http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Anu/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Anu en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:50:00 +0000 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:50:00 +0000 This was second stop in Gujarat A small town named 'Paatan'.....little known but archeologicaly rich This is about 2 hrd from Ahmedabad and taxisbuses etc are easily available ....I was surprised as to how did people during that time understand the concept of airconditioning. This place though in ruins is actually a centralised aircondidtioned resort for Summers for the royal family. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Gujarat/Ahmedabad/blog-447409.html An extension of my holiday was this much awaited trip to the templesruinsstone carvingsbuddhist caves and beaches of Mahabalipuram. Exploring them by myself was an exciting journey Mahabalipuram in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu is a pleasant seaside resort with some ancient relics embellishing its sea shore. The major attraction for the tourist lies in the bewildering Monolithic monumen http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Tamil-Nadu/Mahabalipuram/blog-447424.html Situated 18 kms North of Ahmedabad main City at the crossing called Adalaj which is a tri section this place cover s a very large area. The entire Vav is split into 5 levels. The Vav has pillars and walls which are ornately carved. There are gaps in each level which take you to the lower level. Leaves flowers fishes birds and other designs fill the walls and pillars. At the entrance of the V http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Gujarat/Ahmedabad/Adalaj/blog-447421.html m back for a few days and fortunately had two nice weekends to spend...Made a 2day trip to these rustic ruins in Gujarat and covered this spectacular heritage site....The Sun Temple of ModheraMODHERA99 kms from Ahmedabad the 11th century Sun temple of Modhera is easily one of the finest examples of devotional in western India. Built by the Solanki Rajput kings the aid of donations from th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Gujarat/Ahmedabad/blog-443411.html These were the 30 odd outbound learning programmes covering over 500 employees that I conducted along with my favourite travel partners 'Foliage Outdoors' at Dandeli....A little bit about the place just in case you dont know....Dandeli is a natural habitat for wildlife. Dandeli Jungle Safari in open jeeps into the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary accompanied by trained naturalists are the best way t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Dandeli/blog-416367.html One of my summer camps with 'Foliage Outdoors'....Covered Mudhumalai Wild Life Sanctuary in South India Ranganthittu Bird Santuary near Mysore Mysore Ooty tented camping amidst the tea estates of kottagiri the highest peak in South India Dodabetta and back to Pune my home town. 9 days of travel fun new places pictures and sightings...Mudumalai The Mudumalai sanctuary lies on the north http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Mysore/blog-413260.html A photographyspecial tour to some famous as well as less known sites in EGYPT....Amazed with the mysteries of the hidden cities of the past....Cruising through ruins of the mytical era of the Pharos....Interpreting hyeroglyphics and the language of stones...and taking back with us some mesmerising memories....Egypt is truly amazing.All you need to do is read about the places before you land there http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/blog-397974.html The one and only and the last destination in the World to see the majestic Asiatic Lions...Shortforms used in here the albumGIZ Gir Interpretation zone its basically an Animal Hospital care centreGBL Gir Birding Lodge our regular place of stayreaching Gir is simple Mumbai Rajkot Gir.Situated about 65km SE of Junagarh district in the state of Gujarat in South West India the Natio http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Gujarat/Gir-National-Park/blog-391204.html 6 month of study and research and converstaion with several tour operators in Cambodia gave me a fantastic package of 8 days7nights full board basis full time car full time guide all entry fees and a tailor made package of almost 45 venues.Ms.Sitha of Mittapheap tours and travels was extremely patient and gave me what I wanted in about 950USD.Have enlisted this mustsee places for you....sinc http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Angkor/blog-364715.html A weekend is all you need to experience this simple beach near Mumbai Alibaug Now commercially established it is crowded on national holidays and festivals.Specialities The Kolaba fortFresh catch of fishprawnscrabSunsetsOur Itinerary was quite simple eat sleep sunsetforteat