Everything that we see and hear about Jammu & Kashmir on TV creates such a perception about the place that it actually scares us even to think about going there. Such is the case with Srinagar that when I told my friends & family about going there for a workation, the first question was “Is…
The World’s Largest Bird Statue in Kerala, India !!
I’ve seen the Statue of Liberty (New York), Christ the Redeemer (Brazil), Shivagiri Statue (Bijapur India), Adiyogi (Coimbatore, India), Little Mermaid (Denmark), Ballet Dancer (Montenegro), Catherine the Great (Russia) and many many more. While all of them gave me goosebumps of sorts at their first view, the statue of Jatayu in Kollam Kerala took this…
Fulidhoo – A Quaint Island in Maldives like no other !!
I’ve been to many islands around the world including some of the best like Treasure Island (Fiji), Aitutaki (Cook Islands), Bali (Indonesia), Caye Caulker (Belize), San Blas (Panama) and many many more. But none of them came close to the outer islands of Maldives. And out of these, Fulidhoo is one such island in the…
Malé, Capital of one of the Prettiest Countries on the Planet – Maldives
After spending a month in the cold & snowy mountains of Kashmir, I was thinking about where to head for my next working holiday. Considering it was going to be April, anywhere in India was going to be hot due to the summer. And due to those reasons, I wanted to hit the coastline. By…
Ooty -The Queen of Hills: Another destination another Workcation !!
Udagamandalam or better known as Ooty, also known as the Queen of Hills !! A place that was on my mind for a very long time right from the school days to the college days but never made the plan to go to. Finally after being in India for over 18 months and ticking off…
The Mesmerizing Drung Waterfalls in Kashmir
Ever heard of a frozen waterfall in India? I know the Niagara Falls is world famous for that fact that during harsh winters, even a gigantic waterbody such as Niagara can freeze like a rock. Now imagine something like that on a smaller scale right here in India. I came across this amazing place on…
South India’s City of Palaces – Mysore !
Who hasn’t heard of the Mysore Palace or the Mysore Zoo or the Mysore Dusserah? For most South Indians, if not all, these are places/events of interest that they would’ve grown up hearing about and/or experiencing it. For a lot of Bangaloreans, Mysore was like a summer holiday destination almost every school holiday season. The…
Bijapur – The City of Victory !!
Now when you hear someone’s travelling in India, you don’t think they’d be heading to Bijapur (now known as Vijayapura) as a tourist destination, do you? Yes the city has numerous monuments & works of art from over 500years ago and yes the city has the world famous Gol Gumbaz, a monument that was built…
Gol Gumbaz – Karnataka’s Monument Magnifique !!!
Now I’d only ever heard of Gol Gumbaz in my history books during my primary school days. Yes it was a famous monument, yes it was huge in size, yes it was somewhere in North Karnataka. But it was not until I entered the monument premises, that I felt whatever I read about and knew…
The Mesmerizing Cave Temples of Badami
Wow ! Wow ! Wow ! The Cave Temples of Badami deserve more praise and admiration than any words can describe. From the moment you start climbing those first flight of stairs, everything is surely going to wow you like nothing before. The red sand stone in which the caves are carved, almost takes you…
2500kms of running in 2021 !!
Now I don’t know if it is called over doing or just stacking up numbers for the fun of it. But for someone who picked up regular running for strange reasons, a li’l over a year ago, I just completed 2500kms this current calendar year 2021. This roughly equates to 59 full marathons in the…
My Pondi Workcation !
So !! For the last 6 months or so after my 2000km remote working road trip along the Konkan Coast, I’d been waiting to hit the road again to work remotely again. But for the last few months due to a few things that kept me occupied I had to wait it out. One after…
I Ran 10kms Everyday For 30 Consecutive Days !!
No sooner did I complete the May milestone, than the #30Days300kms thought hit my head during that one day break that I had in between. In my head I wanted to see the cool bar graph that showed a consistent line every single day and that was my motivation. Unless I was a graphic designer or programming nerd who could either create the graph or modify the data, I couldn’t see that neat looking graph without achieving it by physically running every single day. And this meant once I started I couldn’t look back until completion. This formed the basis of my motivation in taking up the lofty challenge…
My First Time in the City that Never Sleeps !!
Now whenever anyone lands in the most busiest cities on the planet for the first time and make their way into the downtown, they are sure to go “Oh my God !!! It’s THE New York City !!!”. All the stereotype about NYC flashes in their minds straight away. Manhattan is a concrete jungle with…
Belum Caves – Andhra Tourism’s Feather in the Cap !!
How cool is it to wander for hours together in the caves that are subterranean, caves that are a part of the longest cave system open to public in all of India?? These underground caves are nearly 100ft below the ground level and the minute you walk down the stairs at the entrance, you’ll be…
HAMPI- South India’s Most Popular UNESCO World Heritage Site
After having travelled to various UNESCO world heritage sites around the world including Iguazu Falls in Argentina, Machu Pichu in Peru, Tikal National Park in Guatemala, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Bryce Canyons in USA, Fiordland National Park in New Zealand, Botanic Gardens in Singapore and many many more, little did I know that I was…
Yana – Karnataka’s Jewel in the Crown
Yana, apparently the second cleanest village in India after Mawlynnong in Meghalaya, is also supposedly one of the wettest villages on the planet. It wasn’t a part of my plan during my 1500km coastal drive in the state of Karnataka earlier in April (2021) but a last minute change of plan meant Yana made it…
Madhugiri Fort Hike – An Incredible Experience !!
