I never ate any Ferrero Rochers or Toblerones, never received any presents and never had to fret over what presents to buy. Until I joined the Corporation. On the days leading up to Christmas eve, I found myself grabbing candies, wrapper bags, gift tags, racking my brain on what to buy for colleagues and checking against the list of names to make sure...
As I write this last entry about my journey in India, I thought about the 2009 India tourism board commercial, A traveller holds a pen thinking about his adventure in India and what to write on a postcard. At the end of his recollection, he wrote merely two words Incredible India. This clever slogan sums up my India experience aptly. I woke up to a...
Our plane was descending. As I watched the rows of neatly arranged standard factories and the greenery from the plane window, I heaved a sigh of relief. It's been two weeks since I get to visit a nice smelling toilet (with toilet paper and soap) without having to hold my breath and roll up my pants. Fish&Co taste so good after being deprived of...
Udar ranked Delhi as the number one place in India with the most scams, followed by Agra and Varanasi. He was right. It's our last day in India and the plan was to shop. We read up on Delhi when we were in Agra and went to the capital of India with whatever piecemeal information we had gathered. Connaught Place (often abbreviated as...
We didn't have the opportunity to try South Indian food as we were in North-Central India. I told him I wanted to eat a dosa before going home and he brought me to this place called Sagar Ratna recommended by Rough Guides. There were different types of dosas to choose from and since I enjoyed all the cheese toasts I ate in India, I...
Last train ride in India. As the train moved, I found my head shaking gently sideways. I looked around the train and everybody else's head was shaking too. Maybe that's how all the head shaking started in India. An unspoken game of musical chair began after some seated passengers alighted along the way, freeing up seats and standing passengers rotated among themselves to...
I was sitting down in the geometrically arranged gardens facing the Khas Mahal and listening to the audio guide when this lady approached me to help her take a photo of her and her husband. It was like any other normal instance of strangers brushing past each other, a moment too brief one would not usually remember. I took hold of her camera...
After walking around for three hours, we sat down for a rest facing the white marble building. The sun was setting and the dome had a tint of orange. Birds were circling around the finial. I thought about our journey thus far and I'm fascinated by India's vast diversity. I know I'm in India (Kolkata and Varanasi) but sometimes I feel like I'm not in...
10.30pm Singapore time set up my middle berth and prepared to sleep. It's been years since I slept in a middle berth of a three tier bunk. I almost let my guard down with regard to the position of my bags. An elderly lady in pink sari was on the opposite middle berth. She saw me shift my bags to a more secure position...
*Udar met Ying at Yogi few years ago. It was low season and there weren't many guests in the lodge. Ying came with a friend and she was not feeling well. Udar helped take care of her and cooked fried rice for her. When it was time for her to go back to China, she promised she'll visit again. A year later, Ying returned as...
I have never counted down the number of days to home and never looked so forward to going home. I miss my comfort zone. He sank into the seat opposite me and posed a sulking expression as I pointed my camera in his direction. We just had lunch after locating the real Shiva Guesthouse and the plan was to spend the rest of...
Varanasi is the place Hindus would wish to die in. They believe spending their last days in Varanasi and being cremated along the Ganges River will free them from the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation. Everyday, approximately 150-250 open air cremations take place along the ghats of the Ganges River. It's a raw and fairly quick affair. He watched the entire process...
Sudhir Kumar (top right corner) is from Manipur. He's from the army and he's swimming to Andaman Nicobar. Kidding. He's on his way to Delhi to take a plane to the islands for military training. Rajdhani Express trains link Delhi with the regional capitals in India. We are not going to Delhi (yet) but alighting halfway. We decided to pay for the full...
I was trying my best to stay still but it was no use. We were hurled around at the back of the jeep with nothing to hold onto. We could not even hold onto each other as our vomits were already in our throats and we were going to throw up any time. All the shaking was making me dizzy and I had to...
We've been asking around for public transport to the lake but we were told there isn't any so we joined a half day tour with Simvo. It included three other sights and the lake was the last stop. We turned up punctually at 8.30am only to find ourselves wait 45 mins for 10 West Bengal tourists staying at Lower Pelling to finish their...
A lady descends from Pemayangtse Monastery in Pelling, India. ...
Footprint described Pemayangtse as "awe-inspiring" and "the highlight of Sikkim". My expectations were unfortunately and naturally raised and I know it's no good. If you know the rules, having expectations when you travel will only lead to disappointment. It turned out to be a small and quiet monastery. There were many wall paintings and religious artworks but they were mere visual arts to...
Few jeeps head to West Sikkim without passing by Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. I was so relieved to find this syndicate at the end of the motor stand. Darjeeling to Jorethang takes about 2.5 hours and costs Rs 110 pp. First jeep departs at 8.30am. Tickets cannot be purchased in advance. We weren't gonna sit at the back of the jeep again (tested and...
Darjeeling is blessed with stunning vistas of Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world. Don't miss the incredible viewpoint on Tiger Hill, where you will be able to see a breathtaking panorama of the Himalayas. Avoid the crowds, go after sunrise and you can have the entire view to yourself! While a massive exodus of tourists leave around 4am to watch the...
