Bihu Dance Festival: Energizing Your North East India Trip

When it comes to the National Festivals of Assam, Bihus top the chart. Celebrated in the months of January, April and October – the Bihu festivals are known as Bohaag Bihu (Rangali Bihu), Maagh Bihu (Bhogali Bihu) and Kaati Bihu (Kongaali Bihu). The most important of these is the Spring festival ‘Bohaag Bihu’ or Rangali Bihu that marks the beginning of the agricultural season. This seven day festival is marked by traditional Bihu dance during which the visitors are served with rice-beer.

The Bohaag Bihu or the Rongali Bihu
Marking the New Year at the advent of seeding time, Bohaag Bihu is celebrated around April 15 every year. During the entire seven days, the ladies prepare dishes like pitha, larus (traditional food made of rice and coconut) and Jolpan which gives the real essence of the season. People wear new clothes, make the cows bath and worship them, wash the statues of Gods and indulge in traditional dances. Generally young boys and girls take part in the dances, which at times seem to be erotic and seductive. Incorporating a mating ritual, it is also known as fertility festival where the young women celebrate their fertility with sensuous movements.

The Magh Bihu or the Bhogali Bihu
This harvesting festival is celebrated in January and is enjoyed with community feast, buffalo fights, Cock-fights, Nightingale-fights and other entertainments. It is emerged with the word ‘Bhog’ that is eating and enjoyment. On the last day, people celebrate it along side a lake while singing bihu songs, beating Dhol and playing Pepa (buffalo hornpipe). They offer their prayers to the God of Fire.

The Kati Bihu to the Kongaali Bihu

Celebrated in the month of Kartika (mid – October), it marks the completion of sowing and transplanting of paddies. It is a festival of poor, which represents swaying of hips, youthful passion and reproductive urge. People also exchange sweets and greetings during the festival.

Bangkok City Tower – Portraying the Modern Face of Thailand

Located in a strategically important site in the modern cosmopolitan Bangkok, the Bangkok City Tower in many ways portrays the modern face of Thailand. The town of Bangkok which began as a small trading post and a seaside community that served the Ayuthtaya Kingdom has today morphed into one of the regions leading commercial hubs. The space age design of the building is its most striking feature and its shimmering silhouette on the Bangkok skyline makes it a popular landmark in the city.

Amongst Bangkok’s fifty administrative districts, the Bangkok City Tower is located in the Central Business District. This area houses major corporations, embassies, banks and investment firms in Bangkok and can be termed as the heart of the city’s if not the country’s economy.

The advantageous location of Bangkok City Tower makes it a preferred place to set up office for some of Bangkok’s biggest companies. Among the buildings tenants that include major industry consultancies and banking corporations are PricewaterhouseCoopers, United Overseas Bank, Bank of China. KPMG, Deloittes, Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank and Chase JP Morgan.

The building can be found at the main intersection between Sathorn Road and Narathiwas Rajanagarindra road. Sathorn Road has a number of commercial companies occupying its premises and is generally considered to be an upscale part of Bangkok. Commuting from the Bangkok City Tower to other parts of the city is easy as it is located on the Chong Nonsi Skytrain (BTS). The Skytrain or Bangkok Mass Rapid Transit System is an elevated metro system that has 23 stations situated on two lines.

The thirty storey Bangkok City Tower has over 42,000 square meters of tenable office space. The special feature of this building is its floor layout with plate sizes of 1,000 and 2,000 square meters and a 15 meter column span to accommodate efficient floor layout. The building also has provisions to provide parking for up to 800 cars and three separate lift zones that are serviced by 12 cabs including a service lift and two car park lifts. The modern energy efficient exterior has solar reflective paneling and a heat absorbing glass curtain wall.

Located close to the Bangkok City Tower and the Central Business District are several comfortable Bangkok serviced apartments that are a great option for long stay business travelers visiting this part of the city that are a great option for long stay business travelers visiting this part of the city.

