India Traffic

Well, I received this write-up through an email forward. I tried to get to the source…to the writer of this brilliant article, but couldn’t. So Mr. Writer if you happen to read this post of mine, please step forward and introduce yourself. The reason I wanted to share your write-up specially with my non-Indian readers who will surely relate to your experience. Reading through your article I had visions of my friends coming back to me – their horrific expressions filled with awe and admiration for the Indian traffic :) So here’s saying cheers to you!

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Priya Q on February 2nd 2010 in Funny, Guest posts

Kerala Tourism presents Shoot & Tweet Contest

A chance for all you shutterbugs to get noticed and win exciting prizes! In yet another creative initiative, Kerala Tourism has announced its Shoot and Tweet contest.

image: Kerala Tourism

Now most of us would have heard or seen in the news the images of Rajdhani Express bearing a tagline – Chalo Kerala (in Hindi) and Go Kerala (in English). Through this unique and the biggest ever branding initiative (in India) done by Kerala Tourism images of Kerala will be carried in its colorful glory across ten states in India.

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Priya Q on February 1st 2010 in Information / Reviews, Kerala

Shanghai, China

Jin Mao Building (on the left) & Shanghai World Financial Center Image: Maria Freeman

A Fusion of Two Very Different Worlds

Lying at the mouth of the Yangtze river in China is one of the largest cities in the world, Shanghai – population 20 million, where the old world has blended well with the new, and briefcase toting businessmen share the road equally with vegetable baskets carried by old ladies.  This is the Middle Kingdom, today a conglomeration of American commerce, European vogue and Chinese traditional cultures.

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Priya Q on January 21st 2010 in Guest posts

* Conditions Apply…a Joke of a Play!!

Mandira Bedi and Darshan Jariwala

Mandira Bedi and Darshan Jariwala

As one grows in life we all understand that all things that come to you in life have conditions attached to it!! Whether you take it or leave it is totally your prerogative. So when our friend came selling tickets for an upcoming play in the city of Kochi (Cochin), I decided to take it, as the play itself was deceptively titled “*conditions apply”!!

Being high on plays after Rajat Kapoor’s – Hamlet – The Clown Prince & Naseerudin Shah’s Antigone , which were brilliantly put together, I had great expectations from “*conditions apply”.

Amsterdam City

image: Priya Q

image: Priya Q

I was thinking whether ‘Amsterdam – Sex and the city’ would have been more apt a title for this post. Will tell you why this thought crossed my mind as I progress :) . To begin with, let me take you around the city through the same route I took a few months back.

Amsterdam – a city 2 meters above the sea level derives its name from Amstellardam meaning a dam on river Amstel. The largest city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam is not only the capital city but also the financial and cultural capital.

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Priya Q on January 9th 2010 in Travelogue..My Travel Diary

Santa University

santa_claus

Its true!!

Well, just imagine  -  in some remote corner of the world all the Santa Clauses coming together for a training session!! Yes, it does happens!! The Santa Clauses actually attends University to prepare himself to be more receptive to people he meets around the Christmas eve!! Isn’t this news to you?? It was certainly news to me!

The Noerr Programs Corporation, a digital event imaging company trains Santa’s every year in the Santa University at Arvada, Colarado. The training program the Santa’s receive helps them answer tricky questions often put up by children and also to get the shy kids to come forward and share his/her Christmas list. These Santa’s even are given pointers as to when to ho,ho,ho!!

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Priya Q on December 24th 2009 in Author's muses, Information / Reviews

Vienna Attractions

DSC_0152

image : Priya Q

One city I fell in love with during my first visit albeit short one in the year 2006 is Vienna the capital city of Austria. I consider myself lucky, for 2009 gave me one more opportunity to visit and see Vienna up close and that too leisurely.

So what is it that attracts one to Vienna? Plush green gardens, larger than life architectural buildings, markets, music and culture? The answer is each one of these things, yes everything!

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Priya Q on December 23rd 2009 in Travelogue..My Travel Diary

Dachau Concentration Camp

image: Priya Q

image: Priya Q

Walk of Shame & a gory glimpse into the past….

I was in Munich when my friend asked me whether I would be interested in visiting the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany. While on a vacation one generally tends to visit places and do things that are pleasant; but here I was looking at visiting an important chapter from the history which I had read back in school. Reading about something is alright by me, but I also think that seeing is believing! We had already visited the Anne Frank’s house at Amsterdam (I will post about it in the days to come)  and had seen how a Jewish family had lived under the very nose by the Nazis. So I decided to visit the Dachau Concentration camp the very next day.

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Priya Q on December 15th 2009 in Travelogue..My Travel Diary

Freetown Christiania – Copenhagen, Denmark

That's me at the entrance to Christiana image: Mr.Q

That's me at the entrance to Christiania image: Mr.Q

A Country within a Country!!

Traveling from one place to the next during our Europe trip was made on sudden impulses and mostly based on suggestions from our local friends. There was no Lonely Planet and the likes, just us and our whims!! And the only way we kept up with our friends or rather the other way around was through Facebook!! My status on Facebook usually was the easiest reference point in locating us. While I was in Copenhagen the capital & the largest city of Denmark, when my friend from Slovenia mailed me urging me to visit Christiania, a Freetown located a few minutes walk from Downtown Copenhagen. So the next day that’s where we headed to…. Christiania!!

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Priya Q on December 8th 2009 in Travelogue..My Travel Diary

Welcome to City of Cambridge

This post has been written together with Mr. Q, a quiz master by profession and my travel partner across Europe.

Autumn in Cambridge..

Autumn in Cambridge..image : Priya Q

I wasn’t planning to write about Cambridge any time soon till I saw the promos of the new Amitabh Bacchan and Abhishek Bacchan’s Bollywood movie ‘Paa’. Memories of my trip came rushing by as I watched Vidya Balan walking around the streets of Cambridge. The very same streets which I had walked around just 2 months back!! :)

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Priya Q on December 5th 2009 in Travelogue..My Travel Diary