India celebrates the festival of Navratri

The Navratri festival also known as Durga Puja have started in India. It is one of the major festivals in Hinduism. The festival is dedicated to Goddess Durga.

There will be nine nights of festivities where the nine forms of Durga will be worshipped. The tenth day is celebrated as Dussehra (also known as Vijayadashami).

You will find Pandals or stages where decorated statues of the Goddess will be worshipped. Durga Puja celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga (Shakti) over the demon called Mahishasura.

It also signifies the beginning of the autumn season. On day 10, Lord Ram also killed Ravana so his effigy is burnt to celebrate Dussehra.

Durga Puja Celebrations

Here’s a time line of the Navratri celebrations in India

Saturday              October 08          Maha Saptami

Sunday                 October 09          Durgastami

Monday               October 10          Navami of Durga Puja

Tuesday               October 11          Dussehra

In Gujarat, “Garba” a form of dance are performed around the statue of Durga.

Garba Dance

Hindi numbers 1 to 100 for your travels to India

Someone recently emailed me asking me how to say the Hindi numbers. So here are the Hindi numbers from 0 to 100. If you are travelling to India then they might come in handy. Although, you don’t really need these numbers but if you wanted to use a few of them then it will be useful particularly during bargaining and buying things in India. I have written down the numbers the way it is written in the Devanagri (Hindi) script and its English equivalent. Don’t forget to watch the video for the pronunciation. Here are Hindi numbers from 100 to 1000 in units of 50.

Essential Hindi Words And Phrases For Travelers To India

Teach Hindi Numbers 1 to 100 to kids.

The Hindi numbers 1 to 100 (including zero). Don’t forget to listen to the video below so that you can pronounce the numbers properly.

1 to 10 in Hindi

0          zero     ०          शून्य    Shuniye
1          one      १          एक      Ek
2          two      २          दो         Do
3          three   ३          तीन      Teen
4          four     ४          चार      Char
5          five      ५          पांच      Panch
6          six        ६          छह       Cheh
7          seven   ७          सात     Saat
8          eight    ८          आठ     Aath
9          nine     ९          नौ        Nao
10        ten       १०        दस       Das

11 to 20 in Hindi

11        eleven             ११        ग्यारह  Gyaarah
12        twelve             १२        बारह    Baarah
13        thirteen           १३        तेरह     Tehrah
14        fourteen          १४        चौदह    Chaudah
15        fifteen             १५        पंद्रह     Pandrah
16        sixteen             १६        सोलह   Saulah
17        seventeen        १७        सत्रह     Satrah
18        eighteen          १८        अठारह Atharah
19        nineteen          १९        उन्नीस Unnis
20        twenty             २०        बीस      Bees

21 to 30 in Hindi

21        twenty one      २१        इकीस      Ikis
22        twenty two      २२        बाईस      Bais
23        twenty three   २३        तेइस       Teis
24        twenty four     २४        चौबीस     Chaubis
25        twenty five      २५        पच्चीस    Pachis
26        twenty six        २६        छब्बीस    Chabis
27        twenty seven   २७        सताइस    Satais
28        Twenty eight   २८        अट्ठाइस    Athais
29        twenty nine     २९        उनतीस    Unatis
30        thirty               ३०        तीस           Tis

31 to 39 in Hindi

31        thirty one        ३१        इकतीस         Ikatis
32        thirty two        ३२        बतीस           Batis
33        thirty three      ३३        तैंतीस          Teintis
34        thirty four        ३४        चौंतीस         Chautis
35        thirty five        ३५        पैंतीस            Paintis
36        thirty six          ३६        छतीस            Chatis
37        thirty seven     ३७        सैंतीस            Setis
38        thirty eight      ३८        अड़तीस         Adhtis
39        thirty nine       ३९        उनतालीस     Untaalis
40        forty                ४०        चालीस            Chalis

