Paradise

If you’re planning to spend a decent amount of time in the town of the Taj, Agra, then the first issue that’ll pop into your head will be your accommodation options. Agra is a town that has a lot of important places other than the Taj Mahal, and you’ll need to stay in the town for at least two or three days in order to cover all these places. For this, you have to choose among the best hotels in Agra, because choosing a comfortable hotel for your accommodation can double your fun and reduce your worries by a large margin.

Among the many Agra hotels that are divided into separate categories like five star, four star and three star, the four star hotels stand apart for their excellent service and their great ambience. Hotel Yamuna View is one of the best hotels in Agra, in the four star hotels category. This hotel is located in an ideal spot, and lies around three kilometers from the railway station, three kilometers from the bus stand and six kilometers from the airport. It is also ideally located in the commercial heart of the city, and visiting the many tourist spots and shopping complexes from here can be very easy.

The hotel has three restaurants, and these cater to both vegetarians and non vegetarians. The Mandarin is one such Chinese restaurant within the hotel that provides authentic Chinese food, the only place that provides this service in the entire town. Shalimar is a multi cuisine restaurant located in the hotel, which also has an attached coffee shop. You can treat your taste buds to a wide variety of food like continental, Indian and other cuisines of food here, along with local Agra cuisine.

Taking a walking/hiking holiday or short break is of course a healthy, refreshing way of really appreciating the beauty and sights of a new environment. As we mentioned in our previous post, there are many advantages of doing this with a local guide. But one, very significant advantage that will actually be more relevant AFTER the walking is knowing the best places to EAT – and in Mallorca you are spoilt for choice.

Mallorca through the centuries has always had many cultural influences – many times brought by conquering armies and more recently through a more civilised source with tourism. These cultural influences have also brought their culinary influences and Mallorca is now home to hundreds of different styles and tastes from Fast Food to the highest levels of gourmet cuisine.

Five restaurants have been awarded the prestigious Michelin Star in Mallorca for 2011 – two of them being new awards. But great food is not limited to the excellence of the Michelin chefs. Mallorca has a strong history of excellent food and also a very versatile use of the unlikeliest food items particularly from it’s farming roots of previous centuries.

The pig was and still is a popular ingredient to many local dishes including the now famous sobrasada; the very popular roasted suckling pig and also variations of the Frito Mallorquin which is a descendant of the poorest families’ staple diet in olden days.

Pa amb oli is another Mallorquin favourite with varied platters. These are usually cold dish choices with either a meat or cheese selection (but can also be fish) served with a thinly sliced rustic Mallorcan bread; olive oil; ramallet (spreading) tomatoes, garlic and sea salt. Simply crush the thin skinned ‘ramallet’ tomatoes with a garlic clove, sea salt and a generous glug of olive oil and serve on a slab of rustic bread. A variety of toppings can then be added from slices of locally cured hams, chorizos and sobrasadas or cheese. This meal choice is particularly popular through the summer and can last for hours along with great conversation and some superb Mallorquin wines.

Cruising aboard a sailboat is a dream for many people. After 25 years aboard boats, I can verify that some parts of the dream are indeed real. Here are my votes for the best parts.

Seeing new places. My childhood as a military brat has contributed to the gypsy-like quality of my adult life. I love to see new places, preferably in an “up close and personal” way that isn’t usually accessible as a tourist. I enjoy getting to know a place from a resident’s point of view, and living on a boat is a great way to do that.

My cruising pace is on the slow side, and it’s not unusual for us to stay in one place for a fairly long period of time-one to five months, maybe longer. I like cruising this way, because it allows me much greater familiarity with the personality and culture of the place. La Paz and Socorro Island (Mexico), Cocos Island and Puntarenas (Costa Rica), Balboa and the San Blas Islands (Panama), Cartagena (Colombia), Annapolis and Oxford (Maryland), Charleston (South Carolina), and Tarpon Springs (Florida) are examples of places where I have resided for fairly long periods as a transient cruiser.

This is not to say that I haven’t also enjoyed the spots I’ve passed through quickly. Even just a few days somewhere is fun!

Meeting new friends. Whether locals or other cruisers, I am fortunate to have become acquainted with some great people along the way. Friendships have grown with folks with whom I never would have crossed paths back home.

Planning for a picnic seems easy. You grab some food, locate a nice outdoor spot to sit and chow down. But, there’s much more to a successful picnic than the food. Here’s a list of 5 picnic accessories you don’t want to forget.

Picnic Blanket

You’d be surprised at how often this picnic cornerstone is left behind. Forgetting the blanket doesn’t just rob you of a clean, comfy place to sit, it also brings your food in closer contact with the ground, making it accessible to insects. A good picnic blanket should be waterproof, warm and easily transportable. Need one? A large collection of picnic blankets is available from many sites on the internet.

Picnic Basket

Seems like a no-brainer, but it’s often the simplest things that are overlooked. A high-quality picnic basket will make carrying your meal to your picnic spot easier, in addition to keeping picnic supplies safe from wind, rain, and bugs. A large selection of picnic baskets is available, from classic wicker picnic baskets to rugged picnic backpacks.

Bug Repellent

If you took a poll of everyone who ever went on a picnic and asked them what the number one thing is that can ruin the experience, you’ll get two answers: rain or bugs. There’s not much you can do about the rain, but you can do plenty about the bugs. A can of bug repellent or a citronella candle is easy to carry and never goes unappreciated. In fact, consider keeping one in your basket at all times.

Beverages

So you’ve eaten the cheese, the strawberries are long gone and all that’s left of those sandwiches is the crumbs on your shirt. Now you’ve got to wash it all down, but suddenly realize you forgot to bring a drink! Make sure this never happens. Whether its homemade lemonade, a romantic bottle of wine, or a plain old jug of water, you’ve got to bring a beverage if you want to have a happy picnic.

For those of us in the southern hemisphere, we often look to the parts of the world such as Asia and Europe to explore. But taking a look at South America tours makes a lot of sense if you want to experience a culture and history that is rich, exotic and completely captivating. This is a region of the world that is not only full of amazing language, colour, food and craftsmanship, but is also home to some of the more stunning and unique environments in the world.

As a large continent, with many small and large countries tucked into each other, there is plenty to explore.

Of course well known cities such as Rio de Janeiro are hard to ignore. This is well known for it’s party carnival atmosphere, it’s beaches and it’s food. The Beach Boys sang about it’s most famous beach Cococabana, which can become crowded during summer, but is well worth allowing your toes to touch the sand so you can say you’ve been there. Above the city rests the stunning Christ the Redeemer statue, and you’ll have your breath taken away as you overlook the city from Sugar Loaf mountain.

If shopping is more your thing when planning South America tours, then try some of the high fashion stores that the city of Buenos Aires is well known for. They have a huge range of shops and markets to suit every budget, and if you have any energy left over, you must go have a tango lesson or two here in the city.