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- Best of India (156)
- Eat Stay and Shop (5)
- From Team (21)
- Historical (64)
- Indian Festivals (173)
- Pilgrimage (33)
- Travel Tips (8)
- Weekend Spots (34)
- Wildlife (8)
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Blog Archive
Kovalam
Kovalam,
being one of the popular destinations in Kerala, is located at about
16 km from the state capital Trivandrum. Kerala Tourism has taken
eco-friendly initiatives in Kovalam by launching ‘Beyond Beach’
project. Beyond Beach is an offshoot of the Responsible Tourism in
Kerala.
As
we all know that Kovalam is best known for beach resorts. It is one
of the oldest tourist attractions of India since the time of the
British. ‘Beyond Beach’ programme offers a unique kind of
experience to the traveller and it is mutually rewarding for both:
the traveller and the local people. The intention is to develop
community based awareness about the local culture and environment as
to benefit both the host and the tourist.
Vizhinjam Image Courtesy:Arun Jr |
How to reach:
Trivandrum
is the nearest destination to reach Kovalam by road, rail and
airways. Hire taxis from Trivandrum to Kovalam.
Where to stay:
Beach
resorts overlooking the sea are available.
What to see:
Kovalam
is famous for its beaches. Three beaches constitute the 17km long
coast line along the Arabian Sea. The Lighthouse beach is the most
popular one.
Surfing,
Boat ride and motor boat ride services are available on the coast.
Visit
Vizhinjam, Poovar, Akkulam, and Agasthyarkoodam Peak if you get time.
Tag :
Best of India,
“Grape City” Nasik
Present
day Nashik wears an urban set up catering all kinds of modern
amenities in terms of accommodation, education, health care and
entertainment. The city has already started preparing for the biggest
event of 2015 i.e. Maha Kumbhamela. Millions of people visit Nashik
at that time; it is not an easy task to manage such a massive crowd.
In fact, on the day that we had gone, the city was celebrating the
Chhat Puja event.
image courtesy: Prajna LS |
Chhat is
a Hindu festival in reverence of Sun God. It falls on the sixth day
of Kartik month (mostly in November after the celebration of
Deepawali) according to Hindu calendar. Not all Indians celebrate
this Puja; mostly people of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and
Jharkhand perform oblations to Sun standing in water.
That day,
there was a huge crowd at the banks of Godavari River in Nashik.
Devotees who celebrate Chhat had gathered there to perform the
ritual. It was already evening when we reached there. The place is
called ‘Ramkund’. Pavements and steps are built on either sides
of the river. Thousands of devotees coming from nearby places were
doing pujas holding the thalis of arati and the entire ambience was
filled with enthusiasm.
Before
that, we had taken a round of some other tourist sites of the city.
People who are familiar with stories of the Ramayana may remember the
instances related to Shri Rama’s exile in Panchavati. It was the
place where he had stayed along with Sita and Lakshmana. This ancient
Panchavati is now located in Nashik.
Visitors
can see various places related to Rama’s exile such as Sita’s
Cave, the Tapovan, Panchavati, Kalaram Temple and Ram-Sita temple.
All the sites have been recreated in accordance with the Ramayana
instances for the tourists. These sites are located near Ramkund. One
has to walk through the narrow streets skirted by old buildings of
the city to visit these sites. This part of the city can give you a
glimpse of old Nashik.
We missed
visiting one important place in Nashik, I regret. That is the Phalke
Memorial which is built in the memory of late Dadasaheb Phalke. Dada
Saheb Phalke is known as the Father of Indian Cinema who made the
first full length feature film of India named ‘Raja Harishchandra’
in 1913. Nashik was his home town where he breathed his last.
The
Phalke Memorial provides clippings from Phalkeji’s life and work.
A show comprising movie clippings would be shown in the evenings for
the visitors, we missed viewing that. We did not know about the show
timings, by the time we decided to go it was over.
Next day
morning, we left for Vani. Vani is located at about 75 km from
Nashik. It is the abode of Saptashrungi Mata, a powerful deity
situated amidst seven hills of the Sahyadri Mountain Range. Nanduri
Village is the nearest point to reach the hill temple. The temple is
located on a rocky hill. The village that is spread out around the
hill temple is known as Vani.
One has
to climb up to reach the temple. Thousands of devotees visit every
day it seems. The goddess is revered as one among the 51 Shakti
Peethas of India. You would walk through rows of shops selling all
accessories of the goddess. It was our taxi driver who had insisted
us to take a ‘darshan’ of the goddess.
We
returned to Aurangabad that evening itself by Jan Shatabdi. Ahhh…How
could we forget buying Khishmish (raisins) for home?! Nashik is one
of the highest grape growing regions of India.
Kumarakonam
Kumarakonam shines
like a jewel in the crown; it is the pride of backwater tourism in
India. Stretched to the eastern side of the Vembanad Lake,
Kumarakonam is also known to be an important destination in the
emerging Responsible Tourism in India.
