Visa help for Indians for the Trans-Siberian train trip!

November 5, 2015 ~ The Sunlit Window ~ 10 Comments

Travelling with an Indian passport means you obtain visas beforehand, almost always. Visa is a huge part of your travel plan if you are an Indian. ‘Visa on arrival’ is a privilege Indian passport holders can only dream of in effusive terms. An Indian passport doesn’t inspire confidence with the consulate officials and it can be truly daunting to apply for four different visas for a trip.

Which is where I was when I planned my Trans-Siberian train trip. Here’s where, I think, a good visa agent comes in handy. Before I sought out an agent’s services, I read and reread the consulate websites of Russia, Mongolia, China and Japan (Japan is not technically a part of your Trans Siberian trip but I was planning to go there) and came away confused each time. The sheer number of documents (bank statements, hotel and flight bookings, a patronizing covering letter, IT filing proofs, trip schedules..phew) made me believe that I needed help.

Help arrived in the form of a good-natured visa agent called Prem, at the STIC Travels, Bangalore office. He assisted me in arranging for all travel documents, writing trip planners and cover letters for each visa and his visa wisdom was of immense help for me. Oh btw, you can use http://www.booking.com to do dummy booking to show hotel bookings while applying for your visa without losing a penny. If you have an extremely good visa agent, he/she will also help you with dummy flight tickets to help plan your visa because the consulates need your ticket proof to consider your visa application.

Here’s a short brief on the visas.

Russia

Unlike countries that have a fixed duration visa, Russia provides visa for the period you request for. My visa was valid starting the day of my trip started and ended two day after it ended. You will need a cover letter, hotel bookings, flight bookings, financial proof (attested bank statement for the past six months) to apply for the visa. You will also need an invitation letter from a Russian tour operator along with your visa application. I got this from Real Russia whose services I used for booking my train tickets. If you want to stay beyond 90 days in Russia, you will need an additional document to prove your HIV test results.

Red square - Moscow — **Red square – Moscow**

Mongolia

By far, I can say, the least complicated visa of the lot is the Mongolian visa. Mongolia gives you a 30-day visa. The usual documents – cover letter, hotel bookings, flight bookings, financial proof (attested bank statement for the past six months) are required to apply for the visa.

China

For an Indian, the Chinese visa can be tricky. I have had friends tell me that their visa applications are returned twice over for want of additional documents. Though you will need only the usual documents – cover letter, hotel bookings, flight bookings, trip planner and financial proof for the visa, the ease of you being granted the visa lies in how uncomplicated your trip planner is. In my case, I only visited Beijing and hence I think it was simple. I was granted a 30-day visa. Also, be prepared to go through extra scrutiny at borders if you are an Indian and be asked if you have enough cash / a visa card to survive your time in China. Humiliating yes, but hey aren’t we used to it by now?

Japan

The Japanese visa is also mostly fuss free to obtain. After submitting my application, I was called to the consulate because my signature in the cover letter did not match with my passport. Go figure! Otherwise, it took exactly three working days for the Japanese visa to be processed. All usual documents (cover letter, hotel bookings, flight bookings, trip planner and financial proof) apply. Though the Japanese visa is valid for three months, you can only stay for 15 days in the country.

Japan - Imperial Palace, Tokyo — **Japan – Imperial Palace, Tokyo**

Why not leave a comment and let me know if you have any visa wisdom from your travels? I would love to know. Do read this wonderfully informative post by Shivya Nath on travelling the world on an Indian passport by clicking here. Also, if you need Prem’s contacts, leave a comment and let me know.

Ps: With this, I end the series my Trans-Siberian trip. I will, however, publish stories on the places I visited during the trip. Follow the blog to read stories on the Russian / Siberian towns, Mongolia, China and Japan.

Seven somewhat offbeat things to do in and around Interlaken, Switzerland

July 21, 2015August 13, 2015 ~ The Sunlit Window ~ 4 Comments

If there is a Bollywood pilgrimage an Indian wishes to do, Interlaken would figure prominently on the list. And many Indian tourists seem to be doing just that. With snow capped mountains, jade green rivers and lush greenery, Interlaken and the region around have been fertile playground for Indian movies – Bollywood started the trend and the regional movies have caught on soon enough.

