Summer in New York and Connecticut

Manhattan skyline

Last summer I spent two weeks in the US, in the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. I was going to be working remotely while also visiting a place I had lived in before, New York. Inspite of work, I did get out a bit to catch up with old friends. And since I wasn’t touristing, I spent my time like a local. It was my first visit to the city after 13 years and I looked at it with new eyes. Somehow I liked the city this time. I felt that living there is nice, comfortable and convenient. I also experienced suburban life living in Connecticut, my first visit to the state. And I was impressed with it too. Sharing some of my thoughts from this time in the States.


 Getting there

The flight from London to New York was a day flight, and as there were no clouds, I got to see the earth from above. And I love that - it gives a new meaning to all we studied in geography, when we actually get to see all the interesting landscapes down below. Flying to New York, we flew over the island of Newfoundland and it had so many lakes, they were all visible from the air. Then we flew over a few other islands, all the way till New York. They all looked so picturesque from above. Especially a place called the Bay of Fundy where the sea appeared reddish! That was quite a sight. All the islands and beaches looked very inviting, shining in the sun. Surprisingly, I had never seen them before or been there even.


Trip down memory lane: New York and New Jersey

My flight landed at JFK and I was staying with friends in New Jersey. And I realised I had forgotten the geography of New York 😂, also that there is no good public transport connecting the airport to Jersey City. So I had to sit through a long 2 hour taxi ride in the traffic to get to where I wanted.

The drive did feel nostalgic though, there were moments and sights that felt the same as before. Like a mini Eiffel tower on top of a building, some billboards, the bridge, pastel houses on the hills - all triggered a memory of the time I had been there before. Crossing Chinatown with its energy, approaching the highrises of Newport, it was just like driving through the past. So at least the long drive gave me that 😂.

Working with a view

Over the next week, I worked during the weekdays, catching up with friends in NY in the weekday evenings and getting out of town on the weekends. I was staying along the Jersey waterfront, in Newport. During the days I worked from our apartment, with a view of the New York skyline. That was quite a good backdrop to the work. The weather, though supposed to be hot as it was summer, had surprisingly turned cold and rainy, but I survived.

Along the waterfront

In the evenings, I would go for a walk or run along the waterfront, till Exchange Place or Hoboken. The entire path is quite active especially in the evenings. The weather was a bit rainy and windy while there, still the views made up for it. The New York skyline across the river was just as stunning and mesmerising as it had been when I had lived there before. The views are incomparable. Whether at night or during the day. It’s an experience I don’t think I can tire of easily. And just like 15 years ago, I photographed it incessantly once again 😂. 

Newport

Newport is full of highrises and malls, the new part of town. And so many of our Indian friends either live there or lived there 20 years ago. Downtown Jersey City was completely different though. Just walking 20 mins from Newport to Jersey City took one to a world 50 years earlier. It had older and less high buildings, with more character and a European feel to it. More natural greenery, more space. And it felt so much more relaxed. I loved (re)visiting it. 

WTC pool

I made a few trips to the City too. I saw all its different areas in a different light, and it felt so grand and lively. In downtown, I was quite impressed with the new WTC station and memorial pool built there (they hadn’t been finished when I lived in NY). The WTC is also finished now and visible all the way from midtown Macy's, along Broadway. That was quite impressive to see. Also there were many old grand colonial buildings, churches and parks across downtown which had a charming beauty to it. Overall though, it still felt too claustrophobic to me, with all the high rises and the scaffolding everywhere - they somehow took away from its charm.

Peter Cooper Village

Midtown felt a lot more open and inviting, like the place I would like to live. I walked around the East Village to the places I had lived in and enjoyed. The old houses on tree lined streets, with quiet all around. It was so peaceful, so serene, so charming, not like the NY we hear about. The area around Union Square felt like a pleasure to walk around. I was also amazed by all the large murals and art on the buildings here, it definitely felt new (or I hadn't noticed it before).

I walked all the way to Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village. And fell in love with it again. With all the greenery and fountains and landscaping and activities between the apartments. An oasis of green and quiet life in the craziness that is New York. I loved going there, again. And then the nearby waterfront was gorgeous.

New York

Uptown felt great too. One of the evenings I met a few friends in Central Park and enjoyed the summer vibes there. People all around just picnicking in the good weather, just that. Walking around in uptown was also fun. The roads were so wide and open. All the restaurants there were buzzing. It felt nice to be there.

And I shopped - New York is a haven for shopping. It was as much a pleasure as it was convenient to shop now as then. I visited all my old favourites, Macy’s, Loft and Century 21.

