The Sound of a Wheeled Suitcase on Cobbles
An honest reckoning with over-tourism in Andalusia – the residents' protests, the livelihoods it feeds, and the discomfort of being part of it.
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ArchiMate: Friend or Foe?
Is ArchiMate really used beyond the Netherlands? Does it deliver the traceability and code generation it promised? A skeptic's verdict: respected, not loved.
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Swoop!
An evening break from exam prep turns into a rare close encounter – a Eurasian sparrowhawk lands metres away to eat its kill in my Amsterdam garden. A hawk, a dove, and goosebumps.
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Ronda and Setenil – a Christmas Day escape
Two of Andalusia's off-beat yet dramatic towns in a day: Ronda's gorge-spanning Puente Nuevo and white cliffs, and Setenil, its streets tucked under the rock.
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Great start but lame ending
Groosham Grange (Groosham Grange 1) by Anthony Horowitz
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Inconsistent world-building, all characters speak with American idioms
Rebels of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
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Michael - a brilliant sketch of the boy-man
Movie on IMDB
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Michelangelo
How could I have not catalogued Michelangelo? Re-reading my Italy by train series reminded me of my intense admiration for him.
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Sinhagad, the anchor trek (Pune Region)
We went up Sinhagad countless times. Being the closest non-trivial trek to Pune city, it was the go-to trek, not only for us, but for the whole Puneri trekking …
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Trek the Sahyadris
From a 1993 internship in Pune to a lifetime love of the Sahyadris – the Western Ghats that ring the city. Treks in all seasons, all weathers, with an inner circle of friends who had rules, standards, and strong opinions about what counted as a real trek.
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Epilogue (Mar 2026)
Mar 2026
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Wuthering Heights (2026)
Movie on IMDB
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Málaga – the trip exhales by the sea
The final stop on a Moorish Andalusia rail trip – the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro, the Roman theater, the cathedral's stained glass, and New Year's Eve by the sea.
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When a Food Culture Doesn’t Want You
Eating vegetarian across Andalusia: why Spain's protein-first food culture left me hungry – and the few things it gets gloriously right.
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Granada – a city I'd already visited in my head
Granada, imagined long before I arrived – the Generalife gardens, the white Albaicín, snow on the Sierra Nevada, and a flamenco night that surprised me.
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Seville – exuberance, and a quiet refusal
Four winter days in Seville – the Royal Alcázar, Plaza de España, the Giralda and Las Setas – and one traveller's quiet refusal of the bullfight.
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Córdoba – where the idea becomes a building
A reflective day and a half in Córdoba, where the Mezquita-Cathedral – a cathedral built inside a mosque – makes Andalusia's layered history visible.
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Impressions of Moorish Andalusia
Two unhurried winter weeks by rail through Moorish Andalusia – Valencia, Córdoba, Seville, Granada and Málaga – tracing its Roman, Moorish and Catholic layers.
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Valencia - a soft beginning
A relaxed day and a half in winter Valencia – Plaza del Carmen, the Turia Gardens, the cathedral and the City of Arts – opening a Moorish Andalusia rail trip.
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Day 4: Dodi Tal - Dharwa Pass (~4000 m)
5 Nov 2025
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Day 5: Dodi Tal - Agoda (2200 m)
6 Nov 2025
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Day 3: Manjhi – Dodi Tal (3050 m)
4 Nov 2025
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Day 6: Agoda - Dehradun - Delhi - Amsterdam
7 Nov 2025
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Day 2: Agoda (2200 m) - Manjhi (2900 m)
3 Nov 2025
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Day 1: Dehradun - Agoda (2200 m)
2 Nov 2025
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Tonglu - May 2025
We hadn't planned this trek — Sandakphu quotes made us wince, so we winged it in Darjeeling instead. Two hours, 600 metres up through moss-draped ghost trees and cloud cover, Kanchenjunga somewhere behind it all. Hot daal-chawal at the top. Rain on the way down, as predicted.
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Sidrapong Hydro-electric Project
Our Tonglu trek guide Satya wanted to show us the Sidrapong hydro-electric project not far from Darjeeling. Its claim to fame is that it is the first one in …
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Enkhuizen - Apr 2025
Enkhuizen has been one of my favorite places to take guests to in the Netherlands, but never visited with B – this was the occasion to fix that. My fourth …
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Eifel National Park, Rursee Lake
An Easter long weekend at Rursee lake in Eifel NP, Germany. 3 hrs from Amsterdam. A 15-km hike that ended in getting lost, and B felled by a lung infection, coffee-smuggling priests, and a solo castle detour in a hailstorm.
