Letter from Assam, Part 2: Breakfast with the birds, lunch with monks and dinner around the fire
From tea estates, this second part of my travel through Assam takes me to Majuli Island, the world's largest inhabited river island, and home to rich birdlife and devout monks who express their faith through art and dance. It was also there I met a hotelier of a different sort.
The Dekasang Res [...]
Letter from Assam, Part 1: Of tea, monsoons and learning to be a guest
Since everyone's talking about the desire for local, authentic experiences these days, there's no better place to have them than in places which are remote and less travelled. The lack of infrastructure and tourists does mean giving up on certain conveniences but hey, isn't that the point of travel? [...]
Summary of WIT 2017 Conference, Day 2, in Videos
Here is part two of the WIT 2017 Conference digest, where we summarise the key ideas shared on Day Two – dipping our toes in topics spanning the true potential of AI, to the evolution of the corporate travel sector, and how North Asia and Europe plan to cash in on regional growth.
Coffee Chat [...]
Nagaland, here I come – travel is still not easy, thank goodness for that
As I prepare for my year-end trip to Assam and Nagaland in Incredible India, I can’t help but reflect on the year that’s just whizzed by and the year that will undoubtedly come upon us faster than we can say travel.
Here are my reflections on the cusp of a new year.
• Isn’t it wonderfu [...]
Summary of WIT 2017 Conference, Day 1, in videos
As 2017 comes to a close, it’s time to take a moment to reflect on the lessons learned and the stories told throughout WIT 2017… and how we can take these new insights and adapt in time for the coming year. Here is our first take of all the key highlights from Day One of WIT 2017 as well as link [...]
How to play the infinite game, curing loneliness with travel and living forever
Long game or infinite game, whatever the term you choose to use, I am sure there was purpose behind the choice of Simon Sinek as keynote speaker at the Expedia Partner Conference held in Las Vegas last week.
Sinek, who’s working on a new book called “The Infinite Game”, drew an analog [...]
As cruises grow in Asia, will tech and customer behaviour converge to rock the boat?
There are many things cruise companies say that they hold to be true. One of these is, if you’ve been on a cruise, you will become a fan for life.
I don’t necessarily believe that to be true – I went on my first sea cruise when cruising was just taking off in Singapore in the 80s with the l [...]
Letter from Las Vegas: The cowboys are coming, travel goes on, no matter what
As the plane approached Las Vegas, I wondered if I would find things changed. After all, it’s only been two months since that horrific shooting when 58 fans attending an outdoor country and western concert at Mandalay Bay were gunned down.
The year before, I had gone reluctantly to a shooti [...]
How to fly high: Lessons from Tony Fernandes
It was fitting that I was flying high on a United Airlines flight to San Francisco when I read the new book by Tony Fernandes, group CEO of AirAsia, as he told his story from the low cost airline to QPR (Queen’s Park Rangers, for those who may not be familiar with soccer).
It’s a great inflig [...]
Letter from Fort Lauderdale: From storms to tech, global forces that bind us
Piles of seaweed lie strewn along the water’s edge along Hollywood Beach in Fort Lauderdale. I am told it’s the remnants of Hurricane Irma which crashed through the state of Florida last month.
From the other side of the world, I’ve been receiving updates of the floods that have devastated [...]
