Tuesday 29 September 2015

All Aboard the Aqua Princess: A Mediterranean Cruise



It is 4pm on a clear Mumbai evening. I am just about to head out from work for a swim, when my dear friend Amazon delivers a package. I shove it into my bag, where it is snug between my swim suit and sun glasses; I head out in a jiffy to catch a rickshaw. In the rickshaw, I carefully unwrap the brown paper and sit back in awe to unveil the azure Mediterranean Sea in All Aboard, Kiran Manral’s latest bestseller.  With a promise of romance and more importantly - travel, I finish my swim, grab a sun bed and snuggle into the story.

Friday 25 September 2015

How to Plan a Holiday for an Indian Family

Has it been a while since you gave up trying to plan a family vacation because of how painful it can get? But my learnings from all the trips I have travelled to so far tell me that travelling with family can be quite magical. The memories you make with your sibling on a train ride to the Lake District or with Mom on a walking tour or with Dad while he flew off on his parachute for a jump – those are the memories that keep you strong when the going gets tough. Read on as I reveal my secrets for a memorable family holiday.

Thursday 24 September 2015

Udaipur with My Family

A family vacation without arguments or fights, without at least one person threatening to cancel or the other over enthusiastic to go? Sounds familiar? This 4 day vacation to Udaipur was one of my family's first successful one without any unpleasant encounters. Read on to know the secret of this successful family vacation. 
  

Monday 7 September 2015

The Audio Compass Story

Imagine you are new to a city, are confused about how best to explore it. You might have seen a lot of images, videos before you got there. But at the site, on the streets there is no where for you to know where to head. Enter Audio Compass, a travel tech start up that solves this problem. Read on for their story.

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Winter Road Trip to Switzerland

At a press conference yesterday held by Switzerland Tourism, I was excited to hear about the launch of the ‘Grand Tour of Switzerland’ – a 1600km road trip that combines all of Switzerland’s best touristic and nature highlights, in one scenic journey. The tour can be done from different gateways like Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lugano etc and can be split into any number of journeys.

Thursday 9 July 2015

Jet Airways New One Stop Travel Shop And More

I bought myself a range of things on the 8th of July - my birthday. What things you might ask? Well, tickets of course! And the best part Jet Airways announced an up to 50% off on 7th night; it was a sign.

Sunday 28 June 2015

Slow, Solo Travels Through The Greek Islands


If the journey of Odysseus back to his home after the victorious Trojan War was anything to go by, a journey to present day Greece is for sure going to be full of life. Attracted by a rich history and azure landscapes, Vikas, an engineer and entrepreneur shares a page from his Travel Diaries here as he undertook a three-week journey ferrying through the islands of Greece, climbing the mountains of central lands, and swimming in the blue of the Aegean Sea. If not an Odyssey itself, it sure is an account of unexplored Greece that you must read.

Saturday 16 May 2015

Travel Souvenirs – The World Through My Eyes

I have a small purple cabin bag. Half of it is always full. I leave the other half for all the souvenirs I bring back for friends and family. It could be a Double Decker Red Bus fridge magnets from London or local imli (Tamarind) sweets from Coorg, to a show piece egg from the Vinetian in Macau to a phallus key chain for single girl friends from Bhutan! Little things to give away, I feel like I am sharing a part of my travels with everyone. But a collection of travel souvenirs! Ah, wonder why do we do that?


You know when you get back from a crazy week at work, relaxing at home and your eyes fall on that clown fish magnet you bought from Maldives on your first diving expedition there? Have you ever wanted to just sit back for a while and reminisce over those relaxing days in Bali or that high on adrenaline trek to Stok Kangri? A recent conversation with Malabika Ahuja, travel consultant in Bombay brought up this topic. Here's what she has to say.  

