tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37252176058793010382024-03-13T12:46:21.055+05:30Trans AdventureBeyond the Usual...yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-52684069101310458322014-06-10T07:00:00.000+05:302014-06-10T07:00:00.971+05:30Hubli to Indonesia Run for Shivananda Hadapada<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Shivananda Hadapada from a small village near Hubli is overjoyed that he will be travelling to Indonesia for a run</b></span><img alt="Running with passion: Shivananda Hadapada Photo: Shreedutta Chidananda" src="http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01938/09bgmp_nike_1_1938566e.jpg" /><div>
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Source - <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/a-turn-he-runs-faster/article6095426.ece?ref=sliderNews">http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/a-turn-he-runs-faster/article6095426.ece?ref=sliderNews</a><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When Shivananda Hadapada received a phone call informing him of an imminent trip to Indonesia, he thought it was a prank. “I thought it must be one of my friends,” he says. It wasn’t. Hadapad finished last month’s TCS World 10K in a time of 35:48 seconds, placing him fourth among the 13,200 runners in the Open category. What the result also did, unbeknownst to Hadapada, was put him first among ‘The Young and the Fast’, a Nike contest for runners between 15 and 24. “I didn’t know where I had finished or what it meant,” he says. “I just ran.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next month, Hadapada and Madhuri Deshmukh, who was first among the women in the same age-group, will travel to the Indonesian island of Java for a run in settings that can only be described as exotic. The trail will take in temples over a millennium old, the flanks of the volcanic Mount Merapi, and the Javanese rainforest.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I have led a life of poverty. This is something I could have never dreamt of. I have no major medals to show, so this brings me great happiness. Naanoo foreign ge hogthaidini (Even I’m going abroad),” Hadapada smiles.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The 24-year-old hails from Nalavadi in Navalgund taluk, some 22 km from Hubli in Karnataka’s north-west. His father, Shekharappa, is a farmer and his elder brother a barber. Hadapada’s earliest memory of running is of dashing to the fields his family worked on – two kilometres from home – and back. “As a boy, nobody told me to run; I ran because I enjoyed it,” he recalls.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A PE teacher from school noted his daily sorties to the farm and introduced him to competitive middle-distance running.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Success followed at the district level and between 2008 and 10, there were medals on the track at the state championships.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For one reason or another, though, Hadapada was unable to rise beyond those heights. After three years at the government-run DYSS sports hostel, his performances did not really improve and he found work as an ‘office boy’, his competitive career essentially over.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is here that Hadapada’s story takes a pleasant turn. Where others might have jettisoned such pursuits, he continues to train before work. “I want to improve every day,” he states. It does not bother him that he is now an amateur or that he runs only a few open races a year. “There was a time when people in my village asked me: ‘Why are you running? Do you have to get somewhere in a hurry?’” Hadapada says, breaking into a grin. “Now they call me the horse.”</span></div>
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yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-54549760323920286152014-04-17T12:45:00.000+05:302014-04-17T12:45:00.797+05:30Sweet Lime the Skateboarder - Bangalore Mirror<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An 8-year-old boy living in a hut has picked up a passion for skateboarding and become so adept at it that American print and online magazine Top Grom, devoted to celebrating young achievers in the sport around the world, has named him Grom (young skateboarder) of the Month for February. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But despite the acclaim, and the fresh pair of wheels gifted to him by the magazine, the boy does not have a place to practice because the only free-for-all skating park in his neighbourhood has a stay order slapped on it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meet Shrishaila, aka Sweet Lime, son of a construction worker and a maid from Gadag district in North Karnataka, residing at a shanty with a plastic cover for roof at Sector 2, HSR Layout. Life changed for him a year ago when he ran into a band of cool-looking youngsters who rode bikes and big wooden boards with wheels. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When curiosity got the better of him, he strolled in and asked the big guys what they were doing. MR Somanna, who taught the kid everything he knows about skateboarding, said: "Shrishaila became very curious about the stunts we were doing. So we took him under our wings and taught him everything about the board itself and are now teaching him different tricks and stunts he can do with it." Somanna and his partners Abhishek and Poornabodh N run HolyStoked Collective, where they have created a large community of skateboarders from the city. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These youngsters in the 20-30 age group have jobs in different companies, but find time to practise their passion as well as help underprivileged children learn the sport. As part of their initiative, they set out to build a skate park on a property that belonged to one of the partners at HSR Layout. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's an interesting story behind how Shrishaila got the moniker Sweet Lime, and how his achievements with the board got noticed by Top Grom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Abhishek said, "We built the park ourselves with cement and construction materials. We received a lot of help from friends, most of whom were foreigners. One of them was Troy Roberts, from Australia, who was shooting photographs and making a documentary on us building the park. He spotted Shrishaila and since he could not pronounce his name, started calling him Sweet Lime. Troy was touched by Sweet Lime's commitment to skateboarding, so he wrote a story on him and posted it on Facebook." </span><br />
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<img src="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/kNTdCQudGVI/maxresdefault.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the rest, as they say, is history. Sweet Lime's story of how he battled his financial odds to skate using an old board one of his 'annas' (elder brothers) had given him, got picked up by a foreign artist who made a video on the child. That video was in turn seen by Top Grom magazine owned by Top Grom Inc — a merchandising and marketing platform for skateboarding. The magazine selects one child under the age of 13 every month as the Grom of the Month — part of their initiative to promote skateboarding . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Los Angeles-based privately held organisation describes a grom or grommet as someone who "isn't necessarily a beginner skater, but a young skater usually aged 13 or under" on their website. </span><br />
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<img src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxFp3eIfbL_YDOcoszZqt3ikGrY4jf-nZ7lzc3HFPvPe6FLGgdcA" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Somanna added, "We were told by them that Sweet Lime's determination to skate was inspirational, and had to be told to the rest of the world, and that sometimes finding a board to skate is a big thing in itself. They also sent some fresh wheels for his board, but that got lost in the delivery process, so we are pooling in money to give Sweet Lime a fresh pair of wheels soon." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Life goes on as usual for Sweet Lime who is completely unaware of the international acclaim he has received. A shy boy with a sweet smile, he sits in a corner and watches the older boys skate on the road. Sometimes, he brings his little blue toy car to play on the road, or otherwise borrows his friend's tricycle to go for a spin. If asked to demonstrate some skills, he picks up the board reluctantly. But once he is on it, he forgets that there are people around him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twists, flips and turns are all he can think of while on the board. But his older friends have great regard for him. Abhishek said, "The child has talent and has picked up all these stunts in just six months. Our heart goes out to him since he cannot practise in the skate park we built, where we were teaching kids like him, because a neighbour filed a case against us and now there is a stay order on the park preventing anyone from using it." Sweet Lime looks on, his expression unreadable. He now finds solace in a small ramp that he and his friends have built along a quiet road for everyday practice. When asked whether he was excited to skate again, he said, "I miss these slopes and I know that I cannot skate in the park anymore because the neighbour will come and shout at me." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sweet Lime's mother Gangamma said, "My son joined a government school a few months back, but he had taken up the sport much before that. I would have to shout at him every day to change his school uniform at least before going to play on his board, but now he is too scared to even touch it." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When a team from Bangalore Mirror went to photograph the boy, his parents, neighbours, and friends, along with Somanna and Abhishek, had to plead with him and promise him new wheels just to get him to pose for the camera dressed in his finest clothes. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/cover-story/Sweet-Lime-lives-in-a-hut-but-the-world-fetes-him-for-skateboarding/articleshow/31293566.cms">Sweet Lime lives in a hut, but the world fetes him for skateboarding - Bangalore Mirror</a>: <br />
<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk" style="font-size: 13px;">'via Blog this'</a><br />
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Also see : <a href="http://skategypsy.blogspot.in/2013/10/sweet-lime-bangalore-india.html">http://skategypsy.blogspot.in/2013/10/sweet-lime-bangalore-india.html</a><br />
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yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-37664276979668887722014-04-15T07:28:00.001+05:302014-04-15T07:28:52.629+05:30For Ucchie, deft does it - From Gulf-times.com<img alt="For Ucchie, deft does it" src="http://www.gulf-times.com/NewsImages//2014/4/13/9c97426c-49ee-402e-bf0d-28ce095efa40.jpg" /><br /><br />
Japan’s best loved and most successful flatland rider was recently in Doha performing before appreciative audiences, writes Aney Mathew<br /><br />
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The seemingly young lad comes riding breezily in with his BMX bike; he waves to the crowd and proceeds to perform what look like some ‘cool’ bicycle tricks. Soon however, they are no more just ‘fun’ tricks of a teenager on his bike; they are some serious moves — scuffing, rolling, hopping and spinning. The lad and his bike seem to leap into the air and then land gracefully, as if it were no effort at all; he goes on to execute several back wheel combos and then before you know it, he is balancing himself on the handle bar, his hands in the air — his cycle still in motion.<br /><br />
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No, this is no teenage stuntman; he is Yohei Uchino, the reigning BMX Flatland World Circuit Champion — who by the way is not 18 as you would expect, but 31.<br /><br />
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Yohei Uchino from Japan, the first Asian to win the BMX Flatland championship, was recently in Doha performing and showcasing his abilities to appreciative audiences. Uchino — Ucchie to his friends and fans — is a Red Bull athlete; he took the Flatland World Circuit crown in 2012, which was followed by another victory in 2013. He’s aiming for a repeat this year. Ucchie is not only Japan’s best loved and most successful flatland rider but a rather popular face on the BMX circuit.<br /><br />
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The outstanding attribute of Ucchie’s stunts, is that he makes it looks so effortless even while performing challenging moves — his movements are fluent. He seems to weave the stunts together seamlessly, as he shifts from one trick to another, making it all flow with a rhythm.<br /><br />
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Community caught up with Ucchie to get a glimpse of the man and his machine and to get an idea of what inspires him. Speaking in halting English, he talked about his genesis into the sport, his passion and his dreams. It’s interesting to hear how Ucchie had chanced upon the BMX scene — quite by accident. As a keen skateboarder, 17-year-old Ucchie and his friends had headed for a skateboarding competition. But when they arrived at the venue they realised they were at a BMX Flatland championship instead. Watching the event was a turning point in Ucchie’s life; it was love at first sight, he was totally hooked. He hung up his skateboard for a bike and there began his journey into the BMX world.<br /><br />
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“I was so excited watching the BMX riders that I wanted to do the same. I began attempting tricks on my bike. Soon after I finished my schooling I moved from Kobe to Tokyo to train under a master. My master Kotaro taught me the lifestyle of a successful BMX rider.<br /><br />
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“Beyond tricks, stunts and stylish moves, I learnt other aspects such as how to direct my passion for the sport successfully, how to find sponsors and so on. Above all he inspired me to come up with my own style, combo moves and signature moves”, explains the flatland hero.<br /><br />
