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Siargao is the Philippines surf capital, and Cloud 9 is why. A hollow reef break off General Luna, watched from a wooden boardwalk that runs straight out over the reef. You do not have to surf to get it. Walking that boardwalk at sunrise is the thing itself.
Si Phan Don means 4000 islands. It is not the sea, it is the Mekong in Laos. Don Det and Don Khon are joined by an old French bridge, and you cycle between them. Li Phi falls on Don Khon, Irrawaddy dolphins in the river below. I think it is the slowest place in Southeast Asia.
There is a valley in Colombia where palm trees grow 60 metres tall. Not 6. Sixty. They stand on green hillsides in the mist like poles someone forgot to take down. This is the Cocora Valley, near a town called Salento.
Go in December to February, or June to August, when the trails are driest. Delhi to Bogota returns have been seen from about Rs 97,000. Once you are there, the valley day itself is cheap. Jeep plus entry comes to under Rs 1,000.
Air India Express has cancelled its Bengaluru-Patna flight from 1 to 15 November, and its Delhi-Patna flight on 8 November, Diwali day. If you are flying to Patna for Diwali or Chhath, check your booking now. via Times of India
I kept coming back to one place in Brazil this week. Chapada Diamantina, in Bahia. Its Fumaca waterfall drops 340 metres, and on a windy day the water breaks into mist before it hits the ground. That is where the name comes from. Smoke falls.
Rough cost. Delhi to Salvador returns have been seen from about Rs 1.08 lakh. A guided 3 day Fumaca trek runs from about 400 dollars. I would budget roughly Rs 1.6 to 2 lakh per person for a week. Indians need a visitor visa in advance, around Rs 8,000.
There is a boulder in Norway wedged between two cliffs, 984 metres above a fjord. People stand on it for a photo. It is called Kjeragbolten, above Lysefjord.
Rough cost, per person. Flights from India to Stavanger have been seen around Rs 52,000 return. The hike itself is free. A guided day trip from Stavanger runs about 190 euros. I would budget roughly Rs 1 lakh for a short trip, flights included.
30 flights cancelled today. 19 across Vijayawada, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam, plus 11 at Chennai. Cyclone Murasu makes landfall on the Andhra coast tonight, between Nellore and Narsapur, winds up to 120 kmph. via The Hindu
There is a hole in the jungle in Mexico that swallows the sky every morning. Sotano de las Golondrinas, near Aquismon. 370 metres straight down.
The shaft is 49 by 62 metres at the top and wider at the bottom. Rappelling needs a permit and real vertical-caving experience. Watching it costs almost nothing.