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July 18, 2016 Adventure

10 Adventure Activities in Kashmir

While for the rest of the wanderers, Kashmir is a dewdrop in the ocean of otherwise monotony, for rest, this gorgeous piece of land is an opportunity to explore the adventure bug residing in them!

If you are looking forward to feeding your adventure bug, get ready for some of the amazing sports, thrilling treks, and exhilarating activities that will get you packing your stuff as soon as you complete reading this piece!

Trekking – make your way through the wilderness:

While there is an array of adventure things to do in Kashmir, there is one activity that one certainly cannot miss here! Indulge in exciting trekking trails, trek through the snow-kissed mountain ranges, make your way through streaming waterfalls, ascend and descend through luxuriant valleys, and stay captivated by the stunning landscapes of this region.

Treks in Kashmir are well-known among trekkers from all over the globe. Some treks can be undertaken only in summer as compared to rest which provides a joyous experience only in winters. Thus, it might not be wrong to honor this place as the ‘Trek Capital of India’.

Skiing – slide, tumble, balance on the thick blanket of snow:

Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Thanjiwas glaciers in Sonmarg Valley are well acclaimed for the idyllic conditions that make them ideal for skiing enthusiasts. Annually, several national, as well as international skiing competitions, are organized to arouse traveler’s interest in the provided adventure activities in Kashmir.

Whether you are an amateur or an expert, you will always find these places provoking the adventure bug in you! Also to add here, novice skiers, can learn basic tips and tricks of skiing in any of the skiing training camps within these regions.

Mountain Biking – ride through the rugged terrains of Leh-Ladakh:

Adventure comes in different forms and ways! While some find trekking as the best way to pump up their adrenaline, others find the thrill in mountain biking in Kashmir! And for these adventure junkies, no other destinations can satiate their yearnings like Leh-Ladakh can!

Known for its rugged and challenging terrains, mountain biking in the Leh-Ladakh region is one of the best adventure things to do in Kashmir. The fascinating slopes, tricky trails, the enchanting beauty around, and the thrill quotient in these valleys make mountain biking an amazing and must-have experience in Kashmir.

Paragliding – embark on your wings of adventure:

Sonamarg is undoubtedly one of the best adventure destinations that provide visitors with an array of thrilling experiences in Kashmir! This is the place to fulfill your dreams of gliding through the clear blue sky, enjoying the mesmeric beauty of the enchanting valleys, and giving wings to the childhood dream of flying like birds!

With an increase in Kashmir adventure tour packages in the recent years, the state has put extra efforts on glorifying these adventure sports by providing all the required amenities such as accommodation and meal facilities to allure people from all over the world for this enticing sport.

Fishing – a taste of the real holiday life:

With an array of cascading streams, waterfalls, lakes, and streams, Kashmir has become one of the best places to sit and relax on the banks of gushing water bodies. Winter adventure in Kashmir might keep the cash registers ringing, but activities like angling and fishing keep the visitors elated throughout their trip here.

It might be surprising for a lot, but apart from Shikharas, Dal Lake also provides fishing opportunities to wandering tourists. The water bodies here are rich in trout; owing to this, the state tourism industry permits people to take and enjoy their catch. However, a government permit is still allowed before indulging in this adventure activity in Kashmir.

Rafting – balance yourself over the raging waves:

Perennial river sources that originate from glaciers provide idyllic conditions for rafting. Visit the Ladakh region of the state, and hop onto your raft to challenge and cruise through the gruesome rapids of the Zanskar River!

Get your drenched while struggling to keep your raft balanced! Feel the splashes when the rapids break down against your face and pump up your adrenaline! Believe it or not, once you step into the freezing water of the Zanskar River, you will get infected with its thrill and allurement!

Wildlife Spotting – the land where the wild cats roam freely:

Hemis National Park; one of the most stunning national parks in India, serves as the natural home to the charismatic Snow Leopards! It is in this wildlife-reserved area, that you can spot these full-of-life species and have a tryst with them.

