The Suitcase: November 2015

Sunday 29 November 2015

Hello Corsica! The Scenic Location From The Bollywood Movie Tamasha

With the release of the latest movie – Tamasha, Bollywood has done to Corsica what Napoleon Bonaparte couldn’t do to it! With such picturesque locations, Corsica will be the “next go to destination” for Indians.

So where is Corsica? How to go? Where to stay? What to do? The Suitcase will help you plan the most memorable trip to Corsica!

Deepika Padukone shooting Ranbir Kapoor in Corsica. Image Source: indipepper

Bollowood actors enjoying Corsica. Image Source: ibnlive

Scenes from movie Tamasha. Image source: Twitter

About Corsica

A mountainous Mediterranean island off the south coast of France and west of Italy, Corsica is mix of astonishing geographical diversity. While travelling within the city, you will experience plush coastal lines, scintillating coves and beautiful beaches to craggy peaks, breathtaking valleys, dense forests and unfathomable hilltop villages.

Corsica has incredible hiking peaks one of them being G20, which is considered “the toughest long distance trail” in Europe, covering a distance of 180 Kms and 10 Kms of climbing and descent over rugged landscape.

A remarkable destination for Golf, Corsica’s Golf de Sperone is regarded as one of the Europe’s best courses that are regularly ranked in Top 100 Golf courses.

Holidays in Corsica will therefore be a mixed bag of hiking & canyoning to water sports to exploring its rich culture or just getting tanned relaxing on the golden sand beaches.

Image Source: cosmosyatching

Image Source: wedding-aborad-experts

When to go

The summer time is the best to explore the beauty of Corsica and enjoy all the activities. The months from May-September are perfect time for swimming to hiking, August being a favourite among the tourists.

The 8500 sq km big island is divided into two parts – Upper Corsica and South Corsica, where you need at least 2 weeks time to fully enjoy and explore.

Image Source: ilovecorsica

How to reach

Regular flight connectivity is available from all major Indian airports esp. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai to Corsica’s capital Ajaccio.

If booked in advance, the cost of tickets are quite economical like any other European country. Once in Corsica, you can drive around in cabs or take ferry from one city to another.

Image Source: ilovecorsica

Visa & Currency

France Visa – French Schengen Visa for Indians

Currency: As a part of France, the currency used is Euro.

Language: The official language is French, but Italian is also spoken in tourist places. The native language is Corsican.

Image Source: Euro

Places to go

Ajaccio: A beautiful bay with background of mountains which remain snow-capped until March. The capital of Corsica has a rich heritage and museums being the birthplace of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Old towns, bustling markets, mouth-watering cuisines, impeccable beaches perfect for swimming until late autumn, all this and a lot more makes Ajaccio a good bet.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Bonifacio: This port is an essential stop because of its lively harbour, white cliffs and blue water. It is just a short hop from Sardinia, Italy which in itself has the dreamiest beaches and is a 30 mins ferry ride.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Bastia: Located on the Upper Corsica, it is one of the liveliest places. Place Saint Nicolas and Place du Marche are local’s choices for a great time. The place is known for attractive boutiques.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Do visit Calvi, Valdo-Niello forest, Cap Corse, Beaches near Porto Vecchio and Bouches de Bonifacio, without which the trip will be incomplete.

Where to stay

Corsica offers a variety of options to suit everyone’s pockets – lodges, cottages, B&B, 3 stars-5stars and villas. There is a wide array of accommodation options available from INR 2000-INR 50,000.

For a luxurious stay you can opt for Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Ajaccio Bay or Sofitel Golfe d’Ajaccio Thalassa Sea and Spa

Image Source: www.radissonblu.com

For a more budgeted option, The Best Western chain of hotels is available across Corsica in locations like Porto Vecchio, Ile Rousse, Ajaccio and Bastia.

Image Source: tripadvisor

The untouched beauty of Corsica is going to be our choice for any special reason - be it honeymoon, birthday and anniversary or for no reason for solo travellers seeking solitude! You will fall in love with this place.

Thank you Mr.Imtiaz Ali (director of the movie Tamasha) for introducing us to Corsica!

Thursday 26 November 2015

12 Most Magnificent New Year Eve Celebrations in the World

On 31^st December, as the clock will strike 12, we will be ready to welcome the new year with open arms. New Year Eve is celebrated worldwide by all individuals regardless of their religion or nationality. Raucous, Ribald or Relaxing - whatever you are in mood for, you will find the apt celebrations across the globe. So, be prepared to drink, dine, dance and crash this New Year’s Eve. We can find celebrations happening in all the places in the world in some way or the other but there are many countries who believe in greeting the first day of the year in a truly extravagant style!

