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Nordic summer in Sweden

One of my sisters tells me my blogs are more about romanticizing the common love Reuben(my husband) and I have for traveling than talking about the practical aspects of our travel. And hey she is right!! It’s during these travels, we realize how comfortable we are with each other’s silence and conversations alike. It’s during these travels, we realize how complete our world is with just one…

Croatia – Our Adriatic Jaunt!!

Alfred Hitchcock spoke about the sunsets in Zadar, Game of Thrones (GoT) picked Dubrovnik & Split as their filming location and it’s the land of truffles!! Of course, we had to check it out!!

We landed in Zagreb and as we were meandering about the city we stumbled upon the Zagreb open air music festival. Picture this…An orchestra, multiple opera singers, the most gorgeous backdrop, perfect…

Think of the happiest of songs, the warmest Christmas glow, a warm hug on a cold day ….now combine all these gorgeous feelings and that’s how I felt in Canada. I haven’t been to a country more inclusive, more loving or more warm. Till date I fault myself for parking this trip for as long as we did.

I haven’t been able to decide if the place is prettier or the people (figuratively!). We landed in…

Let me start with some interesting trivia about Bhutan. I found it fascinating that Bhutan, despite it’s size, is one of the few countries in the region to have never been colonized. Better known fact obviously is Bhutan’s effort at pioneering the concept of gross national happiness.

We’ve had tons of our friends visit Bhutan before us. And based on the stories we heard, Bhutan came across as the…

Greece: Our Mediterranean Sojourn

If you’ve read some of my earlier blogs, you’ll recall Reuben’s lack of romance being discussed elaborately. Maldives put him in touch with his romantic side and Greece gave it massive amplification. We covered Santorini, Zakynthos & Naxos in this trip. Zakynthos : You know God is on your side when there is a tornado two days before you land and rain starts on the day you have to leave. Days in…

The Last Frontier: Alaska

So primal and raw; and yet so elegant Evoke fear in a setting that’s never stagnant They beckon me each time I’m gone too long The wild habitat to which we all belong!! Having already made the acquaintance of lions &whales, alligators & leopards we felt like befriending bears this time. What better place than Alaska!!A quick search showed some grizzlies feasting on fresh salmon on the edge of…

Kaziranga National Park, Assam

Being the nature lovers we are, our nature fix this time, came from Meghalaya and Kaziranga. The trip left me wondering why I hadn’t explored the North East before!! We flew from Delhi to Guwahati then on to Jorhat. A very friendly dude clearly aspiring to be a rock star drove us to the Iora resort at Kaziranga. His shades stayed even when dark clouds threatened to release themselves on the city.…

A dear friend of mine, Ju, helped me plan our Kaziranga & Meghalaya trip. She knew a guy who knew a guy who owned a gorgeous lakeside property…It’s a hideaway property with no name!! You have an address and the contact number of a person who organizes everything for you. This Bollywood suspense surrounding the Meghalaya trip made me fall in love with the place even before I got here. We landed at…

Once upon a time, many decades ago, Mr. Oberoi gathered his A team & ordered the construction of a palace that represented both India’s rich heritage & Mewar’s tradition. That’s how I imagine The Udaivilas came about.

You hear an echo in the background “Bamulaiza Hoshiyar..Jahanpanna aur Begum Sidhu padhar rahe hain”..

..You’re ushered into the gorgeous hotel, with a light shower of rose petals.…

We drove through the entire South Island over 10-11 days. The thrill of an adventure lies in surrendering to the unknown. Our quest for the unknown first took us to Lake Tekapo.

Anyone who’s been to New Zealand (NZ) will tell you, you can’t go a mile without a water body. You can run, you can hide, but boy you can’t shake ’em off!! Our first love in NZ was Lake Tekapo. We owned that lake!!Reuben & I were the only touristy folks there. Imagine our joy… Going from a country with the din of 1.3 billion people and being transported to this idyllic haven – a lake, snowcapped mountains and only the mesmerizing sounds of nature. It was magical! We were ecstatic & wondered why we couldn’t spend all 2 weeks there. I think the resort sensed our predicament and decided to make it harder for us to leave. We’d get back to our room and find a bottle of wine or a cheese, strawberry and chocolate platter… It was a conspiracy!!

With a heavy heart we bade goodbye to Lake Tekapo & headed towards Queenstown. We’d barely driven a km when we first sighted Lake Pukaki. Tekapo was forgotten in seconds! We’d found our second love & this one was way sweeter than our first. Out came the camera and we took some 100 pics before realizing we couldn’t possibly capture what we were seeing. You have to live that experience!!

Our next stop was Gold Ridge resort on the outskirts of Queenstown. We would wake up to this 180-degree view of a gigantic lake again surrounded by snow-capped peaks! You cannot run out of things to do here. There is something for everyone. Nature junkies – Do not miss the Milford sound cruise. As you cruise through the sound, the captain takes you directly under the waterfalls so don’t believe them when they tell you it’s a dry cruise!! We loved it!!

When we’re young, most of us enjoy stupid, crazy things. Over a period of time, we mask our crazy side to conform with societal norms & etiquettes. Well! NZ just brings out the crazy in people!! Reuben & I have never been adrenalin junkies but we were jumping off cliffs and jet boating and laughing through a luge ride or quad biking. Boy I cannot describe that feeling. You’re just “free”!! Something stirs in you that’s been long forgotten!! Every sense awakens!! Just thinking about it makes me want to go back again.

Anyways, up next was Franz Josef Glacier. We stayed at the Rainforest retreat – Six acres of native bush surrounded by lush punga groves. I loved our self-catering tree lodge!! We weren’t fit for a glacier walk but our days were well spent walking along glacier trails, chatting up with an occasional mirror lake and enjoying a Tranz scenic train that eventually took us to Christchurch.

I’d like to think we’ve covered a fair share of the globe, but New Zealand continues to be my favorite… Add it to your bucket list if it isn’t already at the top!!

Our Itinerary & Accommodation

Christchurch to Lake Tekapo: Peppers Bluewater Resort Lake Tekapo to Queenstown: Gold Ridge Resort (Cover Milford Sound Cruise) Queenstown to Franz Josef: Rainforest Retreat Franz Josef to Greymouth to Christchurch

Activities

Milford Sound day tour with cruise – From Queenstown – Can’t recall the operator we used, but you’ll be spoilt for choices Tranz Scenic train – From Greymouth to Christchurch Jet boating – Shotover from Queenstown – http://www.shotoverjet.com/ Para Gliding – Queenstown – http://www.nzgforce.com/ Luge Ride- Queenstown – http://www.skyline.co.nz/queenstown/luge/

Recommendations

Best time to go: March to April

Ideal Trip time: 15 days