Travel Diaries 10: Kenya & Tanzania

It's been almost 3 years when we travelled to Iraq and Palestine when we realized that travelling in the true spirit was about visiting untreaded paths, living on the edge and getting out of the comfort zone. So this year we planned to do something crazy enroute our trip to India. We planned to visit two neighboring countries of India - Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The plan was to visit Buddhas of Bamiyan, Kabul, Harappa or MohenjoDaro to Lahore and then to enter India through Wagah border by foot. This was my dream since many years. But Pahalgam happened. Even if the Wagah border wasn't closed, I would have dropped the idea. The destiny had something else in store for us and we ended up booking tickets to another place - not as adventurous as Afghanistan - but a part of the world we never set out foot on, the culture and people we haven't rubbed our shoulders with yet. The sub-Saharan African countries Kenya & Tanzania to station ourselves at Maasai Mara Reserve, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Little did we know that Tanzania would end up being our unanimous 2nd best country among 58 countries we visited so far or that Kenya would open our eyes about the human -wildlife interaction and no way would we have imagined to come dauntingly close to death twice in ten days. Read on.

Imagine driving to a remote tent camp at twilight where the handler asks not to head out of the tent without an escort of a local Maasai tribesman with a stick and a whistle to ward off wild animals. Then imagine sleeping in a tent camp with a zipper fabric door and hearing lion roars throughout the night while the girls of the family sleeping in another tent at a distance. And should I mention the absence of Wi-Fi or any kind of communication network? 

Now imagine the safari driver being extra-diligent in the thick savannas of Maasai Mara reserve to show us the pride of lions and taking an off-trodden path only to get stuck in deep mud while the sun was contemplating to set down. And what would you feel when the ropes, hooks used by other trucks to tow the cruiser out of the mud snap while the darkness seeps in. How would you feel when tourists in other safari cruisers are more curious to take videos of our ordeal than to go look out for lions or leopards ? Some were perhaps even anxious if they could see lions approaching us in that travail.

Don't know about you but trust me - I felt a bit invincible and oddly nonchalant being on the blind spot of predators in the lion country of Maasai Mara, Kenya. THIS TIME FOR AFRICA. 

When my son was born, we decided to confer on him the experiences he would grow up with instead of material luxuries that he could take granted for. We continued the tradition with the little girl too. They did enjoy beaches, mountains, old towns, heritage, cultures, cuisines, monuments, wonders et.al., but the glow in their eyes when they saw a mother cheetah keeping vigil while her cubs were feeding on the gazelle their mother hunted for them was matchless. The moment of ebullience on their faces when some 40 massive elephants stood on the way of our vehicle as if they were making a point who the real boss was priceless.

A leopard leisurely feasting on the deer on a tree-top unconcerned about our cruiser truck on the ground, thousands of wildebeests migrating from Serengeti to Maasai Mara recreating the iconic scene of "The Lion King", the dreaded Nile crocodiles co-existing with their only killers, hippos in the Mara river, a pride of lions waiting patiently at the tree base for baboons on the trees that stayed still for hours reenacting the Mexican standoff scene in movies, a herd of elephants - including calves - walking on their path while a pride of lions watching them from a few feet away, hundreds of pink flamingoes blessing our eyes and senses - will remain etched forever in our minds. But if there's one moment I can pick of the 10 day expedition to Africa, that would be...

Second day of the exploration - we started early to spot lions on the prowl. While on the pursuit, we saw a dozen safari cruisers group up treading slowly. We were certain there was some activity around. Our driver was conscientious enough to take an alternate road to go opposite to the other vehicles head-on. The road took a sharp turn and the moment we turned, we rubbed our eyes out of disbelief.

THERE WERE OVER TEN LIONS WALKING TOWARDS OUR SAFARI CRUISER with the other cruisers behind driving the pride of lions towards us. And we saw the lions stare into our eyes in their natural habitat and then walk away unruffled while our nerves were all over the place. We can't plan that, the universe conspired to bestow us with the sight of our lifetime. The place was just a stone's throw away from the exact place our vehicle got stuck the previous evening and that made the experience even more chilling, momentous and indelible. It was day-2 and it was already worth our travel all the way. 

But there was another moment we almost died. The penultimate day of our holiday. We wanted to end the vacation with the views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest free standing mountain in the world. The view of the snow clad summit and the breathtaking golden sunset were so mesmerizing that we forgot we were in the middle of the animal kingdom where predators begin their hunt at twilight. It was almost 7 pm, the sun sank and we boarded our cruiser bidding bye to the adventures and reminiscing the bliss we experienced in the last 10 days.

Just then the driver stopped the vehicle, lifted the latch up and asked us to see something. We saw and we could not utter a word. We were flabbergasted and dumbfounded. There was a coalition of half a dozen cheetahs standing next to your vehicle that were anxiously looking for their next meal. Exactly 5 minutes away from the place we were on the ground for pictures with Kilimanjaro. 

The cheetahs were clearly outside of the designated "fence" and sneaked out in the so-called resort areas for food. But that was not all. A hyena was lurking not too far behind and was following the scent of Cheetahs. There must have been a fantastic action episode which of course we were not privy to. Our takeaway is that we left the place unscathed. For feeble minded, it could be a life-threatening incident but we list this among one of the best travel stories of our lifetime.

It was not just wildlife which made the adventure worthwhile. It's the people too. The Maasai tribes live in the middle of the savannahs with children and cattle co-existing with lions, leopards, cheetahs. For us, traveling is learning, understanding people, cultures and lifestyles. For all the fear of predators, we learnt that Maasai people are not scared of lions but they scare the lions instead. The tribesmen have created a aura by wearing the red garment called "shuka" and holding a spear that apparently scare lions away.

While the mornings were about pursuing wildlife, most evenings and travel time were spent on talking to locals, drivers, waiters, helpers, escort guards who took pride in their own small world while being exceptionally humble and respectful. Without batting an eyelid, we can say the people of Kenya & Tanzania are one of the sweetest, most well-mannered and nicest people on the planet. We were pleasantly surprised at the antithesis to the stigma and stereotypes associated with Sub-Saharan Africa. Hotels and resorts went an extra mile to pack us lunch boxes whenever we headed out for game reserves. Public toilets were spotlessly clean, the food was amazing throughout. From immigration officers at the border to the hotel staff, to restaurant managers to good Samaritans on the savannahs of Africa, everyone made us feel special with their hospitality.

We traveled there for wildlife and to begin a new dominion in our travel history but something else made the trip one of our best travel escapades ever. That is the landscape, the breathtaking scenery, unsullied nature, unpolluted air and surprisingly pleasant weather. 

Imagine you driving up a volcanic mountain, that erupted some 2 million years ago, to see a 2000 feet deep crater filled with wildlife and you descending into the crater to see turquoise colored lakes filled with flamingoes, and the summit of the crater around being covered by cloud forests - you can seldom fathom if you were dreaming or witnessing the drama of pristine nature. In a certain perspective, Tanzania could rank as one of the most visually aesthetic countries I have visited.

Rural Kenya with ubiquitous handwritten names on the stores, local cuisine that was finger licking delicious, Tanzania's spectacular views, Maasai Mara tribesmen and their hospitality and above all - the lion king and his kingdom will remain one of the best places we ever been to, period.

PS: The travel to Africa was followed by a month in India which fascinated me in a different way this time around. Then a 10 day exploration of Thailand and Cambodia followed. Coming up with those blog posts soon (before the memories could fade out of my mind). Till then, as they say in Swahili - Hakuna Matata.

Travel Diaries 8 - IRAQ Edition

When 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' released in 2011, I experienced a moment of epiphany that no other piece of art could invoke in me. A mere thought of rediscovering ourselves through traveling escapades triggered some inexplicable euphoria. My wife and I realized traveling could be our true calling. By then we were married for 5 years and I was in early 30's but I don't remember us doing anything exciting as we were more into the grind of family, careers and eventually kids. Bunty arrived in May 2012. 

It was a night I remember where we both sat together to decide that we need to stop existing and begin living in it's full sense and since we shared common passions (traveling being one of them), we decided to turn the next chapter of our life when my boy was few months old. We started traveling and the rest is history.

We have been to quite a few countries, immersed ourselves into the nature, beaches, historic old towns, monuments, world wonders, interacted and immersed ourselves in many cultures across continents and we thought we had seen the world...until we were on to the recent expedition to Middle East. This is when something magical happened.

We traditionally try to visit some new place on my wife's birthday which coincides with new year's day and this time we wanted to go to some place which we did not even dream we could go sometime. The place that had been in the news for all the wrong reasons since my younger days - IRAQ. 

IRAQ

War-torn, under-developed, sectarian violence, fundamentalism, terrorism are few of the choicest epithets we hear about Iraq. Canadian government had issues a strict travel advisory against visiting Iraq. So did I commit any irresponsible misadventure taking my wife and young kids there ?

Iraq was on my radar for the last few years and I had been in touch with various travel agents, locals , news outlets and was waiting for the right time and opportunity. The biggest step I have taken was to think beyond what western propaganda news outlets and government agencies wanted me to believe. For those of you who follow geopolitics, these exact governments invaded Iraq on the pretext of saving the humanity from their weapons of mass destruction but when they did not find any, ended up looting their oil and resources, remember ?

But Iraq was on my mind for various other reasons. For those who do not know, Iraq (earlier called Mesopotamia) was the cradle of civilization where the concept of writing, mathematics, astrology etc took birth. That was exactly where humans started living in societies that gave way to cultures, religions, languages to explode. Such was the rich history, heritage of the place which was ransacked for religious and political megalomania. And no media outlet with vested interest could convince me otherwise.

