Taj Mahal's architectural antecedents

Though the Taj Mahal is said to be the most perfect building in the world, it is not without precedent. According to art historian Shobita Punja: "Everything has a tradition.

The Taj Mahal is perfect and beautiful because it had antecedents, a heritage of experimental constructions before it. For example, Shah Jahan must have seen his great-grandfather's tomb in Delhi, must have gone for the annual death-anniversary celebrations as a young boy and must have been inspired by this magnificent, huge tomb."

Babur wished to be buried under the open sky in his favorite garden in Kabul, so the tomb built for Humayun, commissioned under Akbar's rule, was the first major edifice constructed by the restored dynasty and the first major construction of the distinctly Mughal style of architecture.

For the Mughal emperors, a tomb was an opportunity to pay tribute to the dead, observe their religious responsibilities and broadcast their magnificence. The tombs of Humayun and Akbar were also grand architectural experiments. Read more.

Video: Spain's tomato fight festival

La Tomatina tomato fight festival in Buñol near Valencia, Spain, is celebrated every year on the last Wednesday in August though the partying starts earlier in the week.

There exist several interpretations on the origin of this popular Spanish festival. According to some historians, its origin goes back to a "practical joke" that some friends wanted to play on a man who was crossing the town square singing and playing a musical instrument but, apparently, he was doing it so badly that some of the people around decided to take some tomatoes from a fruit and vegetables stall and throw them at him. Everybody else joined in and it ended up in a tomato battle.

Gentlemen, rev up your engines

BMW motorcycles are are known for their broad sphere of use and their perfect function in all driving situations. So they are the right thing underneath for new adventures.

Whether you are looking for new sporty challenges or you want to experience distant countries and cultures, here is the ultimate voyage and training portal: BMW Motorrad.

At BMW Motorrad, you can find top-class motorcycle travel training, fantastic destinations all over the world and experienced partners to take care of the organisation.

Where would you like to go? Is there a particular time you want to go away? Do you have a favourite amongst the BMW motorcycles? Or are you looking for something specific, such as an Enduro trip? They have all the answers.

For mobike enthusiasts, it's a dream come true.

Chatuchak, the world's biggest weekend market

Bangkok’s Chatuchak Market is the world’s biggest weekend market selling practically everything under the sun - trendy fashions, ntiques intricate wooden carvings, masks from far-off lands, adorable fluffy dogs, colorful fish of every hue and singing birds. You can find all this and more at amazing Chatuchak Market.

There are almost 9,000 individual booths overflowing with every imaginable type of wares to catch your fancy. Once inside the market, you will be catch up in a world of bursting crowds and stalls stretching as far as the eye can see.

If you are thinking of decorating your home, searching for that perfect piece of furniture or decoration, be it antique, modern, Thai or Western? Or perhaps an ethnic handicraft to brighten up your living room? Or ceramic products like tea cups, coffee mugs, pots, traditional Thai Benjarong and ceramic dolls?

The real charm of the Chatuchak Market in Bangkok lies in the fact that you can - and should - bargain with each stall you are interested in.

Whether you will snare a bargain or not is a test of your own negotiating skills. So don' t be surprised if the same goods bought by you and your friends from the same shop carry different prices. (via Bangkok City)

Passengers too wide for aircraft seats

Air passengers are getting too wide to fit comfortably into some aircraft seats, a new survey has revealed.

The poll by the holiday company First Choice found that two-thirds of men are too broad-shouldered for their neighbours' liking in aircraft seats of 16-inch width, which is currently the narrowest operated.

And women have, on average, put on 1.5 inches around the hips between 1951 and 2002 and are also broader across the shoulders, according to the survey.

21 free travel templates

Here's a an extremely useful list of 21 travel and travel-related templates. All for free from Microsoft Office.

You can download the template of your choice by clicking on the blue, highlighted links.

Business trip itinerary

Business trip itinerary with meeting details

Business trip budget

Business trip planner

Complaint about treatment of unaccompanied child

Complaint about damaged luggage

Complaint about lost luggage

Complaint about poor hotel service

Convention exhibit invitation

Cruise vacation slide show

Digital camera travel checklist

Mileage log

Multi-country tour itinerary

Personal data form for trip

Travel checklist for plane trip

Travel expense report with mileage due

Travel photo log

Travel activity for kids: Paper dolls (girl, set 1)

Travel activity for kids: Paper dolls (boy, set 1)

Trip planning to do list

Wilderness trip itinerary

Saving the Great Wall from being loved to death

The Great Wall is not just crumbling. It is disappearing. Roughly half of the estimated 4,000 miles of the wall built during the Ming Dynasty no longer exists, according to a recent report.

It is also regularly being abused. Recently, a company was fined about $50,000 for building a road through a section of the Ming-era wall in Inner Mongolia. Last year, the police broke up a huge dance party of Chinese ravers atop the wall a few hours’ drive outside Beijing.

The Chinese government is now alarmed enough that the first national regulations to protect the wall go into effect on Dec. 1. Anyone who defaces the wall with graffiti, removes bricks or organizes events atop sections not open to tourists would face stiff fines and possible criminal penalties.

The wall’s most inescapable problem is the burden caused by its growing popularity. Nationally, an estimated 13 million tourists visited the wall last year, more than double the six million of a decade ago, according to the Great Wall Society, a nonprofit group of wall enthusiasts.


Slideshow: Explore the Great Wall

Signs that you're a Mumbaikar

1. You say "town" and expect everyone to know that this means "south of Churchgate.”

2 You speak in a dialect of Hindi called 'Bambaiya Hindi', which only Bombayites can understand.

3. Your door has more than three locks.

4. Rs 500 worth of groceries fit in one paper bag.

5. Train timings (9.27, 10.49 etc) are really important events of life.

6. You spend more time each month traveling than you spend at home.

7. You call an 8' x 10' clustered room a hall.

8. You're paying Rs 10,000 rent for a one-room flat, the size of walk-in closet
and you think it's a "steal".

9. You have the following sets of friend: school friends, college
friends, neighborhood friends, office friends and yes, train friends, a
species unique only in Mumbai.

10. Cabbies and bus conductors think you are from Mars if you call the
roads by their Indian name, they are more familiar with Warden Road,
Pedder Road and Altamount Road .

11. Stock market quotes are the only other thing besides cricket which
you follow passionately.

12. The first thing that you read in the Times of India is the " Bombay Times" supplement.

13. You take fashion seriously. You're suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you.

14. Hookers, beggars and the homeless are invisible.

15. You compare Mumbai’s Nariman Point to New York's Manhattan instead of any other
city in India.

16. The most frequently used part of your car is the horn.

17. You insist on calling CST as VT, and Sahar and Santacruz airports instead of Chattrapati Shivaji International Airport .