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Salvador Dali
From back in 1990 P and I have had a major fascination for Dali. We used to drool at Dali's surrealistic paintings seen at BITS - can't remember how we came …
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Chiura Obata
Discovered this Japanese-American artist accidentally when browsing for 2020 calendars in American Book Center, Amsterdam!
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Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art, also one of my personal favorites. Though he died young (committed …
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Van Gogh Museum Visit
Like a true Dutchie, B wants to ensure full "paisa-vasool" (loosely translated as best value for money) of his museum year card. So we plan a few museum visits …
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Fall 2023
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References & Useful Links
Why you should visit Dubrovnik in Winter
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Day 6 - An unplanned day of fun!
We decide that this, our last day in Dubrovnik, we shall spend unhurriedly wandering in the Old Town, seeing some museums on our checklist. But first, I want …
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Day 5 - Public transport, Red Museum, Babin Kuk
When we go places, I am slightly obsessed with experiencing the public transport there. So far in Dubrovnik, we got there by taxi from the airport, walked …
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Day 4 - Excursion to Kravica Falls and Mostar
A day trip from Dubrovnik into Bosnia to see two main attractions: Kravica waterfalls and Mostar. Went via Ston, a picturesque little Croatian town and over the new Chinese-built bridge.
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Day 3 - Fort Lovrijenac (St. Lawrence)
Having got milk for coffee in our grocery shopping yesterday, I have a morning routine now. The apartment had a coffee maker and proper (not instant) coffee, …
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Day 2 - The historic wall of Dubrovnik
Early in the day, we step out to the grocery store (the main chain is called Konsum market here) to get some supplies. Usually on our travels, we stay at …
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Day 1 - Dubrovnik Old Town, Winter Festival
We fly on New Year's Day, 2023. Less crowds, smooth flights even with a layover. A layover, I am surprised to learn, is a rare and slightly anxiety-inducing …
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Dubrovnik - a winter break
1st - 7th Jan, 2023
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M.C. Escher
Another Dutch artist I am fascinated by is Escher. Escher House/ Palace is a lovely collection of his works in De Hague, an hour's train ride away. Have been …
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Mini's World
My first book, Mini's World, is in print! Okay, just a custom print of a family edition, not published in any store. But print, all the same!
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Snapdragon: is this art?
It all started with my dislike for grey. Green-grey, silver-grey, insipid grey.
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Celebrating artists around me
A place to keep track of my favorites among lesser known artists, and friends and family who dabble in art
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My art heroes
My permanent art fascinations — the painters and printmakers whose work I return to, write about, and occasionally drag people across cities to see.
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Helikonia??
A weekend away, a timeout within a timeout. Magical and golden despite the grey skies and rain.
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The Notre Dame is gone. 16 Apr 2019
Shocked and saddened that the Notre Dame has burned down...
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Reunion - Jai's story
-- Jai Natarajan, 3 Feb 2019
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Pilani: Aarti, Mandir
23rd Nov 2018 – Day 3
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Afterword: Your word bytes
Here is a collection of quotes from all of you who shared your thoughts over whatsapp, in the days following the reunion.
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The Magic Beckons Again
Nov 2018
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Leaving Pilani
25th Nov 2018 – Day 5
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Pilani Campus: Sky, Insti, Music Nite
24th Nov 2018 – Day 4
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Westin Sohna: Arrival
22<sup>nd</sup> Nov 2018
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Westin Sohna: Evening Festivities
22nd Nov 2018 – Day 2
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2018 Nov: Winter
On this cold snowy day I am sitting comfortably on my couch, consolidating my different older blogs. Love the quiet after it has just finished snowing, …
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Light Festival, Amsterdam
The theme this year was Disrupt - here you can see the official exhibition info online: https://amsterdamlightfestival.com/en/edition-8
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'89 Batch Reunion: Prelude
BITS Pilani. The place that means so much, that influenced me in my young, impressionable years. As it did with every single student that passed through its …
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Brilliantly written, great story of winning against all odds
The Outcasts: Brotherband Chronicles, Book 1 (The Brotherband Chronicles) by John Flannagan
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Phantom in the raft
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Contrived, shallow, not particularly funny
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
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Secret race
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Lovely period romance
A Gentleman Always Remembers (Willowmere) by Candace Camp
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Unbelievable and insipid
Call me wild (romance novel) by Robin Kaye
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Generic common-sense wrapped into new buzz words
The Lean Startup by Eric Reis
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Delightful children's book with awesome illustrations
Rahi and the Maya Jaal by Rohit Nayak
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Green Schipol Story
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Press coverage for my art
While living in Pune, I had worked up the network to present my art at two local exhibitions. A promising start at that time, but then I moved to Amsterdam, …
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Dragon Breath
The dragon breathes… his breath comes out in a white mist that spreads low across Kasterleepark… and makes a criss-cross pattern of icy rime on the glass …
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november rain
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The here and now
it was a sunny afternoon, with a cool breeze blowing. i've been wanting to take photos along my bike route. finally today all the prerequisites fell in place …
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A Spanish siesta
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Mostly Harmless
A common friend introduced us over email. His name was Dan. I was new in Amsterdam, and the common friend figured since Dan was new here too, we should get …
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Sheep with Guns
Found showcased in Weesperplein (a Metro station) in Amsterdam: A sheepish answer to Tom Lehrer's "Cows with guns" (animated you-tube video)
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Sswish, sswash
a cat in controlled fury: cold green eyes, unblinking tail in precise motion, she bides her time waiting, watching - swish swash.