41 to 49 in Hindi

41        forty one         ४१        इकतालीस        Iktalis
42        forty two         ४२        बयालीस           Byalis
43        forty three       ४३        तैतालीस           Tetalis
44        forty four         ४४        चवालीस           Chavalis
45        forty five         ४५        पैंतालीस           Pentalis
46        forty six           ४६        छयालिस          Chyalis
47        forty seven      ४७        सैंतालीस          Setalis
48        forty eight       ४८        अड़तालीस        Adtalis
49        forty nine        ४९        उनचास            Unachas
50        fifty                  ५०        पचास               Pachas

51 to 60 in Hindi

51        fifty one           ५१        इक्यावन   Ikyavan
52        fifty two           ५२        बावन        Baavan
53        fifty three        ५३        तिरपन      Tirepan
54        fifty four          ५४        चौवन       Chauwan
55        fifty five           ५५        पचपन      Pachpan
56        fifty six             ५६        छप्पन      Chappan
57        fifty seven       ५७        सतावन     Satavan
58        fifty eight        ५८        अठावन    Athaavan
59        fifty nine          ५९        उनसठ     Unsadh
60        sixty                 ६०        साठ          Saadh

61 to 70 in Hindi

61        sixty one          ६१        इकसठ      Iksadh
62        sixty two          ६२        बासठ       Baasad
63        sixty three       ६३        तिरसठ      Tirsadh
64        sixty four         ६४        चौंसठ        Chausadh
65        sixty five          ६५        पैंसठ          Pensath
66        sixty six            ६६        छियासठ    Chiyasath
67        sixty seven       ६७        सड़सठ     Sadhsath
68        sixty eight        ६८        अड़सठ     Asdhsath
69        sixty nine         ६९        उनहतर    Unahtar
70        seventy            ७०        सत्तर        Sattar

71 to 80 in Hindi

71        seventy one     ७१        इकहतर   Ikahtar
72        seventy two     ७२        बहतर     Bahatar
73        seventy three  ७३        तिहतर    Tihatar
74        seventy four    ७४        चौहतर    Chauhatar
75        seventy five     ७५        पचहतर   Pachhatar
76        seventy six       ७६        छिहतर    Chiyahatar
77        seventy seven  ७७        सतहतर   Satahatar
78        seventy eight   ७८        अठहतर   Adhahatar
79        seventy nine    ७९        उन्नासी   Unnasi
80        eighty              ८०        अस्सी        Assi

81 to 90 in Hindi

81        eighty one       ८१        इक्यासी    Ikyasi
82        eighty two       ८२        बयासी      Byaasi
83        eighty three    ८३        तिरासी     Tirasi
84        eighty four      ८४        चौरासी     Chaurasi
85        eighty five       ८५        पचासी      Pachasi
86        eighty six         ८६        छियासी    Chiyaasi
87        eighty seven    ८७        सतासी      Sataasi
88        eighty eight     ८८        अट्ठासी     Athasi
89        eighty nine      ८९        नवासी    Nauasi
90        ninety              ९०        नब्बे       Nabbay

91 to 100 in Hindi

91        ninety one       ९१        इक्यानवे    Ikyaanave
92        ninety two       ९२        बानवे        Baanave
93        ninety three    ९३        तिरानवे     Tiranavay
94        ninety four      ९४        चौरानवे     Chauraanavay
95        ninety five       ९५        पचानवे     Pachaanavay
96        ninety six         ९६        छियानवे   Chiyaanavay
97        ninety seven    ९७        सतानवे    Sataanavay
98        ninety eight     ९८        अट्ठानवे    Adhaanavay
99        ninety nine      ९९        निन्यानवे  Ninyaanavay
100      one hundred    १००      एक सौ     Ek Sau

Here are some essential Hindi for foreign travellers. Some more basic travel Hindi.  You might wish to look at some of the greeting Hindi words and phrases. You can also learn Tamil numbers 1 to 100 here.

