My Travel Wishlist: 2nd of Many

7.       Wish-list: Czech Republic

Location: The Czech Republic is located in Central Europe. It is surrounded by Germany to the northwest, Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the southeast, and Austria to the south.

The true crown of the Czech lands is without a doubt the capital city of Prague. This city of a hundred spires, which has been paid homage by the greatest characters in world history over the centuries, is literally a living textbook of architecture.

Astronomical Clock, Prague, Czech Republic: This dates from the 15th century. The clock is extremely intricate and is displayed to a crowd in front of the tower to observe the procession of the Twelve Apostles: on the hour, every hour, a small trap door opens and Christ marches out ahead of his disciples, while the skeleton of death tolls the bell to a defiant statue of a Turk. Below the Astronomical Clock are 12 medallions with the signs of the zodiac, added by Josef Manes in 1865

Zelená hora: gates, 5 chapels, 5 altars and 5 stars. The Church of St. John of Nepomuk on Zelená hora is one of the most original buildings in Europe, which still amazes people from all over the world to this very day. This UNESCO monument and work of the talented architect Jan Blažej Santini Aichel is a place which deserves to be visited by all those who appreciate its mysticism and unique architecture, interweaved with the powerful story of St. John of Nepomuk, the Czech saint.

8.       Wish-list: French Polynesia

Location: in the South Pacific Ocean, it is halfway between California and Australia

It is a set of islands that is an overseas country attached to France. I was surprised to know that Tahiti, Bora Bora  and Mangareva are part this…!

Bora Bora:

Tahiti:

9.       Wish-list: The Dead Sea

Location: It has Jordan to the east and Israel West Bank to the west

Actually, this is a salt lake and not a sea. The lowest point on the face of the earth, this vast stretch of water receives a number of incoming rivers, including the River Jordan. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land-locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture and medicine with some of its finest products. Because of its extremely high content of salt and other minerals, the Dead Sea is devoid of plant and animal life.

10.   Wish- List: Lapland, Finland

Location: is situated in Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden to the west, Norway to the north and Russia to the east, while Estonia lies to the south across the Gulf of Finland.

It was quite exciting to know that this is the home of Santa Clausand his reindeers! Lapland is renowned as being the land of the northern lights, a place with winters where there’s always snow and harsh temperatures. Lapland can also be described as the land of 8 seasons: deep winter, late winter, spring, early summer, summer, late summer, autumn, early winter. As hilarious as it sounds, the ‘changing’ seasons bring remarkable changes also into people's daily routines.

A natural phenomenon known as The Northern Lights can also be experienced from Finland. The northern lights are essentially shafts or curtains of colored light visible on occasion in the night sky.They are  found in both the northern and southern hemispheres and can be truly awe inspiring.

And Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland offers you the possibility to to experience this through a glass igloo...!

To be continued…

My Travel Wishlist: 1st of Many

I haven’t traveled much in the last four years. Not that I was a travel freak prior to that, but it’s been a really long time since I took a break and went on a holiday.

Looking for inspiration, I started following travel boards on Pinterest. For those who do not use Pinterest: it is a photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies, and more.

My reason to use Pinterest was simple: the photographs of a place are usually the deciding factor in selling a destination to me. It was not that I did not believe what my friends told me. Just that people may describe a place to the finest possible details – but the fact remains that everyone looks for a different set of details. Hence, I had realized that for me a travel recommendation would work usually when accompanied by photographs.

In my free time, I found myself spending more and more time on these travel boards. It is captivating and I never tire scrolling over to the next board. Some pictures just call out to you and then there are some which are so dramatic you wonder whether they are real.

I found myself crawling through the internet to find more about some of the places I discovered, as the photographs were plain unbelievable. I essentially wanted to confirm whether such places actually exist. Sharing some photographs below which blew my mind and are definitely on my wish-list:

1.       Wish - List: Ecuador

Location: In South America and is bordered by Columbia on the north, Peru on the east and south and by the Pacific Ocean to the west.

Staircase at Pailón del Diablo waterfall in Ecuador: this is a fairly large waterfall located on the Pastaza River. It is a mere 30 minutes away from the town of Baños in Ecuador. It is considered to be one of the most popular attractions in the area. The name of the waterfall in Spanish (Paílón del Diablo) means”Cauldron of the Devil” in English. You can view it from the suspension bridge and also walk the path so you can get a closer look at the amazing waterfall…!

2.       Wish - List: Iceland

Location: is a Nordic European island country situated at the confluence of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

Frozen waterfall Oxarafoss, National park Thingvellir, Iceland: this is a small waterfall which flows from the river Öxará. The base of the waterfall is filled with rocks and is often very icy in winter.

  

3.       Wish - List: Venezuela

Location: officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America.

