Golden Triangle Of South India

Gold signifies the best and this is the essence of the South India Golden Triangle package. It marks the best sites of all the abounding glory of the region with a view to guide one through the three different aspects of splendor of South India. Bangalore is a unique blend of the past and the present. It has a rich legacy of architectural and cultural heritage. It reigns the present as a hub of the masterminds of the technology and modern developments who work day and night to carve a new future for the world. Mysore has always fascinated with its quaint charm, imposing buildings, rich heritage, magnificent palaces, beautifully laid-out gardens, broad shady avenues and sacred temples. The erstwhile British township of Ooty enchants the tourists, adventure enthusiasts, honeymooners and the film industry alike, nestled amongst the blue mountains of southern India.

Bangalore The capital of Karnataka and the seventh largest city of India, Bangalore is a city of contradictions. It has earned the title of the Garden City boasting of its numerous beautiful gardens and parks and also the Silicon Valley, being at par with the latest developments of the world. The present-day city was founded in the 16th century and has since continued to be an important administrative center. With some historical sites of immense interest to boast of, the kind and warm nature of the people here is reflected in the legend behind its name. It is said that the city of Bangalore was named after the native translation of 'boiled beans' that an old poor woman offered to a hungry and lost Hoysala ruler.

ore »

Mysore A city of palaces, people and smells, Mysore is the erstwhile capital of Karnataka. The word Mysore expands to 'Mahishasurana Ooru', which means the town of the demon Mahishasura, who was slain by the goddess Chamundeshwari, whose shrine is situated atop the Chamundi hill. Beyond Mysore's architectural heritage, the city's long-held tradition of music and dance, art and literature, scholarship and time-honored crafts were nurtured under the patronage of Wodeyar dynasty.

more »

Ooty Ooty is the short name for the 36-sq-km hill resort Udhagamandalam. Situated in the 'Blue Mountains', which are so called because of the lavender-blue flowers of the famous Strobilanthes that bloom to cover the hills in floral profusion during the season, Ooty's gorgeous golf courses are among the best in the world. It has a beautiful lake with houseboats and the pretty Botanical Gardens to boast of. Founded by the British in the early 1800s, it once served as the summer headquarters of the Madras Government. Its long and lovely walks are soothing while Ooty is also a haven for the seeker of sports and adventure with diverse activities like hiking, riding, fishing for trout and playing tennis andnooker.

more »

Angel Falls

Exotic Worldwide Adventures "Adventure, and Ecological tours in remote, isolated natural areas. Specializing in Venezuela, and the Western United States"

WHAT EWA HAS TO OFFER Tours to seldom seen natural wonders. Tours to remote, isolated areas, where it is possible not to see any other people. Low prices, and FREE TRIPS. Experienced knowledgeable guides with high guide/participant ratio. Small ecological sensitive group sizes. Bird Watching/Wildlife tours to areas of outstanding biodiversity and endemic species. Amazon/Orinoco Jungle expeditions. Mountain expeditions. Cultural tours to primitive native Indian communities. We can also arrange tours just for singles, couples, senior citizens, families, and large Groups. Custom tours available. Hiking, Climbing, Skiing and many other Activities.

Above : Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall, plunges 3,212 feet from the top of Auyan Tepui in Venezuela.

Quebec City

Quebec City: Your shortcut to Europe Quebec City has unique EuroStyle appeal. Come explore the old walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage gem, and find out why Conde Nast Traveler calls Quebec one of the top 10 destinations in North America. » EuroStyle vacations at www.quebecregion.com

Easter Island

Easter Island
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 2400 miles west of Chile, lies the world’s most remote inhabited island: enigmatic Easter Island. Discovered by a Dutch explorer in 1722, this stunning isle is home to one of the world’s most fascinating sights – remarkable stone statues of unexplained origin. These figures have mystified archeologists and visitors alike for centuries; now you can admire them up close

2012 Olympic Bid Survives as Mets Commit to Stadium Deal

By LYNN ZINSER

Published: June 13, 2005

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg committed last night to help the Mets build a stadium that could be converted into the centerpiece for the 2012 Olympics in an 11th-hour deal to salvage the city's bid for the Games.

Skip to next paragraph

Enlarge This Image

Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

After state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver rejected plans for a stadium on Manhattan's West Side last week, the city and the Mets opened talks about a new stadium in the Willets Point section of Queens near Shea.

If All Goes as Planned...

The Mets Finally Get Their New Stadium, but They Have to Pay For It (June 13, 2005)

Enlarge This Image

Vincent Laforet/The New York Times

The Mets' new stadium would be converted to Olympic use - if New York is chosen as host of the Olympics.

The Mets would pay the cost of the stadium, which would open in 2009 and be built adjacent to the existing Shea Stadium in Queens. It would be converted for use for the Olympics if the city is chosen as the host for the Games.

The city and state would contribute $180 million for improvements to the infrastructure around the stadium and would pay an additional $100 million to convert the stadium to Olympic use.

The Mets' principal owner, Fred Wilpon, said he would not know the cost of the stadium until a design was selected, but he estimated that it would be $600 million.