Location:
Kumarakonam is a part
of Kottayam district in Kerala situated besides the famous Vembanad
Lake. The location can be called a cluster of villages nearby the
Vembanad Lake. From Kottayam (15km), it is just 15 minutes drive.
Kottayam is the nearest railhead and Cochin International Airport is
the nearest (95 km) airport. Ferries are available from Allepy and
Kochi.
Image courtesy: weareholidays.co.in |
The Vembanad Lake in
Kerala is the backbone of Backwater Tourism in that state. It is the
longest lake in Kerala stretching between Kochi and Allepy. The lake
is surrounded by Kotayam, Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts. Cluster
of islands formed in the lake have become tourist spots. Six major
rivers of Kerala merge into this lake.
Fort Kochi lies on
the north western side of the lake where as Kumarakonam is situated
to the south eastern side. A salt water barrier has been built across
the stream of the lake to avoid salt water flow into the lake. It is
called the Thanneermukkom barrier and as a result one side of the hat
barrier is a fresh water lake. Kumarakonam is a part of the fresh
water lake side.
It
is known for:
Kumarakonam has made
news recently by bagging the prestigious UN award for Sustainable
Tourism. It is a part of Kerala’s Responsible Tourism
project.
The destination is
known for backwater tourism, houseboats, and fishing. The place is
the epitome of serene beauty by housing coconut groves on the either
sides of the canals. Kumarakom Boat Race is a major event in the
locality.
Tourists like the
place because the place provides luxurious resorts and houseboats.
Wide ranges of houseboats overlooking the lake are available here.
Visit Kumarakonam Bird
sanctuary that is located near the Vembanad Lake. A Victorian
Bungalow which is the present day Taj Garden Retreat, which was the
home of Baker family is situated near the sanctuary. Back in time it
was known as the Baker’s estate.
If you have read
Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, the Aymanam village
mentioned in the book resembles Kumarakonam.
Best option would be
to stay in a hired houseboat. It is an experience of a unique kind.
You would get plenty of other options too. Lake view resorts, Home
stays, eco-resorts, Villas, and budget hotels are available. Don’t
forget to relish the local delicacies like Appam, Kappa, Karimeen
(Pearl Spot fish) and varieties of seafood.
Tag :
Best of India,
Taj Mahal …a real beauty
Taj Mahal Image courtesy: Seba Della y Sole Bossio |
Almost each Indian family has a Taj mahal in their list to visit and why shouldn’t it be? It is the on the top list of every foreign tourists while their stay in India. The great Taj Mahal, breathtakingly amazing white marbled sculpture which is in one of the seven wonders of World is an impeccable example of symmetrical structure; especially enchanting since it was built five centuries back.
Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan dedicated this taj mahal to his third wife Mumtaz Mahal who
died while giving birth to his fourteenth offspring. It took 20 years
to complete this sculpture and more than 22,000 people to build it.
Taj mahal is considered as a “symbol of love”. It is a wonder
when we watch this monument carefully that this could be built in
16th century
meaning how developed and skilled architectural concepts existed at
that time.
The calligraphy written
on the great gate says “o soul though at rest return to the lord at
peace with him & he at peace with you”.
It is said that Shah
Jahan wanted to build the same building but in black marble on the
other side of the river but that couldn’t be fulfilled since he had
a war with his sons for the crown of the emperor ship.
Taj mahal is in the
Agra district of the state Uttar Pradesh in north India. It is 124km
away from the Delhi, the capital city of India. After reaching Delhi
one can hire car or go by bus to Agra.
The name taj mahal
means the crown palace. It is among the list of the seven most
notable places all over the world.
Taj Mahal takes
different colours at different times of the day. It is assumes that
symbolizes the moods of his queen Mumtaz Mahal. It is pink in the
morning time; it looks white in the day time and golden in the moon
light.
It was rumoured that
many precious stones were hidden in the walls of this monument while
the time of construction and they could be seen in the moon light on
full moon night but those were snatched and taken out by British
during 1857.
It is considered to be
a romantic place; may be because of the history it has left behind
but when you visit this place with your loved one and feels the
beauty of this place during the night you can’t stop falling in
love once again with your loved one, yourself and with this beautiful
place.
Tag :
Best of India,
Responsible Tourism in India
Kerala
Tourism has won the prestigious UN award for Excellence and
Innovation in Tourism this year (2014). The award was conferred on
22nd
of January, 2014. This is for the first time that an Indian
organisation has been conferred with such an honour at the global
level. The award is honoured by the United Nations World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO).
While
reading this news clip, I came across a catchy phrase called
‘Responsible Tourism’. It is for the excellent management of this
‘Responsible Tourism’ in Kumarakom the top honour has been given.
So, I was curious to know more about Responsible Tourism.
Responsible
Tourism is an offshoot of Eco Tourism, which is also known as
Sustainable Tourism. This project aims at creating awareness about
eco-balance, conservation of local environment, respecting local
culture and the project encourages more and more involvement by the
local people by supporting the local economy. It is a team work
involving both the host ad the guest. The project is making news
globally and already a network involving major countries of the world
has been formed.