With fountains sporting sculptures of marmuts, charming store fronts, church spires and petunias in different colors on its streets, Interlaken couldn’t get any prettier if it wished. In the odd scenario of you being overwhelmed by this cuteness, here are 7 other things you could do in Interlaken.

PS: I’d say, visit Jungfrau, but it’s probably already on your list anyway. 🙂

1) Visit Lauterbrunnen

The Trummelbach falls in Lauterbrunnen valley alone is responsible for draining the mighty glacier defiles of three mountains – Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. As a result, in summer, the glacier water melts and comes down with huge force in 10 cascades inside the mountain. It is rendered accessible by a tunnel lift and also illuminated for the sake of viewing the mighty force in which water drops down. Also the rolling meadows of the Lauterbrunnen valley is a sight to withhold.

lauter brunnen2 — The Glacier river at Lauterbrunnen

Ariel view of the Lauterbrunnen valley — Aerial view of the Lauterbrunnen valley

Note: Lauterbrunnen is 20 minutes from Interlaken on the SwissRail system.

2) Take a river cruise on Thun / Brienze

The lake and castle cruise on the panoramic Thun River in west-central Switzerland spans the distance from Interlaken to the town of Thun in about four hours, providing glimpses of Swiss riverside life and its beautiful castles. Situated west of Interlaken, Lake Thun is picture postcard material. Crested with mountain peaks capped with eternal snows of Brenese Alps, its turquoise blue waters are fed by the glaciers and hence always cold. A cruise on Lake Thun takes one past picturesque fishing villages and castles steeped in history.

Note: You can use the Swiss rail pass on scheduled cruises. The day pass for the Lakes of Thun and Brienz cruises is available for a special price on Mondays for CHF 39 (INR 2500) for 2^nd class tickets.

3) Explore the old town of Thun

If you take the sunset cruise on a summer day, the cruise boat arrives in Thun as the sun dips down leaving you with options to explore the town of Thun when there is still light. River Aare splits Thun into two and there are surfers in its unruly waters tethered to the wooden bridge across the river, practicing surfing in the waves. Set about walking the tiny alleyways of the city that has 45000 inhabitants and its old town, said to be formed in 12th century when Berchtold V of Zähringen built the Thun Castle.

Drehorgel, shown here, is an ancient musical instrument

A river surfer - thun — A river surfer – thun

4) Hike to the BachalpSee

Bachalpsee is at an elevation of 2,265 m can be reached from the First gondola station. Legend has it that Yash Chopra (who made around ten movies in the country, spurring an onset of Indian tourist arrivals in Switzerland) planned a Katrina – SRK number for his last movie Jab Tak Hai Jaan at the Bachalpsee. He passed away before the completion of the movie and the Bachalpsee shoot never did happen.

That's yours truly hiking Bachalpsee — That’s yours truly hiking Bachalpsee

Note: The hike can be done on your own. From Grindelwald station, take the gondola to First station and hike up to the lake.

5) Take an e-bike tour

If walking around Interlaken tires you out, do sign up for an e-bike tour. It covers a lot of ground and you can cycle on the gorgeous tree canopied streets and by the beautiful waterways of the town. You could stop at the town center, taste water from its fountain, take pictures wherever you feel like. It is of course, beneficial if you have a guide, who will explain you things and take you around.

That's me cycling in Interlaken — That’s me cycling in Interlaken

Note: Try the Flying Wheels (www.flyingwheels.ch) service in Interlaken town that also houses a quaint little shop that sells local produce (cheese, herbs and even organic cosmetics).

6) Try tandem paragliding

Two decades ago, Interlaken used to be known as the backpacking destination. Americans that love outdoors used to come in hordes. And then, quite suddenly, it became popular with Japanese. Japanese that love soft outdoor activities started discovering Interlaken and the opportunities for adventure sports. Now, it is more a family tourism destination for Indians and shopping destination for Chinese. There is still a large number of tourists that try their hand at tandem paragliding, jet boat, base jumping, mountain biking and so on in Interlaken.

7) Visit a dairy farm

If you are an urban product, who has never seen a cow in its elements, this will interest you. Even if you are not one, you will have to see how the Swiss treat their cows. The barns are really well kept and neat. The cows are treated well so much so that they are even provided with huge plastic brushes in the barn to rub themselves against if they so wish. The cows are also let loose in the meadows for three months during summer for grazing.

