Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Travel + Leisure India & South Asia

Relax, relieve, and rejuvenate. If you’re looking for those three Rs, a staycation is exactly what you need. And I speak from personal experience. A quick weekend getaway can do wonders to your mind, body, and soul. Our March edition is an attempt to help frequent travellers plan and enjoy the irrefutable pleasures of a ‘holistay’: a holiday spent in your own country, at driving distance from your home. Our carefully curated list of the ‘Top 10 Hotels & Resorts for Staycations’ in India (p. 91) helps you do just that. Even people with the busiest lives are no exceptions. Like our cover star, Bollywood diva Bipasha Basu, whom we whisked away to Conrad Pune for a quick dose of R&R (p. 80). The best experiences are tailor-made and personalised…

GETTING THERE Most domestic airlines fly to Chennai from major Indian cities. The Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa is an hour-long drive from the airport. The hotel arranges pick-up and drop for its guests on advance booking. STAY Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa is a new property with 125 rooms and suites spread over seven categories. The Presidential Suite is the most coveted option and comes with a private pool. Rooms start from 13,000; marriott.com EXPERIENCES The hotel is located just 15 minutes away from the temple town of Mahabalipuram. Guests can also visit the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology, Asia’s largest reptile park. The concierge arranges guided tours to both the sites.…

WHAT TO EXPLORE National Gallery Singapore Timings: 10am-7pm (till 10 pm on Fri/Sat); Entry: S$20 adults, S$15 children +65-62717000; nationalgallery.sg Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) Timings: 10am-7pm; Entry: S$21 adults, S$13 children +65-66013333; nhmvisit@nus.edu.sg Indian Heritage Centre, Little India Timings: 10am-7pm, Monday closed; Entry: S$4 +65-62911601; indianheritage.org.sg Fort Siloso, Sentosa Timings: 10am-6pm; 90-min Guided Tour: S$20 adults, S$14 children 1800-7368672; sentosa.com.sg TOURS Bugis, Little India, & Singapore River Trishaw Expedition by Trishaw Uncle Timings: 11am-10pm, daily; Group Size: 1-2 per trishaw; 45-min Tour: S$49 adults, S$39 children +65-63361188; enquiry@trishawuncle.com.sg Footsteps of Our Colonial Past by Tour East Singapore Tour: S$98 adults, S$58 children +65 6735 1221; toureast.net FOR THE LOVE OF WHISKEY The Whisky Distillery Timings:…

GETTING THERE Fly into Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. Thai Airways (thaiairways.com), Singapore Airlines (singaporeair.com), Scoot (flyscoot.com), and Air Asia (airasia.com) operate from major Indian cities. STAY Park Hyatt Saigon: A boutique hotel set within a French colonial building. Doubles from 35,000; hyatt.com Anantara Hoi An Resort: A riverside resort away from old town. Doubles from 15,000; anantara.com Imperial Hotel: Hue’s premier hotel with old-world charm. Rooms from 7,500; imperial-hotel.com.vn Hilton Hanoi Opera: Award-winning hotel with an iconic building in the heart of the French Quarter. Rooms from 10,000; www3.hilton.com TOURS Join the responsible-tourism company, Footprint (footprint.vn), on a trail of Vietnam. For bike rentals to ride through Hai Van Pass, contact Hoi An Motorbike Tour Adventures (hoianadventuretour.com).…

GETTING THERE Multiple airlines fly to Thailand's cities from major Indian metros like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. To reach Koh Samui or Krabi, you can either take a direct flight or fly via Bangkok. STAY Banyan Tree Samui: The resort is 19 kilometres from the Samui International Airport, 30 minutes by car. Rooms start from 1,05,383 per night; signature spa treatments from 14,888; banyantree.com Rayavadee: Phuket International Airport is just over two hours from the resort pier by road. If you arrive at the Krabi Airport, the transfer time to the pier is 25 minutes, and from the pier to the resort by boat takes an additional 20 minutes. Rooms start from from 57,314 per night; spa packages from 10,989; rayavadee.com…

THERE’S NOTHING PARTICULARLY remarkable about the town of Voiron in the southeast of France. Except for the little fact that it is home to the longest liqueur cellar in the world. Since its conception in 1936, the Cave de la Chartreuse has aged over 24 million litres of the coveted eponymous liqueur in its dark, underground cellar. But the story of Chartreuse begins much earlier and plays out like a long, turbulent fable. The charm of its history and the desire to taste the liqueur at its home made me board a train at the beautiful, medieval city of Grenoble on an autumn afternoon. Half an hour later, I found myself on the deserted platform of Voiron. It was Sunday, and the manufacturing town was eerily quiet. I decided to…

