Breathedreamgo

01/11/2024

Happy Diwali!

May the warmth of light and love always light your way, and may you be blessed with a joyous and prosperous year ahead.

Diwali, which means “rows of lighted lamps,” is also called the Festival of Lights. It's a very special time in India — basically the equivalent of Christmas. In other words, Diwali is a big, festive celebration that brings families together and is the highlight of the holiday season.

Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil, and light over dark. There are five days of festivities, each marked with different pujas (prayers) and rituals, and people send Diwali wishes to each other and spend a lot of time together. This year Diwali starts on October 30 and ends on November 3.

Read this post to find out the importance of Diwali, and how to celebrate Diwali in India. Link in comments.

25/10/2024

This is the time of year when the travel magazines publish their "best destinations to visit next year" lists. Honestly, they seem quite random to me ... nevertheless, I was happy to see Pondicherry / Puducherry on Lonely Planet's list for 2025. It's the only Inclusion for India, and it is a lovely place. I went there on my first trip to India in 2006 and this is a photo of me strolling through the French Quarter.

Pondicherry is in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. I published a very comprehensive guide to Tamil Nadu on my blog -- and it includes a section on the birth place of Kamala Harris' mother Dr. Shyamala Gopalan. Link in comments.

07/10/2024

To keep up-to-date with my travels, blog, tours, and tips for travel in India and elsewhere, please sign up for my monthly newsletter here: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/y1j1a4

The October issue will be going out on Wednesday!

06/10/2024

What do you get when you cross the Mardi Gras with the Venice Biennale?

Durga Puja!

There is nothing like an Indian festival! And one of my all time favourites in Durga Puja in Kolkata, which is starting today.

I went a few years ago and had a blast -- I discovered it's the world's greatest art crawl.

Over 5 days and nights, the city transforms into an open-air art gallery. The festival honours the goddess Durga, who symbolizes both the nurturing and fierce aspects of womanhood.

Local communities pour incredible amounts of creativity and passion to creating elaborate pandals — temporary displays that honour Durga and her divine family.

Everyone wears their finest NEW clothes to attend, and at night the celebrations really start. People wander the streets all night enjoying lively music, dance, and street performances.

Durga Puja in Kolkata is a once-in-a-lifetime event. It’s a sensory experience, blending art, culture, and communal spirit that can only be truly appreciated in person.

If you think you would like to experience Durga Puja, let me know. If I get enough interest, we can create a small group tour.

For my complete Guide to Durga Puja in Kolkata please see the link in comments.

27/09/2024

Sad news, Maggie Smith has died. She is one of my favourite actresses, in so many good movies -- including one of my faves, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I wrote about this movie on my blog https://breathedreamgo.com/movie-review-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel/

21/09/2024

Anyone planning to travel to India soon? You need to read this new blog post about "How to pay in India as a Foreigner."

India has been streamlining digital payments, and bringing in security measures, that are great for the country and the economy -- but that make it more and more difficult for foreigners to pay for things, online and offline.

Here are my best tips for finding ways to pay in India: https://indiaforbeginners.com/how-to-pay-as-a-foreigner-in-india/

07/09/2024

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi — festival honouring the beloved Hindu god Ganesh. He is special to me because he is the god of luck and auspicious beginnings. I launched Breathedreamgo in Ganesh Chaturthi originally in 2009 — so it is now 15 years old! It was indeed an auspicious beginning and I have been very lucky. So thank you Ganesh and happy birthday!

Please visit and share my Breathedreamgo if you know anyone visiting India or south Asia. https://breathedreamgo.com/



Credit to My Bharat for beautiful image.

30/08/2024

In the summer of 2010, just a year after I started publishing my travel blog Breathedreamgo, I attended TBEX in New York City. I was broke, I took the Megabus and stayed in a small hotel where I had to share the bathroom. But it was a big deal back then to see 300 travel bloggers in one room.

Today I applied to speak at TBEX in Quebec City next June. It's the first time TBEX is in Canada for over 10 years. I hope to see my Canadian friends in travel there!

The birthplace of French North America and the only walled city north of Mexico is an open-air treasure chest that will delight history and culture buffs

26/08/2024

I am hosting a webinar with JourneyWoman: Solo Travel for Women 50+ tomorrow about travel in India and Asia and you are invited!

Webinar date: Tuesday, August 27, 2024
When: 2 pm – 3pm EDT

In partnership with women-owned businesses from our JourneyWoman Women’s Travel Directory we’ll share perspectives about where to go, what to do and how to create the right experience for you.

This webinar is hosted by Mariellen Ward from the JourneyWoman Advisory Council and founder, India for Beginners. Speakers include: Cathy Gotfried, Babes in Bali; Elinor Fish, Run Wild Retreats and Dr. Angela Clark, We Go Travel.



Sign up here: https://journeywoman.com/solo-travel-events-for-women-50/solo-travel-webinars/journeywoman-webinar-less-travelled-india-and-asia-on-august-27-2024/

20/08/2024

Two India-related events coming up from JourneyWoman: Solo Travel for Women 50+

Tomorrow is the online JourneyWoman Book Club event featuring the book “The Widows of Malabar Hill” by Sujata Massey.

Set in 1920s India, it's about Perveen Mistry, Bombay’s only female lawyer. Perveen is investigating a suspicious Will on behalf of three Muslim widows living in full purdah when the case takes a turn toward the murderous.

I read the book on my vacation last week and I found it a compelling read, plus it paints a vibrant picture of Bombay 100 years ago. Wish I could step back in time to visit some of the thriving Parsi cafes -- a few of them are still going strong!

Sign up here: https://journeywoman.ck.page/bbb9454100

Read more about the book here: https://journeywoman.com/.../august-book-club-the-widows.../ See less

09/08/2024

As there's a lot of interest in Kamala Harris these days, I am re-sharing a blog I published about Tamil Nadu, her Mother's home state in India. Her Mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher, was born and raised in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and emigrated to the United States when she was just 19 years old to study.

Tamil Nadu is a fascinating place, one of the last classical civilizations left on earth, a place of culture, temples, monuments, spirituality and more.

Check out my blog post about Tamil Nadu in the comments below.

27/07/2024

New on the blog -- a very comprehensive guide to travel in Vietnam for beginners.

I am going to start creating more beginners guides to countries in Asia. Upcoming are India and Bali!

This Beginners Guide to Vietnam for first-time travellers will cover everything you need to know from getting a visa to staying safe, and from food to culture.

15/07/2024

One of the best article I have read about tourism in India:

"The Taj Mahal, the palaces and camel rides of Rajasthan, the backwaters of God’s own country — these form Indian tourism’s marketing mainstays. This is limiting and wholly devoid of imagination."

Absolutely!

"India must present itself to the world as an ancient civilization that celebrates its past while developing and enjoying its diversity of culture and racing to the frontiers of new human achievement. Every facet of its past, present and aspirations for the future hold out fascinating appeal to people elsewhere."

There are SO MANY places in India, and SO MANY aspects of the culture that are not marketed at all that it's criminal.

LINK here https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/as-iconic-cities-tackle-overtourism-with-travel-restrictions-it-is-time-for-india-to-step-up-12769461.html