and sleep.The Kolaba Fort is located 1 km through Alibag beach. Angre Sarkar a Maratha warrior with Shivaj http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Alibag/blog-364724.html Monasteries fascinated me the stark orange gowns which the monks wear during prayers and the majestic prayer wheels against the ancient stupa is something that excite me always...and so this trip happened...we covered Leh and Ladhak.My basic itinerary was as followshelliphelliphelliphellip. We Reached Manali first Visited Hadimba Temple at Manali. Overnight at Manali Visit Vashish http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/blog-373231.html Kanharsquos the best place to see the Bengal Tigerhellip.it boasts the highest density of the predator in the country.Just for your information Kanha National park is located in Banjar and Halon valleys in the Mandla Balaghat districts of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Kanha National Park is one of the Indiarsquos finest tiger reserves. It is spread more than 940 sq km in a horse shoe shape http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Madhya-Pradesh/Kanha-National-Park/blog-386059.html Hi...As always I happened to steal this opportunity to visit another UNESCO site near my workplace in Thailand.These were the ruins of Ayuthaya...a culturally rich kingdom once upon a time.Some history Ayutthaya the capital of the Thai Kingdom was found by UThong King in 1350. Ayutthaya as an island is formed by the gathering of three rivers the Chao Phraya the Pasak and the Loburi and surr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Ayuthaya/blog-376617.html My third day in London was booked with PREMIUM TOURS for a day trip to Paris. HighlightsPickup from the nearest central pointReserved seats on the EurostarFast entry access and extended time on the Eiffel TowerCruise on the River SeinePanoramic tour of ParisGuided tour of the Louvre and see the Mona LisaDue to Eurostar requirements the age restrictions for children is 411 yearsWe joined t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-376097.html My next day tour with PREMIUM TOURS of London was this exciting package. My pickup van arrived exactly at 5.30am my point as mentioned in their itinerary and off we go...we started with Stonehenge then towards Bath Salisbury Cathedral and concluded the day with the Windsor Castle.The key element was my fascination and study of the Stonehenge. Have read extensively and studied the super natur http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-376083.html I booked myself with PREMIUM TOURS in London for all 4 days. Took 4 day tours around covering some country sude some local sigh seeing and ofcourse exciting places....This first of my day tours around London....and the highlights included 1. a Visit to Christchurch where Harry Potter was filmed2. a Visit to Warwick Castle the greatest medieval site in Britain3. Shakespeares Birthplace Museu http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-376072.html I had to see the hyperfamous Madam Tussauds Museum.The pass was pretty expensive Got to be i guess ...and for every additional section that you wish to see theres a price to pay. Inside the famous Green Dome there are rooms allocated to different feilds Sports Bollywood Hollywood Politicians Scientists The Royal British Family Cultural Figures TV starts and the 'terrible' frighte http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-376065.html Hi ...Some interesting pictures of my next stop ....The Tower Bridge.Against the grey clouds this was an awesome sight to catch. My bus dropped me. I bought a ticket at the counter and took a 1hr ride to experience the Thames.On the way to the bridge you encounter the 'Tower'. The castle is set amidst the best manicured lawns and rose gardens.The TowerThe Tower is located in the London Borough http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-376056.html Hi again...My next stop after Big Ben and Westminster Abbey was the London Eye It huge ...mammoth ...and magnificient The Big Bus dropped me at the prescribed stop of London Eye. You need to buy your ticket at the counter and board the 'eye'. Since opening in March 2000 The London Eye has become an iconic landmark and a symbol of modern Britain. The London Eye is the UKrsquos most popular paid http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-376048.html Hi again...My office sent me to London for work ...and my itchy feet took me to some great places around london... I tood the BIG BUS tour to move around. It quite easy that way. I bought my passes online from India. The day tour passes are valid for 24 hours. When you board the bus from your closest stop they hand over a route map to you. For egYou can then choose to get down at the Big Ben 'Bi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-364716.html