| Defining the indefinable: Luxury destination resorts
Self-contained is a sparse yet an undisputable description of a destination resort. Its luxury version, however, defies the resort stereotype, being a veritable universe unto itself, discovers Neeti Mehra. In the heart of an ancient volcano in South Africa lies Sun City, a confluence of bling bling and African culture. It also has four hotels (including Palace of the Lost City enmeshed in a 25 hectare botanical jungle) with a multifaceted water park that defines one of the world's best known destination resorts. Today, destination resorts occupy their place of pride in hallowed halls of hospitality, accessible by the privileged few, geographically and monetarily. Tracing the linear development of the hospitality hierarchy - from sparse to ostentatious - is enlightening. First came accommodation sans frills; then F&B options, a pool, a banquet hall, and a few additional, yet basic amenities.
In India, the hunt for tigers provides heart-stopping excitement
I WOULD rather be on an elephant than in front of one. It`s no fun when a wild tusker is lumbering toward you, and you are trapped in a Jeep with no choice but to drive in reverse on a muddy, twisting, hilly road flanked by a jungle on the left and a gurgling river to the right. The heart-stopping encounter with an irritated elephant occurred barely 30 minutes after we had driven into the Corbett National Park - India`s finest tiger reserve in the foothills of the Himalayas - in search of the big cats. At the wheel was a friend, a city lad whose skills in reverse driving were limited to parking between parallel lines. Still, he did an admirable job of driving us a shaken party of four -backward to safety behind a curve in the forested hill. The elephant, apparently bored by our lack of sportsmanship, ambled away after a while.
Frank and Pat Marshall frame their lives around art
If you ask Frank and Pat Marshall to show you some pictures of the many countries to which theyve traveled, more than likely one of them will just point to a wall in their home where watercolors and oil paintings depicting scenes from around the world will likely catch your eye.
There isnt enough room to display all the paintings and wall sculptures. How could there be when these two talented and prolific artists whove been married for 50 years and visited nearly every corner of the world continue to add to their collection with annual visits to ordinary and exotic places.
Every place weve been, weve painted, said Frank Marshall, 76, whos remembered by his former students as a soft-spoken, mild-mannered, and incredibly patient arts and crafts instructor whod often reward a successful project with an engaging smile.
Eight-foot python found on footpath
WE all know that if you go down to the woods you could be in for a big surprise, but police officers certainly were when they were confronted by an eight-foot-long (2.4m) Burmese python in Ledbury. Several members of the public who had been walking along a footpath called the police after they spotted the snake lying motionless on the ground on Sunday. Sergeant Emma Wright said: "We were unsure of exactly what sort of snake we were dealing with so I took a photo of it on my mobile phone and we contacted the West Midland Safari Park, who pretty quickly confirmed that it was a Burmese python." Veterinary surgeon Derek Stoakes was called out to the scene and, together with the officers, was able to coax the python into a box. "I was very impressed by the way the officers dealt with the situation because this was a very large snake," he said.
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