Singapore Transit Tour, Singapore.

This is my 6th time visit to Singapore via Singapore transit tour. Usually one need to report to the transit tour counter to take the free transit tour. They will take you only if enough time is there for transit.The travel is convinient as they take you in a AC bus with enough leg room. They take you to the financial district and other places of interest. You cannot get out of the bus and explore things out there. You can see second hand things being sold for cheap prices (thiefs street) at a location. Sinaporeans say this is the place to look for if you have lost something stolen :).You can find lot of tamil population in this part of the world. There are temples and mosques of indian style located. The whole country is very small and some of the construction is going on reclaimed land. The city has good public transport system and the authorities demotivate people from buy cars. Statistics show that the number of citizens in the country is lesser than the number of tourists in an year. Singapore is the home for one of the largest containter shipment terminals in the world. The whole region depends on Singapore for container traffic.Indian street and Chinese streets are there where you can find lot of Indian and Chinese culture. The government tries to restore the old buildings which reflects Singapore culture. So modernity buildings with buildings with old style of architercture is interwoven and blended nicely in this city.Private flats are too costly , but there are a number of government flats that normal people rely for a leaving. The city is having an entertainment and leisure center called the sentosa island. A new casino center is coming up in the city which is build after the casino center models of Las Vegas.

At COEX Aquarium , Seoul , South Korea

COEX is one of the biggest mall cum international hotel in Seoul. The whole structure is too big that one can easily spends one or two days inside seeing and learning things. Inside the COEX mall there are lot enertainment facilities like ice skating and other stuff. It does have a cineplex and other eatery outlets.

Hyndai department store is worth seeing and almost its a like mega shop.COEX acqurium is house inside the mall underground. Its a worth seeing Acquiriam with all under water flora and fona being displayed. At the end of the Acquirum there is a mega glass structure where all the big beasts of the sea are put. Big sharks , turtles all you can see thru the glass structure. There is a under water journey and throuout the journey you can see all the creatures in a normal sea-life like atmosphere.

At Bannerghata National Park and Butterfly Park, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

One of the beautiful parks in Bangalore is the Bangalore Butterfly park. Situated adjacent to the Bannerghatta National Park , Bangalore butterfly park is a gift to the nature and relief to tired human eyes. A big covered structure is maintained and within this structure lot of artificial garden is created. 100 of different varieties falling under the butterfly spcies are maintained there. The entire area gives a sooting effect to tired minds. Lot of general info is provided on butterflies. It was an interesting fact to know that Butterflies are the most ancient species in earth and one which is having the most number of variety.

Bannerghatta national park , houses wild animals. Here the concept is just opposite to the zoo. You will be taken in a covered bus to the jungle and you can see real life jungle infront of you. White Tigers to Deers, almost all wild animals you can see in this journey of around 1 hour.

Near by that a zoo is also there where lot of different types of snakes and other animals are kept. Which is like any other normal zoo. With Bangalore emerging as Business hub, i could see lot of sponsorships for these wild life protection efforts. Weekends are normally crowded , as lot of techies from nearby Bangalore come to see the wild life for a break.

At HAL museum , Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

HAL museum is maintained by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd , and the tradition and history of the organization is well captured and presented the Museum. Emergence of India as a mere technological buyer of aerospace devices and components to an innovator and producer is visible from the chronolgical photo library that is being displayed there. The transformation and emergence of a technical giant is visible from the museum displays. Apart from this several war planes and helicopters are on display.

Nainital , Uttrakhand , India

Nainital is a favorite tourist destination. The hill station provides superb view of Icy mountains and splendid water bodies. Lot of tourism related business, mainly hotels and restaurants have sprung up all thru the valley. You could watch Everest mountain, which is in Nepal. Horse rides are available but slightly risky as the trainer will leave the horse after some time along with you and the horses are trained to trek the mountains and you will get frightened as the horse go up thru narrow trails and take you to the destination regardless of the presence of a trainer during the journey.

There are udan khotla like sky safari available which will take you to the top of the mountain and back and you could enjoy the beauty from those heights. There are several lakes in and around the place and boating facilities are available at nominal costs and most of the places are very beautiful and brings freshness back into your life at least for some moments.

At RitZ Carlton hotel , Gangnam-gu , Seoul , South Korea.

