Map In My Pocket

Month: December 2016

The year that was, 2016

2016 has been the year that has made me feel like a ‘Travel Writer & Photographer’. This year, despite its major misses (for me), it is right there next to 2012 on my list of my favourite years.

Who has a favourite year, you wonder. Well, I did. 2012 for me has always been special, not for the great things that I had achieved then but merely for the end it put to many a remnant of my most trying years. This year though will be remembered for the ‘good vibes only’!!

A Travel Writer, endorsed.

From those occasional spurts of writing years ago, which ranged from anonymous and loquacious book reviews to off hand fashion stories in local magazines to articles in HR Journals, I can now confidently say I have found my niche.

A Photographer, endorsed.

The Award that I won from The Government of Telangana on World Tourism Day – in recognition of the Heritage that a photograph of mine showcased – brought to me something far more significant. An Identity in the eyes of friends, family and society.

Map In My Pocket, endorsed.

From collaborating with biggies like Tata Motors, Ceat Tyres, Israel Ministry of Tourism in India to being invited to the Himalayas, Map In My Pocket got an identity too.

Anyone who knows me or the blog is no stranger to the love that I have for the Himalayas. The fact that the Himalayas were not even on the cards for me this year and my only trip there was on invitation, only made it sweeter. Not to mention just how beautiful the experience in itself was!

& How can a review of my year as a Travel Blogger be complete without a list of the destinations I travelled to in 2016?

International Dubai
India Pune | Tada | Thanjavur | Tirupati | Trichy | Udaipur | Uttarakhand
Road Trips from Hyderabad Adilabad | Bidar | Karimnagar | Mahbub Nagar | Medak | Nizamabad | Warangal

As far as the answer to the all important question goes..

What have I achieved in 2016??

Contentment.

PS: How has your year been? What did you learn, what do you hope to achieve starting tomorrow? Do share your thoughts, leave me a comment. :)

PPS: After 52 Photowalks this year, I am contemplating taking up another Project this 2017. May be The 100 Strangers Project.

Read Next: 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2017

December 31, 2016
24 Hours in Dubai

Dubai is my second home. Having briefly lived there in 2014, I have gone back to this glamorous city thrice since. So, when I had to pick my favourite city to spend 24 hours in, I didn’t really need to think twice!

The only choice was on how to go about it. It happens ever so often, that you are in an exciting new city thanks to a half day meeting or an 8 hour layover but you have just that many hours to explore. What do you do then? “Check in” at the most popular tourist landmarks first or would you rather hit the ground running but take your time walking around, soaking in the feel of the city?

So, here is what I have decided to do. A vegetarian not too crazy about cooking, there have been months – while living away from home – when I have survived and thrived on coffee and muffins. Taking a cue from that, I have mapped out a Coffee & Cake Crawl to spend 24 Hours in My Favourite City, in a way that I do not miss out on doing either the typical touristy stuff or going back to those little known haunts that you only discover if you have lived there.

Kick Start with a Local Breakfast @ La Brioche, Mirdif City Centre, 8AM

Though located out of the way in Mirdif and not in the happening Downtown Dubai, La Brioche is one of my favourite places for Breakfast in the city. Known for their ability in using and bringing to life a traditional Arabic recipe in the modern French nouvelle cuisine, their Zaatar Croissant is delectable. Zaatar is the Arabic equivalent to the Italian Oregano, but made way more interesting using Middle Eastern herbs and it totally livens up any croissant! I absolutely love to start with a hot cup of cappuccino or chocolate and finish up with dessert after digging into the croissant, for their food is definitely delicious and I don’t mind the big breakfast for once.

Stop 1: Miracle & Butterfly Gardens, 9:30AM

Yes, then Desserts

Ferrero Rocher and Mixed Berry Ice cream @Butterfly Garden

In The Neighbourhood

Burj Khalifa is old news. You say Dubai, and the first thing you remember is all those images of your friends with stunning backdrops flooding your social media news feed. That is Miracle Garden for you, created for showcasing extravagant floral structures. A garden that isn’t just a home to thousands of flowers but is more. Take a stroll through the adjoining Butterfly Garden, touted to be the world’s first Butterfly Museum and you will be surprised at how pleasurable a walk can be with butterflies of all colours and shapes fluttering around you with the chirping of tiny little birds in the background.

Stop 2: Jumeirah, 12:30 PM

Yes, then Desserts + Lunch

Red Pepper Pizza Cracker Slices & Butterfly Pea Flower Blue Ice Tea @Life’n One

In The Neighbourhood

Jumeirah means ‘Beautiful’ in Arabic and this neighbourhood is truly so. Quiet, with low rise villas and buildings built in the regional style, a rarity in the fast paced skyscraper crazy Dubai, it is peppered with some unique upmarket cafes. Go mild on the caffeine for a quick change and grab lunch at Lifen’ One, a vegan cafe and wellness centre that serves must-try raw organic food. Even for someone like me who is forever binging on fast food, this style of healthy food in a setting like that made for a quiet an interesting dining experience. Also in the neighbourhood is the Mercato Mall, built in the distinctive architectural style of the Renaissance this relatively old and forgotten community mall is yet another unique experience. Every medieval Italian town during the Renaissance was built around a ‘Mercato’, Italian for market and window shopping along the cobbled streets and piazzas of this mall only adds to the quaint quotient of this stop on the map.

