Thursday, November 2, 2023

Mexican wedding, Mezcal and loads of Tacos

The country that’s depicted in yellow in all movies actually is yellow in real. It’s as if the VSCO f02 filter is always on, as a friend reminded me.

Here some highlights across Food, Drink, See, Spend and Restaurants visited:


Food

Tacos vs Quesadilla vs Enchilada (needed to figure the one out first!)
Tacos = Tortilla + Filling
Quesadilla = Tortilla + Filling + Cheese
Enchilada = Tortilla + Filling + Cheese + Sauce

Huevos Rancheros (the only breakfast dish we had everywhere)
Huevos (eggs) have numerous ways of preparation, but the one unique to Mexico is Rancheros, which is Tortilla, runny eggs and sauce. Sort of the Enchilada of eggs.

Pork pilbil
The pork dish of Mexico, best had with the Mexican roti and pickled onions

Aracherra
The steak of Mexico. It’s flattened out, like the meat of a Schnitzel, which makes it much easier to eat.

Pikante
Green and Red options available. Personal favorite is Green. Closer to the Indian green chilly possibly

Sauces
Poblano is a dark sauce made with chillies, nuts and chocolate.
Pipian is a red sauce made with chillies and jalapeƱos.

In summary, Mexican food is all about the ensemble. The fried chicken taco tastes dry and terrible on its own, but with the guacamole and refried beans, it’s incredible. All dishes are about the combination with tortillas, protein and sauce. Tortillas are ubiquitous, pork and chicken are the most common protein forms, and sauces are up to your liking. My favorite was the green pikante or pipian sauce.
Don’t miss this old lady coming over to serve warm bread in restaurants. They’re always the most fresh.


Drink

Coffee - the standard Mexican coffee comes spiced like the kind you find in Kerala, and served in a quaint pot. But you’ll need to visit a classic Mexican joint for this as most restaurants otherwise just serve the usual cappuccinos and espressos. Coffee with milk is a whole different thing though. It’s a tall glass of milk with a little bit of coffee. So basically it’s 2 extreme versions of coffee here, super spicy and strong or super light and milky.

Chelada Michelada - the standard serving for beer or Cerveza. Chelada is lemon squeeze in a glass lined with salt. Michelada is tomato in place of lemon.

Corona - the beer made famous by Mexico and tastes outstanding in the Chelada form.

Mezcal - the original tequila of Mexico, worm and all in the bottles. A bit too strong for my age now.


See

Mexico City for food, history and the Teotihuacan pyramid.
Cancun for the Caribbean beach, parties, excellent sunrises and a day trip to Chichen Itza.
Oaxaca for day of the dead festival.
Tepozlatan for an idyllic Mexican village with graffiti walls, food market and one big church.


Spend

Cash needed - withdraw pesos at the best conversation you can find. Will need it.

Tip culture - borrowed from its neighbors to the north mostly, where cab drivers and waiters speak just about enough English to ask for tips.



Do

F1 if around the time. Circuit is in the centre of the city making it far more accessible than the ones in Europe. Perez is also one of the biggest celebrities of Mexico, making the sport and fan favorite. We saw spectators in Red Bull shirts all around the city starting from 8am on race day.

Dia de los Muertos, day of the dead, again if around the time. It’s a truly unique festival with its epicenter at Oaxaca, but interesting to see the installations in Mexico City as well.


Restaurants visited:

Monday, August 21, 2023

Edinburgh and its Fringe Festival

Edinburgh is a city with character. You have the signature dish Haggis that can be paired with any whiskey of your choice in any one of the umpteen fancy gothic architectural bars that are served by the friendliest waiters with accents you can listen to for hours.


Fringe festival is easily the best time to visit Edinburg as you have some of the most talented street artists you may have seen anywhere in the world, performing at every nook and cranny around the town.

