Khajuraho is the appealing in the heart of India, Madhya Pradesh. This is different from other temples of India because it not about worshiping or deities. The temple Khajuraho is famous for its eroticism carving on the walls in the form of sculptures. It is a mixture of art and science of architecture, during the 11th-12th century temple has a great story and origin of Chandela dynasty. It is said that, the God Moon seduces and raped a Brahmin girl , Hemavati, resulting in the birth of Chandravarman founder of Chandela Dynasty. After some days, Chandravarman had a dream in which his mother is saying him to make a temple in which it will show all aspect of treasure of passion and erotic fantasy of the world.After that people are believing that it is depicted of Kamasutra or art and sexual relation of Lord Shiva and Parvati. This temple was lost into darkness but after discovering it has become most favorable place after Taj Mahal,only 22 temples are there out of 85 temples. It is made by unique stone carving in the year1986 and declared World Heritage Site.

This temple is build in different way then the other temples of India, it took more than 200 hundred year to complete and all the 85 temples are similar to each other. The temple build several meters off ground on high platforms. It is beautifully build with granite and sandstone, in the entrance their is a huge hall, beautifully carved. Khajuraho is divided in three groups- Eastern group, Southern group and Western group

Eastern Group- This group take isolated sub-groups and situated in and around the present town of Khajuraho. There is three Brahmical temples said that these temples are of Brahma, Vamana and Javari and three Jain temples Ghantai, Adinath and Parsvanath.

Southern Group- This is located at the distant location and two temples come under this group- Duladeo and Chaturbhuja which is near Khudarnala.

Western Group- This group is the largest among all the two groups. It is located in the centre and includes monuments built during reign of Chandela dynasty. The most famous temple under this group is Lakshamana temple, Matengesvara temple ,Varaha temple, Vishwanatha and Nandi temple situated near Chitragupta, agdamba and Kandariya temple.

Khajuraho festival is the most festival all over the world it is held on 25 February to 2nd of March every year, dance festival takes place in the open theatre dedicated to God Sun (Surya) and Shiva. Best artists and dancer participates from all over the world to perform Indian classical dance forms like Bharathnatyam, Khatak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipuri.

6:45 am, 18 Nov

Boarded the AP express to Agra. Boring journey. Reached Agra at 5:15 am the next day. Was freezing. Called CS. He said his train would take at least an hour to reach Agra. An hour in the waiting room did not seem too bad. Murphy takes over. Train reaches at 8:30 am. Three boring hours staring at the wall. Breakfast at Comesum. Few choices. Bad Chola Bhatura. Fight between taxi guys on who gets to fleece us. We pick a winner and part with dear cash for a trip to the hotel room. Room with a view of the Taj. Ok. I am lying. But crane your neck enough and you could get a glimpse of the dome. Took a long needed bath. CS says he isn’t feeling well. Looks like fever. Pops a Crocin and dozes. I doze off too. Wake up at 2 pm. Take a walk to the Taj Mahal. Isn’t as awe-inspiring as I thought it would be. Talk about unreasonable expectations. Realised the view is better from afar. Took a walk in the streets of Agra. Reminded me of the houses and streets in the movie Delhi 6. Connected roofs, intertwined electric wires, rundown shops selling pretty much everything, stray dogs and open sewers. Every other shop is named Taj Mahal. Got into the Rooftop Taj Mahal Cafe. Supposedly finds a mention in Lonely Planet 2009. At least that’s what the hoarding says. Chilled beer in the afternoon and an obstructed view of the Taj Mahal. Plain, non-spicy North Indian thali. Excellent Dal and Paneer ki Sabzi. Stuffed up on the food. Auto to Agar fort. The seat of the Mughal empire. The place from where medieval India was ruled. Reminded me of the Red Fort in Delhi. Hajaar buildings inside the fort. Nice view of the Taj from the fort. Got bored of seeing buildings. Left for the hotel room. Called up home. Called up bro. Watched TV. Time for dinner. Excellent puri, aloo ki sabzi, dal and rice. North India has good food. Watched a chick flick on Star Movies. Slept.

11:30 pm, 19 Nov

This time it’s out of Africa and into Asia on the around the world tour of public domain photos from the CIA World Factbook.

Note that while my title lists Tibet along with three other nations, it isn’t recognized as such in the Factbook. If you want to download the picture of Namco Lake near Lhasa from the Factbook site, you’ll find it in the collection of photos from China.

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

The Dhamek Stupa, Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India, believed to be where the enlightened Buddha first preached

River Ganges, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Prayer flags on the Swayambhunath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal

Namco Lake, Tibet

Tiger Leaping Gorge, Lijiang, Yunnan, China

Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

Pakistan should not be a scapegoat to the the internal problems facing India

It happens in every cricket match, in every peace conference, in every controversial movie release, and in every military move either party makes…

 Either Pakistan or India is blaming each other for their problems yet again.

 The rivalry between India and Pakistan has existed since 1947, when Pakistan split from India to form its own Muslim state. Since then, both countries have shared a burning hatred for each other, intensified by their disputes about Kashmir.

 On the surface, both countries have peaceful relations—they promise in UN meetings, SAARC conferences, and to all other global leaders that they will initiate peace talks to resolve their conflicts. But such resolutions hardly ever amount to anything as the next crisis comes along, and the decades of hatred are let loose.

 This hatred, which has thrived for around 60 years, has been unleashed again due to the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Foreign involvement in this issue is useless. Genuine talks between India and Pakistan, the concerned parties, is the only way the centuries-old rivalry can be resolved.

 The attack on the Indian city of Mumbai, which occurred on November 26^th, killed around 170 people and injured several others. The shootings mainly occurred around opulent hotels like the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the Oberoi Trident, along with minor explosions around town. These attacks have shaken the Indian government, which has taken several measures to quell the outpouring of hate among the citizens. One such measure was ordering TV stations to project the news as less depressing to show that India is ‘not demoralized’ by these attacks.

 As always, the first suspect of the Indian government was a Pakistani terrorist organization named Lashkar-i-Taiba. This organization was also blamed for the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament too, which led to both countries almost escalating to war.

  This attack has provoked strong reactions from the Indian citizens. In general, they feel a sense of hatred towards Pakistan for having organized these attacks, as the media holds Pakistan accountable for majority of terrorist attacks in India. But aside from this resentment, people have been facing political turmoil also. The current ruling party, Congress, has called for unity and has accused the terrorists of ‘denouncing democracy’, while the opposition party, the BJP, is holding Congress accountable for the security lapses that caused the Mumbai attacks.