Have you been to Interlaken? What is your opinion? Why not leave a comment and let me know?

PS: I was kindly hosted by the Jungfrau Railways on this trip. I would love to say ‘opinions expressed in this article are mine’ but there aren’t too many of them in this, are they? Rest assured, I am not obliged to say anything I didn’t want to. 🙂

The lost childhood of the beautiful children of Myanmar

December 29, 2014 ~ The Sunlit Window ~ Leave a comment

Cherubic with round faces and streaks of thanaka across their cheeks, the children of Myanmar can be shy and curious like children across the world are. However, unlike children anywhere else Myanmar’s children start really early. To work. In a country whose natural wealth has been plundered by the military rule for about 50 years, its citizens have had it hard. The economy is in tatters and the crushing poverty among its populace forces parents to send their children to work to supplement the family income.

From waitressing at restaurants to hawking knick knacks across tourist attractions, children in Myanmar can be found in various places working hard to make money so their families don’t starve. They are subjected to hard labor though I did not find any instance of their managers / minders being rude to them. Notwithstanding the kindness of their masters, it is heartbreaking to note that these children are dropping out of school with no future in sight or a guaranteed income other than the measly wage they are paid as a result of their hard labor.

Media across the world has been paying attention to the child labor issue in Myanmar but with very limited success. Read this Huffington Post story on child labor in the booming construction industry of the country. According to this NPR report that quotes U.N., a third of the country’s children have jobs. Another report titled, ‘Child labor is declining worldwide, but it’s thriving in Myanmar’ in the Foreign Policy magazine is self-explanatory.

During my trip across Myanmar, I found numerous instances of child labor. I found children working in restaurants wiping tables / serving dishes, hawking souvenirs around temples, plucking peanuts in fields and tilling the land. It’s a depressing state of affairs and there is probably very little one can do about the issue in a country that is still partially ruled by military. But these children are still pictures of innocence. They are beautiful, heart breakingly so. Cliches be damned.

The extremely little

These are the babies. Those chubby faces and perky mischievousness know very little that they will be put in school and pulled out of it very soon so as to assist in the family’s income. Nevertheless, for now, they are cute as buttons.

The school goers

Many children seem to only finish primary schools. They are pulled out of their schools soon enough they can manage a day job, as it were. But they are cheerful when they go to and come back from schools as I witnessed.

The shy and curious

Step into a village that is not frequented by tourists and you will be surrounded by these children. They haven’t seen a camera in their lives. Nor have they seen a soul that is not their villager visiting them. Each one of them is photogenic and they seem to know it as they confidently stare into the camera.

The unfortunate teens

You can find them selling postcards in and around pagodas frequented by tourists. To them, postcards are still relevant because their world is full of them as stocks, waiting to be sold to make money. You can also find them tracing designs on lacquerware trays and other utensils. One entrepreneurial fellow even sold me a bunch of hand-drawn postcards he made with his crayons.

The hard laborers

They till land to make patches for vegetable plantations or glean peanut plants after the year’s harvest. They are the least fortunate among the lot for their work involves hard, physical labor. And no child should be forced to do that.

I am ending this year on a poignant note with this post. I have had a good year and I have very little to complain about (if at all, I have to). I hope each one of you have had a wonderful year as well. I wish you all a great 2015 ahead. Stay safe. Stay well. Leave a comment wishing me a good year and telling me what your travel (and general) plans for 2015 are. I would love to hear from you.

Chasing the Northern Lights – Part II – Guest Post

December 3, 2014 ~ The Sunlit Window ~ Leave a comment

This is the second (and final) part of the guest post by my friend Sownak Roy from http://doesnotxsist.blogspot.in/. You can read the first part of the post here.

I woke up to a new day, well, actually a Polar Night. Being inside the Arctic Circle in December means that the dawn is at 10 a.m. and it remains like that till 3 p.m. The sun is not visible, and it is not complete darkness as many of us tend to believe. The skies were clearer today, which meant that the temperature would be getting subzero even during the day.

After a breakfast of coffee and soupy noodles and a hot bath, I was ready with my 5 layers of clothing and the synthetic fur hat. The outside door handle had ice on the inside, which is a common sign that the temperatures were far below zero during the night.

