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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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Sailing on the Ganges
I last visited Varanasi in 1990, in my first year of college. It was the holidays, and I needed to get out of the city, and explore another place, another country. It was also the first time I was doing a solo trip. Close up of one the structures at Dashashwamedh Ghat While I am not a solo traveller, this was a journey I enjoyed from start to finish, if you will ignore the various mishaps that transpired along the way. Which is how I found myself in Varanasi. View of Ram Mahal Ghat The border guard at the Nepal-India border had taken some dollars that I was carrying, leaving…
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Discovering Brahehus Castle
A drive from Stockholm to Copenhagen take can anywhere between seven to eight hours, depending on traffic and how quickly you want to get from point A to point B. I like my pit stops. In fact, the more, the better. Once you are outside Stockholm city limits, find and get onto the E4 highway. This is an excellent motorway (though it can get monotonous) and stretches all the way to Helsingborg. From there, it’s not too far to the Öresund Bridge that connects Sweden with Denmark. Keep an eye on the road signs as you wouldn’t want to miss out on Gränna. In about four hours (for me it…
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Road tripping from Stockholm to Copenhagen
I love road trips, though I haven’t done too many. I’ve always got my ears and eyes open to an opportunity whenever I travel with friends. Be it between cities, states or even countries. Which is how, on our second day in Stockholm, we figured that driving to Copenhagen wasn’t such a bad idea after all. As we were staying close to Stockholm Central, a visit to the Hertz office close by made sense. The drive time between these two cities is somewhere between seven to eight hours, depending on traffic and how quickly you want to get from point A to point B. However, as I was going to…
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A quirky look at a self-proclaimed republic
When you are in Vilnius, why not visit an independent republic within the city limits itself. It is, surely, one of the only few republics with a sense of quirky humour. As one of the smallest republics in the world – Užupis measure less than 1 sq km, it has its own constitution, currency, a government and a president. It even has its own navy. Beat that. Literally translated as ‘beyond the river’ or the other side of the river’, its name is in reference to the Vilnia river. It’s been a popular district with those looking with an artistic bent of mind, and draws comparison with Freetown Christiania in…
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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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How not to plan a trip to Norway
Landing at Oslo airport has to be among the most surreal experience I’ve had in awhile. Not for anything except that it was the lousiest bit of planning I’ve done in ages. The problem was that we only decided to go there during a night of heavy drinking (which is generally when the grandest plans are made). All we had were our Schengen visas and our multiple entry visas into the UK. And so, that happy night in London, we decided, just like that, to head to Norway, with no further idea of what we planned to do there. We also figured that since we were going all the way…
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S-21
One would think Chao Ponhea Yat High School is just another regular school. On entering the gates, it looks like any high school, with five buildings that face the well-maintained lawns. Note: viewer discretion is advised as some of you may find the contents and images distressing. It is now called Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. However, between 1976 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge, who had overrun Phnom Penh had named it S-21, or Security Prison 21. They immediately set about converting it into a prison that would hold an estimated 20,000 inmates, including men, women, children and infants. The adults and children were photographed and then interrogated and tortured until…
