reviews – VAGABOND IMAGES

Where the Wilderness keeps whispering in your ears every moment

Upendra SwamiSeptember 5, 20213302 Views0

I was having a stroll just outside my room after dinner, when the caretaker at the property came to clear the utensils from the room. We started having a chat, and then he all of a sudden started focusing on a sound piercing the calmness of the night, coming from some distance, down the hill. He said, it is a ‘call’ for a leopard, and it is probably looking for a hunt. Being a wildlife enthusiast myself, I could easily get it. It wasn’t coming from somewhere very close, but it still sent a chill down my spine. A rugged drive is needed to reach here! It was the thrill of living right inside an uncharted territory. What also thrilled me that I was daily arriving quite late on my bike, alone to the property in pitched dark through this jungle on a rough, rocky mountain path. T...

InternationalNewsReviews

TripAdvisor to become Facebook and Instagram of travel

Upendra SwamiSeptember 26, 20182896 Views0

TripAdvisor is soon going to acquire a full-fledged social media avatar as good as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and FourSquare. It will create a social media platform for travel and makes restaurant critics, travel experts and influencers of every user. TripAdvisor unveiled a new site and mobile experience launching later this year. Currently in beta, the world's largest crowd-sourced travel platform is evolving to become the most personalised and connected travel community, inspiring and empowering individuals with social assistive tools to plan and book better with relevant advice and information from people and experts they trust. During a preview event in New York organised for press on Sept 17, a demonstration of the new platform revealed that the new TripAdvisor will be optimised ...

IndiaReviews

A notched up performer in ZenFone5Z by Asus

Upendra SwamiJuly 6, 20181273 Views0

Asus has brought back its ZenUI for ZenFone5Z, which it had done away with in its ZenFone Max Pro M1 just a couple of months back, but it promised to keep it as clean and as blot free as possible. Still that hardly mattered in all discussions around the launch of the new flagship smartphone by the Taiwanese giant. In its first impressions Zenfone 5z looks like a good performer. Asus has tried to pump in many things into its body. So as it has positioned itself as competitor to the likes of OnePlus 6 in performance, it has also simultaneously got itself a notched up display to look like Apple iPhone X. Packed in a aluminium body the phone comes in two colours- meteor silver and midnight blue. So, a notched display in 6.2 inches screen size is what makes it look smarter and trendy. Go

IndiaReviews

ASUS dumps its ZenUI for Android Oreo in its new Zenfone Max Pro M1

Upendra SwamiApril 23, 20182324 Views1

Right from launch of Zenfone 2 series in India, ASUS has always kept somebody as a close competitor in front of its eyes. I am not sure, whether it works as a strategy to give targets to your team or it backfires as a marketing strategy as it always acknowledges the competitor to be the one who has set the benchmark. Whatever the case might be, but ASUS has still not shied of adopting this trick. But it has changed one thing since launching of Zenfone 2 almost two and half years ago. That time it went on challenging the king straightaway- iPhone 6S Plus. Might be the target consumer for it that time would have been not the iPhone buyers, but those consumers who always dream of an iPhone but were aware that they are not going to have all the money in the world to buy an iPhone. iPho

IndiaNewsReviews

Its now Dualfie time with Vision 3

Upendra SwamiDecember 19, 20171147 Views0

Smartphone makers are getting as obsessed with selfie features as are the smartphone consumers with their phone selfies. Just a few months back ASUS tried to widen the selfie with a 120 degree FOV (field of view) ’wefie’ and now InFocus mobiles have gone a step further with their Vision 3 smartphone which gives you a ‘Dualfie’, where you can capture in a single shot image from both the from as well as the rear camera. Thus when you are taking a selfie, you can also show what is happening in front of you, i.e. behind the camera! What more, this front camera also gives you 120 degree FOV. Only catch might be that the rear camera is 13MP and 5MP dual lens and front camera is 8MP, which some people might feel as just OK with current industry trends. But what needs to be considered is that t