 So, whose fault was it? The first and most obvious scapegoat is Pakistan. And India has reason to believe Pakistani terrorists have caused these attacks. Pakistan, historically, has remained silent on Indian extradition demands for underworld dons like Dawood Ibrahim, and has often made no substantial effort to track down accused terrorists in the country. This time, Pakistan assures it will try the 20 suspects in the attacks on Pakistani soil if it can see proof that they were involved in the attacks, proving that Pakistan is not willing to give in to such demands until all alternatives have been exhausted.  

 But is it rational to blame everything that goes wrong on Pakistan? Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram has said, “I would be less than truthful if I said there were no lapses,” assuring that security breaches would be looked into. The police have also uncovered an Indian suspect named Faim Ansari, who was carrying maps and other materials that planned out the Mumbai attacks. The Indian police has indicated that there might be more Indian accomplices other than Ansari alone. Attacks like this are not uncommon in a country where religious fanatics, tribal Communist organizations, and Naxalite attacks occur on an almost-daily basis. Although Pakistan seems to be the root of these attacks, they’re not the only ones to be blamed for Mumbai. India is to be equally blamed for its security lapses and its intelligence errors.

 Foreign involvement in this issue is useless. Despite Condoleezza Rice’s urges towards a peaceful relationship, both countries will agree to it on paper and go back to attacking each other again. The issue is just a continuation of the decades-old rivalry between India and Pakistan, and both parties will never chose to resolve it because each is the other’s scapegoat for everything that’s wrong. If anything, both groups involved must talk to each other without intermediaries, as both leaders comprehend the historical opposition better than any foreign entity could understand. But the impetus for this must come from genuine concern, not begrudging responses to foreign pressure. They must hold honest peace talks that don’t involve empty promises and actually try to work on issues like terrorism that are tearing their foreign relations apart before the hatred fuels a full-scale war.

Click here to view the pdf of the actual page where this article was published: 3.editorials.5

Ad un anno dagli attacchi che sconvolsero Mumbai e l’India tutta, che il 26 novembre del 2008 tennero in ostaggio di dieci giovani terroristi pachistani la metropoli capitale economica dell’India, si chiudera’ dopodomani la fase istruttoria del processo a carico dell’unico terrorista sopravvissuto. Ma restano molte incertezze, tanti buchi e molte ombre.
Ajmal Kasab, l’unico terrorista sopravvissuto, dall’8 maggio scorso siede sul banco degli imputati. Si e’ dichiarato colpevole, e ha cercato, tramite le sue ammissioni, di sfuggire al futuro che, almeno per lui sembra certo, fatto di una condanna a morte per impiccagione. Con lui sul banco degli imputati, altre due persone, Faheem Ansari e Sabauddin Ahmed, due indiani accusati di aver aiutato il commando.
Kasab e’ l’unico punto fermo di tutta la storia che porta ancora dietro un seguito di ombre e di domande e che e’ servita a rompere i rapporti fra India e Pakistan.
Quello che colpisce, e’ l’impatto che gli attentati di Mumbai hanno avuto sulla popolazione. Nonostante siano stati chiamati ”l’undici settembre indiano”, gli attentati alla capitale economica dell’India non hanno prodotto, se non nei primi giorni dopo i tragici eventi che hanno portato alla morte di almeno 170 persone (oltre 190 secondo altre fonti) quell’onda emotiva che si era vista negli Usa. Certo, non era il primo attentato che interessava ne’ l’India ne’ Mumbai, non era neanche il piu’ cruento, ma la sua mediaticita’ e il fatto che per 60 ore 10 ragazzini avessero in pugno, occupando luoghi significativi come la stazione, un centro ebraico, un ospedale e i due piu’ famosi alberghi, la piu’ importante citta’ indiana, faceva presagire ad altro.
Innanzitutto la situazione di sicurezza nel paese non e’ cambiata. Dimostrazione e’ il fatto che dopo Mumbai, in India le bombe si sono fatte sentire ancora. Nella capitale economica indiana, su 14 milioni di abitanti ufficiali (molti di piu’, secondo stime), ci sono appena 48000 ufficiali di polizia.
Gli alberghi a cinque stelle hanno messo sistemi di controllo dei bagagli all’esterno, ma tutto e’ gestito privatamente.
Le misure intraprese vengono considerate solo di facciata e la gente ha paura. I vertici dell’esercito, sia quelli in servizio che in pensione e i consulenti alla sicurezza nazionale, continuano ad avvertire della possibilita’ che un attacco simile a quello dell’anno scorso si ripeta. L’attentato ha colpito al centro del paese, ferendo la citta’ simbolo, mostrando la pochezza degli addetti alla sicurezza interna. Basti pensare che solo dopo dieci ore, e a bordo di un autobus di linea, riuscirono ad arrivare sul posto i reparti speciali indiani. Lo stesso ministro degli interni Palanippan Chidambaran si e’ dichiarato non soddisfatto della situazione di sicurezza del paese, parlando di risposta ”mista” a Mumbai e di ”vulnerabilita”’ del paese. Una situazione che certo non si addice ad una potenza economica e nucleare come l’India e che ha provocato non poche preoccupazioni al governo che si e’ affrettato ad aumentare gli stanziamenti.
Gli attentati di Mumbai hanno avuto il solo risultato di bloccare ad un binario morto i rapporti tra India e Pakistan che, fino a quel momento, viaggiavano abbastanza bene, a seguito di una forte ripresa rispetto al passato. All’indomani degli attentati i due paesi si sono scambiati accuse reciproche e dossier che incolpano l’uno i servizi segreti dell’altro paese, acuendo le tensioni. Si e’ arrivati a parlare di guerra. I dubbi restano, nonostante le inchieste. Non e’ ancora chiaro come sia stato possibile che i dieci terroristi siano arrivati su un gommone dal Pakistan praticamente dinanzi agli alberghi del lungomare di Mumbai senza essere intercettati; non si capisce come sia possibile che siano stati individuati solo due complici; non si capisce come sia potuta essere cosi’ tarda la risposta della polizia di Mumbai. Il processo non potra’ certamente chiarire questi interrogativi, ma dara’ agli indiani quello che vogliono: un colpevole pachistano da uccidere.

