Holiday in the Mystic Land of Bangalore

The capital of the Indian state of Karnataka, Bangalore (Bengaluru) is one of the fastest growing and developing metropolises in India. The city is also known as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ due to its position as the nation’s leading IT exporter.  Ornamented with wonderful attractions and myriad fun activities, the city is one of the top holiday destinations in the country. Enjoying the aura of being one of the cleanest cities in India due to its lush garden and cool atmosphere, Bangalore was once renowned as the ‘Pensioner’s Paradise’ and ‘Garden City of India.
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A recent survey by the Global HR Consultancy Mercer revealed Bangalore as one of the most liveable city in India, leaving behind Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata. The city enjoys a superb climate all year round.

How to reach the city?

The city is well connected by road, rail and air. The Bengaluru International Airport is the nearest airport to reach by air. You can also take deluxe and luxury buses from your city to reach Bangalore. The Bangalore railway station is located in the heart of the city, where trains from all the major cities of the country halts.

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What to See?

Sightseeing is one of the major activities to do in Bangalore. The city offers plenty of attractions that are a mixture of historical and modern sights. Take a look at the huge list:

Tipu Sultan’s Palace – The Palace is now converted into a museum. The palace was believed to be one of the Tipu Sultan’s summer retreats. A huge beautiful palace with two storied flowery wooden structures and a lush green garden embellishing the palace.

Bangalore Palace – The Palace was built in 1887 that depicts the Tudor - style and has strengthened towers with elegantly carved wooden interiors. The Palace is decorated with Gothic style windows. Visit and get the royal feeling.

Venkatappa Art Gallery and Government Museum – The museum displays some of the greatest and the finest artworks of the city. The two-storey art gallery comprises of over 600 paintings. It is a great place for art lovers.

Ulsoor Lake – Also known as ‘Halsur’ or ‘Alasur,’ the lake is popular as tourist attractions of the city. You can enjoy boating in this lake, but swimming isn’t allowed here.

Lal Bagh – One of the country’s most spectacular botanical gardens, Lal Bagh has several imported plants and trees from different countries as well as houses homegrown trees.

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ISKCON Temple –The Temple is a unique mixture of modern technology and spiritual harmony. If you want to learn about the Vedic culture and spirituality, this is the right place.

Bannerghatta National Park – Located about 22km. away from the main city, this national park reserves lions, Indian tigers, crocodiles and other mammals. September to January is the best time to visit this place.

Commercial Street – If you love shopping, this is the place for you. Commercial Street is one of the major shopping complexes in India that sells anything and everything.

Other attractions are Cubbon Park, Lumbini Gardens, Bull temple, Wonder La, Vikasa Soudha and others.

Visiting Buenos Aires International Book Fair

Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, is quite a vibrant city in the European continent. This incredible city is famous for its amazing art and culture scene. The people of this city are friendly and welcoming. Taking flights to Buenos Aires means you are arriving at a city where you’ll be able to enjoy a lively nightlife. The visitors to the city are spellbound with its impressive architecture and fine dining.


Being renowned for its art and culture, Buenos Aires also plays hosts to several important events that take place throughout the year. The city is holding one such important event in the year 2013, especially for the book lovers.

If you have great love for books and literary pursuits, it’s time that you book last minute flights to Buenos Aires without any further delay. The city will play host to the 39th edition of Buenos Aires International Book Fair, which is taking place from April 25 to May 13, 2013.

The Buenos Aires International Festival is considered to be the largest of its kind in the Spanish speaking world. This most significant cultural and editorial event in Latin America would be attracting a large number of visitors associated with books and book publishing industry.

Buenos Aires is highly accessible from most parts of the world. There are various international airlines operating direct flights to Buenos Aires. If traveling from European countries, you may consider book Air France flights or travel by British Airways, Iberia, Lufthansa and other carriers. Whether traveling from any part of the world, you’ll just revel in taking part in Buenos Aires International Book Fair.

A large number of trade visitors and other book lovers are expected to attend the Buenos Aires International Book Fair. The fair is being widely seen as an important platform for book publishers, distributors, sellers, librarians, editors, authors, social scientists, teachers and over 1,200,000 readers from across the world.

