Tag Archives: people

The town of Munnar, in Kerala, South India, was once a popular summer resort for members of the British Raj. Sitting high (1,600 metres – 5,200 feet) in the Western Ghats, this hill station offered cooler summer temperatures than those in the hot and humid coastal cities. Tea plantations were established here in the late […]

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Is there anything as joyful as being in a room with live music that is being performed by musicians who love what they are doing? I had the pleasure of attending the 31st Thredbo Blues Festival last month. It started on a Friday evening in January, and continued through to late Sunday night. I’ve attended […]

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Finally! The day dawned clear, and while the mists cloaked the distant mountains, the extensive green hills covered in tea bushes and silver oak trees that surrounded my ‘resort’ had at long-last come into view. I had booked myself in for a week’s stay above Munnar, a town in the Western Ghats in India’s southern […]

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The best way to visit the Maluku’s (Malakas, Moluccas) in the eastern part of Indonesia is by ship. These were once known as the Spice Islands. The nutmeg, mace, and cloves that grew here – and nowhere else – attracted the attention of 16th century European colonial powers. The Spice Wars of the 1500s were […]

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I read a lot of historical fiction growing up. Much of it took place in “The Colonies”. So, I always had a fascination with India’s many Hill Stations. Finally! A couple of years ago, I had my chance: I was booked on two trips in India’s south, with a four week interval between them. To […]

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