Orlanding Florida Keys

Florida - The Sunshine State, like all other states this is the tag line of Florida State. Mind it, that's the most suitable tag line!!!!!!!!!!

Florida was a planned trip cum family get together for us. It's a state full of tourist attractions right from children to oldie goldies!!!!! The plan was very ambitious as it was a road trip upto Key West all the way from Herndon - Virginia!!!!!! The drive was really a tempting one; crossing all the 4 states down the line on east coast till Florida..................

It was straight drive on I-95 South which ended up to US - 1 South at Key West. The route was Herndon Virginia , North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Orlando - Florida, Miami - Downtown on the way, Key West - Florida and same way back to Herndon - Virginia.

For the longer routes with tourists number more than 5 upto 7 Minivan is the best option. So obviously finding better deals with the rental cars and choosing the lowest one with good insurance coverage becomes one of the prime tasks. Second on radar is the accommodation!!!!!! Here again the halt - one night stay on the way is manageable but an advance booking always helps to avoid last minute kayos. There are various sites which help you to get better accommodation + car + flight deals. There are quite a few sites which negotiate for the best deals on your behalf. To name few of the best deal sites :-

www.bookingbuddy.com (This site is the best one as you can compare your deal with more than 7 other sites and choose the best one)

www.priceline.com (This site negotiates on behalf of the customer to bag the best available deal)

www.hotel.com (Good choice and listing of hotels)

www.orbitz.com

www.bookit.com

As usual we banged the best minivan deal with Enterprise for 10 days with comprehensive insurance. Resort booking was done with the Bahama Bay Resorts - Orlando, kind of a fully loaded service apartment.

The ambitious journey started with a halt at Fayetteville - North Carolina (Days Inn on I - 95 South). As planned next day we reached the Sunshine state and experienced the real pie line.............." Sunshine State"!

Orlando is one of the most visited and rated destination in the world.

www.visitflorida.com is the official travel and tourism website of the Florida State. The major attractions are

1. Seaworld - http://seaworldparks.com

The entrance ticket is around $85 which can be booked online. The parking fees are around $14-15 which are extra apart from your entrance ticket. Park hours are from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. In order to cover the complete park with all the shows and bang on the best parking lot it is advisable to reach exactly at 9 a.m.

One of the best attractions is the One Ocean show at the Shamu Stadium performed by the black and white killer whales. Few to name and must watch shows are The Sea Lion (Unique and entertaining seal and walrus show) , Blue Horizon (Dolphin show with adventurous aquatic acrobats). It's good to go back to your childhood and enjoy the Atlantis Ride kind of an adventurous ride.
https://picasaweb.google.com/114911997218491274226/SeaworldOrlandoFlorida

2. Universal Studios - http://www.universalorlando.com/

The entrance ticket differs as you go on selecting the theme parks. To name few of them - Universal Studios,Universal Island of Adventure, World of Harry Potter.... But the cost per adult roams around $85 - 100 again exclusive of the parking ticket $14.Park timings differ are available over the website but overall opening time is 9 a.m.

Universal Studios are nothing but the famous Hollywood studios/sets used in movie making. The different techniques, make up styles etc. There are various sections where you can visit and get the exact idea of special effects, display techniques, etc. and at some of the places you can experience by actually participating in the events like Disaster Studio, Horror Make Up show.

https://picasaweb.google.com/114911997218491274226/UniversalStudiosOrlandoFlorida

3. Disney World - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

Let the Memories Begin...................at Magic Kingdom -  Theme Park of the Disney World. Yes again here there are different theme parks and you can choose any of them or all of them. But the feasible option is one park per day!!! The tickets are again in the range of $85-100 per head and couple of dollars less for the kids. Park timings differ during summer and fall as per the occasion parties. The Disney Magic Kingdom is the most visited theme park by the kids as they can meet in real their dream cartoons Micky, Mini, Goofy, Pluto and so on............... The famous Disney Castle is also situated inside this theme park. Accommodation is available in Disney Resorts which can be booked online and well in advance and closer to your selected theme parks!!!!!!1

Disney Characters' Pared is the must watch show of this theme park. All the characters come on the street and you can see them, hand shake with them. So for the kids really the pie line makes a lifetime difference - "Let the Memories Begin................" 

https://picasaweb.google.com/114911997218491274226/MagicKingdomDisneyWorldOrlandoFlorida

4. Kennedy Space Center - http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/

To experience an altogether different world one has to visit Kennedy Space Center. Various ticket options are available starting from $45 and finally inclusive of the parking. The center is open from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

In order to cover the complete center activities along with the site visits and the 3D shows one day is not enough!!!!!

Hubble 3D, International Space Station are some of the Eye max and 3D major shows to name and must watch. It's worth taking a shuttle launch experience at the Kennedy Space Center which is a very successful simulation experiment. Bus Ride is worth to watch the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), Launching Center - LC, Crawler Road, Space Shuttle Models and Capsules.

