tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41755148332937082752024-03-13T02:26:28.374-07:00TravelogueI love to travel around the world. Here are my stories, opinions, tips, recommendations. You may choose to take them or leave them. Frankly it does not matter! What really matters is the Travel and the Experience! njoi!Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-22986045292792012742015-06-18T04:06:00.002-07:002015-06-22T01:23:20.257-07:00The Temple of the Mother (Maatri Mandir) - Varanasi<script>
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The above picture is of the Maatri Mandir (Temple of the Mother) at Manikarnika ghat in Varanasi (Banaras, Kashi). The temple which reminds of the leaning tower of Pisa (more info on: <a href="http://towerofpisa.info/" target="_blank">http://towerofpisa.info/</a>) has an extremely interesting story to it.</div>
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A son from the east state of India - West Bengal was very poor, dependent only on his mother throughout his youth. He could not do anything for his mother while she was alive. After her death, though, he became rich and planned to construct a temple to pay back all what his mother had done for him.</div>
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Soon after the temple was constructed, it started leaning and tilted to one side as can be seen above in the picture I have taken. The lesson being that "no one can ever repay the debt of his/her mother".<br />
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A lovely story indeed!!<br />
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Varanasi is full of stories like these. It is one of the oldest cities of the world and hence if you sit down to chat up with locals there, they will flood you with numerous stories like these. Believe me you, every ghat, every historical building and every narrow street of Varanasi has a story(ies) to it,<br />
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To know more about ghats of varanasi read this post: <a href="http://tourdaworld.blogspot.in/2015/06/the-holy-city-of-banaras.html" target="_blank">http://tourdaworld.blogspot.in/2015/06/the-holy-city-of-banaras.html</a><br />
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Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-60668673805231390142015-06-17T03:46:00.001-07:002015-06-22T01:23:30.867-07:00Story of Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi<script>
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During my visit to Varanasi, I was fortunate to have heard a few stories about the ghats of Varanasi from the locals themselves. This is something I love about Indian cities. All cities have tonnes of stories to tell - all linked to the religious places and temples.<br />
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The most prominent of 80 odd ghats of Varanasi is the Dashashwamedha ghat. Ganga Pooja happens everyday on this ghat. When I checked as to how the ghat got it's name, the story which goes like this was narrated to me:<br />
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Brahma Deva (Lord Brahma) did Ashwamedha Yagna on the very place to welcome Lord Shiva. During the yagna he sacrificed ten horses - hence the word "Dasa" which put together with Ashwamedha gives us Dashashwamedha.<br />
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The Dashashwamedha ghat is the most prominent and the most beautiful of Banaras ghats. Priests perform agni pooja every evening and the atmosphere is extremely magical. A must visit during the evenings.<br />
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Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-17693472201583995252015-06-17T01:27:00.002-07:002015-06-22T01:23:41.175-07:00The Holy City of Banaras <script>
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It was Deja vu for me! Going back to Varanasi (Kashi or Banaras or Benaras.. whatever you like) after a gap of 12 long years... and it was a life changing trip for sure...<br />
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Varanasi takes it's name from two rivers - Varuna and Assi which flow through Banaras and join in to Ganga which is the lifeline for the city. Of course the other lifeline is my Alma Mater - Banaras Hindu University now also renamed as Kashi Hindu University!<br />
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This was a business trip I was supposed to be on but turned out to be a soul searching trip for me! There is something about Banaras, about the ghats, the narrow lanes, the timeless existence of the city that feels spiritual in itself. No it's not about the hundred thousand temples which occupy the city.. that's the commercial part... it's the history and more history around the city which encapsulates one!<br />
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Some pics below of the ghats of Banaras.. hope you enjoy them<br />
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The pics are taken from my Mi3 phone camera (13mp).. oh how I wished I should have taken my SLR..<br />
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Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-77833329378806715412015-04-23T00:05:00.002-07:002015-06-22T01:23:56.759-07:00Bali Indonesia <script>
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I am writing again after a long time again. Now I have a 2 year old son. :)<br />
We as a family visited the beautiful island of Bali in Indonesia in Feb-Mar 2014. Its been over a year but the memories are still as fresh.<br />
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We took an Air India flight from Mumbai to Singapore and then onwards to Bali by Tigerair. Since the stopover in Singapore was just 3-4 hours and we reached in the morning, we had enough time to freshen up and had a hearty breakfast at the comfortable and large Singapore airport. Bali is about 2 hrs away from Singapore and once we boarded the plane, we were super excited to reach Bali.<br />
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<b>VISA ON ARRIVAL</b><br />
For Indians and most nationalities, the visa is on arrival for Bali. The visa cost for us at the time was $25 per person (approx. Rs 1500). The immigration process was fairly simple and soon we were out of the airport. The first thing we did as soon as we collected our baggage was to convert the USD we had to Indonesia Rupiah. I must warn you though, at the current rates 1 USD = 13000 Indonesia Rupiah approx. So you need to do your maths right because suddenly you will feel like a millionaire or a billionaire!! :) You can check the latest exchange rates here though: <a href="http://www.xe.com/" target="_blank">http://www.xe.com/</a><br />
I generally use <a href="http://www.xe.com/" target="_blank">xe</a> to check exchange rates before travel.<br />
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Few Tips once you land in Bali:<br />
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1. Get some currency exchanged at the airport since you will need it straight away to pay for a taxi. If you do not, the taxi may rip you off on the exchange rate. Also the exchange rates at the hotels are generally same or worse than that at the airport.<br />
2. Book a taxi from the official prepaid taxi counters if you haven't already booked through your hotel. Do not talk to many of the taxi drivers waiting outside because many of them will charge you much more and even later on ask for baggage charges extra (i.e. extra money per bag) once you reach your destination.<br />
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<b>Bali</b><br />
Bali is one of the provinces in Indonesia. In fact it is the only province which is predominantly hindu population in an otherwise muslim country. It's one of the most diverse island that I have seen. Its about 1.5 hrs flight from Jakarta, 2.5 hrs from Singapore and 3 hrs from Perth and about 4.5 hrs from HK. The Bali airport is called as Denpasar (DPS).<br />
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<b>Best Season to visit</b><br />
June to Oct is the best season to visit Bali. The weather is dry and cool - best for any sort of outdoor activities or strolling along the beaches. Rainy season is from Oct to Mar. This time of the year can be avoided, although you may get really good hotel deals during this period<b>. </b>Take your call. In case you are on budget travel - would suggest Oct and March as the month's to travel to Bali. The tourist season is just starting and if you are lucky, you may get a good weather.<b><br /></b><br />
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<b>Activities </b><br />
There's a lot to do in Bali with activities including water sports, fishing, relaxing on the beach or playing beach sports, visit to various ancient temples (a must) and shopping among others. more to come on this in another post...<b></b><br />
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<b>Where to Stay</b><br />
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Bali has many beautiful hotels and resorts across various places - Kuta (the party place), Jimbaran (the serene and quite place), Nusa Dua (beautiful beach), Ubud (close to nature and perfect for shopping) among others. If you are young (at heart) and party animal, would suggest you to stay at Kuta. If you are peace loving and need a quite place to stay, then Jimbaran or Ubud are the places to stay. If you need a luxury stay with a private beach, them Nusa Dua is the place to go. There are umpteen number of hotels in these areas. So take your pick.<br />
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We stayed in two hotels in Bali. First two days were spent in a small boutique hotel in Jimbaran - The Astari Villa & Residences. Its a small hotel with large rooms. It is so small, it almost seemed to be a private hotel with a private swimming pool. The breakfast was being served at the pool side. They also have a drop facility to the city center. The best part is that its cost efficient. We got a room with breakfast for approx. 60 USD.<br />
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The other hotel we stayed in was The Pullman at Kuta for three days. It has a infinity pool overlooking the Kuta beach. Standard 5 star rooms. Superb spread of breakfast. Its situated on the main beach road and the shops are also close by.<br />
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I would highly recommend both the hotels.</div>
Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-29609435028801684432010-06-27T08:11:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:24:15.131-07:00Hong Kong - Places to See and Things to Do!<script>
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We reached Hong Kong (HK) through the Hong Kong Ferry Terminal since we had taken a boat from Macau. The ride was long and a little rough because of the weather but in all it took about an hour to reach Hong Kong. <br />
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The Hong Kong Ferry Terminal is close to the Hong Kong - Central <a href="http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/homepage/cust_index.html">MTR</a> station and also close to the Sheung Wan station where our hotel was. We took a small, very comfy hotel in the middle of Sheung Wan, walking distance from the <a href="http://www.mtr.com.hk/eng/homepage/cust_index.html">MTR </a>station and close to all the tourist places in HK.</div>
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The problem with HK hotels is that because of scarcity of space, the hotels are very expensive and the rooms very small. We came from Macau were we had a huge room and equally big bathroom in Venetian. But the hotels in HK have very small rooms. So be prepared for it. They will be smaller than your imagination. So much on the hotels...</div>
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Once you are settled in your hotel, get a MTR map and get going. MTR is fast and best way to negotiate HK. You dont want to waste your precious time stuck in slow moving Hong Kong traffic. You can go in for Octopus card as well as we did its very convenient as you dont need to buy tickets at different stations. It works very well every where and you can also pick up stuff at the various convenient stores and bakeries at the stations. You are always on the go with the Octopus card.</div>
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As an option in local travel taxis are inexpensive and easily available in HK also because distances are not much. So if you are not a metro person do oblige yourself and move in a taxi.</div>
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Now as you are settled with your Octopus card, where to go and what to do? right... so here I go with my list of Top 5 must see places in HK:</div>
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1) The Peak - The view from The Peak is amazing specially at night. You have to be there. Best is to take the tram and get to the peak by evening. Return you can take a cab or still take a tram back. Note that you may have to wait a long time for the tram though on weekends. Thrill loving guys can also trek their way up to the tram. Here's a pic (though not very good). </div>
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487518573749312834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP26J2nneavt-z-OxDaX4cXuHQk0Gj7hmVpMxUP_SIGoUrxSBN8hk1xbNuZgddcn60cGZhYPkUX6tx9keM_SoQM0frOh45Ikzjqi-MVMnK7pzLzTzI4XqBIOdPDFVNv7kBwR9b276M2jHu/s200/peak2.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487518564641038258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlLHMcsnat3zaTuKDG4dsffGWK5VCh24lVpi9XGPA4JopdPov2dewn5vwiZYrd87jlLWlsarZ7Ry60VIDRszzejciKpqxhPQyKKxMSgLaAQzXMD8_JkisFKb1w81QAp_iaye4LTbMm42E/s200/Peak.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></div>
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<b>The Peak Tram station: </b>on Garden Road. Closest MTR: Central. It is short walk away from Central. It operates 7 am to midnight and leaves every 10-15 mins. The peak tram return ticket along with the sky terrace ticket is HK$56 for adults. Peak Tram return + Sky Terrace + Madame Tussauds is HK$200 per adult. So take your pick. My recommendation, you can skip the Sky Terrace. Madam Tussauds on its own is HK$160.</div>
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2) Ocean Park - You must do Ocean Park when in HK. Ocean Park is <i>Bird Sanctuary + Thrill Rides + Kids Amusement Park + Panda Conservation + Dolphin Show</i> all rolled into one. It is extreme fun and you need full one day to cover it. And I haven't even started on the long escalators which are difficult to find anywhere else, the train from one park to another and the beautiful cable car ride. Yes you can get all this and more at ocean park. Here are a few pics of the ocean park:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzWIoojo4-qgESd4nSxozZeBzXVRPpaEF2Z5JzVQXMF90nqkJ886Xjl1KaxJJ4YP_zetdXUPrJlMg61Hfh8TdGCj-VKp4uFj2mA02IxuLq6xOk-alJnYYovwLdIVrSe11NQG8JahsDncb/s1600/OP1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487520549080965698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzWIoojo4-qgESd4nSxozZeBzXVRPpaEF2Z5JzVQXMF90nqkJ886Xjl1KaxJJ4YP_zetdXUPrJlMg61Hfh8TdGCj-VKp4uFj2mA02IxuLq6xOk-alJnYYovwLdIVrSe11NQG8JahsDncb/s200/OP1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQj6J9CNAWI_51rpq_fzrovEy2EEZD-saFVgUL9RyDEme9jAseUnyfssRLjZvmPHTZuEKuh61Q4V1vujAXIQzutyBQlPdgRnw-w2Z7zW1kRiHjTmkOAkYLVxC2TJMSJozVYxn-mYczpgnx/s1600/Dolphin+show.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487520539948308354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQj6J9CNAWI_51rpq_fzrovEy2EEZD-saFVgUL9RyDEme9jAseUnyfssRLjZvmPHTZuEKuh61Q4V1vujAXIQzutyBQlPdgRnw-w2Z7zW1kRiHjTmkOAkYLVxC2TJMSJozVYxn-mYczpgnx/s200/Dolphin+show.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjTtX9LQysw4oMHkGkgw1wwkp4fFqkmaKPSQ5Yt8i9A_KPSatgI12UIiSgWp6owuB0YId1QVpe3tkq4KlZbp4AtyYd56glQ-QpuNB-t0EzecuhXGWFmR1Y8tMkMDXWxcDmPi2iHUFjHlT/s1600/cable+car.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487520533806808002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjTtX9LQysw4oMHkGkgw1wwkp4fFqkmaKPSQ5Yt8i9A_KPSatgI12UIiSgWp6owuB0YId1QVpe3tkq4KlZbp4AtyYd56glQ-QpuNB-t0EzecuhXGWFmR1Y8tMkMDXWxcDmPi2iHUFjHlT/s200/cable+car.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKUKrJfQt36LPJgqTt9jovtF6jjkvnRS9x20PGV3_PK0qXpABKqPs2CrXVXXnOKQjVnuwujnnyksvGtRlL-PUsT5RlWAtAkGrKjz-C8Ln6rSAqeuFpiYTUXZ1kuc6esTLgQNiQTa3bb30/s1600/OP5.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487523873608801394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKUKrJfQt36LPJgqTt9jovtF6jjkvnRS9x20PGV3_PK0qXpABKqPs2CrXVXXnOKQjVnuwujnnyksvGtRlL-PUsT5RlWAtAkGrKjz-C8Ln6rSAqeuFpiYTUXZ1kuc6esTLgQNiQTa3bb30/s200/OP5.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzznytQeuHMf0SEXCSb59GeuXF4Poe27chuw9jHICBumH9zV5jDPbduOQKPRo0d93Pfkig46vnF6T_nF7QnTDD9KGmnkG-OrkSNoTP5tlThAEMWnOd4701i0IiBk6p1PY0WODQhy9-B2QP/s1600/OP3.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487523864584834482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzznytQeuHMf0SEXCSb59GeuXF4Poe27chuw9jHICBumH9zV5jDPbduOQKPRo0d93Pfkig46vnF6T_nF7QnTDD9KGmnkG-OrkSNoTP5tlThAEMWnOd4701i0IiBk6p1PY0WODQhy9-B2QP/s200/OP3.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeZNqfdhySX4O7i19zz9kUZCrvSBTS6NbrQ68pSGTSo1SOOSnXbkcrjycOOBvqspHJXqWGOhp7ffyNg3_KW2mCxkweNtiA0sROdU-CoCAkHgY303d02n6OlW3m0toNQaZnLb30_xCQvQw/s1600/OP2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487523848435490418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeZNqfdhySX4O7i19zz9kUZCrvSBTS6NbrQ68pSGTSo1SOOSnXbkcrjycOOBvqspHJXqWGOhp7ffyNg3_KW2mCxkweNtiA0sROdU-CoCAkHgY303d02n6OlW3m0toNQaZnLb30_xCQvQw/s200/OP2.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzWIoojo4-qgESd4nSxozZeBzXVRPpaEF2Z5JzVQXMF90nqkJ886Xjl1KaxJJ4YP_zetdXUPrJlMg61Hfh8TdGCj-VKp4uFj2mA02IxuLq6xOk-alJnYYovwLdIVrSe11NQG8JahsDncb/s1600/OP1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnyluSmMhhKmyplQX18NoJX37d9tXYdnxWiNkQysr8Yka8ptOmBYTot4Az9sT1y3-yNj1Fwhc27AI7WRvqk3TKNrmrl-JHDSYb6JJCo-mTVm5cvLn8qzKrLbhCmn1jOhhbCoQFSfaBX0L/s1600/OP7.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487524602260916642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnyluSmMhhKmyplQX18NoJX37d9tXYdnxWiNkQysr8Yka8ptOmBYTot4Az9sT1y3-yNj1Fwhc27AI7WRvqk3TKNrmrl-JHDSYb6JJCo-mTVm5cvLn8qzKrLbhCmn1jOhhbCoQFSfaBX0L/s200/OP7.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMlJSISOgCVXHV2GqOAZfTzDnJ4aSlYnppqw3KmIBVY-kUxNipKOVQUhy106FzaEFYZCgT-6kLfccboyFgVX136q5NK3lR4fZ-rUot3EmuGUYvoRJYSZalYc49KXdfR-BM8lmMXQ06E1s/s1600/Panda.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487524591560850850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMlJSISOgCVXHV2GqOAZfTzDnJ4aSlYnppqw3KmIBVY-kUxNipKOVQUhy106FzaEFYZCgT-6kLfccboyFgVX136q5NK3lR4fZ-rUot3EmuGUYvoRJYSZalYc49KXdfR-BM8lmMXQ06E1s/s200/Panda.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKEMZfmyo8MuaLzH4nVZfrbFFkVGVLtv2cHQgNu2BhNOktllAAOCt_fL_b-f5uM4O9QHYEEUTsb_q0pw06Y8sU9xSdi44HcS4D12Nuxb0ynGLAaM14ktBb0P0q_LiH_RzYBcuFkttJAsc/s1600/OP6.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487524585971863794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKEMZfmyo8MuaLzH4nVZfrbFFkVGVLtv2cHQgNu2BhNOktllAAOCt_fL_b-f5uM4O9QHYEEUTsb_q0pw06Y8sU9xSdi44HcS4D12Nuxb0ynGLAaM14ktBb0P0q_LiH_RzYBcuFkttJAsc/s200/OP6.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>
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Park Timings are 10 am to 6 pm on most days. The ticket is HK$250 per adult. The Best route is to take Bus no. 629 from outside of <b><i>Admirality MTR station. </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">There are buses from Tsim Sha Tsui (City Bus no. 973) and Kowloon (KMB no. 107).</span></b></div>
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<b><i>Remember</i></b>: Do find out the the timings of Dolphin show as soon as you reach ocean park. Also you must reach the amphitheater for the show at least 30 mins before to get a good seat. It will be important. A good seat is close to the pool and as center as possible.</div>
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3) DisneyLand - Of course you cannot come back from HK without going to Disneyland if you have not been to one before. But more on Disneyland in a separate post.</div>
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4) Stanley Market - On the outskirts of HK. Stanley beach is one of the best beaches in HK. Stanley village is a small fishing village near HK which is now one of the prime real estate piece of land. A distinctly European style market and another Chinese flea market are the biggest attractions of Stanley. I would highly recommend you to go.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7A9fxoj8viH51owZrGvrnapTqGp1V81Wvh9-ZdzxwEuV1w88EtW8DnfLTgTaN2UiRzizx7KoMaVDhqWuTnItgc_6arOWuzpV0p54BpZpaDrK3EZ9-cCTadZcpZKhviYVPQjf2T1LdugC/s1600/Stanley1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487696444708508850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7A9fxoj8viH51owZrGvrnapTqGp1V81Wvh9-ZdzxwEuV1w88EtW8DnfLTgTaN2UiRzizx7KoMaVDhqWuTnItgc_6arOWuzpV0p54BpZpaDrK3EZ9-cCTadZcpZKhviYVPQjf2T1LdugC/s200/Stanley1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSi5-lAxJn2IVk9jbLGD-cb2shi548_vli6rYnTFTmXQaYYoYLuglA2LuJRwGzTs3tHC0UVZznqUXqjLRS91zOxihjGEJz8s8gMpIDdDNySVBnUbBXZMf5YYwzFdh_8GSzJ5EWG24XmzY/s1600/Stanley2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487696454623073922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSi5-lAxJn2IVk9jbLGD-cb2shi548_vli6rYnTFTmXQaYYoYLuglA2LuJRwGzTs3tHC0UVZznqUXqjLRS91zOxihjGEJz8s8gMpIDdDNySVBnUbBXZMf5YYwzFdh_8GSzJ5EWG24XmzY/s200/Stanley2.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">How to reach?:</span> Closest MTR is Chai Wan. Take exit C and catch a Green Minibus 16M.<br />
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5) Lan Kwoi Fong - HK's party area is quite distinct. Its a small street with a mix of British and Asia style pubs and clubs. People come down after office hours to have a drink with friends. You must go to the place. Its quite a party on weekends when the traffic is closed on the street and people walk/sit/drink on the street itself. We went there twice and had a great time. Just take a chilled bear and sit and relax. Enjoy the atmosphere!<br />
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That was my top5 must do must see places in HK.<br />
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More on Disneyland and a lot of pictures in the next post.</div>
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Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-77631967286204625962010-05-09T22:06:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:24:25.313-07:00Hong Kong - Macau<script>
