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.

Long Weekend Holiday to Chiang Mai

Zip line adventures through the rain forest

Been thinking of a post on extended weekends since a while. How do you zero in on a long weekend holiday destination? The way air fares are going, international travel seems more pocket friendly now than travelling to say Ladakh or Kerala. Did you try driving down to Pune, Lonavala over a long weekend recently? I've done that and trust me it is quite a nightmare with the heavy traffic. So I am going to be on the look out for non traditional getaways and Chiang Mai, in the northern region of Thailand is one of them. 

Elephant Safari in Chiang Mai 

Things to see and Do

So here’s my two pence on Chiang Mai, a perfect choice for that 5 day, 4 night extended weekend getaway.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Mumbai office together with the Thai Consulate in Mumbai invited me to a Chiang Mai Night Festival in Mumbai recently where a select few travel writers were invited to a Thai cuisine workshop followed by a showcase of Chiang Mai’s attractions, hotels and resorts.

A day of sight seeing in Chiang Mai’s will take you through the Chiang Mai Zoo, zip line adventures through the rain forest, an aquarium and Night Safari with a visit to the Doi Suthep temple that overlooks the entire city.

Let's talk Adventure
If you know me, you'll know that anything to do with the word adventure in it excites me! So when I read 'Swing through the wilderness a la George of the Jungle at the many zip-lining centres in Thailand,' I sure am intrigued. Besides zip lining through the forest, riding a cycle high above the trees or slide down the trunk of massive ancient trees in Chiang Mai’s forests is also on the cards. Eagle Track, also located near Chaing

For a Lazy Day 

Ok so I am the adventure addict but I like my share of lazing around too. So engaging in a culinary lesson, or spending a day at an elephant farm will be nice. And there is now way I'd end the day without a deep tissue Thai massage. 

An adorable idea for an elegant souvenir for friends back home

Thai Tourism transported a whole experience of Chiang Mai to Mumbai from umbrella painting to cultural performances, wellness and fruit carving stations. And I got a personalised Travel Diaries little umbrella too! 

Logistics 

Chiang Mai is a short 1hr 15min flight away from Bangkok at a distance of 696 kms. Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Air Asia and orient Thai airways offer frequent daily connections. The city is also accessible by rail via a daily service that plies from Bangkok Railway Station to Chiang Mai 6 times a day. 8 hours journey from Bangkok to Chiang Mai by road for a road trip you may want to do or via air-conditioned buses from Bangkok Bus Terminal on Kamphaeng Phet II Road.   

So now all that's left to do is to actually go there. Bring on a long weekend and you'll see me heading there soon. 

The Himalayan Club Brings Banff Film Festival to Mumbai

Earlier this year The Himalayan Club, Mumbai screened a series of short films selected at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. I have been attending this festival each year and am amazed by the things people do for the sheer pleasure of adventure. Heading out in to the unknown, with their basic amenities and pots and pans, just watching their lives through the screen  - the spirit of adventure is contagious. Here are some of the short films that were screened this year.  

Down the Line

 The only way through some of the world's most magical canyons and waterfalls is - down. A warning for all water babies, this can get addictive.

Into The Mind, Sherpa Cinemas

This winter sport of skiing showcased in what is one of its most breathtaking, graceful forms. The cinematography makes it seem so easy, so fluid, like a dance. Inspiring, I'd take it up in a jiffy.

North of the Sun

 Two Norwegians, their surfboards, an arctic island and a dream. The element of adventure while watching this film jumps out of the screen and seeps right through you. And if that was not enough, the two youngsters clean up tons of plastic and debris while surfing through this crazy winter adventure. I sure was hooked.

Poor Man's Heli

With a dream to explore the Belledonne Mountains, a man gets his friends and takes off on a paragliding adventure. 

The Questions We Ask

Bruce Kirkby, Canadian adventurer questions the true meaning of adventure while on an inflatable sand up paddle board. Quite impressive that is, considering i'd contemplate mainly on managing to stay on that board and not fall off!  

The Himalayan Club conducts regular talks by prominent international mountaineers and adventure enthusiasts apart from this yearly film screening. You can head to The Himalayan Club Facebook Group to be kept in the loop of upcoming events.    

(All photos courtesy Banff Films and The Himalayan Mountaineering Club.)

Dandelion Dreams in the Midi Pyrenees

#496613417 / gettyimages.com

That's what this movie was for me - dandelion dreams in the French countryside. This is not a film review. Its more my musing about an affair with France - the first country I travelled to 10 years ago when I started my travel diaries. 

Magazines and guide books quote a visit to Paris as perhaps the most recommended of all destinations to visit in Europe. But to do that is to taste just the cherry and leave the cake. The magic of the french country side, Bordeaux in the case of my first visit was spell binding. This film takes me back there, this time to the south of France. The film is shot exclusively in the Midi Pyrenees Region in Southwest France and the way it transports you to this gorgeous French countryside, you quickly want to drop everything you are doing and open a little bnb in the locale as the scenes change from one meadow to the forest to the little farmers market to a picnic spot near the river, ahh! Heaven. Like just stepping into a spring painting.  