I made two outstation trips too. One of the summer days (the hottest during my stay actually), we drove to Jersey Shore. We first stopped at Saravana Bhavan in Edison, and had a filling meal. Then we drove to Ocean’s Grove. The drive was about 2 hours and through green countryside. And when we reached Ocean’s Grove, we could see it buzzing. The beachfront was lined with pastel coloured wooden houses, holiday homes of the ones who love the sun. They looked cute. The trip however wasn’t!

Oceans Grove

We spent an hour trying to find parking, and couldn't! We even drove to the neighbouring Asbury Park Beach. And it was the same story. So we just stopped the car for a while, got out, checked out the beach, (told ourselves it’s nothing great 😂), drove to a nearby Starbucks, had coffee and came back. Jersey Shore seemed like such a popular place, though I don’t know why. Also my friends learnt later that to get a parking at Jersey Shore, one had to reach there early morning or around sunset. Well, for next time.

My other outstation trip was to Woodbury Commons, an outlet mall a few hours away from town. We took public transport for this trip, taking a shuttle bus from Penn Station to get there. It was a bit tough to find the right bus, but we did. The drive was comfortable and through the lush green countryside. The mall was also in a green wooded area and it felt nice to be out of town, though the shopping was not that successful.


Living the good life in Connecticut

The same day as the outlet mall shopping, I took a train to a small town in Connecticut (I realised now that the US does have some public transport, you just need to be on it). The Connecticut coast is where the rich of New York move to when they have earned enough. They live a luxurious life in huge suburban houses in the middle of nature. These towns are spread out, with access to watersports, hiking etc., a convenient high street and a small community where everyone knows each other. There are trains from Grand Central to these commuter towns along the coast. And the rich New Yorkers live the good life here, commuting conveniently to NY for work when needed.

For the next week, I stayed in a place called Fairfield, near Southport, along the Connecticut coast. And what a different life it was. A huge house in the woods, with its own sauna and pool. And deer came to visit us every day. I got quite lazy there, just enjoying being outdoors in nature. During the day, I worked outside by the pool, in the sun. And in the evenings, I walked or ran around in the neighbourhood. The area around was lined with grand colonial houses with huge gardens around. It was also a bit hilly, so it was strenuous to walk and run there.

Fairfield

One evening we drove to a restaurant in a nearby town, the Hudson Malone and I was impressed with the decor and vibe there. The restaurant and the area around had an interesting history of slave traders and lack of industries because of that. Also it hit me that to go to good restaurants, we had to drive far. Also that everyone around knew all restaurants in the 50 mile radius, there were just so few of them.

Fairfield Boathouse

Another evening I decided to walk into town, the city centre. So I set off from our house and just followed Google Maps all the way till the harbour. I walked through residential areas with grand houses. Past the town centre with a few restaurants. Past a small river meeting the sea, ending at a boat house with people enjoying fishing and kayaking around. The sunset at the end of the walk was stunning, and the houses there felt so idyllic. The stunningness of this life cannot be described. Though the lack of a proper pedestrian sidewalk was a bit risky. Thankfully my friend picked me up from there, so I did not have to risk my life again walking along fast moving traffic without a sidewalk, trying to come back home.

Outdoor concert

One of the weekend days, we drove around town seeing the different areas in town, how the houses were different in the different parts, from the grand to the lavish to the magnificent. We visited some local farms to pick up natural produce (which was quite expensive), drove by the local churches and schools and so on. Then we went to the town centre and I shopped (again), at Loft. The high streets here were self sufficient, to avoid people having to drive into the City for their needs, and the stuff available there was classy (given the demand). While at the high street, we ran into an outdoor summer concert in a local park. They were playing songs from the 90s, and the average age was 60 😊. It felt like the entire town was there (And we were the only 4 non-whites in the entire crowd!). I loved the concert, being in the pleasant summer air, enjoying music from a time we remember.

One another weekend day we drove to the Housatonic Rail Trail, a hiking trail built on the remnants of a train line. The walk was so refreshing, covered by trees on both sides. And there were many people walking and biking here. We walked all the way under the trees, till the lake. I loved it, country life can be so good and convenient. There was a leisurely feeling I got when there, it was just so relaxing. And lazying. We had to visit the beach that day too but somehow ran out of time 😂.

Fairfield

Overall, living in Connecticut felt like living the leisure life, ‘grand houses, nature, outdoors, drives, farm food’, and so on. It felt good, luxurious, peaceful - the big life. But how is it for the long term sustainability of the world? And for mental health, of being connected and living with people? I don't think anyone felt the lack of it, so my guess is it doesn't matter much. But I did end up with questions on the ‘Big American Dream’. Anyways I loved it, so I was happy.