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Long time since I have written a travel blog now. Not that I was not traveling, but it was mostly business trips - short and extremely packed. Therefore no time for being a tourist. Finally went on a trip to Hong Kong and Macau for a vacation and what time we had!<br /><br />Macau, also known as Las Vegas of East is not quite there, yet! But it will soon be, if you have to believe what locals say and see it with your own eyes - the amount of construction happening in Macau. Super luxury hotels, casinos, neon lights, amazing shows and beautiful people - Macau has it all! plus it also has charm of an old Portuguese colony. But we will come to that later.<br /><br />We took the Kingfisher flight from Mumbai 11:30 PM and landed at the beautiful and huge HK airport in the morning 8:00 AM. We had planned to go straight to Macau from the Airport. There is a ferry port right at the airport itself to take you to Macau or HK island or Mainland China.<br /><br />We took the turbojet ferry (www.turbojet.com.hk). The first ferry to Macau was at 10:00 AM and our luggage was directly checked-in to the ferry. i.e., we did not collect our checked-in baggage at the airport. When we bought the ferry ticket at the ferry ticketing counter, we simply showed our flight checked-in baggage tickets to them which they took and issued us new check-in baggage tickets for the ferry. The baggage was directly transferred from the flight to the ferry.<br /><br />The ferry reached Macau at 11:00 AM and after immigration, we collected our baggage.<br />We had booked into Hotel Venetian (http://www.venetianmacao.com/en/). This is a must stay if you are going to Macau. Venetian has airport and ferry pickups and drops. There was a Venetian bus waiting to pick the guests arriving by ferry. The bus took 10 mins to reach the hotel.<br /><br />The check-in time at Venetian is 3 PM and we reached at 12:00 noon. But the staff was very courteous. They requested us to wait for at least 1:00 PM for check-in as room cleaning was in progress. In the meanwhile they told us to visit the Grand Canal Shopping area. Grand Canal Shopping area has been built on lines of Venice, the city of Canals in Italy, hence the name of hotel as Venetian. The staff took care of our luggage and we went ahead to visit the shopping area. Few pictures of the shopping area will give you an idea as to what I mean:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8KavAtNhxgyqn2uAehBViOgQq_c7BkRErIxhvrjleepRDYeYUkSBJEcNtvUZLiYLzJhNdS-xpqOxd9o_BNjMho6YCvTvk4FEA2Z85T7WUyWBzNZy4x6seOXMig9PDZELJhxhoig3MS-F/s1600/IMG_2821.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8KavAtNhxgyqn2uAehBViOgQq_c7BkRErIxhvrjleepRDYeYUkSBJEcNtvUZLiYLzJhNdS-xpqOxd9o_BNjMho6YCvTvk4FEA2Z85T7WUyWBzNZy4x6seOXMig9PDZELJhxhoig3MS-F/s200/IMG_2821.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482121582117692146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEruiaHNrsQXjOLZd5UwDY9SG3wot8iTyM9xEgyjEp8ZuC_TYKK6fq-eISoY1E9Ba44o4DVBFOX2MnRxfycE64IQkAXtjPZHxB0R4MrW74z_fCBZlHSq3ZXIgN7r9JBuj9AFUPD8iU6ssT/s1600/IMG_2806.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEruiaHNrsQXjOLZd5UwDY9SG3wot8iTyM9xEgyjEp8ZuC_TYKK6fq-eISoY1E9Ba44o4DVBFOX2MnRxfycE64IQkAXtjPZHxB0R4MrW74z_fCBZlHSq3ZXIgN7r9JBuj9AFUPD8iU6ssT/s200/IMG_2806.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482121576624872450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyZpq0aPblquqcFiRiNM6yYbHBkmkAkWT9w4VAF09WdBcChBGThgCrm8BZlYnMMKZa4hUD0rWtil_hFGVT4b9VrsnNl17kJu9XQMNUq2rEDV2JF9_34RKJx7PgUK6OyEGij7k7T-hBR8W/s1600/IMG_2838.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyZpq0aPblquqcFiRiNM6yYbHBkmkAkWT9w4VAF09WdBcChBGThgCrm8BZlYnMMKZa4hUD0rWtil_hFGVT4b9VrsnNl17kJu9XQMNUq2rEDV2JF9_34RKJx7PgUK6OyEGij7k7T-hBR8W/s200/IMG_2838.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482123470195857170" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Venetian as the name suggests is a hotel based on the theme of the city of Venice in Italy. There are canals made and a fantastic shopping, activity and eat out area designed along the canals. You can even take Gondola rides in the canals.<br />Of course Venetian is famous for its Casino and you must play a little to experience the thrill... but only a little because very few people end up winning and if you are winning, move on, collect your money and get out fast.<br /><br />You dont need to worry about food in Venetian. It has a fantastic food court which serves variety of cuisines.. from Chinese to Italian to Fast food and even Indian. You can also get plenty of vegetarian options. For those of you who are health conscious there are a couple of options as well. So the food court is well covered and serves everyone.<br /><br />Useful Tip: The Four Seasons hotel and Venetian are interconnected and the Four Seasons is less expensive than the Venetian. So you can stay at the Four Seasons and yet take all the advantages of the Ventian.<br /><br />Next up... Hong Kong!Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-2211588378677460862009-04-06T23:55:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:24:36.442-07:00London - Free Attractions<script>
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span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} span.black {mso-style-name:black; mso-style-unhide:no;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:1295604679; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-341687986 1074331663 1074331673 1074331675 1074331663 1074331673 1074331675 1074331663 1074331673 1074331675;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; margin-left:54.0pt; text-indent:-18.0pt;} ol {margin-bottom:0cm;} ul {margin-bottom:0cm;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >There are lots of things to do in London. You can really spend months in this city without ever visiting the same place twice. There is so much to see and do. But the best part is that a lot of attractions are free and a lot of what is free is also what is the best London has to offer.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Most major museums in London are free. They don’t charge a penny to visit them. Here’s the best of them – <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">1.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">The British Museum <o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >If there is one place in the world where you can look at the history of the entire world from a cultural perspective, it is here is the British Museum. From ancient Greece temples to Egyptian Mummies and parts of Egyptian Pyramids to artefacts, clothing’s etc from Asia, Americas, Europe and Africa, this place will never cease to amaze you. With one of the most wonderful library in its premises it is truly a complete package for a traveller and a knowledge seeker.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Address:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG; Tel: 020 7323 8000<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span>Tottenham Court Road (Central and Northern lines), Holborn (Central and Piccadilly lines), Russell Square (Piccadilly line) and Goodge Street (Northern line) stations<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Bus:</span></i></b><i style=""> 1, 7, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 98, 242 Stop on New Oxford Street; 10, 14, 24, 29, 73, 134, 390<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style="">Stop on Tottenham Court Road, northbound and Gower Street, southbound; 59, 68, X68, 91, 168, 188 Stop on Southampton Row</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style="">
<br /></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">2.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Science Museum<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >One of the most entertaining museum’s in Europe, Science Museum offers a wonderful and exciting time to travellers. From history of science and space travel to Simulators to Imax studio the museum has a lot to offer. Entry to the museum is free but there are charges for Imax and Simulators.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Address:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD; Tel: 020 0870 4868<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span>South Kensington station (Circle, District and Piccadilly lines)</i><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Bus: </span></i></b><i style="">Routes 14, 49, 70, 74, 345, 360, 414, 430 and C1 stop outside South Kensington station</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">3.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">RAF Museum<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >The Royal Air Force Museum is dedicated to the bravery of the British Air Force. There are a lot of aircraft on display with weapons used by these. In addition the uniforms, photographs on display and a sound and light show make it a great place to visit. The museum is open from Monday to Sunday 10.00 AM to 18.00 PM with free entrance and parking.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Address:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Grahame Park Way, London, NW9 5LL; Tel: 020 8205 2266<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Colindale Underground on the Edgware branch of the Northern Line. Please alight at Colindale, not Hendon Central. Colindale is in Zone 4.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Bus:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Route 303</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">4.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Kenwood House<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Also known as Iveagh Bequest, hangs the world famous art collections. Besides you can explore the parkland and lakeside walks. The entry is free and it is open daily from 11.30 AM to 16.00 PM except on Christmas and New Year.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Address:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Hampstead Lane, London, NW3 7JR; Tel: 020 8348 1286<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Archway (Northern line) and Golders Green (Northern line-Edgware branch) - then the 210 bus, Hampstead Heath (London Over ground line) - 1.5 miles</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">5.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Sir John Soane’s Museum<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Sir John Soane’s former house has been converted into a museum housing his antique collectibles from around the world. The museum entrance is free and is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00 AM to 17.00 PM<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Address:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3BP; Tel: 020 7405 2107<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Holborn (Central and Piccadilly lines)</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">6.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">The Geffrye Museum<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Geffrye Museum is one of the hidden gems of London. Not very popular with the tourists, The Geffrye Museum houses the history of English interior design since 1600. It contains a series of period rooms reflecting the changing decor of English homes since last 5 centuries. The entry is free and it is open from Tuesday to Saturday 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM. Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 12.00 PM to 5.00 PM<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Address:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> 136 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, E2 8EA; Tel: 020 7739 9893<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Liverpool Street (Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines), then bus 149 or 242, Old Street-exit 2 (Northern line), then bus 243 or a 15 minute walk. <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Buses:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> 149, 242, 243, 67, 394</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">7.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">The National Gallery<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >The National Gallery located at the famous Trafalgar Square in London was founded in 1824 and has a collection of more than 2000 paintings. The gallery came into being when the House of Commons in 1824 agreed to pay </span><span style="font-size:100%;">£57,000 for a collection of 38 paintings of the banker John Julius Angerstein.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Hence the gallery was constructed and pictures displayed in it. Since then the collection has increased many folds and houses some of the finest and rarest pictures found in Western Europe.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The Gallery is open all days from 10 AM to 6 PM and on Wednesdays from 10 AM to 9 PM. The entry is free for all. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style="">Address:</i></b><i style=""> Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube: </span></i></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Charing Cross (</span><span style="font-size:100%;">Northern and Bakerloo lines), </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Leicester Square</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (Northern and Piccadilly lines), </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Embankment</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (Northern, Bakerloo, District and Circle lines)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Buses: </span></i></b>Buses around Trafalgar Square 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 53, 77A, 88, 91, 139, 159, 176, 453</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">8.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Changing of the Guards<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >You can watch the Changing of the Guards ceremony, free of cost, outside the Buckingham Palace. To see the ceremony be there at 11.00 AM but make sure to check beforehand if the ceremony is taking place on that particular day. You can check it out here <a href="http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4933.asp">http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4933.asp</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube: </span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Victoria (Circle, District and Victoria lines), Green Park (Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines), St James’s Park (Circle and District lines) or Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly line)<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">9.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Ceremony of the Keys<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >The ceremony happens at the Tower of London every evening and is free but you have to make reservations beforehand through a written application. Since only a few people can be part of the ceremony hence you need to apply about 2 months in advance.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >There are many Museums in London as are in most of major European cities. But really, there is lot more to London than just museums and galleries. I do not bother to give you details of all the museums in London. I suggest you plan your stay in London so that you cover important museums and yet have a lot of time to do hundreds of other things there are to do.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Address:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Tower Hill, London, EC3N 4AB; Tel: 020 7488 5663<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube: </span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tower Hill Station (Circle and District lines)</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">10.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Hyde Park<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Hyde Park is London’s finest and one of the most famous historical landscape’s. Covering 350 Acres of park land, it is the most ideal place to spend a picnic day out with the family. Start early, pack a nice heavy English breakfast and set out for Hyde Park with your family. With more than 4000 trees, a beautiful lake and meadow, Hyde Park is all set to take your breath apart.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Apart from this, Hyde Park also hosts a lot of actors, comedians, performers who come and perform for free. You can also take part in discussions and debates on various topics with a lot of people who are more than willing to chat with you.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >For children, there are horse rides and bird feeding.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube: </span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">There are 5 tube stations around the edges of Hyde Park. Hyde Park Corner and Knightsbridge stations (Piccadilly line), Queensway, Lancaster Gate and Marble Arch stations (Central line), Bayswater (Circle and District lines) is also close to Queensway station<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Buses:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> From </span><span class="black">North London: 6, 7, 10, 16, 52, 73, 82, 390, 414; South London: 2, 36, 137, 436; West London: 9, 10, 14, 19, 22, 52, 74, 148, 414; East London: 8, 15, 30, 38, 274</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span class="black"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">11.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Regent’s Park<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >The Regent's Park covering 410 Acres has both open parkland and spectacular formal gardens, including the stunning Rose Garden with more than 400 varieties of roses. The park is home to a wide variety of sports activities as well as other interesting activities such as a boating in its large lake and an open air theatre. Regent’s Park is also home to the London Zoo. It is open from 5 AM until dusk.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Regent’s Park is also a great place for picnic. In addition, it is a nice place to rest your feet while exploring London. Tourist Attractions near Regent’s Park include London Planetarium and Madame Tussaud’s.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube: </span></i></b></span><span class="black" style="font-size:100%;"><i style="">Regent's Park (Bakerloo line), Great Portland Street (Hammersmith & City, Circle & Metropolitan lines), Baker Street (Hammersmith & City, Circle, Jubilee, Metropolitan & Bakerloo lines), St John's Wood (Jubilee line), Camden Town (Northern line) tube stations<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Bus:</span></i></b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"> 2, 13, 18, 27, 30, 74, 82, 113, 139, 189, 274, 453<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="">12.<span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">St James Park<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >St James's Park is at the very heart of London covering 58 Acres. It is often used for ceremonial and national occasions. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Palace and St James’s Palace skirt the St James Park. Hence in addition to being an attraction in itself, the park is also a great resting place while visiting any/ all of the above palaces.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">How to Reach?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 17.85pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Tube: </span></i></b></span><span class="black" style="font-size:100%;"><i style="">St. James's Park (District and Circle lines), Charing Cross Station (Northern, Bakerloo, BR lines), Westminster (Jubilee, District & Circle lines), Green Park (Piccadilly, Victoria & Jubilee lines), Victoria - Victoria, Circle & District, BR lines<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:85%;" ><b><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Buses: </span></i></b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">3, 11, 12, 24, 29, 53, 77a, 88, 91, 148, 159, 211, 453</span></i></span>
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<br /><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script> Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-47884527216307252462009-04-06T23:45:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:24:49.458-07:00London Hostels - Cheap Lodging Options<script>
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There are a plethora of hostels and cheap hotel options in London. You really don’t have to spend a fortune to stay in London. My favorite has always been <a href="http://www.hihostels.com">www.hihostels.com</a>. Most of the times I am satisfied with the hostels listed on this website.<br />Here are the options other than the website <a href="http://www.hihostels.com">www.hihostels.com </a>:<br /><br /><ul><li>There are a number of hostels listed on <a href="http://www.london-hostels.co.uk/">http://www.london-hostels.co.uk/</a> .You can checkout various offers and rates and select hostels depending upon your requirement</li></ul><ul><li>Another website which offers hosts of options is <a href="http://www.hostellondon.com/">http://www.hostellondon.com/</a>. Some of the hostels on the site are also rated by backpackers. Do checkout the location, ratings and facilities which are detailed out on the site. Most times these facilities and photos give a good idea about the place</li></ul><ul><li>While booking a hostel or accommodation place special emphasis on how far is the closest tube station and in which zone. If you are in London on a vacation, try to be somewhere in zones 1 or 2<br /></li></ul><ul><li>Some of the university and college campuses in London also offer accommodation to visitors during their summers vacations<br /></li></ul><ul><li>You can also book hostels and campus accommodations at www.hostelworld.com as previously told. The user feedback at this site is one of the best.</li></ul>There are a plenty of options in London - hostels, bed and breakfast, other hotels. Just make sure that you look at the feedback about a place before booking it. Also look and take a note of 3-4 other options in the same area as your booked accomodation just in case you feel an urge to move out.<br /><br /><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-27522744107714851342009-04-06T04:47:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:25:02.489-07:00London - local travel<script>
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</w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, 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font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">London is a BIG city. You cannot cover London on foot specially if you are a tourist and time is of utmost importance for you. But not to worry as there are many cheap options to travel in London. More than a century old metro (tube) system is very efficient and covers London to the fullest (almost). Apart from the Tube, the bus network is also very good. You can also rent a car, but believe me you, it will be burn a hole in your pocket. City of London levies congestion charges on cars entering into its central zones (there are 6 zones as you will learn later). In addition the parking is very expensive. I would rather take the famous London taxi than rent a car!