Thursday 14 May 2015

What do You Get to Eat in Macau - Everything

I have been a vegetarian since childhood. Food was simple back then. Mom’s haldi wala aloo sabzi and Sindhi kadhi were gorged upon with little thought of the intricate ingredients that went into its flavourful simplicity. When the mango season came, we plucked the ripest ones from the trees and sat right there in the midst of the greens. We squeezed the plump flesh until the juice inside was just the right consistency and then bit out a tiny hole at the bottom to relish the juice for hours on end. A cool nap in the shade of the tree almost always followed. Those simple vegetarian pleasures were enough back then.

Experiencing Portugal and China on a 6 day Trip to Macau

A sun kissed church. As I walk towards it’s serene presence, my feet touch the cool path of colourful mosaic tiles; I pause. I take in the sound of the church bells blending with the quiet of a lazy summer afternoon. Freshly cooked clamps with lemon zest - the fragrance wafting through the air from a Chinese restaurant nearby. I am in Coloane village - a green paradise on the southernmost tip of the Chinese special administrative region of Macau.

Politicians draw geographical borders. History has a way of overwriting them. Here in Macau, that's exactly what I see. How you might ask? Walk straight down the tarmac from Ponte no.16 to an array of local Chinese stores with an array of dried fish on sale. From here, take a slight left and your feet will touch cobbled pathways like those in Europe; with quaint cafes inviting you for a crepe or coffee. Take the next right and you will step into a garden so picturesque as if freshly plucked out from a Chinese painting. Take the roundabout from there and head to Senado Square, Macau’s city center where the two cultures amalgamate with such aplomb – you might want to pause for a bit sitting by the fountain in the center of the square and just – take it all in.   

See what I mean? Macau is a prime example of this mischief. If it is physically possible to be in two places at one time – in the midst of a free flowing Portuguese culture and the enterprising and active Chinese Culture - experiencing the strong presence of the two countries, Portugal and China via exploring Macau is the closest I got to it.

Finding My Bearings
Macau peninsula, Taipa and Coloane make up the entire region of Macau. The Macau peninsula is the main land where most of the local population and the oldest Portuguese settlements, are; not to mention the oldest casinos too. Taipa is the more Chinese residential, smaller island of the region, a mere 2.5kms away. Then there is the Cotai strip where you can spend hours with your group of friends at City of Dreams and watch live shows like The Beauty and The Beast, House of Dancing Waters among others; (I was mesmerised by the set design, stage theatrics and acrobatics of  the House of dancing Waters show. it is probably one of the most expensive productions in the world; what with a raging sea with a pirate ship splashing around at one moment and transformed into a flat land the very next moment. See this Travel CNN House of Dancing Water story that showcases all the man hours that go into the making of this magical show), Shop at the never ending and glamorous stores at the Venetian, or can try your luck at the new age casinos being set up by the Las Vegas Resorts properties.

All the four regions are a 20 minute walk or 10 minute drive away from each other. This makes Macau a perfect place to just walk around with little or no need for using local transport. If you need to then a good tip is to use the Resort Buses doing the rounds taking people to the casinos and back. 

First Things First – The Outdoors
Here I am in Coloane islands - the green lung of Macau. With its long winding nature trails, gorgeous roads to cycle or run on and a relaxing beach - the perfect setting to unwind. (tip: You can drive down in just 20 minutes or take route no 25 bus to come to coloane island from Taipa.)
I came across this lovely blog post by Julienne about Hiking in Macau – Coloane Trail You might think it is just a city and a walking trail might be impossible to find. On my next trip I will make sure I keep a day or two to explore the trails she has recommended here.  

And the best part? Even in the buzzing Macau peninsula, at every kilometer there is an outdoor park with space and more for functional exercises, lovely smooth roads for running and cycling and a smattering of basketball courts (my favourite sport!) Macau you get full marks from me for being mighty outdoorsy!

After exploring Coloane Island and the village, hunger drives me to visit Fernandos Restaurant right near Hac Sa beach. A strong sense of deja vu sets in. Am I in Goa’s Mango Tree – the place to be for a perfectly sumptuous meal with a hippy culture all around? The same gingham table cloths, same colourful vibe, the high walls and ceilings adorned with visiting cards and currencies from travellers from across the globe – I feel at home. The fragrance of a fresh fish curry with stir friend veggies whets my appetite and I settle in for a leisurely lunch.