What
is the role of India in this project? India, being a multi-cultural
nation, is an important member of Responsible Tourism. Kerala has
been a major contributor in this regard and the project was initiated
in Kerala in the year 2008. Kerala selected Kumarakom region as its
field of work and today the destination is regarded as a model for
Sustainable Tourism.
Kumarakom
project in Kerala has promoted local crafts and culture in the global
scenario. Efforts have been made to co-ordinate among the natives by
inviting the villagers, travel agencies, academicians, farmer groups,
NGOs, local businessmen and leaders to join the network of
responsible Tourism. Travel and hospitality sector of this project
functions in an environment-friendly way.
In
a nutshell, the scope of Tourism has been expanded by making it
responsible, socially and economically as to help the local people.
Four destinations of Kerala state have been functioning on this
project. They are Kumarakom, Kovalam, Thekkady and Waynad in Kerala.
Won’t
you be interested to explore the destinations mentioned above?!
Tag :
Best of India,
Kailash-Manas Sarovar Yatra Series-2
Lake Manas Sarovar
could be approached by more than two routes. It is located in the
Tibet Autonomous Region that is generally considered an occupied
territory of China. Geographically, the lake is situated on the
rugged Tibetan plateau which is a territory of China now.
We had booked 13 days
yatra starting from Kathmandu, Nepal. One can reach the lake by road.
So, it would not be a problem to reach Lake Manas Sarovar. The lake
is connected by a smooth tar road on the Chinese side. It is called
the Araniko Highway.
We took flights to
Delhi and from Delhi to Kathmandu. Kathmandu is the base destination.
The route we took was this: from Kathmandu to Kodari (Border), Kodari
to Nyalam, Nyalam to Dongba, Dongba to Manas Sarovar. We stayed in
Kodari, Nyalam and Dongba on the way to the lake. We had to cross
the border between Nepal and China occupied Tibet (Tibet Autonomous
Region) at Kadori which is located at about 115 km from Kathmandu.
Once after reaching
Kathmandu the pilgrims will have to travel in a bus provided by the
travel agency. Till the Chinese border we traveled in a Nepali
travel bus and after crossing the border the Chinese guides arranged
our transportation. That means the bus which carried us till the
border will go back to Kathmandu and will come again the day when we
return from the yatra.
The next step to be
achieved after arriving at Manas Sarovar is the three day Kailash
Parikraman. This is a tough job to be accomplished on foot about
which I will write later.
Preparation:
The destination is
located in the Tibetan Plateau which is known for unpredictable
climate conditions. On the way to Manas Sarovar and in the three day
Kailash Parikrama period be prepared for unexpected rains, sudden
variations in temperature and heavy wind. More than that, the
location is situated at high altitude. One needs to get acclimatized
in those extreme climatic conditions.
The main difficulty is
to manage ‘altitude sicknesses. Acute head ache, loss of appetite,
nausea and fever may trouble you any time. Do carry a medicine kit
along with you.
Do carry enough cloths
to keep yourself warm. Dress up in layers. Wear thermals first. Then,
wear your normal dress; it could be either salvar or jeans. Over
that, wear a winter jacket (either a woolen sweater or a jacket). The
outer layer should be a down jacket. Depending on the climate, you
would be asked to take off warm cloths if it is hot.
A pair of leather (or
woolen) gloves, 6 pair socks, winter cap, muffler, raincoat, torch,
dry fruits, flask, a walking stick, sunglass, lotions, sports shoes
with good grip are necessary things. You may buy these things in
Kathmandu or in Nyalam. Go through a medical check up to assure that
you are fit to take up trekking at high altitudes. A medical
certificate is a must.
You are required to
get a Chinese Visa and for that you need to have a valid passport. If
you go through a private travel agency, then, the group Visa will be
done by the travels people. Carry Chinese currency as much as you
require and remember notes of rupees 500 will not be accepted in
Nepal.
Start doing physical
exercise (brisk walking or yoga) at least a month prior to the yatra.
Take care as not to catch cold during that period that would make you
vulnerable to adverse climate. Successful completion of the Yatra
solely depends upon your health and will power.
Hear the experience
straight from the horse’s mouth! I will start the narrative in the
next episode.
[To be continued…]
Tag :
Pilgrimage,
Travel through
Gone are those
strenuous and lengthy naval expeditions for the exploration of
unknown territories. Today we fly over oceans in a few hours! We
travel through countries and travel across borders. We travel for
recreation, business, and also for an exploration of unknown places.
Basically, to travel means to move from one place to another that we
all know.
Did you know that the
word ‘travel’ was derived from the old French term called
‘travail’? Interestingly, ‘travail’ means ‘to toil hard’
or a ‘laborious task’. In the past, traveling was considered a
laborious task due to the hardships one had to go through while
traveling from one place to another.
