Great Travel Moment

While living in Cambodia, my son invited me to visit him and take a trip to Angkor Wat. These ancient temples built in the 12th century are one of the seven wonders of the world. The size and scope of these magnificent structures is humbling. A sudden flash of bright orange amongst the gray granite and a young smiling monk would appear. The scent of incense and there before a colorful altar with shaved head and purple wrap, an elderly nun praying; a vibrant, living edifice! As the sun began to set, visitors headed for home and shadows accentuated the huge carvings, we sat in solitude with only the sound of the crickets singing in the dusk. For a moment, time had stood still and one could easily imagine that nothing had changed since the 12th century. Read more

In transit

After my first-ever visit to the north gopura of the 4th enclosure, I headed to the opposite side of the sprawling Angkor Wat temple complex to visit the south gopura, also for the first-time, stopping briefly at the east gopura along the way. I literally jumped off the moto to snap a few pictures and will spend more time at this entranceway on my next visit to the temple. In the meantime, here's a few pictures of some of the delights awaiting you at the east gopura, often used as the back door to waiting transport for the hordes that file through the main temple each day. The forty devata at this gate are some of the best at Angkor Wat, rivalling the women on display around the central tower sanctuary at the very top of the temple. They are all crowned and their jewelry is abundant which would imply that this gate was used by powerful people and for important ceremonies in its heyday. To get a much better understanding of the important role played by the women on the walls of Angkor Wat, you must read Kent Davis' website Devata.org - absolutely fascinating stuff. My south gopura photos will follow later today.

Pras Vik Hear temple

An 11th century temple in Cambodia, located near its border with Thailand and the subject of lingering tension between the two Southeast Asian countries, will now be renovated by India.
The Preah Vihear temple has been in the limelight this year over Cambodia’s bid to get a Unesco world heritage status for it, but was objected to by Thailand.
A senior official in the external affairs ministry said Cambodia had approached India to take up the conservation of the Preah Vihear temple about six months ago. ‘The request had been routed through our ambassador,’ the official, who could not be identified as per service rules, told IANS.
The government has already asked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to start work on a conservation plan for the temple.
It is expected that an announcement would be made to coincide with the visit of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to India next month.
India has been conducting temple diplomacy across Southeast Asia, harnessing the ASI to renovate important medieval temples in the region built by dynasties that had links with India.
An ASI team has been conserving the Ta Phrom temple in Cambodia’s world-famous Angkor Wat complex since 2004, with the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai conducting the structural study.
Similarly, ASI had also been asked to draw up a conservation plan for the ruins of Wat Phou temple in Southern Laos. In Indonesia, Indian archaeologists are helping to renovate the Hindu temples at Prambanan, Yogyakarta, that were damaged by the 2006 Java earthquake.
Indian diplomats said the strategy is to stress the common cultural links between India and Southeast Asia as medieval trade links with south Indian kingdoms led to the spread of Indian religion, language and culture in the region.
The Preah Vihear temple built during the Khmer empire is perched on a cliff in Dangrek Mountains, just across the Thai border. In fact, the easiest access to the temple is from the Thai side, while the Cambodian way is a ride through a mountain dirt road.
With its grand causeway climbing up the hill, the temple is supposed to be a stylised representation of Mount Meru, the habitat of gods according to Hindu mythology. Among the sculptures carved on the walls is a depiction of the Hindu mythological story of ‘churning of the ocean’.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice had ruled that the temple was firmly in Cambodia. But with the country plunging into civil war soon after, the temple witnessed pitched battles between the Khmer rouge and the Cambodian army, with the former using it as a military camp.

Las Vegas Honeymoon

First of all, you should watch the fun Hollywood romantic comedy movie, "Honeymoon in Vegas" starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker. Well... I liked the movie and when you hit Las Vegas with your loved one, you know what not to do while gambling in one of the casinos. With all the glitter and glamor, Las Vegas is a perfect place to go for honeymoon as it offers a variety of entertainment from man made wonders to natural wonders. Remember the hotel prices and food prices are so cheap for the value you get as they count on people spending money in the casinos gambling their wealth away. So, be smart and enjoy the fine aspects of sightseeing and beauty of Las Vegas and do not become a victim of gambling.

