Writing for National Geographic Traveller
Writing for National Geographic Traveller
On a recent autumn trip to Tokyo, I jumped at the opportunity to escape the sometimes overwhelming energy of the city to take in the charming serenity of nearby Nikko.
Vietnam brims with rich culinary offerings, from its dizzying variety of street food, to its fine restaurants. In the south, where the frenetic energy of Hồ Chí Minh City (or Saigon) meets the laidback lushness of the Mekong Delta, there are uniquely flavoured seafood dishes, often with a sweet twis
A Tramping Trail through New Zealand's Backcountry. Read about hiking the spectacular Kepler Track, one of the nine designated Great Walks in New Zealand.
Three other hikers and I stood at the edge of the swollen Rio Claro River and watched with trepidation as it swirled turbulently past us. The advisory on Corcovado National Park, warning visitors "Your shoes will get wet" now seemed like the understatement of the century.
First one flipper, then the next, a dozen baby turtles slowly made their way across the sandy beach of the Osa peninsula, taking their first steps towards the Pacific Ocean. Osa Peninsula in southern Costa Rica is home to the rugged, untouched Corcovado National Park, filled with dense primary rainforest and world-renowned for its rich variety of wildlife.
Writing about Technology and Startups
Almost everybody in Silicon Valley has been eagerly awaiting the third season of its namesake show, which premiered Sunday. I say almost everybody, because for real startup founders, the show is often too real to relive.
"7 out of 10 of the top internet companies are US-based, but 86% of their users are international. There are 2.8 billion internet users and only 10% of them are based in the US," opened Selina Tobaccowala, President & CTO of SurveyMonkey.
There is a giant experiment happening out there in Startup-land. And it's somewhat of a secret. "We're collecting data on Evidence Based Entrepreneurship", says Steve Blank proudly when being interviewed by Jim Hornthal for Startup Grind 2014. With over 3000 teams who have documented more than 70,000 hypotheses, there's enough data to test the actual effectiveness of the Lean Startup methodology.
"One of the coolest things about the technology industry right now is the industry itself is going to be fairly meaningless as a concept. Everything is going to be based on technology." says Aaron Levie, Co-founder and CEO of Box, a cloud computing company that allows users to upload, collaborate and share content online.
Writing about Travel
"Here, take a look," whispered Ricardo. Peeking through the lens, I was six years old again. There was the bird I had been yearning to see, a quetzal as resplendent as I had read about-a vivid dream from my distant past.
"Here, take a look," whispered Ricardo. Peeking through the lens, I was six years old again. Squinting through the telescope, I glimpsed the bird I had been yearning to see, a quetzal as resplendent as I had read about-a vivid dream from my distant past.
Glaciers are alive. That fact is immediately apparent when you're close enough. If you stand atop a glacier, or float next to it, and close your eyes and listen, you'll hear them speak: Whether it's the low, deep creaking as massive sheets of ice move and settle, or the muffled gurgling as melting ice forms rivulets and streams underneath, this ancient ice has a language of its own.
Take a walk down nostalgia lane if you have visited or lived in Buffalo and be surprised by gourmet restaurants, craft breweries, upscale digs like The Westin Buffalo and an energetic, revitalized downtown! And if you've never been to Buffalo, here is one compelling reason to go right now - Buffalo is New York’s Hottest Culinary Destination, and it's not just for Wings!
Yellowknife, Canada is the closest I've come to experiencing temperatures similar to the Arctic and Antarctic. Having lived in Buffalo, New York for a couple years, I thought I knew all about snow and the freezing cold, but Yellowknife proved to be a completely unparalleled experience.
"Washoku," or traditional Japanese cuisine, was recently added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, putting the official seal of approval on the country's incredible food culture. Any first time visitor to Japan will no doubt be overwhelmed by the sheer variety of delicacies available, whether they go to an upscale restaurant or visit a tucked-away izakaya.
Trupti Devdas Nayak is a freelance writer and photographer who loves (and lives!) to travel. When not writing or traveling, she is busy planning her next adventure. Amongst other things, Trupti has trekked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, snorkeled with sharks in Oahu, seen horses dancing flamenco in Andalusia (Southern Spain) and has hiked in over 26 national parks around the world and counting.
Chichen Itza is one of the most famous Mayan ruins in the Yucatan peninsula. The Temple of Kukulkan was named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, so visiting Chichen Itza is on top of everybody's list.
For fans of the popular TV series Game of Thrones, visiting Delos might bring back some memories from the show. Perhaps the author George R. R. Martin was inspired by stories about this tiny island and its importance in Greek history.
