Travel - Best Places of Interest

October 14, 2017 Travel, Within India

Is Ahmedabad city boring to visit?

Well, on a recent trip to Ahmedabad city this is what I found

If you don’t like authenticity, then it is very boring.

Ahmedabad city is for Gujarat, what Mumbai is for India. Gujaratis are divided into Kutchhi, Kaathiyawadi, Maarwadi, Maldhari, Jain and well, many others.

If you don’t like Humbleness, then it is very boring.

Ahmedabad city still possesses the humility and politeness passed on to it from the times of Mahatma Gandhi. Respecting that, Ahmedabad was declared the safest city in India

If you don’t like Modern cities, then it is very boring.

Rolls Royce showroom,
Riverfront,
The revolving Patang Hotel,
The bustling BRTS Buses.
Glass curtained buildings
Air-conditioned public transport
Booming real estate

If you don’t like Educational Hub, then it is very boring.

IIM-A for Management,
NID for designing,
MICA for Advertising,
GNLU for Law, IIT Gandhinagar for technology,
Ahmedabad Dental College for obviously, Dentistry

If you don’t like Divines, then it is very boring.

Sidi Sayed Jaali in a mosque, Ahmedabad city — Mosque of Sidi Sayed Jaali in Ahmedabad Image credit Vrajesh Jani

Sidi Sayed Mosque, which brags the gorgeous Sidi Sayed Jali,

The Iskcon Temple,

Akshardham Temple, Ahmedabad city — Akshardham Temple | by RussBowling

Akshardham (technically, in Gandhinagar, but not that far from Ahmedabad),
Mahudi (popular amongst Jains, and close to Ahmedabad)

If you don’t like Activeness, then it is boring.

Don’t be deceived. Active stands for active to eat.

Ahmedabad city is not just about Dhokla, Faafda, Haandva, Thepla as known in the popular culture. ‘Amdavadi’ cuisine has gone on a roll, with Barbeque, authentic Italian, Mexican, Thai, Continental, European restaurants coming up.

Mahudi or Sukhdi, Ahmedabad city — Sukhadi is an Indian Sweet mostly consumed by Jain Community. It is made from flour, jaggery, and Ghee (clarified butter).
Image credit Maitrikvora21

Then there is the ‘Manek chowk’, for the hunger hunters, whose stomach goes bananas in the midnight. (Imagine, Mahudi, a rather religious place, is popular amongst many people for its Prasad ‘Sukhdi’. Food is religion, practised by all!)

If you don’t like Beauty, then it is very boring.

When you see the

Thol Lake, Ahmedabad city — Thol Lake – Gujarat, India – Flickr – Emmanuel Dyan (7

Sunrise at the Thol lake, or
The chirping birdsat the Nalsarovar Bird Century, or

Kankaria lake, Ahmedabad city — Kankaria Carnival
Image credit Sagar Joshi

The sunset at the Kankaria lake,

you’ll get to know the real meaning of beauty.

Well, if you like Alcohol, then it is surely boring for you.

Yes, it’s a dry state. Ahmedabad stands up as an example for the country. This doesn’t mean, that Ahmedabad has no place to party at, but you can rest assure that no drunk man/woman is creating a nuisance on the streets.

If you don’t like Dazzling, then it is very boring.

Dazzling with celebrations.

Biggest Kite festival – Read more about it here
The most colourful Garba
The loudest of Diwali
The simplicity of Moharram
Rathyatra

All calmly embedded in Ahmedabad’s culture, as it dazzles in celebration every now and then.

And lastly, they are always in ‘Majja ma‘ (they are always fine and chilled.)

Authentic, Humble, Modern, Educational-hub, Divine, Active, Beautiful, Alcohol-Free, Dazzling!

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you are in search of Mumbai Chowpatty or any other beach on weekends!

Ahmedabad city, Sabarmati Riverfront — Sabarmati Riverfront Ahmedabad

But, hey! The city of Ahmedabad is having ever-fascinating and beautiful SABARMATI RIVERFRONT.

Sabarmati Riverfront gardens, Ahmedabad city — Glimpses of the gardens at Sabarmati Riverfront

This is the very place where there was a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping.

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you are a night-life addict since City doesn’t have any nightclubs or pubs.

But, hey! You can certainly visit Manek Chowk, S.G. Highway, C.G. Road to get a glimpse of what night-life actually means in Ahmedabad!

