Rakhigarhi (राखीगढ़ी), an archeological site in Haryana is dated to be 3000 BC and might be even older. As of July 2021, the site isn’t ready for visitors just yet. There is a museum but that’s under construction too. So, if you are planning to visit, just wait for a few years.
We sat for juices and tea in Colombo. An ex-army man ran the stall. He served during the Tamil-Sinhalese civil war that subsumed North Sri Lanka.
A doctors per capita comparison misses out on the nuances of how healthcare is delivered in different countries
After an amazing 5-day trip in Sri Lanka, we were to catch a late night Air India flight from Colombo to New Delhi. The flight was delayed due to an engine malfunction. First by an hour. Then another hour. And four-hours later, when the repair work finished, the flight pilot’s shift had already ended! An emergency flight was planned and it was supposed to arrive 20-hours later! Air India sent all the passengers to a complimentary all-inclusive stay in Taj Samundra. ...
Bengaluru-based Postman, a API management product, has raised a total of $433 million valuing it at ~$5.6B. Its revenue was $171M in 2023. As a comparison, Rubrik with ~ $850M ARR is valued at $6B or about 7 times its revenue. The same metric would put Postman’s valuation at $1.2B. I would argue further that Postman has much lower stickiness and will face higher churn and hence, the revenue multiple would be lower for Postman. ...
Indian passport remains weak, as per Henley’s 2021 index, India has visa-free access to only 59 countries and that excludes the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Schengen zone. Before ruminating on that, it is worth asking why China, which is 5 times richer than India in terms of per capita GDP is not doing significantly better either. The island countries of the Caribbean with a population of less than a million have better access than China. Even war-torn Venezuela has a better passport including visa-free access to Western Europe ...
The northern part of Bengal known as Gorkhaland and Sikkim is the Nepali-speaking region of India. This part is known mostly for its mountainous beauty. If you are flying in, Bagdogra is the closest airport. The airside of this airport is congested, so, I would recommend not to check in too early. Day 1 - Bagdogra to Darjeeling We took the taxi from Bagdogra to Darjeeling. It is a risky mountainous drive and most portions of the narrow road allow only a single car, so, definitely budget 4-5 hours for this. In the evening, we checked out the local market as well as the local Mahakal temple. It is a bit of a hike and you will encounter a good local market in your journey as well. I would highly recommend trying momos here. There are tons of sellers selling veg and non-veg momos for ₹50 a plate. ...
We decided to do a packaged tour of Kerala, India. The tour included round-trip flights from Delhi to Kochi, a taxi for the full journey, and all the hotel stays. Day 1 - Kochi to Munnar While going from Kochi to Munnar, a three-hour drive, we first stopped at Valara falls and then saw the Ayurvedic (herbal) medicinal and spice production at Greenland Spice Garden. Day 2 - Munnar We checked out the Mattupetty Dam and the nearby market. From there, we headed to Echo Point. While returning, we stopped at the Cowboy Adventure Park. I would highly recommend this park; your driver won’t probably want to take you here since the price is too low to give him a kickback. We had to skip Eravikulam national park since we spent too much time (~3 hours) at the Cowboy Adventure Park. Then, we headed back to Munnar and checked out the Tata Tea Museum. There isn’t much to see at the museum. In the evening, we ended up for a massage at an Ayurvedic Massage Centre. The center appears rustic, but the experience was excellent. ...
An interactive map of where all one can easily travel an Indian passport. I have added separate layers for those of you who have a Schengen, a UK, or a USA visa. Short link: bitly.com/visa-indians Data Sources: Wikipedia Another sheet Travel freedom via residencies
“I need the address.”, the immigration official shouted at her, as she, a septuagenarian Indian woman, with her limited English, repeatedly, pointed to the paper containing the phone number of her daughter.