ZABEEL HOUSE AL SEEF Jumeirah’s community-focused offshoot marks a shift from its ultra-luxe portfolio. Zabeel House Mini provides 'pocket' rooms next door. Doubles from 7,402, or 6,050 at Mini; zabeelhouse.com. MANDARIN ORIENTAL JUMEIRA This 256-key resort on Dubai’s Arabian Gulf coastline incorporates traditional Emirati healing into its 1,997-square-metre spa. Doubles from 53,377; mandarinoriental.com. FORM HOTEL In the Al Jadaf cultural district, you’ll find the Emirates’ first member of the Design Hotels group, which offers curated culture and architecture tours. Doubles from 9,465; form-hotel.com. ONE&ONLY ONE ZA’ABEEL The Dubai-based company’s first truly urban property will open in 2020 within twin skyscrapers connected by the world’s largest cantilever. oneandonlyresorts.com .…

BEFORE I WENT THERE for the first time, I had painted a picture in my mind of what Hamburg must look like based on what I knew it to be: a busy port off the cold North Sea. I knew that the Beatles had learned their trade in its rowdy riverside clubs, so throw in a few drunken sailors. Add a low grey sky and the container cranes of the St. Pauli dockyards and, voilà, the Hamburg of my imagination—gritty, commercial, and somewhat dreary. It was only after gazing out through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my room in the Fontenay (doubles from 28,650; thefontenay.de) that I could see what the Japanese mean when they call Hamburg ‘the green city in the woods.’ Directly below me was the Aussenalster, the artificial…

GETTING THERE Multiple airlines operate direct flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Pune, and the hotel is a short 15-minute drive from the Pune airport. The Mumbai-Pune expressway is a driver’s delight in case you’re taking the road. It takes just over three hours to cover the distance. STAY Located in the heart of the city, the iconic Conrad Pune features 310 luxurious, elegantly appointed guestrooms and suites. Book the One Bedroom Deluxe Suite for a memorable experience-couples, especially, will love the privacy of their living and dining areas. It has a walk-in rain shower, plush furnishings, and picture windows with spectacular views of the city. You also get access to the Executive Lounge on the 13th floor. Rooms from 8,500 per night; conradhotels3.hilton.com UNWIND Take that much-needed respite from…

People living in Chhattisgarh and its neighbouring states have a new luxury address within reach for hosting their grand events. Raipur is now home to the spanking new MAYFAIR Lake Resort. The five-star property boasts an enviable location, beside the city’s Jhangh Lake›fit for an extravagant wedding. A mustard façade and expansive gardens fringed with palms draw you and your guests in, where 124 elegant and aesthetically designed guestrooms make for comfortable living space, and world-class management and hospitality helps you sail through a big, fat Indian wedding smoothly. In terms of banquet space, the resort offers a 8,733-square-metre lawn area that comes with a designated stage, making it ideal for the big day; the MAYFAIR Ballroom can host up to 120 guests and is divisible into three sections if…

MANY VISITORS TO HUNGARY never leave Budapest. After all, it’s one of the most glorious cities in Europe, ablaze with Gothic castles and Belle Époque cafés. Plus, there are the famous bathhouses, fed by more than a hundred thermal springs beneath the city, so you can turn pretty much every day into a spa day. But those same healing mineral waters bubble up all over the country, and many Hungarian hotels offer wellness programmes. In fact, when Hungarians go on vacation, they often choose to wellnessezni—a verb that means to take a weekend vacation to visit a spa hotel and generally focus on health. Following their lead, I set out on a five-day road trip across northern Hungary, beginning and ending in Budapest, to experience this distinctly Magyar brand of…

A sprawling land of ancient Spanish kingdoms, dotted with beautiful towns, each with its own castle and cathedrals, Spain’s largest region follows the national boundaries surprisingly closely, lying just northwest of Madrid. Castilla y León can claim to be the true heart of Spain, for this is where the great Catholic monarchs Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon united their kingdoms through matrimony in 1469 and subsequently launched the Reconquista to reclaim the country from the Moors. It is also where Castilian, the purest form of Spanish, is still spoken, and where the world comes to study Spanish at the 800-year-old University of Salamanca. The region’s superbly rich culture and history are matched by an equally marvellous gastronomy fed off the vast fields of wheat and barley, sprawling pasturelands…