Hence we traveled to I.R.A.Q.

Baghdad:

The moment we entered Iraqi airspace (from Jordan - another article, another time about Jordan), I pinched myself to check if it was real but I was also prepared for some culture shocks or jolts as Iraq is not known to be an overly traveler friendly country. And the first jolt was ready to occur in Baghdad airport where we had to search for an elusive 'on-arrival visa' counter which happened to be an unattended broken desk outside washrooms. We could see border control counter, baggage belts, exit, vehicles on the street and stores beyond the street all from the place we stood waiting for the visa-on-arrival officer. A gentleman finally arrived, took our passports and money and vanished somewhere. And he did not appear for a while. Nobody else to enquire too except a janitor cleaning the floor manually who only spoke Arabic.

That was a moment of doubt if I was being over-ambitious in visiting an hostile country known for xenophobia. What if somebody stole our passports ? Whoa. But thankfully the man returned with Iraqi visa stamps that we now cherish dearly as badges of honor. Once we passed the border control, my man whom I interacted with earlier arranged a driver who drove us to the hotel. Understandably he did not speak much of English and we indulged in a short dumb charades game. We wanted to see if there was some 'Welcome to Baghdad' kind of insignia or a board to take a picture but alas..I reminded myself that we were in a hostile and not so traveler friendly place. But I started observing something amusing.

The driver who dropped us, the concierge at the hotel, reception were all pleasantly surprised and low-key shocked to see a family of brown people (with small kids) as it was evident they haven't seen such sight as long as they could remember. Yes, we ruffled a few feathers here and there.

The hotel staff was very accommodating but the room was inhospitable in terms of odor and amenities. When we asked for a change, they obliged our request but again we realized that if we yearned comfort or luxury, we should have gone to a luxury all inclusive resort in the Caribbean. We clearly went to another world and kept the unprepared staff on their toes. May be we behaved a but like those conceited tourists from the western world who live in their bubble. But again, we reminded ourselves we wanted to be travelers and not tourists (big difference).

Next morning, my guy in Iraq arranged a 'guide' who met us with a warm smile and the first question he asked was 'what do you want to see ?'. I was taken a little aback as wasn't he supposed to tell us what he's gonna show ? But again he sheepishly said there was no such concept of tourist guides there and his priority was to keep us safe and secure than taking places. A touché moment, indeed.  I had an inkling about Baghdad and vicinity, thanks to my earlier research; so I listed him the places we wanted to see. He retorted there was nothing more in Baghdad than that list. I felt vindicated.

We try to augment our travel experiences by talking to locals about their land. They always feel proud and offer genuine information that we are otherwise privy to. The 'guide' revealed he actually was an interpreter to US army when they invaded Iraq and hence gave us a picture from both sides. First of our discussions was how much locals hate Americans (or Canadians) or anybody white. He said we should be glad being Indians with brown skin otherwise Canadian passports were always looked upon with suspicion.

While we drove through, I noticed that entire city was filled by billboards and posters (not of movie-stars or rockstars. Any form of entertainment is banned in Iraq). The posters belonged to martyrs of Shia militia, the extra judicial armies, the government too can't talk against. Detractors call them terrorists, but for Shia majority they were heroes. Do you know who are the parties that fight against those Shia militia ? Al-Qaeda and ISIS (drumroll). We drove and later walked through many places and streets that were destroyed by the conflict between ISIS, Shia militia and US army. The guide did not want to talk too much about Shia militia because the driver was a Shia (so was the guide himself..or over 60% of the Iraqi population too)

The first place he took us to was a memorial of the Iran-Iraq war of 1980's built by a certain Saddam Hussein (heard his name in news?). I had an iota of knowledge about that war but the discourse with the guide was rich. He was kind enough to discuss the prevalent Sunni Shia conflicts that escalated to political upmanship and eventually war between the countries. Then we had been to an abandoned Abbasid Palace which would have been celebrated by UNESCO and tourists had it been in any other country. When we went the whole palace was for ourselves. 

After the monuments and memorials, we wanted to feel true Iraqi streets. He took us across the river Tigris to Mutanabbi street, a famous pedestrian shopping. And something amazing happened there. Random people began stopping us to enquire if we liked Iraq and if we felt safe ? There were almost 15-20 such instances within a 2 kilometer radius. Seniors took selfies with us, asked us what we liked about Iraq and requested us to spread positive words about Iraq. That was heart-warming and gut wrenching at the same time.

We had been to many countries where we were treated as money making machines. Nobody volunteered to strike a conversation with us. It was always we trying to talk or understand their worlds. But Iraq was the first place where locals tried to interact, wanted to listen from us, some even invited to their place. Sweetness overloaded. At some other place, somebody asked our guide if my wife was a bollywood actor and when he said yes in jest, that was spread like a wildfire and throngs of people surrounded us but yet we felt absolutely safe and secure. The love just shows, huh. We clarified to them we were no celebs but they still could not get enough of us and I must admit, we loved the unexpected attention and love that came our way. 

Then we visited some shrines, mosques, streets and our day in Baghdad was memorable for a lifetime. But it was only a beginning of Iraq. My target destination i.e., the cradle of civilization was not Baghdad, it was Babylon.

Babylon:

Heard about 'Hanging Gardens of Babylon' ? For beginners, it's one of the ancient (original) seven wonders of the world. No other ancient wonder except the great pyramids exists anymore. But archeologists identified the exact location where the said gardens once existed. That was, of course, in Babylon, a 1.5 hour drive from Baghdad. So it's time for us to foray into the hinterland of Iraq beyond the urban sprawls of Baghdad.

The drive was quite an experience for us. Once past Baghdad suburbs, there was perceptible change in the people's clothing and behavior. There were check posts and army tanks every few meters and it was indistinguishable if the gunmen were army, private militia or common men. Our guide advised not to be conspicuous and hence we tried to blend it as much as we could but our glaringly western wear and physiognomy gave us away. Nothing dangerous though.

Finally we reached Babylon and I was jubilant to step on the erstwhile place of Sumerian and Babylon civilizations but our guide had a surprise addition to our itinerary: Saddam Hussein's palace overlooking Euphrates river on one side and Babylon ruins of the BC period on the other. The palace now is abandoned with graffiti all over but there is certain eerie discomfort and sad truth about that place.

Saddam Hussein wanted his name to be remembered in the annals of the history and hence did the unthinkable. He 'reconstructed' and renovated archeological ruins of Babylon by getting modern structures built on the original ruins including his ostentatious palace. How insane ! He had the delusion of grandiosity and wanted to be taken his name in the same breath of Hammurabi. Nevertheless, we walked the path that's now garnished with maze of walls. All we got to do was to place our hand on a wall where the hanging gardens once existed. 

But another surprise for us that was the exact place where Alexander the Great died after his renown expeditions. Yes, we stood on the exact spot where he died. That was a goosebumps moment.

Beyond Saddam's artificial structures, there were some actual ruins we got to see up-close but the sad part was that those treasured ruins which should have been cordoned off from vandals and trespassers was left open (except a restricted old thoroughfare). 

However for me, it was a surreal feeling to stand on a land where Hammurabi, Alexander and yeah Saddam Hussein stood once and at the place where civilizations started and thrived. I felt the history spoke up-close and personal with me. And I'm gonna cherish that feeling.

Karbala:

The third and final segment of Iraq had to be a place of significance to millions of people across the world, more specifically Shia Muslims. Look up 'Battle of Karbala' and you would be transported to a world of Islamic renaissance. To keep things simple, that was the place where Imam Husayn, grandson of Mohammed, was massacred by Yazid, the then ruler of mainstream Sunni Muslims. While Sunni-Shia rift began soon after Prophet Mohammed's death, the battle of Karbala amplified the schism which is felt even today. Muhurram is being observed even today to commemorate Imam Husayn's death. And there is no way we could miss visiting His shrine while in Iraq.

Karbala is more interior and orthodox in Islamic values and has an indistinguishable Iranian influence. Billboards were seen in both Arabic and Persian. Clothing wise too, there is a stronger Iranian version making it mandatory for women to wear abaya (full burqa). After my wife wore one, the senior ladies around took her under their wings and made sure not a strand of her hair was visible and some other lady wiped her make-up off. We had been to many mosques in different places (including Arab world) but the credos at Karbala appeared stringent. But when Rome, do as the Romans do and when in Karbala, do as the Shia Muslims do and say. Respecting their culture while at their place was non-negotiable for us.

The moment we entered the shrine complex, there were scores of dead bodies (Janazah) brought to the holy shrine for the funeral prayers. I underwent a kind of stupor seeing so many devout shia muslims in the state of absolute trance. There were tens of thousands in the complex and almost everyone were wailing out of grief or emotional outburst. I had been to many significant places of worship including Vatican, Jerusalem, Tirupati but what I saw in Karbala doesn't leave my eyes.

I checked with my guide if I being a non-Muslim was allowed to enter the shrine interiors and he responded that as long as I respected the culture and people around, I was allowed. And of-course why wouldn't I ? Since women enter through another gate, apparently wifey was enquired by a group of curious women if she was 'Hind' (meaning Indian) when they saw her toe-ring. But eventually they welcomed her in. Through the men's entrance, I finally stepped into the fourth most important shrine for Shias after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem and the place where grandson of Prophet was buried. Never in my life did I imagine that could ever happen.

