I am sure my lungs are about to burst. My legs have turned to lead, I can’t feel my face anymore, my vision is blurred by the incessant snow fall. I’m convinced I will soon collapse on the steep mountainside with a 30-pound backpack weighing me down…
One of the coolest things I got to see and experience on the 9km trek from Langza village to Komic, was a stop at the world’s highest post office in the village of Hikkim.Hikkim is about an hour before Komic, the highest village in Asia. (I took an…
“The island either accepts you or rejects you.”We were to often hear this over the seven unforgettable days we spent in Kauai, the ‘Garden Isle’ of Hawaii. It was only after we had booked our tickets and made all the arrangements that I realized that Kauai is not typically…
Every time I watch a Lord of the Rings movie, it’s not so much for the Hobbits or Elves or the other mythical beings, but more for its stunning locales — the endless rolling greens of Hobbiton, the lush greenery of the Trollshaw Forest, the unique landscape of Middle Earth…
Kauai has been under a flash flood warning all weekend with heavy rains and rising water levels at the Wailua river. This resulted in the famous Kalalau trail (one of America’s top 10 most dangerous trails) being closed today. We had been looking forward to hiking this trail, planning…
Due to the rugged mountainous terrain of the island, there are not many hikes that don’t go through crazy elevation, and involve major cardio. But the Mahaulepu trail in Poipu, in the Southern Shore of Kauai is one of those truly enjoyable hikes not just because it’s relatively…
Jugaad, that uniquely Indian concept of innovation and resourcefulness. After more than a decade away, I’d forgotten its all pervasive presence in every sphere of life here. Till it saved me at my recent appointment for the extension of my US Visa.In India, applicants have to get two…
When I was little, I spent my summers in Madras (now Chennai), shuttling between two sets of grandparents and numerous relatives. When I stayed with my paternal grandfather Srinivasan Thatha, there wasn’t much to keep a little girl entertained. Thatha would pull up an old fashioned easy chair to…
Before I get into describing this experience, let me just say that I am mindful that this is a controversial topic. Tiger sanctuaries in Thailand have generated a lot of negative media coverage and much has been said and written about the hazards of removing a wild animal from its…