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Ucchie seems to have picked up his lessons quite well. The ‘Ucchie Spin’, a signature style is a favourite among fans. He executes it by standing on the peg of his back wheel, his arms crossed and accomplishing a wheelie of sorts. The Ucchie spin is the result of another happy accident — he was trying to achieve the ‘time machine spin’ which is a forward spin, but ended up doing it backwards and hey presto a new signature move was born!<br /><br />
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“Before I came up with the Ucchie Spin, this particular move was considered impossible”, he explains. His ‘bar ride’ is another innovation. As a matter of fact, Ucchie has several original moves.<br /><br />
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“The moves I perform during shows are mostly my own, I don’t like to copy”, he says very simply.<br /><br />
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So what does it take to become a world champion? “I practise at least five days a week, up to seven hours each day. But the important thing is, you need to love what you do; it’s about passion not just practise” he points out.<br /><br />
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“When I’m doing tricks, I don’t think of anything else — I just follow my body and my bike and follow the natural flow of movement and perform the tricks — letting no other thought distract me or stress me out. This helps me achieve the incredible spins, jumps and moves which BMX tricks demand of a rider. I strive to reach the limitations of the human body and keep challenging and pushing these boundaries even further.”<br /><br />
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Some of the moves performed during championships like the back flip are not only difficult but can even be quite risky. It’s rarely tried and requires very high skill. I’ve had several accidents trying to perfect difficult moves, but fortunately nothing major”, says the BMX sensation.<br /><br />
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“Of all the different championships and competitions I’ve participated in, the Red Bull Circle of Balance was the most challenging. The riders perform in front of a paid audience and expectations are very high. You do feel the pressure”, he admits.<br /><br />
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Ucchie has had the honour of travelling extensively to showcase his signature moves and back wheel combos. “I’ve visited about 25 countries”, he says, trying to do a quick mental math.<br /><br />
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“Of all the places I’ve been to, my favourite has been Pune in India. People there are very kind and very happy. BMX flatland riding was a new concept to most and they were so thrilled; they were cheering loudly, unlike the Japanese audience who are quiet. I enjoyed eating spicy Indian food and shopping for Indian clothes”, he says smiling.<br /><br />
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Describing his dream, Ucchie says, “I don’t want to stop participating in championships and am looking forward to the upcoming one in May this year. But beyond competing and winning, my dream is to start a school that will promote several events such as dancing, skateboarding and BMX riding (teaching very complex moves). I want to concentrate on areas where Japan is not strong, so we can develop those areas and become strong competitors at the world level.”<br /><br />
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Ucchie’s charm is not limited to the flat piece of land where he lands his bicycle tricks. Down to earth and unpretentious he is very accommodating of the various demands put on him, whether it is posing for photos, signing autographs or readily teaching simple bicycle tricks to people who want to try a few cool moves on their own.<br /><br />
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Ucchie has always had the blessings of his loved ones. “My family has always been very supportive of my passion. My parents let me pursue BMX riding when I graduated from high school without any objection. I met my wife Momo at a party several years ago, she was a fan of mine; today, she continues to support my enthusiasm. I have a three-year-old son, Rinatro, who is already rehearsing to become a champion. Of course, he is too small to try tricks, but everyday he practises receiving the championship award like he saw me do, on TV. He throws his arms in the air in a sign of victory. We go through this little victory session every day”, he concludes with a big smile.<br /><br />
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Even as Ucchie prepares himself for yet another victory at the upcoming World Circuit Championship, Qatar wishes the BMX champ luck and looks forward to him achieving a hat trick that will be another champion move!<br /><br />
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FUN FACTS<br /><br />
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BMX denotes Bicycle Motocross.<br /><br />
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Flatland is a freestyle BMX riding style, performed on smooth flat grounds that do not include any ramps, jumps, or grind rails —which is where the style gets its name. The sport requires great balance, agility and patience. The bike has pegs off the side of the front and back wheels which are used to hold the rider’s body in place.<br /><br />
This discipline of BMX involves countless hours of practice to enable a rider to have complete control over the bike. It consists of several different styles, and within each style there are a limitless number of tricks.<br /><br />
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<a href="http://www.gulf-times.com/culture/238/details/388298/for-ucchie,-deft-does-it">For Ucchie, deft does it</a>: <br /><br />
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk" style="font-size: 13px;">'via Blog this'</a>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-20666377485347216082011-11-07T00:26:00.001+05:302011-11-07T00:26:26.419+05:304 GUNA 4: The Great Indian Off Road Challenge | Cars N Bikes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.carsnbikes.in/2011/10/05/4-guna-4-the-great-indian-off-road-challenge/">4 GUNA 4: The Great Indian Off Road Challenge | Cars N Bikes</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pengoopmcjnbflcjbmoeodbmoflcgjlk" style="font-size: 13px;">'via Blog this'</a><br />
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Northern motorsport is organizing a recreational off-road driving challenge called the 4 GUNA 4, which means 4×4 in Hindi. The event involves tackling off-road challenges in jeeps and SUVs. The course will consist of a series of timed challenges to be attempted by the participants. The event will be held on October 9, 2011 at The Great India Place in Noida between 7.00am to 6.00pm.</div>
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The winner gets a free entry into the Malaysian Rain Forest Challenge 2011. For registration and more details on the 4 GUNA 4 you can call on 09910892281 or log on to www.motorsport.in. Here are the details The event is conceptualized on the lines of the legendary 4WD global events like the Camel Trophy Challenge which used to run till a few years back and the currently running Malaysia Rain Forest Challenge.</div>
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The 4WD vehicles and their drivers need to exhibit their vehicle capabilities and their driving skills over a man made technical obstacle course.</div>
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The event is conceptualized on the lines of the legendary 4WD global events like the Camel Trophy Challenge which used to run till a few years back and the currently running Malaysia Rain Forest Challenge. The 4WD vehicles and their drivers need to exhibit their vehicle capabilities and their driving skills over a man made technical obstacle course. The design of the course is such that it tests the car and driver on his and the vehicle’s capabilities over the following parameters:</div>
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Articulation</div>
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Maneuverability</div>
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Engine Torque</div>
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Acceleration</div>
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Handling</div>
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Traction</div>
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Wading & fording</div>
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The vehicles are to attempt nine challenges laid out on the course and they will be timed through each of these. The driver and vehicle combination which takes the best approach and the least time is the winner. A competitor may choose not to attempt a challenge and take a fixed penalty for the same. A competing vehicle may have a crew of two and some of the tests also test the crews compatibility and their ability to work together.</div>
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The winner of the 4 Guna 4 will be given a free entry into the Malaysian Rain Forest challenge as a special gesture, where in he is exempt from undergoing the trail test rounds nor does he pay any entry fee which is close to USD 3000. The competition is also open to teams which may attempt the challenges in tandem. In which case say a team of two vehicles may help each other through the competition and the cumulative time of both the vehicles may be counted .</div>
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The competitors seen at the start grid during the 2010 edition were a mix of Businessmen, Doctors, Students, IT professionals and housewives. There were ladies driving as well as navigating their male counterparts through the course. A similar mix and demographics is expected this year as well.</div>
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The Partners for the 4 GUNA 4 this year are, POLARIS the title sponsor, The Great India Place as the venue partner, Woodlands as the official apparel, Overdrive as the official Magazine, Slice of Italy as the F& B partner, Radio One as the official Radio partner, Malaysian Rain Forest Challenge as the overseas event partner and last but not the least Yokohama as the official tire partner.</div>
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This is the only such 4WD event in the country run on a stadium format to make it spectator and media friendly.</div>
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The idea is to showcase the amazing capabilities of the 4WD through a series of dramatic obstacles to a large spectator base. The international tie up is to further expose the Indian enthusiast to the best off road competitors in the world to take this sport to the next level here on.</div>
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<a href="http://www.carsnbikes.in/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/4guna4-poster5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://www.carsnbikes.in/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/4guna4-poster5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The event is conceived and managed by XSO ( xtreme sports organisation ) a sister organsiation of Northern Motorsport, the outfit behind the Desert Storm and the Autocross. XSO has been involved with two international overland expeditions, one from Malaysia , THE PETRONAS SOUTH ASIA EXPEDITION and the other from Europe , THE HIMALAYAN TRAIL . XSO is partnering Mahindra & Mahindra on all their expeditions in North India as well as their Great Escapes for 4WD owners.</div>
</div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-53381069044071568682011-03-17T11:07:00.000+05:302011-03-17T11:07:59.777+05:30God of World Freestyle Biking comes to India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bikeadvice.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Chris_Pfeiffer.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://bikeadvice.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Chris_Pfeiffer.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div> The God of World Freestyle Biking comes to India, the second time. We share with you the complete schedule of Red Bull Chris Pfeiffer India Tour 2011. When he came to India, Chris covered only 5 cities in 2010 across 9 days. This time the show is grander and covers 10 cities in a span of 17 days all across the nation. Chris would kick off his play from Kolkata on 21st of March and Bangalore would be his final venue on 6th April.<br />
Kolkata, Pune, Jaipur, Panchkula, Coimbatore, Ahmadabad and Cochin freestyle Chris’ lovers would get to see him perform in front of their eyes for the first time, whereas Hyderabad and Chennai have been missing from his last years visit.<span></span><br />
The event would be sponsored by Red Bull and there would be no charges, fees or tickets for the shows. After creating a huge success in his last stint, this time the show seems to be more blasting with crowds pulling from all nooks and corners of the respective cities.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bikeadvice.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Schedule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://bikeadvice.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Schedule.jpg" width="528" /></a></div><br />
So whoever missed witnessing Pfieffer’s magic the last time, ensure you grab your seats before it gets jam packed. So see you there…!<br />
To know more about Chris Pfieffer visit <b><a href="http://chrispfeiffer.com/">ChrisPfeiffer.com</a></b><br />
