Travel ideas, vacation planning

Archive for the ‘Asia’ Category

Travelers looking to rev up their spiritual life need not go any farther than the Philippines, which is home to some of the world’s oldest and beautiful churches. The archipelago of 7,107 islands, which was under Spanish rule for more than 300 years, is the largest Catholic country in Asia. Hundreds of churches have been constructed across the nation since the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines in 1521. With its rich religious heritage, the Philippines is cashing in on pilgrimage tourism to boost its coffers. Read the rest of this entry »

Jerusalem is one of the oldest communities in the world. In the 4th century BC, its oldest section was founded. Today, one can find ancient temples here, along with churches, mosques, and other buildings that are rich in religious and historical significance. Read the rest of this entry »

The newly opened National Center for the Performance Arts, also known as “the egg” formerly named the Chinese National Grand Theatre, is the largest performing art center in the world. It is shaped like a massive, silvery dome in the heart of China’s capital that offers Chinese and international art performances of the highest standards.  It hosts opera, ballet, musicals, dance, dramas and traditional Chinese performances. Read the rest of this entry »

Sundarbans National Park is a biosphere reserve, UNESCO World Heritage Site, tiger reserve and national park. It is situated in West Bengal’s Sundarbans delta – a region densely covered with mangrove forests. Aside from housing various species of reptiles, birds and invertebrates like the salt-water crocodile, it is also considered as one amongst the largest reserve for the Bengal tiger. Read the rest of this entry »

Ranthambore National Park is regarded as one amongst the largest and the most famous of Northern India’s national parks. It is located in Southeastern Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district. It is only 130 kilometers from Jaipur which houses the nearest airport. Sawai Madhoupur is the nearest town and it has the nearest railway station. Read the rest of this entry »

Sariska National Park is considered as one amongst many of India’s most visited parks. Although its popularity is not majorly on its wildlife population, it is because of its excellent location and closeness to large towns like Jaipur and Delhi. Years ago, the park acts as the “hunting reserve” of the region’s “Royal Family of Alwar Rajasthan”. Read the rest of this entry »

The ancient city of Petra, (Rock in greek), is a beautiful archeological city in Jordan. It is world renowned for its natural rock shape architecture. In July 2007, Petra was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The city lies on the slope of Mount Hor, enclosed in a basin amid the towering rock mountains of Arabah. A beautiful stream runs down perennially throughout the mountains. Read the rest of this entry »

A sprawling open plaza located in the heart of Beijing, Tiananmen Square is a destination that offers travellers to the city much to explore. While the location has gained international recognition for being the site of the infamous Tiananmen Square Massacre, this scenic locale has been the focal point of numerous events in China’s long and proud history. Read the rest of this entry »

Lijiang is an and quaint town in Yunan, a province of China which is well endowed with magnificent and beautiful mountains, rivers and a long history. The ancient Lijiang county was put into the list of world cultural legacy by the World Legacy Committee of the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization in 1997. Read the rest of this entry »

Sanjay Ghandi National Park is also called Borivali National Park. It is located along suburban Mumbai’s northern fringes. It is about 104 sq. kilometers and it is surrounded by the most populous city of India on all 3 sections. Mumbai is only 40 kilometers north. Read the rest of this entry »

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) was first launched back in 2004 and since then has gone on to become one of the most popular film festivals in the world. The original theme; Bridging Cultures, Meetings Minds, has been a concept that has been at the forefront of the festival’s culture since the beginning and one that continues to draw people around the Middle East and beyond to enjoy the films on offer. Read the rest of this entry »

The City of Merchants is finally ready with its gala Dubai Shopping Festival 2010 to indulge your shopping mania. This shopping extravaganza will last till 28 February, 2010. Sponsored by Dubai Duty Free, the festival beckons shoppers from across the globe with unbelievably low price tags for every conceivable item under the sun and even beyond. Dubai, an already exuberantly alive metropolis, turns into one of the busiest places on the planet. More than 2 million visitors grace this occasion and pump in over US$1 billion in retail spending. Read the rest of this entry »

Onam is the chief festival of Kerala and is celebrated with great pomp and show. Every individual of Kerala, participates in this festival regardless their religion and castes. It is the state festival and is regarded as the festival of unification. Onam is basically the harvest festival of Kerala.

Thousands of people from the adjoining states participate in the festival to have a glance of this majestic celebration. The festival of Onam is celebrated in the month of “Chingam” which is a Malayalam month. Always this festival occurs at the end of August and in the starting of September. Read the rest of this entry »

The second largest city in Israel, Tel Aviv is situated along the Mediterranean coast. The history behind this rich metropolis is astounding. Originally known as Jaffa, the city dates back to 1470 BC, where an Egyptian pharaoh mentioned it in letters he wrote. It is also mentioned in the Bible, in the book of Jonah, and when referring to Solomon’s Temple and the Tribe of Dan. It is believed to have been a port for over 4,000 years. Here are some facts about this interesting Jewish city that is full of intrigue and culture. Read the rest of this entry »

The Maldives is a location for travelers who want to completely escape the regularity of everyday life and sink in to a leisurely period where the world slows down enabling you to enjoy everything from a hot cup of tea to a morning on the beach. The perfectly golden beaches of these islands offers perfect places where travellers can just jump into their swimwear and soak up the sun while sipping on a heavenly king coconut. Read the rest of this entry »

Elephanta Festival is held across the Mumbai harbor, on the Elephanta Island, near the world-renowned Elephanta Caves (A World Heritage Site). This feast of music and dance, celebrated under the stars, transforms the entire island into a large auditorium.

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) organizes the Elephanta Festival every year in the month of February. The festival is held at Elephanta Island, which is popular for a cave shrine of Lord Shiva. Read the rest of this entry »

Ghazal Khan Pay a mark of respect to the typical and ageless Qutub Minar, on the eve of the twelve-monthly Qutub Festival held in the capital city of India. Read the rest of this entry »

Pongal is the most popular harvest festival of Kerala which is celebrated for four days in mid January every year. This festival is celebrated as a thanksgiving occasion in which farmers pay respect and honour to the Sun god, nature and cattle’s for their contribution in agricultural activities. Read the rest of this entry »

When in search of exhibition space in the lovely land of Singapore, the first venue that comes to mind is the Singapore Expo. Known around the world as a country that provides various corporate conveniences, Singapore is a growing city that encourages entrepreneurship and welcomes foreign investors. Being the largest convention and exhibition venue in the country, the 100,000 sq meter pillar-less space spreads over ten halls which are ideal for any type of event. Read the rest of this entry »

Doha, Qatar claims ownership to the second largest museum, the Qatar National Museum. It is located in the Easter part of Doha Corniche and is set up in a palace of a former president. With many collections describing the rich history of Qatar it is a place visited by many tourists in their travels. Read the rest of this entry »