Mt. Roraima, Venezuela: Roraima is the highest tepuy (spanish for table mountain) on the triple border of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. It is around 2,800 metres tall. Its name is derived from 'Roroi-ma,' which in Pemon means 'big blue-green.' The only way visitors can climb to the top is from the Gran Sabana side, in Venezuela.

4.       Wish - List: Norway

Location: It is the second least densely populated country in Europe. The country shares a long border with Sweden; it is also bordered by Finland and Russia to the north-east; in its south Norway borders the Skagerrak Strait across from Denmark.

Fjord, Norway: The fjord is one of Norway's most visited tourist sites and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Lysefjord is located in Ryfylke in the county of Rogaland, near Haugesund and Stavanger, south in Fjord Norway.

5.       Wish - List:  Ladakh

Location:  in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south.

Phuktal-monastery, India: the monastery is a unique construction built into the cliffside like a honeycomb. It located on the mouth of a cave on the cliff face of a lateral gorge of a major tributary of the Lungnak (Lingti-Tsarap) River. A massive cave monastery located in Zanskar, Phuktal is located atop steep mountains, giving it a unique charm. Built in the 12th century, the foundation of the monastery is made of twigs and mud and serves as home to 70 monks. The main attraction of the monastery is the cave that has a hollow which holds what is believed to be healing water.

6  .   Wish - List: Jaipur

Location:in state of Rajashthan in India

Chand Baori - Abhaneri, India: Abhaneri is a small village in northern Rajasthan. 'Abhaneri', is believed to be a mispronunciation of 'Abha Nagri' or the 'city of brightness'. Though the village is in ruins now, tourists throng the village to see 
Chand Baori which is a huge step well, a unique idea conceived by the natives to work as a water reservoir.

 

To be continued…

Travel Tales: Fairmont Hotel - Jaipur

This year, valentine's day was special. This year, unlike every year, there was a work conference on the most hyped day of the year. We were headed to Jaipur, the Pink City. I was a little disappointed since the year before the same had been held at Goa(and I had missed it) and people had not stopped talking about it. So as excited as I was about Jaipur, I wished we would have gone to Goa instead.

But all thought of Goa or any other destination flew out of my mind with one look within the mammoth gates of our hotel at Jaipur.

We had been put up at the Fairmont Hotel. There stood a majestic elephant, decorated very royally, awaiting our arrival. Just beyond the gates, there was a lady dressed in Rajasthani clothes to welcome us with a "saffron teeka". 

As you are about the enter the hotel, you can hear some very melodious Indian classical music being played. It wasn't a recording - there was actually a musician who strummed a sitar right at the entrance...!

Given that this hotel is part of a global chain, I was quite taken aback by just how authentic everything about the place felt. What was remarkable about the hotel was how they are integrated technology into  an architecture which was completely inspired by the Mughal dynasty. The lifts and rooms operated on swipe cards which also added a sense of security to the guests housed there. 

The staff was dressed in Jodhpuris, spoke impeccable English and gave us all the most amazing customer service experience throughout the two days there. 

Sharing some photographs of the property so you can see what I am talking about.

What I especially loved were the little little things that they had done - the paintings, the lights in form of "mashals", very artsy looking lights that had been installed all over the property. 

Being a book lover, I especially loved the library room...!I managed the time to nestle myself in the cozily appointed reading area with "A Walk to Remember". If my stomach hadn't rumbled, I am pretty sure I could have been there overnight.

The Le Meredien was right next door and believe me, they are going to face some very serious competition. A sneak peak at the Meredien next door:

The Fairmont hotel has a motto of 'Turning moments into memories for our guests'. On their website, they also claim to offer experiences which are authentically local and genuine hospitality through engaging service and attention to detail. 

Believe me, they do. Every single word written there is actually something that can be noticed and/or experienced. Am a total fan - unequivocal. The two days spent there were one of the most memorable days of my life. It definitely sets the bar very high for future conferences to follow.

I hope I get an chance to go back here again...! 

The Proposal: Part 4 of 4

The night had been a surprise for both the sisters.

At midnight, as the new year begun, Rahul had asked Zara out. A very shocked Zara had agreed. 

Ashish had intended to ask Naima to be his wife that night. He had prepared a full speech about why she should marry him. It had taken him four days to just get the start right. If he would have known how the moment would actually unfold, he would have put in slightly less effort.

As Ashish and Naima had walked towards a secluded corner on the terrace that night, he revised his speech one last time. As he had gone down on one knee, Naima had gone absolutely still. But before he could actually mutter a word of his well prepared speech, Naima had shrieked with delight and agreed to marry him!

Even today, that memory managed to calm her frayed nerves. 

Though Naima had been quite sceptical about counselling, it had helped. Whenever she felt low or emotional, she thought back to the happy moments in her life. 

