Adventures on a foggy morning
A foggy morning is so full of possibilities… there is intrigue literally hanging from every square inch around you. The entire world seems so far away despite being where it always has been. Even familiar objects loom large suddenly and the suddenness makes your imagination run amuck… and you see witches in trees and dragons...
PicTale 012 – What you see is never the truth… in Delhi
‘Which side is Naurang House,’ I asked when I was somewhere on KG Marg in Delhi. He immediately waved to his right and confidently said, ‘Just 10 minutes in this direction.’ As he walked away I happened to look straight across the road and saw the place I was searching for… and all I...
PicTale 011 – Dissection of a racing car
I flew down to Coimbatore in December 2012 to drive with Narain. Yes, Narain Karthikeyan, the legendary Formula 1 driver from India. I was right next to him as he drove his twin seater at a mind-blowing… oops, body-blowing 260 kmph for full five rounds of the racing circuit there on the outskirts of...
Pic Tale 008 – Lama Cricket
People call cricket a ‘junoon’, an obsession… but if you feel this is limited to just watching the IPL every day for weeks, you need see the young Lamas play this game. I stood there in biting cold outside the Pin Valley Monastery, mesmerised by the young Lamas playing this game. They had lit...
The mathematics of travel
Travel is all about happiness… and happiness is all about togetherness. To be travelling alone doesn’t deprive you of the experiences and impressions of the place where you are, but you always feel there was something missing in all these smiles that you gave while being clicked, or something incomplete in the way you described...
PicTale 007 – Fifty-fifty
This picture is of the Kungri Gompa in Pin Valley in the Spiti region and was clicked when we were there in October 2012. It was cold… very cold… and we were here on our way from Dhankar and going to Demul. We’d be at 15000 ft soon and the rarefied air was making...
In Coimbatore with Narain Karthikeyan. A great drive – entry for Michelin Pilot Experience by Arvind Passey
A Great Drive – entry for Michelin Pilot Experience by Arvind Passey We were waiting for Narain to come. Narain Karthikeyan, the legendary Formula 1 driver from India. I had flown in from a cold Delhi to a warm Coimbatore in December and loved the tepid sun though I felt better in the shade...
Everything is So Delhi here…
‘There is yet another get together planned in Smoke House Deli,’ I told Specky, ‘but we will need to register and they will choose only a few to attend it.’ It’s so Delhi,’ she said. ‘How did you know?’ I asked. ‘What?’ ‘This conversation is So Delhi,’ I remarked, laughing, and then told her that...
Searching for roads in the sand dunes
Searching for roads in the sand dunes A great drive – entry for Michelin Pilot Experience by Arvind Passey ‘The great escape,’ I heard someone say, ‘is like searching for roads in the sand dunes.’ I thought for a while, turned to him, and asked, ‘Roads in the dunes?’ he was one of the rally...
Yeahabsolutely!
‘How was the trip from Kaza to Tabo and then to Dhankar?’ asked our guide. ‘Unforgettable!’ said Specky and then looked towards me for my opinion. I said, ‘Yeahabsolutely!’ Since that day we call every fantastic trip or unforgettable moment a ‘yeahabsolute’ moment! The trip actually began at Manali and took us to the dizzying...
Twelve hours away from insanity
‘My college routine is making me insane. I need a break,’ said Specky. This one simple sentence led us into the heart of Spiti that we fondly remember now as being twelve hours away from insanity! Yes, we did a fair degree of research before we decided on Kaza as the place which would quite...
Nine metres deep into the Andaman Sea
There are incredible stories, incredible moments, incredible personalities, incredible actions, and even incredible experiences! I remember the first time I boarded an airplane, I was overwhelmed and I had said to myself: ‘This is incredible!’ Flying is no longer ‘incredible’… but I still find the lift-off not just incredible but a super sensual experience. However,...
