Author Archives : mkalliat

Havana: Music, Mystique and More


The snug lanes of the Old Town (Havana Vieja) called for a slowdown. The cabbie sounded the horn, and the crowd that had been gawking at the crumbling exteriors of a period structure dispersed hastily to make way. These derelict buildings, once brightly-coloured, line both sides of the street. The unhurried taxi ride facilitated a closer look at them. Most…

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A Handy Guide for Planning a Trip to Sydney


With bobbing yachts on shimmering waters, lush gardens awash with sunshine, and brilliant blue skies, Sydney is the Hollywood star of world cities. Glamorous, adulation-loving yet quietly confident, Sydney’s rock star persona together with its iconic sights alone is enough to make the long trek to Australia worth the effort. It may not be heaving with history unlike some other…

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6 Compelling Reasons to Visit the Cook Islands


With destination heavyweights such as New Zealand, French Polynesia and Hawaii for neighbours, it’s not surprising that the Cook Islands doesn’t make the list very often. However, as I discovered on a recent jaunt, this unassuming group of 15 islands in the Pacific with vistas to rival high-profile island paradises and zany details aplenty, delivers an experience unlike any other.  …

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hoan kiem lake

A Trail of Two Cities: Saigon and Hanoi


There’s a certain romance that Vietnam invokes. From the mist-laden hills of the north to the beach towns in the south, the country has enough topographical variation to suit all tastes. Throw in a tumultuous history, a cuisine that’s fast gathering fans the world over and you have, what many reckon, one of the most intriguing countries to visit. Vietnam’s…

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Quirky London Experiences for the Young-at-Heart


Iconic buildings, snazzy bars, lush gardens, the West End…it’s a well-acknowledged fact that there’s never a shortage of things to see and do in London – not just for the repeat visitor but also for the long-term resident. But beneath all that historical and cultural gravitas is a city that is continuously reinventing itself in all sorts of ways and…

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9 Things to Know Before Booking a Kenyan Safari


An East African safari tops many a bucket list and, having just returned from a two-week wildlife adventure in Kenya & Tanzania, I can reiterate that it is every bit as special as it is made out to be. However, spellbinding images of grazing zebras and migrating wildebeests could make one easily overlook the practicalities. Here are some ground realities…

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Joshua Tree National Park

Beyond the Obvious in Los Angeles


I’m not sure LA really gets its due. When I told friends I was off to the Californian city for some ‘me-time’, many couldn’t see the point of a trans-continental journey ‘just to take a few cheesy photographs in front of the Hollywood sign’. I had no dearth of reasons though. For one, it was five years since my last…

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Orangutan Borneo

51 and counting…


And so, as they say, the universe conspired to make it happen. On the 23rd of July, 2015 I set foot in my 50th country. It was just a daylong stopover in Kuala Lumpur, but statistics are statistics. I’m a sucker for travel lists and having perused every ‘best’, ‘10 most’, ‘must do’ list out there, I’ve mustered the gumption…

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