"A whole year in one
place? I would pick
Italy. The cultural
heritage, the beauty
of Cinque Terre, the
mystique of Venice,
the sophistication
of Milan..."
Paro, Bhutan
One PLACE that surprised you with its
vegetarian-friendly fare. And one that
compelled you to live on bread and water
When I went to Slovenia, I fully expected
to live like a rabbit–but I found excellent
vegetarian food. It was summer truffle
season, so I had fresh tagliatelle with
truffle shavings, interesting salads (and
not some greens thrown together halfheartedly), grilled vegetables and cheese,
eggplant pureé, thick mushroom soup
served in a carved bread bowl and loads of
dessert options.
And one unpleasant surprise was a
recent trip to France–on an earlier visit, I
had managed fine in Paris and Provence
Istanbul, Turkey
but this time I was in the heart of France
and eating at gourmet restaurants with
other journalists. So all I got was boiled
veggies meal after meal after meal. It was
depressing, especially since the others
spent hours over their superb fine cuisine.
Please recommend a great short break or
two from where you live
Bangalore has a lot of great weekend
breaks to suit different interests: Bandipur
for wildlife, Coorg for nature, Belur and
Halebidu for temple architecture.
Thiksey, Ladakh
Please pick three of your favourite travel
clicks, and share the story behind them
All three images I have chosen radiate a
sense of peace and gentleness rather than
buzz and activity:
1. In Paro, Bhutan: on the trek to Tiger’s
Nest monastery, this mother and child
who couldn’t stop giggling. I love it for
the mood of happiness, mischief and
intimacy.
2. In Istanbul, Turkey: the whirling
dervishes who seem to forget the world
and themselves when they whirl for
hours to the call of the divine.
3. In Thiksey, Ladakh: this monk who
stood alone during the morning
prayers. It is a tough life and the harsh
brown mountain surroundings only
heighten the sense of isolation around
this monastery.
Connect with Charukesi:
Blog: charukesi.co m/itchyfeet
Facebook: charukesi
Twitter: charukesi
Charukesi spoke to TS Intern Khushboo Tiwari
64 Travel Secrets September-October 2015