The interiors of Imam Husayn's shrine were dazzling with crystals with places to offer Namaaz for many thousands. There were times when millions gathered at the shrine. The ornate Islamic architecture and grandeur were at their full glory for me to daze in when I saw a place similar to Sanctum Santorum, the holiest of the holies - the room where the actual grave of Imam Husayn lied, thronged by people all around so they could touch the wall of the grave. I had my son with me and I asked if he wanted to touch it too with so many people around. The last thing I wanted was him to get injured in some stampede. But he was as enthusiastic as I was; we waited our turn patiently and could finally touch that holy ornate wall of the grave that millions of Muslims across the world only crave to do.

And that marked the end of our trip to Karbala, and Iraq. After years of online research, interacting with tens of travelers in various forums, talking to locals, putting the foot forward deciding to visit Iraq to eventually visiting the country, experiencing the culture, religion, history, ruins, people, their love, their food (including mandi) - everything still feels like a dream. 

Iraq is not just any country in my repertoire of travel stories, but a place that deeply affected me, taught me, pampered me and enriched me in more ways than I could imagine. I am glad that I took my kids to that country and more glad that I chose this to celebrate my wife's birthday-week.. Actually she has more stories about Iraq which she would open up at her leisure.

The middle east trip was the best trip we had been to in our lives and Iraq is an important cog in the wheel. But there was another country in our itinerary that I wanted to visit since my childhood for a stronger reason. We visited and left that country with more stories, experiences than I dreamt of. That was Israel (and Palestine), an active warzone. A follow-up article about Israel-Palestine coming shortly as part-2 of the middle east trilogy. Stay tuned.

Travel Diaries 7: British Isles & Central Europe - 2022

After consciously refraining myself from posting public blog posts for over 2 years, it feels a bit wistful penning down my thoughts again but I wanted to write this note before the post-vacation steam fizzes off. I needed such exciting context to write something without appearing redundant. 

2017 was memorable with our 7-continent Odyssey to commemorate our 10th anniversary but we had to remain travel-dormant for the next 5 years marked with our house construction commitments followed by a certain pandemic. Yes, there were a couple of all-inclusive resort or cruise trips in the grind but I don't qualify them as travel as they were more like indulgence without the perks of travel experiences.

For us, traveling had always been liberating that unshackled us from the mundane routine but this particular trip would remain etched into our minds and hearts forever for more reasons than one. Before talking about merits of the places, this trip was also different because we did not have strollers to push kids around and this was also the first major trip without diapers and the associated paraphernalia.

In my past blog article, I wrote how important it was for us to travel with kids as that always resulted in our spending undivided attention and forge stronger bond with them. This time it only grew tenfold stronger thanks to the kind of places we visited. As cliched as it might sound, we kind of rediscovered ourselves through the experiences we had in our 3 week whirlwind tour of 9 countries and 18 cities /towns of British Isles and Central Europe. Yes, you may say Whoa !

For those who care, here is the list of places we visited

1. London and vicinity in England (Oxford, Windsor, Stonehenge, Cotswold)
2. Edinburgh, Scotland
3. Glasgow, Scotland
4. Dublin, Ireland
5. Belfast, Northern Ireland
6. Prague, Czech Republic 
7. Zagreb, Croatia 
8. Ljubljana, Slovenia
9. Lake Bled, Slovenia
10. Budapest, Hungary
11. Bratislava, Slovakia
12. Krakow, Poland
13. Auschwitz, Poland 
14. Vienna, Austria

The experiences

Since we were fresh from Banff & Jasper trip at home, we were clear we did not want to visit another scenic canvas anymore because very few places are more beautiful than Banff (may be with an exception of towns and hamlets around Swiss and Austrian Alps). So this time, we were longing to be at historical places with 1000 year old cobbled old town squares, palaces and castles as I never get tired of such magnificence. But we were surprised in more ways than one.

England

Our first stop was London. We wanted to spend my mother's birthday in the megapolis. London tower bridge was mind-blowing as expected along with the Westminster, Buckingham patch. But the rest of the city fell a bit flat or may be I had unreal expectations. Or may be I developed a grudge because security guards denied our earnest plea to enter Buckingham palace when we were late to the entrance by 3 minutes, thanks to the indifferent hop on hop off bus dudes. I must say that was the low point of our tour. We went to London but did not see the Queen's palace. Alas.

Oxford university was awe-inspiring. The feeling that I was at the place I grew up learning about as one of the best places of education in the world was surreal. Despite being a Harvard alumnus, I was starstruck with the sight of Oxford and it's distinguished Bodleian Library. 

Change of guard ceremony at Windsor castle was fun for kids to watch. The march, costumes and ostentatiously upholding legacy of the monarchy was worth watching. Stonehenge was better than expected but Cotswold touted to be the most beautiful village of the country was a let-down at least for me. Perhaps, it takes more romanticism to appreciate the quaintness of the ville that's a cool 3 hours away from London.

Scotland

But the next destination was a super surprise that stumped us out of our ground. That's Edinburgh, Scotland. It was unbelievably breathtaking. A series of blackened spires of hundreds of buildings that are thousands of years old show mirror to some authentic and flamboyant Scottish history. At that point, I felt Edinburgh was the best place among all the places I had been to by then toppling Madrid, Barcelona, Queenstown, Lucerne from my list. The ubiquitous bagpiper aura of Edinburgh, with their traditional Scottish music (called Capercaillie) was soul stirring. All of us in our family felt, Royal Mile of the city was dreamlike. 

Glasgow while good at it's own right was more of a regular city without that small old town charm. Our Scotland experience was worthwhile.

Ireland

Next was Dublin, Ireland. While not quite an eye-candy kind of city, Dublin surprised me in some way. Every part of the city talked about its struggle with British and the omnipresent hatred towards their more flashy or powerful neighbor across the sea. Tour guides, cab drivers all talked about how their nation was oppressed by the British. It felt different listening to white guys being victims of colonialism and imperialism. Ireland was a kind of white man's India. But traditional Irish music was addictive to ears all through. I would see the shamrock and St. Patrick's celebration in a different way going forward. 

My parents ended their journey here with a week of historical indulgence. After seeing them off to a flight to Washington DC, our odyssey continued to the next city which again surprised us with it's mere existence. 

Northern Ireland

That's Belfast, Northern Ireland, the most politically charged and polarizing city I had ever been to. Past troubles between pro British Protestants and pro Ireland Catholics is still visible today with two flags staring at each other in neighborhoods. Some nationalist cab drivers said they were still a part of Ireland and some loyalist guides said they were strongly British. Touted to be the most violent city in Europe (or the world), the uneasiness was palpable. My kids and I having a long conversation about the historical context, IRA was my winning moment. They were interested in geopolitics and history. I was happy. Time to bid adieu to British Isles with that euphoria. And the next destination was...Prague, Czech Republic.

Czech Republic

During my school days, I read about a country called Czechoslovakia, thanks to Martina Navratilova. I knew the capital city was Prague but then it got buried in the annals of my memory until Ranbir Kapoor's Rockstar released. I was awestruck with the way they showcased Prague and Charles bridge that I wanted to visit the place someday. And I was not a bit disappointed. 

With compact old town, millennium old squares which screamed of history, the Vtlava river witnessing all the glory, Prague is straight out of postcard backdrop. I did not believe my senses for a while. But incessant crowds marred the otherwise ethereal experience. Any picture in Prague would look like a group picture with random strangers. Then is the turn to a place very few brown guys like me would usually destine to. Zagreb, Croatia.

Croatia

We were officially in the Balkans. Today, most people would know Croatia for their football team but my school day memory was to learn about a country called Yugoslavia (capital Belgrade) of Monica Seles, another superstar tennis player stabbed by Steffi Graf's maniac fan. Then the country was clearly in my memory of being disintegrating into several small countries in early 1990's. Croatia was one of them. Slovenia was another. Both countries happened to be in my itinerary now. It is like me revisiting my school time general knowledge lessons.

I did not find any brown guys in Zagreb except an Indian restaurant owner (by the way any corner of the world has an Indian restaurant where you’re greeted in Hindi). Zagreb was more of a transit city for us to begin a 5 country drive but the city pleasantly surprised us with its charm. It was more or less comparable to Prague sans publicity and crowds. Narrow alleys, makeshift restaurant filled cobbled streets reminded me of Rome. People were nice but they clearly haven't seen many Indian looking guys since long. It's evident in their stares.

Slovenia

Then we drove to a place we had no idea about. The capital city of Slovenia called Ljubljana. We had a mini crash course to learn pronouncing the name. The moment we crossed the border, we felt a perceivable difference in infrastructure and the mountainous scenery. Slovenia is surprisingly a super developed country amidst a plethora of medium economy Balkan states. But the biggest surprise is the highway system 'Autobahn', the name borrowed from Germany. The speed limit was advised to be 130 kmph with very few speed limit signage but nobody drives slower than 150 kmph. While I like to believe I am a fast driver (with record number of speeding tickets), I was a fish out of water among the formula one racer kind of drivers around. My fragile ego was hurt a bit but I did not afford to put my family in danger and hence relegated myself to a slower right lane with a mere 120 kmph.

Talking about Ljubljana, it’s majestic, breathtaking and felt it was Prague on steroids without crowds. We made it as a transient stop but wished we spent more time. But the next destination in Slovenia, Lake Bled was worth leaving Ljubljana. The lake with blue waters with castle amidst and alps surrounding it was purely a dream. It could not be real. While most time spent there went to take pictures and videos, the presence among Alps after a decade was refreshing and welcoming. 

