Ponto de Vista

Sunrise over yavapai point. It was hailing and my fingers nearly froze off trying to get a few photos. Touch screens in the cold make me miss having old fashioned cameras with shutter buttons! #blog

A post shared by chhavi sachdev (@chhavi_sachdev) on Nov 17, 2016 at 9:36am PST

The fog and the snow clouds dispersed pretty quickly and after we warmed up a bit we decided to drive up to Desert view (above) and then Moran point (below). (more…)

Jami Masjid, views. I loved the space, the light, the silence as soon as I took my shoes off and entered the sahn (courtyard). And as we neared the musalla I think I gasped out loud. Its proportions are graceful, as you can see, but the carving is exquisite. The grace of the hypostyle hall pillars and the qubba (dome) of the mihrab all embellished with intricate designs and motifs made this place absolutely magical. Then I saw the calligraphy along the peripheral walls. I am still struggling to find words to do justice to its beauty. Nipun, thank you. #blog #latergram #travel #Gujarat #architecture #India #wanderlust

A post shared by chhavi sachdev (@chhavi_sachdev) on Oct 12, 2016 at 11:44pm PDT

I’m sure you’ve looked at an exhibit somewhere and thought, “Hmm, if I remember my history lessons right, around this time, this war was happening in X country.” Or if you’re like me, “I wish I could remember anything at all from my boring history lessons. I wonder what was happening in India and China and the Ottoman empire when this painter was capturing this!” (more…)

Funny stuff in Kreutzberg

Grumpy cat had a message, I was reminded that I cannot wait for the Ab Fab movie, and in dry German fashion, a witty name for a minimalist coffee shop – all in the Kreutzberg area of fun restaurants and a gazillion coffee shops that all smelled good and all seemed full even on a Monday afternoon.

#Berlin #absolutelyfabulous #grumpycat #cafe #street #blog Shared via Instagram http://ift.tt/2ci3VEO and IFFT

Perfect weather came back later in my Stockholm week, but by Day 2, Sunday, the clouds were out. Monday was chilly. Tuesday was damp and cold. These photos are from Sunday and Monday. World Water Week officially started at 9 a.m. on Sunday (really) and after several panels, seminars, and plenaries, I went on a Bridges of Stockholm boat tour, from which I caught sunset over the water and viewed a lot of “Functional Architecture,” which I thought was quite nifty with their floor-to-ceiling windows. On a side note, I don’t know if the tour guide made that up or was translating something (more…)

Stockholm presented a face that was picture postcard perfect. The weather was warmer than my app had predicted, the sun was out, the sky was cloudless and the waters bluer than I’ve seen anywhere in a long time. Everything was welcoming, everything seemed to whisper, “Stay, stay, this is where you belong.” I didn’t fall for it (see what I did there?) Good weather is always followed by ridiculous cold. (And it was.) Anyway, I got in at about 1:30 on Saturday afternoon — sans luggage, that’s a different story — with the rest of my afternoon free and a rumbling tummy, so I hoofed it up the street, maneouvering sort of by instinct, kinda by map, away from Vasagatan (more…)

A touch of #Portugal in Siolim, Goa – we're in a 350 year old heritage house. There are two rectangular step wells on the property, blooming plants, massage, yoga, Blackie the dog + two turtles. The swimming pool is gorgeous and there's high tea to look forward to. I can't wait to unwind. It's been a long, busy month and I've been racing against the clock with work, launching a new podcast (episode 2 is out today @LSDcast) and then the Goa project #tgp2016, where I was co-managing a track on interactive media. Today is the first day I've had time to breathe! #blog #travel #Heritage #relax #goa

A post shared by chhavi sachdev (@chhavi_sachdev) on Feb 20, 2016 at 11:35pm PST

But, first a nap.

Oh, and all the rooms are named after places, our room is Damão, the Portuguese name for Daman.
#blog #travel #Heritage #relax #goa Shared via Instagram http://ift.tt/1oTPQle and IFFT

Sigiriya – mom and mausi and their dodgy knees made it to the top. I, of course, made it to the top — *and halfway up and down* TWICE! Now we're stepified (@achla mausi's joke) Clockwise from the right – the narrow gangway and spiral staircase to see cave painting that I can't understand how the monks reached, plus the mirror wall; the view from the top of the path we came up; us at the pinnacle with the ruins behind us. #blog

A post shared by chhavi sachdev (@chhavi_sachdev) on Feb 10, 2016 at 8:22pm PST

Sigiriya. Monastery turned fortress/palace turned monastery –1,200 stairs of which I did several twice (don’t ask) and I have to wonder, how athletic were the monks and courtiers who did this multiple times a day? Or did they just lower baskets down for their groceries? Then I end up wondering about how they found footholds to paint these beautiful (very non-celibate) pictures on the sheer rock face.

Clockwise from the right:
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To offset crazy cat lady behaviour, here's the sky last night on my way to @andiecrossan's for a lovely evening. It's so odd to be back in my very first stomping grounds, working across my first apartment here, cursing the same buses, walking past some of the same establishments … Twin Donuts has been here since *at least* 1999. I didn't enjoy Brighton much when I lived here. I'd just moved for grad school from Poland, and looking back I think it was a period of upheaval and adjustment… but then Brighton weren't no beach either 😉 it's pretty hip now, but it was quite shady back then and really badly connected to the rest of the city. Also, I didn't bike then … which would have made commuting so much easier. Hindsight … 20/20 #BostonDiaries #travel #blog #musings

A post shared by chhavi sachdev (@chhavi_sachdev) on Oct 17, 2015 at 6:07am PDT

It was so weird to me that I was taking the same routes on the MBTA that I had back in 1998 and 1999 – and shockingly the #64 and #86 are still perpetually late or arrive in threes because something is up with their scheduling. I was at the same bus stops (now with a modern rain shelter at the Brighton end). The old super market is still there but the furniture store is now a hip liquor store with craft beers galore (I got some pear and apple cider) and beautiful whiskeys plus the mandatory hipster staff. New Balance has expanded massively and I can’t believe I actually am nostalgic for this area.
Also: I realized that the village I lived in in Poland right before we moved here has a web site now.

#BostonDiaries #travel #blog #musings Shared via Instagram http://ift.tt/1OL2N9R and IFFT

At the @pritheworld studios, doing a 'guest internship' (yes, I made that up) – watching @marcowerman and sound engineer @LouieCronin along with producer @apeavey broadcast live with today's show I've never heard the show live, only as podcasts (because time zones. And no radio news in India) … so this is super exciting. Over this week, I'm shadowing producers and learning how they put together a world-class radio show – and then I hope to apply it to my radio/podcast work in India. I'm also working on a sari story that I reported from home before heading to Boston that will air some time soon. #radio #100saripact #boston #travel #podcast #blog

A post shared by chhavi sachdev (@chhavi_sachdev) on Oct 12, 2015 at 12:46pm PDT

Today I wrote a story for the web site to accompany a story I sorta helped on.

#radio #100saripact #boston #travel #podcast #blog Shared via Instagram http://ift.tt/1G9MIJs and IFFT