The NYE celebrations in these 12 countries will make you book your tickets right now!!

Sydney, Australia

Be among the firsts to ring in the New Year along with thousands of people who gather around the Sydney Harbour for one of the most spectacular fireworks at midnight. You can expect to see indigenous smoking ceremonies, aerial flyovers with messages in the sky, light shows and a lighted boat parade. You can join the dance party at Bondi beach or being summer time in Australia, you can dance your night away in your favourite shorts!

Image Source: Wikipedia

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Always a party town, millions of people gather to celebrate the New Year’s Eve. The party starts from 6pm on the famous 4-mile long strip that is closed for vehicles and is open for those who want to walk around, drink, club hop, dance and enjoy various fireworks being shot from many hotels. So for the people who are in a mood for a little debauchery, the sin city – Las Vegas is for you.

Image Source: Wikipedia

New York City, USA

New Year in the New York’s Times Square is what millions of people around the globe wish to be a part of, especially those who are watching it live on TV, where another millions of people are already counting down the seconds to midnight to witness the huge ball being dropped from a flagpole atop the former New York Times Building, for which the iconic square is named. This is a 100 years old American tradition. You will witness star studded entertainment, pyrotechnic lightshow, world class fireworks display and people streaming between lively clubs.

Image Source: Flickr

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

You will be swept away by the carnival atmosphere on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Millions of visitors are dressed in white, which is a tradition called Reveillion, lined up near the beaches and throwing flowers in the waves at midnight for the African sea goddess Yemanja. Afterwards, the beaches, streets, bars and roads are filled with people enjoying drinks and music & dance. The fireworks in the sky above the far-fetched sea are truly a spectacular watch.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Dubai, UAE

Dubai is home to many of the worlds’ iconic structures – Burj Khalifa, Burj-Al-Arab, Atlantis the Palm and to witness the extravagant celebrations at these places is a lifetime experience. The parties hosted by Dubai stands out from the rest of the world. The Dazzle, the midnight fireworks, the shows the performances by superstars bring such an unparallel dimension to the parties that it is difficult for others to match it especially in terms of its grandeur. Dubai has so much to offer that once you are here on 31^st December, you will be compelled to come year after year.

Image Source: forbes

London, England

Over a million visitors gather around the bank of Thames River and start the countdown as they wait for the Big Ben to strike 12! The magnificent show of lights & fireworks start subsequently, the highlight being the swirl firework from the London Eye and the city getting echoed by British rock music. The celebration continues until wee hours of the morning with activities planned for the next day including the three-hour parade of marching bands, colourful floats, costumed dancers and a procession of queen’s horses.

Image Source: visitlondon

Paris, France

The City of Love turns into The City of Fireworks with hoards of people waiting to ring in the New Year with a bottle of champagne in hand and the view of Eiffel tower in front of them. The glittering Eiffel tower showcases one the most beautiful display anywhere when fireworks burst from the entire length of its iron structure. The streets of Paris come alive with people celebrating, making rounds of bars & clubs with their family and friends.

Image Source: Wikipedia/citywonders

Madrid, Spain

The tradition of eating twelve grapes one by one for each stroke of the clock at midnight on 31^st December is considered a sign of good luck in the coming year. Whether you believe it or not the experience is a lot of fun when millions of people are doing it together in front of the clock in Puerta del Sol Plaza. The atmosphere is amazing: confetti, music and streamers everywhere, people in wigs, hats and masks watching the Gran Via for fireworks.

Image Source: passportpacked

Tokyo, Japan

The Japanese title for New Year is Shogatsu and it is said that Japan was one of the first countries to make use of excitement of fireworks to celebrate special occasions so we shouldn't be surprised at how seriously they commemorate the New Year - setting fireworks that can be viewed for miles across the Tokyo Bay. The tradition of ‘Hatsumode’ is completed by visiting the temple where the temple bell rings 108 times at midnight. If you stay through 2^nd January, you can access the palace ground, that is one of the two days when it is opened for public.

