Eastern India has always been a region with the most delicious kind of culinary fare and it is very enchanting to see how over the years the region has come up with the most palatable cuisine here. Kolkata the city of joy, is the gourmet capital of the eastern part of India. People of Kolkata are very experimentative about food, and it has been seen that on an average, people of Kolkata spend half of thier income on quality food. So it is no wonder that the Kolkata have a very sublime taste and they enjoy the finer aspects of life and this extends to the art of fine dining also.

The city in its three hundred years of existence has seen at least the best of global culture and has people from all classes of life coming, and contributing to this land of lovely delights.

For a metropolis of today, Kolkata has a variety to boast of. So whether it is the Chinese noodles or the German Hamburgers, the Italian spaghetti or the Mexican Chilli corn, it is all available here, and there are some really good restaurants and hotels  giving the best kind of cuisine. There are restaurants like Saurav’s The Food Pavilion which has been under the watchful eye of the Indian cricketer Saurav Ganguly and then you have the very popular chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s Grain of Salt which is another lovely restaurant to visit.

Kolkata is a fish dominated region so get to have the best fish fare in the neighbourhood Bengali restaurants. So the “Machher Jhol” and the “Chingri Mallai Curry” are very popular favorites in fish cuisine here. Also you have the Kalia, and the Murrighontos, the Tauks, the Machbhaja, Chorchoris, the Bhapamach, the Doimach etc in the variety of fish culinary desires.

God down the Chinatown in Kolkata and enjoy the lovely Chinese fare in Tangra. The narrow alleyways here throw into a fascinating zone of Chinese food. The natives here speak Chinese and the food here is very authentic. The manufacture of the sauces and the noodles are also done here.

For the very famous street food in Kolkata, the area of Dalhousie Square also called BBD Bagh is a great place to go. Come here at lunchtime and you will see the whole area transformed into a food haven. Here you would also get a lunch of chapattis and rice with Booter Dal which is a lentil soup. You would also get fish curry and roasted papads along with fresh salad all for a very nominal rate.

Go to the Maidan area of Kolkata and enjoy the pleasures of having some light snacks. Here near the new market area you would get the best jhal muri and the puchkas which are the mainstay of having roadside food in this city. The Jhal muri is a concoction of puffed rice with raw vegetables like cucumber, tomato and boiled potatoes, with a dash of tamarind pulp and coconut gratings. The Puchkas is the universal pani puri of Mumbai or the Gol Gappa of Delhi but with a different tangy taste. As the puchkawallah or the puchka vendor dips his hand into the big pot of tamarind water and fills your plate with the most delicious puchkas, it is a great experience to taste this small time but popular Kolkata street food.

No visit to this city can be complete without tasting the most delicious rosogollas and the payesh, the natun gurer sandesh and the Kheer Puli. So taste the legendary K.C.Das sweets, and also Jalajog delicacies and forget your diet for the time you are here, and just bask in the pleasures of being in this city of joy and kindle your palate with this unique and special fare you are doled here.

While in the city of Kolkata, be sure to enjoy the pleasures of its delicious cuisine.

I, being an avid traveler, behold a very rich place for history and architecture embezzled with a touch of literature in my heart. When I read about this place, the quote by Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan caught my eye and I was bowled over by the simple wisdom it dripped. Visiting such a great soul’s abode had to give me the peace of mind I was so desperately seeking.

I set off with my backpack and camera the following weekend. A train from Mumbai to Ajmer and from there on a simple bus ride from Ajmer station took me to the Dargah Shariff. The first look, a beautiful monument amidst mountains with its reflection falling over a lake took my breath away. Situated at the foot of Taragarh Hill, the Dargah was a massive white embodiment. This place, an jewel amongst all the other places worth visiting in Ajmer, Rajasthan, is one of the holy places of muslims in India.

Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti, the “Khawaja Saheb” or the living spirit as he is reverentially called attracts not only the muslims as the place ought to be but the people of all faiths and religion. I could see people from all faiths and creed here the moment I started walking towards the Dargah. The dargah’s main attraction was a mausolem harboring the Khawaja Saheb’s tomb. As I entered it, as the convention goes, I had to cover my head with a scarf , kneel down and pray. I did so. Sitting there quietly, I just looked around and noticed that there are a lot of people around. When I entered the place, the only thing I had noticed was the tomb covered in its various decorations and the quiet. I was surprised at the silence the sacred place commanded out of people and I knew instantly why this place is so special in so many hearts out there.