A rush of adrenaline coursed through my body as I made the bend. Surrounding me was lush rainforest in a dozen shades of green. The gray skies above were slowly giving way to blue, as dark clouds parted to reveal a beaming sun. A refreshing mist of rain fell on my face like morning dew.
By Trupti Devdas Nayak Vancouver makes the perfect long-weekend getaway for those living in Seattle or on the west coast of the U.S. A quick drive across the border or a short flight and within a few hours - voila! - you are in a different country!
Navajo falls, Havasupai Within 36 hours, we were as far away from civilization as possible. From San Francisco, we had flown 500 miles to Las Vegas, driven 220 miles to Hualapai Hilltop, hiked 12 miles along Havasupai trail and were now standing at the rim of a gorgeous blue-green waterfall named Navajo falls.
Given its historical significance, Hampi has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This means the tourism infrastructure and maintenance is much better now than what it used to be. For many years, as the bustling cities around Hampi grew, the stone mandapas (stone pillared pavilions) on the mountains and carved dancing girls on the stone walls were silent witnesses to all that modern growth brings.
The excitement is palpable as we gather around the meeting point across from Delilah's Cafe at Safari West . A row of rugged jeeps is lined up in front of us, adding to the anticipation of adventure. We are awaiting further instructions from our safari guide who will be taking us across 400 acres of Safari West's lovingly maintained wildlife preserve.
Sun Valley is America's first ski resort and home to a variety of winter activities that range from heli-skiing to snowshoeing. If you're not keen on hitting the slopes on skis, there are plenty of other outdoor activities you can do to enjoy the winter season.
Who would've thought that snowshoeing and birding go hand in hand? When I put on my snowshoes at Grand Targhee and got ready to explore the snow-clad trails with my naturalist guide Brigid Sinram, little did I know that by the end of the snowshoe hike, I would be an expert on mountain chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches, among many other things!
Today's guest post comes from beautiful Japan where Trupti Devdas Nayak of Exploring the Blue Marble takes us on a photographic journey to see some of Tokyo's magical temples. One of the oldest shrines in Tokyo, the beautiful Sensoji temple sits in the middle of the bustling town of Asakusa, an oddly familiar juxtaposition of the old against the new.
One of the things I long for from the time I spent at Tambopata Research Center in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest is to lie in a hammock swinging gently, a book in hand as raucous squawks of macaws fill the skies and the intermingling sounds of jungle creatures - from buzzing bees to roaring howler monkeys - synchronize to form the most beautiful concerto I've ever heard.
Napa Valley. The words conjure up visions of swirling red wine in long-stemmed glasses, rouge-kissed lips sipping on the ambrosia of the gods. Purple plump grapes hang from vines like jewels, and rows of lovingly planted grape varietals like merlot, cabernet, pinot, syrah are all over the valley.
"It does not get any better than this". The thought ran through my mind as I looked at a big bowl of ceviche in my hand. Grabbing a tortilla chip, I dunked it into the ceviche and angled the chip until a generous helping made it onto the widest part of the tortilla triangle.
Dear New Orleans, I fell in love with you when I first visited in 2014. You left a vivid impression on me and I've dreamed of returning ever since. Everybody wants to visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras, but there is so much more to this beautiful city.
This is Part 6, the final part, of the series featuring Indian Women Travellers. For this series, a set of questions were sent to Indian women travel bloggers with the aim of finding out a bit more about their lives and what motivated them.
I aim to stay dry on most of my hikes but sometimes there is the occasional neck-deep river fording in Costa Rica's Corcovado National Park or getting caught in a heavy downpour in Olympic National Park's Hoh Rainforest.
Ever dreamt of a shoe that you can wear all day long whether you're kayaking on a river, hiking on a trail or walking along an ocean beach? Your dream has materialized in the form of Sperry Top-Sider's H2O Escape Bungee Sneakers ... These trendy and amphibious shoes boast an ultra-lightweight design featuring Adaptive Wave-Siping technology.
Collaborative Posts
Tourism has grown exponentially over the years since 2009's economic crisis, outpacing every other aspect of the service industry. The United Nations World Tourism Organization found that Nature-based tourism accounts for about 20% of all international travel, with outdoor adventures becoming one of the fastest-growing sectors of the industry.
As we began to compile a complete list of National Parks for this piece to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the National Parks Service , I was shocked and dismayed to realize how few of the 59 officially designated parks we've visited.