SimplyMyPleasure

Rajasthan is renowned all over the world for its formidable forts and princely palaces. These magnificent masterpieces attract travellers from different parts of the world. To see it once is not enough for them, so tourists come here again and again. Most of these splendid palaces have turned into Heritage Hotels giving tourists a chance to experience the royal living of the erstwhile royalties.  Let us take a walk through some of the significant forts and palaces in Rajasthan. Amber Fort – Jaipur © wikimedia.org  Amber Fort – Jaipur Image credit: wikimedia.org Situated atop a hill, Amber Fort offers a panoramic view of the Aaram Bagh, Maotha Lake, the Kesar Kyari and the old historic town down below. A steep uphill path is the approach to the Palace Complex, which is popularly traversed on elephant back. The huge courtyard Jaleb Chowk is the entrance to Shila Mata temple on one end and the Palace on the other. There is a spectacular Diwan-e-Aam and the glass ...

Located in southwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region, northwest China, Taklamakan desert is bounded by the Kunlun mountains to the south, the Pamir mountains and Tian Shan to the west and north, and the Gobi desert to the east, also known as “Place of No Return”, more commonly interpreted as “once you get in, you’ll never get out” or similar. The Taklamakan Desert has an area of 337,000 km 2  (130,000 sq mi), making it slightly smaller than Germany, and includes the Tarim Basin, which is 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) long and 400 kilometres (250 mi) wide. It is the world’s second largest shifting sand desert with about 85% made up of shifting sand dunes ranking 16th in size in a ranking of the world’s largest deserts . Because it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, Taklamakan is a paradigmatic cold desert climate. Given its relative proximity with the cold to frigid air masses in Siberia...

I know you well . It’s true that I always had a little trouble with your name, but I do know your name, just I don’t know at this moment .  We’re  at a big party and have kissed hello. We’ve had a delightful conversation about how we are the last two people on the face of the earth who don’t kiss on both cheeks.    You are so charming. You had been to my house for dinner and I read your last book.  If only I could have remember your name. It’s inexcusable that I don’t. It’s something like Roger. Only it’s not. Rodrigo? That’s not in either. Your last name: three syllables, starts with a c. Starts with a g? I am losing my mind. But a miracle occurs:   The host is about to toast the guest of honour. Thank God. I can escape to the bar. I will spent the rest of the night scrolling through the alphabets in an attempt to come up with your name…  Have we met?  I think we’ve met, but I can’t be sure. We’re introduced, but I d...

A man was driving down the road and his car breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, “My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?” The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. A sound unlike anything he’s ever heard before. The Sirens that nearly seduced Odysseus into crashing his ship comes to his mind. He doesn’t sleep that night. He tosse s and turns trying to figure out what could possibly be making such a seductive sound.  The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they said, “We can’t tell you. You’re not a monk.” Distraught, the man is forced to leave. Years later, after never being able to forget that sound, the man goes back to the monastery and pleads for the answer again. The monks replied  “We can’t tell you. You’re not a monk.” The man says  “If the only way I can find out what is making that beautif...

Shakespeare, apparently, had it right: “All the world is a stage. ” Yea, we are actors and the stage is our family and as far parenting is concerned, the kids see everything on that stage.   For better or worse, our day-to-day interactions with our spouse – things like decision making, conflicts and displays of affection, slowly construct what we can call our child’s blueprint for intimacy. Research shows that this primary model of intimacy makes a lasting impression on kids, and kids can carry the burden of marital difficulties into their own adult relationships. As they grow, kids absorbs decision making techniques simply by over hearing conversations. Normally, everyday life managing discussions, of course, can sometimes morph into heated exchanges, but conflict can be a valuable opportunity for learning if it’s handed properly. After the storm,  parents shouldn’t be shy about kissing and making up, as children need to know that their parents like each other and h...

Driving my car back home one evening, I rolled through a stop Sign  .  I was stopped by a police sergeant, who recognised me as his former English teacher. “Mrs Brown,” he said “those stop signs are full stops, not commas.” :)) ____________________________________________________________________________________ Days passed since I papered the town with my resume but hadn’t receive a single phone call   . So I decided to take a closer look at the copies my husband has printed at his real estate office. I quickly realised that he hadn’t put blank paper in the machine. At the end of each copy, written in bold, was a common real estate disclaimer: “The information contained herein, while deemed to be accurate, is not guaranteed.” _____________________________________________________________________________________ A customer called to complain that we had billed her for electricity on her long-distance phone bill  . One of our agents explained t...

Victoria Falls: Smoke that Thunders                                              Victoria Falls Victoria Falls is a town in the western portion of Zimbabwe, across the border from Livingstone, Zambia, and near Botswana. The town lies immediately next to the falls, and they are the major attraction, but this popular tourist destination offers both adventure seekers and sightseers plenty of opportunities for a longer stay. No doubt about it,  Victoria Falls,   twice as tall as  Niagara Falls,  and several times longer,   also known as  Mosi-oa-Tunya  (meaning “The Smoke That Thunders”) is one of the most amazing sights in the world. The Falls have the largest sheet of water for any fall in the world, although not the highest, widest or greatest volume of water, is a sight not to be missed. It to...

Case Study 1: United Kingdom Hungerford Massacre 1987: 16 people died by a lone gunman. Result: semi automatic and pump-action weapons banned. Registration mandatory for owning shotguns. And the bucks doesn't  stops here: Dunblane, Scotland 1996: One unspeakable coward bastard (sorry for my language) entered the gymnasium of a primary school (yea friends primary school) and  opened fire from his handgun resulting to the death of 15 children aged between five and six along with their teacher. Outcome: UK lawmakers, resulting in some of the toughest anti-gun legislation in the world, passed a ban on the private ownership of all handguns in mainland Britain. Though it took 18 months! Case Study 2: Australia Port Arthur massacre : After the tragic incident, former Australian President John Howard said, " We have an opportunity in this country not to go down the American path." And the opportunity was taken: weapons that can kill many people quickly _ semi auto...

Wilderness backpacking “ Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar Wanderer, there is no path, the path is made by walking ” —Antonio Machado, "Proverbios y cantares XXIX" Carrying everything you'll need to get along for several days in the wilderness isn't everyone's idea of a "vacation", but if you don't mind including some physical effort and additional inconvenience in your travel time, it's an ideal way to truly "get away from it all", and hopefully see some truly majestic scenery. Based on my experience and sharing the common passion with my fellow hikers, collectively we share few tips and points to be taken care off.    Landscape Before taking off on a backpacking trip, assess what kind of territory you'll be traveling through. Distances on a map never look that hard to cover, but once you find yourself staring up at a 400-foot ridge standing between you and tonight's camp, it...