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Chasing the sunset
A train in the middle of the desert, proof that Lawrence of Arabia was not the myth you thought he was and seeing one of mother nature’s most spectacular light shows. It’s all part of the experience when visiting Jordan’s Wadi Rum. A view of Wadi Rum (Photo credit: Neel Mitra) You might think, exploring a desert is something only adventurers or people soft in the head do. Well, you can confidently erase that thought if you are in Jordan and choose to explore the Valley of the Moon, or what is more popularly known as Wadi Rum. Valley of the moon or planet Mars (Photo credit: Neel Mitra) Wadi…
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The 12:40pm train from Colombo to Kandy
One of the highlights of travelling through Sri Lanka is journeying from one destination to another by train. The Colombo to Kandy train didn’t disappoint at all. Colombo Fort railway station Sure, there have been plenty of train travels, mostly in India and also around the world, including on one of the most famous train journeys that I am sure is on everyone’s bucket list if they haven’t done it already – the Reunification Express. However, nothing prepared me for my train journey from Colombo Fort station to Kandy station, or through Sri Lanka. A crowd lining up for tickets outside the station (Photo credit: Neel Mitra) What you pay…
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The attempt on Pidurangala Rock
I travelled to Sri Lanka for the second time over the New Year holidays. This time instead of the coast, I opted to explore the wonders of the interior – Kandy, Ella, Dambulla and on to Sigiriya. The initial stairs leading up to the top of the rock (Photo credit: Neel Mitra) Like everyone else, I initially Googled best things to see in Kandy, Sri Lanka and ‘Sigiriya Rock’ came up on every list. Hardly surprising, as Sigiriya Rock or ‘Lion Rock’ is one of the island’s most revered and popular destinations. It may seem to be a large rock formation at first, but it is much more. The rock…
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In praise of train travel
What’s it about long-distance train journeys that brings out the little child in me. A sense of happiness each time I take my seat, listening to the train as it whistles past towns and the countryside. Hurtling through tunnels or racing with the setting sun. There is something that is magical and wonderful about train travel, letting me be the little kid that I always will be. Whizzing through a tunnel between Mostar and Sarajevo Hours spent watching from a window or door of a moving train, as scene after scene unfold. Striking up conversations with complete strangers as they get in at different stations, heading to places near and…
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The sand dunes of Hunder
When you visualise deserts, chances are the first visuals that come to mind is the vast emptiness of the Sahara, with its extremely hot temperatures, or closer here in India, the famed Thar desert. Until I ended up in Hunder, in the Nubra valley. An oasis in the midst of the sand dunes I’ve seen plenty of photographs and friends recount their experiences travelling through an area marked by a stunning lake, beautiful monastaries and mountains that simply take your breath away. Sand dunes with the mountains as backdrop However, nothing prepared me for what I experienced in Hunder, about 150 odd kilometers from the capital Leh. Nestled within the…
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A splash of colour with your prayers
It’s Colombo’s oldest Hindu temple, having stood on these very grounds for more than two centuries. It’s also one of the most beautiful and colourful temples you will see. This is Sri Kailasanathar Swamy Devasthanam. Entrance to the temple (Photo credit: Neel Mitra) The first time I remember seeing colourful temples was when I was travelling through the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as a kid. The, many years later, on visits to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, I did see the local temples there, making for a beautiful mental picture with their bright colours against the blue sky. Until I landed in Colombo. A statue of Ganesh adorns part…
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Reflections
Perhaps people watching is a glorified lack of activity. Boredom too. And an absolute invasion of privacy. But… I’d like to think that each time I travel, I’m looking at things and people while going from place to place. Nothing wrong with those who look. But the simple joys of sitting in a cafe, sipping on your favorite chilled beverage in the afternoon, and watching the world go by. It’s a different state of being and am not sure if that chilled beverage has anything to do with it. Reflections on a sunny, relaxed afternoon, somewhere in Riga. One sunny afternoon in Riga Latvia, having had enough of walking on…
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Make haste slowly
It measures 38m long, has an unusual loop that runs right in the middle and best of all, is designed by three students. Go take a walk on the Festine Lente in Sarajevo. View of Festine Lente bridge I was looking for the Latin Bridge. The same bridge that brought Sarajevo into the limelight and had the whole world at war with itself in 1914. Not like it is hard to find. On a good day, expect to see curious tourists milling around the bridge and the building wall close by. Surprisingly, it was this other pedestrian bridge that caught my fancy. The Festine Lente, or looping bridge. It translates…
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Plaza dancing
A walk through the streets of Shanghai can throw up a lot of surprises, especially in the suburbs, away from the main tourist areas. Like an open-air dance session in full flow in a public sidewalk. Shoppers on the streets of Shanghai I frankly didn’t know they have a term for it – Guang Chang Wu. It’s also called plaza dancing or public square dancing and has been very popular among the middle-aged throughout China since the 1990s. Public square dancing The routine is simple. The neighbourhood gather around at a park or, in this case, a large public sidewalk, and dance through well-choreographed routines as music plays in the…
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From the sea to the sky
Often, the journey is a lot more interesting, and beautiful, than the destination itself. One such journey is the legendary Sea-to-Sky corridor. Views of Howe Sound on the Sea-to-Sky corridor Chances are, if you are driving from Vancouver to Whistler, then you will find yourself cruising on the Sea-to-Sky corridor, or British Columbia Highway 99 (BC 99). While the two points are roughly about 120km apart, it has some of the most awe-inspiring scenery I’ve seen so far. So, a drive that would ordinarily take an hour and a half at the most, takes that much longer. With landscape as beautiful as this, it is hard not to make a…
