Adalaj ni Vav in Ahmedabad
Adalaj ni Vav Ahmedabad or Adalaj stepwell was the first place we visited after landing in Ahmedabad the previous evening.…
India
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival
I live in Mumbai and yet this was my first time at KGAF (Kala Ghoda Arts Festival). Call it my bad luck, I was always out of town at this time of the year.
I used to wonder what is so fascinating about this festival that people come here from other parts of India to attend it and I haven’t done so! Thankfully, I now know the reason.
This 9 day art festival is held every year in Mumbai with various themes and interpretations with representation of social issues, the state of our country what it is today. Many artists show their creativity through their work. Not only this, the sub-festivals feature the visual arts, dance, music, theatre, cinema, literature, lectures, seminars and workshops, heritage walks and special events for children as well. Various NGOs also have their stalls selling their products.
Without wasting time further I show you a glimpse of KGAF. Please read the captions below the photos to know what they depict. You can see many more photos of KGAF on my Facebook page.
Kala Ghoda which literally means
Vista D90, a sneak preview
Close on the heels of our trip to Ahmedabad, Tata Motors had called me up and delivered a spanking new Tata Indica Vista D90, Tata’s new hatchback in the Vista series before its launch, at my door step. The reason, well, drive it in the city and highways and let us know what you think about.
Since I was to have the car for 3 days and had some work in Pune, I decided not to go too far but picked Pune as a destination for one day and the other days just drive around in case I need to go somewhere. I am not a fan of wasting fuel & time just for the heck of it.
The next day we started for Pune. First thing that you notice is the
My 1st article in Hindi on a national daily
Do you remember last year I went abroad in November sometime and was back in India around 20th December?Well, before…
Date with Ford Figo – A Review
Road Trip to Gujarat
Ford company recently offered me a car, a Ford Figo for review and we decided on Ahmedabad to take it for a spin. It was time to hit the roads again.
This was one road trip which we been waiting for a while. We had heard so much about the beautiful roads of Gujarat that made driving pleasurable. Added to that were the heritage and beautiful tourist sites of Gujarat. Considering we got the car in January, we quickly decided to start with Ahmedabad and enjoy the Kite Festival during Uttarayan. Our complete itinerary looked like this.
First impression of Ahmedabad
First impression of Ahmedabad
I am back from a road trip to Ahmedabad. My first time in Gujarat.
I did not read anything nor had any opinions about the city prior to my visit and that was the good thing about my trip.
Here is my first impression of the city Ahmedabad.
Competing in the open…
1) The city is a mix of the old and the new. Though I did not see
Looking back at 2012
Another year has passed and it’s time to look back and take stock, time to update the set of to-dos, time to see how was the year 2012 for me in terms of travel and otherwise.
As I always say, I count my memories, not the places and I am happy that my travel memories are far more & better than the destinations. Some road trips, some train journeys and a few flights took me places almost every month. I made some new friends, consolidated my bond with old ones.
I also moved to a new place.
This was also the year when
Going Bananas !
Recently there was a furore in sections of print and non-print media about India being a Banana Republic and People of India being mango-people. Well, whatever be the truth, Mango or no-mango, it is always a great fun going bananas in the sea. 😀
Scene is set in Calangute Beach, Goa. There are plenty of activities to be done. Para-Sailing in the sea, inflatable of many shapes and sizes tied to boats etc. What took my fancy was this long inflatable contraption tied to a boat. There were sitting places and handles to hold but no harness.
A banana is being checked before going into the water.
“What is this?” I asked.
“This is Banana Ride, Ma’am”, Said the guy.
I wanted
Impromptu shower in Himalayan danger zone
Have you ever bathed in front of 100s of people with full clothes on? No, I am not talking about taking a dip in any pilgrimage site or any sacred river, but in a dangerous rock falling zone aka Himalayan danger zone where every single person present there prayed for safe journey!
It happened to us during our recent Trip to Uttarakhand. We had completed our Treks to Valley of Flowers and Hemkunt and now wanted to visit Badrinath.
Do you see one wheel of the bus hanging? It was that dangerous to drive.
This was a Monsoon period
Moments of calmness
Covering my head, bare feet I crossed the Threshold after dipping my unshod feet in flowing water meant for washing feet before entering the temple premises. The moment I was inside, I felt I had entered a different world. The chanting of hymns, the calming atmosphere and the sheer presence of spirituality took me into a trance.
It was afternoon; the sun was in the mood of flaunting its capability of burning everybody before it can call it a day in three hours time.
I was at the
Ramadan Delicacies
Ramadan Delicacies
It is that time of the year again. The month long festival of Eid-ul-Fitr or Ramadan, is in progress. As in India and other parts of the world, the followers of Islam fast during the daylight hours and come evening they break their fast with mouth watering dishes in this holy month.
Every city has its certain eateries that specialize in certain types of cuisines. If you are an adventurous eater who doesn’t mind street food, it is your month. 😀 A wide range of mouth-watering dishes …vegetarian, non-vegetarian, and sweets tempt connoisseurs across the city to devour the festival’s food points.
The food street in Kampung Baru!
Fast or no fast, your
Overland Border Crossing
Overland Border Crossing
How do you feel being at the border of two countries?
Not just flying into a country but being able to see the other side, the other country and its land from this side?
Most times travel to foreign involves flying into that country. But after so many years of travelling I find it quite boring. Of course, it is still the most preferred way as it saves time and may be other hassles that I’ve talked about earlier.
For me it is always intriguing when I cross borders overland where I can stand on a no-man’s land and where the territories are marked by welcoming gates if not any other.
Following are a few of the borders crossed (or almost crossed) overland, by road or by train. Some of the European borders mentioned are before the formation of Schengen.
Shankaracharya gate, Indo-Nepal border.
India – Nepal: We had consciously decided
