India, with a population of around 1.2 billion people is the second most populated country in the world. Despite of the density and different religious backgrounds, India has managed to maintain a peaceful balance among its people. So it is to no surprise then that when it comes to festivals, India blooms with a vivacity of colors.

Sri Lanka is a gem of an island located near the Indian peninsular. This island can easily take up a whole week’s worth of your vacation time or even more! There are many things that you can do in Sri Lanka but here we have compiled a rough guide of a 7-day Itinerary for the would-be-adventurers to consider.

BY SUZANA JAMIL

The first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Indian food is of course, curry (or kari)! But do you know that in India itself curry only means “gravy”? As such, a person traveling to India should not go strolling into a restaurant asking for kari at random. Because that would be quite meaningless. In India you need to be more specific in what type of dish or cooking that you might want to try.

Mysterious Nepal, land of the mystics and the spiritually inclined, Nepal is a country where Hinduism has been largely influenced by Buddhism. As of that meld in religion over the years as well as being at a border with India and China, gives Nepal it’s distinct character that is different in the region. The location of a cluster of the highest mountain ranges in the world, including the Mount Everest, as well as mind blowing scenery, makes Nepal as one of the most must visit places for those seeking a great journey outdoors.

If you are like me, and can’t stand the cold even if your life depended on it, there are a few lovely warm places you can head to. Surprisingly some of these places wouldn’t even cost you an arm and a leg. So pack up and get your gears, to some of the toastier places of Asia.

BY SUZANA JAMIL

Don’t you feel that there are times that you just want to get away from it all? Somewhere you can escape, in order to do some soul searching in this increasingly crazy world.

I am inclined to believe that there are no bad beaches in Maldives. The water is always crystal clear and at other times, blue. Resorts cluster by the dozens on this chain of islands and in fact it’s pretty hard to find a bad one. I’m sure there is in terms of service but most of them are pretty decent. But here are some of the more interesting ones in Maldives.