Learn Hindi Numbers: Learning Hindi Numbers 1 to 100: (Hindi Books for Kids)

Hindi numbers 1 to 100 video

Try my two books if want to learn more Hindi:

1 . Hindi Language For Kids And Beginners: Speak Hindi Instantly

2. Essential Hindi Words And Phrases For Travelers To India

How to deal with beggars in India

Let’s be clear on this. India is no longer a poor country.

There was a time when people used to die of starvation. But things have changed, no such thing is happening any more.

However, You will still find poor people on the streets sleeping rough but not all of them will be beggars.

The Indian government has done lots to uplift the people of India out of poverty.

But…

You do find beggars on the streets:)

Many of them are concentrated at religious places. You go to a temple, a mosque, a church or a gurudwara (a Sikh place of worship) and you will be swamped by beggars.

(More on Hinduism here)

You will find some at traffic lights. As soon as the car or taxi stops, you will find beggars knocking on your car window.

To be honest, most of them look perfectly fine and able to work. These beggars are not beggars in the real sense but opportunists.

They just want to feed on your emotions….

So how do you deal with beggars in India?

You can shoo them away,

Give them money,

Just ignore them and do nothing,

Give them something to eat like a biscuit or something,

Take them to a restaurant and feed them,

Don’t stop, keep walking as if you don’t care,

Give them a fresh bottle of water and say this is all you have,

Tell them you don’t have money,

Tell them they look perfectly fine and they don’t need any money,

Keep your windows up,

Tell them to get lost,

Beat them up (not really).

Begging in India has become a business. You’ll be surprised to know that in some cases, beggars have been found to be millionaires. 

Just take a look at this video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSF_5MzA8cU

If your heart does cry out for these beggars, perhaps you could spare a few change. It’s up to you entirely.

Enjoy India. India is almost beggar free.

Going to New Delhi? Then these are the best places to shop!

Despite the fact that the plots are often predictable, the acting is usually overdone and you can generally spot the fake sets and props from a mile away, I have always loved Bollywood movies. My friends think they’re ridiculous but I just love how everything is over dramatised and everything is a matter of life and death! Plus the fact that everyone bursts into song and dance at the drop of a hat just makes me smile!

So when I stumbled across some massively discounted international flights I decided that I was going to spoil myself with a vacation to New Delhi. I had to save a little more for the trip but it wasn’t difficult thanks to Discountrue coupons that you can use in almost every store, such as Kohl’s or Target and many more, and I was ready to go! The one warning I have for when visiting India is beware the sensory overload! The noise of the traffic, speakers blaring from every direction, and people talking a mile a minute at the top of their voices.

Then all the colors that turn into a kaleidoscopic blur if you try to look at too much all at once. And then there were the smells – women leaving trails of perfume, men wearing liberal amounts of cologne and hanging over it all the pungent aromas of every spice known to man! And if you love to shop but can’t control the urge to spend every cent you have then New Delhi is probably the worst place you could visit!

There are markets everywhere, and that means plenty of opportunities to spend your money – but if you can control yourself then here’s the best New Delhi markets to visit:

Khari Baoli

One of the best places to go shopping is in the Chandni Chowk district which is divided into separate bazaars that each specialize in a specific type of product from wedding goods and fabrics, to silver jewelry and electronics. But the best bazaar, called Khari Baoli, is situated beside Fatehpuri Masjid (an ancient mosque) at the western end of Chandni Chowk and is the largest spice market in Asia.

This spice market began in the 17th century and a few of the stalls still sport their original names, while many of the stalls are run by the 7th and 8th generations descended from the first  spice merchants to set up shop here. But despite the rich history of this part of town, the real attraction here is the narrow lanes and tiny alleyways filled to overflowing with both local and exotic spices that fill the air with a heavenly blend of aromas.