The Hundred Foot Journey tracks the journey of the Kadam family who settle down in a small village of the Midi Pyrenees in France and open a traditional Indian restaurant just opposite a Michelin starred French restaurant.  

The film in a way has rescued France from the the glitz of its glorified capital and shows you a culinary romance with its charming countryside.

  

The cinematography oozes flavour, beautifully constructed scenes with a play of light and shadow: the way the reflection of fire burns in her (Charlotte Le Bon) face as she glares at him (Manesh Dayal)... another scene where a storm and rain are metaphors to depict the pain loved ones feel when the protagonist leaves home to conquer the culinary world; simple, simmering raw emotions.

The acting - Om Puri and Helen Merren filling seemingly trivial dialogues with their candid expressions and effortless humour; make for an adorable romance that makes me giggle in every scene.   

"Forgive the silence," says Om Puri in a scene, "seeing all this, I think my family thinks we died in the accident and now we are in heaven." a dialogue from the film that elucidates my point exactly. Cross over film some are calling it but I wouldn't call it that. No garish Bollywood songs, no silly tactics, just gorgeously created scenes of classy french cuisine, that is truly the hero in the film.

"Brakes brake for a reason."

In all my travels, be it in the little villages nestled in the Himalayas or the bustling markets in Barcelona or Munich's Viktualienmarkt, I have always shared with you my awe for local farmers markets. Admiring the fresh produce of the day, the fragrance of fresh citrus fruit of the season, the colourful flowers, the crisp greens and all that hustle and bustle; scenes of the Midi Pyrenees farmers market were precisely that - fresh, intoxicating, fascinating. 

#486966593 / gettyimages.com

And I can go on! But You must experience the magic for yourself, watch The Hundred Foot Journey it for the wanderlust and maybe the next time, make Paris but a stop over to explore the magic of the French countryside.

Note: The French Tourism Board invited me for the preview screening of The Hundred Foot Journey. I love the cinemas so I happily attended the screening and truly enjoyed it, a feel good film it is. Go see it and do tell me what you think. Cheers!       

Druk Path Trek Bhutan

 Beyond its toy-like cities of Thimphu and Paro, beyond the touristy calling of Tiger Nest; I had a yearning to traverse through Bhutan. Through the interiors of the land, through its paths covered with fresh blossoms; this is an account of a trek of my dreams – The Druk Path Trek.

Flashback

A height of 13,000 feet, a 10kg backpack, an up-hill 28 day climb; I trudged along a path as part of a group of amateur mountaineers in the Himalayas. This goes back to 2006 during a course at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. 

Somewhere along the path we met a lone Rhododendron tree. It was plump with fresh blossoms heavier still with the morning dew. Its flowers a dreamy shade of lilac and with the mist all around us, not to mention our travel weary minds, it seemed more like a vision than reality. 

What transpired beyond that trek is for another story but the vision of that lone tree is what was the inspiration to this trek.  

A calling to Bhutan has been strong for a while and when I heard of forests and gardens ripe with rhododendrons enroute a trek, it triggered memories of that Rhododendron tree. I thought this would be the perfect introduction to the countryside, giving me a window into Bhutan’s untouched locales which not many reach out to beyond the allure of Tiger Nest Monastery and the uber progressive capital Thimphu city. Moreover I was sold with the thought that I would have forests, gardens and pathways full of those blossoms for company on each day of the trek.  

The Route

The Druk Path trek is a 60 kms route winding through mountains between Bhutan’s largest cities Paro and Thimphu.

Just before beginning the trek, my guide Lal points to a tiny black speck in the middle of dense conifers that seem eons away and says, “You see that black spot there, it is a fort 10 kms from where we are now, that is where we will camp this evening.” Even though I have been on a fare share of treks yet anxiety strikes! The thought of the distance, the steep ascent overwhelms me and I try to take my mind off this. 

The mountains have a way of intimidating you in the beginning, making things seem tougher than they actually are and then saying, “Ah I was just kidding.” 

It took us five days to traverse through the trek route that begins from the National Museum in Paro. Beginning with an intense uphill climb we set up camp on day one in an open pasture near an old fort called Jili Dzong, perched on top of the hill and surrounded by tall prayer flags on poles all around us. Thick stone walls white washed with deep red and gold accents and trimmings. With the fragrance of incense thick in the air and monks in deep red robes going about their daily rituals we entered the Dzong to be greeted by statues of Buddha’s past, present and future.

  

Day 2 3770 m to Tsokam the path disappears into a forest. Here is where the Rhododendron trail truly begins. Pleasure red mud like a Persian rug, dominated by rhododendrons of deep red to pure while. Mostly thick forest, was wearing tinted glasses made the colours seem richer like walking through a HD/ 3D movie; only this was for real. Leisure walk, trek through forests, meadows and open pastures

Day 3 4235 m pass called Lavana Day 4 Change in landscape yet again. Trees changed to shrubs as we climbed higher and reached a height of 4000 meters.

