Trav·e·logue

I'm starting my MBA studies at the Ross school of business at Ann arbor soon. That ofcourse entails a 12000 km odd journey that takes around 24 hours end to end. My wife and I flew Lufthansa via Frankfurt to get here from Delhi - a good flight, nothing to complain about at all. Staff were friendly, flight was on time and food was ok. However the seating in the plane was tight and really the food wasnt anything exceptional. Note: Keep an eye out while flying over Greenland: the ices are amazing! Frankfurt airport: It's big, but not as big as they say. We had a 3 hour layover and we had plenty of time to move in from arrival to departures. The airport is no-frills - nothing ofcourse like good old Changi - and we spent our time sipping coffee and happily checking-in on facebook. Ann Arbor - early thoughts. It's like (is!) a large sprawling campus with tons of restaurants and (fewer) bars thrown in. To be honest- I've just made a few trips across- but the beauty of the

 If you're a  moving/recently shifted to Singapore- this blog post could possibly be helpful for you (Extra credit if you're a 20-28, indian, single and semi introvert with unresolved issues). Heck - it may be unhelpful as well - but i feel like writing. These are my top 10 uninsights for you: 1. Be mentally prepared - Get ready to be lonely and get your mind ripped. Yes - you've got that coveted NRI status. The $$$ are eye watering. But - something seems amiss. If you've not truly been alone before - long empty nights in a city which you cant connect with will distort your judgement. Just keeping this fact of life (Labelling those moments) - helps. 2. Keep yourself fit. Ensure you live a healthy lifestyle. I noticed I would feel a bit out during evenings - my retrospective hypothesis is that it was the just the long time between meals. Also - Singaporeans are very fit. Between the national service, genetics and peer pressure - everyone has really good figures.

I was feeling the jitters. Due to recent developments in Ruzzle and R-language -i was unable to work. Ruzzle & R ofcourse being a nervous synonym for real life developments. i looked around. Harsha had just come back from a discussion. He looked whacked. "Perfect- I need to get out of this place and Harsha seems a vulnerable target". "Stop it- Ofcourse a vacation is good- stop thinking as if you're doing something wrong". My evil side and conscience had teamed up - life was much easier after they had joined forces instead of forever battling in my head. I was now feeling charged. Singapore Friday : 8 pm > Jetstar tickets to surabaya booked: Harsha's credit card used (ofcourse I'll pay him back); 200 sgd return (1 pax) Hotel booked: 60 sgd/2 nights (1 pax) Itinerary there: No clue Singapore Saturday: 2 am> Dashboards created for up and coming marketing campaign; Red eyed and weary i crash. I suddenly realize that my camera isnt working. "L

CAMBODIA As mentioned in my last post, Cambodia (Siem reap) ranks in the top destinations that Indians (as per their hefty visa requirements) should visit while sojourning in SE-Asia. Again this trip was made possible due to LCC deals from Singapore to Siem Reap. Itinerary: Singapore to Siem Reap by Jet* (3 days odd) Siem reap to Battambang by bus (overnighter -spend one day at BB. A bit dangerous - not really recommended for women. We did this as SIN-SiemReap: PhnomPenh-SIN was cheaper than SIN-SR return) Battambang to Phnom Penh by bus Phnom Penh to Singapore by Jet* (spend 1-2 days at PP) What do do: Siem Reap You can cover Angkor wat well in 3 days. 2 full days should just be enough for a whirlwind tour. Do note that it tends to be crowded at times and ideally you should choose a low crowd/good temperature season (if that exists). The history and monuments are truly amazing. The forest setting adds greatly to the charm. Ideally you should spend mornings exploring t

Rankings (based on nature, culture, uniqueness, peacefulness) Must visit destinations: Siem Reap: For Angkor Wat and Night life @Pub street Bali: For a combination of everything: Beaches, nature, culture Bohol: Unique landscapes, beaches, dolphin watching and waterfalls Tamcoc/Halong: Exquisite natural beauty Hong Kong: Shopping, Eating, Vibrancy, Culture, Landscapres Bromo: Exceptional unique natural beauty Can Avoid: Bintan, Batam, Phnom Penh Rankings based on self selected parameters. For food (not included): Vietnamese and Thai are light, Indonesian, Phillipine is a bit heavy. Nonveg abounds everywhere. Photographic fragments Phuket Bintan Singapore- birding in MacRitchie Reservoir

Bohol - Magaso Waterfalls This is a brief recap of our 7-8 days in the Phillipines. What it is: Bohol: Beautiful island off Cebu. 2 hour ferry ride from Cebu to Bohol running from early morning till evening. Famous for: Chocolate hills, Tarsiers Cebu: Large city in the phillipines. Good base to launch Bohol/Coron/Borocay excursions Coron: Small island in the north of the phillipines. Expensive to get there and can be avoided unless you're a big diving fan (lots of japanese warships apparently sunk here). Nevertheless- it is gorgeous Getting there: Singapore to Cebu: 230 SGD return by Tiger for 2 pax. Dirt cheap - keep your eyes on the deals Remember remember: Get visa- painful process- you need to have all your documents ready and go to the consulate there (we had to turn back the first time due to lack of documents). This is expensive!! Cebu to Bohol: above Cebu to Coron: Return flight by the local ATR: 400 SGD return for 2 pax Itinerary: Day 1:

Having lived in Singapore for 4 years, I was fortunate enough to explore a number of countries around. This is my shoot-from-the hip view of my travels. I've broken it down into 4 sections: i. general overview ii. summary iii. rankings (blog post 2) iv. comparisons (blog post 2) General Overview: Visa on arrival: Enough has been said about the complete lack of inability of Indians to travel freely without the need for extensive visa procedures (being grouped with countries referred lovingly as the Axis of Evil). Towards this, please note 1. Countries with No Visa Reqs/ Visa on arrival (AFAIK): a. Hong Kong b. Indonesia (Bali, Lombok, Gili Islands) c. Thailand (Krabi, Bangkok, Phuket) 2. Countries with online visa procedures a. Cambodia (Siem Reap, Battambang, Phnom Penh) b. Vietnam (Hanoi, Tamcoc) //inputs taken from parents 3. Countries where you need to visit the consulate a. Philippines (unless you already have a Singapore visa-then you can enter at Manila with no

 Image: Boat ride from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon Trip 1 (how not to visit Hong Kong) "Mumbai" - it looks a great deal like Mumbai and I discarded it. My first trip to Hong Kong was a mess. I was on a Marketing team offsite, alone and had apparently serious issues in my life. This brings me to my first rule (As an engineer I fall back on rules more often than makes any logical sense): a. Travel is as good or bad as your frame of mind My colleagues were more obsessed with shopping and I have faint memories of remaining on Lan Tau (the airport island) with a brief forgettable visit to the local Office near Causeway bay. Towards the end, I felt bad for wasting away a golden opportunity and visited the Buddha temple in penance. Which brings me to significant point 2 b. The cable car and Giant Buddha are good and worth a visit: score: 8/10. Views from the cable car were appreciable - rolling forests lay underneath as the cable car winded it's way peacefully to th