First stop was the Arctic Cathedral/ Ishavskatedralen. Unfortunately it was closed due to Christmas preparations, but I was happy taking a few shots around the Church, for myself as well as for the other tourists. The walk back over the Tromsø Bridge was challenging. The ice and the slope of the bridge was quite a challenge to handle.

Back in the island of Tromsøya, lunch was at the northernmost Burger King. It wasn’t anything special, but they do have good free Wi-Fi. The next interesting building was the public library/bibliotek. It was good to be inside; when the temperatures are sub-zero, there is a limit to how long you can stay outside even if you are wearing the best clothes.

I was back to the apartment to get my camera gear as well as add a few more clothing on me. The aurora forecast was good, and I hoped with all my heart that the skies are clear.

As suggested by my host, I headed to the south of the island, where the beach area of Folkeparken provides a nice place to view the Lights as it is completely dark. It was a long walk in the cold, but I reached the place and was happy to find a wooden picnic table; happy because it means I would not have to sit on the frozen ground. It was 6 p.m. already. The best time to catch the Lights is between 6 p.m. – 12 a.m. when the sky is the darkest in this part of the World.

The two hours wait in the cold was worth it. Though I had some whiskey to keep me warm, nothing was more welcome than the first sight of a green band across the sky. It was not noticeable much at first, and looked like a faint cloud coloured by the light pollution, but once the realization set in, I was the happiest man on the earth, or at least in the whole of Folkeparken.

The Aurora Borealis is caused by the collision of solar wind and magnetospheric charged particles with the high altitude atmosphere. The solar wind which reached today to earth’s atmosphere actually left the sun about 3 days ago. These winds consist of free ions, which get attracted by earth’s magnetic field, and collide with the atmospheric gases, mostly oxygen and nitrogen and alter their atoms. But these altered atoms are unstable and then they regain the original atomic mass, they release the energy through light and sound. The sound does not reach us (sometimes they do) as it gets heavily diffused by the atmosphere, but the light reaches us as light travels much faster than sound and so diffusion is less. And that is how we see the Northern Lights. The green light is because of higher oxygen atoms at lower atmosphere.

There aren’t words to describe the feeling of watching the Aurora dancing in the sky with your own eyes. But one thing is for sure, you will undoubtedly have the feeling that your own life and problems are so small, that we as human beings are so small, in this huge astronomical environment. The photos here should speak for themselves.

Northern Lights against the ink blue sky

The green light is because of higher oxygen atoms at lower atmosphere

The sky painted green - Northern LIghts — The sky painted green – Northern LIghts

At the end of it, the feeling was so content, so peaceful, so satisfying. I felt that I was the luckiest person; lucky to watch the most extravagant natural activity, to be able to feel the enormity of the Universe (or Multiverse) and to witness this phenomenon which has happened even before any life existed on earth, and will keep on happening even after all life is extinct from earth.

Photography Tips:

Tripod is a must.
Highest ISO setting, use RAW mode so that noise can be adjusted later.
Wide angle lens (you would not want to miss the environment).
Lowest aperture (you want the images to be sharp).
Shutter Time should be 20-25 seconds (Can be less if you have very bright lights).
Remote shutter control is optional, though it gives you more control.
No light from anywhere near (do not check your mobile).

Basically it is same as shooting fireworks or lightning.

Dressing Tips:

Head: Furry hat (a woolen hat which covers ears should do).
Upper body: full sleeve Cotswool undershirt, full sleeve shirt, woolen jumper, air-jacket. (the outer jacket should be as fluffy as possible, the more air, the more warm; woolen jumper is a must, acrylics don’t work)
Lower body: Cotswool long john, thickest jeans, Quechua ski trousers. (Any good quality ski trousers will work; this keeps you safe from the snow).
Feet: Cotton socks, woolen socks, 200g thinsulate snow boots (first layer cotton keeps the feet from smelling; you may add spikes, but it is difficult to walk with spikes when there is no ice).

Have you ever seen the Northern Lights phenomenon? Leave a comment and let me know.

5 initial impressions about KL – Malaysia

October 21, 2014October 21, 2014 ~ The Sunlit Window ~ Leave a comment

If you were blind folded and taken around in the cities of KL and Singapore, you probably wouldn’t notice the difference. Granted the food is much diverse in the former and the attractions are much better in the latter. However, these two cities have much more than weather in common. Be that as it may. These are my 5 initial impressions about the city of KL – Malaysia.