18. You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression.

19. Your idea of personal space is no one actually standing on your
toes.

20. Being truly alone makes you nervous.

21. You love wading through knee deep mucky water in the monsoons, and actually call it ''romantic”.

22. Only in Mumbai, you would get "Chinese Dosa" and "Jain Chicken".

23. You’re still confused whether it’s “Mumbai” or “Bombay”.

Walking tour of Puebla, Mexico

This walking tour takes you around Puebla's exceptional historical center. Wandering through Puebla's streets you will be astounded by the number of lovely colonial buildings with charming detail and colorful tiles, and be surprised by glimpses into elegant courtyards.

Puebla's Zocalo has existed since the founding of the city in 1531 but was mainly used as a marketplace until the 1700s. Throughout history it has been a meeting place and social center of the city. This tree-lined square is surrounded by a selection of shops and restaurants.

The Palacio Municipal, Puebla's town hall, is located on the Zocalo's north side and was completed in 1906. The building is an example of the Franco-Spanish Renaissance style typical of public architecture in Mexico during the rule of Porfirio Diaz.

Next stop on the walking tour: Puebla's Cathedral.

Photo Mosaic: Alappuzha, Kerala

Alappuzha, Kerala.

Mecca pilgrimage is an act of faith

• 
  About 2 million Muslims from more than 70 countries journey to the holy city of Mecca each year to make the spiritual pilgrimage known as the Hajj.
  
  The pilgrimage is one of five Pillars of Islam that form the framework of Islamic life.
  
  All Muslims who are physically and financially able are expected to perform the Hajj at least once.
  
  The Hajj begins on the eighth day of Dhul-Hijjah (month for Hajj), the 12th month of the Islamic year, and lasts for as long as six days.
  
  
• Video: The many faces of the Hajj
• Video: The economics of the Hajj
• Video: After a lifetime, Mecca at last
• Video: At the Hajj
• Video: Rituals of the Hajj
• Video: A day of prayer at Mount Arafat
  
  
  Read more
  

How to sleep in an airport

The connection was missed and the airport hotel is full. There's no time to search for a bed in town--your new flight leaves in four hours.

Maybe you're out of money. The credit card is maxed and your own bed at home is still one more night away.

Two very different problems that might end with the same solution: a night's sleep inside the airport.

Perhaps you've been in either or both of these situations--but have you ever actually planned on an overnight at the airport?

Budget travelers will do some fairly strange things to save money. For some, a comfy bed and room service are easy sacrifices. Averaging in a few free nights as you add up lodging costs at least makes your budget more comfortable.

Whether thrust upon you or planned, the airport overnight can go more smoothly when you're armed with some knowledge of the pitfalls and tips from the experts.

There are Web sites devoted to revealing Priceline bids, helping you pack efficiently, and yes, even to helping you sleep at the airport.

Canadian traveler Donna McSherry opens her Web site with these words: "Many airports are actually better than local lodging. And to top it off - it's free!"

Read more and see where to find them.

Podcast: Traveling first class in India

A hilarious audio skit on a man traveling first class to Madras (Chennai), India.

10 travel lessons to be learned from Borat

Borat Sagdiyev, the misguided character from the movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan can teach us all about what should and should not be done as a traveler to a foreign country.

While his hyperbolic mistakes are almost always extremely offensive, and you may not be quite so blatantly ignorant of or completely oblivious to local norms, cultural bumbles are about to happen. You can prevent many errors by abiding by these lessons learned from Borat's mistakes.



1) You might sound hilarious . . . or offensive . . . even when you don’t mean to.

Borat innocently tries to imitate American jokes, and fails miserably, sounding absurd instead. If you don’t have a great handle on the language, avoid trying to sound sophisticated and stick to the basics. In addition, keep in mind that your sense of humor and that of the locals may vary so much that you’ll just end up embarrassing yourself.

2) Listen when locals try to tell you about their culture.

More than once, Borat blanks out, disregards, or misunderstands when (possibly) well-meaning Americans attempt to school him on American ways, perceptions, and beliefs. If the locals try to give you advice, take it both into consideration and with a grain of salt. And if you don't get it, be as polite as you can.

3) Don’t draw unnecessary attention to yourself.

Borat, whether through singing a false Kazakh national anthem to a "patriotic" rodeo audience, or by running naked through the halls of a hotel, draws unnecessary, negative attention to himself. Invariably, it ends in disaster. Wherever you travel, be discreet. You are less likely to be arrested if you don’t stand out from a crowd.

Read more.

Podcast: The Laughing Falcon

The Laughing Falcon is an unmistakable singer, producing one of the most memorable sounds of Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica. Their calls, which can carry on for up to five minutes at a time, carry for hundreds of meters through the dry forest.

Calls usually begin with some quiet chortling, and then build slowly as repeated singlets or doublets: "gua-co... gua-co... gua-co". (Costa Ricans call the Laughing Falcon "Guaco".) These long bouts of mesmerizing laughter are usually sung as solos. However, pairs of falcons will often sing together to produce laughing duets

Memory Lane: Bombay Police

Bombay Policeman, circa 1922

French village for sale

This small Provencal village was built on the ruins of a Roman settlement. There are 5 buildings in total, each one having its own pet name - "La Cantinette", Le Pavillon "Nid d'Amour", "Le Rocher", "La Grotte" and "La Cuisine d'ete".

Don't be fooled into thinking that this place is large - it's not. But it is complete and private. The next village is only just down the road, so there is life nearby.

An overview: In total there is about 150 m2 of living space and land of 5,000 m2. You'll enjoy sitting under the tea trees in the summer - being on the border of the Drome Provencale, sunshine is something that you'll have to get used to.

Click here to buy this quaint French village for only 257,525 Euros.

Contest to name new seven wonders of the world

A global competition to name the new seven wonders of the world is attracting widespread interest, with more than 20 million people voting so far, organizers say.

Candidates for the new list have been narrowed down to 21, including the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, the Acropolis and the Great Wall of China. The public can vote until July 6, 2007, by Internet or phone. The seven winners will be announced July 7 in Lisbon, Portugal, reports Yahoo Travel News.

The "New 7 Wonders of the World" campaign was begun in 1999 by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber, with almost 200 nominations coming in from around the world.

Weber's Switzerland-based foundation aims to promote cultural diversity by supporting, preserving and restoring monuments. It relies on private donations and revenue from selling broadcasting rights.

Nominations were whittled down by public votes to 77 last year. Then a panel of architectural experts, chaired by former UNESCO chief Federico Mayor, shortened the list to 21. Interest has grown as Weber and his 10-member team visit the 21 sites. Their final visit will be March 6 to New York's Statue of Liberty.

In addition to the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, the Acropolis, the Great Wall and the Pyramids, the candidates are the Statue of Liberty; Eiffel Tower; Peru's Machu Picchu; Turkey's Haghia Sophia; the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral; the Colosseum; Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle; Spain's Alhambra; Japan's Kiyomizu Temple; the Sydney Opera House; Cambodia's Angkor; Timbuktu; Petra, Jordan; Brazil's Statue of Christ Redeemer; Easter Island; and Chichen Itza, Mexico.