IndiaReviews

Perfect host for a birding trip

Upendra SwamiNovember 14, 20172119 Views5

For many people visiting to a wildlife sanctuary or a national park, what matters most is a good trip to the park, but it certainly helps if you get a comfortable place of stay after a tiring trip to park. Sunbird hotel at Bharatpur gives many reasons for a pleasant stay. Too many plus for a hotel which normally won't fall into the big brand category. Actually, to my surprise it was few of those hotels which hardly gave any reason to complain or even dissatisfied with. When we checked in, the staff said that we were being given the two best rooms in the property and we couldn't have disagreed. For a place like Bharatpur, this hotel has one of the best location you can ask for. Property is just five minutes walk from the main gate of Bird sanctuary. Hotel is located in th...

IndiaReviews

Fabulous property, excellent location : Norbu House, Mcleodganj

Upendra SwamiJune 28, 20171308 Views0

Best thing about places like McLeodganj is that, distances seem longer in the map than they actually are. Although being a hill station there are some slopes and ascends, but then that's what you have come here for. It took hardly five minutes of us to reach the Hotel Norbu House in taxi from the McLeodganj bus stand, but if you travel light than you can easily walk down, if indeed you love walking. It has a small place to park vehicles though, and in place like McLeodganj it often seems like a bonus as most hotels in the market area won't have a parking at all and one would have to use public parking place near bus stand. I had been to Mcleodganj earlier. This time search for a different stay landed us to Hotel Norbu House. Online posts and reviews made me the admirer of the proper...

IndiaReviews

A Den of wilderness

Upendra SwamiMay 13, 20172270 Views2

Its vacation time and also plan some quick trips. Besides regular beach and hill station trips, national parks, especially the tiger reserves are the most preferred ones. For two reasons precisely- it is time to go to tiger reserves before they close for yearly four month monsoon vacation period. Secondly, in this sweltering heat, chances of wildlife sightings around water bodies is more likely. (Read: Some wild moments in Sariska!) Had done quite a few posts about Sariska Tiger Reserve and places around it of lately. Now it is time to look at places of stay.So here is the review of the place, where we stayed- RTDC’s Tiger Den, located at the Sariska Gate of the Tiger Reserve. I have stayed in these government tourism properties at various places across North and had mixed ex...

InternationalReviews

Getting pulse of Bali’s buzz!

Upendra SwamiApril 27, 20171391 Views2

Well, Mercure Legian Bali hotel is located in the area, where heart of Bali beats. When we were in Nusa Dua area, we were in a sort of exclusive zone with all sort of luxury and privacy. But this hotel lies in an area, where as soon as you step out of the hotel, you find yourself in the hustle & bustle of a busy tourist destination like Bali. Hotel is just a five minutes walk from the beach. Hotel is close to Legian, Seminyak and Kuta areas. Mercure has two hotels in the area. There another property Mercure Kuta Bali is located right on the Kuta beach and is slightly away from the, what few people may call as, chaos of Legian area. Hotel is located on a busy intersection on Legian street. Running parallel to a long coastline this street is just a five minutes walk from famous Legian

InternationalPhotogalleryReviews

A slice of Balinese paradise

Upendra SwamiApril 12, 20171335 Views2

Bali itself is a dream destination and staying in Melia Bali adds zing to this dream! Its an ultimate Balinese hospitality and captures all the aura & beauty that can be associated with this beautiful island. It is a big beach resort and actually staying here is itself a complete holiday with there being a private beach and all sort of activities. Also read: Bali is the top destination in the world Hotel is in Nusa Dua area, which itself is a calm and secluded area reserved for top class hotels, quite far from tourist frenzy at Kuta or what is like in Ubud. That might not be of liking to all, but certainly favourite for those who love to be in calm and serene place. Also read: Bali from the sky - few captures Once you enter the hotel, you will feel how it is like to be in a high end