Agra Fort

19/08/2015

Starting this week, a series 'IN PICTURES'. We curate 10 beautiful photographs of destinations for you, and let images do what they do.

First in the series: Vibrant !

Let the colors wash over you.

When words fail, pictures rush to the rescue to describe vibrant Rajasthan.

18/08/2015

In a quaint town in , lies the 2nd biggest Tibetan settlement outside of Tibet. Read to be transported to another world!

Home to the 2nd largest Tibetan settlement outside Tibet, Kushalnagar in Karnataka is a picture of serenity, color, and hypnotizing peace.

18/08/2015

Lonely Planet releases its Ultimate Travel Bucket List!

How many have you done successfully? Leave a number in the comments!

The next three places were taken up by the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and the Grand Canyon National Park.

17/08/2015

Exciting things are brewing here at AudioCompass!

We are on our way to becoming the official audio tour app for gorgeous , in association with Oman Ministry of Tourism.

Keep an eye out for pictures here and our Instagram () as we travel, discover, click and write for your next vacation to this happening coastal city.

Photo Credits: Malvika Bhatia

17/08/2015

Good Monday morning travelers! Let's start the day with some fascinating news.

The Taj Mahal has now become India's first monument to get an official Twitter account. We feel it's a great way to give feedback to the UP Tourism for the much celebrated heritage monument.

Click the link below to follow Taj Mahal; use code ACAUG to get access to all audio stories and tours on the Taj for 7 days- free!

The latest Tweets and replies from Taj Mahal (). The official Twitter handle of the World's most Loved Monument, located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. One of the wonders of the World. Agra, Uttar Pradesh

16/08/2015

Come away with us, to ?

Meghna and Nikhil Rao, a couple who travels and writes recount their latest escape to the blue waters of .

Disclaimer: May induce severe case of .

Come away with Meghna and Nikhil, a wandering couple, as they visit the sun-and-sea kissed Bali, Indonesia.

15/08/2015

'Think daily flogging, contaminated food and water, jute bag uniforms in the humidity of the islands, pulling carts in place of bullocks, being in fetters for weeks and countless ex*****on in rows of gallows- and no history of it all.'

This , read about Cellular Jail- an essential part of remembering those who died so we can be free today.

Use code ACAUG to get a one-week free subscription of stories and narratives of places you've been wanting to travel for a while. Plug in. Lose Yourself.

This Independence Day, add one more stop to your travel list of Andaman and Nicobar Islands- The Cellular Jail.

14/08/2015

If there's one thing you watch this Independence Day, it's this video.

On the eve of India's 68th Day, we thought to share a beautiful visualization set to even more stunning lyrics, about India and the alchemy that it is.

Use code ACAUG on our app, to get a one week free subscription to stories and conversations about India, as you discover .