Success and failures of the various space missions, rising from the scratch and history of astrophysics for USA, knowledge sharing are incredibly displayed here in front of you.

Kennedy Space Center is separately operated by the NASA Institute from North Delaware and outside preview and influence of Federal Government. The name to the Center was given in memory of Late honorable President Kennedy being a father of space revolution for USA.

https://picasaweb.google.com/114911997218491274226/KennedySpaceCenterOrlandoFlorida

Key West 

https://picasaweb.google.com/114911997218491274226/KeyWestFloridaKeys

4 days fully loaded fun journey of Orlando ended up at Kennedy Space Center and the same day we headed towards Key West the southernmost point of United States Continent and part of Florida Keys.

Driving through Miami downtown roads by night on the way to Key West was an unforgettable experience. Illuminated and well maintained Miami downtown found to be more rocking by night. Miami is always been a hot youth destination and found to be correctly described!!!!!!!!!

Finally the long stretch of I - 95 South ended up at Florida Keys and US - 1 South started. Florida Keys is the collection of small islands like Key West, Key Largo, Islamarda, etc. Road is superb, scenic and worth travelling during the day as the road is surrounded by sea only!!!!!!But at the same time there is a curb on the speed limit which is 45 Mile/ hr and needs to be adhered to because of the single lane road.

With a monotonous drive (with constant speed) on US - 1 South we reached Florida Keys - Key West. small Island surrounded by sea but now a days a hot destination for tourists!!!! It's the southernmost (Endpoint) of US Continent. 

Accommodations are available in the chain hotels like Marriott, Holiday Inn, etc. Apart from that one can rent out a bungalow and enjoy the lavish stay. The locations are also unique and scenic and well designed for such rent out bungalows!!!  My personal opinion - I found it like more like Kokan - A coastal belt in the western ghats of India but off course more advanced and well maintained!!! 

The place is famous for beaches and beach activities and other tourist spots like the end point of continent. Just 70 miles from key west (by boat) stands the Tortuga Island (Dry Tortugas National Park) surrounded by the gulf of mexico. One day can be spend with a tour package from NPS inclusive of food, water sports, beach/coastal activities. 

http://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm

One of the most visited beaches is "Higgs Beach".  The boards that catch most of the tourists' attraction are "Beware of Portuguese Man-Of-War". It's a dangerous and a poisonous sea creature!!!! The beaches in key west are full of Jelly Fish and Portuguese Man of War!!!! So the warnings are displayed at most of the beaches. 

Higgs Beach has extended wooden bridge for tourists to carry out lot many activities like fishing, watching sea creatures and scenic beauty around the beach. The beach also provides shower, changing rooms, grill, seat outs/family benches, parking facilities. 

Couple of minutes of walk takes you to Earnest Hemingway's Residence - the famous writer!!!!! It's again a memorial cum tourist attraction!!!! Another way to earn money in US Way!!!! :)

थोडक्यात सांगायचे झाले तर - आपल्याकडचे कै. विष्णूशात्री चिपळूणकर येथे राहत होते!!!!! अश्यापद्धतीचे काहीतरी!!!!

All the tourist spots are on walk-able distance. In between if you are hungry you can enjoy the food outlets and cool down yourself by having a sip of drink of a cone of an ice cream. 

If you are not that walk freaky then the options like bikes, bicycles on rent etc are available and if you are not even ready to take that much effort then the bicycle rickshaws - "The Perfect Pedicab" is available at your service. You can rent any of the above options with some deposit amount for any number of days or on hours basis!!!! 

The next and most visited tourist spot and a must have snapshot point is the endpoint milestone of US Continent!!!!Southernmost Point of US Continent!!!! Just 90 Miles from Cuba!!!!

Apart from the above destinations there are beach activities like speed boats, paragliding, snuba diving, snorkling, scuba diving, etc. 

Few of the agents and local authorities which carry out such sea/beach sport activities are

Key west Snuba - 877-243-2378 (Snuba is nothing but a combination of Snorkling +Scuba Diving)

Snuba of Key West - 305-292-4616

There may be discounts for a large group, combo package like Paragliding + Snuba Dive, etc. 

The charges start from $40 -$100 for any sea activity.  

But keep in mind that the weather plays an important role in all those sea activities!!! 

Last but not the least choosing a right season for this destination is the most important thing!!! Summer is hottest and Winter/Autumn are pleasant.

Newyorker's New York...............

The most visited and famous tourist spot on the East Coast............. Newyorker's New York!!!!! Why not???? It was a port of entry for the immigrants since 19th Century...... USofA opened it's doors for immigrants when it was revealed that the intelligence and manpower would be required to reach the tag of an advanced and developed country!!!!!!!!!!

The New York City commonly known as NYC has become a heart of the east coast of USA and financial ramp for the new entrants in the market. NASDAQ, NYSE are the common names in the financial world - those are nothing but the financial brads of NYC - now not only limited to NYC but for the whole world.