To vote, go to http://www.new7wonders.com or call (011) 372-541-11738 or (011) 423-663-900299. (International phone rates apply.)

How to travel without staying in a hotel

Jim Stone, a 29-year-old from west Texas, has been traveling nonstop since March of 2004.
Sometimes in a pickup truck and other times on a motorcycle, he's trekked through much of the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. But he's slept in a hotel just one night over that stretch of nearly 1,000.

That's because Stone is part of a growing network of people online who've gone a step beyond hotels, hostels and even apartment swapping in their travel planning: They sleep on each others' couches.

A number of Web sites have sprung up to help pair travelers searching for a place to crash and hosts with a spare couch. Sites like hospitalityclub.org, couchsurfing.com, globalfreeloaders.com and place2stay.net are often free, serving only as middlemen and offering tips on how to find successful matches.

The sites aren't moneymakers. They're largely the creations of 20-somethings bitten with wanderlust and the hope to help bridge together people from different cultures.

Read more.

Video: Bond, shaken and stirred

James Bond is back. Charles Starmer-Smith sees the world through the eyes of 007.




Click here to see the video: GoldenEye bungee-jump.

Free download: Schmap Virtual Guidebook

Jetting off to Paris, but don't want to be unfurling cumbersome travel maps on the Champs Elysées? Maybe it's time to ditch your old-fangled maps for a handy new schmap.

This innovative, free travel software, downloadable from schmap.com, lets travelers of both the armchair and globe-trotting variety build their own custom destination guides to any of more than 150 cities in the U.S., Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

You can dynamically explore a city, island or region. Play virtual tours of recommended hot spots. Find restaurants, clubs, bistros and bars to suit your taste. And bookmark as you browse to plan your trip.

Hopefully they will be adding Asian destinations soon.

Robobike

He's a scrappy guy, weighing in at just 11 lbs. and standing only 20 in. tall, but Murata Boy does something that no other robot can: ride a bike.

Thanks to gyro sensors in his body and a camera in his head, not only can he keep himself upright, but he can also peer ahead to make sure he rides in a straight line.

An ultrasonic sensor in his chest keeps him from plowing into walls, and wireless technology allows him to communicate with a PC for navigating complex routes.

And if the road gets bumpy, a shock sensor detects the vibration so that he can stabilize his body and stay on the seat.

Read more about Time magazine's fascinating Best Inventions 2006.

Row over Italian toilet artwork

A toilet which flushes to the sound of Italy's national anthem has been impounded by police in northern Italy, sparking great patriotic debate, reports BBC Rome.

The offending loo was the creation of two artists and was on display at the Bolzano Museum of Modern Art.

Prosecutors say the Fratelli d'Italia anthem is a national emblem which should be protected and should never be open to ridicule.

5-star holidays for 3-star prices

It’s a strange fact, but true: while we tend to associate bargains and cut-price offers with the cheap-and-cheerful end of the travel market, some of the best deals are aimed at luxury travelers. From upgrades at boutique hotels and better seats on aircraft, to big savings on five-star hotels and smart villas, there are plenty of incentives and discounts for high-end travelers.

Why? Competition. There are so many operators, resorts and airlines fighting for the same market that even the most lavish establishments are now prepared to lower themselves to do a deal. Here is Nick Trend's 10-point strategy for getting the best prices at the best places.

1. BOOK EARLY - OR LATE

2. TIME TRAVEL CAREFULLY

3. COMPARE COUNTRIES

4. LOOK TWICE AT PRICING

5. SEEK OUT PERKS…

6. ... AND FREE NIGHTS

7. SHARE THE EXPERIENCE

8. FLY IN LUXURY – CHEAPLY

9. UPGRADE SELECTIVELY

10. MAKE YOUR LIFE EASY

Yes, even when travelling in style there are bargains to be had.

How Debbie quit smoking after a holiday in India

Trips to India can be life-changing, but you probably would not expect a visit to India's Silicon Valley to yield much in the way of enlightenment. Spare parts for a knackered old computer, yes, but a cure for a hard core Western-style addiction to tobacco? Surely not. Anyway, is it really possible to dedicate yourself to quiet contemplation when your room is a few telegraph poles away from the call-centre capital of the world?

Yet indeed my life has changed. Exactly how it happened I still don't know. I do know that in the space of just five days, without the aid of patches, gum, DVDs, hypnotherapy or acupuncture - or indeed the intention to do so - I have kicked the habit, for good.

The place of my redemption, an upmarket ashram-style retreat called Shreyas, is in the state of Karnataka, smack in the middle of India's triangular southern tip, probably the most painless entry point to the subcontinent.

Silk and sandalwood made Karnataka rich, but today the 6.5 million people of its capital are reaping the rewards of new technology. Bangalore, roughly translated as 'city of beans', should be renamed city of chips - as in 'micro', rather than 'supersize'.

Read more and find out how Debbie Lawson quit smoking after a holiday in Bangalore.

Meet your perfect travel match online

Some travellers prefer to go it alone, but others, like the above, are making use of a growing number of online portals through which they can seek out like-minded travel companions.

The demand is so great that Lonely Planet's online travel forum, The Thorn Tree, has now launched a dedicated section for users looking to find a travel buddy.

"A few years ago there was a slight stigma about meeting someone on the web, but now that people are networking and making friends through the likes of Myspace, it's normal to be looking for a travel companion online," says Tom Hall of Lonely Planet.

"I think it's mainly younger travellers on their first trip who want a bit of added security and company - but also as you get older many people just want to be with someone with the same interests and no big hangups. And some people just want to cut the cost."

Read more.

The point where the horses turn back but not the brave

The peaks of Huashan Mountain from above are said to resemble the petals of a huge plant, with the middle peak as the corolla, hence comes the mountain's name, Hua Shan, the "flower mountain". It's located to the south of Huayin city, 120 kilometers east of Xian, in China's Shaanxi province, at an elevation of 2,200 meters above sea level.


Of the five peaks it is the southern peak (2,100 meters) that is the largest, closely followed by those in the east and west. The ascent provides not only natural scenery, but also a number of man-made constructions that, for better or worse, are now a part of the mountain's tourist culture.

The Northern Peak is the first one you will have to confront for an assault on the mountain. Although the smallest of the peaks here, it still provides a great challenge to climbers due to its devilish precipitousness.

An old Chinese saying goes like this: "There is only one pathway in Huashan since ancient times." The 12 km pathway leads from the foot of the mountain to the south starts at the Jade Fountain Temple (Yu Quan Yuan).

It doesn't become precipitous until Qing Ke Ping, where there is a huge rock engraved with Chinese characters meaning “the point where the horses turn back”.

It warns that the challenges ahead and those who are not well prepared both mentally and physically should retreat.

