For this week’s photo challenge, here are my personal Top 10 water bodies:

#10: Rajaram Talao, Kolhapur. Actually this one is off the charts – needs no ranking, it’s home. Love walking around the lake, especially during the monsoons, early morning, to catch the flora & fauna.

#9: Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi. Idyllic. Spent many an afternoon here, with a book, a lunch box, and occasionally ambled off to Fanny ice cream for their divine treats.

#8: Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram. Great spot to dash off on weekends from Chennai. Baba couldn’t resist sketching the marvellous architecture of the temple.

#7: Fontana Trevi. Where, you ask? Roma, for you geography duds. Done our duty, thrown some coins in the water, hoping to get back there soon!

#6: Golden sunset at Goa. Parties, water sports, great food, bliss – the beaches offer it all. Oh, Goa.

#5: Marine Drive, Mumbai. Heritage walks. Cycle rides on Sunday mornings. Breakfast at Tea Center. Unforgettable.

#4: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. The most unique land(water)scape in Vietnam. Been there so many times, I could do a guided tour all by myself. Just get me a junk boat and some unsuspecting tourists . . .

#3: White water rafting at Shotover River, Queenstown, NZ. Plenty of thrills, thankfully no spills. It’s been a decade, but the memories are fresh.

#2: Pacific Coast Highway, USA. Vish drove Reva & me for hours on this route, and we couldn’t stop gushing at every twist and turn. There are hundreds of pictures as proof. Sublime blue water!

And the current #1: Tay Ho, Hanoi. That’s Westlake, for foreigners. Great place to see a slice of Vietnamese life – fishing, posing, modelling, eating, exercising, cuddling (!). Join the locals in admiring the spectacular sunsets. Visit a pagoda. Pose with the lotuses, if you please. Chill out with a beer. Or burn some calories on a bicycle or a run, and reward yourself with the delicious iced coffee or fresh coconut water.

If there’s only one thing I’ll miss about Vietnam, it will be Westlake.