The gorgeous scenery, clean air egged me on and after a while my mind calmed down and we set a rhythm in my stride. After trekking for 5 hours and traversing across a couple of mountains we reached the fort Jili Dzong perched on top of the hill and surrounded by tall prayer flags on poles all around the we saw monks. The smell of incense reaches you even before you enter the tall white washed stone structure with trimmings of deep red and gold. We payed our respect to the trinity of towering Buddha’s stationed in the temple inside the fort - representing the past, present and future. 

We moved on from here to Tsokam at which point the open meadows disappear into dense forests heavy with the fragrance of moisture and fresh flowers. From this moment on I was lucky to witness Rhododendrons in every hue and colour beginning from a bright pink, turning deep red, shades of vermilion, yellow onward to my favourite misty lilac and pure white, in all I was told there were at least 54 varieties of Rhododendrons. Landscapes changed from dense forests to open meadows but the trail of Rhododendrons, even at the highest point on the trek at 4235 meters at  the Lavana pass followed us until the last day of the trek. 

Highlights

Being the only trekkers on the route it felt like we were the sole being on the planet for those 5 days, it was calming in a way, away from all the clutter. It was the ideal time to visit as day time temperatures were calm and nights were just a little chilly as opposed to doing the trek in later months of September, October when temperatures can dip below -10 degrees. But the highlights of the trek were the trail of Rhododendrons, I was lucky to visit in the right months (April-May) and setting up camp and enjoy a fresh cup of coffee by a lake. 

Hits and misses

None really. Only they have a lot of chilly and cheese in their food, so if you cant take the heat or are lactose intolerant then mention the same before the trek. With clear views of the snow capped eastern Himalayas, a trail of Rhododendrons, a leisurely pace and amazing food (fresh fern, asparagus, krowbik sabzi) and great stories by our guide Lal for company; I was in heaven.

Tips

- A cushion helps. 

- Carry long socks, don't make the mistake of taking ankle length ones. 

- Head lamp/ torch Good day pack – for water, snacks, specks, cap, windcheater/ light weight wind breaker, windproof, quick dry pants 

- Carrying slippers or light weight sandals are a good idea to slip into after each day's trek

- garbage bags as backpack liners, zip lock bags 

- White tape and cloth bandages to wrap toes in to avoid blisters 

- Carry fruits on trek,instead of chips and biscuits (no garbage) good idea. 

Would I do it again?

Yes maybe in Winter, but then I am tempted to ditch it for other winter treks in Bhutan – to Jhomulhari’s base camp or better yet the Snowman’s trek – the toughest trek in the world. When ever Bhutan calls me back next, I will be only too willing.

Notes: 

My guide told me that I was the first Indian on a trek with him in Bhutan and on finding out further I was told that Indian travellers don't opt for trekking here. During the R&D phase for this trip I spoke with 13 people ( 3 agents in India and 10 people who have visited Bhutan over the years) the agents went on their first trip this year to test the turf for treks for next year. Ten tourists did not know about trekking options available in Bhutan. So I am guessing most Indians will opt for treks in Bhutan next year.

Random Musings During the Trek:

A good way to gauge distance: When you can see forests of conifers in front of you you clearly have a lot to cover. When trunks of the same conifers star you in the face, you know you are nearer now.

(This was an independent trip. Bhutan tourism was kind enough to connect me with a few travel agents who helped in booking the appropriate flight connections and other logistics. I have shared coordinates for the same below)

1) Bhutan Yarden Tours & Treks

Mr. Karma Wangdi

Managing Director

Tel: 00975 (0) 2 334818

Mob: 00975 17604549

Email: yardentours@gmail.com / karma@bhutanyarden.com

2) Bhutan Dhenzang Travel

Mr. Karma Letho

Managing Director

Tel: 00975 2 340100

Mob: 00975 17118668

Email: dhenzangtravel@hotmail.com / dhenzang@trekbhutantour.com

3) Excursion To Himalayas - Bhutan Travel

Mr. Mindu Dorji

CEO/Founder

Tel: 00975 2 331423

Mob: 00975 17140505

Email: excursiontohimalayas@gmail.com

Website: www.traveltobhutan.com.bt 

Tripping Around Munich: Music, Trinkets and Beer

No no, not the hot Texans to the left, look here at Tom, our guide at
Sandemans Walking tour, a dose of British humour in Germany!

This was a quick two touristy days around Munich, Germany before a work assignment. A few hours of research and help from our host Stephie and the locals led me to explore the known and not so known parts of the city. Read on for my takeaways for a short but fun trip around the city.

First off get an uber cool map of the well connected underground train routes. With Hauptbahnhof - the central station you can begin by heading to Marienplatz for a free walking tour by Sandemans for an orientation about the city and its history. The guides are young, fun and witty and add a quirky perspective to the history of Bavarian culture and the region.

