Bob Travel

I’ve been visiting the small Village Hauz Khas of New Delhi, once a month to give it’s residence tree conservation tips. From one of the many New Delhi Four Star Hotels where I stay, I organize, via the Internet, group meetings through the leaders of the community. How I’ve managed to get a good showing of people, is I’ve managed to convince them that Hauz Khas is the lungs of New Delhi.

I picked Hauz Khaz, because one day, I was driving out of Hauz Khas village towards the Jaganath Temple, a regular trip I take, and I saw women crawling through the fence with firewood. Another time, I saw a group of kids, each with a bundle of twigs on their heads. This concerned me so much, I did something about it. I’ve been educating the locals that this little green patch of the deer park can not sustain the ever growing demand of it’s people and the scavenging population of the poor. Entering the forest by night to cut down young trees, leave it, then come back after a few days to pick it up when it has dried is how the poor deal with their cooking needs.

What I’ve done, is not only help them obtain other inexpensive cooking devices, ones that use kerosene, or the new solar cookers, but I’ve also educated them about ecology issues, how to limit their needs, and how if they continue with their normal practices of deforestation, then they are taking away the lungs of New Delhi. I educate them about the importance of trees, not only in our community, but for our planet. I also, at the same time, give them knowledge about their locale indigenous trees, like the Shisham, the Chinese Tallow Tree and the medicinal Neem.

Every month, I have been amazed with just how many, even though they struggle with their poverty, just how they really do care about their surroundings and want to do something to help preserve it.

I wanted to know what it was like to live as the Bedouins did back in the day, because today, in Dubai, the Bedouins truly are a vanished people. But, luckily I found a desert tour that will let me experience what it was like. After arriving to Dubai and spending a few days a my 4 Star Hotel Dubai and do some shopping, off I went.

The Bedouins of today are loosely referred to as the ‘indigenous’ tribes who traverse the desert dunes in the Middle East. Their heritage and more so their legacy however, go so much deeper. They are one of the oldest tribes to occupy the sand dunes. Initially, they were nomads wandering from spot to spot. The Bedouin that now will take me and interact with me are more sedentary then their ancestors.

I found the Bedouin camps are located deeper into the desert in and around the wadis and the hilly desert region. The camp was not easily accessible and even few or even open for tourist. So, I was pretty lucky to be on mine. The Bedouin camp was a splendid way to get to know the original Arab’s way of life. I got to eat food cooked the traditional Bedouin way and have a look at the goods and produce they create for a living. They were so super friendly and I really enjoyed hanging around their camping settlement. They even provided that I spend the night so that I could enjoy a night of evening entertainment the Arab way. The accommodations so that I could sleep in the camp itself.  It was so thrilling to sleep with the Bedouins and imagine myself traversing the great desert on a camel with white robes and turbines, looking up at the evening sky and the quiet of the desert whispering her song of solitude and gratitude.

I came to New York just to see Central Park, oh and of course everything else in the 3-day I have here. Just on business, but I want to fit in as much as I can while I have the opportunity. I’m fortunate enough that my company put me up in one of the many Four Star New York Hotels
near Central Park.

I was amazed to find Chinese women in Central Park bending beneath trees. We I got closer, I could see they were gathering what seemed to be small plums. Me, not being shy, went up and asked them if those were indeed plums. They smiled politely at me and explained that the trees are Ginkgo trees which drop their fruit when ripe. I couldn’t believe it. New York has Ginkgo trees in Central Park?  The ginkgo fruit has long been prized in China and I believe in Japan as a food and a medicine.

I was so fascinated that this tree is right here in New York and that these ladies knew of it’s precious qualities. I hung around them, like I can be a real bother sometimes, especially when I want to know things, and asked them all kinds of questions. They told me the Chinese name for ginkgo is ‘Bai-guo’, translates as the ‘white fruit’. They said it helps with digestion and improves circulation. They especially liked how it helps with the mental faculties of the elderly.

Then they really told me things I had no clue about. The ginkgo tree produces fruit by a mature female tree and the fruit really smells bad. They held one up for me to smell and it was like a cross between too strong of a cheese and vomit. Yeah, they were right! Stinks! So, these women can tell when it’s time to gather up the fruit, it’s when Central Park smells horrible.  I think I’ll leave the picking to these wonderful women and try to find an area in the Park that’s not so smelly.