Time to go back to Zagreb for a night because another day, another country was waiting. A 3 hour drive from Zagreb to Budapest, Hungary was due.

Hungary

At the outset, I felt Budapest was any other city like Prague, Zagreb or Ljubljana. Nothing came closer to Edinburgh till then though. But whoa ! Ask me the best city I had been to in my life so far, I would answer 'Budapest' in a heartbeat. 

While other cities were compact with a remarkable charm, Budapest was a megacity with the same charm or more. So there was a bigger canvas with more attractive skyline with spires across both sides of a wide and imposing river Danube, again a famous river I read in my social studies class during school days.

Another welcome change of Budapest was the ubiquitous presence of public thermal baths built a thousand years ago. Historical prominence, medicinal values, fun among hundreds of local Hungarians in scorching sun was the perfect pretext for all of us to have 3 hours of bliss. Streets, cathedrals, memorials, architecture, castles, river - everything was top notch enough to put the city on highest pedestal. Yes, Budapest is even better than Edinburgh. 

Slovakia

Then came a landmark day of our lives. The day that would not be rivalled ever after. We had been in 4 countries in one day. August 20th it was. 

Our car drive started from Budapest that morning enroute to a city called Bratislava, capital of Slovakia which is the another part of erstwhile Czechoslovakia. Bratislava reminded us of Ljubljana and Prague again with compact old towns and historical prominence but we will remember the city for something else. Lack of internet connectivity. 

Yes, the first place where mobile connectivity vanished which did not even happen in Amazon rainforest or relatively poor Peru. We connected to local wifi at a place to go to a distant historical place but getting back to the center was a herculean task ahead of us. Almost 10 stores and restaurants we pleaded for wifi, did not even bat an eyelid showing how cold anybody could be. We could have stayed back in some hotel had we not had a flight scheduled in 3 hours from neighboring country Austria to final destination in another neighboring country Poland.

With some good Samaritans directing us a walking way to the city center, we somehow panted, ran and found our car to cruise to Vienna Airport in Austria to catch our flight on time to reach Krakow, Poland by 6 pm. So technically Budapest (Hungary), Bratislava (Slovakia), Vienna (Austria) and Krakow (Poland) happened on one single day. But practically we saw only Bratislava that day.

Poland

I read somewhere that Polish people are cold and don't interact with strangers with no reason. Hence I was prepared for few uncomfortable moments. But Polish people happened to be the sweetest among many other nationalities I visited (on par with Jamaicans). Cab drivers and anybody else who I could strike a conversation with were extremely hospitable.

Krakow is the most touristy place in Poland even more than capital city Warsaw. That's because that's the only old city that was not harmed during world war 2. Polish culture, architecture and heritage were untouched for the last 1000 years or more. Again a small compact city, but there was some strange sort of comfort and 'apnaapan' in Krakow. I loved every moment I spent there. But there was also some strange anxiety looming in the city. Reason: influx of refugees from neighboring Ukraine.

Ukraine was in spirit across our trip because entire Europe was in solidarity with Ukraine and I could see derogatory slogans (in English, surprisingly) against Putin everywhere. Uber had options like Uber X, Uber XL and also Uber for Ukraine charging a few euros more so the proceedings go to war relief. Cab drivers we met were Ukrainians who had to forgo their houses and businesses back home to re-establish themselves in Poland or Hungary. 

If this wasn’t disturbing enough, something else was in store. Our day-tour to a neighboring city called Auschwitz. For beginners, it was a place where Adolf Hitler built concentration camps to prison over a million people and got them killed in gas chambers and extermination centers. The place was a dark testimony of how anybody could be inhumanly evil. Being a history connoisseur, I read about Hitler, World War, Holocaust from umpteen number of sources, but witnessing a place where millions of shoes and tonnes of human hair stored as exhibits was heart wrenching and stomach churning. One of the last places of the tour happened to be a grim, poignant and macabre sight but always left us realizing how fortunate we are to live a life on our own terms when millions were killed just because they were born in a certain religion or place. How devastating.

Austria

With a heavy heart, we left Poland to reach the final destination, Vienna, the city which has been on the top of all lists for best cities or most livable cities in the world. At first sight, Vienna was like any other city and we felt had we visited Vienna before visiting Budapest, Prague or Edinburgh we could have blown our minds. So it felt a bit underwhelming on day 1. That was because we had not seen the splendor yet.

The next day was our last day of the trip and hence wished we ended it on a high note so prayed hard that Vienna old town is worth it all. And we went there...and we had our mouths agape. The words magnificence, grandeur, flamboyance all suddenly felt very small. The old city was out of the world, the way we did not even dream about. We felt like being in a period film set, but that was real with horse buggies amidst imposing buildings, immaculate sculpture and breathtaking visuals. We literally had to remember to breathe.

Added to that, Vienna was a city synonymous to classical music scene. Mozart belonged there (yes, the same Mozart on whom AR Rahman is titled Mozart of Madras). If that was not enough Beethoven also lived there. For those of you who haven't heard their names, I'm sure you would have listened to their symphonies as door bell tunes, advertising jingles somewhere. Youtube "Turkish March' or 'Serenade No. 13' of Mozart or Beethoven's Für Elise or 5th symphony. We happened to be in the apartments where both these legendary artists once lived and roamed. Surreal-max. My boy is into music and piano renditions so we were glad we happened to be at Mecca of music. I'm sure he would appreciate this visit when he realizes how fortunate he was. My girl is into arts and hence we took her to an art museum to show Picasso's first hand work. Vienna is a heaven for connoisseurs of art, music, architecture, history or quality of life alike. The last day of the trip was memorable.

Conclusion

And thus, the final day of departure arrived. After 9 countries, 18 cities, 154 kilometers of walking (yes, including my kids), it was time to bid goodbye to Central Europe. As a tradition, we don't visit same place twice so our farewell to those cities was a bit overwhelming.

The tour costed us considerable money but I am not a bit repentant because we returned home with richer experiences. Being in the palaces, castles, houses, squares which witnessed history, aristocracy, art and music and then discussing and teaching kids about the history, answering their inquisitive questions, capturing lifetime of memories was worth it. 

Being in places where Mozart, Picasso, Beethoven, Kings, Queens, Commanders once walked, listening to Scottish, Irish music from the traditionalists, roaming in their streets, eating their kind of food is priceless. 

Listening to local people about how their lives changed after shedding communism / socialism post Cold War era, understanding their historical struggles, present day politics, prejudices was thought provoking.

Grandeur of Budapest, Vienna, Edinburgh, Prague, Zagreb, Ljubljana will be with us forever. 

Witnessing Hitler's gas chambers, Belfast troubles' era prisons, talking to Ukrainian refugees were disturbing but those sad experiences brought a new dimension into our personality as we have more gratitude for our current lives. 

We left a part of us in every place we visited and we gained a bit from those places. So much that every night’s dream since we returned featured some kind of tourist spot. And we are not complaining. Now looking forward for another trip to lesser traveled countries sometime this year end.

Country count so far: 

My boy and I - 43 countries 

Wifey - 45 countries 

My little girl - 29

Parents - 19 

As we always believe, to travel is to live.

Why We Travel So Much !

We just returned from our Australia-New Zealand trip and I opened the blogger to jot down our experiences (which I religiously do after every big trip). But this time I decided to address one of the most common questions I get asked "How do you manage to travel so much, that too with two small kids". I usually laugh the comment off but now wanted to write down how important is traveling for us and what we get out of it.

For those who don't know, we got married a decade ago but started active traveling only 5 years back after the arrival of my son. My son and I both visited 30 countries to date while wifey visited a couple more. Baby girl has a daunting task to catch up with us. Parents joined us in 13 of those and I'm hoping for many more to come.

When I was a primary school student (around 7 or 8 y.o), my mom gifted me an yearly handbook called "Competition Success Review Year book" and I got so hooked up with countries, capitals, currencies, flags, councils of ministers, heads of states etc (and pushed academics to backseat). Since then, it had been a tradition for my parents to buy me such handbooks and encyclopedias every year and I remember that as my most favorite pieces of literature; my parents believed that broadened my horizons and I can't thank them enough for that.

After my son's birth we deliberately decided to spend most of our resources, time and energy in providing our children experiences that could broaden their horizons and educate them through experiences rather than inundate them with material possessions or comforts. We consciously wanted their education to be not limited to the walls of their respective classrooms.

The idea was to inculcate and ingrain into their small minds that traveling, knowing, appreciating and adapting ourselves to different places, lifestyles, cuisines, culture is part of life. Both my kids started their first international travel when they were few months old and now they turned to be pros.

Families which travel together stay together:

As cliched might it sound, it's true. We realized it first hand that traveling brought members of the family closer and enabled us to discover one another because during any trip - situations, environments, people around change constantly with family being the only constant unit intact. Right from planning, jotting down the list of places to visit, booking, packing and the journey, it's a complete team work. While my little girl is too young (but she understands that vacation is all about new people, hotel rooms and taxis), my boy is seasoned enough to join us in finalizing the tourist attractions to add to our itinerary. Vacations are usually the only period where we all get to be uninterruptedly together for an extended period of time away from daily routines of the world.

Not that every travel diary has been a smooth dreamy ride. We had our own share of tough situations. Our rental cars broke down, flights got cancelled, road trips had to be suspended due to bad weather, kids got sick, hotels denied our reservations for no reason, unavailability of vegetarian food options, dealing with passive and overt racism, overcharging, changing transportation options at the last moment, carrying kids and climbing mountains and walking for kilometers in forests, facing language and communication problems (23 / 30 countries visited are non-English speaking) etc.