The Buenos Aires International Book Fair will be held at the vast La Rural exhibition complex. The fair will be featuring conferences, book presentations, round-tables, shows, talks with renowned Argentinean and international intellectuals, events for specialists and publishing professionals, activities for teenagers and children, and book sales of literature in all languages.

The participation on renowned authors from around the world would provide opportunity to interact with them and gain insight and increase knowledge. Some of the famous authors to participate in this year’s fair include Jean-Philippe Toussaint, Christophe Dejours and Mathias Enard (all from France); Vladimir Sorokin (Russia); Arturo Perez Reverte, Rosa Montero, Jesús Jiménez Domínguez and Javier Cercas (all from Spain); Sarah Lark (Germany), John Katzenbach and Claudia Grey (all from USA),  Han Kang (South Korea), Miguel Gomes (Venezuela), Laura Esquivel (Mexico), Walter Dresel (Uruguay), Leonardo Boff (Brazil), Stefanno Benni (Italy), Nobel Prize winner John Coetzee (South Africa), among others.

Several events have also been lined up at the Buenos Aires International Festival this year, such as a Story-telling meeting, the International Poetry Festival, a Book Reading Marathon, theater, dance and music shows, free courses and workshops, and more.

Mumbai - Visiting India's financial hub and Film capital!

The idea of visiting India’s financial capital and the City of Bollywood has always been alluring. It’s a fun destination. Travel to Mumbai and see how the city captivates you with all its glamor, dazzle and razzmatazz. I have visited Mumbai several times and always want to visit the city whenever I can. I am a native of Thailand, presently residing in Bangkok. I prefer to buy airline tickets on either Thai Airways or Jet Airways flights. Most of the times, I manage to get cheap plane tickets. This is simply great as I am able to save a good amount on my flight tickets. I want to share my experiences on my visit to Mumbai so that you may get acquainted with the city before planning a visit here.

Mumbai, also known as Bombay, is the capital city of Maharashtra state. It is India’s financial capital as well as film capital. This greatest port of the country is perched on the Arabian Sea, covering an island separated from the rest of India by a winding creek. This amazing city with its contemporary and vibrant culture is a world unto itself. Mumbai is distinctly tropical, with pockets of palm trees and warm, salty breezes, ready to welcome you.

Visit Mumbai, and you will find the city striking. Here you’ll be simply amazed on seeing the affluent and the poor living merrily side by side. Venturing out on the streets of Mumbai is sometimes difficult as they are crowded. The city presently hosts nearly 20 million people.

The city presents a spectacle to the visitors with the remnants of the British Raj. The weathered Victorian mansions, some still privately owned, and grand public buildings, many beautifully lit at night, present an awesome sight and are lingering reminders of the British Raj.

The best time to visit Mumbai is between the months of November and February, when the weather is warm, less humid and free from monsoons. Mumbai is a great tourist destination and the visitors experience the city best in eating, shopping, and wandering through strikingly different neighborhoods, and markets. The city also holds several attractions with its great historic monuments and film studios. Mumbai, popularly known as Bollywood, produces the largest numbers of films in the world. While strolling on the streets of Mumbai, you’ll get opportunity to see Hindi film starts passing by. The city is simply great to visit. I hope you got an outlook of what Mumbai is all about. This will help you in preparing for your visit to Mumbai beforehand.

Savoring Filipino cuisine in Manila

I am from Honolulu and frequently travel by my favorite Hawaiian Airlines flights to Manila. Whenever I travel to Manila, I always make it a point to buy cheap airfare tickets from the well-known travel company Fare Buzz which offers me great savings with its attractive flight deals every time I visit Manila, the capital city of Philippines, savoring on Filipino cuisine is my first love. I usually visit this beautiful city for leisure and spending my vacations.

I thought it would be just great to share the Filipino cuisine that I gorge on during my stay in Manila. The cuisine in Philippines has typically evolved over several centuries from its Austronesian origins to a mixed cuisine with many Hispanic, Chinese, American and other Asian influences adapted to indigenous ingredients and the local palate.

