I am a nomad with a desk job. This blog is a compendium of my trysts with the globe – its regions, countries, history, culture, people and cuisine.
I have forever held this ambition of visiting every country in the world. But the kind of yearning I had to visit Laos, was unparalleled. Back then, I was smitten by South East Asia and its mystique and it continues. Why Laos, I would often wonder…. A Wat (temple) in Luang Prabang Visiting Laos was …
Continue reading "Laos: The Mekong is calling, I must go…"
Back in Aug 2019, memories of our trip to Indonesia were still fresh and fond. With the Bakrid holiday falling on a Monday, we were staring at a long weekend with nothing to do and so we decided to take an impromptu short break to unwind. There are a very few countries which one can …
It was that year of 2017. Due to successive and (by a cruel turn of fate) non-overlapping months of work assignments in the USA, my wife and I had spent a year away from each other. In October, she was to come down for a few weeks and we decided to spend a good ten …
The experiment of last night did not have the desired results. I got up from bed just like a human, did not slither awake with fresh skin and a pair of fangs like that Snake Whiskey lady had promised last night. Grudgingly I remembered, it was the day to return home. There was a silver …
This was our second last day in Luang Prabang and Laos. When you rise before the sun in Luang Prabang, there are only two places to go - the alms ceremony or the Mount Phousi. We had been to the former earlier, so we walked to the base of the stairs that would take us …
Continue reading "Laos Day 7 – Kuang Si, not all that fall are weak!"
As my eyes opened this morning, the bus was fast approaching Luang Prabang as evidenced by the gentler slopes of terrain, sparsing green cover and increasing commercial activity along the road. Soon enough, we were back in Luang Prabang and took a shared rickshaw to the View Khem Kong guesthouse. Luang Prabang was under French occupation …
On trips, I miss no opportunity to see the sunrise and the sunset. This day wasn’t any different. Close to our hotel was the Quai Fa Ngum, the street/riverfront which came alive every morning and evening with locals participating in Tai chi and aerobics classes, eateries, memorials and a full-fledged night market. Mekong flowed close …
Continue reading "Laos Day 5 – Tai Chi by sunrise & aerobics by sunset"
There are a very few sights in the world worth paying for with your sleep. At the Vieng Tara Villa, a sight like this was just outside the porch. Vieng Tara Villa After a quick breakfast of eggs, bread and fresh fruits at the hotel, we packed our bags, checked out early and left them …
It was a day for adventure. Green Discovery was a reputed adventure tourism organizer in Laos and we had pre-booked an excursion with them. The trip we chose was Discover Vang Vieng. They have more challenging routines like the Vang Vieng Challenge. But we aren't the fittest people around plus we can't swim!! So, we …
We woke up before the sun to witness something that is novel to Luang Prabang - the giving of alms ceremony. In what is extremely humbling to witness, the locals offer sticky rice to the Buddhist monks for their daily sustenance. The ceremony ends with sunrise. Post the ceremony, walking down the empty streets, we …
Continue reading "Laos Day 2 – Two punctures and a broken back…"
At the immigration counter at Bangalore Airport, the officer just wouldn’t know which country we were flying to. Finally got him to search his system with Laos PDR and he found it. At that very moment, we knew we had made the right choice. Laos does not see as much footfall as other SE Asian …
It was 1:30 PM by the time we stepped out of the Velana airport after the seaplane brought us back to Male from the resort. We crossed the road and took the regular barge service that ferries passengers between the airport and the town of Male. When we reached Male about 30 minutes later, we …
Continue reading "Maldives Day 4 & 5 – A mosque made of coral"
We kept our appointment with the sun as he gently graduated over the ocean a few steps away from our hotel. We skipped the free English breakfast being served at our hotel in lieu of another rendezvous with the Tea Times. Sunrise over the Indian Ocean...Hulhulmale Beach The day earlier, we had confirmed with our …
We usually leave for trips on Friday nights upon return from office. That way, we sleep on the flight and land at a new place on Saturday morning with an entire day in hand. The hardship of pulling this off (sometimes) has always been worth the few extra hours we earn at our destination. But …
A visit to Sri Lanka requires Indian visitors to hold an e-visa. The process to obtain a visa was pretty straight-forward and can be completed online here. On our way to the airport to board the 9:00 PM flight, the skies opened up and with the Bangalore traffic it was a messy affair. The only …
On trips, I make a deliberate effort to stack up the days of most action, travel or uncertainty right at the top. With this approach, though we wear out physically, as the trip progresses we can rest longer and process the new world we have seen. By the time we reach the close of trip, …