Partido correspondiente a la novena jornada de Liga. Ruego confirméis lo antes posible si vais a venir a jugar o no podéis (o estáis pendientes, en duda). El partido será en el Campo 7, situado en la entrada principal, junto al aparcamiento.

Un apunte: el equipo al cual nos enfrentamos sufrió la pasada semana la suspensión del partido debido a varias agresiones con el equipo rival (lo vimos en directo). Habrá que estar atentos a las posibles sanciones.

Muchos ánimos para Rafa, que mañana entra en quirófano.

Bajas para el partido: Rafa, David, Willy.

Pueden acudir a jugar: Francho, Luisón, Torreznos, Fran, Juan, Xavi (lesionado) y Raúl (lesionado).

Dudas: Bokerón, Diego, J.Antonio, Káiser, Mateo.

Hello every body has you ever heard about Seven Wonders of the World. Ohhhh don’t say every body knows about it, but have you ever been there to see them. I had the opportunity to see the seventh wonder of the world you know that what’s the name Taj Mahal…….Taj Mahal Trip in Agra is really like a dream of heaven. And I have seen that wonder of the wonders. Before couple of months i was in India. On my India vacations I came to know that India is the treasure house of wonders. That time I have decided to take a Same Day Agra Trip (Delhi to Agra up down same day).

Culture of India is the country which is famous in all over the world because of its rich culture. When I was on India tours; I felt the fragrance of this culture at each and every place and people in India.India is the seventh largest country in the world. Few countries in the world have such an ancient and diverse culture as India’s. Variety in religion, racial and languages are a special hallmark.

When I was on my Luxury Tours of India, I came across with the Indian tradition and culture. In every corner of India we can find the different – different culture and tradition. But the mottos of all of them are unity in diversity.India a land of cultural and social diversity is all-pervading and yet a harmonious balance permeates throughout the social fabric.It stretches from the frozen Himalayas in the north to the tropical Indian Ocean in the south, with the sacred Ganges River flowing from west to east.

India gives not only the incomparable monuments like Taj Mahal in Agra and others but also provides the treasure of culture and traditions, which makes India like a diamond in a ring.

CULTURE IS THE ART OF LIVING

It refers to the intellectual development evolved out of the physical and mental training acquired in the course of the ages in a country.

The culture of India can be best expressed as comprising the following.

Humanity – The mildness of the Indians has continued till date, despite the aggressiveness of the Muslim conquerors and the reforming zeal of the British, the Portuguese and the Dutch. The Indians are noted for their humanness and calm nature without any harshness in their principles and ideals.

Tolerance – Gandhiji’s Satyagraha principle or Ahimsa – freedom without taking a drop of blood, worked wonders and gave credit to India in the international arena. Swami Vivekananda in his famous Chicago Speech on the 11th of September, 1893 spoke of this.

Unity – India is a conglomeration of men and women of various castes and creed. It is a fusion of old traditional values and the modern principles, thus satisfying all the three generations in the present India. The Elite businessman and the common vendor on the road share the same news and worship the same deity.

Secularism – India is a secular country as stated in its Constitution. There is freedom of worship throughout the length and breadth of India without any breeches or violations of any other’s religious beliefs. The Hindus, The Muslims, The Christians, and The Sikhs in times of calamity and during festivities come openly together to share their thoughts despite their religious affinities. The catholicity of the Indian culture can be best understood by the fact that hundreds of Hindus visit the Velankanni shrine or the Nagore Dargah in Tamilnadu.

Closely knit Social system – The Indian Social System is mostly based on the Joint family System, but for some of the recently cropped nuclear families. The families are closely knit with Grandfathers, fathers, sons and grandsons sharing the same spirit, tradition and property.

Cultural Heritage

India’s one billion people have descended from a variety of races. The oldest ones are the Negroid aboriginals called the Adivasis or First settlers. Then there are the Dravidians, the Aryans, the Mongols, the Semites and innumerable inter-mixtures of one with the other.

The great Epic, the Mahabharata and the sacred text, the Bhagavad-Gita teaches the Indians that survival can only be in terms of quality of life. It provides a framework of values to make the Indian culture well- groomed.

Swami Vivekananda (1863- 1902) laid stress on physical development as a prerequisite for spiritual development, which in turn leads to the development of the culture of the country. For the past 1000 years various foreign invasions like that of the Huns, the Kushanas, the Arabs, the Muslims, the Dutch, the French and the British took place. So the Indians were exposed to cultures that were totally alien to them. Several attempts were made by the Indian rulers like the Pallavas, the Chalukyas, the Palas, the Rashtrakutas, the Cholas, and the Vijayanagar Emperors to give the Indians an administration, which was in consonance with the cultural heritage of the country.Later, religions became an important part in the culture and places of worship became community centers. The innovations in religious thinking brought two popular beliefs in India, namely Buddhism by the Buddha and Jainism by the Saint Mahavir. Then there was a socio-religious shift or orientation in the Indian culture.

Later in the century Westernization of Indian culture began, but it was stemmed by the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dayananda Saraswathi, Swami Vivekananda, Narayana Guru, Maharisi, Aurobindo, etc. Then there took place a Renaissance that emphasized the need to recognize the country’s own culture while ushering in an age of modernity.

If India’s culture tended to become tolerant, accommodating, open-minded, deeply but not ostensibly spiritual and concerned with the common human welfare, then it is due to the great and relentless efforts of our great ancestors and leaders. Thanks to them our country has achieved a common culture, despite a staggering pluralistic society.

This is India and its culture.

The last point I want you to think about in this exercise is framing.  In the most general way framing is composition.  What we are doing when we take a photograph we are documenting our experiences in a boundless three dimensional world on a framed two dimensional print. If we acknowledge the frame, and we think about how the frame affects the viewers interpretation we are taking a big step to a good, balanced composition.  Remember we cannot get rid of the frame that we are putting around our image, so we must use it in some manner or another to accentuate our subject.  A few general rules about framing your subject:

1.  The rule of thirds — very few subjects look good placed dead center in the middle of the frame, framing in this way is usually visually very boring.  Instead, imagine a set of lines dividing your frame into thirds, both vertically and horizontally.  No place your subject on those lines, or the intersection of those lines.  Look at your selection of photographs, how often is your subject placed dead center in the image?  Where are the subjects placed in the image?  More often than not they are placed using this rule of thirds.

