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Oaxaca street food rituals — smoky tlayuda and mole negro served with lime"

Oaxaca and the Smoke Ritual
Caracas street food Reina Pepiada arepa

Caracas Street Food Diaries: 3 Reasons the Reina Pepiada is the Crowned Arepa
Traditional Japanese onsen in Yamagata during winter, with snow-covered rooftops and wooden architecture evoking quiet rituals.”

Yamagata Street Food Diaries – Rituals in Snow and Flavor
Tokyo street food scene with takoyaki, skewers, and neon-lit stalls”

Tokyo Street Food Diaries – From Alfama to Akihabara
Christmas and New Year’s rituals across cultures

The Season Rises: Christmas and New Year’s traditions
Quiet Thanksgiving celebration in Mumbai with family

A Quiet Thanksgiving
Cake mixing ceremony in Mumbai kitchen with dried fruit and spices

The Cake Mixing Ceremony: A Ritual of Rhythm and Remembrance
Season’s Greetings collage featuring festive food rituals — street-style potato fritters and holiday cake mixing — evoking warmth, tradition, and culinary joy.

Street Food to Season’s Greetings
June 13, 2016 Travel, Within India

Hyderabad – A Sightseeing Cluster of the Old and the New

Hyderabad

Want the perfect holiday experience where you can visit historical sites but at the same time enjoy the luxuries of modern amenities? The answer is Hyderabad. Giving its guests the perfect combination of both properly maintained historical landmarks and the latest modern amenities, the only thing you can complain about in Hyderabad is the hot climate!

There are some cities which have completely turned a new leaf and people who had visited it a decade back will not be able to tell the head or tail of the city, but then again, there are cities that still have a long way to go into modernization and still keep their prime focus on preserving the ancient monuments and landmarks that it is known for. Hyderabad is in-between both. The city is a perfect blend of the past and the present. The historical sites are still preserved well in the city, however, you will have to look beyond the towering skyscrapers and go around those buildings to actually get a view of the historical sites. After you have arrived on your Mumbai to Hyderabad flights Air India, you can head back to your hotel, relax and then straight ahead head out for you sightseeing adventure! Here are some places you cannot miss out on during your trip.

Charminar

One of the most iconic landmarks in the city of Hyderabad, the Charminar is like its name says, is a monument/mosque with ‘four towers’. It is one of the first places people seek out to visit on their sightseeing trail in the city.

Hussain-sagar-lake -Hyderabad
Hussain Sagar lake Hyderabad Image credit- http://www.todayincity.com/

Husain Sagar lake

The beautiful artificial lake in Hyderabad giving Hyderabad that romantic touch was built-in 1526 by the great well-known Sufi saint, Hazrat Syed Shah Wali. A walk by the sides of the lake is one of the favorite evening pastime activity people in the city like to do.

Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad
Mecca Masjid Image credit- http://tourmet.com/

Mecca Masjid

One of the oldest mosques in the country, it is clearly the oldest and the most sacred mosque for Hyderabad. There is a myth and belief surrounding this place that anyone who sits on the benches outside the mosques is bound to return back to revisit the mosque again very soon regardless of where they visit from.

Golkonda fort, Hyderabad
Golconda fort Image credit- http://www.hyd.co

Golconda Fort

The Golconda Fort requires no introduction to any tourist or traveller. Much has been spoken of and written about this place that anyone visiting the city cannot just let a visit to this place go by. It is an important mention in the talks of the main landmarks in the country and a key monument of the city to draw crowds from far and wide.

Ramoji film city, Hyderabad
Ramoji film city Image credit- http://en.wikipedia.org/

Ramoji Film City

One of the newer places from the list of places to visit in the city, the Ramoji Film City facility has been accredited as the world’s largest studio complex by none other than the prestigious Guinness book of world records! A host of the most popular and well-known motion pictures have been directed and shot here.

Nehru Zoological Garden
Nehru Zoological Garden Image credit-http://www.tourismandfood.com/

Nehru Zoological Garden

Acting as a safe haven for some endangered animal species and some of the rarest species of birds, this zoo is well maintained and makes for a refreshing visit! It is clearly one of the top places to visit in Hyderabad just for its sheer beauty and helping get up close and personal with some of nature’s finest but sadly endangered species.

