Travel Secrets July-August 2015 | Page 9

T FIRSTWORDS hat wonderful feeling, when you realise you have created something special...it hit me as I went through this issue before sending it to press. Secrets galore this time, more varied than ever! Like the monsoon rain, they have been pouring in, keeping us happy and busy all month. Look what we’ve got: Shivinder Mohan Singh, MD of the Fortis Group, lets us into his favourite travel secrets, ranging from spectacular to delightfully simple. Travel blogger Amin pays rich tribute to his home Cape Town. Megha from Varanasi whispers food and shopping secrets from her city. Our Sweden Correspondent Ida Josefin Eriksson dishes up a visual feast. Arushi Anand and Rajdeep Pithani from our Delhi team stumble upon people who make chocolate momos and dish up 350 types of eggs! Shozeb Haider offers an intimate tour of Indonesia’s Borobudur temple, and Pallak Dutta walks you through Los Angeles in 72 hours flat. Tanmaya Murthy falls hard for lovely Lansdowne, while Ajay Jain wonders where the Kuldhara Brahmins of Rajasthan went. It’s pouring secrets in here! Four food bloggers from across India tell you what’s on their plate. Our Africa Correspondent Nirav Shah tells you what it’s like to be a vegetarian Jain in Swaziland. Blogger Vandana Sood Aggrawal picks vegetarian hotspots from her eco-friendly trips. A host of locals from Chile to Switzerland give you tips you wouldn’t find anywhere. Me, I had promised to take you to France’s Champagne region this time, but what to do—I fell in love with the luscious wine belt en route. My Cover Story on the Loire Valley’s fairy tale world should tell you why. If you feel inspired enough to go there, pray keep plenty of time to soak in the immense beauty— the place deserves it. You deserve it. Safe travels, and happy times! Shubhra Krishan, Publisher & Editor July-August 2015 Travel Secrets  9