2. The image you create can be divided into shapes, usually the frame of your photograph forms part of those shapes.  Most commonly these are triangles or rectangles.  How do the lines of your image combine to make these basic shapes.  Can you identify the shapes in the photographs you have chosen, how do they fit together?  Are they balanced and harmonious?  Are they dynamic and full of tension?  For now just keep these concepts in your mind when framing your composition we will discuss them later.  For me one photographer really exemplifies the use of these basic elements of composition: Freeman Patterson, you can see some of his work at his web site  http://www.freemanpatterson.com/biography.htm

3. Use a secondary image frame for your subject, for example a car window, or a tree branch or the shore of a lake to frame your subject

4. If your subject is capable of movement give them “room to move”.  Though sometimes a very tight composition is very pleasing, often the viewer requires some sense of the environment of your subject.  Include this extra space in your images.  Can you see this in the images you picked in the first assignment?

Next we will moving away from looking at photographs and we will talk about actually taking pictures.  But, please don’t give up on this exercise.  Constantly look at the work of other artists — they do not have to be photographers, for example painters have the same challenge of placing the world into a two dimensional frame.  Also, continuously evaluate your own photographs and keep a portfolio of your favorite images.

What started as a day of learning and challenges ends on a happy social note.  It is Saturday and after a long day online I had to write this story so hang with me.

Many of us are under pressure to find and/or keep our jobs these days so it can become all about us.  This is a story about helping others, about giving back, about mentoring the next generation of leaders.

In my professional life I have met many amazing people.  Some you think you will only work with and never see or speak to again.  This does not have to be true if you care and want to give back.

My story starts with my first trip to India in 2003.  I was traveling there on behalf of my company at the time (Elsevier.com).  We (Rick Komyanek and I) were going there to evaluate several vendors and would be meeting up with several co-workers the next evening.  We arrived on Saturday night to get settled in after coming from the states.  We actually arrived about 1:00am on Saturday night (Sunday morning) and were scheduled to be picked up at 7:00am for a day trip to the Taj Mahal.  After getting a few hours of sleep we went down to the front desk to meet our “escorts” for the day.  It was there I ran into Rajat Pandit (rajatpandit.com) from HCL (HCL.in).  Honestly, I did not think twice about Rajat at the time.  He did a wonderful job getting us to the Taj and back so we had a great day.  He helped us get from New Delhi to Agra and back which is quite a long day.  Rick and I told him our observations as we navigated the roads between the two cities.  We all laughed about the cultural “differences” between what we were used to and what is normal in India.  I honestly thought that was the last time I would see or hear from Rajat.

As we progressed with our negotiations with HCL and eventually started to build up their team and transfer work to them, Rajat was assigned to our account in London.  I was pleased to see a familiar face and glad that he quickly became part of the overall team in London.  Through my periodic site visits I always tried to see Rajat because of the energy and enthusiasm he brought to work each day.  This relationship lasted for several years until both he and I decided to part with our respective companies and seek greener pastures.  Although we parted on good terms, the distance between us seemed like a huge obstacle (he being in London while I was based in the States).

Enter the advent of Social Media sites such as Facebook (www.facebook.com) and Twitter (www.twitter.com).  As I jumped into these new sites, I started to build out my circle of friends and followers working my way through contacts I made over the years.  I was lucky to find Rajat out on Facebook and started to chat with him here and there.  This went on for a few years and was a nice way to “chat” but nothing really became of it (from my perspective).  Rajat moved onto Yahoo and a couple of other leading technology companies and continued to hone his technical skills.  Here is where the story gets interesting (or at least to the point of he post).   As I stated above, Rajat is a very sharp programmer / architect.  As such, he was helping this former engineer (moi) overcome some learning hurdles with some of the newer internet technologies.  Always willing and helpful, he would walk me through this and that with a smile on his face (and in his voice).  I was happy for the help and he seemed more than eager to offer it.  All was good.

Today, Rajat asked me for some career advice.  I was honored for him to ask me because you never know where someone is that appreciates your experience and consul.  We share a similar background albeit separated by a few years (his just a few years my junior).  We both come from the technical ranks and eventually face decisions as to where to go in your future career progressions.  Rajat asked how I made the transition from a Systems Engineer to being a leader in IT an organization.  As I stated above, I was honored to offer him my advice on what it takes to be a leader, both in general and in an IT organization. In addition I was happy to relay the specifics on how I moved from being seen as a programmer to being thought of as a leader.

Leadership is about a vision, it’s about a story of where you’ve been, where you are and where you should be going.  It’s about selling the vision of the future, a better place for all the right reasons.  Leadership is about confidence, an understanding of the business/technical issues and how your vision will bridge them to the other side.  It’s about leading from the front, rolling up your sleeves and showing/doing what it takes to implement tactical and strategic change.  It’s about taking calculated risks and delivering the rewards from them.  It’s about inspiring others to stretch to the next level, to grow, to be challenged, to be scared and to overcome.

I’m glad I had the time today to start on this journey.  I did not expect to end up here however am very glad I did.  I took the time and hope it pays off in spades for Rajat (blog.rajatpandit.com).  Have a great journey my friend.

What a day!  Not the kind of day I want to repeat EVER, but it all turned out well in the end.  Just as we were about to fall asleep last night, PZ realised that the Taj Mahal was closed on Friday when we were planning to go, so up early and to the train station we went.  The dedicated foreign office was not open yet, we were pondering what to do when a friendly chap approached advising us that you could not purchase tickets from the station for same day travel and that we needed to go to an office in Connaught Place.  I smelled a rat, but since I could not manage more than angry grunts we were soon ushered into a tuk tuk away from the station.  When we arrived at our destination of course we were told that there were no train seats available to Agra that day and a number of car hire options were pushed on us.  We promptly got ourselves into another tuk tuk back to the station and it quickly became clear how many people were involved in the scam.  Eventually we managed to sort out train tickets at the station and spent an afternoon at the incredible Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal

1. GREAT WALL OF CHINA

Ini adalah dinding atau tembok dengan lebar 10 kaki dan tinggi 20 kaki yang dirancang oleh kaisar China Chin Chiu Wo (Shih Huang Ti). Maksud pembangunan tembok yang panjang banget ini untuk menangkal serbuan mongol. Seperti kita tahu dari sejarah, bangsa Mongol dikenal suka sekali menjelajah dan menaklukkan daerah baru dengan alasan yang kurang begitu jelas dipandang dari kacamata Bent. Walaupun bangsa Mongol ini suka dibilang barbar, nyatanya bangsa China yang berbudaya tinggi dan punya wilayah segede itu gak cukup pede kalo harus menghadapi serangan mereka. Jadilah tembok raksasa itu dibangun walau harus mengorbankan tenaga dan juga nyawa ribuan pekerjanya. Proyek ambisius itu memang gak main-main, bangsa China menyelesaikannya dalam kurun waktu 4000 tahun! Kebayang deh kalo dibangun di masa sekarang, tuh tembok gak bakalan eksis karena banyak LSM dan aktivis HAM sekaligus serikat pekerja yang akan menghambat rencana pembangunannya kecuali kalo pemerintah China mau membayar mahal plus tunjangan dan asuransi kerja.

2. THE GREAT PYRAMID

Piramid Khu-Fu (Cheops) mempunyai sisi 770 kaki dan tinggi 481 kaki. 2,3 juta balok batu diangkut dan disusun untuk membangunnya. Kalo kamu ke Mesir mampir deh ke Piramid, pasti baru terasa betapa besarnya bangunan itu. Jangan cuma liat di TV yang bikin tuh pyramid keliatan segede tumpeng mini doang. Sama seperti kebanyakan bangunan raksasa dari masa lalu lainnya, pyramid dibangun dengan tetesan keringat dan darah para pekerja yang konon gak dibayar. Ini yang bikin Lefty ogah berwisata ke sana, selain karena katanya itu adalah monument ‘kebiadaban manusia atas manusia lain’ juga pastinya karena Lefty gak punya duit buat ongkos ke luar negeri.

3. PETRA

Petra adalah sebuah situs arkeologi di Arabah, Jordania. Terletak di lereng gunung Hor di sebuah basin di antara pegunungan yang membentuk panggul timur Arabah (Wadi Araba), lembah besar yang melewati danau Laut Mati sampai teluk Aqaba. Petra terkenal karena arsitektur batunya, yaitu menyulap gunung karang jadi istana dan pemukiman. Kaum Nabatea membangunnya sebagai ibu kota mereka sekitar 100 tahun sebelum masehi. Tadinya situs ini tidak diketahui sampai seorang penjelajah asal Swiss, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, menemukannya dan memperkenalkan Petra ke dunia barat. Dalam tradisi Arab, Petra merupakan titik dimana Nabi Musa memukul sebuah batu dengan tongkatnya dan airpun keluar. Di sini pula Nabi Harun dimakamkan, yaitu di gunung Hor yang kini dikenal sebagai Jabal Harun.

4. BOROBUDUR

Candi terpopuler ini pernah masuk 7 keajaiban dunia dan kemudian dikeluarin begitu aja dengan alasan yang agak dibuat-buat, menurut saya. Bangunan candi yang terletak di Magelang, Jawa Tengah, ini menyerupai gunung mahameru atau semesta versi Hindu-Buddha. Diperkirakan Borobudur dibangun sekitar tahun 800-an masehi oleh raja Sriwijaya Samaratungga dari wangsa Syailendra. Pembangunan Borobudur konon memakan waktu setengah abad, bandingkan dengan yang dilakukan Bandung Bondowoso dalam membuat seribu candi yang katanya cuma butuh waktu semalam! Wah, rekor dunia tuh, bedah rumah aja gak cukup waktu segitu! Karena itu Borobudur baru selesai dibangun pada generasi berikutnya, yaitu pada masa puteri dari Samaratungga, Ratu Pramudawardhani.

5. ANGKOR WAT

Angkor Wat adalah suatu metropolis yang di dalamnya terdapat bangunan istana, rumah-rumah umum dan lebih dari 100 kuil. Angkor Wat dibangun sejak jaman Khmer Jayavarman (abad ke-8) selama 600 tahun. Sebagaimana candi Borobudur, Angkor Wat dibangun mengikuti pola ‘peta’ gunung Mahameru. (Tentang gunung Mahameru, baca artikel NASI TUMPENG SIMBOL GUNUNG MAHAMERU). Angkor Wat merepresentasikan salah satu pencapaian arsitektur yang menakjubkan dan juga bertahan lama. Dari Angkor raja-raja Khmer menguasai wilayah yang sangat luas yang menjangkau mulai dari Vietnam, Cina sampai ke teluk Benggala. Tadinya ‘istana’ ini gak diketahui keberadaannya, kemudian pada tahun 1860 Henry Mahout, seorang eksplorer asal Prancis, menemukannya di tengah hutan. Sejak saat itu Angkor Wat pun terkenal di seluruh dunia.

6. PANAMA CANAL

Kanal ini panjangnya 51 mil. Menghubungkan samudera atlantik dan pasifik. Karena tanahnya berbukit-bukit dan banyak pegunungan, terusan ini dibuat menjadi elevator air. Pencetus pembuatan kanal ini adalah Ferdinand de Lesseps (1879) dari Prancis. Tahu kan siapa dia? Bagi kamu yang suka pelajaran sejarah pasti kenal nama ini, ya, dia adalah pembuat terusan Suez di Mesir.

7. TAJ MAHAL

Ini adalah bangunan favorit Emo. Hampir semua cewek menyukai kisah cinta yang tragis di balik pembuatan monument ini, dan berharap pasangan mereka mau berbuat sama seperti Shah Jehan (hehe, ini matre namanya). Taj Mahal dibangun oleh Shah Jehan dari India pada abad ke-17 di Agra untuk istrinya Mumtaz Mahal. Selama 19 tahun masa perkawinannya sang istri melahirkan 14 anak. Pada tahun 1631 saat melahirkan anak ke 15, ia wafat. Raja patah hati dan membangun Taj Mahal yang memerlukan 17 tahun untuk membangunnya. Pada 1658 raja tersingkir oleh Aran Azibe puteranya sendiri dan dipenjarakan. Kelakuan anak ini sebaiknya jangan kamu tiru ya! Setelah 7 tahun dipenjara ia wafat dan dimakamkan di Taj Mahal bersama istrinya.

