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I hear a loud “Bang” and “screeeech״ as my Arai helmet and the left side bag butt against the red-plastered wall. The motorcycle jolts violently to the right, and me with it. I’m thrown, shoulder first, against the stone pebbles, my right hand still gripping the throttle. Big mistake. The back wheel, now free of ground friction, spins fast against my left foot.
I hear my friend yelling over the Packtalk Mesh intercom, “Oh, S***!”
“Why the hell would you hide two Michelin awards?” I asked Tsubasa Tamaki, Pizza Tamaki Studio’s owner and Chef. I know that the Japanese take things differently than other humans, but still, having devoured a few exquisite pies, I couldn’t make any sense of it. “We Japanese don’t like to boast,” he says with a shrug, “Please note that I also placed two chubby Michelin dolls on the window overlooking the dark back alley.”
All I could think of was, “I’m in Tokyo. What answer did I expect?”
Continue reading “The Michelin Award is behind the espresso machine”
It’s the sixth shot in a row at the second Whiskey establishment we visited that day. My memory starts to betray me. Was the first 15-year-old Scotch better than the third 12-year-old Chery-barrel shot we had at the first distillery… or was it the other way around? And how do you spell “Kask”? (or was it “Cask”?) And where is the nirest batrum? end Y’s me f&#$Ing heD sO sp iNi n G?
I should have suspected something was up when I couldn’t book a room, any room in Tokyo. Some capsule hotels and youth hostel bunks were still bookable, but honestly, I would rather brave it out in a sleeping bag at Shimbashi train station. Now I’m in Ueno Park, just north of Akihabara, watching endless groves of Cheery trees in their peek blossom. To give this a bit of perspective, Japanese Cherry blossom is a fickle thing that lasts no more than a week or two. Many around the world put seeing Cherry Blossom in Japan high on their bucket list. I’m here by complete chance and can’t help but feel a bit “unworthy”. Now, if only I could find an umbrella.
I woke up at around 2am to the sound of a loud bang coming from out of the window. I’m not easily awaken – a capacity my wife had long detested – so it must have been going on for some time. I get up and open the window to a raging hurricane and a broken, thick wooden shade. I wrestle with it for a few long minutes. Finally, I manage to anchor it wide open against the outside wall of the castle. When we got to our hilltop hotel outside Baden Baden earlier that evening, everything was calm and pleasant. Naturally, we paid no heed to the “Hurricane-force” wind alert from our weather app. I fall asleep thinking, “did we park our Boxster, M2, and Alpine near a tree?
Continue reading “Best Black Blast!”
I once thought Las Vegas’ moto was the Dollar sign. I was wrong. When it comes to obscene opulence, nothing compares to Miami. In this Floridian town, spending cash IS a spectator sport. 25 years ago, a one-hit-wonder named Meja sang “It’s all ’bout the money.” In Miami, the description still holds true. Sustainability? Go to hell!
Now, let’s party!
White sandy beaches, lush green rain forests, and black towering cliffs. Seychelles ticks all the marks on the “exotic tropical paradise” checklist. The tiny archipelago is one of those tranquil places where the only risk you’re taking is being bludgeoned by a falling coconut. Still, you’ll be forgiven for missing Seychelles altogether. The island nation is just a petite speck of land in the middle of the vast Indian Ocean. It was first stumbled across by the Portuguese sailors some 300 years ago. Lucky for us, navigation systems had improved since. It took our 787 jetliner less than 6 hours to land on precisely the right runway at Mahe International airport (which shouldn’t be too difficult as there’s only one runway). And while getting around is easy, understanding the locals’ language could be a bit of a challenge. Lucky for us, we ended up at Takamaka Beach. Great hangout, by-the-way.
Looking back, the most irresponsible thing I’ve ever done in my life was riding a beat-up Royale Enfield motorcycle through Northwestern India. Nothing compared to the sheer terror and utter irresponsibility. Not diving the infamous “Blue Hole” in Sinai, climbing the Kilimanjaro, participating in amateur car racing, climbing up half of the Annapurna round trek on a tiny off-roader, flying a helicopter in the IAF, and all the other silly things I’ve attempted to do during my time on this earth. No, nothing was as viscerally stupid, life-threatening experience as doing India on Two wheels.
I did it and lived to tell the tale. Below is how I did it.
Continue reading “The complete survival guide to riding a motorcycle in India”
Climbing Mt. Meru is not for the faint-hearted. But it is highly rewarding. From the massively deep, moon-like crater in the center of it, to the razor-sharp giant rim that surrounds it, Meru is all about extremes.
It’s 6am, 3 degrees south of the equator, and the sub-zero winds
are beating hard. Tired, broken, and exhausted, I glimpse as the first orange rays of sun wash the peak of the mighty Kilimanjaro. I then slump breathless against a frozen rock crevice and pass out for 10 minutes.
Welcome to Mount Meru, voted as the most rewarding and scenic climb in Africa. While I don’t know much about that research, what I do know is that ascending Mt. Meru is the most beautiful climbing trek I’ve done in my life. Yeah, that simple. I also know that despite the above titles, almost no one will follow. Below are all the reasons why you should (and why you’ll never).
There’s an unreal amount of angry lightning all around. Strange, it was sunny just an hour ago. I’m stuck inside a rented Hyundai in this northeastern corner of Texas. Then, the radio broadcast stops abruptly for what must be the single most terrifying public announcement for someone stranded in commute. “Severe weather warning, 100 mph winds, inch, and a quarter hail. Risk to cars, trees, rooftops, and mobile homes. Stay inside concrete or masonry buildings, keep away from windows. Effective until 7:30pm”. Great! A Tornado warning in the middle of a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam. Welcome to Dallas. There’s more to come.
