Among travel destinations, Japan is our first love. We lived a few months in Osaka & Tokyo in 2007 & 2008. During this period, we visited many places in central Japan such as Kobe, Kyoto, Himeji, Ise Shima, Hakone (Mt Fuji), Yokohama. Since then work trips took me to Japan about half a dozen times […]
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Hanoi, Vietnam: Trip Summary
Flights & Visa Stay Food Coffee Places of interest Local Transport Currency (for Singapore residents only) If you are reading this, you will know how to reach me. If not, twitter @rajspace
My Whitewater Rafting experience on Kiulu River in Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo Island)
Borneo is the 3rd largest island in the world with a population of 23 million (4x of Norway & 2X of Belgium) surrounded by bustling and emerging southeast Asian countries – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam. The rain forests are the oldest in the world, 130 million years old (Amazon rainforest are 55 million years […]
India: Escape to Udaipur, Rajasthan
Founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II as a capital of Mewar kingdom. Surrounded by the Aravali ranges, the Jagdish Temple of Lord Vishnu, the City Palace, Lake Pichola are the places to begin your visit. Be at the city palace by 9am to beat the crowds. Lake Pichola is man-made, built in 1362AD […]
Thailand: Suki, the new Thai food experience
When the plane touches down in Thailand, the mind is set on 2 things: Thai food & Thai massage! Yes, there is a long queue for the visa, the taxi will overcharge, and the traffic is congested. Yet good food & a hearty massage make for a great day in Bangkok. In a recent short […]
Tamil encounters of a South Indian traveler
Though a long time resident of Bangalore in India, Tamil is my mother tongue. Over the years of travel, a few interesting experiences: Context: Cafeteria in Paris, France @ Lunch time With the lunch tray in hand, am standing in the queue to pay at the counter. From nowhere, I heard a voice “Eppadi irukkirikal” (meaning […]
Philippines: Long weekend at Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, South Philippines
Looking forward to the long weekend in May, I was exploring options to head out “somewhere” in the Philippines. After Puerto Princesa, Palawan in December with family and Boracay in February with friends, now was time for a solo outing. The craving for white water rafting got better off others and it was Cagayan de […]
Travel Opportunity: AirAsia’s ASEAN Pass
Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines form a political & economical association referred to as Association of South-East Asian Nations i.e ASEAN. AirAsia has a launched pre-paid ASEAN pass for about Rs 10,000 ($160) valid for 30 days and 10 credits. The 60 days/20 credits version is Rs 18000 ($290). […]
Travel Opportunity: Experience the luxury of The Leela with 20% discount or free night
One of the travel highlights of 2014 is the surprise family vacation to The Leela, Kovalam. The experience surpassed all our expectations and even inspired a friend to plan along the same lines. Now, the carpet is being laid out for 2015 with The Leela Luxury sale 2015 – The 5 city properties in Bangalore, […]
Days in Norway: Yes, it exists!
Many years back I happened to visit the office of a travel agency. One of the posters caught my attention. It was a long shot composed of lush green mountains with a water-filled deep & narrow valley. A ship in the long spanse of still waters that looked tiny from the distance. The picture stayed […]
Uber gets to learn from the market
Question: When did booking a taxi become an exciting affair? Answer: When Uber was launched I and my family & friends are enjoying the plethora of discounts & free rides that Uber has been offering. The technology is disruptive i.e it can break existing economics of the transportation business. Much as been said and written […]
My tryst with Accor hotels
My tryst with Accor hotels began in the early 2009 in Paris with stays in Novotel & then switched to the preferred Suite Novotel. While Novotel is good for short stays of less than a week, Suite Novotel is cosy for long stays. Also, a couple of times in Ibis when I wanted to stay […]