Blogs from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Asia - page 3

Today was a travel day, but I got in a small amount of sightseeing this morning before I left. The guide took me to the big museum in Mumbai which is generally still known as The Prince of Wales Museum, but is officially named for the 18th century warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji. The museum contains a wide assortment of items and one has the impression that wealthy citizens donated some of their stuff to the museum when they didn’t have room to store it any more. On the way to the airport, we stopped to look at Dhobi Ghat, the world’s largest outdoor laundry. I watched a man there washing items by hand, including beating them on the concrete wall, but the guide told me that there are large washing machines that do much of the cleaning. ... read more

Naturally, SouthWest Germany!! Looking for meaningful holidays or a vacation with a difference, try Baden Wuerttemberg more commonly referred to as SouthWest Germany! With France on its western border, Switzerland on the southern flank, & Bavaria to the east, the region enjoys a strategic tourist friendly location & offers more attractions than many European destinations. Despite the large number of tourists (close to five million) visiting this heart-warming region, SouthWest Germany is able to easily absorb this high number because of the various sustainable practices it follows including fine standards of hygiene & safety. The water you drink from the tap is potable across the state as are the organic fruits & vegetables produced in local farms. Then you have this age old tradition of keeping more than 50% of the state's land mass green, which ... read more

Remembering MahaAtma at Sabarmati 'An eye for an eye will make world go blind’ -M K Gandhi 'I am a retired soldier from the Indian Army,’ he gently intoned. 'And I weave cotton daily at the Sabarmati Ashram,’ she replied with a smile. The bearded man then went on to briefly describe the place of his origins in South India, while the lady gave him a patient hearing. Sitting cross legged on the floor while gently turning the Spinning Wheel (Chakra) she mentioned she was from Netherlands & spent a major part of her life at the Ashram. Being of foreign origin I was certain she had to deal with a number of curious visitors each day! Elsewhere a steady stream of visitors made their way into the sprawling complex located on the bank of the ... read more

Climate –Tourism’s Game Changer The world over, countries have realized the immense potential of tourism & the tremendous benefits it bring for its economies as well as benefits for local populations. As compared to the ammunition or electronic industry, it requires minimum investment, though the password for good arrival numbers is good infrastructure, cultural legacy & an amiable population. Racist behavior as we all know drives tourists away as does robbing of tourists, harassment of woman & rape. Over the past few decades tourist friendly destinations like France, Switzerland & Singapore for example have overcome these obstacles making visitor experiences truly enthralling as well as seamless. Tourists are also reacting less to acts of terrorism on foreign lands they visit, showing newfound enthusiasm, courage & conviction to not abandon, but to embrace such destinations in tim ... read more

Our original plan of getting up early and heading out to one of the islands failed when we woke up late. This hostel is great - cool, dark and quiet. We quickly changed our plans to include a leisurely breakfast at the local bakery/cafe and a trip to the Prince of Wales museum (its now called Chhatrapati Shivaji). The museum itself is set in pretty gardens and the architecture of the building is stunning. As usual it’s more expensive for foreigners but this at least comes with a reasonable audio guide. As is usually the way with us we discovered most of the side galleries were shut for conservation but the main galleries were open and there was plenty to keep us occupied. We found the information given in the sculpture section about the different religions ... read more