Image Source: traveljapanblog

Hawaii, USA

The attractive beaches of Hawaii are filled with people enjoying at the beachside bars and clubs where special activities are planned for the celebrations including theme nights and contests. New Year in Hawaii means gorgeous weather, breathtaking views and lively galas. Outdoor music concerts and boat cruises are special attractions as the beautiful water gets lit up by the midnight fireworks.

Image Source: hawaii-nye

Moscow, Russia

In Russia, during the winter season, the day becomes very short giving way to an extremely long party night. The celebration takes place at the Red Square that looks amazing with vibrant lights and splendid fireworks. The clubs and bars in Moscow offer lavish, louder, bigger and extravagant parties that will definitely amaze you. Watch out for the fireworks display that is set off behind the gleaming domes of St.Basil’s Cathedral.

Image Source: pursuitist

Goa, India

India’s coastal “party state” Goa regularly tops the travel lists as one of the best places to celebrate New Year Eve. The party starts 4-5 days before 31^st December with the famous SUNBURN and VH1 Supersonic events which are fairly similar – dancing on the sand, big main stage pyrotechnic shows and performances by the superstars of EDM and trance. The beachside bars explode foot tapping music and people dance all night long. The striking firework above the ocean is a great show.

Image Source: bookmyshow

Wednesday 18 November 2015

The Most Mysterious Places on Earth

The world never stops to surprise us. Although science can explain almost everything but that doesn't mean there is no room for mystery. These places keep many scientists searching for answers and the rest of us flabbergasted by the mysteries the world continues to reveal.

Keep reading to know more about the 7 places we found extremely intriguing.

Superstition Mountain

This mountain range is located in the East of Phoenix, Arizona. Along with a name that attracts a lot of eyeballs, there are two stories that have been on for ages. According to the legends, a German immigrant Jacob Walts discovered gold mines in the mountains but he never revealed it to anyone until his deathbed upon which he may or may not have shared with one person. Also called the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine, it has not been found till date in spite many expeditions and people say the spirit of those people still haunt the mountain.

It is also believed that the mine is protected by creatures called Tuar-Tums (“Little people”) that live below the mountain in caves and tunnels. Some also believe that the entrance to hell is located in the mountain.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Blood Falls

The falls are to be found in the breathtakingly beautiful mountains of Antarctica. The sight of the falls is arresting – blood red waterfall staining the snow white face of Glacier Taylor. Glaciologist and Microbiologists concluded that source is a subterranean lake that is rich in Iron and hence the red colour. What is stranger is, as per recent search there are microorganisms living 1300ft beneath the ice and are surviving because of Iron and Sulphur in the water.

Image Source: Wikipedia by Peter Rejeck

Area 51

The secret military base in the Southern Nevada, USA is known as Area 51. It is believed that the fleet of alien’s flying saucers and alien bodies are kept here which was captured during the infamous Roswell UFO Crash in 1947. Although nothing has been proved but is it said that scientists have examined and researched the aliens and have also succeeded in setting meetings with other alien life forms. People also speculate that weather control, secret weapons, time travel, teleportation has also been being developed in this area.

Image Source: Wikipedia

South Atlantic Anomaly

The Bermuda Triangle in Space situated in the Atlantic Ocean, around 300kms off Brazilian coast, is one of the most dangerous areas of radiations. The SAA is the area where the band of radiation known as Earth’s Inner Van Allen Belt comes closest to Earth’s surface but the scientists aren’t sure how or why this occurs. The place creates havoc with satellites and spacecrafts. The Hubble Telescope is actually turned off from taking observation while passing through this area as Astronauts complains of computer crash. NASA satellites are shut down in this region, i.e while passing over Atlantic between Africa and Brazil. Not just technical problems, some Astronauts have reported seeing “shooting stars” in their visual field as they pass through.

Image Source: Youtube

The Bermuda Triangle

The list of most mysterious places is complete without the mention of this place. For those who are unaware, The Bermuda Triangle is a triangular area in Atlantic Ocean between Miami, Bermuda and San Juan. Over the years, it has left us perplexed with disappearance of ships, planes and people. No one can say what happens here but theories of sea monsters to alien abduction to weather conditions have been doing rounds with no conclusion.

Image Source: oceanservice

Lake Anjikuni

Not just few people or things, Lake Anjikuni in Nunavut, Canada took disappearance to next level when the entire village vanished. In 1930, a trapper named Joe Labelle was searching for shelter and was shocked to find not even a single living creature. Though food riffles and everything was intact. Few graves were found open with missing bodies and 6-7 dogs were found starved even when there was no dearth of food. Some versions of the story claimed to have seen strange lights above the sea at the time of disappearance while others include aliens, ghosts and vampires. It is hard to certain what the actual reason was.

