Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for india
Queen of the Arabian Sea
By Linda Tancs
Hailed as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, the Indian city of Kochi was a 14th century trading center for spices. Over the centuries, it’s been occupied by the Portuguese, Arabs, British, Chinese and Dutch. Those influences abound, like the Chinese fishing nets at Fort Kochi, Vasco House (the house where Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama lived), and the Dutch Palace of Mattancherry. Flanked by the Arabian Sea to the west and Willingdon Island (a man-made island) and its environs to the east, Kochi is easily accessible by air and is a convenient gateway to Kerala, one of National Geographic Traveler’s “50 greatest places of a lifetime.”
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Go Fly a Kite
By Linda Tancs
The transition of the sun into the Northern Hemisphere has heads turning skyward in India on 14 January. On that day, Indians celebrate this celestial occurrence with a festival called Makar Sankranti, the annual kite festival. The kite flying event is particularly popular in Jaipur, where Air Force helicopters release kites resembling wasps, stained glass windows and birds, among other things. The three-day festival ends with the crowning of winners for the display kite and fighter kite competitions.
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India’s Longest Urban Beach
By Linda Tancs
Bad news for swimmers: India’s longest urban beach in Chennai–Marina Beach–is not a swimming beach due to strong undercurrents. Good news for walkers: the wide, 12 km long beach begs for long walks, particularly in the morning when crowds are thinnest. A major tourist attraction, the beach is particularly noteworthy for its roadside statues celebrating local and national luminaries like Gandhi, Kannagi (a goddess) and Thiruvalluvar, a poet. With three railway stations adorning the route–Chepauk, Thiruvallikeni and Light House–you have plenty of options to get there.
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A Holi Day in India
By Linda Tancs
On 20 March Indians celebrate the festival of Holi, a celebration of ancient origin marking the triumph of good over evil. On this day, people hug and wish each other ‘Happy Holi’. They also are awash in color, using water jets to spray buckets full of color water on each other or rubbing on colored powders–the tradition of playing colors. Holi is the great equalizer, all class distinctions dissolving into colored water. Every day should be a holi day.
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India’s Billion-Dollar Home
By Linda Tancs
Amidst the wretched poverty of Mumbai it’s hard to imagine a billion-dollar home. Yet, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, that’s exactly what overlooks the slums of the most populous city in India. Named Antilia (after a mythical island in the Atlantic Ocean), the 27-story behemoth was custom built for Indian magnate Mukesh Ambani. Reportedly sporting 37,000 square metres of space serviced by a staff of 600, the palatial digs will serve as the primary residence for the Ambani family of five.
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Celebrating Dussehra in India
By Linda Tancs
The Hindu festival of Dussehra in India celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Celebrated this year on 17 October, the holiday commemorates the Hindu god Rama’s victory over the demon king Ravana. In the epic Ramayana Lord Rama sees his wife Sita abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. The ensuing battle is characterized by firecracker-stuffed effigies of the demon king. The popular and sacred event is celebrated throughout the subcontinent.
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Riding in Style in India
By Linda Tancs
If train travel in India conjures a (shall we say) palpable ride to the tea capital of Darjeeling, then your salvation is at hand. Debuting in March, the Maharajas’ Express is the first luxury train to cover the entire country. Although lacking the historical significance and affection of a line like the Himalayan Railway, the newbie promises to make up in comfort what it may lack in charm. As in air conditioning, roomy cabins and luxe suites. For the royal treatment, you’ll pay a princely sum of $800 per day per person for a seven or eight-day package. Destination airfare is not included, but they’ll assist with the bookings. Stay tuned for special air/land arrangements in the near future.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Teed Off in India
By Linda Tancs
In a supersized nation like India, one might imagine you’d need a lot of everything. Like golf courses. Over 200 of them. From majestic views of the Taj at Agra Golf Club to moonlit play at DLF Golf and Country Club in New Delhi (rated the best course), golf in India is giving the esteemed courses of Great Britain a run for their money.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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The Town of Boiled Beans
By Linda Tancs
One wouldn’t normally associate Bangalore, the tech haven of India, with boiled beans. That is, unless you consider the tale that the name of the subcontinent’s fifth largest city is derived from the term “bende kaalu ooru”–translated as the town of boiled beans. Not to be confused, of course, with “Beantown,” some 8000 miles away as the crow flies. Want to fly from Beantown (Boston) to Bangalore? You could try winning some free tickets with Emirates.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Camel is King
By Linda Tancs
It’s humpback heaven in Pushkar this weekend in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. Pushkar Festival brings together camel traders and their ornately festooned charges ready for their close-ups. A beauty pageant of sorts, the camels are paraded around for throngs of admiring onlookers, including curious tourists. Of equal interest is Lake Pushkar, a must-see for shutterbugs. Hindus believe that the lake was created by Lord Brahma (their creator of the universe) when he dropped a lotus flower to earth as a result of battle with a demon. The lake is beset with ghats for bathing away sins (like Varanasi) during this high festival. So how best to reach this holiest of places in the Rajasthani desert? The nearest airport in Jaipur is 86 miles away. A network of bus service will get you to Ajmer, just 7 miles away. The local bus ride through scenic mountain ranges will get you to your final destination in a half hour.
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