Stop 3: Dubai Mall, 3PM

Yes, then Desserts

Red Velvet Cheesecake @Bloomingdales

In The Neighbourhood + Dinner

Dubai has now achieved iconic status in terms of the scale of its constructions and any projects that it undertakes, be it even the fact that it is all set to beat its own record of the World’s Tallest Building. So, how can you not shop in the World’s Largest Mall and rest your legs as you have dinner under the starlight sky with a backdrop of the World’s Largest Choreographed Fountain?!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3SNM6CiJH4&w=798&h=598]

Stop 4: The Walk, JBR 10PM

Yes, then Desserts

Chocolate Mousse @La Pain Quotidien

Read: I Heart Honey Bears: Le Pain Quotidien

In The Neighbourhood

Pause. Watch the world go by. Stroll on the waterfront promenade. Sit down to coffee and cake at any of the al fresco cafes by The Beach.

Call it a night with a Global Coffee @ Starbucks, Dubai Marina, 12AM

Read: But, first Coffee.

Coffee & Cake Crawl Map, Dubai

Mirdif to Stop1, Butterfly & Miracle Garden: 30 Minutes
Stop1 to Stop2, Jumeirah: 30 Minutes
Stop2 to Stop3, Dubai Mall: 20 Minutes
Stop3 to Stop4, The Walk JBR: 45 Minutes
to Dubai Marina: 10 Minutes

December 7, 2016
Travel Wishlist: Go Israel!

It all started with Instagram. The wanderlust-ing, frantically adding and reorganising my Travel Wishlist, in fact all that stunning imagery from some of the most beautiful destinations in the world was part of what inspired me bring together and share my own travel stories here on the blog!

So here I am kicking off a series of blog posts from my personal ‘Travel Wishlist’, where I bring together some of the photographs that have gotten me impatient to get going again and why it is that I want to go there.

Go Israel!

Dead Sea, from the Instagram Account of Hello Emilie

Why do I want to go there?
To tick atleast 5 places off the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List and more.

1. The White City of Tel Aviv

Considered to be an outstanding representation of the Modern Movement of Architecture in Europe, translated to the local context of Israel’s culture and climate, Tel Aviv would make for an eclectic destination with its mix of heritage and the very happening nightlife that is known for today. So, here I could go from day to night, from photographing heritage sites to sunsets on the beach, from early morning seascapes to late night cityscapes.

Oh, and not to mention shopping at its many bazaars!

2. The Incense Route through Negev Desert

This trade route to the Mediterranean ports flourished for over seven hundred years from the 3rd century BC to the 4nd century AD. Over a hundred kilometer stretch in the desert of Negev is what was once the ancient Incense Route and I would love to wander amongst the ruins and discover what UNESCO calls a completely fossilized cultural environment.

Desert settlements with towns, fortresses, caravanserai, and sophisticated water conservation systems along this harsh desert route stand witness to just how prosperous the trade in incense was then.

3. Old City of Jerusalem and Its Walls

A Biblical City – the Old City of Jerusalem is the City of David and is also where Jesus was crucified – it is holy for Jews and Christians alike. It is also believed that, it was here in one of the oldest cities of the world that Prophet Mohammed rose to Heaven making it a holy city for all the three major Abrahamic religions.

Did you know that World Maps were once drawn with the ancient city of Jerusalem at the center? The only three continents discovered at the time, Europe, Asia & Africa were set around this city built by King David in 1004BC.

Now, how can you resist that?!

4. Old City of Acre

A walled city over the sea, Acre is yet another ancient holy city. The Old City of Acre has survived centuries, with the remains of a medieval Crusader town from 1104 relatively undisturbed and living on, both above and below today’s streets along with an Ottoman town of the 18^th century partly built on top of these Crusader structures.

5. Masada

One look at a picture of the ‘Hanging Palace of Herod’ and you will not want to miss going here. Rome was not built in a day they say, and this palace of the Judaen king Herod was built in in the classic style of the early Roman Empire. Need I say more?

Set dramatically – overlooking the Dead Sea, this rugged fortress of the ancient Jewish Kingdom of Israel is the most complete monument of the Roman siege works to have survived for over 13 centuries, intact till today.

Lastly,

To float in the Dead Sea, of course!

Who hasn’t heard of the Seven Wonders of the World and not wanted to see for oneself atleast one of them?

& also, I already know what I am going to eat when in Israel. Hummus!

PS: This post was made possible by The Ministry of Tourism, Israel. So, do go watch their video on Israel and you are sure to find something to fall in love with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A0FM6IVL7s

Jet, Set, Go Israel!

Read Next: Travel Wishlist: 25 Things To Do in India in 2018

December 2, 2016