Travel Lakshadweep
Hundred Thousand Islands
The Bamboo Trains of Battambang – Cambodia
Dec 26th
Battambang, in Cambodia, is most famous for its ancient bamboo trains. You can board the bamboo train Odambang village. Do not expect a “normal” train ride here – the bamboo train is a large bamboo platform mounted on train axles powered by a small gokart engine. The open train has no roof, doors or seat belts. Holding onto the railing and praying for your life could be the only solace during this roller coaster of a ride! The average bamboo train is three feet wide and eight feet long. If the driver wants to brake the train, he has to turn the engine off and coast to a stop!
Only a single train can travel on the tracks, with people often having to heave the cart off the track for an approaching train to pass by! But for a very long time, rural Cambodia had to make do with the bamboo trains alone for transport. Anything from farm animals and rice to small motorcycles and household items can be transported via the bamboo trains.
Titanic Captain’s Cigar Box Found in the UK
May 19th
A Merseyside home in the UK has become famous for having housed the mighty Titanic’s captain’s cigar box. While valuing some antiques at the Merseyside home, auctioneer John Crane came upon the cigar box atop a cabinet. The item had been lying in the home for more than 20 years now, but the owner had no clue as to its origin!
The cigar box which can hold up to 40 Havanas has the name of the master of Titanic as well as its shipping company, White Star Line, on it. It is believed to have been given to the owner’s father by relatives of Edward John Smith’s widow Sarah. The Titanic sunk in the North Atlantic, after the ill-fated accident on her very first voyage in 1912, from Southampton to New York.
Giant Leap For Women!
Mar 9th
Kathyrn Bigelow made history this International Women’s day by becoming the first woman to win an Oscar for ‘Best Director’ for her movie The Hurt Locker. And the fact that she beat her ex-husband James Cameron and his movie Avatar is even better news as Cameron is a well-known director and seems invincible! Her movie won six Oscars, including the ‘Best Picture’.
Since the Oscars started 82 years ago, women directors were nominated four times but never won an award. This year is special!
The Largest and Costliest Cruiseliner
Oct 29th
At $1.3 billion and being able to carry over 6,000 passengers, Oasis of the Seas is the world’s biggest and most expensive cruise ship. The Royal Caribbean Cruiseline owns this beauty, which took about six years to be built. It can accommodate up to 6,360 passengers and 2,160 members of the crew. It is 16 decks high – standing 213 feet above the waterline. This 1,180-foot-long and 154-foot-wide cruise will be sailing mostly in the Caribbean, with its four-night maiden voyage scheduled on December 1, from Fort Lauderdale in the US to Labadee in Haiti.
Royal Caribbean International, a global cruise brand, has 21 ships in service and one under construction. The line offers unique cruise packages in Alaska, Canada, Dubai, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. They are looking at young travellers. A casino, 21 swimming pools, an aquapark, a carousel and a science lab are some of the attractions on board the Oasis of the Sea. The transatlantic crossing will be recorded on OasisoftheSeas.com as new webisodes. A new feature to OasisoftheSeas.com will allow visitors to view a Google Maps application and follow the route of the Oasis of the Seas. There are also blogs for information and updates.
The ship will be officially named on November 30 in an inaugural celebration. It will also feature a fundraiser to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
To The Space And Back
Oct 11th
Ever dreamt of a holiday in spcae? Well… founder of Cirque du Soliel and billionaire Guy Laliberte has just returned from his holiday in space. Yes, you read it right, space. He certainly enjoyed his $35-million vacation, and is the seventh private individual to visit theInternational Space Station, an orbiting lab.
Along with other astronauts and cosmonauts, he made the 10-day visit to ISS. Laliberte says he is the “first clown in space”. And a happy one at that. His journey marked an awareness campaign for water shortages. The event had many international artistes performing for the cause.
Spectacular white diamond from Pretoria
Oct 5th
Diamonds are forever. Indeed. And the Cullinan mine in Pretoria, South Africa just seems to reiterate that fact. A white diamond, weighing 507 carats (about a 100gm) was unearthed from the mine on September 24.
The Cullinan mine is also famous for having produced the world’s largest diamond ever found, the Cullinan, in 1905. This diamond, which weighed 3,106 carats in the rough, was cut into several smaller ones and the biggest is part of the Crown Jewels of Britain.
Don’t be amazed – this mine has also produced other huge diamonds – the Golden Jubilee (755 carats rough) and the Centenary (99 carats rough), and the Taylor-Burton (69 carats polished).
Foster Botanical Garden, Honolulu
Sep 9th
This is Hawaii’s oldest garden! It was built in 1855 by German doctor William Hillebrand and his wife. He was also a botanist and he stayed within the area leased to him by Queen Kalama. The garden now covers 14 acres and has a collection of more than 10, 000 rare tropical plants from across the globe, besides the trees planted by Hillebrand. Located in downtown Honolulu, it has been filmed in many TV shows and Hollywood movies. The garden has been the scene for many a wedding and commercial photo shoots.
The garden is divided into different sections housing a range of plants and trees. Guided tours within the garden will bring you close to orchids, variety of medicinal plants, ones used for fabric and dyes and a prehistoric garden containing primitive plants.
The garden is open throughout the year, except on Christmas and New Year’s Day, for a nominal fee.
August 15 – India’s Independence Day
Aug 16th
India gained its independence from the British on 15 August 1947. It was celebrated yesterday all over India with much pomp and reverence. Indians abroad, too, observe this day with respect, wherever they are.
India celebrates its independence with three other countries-South Korea and Bahrain and the Republic of Congo. Bahrain gained it on 15 August 1971. South Korea actually gained it from Japan on 13 August 1948. But the then authorities made the official date as 15 August 1945.
The Republic of Congo, whose capital is Brazzaville, gained its independence from France in 1960.