Continuing the climb, one will be confronted with the Thousand-foot Precipice (Qian Chi Zhuang). It is a steep stone staircase, excavated on the cliff, rising vertically about 370 steps up to the North Peak.

It's the first, but a great test of one’s determination when the climbers proceed upwards supported only by iron chains on the flanks.

Following the Thousand-food Precipice, the pathway winds through rugged places such as the Hundred-food Valley (Bai Chi Xia), the Immortals' Bridge (Xian Ren Qiao), the God's Palm (Xian Zhang), and the Ear Touching Cliff (Ca Er Yan) where the path is so narrow that people have to pass with their ears touching the cliff.

Truly one of the most terrifying routes for the adventure tourist.

The Huanshan Mountain is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

How to set up a home spa

If you’re as busy and stressed as most of us, you may not take time out for self care very often. However, personal pampering has many stress relieving benefits, and should be incorporated as part of a low stress lifestyle.

If you don’t have the budget for a high end spa, you can create a relaxing home spa experience for yourself. The following are some basic elements to include in creating a home spa experience that will melt away stress and leave you feeling pampered and relaxed.

Here's How:

Privacy: Perhaps the most important part of the home spa experience is being sure you have some uninterrupted time for just you. If you have to hop out of the tub to circumvent a catastrophe with your toddler or answer a string of calls, you may end up feeling even more tense! So make arrangements for some uninterrupted solitude, let the phone go to voice mail, and prepare to indulge.

Music: If you can arrange to have music in your bathroom, you’ll be glad you did. The right soothing melodies can help melt away the stress, make you feel more removed from reality, and, if you live with others, drown out the household sounds that may remind you of everything else going on, taking your attention away from the here and now of your home spa experience.

Read more.

The Universal Packing List Online Tool

The Universal Packing List is a simple online tool that asks for specific details about your upcoming trip, including date, temperatures, types of accommodations, number of kids and activities in which you may engage.

Based on your responses, it will generate a packing list as brief or extensive as you need. It will even email it to you. And best of all, it's free.

So ahead and try The Universal Packing List Online Tool.

How to tip if you are a luxury traveler

Luxury hotels are crowded these days. And we aren't referring to sky-high occupancy rates or lobbies full of guests. We're talking about the explosion of hotel service people, each one more specialized than the next.

Where once travelers were looked after by a simple roster of bellhops, concierges and chambermaids, now there are pool attendants and ski concierges, personal shoppers and fitness coaches, not to mention butlers galore. Personal butlers, bath butlers, technology butlers, romance butlers, fireplace butlers and tanning butlers. Louis XIV never had it so good.

For the most part, there is no additional charge for these new services--all are included in the hotel room rates. But they certainly make the fine art of tipping more difficult to master.

Read more.

Slideshow: Tips on tipping

Richard Branson shares his travel tips

Virgin Atlantic founder Richard Branson lets Business Traveller in on the five things that make his life easier when he is on the road. They are:

1. Breitling watch
2. Take time for a haircut
3. Grab a massage when you can
4. Swim and spa
5. Carry a notepad at all times

Though it may seem silly, we like the idea of a notepad. As Mr Branson says, "I think if you're going to run a really personal airline, it's those little details that matter and therefore the notebook is an essential part of my traveling day."

Read more.

Cannot afford space travel? Fly your name to Mars

Affordable space travel may be far off, but Earth-dwellers can send their names to Mars for free under a program by the Planetary Society, a space advocacy program.

The Planetary Society is sending a DVD carrying Earthlings' names, space-inspired literature and messages from prominent space exploration advocates to Mars on board NASA's Phoenix Mission, a project headed by the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.

To submit your name and message, go to the The Planetary Society’s website. But hurry, the last day is Feb 1, 2007.

How to make any public toilet clean

When nature beckons guys for #2 or if you're a girl, and you're in a public place, you need to know how to take care of business in a sanitary fashion. Here’s how you go about making a public toilet clean:

1. Put the lid down.

2. Taking a wad of toilet paper, clean the seat so that it's as clean as it can get.

3. Throwing the wad in the bowl, flush so you can have a fresh bowl to use.

4. Taking long pieces of toilet paper cover the right and left side of the lid vertically.

5. Taking smaller pieces, place strands of toilet paper and cover the lid horizontally.

6. Use single pieces of toilet paper, cover any patches left uncovered.

7. Sit down and do your business on your newly sanitized toilet.


WikiHow. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License

Call for entries: TravelPort Travel Photo Contest

TravelPort invites you to send pictures of your vacations: cute kids, stupid signs, beautiful sights, weird attractions, historic places, odd locations, wretched accommodations and anything else that is screaming to be photographed.

You could then be eligible to win a trendy travel bag.

And a Grand Prize of three chic travel bags.

Please read the rules at the end of this post and then email your entries for the
TravelPort Travel Photo Contest to:

promotions@travelport.in

Best wishes from all of us at TravelPort.



TravelPort Travel Photo Contest Rules:

• Photo can be developed from film or be digital.
• Photo or file will not be returned.
• Include a brief description of the photo, date, location, attraction.
• Include your name, address, phone number and email address.
• All entries will be judged on originality, artistic expression, technical composition, and sense of place.
• TravelPort reserves the right to disqualify any unauthorized entries, including, without limitation, multiple entries from the same person.
• Any photograph entered in this contest shall remain the exclusive property of TravelPort and entrant agrees that TravelPort and its designees shall have the perpetual, worldwide right to edit, publish, and use the photograph in any way and in any media for trade, advertising, promotional, and/or other purposes as TravelPort may determine in its sole discretion without further consideration to entrant or winner.
• Entrant agrees to hold harmless TravelPort, its officers, directors, employees, divisions, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies, from any claim by any third party relating to any rights in any photograph submitted.
• Decision of TravelPort will be final and binding.

Video: Short Cut to Nirvana

The Kumbh Mela is the biggest gathering of people in the history of humanity - although few in the West have ever heard of it.

More than 70 million pilgrims attend this extraordinary spiritual festival, which has been held every 12 years near Allahabad, India, for over two millennia. A vast tent city is established to accommodate the masses, and many of India's greatest gurus and spiritual leaders set up camp to give discourses to their devotees.

On certain auspicious days everyone takes a holy dip at the confluence of two actual rivers - the Ganges and Yamuna - and a mythical river, the Saraswati. On the main bathing day, more than 25 million people bathe in the sacred waters. This single act of faith is believed to cleanse the sins of a thousand lifetimes and secure release from the endless cycle of rebirth - literally a short cut to the state of purest bliss - nirvana.

Here is Short Cut to Nirvana.