New York skyline

The journey back from there was quite convenient too. It was easier to take the train to JFK directly from Connecticut than from Jersey City (which is closer). A commuter train to Grand Central Station, and then with 2 connections (the LIRR and the AirTrain), I was soon in JFK. The commuter train passed through stunning countryside places, with cities, rivers, forests and so on all along. And soon it was time to fly out.

Leaving the US, I felt it can give people a good life. And it felt good to experience it.

Exploring Jurassic Coast in Dorset

In the 2025 Easter break, we finally (after decades of living in the UK) went holidaying to Dorset, a place we had heard of many times but never visited as it was just next door to London. And to be honest, I wasn't expecting much. So I was happy to be surprised.

Lulworth Cove

Dorset is gorgeous. It's got beautiful seaside beaches and coves, charming villages and stunning countryside hikes. And the greenery in spring was delightful. All in all, a great place close to London to explore whenever the weather and time allows.


Reaching Corfe Castle

The first day was supposed to be quite rainy in Dorset, so we took it easy, left a bit late and spent most of our time on the drive from London, with some stops on the way. London felt so empty (and therefore gorgeous) when we were leaving, maybe because everyone had left early already. Overall the drive was very relaxed, mostly through small towns and villages, driving past local pubs with quaint names on the way. Ah, so English!

We first stopped at Winchester, a cute little English town. We walked around the high street which had many local shops, selling some very good stuff. Looking at these shops, the town felt quite posh. We even found a Korean shop to buy some stuff from. The street was quite active and full of people. We had lunch at the Ivy Brasserie in the high street and it was fun to observe all the passersby. The food was tasty too.

Winchester Cathedral

Then we visited the famous Winchester Cathedral, it was magnificent from the outside (even in the rain). Inside, the roof was stunningly painted and felt higher than other churches. We also attended the Good Friday service at the cathedral, and it felt quite spiritual to be there on such a holy day. The whole town felt so leisurely, we would have loved to explore it more except it started pouring and we left soon after.


The drive after was mostly through small country roads, lined with wild yellow flowers all along. We reached our village, Corfe Castle late evening and were impressed by our first view of Corfe Castle, an old castle now in ruins but still standing tall, perched on top of the hill overlooking the village. The first view was so impressive, as we turned a corner, and saw the ruins on top, with all the bright green and stone houses below.

View from airbnb

We were living in an airbnb in the village with a direct view of the castle. It was such bad weather that day that after reaching, we didn't get out at all, just lazed inside. Admiring the views of the castle from the cosy indoors, while it was pouring outside.

In the evening we did somehow venture out for dinner. There were five pubs in this small village and we assumed they would have space. We walked to three of them but they were all fully booked or not serving dinner!! Finally we ate at the Fox Inn, a small historic pub, 500 years old. It was made of stone even on the inside, and had a nice cosy charm to it. The food was English, so we didn't have much to say about it 😂. The village also looked so cute, with all its old stone buildings lining the roads, it was quite picturesque.


Along the Jurassic Coast

The next morning started out rainy but then the sun came out and everything became gorgeous though still windy and cool. We woke up to a stunning view of the castle with the sunlight lighting it up in the morning.

The next day we spent exploring (a small part of the) Jurassic Coast. The Jurassic Coast is the name given to about 150 km of the Dorset seacoast with its many picturesque coves and villages. We first drove to Durdle Door which is generally used as a symbol for the Jurassic Coast. The drive till there was lovely. With rolling green hills and yellow gorse flowers covering all those hills. (These yellow flowers were present everywhere, and in full bloom. Shrubs after shrubs covering all the landscape, in its bright yellow, it's difficult to miss it). We also drove past some military firing ranges. It was lovely to be in the sun driving through such a stunning landscape.

Beach from top

The Durdle Door parking was full of people! We also saw many groups of Indian tourists there, it seems to be a very popular place back home (I checked later, many Bollywood songs have been shot at this location already). We walked down the hill towards the Door and came across two beaches on both sides of the hilltop. The view from the top was magnificent.

Durdle Door

We then chose one and walked down to the pebble beach to get a view of the Durdle Door up close. And it was impressive. The beach was a pebble beach, but the water was amazing, it had a stunning turquoise green colour. It was cold but not that much, it would have been possible to swim if we had come prepared.

Hike to Lulworth Cove

After Durdle Door, we hiked back up and then walked along the coast towards Lulworth Cove - the next place to visit along the Jurassic Coast. It was a short hike but offered such magnificent views of the green valleys along the sea coast. With small houses on the hills, bright green grass, wildflowers and wild birds. And some white chalk cliffs along the sea. It was a bit windy, but completely sunny, which made the walk enjoyable.