You could spend the entire day hopping from one act to another, grabbing a beer or whisky or even a plate of Haggis en route. One of our favorite acts was The Bucket Boy from the US. There were loads of other musicians and comic acts that we thoroughly enjoyed.


Edinburgh castle is a top attraction for any time of the year. It has stood around for 6 centuries, serving as godowns for gunpowder, hospital for war injured, meeting point for army generals which includes the governors quarters to this day, and holding prisoners of war where some nationalities like Americans had to fake identity to escape the brutal treatment.

The castle somehow stood ground in spite of the numerous attacks, the most recent even being at WW2.

It holds some interesting weapons, like the 1’ o clock cannon that fired at that sharp time so seafarers in the region to set their clocks, and Mons Meg, that was once the most powerful weapon the world where towns simply surrendered when they saw it approaching them. It was too bulky though and very soon became obsolete and served as an exhibition canon which finally cracked during one of the celebrations to now become a historic relic.


Day trip options from Edinburgh that we did include the Sterling Castle, Kelpies of Falkirk  that are impressive horse statues you can take tons of photos around.


Places to eat:


Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Spain

Malaga 

Malaga appears to be a tourist city for students and therefore accommodation, food and drinks can be incredibly cheap. The airport is unexpectedly huge though, and the tourists outside Malaga's city center is from a much older demography. 

Accommodation options can be so fancy that we stayed at the second floor of the building where Antonio Banderas owns the penthouse. He apparently bought this place so that it overlooks the Roman Theatre where he performed his first stage play. 

Food is very different from the rest of Spain. Paella is not common. Instead, sardines on bread and other forms of seafood, like prawn and octopus salads are the specialities here. But you can get the usual tapas like potato bravas, padron peppers and shrimp croquettes to satisfy the tourists here. 

Drinks are incredibly inexpensive in most places and beer and even the Cava Sangria are great options. 

Club scene is a sham where girls pretend to befriend you to get you inside and spend on expensive drinks. Avoid falling for the trap. 

Other city highlights we picked from a free walking tour that I highly recommend: 
  • Malaga is the birthplace of Picasso and there is a museum at a corner building he was born but it seems in reality he was born in the neighboring building
  • There is another Picasso museum of paintings, however it has the least of his popular works there since his best works are at Lourve Paris
  • Baroque paintings on the church walls were discovered as recently as 7 years back when the limestone facade from the period of Black Death was removed for restoration 
  • These baroque paintings were done by Muslims left behind after Christian’s reclaimed Malaga in 15th century, who also added touches of Islamic designs on the doors of all churches of Malaga 
  • The crypt below the biggest obelisk of the city has the head of Malaga’s most popular general missing, and nobody seems to know how it went missing 

One activity we did was color profile for everyone: 
  • Yellow: Pakach Tunu 
  • Blue: Gop Hari Sush Muni 
  • Red: Aakash 
  • Green: Praty Upkar Munda Ash Noel Duma 
  • Bala could be the only rare Blue Yellow 

Funniest joke on the trip: 
  • Upkar: Hey Praty, check out the girl at 6 o’clock 
  • Praty: In BST?

Places to eat:
Marbella 

Marbella is all cobble street walks in the old town by day and wild partying at the beach strip by night

Partying is definitely the biggest selling point at Marbella as there is little else to see or do beyond laying at the the beach all day. And the best place to party is a small strip just besides Harbour Club.

Beaches are split between sections that have cabanas attached to restaurants and cabanas by themselves. Find the beach section that have the cabanas with the restaurants to be served food and drink right on the cabana itself and make the most of the rent paid for it.

Drink are plenty with Sangria the most popular choice. However, across the restaurants by the beach which have cabanas, the quality is cheap. Stick to just the draft beers here and do the Sangrias a bit off the beach.

Food is absolutely delicious especially among sea food options. Sardines are the same everywhere and must have given the fantastic quality of sardines from this coast of Spain. Prawn pil pil and red sausages are other great tapas to have. And just like in drinks, the best food, especially for the main courses, are a bit away from the beach.

