Meet me under the Clocks!

In India, Cricket isn't just a game. It is a religion. A religion where cricketers are Gods and every victory is a festival that is celebrated big! Because of the recent Test matches with Australia happening at MCG and International Cricket Council (ICC) announcing Melbourne to be the prestigious host of opening ceremony and finals venue for the most expected cricket event of next year 'World Cup 2015', I've been hearing about 'Melbourne' quite often these days. Being a  cricket fan and a curious traveler myself, I did a bit of reading about this cool cultural capital of Australia. Guess what? as I read more and more about this city, I virtually fell in love with it! Now my bucket-list certainly has a new city to meet and greet for its friendly attitude!!

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"Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody."

~ Jane Jacobs

First and foremost, everyone knows that cities are defined by its people and not by its numerous tall buildings. People can help define their city only if the city is capable of providing them all the support. Only few cities in the world meet this success criteria and to my surprise Melbourne has been successfully snatching the coveted title of "World’s most livable city" for the fourth straight year awarded by Economist magazine! This is a fascinating news for anybody who wishes to visit this city in terms of friendly people, places to satisfy varied interests, safety and sustainability; literally ticking off all the basic expectations in a traveler's checklist! Hear it yourself from the horse's mouth :)


Next, not every person travels to a place with similar interests. There are different kind of travelers with multitude of interests! From all my reading about this city, I can definitely say it has all it takes to satisfy different kind of travelers! In fact, I was astonished by the choices in offer for people with different travel interests! Hmmm as a traveler I think it is wonderful to be spoilt by choices!! :)


Now as a budget traveler myself with multitude of interests ranging from culture, history, photography, food and adventure, here are my top picks why I think Melbourne is cool and lovable!

First of all what attracts me is that public transport is cheap and well connected for any kind of traveler to get around the city in an economical way. Imagine getting a whole day pass for less than $10 for a unlimited travel around the city!! Very notably, 'the vintage' city circle tram goes around the city connecting all the iconic places offers hop-on hop-off service totally FREE OF CHARGE :) I think this is a golden egg for anyone who wants to get around the city and get a feel of it in the first place!!

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Next, there are plenty of local attractions both indoor and outdoor to keep a tourist busy on a family vacation! My favorite picks in this category would be

Eureka Skydeck 88, the highest viewing platform of the southern hemisphere that offers indisputably best views of Melbourne! It would certainly feel crazy to be standing at the very edge of the building and watch the entire Melbourne slowly crawl below!!

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Old Melbourne Gaol, for a fun historical trip to a old prison to understand the earlier OZ system of crime & justice and especially for those fun photo-opportunities with its old prison & cell setup :)

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Queen Victoria Market to observe and shop the way Melbournians shop for the local produce. For me, it is a wonderful way to understand the lifestyle of the local people!

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The shark and ray center for a truly unique experience of standing in the knee deep water and feeding the sharks and rays. Sounds crazy isn't it? :)

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No trip to Melbourne is complete without a visit to MCG or "The G" as the locals call it! :) Their museum with extensive and exclusive collection of sports items will truly satisfy any sports loving person! It will be a dream come true for any Cricket fan to sit and watch a game of cricket played by their favorite team. I can only imagine how the atmosphere would be during the 'World Cup' next year!! Only wish I could be part of that crowd!!

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It is said if you walk up to any Melbournian and ask what makes their city? undoubtedly their answer would be 'art and culture'! Being a cultural capital of Australia, art and culture makes this city truly unique. As a lover of arts, I adore the impressive urban street art of the Hosier Lane, could easily spend hours together appreciating the art work at National Gallery of Victoria and Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. And most importantly Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) with its rare collection of film, TV and digital media for an unique experience on moving media! I can't imagine all these being in a single area - 'Fed Square'! As if it is not enough there are plenty of free entertainment events for public that happen there through out the year! Now tell me who wouldn't want want to spend all their evenings there??

