The Timber Trawler

Charming Chilika: Mangalajodi and Satapada

On 24th December 2021, we took the delivery of our car – the first in the family, in fact – in Bhubaneswar, and after offering our prayers, took off on our first ever road-trip in our own car, to the Chilika Lake, which is the largest brackish lagoon in the world. Chilika lake, in a…
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Bharatpur, Fatehpur Sikri and Deeg: Impromptu Outings

February 2020: Bharatpur Just before Covid-19 burst into public consciousness, blissfully unaware of the impending pandemic, Abhijit and I set out on an impromptu trip to Bharatpur. We took the 1:15 PM Jan Shatabdi Express from Nizamuddin, and were in Bharatpur by 3.45 PM. We took an autorickshaw to first see the Lohagarh fort located…
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Exploring Rajasthan through the Eyes of a Solo Backpacker turned Car Driver

Learning to drive has been a boon. As a kid, I had been entranced by the pictures of sand dunes and forts in school textbooks and children’s magazines. One particular image from a Tinkle issue – a coloured sketch of the Vijaya Stambh at Chittorgarh fort had stuck in my mind, and in 2013, on…
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Shekhawati and Nagaur: A Quick Getaway

With parents finally being able to visit Gurugram after the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic had receded, it was time to unwind with a weekend trip. We decided to check out relatively lesser-known places, hoping to beat any semblance of crowds. Previously, I had visited Mandawa, and enamoured by the scenery of the areas I…
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Of Steps, a Stepwell and a Salt Lake: Bairat, Abhaneri and Sambhar

In August-end, a full month after the 2nd vaccine shot, we finally gathered the courage to venture out on a 1000+km road trip. It would also be my first ever 1000+km driving on my own, after having learnt driving a few months prior. Moving to the suburbs of Gurgaon has meant that I now live…
Read more: Of Steps, a Stepwell and a Salt Lake: Bairat, Abhaneri and Sambhar
Adventure in the Aravalli: Indor Fort, Mewat

Ever since I moved to the suburbs of Gurgaon amidst the work-from-home regime, I have suddenly been presented with immense possibilities for indulging my wanderlust. On one recent weekend afternoon, I set out on my scooter in pursuit of a place called Rundh Indor which seemed on Google Maps to be home to a fort.…
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