Are you tired of hearing travellers tales from friends and family and feel the urge to explore the world for yourself? If so, the world is truly at your fingertips, because the internet has made it incredibly easy to combine hotels, flights, attraction tickets, and extras like car rental.
And seeing the world doesn’t have to come with a gigantic price tag, either. As we’ll see, there are plenty of travel hacks available to globe-trotters which can cut huge chunks of the cost of anyone’s trip.
Follow these tips when you book your next trip and you’ll have no shortage of cash left for making the most of your vacation.
1. Learn how to work around travel geoblockers
The first piece of advice in our travel hackers’ guide is the most technical. Many flight and accommodation booking sites now use geographical filters to segment their audiences. By logging IP addresses, using mobile tracking or implanting cookies, flight comparison sites can get a really good idea of where (and who) you are. This allows them to deliver different prices to different locations – leaving people in richer areas out of pocket.
This may be fine for super-rich people in New York or LA, but what about the rest of us? However, salvation is at hand. By anonymizing your online identity and routing traffic through servers across the world, travel fans can beat these annoying restrictions.
To do so, you’ll need a good Virtual Private Network. Check out ExpressVPN review on VPNpro for the low-down on one of the best around. When you’ve signed up, route your traffic through Mexico or Indonesia, and see how the prices fluctuate at sites like kayak.com.
2. Use free stopovers to see more of the world
When you come to book your flights, why not choose flights which pack in extra destinations? That way, you can still head to your primary destination, but sample the atmosphere in other global cities for a few days as you travel.
If you’re flying from the USA to Europe, you can often pick up free stopover deals in Reykjavik (Iceland’s capital), which has an outstanding dining scene, while Finnair offers a similar service for Helsinki. If you love Scandinavian design and culture, why not add some Finnish dates before jetting off to Greece or Italy?
The beauty of these stopovers is that they are free add-ons. So you can visit places you never would have thought of, adding nothing extra to your main vacation budget. 3. Pimp your credit card for the travelling life
when you travel, having a credit card is absolutely essential – but not all credit cards provide the same perks for travellers. In fact, some are pretty awful, coming with hefty charges to use them outside the USA.
However, there are some travel-oriented credit cards around, which come with a very low commission for currency exchange. For instance, Chase Sapphire Reserve has an outstanding reputation and bundles in $300 in “travel credits” to spend overseas.
Others come with the ability to accumulate “points” with hotel and car rental purchases – which can defray the costs of seeing the sights. With these in your pocket, you’ll find the eventual cost of any trip is much, much lower. So don’t stick with your old card. Switch before you travel.
Worshippers at the Mahabodhi Temple
4. Max out on frequent flier points over the long term
If you intend to travel to numerous destinations over an extended period of time, it’s essential to learn how to rack up frequent flier points. These points will eventually translate into free flights, but they need to be accumulated cleverly.
For example, you’ll want to stick to airlines with generous customer loyalty programs, then use them as your preferred provider. Don’t be tempted to switch to budget airlines for the best short-term prices. If you pick wisely, you’ll find that the long-term savings from free flights tend to outweigh spur of the moment savings.
And this tip can also be combined with #3. Many loyalty programs include airline credit cards which deliver plenty of points. These are often the best cards for money exchange, too, so use them as much as possible before and while you travel.
5. Don’t assume that price comparison sites are great value
On the face of it, comparison sites like Booking.com should deliver the best value, right? When every hotel room is listed and compared, great deals should leap out at you. And that seems to be the case, but looks can be deceptive.
Actually, it can often work out cheaper to contact hotels directly, rather than going via price comparison sites. Many hotels will have rooms that they need to sell following cancellations, and the booking site always takes a cut. So a phone call can work wonders.
Hack away the cost of travel with savvy shopping
By using travel hacking techniques, anyone can drive down the cost of getting away. Find a way to accumulate frequent flier miles, source a credit card which works for travellers, check out our ExpressVPN review to work around geo filters, and don’t be afraid to contact hotels directly. That way, you can see the world for much less than everyone else. So why pay more?
China is booming at the moment and an increasing number of foreigners are traveling there, either to enjoy what the country has to offer, find work as an expatriate, or invest in the country’s booming real estate market. But because of the particularities of the country and some of the misconceptions about the local government, going to China may seem daunting to many, especially if it’s your first trip. However, with the proper game plan and preparation, your first trip to China should be all that you expected and more. Let’s take a look at what steps you should take to make sure that your trip goes as smoothly as possible.
