Blogs from Bandra, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Asia

I visited Doha a year back, many of my family and friends were skeptical about the travel because of the mindset we share about the country as being too conservative or unsafe. I did read up everything possible online before making the trip, and considered myself sufficiently warned on dressing and generally being respectful and mindful of the locals. On reaching Doha, I realized my perception had been too harsh. Doha is no different from UAE, and the people there can be warm and understanding. The country has survived and been through a lot, fighting against much stronger contenders, and despite that it has sustained itself. Day one I started my tour of the lovely city with the famous market area, Souq Waqif. Souq traditionally means marketplace and is generally a prominent and buzzing center of ... read more

After a good sleep in we begin on what we shall call Em's local adventure. We shop in the local mall for a charger cos Em forgot hers. We also get more food and get back to the hotel and get ready to kick off the night. I had to go collect my debit so i asked Em if she would like to get into a rickshaw for fun. I am sure she regrets when she said yes. 3 hours later we have seen the worst traffic, people driving around like maniacs, non stop honkin, feared for our lives, backs broken from the bad roads and done with being locals. So much fun!!! We pick Sapna from her place and head to Aer bar. It is incredibly beautiful and has amazing views of the city and ... read more

“Like one of the great God’s in India picked up a Tjernobyl housing project by its roof and dumped it in the backyard of my hotel…” That’s what it felt like, when I went to explore the outdoor gym, off-site from the hotel. It wasn’t much. The field outside the gym was made in to the shape of a baseball diamond, with a spongy track around it filled with potholes. On the side a lonely tennis court that had seen better days, inside a steam room and gym that many of us would gladly walk passed and behind it all, a beige apartment complex with bars on every window, clothes hanging out to dry and rust everywhere. But I was and am adamant to get my exercise I, so until I move hotels, I am fully ... read more

It was that time of the year again when Swati and I start making plans for our annual summer vacation. Actually it's more of a monsoon vacation as that is the time when our business slips into off season. However it coincides perfectly with the holiday season in Europe. Last year, our travels took us to Switzerland and France where we were accompanied by my childhood friends; the Chitnis's and the Mirajkar's. We had a blast and as is the norm made a pact to travel every summer together. By the time summer turned to winter and winter to spring, the pact was forgotten or buried under the debris of everyday grind and responsibilities. Unfortunately this year Mirajkar's would not be able to make it. So it was going to be Swati and me along with ... read more

Things I Did In Mumbai (Please scroll down to see all the photos) Go see a Bollywood movie: Check Smoke out with The Baba: Check Star in a Bollywood Movie: Check It was nice seeing you Mumbai, but now I'm moving on. Or maybe a little more explanation is in order, here it goes. 1) Go See a Bollywood Movie So I'm hanging out in Mumbai with 2 girls, Belgium and Dutch on a Saturday and they are looking to shop a bit so then we stop in an upscale restaurant to eat. They have an expansive menu, American food, Chinese food, Indian food, Lebanese food, and one other kind I can't recall right now. Trinh, the Dutch girl brings up a fact from Kitchen Nightmares that a place that has everything probably can't do anything ... read more