Sunrise at Angkor Wat: Tips
Do you want to watch the magical sunrise at the Angkor Wat? Almost everyone who visits Siem Reap wants to do the same... and there will be thousands of tourists to give you company. Don't expect to have a quiet and serene moment of enlightenment as dawn breaks! But the funny thing is - even though you know that you will be surrounded by hordes of people at sunrise, there are high chances that you will still make your way to the gardens of the Angkor Wat to watch the sky turn purple, red and orange with the first few rays of the Sun.
Lake Inle: Mini Guide
Lake Inle wasn't part of my initial itinerary; I assumed it to be an overrated tourist trap and gave it a miss. I ultimately added it to the itinerary as the most travel person I know (he has been to over 100 countries!) insisted that I visit this locale...and I am glad that I did! In turn, I insist that you add Lake Inle to you Myanmar itinerary...blue skies, floating villages, fishermen and smiling locals await you!
Bagan: Must Visit Temples and Pagodas
There are over 2000 temples and pagodas that still stand tall at Bagan... there are the large, famous ones...and then, there are the lesser known ones. Which ones to visit...and which ones to skip? I managed to visiting about 1% of the these pagodas in three days. Some of made me stop and admire the architecture... some stunned me with the sparkle of gold... some made me feel part of the local culture ...and some calmed my soul with solitude.
Here are the ten pagodas of my choice that are a must visit if you are in Bagan...
Bagan: Mini Guide
Pagodas, temples and stupas...over 2000 of them, which were built between the 9th and the 13th century, still adorn the plains of Bagan. There are so many of them that you can have a little one for yourself for hours, regardless of the recent tourist influx that Myanmar is witnessing. If Bagan is not on your travel map, it is time you put it up there...and then, get there before the rest of the world does!
Vegetarian Street Food in Yangon
On my last day in the country, as I walked though the streets of Yangon Downtown, I glanced at the stalls that were manned by the local 'chefs'. A lot of them seemed to have vegetarian food on the menu; there were some more with egg, but without meat. As it was my last day, and I could afford getting the stomach bug, I decided to indulge!
Bagan: Hot Air Ballooning
Serendipity always makes me smile! As I planned by trip to Myanmar, I figured out that hot air ballooning over the plains of Bagan is an activity that a lot of people rave about. As Myanmar was turning out to be easy on the pocket, I figured out that I could spare cash for my maiden hot air ballooning flight with Balloons over Bagan. Yipppppeeeee...finally, I would tick an item on the bucketlist!
Myanmar: Costs and Budget
The world knows that South East Asia is a backpacker’s paradise…and Myanmar follows the rule...well, mostly. While food, activities and tours within Myanmar were inexpensive, getting to the country from India was almost as expensive as reaching Europe. I spent about 50% of the total cost of the trip on flights…from India to Myanmar and within Myanmar. My one week trip cost me less than USD 1200, including flights, accommodation, tours, entrance fee and food. Here is what the expense sheet looks like….
Myanmar: One Week Itinerary
With an area of over 675,000 square kilometers, one week does not do justice to a country as large as Myanmar. The country has mountains to hike, lakes to sail, ancient temples to explore, beaches to sunbathe and over a hundred ethnic tribes to speak with! I would have loved to spend at least two weeks soaking in the warmth of this country. However, with the limited travel time that I have, one week is all that I can spend in this exotic land.
Postcards from Myanmar: Photoblog
Preparing the Myanmar itinerary has taken me quite a while... many revisions... many iterations... and very limited information. I kept my fingers crossed and hoped that things would work out well! Having spent a week in this elusive and exotic land, I can safely say none of my others trips till date have left me so enchanted! Here are a few pictures clicked during the last one week to pique your curiosity...
Postcards from Angkor: Photoblog
The Angkor temple complex was different. There were hordes of people...backpackers, luxury travellers and large groups ...all there to see the architecture and the artwork. I met travellers who had explored over a dozen temples. Such exploration in three days seemed beyond my caliber. I preferred sticking to the three most common ones ie Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prom...though I must confess that I spent over three hours in each of these temples and would have loved to spend some more!
Here are a few of my favourite pictures from Siem Reap...
Off to Myanmar, with the Asus ZenPad 8.0
Ankur is very possessive about his tablet. It is not often that I get it for the entire day! Considering that I am off to Myanmar for ten days, while Ankur will be toiling at office, I am sure he would want his 'trusted companion' around. I am glad that Siri is inanimate!
Enchanted Valley Carnival: Review
After quite some contemplation on whether we would enjoy EDM or not, Ankur and I went to the Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival at Aamby Valley last month. We had decided to 'feel young'...go ahead and live amongst thousands of EDM fans just to experience what camping at a music festival would be like. We enjoyed the weekend a lot and met some really cool people! Besides being high on energy at Tiesto's event, we attended one of Hariharan's live performances, made dream catchers, watched a magical sunset and feasted on delightful food and cocktails.