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For those who love exploring the city by foot and prefer to get lost like me, Melbourne with its safe narrow alleyways is a treasure trove of hidden secrets to explore! I would love to roam around the alleyways and arcades exploring, shopping and getting the local taste of the city in my own sweet pace :)

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Melbournians love their food and wine! So a foodie like me could very well celebrate my vacation treating my taste buds to sumptuous food and exotic wine. From authentic local cuisine to international cuisines there are plenty of restaurants to satisfy people with different budgets. Imagine there are even exclusive trips for strawberry picking and wine-tasting at some of the finest vineyards!! Another typical and local way to enjoy food in Melbourne is by doing the famous Australian barbie - Yep, the BBQ!! Oh god, don't I just love it!!


Ok, that's not the end of story. As if the local attractions are not enough, there are many interesting locations within an hour of driving distance. When one can go wine tasting at a vineyard, have a comfortable swim, drive a section of the great ocean road and then drive back to the city, it certainly explains the accessibility of all these great locations from the main city!

Nobody would miss the Great Ocean Road, the scenic west coast ride with the iconic 12 apostles and many interesting heritage towns. With just driving distance away from the main city, such places arouse the nature lover in me and will be a great treat for photography. It will be fun beyond doubts to take the great ocean walk to enjoy the rugged coastal scenery peacefully.

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Another place that is so of my type is the Yarra valley!! It will be dream-like to raise high up in the sky over the vast stretch of beautiful vineyards and enjoy the sunrise from a hot air balloon. One of a kind of experience that is not available in many cities with such easy accessibility. Now imagine getting down from the balloon to taste some exotic wine!

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Dandenong Ranges is another place that kindled the explorer in me with its vintage train passing through heritage villages and pristine forests. A perfect place to escape the hustle bustle of the city and enjoy hiking through secret villages and towering forests!!

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Beyond all this, at the end of day, vacation is meant for relaxing! Melbourne is a perfect place to even do nothing and relaxing :) With its undying love for Coffee, it is just the perfect place to sit by a cafe, relax with a cup of coffee, converse and just do people watching!! One of my favorite pass times when I am bored of doing a lot over a vacation.

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Uff these are just a few places that I found already matching my mindset and would love to visit when I get to visit Melbourne. But I am sure there are plenty more to explore and experience. So if you are still with me, I am sure you'll accept Melbourne has a lot for every kind of traveler to bring the feeling of world in a compact place!

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It is for this multitude of choices and the flexibility to plan and do things based on my own interest and pace I fell in love with this city even before visiting it!! And I would certainly love to visit it one day! :)

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Ok my dear reader! Here is an interesting contest for you, are you ready??? :)

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Go grab your favorite beverage, sit back and enjoy watching all the fascinating videos of Tanmay & Rohan's travel across different places in Melbourne! Then tell me by commenting to this blog post, if you get to visit Melbourne, which of these places would you want to visit and why?

It's that simple!! The best answer on every valid entry will win a gift voucher!! Awesome isn't it??? So hurry up before the contest closes on 4th Jan 2015!

If you are wondering at my title for this blog post "Meet me under the Clocks!", well, it's a famous phrase that fun loving Melbournians use to describe their favorite meeting spot under the clocks at Flinders Street Station! :)

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If I get lucky, I would certainly love to visit this place, meet a few OZs and interact with them for a grand personal experience!! :)

This blog post is entirely based on my own research on Melbourne and places I found interesting already. But there are plenty more to this place to suit your own interests and needs. If you are interested, you can refer to the official Tourism Victoria Australia website here (http://www.visitmelbourne.com/India.aspx).

This post is written for IndiBlogger campaign "What's your reason for falling in love with Melbourne, the most livable city in the world?"

Thai Tourism Photo Contest

Back in June, Tourism authority of Thailand (TAT) in association with Kunzum organized a photography competition based on the beautiful country of Thailand. Each participant was asked to submit 3 photographs that best depict Thailand's landscapes, culture, people, history, religion, shopping, customs, wildlife, beaches etc.