"Down with dog position, locust,
cobra, standing tree.
I am the motherland expanding,
pregnancy unplanned in the 21st
century.
More than our people, our culture,
our country, I'm ALCHEMY.
Raag main taal, rhythm and
Melody.
Conceived when Shiva breathe the
kiss which died on the lips of his
bride Parvati.
Desi, Gora, Kala I'm every grain of
rice in your Basmati, every spice in
your Garam Masala.
I'm the turmeric stain on your
Gandmother's hands.
I'm eena meena dika die dama
nika retika flames on your pe**al
gland.
I'm the mala beads slipping
through her fingers like display
seed of sands through an hour
glass.
I'm the jigsaw made from the
shattered fragments of the past,
pieced together in a way that
works for us.
A billion strong and uprising and
it's impossible to ignore us.
The interwoven of
Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada,
Marathi, Hindi, Kashmiri,
Malayalam, Nepali, Punjabi,
Sindhi, Telugu, Tamil or Urdu
Ginger, Chilly and Garlic.
Brahmin, Kshatriya, Dalit… Touch
me for I'm no longer untouchable.
Capable, practically inescapable.
No longer unaccountable.
I'm an accountant, I programme
your IT.
I'm the Chai, Latte, Ice Tea.
That the Chai Wala stares at
Moongfalis…
He sighs . On the rise of the
middle class whispering their
upwardly mobile mantra.
Thank God almighty, I am free at
last.
I sing "Tumhi ho mata Hindustan"
as I smoke beedis, chew paan and
watch Bollywood DVDS starring
Akshay Kumar and Shahrukh
Khan.
Remixing Prayanaam by
whispering my mantra "I am a
disco dancer" under my breathe. Profound, primitive and
superstitious. Spread of Canada to
Australia, Trinidad to Mauritius…
I will always be INDIA.
The impoverished child that bangs
the window of your ambassador
car.
The old man who instead of
clapping his hands simply says
"Arree WAAAAHHHH"
I am Saraswati whose veena was
later remixed into the shape of a
sitar just like "Om mane padme
hum " of the tabla drum became
the "ta teri kit…tera te…" to turn
tables and a mixer.
I am the rickshawala.
I have the white Tiger, a survivor
rising up in the drive to progress.
I am the distressed heart of Delhi,
Calcutta's cloaked streets,
Bombay's blocked arteries and an
accumulation of stress…yessss!
I am HINDUSTAN.
In the land of Ustad Ali Akbar
Khan and Kaun Banega Crorepati,
Krishnamurthy, Vivekananda,
Tagore and Arundhati, and pot
bellied
elephant headed superhero,
Ganpati.
Om Shanti…
I am the monk's saffron rope. I am
the scent of the cinnamon,
cardamom, clove. I am the air
thick with the rain and the funk of
the monsoon.
I am the silver moon that Shiva
wears for hair clip.
I am the unsanctioned love
marriage between Bharatnatyam
and backflip.
Converse trainers under Kurta
pajama and salwaar kameez.
I am the thunder of the storms on
the horizon weeping the solidified
tears of Rudraksha beads.
I am ALCHEMY."- Alchemy, Bandish Projekt

Bandish Projekt is pleased to announce the release of ALCHEMY, their first single from the forthcoming album Connekt 'Alchemy' is the new release from Indian...

13/08/2015

'As we stopped in the shadows to watch this scene unfold, the Naturalist kept up a running commentary about the hunting formation of the wild dogs. The position each dog took formed a large circle that severely handicapped the hunted to escape. While we watched in awe, the Naturalist urged us to get away from the scene as quickly as it was possible.'

On an open-jeep safari at the National Park, .

Go for a jungle safari with our blogger Malavika, as she searches for tigers and gets lost in the serene sunsets of Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka.

12/08/2015

The Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) has called for a ban on Free Independent Trekkers (FITs) starting this September, for safety reasons. Tourists wishing to witness the majesty of the will now have to go with a government-approved guide.

What do you think about this? Should travelers be allowed to make the call on their fitness, and safety preparations, or should the government intervene, like in ? Leave a comment!

Travellers wishing to trek in the Nepalese Himalayas will be required to use an official guide following a series of assaults.

12/08/2015

'Lonar will remain with you long after you come back to work. It will remain while you go on with your life, making reports and talking to your boss. On a quiet morning, before you take on the bustle of the city, you will suddenly miss the quiet deathly silence that encompassed you when you saw the lake for the first time. You will know then- has managed to enamor you.'

Arunabh Majumdar writes about his adventure to India's only meteorite lake.

A travelogue on the isolated, eerie and quiet Lonar crater lake, in the middle of a forest- where a meteorite crashed 50,000 years ago.

11/08/2015

'If they are not still convinced that you are going to come back means, they will ask for even more documents to show proof of funds. So I now have to take a spade and shovel and dig our apartment to search for any hidden treasure or hope to find that ancient property document that my great-great-grandmother obtained by cheating Robert Clive. Where else will I get more ‘funds’ from? Idiots.'

The Local Tea Party writes on the woes of wanderlust as a middle-class Indian- especially getting a VISA.

Travel is your passion? All lies. Ok first of all I am going to break some myths. Then I am going to break some heads. This has been happening for too long now. Randomly they will come and parade...