100 journeys before i die : 40-31

Now, inching closer to even more hallowed ground.

40. The Great Barrier Reef

After all, it is the largest reef system on earth. Snorkel, Yacht, or just Beach it.

And the options for staying are heavenly. Hayman, Lizard Island and Bedarra are just a little bit of the cream of the crop. There's also a more mainstream Palazzo Versace at the more touristy Gold Coast.

39. South Island Hiking Trip

When you hear that this is the best that one of the world's most scenic countries can offer, your appetite is whetted. Simply put, Hike across New Zealand's South Island, taking in hills, snow, picture perfect lakes and awe inspiring fiords all along the way.

Blanket Bay is the South Island luxe headquarters.

38. Camel Safari to Petra

An ancient city hidden in the deserts? Exotic enough? Another Indiana Jones  fantasy - a safari a la bedouin through the Jordanian desert to Petra.

There's a clutch of family-style resorts like the unimaginative Movenpick Resort, but places like Feynan Eco-Resort promise to offer more authentic experiences. 

37. Fishing in Los Roques

This Venezuelan Archipelago promises two idyllic things - beautiful women (Venezuela!) and beautiful beaches (The Carribean!). Imagine coral islands with turquoise waters and white sands, with laid back shacks and absolute freedom from organized tourism. While that does mean an obvious lack of high end resorts, it also means that one of the last island paradises on earth remains that way. As for fishing, veggies like me can let go of the fish after a catch, carnivores can carry their earnings to the shack and get it cooked.


Beach shacks with rooms. The only way to go.

36. Deserted in the Lakshadweep

Another island paradise, but this time in our own backyard. While the Maldives rope in the world, the Lakshadweep remain calmer, more pristine. Twice the beauty, half the hype.


Nothing much to choose from. The amazingly overpriced Bangaram Island Resort offers a very spartan but decent stock to put yourself up in.

35. Hiking to Machu Pichu

The lost city of the Incas, high in the Andes, covered in mist, shrouded in Mystery. Boy, am I a sucker for Indiana Jones fantasies.


Cusco, nearby, is the base for Machu Pichu expeditions. Here, you should head straight to the fantastic Hotel Monasterio, but those prefering to be closer to the lost city can choose Monasterio's sister hotel, The Machu Pichu Sanctuary Lodge.

34. Trekking through Kinnaur

As you wind your way through Himachal's dusty and positively scary Sutlej valley, there comes a point where the hydel projects cease to appear, the valley is greener, the air thinner. You are in Kinnaur. Apart from awesome scenery and a hindu-buddhist cultural mix to interest many, Kinnaur offers the finest apples, and the achingly pretty Sangla Valley. Trekking routes abound, with starters like the Sangla Kanda trek through Sangla valley pastures, the Rupi Bhabha Wildlife Sanctuary Trek. More experienced trekkers can go for the religiously infused Kinner Kailash Parikrama and the Pin Parvati Pass Trek into neighbouring Spiti. Kinnaur is the best introduction to actually high mountains.


Not much to choose from apart from random guest houses in Kalpa and Recong Peo, or at Sangla. Sangla valley has a clutch of summer camps, notably Banjara Camp which is probably the only pedigreed place to stay upriver from Naldehra.

33. Island Hopping in Palau

Island paradise strikes again. This time, its a 'Blue Lagoon' like setting in the positively virgin islands of Palau, somewhere in the Pacific.


Largely all-inclusive resorts catering to Jap tourists, to choose from. Incongruous names like Palau Pacific and Palau Royal rule the roost here.

32. Shopping for Spices in Aleppo

Aleppo? Syria. Think of middle eastern mystique. Spice Souks, Muzzein Calls, Cul de Sacs, Crusader Castles, Roman Ruins... Think of Istanbul or Marrakech without the tourists, and double the atmosphere. Plus, Aleppo has more history than both.


Plenty of chic converted mansions to pick from, notably Mansouriya Palace Hotel.

31. Esfahan

The perfect city of the Islamic world, Esfahan has been famed for its beauty for generations at end, with poems going as far as to proclaim that the perfect suitor is one who has been to Esfahan, for he is both cultured and of able mental health. Thanks (or No Thanks?) to Iran's regime, Esfahan remains less plagued by tourist hordes, with only genuine travellers to accompany you as you discover the pleasures of the blue tiled mosques, the secret alleys, the friendly chais, the beautiful carpets...


The Abbassi hotel is amazingly famous for its setting in a reconverted Serai, and is full of all the kitsch you can hope to imagine.








