A Quick Glance on the Best Luxury Trains in India

Luxury trains are convenient, comfortable and hassle-free mode of journey especially in a country like India where one finds oneself often at a loss of choice owing to India’s mind-boggling diversity. Besides, if you wish to feast on the beauty of the land and mix with peoples at close quarters nothing fits the bill better than luxury trains in India.

India offers a host of luxury trains from classic Fairy Queen and Heritage on Wheels to modern Palace on Wheels and Maharaja’s Express. Some Indian luxury trains are popular merely because historical reasons while some are popular due to their exclusivity, comfort and opulent treatment they offer onboard.

The Palace on Wheels is one of the most popular luxury trains in India of all times. The train lives up to its name and offers a royal experience onboard with its state-of-the-art facilities and warm hospitality. The train starts its journey from national capital New Delhi and covers Jaipur – the pink city, Jaisalmer – the golden city, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra – the city of Taj.

The legendary Royal Rajasthan on Wheels has the same itinerary and route but, of course, a unique experience of its own. The RROW blends five-star luxury with the train travel and traverses through Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Ranthambore, Bharatpur, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra.

The Deccan Odyssey is generally labeled as ‘Palace on Wheels of Maharashtra’ and one of the best luxury trains in the world. This royal journey does a loop from Mumbai and takes you to Sindhudurg, Goa, Kolhapur, Daulatabad, Ellora Caves, Aurangabad, Ajanta Caves, and Nashik.

The Golden Chariot travels across Karnataka and Goa. The journey begins from Bangalore and takes one to Mysore, Srirangapatna, Kabini, Hassan, Hospet, Badami and Goa.

One more upcoming train – the Maharaja’s Express – is being added to the bandwagon of luxury trains travel that will offer pan-Indian experience. This is a joint venture of IRCTC and Cox & Kings India Ltd. The tours are categorized into Princely India, Royal India, Classical India and Celestial India. The Princely India tour begins from Mumbai and covers Vadodara, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Agra and Delhi. The Royal India is a reverse journey of the same route, i.e., beginning from Delhi and ending at Mumbai. The Classical India trip covers Delhi, Agra, Gwalior, Khajuraho, Bandhavgarh, Varanasi, Gaya and Kolkata while Celestial India tour will cover the same destinations in reverse order. With the inclusion of best names in the hospitality industry, Maharaja Express promises to be the best luxury train in India and one of the best in the world.

Be it for history and heritage or adventure and leisure or to get the glimpse of amazing India at close quarters, or to simply enjoy the journey and a range of hospitality services, luxury trains in India offers much more than other modes of traveling.

Best Value for Diving Where the Three Seas Meet

As a diver, I am always looking for a perfect place to dive, but doesn’t burn a hole in my pockets as well. I want a good place with good facilities, comfortable accommodation, good weather, good scenery and good food plus good security.

You know where I have found the place? Right in the island of Borneo on the Northern tip. The place is Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai and Mataking islands on the Celebes Sea.

Up north you have the Sulu sea where you have Langkayan island and to the West, you have the pristine waters of the South China Sea. Three vast seas in one trip. Beautiful spots, lots of interesting marine life, big pelagic fishes and action or if you prefer the muck diving, exploring for the vast variety of critters in the ocean floor .

I am a calculative person, meaning I would work my budget out and exploit to the maximum. I am taught to get maximum out from minimum at the work place and this is the principle I applied. Maximum from minimum resources! Traveling to Malaysia and reaching the state of Sabah, there is a certain sum of money being spent, right? If you have traveled half the world to reach this place, you would want to explore as many diving sites as you want. The beautiful part in this place is that the four sites are quite near to each other. The experience is unique in each one though.

For example, at Sipadan, it is big fish action, the Barracuda, Turtles, sharks and rays. At Mabul and Kapalai, it is the macro life on the ocean floor, the weird critters you have never seen before.

It is unique to be staying on houses built on stilts over the sea. Where do you get to sit on your balcony and by looking down at the water below, you can watch the antics of the Mantis Prawn? This is one unique place. And the conversion of currency is USD1 gives you RM3.4 (Ringgit Malaysia). A can of coke cost you about USD50cents. So how about that for spending power at this place?

There are a number of dive resorts with PADI status at these dive paradise. The renting of diving equipment is a bargain compared to other places I have visited.

And getting to Sabah is easy as the capital city Kota Kinabalu is well connected to major airlines from USA, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Brunei, Bangkok, Macau, Shanghai, Australia and Kuala Lumpur.

Backpacking Inspiration: 6 weeks South East Asia, Bangkok to Singapore overland

One of the most popular destinations for independent travellers and backpackers, South East Asia has stunning Buddhist temples, dense jungles, bustling markets, exquisite cuisine and exotic culture. As one of the most affordable regions of the world in which to travel independently, you can expect incredible value for money and the trip of a lifetime. Here is a sample itinerary for around 6 weeks backpacking Southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.

Fly into Bangkok: The start of many South East Asian adventures, Bangkok is the ultimate in exotic and excitement. Busy, polluted, noisy and intense, the culture shock may be bewildering but the experience unforgettable.

