Upendra Swami

Art, food, wine & comics – September fun in Brussels

Upendra SwamiSeptember 4, 20191519 Views2

September is so interesting in Brussels, my favourite international city. Although Brussels remains occupied with various activities almost round the year, but September is when it hosts some of its most famous events. Events which truly reflect the essence of Brussels, enjoying things Brussels is truly famous for- its art, its comics, and classic wines as well as food. Its one of the best times to be here. eat! Brussels Photo © visit.brussels - Eric Danhier Contemporary art makes a comeback From September, contemporary art will take centre stage on Brussels’ cultural scene. From the unmissable Brussels Gallery Weekend to the Chiharu Shiota exhibition at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and the Accessible Art fair, the shows and exhibitions honour artists from all walks of life. Bru...

IndiaNews

Snake boat races in Kerala get their own champions league

Upendra SwamiSeptember 1, 20192653 Views2

Kerala’s famed snake boat race lost most of their charm last year because of catastrophic floods. Heavy rains in first half of August threatened to repeat it again this year. But the God’s own country somehow escaped the nature’s fury this time and though delayed, the boat race season in now on its track, which normally kicks off every year with historical Champakulam Boat Race on the Moolam day. But there was lot more in store this year. Kerala’s all-famous Nehru Trophy Boat Race got an added feature this year when Champions Boat League (CBL) was flagged off at Alappuzha amid the star presence of batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, gifting the country its first such water sport formatted on the lines of IPL cricket. Pallathuruthi Boat Club were the proud winners of the Nehru Boat Rac...

International

Six most restricted countries you might be traveling next

Upendra SwamiAugust 27, 20191133 Views2

According to the pro-democracy think tank Freedom House, internet freedom is declining all around the world. Censorship is being ramped up on everything from social media or e-commerce websites to search engines. Interestingly, many of the countries with the strictest rules and highest censorship are also popular tourist destinations. “With this in mind, it’s wise to check if your next travel destination has any internet restrictions. Especially if you are planning to do some work there,” says Daniel Markuson, digital privacy expert at NordVPN. “One of the most powerful tools to avoid such internet censorship is a virtual private network. Both travelers and locals use VPNs to access the internet with no limitations.” Antalaya, Turkey Tourist destinations with mo...

International

11 tastes you must try when visiting Israel!

Upendra SwamiAugust 21, 20191187 Views1

Israel is every Epicurean’s dream destination and a wide variety of cafés serve everything from Arabic, European to Asian fare. But no matter what one picks, the food in the Jewish heartland will always be infused with the warmth of the Mediterranean sun, the goodness of fresh dairy products and meats, garnished with garden crisp fruits, nuts and vegetables. Here’s a low down on dishes you must indulge in whether you’re in a market, street or at a restaurant in Israel Challahs with poppy seeds. Photo: Haim Yosef Challah - A special Jewish ceremonial bread, braided and brushed with egg white that is baked to perfection Sabich – A pita pocket stuffed with crispy fried eggplant, hardboiled egg, creamy hummus and tahini, along with Israeli salad and pickles. The sandwich created by...

AdventureIndia

A panchpura and a legend of shepherd king at Raithal

Upendra SwamiAugust 12, 20193658 Views2

It’s the time of the year again, when Raithal village in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand gets ready for a unique festival. A festival celebrated to welcome the cattle folk as well as shepherds back to village after months of rearing and grazing in higher meadows of Himalayas. It’s a Holi celebrated not with colours but with butter and curd milk. More about Butter Holi of Raithal, read: Get ready for a Holi with Butter at Dayara Temple at Raithal village Raithal is also popular as base for many treks originating from or concluding at Dayara Bugyal. Truly, Raithal is no ordinary village. Besides its locational value just on the footsteps of Dayara Bugyal and its unique Butter Holi, it is also a historical village. It has got some very old traditional Garhwali homes. Many o...

InternationalPromotionsReviews

Experience the best of bush, beach and highlands in Sri Lanka!

