World Tourist Destinations

If you want to enjoy the summer vacations with friends, family or even office colleagues, there is no better place than a water park or resorts with water play areas. You can enjoy the experience of being together and having fun without concerns of dehydration or fatigue. In fact, even with the hot summer sun glaring down in the middle of the afternoon, this is an excellent opportunity to stay cool and refreshed.
Water parks are immensely popular because the facilities like water slides, splash pads, spray grounds, lazy rivers and other recreational concepts like wave pools have something for everyone. From rides that give you an adrenaline rush to those for people who want to just relax, the range is quite extensive.
These are a few guidelines that can help you enjoy your 'beat the heat' experience to the fullest:
l Be sure to caution children against swallowing water while enjoying the different rides. Take care that specified age and height restrictions are adhered to as certain rides may need control and co-ordination.
l Keep very small children in shallow play areas and ensure that they are properly supervised. Don't get into any distracting activities when watching children, such as talking on a cell phone or reading. Ensure that you drink lots of fluids throughout the day to prevent dehydration.
l Apply sunscreen early. Ultraviolet radiation (also known as UV rays) is the strongest during the summer, so generously apply waterproof sunscreen to your body 30 minutes before you go outside (Use SPF 15 or higher).
l Apply pure aloe vera gel or lotion to sunburned areas. Stay inside until the sunburn heals. Avoid petroleum-based products like petroleum jelly because they may dry out or irritate the skin. Bring a T-shirt, hat, sunglasses and sandals or swim shoes for extra protection if needed.
l The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim. This includes both adults and children.
l To prevent choking, never chew gum or eat while swimming, diving or playing in water. Always check the water depth. Don't get too tired, too cold, too far from safety, exposed to too much sun or experience too much strenuous activity.

Latin America has always been in her places-to-visit list, and when the opportunity beckoned model Simran Kaur Mundi immediately grabbed it. “I have always been fascinated by South America and wanted to go and visit Argentina. So, I participated in this TV show Zor Ka Jhatka — Total Wipeout, which required me to travel to Buenos Aires (capital city of Argentina) for a duration of 40 days. By the end of it, I not only learnt everything about the place, but also started understanding the local language,” she quips.
So what struck her the most about the place? Says Simran, “The city has a very European feel to it (architecture wise). It displays a touch of Madrid and Paris. Tango forms an integral part of the country’s culture. You go shopping or walk on the streets and you will always find someone or the other performing Tango. And football is a major part of the culture... what cricket is to India, football is
to Argentina! And, if you are a non-vegetarian you shouldn’t have much of an issue as
they serve the best red meat in the world.”
Her fondest memory was bringing in the New Year. I couldn’t have asked for a better start. We went to Mar del Plata and were out wandering till 8 am in the morning!” She recalls an incident, when she says laughing, “We couldn’t find a cab on the street and got lost... so there we were, walking around the streets, looking for a sign or something that would lead us back to the hotel. We must have explored the full city until we finally reached our hotel!”
Simran explains that her favourite place in the city is Caminito in La Boca. “It’s so colourful and vibrant. I just kept walking around that street. Simply looking at the graffiti lights up your mood. Florida Street and Palermo being the best streets to shop at and, to be honest, most of my memories of the trip revolve around these streets,” she adds.
Simran lists out three must-do things when in Buenos Aires. “Witness the passion of Tango, especially on streets like San Telmo and La Boca. Then play hide and seek in Recoletta cemetery, and last, but not the least, learn Spanish,” she says.

Beat the heat and turn the scorching summer into an extravagant expedition by taking off to some exotic locales. And before you even begin to wonder where, we put on the thinking caps to help you narrow down your options…

Manila, Philippines: Philippines promise you the perfect exotic vacation that you could think of. The idyllic beaches and the peaceful ambience is just addictive, making it a perfect place to relax, chill and enjoy. Also there’s a lot for you to do here — check out the traditional Filipino food, go see the tribal artifacts at the National Museum Annex, pay a trip to Vigan, a UNESCO world heritage site, among others. You could even go the sporty way and go scuba diving off the Coast of Palawan Island.

Paris, France: This is perhaps the evergreen favourite. The oh-so-romantic city continues to be one of the most visited places across the world. The city has many familiar landmarks and has a lot to offer. Paris is enchanting almost everywhere, at any time, even ‘in the summer, when it sizzles’ and ‘in the winter, when it drizzles’, as Cole Porter put it.

Victorian Alps, Australia: The highest mountain ranges of mainland Australia, the Australian Alps make for more than just a picturesque locale. Protected by large national parks, the Alps are important for conservation as well. And the highpoint remains the skiing activity. This makes for a perfect place to enjoy the winter scene in summers.

Hawaii: Tagged as a paradise by tourists, the Emerald islands of Hawaii make for a breathtakingly beautiful destination. Where else would you be
so urged to put a hibiscus flower in your hair as you sip your fruity juices? The place is intoxicatingly beautiful and enchanting.

Greek Island, Greece: If you are in the mood to soak in some sun, this is the place to go. The beaches here make for not just swimming but also lend themselves to scuba diving, snorkeling, skiing, and windsurfing.