Flashback 2015: Photoblog
2015 has been a great year for us as travellers! In the past twelve months, We travelled to seven countries and managed to squeeze a few domestic trips around Mumbai over long weekends. As the year comes to an end, Ankur and I are sitting on the couch and wondering what 2016 will look like. Well, we can't peep into the future, can we? But we surely can look back at 2015 and raise a toast to a fantastic year that has gone by!
Kempinski, Mahe: Hotel Review
A trip to Seychelles calls for some luxury...at least for a couple of days. The blue waters and golden sands appear even more splendid if you have pretty cocktail in one hand, a book in the other and your back is comfortably rested on a beach lounger plonked under a tall coconut tree!
The Kempinksi at Mahe was all this and more. The vast expanse of the resort has 140 well appointed rooms, a plush spa, delightful food and snorkeling just off the shore. Read on for fifteen reasons to book your stay here ...
Seychelles: Vegetarian Food
We had read that Creole cuisine is delicious... a mix of Indian and African flavours. Sadly, we could not sample much of it; there are very few vegetarian options to explore during a one week stay. Vegetarian buddies - it would be wise to stay in a self catering villa and cook your own dinner...
Vallee de Mai: Mini Guide
'If you haven't been to Vallee de Mai, your trip to Praslin is incomplete'...we were told so...and now, after having spent a few hours at Vallee de Mai on the island of Praslin, we totally agree. There are some who believe that Vallee de Mai could be the original site of 'Garden of Eden'. We really don't know much about the authenticity of the statement...but we do know that a few hours amongst thousands of lush, green Coco de Mer palm trees will surely soothe your eyes and calm your mind.
Air Seychelles : Airline Review
Air Seychelles connects Mumbai to Mahe by a direct flight which has a flying time of ~5 hours. If you plan a couple of months in advance, you can get the ticket for as low as ~USD 475! We visited Seychelles in November 2015 for a week, thanks to the superb connectivity.
Seychelles: Travel Costs and Budget
A week in Seychelles cost us about EUR 2750. This includes air tickets from Mumbai, local transport, island hopping, couple of nights in a five star, few nights in a self catering villa and activities like national parks, hiking, snorkeling trips and diving for both of us.
Enchanted Valley Carnival: Reasons to go…
I love festivals... and Ankur loves music. A music festival is possibly one event that both of us would enjoy... and its time we experience one! Attending the electronic music festival of Tomorrowland in Belgium is on our bucketlist. However, bobbing with the crowds at Tomorrowland means another trip to Europe in peak tourist season, which means budgeting for the air tickets, visa, accommodation, food, etc... all of which is expensive! No... can't do in 2016! But the Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival at Aamby Valley... can do!
Seychelles: Best Beaches on Praslin and La Digue
This is one post that I have had to edit many times...Ankur and I took quite sometime in agreeing on the names that should go into this list. But finally, we have our list... our top five beaches in the Seychelles. These beaches are picked up from only a handful of beaches that we could visit on the islands of Praslin and La Digue. All, except one (Felicite), are easily accessible as we cannot fathom the concept of hiking to get a beach. Working too hard to get to a beach doesn't gel well with our lazy bones, which take their truest form on a beach vacation.
Packing Tips for Seychelles
While packing for an island destination, I am sure your will pack your swimwear, flip flops, sun protection, shorts and cotton t - shirts. However, if you really want to enjoy the Seychelles, you need to carry a few more things...
Top 10 Things to Do in Fort Kochi
We went to Kochi for a long weekend last year. While we would have loved to spend at least a week travelling around the state of Kerala, three days is all we had to explore Kochi, a city that represents this state on many accounts. We made Fort Kochi our home and explored most of it on foot.
Three days well spent! Here are our top 10 picks in Fort Kochi...
Seychelles : One Week Itinerary
We are off to Seychelles in mid November... and we can't wait to hit the azure blue waters and the emerald green hills. We have been figuring out what to do during the week... browsing the net, reading books and magazines and speaking to those who have already been there. Options are plenty, ranging from doing nothing on the sunbed to diving and hiking. Obviously, Ankur wants to do the former and I want to do the latter. With quite some effort, we have finally come up with an itinerary that makes both of us smile.
Roopkund: Photoblog
The last trek that I did was to Roopkund, the mystery lake. Situated at a height of almost 5000 meters, in the lap of the Trishul massif, Roopkund is also called the 'Skeleton Lake' on account of skeletal remains that are were found around the water body in 1942. These skeletons date back to the 9th century and belong to a group of about 300 people.
