Strange Ramblings

I can get angry easily. Doesn't take much. But more often than not, it is controlled, leads to a healthy argument or stubbornness, leading most definitely to an adrenaline rush for me, and an interesting phase of human observation for others. A few things that piss me off, are a completely different story. One of them is how we Indians are all gaga over our expeditions abroad, and care trifle about the diversity that India has to offer, mostly. We call into the equation, of places across Europe, of what historical spread they have to offer, along with powerful natural beauty. We call into the equation, of the Developed Countries like America, of what modernization and skyscrapers they offer, alongside their standard of living. We call into the equation, of the horrid state of affairs in the countries that are unstable politically. We call into the equation, of Africa, of what ethnic diversity it offers, and add to that, the diversity of its flora and fauna. We also call into the...

The Road Less Traveled "It's always about the journey"  I just arrived back from the Maha Kumbh, Allahabad, and I feel overwhelmed; Not at the mysterious religious beliefs that a place like Kumbh and Sangam would hold; after all, we'd have to live another 144 years to experience another, but at the very fact that I have started to feel more comfortable living out of my suitcase, on the road, than with a closet, and the fact that that happens only once in 144 years. So why should we Travel at all.. I am sure you'll find your own reasons, as soon as you take that first step out of your city. For me, it has always been for the love of the experience. Loose term, yes, but you'll get it once you travel. And for the uninitiated, Experience can be about that clear blue green water, the golden sand, the rocky coastline, the twinkling starry sky, the fresh soft snowy morning, the blazing hot sun. But there are finer tastes to travelling than the landscape and ...

Just reminiscing the amount of travelling I have been doing since 2009, makes me swoon. I am a vaguely introspective person and like placing my fingers exactly on the future. It is not to make it more predictable, rather it is to ground me by just making me realize how wrong I was, am and will be, and how much there is still to take in. Knowledge, might have become flat, with all the technology around, but our capacity to absorb it remains the same, and hence there is always plenty in this cosmic world. In 2009, if anyone would have come up to me and said that you are going to travel 18 countries in the next 2.5 years, I would have asked that person to take a hike. Nevertheless, somewhere I must have had an inkling, which prompted me to renew my passport, a good 1.5 years before it was set to expire, just in case. Truly cosmic. And the same power played its role aplenty in this short, outrageously fast trip. My expectations were pretty much balanced, didn’t expect much, especially aft...

I would have loved that. You would too. But it turned to more of a Catalonia Armada. And dare I say, it was more than satisfying. You know that saying, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", try that, and then when in Barcelona, do as the Catalans do. It's like a city wide party, they surely must hold some kind of Guinness record for that. If not, they should get one. Fabulous. We wanted to cover a few cities in Spain. The mistake that we made though was going to Barcelona first up. And once you are there, there is no going back, there is no visiting any other city and there, in almost all probability, is nothing more that you want more than spending your life around, atleast for a week ;) Every city in Europe is different and yet similar. After the first round of travelling across Europe, it came down to visiting select things, things that are unique. No more of Castles, no more of churches, no more of museums. Its all the same, especially when an art and architectu...

Beauty that is Europe! My first tryst with an actual photo journal. Let's see how it pans out. Places on display: Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Cologne and around.... Manneken Pis. Literally meaning Little Man Pee , is one of the most fascinating thing that one encounters on visiting the enchanting Belgium. Look beyond the famous Belgian beers and chocolates and they are aplenty across town dressed in varied outfits. This particular one was dressed as an Indian style Maharaja. There are enough stories surrounding the myth that could keep you glued enough for hours. Well your guess is as good as mine, but this is trademark to that place, yes you guessed it correct. And if Merlin's beard (how geeky could i get ;)) you failed to guess the place then you are just not worthy enough to live. Amsterdam. Any more words would be diluting the craziness that is Amsterdam. One remark before I move on though...

View Euro Trip #1 in a larger map  Take that. The itch will finally be satisfied. Countries being touched: France -> Belgium -> Netherlands -> Sweden -> Finland -> Denmark -> Germany -> Czech Republic -> Austria -> Germany -> France 31st of January -> 21st of February 2012 \m/ JOIN IN :)

Stepping into the 'developed world' for the first time definitely felt strange. I just bring that distinction out simply because it is omnipresent, or atleast made that way by plenty'a people. There is this thing that I really like to do. Always taking a detour on my way to the final destination. What ensued was a layover in Helsinki, Finland. And the view out from the plane window of the Finland landscape covered with snow and what looked like scattered pine trees, was beyond words. Glad that the city had the season's first snowfall just the day before, everything around was much brighter. The thing that struck me the most about Finnish is that they are as 'direct' people as you'd ever find, and they'd call a spade a spade with the straightest possible face. You try and bullshit them, and you'd definitely be sorry. And all this, was not just a passing observation, it's been ratified  by the few that I know out here in Grenoble. Getting back...