The Angkor Wat Will Steal Your Heart At First Light

I am not an early-riser and certainly not a morning person; but when I saw pictures of the Angkor Wat temple at sunrise, I knew I could not miss the experience. The over excited traveller that I am could not sleep at night and Googled every possible thing to see at the Angkor Temple complex. …

Raindrop in the woods

I’ll confess I have never liked the idea of trekking in wet mud and doing it in the middle of monsoon season was a strict no-no. Nevertheless, I winded up in the deep woods of Bir in Himachal Pradesh during late August. It is fascinating how we become stealthy creatures in open wilderness with our …

Where Vasco De Gama Set Foot First | Cintacor Island

If the Great Gatsby were to throw an island party, it would be here in Cintacor Island, ‘Old Sport!’ This island is a perfect amalgamation of nature and luxury nestling in the massive shallow of the Arabian Sea. Time travelling back to the days when India was yet to be discovered, a small island on …

24 hours into the wild

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle... the tiger slept that night!" "Shhhh.. the barking deer is giving a call" "Keep silence.. the bushes are moving" With all cameras ready, binoculars in place, eyes all set and a vibration of excitement in air; 12 jeeps full of enthusiasts waited for his royal highness of the jungle! …

East meets West in Istanbul

'Merhaba!' 'Splendid, full of culture and an assorted feast for travellers!' I agree all of the above sounds like a dramatic reality show judge getting fanatical about the onstage performance but this is what every experience seeker would say after visiting Istanbul. Impeccable architecture ornamented with barren trees during winter along with the shiny Bosphorus …

A surreal affair with Cappadocia

You have landed on Moon but on Earth in Cappadocia! Yes, that is the very first instinct you are going to feel in the mystical moonscaped and awfully breathtaking Cappadocia. When I say that there is no place on Earth like this small mystical town, I mean it. The bulldozed valleys, fairy chimneys, outstanding rock …

Gili Islands – A Paradise in Waiting

Time stands still when the water under your feet and the sky above your head is crystal clear. Distant from the commotion of the city lies a little paradise waiting to be explored. We all dream about living in a place far away from the technological gambit to breathe some free air and perhaps feel …

This is your best bet to see Agra like a native

"The whole concept of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is, at last, to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land." Spending 18 years of my life in Agra, I seemed to have imagined a different side to it. The daily chaotic mixture of traffic, bumpy roads and …

Mandav- A Medieval Bliss

Walking down the road from my accommodation at Malwa Retreat in Mandav, I knew I had made the right choice to spend 3 days of my summer buried in anecdotes from the medieval past. The city built in the 8th century is an amalgamation of Mughal and Malwa dynasty. Once standing tall and bright, city …

Sintra, a Portugese fairytale

Sintra, a city permeated with green dewy forests, imposingly colour filled gardens and prepossessing grandeur of buildings from the 14th century Portugese reign make it look like a verse from a Roman poem was painted into reality. A city less than 30 kms away from the capital Lisbon will steal your glimpse at every nook …