The kitchen is the heartbeat of every home and in India that heartbeat is driven by the delightful spices that turn even the most boring of vegetables into a delicious meal you can’t get enough of. And it is the  scurrying porters lugging huge sacks of spices about, shopkeepers touting the quality of their products and customers haggling for the best prices they can get that makes Khari Baoli the heartbeat of New Delhi and a place worth visiting!

Kitab Bazaar at Daryaganj

Book market at Daryaganj, Photo by Koshy Koshy

Being the voracious reader that I am, I can never have enough books to suit me so I often spend money I shouldn’t on books I don’t really have place for. Even though I recently got rid of dozens of books, I still have hundreds more and that is not including the thousands of ebooks I own! While ebooks don’t take up space (and they’re cheaper!), I prefer a proper book – the smell, the texture, the weight in my hands and pages that I can turn.

So the weekly book market that takes place along the narrow footpaths and cramped streets of Daryaganj on Sundays is my idea of heaven!  Here you will find over a kilometre (nearly 2km!) of dust covered books laid out on the pavement, sometimes in neat piles and other times in a  messy jumble that you have to dig through to find anything. And there is literally no limit to what titles you might come across.

You’ll see popular fiction in every genre you can imagine, coffee table books, first editions, some old titles, textbooks, graphic novels, comic books, and popular (or unknown) nonfiction. Each book can cost you anything from INR 400 to just INR 10, so bring cash (beware pickpockets) and a bag to carry all the treasures you find! And if you end up with a ridiculous amount of books then ship them home to avoid additional luggage fees!

Dilli Haat

Dilli Haat, which means Delhi Village Market, is a permanent open air market modelled after a traditional weekly market where you’ll find little thatched roof cottages spread over a 6 acre plot of land. There is more than one Dilli Haat, but I visited the one opposite the INA Market in south Delhi. And if you’re looking for traditional India then this is absolutely the best place to find it.

The market is essentially an arts and crafts bazaar where you will find rural artisans and craftspeople selling everything from panel beaten silver jewelry to handwoven linen, and ornate brassware to hand carved wooden decor items. Then there is the wonderful food plaza where you will find edible delights from every corner of India – whether it is seafood from Odiham, a Tibetan soup from Momomia or pista matka kulfi from Rajasthan.

There is also an area where you can enjoy cultural music or traditional performances from different regions, especially if you happen to visit while there is a festival on the go! Just be aware that there is an entrance fee and that there are new stalls every 15 days (some are permanent though), so if you see something you like then I would suggest trying out your bargaining  skills (the stall owners love a good haggle!).

There are dozens if not hundreds of other markets to visit, including some that offer mostly factory reject designer  clothing, nothing but bangles, and even a few that are for people who have much bigger budgets than others. But if there is one thing I discovered is that India is the land of the bargain and you can negotiate better prices just about anywhere. Unless you visit a State Emporium where the prices are set by the government.

Unfortunately India is nothing like what I saw in all those Bollywood movies, but once I accepted  that I was probably not going to find myself in the middle of a flash dance that I instinctively knew all the steps to, I absolutely fell in love with everything it has to offer. The people, the food, the culture, the landmarks, the history and of course – the shopping!! And if you ever visit then I’m sure you will too!

This article was sent by a friend who recently visited Delhi.

Himachal Pradesh - Soothing Calmness on Lofty Mountains

The natural beauty of the landscape, the serenity in the environment and the majestic Sivalik hills have made people exclaim Himachal Pradesh to be the ‘Paradise on Earth’ and ‘Devabhumi’, meaning land of the Gods.

