Travel - Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb

Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Travel: SwaSwara in Gokarna

Meanwhile at the SwaSwara Ayurvedic Resort in Gokarna…… This is Woman Central and I sense it the moment I arrive. The place has that vibe exclusive to spots where women congregate. A couple of women in white yoga gear are walking down a tree-laden path. There are women doing languid lengths in the…

Travel: Lennon Wall in Prague

All you need is love… The John Lennon Wall in Prague is a wall with a storied history In a city filled with stunningly beautiful monuments, a Gothic bridge of much atmospheric antiquity, a languid river, a sprawling Palace complex, the John Lennon Wall is a bit of an anomaly. But there is…

Travel: All Saints Garrison Church, Lucknow

Peacocks at prayer Lucknow cantonment`s All Saints Garrison Church is one sumptuous Raj relic Lucknow cantonment`s All Saints Garrison Church is one sumptuous Raj relic. As we turned left into the compound of our army guest house, I almost dislocated my neck, the aforementioned neck being sharply turned to the right. Because what met…

Travel: Taratarini Temple, Odisha

Where beauty and power meet The origins of the TaraTarini temple in Ganjam, Odisha, is shrouded in the mists of time. Our trip from Behrampur starts off well enough, with the sun shining bright and stray, fat clouds dotting the startlingly blue skies. `The last time we visited the TaraTarini temple, it suddenly…

Travel: To Sakleshpur in a camper

We are off to Sakleshpur by the Hemavati river, in a camper, all set to have much fun. Chandrakanth R, CEO of Camper Trails, gently warns us that it might be a bumpy ride to Sakleshpur. The vehicle, he points out, was made for American roads. He adds comfortingly, “We have added leaf springs…

Travel: Thotlakonda, Andhra Pradesh

History on a hill Thotlakonda in Andhra Pradesh is today a hazy hark-back to its glorious Buddhist traditions It’s a hot day, a very hot day in fact. The sun glares down mercilessly and I`m glad of the foresight to have carried a hat. There is a strong breeze blowing, though, carrying…

Travel: Indian Tourists: The Way We Are

Nightmare tourists on steroids When on holiday, we desis know just how to jump from being bindaas to crass. I read of the incident that happened last month where the Royal Caribbean International line had to refund passengers after 1,300 Indian men from a gutka company came on board the Voyager of the Seas for…

Travel: Dambulla Caves, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka`s Dambulla Cave Temple stuns the viewer into an awed silence. Of late, I have broken a long-time habit, that of reading up on a place before I visit it. Because, when you go someplace you know little or nothing about, the visual pleasure of what you come across is underlaid with…

Travel: Seven Things to Marvel at in New Zealand

Seven Things to Marvel at in New Zealand From natural beauty to fabulous food and unique local culture, this island country is pure magic The amazing waterbodies The deep blue of Lake Wakatipu; the ice-blue Waikato River With 4,25,000 km of rivers and streams, 4,000 lakes and over 200 underground aquifers at last…

Travel: Milford and Marlborough, the Sounds of New Zealand

Speechless in the Sounds A strong ice-tipped wind is blowing through the Fiordland in New Zealand`s South Island when I board the launch that is to take me through the Milford Sound. This is big sky country and the gigantic, chubby clouds moving at a rapid clip overhead makes for a most dramatic sight….