Ijahh Tah 6

Last week I asked you to ask me anything on travel writing and these are the questions that made the cut. So let's get on with it and I hope you find this helpful! 1. How did you get started as a travel writer? As someone who had no training in writing or mass communication, I took to blogging before writing professionally. I started my blog in 2008 to record my travels. But more importantly to write quick guides for those asking me same questions again and again about my recent travels. While I never had the idea of writing professionally in mind at that point, publishing on the blog helped me hone my non-existent writing skills. Four years later in 2012, I visited a small village near Kodaikanal that I was driven to write about, not for money but just to get the story out. So I googled and sent the most stupid pitch I’ve ever sent to The Hindu. Surprisingly, the editor accepted the story and it ran in Metro Plus. That’s was my first print publication, for no money. ...

"In the spirit of keeping travel blogging real, here is my account how much our trip   sucked and some tips if you plan to travel here." { East Sikkim's 93-hairpin bend road above Zuluk } The vertigo-inducing view of hundred-odd hairpin bends from somewhere in east Sikkim burst onto the scene few years ago out of the blue. Quick Google searches followed and we were all informed this meandering road that climbs an impressive height from the hills of north Bengal to the Indo-China border in Sikkim was taken from a place called Zuluk. Immediately shooting to fame for the noodle-laid-out-on-a-mountain like appearance, Zuluk and east Sikkim became the newest entry into the offbeat travel list. But surely just a winding road couldn’t be all that interesting? Absolutely. It was a mix of ancient history and unparalleled mountain views that sealed the deal. This road from Sikkim to Tibet via Jelep La and Nathu La was part of the old trading route. It was also t...

Kumbhalgarh Fort at dusk I’m sitting inside my room situated over the fort rampart and I can see a live cannon to the right from my window. Below the fort, I see a patchwork of sandstone slabs and mud-roofed houses spread in front of me, beyond which an endless expanse of a flat, parched land specked with nominal green shrubbery extends till the eye can see. From my bathroom window, I’ve got a surprising view. The windows opens to the view of curved bulges of the fort on my left, the ochre houses that coalesce into the barren desert earth on the right, a road that snakes between these two and a gorgeous, red ball of fire rising in the centre. I had a front row seat to the sunrise from my loo! There’s a sort of winter haze I can see in the distance, a small glimpse of the season that’s few weeks away. The night however, is balmy with a tinge of that winter chill. The lights of the town below are faint and not blinding. I can see few stars shining in the sky, while the fort walls ...

Looking into Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, featuring a surreal mix of sub-tropical and alpine forests. On a cold November morning, a bunch of us left Ziro before the winter sun warmed the valley towards a Kiwi plantation in the outskirts of the settlement. Smoke rose out of the chimneys over tin-roofed houses and mist hovered over open fields like a blanket of white. We drove through the sleepy lanes towards Manipolyang, a village 7 kilomteres from the village center, that also happens to be the starting point of the trek to Pange Valley. Pange Valley is actually the gateway to the more diverse and pristine Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a biodiversity hotspot supporting a wide range of flora and fauna, many of them rare and endangered. Due to paucity of time and an imminent need of some fresh forest air after many days spent driving on bad roads, we decided to hike to Pange Valley for a day’s picnic and return to Ziro before nightfall. It took us two and a half...

What's up, guys? And welcome to your weekly Lost LeBlanc fix. It is time today to dive into the city of Hong Kong, an incredible destination. Now this is actually my second visit, and I spent about 10 days on this trip to make sure that I found the best restaurants, the best viewpoints, the best places for you to go and explore, and I wanted to give you some tips and tricks to saving some money on this upcoming trip. So without further ado, let's start right where your gonna start your trip, which is in the Hong Kong Airport. It's actually cheapest to set your phone up in the airport. Very rare to see that, but that was the case for me. I paid around 65 Hong Kong dollars for the SIM card and the data plan.  It was definitely worthwhile, especially because of how heavily I relied on Google Maps throughout this trip. We have been at the airport now for about two hours looking around the websites from Agoda, Booking.com, Airbnb, and we have finally found a solution, so I...