Image Source: martinjclemens

Moguicheng

Moguicheng is a desert in Xinjiang, China. The literal translation of the name is City of Satan or Devil’s City. While walking through the city people have heard exceptionally strange noises and occurrences. Visitors are adamant on their claims that they have heard sound of floating on the breeze, guitar being plucked, crying of baby or tiger roars. These sounds are apparently mystifying with no one being able to find the source.

Image Source: Panoramio

Tuesday 10 November 2015

Diwali in foreign land: 12 International Destinations where Diwali is Celebrated

Diwali is the most extravagant festival amongst all Hindu’s festivals. The country glitter with lights and it gives one more reason to meet folks. For many it’s time to be with family but there are few who prefers a quick escape during the holidays. So, if you are in these 12 countries you can have the best of both the worlds – celebrate Diwali with a little cultural twist and explore a new destination!!

LONG LIVE THE TRAVEL BUG J

1. Nepal

Our neighbor celebrates 5 days of festival which is similar to what happens in India but with a difference. They call Diwali as “Tihar” where Day 1 is for worshipping the Cows, Day 2 for Dogs, Day 3 is all about lights and crackers, Day 4 to pray the God of death – Yam and Day 5 is Bhaiya Dooj.

Image Source: TheHindu

2. Indonesia

The population of Hindus present in Bali is in great numbers hence you can feel the festivity in the beautiful island. The people in Bali decorate their houses, burn lamps and lights and pray on Diwali. There cannot be a better time to visit Bali.

Image Source: villa blog

3. Sri Lanka

India’s neighbor down south shares the India’s history because of ‘Ramayana’. It is said that there are still traces left in Sri Lanka which proves Ramayana happened. Though Diwali is not celebrated in a traditional way but people light oil lamps and visit each other for splendid meals.

Image Source: srilanka.se

4. Thailand

Yes, not just for exotic beaches, enjoyable nightlife and picturesque locales, visit Thailand for the beautiful festival of Diwali or ‘Lam Kriyongh’ as they call it. People make diya’s with banana leaf and make it float in the river after placing candles in it. The tradition for flying lanterns is also popular.

Image Source: ktshores

5. Singapore

Singapore too enjoys Diwali sans cracker. It has 18 Hindu temples and a place call “Little India” where you can find many Indian restaurants as well. The streets are lit up and the festival is enjoyed with family and friends.

Image Source: wikipedia

6. Japan

The sky radiates with thousands of flying lanterns and people hang lanterns and other hangings in the orchards and trees. The Diwali in Japan is very different from India as boating is preferred on that day and song & dance activities can be seen everywhere.

Image Source: panrimo

7. Mauritius

With a large Hindu population and own version of Ramayana, Mauritius celebrates Diwali in a grand way. For the country, Diwali is celebrated as Lord Krishna killed the Demon Narkasuran on this day. The rest of the celebrations is similar to what we do in India.

Image Source: demotix

8. Malaysia

‘Hari Diwali’ is celebrated in Malaysia in South Indian tradition of oil bathing before they offer the final prayers. Even though the Hindu population is less than 10%, Diwali is still celebrated across the country in a grandeur way.

Image Source: internet

9. Myanmar

Touching our eastern border is the country of Myanmar. It has Hindu population because of its proximity to India. They too follow the solar calendar and celebrate Diwali as we do in India with addition of traditional song and dance performances.

Image Source: mediacache

10. Guyana

With 33% of Indian population, this country in northeast cost of South America started Diwali celebrations way back in 1853 with migrating Indian. Loads of food, lights and meeting people marks the celebration of Diwali.

Image Source: Flickr KPillay

11. Britain

The Indians are the second largest ethnic minority in Britain. The occasion starts with visiting the temples to pray Goddess Lakshmi which they make especially for Diwali. The lamps and Diyas are lighted, sweets are made, tempting dinner is served and conch shell is blown during the prayer session of Lakshmi.

Image Source: rikbasra.com

12. South Africa

Indian South Africans form the largest group of Indian descent born outside India. Of the one million Indian immigrants, 65% are Hindus and that’s why all Hindu festivals are celebrated there, Diwali being a major one. In 2007, a book claimed the country to be celebrating 100^th Year of Diwali.