A (Nostalgia-tinted) Guide to Shillong
Sep 16
That Fruitless Travel to Miao, Arunachal Pradesh
Have you ever worked on a project which resulted in nothing? Or walked a kilometre in the wrong direction for food? The previous week has been exactly like that for me—every ticket I buy stands cancelled. No, this is not going to be a post wallowing in self-pity. I haven’t been able to shudder this constant…
Read More
Sep 10
Aalia, Haridwar – Luxury by the Banks of River Ganga
Through the crowded, dusty roads of Haridwar, the jeep took me through Shyampur’s dimly lit village towards the yellow lights of Aalia. I had just finished the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib trek. Escaping the exhaustion, I allowed Aalia to flatter me with its luxurious comfort. And in the following days, I realised how addictive…
Read More
Sep 3
Photo Story: Walking in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
On an excruciatingly hot day, I decided to walk around Rishikesh. It was not my first visit to this mystique land but things have changed much since the 2013 floods. My eyes looked for the landmark statue of Lord Shiva, facing Parmarth Niketan and not having located it, I asked a passer-by, who told me it…
Read More
Aug 25
Mumbai, the City of Dreams?
At 2:35AM the cops in Colaba stop my cab. Gufran steps out and shows them his documents. After the interrogation, he returns to his driver’s seat with a frown and in a few minutes, he calmly vents out his frustration in the matter. I am impressed by him at many levels. Firstly, even though he…
Read More
Aug 13
People of the Garhwal Mountains, Uttarakhand
Journeys are made by the people we meet and the landscapes we see. People share the stories of the land as they have seen or heard about it and that makes the place more special to me. In my recent trek to the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund, I got the chance to meet some people…
Read More
Aug 3
Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Trek: Things to Know Before You Go
Before I started for my Valley of Flowers trek a couple of weeks ago, the only preparation I did was bought a new pair of waterproof hiking shoes. I have been trekking for a few years now and hence, I had basic expectations and a set of equipment well inline. For everything else, I kept myself…
Read More