But today if I have a choice, I would still opt to face those situations again because those challenges had put us on spot which we had to encounter, deal with which helped us learn about those places and cultures much better and etched laughable memories now. More importantly we were thrown out of our comfort zone in an alien land by people talking another language which brought us family together even stronger. We just knew that everything will settle down and all we needed to do was to keep our cool. That built our character. Another major takeaway: our kids saw how we maintained our composure to deal with those challenges and that would have a telling impact on their psyche because children grasp very fast when something is taught through model and inspiration. I can't get them learn these concepts in any school. These are the experiences we bought them through traveling.

Creating shared memories:

When I was a child and a teenager, my parents took me and my sister to various places in India and looking back, those are the best of fond memories we have about our childhood, those awkward poses for pictures, silly discussions, those simple meals, shabby motels and restaurants - all are engraved as powerful shared memories. Thanks to those memories, I have many moments of smile.

My boy is almost 6 now but once in a while, he recollects his travel memories of 2-3 years back and laughs incessantly. I can pay anything for such moments in my child's life. Apart from all the monuments, beaches and exotic locations, what we remember the most are the silliest of antics we have done at those respective places. For example: due to unavailability of proper washrooms we had to change diapers or wet clothes of our kids at the park at the foot of Eiffel tower, ruins of Colosseum, scenic train route in Switzerland, on a helicopter ride to Mt.Everest, desert around Egyptian pyramids, steps ascending Machu Picchu, lake side in New Zealand etc. As silly and crude as it might sound, we are bound to remember and laugh off for the rest of our lives. And we laughed our asses off from unpredictable situations which I can't share here.

Children grow up pretty fast and before they leave us for their own good, we wanted to gather up as many memories as possible. That's the very reason we make movies out of our travel escapades and upload at Myriad Tales - Youtube Channel . I hope, after we pass away, kids will still hold us in such beautiful memories and smile at us.

World is a teacher:

Children are generally more inquisitive and tend to ask more honest questions about each place. At least my son does. I make it a point to refresh my knowledge about each monument or tourist attraction we visit so that I'm prepared to answer his questions. Sometimes he surprises me with some profound questions which flabbergast me. Today I take pride in his cognizance of the world and geographic knowledge. He remembers all (almost) flags, capital cities and a special delicacy of each place he visited. His reactions to places and picturesque scenes make us appreciate those places further.

Traveling opened up his mind and we discovered his newfound interests. My little girl got more interactive, social and never shies away to strike a conversation in Telugu with any stranger across the world. There is a perceivable difference in their confidence levels (but his shyness remains the same back at home though). As children are fast adapters, they got acclimatized to weather, time zones, cuisines much faster than us. I was surprised to discover that my boy also realized how privileged and fortunate he is amidst many 'sad kids' of his age. Hope he retains that quality and grows up to be a compassionate and tolerant man. Touch wood !

Expensive but priceless:

One of the biggest hurdles to travel is the budget part. But it's not as overwhelming as many make out of it. Some proper planning, timing, research (read: TripAdvisor) could result in lot of cost cutting. Singles and young couples can save lot of bucks by backpacking, staying in hostels and apartments, hiring through airbnb, collecting reward points etc. Those who are on Instagram would know how a certain follower count would make one an instaceleb and corporates rush to sponsor trips for their benefit if one is creative and articulate enough. If you wanna go, you would go. As simple as it is.

Having said that, traveling is expensive but the output you get out of those experiences is matchless, priceless and magical.

Recent trip:

We wanted 2017 to be special for variety of reasons and hence visited all 7 continents and had a 12 hour incredible aerial trip to Antarctica where we could see glaciers, active volcanoes, mountain ranges, research stations and bright sunlight all through night in the ice desert from a metaphorical stone's throw away distance. While I always wanted to set my foot in the continent, I understood it would be too harsh on the kids (btw only kids over 10 are allowed to land so we were ruled out) also I would never have witnessed the landscape from one location which I could view from the up close and personal aerial tour. I felt truly privileged. I don't think I would ever be able to visit a more magical place (coming from me, living in Canada currently in -30's:- that should really mean something ;))

I was cautious about Australia because of the projected prejudice against brown skin but was pleasantly surprised. Everyone I met there including hotel staff, taxi drivers or random strangers we stroke a conversation with were extremely sweet and well mannered. Infact I experienced more racist pricks in USA which by far has the most 'asshole per capita' index in the world.

While Australia is pretty much like Canada except the right hand driving, New Zealand was a revelation. Queenstown especially was breathtaking with picturesque sceneries which no camera in the world can do justice to. The only places which could match up would be the scenic route between Interlaken & Lucerne in Switzerland and possibly Banff-Lake Louise-Athabasca Glacier corridor in Canada.

Future bucket list:

While we want to lay low in 2018, here's the bucket list for the future

1. Icebreaker cruise to North Pole, Arctic Ocean - That will complete our trip around 5 oceans
2. Cruising through drake passage to South Pole - That will complete our visit to 2 poles
3. Visiting Petra (Jordan) and Great Wall of China - That will complete our visit to 7 world wonders
4. Jerusalem - The place where Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed, David and Abraham once walked.
5. Trek to KalaPattar to view Mt.Everest - The highest peak in the world which evaded us in 2017
6. Base jump from 'Angel Falls', Venezuela - The highest waterfalls in the world
7. Camping in glass igloos and watching northern lights - in one of the Scandinavian countries
8. Solo skydiving and flying a glider plane - Right here in Toronto, Canada

Wish me good luck !

Travel Diaries 6 - Nepal

***Disappointment of the decade***

Country: Nepal 

Destination: Mount Everest basecamp & Kala Patthar

2017 will remain very special for us for many reasons and we wanted to commemorate year in many ways. One being traveling to all 6 continents (except Antarctica), visiting the oldest world-wonder (Egyptian Pyramids), largest rainforest (Amazon), longest river (Nile), oldest inhabited cities (Athens - because we can't go to Damascus, Syria) and.......the highest peak in the world (Mt.Everest). While all others have been done (or will be done), we were left with heartbreaking disappointment at the mighty Everest area.

In our 2.5 month hectic holiday to India, we sneaked out on a 2 day trip to Nepal in our pursuit to tick off Mount Everest from our bucket list. Since we had a 5 year old with us, the idea was to fly from Kathmandu to the Everest base-camp and then to Kala Patthar which is supposed to be the best viewpoint of the summit. 

The day we reached Kathmandu, we were amazed at how different Nepal is from India despite such strong social, religious, cultural ties and not to mention physiognomy. Nepalese people also seemed to be fiercely proud of their heritage, culture and don't appreciate being called similar to Indians. The day went well with visit to one of the oldest temples, the unique and magnificent Pasupathinath Temple (by the way, till recently Nepal was the only official Hindu country in the world). It was an eerie experience watching dead bodies being mass cremated on the banks of the river along the temple.

The next day was big. The day we were supposed to see the mighty Mount Everest with a naked eye. Here's the conversation (verbatim)

_____________________________________________________

*At Kathmandu airport helipad, 6:30 am*

Operator: sir, the weather is bad, let's wait for 30 minutes

Me: OK sure.

*After 30 mins*

Operator: sir, it's cloudy and not conducive for our tour. 

Me: But wasn't weather supposed to be good and sunny today as per forecasts.

Operator: yes sir but things change every hour and will be highly unpredictable at the Everest area. Sometimes we would also get stranded for 5 days straight. Please return to hotel and I'll update you.

Me: OK but please keep us posted and we would want to do this even at the slightest chance.

*We returned to hotel*

*Operator on phone after 1.5 hours*

Operator: Sir, Everest is not visible today. Shall I take you to Swayambhu temple and local shopping market ?

We: We came for an experience of a lifetime so let's wait for clouds to clear up and fly to atleast one of the 3 places where we can view the Everest

*Operator on phone after an hour*

 Operator: Sir, please come to helipad again. Seemingly weather had cleared up. Air traffic controller confirmed that and pilot is all set.

*We rushed like there's no tomorrow and boarded the helicopter*

*Up in the air after flying an hour into Himalayas*

Pilot: the weather is getting worse and there's no way we can go closer to the Everest view points. Let's return.  

*steers the helicopter around*

**My heart broke into 1000 pieces**

*After landing at Kathmandu helipad*

Kid:*waking up from sleep*: "Pappa, did I miss Everest ?"

____________________________________________________

The only consolation in the escapade is that the pilot took pity on us and landed us at the mysterious Haleshi Mahadev temple (google it) somewhere hidden in a bat-cave near thick woods on the banks of Doodhkoshi river in the Everest area. That would be memorable but the scar of missing on Everest remains. Some other day, some other time, may be a trek to basecamp and Kaala Patthar and I read about altitude-sickness, zero amenities, parasite infested water, indigestion, yak-dung nausea etc. It's not easy but still....

Mount Everest - I accept your challenge !

Travel Diaries 5: Top 10 Places I Visited

It's not an easy task to drill down to just 10 favorite places I visited. The list is based on how much I loved and enjoyed my visit and stay at these places and hence could be biased and/or subjective.

