Goa is the smallest state of India and it is undoubtedly the best sea resort in the country. The golden sea beaches washed by the blue water of the Arabian Sea is the prime attraction of this place. In most of the cases the Goa travel guides will direct you to this state from the metropolitan city of Mumbai. Mumbai, apart from being the capital of Maharashtra, is also the largest commercial hub in India. It is very convenient to travel to Goa from Mumbai. You can take bus, train or flights to reach the destination.
Vasco is the main airport in Goa. You can travel to Panjim or Panaji, the capital city of this state from Vasco very easily. There are several travel agencies which are based in Panaji. They will provide you with vehicles and tourist guides for the Goa tours. Goa can be divided into two parts for the help in sightseeing tours. They are South Goa and North Goa. South Goa is mainly known for the churches which are the hub of Christianity in India. On the other hand, North part is known for the exotic beaches which are located here.
The Goa travel guides will also mention that this state is the home for some of the best Indian wines. Fenny is one of the famous local wines which are available here. Fenny is also used for different methods of medication.

Travel polls make me giddy, like all binaries do. But then, we live in a world of binaries, don’t we: Pepsi or Coke? TV Soap or Reality shows? Classics or Best sellers? Religious Fundamentalism or Political Radicalism? The list goes on: each encompassing the other in a dizzy vertigo of closure.

Travel polls give me the same feeling, is it the best place to travel in summer or winter? Mountains or seas? Do you prefer to carry travel insurance during your trip to the Pacific Islands or not? Limit the options, limit possibilities, limit chances of raising uncomfortable questions that can disturb the economic and/or the political status-quo. Every time we respond to them, we quite innocuously get entrapped by them. So, like most polls, I avoid them rather religiously. What has travel got to do with polls? And more importantly, who has the right to dictate my options?

I remember my visit to the mountains as a child. It was high monsoon time, we were closed indoors as it went on pouring buckets outside, and I hated it. I visited the mountains last monsoon. It was high monsoon time again, and I was closed indoors as it went on pouring buckets outside, and boy, did I love it. Time stood still, and I was in tune with a world as old, as primeval, as the mountains outside. I may just hate it if I get stranded in the rains when I visit the mountains next time round. I may hate it in the afternoon when I loved it in the morning, for all I know. How can I fall for a poll that asks is the mountains a good place to travel in monsoon, willy-nilly?

Have you heard of Twiga at Twilight? This is a program planned by the Safari West Wildlife Foundation, which is going to take place on September 27, 2008.

The venue for the event is the Safari West Wildlife Preserve, located in the wine country, California. Drive to Napa Valley, California in the western part of the United States of America. Here you can get a flavor of the famous African safari.

Safari West Wildlife Preserve is home to about 500 animals belonging to 80 species. Starting from endangered species like African Cape Buffalo, Addax, Blue Wildebeest and Damara Zebra to Red Lechwe, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Springbok and Eland—on the safari, a great number of animals can be seen.

Twiga at Twilight 2008 will offer a wildlife presentation to the visitors. It is a golden opportunity for nature lovers (like me) to come face to face with the animals. There will be Chef Bruce Riezenman of Park Avenue Catering, who specializes in African inspired cuisine. It does not end here—there will be the best of wines from the local wineries. The program will start at 1730 hours with a cheese and wine reception, and continue till 2300 hours.

Tickets for the event will cost $150 per head, while for a VIP treatment you will have to pay $250. For overnight accommodation, there are Safari West luxury tent cabins. You can also stay at the rooms blocked by the Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa, a sponsor of the event. At Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa, you will have to pay between $200 and $300 for a room. Special offer for the Twiga at Twilight 2008 include early Check-in and late Check-out.

So, what are you waiting for? Drive west and be a part of Twiga at Twilight 2008. I have already booked my seat there.

You must have heard a lot about the Eiffel Tower of Paris isn’t it? Have you heard about the Place de la Concorde? It is also a major attraction of Paris. It is the largest square of Paris situated over 20 acres of land. It is situated near the Tuileries and the Champs-Elysées.

