Myanmar Memories 2/4: Bagan is Indiana Jones Territory
Day 3: Bagan is a small UNESCO heritage district spread over 42 sq km. The ruins of about 2200 temples, stupas, and monasteries (originally over 4000 but many destroyed in an earthquake a few years ago) dot this small area, described by the ancient explorer Marco Polo as one of the finest sights in the world. […]
Myanmar Memories 1/4 – A Birthday in Yangon
I wrote this diary in January 2020, when I met up in Myanmar with my son who lives in the US. Since I live in India and we both have busy lives, the highlight of my year always is the week or so when we meet and travel together. This time we were seeing each […]
Kerala Diaries 6/6: A Farewell Lunch
Day 6: The morning started off beautifully – it poured! I sat on my balcony and had toast and coffee, watching the greenery take on deeper emerald hues. M asked me if I would mind if Frank (the Italian guy I met at the coffee store in Trivandrum) showed up for lunch along with a Malayali […]
Kerala Diaries 5/6: Anarkali in Varkala
Varkala is probably the most dramatic beach I have been to, if not in the world then at least in Goa or elsewhere in India. It lies at the bottom of a line of red cliffs and there is a narrow path, a kind of promenade, which winds its way along the top of the […]
Kerala Diaries 4/6: Art and Coffee in Trivandrum
Day 4: I went to the art gallery and art museum in Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) yesterday and completely fell in love with the works of Raja Ravi Varma. But the most incredible thing I saw was the ceiling of the Art Museum. It is exquisite and unique – completely different from anything I have seen in Europe, […]
Kerala Diaries 3/6: Chilli Mangoes in Kanya Kumari
Day 3: Kanya Kumari was far far better than I had expected from this touristy destination. I drove through rural Kerala and Tamil Nadu to the Padmanabhapuram Palace first, a lovely Travancore-era palace that is so different from the lavish and grand fortresses of North India. The weather held up and the sun was shining brightly […]
Kerala Diaries 2/6: Of Fab India and Mahabharata
Day 2: The sea was stormy and dramatic yesterday, with the surf up and huge waves crashing the shore when I drove up to Kovalam. But local people still continued to bathe at the main beach although the promenade leading to the Lighthouse Rock was deserted, with empty restaurants still trying to attract customers. I spent […]
Kerala Diaries 1/6: Villa on the Beach
Day 1: So I am staying in this small no-name village that spills over from a seaside cliff on to a rough beach, 8 kms south of Kovalam. Kerala, during the monsoons, is some sight to behold! Looking down at this vast spread of green from the airplane was breathtaking after witnessing the barren dusty brown […]