My 2008 trip back home to India

(I had this post written and published in early February 2008 and just recently transferred it from an older blog to out here)

After months of delays, I will finally be traveling to Mumbai at the end of this week for my long due vacation. Excitement has always been an understatement to describe my feelings associated with this trip. It's always a whirlpool of emotions that get stirred up with visiting one's home, being received into the eager arms of your people, being greeted by the kind faces of your kin, seeing the sights that date back to your childhood and feeling the warmth of being back in that place that you will always call your very own.

It's the journey you want to take back into time, hoping that it has stood still for your return :) And yet you know that time has flown by at the instance you lay your foot on the warm soils of your homeland. The population, their pace, the structures and all their collective energy will have acquired so many strange and different forms that they will be near unrecognizable to you, who had left them behind in what was probably a far more familiar state. And then you start wondering whether you can ever belong back to your homeland with same intimacy that you had half a dozen years ago.

But amidst all the unfamiliarity of sights, chaos of voices and conflicts in your mind, you slowly start recognizing a striking familiarity. It's the familiarity of emotions flowing from those loving hearts, the simplicity of the feelings in those unchanged minds and the peace in the secure embraces of every man, woman or child you had ever shared your memories with.

Well, I get this feeling every time I return for my brief vacation. It takes me a good amount of time to get used to the overwhelm at first. There are so many sights and breaths to intake and get a hang of, yet you are left asking for more and more :) And then when I have gradually settled into a lukewarm pool of acceptance, familiarity and generosity, I find out that its time to return to where I came from.

The question I ask is, how many years of separation would I need to exchange in return for the bliss of my own home. Whatever that figure maybe, someday I hope to have made it to this place I have always known as my very own :)

With lots of nostalgia
-Michelle

Dining for the savvy world traveler

http://www.mysavvytraveller.com/2.html

need to develop more ..

At the 'heel of Italy' - the Region of Puglia

Italy among it's fascinating cities and towns, has nestled a rare architectural site, right at it's heel!


Yes, imagine Italy to be a shapely leg whose foot is shod by a Manalo Blahnik high-heeled boot. Puglia (Apulia) is Italy's elegant stiletto heel.














Region: Puglia in Italy, exceptionally sun-soaked and dry, rarely frequented by English-speaking travelers

Town : Alberobello, designated as a UNESCO world heritage site

Attraction: Trulli structures - collection of some 1,500 trulli
Trullo - A very peculiar type of building, beehive-shaped, whitewashed structure made of stone, usually used as barns in farming areas within the Val d'Itria, but also used as housing in fairly large-scale communities like Alberobello, where over 1000 Trulli are situated on terraces. The original Trulli date back hundreds, if not thousands of years, but the curious style has been revived by modern homeowners in the area, resulting in Trulli resorts for visitors



A row of trullo structures





















Inside a trullo house





Wikitravel guide: http://wikitravel.org/en/Alberobello

Map it @ http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=hphot4&cp=40.785669~17.235374&style=h&lvl=10&tilt=-90&dir=0&explore=sst.0~tag.wikipedia

The rest of Puglia is exotic in many ways, partly due to its historical evolution, but also because socially and culturally. Puglia has been catching up to the rest of Italy in attracting the modern tourist. As you explore Puglia's cities and towns, and outlying areas, you will encounter Greek and Roman ruins, paleo-christian ruins, and public and ecclesiastical buildings done in every major style from Romanesque, to Gothic to Renaissance.

























And now that I have been reminded about Puglia, Italy, there is also Venice, Capri and Sorrento that I would like to write about.... coming soon!

Your cup of tea in the city - Tea Rooms of Manhattan

When it's time to relax, unfold your senses and simmer in an amalgam of your thoughts, no beverage other than the tea come to my mind.

Whether you like your cuppa tea served in a calming green tone with freshly boiled leaves or refreshing black with a dash of cream and sugar....there's a little for every personality in the various tea rooms established all over New York city.

