IRCTC tour review – My first experience with the IRCTC tours

I love traveling. I love being out. But sometimes, planning overwhelms me. I tried unplanned traveling but somehow, it didn't work for me. I prefer planned seamless holidays so that I can experience the place undisturbed and unbothered about what to do next and think about. logistics. To add to my difficulties, one tried and …

Poovar, a paradise in Kerala!!

I travelled solo to Kerala in December 2020. With Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) as a base, I travelled to several places in Kerala. I first heard about Poovar from an ex-colleague. He had only words of praise and amazement to describe this place. With such a genuine amazed tone, I needed no other information and decided to …

Pondicherry travel during COVID

Pondicherry is especially beautiful during rains. Because of Cyclone Buravi, Pondicherry looked very green and colorful. Due to the COVID situation, Paradise beach and Auroville were closed. With nowhere else to go, I roamed around Pondicherry peacefully. Promenade and Rock beach Promenade is the most famous landmark in Pondicherry for a reason. A mere walk …

Taj Falaknuma – A superlative experience

It was mom's birthday and I wanted to make it special. From the time I landed my first job 11 years ago, I had always wanted to visit Taj Falaknuma Palace. But then, my monthly salary was less than the room tariff. So I had to postpone my plan. Now, things are better. Due to …

Villa Shanti, Pondicherry

Villa Shanti in the White Town area of Pondicherry has been on my travel list since long. But it happened only in December 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Right from reservation, everything went smoothly. Adelie promptly responded to my calls and mails, and helped me make reservations and book taxi smoothly. I traveled solo and …

An unexpected trip to Pondicherry

The urge to travel It has been months of being at home and doing nothing but working on laptop, cooking, and eating. Initially, I used the COVID situation to learn cooking and I did in fact, cook some really delicious dishes. But slowly, I lost interest in cooking. I live with my mother so I …

Spiti in pictures – A photo essay

Mudh village and Pin river - Pin valley, near Kaza Side view of the Dhankar village En route Kaza Nako village Key monastery Giu monastery Nako lake Nako monastery Tabo monastery En route Mudh village. View of Pin river - Pin valley, near Kaza En route Mudh village. View of Pin river - Pin valley, …

I contracted Dengue

I stay in a good locality and work in a hygienic office and yet, contracted the deadly Dengue virus. It was Thursday last week and in office, I was feeling cold. While having dinner at home, I realised I got fever. By bedtime, slight fever turned to high fever with chills. That's when it dawned …

Intricate designs of Paigah tombs, Hyderabad

Paigah tombs belong to the members of the Paigah family, loyalists of the Nizams. It is said that members of this family served as ministers, generals and states people under Nizams. Paigah tombs is now a relatively unknown architectural marvel in Hyderabad. I am not a history buff like my mother. In 2010, when my …

Spiti travel guide

Where is Spiti Spiti is a region in Himachal Pradesh and is part of the Lahaul and Spiti district. Lahaul and Spiti are different regions. Kunzum Pass is the entrance to Spiti from Lahaul. Spiti is a cold desert with very little rainfall. Keylong is in the Lahaul region and is the headquarters of the …