</div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-47930720773297784162011-02-04T21:47:00.000+05:302011-02-04T21:47:57.402+05:30Me, myself and the open road<a href="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=weekend&xfile=data/weekend/2011/february/weekend_february18.xml">Me, myself and the open road</a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; ">Theoretically, travelling alone can be scary, but people return to it over and over again. We find out what the big draw is to solo travel...<p></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">The comfort zone is firmly established for most people. Home, office, golf course, mall, supermarket, beach… we could probably list our most frequented places on the back of a credit card.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><img src="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/images/solo_030211.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="323" style="float: right; margin-top: 4px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 4px; " />For most people life is lived within those familiar places and for many escape means a trip to London or Rome, en famille, with friends or a loved one; but for some, the only way of escaping normality, of being free from the comfort zone, is to go it alone in a strange land. The idea is anathema to most; a foolish venture into assured trouble, but for some intrepid souls it’s not just one way to travel — it’s the only way to travel.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><em><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Wknd.</span></em><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "> caught up with several committed solo travellers, some on the road, some planning their next departure, to get under the skin of what drives them. With extreme heat not far off, many UAE residents will already be planning their summer holidays, but it’s doubtful that solo travel is on their itineraries. The usual safe trip to the French Riviera or Greece will once again be booked, and whilst many people have to take family/group holidays, there’s an independent minority that might be thinking of change. Maybe all it needs is a little more understanding to encourage them to take that leap of faith into the unknown.<span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">“Crazy, that’s what I hear often. Backpacking solo is a relatively unknown concept so I do get a lot of that, even from my family!” So says travel writer Anjaly Thomas, a committed solo traveller.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">“I guess some people think I’m a bit crazy as I do it for long periods of time, and then others think I’m brave and strong,” says solo traveller Sana Rizvi.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><img src="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/images/solo2_030211.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="458" style="float: right; margin-top: 4px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 4px; " />These are strong reactions to a relatively simple concept. After all, it’s just a person taking off for travel and adventure, but choosing to go it alone. There’s a beauty in its simplicity, but the idea is unnatural for many as it goes against the grain of evolved human social interaction. But the naysayers are losing this battle. Solo travel is on the rise — and there are many convincing reasons why.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">We need to start at an obvious place — the airport.<span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Often called the crossroads of the world, the airports of the UAE are tantalisingly close to tempting destinations throughout Asia, Europe, Africa and the rest of the Middle East. From here travel can be mastered; the options for intrepid travellers are fantastically varied. Anything from Kazakhstan to Kenya, Beirut to Bombay, is within a four- or five-hour flight.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">So there are plenty of flight options to plenty of destinations. That much you already knew. That much was probably available to you whether you’re from Manchester, Mumbai or Melbourne; the UAE is just that much better located than any of those cities for its range of close options, but even so, would that prompt you to go it alone?</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">It’s a daunting prospect. Stuck in the airport and you need to visit the toilet; who’ll guard your bags? Walking through a foreign city after dark; who can you rely on for security? Or, more positively — who will you play cards with at a bus station in Kuala Lumpur? Who will you talk to in a bar in Brazil?</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">The issues are numerous, but veteran travellers are quick to point out the pros, along with the cons. Travel writer Tom Kevill-Davies, author of <em>The Hungry Cyclist</em>, an account of his two-a-half years cycling solo through the Americas, says, “The pros are independence, unpredictability, freedom and the chance to be treated very differently by those you meet along the way.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><img src="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/images/solo3_030211.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="218" style="float: right; margin-top: 4px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 4px; " />The only con is the loneliness.” His words are echoed by travel writer Anjaly Thomas who says, “travelling alone… is about the freedom of decision.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">It still sounds fairly daunting, though. Freedom and independence are valued when leaving school or flying the nest, but for many the idea of total independence is a terrifying prospect. So what else do they get out of it? Traveller and photographer Sana Rizvi says, “I just feel that choices and decisions are so much easier to make when you are alone. You see what you want to see, stay where you want, eat where you want. Travelling alone makes me really explore a place and its people.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Spending time alone is clearly a part of independent travel, but for many that’s not such a bad thing. Busy lives in big cities are often (ironically) lonely, as people find themselves focused on work, glued to a computer, or living alone, surrounded by the muffled sounds of unknown neighbours. The idea of solo travel is therefore counter intuitive to the idea of a social holiday, but it can mean meeting many new people — as long as you put yourself ‘out there’.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Taimoor Khan, a long-time fan of solo travel, says, “You meet tons of people — what I call ‘temporary friends’ because essentially what you’re doing is changing the channel. One day you’re in this place, and the next day you’re in the next place, so it’s temporary. You’re just changing the channel.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><img src="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/images/solo4_030211.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="384" style="float: right; margin-top: 4px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 4px; " />The transient nature of these relationships doesn’t scare Taimoor, though. In fact, he relishes the detached nature of solo travel — he actually seeks it out. “One thing that really empowered me was knowing that I could leave somewhere in five seconds. Then, all of a sudden I felt free. This is one of the great things about travelling alone; you are not committed to anything. If you want to go left and other people want to go right, then that’s your way. Off you go.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">So, freedom and loneliness, balanced by new friends and independence are your big draws, but what of the other considerations? For female solo travellers, there are added concerns, but that shouldn’t put you off. Anjaly Thomas says, “If you are a woman travelling alone, it’s advisable to be a little extra cautious; stick to a comfort group you may have created on your travels, namely with other travellers; be careful in selecting where you stay; do not blindly accept a drink from strangers; don’t flaunt too much money or jewellery. It is not hard to travel solo, but it pays to be safe. If you are sure and carry around some of that confidence, people will accept your decision and leave you alone. Learn to say NO.” Sana Rizvi adds, “You just have to be a bit more careful in certain situations and be alert of what is going on around you. Actually, people tend to be more protective of you when travelling alone as a girl and will help you a lot.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Another concern are the extra expenses that solo travellers can face, but for most people that’s not going to be an issue — it’s budget accommodation all the way.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Tom Kevill-Davies says, “A single room is always more expensive, and food costs are better shared, but by travelling alone you are on the receiving end of so many acts of kindness it more than makes up for it both financially and spiritually.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Sana adds, “Generally it’s much cheaper unless there isn’t a dorm, and you take a room and can’t split the costs. But everything else is cheaper as you can stick to your budget since you only have to decide for yourself.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">If solo travel appeals by now, then you may be looking into how to book your next trip. The Internet is, of course, where most people start, but you should also ask travel agents for help. It might seem that flights will always be cheaper through an airline’s own website, but that’s not actually accurate.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><img src="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/images/solo5_030211.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="218" style="float: right; margin-top: 4px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 4px; " />-----------------------------------Travel consultant Basel Abu Alrub of independent travel firm U Travel says that it’s more than just booking flights, though; it’s about looking after your client whilst they are on their travels. He explains, “We always look after solo travellers — if something goes wrong, or if someone wants a visa, or if there’s trouble with embassies, then they can shoot us an email and we’re there 24/7 for them.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Basel explains that many travellers want to be free, but also to know that someone is there for them when they are out there on their own. “Often you travel alone as you don’t want any restrictions. You also want to live like a local, but not with local troubles involved. I can help you with that. I want to rule out the bad surprises but keep the good surprises.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">For first time solo travellers the idea of having the support of a company like U Travel is often critical to finally committing to a trip. Seasoned solo travellers also appreciate the support, like Taimoor Khan, who says he can call in the middle of the night from wherever he is and adapt his travel plans without needing to sit in an internet café for hours doing the research himself.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Once booked, either online or through a travel consultancy, you just have the open road and an unscripted adventure lying ahead. All of the travellers <em>wknd.</em> spoke to recommended it, with Tom Kevill-Davies saying, “Try it and see what happens. What’s the worst that can happen? The start is always hard, but once you’re going, the sense of freedom and living in the now is second to none.” Anjaly Thomas adds, “Leave now; don’t spend too much time over the whys and wherefores, for no matter how much you prepare beforehand, you can’t prepare enough for what you haven’t yet seen or experienced.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; ">Sana Rizvi echoes those words, “Do it! It’s addictive. Travelling solo opens so many doors and you enjoy things in a very unique way. It’s beautiful.”</span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top: 8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-left: 0in; "><em><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><a href="mailto:charlie@khaleejtimes.com"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); ">charlie@khaleejtimes.com</span></span></a></span></em></p></span></div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-29370450837288689892011-01-07T18:24:00.000+05:302011-01-07T18:24:13.101+05:30Ecoride: Ride with xBhp to the lap of mighty Himalayas<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">For a biker, there is no better way to enjoy the life than to ride on the serpentine roads of Himalayas in the day and sit in the company of fellow riders around the bonfire in the evening, far away from the hustle and bustle of hectic city, enjoying a cup of tea and talking about anything and everything under the sun.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">In our endeavor to promote riding, xBhp has associated with Shunya Eco to create destination based rides. We have been able to get a special rate for xBhp rides and members. The whole resort will be blocked for our members during the ride, and a lot of activities are planned around experiencing the place.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The whole ride will be executed under the supervision of senior xBhp members.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The participants will have to get their own bike to participate in the ride. We can accommodate maximum of 15 riders in this ride and the seats will be allocated on first-come-first-serve basis.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.xbhp.com/autopictorials/data/500/talkies2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://www.xbhp.com/autopictorials/data/500/talkies2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>The maiden Eco-Ride to the Himalayas.</b><br />
xBhp in association with Shunya Eco brings an exciting<br />
opportunity for you to experience riding like never before.<br />
<br />
Dates : 21st, 22nd, 23rd January 2011<br />
Grab your seat now for `3,999/rider*<br />
<br />
For details/bookings, log on to xBhp.com/go/ecorides<br />
or call Himanshu @ 9811164457 for more details<br />
<br />
*Cost includes camping, all meals, lodging, bon-fire & jungle trail.<br />
*Cost does not include bike, gear, fuel and other travel costs<br />
<br />
<b>Please log on to <a href="http://www.xbhp.com/ecoride">xBhp : Eco Ride</a> to know more about ecoride.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Import Terms & Conditions:</b></span><br />
<ul><li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Cost includes camping, all meals, lodging, bon-fire & jungle trail with a motorcycle guide from Delhi.</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Cost does not include bike, gear, fuel and other travel cost</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">xBhp is not responsible for any physical injury, accident, damage to property or life or any other mishap to the rider during ECO RIDE.</li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The rider will have to bear the cost of food/refreshments and any other expenses during the ride from Delhi to Naldehra and from Naldehra to Delhi.</li>
