Ever since we’re back in India, we’ve spent the last three years exploring nondescript places and hidden gems of our diverse country. But, ever so often, we try to mix it up with a tourist hot spot and are pleasantly surprised. This trip was one part of our journey to discover the rich cultural legacy…
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Route Map We had spent a day in Lonavala (previous post) and decided to drive to the next hill station on the following day. We could have stayed back and explored a lot more in Lonavala, but we wanted this trip to serve as a template for longer road trips in the future. Most of…
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We hadn’t travelled within India for the past eight years. We spent most of our trips back home (from Seoul) with family and friends. Back then, our aim was to explore as many countries internationally (given how horrid the visa-waiting time and process is) and it’s quite possible we got a bit carried away. We…
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In the summer of 2020, when South Korea had managed to contain the active Covid cases below 50 per day, we took a week-long exploratory road trip along the east coast. Gangeung (강릉시), a city in Gangwon Province (강원도), was the starting point of our trip from Seoul. The city is divided into multiple regions…
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Driving from Tongyeong to Geoje The drive from Tongyeong to Geoje is about 30 minutes. However, the journey from Yi Sun-sin Park (earlier post), in Tongyeong, to Windy Hill, in Geoje, took over an hour. Both scenic points are located at the southernmost tip of each island city. We would spend the night in Geoje.…
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Goodbye Namhae I can’t believe that it’s already been a year since we visited the southern coast of Korea. Last summer was hotter with lesser rain. We had spent a week exploring famous cities, mountains, cultural hotspots, sandy coasts, and Buddhist temples. We spent the seventh day of our summer trip in Namhae — exploring…
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We started watching Korean serials, dramas, and mainstream movies to get a better understanding of the language and cultural nuances. In the popular Korean series: Stranger, also featured in the list of ‘Best International Shows of 2017’ by the New York Times, (spoiler alert) the protagonist is transferred to Namhae for exposing corruption in the…
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Driving in Jeju Jeju is South Korea’s paradise island and is perfect for a weekend getaway from Seoul. Travelling around Jeju can be quite a task with its crawling transport system — often making distances appear farther away. We had tried tourist transport, local buses, and taxis on our earlier trips. Last June, Basil finally…
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It was Christmas morning (2019) and the weather was unusually warm for winter. Our second road trip, in Uzbekistan, would take us from Bukhara to Samarkand. Most tours skip Shakrisabz — cutting down the travel time by a couple of hours. Shakrisabz is a hidden gem and definitely worth a visit. Chor Minor Madrassah We…
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Goodbye Khiva It was the fourth day of our guided tour of Uzbekistan. We had explored Itchan Kala on the earlier day and had spent the night within the fortress walls. A, our guide, gave us a couple of minutes to walk around and soak in the sights of the old city — before we…
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