Phrases for vegetarians in 67 languages

Danish / Dansk

• Jeg er vegetar - I am vegetarian
• Jeg er veganer - I am a vegan
• Jeg spiser ikke kød - I don't eat meat
• Jeg bryder mig ikke om kød - I don't like meat
• Jeg spiser ikke kød, æg og mælkeprodukter - I don't eat meat, eggs or dairy products
• Har De nogen vegetarretter? - Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
• Jeg elsker dyr, så jeg spiser dem ikke - I love animals, so I don't eat them
• Hej jeg hedder . . . - Hello my name is . . .

Finnish / Suomeksi

• Olen kasvissyöjä - I am a vegetarian.
• Olen vegaani - I am a vegan
• En syö eläimiä - I don't eat animals
• En syö lihaa - I don't eat meat
• En syö edes kanamunaa - I don't eat eggs either
• Ei edes maitotuotteita - not even milk products
• Kahvi ilman maitoa. - Coffee without milk.
• vihannekset -vegetables, hedelmät - fruits, soijapavut - soyabeans, sienet - mushrooms
• Rakastan eläimiä joten en syö niitä - I love animals, so I don't eat them

Icelandic

• Ég borða ekki kjöt - I do not eat meat
• Ég er grænmetisæta - I am a vegetarian
• Ég borða ekki ost - I do not eat cheese
• Ég borða ekki egg - I do not eat eggs
• Ég borða ekki kjúkling - I do not eat chicken
• Ég borða ekki mjólkurafurðir - I do not eat dairy
• baunir, linsur - lentils
• Ég elska dýr og þessvegna borða ég þau ekki - I love animals, so I don't eat them

Norwegian

• Jeg er vegetarianer - I am a vegetarian
• Jeg er veganer - I am a vegan
• Jeg spiser ikke kjøtt,egg eller meieriprodukter - I don't eat meat, eggs nor dairy products
• Jeg spiser verken kjøtt, kylling eller fisk - I eat neither meat, chicken nor fish
• Jeg liker ikke kjøtt. - I don't like meat
• Har du noen vegetarretter. - Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
• Kan dere lage en matrett uten kjøtt, fisk, melkeprodukter eller egg, vaer saa snill? Can you make a dish without meat, fish, dairy or eggs, please?
• Har dere urtete, juice eller (mineral)vann? Have you got herbal tea, juice or (sparkling) water?
• Jeg elsker dyr, derfor spiser jeg dem ikke. - I love animals, therefore i don't eat them
• Dyr er mine venner, og jeg spiser ikke vennene mine - animals are my friends, and i don't eat my friends

A general advice is that Norwegians have a good knowledge and understanding of common English words.. so give it a try in English with Norwegians below 70 years of age before you stumble into bad Norwegian pronunciation. Most people will enjoy some exercise of their vocabulary.

Swedish / Svenska

• Jag är vegetarian - I am a vegetarian
• Jag är vegan. - I am vegan.
• Jag äter inte kött - I do not eat meat
• Jag äter inte ost - I do not eat cheese
• Jag äter inte ägg - I do not eat eggs
• Jag äter inte kyckling - I do not eat chicken
• Jag äter inte mjölkprodukter - I do not eat dairy products
• bönor - beans; linser - lentils; fisk - fish; ägg - egg; kyckling - chicken; ost - cheese
• Jag älskar djur, så jag äter dem inte - I love animals, so I don't eat them

English is understood by most Swedes so just give it a try in English.

Basque / Euskara

• Barazkijalea naiz - I am a vegetarian
• Ez dut jaten haragirik, txerrikirik, ezta oilaskorik ere - I do not eat meat, pork or chicken
• Arraultzak, esnea eta gazta jaten ditut - I eat eggs, milk and cheese
• Ez dut jaten arraultzarik, esnerik, ezta gaztarik ere - I don´t eat eggs, milk or cheese
• Ez, ez dut nahi arrainik - No, I don't want any fish
• Animaliak maite ditut, horregatik ez ditut jaten - I love animals, so I don't eat them
• Esnekiak - Dairy products
• Eztia - Honey
• Ez dut esnerik edaten - I don´t drink milk
• Ba al duzue barazkijaleentzako platerik? - Do you have any vegetarian dishes?

Catalan / Català

• Jo sóc vegetarià/vegetariana - I am vegetarian (male/female)
• Jo no menjo pas carn, ni porc ni pollastre - I do not eat meat, pork or chicken
• Jo menjo (no menjo pas) ous, (ni) llet (ni) i formatge - I do (do not) eat eggs, milk or cheese
• No, no vull cap mena de peix - No, I don't want any fish
• Jo estimo als animals, i per això no me'ls menjo - I love animals, so I don't eat them

Mixtec / da'an davi (Mexico)

• Ma xixí kuñu si un, xi kochi, xi idu nsiki - I don't eat chicken meat, nor pig, nor cow

Galego

• Eu son vexetariano/a - I am vegetarian (depending on the speaker's gender)
• Eu non como carne, peixe ou aves - I do not eat meat, fish or poultry
• Eu non bebo leite, nin como ovos ou queixo - I do not drink milk, neither eat eggs or cheese
• Eu non como calquera cousa preparada con graxa animal(touciño ou manteiga de porco) - I do not eat anything cooked with animal fat (bacon or lard)
• ¿Serven algún prato vexetariano? - Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
• Eu amo os animais, por iso non os como - I love animals so I don't eat them

Portuguese / Português

• Eu sou vegetariano - I am a vegetarian
• eu sou vegano/vegan - I am vegan
• Sou estitamente vegetariano. - I am a strict vegetarian
• Eu não como carne, peixe ou frango - I don't eat meat, fish or poultry
• Eu também não como ovos - I don't eat eggs either
• Eu não como queijo- I do not eat cheese
• Nem mesmo derivados do leite- not even milk products
• Não bebo leite. - I don't drink milk
• Café, Chá sem leite - coffee, tea, without milk
• Eu não bebo leite, nem como ovos ou queijo - I don't drink milk, nor eat eggs or cheese
• eu não como galinha - I do not eat chicken
• Eu não gosto de carne. - I don't like meat
• Eu não como nada preparado com gordura animal (bacon ou banha) - I do not eat anything cooked with animal fat (bacon or lard)
• Você tem algum prato vegetariano? - Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
• Por favor, queria uma refeição sem qualquer ingrediente de origem animal - I would like to have a meal with no animal derived ingredients.
• Você poderia me preparar um prato sem carne, peixe, derivados do leite ou ovos por favor? - Can you make a dish without meat, fish, dairy or eggs, please?
• Queria pão que não leve margarina ou leite ou ovos, por favor - I would like bread with no margarine, milk or eggs, please. [margarine in portugal is rarely veg*an]
• Você tem chá, suco ou água? - Have you got herbal tea, juice or water?
• Não quero ver touradas - I don't want to see bullfights.
• feijões - beans ; lentilhas - lentils ; frutas - fruits ; verduras - vegetables
• derivados do leite / laticínios - dairy ; queijo - cheese ; ovos - eggs ; mel - honey
• frango - chicken ; peixe - fish ; porco - pork
• couro - leather ; algodão - cotton
• Eu não quero nenhum tipo de peixe - I'd like no fish
• Eu prefiro frutas - I'd prefer fruit
• Você tem bananas? - Are there any bananas?
• Estou com fome - I'm hungry
• Eu como ovos, leite e queijo - I eat eggs, milk or cheese
• Eu não como ovos, leite e queijo - I do not eat eggs, milk or cheese
• Qual desses pratos eu poderia comer? - Which of these dishes could I eat?
• Eu não gosto de manteiga eu prefiro margarina - I don't eat butter. I eat (prefer) margarine.
• isso tem: - does it contain: algum produto animal? - any animal products? ; gordura animal? - animal fat?
• Você tem algo que eu possa comer que não seja carne ou peixe? - Do you have something I can eat, that is not meat or fish?
• a natureza - the nature ; sem carne - without meat ; obrigada - thanks ;por favor - please ; oi/ciao - Hi/Bye ; boa noite - good night
• Eu não tomo leite - I do not drink milk
• Tem algo no menu que não tem carne? - Is there anything on the menu that doesn't have meat?
• Tem ovos nisso? - Are there eggs in this?
• Tem algum restaurante vegetariano aqui perto? - Is there a vegetarian restaurant near here?
• Essa sopa tem carne ou pedaços de frango? - Is there meat or chicken broth in this soup?
• Café sem leite. - Coffee without milk.
• vegetais - vegetables ; frutas - fruits ; champinhon / cogumelo - mushrooms
• eu amo animais, por isso não os como - I love animals, so I don't eat them
• Isto não tem qualquer tipo de carne pois não? (carne: bacon, fiambre, vaca, porco, frango, etc) - This doesn't have any kind of meat does it? (meat: bacon, ham, cow, pork, chicken, etc)
• Podia dizer-me onde posso encontrar um restaurante vegetariano / loja de produtos naturais se faz favor? - Could you tell where to find a vegetarian restaurant / natural products shop please?
• Que pratos tem sem qualquer tipo de carne / derivado animal? - What dishes do you have without any kind of meat/ animal derived ?
• Eu sou vegan. Só como vegetais, cereais e grãos. Não como nenhum produto animal, nem mel, ovos ou lacticínios e seus derivados. Pode auxiliar-me a escolher a partir do vosso menu? Por favor, alerte-me se um prato, molho ou guarnição contém estes ingredientes. - I'm vegan. I only eat vegetables, cereals and grains. I don't eat any animal products, neither honey, eggs nor dairy and its derivatives. Can you assist me in making my choice from your menu? Please, alert me if a food, sauce or garnish contains these ingredients.
• por favor - please ; obrigado - thanks ; sem - without ; com - with ; bom dia! - good morning! ; boa tarde! - good afternoon! ; boa noite! - good night! ; oi!/tchau! - hi!/bye!
  
  Brazilian:
• Eu não como carne! - I don't eat meat!
• Onde posso comprar frutas? - Where can I buy fruits?
• Você tem salada? - Do you have salad?
• Você conhece algum restaurante vegetariano? - Do you know any vegetarian restaurant?
• Onde posso comprar comida vegetariana? - Where can I buy vegetarian food?

