Hotel Paris

One of the most elegant and stunning countries all over the world is Paris. Usually travelers love to come here again and again because of its amazing buildings and luxurious one. Paris is a place where you can stay to spend your holiday or summer vacation or even business purpose. The city is embodied with different kinds of beautiful
scenic spots especially for those people who love to shop and social life. For those who like night life, there are numerous clubs also here available anytime.

Staying in Paris is not perfect without relaxing at their hotels. Hotel Paris offers every traveler accommodations such as bed and breakfast france  that they dreamed of. Hotels here are all elegant suits for any vacations, conference and business purposes. Further more, the hotels available here usually found at the center part of the city. Because these hotels are considered as the landmarks of the place it is more expensive rather than hotels that are not belong in the heart of the city.

But even though expensive you can assure that your things are safe and the room is very comfortable to rest because of its friendly channel manager . You can also choose rooms that you wanted to stay. The good thing is that the room has varieties of styles that you absolutely love it. So, before going to Paris make sure that you reserve your favorite hotels first.

Kumbalangi

As a travel writer , it is difficult to say everything that is on your mind , especially when you are writing a story or a column for a publication .While I rarely endorse a destination unless I really liked it, I tread the middle ground when I write . I focus largely about what interested me about a place and sometimes omit the not so good experiences, unless I believe otherwise..Sometimes, the omitted bits do not fit into the story, as it ends up being a ramble. And if the experience was not worth writing about, then I do not write about it at all.

Kumbalangi on the other hand was a mixed bag. If you read my earlier post, I mentioned the dilemma I was in while writing about Kumbalangi in my column. I did not get too excited with the concept of the " model tourism village ", at least the way it was implemented in Kumbalangi. As many mentioned , it was rather artificial . But I am all for sustainable rustic tourism and I would prefer experiencing a village and its way of life, rather than have activities arranged for me.

But I liked the place and the conversations I had with some of the locals - so I decided to go ahead and write about those aspects..Either ways, I had to stick to a word count of 500 words and so, I wrote what I thought was necessary..Nevertheless, I felt that I should actually pen down the entire experience here and leave it to you to take a call whether you would like to visit the place or not.

It started raining heavily just as I stepped into the car. My driver smiled when I told him that my destination was Kumbalangi, a small coastal village on the outskirts of Kochi.  “ I studied there, “ he said, and his grin became wider as he spoke about his childhood.  I asked him for more information and he gave me a brochure which called it “ an integrated model tourism village which promised authentic rural experience .”   I just hoped that it would not be another tourist trap as we drove down crossing by St Josephs School and church  and drove into an entire green country 

Kumbalangi lived up to its promise of being part of God’s own country. Ringed in by Chinese fishing nets, the backwaters painted a pretty picture. A lone cormorant basked in the sun, while a woodpecker chipped away at the bark of a coconut tree. A few houses were scattered around while a couple of old unused  coir units were lost amidst the farms.

There was no one in sight..Small lanes intersected with canals as we just roamed around aimlessly. My driver asked me what I wanted to " do." I mentioned I had no real agenda and wanted to meet a few locals and talk to them. He looked a bit puzzled, but drove towards the village. We met a fisherman who asked me  if I was interested in fishing.  As I walked with him to the jetty, we talked about Chinese fishing nets and karimeen fishing.” Sometimes we cover branches of small trees that are immersed in water by nets . After weeks, we find  a variety of fish caught in them”  he added.

As  I wandered aimlessly around the village, speaking to locals , I noticed that almost every house had orchids growing in them. I learnt that Kumbalangi is known for pokkali farming. “ It is an organic way of cultivation,” translated my driver , explaining that the farming is normally done in the water logged areas. The farmers alternate between rice and fish or prawns, based on the salinity of the water. I didnt understand much of this when they explained in bits and pieces in Malayalam, but a bit of googling helped later.

We went to a home stay and there we heard that everything is arranged only for tourists who stay with them..That explained the empty coir units as well.  I requested if I could visit their crab farm and the hostess said that I could just go over and see.  I followed my driver as he took me towards a couple of big ponds lying adjacent to each other.

