Best Places of Interest - Page 156 of 183

January 19, 2016 Events and Festivals, India

Festa De Diu

Diu, the Isle of Calm, has always been a destination for people who would like to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. Diu is renowned for its scenic beauty, the wonderful sandy beaches and the heritage buildings.

How to get to Diu–

By Flight– Diu airport at Nagao is connected by a daily flight from Mumbai. Rajkot airport connects major cities in India and from there is a short drive to Diu.

By train– Veraval is the nearest station at 90km from Diu. Major cities are well-connected to this station.

By bus– State-run buses and private buses serve from Ahmedabad to Diu. The journey is of 10 hours.

By car– It well-connected to the major National highways Gir 67 km, Somnath 90 km, Rajkot 219 km, Ahmedabad 450 km and Mumbai 815 km.

Diu is hosting the longest beach festival to celebrate art, culture, music and much more. There are special performances by Kailash Kher, Shreya Ghoshal and Sivamani.

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Adventure – There is an incredible adventure that awaits you from a Hot Air Balloon ride, Zip Lining and Bungee Jumping.

Here is a glimpse into the Beach Festival at Diu

Jan 21- Jan 24 ARTS WEEK

January 21– Tera Cotta Workshop at the amphitheatre 5 pm

January 22– Painting Workshop at the amphitheatre 5 pm

January 23– Fashion Show at Diu Fort 5-7 pm and Rapid Painter at Amphitheatre at 5 pm

January 24– Symphony Orchestra at the Beach 8 pm-10 pm

January 25– Performance Lambada Band at the Beach 8pm-10pm

Jan 26-Jan 31 Patriotic Week

January 26– Prince Dance Group at amphitheatre 7 pm onwards and Ragga Trippin at the beach at 8 pm

January 29– Cultural Show- Bal Bhavan Board-Diu Cultural Zone at Amphitheatre -8 pm onwards.

January 30– Performance- Manipuri Acrobats, Thang Ta, Pung Cholom, Dhol Cholom at Amphitheatre-7 pm onwards

January 31– Concert by Kailash Kher at the beach -8pm-10pm

Accommodation– Festival village has 60 luxury tents, over 200 conference seating and 2 spas. So, if the above excites you to be at the beach festival, you can stay at the Luxury Tents with air-conditioning. The tents have king-size beds and TVs. You have the option to choose from a Luxury Cottage and Luxury Cottage with Sea View.

Other attractions– While at Diu, you could also visit Gir National Forest and Wildlife Sanctuary which is 67 km from Diu. It is home to tigers, leopards, hyenas, crocodiles and lions inhabiting. You will have an unforgettable experience with lush hillsides and pristine nature.

You could also visit the Somnath temple which is 90kms from Diu. The most sacred among the 12 jyotirlingas in India.

Once back in Diu, enjoy the beautiful sunset with delicious seafood and drinks.

References: Image courtesy Festa Diu logo

Nagoa beach

January 17, 2016 Weekly photo challenge

Alphabets

The alphabets ‘EXP’ are placed in such a way that caught my eye and I captured this photo.

‘EXP’, could be Experience, Expert, Expression, Experiment…and so on.

Well, here it stands for Experimental Theatre at NCPA, (National Centre for Performing Arts) in Mumbai. The Experimental Theatre is a 300-seat theatre at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, India. It is a perfect platform for innovative theatre productions as well as small-scale dance and music performances.

The above image has a significant ‘R’ alphabet.

It could mean Red, Rejoice, Rejuvenate, Relaxing.

Well, this is R City Mall, owned by Runwal Group, a shopping mall located in Ghatkopar, Mumbai. The mall spreads across 1.2 million square feet with the capacity to house 139 stores. It is an amazing place to hang out and it is cool, it is beautiful, it is amazing. A great mall with great food and with a perfect balance of location and comfort. Great for relaxing.

*/ This post is inspired by Weekly Photo Challenge Alphabet. This week, let the alphabet be your inspiration: find a string of letters. Try a multi-photo gallery to collect images of single characters. Find some beautiful typography, or look for letters hidden in natural forms./*

January 13, 2016 Events and Festivals, International

Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival

Have you ever been to Ice and Snow Sculpture Festivals? They are simply unbelievable even though they are right in front of your eyes. Just take a look at these photos of ice and snow sculptures: can you believe your eyes?

What are ice sculptures?

Sculptures are abstract or realistic in form and are made of ice. The sculptor uses razor/sharp chisels which are specially designed for cutting ice and tools like chain saws to complete a sculpture. The sculpting usually depends on the temperature of the environment. Some ice sculptors add dyes to produce coloured ice blocks.

