Most of the people in this world are travelling. The travel can be to any distance. No matter, people are getting more and more aware of travel and its benefits. Travel can rejuvenate you, it can bring you at peace, it bonds families together, you get to see new place, its art and craft, culture and many more. These days, travelling solo has become a trend. Many people travel solo. Even I have travelled alone. Although my trips used to be Company sponsored but the feeling of solo travel is unparalleled. I love solo travel. Although I travel with my family a lot as well, but the experience one gets in travelling solo is unique and highly beneficial. 

Myself-shoving-away-snow-from-car travelling solo

Five benefits of travelling solo

1. Total Freedom

You get your own space. Nobody to interrupt or disturb in what you want to do. Get up early or late. Eat or exercise, read a book, gaze at nature for hours or just laze around. Its your way and choice. Total freedom!

2. Time to get introspective

Since you are by yourself totally, you can use this'd time to reflect upon yourself. Who knows you can even come out with a new definition of yourself

3. Love for loved ones increases

Once you leave home and if you and your loved ones get time to think about each other. Your absence in the house increases your worth for them and vice versa

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Nidhi KM

Incredible! The Parisian Macao opens shortly

Who doesn't want to see the Eiffel Tower. People make their marriage anniversary plans to be at Eiffel Tower on their day of celebration. Poets seek inspirations, writers write stories, travellers dream about Eiffel Tower, kids make a goal to visit. Eiffel Tower inspires so many people on this earth.

Well, what if you get to experience the Eiffel Tower in Macao! Isn't that astonishing? Well, yes! People who cannot come all the way to Paris but to Macao can have a lifetime memory of this iconic landmark of the world. Yes, newest crown of Sands Cotai Strip Macao , The Parisian Macao will be opening officially on Sept. 13, 2016. It is inspired by the City of lights, Paris and to provide a flavour of Paris, Eiffel Tower which is the half scale authentic recreation of famous Eiffel Tower of Paris is created at the entrance! Eiffel Tower at The Parisian Macao is going to inspire many with its views of Mainland China and breathtaking views of the Cotai Strip. 

Opening offer by The Parisian Macao

1. Offer valid from July 27, 2016 till Jan. 27, 2017

2. Offer is for stays from Sept. 14, 2016 to Jan. 27, 2017, starting from HKD 1,398*

3. Accommodation for two in Deluxe King Room

4. Daily breakfast OR lunch for two

5. Eiffel Tower admission tickets for two

6.The Parisian Macao limited edition opening souvenir

7. Stay two nights and receive extra benefits:

Macao to Hong Kong Cotai Water Jet Cotai Class one-way ferry tickets for two OR Qube Kingdom Kid’s Play Zone admission tickets for two OR MOP200 Shopping and Dining Dollars

Guests will be able to start booking now and enjoy an exceptional grand opening promotional rate starting from HKD 1,398*.  Reservations can be made online, just visit  ParisianMacao.com/Opening-Package.

The Parisian Macao – Grand Opening Package is available from now till Jan. 27, 2017 for stays from Sept. 14, 2016 to Jan. 27, 2017, starting from HKD 1,398.

For more information, please visit ParisianMacao.com.

Call +853 2882 8832  (international hotline), toll free 800 906 322 (Hong Kong), 4001 208 852 (Mainland China) or 000 8000 508 002 (India); or visit ParisianMacao.com/Opening-Package.

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Don't miss Kecak Ramayana & Fire Dance @ Uluwatu

With limited time at our hands in Bali we wanted to use it optimally. What best could we do if we wanted to see a dance performance. Our guide of the tour took us to Uluwatu Temple.

Uluwatu temple

Uluwatu Temple is in Bukit Peninsula in Southernmost part of Bali, Indonesia. A sage from East Java is claimed to have attained moksha here. He constructed the temple.

Scenery at Uluwatu

It was a breathtaking view as I reached the venue of dance at Uluwatu Temple. There was a cliff against which waves were splashing and creating a beautiful scene. The time was of sunset. Multiple waves were reaching the shore. The view was such that I could spend hours sitting there gazing at nature's beauty. Colour of sea was so nice.

But we were rushing as Kecak Ramayana & Fire Dance was about to start. So, we missed our time to appreciate this precious creation by God.

When we reached the venue, the dance had already started. There were  men sitting in circles wearing a black and white check sarong.

They were chanting cha cha cha. This cha cha cha was sung in various ways and tones. Sometimes it was so rigorous and sometimes it was calm. But the tone of the cha cha cha used to explain everything very nicely about the scene.

