Eight Tips for Traveling India

Yes, India is big and noisy and crowded and hectic and hot and poor and… and… and… everything else you may have heard.

Yes, there are beggars.

Yes, the food is spicy.

Yes, you will probably get Delhi Belly on your maiden trip there.

But why should you let a few little details like these put you off?

What is travel for, if not for adventure and challenges and discovering a lot about the world – and even more about yourself?

The flip-side of India is a country of extraordinary beauty and history and culture and handicrafts, full of friendly, chatty people, who will indeed stare at you, and ask you a million questions – some of them frankly inappropriate – but who will help you and explain things and show you a kindness and courtesy way beyond your expectations.

So, how to survive India?  

1. Pack your sense of humor

Things will go wrong, at one stage or another, in India.  That is a given.  Shouting and yelling and screaming will not make the train leave on time, or the flight un-cancel itself.  All that will happen is that you will make a spectacle of yourself and get absolutely nowhere.  If you can laugh at the problems India throws at you, you are already on course for a happier trip.

No one likes to hear their country criticized.  So try your best not to do it. (Well, not too much). OK, things are not the same as at home – but that’s why you traveled, right? For a change?

2. Be flexible

India runs on IST = Indian Stretchable Time.

People come late, or they don’t come at all, or they come with their cousin and his brother-in-law’s sister in tow.  Don’t fuss, don’t fret, just accept that’s the way things are here.

Try and be on time for appointments, because that’s polite, but if the traffic is bad, and you are late, don’t overly fret.  Indians accept lateness as part and parcel of life.

3. Be open-minded

India is – despite an economy that is steaming ahead – still very much a third-world country.  Attitudes are different and people react differently. Accept the cultural differences for what they are – cultural differences.

4. Be respectful

Religion is very important in India, so it goes without saying that a visitor must respect the norms and beliefs of the country.  Shoes should come off in a place of worship.  Respectful clothing – after all, would you like to see someone in short shorts and a skimpy top in your place of worship, back home? Exactly.

Cover your legs when you are in a mosque or a temple, and women should always have a scarf handy, should they need to cover their head.

Look around you, at the way Indians dress – not in discos or clubs, but in their everyday lives.  Not much flesh is on show.  So, if you go around in shorts or a short skirt, don’t be surprised that people stare.

And now, after all those uplifting commands, here’s advice of a different kind.  When it comes to food and drink, you must…

5. Be very careful

Hygiene isn’t always all it could be in India, especially if you are in budget places, so be sensible.  Wash your hands.  Wipe that glass from which you are going to drink that bottled/filtered water.  Eat fruit you can peel – bananas, oranges.  Drink coconut water from a coconut opened in front of you.

Don’t eat salads, unless you are sure they have been properly washed.

Don’t hit the uber-spicy food on day one – start gently.  Let your system get used to the delicious food that may be spicier than you are used to.

Vegetarian food is usually the safest.

6. Never, ever drink the tap water 

Never. Ever.  Ever.

7. Travel light 

Just about anything you wish/need is available in India, and probably far cheaper than back home.  So don’t over-pack.  Clothes, books, toiletries, food, memory cards for your camera, batteries, SIM cards – these days, you can find just about anything here.  It wasn’t always like that, but now goods are freely available.  If you need specialist medicine, for example, you might want to bring it with you, but otherwise, buy on arrival.  There are chemists everywhere, and you can buy literally one tablet, rather than the whole wasteful packet.

8. Don’t try and do too much

India is vast, and you are not going to be able to see it all on one trip – unless you are staying for months.  So don’t be too ambitious, or you will spend too much time traveling the long distances.  Road travel takes a long time, because the roads are often in bad condition.

Rather make a shorter itinerary and take time to enjoy the sights and relax.

India is ready and welcoming and endlessly fascinating.  Sure, you will be shocked by the poverty.  But you will be equally dazzled by the fabulous forts and palaces, by the wildlife, by the silks and handicrafts and weaving and music and dancing…

This country is truly overwhelming in every sense of the word.

So relax, and let yourself be overwhelmed.

(Just don’t drink the tap water.)

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Best Hotel in Washington State and Zambia

Cedar Creek Treehouse

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington State

Nestled between the great evergreens of Mount Rainier National Park and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the Cedar Creek Treehouse affords a bird's-eye view from its 50-foot-high perch in a 200-year-old cedar. You'll climb five flights of stairs to reach the accommodations, which include a sunroom and a sleeping loft complete with a skylight. For more vistas, you can take a walk on the rainbow bridge to the 100-foot-high observatory.