Place de la Concorde was created in the year 1772 surrounding the statue of King Louis XV by the architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel. Later on, in 1792, the statue of the king was replaced by a statue called “liberte” (Freedom). During that time it was known as Place de la Révolution. A guillotine was also installed where around 1119 people were beheaded. The famous people beheaded here were King Louis XVI, Marie-Antionette, and revolutionary Robespierre.

During the 19th century, the 3200 years old obelisk from the temple of Ramses II was placed at Place de la Concorde. In 1831, this was gifted by Viceroy of Egypt to Louis Philippe. You will find hieroglyphs picturing the reign of pharaohs Ramses II & Ramses III on the obelisk.

Once you visit the lovely Place de la Concorde of France, you will find a number of statues representing various cities like Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Rouen and Strasbourg. Jacob Ignaz Hittorf installed these in 1836 and also redesigned the Place de la Concorde in 1846. Two fountains - ‘La fontaine des Mers’ and ‘Elevation of the Maritime’ can also be found here. Some of the other attractions located close to palace are Arc de Triomphe, the Madeleine, the Tuileries and the Palais Bourbon. 

So do not miss Place de la Concorde on your Paris Tour!

Princess Cruises line has achieved its huge popularity because of their excellent travel packages and perfect services to the tourists. Sun Class is one of the main sections of this cruising line and it has begun its service from the year 1995. Sun Princess is actually one of the main ships which is owned by this company. The luxurious ship is the target for hundreds of tourists from all corners of globe. There are also some sister ships which are parts of the services. They are known as Dawn Princess, Ocean Princess and Sea Princess.
From this very year 2008, Sun Princess has begun its services in Australia. The onus of its journey is supposed to be on the city of Sydney. The ship will also travel some of the destinations in the neighboring country New Zealand. Among them the mentionable ones are Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Sun Princess will travel throughout Australia and New Zealand in the months of winter whereas special Melbourne trips are supposed to be in the months of summer. In one of its journey it is also accompanied by the sister ship Dawn Princess. Sun Princess has also appeared in media in the television show named as The Love Boat: The Next Wave. Until now, Sun Princess is the largest ship to pass under the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It had to wait for a low tide to pass beneath the bridge.

I was quite suddenly face to face with a challenge that I was not quite prepared for. My students opted for a course on Latin American poetry as a part of their final year Graduation course, and I was given the responsibility to teach them the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Neruda was not one of my strongest areas, and although I did have some grounding on Latin American magic realist literature, the poetry of the land was outright out of my ken. However, work is worship, and I had new gods to deal with.

 The flip side of the situation was that my students were hardly more initiated in Latin American poetry than I was. The first challenge for me was to locate Neruda: he being a poet intensely grounded in his time and place. Neruda wrote poetry from his life, his ideology was formed as much from experiences immediate to him in his native Chile, as from books and manifestos. You will never know Neruda till you know his nation, its location and history and the time that he was writing in.  I was desperately in search for some South America maps, or more particularly a Chile map, which I could use for my classroom teachings.

 My first day, thus started with a detailed presentation of the South America map: a primarily political map showing the various countries, borders, and demographics. Soon the mere name of a poet – a signifier in the abstract - got a life, a body, assumed a persona. They say there is no history without geography, and I say there is no culture without history. However, I never realized that this train of logic would come back to re-assert itself in such an unforeseen way - I never realized before how important a map can be in the understanding of literature.

 What ensued was nothing less a journey of self-discovery for me and my students. His poems found a ground to take flight, and soon took wings. I realized that they were finding Neruda more interesting than most of the archaic English poets they were studying and getting thoroughly bored with. It was a kind of learning experience for me too. Before long, through an intense dialectic process between my students and myself, I was feeling more and more attached to this Chilean genius.

World’s second longest river…
The largest river basin on the earth…
One of the greatest tropical rain forests of the world…
South America’s largest river…

Yes, this is the great Amazon River. Passing through five countries of South America, the river is heaven for adventure lovers.

