Sea level rise from Hurricane Nicole washes away many beachfront homes in Florida

Those who reside in beachfront homes in Florida witnessed the damages caused by Hurricane Nicole. The dangerous storm surge and powerful winds damaged or destroyed many of the homes in the neighborhood of Wilbur-By-The-Sea. The authorities deemed “unsafe” at least 49 beachfront properties in Volusia County. These included hotels and condos. Nicole was a Category 1 hurricane and videos showed homes that had crumbled and reduced to wreckage. These are the results of sea level rise due to global warming. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals that sea level in this part of Florida has risen more than a foot in the past 100 years. The worst part is that most of that rise has occurred in the past three decades. ‘We didn’t think it would be this bad’: Beachfront homes in small Florida community washed away by Hurricane Nicole. Scientists and researchers have been warning about the effects of sea level rise associated with erosion and high tide flooding. Florida is witnessing the results.

There are sea walls erected to protect coastal communities from high waves and water levels. Nicole destroyed many of these. In fact, one seawall put up recently, crumbled into the ocean. People evacuated with their essential belongings. They have to rebuild their lives. Just six weeks ago, it was hurricane Ian. It eroded parts of Florida’s eastern coast. This back-to-back nature of storms is making seawalls more vulnerable. As an expert explains - “it doesn’t really take a strong storm – you just need high tides or storm-agitated tides to wash away or put extra stress on the walls. Having these two storms six weeks apart, if you don’t give places any time to repair or replenish, each storm definitely leaves its mark.”

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Tour operators are happy vis-à-vis trend of booking in hotels, resorts, homestays and the toy train across the hills

The Bengal tourism industry says nearly 90 per cent of the accommodation in homestays are booked until Diwali. These have mushroomed in different villages across the hills, both in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. Tour operators are happy at the trend of booking in hotels, resorts and homestays across the hills. Moreover, reservation for rides in the toy train of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) have also boosted their enthusiasm. In their opinion, these are indications about the revival of tourism in the hills, especially during the Diwali and Chhath Puja holidays. It is evident that after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic people are back in the travel mood. When compared to hotel bookings, homestays are doing better. As a veteran in the tourism industry explains - “Even in 2019, homestays were not so popular. But after the pandemic, people prefer to stay in isolated places instead of crowded ones. That is why bookings are so high in these accommodations.” Hill tourism on a festive peak.

The bookings reveal that during Diwali, tourists plan to go to prominent spots like Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong apart from locations like Sonada, Chatakpur, Mirik, Sitong, Lava and Loleygaon. Even lesser known homestays in Mirik like tea estates and orange groves are booked. Moreover, an official of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway DHR reveals there is a huge response from tourists for rides this season. The DHR conducts 12 daily joy rides from Darjeeling station. The return trip from Ghoom covers the Batasia loop and is the most popular ride in the DHR. The tourism industry suffered huge losses because of the pandemic and it hopes return of tourists can boost the industry.

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Hurricane Roslyn, a powerful Category 4 storm, struck the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta

Hurricane Roslyn swept over the Pacific and struck the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta. It was identified as a powerful Category 4 storm. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, Roslyn had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph but could lose some power. The location of its core was about 65 miles from Cabo Corrientes and it was moving north at 12 mph. Cabo Corrientes is the portion of land that juts into the Pacific south of Puerto Vallarta. Forecasters cautioned that Cabo Corrientes and the Puerto Vallarta region could experience high winds, heavy rains and rough surf. Incidentally, Hurricane Orlene made landfall Oct. 3 near the same region, about 45 miles southeast of the resort of Mazatlan. There is a hurricane warning for a stretch of coast from Playa Perula south of Cabo Corrientes north to El Roblito and for the Islas Marias. ‘Full of Tourists': Category 4 Roslyn Barrels Toward Mexico's Coast. Many tourists were apparently not aware of the approaching storm. They thronged beachside eateries around Puerto Vallarta and smaller resorts farther north on the Nayarit coast where the storm likely was headed.