Choose your Destination
China is a vast country and your experience can differ greatly depending on where you decide to go. You can decide to stay within urban centers and still enjoy all the accommodations you enjoy at home or go completely off the beaten path. If you’re only staying for a short period of time and want to get a taste for Chinese city life, then cities like Shanghai, Beijing or fast-growing metropolises like Guangzhou or Shenzhen might be a great idea. But if you want something a little bit more out of the ordinary, you could go for places like Guilin or Xi’an, for instance.
Get your Visa
As a US citizen, you will be required to get a visa before you enter the country. The application fee will be $160 for a basic non-immigrant visa and $190 for a work visa. You’ll also have to provide your round-trip flight itinerary, passport, and a passport picture at your nearest Chinese embassy or consulate. Note that it can take up to two months for the application to be processed, so make sure that everything is correct if you want to eliminate delays and send your application well in advance. A visa handling service could also help you expedite the process and reduce delays.
You should also note that you will berequired to provide the address where you’ll be lodged during your trip, soyou’ll have to book your accommodation in advance for at least the first threedays of your trip.
Start Looking at Insurance
Before you leave, it’s essential that you understand the Chinese healthcare system and that you get solid health insurance coverage. While foreign residents working in the country can now have access to public healthcare in certain circumstances, going for private insurance would be a better choice, especially if you’re coming with your family. For one, depending on where you live, you may not have access to any social security benefits, like in Shanghai, for instance. Many treatments also come with significant co-payments and fees on things like repatriation and evacuation won’t be covered either. So, it is wise that you look at different insurance options beforehand and shop for private coverage instead.
Organize your Money
You should make sure that you understandlocal prices and get yourself acquainted with the currency before leaving. Alsodecide if you’ll be using travelers’ checks, cash, an ATM card, or acredit/debit card. You should also ask your bank what type of fees you canexpect for withdrawals and see if you can arrange for the fees to be waived orlowered during your trip.
Get to Learn About the Countryand Culture
Last, but not least, you should start by immersing yourself into the culture before leaving. Learn a few words before you go and use your visa processing time to practice as much as possible. Get to understand the local food culture as well. And, you also need to start growing a bargaining bone now if you don’t want to end up being slapped with a foreigner tax wherever you go.
Conclusion
As you can see, going to China doesn’t haveto be scary after all. If you come prepared, you’ll be able to enjoy thecountry to the fullest and discover everything China has to offer.
To the east of the Indian subcontinent is the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. It is within this area that hundreds of small islands exist. This group of islands is called the Andaman Islands. Even though India technically has legal authority over them, they are positioned closer to the countries of Thailand and Myanmar. India is about 1,000 kilometers away from these islands, so it will be a longer trip to get to them from there.
Traveling to the Andaman Islands
If you want to travel to the Andaman Islands, you need to travel to Port Blair first. This is the capital of the Andaman Islands as well as its largest town. In order to visit the other Andaman Islands, you must get approval from the authorities of Port Blair first. South Andaman Island is where Port Blair is located. There are two ways to get to Port Blair and both require you to be in the Indian mainland. If you try to travel to the Andaman Islands from Thailand or Myanmar, it would be considered illegal without the proper credentials.
How to Get There
If you are a foreigner from another country, you must take an international flight to India first. From there, you can decide how you want to travel to Port Blair. First, you have the option to fly to Port Blair if your starting destination is the Indian cities of Kolkata, Delhi, or Chennai. The flight from Delhi to Port Blair will take up to 5 hours because Delhi is much farther away from the Andaman Islands than the other two cities. The flights from Chennai or Kolkata to Port Blair will only take around 2 hours.
Alternatively, you can take the scenic route by traveling to Port Blair on a ship. If you start in the coastal Indian cities of Vizag, Chennai, or Kolkata, you can reach Port Blair by ship after about 4 days or so. The ship option will obviously be longer, but it will give you a chance to enjoy the beautiful blue ocean and just relax. If you have a lot of time on your hands and wish to travel slowly, the ship is a great option.
A handful of the Andaman Islands are tourist attractions because of their white sandy beaches and beautiful views of the bright blue ocean. There are tourist ships visiting these islands all the time. Indian citizens do not need a passport, visa, permit, or any kind of special permission to visit the Andaman Islands. Foreigners, on the other hand, will need a passport and Indian Visa just to get into the country of India. But this doesn’t immediately grant them access to the Andaman Islands, though.
