In as complex and diverse country as ours, Goa joined late, well a good 14 years after India was independent.   “Estado da India” (Portuguese state of India) became a union territory and later a full-fledged state. Influenced by over 450 years of Portuguese rule and Latin culture, Goa presents a somewhat different representation of India. It was not long before tourists started pouring in to experience the unique lifestyle and culture the state had to offer along with the pristine beaches.   Hippies from Europe where the first to arrive in the late 60’s with their alternative way of life inspired by ideas of the peace, love and travel, In Goa they felt free from the cultural morals & also fell in love with this tropical paradise. The Goans were indifferent to the new guests, they were too laid back to bother, if at all they were only curious about these semi naked whites. Small gatherings of hippies playing guitar and smoking pot started getting famous, more &...

Question from a prospective client – “I found another package online which is including eight beaches, while your itinerary includes only three beaches in the itinerary”? I am sure that every professional from any field might have come across questions which might be quiet elementary to them but still extremely complicated to the clients. To address these questions is what we get paid for but sometimes you are at loss of words to explain the reasons behind your suggestions. I am sure I might have asked a few stupid questions to my carpenter or web developer, at the end, it all depends on how good a professional you have hired. The understanding of your client and his aspirations are the key.   It is also essential to have a little understanding of the cultural, social and economic background. No school or course trains you for this, it is very instinctive and most of these profiles are established subconsciously. Most importantly it is also how much you are willing to trus...

Crossing over from Goa to Maharashtra, Crossing the Karli river, had to really convince this guy. My ride on the boat on the river Karli Wadantar Back waters, near Vijaydurg Vijaydurg fort, it was a relief to reach here, the ride till here was never ending. Can I get a Thums Up please Crossing over from Vijaydurg to Jaitapur  Thank God ! it was low tide. My highest climb, so I thought near Ratnagiri.  from Dhabol to Dhopave. When you are down you just have to look around. A huge ancient Masjid in Dhopave. Just before crossing over to Raigad. The terrain, roads were fairly good !! Crossing over a bridge in Jaitapur Siolim bridge in Goa My journey through Konkan on a cycle Sindhudurg..... "Fear is a good thing." The night before I started my journey was a nervous one. Packing, unpacking, trying to make my backpack lighter, question's all over me - What if I get robbed? What if ...

2011 has taken us to Pangong lake in Ladakh (one half of this lake is in China ) and to Matra the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka (from here 2000 Km is Antarctica), from the northern most tip of India to the southernmost tip of our subcontinent with a lot of travel to different destinations in between. While for others traveling comes as a leisurely and relaxing experience for us it is mostly a very stressful and exhaustive affair. When destinations start getting stressful we start enjoying the simple things in travel. Some of the most memorable travel experience of 2011 was not among the beautifully barren landscape of the Trans Himalayan deserts or at the emerald islands but came very near home at Thivim Railway Station while waiting for a local train which would take me to Kudal. It was in the early hours of the day and civilization was just waking up to the reality of modern day travel conveniences. The train I usually catch arrives Thivim at 0630hrs just at the break of dawn in...

The Portuguese had food on their mind from the moment that they arrived in India – after all it was the scent of spices that lured them across the oceans in the first place. Right alongside, the diet of the subcontinent changed permanently: potatoes were introduced ( India is now the world’s largest producer); chilies came in for the first time. Corn, cashews, guavas, pineapples, custard-apples, papayas, all came into the Indian diet through the Portuguese. But bread came to be the most famous import of the Europeans, who found no substitute in India ’s versions of unleavened chapattis and rotis, thin dosas and appams, soft breads made from ground rice and lentils. Wheat bread did not merely signify subsistence; it was required for the celebration of Mass. The early Portuguese presence in India was missionary-heavy, and they made bakeries and baking into a priority. It was missionaries who trained a large number of converts from the ‘Chardo’ caste (of Kshatriyas), from South...

“Jhulley” means greetings, thank you, good wishes, bye all in one in Ladakhi. You say Jhulley at the beginning and end of every conversation. The built up to the trip was climatically dramatic. We went wearing raincoats to the airport in Goa, by the time we were in Delhi we did not need it, then we changed to light clothing as it was dry and slightly hot in Delhi, by the time we were in Ladakh we were freezing in the dress as it was quite cold and we could feel the cold breeze as soon as we came out of the airport. In a matter of hours we came from heavy rains to dry & hot climate to the cold winds of Himalayas . Leh is one of the highest livable cities in the world, higher than any city in Europe . Being at 13500 feet has its perils – nausea, headache, breathlessness are all part of the package here. The first couple of days are the most difficult as you try to cope up with the high altitude then your body slowly adjusts. In the meanwhile you discover more about the Himal...

Most accessible restaurants in Goa have the similar cuisine & similar menu, you look around and you will have signage’s saying – Goan, Chinese, Indian, Mughlai, Tandoor & Continental and the menu will have the standard butter, chilly, xacuthi variations along with a few steaks. What ever happened to innovations our menu is frozen for ages. The ones which offer different experiences make you slightly poorer and guilty for a while. The restaurants in 5 star resorts, according to us are over rated and seldom value for money. We, after all are from the “Sasta …. Sundar….. Tiaku” (a phrase in Hindi used to describe consumer behavior in the early 90’s which emphasized on products that looked good, lasted long and was cheap as well)   era of consumerism and like the menu we have also conveniently frozen our selves in certain aspects, though we are breaking free slowly. So for a different menu and different culinary experience do visit “Dandey’s Grill House” which serves you goo...