After months of the sultry, sweaty, scorching heat, aren’t we all looking forward to a few months of rain? Oh, you bet!
Inconsistent smallish showers have been teasing us for a while now. Each state across India is vying for the Hottest-State-Where-Most-People-Die-Of-Heat Award. But, be of good cheer. We’ve spotted the actual South-West Monsoon in the Andaman Islands. Yay!!!
Now, isn’t that good news? Of course. Hoping that the showers will bless Kerala by the end of the month, wait all of us. Eager to be relieved of the sun’s burning heat and to relish the cool rainy days.
Monsoon tourism will get a boost, too. Tourism agents, houseboat operators, homestay and hotel owners, restaurants, and just about everyone depending on tourists are awaiting the golden showers.
Koshi Tappu’s location close to the Indian border attracts mention as there are similar flora and fauna on this side of the border, too. The rectangular wildlife reserve is in eastern Nepal, a part of the Eastern HImalayas. Interestingly, Sapta-Koshi, one of Ganges’ three main tributaries flows through the reserve. The place is most known for the lot of migratory birds that visit it. October to November and December to February are the best times to visit Koshi Tappu.
Spanning 175sq.km, this wild paradise is home to the endangered species of animals such as the Arnai (wild buffalo), gharial crocodile and the Gangetic dolphin. Tall grassland with areas covered with khair-sissoo scrub forest and deciduous riverine forest are what stands out among the flora of the land. The mountainous vegetation is found throughout the hilly areas; and not to leave out, the world’s fifth highest mountain, Makalu, stands looming at 8,475m.
For the adventure-lovers, there are a horde of activities to take up. Elephant rides are a good option if you want to spot varieties of deer and nilgai (blue bull). Sitting atop the pachyderms, you can get a view of the reserve, and it’s exhilarating to cross a stream or a small river on elephant-back. Or if you want to view wildlife at a closer range, go for a jungle walk. On such a walk you can also go bird watching. There are about 300 species of local and migratory birds in the reserve. Canoe rides on the river are for those adrenaline-charged tourists. There are waterfalls and dips to be taken care of, though. On a canoe ride you can spot freshwater dolphins, gharials and crocodiles.
The Kerala Travel Mart 2010 is scheduled to be held from September 23 – 26. Into its sixth edition, this biennial event will take place at Bolghatty Palace at Cochin. The focus will be homestays this year. It plans to promote these up and coming travel accommodation option during the three-day function.
For those attending the Mart, you can get in touch with tour operators, airlines, hotels, resorts, Ayurveda centres, eco and adventure tourism ventures, holiday package operators, houseboat operators, homestay owners and other related personnel. It is a platform which will see hundreds of buyers and sellers, both national and international.
This event is one of the largest of its kind. This year the Society intends to rope in buyers and sellers from Russian and Scandinavian nations, too, besides its usual clientele.
Register with the KTM Society and book a place for yourself!
www.keralatravelmart.org
Bangalore’s BMTC has been organising ‘Bus Days’ to encourage city folks to use public transport. The third such one falls on April 7, though the usual date is the fourth of every month.
There’s a huge turnout in company buses, especially by Infosys and Wipro. The buses will ply on five corridors: Bannerghatta Road, Hosur Road, Sarjapur Road, Old Airport Road to ITPB and Old Madras Road. Many NGOs, too, chip in with ‘earthy’ campaigns.
In a city with 35 lakh vehicles, out of which 50% are two-wheelers and about 20% four-wheelers, if people use public transport, there will be a reduction in exhaust emissions as well as help in decreasing traffic jams.
Bangalore sees a new building coming up in some part of the city every day! The air pollution caused by that in this IT city is only imaginable. A campaign like this will go a long way in improving air quality and reduce travel time for commuters.
If it ain’t crowded, it ain’t a bazaar. I know that, but still…. All that you’ve have in mind about a bazaar comes true the moment you step into one in the Pink City. Jaipur’s old walled city is a burst of colours, smells and sounds. Johar Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar and Tripolia Bazaar are the three main market areas of the city. Don’t be fooled by the name ‘market’, cos you get anything and everything in the shops here.
As the whole old city is painted pink, it is difficult to distinguish between shops, medical stores, restaurants and bus stops. But what keeps the shopping areas unique are the colourful wares displayed outside them. The roads leading to most bazaars here are crowded, with about four lanes of traffic on one side, coupled with loads of hawkers, handcarts, two-wheelers and pedestrians. Foreigners visiting the bazaars should have some prior experience in shopping on Indian streets otherwise it’ll be almost a nightmare!
The sweet shops are awesome – the soft smells wafting outta the bakeries beckon you from metres away and once there, you wouldn’t wanna leave! There’s peeni, besan laddoos, kaju kathlis and jalebis. The lassi and chaats are refreshingly tasty; the Rajasthani sweets come in kilo-count boxes; the savouries and fries should be had there itself, for the best tastes.