The term was largely referred to ‘exploration’ of new places. People traveled on barefoot, in carts and manual carriages. One can imagine the difficulties of passing through thick jungles, wild forests, mountain valleys and desert having no hopes for a ‘safe return’. Today, a traveler stumbles upon countless tea shops and restaurants at every stop to fill his empty stomach. Truly it was a ‘laborious task’ for our ancestors to travel.
image credit: youtravelbritain.com |
The term was largely referred to ‘exploration’ of new places. People traveled on barefoot, in carts and manual carriages. One can imagine the difficulties of passing through thick jungles, wild forests, mountain valleys and desert having no hopes for a ‘safe return’. Today, a traveler stumbles upon countless tea shops and restaurants at every stop to fill his empty stomach. Truly it was a ‘laborious task’ for our ancestors to travel.
Even amidst such
hardships some of our brave ancestors took up expeditions and kick
started the exploration of unknown territories because of which the
world looks so small a place to invent anything new now! One needs no
vehicles to travel through these days. Wondering how?
All of us are
explorers now on the net. We travel through and across borders in a
second. No hardships. We cull information about travel destinations,
book vehicles and tickets, reserve accommodation and all that takes
no time.
I am not a travel
enthusiast, most of my expeditions are of recreational kind, and
family oriented trips. Love to sit and sip in a couch at a corner of
my sweet home and I do travel through my mind, and try to reach
across all depths of my inner world.
So, you guess, the
word ‘travel’ travels through barriers of time and place!! Still
wonder…what leads one to move from one place another. Why does one
‘travel’?
Tag :
Archive,
A visit to Trimbakeshwara, Nashik Part-1
I am not
a travel buff. Most of my expeditions are of recreational kind, and
family oriented trips. Love to sit and sip in a couch at a corner of
my sweet home and I do travel through my mind, and try to reach
across all depths of my inner world!
Kids do
not listen. As and when they declare their holiday schedule, it has
been mandatory for us to look out for various travel destinations.
This year we were at Nashik during Deepawali vacations. The
pilgrimage city Nashik is located in Maharashtra on the banks of
Godavari River. It is at about 180 km away from my home town
Aurangabad; about three and half hours drive in a taxi.
However,
we decided to travel by train. We took the morning Jan Shatabdi
express from Aurangabad that leaves at 6 ‘O’ clock and reaches
Nashik at about 8.45 am. We
had already booked rooms to avoid last minute anxiety and had hired a
taxi for travelling around the city. We were there for only two days,
next evening were back to Aurangabad by the evening train.
Nashik
is gearing up for Maha Kumbhamela to be held in 2015. Everywhere in
the city, we could hear the buzz about forthcoming Kumbhamela. A 13
km long flyover bridge has been built to control the major traffic.
Maha Kumbhamela is a huge congregation of devotees to be held at
river banks for a ritual bath.
Image credit :Prajna ls |
People
belonging to all sects and traditions (not necessarily Hindus) gather
at river banks for a bathing ritual that would be fixed according to
Hindu calendar. This congregation takes place once in twelve years or
once in six years. Kumbhamelas are held at four places in India:
Haridwar, Allahabad, Nashik and Ujjain. It is a kind of ritualistic
Yatra in Indian traditions.
Nashik
is one of those cities in India that houses a ‘Jyotirlinga’. The
‘Jyotirlinga’ lies inside an ancient temple. There are twelve
‘Jyotirlingas of Shiva’ in India and one among them is located in
Trimbakeshwar near Nashik city. This is situated at the foothills of
Brahmagiri where Godavari River originates.
As
we had already decided, we moved towards Trimbakeshwar directly from
the railway station. The temple is located at 40 km distance from
Nashik city. If you visit the temple during hot seasons, say for
instance during festivals or holidays, you will have to stand in a
long queue for the Darshan. Since it was a holiday season, we had to
wait for about two and half hours to get the darshan.
It
is an ancient temple built by a Peshwa King. Visitors are not allowed
to take photos. We were moved by the beautiful stone carvings on the
outer portion of the temple. There was huge crowd that day, so people
were pushing us for quick ‘darshan’ of the deity. The ‘lingam’
is said to be invisible there. Actually, what we see as lingam is a
hollow.
Trimbakeswar
is best known for performing ancestral rituals of Hindus. We see
people performing various other kinds of rituals also, especially the
Naga Bali Puja. We dipped our legs and sprinkled the water on
ourselves in ‘Kushavartha’, that is the pond from where Godavari
River takes its further course.
It
is such a beautiful place that we wished to stay there for some more
time. One can visit the place all through the day, so a visit during
evenings or in the early mornings would be more pleasant I feel. We
returned to Nashik thinking about spending an evening at the temple
to enjoy the sunset.
Tag :
Pilgrimage,
Kailash-Manas Sarovar Yatra Series-1
Kailash–Manas
Sarovar Yatra is one of the toughest
spiritual yatras of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist traditions. The author
of this write up has been one of those fortunate pilgrims to
accomplish the three day Kailash Parikrama
successfully. So, in this series of articles, she would be sharing
her experience. She would make an attempt to perceive the
significance of this particular yatra.
