Category: Online

48 Hours In Boracay

Amongst the 7000 plus islands of the Philippines archipelago, the tourists seem to have been partial for turning their gaze repeatedly to the Boracay Islands. No wonder, this is one of the most visited sandy stops amongst the aqua marine waters of the region. Naturally, the facilities, amenities, shopping arcades and tourist friendly activities have […]

Utrecht: Exploring Netherlands Beyond Amsterdam

It was only 8 am and the shops that line the street to the Dom Tower were starting to stir into action. The city’s most prominent landmark is a beacon to tourists and regulars alike – I didn’t once have to ask for directions from the tube station. The Gothic bell tower peeped from behind […]

Gaali Baazi And The Art Of Insult Comedy

I am balancing a laptop bag, a camera, and a grave sense of dread while trying to stay aboard my guide’s motorcycle. We are at Khutainton Ka Rasta, in the labyrinth of criss-crossing streets of the Kishan Pol area of Jaipur, waiting to be insulted.

The Unreal And Bewitching Hampi

Dissected by the brown capillary called Tungabhadra that winds around the boulder-strewn terrain of Hampi the town has the ability to infuse a copious amount of laziness in you. That’s exactly what happened to me on the first day of my visit. I sat at the edge of the lowermost-tiered cemented platform of the Mango […]

Chateau Woods

A plush, jungle- and plantation-fringed boutique property in gorgeous northern Kerala that promises an uncluttered view of low hills stacked one after the other, carpeted by clumpy tea bushes. Think stunning sunsets, the best brew in your hands and a million shades of green all around. When travelling through a destination as well-trodden as Kerala […]

Shivavilas Palace

Sink into luxury at the refurbished palace of Sandur’s royal family, located just an hour’s drive away from Hampi’s boulders.The Raj-esque grandeur of this heritage hotel starts right from the long driveway that curves into the high-roofed porch of Shivavilas, and extends to each nook and cranny of the Ghorpade family home. The decidedly vintage […]

Cultural Landmarks Of Bangalore

Bangalore just doesn’t feel the same. Each time I visit the city, even after a short hiatus of 20 days, something has relocated, closed or altered, and standing in its place is a glitzier, swankier or more kitsch version of the previous establishment, undoubtedly one that serves beer (which is nothing to complain about!). Once […]

Simplest Travel Tips To Keep You Safe In India

Having travelled solo for more than ten years in India with not more than two uncomfortable encounters as a woman traveller, I think it would be fair to say that I might have hacked the safety angle.First up, here’s The Basic Rule: India is just as menacing as any other new destination. Maintain the same […]

How To Spend Your Time In Cochin

Kochi, or Cochin, is certainly the most captivating of the not-quite-islands around the large Keralan coastal conurbation, and district, of Ernakulam.While Ernakulum proper is largely residential with lots of traffic, Kochi and its Fort Kochi and Mattancherry neighbourhoods are more laidback. As a tourist, this is where you are likely to spend your time.

Dera Mandawa

Dera Mandawa is a place that, like its owners, has great personality. The family’s Shekhawati (a certain clan of Rajputs) lineage is evident around the house, in the aesthetics of the rooms and most certainly in the delicious food. There are 9 suites in total, spread across the main block and former zenana(women’s quarters) which […]

A Goddess For A Day

Our maali was an uncontroversial man. Digging at the soil with relentless vigour, transplanting creepers from one edge of the wall to another, watering two large sprawls of grass and a long stretch of furrowed area with a thin hose with trickling water thanks to the compromised pressure. To watch him go about his business […]