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Sunday, October 10, 2010

A walk in Eden Dalhousie Hill Station, India

Carpeted within the crest of five hills with the western edge of the Dhauladhar Range is gift using the once Governor General Lord Dalhousie to the State of Himachal Pradesh. And what a gift at 6678 ft! Unlike the Shimlas and Darjeelings, Dalhousie still maintains to give her visitors that cloistered and cut-off-from-the-world impression, for that complete weekend rejuvenation. Very British in look and feel, Dalhousie is as small as your legs can encompass and as vast as your eyes can sweep. Trek the forests, pray in its churches, dance under its waterfalls, discover little villages, snooze under the blue sky, write a poem or propose marriage to your beloved, this piece of Eden is just perfect to unwind the bohemian in all of us. The main activity in Dalhousie is on and around the three level Malls that had been laid in the early 1860s for promenades, carriages, horses, dandies, etc. these roads and the steeper by-lanes which connect them t

Walk as far as legs can take : The five quaint towns, etched at an elevation of 5,000 feet to 7,800 feet, are as interesting as their tongue twisting names (Kathloang, Tehra, Bakrota, Potreyn and Balun). The five stately churches (the main being Catholic Church Of St. Francis at Mall road end), the Thandi and Garam sadaks (roads), the Mall road, Gandhi Chowks and Subhash Chowks are best explored on foot.

Woodlands beckon : Drive or trek up the winding 10-km, cedar forested path to the hilltop Kala-Tope from where you can have that hallucinating view of Pir Panjal mountains. At the way, set amidst thick forest may be the small temple of Bhulwani Mata, in the village of Ahla. A fair is celebrated in July to venerate the goddess.



Little Tibet : Just 3 km off Gandhi Chowk is Himachal’s oldest Tibetan settlement, mostly visited due to its handicrafts center from fo you to pick varied Tibetan bric-a-brac as souvenirs.

Jandhri Ghat : Nearby Subhash Baoli stands out as the elegant Chamba palace fringed by tall pine trees, with tiny streamlets gushing by. Go there if you have a whole day to spend picnicking.

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Satdhara : As you head to Panjpulla, at an altitude of 2,036m. (6,678 ft), the noise of gurgling streams amidst that beatific locale will freeze you on your tracks. The waters of the seven tiny streams here is lored to have great therapeutic value. And you are done early, you can try the 2.5 km trek by the stream to Alah Water Reservoir on Bakrota Hill and then walk back to town.

Chamera Dam : At Banikhet is the once British race-course and some 8-km away is the Chamera Dam, locally nicknamed Bhadrakali Lake, with its rock-littered slope called Devi Dehra. Picnic here and head for Chamba.

Dainkund (at 2745m): About 10 km out of the town, this tall peak affords a sweeping view of the hills, valleys and the river Beas, Ravi and the Chenab threading their silvery way down to the plains.

Shopping

Dalhousie shopping will consist of Tibetan curios, unless you explore and discover something totally out-of-place and unique. The town has so many undiscovered corners that chances are your hunt will be successful. For Buddhist paintings, woolens, trinkets, variety of copper and silver diyas, try the Tibetan Market at Gandhi Chowk. The Himachal Handloom Crafts Center on Potreyn Road has wonderful Chamba and Kullu shawls. For antiques, look for DC Khanna store over the Potreyn Loop. Tibetan Handicraft Center has excellent carpets that can be bought at reasonable rates.

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary india asia spot

 Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary india asia spot
Only 55 km for the Taj Mahal is Keoladeo Ghana National Park in Bharatpur, named big event Lord Shiva temple right having the park. About one-third among the landscape is etched with tracts of wetlands, and with the wooded scrubland around, it forms the right wintering sanctuary for the migratory birds from the Arctic and Central Asia. The park first shot itself to fame once nearly extinct Siberean cranes belonging to the Arctic earmarked it their winter retreat and UNESCO declared it a world Heritage Site.

The 400 odd species of migratory and domestic birds (as many as found there in entire UK) make this tiny sanctuary an ornithologist's dream-come-true, just anytime among the year. An inscription on a pillar near to the Keoladeo Temple reads how Lord Linlithgow, then Viceroy of India, massacred 4,273 birds in one day - a merciless tragedy - that may well also be interpreted being a hint at its avian abundance.

A stroll around the well-defined forest trails with more than 44,000 trees, has most chances of spotting colonies of cormorants, spoon bills, storks, egrets, herons, pelicans, ebis and grey herons all over the park. The raised paths camouflaged by Babul trees make their viewing easier.

Lohagarh Fort : This 18th century massive iron structure fort was conceived and designed by Maharaja Suraj Mal, the founder of Bharatpur. The fort has three palaces within its precincts - Kishori Mahal, Mahal Khas and Kothi Khas.

Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj : A few belonging to the eight imposing towers still stand erect within the glorious ramparts from the fort. Especially two of them - Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj are of special interest. These were built by Maharaja Suraj Mal to commemorate his victories over the Mughals and British respectively.

