kanchipuram was the capital city of the Pallavas and Mahabalipuram was their seaport. We…
Shore temple in Mahabalipuram🐚… shrouded in sand and stories
Standing on the sea shore of Bay of Bengal in Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu district of India is the famous Shore temple; seen from far as two pagoda style towers rising to the sky. Why is it so famous? It’s now merely an archeological site and as per our guide Mr. Ali, the government has…
Chowmohalla Palace: Glimpse into a royal past👑
The Chowmohalla Palace is a prominent tourist attraction in all Hyderabad itineraries. It is a glimpse into the grandiose lifestyle of the erstwhile Nizams who ruled the land. A chance for the common man to be in awe of the wealth and possessions of the rich overlords. The minute I entered the vast wooden gates,…
Love antique homes? You must visit Dakshina Chitra in Tamil Nadu🏠
Everyday, we step outside dressed to fit in; but we strive to ensure that our homes reflect our uniqueness. In a country like India, the houses are treasure troves showcasing the diversity of its people. The old houses were built – both in and out – to reflect the family’s caste, social status and means…
Wedding weekend in Kerala💐
Republic Day weekend; the kid’s school sent a message asking us to watch the Republic Day parade on the TV to see “the newly inducted stealth attack helicopter Apache and the transport helicopter Chinook” taking part in the fly past for the first time. But we were miles away in Kerala attending a family wedding….
Treat yourself to Hyderabad: A 3 day itinerary 🌆
The name Bhagmati seems quite famous in Hyderabad; though we didn’t meet any ladies with this name, there are shops named Bhagmati and even saw a boat named Bhagmati at the pier on the Hussain Sagar lake in the Lumbini Park. What’s in a name, you may ask? For Hyderabad it translates to it’s genesis….
Season’s Special🎄❄️
Last day of 2019; December passed by so quickly thanks to exams, travel and family functions. In the first two weeks the kid had is pre-board exams. With that out of the way, an excursion for his class to Auroville followed. They were staying in Auroville for 3 days to see and learn about sustainability, organic…
Namaste Hyderabad 🙏✨
10 years ago was my first visit to the city. I was in Hyderabad to conduct a training session being held at the Basheer Bagh branch of my then employer. In the evening, the office arranged a shopping-cum-sightseeing trip for all the participants to the old city – Charminar and Laad Bazaar. Charminar was closed…
Good reads for the holidays🎄📚
Winter or more aptly the cooler months in south India, free from the heat and rain are ideal for travel. Following the school calendar🗓, opportunity presents itself starting from October with the Puja holidays, followed by the Diwali hols and finally the Christmas holidays. And going by the travel trends reported in the papers, the millennials…
Chandigarh: A gridded legacy🛣 (guest post)
The vivid colours of a rainbow appear mystical to most beholders and so does the Rock Garden of Chandigarh. The garden was envisioned as a dream kingdom and made entirely of nature’s bounty by its author-architect Nek Chand Saini, a PWD road inspector of early 1900s. Nek Chand was witness to the trauma and pain following…
Arjuna’s Penance – one of the largest bas relief sculptures in the world – how many stories can you decipher?
😏My photo does no justice to this magnificent sculptured wall; dating back to the 7th century AD, built under the patronage of the Pallava kings, located in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu. This massive monument has to be seen in person. It’s a collage of characters from the Hindu mythology – Mahabharatha. Our guide Mr. Ali explained…
Pondicherry to Mahabalipuram 🚙💨…along the East Coast Road (Photoblog)
Four nights in Pondicherry – split between two hotels – 2 nights at Maison Perumal, a boutique hotel in the heart of Pondy and 2 nights at Ocean Spray, a sprawling resort close to a beach, on the East Coast Road (ECR) but 16 km away from Pondicherry. It’s perfect for a leisurely walk in…
Scuba diving in Pondicherry🚤
The scuba diving took place on 1st Oct 2019 and am writing about it a month later; the delay was in anticipation of receiving the underwater photographs from the vendor. We paid for the same, was promised via email 15 – 24 hours later; but not received them till date, now a month and counting….