Things to do in the middle seat

DwayneMelancon found himself sequestered in seat 44E (it's not the best seat in the house, but it's better than row 45, at least). So, he busted out his "middle seat" collection:

I have lots of audio books from Audible.com on my iPod.
Oh - and here is a tip for getting even more out of your audiobooks on your iPod (all of the models since the Mini, except the Shuffle): You can change the speed of playback to "Faster" for audiobooks, and it will cut about 1/3 off the time that it takes to listen to the book. The iPod will adjust the pitch to make it sound mostly normal, too. You can do this by clicking the center button a few times while the audiobook is playing and you'll see an option to set the playback to Slow, Normal, or Faster.

I always stash some Zone Bars for healthy snacks.

I have a Nintendo DS Lite and some good games (my current favorites are Brain Age, Mario Kart DS, and Age of Empires) .

I have earplugs in case I want to meditate or take a nap.

I usually have a book and a magazine or two, so I can do something when all my electronics must be turned off.

These all help pass the time on any flight, but are indispensible when you get middle-seated on a long flight.

What about you? Any tips for passing the time in these situations?

The world's worst tourists

The world's worst tourists, roughly categorized by Ralf Potts, are as follows:

Americans: Ignorant. Loud. Oblivious to surroundings. Insincere.

French: Rude. Bigoted. A trifle out of touch with reality.

Germans: Humorless. Rule-obsessed. Unfriendly. Stubborn.

Israelis: Rude. Cheap. Arrogant. Cliquish.

Canadians: Exactly like Americans, but more soft-spoken, more polite, less ignorant, and twenty times more boring.

Before I go any further here, I will admit three things. First, I realize the circular logic inherent in making generalizations about the generalizations of British travelers (and I apologize if you happen to be one of those Brits who isn't a nationalistic busybody). Second, I realize that half the readers who've stumbled across my column this week have skipped straight from the headline to the above list, and are now typing angry things in the comments section below (especially if they happen to be American, French, German, Israeli, or Canadian). And, third, I'll concede that the British fixation with national character reveals an impressive knack for world geography (in contrast to us Americans, who associate "Vienna" less with a European city than with canned snack sausages).

We wonder how Indian tourists are seen as by others.

Read tips on how to avoid being a bad tourist.

Lebanon's battle to win back tourists

Travellers grinding east over the mountains from Beirut to Lebanon's gargantuan Ba'albek Roman temple complex have the opportunity to contemplate more poignant ruins along the way.

One such example is the $65m, 70 metre-high, Mdeirej viaduct which links the Lebanese capital with the Bekka Valley and Damascus. It had half its southern carriageway neatly peeled off by Israeli bombers during the recent 34-day conflict that cost Lebanon 106 other bridges, 1,200 civilian lives, and 35,000 homes.

Miraculously, however, the country's principal tourist attractions all emerged unscathed from what laconic local operators refer to as "our recent challenge".

A UNESCO audit of the five World Heritage sites in Lebanon detected no serious damage - and my own excursions in the second week of October to Ba'albek and the Phoencian port of Byblos confirmed the good reports. Read more.

Seven cities, one ticket

Dominic Littlewood discovered that if you’re a bit persistent, and know what you’re doing, it’s possible to fly to seven European cities for the price of a single business class air ticket to any one of them.

For £708 he arrived in Athens, home to the Acropolis, having enjoyed some busy stopovers in Paris, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Zurich, Milan and Rome. And he’d had the pleasure of luxurious business-class travel on every leg of the journey. If he'd travelled on seven separate tickets it would have cost him around £1,400, but his single ticket took him to seven cities for about half that. Read more.

Sexy rooms in Paris

In Paris the view out of your window is undoubtedly more important than the thread count. Any old garret can stoke the fires of love, providing it has a rooftop view to match the one that Audrey Hepburn has in Sabrina. Such places do exist: the legendary cheapie Hôtel Henri IV on the Ile de la Cité has two balcony rooms with stupendous views over the entire city (25 pl. Dauphine, 1st, Nearest Métro: Cité).

If price is no object, you can help things along by surrounding yourself with all the romance of Parisian luxury hôtellerie. Nobody does it like Paris — the maids bustling around in frilly aprons, the fresh flowers, the marble bathrooms, the feeling that you are Edward and Mrs Simpson. At the Ritz you can do just that, booking into the runaway royals’ former apartment.

In the middle price range, Paris has a wealth of choice for cooing couples. In St Germain many of the cheap hotels have been replaced by stylish accommodation. Ahead of the crowd are the newly chic Esprit St Germain and L’Hôtel. This, the former dosshouse in which Oscar Wilde expired, is now a boutique hotel. Its 1880s bordello look and private plunge pool makes it one of the most seductive in town.

Read more.

Want to pop the question?

A new service for prospective husbands promises to conjure up the most romantic scenarios to pop the question and provide the ring.

Perfect Proposal is pitched at the hopeless or hapless wooer, with trips in gondolas in Venice, troikas in St Petersburg, or to safari lodges in Africa recommended.

Halloween safety tips

Halloween is a cherished tradition but the excitement of the night can cause children to forget to be careful. There is no real "trick" to making Halloween a real treat for the entire family.

The major dangers are not from witches or spirits but rather from falls and pedestrian/car crashes. Many communities officially designate a "Beggars' Night" and assign specific hours for trick-or-treat activities.

Both children and adults need to think about safety on this annual day of make-believe.

Parents:

Before children start out on their "trick or treat" rounds, parents should:

Make sure that an adult or an older responsible youth will be supervising the outing for children under age 12.

Plan and discuss the route trick-or-treaters intend to follow. Know the names of older children's companions.

Instruct your children to travel only in familiar areas and along an established route.

Teach your children to stop only at houses or apartment buildings that are well-lit and never to enter a stranger's home.

Establish a return time.

Tell your youngsters not to eat any treat until they return home.

Review all appropriate trick-or-treat safety precautions, including pedestrian/traffic safety rules.

Pin a slip of paper with the child's name, address and phone number inside a pocket in case the youngster gets separated from the group.

Costume Design:

Only fire-retardant materials should be used for costumes.

Costumes should be loose so warm clothes can be worn underneath.

Costumes should not be so long that they are a tripping hazard. (Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries on Halloween.)

If children are allowed out after dark, outfits should be made with light colored materials. Strips of retroreflective tape should be used to make children visible.

Face Design:

Masks can obstruct a child's vision. Use facial make-up instead.

When buying special Halloween makeup, check for packages containing ingredients that are labeled "Made with U.S. Approved Color Additives," "Laboratory Tested," Meets Federal Standards for Cosmetics," or "Non-Toxic."

Follow manufacturer's instruction for application.

If masks are worn, they should have nose and mouth openings and large eye holes.

More Halloween safety tips from the National Safety Council.

Happy Eid

Wishing a a very Happy Eid.

From all of us at TravelPort.

How to get an upgrade to first class

Have you always wanted to fly first class, but never had the money? There are some other, roundabout ways you can get in those plushy, spacious seats. With a bit of luck, you might find yourself sitting on the luxurious lap of first class.