The
present series would introduce the destination by providing useful
information and tips concerning the yatra. This series of articles is
based on the Kailash Yatra 2013.
I begin
by introducing the concept called ‘Yatra’
itself. It can roughly be translated as ‘pilgrimage’, but, a
‘Yatra’ for an Indian has wider implications. It is not just
visiting the holy places and sites.
In fact,
in Indian way of living a particular term called ‘Yatra’ is used
for making a journey. Yatra means journey and it also means a
particular kind of procession or gathering at some specific places at
some specific time. Roughly, you could term it as ‘pilgrimage’
but no rituals are mandatory in Indian pilgrimages. Yatra is a
ritual. A metaphor. A spiritual journey.
A
yatra can be done by visiting ancient holy cities, birth places of
deities, temples, rivers, lakes and mountains. These kinds of Yatras
are usually known as ‘Teertha Yatras’ that means the journey to
holy locations. It is a kind of ritual to be performed.
Hindus
perform rituals at river banks for their ancestors. However, India
consists of various other traditions also. So, ‘Yatras’ are done
by devotees following other than Hindu traditions. Char Dham Yatra,
Kailas Manas Sarovar Yatra, Amarnath Yatra, Shaktipeeth Yatra,
Jyotirling Yatra, Kashi-Rameshwar Yatra…India consists of
innumerable ‘Yatra’ locations.
Sometimes
at river confluences rituals would be held, and devotes throng at the
confluences in huge numbers. This kind of gathering at river banks is
called ‘Mela’ and a journey to participate in such Melas is also
a part of Yatra tradition. Kumbha Mela and Maha Kumbha Melas are two
well known ‘Melas’ in India conducted at river banks.
Most
of you must have heard of the Jagannath Ratha Yatra at Puri, Orissa.
This unique kind of Yatra is held every year by celebrating a
ritualistic journey of the deity. This is a celebration by pulling
the Temple Chariot on which the deity will be placed. These
ritualistic Yatras will be held in many other places of India.
Kailash-Manas
Sarovar Yatra is considered the ultimate among all yatras in India.
One needs to be fit both mentally and physically to ‘perform’
this yatra. I have deliberately used the word ‘perform’ since I
see this yatra as a kind of ‘ritual’ to be performed.
It
was by chance I joined the yatra. Usually the Ministry of External
Affairs conducts this tour every year. But, this year due to the
havoc created by Monsoon rains in the Uttarakhand region the
Government had cancelled the yatra. However, we went by a private
tourist agency named Nirmala Travels. This travel agency located in
Bangalore has tied up with a Nepali travel agency named Shrestha
Travels.
In
the next post you would know about the route
map of Kailash Yatra
and about the things
to carry for Kailash Manas Sarovar Yatra!
[To be continued…]
Tag :
Pilgrimage,
Our CEO at TiE Connect 2014!
Team Clear Car Rental is very happy to announce that, today, our founder & CEO Mr. Sachin Kate will be addressing the evolving entrepreneurs of North Karnataka at ‘Tie Connect 2014’ in Hubli, Karnataka. Mr. Sachin Kate is one of the keynote speakers.
‘Tie Connect 2014’ is a workshop organised by The Hubli Chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) on 22nd Jan 2014. The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) is a training institution to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship through networking, mentoring and lecturing. The institution is committed to fostering entrepreneurship.
Training sessions are held at Deshpande Centre of Social Entrepreneurship (DCSE) in Hubli. The intention is to bring noted venture capitalists and successful entrepreneurs from Tier-2 cities on a common platform to share their success stories and thereby, to guide young entrepreneurs.
Our founder and CEO is one of the invitees to speak upon his success story of scaling a business being situated in a Tier 2 city. Hailing from a small city in Maharashtra, Sachin Kate has become a hero for the budding entrepreneurs in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
There is Lao Tzu saying, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” As to prove this saying, Sachin Kate has climbed the ladder of success step by step. He has worked as newspaper by, has been an office attendant, and then became a computer instructor. He picked up the travel and hospitality line of business slowly, by indulging himself in website designing and developing. His blog post titled “Aurangabad Calling” inspired many unemployed youngsters of Aurangabad.
Clear Car Rental Pvt Ltd is his dream child. He has been able to scale the company to 250+ cities without raising a single penny of institutional funding. CCR provides local and outstation travel packages for round trip, one way drop and multi city travels.
He has set an example for the younger generation who think that the key to success in business field lies in holding a M.B.A degree from some or the other deemed institution. Our CEO is a self educated man in the field of business.
We congratulate Mr.Sachin Kate and wish a great success to TiE Connect 2014!
Tag :
From Team,
Shopping Market in Jaipur
(Image courtesy:
styleinked.com)
|
Jaipur is the city in
Rajasthan state of India. Jaipur; the pink city of India is the royal
place to stay. When we see the city roam around the city we come
across many palaces most of which have converted into Luxury hotels,
we fall in love with the city itself. The old palaces, heritage
hotels, lakes keep holding you back here in this city. One more thing
which couldn’t be missed out in Jaipur is shopping market. Jaipur
market is a heaven for shopaholics. We can experience shop till you
drop tagline here.
