Tag: India

Hawa-Hawaii 2026!

Hawaii, has been on the places to travel list for a while now.
It would only be a destination that you would visit for any reason you would get!
And what better than a wedding on the island?
A long journey to get to the island,
another few hours’ time difference from California and a total of 15 Hrs 30 min from India.
We just kept resetting our watches & Food Cycle and just when our sleep cycles were set in Hawaii, it was time to travel back.

The travel from India ( Mumbai to San Francisco) via Dubai, yes. We flew Emirates and the first surprise we received at the check-in counter, was an upgrade to Business class for the Mumbai- Dubai sector and what a journey.
The flat bed and the service were what made Emirates fly better and fly differently.
The Dubai airport was silent and quiet with no crowds at the airport, it took us less than 15 minutes to clear immigration, Security and reach the gates.
The United States after a decade felt so different yet nothing seemed to have changed.
The dollar exchange rate changed a lot, things definitely felt more expensive, fewer staff around at retail stores and in the hospitality sector,
The Waymo driverless experience was a highlight of the California stay.
Before we knew it, it was time to head to Aloha.
The week we were to go there. It was stormy and floods were forecast.
A couple of days, and there were no
Signs of Rain, only sunshine and sunset around until it poured one night and changed a few more plans.
Hawaii – The first reaction is like Thailand, Phuket, a little like the Maldives and a lot like Goa India. But cleaner, Bluer and less crowded with very good seafood & meat.
And while we walked and explored the place.
Aloha as a state is almost twice as expensive as New York & San Francisco.
A little history!
In 1810 Kamehameha became Hawaii’s first king. The islands continued to have royal rulers into the 1880s.
No wonder the Suite at Royal Hawaiian was named the Kamehameha, a spacious room
And a huge balcony to enjoy the sunrises and sunset and occasionally the local cultural show from the balcony itself.
The hospitality & the service in the States is something that they need to learn from India.

Did You Know?
Hawaii is an island that has 132 islands but only 7 have been inhabited
Hawaii the Names comes from the Hawai’i Loa, a legendary figure who is said to have first discovered the islands.

Many beaches are filled with white sand, but other Hawaiian shores are covered with green, red, pink, and even black sand.

Hawaii is the only U.S. state with two official languages: English and Hawaiian.

Barack Obama the 44th president of the United States was born in Honolulu Hawaii

Sugarcane, pineapples, coffee, macadamia nuts, and flowers are all important sources of income for the Aloha’s economy.

Hawaii’s nickname, the Aloha State, is no mystery: Aloha is a Hawaiian way to say hello and goodbye.

No Texting While Crossing Street
Looking at your cell phone while crossing a crosswalk is prohibited. If you commit a breach, you will be fined $ 15-99. In addition, crossing at other than the pedestrian crossing is prohibited and punishable by a fine of $ 130 for violations.

The Egypt Trip!

The visit to Egypt this year has an interesting story. Initially, I was supposed to have worked on the wedding taking place in January this year! But, a few weeks later after I blocked the dates on the project, I received a saved date along with my sister to attend the wedding. 

And so, we would rather attend the wedding. 

A couple of weeks ago, before we could travel to Egypt. We received another invite for a family wedding in Africa, Kenya.

Both of these countries were new to us and both of the weddings we wanted to experience. 

So, we travelled to Kenya first and then just before the reception function, flew to Egypt for the English wedding. 

Egypt as a country needs you to be attentive and wary of scams! The history of the country is too much to absorb right from the numerous pyramids and temples around the country to learning about The Mummy and the process of mummification. 

The detailing and sculpting in the temples were worth travelling to Egypt for. 

The weather was beautiful and pleasant. 

The cruise Amwaj from Luxor to Aswan was another cruise experience with meals and views from the cabins making our 2nd cruise experience another beautiful one. 

The 4-night 5 Day cruise was travelling across cities and temples, and staying overnight in cities to enjoy coffee and local experiences. 

Egypt was affordable too, being a hub and manufacturer for Giza and Egyptian cotton. The Coats and Clothes were well priced. 