Angkor wat

Kyoto Announces Winter 2009 Special Activities for International Travelers

Following the significant success and attention from international travelers to it’s first campaign, the city of Kyoto has announced a new winter campaign called the Kyoto Winter Special 2009. Beginning December 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009, the Winter Special features special events, exhibitions, time-limited offers with many more options. The campaign will run during winter months, offering opportunities to experience Kyoto in the quieter season of the ancient city.
The campaign features hands-on cultural activities, special Japanese culinary offers, time limited admission to historic facilities normally closed for public viewing, as well as events showcasing the unique beauty of the famous city.
Hanatoro is one of the events taking place in several locations of Kyoto during December 12-21 and March 13-22. Visitors will witness decorated traditional lanterns highlighting paths for over three miles. The famous historic landmarks will be illuminated with mystical lights to create a unique fantasy world.

The Beauty of Niagara

Oh the beauty of Niagara! What a place of wonder it is! The snow shadows our surroundings. The wind chill sharpens our thinking so hard that some time it hurts our jaws. It is a clean white place where strong trees and stone structures stand their ground against the storm. The contrast is black and white and the way is clear. Can’t we try to preserve the pristine ness of it all when the sun shines, temperatures rises, and the melt begins? Let’s strategize to pursue our clean ups and halt the flow of the ugliness into our ground, our water, and our air whenever and wherever the beauty of Niagara is threatened to be stained or denigrated by uncaring man-made processes, enterprises, or machines.

Yangon – Bagan by flight

After breakfast, transfer to the Yangon Airport for the domestic flight to Bagan (schedule flight, 1 hr 20 min flying). Arrive Bagan and transfer to the hotel. After refreshment, start whole day sightseeing of Bagan’s most important temples and pagodas ranging from the temples with the earliest wall paintings to the prototype pagoda the influenced the designs of later Buddhist monuments. Starting Bagan full day sightseeing with Nyaung Oo Local market where you can observe ways of life among the colourful fresh vegetables. Then pay a visit to the golden Shwezigon Pagoda - built by King Anawrahta in the early 11th century as a religious shrine. And visit Thatbyinnyu Temple – the highest building on the Bagan plain. The next object of interest will be Kyansittha Umin ''Cave Temple''. Then we will proceed to Htilo Minlo Pagoda - the largest temple of Bagan – noted for its fine plaster carvings and glazed sandstone decorations. From there to Lacquer ware cottage to see how the local craft men skillfully working stage by stage. After lunch we will pay a visit to the most famous Ananda Temple - King Kyansittha’s masterpiece and the crowning achievement of the early style temple of architecture. Just before sunset we will visit Shwesandaw Pagoda to enjoy the most magnificent views over the plain with hundreds of Bagan's temple. Overnight at hotel in Bagan.

Niagara Falls

Another great romantic honeymoon destination in the USA is the magnificent niagara falls, one of the seven wonders of the world. The absolutely amazing giant waterfalls are great to see from both the US side and the Canadian side. You are sure to gather wonderful moments during your stay at Niagara falls with your partner as there are so many relaxing activities surrounding the waterfalls. If you are adventurous and want to get out of the hotel, consider hiking or biking on some of the wonderful trails near the falls area. Celebrating your honeymoon trip at Niagara will not cost you as much as a trip to Hawaii and you can have a lot of fun on a small budget. The scenic beauty and the natural exuberance make Niagara Falls an ideal romantic hotspot for honeymoon couples.

Literal Beauty, it’s not so easy to define!

Hi, the readres of my blog Literal Beauty! So, how are you doing? hopefully, life would be rocking on …cheers
Anyways, i got a mail from one of my readres, a good friend as colleague as well, who has shared his thoughts about Literal Beauty with me! I am sharing it with you, with his consent…. here’s how it goes, word-by-word!
Literal Beauty…. It’s a phenomenon, which would never come to an end! Although people, throughout the world, are trying to alter it, with their anti-natural activities and artificial beauty, but still Literal beauty is consistent and steady.
Well, I got this blog when searching “literal beauty (Natural Beauty)”, and have read all about this. However…. I just want to say that I am not satisfied with the words of the owner as I think that nobody can define what literal beauty is, or can say beautiful.
In my words, Literal beauty is what we can’t change and which is liked only for being original. Beauty loses its true sense when it gets artificial, or we cay say fake.

