Tag: Offbeat

Car review of new BMW X3 XDrive 20D: On-track, but not offbeat

Loknath Das

New BMW X3 XDrive 20D It’s love at first sight. The striking design language of the new BMW X3—featuring a bold front with a double kidney grille, adaptive LED headlights and fog-lamps, and the expressive rear that has LED tail-lights combined with a low-slung roof spoiler and exhaust tailpipes on both sides in chrome—attracts attention wherever it goes. The X3, in its third generation now, reflects a new, youthful BMW. What is the X3? It’s a premium midsize sports activity vehicle—BMW calls its SUV-shaped vehicles as SAV. It was first launched…

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Offbeat destinations: Bird language spoken in this Turkish village now on Unesco list

Loknath Das

The next time you are in Turkey, go off the beaten tourist circuit and visit Kuskoy – the village in district Canakci in Giresun province where people communicate through bird sounds. The unusual and very efficient whistle language used as a means of communication by villagers in remote northern Turkey has entered the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Unesco has accepted the “bird language” of Black Sea villagers as an endangered part of world heritage in need of urgent protection, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday. Around 10,000 people,…

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Take an offbeat trip. Visit a mammoth active volcano in Chile

Loknath Das

From the peaks of Hawaii to the uplands of Iceland, whether they be active or dormant, volcanos inspire the imaginations of travellers. There are volcanic destinations for every type of vacationer. One such place to visit is the Patagonian Cordillera and Villarrica, which is the most active volcano in Chile. A country with many volcanoes, Chile is notably home to Villarrica, which overshadows the lake of the same name. Located in Patagonia, a region that attracts many visitors, and rising to 2,847 metres above sea level, the mammoth volcano is one…

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Offbeat destination: Old-world charm meets modern-day European city in Bruges

Loknath Das

Walking through central Bruges is like a romantic journey into the past. With centuries-old gabled buildings lining a web of canals and cobblestone streets, the vibe is quintessential old-world Europe. Bruges is also one of the most beautiful cities in Western Europe, a place that has been called the Venice of the North. And the best part: you can travel solo. Located about an hour northwest of Brussels, not far from the North Sea, Bruges is the capital of West Flanders in the Flemish region of Belgium. The city was spared…

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