From Bangkok head south by train to Surat Thani, then speedboat to Koh Samui: A week or two on the idyllic beaches, eating Tom Yum Soup and drinking Chang Beer.

Khao Sok National Park: Southern Thailand contains an area of jungle complete with monkeys, elephants, and cool lodges to stay and enjoy the trekking for a day or two.

Phuket, Ko Phi Phi and Krabi: Meander slowly down the Andaman Coast, if you fancy it you can go sea kayaking or diving, or hire a motorbike and explore the beaches independently.

Bus or train south and into Malaysia: This border crossing is no hassle, once in Malaysia head to Penang where you can swap your phrasebook and catch up on a few big city comforts.

Kualur-Lumpur: Less intense than Bangkok, and an easy place to relax, there’s plenty to see in KL for a couple of days including the Petronas Towers and the historic colonial architecture.

Singapore: Developed, westernised, comfortable, clean and expensive. An international hub, you can spend a few days seeing the sights and enjoying the food before flying home or onto your next destination.

Assuming you travel independently as a backpacker, this 6 week trip is likely to cost in the region of $1300 -$1800.

A Land Yacht is Perfect for Individuals Who Have a Love for Speed

For the person who wants to relax with the wind blowing in their face there are some interesting traveling options available. These options will include traveling by land yacht. These yachts are perfect for individuals who have a love of speed. While your usual ocean going yacht is built for comfortable sailing, a land yacht is an entirely different story.

You will find that there are different styles of land yachts which are fantastic for yacht racing. You will be able to find these yachts on the internet, in yachting magazines, and also in showrooms of land yachts. These yachts which are made for land yacht racing are sleek and fast. You will need to understand however that these yachts are specialist yachts. For this reason you might find that buying these yachts is an expensive hobby.

Now even though land yacht racing is one of the more well known yachts you will find that there are many people who enjoy racing across the surface of the land in land yachts. For these people this yacht racing which takes place on the land is the ultimate test in speed racing.

These land yachts which are primarily used for yacht racing are sleek vessels which have been designed for pure, raw speed. Since these yachts are designed primarily for speed you will not find too much in the way of luxury. This will not curtail your enjoyment of land yachts or the speed they are capable of generating.

This lack of comfort and luxury will not a problem for the people who have bought these yachts with racing capabilities in mind. In land yacht racing you will find that the entire yacht has been designed to catch the maximum amount of wind. This along with the sleek design of the hull will help to propel land yachts across the surface of the land during the periods of racing.

For the people who are involved in this sport with land yachts they need to be capable of handling the quick changes and rapid movements of the yacht to get that extra burst of speed. What you will find in land yacht racing is the joy of pure freedom that the crews of these land yachts face.

With land yachts racing over the surface of the land will seem to be effortless. You can see different styles of these land yachts if you are a spectator or taking part in the land speed race itself. With the wind blowing in your face from yacht racing you will wonder why you have never taken part in this fantastic sport before

Anaheim, California – the Glorious Home of Disneyland!

The Californian city of Anaheim celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Situated in Orange County, 28 miles southwest of Los Angeles, Anaheim is home to the world famous Disneyland, as well as the reigning Ice Hockey champions the Mighty Ducks and Major League’s 2002 World Series winners, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Founded in 1857 by 50 German families, Anaheim literally means “Ana’s home”, named after the nearby Santa Ana River, and the German word for home – ‘heim’. The families that founded the city originally hailed from Bavaria. They specialised in growing and farming grapes, as well as making wine. However, in the 1880s an insect pestilence wiped out their entire grape crop. Unable to prevent the destruction of their crop the farmers picked up the pieces and diversified into growing walnuts, lemons and – of course – oranges instead.

Benefiting from the great California climate and steady immigration, Anaheim continued to grow during the 1900s, deriving the majority of its income from farming and finance. But the city underwent its biggest expansion after Walt Disney decided to make his theme park dream a reality and base it in Anaheim. Disney opened their theme park in 1955; the ground upon which it is built consists of 160 acres of former walnut and orange groves, and you can still spot plenty of orange trees dotted throughout the park. The phenomenal success of the Disneyland Park over the last 50 years has led to the Walt Disney Company becoming Anaheim’s largest employer. In addition, the city now derives most of its income directly from tourism.

In 2001, the Disneyland Park was further expanded by the addition of Disney’s California Adventure. The latest park is a haven for thrill-seekers offering the nail-biting Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the super-fast California Screamin’ roller-coaster rides amongst many others. In addition, the Disney Resort also boasts Downtown Disney, which includes the ESPN Zone and House of Blues amongst its attractions. At the ESPN Zone you can take in the latest sporting activities on the big screen while enjoying traditional American edibles and drinks, while The House of Blues frequently attracts big name acts to its illustrious stage.

Many companies choose to have conventions at the Anaheim Convention Center; the biggest on the West Coast of America. The obvious attraction of having Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure on the doorstep means that while taking care of business at the conference, a delegate’s family can enjoy the many attractions of the park. Indeed, at many hotels in Anaheim, you will find family parties mixing business with pleasure – a fantastic solution for all involved!