Power is one thing that everybody likes and needs. Without power it is difficult to survive, by which I mean electric power. And charger is one such instrument that requires constant power, which is got by charging often. Imagine, while you are on travel abroad and your charger or adapter that powers your mobile goes dry and to your chagrin you find it not compatible in the supply point in the other nation. Relax. You may now add to your paraphernelia the 'Swiss Military Adapter' that features a three-in-one travel plug set, which is compatible across 150 countries. Get recharged with full zest while you are on tour abroad with this adapter.

Labels: 150 countries, Swiss Military Adapter, travel plug set

Yercaud, known for its cardamom and coffee estates is gearing up for the annual flower show scheduled from June 5 to June 7. The 'poor man's Ooty' would show off more than 10,000 flowers for the show which is next only to Ooty. Yercaud, is situated above Salem in Tamilnadu state of India and has all the elements of a hill station waiting to entertain a traveler. Canine show and boat race would also form part of the festival and before I forge, important tourist spots in Yercaud such as Anna Park, Pagoda point, and the lake is being spruced up for better ambience. The district administration is making elaborate transport arrangements to facilitate tourist arrivals. Book mark June 5 to June 7 if anybody has ideas to be in Tamilnadu at that time.

Labels: Anna park, lake., Pagoda point, Salem, Yercaud

It was the first of sorts in Belgium. And now it's in Tel Aviv, Israel. If you are in the old city of Jaffa, do have fun in the restaurant where you will be lifted to a height of about 133 feet to have an aeriel view of the city. A 120 ton crane capable of lifting a platform with 22 customers and 5 staff to serve tasty Israeli cuisine, takes them all up in the air so high to have an exhilarating experience. The name given is 'Dinner in the Sky'. No worry about safety. People are fastened to seat belts and bingo! Now the only thing left is to go in for some tasty items sitting atop hundreds of feet. A unique experience in await indeed. By the way, Israel is already for its 'Pago Pago' floating restaurant in water.

Labels: dinner, Israel, Jaffa, sky, Tel Aviv

Gustave Eiffel created this marvel and has gone into history forever. 120 years have passed since 1889, but the monument is young in pulling crowds from all over the world. One would find pride in saying he visited Eifel Tower in Paris. To commemorate its 120^th birthday, Paris has gone into the festive mode. Anybody nearby Paris even as you read this? Get the feel of the longstanding monument and also the party mood of the French.

Labels: Eiffel Tower, French, Gustave Eiffel, Paris

Ooty in Tamilnadu, India is now booming with travelers. It’s summer and the season is synonymous with Ooty. The boom of travelers and the bloom of roses is the talk of the town. The Flower show in Ooty has started, which has blossoms of different varieties of roses, lilies, daisies enchanting tourists and the locals. Come, watch and enjoy the beauty of the flower that the first Prime Minister of India, Jawarharlal Nehru wore close to his heart. The old saying ‘A Rose is a Rose is a Rose’ is evergreen and the ongoing flower show hosting scores of varieties of roses stands testimony to the adage.

Labels: Flower show, Jawaharlal Nehru, Ooty, Roses

If you were in Laos, you may not like to miss the 'Bun Bang Fai' or the rocket firing festival, which resembles the Diwali that is celebrated in India. If Diwali - the festival of lights is celebrated in India to commemorate the Triumph of Lord Krishna over the demon Narakusara, Bun Bang Fai is a festival in which serious salvos are fired in the air that is believed to bring rain on the country sides.

A good crop yield is the expectation which the rockets are believed to bring after profuse rains. The belief exists for several centuries and till today, the festival carries gaiety and fun filled excitement with cross-dressed Laos' people enjoying themselves with Lao whiskey, beer and 'sato'- a sort of brewed rice alcohol akin to the Japanese 'sake'. Sounds interesting... right.

By the way, Laos is a landlocked Southeast Asian country bordered by Burma, China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. The country has UNESCO world heritage sites 'Luang Prabang' - famous for 'Kuang Si' falls and 'Pak Ou caves', and 'Wat Phou' - that has a mountain with a natural 'linga' ( nuclear reactor shaped structure). This is considered to be sacred as linga pertains to Lord Shiva and the mountain is considered his abode. The country is seeking similar status for its 'Plain of Jars'. Vientaine is the capital of Laos.

Labels: Bun Bang Fai, Kuang Si falls, Lao whiskey, Luang Prabang, Pak Ou caves, rocket festival, Vientaine, Wat Phou

All roads lead to Rome; and this is especially true for butterflies. The most elegant and beautiful color stuffed creature is finding lot of patronage in Gardens at Rome. Romans are engaged in rearing butterflies in gardens which enables good natural pollination and adds beauty to the eyes of beholders. They are also teaching people who visit such gardens about techniques involved in raising butterflies. If you are in Rome, make an enquiry about these gardens and have a visual treat to look at the colorful flying creatures. You may also come to know the ways and means to bring them up in your native garden.

Labels: Butterfly, pollination, Rome

Hardly a couple of months away and New York on America’s Independence Day would be on an important event. The most important tourist landmark of New York, the lady of liberty would have her crown reopened on America’s Independence Day this July 4. The statue of Liberty’s crown was closed to the public since the 2001 attacks, which has taken nearly 8 years for the crown to get reopened for public view.