A receptionist at one of hotels in Puerto Vallarta said that if winds picked up, the hotel would gather up outside furniture “so nothing will go flying.” Of course, even though skies began to cloud up, waves remained normal, and few people appeared to be rushing to take precautions. Swimmers were still in the sea at Puerto Vallarta. As a receptionist at a hotel said - “The place is full of tourists.” The Nayarit state government explained that the landfall of the hurricane would possibly be near San Blas, about 90 miles north of Puerto Vallarta. An official of the state civil defense office said – it was patrolling the areas to alert the people about possible dangers. The neighboring state of Jalisco arranged to evacuate some of its people. Rains from hurricane Rosalyn could result in mudslides and flooding. The U.S. hurricane center cautioned about dangerous storm surge along the coast, accompanied by 4 to 6 inches of rain.

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Bengalis of Kolkata love mouthwatering dishes and Khaibaar Pass helps them choose the best

TV reality shows, social media and food festivals like Khaibaar Pass have helped give an impetus to the culinary scene in Kolkata. Hotels and restaurants go all out to woo the food lovers with exotic dishes and food festivals keep creating new varieties of well-known products. Fuchka is a household name in Bengal and is known as golguppa in other places. These fall in the category of cheap fast foods. However, in Khaibaar Pass this has multiple varieties like chicken fuchka, ice cream fuchka, chocolate fuchka – the price range is several times more than that in the roadside stalls. ABP Ananda is a major media house in Bengal. It arranges an annual three-day food festival ‘Khaibaar Paas.’ This is where foodies arrive to taste unique culinary dishes from restaurants and food outlets in Bengal. The 8th edition of this food festival took in the city in March, 2022. ABP Ananda launches Khaibaar Paas food festival.

At this festival, those who love food can sample delicacies from innumerable food stalls and sees thousands of footfalls every day. The festival offers business opportunity to all those involved in the world of food and includes restaurants and food joints. There are major well-known brands who sponsor the event. Products include Biryanis, Kebabs, traditional Bengali dishes, sea food, sweets and snackable items to Mughlai, to Chinese and Lebanese dishes. In addition, there are fun games to maintain the festive mood. As an official of the network said - “Khaibaar Paas has been able to carve out a niche for itself in the Bengali food space.”

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Durga Puja for Bengalis usually means a trip to the hill station of Darjeeling

This year, the government of Bengal has declared 10 days holiday for the Durga Puja. Obviously, there is a rush to book hotels in the hill station of Darjeeling. It seems already more than 70 per cent of hotel rooms in this favorite tourist destination are already booked. Darjeeling is located in northern West Bengal. The economy of the region depends on tourism. During the pandemic lockdown, tourism suffered in the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong apart from the forests of the Dooars. In view of reduction in coronavirus cases, revival of businesses would now be on the cards. New Jalpaiguri is the gateway to the region and tickets of trains are not available. Occupancy rate of hotel rooms have improved. It seems the region witnessed good footfalls during the summer holidays and hoteliers expect the trend to continue during the forthcoming festive season. Hotels nearly full as north Bengal braces for 'revenge travel' during Durga Puja. Apart from hotels, there is also an increase in demand of homestays.

The 10-day Durga Puja holiday for employees of the Bengal government, coupled with 'revenge travelling,' has prompted this massive demand. That is the opinion of the tourism industry. The surge is in 'revenge travel' because people are trying to make up for vacations lost during the pandemic. This has led to considerable escalation of hotel prices. An official of the West Bengal Tourism's Jaldapara Tourist Lodge says all rooms of the property are fully booked. Efforts are on to create a special menu for the guests. In order to tackle the rush of tourists, there will be special trains between Kolkata and New Jalpaiguri in Siliguri. As for the joy rides in the famous toy trains, the Northeast Frontier Railway has decided to operate four new rides in Darjeeling during the festive season. These will operate between Darjeeling and Ghum.

