Beautiful bay of Patra.

If there is one in the world that I would neglect all my duties to visit, it is Greece. Ever since I studied the ancient Greek history, the idea of touring Greece haunts me constantly.

Whenever I come across in the Internet any thing related to Greece, I am drawn towards it like a magnet and I can't resist blogging about what I read and saw.

Today, I just found a gem of a blog.it is a travel blog maintained by a very passionate traveler and his blog is
Clearly Enlight.

Apart from the great content, the blogs very neat and crisp. I feel like visiting this blog at least once in day. The picture you see here is of Bay of Patra. It is the capital of the Prefecture of Achaia. There are several pictures of the calm seas of the Greece that I feel like taking a plunge into the ocean.

I thank the blogger of Clearly Enlight for giving me so much pleasure.

Anakati-a small hill station.

Anakati is a small hill station in Tmailnadu, bordering Kerala. It is just 27 KMs from Coimbatore.

I visited this place a few days ago. I along with my brother went on his small two wheeler and we took about an hour to reach the place. The journey was absolutely refreshing and the ride through the dense forest on the ghat road was cool and refreshing.

I wonder why people take pains to go to Ooty or Kodaikanal as this place provides all the adventure you expect in a hill station. I saw some very rare birds en route and even Salim Ali, the famous arnithologist has established a center for watching birds in the forest.

The silence in the forest just great and I heard nothing-not even the sound of insects could be heard.

God lives there in his abundance.

Sleep with water underneath you.

I have no real intention of making this blog as a travel guide but once in a way, when I come across a worthy place to see or an unusual hotel somewhere in the world, I feel like blogging about it.

Well, please read the title again: “Sleep with water underneath you.”

Won’t you want to know what that is? I did and you are reading this article because of that.

The Switzerland-the dream destination for every Indian because of their chocolates and watches lure us with more than that. It is considered to be the most scenic place in the world and their hotel service is the best in the world.

Where can you experience the night view of the moon shimmering on the lake with the Alps in the distance and the morning sunrise?

Stay at the Hôtel Palafitte that connects the quality tastes of the discerning Swiss, with something a little bit different – rooms built directly over Neuchâtel lake, with private terraces and ladders dipping into the water for guests.

Do you know Blue Ridge Parkway?

See, without ever visiting America, I have gained lots of geographical knowledge about it that my sister, a resident American used to amaze at my knowledge.

Sometimes, she learnt new information about her own surroundings from my conversation.

One of the many scenic drives in the U.S. is the stretch of 469 miles along the Southern Appalachian Mountains and linking two eastern national parks — Virginia's Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountains through the Blue Ridge Parkway.

My sister always tells me that one should visit America during the fall season to see the brilliant fall foliage is in full effect. But Yahoo recommends taking a drive along this breath taking scenic drive even during May to witness the profusion of wildflowers in bloom along the elevated mountainsides.

Courtesy: Google Images

For fun, sun and thrill, head to...

Winter in India is comparatively milder than Canada and many places in Europe. But Spain is an exception, at least for me.

I have traveled in Spain extensively but only virtually through books. I habitually note down places of interest and fun in my notebook called “One day…”.

My first choice in Spain after landing in one of the Benidorm hotels will be to go to Mundomar. I know your eyebrows are raised but let me assure you that it is a must see place in the world.

It is a marine animal park located in Benidorm. It is twinned with the water park Aqualandia, which is directly adjacent to it

Many different species can be viewed at Mundomar, including Dolphins, Sea Lions, Penguins, and many more marine and land animals.

My next destination will be to see those architectural marvels of Barcelona. Barcelona means romance to me. Barcelona hotels offer plenty of options for all class of travelers. I won’t find any problems in finding the right hotel even at the last minute because I can always bank upon CheaperthanHotels.co.uk

I won’t also miss seeing Alicante, one of the fastest-growing cities in Spain. The local economy is based upon tourism in the beaches. Most of the Alicante hotels are clustered around the beaches.

The most important festival, the Bonfires of Saint John, takes place during the summer solstice. This is followed a week later by seven nights of firework and pyrotechnic contests.

Wait, someone is at the door. I will continue writing about other places of interest in Spain, tomorrow.

