Must visit Merlion Park, Singapore…by Neha

Merlion

The Merlion Park is one of the must see sightseeing locations in Singapore. Merlion is a traditional creature depictinglion head and fish body.

My experience at Merlion Park

Iconic Merlion

Visit to Merlion Park was indeed memorable as seeing the half lion and half fish body close up was interesting. There are many legends related to this statue.

My daughter was very puzzled yet curious about the statue. This Park is less of a Park but more of an iconic importance due to the statue of Merlion.

View from Merlion Park

The area was crowded and everyone was busy clicking photographs in front of the iconic statue. It was irresistible to click beautiful views of Marina Bay Sands. Statue is right in front of Fullerton hotel and overlooks iconic five star hotel Marina Bay Sands.

It was a very different yet interesting view.

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Royal Tiger at Chhatbir Zoo, Chandigarh- India

Chhatbir Zoo

We were going to Barog and stopped at Chhatbir Zoo for some time on the way. It was quiet hot in the morning but we still took a chance to test our will against the weather. The entry fee counter opened at sharp 9am and there was already a long queue. We were first ones though in the queue.

Chhatbir zoo is near Zirakpur in India home to many mammals, reptiles and birds. Zoo is closed on Mondays.

Royal Tiger at Chhatbir Zoo

We had heard a lot about this zoo and wanted to visit. Lion Safari was the craze of our visit. After paying the fee, we learnt that there is a kilometer walk before we board the Lion Safari. On the way, we saw a Royal Tiger at Chhatbir Zoo enclosed in an area. What a sight it was. As it is I am fascinated by Tigers since my first face to face with Tigress at Ranthambore National Park. Since this experience too was exclusive so I decided to write a separate post on it.

Tiger

We stopped by this Royal Tiger at Chhatbir Zoo. Tiger was sitting on the grass at a height under the shade of a tree. There was a huge gap for water and then a tall wall followed by grill

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Nidhi KM

Sanno Matsuri festival from 6th-17th June,2015 in Tokyo, Japan

Sanno Matsuri

Sanno Matsuri
A procession of 300 people dressed in ancient costumes parades through the heart of Tokyo.
Event Information
Place: Hie-jinja Shrine
Dates: June 6th - 17th
City: Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
The Sanno Matsuri is famous as a festival permitted by the Shogun to enter the grounds of Edo Castle during the Edo Period (1603-1867), along with the Kanda Matsuri. It is also one of the three largest festivals of Japan. The main procession called jinkosai takes place in the middle of June in every other year according to the Western calendar.
About 300 people dressed in ancient costumes parade through the heart of Tokyo including Tokyo Station, Ginza, and in front of the Diet Building. Consisting of mikoshi (portable shrines) adorned with a phoenix on the roof, dashi floats, people carrying drums, people on horseback, the procession extends over a length of 600 meters. You will also see people dressed as the legendary goblin called Tengu, characterized by a red face and a long nose, and believed to possess supernatural powers. The procession which departs from Hie-jinja Shrine at 8 o'clock in the morning does not return to the shrine until early in the evening.

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Nidhi KM

Heian Jingu Shrine

Restaurant review- Bazaar, Zone by the Park, Jaipur

Restaurant Bazaar, Zone by the Park- Jaipur

Inspired by multi-hued charismatic native bazaars, Bazaar is a multi-cultural potpourri of food, people and ideas. The menu comprises fresh salads, a warm buffet offering Indian food and a small selection of continental cuisine. An Auto stands in the corner which includes a grab-and-go counter along with some local accessories to shop. The Street Cart tastes the best of street food and the culture that comes with it, along with The Pizzeria serving classic and experimental thin crust pizzas. The A la carte menu served at Bazaar is a blissful blend of scrumptious meals including quick nibbles, club sandwiches, desi platter with flavors of Chinese and Italian cuisine.

Viharin.com- Outside seating

I got a chance to dine at 'Bazaar' while I was in 'Zone by the Park', Jaipur.

Ambiance at Bazaar,Zone by the Park

An eccentric restaurant with distinctive seating arrangement having a networking zone at the entrance where people can just sit and talk or relax. Following this, the dining area begins with dining and buffet tables to provide a delightful experience.

Quirky auto at Bazaar, Zone by the Park - Jaipur

Outside this dining area is an open air restaurant with a cart and a quirky auto having a grab and go theme with seating arrangement outside as well.

