a memoir of etchings and wanderings
I wouldn’t really say that this has been the most exciting of years from the travel point of view. Something I intend to make up for next year. But more on that later… Although I cannot be more thankful for my London trip this February and all the excitement that came with it. It was most certainly the highlight. But here is my list of twelve captivating places I visited … Continue reading “4 | 12: Twelve Places I Stepped In” →
Can you envision a plush open water-filled reservoir lake in the middle of the Arabian desert? I couldn’t too. Until I visited one last weekend. In the wilayat of Quriyat, nestled into the eastern Hajar mountains, is a crescent shaped lake filled with crystal blue waters and shapely rocks rising from the bottom. Having being constructed in 2009, the project was under wraps, while it was being tested. Finally opened … Continue reading “Muscat Travelogue | Wadi Dayqah” →
So when a seven-day long holiday is declared by the Government, one’s natural reaction is – “Lets get the hell out of here!” I was no different. Having researched in detail about budget trips with the family, created excel sheets, pored over the maps of Istanbul, Tehran and Amman with great enthusiasm – I am now equipped to be your certified Middle East tour guide. As what usually happens to … Continue reading “Muscat Travelogue | As Sifah” →
Do you ever think that social media might just be creeping into our minds sneakily and filing it with poisonous thoughts? Do you sigh quietly, looking at the very many albums of your Facebook ‘friend’ who just sky-dived in Maui, took macro pictures in Petra, ate scones in Central London or posed with the snow at Jungfrau? Do you sometimes feel that you would better off, unwired? Does it ever … Continue reading “Magic in the Mundane.” →
I’m thinking of the snow-capped Austrian Alps. I’m thinking of the Danube. I’m humming songs from the Sound of Music. I’m picturing the baroque years. I can almost hear Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in the background. I can smell the delicious coffee and sachertortes, coupled with fluent German chatter. I’m slowing down. *** I’m humming Billy Joel; he sings to me… Don’t you know that only fools are satisfied. Dream on … Continue reading “Vienna waits for you.” →
So today I spent almost all day collecting and pinning pictures of the Eiffel Tower to a new board on Pinterest. I saw the majestic structure in person when I was younger; along with some bikini clad Frenchwomen. But I can remember neither clearly. Although the Tour De Eiffel has been a world landmark, there’s so much we do not know about it! For example, this beauty was … Continue reading “In a Paris state of mind..” →
It was just about when I had reached the pinnacle of boredom with the regular routine and had complained aloud several times about how my passport hadn’t seen an international check in stamp apart from Oman in years. Along came an email from the hub of British Airways – my currently most active client, inviting us to an annual induction at the head office. Thus began my suppressed excitement towards … Continue reading “LHR ♥” →
No matter what the world thinks, to me Kolkata will always be one of the most beautiful and soulful places on the planet – maybe this connection has got to do something with being born on the soil. Parents’ annual India trip gave me the opportunity to visit early this year for a family reunion of sorts. # Had the most dramatic airport pick up in my life, yet! # … Continue reading “Kolkataaa – You Sexy” →
Mumbai became one of the 2011 destinations this month as I travelled for one of my most mundane yet heavy revenue earning clients. I’ve never really warmed up to the city, yet I thought I should give it another chance. By the end of two nights, I was blessing the lord to be able to return to Gurgaon and my beautiful office. One might ask why – to be honest, … Continue reading “Bomb(s)-A(w)ay?” →
It has been months now that I have been craving for water bodies; Am mercilessly deprived in Gurgaon and have been trying to fill the gap by downloading innumerable pictures of beaches, lakes and other sea scapes. This Eid holiday, since we had company, I put in a little extra effort to figure what water body existed in Oman that I had not been to yet – lo and behold … Continue reading “Muscat Travelogue | Bimmah Sinkhole” →