Kundan style jewelry
found in Jaipur market is world famous. As well as other famous
attractions which are the specialty of jaipur are blue pottery,
bangles and jewelry with lakh work, tic and dye fabrics, Mojri, latik
paintings etc. It is the city for artists and traders.
Jaipur gems and designs
have gained the international fame. Cutting, polishing, setting of
the stones is done here itself and the work is miraculous.
We can see large number
of collection of antiques near Hawa mahal. Market near Hawa mahal is
famous for antiques.
The specialty of Jaipur
market is we can get variety of stuff in affordable range and with
the great quality.
(Image courtesy: globaljaunt.com) |
The local market
articles are the typical specialty of shopping trip in Jaipur.
Local markets such as
Johri Bazar, Bapu Bazar, Nehru Bazar, and Chaura Rasta Bazar are
important from local market shopping point of view.
One of the impeccable
things found in Jaipur is the Brasso work.
Many high designers
have understood the value of Jaipur market and have opened their
concept stores here. There are anokhi and hotpink stores which are
quiet famous.
(Image courtesy: thehindubusinessline.in) |
Anokhi is a store which
is one of the top places to buy handicrafts and clothes in India.
Hot pink is another
concept store and its name itself stands by the theme of the store.
It is one of the famous theme stores in India.
(Image courtesy: demystifyingdesign.com) |
So whenever we plan to
go to Jaipur don’t forget to full your pockets with extra bucks
reserved for shopping here. It is one of the important to do list
here in Jaipur.
Tag :
Eat Stay and Shop,
Places to Visit Near Delhi
Delhi, the capital city
of India, one of the happening and a major metro city. When we talk
about Delhi, images running through our minds are Red Fort, Humayun’s
tomb, Delhi gate which is seen in many Bollywood movies, Parliament
of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Lotus temple and many more ….
Being world’s second
most populous city Delhi serves a home for many people situated there
for earning their bread and butter.
Many of the people tend
to have weekend getaways from Delhi to nearby places which are very
famous from tourist point of view too. These places are sure to add
on your list when you are planning a trip to Delhi.
Mathura
It is one of the
important pilgrimage places in India. It is a birthplace of Lord
Krishna. The holy city where you can plan a trip with you family and
have a peaceful time. It is 145km away from Delhi. We get to see many
temples here Dwarkashish temple, Iskon temple and also the museum
like Mathura museum. We can reach there by bus or book cab from
Delhi.
Agra
Taj Mahal, Agra Image courtesy:Dennis Jarvis |
When we think of Agra
we all know what we are talking about, the most beautiful monument
which is a symbol of love, listed among the UNESCO world’s heritage
sites, one among the seven wonders in the World. Usually when anyone
who plans a trip to Delhi first time Agra is in their top of the list
as add on sites other the main city. Designed near the bank of River
Yamuna this breathtaking site embarks the different colors at
different times. This can be a family trip spot as well as a romantic
getaway for couples too. We can see foreigners roaming around here
capturing the beauty of this symbol of love in their cameras. Agra is
just 124km away from Delhi. We can go there according to our
convenience as in by Bus or a hired cab. Agra fort is also must see
spot near Delhi when you go to Agra.
Lansdowne
Lansdowne (Image courtesy: Uuttranchal.com) |
When you work really
hard all the week generally nobody is in the mood to go to the
heritage place; what you seek at that time of weekends is a relaxing
outstation where you can go and a have a peaceful time with your
loved ones. And hence Lansdowne tops the list here. It is a town in
Puri Garwal in Uttaranchal. The cantonment town with zealous scenic
beauty is 17000 ft. from the sea level. Adventure activities like
trekking, boating, paddling and also bird watching attract the
tourists over here. Lansdowne is 250 km from Delhi and once can reach
there by bus but for convenience it is really advisable that one
should either go by own private car or the best suited option is
hire car.
Glimpse of Tiger in national park (Image courtesy: silverstripeoutdoors.com) |
When you are already in
Delhi or nearby Delhi this is a place one should at least visit once.
Jim Corbett being India’s first National park established in 1936
it is the world’s largest tiger reserve. This striped wild beauty
blows your mind with its elegance and ferocity in looks at the same
time. Jim Corbett is 295 km away from Delhi. A weekend trip or a
small tour of 3-4 days is really good to go here from Delhi. These
days tourism has realized the importance of this site and has been
developed accordingly vastly with beautiful, luxurious resorts like
Corbett getaway spa and resort.
Tag :
Best of India,
Five Fun Family Activities During the Travel
When we travel with our family it
has its own perks. We Indians have the strong emotional and moral
support from our families and family values are passed from
generation to generations. We may whine about restrictions at some
point, we may sulk about the unavoidable functions that we have to
attend no matter how important our plans with friends must be at the
end of the day it is our family because of which we can strong and
move on confidently with our lives, come what may challenges appear
or the crisis situations we have a family to stand by us and we can
sleep peacefully in the night.
