Knight Rider

Have been to many cities and always love to. I always wondered how these cities look like at night or day from a locals perspective. I know that professionally produced videos and movies are interesting, but to take a laid back view as one would take a ride is what I like to see and know about a city. I managed to capture a simple ride in Toronto couple of days back and edited them into a short video. I think it is an interesting way of looking at the city at night. Do comment of how you feel about this simple ride.

I love you Paris

Been to Paris, France and was amazed by it. One of the known attractions is the Eiffel tower, you cannot be wrong in spending a day there. I loved every moment of my stay in Paris and the day I spend on the Eiffel tower. It is an amazing structure and it always awe’s you to see this amazing structure and to know that it was built in a time when we had none of the modern cranes that we see today. The video below is just a glimpse of my visit to this beautiful place.

Backwaters of Kerala

One of my favorite getaways is a small state in south India called Kerala, It is in the tropics and has amazing rain forests, beautiful beaches, palm trees and beautiful backwaters. I did compile some video clips from one of my visits to this beautiful country when I spend one day on the backwaters on a “House Boat” A house boat is locally made from natural materials and is really amazing, you got to see it to believe it.

Auto Show 2012

This was another day well spend in Toronto, The auto show is exciting every year I visit this year is not exception. I loved the McLaren and the Bugatti. These million dollar babies are a site for sore eyes.The NSX concept from Honda is something you don’t want to miss. The electric car is still an idea for me but the Bulli did put some perspective in its concept. Made a short video to go through some of the exciting things I wish to remember.
This event occurs every February, something you want to keep in mind while travelling in Ontario, Canada.

Homestay

Homestay is gaining prevalance in the south Indian state of Kerala, this evergreen state is can be compared to the carribean of the east, the beaches are lined with coconut palms and the main land consists of a number of rice plantations, rubber plantations, spices, lakes, hillstations and of course plane lands. This is an amazing place to be, if one has to get a sense of the wonderful fauna and flora and enjoy the tropics and its exotic cousine it is a good idea to find a homestay, where a family will take care of your needs in terms of food, accomodation and immideate transportation. Some of these homestays are reasonably priced and you may want to contact them for their rates, like in any business make sure you are dealing with genuine homestays. Call them directly if the websites provide a contact phone number. The price of these homesatys depends on the customers, it would be quite helpful if you know some one who have used these accomodations. I had a friend who called to talk to one of these homestays and could actually get a decent rate for two weeks stay. Some of these home stays do not include food, but however they provide fully furnished apartments with kitchen and utensils, such accomodations are mostly in the cities where there are a number of new highrise buildings. You could be your own chef here. Post a comment if you would like some one to talk on your behalf, this is just a courtsey offer for other travellers.

Some useful websites

As in any matter in life make sure you research properly before making your final decisions, make informed choices. Try to read between the lines on these websites and ask relevant question before you sign up. The sites suggested are in no way connected to this website.

Kovalam – “the beach”

There are many light houses in the costal areas of south india, most of these constructions are remenants of the british in India. These vanguards have navigated many ships saftely. Some of these areas have been developed into beaches now to attract the western travellers. Kovalam is one such beach, it is an amazing beach and was frequented by the tourists in large numbers during the 70′s and 80′s. The KTDC the state tourism development corporation did put some starred hotels to attract the visitors and keep them comfortable, now the trend in the tourists are changing, the wealthy of the country are traveling to this southern beach state. Air travel has become common and affordable and the economic boom has created quite a number of nouveau rich who are willing to take a vacation. Formerly it used to be traditionally rich and the expat polulation to did the travelling. The political, economical and cultural environment has changed positively which is ushering in an era of travel locally, south India is becoming quite a hub. Another interesting area travellers seek is the backwaters of Kerala. The calm and serene inland water ways are quite an attraction with millions of rupees being invested by large companies and corporations “House boats” have become the “in thing” for any traveller visiting the state. These large boats come in many sizes and prices. You can rent it for a day or a week, well equipped with all the modern amenities and excellent local cousine, where you can have a family get togeather or a corporate meeting.

