Halong Bay, Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam (28th December 2012) Vietnam’s Halong Bay is known for its thousands of limestone islets jutting out of its waters, and it is always a special feeling when you take a cruise boat which glides through the bay amidst these giant krasts. Fortunately, our tour also had an optional extra …
Chicago, USA (31st August 2010) I was strolling through the Millennium Park in Chicago when I suddenly saw a very large metallic object shaped like a bean present there. As I walked towards it, I realized that it actually had a mirrored surface which offered some amazing and surreal reflections of the Chicago skyline. My …
Baga, Goa, India (14th April 2013) At dawn on a midsummer morning in Goa, I strolled on to the Baga Beach with my precious book in hand, found a beach chair and made myself comfortable. With a gentle early morning breeze blowing and the ubiquitous sound of waves in the background, I got immersed in …
Mỹ Sơn, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam (2nd January 2013) During our stay in Hoi An, we decided to visit Mỹ Sơn, the ruins of the Champa Kingdom whose kings had ruled Vietnam between the 4th and 14th centuries AD. While we were expecting nothing more than a couple of old abandoned buildings in a compact …
Black Forest, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (13th October 2008) Travelling through the Black Forest area in Germany virtually feels like journeying into fairy-tale land. Sprawling forests with varying shades of brown, green and yellow blanket the countryside creating a natural piece of art on the hilly canvas. In between, small houses resembling hobbit huts dot the landscape …
Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India (22nd December 2013) Hookah, the quintessential instrument for smoking flavoured tobacco, was very popular with the Rajputs, the kings who ruled Rajasthan for centuries. The museum in Mehrangarh Fort of Jodhpur has an interesting collection of intricately designed gold and silver hookahs studded with precious stones that were used in the erstwhile …
East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India (2nd May 2010) While India is known for its sweet tooth and a range of tasty sweet foods, I have seldom seen how they are actually made. Fortunately, I got this opportunity rather unexpectedly while travelling through the villages of East Godavari district in the Southern Indian state of …
Paris, France (6th September 2008) Come spring-time, Paris springs to life with the numerous cafés and brasseries on its sidewalks. Small tables and chairs are lined up outside the café on the sidewalk and Parisians indulge in their favourite pastimes of eating, drinking, smoking and people watching. During my time in Paris, I used to …
Ayutthaya, Thailand (16th April 2011) During my travels in Thailand, I had seen a lot of statues and idols of the Buddha. However, I found a very peculiar one in Wat Maha That temple in Ayutthaya. Here, the Buddha's head is lodged in the tangled roots of a large tree and there is also a …
Hoi An, Vietnam (1st January 2013) Being one of the largest producers of rice in the world, Vietnam has managed to find other ingenious use for the food grain – that of creating art. I came across these rice paintings in a little shop in Hoi An, and stood fascinated before them wondering how much …
Berlin, Germany (19th November 2008) For a city which is steeped in 20th century history and with an eclectic assortment of architecture, chancing upon this architectural beauty in the heart of Berlin was not surprising. But realizing that it was actually a Holocaust memorial constructed in the memory of all the Jews murdered by Hitler’s …
Passikudah, Sri Lanka (5th August 2013)The sun was setting on the eastern coast. The beach near our resort was so serene, the sand so soft, coconut trees swayed in the wind and the evening sky had acquired a blue hue. The setting was perfect for an evening walk along the coast line. We were virtually …
The Wandering Buddha 