So when it comes to travel with a
family many advantages are hidden here. Bonding develops more than
before, we get to know the different new places in a secured
atmosphere of family and so and so.
So how can we make our family trips
more interesting??
Let it be a short trip somewhere or
a long tour with relatives tagging along with you some games and
activities together will always encourage the spirit of travelling.
Old school games
Old school games like
dog in the bone sort of games that we played during our school time
can be played bringing back the childhood memories to cherish and
going back to your childhood era.
(Image courtesy: playjustlikeyou.blogspot.com) |
License plate id
This is fun game which
we can play while sitting in the car while moving along the road. It
is a game to be played as in participants should guess the state and
district code of the car passing by , those who guessed wrong is out
of the game and the game is continued till the last participant
survives.
Uno
It is one of the famous
card game enjoyed among all the age group. Each card has a different
no. and colors and some cards have the special benefits. That who
can’t finish all the cards till the end of the game is lost.
(Image courtesy: www.mobiletor.com) |
I spy
I spy is a game where
one is supposed to give the hints of a thing or the place which we
are passing by along with the hints those who will guess the answer
right with minimum clues wins the game.
Dumsharaz
A
famous Indian game played very often and enjoyed to the core. People
are divided into teams and a name of the movie is given to any one of
the participant from the either of the team and he is supposed to do
give his team clues while acting according to the name of the movie
is given.
There
are lots of cards games involved here which we can play and enjoy
with our family then housie also. If we are going on an outdoor
location and spending quiet a good time there we can do kite flying
too and badminton as well as antakshri of songs or names or cities.
A
travel with family can be made more memorable by doing some fun
activities together rather than being lost in tabs or smart phones
which have already ruined our family time in daily life. One can
think of many games on his own to enhance this family trip spirit by
introducing games on his own.
Are you planning to travel with your family?Then I would higly suggest you use Clear Car Rental. You may explore our website to learn more about ClearCarRental.
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Are you planning to travel with your family?Then I would higly suggest you use Clear Car Rental. You may explore our website to learn more about ClearCarRental.
Tag :
Travel Tips,
Backpacking Tips
image courtesy:www.sputhindiavacations.com |
The term backpacking is
being popular with us, Indians since some years. The term backpacking
means independent traveling with minimum cost, staying with basic
comforts and priorities are set in this trip totally what you need to
do in this trip.
In backpacking one is
interested in whole journey itself rather than just hitting the
destinations from tourist point of view. The journey may be the
simple camping trip in a forest area for two-three days or it may be
the long tour consisting of hotel bookings and roaming in public
transport. I am saying here public transport because it needs low
cost and safe too.
Backpacking includes a
heavy bag which can be carried on the back which includes many
utility things that we need in the trip. In backpacking trips it is
advisable to carry your own things as well as the safety majors but
also we shouldn't overdo it by carrying extra loads.
This backpacking trip
can teach you a lot of things. We can get connected with nature more
here and we can relax and free our mind from stress that has become
inevitable part of our lives.
It can teach you to be
confident when you travel like this and can make you realize the
worth of spending and giving the time to own self.
There are backpacker
groups also which can guide us with directions and hotel or lodge
bookings and their experience can definitely is more useful to us.
These days backpacking
trips have become easier than before because of the increased
resources and the help groups which have formed to help each other
through sharing their experiences and guiding us. GPS, Smartphone,
steatite phones (in case of emergency) have eased up the situations.
If we are going for a
long duration backpacking trip we should book our lodge or hotel
bookings in advance which will be less time consuming and if we are
booking a quiet earlier we can grab some additional discount. And it
is all time fail proof thing to book our shelter in advance so that
in crisis situations we have our planned place to stay back, it will
save the stress factor here.
These trips are mostly
concerned with where there is adventure involved as in trekking trip
or a rafting and camping combination weekend surf. Adventure is the
spirit of these backpacking trips.
Easy, low cost,
adventurous, exciting these trips may sound but we need a proper
planning of such a trips. If it is well planned and executed
accordingly without falling for distractions coming along the way
backpack trips can be the most memorable trips of your life.
Here is the list of
some important things that we get to include in our bags while on
backpacking trips.
- Survival kit
It is the best product
any backpacker can buy which has everything that we need in an
emergency situation to survive. It includes compass, sugar pouches,
tea bags, soup packets, whistles, fire starter etc.
Now these following
things are optional if you are going for camping or trekking where
you prefer to stay on your own
- Sleeping bags
- Yoga mat
- 2 tents
- Small gas cylinder
Essential list is as
follows
- Multi-utility Swiss knife
- Bottle
- Matchbox
- Lighter
- Torch
- Blankets
- Plastic cups
- Local maps
- Jackets
- Mountain boots (if we are going on a hilly area)
These
small stuff look like are not important among the list but if we
forget to carry them we get to know the worth of it
- Hand sanitizers
- Pepper spray
- Mouthwash
- First aid kit
- Soap strips
- Mosquito repellant
- Snow glares/ sunglasses
- Umbrella
Image courtesy: rumblings.com |
One
should always do their research about the places we are planning to
go to for backpacking trips and take help of the experienced ones if
they have been to the same place before.