And when I am not inclined towards hunting down one of these divine tea rooms, I just turn around the corner and enter through those doors marked with the friendly, green Starbucks logo :)






Cha-An
Neighborhood: East Village
230 E. 9th St
(between 2nd Ave & 3rd ave)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cha-an-new-york
A Japanese Tea House recommended for some authentic tea, served with equally delicious food and marvelous desserts!

Tea Spot
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
127 MacDougal Street
(between W 3rd and W 4th streets)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tea-spot-new-york#hrid:OaRBzwS5D-J6MB4rp2VvpA
A great selection of teas topped off with free wi-fi connectivity!

Old school New York

For the charm and the classic spirit of old New York, while nurturing a $20 glass of scotch, head to the following watering holes.

Blue Bar @ the Algonquin Hotel
Neighborhood: Midtown East
59 W 44th Street
(between 5th Ave & 6th Ave)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-bar-at-the-algonquin-hotel-new-york-city

King Cole @ the Regis Hotel
Neighborhood: Midtown East
2 East 55th Street
(between 5th Ave & Madison Ave)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/king-cole-bar-the-st-regis-hotel-new-york

Bar @ The Pierre Hotel
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
2 E 61st St
(between 5th Ave & Madison Ave)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pierre-hotel-new-york-2

Madame Geneva @ Double Crown Hotel
Neighborhood: NoHo
4 Bleecker St
(between Bowery & Elizabeth St)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/madam-geneva-new-york
http://www.sheckys.com/newyorkcity/search/double_crown_1_9344.asp

The midnight Sun in Greenland

The Land of the Midnight Sun, a state of timelessness. This natural phenomenon along with Aurora Borealis, ethereal icebergs, Ilulissat Icefjord, and a massive ice sheet covering 656000 square miles of land area are found on the world's largest island: Greenland, which is almost three times the size of the US state of Texas!

The Land of Midnight Sun
Midnight sun in Greenland is practically a state of mind, and the traditional concept of time loses all meaning. You may as well leave your watch in your suitcase, because the day has neither a beginning nor an end. Children on roller skates run down the street in the middle of the night with the sun hanging low in the horizon. Small motorboats chug out of the harbour and groups of people sit dotted around the hills enjoying the never-ending rays of sunshine. During the summer the small communities buzz with life until the early hours.

Where to see the midnight sun -
Midnight sun can be experienced north of the Arctic Circle for a period lasting from a single day to five months depending on how far north you travel. In central Greenland the sun does not set from the end of May until the end of July. During this period, the soft, warm rays from the low-lying sun make the surrounding scenery appear almost dreamlike; icebergs and hilltops are bathed in a surrealistic palette of pink, purple, yellow and red hues.
North of the Arctic Circle it means that the sun can be seen around the clock during the summer months. In contrast, the dark polar nights are characteristic of the region during the winter. In the southerly regions of Greenland that do not lie within the Arctic Circle there is no midnight sun, although the nights certainly do remain light during the summer months.

Content courtesy of : http://www.greenland.com/content/english/tourist

An arched Iceberg near Nuugaatsiaq, West Greenland.

Omnivorous to Herbivorous - The culinary path towards vegetarianism

For a long time, being a gastronome to me meant having unbiased, unrestricted access to savory meals that infused my taste buds with an array of different flavors. In addition, being raised an omnivore, just caused my reflexes to naturally intake all types of food placed before me, without so much as giving a second thought to distinguishing between it's sources: plant or animal. This attitude very well allowed me to explore foods from almost all groups and all levels of the food pyramid!
Culinary satisfaction to it's fullest! At least that is what I thought.

But for a few years now, my omnivorous routines have been raising my concerns about health, food safety, sustainable fishing and not the least, animal cruelty.
It all started with a prolonged bout of feeling weak and unhealthy, mainly due to the lack of a well-balanced diet and one that mainly comprised of sugars, 'food toxins', animal fats and hardly any greens, fibers or healthy fats.