Luckily having been to Bangkok for a family vacation in 2012, I had a few photographs that beautifully depict Bangkok in these categories. So I comfortably entered the contest with three of my photographs.

Wat Pho, Bangkok

Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok

San Saeb, Bangkok

I am happy to announce that I have secured second place in the competition for my photograph of San Saeb, Bangkok and won myself a trip to Bangkok !! YAY (whistles and drum rolls) !!

Also my other entry of Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok has won myself a beautiful Tuk-Tuk model as a gift from TAT which I consider a cute little bonus !! ;-)

I am very excited now about this wonderful opportunity to return to the beautiful country of Thailand. Last time our trip was more focused towards Bangkok and now I hope to explore other beautiful places around the country and come back with more memorable moments and photographs that I can remember for a long long time :-)

I take this opportunity to thank Tourism Authority of Thailand for this wonderful opportunity and selecting me a winner for this competition!!

A slice of Arabian adventure!

I lie on my back, relaxed, watching the puffy white clouds move one after the other beneath the canvas of deep blue sky. The surrounding peaks of the giant mountains tower right above, moving slowly in my visual frame as our dhow gently cruise in the boundless turquoise ocean. Suddenly a school of bottle-nose dolphins race past our dhow and the excitement doubles! I use our dhow as a makeshift diving board and throw myself into the deep blue water only to emerge out of a gorgeous emerald pool, shaded by green palm trees deep down a remote canyon. I hike all the way up, crossing a cluster of forgotten houses and later a beautiful village growing tropical fruits, only again to find myself standing at the mouth of an endless sea of red sand dunes with a few scattered camels for company!

Such mysterious was my dream when I read about Oman and slept the other night. I have never been to the sultanate of Oman before or for that matter any middle-eastern country. The closest I have come across any middle-eastern affair in my life is the mouthwatering delicacies I have had in the old city of Hyderabad, India. Being a curious travel photographer who is passionate about learning culture and lifestyle of the visiting places, I carefully choose the destination I travel. I prefer such places that retains old world charm and traditions in the changing times. I carefully avoid those places that has totally lost its roots to rapid urbanization, without any room for nature. I have explored various countries in Asia and really enjoyed the diverse culture they boast along with rapid progress they make. When I turned to middle-east, one place that easily outshined other places based on my preferences for Nature is the sultanate of Oman. Oman is a diverse tropical oasis with its ultra-luxury capital Muscat, beaches with their white sand and turquoise waters, majestic Hajar mountains and huge desert wilderness stretching limitless with its rolling sand dunes of different hues. There is enough to feed any adrenaline hungry adventure bones as well. If I get to travel to the sultanate of Oman any time in the future, I will try to travel the length and breadth of the country to immerse myself in its diverse culture, beauty and hospitality. Referring to various travel magazines and articles about Oman, I have carefully consolidated and framed a detailed itinerary that I plan to follow for the trip around the country. Thanks to Oman tourism development, it is pretty safe to travel around the country even as a solo traveler!

My trip would start from the capital city of Muscat, with its amazing international connectivity. I would prefer flying into Muscat in the month of February when it is at its celebratory best displaying its best of culture and art, at the Muscat Festival. I would take a tour of the Grand Mosque to appreciate the beauty in all the intricate details, with special focus on Islamic architecture. Next would be Bait al Zubair museum to get an insight on Oman's social history and the route it took to development. Evening would be dedicated for a nice stroll along the waterfront corniche exploring various food joints for local delicacies. Being at the strategic mouth of Oman gulf, marina Bandar Al Rhowda would be well worth a morning visit for a dive to explore the marine life above and below the water. It is said to be a true mix of flora and fauna of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. An evening dhow ride in the golden light would be perfect to enjoy the picturesque vistas of the city coastline and the volcanic hills surrounding the capital. Next a customary visit to the colorful Muttrah Souk to indulge in the garment shopping would happily bring an end to the day!