We met Das there, who was happy to show us his collection of crabs and explain the process of “ njandu krishi” or crab farming . “In these ponds alone, they are close to 2 lakh crabs, “ he mentioned as he carefully caught  a crab only to throw it back in the pond .” It has only water as of now, not much of meat,”  he explained as another small crab crawled near his leg.He had a basket full of crabs and he even explained  little details about them.. Das added  that crabs are exported to Hong kong, US and to many other countries  and business was rather good. Das mentioned that he was Tamil Nadu and he was told not to speak to any tourist who is not staying here and he hoped we wouldnt mention it. Incidentally he did not ask for money.We left him to his crabs and moved on .

We spent a few more hours talking to many locals who were amused at the attention  given to them. Old Elizabeth was very happy when I took her picture and she mentioned that a couple of foreigners had done the same as well.  She cracked up as a couple of other women told her to pose and she mentioned about how pretty she looked in her youth. Her golden earrings, she mentioned were very characteristic of her community - The Latin Catholics and so was the dress she was wearing..When I thanked her, she said , " What only thanks..Nothing else ? I smiled and we got talking with another family . I asked them a bit about Kumbalangi and they said, there is nothing really here ..just walk around, relax - there is fishing and lots of foreigners come over.

But they all had just one lament.” You hardly find any village in Kerala now everything has changed, “ they muttered as I took their leave.  It was indeed true as the entire skyscape changed in a matter of minutes. ,

A part of the story was published in my column , Inside Story on Metro Plus yesterday . So, there you have my take on the model village..sometimes I think they could have created a carnival of sorts and put a price on each activity and mentioned that it was for the villagers rather than create a concept like this. 

Kerala - Gods own country marketed by man

Until five minutes ago, I was writing my column - Inside Story for the Metro Plus on Kumbalangi - a small hamlet on the outskirts of Cochin. I had just written about 100 words when I was faced with a dilemma. Do I paint my views on Kumbalangi the way I see it or do I just write about it objectively as a destination to be experienced ? The dilemma is rather complex because the question arises what or where is Kumbalangi

At one level, Kumbalangi is a beautiful village on the outskirts of Cochin. But on a different level,  it is a product packaged by the Incredible India-UNDP project  to promote it as an Model Tourism Village for tourists..now what does that mean ? Nothing ,according to me - its just marketing jargon. But then in kerala, everything seems to be a product like this one and we are all consumers - so even simplicity and rustic beauty is packaged and sold to you as an experience..they tell you to walk in the fields and experience village life ,  like you didnt know it before... You are also told that you can go fishing or watch a small scale coir unit or see crabs being caught in local pools..but they dont tell you that you have to pay a price for all of them. I do not have a problem with that, but I do get a bit worried when locals say they have a gag on their mouths as they cannot just share information about crabs or birds to any tourist who just comes visiting.

It is not really a model village where you can see these happenning around you..they are " arranged" for you if you stay in one of those homestays, but you need to give them adequate notice and then you get to " experience" Kerala's rustic beauty...Even the locals who are very pleasant will ask you for money if you want to take a photograph of them or the orchids in their garden...Nothing wrong with this, because " model tourism village "means the locals earn from tourists and you need to pay them for giving you this experience..

I am all for rustic tourism and I would like to go all out and promote sustainable rustic tourism . Its great to go fishing, learn about local culture and understand the nuances of farming and I am even willing to pay a small price for it,but I have a problem if it becomes a tourist trap. Having said all that, Kumbalangi lives up to the promise of Gods own country, and unlike rest of urban kerala which is spoiled by man, this lives up to its marketing promise as well. So now, you have me in this dilemma..what do you want me to say ?

And my world today is spicy

From the display window of the spice village in Mattancheri , the Jew Town near Fort Kochi. If you are planning to buy spices here, believe me , its very expensive. My driver had a suggestion - he asked us to buy the spices from a whole sale market close by. We did buy a few samples there as gifts, but its no less cheap.

This is my world today ..If you would like to see more exciting worlds, participate in My World Tuesday 

Honeymoon in Thailand and Best Time to Visit Thailand

A vacation in Thailand is an ideal way to use a holiday. Starting your holiday in Bangkok, you can travel around other regions in Thailand counting Pattaya, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui. 

The world's most romantic hideaways are to come in Thailand. Discover our luxury honeymoon options that encompass the stunning scenic and cultural delight of this unique country. 

 

Thailand has a natural asset in breath captivating scenery, feature spectacular green mountain, white sandy beaches, and sparking blue sea. 

Combine that with our world class range of complicated somewhere to live options, elegant dining and diversity of activites and you will experience Thailand at its greatest.