1) The Street Food is Phenomenal

Pardon my cliche but Malaysia is indeed a melting pot of cuisines. The Indian and Chinese influences found in the food in Malaysia has made eating out fun and much more economical. Every street and every mall is brimming with street food from different regions. And Malaysians seem to love their fat. So much so that they have dishes named after fat – Nasi Lemak (rice with fat).

2) Roads are great but traffic is a nightmare. So is parking.

KL has huge, broad roads and the infrastructure is in place. However, the growing number of vehicles seems to constrict the roads and peak hour traffics are legendary and nightmarish.

3) Selfie poles are quite the rage now

No tourist attraction in the city is complete without selfie pole wielding youngsters and even families taking pictures of themselves in front of monuments. Like this couple in front of a graffiti wall in Malacca.

4) The city has an impossible number of high-rises

And twin towers is one of them. Like any other south east asian / middle eastern developed countries, Malaysia has its share of high rises too. The central business district is filled with them and the hop-on / hop-off tour covers a mighty lot.

5) There is a dearth of dairy but fresh soya milk is sold on the streets

Malaysia is not a dairy producing country but fresh soya milk is available for consumption, sold by hawkers. The powdery, earthy taste of soya milk can be off-putting at first but it is much better than condensed milk (which has no dairy and is used even in coffee as well).

Have you been to KL? What are your impressions? Leave a comment.

Myanmar visa for Indians – online, in three simple steps!

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 ~ The Sunlit Window ~ 3 Comments

With the end of military rule, Myanmar is opening up for tourists. Myanmar visa for Indians has become simplified (unless you are using the Stillwell Road located in India’s Northeast to travel into the country). I was offered different opinions about obtaining a visa for Myanmar and predominant of them was to approach a travel agent. However, a friend suggested that starting September, Myanmar has introduced an evisa system. I googled up and landed in the Myanmar ministry of immigration and population page and applied online. In less than a week, I received an email with the pre-approval letter. That’s how simple it is to obtain Myanmar visa for Indians (although I am sure this applies to all nationalities too).

Here’s how I did it.

Step 1) Go to http://evisa.moip.gov.mm/ and click the ‘Apply for EVISA NOW’ link.

Step 2): Fill in the form. There is a fee of USD50 for tourist visa. Right now the only port of entry is Yangon. You cannot fly directly to Yangon from Indian cities. You will have to fly via KL or Bangkok.

As soon as your application process is over, you will be sent the confirmation and reference number. You can track your status online.

Step 3): Wait for the visa pre-approval letter.

Ta-da.

Bagan, Central Myanmar - Pic: musatc.org — Bagan, Central Myanmar – Pic: musatc.org

Are you travelling to Myanmar anytime soon? I am. Tell me what shouldn’t I miss in Myanmar. It’d be nice to hear from you, oh elusive reader 🙂

Chasing the Northern Lights – Part I – Guestpost

September 17, 2014September 17, 2014 ~ The Sunlit Window ~ 1 Comment

There is a benefit of having a bunch of well travelled friends. You can badger them with requests for guest posts. This post is a result of my badgering a well-travelled, well-so-on-and-so-forth friend who is currently based in the cold corners of London. Sownak (whose travel journal can be accessed here http://doesnotxsist.blogspot.in/) When you can’t be everywhere, you have friends who can write a guest post for you. This is a two-part post about Sownak’s experiences visiting the Northern Lights. Do read and leave a comment.

The day I landed in Oslo, I made a promise to myself, that I will see the Aurora Borealis popularly known as the Northern Lights, whatever it might cost to me. And when I boarded the early morning flight to Tromsø, I was happy that I was about to fulfill my promise.

Tromsø is situated in northern Norway, very much inside the Arctic Circle, which makes it a popular destination to catch the Lights. Due to its location near the sea as well as the presence of the Gulf Stream, it is warmer than other places on the same latitude, and is hence more popular. The best time to catch the Lights is between October and March, as during these times, the nights are completely dark. December to February is more suited due to clearer skies.

The flight from Oslo landed in Tromsø at about 10 am. It was like twilight outside and it was going to stay so till about 3 pm, and then it would get darker. I was booked via airbnb and my host was kind enough to pick me up from the airport. After a quick freshening up, I was dressed in 5 layers again, and was ready to brave the nearing zero temperatures.