Places to eat:


Sevilla

Sevilla is peppered with enough beautiful architecture to spend 3 days just walking through all of them. So the big tip is to stay as close to the centre as possible, which is exactly what we did. From here, you could walk, or even take a single ride bus fare of 1.5 Euros and travel around. 

Things to see:
  • Palace of Alcazar - lots of shots of GOT here and need to take tickets at least a few days in advance given they're quite in demand
  • Bell Tower - was under construction when we where there, but thankfully had a great view from the terrace of our hotel itself
  • Cathedral - said to be the 3rd largest in the worls, after the Vatican and one in Brazil. Definitely worth a visit.
  • Plaza de Espana - we were running from one shade cover to the next given hot the day was, but a nice place to check out, especially for the free Flamenco shows that happen
  • Setas de Sevilla - an ugly construction created to make you spend an unnecessary 4th day at Sevilla - avoid 

Things to do:
  • Definitely a Flamenco show in the area it is said to have originated

Place to stay:

Places to eat:

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Big Easy City of Mardi Gras

New Orleans

Highlights:
  1. Food here is all about seafood in hot spices. The top dishes are Gumbo and Jambalaya in mains, both rice based, just the Gumbo is more of a soup version. And among Desserts, there’s an Oillebollen lookalike called Beignets.
  2. Music is all about Jazz and Blues, and there are numerous clubs playing these with live bands.
  3. Streets to visit are Magazine street for food, Frenchman and Spanish quarters for live music, and the famous Bourbon street for partying.
  4. Partying happens mostly in the clubs of Bourbon street, but you can even spot the occasional street party, and then at the right time of the year (end Feb), even Mardi Gras celebrations.
  5. Activities (while not drinking or partying) include an outdoor Paintball arena, Escape rooms, and even the awesome Smoothie King basketball stadium, all things we managed to cover this time.

Restaurants visited:
Joey Ks
Cafe du Mond
Stanley

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

It’s time for South Africa

Russel brand wrote in his book "Revolution" that the best way to understand the culture of the country is to find out which are the biggest buildings in that country. For example, in most European cities the biggest buildings are a church, which shows the religious culture there. In South Africa, the biggest buildings our insurance companies. The culture of this country is therefore so much different, where a lot of emphasis is laid on the death of someone where it is actually celebrated in ways very different from anywhere else.

Well, that's one of the many things unique to this fabulous country that Renjini and George and so many other regaled us with during our travel. 
Read on for more.


Travel Tips:

Tipping:

Starting with Tips etiquette itself. It’s normal to pay 10% for service. It’s expected. And if it’s an activity like a bungee, then it’s better to pay even higher. And people take real pride and ownership in what they do. There was one time at a public toilet where the janitor actually welcomes you by saying, "Welcome to my office".

Never shy from tipping generously here.


Car etiquette:

If someone lets you overtake, flash your indicators once you pass to thank them. They would flash their headlights to say they’re welcome. It’s quite a fun etiquette and adds to your driving entertainment. It’s actually connected to the Afrikaans language, where the literal translation of greeting someone is “I see you” and the response is “I see you too”.

Practice this if driving, it’s a lot of fun!


Music:

There's always a tune running in the South Africans head, so they're always singing or dancing. Petrol bunks, waiters, even at the bungee jump, people are always singing or dancing. They even go on strikes doing this.

Simply smile along when this happens. 


Safety:

Everyone will tell you to be careful in South Africa, and when it comes to Cape Town, there are folks there who can disorient you more than the wildlife of Kruger. Renting a car to drive around, especially at night, is an absolute must at Cape Town.
Avis even gives you a 'safety' WiFi that you can keep in your car and press in case of an emergency.

Stay at your vigilant best in South Africa.


Water:

There's a huge water crisis in parts of South Africa. Don't be surprised if your rented car isn't washed or if you only get sanitisers instead of water from the faucets of public toilets.