You are in the mecca of music, with operas and musical performances every day of the calendar so try to get yourself a ticket to one, you might not understand a word (I din’t)  but it is an amazing experience none the less. I was lucky to get tickets for a Mozart musical, right on his birthday - 27th January at Kulturzentrum Gasteig, one of the greatest performance halls in Germany. 

All set to explore the city in my new set of boots

The Marienplatz streets are lined with high fashion stores and if you have shopping on your mind, this is Disney land. I for one had a single point focus – a good pair of walking boots! So I trudged around from one store to the other in search of the perfect pair that would complete my winter look but not leave me penniless on my first day in Munich. Not wedges, not high heels just a pair of simple comfortable, no heel boots that I could explore the city in. I finally found the perfect pair on sale at Diechmann for a cool 29 euros, a steal it was! 

Travel Tips:

- Carry half the clothes and double the money, when you leave from home your bag should be half empty so that you have all that space for souvenirs and gifts. What is travel without heading home with a bag full of gifts for friends and family when you get back? 

- Don't wait till the last day of your trip to buy all those things you wanted to, of course exercise restrain, but you don't want to come back with all that cash and no gifts for all your loved ones, not to mention - yourself.

- You are in Bavaria, make sure you carry back a loot of chocolates and small chocolate liquor bottles, trust me I tried all of them and the chocolate liquor ones are the best. 

- Shnapps are stronger than liquor, exercise caution!

- Around the city center among other public spaces you can access free wifi for three days, make sure you remember to check in!   

Viktualienmarkt

Each time I travel, local markets feature on the top of my list, as they give me a whiff of the country side, a special treat on trips that I cannot travel to the countryside myself. So if you’d like to experience a bit of the Bavarian countryside through its local produce head to the Viktualienmarkt for a range of fresh and dry fruits, meats, gorgeous flowers, creative trinkets, and flavoured teas, honey, coffee, cheese... I can go on! Get clicking or shop here for unique souvenirs like bags of dried lavender flowers, roasted apple chips, rose and berry flavoured spices and more.

'You haven't mentioned the beer yet?' Only because that goes without saying, doesn't it! You cannot possibly leave German soil without sampling all the beer you can get your hands on, be it via bar crawls or settling at a local beer hole every evening; tourists head to Haufbrauhaus, one of the famous beer halls in Germany. So even though beer is not my poison, this one I had to try. Amongst all the local pubs and restaurants, I liked Hackersachor, a cute and quaint little pub at Marienplatz. After a pint or two head down the road for hot banana and chocolate pancakes at a little hole-in-the-wall cafe.   

Munich main beer to banta hain!

Talk about all that chocolate and beer overload? Ah, but I managed to balance that with a diet of fresh and juicy fruits, hot candied nuts and freshly roasted chest nuts throughout the trip, ideal energy boosters for all the walking around the city. My special favourite was the spiced chilli variety of nuts; in that chilly winter it made for a perfect snack. 

Day Trips from Munich

Neuschwanstein Castle. Cool Photo credit: Melanie De Andrade

Neuschwanstein Castle: Go for the story, the vision of a tall, fair and handsome King Ludwig fulfilled, well just about. It is a gorgeous castle yes, but the mystery behind his life and death is what this day trip will always remind me of. Oh and while en-route to the castle, if you are travelling via a tour coach, they stop at a little village called Oberammergau, walk around it for gorgeous trinkets to buy, unique stuff rather than the typical travel souvenirs. 

Beyond Munich

The trains are quick and very well connected you don’t need to worry about renting a car unless you want to head for a road trip across Europe. The Db Bhan is a superlative mode when you need to travel to other parts of Germany or nearby countries such as Vienna, like I did. 

But please please try living in a Home Stay, best source to find one is Airbnb; if you research a little, you can get the comfort of a luxury hotel at the cost of a hostel stay and a fab interaction with your hosts - the locals too. 

Things I missed which you could give a try: 

Merc Benz Museum 

http://goo.gl/EUvyN9

Dachau Memorial 

http://www.munichwalktours.de/en/

Garmin Partenkirchen and Romantic Road A gorgeous drive through route. 

Dear Malaysia, its About Time We Met

I’ve always been a city kid. I find the flux of cultures and people is a heady flavour in city-scapes like no place else.  But ever so often, there is a calling to the wilderness, to the ever green jungles and magical misty mountains. How about a land with a heady mix of both; ah Malaysia, it’s about time we met.

I want to play every bit of the tourist here. Get a fine tan at the beaches of Borneo, have a scandalising fish head meal at street joints in Kuala Lumpur and shop till I drop in its many malls. I want to be the intrepid traveller too and summit the elusive Mt. Kinabalu. I watched The Sensei recently, a film about bouldering, a form of rock climbing in Mt. Kinabalu as part of the Banff Mountain film festival screened by The Himalayan Club in Bombay. Being an adventure enthusiast myself, the granite rock formations and avenue of options available there just blew me away, forever wanting to Walk the Torq.   