I investigated my diet, questioned my health habits and read intensively on what could possibly deliver the feeling of being healthy from within. I didn't immediately seem convinced that going vegetarian was the way towards my goals, especially since I was losing weight by the pounds and was diagnosed for iron and vitamin B12 deficiency - 2 important nutrients that are more easily assimilated by our digestive systems through animal food sources.

But an increased intake of meat wasn't the right solution, in fact it did further damage to the way I felt about my skin, my energy levels and my general well-being. Also, I learned gradually that my specific nutrient deficiencies just required to be combated through supplements.

At the same time I started reading a book, the autobiography of a great leader and humanitarian, who preached non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi, even though raised a vegetarian, describes how he had several phases where meat was a primary ingredient in his diet and how he mentally reasoned for and against his meat eating habits. He eventually succeeded in his emotional battle and turned back to vegan-ism for life.
Another book called Skinny Bitch is what I read that further helped calm my feelings towards vegetarianism :)

Today, I try to make an educated choice from the food options that are available to me. Every time I decide to go 'veggie' at a meal, I feel more confident of taking the step effortlessly the next time.

With this 'slight' diversion on my culinary path, I hope to more gratefully savor the fruits of a healthy and yet proportionately, balanced diet. Being a faithful herbivore, while not compromising flavor, comes with a variety of tricky dilemmas and odd challenges. But with an evolving creativity, a constant yearning for variety and a dash of openness towards embracing different cuisines, you won't have to make many culinary sacrifices while your omnivorous counterparts release satisfactory but slight belching sounds :-)
To make the entire transition less stressful, slight flexibilities and altercations are the keys you can keep handy!

It seems tough to give up an essential quality of being a true, unrestricted gastronome - the one which lets you indulge in all sorts of flavors and aromas. But setting out into the world of herbivores, I am excited as ever about my prospects of diverging from the beaten path and working towards defining new norms of what a tasty plate of food can constitute.

And then there is always the prospect of jumping into the parallel worlds of frugivores (predominantly fruit), gramnivores (nuts, seeds, etc.), folivores (green leaves) ...etc.
Throw in a few gallons of my favorite liquid - water and there you go ... healthy eating redefined!

Some favorite restaurants in New York City that serve vegetarian fare or are at least vegan friendly:
Buddha Bodai
Location: 5 Mott St (between Chatham Sq & Mosco St)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/buddha-bodai-new-york

Lan Cafe
Location: 342 E 6th Street (between 1st Ave & 2nd Ave)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/lan-cafe-new-york

Red Bamboo
Location: 140 W 4th St (between 6th Ave & Mac Dougal St)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/red-bamboo-new-york

Cafe Himalaya
Location: 78 E 1st St (between Ave A & 1st st)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-himalaya-new-york-2

Japanese language basics

A visual online site to learn a few basic phrases and pronunciations in the Japanese language.

http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/language/quickjapanese/quickjapanese01.html

Enjoy :)

New York City hangouts open all night long

When you are craving that late night snack or are absolutely famished from an eventful night out, there are more than just a handful locations to head to for nourishment!

Presenting New York City go-to spots that cater to the ever-growing population of spirited people! Late night, early dawn or just about at any other time of the day, these establishments never seem to shut their doors .. Go NYC!


Yaffa Cafe
Neighborhood : East Village
97 St. Marks Place
(between 1st Ave & Avenue A)
Categories: Diner, American
Review from Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/yaffa-cafe-new-york#hrid:yK60jhmlCpw7PhkFgSJKSA


Veselka
Neighborhood: East Village
144 2nd Ave
(between 9th St & St Marks Pl)
Categories: Diner, Polish, Ukranian
http://www.yelp.com/biz/veselka-new-york

Kun Jip
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
9 W 32nd St
(between 5th Ave & Broadway)
Category: Korean
http://www.yelp.com/biz/kun-jip-new-york#hrid:QyNdLijydkmrUIZm2GSaEg/src:search/query:late%20night

Hallal cart on 53rd & 6th
Neighborhood: Theater District
53rd St & 6th Ave
http://www.yelp.com/biz/53rd-and-6th-halal-cart-new-york#hrid:oMrSWDJrZSiWvBsxpO7sqw/src:search/query:late%20night

More to be explored and noted..