(10) Manali, India

While I haven't visited salt desert of Kutch, sand dunes of Rajasthan or backwaters of Kerala yet, I will rate Manali and the great Himalayan aura as the best tourist place in India. Serene Beas river, snow capped mountains around, strong pahaadi culture and character make the place unforgettable. Rohtang Pass, Solang Valley and the Hadimba temple vicinity still bring in vivid and vivacious memories. Personally, this is the place where I first experienced snowfall, sub-zero temperatures, river crossing, paragliding. The hill region imbibed in me a strong urge to be a perpetual backpacker. My travel-mania is in a way triggered by my visit to Manali. My honeymoon spot. Visited: 2007

(9) Niagara Falls, Canada

50 mins drive from my house, Niagara Falls is figuratively my backyard. I might have visited the falls over 30 times in the last one decade but never ever came close to getting tired or exhausted of the roaring cascade, green and white waters, perennial rainbow, mist, tourists and their cameras. Have seen the falls from either side of the border (American side being a poor cousin of the Canadian), from the tunnel behind the falls, from the foot of the falls, on the boat and every time felt like an experience to cherish. I know that Iguazu Falls of Argentina, Angel Falls of Venezuela are more imposing than Niagara but since I haven't been to either of those, Niagara is still on my list. First Visited: 2007

(8) Isle Mujeres, Mexico

Caribbean Sea is undoubtedly THE most beautiful sea in the world. So every place with a resort on the shore of Caribbean is a spot to die for but Isle Mujeres is a bit more than that. Think about this: A tiny island 7 kms long and less than a km wide which can be seen on a golf cart in few hours, picture perfect turquoise sea with high tides every direction you look at, magnificent Cancun skyline at some distance. That's something everybody must experience atleast once in their lifetime. I got lucky once. Visited: 2012

(7) Venice, Italy

Always rated among top few places to visit in any poll across the world, Venice should've been a world wonder. A city on canals, life on boats, trips on gondolas, strolls in narrow lanes, a grand canal, a majestic cathedral, an enthralling square make Venice look like a dream. Visited: 2013

(6)  Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Another beautiful European city which is sobriqueted Venice of the North, Amsterdam is the original sin city, much sinner than Las Vegas and more beautiful than Venice with it's concentric canals (minus gondolas). The fact that Marijuana is legal with cannabis bars sprawled like any other bar or cafe is a sight in itself. Another ironic tourist attraction is the red light area where sex workers showcase themselves from enclosures to tourists walking around the streets. And that happens to be a must visit sightseeing point in the city. Friendly people, rich Dutch culture, a unique blend of historic and modern worlds make Amsterdam a deserving alpha city of the world. Visited: 2013

(5) Hawaii Big Island, USA

Always a favorite beach holiday place especially for Americans, Hawaii is so unlike America in America. More than the waves and surf, I was amazed and astonished watching active volcanoes and black sand beach. Strong Polynesian culture, Luau, Hula adds to the magic. Visited: 2011

(4) Paris, France

City of Love. Fashion Capital. Many nicknames, many tales to narrate about the spectacular city. The towering Eiffel tower, calming Seine river, proud historic old town, ultra fashionable people, world renowned Monalisa and the Louvre, Versailles, the bridge of love-locks (we visited before the locks were removed) and Notre Dame - Paris can't be narrated or explained but only be experienced. Get drenched in the magic, go to Paris. Visited: 2013

(3) Banff / Athabasca Glacier, Canada

I was mind-blown and could hardly breath enough to relish the nature at one glance. An emerald turquoise crystal clear lake right under the nose of snow capped Canadian rockies and a carpet of pine trees is something which can blind your eyes. And then there is Athabasca Glacier on which the ice is as thick as the height of Eiffel Tower and you get on to the glacier on a bus, take a stroll and gaze at death trapping crevices; the glacier which feeds into Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Don't even try imagining. Just realize Canada is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. Visited: 2010

(2) Lucerne - Interlaken, Switzerland

It's a no-brainer that those who visit Switzerland can't forget the heaven on earth in their lifetime. Interlaken, a sleepy small town on banks of a river which is also a gateway to the highest point of Europe, Jungfrau in Swiss Alps is as picturesque as a postcard. Lucerne is a small big city where every glance can remind you of some poster or wall hanging. But the most mind-boggling experience in Switzerland will be a train journey between Interlaken and Lucerne. You'll regret having just two eyes. Visited: 2013

(1) Madrid, Spain

Choosing the top spot among so many places is a daunting task but Madrid was an outright choice for me right from the moment I stepped out of my hotel in Madrid. I felt the happiest in the city. The old world charm, strong Spanish character, friendly Spaniards, alleys, squares, museums, palaces simply grew in me. There were many other historic cities I visited but Madrid left me spell-bounded, captivated and observed me into itself. Visited: 2016

While I could only fit 10 best places in the top ten list, others which come close to the list are Innsbruck (Austria), Brussels (Belgium), Rome (Italy), Lisbon (Portugal), Koblenz (Germany), Chicago (USA), Delhi (India). Hoping to add more places in the list in the next few years.

PS: “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” – Anonymous

Travel Diaries 4 - Viva Italia !

After two years of visiting Italy, I'm still awestruck at the versatility, breadth and range of Italy's greatness, beauty, capabilities and their well-deserved pride. While attempting to write this article, I could vividly imagine a montage of ancient ruins in Rome, postcard beauty of Florence, magnificence of Pisa tower, enchanting canals of Venice, breathtaking Alpine scenes.

While Switzerland is sheer poetry in terms of visual scenery, France more in terms of history and fashion and Germany more about engineering and architecture - Italy can easily give a run for their money in their core areas.

How can any one country be a birthplace of an ancient civilization (Roman), ideologies (capitalism, fascism), engineering (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Ducati), fashion (Armani, Versace, D&G, Prada, Gucci et al), mafia (Sicily) cuisine (Pizza, Pasta, Gelato), art and renaissance (Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo)

I had both glad and sombre moments in Roma (anglicized name being Rome) yet the city didn't fail to fill me with awe and some unforgettable moments. The majestic Colosseum and the way Italians have preserved their heritage and ruins will make anybody agape in disbelief. Rome - a city filled with narrow tiled by-lanes, pizzerias with chairs arranged all along streets, activity at piazzas (small city squares), friendly Italian bystanders and localites trying hard to respond in English, the humongous Roma Termini train station, Trenitalia high speed trains can never be forgotten.

There are two things which are common between Italy and India. First being closely knit families. No offence to families of other ethnicity but Indians and Italians are a breed apart. Second common thing is their aversion to traffic and lane rules. It was so refreshing for me to witness an equally laid-back nation which simply doesn't bother about maintaining lanes, traffic lights or just-name-it.

Vatican (though officially another country but geographically landlocked within Rome) is a world in itself. The serenity and papal ambiance brings about divinity in the atmosphere. St.Peter's square, the enchanting dome (which we inadvertently scaled to the top) are mind-blowing.

Pisa tower is a bit overexposed and overrated but never disappointing but the underrated Florence is a visual epic. The city, birthplace of famous renaissance which shaped the artistic, cultural texture of the world has to be seen once before we die. It's simply a marvel which pulls you over into the artistic history of Italy.

Venice will be in the top 3 dream destinations of any person who is romantic at heart. Rightly positioned as the most beautiful place in the world by many surveys, Venice is a different utopian land which we can only imagine in the wildest romantic fantasies.

Built on some 117 small narrow islands connected by canals and located in the Adriatic sea, Venice is a picturesque fantasy. Can you imagine traffic and commutation only by boats, gondolas, canals dividing multi-floored buildings on both sides throughout the city ? Venice city by foot is another experience with tiled narrow lanes, cathedrals and the famed Saint Mark basilica.

We missed Cinque Terre, Naples and few other prominent places. May be some other time but whatever Italy I visited, experienced and witnessed first hand, I could say that the country grew upon me. I can't wait to go back there. This is a feeling which no other place or country could stir up in me, except India ofcourse.

VIVA ITALIA !

Travel Diaries 3 - Switzerland

This article is long long overdue. I love blogging travel episodes as much as I travel but could only write about few misadventures and not all travel experiences as yet. though I wrote about US west coast and Hawaii way back in 2010-11, I`m heavily backlogged and what better place to rekindle the series than with Switzerland - rightly sobriquetted heaven on earth.

That was September 2013 when we headed on to our family expedition to Europe and ran into some unexpected turn of events (both good and bad) and were left a bit sour towards the end of our Italy tour. We were in pursuit of a real getaway from a mess (will blog that in travel diary about Italy) and we could not ask for a better place.

Train journey from humid, tropical central Italy towards Alps of Northern Italy bordering Swiss brought in a holistic change in the climate, mood and the entire canvass. We arrived to a small town called Interlaken (in the German spoken part of Switzerland) sometime during late evening and retired to bed after a tiresome journey. We could not exactly comprehend the surroundings in the sleepy town at the outset but could hear river flow and swaying woods.

The dawn brought to us one of our happiest and most pleasant days. Pristine unadulterated backdrop, swiftly flowing river just in the backyard, snow capped mountains in the vicinity swept us off our feet. Before we could relish ourselves completely, the ticking clock was teasing us. Quickly finished breakfast and headed to Jungfraujoch, supposedly the highest point in Europe.

While the steep train journey towards the peak in itself has been a tourist`s dream, the top of the mountain can`t be explained in words. Despite having visited Banff, Jasper and the glacier there, Jungfraujoch is in a completely different league. First hand experience of Alps`snowfall, the ice museum and surprisingly a bollywood themed Indian restaurant made our entire Europe trip worthwhile.

Next day in the itinerary was Lucerne. We had no real idea what was in store until we boarded the train to the city. If anybody asks me what could potentially be the best train journey ever, I`d not mince my words before suggesting Interlaken-Lucerne visuals. Almost all bollywoodish movie duets were choreographed there. Ridiculously lush green meadows, belled grazing cattle (Swiss icon), frequent springs and waterfalls, turquoise lakes, winding train tracks, friendly people around - I can just feel everything all over again.