At the restaurant

Lulworth Cove was crowded and full of cars filling the whole parking area, all along the valley and even up one hillside. There were many restaurants and shops there. And a lot more activity too. We also saw a Telugu tv star there with his girlfriend! We decided to have our lunch there, at this pretty little restaurant called Lulworth Lodge. They serve seafood and had an out door space in the sun, overlooking the cove. It was so fun to sit there enjoying the warm sun and views of the cove.

Lulworth Cove

After lunch, we walked towards the cove. It was a stunning place, blue waters surrounded by golden sand, and full of people kayaking, fishing and doing other watersports. There were also some oyster farms there, because of which it didn't smell good. We walked up the hill there, to a viewpoint from where one could get a 360 degree view of the cove and beyond. The colours from the top were magical, blue-green water, fresh green grass, yellow sand and flowers, white houses, and the blue sky. It was quite a picturesque scene.

Weymouth waterfront

We then hiked back to the Durdle Door parking and drove onwards towards the seaside town of Weymouth, skipping all the other spots on the way as it was already late. In Weymouth, we walked on the beach, the waterfront, and then in the city centre. The waterfront and beach was quite empty, though there were some fairs happening on the beach.

Weymouth waterfront

The market was also quite cute, and full of restaurants. After trying a few place which were all booked, we finally found space at Aron Thai and had a very spicy meal after the rather bland food of the previous few days. Walking around the town centre was fun too, it was so simple and active. The drive back to our village was quite boring though, as it was dark outside and we could not see much.


Hike to Swanage

Purbeck hike

The next day we hiked all the way from Corfe Castle to the coastal town of Swanage. It was the day with the most spectacular views though I have the fewest words to describe the day. It just had to be experienced to be understood.


We started our day exploring our village - it was brimming with people that morning. We walked into the local church and chatted with some locals. We saw the castle from different angles. Then we started our hike going up the Purbeck Ridge and walking all the way along the hills till we reached the coast. It was a 12 km hike and we took around 4 hours to walk across.

Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle

Purbeck hike

The views of the valleys were magnificent, of farms and villages and wildflowers everywhere. And we could also see the towns of Poole and Swanage from the top. It was such a refreshing walk, just walking in the sun among all the greenery. We did get a bit lost and for the last part of the hike, we ended up walking on the main roads rather than the trail.

Swanage

When we reached Swanage, the first view in town was of the beach. Which was quite empty. It had got windy by then, so we didn't stop there for long. Swanage felt like a typical coastal British village, with a beach and waterfront, and lots of restaurants on the beach. We walked through the high street but somehow, it felt quite a dull place that day. So dull and gray. As it had got windy and cold by then, we decided not to spend too much time there. So we had a quick lunch at the Corner Mediterranean restaurant and left soon.

In the bus back

We came back to Corfe via buses which run all across the coast during tourist season (we took the No.40 bus). The drive back was quite mesmerising, through some picturesque stone-built villages on the hills around. Back in Corfe, that evening we finally were able to find a dinner reservation at a local pub called The Castle Inn. So we had a cosy dinner there chatting with some other tourists who were in town for a week, wishing we had also come for longer.


London via New Forest

And very soon it was time to leave. We took a longer route to come back, stopping at a few places on the way. We first took a ferry to cross over to Sandbanks and drove that way. We stopped at Poole town and walked along the waterfront. It was quite pleasant to be there.

We also realised later that this is the town which has Millionaires Row, a street with some of the most expensive houses in the UK! Somehow many rich people have all congregated in this small town on the south coast of England. And for sure, the whole area had somehow felt so posh. We could see some of these lavish houses even while driving around in town. I was quite surprised by how we had never heard of this place before.

After that, we drove through New Forest, a large woodland area not far from London. It had started raining by then though, so we couldn't explore it much. We had lunch at New Forest Inn, a local restaurant with an outdoor space within the forest. We sat outside for lunch and loved being surrounded by nature.

While driving back from there, we stopped for a short walk at one spot. There were so many wild horses in that area. We walked into the woods, just for a while. The whole area was full of the gorse flowers, and high trees. The yellow flowers were everywhere on this trip - apparently they are an invasive species which have spread in vast areas.

After this short stop, we continued on our drive, reaching London by 7 pm, with a plan to visit Dorset again, given it's so close to London!

Dubai, the city of lights

Hatta Lake

In October this year, I spent a few days in Dubai, a layover while returning from London. I was working remotely, so I did not have a lot of time to explore the city, but I did get out in the evenings and the weekend, and what I saw, I liked!

On weekdays after work, I explored some nearby local places, and on the weekend I ventured out to explore the countryside. I enjoyed all the experiences, especially how convenient everything was.