Bharatpur Palace with the Museum : This royal edifice is a fusion in the Mughal and Rajput architectural styles housing a rich repository of a large number of ancient exhibits that date back to the early 15th century.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Tourist Spots in Philippines

Explore the Philippines. Take a peek at Filipinos' history and culture mirrored by century-old churches, ancient forts and modern museums. See the best of nature in our white-sand beaches and three-layered virgin forests.

Discover the Philippine islands. Blessed with an extensive coastline, the Philippines is ringed with unspoiled beaches and first-class resort facilities. Its deep-blue, crystal-clear waters offer about 40,000 square kilometers of coral reefs teeming with a wide variety of marine life.

Endowed with a temperate climate, the Philippines offers a perfect treat to enjoy the sunlight. Lying in southeast Asia and surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines boasts of unsullied beaches, spectacular sunsets, luxuriant pastoral lands, cool mountain weather, brilliant man-made resorts and dazzling islands.

The Philippines boasts some of the best beaches and scuba diving waters in the world, supported by golf and an increasingly-impressive inter-island tour and transport system.

Witness the vast expanse of nature's splendor under the spell of cool mountain breeze. A perfect setting for romance or nature tripping, the country's mountain villages serve as a perfect hideaway from the lowlands' summer heat.

If you have yet to see the Philippines, then embark now to what promises to be a trip to paradise!

Feel the breeze of summer at white-sand beaches deemed as among the world's finest; be fascinated at the spectacular view of Baguio and Tagaytay; and take a dip in the refreshing waters of modern resort facilities.

Chinatown, San Francisco american Tourist Spot

Chinatown can be the quickest trip you should ever make to Hong Kong's present and past. A residential area includes authentic markets and fantastic / inexpensive restaurants. Parking at this point is particularly unavailable so consider taxi's & buses. You can love a very good (& filling!) meal in any Chinatown restaurant and purchase imported wares. Take a trip to the Far East in Chinatown! The Underground traveler's scam is go to to the alternative, smaller, and cooler "New Chinatown" at 5th Avenue and Clement Street. You'll want to take a bus or taxi here as it's about 3 miles from the main tourist areas. A very good alternative to the overcrowded real Chinatown as i will discuss... This place may a bit of a shock given that the smells of garbage and food are pungent in the sometimes dirty alleyways. Note animals is the natural state,as opposed to the McDonald's strategy food presentation. Might be surprising to a couple of visitors. It is also very crowded. Still, a worthwhile short experience... There are a selection of shady activities that go on in Chinatown's own underground. The park at the Washington Street Parking is really hot spot for games and a little gambling for Chinatown's citizens.

San Francisco Travel Fisherman's Wharf

Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf can be a very busy place. On summer weekend afternoon expect it to be filled with a mixture of tourists browsing through the numerous shops selling "I Love SF" t-shirts and hoodies, families keeping the kids quiet with ice creams and people like us who are there to sneak through the crowds to see the Sea Lions.

If you time it right and get there on a Sunday morning, then the throng on the pier is not so bad. Even better if you then take the boardwalk on the left upper level and then go down to the lower level to get a close up view of these lovely creatures.

They seem a very sociable lot and are quite content to sleep next to or even on top of each other. There are usually a couple of large males keeping an eye on each other.

In the Autumn of 2009 it seems as if the Sea Lions got itchy feet and after rising in numbers to about 1,700, with the animals layered two and three deep on the docks, the sea lions departed as if following orders, leaving behind only a few stragglers.

Marine experts were a bit baffled as to reason for the departure, although food source seems to be the favourite idea. They believed the animals might have travelled 500 miles north, looking for fish and colder waters along the Oregon coast.

New York the Empire State Building Best Views of Town

The best views of town. Our guide planned our time to go up at sunset, and I understood why.

If for a good photo the light won’t help at that hour, the show of lights appearing here and there, and finally everywhere, is gorgeous. And, with luck, the photos will not be that bad.
The amazing City New York, number one on town

Holiday Inn Central Plaza Beijing Shi Travel Destination

Check it out the RoomUpon check-in, which was very late, we discovered there was a mix-up with our rooms. We had reserved two rooms and requested that they be connecting since we had two young children. We were willing to split up (one adult one child) but the hotel staff would not hear of it and gave us a complimentary upgrade. The beds were luxurious (which felt wonderful after full days of sightseeing), the rooms were spacious, the bathrooms were clean, and the staff was very attentive finding an adapter/converter for my hair straightener (which I later found!). The staff's attentiveness carried over to the restaurant where they had an extensive breakfast buffet. My son knocked over a glass accidentally and the staff went out of their way to console him. The staff also insisted on helping both of my children make their hot chocolates every day.

Very Good Hotel for Family - We stayed at this hotel as part of pre arranged tour with my wife, grandparents and two young children. During our stay we met by a concierge called ‘Storm’ and he was very helpful and with hindsight we could have organised our tour from the hotel with his assistance. The check in staff were fast and friendly and there were no issues with the final invoice. The restaurant offered a wide selection of Western and Asian food and an excellent Indian cook was on duty when we were there who was worth checking out. Rooms were clean and tidy with beds somewhat harder than western equivalents but this is the norm for China wherever you are. Only minor complaint was that the indoor pool was freezing which was a bit of a shame as the rest of the Gym facilities where good. We would definitely stay there again.