Labels: Crown, Independence day, New York, Statue of Liberty

Kashmir is serious about eco-tourism and it’s quite evident from the boating race in ‘Jhelum River’ that adds beauty to the state’s prolonged list of tourism avenues. The Kashmir Rafters Association recently conducted a boating race on Jhelum River, Where many enthusiastic boaters took part in hundreds to sensitize tourists and locals on the hazards of polluting water bodies; and they had a right theme ‘Avoid Sanitation Before Waterbodies’. With improved tourist arrivals, the Jhelum also suffers from pollution. The locals and tourists thronging Kashmir throw lot of plastic and waste, which is making worse for the flow of Jhelum and its marine life. Several travelers and locals witnessed the event, which hopefully may bring a change atleast to some extent in reducing environmental abuse of the river.

Labels: Jhelum, Kashmir, River

Many may have heard about the sobriquet ' Land of Lightening and Thunder' for an Asian nation. But some may not know it. For those uninitiated, the land is 'Bhutan', which has some interesting facts to offer in the globalized era.

The population of Bhutan is just 70% of a million, but lying between the most populous nations on earth viz: India and China. It has only one airport with just two commercial planes available for cruise. The idiot box came into being in Bhutan just 10 years ago (probably that way the citizens may be assumed to be bit more intelligent than others), when the whole of the world was supposedly becoming worldy wise watching the television (which is otherwise known as the idiot box).

The east can be reached from west only after 4 days on mountainous terrains. And sorry... no puffing in Bhutan. Cigarettes are banned here and 'Thimpu' has no stoplight and just one traffic officer on duty. Thimpu happens to be the capital city and now one can imagine the regulated life of Bhutan, where the frontiers of technology and modernity are yet to pierce deep. The government is scaling on the concept of GNH (Gross National Happiness) than pushing their population to the wild goose chase of improving GNP (Gross National Product). The country has just shed its monarchy, though it has stuck to its traditional attire and architecture as enforced by law.

Do these facts interest anybody to make a try to this land of pristine values?

Labels: Bhutan, China., East, India, lightening, Thimpu, thunder, West

'Jet Airways' is sweet sixteen now. At the brink of youth, the airways has decided to go in for a special offer starting May 1 during which passengers will receive thier baording passes in a special jacket that would carry a unique promotional code. This in addition to the airliner offering a special discount on base fares alongwith a slew of prizes to its passengers. Make hay while the sun shines! Incidentally it is summer too.

Labels: discount, fares, Jet Airways, sixteen, sun

Going green is the latest buzzword; and the world getting a serious threat from global warming and related issues, green concept is entering every sphere. ‘Constro2009’ an international biennial event is scheduled for exhibiting construction machinery, materials, methods and projects. The eleventh such series is to be held from December 2 to 6 at Pune in India. The expo would have a special emphasis on green concepts of construction.

China, Germany, Italy, and France would be among the foreign nations that would have a special pavilion. Muenchen of Germany known for organizing BAU 2009, a successfully concluded international expo that showcased architecture and construction associated designs has co-sponsored ‘The Pune Construction Engineering Research Foundation’ (PCERF) – official organizers of the ‘Constroexpo2009’ . If any of the readers are interested to have a business travel on this area earmark the event in December. For further details of the expo regarding participation, logon to www.constroindia.org.

By the way you can also cool yourself in Pune, as the place has lot to offer in terms of lush greenery and hilly terrains. Lonavla and Khandala are in Pune, which give excellent views of hilly tracts and cool weather. December being winter, You have the dual benefit of seeing the expo and a cool experience at Pune. And before I forget, Pune is in the state of Maharashtra, India.

Labels: China, France, Germany, Italy, Khandala, Lonavla, Pune

The city of the clock of Big Ben may be one of the beautiful cities in the world, but when it comes to the surveys among the European nations, London has become suddenly become infamous for its ‘dirtiest and most expensive city’ status. TripAdvisor company had surveyed 2376 European travelers that felt the city had also the worst cuisine. The deterring factors were also the worst-dressed locals and most tourist traps, which have seen the London being rated the dirtiest European city for the second year in tandem. 36% of tourists voted London to be the dirtiest followed by Paris in second place with 9% voting for the French capital.

However not all is worse for London. The surveyed felt that London has the best free attractions, the best public parks and the best nightlife – the upbeat factors that any tourist wants in common. With tourism touted to be one of the sources of revenues in a recession era, the city authorities may want to address these deterring factors to build the city’s image.

Labels: clock of Big Ben, cuisine, London, Paris, TripAdvisor, UK

Jammu and Kashmir is known for its picturesque beauty filled with valleys, flowers and lakes. Boats wading through the lakes and snow capped mountains offer delight to the eyes of the beholder. Jammu & Kashmir tourism board is poised to promote eco-tourism with the co-operation of rural folks in remote areas. Home-stay visitors would have a soul-satisfying experience, as countryside exploration for foreign tourists is one of the key areas of focus. The state is determined to set the ball rolling on forest camps, adventure tourism, trekking, water rafting, bird watching and wetland visits.

Tourists can also have a feast for their eyes in the recently opened 'Tulip flower garden' in Kashmir. The tulip garden is supposed to be one of the biggest in Asia and is situated in the foothills of the Zabarwan mountains on the banks of the Dal lake in Srinagar. The expanse of the fertile land is called 'Sirajbagh' (Siraj Garden) filled with a plethora of 50 exotic varieties of Tulip flowers. of course, it was hard labor for the tourism authorities to bring consultants from Holland and develop the garden. with the beauty becoming breathtaking, Pahalgam and Gulmarg in Kashmir are to have additional Tulip gardens to enthrall domestic and foreign tourists.

The evidence is already there. Handful of bollywood producers have already shown an 'express interest' to shoot their films in these gardens. And tourists... it's now your turn to provide a feast of rioting color to your eyes. Come. Visit the garden and forget yourself.

Bookmark the place when you are on a trip to India.

Labels: Bollywood, Dal lake, Jammu and Kashmir, Tulip Gardens, Zabarwan mountains