Author Archives: Archana
The Taj Mahal: Are words even necessary?
OK maybe a few words. – Agra is a dump. DUMP. See the Taj and get out of there as soon as you can. Except we did meet a cute baby in our hotel. That part was great. – Sunrise was an impeccable time to see the Taj, mostly because it gets painfully hot even … Continue reading
Nawalgarh, Rajasthan: It’s the India you dream of
I think Nawalgarh is the embodiment of what people envision when they think of India. Bright, retina-searing colors, men in turbans, desert landscapes, camels trotting on the road, samosas fried before your eyes — you get the picture. It’s a small city in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, 3.5 hours by bus from Jaipur. Since … Continue reading
The Jaipur top 5, according to Archana & Eaman
Perhaps the best decision we made while traveling was to hire a driver for the day in Jaipur. I had thought Jaipur would be a beautiful, colorful city to get lost in, but Rajasthan’s capital is not the kind of place you walk around. It’s dusty, congested and the city itself is not all that … Continue reading
Beaches, banana chips and fighting with rickshaw drivers in Kannur, Kerala
We had agreed on 150 rupees, and yet there we were, finally at our accommodation, Shoreline Beach Resort, in Kannur, Kerala, arguing with the rickshaw driver, who now demanded 200 rupees. He had gotten majorly lost along the way, and we had a feeling he’d up the price. Once we arrived, he wouldn’t take 150. … Continue reading
Scenes from Mysore’s Devaraja market
We loved the colors, smells and people of Mysore’s Devaraja market so much that we wanted to dedicate a whole post to the photos. If only you could smell those sandalwood incense… Mysore is one of India’s major sandalwood and incense manufacturing centers.
Mysore: Where we learn to appreciate the dichotomy that is India
India is a country of contrasts. The rich, the poor. The schooled, the uneducated. The glamour, the squalor. And as we found out in Mysore, India is also the place of emotional dichotomy, a place where you can experience the lowest lows followed by the highest highs. Mysore gave us our first taste of this. … Continue reading
The realest Hindu temple we ever did meet
After Bangalore, Eaman and I, along with my mom, aunt, uncle and cousin piled into a car to drop us off in Mysore. But before we parted ways, my family took us to a very special place in the temple town of Nanjangud. This is the Srikanteshwara temple, a major pilgrimage site dedicated to Shiva … Continue reading
Eaman turns 29 in Bangalore and we celebrate x3!
My parents and I had been scheming Eaman’s birthday, which would be spent in Bangalore, since we were in Myanmar. Emails were exchanged, venues were called and what they came up with — my parents deserve all the credit — was a food-, game- and family-centric way for him to say hello to 29. The … Continue reading