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you can’t get mingle with its pace and people.

But, hey! Amdavadis are humble. They possess helping nature. If you have lost your way, they are faster than Google maps. They will even take you to your destination.

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you don’t know the meaning of Heritage and Culture.

But, hey! The Uptown is extremely rich and fully filled by colourful culture. Every class of Amdavadi visits uptown at-least once during Diwali for shopping. Uptown comprises of various markets where you get the fragrance of oneness and unity.
Above all, City’s pride Ellis-bridge enhances your cinematic views of the city.
There is a concept of living in Pol, where people from various parts of Gujarat, different religions live together on the same street.

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you are looking for any lush green campus.

But, hey! Ahmedabad is blessed to have world-class and renowned university campuses such as IIM-Ahmedabad, D. College of Engineering, Nirma University. All these campuses may leave you in wonders!

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you can’t get along with City’s public transportation.

Ahmedavadis proudly travel in the ever fast and cheap BRTS buses. (AC bus you know!)

Ahmedabad is a boring place if you can’t travel enough to explore its eye-catching surroundings such as Nal Sarovar, Thol lake, Polo forest etc.

UNESCO has declared Ahmedabad a world heritage city. Ahmedabad became the first heritage city in India.

Jama Masjid

Dada Hari wav

Sidi Sayeed Masjid

Modhera Sun Temple

Ahmedabad attractions

Kankaria Lake

Science city

Sardar Dam

Gandhi Ashram

River Front

Kite festival

Only in the first or second week of January.

Nal Sarovar

So, do you think Ahmedabad city is a boring city to visit?

What you miss when you don’t travel a lot?

What are things you don’t know until you travel a lot?

Traveling is priceless and changes you. So here is what I’ve been learning since I started traveling around the world:

You don’t know it until you see it for yourself –

It doesn’t matter how much you read or plan a trip, being in contact with a different culture/religion/food/etc. is mesmerizing, and each people have a different experience.

You don’t need much –

The longer you travel, the more you realize you don’t need all that you’re carrying, and especially don’t need the dozens of shirts you left at home.

People are nice! Stay open to create bonds, but be ready to set apart –

People that travel during a lot of time have an intense way of living and seeing things. You will meet others where you will feel an instant connection. Be open for this, enjoy experiences together as much as you can, but be ready to go to different directions.

Travel slow, and don’t worry about visiting all places

When we start traveling we usually want to do many things, take thousands of photos…and then what? Do you really show/see all your photos? Traveling slower and without many plans will make the trip cheaper, and you may have unforgettable experiences since now you have time to experience.

What you miss when you don't travel a lot?

In my experience so far of traveling, mostly around Europe (36 countries so far), I have observed that:

Historical accounts and politics are never as black and white as media portrays. What we often read about and understand about other countries is a gross oversimplification.
There comes a point when you realize you can’t use your own culture and values as a baseline for comparison to another, much like comparing apples to oranges. Then the shock factor becomes less prominent.
You will learn infinitely more spending time with locals than if you rely on research alone.
Individuals are usually less likely to approach or befriend you if you travel in a group/couple; one of the few perks of traveling alone.

You may like to read Solo Trip in Europe

Some of the most spectacular destinations are actually the lesser visited so it’s worth thinking outside the box to avoid tourist traps and experiences served on a plate, so to speak.
Sometimes cultures will clash, but that’s okay. It’s always going to be an enlightening experience and a valuable lesson in respecting diversity

Guilherme Katzor, Sharing my passion for travel and dance around the world

Have you ever heard of tunnel-reality, which is a concept I got many years ago from Robert Anton Wilson?

Basically, it’s like this: Imagine there is a huge pipe attached in front of you and all you can see of what is front of you is whats down that pipe. All else is excluded. That’s as much as you know. All else is excluded. Well, that’s what it’s like when you only live in one country (and note that traveling for a couple of weeks to a ‘safe’ pre-packaged destination doesn’t count. You need to travel independently and for a good period of time. You need to take some chances. You need to see the country the way the natives do. And if English is your first language then going to English-speaking countries doesn’t count for much either. You need to be outside your comfort zone).

So if all you know is what you see down the pipe (the known, the familiar) then you have no point of comparison. You can’t place your own culture because you have no alternative experience to compare it to. To some extent, adventurous travel will give you a point of comparison. And the more you do it the more you realize you don’t know that much!! You lose the certainty you naively once had. That’s the beginning of insight and a little wisdom (maybe).

