I stood still mesmerizing the Indian Ocean, on my right is the Arabian Sea; turning to the left is the Bengal Bay. I felt great and happy to be in a place where the ocean, the sea and the bay collided together at this very point where I stood. Winds of change that gave me such thrill and not sure exactly which direction of wind came from. Felt the cold waters over my feet, coarse sand that kept overlapping onto my feet, in between my toes, each time the waves charges towards me and at this moment I asked to myself, when was the last time I had such fun at the beach. Despite the drizzle, people still throng to this place for a splash, a dip in, children got excited over the waves on icy ... read more

Like everyone else, I was dressed only the vesthy, ushered by the committee members for a quick holy dip at the Bengal Bay in the quaint little town of Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. I choke as I got to swallow some sea water while taking the dip. I am the fairest of them all. All eyes stared at me, I felt awkward but I just kept going trying to shake the waters off me, kept myself dry. But not for long. Inside Rameswaram Temple, there are twenty wells. According to the Hindus, these wells contain holy waters to cleanse our sins. I wondered how thick my sins were as I walked in to get my first shower at the first Theertam (well). Each well I was showered with three buckets full of water. Imagine these, there were ... read more

Gaharu is known as the Wood of God. It is also known as Aloeswood, Agarwood, Eaglewood, Oud and even Jinko. It is the most expensive wood ever grown on this world. It produces resins after the mature age of over twenty years. It has medicinal value. Gaharu leaves contain high levels of anti-aging, anti-cancer properties. Traditionally used for strengthening the heart, reducing blood sugar, lowering blood pressure and stabilizing the nervous system. Also helps to improve sleep, anti-aging, promotes beauty, eliminate flatulence and expels oils. The resins are commonly used for burning of incense and made perfume. This is commonly used by the Middle East, The Chinese and The Indians. The price for unpolished resins is RM20,000 per kilogramme, RM100,000 after manufactured. Gaharu Tea Valley of Gopeng has about 300,000 hectares of land, carpeting at least ... read more

Due to the conflict of the military regime in Burma in the 1980s – 1990s, the Karen hill tribe fled to the Thai Borders. The Government of Thailand had accepted them and located the Long Neck Karen in the Ban Mai Nai Son refugee village, 15km from the Mae Hon Son Province in the North of Thailand. Since then the Long Neck Karen became the attraction to the tourist in this region. There are about 600 Karens todate in the northern Thailand. They are also known as the Padaung. The Long Neck Karen started at a very tender age. They started at the age of five years old. As they grew older they kept adding the rings until they could not do so. They will solder the brass rings to add the length they chose. It ... read more

A straight road to Mahabaliburam from Chennai took us about an hour drive, hot day it was, dust, dust, dust, flying everywhere, low flat lands, from shops, houses to nice bungalows along the way, a better sight compared the city. A stretch of brown sandy beach on my left hand side about a mile away, quite enticing, wanting to take a dip in that blue cool waters of Bengal Bay. We reached a tourist spot, lots of shops displaying paintings, statues of Gods, costume jewelries, making of leather sandals and slippers and granite carvings are quite nice to watch, and a rare treat for me after so many days in India I finally see some cottage industries that I long for. Believe it or not I bought a pair of slippers. Come on!...we need to support ... read more