The French Riviera : Nice & Cannes

Pure money, if you want to see that, the French Riviera is the place to be. The condos you drive around, the shops on the promenade, the cars, the party places, they all smell of money! Its been where the moneyed of Europe have been vacationing since ages, and so is to be expected, but still, its quite a sight!

We spent some time on the Cannes Beach. Its quite near Nice, which has an airport. The drive from Nice to Cannes is pretty, next to the sea, ups and downs, and luxurious apartments on both sides (One day, maybe...:) ).


Its cool to be there in summer, lots of cafes, lots of sun, sit there sipping drinks and taking in the view. The beach, I did not find very impressive, but the shops, definitely! Have seen the stores in London too, but Cannes was definitely something else. We walked around a bit in the market too. (interesting to see, not as much to buy from though...!) Cannes has the annual film festival, which of course we did not get to see. But if you get a chance to be there at that time, would be fun to see the celebrities from the world descending there.

Nice was also similar. The lanes and buildings are old, and well maintained. Other than that, the only thing to spend time in Nice is on the beach. Apparently, the not so rich stay in Nice, and the very rich go to St Tropez!

We partied a bit in Nice, in a club near the beach road. The parties continue till early morning (5 am). There are enough watersports to do here, we did para sailing and banana boat (its called something like that I think). The place does get a little too hot in the summer though. The old city can be visited, did not figure out what there is to see though! If you have enough time, do visit Monaco, its about 18 miles from Nice, and the road is supposed to be scenic, and the casinos fun too.

East meets the West : Istanbul

Mystic Asia meets modern Europe... Islamic culture meets a modern outlook.... That's what Istanbul is all about... very different from what you would expect from this city. Everyone and anyone who I know who has visited this city, has loved it, and so did I!

There is something about this city, which is different from any other place you may visit. Maybe its this aura of mysticism, the history which comes out everywhere from everything there.. (Something is there, which I couldn't figure out...). Istanbul is a bustling and lively city, with lots to explore, mosques, churches, shopping lanes, historic buildings etc. Its full of history too, you will find history from the BC years to today in the city. Somehow Istanbul has been at the centre of many major happenings in the world, be it Christianity, Islam, the World Wars, everything, and it has a lot to show for each period of history. This obelisk near the Blue Mosque is from the BC years (I think from Egypt).

The city is actually divided into two parts by the Bosphorus, one part is in Europe and one in Asia. The old part of the city, called Sultan Ahmet is where most of the tourist attractions are located. The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are one of the biggest attractions of the city. The Blue Mosque is majestic, very symmetric in its architecture, and artistically painted on the inside.

The gardens outside the mosque are very well maintained too, with tulips being the highlight. In fact, the Turkish claim that even though Netherlands has become famous for tulips, it was in Turkey that this beautiful flower originated. Hence the government has gone on an overdrive to promote this flower across the city. You can see them in various hues, and colours, pink, orange, purple and they are a delight to watch, spread across the city.

Hagia Sophia is a marvel. Its difficult to believe that its so old and still standing! (Built in the 500s AD). What was built as a church, was then converted to a mosque and is now a museum. You can see all the stages of the Hagia history (as well as Turkey's) in this building.

There are many many such similar historical spots to visit, the Topkaki palace,the Sultan Ahmet mosque, the Underground cistern etc.




All these are places you would enjoy if you enjoy history, otherwise after the first spot, the rest may all look the same to you.The view from the palace, overlooking the golden horn is enjoyable. Take a cruise on the Bosphorus, you see many of the castles, and other palaces, as well as the difference between the Asian and the European side during the cruise.

The history of Istanbul is interesting too. From Byzantium (the old Greek capital) to Constantinople, to the Ottoman capital and to Istanbul now, from the centre of Christianity, to the centre of the Muslim world, to a secular country in today's world. The father of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal 'Ataturk' declared the country secular, and so it has been since the time he became President. In fact, he even changed the script of the country, from the Arabic script to the Roman script (even though the language remained the same!). Its said that in one day, the entire population of Turkey became illiterate, thanks to his changing the script in which Turkish was written.

