One of the “must-see” sights near Shuna is the Corryvreckan Whirlpool. It is, apparently, the third largest whirlpool in the world and is located between the islands of Scarba and Jura. We thought we would not be able to see the whirlpool because the previous tour boat owner had recently retired. We learnt just in … Continue reading / view photos Shuna wildlife
Category: Travel
Isle of Shuna, Scotland
For the first time in about twenty years, I went to Scotland. But this was not a normal trip. It was a holiday on the Isle of Shuna — a place even Google Maps struggles to identify. This is the OS map: We had booked to take the overnight sleeper train from London Euston to … Continue reading / view photos Isle of Shuna, Scotland
Anglesey
This was my first holiday since I went to the USA two years ago. Last year, for me and for so many, was a write off because of the pandemic. One of the few people I knew who did travel abroad found the whole experience stressful. It put me off even attempting to go abroad. … Continue reading / view photos Anglesey
Cradling sun
During my trip to USA in 2019, I met Ajeet in San Francisco and visited him in Berkeley. You can read about it here. I was delighted when he sent me the above photo, which he took at Albany Bulb. This is a photo he’d tried to capture many times without satisfactory results — until … Continue reading Cradling sun
Chips on the beach
Ever since the film Bhaji on the Beach came out, people who’ve seen it know about Indians taking coach trips to the British seaside. During my childhood, our annual holiday consisted of a day-trip to the seaside. The Indian community in North London hired a coach and, once a year, descended on some beach, such … Continue reading / view photos Chips on the beach
New York public transportation
We say public transport, you say public transportation… As Covid-19 lockdown continues, I return to photos of my last time abroad, when I went to New York a long, long time ago… In the land of the car, many US cities have good transport options: subways, buses, trolley buses (trams), ferries, bikes, and scooters (electric … Continue reading / view photos New York public transportation
Lockdown in Birmingham
For an unrelated reason, on 23 March, I went to Birmingham. I’d planned to stay a week. Later that day, the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced that the UK would be going into lockdown! I could have got the train back. I think it was permissible to return home but I wasn’t sure. However, … Continue reading / view photos Lockdown in Birmingham
Walking in Birmingham
In the 1980s, someone I worked with, Ken, often spoke about Birmingham in the office. Most of us had never been there but had heard the cliches about its dreariness and joked about it with him. Ken stayed in London during weekdays but went back to Birmingham over the weekend. Eventually, he invited a few … Continue reading / view photos Walking in Birmingham
Flower show in Snowshill
Every time I go to the Cotswolds, I marvel at the honey-coloured houses and the immaculate front gardens everyone seems to have. I sometimes wonder if the area is inhabited by retired gardeners; perhaps to incentivise them, people are rewarded with a prize each year for best garden; or, maybe, cultivating a beautiful garden is … Continue reading / view photos Flower show in Snowshill
Hay Bluff and Hay-on-Wye
Friday was probably the hottest day in the UK this year. We felt the heat walking up Hay Bluff. The photo of it doesn’t do justice to the steep (but short) ascent. It was an enjoyable short circular walk before driving to Hay-on-Wye, the UK’s bookshop town. Living up to Wales’ reputation, Hay delivered spits … Continue reading / view photos Hay Bluff and Hay-on-Wye