Austria's popular bathing lakes.

When I declined the first prize that I won, I took all the abuses possible. But only I know the reason for my action (rather inaction).

The competition was on for quite sometime. Only a week before it ended, I sent in my entries. It was a test of knowledge and knack. It was a peculiar kind of competition really.

Skipping the details of competition let me come straight to the point. The first prize that I won was a fully paid trip to Berlin, Germany. It was an international competition. I was the only person in India to have won the prize and I was just 18 at that time.

I was afraid of the lonely journey to Berlin; I did not know German language. I had a lot of misgivings about hotels in Berlin. Looking back, I don’t regret my decision even today. Now the time has come; my son is going to be employed in Berlin. I am going to accompany him.

We have decided to leave a week early so that we can see some places in Europe. We have chosen Austria, Spain and Italy for our trip.

Hotels in Vienna threw us plenty of options but we chose a hotel offered by Cheaper than Hotels. The Airport hotel in Vienna was ideal for us because there is an Indian restaurant near by it. We have heard so much about the water quality in Austria. Water in the lakes and swimming pools is so good that you can even drink.

Lake Attersee also known as the Kammersee, is the largest lake of the Salzkammergut area of Austria. It extends for about 20 km from north to south and 4 km from east to west. Its water comes from the Seeache, which flows out of another lake, the Mondsee. Due to its steady winds and clean water quality, Attersee is famous for attracting sailors and swimmers alike.

We were recommended to see kite surfing, a famous sport in Austria. For that we had to change hotels in Vienna due to proximity to Lake Neusiedl. Kite surfing differs from normal surfing by one essential feature: fastened onto the board is not a sail but a ‘water’ kite connected to the handlebar by tethers.

We found out some very cheap flights to Berlin from Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Till my son settles in Berlin, he is permitted to stay in any one of the moderately prized hotels in Berlin. This would be arranged by his employer.

I think I can stay with my son in Berlin for at least 3 days. I am eagerly looking forward to the trip.

The number one online hotel booking site.

------>Dublin Castle

I remember a poll that was conducted in my college among students. The topic was “The most coveted place in the world”.

The result was an astounding favorite towards Rome. We could not believe it. We expected Orlando or London.

Though I did not join the college tour to Rome, I gathered plenty of information from the tour party. They visited Rome, London, Dublin and Prague. They somehow did not plan to go to the U.S.

Using my knowledge about ancient Rome, I told my friends to visit first the Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire that was said to have accommodated 50,000 spectators who watched the gladiatorial combat.

They have stayed in a couple of hotels in Rome that were in close proximity to the sight seeing places.

Their next stop was Prague, the sixth most visited European city. The tour party was fascinated by the magnificent architecture in Prague. The food in Prague was not liked by many but there were plenty of low budget hotels in Prague and they stayed in Hotel Denisa Prague at the City Center. The people of Prague were a lot silent and friendly.

My friends brought magnificent photos of The Church of St. Nicolas and St. Vitus Cathedral.
Ireland was their last destination and naturally they landed in Dublin. They had booked in advance at Marina House Dublin as it was located in a quiet seaside town called Dun Laoghaire. It seemed most of the hotels in Dublin were housed in old buildings.

They were all spell bound by the Dublin Castle that was originally built as a defensive fortification for the Norman city of Dublin, it later evolved into a royal residence, resided in by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland or Viceroy of Ireland, the representative of the monarch.

Listening to their stories of joy, I shared their happiness and even now cherish the memories.

Heading for Madrid?

Then don’t fail to visit the magnificent ‘Buen Retiro Park’. The Jardines del Buen Retiro or Parque del Buen Retiro (literally "Gardens" or "Park of the Pleasant Retreat") is a large and popular, 1.4 km² (350 acre) park in Madrid's city center, not far from the Prado Museum. Once outside Madrid, the park is now entirely surrounded by the present day city.

Madrid is a lively international city that is thronged by travelers from all over the world. Hotels in Madrid offer accommodation even at the last minute and Cheaperthanhotels.co.uk throws hundreds of options.

But, I would recommend Jamyc Hostal Madrid, a one star hotel that also provides last minute accommodation.

Through CheaperThanHotels.co.uk we can book our accommodation after comparing the facilities, locations and price of several hotels in Spain.