Even though Ataturk brought the country on the path to modernisation, the sense that I got from talking to people there was that they thought he had gone to the other extreme. Some people were not too happy about the secular status either, as religion gets quite a second grade treatment in the country.Also, that Turkey was bending on its knees, trying to get into the EU, and being what it wasn't just to get an entrance into the club. Maybe the people are not as keen today as they were before, about the EU membership.

The view of the city, at both sides of the Bosphorus is stunning, especially at night. There are many mosques across the city, all built on hills and quite similar. The panoramic views of the city are mesmerising... This is what it was many years ago...



The party area of the city is the Taksin area. A wide street, with a tram running in between, very lively, full of people, shopping and partying areas on both sides and awesome eating places. Good timepass!



Go to the 360 degrees restaurant for an aerial view of the city at night. Apparently the party scene in Istanbul is very lively, the street sure does look so! A famous club is the Laila club, next to the Bosphorus and Roxy. Try it if you land up in Istanbul sometime.

And the flower market at the start of the Takshin street is amazing, you get to see blue and green and purple roses there.






Food is good in Turkey, even if you are vegetarian, you can use some permutations and combinations, and get a vegetarian version of the cuisine. One drink to surely try, is the ayron. Its tasty, similar to lassi. Was quite a lifesaver! Another drink to try is the tea, in the cafes strewn around everywhere in the city, especially in the Turkish cups! The cups are a good buy too, they come in varying designs and are elaborately decorated.

You must go to the the Grand Bazaar, its in the Sultan Ahmet area itself. Its a completely covered bazaar, selling flea market stuff. The lights, the colours, the bargains! That's enough for any shopper or non-shopper to enjoy this place. Bargaining is rampant, and lots of handicrafts and local stuff sold here. A sure must-go.

Bargaining is rampant everywhere in the city actually, even the hotels too! Its a city where you need to be careful about your money. We were swindled by each and every taxi driver, either they swap your currency notes for lower denomination, or do not give back change or meters are doctored or the taxi meters are not restarted. Any and every trick that could have been used, was used on us. Also the taxi drivers are one of the rashest I have seen anywhere. You really need to hold on to your seat while they zig-zag along the roads!

Three days surely wasnt enough for this city, which has so much to offer! So much history and culture to assimilate, the more time you have in the city, the better it is. I for sure am going there again...

Bhutan : The last Shangrila

Bhutan, said to be the last Shangri-la, the last heaven on earth. Its a picturesque country, totally deserving of the title 'untouched beauty!' A place which till 10 years back did not have the television even! The advent of the television and internet sure has changed the place from what it was ten years back, but still it retains the old world charm somehow. Its a very serene and calm place (like most of the Himalayas is), is completely removed from the world, and is rich in history, culture and religion.....

The most popular places to visit in Bhutan are Paro and Thimpu, and a visit to the Punakha Dzong is a must do (Dzong means a monastery within a fort, and are a major part of the Bhutanese landscape). Eastern Bhutan is supposed to be even more fascinating and remote, but I wouldn't know of that, didn't get enough time for it:(. Its also not as easily accessible as the Western part i.e. Paro and Thimpu. All tourists (other than Indians and Bangladeshis) in Bhutan need to pay about $250 per day, just to be in the country. This payment covers basic accommodation, travel and food, but if you would like to stay at a better place, you would need to pay the difference. Hence, the quality and quantity of tourists to this country is controlled carefully by the government. Its much easier for Indians travel there, they just need to apply for a permit at immigration when they enter the country. Also, for most of the monasteries and regions on the country, you need to apply for a permit. So any traveller there should check about the permit for any place they are planning to visit.