Always carry a bottle of water with you.


Alcohol:

Stick with the wines, and within them, the Pinotag, a form of red wine. You just cannot go wrong with it. And if you need a break, go for the Amarula.

Anything else outside of wine just isn't South African.


Food:

Braai is Barbeque, but more 'fun'. Broewors is sausage with more meat (90% meat vs sausage that only have 70% meat). Biltong is juicer cured meat.

Try and savor all of these at whichever place offers them.


Sport:

South Africans are big on sport and their national teams are named after things unique to this country. The Cricket team are called Proteas, after the flower from South Africa, and the Rugby team are called Springbok, one of the South African deer.


Adventure sport:

Bungee jumping at Bloukrand Bridge is a highlight activity on the garden route since it's the highest natural bungee in the world and the third highest amongst all. 
Was an absolute rush doing this, and you can catch the action at this LINK.

Shark cage diving and whale watching are the other interesting things to do, which we skipped due to time shortage, or simply driving around itself (which you can read more about next) could be an adventure sport by itself.

Dabble in at least one of these during your visit.


Driving:

South Africa is a great place to drive, with its landscapes and fancy cars at good value. We drove an Audi A4, a Mercedes C180 and a Toyota Fortuner. The rides were just incredible, especially the self-drive safari of Kruger and the incredible sights of Garden Route. The cars were even better. 

The Mercedes C180 we drove even parked on its own! Catch the video at this LINK.


Language:
‘Robot’ is what a traffic signal is called. So, don't be surprised if someone says "take a right at the robot"
‘Cshop cshop’ is the way you say bye in a really cool way. It can't be used randomly and only applies to someone you get along with really well



Kruger National park




A game reserve that's half the size of Netherlands and as big as the country of Israel (for some reason the people at Kruger kept comparing the park to Israel) where we did a night Safari, a day Safari and one last Safari on our own car. Never knew this was possible, and turned out better than the other safari's which itself were an exhilarating experience.

The Big 5; most people visit Kruger wanting to see them, and successful or not, everyone leaves learning there's a lot more than just The Big 5.
There's Little 5, Big 5 Trees, Big 5 Birds, and even The Ugly 5!
The Big 5 comprises of Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceroses, Wild Buffalo and Elephant. And they're called The Big 5 since the poachers found them hardest to find. Today there's not much reason to club them together today. Because the hardest to find are just the cats (Lion, Leopard and Cheetah) and the most dangerous to humans are Wild Buffalo and Hippopotamus.
But in anyway, it's a great way to learn about the animals, and at the end of the trip, we saw many of them and learnt a great deal too.

The emblem of Kruger Park is the horns of the male Impala. A type of deer that's ubiquitous at Kruger.
There are about 30k of them here and known as the McDonald's of Kruger not only because they can be seen everywhere, and serve as fast food for the cats, but also because you can see a big M on their butt.
An interesting fact about them is that they have a gland in place of false hoofs from which they secrete a liquid that allows other Impalas to follow a trail.
They also sleep only in open areas, which is also a reason they're always visible just next to the roads that you drive by.
The other kind of deer visible here is the Kudu. It's a large deer with a huge twisted horn which was at one time used as a trumpet and called the kudu zela. This was what inspired the vuvuzela that made World Cup at South Africa famous.




The Big 5

Elephant:

We saw them first. They're the next most visible animal after the Impala. And they're always doing something to help the other animals in the forest. Either breaking trees and exposing the roots that some animals feed on, or digesting only 20% of the food they eat, leaving baboons to fetch food from their dung, or simply just taking care of themselves and their offspring’s with mud baths that protect them from the heat and kill the germs on their body.
They live up to 60 years, take 22 months of pregnancy, and the young take 7 years to grow into a full adult.
And yes, their ears resemble the map of Africa!

