Ajmer, Budget Travel, Rajasthan

Road trip to Ajmer. Part 1-Discovering something new.

My husband loves browsing Google Maps on his laptop. Hovering like an eagle over the terrain maps he swoops down to check roads, hills, water bodies sometimes making loud exclamatory noises in his excitement at discovering something new. Some noises make me ask, what has he found, other times he himself tells me that so and so place looks exciting, there’s a beautiful lake and … Continue reading Road trip to Ajmer. Part 1-Discovering something new.

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Budget Travel

The land of the tide & the tiger.

The Sundarbans evokes a sense of wonder. One cannot call it pretty or beautiful in the literal sense. Rather, this archipelago covered with mangrove forests is majestic and awe inspiring. The word ‘Sundarbans’ is derived from the forests (ban) of the Sundari mangrove tree which were once abundant but are now rare. Unless one sees it for oneself, the look and the scale of the … Continue reading The land of the tide & the tiger.

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Budget Travel

On the bend of a river sits Taki.

I think it’s a sense of nostalgia, curiosity, loyalty or a sense of loss buried deep in the subconscious of our generation, especially amongst those whose parents immigrated from present Bangladesh, that pushes us to discover our roots. Bhaskar has a hankering to visit Bangladesh but we haven’t been able to visit. Though both of us have nothing to do with Bangladesh, having been born … Continue reading On the bend of a river sits Taki.

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Hawkers, local trains, Performance, Travel

An encounter with master performers, India’s local train vendors

It’s a cool yet bright and sunny November morning and we were headed for Taki. The Sealdah Hashnabad local was right on time and we boarded the train at platform number five. Dum Dum is a junction station, has a dedicated freight track, superfast train track and five platforms unlike the measly two-platform Baghajatin station near my parental home, unfailingly pointed out by Bhaskar. For … Continue reading An encounter with master performers, India’s local train vendors

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Daily commute, Travel

Catching a running train/’Running train dhorlam’

We Bongs have seamlessly integrated and modified multiple phrases and words from the English language.  I’m referring to one phrase in particular which is always gleefully uttered and accompanied by a sense of pride, ‘Aaj running bus dhorlam!’ If one looks into the origin or actual meaning of the phrase it doesn’t make much sense but Bongs still use it. Throughout my school, college and … Continue reading Catching a running train/’Running train dhorlam’

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Budget Travel, Kopi Luwak tasting, Poop-Coffee, Travel

Bali-Bangkok diaries. Part-5

Full of beans in Bali. A visit to a coffee plantation. Tasting ‘poop coffee’ as Morgan Freeman so irreverently put it to Jack Nicholson in the movie, ‘The Bucket List’ all the while laughing till he cried, was right at the top of my bucket list during this trip to Bali. The most expensive coffee in the world, Kopi Luwak coffee or ‘poop coffee’ goes … Continue reading Bali-Bangkok diaries. Part-5

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