Resources
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Relax at Live Oak Brewing Co’s Taproom
If you are looking to try out some great food, drinks and music, then I’m not sure if there are too many places that beat Austin, Texas. Sure, I missed out on the music. So, I won’t comment on that. But the food and drinks are something else altogether. Selection of beers for the day A few years ago, when visiting a friend’s mom there, we decided to go check out a craft brewery. Without having done any research, I was at a loss, trying to figure out the best place where we could head. Thankfully, our host knew of a couple of places. Outdoor picnic table and benches with…
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Vienna’s friendliest bartender is at Centimetre VII
The next time you are in Vienna Austria, why not take time off your sightseeing and make a trip to Centimetre VII. Once there, find yourself a comfortable table with a view, or sit at the bar, order your favourite pint and get down to feeling right at home. A customer sits by himself enjoying his lunch at Centimetre VII Vienna That’s what we did when we were in Vienna. On our first full day in the city, we found ourselves outside Alser Strasse Station. As we tried to figure out how to reach our first destination for the day, figuring whether we go north, south, east or west, something…
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Sivukirjasto in Kallio is cool
A good indication of how expensive a city Helsinki can be on your wallet is to order a pint of beer, for starters. Helsinki Central Station Having just crossed the Baltic sea, from, well, the Baltic States, I noticed a gradual rise in the price of beer – from Vilnius (cheapest), through Riga (cheaper) and into Tallinn (cheap). However, once we were across the sea and had finally set foot in Helsinki, I thought 7-8 euros was daylight robbery. A tram line in Helsinki While the first few days went discovering all that the city had to offer, and spending those hard-earned euros, it was only a few days later…
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A visit to Pasteur Street Brewing taproom in Hanoi
There is a revolution that has been slowly brewing in Vietnam since 2015. In a reverse of sorts, it’s been so contagious that it has finally spread from Ho Chi Minh City all the way to the Hanoi. Not to fret though. It’s a revolution of a different kind. Say ‘cheers’ to Pasteur Street Brewing taproom and their excellent selection of craft beers. The Coffee Porter and Jasmine IPA When I first visited Vietnam in 2007-8, there weren’t any craft beers available. At least none that I was aware of. To be honest, I wasn’t too aware of craft beer myself. It’s only in the last 10 odd years, on…
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NAM Vietnamese Kitchen, BBQ & Beer
It was the last leg of our Indochina trip and with money running low, we wanted to stay in an area that wasn’t expensive. Which is why any decent place around Bui Vien Street made sense. It is, after all, the backpacker quarter district in Saigon, Vietnam. View of Bui Vien street from NAM Kitchen We also wanted it to be in District 1, which is what most reviews recommended. We chose a hotel next to Bui Vien Street. It’s where all the action is, we were assured by some well travelled friends. On hindsight, we should have asked what kind of action it is that they had in mind.…
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Turkey e-visa
A few months ago, a couple of friends had stopped over in Istanbul, on their way back from one the Schengen states. While their trip was great, what got me curious is why they applied for a physical Turkish visa sticker, when they could have availed of an e-visa. Neither their travel agent, nor the local VFS office was particularly forthcoming with this vital bit of information. Indian passport holders have been able to avail of the e-visa option since the first quarter of 2013, with certain conditions. Whilst there is the usual validity of passport that must be more than six months… the most important condition is that you…
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Vietnam introduces e-visa
I was in Vietnam in the last week of December, 2018. This was my second trip to the country, having visited, again exactly 11 years earlier, the last week of December, 2007. At that time, as a resident of Dubai, I had applied for my visa at the consulate. Once my Excel sheet itinerary had been scrutinised, and tickets checked, I was issued with a single-entry visa valid for one month. This time though, I opted for an e-visa. For those not in the know, this is something that Vietnam has just introduced for tourists from a list of 46 countries. If you are among the lucky ones, then opt…
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Cambodia e-visa or visa on arrival
In the second week of January, 2019, I made my way to Siem Reap, Cambodia, on the last leg of my Indo-China trip. We were three of us and upon landing from Saigon, at Immigration we headed in different directions. I had opted to avail of a visa on arrival. There were a couple of reasons why I had opted for this, which I shall write about shortly. My two friends who had previously each applied for e-visas went straight to an immigration counter, got stamped and waited for me. e-visa For the e-visa, the process is simple. You need to log on to their registered website and create an…
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The train from Oslo to Stockholm
In Oslo, we had time on hand and no clue on where we wanted to head to, or when. Which is how, walking around one evening, we found ourselves, quite by chance, in front of Oslo Central Railway Station. After a bit of discussion, we figured Stockholm was the prime next destination, and bought our rail tickets for the next day. I know there are various modes of transport between these two cities. A direct flight takes about an hour, but that isn’t as much fun. Besides, getting ready and heading to the airport a couple of hours before the actual flight can be a drag, especially when you know…
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Laos visa on arrival
Applying for a visa on arrival at any Lao port of entry has has got to be one of the easiest and smoothest process I’ve gone through. Views of the Mekong river from up in the sky I landed at Luang Prabang on my month-long tour of Indo-China. Immediately after you enter the airport terminal from the tarmac, there’s a special booth straight in front of the entrance that you must head to. You’ll figure out which one it as there’s a queue of people standing in line, waiting their turn. Luang Prabang Airport As easy as it gets Fill in the application form along with the immigration card and…