After having been to around half a dozen hills and/or forts perched atop, within the 150kms radius of Bangalore I was beginning to get saturated. It was almost the same thing all over again and the excitement was slowly dying with each hike. The last amazing hike that I thoroughly enjoyed was the Dudhsagar Falls…
Gandikota – The Grand Canyon of India
Now how many of you have been in India for most of your lives, if not all of it, and have heard of a place called Gandikota. I bet not a lot right? Atleast I’ve an excuse of not having lived in India for the last couple of decades but anyone residing here has no…
Dudhsagar Falls – India’s Best Kept Secret
A waterfalls that is regarded as one of India’s most beautiful body of falling water. A waterfall that is easily the highest falls in South India falling from a height of 1000+ feet in 4 tiers and in the top 5 highest waterfalls in the country. And probably the only waterfalls in the country this…
Melukote – A Photographer’s Delight !!
So for the last 5-6 weeks I have when it was deemed safe to venture out within the city and the state, I decided to explore places in & around a 200km radius from Bangalore. While a few places made me reminisce the nostalgia from my childhood, this one place called Melukote was a spot…
Channarayana Durga – Was it a memorable experience or my worst nightmare?
After being in lockdown across 3 different continents and finally being able to repatriate myself to be with the family did come with it’s downs as well. My final port of destination was Bangalore and it was in India that the virus was yet to hit its peak. No sooner did I land in the…
An Epic “Around the World” Trip just before COVID took over…
Sometime mid 2019 as my employment contract was coming to an end I was prepping to go on a month long getaway to Japan, Taiwan & South Korea. However a few weeks before I could take off, my contract extended by another six months through to end the of the year meaning I had to…
On the World’s Largest Repatriation Exercise !!
On 11 July 2020, I arrived from London Heathrow to Bangalore India on an Air India flight AI112. It was a repatriation flight that was a part of the Vande Bharat Mission, an evacuation exercise of ginormous size by the Indian government to bring back its citizens from all over the world. At the time…
Could this be the New Way of Air Travel from now on?
16 MAR 2020 – I arrive into Marrakech Menara International Airport from Gatwick, UK on a British Airways flight BA 2666. Just a couple of days prior to that I had caught up with a couple of friends for a drink or two at a local pub in Bromley, London. A day before I got…
Hiking a volcano in Santa Ana, El Salvador !!!
To begin with I wasn’t planning to hike at all. Having arrived into San Salvador just the previous night I had picked up a conversation with a Japanese traveller who happened to have been on the same bus as me, from Guatemala City. Over a beer at the hostel she mentioned about going to Santa…
Cliff Diving at Tamanique Waterfalls in El Salvador
When I arrived into San Salvador, I had absolutely no plans and thought I’d just use it as a pit stop for a couple of days, relax a bit and hit the road again making my journey southwards to Costa Rica. However that didn’t happen at all because of this wonderful traveller from Japan that…
Why I think Travelling will never be the same again?
The current pandemic is still on the go and while the world’s focus is on finding solution for the disease along with finding ways to contain the spread, the real elephant in the room is to deal with the ripple on effect this has had on the global economy. It has affected almost all the…
Is Travelling the same as Holidaying? If not, how is it any different?
I was pleasantly surprised when a few of my friends didn’t know what the difference between travelling and holidaying is. Every time I finished a conversation or chat with them they’d go “Alright, enjoy your holidays then”. In response when I say that I’m travelling and am not on a holiday they were like “Oh…
Machu Picchu – The Experience of a Lifetime
Machu Picchu – The name every single traveller in the world, yearns to either go toe or add it to their list of travels to cross it off at some stage. The name that makes every hiker in the world want to do the 4 day Inca Trail before reaching the mountain of the Lost…
Iguazú Falls – A Natural Wonder of the world, hidden right in the heart of South America !!
Sometimes all of us at some point when watering our gardens or washing our cars, we forget to turn off the hose pipe and the water keeps flowing away. Now imagine you were washing your car on the terrace of your house (somehow) and you had at least a 100 hose pipes that were forgotten…
Canyon Adventures in Utah & Arizona
Have you seen that windows wallpaper which showed a bright orange cave like structure with all those gorgeous gradients and lines making their cut thru the rocks? I always wondered where that place was when that wallpaper was released with windows 2000. Over the years I did find out that was in Antelope Canyon in…
How Cool is it to Volcano Board | This one in Leon, Nicaragua
Whoever would think that an activity like volcano boarding exists ha? I didn’t know about it at all until one day during my research of Central America and the stuff to do in the region. All i knew is that I wanted to pass through all 7 countries and check out a few places along…
Cuba !! A beautiful country disconnected from the world
Whenever you hear about Cuba or Havana the first thing that comes into your head is the Cuban Mafia, Cuban Salsa or the Havana Rum correct? Whatever the media shows us gets into our head so much that we build a perception about the place, good or bad. When I boarded my flight from Miami…
The Magic of Tikal, Guatemala !!!