</ul>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-24259132917087609042010-12-30T19:52:00.000+05:302010-12-30T19:52:08.883+05:304 x 4 Competition in Kerala- Wonderful Videos<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xbSX8zGarSY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xbSX8zGarSY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/w9DFc9rHkKU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/w9DFc9rHkKU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-40341993833239484092010-12-11T19:54:00.000+05:302010-12-11T19:54:00.351+05:30World of Adventure - Bike Messengers<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b>Profile of 2006 Markus Cook Award winner Squid, with Team Puma and NYC messengers </b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b>race on World of Adventure Sports. Velo City Series Messenger Track Racing. </b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><b>September 17, 2006</b></span></div><div><br />
</div><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CD-qkmBWZEA?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CD-qkmBWZEA?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-39434022776796846542010-12-09T20:35:00.000+05:302010-12-09T20:35:00.499+05:30Royal Enfield Motorcycles, One Crazy Ride<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uyZeI-UqKIs?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-84608988794411032062010-12-08T20:03:00.002+05:302010-12-08T20:35:35.364+05:30Royal Enfield Commercials<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Nn7i-IxF7bc?fs=1" width="425"></iframe><br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mph5ZR1JznM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mph5ZR1JznM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-55415543677550289212010-12-07T20:12:00.000+05:302010-12-07T20:12:20.759+05:30Youth Hostels Association of India - West Bengal: PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION - NHTE 2010<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://yhaiwestbengal.blogspot.com/2010/12/photographic-competition-nhte-2010.html?spref=bl">Youth Hostels Association of India - West Bengal: PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION - NHTE 2010</a>: "In accordance to Centenary celebration of IYHF & 60 yrs. of YHA, 58 yrs. of YHAI, WB State Branch, we are organising photographic compe..."</span><br />
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<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 20px; position: relative;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://yhaiwestbengal.blogspot.com/2010/12/photographic-competition-nhte-2010.html" style="font: normal normal bold 20px/normal 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION - NHTE 2010</a></span></h3><div class="post-header" style="line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" style="line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 720px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">In accordance to Centenary celebration of IYHF & 60 yrs. of YHA, 58 yrs. of YHAI, WB State Branch, we are organising photographic competition on under-noted themes :</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">a) Nature ( wild life, birds, flowers, sceneries)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">b) Trekking</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">You may send your colour prints in the size 8” x 10”. Please mention details of location and date of photography, your name, group No. and address on the reverse of the photograph. Perhaps you may be the one to get a cash award or certificate of merit. YHAI, WB State Branch has the right to retain/ use even the entries, which are not selected for award with due acknowledgment/compensation. Last date for submitting entries is 31st December 2010.</span></div></div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-81640058420522187382010-11-16T10:48:00.000+05:302010-11-16T10:48:07.396+05:30Encounters with the masai and the king - Anjaly Thomas<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">Reuben, my driver and guide for the next three days on my great African safari, arrived just as I was ending a very interesting conversation with a missionary from Ghana over breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. In Arusha on business, he was about to launch into the tale of an attempted break-in in his room the night before, when Reuben interrupted. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">‘‘Mambo. We will leave in 10 minutes’’, he declared.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">I thought it rude to interrupt a conversation but clearly Tanzanians thought nothing of it. The missionary gave me a meaningful wink. Then with a warm hug and promises to keep in touch, I left in search of Reuben, who had, in the blink of an eye vanished into his large safari car.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">Safari cars are built to accommodate four, including baggage, food stuff, tents and such like. However, I was alone, having suddenly decided to go on a safari as a treat for summitting Mt Kilimanjaro.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">It began to rain as we pulled out of Arusha, and Reuben, despite his initial frostiness, thawed enough to launch into a stream of guide-talk.Arusha had a lot going for it. It was at a higher altitude than Moshi, was close to Mt Meru, had pleasant weather and was the gateway to all national parks in the northern circuit. In short, it was one rummy town that demanded attention. I decided to allot some time to it upon my return. <b> </b></span></span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1"><b>Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara</b> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">Our destination was Tarangire National Park. After two road surprises (Hakuna Matata, Reuben said, for it was normal) we reached a village before turning towards the park and had our third surprise. A flat. Hakuna Matata, repeated Reuben, brandishing a jack and calling out to villagers who promptly arrived to help. I took the time to familiarise myself with my surroundings. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">I was a foreigner in their land. To them, I smelt of money. Masai women with necklace and bracelets pressed their wares on me. Children posed for pictures and demanded money for doing so. They stuck and refused to go till Reuben stepped in. The tyre had been fixed. We were off on the game drive. “Let’s play,’’ grinned Reuben. Tarangire National Park promised much adventure. It was also here that I first saw a baobab tree. The grass was tall which meant animal sighting would be difficult. We drove around, changing tracks, surprising hordes of gazelles and the occasional ostrich, while giraffe continued to strip trees of their green. In the distance, River Tarangire, muddy and swollen, snaked through the silent green landscape.It was exhilarating. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">Out in the middle of nowhere, life took on a different meaning. I had been told that game drives were addictive. It was true. Not a bad day after a lousy start. I spent the night at Sun Bright campsite in Mosquito River town, close to Lake Manyara. The town lived up to its name. It was where I had my first taste of fried cassava and (acidic) fish from the lake Manyara. The next morning the folly of sampling exotic food made itself known. Hakuna Matata, I told myself, popping another pill as we drove towards the Lake. I would soon get used to the African ways!Unlike Tarangire, Lake Manyara was dense, and we drove straight into a herd of elephants! Reuben warned me to keep the roof shut while passing under trees, fearing snakes would drop into the car! I didn’t believe him till I saw a poisonous green mamba crawling up a branch above me. A few metres away, a warthog stood on the road, refusing to move. I hesitated to bring out my camera, fearing he would run. But not until I had taken a couple of shots, did he show any signs of moving. Who would think that warthogs loved showing off! Something above me then caught my attention. A monkey with a strange blue-coloured behind! ‘‘Vervet monkey,’’ explained Reuben, knowing well the sudden encounter with the blue-scrotum primate had left me wondering. The hippo pool was particularly fascinating. It was my first real close encounter with them. By that time, Reuben had decided that it was best to leave me alone, and didn’t utter a word as I inched closer to the pool. I didn’t get past the fence as the pool was flooded. The best shots I managed were from the top of the safari car.Lake Manyara, which made up most of the national park, was beautiful. Thousands of flamingoes stood on the water’s edge while giraffe, buffalo, zebra and deer grazed peacefully nearby. Mongooses scurried about looking for food and bright coloured birds broke into a cacophony. Manyara could easily be called an ornithologist’s paradise! <b> </b></span></span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1"><b>Masai Village, Ngrongoro Crater</b> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">Enough birds, I thought. I now wanted to meet the Masai people, get up close with them. But Reuben discouraged every attempt I made, as we drove along. “They are not very friendly,” he said. “You must pay them for their pictures or they may attack you.” I was kind of getting used to pay-for-pictures scheme. But I didn’t understand the Masai attitude. I had to wait till we got to the Village. Our destination of the day was Ngrongoro Crater and a visit to the Masai Village, where I could take pictures without being attacked. We passed through Ngrongoro Conservation Area (NCA). It was the end of tar roads. From here on it was dirt track. If we were lucky, we would find leopards sunning on the roads. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">The NCA, I was told was unique as it was the only conservation area that allowed humans to co-habit with wildlife! However, the thought of waking up with a lion was not a pleasant one. The smell of dung directed us to a Masai Village, built in a circle. Tall, skinny men in traditional Masai shawls welcomed us. They even spoke English. Reuben warned me to leave money behind, for Masai, clever as they were with swords and sticks, also loved dollars!If it weren’t for the thrill of meeting the Masai, I would have stayed away from the village. It smelt of dung. Dark children in tattered clothing and running noses, women in colourful necklaces and earrings and smelling of the village eagerly surrounded me while the men tried to talk business. “You give sunglass, you take this,” said one, pushing a gourd decorated with plastic beads in my direction. They clearly didn’t know their math!Masai lived within the enclosure with cattle, their only source of income, that and the occasional dollar which came their way from generous tourists. (That morning there were a few.) We returned to the Crater. Time to greet the Big Five!Not so soon, for as we descended into the crater, thousands of zebra and wildebeest blocked our way! There was no hurrying them. We were in their territory, after all! I applied myself to the binoculars and was duly rewarded. At the edge of the water far away, sat a cheetah, a tiny speck, but even through the lens, he looked majestic. We drove slowly past buffaloes, zebra, gazelles, wildebeest, ostriches and the occasional elephant till we came upon the rare black rhino. He was coming straight for us! Reuben stiffened, but I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. There were very few left. The rhino thundered his way through grass, passing few meters in front of us. It looked like he was marking his territory!The danger had passed.But I still hadn’t seen the Big Cat and was disappointed. “In the jungles, you need patience,’’ Reuben said. I suppose he was bored too, having no one but me to speak with. I could live with not seeing the tiger or the buffalo, but lions were something else. No game drive was complete without them. We drove around till we came upon other cars parked in a bunch close together. That could only mean one thing — The King had made an appearance.The Crater fell silent. I saw why.A few metres away, the royal couple was engaged in a private moment. The King, unmindful of watchers, let out satisfied roars. We must have stayed there for what seemed like an eternity, not breathing. It seemed vulgar to photograph them in their domain. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1">Reuben broke into my thoughts.‘‘It’s lucky to see a mating lion; you will get married soon.”I suppose it would take another trip to Ngrongoro Crater to make his prophesy come true! Hakuna Matata. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDetailNews1"> <b>— Anjaly Thomas is a single Indian woman backpacker - thebackpacker76@hotmail.com </b></span></span></div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-23516003727298518222010-10-06T10:11:00.002+05:302010-10-06T10:11:00.700+05:30Our Tryst with Doodh Sagar Waterfall, Goa<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><br />