Kept aside as a special tour along with parents or with in laws, just like Niagara Falls ;NYC was another destination. After terrific heat wave for 2 weeks where temperatures reached 48 Degree Celsius (Feels Like) this short visit was supposed to be relaxing one with pleasant weather.

Started our journey late by an hour with Megabus. Double Decker Megabus was well equipped with the 110V power outlets, free Wi-Fi and a WC too. So the journey was not that tiring.

After 5 hrs of delayed journey we were enlightened to see Newark Airport on our left which was ready to greet us and welcome us to NJ - New Jersey along with it's huge fleet of aircrafts!!!!! New York City and Jersey City are like twin sisters. Even though Hudson river separates those two cities from each other, courteous Lincoln Tunnel rejoins them. From the dark of the midnight sun rises on the east, same way when we cross the darken Lincoln Tunnel Sky Scrappers rise to smooch the sky on the east coast of USA and this rise is NYC - The New York City!!!!!!!!!!

The bus started roaming on the busy one way streets full of traffic ;coming to the full stop at the 7th Aevnue between the 28th and the 31st Street. The streets and avenues are the unique identification of an address in NYC.  We saw the first glimpse of Empire State on 33rd Street and the biggest Macys' store (10 storey) in USA. With an intention to visit Empire State and Times Square by night the late bus tickets were booked.

Many tourists prefer the New York Pass in order to avoid long awaiting queues and save money. It has lots of attractions covered in it more than 55!!!! Majority of attractions are the museums which are paid in NYC; but free of cost at Washington D.C. The pass is available from 1 day to 7 days and flexible too. Off course the cost differs day by day. More the days more is the cost. 

New York is connected by Subways, paths and metros and the metro buses. So for a travel freaks Unlimited Metrocard valid for 7 days is the best option subject to the travel by Subway and metro/bus. Or else the two trip metro/path ticket is the best option. The Subway and metro maps are available on the following site

http://www.mta.info/maps/ 

Empire State Building

The observatory main entrance is on 5th Avenue between the 33rd and 34th Street. Ticket to visit the observatory is available online. (More about the Empire State and online tickets in the hyper-link)

Post the 9/11 incidence ;Empire State gained importance and pride of the tallest building in USA. Observatory admissions are open upto 102nd Floor. NYC view from Empire State by night is an altogether different experience. The flickering and twinkling lights spread across the NYC, cars feel like a toy car and broadways seen as small lanes from the 86th/102nd Floor.Morning visit helps to  watch clearly  the attractions like Central park, Brooklyn Bridge, NY Islands and Statue of Liberty. The ticket upto 86th Floor is $22 and additional $15 for 102nd Floor. 

Times Square - 42nd Street 

The continuous rock and roll of young generation is Times Square.......................

जवाँ दिलोंकी धड़कती धड़कन धक् धक्.............कभी न सोनेवाली रात ............ टाईम्स स्क्वेर...................

This is a free attraction :) and to be seen by night only to see the sparking Neon Signed NYC. 

Grand Central Station 

Situated on the 42nd street in the heart of the Manhattan and Park Avenue; glowed and made airy by our famous "Karu" - Karan Johar through his foreign shooted films for NRIs' - Grand Central Terminal becomes a must watch destination!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You feel like entering a palace with huge chandeliers welcoming you on board!!!! Yes this is nothing but a huge Railway Station with 117 tracks joining 100s' of destinations in US of A!!!!!!!!!

New York Public Library and Bryant Park 

For the bookworms this is the place to hang around. Again a ticketless entry worth visiting place.

Bryant park is just next to the New York Public Library. Summer special events are held here like music shows, skits, plays, etc.

The above listed destinations are enough for a day and can be covered in a one go if you are ready to travel by Bus No. 11 :) Walkway........

To have "पेटपूजा" Falafal wraps, Hot Dogs, Burgers and what not; are available roadside. One of them admired by Bizarre Foods also. We had our dinner at the same spot.

 

Day - 2

WTC - World Trade Centre

The destination can be reached via subway of path. The station name itself is World Trade Centre.

The well-known ground zero is now rising up with 5 magnificent skyscrapers. Tower - I is already up with it's 76th Floor.......... and "Just" 26 more to go.......

So it's no more a ground zero. The ground zero memorial is ready and will be open for public soon in September. 

The ground zero tour costs $25 but again for the NY Passholders it's free. 

Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

Situated on the Liberty Street with free tour for the tourists is - the NY Federal Reserve Bank. To take a tour; bookings are required to be done  a month in advance . An hours tour takes you around the history of money, Gold Vaults to store tons of Gold, Fed bank work and routines. 

Wallstreet

Just 4 blocks ahead from WTC is Wall street. The famous Wall Street Journal is published based on the events in financial market across globe. This is nothing but the Dalal Street of Mumbai - India. The monetary heart of US economy - NYSE - The New York Stock Exchange impacting the world is situated here on Exchange place.