While coming out, I noticed the mighty Buland Darwaja, which should have attracted my attention on the way in but the curiosity to visit the tomb overtook the observer in me. The entire dargah has many other attractions like exquisite courtyards and other architecture predominantly shouting Moghuls everywhere. The rich and intricate designs speak volumes of the 750 year old legacy. Emperor Akbar was the first Moghul to visit the dargah and thereafter came the husge and spacious Akbari Masjid.

After a day, roaming about the dargah exclusively, drinking all the sweetness of the past and the ever present sanctity of the place, I was done with Ajmer Sharif. I knew I would be coming back to this place for its sheer magnificence and simplicity.

Now how do you do that? How do we make sure that we not only travel and have pleasure but also make use of it? I have come upon a strategy to make each and every travel of mine pleasurable, memorable and worthwhile.

First of all, the point that needs to be pondered on is exactly where to travel and how. It is not needed that one has to travel to far off distances to take a break. Before planning we need to understand exactly why we have to travel. If it is just for a weekend break that we are wanting to travel then a nearby destination would be sufficient. If the nearby destination is accessible without having to book tickets etc then the easier way out is to have a vehicle hired. Now that that has been decided the next thing that we need to understand is exactly how to decide on the place. If you are living in a particular region then get a travel guide or surf the Internet to find the nearby interesting spots. Have a diary and make a list of the places that you would want to visit. Then keep ticking the places so that at the end of many months or years you would have the satisfaction of having covered a full region. This gives you the opportunity to reflect back and create your own summary of the region and the places that are worth visiting. This could give you a chance to print whatever you have noted down and could put you on the list of a good travel guide.

See, it is that simple. Simple things that make a huge difference. Your simple outing for a weekend could actually turn out to be a profession for you. Besides this, I always believe in having a diary of events of whatever I do. Maintaining a written record of the events not only puts fresh memories immediately but also ensures that it is a memoir forever. So once you write it down, you could always make a scrap book out of it and gift it to the people you have been with. If you have been with your family, then give the scrap book as a gift on an anniversary or a birthday or Mother’s Day . If you have been with friends then personalize it and give it as a surprise gift. You could also make a collage of the events and hang it in your front room just for keepsakes.

Similarly you could start out on a business of doing this for people. You could accompany them on their trips at your expense, note down the events and then create a travelogue for them. These are ways you can make your travel enjoyable, worthwhile and profitable.

Again, if you have kids, then you could put them into the habit of having their own travelogue. You could open their own blog site and asked them to pen their thoughts down. If you are very creative, you could write poems on the blogs about your travel. This would not only ensure that the children are occupied with doing something creative during the holidays but also gives them a reason to express their thoughts well. This inspires the creative juices and endorses the value of travelling and the experience involved.

If you are good at camera, then you could also take videos, create a movie and showcase it to the family. A movie maker is very easily installable on the computer and one can edit, add captions and create an entire movie out of a trip. These are valuable ways of storing our experiences. Life is a gift. Each moment that we live should be spent in such a manner that we can remembered it as a worthy moment. Travelogues, movies, scrap books are just means of ensuring this kind of experience. There are many more ways to do it. It is left to our imagination how we do it.

We could also take along the responsibility of going to an orphanage or the institution helping the needy and take them out on a day tour and give them the small joys and happiness of life that could make them smile for a moment. If we combine travel with charity it only endorses our ability to rise up to save the world from small miseries. So arise, awake and enjoy travel.

Travel and living are a part of our life. Even if we do not move from one place to another, we could always travel ahead of people by thinking ahead, executing responsibilities and being at peace with ourselves and the world.

So enjoy your journey and make your travel worthwhile.

In most of the cases, people seem more interested in the destination rather than on the cruise. The quality of the ship thus offered has least chance of being good and even it if it found good then you are really lucky. But hinging on luck cannot be a standard means to find a cruise and paying heed to the cruise quality will open up the variety of cruises that are offered to the travelers. The cruises vary greatly in terms of the atmosphere and amenities purveyed to their travelers. Some of them have party bird style while others are too shabby.

The first task of booking a cruise journey is to book early (at least 3 to 6 months prior to the journey). Early booking offers plenty of cruise variety to choose from and discount offers for early birds can save plenty.