Spanish/ Español

• Yo soy vegetariano/a - I am vegetarian (depending on the speaker's gender)
• Yo no como carne, puerco, o pollo. - I do not eat meat, pork or chicken
• Yo como (no como) huevos, leche, o queso. - I do (do not) eat eggs, milk or cheese
• No, no quiero ningun pescado. - No, I don't want any fish
• Yo amo a los animales, por eso no los como - I love animals so I don't eat them
• Mi comida sabe mejor que la tuya. - My food tastes better than the one you're eating
• ¡Esta comida está deliciosa! - This food is delicious!
• Esta comida es saludable. - This food is healthy.
• Si hay carne en cualquier cantidad en mi comida, no lo puedo comer. ¡Eso incluye Jamón en pedacitos en mi sopa o ensalada! - If there is any meat whatsoever in my food, I cannot eat it. That includes little pieces of ham in my soup or salad!
• Qué platos tiene sin carne o pescado? - What dishes do you have without meat or fish?
• ¡Me rehuso a ser un cementerio ambulante de animales! I refuse to be a walking cementery of animals.
• Yo soy vegan. Solo como vegetales, cereales y granos. No como productos animales, ni miel, huevos, o lacticinios y suyos derivados. Puede ayudar-me a escoger a partir de vuestro menú? Por favor, alerte-me sí una comida, salsa o guarnicíon tienen estotros ingredientes. - I'm vegan. I only eat vegetables, cereals and grains. I don't eat any animal products, neither honey, eggs nor dairy and its derivatives. Can you assist me in making my choice from your menu? Please, alert me if a food, sauce or garnish contains these ingredients.
• Donde hay un restaurante (restorán) tenedor libre? (tenedor libre: un restaurante de autoservicio con mucha comida vegetariana: en Buenos Aires y ARGENTINA) (Where is a free-fork restaurant?)

Cornish

(spoken in the county of Cornwall in the southwest of England)

• Vesne oma I'm a vegetarian
• Me venga cawas ne pesk I'd like no fish
• Me venga kenz frut I'd prefer fruit
• Peidgy ry thebm hoggan Please give me a pasty
• Eze mouy hensledan wheg Are there any bananas?
• Thove gwage I'm hungry
• Dowr durdalada whye Water thank you

Dutch / Nederlandse

• Ik ben een vegetarier - I am a vegetarian
• Ik ben een veganist - I am a vegan
• Ik eet geen vlees, vis of gevogelte - I don't eat meat, fish or poultry
• Ik houd niet van vlees - I don't like meat
• Ik eet geen eieren en melk - I don't eat milk and eggs
• Heeft u ook vegetarische gerechten? - Do you have vegetarian dishes also?
• Ik hou van dieren dus ik eet ze niet - I love animals, so I don't eat them

French / Français

• Je suis un végétarien(ne). Je ne mange pas de viande, de porc ou de poulet - I am a vegetarian(female). I do not eat meat, pork or chicken
• Je mange des œufs, de lait et du fromage - I eat eggs, milk or cheese
• Je ne mange pas d'œufs, du lait ni de fromage - I do not eat eggs, milk or cheese
• Végétalien(ne) - vegan
• J'aime des animaux, alors je ne les mange pas - I love animals, so I don't eat them
• On qui mange la nourriture vegetarienne est souvent plus paisible et plus patient - one who eats only vegetarian food is often more peaceful and more patient
• Avez-vous des plats végétariens? - Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
• Y a-t-il un restaurant végétarien près d'ici? - Is there a vegetarian restaurant near here?
• Je suis vegan (végétalienne). Je mange que des vegetables, cereals et grains. Je ne mange pas des produits animaux, ni du miel, ouefs ou laitage et ses dérivés. Pouvez-vouz m'aider à choisir dans votre menu ? S'il vous plaît, alertais-moi si un repas, sauce ou garniture à ces ingredients. - I'm vegan. I only eat vegetables, cereals and grains. I don't eat any animal products, neither honey, eggs nor dairy and its derivatives. Can you assist me in making my choice from your menu? Please, alert me if a food, sauce or garnish contains these ingredients.

German / Deutsch

• Ich bin Vegetarier[in]. - I am a vegetarian.
• Veganer[in] - vegan
• Ich esse kein Fleisch, auch kein Huhn (und keinen Fisch). - I do not eat meat, nor chicken (and neither fish).
• Ich esse [keine] Eier, Milch oder Käse. - I [do not] eat eggs, milk or cheese.
• Welches dieser Gerichte kann ich essen? - Which of these dishes could I eat?
• Milchprodukte - dairy; Geflügel - fowl; Honig - honey; Bohnen - beans; Linsen - lentils; Gemüse - vegetables
• Ich mag kein Fleisch. - I don't like meat.
• Ich esse keine Butter. Ich esse (bevorzuge) Margarine. - I don't eat butter. I eat (prefer) margarine.
• (Kaffee, Tee) ohne Milch - (coffee, tea) without milk
• vegetarisch - vegetarian (adj.) ; vegan - vegan (adj.)
• Ich liebe Tiere, also esse ich sie nicht - I love animals, so I don't eat them
• Haben Sie vegetarische Gerichte? - Do you offer any vegetarian meals?
• Ja, ich mag Tofu. - Yes, I like tofu.

Greek

• Ime chortofagos - I am a vegetarian
• Eimai hortofagos. Den troo kreas i kotopoulo [EE-may hor-to-FAH-gos. Then tro KRAY-ahs ee ko-TO-poo-lo.] - I am a vegetarian. I do not eat meat, pork or chicken.
• (Den) troo avga, gala, kai (i) tiri. [(Then) tro ahv-GA, GA-la, keh (ee) tee-REE.] - I do (do not) eat eggs, milk or cheese
• per-ee-EH-hee - does it contain:
• zo-ee-KAH pro-ee-YON-da? - any animal products?
• zo-ee-KO LEE-pos? - animal fat?
• zou-MEE ah-PO KRAY-ahs ee ko-TO-pou-lo? - meat or chicken broth?
• Den troo psari -Den trOo PSAree - I don't eat fish either
• Ehete kati na fao pou na min ine kreas i psari?- Eheteh KAtee na FAoh poo na meen EEnay KREyas i PSAree? - Do you have something I can eat, that is not meat or fish?
• Ehete ladera,ospria, makaronia horis kreatiko, hortopites? - Ehete ladeRA, Osprya, makaROnya howREES kreyateeKO, howRTOpettes? - Do you have oil cooked vegetables, pulses, macaroni without meat, greens pies? ( Greens pies refers to spanakopita style things. They may contain cheese, though)
• Agapo ta zoa - I love animals
• I Fisi - the nature
• Choris Kreas - without meat
• Efxaristo - thanks
• Parakalo - please
• Giasu - Hi/Bye
• Kalinichta - good night

Irish Gaelic / Gaeilge

• Is feoilshéantóir mé - I'm a vegetarian
• Ní ithim aon feoil (ná iasc) (ná sicín) - I don't eat meat (nor fish)(nor chicken)
• Ní ólaim bainne - I do not drink milk
• Ní ithim feoil mar ní theastaíonn uaim ainmhithe a mharú - I don't eat meat as I don't want to kill animals
• An bhfuil feoil/iasc sa bhia seo? - Is there meat/fish in this food?
• An bhfuil aon rud ar an mbiachlár gan fheoil? - Is there anything on the menu that doesn't have meat?
• An bhfuil uibheacha sa bhia seo? - Are there eggs in this?

Italian / Italiano

• Sono vegetariano/a - I am vegetarian - male/female
• Non mangio carne, nè pollo o pesce - I don't eat meat, chicken or fish.
• Sono vegano/ vegana. - I am vegan - male/female
• sono strettamente vegetariano - I am a strict vegetarian - male/female
• Non bevo il latte - I don't drink milk.
• Non mangio il burro, il formaggio, le uova, o il miele - I don't eat butter, cheese, eggs, or honey.
• Avete un piatto vegetariano? - Do you have a vegetarian dish?
• C'e' un ristorante vegetariano qui vicino? - Is there a vegetarian restaurant near here?
• C'e' del brodo di carne o pollo in questa zuppa? - Is there meat or chicken broth in this soup?
• Io amo gli animali, percio' non li mangio - I love animals, so I don't eat them

Lëtzebuergësch /Luxemburgisch

• Ech sin Végétarier[inn] - I am vegetarian (m/f)
• Véganer - vegan
• Ech eesse keen Déier - I do not eat animals
• Mir gefällt kee Fleesch. - I do not like meat
• Ech eesse kee Botter. Ech eesse (léiwer) Margarinn. - I do not eat butter. I eat (prefer) margarine
• (Kaffi, Téi) ouni Mëllech - coffee / tea - without milk
• végétarisch - vegetarian (adj)
• Ecg hun d'Déiere - dofir eessen ech se nët - I love animals, so I don't eat them

Low Saxon (Low German)

a (now finally officially recognized) minority language in the northern half of Germany and the eastern parts of the Netherlands. (Pronunciation for English speakers in [].)

• Ik bün 'n Vegetarier(sch) [ick buen ve-gheh-TOH-ree-ur(sh)] - I am a vegetarian -- male (female)
• Ik eet keen Fleesch; Hohn or Fisch ook nich. [ick eyt keyn fleysch -- hone or fish oke niH] - I do not eat meat, neither chicken or fish.
• Ik eet (keen) Eier, Melk or Kääs'. [ick eyt (keyn) I-ur, melk or kehz] - I [do not] eat eggs, milk or cheese
• Wilket Eten kann ik hier eten? [VIL-ket EYtn kahn ick heer EYtn] - Which dish here can I eat?
• Eten mit Melk binnen [EYtn mit melk binn] - Food containing dairy; Vagel(s) [FOH-gl(ss)] - Fowl; Honnig [HON-niH] - Honey
• Ik heff Deerten leef; daarwegen do ik se nich eten. [ick heff DEYRtn leyf; DOHR-vehgng doe ick zey niH EYtn] - I love animals, so I don't eat them.

Maltese

• Jiena Vegitarjan/a - I am vegetarian - male/female
• Jiena ma nikolx laham - I don't eat meat
• Jien ma nikolx laham jew hut - I don't eat meat or fish.
• Jien Ma nixrobx halib - I don't drink milk
• majjal - pork ; bajd - eggs ; hut - fish ; tigieg - chicken
• Is there a vegetarian restaurant near here? - Fejn nista insib ikel vegitarjan fil vicin?

