The call to prayer echoed through Fez’s donkey dung-smelling alleys and towards the nearby hills. Booming as it was, the noise from the tumultuous crowd of campaigners (election in Morocco was to take place in a few days) three levels below was still very audible. We were on the rooftop of a dar we hired…
Author: Gay Mitra
Crown Regency Hotel Makati: Layover HQ
The silent, deserted lobby of Crown Regency Plaza Hotel Makati was a refuge. We had just come from a battle with the traffic congestion just outside Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 at an ungodly hour. Like, 2:00 AM ungodly. Our little travel tribe (plus my mum who picked us up from the airport in…
Lombok, Indonesia: Eat, Play, Laze
12 days in Indonesia. 39 restless souls (also known as social media influencers/bloggers/vloggers). 5 destinations — only one of which I had not visited. Lombok. Lombok, an island in the West Nusa Tenggara province, was exactly how I imagined it. Paradisiacal and relatively uncrowded. What Bali must have been like a long time ago. Day…
Borobudur And Ratu Boko, Indonesia: The Sun We Chased. The Day We Seized.
“Dua orang domestik.”, I remember it so vividly. Our Javanese Couchsurfing host paid the ticket price for Indonesians for him and me. The lone person manning the booth looked up, met my gaze, and I nervously pretended to be busy with my iPod. A couple of minutes later, I was successfully (sorta) smuggled into the…
The Lagoon Spa, Seminyak, Bali
“Do you play Pokemon Go? This is a Pokestop.”, it felt like an Astadala Hotel Management staff just spilled some classified information. The last thing I’d expect to hear at the entrance of a spa. “Oh. Do players flock here then?”, I wondered if the guard spends his day catching/shooing trespassers or non-guests/clients or… Pokemons….
Alila Seminyak, Bali: A Ten-Hour Affair
On a sizzlin’ Saturday, early arvo, the dog-tired motley crew of Trip Of Wonders flooded the lobby of Alila Seminyak whilst I hogged a groovy Kombi parked at the driveway. “Wow look at that view.”, the ladies chorused, heads turned towards the water. “Quick Potpot, picture!,” I almost dragged Travel Trilogy to the vintage VW…
Three Must-see Festivals In Melbourne This October 2016
There are events all year round in Melbourne, but perhaps October is the most exciting month in the city due to the number of festivals that are usually held during this season. If you’re planning to take a vacation in Melbourne, now’s a good time to visit because you’ll surely have lots of fun and…
Belmont Hotel Manila: Luxe Transit
Off a delayed flight from Australia and out of the arrivals hall, I stepped into familiar smell and familiar heat. I was surrounded by familiar noise. Manila may be hectic and chaotic, but I terribly missed it. It’s home. I’d visit any chance I get, even if it’s just a 20-hour layover. And this was…
NuArt Sculpture Park, Bandung, Indonesia: Molten Metal Marvels
Under the shade of towering trees, whose branches swayed to the haunting Sigur Ros-esque music played by a duo in the middle of NuArt Sculpture Park, we strolled in packs. We clung on to what was familiar: Spoke mainly our native language, and shared our thoughts within our respective groups. Our interaction with people outside…