Having tasted the capital city a bit, I would embark on my journey to explore 'what rest of the Oman' has to offer. Barka, the sea-side fish market would be my first stop for the wonderful photographic opportunities of early morning fishing activities and understanding the causual lifestyle of the Omanis living outside the city circle. Sawadi fort set against the brilliant backdrop of the ocean would make a definite pit stop. It should be adventurous and challenging to drive through the remote Hajar mountains to the spectacular Wadi Bani Auf and thereafter to the most beautiful mountain village of Balad Sayt framed by the dramatic mountains. Then a visit to the picturesque Misfat Al Abreyeen, the still inhabited old mountain village will be interesting to see the lifestyle of the people living in such remote locations totally depending on the nature and their livestock. It will be heavenly then to retire at a temporary camp made in the jebel shams range with a wonderful views over Jebel Misht.

The next morning I would drive down to Al Khitaym for an easy hike to the old village of Sab Bani Khamis. This route supposedly offers wonderful views of Arabia's version of Grand Canyon and the highest point of the range. Back at Al Khitaym, I would drive to the beautiful village of Al Hamra with its characteristic mud houses and then to the old capital of Nizwa. Being the cultural capital, I will spend the entire day exploring the legendary fort with strong traditional architecture. Nizwa Souq will definitely make an interesting destination for photographing and catching local market action!

If I happen to be at Nizwa on a Friday morning, I would definitely consider myself lucky to experience 'Souq Al Jumaa', the friday market that brings in people from remote mountains to Nizwa. The experience would be totally Arabian and a great feast to my camera and the photographer in me! Next drive would be to the most scenic Wadi Bani Khalid, known for its deep blue pools. I would hike down the canyon starting from the village of Bidah for the most beautiful views of canyon valley and finally a relaxing swim in the gorgeous pool of water. I can spend countless hours photographing the wadi. Final destination as per my plan would be Rimal Al Sharqiya to enjoy the magical sunset over the dunes. It is a photographer's delight to watch the ball of fire slowly disappear behind the vast expanse of sands! A bit of dune bashing and settle for a camp stay in the remote part of the dunes, just to experience the wilderness under the complete starlit sky!

For me a long walk across the dunes early in the morning will mark a perfect start to the day! If possible, a trip to any nearby Bedouin village will be perfect to see and document the lifestyle of Bedouin tribes. Later I would drive down to the coastal town of Sur with its rich seafaring heritage. It will be interesting to see how dhows are still built in the traditional fashion. A visit to the dramatic Sinaysla castle and the narrow lanes of pretty whitewashed village of Al Ayjah will make a perfect setting for photography!

Wadi Shab will be my next destination. Known for its spectacular geography, this wadi will be a definite visit before I drive down to Wadi Al Arbiyeen, known for its splendid mountain formations and gushing streams. Muscat will be the last destination for the day.

My trip to Oman would be incomplete if I don't visit Oman's sleepy exclave, Musandam peninsula. A quick flight would take me from Muscat to Khasab. I will utilize the day for a four-wheel-drive up to Jebel Hareem, the peninsula's highest point. It will be interesting to visit the Bedouin villages and other remote settlements on the way. Views from the top overlooking the Straits of Hormuz lit by the setting sun should be well worth all the efforts. Next day I will take a full-day dhow cruise to Kumzar, the northernmost inhabited settlement in Oman. I have heard a lot about the spectacular fjords of Musandam often compared to the fjords of Norway, it will be fabulous to see and experience them in reality!

Finally, just to experience the magnificent remote wadis of Musandam, I will hire a taxi for a round-trip from Khasab to Bukha and will spend a day photographing the landscape and people in those remote regions of the peninsula. Back in Khasab, a flight back to Muscat would happily bring an end to the satisfying trip around Oman!

Oman Ministry of Tourism - http://www.omantourism.gov.om/