POST ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

[tigers3baseball3]

USA home of the obese

[kennylee]

Try Malaysia
We got great roads

[Perfection]

Yatra begins

The roads to the Himalayan pilgrim centres -Char Dham - in Uttarakhand are open for traffic.

You can visit Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath during the pilgrim season. Valley of Flowers is another attraction near the Sikh pigrim centre Hemkund/Lokpal.

The area is known as Valley of Gods because of the scenic beauty and the holy temples. It is a trekker's paradise with flower valleys.

Location : Uttarakhand, India.

[Perfection]

The Official India government tourism website is www.incredibleindia.org www.tourindia.com . For India maps visit www.mapsofindia.com

For all about Train travel in India www.indianrailways.gov.in . 'Trains at a glance' booklet gives details about train timings and fare (Rs 45). It is available at train stations and bookstalls (Wheeler & Co). For 1500 km travel in 3rd AC will cost around Rs 1232, while in 2nd Sleeper costs Rs 480. One can three month advance reservation. If can cancel a ticket on or before 24 hour of departure of the train with a fee of Rs 40.

Tatkal reservation starts 5 days before the proposed date of journey at 8 am. The fare is from the starting station to the destination plus Rs 150 for 2nd Sleeper and Rs 300 for 3rd AC.

With RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation), you will get a seat. With a Waiting list ticket, normally one cannot travel. Current ticket is available for travelling in the General compartment (lowest fare).

The Official government tourism websites :

Kerala
Tamil Nadu
Karnataka
Andhra Pradesh

Goa
Orissa
West Bengal
Bihar
Sikkim

Uttar Pradesh
Agra
Madhya Pradesh
Gujarat
Rajasthan

Assam
Nagaland
Tripura
Meghalaya

Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Kuamon
Punjab
Haryana

[Perfection]

Air travel

The four main International airports are at New Delhi ( www.delhiairport.com ), Kolkata, Mumbai ( www.mumbaiairport.com ) and Chennai ( www.chennaiairport.com ). The national carrier is Air India ( www.airindia.com ). For details visit www.indianairports.com

Foreign carriers operated in India are

Aeroflot, Moscow (Code SU, www.aeroflot.org)
Air Canada, Vancouver (Code AC, www.aircanada.com)
Air France, Paris (Code AF, www.airfrance.com)
Alitalia, Rome (Code AZ, www.alitalia.com)
Austrian Airlines, Vienna (Code OS, www.aua.com)
Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Dhaka (Code BG, www.bangladeshonline.com/biman)
British Airways, London (Code BA, www.british-airways.com)
Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong (Code CX, www.cathaypacific.com)
Druk Air, Paro (Code KB, www.drukair.com/bt)
El Al Israel Airlines, Tel Aviv (Code LY, www.elal.co.il)
Emirates, Dubai (Code Ek, www.emirates.com)
Gulf Air, Bahrain (Code GF, www.gulfairco.com)
Indian Airlines, New Delhi (Code IC, www.indian-airlines.nic.in)
Iran Air, Tehran (Code IR, www.iranair.nl)
Japan Airlines (Code JL, www.jal.com)
Kenya Airways, Nairobi (Code KQ, www.kenya-airways.com)
KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines, Amsterdam (Code KL, www.klm.com)
Kuwait Airways (Code KU, www.kuwait-airways.com)
Lufthansa Airlines, Frankfurt (Code LH, www.lufthansa.com)
Malaysia Airlines, Kuala Lumpur (Code MH, www.malaysiaairlines.com)
Pakistan International Airlines, Karachi (Code PK, www.piac.com.pk)
Qantas Airways, Sydney (Code QF, www.qantas.com.au)
Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation, Kathmandu (Code RA, www.royalnepal.com)
Saudia Arabian Airlines, Ar-Riyadh (Code Sv, www.saudiairlines.com)
Singapore Airlines (Code SQ, www.singaporeair.com)
Sri Lankan Airlines, Colombo (Code UL, www.srilankan.aero)
Swiss International Airlines, Zurich (Code LX, www.swiss.com)
Thai Airways International, Bangkok (Code TG, www.thaiair.com)

[sacli]

Yatra begins

The roads to the Himalayan pilgrim centres -Char Dham - in Uttarakhand are open for traffic.

You can visit Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath during the pilgrim season. Valley of Flowers is another attraction near the Sikh pigrim centre Hemkund/Lokpal.

The area is known as Valley of Gods because of the scenic beauty and the holy temples. It is a trekker's paradise with flower valleys.

Location : Uttarakhand, India.

[kritdc]

Hi, my country is land of smile :D

[ddproductions]

discover the heart-shaped island of Marinduque in the Philippines!