Upendra SwamiJuly 31, 20192526 Views0

It’s not about a hotel, but about a whole chain of hotels. We often review hotels on their facilities, rooms, comfort, but here I am talking about the outdoor experience that these hotels guarantee and I can assure you that these are the reasons good enough to try them, and while you do so you won’t be compromising on any other thing that you would like to judge this hotel upon. Having said that, this is a fact that tiny island nation of Sri Lanka is an amazingly rich place in natural heritage and it gives you some very fascinating encounters with beautiful, beautiful world of wildlife. What more can be fun when you get some fantastic deals to stay and enjoy. That is all experience with Cinnamon is all about. Into the wild of Yala If you’re keen to make the most of incredibl...

AdventureIndia

Get ready for the Kashmir Great Lakes Trek

Upendra SwamiJuly 29, 20192092 Views6

Its the time of the year when trekking lovers should be ready for the two of the most beautiful treks in mid-Himalayan region- the ever popular Valley of Flowers trek and the newly popularised Kashmir Great Lakes Trek. When the major trekking season in Himalayan region takes a monsoon break in August-September, these are the two most sought after treks. Camps alongside the stream Kashmir Great Lakes trek, read: Thajiwas is the perfect acclimatisation There is still big difference between the two. Valley of Flowers is largely a single day trek, as there is no camping allowed inside the Valley. So, one has to start early morning from Ghangaria, do as much of trek inside the national park as possible (depends on individual fitness and capability) and return back to Ghangaria in t...

IndiaPhotogallery

Nature’s poet and poet’s museum

Upendra SwamiJuly 19, 20192253 Views0

Pant museum at Kausani in Uttarakhand isn’t a touristy place as such. In my three visits to this place in the course of last few years, I have rarely seen any other tourist there. Despite, this place being in the heart of the Kausani town with just a few steps to walk upto the museum from the road head. I wonder, if even more than five percent of the tourists coming to Kausani would remember the name of Sumitranandan Pant, although surely most of us in Hindi heartland of India have read his poems in school text books. Ancestral house converted into museum Main entrance to the Sumitranandan Pant museum Actually, we don’t respect our literary persons. They are the ones who guide our intellectual discourse, many of them have been leading lights for various movements but we tend to...

IndiaPhotogallery

Lord with a might: Ranganathaswamy of Srirangam

Upendra SwamiJuly 9, 20193184 Views0

While going from Tiruchirapalli to Srirangam, the skyline dotted with gopurams is simply unmistakable. It immediately tells you about the enormity of the place we are visiting. Therefore, I now feel it very intriguing that Srirangam was not the among the first names that I heard whenever I read or listened to about prominent temples of South India. Only word closer to it that I heard was the Srirangapatna, the erstwhile capital of Tipu Sultan. I came to know it at a very later stage that both Srirangam as well as the Srirangapatna are famous for Ranganathaswamy temples along with an another temple of the same deity at Sivasamudram. Four storey gopuram at Ranganathswamy temple Hence, having heard of temples of Rameshwaram, Madurai, Chidambaram, Tirupathi, Guruvayoor, Thiruvananthapur...

IndiaPhotogallery

A palace that welcomes monsoon to Lake City

Upendra SwamiJuly 7, 20191424 Views2

Those who have been to Udaipur and would have gone out in the evening for a stroll along any of its lakes, they would have certainly noticed an illuminated castle looking like almost hanging in thin air towards the west of the city. Well, in daylight you can locate it very clearly, unless it is too misty. It’s Sajjan Garh. A view from Karni Mata temple- Doodh Talai, Pichola Lake and Sajjangarh atop the hill in the background. In comparison to other historical structures related to Mewar, Sajjan Garh Palace is comparatively recent one, still it is 135 years old. More interestingly, the construction of this palace took place when India had already become a British colony officially. Palace was built by Maharana Sajjan Singh who was at helm for ten years from 1874 to 1884. Hen...