Bhutan has one airport in Paro, and only Druk Air (the Bhutan national carrier) flies there. It is quite expensive too. So we actually entered Bhutan from India; took a flight from Delhi to Bagdogra (in West Bengal) and drove from there to Thimpu. The drive from Bagdogra to Thimpu is about 10-12 hours, so its a good idea to spread it across two days. We stopped at Phuentsoling for the first night. Its a border town of Bhutan, with a wall separating it from India. On the Indian side of the wall is the town of Jaigaon, which is actually a trading town. This is the first point of the travel where you see the difference between the two countries, and a sample of what to expect. The two cities are just divided by a wall, and a giant gate welcoming you to Bhutan.

Phuentsoling is clean, and the buildings are different, the people are Bhutanese, and the common dress is the Go and Kira. On the Indian side, is the same, unhygienic conditions. Also for Indians driving to Bhutan, this is where you have to apply for the permit to visit Bhutan. The drive from Phuentsoling to Thimpu is quite long, and the road at many places is under construction. A good stop on the way for food is a canteen at Takki run by Dantak, amazzzzzzzzzzing chole bhature and dosa there, a must must do!!

Thimpu is the capital of the country, a small city, with a river flowing through it, the seat of the king and the government. The architecture is the same throughout the city, and each building looks the same, with the same wooden blocks, and colourful paintings throughout! Its quite a busy and bustling city, as per Bhutan standards!! Wide roads, top class vehicles, laidback life.. maybe that's what is meant by, ' the good life'!

The Thimpu Dzong which is the seat of the government can be visited, with a permit which can be obtained from Thimpu itself.There are a couple of treks nearby:the TV tower, and the Cheri monastery are the ones we did.

The trek at TV tower is quite steep, with a view of the city below. Its about 2 hours of trekking.







There is a takin reserve very near the TV tower trek. Takin is the national animal of Bhutan, and you should see it. Its a mix between cow and goat, quite a funny looking creature.


The Cheri monastery is another trek near Thimpu. Its one of the many monasteries spread out all over the country, at places slightly away from the city. The monasteries are all similar, with a temple inside, and llamas living within the monastery. The monks pray and work at the monastery itself. You can actually see lot of them working through the day, painting or making pottery or other similar arts.

At the Cheri monastery, walk beyond the monastery to the top of the hill, for a view of the valley below, and some peace if you are looking for it..! The trek is a comfortable one, takes about 3 or so hours to go upto the hilltop. There is a small stream running through the valley, at the point that the trek starts. It can be freezing in early summer, try crossing it sometime (believe me, its good fun!).

Thimpu is also known for its partying, the famous places being Club Ace, Escape, Ozone Bar, etc. We went to Club Ace, its located in the basement of a hotel. It was surprisingly good fun, the locales love to party (and thankfully to Hindi music!). Given how conservative the people look outside, and the traditional dresses that they wear, the club scene is quite different ;-). Ozone Bar is a cafe-like joint, known for its good food, as well as the celebrities who apparently frequent this place. It resembles a sports bar too, except is much smaller.

Archery is the national sport of the country and you can see groups of people get together and practicing this game. Apparently, when the arrow hits the mark, the people standing next to the target start dancing.

Punakha is located about 2 or so hours away from Thimpu. Its again a small village, but famous for the Punakha Dzong. Punakha also used to be the capital of Bhutan, and the Dzong is one of the biggest ones in the country. On the way to Punakha, is to Dochu pass. At the pass itself are the 108 chortens, and there is also a temple to see there. On the way to Punakha itself there are a couple of tea cafes, which provide a good view of the valley. The view becomes better during the blossom season, which is end April-early May, when apparently the whole of Bhutan blooms. We missed that though, but that should be a good time to visit the country.

The Punakha Dzong is situated at the meeting point of two rivers, Pochu and Mochu (meaning girl and boy) and is similar to the Ganga Jamuna sangam. The two rivers have different shades, and when they meet, this shade difference is visible. The Dzong is huge, one of the biggest in the country.