10 Biggest Waterfalls

The sublime power of white water crashing over cliffs to the depths below has a mesmerising effect on anyone who has witnessed the spectacle of some of the world’s biggest waterfalls.

Whether they are thousands of metres tall, have the largest volume of water flowing over their edge at any one time or have the widest curtain of free falling water, all 10 waterfalls selected as the biggest are extraordinary to say the least.

The Angel Falls

The Angel Falls in Venezuela is the world’s highest waterfall at 979m. It is so high that the water actually atomises, due to the force of the strong winds in the area and simply disappears in a fine mist before it even reaches the ground. This mist can still be felt on the skin well over a mile away!

Known as Parakupa-vena to the locals, meaning ‘the fall from the highest point’, its anglicised name actually has nothing to do with the celestial messengers of heaven. American aviator, Jimmie Angel, who brought the falls to the world’s attention in 1933 when his plane crashed close to the falls whilst searching for a lucrative ore bed, is the inspiration for the moniker.

Inga Falls

The Inga Falls, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is arguably the largest waterfall in the world. Although only 96m high and with no measurement of its width currently available, the rapids boast the highest volume of water at an average of 1,500,000 cubic feet / second!

Victoria Falls

The Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River is easily one of the most impressive cascades in the world and is deemed one of the largest, with a width of 1.7km and a height of 108m.

It forms the largest curtain of water on the planet and is the natural, insurmountable border between Zimbabwe and Zambia in Southern Africa. It is a ‘must-see’ natural wonder and should be included on all safari holiday tour itineraries.

Literally thousands of tourists flock to the area each year to enjoy dedicated Victoria Falls tours and African safari specialists are able to organise all sorts of exciting adrenalin activities that include the Zambezi River and the Falls.

Known by the locals as Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘the smoke that thunders’, the falls can be viewed from as close as 60m as the entire volume of water drops into a single chasm that is between 60 and 120m wide. Added attractions are the abutting national parks that offer a genuine African safari adventure.

Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls in North America is effectively made up of three different falls – one in Canada and two in the USA. Although comparatively diminutive in height, the sheer volume of water flowing over the falls elevates it to the most powerful on the continent.

Tugela Falls

Located in the majestic Drakensberg Mountains in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, the Tugela Falls are the second highest in the world at 947m. ‘Tugel’ means ‘sudden’ in Zulu.

Chutes de Khone

This enormous, segmented cascade on the Mekong River in Laos is easily the widest in the world, extending to almost 15 kilometres in the annual monsoon.

Cataratas Ias Tres Hermanas

Located on the Rio Cutivireni in Peru, these falls have largely gone unnoticed until recently. Consisting of 5 drops, the height has been estimated to be in the region of 914m, making it one of the highest falls in the world.

Olo’ upena Falls

Situated in Hawaii, the Olo’ upena Falls are rated as one of the top 20 in Oceania. At a height of 900m, it certainly rivals some of its lofty peers.

Vinnufossen

The Vinnufossen in Norway may be more of a trickle than a waterfall as far as volume goes, but at 860m it is the highest waterfall in Europe and therefore deserves its place in the sun.

Iguazu Falls

‘Big Water’ in the Guarani language, the Iguazu Falls in Brazil is not so much about height, width or volume but rather the fact that the entire waterfall system is made up of no fewer than 270 individual cascades that extend for well over two and a half kilometres. Well worth a visit, the area offers sublime views and extensive hiking trails. It’s even possible to be surrounded by 260° of sheer water at the Garganta del Diablo.

ACTIVETRAVEl ASIA recommends kayaking and cruising places in Vietnam

In the northern Vietnam, Halong Bay is the most spectacular sea kayaking destination. The bay’s name means “descending dragon”, and the mythical beasts are said to have created the rocky islets that form a maze of protected waterways. Guests will explore the sea arches, caves and hidden lagoons in this vast archipelago, swim in the jade-colored water and relax on beautiful sand beaches.