Dubai shopping

It’s tough to be in Dubai and not shop 😂. Two of the weekday evenings, after it had cooled down a bit, we visited outdoor places nearby, which had a cultural aspect to it, but of course they included shopping too. One evening, we explored the Al Fahidi and Al Seef areas around Dubai Creek. It is a long stretch of old historic huts along the creek, some made of stone and some of wood, preserved in their original form. Now it has been converted into a waterfront walkway, a tourist hangout place, with the huts turned into handicraft shops, restaurants and museums.

Dubai Creek

We walked all along the water, enjoying the evening breeze, while also checking out the shops around. It was nice to be there, especially as everything was all lit up including on the other side of the creek. And regular boat taxis were plying along the Creek, transporting workers between different stops. The whole place had a very festive feel to it, though it was just a normal day.

We also saw the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise boat which has been converted into a stationary hotel, and the sheikh's yachts next to it, all along the waterfront. Dubai really is another name for luxury. After that, we walked through Meena Bazaar and all the Indian shops in that neighbourhood. I was amazed by how crowded and active that place was, even at night. And with the number of shops selling jewellery, clothes and so on!

Another evening, we visited Global Village, which is a huge entertainment and cultural park in the open desert, about an hour's drive away. We drove by so many new developments and then the open desert. And then Global Village suddenly appeared, all lighted up in the middle of the endless desert.

Lake and Dragon boat

It is a massive outdoor park with pavilions from around 30 countries across the world, designed as a place to spend a full day exploring. The pavilions showcase the country’s culture, as well as sell products from there. Plus there are foods from different countries, shows going on on the central stage, and loads of restaurants. And in the centre, there is a lake with a dragon boat in between. People can boat there too. And all around are grand pavilions, all lit up. I think this is when I decided to give Dubai the epithet of ‘City of Lights’.

The pavilions

There is just so much to see, it's not possible to explore the place in one go. So we shortlisted a few countries we wanted to see. Though I must say, some pavilions were definitely better to visit than the others. We first walked into Turkey and that was amazing - they were selling a lot of local handicrafts, pottery etc.. Then Thailand was selling a lot of textiles. Plus the mangoes from there were very tasty. I was excited to see Japan and the Americas, but they were definitely not representative of all that the country had to offer. In fact, they weren't even selling authentic products! The Americas were selling branded shoes 😂.

Afghan jewellery

One of my favourite pavilions was Afghanistan, they were selling so many products which aren't generally available in markets - jackets and caps made of fur, juices from local fruits, tribal jewellery and so on. I also liked the Iran one, it was quite well set up and quite grand. We initially didn't visit the Indian pavilion as we thought it was home only. But when we went in, it was impressive. It had a lot more space than the others, and was selling a lot of good stuff. We walked into a lot more countries like Egypt, Sri Lanka, China and Korea but we weren’t impressed by them either. In China, they were selling anything and everything, as everything nowadays is Made in China 😁.

Latin American dance

Each of the country pavilions also had small stages inside where dancers were showcasing local dance and music. I liked the Turkish and Latin American performances, while the Japanese one felt quite slow. We also saw one performance on the main stage called “All aboard”, where they showed a bus of students visiting different parts of the world, represented by their dances. When the bus stopped in India, the dance was Bollywood but the background showed a poor part of some town with just doors painted in different colours. I was not happy to see that, is that all they could find to represent India? What about the forts and temples and handicrafts and himalayas and nature and so on India has to offer?

Anyways, there was just so much to see, we spent about 4-5 hours there and even then it was not enough. By the end we were exhausted, though still wanted to check out the other stalls. Overall we enjoyed our time there, and could go back too. I would love to check out the dances in all the pavilions. One of the other days I also visited an outlet mall, and found some good deals. So I guess Dubai being a shopper’s paradise is definitely true.


New Dubai

The Palm

I also spent some time visiting friends staying in New Dubai, and that felt so different than Old Dubai. Wide roads, lots of greenery and loads of new developments everywhere. I spent some time on The Palm, which has definitely become more full. As when I had visited in 2016, it was still being developed. Now it's fully developed and occupied. Also apparently it had been decided initially, that there will be no skyscrapers on the Palm, but now they have changed their policy and built one, with another on the way.

I walked into a mall there and was blinded by all the shopping and lights. The central pathway lined with the palms was nice though. Then I walked around the waterfront with a friend who lives there, and realised that as a tourist, you cannot access most of the sea front here. I was very impressed with the living there, all the restaurants on the beach, the many malls, and water activities available nearby. It also felt so relaxed, and green. And I liked the lights there too, especially Atlantis the Palm. It all looks magnificent at night.

The same day I also visited a friend’s villa, and was impressed with the luxurious life one can have in Dubai. With independent houses, greenery all around and even a private pool with each house. And they also had a lake nearby. Also sitting outside in the evenings is a luxury not that easy to come by in Europe, that sounded appealing too. I was slowly warming up to Dubai.