Punakha is a small town, with a couple of good resorts, We stayed at one such resort, on top of the hill. Very good hospitality, the Bhutanese people are very friendly and eager to help. We landed up at the hotel, with no place to stay. Thanks to the attendant, 5 of us managed to get one room to stay!! The view from the resort was amazing, and we actually walked from here to the Dzong. On the way back from Punakha, you can stop at the Wangdu Dzong also, which I did not find as impressive except that it was built on a cliff. When we went back from Punakha, I did not realise how much I had liked that place, even Thimpu looked very crowded and too busy now!

At Paro, which is the second biggest city in Bhutan, there are a lot of hotels to stay, and they ALL look the same:) Same square looking, colourfully painted buildings. Paro is located on the banks of the Paro river. The high point of the city is the airport runaway though, an engineering marvel, and an aviation marvel everytime the flight takes off! Paro is located in a valley, and the plane, to avoid the hills need to fly very skillfully to miss them. Its a pleasure to watch a plane take off at the Paro airport!

The national museum and the Dzong are the other two places to go to in Paro. They are located on a hill, and provide a picturesque sight at night, when they are all lit up.

There is a Paro festival that happens every April at the Paro Dzong. We went there and what struck us most was the riot of colours there. The Bhutanese people dress very colourfully, red, orange, pink, green! Everything and anything. The men wear the Go (like a skirt) and the women wear Kira, which has three colours generally. Here is a pic showing the crowd there, watching a dance.The Bhutanese dance is very slow, with slow movements, and most of them are based on religious themes.

Thakshang monastery is the most famous tourist spot of Bhutan. Its a monastery which is linked to the founding of Buddhism in Bhutan. Its perched on a cliff, and you wonder how it was ever built. The trek is about 2 hours, and its mesmerizing when you get the first view of the monastery. On the way to the monastery is a tea shop (where 1 tea is for 72 rupees!).

Shopping in Bhutan is very expensive, dont think is worth it. Some of the handicrafts are the traditional Buddhist paintings, wall hangings etc, but are more directed at the foreigners. They also have pretty antique jewellery (from Tibet), stone jewellery and a lot of warm clothes, like woollen shawl, dresses etc. Trekking is good, but quite expensive, so we were not able to do that. People love playing carrom, you will find men standing at squares, playing carrom, while the women work! Most of the shops are actually run by women. They are not very interested in selling their stuff though. Its upto you to find what you are looking for, they are more interested in watching the Hindi channels:). People speak decent Hindi and English everywhere, so that makes it an easy place to travel. The Bhutanese cinema halls only run local movies, and they are supposed to be slow, and based on religious themes again. We tried to see one movie, but it started so late, that we left by then.

Bhutanese alcohol is cheap, actually quite cheap. Dunno how good it is though! Food is relatively easy to come by, especially Indian. The taste though is open to discussion. It helps though if you like eating Maggi, at times that might be the only tasty option left. A place to go to in Paro is the Dantak canteen near the airport. It serves amazing chole bhature, jalebis and dosa, especially if the weather is cold. Did not try much of the Bhutanese fare though, not that adventurous. Also, if you order 2 or more plates of a single sabzi, the same quantity is served! You may need to tell them to serve differently!

Religion is present everywhere in the country. Dzongs are seats of religion as well as government. The llamas in the monasteries spend their time in arts and crafts, decorating the monastery. The king is considered God everywhere in the country, and is very much respected. You will see his pictures hung everywhere across the country. The current king is about 28 years old, and the sixth in the current royal family.

All in all, its a nice calm to go to. Adventure sports to do, but the terrain if not for the people, is similar to whats found in India, say in Sikkim or Arunachal.

Scotland the Brave

Beauty at its best, something out of this world about this place, where there is beauty in every turn of the road, in the colours, in the lakes, in the castles, in the distilleries, in the hills, in the islands. A place I may never get bored of...(Yes yes, as per feedback I have got about my blog, I end up liking all places, but I still do:) )

Scotland is actually a separate country, which many of us never realize. They consider themselves different from the English, have a different history and culture, and have been fighting for independence for quite sometime. They have fought the English for years, though now their demand for separation seems to have lost steam. In fact, another fact which many of us dont know is that the current royal family is actually Scottish ( Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth etc).

