UNDER-RATED DESTINATION: SRI LANKA

I am often asked: what is the most under-rated destination that you have been to. My reply would be Sri Lanka with its stellar combination of World Heritage sites, wildlife, history, rich culture, terrific hotels, friendly people and a friendlier currency.

NOTHING BEATS QUEENSLAND!

I was in Queensland, Australia after many, many years and it was truly a wonderful experience filled with new friends, good wine and food and exciting travel.

IN THE MOST POPULOUS LAND IN THE PLANET!

Everyone’s talking about China...There is great interest in China as a travel destination .

UNDER-RATED DESTINATION: SRI LANKA

I am often asked: what is the most under-rated destination that you have been to. My reply would be Sri Lanka with its stellar combination of World Heritage sites, wildlife, history, rich culture, terrific hotels, friendly people and a friendlier currency.

NOTHING BEATS QUEENSLAND!

I was in Queensland, Australia after many, many years and it was truly a wonderful experience filled with new friends, good wine and food and exciting travel.

Of Flash mobs and Antwerp...

There’s so much talk about flash mobs and viral videos now- the best flash mob to date was the one I saw on 'You tube' some time ago, set in Antwerp Station.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

DRIVING ALONG THE CAUSEWAY COASTAL ROUTE IN IRELAND

Ladder farms


Windswept cliffs and unspoilt beaches, sprinkled with atmospheric forts and castles, one of the most scenic
 drives that I have been on is the Causeway Coastal drive from   Belfast Lough to the Giant Causeway and the walled city of London Derry. There are a succession of sleepy, desolate fishing hamlets and spick and span towns- each with a unique history peppered with legends of giants, ghosts and fairies. This is the land of the ice gouged valleys or the nine glens of Antrim. The characteristic U shaped valleys have given rise to the ‘ladder farms’ that we see- vertical stripes of holdings running down the slopes to the valley which give each farm an equal share of lowland pasture, hill ground and mountain grazing.


Carnlough Harbour The picturesque village of Carnlough and its harbour dotted with red and green boats has a piece of history: The Londonderry Arms Hotel, an old coaching inn
here was once owned by Sir Winston Churchill himself.



Cushendall with its giant mural of hurling Cushendall is a town with Georgian buildings, where three glens or valleys come together in a sheltered bay. A bright mural of the local sport, hurling, one of the fastest ball games in the world, greets us here.The dramatic, mysterious Lougharema or the Vanishing Lake which is a mud encrusted valley on a dry day and becomes a lake teeming with fish when it rains. When the lake dries the fish hide in the limestone caverns below the limestone. And of course there’s an Irish yarn! Locals say that it’s haunted by the ghost of Colonel Mc Neil and his horses who drowned here in 1888 when the water levels rose abruptly!



Dunluce Castle There is the atmospheric skeletal remains of the 17th century Dunluce castle which tethers dramatically on a rocky promontory above the jagged coast. This was the stomping ground of early Vikings and Christians. Ships from the Spanish Armada once floundered off the coast here.

 


Bushmills Town famous for its Scotch distillery which has been making whiskey from 1600s making it the oldest licensed distillery in the world. People on the banks of the St Columb’s Rill River have been making whiskey- uisce beatha or the water of life for more than 400 years. . Stay in the atmospheric Bushmills Inn, a re-created coaching inn with individual white washed rooms named after Irish whiskeys.

A spectacular sandy beach like the arc of the moon spreads out like a Japanese fan -it’s the White park bay with ancient dunes and rare orchids.The climax of the route is at the UNESCO site The Giant’s causeway- a surreal, bizarre scene out of an alien planet-geometric, perfectly symmetric honeycomb of gargantuan basalt columns arranged like stepping stones. The result of a volcanic explosion or as the legend goes the result of the fight between two giants? Driving on the Causeway Coastal Route is definitely one of the things to do before you die!

Friday, August 5, 2011

TRAVELS IN CANADA

There are places that have been on my wish-list for ages and then I have the opportunity to travel there...there are others that have never been on my radar and I am awestruck by their beauty... Western Canada was certainly one of those destinations that I did not expect much from...But came back seduced by her charms... Among the many experiences that I had there, the following do STAND OUT: BANFF TOWN: Set in the middle of National Park territory, this tourist friendly village with great restaurants (even an Indian one), close-to-nature feel, and a meandering river has the fabulous Bow Falls and a Fairmont property (with some ghost stories). Fairmont properties around the world are after all, iconic. In a town with so many trees and trails, it’s usual to spot an animal or two as you walk along the streets which are by the way named after animals (yes, there are Moose, Caribou, and Wolf streets with sewer covers to match). Surrounded by snow capped mountains this is a town that charms without trying. ICEFIELDS PARKWAY: An amazing drive through the Rockies from Lake Louise to Jasper for over 230 kms- where every bend brought us new vistas, a lake, a waterfall or a bear or big horned sheep! The thrill of seeing a bear in the wild, walking on a glacier and being surrounded by constant, undying beauty made this road trip a winner. LAKE SONG: Pyramid, Maligne, Medicine and Patricia Lakes: Picture perfect reflections and glass like surfaces...these lakes are truly something. Framed by wisps of wild pine like a cloak of iridescent green and an amphitheatre of rugged peaks, these lakes are picture postcards. Medicine Lake, the source of many Indian myths and legends, is a lake that disappears in to an underground system for almost half the year. LAKE LOUISE: This is in the heart of the Banff National Park and the Fairmont Lake Louise has a vantage location overlooking the near-frozen lake. One of the ‘wow’ moments. There is the view of the lake surrounded by the Victoria glacier and the spruce covered mountains- the combination of luxury in wilderness was unique. I love my creature comforts! ZIP LINING IN WHISTLER: Whistler in British Columbia is very Swiss in character- chalets, window boxes with geraniums and tulips and an outdoorsy feel. Our dose of adventure here was zip lining over a valley through a forest. Unforgettable moments...
BIG CITY HIGH: Vancouver’s setting was spectacular- a stellar combination of Sea, land and mountains. If gentrified areas appeal to you, there are plenty here like Gastown or Granville Island. What really appealed to me in this city were their twin obsessions of food and exercise! Definitely a city on my places to re-visit!

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