Explore the rain forests of Sarawak I will and free dive in Sipadan’s turquoise waters and marvel at the magic under play.

But what also excites me about Malaysia is beyond its geo-tropically gorgeous landscapes. I like to believe that I go beyond the images that pass us by on my travels and focus on the little things that meet my eye. Like sounds of the Arzan in the early hours of dawn or that elusive solo piece of a street musician; to record these sounds, paint their rhythms is something I cherish; and it all stems from the people of the land I travel to. I am drawn to the people of the land and Malaysia has a fine blend of Indian, Malay and Chinese showcased elegantly on Humans of Malaysia  in which I see candid moments of her people in an amalgamation of stories just waiting to be told. I would like to experience this heart-split-in-two country through their voice, witness their emotions towards one of Asia's economically sound states and sample what is easily one of the world's most drool worthy cuisine - Malay food.   

Food - now that’s a vital point. I was brought up to be a vegetarian. I followed it up by reason and logic and continued to be so as a young adult. But over my ten years of travel I witnessed cuisine in its most local flavour; in the fresh catch of the day at sea in Maldives or flavoured meats and chorizo at a farmers market in Vienna. The passion with which they cook their food so fine, like it has a direct connect with the Divine! I was smitten then as I am now by cuisines to every nation I travel; for is the experience of travel ever complete without sampling its cuisine, making your taste buds romance with its fragrant culture? I think not. Thus somewhere down the road, the traveller in me took precedence and since then I have relished the baklavas in Turkey, Kababs in the UAE, the Schnizel in Germany and now hope to make a few makan kaki while sampling paripap and tong sui in Malaysia.  

I want to witness this medley of lush jungles and city-scapes all encompassed into the heart of one culture curry that is Malaysia. And then when the city calls her girl back home, she will leave with a bag full of stories to share with the world about this microcosm - Malaysia.  

I am participating in the MalaysiaJao Blogathon Contest in association with BlogAdda.com.

Going the Home Stay Way

I wanted a respite from the plastic confines of a hotel, was not much in the mood for room service and took a fancy to befriend locals. So I chose to do just that on my next trip – I went the home stay way and what an experience it was.

What is it about home stays? I mean why would you leave your home to travel across the globe and live in a stranger’s home? The bed, the pillows even the bathroom arrangements are not going to be like that at yours; then why this sudden fixation with home stays when you can just as well choose to stay at a luxury hotel or resort?

Aha, I think it is part of the dynamic nature of travel; it’s like adding a dimension to your regular travel experience by befriending the unknown.   

A friend suggested I try Airbnb, a platform where you can rent a room or a flat at a local resident’s home and stay with locals. Now that’s what I was looking for. So I decided to give it a go.

After a couple of brief and friendly online interactions with the hosts I zeroed in on Stephie and Stephan’s home, there was something so inviting and endearing about the interaction with them. Stephie shared her excitement of hosting us as she had just got back from a trip exploring India and was eager to share her memories.

So even before we arrived at their place, there was a sense of familiarity which eased any doubt of staying at a strangers place.

Serendipity. One of my favourite words in the English dictionary, I like to call it happenstance too. Here's why. We were late to collect the key to their home and were almost resigned to the fact that we might be homeless for the first couple of hours in Munich and there we saw our host Stephan waiting for us at the station with the key. Us having taken the wrong train, losing the way to reach a couple of stations too far, then riding back on, getting off at the far left side of the platform just where he stood, all summed up to a pure moment of happenstance, a couple of compartments here and there or a couple of minutes arriving too early or two late and we would have missed each other.

I have shared my experience of the day we arrived in the story about The Key.

With the key now safe and secure we headed towards the apartment in the direction Stephan had pointed out, a couple of blocks away. The local residential homes gave me a contemporary vibe with wide open glass windows and well light spaces. An early morning photo shoot was in process as we walked up the set of stair overlooking the studio towards our home for the next few days in Munich.

Even though it was a rented space that slight hesitance stalled me at the entrance as it made me aware of entering a stranger’s home.  They were both off to work so we knew we had the home to ourselves for a while this gave us time to settle in.Neatly placed shoes to one corner at the entrance, a jacket rack and an old polished wooden trunk greeted me. With the soft patter of wooden flooring we entered their home. The colours – with small motifs hanging around the corridors leading to a magazine collage like colourful kitchen.

Chocolate nuggets placed at the center of an old wood table surrounded by a divan covered in the most eclectic of hues; their furniture made for a cute and quaint arrangement.  

A kettle of freshly brewed tea awaited us as we entered the kitchen and whilst I helped myself to a cuppa, the handmade bulletin board adorning the wall across marked with their memories; photographs of friends, cards from family and messages from previous guests gave us a glimpse into their lives and even before we met them, I already liked them.