RitZ Carlton is a seven star hotel in Seoul and one of the costliest hotel to stay with. Facilities are superb. The welcome hall is a big hall and the entrance is a gold plated rotating door. The entrance itself has a royal look. Once you enter two women wearing korean traditional dress welcome you in. The marble work done with gold plated top and the small small lights lit together gives a very bright ambience.Once you enter the room, I saw a letter, amazing it was written "Welcome you back, Prasad" along with it was some chocolates. They keep record of all thier visitors by the passport number. One need to give the credit card number details before taking the room. I was having an American express corporate card which is handy during these types of visits.The next day was a holiday and we decided to enjoy the spa and the swimming pool. The swimming pool is facing the clouds and sky , once you are in the pool looking towards the sky you can enjoy your back stroke. The spa and gymnasium are nearby.Evening i decided to just expolre the Gangnam area. The Ganganam is one of the costliest and posh areas in Seoul. I could find a number of Indian restaurants. The major ones was Chakara, India Gate , Delhi, Taj Mahal etc. Chakkra is a chain hotel and comparitively cheaper. India Gate is costlier , but the ambience is fantastic.By 5.30 pm roads are filled with couples. It seems like whole korean couples are boozing and enjoying ther lifetime.All indian hotels close by around 9.30 pm but the other hotels are open till early morning. During previous visit I remeber I along with some of my friends had spent the whole night till moring in an Irish bar talking each other.

Bangalore City Tour.

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation is having AC and Non-AC services for one day city tour. The bus takes you to well known places of historical and religious importance. Everyday the service starts at around 8am from the Majestic Bus Station. The Bus covers ISKON temple , Raja Rajeswari temple, Nandi temple on its way. Apart from temples Bus takes you to Tippu Sultans fort inside bangalore. Also some particular slot of time is alocated to see the splendour of Lal Bagh Gardens. As the day proceeds towards from dawn to dusk, you will reach the Planetarium where several shows related to solar system and universe are played. Apart from all this the tour is worth as it takes to several places of minor importance within Bangalore.
A visit to the Mysore Silk showroom is also included in the tour.

At Nariman Point , Mumbai , India

I am at the historical Nariman Point, Mumbai. Even though i had heard and seen about Nariman point from several places, this is first time I am seeing the place directly with my Eyes. The Taj Mahal hotel overlooks the Nariman point with its royal flavour. You can see pigeons coming to have thier share of food from the hawkers. The place is flooded with tourists.

You could see the India Gate , where the history of India sleeps. I took a boat journey to the nearby Arabian sea. The Taj Mahal hotels speldour seemed multiplied several times as i took a long shot view from the boat, several miles away from the sea shore. On one side i could see Naval Base of Indian Navy.

Nariman Point is Mumbai's premier business district. It was named after Khursheed Framji Nariman, a Parsi visionary. The area is situated on land reclaimed from the sea. It had the distinction of having the highest commercial real estate rental space in the world in 1995 at $175 per square foot ($1880/m²). As per 2006 the area prices rose sharply to 450 US$ per sq ft. ($4800/m²). 2007.Property prices Nariman Point hit a new high as a flat sold for a record $8.62 million (USD) on November 26 2007[1], at an astonishing $2488 (Rs.97,842) per square foot. The area is situated on the extreme southern tip of Marine Drive. It houses some of India's premier business headquarters.

At Jaipur Rajasthan

There are bus services from Rajasthan house nearby India Gate to Jaipur. Volvo as well as ordinary bus services are available. Jaipur is called the pink city. All the buildings are pink in color. Lot of fort surrond this city. I saw the Jaipur secratriet where the local state assembly as well as administration is located.

Our intention was to visit the Marble quarry near Jaipur. The whole area is surronded by lot of marble quarry and cutting centers. I could see lot of big trucks being stationed there from all parts of India to bring marble pieces.

At Rishikesh, Haridwar ,Varanasi

Rishikesh and Haridwar are two of the famous hindu pilgrimage centers. In Rishikesh I visted the Laxman Choola and Ram Choola. Down in Haridwar i took bath in the sacred Ganga and then had a visit at Hari-ka-paur temple located up the hill.

At New Delhi, India.

New Delhi is a place of historical importance. The city is bigger than some of the countries in the world. It does have lot of places of interest and if you go to the Karol Bagh area you could get tourist bus operators who does have city tour packages. December first two weeks and February Mid are the best time to visit New Delhi.

India gate is opposite to the Rashtrapathi bhavan. I was lucky to have witnessed the Rebuplic Day Parade ( Feb 26 ) thru the Raj Path. As an Indian , this was one the best patritoic moment in my life. Its a worth seeing event.India gate is inscribed with all the warriors who had given thier life for the country during the world war II.