The peak months for tourism are August, November, December, February and March, with inferior peak months in January and July. 

You should consider traveling during the least packed out months (April, May, June, September and October) if your main purpose is to avoid holiday makers and to take advantage of inexpensive rooms and other low-season rates.




Honeymoon Hotels in Thailand

Thailand offer a wide range of globally acclaimed hotels and resorts for a contented accommodation. 

All hotels and resorts in Thailand from high-end to low end hold out an array of amenities to make your honeymoon the most brilliant event of your life. 

The Hotels in Thailand offer private honeymoon suites and wedding suites for a dream honeymoon.

Honeymoon Beaches in Thailand

Nature has bestowed this entire honeymoon beach in Thailand with all stunning hues and fragrance. 

Once to visit these honeymoon beaches in Thailand, you will certainly feel like coming here once more and again.

Most of honeymoon beaches in Thailand are located in the places like Pattaya. Some of the honeymoon beaches in Thailand can be name here. 

They are Ao Phang Nga Beach, Haad Rin, Hat Chaweng, Hat Mai Khao, Ko Pai, Pattaya Beach, Rawaii, Ao Phra-Ae, and many others. 

Apart from these beaches the beach like Ao Nang, Karon Beach, as well as the Railay Beach are also just right for the cause of honeymoon. 

Honeymoon Thailand Package

From the mountains in the north to the beaches in the south, there is no place in Asia that can offer such a diverse blend of top-notch experiences. 

Furthermore, the Thais are renowed for their graciousness and charm that makes every visitors feel at home. 

Our Amazing Thailand package is the result of 15 years of explorations and refinements and what you see is completely the best high-end Thailand route available.

Best Time to Visit Thailand

Looking for the best time to go to Thailand? Wherever you travel in the world, it is significant to get the time right. 

As far as Thailand is worried, there are no absolute extremes. If you can avoid the rainy season (July to October), it would almost surely be best, but if you can't, the rain isn't permanent - it comes in bursts and cools belongings down after it has gone!

The weather in Thailand is rational most times of year, although it certainly gets hot during the summer! November from end to end February is the coolest times of year and there is definitely less rain then than at other times in the year.


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Fengshui on the highway - it happens only in Kerala

India never ceases to amaze you especially if you are on a road trip. There are surprises in almost every curve of the road. During my recent trip to Kerala, I was prepared for churches, mosques, temples, synagogues ..but this completely took me by surprise. 

A Laughing Buddha  was standing tall on the highway, in the middle of nowhere with a beautiful garden surrounding the statue. When we slowed down a bit, I found a board that announced that this was a nursery and a fengshui consultancy rolled into one. Now this is something that probably happens only in India 

To see more dramatic skies , do log on to Skywatch

Madras bound

I am off on work to Madras aka Chennai , the place I call home, although I live in Bangalore...Just realized that its been four years since I actually moved bag and baggage to Bangalore and yet, Madras has always been home. I don't have a return ticket as yet, so I have no clue when I am back..The next few days are bound to be a bit hectic - work , parents, friends..November looks otherwise empty as far as my travel plans are concerned..not an issue though - Ive loads of posts and articles to write and photographs to download and share..so I guess that will keep me busy for a while..Just getting set to pack a bit..Catch you all from Madras then ..

The garuda in this picture was on the parapet walls of one of the old houses in a suburb called Teynampet in Madras

Philippine Travel Resorts

One of the best destinations famously around the world is Philippines. The country is the most favorite country visited by western people. The main reason is that there are so many resorts, beaches, mountains, old churches and histories the country has. In fact, some of them held their romantic ceremony weddings here. The place is exactly the right place to spend vacations, honeymoons, anniversary, and so on. There are lots of beautiful areas in the Philippines extremely naturals. There are certain areas that are more beautiful located mostly found at provinces.

Philippine travel resorts include Boracay Island, Palawan Island, Panglaw resort located at Bohol Island and more! These are basically the most popular resorts here. If you are a kind of person who loves beaches then Philippines are a perfect place for you and your family. If you are worrying about your stay you don’t have to feel worry because there are varieties of hotels offer. If you like activities there are also numerous that challenges every tourist’s people to try and experience the tremendous activity only found here in Philippines.

The country has their own golf courses as well for people who are good players. They can also have with them their family to have fun swimming in some of the beaches and resorts mentioned above.

