Tipu Sultan was the most feared Indian of his time in Britain. When he died there were jubilant celebrations in Britain, with authors, playwrights and painters creating works to celebrate it. Kate Brittlebank, author of “Tiger: The Life of Tipu Sultan, further wrote…
Luxury apartments, posh bungalows, Instagram-worthy restaurants, and commercial structures line the wide, tree-lined boulevards of Koramangala. This is one of the largest neighborhoods in Bangalore. I joined Masood on his recent business trip to this city that is dubbed as the…
If you look closely, you’ll see a self-portrait in the picture above. Masood and I were in Surat, Gujarat, and we took the auto-rickshaw because they are skilled navigators, slithering through the jam-packed roads of India. This means we get…
Chinese food outside mainland China is usually modified to suit the palate of the people where it is served. In Pakistan and India, for example, Chinese food is typically served with a thick, spicy sauce and vegetables that are stir-fried…
“They surely have the air-conditioning on high around here,” I told Masood as we stood outside the arrivals gate at Beijing airport waiting for a taxi. We just flew in from Guangzhou where we attended the Canton Trade Fair. It…
“Don’t start a company unless it’s an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, it’s not an obsession.” –Mark Cuban, serial entrepreneur and investor. Masood and I always knew and talked about how someday we would save up…
About 119 kilometres from downtown Boston stands a palatial summer cottage. When Masood and I were in US last spring, our colleague and good friend, Ellen, suggested we drive to Newport to see these summer cottages. While there are ten…
It’s been drizzling on and off since morning. The clouds are thick and the sky overcast, the spring breeze cool. The taxi takes us to Guangta Road. We are in Guangzhou for the Canton Fair, and both of us wanted to…
One of the world’s biggest import and export trade fair is held bi-annually in Guangzhou, China. It was my first time at the Canton Fair, and I am impressed by how massive yet well-organised the event was! Masood had wanted…
Flying Cathay Pacific means stopping in Hong Kong, and we picked one that gave a 9-hour stopover. Time constraint did not allow us the chance to explore more. I would have loved to get the chance to know the place where…
How often do you get welcomed in a restaurant by getting bubbles blown at you? Having had a good impression with Trèsind, I looked forward to trying out Carnival by Trèsind. Both Tresind and Carnival by Trèsind come under the umbrella of…
“Go to Jalan Bellamy and don’t forget to try the ikan bakar!” the taxi driver cheerfully suggested. He seemed pretty excited about suggesting the place, therefore I immediately had my hopes up. A quick Google search had confirmed that people do…
We’ve been planning to visit the Philippines for years, however, little did we know that it’s my father who will be the reason for us to visit the country. Cebu wasn’t on the plan, but since I spoke with an…
Tourists in Kuala Lumpur would find it best to stay in the city center where famous landmarks, malls, restaurants, and hotels are nearby. The traffic situation in Kuala Lumpur during weekends and peak hours is really bad. Therefore, staying further…
I wake up to the phone ringing at 3:20 am. The screen shows Abbu’s name. Just as I was about to swipe on the screen, the call ends. The last time I received a call from my father at this hour was about two…
Several leisure and theme parks opened in Dubai late last year, one of which is Bollywood Park. It is the smallest property within Dubai Parks and Resorts, a massive park containing two other theme parks: Motiongate Dubai and Legoland Water Park. The term Bollywood…
It was a choice between an upscale hotel in the middle of the city with a very famous infinity pool on the 57th level that one shares with a massive number of people taking selfies, or a quiet luxury resort away from the…
The ambiance in Malaysia’s Langkawi island is laid-back, lazy, relaxed, humid, and friendly. Afternoons are mostly quiet, with people either napping, reading, or relaxing by the beach or pool, waiting for the weather to cool down later in the evening….
Langkawi—an archipelago made up of 99 islands on Malaysia’s west coast—is surrounded by turquoise sea, while the interior of the main island is a mixture of picturesque paddy fields and jungle-clad hills. Most visitors look for hotels or resorts by…
“I think we’re going the wrong way.” The midday sun shines brightly on a nice and warm day. There are a few scattered clouds but, thankfully, no signs of rain. The roads are empty, probably because it’s a weekday, and…
Langkawi’s cozy airport houses several companies that offer cars for rent as well as tours. I highly suggest renting a car, specially if you’re visiting the island with your family. It gives you the freedom and convenience to move around…
When the planned lunch at Seashells Restaurant did not work out—because they do not have fish available—we turn the car around and head back to Pantai Cenang, which is the busiest beach town on Langkawi Island. Randomly peeking through the restaurants…
A popular vlogger on Youtube sang praises about Seashells restaurant, and each morsel entering his mouth resulted in a delightful bliss with him closing his eyes and cherishing the bite as if a gift from heaven. I was sold. No matter what…
It looks like a random furniture shop in one corner of Kuala Lumpur’s International Airport at first glimpse. It then looks like a luggage storage space at the back of a random furniture shop. Masood and I are the airport…
Delayed flights meant we were up all night traveling. We arrive in Kuala Lumpur a few hours ago, via Doha, exhausted and starving. While the estimated time of arrival was 2:30 pm, we landed at 4 pm and checked-in the hotel…
He pulls the covers back over his head, turns his back to me, and disappears in the warm cocoon of pillows and blanket. I need him awake and coherent now. The plan was discussed last night, and we had both agreed….
The historic city of Jodhpur—whose origin dates back to 1459 AD—is the second largest city in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is called the Gateway to Thar, as it is literally on the edge of the That desert. Not too long ago I’ve…
A quiet street on a Sunday afternoon. Obviously it’s only us, tourists, who seemed overly excited about taking a leisurely stroll in the cold, wet afternoon, as if it’s a bright summer day. After seeing and admiring most of the important…
It was a sunny weekend. Only a week before spring officially started, there was a chill in the air, but luckily for us, it wasn’t snowing and the sun was up. It had been snowing for the last three days and I…
It’s finally cooling down in this part of the world! Hello, beaches, BBQ, picnics and garden brunches! We got invited to Kempinski Hotel’s Friday Garden Brunch in Ajman earlier today, and it was fun! An event held every Friday…