World's 1000 beautiful tourist places

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Gangtok, Sikkim

Parks & gardens : City Millennium garden is also worth a visit. The flower exhibition centre is near the imposing White hall on the Jawaharlal Nehru marg. It has a greenhouse with orchids, bonsai and other exotic plants. Flower fair is in March. The popular Ridge park is nearby.

Enchey gompa : This attractive monastery provides fine views of the town and Mt. Khangchendzonga.

The prayer hall has some exquisite murals, a huge statue of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha) and a fearsome statue of Mahakala (the Great protector). The Deto chaam mask dance is in Dec/Jan. It is 2 km steep walk from the town or a taxi ride at Rs 50.

Helicopter service gives you an aerial view of the mountains and the town. Contact Sikkim Tourist Information centre. For Khangchendzonga ridge view by Helo, Rs 25,000 for a group of 5 persons.

Viewpoints : For stunning Himalayan views, visit Ganesh Tok (7 km). The Himalayan Zoological park is across the road, having red pandas, snow leopard and Himalayan bear (Admission Rs 10). About 4 km above Ganesh Tok is Hanuman Tok with more views and a Hanuman temple. Another popular point is Tashi viewpoint (8 km). Share taxis to Fatak leave from MG Marg and stop near Tashi viewpoint (Rs 15).

River rafting at Teesta and Rangeet rivers are the other attractions.

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Rumtek monastery : It is the official seat of Gyalwa Karmapa, the spiritual leader of the Kagyu sect. The monastery has attractive murals and huge statues of Sakyamuni and Mahakala. A giant throne awaits the arrival of the 17th Karmapa (Ogyen Trinley Dorje, teenage lama, fled from Tibet to Dharmasala in India in 2000). Karma Shri Naland institute of Buddhist studies is lavishly decorated. The bones and ashes of the 16th karmapa are kept in a magnificent jewel studded reliquary, known as the Golden stupa.

Rumtek is famous for its chaams (mask dance). The annual Drupchen festival is in May/June. Guthor chaam with lhamo (Tibetan opera) is in Feb/Mar. A 2 km further along the same road leads to Old Rumtek. The Kagyed chaam dance is 2 days before Losoong (Sikkimese New year, Dec/Jan).

The best time to visit a gompa (Buddhist monastery) is during the morning puja (prayers), when monks and novices gather to chant passages from the sacred scriptures, accompanied by ringing cymbals, booming drums, and honking Tibetan horns. A second prayer meeting is at 9 am.

Rumtek is 26 km from Gangtok. Share jeeps leave from Lal Bazaar jeep stand (Rs 20, 1 hour). The last return jeep is at 1 pm.

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Lingdum gompa : The gompa has a 15 m brass statue of Sakyamuni and the Kagyed chaam dance is 2 days before Losoong (Sikkimese New year, Dec/Jan). Share jeeps leave from Lal Bazaar jeep stand (Rs 20, 20 km, 1 hour). Ask about the last return jeep timing.

Tsomgo (Changu) lake : The lake is at 3780 m, 39 km from Gangtok, on the Nathula road. The near hilltop hike gives a spectacular views of the lake and mountains. Yak ride around the lake is at Rs 80.

Nathula (India-China border at 14,200 ft) is open only for Indian nationals on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. It is 56 km from Gangtok. The visitors have to get the permit to visit the place by applying to the Tourism Department through a registered Travel Agency.

Namchi has a 45 m high Padmasambhava statue covered in shimmering bronze paint. It is 3 hour by bus from Gangtok (Rs 55).

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Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park — one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.

Ive been here twice...and i would say nothing can ever describe this place...its beauty needs a new word to define!

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Lourdes (420 m) is a world's leading Catholic Marian shrines in southwestern France. Lourdes was originally a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees. At that time, the most prominent feature was the fortified castle that rises up from the center of the town on a rocky escarpment.

On 11 February 1858, a 14-year-old local girl, Bernadette Soubirous, claimed a beautiful lady appeared to her in the remote Grotto of Massabielle. The lady later identified herself as "the Immaculate Conception" and the faithful believe her to be the Blessed Virgin Mary. The lady appeared 18 times, and by 1859 thousands of pilgrims were visiting Lourdes. A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was erected at the site in 1864.

The 150th Jubilee of the apparitions took place in September 2008. Today Lourdes has a population of around 15,000 inhabitants but is able to take in some 5 million pilgrims and tourists every season. With about 270 hotels, Lourdes has the second greatest number of hotels in France after Paris.

From March to October the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is a place of mass pilgrimage from Europe and other parts of the world. An estimated 200 million people have visited the shrine since 1860. The spring water from the grotto is believed by some to possess healing properties, however there have been from the beginning sceptics of the miracles reported to have taken place in Lourdes. The Roman Catholic Church has officially recognized 67 miracle healings. Connected with this pilgrimage is often the consumption of or bathing in the Lourdes water which wells out of the Grotto. The candlelight and sacrament processions are very impressive.