Let’s Visit Asia

Organizing your bus transportation within India has just become a bit more convenient as Make My Trip expands its range of offerings to include bus ticket bookings.

Just like booking an airline flight, all you have to do is to enter your travel dates, points of departure and destination, and seat. You can use a credit card, debit card or an internet enabled online bank account to pay for your bookings. And like airline bookings, you will then be issued an e-ticket, which you need to present upon boarding together with some form of identification.
Neat, eh?
Image: Make My Trip screenshot

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As of writing, the current live ranking of the nominees to become a New 7 Wonders of Nature indicate that the top 7 places are all to be found in Asia!

Ha Long Bay – Vietnam
Tubbataha Reef – Philippines
Chocolate Hills – Philippines
Cox’s Bazar Beach- Bangladesh
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park – Philippines
Ganges River – Bangladesh/India
Mount Everest – Nepal

Have you been to any one of them yet?

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NuWire Investor has published its Top 5 Medical Tourism Destinations and names Malaysia and India as 3rd and 5th most attractive for medical tourists and foreign investors, respectively.
Malaysia offers a wide array of medical procedures—including dental, cosmetic and cardiac surgeries—at significantly lower costs than in the U.S. In Malaysia, cardiac bypass surgery, for example, costs around $6,000 to $7,000, according to a publication released by Tourism Malaysia last November.
India has become a well-known medical tourist destination for cardiac and orthopedic procedures. In the past, American patients have travelled to India for procedures such as Birmingham hip resurfacing, which was previously …read more

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Would you expect to find a taste of France in… India? If you think it unlikely, then you probably haven’t heard of Pondicherry (Puducherry).
On the southeastern coast, about 150 miles south of Chennai, Pondicherry is, for an Indian city, tiny. Just about a million people live there, mostly in the types of charmless, three- and four-story concrete buildings erected all over the poorer parts of Asia. But near the Bay of Bengal, the cityscape changes drastically. Soon you see tile roofs and wooden shutters, balconies and colonnades, wide brick streets and pastel Catholic churches — the neighborhood once known as …read more

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There has been a number of new airports which opened the last few weeks, and more are set to open in the near future. I can imagine that if you’re a frequent traveler expecting to land in the Changi Airport Terminal 1 and end up in the newly opened Terminal 3, it can be disorienting. However, I think it’s one thing for such arrival information to escape passengers and another for a pilot to remain in the dark about where they’re supposed to land.
An airline pilot took his passengers on a 1,200-mile detour after refusing to land at a new …read more

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Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day or just wanted to treat a special someone to a truly romantic experience, check out Orient Express’ list of Romantic Getaways in South-East Asia. Among their top-picks:
1. Road to Mandalay, Myanmar
2. Jimbaran Puri Bali, Indonesia
3. The Governor’s Residence, Yangon
4. Napasai, Koh Samui
5. La Résidence d’Angkor, Cambodia
6. Eastern & Oriental Express
7. Ubud Hanging Gardens, Bali
8. La Résidence Phou Vao, Laos
February 14 or not, I hope you get the opportunity to discover Asia’s most romantic destinations, rekindle romance and spend love-ly time together with your significant other soon!

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Do you travel a lot within India? Then you might want to take advantage of Jet Airways India’s Fly Free International offer to its JetPrivilege Members.
Exclusively, for our JetPrivilege members, fly Jet Airways between February 1 and April 30, 2008 on the select domestic sectors mentioned below and get a FREE ticket to exciting destinations on our international network.
Complete 20 one-way domestic flights in Premiere or Economy on eligible fares and get a free return ticket in Premiere or Economy to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok*, Dhaka, Colombo, Doha, Kuwait, Bahrain and Muscat. The international tickets will be issued for travel …read more

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The Starwood chain of hotels has opened the new five star Westin Sohna-Gurgaon, Resort & Spa, located 45 min from the booming growth area of Gurgaon and 65 km from international airport in New Delhi.

Considering its location and amenities, it’s an ideal place for business and leisure travelers alike. Young travelers are welcome to try the children’s pool and join the Westin Kids Club. I’d say it’s a perfect place for those traveling on business, with their family tagging along. The Taj Mahal in Agra and the Pink City of Jaipur are both within a half day’s drive of the …read more

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When traveling in a foreign country, how do you know which restaurant serves the best local cuisine? Your travel guidebook might have some recommendations, but often I find that those digs are less authentic, probably because most of these establishments cater to tourists, and the flavors are already adjusted according to the targeted clientele’s tastes.
One trick I’ve found is to scan the patrons. If the resto is popular with the locals, then it’s a good indication that what you’ll get is what the dishes are supposed to taste like. Of course, it’s not a fool-proof plan. The best strategy is …read more

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Deepavali or Diwali is a major festival in India. Celebrated by Hindus and Jains all over the world, the “Festival of Lights” signify the uplighting of darkness and victory of good over the evil within.
There is confusion as to the origin of the tradition, but that doesn’t stop the Indian communities from celebrating it this coming Friday, November 9. Well, unless you happen to be visiting Chennai, in which case, where the 5-day celebration has just begun today, until the 11th.
If you want to learn more about this Indian festival, you can find a lot of information here.

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