Category: Travel
-
Scotland: Beyond Single Malts, Shortbread, and Scarves
“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” Robert Louis Stevenson. My Scotland experience started the minute I hopped onto a taxi outside Edinburgh airport. “The Glasshouse Hotel please,” I told the driver as I settled into the backseat of the cab. “Ach aye,” came the reply. As he started…
-
Dublin – There isn’t much not to like
My flight from Toronto to Dublin is full. As I settle down into my seat, I notice that my co-passengers are predominantly white and middle-aged. It isn’t a typical transatlantic flight where you find an eclectic mix of travelers. Toronto’s multicultural demography ensures that. It does not take long for me to figure out…
-
San Francisco – A City of Parties, Parks, and Protests
The vestiges of the hippie movement are everywhere as I walk down Haight Street in San Francisco. It’s the 41st Haight-Ashbury Street Fair — the annual fair where people come together to remember and celebrate the “Summer of Love.” Pop-up stores peddle psychedelic wear and trinkets to middle-aged tourists who are here to relive the…
-
Budapest – A Fascinating Tale of Two Towns
Budapest is a tale of two towns, Buda and Pest. Looking down at Pest from the Buda side is like old money looking down on the nouveau riche. To its residents, Buda is the classier side of the city. After all, the Buda Castle and many of the city’s attractions such as Fisherman’s Bastion and…
-
Walking Prague – A Food Tour Worth the Money
Prague is a bit like Toronto. Everyone loves hockey and beer. But, the resemblance sort of ends there. Toronto is newish and modern. Everything in Prague is ancient. For instance, the “Old Town” in Prague dates back to the 9th century, and, the “New Town,” in case you are wondering, was established in the year…
-
Havana Beyond Classic Cars, Rum, and Cigars
I will start with a cliché: Time seems to have stood still in Cuba. It is evident on my drive from Havana’s José Martí Airport to Hotel Nacional De Cuba. The typical buildings that you find near an airport — offices of companies that support the airport, hotels that cater to transit passengers — are absent.…
-
When travel and fitness don’t go together
For someone who travels a fair bit, I have never hit the gym at a hotel. Occasionally, I do check out the hotel swimming pool, mostly to grab a beer by the poolside. I am not proud of it. But, the reality is that I have always struggled with balancing travel and fitness routines. Hence…
-
Varanasi – You gotta have faith, faith, faith…
You could say that I am not a believer. No true faith. When it comes to religion and faith, I have always flown under the radar as someone who is “not particularly religious.” Occasionally, God and prayer cross my mind. It’s more of a reflex action — something I picked up growing up in a…
-
Bangkok – When you‘d rather see the temples
“So, what is Bangkok most famous for?” I asked, trying to strike up a conversation with the driver who had picked me up at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The pre-arranged airport-to-hotel transfer was in a sleek Mercedes. It was going to cost me twice as much as a regular taxi. But hey, on this trip…
-
Like a King, at the Lake Palace
I see the lone speedboat snake its way through the lake, its engine almost inaudible. The telltale ripples briefly break the morning calm as I try to jot down some thoughts for my next blog post. The tea that had just been poured for me is steaming hot. I take a tentative sip and look…