Nestled in the bosom of Western Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh is credited as a wonderful destination for tourists, vacationers and moreover honeymooners, who flock the state to relax, enjoy, rejuvenate and escape from the humdrum of their monotonous life. The most popular tourist spots which are flocked by tourists, especially during the month of April-June are:

• Shimla
• Chamba
• Rohtang Pass
• Kangra
• Manali
• Kullu
• Dalhousie

Astonishingly, the state which is famous for being tranquil and calm, at the same time has a lot to offer for those who seek adventures. They can go trekking at Zanskar Range, Dhauladhar Range or Pirpanjal Range; engage in bird watching or jeep safaris, go out for mountain climbing near Manali and above all enjoy camping at Lahaul, Kullu-Manali, Spiti, Simla and Dalhousie. For those who love to enjoy the snowfall the best time to visit the state would be during December-January.

Flora and Fauna of Himachal Pradesh

The natural bounty of the North Indian state includes, snow capped mountains touching the skies, stunning glaciers, serene and beautiful lakes, lush valleys, green forests, flowery colorful meadows and cascading rivers.

The incredible fact that baffles everyone is that the rivers crisscrossing the mountains of Himachal Pradesh are known to be older than the mountains themselves. The drainage of Himachal Pradesh includes Indus, Ganges, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej and Yamuna.

Himachal Pradesh is said to be the fruit bowl of India, and now the state government is gearing up to make it the flower basket of the world as well. The state has orchards, meadows and pastures spread over not only on the plains, but also on the steep slopes. The state is famous for the Shimla apples, which was introduced by Samuel Evan Stokes, who brought the sapling from USA in 1920. Today we find variety of apples like Red Delicious, Golden and Yellow Newton which has brought prosperity to state, giving it the name Apple State of India. Along with apples the state boasts of cultivating citrus, grapes, mangoes, litchis, strawberries, apricots, peaches, cherries, pears, kiwi and olive. The gardens and orchards are worth a visit for enthusiastic tourists. At many places they can have the taste of the fresh fruits directly from the trees.

The valleys and meadows are strewn with exotic wild flowers, where as gladiolas, carnations, marigolds, tulips, lilies, roses and chrysanthemums are cultivated for trading. The flowers spread around the state in various hues and shades, especially during the months of April-August, take the breath away of the viewer with their beauty.

For those who love wild life, the state has around 1200 bird and 360 animal species to look for. Snow Leopard is the state animal of Himachal Pradesh. The other animals that are known habitat the state are, leopard, antelopes, deer, bears, thar, ibex and musk deer. Bharal, which is a wild sheep with a bluish-grey coat, and horns that curve backward, is also found in this state. There are about 32 wildlife sanctuaries, 2 national parks and 3 game reserves in Himachal Pradesh. Birds like pheasants, partridges and patient kites are sighted everywhere, where as the rare bird species like Himalayan Monal and Asian paradise flycatcher can be seen in sanctuaries or Birds Park. 

 What to Shop

Himachal Pradesh is a wonderful place to shop for handicrafts. Seeing that the state is famous for carpets, Pashmina shawls, coarse Desar, Himachali Caps, woodwork, exotic metal wares, leather goods and Kangra miniature paintings, one can sure give in to a shopping spree.

Getting There

For those travelling by air, there are three main airports serving Himachal. They are at Jabbarhatti near Shimla, Gaggal near Kangra and Bhunter near Kullu.

Rail travel is not recommended for this hilly state as it has just two narrow gauge rail lines between Kalka and Shimla and Pathankot and Joginder Nagar.

The best way to travel would be through road transport as the state is crisscrossed by 3 national highways. The roads are fairly well maintained, making the travel a pleasant experience for the tourist.

If you are planning to visit Himachal Pradesh then you will a good few days to see all the top spots. There are plenty of hotels for every budget. I suggest you go though the top hotel sites. You will be able to find good hotels if you shop around for the best deals. If you want good Hotel Deals at Best Prices then I suggest you check out the voucher deals they have on offer. I am sure you will be able to good deals. Before you rush out to buy your tickets to India and to fly locally you might wish to check out the Travelguru Domestic Flight Ticket Offers. There are plenty of offers, vouchers and coupons for you to choose from. If you need any help or you want to ask any questions then feel to contact me.

