Just Trippin' - The Travel House

08/11/2011

08/11/2011

Balloon Festivals

Balloon Festivals The balloon festivals are one of the most watchable celebrations where hundreds of hot air balloons rise up in the air competing for victory. These are actually competitive events held in different parts of the world, which involve a series of ballooning events with balloons in different shapes. Most popular of all is the Saga international balloon festival of Japan and Canberra Balloon Fiesta in Australia. Besides this, the balloon festivals also involve other attractions like car shows, live entertainment, fireworks, food and drinks etc.



Alabama Hot Air Balloon Festival
Month: May
Place: Decatur, Alabama
Attractions: Hot air balloons & different ballooning events, Car show, Live entertainment, Food, Fireworks.

Canberra Balloon Fiesta
Month: March
Place: Canberra, Australia
Attractions: Balloons with different shapes, Food & Drinks

Saga International Balloon Festival
Month: November
Place: Saga Prefecture, Japan
Attractions: Japanese National Hot Air Balloon Championship, Pacific Championship, Ladies World Cup, Balloon Fantasia.

08/11/2011

Aloha Festivals

Aloha Festivals Month : September/October
Place : Hawaii, U.S.A
Famous For : Cultural Festival
Attractions : Markets, Cook-Offs, Parades, Street Parties, Boat Races, Musical and Dance Performances

The Aloha Festivals are celebrated in Hawaii state of United States holding a number of free cultural celebrations. Considered as U.S.A's only statewide cultural festival, the Aloha Festivals are celebrated on six islands - Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and the Big Island of Hawaii. This grand celebration carries on for six weeks during the month of September and October. The Aloha Festival celebrates the cosmopolitan nature of Hawaiian life and culture through musical and dance performances, markets, cook-offs, parades, street parties, boat races and other traditional island activities.

Major Attractions
The main attractions of Aloha Festival includes concerts, parades, street parties called "ho'olaule'a". Infact, Aloha festival is the best place to master the hula. This festival has dual nature of being one of the most important forms of sharing Hawaiian history, and has embraced both traditional and contemporary stories. Due to this cherished fact, the festival goers not only learn the moves but their significance as well. The Aloha festival was started in 1946, in the spirit of preserving the Hawaiian culture and heritage. In its first edition, it was observed as Aloha week and the main highlight of original Aloha Week was the presentation of the Royal Court and a floral parade. The parade was a two hour event eastbound on Ala Moana Boulevard and Kalakaua Avenue through Downtown Honolulu, Kakaako, Ala monarch. In recent times, other special events planned for resident and tourist families are also held at Aloha festival. In a rough idea, more than 300 festival events are held in the two month duration of Aloha Festival.

07/11/2011

Shillong situated in the North Eastern part of India, is the capital of Meghalaya which is home to three tribes - the Khasis, the Garos and the Jaintias. Shillong is blessed with a rich picturesque landscape and natural surroundings with beautiful hills, valleys, numerous waterfalls, wet caves and name it - it’s the place where one could be in close communion with nature. The late Prime Minister of India has rightly named it the 'Abode of Clouds'. This part of the Indian state got exposed to the western world long before the rest of India as is seen in people's way of living and the numerous churches and world class education institutions all across the city.

The two and half hours of drive through the winding roads from Guwahati, Assam leads to this beautiful city. Called Ward's lake in memory of Sir William Ward, then Chief Commissioner of Assam who caused its construction is one of the main attractions of this city, among others include the Elephant Falls, Sweet Falls, Cathedral Church of Mary Help of Christians, Barapani, Lady Hydari Park, Crinoline Falls, Spread Eagle Falls and Shillong Peak to name a few. The vanguards of higher education in this region who set the stage for quality education within the reach of the common man are the St. Anthony's College, Loreto Convent, St. Edmunds College and the Lady Keane College.... These institutions truly lived to their purpose - education as a service for the common folks and not a profitability instrument as is considered today.

31/10/2011

17/10/2011

Sikkim is a small hilly state, bounded by vast stretches of Tibetan Plateau in the North, the adjoining area is called the Chumbi Valley of Tibet. It is bound by the Kingdom of Bhutan in the East, the newly formed Democratic Republic of Nepal in the West. Its accessibility is through the Siliguri corridor (also called the ‘Chicken neck area’) via Darjeeling (West Bengal) in the South. The State is stretched over 112 Kms. from North to South, and 64 Kms. from East to West. Nearest airport is Bagdogra which is about 125 Kms. from Gangtok, it takes about 4½ hours drive to reach there. The closest Railway Station for Gangtok is New Jalpaiguri which is again at a distance of around 124 Kms. and it takes around 4½ hours drive to reach Gangtok. Gangtok is also conveniently connected by road to Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri and all district headquarters within Sikkim. The best season to visit Sikkim is mid February to May and thereafter from mid September to November.