Hatta Lake

On the weekend, we decided to get out of the city and explore the Dubai countryside 😀, to Hatta Lake. It is about 1.5-2 hour drive from Dubai. We left in the afternoon, so that by the time we reached, around 3 pm, the temperature would have started to cool down.

Entry to Hatta

We spent the whole afternoon there, and it was amazing. The drive to Hatta was mostly through the desert. It was mostly empty, though the initial part had a lot of greenery. There were also some villages on the way, which looked very different from the city we had left behind. We also crossed Sharjah during the drive. Then we drove through dry desert mountains, where everything was dry and rocky. But the roads and services all the way were great.

Hatta lake

Hatta Lake is an artificial lake created by Hatta Dam and is surrounded by rocky desert mountains all around. It wasn’t very crowded when we reached as the tourists hadn't reached yet - they all turn up in buses after 4 pm when the weather has cooled down a lot. We were surprised with all the tourist infrastructure there. There was a parking space with all amenities. And shuttle buses to get from the parking lot to the dam and lake. At the lake, there was a centre for water activities like boating, kayaking, etc..

Kayaking in Hatta

We parked on the dam itself and walked across to the viewpoint, getting some panoramic views of the lake around. The water was a beautiful green. And the sun made it even brighter. I kayaked around in the lake and was amazed by the scenery around. Brown rocky mountains all around, with some birds flying around. And the water so green. It was so peaceful. And so surreal, a lake in the desert.

Sunset at Hatta

After kayaking, we had a hearty meal of Indian snacks like bhelpuri and vada pav, right on the dam. They were welcome after the strenuous activity of the afternoon. We saw the sunset on the lake, and it was stunning. With all the yellows and oranges around. I really liked this location.

After the lake, we went to Hatta Heritage Village but it seems like that is still being developed. We did see some old ruins there - an old watchtower, old irrigation canals and a fort being renovated - but the shops were all closed and there wasn't much to do there. While driving back, we saw the Sharjah Mosque on the road, all lit up too, it looked quite grand.

On this drive is when I realised that the UAE is quite huge, in fact much larger than the Netherlands. Other than the cities, the rest is an endless desert. Dubai is such a surreal place, luxury in the middle of harsh desert conditions. I felt a lot of respect for the Sheikhs then, it isn’t easy to have such a vision for building a global city out of the desert lands they inherited. Hats off!


Everyday life

I also noticed a few small things during my stay which I found interesting. 

• Dubai airport was so bright even at midnight when I landed - it was blinding 
• I was staying in Old Dubai, in the Al Mankhool area. It was full of apartments but not skyscrapers. And so many of the houses were lighted up with Diwali lights. Plus they were still lighting fireworks for Diwali. That was quite a surprise. Old Dubai is full of Indians, a lot more than I had expected.
• It felt like Hindi was the second language of the city. So many people speak Hindi, even some of the Arabic people, especially the ones in shops and other services 
• Apparently traffic has grown a lot in Dubai over the last few years, and pollution is also rising which was not the case when I visited the last time. It was quite surprising as Dubai generally manages to keep living quite convenient and under control. 

Overall, I was impressed with Dubai and thought that it could be a nice place to live. Easy and convenient. And what it lacks in weather and nature, it tries to make up for in other ways.

Beaches of Sardinia

This year in summer, we spent a long weekend on the island of Sardinia in Italy. We hadn’t researched a lot before planning the trip, but just followed our general travel wisdom that it was a nice place. And so we just turned up.

Cagliari

And were we blown away - the island is the perfect getaway for having a great time. It has hidden beaches with the perfect sand, it has villages with cultural and historical significance, it has towns with great food - it has everything. We had a ball of a time there, and the only thought we all left with was a resolution that we would be back for longer!


Getting there

Our first day in Sardinia was spent mostly in travel. We were flying in to the town of Cagliari on the southern coast of the island. (Apparently it's a city, but to me it just felt like a small little town). We landed in the afternoon, when the weather was hot, really hot, as it was already July. We picked up our rental car from the airport, after a long inefficient wait and then were off to our airbnb, which took all of 10 mins! The joys of living in small towns.

Cagliari is an old historic place once the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia and a major medieval port. It has history, culture and beauty all around - which we slowly uncovered over the next few days.

As we were driving through the town, my first impression was a bit of ‘not impressed’. The town was lined with pastel coloured houses, but a lot of them felt like they needed a fresh coat of paint. Also most of the streets were completely empty. The host of our airbnb seemed a bit unorganised too, with a lot of things missing from the apartment. So as I said, we were not impressed.