For travelers looking for incredible four-star hotels, Bangalore has plenty to offer.  With luxurious accommodations in a world-class setting, the sky’s the limit for relaxation.  Room service is splendid and delicious, and guests will find themselves living in the heart of their own dream.  A delicate combination of old and new marks the sense of style here, and the time here will be remembered for the sumptuousness of the decor.  Impressive and also understated, there is a palpable sense of gracefulness that permeates the atmosphere here.

Bangalore itself is a fascinating metropolis.  With one of the largest universities in the world, a technology sector that is extremely well-connected to all aspects of global culture, and a local population that is accepting and welcoming, yet still maintaining a strong sense of their own customs, Bangalore is a traveler’s feast.  There is an urban core here that is strikingly local, but also oddly familiar.  This kind of odd familiarity is at the heart of Bangalore artist Ravi Kumar Kashi’s works.  Born in Bangalore in 1968, he still resides here, after having lived away off and on for a time.  The sense of urban identity that is starting to define modern experience has always been present in his work, but his latest creations take this theme into another level.

He received his first degree from the College of Fine Arts in Bangalore in 1988.  He has also earned an M.F.A. in Print Making from Baroda, an MA in English at Mysore, and, in 2001, studied handmade papermaking in Glasgow from a Charles Wallace India Trust grant.  He has worked as a teacher in engineering, and is also working more and more as an instructor for visual arts.  Although his work is shown all over the world, the paintings and paper sculptures of Ravi Kumar Kashi are shown extensively in Bangalore, New Delhi, and Mumbai.  His work takes modernity as a focus, and adds some peculiar and wonderful twists.  He says that he is extremely influenced by visual culture, as well as the culture of the everyday spectacle.  Many of his paintings have advertising images as the center, but twisted and distorted to become comments on life in the world right now.  His work has an immediacy and an energy that is distinctively his own.

More and more people are finding a reason to visit Goa, India every year. It is easily one of the most popular holiday destinations in all of India. Even though it’s the smallest state in that massive country, Goa manages to pack a lot into its limited geography. There are rivers, mountains, forests, jungles, and, of course, the beaches for which the region is world-famous.

One of the first startling aspects of Goa is that is is officially classified as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. It has an amazingly rich and diverse collection of natural flora and fauna.  Goans are proud of their wilderness and have worked to preserve large stretches of forest. Over 1500 plant species, 275 types of birds, and nearly 50 animal species are protected in wildlife sanctuaries throughout Goa.  The parks and preserves are home to a large number of snakes and the coastline is teeming with an abundance of marine life.

Goa has also preserved many of its cultural and historic sites.  Religious sites such as the Bom Jesus Basilica and the Church of the Immaculate Conception harken back to Goa’s centuries as a Portuguese colony. The Mangueshi Temple, meanwhile, is a tribute to the native heritage of the area. Goa has a number of museums and forts to explore. There are also beautiful examples of both Indian architecture and the blended Portuguese-Indian style from the colonial era.

Much of the Portuguese influence can be seen in the cities and a few of the villages of Goa.  While the village offer a more traditional Goan experience, the cities are increasingly developed to resemble the modern urban environment one can find throughout the world.  The various shops, restaurants, and four star hotels Goa all reflect a blending of western urban design but with distinctive Indian influences and character.

Of course, the main reason most tourists give for visiting Goa is the beach.  Whether simply relaxing in the sun and listening to the ocean waves or engaging in recreational activities such as parasailing or scuba diving, visitors will find plenty to help them de-stress from their daily grind.  The beaches here are about more than just the sparkling ocean with restaurants and shops lining many beaches.

One of Goa’s more famous attractions is its vibrant nightlife.  Dance clubs dot the beaches and the cities, drawing in thousands of partiers during the height of the season.  Some clubs even throw raves on the beaches, giving party-goers the unique experience of dancing on the sands under the moonlight.

Historic sites, beautiful architecture, exciting cities, relaxing beaches and a rich natural landscape are just a few of the features that attract so many travelers to the tiny state of Goa.