Ladakh - Day 2

I do not believe in the concept of must see places, for every place casts its magic on me - be it an unknown or an offbeat location , a known city or a tourist destination. But Ladakh was an exception.

It was a dream destination , something that had always seemed unattainable . It did not matter to me that I had not yet seen the Taj Mahal, but it irked me that I had not visited Ladakh. It was a destination that had given me sleepless nights. But when I woke up on a sunny morning in the capital town of this land of high passes, after spending a dizzy first night , it seemed like a dream still.

It was extremely hot and all the giddiness had vanished. We feasted on some aalu paratha with some garden vegetables freshly plucked from the garden and started our monastery trail.

 

In ladakh as in any where else, the dilemma is always the same. So many places to see and yet so little time. Earlier, I wanted to see almost everything possible and my eyes used to greedily devour every possible sight . But now, I decided to pick and choose. Its not so much about the choice of these sights , but its more to do about how much you want to soak in them.

If you just need a picture against every Buddha statue that was built in Ladakh, then you could cover as many places as you want. Also there is something called stamina when it comes to Ladakh. Even if you are acclimatised to the heights, most monasteries are atop hills and you need climb several steps to get there . They are breathtaking alright, but chances are with less oxygen, you would feel breathless climbing them.

 

Nevertheless, we started our day rather early. We skipped Leh and decided to do the monastery circuit outside the town.We planned on four monasteries, which in retrospect was quite a bit for a day. However, as they were rather close, we managed to spend quite some time at each place, absorbing the sights and sounds. We went to Stakna, followed by Hemis and then Thiksey and Shey before returning to Leh with a quick trip to Sindhu darshan..more on each of them in a while.

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Carnivals Around Spain and Brazil

THIS year’s Rio carnival is somewhat more exciting with the crowning of a preteen as the samba queen, leading a parade of scantily-clad sexy female dancers. Yet 2010 – the Year of the Tiger – spells a very adorable climate for the carnival since all walks of life from various parts of the world in various ages will troop to this exotic city to party for a full week. Isn’t that amazing? Nudity is definitely not an issue for these guys and gals. For them, the message is to let loose and hang out.

Spain on the other hand also has parties all year round. Let’s tour the exotic and landlocked city of Salamanca for instance. Incidentally, the carnival in Rio coincides with the carnival in Salamanca – it also occurs on a February. Like in Rio, there are also bullfights and exotic parades in this month. Then by March of this year, there will be the Muestra Nacional de Jazz.

Off to the coast we go and visit the capital of trance music, Ibiza. Ibiza has its own carnivals with occasional so-called air parties with DJs playing music in planes bound for Ibiza. Planes, especially those on red-eye flights, are instantly transformed into house clubs.

3rd Home is Premiere Home Exchange

WANT to know which website to browse when it comes to home exchange and vacation property management matters? Worry no more. There is 3rd Home. If you have more than one properties, you may exchange this with other vacation homes in other parts of the world. Isn’t it amazing that if you’re living in Connecticut, you’ll have exclusive access to the resorts in the Carribean or Palma de Mallorca? Have your vacation property management be taken care of by 3rd Home.

As the name suggests, 3rd Home is for folks who have vast properties and vacation houses elsewhere but are not accessible to world-renowned resorts. Exchanging your home or home exchange with 3rd Home is reasonably priced and definitely affordable for the average American. Some of our most hottest destinations for home exchange are Nantucket in Massachusetts, Palm Springs in California and Miami in Florida. We’ve got log homes in Colorado, upscale lofts in the Mediterranean and beach villas in Mexico. Now there’s something to look forward to in vacation property management.

Ladakh - Day 1

There is always a special moment when you land in a new city . A new wave of excitement seizes me..its something that Ive never been able to explain .

I took a deep breath and felt the pulse of the city inside me the moment I landed in Leh . The mountains crowded me and they formed the entire cityscape of Ladakh. Subconsciously I touched my head to wonder if I felt giddy, but I could only feel the slight shiver of excitement running through my bones. Ladakh was waiting for me .