Not surprisingly, a lot of them were with Ashish. It was difficult to take him out of the picture. Over time, she had begun fixating on that particular trip to Bangalore. Sometimes it was what followed that trip. First, there was the crazy phase of her wedding preparation. A year later, she was busy making wedding arrangements for her sister.

She had been so happy before that fateful night four years ago. 

Just like it did for every woman, her life had changed when she was expecting her first child. She now knew in hindsight that she had been too preoccupied with being pregnant. After the arrival of her darling son, she had gotten further engrossed. She had forgotten that Ashish still needed her. Maybe that was how she possibly had no idea that Ashish had been under a lot of stress.

Had she known how stressed her husband was, Naima would never have insisted on meeting Zara and Rahul that night. Since no one was in the mood to cook, the men had volunteered to get some food home. She did not understand, in hindsight, how she let the men walk out with her toddler. Her little angel had just started walking and every time someone went towards the door, he got up and hobbled towards it.

The men were at a crossing, waiting for the signal to turn red when Ashish had received a call from work. He had lost a lucrative contract to a competitor firm a few weeks back and the same firm had got the contract for a bigger job this time. In some very subconscious reaction, he must have let go of his little one’s hand during his call and before he had realized, a speeding car had rammed into his son.

After a two hour long struggle, the doctors had declared his son dead. Naima was distraught. She refused to let the doctors take the baby off life support. She just stood by the crib and talked to her little one as if he was sleeping. After a day of this, Naima had been hauled out of there by Ashish.

Ashish refused to leave her side even though she did not acknowledge his presence. Naima had been admitted in the hospital after she collapsed during the funeral. She refused to eat, drink or even meet people. Ashish had kept apologizing but she had not responded to him.

After Naima went home, things got worse. It had never been this silent. They had gone for counselling. He would have really liked Naima to show some emotion - cry, laugh or even hurl some abuses his way. But she had mourned her son by herself completely shutting out her husband.

The doctor suggested having another child but Ashish did not take to the idea. He just did not trust himself anymore. After six months of no response from Naima, he had walked out. He called to check on her but the two never exchanged words. The last call had come around two years ago after which he had moved to America.

She had agreed to start looking at men for a second marriage just so her parents wouldn't worry about her. There had been some heated words between the sisters when she had agreed to a second marriage instead of getting back with Ashish.  

It did not take long for her to realize that everyone just paled in comparison to the man she had married the first time around. She had even started considering how to approach a possible reconciliation but had not been convinced about it till today. 

This advertisement could not just be a coincidence. As loopy as it sounded, Naima took it as a sign. Zara could have easily missed it, but had not. For some reason, she had assumed his whole family had moved to America. At least his younger brother Ashwin was still here. She would get in touch with Ashwin and take it from there.

Four years was a long time to look at every possible mistake and alternative reaction. She should have been there for him. She had done nothing to assuage the guilt he must have felt. They both had lost a child. She had made a couple of mistakes the last time around. She should have handled things differently but now she knew better.

As Naima continued to gaze out of the window, she felt her sister come up and stand behind her. Just one look passed between the sisters and Zara knew Naima had made the decision she had always wanted. They sat together as Naima dialled the number without having to look at it.  

For the first time in many years, Naima felt hopeful. As a familiar voice answered the line at the other end, Naima knew she was going to get Ashish back in her life again. 

The Proposal: Part 3 of 4

'Can I please sit by the window’, Zara inquired.

Seeing that Zara and he had been talking all the way upto their seats, Rahul had assumed that the gentleman in question would move to the aisle. Of course, he did not. Wasn't the universe supposed to conspire to help him achieve his dream?

The energy he had gathered from the time Zara arrived at the airport until the time they entered the airbus, all went pop in one second. Even though Rahul had silently started counting backwards from fifty in order to somehow get a grip on his emotions, he was far from relaxed by the time he was done.

He wondered what Gaurav would have said if he called him right now. Possibly, something glib like patience is the key!  Yes, that sounded wise enough.

As they buckled themselves into their seats, a subtle floral fragrance wafted towards him.

How does this happen to me, Rahul thought to himself as he felt the tightness around his chest melt away into insignificance. She is a whole seat away and the fragrance was making him loopy in the head. Giddy with delight was one way to describe how he felt, but the whiff of her fragrance somehow made him feel a little positively towards getting off at Bangalore.

Naima and Ashish just could not believe what they were seeing.

‘He just is not getting a break today’

‘Do you remember that time when I asked you out? That opportune moment had come after 4 days of having decided that I liked you mister. Each day, I used to be all charged up about asking you out on the way to college and decided it was hopeless on the way back home. I don’t envy Rahul one teeny tiny bit’

‘I know from a dependable source that you had a crush on me since the welcome party. That was a good month away from the day you asked me out’, Ashish replied with a goofy grin.

