Asus IndiBlogger Meet 2015

Indiblogger meets are always fun filled! Yesterday’s was no different.

The venue: It was at ITC Royal Gardenia, a 5star luxury hotel. Bangalore bloggers are lucky for sure!

The meet: For the first time there was identity check at the gate to make sure nobody is sending their siblings, or friends or whoever to the meet. We all queued to display the ID cards and our faces thoroughly scanned for

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"Aunty ennode photo" (read Tamil) "Aunty please take my photo" My heart just melted. Unlike the adults she didn't ask for any copy, she was content seeing it on the little screen. She smiled and ran off even while I was trying to get her into a conversation. My thankful eyes kept following her till she disappeared. The photo was taken in one of the temples of Chettinad, Tamil Nadu.

Faces of

Agora and Other Archeological Sites, Athens

The various archeological sites in Athens have ruins; some are just scattered stones which roughly etched the shapes of the foundations of old buildings and rooms. The Agora as it was known was one of the most important part of the ancient city of Athens. If you are here with a blank mind it can be quite confusing and frustrating. And if you are not with any guided tours it is best you read up

Temple of Hephaestus, Athens

Temple of Hephaestus, though in ruins, looked more complete compared to Parthenon. It was built two years prior to Parthenon in 449 BC. This one is made out of marble completely; and to me the pillars looked grand and strong enough for many more centuries. It gives a fairly good idea of Parthenon’s form had it been complete.

This temple is believed to have been dedicated to Athena and

Go Sleek with Asus

Modern day sleek gadgets bring you at such crossroads of life! Finding it hard to make a choice…
‘The Sleek and Powerful ASUS EeeBook X205TA’ or the ‘Ultra-Portable and Perpetually connected ASUS All In One PC ET2040’?

A study of pros and cons of features relevant to my usage requirements of both reveal this:

The Sleek and Powerful ASUS EeeBook X205TA

Small sized, sleek, light weight (>1kg)

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He is trying to make a decent earning selling flags at toll booths and traffic signals. One can see many such people on Independence Day and Republic Day when the demand for flags shoots up drastically. This picture was taken couple of years back. Republic Day (26th Jan.) greetings to all my Indian readers! 

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters

Parthenon, Athens

Once upon a time… yes, once upon a time, here stood a beautiful temple dedicated to Goddess Athena at this very spot! People of Athens adored her and worshipped her! It came into existence in its grand form in 432BC when Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. So beautiful it was that even today it is considered as world’s great cultural monument.

Over the years, Parthenon was converted

Olive Tree of Greece

The one tree that I found in every town or city of Greece that I visited was the Olive tree. Particularly in old sites, the trees looked so old, looking as if they existed for centuries. For Greeks Olive tree is a symbol of wisdom and peace. It is the sacred tree of their Goddess Athena. The story of how the tree came to existence is like this: Zeus decided the city (before it the name Athens)

Acropolis, Athens.

The most fabulous sight in Athens is the Acropolis! It is a symbol of perfection achieved by mankind several centuries back, BC! You don’t really have to be a history addict to appreciate the monumental remains there. The very climb to Parthenon, top of Acropolis is enjoyable one. We did it in the afternoon, temperature was at single digits but tolerable. Ruins, remains of several sites,

Hotel Parthenon, Athens - Hotel Review

Now when I think back Hotel Parthenon was a wise choice to stay in Athens, Greece. Location wise for any tourist who is in Athens for sightseeing, this hotel gets a 5 on 5. All the major ruins, Acropolis Museum, Plaka are all within walking distance from the hotel. Syntagma Square and National Museum are at a distance.

For the facilities at the hotel room I would give a rating of 3 on 5. Just

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A school girl at a ‘parade function’ of a school in Chikamagalur, Karnataka. This was taken during Independence Day functions at the school. She must be rehearsing now for the Republic Day parade function of her school for the coming 26th January.

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. See more here.

Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens

All that remains of the Temple of Olympian Zeus are these few Corinthian columns. 15 to be precise! Can you guess originally how many were present? 104! Now imagine how grand this Temple of Zeus would have looked had all the columns been standing. These remnant columns are enclosed in a huge area, one can go around them admiring and clicking from all possible angles.

On our first day in Athens

Missing the Snow

I am missing the snow of Greece terribly! When I was there I was wishing desperately that it would stop snowing, I was afraid it would ruin my travel plans. All was well till Lamia. As we proceeded towards Delphi weather started deteriorating and soon there were light snow showers. The entire scene changed. It had rained the previous night and snow removing trucks were on their job. The route

Quikr - A Review, Recommendation

Very often I have been asked by my friends residing in other cities of India seeking the facilities in Bangalore which could help them relocate and resume their everyday lifestyle fast. Every day lifestyle meant that they wished to carry all their stuffs from their present city to Bangalore. It was stressful affair for them fearing to discard stuffs, how to discard and then how to have something

My First Impression of Athens

It was 11 AM of 23rd December 2014; the aircraft was about to touchdown at Athens International Airport and I curiously looked down below at the city of Athens, the one I was dreaming of visiting for the past few months. I expected it to have an ancient look, but the sight of 100s of cream colored box like houses surprised me – how can one to find 5000 years of history here! It looked like any

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Took this shot at a bus stop in Goa. It was his cap (folded type made of cotton) and his traditional attire that made me focus on him. Lot of people was there around him and he looked so immersed in his thoughts, that I just took a click from a distance and moved on. He was in a dhoti. You can read more about Maharashtrian men’s wear here.

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to

Hadrian's Arch, Athens

The first monument I sighted in Athens was the Hadrian’s Arch! A monument dating back to 132 AD, that is almost 2000 years! It was overwhelming! What I didn't know then was that this was just the beginning! Mind blowing, awe inspiring stuffs lined up in Athens and in many more parts of Greece! History says the arch was built to celebrate the arrival of Roman Emperor Hadrian to Athens. Arch of

Karagiozis, a Character of Greek Folklore

It is sad how newer forms of entertainment are capturing young minds very fast and in the process wiping way old traditional toys. One such toy is Karagiozis – a traditional folk drama depicted with comic puppet figures. The souvenir shops of Athens sell these Karagiozis and are definitely the best gift to take for a child back home. At one of the shops I was fiddling with these forms, when the

12 Days of Greece Tour

It was hard for us to choose the destinations in Greece because of the limited number of days we had. While reviews of islands like Santorini and Crete were bewitching, the Unesco World Heritage sites of Greece were equally alluring. I succumbed to the captivating heritage sites most of which had crumbling ruins, almost fading away from the face of earth.

 The next problem was, there were 3

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A lady of Karaikudi, Chettinad region in Tamil Nadu, celebrating the ‘Sevvai Perum Tiruvizha (Tuesday big fair)’ festival. Read more about the festival here. 

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country whom I met during my travels. See more here. 

Sky from Nafplio, Greece

The weather seems to be clearing little by little. No more snow predicted and the drive back to Athens from Sparta should be smooth. 










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