Welsh / Cymraeg

• Rydw i'n llysieuwr [Rudd-oo een LLush-*ay*-ur] - I am a vegetarian
• Dydw i ddim yn bwyta cig neu cyw ia+r [Duddoo ee *THim* un *boy*-tah keeg nay queue ee-*arrr* (roll that r)] - I do not eat meat or chicken
• Rydw i'n (Dydw i ddim yn) bwyta wyau, llaeth a chaws. [Rudd-oo een (duddoo ee *THim* un) *boy*-tah *oi*-yeh, LL-eye-th aa CHowsss] - I do (do not) eat eggs, milk and cheese
• Pa un o'r rheiny alla i bwyta? [*Paah* een oooRrrr *rainy* aLL-ah ee *boy*-tah?] - which of these dishes could I eat
• LL - Line tongue around roof of mouth so air can escape only at the back and underneath - smile - and push air out fast narrowing the gap to make it louder.
• TH as in 'THem'
• CH as in 'J.S. BaCH'
• 'tah' as 'ta' in 'tank'

West Lombard (Insubrian)

• Mi mangji no la carna - I don't eat meat
• Ij bestij hin me amiz, mi mangji no ij me amiz - animals are my friends, I don't eat my friends
• Mi sun no raçista, mi sun no speçista - I am not racist, I am not specist
• Mi sun dree a minga mangjà ij oeuf, lacj u furmaj - I try to not eat eggs and milk or cheese

Albanian

• Unë jam vegjetarian - I'm vegetarian
• Unë nuk ha mish - I don't eat meat
• Unë i dua kafshët prandaj nuk i ha ato - I love animals so I don't eat them
• Unë nuk ha peshk,qumësht dhe vezë - I don't eat fish,milk and eggs
• Më falni unë jam vegjetarian - Excuse me I'm vegetarian
• A keni diqka vegjetariane? - Do you have something that is vegetarian?

Bulgarian

Phonetic approximation:
'g' is pronounced as in "gear"
'y' is pronounced as 'a' in 'vegAn'
'c' is pronounced as 'ts
; 'j'/'y' is always pronounced as a short 'e'
'zh' is pronounced as a (soft) French 'g' or a softer version of English 'g' in 'vegetarian'
'i' is pronounced as in Cyrilic
'e' is pronounced as in 'vEgan'

• Az sym vegetarianec - I am vegetarian
• Az ne iam meso - I don't eat meat
• Obicham jivotnite i zatowa ne gi iam - I love animals so I don't eat them
• Ne jam meso/riba/jajca/mljako/sirene/kashkaval/med/kiselo mljako - I don't eat meat/fish/eggs/milk/feta/cheese/honey/yogurt
• Imate li neshto vegetariansko? - Do you have anything vegetarian?
• Imate li neshto bez meso/riba/jajca/mljako/sirene/kashkaval/med/kiselo mljako - Do you have anything without meat/fish/eggs/milk/feta/cheese/honey/yogurt?
• Ima li nablizo vegetarianski restorant? - Is there a vegetarian restaurant nearby?
• Predpochitam presni plodove i zelenchuci - I prefer fresh fruits and vegetables
• mlechni produkti - milk products
• (ne) jam - I (don't) eat
• (ne) pija - i (don't) drink
• Mozhe li edna shopska salata bez sirene? - May I have a "shopska" salad without feta?
• V tazi supa ima li meso? - Is there any meat in the soup?
• V tova jadene ima li meso? - Is there any meat in this meal?
• Ne jam nishto gotveno v zhivotinska maznina - I don(t eat anything cooked in animal fat

ajrjan -- a yogurt drink which is served as a a non-alcoholic drink, so beware!
shopska salata - a salad with fresh vegetables and grated feta
oil - the bottled oil in the shops is usually sunflower oil

Croatian

• Ja sam vegetarijanac [male]/ vegetarijanka [female] - I am a vegetarian
• Ja sam strogi vegetarijanac [male]/ vegetarijanka [female] - I am a strict vegetarian - male/female
• Ne jedem meso, piletinu ni ribu. - I don't eat meat, chicken or fish.
• Ne pijem mlijeko. - I don't drink milk.
• Ne jedem maslac, sir, jaja ni med. - I don't eat butter,cheese, eggs, or honey.
• Ne jedem meso, jaja, ribu, sir, mlijeko. - I do not eat meat/eggs/fish/milk/cheese.
• Imate li nesto vegetarijansko? - Do you have a vegetarian dish?
• Ima li blizu vegetarijanski restoran? - Is there a vegetarian restaurant near here?
• Da li u ovoj juhi ima mesa? / Da li je to mesna juha - Is there any meat in this soup? / Is it a meat soup?
• Ne jedem nista kuhano na zivotinjskoj masnoci (slanini ili salu) - I do not eat anything cooked in animal fat (bacon or lard)
• Volim zivotinje, pa ih zato ne jedem. - I love animals, and that's why I don't eat them.

Czech

• Jsem vegetarian(ka) - I'm vegetarian. -(fe)male
• Jsem vegan(ka) - I'm vegan. -(fe)male
• Nejim maso, vejce a syry - I don't eat meat, eggs and cheese
• Nepiji mleko - I don't drink milk
• Mate take nejaka vegetarianska jidla? - Do you have any vegetarian dishes also?
• Mam rad(a) zvirata - I like animals. - (fe)male
• Rad(a) jim cerstvou zeleninu a ovoce - I like to eat fresh vegetables and fruits. -(fe)male
• Je v teto polevce ( v tomto jidle ) maso? - Is there any meat in this soup (in this meal)?

Estonian

• Ma olen taimetoitlane - I am a vegetarian
• Ma ei söö liha - I do not eat meat
• Ma ei söö kala ega kana - I do not eat fish or chicken either
• Ma ei söö piimatooteid - I do not eat milk products
• Ma ei söö muna - I do not eat egg
• Ma armastan loomi, ma ei söö neid - I love animals, I do not eat them.

Georgian

• Me vegetarianeli var - I'm a vegetarian
• Me ar vcham horts da arts tevzs - I don't eat meat or fish
• Gakvt vegetarianuli sachmeli? - Have you got any vegetarian food?
• Me mikvars tskovelebi da ar vcham mat - I love animals, so I don't eat them
• Me mkatsri vegetarianeli var - I'm a vegan

Hungarian / Magyar

• Vegetáriánus vagyok. - I'm vegetarian
• Nem eszek húst / halat / zsírt / tojást / tejet / sajtot / tejterméket / mézet. - I don't eat meat / fish / animal fat / egg / milk / cheese / dairy-products / honey
• Szeretem az állatokat, ezért nem eszem meg õket. - I love animals, so I don't eat them
• Van a közelben vegetáriánus vendéglõ? - Is there a vegetarian restaurant near here?)
• Van vegetáriánus ételük? - Do you have any vegetarian dishes?

Latvian

• es esu vegetarietis - I am a vegetarian
• Es needu galu - I don´t eat meat
• Es needu zivis - I don´t eat fish

Lithuanian

• Ash vegetar(eh)as - I'm vegetarian. -(fe)male
• Ash vegan(eh)as - I'm vegan. -(fe)male
• Ash nevalgau mehsos - I don't eat meat
• Ar turite vegetarishku patiekalu - Do you have any vegetarian dishes also?
• Ar chia yra mehsos? - Is there any meat in this in this meal?

Polish

Original [Phonetic approximation (British spellings?)] (Translation)

• Jestem wegetarianinem (male)/ wegetarianka (female) [yestem vegetarianinem/vegetariankauw] - I am a vegetarian
• Nie jem miesa, drobiu, ryb, jajek, sera. [nyea yem miowsa, drobewe, rip, yayek, serah] - I do not eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese
• Nie pije mleka [nyea piaow mleka] - I don't drink milk
• Czy sa dania wegetarianskie/ jarskie? [tCHey soww danya vegetarianski/yaraskia] - Do you have vegetarian dishes?
• Nie jem nabialu.(easy to read "nabialu" as it is) I do not eat diary products (containing milk and egg products)
• Nie jem produktow zwierzecych.(read "sweshenzikh" I do not eat animal products (made of animals). Some may understand this as if you do not eat milk,eggs products as well but not nrcesserly.They will take you for an vegetarian.
• PRONOUNCIATION
  SZ like english SH as in "shovel"
  J like eng. Y as in "yes"
  C similar to eng. "S" (not quite but, it'll get you by)
  W like eng. V
  I like eng. "EE" as in "feed"
• Szukam restalracje wegeterjanska - I'm looking for a vegetarian restaraunt.
  Read: shu-kam re-staw-rac-ye ve-ge-ter-yan-skon
• Jestem weganinem/weganka - I'm a vegan (male/female respectively).
  Read: ye-stem ve-ga-nee-nem/ve-gan-kon

• Polish word for vegan is wegan but it is still not recognized by people. Being a vegetarian is still a surprise to many. They may understand your request for not eating milk products because some people don't for other health reasons. You must still explain what you don't want on your plate.In this case the safest way is to say specificly what you want.
• note: Jestem jaroszem.Old Polish name for vegetarian.(read "yaroshem")That means usualy that you do not eat any meat. Some may ask you if you take the fish. Eggs and milk products are not taken to consideration in this case.

Romanian / Româna

• eu sunt vegetarian - I am a vegetarian
• eu sunt vegetariana - I am a vegetarian (female)
• eu mananc numai vegetarian - I eat only vegetarian
• eu sunt strict vegetarian - I am strictly vegetarian
• eu sunt vegan - I am vegan
• aveti cumva si preparate vegetariene? - do you have any vegetarian dishes?
• exista vreun restaurant vegetarian prin apropiere? - Is there any vegetarian restaurant near here?
• exista cumva carne sau zeama de pui in aceasta supa? - Is there any meat or chicken broth in this soup?
• eu nu mananc nimic gatit in grasimi animale (slanina sau seu) - I don't eat anything cooked in animal fat (bacon or lard)
• aceasta mancare este vegetariana? - is this food vegetarian?
• aveti cumva vreun fel de mancare fara carne? - do you have any dish without meat?
• branza de soia - tofu
• branza - cheese
• carne - meat (including pork, chicken, fish)
• eu mananc oua, lapte si branza - I eat eggs, milk and cheese
• eu nu beau lapte - I don't drink milk
• eu nu mananc - I don't eat
• eu nu mananc carne, branza, lapte, oua, miere - I don't eat meat, cheese, milk, eggs, honey
• eu nu mananc carne nici peste nici pasare - I don't eat meat, nor fish nor chicken
• eu nu mananc carne oua sau branzeturi - I don't eat meat, eggs or dairy products
• eu nu mananc deloc carne de vita, porc sau pasare - I don't eat any meat, pork or chicken
• eu nu pot manca - I can't eat
• eu nu pot manca nici macar sucuri de carne - I can't eat even broth
• imi place sa mananc fructe si legume proaspete - I like to eat fresh fruits and vegetables
• lapte - milk
• lapte de orez - rice milk
• lapte de soia - soy milk
• mie nu-mi place carnea - I don't like meat
• miere - honey
• nu, nu doresc peste - no, I don't want any fish
• nu puneti nici un fel de carne - do not put any kind of meat
• oua - eggs
• peste - fish
• produse lactate- dairy products
• pui - chicken
• eu iubesc animalele asa ca nu le mananc - I love animals, so I don't eat them