Happy around the clock dining :)

Bucket List - Places to eat before you die

1. St. John (London)
Roast bone marrow in Fergus Henderson's plain-white dining room at St. John. Scooped out and slathered onto a crust of toasted bread and sprinkled with sea salt, it's simple yet luxurious.

The menu is proudly English, a rebuke to anyone still laboring under the impression that English food sucks. Famously pork-centric and focused on traditional offal and game dishes, St. John is as wonderful for what it does as for what it doesn't do: compromise. It specializes in good ingredients from 'happy' animals that are treated with love and respect.

Henderson has become a reluctant spiritual leader to a whole generation of chefs -- and even the old-guard guys love to stop by for crispy pig tails, ham in hay or a properly roasted bird. This is one of the truly bullsh---free zones on the culinary landscape.

2. elBulli (Girona, Spain)
It's the hardest reservation in the world. And everything they say is true: It's an adventure, a challenge, a delicious and always fun acid trip to the farthest reaches of creativity.

Brothers Ferran and Albert Adrià and their team are the most influential and creative people working in food -- and this surprisingly casual restaurant on a sleepy cove on Spain's Costa Brava is probably the most important restaurant of our time.

Love it or hate it, if you have the opportunity to wangle a reservation, do it. It's like seeing Jimi Hendrix's first show. Forget any preconceptions you might have. Is it good? Yes. More important -- is it fun? Yes. Yes. Yes.

3. The French Laundry (Napa Valley, Calif.)
4. Per Se (New York)
The best sit-down, multicourse, white-tablecloth meal of my life was at the French Laundry. And subsequent meals at Per Se, also run by chef Thomas Keller, were no less wonderful.

There's no better way to go than the full-on tasting menu, a once-in-a-lifetime marriage of the best ingredients, creative thinking and high standards, along with the personal imprint of the most respected chef in the world.

How can Keller be at both restaurants at once? It doesn't matter. Pick one. Fast for 2 days, stretch your stomach with water the day of, and then see how they do it at the very top. It's a level of perfection in food and service that few even try to approach.

5. Sin Huat Eating House (Singapore)
It's grimy looking, the service can be less than warm, the beer is served in a bottle (often with ice) and the tables sit halfway into the streets of Geylang, Singapore's red-light district.

But the crab bee hoon -- giant Sri Lankan beasts cooked with a spicy mystery sauce and noodles -- is pure messy indulgence. The whelks, steamed spotted cod, prawns, scallops (in fact, any seafood available that day) are all worth having. Warning: It looks cheap, but it's not.

6. Le Bernardin (New York)
This is the best fish joint ... anywhere. And it's relevant and fun, despite its formal service and fine-dining ambience.

The grand tasting menu is a stripped-down thing of relatively austere beauty. And whatever they're doing this year or this month is always, always interesting.

7. Salumi (Seattle)
It's a sandwich shop with a couple of tables and a true mom-and-pop -- even if they're the mom and pop of famous chef Mario Batali.

Anything cured, anything braised, any of the limited hot specials ... in fact, anything the Batalis make is worth grabbing with both hands.

8. Russ & Daughters (New York)
9. Katz's Delicatessen (New York)
Russ & Daughters started as a pushcart nearly a century ago, and it now serves some of the last traditional Eastern European Jewish-style herring and smoked belly lox, sable and sturgeon.

And since you're close, walk down a few doors to Katz's to remind yourself how pastrami is done right. This is what New Yorkers do better than anybody else. And here's where they do it.

10. Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain)
Victor Arguinzoniz grills unlikely ingredients over homemade charcoal: baby eels, imperial beluga caviar, oysters. (The fresh chorizo and prawns work, too.)

