Author: bhavani

A traveller by choice, photographer by interest and writer by desire, I have meandered my way around 15 countries and over 200 cities worldwide. Crafted over 20 heritage walking tours for Audio Compass, a mobile app that 'is shaking up India's travel scene' as per Condé Nast Traveller. I have articles published in magazines and websites – National Geographic Traveller, Jet Wings Intl, Mint, New Indian Express, Lonely Planet, India Today's Travel Plus, Mint, The Alternative and Unboxed Writers. Editor for two issues of the online magazine for a travel start-up Happy-Tripping.com. My fiction pieces have been published at Women's Web and have even won me two prizes. I am a HuffPost India Blogger. In a dedicated relationship with chocolate, books, my husband and lower case, though not sure about the order of preference. I blog at merrytogoaround.com & tweet @bhavan1.
the beautiful courtyard at sunaparanta
culture, india, merrytoEAT, travel

sunaparanta – an art gallery in a beautiful portuguese home in goa

i wouldn’t have heard about sunaparanta if i didn’t have a local friend in goa. this is an art centre situated in a lovely portuguese house, in the middle of a beautiful garden with champa trees. this old house was renovated in order to given the art centre a home. expect beauty at most corners… it has old world tiled floors, big wooden doors for … Continue reading sunaparanta – an art gallery in a beautiful portuguese home in goa

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india, merryinMUMBAI, people

chimbai fishing village up at unboxed writers…

my article on chimbai fishing village went up at ‘unboxed writers’… and i am very pleased that they liked that piece and chose to showcase it. i had it on my blog a couple of weeks ago… check it out at: discovering chimbai fishing village, bandra…   what upsets me is that this village is almost a symbol for the rest of mumbai. there is … Continue reading chimbai fishing village up at unboxed writers…

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the ingredients waiting for become curry
india, merrytoEAT, travel

goan style pumpkin curry

travel for me is all about getting to know the local people through their culture, arts and traditions, and what better than their food. while i don’t think i am a foodie from what i understand to be the modern sense of that word… i don’t understand ingredients, can’t guess whats in the pot unless told, and i can’t even tell if the salt is less or … Continue reading goan style pumpkin curry

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haywards lining the bar
culture, india, merrytoSLEEP, travel

vivienda dos palhacos: a brilliant heritage home near majorda, goa

the website says this is a homestay, but it’s not; it is a heritage hotel… but not the fancy kind like the neemrana property near jaipur… not the kind where i would be embarrassed to walk in with my chappals and sit cross-legged at the dining table! this is simple, elegant, welcoming and warm. the attention, space and homely food are just like a homestay. … Continue reading vivienda dos palhacos: a brilliant heritage home near majorda, goa

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culture, india, travel

central goa: velha goa & the islands of chorao and divar

in my quest to see goa beyond the beaches, we drove inland, away from the sea. and as you go away from the sea, you almost step away from the glamour that surrounds goa and the reasons why you first started going there  – the beaches! the first stop was velha goa (yes, and not goa velha, only recently i came to know that those … Continue reading central goa: velha goa & the islands of chorao and divar

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india, merrytoSLEEP, travel

casinha raibandar: a brilliant chalet near panjim, goa

just 15 mins near panjim, down the ribandar road, after the divar jetty and post the old campus of GIM (goa institute of management) you reach a gorgeous looking door to your left hand side… park your car there, or let go of the auto there. and step in… WELCOME TO CASINHA RAIBANDAR! this is a chalet (yes, i said that right, a chalet) set … Continue reading casinha raibandar: a brilliant chalet near panjim, goa

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basalt rock cut temple
culture, india, travel

two places off the goa tourist map: budbudi tali & tambdi surla

we started the day early (atleast by goan standards). we had to cover great distances in one day, and had to get cracking, immediately. water bottle filled to the brim, camera battery charged, petrol filled in the car we headed out from bogmallo towards the south of goa by 10am. we were traveling right across the state! one must say that the roads in goa … Continue reading two places off the goa tourist map: budbudi tali & tambdi surla

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the coconut palms give way
india, travel

goa without the beaches

usually a post on a holiday in goa would begin with the sea, and end with the sea and there would be many mentions of the sea in between all of that too… words about the lovely beaches, the lovely sand, the private beach which you couldn’t reach, the lounging, the shacks, ‘susegad’, the packed shacks, martin’s corner, sunset at betalbatim, interspersed with vegetarians cribbing … Continue reading goa without the beaches

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