Lucerne is a bigger town than Interlaken, bit more commercial, crowded, better infrastructure and I dare say - more beautiful. On the banks of swan populated lake, archaic old town, die to experience climate. I felt how lucky could one be to retire and spend their post retirement phase of life in Lucerne. I don`t rule that possibility out ;)

From Lucerne we had been to a day trip to Mount Pilatus, almost similar to Jungfrau, but the steepest cogwheel train trek in the world was worth it.

Next stop in our expedition was the most famous city of Swiss, Zurich. Financial capital of Switzerland and hub of Indian black money ;) Zurich can be compared to Toronto or New York City or Paris (though much smaller than all three) but better infrastructure, helpful crowd. Not much for nature-lovers though. We had to route our journey through Zurich to connect to our next stop which was Innsbruck in Austria.

The only off-note among so many good picturesque memories was exorbitant cost of living or traveling. Easily the most expensive country in Europe (atleast among those I traveled).

Another travel diary soon.

Europe Trip - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly !

20 days, 8 countries, 4 alien languages, 7 cuisines, 9 modes of transport and lifetime of memories. Going on vacation to Europe with my family had long been my fantasy. Now that it's been a week we returned from one of the most memorable, anticipated, awaited, dreamt trips, here is a brief account:

The planning:

Coordinating leaves and vacation plans of 4 of us was an herculean task in itself. Once it materialized, the entire processing of visas, flight, hotel, travel bookings and research took at least 2 months. With a toddler around, shopping and packing took a month or so. So it was a cool 3 month pre-trip planning we had to do for a 3 week tour.

We had to dilly-dally between opting for a packaged tour or plan our own trip, but chose the latter for the flexibility we needed with our kiddoo.

The Good:

First things first ! Europe is stunning, awe-inspiring, mind-boggling and fantastic. Every city has it's unique signature, historical pride, grandeur or canvas that newer countries like US or Canada can never replicate.

Brussels, Belgium: We had zero expectations about Brussels but the small city dazzled me. The city had one of the grandest squares called Grand Place which even put the best of squares in even Paris and Rome to shame. The unique Belgian-French culture, cuisine and the pride they subtly demonstrate is worth experiencing.

The huge atomium brought back memories of Venkatesh's Bobbili Raja movie as at that point, I wondered what that huge structure was. Now when I saw that song again in youtube, I realized most of the song was shot in Brussels.

Paris, France: The lesser said, the better because words can't sum up the aura of Paris, known as the city of love, city of architecture, city of history. Even if one misses (must not though) Eiffel Tower, Monalisa at Louvre Museum, Notre Dame etc, just roaming around the streets of Paris gives goosebumps. Every building in the historic part of the city is a treat to eyes. If I ever visit Paris again, I'm gonna spend a week to absorb the richness and flamboyance of the beautiful city. Eiffel Tower is much more magnificent than I thought. The view from top was astounding

Not to mention, every youngster I saw in Pairs was beautiful, fashionable and attractive. No surprise the city is rightly dubbed as a fashion capital.

Versailles, France: The magnificent palace of Louis and later Napoleon should only be seen to believe. Exuberant flair and splendour

Rome, Italy: We spent 3 full days in Rome and that still wasn't enough. Among all the places I visited till date, Rome is very very unique because of it's perfect blend of old world history and modernity. Every place, square, monument screams about the mighty Roman empire. The colosseum must be a world wonder. I was just awestruck with the phenomenal historical baggage, the city associates with itself.

Vatican city, Vatican: A country within a city. One of the most sacred places on the planet. A huge square, a magnificent dome and a splendid cathedral demonstrate the rich roman catholic culture, architecture.

Pisa & Florence, Italy: Pisa is a small town which only boasts the skewed Pisa tower, a marble structure which attracts flocks of tourists day in and day out. Florence is a neighboring town which at first reminds us of a postcard or a painting. There is one huge cathedral and dome which signifies the city and a lot of pedestrian tourist area. A nice experience

Venice, Italy: Venice often appears as the most beautiful city of the planet unanimously in all surveys. Such is the aura behind the city of canals. My parents compared the city with Backwaters of Kerala (which I haven't visited yet) but the city is beautiful and just the thought of system of canals as mode of transportation rather than mostly overlooked roads is a dream of any romantic person.

The city undoubtedly is romantic to the core and everybody must go on a gondola ride on grand canal before they die

Interlaken, Switzerland: If you want to be overwhelmed with natural beauty and go crazy to the point of screaming your lungs out, you should visit Interlaken in Switzerland for sure. A very small town looks much like a film setting in the backdrop of snow capped swiss alp mountains, rivers, lakes. It's like a definition for the word Picturesque.

Daily trips to the adjoining Jungfrau and other alp peaks, cogwheel rail routes along lush green meadows with signaturesque cows, the must see ice palace and views from the top are dreams for any backpacker.

Lucerne, Switzerland: Just when we felt Interlaken has blown us away, Lucerne showed us that in Switzerland, every place is a notch above the other. Relatively bigger city with perfect weather, river, lakes, swans, beautiful people. For a moment, I thought why wasn't I considering immigrating to Switzerland. Lake cruise and then the steepest cogwheel train in the world to the top of Mount Pilatus was a once in a lifetime experience.

Zurich, Switzerland: The biggest city in switzerland was our transit stop where we spent a day. A bustling city is no match for previous 2 cities but still is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Innsbruck, Austria: Austria is generally considered as non-commercialized version of Switzerland. Innsbruck is a small town in a valley surrounded by snow peaked alps that can never slip out of your memory. A perfect retirement destination :)

Cologne, Germany: One of the most bombed city during world war 2 shows the backdrop of German might. Taxis are all Mercedes, Audi, VW and BMW's ;) On the picturesque backdrop of River Rhine, the huge old age cathedral and chocolate museum were worth seeing.

Koblenz, Germany: A small and fascinating town on the river banks, pedestrian tourist streets, cable cars, confluence of rivers. Simply amazing and beautiful.

Amsterdam, Netherlands: This is one city which swept me off my feet. A unique blend of old buildings, system of canals, abundant museums, mode of commute make it a mixture of Venice, Rome and Paris. An amusing tourist attraction is a red light district popular for it's hookers and drugs - everything legal there.

If I have to recommend anybody planning to visit Europe, I'd strongly advise them to include Amsterdam in their itinerary. I just fell in love with the city

The Bad:

Coming from Canada, I expected continental Europe to be as developed with amenities and facilities only to get disappointed.

• Not recommended for wheelchairs or strollers: Most of the places including subway system or railway platforms of alpha world cities like Paris or a tourism paradise like Venice don't boast of elevators or even escalators at most places. That made our life a bit difficult where we had to carry baby-stroller and luggage.
• Roads and infrastructure: Roads are narrow (compared to Toronto or any major city in US) and parking can sometime become a nightmare. In Rome, people also park on pavements
• Driving in Italy: Italy is much like India in terms of road etiquette. To keep it simple, nobody follows lanes or lines
• Manual Gears: Cars are manual and hence those with no driving experience in India should avoid renting a car in Europe, period !
• Language: Mind it, English is an alien language in all of continental Europe. So you must be particularly excellent at dumb charades or throwing key words at people while (trying to) conversing.
• Hotels: Hotel rooms are inconvenient and much smaller than North American counterparts. Nowhere can you see AC's (even in 5 star hotels)
• Water: Every restaurant or hotel or any place you go, you have to buy water. Water might be more precious than oil there.

The Ugly:

Some awful experiences (Disclaimer: These are based on our experiences and not generic judgements and hence everybody may not face same situations)

• Racism: I perceived the level of racism is a bit on a higher side. Brown skinned people are relatively rare and are looked upon with some scorn by some people to the extent of xenophobia. Though racism is universal, not everybody expresses that as much as certain sections of European societies.
• Rudeness: Every culture is different and hence we can't expect the etiquette of North America or hospitality of India. Europe didn't demonstrate either
• Pickpockets: One will see warning against pickpockets and thieves every nook and corner.I felt I was being careful until I lost my wallet too (ironically the very previous day I bought a new one and before I could replace the old one, I lost it - the old one)
• Anti-English: People there publicly denounce English and the speakers are looked upon with contempt. If you speak in English, they tend to avoid you (even customer service or roadside assistance support guys).
• Irresponsible: Airlines lose baggage and look unconvincingly cool after that; car rental guy doesn't replace broken-down car; hotel receptionists don't cooperate during late check-ins; basically they don't care.

Nevertheless, these bad experiences were negligible when compared to lifetime memories we garnered, grandeur and splendor we witnessed, monuments we saw, cuisines we savored and some exceptionally sweet people we met there.

Postface:

Europe trip will always hold a very special place in my heart not just because of beautiful locales or grand monuments, but because I had my family with me. Actually the trip was planned to mark the celebration of my mother's 50th birthday and I wanted to take my parents to some exotic place which we all could cherish for our lifetime and which makes them feel special. I'm more than satisfied and I hope this would just be a beginning.

And the most relieving this of the trip was about my 16 month old son. Initially I was apprehensive about his diet, tiredom and if he could adapt to our continuous journeys. But surprisingly he woke up along, ate whatever we ate and behaved like a grown up. Actually he enjoyed much more than the rest of us. He gave us confidence to plan for more trips now ;)

PS: Coming soon - an article about our long forgotten trip to Mexico last year end.

