The new Royal Caribbean cruise ship “Icon of the Seas” boasts of a jaw-dropping design

‘Icon of the Seas’ is the new cruise ship of the Royal Caribbean. It will feature the "largest waterpark at sea." It boasts of seven pools and six record-breaking slides among a whole lot of other items that will appeal to the travelers. The promos describe it as having a "pool for every mood." Icon of the Seas will include the tallest drop slide at sea and cruising’s first mat-racing duo. Apart from several pools and waterslides, it will also have other attractions like a swim-up bar, a five-deck high park, the first suspended infinity pool at sea, a theatre, and an ice rink. Its gross tonnage would be around 250,800. That will give it the honor of being the world’s largest passenger ship ever built. It could set sail on her maiden voyage in January 2024, with bookings open now. People left gobsmacked after cruise with 'largest waterpark at sea' unveiled.

It seems the promo shots impressed the viewers but there were doubts among them about whether cruising was for them. One firm fan admitted - "Looks fun! Especially if you have kids. All activities in one space." Another commented - "As far as feats of engineering go, they are absolute futuristic marvels." The design resembles that of a cake. Whatever it be, the new ship would be another feather in the cap of the Royal Caribbean and would certainly leave its mark on those who love to travel by ship. It has a charm of its own because such travel allows the travelers to interact with others and form bonds that might last a lifetime.

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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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Durga Puja and senior citizens of Kolkata

In the fast-paced world of today, most of the senior citizens belong to a neglected lot. Their families do not want to recognize their presence and they might even discover themselves in old age homes. It could have been forced upon them due to circumstances beyond their control. Or - they might have opted for such an existence in order to survive. During a major festival like the Durga Puja, old timers in this category deserve a better deal. It is not possible for them to negotiate crowded streets, serpentine queues at pandals and bumper-to-bumper traffic. Ultimately, many of them have no other alternative but to stay at home. This has led to the creation of groups who arrange to take them around and bring some cheer into their lives. Hand in hand with senior citizens for pandal-hopping. Many of these organizations arrange special packages for the elderly on special days. They offer visit to prestigious venues of the Pujas and these are not cheap.

Those who plan such outings have to keep in mind the safety and comfort of the senior citizens. Usually, they travel in air-conditioned buses with packed breakfast along with bottled water and beverages. The organizers keep ready nursing assistants, wheelchairs, medical kits etcetera and adhere to all COVID precautions. The itinerary avoids crowded and congested roads. There are also charity organizations that take around senior citizens and especially abled persons. Enthusiastic professionals from various occupations usually conduct activities of this nature. They arrange to distribute new clothes to the needy and try to bring some cheer in their dull lives.

Durga Puja from outside India and within –

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Tourist hotels in Puri, Darjeeling and Digha –

GosaniYatra or The Durga Puja of Puri

Darjeeling hotels brim with tourists

How Can You Enjoy Durga Puja At Affordably Priced Hotel In Digha?

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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.

Durga Puja from outside India and within –

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Tourist hotels in Puri, Darjeeling and Digha –

GosaniYatra or The Durga Puja of Puri

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Street foods are popular even in Singapore

Singapore is a country in South East Asia and a major travel destination. It is well connected with major cities in the world and caters to the global community. Hence, at any point of time, there are people from different parts of the world in Singapore. They interact with the locals in search of dishes that appeal to the taste buds. In order to meet this demand, there are hundreds of street food outlets that offer exotic dishes. These could be minced meat noodles or oyster omelet or fried noodles with seafood and eggs. These are a few of the out-of-this-world dishes. Many more are available in Singapore Street Food Guide

Minced meat noodles are nothing but a dish of noodles with toppings of minced pork, liver, meat or fish balls, fish cake slices. A vinegar-braised sauce comes along with the dish. Then there is the oyster omelet. The locals love this preparation. These have lots of eggs and a special vinegar chilli – ideal for breakfast. Another attraction for foodies is fried noodles with seafood and egg. It is a combination of fried egg noodles and rice noodles with prawn, fried pork fat, fish cake, and squids.


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Street foods have become a common feature even in Hong Kong

Thanks to television, the world has entered our drawing rooms. From our experience, we know a bit about India and the street foods that tickle our taste buds. Now let us have a look at Hong Kong. Some of its favorite street foods are fish balls, egg tarts, roast goose and pork buns. Then there are Cantonese deserts and local snacks of Hong Kong. Apart from these, there is the rice noodle rolls. These are a sort of snack. The first step is to douse them in sweet sauce, peanut sauce, soy sauce, and chilli sauce. Then comes the sprinkling of sesame seeds followed by steaming before being served hot on the street. To know more about street foods of Hong Kong try this link Where to get the best street food in Hong Kong

There are innumerable TV channels that try to meet the curiosity of food lovers and foodies. They are foodicted and those who run these channels offer an insight into the wide variety of dishes that are irresistible to many. These food outlets are there in Europe, America, Asia and those who love to travel like to carry back memories of exotic dishes. Some of them love to experiment and come up with their own version of a well-known dish.


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Nothing new in the results of Assembly Elections 2022 – BJP captures four states and AAP gets its Punjab

Yes – the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP won four of the states. These were the all-important Uttar Pradesh with its tourist spots, Uttarakhand which is another travel destination, Goa with its beaches, carnivals and feni and Manipur famous for its dances. Aam Aadmi Party AAP led by the dynamic Arvind Kejriwal seized power in Punjab. It showed that a regional party like AAP could shake an empire. The Indian National Congress appears to be directionless and is gradually losing relevance. It needs infusion of new blood, a leader who can lead by example and who can call the shots.

Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress TMC supremo from Bengal wanted to wage a war by creating a new front of small regional parties. She did send across teams of her loyal followers to Manipur and Goa while she herself went to Uttar Pradesh. She had meetings with the Samajbadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav. However, her efforts went in vain. Political parties should realize that it is not easy for a regional leader to sway the sentiments of the locals. Any state has its unique problems and an outsider cannot change their line of thinking or provide solutions.