As we drove away from Beirut via Saida, on our way to the port city of Sour (pronounced ‘soor’ and confusingly also known as Tyre) huge flags of Hezbollah and its rival Amal (or Hope) party suddenly sprang up along the sides of the highway, like psychedelic mushrooms competing for real estate. The ratio of …
We were very fortunate to spend our first few nights in Beirut in the warm embrace of my friend’s family home. Our days were filled with laughter which snuck through the language barrier, and with delectable food infused with love. Dreamy platters of fresh fruit – prickly pears, bright red watermelon triangles, white fleshed peaches, little …
I had just spent two nights nestled in Munnar’s tea plantations, where little parcels of caffeinated chlorophyll filled the rolling hills, and non-committal clouds flitted from peak to peak. Though easily the most beautiful place I have seen so far, I was ready to move on to Kochi which held great promise – a reunion …
This may be plainly obvious to many, but it was only a year ago while visiting Helsinki, that I realised just how much a sprinkling of nature amidst a cityscape can enhance my experience of it. No, I’m not about to compare Udaipur to Helsinki, and yes, there are cities like New York which can …
Between the 12th and 17th centuries, the strait of Melaka and the shores of Jawa were swarming with tradesman who went on to pollinate far-away lands with Indonesian spices – some, like nutmeg, literally worth their weight in gold. Trade and the passage of people had of course begun centuries before that. Since the 7th …
The sea wind blew, gently paving the way for a head of salty curls; the crows cawed, only second to the sound of crashing waves; I looked up and saw shredded cotton strewn over the sky, and a dragon fly’s wings glinted in the sunlight. I closed my eyes and called to mind all the …
I left Ooty – so named by the British who couldn’t be bothered to say Udhagamandalam – in a mad rush. I had decided after just one night that her very attractive weather wasn’t enough to keep me interested. I had strained my imagination to picture what Snooty Ooty might have been like in the …