Birding in Cochin

Ok..its the birding season and everyone has flown to exotic destinations to look for exotic birds. Well, I am an exception..not that I dont want to do birding, but my compass currently points towards home. However, during my recent trip to Cochin, I didnt do much birding, but we did spot a lot of water birds and a few woodland birds. The malabar whistling thrush was singing away, while I spotted the black headed oriole , pied wagtail, black drongos . I went looking for horn bills near Athirampally Falls, but I guess they flew away to avoid the crowds. Here are some pictures of some of the more common birds - a cormorant here, which the locals refer to as " neer kaka" or the " water crows", a pair of white breasted kingfishers, which had their breakfast while I had mine, a pond heron and a coucal which landed right in front of my room window.

One of the Most Visited Destinations in Philippines

Bacolod City is one of the most popular cities in Negros because of its scenic and beautiful tourist spots. White sand beaches are one of the most visited places here in Bacolod. And because of that more and more white people want or even love to build their own home here. So much for that masskara festival is what they are celebrating every birth of their patron. The contestants will provide and parade their masskara made by them. Each of the masskara is unique. All of them are vibrant and colorful with many designs. This celebration is celebrated every year and this is the main reason why there are lots of people visiting here every month of October.

TRIP NA TRIP features Bacolod City

Another travel destination in Bacolod is their scuba diving from different beaches around the place. Coral reefs are what they have commonly found in their beaches. The place is also abundant in natural resources such as streams, lakes and mountains. If you are a history loving person you can visit and know about the history in some of their historical ancestral home including churches as well as land marks. There are also areas which particularly for people who love to play games or like to eat. The city is one of the most popular destinations in Philippines up to now.

Sunday snapshot - Children's day special

Met this kid when I went to Athirampally Falls last week and she was rushing past me with her mother. I followed her and asked her if I could take her picture and she readily agreed. Later, I learnt that she had a fancy dress competition at school and hence she was in this attire of a tribal freedom fighter..she was in a tearing hurry and hence I could not ask her name or more details..

When I was looking back at the pictures, realized it was Children's Day and it took me back in time..I remembered participating in a Fancy Dress Contest myself, where I was a local Tamil soothsayer,  who is referred to as "Jakkama". It is believed that the astrologer who looks into the future using shells is actually possessed by the Goddess . If you go to Mahabalipuram, you will find many of them around and of course, all of them are fake.If I remember right, one of the Jakammas used to come home during every festival, do some standard prediction and then leave with some money

Coming back to the contest, I didnt really win anything, but I remember the nervousness and the applause and the appreciation that came my way. I also remembered how painstakingly my folks had dressed me up and made me recite the lines spoken by these " Jakkamas" . I guess I was always a good drama queen .. By the way have you ever participated in a fancy dress contest as a kid ?

Skies of Gangtok - on the way to Nathulla Pass

The journey to Nathulla Pass near Gangtok is one of the best and there are ample opportunities to stop and take a picture . Many had asked details regarding the permits - these can be got from a travel agency or your hotel as well. You would need a couple of photographs and an ID proof  . 

For some skies around the world, visit Skywatch .

Kerala-Chellanam

I was in Chellanam , a village near Cochin last week talking to some locals who make vanji or the local country boats. I need to thank Gopinath from Blue Yonder who put me onto his colleague Prakash who told me about this place...I recorded about 5 mins of conversations, which are largely in Malayalam. Although I can follow a bit of the  language, its very difficult to translate every word of the dialogue..I am writing my column on Chellanam and this small scale industry for The Metro Plus , The Hindu and will share the same with you once its published

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A lone boat in the clogged backwaters of Kerala

Just got back from a quick trip to Kerala...Updates soon..

The Zamboanga Ecozone Recreational Hub

 

The Zamboanga Economic Zone and Freeport (or Zambo Ecozone) has been undergoing transformational activities to attune to its newest desire of becoming Mindanao's recreational hub.

Discovery Zamboanga, a group of local developmental journalists recently visited the Zambo Ecozone, and discovered its various infrastructure projects aimed at providing recreational facilities.

"The natural beauties of the area plus introduction of recreational activities can make Zambo Ecozone as Mindanao's recreational center and could invite local and foreign tourists," Discovery Zamboanga said in a statement.

