A Journal of Travel Tales Across 72 Countries
If you think a tiny string of painted steel boxes balancing precariously on a two feet wide track meandering on the hillside is an unlikely candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage Site status, think again. It may not be as magnificient as Humayun’s Tomb or …
Machupicchu is a demanding destination. I had to fly for over 36 hours, hopping three flights to reach Lima. A one-hour flight from Lima brings me to Cusco at a height of 12000 feet, After acclimatization in Cusco I am ready for Machu Picchu. One …
My friend Rekha and I were in Granada for a conference. Before leaving Delhi, we had pored over the map of Spain and Portugal to decide which other places we should visit during the trip. When we realised Morocco was just a hop away ( …
I was in Cochin on official duty. On the weekend, I decided to go boating in the backwaters and to Vembanad lake. It so happened that some local elections were happening soon. Vallam after vallam, loaded with people shouting slogans and decked up with posters …
Sailing up the Mekong is a fascinating way to get to know Asia. Mekong is the nerve centre from which radiate a host of countries nourished and sustained by its bounty. Springing in the highlands of Tibet, this mighty river courses through five other countries …
Travelling to Lo Manthang, probably the most isolated kingdom in the world, is not for the weak-kneed, literally! Apart from a good dose of foolhardiness, you need a pair of sturdy legs and even sturdier boots to plough through miles of dirt tracks to reach …
We did ballooning in Atherton Tablelands in Queensland. A hot air balloon has no steering console except some kind of a rudder. So the captain uses what he calls a “spitometer” to assess wind direction and direct the balloon. He spits into the air and …
3360 Kms, 2.5 days – Lhasa -Golmud – Delingha -Xining – Lanzhou -Guangyuan -Chengdu Lhasa sits at a height of 12000 feet, same as Leh. Yet, when you travel by train to Lhasa, you will cross Tanggu La at 16,640 feet, high enough to give …
Over the years, Kashmir has called me repeatedly, under one pretext or another. The first trip was in 1986 when the houseboats were all dressed and lined up and there were virtually no tourists. That was the beginning of rumblings in this stunningly beautiful valley. …
Imagine yourself at a height of 18,000 feet on a rocky ledge overhanging a precipice. A good 4,000 feet below, the ledge is the seemingly endless Tibetan plateau stretching as far as the eyes can see. Behind you, a chain of frosty peaks tower at …