Representative of the prosperity and the bull phase in the stock market is the wall street bull situated in the middle of the Wall Street.  

Battery Park

Managed by the NYC parks authority, Battery park is another tourist spot. If you want to visit Statue of Liberty the Statue Cruises leave from this destination  also (New York Side). Cool and riverside spacious spot to have a lunch and hang around. 

Staten Island Ferry

Another free attraction providing an excellent view of Manhattan down town and NYC coastal sky scrappers is Staten Island Ferry. The terminal is situated just next to the battery park and there are free commuting tourist buses to reach battery park and the staten island ferry from Wall Street or Broadway.

Brooklyn Bridge

One of the oldest bridges in NYC and in turn in USA. Karan Johar's Kal Ho Na Ho fame Brooklyn Bridge walkway becomes another tourist spot.

Day - 3

Statue of Liberty and Immigration Museum

Statue Cruises are available from New York - Battery Park as well as New Jersey - Jersey City Liberty State Park. 

We opted for the Liberty State Park - Jersey City statue cruises........

Ellis Island was supposed to be the port of entry to USA for all immigrants across globe since 19th century to 20th century. Immigrants passing successfully through the thorough medical check up and stringent immigration norms and documentation would get an entry to USA as a legal and eligible immigrants.

45 Minutes documentary on the same is showed at Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Three Storey Building of museum portrays pictures, displays the documents, showcases old luggage of the immigrants and helps you to find out your blood relations who immigrated here through the ancestry records.

  

Liberty Island is the place where the Statue of Liberty is located. The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty's symbolism has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship. Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture. 

The news is around that from October 2011 the statue will be closed for renovation for a year; so the access to crown will be closed. One can travel upto the crown of the statue but a month in advance booking is required for the same. The statue visit tickets along with the cruise facility can be booked online. The ticket cost including access to the statue, immigration museum and the cruise ride is around $20. 

While returning from our visit to Statue of Liberty a thought revolved around that really the country gives Freedom of Speech, independence and Liberty and the statue is an exact idol of the same.............................

Even though the film "कभी अलविदा ना केहना" was an iconic movie sketching the NYC in NRI style we had a different experience and picture altogether about the city. But at the end of the day we had to say "कभी ना कहनेवाला अलविदा" to all Jersians and Newyorkers to return back to our home sweet home at D.C.!!!!!

Newyorker's New York....................................

The Mighty Roaring Cascades - Niagara............

The most awaited attraction for every visitor to US is Niagara Falls!!!! Till the date skimmed through lot many Niagara clicks by relatives, colleagues, friends; but finally the clicks turned to be my own on long weekend!!!!!!

Planning makes man perfect! Collecting complete information, booking the tickets, reserving hotels online well in advance helps a lot and saves lots of your time as well as the most IMPORTANT - "M-Vitamin" .

Various informative and online package tour booking websites are available. To mention few of them:-

1. http://www.niagara-usa.com/niagara-falls-packages.html?gclid=CKmYnr7IoakCFRNe7Aod4CAetA (Combined packages)
2. http://www.hotel.com (To book the best hotels at cheaper deals)
3. http://www.niagara-usa.com/ (everything about Niagara Falls including calendar of events)

Days Inn, Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, Quality Inn are few of the leads to name which are near to the falls and major attractions.
Good motels are also available at best prices and located in the vicinity of the falls and attractions.

The first task to be performed is booking the Niagara Discovery Pass online. The pass provides gateway for the 5 main attractions:-

1. Niagara: Legends of Adventure Theatre
2. Aquarium of Niagara
3. Cave of the Winds Trip
4. Discovery Centre
5. Maid of the Mist (This includes entry to the observation desk

Apart from those 5 attractions Free Niagara Scenic Trolley Ride to the destinations is available throughout the day. Charge for the discovery pass is $33/- per adult. Rates for the Senior Citizens and Children differ and are available on the website. In case of online booking of the discovery pass; printout of the booking is required which needs to be submitted at the visitors centre to obtain the discovery pass. Generally evening times are better to obtain the pass as there is not much of rush and few attractions can be covered at the same time. The pass validity is till Oct - 11 if booked in Summer - 11.

With extended summer hours one can take benefit of as many attractions as possible. Niagara Scenic Trolley is available from destine to destine; so even oldies and kids can cover major attractions. Ride through Scenic trolley is a unique experience.

The entrance to the falls is through the "Niagara Falls State Park, New York". While driving on the Rainbow Boulevard one can see the Niagara Fumes and the famous hotels Sheraton and Skylon Tower in Ontario. The flow becomes speedier once you start approaching the actual falls. Entrance of the park is really eye alleviating. Resting on the benches surrounded by the Greenery and watching the speedy bouncy water is a kinda awesome meditation.

Paid Parking is available at the visitor's centre as well as at the other public parking lots. For free of charge parking you can park at your own risk in the residential lanes ;bit far from the main attractions.

