Explorer of Experiences

Tell someone you're going to Georgia, and chances are they're thinking of the south-eastern U.S. state with its coastal plains. Well, that's not where I went. I visited the Eastern European country Georgia; a country that waits patiently for the world to take notice of it. And it sits a mere three hours away by a direct flight from Dubai. I round up some reasons you too should put this on your getaway list.  1. Mountains and Monasteries Georgia is blessed with astounding mountain scenery. The Lesser Caucus mountain ranges span across Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Mount Kazbegi is one of the highest peaks of the ranges. The drive cutting through towering lush green, snow-capped mountains are memorable. There is never a dull moment when you have fields with hues of green and yellow that go as far as your eyes can see, dotted with patches of tiny yellow and red flowers - makes you want to run singing 'the hills are alive with the sound of music...'   Na...

This is a picture of the Bhaktapur Darbar Square from my trip to Nepal in April 2012. Exactly three years ago. I was lucky to have visited this beautiful country and to have been witness to Kathmandu's wealth in terms of culture and heritage. As we speak, these centuries-old structures have been wiped out. The earthquake that so many feared for so many years hit Kathmandu on 25th April 2015. The death toll has been steadily on the rise and stands at 4,400 ( according to CNN ) and has left 8 million affected. As an economy which heavily depends on tourism, I want to encourage you to continue to maintain Nepal on your travel bucket list. Below, I recount some faded memories from my 2012 trip where I spent an overwhelmingly amazing trip touring Kathmandu and Pokhara.  I never anticipated Kathmandu to be the tourist-haven it is. We went shopping in Thamel, a thriving tourist hotspot, sipping on hot coffee along the way. April is peak season, so we found Kathmandu to be flocked...

Today I'm feeling very positive and inspired. So, I thought it's the right time (and about time) that I blog about my experience being at the Yanni Live in Concert at the VadFest in Vadodara. It was a surreal feeling walking into the concert grounds on 23rd January. This was really a dream come true for me. Watching the maestro perform in person, his skillful fingers gliding past the keys of his shiny black Yamaha piano, was for most part a distant dream for me. It was at boarding school in 1997 when I first discovered the musical legend. His tracks were fittingly used for most of our school events. As the curtains of our auditorium drew open every Friday, ' Santorini ' played as the opening track to the news reading event during the morning assembly. 'Swept Away'  was a befitting track to the most anticipated annual fashion show where girls draped in lovely saris walked across the stage with their beautiful flowing  pallus . I was hooked onto the instru...

I wrote the following article for  The Punekar recently. The kind of response it got did not stun me, it was heart-warming. Right from the minute it was uploaded on the website, the article got an overwhelming traction. It received 75k+ views, was shared by 214 people and got over 2000 Facebook likes. I hope you enjoy the read! Link to published article here .  1. Not (Too Cool for School) Some of the wisest teachers live in Pune! Be it medicine, management or military, this metropolitan is ‘la maison officiel’ of education. 2. Love Thy Neighbour Pune is a mere three hour journey away from India’s financial and film capital, Mumbai. People living in one city actually commute daily to the other for work. 3. All The World’s A Stage  Home to the Film and Television Institue of India, National Film Archives of India and an advocate of Marathi theatre, Pune has been and continues to champion its love for performing arts. 4. The Weatherman Nestled...

This was my first published work for The Punekar . This website is a great resource for someone new to Pune and just about anyone who wants to make the most of their time in this lovely little city! I met Benedicte through some official work and we kept in touch. Her unassuming nature and simplicity is quite enduring and I really enjoyed presenting her story of settling into Pune being an expat. Hope you enjoy the read. Here is the link: http://www.thepunekar.com/in-conversation-with-benedicte-le-bris/2014/09/ A  kurta  over denims. That is not what I expected to see a French lady wearing when she walked into the café for our tete-a-tete. Say Hello to Benedicte Le Bris; simple-looking, comfortable in her skin, and blending in with the crowd – she is an atypical expat. Originally from Plaisir, a small suburban town, a 40-minute train journey from Paris, Benedicte’s tryst with Pune began in 2013 when she accompanied her husband, a Maharashtrian, to Pune from Londo...

My mind was set on a week-long solo trip to Leh-Ladakh. And then before I know it, I’m watching the Mumbai runway hide behind white clouds from ‘Asia’s Boutique Airline’ (Bangkok Airways, if you must know) flying its way to Thailand. Don't ask me how that happened! But I am not complaining; Leh-Ladakh can wait until next year.  Recounting my entire trip would make one very long blog post, hence there are three parts to my 'Seclusion and Shopping in Thailand' series. Bustling Bangkok was the first and this one is my second. QUIRKY THAILAND Thailand is quirky, Thailand is strange, its peculiarity is its speciality... There is so much this country has to offer. Some things you can make sense of and some which just do not fit into the puzzle. Some which amuse and some which bemuse. I am sharing these accounts which really struck me on my trip.  I loved every restroom I visited! No kidding. No matter where or in how remote a location I was, the loos I we...

My mind was set on a week-long solo trip to Leh-Ladakh. And then before I know it, I’m watching the Mumbai runway hide behind white clouds from ‘Asia’s Boutique Airline’ (Bangkok Airways, if you must know) flying its way to Thailand. Don't ask me how that happened! But I am not complaining; Leh-Ladakh can wait until next year.  Recounting my entire trip would make a one very long blog post, hence there are three parts to my 'Seclusion and Shopping in Thailand' series. This is the first.  BUSTLING BANGKOK  Retail therapy in Bangkok can be quite a straining affair... The last time I visited Bangkok was when I went there for an internship stint with some mates from my university in Melbourne. I had pretty much discovered most of this bustling city during that two week work-cum-fun trip. We folded our hands before more than one Reclining Buddha and had one too many Tom Yums!  At the company I interned at. We all posed for a pic on our las...

The title of this post may confuse some so allow me to clarify. What I meant by 'First Time for the Third Time' is that even though I have visited this desert city twice before, my third visit might as well have been my first because Dubai keeps changing...it gets bigger, better, taller, newer, higher and glossier.   I did not plan to visit Dubai, the trip - you can say, just happened! I en-cashed some frequent flier miles on Emirates and used up my IndiGo Airlines discount voucher (yay to Twitter contests!) and thus ended up saving up a lot on my airfare. But a week before I was due to fly, I got the viral flu and was regretting my decision to travel. I wondered if it was worth the effort - my wanderlust cravings always overpowered my need to just stay put and rest during my off time. Touchdown in Dubai, and I felt well again, yes, just like that. Call it adrenaline rush if you like! I was so excited to be on international shores with friends and food and f...