Our designated room was beyond the kitchen and what do we see just as we enter our room? A gorgeously colourful room yes, but there on the bed kept snug atop each pillow – a little welcome gift a Bavarian chocolate!

Talk about combining the candid comforts of home with the luxuries of a hotel!

We enjoyed conversations with Stephie about India and she shared anecdotes with us about her experience with the sweetest people while she travelled through Rajasthan. She opened up her loot of spices and the Indian cuisine recipes she had brought along with her to Germany and one of the days we almost set about attempting to cook a batch of Aloo Gobi(A dish with potatoes and cauliflowers infused with Indian spices and masala) but were stalled by a late night at the local bar instead.

One morning when my sister and fellow traveller Yuktie took ill with a cold and cough, Stephan volunteered to make her a home brew concoction from his collection of greens and herbs. I think she was half cured just by that adorable act kindness! “How are you feeling now,” he asked when he got back home that evening. “Oh much better thanks to your herbal drink,” she gushed. “I think it’s more of a placebo effect!” he said. Aha!      

Make sure to mark your flag on this uber cool scratch map when you visit Stephie and Stephan's home 

I would love to tell you more of the little things that touched my heart while staying with Stephie and Stephan but I’d rather you discover them yourself the next time you visit Munich. 

Tips while choosing to stay at a home stay:

-          For a worthwhile home stay experience look up local residents that offer to share a room from the homes they actually live in. This brings in a local flavour to your experience, with their suggestions on things to do and explore without hampering your privacy and independence.

-          A lot of home-stays I noticed on rental sites are fully furnished apartments that hosts rent out for the duration of your stay. That’s not so much a home stay as just an apartment on rent.

-     Opt for home-stays a couple of stops away from the city centre. I often find ones located in and around the city centre are noisy and overwhelming and I prefer coming back to a quiet home after a long day of exploring. 

-      Always ask your host about things they would recommend to do, may be step out with them for a drink and exchange travel stories; you don't have to follow everything they recommend, its just good to get a local perspective.Don’t hesitate to share your travel stories with them, you will be surprised how keen they are to meet new people and know about new cultures.  

Listed below are a few amongst the many digital platforms that showcase shared accommodation spaces for travellers

-          Airbnb.com

-          Flipkey.com

-          Couchsurfer.com

-          Housetrip.com

-     Wimdu.com 

Busting Travel Myths in Vienna

Winters in Europe can be gorgeous and romantic, with a view of elegant white slopes peppered with conifers as you sip your hot chocolate with a dash of liquor in hand sitting by a crackling old bonfire in a cosy wooden cottage. Classic picture that is of a winter in Europe.

Na, that was just my imagination taking me on a trip again; I dint experience any of that.

Instead I arrived to a gloomy Vienna, with sleet covered roads and sodden bare trees. For a few moments my heart sank and thought – may be all the guide books were right, maybe it was not a good idea to visit Vienna in January.

“We could have gone to any part of Europe, we have five days on our hands. No planning, no research... I don't like to travel this way,” says Yuktie, my sister and co-traveller. That's exactly the myth I wanted to test.

Tell me, has the weather at a destination ever stopped you from exploring? Say you want to travel to Australia and have vacations in January (for the uninitiated, it is the peak of summer in Australia in the month of January with temperatures going as high as 42°C) What would you do? Just cancel plans due to inconvenient weather? No you wont!

For me the pleasure is in exploring a city, a destination in every season, not just the best and maybe come up with fresh, new experiences. So after depositing my bags at my homestay, in a chilly -3°C I set out to explore the city, little did I know what awaited me on the other side. For want of boredom, Yuktie followed along.  

“We are in Vienna in January, I know its not the best season to visit, but what do you recommend we do?” I hear my sister ask a co-passenger in the tram as we headed to the central station.  He laughs and says there’s nothing much to do, but maybe you can go to the tourist office and see where that takes you from there.  

Sometimes I wonder why locals underestimate the magic of their home country, city. They have lived there all their life and cease to see magic in the mundane; but its different for a new set of eyes exploring a destination for the very first time. A good reason not to take a local’s suggestions too seriously.

On our way to the city centre Karlplatz, we walk toward the exit of the station and my feet take me a Starbucks cafe near the exit. "Where can I get a city map?" I ask at the counter. The barista is not of much help but a lady overhearing us invits us for a cuppa and we get chatting. Meet Kamini, the lady solely responsible for the fondest moments of serendipity I have experienced on my travels. An Indian by birth, Kamini has spent the past 20 years of her life in Vienna and was enjoying her evening post work cuppa with a friend when we her way. Half way through our heart-to-heart she says, “Come I’ll give you a quick orientation to the city." Could we have asked for a better welcome?

So even though the weather continued to be chilly and the wind chill made it even more so, the warmth from this new found friendship and the now uplifted spirits made it quite a bright and happy scene.

Vienna's Winter Wonders:

Rathaus (City Hall) ice skating rink: An absolute must, it will bring out the child in anyone.

Naschmarkt over the Wien river: An eclectic mix of flowers, spices, textiles and more from across the globe.   