It is always better to visit the visitor's centre to get more information about the attractions, times, schedules and collect the discovery passes if booked online.

If its evening time by which you are visiting the Falls, following attractions and view points can be covered. Extended summer hours offer you to cover:-

Niagara Legends of the Adventure Theatre
The 40 minutes film is about the ancient and age old stories told about Niagara and the Maid of the Mist, the discovery of Niagara Falls by ancestors, various events, incidences related to Niagara and the people who did lot many adventures around and within Niagara to earn name and fame.

Goat Island
Scenic drives, Picnic areas , various falls view points can be covered under this island. There are two bridges to approach the island American Rapids Bridge and Pedestrians' Bridge. To name few of the best points at Goat Island:-

• Luna Island (To watch American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls)
• Nikola Tesla Memorial
• Cave of the Winds (Here you can actually experience hurricane under the falls and hence the name "Hurricane Deck", be a child and catch the cascades. Due to the extended summer hours Cave of the Winds is open till 9.45 p.m. and opportunity to watch night view closely can be grabbed at the same time. So bang on the target to achieve two goals under one roof!!!! Yellow coloured raincoat and the blue coloured floaters can be kept as iconic longer lasting memories of the place visited)
• Terrapin Point (To watch the Horseshoe Falls)
• Top of the Falls restaurant at Terrapin Point (Good places for foodies. Take a break and enjoy snacks watching the falls)
• Three Sisters Island
• View of Skylon Tower and Sheraton Hotel and Casino of Ontario.

Don't miss the night view of the illuminated falls from this island. Especially from the Luna Island point. You can see the enlightened beauty of American and Bridal Veil Falls.

Next morning journey can be scheduled for the most awaited close view of the falls through "Maid of the Mist". You need to go 50-60 Ft. down by lift through the observation tower to board Maid of the Mist. Get dressed up in blue coloured raincoat and be ready to face huge showers. First encounter is American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls view from Maid of the Mist. It's like a huge wide white film screen in the Maid of the Mist theatre that appears in front of your eyes. Your retina clicks an awesome picture and mind stores the awesome unforgettable image into your permanent memory!!!!!!!!

Then the boat heads towards the Horse-Shoe Falls. Closer you start approaching the falls more are the noise, pressure and showers that you experience. The screen before eyes becomes so wet and misty that you are unable to see anything. Water current , forceful showers sometimes don't allow you to open your eyes but enjoy the same and just feel the mighty, roaring cascades!!!!!!!Then Maid of the Mist turns back towards the Observation Desk. Leaving behind the Horseshoe Falls now it approaches the side view of American and Bridal Veil Falls to have a glimpse one more time!!!!! But people still look back at that enduring nature creation Horse-Shoe Falls and have a last glance at it before the MM (Maid of the Mist) reaches destination. Like Yellow coloured Cave of the Winds Raincoat this blue coloured raincoat of "MM" adds up to another longer lasting iconic memories.

Landed down from the heavenly experience of Maid of the Mist, get ready for another enchanting and very close view of American and Bridal Veil Falls!!!! Staircases take you to the point where you can watch the falls very closely and have an experience of "Bridal Showers" from the American & Bridal Veil Falls!!!!!!

Drain out yourself from the showers and be prepared for the fantastic view of all the three falls from the "Observation Tower". Admission to the Observation Tower s free and included in the MM ticket if you opt for Discovery Pass or else there is a charge to have a view from this point till the last tour of MM at 7.45p.m. during Summer. After the last ride of MM the Observation Tower is open for all and free. By the time falls light up you can have visit of Aquarium, Niagara George Discovery Centre and ride through Trolley. On the way back to the observation tower have a different close glimpse of falls from Prospect Point.

Great Lakes Garden
Located outside the Visitor Centre, view the 1.5 acres of lush floral gardens that depict the Great Lakes region above the Falls, including grassy areas in the shapes of Lake Michigan, Superior, Huron and Erie as well as a walkway that follows the course of the Niagara River.

Rainbow Air Helicopter Tours
Falls view from up in the sky. $85 - 100 are worth spending for the fabulous airy ride of all the 3 falls. Open from 9 a.m. to dusk.
Site address - 454 Main Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14301
Contact Info - 716-284-2800.
More information on the website - www.rainbowairinc.com

By 8.45 p.m. catch up Observation Tower to reserve your panoramic view of the glowed falls (All the three together - American, Bridal Veil and Horse Shoe Falls) by night. If it's Friday or Sunday then wait and watch the 10p.m. Firecracker show. One of the must watch events during your Niagara Visit. The special show is available at the same time on Long weekends.

Next day morning if you are planning to pack up; a short visit can be planned to the

Rainbow Bridge
The bridge connects Canada and USA. With valid passport and visa, required identity documents you can walk on the Rainbow Bridge with a nominal fee for the pedestrians to view Niagara Falls.

