Travel Archives | Page 7 of 8 | Branded Bawi's Biography

Culture, Fort Jadhavgadh, Future Theory festival, Music, Travel

Time Travel at the Future Theory Festival

March 2, 2016 1 Comment

I am not much of an EDM fan. I fairly like this genre, but then after a couple of hours of listening to it I begin to miss words. And lyrics. But this weekend at the Future Theory Festival my perception of alternative electronic music was drastically altered. The Future Theory festival held on the 27th and 28th of February, comprising an impressive line up in this genre, promised two days of mind blowing music, and kick ass parties. But what excited me the most was the location – Fort Jadhavgadh – a three hundred year old Maratha fort, now converted into a luxury hotel with sprawling lawns and ancient architecture.

My Future Theory Festival experience was like sitting in a time travel machine that oscillated between a cultural past and a modern future.

Blast From The Past

I’m going to paint a little picture for you here – a lone 300 year old fort perched high on a hill, with a birds eye view of the surrounding greenery and sprawling lawns. A gorgeous, rustic fort with it’s wood design and stone work yet intact, complete with a beautiful museum providing a glimpse into the Maratha way of life back then. Here we experienced a party like no other!

Food, Hyderabad, Travel

Hyderabad Holiday Highlights

January 15, 2016 12 Comments

(I love the use of alliteration in titles. It excites me to no extent.)

My Christmas weekend was fun, albeit different this year. I spent it eating heap loads of biryani, exploring the uncharted territory of Andhra cuisine, standing in lines trying to get into tourist destinations, ogling at the opulent lifestyle of the Nizams, and enjoying the chaotic madness the city of Hyderabad has to offer. Most importantly I spent Christmas weekend spending quality time with my folks. And that’s all that really matters. Here are the highlights from my quick trip to the Nizam’s city –

Random Musings, Travel

My Encounters with Mumbai Rickshaw Walas

December 16, 2015 15 Comments

The most challenging part of my work day is finding an auto rickshaw on Linking road during peak hours, to ply a short distance. I turn from Zenia to Xena – the warrior princess – fighting my way through the swarming traffic, competing with fellow office goers, all so that I can find someone to safely take me home. Sadly my ordeal does not end there.

I seem to have the innate knack of attracting auto drivers that range from the obstinately rude to the downright cheap. An interesting rickshaw ride yesterday inspired me to list down the types of rickshaw walas I encounter on a regular basis, and here goes –

Food, Travel

Will Wander For Food – A Khandeshi Food and Wine Sojourn

November 1, 2015 13 Comments

Do you plan your upcoming vacations around destinations that are known to serve the best food? Do you believe that the best way to understand the culture of a new place is via the regional food favorites? Do you strongly feel that the best souvenirs you can take back home are those of the edible kind? If yes, then Wandering Foodie may be the answer.

Two engineers – Rahul Patil and Vinod Sarma- gave up their boring desk jobs, to combine their love for regional Indian food and travel, resulting in the ingenious Wandering Foodie concept. Currently limited to two destinations in Maharashtra – Nashik and Alibaug – the concept emphasizes on learning more about a place, by travelling there, and tasting traditional local food. Food that is made using traditional methods, by home chefs, and with local produce – it doesn’t get more authentic than this!

Travel

Lanka Diaries: Must Do

June 2, 2015 5 Comments

Here’s my second post of my Lanka Diaries series. I just cannot seem to get over the vacation I had. Hoping you have read the last one featuring the best of Sri Lankan food and where I found it. (Read it here). Lanka is so raw, beautiful, and untapped – it has everything from surly mountains, to bustling cities, to pristine waters, to clear blue skies. It has the potential to become THE next tourist destination. But I sincerely hope it does not. I rather prefer a quiet, less commercial holiday over a fast paced, ‘touristy’ one.

In this post I jot down my ‘Must Do’ recommendations while considering a holiday in the land down south. Remember this does not even cover a fraction of the actual list. This is just a list of the some of the stuff I did there, and enjoyed so much; so I thought I’d share the love. There are only so many hours in a day, after all.

1. Feed a baby elephant at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

A half hour drive from the main city of Kandy in the Central Province lies a quaint little town known for it’s elephants. The elephant orphanage in Pinnawala is known for having the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. Over here you can see daddy, mummy and baby elephants in their natural habitat prancing around, or even bathing in the nearby river. The elephant bathing happens only at a particular time during the day, so make sure you research that beforehand because it is quite an experience. We went during elephant feeding time in the evening, where the grown ups were munching on leaves and branches. The babies on the other hand were being bottle fed (awww). Pay a little extra and get to bottle feed a baby elephant yourself. Don’t forget to touch the little fellow’s wrinkly, tough trunk while you’re at it. Accompanying elephant stalls try and sell elephant rides to you but we didn’t do that. These gentle giants are supposed to be admired from afar, not ridden.

Guaranteed: Maternal instincts towards the little one as you see him gulp his bottle down, and holds your hand with his trunk asking for some more feed.