SPOTTED Sanya Malhotra was seen at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States, and her Instagram updates were a delight to follow! We are soaking up some serious travel inspiration, thanks to her Insta account! travelandleisureindia.in/sanya-malhotra/ DISCOVER Nature has blessed Iceland with surreal landscapes dotted with multiple geothermal pools. In fact, we wouldn’t mind the bone-chilling cold of the country if we could take a dip in one of these natural hot pools and sip on a fine glass of Monet. travelandleisureindia.in/thermalpools-iceland/ #TELLTNLINDIA THIS STUNNING LANDSCAPE SHOT OF KAZA BY @REMYADITYASHAH HAS EVOKED OUR LONGING FOR A TRIP TO THE MESMERISING SPITI VALLEY IN HIMACHAL PRADESH. TO GET FEATURED HERE, TAG @TRAVELANDLEISUREINDIA ON INSTAGRAM AND USE THE HASHTAG #TELLTNLINDIA. Download Travel + Leisure India & South Asia digital editions,…

BIG BANG MECA-10 NICKY JAM HUBLOT Launched last year in Miami, this watch has been designed in collaboration with singer Nicky Jam. With a 45mm diameter, its three variants are powered by the HUB1201 manufacture calibre, whose construction reveals, on the dial side, the original markings of its 10-day power reserve that gave this model its name, Meca-10. On the dial is the singer’s logo, at›12 o’clock. 57,91,500 for the King Gold variant ENDEAVOUR CENTRE SECONDS CONCEPT BLUE LAGOON H. MOSER & CIE. This limited-edition watch has done away with the indices and brand logo to enhance its minimalism. Famous for its fumé dials with sophisticated colour gradations, the brand has been bold with a tropical Blue Lagoon dial. The case is in solid white or red gold with a…

WITH THE ONSET OF Vivid Sydney-the biggest annual light, music, and art festival in the Australian city-all the iconic sites of Sydney turn into moving canvases and throb with live musical performances. This year, from May 24 to June 16, the city will transform into one big exhibition for 23 days and feature the world’s most important creative industry forums, a mesmerising exhibition of outdoor lighting sculptures and art installations, and a cutting-edge contemporary music programme. A brainchild of Destination NSW (destinationnsw.co.au), Vivid Sydney lets you soak in the magic of visual and musical delights as it hosts the world’s largest outdoor art-gallery, engaging debates and talk-shows, and astounding acts featuring local and international musicians performing at the iconic Sydney Opera House. While the entire city is a sight to…

GETTING THERE You can board any of the hourly intercity trains from either Grenoble (30 mins) or Lyon (1 hour 15 mins) to Voiron. STAY There’s not much else to see or do in the manufacturing town of Voiron, so it’s advisable to base yourself in the historic city of Lyon or in the student town of Grenoble at the foot of the French Alps. TOUR The tour is conducted every day in French, with English translations available on request. A guided tour in English is also organised every day at 12 noon in the months of June, July, and August. Timings: 10 am to 6.30 pm; last entry at 5.15 pm. The French tour is free, and the English tour costs 1,220 per person; chartreuse.fr…

THE GULF OF CHIRIQUÍ, a wild, volcanic stretch of Panama’s Pacific shoreline, was once known as the Lost Coast. Pirate ships ran aground here; ruthless buccaneers stole charts of the area from one another, eager to plunder its natural riches. As my family and I boarded a little barge bound for the gulf, it seemed as if we, too, were entering unknown territory. Chugging down the delta of the Chiriquí River, evidence of human habitation became increasingly scarce—a few cows here, a wooden kayak there. Barú, Panama’s largest volcano, loomed out of the haze and was promptly swallowed up again. Then we hit the ocean and stared at a blank horizon as high winds buffeted our boat, limiting conversation to the occasional shout. Over the roar of the engine, our…

THE COLD CREPT THROUGH MY GLOVES INTO MY FINGERS AT - 15º CELSIUS. THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE was launched in 1990, bringing us the first glimpses of deep space in May that year. It would be another three years before Navaneeth Unnikrishnan would even be born. As a boy, Navaneeth loved outer space and grew up on a healthy diet of NASA images, believing that only the US space agency had the wherewithal to capture celestial worlds. Until five years ago, when he accidentally captured the Milky Way in a wide frame from the rooftop of his Kozhikode home. The image led him down the search-engine rabbit hole of deep-space photography. An electronics engineer by training, Unnikrishnan invested in all the essential equipment, including a telescope, adapters, a tracking mount, cameras,…