The Andaman Islands are a union territory of India. While some islands are open to tourists, many of them are protected islands. For this reason, the Indian government has declared this territory of islands to be a restricted area for foreigners. This means if a foreigner wishes to visit one of the Andaman Islands, they need to request a Restricted Area Permit at Port Blair. This is not as difficult as it may sound. If you have a valid passport and an Indian Visa, you will likely be able to obtain your permit within 15 minutes after requesting it. You don’t even need to pay any money for the permit either.
Places to see at Andaman and Nicobar
There are nearly 600 islands which make up the Andaman Islands. Many of these islands used to consist of indigenous tribes. That all changed in the 19th century when deforestation got out of hand on these islands, thanks to the European settlers of India during the time. In the 20th century, the forests were eventually left alone and deemed protected by the Indian government. Now some of the islands are used for tourism purposes while other islands still have indigenous tribes left on them. The latter islands are off limits to tourists and foreigners.
If you want to know which islands you can visit in the Andamans, the three best touristy islands are North Andaman Island, Havelock Island, and Neil Island. Havelock is by far the most developed island for tourists in the Andamans. It has the most ferry rides going to it, which means it has the most tourists too. Of course, it has the beautiful white beaches and clear blue waters that you’d expect. There are also long treks, lots of beachside mahua trees, and even some exotic island hotel rooms.
Neil Island is a little smaller than Havelock Island, but still a great tourist destination. If you are into snorkeling, then Neil Island is the best place. There is an abundance of wildlife, coral reefs and calm white beaches which make the island great for anyone who likes the water. If you want to stay overnight on Neil Island, you’ll have several 3-star hotel options available too.
On North Andaman Island, you will be taken on a tour of the mangrove forests and limestone caves. You’ll get to walk through several tribal reserves and possibly see some crocodiles who like to sunbathe. As for the starting destination of Port Blair, this is a multicultural town which will give you a taste of the different local traditions of the islands. This was a popular island during the British colonial period too. A lot of the infrastructure on the island still resembles this.
Forbidden Islands to Avoid
Foreigners are not allowed to just venture off to any island they choose in this territory. It is recommended that they only go to the islands which have publicly authorized ferries to them. However, there are certainly ways around this if a foreigner really wants to explore some untouched island in the Andamans. It can be as easy as hiring a local fisherman to take you out there on his boat. Just do not get caught because the Indian government could punish you with a fine or imprisonment. That’s assuming you even survive the trip to the island, especially if there are deadly indigenous tribes on it.
North Sentinel Island
Out of all the forbidden islands to avoid in the Andamans, the one that gets the most attention is North Sentinel Island. This island is home to the indigenous Sentinelese tribe, which experts say is the last isolated and untouched group of people in the world. This is the only group of people left on the planet who have not been exposed to any other form of modern civilization. Because of this, the Sentinelese live the same way that their ancestors did thousands of years ago.
From an anthropological standpoint, the Sentinelese are a fascinating tribe. Their bloodline has a direct link to the first humans who ever walked the Earth. When you consider that humans have been around for nearly 60,000 years, this would make the Sentinelese the oldest tribe still in existence. It certainly makes sense as to why the Indian government wants to protect this island and restrict its access from outsiders. They don’t want that 60,000-year-old bloodline to be compromised.
Ever since the passing of the Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act of 1956, no one can travel within a 5-mile radius of North Sentinel Island. The only people who have the legal authority to get close to the island is the Indian Navy. They regularly patrol the island and the waters around it. The Indian government takes the restriction of outsiders from this island very seriously. The purpose of this legislation was an effort to prevent foreign diseases and germs from infecting any of the Sentinelese people. That is why they want travelers not to get too close to the island.
However, there is another good reason why the Indian government has restricted outside people from traveling to North Sentinel Island. The Sentinelese are very dangerous and not too welcoming to outsiders. Just because they are mostly naked islanders without any modern weapons or technology, it doesn’t mean they are not dangerous. The Sentinelese come equipped with bows and arrows as a means of defense and offense. If they see anyone approaching on a vessel, they will not hesitate to attack them with their arrows. They’ve already killed fishermen in the past just for getting too close to the island on their boat.
