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Celebrating 11 Years!!

Kaushal Karkhanis aka Exotic Gringo - travel blogger from India

Kaushal Karkhanis

Hello, fellow explorer!

I'm Kaushal, a solo, slow traveller and digital nomad who started adventuring in 2007 while choosing to shuttle between Goa and Mumbai.

One year later, an epic life-changing 6-month long trip to South America gave birth to this blog, Exotic Gringo.

More info about me!

Currently in: Mumbai
Going next: Hyderabad

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exoticgringo

Product & Visual Designer • Community Builder •
Solo, slow #travelblogger from India 🇮🇳
11 months across South America 🇧🇷 🇨🇴 🇦🇷 🇨🇱 🇪🇨

Living the dream of a lifetime - getting to ride a

Living the dream of a lifetime - getting to ride a hot air balloon, watching koalas 🐨, giraffes🦒 , lions 🦁 and kangaroos up close, a magnificent festival of flowers (@floriade_australia), the best food and drink scene I could imagine, rejuvenating #bushlife of the outdoors and adventures that make me CRAVE this wonderful city I can't wait to return to (ideally Business Class, onboard @singaporeair once again - thank you for spoiling me) ...

I LOVE you, Canberra! ❤️ 🇦🇺
True to the tagline, you're #OneGoodThingAfterAnother

When you think of #Australia, most people don't think of Canberra (and it's a shame because they have no idea what they're missing!)

Have you ever been to Canberra? Been wanting to visit? Ping me for tips and ideas, or tell me about your experience if you've been to the ACT region of Australia 🌏

#travel #weareCBR #travelblogger #indiantravelblogger #ExoticGringoInAustralia #flySQ #SingaporeAirlines

"How do you make friends when travelling solo?" -

"How do you make friends when travelling solo?" - this is a question I get asked so much, you'd be surprised if you're a fellow solo traveller or love socializing like me!

Last week I even did a Clubhouse room about this. and I have a dedicated blog post about it too (link in bio).

But today, I want to talk specifically about @mundolingo - a great community I first discovered in Bangkok, during my month long stay in 2018.

It's basically a fun gathering of people who love exchanging cultures through languages!

As soon as you enter the venue, you get stickers of country flags. At the top, you wear your native one (in my case, India for Hindi and Marathi 🇮🇳), followed by flags of countries whose languages you speak, and then followed by the ones that you want to learn! Then you just enter the party and look at each others' flags and start talking - learning, teaching and just having a fun time!

I also attended more MundoLingo meetups the next year, in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, and found them to be a super mix of fun + learning + making new connections!

📸 MundoLingo meetup in Rio De Janeiro, 2019 (check out my Brazil highlights for videos I took here!)

Have you ever tried MundoLingo? Whenever it's safe to socialize on your travels again, I'd highly encourage you to give it a shot.

If YOU know more of such global communities or wanna share more ways to make friends when travelling, do drop in a comment below ⬇️ or on my blog post. 🤙🏼

#travel #Brazil #Brasil #riodejaneiro #ExoticGringoInBrazil #MundoLingo #socials #travelblogger #indiantravelblogger #traveltips

Trying to cheer myself up amidst the apocalyptic n

Trying to cheer myself up amidst the apocalyptic news and human suffering both domestically as well as internationally.

Tell me about your favorite spots in India (or your own country) - the ones that make all your worries disappear, just by their mere thought.

Mine?
🗻 Kalvari Mount, Idukki and
🏖 Palolem Beach, South Goa

#travel #India #travelblogger #indiantravelblogger #ExoticGringoInIndia #Idukki #Goa #Palolem #Kerala

5 years since the epic trip to Jordan 🇯🇴 ...

5 years since the epic trip to Jordan 🇯🇴 ... my introduction to the Arab world couldn't have been any better than this fascinating country of contrasts and natural, religious as well as architectural importance!

The people, the (amazing) food, the culture, the superb mix of tradition and modernism - I was truly in awe of it all. Can't wait to see you again once again the pandemic is behind us, Jordan!

#travel #Jordan #MusafirDilJordan #livelovejordan #myjordanjourney #Amman #Jarash #travelblogger #indiantravelblogger #ExoticGringoInJordan

Colombia 🇨🇴 holds a very special place in my

Colombia 🇨🇴 holds a very special place in my heart.

I first backpacked all across this charming country from South to North and back, in 2008 for an entire month.

