Traveling is good
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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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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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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I lived with my maternal uncle in remote farm near Bilaspur in mud huts with no electricity or basic sanitation with ‘minimalist’ facilities. Any…
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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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06 Oct 2011 Travel to the place Where we spread love, Freedom to serve And land to move. 06.00 a.m. The sound of the…
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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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In the journey of life, we do get many friends in different phases of time. Amongst all, friendship with old school mates stands tall….
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First Topkapi Palace was a palace, but now it’s a museum. If you go to the Topkapi Palace, you can know how they used to live? How their kitchen was? You can also see their arms, some jewellery what they used to wear.
There’s also really good sea view from there. We had also gone to a garden in Topkapi Palace. We saw a really beautiful rose flower there.
Nothing much has changed since; the lovely people continue to offer charming smiles and warmth. Mouth watering food scene remains intact. Ah! One not-so-good change has been the (ex)change value of our Bhartiya Rupaye – it is 1.9 INR to a Thai Bhat /THB (almost double or half, depending on which end you are on – the selfie or the main!). And it pinches alright either way.
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The rains stopped but the clouds did buzz away. So only some of the rides were opened. The best was the Space Shot which takes you up to height of 185 feet and then with a sudden force brings you down with all the shouts and shrieks and a bizarre feeling of weightlessness. It was good fun!!
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For the hardcore adventure seekers, Dubai brings to you the thrill of skydiving with one of the most jaw-dropping sceneries in the world. The Palm Dubai drop zone is considered as one of the most picturesque skydiving zones in the world.
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