Another place of interest is Qutab Minar. This huge vertical structure does have historical significance.Qutub Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world, and an important example of Indo-Islamic Architecture. The tower is in the Qutb complex at Mehrauli in South Delhi, India. The Qutub Minar and its monuments are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Qutub Minar is 72 meters high (237.8 ft) with 379 steps leading to the top. The diameter of the base is 14.3 meters wide while the top floor measures 2.75 meters in diameter. Surrounding the building are many fine examples of Indian artwork from the time it was built in 1193. A second tower was in construction and planned to be taller than the Qutub Minar itself. Its construction ended abruptly when it was about 12 meters tall.The name of this tower is given as Alau Minar and construction of the same ended due to the death of the Sultan ,Alauddin Khilji.Only the core made of RAndom Rubble masonry and Mortar remain of this unfinished Tower which was to have been twice the height of the Qutb Minar of Qutb ud din Aibak.
According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the place where Qutub Minar stands today was once occupied by about 27 Jain and Hindu temples. These were demolished and the stones reused to build the present complex.The temples columns were used to build the Mosque Quwwat ul Islam (translated as the Might of Islam) by Qutb ud din.

Lotus Temple is one of the reglious place of worship for Bahais . The building architeture is in the shape of a Lotus flower. The Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi, India, popularly known as the Lotus Temple, is a Bahá'í House of Worship and also a prominent attraction in Delhi. It was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.

The house of late Prime Minister of India , Indira Gandhi is coverted into a Museum. As we pass thru the corriders of the house , its like like walking thru the last 100 years of Indian history. Birla mandir is another attraction. I visited the Motilal Nehrus house , which is infact as big as a fort. All the mortal remains of martyrs and the famous personalities connected with Indian History are at nearby places. Raj Ghat ( Mahatma Gandhi ) , Veer Bhumi (Rajiv Gandhi) etc i visited.

The Red Fort and the city of Shahjahanabad was constructed by the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 A.D. The layout of the Red Fort was organised to retain and integrate this site with the Salimgarh Fort. The fortress palace is an important focal point of the medieval city of Shahjahanabad. The planning and aesthetics of the Red Fort represent the zenith of Mughal creativity which prevailed during the reign of Emperor Shahjahan. This Fort has had many developments added on after its construction by Emperor Shahjahan. The significant phases of development were under Aurangzeb and later Mughal rulers. Important physical changes were carried out in the overall settings of the site after the First War of Independence during British Rule in 1857. After Independence, the site experienced a few changes in terms of addition/alteration to the structures. During the British period the Fort was mainly used as a cantonment and even after Independence, a significant part of the Fort remained under the control of the Army till the year 2003.

At Taj Mahal , Agra

Its been end of the winter season in Delhi, i thought of going for a visit to see Taj Mahal at Agra.
The nearby places and roads leading to Taj Mahal doesnt give a bright picture and i couldnt imagine that such an architectural wonder can lie inside such a terrain. The full structure is build using Marble and it is said that the structure was constructed by Mugul king Shajahan in remeberence to his beloved wife Mumtaz. The main craftsmans hand was ambuted by the ruler so that he will not build a similar structure yet again.

The main structure is bordered by 4 diagonally opposite pillars and these pillars surrong the main Minar. The structure has an awesome look from a long shot. Its build near the showers of Yamuna river. Although the river is almost dried up now.

Nearby the Taj Mahal lies the Fort of agra. Again lot of architectural intricacies lie in this structure too. It proclaims how wealthy the mugal emberor was and how skilled where the then
craftsman.

There is a particular kind of sweet called "Agra ka peda" available here. Someone told me that this sweet is made using cucumber.

At Matri Mandir , Aurovile, Pondichery , Chennai , India

This is my second journey towards pondichery. My intention was to cover the left out places which we couldnt travel during the first journey. I was driving my four wheeler Tata India and my journey was smooth thru the scenic East Coast Road (commonly called ECR).

We reached the Matri Mandir after a long journery .We took a deviation from the ECR to reach Aurovile, the universal city that is coming up in the suburbs of Pondichery (More about auroville here (http://www.auroville.org/) . Matri Mandir , is located here. This is the worship place of people living in auroville. Lot of tourists have come to see the Matri Mandir. The place is calm and quiet and we need to take a long queue to reach inside the Mandir. As we step towards the rotating stairs we reach a dark room where a Diamond like illuminating structure is placed.