Amazon River tours can be started from Manaus in Brazil. There are a number of tour operators, who offer various packages throughout the year. Contact any of these travel agencies, and you will land in the dense tropical rainforest of the Amazon River. If you don’t want to enter Brazil, then Peru, Columbia, Bolivia and Venezuela are other countries, where you can arrange for an Amazon boat trip.

If you ask me, I will prefer going to Brazil, and start my journey from Manaus. There are a number of lodges there, which will give ample opportunity of encountering wildlife. But, believe me, getting a glimpse of the wildlife is a matter of sheer luck. If you are not lucky enough, you can end up seeing only monkeys and a number of bird species.

Why only boat trips? I can also plan for day hikes from the lodges at Manaus. There are also a number of accommodations available in remote areas of the Amazon basin. The wooden houses amidst the jungle will definitely make you feel adventurous. I am surely going to grab the first opportunity to visit the Amazon. Are you with me?

If you want to go for a wine tour to anywhere in Europe, visiting Moldova will be a great Idea. The landlocked nation bordered by Romania and Ukraine. The country in Eastern Europe is officially known as the Republic of Moldova. The beautiful country is much famed for its high quality wine. The taste and flavor of these wines are loved by the wine lovers across the globe. If you are interested in finding out the find information about wine making process can go for an enriching wine tour.

You can visit any of the vine yards in the country. In these vineyards the best quality grapes with great taste and curative properties are cultivated. You will find a wide variety of quality wines in these vineyards. These locally prepared wines are sure to satisfy every wine lover. You will find the finest of European wines including Chisinau, Chardonnay, Riesling,Cabernet, Pinot, and Aligote, the local, high quality wines like Rara Neagra, Feteasca, Plavai. You can also visit Cricova which is home to one of the largest wine cellars of the world. You can also opt for wine tasting here. You will be able to choose from a wide selection of some of the choicest of European wines and spirits. On your trip to Cojusna you can also try a wide range of local wines. A wine tour in Moldova can bring you close to the people and culture of the country.

If you want to visit an European country that is blessed with natural beauty and mystery then you are sure to enjoy a trip to Scotland which is the northern part of United Kingdom. Scotland consists of more than 790 small islands all of which are blessed with greenery. The land is well known for its rich history and heritage. The scenic landscapes and massive architectures of the land attract thousands of tourists every year to Scotland.
The scenic beauty of Scotland is breathtaking. You can sooth your eyes looking at the lush green lands that start from the rugged coastline and end at the foot of the mountain. You can breath in some fresh air and spend a restful and leisurely vacation in the realm of nature. If you visit the mountainous region of the country which is known as Highland, you will be surprised to behold the smoky hills, snowy peaks, lush greenery and crystal clear lake.

You can also see the beautiful castles and palaces in Scotland. You will find a number of beautiful churches in this country as well. All these architectural specimens are the evidences of astute Scottish craftsmanship. You must visit the Edinburgh Castle, Iona Abbey and Glasgow Castle during your trip. Do not forget to indulge in delicious Scottish cuisine and Scotch whiskey. Listen to the sooting native music of Scotland and trust me, you are sure to love it. You may also go for a leisurely boat cruise in any of the picturesque lakes of the country. If you are lucky you may also catch a glimpse of Loch Ness Monster at Loch Ness. With all such surprises in store this country in Europe is worth a visit.

As a child I used to harness my interest in geography and for that I and my friends used to play a game. We used to open a map of world and search for a given city, mine, or location in the map. Those who can find or point it accurately used to earn points. Now, looking back in time I can still remember the joy of exploration that I experienced through this game. There were many other benefits of playing the game too. Not only it helped me in my geography lessons, but I also learned names and location of different places. It was real fun to know about different countries, cities and tourist destinations. It was like a virtual tour around the world with the help of a map.

Even today when I look at the world map or the map of any continent or country for that matter I still feel the joy of exploration. You can also feel the same joy once you start studying a map. Start with a world map and see all the continents and countries. Then choose a country and study its map – It will help you know that country in a better way. This habit will also help you in planning a trip to any other country like Mexico, Spain, France, Australia, China and Egypt. It will also help you know your country in a better way. What’s more? You can also help your kids in their geography lessons.