Category: Asia

  • Agonda

    I have to admit, the Agonda vacation was more an “Ok, fine!” reaction to pandemic peer pressure. Having said that, seeing a place after 13 years does evoke a range of emotions!

    In fact, Goa is a bundle of memories anyway! Our first visit was in 1997 – a college trip, and we were in Miramar when we heard that Princess Diana had died. I didn’t know then that this would be my home for two years at the dawn of the millennium. Our first vacation after marriage was Goa again, and we dropped in annually for three years from 2006, until we dropped it from our travel list altogether. And then it was 2021, and the world had changed!

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  • Look, Druk! Part Three

    Continued from Thimphu and Punakha

    Part 3: Paro

    After a breakfast that included a masala omelette and an aloo paratha, we set off for Paro. While on the latter dish and food in general, from what I understand folks in Bhutan don’t really like roti. They’re pretty happy to eat rice all day, happily acknowledging their tummy growth while at it. In many restaurants, rotis are for Indian tourists. Also, Buddha and non veg co-exist in Bhutan, and apparently the king is a non-vegetarian too. But then again, as per Theravada, the Buddha had no qualms about followers eating pork, chicken etc so long as the animal wasn’t killed specifically for them. In fact, they couldn’t refuse it if offered as alms since it would arouse the thought of ‘self’.

    Meanwhile, the journey to Paro was the same route from the day before, barely bypassing Thimphu city. That made the journey almost a 2 hour one. We passed the airport, which we realised was a reasonably risky one to land at, given the proximity of the buildings. The Paro dzong was on the outskirts of the town and Sonam assured us that our hotel would give us a great view.

    Lunch was once again a place Sonam and we agreed on – My Kind of Place. A contemporary cafe that had gotten rave reviews online. Comfortable and stylish seating and a nice view of the main road below. Here’s the thing – this would be an expected standard in say, Bangalore, but not so common in Bhutan. In that sense, we felt that Paro was more creature-comfort friendly than Thimphu.

    Unfortunately, they didn’t have Hoentay (momo) that day, so we tried the noodle soup. Beef for me, and chicken for D. Pho like, both were excellent. Their Suja (butter tea) was also the best I had tasted thus far. We got the place to ourselves until the end when a party of moms and kids landed. From their behaviour, we stereotyped them as local posh moms, but they talked about paying in dollars that took that hypothesis for a spin!

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  • Look, Druk! Part Two

    Continued from Thimphu

    Part 2: Punakha

    We had to make an early start as we wanted to get to Punakha by lunch. Early during vacation is around 8AM. The journey time itself isn’t much – between 2 to 2.5 hours, but we had a few things to finish off before that. The first stop was Dochula, about 40 minutes from Thimphu. Thimphu is at an elevation of about 2300 m, and Dochula is 800 m higher, and quite colder. On clear days, it is possible to see the Eastern Himalayas, and specifically Gangkhar Puensum, Bhutan’s highest peak. Clear days are a rarity though, to the extent that even Sonam (our guide) hadn’t seen the peaks. The 108 stupas there are themselves worth the visit though, and the mist and the sun playing hide and seek also offer some excellent views. The Druk Wangyal Lhakhang temple is there as well, though we didn’t visit.

    For most people though, the cafe and its loo (not usable unless you’re a customer, and a rule that is more often than not broken) are important points in the journey!

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  • Look, Druk! Part One

    Bhutan was always a when, and never an if. And our program management now is such that we are fairly clear of the when-where for the next 3 years, assuming life doesn’t throw tantrums. We also realised that what gets lost in us planning everything down to the last detail are the aha moments. So now, we figure out the broad things to do and let tour operators do the rest. This also ensures that there’s just the right amount of time to relax, and actually vacation! Have to wonder if age is catching up! Anyway

    Part 1: Thimphu via Kolkata

    My last trip to Kolkata had been 18 years ago. Our only interactions after that have been restricted to the airport, which is probably my least favourite among all that I have visited. But Kolkata I have had a fascination for. I have admired the way in which its populace has held on to traditions, and I have loved the history it contains. I don’t think any other city has these many functional Ambassadors!

    Based on suggestions from our friend P, we had decided to dine at Aaheli, and chose to stay at Kenilworth. Small, but elegant and functionally adequate rooms, and very courteous staff.

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  • A Kerala Holi Day!

    This wasn’t really a planned holiday, but thanks to my AmEx card, we had a Taj voucher to use. That sum being reasonably insignificant in the Taj scheme of things, we wanted to limit the amount we spent for a ‘free voucher’, and that was how Kovalam was chosen as a destination. That, and a chance to see relatives we hadn’t met in over a decade! In line with our miserly approach to this trip, we decided to get there by train. Through some excellent inattention to detail, we ended up in a 2nd Class Sleeper and not the A/C ‘Garib Rath’. It had been a while since we made a summer train journey, and the lack of practice showed! Meanwhile, train journeys are an excellent discovery process – of towns one never knew existed – and this one was no exception. But to cut a long story short, Kerala in the morning was quite a welcome sight!

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