8. COLOSSEUM

Inilah amphitheater atau gedung pertunjukan kolosal masa lalu, tempat para gladiator bertanding. Terletak di Roma, Italia, gedung ini dibangun oleh kaisar Vespasian dan diselesaikan oleh anaknya, Titus. Colosseum dibangun sekitar tahun 70-82 masehi dengan tinggi 48 m, panjang 188 m, lebar 156 m. Luas seluruh bangunan sekitar 2.5 hektar membuat Colosseum terlihat begitu besar dan luas. Arenanya terbuat dari kayu berukuran 86 m x 54 m, dan tertutup oleh pasir. Konon pasir itu berguna untuk menyerap darah supaya tidak menggenang. Stadium ini memang bukan lambang sportifitas. Sebaliknya lebih mirip pertunjukan kekejaman bagi penduduk roma kuno yang haus darah. Bagaimana suasana semacam itu, kamu bisa lihat dan bayangkan sendiri dengan menonton film Gladiator yang dibintangi Russel Crowe, walaupun menurut pengamatan Bent di film itu Colosseum jadi kelihatan kecil.

9. MOUNT RUSHMORE

Bagi kamu yang belum tau mount Rushmore, coba deh baca komik Naruto. Di desa Konoha ada sebuah gunung yang dipahat wajah 4 hokage, nah gambar di komik itu terinspirasi tampilan Mount Rushmore. Terletak di South Dakota, ‘gunung’ yang menampilkan wajah 4 presiden AS: George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Ted Roosevelt dan Thomas Jefferson ini dibangun oleh Gutzom Borglum pada 1924 di tebing batu Black Hill. Jangan kira ia memahatnya cuma pake alat yang buat ngukir patung pada pelajaran seni rupa di sekolah, pak Borglum ini memahatnya dibantu pake dinamit. Kalo gak gitu pasti gak bakal kelar sampe 7 generasi. Gutzom Borglum sendiri wafat pada 1941 sebelum karyanya selesai. Lalu anaknya Lincoln yang meneruskan proyek bapaknya itu. Pernah satu kali Amadeus berencana bikin proyek semacam itu di tebing batu kapur di sebuah wilayah (yang sebaiknya gak usah disebutkan tepatnya di mana), tapi belum juga proposal sampe di tangan Pemda, ia didemo ratusan penduduk setempat!

10. TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY

Trans-Siberian Railway memang cuma jalur kereta, tapi bukan jalur kereta biasa. Inilah jalur kereta terpanjang (Moskow-Beijing) yang pertama dibuat di dunia. Jalur ini seringkali dihubungkan dengan kereta Rusia antar benua yang menghubungkan ratusan kota besar maupun kecil di sebagian Eropa dan Asia yang masuk ke wilayah Rusia. Panjangnya 6000 mil, melewati ribuan mil wilayah Mongolia. Untuk menyelesaikan perjalanan melalui Trans Siberian memakan waktu beberapa hari dan melewati tujuh zona waktu. Pencetus pembuatan rel ini adalah Tsar Alexander III dan puteranya, Tsar Nicholas II. Dibangun pada 1891 dan selesai pada tahun 1916. Bagi yang suka perjalanan jauh via kereta dengan layanan satu kali jalan, ini adalah pilihan yang tepat. Kamu bisa menginap di kereta (suatu hal yang jarang dilakukan) selama beberapa hari sambil menikmati pemandangan berbagai kota dari Eropa sampe Asia. Bagi yang moody lebih baik pake pesawat saja, karena perjalanannya bisa bikin kamu mati kebosanan.

If  Taj Mahal is the ultimate symbol of love, then I take it that Agra represents the city of love as it houses the great Taj. Now that ‘city of love’ is all explained for, let me get to the ‘no flowers’ part.

We were on a short trip to Agra, sometime last week, obviously to see the Taj. We drove down from Delhi to Agra via Vrindavan and Mathura. Two short halts at both the religious sites was a fine experience and it also meant that we would be reaching Agra by late evening. We saw the Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura and the Banke Bihari Mandir in Vrindavan. It was a rainy day and the streets were all slushy, we had to use hand-pulled rickshaws to move around the narrow streets of the temple town. I abhor hand-ricksahws, its such a cruelty to a fellow human inflicted by another, all in the name of rozi-roti. Anyways, we moved on and drove towards Agra.

By the time we reached Agra, it was 7pm. The plan was to see Taj next day morning. The night stay was on invitation by an ex-army man’s family who had arranged for it, as a sweet gesture of our first visit to Agra. We thought it prudent on our part to at least carry a buoquet and greet the receptive family with flowers.

That’s where our quest started for a buoquet store or a flower shop or a florist. But alas! we could not find a single one. We got down at sadar bazar and looked for it frantically, but could not get a single stem of flower, forget a buoquet. All kinds of thoughts ran in my mind, what would uncle think of us? It would be really strange to land-up at their place empty handed. They were diabetic, so sweets were out of question. Being an ex-army man, uncle was used to being greeted with flowers on every occasion. And that was what we were not able to find.

We stopped at half a dozen places and asked people around for florists but no one could guide us to any flower store. It was a rainy day and we had a tough time in Mathura and Vrindavan, but the rain followed us to Agra as well. Time was running out, so we just got back into the car and drove to the house where we were greetd by the couple.

After enquiring about our trip, we sat for some coffee and snacks. We unabashedly told them that we were sorry for landing up empty-handed. We tried to explain that we looked for a buoquet, but could not find a single florist in the entire Agra Cantt area. That’s when uncle intervened and told us that flowers are not easily availbale in Agra. He went on to tell that whenever they had to attend some fucntion or a marriage, they would start looking out for flowers 2-3 days prior to the occasion. We heaved a sigh of relief.

But the question is still siwrling in my mind. Why no flowers in Agra? Don’t people get married? Don’t guys propose girls anymore and vice-versa? Don’t people decorate their vase with flowers in the house?

I see a tremendous scope for a florist or a flower shop in this part of the world. All florists, please head to Agra and put up a few stalls at least near Taj, if not anywhere else.

We did see the glorious Taj, the next day. It was as beautifual as I had imagined it would be and as seen in movies and pics. Our trip was great, but there is still a rankle in my heart. Only if we could have found a buoquet too!

I’ve never longed for a visit to the great Taj Mahal. But since I am travelling this route — Delhi-Agra-Rajasthan, giving the world’s renowned monument a miss will definitely become a huge joke to all my friends. That’s why I need to be here!