I hope you will enjoy this beautiful state of Himachal Pradesh.

Most haunted places in the world to visit

Believe in them or not, there are very few amongst us who do not love a good ghost story from time to time. Now, you could always flick on a horror channel and take a peek at a couple of good movies. There is no fun in that though. Oh no… If you want to truly experience frights then you need to look into what people have encountered in some of the most haunted places around the world. Now obviously there are hundreds, if not thousands, of haunted places around the globe.

Here are some of my favourite most haunted places from around the world that you might like to visit someday.

Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania

Death row cellblock, Wikipedia

As you are going to discover throughout this list; there are a number of places which are almost guaranteed to be rife with paranormal activity. Prisons are one of them. The Eastern State Penitentiary is one of the most haunted in the world. This prison is notable for being one of the first (if not the first) in the world to introduce solitary confinement. This is a perfectly legitimate tactic to ‘punish’ inmates and guarantee the safety of staff. The problem is, confinement on a long-term basis can make you go a little bit crazy. Perhaps this is what contributes to the many sights in the former prison i.e. it is just somebody’s imagination. Maybe it is the ‘crazy’ people back for revenge, who knows?

Evil cackling, shadowy figures, and ghostly faces have been seen all over the prison. As you can probably guess, disembodied footsteps and other sounds of unknown origin are also rife. Scary stuff!

Waverly Hills Sanitorium, Kentucky

Waverly Hills Sanatorium main entrance

The Sanitorium is the second type of building on this list which is almost guaranteed to have carious moans and howls heard throughout the night. It is believed that well over 60,000 people died within this building. It seems only fit that a few of them would stick around, right? Many of these deaths were not actually down to sickness. Oh no. That would not be gruesome enough. Instead they were down to failed experiments and all sorts of mistreatment. This is pretty much asking for the building to be haunted. A number of ghost investigation teams have investigated the building. Some have discovered a presence. All provide compelling evidence. If you can imagine a type of ghost, it can probably be found in this building.

Monte Cristo Homestead, Australia

Monte Cristo Homestead, Wikipedia

We are heading to the other side of the world for this haunted location. Let me introduce you to what is regarded as one of the most haunted locations in Australia. The building may be beautiful in appearance but it seems to house a rather deadly secret. It has played host to a number of deaths. Perhaps the most intriguing a stable boy who ended up burning to death, oh, and a young boy who fell down the stairs, in fact, there were around 10 deaths in just 50 years. Crazy, right? It is believed that most of these people still reside in the building…in some form or another.

The Tower of London, England

St John’s Chapel, inside the White Tower, Wikipedia

This is my favorite haunted location on this list. The main reason being that I have had a personal experience here. No, I did not see anything. However as you walk up those tight staircases and through the ancient rooms you can’t help but feel a presence. Whilst this place was never built as a prison it has housed a number of criminals over the years. This includes a number of Nazi war prisoners. This has also been the site of countless numbers of executions. This includes the death of a couple of Henry VIII’s wives! Perhaps the scariest story of this building relates to two young boys, princes in fact, who were murdered and buried under the stairs. It is said that they can still be seen. They walk around the building, hand in hand, looking absolutely terrified.

Borgvattnet, Sweden

Sticking in Europe for this one! Here we are heading to a small place in Sweden known as Jamtland County. This building, known in English as ‘The Haunted Vicarage’ has been in place since 1876. It was not until the late 1920’s that sightings began to happen though. Most of the sightings around this time were poltergeist in nature. You know the stuff, laundry being thrown about and all. It was not until later on that old women started to sit around watching people sleep (dead old women, well, their ghosts), apparitions could be seen in the corridors, and well just about everything else under the sun. The building is now a café. It still has some bedrooms though. If you are daring you can spend the night there. If you manage then you will get a certificate to tell you that you survived….if you do.

