Te Aroha – a holiday in the hills

Mukteshwar (Uttarakhand): Nestled in Dhanachuli village, a few kilometres from this popular destination, is the Te Aroha resort.

A summer house converted into a boutique luxury hotel, Te Aroha offers its guests traditional architecture and contemporary comforts. The surroundings are breathtaking, thanks to snowcapped mountains and the serenity of the place.

It is the brainchild of Sumant Batra, a lawyer, writer and…

Budget benefits NRIs and quashes tax fears

When a non-resident Indian (NRI) lands in India now, he or she can zoom through customs with duty-free goods worth Rs 35,000 ($685). That’s a small increase from the earlier duty-free allowance of Rs 25,000.

As millions of Indians travel abroad every year and have become big spenders, they have been clamouring for a duty-free allowance of at least Rs 50,000 ($1,000). They argue that considering the prices of designer…

A journey to Ajmer Sharif

Ajmer: From Mughal emperor Akbar who came praying for a son to a relentless stream of around 12,000 people who throng every day to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, the pull of the 12th century Sufi shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer remains undiminished.

The marble-domed tomb of the Sufi saint, located 145 km from Jaipur, in the middle of…

Australian consumer prices go up

Sydney: Australian consumer prices rose in March due to price rise in holiday travel and accommodation, alcohol and fuel, according to a survey released Monday.

The survey was released by investment dealer TD Securities and the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

The TD Securities-Melbourne Institute Monthly Inflation Gauge rose by 0.5 per cent in March, following a 0.1 per cent increase in February, reported Xinhua.

In the 12 months…

Indian tourism upbeat despite tight budget

Although India’s latest budget has increased the allocation for tourism by less than 10 per cent, the tourism ministry remains hopeful that it can bring in at least seven million foreign tourists to the country during this fiscal year, an increase of one million when compared to the six million figure of the last year.

Some ministry officials hope to go even higher to almost 10 million tourists for 2012….

Ireland beckons Indians

With monastic structures that date back over a millennium and some picture-postcard settings of its countryside, Ireland has more to offer to visitors than its Guinness, whiskeys and pubs it is otherwise famous for.

Formally called the Republic of Ireland- with a population of some 4.6 million people, occupying about a five-sixth of the island located northwest of continental Europe, with…

An adventurous holiday at Kikar Lodge

Ropar (Punjab): How about a getaway in the lap of nature, with adrenalin-pumping adventure sports thrown in? Kikar Lodge in a forested part of northern Punjab may be just the place.

After two hours of an exhausting bumpy road ride from Chandigarh, 70 km away, when visitors enter the lodge nestled in the Shivalik foothills in Ropar district, their discomfort and…

Capturing 100 years of Delhi in colours

New Delhi: The making of Delhi is the focus of two major art expositions to be held in the capital over the next few days.

A cultural exposition ‘Dastan-e-Dilli’ will commemorate 100 years of Delhi being the national capital with an exhibition ‘Timeless Delhi’ Dec 14.

Delhi was declared the national capital Dec 12, 1911, by King George V when he visited…

Destination India for LGBT Tourists

New Delhi: The romance between India and gay tourists is growing and cashing in on the interest, many Indian and international gay travel agencies are keenly pursuing the market by organising packages and special deals to cater to this niche segment.

In the same context, the national capital Monday hosted the first Asian symposium on gay and lesbian tourism, attended by…

Postcard from Bali

Nusa Dua (Bali): The stylised figures from Hindu mythology and gnomes, fanged demons and animals, some towering, some not so – exquisitely crafted stone sculptures are as much a part of this Indonesian island, where Balinese Hindus comprise the majority of the island’s population in this Muslim-majority nation, as the famed sun, sand and sea spray.

Interestingly, many of the sculptures…