The national park of Tikal situated in northern Guatemala is extremely magical to say the least. While I was in two minds about going to this place a friend of mine convinced that I should not miss it. And I did not. It certainly was one of the top highlights of my Central American journey…
A weekend in Vancouver
Vancouver was never on the cards for this epic trip of mine. Cuz a country the size of Canada, the second largest country in the world, needs more than just two days to explore. Anyway given I had a friend who had recently moved recently to this city, when I mentioned about my plans, suggested…
Top 20 (Part 2) MUST SEE/DO in New Zealand as a Traveller (not Tourist)
With the first Top 20 list receiving some great responses and a lot of recommendations, I knew I wasn’t too far away from compiling the Part 2 of this list, considering how unbelievably amazing our Aotearoa is ! While some from the list below were already mentioned in the “honorary list” in Part 1, the…
My Top 21 MUST SEE/DO in New Zealand as a Traveller (not a Tourist)
Now when anyone wants to visit New Zealand or anyone who has just moved to the country and wants to go ’see’ places they usually look up online, check Tripadvisor, go to iSites or check with their friends or family to find out where they can go etc. And most of these would end up…
Retiring a Sporting Team after 19 Seasons !! Not easy !!
Being a part of any team activity be it work related or sports, in itself is a great experience. But to lead one from the front and for an extended period of time is a different feeling altogether. Thanks to a bunch of boys that I teamed up at my workplace back in 2012, I was able to lead the team…
Kayaking the Incredible Doubtful Sounds in Fiordland, New Zealand !!
If you ever want to know, feel and experience what it is to be in heaven, literally, then you have to make your way to Doubtful Sounds in the Fiordland National Park region of South Island, New Zealand. Having been to all parts of New Zealand so far, well almost all, I can with-hands-on-my-heart say…
Driving to NZ’s Northern Most Point – Cape Reinga
A few weeks ago I was at the southern most point of New Zealand’s South Island at Slope Point in Catlins region of Southland. A couple of weeks later I made it to the geographical centre of New Zealand at Nelson, which I didn’t know was a significant spot until I got there. So last…
Pacific Coast Highway !! Is this NZ’s most beautiful drive ever??
After driving all across both the North and South Islands of New Zealand, I can honestly say that nothing has been more satisfying than driving in the Bay of Plenty & Gisborne region compared to most other parts of the country. With the Pacific Ocean on one side and the lush green hills on the other, it’s an…
Rere Falls – What is it? Where is it?
Usually when you hear about any waterfall in any region, you kind of somehow know about it. And when it is something as beautiful as the Rere Falls, then you’d definitely know about it. Or so you would think, right ?? Rere Falls is probably the most famous and most gorgeous waterfalls in the Gisborne region that not many people…
At The World’s First Sunrise
Given I have almost covered all extreme corners of the country, though I never planned for it, I ended up at East Cape last weekend and this happens to be the Eastern most point of New Zealand, the spot that literally sees the first sun rise in the world. By no means this sunrise is any different to…
Kerikeri – A town full of Waterfalls
Now which city in the world have you been to, that has half a dozen waterfalls all within a radius of under 3kms from the town centre? I certainly hadn’t been to or heard of one until I made it into the town of Kerikeri, in the Bay of Islands. And these falls aren’t like the half ass…
Driving at Sea Level… Literally !!!
90 Mile Beach !! Haven’t we all heard about this place in New Zealand? I really wondered how long of a beach it must be to have been named liked that. So this morning while I was in Kaitaia I was in two minds of going there; the beach which literally starts from north of Kaitaia and ends all the…
A Slow but Awesome Revamp of the Garden City !!
It was just past mid day on the 22nd Feb 2011, when the earth below Canterbury region shook so violently that it turned out to be the most devastating earthquakes in New Zealand’s recent history killing about 185 people and doing a damage estimated about NZ$11 billion dollars. Most people at the time were either away at work, school…
Akaroa?? What’s that?? Where’s that??
Akaroa !!! Akaroa ??? Now how many of you have actually heard about this town at all. You may have been living in New Zealand for a long time and at some stage even move out of the country without even hearing about this place. And I won’t be surprised if that was the case….
Khandallah in New Zealand ?? Yes it’s here and am not kidding !!
Khandallah – When you hear this word, can you think of what comes to your mind? If you are a Bollywood fan then it would be Immediately Amir Khan’s hit song “Aati Kya Khandala?” from the movie Ghulam correct? And probably, with a reference to the hill station in the Western Ghats in the state of Maharashtra. And then…
A Montenegrin Father’s Day to Remember for Life !!
Well well here’s kicking off September with a nostalgic experience from exactly the same day, an year ago. Ah ! not the exact date per se but this was from Father’s Day 2018. Today being Father’s Day in New Zealand, it’s very apt that I posted this on the day about something that left a…
Akil Writes... 