The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, located next to the sea. Its a stunning city in brown. The striking structure of the city is the Edinburgh Castle, perched on an extinct volcano. The Royal Mile which extends from the castle, for a mile, is a nice walk and interesting shopping too. There are a couple of museums in the city which hold some interesting pieces of art. What I love about the city though is (yet again) walking around! There is a lot history in this place, the numerous wars that the Scots have had with the English, their great kings, art...is interesting to explore. There are a couple of places in Edinburg itself to spend time, explore its history etc. Here are some photos of the Scottish Museums, and the Scottish Monument (they are all located near the centre of the city). Then there is the Britannia, the ship which was the royal mode of travel for years. Its has been kept as a museum in the city. The Arthur hill, which gives a good view of the city, and a good climb. There is a festival which happens annually in December in the city, worthwhile going to. Apparently, lot of Scot music and dance, and whisky and snow!

The highlands are surely the high point of this 'country'. You can drive through the Scottish highlands, its the best way to explore this appealing land. There are hills interspersed with lakes. Loch Ness is one of the largest lakes here, you can try to spot the Nessie monster if you are lucky! Distilleries to visit, and see the pride the Scots have in their 'whisky'. Here is one we visited, the proud owners of the smallest distillery in Scotland. There are hajaar lakes, and castles you may encounter on the way, the sky changes from overcast to crystal blue.. I dont really have words to capture the beauty of the places, yet again the pictures speak louder. The islands in the north are supposed to be nice too, not been there, but someday:).

Stay at a bed and breakfast while in Scotland. If there for a longer vacation, you can rent one of the big old houses in a remote part of the country, am sure they would be fun! This is where we stayed in! A mile inside the woods, looked after by an old lady!! Perfect setting for a horror movie (My mom actually refused to stay at this isolated place). Experiences like these would abound in this place, is surely a place where you want to stay for a week at least.

The Scots are nice friendly people, very different from the English. You need to meet them, to realise this. In fact, even their English is different in its accent, much easier to understand for us too.And the kilts and the bagpipes are their standout features. They look quite cute actually, though increasingly you will see very few people wearing the traditional Scot dress except on formal occasions.

Spot the Tiger : Ranthambore

The first article on a national park... Quite a break after all the similar sounding European cities? Yes it was quite a break:) This trip was more than just a short vacation, was a kind of unofficial offsite too! Went there with collegues from my office, with family and kids. And what a weekend it turned out to be!

Ranthambore is located near Jaipur, near a town called Sawai Madhopur. Its a national park, famous for its tigers (which we did not get to spot though!). Took two safaris in the jungle, all we got to see were sambhars and owls and some nice looking birds. Think our guide was useless, plus we made too much noise! I also learnt that when going for a safari, should never wear bright colour clothes (I did not know this before!!).

The jungle at Ranthambore is bit sparse, and dry, unlike the dense jungles of Kanha and Bandhavgarh, which is supposed to be one of the best parks for spotting tigers. The best times to go to these parks are in the summers, when more and more of the animals comes out to avoid the heat. There are 4 different regions in the jungle, and C (if I remember correctly) has a big lake, where the chance of spotting are very high.

The Ranthambore fort is interesting too, quite a lot of history and unbeleivable stories linked to it. Its quite huge, with a good view of the jungle too.

The property that we stayed in, The Sawai Madhopur Lodge is a Taj property, which was earlier the Raja's hunting Lodge now converted to a hotel. Its well maintained, with some sports to keep you busy while on the property. The food spread is out of this world though, the chaas made in front of you, and the paranthas. The management team is professional too, with a personalised service. We had a great evening, both the days we were there, with the local singers providing local entertainment. You ask them to sing a hindi song, they will modify it to the Rajasthani tune. We danced like anything to those, better than many clubs that we go to in Mumbai!
There are enough options in Ranthambore to stay, in all price ranges. And Rajasthani hospitality at its best everywhere I guess!