Theoretically you can't grill a lot of this stuff, but a handcrafted series of pulleys that raise and lower each item makes it possible. Eat here, and no one is eating better.

11. Sukiyabashi Jiro (Tokyo)
The best sushi on earth? Maybe. Jiro Ono is more than 80 years old, and he's been doing old-school Edo-style sushi his whole life.

Every piece of fish is served at precisely the right temperature and the rice and seaweed alone are blackout good. Ono will ruin sushi for you from anywhere else.

12. Hot Doug's (Chicago)
This place convinced me the Chicago red hot is, in fact, superior to the New York hot dog.

And it's home to two great innovations in American gastronomy: the 'foie gras dog' and the weekends-only practice of cooking French fries in duck fat. It's proof that food doesn't have to be expensive to be great.

13. Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue (Kansas City)
People may disagree on who has the best BBQ. Here, the brisket (particularly the burnt ends), pulled pork and ribs are all of a quality that meet the high standards even of Kansas City natives.

It's the best BBQ in Kansas City, which makes it the best BBQ in the world.

Anthony Bourdain is the host of the Travel Channel's 'No Reservations.'

Shack Burger - A New York spin on the West-Coast style burger

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/06/shake-shack-flatiron-district-madison-square-park-manhattan-burgers-nyc.html

Midtown New York lunchtime

A guide to attaining culinary satisfaction in the food wasteland of Midtown Manhattan!
http://midtownlunch.com/zachs-picks/

...read some Readers polls:
http://midtownlunch.com/2009/01/07/the-best-midtown-lunches-as-voted-on-by-you-2008-edition/

And meet the Vendy Awards finalists
http://streetvendor.org/vendys/finalists

Is it just October or is it Oktoberfest ?

Oktoberfest - Germany













Trivia about the 2009 Oktoberfest event
http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/article/About+the+Oktoberfest/About+the+Oktoberfest/%22Just+a+nice+Oktoberfest!%22/1454/

Leisure....time to stand and stare

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

-William Henry Davies (3 July 1871 – 26 September 1940), a Welsh poet and writer.

The house that William Davies last lived in - 'Glendower', Watledge, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, UK

Skylines of the World cities

Where do our travels generally lead us? Towards high snow-caped mountains and deep lush green valleys. Into beautiful coastal sunsets and quaint country roads? Through historical towns and mystical monuments?

And on dozens of other explored and unexplored trails ... our travels can stretch far and near, into the landscapes of the earth.

But wherever you may travel to, you will hardly ever be too far away from one of the world's sparkling big cities filled with multitudes of people and the marvelous chaos that they call life!

The brightest lights and tallest buildings constitute a large part of the skyline of any such big city. Right here, is a peek into how some of these cities may look like by night fall. Almost like glittering constellations in the dark stretches of night!


Tokyo, Japan
A city that is filled with "high-tech visions of the future side by side with glimpses of old Japan ... This city has something for everyone!"
-- Wiki travel








Atlanta, Georgia, USA
A city that "balances southern traditions with sleek modernism ... boasts three skylines and the world’s busiest airport!"
-- Wiki travel









Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
A city that is "often called the cultural capital of Australia ... and one of the best destinations in the world for the culinary traveler."
-- Wiki travel







Manhattan, New York, USA
A "The City that Never Sleeps" can be no other than New york city... an indefinable confluence of anything and everything that can cross your imagination.
-- Wiki travel







Seattle, Washington, USA
"The Emerald City" is a damp green gem with an abundance of evergreen trees, spectacular views of mountains... a vibrant arts scene .. and of course, the home of the Space Needle.
-- Wiki travel







Miami Beach, Florida, USA
One of America's "pre-eminent beach resorts" has a rich history as an entertainment and cultural destination, from world-famous Art Deco architecture to renowned nightclubs to designer fashions.
-- Wiki travel





Coming up: more World cities..

Surreal Sunrise Drive

It is said to be the oldest man made attraction in the United States of America.

