Asia

Humayun’s Tomb & Lotus Temple…….

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It was just another busy week at the office and after much anticipation Sunday arrived. Movie session on Saturday night did the trick and we woke up late on Sunday Morning. So we abandoned our plan to visit the Lotus Temple in the morning and  decided to go to Humayun’s Tomb first….

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In the land of smiles: Thailand

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I wasn’t prepared for anything which is what conditioned me for everything to come. I can’t explain it. But when I landed at Bangkok, (Suwarnabhumi pronounced Su-wana-poon) a singularly inspiring piece of engineering, I was overcome with various feelings_ euphoria, above all. I needed my visa (on arrival for Indian passport holders), a shower and change. I was backpacking, had no time to waste, had to pack in as much as I could while I was here and I wasn’t going to check into a hotel to distress.

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Know Bhutan: Trongsa, the city of heritage and the Dzong

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Built in 1644 in its present form, it is the largest Dzong of Bhutan, which can be seen from many points of the town. It was huge, robust, elaborate and respectful looking. A series of inter-connected multi-floored buildings comprising of Lhakhangs (Buddhist temples), alley like long corridors, court rooms, wide stone stairs, paved courtyards completed the Dzong in its entirety.

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Offbeat Tourism at Mangdechhu Hydro Electric Project in Bhutan

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The Mangdechhu hydroelectric project is a 720MW run-of-river power plant (4 units each of 180 MW capacity) being built in Trongsa district of central Bhutan on the Mangdechhu river (which is a tributary of Manas river – which is again a tributary of Brahmaputra river). Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority (MHPA), which is constituted by the Indian Government and the Royal Government of Bhutan, is developing the project. On completion, most of the electricity generated by the underground power house will be used to meet the energy requirement of Bhutan and the surplus electricity will be exported to India

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On The Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka

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The high point of our yatra was the visit to Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sigiriya or Simha Giriya ( Lion Rock ) is a gigantic rock formation ( 660 ft high ) on top of which a complex capital city was built by one king Kashyap and which was said to have been later usurped by Ravana. Still later, it was used by Buddhists to promote their religion. The rock and its surroundings presents a unique concentration of urban planning, architecture, gardening, engineering, hydraulic technology and art.

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Jeddah: Discovering a mega-city

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Jeddah has cityscapes on a large scale. Not for this city the narrow crowded bylanes of Mumbai; here, every street is built on a grand scale. Most streets (barring streets in old Jeddah and inside residential areas) are at least 8-10 lanes in width, with broad footpaths. There are bridges and under-passes, service roads on the side, and so on, in addition to the main thoroughfare. During most visits, in spite of using Google Maps and Navigation, I ended up getting on to the wrong ramp, or driving past a turn or missing a U-turn and having to drive an extra 5-10 kms to get back to where I wished to go.

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Doha: Bridging the Gulf

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Nevertheless, Doha’s a well-planned city for sure. The roads are wide and traffic is quite organised. The best thing about Doha’s roads is that pedestrians are always given right of way. Since I was not aware of this on the first day, I stood on the pavement, waiting for the traffic light to turn red. To my surprise, all the cars stopped to let me cross. For a moment, I hesitated. Only when one of the drivers signalled for me to pass did I realise what was happening. Guess our desi car-owners can pick up a tip or two from Doha’s drivers!

However, our hotel was a complete letdown. It was supposed to be a five-star hotel, but didn’t seem to be worth even two stars. For one, it was just an unassuming brick building, lacking the grandeur and polish usually associated with Indian five-star hotels. Second, the bathrooms didn’t even have a bar of soap, leave alone any toiletries. When we asked for some water, the bell-boy, who happened to be an Indian, advised us to buy a mineral water bottle from a general store, which would cost us 1 Qatar Riyal (QAR), while the hotel would charge us 5 QAR. Rs 70 for a glass of water? What a rip-off!

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