Archive for November, 2010

“Taking Planes in India” (To Be Sung Loud and Proud)

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 […]

Checking Off the  Bucket List: The Maldives

Checking Off the Bucket List: The Maldives

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 […]

Going Native: An Ode to the Sub-Continent

Going Native: An Ode to the Sub-Continent

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 – […]

On a Day Well-Spent

On a Day Well-Spent

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 […]

How to Mail a Package in India

How to Mail a Package in India

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 […]

Camel-palooza 2010: The Pushkar Camel Fair

Camel-palooza 2010: The Pushkar Camel Fair

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 […]

Udaipur: The City of Lakes

Udaipur: The City of Lakes

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.

Explosions in the Sky (Or How I Spent Diwali 2010)

Explosions in the Sky (Or How I Spent Diwali 2010)

On the third night of Diwali, the most celebratory eve of the 4-day Hindu holiday, I sat cross-legged on cushions high above the Rajasthani city of Udaipur at the Soul Meet Cafe, taking in the silky black waters of Lake Pichola, and watching as festivities unfolded below and above my […]