*/This is a guest post by Maria Simpson. She liked my earlier post on ‘Best Places of Interest in Hyderabad and wanted to contribute in relation to it. /*

June 11, 2016 Weekly photo challenge

Pure Rain

Rain, feel it on my finger tips
Hear it on my window pane

Pure drops of rain
Rain

Rain, wash away my sorrow
Take away my pain

Rain is what the thunder brings
For the first time I can hear my heart sing  (Madonna-Rain)

The pure first drops of rain always bring a smile on my face when they fall on leaves. The scent of wet soil, the damp grass, and the slosh of puddles under my feet makes me want to dance with pure joy.

Pure rain drop on leaf
Water drop on rose-leaf

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

Langston Hughes
Rainbow

A beautiful rainbow cuts across the sky, painting the world in various hues. If you go to the hillside during a wet shower, you will see gentle cascading streams of water that eventually make a great waterfall.

*/This post is inspired by weekly photo challenge Pure/*

June 8, 2016 Weekly photo challenge

Numbers

Numbers
A child learning to count

Childhood memories are sweet. Recalling my days of childhood when learning numbers and nursery rhymes like

One, two
Buckle my shoe,
Three, four
…………………….
Nineteen, twenty
My plate’s empty.

This nursery rhyme is an old nursery rhyme which is still popular among the kids, and it is used in many preschools and schools.

Another one that comes to mind is traditional, old nursery rhyme with an unknown author and is very popular among the kids, and they love singing it.

Five little ducks
Went out one day
Over the hills and far away
Mother duck said
“Quack, quack, quack, quack”
But only four little ducks came back.

………………………………
“Quack, quack, quack.”
And all of the five little ducks came back.

“Counting nursery rhyme”, a great way  for teaching children counting in a fun way.

So, go ahead.  Sing, count, learn and have fun!

*/This post is inspired by Weekly Photo Challenge Numbers./*

June 6, 2016 Nature

Go Green

Go GREEN this environment day

On the occasion of World Environment Day, there are a few ways to go green and lead a healthy lifestyle without making many changes completely.

Go green this environment day
Image credit- myassignmenthelp.com

Fresh fruits and vegetables: Eating packaged foods can hamper your health and cause serious ailments. Choose vegetables and fruits that are sold fresh off the produce and which are free of harmful chemicals.

Organic farming:  Growing organic vegetables at home. If you want to grow your own vegetables at home, here are a few things you need to keep in mind. You need organic soil, organic seeds. Allow enough light and air once you sow the seeds. Don’t overwater it and ensure that rats don’t get to the small plants. You can literally enjoy the fruits and vegetables of your own labour.

Go green with organic vegetables
Ecologically grown vegetables.
Image credit -en.wikipedia.org

What you can grow at home: The easiest to grow are the tomatoes, brinjals, beans, peas, broccoli and cauliflower, bitter gourd, snake gourd and muskmelon.

Health and nutrition– On health and nutrition front, shunning pesticides like sulfan and furadan. It is not just the farmers who suffer from the negative effects of pesticides. Many agricultural chemicals, such as endosulfan, can be found far away from the fields on which they were applied. It has been detected in homes, waterways and air long after they have been spread over croplands. Exposure to these residues increases the risks of developing many diseases, from certain forms of cancer to neurological disorders.   Chemical-free farming – very much in contrast to the status quo of the Green Revolution and industrial farming is healthier for the environment and human populations.

The environment belongs to all and is important to all. Environmental issues received international attention in the Stockholm Conference on 5th June 1972. Since then we celebrate World Environment Day on 5th June.

There is a Chinese proverb

“If you plan for one year, plant rice, if you plan for 10 years, plant trees and if you plan for 100 years, educate people.

So, if we want to protect and manage our planet Earth on a sustainable basis, all of us need to be environmentally educated.

Go Green- water conservation logo
Image credit -www.benjaminfranklinplumbingbillings.com

Stock up on water: On an individual level, we need to have water tanks in our house than constantly use flowing water for washing, cleaning etc. Conserve water and stop wastage of water.

Go green with reuse paper and paper lotus
Paper lotus

Reuse Paper: Use both sides of paper when you need print-outs.  Although paper is bio-degradable, the wastage of it releases greenhouse gases like methane when being decomposed. So, reuse paper and help preserve trees and conserve nature. You and your children can create from these DIY projects. 30 Awesome DIY Projects Using Newspaper!

*******

A related article:

Be a responsible tourist.

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