Old Fort Niagara
Original 18th century fortress active during The French and Indian War, American Revolution,and War of 1812. Experience exciting living history programs, exhibits and spectacular scenery.

While driving back every visitor who visits the falls from US side makes sure that (S)He visits the same from Canada side.

But two in one plan can turn out to be a good option if you have already taken out Canadian Visa and completed with the documentary formalities and a plan for a week's outing! 3 days from US side and cross the international border through Rainbow Bridge and enjoy the Falls view from Skylon Tower and a ride through Maid of the Mist of Canada.

The Merlion Land................Singapore

Singa - The Lion. The old saying about how the name "Singapore" was derived goes like this - The first word which came out from the founder of ancient Singapura - Sang Nila Utama's mouth was "Singa" and hence the name Singapore............... The land of lions!!!!!

The opportunity to visit this country knocked the door in April 2009. The occasion was ASPAC (Asia Pacific) conference of FOFSAGs' (Fellowship of Former Scouts and Guides) at Malaysia followed by an optional extended 3 days visit to Singapore. 

Visa stamping, ticket booking and further travel arrangements, etc. should be  always preplanned in order to get rid of last minute hassles. Singapore Embassies are located in metro cities of India (New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai). The current visa charges are  INR 1050. (Price of SG$1 - Singapore Dollar was INR33 in 2009  and now it is INR36). Processing period is generally 2-3 working days.

http://www.sticholidays.com/sticholidays/packages/visa-info.php?pkgID=884


http://www.mfa.gov.sg/newdelhi/

Ended up with our ASPAC gathering program at Malaysia - Bukit Tingi we deported from KL - Kualalampur by bus to Singapore. The transport facility was very good; for tourism being the backbone of South East Asian economies! "Konsortium Bas Ekspress" is one of the leading bus service providers in Malaysia as well as Singapore.

http://www.kbes.com.my/Main/Main.asp?pageID=002

One can opt for air travel also to save the time. Cheap flights are operated by Airasia from "Shah Alam Airport" of KL to Singapore - Chengi Airport.
Singapore Airlines offers SIA Hop on bus facility to tour in Singapore. 

http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/promo/ssh/hop-on_bus_index.jsp

Apex bookings allows you to grab better deals. Or even the flights can be booked directly from south Indian Airports (Thiruanatapuram, Cochin, Chennai) at cheapest prices. 

After the immigration check the bus heads towards"Johor -Bahru"  the roadway cum Bridgeport that connects Malaysia to Singapore. Watching the huge port activities, illuminated sky-scrappers, good infrastructure; we enter the Merlion Land - Singapore!!!!!!!!!! Busy roads with car parking lots availability  electronic display is a unique feature being observed!

The first encounter with "Jurong" Industrial Area recalled the Pimpri Chinchwad  suburban in Pune. Window ride of Singapore ended up at Hotel "Fortuna" at Rangoon Road, near Little India and exactly in front of the famous and most awaited Shopping Mall - "Mustafa"

Good Hotel located in the key area, Little India nearby, "Mustafa" mall for  "Shop till you drop", 24 hrs open "Ananda-Bhavan" vegetarian restaurant with well cooked Indian food................. it's like "दुग्ध शर्करा , मणिकांचन योग" all together!!!!!!! What else is required?

Now starts the Singapore Sight Seeing. Half day tour is available to cover the main tourist spots or in short one can say "Glimpses of Singapore".

Destinations generally covered are:-

1. The Chinese temple. Visit to Chinese  (Pagoda) temple  gives a great opportunity to observe Chinese rituals closely. Lighting up essence sticks is similar to what followed in Indian culture.

2. Singapore Gems and Arts Gallery. Yes the most awaited destination for ladies to shop for ornaments made up of precious gems and colorful stones!!!!

Apart from shopping the most beautiful thing that attracts is the creative art .The wall pieces/wall hangings, clocks, showpieces made up of gems and precious stones are  nothing but astonishing facts in front of our eyes! Breathtaking super fineness can be seen actually inside the gallery while the artisans are carving.

3. Botanical Garden bloomed with kaleidoscopic orchids is another must watch destination!!!! The place to try dexterity  in photography!!!!!!! Colorful extravaganza! Singapore comes under tropical region and hence whatever plantations done are artificial one. Tourism industry pays for maintenance!!!! Major economy is dependent on tourism industry and imported goods sale!!!! There are hardly any items which can be considered as a farm produce of Singapore!!!!!

https://picasaweb.google.com/pbhasale/OrchidsPark#

4. How can the main attraction be missed? "The Merlion Park" - Merlion of Singapore. Immortalising history of Singapore in an icon is the Merlion, the national symbol of Singapore. It pays homage to Singapore's past names, Temasek and Singapura. The statue is surrounded by the sky scrappers and the famous five stars like Raffel, Fullerton and the famous new boat shaped Marina Bay Sands Skypark. Marlion park by night is better option.  A small ride through MRT (Underground trains - Metros) can be enjoyed to arrive  at Merlion Park. Nearest MRT station is Clarke Quay.