<br /></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Local Conveyance – Underground ‘Tube’ and Bus<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >The local public transport in London is governed by TFL (Transport for London) <a href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/">www.tfl.gov.uk</a>. It is a comprehensive network of underground and bus.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpULry0hP23hE4SjIroUdvxoBsfe7SZKlRTDGfRMBb0HYVpH8J7FnxwsqpE5LAbZM7K8UpIq4tcOuiBjsddaGKyuRRDKFU9vQD91wQXmjWqdbxjJx8U7qScCzZdG_IVUS3yp0eqTtRpj2/s1600-h/London_Bridge.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpULry0hP23hE4SjIroUdvxoBsfe7SZKlRTDGfRMBb0HYVpH8J7FnxwsqpE5LAbZM7K8UpIq4tcOuiBjsddaGKyuRRDKFU9vQD91wQXmjWqdbxjJx8U7qScCzZdG_IVUS3yp0eqTtRpj2/s320/London_Bridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321548200098659490" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Underground ‘Tube’<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >You can easily pick a tube map for free at the airport itself. Go to the tourist information counter and ask for the map. Take your time to carefully chart out your journey to your final station. You can take help of the staff at the information counter. If you are first-<i style="">timer</i> in London the map may seem a little complicated with 12 tube lines on it. But believe me it is very simple to use the tube in London. It is the fastest and the cheapest option you have. Plus the biggest advantage is that you get to know London a lot better. Tube is the lifeline of London. Few tube stations are testimony to London’s modern history and the resilience of its people. The Tube is more than a century old, though some lines are relatively new but the tube stations have a very interesting history of their own, especially about the two world wars.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1_EcJ5Y2LepxlHp2nCGzSBILB_-_bUiSKaFe2KCdYc25_zr7v3aUOiDQRwoH8H-p8jdHnaWXSn1TpVLD_yrzAETfcfa2m_-toiYiDSA-G2P2TIvfTGKmusxp6kTUz0sETuarMeMtBB1A/s1600-h/IMG_0718+%28Small%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1_EcJ5Y2LepxlHp2nCGzSBILB_-_bUiSKaFe2KCdYc25_zr7v3aUOiDQRwoH8H-p8jdHnaWXSn1TpVLD_yrzAETfcfa2m_-toiYiDSA-G2P2TIvfTGKmusxp6kTUz0sETuarMeMtBB1A/s320/IMG_0718+%28Small%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321546728614040162" border="0" /></a>
<br /></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Bus<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >The bus service in London is very convenient and is 24 hours (Tube is from 5 AM to 12 AM). The downside is that buses do get stuck in traffic and take much longer than tube to get you to your destination. The bright side is that you move on London’s roads and hence see the beautiful city of London from your bus window. You don’t miss the hustle and bustle of London and can take in as much as possible during your stay. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >I would suggest you mix and match and use both services as per your convenience. For the sake of time, to travel longer distances you should use tube. Remember, as a tourist, time is the most precious commodity you have.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -36pt;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Travel within London<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >London is divided into six concentric zones. While taking a tube or bus remember that you should first check out in which zone does your destination lies and take a ticket accordingly. Greater the distance between your zones, greater is the ticket price. For example a single ticket in central London (Zones 1 to any destination) costs £4.0. <span style=""> </span>Single ticket from any zone(within 2-6 and not zone 1) to any destination (within 2-6 zones and not zone 1) will cost £3.2. DLR single tickets (zones 2 and 3) will cost £1.6.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >But if you are in London only as a tourist, there is a cheaper option for you. You can buy a one-day or three-day unlimited Off-peak pass for £5.6(Zones 1-2) and £21.2 (Zones 1-6) respectively. You can use the tickets for unlimited travel on Tube and Bus after 9:30 AM. You can buy these tickets at any Tube station. You can also purchase anytime tickets (valid also from 4.30 AM to 9.30 AM and beyond). <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >For Bus and Trams, a single ticket costs £2.0 and a day ticket costs £3.8.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Oyester photo cards<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >A much cheaper option on London tube is Oyester cards. Oyester is a ‘pay as you go’ concept. The ticket prices are much cheaper and you will be charged according to the journey you take without bothering about the zones in which you are travelling or the transport you are taking. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >For example, oyster single fare in zone 1 will cost you just £1.6 whereas a normal single fare ticket will cost you £4.0. The travel from zone 1 to other zones will vary with the distance with a maximum of £3.8 being charged from zone 1 to 6. Similarly an Oyester single on a bus or tram costs £1.0 whereas a normal single on the same costs £2.0.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >There is a Daily Price Cap concept on Oyester. How so ever much you travel in a single day on Bus and Tram, you will not be charged more than £3.3 on Oyster (whereas a day pass ticket is £3.8). Similarly, Off-peak travel on Tube (zones1-2) is capped at £5.1 whereas an Off-peak Day Travelcard (zones1-2) costs £5.6. Thus using an Oyster is definitely the cheaper option. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Travel Cards<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >There are a 7 Day, a Monthly and an Annual Travelcard is also available, depending upon your travel zones within London. For example a 7 Day Travelcard (zones 1-2) will cost £25.8 and a Monthly (zones 1-2) will cost £99.1. A 7 Day Bus and Tram pass costs £13.8 and a Monthly costs £53.0<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;">Children and Student Discounts<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Children under 11 travel free on Buses and Trams. They also travel free on Tube, DLR and London Overground but only when accompanied by an adult. If not accompanied, then a 5-10 free oyster photocard is needed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >Children 11-15 can travel free on trams and buses but need an 11-15 free Oyester photocard. 11-15 year olds pay child rates on tubes, DLR and London Overground. An Oyester photocard is needed. Else you can purchase child –rate cash single, Day or 3 Day tickets. 11-15 year olds can also get a £1.0 Day travel card when travelling with an adult with a valid travel card.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:100%;" >16-19 year olds in full-time education or on a work-based learning scheme and who <i style="">live in a London borough</i> can travel free on buses and trams with a 16+ Oyster photocard. With this you can also pay as you go at half adult-rate on Tube, DLR and London Overground services and buy half adult-rate Travelcard season tickets. 19 year olds need to have been aged 18 on 31 August 2008. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Other 16-17 year olds with a 16+ Oyster photocard can use pay as you go at half the adult-rate on bus, Tube, tram, DLR and London Overground services and buy half price Bus & Tram Pass and Travelcard season tickets.</span>
<br /><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script> Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-53880653367456471532009-03-30T01:45:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:25:23.736-07:00London - A City Fantastique!<script>
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<span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >I Love London!<br />Yes, the capital city of The Great Britain is a phenomenol place to be in. London has so much to see and do that even 15 days in London may seem short. Hence I have divided my visit to London into many blog posts, first of which is this.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Small Introduction of London - even for those who are familiar with the city!</span><br /><br />London, the capital of England or Great Britain is a city whose foundation dates back a long time. With a very rich history combined with all modern amenities of a developed city, London is the heartthrob of its nation. Its a very diverse city which people from different parts of the world have made their home.<br /><br />Right from theatres to river cruises to cathedrals to famous bridges to historical buildings, palaces, museums, sport centres like Lords and Wimbledon to its pub culture, London has practically everything for everyone thus making it world’s most vibrant, lively and exciting city to be in. Therefore it is not surprising that London is visited by more than 15 million tourists’ year on year.<br /><br />You can reach London via one of the many flights connecting the world's busiest airport - Heathrow to various destinations or via EuroStar trai which connects London with mainland Europe.<br /><br />We had taken a flight from Grenoble (France) to Stansted Airport, London and then from the airport we took a bus to the city. But here is the detail of various airports of London and different ways to travel to and fro from the city.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">To and Fro Airport</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gatwick Airport</span> – <a href="http://www.gatwickexpress.com">www.gatwickexpress.com</a> from Airport to Victoria Station every 15 minutes, from 5 AM early morning to 1:30 AM past midnight. One way adult ticket is £16.90 and a return ticket is £28.80. Children ticket (5 -15 years) is just half of these prices.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heathrow Airport</span> – <a href="http://www.heathrowexpress.com">www.heathrowexpress.com</a> from Airport to Paddington Station every 15 minutes, from 5 AM early morning to 12 AM midnight daily. One way adult ticket is £14 and a return ticket is £26. Children ticket is half these prices. This is a high-speed but costly option. Cheaper option from Heathrow is to take the London Underground, also known as ‘Tube’. You can take the Piccadilly line to central London or change lines at appropriate stations to reach your final destination. Tube takes much longer (at least an hour) but is very convenient and easy to navigate if you have a tube map. You also have the option of taking a bus to central London from Heathrow. www.nationalexpress.com connects Heathrow with London and other destinations. I suggest you to check out their website before your travel for latest fares and discount schemes on offer. You can also book your ticket online in case you get a nice discount otherwise for the sake of flexibility, you can always take the tickets once you land at the airport.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stansted Airport</span> – <a href="http://www.stanstedexpress.com">www.stanstedexpress.com </a>is a train from Airport to Liverpool street will cost you about £24 for a return ticket. Children (5-15 years of age) go at half the price. The trains depart every 15 minutes from 5:30 AM early morning to 12:30 AM past midnight. Apart from this National Express buses connect Stansted to various parts of London and other destinations. You can check out the latest fares, discount schemes and timings from their website <a href="http://www.nationalexpress.com">www.nationalexpress.com<br /></a><br />I am tired now... will tell you more about the fabulous and most convenient transport system in London... in the next post.</span><br /><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-9234884366964337622009-03-11T22:40:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:25:36.545-07:00Switzerland - Zurich<script>
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Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland is a major business center in Europe. It is also an important center as the cultural capital of Switzerland. The two museums of <span class="onHide">Kunsthaus and the Rietberg, act as important centers of Art. Zurich has a lot of churches, museums and since it is an important business center, there are over 400 pubs and bars.<br /><br />A day trip to Zurich is more than enough from a tourist's point of view. Main attractions:<br /><br /></span><ul><li><span class="onHide">Kunsthaus Museum has a large collection of classic modern art from around the world</span></li><li><span class="onHide">Church of St Peter has the largest clock face (8.7 mt) built in 1534</span></li><li><span class="onHide">Church of Grossmunster which was built around 820</span></li><li><span class="onHide">Church of Fraumunster built in 874</span></li><li><span class="onHide">Lindenhof which is site of Roman and Medieval castle near St Peters</span></li><li>Lake Zurich, the lake side is abuzz with lots of activity on weekends and in the evenings<br /><br /></li></ul><span class="onHide">If you really want to see the financial district, you can head to Parade-Platz in the middle of Bahnhofstrasse.<br />The most famous areas for night life are Niederdorf and Langstrasse with bars, restaurants and lounges.<br />Here are a few pictures of Zurich:<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuvipoc5TXrfEzmS6pt8jVAz4yOvDITJnjNNvOolmacusy2Rioo7VvcCAwAeFJJVCSsVWjtgjFtYx5995leulvQpLp68kUkXPd1M67RVsB6-jRSzQCxYlB6P_jbFzoVcKIna_7eYyNfMW/s1600-h/DSC00364+%28Small%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuvipoc5TXrfEzmS6pt8jVAz4yOvDITJnjNNvOolmacusy2Rioo7VvcCAwAeFJJVCSsVWjtgjFtYx5995leulvQpLp68kUkXPd1M67RVsB6-jRSzQCxYlB6P_jbFzoVcKIna_7eYyNfMW/s320/DSC00364+%28Small%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312178793775722322" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_21FRPPCr6AreHN745dvvwQOtdQuFuu3GEpD_F9mRfbKiILHoK5uhRLhVNAUXyzOyVZTD-g6VvTMe93JBeFL_yqku6lfTBl8AN64zPX825ExUiJ28By-5d-WkJcthaZHzMCJIMc8QT6p/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28260%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_21FRPPCr6AreHN745dvvwQOtdQuFuu3GEpD_F9mRfbKiILHoK5uhRLhVNAUXyzOyVZTD-g6VvTMe93JBeFL_yqku6lfTBl8AN64zPX825ExUiJ28By-5d-WkJcthaZHzMCJIMc8QT6p/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28260%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312179278147002418" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4c8lRklvwPENTIGyDFLib_GO4fnIGFuQMyxsuBwjzNgKZOeM__kryFrv9vQdnvlqtjERP024Zfk78AC-jMaMc5glDz1Tg8jC_pKsm1rHy3SbfnfxM_s1hdBnhVsSi3zR7s4zrT2JhYhXh/s1600-h/DSC00362+%28Small%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4c8lRklvwPENTIGyDFLib_GO4fnIGFuQMyxsuBwjzNgKZOeM__kryFrv9vQdnvlqtjERP024Zfk78AC-jMaMc5glDz1Tg8jC_pKsm1rHy3SbfnfxM_s1hdBnhVsSi3zR7s4zrT2JhYhXh/s320/DSC00362+%28Small%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312178795685947426" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZGUtNQklTo6aQc5TlxPkKEOhGJ5unS05O3u4DrSHF_nJXpHSQ9rY49IP8AQ4BQvYSzhS9OAgzrjQVoNGMuqZ4ZAK7FjfQ56XRHQWwENx7KR628OnwT2iwX8IebS1a9ISRpKa6fIW-yj2/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28262%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZGUtNQklTo6aQc5TlxPkKEOhGJ5unS05O3u4DrSHF_nJXpHSQ9rY49IP8AQ4BQvYSzhS9OAgzrjQVoNGMuqZ4ZAK7FjfQ56XRHQWwENx7KR628OnwT2iwX8IebS1a9ISRpKa6fIW-yj2/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28262%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312179277707777746" border="0" /></a> <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcutSuif-MApceFkMqfvEvoV86_-sohTp07AZIeQrqympjFe_NvruoxU9gPXB_-X28R03sAgwiOj-pYaddlSXGNIbOTQTwEI4dQD4u9AfRRCDgnTnULYiN49K7pqkPnPK4Q4OqyguVtIm/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28304%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcutSuif-MApceFkMqfvEvoV86_-sohTp07AZIeQrqympjFe_NvruoxU9gPXB_-X28R03sAgwiOj-pYaddlSXGNIbOTQTwEI4dQD4u9AfRRCDgnTnULYiN49K7pqkPnPK4Q4OqyguVtIm/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28304%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312179629952585778" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3z7eXIX0Y8iUNzErnwA2bjxd4wSUajgDKPIaLzU06JogUjbbpslrtv6I0AX8m4WB9kb8fo_O9vgQvCbBhbvGLAcjM9qKFK26c2rbAfsr6H29l4VBH95mpPSMh3GRF91jbPoqjwRafAXTh/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28300%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3z7eXIX0Y8iUNzErnwA2bjxd4wSUajgDKPIaLzU06JogUjbbpslrtv6I0AX8m4WB9kb8fo_O9vgQvCbBhbvGLAcjM9qKFK26c2rbAfsr6H29l4VBH95mpPSMh3GRF91jbPoqjwRafAXTh/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28300%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312179630870741442" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKdGFiDglvMqlOm9bBRARmgzzOYCHru0ZQC3reB1QD3r3FkHgXtLyBlw_FEtwmrzq5fh_e6ODYgwqGoBaH-XEG1RUJGHpBYy5diLD79ndT9ju9G_16eoufmVzmmSksyYkCOrJNCwt6wiN/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28299%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKdGFiDglvMqlOm9bBRARmgzzOYCHru0ZQC3reB1QD3r3FkHgXtLyBlw_FEtwmrzq5fh_e6ODYgwqGoBaH-XEG1RUJGHpBYy5diLD79ndT9ju9G_16eoufmVzmmSksyYkCOrJNCwt6wiN/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28299%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312179625443981986" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_yrZdVfUjfvidq7PMmvJNiQ29HEcTrqYGjVTfHU4MExhBhP1loUQt7pJ8bN_HdVSdYZK0kA9npNcF8la5uup6RlxMkn-nHAW4_KDTmsNGQIo3A7w-PPPfnD0SpQw6GmP5qr6OZGmChoy/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28272%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_yrZdVfUjfvidq7PMmvJNiQ29HEcTrqYGjVTfHU4MExhBhP1loUQt7pJ8bN_HdVSdYZK0kA9npNcF8la5uup6RlxMkn-nHAW4_KDTmsNGQIo3A7w-PPPfnD0SpQw6GmP5qr6OZGmChoy/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28272%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312179282814889474" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="onHide"><br /></span><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-40361203287728544492009-03-10T00:27:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:25:58.915-07:00Switzerland - Lucerne<script>
