REST OF ASIA

Seen from above, it is like a necklace floating on a 600,000 sq m lagoon. - Angsana Laguna Phuket - A Floating Necklace - Travelure ©

A few metres inside the fort, I found myself on a crossroads. I realised I had to be my own guide. I spotted a lighthouse. Being a sea lover, I chose to go that way. - Galle Fort, Galle, Sri Lanka - Travelure ©

The Turkish phrase ‘to live in a golden cage’ originated from this practice of confining the princes. - Topkapi Palace - The Sovereign Seat of the Ottomans - Travelure ©

The joyous exclamations of successful captures punctuated the combined clickety-clack of our cameras. But the light was fading fast. The monkeys were slowing down... - Proboscis Monkeys in Sabah Borneo - Travelure ©

The belief is whoever you climb the tower with; you marry that person. - Galata Tower, Istanbul - Rising from the Ruins - Travelure ©

In one room, over a dozen traditional chefs were at work. They were creating sheets of white flour, thinner than muslin. The room had a haze of flour. The rolling pins were a yard and a half long. These sheets were being sheared off the pins in delicate layers. And all this, happening on a table over 25 feet long! - Gaziantep Turkey - A UNESCO Gastronomy Creative City - Travelure ©

The thought of walking out onto a glass floor 351 metres above the ground is scary. But, once you overcome the fear, the experience is magical. - Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai - Travelure ©

Göbekli Tepe is the most ancient site of humans practising religion. Schmidt called it the first human-built holy place. The religion originated here. - Göbekli Tepe Turkey - World’s oldest temple? - Travelure ©

Well preserved traditional houses, gardens, temples, shops, and eateries line these lanes. The water lanes and these traditional houses lend a vintage character to the place. - Qibao Ancient Town - A Water Town Near Shanghai - Travelure ©

Hagia Sophia can brag to have the world’s first photoshopped artwork - the Empress Zoe mosaic on its first floor. The empress married at least three times, and the face of the person on the left has been repainted at least thrice to depict her then-husband. - Hagia Sophia, Istanbul - A Byzantine Architecture Marvel - Travelure ©

Over the years, the platform has evolved. It has become a veritable menu of places to see as you finalise your itinerary. And I decided to further bolster this menu. - My 1503-Day Journey on Instagram - Travelure ©

Straddling two continents, and between two seas, Istanbul enjoys a unique position. A European and an Asian side. A natural strait - Bosphorus - separates the two. Earlier going by the names Byzantium and Constantinople, it is home to over 15 million people. - Historic Areas of Istanbul - Travelure ©

Explorations around the place have revealed signs that human life existed here between 18,000 and 7,000 BCE. - Ha Long Bay - Nature’s Pillars in the Sea - Travelure ©