destinations

Vagamon Hills: A Climb Worth the View

February 28, 2017ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, fun, instapassport, instatravel, latergram, Life, Love, meaning, Metaphor, mindfulness, ordinary, startup, Stories, story, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust, work

The hills of Vagamon do not just sit quietly. They call out, but only if you listen. The winding roads, the tall trees, and the gentle slopes hide their invitation. “Come,” they seem to say. “Climb, and you will see.”

Climbing is never easy, but the best views come after effort. And when you reach the top, it all feels worth it. The air is fresher, the world looks different, and the journey suddenly makes sense.

As the sun begins to set, the colours change. The hills turn gold, then orange, and finally a soft shade of dusk. The wind picks up, moving through the freshly cleaned road, making the plants dance. They bend, they sway, they follow the wind’s lead. They seem to smile, happy to be part of this moment.

Maybe we should be like them. Climb, adjust, move with the changes, and enjoy the journey.

So, which height are you climbing today?

(at Vagamon Meadows)

Michael Jordan’s Lesson: The Real Test of Success Starts After You Win

February 16, 2017ByteSizebasketball, blogger, Blogging, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, fun, instapassport, instatravel, latergram, Life, Love, meaning, Metaphor, mindfulness, ordinary, startup, Stories, story, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust, work

Michael Jordan once said, “Success doesn’t stop when you get there.” And he would know. Winning wasn’t his final goal—it was just a checkpoint before the next challenge.

Reaching the top is one thing. Staying there? That’s the real test. What changes when you get there? Do your values shift? Do your old associations still fit? Does your outlook evolve, or do you stay the same?

And then comes the biggest question—What next?

A true winner doesn’t just celebrate the shot. They look up at the hoop again, ready for the next play.

Are you?

Blades of Grass, A Rising Sun, and a Gentle Morning Question

February 14, 2017ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, fun, instapassport, instatravel, latergram, Life, Love, meaning, Metaphor, mindfulness, ordinary, startup, Stories, story, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust, work

As the crimson sun kisses the fading night, every blade of grass leans in, stretching, reaching—almost as if trying to get a better view.

The breeze hums, the birds call, and together, they pose a gentle question: “So, how are you today?” Not demanding, not intrusive—just a playful nudge to start fresh.

And maybe that’s the best way to begin the day. Not with alarms and to-do lists, but with nature’s quiet company, a deep breath, and the simple joy of being asked.

How are you today?

Big Planes, Small Planes—The Sky Sees No Difference

February 3, 2017ByteSizeaero, airport, blogger, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, fun, instapassport, instatravel, latergram, Life, Love, meaning, Metaphor, mindfulness, ordinary, startup, Stories, story, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust, work

Same Ground, Different Journeys

From my window, the small plane sits quietly on the tarmac. Side by side, yet worlds apart. Mine is bigger, his is smaller. And for a second, I almost dismiss it.

But then, I remind myself—size is just perspective.

This seat is mine for this journey. That plane is his. One isn’t better than the other, just different.

Because in the end, it’s not about the perch, it’s about the flight.

And once we take off, the sky doesn’t care how big the plane is.

Where We Stand Depends on Where We Sit

January 13, 2017ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, borders, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, fun, identity, instapassport, instatravel, latergram, Life, Love, media, Metaphor, ordinary, stands, startup, Stories, story, strife, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust, War

Where we stand depends on where we sit. The stances we take, the identities we shape—for ourselves and for others—are built on what sits in our minds.

And our minds? They are prime real estate. Possibly the most expensive in the world.

Thoughts are tenants. Some pay rent in clarity and purpose. Others squat in doubt and fear. But once they settle in, they shape how we see, speak, and stand.

So, let’s be careful. Choose wisely who and what gets a seat in our minds. Because what sits in us will decide what stands we take.

History, Identity, and the Borders We Don’t See

January 12, 2017ByteSizeBerlin, blogger, Blogging, borders, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, europe, flag, fun, Germany, identity, instapassport, instatravel, latergram, Life, Love, Metaphor, ordinary, startup, Stories, story, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust

We learn from history that we don’t learn much from history. It stuck.

