Champaner Pavagadh UNESCO World Heritage Site : A Memoir

I was lounging around in the lush green lawn in front of Laxmi Vilas Palace, feeling a bit down since DSLR photography of the exteriors was not allowed. I had an instant thought of going Live on both Facebook and Instagram. It was a memorable Live video where I didn’t have to bother about the…

Champaner Pavagadh Archaeological Park – In Pictures

On a heritage project for an assignment in and around Vadodara in Gujarat; the UNESCO World Heritage site of Champaner Pavagadh was high priority for me. And it did not disappoint; I spent an entire day savouring the Islamic architecture of the 15th Century town of Champaner and even older temples of Pavagadh. While the…

Vadodara : A Travel Guide For Must Visit Attractions

My assignment covering heritage in Gujarat came unannounced. I had the choice of either a car with a driver and guide (and lesser pay) or exploring in my own style (and higher pay!). Of course, I chose the latter. I arrived at Ahmedabad airport with a slight delay and immediately decided to head to Baroda…

Heritage Walk : Churches of Old Goa

I was no stranger to Goa; having studied college in Pune and Bombay. On one of those trips, it was a pleasant surprise to come across some old churches around Panjim (Panaji). I was instantly reminded of the Portuguese history of Old Goa and waited for a opportune chance to explore the Churches on a…

A Monsoon Getaway – Roadtrip from Pune to Amboli

I should have been posting this from Mizoram. Instead, prolonged recovery from a minor surgery means I am in Jaipur and spending much needed time at home! In the meanwhile, I remembered to put out this story here which was originally published in Mint Lounge. The experience of this drive is from 2010 when we…

My Favourite Eateries & Cafés in Goa

Goa came into being for me when I was in college; I was in Pune back in those days and Goa was hardly 10 hours away. Some of us friends made a pact to go to Goa as often as we could, and it is no surprise that I have had more than 10 trips…

A photo journey of trekking to Dudhsagar Waterfalls in the monsoon

The road to Dudhsagar is flooded in the bountiful monsoons and the train track is the only accessible alternate route to see the waterfalls. Dudhsagar literally means a ‘sea of milk’. The waters fall from a great height; Dudhsagar is also one of the 100 highest waterfalls in the world. It lies in the Southern Part…

Goa in the monsoons – Top 5 experiences

Goa was the first destination that made me realise my penchant for slow travel. On my second trip, I was privy to the dying hippie culture in 2002. We had stealthily found out the whereabouts of a rave party and were in for a culture shock for days to come. It was as Bob Marley said…