Ballet at Vox Opera: When in Vienna, take a piece of its musical soul back with you.

UN Head Quarters: Take the train across the city over the Denube for a tour around the head quarters, just being there and absorbing in all the work they do is overwhelming.

St Stephens Cathedral: The soulful music from the church quire at the Sunday mass will stay with me forever.

Shopping at Karlsplatz city centre: For trinkets, chocolates, liquor and souvenirs and gawking at the magical show windows.

Sample a slice of Sacher-Torte at Hotel Sacher Cafe: Well you are in Europe, let the desert debauchery continue.

Mozarthaus: Let history tell you this great maestro's story, let his music and his tragedy enthrall your senses.

Go see Gustavv Klimt's painting The Kiss, I was mesmerised.

And if that was not enough Kamini's friend introduced us to Lalit Tikku, the owner of Kohinoor, an Indian restaurant, who we hit of off quit well with. When we dropped in at his restaurant the next day (I have yet to taste food as delicious in India as at his restaurant) he offered to drive us all the way to see Kharlenberg, which is Vienna's mountain top affluent paradise. Over a cup of Viennese coffee we enjoyed the view of Vienna city from a mountain top cafe. I never cease to be amazed by the happenstance of such moments and the quality of conversations that follow thereafter.

Kahlenberg panaroma terrace http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/green-vienna/Kahlenberg

Tips:

- Tram no 1 takes you around the city, you need not hop on to a tourist bus if you don't like to be chaperoned around.

- Vox Theatre and Vox Opera are two different places. We made the mistake of going to the former when we had tickets booked for a ballet at the latter. Also if possible don’t buy opera tickets from the tourist centre, they charge double the actual price  

- If on a quick day or two trip to Vienna you can leave your bags at the Westbahnhof station lockers, they are a boon for travellers. 

- Open Wifi in public spaces: Rathhause, Nash Market, Hardrock Cafe, among others

One of my last interactions with a local in Vienna was on the train ride to the UN centre. its amazing how two people can understand eachover sometimes even without speaking the same language. While seeking directions to the UN, a lady showed us the right route and the right stop. We exchanged notes about our countries and just before we left to get off, in a way to bid us good bye she said, "Ram Ram!" Isn't that something!

I put my hands together in a traditional Indian pose and bid her goodbye with a Namaste.

Isn't this what gorgeous travel memories are made of?   

A Montage of Words

The past couple of weeks have been all about reading, writing and research; with worlds seeming to have enveloped me in a cocoon. As I stepped out for my morning run this Sunday morning too I was shown visually intriguing montages of our daily, seemingly mundane lives transforming themselves into candid frames for my study and observation. So after the end of the run, a collective of words seemed to have strung themselves in a memory game, as I progressed with each kilometer finding itself intertwined with the previous, compelling me to memorise the sequence for a complete string of 10.    

I read somewhere that focusing on a mantra helps dispel distractions while you focus on your run. It’s all nice to say but seldom easy to have a one point focus on a thought for all the while throughout your run. This is a string of scenes I came across during my Sunday run; one world sprung to mind for each one with seemed to have synced itself with every kilometer I covered. 

1. Breakfast. What’s a rickshaw to you today? A mode of transport, bringing to mind a foul interaction with the dozen or so drivers who refuse to take you to your destination each day? No none of that, thank you. Jogging along the Bandstand promenade, my eyes fell on a scene of cupcakes, bread and chai adorning the back seat of a rickshaw. It was a simple breakfast laid out neatly for two, the driver soulfully sipping his morning cuppa and a friend partaking in the sweetmeats. Both commuter and driver sipping a bite and pleasurably watching the morning surfs chime in. Doubt the most expensive bungalows on that route could experience this luxury.  It’s the kind of image that gives Bombay a happy candid allure as opposed to this rushed manic Mumbai we are a part of each day.
2. Play. Come let’s play I could almost hear him saying. A bunch of stray dogs loitering around a path in my run, one of them having found an interesting piece of scrap long enough for two of the dogs to wrestle with. So he playfully prances to his friend on the extreme right and nudges him with his muzzle, come let’s play! A noticeable change in their stride I saw, a graceful hybrid between a hop and a gallop. It just made me so happy. Later on my run tracking app Endomodo I noticed that particular km was my fastest, wonder whether that those few minutes their enthusiasm mingled with mine. 

Breakfast. Play. Each thought compiled into a single composite word, nice I think..

3. Night out. A threesome step out of a vehicle, their Saturday night out bling still on, perhaps just about done with their all night revelries, the girls holding their stilettos in hand and the guy groggily leading them to a coffee shop. I am not much of a party animal, yet a minuscule pang of jealousy sprouts, hmm. Moving on. 

Breakfast. Play. Night out. Each kilometer personifying into a character of its own..