The South Andaman administrative district has legal authority over North Sentinel Island. They have passed legislation which protects the rights of the islanders to remain at peace and be left alone. The local officials will periodically monitor around the island to look for outsiders who are illegally trying to visit. It doesn’t matter if you’re a foreigner or a native Indian citizen. No one is allowed to go to North Sentinel Island unless they have the express permission of the Indian government.
Do not confuse North Sentinel Island with South Sentinel Island because they are two different islands. South Sentinel Island does allow tourists to visit the island if they have a restricted area permit. Some notable features of South Sentinel Island include an unmanned lighthouse, beautiful blue beaches, and loaded with coral reefs in every direction. There are no roads on the island either. You can only travel by foot on the various dirt paths which exist there.
South Sentinel Island does not have any stores, restaurants, or hotels. Tourists are encouraged to bring drinks and food for the trip. Most of the activities on the island are hosted by a guide. This includes the hiking, diving, fishing, snorkeling and boating activities. Although there are no indigenous tribes or people living on the island, visitors are not allowed to stay there unsupervised. It is still considered a natural sanctuary and Indian officials want to preserve it for as long as possible.
North Sentinal Island
Getting back to North Sentinel Island, the Sentinelese tribe is unlike any other Indian tribe of recent history. In the 19th century, British settlers attempted to communicate with the Sentinelese people by bringing Andamanese indigenous people from the Onge tribe to speak with them. The Onge come from Little Andaman Island, which is close to South Andaman Island where Port Blair is located. But when the Onge heard the Sentinelese language, they could not understand it. Despite all the similarities between the various tribes on these islands, their years of separation has made them slightly different from one another.
Throughout the 20th century, there have been some attempts to make contact with the Sentinelese. Exploratory parties from India would try to make friends with the Sentinelese people every couple of years. In 1977, there was an incident where a cargo ship connected with coastal reefs and ran aground on them. Another ship did the same thing in 1981. It is believed the Sentinelese people foraged through the wrecked ships and recovered a lot of metal and iron. This is likely how they can make arrow tips out of metal.
Since 1997, there have been no authorized visits to North Sentinel Island. Some of the local officials are known to drop off bananas and coconuts on the island, but this is a rare thing. Whenever a ship or even a helicopter passes by the island, the Sentinelese people will shoot their arrows at it. The authorities do not punish any of the Sentinelese if they damage property or hurt somebody.
In January of 2006, there was a situation where two fishermen were killed after their fishing boat had drifted near the shore. The Sentinelese people did not hesitate to kill the fishermen with bow and arrows. Once again, the Indian government did not charge the tribe with any crimes.
North Sentinel Island continues to be a fascinating but deadly place. On one hand, foreigners are curious to witness this indigenous untouched tribe firsthand. On the other hand, the Indian officials have made no secret of how dangerous it is to visit the island. While many people have adhered to the warnings of Indian officials, there are always some foreigners who try to live dangerously and adventurous by attempting to get close to the island. One recent foreigner did this very thing but was not so lucky in the end.
To give you an idea of how dangerous North Sentinel Island can still be for foreigners, just look at what happened recently to a 26-year-old Christian missionary and American adventurer named John Allen Chau. He was killed by the Sentinelese people after illegally traveling to the island and attempting to make contact with them. As a missionary, Chau’s goal was to live on the island with the Sentinelese people and try to introduce Christianity to them. Unfortunately, he did not even come close to succeeding.
Ever since Chau graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he lived a nomad lifestyle by going around the world doing missionary work. He trained to be a missionary at an organization based in Missouri called All Nations. The idea of helping other people discover Christianity was very important to him. He was not like other college graduates who were eager to get a high paying job and start a family. His life’s mission was clear in his mind, so he went out to live his dream.
According to friends of Chau, he knew perfectly well about the dangers and risks of traveling to North Sentinel Island. He knew the Indian government deemed it a restricted island, which is why there are no public ferries that ever go out there. The only way to legally access the island is by getting special permission from the Indian government. However, this kind of permission is only granted to anthropologists and researchers of reputable educational organizations or institutions.
Since Chau was neither of these things, he could not get legal permission to visit North Sentinel Island. He only had a standard tourist visa to visit mainland India. For this reason, Chau paid local fishermen to illegally take him to the island. This was what ultimately led to his demise. But he was not killed right away, though. Chau had plenty of chances to escape danger and save his own life, but he chose to risk it instead.
