Helsinki is a city that changes its garb with each season. Come spring and the Finns are ready to leap into the season with Vappo (May Day) celebrations. Spring sees the mushrooming of outdoor cafes, but it’s the summer that heralds a festive mood and the Finns live for their summers.

The precarious, heart-in-the mouth landing at the narrow strip at Paro came as an anticlimax to the flight in the tiny Druk Air airplane. Minutes earlier, we were gushing over the majestic view of the ice-capped Himalayan range. Little wonder, the landing at Paro is considered one of the toughest ones in the world.

Sydney is known as the Gateway to Australia.

The lovely chandelier is the centrepiece of attraction. Flashes pop as groups of people jostle for the prime spot for a good picture of the ivory coloured masterpiece overhead. The chandelier crafted out of human bones hangs above our head telling timeless and mystifying stories. Gasping, awed, shocked and horrified, the crowd continues to gape at the eerie and macabre decorations around them. It is dark tourism at its best.

If there is one European city that fits the bill of being picture perfect, it is Prague. The grim past of the golden city lies buried under the natural beauty. With a history as ancient as time itself, Prague has traversed a long and winding path.

Landing at the Denpasar airport, we were greeted by a girl in traditional attire who garlanded us with frangipani flowers. ‘Terima kasih Kembali,’ she greeted us cheerfully. That was my first brush with Balinese hospitality.

Lost Indians are fond of Hong Kong. Come holiday season and our compatriots can be seen booking tickets to that destination by the dozen.

Hold out your palm,” instructed Hashim, his swarthy face breaking into a mischievous smile. I held out my hand expecting him to shake it. Instead, he pulled up my fingers and said — “These two fingers are Saudi Arabia and Jordan and the other two are Egypt and Israel. The four countries fringe the banks of this sea. This is one of the most beautiful places in Jordan.”

It was like entering the pages of a fairytale. Before my awed eyes lay a town with twisting alleyways and Romanesque churches and a mysterious fairyland bound by a medieval wall and bordered by two rivers. There were miles and miles of shaded walks with pedestrian streets where cars are not allowed.

My friend was leaving for Australia, for an entire weekend in Queensland for some dolphin sighting. We had one thing in common — we both loved dolphins. But our pockets differed enormously. While she could afford to travel half way around the globe to indulge in her fancy, I could only travel inland.