Russian (phonetic)

• Ya ve-ge-ta-ri-aa-nyets/ve-ge-ta-ri-aanka - I am vegetarian (male/female)
• Ya bi kho-tyel/kho-tye-la chto nibud' byez myasa, ribi ili pti-tsi. - I would like something without meat, fish or poultry.
• Yah nye yem meeyasa. - I don't eat meat
• Ya ni lyublyoo myaso - I don't like meat
• Yah nye yem rihbu. - I don't eat fish
• Ya nye yem ni myasa, ni ribi, ni pti-tsi. - I don't eat meat, fish, poultry,
• Yetot sup na myas-nom bul'onye? - Is there meat broth in this soup?
• Ya mogu yest' sir i yaitsa i pit' moloko. - I can eat cheese and eggs and drink milk.
• Ya nye yem sir i yaitsa i nye p'yu mo-lo-ko. - I can not eat cheese and eggs and drink milk.
• Yah nye pyooh mahlahko eeee yah nye yem sihr. - I don't drink milk and I don't eat cheese
• Kofye bez mo-lo-ka, po-zha-lui-sta. - Coffee without milk, please.
• Yah lyublyu gihvahtnihh poehtahmuh yah nye yem eeh - I love animals, so I don't eat them

Serbian

• Ja sam vegetarijanac/vegetarijanka - I am a vegetarian - male/female
• Ne jedem meso, piletinu niti ribu - I do not eat meat, chicken or fish.
• Ne pijem mleko. - I do not drink milk.
• Ne jedem puter, sir, jaja. - I do not eat butter,cheese, eggs.
• Imate li neko vegetarijansko jelo? - Do you have a vegetarian dish?
• Ima li blizu vegetarijanski restoran? - Is there a vegetarian restaurant near here?
• Volim zivotinje i zato ih ne jedem. - I love animals, so I don't eat them.
• Bez mesa - without meat
• Molim vas - please ; Hvala - thank you

Slovakian / Slovensko

'vegetarian' is pronounced with "g" like in "gear"

• Som vegetarian(ka) - I am a vegetarian (fe)male
• Som vegan(ka) (vaegun) - I am a vegan. (fe)male
• Nejem maso, ryby, mlieko, vajcia - I don't eat meat, fish, milk and eggs
• Mate vegetarianske jedlo (yedlo) ? - Do you serve some vegetarian meal?
• Je toto jedlo vegetarianske? - Is this meal vegetarian?
• Kde je vegetarianska restauracia? - Where is some vegetarian restaurant?

Slovenian

• Jaz sem vegetarijanec - I'm a vegetarian
• sem strogi vegetarijanec - I'm a strict vegetarian
• Ne jem mesa - I don't eat meat
• Ne maram mesa - I don't like meat
• Ne jem mleka in jajc - I don't eat milk and eggs
• Oprostite, sem vegetarijanec - excuse me, I'am a vegetarian
• imate kaj vegetarijanskega - do you have something that is vegetarian?
• je kje v blizini kaksna vegetarijanska restavracija? - is here near by any vegetarian restaurant?

Cantonese

• NGall Tsi Sik Sul (I only eat vegetarian)

The G, beginning N , k, beginning T all have a very light influence in how they are pronounced...And Tsi is close to 'see'

• The IVU Passport - phrases in Chinese characters for printing: Simplified Chinese for mainland China -- Traditional Chinese for Taiwan

Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)

(See also Malay: Indonesian and Malaysian are 90% the same)

• Saya tidak makan daging - I don't eat meat
• Saya tidak bisa makan daging - I can't eat meat -- sometimes more useful than the above
• Janganlah pakai daging - please don't use meat
• Minta jangan pakai MSG/Ajinomoto/Bijin - Please don't put on MSG
• Minta tidak pakai es - please no ice
• Minta tidak pakai gula - please no sugar
• Saya suka sayur campur dengan tempe, tahu, dan kecap kacang. - I like mixed vegetables with tempe, tofu and peanut sauce.
• Dan nasi - putih/coklat/merah/hitam - And rice - white/brown/red/black
• Dan minum: es teh, jus: jeruk, mangga, papaya, - And drink: ice tea, orange juice, mango juice, papaya juice
• Saya mau beli buah, sayur, nasi, tempe, tahu, roti, mie - I want to buy fruit, veggies, rice, tempe, tofu, bread, noodles

Japanese

• Watashi wa bejetarian desu - I'm a vegetarian (see note below)
• Shojin ryori [show-zine ryo-ree] - vegetarian cuisine, usually Buddist style
• Saishoku-shugi ryori wa arimasuka? - Do you have any vegetarian meals?
• Shojin ryori wa yatte imasuka? - Do you serve vegetarian foods?
• Watashi wa .. - insert one of the following words here) o itadakimasen. (I don't eat ......)
1. niku (nee-koo) - meat
2. sakana (sa-kah-nah) - fish
3. tori (tor-ree) - chicken (or any type of poultry)
4. tamago (tah-margo) - egg
5. gyunyu (giu-new) - milk
6. nyu seihin (new say-hinn) - dairy products

• Buta niku - pork
• Gyu niku - beef
• Tori niku - chicken

These literally mean "pig meat", "cow meat" and "chicken meat", respectively. Nashi means without. So no meat would be Niku nashi; Buta niku nashi; Gyu niku nashi; Tori niku nashi

NOTE: for many people the English word "vegetarian" is already a familiar, well-known word; but in the rural areas or if you talk to an old person, please use the word "Saishoku shugisha" [sigh-shoh-koo shoo-gee-sha], a Japanese word for vegetarian. (Don't worry about this word if you are just visiting Tokyo -- just say "vegetarian".)

• The IVU Passport - phrases in Japanese characters for printing

Korean

• Chae sheek joowee imm nee da - I am vegetarian.
• Gogi - (Pronounced with hard "g"'s and long "o"): Beef / Meat.
• Gogi han mogoyo - I don't eat meat.
• Gogi han droguh-nun mo issoyo? - What is there that doesn't have meat?
• Gogi no chi maseyo - Don't put in any meat
• Tway jee gogi: Pork
• Sang song / Mool gogi: Fish
• Cho gae - Shellfish, many times put in soup (like in a miso type soup)
• Anny yo -no. ("Anny" is pronounced more like "on ny." "yo" is a polite way of saying something)
• Upp so yo- Leave out, none, finished, etc.
• Chu say yo - "I want, please" said after the statement.
• Gogi anny yo - no meat or Gogi upp so yo - meat none / leave outetc though Koreans may think "meat" means "beef" only.

A safe dish (that gets tiring after a long time of it exclusively) is ("Ya chae) bib im bap" a large bowl of rice with finely sliced vegetables and maybe seaweed on top.

Malay (Bahasa Malaysia)

(See also Indonesian: Malaysian and Indonesian are 90% the same)

• Saya seorang vegetarian - I am a vegetarian -- nb: rural areas may not be familiar with the phrase.
• Saya tidak makan daging, ayam atau makanan laut - I dont eat meat, chicken nor seafood
• Saya tidak makan telur - I dont eat eggs)
• Tolong jangan bubuh kichap tiram, udang kering, sotong atau apa-apa jenis makanan yang ada daging/ayam/makanan laut/telur - please do not cook with any oyster sauce, dried prawns, squid or any foods with meat/chicken/seafood/eggs.
• Adakah makanan ini mengandungi daging/ayam/makanan laut/telur ? - does this dish contain any meat/chicken/seafood/eggs?
• Sayur - vegetables; Nasi - rice; Banyak sayur-sayuran - lots of vegetables; Terima kasih - thank you

Mandarin

• wo chi su. - I am a vegetarian
• wo bu chi rou, wo chi shu cai. - I don't eat meat, I eat vegetable
• wo bu xihuan chi rou - I don't like to eat meat
• wo bu chi yu - I don't eat fish
• wo bu chi ji - I don't eat chicken
• wo bu chi dan - I don't eat egg
• wo bu chi niunai - I don't drink milk
• wo he nai - I drink milk
• Wo bu chi su liao - I do not eat meat analogs
• zhe li you mai su shi ma - Do you sell vegetarian food?
• Wo3 ai4 dong4 wu4, suo2 yi3 wo3 bu4 chi1 ta1 men [Wau AYE DONG-oo, SWAU-ee wau BOO CHR tah-men] - I love animals, so I don't eat them

• The IVU Passport - phrases in Chinese characters for printing: Simplified Chinese for mainland China -- Traditional Chinese for Taiwan

Mongolian

• Bi mahgui hool iddeg (I'm a vegetarian)
• Ta nadad mahgui hool bolon zagasnii mahgui hool hiij ogooch? (Could you prepare a meal without meat or fish?)