Island of the Dolls (Isla de las Munecas), Mexico

Island of the Dolls, Mexico, Wikipedia

Legend has it that a young girl died on this island by drowning. It is said that she has never left. This is regarded as one of the most haunted locales in Mexico. Many of those who inhabited this area have refused to go near the water through fear of what may happen. This happened until a man by the name of Julian arrived on the island in the 1950s. Intending to be a recluse, he knew nothing of the history of the place. Pretty soon though the girl started to approach Julian to tell him how she could never leave. In order to please her, he purchased dolls and hung them up around the island. It is said that Julian could not purchase these dolls quickly enough. The dead girl was not happy and this led to the death of Julian in exactly the same location that she perished. These dolls can still be found hanging up around the island. Their eyes follow you. Both Julian and the dead girl remain on the island….NEVER TO ESCAPE!

Poveglia, the world’s most haunted island

Sadly the Poveglia Island is now closed to visitors but there are some tour companies that still carry out private tours to the Island in the Venice Lagoon. Poveglia Island has a reputation of being the world’s most haunted island. There used to be a mental asylum run by a murderous doctor on the island and in the medieval period people with plague were burned.  The mad doctor apparently comminuted suicide by jumping off the tower. It is said that thousands of people have died on the Poveglia Island. Local fishermen fishing around the island say that sometimes bones would get stuck in their nets. You will have to find a travel tour company in Venice if you want to visit the island. So if you’re heading of to Venice, why not take a boat trip to Poveglia Island. 

Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan in India

India too has its share of haunted places. One place in particular is supposed one of the most haunted places in the world. The Bhangarh fort near Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan has a reputation of being haunted and tops the list being one of the most haunted. The Bhangarh Fort is built on a deserted town called Bhangarh near the popular tourist place of Jaipur in Rajastan.

There are several stories and myths associated legends of Bhangarh Fort. One such story goes that the son of the owner died violently their spirit lingers on in the physical world. I have written a book called, “Real Ghost And Paranormal Stories From India” where detailed my person ghost and paranormal stories.

Anyway, in addition, to this, it is said that a man who used to do black magic in the area cursed the residents of the fort that they will die unnatural deaths and their spirit will haunt the place. Interestingly, his curse seemed to have stuck and many of the residents and owners of the place have died in unusual circumstances. That is why when you visit the place, you will not find houses around this fort. Most people would just not buy land to build houses in the vicinity of the Bhangarh fort. Funny thing is that there is a government notice board for tourists not to enter the fort after sunset. Would you go to such a place (after sunset)? I know I wouldn’t.

Let me know what you thought about these haunted places of the world and which ones you have visited? Have you got a story to share about a haunted place then feel free to share them in the comments section? In the meantime, don’t forget to read some of the most haunted places in India and types of ghosts Indians believe in. If you love ghost stories, movies or places, I am sure India has plenty of haunted places to cater for your needs.

Real Ghost And Paranormal Stories From India

Try sugarcane juice in India

You might not have thought about drinking sugarcane juice but in India it’s a very popular drink for us Indians. It’s one of the best thirst quenchers around. It’s widely available and cheap as well.

You will be able to find a sugarcane cart everywhere in India. The juice is made by crushing peeled sugarcane sticks and collecting the juice in containers. Some people would simply chew on these sugarcane sticks. As far as I know there are very little risks from drinking sugarcane juice in India. However you must consider if it’s hygienic for you or not. You can read more about it in my book here. The cost of a glass would range from Rupees 10 to 25 per glass.

A vendor selling sugar cane juice in India

Here are some tips when trying out sugarcane juice in India

• Ask the vendor to empty out the container in which the juice in being extracted. This way you know that you will get freshly squeezed juice.
• You can ask the vendor to clean the glasses once again if you aren’t convinced it’s clean.
• You could take the juice in your own glass or container.
• Some vendors add salt to the juice, you might wish to avoid it.

Watch sugarcane being extracted