The journey from airport to the hotel was over within minutes. We passed crowded market of Leh and entered Chubi where my guest house was located. The mountains gave us company and as I climbed the first step, I felt breathless. And then the dizziness hit me. The windows of my large room opened into a beautiful garden of flowers and vegetables and that probably was the only source of oxygen to us out there..and then it hit me as I fell into a deep slumber just before dinner.

The twilight hour had come and gone and we were slowly acclimatising to the heights.The weather had already changed from foggy to sunny to being cold . We walked down the steps to join the other guests in the garden for an early dinner. There was an Italian at the table next to ours and he was waiting for his friends. We politely opened the conversation to realize that he could speak only Italian. Sharath and he hit it off and the conversation was purely through signs and images. The dinner arrived and with it another round of deep slumber and all our headaches and dizziness vanished with the end of day 1.

Choosing the Best Hotel for the Holidays

CHOOSING the best hotel for the holidays needs lots of factors before one can decide. First, choose whether you’re vacationing on your own, you’re accompanying your girlfriend or you’re with your family. If you’re vacationing on your own, then you need only a modest bed for your own. And then you may want to weigh on whether you’ll be staying in a two-star backpacker motel or splurge yourself in a four-star luxurious one. That entirely depends on your budget at hand and your interests.

And then, choosing a hotel also depends on your location. You may find that a five-star hotel in Doha costs more than a five-star hotel in some remote corner in the Philippines. And then consider also the services of a hotel in Thailand over a hotel in Tenerife. There are some hotels which imbue some exotic décor in their rooms which are native to the place.

And then consider also the season when you vacation. Obviously, it costs a lot more during off-season rather than on-season. And peak season can vary depending on where you are. It is usually off-season during winter in Palma de Mallorca. And it is off-season to stay in Christmas in Australia.

Adventure Travel on Valentines Day

THIS Valentine, choose your wildest adventure destination yet with your romantic other.Valentine 2010 will be better than past Love Days in past years because it also coincides with Chinese New Year. 2010 is the Year of the Tiger and it calls for romantic lovers all over the world to be resilient and more aggressive.

How else can you impress your loved ones except to treat them to a vacation in the other part of the world this Valentine. For instance, if you come from a landlocked spot in Spain such as Salamanca, you may want to explore the serene waters of Phuket off mainland Thailand. Or if you come from the tropical archipelago that is the Philippines, you may want to visit the nudist haven that is Cap dÁgde in France. Or if you are a devout Catholic, you may want to visit Lourdes.

The choices are indeed endless for vacationers. You may want to have a cruise around the Mediterranean for three months and get to interact with other residents in the huge ship. There is one maintained by the Royal Carribean which is oh so big – the Oasis of the Seas. You may want to check out their brochure.

Philippine Travel Destinations

THEY say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. There are many beautiful spots in the Philippines but each domestic and foreign tourist has his and her own choice for the top Philippine travel destinations.

The number one on my list is Camiguin. Camiguin is an island off the northern part of Cagayan de Oro City. It is accessible by fast ferry for only one hour while others take a detour some 100 miles away to admire the beaches in mainland eastern Misamis Oriental before proceeding the volcanic paradise that is Camiguin. Why do I say that it is a volcanic paradise? Because the island itself is surrounded by dormant volcanoes but beyond these volcanoes, there are various hot springs, sandbars and beaches. Other regular attractions include the Lenten walkway and the sunken cemetery.

Second on my list is surprisingly, the urban metropolis of Metro Manila particularly the beltway housing Trinoma and the renovated SM City North EDSA. SM City North EDSA houses one of only two IMAX moviehouses in the Philippines and it is here which I like to spend the time the most because I am really fascinated with everything 3D. I have my third, fourth and fifth choices but since I am biased, I’d rather keep them on my own.