At the Brandenburg Gate, once a symbol of division, the past now plays dress-up. Army gear, old flags—props for tourists. For a small fee, of course.

Once, men fought and died for these symbols. Now, they’re souvenirs. Time does that—turns battlegrounds into backdrops.

It made me think. Identity is a border of its own. What defines us, also excludes.

So, what defines you? What else could you become?

And the bigger question—what borders exist in your mind that you don’t even know are there?

(at Brandenburg Gate (Potsdam)

Good Work Solves Today. Great Work Lasts for Generations.

January 11, 2017ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, bridge, commerce, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, fun, instapassport, instatravel, latergram, Life, Love, Madurai, Metaphor, ordinary, startup, Stories, story, tamilnadu, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust

What are you working on? And how are you working on whatever you are working on?

The Albert Victor Bridge in Madurai was built in 1886 and was supposed to last a 100 years! It’s still standing. Being of value and use to the day. Long after the engineers went back and the river ran dry.

Good work solves problems. Great work solves problems, through time as well. The option to do both exists all the time. The choices are ours to make.

(at Madurai, India)

The Roads That Were Never Roads: Lessons from Madurai’s Village Temple

January 9, 2017Uncategorizedblogger, commerce, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, explorer, fun, instapassport, instatravel, journey, latergram, Life, Love, Metaphor, ordinary, road, startup, Stories, story, Temple, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, Village, wanderlust

The gates open to a quiet courtyard, framed by four pillars. Step past them, and a ruffled mud road meanders ahead, leading into the lake, beyond which stand great trees. Keep walking, and the rolling hills stretch out, pristine and endless.

The village temple marks time through its many celebrations, but for a city dweller standing here, the past whispers through the landscape. The roads his parents walked suddenly feel clearer—long roads that were never roads at all.

Their journeys began not by asking “Is there a road?” but by stepping forward anyway. Their dreams were never limited by paths already drawn. They made their roads.

Perhaps that is the lesson these great doors hold—step through, look ahead, and go.

Bikers in Formation: The Sound, The Sight, The Spirit

September 10, 2016ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, community, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, engine, fight, highway, instapassport, instatravel, Life, Love, memory, Metaphor, motorcycle, ordinary, peopleoftheworld, story, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, USA, visittheusa, wanderlust

There’s something special about a community in motion. And when that motion is on bikes, it’s something else altogether.

Driving across the US, I saw them often—groups of bikers, engines roaring long before they came into view. Then, for a few fleeting seconds, they would appear—gliding, leaning, perfectly in sync with the road. And just like that, they’d be gone.

Maybe it’s the way they hug the road, the way the sound fills the air, or the way their presence lingers long after they’ve disappeared. They don’t just ride, they command attention—in sound, sight, and spirit.

What must it be like, to ride with the wind, to feel the world rush past, to have nothing but open road and a revved-up heartbeat?

Freedom. Movement. Brotherhood.

Somewhere in that formation, there’s a kind of unspoken poetry—one that only the road can write.

The Midnight Ride That Still Captures Imagination

September 4, 2016ByteSizeblogger, Blogging, commerce, conversation, culture, destinations, disrupt, entrepreneur, instapassport, instatravel, latergram, Life, Love, Metaphor, ordinary, paulrevere, startup, story, trade, traveladdict, travelblogger, travelinsights, traveller, traveltheworld, wanderlust

Some people live a life that goes beyond their own lifespan and extend to generations. Paul Revere’s was one such. Imagine a life story from the 17th century that still captures attention laced with reverence.

Paul Revere was a successful silversmith who played a defining role in the American Independence struggle. A role that centred around devising a system that alerted and kept a watch on the British army. His heroics mounted a fame horse and rode away to glory, when Henry Longfellow wrote a poem called “Paul Revere’s ride”.

He wrote

“Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year”

I stood along with a set of curious folks who had got to the Granary Burial Ground in Boston. To look him up after reading his exploits the previous day.

For a gent who was born in 1734, that is some recognition, isnt it?

(at Granary Burial Grounds- Boston, Ma)