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<span style="font-size:100%;">This was day 3 of our Switzerland trip. We are staying at <a href="http://tourdaworld.blogspot.com/2008/06/switzerland-interlaken.html">Interlaken </a>and make day trips to various places in Switzerland. Lucerne was another of those day trips, but the amount of sightseeing the city had to offer, we could have stayed for another day.<br /><br />Lucerne, situated at the shores of Lake Lucerne, is a city of town squares and churches and most populous in Central Switzerland. It is one of the most coveted of tourist stopovers in Europe. Most tourists make it a daytrip and visit the 'must-see' attractions of the city which includes:<br /></span><ul><li>Kapellbrücke- The wooden chapel bridge built in 1333, has around 120 triangular paintings from 1500's. These paintings capture the city's history through the years. Kapellbrücke was destroyed in a 1993 fire, but an excellent restoration work has recreated the magic.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yERpw-Jl1PeV966hZ-AHERMo1xNcB4DvaqfeYmjjsOvtL_hJN5mLDPrik5MohIeMKsX6hP_GjmjyDE2Yxff1OhQgPjZu3A_B3Afm506wTznzyRrcuCCn041o3mjkyFP6VRBTL7rH_2vy/s1600-h/DSC03919+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yERpw-Jl1PeV966hZ-AHERMo1xNcB4DvaqfeYmjjsOvtL_hJN5mLDPrik5MohIeMKsX6hP_GjmjyDE2Yxff1OhQgPjZu3A_B3Afm506wTznzyRrcuCCn041o3mjkyFP6VRBTL7rH_2vy/s320/DSC03919+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311476608384593922" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3jmxfoK5im0yKmkMutNdGHBv0zkO_Ez-muDMOR7OWh0tWs9wk22QBBRwzEKEWR7uz__ON5EjJEdR37daL1uSapcow00UhLksYAaZOPk9sRb5B25c-K5FdKO9cc2z0f-1QOX2jsCixE-m/s1600-h/DSC03912+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3jmxfoK5im0yKmkMutNdGHBv0zkO_Ez-muDMOR7OWh0tWs9wk22QBBRwzEKEWR7uz__ON5EjJEdR37daL1uSapcow00UhLksYAaZOPk9sRb5B25c-K5FdKO9cc2z0f-1QOX2jsCixE-m/s320/DSC03912+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311476957921291122" border="0" /></a></li><li>Lion Monument - In a small park off Lowenplatz, this famous carving of a dying Lion was made by Bertel Thorvaldsen. This monument commerates the swiss guards who died during the French Revolution. The beauty of the monument is that it has been created using a single giant stone.</li></ul> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhUltccXFKPzDemWUoO9tJz2UyPsmzslxp1GPwLe7IlYpAQW-U5q2njYFGAdk_46_v2kzuNdjuo6qoGltoVvT5wuWsi4VMfh9GxBJDHyBcxEx7GCFgyQzdRM8cqUVsb9EsBomHB0z2Wbb/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28246%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhUltccXFKPzDemWUoO9tJz2UyPsmzslxp1GPwLe7IlYpAQW-U5q2njYFGAdk_46_v2kzuNdjuo6qoGltoVvT5wuWsi4VMfh9GxBJDHyBcxEx7GCFgyQzdRM8cqUVsb9EsBomHB0z2Wbb/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28246%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311477750793235858" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhuVECj8kvDSOcrkZgRw4CHLQZlWWLqwK-22yFpWb5H-blKW0jzitvRDiIwDWn0H6Hk8qDFcAOi5R6KRCmDROOmHaILtMY52UlJE8Fv3cInHC42ExduW_fjOJ0_rcrgwqQhqfEeZgvpG-B/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28243%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhuVECj8kvDSOcrkZgRw4CHLQZlWWLqwK-22yFpWb5H-blKW0jzitvRDiIwDWn0H6Hk8qDFcAOi5R6KRCmDROOmHaILtMY52UlJE8Fv3cInHC42ExduW_fjOJ0_rcrgwqQhqfEeZgvpG-B/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28243%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311477752951854034" border="0" /></a><br /><ul><li>Church of St. Leodegar, with their twin towers is a popular tourist spot. The church is popularly known as the <i>'Hofchile' </i>locally. The present structure was made in 1633. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVAT3VjhHhl6NVCEeol7sTzYHNvy9w_MXhw9HSao2wBzx15Nhc0IYjS5v0MNa-TC5DehyphenhyphenJG5C_Y0zksrC81AFoSHhdu3NDHpfmyTO1iOaj4obaCWk9YWOeLQAPTihtujfZu9Xeb9rFwa0/s1600-h/DSC03928+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVAT3VjhHhl6NVCEeol7sTzYHNvy9w_MXhw9HSao2wBzx15Nhc0IYjS5v0MNa-TC5DehyphenhyphenJG5C_Y0zksrC81AFoSHhdu3NDHpfmyTO1iOaj4obaCWk9YWOeLQAPTihtujfZu9Xeb9rFwa0/s320/DSC03928+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311482137565681426" border="0" /></a></li></ul>Apart from these places, one can take one of the many cruises on the scenic lake. For more adventurous tourists, Lucerne offers an opportunity to get up-close with mountains with an excursion to Pilatus or Rigi. You have options to take a cable -car all the way up or trek around the mountains for a beautiful panaromic view from the top.<br /><br />But one place a tourist should definetly visit in Lucerne is the Altstadt (Old Town)<b>,</b>having many traditional Swiss houses decorated with frescoes lines and picturesque old squares with fountains. The only way to explore Altstadt is on foot.<br /><br />For shopping, Kapellgasse is the street you should be looking for. The street also leads to the Kornmarkt (Corn Market). Very close to the Kornmarkt is the Weinmarkt (Wine Market), another of the many popular traditional squares which Lucerne has.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXHnRkNgZbMo4uVDjP9lg7zzVDDsxHSc-fDRUoxSskrwn1xu31-IWWuHesvNAQJosSJqW90kYMPAwrBy5ZHoxdDvOEy0ZHuOGertm41IXPku36eLQEmJ-WQada33_YYNsi5LfFfj9_r6I/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28238%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXHnRkNgZbMo4uVDjP9lg7zzVDDsxHSc-fDRUoxSskrwn1xu31-IWWuHesvNAQJosSJqW90kYMPAwrBy5ZHoxdDvOEy0ZHuOGertm41IXPku36eLQEmJ-WQada33_YYNsi5LfFfj9_r6I/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28238%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311486721737931714" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdeTtZ7zti5GdAPPssZpcOYejYsdTdquhkGUsEsAcvs_v_7Q2392Cm643Mc6dSqQ6Dv4qqAn0iavrLnOyoQOrR40_DGIBbZIm6t70It7MxV2jJzU-4k3P6DU_L7Ap2n5-4VJ07Ss50Db8/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28236%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdeTtZ7zti5GdAPPssZpcOYejYsdTdquhkGUsEsAcvs_v_7Q2392Cm643Mc6dSqQ6Dv4qqAn0iavrLnOyoQOrR40_DGIBbZIm6t70It7MxV2jJzU-4k3P6DU_L7Ap2n5-4VJ07Ss50Db8/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28236%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311486590459773490" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcU1HUmgUhqCBmJgUfIZGy2BR-6jhiG5HRjU3S4grE_Z-SPU6I3ajfzKicQNDCPfZBRnFNN61ZLRyrrWm56YFvVwDj1fhl1wVVID9l-ezO_5aCK29bLmLc1WIQxQJdnrtgiOvw4Iiu7eJ/s1600-h/DSC03934+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcU1HUmgUhqCBmJgUfIZGy2BR-6jhiG5HRjU3S4grE_Z-SPU6I3ajfzKicQNDCPfZBRnFNN61ZLRyrrWm56YFvVwDj1fhl1wVVID9l-ezO_5aCK29bLmLc1WIQxQJdnrtgiOvw4Iiu7eJ/s320/DSC03934+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311486587699269586" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We had a great trip to Lucerne. The old part of the city is amazingly beautiful and tells you a great deal about the traditional ways of the Swiss.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Do send me an email if you want to know more about Lucerne.</span><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-51398410447247961922009-03-04T08:44:00.000-08:002015-06-22T01:26:13.000-07:00Switzerland - Mt. Titlis<script>
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We went to Mt. Titlis from <a href="http://tourdaworld.blogspot.com/2008/06/switzerland-interlaken.html">Interlaken</a>. Mt. Titlis is famous for having world's first revolving Cable Car. The truly panaromic car is not the only one in the world but it is certainly one of the most beautiful journeys. To reach Titlis you first have to reach the base station of Engleberg by train.<br /><br />There are frequent trains from Lucerne and Zurich. Since we were staying in <a href="http://tourdaworld.blogspot.com/2008/06/switzerland-interlaken.html">Interlaken</a>, we took an early train from there to reach Engelberg. From Engelberg to Titlis is a three-leg cable car journey, Engelberg–Trübsee–Stand–Titlis, the last leg of which is the 'Rotair' or the Revolving Cable Car.<br /><br />Here are a few pictures of the same:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJtF64PEG3MPPjXeBCEIhc-9lj19ZdoQT_P9ucBpOi6H814Aj7OCfPaJmhLUXL58SGedI5srq3pfZ9qAjbhH-wAWpB9WAZ7xvmXpi7WpsORLmFO9FveCBCjLcGMIWYcQ5CCvitu1-OipU/s1600-h/DSC03941+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJtF64PEG3MPPjXeBCEIhc-9lj19ZdoQT_P9ucBpOi6H814Aj7OCfPaJmhLUXL58SGedI5srq3pfZ9qAjbhH-wAWpB9WAZ7xvmXpi7WpsORLmFO9FveCBCjLcGMIWYcQ5CCvitu1-OipU/s320/DSC03941+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309381754126710866" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZIULuYHLV9mFjE61kyQC0j3yVaaScBs_JWbA86o71Kkv2H5uKpwniMg3Dsj7uik_eXR0z-Q67DEVTfyphtx7cEq5xE3TtFj4Q9TbCZAs-oGxqkJs1TtqPj-xVdymnqcPCmdH_C-P51mQ/s1600-h/DSC03945+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZIULuYHLV9mFjE61kyQC0j3yVaaScBs_JWbA86o71Kkv2H5uKpwniMg3Dsj7uik_eXR0z-Q67DEVTfyphtx7cEq5xE3TtFj4Q9TbCZAs-oGxqkJs1TtqPj-xVdymnqcPCmdH_C-P51mQ/s320/DSC03945+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309381766061843506" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We made the mistake of not checking the weather beforehand, so when we reached the top, the weather suddenly became very bad and we lost some precious time. But fortunately for us, the weather started clearing a bit and we could do the Ice Flyer over glacier.<br />Here are some more pictures of Titlis and the Ice Flyer:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSuFLh9lUrTMtpcZXR8ISHYMU1Ow4URfOPrUE944i3KXKfcq79420vlubQxxqxPz6LiUlBvczA5-6qU9R73vpJZ0NnfVU9Y01iZJXfrCyTPlXfhXEWlDSuviEGhMKhsd3vUI-bEIwpCYp/s1600-h/DSC00431+%28Small%29.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSuFLh9lUrTMtpcZXR8ISHYMU1Ow4URfOPrUE944i3KXKfcq79420vlubQxxqxPz6LiUlBvczA5-6qU9R73vpJZ0NnfVU9Y01iZJXfrCyTPlXfhXEWlDSuviEGhMKhsd3vUI-bEIwpCYp/s320/DSC00431+%28Small%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309382605151124962" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OgVjWgKus3xGRJ6N6eeoHEDCPSHDJKp-BHWGm7v-vrqfhwoyhYyeSdI7-_il8bnyZ2wYLISXnMSoHc60KeTwlNT9FMeYI9U92iVrk820oeMUejqfPJ_5UpmoqTp8LfIoSYkC4sZj93N8/s1600-h/DSC03973+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OgVjWgKus3xGRJ6N6eeoHEDCPSHDJKp-BHWGm7v-vrqfhwoyhYyeSdI7-_il8bnyZ2wYLISXnMSoHc60KeTwlNT9FMeYI9U92iVrk820oeMUejqfPJ_5UpmoqTp8LfIoSYkC4sZj93N8/s320/DSC03973+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309384015549321458" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Ice Flyer is an open cable car which sort of 'flies' over the glacier. It is a must do for all adventurous people. The main attractions of Titlis include:<br /><ul><li>Glacier Cave - checkout the glacier from inside<br /></li><li>Ice Flyer - adventure adrenaline on an open cable car over the glacier<br /></li><li>Glacier Park - rollick on snow tubes<br /></li><li>Glacier Hike - explore the glacier on foot with a guide</li><li>See a panaromic view from the wind protected Toporama or the so called 'South Face Window'</li></ul>Unfortunately for us, the Glacier Park was closed due to bad weather!<br /><br />For latest prices check out: <a href="http://www.titlis.ch/prices.php?">Titlis</a><a href="http://www.titlis.ch/prices.php?"> Prices</a><br /><br />Restaurant in Titlis are good with an option of a complete vegetarian meal. I had a vegetable soup (served with bread) and a plate of a very good tomato pasta, all for CHF 16.00.<br /><br />It was a very good trip to Titlis, with the rotating cable car and the ice flyer being the highlights for us.<br /><br />If you have a Swiss Pass, the journey to Engelberg will be free for you. Further, you will get almost 50% discount on the cable car ticket. The ticket will cost you $52 whereas the full fare price is $98 (Please check the current prices).<br /><br />More to come ... Lucerne and Zurich ...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">You can send me an email, if you want to know more.</span><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-64198823774283632672009-02-28T23:29:00.000-08:002015-06-22T01:26:26.104-07:00Switzerland - Jungfraujoch<script>
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Jungfrau (pron. yoo-ng-frou) is the third highest mountain of Bernese Alps, but at 3454 mt is the highest train station in Europe. The entire journey from either Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen through Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch is fantastic and an experience in itself. You have to change trains at Grindelwald and then at Kleine Scheidegg. All the three trains timings are connected with one another and these stations are very small, hence do not worry about missing the trains.<br /><br />In the last leg of the journey from Kleine Scheideg, the train runs inside the mountain, stopping at Eigerwand. There is a large window at this station inside the mountains for a breathtaking view of the snow covered valley.Here are some of the pictures taken from the train:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggH8aLWNWyR99Os0XznK6Sw16x3ZJCxUz0BtmGoGBTA_eysW45OVZfM0b3JHZ0Ch2xT933e9U4ddWK_L90DO5vlP1AfAqe0F6AvlhCFr499-9a_Ax9FqZkltZ_u0A7PhtlJkwM2kJK2_zx/s1600-h/DSC00229.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggH8aLWNWyR99Os0XznK6Sw16x3ZJCxUz0BtmGoGBTA_eysW45OVZfM0b3JHZ0Ch2xT933e9U4ddWK_L90DO5vlP1AfAqe0F6AvlhCFr499-9a_Ax9FqZkltZ_u0A7PhtlJkwM2kJK2_zx/s320/DSC00229.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308138527788462690" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsucacDofgOp3mbl-7ANmSR6SWWJ2wPpL5igNUoEJjuCR11T0whqcQxTxFl1REdkc2RP1l_SnUmEKidjnGD81Bq3L2t4i_itYA1r0sce2Rir5j-24nWSuIM8buu-9nbMbIRcOX9sxp8QO/s1600-h/DSC00242.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsucacDofgOp3mbl-7ANmSR6SWWJ2wPpL5igNUoEJjuCR11T0whqcQxTxFl1REdkc2RP1l_SnUmEKidjnGD81Bq3L2t4i_itYA1r0sce2Rir5j-24nWSuIM8buu-9nbMbIRcOX9sxp8QO/s320/DSC00242.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308138536041573842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrm52npP4iS5j8OeV9W0VNbaO3WOi7gnCppa_LkViqGCQyGvY6q5GxRrD__DSDjq2AbG2E-qVusUruHr71NDHWk40O9wUTuvFiP6aYeVdyU2RSYahyphenhyphenZb5zlZAR_ojfEhLadNqGuhyphenhyphenKxWT/s1600-h/IMG_0199.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrm52npP4iS5j8OeV9W0VNbaO3WOi7gnCppa_LkViqGCQyGvY6q5GxRrD__DSDjq2AbG2E-qVusUruHr71NDHWk40O9wUTuvFiP6aYeVdyU2RSYahyphenhyphenZb5zlZAR_ojfEhLadNqGuhyphenhyphenKxWT/s320/IMG_0199.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308139325651804354" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W3A3BEn1bzNw-bqo2K9XRGWeN3pohMvE016vPZ9LXTCswWxQtQDCxFrycUK1pd3OpxPUyhhEjjSOfyX-QhuUPW5ZGFoM67cYFawkfMDplfg9lMecXBL_4uZgyXz2V3WJ7_Mf_RpKaQpH/s1600-h/DSC00245.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W3A3BEn1bzNw-bqo2K9XRGWeN3pohMvE016vPZ9LXTCswWxQtQDCxFrycUK1pd3OpxPUyhhEjjSOfyX-QhuUPW5ZGFoM67cYFawkfMDplfg9lMecXBL_4uZgyXz2V3WJ7_Mf_RpKaQpH/s320/DSC00245.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308138536845148754" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After reaching the Jungfraujoch station, you have to take a lift to the top. There is a hotel, two restaurants, the Sphinx observatory research station, and the glistening "Ice Palace" at Jungfraujoch. The Ice palace has a collection of ice sculptures. Here are a few pictures of the Ice Palace:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYMg_BJlq93wVFoXik75aBoSOUDNPT33JQvA9rkt1_3BKft4K3U1BmHssjicpNcCx4Ze5oIoM6ZUv7_Z8W4cu5XM6XnMyeTAuxzRrrzrzRFgGtzX2-wnKXHfsFn0zNBZE4KGxi7gQz2w9/s1600-h/DSC00308.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYMg_BJlq93wVFoXik75aBoSOUDNPT33JQvA9rkt1_3BKft4K3U1BmHssjicpNcCx4Ze5oIoM6ZUv7_Z8W4cu5XM6XnMyeTAuxzRrrzrzRFgGtzX2-wnKXHfsFn0zNBZE4KGxi7gQz2w9/s320/DSC00308.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308151342588219218" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9NFTGXG3xu6LmUMNEAKMZ9Ci30ItZAmzxCMjcABS5MhGUNO8O3yEJq_Fz-S4esMY7dvLwSk1bwPYNPVmjenr__H8nYVBcZ6bMxwVkPi-60DFOLPRiC_Jhkf5t6knBQbRbB17G8GoTXjp/s1600-h/DSC00303.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9NFTGXG3xu6LmUMNEAKMZ9Ci30ItZAmzxCMjcABS5MhGUNO8O3yEJq_Fz-S4esMY7dvLwSk1bwPYNPVmjenr__H8nYVBcZ6bMxwVkPi-60DFOLPRiC_Jhkf5t6knBQbRbB17G8GoTXjp/s320/DSC00303.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308151337162448834" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpc3B9JyZoadqksn1G68kgrxMVHOGU4n4K4QMv2p3_xEw8ARUq95rKP9FBWRw2QIf4DIvJuHtTXXoTQ65yP3M5MMAkkGA2XxAOkl82NF_ddOVT5ltmHeYX6DDh02jZx0DFZrAN6gy1o0c/s1600-h/DSC00314.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpc3B9JyZoadqksn1G68kgrxMVHOGU4n4K4QMv2p3_xEw8ARUq95rKP9FBWRw2QIf4DIvJuHtTXXoTQ65yP3M5MMAkkGA2XxAOkl82NF_ddOVT5ltmHeYX6DDh02jZx0DFZrAN6gy1o0c/s320/DSC00314.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308151349530695906" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There is a flat, snow-covered area on the plateau, where one can walk around and play in the snow. There is also a 'Top of Europe' Glacier Restaurant, where you can sip hot coffee overlooking the magnificient glacier. Here are the pictures for the same:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32J3oxmTYrIn9CUd_Pdp__UI5MQ4Bz_f_FJ7JNFRuF3OLT6MtISPgITU9ISohY8JZiJjW6HHQ9v4QapcgNTChpneql5y-sFGVOoUEYPeYoDfuW1MA5FQM_PDrFbwa2c-fehDXV1vINnKz/s1600-h/DSC00286.