But you should leave your electronics at home: These adults-only, solar-powered accommodations aren't acclimatized to modern technology, so you'll be off the grid in every sense of the phrase. And you should note that there's no shower.

Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma

Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, Zambia

A panoramic view is always coveted, and Sanctuary Retreats offers just that in the ebony trees of Zambia. You can stay in one of 12 air-conditioned treehouses, which each have a balcony that overlooks the flowing Zambezi River in the exotic Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. After unwinding in your plush treehouse, you can head out on a guided walking safari, where hippos, monkeys, crocodiles, giraffes, zebras and more are on display.

Alternatively, you can enjoy the lavish treatments at the spa, such as an Africology facial or a hot stone massage. In the evenings, you can arrange for a chef to prepare a gourmet meal served on your spacious deck before you fall asleep to the soothing sounds of the African bush.

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A Wonderful View with Hotel Room

A tall television tower in the Czech capital of Prague that has been called one of the world's ugliest buildings has a new and unique attraction: a one-room hotel looking out on the city from 230 feet above ground.

But some might argue the best thing about the view is that you don't have to look at the tower itself. The tower, which stands 216 meters (709 feet) tall, is a dominant but controversial landmark of the city skyline.

Prague is sometimes called the city of 100 spires, but the tower stands out amid the picturesque cityscape of centuries-old churches and other historic sites. It's the city's tallest building, at the equivalent of about 70 stories high, and it was a despised symbol of the communist regime that started building it in 1985. Locals have gradually come to accept it since its completion in 1992, but a 2009 international survey placed it second among the ugliest buildings in the world.

The tower already features a restaurant and observation deck offering a breathtaking view of the city, but a recent, thorough renovation of the spire added the hotel room, cementing the tower's status as an attraction for both locals and tourists.

The room is considered so luxurious that it's being advertised as six stars. It opened Feb. 13 and is available for 1,000 euros (about $1,300). Guests also get a limousine and driver, but really, it's all about the view. One wall facing east consists almost entirely of a giant window, and you can enjoy that view from a spacious bed. There's also a bathtub in the bathroom behind a glass wall, with a floor higher than the rest of the room, offering another comfortable place from which to look out.

With a view no other hotel room in the city can beat, demand is growing, said Lucie Cerna, sales manager for the project known as the Tower Park Prague. Cerna said the room is now booked for about two nights a week with a number of reservations in the near future. On Valentine's Day, six people wanted to book it, and "a man has booked the room to propose to his fiancee."

"I think it will be used for special occasions," said Cerna. "It won't be a common hotel. It's an exclusive space with an exclusive view of Prague."

Just a few steps down a spiral staircase from the room is the restaurant, which together with a cafe and a bar opened in October. It's become a popular spot, where visitors are advised to book reservations at least a week in advance. Former President Vaclav Klaus was among those who've dined there.

Chef Ondrej Soukup offers a wide range of cuisines, including Asian and French, but he recommends Czech meals, including his specialty, a neck of lamb. But due to limited space in the tower, the kitchen is located slightly above the restaurant, and the staff must use a small lift to deliver meals. "That's the only weak spot here," Soukup said, placing a plate of food on the lift for the 12-second delivery.

For a small entry fee, visitors can also look out from the observation deck at the mostly medieval spires that give Prague its charm. In contrast, the TV tower, located in the Zizkov neighborhood, has always been controversial.

The tower, constructed to provide television and radio transmissions, was built on the site of what was once a 17th century Jewish cemetery. The project was ridiculed by many Czechs at the time, who called it a "space rocket," ''Bilak's needle" and "Jakes' finger," named for notorious hard-line communist leaders Milous Jakes and Vasil Bilak.

After the 1989 Velvet Revolution that replaced the communist regime with a democracy, some locals demanded the tower's removal. But protests gradually died out after the level of radiation from transmitters was declared safe. Despite the later survey declaring its ugliness, in a 2003 survey, the TV tower even beat in popularity the well-known tower of Old Town City Hall.

The tower is also famous for one other thing: Giant three-dimensional babies, 2 meters (6 feet) long, appear to be crawling on the exterior. The babies, created by artist David Cerny, were originally installed as a temporary work in 2000, but they proved so popular that they were made a permanent feature, adding a humorous element to the tower Czechs love to hate.

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Guide to Bangkok's Wine Bars in Thailand

It's hard to believe, but up until recently wine was not a major focal point for socializing in Bangkok. These days, however, wine bars, bistros and pubs are cropping up like 7-Elevens across the city, giving travelers a grown-up alternative to buckets on Khao San Road and Kombi van cocktails.