Thai

• The word for "I" in Thai is phom (for men) or chan (for women)
• The Thai language has basically two words for vegetarian food:
1. ahaan mangsawirat - no beef/chicken/pork/fish/seafood but can contain eggs. Milk is not commonly used in Thai cooking
2. ahaan jay - strict vegetarian/vegan, nothing of animal origin but also no garlic, onions, strong spices etc
• phom/chan thaan mangsawirat/jay thawnan - I only eat vegetarian food
• phom/chan pen mangsawirat/jay I am a vegetarian
• phom/chan mai (pronounced like "I" with an m in front and with a falling tone) thaan nua/muu/gai/khai/plaa/kung/puu/ahaan talay - I don't eat beef/pork/chicken/eggs/fish/prawn/crab/seafood
• phom/chan choop thaan ahaan mangsawirat/jay maak kwaa I prefer to eat vegetarian food
• Choop thaan kaaw krong kap kaeng panaeng tawhu/jay I like to eat vegetarian panaeng curry
• Khaaw - means rice provided you pronounce is pronounced with a falling tone. Otherwise is may mean nine, white or news or .....
• Khaaw (falling tone) khaaw (rising tone), white rice
• Khaaw krong brown rice
• Khaaw daeng/khaaw man puu red rice
• Khaaw niaow dam black sticky rice
• Mai (falling tone) phet - not hot
• Phet - hot
• Phet maak - very hot
• Mai sai (pronounced lke "I" with s in front) naam plaa - don't put fish sauce
• Mai sai phong churot - don't put MSG
• Mai sai naam kaduuk tii tom jaak nua/muu/gai/khai/plaa - pleased don't put broth made from beef/pork/chicken/eggs/fish
• Phom/chan choop thaan mansawirat/jay chen phat, polamay, kaaw, tawhu like to eat vegetarian food e.g. vegetables, fruits, rice, tofu
• Phom/chan yaak suu phat, tawhu, kwaytiaw, polamay, kanom phang I would like to buy vegetables, tahu, noodles, fruiits, bread
• Khray khaay khai gai who sells chicken eggs

• The IVU Passport - phrases in Thai characters for printing

Vietnamese

• Do Chay /Dou Chai Vegetarian Food.; Thuc An Chay - Vegetarian Food
• Co Do Chay Khong A? /Koo Dou Chai Khoong Aa? Do you have Vegetarian Food.
• Toi Khong An Thit, Tom, Ca /Toi khoong aang theet, tom, kaa I do not eat meat, shrimp and fish (Note: Because, in Vietnam, sometimes, meat exclude fish and shrimp.)
• Khong Thit / Khoong Theet No Meat.
• Khong Tom / Khoong tom No Shrimp
• Khong Ca: /Khoong Ka No Fish
• Khong An /Khoong Ang No .... (Fish, crab...)
• Khong Da / Khoong Daa No Ice
• Khong Duong: /Khoong Duoong No Sugar
• Cam on (Come on like in English but pronounced slowly) Thank you.
• Dau - Soy; Sua Dau Nanh /Sua Dau Naanh Soya Milk; Dau Hu tofu
• An man = Khong An Chay - Non-Vegetarian; Thit Bo /Theet Boo Beef (Like the "o" of shore); Thit Heo / Theet Heo Pork (Like "Fail"); Ca /Kaa Fish ; Tom /Tom Shrimp; Ga /Ga Chicken (Like "car"); Cua / Kua Crab (Like "Sure"); Do An Bieng seafood
• Trung / Truung Egg (Like the "U" in French); Sua Bo /Sua Boo Cow Milk. ; Sua Trau /Sua Trau Buffalo Milk (Like "Cow"); Sua De /Sua llae She-goat milk.
• Sach Se khong? /Saach Se khoong? Is it clean?
• Toi Khong An ...(Toi khoong ang I do not eat ...
• Trai Cay / Trai Kai Fruit.; Tao - Apple; Chuoi - Banana; Quyt - Mandarine = Tangerine; Soai - Mango; Cam - Orange, Du Du - Papaya; Thom / Khom - Pineapple; Dau Da Lat - Strawberry;
• Toi Muon Mua trai cay /Toi Muon Mua Trai Cai I like to buy fruits.
• Sinh To (sounds like oh?) fruit mixed drink
• Tra - Tea; Ca Fe - Coffee; Nuoc Suoi - Mineral water; Nuoc nau soi = Nuoc dun soi - Boiled water; Nuoc Da - Ice cube
• Rau /Rau Vegetable (Like "Cow"); Rau Song /Rau Soong Raw Vegetables; Rau Luot /Rau Luot Boiled Vegetables (Like "quote")
• Kho Qua - Bitter Gourd; Ca Rot - Carrot; Bong Cai - Cauliflower; Dua Leo - Cucumber; Hanh La - Fine herbs; Toi - Garlic; Bi - Gourd; Dau O Ve - Green beans; Dau Bap - Lady finger; Cai xa Lach - Lettuce = Salad; Nam - Mushroom; Cu Hanh - Onion; Dau Po Ti Poa - Petit Pois; Khoai Tay - Potato; Rong Bien - Sea Weeds; Rau den - Spinach; Khoai Lang - Sweet Potato; Ca To Mat - Tomato; Hot Dieu - Cashew Nut; Dua - Coconut; Mang Cau xiem - Sour Soup; Mang Cau ta - Sweet Soup; Me - Tamarind; Dua Hau - Water Melon; Ngu Coc - Cereals; Com - Rice; Me = Vung - Sesame
• Just put "Aa!" at the end of an expression to show the idea of ordering something like "Please" in English. Please pitch down when you say so.

Afrikaans

• Ek is 'n vegetariër - I am a vegetarian
• Ek eet nie vleis, hoender of vis nie - I don't eat meat, poultry or fish
• Ek hou nie van vleis nie - I don't like meat
• Ek eet nie eiers of melk nie - I don't eat milk and eggs
• Het julle enige vegetariese geregte? - Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
• Ek is lief vir diere, daarom eet ek hulle nie - I love animals, so I don't eat them

Amharic (Ethiopia)

• Sega albellam - I don't eat meat

Arabic

• Ana Nabatee - I am vegetarian [male]
• Ana Nabateeya - I am vegetarian [female]
• Mish Akool Lahma walla Ferekh khalis - I don't eat meat or chicken at all
• Ana nbattee. Ana laa akul lohhoom. - I am vegetarian. I don't eat any meat.

Armenian

• yes/menk` busa'ker=banjara'ker em/enk` (sg./pl.). - [I am/we are] vegetarian
• yes/menk` 1:anasun 2:(&spanvatz) anasunits &statsvatz vo(r)yeve nyut` 3:mis 4:yershik 5:hav 6:haveghen 7:dzuk 8:panir 9:kat` 10:karag 11: dzu=havkit` 12:megh(&)r 'chem/chenk` utum//x&mum. - I/we don't eat//drink 1:animals 2:anything from (slaughtered) animals 3:meat 4:sausage 5:chicken 6:poultry 7:fish 8:cheese 9:milk 10:butter 11:eggs 12:honey
• yes/menk` u'tum//x&'mum enk` panir/kat`/etc. - I/we do eat//drink cheese/milk/etc.
• yes/menk` panir/kat`/etc. u'tum//x&'mum em/enk`. - I/we eat//drink cheese/milk/etc.
• yes/menk` si'rum em/enk` anasunner&, n&rants 'chem/chenk` utum. - I/we love animals, I/we don't eat them.

Words separated by = are synonyms, e.g. you can say dzu or havkit`. "ch" as in English "chip"; "s" always sharp (unvoiced) as in "case"; "x" like "ch" in "loch" or Germ. "ach"; "gh" is its voiced counterpart. "&" like "a" in "about" (schwa); p`, t` and k` are aspirated. The apostrophe *preceding* a syllable means that syllable is more strongly stressed; a, e, i, o, u as in Spanish (or Italian), approximately as in part, get (fête), clique, note, Luke, but shorter. [` = ` (grave accent)]

Farsi

• Man Giyah jharam - I am a vegetarian
• Man gousht nemikhoram - I don't eat meat

Hebrew

• Ani tsimchoni(t) - I am a (female) vegetarian.
• Ani t'ivoni(t) - I am (female) vegan
• V'ani lo ochel(et) chalav o g'vinah. - And I don't eat milk or cheese.
• Ani lo ochel(et) dagim. - I don't eat fish
• yesh lachem mana tsimhonit? - do you have a vegeterian dish?
• yesh basviva misaada tsimhonit? - is there a vegeterian restourant near by?
• Basar ze retzach - meat is murder
• Ani lo ochel(et) betzim - I don't eat eggs
• Ani lo ochel(et) dvash - I don't eat honey
• Ani lo mishtamesh(et) be`or - I don't use leather
• Ani ohev(et) chayot, az ani lo ochel(et) otan [accent on last syllables] - I love animals, so I don't eat them
• most of the people that live in Israel know English well (it's taught as a 2nd language!) so give it a try with people between the ages of 12-65.

Kurdish

• Ez gosht naxwim / Mn gosht nakhwim - I do not eat meat.

Malagasy (language of Madagascar)

• Izaho tsy mihinan-kena - I don't eat meat

Swahili (East Africa)

More precisely: Kiswahili, the language of the Swahili

• Mimi sili nyama walla kuku - I eat neither meat nor chicken
• Mimi sili nyama - I don't eat meat
• Mimi sili mayai - I don't eat eggs
• Mimi sili nguruwe - I don't eat pork
• Ng'ombe - beef/cow; Maziwa - milk; Samaki fish

Tigrigna (Eritrea)

• Ane siga aybel'en eye. - I don't eat meat
• Ane hamli tiray ybel'e. - I eat only vegetable
• Ane wala derho aybel'en eye. - I don't even eat chicken.
• Ane sebeyti eye. - I am a woman ; ane seb'ay eye. - I am a man.
• Siga - meat ; Hamli - vegetable ; Bani - bread
• Ane - I
• Nsikha - you (male) ; Nsikatkum - you (plural male)
• Nsikhi - you (female) ; Nsikatkn - you (plural female)
• Nsu - he ; Nsa - she ; Nhna - we
• Nsatom - they (male) ; Nsaten - they (female)

Turkish

• Vejeteryaným - I am a vegetarian
• Et yemiyorum - I don't eat meat
• Hic et yiyemem [heech et yee-yeh-mem] - I can't eat any meat
• Et suyu bile yiyemem. - I can't even eat meat juices
• ... yiyemem - I can't eat ...
• Et yiyemem - I can't eat meat
• Tavuk [tah-vook] - chicken
• Pilic [pee-leech] - chicken
• Yumurta [yoo-moor-tah] - egg
• BalIk [bah-luck] - fish
• Etsiz yemek var mI? [Et-seez yeh-mek var muh?] - Do you have any dishes without meat?
• Etsiz sebze yemeði - Vegetable dish without meat

Gujarati (West India)

• Hu maas machili nathi khato - I do not eat meat or fish
• Hu shuddh shakahari chu - I am a pure vegetarian.
• Hu doodh ane doodh thi baneli vastu nathi khato - I do not consume milk or milk products
• Houn gosh ane machi nathy khato (masculine)/khati (feminine): I do not eat either meat or fish

Hindi (India)

• Main Shakahari hoon - I am a vegeterian.
• Main Shuddh Shakahaari Hoon.- I am a pure vegetarian.
• Main maas-machhli nahin khata/khati (masculine/feminine) hoon. - I do not eat meat [includes poultry] or fish.
• Main sirf shakahari khana khata/khati huin.- I eat vegetarian food only.