What do you like most about travelling? One, you get away from the monotony of your daily life. But also, after you’re away, coming back home to your loved ones is a feeling I rejoice in. Different cultures, different people, different ways of living, different cuisines… travelling comes with a lot of knowledge. It is something everyone should do. Favourite destination in India? Goa—it’s a quick getaway. I’ve always loved the sun-sand-beach combination. People there are very warm, and the food is so good; everything in Goa is a plus for me. It’s like a second home. Favourite foreign city? London. I find it very warm. The diversity of people there adds to the warmth. I love Broadway. And more than anything else, just the fact that I get to…

WITH MY CHIN DOWN on a pillow, I cherish the warmth of the herbal potlis on my back. But I’m thinking about something I’d heard on a show I’d been watching just before my spa appointment—“Mysticism suggests that you must rise above reason and learn to surrender.” I am at Tattva Spa. A segment under the Elementia brand of wellness, Tattva is a chain of 57 spas in multiple cities across the country. Here, I am experiencing the one housed within Courtyard by Marriott in Gurugram. After browsing through the menu, I decide on a ‘Potli Massage’; the thought of hot bundles filled with Ayurvedic herbs pressing against my skin appeals to my tired body and mind. In no time, my therapist leads me to a treatment room, where she…

Weight loss has to be one of the most searched for terms on Google. The obsession with losing weight is so widespread that people follow weird diets blindly, without even considering how these affect their bodies. Fad diets have never given anyone ‘lasting’ weight loss, and never will. They are designed to feed the get-me-thin-quick mindset that is sadly still rampant despite attempts by experts to educate on the adverse effects these have on the body. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT? Think of it as an equation: fewer calories + an increase in activity = weight loss. If, after this, you successfully lose weight, it only means that you will manage to keep it off in the long run. I don’t believe in putting my clients on…

“I could hear everything, together with the hum of my hotel neon. I never felt sadder in my life. LA is the loneliest and most brutal of American cities.” The beat generation knew what it was talking about. To me, though, Los Angeles was neither lonely nor brutal. Definitely, not sad. Perhaps that was because the LA I saw and the one Jack Kerouac described in his seminal novel, On The Road, were 60 years apart. Or, perhaps, it was because I stayed quite far from the ostentatious neon lights of Hollywood—in the eclectic beach neighbourhood of Venice. Right before I left from the Indian capital for my first US trip, I happened to watch a 2017 film called Once Upon A Time In Venice. At one point, the film…

The region of Castile and León offers food as pure and organic as the language of its locals. Sample these offerings to get a taste of Spain’s vast array of gastronomic offerings. GETTING THERE Air India operates the only direct flight to Madrid from Delhi (airindia.in). Other major Indian cities are connected by Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, KLM, etc. through their global hubs. From Madrid, the major cities of Castilla y León (Ávila, León, Salamanca, Valladolid, and Zamora) are reachable by high-speed train in one to two hours (renfe.com). HOTELS Hospes Palacio de Esteban is a five-star luxury hotel that occupies an old Dominican convent in Salamanca. Doubles from 8,000; hospes.com Similarly, in Ávila, the Parador de Ávila has been converted from the old Piedras Albas palace, and backs on…

The second city of Australia is best experienced on a bicycle. The tram service is a free and convenient way to get around the city. GETTING THERE Singapore Airlines operates connecting flights between Melbourne and New Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai. singaporeair.com STAY Airbnb offers serviced apartments in key locations around the city. The writer stayed at a fourstoreyed, luxury Airbnb home in Docklands, facing River Yarra. The serviced apartment comes with a fully-functional kitchen (read coffee machine, dishwasher, oven, etc), private gym, elevator, parking facilities etc. Starts from 63,500 per night; airbnb.co.in/rooms/27876576 DRINK & DINE Melbourne has a vibrant culinary scene, with vegan food being the latest trend in town. Besides Matcha Mylkbar (matchamylkbar.com), Red Sparrow (facebook.com/redsparrowpizza/) and Mama Rumaan (mamarumaan.com) are leading vegan restaurants serving plant-based pizzas and vegan…

