This past weekend Wandering Soul and Ms. Sassy (of Sass and Sauce) spent a fun-filled day in Agra. It was her first visit to the 'City of Taj' and one after ten years for me. As if this wasn't enough to make the trip special, what happened on the trip itself catapulted us over the moon. [caption id="attachment_11449" align="alignnone" width="1024"]IMG-20160724-WA0001 When the Alien meets Ms. Sassy![/caption]

Sikkim is a beautiful state located in the north-eastern corner of India and its location in the mountains offers ample natural and also man-made attractions. From scenic views of the majestic Himalayas to architectural wonders, it has surprises in store at every turn (Pun not intended :D ) On my recent trip, my parents and I spent an exciting two days travelling and touring the beautiful cities of Gangtok and Namchi. We stayed at Gangtok and had plans to visit only those attractions that were in East Sikkim or within a travel time of a couple of hours.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
They say travel teaches you more than anything else can. I have known this to be true and personally enjoy travelling. The experiences that it offers and the learnings it imparts are unmatched and cannot be compensated for by reading. This belief was reiterated and reinforced on my short trip to Sikkim, a small state on the north-eastern corner of the country. For someone who loves travelling so much, I rue the fact that I am not able to travel frequently enough due to budget constraints. So despite my recent travels to Pune, Mumbai and Alibaug , I was looking forward to another trip already. This one was a family vacation and so our dates and duration were decided in accordance with the availability of leaves my parents could avail from work.

Released in 2011, this film had been on my list of 'Movies to Watch' for quite some time now. I finally got down to watching it yesterday and was blown away. https://youtu.be/dDY89LYxK0w Official Synopsis: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows a group of British retirees who decide to "outsource" their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India.  Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self.  Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past.

Yup! This is exactly one of those To Do/Must Visit lists that encourage you to visit some obscure places before you die, as if the world is coming to an end tomorrow and you'd have missed something if don't rush out there now. Well, the truth is the world didn't end on December 12th, 2012 and neither is it expected to anytime soon. However, be sure to put these 5 destinations on your travel bucket list. This list is different from the usual because these places have not been chosen because of the usual touristy attractions but because, in some way or the other, they changed the way we live in today. And, what better excuse to travel than to learn about the world we presently inhabit. A live history lesson is far more interesting than a classroom one, isn't it? So, here's presenting 5 Must Visit Destinations - 

Check your calendar before planning your itinerary. Check for long weekends; or a working day flanked with two public holidays. If there are any public holidays just before or after your preferred dates, club them in to plan a longer trip. That way, you'll be able to plan your...