The scenery isn’t the only thing that makes Halong Bay amazing. It is home to Cat Ba langurs, the rarest primate on Earth. There are only a few dozen of them left, but sometimes they emerge to feed in a hidden cove, and we catch a glimpse of them from travelers’ kayaks.

The next destination is Babe Lake. Ba Be is Vietnam’s largest natural lake and is now the centerpiece of an extensive National Park. The park and the surrounding area is limestone country, so lakes, waterfalls, caves and unusual rock formations abound. The whole area is richly forested and is home to many ethnic minority communities. Ba Be National Park has been recognized as a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Kayakers will explore peaceful river, beautiful lake, daily life, local market…

In the southern Vietnam, cruising Mekong River means exploring narrow channels, floating markets, daily life, and orchards in the Delta. Floating markets, magnificent sunrise and sunset are highlight for cruising in Mekong River. The favorable conditions of calm water, light current, good mother-boat are also to enable to build kayaking tours in Mekong River.

These are some main destinations for kayaking and cruising in Vietnam in which tourists definitely have fun and challenge!!

Recommended in kayaking and cruising in Vietnam:
– Kayaking tours in Vietnam: http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=listByCategoryId&catId=3
– Cruise in Vietnam: http://www.activetravelshop.com/?name=product&op=listProducts&subcat=HCMCMekongTours
– Summer Promotion 2010 in Vietnam and Cambodia with ATA: http://www.activetravel.asia/special_offer/2010_summer_promotions.html

Sources: www.activetravelvietnam.com

Are you a Civil War Buff? Why not Experience Historic Georgia?

If you’re thinking of taking a vacation in the Deep South, Georgia might not be at the top of your list. After all, Florida offers stunning beaches and sweltering weather, Louisiana boasts an eclectic cultural heritage and Tennessee is home to Nashville – the heart of Country music. But Georgia’s deep American roots, as well as its prestigious status as one of the Thirteen Colonies of the American Revolution, means that the state possesses a historical gravitas that’s hard to match.

Georgia’s civil war history, in particular, has left a remarkable legacy in the state and its main towns and cities. Having seceded from the Union in 1861, Georgia sent nearly 100,000 soldiers into battle during the American Civil War, but remained free from battle until late 1863. By the end of the civil war in 1865, a total of nearly 550 battles and skirmishes had taken place in the state, the most notorious of which is William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea in 1864. Having captured Atlanta, and burnt it to the ground, Sherman’s March to the Sea involved the destruction of a 60 mile stretch of land from Atlanta to Savannah – a defining moment in the history of Georgia that acts as the setting for Margaret Mitchell’s epic novel, ‘Gone with the Wind’.

Today, many of Georgia’s Civil War battlefields have been swallowed up in industrial development. But the budding historic tourist in Georgia will still find a variety of attractions in which to immerse themselves. For instance, the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located in northern Georgia and part of eastern Tennessee, preserves the site of two major Civil War battles – the Battle of Chattanooga and the Battle of Chickamauga. Additionally, the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park encloses the site of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, in which over 4000 soldiers were killed.

The city of Savannah also offers the traveller on vacation in Georgia a range of historic sites and landmarks to visit. Many of the main hotels in Savannah are located near the world famous River Street, which is home to the city’s restored nineteenth century cotton warehouses and passageways, so people on vacation in the town will find its historic district easily locatable. Savannah also houses the Laurel Grove Cemetery, in which many Confederate soldiers and ex-slaves were buried.

What’s more, Savannah is also the site of many well-preserved antebellum Southern plantations, including Wormsloe Plantation, the Pink House Sorrel Weed House and Mercer House. And with historic Civil War forts, including Fort Jackson and Fort Pulaski in close proximity to Savannah, any visitor keen to experience a slice of Georgia’s rich Civil War heritage is sure to find Savannah an ideal destination for their next vacation.