Back to Raj at the Taj
Dogs and Indians were infamously kept away from the clubs and restaurants frequented by Europeans during the colonial days under the British. While we do not know how the dogs took the ‘Dogs and Indians not allowed’ signboards – or how it kept them away, for that matter – it definitely struck a bitter […]
Think rich: The responsibility in luxury travel
All the things I could do If I had a little money… Goes the ABBA hit ‘Money, money, money.’ I, for one, would travel responsibly by taking only direct flights to cut down on my carbon footprint. And what I still emit, I would gladly offset. I would make my other jetsetter pals do the […]
In good company: Responsibly yours,
All I said was ‘Tashi Delek!’ Now my camera batteries were getting charged. I polished off one serving of special momos (momos with more meat and an extra helping of blazing-hot chutney), washed down with strong Tiger beer. I was fleece-fitted snugly in the midst of Sherpas and porters – the kind of crowd you […]
Saving the world, one trip at a time: Different responsible travels
Unless you are eyeing the strip passport world championship, you can afford to travel responsibly. Responsible travel is essentially slow travel, less invasive and more beneficial to the host community and environment. At the core of travel – and not just responsible travel – are new experiences, discovering new places, making new friends, facing new […]
Know your neighbour: Responsible tourism, need of the hour
The last time there was so much anticipation – and speculation – in the air was when Willy Wonka was giving away tickets to visit his chocolate factory. Today hundreds of thousands have applied for Mars One – the mission to colonise Mars with humans by 2023. The shortlisting is on and finally a handful […]
Rain, rain, Goa way
The sand is gooey in a grainy kind of way, sloshing and squishing under your sole. The forlorn fishing boats under conical thatches look heartrending like beached whales. The famous shacks – the micro capitals of bonhomie, debauchery for some – are shut or totally missing. A-butting folk grunt their protests – you are not […]
The pursuit of happiness
Shangri La is fiction. We know it yet we look for it everywhere. First described by English author James Hilton in his Lost Horizon, it has Tibetan roots – from Shambala, a mythical kingdom as per Buddhist beliefs. Several ancient adventurers from the East and the West, modern day explorers and television presenters have set out […]
Twitripping
Have fun at all coasts. Since I couldn’t come up with any suggestion or tip, I decided to tweet clever to a friend who recently completed a 1000-km coastal drive from Chennai to Rameswaram. He, also the travel editor with a leading web publication, was giving live updates on his site as well as on […]
Get on the train, buddy!
‘If not the road, then the rail’ rallied somebody against the cramped and sterilised all-whiteness of air travel. I couldn’t agree more not because it was me. The Trivandrum – Delhi Rajadhani Express 12431 I took last week passed by Udupi in border Karnataka and was rushing towards Madgaon in Goa. The land glistened from […]