The Egypt trip was smooth and well planned with inputs from a local travel agent Egypt Pro, recommended by a friend who has already been to Egypt a couple of times. 

Egypt should be visited at least once.

The only ancient wonder still standing strong and still the highlight for an Egyptian visit to the Pyramids.

The Grand Egyptian Museum( GEM) was so well-made and executed with all

Miniatures and actual replicas of ornaments& Statues. 

The technology too was utilised well

With the projection of the complete history of the different periods of Egyptian rule & development.  

Stay: 

Steignberger Tahir 

Le Meridien Airport 

Cafes: Cairo 

  • Brown Nose*
  • Groppi Garden- Chocolate*
  • Eish & Malh**
  • Walum * 
  • Granita*
  • Almeria cafe*
  • Cafe Riche*- oldest Cafe
  • Naguib Mahfouz cafe*
  • 30 North:*
  • Zooba: recently made its debut on the Middle East and North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
  • Social Speciality Cafe:( Zamalek) 
  • Vasko:
  • Sufi Cafe & Bookstore *
  • Lokali
  • Koffee Culture :
  • Mandarine koueider sweets 

Sightseeing in Cairo: 

  1. Islamic Cairo Museum 
  2. Gayer-Anderson Museum
  3. Pyramid of Giza
  4. The sphinx
  5. Cairo Tower 
  6. Manial Palace Museum
  7. Abdeen Palace
  8. The Coptic/ Mogamaa Al-Adyan Museum 
  9. The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities

Luxor: 

  • Stay: Steinberger Nile 

Eat: Luxor

  • El Tarboush – Steinberger Nile Palace hotel
  • Sofra Restaurant & Cafe

Coffee: Luxor 

  • 911 Cafe
  • Rmallah Cafe 

Sightseeing in Luxor:

  • Hatsenshut temple 
  • Valley of the Kings 
  • Karnak Temple 
  • Luxor Temple

Sightseeing in Edfu: 

  • The Temple of Horus in Edfu
  • Komombo Temple 

Sightseeing in Aswan: 

  • Abu Simbel Temple 
  • Phele Temple 

Cafe: Aswan

  • Rustika
  • Makhani 

Travel: Egyptair direct flights from BOM-Cairo and return. 

2025 in Experiences & Journey’s

Japan 2.0

Japan once again!
The first time it was through the books
Murakami, Kiga Higashino, Ryu Murakami to name a few… These books showcased the simplicity of the locals and the dark side of the city and that’s one of the reasons Japan fascinated me as a place to travel and explore so in June 2018 was the first time, A time where everyone questioned us Why Japan?
To answer it’s a place so little we know about..
The first time was a touristy visit going to the temples, streets and viewing the towers of each city we visited.
Japan was coming alive through the pages I had read, the streets sounded familiar and some streets I specifically visited since they were mentioned and described in the books.
The recent Trip to Japan was being an exploration of what all does the city has to offer besides the tourist sights and the humanity the people showcase in the country.
The food was and still is the best in Osaka.
The city was buzzing and full of tourists even closer to midnight, unlike Tokyo which seemed busy with people chasing their dreams..
Kyoto is still a small town where you can walk around and still discover the city.
The vintage shops and the second-hand Market seem to be thriving in the country with more than 80% population that has aged over the age of 70 and living a minimalistic life.
Retail was thriving with American, British and Asian tourists shopping at malls and brands that are relatively cheaper in Japan from countries like the US & India.
The Osaka Expo was an experience like no other, an endless Snake line on a hot afternoon, which tested not just ours but quite a few people’s patience too.
Since we had to register and get specific slots for pavilions we managed to only get one the Blue Dome, the others were long queues to enter and waitlists, The magnitude of the whole expo was huge 130+ countries participated and the tourism it brought to the city and country has been huge.
The designs and the sustainable options used to create them were interesting.
This was the first time we visited an expo abroad that had so many cultural influences on just design but food too the expo offered.