On November 15th, 2018, Chau made his first attempt to visit North Sentinel Island on the fishing boat. The fishermen steered the boat until it was about 2,000 feet from the island’s shore. They would not go any further for obvious reasons, but Chau had other ideas. Despite all the warnings that the fisherman gave Chau about going to shore, he wanted to go anyway. So, Chau took the canoe that was attached to the boat and steered his own way to shore.
When Chau arrived on shore, he carried his Bible with him. He approached the Sentinelese islanders to preach the word of God. The first thing he said to them was, “My name is John… I love you and Jesus loves you.” He then tried to give them gifts, but he quickly ran back to his canoe after they started to get aggressive. All this information is known because it was retrieved from the journal entries that he made about the experience prior to his death.
Over the next 2 days, Chau made frequent visits to the shore in an attempt to win over the Islanders. According to Chau’s journal entries, not all his encounters with the Islanders were hostile. Some of them were puzzled and confused while others were actually amused and excited. His best encounters were when he sang Christian songs to them about worship. He even tried speaking the Xhosa language, which is an official language in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Unfortunately, the Sentinelese did not understand Xhosa or English. Chau tried many different forms of communication with the Islanders. Sometimes they stayed silent in their response, and other times they laughed profusely and made lots of high-pitched noises. When it looked like Chau was making some progress, he tried offering them some gifts and fish. This must have provoked them because a small Sentinelese boy responded by shooting an arrow with a metal head into the Bible he was carrying. That prompted him to leave the island once again.
November 17th, 2018 was Chau’s final visit to the island. It was also the day that he would end up getting killed by the Islanders. Before he headed to shore in his canoe for the last time, he told the fishermen that he wanted them to leave him on the island. The fishermen were reluctant to leave the area without him, but they did for a little while to make him happy. However, when the fishermen came back to the island area, they witnessed Chau’s dead body getting dragged around by the Islanders on shore before it was buried in the sand.
The 7 fishermen who took Chau out to the island were later arrested. Local officials are trying to find a way to retrieve Chau’s body from the island. This is an unusual situation because local officials don’t normally step foot onto the island. They typically observe the island from a distance and try to stop outsiders and foreigners from going there if they spot them. Therefore, this is going to break their normal tradition because the officials don’t like the idea of disturbing the Islanders’ natural habitat.
Now you might be wondering why the Islanders are not getting arrested by the Indian authorities for murder. After all, the Andaman Islands do fall under their legal jurisdiction. Well, the problem is that North Sentinel Island has been deemed a sovereign area. Although it remains under Indian protection, the actions of the Sentinelese people are not prosecuted by the Indian government. This means if a foreigner goes to the island illegally and a Sentinelese person kills him, that islander will not be charged with murder.
In the case of Chau’s murder, no islanders are going to be charged. The only ones who bear any legal responsibility for his death are the fishermen. In addition, a human rights group based in the United Kingdom named Survival International has expressed their concern over Chau stepping onto the island. They’re afraid that he may have infected the Sentinelese people with germs and pathogens from his body.
Since North Sentinel Island remained untouched for countless generations, it means the island has not been plagued with any diseases or viruses. But now, because of Chau, he may have brought his pathogens to the island and infected the people with them. Seeing how these people don’t have immunities for such pathogens, it could end up killing the entire tribe on the island.
As of November 28th, 2018, Indian officials gave up their efforts to retrieve Chau’s body from the island. They didn’t want to risk endangering the Islanders any more than they already have been.
Shimla, the capital of Himachal, is one of the popular tourist spots in the country. It is an excellent location for people who are looking to have a break from their routine life. The picturesque valleys, pleasant climate, soothing cuisine, and warm people can make your vacation a memorable one indeed. The environment is filled with so much of love that it makes for the best destination for romantic couples to spend their honeymoon time. There are small markets here as well that fulfils every desire of the travellers to this place.
Culture & lifestyle in Shimla
Although the climate is cool in Shimla, the people here are so very warm hearted. Everyone believes in living a simplistic life here. They keep a balance between modern thoughts and traditional values. People here don’t follow any particular religion; they follow age old rituals and traditions and see that even their coming generations follow them. Generally, most of the people here come from Tibetan or Himachali background, and continue preaching the same. The culture is cordial and there is a happy atmosphere all over the town and beyond.
Tourist places to visit in Shimla
As Shimla is a tourist place, there are plenty of amazing tourist attractions here to check out. Some of the popular ones are:
Kufri: It is also known as Switzerland of India or East. It is situated 19 km away from Shimla. It is a beautiful place offering breathtaking views to everyone. Winter season is the best time to visit this spot.
