Manipur – Exotic Jewel of the Hills

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By Neena Bhandari

Imphal (India), 21.04.2009 (The Hindu Businessline): While Manipur simmers with unrest, memories of a once serene State come flashing to mind. As the aircraft takes off leaving behind the hustle and bustle of Dum Dum, the Manipuri air-hostess greets us with a polite `namaste’. Flying across Bangladesh in this Calcutta-Imphal flight, an uncertain delight engulfs me for North-East has always held a special fascination for me.

After a few hours and a stopover at Silchar, where passengers who board the flight remind one of bus commuters, some even carrying sacks of potatoes, we touch the rain-washed airfield of Imphal.
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Spa Sojourn – Daylesford

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Daylesford, the heart of Australia’s calming spa country. Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Daylesford (Victoria), 21.04.2009 (The Hindu Metro Plus): Natural mineral springs, renowned for therapeutic healing bubble beneath the twin towns of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, are a picturesque 90-minute drive from the Victorian capital, Melbourne.

This is the heart of Australia’s calming spa country, home to perhaps the largest number of holistic practitioners in the Southern Hemisphere, offering cocooning mudbaths and clay wraps to water therapies and massage treatments.

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Echidna Encounters

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Eco-friendly Wilderness Retreats in Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victoria, Australia. Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Wilson’s Promontory (Victoria, Australia) On a balmy summer morning, we snake our way through the wide Melbourne roads, yet to be inundated with rush hour traffic. The shutters in this city of urban flair are still down, apart from a few cafes where early risers are enjoying hot breakfast on cobbled pavements and joggers are making the most of the crisp morning breeze.

We are heading to the Wilsons Promontory National Park, the southernmost tip of mainland Australia. I am filled with a sense of excitement and adventure, similar to the one felt during those short getaways from Delhi to the national parks and sanctuaries of Rajasthan and Haryana.

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