Mr. Wilpon has previously prepared plans for a stadium that would be modeled after Ebbets Field, the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but few details were given about this new plan. Mr. Bloomberg said the stadium would have a capacity of about 45,000, which would temporarily be expanded to 80,000 for the Olympics.

The deal was put together in 72 hours after long-held plans to construct an Olympic stadium on the West Side of Manhattan were killed last week.

The new plan seems free of the political problems that were fatal to the West Side plan and will enable the organizing committee, NYC2012, to meet today's deadline to respond to a report by the International Olympic Committee's evaluation commission in which New York's lack of a stadium was specifically noted as a concern.

Mr. Bloomberg had long talked down the idea of putting the Olympic stadium in Queens, saying it lacked the glamour of Manhattan, where the city skyline would add drama to the Games. "This was not our first choice," Mr. Bloomberg said last night at a news conference at City Hall. "But when you don't get your first choice, you find what you do have and fight harder to win with that one."

The host city for the 2012 Games will be chosen in a little more than three weeks, on July 6, when the I.O.C. meets in Singapore to select the winner among the five finalists - New York, Paris, London, Madrid and Moscow.

The I.O.C. gave NYC2012 permission to alter its bid last week after the proposal to finance the West Side stadium plan was derailed when state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and state Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno refused to approve it. The planned $2.2 billion stadium project, for which the Jets were to pay $1.6 billion, would have required a $600 million public subsidy, half of which was to come from the state.

Mr. Bloomberg said the new stadium proposal would have to go through the normal budget process, including approval by the City Council and the state, not to mention reaction from the surrounding community.

Mr. Bloomberg, however, said Mr. Silver and Mr. Bruno had already endorsed the new plan, which changes the focus of the Olympic bid from Manhattan to Queens. Not only would the Olympic stadium move there, but Mr. Bloomberg said the main press center and the International Broadcast Center would also be located in Willets Point, adjacent to the new stadium and part of a redevelopment of that area, now filled with junkyards and auto shops.

"I'm glad that the mayor could put together an alternative so fast and that we will be competitive for the 2012 Olympics," Mr. Silver said in an interview last night.

Mr. Silver said that he and Mr. Bruno would join Gov. George E. Pataki in giving Mr. Bloomberg a signed letter committing to the deal, which the mayor could give to the I.O.C. Mr. Silver said that the state's contribution to the plan, $75 million, would not need to go before the Public Authorities Control Board, the board that Mr. Silver used to thwart the West Side stadium.

Also excited about Sunday's development was the United States Olympic Committee, which had initially warned against any impulse to pull out of the bid altogether. Doing so would have damaged hopes for any American city to win a Games in the coming years.

Destination: Russia

Russia

Churchill's 'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma' remains an apt description of Russia; most outsiders have only a hazy idea of its realities. A composite of the extravagant glories of old Russia and the drab legacies of the Soviet era, it's a country that both befuddles and beguiles.

This is a land of snow and deadly winters, but also of rivers that meander across meadows and a midsummer sun that never sets. Its people, in the words of a Russian proverb, 'love to suffer', yet they also love to party and can be disarmingly generous and hospitable.

The unfolding effects of a deregulated market economy are surrounded by rumours of rampant crime and prostitution, relentless drug-trafficking, mile-long queues for nonexistent food and a general end-of-the-world aura. But with countless cultural treasures having withstood the tribulations of history and economics, and an artistic legacy running the gamut from Karenina to Zhivago, Russia remains a must-see destination.

Warning

The crashes of two passenger jets on August 24, 2004, the suicide bomber near Rizhskaya Metro station in Moscow on 31 August, the taking of hostages at a school in Beslan on 1 September and the discovery of a cache of weapons in a St Petersburg cinema all demonstrate that the threat of violence from terrorists within Russia is high. Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov was killed on March 3 and further violence has been threatened. Travellers are advised to be cautious and monitor any changes in Chechnya or Moscow.

Travellers are strongly advised against travel in Chechnya, Dagestan and neighbouring Ingushetia. Military clashes, kidnapping of aid workers and foreigners, violent crimes and muggings are prevalent.

Other neighbouring areas of concern include North Ossetia, Stavropol, Karachayevo-Cherkessiya and Kabardino-Balkariya. Events in all these places are difficult to understand and can change rapidly. On-the-ground consular support can be negligible or non-existent.

Full country name: Russian Federation
Area: 17.07 million sq km
Population: 144.53 million
Capital City: Moscow
People: 81% Russian, 4% Tatar, 3% Ukrainian and numerous ethnic minorities
Language: Russian
Religion: Russian Orthodox, Islam, Animist
Government: federation
Head of State: President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Head of Government: Premier Mikhail Fradkov

GDP: US$1.4 trillion
GDP per capita: US$8,900
Annual Growth: 4%
Inflation: 15.1%
Major Industries: Oil, coal, iron ore, timber, automotive, agricultural and construction equipment
Major Trading Partners: EU (esp. Germany), Belarus, Ukraine, USA, China
Member of EU: No