1. Ask the ticket counter agent nicely. Does this work? 99% of the time, absolutely not. In most cases, on most airlines, the ticket agent is not authorized to upgrade passengers unless you have frequent flyer status and even with frequent flyer status, you will most likely need to use miles to get your upgrade.

However, you might be able to ask the ticket counter agent to kindly add a code to your ticket. Why? Because the code signifies to the gate agent that you as a passenger are potentially eligible for an upgrade. It works with the right airline and you will need to know which code to use, as each airline uses different codes for different situations that are independent of other carriers.

2. If you are late because of a competitor, make sure the airline is aware of that. They will try to give you a good impression of their airline, especially after your bad experience with one of their competitors.

3. Use your connections. If you just so happen to be related to a family member or are friends with an airline employee, you certainly could ask for an upgrade, but keep in mind that airlines are in the business of making a profit, and if there are upgrades to sell, or loyal frequent flyers to keep happy, don’t expect to be first in line for an upgrade.

4. If you happen to be a travel agent, show your ID. Again, if and only if seats are available will an airline offer a free upgrade and even though a travel agent might have some pull, you always have to assume that frequent flyer status will help more than just travel agent status. If you have both, you will only improve your chances of an upgrade. It certainly does not hurt to try.

5. Ask a flight attendant for an upgrade if you see a seat available. Typically flight attendants never upgrade passengers and simply asking for an upgrade is not going to work. However, there are legitimate reasons why a flight attendant will upgrade you.

Here are a few:

a) An oversold flight – Typically airlines overbook flights and hope that some passengers will simply not show. If, however, there are more passengers than seats in coach, your best chance to be upgraded is to get assigned a seat towards the front of the aircraft. If there are no seats left and the flight is oversold, you may also be asked to volunteer to take a later fight. This would also mean (usually generous)compensation, but not necessarily a first class upgrade.

b) A problem with your seat – In some cases where your seat has malfunctioned and you cannot comfortably sit there, i.e. a seatbelt problem or the seat will not stay in the up position, the flight attendant will make an attempt to find you another seat. If no other seats are available in coach yet space is available in first, you will be moved to first class. However, this is a very rare occurrence, and you should never try to purposely break your seat.

c) A problem with a fellow passenger – If by chance you are sitting next to a passenger and you have a legitimate complaint, the flight attendant can, at his/her discretion, move you to first.

5. Book with a travel agent. When you book with a travel agent, it is possible, with a valid reason, to have the agent mark your reservation with a comment, such as OSI (Other Significant Information). The record may indicate that you are a VIP or CEO of a big corporation (but if you are a VIP or a CEO of a big corporation, then chances are you can afford first class, and you probably have your own private jet plane anyway!).

Airlines like to see this information as they are trying to win more and more business away from their competition. If there is a chance that an important decision maker is flying with them, it could potentially mean extra revenue for the airline as they may want to try to win your company’s account. This may lead to a free upgrade.

6. Book directly with the airline. When you book directly with the airline, there is the possibility of also adding an OSI to your record. If you are a travel agent, travel writer, or event planner, it certainly won’t hurt your chances.

7. Upgrade using frequent flyer points or status. If you are a frequent flyer, you can certainly use your miles to upgrade as long as allocated seats are available for upgrade. Not all seats are allocated for frequent flyer upgrades, as the airlines want to hold a certain block of seats for fully paid customers so that they can earn as much as they can for each flight. Using the right miles at the right time is also of importance.

Each airline has their set terms and conditions for frequent flyers, miles and upgrades. You will need to determine the best case scenario for each flight you want to take. Short flights are typically not worth the upgrade since you would waste valuable miles. Of course, on many airlines having frequent flyer status will only help to get free upgrades. Typically, the higher the status, the better chance of getting a free upgrade confirmed days before the flight.

8. Be in the know. In an attempt to woo passengers and business, airlines will offer specials frequently throughout the year. You might even encounter a special that allows you instant status in their frequent flyer program. This refers to a higher level than just basic frequent flyer membership. For example, American Airlines has these levels: Member, Gold, Platinum, and Executive Platinum.

9. Buy an upgrade. Many domestic carriers, in an attempt to earn more business, will happily sell first class seat upgrades on a first-come, first-serve basis. Obviously, they want to earn as much money as possible and they will release first class seats typically only at the airport and only on the day of the departure. Instead of paying $1,200 for a first class flight coast to coast, you might end up paying $300 for the coach ticket and just $150 each way for the first class upgrade.

Keep in mind that there are specific rules for who can use them and how they are used. You need to read the fine print carefully.

Upgrades for most major carriers can be purchased on eBay, in travel forums, and some can be found for sale in classified ads. In some cases you can purchase an upgrade for as little as eight dollars, but as usual, these upgrades can only be applied to your ticket at the check in counter once you arrive at the airport. Other more expensive upgrades will allow you to confirm your upgrade over the phone before you arrive at the airport.

7. Buy discounted first class tickets cheaply. Contrary to what you may have seen or heard, first class tickets are not always expensive, and there are numerous ways to purchase discounted tickets. The price may not be as cheap as coach tickets but with fierce competition, one can buy tickets that are heavily discounted that in comparison to coach tickets, may make sense to spend a little bit more to travel in style.

8. Volunteer to get "bumped" from an overbooked flight. If you do get bumped, you usually get a free flight to use within a year, and some spending cash. If they end up not needing you to get bumped to a later flight, they may upgrade you for your willingness to get bumped.

9. Buy a full fare coach ticket and ask for a first class seat. Many airlines have a fare code that automatically grants first class privileges, but you have to ask. Call the airline directly and ask them how much a coach class ticket with first class seating privilege will cost. This will be much less than a first class ticket. Be careful though, like most coach tickets it will probably be non-refundable.

10. Arrive at the airport ahead of time, dressed smartly and well-spoken. Greet the ticket clerk with a smile and strike up a conversation. Make them laugh if you can. Do all this BEFORE you hand them your tickets. Quite often they will offer you a free upgrade because of the amount of hassle they normally get.


Under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Why we light diyas on Diwali

Here's wishing you a Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year from all us at TravelPort.

What's the height of dining?

Yes, we've all heard the old joke about what's the height of_____ (whatever)? Then we hear the punchline but this is for real.

Dinner in the Sky takes place at a table suspended at a height of 50 metres by a team of professionals. It seats 22 people around the table at every session and three in the middle (chef, waiter and entertainer).

We are already feeling the adrenaline rush.

Photo Feature: Venice

Venice is one of Italy's big three destination, and the most unique example of a city on the crossroads between east and west. Venice may be sinking, folks may be moving out of the city, but Venice will always remain in the traveler's heart as a fascinating piece of historic Italy.

Click here to start the Venice slideshow.

The Scene: Mike Skinner on London

The Scene brings together the world's coolest cities with the personalities who know them best.