The word Sikkim is made up of two ‘Su’ (meaning new) & ‘Khyim’ (meaning palace or house with reference to the palace built by its first ruler Phuntsok Namgyal). The Tibetan name for Sikkim is “Denjong’ which means ‘Valley of rice’. According to the recorded history of the place, Sikkim was once ruled by local Chieftains of small villages inhabited by the Lepchas. Since the Lepchas did not have any script, there is no recorded history of Sikkim prior to 1642. The early history of Sikkim starts in the 13th century with the signing of a blood-brotherhood treaty between the Lepcha Chief Thekong Tek and Tibetan prince Khye-Bumsa at Kabi Lungtsok in North Sikkim. This follows the historical visit of three revered Lamas to Yuksam in 1641 in West Sikkim, where they consecrated Phuntsog Namgyal, a sixth generation descendent of Khye-Humsa as the first Chogyal of Sikkim, thus heralding the beginning of the Namgyal dynasty in Sikkim. As per the version of the locals, the Lepchas had an unrecorded understanding with the Namgyal and they moved towards the North Sikkim beyond present day Mangan (district headquarters of North District) and till date maintain an isolated existence.

The world’s third highest mountain, Kanchendzonga, which is regarded as the guardian deity of Sikkim, dominates the tiny Himalayan State with its awe-inspiring beauty and majesty. Sikkim is one of the 18 Bio-diversity hotspots in the world. The Sikkim Himalayas has a fragile ecosystem and boasts of more than 5000 varieties of flowering plants (Angiosperms), which is nearly one third of the total species of angiosperm found in the country. Apart from the flora the place is rich in fauna as well and boasts of many diverse & rare animals like the Red Panda (State animal), Snow leopard, many species deer’s etc. Sikkim is endowed with many physical features like the mountains, rivers, waterfalls etc. The state is divided into four districts which have been bifurcated as East, West, North & South Sikkim.

11/10/2011

Kaziranga was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 1985 for its unique natural environment. Located at the edge of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, the Kaziranga National Park has both a high degree of species diversity as well as visibility. The Park is situated in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam in eastern India.

The history of Kaziranga as a protected area can be traced back to 1904. It was in this year that Mary Curzon, the wife of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, visited the region and was unable to spot any rhinoceroses. It was due to her efforts that the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created on June 1, 1905, covering an area of 232 sq km.

The park is home to two-thirds of the world's great one-horned rhinoceroses. It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006 and boasts of the highest density of tigers among protected areas of the world. The park also has large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo and swamp deer.

In addition, Kaziranga is recognised as an 'Important Bird Area' by Birdlife International, for the conservation of avifaunal species.

08/10/2011

Area: 84,000 sq. kms.
Capital: Itanagar
Language: Monpa, Miji, Aka, Sherdukpen
Crops: Rice, maize, millets, wheat, pulses, potato, sugarcane and oilseeds,
pineapple, orange, lemon, papaya, plum, pear, guava, cherries, walnut and peach
Minerals: Coal, crude oil, dolomite, limestone, graphite, quartzite, kyanite, mica, iron and copper

Places of interest in Arunachal Pradesh:
Parshuramkund in the Lohit district - Sage Parshuram is considered to have washed his sword here after the massacare of the kshatriya clan.
Bhishmak Nagar - which was an important location in the Mahabharata period.
Malinithan
Bomdila
Ita Nagar - Ita fort, Gyaker Sinyi (the Ganga Lake)
Twang Monastery in Kamang District
Namdapha Wild Life Sanctuary

07/10/2011

One of the most amusing sights even for an adult is to watch a delicate little butterfly land on hands.

There's a generous population of butterflies in Shillong and the Butterfly Museum is a must-see. The Butterfly Museum comes as an unexpected, yet one of its kind, treat for the entomology enthusiast or simply any nature lover. This museum presents some of the finest and rarest species of butterflies.

05/10/2011

Shillong offers all kinds of eating options, from local specialties in the stalls in Police Bazaar to Thai and Continental cuisine. Pickled bamboo shoot is popular as are rice cakes, called Ki Kpu.

05/10/2011

The Kamakhya Temple in Assam is one of the most venerated Shakti shrines in India, and is regarded as one of the 51 holy Shakti Peethams associated with an aspect of the Hindu Goddess 'Sati' and the legend of Shiva and Daksha Yagna. Legend has it that following the destruction of King Daksha's sacrifice and the Rudra Tandava of Shiva parts of Sati's body fell at several places throughout India, and these places are revered as shakti peethas. The reproductive organ of Sati - the Yoni is said to have fallen here.