For example, if you plan to stay in Barcelona, (I know you would), visit cheapertahnhotels.co.uk/Spain/Barcelona/ and you will immediately see a big list of hotels categorized as per their rating..

When compared to hotels in other European cities, hotels in Barcelona are cheaper. I can save you precious time by directly recommending San Ramon Hostal Barcelona for 33 Euros per day. Though I like the Marina beach in my city, you can visit all the seven beaches in Barcelona of which Sant Sebastià and Barceloneta beaches, both 1100 m in length, are the largest, oldest and the most frequented beaches in Barcelona.

While Spain offers more sight seeing places, these are the major cities there worth visiting. Hey, don't forget to learn a few Spanish words and surprise the hotel staff.

Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.

Had I not read about the rain forecast, I would have already landed in Nottingham to watch the second test match between India and England. The cricket test that is scheduled to start in a few hours may not take off due to rain.

“That is England for you Mala”, emailed my sister, now a British resident. I had arranged to book a hotel in London for me and my husband through cheaper than hotels website. I know it is a huge database of hotels in England.

My plan was to stay in London for a day and then move on to Manchester where I wanted to meet an online friend of mine who is also into pro blogging like me. Again, finding an accommodation in Manchester was not a problem because, I can always depend on Cheaperthanhotels.co.uk

She only suggested me to utilize the services cheaperthanhotels.co.uk where one can view all the hotels they have tie up with and choose the one that suits your budget. Though staying in budget hotels are not my style, I was advised to stay in one because I can use the saved money to stay for a couple of days more in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. I was invited for an overnight stay by my friend, I preferred to stay in a hotel in Edinburgh, as I like the hotel atmosphere more than staying as guest in someone else’s house.

I read some rave reviews about Arthur's Seat - the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park, a remarkably wild piece of highland landscape in the center of the of the city of Edinburgh, about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. The hill rises above the city to a height of 251 m, provides excellent panoramic views of the city, is quite easy to climb, and is a popular walk.

Since I had to cancel my trip, may be I can re-plan it so that I will be in England at least for the third test match.

See Brooklyn Bridge atop a double-decker.

My friend’s son just got a visa to study in the U.S. I forgot the name of the university in which he got an admission but I remember that he is heading for Brooklyn.

Since, I had already visited New York, he asked me for some information about living in New York, the cost of living, where he can get cheap accommodation, places to see in New York etc.

He also wanted to know, where he can get vegetarian Indian food.

Though I have all the details he asked for, I advised him the first thing he has to do after landing New York is to go around the city to familiarize himself.

I saw the New York City in the night and I could never forget that experience. I could still see those beautiful lights in Times Square, Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge as seen in movies.

I recommended to my friend’s son that he buy himself a ticket for New York City Tours online and take a window seat atop the double-decker bus that is open at the top. This is the most exciting way to see the city that never sleeps.

The guide provided by citysightsny.com was top class when I toured. I thoroughly enjoyed his shuttle sense of humor and his knowledge about New York.

Since he could get $5 off if booked online, I bought his ticket on the spot. He is taking the city tour on 25^th of this month.

This is a sponsored post.

One more blog on Goa.

Before my vacation to Goa last month, I searched for blogs on Goa and the places to see in Goa. I never do a research on the food wherever I wanted to go as I can get on with just bread and pizzaz.

I stumbled upon only one blog in May that was worth reading. But still I went ahead with my vacation and managed somehow.

Today, I received an email update from world blogcollection and in that I read about one more blog on Goa

“Goa is a tropical beach paradise located on the west coast of India. It is unique from the rest of India because of its history and geography. The people of Goa or Goans are friendly, Goa party-loving and peaceful.”

No, I did not find anything unique in Goa. Only one thing surprised me; I did not find any traffic police in Goa. The traffic was very less and may be that is the reason for no traffic controller.

Where is Busch Garden.

I don't know why it is named as Bush Gardens but I know where it is.

It is located in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Do you know that Busch Gardens Africa was known as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay?
Since it has an African theme, it is called Busch Gardens Africa.