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A hitchhiking guide to the nomadic spirit
From Heaven Lake by Vikram Seth
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Brilliant dialog, profound yet light, excellent murder mystery plot
Oscar Wilde and the candlelight murders by Gyles Brandreth
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Completing the Suit
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The Pink and Purple Parade
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The Oranje Crowd
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The oranje graffiti cupboard
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Decent book, but too much irrelevant details
Annapurna a woman's place by Arlene Blum
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Beyond the ken of mortal men, beneath the wind and waves...
The Sign of the Sea-Horse by Graeme Base
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Heavy-duty on mountaineering as well as emotions
Everest: Expedition to the ultimate by Reinhold Messner
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Quaint yet steamy medieval romance novel
Ransom My Heart by Meg Cabot
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The petrified millipede
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Gracias a la Viva!
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Light hearted fun and romance
The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot
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Sudhagad (Lonavla Region)
26th Dec 2009
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Vichitragad (Pune Region)
5th Dec 2009
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Poetic, takes you to a different world!
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
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Window into early nineteenth century England
Bride of Science: Romance, Reason, and Byron's Daughter by Benjamin Woolley
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Disappointing email-format chick-lit
Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot
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Mind Game or Footwork?
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Goa in the rains - Sep 2009
"Goa in the rains" has been this concept in my mind and Ashok's for over a year. Finally made it this year, at the tail-end of the monsoon - 4 days at the end …
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Murphy's Day
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Very well written modern chick-lit
Playground Mafia by Sarah Tucker
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Disappointing, no attention to detail
Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer
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A "different" kind of detective novel, alright!
Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
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Gripping narration: you feel the terror and the pain and the heroism as if you were there
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
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Imaginative, eloquent – a flowing, easy read for kids and adults alike
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
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Good, positive publicity for the subject, but too narrow and repetitive
Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage by Jenny Block
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A very personal quest – eloquent, non-judgmental, moving
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
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Copper Sulphate Blue
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Dreams of Rock
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Korigad (Lonavla Region)
1st Aug 2009
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Poignant, wistful, evocative
Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
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Pretentious
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
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"Spiritual" outpourings of a self-proclaimed agnostic – could have been shorter
Limping to the Centre of the World by Timeri Murari
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Excellent cough syrup... er.. tonic for when you're down in the dumps!
Girl Alone by Rupa Gulab
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Praise for "The Reader"
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Kumaon Trip, May 2009
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No Place To Hide
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Visapur (Lonavla Region)
13th Jun 2009
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The Orange Skier
The orange headed one Goes skiing, A whizz of color, He starts off lazily downhill, Gathering speed as he goes, Lithe and graceful, Zooming down the slope, A …
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Bittersweet
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The mark of indelible ink
This election year somehow it has become a personal milestone for me to vote. Several weeks before the election date, R finds our names registered to vote in …
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In a maze of colours
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The glassy greens and angry whites
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Silly, disjointed text, average illustrations
Good night moon (children's picture book) by Margaret Wise Brown
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Chanderi (Karjat Region)
5th Jul 2008
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Excellent illustrations, great book!
Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse
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Most enchanting novel set in "Olde English" times
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
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Do I know you?
