The Jantar Mantar, in Jaipur, is an astronomical observation site built in the early 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II. It includes a set of some 20 main fixed instruments. They are monumental examples in masonry of known instruments but which in many cases have specific characteristics of their own. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, they embody several architectural and instrumenta..
January 27th, 2012
Nothing quite kills a road trip like, for instance, a flight. Especially if said road trip is expected to unravel breathtaking vistas of high altitude desolation, hitherto unseen and un-experienced. I refer, naturally, to the jaw-dropping scenes that unfold as you make your way to Leh via Srinagar and Kargil; as also to those on the Leh-Manali highway via Sarchu. Pasture lands, dizzy turns, bumpy surfaces, lofty passes, rivers..
August 29th, 2011
The great Indian Summer is upon us and most of us are spending good time and money plotting and intriguing on how to beat it. Here is a list of destinations transcending the usual, levitating you onto a different plane altogether. And just in case you believed India had first dibs on all things spiritual, you have another think coming!
Listed below are the ten top destinations dotting the spiritual map. Read on…
June 23rd, 2011
British Columbia, located between Alberta and the Pacific Ocean, is renowned for its remarkable diversity and mild climate. This has resulted in a bountiful land with an amazing number of places and activities of interest across the entire province. There are marvellous mountains to climb; history to discover and art to explore; beaches to comb and spas to pamper one in; cosmopolitan cities and gastronomic delights; as also mo..
May 6th, 2011
A weekend getaway to Citrus County recently found me joining other guests on a day-trip to Anandpur Sahib for the sole purpose of attending the mela on Hola Mohalla. Unaware of what to expect, we gamely took our seats. Within a matter of an hour we were transported back in time and para-dropped, so to speak, in the midst of warring Sikh and Mughal armies. T..
March 28th, 2011
A very long time ago, much before the travel bug within me had manifested itself actively, I had been presented The Dairy of Anne Frank as a gift on my fourteenth birthday to dispel my fascination with Mr Adolph..
February 8th, 2011
Following nearly a decade of travel in India and overseas, I came up with a Personal Travel Manifesto to wisely guide me along in my journeys of exploration. It could well be a matter of different strokes for different folks, but the following Nine Rules have been my very own mandate for a while now:
Cardinal Travel Rule Number One: I shall not convert
Not suggesting that previous t..
January 19th, 2011
Amidst post-dinner conversation with family and friends this one time in Nuremburg, I kept catching snatches of conversation in German where the word Goa cropped up many-a-time. I presumed they were either planning a holiday, or perhaps, discussing one that friends may have had there. You can imagine my surprise when, on his way out after dinner, one of them, Sandro, issued me an invite to join them for Goa the following eveni..
November 29th, 2010
The cacophony of the construction work, which is going on day and night in a very swift manner, does not seem to bother the local population in the heart of Munich. As a matter of fact, it never did. The Bavarians are all excited to host their annual and the largest Volksfest (People’s Fair) in the world. Held in an area named Theresienwiese (field or meadow of Therese), the Munich Oktoberfest 2010 is all set to..
June 21st, 2010
Seconds after South Africa was announced as the host nation for the 2010 FIFA world cup on May 15th 2004 in Zurich, a sense of elation and cheeriness reverberated all across the globe. The moment Nelson Mandela held the FIFA world cup trophy aloft; the crowds in South Africa erupted with a deafening roar of joy where the live telecast was being broa..
March 14th, 2010