Buffet at Bazaar, Zone by the Park

Food

I got a chance to dine at Bazaar, Zone by the Park many times. I must say everytime it was a pleasant experience. Chef Gaurav and team has done a lot of innovative work to provide culinary delight to guests. 

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Nidhi KM

EPIC BIG BOARD RIDE, SURF CITY – USA

Epic Big Board Ride Fact Sheet 1

Epic Big Board Ride Fact Sheet 2

Visit www.BigBoardHB.com for ongoing uupdates

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Restaurant review- The California Boulevard, Gurgaon

The California Boulevard

The California Boulevard, like all other uber eating joints looked cheerfully inviting. For some reason I these days suspect this cheeriness as a comouflage for what the food - the key passion - may not achieve. I had bet my Friday lunch to prove the hypothesis - wrong...
And wrong it did prove.

Ambiance at The California Boulevard

Instead of telling you nice things about the place... I will dive straight into the culinary experience that, that Friday afternoon was. The meal started with the customary glass of lemon soda. I think this summer... nothing else but a chilled and icy lemon drink with plenty full mint does the trick... so there it was the amply minty glass of soda.

Dilli ki chaat

The next sight was a lo and behold... The traditional sampler of Indian 'Dilli ki chaat' with a healthy twist. No it wasn't your dahi papdi/ bhalla or anything that will bury your appetite in that stomach.A single crispy spinach leaf laced with dahi and chutney ( meethi and teekhi)t didn't sink... but 'the crunchy meets it mettle in a tangy mix' brought my appetite alive.

Sushi Paneer and Tangy butter mushrooms

This was followed by innovation by the Chef- honestly I would not give it a Michelin. .. 1. Because I'm not that accomplished a culinary crusader... and 2. Because that is reserved for gods.... what I will tell you is... These were honest efforts at teasing the appetite... and that worked well in my case.The veg sushi... A very delicately rolled spinaah mix combed inside a delicate almost quivering roll of paneer. Left me wondering wow...
What followed left me wondering about the chefs ingenuity.... mushrooms and Singhadey ki Gilaouti... I've never been a fan of water chestnuts, but this one turned me in.

Peri Peri Crispy Chicken and Kaffir Lime Chicken Tikka

Then came the non veg starters...Peri Peri Crispy Chicken sticks, carrefour lemon tandoori chicken and thai chicken.... I took time to evaluate one over the other... The thai spicy chicken was bursting with flavours with lemon grass being the pre dominant one...The carrefour lemon chicken tandoori surprised me with the new flavour that my tandoori had never had... and the peri peri... A subtle flavour. Though my first portion of peri peri almost rolled off the plate since it was too crispy to cut with the knife...

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Article by Vikrant

Hotel review- Dunn Perk Manor, Barog- India

Dunn Perk Manor

Dunn Perk Manor is a 3* boutique hotel at an hours drive from Chandigarh amidst the serene mountains view at the outskirts of Barog in village Karo.

Route

Toy train passing through hills

While coming from Solan towards Barog after passing village Kumarhatti, one has to take a left turn from 'Khil ka Mordh'. 'Dunn Perk Manor' is just a kilometre away from 'Khil ka Mordh'.

Ambience

Scenic view

Located at a view point of hills where fresh airs make sounds and cuckoo bird sings, birds chirp, Dunn Perk Manor provides that break to people who just want to cut off from the world and sit in peace,relax and enjoy nature's beauty.

Reception

The property gives a look of English house with slanting roofs and beautifully done up stairs leading to reception. Adjoining to reception is a well equipped gymn along with recreation room. Recreation room caters to kids till senior citizens.

Gymnasium

There are three floors to property with first two dedicated to rooms with restaurant on first floor and the third to roof top dining and relaxing area overlooking the scenic view of hills.

Sitting area on the first floor

Owners have taken care of every aspect of guests be they are on personal or professional travel. The sitting area before the restaurant is a platform for networking. View behind this area is refreshing.

Another sitting area

Our experience at Dunn Perk Manor

Room at Dunn Perk Manor

As we landed in the hotel, warm and courteous staff welcomed us with juices. They were patient enough to let us explore various rooms so we get a room of our choice. All rooms had balconies overlooking valley. We finally choose a room on the second floor. It was a nicely done up room with all modern amenities in it like coffee maker, refrigerator , LCD, phone etc. Beds were nicely laid. Bathroom was also neat and clean and had our much awaited toiletries.

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Nidhi KM