How to take photos from cars, trains and planes

There are a few things to bear in mind if you think of shooting out of the window of a moving means of transport:

Motion Blur:
If you take a picture out of the side window of a fast moving car or high speed train, the result will be as blurred as if you were standing still while a car or train was passing you by. What matters is the speed of the two objects relative to each other.

When you shoot out of the train or car, the closest objects will be blurred most, the ones in the distance will be blurred the least. How do you cope with this?

Simply increase your shutter speed, as you would do to freeze the movement of a fast moving subject. A photo taken at 1/1000 s will be much less blurred than one taken at 1/60 s.Usually, it’s best to set your camera to time or aperture automatic so you do not have to fiddle with the settings for each photo.

This will lock in either a certain fixed exposure time, or a wide open aperture, providing the fastest exposure times possible with this lens opening.

Another aspect of motion blur is that it will be much more pronounced when shooting from side window than out of the front or back window. Read more of How to take travel photos from cars, boats, trains and planes.

Video: The return of Africa's largest animal

Elephants, rhinos, hippos, and giraffes wandering the savannas and steppes is for many people the iconic image of African wilderness. But Africa's largest animal doesn't roam the continent on land—it inhabits the oceans.

Humpback whales, once hunted nearly to extinction, have recently returned off the coast of Gabon in West Africa . Conservationists are now working to protect migration routes for the sea creatures, which travel from India to Africa to breed.

Join scientists as they ply the waters in search of these singing giants, and watch as one researcher employs an usual tool in his effort to collect information about the whales—a crossbow.

Click here to see the video.

How to haggle

Haggling (sometimes called bargaining) is common in some countries. If you don't haggle, it is highly likely that you will get ripped off. Vendors expect a bit of haggling and will state their prices higher than what they'll end up receiving, with almost no exception to this rule. Some points to keep in mind:

A common trick: Shop owners will start with an insanely high price. This will most certainly put you off, but keep to your budget and state your price.

Remember when stating your price, state one that is lower than what you expect to pay in the end.

A good trick on your side is to bid the vendor farewell and start walking off. You will most certainly get at least two offers, each lower than the previous. Alternatively, the vendor may ask "How much do you want this?" (or words to that effect), which acknowledges the fact that they realise a potential sale is walking out of the door.

If there are two or more of you, you can wax theatrical. He wants the item, but she holds the purse strings and won't pay the price, or whatever.

Be strong. Don't let them get to you, no matter how hard they push.

Be courteous and friendly (but firm in your negotiations). If the vendor takes a personal liking to you, you will almost always get a better deal.

You might be offered tea, coffee, snacks etc. You can accept it and it does not mean you have to buy anything. Although you may be 'guilt-tripped' later. Be strong willed.

Do not let unknown locals help you bargain or find what you need. You will end up paying an extra commission.

If bargaining for something unique, don't show too much interest in the item you are actually interested in, or the vendor will know that they're your only choice and price accordingly.

The key to making a good deal is knowing the right price. If you know the right price you can just state you price, start leaving the store and your offer will be accepted. To learn the right price, ask other people what they paid for similar goods and try to make a better deal. If you buy several similar items, try to make a better deal each time.

If you are in a country that use eastern Arabic numbers (0-9=۰,۱,۲,۳,۴,۵,۶,۷,۸,۹) then learn them. It will save you a lot of time and money when you are bargaining about a hotel room and there is a prices list right in front of you. You should still bargain, but it gives you a starting point.

But when bargaining, do so responsibly.

If you make a counteroffer, you're now committed to that price. Don't waste your time or the seller's time bargaining if you have no intention of buying.

Choose your battles. By all means bargain when buying a carpet from a posh bazaar shop. But if a bottle of water is too expensive, buy it somewhere else.

Many items do have a fixed price and only tourist are lured into haggling. For example, groceries and alcohol usually have fixed prices. If you are asked to pay €3 for a bottle of water, do not start haggling, go somewhere else. Do not haggle when buying e.g. bus tickets; check for a pricelist in the bus terminal or ask the other passengers in the line or look over the shoulder of the one in front of you to see what the locals pay.

Do not let the other person "lose face". Often it is said that "everything is negotiable" - but it isn't. Loss of face is never negotiable. Be aware that the person with whom you are dealing has a family and responsibilities. You are trying to find an agreed position.

Find two sellers with the same products and play one off against the other.


Creative Commons. Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0

Enter at your own risk

Five of the scariest spaces from the sinister skull of author Jeff Belanger, The World’s Most Haunted Places. Here are two:

The Tower of London
“The beefeaters live there with their families, and all have had experiences with ghosts. One beefeater saw a teddy bear float up in the air.”

The Catacombs (Paris)
“It’s humbling to see endless skulls and bones for 1.6 km (300 km are off-limits.) You get a sense of living history. But you also find yourself looking behind you now and then.”

Read more of Enter at your own risk.

The oldest city in Latin America

Granada, founded in 1524, is the oldest inhabited city in continental Latin America, and claims to be the most beautiful of Nicaragua's two major cities, the other contender to the title is its liberal, laid-back rival Léon.

It has 17th-century adobe houses, crumbling courtyard gardens and elaborate Italianate villas. Granada's wealth and the generation of criollos (people of Spanish descent born in the New World who made it their home) contribute to its conservative character.

Like Antigua in Guatemala, Granada is walkable, with arresting architecture and an incredible backdrop of Lake Nicaragua. The town is beginning to develop facilities for more upmarket travellers too, with the opening of elegant boutique hotels like the Colonial.
Read more about Granada.

Goa is going from hippy to hip

“There's one thing I know, Lord above/I ain't goin' to Goa.” So sang the Alabama 3, a London band famous for singing the theme song for “The Sopranos” television series. “There ain't nothing worse than some fool lying on some third world beach wearing spandex, psychedelic trousers, smoking damn dope pretending he's gettin' consciousness expansion.”

This about sums up a typical view of Goa, once a Portuguese colony situated about 400 km down the Arabian Sea coast south of Mumbai, and long popular with hippy-styled Western backpackers.

Sure, Goa still lures budget travellers with a yen for trance music and full-moon beach parties, but India's most laid-back state, also one of its smallest, has also become a hip destination for Mumbaikars seeking a beach-lined reprieve from the city. Returning visitors may be surprised to discover quite a few new boutique hotels, restaurants and bars.

Read more of Going to Goa.

Photo: Kamasutra

There are some stereotypical images of India around the world and one we often come across is the Kamasutra.

What are our views on it?

Click here to see a photo feature on Kamasutra.

Photo Mosaic: Benares

"Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even

than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together!"

~Mark Twain.

Benares' modern name is Varanasi.

The world's most expensive restaurant

What's the recipe for dining at one of the world's most expensive restaurants? Months on a waiting list and Herculean wallet strength. Oh, and a healthy appetite. Top-notch restaurants have never been this good.