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32J3oxmTYrIn9CUd_Pdp__UI5MQ4Bz_f_FJ7JNFRuF3OLT6MtISPgITU9ISohY8JZiJjW6HHQ9v4QapcgNTChpneql5y-sFGVOoUEYPeYoDfuW1MA5FQM_PDrFbwa2c-fehDXV1vINnKz/s320/DSC00286.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308152476449952962" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSKiO31eRRzR1gqdX_RTN8yM7eBnV-t4sHQbDXO5uLeTFcmNB7077kJLx3_qV8e0gTjEpuqb9H-FYd5Uq_V4xUGRSRuM1g7U2IXGP7gkNJYtPYUrwAtSTaUdfVhFmXKxCGQ6J45s53WG4/s1600-h/DSC00259.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYSKiO31eRRzR1gqdX_RTN8yM7eBnV-t4sHQbDXO5uLeTFcmNB7077kJLx3_qV8e0gTjEpuqb9H-FYd5Uq_V4xUGRSRuM1g7U2IXGP7gkNJYtPYUrwAtSTaUdfVhFmXKxCGQ6J45s53WG4/s320/DSC00259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308154156158862018" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The trip to Jungfraujoch was an exciting trip with the train journey being the highlight of this trip. In the evening we returned to Interlaken to the cosy interiors of our hostel. Later in the night, post dinner we made bonfire in the hostel and slept satisfied with our visit to Jungfrau and looking forward to our next day trip to Mt. Titlis.<br />Some Tips:<br /><ul><li>If you are staying in Interlaken, take the first train (6.35 am but please check the correct time in Interlaken) to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen</li><li>The holders of Eurail Pass, Swiss Pass, Swiss Card get a special discount almost amounting to 25 to 50% of the actual fare from Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg and then onwards to Jungfraujoch</li><li>If you have Swiss Pass or Eurail, the journey from Interlaken to Grindelwald is free, included in the Swiss/ Eurail Pass</li><li>If you have Swiss/Eurail Pass, you get a discount of 50% from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg thus a 2nd class return ticket will cost you only Euro 16.6 (please check current ticket price)<br /></li><li>If you have Swiss/Eurail Pass, you get a discount of 25% from Kleine Scheidegg to Interlaken Ost, thus a 2nd class return ticket will cost you only Euro 34.1(please check current ticket price)</li><li>If you don't have any passes and are planning to buy a ticket, try getting the 'Good Morning Ticket' which is priced at CHF 157.80 (Please check for the latest fare) and is for the first train leaving Interlaken. This discounted ticket is only for Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg. Thereafter you have to pay for the actual ticket price.<br /></li><li>Check the weather before your journey. If its cloudy, you may be wasting your time.<br /></li><li>Take warm clothes. They will be required in Jungfrau even if its summer<br /></li><li>During summers you can do skiing. So be prepared and take extra cash to rent the equipment and skiing gear</li><li>There is a ski training school as well at Jungfrau for those new to skiing<br /></li></ul>Mt Titlis's coming up in the next post...Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-88411374298139382412008-06-13T20:55:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:26:40.559-07:00Switzerland - Interlaken<script>
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Interlaken is truly heaven on Earth. If you are a nature and peace loving person, you will simply love it. Inter-laken literally means 'in between two lakes'. Imagine a green piece of land in between two lakes and surrounded by mountains from all sides! That's Interlaken for you.<br /><br />We went from Geneva to Interlaken using our Swiss Eurail pass for day 1. It took us approx. 4 hours to get there. Here are some of the pictures of Interlaken:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOvayKemPC1cNZWQEATRN4sTudAP1TTc6QcTkwLwfBeUsPnEJw9ptWj6jw5PaQNuv1-LwwfXx1iFDhZCkSYsBCU5KYxVMbNwd1SHp3U8sWkwWV6oIyPZhqzN-iPSSg5GCB0MwDhQXaUFx/s1600-h/DSC04002+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOvayKemPC1cNZWQEATRN4sTudAP1TTc6QcTkwLwfBeUsPnEJw9ptWj6jw5PaQNuv1-LwwfXx1iFDhZCkSYsBCU5KYxVMbNwd1SHp3U8sWkwWV6oIyPZhqzN-iPSSg5GCB0MwDhQXaUFx/s320/DSC04002+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211585285555152770" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcmKDcgk8I88xVtgKx1HVAk3eJwIaHA68fxkZRpmAYFvjAAikJODWAGk9FoJgoH-TIOuzGNw2OsroZUXuDRluMDgC7R3SXpHoh4a2aRHH2Xni6lT0Qq_01yX709M7kgzPMtCwSQomP9QK/s1600-h/Switzerland+Adventure+%28143%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcmKDcgk8I88xVtgKx1HVAk3eJwIaHA68fxkZRpmAYFvjAAikJODWAGk9FoJgoH-TIOuzGNw2OsroZUXuDRluMDgC7R3SXpHoh4a2aRHH2Xni6lT0Qq_01yX709M7kgzPMtCwSQomP9QK/s320/Switzerland+Adventure+%28143%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211585299129472802" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nzaWaHMtJqyPzlxIXec-X8EHw_Fvdo7Eh__MUMWHI7_Jf26u35IaackVSTG9lMvfgKsT6lzuwiKBi6msuYAyyFbYRtrEoO-CHGUIqT5kooOUlXyVZTMGNxOfk1efRRTphyQRxhm_RACu/s1600-h/DSC04003+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nzaWaHMtJqyPzlxIXec-X8EHw_Fvdo7Eh__MUMWHI7_Jf26u35IaackVSTG9lMvfgKsT6lzuwiKBi6msuYAyyFbYRtrEoO-CHGUIqT5kooOUlXyVZTMGNxOfk1efRRTphyQRxhm_RACu/s320/DSC04003+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211585289765243554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdgVFyT5ZiuOtKZdkL1pH-sdRsaLgdSb6o7XQPfz3qB-X6zzYVuXuySwk8IRpZrqigv2bwN9kmKPHlM5_7avAXgGUQIfWzCXRP6e-veAW6Dld5Whh7KlMSdqz6HREIPsdSc2ktB8fWoo3/s1600-h/IMG_0139+%28Small%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdgVFyT5ZiuOtKZdkL1pH-sdRsaLgdSb6o7XQPfz3qB-X6zzYVuXuySwk8IRpZrqigv2bwN9kmKPHlM5_7avAXgGUQIfWzCXRP6e-veAW6Dld5Whh7KlMSdqz6HREIPsdSc2ktB8fWoo3/s320/IMG_0139+%28Small%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211585292077558386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />You can sense from the pictures, that it is an absolutely amazing serene place.<br /><br />What to do in Interlaken?<br />Really for me Interlaken is more about relaxing and taking in the beauty of nature. Sit at a cafe with friends and just enjoy. It's about photography and long walks. But thats not all you can do here. If you are more adventurous type, you can go sailing, windsurfing and mountain hiking. Then there is the most famous trip to Jungfrau (Top of Europe) which we took, but it will come later in a different post.<br /><br />Where to stay?<br />There are many hotels in Interlaken set in beautiful settings but we preferred staying in youth hostel, as we did through our entire Europe trip. The youth hostel in Interlaken is half an hour walk from the city center, set at the shore of Lake Brienze. There is internet access, table tennis and you can create your own bonfire at the hostel. Breakfast was as good as we had in any of the youth hostels all for CHF 31.00 per person per night. Here are some pictures of the hostel :<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvUWdM55bC2iN7vzBbdsF9I_CHJxi8Fe9o4hTpsuEUsM3REcPWLUUGNGES4LrjTRbG9AaaJbSb5iY2VhQbVKPXakGbB4zvCaTu5W83VQhSva2Jeo4wRsKLhDWajbQ2Febtfhh4wbX-dAD/s1600-h/DSC00205_our+hostel+in+Interlaken_view+from+room+window.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvUWdM55bC2iN7vzBbdsF9I_CHJxi8Fe9o4hTpsuEUsM3REcPWLUUGNGES4LrjTRbG9AaaJbSb5iY2VhQbVKPXakGbB4zvCaTu5W83VQhSva2Jeo4wRsKLhDWajbQ2Febtfhh4wbX-dAD/s320/DSC00205_our+hostel+in+Interlaken_view+from+room+window.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211598481370760146" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMrU8oWruvo58Rt4r57b5jQxqNGYtt6OJyOyZjLX36_BHAcfmO_eOBXt6xjWZ3nNmXBfxu9dc8HFeOm7VQTOz0kJUwGviraM51w4Hzxk3fRDWIegTn6n0NFxPP18-abw9rXHn3Q42i3jY/s1600-h/DSC00206_our+hostel+in+Interlaken_view+from+room+window.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMrU8oWruvo58Rt4r57b5jQxqNGYtt6OJyOyZjLX36_BHAcfmO_eOBXt6xjWZ3nNmXBfxu9dc8HFeOm7VQTOz0kJUwGviraM51w4Hzxk3fRDWIegTn6n0NFxPP18-abw9rXHn3Q42i3jY/s320/DSC00206_our+hostel+in+Interlaken_view+from+room+window.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211598495642308002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgw9Kbws9lZIxhOAEFfJHBa7DJWQ173Hkoaz-i8TPvKeUHTrKDCSdFGQMDlI8C8cyH4-E4SJJBfZHLkK2ye36uieRzR-8HOxTh9WTcBfXdgVdVEFKS_Y5tPdpymDtaYf5hb0sTPN7wrOXZ/s1600-h/DSC00331_bonfire+at+th+interlaken+hostel.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgw9Kbws9lZIxhOAEFfJHBa7DJWQ173Hkoaz-i8TPvKeUHTrKDCSdFGQMDlI8C8cyH4-E4SJJBfZHLkK2ye36uieRzR-8HOxTh9WTcBfXdgVdVEFKS_Y5tPdpymDtaYf5hb0sTPN7wrOXZ/s320/DSC00331_bonfire+at+th+interlaken+hostel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211598522931890370" border="0" /> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPA6dwnfQUdT-Av72PQiHn5DEC9tJuZu7PjY_uD8AZdfd6LiF6-UPHSku64jrXaE8v4pSelrJQv3CYXju3XWU8BZO19dXn860CvBYzwFQRfXd4bEGoU9HzeIixAwyQEqqwlekQ8D9pbXXn/s1600-h/DSC04000+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPA6dwnfQUdT-Av72PQiHn5DEC9tJuZu7PjY_uD8AZdfd6LiF6-UPHSku64jrXaE8v4pSelrJQv3CYXju3XWU8BZO19dXn860CvBYzwFQRfXd4bEGoU9HzeIixAwyQEqqwlekQ8D9pbXXn/s320/DSC04000+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211598537725788706" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe72U3DqxJeL2IBRVbBm5y0tdQEM8LQNHIZ0CmO2Hjb73xRKG_XDfnIT_8XXycxXx-L419QM1jBJ48KOzAfrLxMiJUAP1Ic3OGX-YVzZjGR_yf2uHTkaO7FoAIOLeqH4fgR5B0tKddtpbC/s1600-h/DSC03939+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe72U3DqxJeL2IBRVbBm5y0tdQEM8LQNHIZ0CmO2Hjb73xRKG_XDfnIT_8XXycxXx-L419QM1jBJ48KOzAfrLxMiJUAP1Ic3OGX-YVzZjGR_yf2uHTkaO7FoAIOLeqH4fgR5B0tKddtpbC/s320/DSC03939+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211598555321108626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In the next post I will write more about Jungfrau and the adventures... :)<br /><span style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64);"></span>Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-78325399693713262622008-06-09T00:48:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:26:52.683-07:00Europe - Switzerland - Geneva<script>
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Hi, With this post I am starting a long series of posts on my Europe travel. I undertook this travel towards the end of 2006 (October to December). Three months of travel and stay in Europe, I covered almost 10-11 countries in Western Europe. I hope this series on Europe gives you insight into what to see in which countries, how to do low cost travel (Europe is damn expensive) and which places you can give a skip and others which you should not.<br /><br />I have tried to include as many tips on cost saving which I experienced and practiced myself during this trip. In addition, I have tried to put in the latest prices, facts and figures wherever is possible as on day of publishing this post. Please bear with me and cross-check the prices before planning your trip.<br /><br />We began with Switzerland - Geneva as this was the first place I visited. But before we delve into Geneva, here's a little how we planned our Switzerland travel:<br /><br /><ul><li>Ours was a 4 day trip and hence we purchased a Swiss Eurail Pass (approx. $180 each) for 4 days which included all local travel. There were a couple of boat rides free on it as well.<br /></li><li>We entered Switzerland from France through Geneva (the western most point) and reached Interlaken the same day. We based ourselves in Interlaken for the remaining days and utilized our train pass to the fullest.</li><li>The Eurail pass also entitles you to heavy discount (50-75%) on other special tickets, like that of travel to Jungfrau etc. I will tell you as we proceed with the series.<br /></li></ul><br />Geneva is truly a business center with a business type buzz associated with it. It is the second most populous city of Switzerland and is on the border of Switzerland and France. It's charm is lake Geneva but it also has HQs for two world agencies - UN and Red Cross. The main places to visit in Geneva:<br /><br /><ul><li>Geneva Lake and a cruise in the same</li><li>Jet d'eau (fountain in the midst of the lake)</li><li>Reformation Wall</li><li>UN Building (If you are a common traveler like we were, you will not be allowed entry)</li></ul>The pics of these places are given below:<br /><br />Cruise<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWY-hSPO5Ciy0DzTjAwA7Gd87zlu3v0xXZaD_DNA3QiOAry-4Lx36o6lrxulBM6ZIApezyollH27IovulvpZpIlvX_MGNtSahZsf5QKZyJLMCZaSrCARlNukpV4V8CRNvcy54xhcwSqCj/s1600-h/Cruise+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWY-hSPO5Ciy0DzTjAwA7Gd87zlu3v0xXZaD_DNA3QiOAry-4Lx36o6lrxulBM6ZIApezyollH27IovulvpZpIlvX_MGNtSahZsf5QKZyJLMCZaSrCARlNukpV4V8CRNvcy54xhcwSqCj/s320/Cruise+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209792435535835522" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Lake Geneva:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHetAIKb-meOarJI75JfLZCJLQH_TLE1dccd2BzdMUvYhyRi3vXKZARwY_60RsSO0m7DOn580jAGLM_BQFTzkUhZmA-wTBBMrG6L_KWtY2JPxOIa0LvkmVJCw30l3fZHsj2ob_BfiCSEeJ/s1600-h/lakefront1+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHetAIKb-meOarJI75JfLZCJLQH_TLE1dccd2BzdMUvYhyRi3vXKZARwY_60RsSO0m7DOn580jAGLM_BQFTzkUhZmA-wTBBMrG6L_KWtY2JPxOIa0LvkmVJCw30l3fZHsj2ob_BfiCSEeJ/s320/lakefront1+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209792445322100946" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMiTwfW-oE9Qh11kY7E1P159Urfu4E1h4nIFBOBUHExJfLulcxwVbAiO4K0SL6y-RhXdV7vLrj-eAjZXOinJm0bRl3rNRY8fmXsFE-Z1DmHpgym2KtJ9nx3suHkZK2bVUCqkSLYjiHFBw/s1600-h/lakefront2+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMiTwfW-oE9Qh11kY7E1P159Urfu4E1h4nIFBOBUHExJfLulcxwVbAiO4K0SL6y-RhXdV7vLrj-eAjZXOinJm0bRl3rNRY8fmXsFE-Z1DmHpgym2KtJ9nx3suHkZK2bVUCqkSLYjiHFBw/s320/lakefront2+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209792455267712466" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Jet d'eau:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyoVYJ-5zw6BexPdGNdfzgK1_7Wq44fssYHiiSZWfm_dTCd0fQmEYWqIsbOIuCQInuMfv4c-Bx8AnoprTfVRcxGQvdXlOkbj0zT2NXR0y6hnNeKdDMsFwR1kk6N44dl8jOIyzgPBGqZuH/s1600-h/lakefront3+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyoVYJ-5zw6BexPdGNdfzgK1_7Wq44fssYHiiSZWfm_dTCd0fQmEYWqIsbOIuCQInuMfv4c-Bx8AnoprTfVRcxGQvdXlOkbj0zT2NXR0y6hnNeKdDMsFwR1kk6N44dl8jOIyzgPBGqZuH/s320/lakefront3+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209792467487588066" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />UN:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupE5GRVzVfzb89B_2yX4Oaq_YUbfNrfwXktXW6K0zCiidJki6GCPiycMjyLQPkqNM1xvWJjktgWeADuPIh_pIciJkMqGBp47ZIcds-oGbBSaWdfo1q0U8aij1TfqHVvuFJzVmc75AXirv/s1600-h/UN+%28Small%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupE5GRVzVfzb89B_2yX4Oaq_YUbfNrfwXktXW6K0zCiidJki6GCPiycMjyLQPkqNM1xvWJjktgWeADuPIh_pIciJkMqGBp47ZIcds-oGbBSaWdfo1q0U8aij1TfqHVvuFJzVmc75AXirv/s320/UN+%28Small%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209792470754879618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Accommodation</span><br />We did not stay put in Geneva during our visit, but on our way back from Switzerland to Lyon, we did put up in one of the youth hostels, the Hostel Geneva close to Lake Leman. You can book the hostel here (www.hihostels.com). I would recommend the hostel, nice facility, good breakfast which is included in the price. The current price is 29.00 CHF per person. There is an extra charge of 6 CHF for non youth hostel members. You can even get the youth hostel membership over here. I would strongly recommend that you bring along youth hostel membership from your native country if you are traveling across Europe on your own.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Travel within Geneva</span><br />You can travel within Geneva using tram, trolleybus or bus servcie which is very frequent and very good though you might want to walk, as Europe is all about walking in the cities and soaking in the culture. You can reach center of the city by bus or tram and then walk around.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cruise on Lake Geneva</span><br />A cruise on lake Geneva is a must though it's slightly expensive (approx. 20 CHF per person). Your Swiss Eurail pass though will entitle you to a free ticket on the cruise.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Museums</span><br />Geneva has more than 40 museums (like most of the European cities). But you can give them a skip as there are many other museums across Europe which should not be missed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Food</span><br />There are three Indian restaurants in the city which I know of :<br /><br /><ul><li>JAIPUR: Tandoori food</li><li>SHAHI: Again tandoori food</li><li>ROYAL INDIA: This is more like a mixed version of Indian and European Cuisine.<br /></li></ul>I hope this is useful for your Geneva travel. If you want to know more, send me an email.<br /><br />Lots to come on Europe... I will try and write about more European cities as frequently as possible.Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-82138774095404849762008-06-04T06:50:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:27:04.646-07:00KL - Shopping Paradise<script>