Kannada (South India)

• Naanu shaakaahaari - I am a vegetarian
• Naanu maamsa thinnuvudillaa - I do not eat meat
• nanu motte thinnuvudhilla - I don't eat eags
• nanu meenu thinnolla - I don't eat fish.
• nanu halannu kudiyodhilla - I don't drink milk.
• mosaru = curds, majjige = buttermilk, benne = butter
• nanu hannu/hampalavannu thinnuthhene - I eat fruits/vegetables

Malayalam (language of the State of Kerala, India)

• Njan Sasyabhokkanu - I am a vegetarian
• Sasyaharam Manushyane Aarogyavanakkunnu - Vegetarian food makes human healthy

Marathi (India)

• Mi shaakaahaari aahe - I am a vegetarian
• Mi maams khaat naahi - I do not eat meat

Mizo (Mizoram, India)

• Sa ka ei lo - I don't eat meat
• Sa ei lo mi ka ni a - I am a vegetarian
• Artui, bawnghnute leh cheese ka ei lo - I don't comsume Eggs, milk and cheese
• Sa ei lo dik tak ka ni - I am a pure vegetarian

Nepali

• hami sakahari haun - we are vegetarian
• Malai maasu nakhanne - I don't eat meat
• Ma mansu khanna! I do not eat meat!
• Malai maasu monpardaina - I don't like meat
• Malai dudh ra phul nakhanne - I don't eat milk and eggs
• Ma machha khanna! - I do not eat fish!
• Ma sudha sakahari hoon ! - I am pure vegetarian!
• Ma dudh, dahi, moi, gheu, nauni, tar, phool khanna! - I do not eat curd, buttermilk, ghee, butter, cream, eggs!

Tamil (South India)

(capital letters are elongated vowels. E.g., nAn rhymes with 'pawn')

• nAn saivam - I am vegetarian
• nAn saiva sAppAdu-thAn sAppiduven - I eat only vegetarian food
• nAn asaivam sAppiduvathu illai - I don't eat non-vegetarian food
• nAn mAmisam sAppiduvathu illai - I don't eat meat
• nAn meen sAppiduvathu illai - I don't eat fish
• nAn kozhi sAppiduvathu illai - I don't eat poultry
• nAn muttai sAppiduvathu illai - I don't eat eggs
• nAn pAl sAppiduvathu illai (or:) nAn pAl kudippathu illai -I don't eat (!) (drink) milk
• anan kaikari mathum sapuduven - I only eat vegetables

Telugu (India)

• Nenu maamsamu chepalu thinanu - I don't eat meat or fish
• Nenu shudda shaakaahaarini - I am a pure vegetarian
• Nenu gudlu, paalu, venna tinanu. - I do not consume eggs, milk or butter
• pAlu, majjigA paravA lEdu - Milk and buttermilk are OK

There is no equivalent for Cheese in Telugu.

Esperanto

• Mi estas vegetarano. [mee EST-ahs veh-geh-tah-RAH-noh] - I am a vegetarian
• Mi estas vegetalano. [mee EST-ahs veh-geh-tah-LAH-noh] - I am a vegan
• Mi ne man^gas viandon, fi^sa^jon, ova^jon, a~u lakta^jon. [mee neh MAHN-jahs vee-AHN-dohn, fee-SHAH-zhohn, oh-VAH-zhohn, ow lahk-TA-zhohn.] - I don't eat meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products
• ^Cu vi havas iujn vegetarajn pladojn? [choo vee HAH-vahs EE-ooyn veh-geh-TAH-rine PLAH-doyn] - Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
• Mi amas bestojn, tial mi ne man^gas ilin. [Mee AH-mahs BEST-oyn, TEE-ahl mee neh MAHN-jahss EE-leen] - I love animals, so I don't eat them
• Homoj kiuj manghas nur vegetalaj nutrajhoj kutime estas pli pacemaj kaj paciencaj. - People who eat only vegetarian food are usually more peaceful and usually have more patience.

How to overcome the fear of flying

Do you wish you could travel to faraway places and see the world, but start sweating or perhaps even shaking when you realize you'd need to get on a plane to get there? If you have aviophobia, or the fear of flying, here's how to prevent it from limiting your life.

Steps

1. Face the facts. Don't forget that the statistics are on your side. One study found that it's 261 times safer to take a plane from New York to Los Angeles than to drive the same distance. However, if this rational approach isn't doing much to address your irrational fear, then...
2. Know what to expect. A large part of being scared is not knowing what will happen next. Why is the plane going so fast? Why do my ears feel funny? Why does the wing look weird? Why are we hitting turbulence? Why are we being asked to keep our seat belts on? When presented with an unusual circumstance, your first instinct is to assume the worst. To minimize this, learn everything you can about flying. The plane needs to reach a certain speed so that it can take off, your ears are popping because of a change in pressure, certain parts of the wing are supposed to move, and so on: everything that is happening happens every time a plane goes into flight.
3. Learn to meditate. In other words, before you step onto a plane, learn how to control your thoughts. Sit down in a chair, close your eyes, and pretend you are on a plane. When you something strikes your fear and you start feeling anxious, try to stop the thought process--the imagery--from funnelling out of control. Think about something else you're excited about, or at least something that will take your mind off of your fears. Listen to yourself breath. Recite the alphabet backwards. Count to 5,000.
4. Bring doctor-prescribed anti-anxiety medication, just in case. Make an appointment with your MD and explain your situation. Don't wait until you're on the plane and alcohol becomes your only option. Being intoxicated, or taking any kind of drug that is not prescribed by your doctor to address this specific situation, will probably only make things worse.
5. Face your fear head-on by taking flying lessons. There are countless stories of people who've feared something all their lives only to meet it face-to-face one day and discover that the object of their fear was nothing to be afraid of. One way to conquer a phobia is to immerse yourself in it--in what you know is a safe situation (i.e. in the presence of trained professional). With the guidance of a patient instructor, you might find that flying isn't so scary after all.
6. Accept that you are not in control. Risk is a part of life. You never know what's right around the corner. Fear is all about anticipating, worrying, and wanting to control the future. Once you become more comfortable with the idea that what will be will be, flying will not be as much of a threat to your peace of mind.

Tips

• Get an aisle seat. Not only will you be further away from the window, but you'll also have better access to flight attendants.
• Fly with a friend if you can--preferably someone who's flown many times before and isn't scared of it at all.
• Bring things to keep you distracted: an MP3 player, puzzles, magazines, books, a portable DVD player, etc.

All text by WikiHow under a Creative Commons License

Is this the world's sexiest hotel

There is no idea on Earth so bad that it cannot be made significantly worse by the injection of very large sums of money.

Half an hour's drive from Antalya airport in southern Turkey, living proof exists in the record-breaking hulk of the Adam and Eve Hotel on the Belek coastline. The records it boasts of breaking include 'the world's longest bar', 'the world's longest swimming pool' and 'the world's sexiest hotel': two out of three ain't, I suppose, bad.

But it was always going to be doomed, this idea of calling anything 'the world's sexiest', in roughly the same way that any woman will (or should) run a mile from any man who informs them that he's 'well sexy', and men will flee a woman who boasts of being 'dead funny but a bit mad, me!' It would be like trying to go out with Liverpool.

And so, even on the way there - the longish flight to Istanbul and the fabulously frustrating crossover there to the second flight to Antalya, and then the bus, and then the lengthy wait at check-in before we could go to our rooms and find someone else's bags waiting - even then I was thinking fairly bad things about it all. Could it really have sold itself in that way? The 'world's sexiest hotel'? And, if so, wouldn't it end up being some terrible Ferrero Rocher/Austin Powers hybrid?

Yes. Goodness but it's unappealing. It was full, on the weekend I went, of rich Russian types, and their minders, and a number of lady friends who had been flown in the night before and all seemed to share youth and long legs and exuberant good looks and a rather mystifying lack of previous acquaintance with their 'friends'; so perhaps I wasn't seeing it at its true romantic best - but it is, in truth, hard to imagine exactly what that would be.

Yes, the 88m bar is the longest in the world; but if we're going to go for superlatives, how about a few more that don't appear in the badly spelt brochures: the world's slowest and most stupid barstaff (all men), who will manage in an almost magical way to avoid your eye unless you are accompanied by a tall woman, who knows you are accompanied by a thick wallet; the world's most stupid badly signed lift system, but also no stairs, anywhere, so you have to wait for the stupid lift; the world's most annoying traipse back, through almost half a mile of darkened purple terrible Seventies gay porn movie corridors, into whose walls you will stumble about 12 times on your way to get your book just to have something to do while you attempt to eat a horrid international breakfast.


Read more.

How to stay veggie while you travel

Traveler Buzz gives tips on how to stay veggie while you travel.

How the Japanese take photographs

Podcast: Dubai

Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Hotel overview of the Sheraton Deisuru. Where to shop in Dubai.Sound-scene tour of the Gold and Spice Souk area. Music by John Morgan Newbern from CDBABY

Five best celebrity stays

From extravagant mansions to discreet retreats, step into the shoes of the rich and famous.

Twin Palms Sinatra Estate, US
Twin Palms witnessed some of the most sensational scenes of Frank Sinatra's marital life and still bears the scars - a chip remains in a bathroom sink where he hurled a Champagne bottle after a row with Ava Gardner.

Designed by E Stewart Williams in 1947, the four-bedroom,seven-bathroom home is an imposingexample of mid-century architecture. Its linear structure centres around the piano-shaped pool.

Lunuganga, Sri Lanka
Lunuganga offers guests the chance to explore the private world of Sri Lanka's most celebrated architect. Geoffrey Bawa spent 40 years transforming this abandoned rubber estate into his tropical idyll, which, for eight months of the year, is open only to resident artists.

But the plantation house, with its four antique-filled suites and elegant courtyards, opens to the public from December to April. Shrouded by lush Italianate gardens, it offers breathtaking views over a lake and jungle. For the ultimate in seclusion, choose Cinnamon Hill - a separate two-bedroom cottage overlooking the rice fields and lake.

Château de la Colle Noire, France
Once the location for glittering parties and stylish weekends, Christian Dior's former holiday-home is now available to rent. The fashion designer bought it in the 1950s and, with the help of architect Andre Svetchine, restored it to its 19th-century glory.

Dior's opulent style is reflected in the lavish interiors, which have been meticulously maintained. The 14-bedroom château's doors open onto a dramatic, Roman-style circular hall, which leads to rooms filled with elegant furnishings, including a grand piano. The surrounding 12-acre park also conceals a swimming pool, tennis court and private chapel.

Read more

Slideshow: Maldives

Travel agents book flights to space

A Maine travel agent can book a flight to most places on Earth. Soon she'll be able to book your flight to the stars, reports AP.