Wild Buffalo:
Spotted these big muscular guys next. There was one group hanging out together, that our guide called the Daka boys, since they were old Bulls hanging around.
We learnt that the male species of all animals do one of three things. Either hanging out by themselves to enhance their attractiveness to the females, or hanging out with a bunch of other males rejected by the females, or an old bunch who are tired of the females.

Rhinoceros:
Couldn't see them up close since they're cordoned off due to poaching. We saw a couple from a distance during the day Safari.

Lion:
One of the highlight moments of the Safari. Happened late into the day Safari by when we had almost given up on sighting the cats.
First the monkeys climb trees and start making a lot of noise.
Then Impalas run helter-skelter.
Then you see some ruffling in the brown grass.
Then the brown skin camaflouged with the grass gets clearer.
Finally the lions emerge slowly, and peacefully amble along, like the kings of the jungle they behave like.

Morne, our Safari driver who was not much of a talker until that point showed his true skills, driving!
He peacefully cruised along next to the lions and went ahead and u-turned for us to have an undisturbed view of the the entire pride of 2 lionesses and 3 cubs to pass by us right next to our car. A moment I'd always dreamed of having. Only one the last lion passed by did it dawn on me that I was standing on the shotgun seat. Wouldn't have taken much for one of the lions to simply pull me out of the car. The thought was terrifying, but the moment will last forever.

Something interesting we learned about the lion here is the derivation of the term ‘Lion's share’, where it is the culture among these beasts to let the lion of the heard eat first, before the lionesses and the cubs and the other older lions can get a bite (all in that order).

Leopard:
This was the last of the Big 5 we saw, and it happened during the self drive Safari when I was driving, and then I spotted the Leopard, and then it was in between a game trying to catch a bird.
All of this was just incredible. It's toughest to even spot a Leopard. People talk of going 15+ safaris before seeing one, and then you find one on your own while driving, and that too in the midst of a game.
Another treasured Safari moment.

We had a huge confusion if what we saw was a Cheetah or a Leopard. Cheetah has slender body for running, single spots, lines on face and long tail. Leopard is more muscular for climbing trees, double spots. But after showing the video to a lot of people, the verdict was the Leopard.
Thus completing the Big 5.


The Ugly 5

These are the Vulture, Hyena, Pumba/Warthog, Hippo and Crocodile. And we saw them really quick.

The Hippos could be found basking in the watering hole just opposite Sabi River Lodge where we stayed, and the rest we spotted on the safaris. 
One thing we learned about the Hippo was that they can hold breath under water for 5 minutes. They can sleep underwater as well, and automatically surface for air every time they need it.

Hyena we saw a baby and another that ran across the road in front of us. Our Ranger told us how lions hate hyenas so much that they chase them away even if they're just resting.

Crocodiles could be found next to a lake we passed with their mouths wide open as if they are waiting for food, but all they're getting is just a dental cleanup.

The "ugly 5" is just a joke among the Kruger rangers, but helps you remember the animals all the same.

Divine The View


Garden Route:



Wilderness

Accessible through a flight to either Port Elizabeth, George or Cape Town, followed by a drive via Garden Route.
It's a dream town. BNBs are straight out of a fairytale. By far one of the best BNBs we've ever stayed in.
The nearby beach, or whale watching from Hermanus or shark cage diving at Gaansbai, or simply a coffee at Knysna are all things to do out of Wilderness.
We only did the coffee since the place was far too relaxing to attempt anything else.


Cape Town

Viewfront for the best (and safest) evening times. Sunset, African Street dance parties, great food and shopping is what you can experience here.
Long Street and Strand Street are other party areas, but always drive there in a car. We got accosted no longer than 2 minutes from leaving our BNB.
Table mountain is great for a hike and good photos. Signal hill, lions head and devil's peak are other similar spots which we skipped and simply took photos off from table mountain itself.
Penguins can be seen off the beach of Simonstown. There are so many of them, you never tire of taking their photos and videos. And if you are lucky, you may even spot a penguin savings it's egg from the preying seagulls, a sight only P was lucky to spot.
Cape point is a great drive and hike. We spotted an ostrich walking along with us on the road here. And the girls spotted a whale during lunch. It's a bit expensive to drive in, but sure makes for a good hike and photo-worthy views.