5 years later, I won a contest on Twitter (!!) that allowed me to re-visit this amazing country and spend another three months there 😊

Adding to the magic was a chance encounter with Aaron - a Couchsurfing buddy who I befriended on my earlier trip, and who recognized me 5 years later in the midst of a crowd at the UN World Urban Forum #WUF7 in Medellín, circa 2014.

While there are some people who wanna see the whole world in one lifetime, I'd rather explore and experience the same places again and again - especially places like Colombia, which you need to savor, not gulp... like a cup of good Colombian coffee!

Have you ever Couchsurfed?

I've been hosting and surfing (staying with) folks from all over the world for over 15 years now, and they've all been enriching experiences where I've made great friends for life... Like Aaron here, who's dressed more desi than me!

#travel #Colombia #travelblogger #indiantravelblogger #ExoticGringoInColombia #Medellin #worldurbanforum #couchsurfing #csmedellín

Wanderlust is too generic a term. There should be

Wanderlust is too generic a term.
There should be a specific term for when you miss Italy 🇮🇹

OK, at least one for Europe.

While I'm definitely planning to be in France next year, with a bunch of my high school buddies... Also wishing and praying that the pandemic comes to an end earliest this year so we can all partake in some wanderlu... Nah, #Eurolust!! 😁

📸 My favorite part of Rome - the Roman Forum opposite the Colosseum. Something I feel tourists overlook, while trying to cover the Colosseum.

#travel #Italy #travelblogger #indiantravelblogger #ExoticGringoInItaly #RomanForum #Rome #Roma #Italia #tbt #throwback

Happy birthday / parabéns to my Brazilian brother

Happy birthday / parabéns to my Brazilian brother from another mother, Bebeto! 😊🤗

Back in 2008 when I first visited Brazil, I befriended Bebeto on Couchsurfing and we decided to meet over lunch. Never did I imagine then, that he'd become a lifelong friend and completely change my travel plans from a month across South America to a month JUST in his home town, São Paulo - ensuring I fell in love with the Paulista life.

Before I returned home from what eventually turned out to be a 6 month long trip of a lifetime, he even launched his own chain of hostels which went on to be someone the most amazing hostels in Brazil.

I've been fortunate enough to get to catch up with him twice after that epic trip, once in 2014 and most recently in 2019.

On both those trips, Bebeto continued to extend his legendary hospitality where I stayed at @limetimehostels in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro!

Thank you for being an amazing friend and wish you many more ótimo birthdays, irmão! 🎂🎉

📸 Hanging out over unlimited sushi and sashimi in São Paulo. August 2008.

#amigoscomoirmãos #saopaulo #Brazil #Brasil #ExoticGringoInBrazil #travel #travelblogger #indiantravelblogger #parabéns

The last time I truly travelled anywhere was an ex

Happy 456th birthday, Rio De Janeiro! 🥳 Did yo

Happy 456th birthday, Rio De Janeiro! 🥳

Did you know that locals call it "cidade maravilhosa" (The marvellous city)?!

It only takes a few days in this intense, vibrant, naturally stunning and diverse city to understand why:

The uniquely spectacular backdrop of curvy hills that meet the grand ocean...

The heady whiff of a barbeque combined with the freshness of the seaside surf...

The sounds of samba, capoeira, baile funk, bossa nova as the city's official background score...

The unmatchable taste of freshly baked pão de queijo...

The unbridled joy of the sand beneath your feet.

Rio is a delight for all senses, and one of the few places in the world I love going back to again and again.

Então, parabéns e até pronto, Cidade Maravilhosa! ❤️🎉

#travel #Brazil #RioDeJaneiro #parabénsRio #travelblogger #indiantravelblogger #ExoticGringoInBrazil #Brasil

Republic Day this year was spent in this charming

Republic Day this year was spent in this charming sea facing hotel with mom, for which I paid Rs.0!

All thanks to my points & rewards gurus @livefromalounge & @shipraatalounge who taught me how credit cards aren't a bad thing if you pay your fees on time and use them wisely to accumulate points.

This was the first time mom stepped out of home since the lockdown, so I wanted her to experience a part of Mumbai we all love (watch the sunrise by the sea from own verandah: Check!).

Harbour View and its rooftop bistro Bayview Café were both amazing and this marks the third fantastic hotel I've stayed in my own city and continue the #backyardtourism trail.

#travel #India #travelblogger #indiantravelblogger #Mumbai #Colaba #MumbaiHotels #seaview #sunrise #Maharashtra

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