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<b><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">The following are the pictures of our recent Trip to Dudhsaagar waterfalls... </span></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><table style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/d9CM_E2_PZjfAT4TVa3XHA?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_fM-LoBy57uo/TKb1z9A_EzI/AAAAAAAAOk4/NebqQzn8h70/s800/IMG_0823.JPG" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/yogesa/DoodhSsagar2010?feat=embedwebsite">Doodh-Ssagar 2010</a></td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 19px;">Doodh Sagar Waterfall is one of the highest water falls in </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">India</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, and among the hundred highest waterfalls in the world. It lies in the southern part of </span><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Goa</span></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> at Mollem, towards the border with Karnataka state.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><table style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SPJLn28dAtl33DfwEUUvqQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="600" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_fM-LoBy57uo/TKb1U-KPdhI/AAAAAAAAOkY/v-qQNggoAaM/s800/IMG_0769.JPG" width="800" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/yogesa/DoodhSsagar2010?feat=embedwebsite">Doodh-Ssagar 2010</a></td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Doodh Sagar, literally means a </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sea</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> of </span><st1:placename w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Milk</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> in the local Konkanni language, and gets its name as it appears like an overflowing sea of milk. It has a total height of 306 meters and a width of 30 meters.</span></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><table style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gHXoR4OGON7acZSNd2tTWA?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_fM-LoBy57uo/TKb1fh4IeQI/AAAAAAAAOko/gTHJ3pA8Ajs/s800/IMG_0780.JPG" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/yogesa/DoodhSsagar2010?feat=embedwebsite">Doodh-Ssagar 2010</a></td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="color: black; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">HISTORY:</span></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Legend has it that a beautiful princess lived in the forest on the edge of the King's palace grounds. She enjoyed bathing in a lake nearby and ritually drank sweetened milk from a Golden Jug upon finishing with her bath. One day while enjoying her jug of milk she found herself being watched by a handsome prince standing amongst the trees. Red with embarrassment at her inadequate bathing attire, the Princess poured the jug of milk in front of her to form an improvised curtain to hide her body, while one of the maids rushed to cover her with a dress. The sweetened milk cascades down the mountain slope to this day as tribute to the virtue and modesty of the Princess. </span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><table style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/O_jfhXPOP69VPueJ1DnAyQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_fM-LoBy57uo/TKb2TBIO9DI/AAAAAAAAOlI/8iwfVdx0Uvo/s800/IMG_0860.JPG" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/yogesa/DoodhSsagar2010?feat=embedwebsite">Doodh-Ssagar 2010</a></td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 19px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">LOCATION:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Doodh Sagar Waterfalls, </span><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Goa</span></st1:place></span></span><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 19px;"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">T</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">he falls lie high up in the Mandovi River's watershed and so are not particularly spectacular during the dry season. During the monsoon season however, the falls are transformed into one of the most powerful falls in India. Dudhsagar Falls is listed as India's 5th tallest waterfall, and is 227th in the world at 310 m. Trek route starts from Castlerock railway station, which used to be the customs checkpoint when the Portugese used to rule Goa. There are 11 tunnels on the way to the waterfall.</span></span></st1:place></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><table style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BKPkm9TBgdUif9ToPsNCwA?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_fM-LoBy57uo/TKb2ZOHj6qI/AAAAAAAAOlQ/nlRnIrkxgoY/s800/IMG_0873.JPG" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/yogesa/DoodhSsagar2010?feat=embedwebsite">Doodh-Ssagar 2010</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span> </st1:place></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Some more Trek Stories :-</span></st1:place></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><st1:place w:st="on"><a href="http://aravindgj.blogspot.com/2008/01/dudhsagar-waterfalls.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">http://aravindgj.blogspot.com/2008/01/dudhsagar-waterfalls.html</span></a></st1:place></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://dudhsagarbeauty.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">http://dudhsagarbeauty.blogspot.com/</span></a></span></span></div></span></span>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-61191194590869378372010-10-05T20:49:00.000+05:302010-10-05T20:49:27.543+05:302008 Zirndorf Royal Enfield Trial<object style="background-image:url(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/4vhrIgy6jFE/hqdefault.jpg)" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4vhrIgy6jFE?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4vhrIgy6jFE?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-4428801845071964862010-09-29T11:00:00.000+05:302010-09-29T11:00:01.448+05:307 Reasons Why the World is Best Explored on Foot<a href="http://ritemail.blogspot.com/2010/07/7-reasons-why-world-is-best-explored-on.html">Ritemail: 7 Reasons Why the World is Best Explored on Foot</a><br />
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<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">We travel the world for pleasure, business or to meet family and friends, and mostly, we let ourselves be transported by planes, trains, cars and whatever means are appropriate. But, if we stop for a moment and think about the origin of the word 'travel' we will realize that we often neglect the most natural means of transport - our feet.<br />
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'Travel' derives from the Old French word 'travail' which means work. This in turn apparently goes back to the Latin word 'tripalium' which was a three-legged sort of whip used by the Romans to drive slaves. Being on the move was work, walking miles and miles to get from A to B, getting dirty and sweaty in the process.<br />
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No modern-day traveler is required to submit himself to torture, but a little bit of 'travail' by exploring our destinations on foot, as opposed to hopping on a tour bus and letting yourself be guided to pre-selected destinations, goes a long way to increasing the pleasure of travel. We travel to satisfy our curiosity and to discover the real side of the country of our choice. If we don't put in a bit of legwork we will miss out on all of the following:</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Meeting the locals</b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TJ4NK_uGoZOfOc-O6YtBR3zkPDLjN-Wc8lgB5SURxZ-hSaWrUWPecMS-JEIEgW0FJkqfx3T-8iyIWL3M5rc51n8JZAjiZfxwFG9KYyUbT4Ne2QC1MuEmPtDDOsxltPB_cklY3W9VgpTV/s1600/Explored+On+Foot+-+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TJ4NK_uGoZOfOc-O6YtBR3zkPDLjN-Wc8lgB5SURxZ-hSaWrUWPecMS-JEIEgW0FJkqfx3T-8iyIWL3M5rc51n8JZAjiZfxwFG9KYyUbT4Ne2QC1MuEmPtDDOsxltPB_cklY3W9VgpTV/s320/Explored+On+Foot+-+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><b><br />
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<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">You have arrived at your destination and the first thing you do is get your bearings. More after the break...</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="" name="more"></a></span><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">Plan in hand and shunning a guided tour, I made my way to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. As inevitably happens, the map always looks different than the reality and I decided to ask directions of an elegant lady on the street. We fell into a conversation. "If you are looking for something really typical of Santiago," she said, "you should visit the statue of the 3 Marias, our local heroines."<br />
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She continued to explain that said Marias had been three sisters who, during the times of Franco, had suffered serious hardship. Bound on pulling themselves out of misery, they began to design and sew their own clothes and, every day at the dot of 3pm, set out on a walk around the city center, modeling their clothes and, as they had a lot of wit and a sharp tongue, flirting with the students and providing entertainment for an entire city during dreary times. After their death, a statue was erected in their honor and Galician poets even dedicated poems to them. No guidebook mentions this story, which I would not have discovered without taking to the street.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><b>Beating the traffic</b></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Have you ever thought how many taxis, buses and minibuses are needed to ferry tourists around and what that does to the environment? Take to your feet and you use the 'greenest' means of transport possible and, more often than not, you arrive faster than anybody on four wheels.<br />
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Our cruise ship had just docked in Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the Caribbean island of St. Thomas. I saw that the town center was approximately 2 miles away and decided to walk along the ocean front up to the 99 steps which I wanted to visit. My fellow passengers were not inclined to follow my example and headed for the buses and taxis. "Two miles," one gentleman huffed, "you can't walk that!!" No? I thought to myself. Watch me.<br />
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Charlotte Amalie is a small town and the roads are not equipped to accommodate the sudden influx of thousands and thousands of cruise ship passengers, all arriving at once and all headed for the same direction. Result: they got stuck in a traffic jam and looked slightly miffed when I overtook them on foot, happily waving at some very long faces. Moreover, I arrived at the 99 steps and the World Amber Museum well ahead of the crowd and had the place to myself.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Exercise while seeing the sights</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;">There is yet another benefit to exploring on foot. Just think that even one hour of walking at a leisurely pace burns 38 calories at a body weight of 150 lbs. That allows for a little extra treat without fear of putting on the dreaded holiday pounds and beats a treadmill any day.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Avoiding the tourist crowds</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Tourist guides and hotel staff will recommend restaurants full of other travelers, but I prefer to go and take a look at where the locals assuage their hunger.<br />
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I was richly rewarded for this in Kusadasi, a lovely Turkish port town on the Aegean Sea. Discarding the more elegant places, I opted for a small, half-open place called "Toro" where I saw a lot of Turkish businessmen having their lunch. It had long communal tables and benches and an open hot and cold buffet where you just pointed at what you wanted. Or you could ask for fish and then sit down by the waterfront and watch fisherman pulling out what you were about to eat a few minutes later. The lamb shanks I had were so tender that I didn't need a knife and a rich fruit platter came as free desert. The total bill was a lot cheaper than anywhere else, because if not, the locals would have protested.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Discovering curiosities</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The real joy of travel is to come upon sites which aren't mentioned anywhere and that's only possible if you deviate from the beaten path - on foot. Another stop of my cruise was Tortola and its tiny capital Road Town. Meandering along Main Street, I happened upon a folklore museum which was the smallest museum I have ever seen - just one room and easy to miss. I was the only visitor and the curator told me a lot of local stories, which taught me a more about the island life and mentality than any guide book could have.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Seeing nature up close and personal</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Taking to your feet allows you to enjoy tropical flora and fauna at close quarters. A botanical garden is fine, but a 'jungle walk' on your own is a much better adventure.<br />
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Again in St. Thomas, I saw the Skyride, a cable car going up and down Flag Hill to Paradise Point. I admit, I took it up, but when I discovered a path leading down, I decided to follow it. My first companion was a bright red butterfly which settled on my shoulder and stayed with me all the way. I saw colorful birds and lizards scuttling out of the way and enjoyed wonderful views of the island and the ocean peeking through the trees. Best of all, I was all alone.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Feeling like you belong</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In my eyes, that's the best of all. Anybody moving in a group or climbing out of a tourist bus is instantly tagged as a tourist and treated as such. Walking the streets on your own gives you a real feel for the place and - at least for a while - you belong. </div><div><br />