Maybe we could make a better world by forcing American rednecks and Islamic fundamentalists to travel outside the certainty of their limited tunnel reality worlds??

Tony Smyth, Author Fukushima and the Coming Tokyo Earthquake (2011-present

THE MAIN TWO THINGS ARE KNOWLEDGE AND FEELING BEAUTY OF NATURE.

1. Traveling is easier than you think.

We believe that traveling around the world shouldn’t be hard: it’s actually something everyone should be able to do at least once in their lives. Whether you choose to spend a few years or just a couple of months traveling this beautiful planet, it’s important to see what’s out there. It’s up to you to make the dream come true and take the first step.

2. Travel opens your eyes.

If you’re open and willing, travel will make you an incredibly more well-rounded human being. And that’s really the goal, isn’t it?

3. Traveling helps you learn who you are.

All the challenges and opportunities travel lays at your feet help you discover who you are in a way that’s only possible on the road.

4. Travel creates meaningful relationships

People you meet while on the road become some of the most valued names on your contact list. They become places on the map to visit later on. These folks give you a glimpse outside your hometown circle of friends and force you to take in new and refreshing perspectives, and ultimately realize that everyone is the same.

5. Traveling develops skills you didn’t know you had

Sometimes it’s only far from home that you realize you-you’ve got skills you’ve never used. It’s travel that brings them to the surface and makes you smile, satisfied to have reached the mountaintop, or crossed a gorge or helped a villager clean up after a storm, or even to have successfully ordered a meal at a rural Chinese restaurant.

6. Travel helps you learn new languages

There’s something satisfying about being able to throw around a few words of Greek, knowing how to say thanks in Thai, pulling out that long-dormant Spanish to book a room in Santiago, or simply hearing a language you didn’t know existed just a few weeks before.

7. Travel means adventure

Zip-lining over the jungle canopy in Peru, successfully navigating the maze-like streets of Venice, bartering for the best price in the traditional markets of Marrakech, taking a speedboat ride in New Zealand, or hopping in a Land Rover and heading out to watch animals grazing in Tanzania: these are adventures worth having. People are hardwired for the excitement of adventure and travel may just be the best way to tap into it.

8. Traveling gives you perspective

Meeting people from other cultures will teach you that the way you’ve been looking at the world isn’t the way everybody else does. In fact, your point-of-view might have some major blind spots. Seeing the world for yourself will improve your vision and your grip on reality.

9. Travel helps you move forward

If you’re between jobs, schools, kids, or relationships, around the world travel can be a perfect way to move from one of these life stages into your next great adventure.

10. Travel is education

Seeing the world provides an education that’s absolutely impossible get in school. Travel teaches you economy, politics, history, geography, and sociology in an intense, hands-on way no class will.

11. Travel challenges you

Getting your daily latte at the same place and staring at your screen at your nine-to-five every day not nearly interesting enough? Even if you choose to work on the road (and keep staring at the screen), you’ll have to find a new place to drink your latte and depending on your destination, finding coffee, and foamy milk or a good place to sip them could prove to be a sizeable challenge. Travel is full of moments of joy and challenges. Overcoming the challenges gives you some of the greatest joys of all.

12. Travel shakes things up

It sucks to be stuck in a rut. Everyone knows what that’s like. A big trip can be your perfect solution. Fly around the world, stopping over in all of the places you’ve always wanted to visit.

13. Traveling proves that dreams do come true

You imagined it, daydreamed about it, envisioned it. Guess what? It can be done. Around the world travel is possible, you just have to decide you’re willing to take the first step and start planning your itinerary.

14. Travel gives you cool stories

Let’s face it. Even for folks who can’t tell a story, just the words “last year in Mongolia” get you instant party points. Even when events seem trivial, nostalgia and distance create an irresistible spin that makes mundane things like getting your laundry done in Zanzibar, entertaining. Just don’t be that person and overdo it!

15. Travel is literally food for thought.

You’ll be constantly surprised at the flavors the world has to offer. The way people in other cultures and countries prepare food and break bread together (not that all cultures even eat bread) will astound you.

16. Travel gives you a sense of accomplishment

If you’re the kind of person that dreams big, you’re probably one to reach for new challenges. Finishing a trip gives you the satisfaction that you were able to make a goal to travel and accomplish what you set out to do–see the world.