Meet Shivya Nath: India’s ‘Shooting Star’ An inspiring interview with travel blogger Shivya Nath where she talks about her passion for solo travel and blogging for the love of telling stories. travelandleisureindia.in/travel-blogger-shivya-nath/ Travelling Solo? Meet New People With This App One of the biggest joys of travel is the connections you make on the journey. Meet new people and build lasting friendships while travelling, or host interesting events with this app. travelandleisureindia.in/layover-social-app/ Travels On Two Wheels Shilpa Balakrishnan recently set a record by covering over 15,000 kilometres across the country on her motorbike in 30 days. We talk to her about her journey so far. travelandleisureindia.in/ shilpa-balakrishnan-indian-biker-conscious-travel/…

In India’s Best Awards 2018, readers of T+L India & South Asia voted in big numbers for Singapore and its attractions. Not only did the country clinch the title of the Best International Family Destination, but Changi Airport also won Best International Airport, Singapore Airlines was adjudged Best International Airline, and Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) grabbed the trophies in the categories of Amusement Park and Integrated Resort respectively. Long favoured by travellers from India, Singapore constantly reinvents itself as a dynamic destination for travellers of all ages and tastes. Whether you’re an Explorer or Action-Seeker, Socialiser or Foodie, Singapore’s 2019 calendar is teeming with exciting events and festivities. Anurag Mallick & Priya Ganapathy give you the low-down on when and where to go. EXPLORERS DESPITE ITS…

“INDIA? YOU’RE OUR FIRST guests from there! Everyone in Vietnam loves Indian TV,” announced Hung upon receiving us, still wearing his helmet and poncho. He introduced us to his friend, Navie, who slipped out of her helmet and adjusted her hair to perfection before shaking our hands. “Hop on then! Let’s show you our city,” Hung exclaimed in broken English. Soon, we were lost in the sea of helmets zooming about the chaotic city of Ho Chi Minh. We’d booked a scooter tour of the city (previously called Saigon) on Airbnb upon seeing this listing: “No tourist sites, only local places with local friends.” We weren’t quite chasing the vanity of being away from fellow travellers, but making an attempt at meeting locals who would hopefully guide us to places…

FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, my wife and I have searched for escapes from the mundane. Living in the UK meant that we were always looking for holidays that would pamper us and treat us like individuals with unique tastes. And so, we travelled far and wide to find experiences that would allow us to relish a slower pace of life. We ended up being drawn to boutique properties, as they had a human aspect to them that was missing from the large chains. These explorations took us to far flung places like Terengganu in Malaysia, the foothills of the Himalayas where the spa changing rooms have glazed views of the majestic mountains, the southern parts of India where your aches disappear under the firm hand of Ayurveda,…

GETTING THERE Flights from Delhi to Adelaide on Qantas (qantas.com) are available via Singapore. Adelaide Metro (Torrens Transit) operates a bus from Adelaide to Hahndorf hourly. A tickets costs 167, and the journey takes 47 minutes. STAY Just 20 minutes from Adelaide, Hahndorf Resort feels a world away with its rolling hills and views of the Adelaide Hills. Cottages from 7,076; hahndorfresort.com.au Set just off the Main Street, The Manna of Hahndorf is a boutique motel that offers 50 Scandinavian-style rooms. Superior Room from 7,530; themanna.com.au…

GETTING THERE Lufthansa ( lufthansa.com ) and Air Canada (aircanada.com) offer one-stop flights from New Delhi to Panama City. Spend the night in the capital’s Casco Viejo neighbourhood at the stylish American Trade Hotel (doubles from 23,415; americantrade hotel.com). Early the next day, take the hour-long Copa flight to the city of David in western Panama. The hour-long boat transfer to Islas Secas leaves from a river mooring an hour outside David. ISLAS SECAS The lodge has nine chic, understated casitas arranged around four sites, each with a deck area with ocean views and a private plunge pool. Amenities include an on-site masseuse and yoga instructor, access to barges and sportfishing vessels, and an education centre where guests can learn about local wildlife. Recreation manager Rob Jameson…