Airbnb neighbourhood

Our airbnb was an apartment in the residential part of town. It had a terrace which was just perfect to sit outside, though the afternoons were too hot for that. But it was still nice to have that option. It was close to a fancy waterfront with many shops, a mall and some open-air restaurants, though the neighbourhood felt empty the whole time.

Cagliari city centre

After freshening up, we took a local bus to get to Cagliari city centre. And at least then we felt there was some activity in town. The city centre was all lighted up in the warm summer evening, with loads of restaurants all around, filled with people eating and drinking outside. We walked around a bit, checking out the restaurants, but most of them were either booked out or didn't have food we liked. So we finally went to Etamo for dinner, the food there was yum! Eating outside in the summer air felt so refreshing, we slowly got into the Italian holiday mood.

Cagliari at night

After dinner, we walked through the shopping street all the way to Constitution Square, and then walked up the Bastione Di St Remy monument, admiring its impressive arch and marble staircase. From the terrace, we got a birds eye view of the town and port around, it was twinkling all around. With the town lights surrounding it, and the sea and mountains visible by their faint outlines. We finally felt we had come to a good place. 

The place was quite deserted though, as the city centre was definitely small. We took an uber back to our airbnb and were shocked by how rash the driver was driving! We noticed that for the next few days too, people drove quite rashly and mostly above the speed limit. It’s something I have seen in all my drives in Italy, Italian driving is the same everywhere, even on a faraway island!


Beach days

We had got recommendations from my Italian friend, for the best beaches to visit near Cagliari. These were all lesser known places where the locals went, and therefore less crowded than the more touristy ones. So we spent the next two days visiting nearby Sardinian beaches, one day to the east of Cagliari and one day on the west side. The afternoons on the island were very hot. So we always got out a bit late, and then stayed out till much later in the night.

Coastal drive

On the first beach day we drove to Solanas beach, around 50 mins from our place. It was a relatively cloudy day and not too hot. The drive was stunning, along small mountains all along the Mediterranean. We passed by small villages on the sea. And many beaches and hidden coves - they were all so stunning. The deep blue of the Mediterranean was so inviting, so mesmerising, we stopped multiple times on the way to soak in the picturesque scenes all around.

Beach village

Getting to Solanas beach was a bit of a discovery. But once we got there, it was paradise. The beach had three beach bars on it, and we were to go to Vanity but ended up stopping at the first one itself - the Whitehouse. It had a place to eat and drink, and then sunbeds on the beach to relax on. The beach was white and sandy, and was surrounded by hills on both ends. It had a cute little village right next to it. And everywhere, there were rows and rows of oleander trees loaded with white, pink and red flowers. They added such a brightness to the beach, it was lovely. We also put some flowers in our hair for the beach vibe 😂. 

Solanas beach

We spent the whole afternoon on the beach, swimming most of the time, and sitting in the sun during the breaks. The sand was completely white, and so soft it did not stick at all - it made being on the beach less inconvenient than usual. The water was quite shallow for quite some distance. And the water was so warm and had a deep turquoise colour which shone every time the sun came out. We swam so much, it was just amazing to be there, so perfect. In between, we also ate food at the local restaurant. We could have spent a full day there, it was just so lovely - I loved this recommendation.

While driving back, we stopped at another beach suggested by the friend, Spiaggia di Cann’e Sisa, in the village of Torre delle Stelle. It was again a small hidden beach inside the village. We had to walk a bit to get there and passed by some huge holiday homes, all with private pools. And lots of oleander trees.

Cann'e Lisa beach at night

It was dark by then so we just stopped by the beach for a bit. It was empty by then but was lighted up by all the twinkling lights around. Then we had two rounds of dinner at the restaurants there, first seafood at the Anydycoc il moro and then typical Italian food at the Pizzeria da Palmira. Both places were fun to sit and eat. They were full of people on holidays, sitting outside and talking loudly. We got very late after the two dinners and drove back late via the highways this time. It was definitely faster though not as picturesque as the small roads we had driven by earlier. So I would definitely recommend the smaller roads to everyone.

The next day, we did not follow our friend’s beach suggestions on the west coast of the island and found something on Google Maps. So it was less perfect than the previous day. The drive today was also very different, a lot more built up. We first drove along a huge lake filled with flamingoes, and then a few towns and tourist centres, all of which looked richer and less rustic than yesterday. It also felt more crowded.

Is Molas beach club

We spent our day at the Is Molas beach club which though fancier and more expensive was not as much fun. The beach water wasn't as clear as the previous day, though we still enjoyed being in the water and sitting outside in the sun. It was also hotter today. We ate lunch at the restaurant there, the food was expensive, good looking but not very tasty. The service also left a lot to be desired. I guess, sometimes expensive doesn't mean better, just more exclusive.