In Philippines, you’ll find simple dishes from a meal of fried salted fish and rice, to the elaborate paellas and cocidos created for fiestas. Some of the popular dishes include lechón (whole roasted pig), tapa (cured beef), lumpia (fresh or fried spring rolls), pancit (noodles), sinigang (meat or seafood in sour broth), hamonado (pork sweetened in pineapple sauce), crispy pata (deep-fried pig's leg), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), afritada (chicken and/or pork simmered in a tomato sauce with vegetables), pochero (beef in bananas and tomato sauce), mechado (larded beef in soy and tomato sauce), kaldereta (meat in tomato sauce stew), adobo (chicken and/or pork braised in garlic, vinegar, oil and soy sauce, or cooked until dry), longganisa (Philippine sausage), and torta (omelette).

I had heard that Monggo Soup with Tinapa (a kind of small fish in Philippines) is good for health. So, I thought that I must try this first. It tasted quite salty. The famous pork bits came next. I tried this out and it tasted good. Another Filipino delicacy that one must taste is Bringhe. It is made up of glutinous rice with chicken cooked in coconut milk, flavored and tinted yellow with turmeric. This is a special delicacy usually served during Fiesta celebration and Christmas season.

It would just be amazing if you get to taste Longganisa sausages flavored with indigenous spices, with each region having its own specialty. However, what I liked the most was Tapang Kalabaw, supposedly water buffalo beef. It tasted a little like charsiew except juicier.

These are some of the popular Filipino cuisines that visitors must try to taste during their visit to Manila. I can only say that my sojourn to Manila was quite a fulfilling one.

This season vacation in Saint Martin

Saint Martin is an island in the northeast of Caribbean, towards the east of Puerto Rico. It is one of the finest vacation hotspot you can choose for your winter holidays. The specialty of this place is that no matter which age group you belong to, the spot is open for all to enjoy their leisure time with fun.

Saint Martin is known for its beaches, colorful nightlife, exotic drinks, and royal casinos. You can shop for trendy outfits, handicrafts, and other local items. You can also go for French and Indian cuisine; I have experience with foods served here.

Shopping is one of the favorite pastimes here. When I was in the town, I bought many items like local crafts & arts, exotic foods, jewelry, liquor, tobacco, leather goods, and other designer items. Search for cheap flight deals to Saint Martin and book tickets to the city.

The city is blessed with plenty of attractions like Saint Maarten Zoo, Philipsburg Boardwalk, Butterfly Farm, Pic Paradis (Peak Paradise), Carnival, French Museum, Dutch Museum, Fort St. Louis, Fort Amsterdam, Market, and lots more. Look for flights to the city online and book your tickets immediately. Early booking attracts plenty of discounts and offers.

When I was here, I utilized my vacation days by visiting Loterie Farm, Butterfly Farm, Plantation Mont Vernon, Seaside Nature Park, Marigot, and lots more. I also enjoyed hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, ferry to Anguilla, Saba, and St.Barths, and many others. Search for flights to Saint Martin and book tickets instantly.

Try the Caribbean cuisine for the most delightful experience. The city has more than 350 restaurants where you can try local cuisines at an affordable price. You will enjoy food quality, flavor, and service. Search for cheap flight to Saint Martin and enjoy your vacation to the city.

Around the city, you will find restaurant specializing in local, American, Caribbean, Dutch, French, Indian, Italian and many other types of cuisine. Some of the popular local restaurants and café in the city are Taloula Mango's, Jimbo's Rock & Blues Café, Organic Cuisine, Lee's Roadside Grill, Zee Best, and lots more. Book cheap airfare tickets to Saint Martin and enjoy a pleasant and fun-filled holiday to the city.

I would suggest, you visit the city when major events are organized. You will find variety of events in the city like cultural fest, sports events, dining fest, and variety of others. Some of the popular events of the city are Island Adventures, St. Maarten’s Annual Carnival Season, Limin at Loterie Farm, The 33rd St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, and others.