From what I read from the guide book, the opening hours of Taj Mahal starts from 06:00 to 19:00. So I planned to enter through the South Gate only at 16:00. 3 hours of time should be enough, I thought.

At 16:00, I was already queuing at the entrance to the South Gate. After paying 750 rupees (the most expensive entrance fee in India) and clearing the security check-point, I suddenly found the battery of one of my camera turned flat. And you are not going to believe what I did. I ran back to my room and re-charged the battery, though I believe I won’t miss anything with 1 camera down. I just refused to tolerate.

(I’ve never made it to the mausoleum, which is made of semitranslucent white marble, carved with flowers and inlaid with thousands of semiprecious stones. The queue was too long and I had too little time left)

I got back at 17:00, only to learn that the South Gate was closed 2 hours earlier than the East and West Gates. Every ticket purchased is only valid for the same day. I was left with no choice but to run as quickly as possible to the East Gate. To make things worse, visitors were actually urged to leave at 18:30. Hence, I only spent like one and a half hour here. Because of my stubbornness and foolishness, my Taj Mahal tour became the shortest and most expensive tour I’ve ever had in India. Regrets??? I refuse to admit……

(When darkness fall, creepiness surface. I stayed untill being asked to leave….)

Availing a golden triangle tour in India means you are going to explore all the prominent tourist attractions of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Destinations such as –Delhi, Agra and Jaipur during his/her leisure moment, then his/her India tour is incompleteMany tourists plan to visit India only to see the wonderful architectural monument of Agra i.e. Taj Mahal. Some tourists plane to make their India tour to explore the royal and colorful charm of Pink City whereas some plane to take a trip to India to experience the metropolitan and sophisticated life of capital city of India i.e. New Delhi where they get chance to explore many historical and other tourist attraction sites. But, if you get chance to explore all these three charming destinations through an exclusive tour package i.e. Golden Triangle Tour Package in India, then you can imagine the significance of this personalized tour package. Indeed, the golden triangle tour package in India offers best tour interlay through which tourists not only get chance to take a glimpse of world’s wonder Taj Mhala only but they also get opportunity to see other historical monuments of Agra, such as-Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra: the tomb of Akbar and many others. Similarly, they also visit many heritage sites of Jaipur and Delhi such as- Hawa Mahal (Palace of winds), City Square & Palace, Albert hall museum in Jaipur and Kutub Miniar, Red Fort, Lotus temple, Akshardham Temple and many more other sites in Delhi.
Depending on your limitation of overnight stay, this tour package molds its schedule of overnight night stay as per your suitability. The most important thing about this golden triangle tour package is that it can be covered in very short duration. Some golden triangle tour packages are made of 2 nights and three days involvement and some are made of more than 2 overnight stay throughout the tour. It depends up on you that how much period you have planned to spend for your leisure.
Some golden triangle tour packages are attached with some other tourist destinations apart from Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Like if a tourist is a wildlife lover then he/she can choose ‘Golden Triangle Tour with Birds and Tiger Tour’. Such kind of golden triangle tours are intended to offer a choice tour with a popular tour package Such some popular tour packages with golden triangle tour are Golden Triangle with Lake City Udaipur, Golden Triangle Tour with Ganges and Golden Triangle and Bandhavgarh with Khajuraho.

1. Cintamu sepanjang ” Tembok Raksasa Cina”

2. Tinggimu setinggi “Menara Eifel”

3. Rumahmu setara “Taj Mahal”

4. Kekuatanmu  sekuat “Candi Borobudur”

5. Kesucianmu sesuci “Ka’bah”

6. Ketangguhanmu seetangguh “Coloseum Roma”

7. Namun otakmu semiring “Menara Pisa”

Agra, le Fort Rouge ;

Façade du Fort Rouge, Agra ;

Le long de la Yamuna ;

Le Baby Taj ;

Un des bâtiments autour du Baby Taj ;

Taj Mahal ;

Mosquée, Taj Mahal ;

Taj Mahal bis.

Taj Mahal is featured among the 8 wonders of the world.  It was built in between 1631-1648 under the order of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.  It is said that the construction was to fulfil a dying request of Sha Jahan’s favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal.  Legend has it that during the last hours of Mumtaz Mahal, she made him promise to build her a mausoleum of unsurpassable beauty and splendour.  True to his word, Shah Jahan built her a tomb unlike any other in the world.  Such beauty is often subjects of many gallery paintings.

Taj Mahal’s construction took 22 years under the labor of 20,000 workers.  The master architect was Ustad ‘Isa, which was the most renowned Islamic architect during that period.  Craftsmen from Baghdad, Shiraz, and Bukhara were employed to work on special areas in the structure.  An interlocking arabesque concept was used; each single aspect of the building has its own individual place, but is still incorporated in the whole structure.  Such concept can be applied when making an abstract art painting. When his wife died, Shah Jahan showed no interest in ruling over the city.  His obsession was to have the monument finished, as promised, for his deceased wife.  Because of this, he has failed to see the conspiracy laid by his son Aurangzeb to seize the throne.  Upon Aurangzeb’s declaration as an Emperor, Shah Jahan was imprisoned in a tower in Red Fort, Agra.  The only thing that keeps his sanity is his view of the mausoleum he has built for his wife.

The entire structure was inlaid with marble.  The marble creates such an image of the Taj Mahal during sun set, when the orange rays cast by the sun is reflected by the intricate marbling.  At dawn, the Taj Mahal gives an image as if it’s floating in air on a heavy fog when viewed from the Jamuna River.  Literally, treasure chests upon treasure chests of jewels like rubies and topaz were used to decorate the walls and ceilings of several rooms in the monument.  The intricate design and artwork of Taj Mahal is a wonderful subject for abstract painting.