What to pick up: Textiles are what most tourists buy in Jaipur. Though they are priced double of what they’ll cost you in Delhi’s Dilli Haat or Janpath, most of us still buy from Jaipur only for the variety and the idea that it is more authentic here. You can get shawls, stoles, skirts, kurtas, saris, and more. Jewellery is a good option. Lots and lots of trinkets can be bought from Jaipur’s bazaars. The inlaid stone work, for which Rajasthan is famous, can be found in most jewellery shops and curio shops. Wooden toys, souvenirs, terracotta wares, red sandstone sculptures are interesting gift items to take back.
Jaipur is one of the cities in the Golden Triangle – others being Delhi and Agra – and the tour is incomplete without visiting the other two. Each bazaar is connected with the other by small, pucca roads. People teem in the shops quite in the morning itself. Tourists, too, end up here by early forenoon to start bargaining and shopping.
Sometimes just looking around at life in the bazaars, and not buying anything, can turn out to be absolutely delightful. Like all Indian cities, the sounds and sights are more than enough to fill your senses.
Quite difficult to find anything that stands up to its own name, eh? Well, there’s Hard Rock Cafe to beat that notion.
Strolling up to the HRC located in GVK One, Hyderabad, I had a slight misgiving about what the experience would be like. Happy to say only the lighting disappointed me: it’s toooo bright for a hard rock cafe!! What hits you as you make that 14-step walk to its inner door are the rare photos of rock musicians on the wall, and the outfits and guitar used by another on their tours. And there’s more to explore.
Once in, the decor, the rock memorabilia mounted on the walls, and of course, the music, takes you on. The seating ranges from comfy cushion sofas to high stools and normal-enough table and chair combos. The DJ cubicle is roomy and located diagonally across the entrance. The ‘crew’ are a friendly lot and would oblige to play requests and dedications for ya.
The music was good. It picked up tempo and loudness as time wore in. Slower songs of U2 and INXS gave way to faster, beaty numbers from the likes of Nickelback, Metallica and Zeppelin. There’s a house band playin on Thursdays, and frequent band performances and concerts otherwise. On the walls you’ll find about 120-odd rock memorabilia – Michael Jackson’s hat, Madonna’s bustier, Billy Idol’s guitar and so on.
In Hard Rock Cafes all over the world – 124 of them – there’s about 70,000 such items. The very first one being Eric Clapton’s guitar that he wanted to be put up on the wall of his then favourite bar – the Hard Rock Cafe in London. In Hard Rock Cafes across the globe there are guitars, drums, pianos, harmonicas, microphones, shirts, pants, scarves, shoes, handwritten lyrics, cars, bikes, and even a tour bus as part of the rock and roll memorabilia. Established in 1971, one of the world’s most known bands, it has cafes, casinos and hotels in 42 countries!
The food is average; the drinks looked like they had variety. The place gets crowded post 10 30 p.m.; book a table earlier if you have to!
Psst: On your way out, check out their rock store – okay tees, cocktail glasses, beer mugs, pins and more.
Verdict: Started out as an American diner in a Rolls Royce dealership in London has turned a true rock lover’s haven, I’d say!
The Jewel of Muscat, a replica of a 9th-century Arabian ship, has just hit Kochi shores. It is their first port of call. The ship is a gift from Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman to the people of Singapore. It started its journey from Muscat on February 16 and arrived in Kochi on March 15. The other ports of call are Galle in Sri Lanka and Penang and Malacca. It will reach Singapore in July 2010.
The ship’s authorities are regularly updating their journey status on popular social networking sites. The once rife Silk Route is now revived through the trade that’s been happening between the Middle East and South East Asia.
World number one Vijender Singh (75kg) has added another feather to his cap! He’s just beat England’s Frank Buglioni 13-3, and bagged his first international gold medal in two years (the last one was at the Chemistry Cup in Germany in 2008). Twenty-four-year-old Vijender Singh was also titled ‘Best Boxer of the Tournament’.
Indians won the overall title as well, at the fifth Commonwealth Boxing Championships today. The other champions at the stage are Asian champion Suranjoy Singh (52kg), South Asian Games gold medalist Amandeep Singh (49kg), Asian silver medalist Jai Bhagwan (60kg) and Paramjeet Samota (+91kg).
Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan inaugurated the three-day media and entertainment confluence at Mumbai. It was studded with other actors, directors and movie personnel. The organisers are expecting more than 2000 Indian and 800 foreign delegates to attend it.
Everything about films, TV, radio, digital entertainment, animation, gaming and visual effects will be presented, discussed and exhibited in the three days. Topics like piracy, role of Internet, film formats and much more will be in the forefront of the sessions.
Delegates from about 40 countries are expected to participate, with major contributions from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Hong King, Italy, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the UAE, the UK and the USA.
Yes, Kerala Tourism has decided to have someone awe-inspiring as well as charming to represent Kerala. Someone who has memerised lakhs of Indians and foreigners with his acting skills, suave and sensitivity. We’re talking about Big B, or Amitabh Bachchan!!
He’s gonna be promoting Kerala Tourism. The state mnisters and Oscar winner Resul Pookutty felicitated him at a recent function. Now let’s see the Bachchan magic working on Kerala.