Kitchen Windows
34South
Two Oceans
Codfather
Madam Titou

Vineyards


Hire a driver to take you here. Rithwaan from Romer is the perfect option. He regales you with stories as you drive along to these vineyards (or any other of your choice):

Neethlingshof
The best of the lot we visited. Jean-Lewis assisted us here and was so full of stories, he made the entire experience delightful.
We purchased just one bottle (a difficult sounding German name) and later regretted the decision as we should have picked at least 3 more.

La Motte
Pretty popular to see these bottles in stores. And one variant is the recipient of numerous awards.
However, the wines were just not all that great. And the whole place comes across too commercial.

Eikehof
A little family owned vineyard whose logo is a century old Ford. A car that's still on display at the vineyards.
Completely enjoyed the tasting here and purchased 2 bottles.

Delaire Graf


Johannesburg
The last leg of our journey and the place tourists normally spend the least time.
There is a Lion and Rhino park for those who cannot travel all the way to Kruger. You of course get a close of up of these animals, but there is no chance of sighting the Leopard and elephant here.
The other things to do here are shop, eat and drink,and if in the mood and with time, the Apartheid Museum. Perfect for that final stop of the South African sojourn. 

Lucky Bean 
Delhi Darbaar 
Annapurni 
Nala Bheema 
Raj Sandton 
Zen Garden


Durban
A visit to this beach city came about on a work trip, and I was quite surprised that we didn't include this in the original itinerary, given the following:
1) Incredibly beautiful beach and promenade with wonderful restaurants and an upbeat party vibe
2) Shark cage diving with guaranteed sighting in half hour drive vs a long journey depending on where you're stationed along the garden route
3) Probably the next best Unilever office after HUL, if ever you want to pay homage
4) And the most important, the next best steak after the Florentine one and the Texan one. Would love to revisit this place just for how the steak was cooked medium-well in precisely the way I like it

Bellazar Beach Cafe 
Hussar Grill 
Chefs Table 
La Spiaggia

Sunday, June 2, 2019

United Kingdom this summer

With the United Kingdom hosting India's favourite sport for the World Cup this year, this little island country is a fantastic option for planning a holiday this summer.

Whether you a have a match ticket or not, being part of the frenzy in a country that adores the sport as much as us (remember the movie Lagaan!) could make your visit incredibly exciting.

London should of course be the primary destination, and in fact, the only destination if you have under one week for the trip, but the United Kingdom is actually a whole lot more than just London.

Here's a list of some of the top places to visit, starting with;

LONDON
The iconic button shaped black cabs, the double-decker red buses, and people wearing corporate clothes over trainers on cycles, are the sights that welcome you in London.

If the weather is friendly, you could simply walk around the streets of London, or even picnic at one of the numerous parks like Hyde Park or Regent's Park.

The streets of London can never get boring; the sound of a saxophone at Piccadilly Circus, the shining flagship stores adorning Oxford circus, and the umpteen shopping complexes, cafes and restaurants littered all over the place, London can feel like the inside of a Broadway musical.

A Broadway show is one of the must do things of London (don't forget to book tickets in advance), along with loads of other activities based on your fancy like visiting museums, sport stadiums, dining at a fancy rooftop restaurant with views of the Thames or simply grabbing a pint of beer at a classic English pub.

The one thing to remember here is to always stay on  the right side of the escalator since the Brits get really annoyed when tourists block these passageways that they are always hurrying to cross over.
Remember, London is a lot like Bombay where people are always hurrying to make a living. So as tourists we should try and stay out of their way.