What are snow sculptures?

Sculptures that are carved out of a single block of snow. The snow is collected from the ground after a snowfall and then packed into a form. The tools and materials differ widely, shovels, hatchets, saws.

Both ice and snow sculpture’s life is determined by the temperature around them. It could last from mere minutes to months.

About the Festival

A whole new world of ice and snow can be experienced at Harbin Ice and Snow Festival. Ice artworks are exhibited at following venues:

Ice and Snow World displays ice sculptures of huge scale such as palace buildings, the Great Wall of China etc. It is best visited when they are colorfully lit at night.

Ice Lantern Garden Party– The Ice Lantern Garden Party in Harbin City is the earliest and biggest artistic exhibition of the ice lantern in the open air. Tourists can take part in various activities in Songhua River such as: sitting on the ice sailing boat, hitting the ice monkeys, skating on the ice and watching the competition of winter swimming. When night falls, you are expected to attend the evening party of Harbin Ice Festival.

Sun Island Scenic Area– displays snow sculptures that can be only visited during the daytime.

Yabuli International Ski Resort– The resort provides great skiing with high mountains and good snow. Local skiers enjoy the high elevation and the fact that the snow is neither too hard nor too powdery. The period from November to late March of the next year is the best time to ski at Yabuli Ski Resort. Besides skiing, there are other entertainment facilities at the resort, such as the mini golf course, tennis court, turf courts, hot-air balloons, paragliders among others. The combination of activities, the beautiful forest and comfortable facilities offer tourists a relaxing and fun vacation. In winter, the ski resort is a fantastic place for skiers; in summer, tourists can escape the heat and enjoy fun outdoor activities. All year round the resort offers beautiful scenery.

Zhaolin Park– Features intricately carved ice lanterns that are lit up in the night. More than 1,000 ice sculptures are displayed such as internally illuminated ice lanterns, magical figures, and animals that are loved by children. It is mostly an ice world focused on kids. There are interesting activities that kids may enjoy such as ice slides.

The most popular of them is ‘Ice and Snow World’. It is worth its cost. People throng this beautiful and skilful place from around the world.

The ideal time to visit this park would be 10 am or 11 am so as to enjoy it in the daytime. You could also visit it in the night as it closes at 9 pm. Sculptures made of snow are beautifully carved and look spectacular. Snow White, Disney characters, angry birds, Buddha are few of those sculptures that you get to see there.

How to travel to Harbin?

Heilongjiang Province is located in the northeast part of China and the capital city is Harbin. Being on the east of Songnen Plain, plays a vital role in communications between South and North Asia as well Europe and the Pacific Ocean. The City has rich cultural heritages and beautiful natural scenery. Due to severe low temperatures in winter, the city boasts of unique ice and snow culture.

[bctt tweet=”Travel to #harbin for Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival”]

If you wish to travel to Harbin, then there are regular flights, trains and buses from major cities of China. Tourists from 51 countries can enjoy 72 hours visa-free transit policy when transiting in Harbin Taiping International Airport. Book your travel in advance. You could take a taxi from Harbin train station to the Ice and Snow world.

Weather in Harbin

The weather is extremely cold. The city is considered the coldest city in Northern China and is ideal for Ice and Snow Festival. So, you need to carry warm jackets, thermals, mufflers and boots while traveling.

Finally, here is a list of the most famous Ice and Snow Sculpture festivals around the world:

Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, China
The Sapporo Snow Festival, Japan
The World Ice Art Championships, Alaska
The International Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival “Ice, Snow, and Fire, Russia
The Quebec Winter Carnival, Canada

*/This post is inspired by my friend who visited China and shared the above photos for Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. /*

Snow.

References: Map courtesy – mapregion.com

China 72 hours visa-free transit

Harbin Hotels

January 9, 2016 Weekly photo challenge

Weightlessness

The feeling of flying in the balloon is indescribable. Once in the hot air balloon, it does not feel as if you are on an edge of a cliff. There is a feeling of weightlessness as you drift along. You are floating in the air.

The wind is an essential factor to be considered for a balloon ride.

You get mesmerised by the aerial view of the fabulous Amber Fort, Jal Mahal and the aerial view of Jaipur. Jaipur is a real adventure destination. It is a once in a lifetime and exhilarating hot air balloon flight. Jaipur also called the ´Pink City’, has magnificent forts and palaces.

For further details, do check out ‘Awesome Rajasthan’

*/This post is inspired by Weekly Photo challenge Weight(less). This week, share a photo of something marked by its weight — or its air of weightlessness. Show us gravity at its most unforgiving, or most generous.