Amongst the Shopping malls - Suntech City, Vivo City, Tangling Mall, Plaza center, Peninsula Shopping Center are few to be named. Other few places that can be listed are Chinatown, Little India, Marina Square, Peninsula Corner, Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park.

https://picasaweb.google.com/pbhasale/JurongBirdPark#

5. Sentosa theme cum enjoyment park is a full day engagement! 4D Magics Show, Under Sea World, Dolphin Show, Songs of the Sea, Tiger Sky Tower, Cable Car are the main attractions and must be experienced! Now there is an additional attraction  of Universal Studios.

https://picasaweb.google.com/pbhasale/Sentosa#

Tired - "Kaputt" even after 3 days of roam around; you feel like something is missing or watch something more................... but the time comes to say goodbye to the Merlion  land and arrive at the "Chengi International Airport" or bus station to depart back to the hometown.

Harper's Ferry - A Ferry to 18th Century................

Situated on the border of three states - West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland along with the two rivers Shenandoah and Potomac; is the one and only Historic Town of Harper's Ferry!

41.2 miles away from Herndon - Virginia; the Harper's Ferry takes you to the historic era of 18th century..................

This picnic cum historic spot has now become a historic national park. Entry fee of $6 per car is charged at the park entrance. Ample parking space is available. Visitor's center is ready to welcome tourists with a complete guidance to the place along with map of the area. Visitor's center offers free shuttle service to the lower town of Harper's Ferry every 10 minutes . Shuttles leave from the shuttle stop which is situated just on right hand side of the visitor's center. Still one can opt to enjoy scenic drive with his(er) own vehicle down to the lower town subject to the national park's rules.

The real journey to the history begins once you step out of shuttle. The first glimpse of this historic preserved town itself is enchanting one and the St. John's Episcopal Church situated up on the hill adds more architectural flavor to the beauty of the town. To glitter with scenic beauty the historic town is surrounded by the lush green banks of Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. One more remarkable thing that is observed is a steel rail bridge. As per the information displayed below the bridge; this is the first crossing of Potomac by rail road on the first ever structural steel bridge in the world. (Baltimore - Ohio Rail Road)

Reception at the lower town by the people dressed up in typical 18th century robes gives a celebrity feeling to the visitors.

The red brick style firm structure of the buildings attracts tourists & so is the anxiety to watch the culture, lifestyle closely and experience the old era. So most of the structures are now transformed into permanent museums. Those museums are a real mirror of slave tradition and the fight for freedom and independence from slave tradition. Actual newspaper cutouts can be seen such as demanding child, woman, man slaves. Majority of slave African Americans were residing in the lower town of Harper's Ferry or Virgin Island in 1865.

Besides this bad picture of slave era - other informative stuff is available such as the armory, bombshells, freedom fight history, warrior costumes, their hats, the regiment residence over land of war.

Ahead on the left to the lower town street; which goes steep ahead surrounded again by nice small houses, shops and colorful flora -fauna on both sides of the road, gives a feel as if you are in Pittsburgh, PA or SFO, CA.

A Stop without shop is an injustice to your visit!!!!!! Ladies~~~~~ enjoy the delicate stone or bids ornamental creations, pottery, crockery and many other stuffs by the local artisans. Gents and kids now it's your turn after such a tiresome and pocket emptying hefty ladies shopping to take a halt and enjoy the handmade famous ice cream flavors from Harper's Ferry................. Huuuuuummmmmmm yummmmmmmmmmmmyy creamy strawberry, vanilla, chocolate-vanilla swirl softies are must.

The next milestone is a small trail to the Jefferson Rock which in fact en-routes to the famous Maine-Atlanta (Georgia) Appalachian Trail. The name to the destination is given based on the exploration by Mr. Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson visited Harpers Ferry in 1783 and wrote "The passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature."
It is nothing but a small rocky structure.Just few steps ahead on the top is the cemetery.

Walking down the trail you arrive at the St. John's Episcopal Church. Beautiful scenic view of bridge over cascading Potomac and Shenandoah river between the mountains with a tip of St. John's Episcopal Church like a cherry on the top can be encountered.

Enjoying the trail you come again to the downtown to board the bus back to the Visitor's center. While leaving the destination - courteous folks in old robes, yummy creamy handmade softies, scenic snapshots and trails, in all the short span of life that you spent back in 18th century are somewhere cornered in your heart and which call you back to visit again during fall as the beauty in that season is beyond any explanatory description!!!!!!!!

More information can be obtained from the following links

http://historicharpersferry.com/

http://www.harpersferrywv.net/

North Carolina - Unbeatable Coasts

This time our Labour Day long weekend destination was North Carolina - NC state in USA. 4th to 6th September 2010. Spring was coming to an end and fall started showing it's glimpses on the trees! Shiny and sunny weather accompanied us through out the journey. Fear was there in mind till 4th arrived whether to go to the trip destination or not because of the hurricane "Earl".