Extreme Sports - Experiences to remember

I'm an extreme sport freak and the very thought of such outdoor activities gives me adrenalin rush. I'm attempting to narrate few extreme sport experiences I had. Incidentally all my attempts in such outdoor activities started after I got married and my wife accompanied me in almost every sport :)

BTW, the below mentioned outdoor activities generically fall under extreme sports category in contrast with other sports, but none of these are as extreme as the name suggests :D

Rock Climbing:

My tryst with some kind of extreme sports was rock climbing (though not exactly as extreme). It was at Runway 9 where I shed my inhibitions to try this. It was a very exciting experience thanks to my confidence in the guy who wrapped all ropes and buckles around me. This was the only sport available near Hyderabad then apart from Go Karting (also at Runway 9).

River Crossing:

A real extreme sport. After wedding, we went to Manali (yes, as a part of honeymoon). Beas river originates near Manali and is one of the roughest rivers in India. The rocky terrain, huge rapids, deafening sound intimidates anybody. For a non-swimmer like me, crossing that river holding a rope was definitely an adventure. When I crossed half the river, the trainer guy lowered the rope and my feet touched the flowing river water which was dangerously cold (quite understandably - the temperature was -3 celsius and the water came from Himalayas). This was my first adventure sport in true terms.

Skiing:

Rohtang Pass is a mountain pass near Manali famous for blizzards and avalanches. We went there to enjoy the scenic beauty but couldn't resist wearing the ski gear and blades. That's incidentally the first time, I saw and touched snow. Skiing looks so easy in movies, but the technique to apply brakes to those thin, long blades on slippery snow was definitely not a child play. We tried for 2 hours before we could ski for 200 ms.

Second attempt of skiing was during last winter when our cousin traveled from NYC. That's at Blue Mountains, 2 hours from Toronto . We chose the beginners area to ski. The shoes given to us were heavier than us and walking with those on made us feel like astronauts :)

Once we were ready with skiing blades, we were taken uphill by the movator and we were supposed to ski downwards. All three of us (Hema, Karthik and myself) were ready to ski and I just thought to have a small drill before going for a long ski and hence started skiing and to my utter surprise and shock, the steep mountain took my downwards with unbelievable speed. I skied faster than a vehicle and when i tried to apply the brake by moving my ski blades in an angle, that didn't seem to work; my speed accelerated and I was sure an accident was in store. If I continued further, I would've definitely run into other people (including children) and injure them as well. So I prepared myself for the worst and jumped off the blades to start rolling on the steep mountain of snow.

I had my blades fixed to my feet, but I stumbled and rolled over the snow for almost 300 ms. Luckily nobody came in my way and I didn't hurt myself too. After I stood on my feet, the best scene to see my wife and cousin too struggling very hard to control their blades, hahahaha. Later I learnt the trick and then helped the other two as well. An hour of skiing later on the ground level was fun though. That was an excellent memory :)

Paragliding:

At Solang Valley near foothills of Himalayas, near Manali. First of a kind experience flying in open air with a parachute was breathtaking. The launch was all comfortable, but tension started only when I was about to land because I didn't know whether to run as soon as I land (just like getting down from a running bus) or stand still. I landed under that confusion and suffered a minute bruise. That was a memory to reckon with :)

Motorboating:

Not an extreme sport, per se. My sister and brother-in-law arrived from US for the first time after marriage and we decided to go for a one day picnic. All of us were saturated with Niagara and hence planned to go to Thousand Islands, a water sport area 3 hours away from Toronto.

We wanted to have some adventure and so rented a motor boat to drive on St.Lawrence river. The river is one of the longest, widest and fast flowing rivers which we didn't know earlier. The boat owner gave us a 5 min orientation explaining all controls and gave us the key. Only after we started did we realize that the river is too big and wide (double the width of Godavari at Bhadrchalam - Papikondalu area).

All four of us took turns to steer the driving wheel and all was well until jetskis around drove fast enough to create turbulence in the waters. Remember, my sister and I can't swim and incidentally my wife raised the gas, turned the steering frantically and that\s when I prepared myself for the worst to happen. Later we parked the boat at one of the islands (among 1000 islands), spent some time on the island, and drove back to destination unharmed. 4 hour motor-boating on the river was very exciting, scary and memorable.

Canoeing:

Canoeing is something which looks pretty normal, but the first experience was tiring and confusing. My friend and I started rowing from opposite ends of the canoe and we took a cool 30 mins to crack the technique before we set off the odyssey on french river, Ontario. Trouble began when somebody told us that there was a waterfall nearby which could be our final destination if we didn't row it to the shore properly. One hour of canoeing then was more than watching 10 horror and gory movies.

But later when we tried it at Southampton beach, that was pretty cool. I became a pro by then :)

Kayaking:

Fairly simple, but equally dangerous because one of our friends who came with us for camping capsized the kayak, abandoned it and swam safely to the shore. But what should I do (I can't swim) was the question I had on my mind for that 30 mins when I kayaked alone on Lake Huron.

Rafting:

Rafting on grand river with cousins Preetham and Saroja was rather cool, secure and enjoyable experience. We never came across any kind of dangerous or adventurous situation except that it was physically exhausting.

Gliding:

Again with Preetham and Saroja near African Safari, Hamilton, Canada. We were made to sit along with a pilot in a gliding plane which was towed by another plane with a rope. Once we were in the sky, the towing plane withdrew the rope leaving the glider plane to fly for some time before landing safely. It was not a very adventurous trip, but sitting on a front seat and flying in a glider plane was a good experience.

Tubing:

One of the most dangerous and on the edge experience I ever had. We went to Elora gorge where grand river flows. Tubing was a very enjoyable sport as recommended by many. Its all about floating on a tube (something like a tube in truck tyre). We were given life jackets and tubes and were directed to reach the river. To my surprise there was nobody at the river to push, help, guide, instruct, protect or teach. We were left to our destiny. When we reached the river, there were some 15 people, waiting to see if anybody tubes but nobody even remotely attempting to do it themselves.

My wife and I took the tubes to shores, sat in the tubes but didn't know how to kick-off. Before I could realize what was happening, my wife pushed my tube into the flowing waters. Taken aback I started flowing along the river and in some distance saw rapids and a slope. I held my breath, left my life to the mercy of life jacket and was prepared to fell off the tube for sure. But I saved myself by holding the tube tightly. There were 3 such rapids which I survived before getting down in shallow waters very far away.

That was enough for me and hence started walking back along the shore with the tube in my hand when suddenly a small girl was screaming for help. She fell off her tube and was flowing along with rough waters. I raised the hero in me and gave her a helping hand and was about to pull her. But destiny planned something else for me :)

The rough water pulled me and we both started flowing in the river. I had a life jacket and hence was floating but the river was fast enough to push me even before I could control or hold something. After this drama of rolling and flowing in the river, some good samaritan saved me and that gal :D.

I saw my wife tubing slowly after somebody else pushed her to give her the necessary kick-off. I don't think I will tube again :D

Canopy Walk:

We celebrated our second wedding anniversary at a forest resort called Haliburton Wildlife Reserve, a dense forest and an abode for wolves and bears. The adventure was to walk on a canopy, a narrow (1 foot) hanging bridge built between tree-tops in the dense forest amidst flowing river. We were given a lot of gear to put around our waist and were made to walk on that canopy for half a kilometer. Breathtaking visuals, adrenalin rush made the experience worth our time.

Jetskiing:

This is one sport which took my breath away, which made me skip heartbeats. Jetski, a waterbike is easy to operate but the first and only time I did that was in pacific ocean where waves almost submerged me. Jetski works well only when we raise the speed to max levels. If we jetski in lower speeds, waves of water will oscillate the jetski and there is a danger of capsizing.

Being a non-swimmer I could not dare to accelerate the bike and hence pacific waves troubled me a lot (and I had my wife sitting behind me). At one point, I stopped the jetski in mid waters and the situation became even more dangerous. But if I raised speeds, I was sure I will fall down into the ocean. Under this predicament, I raised the gas and made sure the jetski didn't capsize or submerge.

Now I want to do this in some lake or river where waves are not so intimidating.

Parasailing:

Not different from paragliding, except it being on the ocean. Once we were released into the sky, the view of Hawaii was awesome. Cool and enjoyable time spent on parasailing, but nothing adventurous or extreme about this.

Snorkeling:

If I have to choose an activity which I enjoyed the most, its snorkeling. We have done this at the best place in the planet, Hanauma Bay, Hawaii. Turquoise clear waters, abundant fish and corals, scenic beauty, its paradise in short. I enjoyed it more because this was the first place where I got an experience of swimming.

We were given snorkel gear (fins, eye gear, snorkels) and were asked to get into the ocean. Initially I was apprehensive and hence took my wife's support but once I caught the rhythm, there was no stopping. I swam across into deep waters too to see beautiful colorful fish. That was a lifetime experience for me.

Future Checklist:

Bungee Jumping: My longtime aim has been Bungee Jumping. I recently found a place called Great Canadian Bungee, 4 hours away from Toronto. Now there is no way I can stop myself from doing this. This summer, am bungee-ing :)

Sky Diving: Another extreme sport which can be done near Toronto. This summer..mostly yes !

Scuba Diving: Scuba or deep sea diving is very similar to snorkeling but at deeper seas with additional gear to breathe. This summer or next summer depending upon the places we visit.

Hang Gliding: Similar to paragliding. Will plan for it soon.

Snowmobiling: Coming winter, snowmobiling will be waiting for me. Pakka !

Will post another article, once am done with these sports :))