So
pack your bags, plan your trip cleverly and neatly, take safety
majors into consideration and Get Set Go for backpack trip these
holidays.
Make
the difference, try something new.
Tag :
Travel Tips,
Bridge Day!!
Mother’s
day, father’s day, birthday, daughter’s day, rose day,
valentine’s day, earth day, doctor’s day, engineer’s day…….
The list would go on and on … the point in counting some of this
special occasion’s day is Bridge day is coming near, 19th
October. To be honest I have not heard about it before some days.
So this
first day official Bridge day was celebrated in 1980 in US in West
Virginia. It is an annual one day festival in West Virginia. It was
the started in the celebration of the New River Gorge Bridge. For
many years it was world’s tallest steel single span bridge which is
now ranked on the fourth no. On the bridge day, bridge is opened for
BASE jump. Automobiles are banned on the bridge this day. In 2013,
New River Gorge Bridge is listed on the National Registrar of
Historic Places.
The
Wikipedia definition of the bridge is; ‘a structure built to span
the physical obstacle such as water body, valley or a road’.
Bridges are considered as the marvels of structural engineering. Some
bridges are definitely breathtaking in aesthetic point of view.
Let’s
take a look at some important bridges in our India.
- Bandra-Worli sea link
Image courtesy: alltouristattraction.org I cannot imagine any other name of the bridge at the top of the list other than ‘Bandra-Worli sea link’; standing still, strong and proudly at in the capital of Maharashtra, aamchi Mumbai. It is also known as the Rajiv Gandhi sea link. The bridge is cable stayed. It links Bandra and western suburbs of the Mumbai.It was a big time project in terms of everything. It costed 1600 crores ($356.8 millions). It was a project by Maharashtra state & road development completed by Hindustan Construction Company and designed by DAR consultants. It is India’s largest sea bridge. - Annai Indira Gandhi Bridge/ pamban Bridge
Image courtesy: commons.wikimedia.org It is in the Tamilnadu state of India. It is India’s first sea bridge. It connects Rameshwaram Island to mainland of India. It is India’s second largest sea bridge. It is both road and cantilever railway bridge but mainly used as the rail bridge. It has double leaf bascule midway which can be raised to let ships pass by under it. - Mahatma Gandhi Setu
Image courtesy: civilfeeds.com It was the longest bridge in India at the time of construction and was inaugurated by Indira Gandhi in 1982. It joins Hajipur and Patna in Bihar. It is also known as the Ganga setu. It is graceful in appearance. It is one of the longest river bridges in the world. - Howrah bridge/ Rabindra Setu
Image courtesy: wakpaper.com Kolkata, the cultural Capital of India, has this famous Howrah Bridge. I remember while watching my favorite movie Yuva I was attracted towards this architectural beauty also. It is on the Hooghly River. This bridge connects Kolkata and Howrah. Its official name has been change to Rabindra setu but it is famously known as the Howrah Bridge. Whenever there is mention of Kolkata, there are writers, poets and art, right from Ravindranath Tagore a Nobel Prize winner in literature to high end fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Famous poet Rudyard Kipling has mentioned in his in city of dreadful that ‘this is worth coming across India to see this’.
- Golden bridge
Image courtesy: rediff.com It is a bridge in Gujarat state. It joins the Ankaleshwar and Bharuch. It was built by British Govt. The name Golden Bridge refers to the cost required at that time to build the bridge. But it is a marvelous structure standing well in condition even after going through Gujarat floods and earthquake. It is one of the longest cantilever types of the bridge. - Godavari Rail Bridge/ Kovvur-Rajahmundrry BridgeIt is Asia’s second longest road cum Rail Bridge. It is actually now a sister bridges the old Godavari Rail Bridge was built in British era of India in 1900 and it was spectacular and now the new Godavari Rail Bridge is built as a substitute for it by Hindustan Construction Company. The new Godavari Bridge is beautiful in aesthetics having the arches over it.
Image courtesy: indiamike.com - Panvalnadi Bridge
Image courtesy: civilfeeds.com It is the Rail Bridge in Maharashtra. It was the tallest Bridge in India but it lost title because of the grand project being completed in North India. It is in the Kokan region of the Maharashtra. It was the project by Kokan Railway Corporation. It was awarded by the Indian Institute of Bridge Engineers and American Concrete Institute as the most outstanding concrete structure in India. - Jadukata bridge
Image courtesy: walkthroughindia.com
It is
the longest span cantilever type of the bridge in India. It is in the
Meghalaya state. It’s built on the Kyunski River. It is listed in
the one of the most beautiful bridges in India.
The
exciting thing on the occasion of this post about bridge day is I
came to know that the world’s highest railway bridge is on its way
of completion in Jammu & Kashmir on Chenab River. Kudos!!
Tag :
Archive,