For Cuisine Noir magazine. October 2017. Eight ways to travel safer, cheaper and make a difference. Wish you could travel more? Perhaps a limited budget and time is holding you back. Or maybe you are waiting for a friend or spouse to accompany you on your journey. Travel is an important part of our lives, […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away. September 2017.  If you’ve been to Japan, you’ve probably been overwhelmed by enormous crowds walking through streets filled with skyscrapers and glistening neon lights, mechanical sounds of pachinko slots, and colorful plates of weird looking creatures passing around on conveyor sushi belts. Stepping out of Tokyo, you may have visited majestic […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away Blog. August 2017. While most people know of Georgia, the peach state in the southern US, very few are aware of Georgia, the former Soviet republic that’s tucked between Europe and Asia. The country is one of the oldest in the world, and has a rich culture that has managed to […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away blog. July 2017.  When you think of visiting Japan, the images that probably come to mind most are the leaning skyscrapers, glistening neon lights, and busy road crossings of Tokyo is like any other major city in the world. But head out of the county’s most famous city and you’ll find well-preserved monuments against […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. July 2017. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows wrap around a sleek interior of red and black. Waves of natural wood cover the entire ceiling. A lone painting of Atlanta’s skyline adorns one of the walls. Designed under the Japanese minimalist principal of Ma, the space is uncluttered, the lines clean. This is CO, […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away blog. June 2017.  There’s something childishly fulfilling about staying up in a treehouse. This summer, if you want to feel a bit nostalgic and re-ignite some of those emotions (but you just can’t part with a few luxuries), you’ll be happy to know there are decadent modern treehouses just for you. But […]

For Khabar Magazine print edition. June 2017.  Kaala Pani is such a storied place in the narrative of India’s independence struggle. Visiting that infamous jail was a humbling experience. The iconic pagodas of Myanmar, on the other hand, inspired awe. Growing up in northern India, I did not have much of a chance to explore […]

For Global Atlanta. May 2017.  Why are millions of people from all over the world — including some from Atlanta — traveling to a small town near the capital of Brazil in search of personal and physical healing? To find out, I flew to Brasilia, having extended my stay in the country after a week […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away blog. May 2017. This Eastern European country has been popular among tourists because of its magnificent national parks, long coastline along the Adriatic Sea, and enchanting islands frequented by sailboats and yachts. But Croatia also has many small towns that offer natural beauty, authentic culture and local cuisine. Here are some […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. April 2017. Into Atlanta’s ever-widening ring of regional and modern Indian restaurants steps Jai Ho Indian Kitchen and Bar. Located in the former Madre + Mason spot in Morningside, the restaurant’s name means “let there be victory” in Hindi, perhaps in hopes that it will fare better than its locational predecessors. […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away. April 2017.  I have been doing yoga off and on for my entire life, but I still didn’t know what to expect when I first arrived at the Sedona Yoga Festival. It was early March and I was slated to attend all three days of the self-described “consciousness evolution conference,” where […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. March 2017.  From the outside, Royal Myanmar Cuisine looks like nothing more than a drive-through converted into a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, standing by itself in a quiet commercial plaza with a strip club, a liquor store and a few questionable-looking eateries. The interior of the former Crazy Wings is also very plain, […]

For Cuisine Noir magazine. March 2017.  Arizona is known to be one of the best spa destinations in the world. There’s no doubt that its native plants and herbs discovered by Native American healers have many spiritual and physical medicinal properties. Arizona’s dry climate, ample sunshine and warm temperatures make it a good place to […]

For The Huffington Post. March 2017.  I don’t have any life-threatening illnesses, depression or anything that is holding me from living my best life. Still, I felt drawn to go see John of God, a spiritual medium in a small town in Brazil, who has said to have cured millions of people. I first heard […]

For The Huffington Post. March 2017.  Looking for the latest laptops, cameras, or gadgets that will make travel easier and more exciting? Here are some of the best technical innovations of the year…. CANON POWERSHOT POWERSHOT G9 X MARK II CAMERA BY CANON $529 This hi-tech 20.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 3x Optical Zoom, DIGIC 7 […]

For The Huffington Post. March 2017.  Are you a frequent traveler, travel blogger or enjoy having the latest gadgets in travel? Then you need to take a look at this list and check out some of the most innovative products of the year. SAMSONITE STRYDE SAMSONITE STRYDE LUGGAGE $289.99 Shaped like a square, Stryde offers […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away blog. March 2017.  What do the movies The Martian, The Last Days on Mars, Prometheus, and Red Planet all have in common? They’re all science fiction movies set on other planets and they were all filmed in southern Jordan. In fact, from Lawrence of Arabia to The Hurt Locker, international filmmakers have been coming […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. March 2017.  Sadia Sosa Walker moved to Atlanta from Santiago, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic, in the year 2000. It was her first time in the United States and she felt instantly nostalgic for the aroma of slow roasting pork, the chit-chat of aunts and uncles gathered for […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away blog. March 2017. Bhutan is consistently ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world, and is the only country to measure its progress based on GNH (Gross National Happiness) vs GDP (Gross Domestic Product). So, what’s the secret behind Bhutan’s happiness? In order to unravel this mystery, we visited The […]

For CheapOAir Miles Away blog. February 2017.  Think carnivals are only for adults who want to drink, dance and party the night away? Think again! The carnival on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire is a celebration lasting an entire month. Locally known as Karnaval, the island’s must-see events includes colorful parades, pageants, tumba music, and family […]

For The Huffington Post. February 2016. On a Wednesday afternoon, Gotham Bar and Grill is bustling with executives, vacationers and retired folks. There is a wait to get a table for lunch at this 30-year old legendary Greenwich Village restaurant. I savor every bite as I dig into my rainbow beet salad with toasted hazelnuts and creamy […]

For The Huffington Post. February 2017.  I call myself a restless traveler – one that always likes be on the move. I like to wander and get lost, not necessarily be bused around the main attractions. I prefer to taste the local cuisine, even if it means getting out of my dietary comfort zone. I […]

For Creative Loafing Atlanta. February 2017.  Sandwiching the northwestern corner of I-285 are the city of Smyrna and the unincorporated town of Vinings, fondly known together by some locals as Smynings. Until the 1990s, one of the only iconic structures here was the historic Vinings Jubilee, a town center with brick buildings, a clock tower, […]

For The Huffington Post. February 2017.  Reading along with kids can be a lot of fun. It gives you a chance to bond with your kids, just one-on-one, without interruptions from the outside world. I wrote Beato Goes To series of children’s picture books keeping in mind that parents need conversation starters to help them share stories […]