</div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></span></b></div></div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-36427550560567084292010-09-28T20:09:00.002+05:302010-09-28T20:09:44.045+05:30Cycle rally to popularize tourist spots<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Chief minister</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=B%20S%20Yeddyurappa" style="color: #336797; text-decoration: none;">B S Yeddyurappa</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">will inaugurate a cycle jatha on October 8 at Castle Rock, said B Mallesh, Haliyal deputy conservator of forest. Addressing reporters at Haliyal on Monday, Mallesh said the two-day cycle jatha is aimed to popularize important tourist locations like waterfalls, historical spots, places of pilgrimages and beaches in Uttara Kannada district.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The jatha, which is being carried out in connection with the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Greater%20Canara%20Green%20Tourism" style="color: #336797; text-decoration: none;">Greater Canara Green Tourism</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">, will cover 250 km from Dudhasagar Falls to Jog Falls. The jatha will begin at 8 am on October 8 and reach Jog on October 10.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">He said the jatha will showcase the green tourist spots of the district, apart from conveying a message to protect the forests and environment. It will also give job opportunities for the youths, he added.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Cyclists of national and international fame will participate in the jatha, along with cadets of National School of Defence, Bijapur, for whom, a cycle race of 70 km will be arranged. The first three victorious candidates will be awarded the Greater Canara Parisarashri award.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Mallesh said it is mandatory for guards, foresters, forest officers and assistant conservator of forests to participate in the rally, while interested youths, college students can also join in, he added.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">The CM will inaugurate it at the Railway school ground at</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=Castle%20Rock" style="color: #336797; text-decoration: none;">Castle Rock</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">on October 8, along with cricketer Anil Kumble, vice-president of Karnataka Wildlife Suggestion Committee. Tourism minister Janardhana Reddy will inaugurate the adventure camp and forest minister C H Vijayashankar will participate in the rally, apart from ministers, MLAs, MP, other public representatives, environment experts and writers.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span><br />
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Read more: <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubli/Cycle-rally-to-popularize-tourist-spots/articleshow/6638418.cms#ixzz10pqYRXK8" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">Cycle rally to popularize tourist spots - The Times of India</a> <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubli/Cycle-rally-to-popularize-tourist-spots/articleshow/6638418.cms#ixzz10pqYRXK8" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubli/Cycle-rally-to-popularize-tourist-spots/articleshow/6638418.cms#ixzz10pqYRXK8</a></span></span>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-66985439762218146492010-09-28T10:06:00.000+05:302010-09-28T10:06:33.143+05:30Trek to Yana (Karwar District, Karnataka)<div id="contentTitle" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0.25em;"><h1 style="display: inline; font-size: 27px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;">Yana<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; padding-left: 6px;"><img alt="This is a featured page" class="WPC-tool" id="WPC-featuredPageImage" src="http://static.wetpaint.com/img/bg/1.png?v=20100922165321" style="background-image: url(http://static.wetpaint.com/img/sprite/tools.png?v=rel-55-29-0); background-position: 0px -300px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 18px;" title="This is a featured page" /></span></h1></div><div id="contentTitle" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 0.25em;"><h1 style="display: inline; font-size: 27px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; padding-left: 6px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: normal;"><b>Location:</b> India>Karnataka>Karwar<br />
<b>Nearest Towns:</b> Sirsi, Kumta.<br />
<b>Distances:</b><br />
From Bangalore: 400+ km From Sirsi: 40 km From Kumta: 25 km From Karwar :86 km</span></span></h1></div><div id="WPC-areaContainer?cellId=Yana" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dreamroutes.org/mygallery/images/praneshv_yana01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.dreamroutes.org/mygallery/images/praneshv_yana01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Image courtesy - www.Dreamroutes.org</span></div><div class="WPC-editableContent" id="WPC-area?cellId=Yana&version=2&savePath=%2Fpage%2FYana&saveType=page" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 300px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 1px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 1px;"><b></b><br />
<b><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b>Route:</b> From <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bangalore</st1:city></st1:place> you come to Sirsi though Haveri where the major distance of the drive would be on NH4 else from Shimoga route, which is the Bangalore–Honnavar highway.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
<b>Route I:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></b></span>Take a bus from Sirsi which goes to Mattighatta,devanalli via hegadekatta.Get down at a stop called "vaddi cross" and walk 6+kms from there.Route II: Take a bus either from Sirsi or Kumta get down at a place called Anegundi near Kathagaal. This place is after the Devimane ghats if you are coming from Sirsi. From here it is around 16kms walk. Jeep is the best mode of transportation anywhere in <st1:place w:st="on">North Kanara</st1:place>. You can hire a jeep either in Sirsi or anywhere your base camp is and take convenient drives. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b>Best Time To Visit:</b> November to May<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b>Worst Time To Visit:</b> Monsoons - June to September<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b>Summary:</b> This place in thickets of the Sahyadri hills of the <st1:place w:st="on">Western Ghats</st1:place> is around 45 km from Sirsi and about 25 km from Kumta. Two huge rocks are the center of attraction here. There are two temples, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">temple</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Shiva</st1:placename></st1:place> inside a cave and a Ganesha temple nearby. The other places of interest are a small waterfall and the forest itself.<br />
On Haveri route to Sirsi, one would arrived at the place called Vaddi cross. Earlier all the motor able roads would end here and the trek to <st1:place w:st="on">Yana</st1:place> from here would be 17 km. Now we have roads, which take very close to <st1:place w:st="on">Yana</st1:place>. The road ends 3 km from <st1:place w:st="on">Yana</st1:place>. One can start the trek from Vaddi cross. There is well-defined path from here to the <st1:place w:st="on">Yana</st1:place> used by devotees and trekkers here. After walking 3 km, two gigantic peaks towering around all the forests and mountains will appear, the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara and the Mohini Shikhara. These two shikharas are the ones, which have made <st1:place w:st="on">Yana</st1:place> distinct from other regions in the Sahyadri and have captured the imagination of generations of people. These two peaks are one of the mysteries of the Mother Nature yet to unraveled as two how there are here in the midst of forest terrain. The taller one, Bhairaveshwara Shikhara stands 120 meters and the slightly smaller one, Mohini Shikhara is 90 meters from its base. They are solid composition of black, crystalline limestone. At the base of the Bhairaveshwara shikhara is a cave temple, a natural formation where resides the Lord Shiva . Water drips from the projecting rocks over the linga, and devotees call it Gangodbhava. The cave also has a bronze icon of Chandika, an incarnation of mother Goddess Durga. Trickled from the rocks form a small river, 'Chandihole' which joins the Aghanashini river at Uppinapattana. There is a grand jatra held every year during Shivaratri for 10 days and is attended by around 10,000 people. Devotees are allowed inside the cave only on these days .These peaks have a myth associated with them as to be the place where Lord Vishnu as Mohini killed the Bhasmasura, a rakshasa. One can camp at the temple. Mind you this place is very sacred and the priests have to be notified about using the premises. Infact you are not allowed to walk with the footwear on the whole the Bhairaveshwara shikhara itself is revered and looked upon as Lord Shiva abode. Out of the temple starts out the steps, which lead to the Mohini Shikhara. There is a descent of around 30 to 40 feet. At the foot of the shikhara is Goddess Parvati’s udbhava murti. Here one can find many pitch dark caves and can hear the noise of bats. The rock formations are terrific. A guide is recommended as it is very easy to get lost in this area if we miss a turn. You may take a deviation into the forests and explore. The variety of flora is amazing. You can go around the shikhara and this place is a very good spot for Rock climbing. Many caves are present amongst these rocks and are a very good place for camping. The terrain makes it very difficult to walk in the darkness even with torches as it is very dicey with all the slopes covered by trees and shrubbery. One can camp near the temple and good thing about this place is that it has all the facilities for toilet and water. Next morning, you can go to see the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara, the place that beckons the people to <st1:place w:st="on">Yana</st1:place>. There is a well charted route to take a pradakskina of the peak which on its own is the pradakshina of the temple as the lord Shiva is sanctified within the peak<br />
After climb for some distance, you come across a huge cave with a opening at the top just enough to allow the light. From the mouth of the cave, you get a panoramic view of <st1:place w:st="on">Yana</st1:place> forests and is a superb view. We climbed high up the peak as far as possible wherever the effort needed was less. These peaks are swarming with bees. After the peaks, you can pack lunch and go to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Vibhuti</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Falls</st1:placetype></st1:place>. You need to trek back the 3 km to our van and take a ride to the falls. This road is very narrow and winding as it descends down the valley and ends 2 km from the falls. A jungle trail used by people goes to the falls and we took this track and trekked to the falls. This trail is very enchanting as there are agricultural field on the right and the jungle on the left. There is a big water falls of about 20 to 25 ft and a small one of 3 ft. This site is very good for camping and offers some mesmerizing sceneries down the valleys. This river streams forms many such waterfalls on its way down the valley.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b>References:</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/trek/trekking_yana.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #497fb1; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/trek/trekking_yana.htm</span></a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></b></div></div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-76078741320089969782010-09-24T19:44:00.000+05:302010-09-24T19:44:46.698+05:30The best of the Ford Focus WRC in the 2006<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OOE2-cIULp4?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OOE2-cIULp4?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-20397373152944154782010-07-07T21:20:00.001+05:302010-07-07T21:21:47.059+05:30Bicycles<a href="http://www.brooklinema.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=426&Itemid=671">Bicycles</a><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The DPW – Transportation Division provides staff support to the members of the Brookline Advisory Committee which was created by the Transportation Board to advise the Board on issues related to bicycling in Brookline. Members are appointed by the Board to serve three year terms. Meetings are usually held on the first Monday of the month in the library of the Edward Devotion School, 345 Harvard Street, Brookline. We welcome members of the public. For more information on the activities of the Bicycle Advisory Committee go to<a href="http://www.brooklinebikes.org/" style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none;">www.brooklinebikes.org</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">In order to improve bicycle safety and promote greater bicycle use, the Brookline Bicycle Advisory Committee developed a master plan for a network of safe bicycle routes. This plan should be complemented with other Town efforts to improve conditions for cycling, including provisions for bicycle parking, safety education, and ensuring that every street project undertaken by the Department of Public Works includes reasonable accommodation of bicycles and pedestrians. <a href="http://www.brooklinema.gov/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=3353&ItemId=94" style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none;">Click here to view the Safe Routes Plan</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><h2 style="color: #34637d; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1px; padding-bottom: 1px;"><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 14pt;">Think Safety First When Using the Public Way</span></div></h2><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">As the Town continues to focus on building a strong multi-modal transportation network that encourages cycling and public transportation as reasonable alternatives to personal vehicle use, we strongly encourage all bicyclists and motorists to check out the new initiative <a href="http://massbike.org/srsr/" style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none;">"Same Roads. Same Rules.":</a> a guide to safer bicycling and driving within Massachusetts launched by MassBike and Massachusetts Departments of Transportation, Public Safety & Security, and Conservation & Recreation.</div><h2 style="color: #34637d; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1px; padding-bottom: 1px;"></h2><h2 style="color: #34637d; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1px; padding-bottom: 1px;"></h2><h2 style="color: #34637d; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1px; padding-bottom: 1px;">Bicycling Safety</h2><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
Bicycling is an important means of transportation used by many for traveling to work or school. To provide a safe travel environment, drivers must take special care to watch out for bicycle riders, and bicyclists must obey all traffic laws by riding in a responsible manner. Bicyclists are legally entitled to use the roads in Brookline, even though their slower speeds can pose problems for motorists. It’s easy to share the road when we all drive safely and are considerate of others. Here are some basic driving rules that motorists and bicyclists are encouraged to follow.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
<strong>As a MOTORIST:</strong><br />