Whether you are a nature lover, an avid shutterbug, or an adventure junky, a visit to the Hemis National Park is a must for you. During your visit to this park, you can also spot other exotic and endangered wildlife species like Brown Bear, Himalayan Black Bear, Marmot, Red Fox, Musk Deer, Golden Eagles, Griffon Vultures, Lammergeyers, and MonalPheasants which are some of the native species of the region.

8. Ice Skating – slide your way through the snow blanket:

For snow lovers, no other destination can beat the charm and allurement of Kashmir! Known for some of the most enthralling and adventurous activities, this paradise on earth also offers livelier options to ice skating enthusiasts!
During your Kashmir visit, make it to tourist places like Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and Yusmarg. In addition to admiring and embracing their celestial beauty, you will also get ample of opportunities to glide over the fascinating layers of ice and satiate the adventure bug in you!

9. Horse Riding – witness the serene landscapes accompanying you:

There is no better way to enjoy the picturesque landscapes of Jammu and Kashmir than the locals do! To overcome and access the rugged terrains, the locals rely on horses and continue with their daily activities.

On your next visit to this magical state, do not miss the opportunity to traverse the stunning valleys and their hidden corners while riding on horseback. Enjoy the serenity that exists in these valleys, discover some of the remote villages, and add another achievement to your bucket list of adventure things to do in Kashmir.

10. Mountaineering – scale the heights and beat your fear:

Nestled in the lap of the Himalayan Ranges, Jammu and Kashmir offers a series of fascinating mountain ranges that require ardent skills and technique to conquer! To name a few, there are challenging ranges like Harmukh, Tattakutti, Sunset, and Kolahoi in Kashmir Valley; White Needle, Z-1, Z-8, Bobang, Nun – Kun of Zanskar Range and Stok Kangri and several others.
Embark on a voyage to conquer these towering mountains, get soaked in the fun, thrill, and excitement of scaling them, and beat the fear out of you!

10 Adventure Destinations in Ladakh

You may like to read 10 adventure destinations in Ladakh

July 15, 2016 Lifestyle

Are you planning to move to areas near Californian beaches?

In my earlier post on California, USA, we discussed Tips to settle down in Malibu. Below is a most of how you can successfully move to areas near Californian beaches.

Looking for reliable Californian movers? Having a reputable Californian moving company overlooking all the moving tasks and handling your possessions is something everybody is looking for before the moving day.

California is the most renowned state in the United States. There are several reasons to move to California, from its lively entertainment sights and mesmerizing beaches to the assorted industries spread out over the vast state to lure a large number of people to move towards California. The state’s beach towns are well-known for their tranquil, appealing spirit, beauty, and endless ways to play. The most popular areas near Californian beaches that are perfect for moving include Santa Cruz, Encinitas, Beaufort, Hilton Head Island, Santa Monica, and Bodega Bay.

Californian beaches -Santacruz — Rock archway at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California (U.S.A.).
By Dvortygirl (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

When you’re moving to California, there are a lot of things you should know about this wonderful state:

Climate: California is the third largest state in the US with different climate zones. It has a mixture of everything, starting from snow-white mountains in the Sierra Nevada range in the western portion of the state to the dry deserts of the Mojave in the southwest portion, to the cool, blustery oceanfront climate that comprises much of the coastal region.
Cost of Living: Moving to California might seem like a smart financial move; however, it is vital to take into consideration the high cost of living in California before taking the decision to move.
Education facilities: If you’re moving to California with your children, you probably look for the quality of schools in the particular area.
Other facilities: Apart from education, there are many other vital facilities that you must look for such as hospitals, transportation, employment, etc.

Due to the ever-growing population and car culture, you are likely to encounter huge traffic during your move to California. It is advisable to make your move during non-holiday weekends so that you’ll get the least amount of traffic, resulting in a hassle-free move. It is further advisable to choose a reputed moving company to make your move as smooth as possible.

Though, finding affordable and reliable California residential movers can be a difficult process that might put added stress on your moving. There are some well-known companies like ABCMovers.com that have the capability to plan the move to make sure that the client safely receives all of their belongings on time. They also make sure that the moving items are insured in the event of damage or loss.