[Perfection]

Aurangabad is named after Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, is a city in Maharashtra, India. The city is a tourist hub, surrounded with many historical monuments including the Ajanta and Ellora World heritage sites, Bibi Ka Maqbara (a replica of the Taj Mahal), Aurangabad caves, the Ghrishneshwar Shiva temple, Daulatabad fort, Panchakki (The Water Mill complex) and Khultabad, the resting place of Aurangzeb.

Lonar Crater, 150 km from Aurangabad

Regular buses are available from Malkapur and Jalna to Lonar. An alternative option is to take buses going towards Mehkar / Washim which you can take up to Sultanpur. There are share a cab options from Sultanpur which is around 12 km from Lonar.

Lonar Crater : The world's only salt water lake in basaltic rock is in Lonar. Lonar crater is believed to have been caused by a meteorite hitting Earth around 50,000 years ago. It has a jungle around the crater and is a good place for bird lovers. Peacocks, Owls and other birds are in abundant here. On the lake and around it you'll find Red-wattled_Lapwing, Ducks and lots of other species. There are around 13 temples around the lake out of which only 3-4 are maintained but the ruins are worth a visit to check the carvings.

Gaumukh, Sita Nani, Motha Maruti, Daitya Sudan Temple with beautiful carving are nearby.

[Perfection]

Incredible India

Do's & Dont's

1) If you just cannot avoid extra-marital sex in India, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, USE THE CONDOM even if the other person is not a commercial sex worker.

2) If you are male introduced to a lady or a grown-up girl, don't take the initiative of offering a handshake. If she extends her hand, you must reciprocate, but don't be the first to extend your hand. If you are female and are being introduced to a male: it is up to you – the female – to take the initiative for a handshake. The rule of thumb is: the female extends her hand first, and the male reciprocates.

3) The Western practice of a peck on the cheek as a form of greeting a lady or a grown up girl is JUST NOT IN when you are in India unless you happen to be in 'Westernised Indian' circles or in the company of people in the glamour industry such as models and beauty queens (even then, DON'T take the initiative if you are male).

3) The namastay is a local form of greeting. It involves the joining of your palms as during prayer in church – well, not exactly, but it can pass (in church, the two thumbs are crossed, in the Indian 'namastay', the thumbs join but remain parallel to each other: this is only for information as the difference is not visible to the person in front of you).

4) If you find the lady is not extending a hand shake, go for the namastay. Even with men, the namastay can be an excellent little PR gimmick! Follow it up with a kaise hai (how are you?) and you have broken the first block of ice if one there was!.

5) Politics can be freely discussed in India and most people will have an opinion which they will not mind being contradicted. But avoid discussing religion, especially with Muslims who form 11% of India's population.

6) Avoid visiting Kashmir in the extreme north as well as areas in the extreme north-east. Foreigners, especially West Europeans and Americans, are at risk to hostage-taking by terrorists in those areas. The rest of India is safe haven for everybody.

7) Don't trust strangers with money. Trust your hotel, but not people you may bump into on the streets.

8) If somebody has invited you home for dinner, carry with you a box of sweets or at least a chocolate bar for the kid.

9) If you are buying from roadside stalls or hawkers, bargain you must. Start by offering half the price they ask for and settle for 60 percent. Don't bargain in proper shops especially those that display "Fixed Price" signs: that will be seen as bad manners.

10) Never buy food from roadside stalls or mobile canteens. Not that they are bad, but your system may not be accustomed to such delicacies and you might end up spending more time in the loo than normal.

11) Drink bottled water only. Even many Indians who have lived out of India for a few years sometimes suffer stomach upsets on drinking local tap water. If there is no alternative to tap water, ensure it is boiled.

12) Don't offer bribes to get any job done. Bribe-taking and bribe-giving are a common practice in India but they are intended to speed up things or win a favour that you are not entitled to. Plan well in advance. If you expect favours, let them come free or not at all. Warn anyone (even in government) who asks you for a bribe that you would report him to the Anti-Corruption Bureau or the nearest police-station. If he persists, do it discreetly so that he can be caught red-handed.

13) Indian English has its own delights especially to foreigners of English nativity. Don't show amusement at the different Indian accents and choice of words. This does not take away from the fact that many Indians speak and write better English than many native English speakers.

14) Many Indians are in the habit of shaking their head in the course of conversation or taking instructions. Don't show amusement if you witness this.

15) Avoid offers of spiritual salvation and magic remedies from saints, godmen and quacks. There may be some spiritually elevated people in India, but there is no way you can distinguish the genuine ones from the crooks. If you are seriously interested in these aspects of India, take help from someone you know or visit one of the respected spiritual organisations in India.

16) Avoid driving in India unless you have been trained on Indian roads.