(From the August-September 2009 issue of "Bayang Magiliw" Magazine, Kingdom of Bahrain. Copyright 2009. Used by Permission) The alluring beauty of the Far East is seen not only through its contrasts of culture, lifestyle, and climate. But also through the way nature has brought it into being. It is where the sun rises. It is where oriental charm lives where many travelers have found the most interesting journey experience. Despite the … [Read more...]
Sundarbans Tour, Bangladesh
The following is a description of a 4 day 3 night guided tour to the Sundarbans in Southern Bangladesh. This trip was taken in January during the winter season (cooler with pleasant at times warm days and cooler nights, but not too cold). The Sundarbans are the world's largest Mangrove swamp with the majority of this swamp within Bangladesh while part of the swamp is in India. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main purpose for most … [Read more...]
Gridlock & Road Rage in the Desh
Hanging out in Dhaka now outside on a porch overlooking down on the dark restless city listing to the most peaceful soothing relaxing calming sounds of Enigma which are effectively drowning out the incessant noise of the horns below. A cool exotic breeze is flowing and this is as far from "home" as you can get. Got all our tours setup today for the rest of the trip - heading down deep into the mangrove swamps into the largest Unesco heritage site … [Read more...]
Trains and More Chaos
Chaos reigns at the New Delhi airport - pre paid taxis are a joke. Many people in old dirty clothes hanging around. The fog here was TERRIBLE last night. Its the norm in the winter during the nights with merely 5 to 7 feet visibility. We landed around 9pm and arrived at our hotel around midnight just to catch the New Year's festivities. Drive from airport normally takes 25 minutes! Hahaha yea. Driver kept stopping every few seconds while getting … [Read more...]
Turkey Welcomes You
"Turkish hospitality is impossible to ignore", proclaims the in-flight magazine as I fly to Bodrum. You can't miss it when you set foot in the airport: the welcome visa costs $20. By the exit, the passengers are greeted by a forest of A4 sheets with the names of the people to take to the hotel. It is nice to go to an unknown place, and find somebody waiting for you and calling you by name: in this case, Turkish hospitality will set you back $40. … [Read more...]
Hanging out in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a bustling city of between 7 and 9 million people (depending on the source you reference. While governed by China, Hong Kong does not require visit visas from citizens of many countries. This is in contrast to mainland China where you will need a visa to enter; the closest mainland entry city to Hong Kong is Shenzhen. Hong Kong was a dependent territory of the United Kingdom from the early 1840's until 1997. You may still find … [Read more...]
Welcome to Hong Kong
"Welcome to Hong Kong. If you are connecting to another flight, we wish you safe travels. On behalf of my crew, we thank you for flying Cathay Pacific." The soothing -- we are here to serve your needs -- voice of the head flight attendant jolted me back to reality -- I had been staring blankly at the multi-colored seat in front of me. It wasn't her voice that caused the jolt; the official announcement that I had made it to Hong Kong was what … [Read more...]
Heritage Hotel Fort Khejarla
Heritage Fort Hotel - Fort Khejarla, located 80 Kms East of Jodhpur, the Sun City of India but a million miles away from the traffic congestion, horns, and heavy population! Spread across 14 acres, this splendid site is easily accessible by most tourist attractions and cities of Rajasthan. The historic structure amalgamates with the golden tint of the desert ambience and the scenic setting suns in its most vibrant shades giving it a fairy tale … [Read more...]
Monkey in Hotel Room, Varanasi, India
Reluctantly we left Varanasi despite the naked people sitting in the dirty streets, the unbelievable amount of cow poop clogging the narrow streets, the CONSTANT power outages, the smelly garbage everywhere, the people urinating and defecating in open view along some of the ghats, terrible pollution, large bellied obviously malnourished children, incredible poverty, CONSTANT badgering and aggressive pan handling by the touts and "guides" (worst … [Read more...]
The Oriental Negros Delight
When you are in Oriental Negros, you will get to see and experience the beauty of nature up-close and personal. Whether you are snorkeling, or boating with the dolphins, or kayaking at the twin lakes, the province never run short of surprises for its visitors. The provincial capital, Dumaguete City, is host to thousands of youngsters and adults pursuing a university life in an environment that is conducive to learning and relaxation. Silliman … [Read more...]
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