The travelling desi

Bangkok had been on my travel radar for long, but had always been pushed aside in the end because of it’s reputation as a sleazy destination for the-oh-so-typical-all-mens-groups. "What’s to do with the family there?," I wondered. But an upcoming long weekend along with extreme craving for good Thai food was what finally brought it back to the top of the list. Since we only had 3 full days, we decided to do just Bangkok. The rest of Thailand would have to wait. A couple of days in Bangkok and you realize how unfair it is, to judge this beautiful city based on just one aspect. My first impression of Bangkok when I landed was – “Oh this is so Mumbai”. When I drove a little to the outskirts, it reminded me of Goa, the canals (Khlongs) at the floating market reminded me of Kerala. Bangkok lacks the poshness of Singapore or Hong Kong, yet in it’s own, modest way it makes a mark. Some peculiarities of Bangkok - There is a lot of traffic on the roads, but there is no ...

Norway, part of Scandinavia, a country so gorgeous, it’s a shame it is covered in darkness for majority of the year. It’s like a beautiful lady under veil. Then the summer sun comes along singing “Rukh se zara niqab uthao, mere huzoor” and visitors throng the Nordic region to be enthralled by its hypnotic beauty. Nothing that can be blogged will do justice to the beauty that is Norway. Norway is famous for it’s fjords – narrow inlets of water in land - creating it’s characteristic indented coastline.   But it’s not just the fjords – water is everywhere. While travelling it won’t take more than five minutes to pass some kind of water body – be it a lake, a waterfall, a river or a fjord itself.    Add to that tall mountain cliffs, thick forests with pine trees and you have a screensaver-perfect view.  How the Yash Raj Films location scouters haven’t reached here yet, is a mystery to me! Aargh, I pictured SRK with his arms open wide on that ...