A couple of weeks back I went kayaking at Girgaum Chowpatty. I was a bit sceptical about it initially; the water’s going to be so dirty, I kept thinking. It was quite dirty, but not as bad as I expected, clearing up rapidly as we drew away from the shore. [Read more]

Do travel writers play a role in aiding the desecration of a destination by writing about it and praising it pristine beauty? By telling people just how to get there and where to stay and the highlights to enjoy, do we encourage the hordes to head there and speed along the destruction of all that is quaint and pretty and ‘untouched’? [Read more]

I have rather ambivalent feelings about the effect tourism has on a place.

It puts a destination on the travel map, bringing visitors who’re happy to have a new place to see and, along with them, money, new livelihoods and growth to the place and its people. [Read more]

I just realised the other day that I haven’t been anywhere fun in a while. So while I sulk in my corner, here’s a guest post from Dhamini Ratnam:

All it takes is one pretty stone, and I’m hooked. Then, destination and journey both become unimportant, and the only thing I can think of are stones. Big ones, round ones, oval-shaped ones, funny patchy designed ones, smooth surfaced, cool blue ones, multi-ringed purple ones. Never mind the raft full of people looking at me as if I was off my rockers. [Read more]

Travel is very rarely only just about the place and the beauties it has to offer. It’s also about the food, the culture, the architecture. Central to all this are people. To truly understand a city, you need to understand its people and what makes them tick. What drives their ambitions or causes their lack of them. Whether they believe in working hard, or in partying equally hard. [Read more]