In this season the North East Coast of USA gets hit by one or the other hurricane with different names every year viz. - Katrina, Isabela, Earl bla and blu! Sometimes unnecessary hype is created by media that we all people are used too like in India! But always good to see the weather alerts on weather.com before you leave home!

Fortunately "Earl" hit the NC coast on Thursday night and by Friday it left the NC coast! And we received a green signal for our long weekend! Already the bookings were done almost 3 weeks back with Outbound campgrounds. One good thing is that the camping grounds have few special rooms well equipped by kitchen, private baths and bedroom. What else is required?

We set to go with a rental car from Enterprise. Yes rental car. Here mostly people hire a car for long destinations with generally full insurance and just pack the bags and leave for touring!
Enterprise and Avis are one of the companies which provide such rental car services. cars are divided into small/medium/large segments. Afcourse the rent goes on increasing as you select the car from small to large segment.

Just set the GPS and headed towards NC! Our first destination was "Kitty Hawk". Reached in exact 5 hrs! Visitor's center is always ready to welcome the tourists with the travel desk help and bundle of tour guides, state information including the state parks, memorial, sea shores, zoos/aquariums and what not! All the contact information with the bunches of booklets is totally free of cost! This is something really astonishing fact! Something which is required to be implemented in India to promote the tourism!

We started from Kitty Hawk sea shore, explored the ways and tried to catch few glimpses of sea shore in our camera. Got to know something new about the beach house rentals! Experience is a good teacher always! One can easily get an info on net and rent the selected beach house for weekends or even for whole week also! That's the best place to stay! Cook, bake/Grill, sit in the balcony and watch the sea shore, noisy waves have a sip (Who like to enjoy the drinks! ) and eat side by side! Watch the sunset/sunrise on beach what else is required???? Or else the beach hotels like Hilton Top are ready to make your holidays comfortable but at a bit higher costs!
Walking, running, yoga, deep breathing in cool and fresh air early in the morning on beach would always lead to fitness!

Meanwhile roaming on the beach we were lucky enough to see Dolphins post sun set from the bridge watch point at Kitty Hawk Sea Shore.

In between the roam around; foodies can peep in the household and welcoming restaurants like Chilly and Paper to enjoy the amazing taste of sea food like local fishes, prawns. (We make stronger hurricanes than earl - breakfast at $2.99) was a pie line!

For diner there's no place other than Western Sizzlings! Unlimited variety of sea food and chicken, salads, starters and desserts! Hummmm damn yummy! There are couple of good restaurants like JKs' but open only for dinner. Food Cost generally rounds about $6-12!

Next destination on highway no. 12 at almost end of NC is Cape Hatteras. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is famous for it's height! It's tallest lighthouse in the country! 198 feet with 298 steps. Squirreled with white and black strips, the lighthouse has search light where everything is automatic! Beyond imagination, but the lighthouse was shifted from the sea shore to the current destination which is almost 1 KM from the origin!
There are couple of other lighthouses also Bodie Ireland, Ocracoke, Curritack lighthouse but the best one to visit and to go up at the top is one and only "Cape Hatteras"!

On our way back was a west coast - Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills and we were blessed with sunset beauty and it's leftovers in the sky! Wow one of the unforgettable moments! The sky was crowded with orange, pink, red sheds and the big orange reddish ball was on the way to set! Awesome! Dusk at Hatteras but dawn at some other destination thought process starts immediately in mind!

"Earl" left it's proofs on the highway! The day back of our arrival, highway no. 12 was under water! As it's surrounded by sea from both the sides!

All the highways are well connected and infrastructure wise just too good. Inspite of the hit of "Earl" road conditions were not disturbed!

Next day Wright Brothers Memorial, Aero Ride for coast, Jokey's Ridge National Park Natural Sand dunes and Elizabeth Gardens were on Radar in the area Monteo.
17th Dec 1903 was the "D" day in the history of Aviation! The first flight took off successfully from Kitty Hawk after the rigorous day and night efforts of Wright Brothers! Historic landmark is built in the memory of Wright Brothers for their invaluable contribution to Aviation industry by First Flight!
Aero coastal rides are also available starting from $50-75 per trip (2-3 persons). One can enjoy the coastal view, dolphin and whale watch from Helicopters, small air carriers.
Jockey's Ridge National Park is famous for the natural sand dunes formed by the waves! One can experience good state national park services here. On the same road North Carolina Aquarium can be seen and further road reaches Elizabeth Park. But tourists should not keep much hopes from this park. This is the park where the british community first arrived!

The destinations can easily be covered in 3 days or within a week also slowly! Car, flight and bus services are available! One can easily reach NC from Washington DC. If chosen the Car mode the cost of whole trip including everything comes around $400-500 for a couple!

If someone wants to explore real tourist within herself/himself - visit NC!