A cruise trip to Hawaii or any other dream destination will keep your afloat on the waters for at least a week or so. Cluttered indoor or dirty bedding in the cabin can spoil all your cruise days though, while booking these elements are hardly factored by the traveler. Make it a thumb rule to select the cabin according to your taste and needs. If you need cabin just for sleeping and changing your dress, then go for the cheapest cabin. In case you have decided to spend long hours inside your cabin and is meticulous about the cleanliness, then make sure you choose a cabin of your style.

A journey is planned to spend few days out of the mercenary and humdrum of our life. Compromises can exist in our daily life but it cannot be tolerated during journey. So pay attention to make your journey a pleasurable one . Only then can you remind it by wearing a smile on your face.

The first tip to take your pet along are to acclimate it in the weather, where you will move. For that it is good to take your pet for walk and keeping it fit always, any experts offer a piece of advice which has helped million where it is said to take pets for multiple short tours first and then once it gets the habit of moving around in different climates, take it for a longer tour.

The flight experience can be an intimidating one for your pet as it has to be caged inside the flight. I would prefer to take a break journey so that I can pick my pet for a while and take it for walk in between. In several European airports, the officials allow passengers to move around with their pets and thus one can afford to move around with their dearest friend while they embark on the next half of their journey.

Finally, speaking to your pet is the best method to take precious advice about your pet’s health before moving. Also ask for the contacts of the vets your pet’s doctor knows in the place you have planned to visit. This will give you a safety as you can visit that vet in case of emergency in your trip.

Traditionally, camping was thought to be an activity exclusively for the summer season. But now with the advance tentage equipments companies ahs become an all the year round activity. Campers always look out for the weather to decide the camping timing and despite all the measures of timing taken there can be time when weather can become gruesome enough without any prior notice. Hence, weather conditions are the first in the list of camping advice.

Now bad weather can come and while you are in an adventure trip, you have to consider the unforeseen incidents as you love to live life on the edge. The first and foremost advice will be to go to those places which are less prone to unforeseen weathers. Places like United Sates and China are infamous for its bad weather and hence should preferably be avoided. If possible then have a good know-how about the weather details in all the parts of the country where you are planning to visit. For example in the southern states of the US tornado strikes from the month of March till May. Similarly all the places will have its unique time period when weather turns hazardous for campers.

The forecasting of weather is offered by a variety of websites in the net and most of them offer authentic results. You can also check the government site like www.weather.gov to know the authentic forecasting. And make sure that you talk to all the campers in your group to chalk out a contingency plan, should the weather turns bad all of a sudden.

Southern Belize was discovered the pod years ago which had the seeds of cacao and today cacao growers in Belize have made anew brand in chocolate with Green & Black’s chocolate. The Maya God bars of this brand of chocolate are based o the ancient recipe of making kukuh drink; the drink which Colombus had when was lost in the charm of Central America.

Bournville in England is  just a name of a city and that is the origin of the term.  Today ask anyone about the city and they will instantly reply back with the name followed by chocolate. The Cadbury World of Brimingham is the reason for us to drool as we watch the brown liquid poured in to glasses or to see the brown naked bars being wrapped in silver foils. The biggest Cadbury Shop is in this place and don’t miss it if you happen to drop here.

Italy is one more lace where the chocolate lovers will love to drop in to Italy and especially in the city of Turin. Duke Filiberto was the first person to introduce chocolate here in the form of Aztec drink and since then the city had been made for chocolates. Chocolate shops in Turin are noteworthy and are equally famous as pizzerias.

Switzerland is one more haven for chocolate buffs and it boasts to have some of the famous chocolate markers of the world; Nestlé, Lindt, Toblerone and Suchard.

With so many destinations in hand I am sure you cannot stop drooling. Chart a chocolaty course around the world and make a journey as memorable and sweet as chocolate is.

Around the world in search of chocolates – I

The love of chocolate is noteworthy among the Belgians and they treat chocolate at equal stature of beer. Belgium is not just known for making it, the Belgians have developed quaint recipes and have innovated new flavors of chocolate. Especially the people of Flanders have gained prominence as famous chocolatiers.

The next time you feel to take a bite of Dairy Milk, don’t forget to think about Tetteh Quarshie. The name may be a new one for you, but the seed he planted has generated a food that is not a rare delicacy- chocolate. He was the first man who planted the seed of cacao in Ghana. This plant made Ghana the primary exporter of Cocoa during the entire 20th century. If you ever visit Ghana sneak into the cocoa plantation farm of Quarshie.