Travelling by road is an experience in itself, especially if you are driving, you will take with you many memorable experience. As of 2011 what I see I have to do when I decide to drive is change my philosopy in driving, shift from defensive driving which I have practiced all along to aggressive driving, if not you may not get places. The number of vehicles are growing exponentially with time, however the infrastructure is not growing at the same rate. The political climate is still not mature enough in letting go of the petty issues which one can use to win an election, quite often the casuality is the infrastructure. In spite of being the most literate state in the country it is yet to evolve in its response to common issues as a developed nation would. I still enjoy the hustle and the bustle while taking a leasurly trip thorugh the state which has a variety of attractions to offer in this dying rain forest state. In conclusion I would say this one piece of excitement that you would not want to miss for the world. Loved it.

Bixi Bikes

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Bixi – Torontos public bike system
If you want to see the city on the bike this is an excellent means of transport. The bikes are available 24 hours a day, Rent it only for the period you need; drop it off at the nearest location no worries. If you are planning to travel by VIA rail, they give discounts to bixi riders. Rain or shine or snow bikes are available for all the seasons. Mind you these bikes are only available for the cities.
Other cities that offer bixi bikes are Montreal, Ottawa and London in Ontario.

This is one of the most economical modes of urban transport. A one year membership is only 95C$’s.

What to do and how to get your bike – The following information is obtained from the bixi website

  • Go to the pay station, choose the icon representing a bike, then read and accept the Terms and Conditions.
  • Pay by inserting your credit card (Visa, MasterCard or AMEX). A $250 deposit is placed on your credit card for 10 days. Your credit card serves to identify you as a user; a maximum of two (2) 24 or 72-hour accesses per credit card is permitted at one time.
  • Print or view your unlocking code on the screen. It is valid for 5 minutes. If you take longer than this period of time, repeat the process
  • Enter your unlocking code on the keypad of the bike dock of your choice.
  • When you see the green light turn on*, pull the handlebars firmly toward you to release the bike.
  • Your 30 included minutes start now!
  • Return the bike to any BIXI station. Push the front wheel firmly into any empty bike dock.
  • Make sure the green light turns on* after having locked in the bike. You must wait 2 minutes before taking out another bike.
  • To obtain a new unlocking code during the 24 or 72-hour period, start over again by inserting your credit card again: the system will recognize it and no additional fees will be charged to your card if you make trips under 30 minutes.

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Some links to reviews

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Toronto International Car show 2012

The Toronto car show is one of the events that you should not miss if visiting Toronto during the winter months, some activity to take away your winter blues away. One of the interesting parts of the show is the free test drives at the Mercedes Benz booth. All you have to do is sign up, you will need a valid drivers license from any country, that’s your pass. You get to drive all the different models as many times as you want and willing to line up for the different drives. The lines were usually long for the E-class. Don’t miss this opportunity if you can. The YouTube video below is from year before last.

The 2012 Canadian International AutoShow will open Friday February 17th and run till Sunday February 26, 2012 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The online advance ticket box office will open Tuesday, November 1st 2011. You can save 25% off the regular ticket rate if you make an advance booking.

This year the weather is mild and hope it stays that way.

 

Formula Eye level camera – nice video

Accomodations


There are a number of houses for rent in Kerala for travelers, these houses are well furnished available for short stays of a few weeks. These places are situated in small towns from where you can visit most parts of the state and experience the local culture. Currently there are two houses available for rent in Kollam district in Kerala state. If interested in knowing more about such accommodations do post a comment and more pictures and detailed information will be made available.

Kerala is a state with considerable amount rain forest and numerous waterways with house boats and a rich cultural heritage. There are amazing getaways from Trivandrum to Cannanore.

This state is also called Gods own country
Some areas of interest are

  • Beaches
  • Festivals
  • Waterfalls
  • Hill stations
  • Backwaters
  • Houseboats
  • Ayurveda

Virtual tours

Favourite winter get aways

Here are three selections one the the cold regions of north america, the next is locations down under and finally a relatively warm winter in the middle east.

If you love spending the winter wanting to enjoy the season here are a number of opportunities for you in Ontario – Canada
This is the official website of Ontario Tourism.

If downunder is you choice destination here are a few places you can choose to go. This site gives you opportunities to select places of interest in any of you state. Australian Getaways

Another winter destination is Dubai – here is an article from the daily telegraph. It is a good idea to beat the chill with this warm paradise.