The New Normal?

What do you say about travel at a time like this? There’s nothing appropriate to say, is there? There’s a lot to say about home, though. Only, I don’t know where to start. Maybe I’ll start with how both travel and home are slowly merging into different ideas these last three years? In 2017, I…

A Month Of Memories In U.S.A.

Third stop on the sabbatical: United States Of America A people and places pilgrimage O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? – THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER, USA NATIONAL ANTHEM I didn’t know what to expect from this trip, I really didn’t. All…

Ola Espana!

Second stop on the sabbatical: Spain Soon after we got married, B and decided that our fifth anniversary should be celebrated someplace nice, keeping the exact place open to evolving tastes and interests. As we hit that milestone last year, we unanimously picked Europe, and almost unanimously chose southern Spain. The architectural and cultural clash…

Chocolates, Cheese and Cities in Switzerland

First stop on the sabbatical: Switzerland Have you ever heard of a trip to Switzerland without visiting the Alps? Well, welcome to one! Europe to me has always meant history and art ensconced deceptively in either a sleepy old village or a glitzy world city, and the towering Alps that cuts across eight countries. I’ve…

The Kase Of The Kyoto Konfusion

Ok, I have finally met my match in misplaced expectations. Maybe it was because of very last minute prep for this trip, or maybe it is finally a spotlight on how my travel tastes are changing, I know not. But Kyoto left me very, very konfused.  Every since I heard of a Japanese temple town…

Relax, Reflect, Revive – Phuket

“Wonder how these stars look like right now”, B said, as he gazed up at the night sky. It startled me like nothing had in a while. “You’re right”, I agreed. Nothing is really as it seems, I thought. We were sprawled out on an empty rooftop bar, perfect psychedelic music thumping softly from a…

Wats, Mountains and Khao Soy – Chiang Mai

Sometimes, just sometimes, I go with the flow. I don’t plan much and I don’t read or educate myself about my destination. This time, the reason was two-pronged. One, the destination was Thailand, where I’d already been a couple of times. I knew about its deep contradictions and stunning beauty and tourism friendliness. Two, a…

North Vietnam – Part 1

We sat in Mrs.Duong’s courtyard sipping tea, as Na helped translate the seventy-five year old’s life story to us. After politely enquiring about her children, her husband’s nine siblings, their association with Uncle Ho and the ornate shrine in their small living room, we took the plunge. “Is it ok to ask her about the…

The Template Of A Mad Metropolis – Tokyo

You know you’re a city girl when your senses come alive amidst crowds, when your heart thumps to the beat of a commuter train, and when your brain kinda gives up on the necessity of serenity ever so often. I know I’m one. I love my cities as much as I love my mountains. And…

In The Meadows Of Dayara Bugyal

The hills are alive with the sound of music! - Maria, in The Sound Of Music I hopped, skipped and jumped in a green meadow on a sunny morning, singing the one line I knew of this song over and over again. Before me lay an undulating meadow, caught between a white winter and a…