This was opened on March 31, 1959. Its first name was 'Dark Continent'.The theme park is one of America's largest zoological institutions, with more than 2,700 animals. Attractions include: Rhino Rally, Montu, Kumba, Scorpion, Gwazi, Edge of Africa, and SheiKra, a vertical dive coaster which opened in 2005. The theme park is some distance away from downtown, in extreme northern Tampa, bordering the town limits of Temple Terrace.

There is also a 'Busch Gardens' in Europe that opened in 1975.

Do you know Kirthar Range?

I have written about several holiday destinations in the western world. For a change I thought I could visit my neighbor Pakistan.

Kirthar National Park is also second largest Wildlife Park in Kirthar range. Kirthar and is located between the Balouchistan and in Karachi, this hilly area is covered with limestone hills are rise from 4000 to nearly 8000 feet and surround by a fossilized remnants from distinct ages from ancient times.

It extends southward for about 190 miles (300 km) from the Mula River in east-central Balochistan to Cape Muari (Monze) west of Karachi on the Arabian Sea.

The inhabitants of the region, chiefly Balochi, Sindhi, and Brahui tribes, subsist by flock grazing. Gabol being the major Baloch tribe living here.

Rare species of Animals found in Kirthar National park like, Sindh Wild Goat, Indian Fox, Egyptian vulture, Indian Pangolin, Desert Wolf, Chinkara Gazelle, Honey Badger, Jackal, Asiatic leopard, Bonnelli's eagle, Stripped Hyena, Jungle cat, and also a numbers of reptile and bird species found in Kirthar national park.

Acknowledgment: Blurtit.com

Where is marine park?

Oh, I am sorry, I rephrase my question: Where is the Marine Park in U.K.?

Marine Park holiday park can found in Rhyl in Denbighshire. There is a heated indoor pool that is surrounded by lovely beaches. Denbighshire is a principal area and county in North Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire.

English countryside is said to be absolutely idyllic and tales set on those ranches are always fascinating. Recently my cousin has settled there and sent me wonderful images of her farm.

The Suncentre:
The Rhyl Suncentre features an indoor leisure swimming pool featuring an indoor monorail, as well as Europe's first indoor surfing pool.

The Marine Park is a popular tourist destination, with fairground rides a miniature steam train that travels around the lake, a playground and numerous water sports clubs.

Do you know Mosi-oa-Tunya?

Ha, Ha, don't try to pronounce "Mosi-oa-Tunya"-instead just say 'Victorial Falls' .

Africa's Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders) are, by some measures, the largest waterfall on the planet, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any major waterfall site.

Water has some special attraction for us. It's dual force as the elixir of life as well as the wrecker in chief are not easily detected or do we take them for granted?

Falls are the most attractive of water force that has other forms that include rain, river, ocean and lake. Victoria Falls in Africa that dumps down river Zambezi is said to the wildest of all the water falls in the world.

Victoria Falls are one of Africa's major tourist attractions, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



Image source: Wikipedia

How do you pronounce Cancun?

Cancun, the paradise on Mexico is pronounced as can-koon. The city was established only in 1972.

Since it started attracting tourists from all parts of the world, the city was developed rapidly to provide all modern facilities that are on par with the rest of the world.

Today, the city boasts that it can accommodate nearly 50000 tourists at any time in their 140 plus hotels and triple the number of restaurants.

I learnt that the Hotel Zone of Cancun is shaped like a backwards 7 with bridges on each end connecting to the mainland. Hotels on the vertical or long side of the 7 tend to have rougher beaches and beach erosion can be a problem. Resorts on the horizontal or short end of the seven tend to have more gentle surf because the waves here are blocked by the island of Isle Murejes which lies just off shore.

I don’t know whether it is man made or artificial. Apart from luxury resorts and time share condominiums, there are a lot of cancun all inclusive resort packages are offered by large travel service providers like Vacations.net.

I came to know that vacations.net is the most preferred in the ‘all inclusive vacation’ sector because of exemplary service and loads of freebies like unlimited snacks and drinks.

Vacations.net’s ‘all inclusive resort’ is where all meals, drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic, hotel activities, entertainment, non motorized water sports, tips and taxes are included in the price of the hotel rooms.

Helicopter tour of West Maui.