Jakhoo Hills: It is considered to be the highest point of the Shimla town. There is also a Hanuman temple atop of the hill. It is open all day. Best way to reach this place is by trekking.
Chail: It a snow clad town for ultimate peace. It is located 45 km away from the town. It is the best place to find the majestic beauty of the hills.
Himalayan Bird Park: It is one of the most visited places in the town. It is a house to plenty of birds. Also, it is a calm and serene place.
Other interesting spots to visit are Christ Church, Kuthar Fort, Annandale, and more.
Romantic things to do in Shimla
Romantic walks: Hand in hand, and walking amidst natural surroundings – nothing can be romantic from this. This is the best way to spend your romantic vacation with your partner.
Enjoy coffee together: Chill climate, hot cuppa, and your partner with you. Can you ask for anything more?
Hill top points: Summer Hill and Scandal Point are some spectacular places in Shimla where you can enjoy breathtaking views with your partner.
Waterfalls: There are some beautiful falls here such as Chandwick falls, Naldhera, and Narkanda where you can relish spectacular nature views.
Shopping in Shimla
Shimla is a fantastic place for the shopaholics. A few bazaars include:
The Mall: It is located in the centre of the city, it has shops, theatres, cafes, and lots more places to hangout.
Tibetan market: You can get attractive handicrafts from this market.
Himachal Emporium: It is the best place for winter clothes, especially Himachali ones such as shawls, caps, mufflers and more.
Lower Bazaar: Also called as sabzi mandi, it is a good place for buying any stuff you need.
Best time to visit Shimla for honeymoon
Anytime of the year is the best time to visit Shimla. However, to spend a romantic vacation in Shimla, winter season would be amazing when the snow falls, the climate is chill, and there is fewer crowds. Make your reservations in advance to enjoy a great time with your partner amidst the cold and natural surroundings.
How to reach Shimla?
The nearest airport to Shimla is in Delhi and Chandigarh. There are flights connected from different parts of the country to Delhi airport and Chandigarh airport. From here, you can take buses or cabs to reach Shimla. Now you know everything about Shimla, and you are just few steps away from making reservations of your flights and hotels. Start planning now to spend the best time of your life in the summer capital of India.
India is a place which is full of beautiful sites that one can visit. To explore India, one will need to go to the key places that actually hold the true essence of India. A whole Indian subcontinent is a place where you can find different types of landforms at the same space. The coastal areas of India are known for their rich agricultural background and also because of its ports. One such place is the state of Goa. The state is quite small but it has an importance in India as it was a Portuguese colony in the past.
So, let us know a few places that one can visit in Goa.
Baga Beach: When you are in Goa, you cannot miss the famous Baga beach. It is a place that is bubbling with life and it is wonderful to look at. As a tourist, one can visit the beach to sunbathe or take a dip in it. At night, the beach becomes a party hub where you can find people from all over India and also from abroad. You will also find the best hotels in Goa around the Baga beach.
Fort Aguada: As we said earlier, Goa is a hub of the Portuguese culture. You have to visit Fort Aguada if you are interested in its colonial history. The fort faces the Arabian sea which gives it an exquisite location. It even has an old lighthouse that was built in 1864. Tourists explore the fort complex because of its beautiful architecture and its closeness to nature.
Anjuna Beach: If you want to see a beach that is lined with red lateritic rocks then this will be your favourite place in Goa. It is a serene beach where you can enjoy your day to the full brim. If you are able to visit the beach on a Wednesday, you can experience the amazing flea market that is famous among the locals as well as the tourists.
Spice plantations: Goa was always the choice of the Portuguese because of its port and the rich spice plantations. So, they form a very big part of the culture of Goa and you can feel that in their food and also the people. Currently, Goa hosts a spice plantation safari where you can see the different spices growing right on the plants. These plantations are generally situated about 30 Kms away from Panaji so it is very easy to visit them.
Divar Island: This is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places present in Goa. The island is covered in forests which add to the experience of seeing the island. You have to go by a Ferry and there is a small village on the island which gives you the best hospitality even for being a small place.
So, here are some of the places that you should visit in Goa. Apart from these, there are several lesser known beaches that one can see. Another important part of Goa is the nightclubs and restaurants where you can spend hours. The state is quite beautiful and a tourist should definitely take in all parts of the state.
