Over the past few years of my travelling days, I had barely explored South India beyond the obvious and in 2017 I set about correcting it. It was the last week of September and I arrived at Chennai airport at the stroke of noon. I wanted to head straight to Pondicherry from the airport itself….
Tag: Travel Guide
Bir, Himachal’s latest beauty. Go now
‘Bir’, we said. “Beed?’ they asked. We were at the bus stand in the holy town of Baijnath marvelling at the ancient carvings in the Baidyanath Temple and the tranquil town of Bir was only thirty minutes away, we were told. We hopped into the already full bus and the uphill climb began. How to reach…
Top solo travel tips
So, you think about travel all the time. Nothing seems so exciting as the lure of the road. The feeling of being free among unknown lands. Dreaming about travel destinations and how it would be in person. You have googled innumerable destinations and have a bucket list that runs into pages. You are the one…
6 cool tips for seeing the Taj Mahal
Like most people on earth, I was pretty excited to finally see the Taj Mahal in flesh. Despite all the hype, it’s every bit as good as you have might have heard. Alas, my joy was short lived upon being a part of the great crowd that had gathered around the entrance of the East Gate. It was…
The Havelis of Shekhawati
Since a lot has already been written about the painted frescoes in ‘The largest open air art gallery in the world’, I will skip the introductions to Shekhawati and let my pictures do the talking. Havelis are huge mansions built by wealthy marwari merchants around 100-150 years ago. Did you know? : More than seventy-five…
Practical tips for winter travel in Ladakh
Since the passes leading to Ladakh are closed in the winter, the only way to reach is by air over the lofty Himalayas. The surest way to spoil your epic adventure before it even starts is to be unprepared before reaching Leh. I spent considerable time in Ladakh in January this year and realised that…
Lost and found in Munsyari
This is a story of serendipity working its magic for me to explore Munsyari without any specific plan for the same. I had woken up in dire circumstances in a dingy hotel room in the shabby town of Bageshwar. A trip to the loo drained me of any remaining energy. The shared taxi from Almora…
Binsar through my eyes
I had finally mustered enough courage to set out alone; after the fraças in Garhwal. Read My own episode of ‘Jailed Abroad’ in Garhwal Himalaya Although Uttarakhand hadn’t been particularly kind to me, this time I chose to explore Kumaon. A day in Dehradun and another in Nainital was spent getting used to the idea of…
All you need to know about Mukteshwar
Jim Corbett, the world renowned hunter and nature lover came to shoot a tiger here and fell in love with the natural beauty of Mukteshwar in Uttarakhand. He saved the local people and has described the incident in ‘The man-eaters of Kumaon.’ I didn’t kill a tiger, but was absolutely enchanted by this tranquil hill station….
An expert guide to Shimla
Shimla is built on a central ridge, around which seven peaks jut out into the sky. The most famous address and titillatingly named Scandal Point is so named because of the number of romantic rendezvous that were once routinely arranged there. While the erstwhile British summer capital of Shimla has numerous attractions, I pick out the…