Top 5 Reasons to Visit SriLanka in 2019
Why Visit Sri Lanka? Sri Lanka has never really been on my bucket list of countries to see. This could be partly because I’m originally from India and the similarities between both countries are striking. However, I was recently invited to visit SriLanka for a destination wedding and decided to take the opportunity to discover […]
My Experience at the Tiger Temple in Thailand
I stood in line, restlessly shifting from left foot to right as little rivulets of sweat ran down the nape of my neck. The Bangkok heat was not meant for standing. Outdoors. To take a selfie with a tiger. A tiger that’s chained to the tree. What was I doing here again?! That thought ran […]
Greece’s Hidden Gem
I recently discovered a secret Greece has been hiding from the world. It’s called Meteora. The town is a hidden gem, a few hours from Athens. Fully prepared to be swept off my feet by the island of Santorini, I fell in love instead with this magical place, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My […]
Istanbul: Trapped in an accessory store
I was trapped in an accessory store on a balmy Saturday evening. It was my last night in Istanbul. I had only a few hours to shop and eat doner kebabs one last time before going home to the States. Oh and sit in a Nargile cafe with a mint flavored hookah! Outdoor Nargile cafe […]
Old Town & Gujarati Cuisine: Ahmedabad, India
Gujarat, India?! Uh…what about it? That was my first reaction when my cousin suggested I meet her in her temporary hometown of Ahmedabad (Gujarat’s ex-capital) on my once in three year visit to India. I could be trekking in Ladakh or hanging out in some random village in the south. What the heck would we […]
Village Travels – Gujarat (India)
Bhuj is a small town, approximately 6 hours from Ahmedabad. So what’s there in Bhuj?! Certainly no Taj Mahal, I can assure you. But Bhuj is a gateway to the desert, a large part of which is a seasonal salt marsh. It’s also the gateway to a smattering of tiny villages that are home to […]
Walking the Salt Flats: Gujarat, India
Today was the day I was finally going to sleep in a mud tent and visit a salt desert. Wow. I was excited! But we first had to figure out how to get to this salt desert my cousin kept referring to. I hadn’t known India had a salt desert. Our overnight train from Ahmedabad […]
Kecak Dance: A Balinese Interpretation of the Ramayana
It was hot and muggy. My friends and I walked along single file on the narrow sidewalk looking for the temple. The dance started promptly at 7pm and I wanted to make sure we had seats. Every time we stopped to ask a shop owner they would say, “straight.” So we kept trudging along. When […]
An encounter with Bali’s famous medicine man!
“You so pretty, your lips like sugar.” The 98 year old frail man let go of my palm and made me turn around so he can read my neck and pronounced with a toothless smile that I would have great sex at midnight. Good to know. “Um Ketut, so what about my career?” Ketut coughed […]
