Being In Bali, Indonesia

Eversince I saw these beautiful 'Bali' architectured villas coming up near Whitefield (Bangalore), I wanted to talk about Bali in my travel post.

OMG! what a creation of god this place is. The Indonesian city is made for those travellers who love beaches, art and culture.

Bali is situated between Indonesia's capital Jakarta and Lombok. It is the island of the Indian Ocean. Very rich in wooden art and carvings.

The temples of Bali are known to world as the architectural marvels. Even the old houses look splendid with temple gates called Candi Bentar. These type of guarding figurines are only here.

Balinese cuisine is also popular in Asian cuisines. For them, food is prayer!
Rice and noodles are versatile dishes all over Asia with french fries becoming the new addition.
Bali women, are another attraction, look as though they have just landed from heavens,
very beautiful and gentle!

One of the famous Balinese food is Rujak, which is, a fruit salad. The speciality of Rujak is that it is a rare assortment of unripe fruits with spiced chilli sauce and shrimps. I also remember eating a similar kind of raw papaya salad in Bangkok.

Although Balinese is the local language, English is predominant for travellers. For Indian couples, Bali is the honeymoon destination as its a close getaway and of spa standards.

Very travel friendly for newcomers and an addictive paradise for the old touristers.
Visit Bali and feel free to comment all the goods and bads of our blog!

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A Visit To The Konark Sun Temple, Orissa

It is true that India is the land of many gods. From Vishnu to Shiva, the number sums up to 3,00,00,000 gods. They worship the Sun, the Moon and planets. They also pray Vaayu (Wind god), Varun (Rain god), Agni (Fire god) for good harvest and balance in nature.

They worship numerous deities in animal form as they believe that god resides in every living creature on Earth. Hinduism cannot actually be called a religion but science. Only in Hinduism there is a clear reference of how life evolved on Earth.

They worship Hanuman (the Monkey god) and also believe that he is existed in 2nd century BCE which is clear proof of Darwin's theory of evolution.

I love visiting temples in India as they are magnificent and ancient. One of the best remembered trips was to the Konark temple, Orissa. The oldest monument built exclusively for Sun god, who is, the soul of life on planet.

The beauty of Konark cannot be described in just a few words. The temple is quite uncommon of the others in India. It has different style of carving (Kalinga architecture) and depiction of how Suryanarayan or Sun god may look is well portrayed through the stone art.

The powerful Sun god sits in a massive golden chariot driven with 7 horses. At the entrance of Konark temple you find the stone horses and carved wheels of the chariot. The Shikara or tower is symmetric and the overall alignment is in the east west direction (rise and set of the Sun). The temple is about 70 kilometres from Orissa's capital Bhubaneshwar.

Other sightseeing spots in Orissa include Udayagiri caves and Chandipur beach. 

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Tokyo: Coolest Skyscraper City Of The World

Well, its time to take you to another city that is not only known for being expensive but also for extreme engineering. Yes, we are talking of the Asia's Britain "Tokyo". Recently, we had a wonderful day out to watch the Tokyo's beautiful skyscrapers.

Apart from the most famous Tokyo Skytree, there are about 47 buildings that range more than 180 metres.
The most important tall buildings include the Midtown Tower (248 m), Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Building (243 m) and the oldest Kasumigaseki Building that was built in 1968.

The buildings are not just tall but are known for the aesthetics, architecture and technology.

Most of the skyscrapers of Japan are hotels, malls and tech parks.

Take a view at the recent photographs of Tokyo's sky touching mouments for some introduction and our SLR magic.

Midtown Tower 248 m 

The Midtown Town tower in Roppongi is the tallest of the 6 building complex. It has numerous companies including the most famous Ritz Carlton. The building stands tall since 2007. It has about 54 floors.

Jeweled Tokyo 

Tokyo At Dawn

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Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Abu Dhabi

One of the largest Mosque's of the world, the Sheikh Zayed is in Abu Dhabi (UAE). My cousin, recently, visited the "White Wonder" and shared some beautiful pictures. Take a look at the exteriors and interiors of Sheikh Zayed Mosque.

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Amazing Andamans!!

Photographs by Jogeshwar Mishra

Blue,green and serene. This would sum up the Andamans. The Andaman and Nicobar islands are a group of 600 islands off the coast of the Bay of Bengal and are a proud part of India. Known for its blue waters, green palms and luxury resorts, these islands serve as peaceful getaway far from the hustle of the cities. The islands throng with people from around the globe.

The islands are well known for their hotels and hospitality and is a great hit with honeymooners. Travel and stay here is known to be pocket friendly and caters to all budgets.Tourist attractions include snorkeling, scuba diving, boating and island hopping to name a few. Another major historical  attraction for Indians especially, is The Cellular Jail in Port Blair. This was used as a convict estabilishment during the British raj, to imprison India's freedom fighters and were referred to as 'kalapaani' or 'blackwaters' by its inmates. For many years this served as a centre of correction and harsh labour. After India's independence, this became a symbol for India's freedom struggle.

The islands are full of coconut palms

The islands are all connected by ferries and there are flights operating to Port Blair from Chennai, Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar. It is also possible and relatively less expensive to take ships from Kolkata, Chennai or Vishakapatnam. The best time to visit the islands is between January and May. Though tourism is a relatively new industry here, it is growing steadily with great response from travellers all over the world. 

Here are some more photographs of the picturesque Andamans.

 

The blue waters of the Bay of Bengal

A hazy shot of one of the islands

Attracts tourists from around the world

A tourist boat

Catamarans & fishing boats

Fishing: a major occupation & industry

A local fish market in Port Blair

Tips to travel to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands:

• Carry sunblock, umbrella and shades.
• Have emergency medicines at hand.
• Carry cotton summery clothes.
• Make travel plans and hotel reservations well in advance.
• Enquire with the port and airport authorities of India regarding permits, ship and flight schedules.
• Enquire about weather conditions before travel. The recommended travel season is between January and May.

Local houses

Happy exploring!!

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