The aurora forecast was good (check http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/ ), but the weather seemed to be a little gloomy. I was booked for the Aurora tour at about 6 pm, and I had a lot of time to kill till then. There are a few interesting places to visit in the town.

The temperature was nearing zero which means there was lot of ice on the roads, and since this is no city, no one bothered to clear the road of the ice. Even with my big snow boots lined with 200g thinsulate insulation, I was feeling the chill and I had to take care not to step on the ice. It was almost like walking in a mud-ridden street in India, where the only difference was that I was trying to avoid the ice patches instead of the muddy patches. It was time for some hot Gløgg – a warm, spicy drink similar to German Glühwein.

The architecture in Tromsø is quite interesting, from the Arctic Cathedral, to the Public Library, it was evident that the architects tried to break the gloominess of the winter through their creations. And in my opinion, they did not fail.

Soon it was time for chasing the Aurora. We boarded the mini-van, and our guide took us to a really dark part of the Island. The only light was the light from our cameras and the moon. The best location to view the Lights was from some place which is really dark, so as to reduce the possible light pollution. We waited at the location, partly illuminated by passing cars, but the Aurora was playing hide and seek. The skies were not clear either, and as soon as we got a faint view of the Lights, the sky was covered by clouds.

We moved around to a different place, on some kind of beach. We had to be careful about the slippery ice, and our second phase of wait started there. It wasn’t too bad to wait in a place far from civilization, sitting under the skies, on a beach illuminated by the moon, and sipping a cup of hot chocolate. The faint Lights were visible again, and some of us caught it on camera, but it was not very satisfying.

By 12 am we all were cold enough and accepted that catching the Aurora needs a lot of luck. By then the sky was overcast and light snow started. We packed all our camera gear and wrapped up for the night. By the time we reached Tromsø, an inch of snow has covered the roads, and hoping that tomorrow will be a better day (or night), I wrapped myself under the double quilt.

Looking at the pictures, it wasn’t a bad day after all.

Is Northern Lights on your bucket list? Or have you struck it off recently? Do leave a comment.

A brief ode to Muscat

August 18, 2014 ~ The Sunlit Window ~ Leave a comment

Before Oman became what it is now – its grand mosques, white sand beaches and mud castles are haunted by tourists from far and wide thanks to the explosion in tourism – it used to be a flourishing Middle Eastern destination for Indians seeking better wages. It still is, in many ways but it has opened up so much it seems virtually impossible for me to identify with the Muscat it is now. Because I spent three years in the country and its capital Muscat working in an automobile conglomerate.

The work was nothing much to rave about – it seemed to me that I am no more than a glorified office assistant – and the living conditions were strictly ok. I was put in an accommodation facing an empty ground past which stood a lifeless, craggy mountain face but I loved the privacy my room offered. I made long lasting friendships – many of them still are my friends – and the experience sort of shaped me up as an individual.

Perhaps owing to its oil wealth dwindling, Oman decided to go the tourism way. Because even when I was living there between 2003 – 2005, I knew the country had potential as an offbeat touristic destination. Regardless of what Muscat offered me in life and what I gave the city in return, I loved the country’s pristine beaches. Despite the humiliation an Indian might suffer at the hands of a local businessman selling trinkets at the Muttrah souk (these rings are for women, said one strictly to me when I dug into the basket of silver rings), I loved its vibe. There could be nothing authentic about the crowded alleyways of Ruwi and its jeweler shops or its nut sellers but scratch a bit deeper, the real Oman will reveal itself in layers.

The abandoned mud castles from centuries ago, the country’s green patch Salalah, the world class roads and the automobiles and the fast-as-the-wind drivers are part and parcel of the country that so staunchly did not want to leg go of its identity in the region. Well good for them, Oman is increasingly being perceived among the top must travel destination lists by glossies. Backpackers destination it is not. It is being marketed as the travel destination for the luxury vagabond.

In a similar vein, Bollywood is waking up to Oman now. In 2004, an insipid Akshay Kumar movie named Aan: Men At Work was only one of the few movies to be shot in the country. Now though increasingly Bollywood wants a piece of Oman.

Revisiting Oman is sure on my list, albeit not on a priority list. And when I do, I want to retrace my footsteps and to witness the changes (if any) the country has gone through in the years since I left it.

Here are a few pictures, courtesy Sreelesh, a friend from my Omanese days..