War Memorial | Seoul, South Korea 22nd September 2018 As my friends from back home are donning pashmina shawls against a cold Autumn racing, I am sipping on a fresh and cold yogurt drink, which is not really lassi and not really yogurt but somewhere in the middle. After an adventurous walk through the labyrinths … Continue reading The Secret of Seoul: exploring sub-stories
Vallejo, California November 4th, 2017 The sun is drowning in spools of cotton, thread-like and so silvery that none would mistake them for fluffy Autumn clouds. Almost by design, there is only some sunlight that is directly shining. And in the pale blue sea of California, it is casting a spotlight on my little ferry. … Continue reading The Butter On the Ferry’s Windowsill
September 23rd, 2015San Francisco, United States Oh San Francisco, Thousands have walked through you and thousands will walk through you, braiding the trickling information from tourist guides into sophisticated essays. I am sorry but I cannot commit to doing that. I will see you in your moments of simple divinity, in the smile of … Continue reading A traveller’s home: Letter to San Francisco
Continued from: February 2015 Abbottabad, Pakistan I have had the fortune to savour some of the most interesting meals. Not for how deliciously spiced or finely minced the food was, but because my fellows of the meal spoke intriguing words of wisdom, delivered simply yet with infinite grace. I had the pleasure of … Continue reading A CHRISTIAN, A MUSLIM, AND AN ATHEIST WENT OUT FOR DINNER| PART 5/6 (THE DINNER)
Fictional blurb (not a travelogue) Your eyes, when glitter, reminisce the stars that cascaded galaxies once upon a time. In the palms of your hands lie forests all mighty and green, their roots encapsulated within your nerves and how they pattern your skin with hues of blue and purple. You are where the … Continue reading The Entire Universe
(Continued from Part 3 ) Abbottabad, Pakistan February 2015 “I cannot wait to host her at Abbottabad this week!” exclaimed mum joyously as we left behind the restaurant and our ever loving hosts, Cynthia and Sarwar. ...And so, as time rolled on ever so slowly, I counted days till the day arrived when … Continue reading A Christian, a Muslim, and an Atheist went out for dinner| Part 4
Islamabad, Pakistan 1st March, 2017 I love this photograph, for it shows perfectly the paradox that is Islamabad. There is gray, and there is blue. There is sun, and there is rain. There is nature, and there are concrete skyscrapers. The city in its entirety seems to be constructed out of gray, stale cement. Yet … Continue reading Islamabad: a most beautiful poem
( Continued from Part 1) August 2011 Abbottabad, Pakistan "Ah exactly what I was looking for," Carlo beamed, as he spooned white rice onto his plate. He then picked a round chapati*, burning hot from the girdle. "Have some chicken gravy or spinach," insisted my mother. "Oh but this is all I need. Chappati … Continue reading A Christian, a Muslim, and an Atheist went out for dinner | Part 2
For those who venture for materialistic gains, Sri Lanka will not offer much. But those who are attentive to the last detail, it is Utopia. It was here that I discovered a flower not of this era; one that transcends others in both its beauty and wisdom: the Divine Lotus. After landing in Colombo, our guide Hassantha … Continue reading The Flower of Utopia
Walking On Wonder 