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Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital of Malaysia is a man-made wonder. As you are driven from the airport towards the city, on both sides of the road, as far as the eye goes, you can see trees planted neatly in lines on acres and acres of land. You will be dumbstruck with the amount of greenery in the city amongst the high rise buildings. There is lots to see in KL for a tourist. The best part though is Shopping. KL has a lot of malls with virtually every brand in the world available, sometimes at jaw dropping prices.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6x1rXX7g5qShBQ-DJs2VBzEDqBvE-sXcUFFk8XL37RmsMAWQ4t16gR3HPQAahLn-8XeHnBouT-ihFKlRYdKOpTj1mEITu_s24lGVbiUFM4mjtw-2_bFbbVGM829NdbzAUUHKG6Pqb2RHG/s1600-h/KL_petronas+towers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6x1rXX7g5qShBQ-DJs2VBzEDqBvE-sXcUFFk8XL37RmsMAWQ4t16gR3HPQAahLn-8XeHnBouT-ihFKlRYdKOpTj1mEITu_s24lGVbiUFM4mjtw-2_bFbbVGM829NdbzAUUHKG6Pqb2RHG/s320/KL_petronas+towers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208024009797099026" border="0" /></a><br />We went to the following places in KL:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Petronas Towers</span> also known as KLCC(Kuala Lumpur City Center) were the world's tallest twin buildings.<br />It has a skybridge between 41st and 42nd floor, the view from where is breathtaking.<br />The skybridge can be visited free of charge on a first-cum-first basis (limited tickets for a day).<br />But to visit the sky bridge you need to get the booking done at the Petronas itself.<br />If you go early you can book anytime of the day for your visit. i.e. if you can be there at 7:00 in the morning.:)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6l97cGpVkty3GC_aoJOI4CrT3gGAcuHA7WiYgQRCIK4ntR9E0NHYB07a1gFA9NgzhLXqNroX7wYjhGCnlPJLt-3zS1l8J09zEVfAjKENLpbJVSwAtX-EsHxODCF-1IId_dxy15N_rstL/s1600-h/KL_view+from+the+room.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6l97cGpVkty3GC_aoJOI4CrT3gGAcuHA7WiYgQRCIK4ntR9E0NHYB07a1gFA9NgzhLXqNroX7wYjhGCnlPJLt-3zS1l8J09zEVfAjKENLpbJVSwAtX-EsHxODCF-1IId_dxy15N_rstL/s320/KL_view+from+the+room.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208024014092066354" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KL Towers </span>is another of world's tallest buildings with an elevator which goes really fast.<br />People do go to the tower to enjoy the elevator ride. You can see the KL tower in the pictures on left<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4zMTk03J3dAbeoGl4RwsJvnFd9W4tL6B72I37dcsx98x8q9heLPTwnbpl_qurIzrZQ2X-mmLUefJFuf9-S-En5MtqZypLBRDBcBD6GB8Z6kC1LlJ7qADDh1Hz8y_0ljRdER3yIMpEj67/s1600-h/KL_sky+line.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4zMTk03J3dAbeoGl4RwsJvnFd9W4tL6B72I37dcsx98x8q9heLPTwnbpl_qurIzrZQ2X-mmLUefJFuf9-S-En5MtqZypLBRDBcBD6GB8Z6kC1LlJ7qADDh1Hz8y_0ljRdER3yIMpEj67/s320/KL_sky+line.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208024009797099042" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zGs1SVp9uW-ZsHZLl3pKdoEWqcKBV6hyphenhyphenQHzBUnGQnV1l456koW29J96VntcUw6m5JWt3nE3iNMT884_mvGszGYaxtR3l-uAP7c4DCT_fYzB0PeHUXefJVnUo9tzt19wWpkEoXlGMz1aD/s1600-h/KL+Mosque.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zGs1SVp9uW-ZsHZLl3pKdoEWqcKBV6hyphenhyphenQHzBUnGQnV1l456koW29J96VntcUw6m5JWt3nE3iNMT884_mvGszGYaxtR3l-uAP7c4DCT_fYzB0PeHUXefJVnUo9tzt19wWpkEoXlGMz1aD/s320/KL+Mosque.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208024014092066370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Masjid Negara </span>is the only Mosque in the world which does not have a round dome.<br />In fact the dome is an interesting umbrella shape. You can see the blue color dome in the picture on the left.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINGmI7pyf0StCE2UqpvRKPy6cUfImmlPz-ZwkTiiemMAgS8zLC_0R9lfDueoez_tiDzrnKfidQlXNAmz_kE3nEiuUsNpOqRVi4on7j-hTa3CV6z2qPheA94b4YPdK08vWRCqiUa19vN91/s1600-h/KL+Municipality.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 244px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINGmI7pyf0StCE2UqpvRKPy6cUfImmlPz-ZwkTiiemMAgS8zLC_0R9lfDueoez_tiDzrnKfidQlXNAmz_kE3nEiuUsNpOqRVi4on7j-hTa3CV6z2qPheA94b4YPdK08vWRCqiUa19vN91/s320/KL+Municipality.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208024018387033682" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Another place you will probably go is the old <span style="font-weight: bold;">municipality</span> building in KL which is designed in the Indian Moghul Architecture. The whole area is very nice though there is nothing much to do.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shopping </span>- The Bukit Bintang road is a paradise for shoppers for it has as many as 6 malls if not more. There is the massive Bukit Bintang (BB) Plaza, the K L Plaza and the new Pavilion.<br /><br />You can get all sorts of stuff in BB Plaza and the KL Plaza (mostly local non branded).<br />If you want to shop for the branded and the designer labels, I would recommend Pavilion or the Suria KLCC (in the KLCC).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Advice: </span>Your Tour guide/ driver might take you to a "factory" tour of leather factory and chocolate factory.<br />DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM EITHER OF THESE PLACES.<br />The prices in Leather Factory are 4-5 times that in the city mall (and they will pretend to give you a 50% discount).<br />The Chocolate factory tour is equally abysmal. The chocolates are not worth buying, though you can taste as many as you like, free of cost :)<br /><br />Enjoy shopping in the KL malls!Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-71567594784363711432008-05-23T22:13:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:27:17.686-07:00Batu Caves and Sunway Lagoon<script>
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We came back from Genting Highlands to Kuala Lumpur (KL) and on the way stopped at Batu Caves.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuUWBS1NwYt2TAzpHoSYiUKHNpDnx4Msl4YN0CW5-wue7rwP2Hysq9GDZC3JKQHCNbXA013eZK9RWtYr-lKY_5JdanokeSW848OvzKfv_Mxns59NxZigsHSNivLw5buFNBMahKgx4vdvQ/s1600-h/Batu+caves1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuUWBS1NwYt2TAzpHoSYiUKHNpDnx4Msl4YN0CW5-wue7rwP2Hysq9GDZC3JKQHCNbXA013eZK9RWtYr-lKY_5JdanokeSW848OvzKfv_Mxns59NxZigsHSNivLw5buFNBMahKgx4vdvQ/s320/Batu+caves1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203809424420245346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Batu Caves</span><br /><br />Batu Caves is a major tourist attraction in Malaysia and most of the tour operators ensure that you stop at Batu caves enroute to Genting or while coming back. There is a huge Shiv (a hindu god) idol in front of the caves. The insides of the caves is Ok. It could have been better if they had not built so many temples inside. I am sure without the temples, the place would have looked awesome.<br /><br />Climbing the 170 odd stairs is no big deal but beware of hundreds of monkeys who will pounce on anything edible in your hand. If you have small kids with you, be extra careful. On the left you can see a picture of the shiv idol and behind the idol, stairs taking you up to the entrance of Batu caves.<br /><br /><br />The best part about Batu caves are the few shops/restaurants near the parking area which serve South Indian food at very reasonable prices. If you want to have reasonably good (not so spicy) and pretty cheap Indian food, do dig in.<br /><br />From Batu caves we went directly to the exotic Sunway Lagoon.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunway Lagoon<br /></span>Sunway Lagoon is a nice place to spend time with your family or even if you are on a honeymoon. The water park in Sunway Lagoon is simply wonderful. Its more of a theme park, with a huge wooden bridge crossing the various water parks and leading to some thrilling rides.<br />The major attractions of Sunway Lagoon are:<br /><ul><li>There are two hotels - Sunway Hotel Resort and Spa where we stayed and the more expensive Sunway Pyramid. Both the hotels are very good in terms of rooms and services</li><li>Theme Parks - Water parks with surf beach, water rides, extreme park etc.</li><li>Shopping Mall - There is a shopping Mall right next to Sunway Hotel Resort, in fact it's internally connected and there are many good restaurants in the mall</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4-oQ0MtYyDoljW5_SKyu7ZUA4hzcaAXbUc7GjTEVb4cEOClHjTjT-MGTfsOxyeWlApZJoTdBDPoJrQkZAOltzIDYyg8jCPpdRXax69vtbz2WqdE__TcQqgN4ltHVD8Tf7sRV-TH4CZYS/s1600-h/Sunway+Lagoon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4-oQ0MtYyDoljW5_SKyu7ZUA4hzcaAXbUc7GjTEVb4cEOClHjTjT-MGTfsOxyeWlApZJoTdBDPoJrQkZAOltzIDYyg8jCPpdRXax69vtbz2WqdE__TcQqgN4ltHVD8Tf7sRV-TH4CZYS/s320/Sunway+Lagoon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203813702207672178" border="0" /></a>The photo on the right is that of theme park (water park) from my hotel room. You must enjoy the water park if you are there. Some tips for the same:<br /><ul><li>If you are staying at the hotel, make sure you carry towels from your hotel room (yes you can take those)</li><li>But make sure you take some cash with you, as you would need to rent a locker to keep your clothes etc. Each locker is 5 Rn each.</li></ul><br /><br /><br />We took dinner at a restaurant in the Sunway Shopping mall called as 'Mantra'. The food is very good and the ambiance is excellent, but the prices are slightly on a higher side. But I would strongly recommend the restaurant if you want to have good Indian food in Malaysia.<br /><br />The next morning we got a very good breakfast buffet spread at the hotel. Then we moved on to KL from there.Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-76241840323724031922008-05-12T09:46:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:27:29.075-07:00Genting Highlands<script>
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On the same trip (to Malaysia) we went to Genting Highland near KualaLumpur(KL). Genting is basically a hill top entertainment weekend getaway for the Malays and there is not much for tourists really. Genting has three primary attractions:<br /><br /><ol><li>Casinos: Casino de Genting is a nice place to burn some money :). It offers all international games be it Roulette, Blackjack, Poker etc. But the only problem is that there is nothing special to offer for the tourists. If you have been to casinos elsewhere, you can easily give it a skip.<br /></li><li>Theme parks: There are two theme parks in Genting: Indoor and Outdoor. The theme parks are opened from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm (outdoor). The indoor one is opened until 12:00 midnight. The theme parks are really good and there is a lot to do for the kids. Even the adults can have their share of fun with a few thrill rides. But if you have been to any of the Disney parks' or to a good amusement/ theme park around the world, you can easily give this a skip.</li><li>Ropeway: We took the ropeway to the top (even then you have to travel half of the distance by car) but took the car all the way down the next day. The ropeway journey is very scenic indeed and a delight for a photographer. But we were unlucky as it was a very cloudy day and the clouds were really low, so we couldn't enjoy the ropeway as much as we could have enjoyed otherwise.<br /></li></ol><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrhyphenhyphenPPGEN0MCqSYMqT0F8oK1-KOE-_vRIdrtvH4x8otmyHBz8WG56V2MxFd7M6IoaFZ3GwRAVzIaDUBl2IXjQ5g8isb1X-Xdq-pHKYN5YDA6NHHjsV7VVVajZIL1mXAW1A4uEhpVK8cee/s1600-h/Genting+Roapway.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrhyphenhyphenPPGEN0MCqSYMqT0F8oK1-KOE-_vRIdrtvH4x8otmyHBz8WG56V2MxFd7M6IoaFZ3GwRAVzIaDUBl2IXjQ5g8isb1X-Xdq-pHKYN5YDA6NHHjsV7VVVajZIL1mXAW1A4uEhpVK8cee/s320/Genting+Roapway.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203817159656345474" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Picture of the beautiful rope-way ride.<br /><br />Otherwise, there is nothing much to do in Genting. Even if you plan to make a trip, make sure it is a single day trip. There are 5 good hotels (we stayed in the The First World Hotel), but if you can , do avoid staying over night, unless of course you wanna play at the casino all night long.<br />People on Honeymoon can give Genting a skip.<br /><br />Tips for Genting:<br /><ul><li>It rains there most of the time - take umbrellas, raincoats etc.</li><li>Most of the places our interconnected in Genting... even the hotels you can move from one hotel to another easily but some places are not covered hence the umbrella is necessary</li><li>You need not stay overnight - best plan to go early morning and come back to KL in evening</li><li>Vegetarians - Do carry something, you might find it difficult to get something to eat</li><li>Ropeway is highly recommended but you need to take a call looking at the weather - the weather in Genting can be very different to that of KL, so be prepared!</li></ul>Happy Traveling.<br /><br />For more info on Genting, visit: http://www.genting.com.my/Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-3342787109494221252008-05-04T05:57:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:27:40.094-07:00Langkawi - Malaysia Day 2<script>
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I will began day 2 with this beautiful pic I took on day2 sunset:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTg5ysK6DqU1mHe02DYQ4uKioNAmcHDeUu7sauMxLsBFXod4WtZHR2mmygxcYxSyRVft0NVUc57ddFNfok0D80O2nc5lO0CIY9uv5lLPTg0LUQ5n8BjsrBwJZVb0K5E86ksEfMdD6wEUkC/s1600-h/lighthouse.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTg5ysK6DqU1mHe02DYQ4uKioNAmcHDeUu7sauMxLsBFXod4WtZHR2mmygxcYxSyRVft0NVUc57ddFNfok0D80O2nc5lO0CIY9uv5lLPTg0LUQ5n8BjsrBwJZVb0K5E86ksEfMdD6wEUkC/s200/lighthouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196514228459419186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />But before I write about day 2, at the end of day 1 we had our dinner at a fabulous Thai restaurant "Barn Thai". The setting is unique as the restaurant is in the middle of a mangrove swamp. It's completely surrounded by marsh land and there is a wooden bridge connecting the restaurant to the main road. You have to walk (around 450 mts) on the bridge to get to it.<br /><br />The swamp has a dense cover of large and small trees, shrubs and bushes all around. The trees are literally <span style="font-style: italic;">up-rooted</span> - the roots are coming out on the surface, giving the whole place a creepy sort of a feel. For adventure lovers, this place is heaven. The restaurant has been built in such a manner that it really merges with its natural suroundings. You can see trees inside the place with even nests on it which means they haven't touched the flora at all. They have rather built the restaurant around it.<br /><br />The food is good and they serve drinks as well. Though we are vegetarians and there was not much for us, but I am sure the non veggies will love the place. But even if you are a veggie you should go to the restaurant for the experience.<br /><br />The next day we went for an Island hopping tour. We booked the tour through concierge at Berjaya. The tour picked us from the hotel at 10 and it took an hours drive close to Cenang beach (we also picked a couple of people from other hotels). Near the beach we boarded a Speed boat ( there were about 8 other people on the boat). We were told that we will go to two islands, the first of which is called "The Island of Pregnant Maiden" apparently because of the shape. The island has a fresh water lake and locals believe that a lady unable to conceive would be able to do so if she takes a dip in the lake. The second island is called "Pulau Payar" where we sent swimming in the sea. In between we also did Eagle Feeding.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Island of Pregnant Maiden<br /></span>The island of pregnant maiden is a scenic island in the midst of all the 100 islands of Langkawi. It took us approx 40 mins to reach there by speed boat. The lake is beautiful and you may want to take your swimming gear, though if you dont want to take a dip, you can go pedal boating. The only problem on this island is there are lots of monkeys enroute from where the boat drops you to the lake. The monkeys will snatch at bags and eatables you carry. So I suggest you to take everything in a backpack and not to take out anything unless you reach the lake and same for the route back to the boat. Here are some pics:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrADo7AOzk7dbH_anVAse2SmRMl_2FhyY9LDFGfd3eNY7BU-YPhzEnvPuXkePCeIwn61DaT-L3cZNZKR8ZikDs7tVew3dYOxEwt10TBx28NbzspuAE2BQjElW4IUEk9SD7LsIvHb9zOO9/s1600-h/island+of+pregnant+maiden1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrADo7AOzk7dbH_anVAse2SmRMl_2FhyY9LDFGfd3eNY7BU-YPhzEnvPuXkePCeIwn61DaT-L3cZNZKR8ZikDs7tVew3dYOxEwt10TBx28NbzspuAE2BQjElW4IUEk9SD7LsIvHb9zOO9/s200/island+of+pregnant+maiden1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196512695156094466" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKxbLiUewk4r1pI1lYRn5_eyn9eN8eHABaiBBO-Qq9uaVJmkG9wzvjYUEf_u353NJUI6jgMaWKKMmsZDi9Ocr13j8tNpHL_TLIN6f2_q4nnVXgJjQt5O2MvuAQ6CnQKlXMe72zZGhjGVc/s1600-h/island+of+preg+maiden2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKxbLiUewk4r1pI1lYRn5_eyn9eN8eHABaiBBO-Qq9uaVJmkG9wzvjYUEf_u353NJUI6jgMaWKKMmsZDi9Ocr13j8tNpHL_TLIN6f2_q4nnVXgJjQt5O2MvuAQ6CnQKlXMe72zZGhjGVc/s200/island+of+preg+maiden2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196512695156094482" border="0" /></a>Now you know why it's name! :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pulau Payar</span><br /><br />We stayed at the beach and took a dip. You will get temporary beach shops which serve cold beer and drinks. So even if you don't carry anything to eat you can get chips, chocolates etc. Some pics:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVaMTxU0Myo8uruFZMqoJXH2BjL6Ba_Y-u2zuDQDzFNy_BGVtNJRO3e4l5ZGChuKdJ37UcKt4OnlL5U8FuzDYNIC2JRzOt8EXnAnsVRx8XLkFnNYM6HgZu5F_axegHbhwIGbb1AeBjXsE/s1600-h/beach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVaMTxU0Myo8uruFZMqoJXH2BjL6Ba_Y-u2zuDQDzFNy_BGVtNJRO3e4l5ZGChuKdJ37UcKt4OnlL5U8FuzDYNIC2JRzOt8EXnAnsVRx8XLkFnNYM6HgZu5F_axegHbhwIGbb1AeBjXsE/s200/beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196513502609946146" border="0" /></a>Whenever I see this pic, it makes me want to go back and take a dip in the clear, cool sea water. :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We came back from the Island hopping tour at lunch time (it took about 4 hours in all). The remaining half day we just roamed about in Langkawi, driving leisurely. We went to the Black sand beach where they have a small market as well and we bought some stuff there ( Yes, you can bargain hard!). Then we went to a beach on which we have the Four Seasons hotel. We spent some time on its beautiful white sand walking together hand in hand collecting shells and talking. It felt beautiful and so romantic. :)<br />Then later in the evening we went to the Cenang market. The entire street was lit up in beautiful lights. We had dinner at the Indian restaurant called as "Tulsi". The food was just ok. I would Tulsi a 2 on a scale of 5. Then we went back to Berjaya and left the rented car in Berjaya's parking.<br /><br />Next day morning we had our breakfast and deposited the car keys at the reception. Our pickup was there to take us to the airport and then to KL. I did not want to leave Langkawi, for some reason I had fallen in love with the place. If given a chance I would love to go back and spent a week just lazying around at the beautiful beaches of Langkawi.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-62880628091411433002008-05-01T22:29:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:27:54.864-07:00Langkawi Malaysia - Day 1<script>
