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Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
- Walt Whitman - Song of the Open Road



Some of my favorite places within India :

Kerala : Rightly called 'god's own country'... And of course, as some people add,
"devil's own people". To me, Kerala is about colors
that are alive and make you feel alive - the deep
greens of the paddy fields and tea estates, the soothing blues of the backwaters
and the sea that travels with you throughout the narrow stretch of the coast, the earthy browns of the hills...

I have so far been to Munnar, Cochin, Trivandrum, Kumarakom and also spent a wonderful night on the backwaters of Alleppy...

To go : Wayanad, Periyar, Cherai, Bekal, the backwaters again and again...


Rajasthan : Rajasthan brings out the dormant romantic in me.
I have a weakness for old forts and palaces, the older the better.
I close my eyes and imagine that I hear the thundering hooves of a thousand horses, the battle cries
of brave Rajputs, the tinkling laughter of the queens and princesses. There, I told you.

I have traveled to Rajasthan several times - and I know
I will keep going back. I fell in love with shy, magical Bundi and definitely intend to go
and spend more time there.
A close second was the Shekhawati region with its fascinating,
colorful murals, centuries old; some of them still in
perfect condition, most of them in ruin. I love Jaipur, with its pink tint
pervading all over the city, and its wonderful fort-palaces - Amber, Nahargarh and Jaigarh.

Jodhpur is fascinating for its fort alone, proud and majestic, looming large over the town.
Jaisalmer and Udaipur were a long time ago, when I knew to travel but not write or photograph. So, they are due another trip soon.

A hot summer holiday is planned in Ranthambore too in April. Wish me luck in tiger-spotting.

To go : Jaisalmer, Pushkar


Goa : Gogoa! is the easiest thing to say - and do. Goa when it rains, is magical
- the town, anyway small and sleepy all the time, shuts down
officially. Kids play football in the grounds and
the tourists stay away. Happiness is sitting in your shack at Palolem or room at Taj Fort Aguada
and watching the rains come down in full force, eager to join the sea.

Of course, Goa during new year's is another story
- the whole world and its brother descend on Goa, specifically Baga - but it is a great time to be in Goa,
if you can learn to ignore the crowds. I spent a wonderful new year's eve (welcome 2007)
watching the fireworks explode over the sky for a full forty-five minutes.


Mumbai breaks : And then the weekend breaks from Mumbai - I spent
the last three years in Mumbai looking for opportunities to get away to the hills and the beaches,
just hours away from Mumbai. The sea fort of Murud Janjira,
the calm waters of Kashid, the rain-washed greens of Matheran and straweberry pinks of Mahableshwar,
the elusive flamingos of Malshej Ghat, the splendid caves of Karla,
the breath-taking Konkan coast...

I had no idea Maharashtra had so much to offer
- most of this exploring happened by chance - more by force, just out of sheer need
to get away from the wonderful madness that Bombay is...

To go : Ajanta and Ellora


Most recently : Konark - where the stones sing...

Travel dreams within India : Ladakh, Andamans, Mandu, Hampi, Amritsar, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Bandhavgarh, Corbett...

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And then recently, short holidays in Singapore and Dubai - with its obsession with largeness
and countless shopping options. I lived for a year in the UK
- again, much travel around England and Scotland but few photographs or memories to record.

Travel dreams around the world : Egypt, Greece, Australia, Spain, Turkey, Austria, Cambodia...