I was sponsored to write about hotels and resorts in Hawaii earlier. But I have not seen this spectacular view in any of the Hawaii travel websites.


Just look at this picture and how cool it is your eyes. It is absolutely serene and silent.
The website Big Kahuna Hawaii correctly said, "this is the perfect tour if you want to see remote landscapes and plenty of spectacular waterfalls cascading down imposing sea cliffs. You will fly above West Maui and then on to the island of Molokai and see views that will take your breath away! "

Whenever I am on hills, I become rejuvenated and feel very active. Hills make me chill. I am not for hot beaches as I am born and brought up in Madras, a coastal city in India. I have had enough of shorelines.

I have never seen a waterfall from the sky. This would be perfect opportunity to enjoy the blue green mountains of Hawaii.

My last trip to Hawaii was forgettable.

“But why, Hawaii is the most sought after destination in the world for travelers!”-this is your question-right?

Hawaii was everything that I read about, recommended to, in reality. The absolute silence in certain places, the gentle waves and all round greenery were all simply fantastic and memorable.

But still I had a miserable tour and the culprit was the travel agent of course who messed up everything he promised to arrange.

The chauffeur was at the wrong gate at the airport, the booked accommodation at a prestigious resort failed to communicate to the travel agent that they can’t accommodate me, last minute hassle of finding a right place to stay and on and on… the list of miseries were endless.

This time I intend to be doubly cautious in my planning. After a few minutes in the Internet, I stumbled on to a nice Hawaiian travel blog that was full of first hand information about Hawaii, places to stay, attractions not to miss, general precautions to take while planning for a vacation in Hawaii.

Of the various hawaiian vacation packages that I studied, the package offered by Hawaiian Beach Rentals was the most suited to my taste and my attitude of freedom. Vacation for me is not to go to places but to get away from them.

This time I intend to opt for a very quiet place in Oahu island. I like the serene atmosphere of Oahu and it is less crowded. A beautiful small cottage overlooking the ocean was promised to me by Hawaiianbeachrentals.com

This is my sincere advice to travelers going to Hawaii: “Visit once Hawaiianbeachrentals.com before you arrange bookings to Hawaii”.

I am late by a week.

But that’s alright. There is always another time.

Only last Wednesday, I have planned my yearly vacation and arranged flight tickets, hotel reservations, car rental and all, through an online travel site.

Had I delayed my planning by just a week, I could have saved nearly $200 and don’t you agree that it is a big savings? With that saved $200, I could have booked myself a vacation resort and had it all to my family.

Hotels Reservations offers fantastic discounts on hotels, flights, car rentals, vacation resorts.

Actually, I did the same planning with Hotels Reservation and the entire online arrangements were smooth and finally when I saw the bill, my heart sank because their rates very unbelievably competitive and I really rue my bad luck.

The choice of hotels and other resorts offered by them are many compared to other travel sites. Florida was my destination and I found some of the hotels that are nearer to many sight seeing attractions.

Now, coming to the flight tickets deal, Hotel Reservations must have stuck a deal with popular flight operators to offer us big, fat discounts on flight tickets.

People tend to neglect the after sales service of travel services. But what I noticed with them is their 24 hours, 365 days telephone support. This is just great. We can always call them to make a few last minute modifications in our choice of vacation package and they are only too happy to oblige.

Finally, a word about the type of vacation package we dream can be fully customized in their website. You can choose the exact number of days you would like to spend, what type of accommodation is preferred etc.

Travelers always want as many options as possible with respect to hotels or resorts. HotelReservations.com has a big network of hotels that can fit any kind of budget.

I must remember to utilize their services next year.

My dream cruise planned.

Today’s adult was children one day. Centuries may pass, millennium may dawn but, the fairy tales will remain for ever.

May be new fairy tales might have stopped but the oldies are still fresh in our memories-right?
Those ships and ferries that traveled to distant islands, inhabited and green are my dream vacation destinations.

P&O Ferries operate wide range of ferry services between England, Holland, France, Spain, Belgium and Ireland.

Hey, those are not very costly man! I searched for a cruise between Dublin and Liverpool and the cost varied from different ferry operators. From 206 to 350 pounds, one can choose any service.

I pray God to give me an opportunity to sail away one day.