Here's a quick list of the main wine digs in Bangkok and how to reach them.

39 Thirty-Nine, Sukhumvit Soi 39
French and Mediterranean food (120THB-500THB) accompany your choice of more than 200 different wines, both Old World and New. Prices range per bottle from 850THB right up to 100K+ THB for the big spenders, plus there's an outdoor timber deck for chilling al fresco. The interior of the bistro is intimate and sophisticated with comfortable sofas and low tables. thirtyninebkk.com
Get there: Take the skytrain to BTS Phrom Phong, then grab a cab to soi 39 and stop when you see the miniature Eiffel Tower on the right-hand side.

Iron Fairies & Co, 394 Thong Lor Sukhumvit 55
This is a dimly lit townhouse-slash-blacksmiths, very popular with expats and cashed-up creatives looking to get boozy in a dark place. Ironworks dominate these moody interiors, with the titular fairies – also for sale – placed in secret vantage points around the premises. There's live jazz and food also available; gourmet burgers are the specialty.
Get there: take the BTS to Thong Lor and hop in a cab – it’s at number 394 and quite easy to miss, so pay attention.

Blue Velvet, 105/2 Thonglor Soi 5, Sukhumvit 55 Road
In a quiet soi off Thong Lor, Blue Velvet sports some quirky castle-inspired décor with arched doorways, deep Rococo sofas and dark timbers. Blue Velvet is billed as a fusion restaurant, though it mainly functions as a drinking spot for the fashionable 25 to 45 set looking for a cool place to wind down (or up) after dinner. There's a DJ on the weekends, with crowds usually rolling in late.
Get there: Take the BTS to Thong Lor, then hop in a cab to soi 5 where on the left you'll see the venue's 'drawbridge' front door and turret-style balcony (hard to miss, really).

Wine Republic, Thong Lor Soi 10, Sukhumvit 55
While physically a few steps from Iron Fairies, Wine Republic is in a completely different conceptual zone. The former Whiskey Mist allows patrons to people-watch (or be watched) with its street-front vantage point, glass walls and upstairs balcony. Reasonably priced Italian food is available and location-wise it's a handy spot for pre-clubbing drinks, being just down the road from the Muse/Demo/Funky Villa area.
Get there: BTS to Thong Lor, then cab up to Soi 10 (on the right). Wine Republic is right on the corner.

Bacchus Wine Bar and Restaurant, Ruam Raudee Village, Soi Raumraudee 
Bacchus is your slightly more upscale drinking and dining venue, with a choice of more than 400 wines and great food. One of the first wine bistros to hit the Bangkok scene, its exposed brickwork, Eames-inspired furniture, and subdued mood lend it well to dinner dates. The menu offers a mix of tapas and Japanese, Italian and Thai-influenced fusion dishes. www.bacchus.tv
Get there: Take the BTS to Ploenchit and walk 200 meters into soi Ruam Rudee. Bacchus is one of a handful of restaurants within a row of townhouses in the 'village' complex on the right.

White Café, Thong Lor
White Café is a restaurant and catering company rather than a wine bar, so you can expect a wider range of food here, plus better décor. Like a giant tastefully decorated light box it inhabits an airy 'fishbowl' space with glass walls, an open kitchen, exposed shelves and an assortment of different seating arrangements – proper dining tables for diners and comfy sofas for the red-wine drinkers. The wine is reasonably priced, with various promotions at any given time. Food is Thai and European, from 220THB for appetizers.
Get there:  Take the BTS to Thong Lor and take a cab for about a kilometer, past the main shopping area. White Café is on the right, on the ground floor of the Noble Solo condominium.

WP Wine Pub @ Pullman Bangkok King Power, Phaya Thai
About to celebrate its 5th anniversary, WP is a lofty-ceilinged hotel bistro with a vast selection of cheeses and cold cuts and a wall of wines to choose from. Open til 2am, there's a DJ and if you're staying at the Pullman or spend money at King Power Duty Free you get cash back that you can use here, plus there are always food and drink promotions running.
Get there: BTS to Phaya Thai, then wait at the front of Century Plaza shopping mall for the free shuttle van, or just walk (it's 200-300m around the corner).

ALSO: Wine I Love You Bar and Bistro and Wine Connection Deli & Bistro are two chains that offer affordable more wine drinking/dining options and the latter has tasty cheese platters and pizzas. The Rain Hill outlet near Sukhumvit soi 47 intersection houses the newest and arguably most attractive Wine Connection.