Pamela Hurley-Moser was one of 45 agents across North America selected for training to become an "accredited space agent." That means that eventually she'll be able to reserve seats aboard Virgin Galactic's sub-orbital space flights.

The experience won't come cheap for customers.

It's expected to cost $200,000 for a 2 1/2-hour flight 75 miles above the Earth's surface. The first flight isn't scheduled to take off until 2009.

Tips for getting travel bargains

Everyone loves a travel bargain. Here are some tips for finding them and some advice about looking beyond the price tag to be sure you get the service or product you want for that great price.

Be flexible.

If lower priced flights or cheaper airfares are what you are after, you may find that just a little flexibility goes a long way to saving you money, especially if you are flying to a popular destination. Simply by changing your travel dates and, for example, flying on less-traveled days like Tuesdays and Wednesdays, instead of the busier Saturday and Sunday, you can save hundreds of dollars.

In addition to planning a midweek to midweek trip, traveling during off-peak hours in the day such as early in the morning or later at night will usually shave money off your ticket.

Of course, you can be ultra flexible and, rather than picking your destination first, choose a destination based on the best deal available.

Throw aside convention.

If you are not set on a particular destination, you might find some real travel bargains by going to destinations that are currently not on the "top 25" list (but are still safe for travel). Some countries simply fall out of favour with the travelling public and are hungry for travelers’ business. Or, long after a crisis has passed or civil strife has calmed, travelers still stay away in droves and there are tremendous travel deals for the discerning traveler.

If you’re willing to try something a little different in order to save money and have a different travel experience, consider unconventional accommodations. Stay in a convent, a bed and breakfast, a hostel (some are almost like hotels), a country inn, a barge, or a self-catering apartment or cottage. Many travel agents have the inside track about these lesser-known forms of accommodation and can help you reserve with a reputable booking service.

Travel off-season.

Maybe you’re not ready to give up your dream of going to a particular destination. But consider going in the low or shoulder season when it is less busy. The shoulder season—just before and after the high season—can be an ideal time for travel, when hotels and car rental may be cheaper, the crowds thinner, and the weather still favorable. Low season can offer even better savings, but you might have less favourable weather (too cool in the northern hemisphere and too hot in the south), and some tourist attractions may be closed. On the other hand, if you like to "go local," off-season is the ideal time to fit in with the natives and see how they live, eat, work and play.

If you dream of cruising but the price gets in the way, consider taking a less expensive repositioning cruise. Twice a year, cruise ships reposition and offer great deals, many on trans-Atlantic trips. Because these long trips consume fuel, the cruiselines want their ships to be full. There may not be many ports of call, but some cruiselines offer special programs geared to the "repo" trip, and you get all the same meals, entertainment and recreation as standard trips for less cost.

Read more.

10-point Caribbean escape plan

Here's a 10-point primer on some of the best island getaways, geared to the kind of vacation you might want to take this winter, whether it’s a week filled with nonstop golf or an escape to a remote island that feels all your own.

For Adventurers: Dominica

For Foodies: Anguilla

For Clubgoers: Trinidad and Tobago

For Golfers: Jamaica

For Budget Travelers: The Dominican Republic

For Beach Bums: Eleuthera

For the Celebrity-Starved: St.-Barthélemy

For Sailors: St. Vincent and the Grenadines

For Families: Aruba

For Hermits: Marie-Galante

Don't forget that with the Cricket World Cup coming up in March, 2007, the entire Caribbean offers a treat for cricket lovers.

Video: Amitabh Bachchan v/s Shahrukh Khan

Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report on the celebrity feud between Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan. It's a kick just to hear him pronounce Preity Zinta's name.

Free: Quran Reader for mobile phones

Read and search the Quran in Arabic and English translation by Dr. Mohsin Khan for Java-enabled phones and Symbian OS. English (Yusuf Ali, Shakir, and Pickthal), French, Spanish, Indonesian, Melayu, and German translations available on searchtruth.com Web site.

Quran Reader has a fast scrolling display and a full index of all the Surahs (chapters) of the Holy Quran.

It includes the feature of saving and retrieving bookmarks, as well as browsing to a particular verse inside a Surah (chapter). The translation includes verse numbers and verse highlighting for easy reading and easy reference.

This application does not require Arabic support in mobile phones.

Over 100 Quranic Dua's (Supplications) - compiled and categorized in a separate section for easy reference. Lists all topics with corresponding verses. You can now memorize Quranic supplications in your own time.

Great for people on the move.

Download now.

or

World wall maps

Make a full-color (or black-and-white) mosaic wall map with your printer. Just click the link to download, then print and assemble!

World

World Political Download

World Physical Download

Continents

Africa Political Download

Africa Physical Download

Antarctica PoliticalDownload

Antarctica PhysicalDownload

Asia PoliticalDownload

Asia PhysicalDownload

Europe PoliticalDownload

Europe PhysicalDownload

North America PoliticalDownload

North America PhysicalDownload

Australia/Oceania Political(Includes New Zealand) Download

Australia/Oceania Physical(Includes New Zealand) Download

South America Political Download

South America Physical Download

Countries


United States Political Download

United States Physical Download

Mexico Political Download

Mexico Physical Download

Canada Political Download

Canada Physical Download

Asian Regions


Central Asia & Russia Political (with relief) Download

East Asia Political (with relief) Download

Middle East Political (with relief) Download

South Asia Political (with relief) Download

Southeast Asia Political (with relief) Download

Southwest Asia Political (with relief) Download


Oceans


Arctic Ocean Floor Download

Atlantic Ocean Floor Download

Indian Ocean Floor Download

Pacific Ocean Floor Download

Having trouble downloading the PDFs on this page? You need the free Adobe Reader.

ARKive animal resource

Have you visited the ARKive? It's a U.K. site dedicated to "creating a lasting audio-visual record of life on Earth." The result is a databank of photos, videos, and facts for the world's most endangered animals.

There's also Planet ARKive, a kids-only site with natural history- and wildlife-related games and information.

And for teachers there is ARKive Education, loaded with lesson plans, project ideas, support materials, and more.

Have a look and tell us what you think!

Climb Mount Everest from your chair

On the Discovery Channel’s website you can climb Mount Everest via sherpas’ cams without leaving your warm home. The trip is astonishing and takes you far beyond the still-photo views of climbing a mountain. You may even get vertigo as Phura climbs a ladder pinned to the mountainside, or watching through Karsang's cam as his head moves around while climbing over huge boulders on a steep face. The view is dizzying

Three sherpas are carrying cams on their helmets so you see the daunting challenges that face climbers on Mount Everest from many viewpoints. The videos are synched so you can watch what each is doing during the same time span.

* Viewers using Internet Explorer who get black screens instead of the actual videos may need to update their version of Flash Player.

Top 10 world beaches with WiFi

Planning a holiday but don't want to be without an Internet connection while soaking up the sun on that relaxing beach? Never fear!

GeekAbout.com points you to the Top 10 World Beaches which feature WiFi connectivity along their water-lapping shores.

Find out your ayurvedic body type

In Ayurveda, the five elements of space, air, earth, fire and water make up everything in the universe including the human body. These elements come together to create three different constitutional types or doshas known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

If air and space were the predominant energies present during your birth then you are Vata in nature, if water and earth were predominant, you are Kapha and if fire and water were predominant then you are Pitta.

Knowing your dosha can help you understand what activities, foods, and lifestyle elements can support and nurture your health and what can cause imbalance.

The most accurate way of learning your constitution is to visit an Ayurvedic doctor. He or she can conduct a physical examination including pulse assessment and can tell you what your dosha is and provide specific recommendations.

Many people are a combination of two doshas.

Instructions

Check off beside each statement that applies to you. When you are finished, count the total for each section (type A, B or C) and click on the link below.

Type A
• Thin build and small-boned. Can be tall or short.
• Prominent joints, don’t put on weight easily
• Skin is dry, chaps easily, rough, cool, prominent veins
• Hair is coarse and dry
• Small, active, dark eyes
• Lips are thin, dry, chap easily
• Brittle, ridged or cracked nails
• Little strength, tires easily
• Variable appetite, can get very hungry
• Very physically active
• Bowel movements irregular, hard, dry
• Mind is active, restless
• Tendency toward fear or anxiety when under stress
• Recent memory is good, long-term memory is poor
• Light sleeper
[liCold hands and feet, little perspiration
• Dreams are fearful, flying, movement
• Tendency towards constipation, anxiety, nervousness, poor sleep

Type B
• Medium build
• Moderate body weight, may be athletic, muscular
• Oily skin, warm, sensitive skin, reddish, inflamed
• Hair is fine, oily, may have balding or premature graying
• Medium, penetrating, light sensitive eyes
• Lips are soft, medium-sized
• Soft and flexible nails
• Medium strength
• Strong appetite, irritable if you miss a meal or can’t eat when you’re hungry
• Enjoys physical activity, especially competitive
• Bowel movements easy and regular, soft, oily and loose
• Mind is focused and sharp
• Tend toward anger, frustration or irritability when under stress
• Excellent memory
• Usually sleep well
• Good circulation, perspire frequently
• Dreams fiery, angry, violence, passionate
• Tendency towards inflammation, high blood pressure, hypersensitive, aggression

Type C
• Thick, ample or stocky build. Larger bone-structure.
• Overweight
• Thick skin, cool, prone to acne
• Thick hair, shiny, lustrous
• Large, round eyes with thick eyelashes
• Lips are large, smooth, full
• Strong and thick nails
• Strong, good endurance
• Less active, sometimes lethargic
• Bowel movements thick, oily, heavy, slow
• Mind is calm and slow
• Tendency to avoid situations that are difficult
• Memory is slow but sustaining
• Sound, heavy sleeper
• Moderate perspiration
• Dreams peaceful, romantic, water, ocean
• Tendency towards respiratory congestion, water retention, lymph congestion, cystic acne, tiredness


To find out the answers to your ayurvedic body type, click here.

Video: The Womb Club

Take a night out in Tokyo's Shibuya district.

>

Shackleton, one of the world's greatest adventurers

One of the greatest tales of survival in expedition history: Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 voyage to the Antarctic. Just one day's sail from the continent, the ship Endurance became trapped in sea ice.

Frozen fast for ten months, the ship was crushed and destroyed by ice pressure, and the crew was forced to abandon ship.

After camping on the ice for five months, Shackleton made two open boat journeys, one of which—a treacherous 800-mile ocean crossing to South Georgia Island—is now considered one of the greatest boat journeys in history.

