Dark tourism, dark side of tourism, and the age of selfie tourism What would it be like to visit a museum that displays Nazi era lampshades made of human skin? How does it feel to swim in a lake created as a result of nuclear tests by the Soviets in Kazakhstan? Will your body and … Continue reading watchings of idle hours #8 : shades of tourism
Category: Travels
watchings of idle hours #7 : in convalescence
Tourism in Bhutan, a freak accident, and the flower pots in our balcony Bhutan seems to have woken up to the reality of over-tourism without suffering the wisdom of hindsight. Its policy of charging $250 per day for foreign tourists (excluding Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals) is a big put off for the budget adventurers. … Continue reading watchings of idle hours #7 : in convalescence
a meal to remember … and the journey
During High School days, I was an active member of the National Cadet Corps (Army Wing). When volunteers were asked for to attend the annual NCC camp of 1982 to be held at the HAL town of Sunabeda near Koraput, I was one of the first batch of students to register. Early one morning I … Continue reading a meal to remember … and the journey
Amarnath yatra : down memory lane (Part-3)
Amarnath Yatra : down memory lane (Part-1) This year, the form has become formless. But the priest insists we bow. After a glimpse of the void we retrace our path back to the tenth ox. The story of the tenth ox is like this. Some Japanese Buddhist traditions use a series of ten pictures … Continue reading Amarnath yatra : down memory lane (Part-3)
Amarnath yatra : down memory lane (Part-2)
Continued from Part-1 The feeling of non dual consciousnessbecomes a reality as twenty of us huddle together inside a small tent.Some have taken off to their abode of blisswith a fleet of noisy engines waking up every one but themselves - a journey of awakening. Apart from paying to the Pithoo, the other expenses we … Continue reading Amarnath yatra : down memory lane (Part-2)
Amarnath yatra: down memory lane (Part-1)
As I read about the hype created by self styled seculars and unapologetic Islamic leaders about the massive security arrangements done for this year's Amarnath Yatra I am reminded of my own undertaken twenty years back. I was able to undertake this trip thanks to my posting in an Indian Air Force base in Jammu … Continue reading Amarnath yatra: down memory lane (Part-1)
the vikings of our times
There is no waiting list to line up for the last leg of the Mount Everest. The inclement weather sometimes allows a small window of clear sky for a couple of days. Then it is free for all. The peak, that did not see even a single visitor till 1953, is now a place of … Continue reading the vikings of our times
Shree Bhoga & Yoga Nandeeshwaraswamy Temple
If you type your destination as Yoga Nandeeshwaraswamy temple in Google maps you will end up atop the Nandi Hills. We did the same mistake. Just before the climb to Nandi Hills we realised it. Our destination was the Bhoga & Yoga Nandeshwaraswamy temple at village Nandi which is located a few kilometers away from … Continue reading Shree Bhoga & Yoga Nandeeshwaraswamy Temple
surprises on the way – photo essay
Kahin door jab din dhal jae ... Driving from Mangaluru to Murudeshwar on NH - 66 is awesome in it self - provided you ignore the typical bad patches on any Indian Road that is under repair- or not under repair. (In India some roads are perpetually under repair 😀 ). I have travelled on … Continue reading surprises on the way – photo essay
Journey Through Karnataka’s Heritage Sites
For the Christmas vacation of 2015, the initial plan was to go somewhere far away, outside Karnataka. But plan A did not work out somehow. So here was the plan B – why not visit some nearby tourist places of Karnataka that we have been postponing visiting for years. A day before the visit, we … Continue reading Journey Through Karnataka’s Heritage Sites
PEBBLES AND WAVES 