There are times when I don’t believe that I was alive when the Berlin wall fell, the Soviet Union collapsed, or Chernobyl was struck with disaster. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, but almost 30 years later – the traces of Soviet Union are still around. My interest in geography introduced me to Russia – … Continue reading Our experience with Soviet era hotels
Pho at Vietnam Embassy canteen – New Delhi
For the last two years, I am addicted to Pho. As I have written in the past, my first time with Pho was unspectacular. But 45 days in Indonesia is when I fell in love with Pho and so much so that we went to Vietnam soon after; to eat Pho. We are foodies and … Continue reading Pho at Vietnam Embassy canteen – New Delhi
Getting yelled by a Babushka – not the Russia I had imagined
We have this unique distinction of having umbrellas from a couple of countries. No, we don't collect umbrellas ! Its just that in our initial trips, we were not being equipped for the trip and ended up buying umbrellas or lending them from family there. It was 2013, we decided to visit one of our friend … Continue reading Getting yelled by a Babushka – not the Russia I had imagined
And I was left behind like a coolie
This anecdote dates back from 2017 when we visited Paris and surrounding areas. It is widely known that French are snobbish and this was in full display right from the time we landed in Paris. After going thru the usual drill of finding a neighborhood which has good access to public transport, we had zeroed in … Continue reading And I was left behind like a coolie
Je sais tout! Travel is about experiences
If there is one dish I m in love with - it's Pho. We regularly read about food and go and try them in a particular country but I fell in love with Pho when I was in Indonesia for 45 days for work and within a few months we were in Vietnam - eating … Continue reading Je sais tout! Travel is about experiences
PALM TREES, OCEAN BREEZE…
“Aatya (Aunt) aap kaha hoooo???” is the opening line thrown at me on the Sunday call with my niece. She is just 8 years old! I say “I am in Pune! why??” then she goes “then where were you before??” I am confused with this sudden cross examination because I can’t seem to remember the … Continue reading PALM TREES, OCEAN BREEZE…
Silk route diaries – O’zbekistan – Part 1
Why, Where, What, is there really a need to go there? The reaction we got was same from anyone whom we told we are going to Central Asia! Twenty-five years after the fall of Soviet Union, even Russia has warmed up to tourism but there remains an enigma about the “Stans” of central Asia. Our … Continue reading Silk route diaries – O’zbekistan – Part 1
Silk road diaries – O’zbekistan – Part 2
Read: Silk road diaries - O'zbekistan - Part 1 As the explanation on why to visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan fell on deaf ears, it was time to give another explanation. This was convincing enough. We are traveling to Kazakhstan in $1 and adding two more countries to our list of countries visited 🙂 The main … Continue reading Silk road diaries – O’zbekistan – Part 2
The Hospitable Steppe – Uzbekistan
Tashkent: Our second stop on the circuit was Tashkent. All I knew about the city, was that India’s Late PM L B Shastri passed away there while on an official visit under mysterious circumstances. Bukhara and Samarkand were vaguely familiar as ancient towns on the Silk Route. We landed in Tashkent in the afternoon and … Continue reading The Hospitable Steppe – Uzbekistan
The Hospitable Steppe – Kazakhstan
The fact that I am geographically challenged is well known within my family and friend circle as well as few of you who follow our blog. Even a year-long course in geo-politics and international relations has not helped me grasp how the world is shaped. I have even presented a research paper on Central Asia … Continue reading The Hospitable Steppe – Kazakhstan
