Monaco

Luxury(noun):an economic good for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises! That's Monaco for you.Splendid,scenic and uber chic. You have to rub your gleaming eyes to take everything the sight has to offer. Its a gem on the South western side of Europe and lies in the French Riviera on the Mediterranean Sea and is surrounded by France and close to Italy.

With its total area of just under 2 km² & estimated population of almost 33,000, its a heaven,only for a selected few!84% of its population are richest foreigners who are proud to live in the second most smallest country which is also the second smallest monarchy in the world!

Mesmerising water front, sparkling waters, over flowing champagne,Breathtakingly beautiful Mansions,swanky cars,casinos,gambling...Its a life meant for spreading your wings and taking off...

Eternal Love - Paris

Definately the most fascinating city i have visited so far.Sadly the start of my sojourn in Paris was not very pleasant.The flight landing 4 hours late, made me miss a considerable time on the 1st day. Within minutes after exiting the airport we headed straight to the heart of the city, the main city circle. The whole city is divided into rings.The inner most ring being the city centre.Needless to say that the main centre was the most busy,expensive,exciting and crowded place in Paris.You really cant experience this circular division concept until you on the topmost(3rd) level of the exhilirating Eifel Tower which overlooks the Siene River and the whole Paris city.The view is mesmerizing.Seeing this beautiful city unfold in front of me made me forget my ill flight experience. The city is extremely well planned and awe inspiring. How can each and every building in the city look like a well crafed work of art? Its colonial architecture,magnificent buidings made of white sedimentary rocks,palaces,bridges (there are more than 19 bridges on Siene river alone!), and grand gates all are splendid.Another thing to die for is seeing the city at mid night,it turns into sparkling gold.The endless cafes serve everything from coffees and croissants to alcohol.Its wonderful to see the number of tastefully doneup cafes lined along small french streets.There are like zillion cafes in Paris.Its a culture there.Its like your own porch, everybody whos anybody is always in a cafe!!!

Its a city for artists,its a city for lovers.Small gardens along the Siene river banks...ah...just curling up there with a good book is all thats required.And yes, not to forget the Louvre Museum...luckily i was there post the much publicised "Da-Vinci Episode".Its s stunner...it actually takes 2 months to visit the whole museum,that is if you actually see all the artifacts (can u believe that!!!) But it really does, the place is massive!'Coz of the book i knew my way to the famous "Danon Wing" which hosts the controversial Mona Lisa.Honestly i did'nt find the masterpiece so exciting...id rather put my money(if i had that much...lol) on "Tiziano Vecellio's Woman with the Mirror" its a great piece of art. All my rambling about the place cant be enough to actually explain the true Prarie experience...My Paris visit will stay on the top of my favourite list until i visit it again!I say..."Paris De Jaime"

Must Go Places in India (Personal Favourites, Part 1)

1.) Gangtok (Sikkim) : For its sheer unspoiled beauty and trance like weather
2.) Meghalaya : For all the rain lovers, its breath takingly mesmerizing
3.) Kodai Kanal: Amazing weather (Oct-Dec), splendid Lake, Old Cathedral, Fab Local Cuisine
4.) Jabalpur (M.P.) : Rowing through the Jabalpur River which passes through marble terrain is awesome. It seems as if we are floating through rainbow like rock formations.
5.) Jaipur: It’s a true-"pink" royal city. Apart From majestic palaces and grandeur, its rich history, colourful people and lip smacking Marwari food makes it a must go.
6.) Darjeeling : Another unspoiled destination. Every morning being greeted by the Kanchan Junga range (Himalayas) which literally turns golden the minute sun rises. It makes you bow down to its pristine beauty. Its a popular rafting mountaineering too.
7.) Nainital : Perfect combination of hills and lakes. Ideal holiday. Only if it could be less crowded! Sigh...
8.) Benares: It is the ultimate destination for Hindu devotees and a land with steady flow of pilgrims,endless rituals, river dips, offerings, joss sticks and sadhus. But the evening prayers (aartis) at the bank of Ganges actually lits up the place. For a split second your elevated self makes you forget other environmental issues threatening this place.

Things I Would Rather Forget ! Part 1

1. When I travelled 2 and a half days from Mumbai to Calcutta by train (Never Ending Journey of my life)
2. Himachal Pradesh- the never ending ghats between fabulous hill stations (I was "allergic" to ghats as a child!)
3.) Mount Abu-this was during a school trip.We were boating in the well known "Nakki Lake".We were in middle of the lake when the guy who was rowing the boat mentioned that the lake was 35,000 ft deep ! And at the same time my boat jerked dramatically as my over sized professor shifted her weight to touch the water!!! (I sweared on my life to learn swimming the minute i reach home,and i seriously learned it)
4.) Ooty- We were on the top of Mt.Udagamangalam (Annapoorna Range) but sadly missed the view due to excess fog!
5.) Darjeeling - Damn it! i was too small,cold and sleepy on the first day, and the next morning we were supposed to go to the sunrise point for which i got up at 3.30 a.m.Not Pleasant!

Remembering My Early Trips

A new blog, and my first new post...
Remembering my first trip is like having flashes of unexplored collage in my mind.Trying to remember every tiny detail to its perfection,and then understanding that perfection lies in forgetting certain things. I am contemplating whether my first trip was somewhere outside or within me? Well,this is not a spiritual blog so i will stick with "realities".From what i remember...is was a short trip,at a very early age,with my parents and siblings all complete with the typical happenings of a happy family outing.But surely the experience was not ordinary.Something was elevating,joyous an splendidly addictive.I am happy to be a part of family who beleives in travelling for joy & for exploration. Its lovely to have inculcated the spirit of travelling from a very young age. Being a part of all the school outings made me see a considerable portion of my rather large country.Nothing is more gratifying than Exploring places by road,rail,water,air,foot and mind.
There have been some overly interesting incidents with some quite "happy-to-forget" too.But after every journey, there is a sense of satisfaction.Satisfaction of discovering something new,feeling something extraordinary,meeting new people,interacting with them,accepting a new culture and coming back home as a more enriched person.There s so much to write,so much to share...will continue blogging,definately this is going to be my most updated blog:)