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Nidhi KM

In the morning by Legian Beach, Bali

As we reached Bali from Flores, I and my friend Hitasha Mehra were very eager to visit Legian Beach. Since we had very less time on us , we decided to visit the beach early morning. We started from our hotel- Mercure Legian at 6.30. It was only a 10 minutes walk from our hotel. There was a sort of entrance to the beach depicting the typical culture, art and designs of Bali. The gate impressed me.

Entrance to Legian Beach

Every nook and corner I visited in Bali always reminded me of Indian culture. So, I always felt at home in Bali. Coming back to the gate. We reached the beach and it was a pleasant morning. 

Legian Beach

Waters of sea were beautiful. We could see people jumping on coming waves.

People strolling around

A little ahead, some people were surfing and it was a phenomenal site. I was seeing water surfing for the first time and was trying to estimate my ability to do water surfing.

People playing with waves

We were told by our friend Deepak Acharya to visit Kuta Beach but we didn't have time and kept it for next time visit. Kuta beach is a great beach for water surfing.

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Nidhi KM

Water Surfing

Viharin.com in World's Top 50 interesting travel blogs

How does it feel when your work is rewarded? Isn't it a great feeling, as if you are on cloud 9! Same thing happened with me when I came to know that Viharin.com has been considered as one of the top 50 most interesting travel blogs to follow! I was thrilled to hear this from Artfulclub.com. After one and a half years of continuous efforts and burning of midnight oil, when I heard this news, I was elated. Below is the screenshot of the list while you can get the whole list here.

One of top travel blogs of the world!

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Nidhi KM

Six Reasons to Visit Slovenia, a Gem of Europe

Content and photo credits Frank Lee

Slovenia is a mountainous republic in central Europe which used to be a part of Yugoslavia before 1991. The country has been blessed with some of the most exquisite views on the planet by nature, however, it is still a relatively unknown country for the world. The country has an area of less than 10 percent of the United Kingdom yet it has more geographical diversity than many countries many times its size. There are towering mountains and beautiful lakes, the kind which result in perfect photo opportunities.

The relatively small size of the country means that you can visit the major attractions without feeling like you’re in a rush or you’ll miss out on something. The attractions offered by the country are many however there are certain attractions which overpower all others and we’ve curated a list of the major reasons why you should pack your bags and take a trip to the beautiful Republic of Slovenia.

Fairytale Sceneries

A trip to Slovenia can look like a trip to another universe where everything either happens to be in green color or it is deep blue waters which force you to look at them. You’re truly stepping into a fairytale when you visit Slovenia. One of the best places to visit for the scenery is Lake Bled which seems to have come straight out of a fairytale and once you visit it, you wouldn’t really want to leave. In fact, you’ll star finding reasons to spend more time here such as writing a biography or a novel.

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Have you ever tried Uttapam with Chole?

When I used to work with American Express, there used to be a tradition of pot luck lunch when everyone would bring their cuisine speciality food item and it would be shared across the team. My team used to be big and its members were from various parts of India. Pot luck lunches used to be a great platform to know each other's cuisine. Some one would bring Chicken Chettinad, some Chhole, Paneer makhani etc. Once my friend suggested why not create as special dish that reflects the taste of two different tastes!

I got super curious with the concept and loved it. Such unique and interesting combination! So when it comes to an interstate marriage, why not marry cuisines as well of those states. I simply fell in love with this great idea and started thinking what can I do to compliment this concept of inter state cuisine marriage. I suddenly got an idea to surprise my colleagues with this.

Well, I tried to combine onion uttapam and chhole. What a superb combination! I named the dish as Onion Uttapam with Chhole.

Ingredients required

1 cup Curd, 3 cups semolina, 1/2 cup chopped onions, green chillies, 1 cup chickpeas( soaked in 4 cups water overnight), 2 medium sized onions, 4 medium sized tomatoes, 5 cloves of garlic, 2 inches ginger, 1/2 tea spoon garam Masala, 1/4th tea spoon black pepper, 1 tea spoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder and 2 tea spoons chana Masala and salt to taste, oil and ghee

Steps to make Onion Uttapam with Chhole

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Nidhi KM

The dish was mouthwatering. I loved it. My family loved it too! Now that I am in blogging world and whenever I get a chance, I am going to present this dish to my friends.

Nidhi KM

©Viharin.com

Batu Cermin, Mirror rock , Labuan Bajo

Welcome to Batu Cermin

Batu Cermin

Batu Cermin means Mirror Rock. This rock is called a mirror rock as it has got some minerals embedded which shine when sun rays hit them.