Après Delhi, tournons nos pas vers Agra. Un train express est mis à disposition, reliant les deux villes en près de deux heures. A la gare, tout est bien indiqué. L’horaire est matinal (aux alentours de 6h) mais comme ici on se lève avec le soleil, cela ne semble pas inhabituel.
A mi-chemin entre la ville et la campagne, Agra n’est pas une cité très agréable. Déjà, au sortir de la gare, des dizaines d’hommes se pressent pour alpaguer les touristes. Ils se font méchamment rembarrer par la police. Le bruit est abrutissant.
Agra est typiquement une ville à touristes. Mieux vaut ne rien y acheter, les prix sont ici plus élevés qu’ailleurs. Le Taj Mahal, merveille des merveilles, coûte à lui seul 750 roupees (soit plus de dix euros). En s’y rendant, on a l’impression que tout est fait pour embêter le visiteur : il y a des dizaines d’objets interdits, avec des restrictions aussi stupides que « les crayons à papier et les crayons de couleurs sont interdits » mais « les stylos peuvent entrer, pas de problème ». Toute forme de nourriture est proscrite. On vous fouille, on vous renvoie pour porter vos objets interdits à la consigne, et on vous refouille comme si on ne vous avait jamais vu, en s’appesantissant sur de menus objets que l’on a laissé passer la première fois. C’est comme pour les billets : les caisses sont situées à plus d’un kilomètre de l’entrée du site. Tout est fait pour pousser le touriste à prendre un rickshaw. Les préposés à la sécurité sont d’ailleurs très mal aimables. Mais une fois à l’intérieur, en faisant abstraction du monde, la balade peut commencer.
On longe la muraille pour arriver au porche, au-delà duquel se détache, majestueux, le Taj Mahal. Immense, il semble presque irréel. Une allée d’eau, des pelouses, quelques marches et un dépôt de chaussures, et l’on accède à l’esplanade du Taj. Il faut faire la queue pour pénétrer le monument, à l’intérieur duquel reposent les tombeaux de Shah Jahan et d’Arjuman Banu Begam, son épouse. Le dôme, immense, est encadré de quatre minarets. Les bâtiments alentour, dont le grès rouge tranche sur le marbre blanc du Taj, sont, quant à eux, plutôt déserts. A gauche se trouve une mosquée et à droite, lui faisant pendant, un bâtiment identique, qui n’est pas utilisé comme lieu de culte mais comme ajout symétrique.
Il est agréable de se poser sur les marches de l’un de ces bâtiments et d’admirer les jeux de lumière sur le marbre. Les deux meilleurs moments pour visiter le site sont le matin, au lever du soleil, et le soir, à son coucher. En espérant que le temps ne soit pas couvert.
A Agra, deux autres monuments notables sont à voir : le Fort Rouge et le Baby Taj, d’une si belle facture qu’il serait dommage de le manquer.
Le Fort Rouge d’Agra est lui aussi très étendu, telle une ville dans la ville. De ses fenêtres il est possible d’apercevoir au loin, dans la brume, le Taj Mahal. Les matières précieuses sont, comme toujours, à l’honneur. On se perd une fois de plus entre le rouge du grès et le blanc du marbre. Une mosquée très travaillée, des jardins, des pelouses, de belles dentelles de pierre s’égrènent pour le plaisir des yeux.
Au-delà de la Yamuna, le fleuve de la ville, se trouve le Baby Taj. Comme son nom l’indique, il est considéré comme un petit Taj. Pour s’y rendre, il faut passer un pont branlant, s’immiscer dans la circulation et longer un marché où s’étalent les légumes. La balade, à pied, est longue et difficile mais intéressante. Le long des rives, des linges s’étendent. Ils sont lavés dans des baquets ou à même le sol. Bien entendu, c’est l’eau du fleuve qui est employée.
Le Baby Taj est un havre de paix. Plusieurs bâtiments l’entourent, à chacun de ses points cardinaux. Quatre tours rondes encadrent la tour carrée centrale. Le marbre blanc est incrusté de pierres semi-précieuses, formant de petits tableaux floraux répétitifs. Des vasques et divers pots sont également représentés perdus au milieu de végétaux. Le mur d’enceinte donne sur la rivière. Les singes sont très présents, il faut d’ailleurs y faire attention, ils n’hésitent pas à courir après les visiteurs… La poétesse Nur Jahan a participé à l’élaboration de ce mausolée, construit en 1628 en l’honneur de son père, vizir de l’Empereur. Cette touche féminine est particulièrement visible dans la délicatesse des décors, qui sont plus minutieux que ceux du Taj Mahal.
Après ces visites, il vaut mieux pour le voyageur repartir, puisque Agra ne vaut le détour que pour ces quelques monuments.

Asia is a wonderful continent and has some of the most beautiful places to visit in the world. A holiday or vacation to this continent is sure to refresh you and give you an insight to some of the most beautiful sites and breathe taking views you have seen. This continent is rich in its various cultures and has a history behind everything. Here are some of the top places you must visit in Asia.

1. Indonesia – Bali. The culture it portrays is rich and the Barong dance is a specialty. Bali is a small magnificent island which houses the Batubulan Village that are famous for its stone sculptures. Do not forget to see the works of the goldsmiths and various handicrafts.
2. Bangkok. This place is famous for its Buddha statues and the reclining Buddha Temple. Modern tours include a Safari and Bangkok’s Pattaya and Coral Island. A must visit is the Erawan Shrine and the Snake Farm located near the shrine.
3. India. It is a country rich in culture and lots to offer. Among the most popular tours would be a boat ride on the Ganges River, Red Fort,  The Taj Mahal, Himalayas, and different monuments, temples and churches located all over India. This country will keep you spell bound with all it has to offer to you. India is also known for its diversified food and the different festivals that are celebrated in this country. Do not miss out on this one.
4. Kathmandu. The Kathmandu Durbar Square is a popular spot to learn about the culture of this place and the people. The places to visit include Buddhanikantha temple and the Pashupatinath Temple. The weather in this place is beautiful almost all through the year.
5. China. This is one of the The Yangtze River Cruise is one of the favourite spots of tourists and also the local citizens as well, where one can share a close relationship with nature. biggest countries in Asia and requires ample time to tour the entire country. But some of the most popular tourist spots include Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City as well as the Temple of Heaven. The modern buildings and sky scrapers are a magnificent site.
6. Japan. Tokyo is the most popular city of Japan and is very exciting. Some of its traditional cultures can still be found in the mountain villages of this country. The other popular tourist destinations are the temples, churches and shrines which are situated in the different parts of the country.
7. Turkey. This is one of the most beautiful countries and its culture will captivate you. Some of its other most famous sites are its archaeological sites like Pamukkale’s Hierapolis as well as famous mosques like the Blue Mosque. There are many museums that you can visit like the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. The Turkish chai is a popularity and a must have. The traditional outfit is a wonder and the people are very friendly.