Welcome to Travel and Beyond where the art of exploration intertwines with the allure of history, gastronomy, and culture.
We have been in Canberra for six months now and to have Canberrans’ nominate me for a Liebster Award is just fantastic! I am going to accept it as a welcoming gesture to this beautiful city we call home. My first nomination came from April of Aprillah. When I was very new to Canberra, I had a chance to meet April at a blogger get-together and we had a lot of...
It was a bright sunny day in Sydney. A bead of sweat ran down my neck as the heat warmed my skin. I had arrived from Canberra – the cold capital of Australia just 30 minutes ago snuggly wrapped in warm clothes. As I got out of the taxi, I started to remove my cardigan. Silhouetted against the bright sunlight were dark maroon Anglo Dutch gables sharply pointing into...
So it was the last day of the Floriade Nightfest 2014 and I decided to give it ago. To my surprise, I managed to get tickets just 3 hours before NightFest opened its gates, how lucky was that? I had already seen the beautiful flowers during the day, and decided I should at least see what the Floriade NightFest 2014 was all about. To be honest, I preferred looking at...
Born in 259BC, a 22 year old young ruler from the western state of Qin had enough of the warring states around him. This one man made a decision – a decision that changed the course of history. In his vision he sought to put an end to war mongering quarrels and unite the land. He smote the war mongers and subjugated them. Very soon he was lord of all and China was...
[tps_header]THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED![/tps_header] One hundred years ago on 1 January 1914, four men made the first scheduled commercial airline flight possible: Percival Fansler organised the funding for the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line which provided the first scheduled air service across Tampa Bay, Florida. Thomas Benoist’s airboat conducted the first flight...
[tps_header]THINGS TO DO IN XIAN: THE XI’AN CITY WALL IS THE OLDEST AND LARGEST SURVIVING WALL OF ITS KIND IN CHINA.[/tps_header] Its history began literally in the Stone Age 3000 years ago and served as the capital of China for several ancient dynasties. A great metropolis that was as important as Rome in its hey days. It was the starting point of the ancient...
It’s springtime in Australia and Mother Nature is having a makeover. The bare tree branches near my home are beginning to bloom with pretty flowers. The Cherry Blossoms trees in the city have bees humming around the opening buds. More butterflies are seen sitting on flowers and the screechy Cockatoos seem camouflaged between the flowering trees. It is also when...
Through my slightly parted hotel room curtains, I saw the gabled roofs of the Kumamoto Castle at the crack of dawn. The early morning sun reflected off its walls gently bathing it with warm golden hues. It stood there in majestic glory, proud of an ancient past. And as I gazed at the castle, time stood still. It appeared to me that the castle was beckoning to me to...
The multi award winning Regent Singapore is located on Cuscaden Road – central to the business district, the tranquil Botanical Gardens and a minutes’ walk away from Orchard Road, the city’s most exclusive shopping and entertainment hub. After a comprehensive facelift, Regent Singapore is unveiling its 440 newly refurbished guestrooms. Here is an account of my...
Cooing pigeons flew over my head. The sound of temple bells inviting the Gods to accept the prayers of the devoted reverberated around me. The temple guardians (dvarapala) stand vigil protecting the sacred precincts from malevolent forces. Resident macaques scale the limestone walls and the colossal 140 feet tall golden statue of Murugan, the primary Hindu deity...