Trekking across the mountains of South Georgia, Shackleton reached the island's remote whaling station, organized a rescue team, and saved all of the men he had left behind.

Some folks at the Google Earth Community have been putting together a tremendous collection of facts, placemarks, pictures, panorama shots, tracks, and other historical information. You can download the Shackleton "documentary" here (currently V3.0).

Video: Incredible India

Podcast: Singapore

Mark Moxon, travel writer, tells us a tale about Singapore.

Maharashtra's wine country

When Fredric Schermesser says his name is in the dirt, he's being more literal than you think. "A good wine," declared the 27-year-old French oenologist, waving his arm expansively, "is merely the sensory expression of the terroir."

It's the richness of terroir - an estate's physical features (the way it slopes towards a lake, the strength of the sun in summer) and its biochemical characteristics (the composition of its soil, the way in which herbicides are used) - that lets the mud of a vineyard nurture fruit that can be alchemised into a liquid that's much more than value-added grape juice.

As I gargled a mouthful of Cabarnet Sauvignon and tried my damnedest to taste the verdant carpet of vineyards rolling on towards a stone chateau, I discovered that talking about terroir inspires winemakers to poetry much the way a few glasses of their finest creations do. "Terroir," asserts the Wine Spectator, the bible of wine snobs everywhere, "gives a wine its soul, its connection to its place of origin."

Terroir is a word that aspiring oenophiles learn early, like beginners at a French language class being instructed that the pen of my aunt est sur la table. Now, thanks to the efforts of Schermesser's firm and a handful of others around Maharashtra, wine lovers are discovering that majhi maushichi pen is on the table (and has been used to sign memorandums of understanding to bring the products of 40 wineries around the state to market over the few years).

Two of India's three most respected wine producers are located in Maharashtra's hardy Sahyadri Valley, and we'd set out from Mumbai early in the morning on a terroirist mission to gaze deep into the state's soul through as many glasses of wine we could possibly gulp down.

The sun rose hazily behind the city's gargantuan Deonar garbage dumping grounds as we turned our way onto the winding slopes of the American-style Mumbai-Pune Expressway. A quick pit-stop for coffee later, we'd taken a bypass before Pune and were on the highway to Nashik, coasting past yellow-and-red State Transport buses coughing clouds of black exhaust into lush jowar fields.

Read more.

Tips on dealing with cabbies in foreign lands

A few tips on dealing with unscrupulous taxi drivers in foreign lands.

Slideshow: Varanasi

Varanasi is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is believed to be one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world since time immemorial. It is contemporaneous with Sumer. The name Kashi is mentioned in the Rig-Veda. It is also referred to as "city of temples and learning".

The culture of Varanasi is deeply associated with the river Ganga and its religious importance. The city has been a cultural and religious center in Northern India since time immemorial. Modern Varanasi has its own style of classical Hindustani music, and has produced prominent musicians, philosophers, poets, and writers in Indian history, including Tulsidas, Kabir, Munshi Premchand, Jaishankar Prasad, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Ustad Bismillah Khan. The city has its own dialect of Hindi called Bhojpuri. Varanasi is also the home of Banaras Hindu University.

Photo Mosaic: Mahamastakabisheka Festival

The Mahamastakabisheka Festival takes place once every 12 years in the South Indian town of Shravanabelagola in Karnatka. It's the biggest festival of amongst adherents of the Jain religion. Over 3,000,000 pilgrims and tourists visit Shravanabelagola to witness this holy ceremony.

Photos: Stuart Forster - Mahamastabhiseka 2006

The trouble with air travel

Since we have progressed in our ability to travel long distances frequently, one would think that travel would become easier. Globalization certainly has helped bring nations closer, but international travel is entirely another matter.

My wife and I traveled to India via London and Dubai twice in 2006, and both trips were quite arduous. Our first trip was in January 2006. There were no "orange alerts" at that time. We boarded Virgin Atlantic Airways in Orlando.

"You need to report three hours before the gate closes," the airline informed us, so we were there very early. The line was already a half-mile long, winding along the limited space in front of the counter, and it was moving ever so slowly. Our travel documents were checked over and over again.

At the check-in counter, our bags were inspected and weighed as we attested that we had packed everything ourselves. I thought I was rid of the two biggest suitcases when the official said, "You now have to take this to the X-ray screening machine and load them yourself."

We dragged the suitcases, hefted them onto the belt, sent them through the screening device and got them sealed and certified at the other end. Then the luggage had to be dragged back to the check-in counter for final loading. No help was available, and we were willing to tip generously.

The next step, going through the security gates, would be easy, I thought.

Read more

TravelPort chosen as 'Top 20 Business Opportunities of 2007’

Dear Friends,

You’ll be pleased to know that TravelPort has been chosen
as one of the 'Top 20 Business Opportunities of 2007’
by The Franchising World , India’s leading franchise magazine .

We feature in their cover story which also includes blue-chip brands like McDonalds , ITC, Apollo Hospitals, Pizza Hut and KidZee.

This would have not been possible without your continued support.

We thank you.

From all of us at TravelPort.

Video: Lions mating in the wild

A rare sight of lions mating. From "The Intrepid Berkeley Explorer On Safari", a safari video filmed in Kenya and Tanzania. It's tasteful and typical of what lions do.

51 amazing travel facts

1. Lapland’s Finnish name is Lapin Li.

2. The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea.

3. Greece is also called the Hellenic Republic.

4. Switzerland is Europe's most mountainous country.

5. Brazil is the largest country in South America.

6. Saigon is known today as Ho Chi Minh City.

7. Indonesia has about 13,000 islands.

8. The Biblical rivers of the Tigris and the Euphrates are in Iraq.

9. The popular holiday area between Marseille and La Spezia is known as The Riviera.

10. The Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall.

11. GUM is the name of Moscow's largest department store.

12. Indonesia has more volcanoes than any other. It has 167 of the 850 active volcanoes known in the world.

13. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built to be a bell tower.

14. The three largest cities in South America are Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Rio de Janeiro.

15. Malaysia is the Asian nation that is home to the Petronas Towers, the tallest buildings in the world.

16. Istanbul in Turkey has spread to both sides of the Bosporus Straight and thus spans two continents.

17. Japanese tourists spend the most money per capita in foreign lands.

18. Chinese are the largest ethnic minority in Vietnam.

19. Paramount, a California town, was named after the major movie studio.

20. Chile is bordered by Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina.

21. Africa is the continent that has the most countries represented in the U.N.

22. Kuwait is bordered by Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

23. The Mediterranean sea gets it's name from the Latin phrase meaning "sea in the middle of land".

24. Kenya is central to the books "Out of Africa" and "The Green Hills of Africa"

25. The abbreviation ORD for Chicago's O'Hare airport comes from the old name "Orchard Field."

26. KLM is the worlds' oldest airline established in 1919.

27. According to the Air Transportation Association of America, about 1.8 million passengers are up in the sky over the US on 24,600 flights on an average day. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, now the world's busiest, handled 80.2 million passengers in 2000.

28. Cholulu de Rivadahia in Mexico is the largest pyramid in the world (177 feet tall and covers 25 acres) .

29. The most densely populated country is The Netherlands followed by Belgium, then Japan

30. The country with the most number of islands is Finland.

31. The country that is the largest producer of cork is Portugal

32. Tennessee is bordered by eight states This is more than any other USA state KY, MI, AR, MS, AL, GE, NC, VA

33. Damascus (or Dimashq) has the reputation of being the oldest city in the world, perhaps being settled as long ago as 8,000 BC.

34. The Eiffel Tower was officially opened March 31, 1889. The date refers to the day the flag was hoisted to the top of the Tower.

35. The Eiffel Tower was indeed designed by Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923).

36. The Tower uses 7,500,000 kilowatts each year with over 500,000 for illuminations. It was built for the Universal Exhibition held in Paris in celebration of the French Revolution.

37. In 2000, 6,315,324 people visited La Tour Eiffel.

38. A KLM 747-400 flight from Amsterdam to Australia carries an average of just over 1,000 kilograms of food, and some 1,324 litres of drink - from mineral water to wine and whisky. Extra supplies are often taken onboard in Singapore, and for Business Class passengers alone there are close to a hundred bottles of champagne on board.

39. The Himalayas have 19 of the 25 highest mountains in the world.

40. The Hawaiian islands, situated more than 2,000 miles from the nearest major land mass, form the most isolated group of islands in the world.

41. If you moved the entire population of Manhattan to Alaska, each person would have 12 acress.

42. The longest river in the world is the Nile. Though not all of it is navigable, it flows for over 4,000 miles.

43. The world’s largest mall is the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Canada. The mall has an indoor lake, with submarines, dolphin shows and even a casino.

44. The hammock was invented by the Maya Indians of Central America, who crafted this delightful form of relaxation from the back of the hamack tree.

45. The words "Do you have a reservation?" take on a whole new meaning at restaurant Kiliaen in Hasselt, Holland. This is the smallest restaurant in Holland; it is only open on Saturday nights and seats only two guests. They do not take reservations. Instead, wannabe diners drop by and leave their names for a draw held once a week. The lucky winners receive a free, five-course dinner for two, as well as a complimentary limousine ride to and from their home or hotel.

46. Juliet, the tragic lover from Shakespeare’s famous play, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to her every Valentine's Day, in Verona, where the story is set.

47. The shortest commercial airline flight in the world is said to be the
Westray-Papa run in Scotland's Orkney Islands on Loganair. It takes two
minutes, and there's no meal service.

48. The Grand Princess, the world's largest cruise ship, has 23,000 rolls of toilet paper aboard.

49. The shortest commercial flight in the United States covers a mere 20 miles,
from Appleton to Oshkosh

50. The travel and tourism industry is one of America's largest service exports with $93 billion spent by international visitors in the U.S. and $89 billion spent outside the U.S. by domestic travelers creates $4 billion in balance of trade surplus for the U.S.

51. Abu Dhabi Airport serices (ADAS) claims to hold a world record for the fastest full turn-around of a wide-body aircraft. The record was achieved when a British Airways flight, using a Boeing 777 arrived from London and needed to depart on time. ADAS staff supervised passenger disembarkation, baggage offloading, aircraft cleaning, loading cargo, mail, loading of baggage and supplies, and outbound passengers in just under 40 minutes - compared to a normal minimum time of 60 minutes.

Video: Drunk Airline Pilot with Dean Martin and Foster Brooks

This hilarious comedy skit about a drunk airline pilot was done back in the mid 1960's, with Dean Martin and Foster Brooks... (more) .