4. Food. A taxi driver almost done with his routine of washing up and sprucing up his wagon for the day, steps on to the side walk opens up a bag and spreads a bundle full of dry rice grains on to the floor. The light pit pat of the grains meeting the floor and the soft flutter of sparrows flying in for that generous meal, aha! It’s a mundane act, so full of compassion that its magic is so fleeting; it made me smile and thank the goodness in us all for making me a witness to it.    

Breakfast. Play. Night out. Food. Over and over I kept repeating the words, by now it was clear they demanded retention, assuring me of a well strung set..

5. Love. A lady stands with two dogs on leash, both standing in sync tall and proud of their doting human parent. No she was not cuddling and caressing either of them but a fellow third dog, albeit a stray one but a distant cousin or friend from another life. The joy with with he responded to her touch and the indulgent affection she showered on him even while her two own stood by..

This was getting tough for me, what with the short term memory retention issues I face.. yet I persisted - Breakfast. Play. Night out. Food. Love.

6. Privilege.  A black SUV, with very dark tinted glasses, and a big Maharashtra govt number plate is parked on the side of the road. A girl sits in, clearly waiting for her partner to come back. As I cross the car I see a group of young men sharing chai and smokes and whiling away an early morning in general, on my return from the same route I see one of those boys but his smoke and head back to the car. Citizens of the country are made to strip off the tinted shields from their cars after a case of molestation with a fine to all those who disobey. Yet this young chap, clearly a son of one of the great leaders of our country drives a vehicle with dark tinted glasses. As he turns on the ignition I think, what’s the point of privilege if its almost always exploited.

The rhythm set, my limbs flowing in sync with each other, not a move out of place, albeit slow but maintaining the rhythm. This mantra seemed to be helping. Breakfast. Play. Night out. Food. Love. Privilege.  

7. Solitary. It was like someone cut-pasted her out of a countryside scene into this urban landscape. There she was, this frail, old lady with a stack of firewood cradled with one arim on her head and a bundle of her belongings held protectively in the other. She walked barefoot on this narrow cobbled road as I jogged by and it almost felt like I was an out of place coloured blotch in this classic candid black and white photograph/ I almost saw her in black and white.

Now it was getting tough, both the run and the retention. ‘I am not playing this stupid game anymore,’ the mind says. Hmm. Breakfast. Play. Night out. Food. Love. Privilege. Solitary.      

8. Muscle moving on from that almost skeletal frame I see this mammoth creature, weighed down by his bulk. Rippling muscles from every sinewy his body, this man walks on in that classic body builder gait. We seemed to exchange a look that said, “Ah we all do what we think we want, sometimes not doing what we really need.”

‘Ok, now that’s it, you don’t think this is silly this Breakfast, Play, Night out, Food, Love, Privilege, Solitary, Muscle! They don’t even mean anything. How about we slow down and enjoy this gorgeous breeze’

Aha, nice, the mind was actually retaining it, so I said, ‘No, just a couple more, don’t disturb me now.’    

9. Study. I have completed a circuit around Bandra’s promenades by now and head towards Joggers park; just as I enter I see a boy slip but catch himself just before he tripped, another scene for my mind to get curious about.  The boy bends down to pick up a packet of biscuits that fell to the muddy track. As he bends picking up his snack for the day, my eyes trail to his left hand holding the bible of most last minute studying students - the Navneet Digest. I smile as I remember all those years ago, those last minute attempts to remember one line answers. I wonder though, how he planned to study in the midst of the many distractions in the park, but then I think who am I to judge.

I am not moving another step, I hear my mind say just as an alarm of my limbs slowing down strikes. Err no you don’t! Panic! What was it? Privilege? Something to do with dogs? What was it! I can’t remember!

BREATHE. Calm Down.

Ahh, something to do with an important part of the day? Ah yes! Breakfast.

Breakfast. Play. Night out. Food. Love. Privilege. Solitary. Muscle. Study.      

10. Celebration. The street is a buzz with the inaugural ceremony of an edifice made in honour of Sachin Tendulkar, on an otherwise quiet Sunday. Honestly I’d rather they have invested all that money in cleaning up the beach beyond the promenade. Rather I see it all neatly covered so as not to mar the celebrations of the day, a token to our favourite son of Bandra they say!

A new scene, I am glad the mind found something intriguing enough to overlook the apparent exhaustion during this last kilometer. Let’s check again what was it..

Breakfast. Play. Night Out. Food. Love. Privilege. Solitary. Muscle. Celebration      

What’s happened amazed me as every scene I came across triggered a thought. Each one of them could have lead to a barrage of thoughts and pretty much foiled my 10 km run plan. But the thoughts seemed to work in unison, they singled out a world representing each of them making it a string of montages and memories. What is a mantra but a set of world designed to help you maintain a single minded focus, this was it. The mantra that formed itself during the course of my run and made me repeat it till the end. It was a sum total of all my thoughts during the run and at the same time a focused rendition of one entirety with each thought somehow in sync with the next.    

Why have I shared this post on a travel blog you ask? because my mind travels even when I run.