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Durga Puja and a trip to the sea beach of Digha

One of the favorite festivals of Bengalis is the Durga Puja. The festivities go on for four days and many Bengalis take the opportunity to visit the sea beach of Digha. There are any number of hotels and Digha tourism tries to cater to a whole range of visitors. These provide the visitors with innumerable options. A few tips worth following are to reserve a hotel in advance suitable to your pocket. There are any number of websites that are loaded with options. There are packages for making local trips to enjoy the holidays to the maximum. West Bengal Tourism department provides an insight into places to see and enjoy in Digha, a seaside place to spend some time with family and friends.

Durga Puja is the festive season when Bengalis enjoy a long holiday. Hence, many of those who plan to spend it on the seaside opt for Digha. It is accessible by train or by bus or by hired vehicles. The list of dos and don’ts are not many. How can you enjoy Durga Puja at affordably priced hotel in Digha? It is necessary that you book the hotel accommodation in advance, preferably online. In case there are children, it is better to select a hotel that offers facilities for kids’ activity. In case there are elderly persons, it helps if pickup and drop facilities are available from the railway station. As to food, try to avoid street food. They might appear attractive but may not follow the guidelines of hygiene. It would be wise to rely on the lip-smacking seafood served at the hotels.

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Moody hates hotels and feels more at home in his aircraft (satire)

It was a conference of world leaders and Moody was supposed to attend. Present in the hall were Bee Rack O’Vama, Day Weed, Vladdy Putty, Angel Miracle, Fancy Holland, Na Buzz and a host of others. The subject of discussion was, obviously, terrorism.
Suddenly a mobile phone rang – it was for Day Weed.
‘Yes,’ he spoke, ‘his flight has landed?’
There was a huge sigh of relief all around. Moody had arrived and would soon be with them. The vehicle had been sent to the tarmac to pick him up and bring him directly to the hall.

‘Hey man,’ Bee Rack O’Vama leaned towards Day Weed. ‘I think Moody hates hotels.’
‘Yes,’ Day Weed said. ‘That’s why he remains in his aircraft and we have to arrange his transport to and from the tarmac.’
‘Actually he could have modified his aircraft to something like Air Force One which can carry his special vehicle,’ O’Vama said. ‘He can use it wherever he goes instead of being cooped up in the aircraft.’
‘If you ask me, I think he feels more comfortable among his own people,’ Vladdy Putty added his comments. ‘Moody has seen enough of the world to realize that he needs to be more accessible to others.’
‘Yeah,’ O’Vama said. ‘Wherever he goes, he meets and mingles with his own people.’
‘You can’t blame him for that,’ it was now the turn of Na Buzz to have his say. ‘Moody is a good man – he makes it a point to give gifts.’
‘That helps to create a sort of bond,’ Day Weed said. ‘But the novelty soon wears off.’
‘Can anyone tell me why he loves to remain in his aircraft,’ Angel Miracle now asked. ‘Is it a hidden fear of terrorist attacks?’
Vladdy Putty gave a hearty laugh.
‘No, I don’t think so,’ he replied.
‘Why do you rule out the possibility?’ Day Weed asked.
‘He always moves about with his special band of security,’ Putty explained. ‘They are experts in yoga and can wield a stick like no one has ever done. They are his own brand of soldiers.’
‘You mean the half-pant brigade?’ Day Weed asked.
‘You have hit the nail on the head,’ Putty grinned. ‘But – they are changing over to trousers.’
‘Why?’
‘Because half-pants look strange outside Moody’s country. And, the frequency of his foreign visits is on the increase. Therefore, the men entrusted with his security have to be in step with the times. Hence, the changeover.’
It was at this moment that Moody entered the conference hall and beamed at the august gathering – he was flanked by his bodyguards who wielded stout sticks. (to be continued …)


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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