This September month is special. Has some very different types of events in store. Top of them is Naroda festival in Ladakh in the north and in down south the last of season’s boat races in the month of Onam. Monsoon is still pretty there but to mark the beginning of the long Indian festive season we also have Ganeshotsav as well Ramlila from Ramnagar. There is lot more besides them. Choose your bit, while we have a look at them. Ladakh Lets start with Ladakh which has two reasons to go this month. First one is- Naropa, Kumbh of Ladakh: It could be one of the reasons of the lifetime to visit Ladakh, whomsoever have missed it so far. Another one for all those who have. Billed as the "Kumbh Mela of the Himalayas" and "Ladakh's Largest Buddhist Festival in History", the Naropa festival t
Read MoreMonth: August 2016
Every city has some hidden gems that normal tourists are unaware of. Every city also has a fabulous history whose all aspects are not known to us. What you need to do is to travel like a local and let yourself soak in the atmosphere. Many a times, while travelling to some secluded, not so popular places, you might not find tourists around you, at least not as much as you would find at popular tourist destinations. But that would be a good chance to know about the insights of culture and history of a place. That’s what happened to us in Colombo. Sri Lanka or erstwhile Ceylon shares a lot with India, in terms of culture and history. Britishers, after controlling whole of India, also occupied Ceylon in early 19th century. They controlled the whole Indian sub-continent as a single territory.
Read MoreBali is know for its culture and beaches. But it is also a hot spot for adventure. A classic two hour visually spectacular rafting trip on the Ayung river in Ubud region of Bali is a mix of excitement, fun & breathtaking views. Carving through some of Bali's most fantastic landscape, Class II & III rapids wind through deep valleys, cascading waterfalls, dense tropical rainforest and towering cliffs. An adventure worth an experience while in Bali. There are a few rafting operators in and around Ubud and Sobek is one of them which was our operator for the trip. Rafting is a thrill and it helps when the instructors are lively and engaging. The base is just a few kilometres from Ubud town in the forest area. Rafters get into gear at the base and then trek downhill amidst deep fo...
Read MoreJust 48 kms before Kaza is Tabo. Tabo village houses one of the biggest and rare monasteries in Spiti. It is also considered to be one of the holiest. Tabo is right on the left banks of the Spiti river. It is a big valley down there and so much so that you tend to forget that you are at an altitude of 3280 metres and already deep inside the cold desert of Spiti. Tabo is just before Kaza. So adventure drivers and riders going to Kaza are often in hurry to reach Kaza as it is the final destination in the Spiti. They are also tired of long journey during the day. That prevents them from spending ample time at Tabo. The other problem is that there travel itinerary is so prepared that they mostly move towards Kunjam Pass and Manali on way back or spend a day at Kaza visiting Ki (Kye or K...
Read MoreIf you love comics, then you will certainly love Tintin and when it comes to Tintin, Belgians love him. He is fondly considered as the first citizen of the capital city Brussels. No doubt that Brussels celebrates every year a festival dedicated to comics and comic strips. A unique event of this type anywhere in the world. Belgium has actually created a niche for itself in organising some exclusive festivals, and Comic strip is one of them. This year, festival will be from 2nd to 4th September. So, if you are a comic lover, then it is time to pack and head to Brussels. Here is everything you would like to know about this year's edition of Comic Strip Festival. Ninth Art Belgium, and Brussels in particular, have been fertile ground for comic strips from the very beginning, so it's enti
Read MoreThe launch of Asus Zenfone2 series was for mass and Zenfone3 series was launched for class. The difference was quite striking- in the phones of the new series as well as the launch event. Exactly an year ago launch event for the Zenfone2 series was in Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the event though hi-tech looked like a mass event. But Zenfone3 was launched in India on Wednesday in a Delhi 5* hotel for a select audience in a fashion show type atmosphere. There was a different feeling altogether for the event, and that applied to the new series as well. (See at the bottom a exclusive video of the event.) ASUS CEO Jerry Shen was there to announce the launch and marking the availability of the latest ZenFone 3 range of smartphones during the Zenvolution event, making India one o
Read MoreKonkan region is one of the best places in India to enjoy monsoon. Ancient temple town of Gokarna comes into this region and it is a perfect place for soaking into some quiet, relaxing moments. While talking about Gokarna, I am talking about not just Gokarna, but also about some nearby beaches, which largely fall into Gokarna as a destination. Gokarna is a temple town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka and is very close to Goa. Gokarna is a small and remote holy town, with four of India's most secluded and pristine beaches nestled nearby. It draws both pious pilgrims and hedonistic holiday makers with equal enthusiasm. There are many temples in this town and main one among them is the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Gokarna town has its own beach, but that's not as tempting as ...
Read MoreWe said some time back that it would be Japanese Kacho-Fugetsu & Koi at Brussels Flower Carpet this year. So the time has finally come and its Japan all over the Brussels Grand Place, and with beautiful flowers. This year's Flower carpet is now open for the visitors today. The Brussels Flower Carpet is one of the most amazing flower shows in the world and also one of the most awaited ones. Hence here it comes. A look at the this years's carpet- After two years of preparation, the 20th Flower Carpet is finally on show in the Grand Place at Brussels for visitors to admire over the next three days. This year’s carpet at the Belgium capital celebrates 150 years of Belgo-Japanese relations and features a Japanese design in honour of the occasion. Flower carpet making is a very
Read MoreFirst-ever such expedition to Siachen Glacier They fall, they rise, and they march ahead relentlessly, through extreme climatic conditions. Siachen Glacier. The world’s 2nd longest glacier has come to represent the resilience and fortitude of the Indian Army. It all started in April 1981 when the Indian Army made history by traversing the uncharted Siachen, also known as the Third Pole. On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of this daring expedition, Eros Now, the leading OTT platform of Eros International Plc, has announced a ground breaking initiative, Salute Siachen, India’s first-ever celebrity expedition to the Siachen Glacier. The unique expedition will see nine celebrity adventurers from different walks of life, retrace and relive that journey. The 20-day expedition flags o
Read MoreThere were many revelations for us in Bali - an island of Hindu culture in Islamic Indonesia. And many of them came to us in the Bali Art Centre. I will be talking about the Bali Art Centre in a later post, but this is about something we witnessed there. Pre-wedding photo-shoots are not uncommon world over. Even Bali is famous globally as a wedding and honeymoon destination. But here I am talking about pre-wedding photo-shoots of local Hindu Balinese couples. Its grown into a tradition now and is extremely popular. Its quite unlike hindu traditions in India where to be bride and groom are not supposed to meet openly before the marriage and a planned, open and detailed photo-shoot is out of question. But here, to be couples get the photo-shoot at all type of exotic, traditional, hist...
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