French Connection – 2025

A month. A Week. A Day. 

France is sometimes lost in Translation. Sometimes lost with the network. 

France – Cannes, The Big question was also. 

Canne We Do It? That became Cannes We Do It. 

The week, that had all the moments of drama and the beginning of the French Summer.

Went off in a slow Flow. With many “Visa rejections” and new challenges unfolding. 

France was an experience again. After 7 Yrs not much had changed, Yet only it was Cannes instead of Monaco this time. 

This was the Grand Prix, Lion and the film fest all rolling into the Carpet of Cannes. 

Nice – If you have read that has Nice it was indeed nice to meet the city. That connects so many other cities within less than an hour.

 A city with a beach, a view and a drone show with 2000 thousand drones too was witnessed here, thanks to a local Indian who we met that day. 

The Indian food by Noori’s Anaz was the highlight of our Nice trip! 

Meeting our group every day for Dinner at Noori for the 4 days we were there felt like a home away from home, With so many more connections we came across. 

Monte Carlo after 7 years – The memories of the streets, where we walked around and bought magnets, the venues ( Le Meridien and Monte Carlo Square) 

Oh! Not to forget the Hermitage tour-Bought back memories of all the wedding functions we did there for the first time, I had visited the South of France. 

The Baraat holding area, The Welcome lunch and the Rituals. 

The only thing the hotel has added is a Japanese Restaurant recently and renovated the Pavilion restaurant.

Menton! 7 Yrs later we do it… and No! We still haven’t done the lemon fest this time too! 

The city is citrusy in colour Orange &  Yellow. 

You will come across a lot of Orange trees and Lemon Stores, where you can taste lemon in sauces, Dip, Jams, Syrups and Paste. 

Eze! The Medieval city and the walk to the top. 

Felt like a Harry Potter city with stores, and cafes built in the medieval city.  It wasn’t Eze-eee! 

The city had buses that would hourly travel to the main village and Bolt/Uber that would take about 15 minutes minimum before it gave in their verdict of approving or denying us a ride.

Provence- The lavender region! Had a lot of violet and lavender fragrance around. 

The two cities: Aix En Provence,  Avignon and Arles each were different. Avignon & Arles felt more like Italy, Rome-like architecture the city was built with. 

Arles also had a mini Colosseum, that overlooked from a cafe. 

Aix en Provence was beautiful with small boutique stores and weekend flea markets. 

Marseille: One of the most underrated cities in France. And we were told to be watchful in the city. 

The city felt like Brazil, the Le Panier district felt like São Paulo Penirinos district and Narrow lanes were built on a hill with cafés and boutique stores. 

The city had all the Rio De Jinero feels. 

The Pardo District and Beach. Felt like the Copacabana beach, A long stretch with a view and shades of blue with mountains as the backdrop. 

The cathedral of Notre De Dame here in Marseille was a beautiful ride to the top and worth viewing the cathedral. 

The Longchamp Palais in the city was another beautiful park that felt inspired by Italy. 

Marseille was too big a city, we hadn’t expected the city to have so many sides to it. 

Paris! A long wait! A decade later… 

The city was now going through the restoration of the Notre Dame that was affected by the fire, the dazzling lights of Effile Tower were the highlight of the trip! And we sat through a long time just viewing the Structure, that has made the city a popular dream destination for many. 

The Walk on the Champs Elyse’s and ride across the Arc De Triumph still felt this is Paris! 

We did travel to a few more neighbourhoods around Paris, but the trees, and the energy at the champ Elyse’s was very different from the other parts. 

Oh! This time too we did a few touristy things. 

The new addition is Bacha cafe now in Paris, the experience was good. But nothing like the Marrakech one! 

The Angelina Hot Chocolate: The 45-minute Queue for the experience had to be done once. 

I felt I had better hot chocolate at Pierre Herme and Valrhona cafe. 

We did visit Lenotre too, the team that we worked with on a recent project in Cannes. 

And tasted some amazing desserts. 

48 Hrs in Paris were more than enough.