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A Different List of Nine Temples in Thailand

In Thailand, the number nine is auspicious, and it permeates religious culture. Thai households often have a collection of nine pedestals on which they display their Buddha images and family heirlooms. Enormous alms-giving ceremonies may have thousands of monks, but you can be sure the advertised figure is going to be a multiple of nine. Thinking of hosting a housewarming or graduation party? Consider inviting nine monks to chant at the ceremony. The number nine is everywhere.

When Thai people want to make a day of temple-going, they visit nine temples. Every major city has its own official list of nine temples that must be included on any Thai itinerary. But you don’t have to be Thai or even Buddhist to join in. Locals are happy to see foreigners taking a respectful interest in Thailand’s temples and sacred sites.

However, if you go to a tourist office and ask, you’re likely to be given a different list of nine. These are going to be the nine temples that the tourist authority assumes you’ll be more interested in.  Maybe they’re right, but there’s something irksome about visiting nine temples you know aren't the real set of nine.

So for those who want to engage in a temple-hopping endurance event, here’s a genuine list of the ‘Chiang Mai Nine’. If you’re serious about seeing all nine in a single day, do yourself a favor and hire a driver who knows the neighborhoods. It’s the only way you’ll have any time to admire the temples you’re visiting. The concierge at most hotels in Chiang Mai can help arrange this for you.

Wat Chedi Luang

You could make a case for this being the most important temple in Chiang Mai. It certainly rules the city proper. Built in the fourteenth century, it once housed the famous Emerald Buddha that is now on display at Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew. The replica that now sits in its place was commissioned by the royal family in 1995.

But the main attraction here is the ancient chedi (a Thai stupa or pagoda) that gives the temple its name. This temple also has a special and rare kind of Buddha image that is forged in a single day and believed to grant wishes very quickly.

Wat Phra Singh

Another fourteenth-century temple, Wat Phra Singh is classified as a royal temple of the highest order. The ashes of an ancient Lanna (Northern Thai) king are interred here. The Lion Buddha image (Phra Singh) housed here is used during the Songkran water festival in April.

Wat Meun Ngern Kong

This is one of Chiang Mai’s most important prosperity temples. The name couldn’t be more explicit, either. It translates as ‘ten thousand piles of money’. If you feel like you’re a few thousand piles short, paying respects here could set you back on the right path.

Wat Duang Di

Duang Di means ‘good luck’, and the benefits of making merit here are straightforward. Thai people believe that the luck produced here is especially well-suited for students, job applicants and others who are locked into a competitive environment. Wat Duang Di is centrally located in the old city, but it’s easy to miss if you aren’t paying close attention.

Wat Dub Phai

If things haven’t been going your way, a merit-run to Wat Dub Phai is in order. Dub Phai means to ‘extinguish misfortune’. People who make merit here believe that they’re putting out the flames of illness, bad luck and other sorry circumstances.

Wat Chiang Man

Chiang Mai’s oldest temple was believed to have been commissioned by King Mengrai, Chiang Mai’s founder. Two sacred and ancient Buddha images are housed here. One, a crystal Buddha, is said to be 1,800 years old. Given the age of this temple and the fact that man means ‘stable’, worshippers believe that making merit here grants longevity along with a stable life and career.

Wat Chai Phra Kiat

Centrally located in the old city, this medium-sized temple is easy to walk to from most hotels in Chiang Mai. The fine architecture and artwork here reflects how peaceful and prosperous Chiang Mai was when this temple was built. Paying respect to the central Buddha image grants a person plenty of kiat, or honor.

Wat Chiang Yeun

Yeun means ‘long-lasting’ or ‘durable’, and devotees make merit at this temple with the hopes of enjoying long life or a long-lasting career. This neighborhood of Chiang Mai was once dominated by the Shan, a Burmese ethnic minority. The temple architecture looks Burmese, and the merchants in the neighborhood still sell Burmese products.

Wat Meun Lan

Meun lan translates as ‘ten billion’, so you don’t have to think too hard to figure out what merit-makers are hoping for here: wealth with lots and lots of zeros attached. Many temples offer good luck to devotees, but Wat Meun Lan specifically promises materialistic luck. Of course, merchants outside the temple walls are ready to sell you a lottery ticket on your way out.

Wat Loy Kroh

This temple is a central landmark on Loy Kroh Road a short walk from the biggest Chiang Mai accommodation district. Loy Kroh means ‘release bad luck’, and devotees come here to shed excess misfortune. If you plan to visit this temple, come in the morning, as this street transforms into one of Chiang Mai’s rowdier nightlife districts in the evening. 