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Excruciatingly drawn out – too much for light chick-lit
Pillow Talk by Freya North
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Thekambattu - Day 5 (1st Jan 2008)
1st Jan 2008
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Thekambattu Day 4 (31st Dec 2007)
Made some progress this morning - woke up another 15 mins earlier, but still the vultures are way ahead of me. The various colored and flavored darjeeling teas …
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Thekambattu Day 3 (30th Dec 2007)
The night is incident free - Akash has gotten more used to the toad, and we've moved Aditi to milk powder - Rohit figured the change in milk consistency is the …
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Thekambattu Day 2 (29th Dec 2007)
The next morning I wake up late in spite of going to bed relatively early. Gotto do something about this constant feeling of not enough sleep. Waking up at …
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Thekambattu Day 1 (28th Dec 2007)
A family holiday after ages... and for Rohit, a reunion with Sunder and Sonati after several ages. We set out early from my brother’s place in B’lore to catch …
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Thekambattu - Dec 2007
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1000 Watts
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Coppersmith
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Day 13 & 14: Kathmandu – Delhi
After a good deep sleep night, I wake up early. It’s my turn to potter about in the room. Our last day in Kathmandu – there are some sight seeing plans. After …
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Day 12: Pokhara – Trisuli – Kathmandu
Rafting day! Sadly none of us have slept enough. We walk into breakfast like zombies. I can’t face a veggie cutlet today. The checking out and formalities are …
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Day 11: Pokhara
Our “extra” holiday in Pokhara. The other two have tucked into breakfast. In fact we’re in danger of missing breakfast, that’s how late we wake up. We scramble …
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Day 10: Thikedhunga – Naya Pul – Pokhara
We know today is a short trekking day, so we’re in no big hurry to leave. MShah and Kanaks are down at breakfast already when I come down. I wolf down a couple …
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Day 9: Ghorepani – Thikedhunga
I have a so-so night and wake up early. Get out of bed trying not to disturb N. Wrapped in some warmies and armed with my little notebook, I go out to the …
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Day 8: Tatopani – Ghorepani
The much dreaded 6000 foot ascent is today. Everyone we met in Tatopani yesterday, who are doing the trek in the opposite direction to ours, gave us a lot of …
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Day 7: Ghasa – Tatopani
I wake up quite early and potter about. No bath today. I sit in the front lawn and watch other trekkers leave early. The Israeli chicks are nowhere in sight – …
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Day 6: Marpha – Ghasa
Morning has broken… and with it comes our wake up call with a menu in hand. I shoo him away: “g’morning… 5 mins please…”. Yesterday was a long day – elapsed …
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Day 5: Muktinath – Marpha
For a change, I wake up early this morning. Having checked that Nitya is still breathing, I try to be as noiseless as possible, without too much success. It’s …
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Day 4: Kagbeni – Muktinath
Nitya again wakes up bright and early and orders masala chai in the room for us. We order a “simple breakfast”: toast, butter/jam, fried eggs or omelette, and …
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Day 3: Pokhara – Jomsom – Kagbeni
Nits has woken up real early (the woman seems indefatigable!), taken a walk around the beautiful garden, has had her morning masala chai… and is urging me to …
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Day 2: Kathmandu - Pokhara
We have a bus to catch at 7 am, and somehow we do catch it, after a sketchy sort of breakfast. We continue to chat for a bit, and finally fall asleep in the …
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Day 1: Kathmandu
The trip starts off on a high note, with free upgrades to business class. I can see each of us disconnecting from “real life”… finishing the last cell phone …
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Nepal - May 2007
Trekking in the Himalayas has always had a special allure to me. Having done a 6 day camping and trekking trip in the Himachal Himalayas opposite the Kailash …
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Wonderful book, written very matter-of-factly
High Adventure by Edmund Hillary
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Rajgad (Pune Region)
9th Oct 2005
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Shivneri (Malshej Ghat Region)
7th Feb 2005
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Delightful satire set in the hills of Italy
Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson
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Tijuana - June 1998
an early start to the saturday... i spent a long while on the phone first thing in the morning. then had a leisurely bowl of cereal. i made my way to the san …
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Milan Centrale (26th July 1997)
26 Jul 1997
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Florence (25 Jul 1997)
25 Jul 1997
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Vesuvius (24th July 1997)
24 Jul 1997
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Naples and Herculaneum (23rd July 1997)
23 Jul 1997
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Rome – The Vatican (22nd Jul 1997)
22 Jul 1997
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Rome (21 Jul 1997)
20th July 1997
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Interlude: Train, river, tourism
15:20 – 21:05, 20th Jul 1997 On the train south: after Bologna the countryside was uncannily like Maharashtra – green and hilly, the farms and houses more like …
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Venice (19th - 20th July 1997)
20 Jul 1997
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Italy by train (19th - 26th July 1997)
02 Apr 2026
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Ridgeway
5th May 1997
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Paris Day 4 - 1st Jan 1996
1 Jan 1996
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Ramblings on Paris - Dec 1995
These are from six pages of typed notes from Jan 1996, written about my first trip to Paris with a bunch of colleagues who were my social circle. We were all …
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Paris Day 3 - 31st Dec 1995
31 Dec 1995
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Paris Day 1 & 2 - 29th, 30th Dec 1995
29 Dec 1995
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