You can go for Sun Country Airlines for visiting this city. It is one of the finest airlines offering cheap tickets and world-class amenities. Search for Sun Country Airlines flight deals and grab the best deal. Search for Sun Country Airlines flight online and fly to Saint Martin.

Celebrating Japan Day in Düsseldorf

The thought of celebrating Japan Day in Dusseldorf has always fascinated me. I am from Tokyo, but don’t have any relatives or acquaintances in Germany’s leading city Dusseldorf. But, the city with its strong Japanese community has been luring me no ends. I wanted to see and experience how it feels like being Japanese in a foreign land among its own expatriate natives. I wanted to see whether the Japanese community has been influenced with the German culture and manners. This year, Japan Day is being held in May 2013 in Dusseldorf, the traditional stronghold of Japanese business in Europe. I have already booked my flight tickets in advance and got great flight deals as well. Booking airline tickets much in advance is always advisable as you are at an advantage in booking cheap flights. I will be taking Lufthansa flights to Dusseldorf from Tokyo to participate in Japan Day.

Dusseldorf is home to around 7,000 Japanese nationals. The city is expecting several hundreds of thousands of visitors from worldwide to participate in Japan Day. Massive preparations for the festival are already underway with the active participation and input from Dusseldorf’s Japanese community. The city is being decked up at a frenetic pace. I am just imagining how Dusseldorf will be transformed for the day into “Japan on the Rhine”. The day will culminate in a magical display of fireworks at night. It will be simply incredible to immerse myself in the festivity when I arrive in Dusseldorf for the event. 

Japan Day is being regularly celebrated in Dusseldorf in either May or June since 2002. This has developed into one of the most popular events in the city. The festival brings native Germans and Japanese together. This is one of the great moments for the Japanese community residing in Dusseldorf to take advantage and showcase the culture of Japan to millions of German and international visitors. The regular highlights of the event include Kimono fittings, calligraphy, samurai warriors and musical groups. A pyrotechnician specially travels from Japan to Dusseldorf for the grand finale, which traditionally ends with the huge Japanese fireworks display.

I am just waiting for the grand day when I take my flights to Dusseldorf so that I may gorge on the Japanese delicacies here, such as sushi,  or tempura. For now, I can only fancy how the feeling of being at home will dawn upon me while being among my Japanese people in Dusseldorf.

The Irish Experience

It is our practice to go for long holiday tours to different places every year. We mostly prefer destinations that are far from our place as we can enjoy a climate and culture that is quite different from us. This year we planned a trip to Dublin, the capital city of Ireland.

During last several years Dublin has attained a status of one of the most visited cities in Europe. Hence almost all international airlines of the region are operating flights to Dublin. Besides there are several other cheap airline flights too to this city. We have purchased cheap tickets to Dublin and reached there to experience a good time.

The city that exhibits a typical Irish character is situated on the banks of River Liffey. Actually the river is dividing the city into north and south regions. There is a visible cultural conflict between these two regions. The northern side is mostly inhabited by the labors while the southern part is inhabited by middle and upper class people. There is a difference even in the dialect of the people belonging to these two regions. This is the first time in my life I am seeing such different types of cultures within a city limit. And, it may the only such city in the world too.

The city houses many places of importance which attracts visitors from all over the world. Most of the cheap flights to Dublin will be always filled with tourists who come here to spend their times in such structures. Dublin Castle is one such structure which has been originally constructed in 1204 to protect the city from Norman Invasion. The castle and the land around it offer a good amount of privacy for the people. We have seen many couples there enjoying their private moments there. Spire of Dublin is another structure that attracts many visitors. 

There are many other places in the city which will satisfy any types of visitors. However, I could not finish talking about Dublin without mentioning about the warm hospitality of the city locals. We have experienced it in our hotel and at all the places we visited. The delicious traditional food served in restaurants and the old wine we had from a way side restaurant while coming back from our visit to Dublin Castle are very delicious and we cannot forget the taste in our life time. Now we are planning for one more trips to enjoy the Irish experience in the coming month too. As nobody will be satisfied with just one visit to the city, the city is frequently visited by the people. Each time they feel like at home. And that is the attraction of the city and its beauty too.