The festive season is now on and wherever you are in India you will find stalls known as “pandals” decorated with the statue of Goddess Durga. The Festival of Durga Puja is most popular in states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Tripura and Gujarat. The festival of Durga Puja or Navaratri marks the battle between Goddess Durga with the powerful buffalo demon called Mahishasura whom she defeats and restores righteousness. This year the festival of Navratri are dated between October 10th and 18th. Each day of the festival has its own significance for instance the first day of the festival is dedicated to Shailaputri or daughter of the mountain and the 10 day is Dusshera. Here are some of the photos taken in Kolkata.
India is a diverse country with different cultures and religions. The customs followed by Indian people vary across length and breadth of the country. Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity, are some of the major religions people believe and follow. Not only the religion affects the way people think, live and dress but also the region or the state they belong to has great influence.
What do Indian women wear?
Traditionally the dress for Indian women devoid of caste, creed and culture is sari. Sari (saree) is a four to nine yard unstitched garment draped in different styles and worn on an upper stitched garment called choli/blouse. Here’s how to wear the sari.
Though sari is popularly believed to be the traditional dress for Indian women, there are other dresses that are either region specific or culture specific which are also considered to be part of Indian traditional dresses. In Punjab the traditional dress is Salwar Kameez and in Rajasthan it is Gagra Choli or also known as Lehenga. In Kerala an older version of sari called Mundum Neriyathum is the traditional dress, where Mundu forms the lower garment and Neriyathu is the upper garment.
Indian bride wearing a saree
In other parts of the country the most popular traditional dress is sari which is draped in a variety of styles. For example, in Maharashtra the kachha style and in Gujarat front pallu style.
However, with time the sense of dressing is evolved. Due to factors like globalisation and westernisation, today’s women take a modern approach when it comes to dress. Except for the older generation who are conservative and orthodox, the sari has been popularly replaced by Churidhar-Kurta and the Salwar Kameez. Women of almost all the ages starting from 18 years old to 90 years old prefer dressing in Salwaar Kameez for their day to day life. The traditional garment Kurthi is worn as a top on jeans which gives a casual western look while still has the conservative elegance of Indian wear kurtha.
There is yet another class of Indian women who have taken a leap towards modernisation. These are again a section of females aged between 18 and 90 who are more influenced by the lifestyle and habitats rather than religion or culture of the regions. They believe in contemporary fashion and are more westernised. Pants, skirts, minis, you name it and they wear it!
Hijab – Muslim women wear it as part of their tradition. It is a long and loose dress usually black in colour, gown like outer garment which is either worn on sari or Salwaar Kameez. It is paired with a black head dress which has a black transparent face cover attached to it.
Men, you can hardly find Indian men wearing traditional dress in the country today. Only during special occasions like weddings or festivals you will be able to find male section of the Indian society in traditional Indian dresses. But yes, in rural parts of India and countable number of senior citizens can be seen in traditional dress as part of their daily life.
The traditional dress for Indian men essentially is Dhoti paired with Kurta and Gandhi Ttopi or Oagri. Dhoti is a six feet unstitched garment worn in a particular style which gives the pant effect rather than a skirt effect! It is paired with a stitched upper garment called Kurta which is normally longer than a shirt with two slits on each side. A traditional Indian man’s dress is incomplete without a head dress. A Nehru topi/cap or a petah/pagri/turban accompanies depending on the culture and/or religion.
Sherwani is another type of dress with a long below the knee jacket styled coat or Kurta. It is usually worn with tight fitting pyjama like pants called churidars and sometimes a scarf is added to the attire.
Again there are variations in this traditional dress depending on region and religion. Kurta-Pijama, Lungi-shirt which is popular in south India especially Tamil Nadu and Gujarati dress which has a typical style of pants and a frock style Kurta.
But from the time after the British rule men in India have adopted to the pant-shirt culture. Today you can see them in jeans, funky half pants, shirts and t-shirts, suits and such western outfits.
Additionally the colour, texture and material are diverse as well. Depending on ethnicity and cultural preferences dresses and colour choices vary from occasion to occasion. For example, red is considered as auspicious by Hindus for many sacred occasions and festivals for women, including for a bride to be married. White is worn by Hindus for mourning whereas Christians wear white to weddings.
People in India were once found wearing cotton clothes. Only the upper or the class of people who belonged to royal family wore silk or muslin clothing. With times the materials used for clothing have acquired high fashion standards. India is changing and you surely need not worry much about what to wear in India next time you plan to visit here.
