Incessant blasting horns, thick smog in the air, the scent of marigold flowers mingled with the smell of cows, red betel-nut leaf stains – all combine to launch an intensive attack on the senses. India is definitely not for the faint-hearted. It is a melting pot of cultures, and a smorgasbord of experiences. It is […]
China Travels - Beijing , Xian and Shanghai in 1 week The Great Wall of China should be renamed The Great Walk of China. My Fitbit (step counter) registered over 1000 steep steps going up and then another 1000 steps down and that was just in the tiny section we visited. The Great Wall is […]
Slow Lounge and Bidvest Lounge Spending long hours at the airport can be frustrating, but long waits are made infinitely easier with airport lounges. Airport Lounges offer one a comfortable sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the airport as well as snacks and drinks. We visited two lounges at OR Tambo International Airport. OR Tambo […]
Feeling stressed out by the city? Need some rest, relaxation and revitalisation in a rustic setting? You can get all this and more at the charming Irene Country Lodge in Pretoria, one of the gems in Protea Hotels By Marriott's luxurious African Pride collection. But unlike many of the others which don’t cater for children, […]
Have a cup of tea with a Turk and you'll be friends for 40 years. So said the Turkish gentleman to us as his associate served us with warm apple tea in Istanbul. This is the nature of Turkish hospitality. Of course, after that, he tried to sell carpets and leather jackets to us, but […]
Yes, I do prefer to use a travel agent when they can offer me a package with lower costs or hassles than I can do myself. But then you get the travel agents who are not interested in the business or those that give you problems every step of the way and you say...Never Again! […]
From across the sea, the enchanting island of Zanzibar beckoned to us. The stunning view of endless palm-fringed beaches was the perfect appetiser for our two-day visit and the shrubbery at the airport welcomed us warmly with the words “SMILE U R IN ZANZIBAR”. Zanzibar is an archipelago located in Tanzania, East Africa. An island […]
We left Nairobi on a rainy Sunday morning at 9am and drove through the Great Rift Valley, through the town of Narok and into the Masai Mara . We became aware that we were in for something different, when still about 60km, away from the official entrance to the Masai Mara , we began seeing […]
We hurtled down the ochre path, the cool wind exhilarating, in our faces. Lawrence, the game ranger, manoeuvered the Landrover expertly around the torn-down trees, through dense bushes and around dusty bends. It was evidently the path less traveled. At one point, a wildebeest emerged from the bush and ran across the path in front […]
How I like to travel A recent travel survey I completed got me verbalising how I like to travel... Ideally, I would love to go and stay in a new country for a few months at a time, to absorb the culture, learn the language and explore the surrounds. I've done something like that once […]
A cruise on Freedom of the Seas Ahhhh, the incredible sensation of freedom! Imagine this: deep blue waters, the scent of salt in the air, standing hand-in-hand with your beloved on the top deck of a floating resort, while sailing past the picturesque Miami mansions of the rich and famous into the orange sunset. We […]
I am a travel addict. It is the excitement of discovering magical places, and the vibrancy and diversity one encounters every step of the way that has me addicted. I was fortunate to have married a man who shares my passion for travel and in our 11 years together we have journeyed to many destinations […]
2010 World Cup Fever I can feel it – it is here! I live in Johannesburg – the centre of the FIFA 2010 World Cup where this year’s most exciting soccer (otherwise known as football) matches, will be played. Even I, who am not a football fan, have been affected with it. I have tickets […]
We had been driving around Kruger National Park since early morning. We had had an eventful day in which we had encountered several creatures that we didn’t normally see, perhaps due to the recent heavy rains. Smaller creatures,such a mongoose, tortoises, chameleons and snakes. Larger creatures, such as the lion, elephants, rhinos and hippos were […]
Last week, I was in Kenya. I had bought Barack Obama’s book Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance almost a year ago in Mumbai. Since I’m too busy to read much else besides my six magazine subscriptions when at home, I’d been reading the book on and off everytime I went […]