Always be aware of bicyclists that may be on the road. As motorists, we must all respect the rights of other road users, including bicyclists. Bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers of motor vehicles.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Reduce your speed when passing bicyclists, especially if the road is narrow.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Don’t blast your horn when approaching a bicyclist – you could startle them and cause an accident.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When a road is too narrow for cars and bikes to ride safely side by side, bicycles will move into the center of the travel lane.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Recognize obstacles that may be hazardous to bicyclist – such as potholes, debris, and drain grates – and give them adequate room to maneuver around them.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Do not pass bicyclists if oncoming traffic is near. Wait as you would with any slow-moving vehicle. Your patience could help prevent an accident.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In bad weather, give bicyclists extra trailing and passing room. Also use extra caution during the morning and evening hours when bicyclists are traveling and traffic is heaviest.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Give at least 3 feet of passing room space between the right side of your vehicle and a bicyclist, just as you would with a slow-moving car.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">After passing a bicyclist on your right, check over your shoulder to make sure you have allowed enough room before moving over. Experienced riders often travel 25-30 mph and may be closer than you think.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Do not pass bicyclists if you will be making a right turn immediately afterwards. Always assume a bicyclist is traveling through unless they signal.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When turning left at an intersection always yield to oncoming bicyclists, just as your would to an oncoming motorist.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Before opening your car door, always look for bicyclists that may be approaching.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Children on bicyclists are unpredictable – expect the unexpected and proceed very cautiously.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
<strong>As a BICYCLIST:<br />
</strong>Maintain and regularly inspect your bike and always wear a helmet to prevent head injury.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Be visible and predictable when riding your bike. Wear bright colors, ride straight in a predicable manner, and signal before changing direction</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Ride with traffic. Always ride on the right side and do not pass motorists on the right. If you approach an intersection with a right turn lane and want to continue straight, ride with through traffic. When a road is too narrow to ride side by side, take the travel lane.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Watch for potential hazards such as drains, potholes, train tracks, or debris. Allow time to maneuver safely around these obstacles while negotiating traffic. Avoid riding into open car doors by giving yourself 3-4 feet separation distance.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Signal all turns. Look back before your make a lane change or turn, and signal well in advance of your turning movement.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Make a left turn by either moving into the left travel lane (or turning lane) and turning with the traffic, or by stopping, dismounting, and walking across a crosswalk like a pedestrian.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Obey all traffic laws including stops signs, traffic lights, and other traffic controls. Bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Ride in single file in traffic, except when passing others.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Bicyclists must yield to pedestrians. Be courteous when approaching others by a warning sound or signal.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Many sidewalks in Brookline are too narrow to accommodate 2-way pedestrian travel and bicycle travel. Please respect the safety of pedestrians by traveling on the street. State Law forbids riding a bicycle on the sidewalk in commercial districts where pedestrian travel is heaviest.</div></span></div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-88812979800262801202010-07-07T21:18:00.000+05:302010-07-07T21:18:35.520+05:30On Biking: some bike slang for beginners - Brookline - Your Town - Boston.com<a href="http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/brookline/2010/07/_tell_us_your_story.html?camp=obnetwork">On Biking: some bike slang for beginners - Brookline - Your Town - Boston.com</a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; "><p class="byline" style="font: normal normal bold 12px/14px Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); ">By Jonathan Simmons, Guest Columnist</p><p>Worried you won’t be able to follow the water cooler chatter as your co-workers talk about the Tour de France, which starts Saturday? Here’s a short list of bicycle slang for beginners :</p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; "><p><strong>Animal</strong> is a strong rider.</p><p><strong>Bail</strong> is to quit a race or a ride.</p><p><strong>Bonk</strong> is to lose all your energy, usually from overexertion and a lack of food or fluid, it happens to the best of us, even Lance.</p><p><strong>Broom wagon</strong> is a van that follows the race and picks up riders who are injured or unable to finish.</p><p><strong>Cadence</strong> is how fast you pedal.</p><p><strong>Cleat</strong> is the plastic on the bottom of your cycling shoe that clips into your pedals.</p><p><strong>Crump</strong> is another word for bonk.</p><p><strong>Cobblestones</strong> are roads paved with stones that jut out and look like cracked teeth, they are technically challenging to ride and usually result in a nasty crash.</p><p><strong>Dialed in</strong> means your bike fits you perfectly.</p><p><strong>DNF</strong> is did not finish, meaning you bonked, crashed or bailed.</p><p><strong>Echelon </strong>is a line of cyclists that snakes across the road so that each rider blocks a crosswind for the biker behind him.</p><p><strong>Domestique</strong> is a biker with no hope of winning, he’s only riding to assist the team leader.</p><p><strong>Endo</strong> occurs when you crash and vault end over end across your handlebars, often you land on your head</p><p><strong>Epic</strong> is a long ride that animals love.</p><p><strong>Gap</strong> is the distance between you and the rider up ahead.</p><p><strong>Grand Classification, or GC,</strong> is the overall winner, the rider with the lowest cumulative time; he’s the one he gets to wear the maillot jaune, or yellow jersey.</p><p><strong>Green jersey</strong> is awarded to the rider who wins the most points for sprinting.</p><p><strong>Grind</strong> is to use a hard gear and really push, it’s bad for your knees and you have to be built like a fullback to effectively ride this way.</p><p><strong>Hammerfest</strong> is a ride where everyone grinds.</p><p><strong>King of the mountains</strong> is the best climber of the Tour, he wears the polka dot jersey.</p><p><strong>Lantern rouge</strong> is the last person to finish the Tour de France, like the red lamp on a caboose.</p><p><strong>Peloton</strong> is a group of bikers riding together to block the wind for each other and make the pedaling easier.</p><p><strong>Stage </strong>is a single day of a multi-day bike race.</p><p><strong>Prologue</strong> is a short time trial that starts off a stage race.</p><p><strong>Tacoed </strong>is when your wheel collapses and looks like a taco shell.</p><p><strong>Toasted</strong> is when you are spent but you have not bonked.</p><p><strong>Wheel sucker</strong> is someone who hangs onto your back wheel and uses your draft to get a free ride without sharing the load.</p><p><strong>White jersey</strong> is given to the best young rider of the Tour.</p><p><em>Jonathan Simmons is a Brookline psychologist and avid cyclist. Read his column about the Tour de France <a href="http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/brookline/2010/07/by_jonathan_simmons_guest_colu_1.html" style="color: rgb(40, 81, 162); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; ">here</a>. </em></p></span></div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-31738077329782481802010-05-12T18:46:00.000+05:302010-05-12T18:46:38.407+05:30Yezdi Bindas Shoot<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iiTV214-TFA&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iiTV214-TFA&hl=en_US&fs=1" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-50036611657104981652010-03-10T18:23:00.000+05:302010-03-10T18:23:22.726+05:30Travel like a Journalist<a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2010/03/packing_tips&fsrc=nlw%7Cgul%7C03-09-2010%7Cgulliver">http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2010/03/packing_tips&fsrc=nlw%7Cgul%7C03-09-2010%7Cgulliver</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">by E.L. | LONDON</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Women readers will probably find this post rather annoying as convention dictates that they have to look smarter than men.)<br />
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I was recently talking to <a href="http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/display.cfm?id=3856661" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #08526d; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Charlemagne</a> and we noticed that we were dressed identically—heavy cords, tweed jacket, brown shoes etc. That’s the ideal journalistic clothing: warm, presentable and clean, and easily made informal by discarding the tie.<br />
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The tie is a useful signalling device. Some people plan this carefully (eg, wearing blue-black-white when going to Estonia). I find it better to wear my university (LSE) tie. It often starts conversations at airports or on trains. LSE alumni are just the sort of people you want to meet.<br />
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Here are a few other tips from 25 years of life as a perpetual traveller.</div><div style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">You can manage for a week out of a laptop bag, so long as you fold your shirts neatly. It is good to have one with three compartments as it is embarrassing if you have to rummage for a pen and notebook at a meeting and find your dirty laundry emerging from the bag. The bag itself should ideally cost nothing—the kind given out at conferences are ideal, especially the World Economic Forum ones.<br />
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The sponge bag should be tiny and light. Key contents: an almost exhausted tube of toothpaste which weighs nothing and doesn’t show up at baggage control; a sliver of soap; a battery-powered razor, using the kind of AA batteries that you can recharge from a USB port on the computer. Then you can use them for your dictaphone as well. Also, a tiny sewing kit, a couple of pills (two sleeping pills, two pain-killers, two Imodium; a couple of sticking plasters (band-aids in American); spare cufflinks; an almost exhausted roll of sticky tape, a blob of Blu-Tack, a few yellow Post-it notes, spare fountain-pen cartridges. In backward places a film canister full of green tea leaves is handy. In travels round the ex-Soviet Union I used to carry another canister full of Marmite (a strange British food product that you spread on bread or dissolve in water). But it looks disconcertingly like raw opium and in these security-conscious days can attract unwelcome attention. However, a few sticks of biltong weigh nothing, keep for ever, and ward off hunger if you are stuck on the Moldovan-Transdniestrian border in an immobile queue for a couple of hours. I also keep pay-as-you-go SIM cards for the main countries that I cover and use them in a lightweight $20 mobile phone that I bought in Dubai: much cheaper than roaming charges, both for you and people wanting to call you. And it confuses the chekists.<br />
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Travel comfort: an inflatable neck cushion, a blindfold and earplugs are a lot cheaper than flying business class. Take off your shoes as soon as you get in the plane.<br />
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Electronics used to take up too much space but that’s getting better now that you can recharge things with a USB cable. That means no Blackberry or iPod chargers. If you know you are staying in a hotel with a kettle in the room you can even leave your laptop cable behind and use the one attached to the kettle. The little Sony ICF-100 radio is still useful sometimes, but increasingly I listen to radio on my laptop. (That way you get Ekho Moskvy as well as the BBC.) But it is well worth the extra weight to get an extended battery for your laptop.<br />
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In Soviet days I never travelled without several thousand dollars in cash, just in case I needed suddenly to rent a satellite phone or buy an air ticket from a cash-only travel agent. However, it’s still useful to take postage stamps—I carry them for all the countries that I cover. Plus lots of passport photos—you never know when you will need some pointless accreditation or visa. Also handy: lots and lots of business cards, in wallet, jacket pockets and the bag. At a good conference you can get through hundreds. It’s annoying in this electronic age that these are still necessary, though if someone gives me theirs first I just get out my Blackberry and e-mail them my contacts, explaining that this is the modern thing to do. Also useful in the wallet is a tiny credit-card shaped torch.<br />
<br />