Macanese Food
Before leaving for Macau, many of my corporate-slave friends who have travelled to Hong Kong for a work trip told me, “Ah Macau is just worth a day trip. But if you are going there don’t forget to try out the Portuguese egg tarts, yumm they are.” They were so wrong about the first part as the 6 days I was there for, just flew by and I had so much more left to explore. But the egg tarts, I was intrigued about. I am not much of a foodie but here in Macau I came this close to turning into a food blogger! So much so that here’s a special post just about all the food that was tried out there. Thank God for the fully equipped gyms in all the properties I stayed and surveyed and utilised! From here a short drive away is Taipa, the sleepy European part of Macau. I had to choose my pick between getting lost in one of its quaint stores, explore Taipa’s food street or park myself at yet another lovely Cafe Litoral you cannot miss.

Visit Casinos on Day 1 or Day 5?
I know what you are thinking. “I will head to the Lisboa casino on day 1 and double the money I have for the rest of the vacation.” Ah sounds super if you visit just to gamble. But if you want to experience it all, begin with a leisurely exploration of the sights and sounds of Macau first.

Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities’ is a new initiative by the Macau Government Tourist Office designed to take visitors along various parts of Macau to experience, the food, culture and communities via walking tours. 

My favourites on the walking tour are the most Chinese of all of Macau's gardens is the Lou Lim Ieoc Garden, trekking up to the big rock at A-ma temple, getting lost in the by lanes around the former Opium House and fireworks factory, walking from the ruins of St.Paul and getting lost in the tiny lanes (super deals for shopping here) leading to Senado Square and another route that takes you through the MGM building, the statue of the Goddess, Macau Tower and Macau Science Center.
And if you like the Hop on Hop off style famous across Europe, there is a Macau Open Top Day Bus Tour among other routes across Macau. The same company has a car rental service that you might want to look up for your private family or friend tours       

Macau Science Centre
I am not a fan of exhibition halls or history centres. But for the first time I experienced the magic of the outdoors in an indoor environment. Inside this cone of steel lies one of my favourite spaces in Macau - The Science Centre. Not only where there interactive games to test my stamina, flexibility, a basket ball court, boxing simulator, but also illusion games, the science behind magic tricks and so much more! All for me to test in real time I could easily spend an entire day here and still have more to explore. Should you choose to head to the Science centre (I strongly recommend it) keep at least 4-5 hours to explore the place if not the entire day. If you can book the Planetarium Sky Shows in advance (MOP 80) and a must must visit is all the interactive exhibits (MOP 25) Check www.msc.org.mo

Where to Stay
Macau does have one drawback. In that it has mainly exclusive 5 start properties. This means food and travelling in and around Macau is not a problem but hotels are steep. However, considering it is a destination you would visit for a reunion with friends or a quick secret get away with a special someone – luxury is Macau’s biggest USP. I experienced the exclusive offerings at Sofitel Macau, Holiday Inn Macao and Conrad at Cotai Central.
If you do want to rough it out and be in your own space I did see a lovely Cheoc Van Youth Hostel and some interesting apartments on Airbnb in Macau too. Though, do keep in mind that you will be missing out on all the pampering that Macau’s 5+ star properties have to offer. (Tip: Conrad has a special summer getaway package offer where you can save upto 45% off on hotel rates the offer is on this 31st July, 2015. This means you might get a super deal of Rs.8000-9000 per night too)

Closing Thoughts
I haven’t travelled to Portugal. I haven’t been to China either. But now that I am back from a trip to Macau courtesy Macau Tourism, it makes me feel like I am back from both. What a fusion of the west and east Macau is and how delicately preserved both cultures are – to you all of this in one place might sound practically impossible.

So travel to Macau; let your senses experience it, come back with a broad smile from making magical memories and when you do, remember to share your stories with me. I can't wait to hear them.