Geography Ka Chashma

        This blog post is dedicated to my friend Chandrakant Shinde (Chandu) . Chandu, you are the one who inspired me, not once, but twice, to take the off-beat path when it comes to the beautiful state of Goa!        Being a resident of Goa, Chandu would often say during our University days, "Whenever people think of Goa, all they can imagine is beaches, babes, and booze. But my Goa is much more than that! We are blessed with nature's bounty! We have dense forests hosting a huge biodiversity, serene villages, a rich history, temples, churches, winding roads leading to nowhere...come explore that once and you will never feel like going to the rowdier parts of Goa."        And explore, we did! I'm sure the list below is going to be on the top of your bucketlist for your next Goa trip!        So here we go! 1. Nature's Nest, Tambdi Surla A cabin in the woods! That's the exact feel you get when you enter this place. Deep inside the jungles of Bhag

Day 2 -        Good morning Dubai! Today, we have a very heavy breakfast (as you generally do when on a foreign trip). You see, most packages include only breakfast. Spending separately on lunch every day can be a bit costly. So what to do? Carry theplas and khakras (Go Gujju!!).        Park Regis (our hotel) serves some amazing variety of breakfast. You have Indian and Continental, veg and non-veg, high-calorie and low-calorie! We got to taste and an amazing variety of cheese from all around the world (my increased flab didn't say a big thank you later on, though!).      Anyway, this morning, we would be picked up by our car (SIC basis) to be driven all around Dubai on a city tour. These pick-ups are all on time. You need a local number to coordinate with the travel agent. Travel Tip No 1: Buy a local SIM card, either DU or Etisalat. You can fill it with the minimum amount of talk time just for the sake of contacting your tour operator. Data connection is not really

Dubai ka Dil Dekho! (Part 1)           The moment you land in Dubai, you are thrilled. The superfast metro that takes you out of the arrival hall to the baggage counters is your first adventure ride! For a first-timer to Dubai, a 'metro-ride' while still being at the airport gives a feeling of finally landing in a 'super-rich country'!          It was pre-dawn. We had taken a late night flight from Mumbai (SpiceJet - mainly as it was one of the cheaper options and secondly we did not want to miss even a single day in Dubai!). After being whisked by our driver speaking fluent Hindi (again, for a first-timer, Hello?? Have I actually landed in another country or no?? Why is my driver speaking Hindi??) or actually a mix of Hindi and Urdu, (most drivers in Dubai are either from Pakistan or Bangladesh), we were dropped at our posh 5* hotel in Al Karama -  Hotel Park Regis Kris Kin, Dubai             Excitement overload! But, we were sleepy and dead tired!