What is it: A road that leads atop one of the highest mountains in USA

Really? : Yes, New Hampshire's Mount Washington Auto Road is officially 148 years old this August 2009

The road: Auto Road

Where: Mount Washington, New Hampshire

The drive along the road: Miles of spectacular valley views and mountain panorama

Season: Summer

Best time to get there: Between 5:00am - 5:30am

Wait, are you kidding me? : Only if experiencing the surreal is a joke :)

What do I do when I get there so early in the morning? : Well, you can sip some morning coffee while watching the seductive red-orange sunrise glow from the top of the Northeast's highest peak!

OK! So is this Sunrise Drive open to the public any day?: The road is open on selected days of the year. The Sunrise Drive itself is doable about three times a summer. This year Mount Washington's winding Auto Road opens early (June 28 at 3:30 a.m., July 26 at 4 a.m., Aug. 30 at 4:30 a.m.), and fans get behind the wheel for a pre-dawn drive to the summit, where nature's curtain unveils everything from fickle fog to a sea of mountains.

- Mount Washington Auto Road, Route 16, Pinkham Notch, 603-466-3988,

Bombay ... meri Jaan, my life!

The Gateway of India

The city that never sleeps, where the lights never go out, the east meets the west, poverty confluences with affluence, energy lashes alongside power and all the ordinary walks of life suddenly seem so extraordinary! Step into the most populous place in the world, the hub of anything and everything India, the heart of millions - Bombay (मुंबई, Mumbaī ) - the Maximum City.

So what concoctions really make up this city called Bombay?

The Lonely Planet has attempted to compose Bombay's constitutions in the following words. In my opinion, these lines have captured almost an excellent view of the city's social, economic and cultural landscape:

"Measure out: one part Hollywood; six parts traffic; a bunch of rich power-moguls; stir in half a dozen colonial relics (use big ones); pour in six heaped cups of poverty; add a smattering of swish bars and restaurants (don’t skimp on quality here for best results); equal parts of mayhem and order; as many ancient bazaars as you have lying around; a handful of Hinduism; a dash of Islam; fold in your mixture with equal parts India; throw it all in a blender on high (adding generous helpings of pollution to taste) and presto: Mumbai.

"An inebriating mix of all the above and more, this mass of humanity is a frantic melange of Inida’s extremes. It is the country’s financial powerhouse and its vogue centre of fashion, film and after-dark frolics. Glistening skyscrapers and malls mushroom amid slums and grinding poverty, and Mumbai slowly marches towards a brave new (air-conditioned) world. But not everyone made the guest list: more than half of the population lives in slums, and religious-based social unrest tugs at the skirt of Mumbai’s financial excess.

Only once the initial shell shock of Mumbai’s chaos subsides, can one start to appreciate the city’s allure: a wealth of Art Deco and grand colonial relics; cacophonic temples; warrens of bazaars; and the odd spiritual bastion of tranquility. In Mumbai you can dine at some of the finest restaurants in the country, and work off the appetite gyrating at ultra chic bars alongside Bollywood starlets and wannabes. With a pinch of gumption, a dash of adventure, an open wallet and a running start, there’s no excuse not to dive into the Mumbai madness head-first. "

Words probably can never do enough justice to a city that is as lively and abundant as Bombay. But having lived away from this city (that at least 18 million people still call home) for several years now, words and memories are all I have to solace the heart.

But hey, a picture they say is worth a thousand words! Here's a few of those shots that make up the life, the people and the moods in the city of Bombay.

Cricket match - Azad Maidan, Fort, Mumbai

People relaxing in the evening along the waterfront - Marine Drive, Mumbai

Procession on the streets during the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival celebrations

Drummers leading the procession during the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival celebrations

Crowds swarming on the beach for a relief of the cool breeze from the Arabian sea - Juhu beach, Mumbai

Full of activity - the Sassoon docks, Mumbai

Human Pyramid being formed to the slogans of "Govinda ala re ala" - festival of Govinda, Mumbai

Source of photos : Lonely Planet Photographers

A scene from the 1988 Hindi film Salaam Bombay! directed by Mira Nair. Most of the young actors who appeared in the film were actual street children from Bombay.