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Best 5 Things to do in Rajasthan

How on earth do you choose the top 5 must-see places to visit in a state as fabulously picturesque as India’s Rajasthan?

With huge difficulty, is the answer.

Rajasthan is everything a visitor thinks and hopes India will be.

And then some.

It is dramatic, it is colorful, it has forts and palaces and castles, it has camels and brightly painted elephants, and the men wear the most fabulous turbans you can imagine.  History, culture, amazing scenery, serious shopping…

…in other words, choosing the top of the Rajasthani pops is not easy, but here goes.

Jodhpur
The #1 spot has to go to the western city of Jodhpur. Dominated by the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort, the city of Jodhpur looks as though it has come straight out of the pages of a storybook. The old town, the houses painted sky blue, huddles at the foot of the fort, which you reach by a steep, winding path.

The fort is undoubtedly the best kept and best maintained fort in the country, and is truly world class.  There is a palpable commitment to upholding and displaying the royal heritage of Jodhpur.  Wander through the museum galleries, marvel at the paintings, the fabulous collection of royal armor, the decorated buggies and carriages, and, a personal favorite – a collection of royal cribs.  Some of them are decorated with guardian angels, probably thanks to the stern English nannies of yore, who brought up the royal babies.

Jaisalmer
The desert city of Jaisalmer was founded in 1156 by the Rajput chieftain Rawal Jaisal, who gave the city his name.  Jaisal also built the iconic Fort, where a quarter of the city’s population still lives within the ramparts and bastions of the citadel, turning it into a fascinating example of living history.

Udaipur
Udaipur is one of those magical places which never disappoints.  The Maharajahs of this former princely state knew how – and more importantly where – to construct, building their palaces and forts around a series of lakes: Lake Pichola, Fateh Sagar Lake, Udai Sagar and Swaroop Sagar.

Wherever you look, there is a fort perched on a hill, dramatically overlooking the city below, or a sprawling palace on the shoreline – the City Palace is breathtaking.  And, to top it all, there is the beautiful Lake Palace, on an island in the lake.  Now a luxury hotel, there are ferries that take you out there for a visit.

Osian
Sixty-five kilometers north of Jodhpur is a small, utterly fabulous slightly over-the-top place, an oasis in the Thar desert. Osian was a major religious center and place of pilgrimage centuries ago, and is now home to a series of impressive Hindu and Jain temples dating from the 8th to 11th centuries.

What is delightful is that it is a very relaxed place, with none of the pressures and hassles that sometime surround religious shrines.  You visit the winding little lanes of the village, and the temples, at your own pace, while the villagers pray and come and go.

This is the place to do a camel ride, by the way.  Great fun, lolloping along – though slightly alarming when the animal kneels down for you to get on/off.

Jaipur 
Jaipur is known as the Pink City – and with reason.  During construction in the 18th century, the Maharajahs of the former princely state of Jaipur, insisted on a uniform color and building code for their city, and even though modern India has grown up at vast speed around the historic centre, there is an architectural elegance and cohesion to Jaipur.  And everything is pink.

The City Palace is absolutely not to be missed, nor is the exceptional 18th century observatory, the Jantar Mantar.

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Best Hotel in Sweden and China

Treehotel

Harads, Sweden

One of the most innovative hotels on our list, Treehotel includes five — soon to be six — quirky treehouses in the small northern Swedish village of Harads. Each of the rooms features a different design, thus offering every guest an individual experience. One room resembles an enormous bird's nest with twigs sticking every which way; another looks like a silver UFO hovering above the ground; yet another is fashioned with large mirrors so all you see from the outside is the reflection of the forest. No matter which accommodation you choose, you'll find a panorama of the picturesque Lule River Valley providing a scenic backdrop to your atypical escape.

Sanya Nanshan Treehouse

Jiangsu, China

Straddling the tamarind trees of Jiangsu, China, the Sanya Nanshan Treehouse Resort and Beach Club offers a rustic treehouse experience. This is not a luxurious treehouse, but the surrounding environment is pretty awe-inspiring. Accessible via a rope-and-suspension bridge, this resort gets guests' adrenaline pumping as soon as they ascend the "Big Beach in the Sky" treehouse. But once inside, a view of the South China Sea's rolling waves will await you. When it comes to activities, you can enjoy a handful of tasty vegetarian restaurants as well as the Buddhist Theme Park, both within a close walking distance.

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