LIVING A LIFE EXTRAORDINARY
“Madame! Madame!”Their pleading cries (sounding like “Ma-DOM”) greet me like clockwork every morning, within minutes – but more often seconds – after I set foot outside my bungalow door. And more often than not, I smile and shake my still bleary-eyed head, “No, thank you.” First, it’s the fruit vendors. They arrive in Vietnamese style,…
I took out a broom and swept the floors of my beach bungalow in Vietnam yesterday. It was the first time I’d done any real manner of cleaning in 2+ months – the gift, I suppose, of living out of hotels and guesthouses. And yes, I’m still staying at a hotel, but as it happens,…
There I was, dangling upside down, at least 20 stories above the South China Sea at Vinpearl Island Amusement Park, eyes scrunched shut, belly clenched in terror, gripping the metal bars strapped across my chest with what I hoped could be classified as superhuman strength. In those minutes where I was uncertain if I’d make…
Oh, come on. Who can refuse a good Christopher Cross reference when it’s just parked at your Vietnamese doorstep? Post-gorging on street food in Hanoi, a trip to magical Halong Bay was in store. We chartered a trip, met a crew of fabulous Dutch, Germans and Italians and meandered our way among a smattering of…
I have loved Hanoi unexpectedly much. Here’s some pics, most to do with food – because I cannot STOP EATING. Oh lordy it’s good here!
During a severe state of utter travel delirium (Maldives to Hanoi, 5 planes, 24 hours) I was inspired by the hardcore intensity, madness and hilarity of the Indian airport system and in what I’d like to consider an inspired moment, composed the following: (to be sung to the tune of the “Hokey Pokey” because, why…
Years ago, while working as a freelancer, one of my regular gigs involved writing beach reviews for the world’s best stretches of sand and surf. Year after year the Maldives made the list, and with each new stint of research my obsession with seeing what’s widely believed to be the planet’s finest beaches reached crazy…
It started with my “trendy kurta,” and I’m not putting that in quotes to be funny – the receipt from the mall in Darjeeling labeled it as such. I’m happy to report I hadn’t purchased any old kurta – the traditional, long, loose top worn by women across India – I was keen enough to…
There’s a heck of a lot to be said for sitting and watching the sea. And even moreso when the sea is the Arabian, and you’re watching it perched high above on a rocky red cliff in Varkala, India. But seriously, back to the sea. If you stare long enough (say, for 5 days straight,…
Let’s just say you’ve been in India for a few weeks, amassed a bunch of souvenirs for (mostly) yourself and others, and don’t want to lug your new booty around the subcontinent. You head to the post office, with goods in tow. Ask for a shipping box and are met with blank stares. Boxes? Envelopes?…
I found myself under a shiny half moon, in the midst of a desert in Pushkar, India, surrounded on all sides by the shadows of thousands of camel silhouettes and the harrowing braying noises that these funny-looking beasts make when they’re happy, mad, or just going to the bathroom. Smoke from the fires of nomadic…
More aptly, it’s the city I couldn’t stop photographing. STUNNING, in a word. (The city, mind you, not my photography skillz – hehehe). For more of the eye candy, as well as photos from Diwali (the incredible festival of lights) check out my Udaipur Flickr album.