A scene from the 2008 British film Slumdog millionaire directed by Danny Boyle. Some of the child actors that appear in the film are children currently living in real slums in Bombay

The World's largest Dump: Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Well, I am as baffled as can be to even start wondering what kind of stuff this garbage patch could contain. But it is definitely for real, it does exist and isn't just a few hundred square miles or something in area... it's almost twice as huge as Texas!
Read on through this excerpt from HowStuffWorks:

"In t­he broad expanse of the northern Pacific Ocean, there exists the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a slowly moving, clockwise spiral of currents created by a high-pressure system of air currents. The area is an oceanic desert, filled with tiny phytoplankton but few big fish or mammals. Due to its lack of large fish and gentle breezes, fishermen and­ s­ailors rarely travel through the gyre.

But the area is filled with something besides plankton: trash, millions of pounds of it, most of it plastic! It's the largest landfill in the world, and it floats in the middle of the ocean!

The gyre has actually given birth to two large masses of ever-accumulating trash, known as the Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches, sometimes collectively called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Eastern Garbage Patch floats between Hawaii and California; scientists estimate its size as two times bigger than Texas. The Western Garbage Patch forms east of Japan and west of Hawaii. Each swirling mass of refuse is massive and collects trash from all over the world. The patches are connected by a thin 6,000-mile long current called the Subtropical Convergence Zone. Research flights showed that significant amounts of trash also accumulate in the Convergence Zone.

The garbage patches present numerous hazards to marine life, fishing and tourism. But before we discuss those, it's important to look at the role of plastic. Plastic constitutes 90 percent of all trash floating in the world's oceans.
Sea turtles, like this one, that live in the warmer waters of this region of the Pacific, are endangered by such garbage pollution and the subsequent habitat loss that occurs.

The United Nations Environment Program estimated in 2006 that every square mile of ocean hosts 46,000 pieces of floating plastic. In some areas, the amount of plastic outweighs the amount of plankton by a ratio of six to one. Of the more than 200 billion pounds of plastic the world produces each year, about 10 percent ends up in the ocean. Seventy percent of that eventually sinks, damaging life on the ocean floor. The rest floats; much of it ends up in gyres and the massive garbage patches that form there, with some plastic eventually washing up on a distant shore"

Mind-numbingly astonishing right! Well, the garbage that we set free had to find a way to survive if not degradable. It's right here thriving in the oceans.

... just a bit on how you could Help Support the cause!

Through the eyes of NASA

A Perfect Storm of Turbulent Gases

Resembling the fury of a raging sea, this image actually shows a bubbly ocean of glowing hydrogen gas and small amounts of other elements such as oxygen and sulfur.

The photograph, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, captures a small region within M17, a hotbed of star formation. M17, also known as the Omega or Swan Nebula, is located about 5,500 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. The image was released to commemorate the thirteenth anniversary of Hubble's launch.

The wave-like patterns of gas have been sculpted and illuminated by a torrent of ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars, which lie outside the picture to the upper left. The glow of these patterns accentuates the three-dimensional structure of the gases. The ultraviolet radiation is carving and heating the surfaces of cold hydrogen gas clouds. The warmed surfaces glow orange and red. The intense heat and pressure cause some material to stream away from those surfaces, creating the glowing veil of even hotter greenish gas that masks background structures. The pressure on the tips of the waves may trigger new star formation within them.

The Unveiling

On its 100,000th orbit of planet Earth, the Hubble Space Telescope peered into a small portion of the Tarantula Nebula near the star cluster NGC 2074, unveiling its stellar nursery. The region is a firestorm of raw stellar creation, triggered perhaps by a nearby supernova.

The image reveals dramatic ridges and valleys of dust, serpent-headed "pillars of creation," and gaseous filaments glowing fiercely under torrential ultraviolet radiation. The region is on the edge of a dark molecular cloud that is an incubator for the birth of new stars.