Dear web mistress, can you plz let me know, why do you love literal Beauty? What happens to you when you go on some hill station like Kasauli? I mean, what special happens? What makes you to love hills and their beauty? I have read your long-long posts about literal beauty but sorry to say that I couldn’t get the actual meaning of Literal Beauty. Now, let me share, what I know about Nature or in the terms of blog, Literal Beauty? Actually when I first read the poem “Education of Nature” composed by William Words Worth in 12th class, I came to know the depths of Nature. Honestly, I was thinking that how nature can teach us something? It was my teacher who sorted out my problem. Believe me, initially; when I was a kid, I was of thinking that nature means Forest. For me, the belongings of the forest, such as lions, trees, and birds were nature, literal beauty. But, today, I can understand how much deep this sea is? Well, Nature (Literal Beauty) can be the things, which can maintain you, inspire you to be independent and caring and can teach you how to stay happy when many things start making you worried? Nature also teaches how to protect your family, lover, and friends etc from the selfishness as being a human.
So the thing is that we must do something for nature. Only writing about the beauty of nature doesn’t gonna work. We should try to save it otherwise if we lost it once, we will die foreverL . It’s really nice to see a nature lover here! Thanks for sharing the beauty of nature with us. And, my questions are still to be answered?

If one ever needed a camera to convey the true beauty of a place, the Island of Zakynthos would be the destination. The island is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, covers an area of 410 km, and its coastline is roughly 123 km. Though it’s not too big. In fact, it’s a tiny little drop of ambrosia with the eternal pleasures it has on offer.
The capital town of Zakynthos is accessible by airways, but it is the ferry ride that will leave you wanting for more. As you travel to this island on water a multitude of delights await you. There is never a dull moment with plenty of tourist attractions, natural wonders and even some night parties for those who love to go late into the night.
The island itself is in the heart of a highly active volcanic belt. While this is not great news for its residents who have often seen disastrous earthquakes, this is great news for tourists who get an opportunity to view some amazing geographic formations that stun you with their unique grandeur.

Much more intense than seeing the Blue Caves from a boat, how about a magnificent underwater experience? It’s a spectacular new experience, even for the best divers in the world. The darkness in many of the caves seems to be interrupted by some rays of light that dye the waters with turquoise shades, creating a dazzling visual show. Don’t miss on that one, it’s simply amazing.

In addition to all these the Laganas beach is also famous for the endangered species of sea turtle (Loggerhead Turtles) and therefore is a part of the National Marine Park. Each year hundreds of Loggerhead turtles come to lay eggs on these shores. The sight of hatched turtles running towards the sea is a treat offered to nature lovers by the perfection that is evolution.
Zakynthos is a world in itself and the island’s unending wealth of treats seems too large to fit into our tiny cameras. Yet every snap that is taken here is a postcard all by itself. It’s one of those place where nature has forgotten to make a mistake, isn’t it?

Yosemite Hike, Don't Feed the Squirrels

It’s not hard to think of a way to write a post about Yosemite and tie it into gardening. After all, it is one big garden that a fortunate few get to play in for a few days a year.

In my opinion, there is only one other place that compares with the beauty of this place and that’s Yellowstone National Park. I have not been to the Grand Canyon yet, but I hear that it’s close.

Our first stop was the grassy meadow that lies beneath El Capitan, the largest piece of exposed granite in the world. I took a few shots here of the wildflowers and El Cap.

This amazing detail was captured in Cambodia at the Angkor Wat temple complex. Notice how the tree has taken on the colour of the temple ruin (or is it the other way round?) and seems to be part of the structure, like a giant snake peeking down from the top. Don’t miss how the roots have pushed the stone blocks apart (top right).

khmer temples

The Ta Prom temple complex in Angkor, Cambodia surely offers some astounding views of tree versus structure. At a closer look, this picture is even a bit scary, given how the trees are advancing from the top and from the ground.

These statues are peeking out from under a tree in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

This church ruin can be found on Ross Island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The tree has taken over the church tower but also created a new roof.

Drive to Puri stopping on the way to visit Konark Sun Temple (an UNESCO World Heritage Site) – an architectural grandeur. Also visit Pipli to view the appliqué work and Raghurajpur which is widely known for its tradition of paintings and is a Heritage craft village of Orissa state.

Morning, you will be transferred to the airport to embark a flight for Bhubaneshwar (the capital of Orissa). On arrival at Bhubaneswar airport, you will be received and transferred to the hotel. Later take a guided tour of Lingraja temple, Parasurameswara temple, Raja Rani temple, Ananta Vasudeva, Mukteswara, Kedareswara and Siddheswara temples.

COMFORTABLE NATURAL HOUSE

The Thaton River View Resort consists of long bungalows and single houses scattered around with plenty of space to provide privacy. Each air conditioned room is equipped with hot and cold shower, comfortable beds, single and double. The houses offer individual views and backdrop. For those staying in a bungalow, just looking up from your bed, the mountains and river come into full view.

beauty girl of natuer

the beauty of nature

Machu Picchu

Elephant