BACK TO BASICS ALILA FORT BISHANGARH Rajasthan’s star palace-hotel, Alila Fort Bishangarh, is reason enough for a vacation closer home. And with the kind of experiences it offers, it is time you explore your neighbourhood with a fresh pair of eyes. The warrior fort-turned-hotel comes with royal accommodation options, from the Heritage Room to the Regal Suite, and ample luxuries, but it is the wide range of engaging Alila Experiences that you must not miss out on. For instance, a hot-air balloon ride over Rajasthan’s undulating terrain that concludes with a personalised picnic lunch; a revealing rendezvous with a local farmer and his family; an experiential insight into the craft of local artisans; a braaivleis alongside cocktails by the pool; a horse-riding itinerary along a river bed; and a Rajasthani…

THE 5-BITES DIET Eat whatever you want, but only five bites of it. On this diet, you skip breakfast and eat five bites of food for lunch, and five more for dinner. Verdict You will stay hungry perpetually. THE LEMONADE DIET This involves subsisting only on lemon juice mixed with maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water for days. Verdict You’ll shed mostly water weight, and when you start eating solid food again, you’ll gain all the weight back. THE BABY FOOD DIET You are allowed to eat only mushy baby food for lunch, followed by a low-calorie dinner. Verdict Unsustainable. THE FLETCHERISM DIET This advocates chewing each mouthful of food at least 32 times, or until it is in liquid form. Verdict Boring, boring, boring. THE BOTOX CURE Some people…

ANTI AGEING: NEUROMUSCULO-SKELETON STRENGTH CARE CARNOUSTIE AYURVEDA & WELLNESS RESORT, KERALA, INDIA ON THE SHORES of the Arabian Sea in ‘God’s Own Country’ is this wellness resort that serves up a path to wellness via authentic Ayurveda, naturopathy, marma, pranic healing and yoga. The property offers accommodation in pool villas that are scattered over 25 acres of landscaped gardens. A variety of wellness programmes is on offer, including a range of area-specific anti-ageing retreats. The Neuro-musculo-skeleton Strength Care programme uses a combination of Ayurveda, naturopathy, and marma to build strength and improve mobility. It includes sessions of abhyangam, kizhi, mud wraps and deep-tissue therapy, as well as daily sessions of yoga and meditation, and a customised Ayurvedic diet. carnoustieresorts.com De-Stress BUSHMANS KLOOF WILDERNESS RESERVE & WELLNESS RETREAT, SOUTH AFRICA THE…

The cool, laid-back vibe of Venice, Manhattan, and other nabes should be enjoyed slowly, and preferably on a skateboard. GETTING THERE Multiple airlines (Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates) offer one-stop flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Los Angeles. Venice is 20 minutes away. STAY Hotel Erwin on Pacific Avenue in Venice Beach offers four types of suites and five room categories. Also on offer are 10 packages soaked in the Venice vibe, including Dogtown Double-Down (from 36,236 mid-March), which comes with Impala’s Holographic Rollerskates and the GLOBE ‘Big Blazer’ Cruiserboard, and Ink+Stay (from 32,676), which includes couple credits for getting inked. Partial Ocean View King Suite from 27,337; hotelerwin.com TOURS Walking Tours LA (walkingtoursla.com) offers guided strolls in various neighbourhoods, including the colourful Venice. Aqua Surf School (aquasurf.com) provides surf…

A rambling colonial service town, Melbourne saw an unprecedented surge at the turn of the mid-19th century as the Victorian Gold Rush brought with it prodigious fortunes and laid foundations for what would later become one of the most liveable cities. The pandemic discovery of the yellow metal (as effortless as five metres below the surface) put the remote British colony on the world stage and introduced it to the cosmopolitan way of life. New townships popped up overnight, and within a decade, Melbourne was christened Marvellous Melbourne, an emerging settlement with the confidence of a modern city. Almost two centuries later, as I visit the bustling second city of Australia, Melbourne stands on the brink of another revolution—working towards a healthier future. Its 9.30 am on a Saturday morning…

THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE (IDL) is an imaginary line that separates the East from the West and one day from the next. But, as with all borders, it creates some oddities around the globe. One such location is the Diomede Islands in the middle of the Bering Strait, in the Pacific Ocean. The pair of islands stand just 3.8 kilometres apart. But, separated by an international maritime border, Big Diomede belongs to Russia and Little Diomede to the US. They are further divided by time—the IDL cuts through the Strait between the two islands and keeps them 21 hours apart on the clock. While Big Diomede is inaccessible, the 7.3-square-kilometre Little Diomede can be visited by boat or air from Alaskan cities like Nome. Home to just over a hundred…