Today we leave Havana for our long drive east to Trinidad located in central Cuba. En route we stopped in Santa Clara founded in 1689 and was the last battle ground of the Cuban Revolution which toppled the Batista government in 1958. One of these guerrilla columns that attacked and captured Santa Clara was led … Continue reading Trinidad & Cienfuegos, Cuba April 2017
After a two and half hour flight from Panama City, we arrived in Havana, Cuba. Cuba has forever been on my travel list and since it remained relatively closed off and preserved in a time warp, I always imagined it to be the ultimate looking glass into the the colonial past. We were told that … Continue reading Havana, Cuba April 2017
Panama City is the most cosmopolitan city in Central America. The city has been the regional hub of trade and immigration mainly because of the Panama Canal which is one of the most important shipping routes in the world linking the North Atlantic Ocean with the North Pacific Ocean via the Caribbean Sea. Even prior … Continue reading Panama City April 2017
From Munnar, we continue our journey west to Cochin. It took us about 4 hours by car to arrive at the Taj Malabar Hotel where we spent the night before boarding the Oberoi Vrinda Boat in Alleppey for our 3-day cruise in the backwaters of Kerala. Kerala is a state in South India on the Malabar … Continue reading Kerala: Alleppey & Cochin Feb 2017
From Madurai, we drive about 4 hours to reach Munnar. Munnar is a hill station located at 1,600 meters in the Western Ghats range of mountains in Kerala. It once served as the summer resort for the British Government in South India. It is still a popular resort town nowadays with tea plantations, small towns, … Continue reading Munnar Feb 2017
From Tiruchirappalli, we drove about two and half hours southwest to Madurai. Madurai is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu state in South India. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, at least since 3rd century BC. We stayed at the Gateway Hotel Pasumalai run by Taj Hotels up on … Continue reading Madurai Feb 2017
From Chennai, we fly to Tiruchirappalli or Trichy, about 300 kilometers south of Chennai. Tiruchirappalli is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Tamil Nadu province being ruled by the Cholas from the 3rd century BC. It is a good base for visiting the Great Living Chola Temples. There are no international chain hotels here … Continue reading Chola Temples & Trichy Feb 2017