Tongchang-Ri Space Centre (North Korea): North Korea is hardly known for offering a warm welcome to the world’s press, and never before has it given access to a sensitive site featuring its latest space hardware.
However, insistent that its upcoming rocket launch poses no offensive threat, the communist state invited some 50 reporters, cameramen and photographers on Sunday to view the brand-new launch site in its far northwest.
The journey by train from the showpiece capital Pyongyang took the media contingent through the world’s most secretive country, a nuclear power where food shortages persist since a 1990s famine killed hundreds of thousands.
But North Korea, under the new leadership of Kim Jong-Un, has invited the world media to come in force as it gears up for this weekend’s 100th anniversary of the birth of its founding leader, Kim’s grandfather Kim Il-Sung.
To honour the anniversary, North Korea says, the rocket will place a research satellite called Kwangmyongsong-3 (Shining Star) in orbit sometime between April 12 and 16.
The United States, South Korea and others insist that the launch is a ballistic missile test in disguise, in flagrant violation of a UN ban. Japan has deployed anti-missile systems to shoot down the rocket if necessary.
The journey to the launch site starts at 8:30am with minders shepherding the press contingent from their Pyongyang hotel onto buses with this stern instruction: “From now on, you need our permission to film or take photos.”
But the hunger for images from North Korea is so ravenous that as soon as the buses begin to move, everyone gets out their equipment and starts shooting. Against all expectation, the minders do not intervene.
The buses head past Pyongyang’s main train station, watched over by a giant portrait of Kim Il-Sung, and reach what appears to be a private station. The buses pull up directly onto the platform.
The young new leader’s father Kim Jong-Il, who died in December, had a reported fear of flying and went everywhere in a special train fitted out in high style. This private station could well be the one that Kim used.
Equipped with sleeper carriages, the comfortable train awaiting the media certainly seems reserved for the regime’s elite, with catering provided by the national airline Air Koryo. It is a far cry from the rickety train that brought two AFP journalists to Pyongyang from Dandong in China.
In barely no time, the train has left Pyongyang behind. Fields open up, dotted with villages featuring white-walled houses and pagoda-style roofs with brown-ochre tiles.
Tractors are a rare sight in the fields and rice paddies that line the twin-track railway. Most North Koreans still live on the land, and most still farm by hand or with oxen.
There are plenty of women and children tilling the fields or washing their rice crops. Most appear suitably dressed against the spring chill, and have footwear on.
This part of North Korea, in the northwest, is far more privileged than the northeast, where UN agencies say that malnutrition remains chronic.
After about four hours, the train reaches a town called Tongnim, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the Chinese border. It leaves the main railway and heads down a single track to the Cholsan peninsula on the Yellow Sea.
Rice fields remain the norm alongside the track but here, the tractors are newer and a lot more common. This region serving the Tongchang-ri space centre is, clearly, even better endowed with state resources.
The train comes to a halt after another hour. The countryside is now deserted.
In the distance between two hills, standing clearly in the brilliant spring sunshine, is the journey’s end: the three-stage rocket on its launch platform. The media scrum pushes for the windows to grab a shot.
The white rocket stands 30 metres (99 feet) high. On the main booster section, in sky-blue lettering, is written in Korean “Unha 3”, or Galaxy 3. Above the lettering is painted the North Korean flag.
A small, smiling man welcomes the media. Jang Myong-Jin, the 46-year-old chief of the space centre, holds court for about three hours, answering a battery of questions without losing his composure.
Jang is adamant that the launch is entirely peaceful, a proof of North Korean engineering prowess, and that no other country has any right to interfere.
So ends a carefully choreographed visit at the start of what promises to be a week of stage-managed events in Pyongyang and beyond, designed to entrench the deeply isolated nation’s second dynastic succession. —AFP


 

The first glimmer of the star my mother was destined to be was seen at my father’s youngest
sister’s wedding in Lucknow.
The shamiana was made from what seemed like miles of sweet-smelling juhi flowers. The men were dressed in sherwanis, as is the tradition with Muslims and the ladies, some of them in purdah, were in formal saris and ghararas. Abba and Amma were receiving their guests and at any point, one of their eight children stood by their side as part of the
welcoming party.
In the middle of the staid and solemn nikah ceremony I suddenly saw my mother appear in a long, skin-hugging gold dress that flared out below the knees, making her look like a mermaid. A net veil draped her shoulders. Her long hair was swept into a sleek chignon. The effect was very dramatic. The dress was an adaptation of an evening gown that she had spent hours designing with her perplexed Lucknowi tailor.
I remember the flurry her entrance caused; my aunts rushing up to her with shocked expressions: ‘What is this? Is that a dress you are wearing?’ they asked with unconcealed horror.
‘No,’ she replied calmly. ‘I am wearing a gharara but it’s all in one piece.’
I stood beside her, wondering if she was in trouble but with my
father giving her an approving smile she had little to worry about. He was always supportive of her, to the extent of being indulgent. The years between them gave her a slight edge and he would go to great lengths to see her aspirations realised.
At an age when other girls were wracked with self-doubt, Shahnaz stood, waiting to conquer the world, confident and beautiful, her signature style and unique persona shining through, even in small-town Lucknow.
My mother has always had a highly personalised style of dressing and even at the age of twenty-two she had a natural flair for unrivalled individuality; her versatility was not limited to the gold gharara. The fancy dress ball in Nainital where we vacationed in the early years was an opportunity for her to experiment with her creativity. I remember one summer when she dressed up as Cleopatra. With winged eyes and an artfully created serpent on her head she looked every bit the Egyptian queen. Another year, she went as Anarkali; it was a
particularly eventful night because in her excitement she had left her veil in our cottage at the top of the mountain. Little did my father know that he would have to do more than just pretend to be
Salim that night. Finding no other transport, he mounted a horse and being an excellent rider, galloped up the mountain and returned with the veil just in time for the show. Anarkali was delighted and beamed with relief.
Excerpted with permission from Flame: The Story Of My Mother
Shahnaz Husain, published by
Hachette India