While Naima and Ashish playfully exchanged notes about their week at work, Rahul had plugged in his ipod and had reached a state of calm by the fourth song in his playlist. He did not notice the glances Zara threw at him whilst the music worked its magic on him.

He looks so peaceful, Zara thought to herself. She was almost certain Rahul was a little taken aback when she asked for the window seat. Looking at him now, she felt fairly certain that he hadn’t felt even a bit weird that she had chosen the window seat.

But she had no other option.

She had a massive crush on Rahul. Worse, Ashish had figured it out. And just to prove him wrong, she had taken up a bet to not sit alongside Rahul on the flight today. There was no point in letting anyone know about her stupid crush. Naima had told her that Rahul was interested in someone. What good what it do? What if Rahul got to know, got uncomfortable and distanced himself?

Zara knew the four of them would pretty much be stuck together for the trip. She hoped there was plenty of booze at Zubin’s. If the twenty minutes at security were anything to go by, she was going to need a major distraction to survive his dimpled smile over the extended duration of the next four days.

Ashish glanced to where Zara was sitting a few rows ahead. As he noticed Zara throw  another glance at Rahul, Ashish giggled to himself. He felt like the devil. Rahul was going to kill him after tonight. Zara was obviously going to say yes, but he just decided to make his buddy sweat a little before that.

If Naima could keep secrets, he would have definitely told her. But she couldn’t keep anything from Zara - the two were thick. He still didn’t know why Zara had kept it from Naima. He had not asked and she had not voluntarily offered any explanation.

Tonight was going to be a night of revelations.

To be continued...

The Proposal: Part 2 of 4

Women and time possibly had an agreement to never get along, Rahul thought to himself as he dialled Zara’s number for seemingly the hundredth time. Zara should have been at the airport at least thirty minutes ago. How can one always estimate time wrong?

He had given her a wake-up call at 4 am. Even then, he had to call her seven times till she actually picked the phone. She better show up in the next fifteen minutes else they were going to miss the flight.

Just as he was about to dial Naima, his phone beeped. So she was stuck in traffic. As real as the reason may be, it is a convenient excuse for those having difficulty with punctuality.

Breathe in, breathe out. We are headed to a holiday. And not just any holiday – he had been waiting for this since six weeks now. The six weeks since he had realized that he was in love with Zara. The trip just wasn't going the way he had thought it would. 

With his patience in short supply, Rahul decided that the situation warranted a call to his agony uncle - his self proclaimed ‘worldly wise’ friend.

‘She is late. Again’

‘It is your mistake to expect anything different. If you had started out expecting a delay, you would be a happier soul my child’

‘Don’t make me regret calling you man. I need some pep talk before she shows up. I was counting on the journey together giving us some time alone. In my current state of mind, the lone journey won’t do me any good. If I don’t scream at her, I think I would label it achievement of the day’

‘In the interest of humanity, I shall try my level best to show you the silver lining. There is plenty of liquor here and some really interesting looking people in case Zara turns you down’

After a few lines of encouragement from Gaurav, Rahul hung up. As Rahul pondered over the last few weeks, he realized that Gaurav could possibly write a book on the things he had done to make an impression on Zara.

‘I have informed the staff of our little situation. The lady at the counter seemed to completely understand our predicament’, Ashish said as he walked up with Naima in tow.

As they waited for Zara to turn up, Rahul couldn't believe this trip had finally begun. Considering how fast the last few months had flown, the last six weeks had been a drag.

Naima, Ashish and Rahul were from the same college. Ashish and Naima had met at the makeshift bar at the freshers welcome party. What started out as idle chat, lasted the entire duration of the party. Their friendship had naturally evolved into a relationship despite the three years that separated them. 

Rahul was the brother Ashish never had. Rahul had met Zara at Naima's graduation party a few months back. He could not recall a time before he met her. It seemed like he had known her forever. All mushy romantic songs suddenly began to make sense. His ipod was a testament to his emotional state - Richard Marx to Atif Aslam, all crooned to him, sometimes more than multiple times a day.

Luckily for them, a profusely apologetic Zara showed up under the next ten minutes. As they rushed through security, Rahul tried to remember why he was pissed at Zara. One smile was all it took to wipe his emotional plate clean of the distressed forty five odd minutes.

As they were headed to the boarding queue, he saw Naima turn and give him a wink. It had been abundantly clear to Naima since the day they had first met, that he was taken by her sister. Over the next few meets, even Ashish realized just how smitten a kitten he was. They had teased him quite mercilessly about it. 

They were also aware that he was going to ask Zara out tonight. 

After security, Naima and Ashish were to conveniently disappear in a coffee shop. Zara hated coffee. So did Rahul. That would have left Zara and him alone. As a rehearsal, he had even tried his speech on Ashish...! 

With her delayed arrival, all their planning had gone awry. 

It would be fine, Rahul consoled himself, just as long as this trip doesn’t have any more surprises.

To be continued...