It takes around an hour to explore the whole area. We had guides with us. We were given helmets and torches as well. Once you reach the site, one has to walk a bit and will have to climb a flight of stair

Coral fossils

My experience of Batu Cermin

The Mirror Rock Batu Cermin looks like a cave. I have experienced a cave adventure in North East India when we all got super scared with no one around. I was more frightened as we had two little kids with us. This cave Batu Cermin that we were supposed to venture into, was a scary one as well but since our group was big, I was not scared. Although the entry of cave was very small, but that was the most tough part of the cave.

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Nidhi KM

Entrance to the cave

Chamarel, a must visit in Mauritius

Chamarel is a village in Rivière Noire District in Mauritius . There are three sightseeing locations in Chamarel- Waterfall , Seven Coloured Earth and  Black River Gorges National Park. Chamarel waterfall was a treat to eyes when I had visited last time.

Chamarel Waterfalls in Mauritius

This time again I got a chance to visit. How could I miss that opportunity!! We hurried in the morning to reach Chamarel waterfall as we wanted to spend ample time there our schedule being packed. Our car was parked and we had to walk a little to reach the sightseeing place. Waterfall looked refreshing from distance. I could see two strong streams flowing from the top. Waterfall was at a height. This waterfall is fed by River Viande Salee.

Waterfall close up

After Chamarel Waterfall, we went to see Seven Coloured Earths. Its a unique location in Mauritius and a major tourist attraction due to its phenomenal characteristic of distinct colours of sand dunes. Main colours I could see at that time were red, brown, purple, yellow, blue, violet and greenish tinch was there. It is said that the sand is formed from decomposition of volcanic rock and red and bluish purple colours are due to presence of iron and aluminium ( source - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Coloured_Earths)

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Nidhi KM

Seven Coloured Earths

Chamarel, a must visit in Mauritius

Chamarel is a village in Rivière Noire District in Mauritius . There are three sightseeing locations in Chamarel- Waterfall , Seven Coloured Earth and  Black River Gorges National Park. Chamarel waterfall was a treat to eyes when I had visited last time.

Chamarel Waterfalls in Mauritius

This time again I got a chance to visit. How could I miss that opportunity!! We hurried in the morning to reach Chamarel waterfall as we wanted to spend ample time there our schedule being packed. Our car was parked and we had to walk a little to reach the sightseeing place. Waterfall looked refreshing from distance. I could see two strong streams flowing from the top. Waterfall was at a height. This waterfall is fed by River Viande Salee.

Waterfall close up

After Chamarel Waterfall, we went to see Seven Coloured Earths. Its a unique location in Mauritius and a major tourist attraction due to its phenomenal characteristic of distinct colours of sand dunes. Main colours I could see at that time were red, brown, purple, yellow, blue, violet and greenish tinch was there. It is said that the sand is formed from decomposition of volcanic rock and red and bluish purple colours are due to presence of iron and aluminium ( source - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Coloured_Earths)

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Nidhi KM

Seven Coloured Earths

My speed boat to Le Morne Rock, Mauritius

When I had visited Mauritius last time, I saw Le Morne Rock a number of times. I had known about its story that how slaves got terrified from the police that they jumped from the rock out of fear. Whereas the police had gone there to inform them about the abolishment of slavery. At that time we could not do any water sports due to Hurricane.

Early morning journey to Le Morne Rock Mauritius

This time, the weather was favourable for water sports and so I grabbed the opportunity to experience the speed boat till Le Mourne Rock. We knew that we would get to see dolphins as well. Our trip started at 9am from SOFITEL Mauritius Imperial. I was raring to go. 

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Beautiful Ocean

Weekend festival @ Castle View Holiday Home Park

The organisers of the inaugural Harlech Caravan and Lodge Festival from July 22-24 are hoping to attract thousands of visitors to the seaside resort.

The festival, which will include a range of family entertainment, has been organised to officially launch a new £2 million caravan holiday home park in the town.

The sculptures were made by Marche Studios at Ford, near Shrewsbury who have already made another eagle, which guards the entrance to Morben Isaf Holiday Home and Touring Park, near Machynlleth and a leaping salmon and oak tree for Seven Oaks Holiday Home Park at Crew Green, near Shrewsbury.

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Castle View Holiday Home Park

Picture caption: Dewi the Dragon guarding the entrance to Castle View Holiday Home Park.

Content and photo credts- Castle View Holiday Home Park

Why to visit The Château de Labourdonnais

The Château de Labourdonnais, a royal residency of 19th century Mauritius of a strong figure Christian Wiehe. The mansion was built in 1856 with Italian and Victorian influence.

The Château de Labourdonnais

I was curious to see how royal families lived in 19th century. This was a modern yet luxurious house while maintaining the traditions. The entrance was refreshing with three fountains. As In entered, two lions welcomed with a lobby behind. Big traditional chandeliers with sparkling floors looked elegant.

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Lobby

Staircase