Score - still, 13/60

100 journeys before i die : 50-41

After a month long hiatus, its time to hit the top 50.


50. Sunbathing in the Seychelles

'Idyllic' fits the bill. Think of white sand beaches, lush forests, crystalline waters... add in life a la creole, and you're willingly stuck in paradise. 


The Four Seasons is the de facto hotelito supremo.


49. The Shinkansen

Another fast train fetish - the Jap bullet. Another excuse to amble around Japan. But mostly a means to get in that cliched Japanese picture - Mount Fuji in the background, you in a bullet somewhere in the centre and cherry blossoms at the fore. That means you should take a ride from Tokyo to Kyoto (also to fulfil a journey that will show up higher up on the list), or Osaka / Fukuoka / Hiroshima (basically anywhere west of Tokyo). Alternatively, head up north to Sapporo or Nagano to time your trip with some winter fun (both have been Winter Olympics hosts).


When in Tokyo, the Park Hyatt rules the always crumbly roost. Tough competition from a variety of players - Two Four Seasons, a Ritz-Carlton, a Peninsula, a Mandarin Oriental and so on.


48. The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

Simple enough. Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge and take the most awesome photo of you life. 


Sydney has plenty of hotels to offer. The Park Hyatt has an awesome location on the waterfront between the opera house and the bridge. Others include Four Seasons and the demure The Observatory (with its famed franco-japanese fare), apart from the Blue, further away, but equally hep with its decor.


47. The Road to Timbuktu

Yes, Timbuktu exists, and so does the road to exotica. While Mali (the country) is no tourist paradise, its like a grail for the intrepid traveller. Beyond the mud walls of Timbuktu, head out and mix with the many tribes, rediscover the roots of voodoo in the day markets and just soak in the aroma of authentic Africana. Better still, rope in yourself with a nomadic safari through Mali, going through the regions of Mopti and Dogon, mixing the savannah with the sahara.


Don't expect too much in this last-outpost-of-exotica. Adequacy is the best find in the under-a-dozen hotels that offer air conditioned rooms and running hot and cold water.


46. Uluru

Or, as the non-aborigines better know it, Ayer's Rock, sitting bang in the centre of the Australian bushlands. Couple it with the now-touristified but reasonably nice aboriginal experiences on offer, and voila - best stargazing nights of your life.


A lot of luxe places dot the landscape, Longitude 131° being the best, as per international reviews.


45. Ferry Hopping across the Aegean Sea

That means the sun-kissed, white plastered, windmill-dotted, blue domed, hilly laned, empty beach-ed, oh-so-romantic Greek Islands.


A huge amount of places to stay, but go for Katakies on Mykonos, a local legend of sorts. But the best you can do is hire a superyacht and sail off with the young and pretty.


44. Antoni Gaudi's Barcelona

Which is definitely the most done-with way to see (IMO) the best city in western Europe. When you're done with gazing at the Sagrada Familia and loving the Parc Guell, take a trip to the other architectural marvels of the city - Montjuic Hill (with the positively supreme Barcelona Pavillion), Port Olimpic and Tibidabo Hill, along with the ever-inviting La Rambla. Take a cue from Vicky Cristina Barcelona, it helps.


Stay at the W, strongly reminiscent of the Burj al Arab, but exciting in its own right. Or, go for Gran Hotel la Florida, sitting silently on Tibidabo hill and offering the hi-life with awesome views.


43. Wildife in the Ngorongoro Crater

Africa and luxury very obviously translate to safaris and camps. Ngorongoro crater is a meteor formed depression with everything you can expect from the African savannah.


And that includes the near legendary Ngorongoro Crater Lodge to lighten your pockets at as well.


42. Play Tomb Raider at Angkor Wat

Fairly simple. Play out your Indian Jones / Lara Croft fantasies in the Jungle encroached ruins of Angkor. You can patch that up with lessons in Buddhism with monks, or boat house hopping on the massive Tonle Sap lake.


You really don't need to look elsewhere with Aman at hand. Go for Amansara. Plenty of others as well.


41. Italian Food on the Italian Coast

Is there a better way, still? While I've ogled my eyes out at the oh-so-pretty Cinque Terre, there are still places like Portofino and the Amalfi Coast (the place which most Hollywood movies show as a serpentine highway on a cliff-sea-side driven on by a lonely actress in a speedy car). La Dolce Vita, indeed.


Le Sirenuse in Positano and Hotel Splendido in Portofino are two of the best rated hotels in the country, both occupying pretty hillside locations with views of towns literally spilling down to the sea.




Score - 13/50