Spice of Goa

A HOLIDAY is often incomplete without the thrill of shopping, so why not shop in Goa even if it is touted as a prime HOLIDAY destination, vibrant with its selling schemes. Rather than being cocooned in five-star sterility, it’s fun and comfortable to stay at one of Goa’s innumerable small homely hotels. Here one gets to speak to friendly staff, and the owner, who are so enlightening on local things, and help in arranging for safe transport to hire to visit spots of interest. After all, life’s not just about Goa’s beaches or sunbathing. One wants to experience a slice of local life.The best way to do this is visit the thronging Mapusa market (pronounced...

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Eco tourism, Thenmala

WE have stopped for a cup of tea. Or rather, our driver and attendant are having tea at a wayside tea-stall; we stopped because we saw something interesting happening near the tea-stall. Two men were pouring out a yoghurt-like liquid into pans, traysize pale yellow sheets, had been hung out to dry on a line. They were rubber tappers, and the liquid and the sheets were latex — the sap of the rubber tree. We are in the damp foothills of the Western Ghats and rubber plantations spread like dark forests all around.We are back at our table beside the picture window. Trucks and cars swoosh past us occasionally, otherwise we are cocooned in the subliminal...

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Enchanting Ghats of Haridwar

Probably right behind Varanasi in “holiness”, many polgrims come to haridwar to witness “the footstep of Vishnu”, chain links line the ghats because the currents in this part of the river are so strong, it is easy to be swept away.The town itself is a holy place and is crammed with pilgrims who come to bathe in the ganges and float lit candles down the river as a means of offering. Intrestingly, although Haridwar is hot in summer, but the ganges water is always icy cold.The river is fed by melting glaciers and snow peaks. That doesnt stop multitudes from turning up on any given day to bathe in the waters. Truly Haridwar is a city that signifies...

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