Reading material: a photocopy of a good poem, preferably in Russian or some other foreign language that you have to think hard about, folded in the wallet just in case you are stuck with no electronic or other diversion.</div></span>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-31783547090562958622010-01-27T17:11:00.001+05:302010-01-27T17:12:34.312+05:30GIRLS, all geared up<div><a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/girls-all-geared-up/570568/0">GIRLS, all geared up</a><br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.indianexpress.com/m-images/Sunday%20%20%20,%20Jan%2024,%202010%20at%201506%20hrs/M_Id_132277_girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.indianexpress.com/m-images/Sunday%20%20%20,%20Jan%2024,%202010%20at%201506%20hrs/M_Id_132277_girls.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">On heavy-duty bikes, driving big powerful sedans, or even trucks, on India’s highways and pot-holed village roads, negotiating unwarranted male attention and questions like why aren’t you at home taking care of your family, a new tribe of young and not-so-young Indian women are taking road trips. Their stories are interesting, often funny and sometimes a little scary. One tip for would-be women roadies: old male truckers are usually helpful</b><br />
Negotiating potholed roads in India is easy; convincing parents, friends, lovers and the rest of middle-class India that women are in the driver’s seat is the hard part. Having said that, wanderlust is taking a handful of women onto Indian highways and this emerging tribe of roadies has traveller’s tales that are both hair-raising and exhilarating. Driving through cattle can be easier than arguing with irate male road hogs. Thumbing a ride with the average Indian male is a strict no-no. </span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">“We picked south India since we continue to find the south safer for women,” says entrepreneur Rajvi Mariwala (29) who hooked up with best friend Shruti Chakravarty (29), a social worker. The trip ran down the peninsula: Mumbai-Goa-Shimoga-Bangalore-Ooty-Cochin-Kanyakumari-Kodaikanal-Pondicherry-Chennai-Vijayawada-Hyderabad-Pune-Mumbai. Mariwala convinced her father to swap her Maruti Swift with his heavier Honda Accord, a suitable car for their 5,000 km-in-three-weeks quest. “Given that we had already done road trips in Europe and Greece, it was a challenge to see if we could pull it off in India,” says Chakravarty.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">In 2007, Moksha Jetley, a 47-year-old businesswoman, got to live the dream she had since the age of 17. Tearing across the country in a heavy-duty bike was stuff straight out of Hollywood films. “In the ’80s, middle-class Indian society refused to encourage girls to venture into so-called male terrain. But my father sensed my interest in two-wheelers and taught me how to ride a scooter,” says Jetley. She graduated from riding her Vespa to a Royale Enfield 350cc mo-bike when she rode from Manali to Leh-Ladakh. Jetley is a single parent who runs Back and Beyond, a travel company that organises biking trips across India. “After my daughter started working, I was free of responsibilities and obligations. I decided to realise my teenage dream,” she says.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Women often have to upgrade vehicles since they usually drive lighter cars, unsuitable for road trips. Chandigarh-based fashion designer Jas Lakhmana (34) is trading in her Skoda Octavia for a four-wheel drive to suit her upcoming trip to Leh-Ladakh.<br />
Whether travelling with the boys or the girls, travel writer Puneet Inder Sidhu has been voted the best driver. She is always behind the wheel, on a gut-busting trip to Bhutan or a joyride in the German countryside in a sporty Mazda Cabriolet. Sidhu believes that the gender you travel with is not so important, though “taking instructions from a male navigator is admittedly hard”.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">The travellers stress the importance of choosing the right vehicle and planning the trip well ahead. “My travel agent of five years books me safe hotels. I always research online before taking off,” says Lakhmana.<br />
Of course, life throws those curved balls at you. Mariwala and Chakravarty found themselves lost in Karanataka, with language not on their side. “None of us speak Kannada and we were trying to find our way to Mandagade where our host for the night was putting us up. We saw a signboard that announced Mandagate, a village. We should have guessed it was the wrong one,” says Chakravarty. They were stuck on a narrow road, looking for a hospital, the landmark that their host had told them about. “With a bullock cart in front of us, all we could do was join the laughter of the occupants of the cart,” says Mariwala.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">The locals proved helpful. An old man drew a map in the dust with his stick, the village pujari was called and he spoke a few lines in English. Finally, they found Mandagade a 100 km ahead. “In Sholapur, we had a stimulating conversation on marriage with an orange seller. He wondered why the two of us weren’t married or at home, taking care of our kids. But he was open to our ideas, especially when we told him our parents supported our decision to travel,” says Chakravarty. In Pondicherry, a Muslim family invited them home for a meal and in Kodaikanal, their home-stay host treated them as fellow travellers with whisky and tall tales.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">“We only had one nasty incident with an urban, English-speaking man and his wife in Bangalore. We accidentally grazed their car’s bumper while parking and they kicked up a ruckus, demanding a ridiculous sum of money. They even questioned our character,” says Chakravarty.<br />
Sidhu, who was behind the wheel in an old and trusted Maruti Esteem on a Patiala to Delhi trip with a woman friend, faced many stares from fellow travellers on the way. “Some of them made U-turns to race or unnerve us. We actually welcomed the dark, so no one could see who was driving,” she says.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">At 43, Divya Tate, believes in the eco-friendly bicycle, and has travelled across France and Thailand alone. But she felt vulnerable on a solo trip from Pune to Goa. “A big group of half-naked drunk males in cars with their stereos blasting really bothered me,” she says. Once, a flasher stalked her along the highway to Goa, but she found a village and he was soon discouraged. “I found that ignoring his open fly was the biggest insult I could have thrown his way,” says Tate. Despite these scary moments, she found that rural people in India were very hospitable. A divorcee, she believes women travelling alone should be careful not to land themselves in vulnerable positions. “I try to keep it simple and flexible. I keep the door open for the unexpected,” she says.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Sometimes, confrontation works better. “Given my age, most eve-teasers have lost interest. Even then, a biker followed me. I ignored him but he persisted, so I called up the nearest police station and alerted them. Then I went up to him and confronted him,” says Jetley.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Sometimes there is safety in numbers. Nine women found no hurdles while hiring Honda Activas to make their way around Goa, a watered-down version of Hell’s Angels. “We were very diligent while driving down in our two cars from Mumbai—only music and no alcohol,” says Akshata Ravi (27), a BPO group trainer who has done frequent trips to Goa. Once there, the women ditched their cars and hit the beach. “On my 27th birthday, we were all so high, it took an hour to find our bikes. Then we tried to ride them. It was shakiest drive of my life,” says Ravi. “After bumping into a couple of trees, we decided to make it back to the cottage on foot!” she says.<br />
The important thing about being with a group of girls is that there is no ‘head of the pack.’ “There is no man ‘in charge’ and that can be very liberating. The onus of taking care, fixing the vehicle or getting food and drinks was on all of us,” says Timsey Zaveri, (33), a techie who was also part of the Goa group.<br />
She believes that women need to get over their technophobia. “I’ve never done road trips with guys but prefer the company of woman travellers. A lot of women are just scared to drive, my mum has learnt, but not my sister-in-law,” she says.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Sidhu, whose travelogue Adrift: A junket junkie in Europe (Frog Books, India) hits the stands this month, admits that despite being a seasoned traveller, she would never chance a ride with a stranger in India. “Safety comes before heroics,” she says. That’s advice from someone who has been driving since 18. “I’ve car-pooled my way across Europe with complete strangers without facing any kind of ugliness but it’s not worth risking the Indian male,” says Sidhu.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Another challenge women face on the road: “Unlike men who can stop wherever they want and pee, women have it tough,” says Lakhmana. On a recent trip to Ranthambore with a girlfriend, the two women were desperately looking for bushes. “Unfortunately, on this stretch, all we saw was parched land. We had a good laugh over it later,” says Lakhmana. Chakravarty has a solution: “The trick is to pee between car doors. Pull up to the side, open the front and back passenger doors and squat in between. The visibility from other moving vehicles is nil,” she says. Another valuable tip for women travellers: Do not get out of the car if someone is arguing with you.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Pioneers like Giti Thadani (48) set out with women friends across Western India in the late 1980s, when many of today’s women roadies were still in diapers. Thadani’s battered Honda truck was baptised Kali after a near-death experience with a boorish truck driver. Although she has traded it for a Maruti Gypsy, she swears by her truck. “When the truck driver saw three women in the Honda, he overtook us and then braked. Luckily, I managed to swerve and avoid a collision. On the same stretch, I met this incredibly helpful mechanic who fixed my vehicle, plying me with refreshments for free,” says Thadani, who encountered many good Samaritans while researching the Satki temples of India. “My journey along the dusty roads of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, UP and Rajasthan was a discovery of my roots,” says the historian, author and visual artist.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Her book Moebiustrip: Digressions from India’s Highways, published by Penguin in 2003, catalogues her travels. “While visiting a site in Old Mandu near Dhar Mahal, I met an ASI officer who converted his office table into a bed for me. I rested among priceless statues and artefacts,” says Thadani.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Sidhu loves taking off for Himachal Pradesh, which she says is extremely safe for women travellers. “I’m a bit worried about breakdowns. While I am adept at changing a wheel, I would need a more mechanical companion for the serious stuff,” she says. No points for guessing which gender usually fits that bill.<br />
But if you are looking to seek help, here’s some tried-and-tested advice. “Look for old male truckers, they are more helpful and chances of it turning into a bad scene are remote,” says Lakhmana. She should know. She’s been sneaking out her dad’s car when she was all of 13. Today, Lakhmana is a safe, cautious driver who has travelled 55 cities spread out in 17 countries.<br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">The rite of passage that has been essentially male requires bruising. “Many of my friends cannot leave their creature comforts behind and they cannot stand the long hours of driving. But the day they make roads safer you will find more women behind the wheel,” says Mariwala. Her accessories on the road are Kaya face wipes, lip balm and moisturiser. After all, who said bad skin had to accompany road trips?<br />
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</div><div style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">Source - <span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/girls-all-geared-up/570568/0">http://www.indianexpress.com/news/girls-all-geared-up/570568/0</a></span><br />
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</div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3725217605879301038.post-20116549375884536642010-01-15T19:25:00.000+05:302010-01-15T19:25:26.137+05:30YHAI conducts adventure training camp<a href="http://www.andhranews.net/India/2010/January/4-YHAI-conducts-adventure-training-48610.asp">YHAI conducts adventure training camp</a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:verdana, arial;font-size:13px;"><p style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt; "><em>Countrys premier youth travel and adventure organisation Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI) is conducting adventure sports training to students of Madhya Pradesh.</em></p><p style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt; ">Gwalior, Jan 4 : Country's premier youth travel and adventure organisation Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI) is conducting adventure sports training to students of Madhya Pradesh.</p><p style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt; ">According to YHAI, the training is aimed at overall development of the youth and also to reduce internal fear. The students are trained in rock climbing, archery, shooting, wall climbing, night tracking and etc. The training not only enhances physical fitness but also the concentration level. The participants were excited to attend the training camp, as it would help them in pursuing their career.</p><p style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt; ">"I want to join the armed forces for that I will have to undergo hard training. If I continue to undertake such exercise I would not face much problems in future," said Nishant Singh, a student.</p><p style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt; ">According to organiser of the camp Shahnaz Khan training helps students to gain physical fitness and reduce their internal fear which is indeed required for coming generations. "We want that children should not sit at home. They should come forward and participate in these events," Khan said.</p><p style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt; "><b>Source</b> - <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana, arial;font-size:13px;"><a href="http://www.andhranews.net/India/2010/January/4-YHAI-conducts-adventure-training-48610.asp">http://www.andhranews.net/India/2010/January/4-YHAI-conducts-adventure-training-48610.asp</a></span></p></span></div>yogesahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17310938120922838943noreply@blogger.com0