Venezuela is one more place that the purists of chocolate love to visit and three distinct flavors (vanilla, nuts and caramel) of the chocolates that stays in your mouth after having the chocolate is a heavenly experience as described by chocolate snobs. Venezuela and most importantly Peri Peninsula is known for its chocolates and is often known as Chocolate Coast.

With so much information in hand, I wish your chocolate ride continues.

Around the world in Search of Chocolate – II

When a trouble comes out of climate, then you cannot change the source of the problem. It is nature and its rules that you have to abide by. The only tool to combat this nuisance of nature is knowledge about the climate of China, which can help you to set the right time of your journey. However, of you are on a business trip then you are at the nature’s mercy and have to acclimate yourself despite the harsh weather.

The most visited place of China Beijing has a long summer season, which remains dry and the winters are pretty cold. This place has fabulous weather during spring and autumn and thus most tourists prefer to visit Beijing during autumn. But the season has its own troubles to give and one of them is dust storms. The summer rains are an entertaining event in China as it makes all the dusty places fresh in the months of July August when most of the places get covered by the sheets of dust.

If anyone wishes to visit Mt. Huangshan, then they should avoid the months of April, May and June. During these months the place experiences heavy rainfall and clambering the craggy mountain becomes a risky issue. The best season the take the trip to Mt. Huangshan is Spring, though some of the tourists find the winter spectacle of Mt. Huangshan as a spectacular scene. Te place here is especially cold and the tourists are advised to bring warm coats even during the summers. During summers occasional rainfall is common in this area but do not use an umbrella to save yourself as it can catch the strong winds and can be fatal for you when you are on the mountain cliff or roads. It is better to use a raincoat instead.

Rue Saint-Dominique

This is the street in the neighborhood called the 7th Arrondissement that is famous for its top attraction – the Eiffel Tower. With this, it is obvious that you are surely going to spend much time here and so, there is a need to know about some great spots to eat. Fortunately, a few traps offering genuine French food welcome tourists. Look for the following three restaurants here.

Located on 139 rue Saint-Dominique, the Café Constant (www.cafeconstant.com) is opened for lunch, afternoon menu, and dinner. This one is accessible by the Ecole Millitaire Metro and is opened daily. The respective meal timings are 12:00 to 2:30 pm, 3:00 to 5:00 pm, and 7 to 11 pm. The décor is quite simple here, but do not be put off by that as it truly belies the taste as well as the quality of food served here. The main feature of this typical French brasserie is that you are served a seasonal menu that features only the best market products that are available. It is well managed by the famous chef Christian Constant along with Eduardo Jacinto Avelar as a young chef both of whom offer a delicious meal including starter, entrée, and dessert just at 23 Euros.

The next one is on the 131 rue Saint-Dominique: Les Fables de la Fontaine (www.lesfablesdelafontaine.net) offering lunch as well as dinner daily from 12:30 to 2:30 pm and 7:30 to 10:30 pm respectively. However in this trendy French bistro, prior reservations are mandatory. If you come here, you get to taste the special cuisine of the Basque Country situated in the southwest of the nation. Although it is reasonable, get ready to pay a bit more for the food of very high quality. Including a starter, dessert, and a daily specialty, the weekday lunch will cost you €30. It is interesting to know that the chef Sébastien Gravé and David Bottreau are actually trained by Christian Constant who runs the above cafe.

La Fontaine de Mars (www.fontainedemars.com) is the third option on the 129 rue Saint-Dominique that too requires prior reservations for hearty meals. Open from 12 pm to 11 pm daily, this typical Parisian bistro is truly a gourmet paradise run by Jacques and Christiane Boudon who love to cook and serve traditionally. Here, the daily special is plat du jour that will cost you €20, while both the afternoon as well as the night meals including an appetizer, dessert, and the main course will demand somewhere around €55. And you will love to know that President Obama has already savored the flavors here.

Rue Cler street

Lastly, on the 29 Rue Cler street, the Le Petit Cler bistro takes care of your all three meals of the day. Rue Cler is a beautiful avenue where you will come across several bistros, shops, and markets. However, this one is just the best. This ancient-style eatery is actually a La Fontaine de Mars property that features a wonderful atmosphere on an affordable scale. For 12 Euros, you can taste the daily specialty called the plat du jour, while market menus like sausages, cheeses, planches with Poilâne bread, and much more are available for €10 to €15. Further, a filling meal will demand €25 per person. Prior reservations for weekend lunch are always suggested.