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I went to Langkawi in November 2007 last year and it was one of the most memorable journeys of my life. We had taken an all inclusive (except meals) customized package tour.<br /><br />But first a few currency exchange tips to keep in mind before planning a trip to Malaysia - Langkawi:<br /><ol><li>Carry U.S. Dollars - they take the dollars everywhere and you get a better rate</li><li>Do not carry INR - they may take it but you will get a poor exchange rate for them</li><li>If possible carry some Malaysian Currency - Ringgit(RM) with you as you will require it to hire cab/eat at the airport and the exchange rate at the airport is very poor</li><li>You will get the worst exchange rate at the cafes/retail stores/hotels etc, then at official exchangers at airport, then the national and international banks in Malaysia in that order</li><li>But you will get the best exchange rates at the small currency exchange shops within the city (KL or Langkawi). You will find these shops in malls and all major markets.<br /></li><li>Take bigger U.S. dollar notes (50,100,500 denomination is preferred) to get a good exchange rate. A few agents do not accept U.S. $10 or 20 but those who will accept will give a poor exchange rate. Though you will get the same rate for all denominations at the banks.</li></ol>Now continuing on our trip... From India we took the Malaysian Airlines (not the best airline to take though - I will let you know about an unpleasant experience which happened with us in another post) from New Delhi. The flight is at around 11.00 pm and reaches KualaLumpur (KL) early morning at around 06.00 am.<br />The KL International Airport is excellent. Its been nominated the best airport for 2005 and 2006 and you will know why once you land there. The airport has three huge terminals with more than 35 gates. Whatz more, there is a train connecting terminal A and C. There is plenty of seating space to rest. The rest rooms are neat and clean and there is so much to see at the airport. You can actually indulge in a massage to kill your time and to rejuvenate yourself for further journey.<br /><br />We had a connecting flight to Langkawi at 11 am (there is an earlier flight at 9 am and I recommend that if possible, you should take that one), so after freshing up at the airport we had a cup of steaming hot Milo (you will get tonnes of Milo everywhere in Malaysia... the Malays love it!) at one of the airport cafe's. We reached the terminal for our domestic departure to Langkawi and slept for sometime. The flight for Langkawi was right on time and 45 mins later we landed at the beautiful island of Langkawi. I would strongly suggest a window seat from KL to Langkawi as the approach to Langkawi airport is breathtaking.<br /><br />The greenery in and around the airport is stunning. Our package included a pickup from the airport and we found our man waiting for us. We were going to stay in Berjaya Resorts and were going directly there. But I asked the driver to stop at a local shop where I could buy a SIM card. I wanted a SIM card because of three reasons:<br /><ul><li>Connectivity at all times, your family can contact you any time<br /></li><li>Much Cheaper than hotel phone</li><li>Easily available to tourists in Malaysia. You simply have to give a photocopy of your passport.<br /></li><li>Incoming is free<br /></li></ul>There are more than a couple of telecom companies in Malaysia and you can buy SIM of anyone. It will cost you less than 10 RM. Then I bought a recharge card called "i card", got it for 10 RM with International talktime of around 20 mins. You can find these recharge cards in almost all the retail shops around Malaysia.<br /><br />When we reached Berjaya, we found the place to be quite good. We had one secluded cottage for our own, though it wasn't sea facing. The sea facing cottages are very expensive, but you can always stay put in them for at least one night.<br />Berjaya has everything you would want from a Resort. It has it's own private beach, you can do a lot of water sport activities or else simply laze around in the sun and if the sea water doesn't suit you, dive in the fabulous swimming pool that Berjaya has. Whats more, you have a pool bar to serve you drinks when you tire from swimming. The breakfast at Berjaya is complimentary and is quite a spread. You can even get dal-roti (a typical Indian curry and bread) in breakfast as we did, but there are so many things to choose from, you wouldn't want to eat dal-roti.<br />Here are some pictures of Berjaya:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCH6Gl2qFqIhYD-yF3qRbwUHipZx4SQGkGrd3TM4R0YArNcq6lfw3A8ut0OFhuvhpmEOZhlpYpVqYK7mqGhEmgXV3czUh875tL8LRsmab6OrQ2xMKq7nIj099b3Q9lzM0HQiV15WXJ67Zj/s1600-h/Berjaya1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCH6Gl2qFqIhYD-yF3qRbwUHipZx4SQGkGrd3TM4R0YArNcq6lfw3A8ut0OFhuvhpmEOZhlpYpVqYK7mqGhEmgXV3czUh875tL8LRsmab6OrQ2xMKq7nIj099b3Q9lzM0HQiV15WXJ67Zj/s200/Berjaya1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196010158212658322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGIMkQvnqLWXC539pFpSriOBmlcuicSRlgrr_-lPEwtEe6fpQtqssYG2mXt4-X7uazwMw1YuM0VPaewH1bl2KUVoGNSGOC7OPWmRzyOJarVjovGacPgNwk_CsntfbeNIgUW2BbBChGTWo/s1600-h/Berjaya2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGIMkQvnqLWXC539pFpSriOBmlcuicSRlgrr_-lPEwtEe6fpQtqssYG2mXt4-X7uazwMw1YuM0VPaewH1bl2KUVoGNSGOC7OPWmRzyOJarVjovGacPgNwk_CsntfbeNIgUW2BbBChGTWo/s200/Berjaya2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196010162507625634" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyh1dbLetiq8ERVvbR3zE40tBdDkCeC-O6OpmlENEH5fE3TM9y1cZqG1R_x_E0x_TwAIsFCaTwPxsdg0dxdWYaHMMrCWoI5TYCba1ZovzT_DXvUafP7dklfE2OEaIMzWE9XnemNUrHMX6P/s1600-h/Berjaya+cottage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyh1dbLetiq8ERVvbR3zE40tBdDkCeC-O6OpmlENEH5fE3TM9y1cZqG1R_x_E0x_TwAIsFCaTwPxsdg0dxdWYaHMMrCWoI5TYCba1ZovzT_DXvUafP7dklfE2OEaIMzWE9XnemNUrHMX6P/s200/Berjaya+cottage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196010166802592946" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYLsGHwbEd3TS4xjsAvqPVe6LCE5x4_0FFsVOBqGk7gFXyWYv_LBstKg53E2pVQVocnQm5GOu8WljJ9f_sNemZ3yw8D3crJSm0jDEeGkKAm9M6UjHhVABayzn66MyGt_mqYIshAM2zbH6/s1600-h/Berjaya+cottages2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYLsGHwbEd3TS4xjsAvqPVe6LCE5x4_0FFsVOBqGk7gFXyWYv_LBstKg53E2pVQVocnQm5GOu8WljJ9f_sNemZ3yw8D3crJSm0jDEeGkKAm9M6UjHhVABayzn66MyGt_mqYIshAM2zbH6/s200/Berjaya+cottages2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196010166802592962" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkMT96rfc3_S6H4E-igWqiSpOrCAtwvCjMjWFat0dd_-kWCmfmK0gdX3QgMD3mZZI1VgTj4uSAbKHeQxjXpsTU_4PdMQsCfGTm2K1yzBC20bOWeO5Fg7DdoLvR58ETP0IQ2iS8PhIWQgp/s1600-h/Berjaya+room+inside.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkMT96rfc3_S6H4E-igWqiSpOrCAtwvCjMjWFat0dd_-kWCmfmK0gdX3QgMD3mZZI1VgTj4uSAbKHeQxjXpsTU_4PdMQsCfGTm2K1yzBC20bOWeO5Fg7DdoLvR58ETP0IQ2iS8PhIWQgp/s200/Berjaya+room+inside.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196010171097560274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Staying in Berjaya is an experience in itself. You can get a spa massage, arrange a island hopping tour or a Langkawi tour from Berjaya. We did not take the Langkawi tour, but preferred to rent a car and self-drive through the beautiful roads of Langkawi since we had just two days and also because its very convenient. I would say its the preferable mode of transport because then you are on your own to explore the small but beautiful island. We rented a Kia Optima (automatic) for 120 RM (Rs 1440 or $36) per day. But if you wake up early you can get a small passenger car for as low as 70 RM as well. So depending upon your need and availability you can rent a car from 70-140 RM per day. You can also rent a bike/scootie in Langkawi for as low as 50 RM per day. Its a right hand drive (same as India/UK) and roads are very good. The island is very safe even late at nights. In addition the petrol is very cheap (approx Rs 21 per lt or $0.5 per lt)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGAFV2IaCWlvUiNjOhbnBzgyKrA75rpIbM-I7_WSz0K4NsLyDXvbzyP-9INVgzyHwHGVxdS56O_UUlTdRx7aCaLCfKO0yuGLJMbtj1p7Gj6RvrrHHEmS40RzFK1DALSZo4Uz8FhyphenhyphenCWYeM/s1600-h/car1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGAFV2IaCWlvUiNjOhbnBzgyKrA75rpIbM-I7_WSz0K4NsLyDXvbzyP-9INVgzyHwHGVxdS56O_UUlTdRx7aCaLCfKO0yuGLJMbtj1p7Gj6RvrrHHEmS40RzFK1DALSZo4Uz8FhyphenhyphenCWYeM/s200/car1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196011274904155362" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After renting the car (Berjaya can help you contact the rental agency/person) you can get a map of Langkawi from Berjaya. We picked up a lot of tourist guides/maps/documents from Langkawi airport tourist information. In addition we found a map in the car itself probably left by some other tourist. You will find that the island roads are clearly marked and directions are very simple to follow. We never lost our way in the two days (we rented the car) and explored most of the island (about 90%) including a half day island hopping trip which was on day 2.<br /><br />But first the places we visited on day1 - We started off driving to a waterfall, then to an artificial cave build on the road. The cave has a beautiful scenery from the top. Then we stopped at a beach on our way to the famous Eagle Square in Kuah town. On our way to the city we also went to a bird sanctuary which had variety of birds from all over the world including beautiful colored parrots, the Ostrich and the elegant peacock from India.<br /><br />So the places we visited on day 1:<br /><span style="font-size:100%;">1) Waterfall - I forgot the name<br />2) The artificial caves near the waterfall<br />3) Cenang Beach and Black Sand Beach<br />4) Langkawi Birds Paradise<br />5) Hot Spring Village</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />6) Eagle Square<br />7) Oriental Village<br /></span></span><br />Here are all the pics:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The waterfall<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OPcHngatxzfRpMBfORgxgLrQ3-rm4U7eTwvYmfQR9py7DuLi1s7DGTeOrCDJGO-au_dGmiNG4UV2m6pvyF_VU9utWB5Ukjt3RsGm4aZGEK8mDvk8C8tkQs7TqoKRgJNSeMmW3xviuZ5P/s1600-h/waterfall1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OPcHngatxzfRpMBfORgxgLrQ3-rm4U7eTwvYmfQR9py7DuLi1s7DGTeOrCDJGO-au_dGmiNG4UV2m6pvyF_VU9utWB5Ukjt3RsGm4aZGEK8mDvk8C8tkQs7TqoKRgJNSeMmW3xviuZ5P/s200/waterfall1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196012537624540402" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihn8UeIsbXdQ2e8wCPyO0irLUW3OaieFt0Yn6I_mY8hx-S1iiCGs04j9xHnDZ-H-NbmzRFzshjUCUW0hvYK6KFnngYqQn0g_Vs3r6PIl8sdf1fHSGqDiD61eTutZ2q1kZpdfb7XVNcuM7i/s1600-h/waterfall2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihn8UeIsbXdQ2e8wCPyO0irLUW3OaieFt0Yn6I_mY8hx-S1iiCGs04j9xHnDZ-H-NbmzRFzshjUCUW0hvYK6KFnngYqQn0g_Vs3r6PIl8sdf1fHSGqDiD61eTutZ2q1kZpdfb7XVNcuM7i/s200/waterfall2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196012537624540418" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The artificial cave: View from top of the cave:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2sscma0U7oKLwBJbWdlF3yfRUbP6TYMq3ui9-AGkvnubuygOgPwvSwToCPl8_2-xe73K1FHnUg8AuZ0C6hwIOw9-0qcGR6XdqSNmlCyGlyGEJLElxzZgm4Vu6qUyESi1iqGQ-GIdZFUc/s1600-h/artificial+cave1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2sscma0U7oKLwBJbWdlF3yfRUbP6TYMq3ui9-AGkvnubuygOgPwvSwToCPl8_2-xe73K1FHnUg8AuZ0C6hwIOw9-0qcGR6XdqSNmlCyGlyGEJLElxzZgm4Vu6qUyESi1iqGQ-GIdZFUc/s200/artificial+cave1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196012541919507730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYH28eKU62Kea5dns6tlghC3qWOUqaa660hOFd0D6SILewUQFm_BZyfKOmbq2_WSOXZCykt0g0-x6Leu2IkpHEkmRxm9ij3-N-e2XofBhxY-D4r93ZpJPaGrtJnrkKUn2jfmH5bbcykJbD/s1600-h/artificial+cave-view+from+top.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYH28eKU62Kea5dns6tlghC3qWOUqaa660hOFd0D6SILewUQFm_BZyfKOmbq2_WSOXZCykt0g0-x6Leu2IkpHEkmRxm9ij3-N-e2XofBhxY-D4r93ZpJPaGrtJnrkKUn2jfmH5bbcykJbD/s200/artificial+cave-view+from+top.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196012546214475042" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beaches:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdOgNg8VT36hxPNoRFK5BPQ2CtAJ7ccDr6RIlx0mYiQMNEjErzeRsOI3jDmUrrLrKyaztQNNHxynL9H7dGzqUtwAPhFotjsYvuiPqOJ_XZ2z69V5d9YXfMYXCB6ZhQhWE0dORcC0608bR/s1600-h/beach1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdOgNg8VT36hxPNoRFK5BPQ2CtAJ7ccDr6RIlx0mYiQMNEjErzeRsOI3jDmUrrLrKyaztQNNHxynL9H7dGzqUtwAPhFotjsYvuiPqOJ_XZ2z69V5d9YXfMYXCB6ZhQhWE0dORcC0608bR/s200/beach1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196012546214475058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-395m2AqDHyMIUf_Cggg9KXwyUorlGo8e7OS91zLpvYXF32rS1FPILSqzSs4wBjVgr4ERtUr0NIFMJU_N8SSHnIDv6dIPWUNmIBl72CHur_axAYjUp8exOktJPntgFY_hmHgx4CLDMuv1/s1600-h/beach2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-395m2AqDHyMIUf_Cggg9KXwyUorlGo8e7OS91zLpvYXF32rS1FPILSqzSs4wBjVgr4ERtUr0NIFMJU_N8SSHnIDv6dIPWUNmIBl72CHur_axAYjUp8exOktJPntgFY_hmHgx4CLDMuv1/s200/beach2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196013529761985858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxqMYXQ_qHn0NhRBuxuzklQQrjXEFOIxrY18A9A61-pyF4nBUiRGG-lNHwATJKSLgD6dU9PPWmfDVY5yRL8K_gacNTOoD84hkvIGrrH5m6EfuHHXlGZIaxh9GFAOQfPgD7dWzs6UpB5jv/s1600-h/beach4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxqMYXQ_qHn0NhRBuxuzklQQrjXEFOIxrY18A9A61-pyF4nBUiRGG-lNHwATJKSLgD6dU9PPWmfDVY5yRL8K_gacNTOoD84hkvIGrrH5m6EfuHHXlGZIaxh9GFAOQfPgD7dWzs6UpB5jv/s200/beach4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196013538351920482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bird Sanctuary (</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Langkawi Bird Paradise)</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMl4cMO5ltflbI0K6dO-_6NZCIN5OJT3PF5g4BG2BXxsOdn3lelaM5PaG_XBzfh2BaTxQPfV9bQhm4jZXawPvvmsgcFueq0zrxtxO1SPc6lySdxofPWHmMGUFL9ERW1syXbFsfu0cU30s5/s1600-h/birds+sanctuary1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMl4cMO5ltflbI0K6dO-_6NZCIN5OJT3PF5g4BG2BXxsOdn3lelaM5PaG_XBzfh2BaTxQPfV9bQhm4jZXawPvvmsgcFueq0zrxtxO1SPc6lySdxofPWHmMGUFL9ERW1syXbFsfu0cU30s5/s200/birds+sanctuary1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196013542646887810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhhu6QN5igllx_HpO7V0Api3AkYwp2PoM9dk-o8MWZuLXkQW3-v1jLd5xwFmxzNvJ4jrzHIciyBkfaCV1rb9D1c0ZwyNmzwwNaD4_3dzTrPWCjYpBSqZ9oDYifYqYojFDS0E2Ez26Czji/s1600-h/birds+sanctuary.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhhu6QN5igllx_HpO7V0Api3AkYwp2PoM9dk-o8MWZuLXkQW3-v1jLd5xwFmxzNvJ4jrzHIciyBkfaCV1rb9D1c0ZwyNmzwwNaD4_3dzTrPWCjYpBSqZ9oDYifYqYojFDS0E2Ez26Czji/s200/birds+sanctuary.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196013538351920498" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAel-KgtxVapxzaTcGiMJMueGtslVSNc3rJztmSijt6cVsBb4VFMZQsmJlJoQ1HfcowEhT8yvVivzuG-0cbYFaUY25XcHE7GWgD-P5KzxdMKa7KsyC3nyjB4CVRv5VdYJb6TGKJD8T7Bqh/s1600-h/birds+sanctuary3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAel-KgtxVapxzaTcGiMJMueGtslVSNc3rJztmSijt6cVsBb4VFMZQsmJlJoQ1HfcowEhT8yvVivzuG-0cbYFaUY25XcHE7GWgD-P5KzxdMKa7KsyC3nyjB4CVRv5VdYJb6TGKJD8T7Bqh/s200/birds+sanctuary3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196014096697669026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eagle Square:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXMFQ_i1vCK0LhtBTDxsyYrt7TleG65EBzRxB74vR_G1dY2eVKbqWX8h5_VNd-bDspWz3GTxye5ZHNzrd84F_JQvMiPxb4VNlHOJxy3rV74upwSWDdLaEYe0Xt9J_xFlOHkWeKrNt-5wr/s1600-h/eagle+square1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXMFQ_i1vCK0LhtBTDxsyYrt7TleG65EBzRxB74vR_G1dY2eVKbqWX8h5_VNd-bDspWz3GTxye5ZHNzrd84F_JQvMiPxb4VNlHOJxy3rV74upwSWDdLaEYe0Xt9J_xFlOHkWeKrNt-5wr/s200/eagle+square1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196014380165510578" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOWo7SgSd5DNQHJu42mkgKRPdgJ2wquM1vUBa9ymmQyzNlIkJroA2UZNGJBsR2ovUFABk87_90lh3qCO-Lx2YIF8Rq3j0TWG0eJtnurNejaPtFUJIeA6UkDQaRnitOwcm9LNAckw92lEE/s1600-h/eagle+square2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOWo7SgSd5DNQHJu42mkgKRPdgJ2wquM1vUBa9ymmQyzNlIkJroA2UZNGJBsR2ovUFABk87_90lh3qCO-Lx2YIF8Rq3j0TWG0eJtnurNejaPtFUJIeA6UkDQaRnitOwcm9LNAckw92lEE/s200/eagle+square2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196014384460477890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hot Spring:</span><br />The Hot Spring in Langkawi, is a natural hot water spring which has been converted into a tourist attraction. You can go to the place for a relaxing foot and body massage which is really cheap. Foot massage: 5 RM and body massage: 10 RM. Also the person who does the massage is a really good masuse. He can diagnose medical problems (stomach related) you have while giving you a foot massage. Here are the pics of the hot spring:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIYXei7UyHovJnpSCmA6SCT4K1etfMaUHwBzjWkRe87YOcp8EMd4GxZn9AS_rEdA87HGX_2awXq066pl8wmcmHywbM5GIEymBA7rj9jL7O-9qqfBzqszQn6stbF_VNCT1JY21J0C2ZIVQ/s1600-h/Hot+Spring1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIYXei7UyHovJnpSCmA6SCT4K1etfMaUHwBzjWkRe87YOcp8EMd4GxZn9AS_rEdA87HGX_2awXq066pl8wmcmHywbM5GIEymBA7rj9jL7O-9qqfBzqszQn6stbF_VNCT1JY21J0C2ZIVQ/s200/Hot+Spring1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196020564918416866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIP0nRDHUJjzXdJHGPat6L_fZIY2BVJOyssdtBXeVCnZVG87lqFKnei5OJmbvIRqekPkb_84qP0xZREFA3itqs_snq48c-owRT2R43tLvVEZaOMokhPnBNCe2YreNCnokegLeGO5cleyem/s1600-h/Hot+Spring2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIP0nRDHUJjzXdJHGPat6L_fZIY2BVJOyssdtBXeVCnZVG87lqFKnei5OJmbvIRqekPkb_84qP0xZREFA3itqs_snq48c-owRT2R43tLvVEZaOMokhPnBNCe2YreNCnokegLeGO5cleyem/s200/Hot+Spring2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196020569213384178" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Towards the end of day 1 when we returned from Kuah town, we went to a great Thai restaurant known as "Barn Thai". I will write about day 2 - including Island hopping tour and about Barn Thai in another post.Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-38284804333720472902008-05-01T00:57:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:28:05.132-07:00Vizag - Araku Valley - Tyda- Part II<script>