"Once the place is developed as a tourism center then business can follow suit," it added. The over 60-hectare industrial area of Ecozone is currently with some recreational facilities like a clubhouse, a seminar-training center, condotels, casitas and boat houses, swimming pools for adults and children, bowling center, zip-line area and many more. The facilities are for public use and reservations can be made for picnics, parties, seminars, conferences and other group activities.

More photos here:  RECREATIONAL HUB

At Nathulla Pass - A crash course in Chinese

One of the many boards at Nathulla Pass - The Indo China Border atop 14000 feet , near Gangtok. Sikkim. If you plan to visit here, please ensure you have a permit. The weather generally dips to single digits and somtimes in the minus and oxygen supply is rather low here. It is better to start your journey well ahead as roads from Gangtok close by 1 pm towards Nathulla. This is my second visit here and personally if you ask me, it is just another tourist attraction , but the journey is something worth savouring. You can meet the Indian army here and if you would like to interact with the Chinese , then these phrases may come in handy.

The Best Way to Find the Cheapest Tickets for Airfare

When you plan to travel into your favorite countries you are in need to book tickets for each flight. Knowing that they are lots of countries you want to visit for your summer vacation you need to have a cheap airline ticket agency. Agencies can save your money and can adjust your time as well. One of the easiest ways to find legal agency is in the internet. Your selected agency will provide you the cheapest flights, discounts and deals. This agency may available whether domestic or international.

Aside from the internet there are also agencies in your local area ready to serve and answer your questions about the flights and deals. Make sure that the agency you acquire is trusted and legal. They are to provide and let you choose the cheapest airfare. Their staff will inform you about the tickets. They are well knowledgeable to your place and professional people to make you satisfied. And they are the one to get your ticket before your time.

But cheap airline ticket agency online is one of the easiest way to book. Booking online is much easier rather than going to local agency. Moreover, you are updated with the latest information as well about cheap airfare online. You can book anytime you want by easily clicking your mouse and comfortably sitting into your chair.

The Cowboys Stadium

Long time ago there are no vehicles to be used as transportation. People only ride at their horses for traveling or for business matter like exchanging goods to different countries. These people called themselves as cowboys. Actually until now these people still exist but only in native countries who belongs in province area. But some cities areas are like and idolize cowboy’s people or some of them want to become cowboy. Basically, because of idolizing cowboys, city properties build cowboys stadium for people who wants to join or become part of the cowboy’s game. The game composes of two groups of people. This game famously called football. This is the most popular game in New Jersey. They call it cowboy because this game was like cowboys game, the two person focus with each other and need to get their gun as fast as they want to shoot their enemy and was played by players just like cowboy’s actions and the suits as well.

Football is an easy game. But before playing football you need to consider so many things such as studying and focusing of what the game is all about. The game needs teamwork just like other games. The only objective of the game is to win. People who join the game need to be very kind and understanding or who are not easily got angry because this game can irritate a person easily. To make it more interesting there is a need to study all about the game.

Happy Deepavali and Im off to Kochi

Its customary that we take a holiday in the first week of November and I was itching to go this year as well. Just that it coincided with the Deepavali holidays - As  a rule, I avoid travelling to any tourist places during festivals and holidays as I cannot stand crowds and them of course, one needs to deal with the gentle pressure of spending festivals at home - this time however we decided to please everybody and head for a short trip to Kerala. My tickets are still not confirmed , even on tatkal, but if all goes well, I should be on the train to Cochin..

Somebody asked me why Cochin and I realized since my 2nd standard, I havent really explored the city, even though Ive gone there many times on work.Its also well connected to many other destinations like Trichur or Munnar or Kumarakom or to the temples or to lesser known places. Although personally I prefer Trivandrum to Kochi (Its very loud and noisy now) , I hope to just chill and spend some time in Fort Kochi, go to the touristy and non touristy places and relax a bit. If I can, I will try and squeeze a couple of destinations or temples around Kochi..The idea is not to travel with a list of must see places , but to go with a  basic idea and see whatever I can see..Ive realized that i enjoy this type of travel these days , which helps me to meet people, reflect, relax and still explore..

So Happy and Safe  Deepavali folks and I wish Kerala shows some mercy to my ear drums and treats me to a noiseless Deepavali....

India through my eyes

You find them anywhere- atop old temples, inside fields, sometimes even at homes - King, God, Demon , Soldier - he seems like a mascot, protecting every temple in the south.

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