London is one of the most cosmopolitan cities on the planet and you can get a real sense of that while travelling in the tube (underground metro), just look around in your compartment and you will see that you are sharing the journey with people from most parts of the world. Fascinating!

LIVERPOOL
Right from the airport, you feel you've reached a hipster part of UK, with the fancy band themed pubs.

Of course, the city is famous for being the birthplace of Beatles, and there are loads of pubs that offer some story behind the most famous bands of all time.

Walking around and experiencing this, along with a possible trip to the most rabid football fan stadiums of all, Anfield, can make Liverpool a really interesting destination.

CAMBRIDGE
This is a university town that seems right out of the Harry Potter Novels, but apart from the fabulous college buildings everywhere, there is an interesting activity called 'punting'.

It is a row boat where there is one guy (usually a student at the University) at the end rowing with a long oar that reaches the bottom of the river bed - a combination of Kerala boats with the backdrop of Venice.

When we visited here, we had the option of doing this on our own for £60 or going on a share boat for £45 (£15 per person). We chose the share, which is actually much better, as a professional punter comes along with you, and narrates the stories of all the colleges of Cambridge as you pass them by.

You get to hear about the various colleges - Trinity, Josephs, many others and get the opportunity to take tons of photos.

When we did this activity, the punting ended with our punter crashing in between 2 boats to park his boat, and the guy on shore who was mooring our boat tells the punter "TT doesn't look for a place to park the boat, TT makes the place. I would love to see what you do with the car". A display of the dry English sense of humour.


LAKE DISTRICT
The view from this quaint little town is breathtaking. You can either grab a cold beer and some must-try English 'fish & chips' at one of the lakeside pubs or if you are feeling adventurous enough, rent a boat and drive around this massive lake, feeling the wind in your hair.

Whatever way you prefer, the picture-perfect scenery of this place will leave your mind feeling refreshed.


SCOTLAND
Scotland is on the itinerary of most tourists who visit UK. The easy way is to fly from London to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is a beautiful mix of history, architecture, culture and has a very cool vibe. The foodies should try the Scottish national dish - 'Haggis' (don't ask me how it is made). Of course, Scotland is whiskey connoisseurs delight, what with all the whisky tastings available at almost every pub.

Don't miss the chance to rent a car or take a bus tour through the 'Highlands'. This drive through the mountains is not for the faint hearted, the vistas are etched with lakes (don't miss Loch Ness). If you go all the way up to 'Inverness', you can explore the whisky heritage of this area through visits to distilleries of world-famous single malts - Glenmorangie, Dalwhinnie to name a few.


COSTWOLDS
This one is certainly recommended for the driving enthusiasts, a road-trip through these perfectly manicured rolling meadows decorated with fairy-tale cottages and thatched roof houses, is a must do if you are on a long trip to the UK.

Just rent a car (Indian driving license is valid in the UK and it is a left-hand drive like India). If you are lucky to find the sun shining, then be sure you will go back with those perfect Instagram clicks.


PLANNING FOR THE TRIP:

  • With 133 days of rain in a year, UK is one of the wettest regions of Europe, so it's always a good idea to pack in an umbrella, a raincoat or a poncho.
  • Ensure enough winter wear, since even the "summer" months of UK can feel cold to the average Indian. The Brits check the weather every morning before planning their attire for the day!
  • While it's always a good idea not to carry too many credit cards while on a trip, definitely try to carry along a contactless card if you have one, as these could conveniently serve as tap and pay-as-you-go for public transport.
  • Carry bare minimum Pounds in cash, since cards are accepted everywhere, including the exorbitantly priced, but cute black cabs of London that you'll want to make at least one trip in.
  • Keep an open mind. As with any travel, being open to the possibilities a new place can throw at you is always good to have. UK is home to some of the world’s largest LGBTQ community, and people are as proud of their identities as their rich cultural heritage, and tend to express it openly.