The high-energy radiation blazing out from clusters of hot young stars is slowly eroding nebula, and another young cluster may be hidden beneath the circle of brilliant blue gas.

The region is in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite of our Milky Way galaxy that is a fascinating laboratory for observing star-formation regions and their evolution. Dwarf galaxies like the Large Magellanic Cloud are considered to be the primitive building blocks of larger galaxies.

Content & Image Credit: NASA

Musée du Louvre

The Louvre Museum

The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world, with a total area of almost 100 acres, including 650,000 square feet of exhibition rooms!
Housed in the Louvre Palace, this behemoth center holds some of the world's most exquisite art masterpieces




See here for some tips for visiting the Louvre Museum

For the adventure seeker within you

For all sorts of adventurous acts that shake up the the insides of your mind & body and propel you closer to the extremes of nature, speed, force, height and most of all...danger!


Get a sneak preview of some of the coolest extreme adventure sports on this website..things you may have dreamed of experiencing...zipping through tree tops, waterfall rappelling, white-water rafting, surfing, scuba-diving, sky-diving, hand-gliding....and even extreme aerial combat!

Read further for such fun and adventures zones in NY...

Let the adrenaline rush, unleash the daredevil within you .... explore beyond the boundaries

3 words of advise:
Action, Action, Action!

In the heart of New York City...

...is a beautiful, expansive park that could very well be called the oasis of New York City!


What it means to the residents and visitors of New York City is an undisturbed stretch of land and water that hosts natural woods, a reservoir recreational activity zones, a wildlife sanctuary, walking tracks, lakes & ponds, a skating rink, a swimming pool, an outdoor theater and abundant naturalistic landscapes - all of this right in the midst of one of the world's greatest cities!

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir - view of Midtown Manhattan at sunset
















During the snowstorm of December 2009

Wheel around the worlds largest Ferris Wheel

Destination : Yokohama, Minato Mirai, Japan

Is that a Ferris wheel?
Yes and it is known to be the worlds Largest


Where is it?
In an amusement park

Does it have a roller coaster?
Of course it does and the ride is jaw-dropping

Most roller-coaster rides are like that, what's great about this one?
Hmmm...Well, this one also dives into the depths of the city :)

Really?
Uh-Huh, see for yourself...

Location:
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&cp=px86fywn2rmz&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&scene=34693135&explore=sst.0&form=hphot4

Wow.... This surely deserves a trip to Japan, no?
Yes! And this place is only an hour by train from Tokyo. So getting there can't be too difficult, that is if you have managed to learn some Japanese by the time you are ready to travel! Here's a map just in case :))

The Falls in fall

It wouldn't take a second guess to identify where this place is:


Yes. You are pretty darn right! These are the Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

The picture posted here, is probably one of the most exquisite pictures I have ever seen of the natural wonder called Niagara Falls!

Every year, thousands of scenic beauty onlookers flock to absorb in the sounds and sights from these Falls. Also, a very popular destination for newlyweds and daredevils. Yes the daredevils! Ever thought of what it would feel like shooting down the height of these Falls locked inside a barrel? Hundreds of daredevils have dared this thought in action at the Niagara Falls:)

Let there be a pristine earth!

Tagline: One of the most remotest destinations in one of the most remotest nations of the world!

Caveat: Still it is probably most famous tourist destinations of its nation!


Destination: Milford Sound, Southland, New Zealand

Aerial View: http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&cp=-44.647651~167.88929&style=h&lvl=11&tilt=-90&explore=sst.0&form=hphot4

Mode of transportation: Inland Waterways!

Images:
http://9ez1ga.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pHVvXJ-D6K6KaZ6WEGdMuDkTstn6w792yECQFLT1Ec9JYqA7pvCsvByZz1YaTXkq0T4yZY2CWFq0ru0of1i0oMw

http://www.cleancruising.com.au/images/ports/NZMFN.jpg

Expected travel Dates: Definitely at least once in the near future!