Poetto at night

In the evening, we had planned a saree dinner on the beach, so we drove to Poetto beach, the local Cagliari town beach. It was a long stretch of yellow sand, fully lined with bars and restaurants. In the evening, it was full of people, loud and active, with beach parties happening all along the waterfront. This was definitely the place where all the action happened, not the city centre. (The photo doesn't show that as we didn't take any photos of the parties somehow 😂).

And so, all the restaurants turned out to be fully booked 😂, something we hadn't expected. We kept walking till we found one which had availability. We went to Jinny beach and had a lovely dinner sitting on the beach, under the full moon, in a saree. The location was perfect, with palm trees all around, a sea breeze blowing, and great food. It was a leisurely evening, and yet again we all decided, that we have to come back to Sardinia and explore it more the next time.

After dinner, we went for a midnight drive around the island, just putting some random destinations and then whizzing across bridges and next to the sea for some time. The island looked so quiet, so serene and so alive. Its after such a long time I have done a midnight drive like this, it was exhilarating.


Towns

The last day we had half a day before our flight, so explored a village nearby and then spent time in Cagliari town finally. We first drove inland towards the village of San Sperate, and the landscape was very different than the beach roads we had been on till now. There were peach and olive trees all around. And the road was lined again with bright oleander trees, which added colour to the brown grass around.

Street art

San Sperate is a small village known as an open air museum. There is a lot of art painted on the walls across the village. There are even tours in the village to showcase that. When we reached, we weren't sure what to expect. The houses were as usual pastel coloured, and the village was empty. It was also so hot, we were again not impressed.

Street art

So we just started walking around a bit, looking for restaurants and on the way we came across so many gorgeous murals, everywhere on the streets. Every fifth wall was painted! Bright paintings, on different themes - social, political, historical, abstract or just every day themes. Some were artistic. Some realistic. And some just like that. They were interesting to see. But it was very hot and we were exhausted very soon. So we walked into one shop which was open, and ate ice cream there. It looked like the local pub where the locals were hanging around when it was too hot to be outside. And they kept looking at us like aliens 😆, we were definitely not locals.

We decided to ditch the whole tour as it was too hot to explore, but while driving back, we saw so many other stunning art on the streets, it felt like we at least got to see some of what the place is famous for. I do wish we had more time to walk and explore the street art.

Cagliari streets

Then we drove back to Cagliari. My friends went shopping and I went for a walk around town. And I loved it! I think I took more photos that day than the entire last three days 😀. I found a historical walk online and followed it. I walked past old historic churches and brightly painted residential areas. Through narrow alleys with a history to tell. Past art shops which called you in to check out local art. Past the local university, and terraces from where we could get a panoramic view around.

Cagliari panorama

Inside the cathedral

I saw a gate from 700 AD. I saw someone selling wine on a stall for €1! I ate ice cream at a local gelataria. There were tourist toy trains passing by the narrow streets. The Cagliari cathedral was grand from the outside and had delicately painted frescoes on the inside. And my favourite was the view of Cagliari from the top of St Remys monument. I could fall in love with that view, the lake and inland waters on one side, the city sprawl on the other; the hills all around, and the Mediterranean blue on the other side, I loved it. Surprisingly, Cagliari had a lot of history, and was built with a lot of beauty and grace. It was one of the most enjoyable city walks I have done. Though as we were flying out that evening, we were short of time and I had to cut short my walk by then.

St Remys monument

Cagliari streets

Then I met my friends on the market street and was impressed with the stylish clothes sold in the shops - we were definitely in Italy! We had a quick takeaway pizzetta lunch and then hurried back to the airport. And just like that the holiday was over - too soon.

We had a long list of beaches we could have visited, in case you ever need it. On the east of Cagliari, the beaches of Spiaggia di Sant'Andrea, Spiaggia di Mari Pintau (a rocky beach with reports of thefts around the parking lot), Porto Sa Ruxi, Spiaggia di Piscadeddus, and then any beach in and around the town of Villasimius are all worth visiting. Past Villasimius, you can go to Cala Sinzias or Cala Marina in Castiadas. On the west of Cagliari, you can visit the towns of Pula and Chia, with Pula Beach and Chia Beach, and the islands of Sant’Antioco and San Pietro further beyond.


I loved Sardinia. There is culture, there is art, there is beauty, there is good food, there is nature, there are stunning beaches, Sardinia has everything. Overall, we loved this vacation. Though our stay felt too short, with so much more to explore and experience and we barely able to scratch the surface. We all decided we will be back longer on the island. It's the best compliment to a place you visit, isn’t it?