Sunil Shetty, Self Employed at Online (2010-present)

Do share your thoughts about travel and what you have learnt from it?

September 29, 2017 Round the world, Travel

Five Picture-Worthy Places To See In Australia

5 picture worthy places to visit in Australia

Australia is one of the most frequented places in the entire world.

Has picture-worthy places to see in Australia.

It’s one of the countries everyone’s dreamt of going because of the beauty of its culture, people, and delicious cuisine as well. Australia is known as the land down under but it’s more than its famous tagline. Australia is composed of eight capital cities and every city is really worth going.

Five of the most picturesque places to see in Australia

See the list below:

Grampians National Park

Victoria, picture-worthy places in Australia — Image source- parks victoria

Grampians National Park is one of the most famous places among travelers. It is actually tagged as one of the most visited because of the beauty and feel of the park. The park can be found between Stawell and Horsham on the Western Highway. It is about 167, 219 hectare and if you really want to experience first-hand what it is like to be there, better pay a visit now! It will surely be worth it.

Fraser Island

picture-worthy places in Australia — Image source- Sunrover tours

Fraser Island is situated at the southeastern coast of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is famous for its rainforests, mangrove trees, sand dunes, eucalyptus woodland and much more. Fraser Island is really one of the most picture-worthy places in Australia!

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of Southern Australia and there are so many things that you can enjoy here. The food is also great as they offer different varieties of cuisine and they even serve other countries’ food. This place has over 1.7 million inhabitants.

Kakadu National Park

If you are a true sucker for parks, this place is for you. Kakadu National Park is definitely one of its kind. The park is situated within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory. There are also four major river systems that can be seen here namely East Alligator River, West Alligator River, Wildman River, and the entire South Alligator River.

Kangaroo Island

If you really wanna feel the vibe of Australia, go to Kangaroo Island. Kangaroo Island is considered as one of the largest islands in Australia. You will not only see Kangaroos in the place, you will also lighthouses and rock formations that would be great as backdrops for your photo sessions!

Australia is really filled with picture-worthy places to see for you to capture beautiful and memorable moments!

Author Bio: Mark is a daytime writer for Zapals, an internationally renowned global shopping website that offers an extensive range of high-quality products at the lowest prices for customers. Mark also helps consumers about the information they should know regarding new gadgets.

September 27, 2017 Travel, Round the world

Take Photos In These Breathtaking Places In Japan

Japan can be considered as the most famous and most controversial country in Asia.

Many people love the idea of going there to witness cherry blossoms and try their amazing dishes. Japan is also known as the country with the most advanced technology that is why most tech companies rely on their sources from Japan. There are so many beautiful places to see in Japan that are really worth it.

Grab those cameras and better take photos in these breathtaking places in Japan

Sapporo

Saphorro, Japan — photo source: planetware

Sapporo is a province filled with beautiful houses and rice fields. It has been frequented by a lot of tourists over the past three years and because of the crowd in Tokyo, they prefer to visit Sapporo first so they could relax and chill. Sapporo is a very picturesque place as well! There are a lot of great things you can do in Sapporo and it is for you to find out.

Hokkaido

Hokkaido, Japan — Image source-tabijikan

Hokkaido is one of the most relaxing places in Japan. It lies in the northernmost part of Japan and it is famous for its volcanoes, hot springs, ski areas and much more. If you want a rustic vibe, Hokkaido is definitely the place to be.

Tokyo

Japan travel — Image source- travel+leisure

This place needs no explaining as everyone surely knows Tokyo. Tokyo is the capital city of Japan and it is home to a lot of migrants and overseas workers. It is like New York City as it is also a city that never sleeps. There are a lot of gadget places in Tokyo to visit and great restaurants for when you need your ramen fix.

Osaka

Osaka station, Japan — Image source- Osaka station

Osaka is considered a designated city in the Kansai Region of Japan. It is also a large port city and considered a commercial center on the Japanese Island of Honshu. They say the best nightlife experience can be felt here so better visit Osaka now!

Kyoto, Japan

Japan tourism — Image source- Japan national tourism

Lastly, Kyoto. Kyoto is also found in Honshu and it was once the capital of Japan until they replaced it with Tokyo. It is home to famous Buddhist temples and different Japanese rituals and activities that you yourself can try. If you wanna know more about the history of Japan, visit Kyoto!