"I think that for a lot of reasons, we have been going through a world revolution in the improvement of our food at every level," says Tim Zagat, creator and publisher, with his wife Nina, of the New York-based restaurant-rating guide Zagat Survey. "The audience for dining is increasingly sophisticated--someone from Dubuque knows what food in New York, London and Paris restaurants is supposed to look like. Finally, the people doing the cooking have become respected and in some cases celebrities."

The result is that there are now more places than ever before to eat- and spend-lavishly.

Read more of Forbes' list of "The World's Most Expensive Resturants."


See a slideshow of the Ten of the World's Pricest Restaurants.

Livecam: Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are a major European tourist destination. The islands are a paradise for sun, beach and watersports enthusiasts.

You can view the livecam at seecanarias.com

The view updates every 5-10 minutes.

Video: Italian hand gestures explained

Here is an entertaining video that explains the meaning of the popular Italian hand gestures.

Virtual tour: Flanders

An exquisite website that lets you experience 72 hours in Flanders.

But you may ask, "Where the heck is Flanders?"

Well, you might need to put on those spectacles when looking it up on the map, because Flanders is only about half the size of Wales. Flanders is defined as the northern region of Belgium, squeezed in between Wallonia, or southern Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and the North Sea.

Flanders offers you 6 beautifully preserved historical cities, with Brussels as the bubbling heart of Europe, relaxed seaside resorts and the pretty town of Ypres and its surrounding WWI Battlefields. Flanders is the destination par exellence for short breaks, be they cultural or simply for relaxation.

And all this splendour and greatness is squeezed in that tiny little spot on the map? Yes indeed, so you can imagine that it’s ridiculously easy to travel from one place to another, making this the ideal destination for a holiday full of surprises.

Click here to begin your virtual tour of Flanders.

Free: English to Hindi dictionary

'The Students Practical Dictionary', fifth edition, compiled by Ram Narain Lal in 1936. This English to Hindi dictionary is now in public domain.

Click here for PDF download.

World’s best spa is in India

Ananda Spa in the country's Himalayan region has been ranked as the top destination spa worldwide in a latest study.

Located amid the serene Himalayas, Ananda combines the traditional Indian systems of Ayurveda with the contemporary western spa approach in its numerous body and beauty treatments - earning it top honours from the London-based travel and tourism magazine Conde Nast Traveller.

Another Indian spa, Serano Spa located at Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa has also been named in the Top 10 overseas hotel spas worldwide by the Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Travel Awards 2006. Read more.

Slideshow: Uttaranchal

A puja inside the Neelkantha Mahadev temple in above the hills of Rishikesh, Uttaranchal.

Click here to start slideshow.



Photography by: Claude Renault under Creative Commons license.

Slideshow: Barcelona

Barcelona may be Spain’s capital of sophisticated style and consumption, but it is possible to have a low-key, inexpensive weekend there, people-watching and taking in the popular sites.

Click here to start slideshow.

Where Buddha attained enlightenment

"Bodh Gaya is the place where Gautama Buddha attained unsurpassed, supreme Enlightenment. It is a place which should be visited or seen by a person of devotion and which would cause awareness and apprehension of the nature of impermanence".

Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha-to-be, had been dwelling on the banks of the Nairanjana River with five ascetic followers for six years practicing austerities. Realising that austerities could not lead to realisation he abandoned them. His five ascetic companions disgusted at his seeming failure, deserted him and left for Sarnath.

He then moved towards the village of Senani where he was offered rice milk by a Brahmin girl, Sujata. Accepting from a grass-cutter a gift of kusa grass for a mat, the Bodhisattva took a seat under a pipal tree facing east. Here he resolved not to rise again until enlightenment was attained."Here on this seat my body may shrivel up,my skin, my bones, my flesh may dissolve,but my body will not move from this seat until I have attained Enlightenment,so difficult to obtain in the course of many kalpas".

As Gautama sat in deep meditation, Mara, Lord of Illusion, perceiving that his power was about to be broken, rushed to distract him from his purpose. The Bodhisattva touched the earth, calling it to bear witness the countless lifetimes of virtue that had led him to this place of enlightenment. When the earth shook, confirming the truth of Gautama's words, Mara unleashed his army of demons. In the epic battle that ensued, Gautama's wisdom broke through the illusions and the power of his compassion transformed the demons' weapons into flowers and Mara and all his forces fled in disarray. Read more about the History of Bodh Gaya.

Listen to a tiger roar

Tigers, like many other animals communicate using sounds that allow them to maintain territories, identify each other. Many of the sounds are low frequency and cannot be heard by humans, click on the links ( bold, underlined words) below to listen to a range of different tiger sounds:

Roar : Tigers are one of four kinds of cat that can roar - including lions, leopards and jaguars. They roar to establish territories, to communicate with their mates and as a threatening sound to challenge other tigers from a distance and to scare off intruders. Tigers often roar after making a kill, telling other tigers to stay away.

Chuffing : a friendly greeting known as chuffing, or prusten.

Growl : All cats can growl, spit an hiss during hostile interactions.

Cubs : All cats can mew, in much the same way as domestic cats meow, and this sound is often used by females in close contact with their kittens.

The tiger is the national animal of India.

Find out how you can help save the tiger.

10th Poetry Africa Festival in Durban

About thirty poets from twelve different countries will participate in the 10th Poetry Africa international poetry festival which takes place from 9 to 14 October in Durban, with a special celebratory event in Johannesburg on 7th October.

The extensive week-long Durban programme includes performances, readings and book-launches every evening at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, University of Kwazulu-Natal with a festival finale at the BAT Centre on Saturday 14 October. Day activities include seminars, workshops, poetry competitions, poetry in prison, open mic opportunities, and school visits.

Three cities, three eras

Elephants amble down the main streets of New Delhi in full parade regalia. Loping camel caravans share the road with trucks taking goods to market in Uttar Pradesh. Dancing bears compete for the attention of passing motorists in Rajasthan. Cows amble through Agra’s city streets, taking the occasional nap along the concrete median. Goats, pigs and dogs root through trash in the byways of Varanasi, extracting all the edible morsels before the collectors come along to sweep the rest into their wheeled carts.

Welcome to India, where life in all its forms is all around, day and night.

On my first visit to this vast subcontinent I had time to visit just three cities in Northern India: Delhi, Agra and Varanasi – places encapsulating three eras in Indian history.

Read more of "Three cities, three eras" by Susan McKee.

The Scene: Yash Chopra on Mumbai

The Scene brings together the world's coolest cities with the personalities who know them best.

It's the simple life without Paris and Nicole

Authorities in India are hoping the idea of a stay in a rural village will appeal to tourists.

Working with the United Nations' Development Program, India's tourism ministry has identified 36 villages across 20 states in the country where visitors can enjoy life's simple pleasures in a rural setting.

The plan to promote rural tourism in India would create jobs in the villages and encourage villagers to clean up their surroundings. It is also expected to give a boost to handmade crafts and traditional art forms. Read more.