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Continuing from the previous post...<br /><br />... Next day early at 6 AM we reached the Vizag railway station for APTDC's Rail cum Road (RR) Tour to Araku valley. This is a one day tour which starts by reporting to APTDC's counter at Vizag station. You can buy the ticket for this tour from this counter as well, but I would advice you to book in advance as the tickets are limited and seats fill up pretty quickly. The ticket is Rs 600 (for one day tour) per person including all meals, train and bus tickets as well as tickets to Tribal Museum, Park and Borra Caves.<br /><br />The train (VK1) leaves Vizag at 6:50 AM. Make sure to reach station at 6 AM, because even with a ticket in hand, you might not get a seat as happened with a family which arrived after 6:30 AM. The train is a disappointment though because firstly its a passenger train and secondly the compartment is the General (Unreserved) compartment which means the seats are very uncomfortable for a 4.5 hr journey. Its a strict no-no for people with back problem and might become intolerable during summers (May-June). Once the train starts, breakfast is served (2 idlis+1 vada+ 1 bottle of mineral water) per . The journey to Araku in the train can get a little boring so make sure if you go by train, go in a large group. The journey though uncomfortable, but is a beautiful one and if you can go in a big group I would suggest it's a must. The train goes through beautiful mountains, where you can see greenery till as far as the eye sees. There are many (more than 20) tunnels on the way and a lot of springs flowing through the mountains. You will not see these sites if you travel by road (road journey though is 3 hrs only). Anyways take a look at the pics and decide for yourself:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yLu90oIPsr7jcRkOfa7HIXTHnGcUEhRfXStCM29s1C66IPX51iKOMHlGZ05bz83p5kLhCblTA1Viy08tpFEarbHABGRtWsh2LrSPgQEkuvyFxN0XjzwqMGzl4MSTF0zUb18bxZXZm-2W/s1600-h/Araku+Valley1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yLu90oIPsr7jcRkOfa7HIXTHnGcUEhRfXStCM29s1C66IPX51iKOMHlGZ05bz83p5kLhCblTA1Viy08tpFEarbHABGRtWsh2LrSPgQEkuvyFxN0XjzwqMGzl4MSTF0zUb18bxZXZm-2W/s200/Araku+Valley1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195356150657594466" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGWniowyUza-EoEoPfhnaO9D5CRw05i_OjGH0jC3NxmmKvHLPmHsg-aCseLk72e5HszZ8SojOqq1VmK9osKIdRgDoZCMJ-vZ7cr3RlgstBG2CJ7-18uD97pJbpuOoUsPsAl8zmJlemk2F/s1600-h/Araku+Valley2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGWniowyUza-EoEoPfhnaO9D5CRw05i_OjGH0jC3NxmmKvHLPmHsg-aCseLk72e5HszZ8SojOqq1VmK9osKIdRgDoZCMJ-vZ7cr3RlgstBG2CJ7-18uD97pJbpuOoUsPsAl8zmJlemk2F/s200/Araku+Valley2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195356335341188210" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYNJ21HIlsT_xAEsnvzcvQawyoZbKJ9RjRK3Ng8KwhZKJ1Ic73OFJbbY5tN71V9hv5Otok7DaILmipFmlV2IYLpR-RX7KqrtQRCHf1JW4Jawxtz3R1ZDNnrxP3aFylBM5Vjf34n1egUV3/s1600-h/Araku+Valley3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYNJ21HIlsT_xAEsnvzcvQawyoZbKJ9RjRK3Ng8KwhZKJ1Ic73OFJbbY5tN71V9hv5Otok7DaILmipFmlV2IYLpR-RX7KqrtQRCHf1JW4Jawxtz3R1ZDNnrxP3aFylBM5Vjf34n1egUV3/s200/Araku+Valley3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195356537204651138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I have been told that you can see lots of water streams through the mountains during rainy season. The train reaches Araku at 11:20 AM where APTDC buses wait for the passengers. These buses are ordinary semi confortable (non A/c) buses which was the next big disappointment. Our bus was in fact late by 20-25 mins and the time spent waiting for buses was very miserable with nothing to do, no where to sit and most people very tired. After the buses came, we were directly taken to a Tribal museum in Araku which was another big dissapointment. The museum entry is a very nominal Rs 10 (adult) but its still not worth it. We were given 15 mins for the museum (yes its that small) but we came out in only 10 mins. Then we were taken to a park in Araku which also has an entry ticket of Rs 10 and the tour guide will tell you to take a toy train ride (Rs 8 per person) inside the park because he will say its a huge park and cannot be covered on foot. But personally the park is rubbish, I have seen much better parks in almost all the cities I have lived in/ visited. The toy train ride can be given a miss. We stopped at the park for about 20 mins.<br /><br />Except the beautiful valleys to see during the train travel, the remaining tour was a big disappointment till then and the same continued. After the park we were taken to APTDC resort for lunch. The resort is beautiful (and in case you take a two day tour for Rs 2100 per person for A/c room you will be put up for a night in this resort) but the lunch was not good at all. With almost two hundred people to feed in one go, the arrangement was chaotic and there was not enough seating. The food was typical Andhra cuisine which not everyone relishes as its very spicy. But there is a restaurant in the resort which has a decent menu and you might want to try it out (you have to pay seperately for it). After the lunch there was a traditional tribal dance at the resort lawns (at 2:00 PM) which made no sense at all. It felt like we were being rushed through to complete all that was part of the tour package. Tribal dance at 2:00 in the afternoon doesn't make sense to me!<br /><br />Anyways we left the place at 2:15 and then stopped at another APTDC resort at Ananthgiri for snacks at 3:00 PM. I couldn't believe this!! We had lunch just an hour back and now we are stopping again for snacks. But you could clearly see that the stoppage was deliberate to get the Ananthgiri resort a part of the pie of the tour. The snack was two chilli bhajji's each! Anyways after stopping for 15 mins at the resort and then traveling for another 30 mins we reached Borra Caves. This was the best part of the whole tour. Borra caves with 410 steps (up and down) are really beautiful (and should not be missed). You can clearly see the Stalagmites and Stalactites in the caves. There is a small temple at the top as well. Pics of Borra Caves:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBKiziS56JultgvNOhIZVJOETERoZFda33bA58aHYIo-wSvS3pgOIfP5J6Vcei-WHgLypFwadG-nnhjZgE2zdmeAEAaLDoHVx3rQ5HyAhhDCXCGc7KdBxQ8KyOVSDnKR4LlbgrmRB34GO/s1600-h/Borra+Caves1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBKiziS56JultgvNOhIZVJOETERoZFda33bA58aHYIo-wSvS3pgOIfP5J6Vcei-WHgLypFwadG-nnhjZgE2zdmeAEAaLDoHVx3rQ5HyAhhDCXCGc7KdBxQ8KyOVSDnKR4LlbgrmRB34GO/s320/Borra+Caves1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195328293499712530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87XH1ac9TH6aq-rP69IhYTY5ECpA9fQblz3N6hAb-VjqqmnraiVyH4B7WOqMu9CBHKchhOHGryLWjLjtUQGfU1px9lbC0pC1iKrA81ZUX81kDAGPnlLinKQ0eWjvmjQvEu3jjMrFNqHlg/s1600-h/Borra+Caves2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87XH1ac9TH6aq-rP69IhYTY5ECpA9fQblz3N6hAb-VjqqmnraiVyH4B7WOqMu9CBHKchhOHGryLWjLjtUQGfU1px9lbC0pC1iKrA81ZUX81kDAGPnlLinKQ0eWjvmjQvEu3jjMrFNqHlg/s320/Borra+Caves2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195328774536049698" border="0" /></a><br />After the Borra Caves the bus left back for Vishakhapatnam but on the way we saw the coffee plantations and stopped at a place (name of which I forgot) for a photoshoot. The place was 1500 feet above sea level and we could click some nice pictures. This stop was another good part of the tour.<br /><br />After this stop the bus headed towards Vizag but we had different plans. We had booked ourselves for overnight stay at Tyda which is on the way to Vizag (75 kms from Vizag). The bus dropped us at the resort - Jungle Bells. I must say the resort is beautiful and we stayed in "The Bridge Cottage" which is Rs 1890 (approx $50) per room per night. It reminded of our stay at the Barjaya Resort in Langkawi last year (I will write about my Malaysia trip soon). The price includes breakfast (which is again idli/vada and tea/coffee). You can order lunch/dinner in advance and the canteen has a very reasonable priced menu as is with all government resorts. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the resort. Some pics:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbn0s0G2zz5vtNo4VJgGxi6TzEmHN8T9I6oB_SIOWjcjGOdY4Epvj31fsx4Wgp2tWkI5VUTCj8YGhhiKAJl0bQVUWKzGsqVqfPsdCjaiLl2aCQ1ZQBtPBjLD8_6vd9nynxtaUxEv4oeit/s1600-h/Tyda.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbn0s0G2zz5vtNo4VJgGxi6TzEmHN8T9I6oB_SIOWjcjGOdY4Epvj31fsx4Wgp2tWkI5VUTCj8YGhhiKAJl0bQVUWKzGsqVqfPsdCjaiLl2aCQ1ZQBtPBjLD8_6vd9nynxtaUxEv4oeit/s200/Tyda.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195331991466554418" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xfaT2HCKizi2Z3NPL1hYZOUcgrL3OJ3azFnQiACnuVk5qZQ1WmK22_OpuYep7gsNL_0EnGgcDV4Gx7xa4M5OynDUM9Yx3HJyZOxzoZieYEfxhG1kIIwHXwW1_M8YiiWetcOo5llxzxKT/s1600-h/Tyda+resort.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xfaT2HCKizi2Z3NPL1hYZOUcgrL3OJ3azFnQiACnuVk5qZQ1WmK22_OpuYep7gsNL_0EnGgcDV4Gx7xa4M5OynDUM9Yx3HJyZOxzoZieYEfxhG1kIIwHXwW1_M8YiiWetcOo5llxzxKT/s200/Tyda+resort.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195332223394788418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxoKvlYniWWoRIzg2eYovDGsTWUG5tOPSL7AqtHgy81RTRH-pp3kUy6wQOkgjwoVl4-JugIWhNZ87UYJ3CdsqsCt6ROOwzKFbOSO7nTHpxWZYDbLy6CjEGp3taeIBlg4qxSuFx6CX42Ex/s1600-h/Tyda+resort+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxoKvlYniWWoRIzg2eYovDGsTWUG5tOPSL7AqtHgy81RTRH-pp3kUy6wQOkgjwoVl4-JugIWhNZ87UYJ3CdsqsCt6ROOwzKFbOSO7nTHpxWZYDbLy6CjEGp3taeIBlg4qxSuFx6CX42Ex/s200/Tyda+resort+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195332433848185938" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We had the same tribal dance again at this resort, but this time at 7 PM in evening in much cooler temperatures it looked much better.<br /><br />Overall, I would suggest you can give RR tour of APTDC a miss, in fact you can give Araku valley a miss as well, because there is nothing much to do there, but a visit to Borra Caves is a must. Also I would highly recommend a stay at the Jungle Bells resort at Tyda. They have different cottages and camps which you can find out about by giving a call to the resort at: +91-891-2713135 , 2746446Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4175514833293708275.post-82288386110521422852008-04-30T01:45:00.000-07:002015-06-22T01:28:14.547-07:00Vizag - Araku Valley - Tyda- Part I<script>
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This is my first post on this blog so I will began with my most recent trip (in April 08) to Vishakhapatanam (Vizag), the serene coastal town of Andhra Pradesh in India. Later, I intend to write about my other trips undertaken some time back.<br /><div><div><div></div><div>The trip to Vishakhapatanam happened by chance, as one of my colleagues' was getting married. We boarded the direct train from Hyderabad (Godavri Express, train no 2728) to Vishakhapatnam but got down at Duvvada, which is one station before Vishakhapatnam mainly because my friend had got us a booking in the guest house of Hindustan Zinc quarters where his family stays. Vizag is 15 -20 mins by road from Duvvada.</div><div>After the marriage got over on friday morning we went down to explore Vizag. I must say it's an amazing city. Its coastline is one of the best I have seen and I have seen quite a few coastal towns. The city is very neat and clean and people are very friendly (which generally Andhra people are). </div><p><strong>RishiKonda Beach</strong></p><p>First we went from Duvvada to Rishikonda beach (about 30 kms) and then to Ramakrishna (RK) beach. The road to Rishikonda beach is as beautiful as it gets. In fact there is an APTDC resort very close to Rishikonda beach and one can stay there in as low as Rs 1200 ($30) per night for an A/c room if you book well in advance (<a href="http://www.tourisminap.com/">http://www.tourisminap.com/</a>). The resort is on a small hill on the Rishikonda beach and view excellent. </p><p>At the beach you can go swimming or boating. But remember the last boat hire is till 6:00 PM only. There are lots of temporary beach shacks which provide water, cold drinks and packaged food like chips. You can get roasted corn in the season and of course icecreams but do not expect any other food items. Waiting for the sunset at the beach is worthwhile. It's a beautiful sunset. Here's a pic of the Rishikonda beach at sunset:</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195023930642281410" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_l6cWWBd8hYkwg7TNhaS6B0HuNnrAYLsEzJ4I46qi7oZC_U4Nz1tFsXSv8oN5OGw4ErQc5B9nTEZEbLdjMl5rPvjo2sJ1hk6tRjwcp6oCsO_jtQ1ZZXFDEpY3HG04gt-ak7eZadiqX_g/s320/Rishikonda+beach.jpg" border="0" /> </div><div><strong>RK Beach</strong></div><div>The all famous 'beach road' of Vizag is along the RK beach. It looks like the marine drive of Mumbai but is actually much better in terms of activities and general cleanliness. The government has developed the whole area along the beach quite well. In the evenings you can see a lot of people at the beach some walking or jogging and others for an outing with families. On weekends it looks as if whole of Vizag comes to the RK beach to celebrate the sea. There is a very famous temple at the beach.<br />There is an acquarium as well which children might enjoy. The ticket for acquarium is a nominal Rs 20 (adult) and Rs 10 (children). The acquarium is small and if you have nothing else to do, you might as well take a look. It will not take more than 10-15 mins. But the true fun at RK beach is to walk around, go in a group, chat, gossip, eat and swim if you want to. There is a nice restaurant by the name "Windy's". It has a lot on it's menu and is quite cheap. Caution: If you are in a hurry, this is not the place for you as the service is very slow. Here's a pic of RK beach:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195026967184159714" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BQmRr0Df9t86dLwOm5iAA9O_29zRAxrj0k_M9UPSUrRc6moTWvpZDw-Dij-6eBK6Gv8cQSj6zpCq8dk4emyHRunoxK8lw24bmI_YDAc44Z8c6B_Njpfp66KZmksLEUI6U-1NzGED2-23/s320/RK+beach.jpg" border="0" /><strong><em></em></strong></div><div><strong><em></em></strong> </div><div><strong><em>Submarine Museum - At RK beach </em></strong></div><div>The best part of RK beach though is the submarine - INS Kursura kept by the Indian Navy as a museum. The tickets are nominal - Rs 25 (adult) per head. There is an extra charge for Camera (Rs 20) and Video Camera (Rs 50). The submarine is a must see. Its the first submarine museum in South East Asia and it is awesome. You get to know the tough life which our Navy has to undergo while protecting our seas. A pic of the submarine:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195028667991208962" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpubnwLp8LiDw1B-I_UJTz9jJ9yqxQxxuPqO3wW23oJozh0kbUYWisTVSiVWnzL2dyRY294XAL2ogR99hfku79sE5VmJF55IEfRhXBP7FYa3zyo_AHhyrfnH9Tm0iESE7m6misY1zeeLZ/s320/Submarine+-+INS+Kursura.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong>Vuda Park</strong><br /><p>The Vuda Park is also on the beach road and is a fabulous place to spend some quality time with friends and family. With a musical fountain, boating facility and a skating ring it's a place for one and all.</p><p><strong>Kailasagiri Park</strong></p><p>Kailasagiri has been developed as a lush green park on a hill outside Vizag. You can see a white colored lord Shiva statue from some distance which is symbolic of the park. This can take 2-4 hrs depending upon how much you stay put at the park. Its a perfect place to have a picnic with family and friends.</p><p>In part II of this post I will cover Araku valley and Tyda experience and pics. Wait for that... :)</p></div></div>Shivamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17113386279973389223noreply@blogger.com5