Happy Moving!

*/This is a guest post by Maria Simpson. /*

July 14, 2016 Weekly photo challenge

Look up

Petronas Towers, Malaysia — Petronas Towers

As I Look Up, I see this splendid architecture. The 88 storey building features glass and steel exterior and traditionally inspired interior. The sky bridge that connects the two towers is the world’s highest two-storey bridge which is an excellent viewing platform as you get a magnificent view of the city.

Any guesses, where is this located?

Well, it is Petronas Twin Towers located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

To continue reading…, please follow this link

*/ This post is inspired by Weekly Photo Challenge Look Up. /*

July 13, 2016 Literature/ Art/Music/Education

5 Apps That Will Make You Productive

Isn’t living in the age of apps the best? These days, you can forget about doing the actual work and let various apps on your multitude of internet-connected devices do it for you. Your fridge can make a grocery list for you, your washing machine can tell the difference between the kinds of cotton and the linens, and the apps you use for writing can help you transform the world with an idea.

Let’s talk about apps that can help you be a better writer.

XMind

Every writer brainstorms. All of them! And once you start brainstorming with a proper tool like XMind, the old pen and notebook simply lose their allure.

Broadly speaking, it’s a mind-mapping tool — kind of like that thing you saw in that one Sherlock episode. It’s made to optimize for the quantity of brainstormed units of thought and allows you to jot down and log ideas about as quickly as you can type them. The app then lets you organize the ideas into a proper structure, and export the resulting mind map in a variety of formats.

Write!

Write! is an amazing distraction-free text editor. It looks beautiful and works well to accomplish its stated goal: to make writers more productive. When used in full-screen, every interface element is hidden, and you’re left face to face with your writing. The app also features the aptly named focus mode, which dims all paragraphs other than the one the cursor is currently on, giving you the most distraction-free workspace you’re likely to experience.

Among other notable functions, document publishing stands out. Write! gives you the ability to put the writing you’re working on online! It’s better than just emailing a file to someone since you can add and remove things from the document even after you’ve shared them, and the changes will be reflected in the online version immediately.

TomatoTimer

This nifty little timer is how writers can stay on track with their work. No one likes a late submission, so start pomodoroing to make your work more productive! How do you pomodoro? Simple! Set a timer for 25 minutes (this is known as a pomodoro), and work through that 25 minutes without paying your attention to anything else. When the timer is up, it makes a sound so you know work time is done, and you can rest. Five minutes for short breaks, and longer breaks of ten minutes after doing a series of pomodoros.

TomatoTimer is a great way of tricking yourself into being productive. And it’s better than other similar timers because of the shortcuts! It’s also got desktop alerts, so you’ll get a notification together with the sound to let you know that the timer is up and that it’s time to take a break.

Cold Turkey

Cold Turkey is another great way of remaining distraction-free and staying on the productivity track! With it, you can block any number of websites or applications that impede on your ability to work productively until a certain time. The best part of all: there’s no way to unblock the sites without the timer running out, so the only thing you’re left to do is write.

With the pro version, you can do even more! You can schedule a group of sites to be blocked at any time, and unblocked for when you have a break planned. Perfect combination with the pomodoro technique!

Canva

Make brainstorming and planning sessions more productive with an outstanding bubble map from Canva.

A bubble map is a great visual tool for learning as well as for brainstorming and working through complex problems. It works by illustrating a main concept or idea in a central bubble then using lines to connect to more bubbles with related concepts so you can map out the relationships, associations, and parallels between ideas. It’s especially helpful in planning out reports, essays, and even stories.

With these five tools by your side, there’s nothing that can stop you on the road to being the most productive writer ever. Now I guess you’re out of excuses. Go write your masterpiece!

Ernest is a writer and blogger trying to find a balance between productiveness and bingeing Netflix at 3 a.m. He writes about innovations in tech and social media. His best friend is his dog, Milo.