The country best known as the hotbed of religious zealotry, the hater of the west and the sponsor for terrorism, Iran earlier known as Persia is located in the Middle East between Iraq and Pakistan. The string of controversies attached to it discourages about a 5,000 British tourists from visiting it every year amounting to a big loss for the nation in terms of foreign exchange that can be generated by tourism. The vast aesthetic architectural structures spread across Iran lures many but the fact that it is an Islamic republic and highly controversial puts it behind on the to-visit places list of travelers. However, a visit to this place of historical treasures is a must and promises to be extremely satisfying. The arrival point is Tehran, also the capital of the country which houses the embassies and other structures of political importance. The people of Iran are extremely friendly; probably more than in any other part of the world which extends to mean they would even stand and greet strangers on the road striking a conversation. Every city in Iran is famous for one thing or the other which can be for making mullahs’ robes, tents or mattresses or for growing pomegranates or some citrus fruit. Some of the cities are even famous for sexual potency or homosexuality. These cities can be visited by road from Teheran and each one has its own unique story to recite which is either deep rooted in the Islamic culture or reflects the rich history of the country. The mosques of the country are architectural masterpieces each of them very beautifully made and preserved. The city of Persepolis also known as the city of minarets reveals beautiful twentieth century excavations which have come to represent the country of Iran itself. The journey to the city of Yazd is another visual delight with pistachio farms and lilac pale snowy mountains adorning the sceneries. The Iman square is extremely beautiful with its aesthetic Islamic architecture at its best. The best period to visit is autumn-winter and the food available is good and cheap. The way of dressing has to be kept conservative and the women have to compulsorily keep their heads covered as an obligation. The country is extremely beautiful with the breathtaking sceneries and the aesthetic architecture and creates a very beautiful canvas which amalgamates beauty of nature with that of man-made excellence.
When William Blake penned down about ‘Tiger’, he did say: Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright, In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? People can interpret those lines in any form of philosophy or psychology, but the simple matter of fact is that, probably Blake was also marveling at god’s creation by looking at this powerful and splendid creature. Not for one moment did the poet imagine it to be weak, loving or tender. It was always a symbol of force, might and all conquering raw passion and energy. So, very rightly, Blake says that it is a creature to roam with majesty ‘in the forests of the night’. But then the ‘Tiger Temple’ in Thailand is a place where you find these mighty creatures roam with unabated freedom among human company. Tigers in this temple have been bred by the monks and have always spent their lives in the quarry that is adjacent to the temple. While the whole thing started way back in 1999 when the temple found an abandoned tiger cub, it slowly lead to the locals giving the temples a few more cubs that were found in the surrounding forests. Now the temple has nearly 35 tigers, many of them full grown and as powerful as any. The Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, 100 miles north of Bangkok and is a major tourist destination, especially those who seek the thrill of walking with this stunning beast of nature. But there are growing concerns that this unnatural proximity might eventually lead to a casualty which is better avoided than later regretted. An incident very recently where a tiger walking beside a monk chose to turn back and speed towards a bunch of British tourists has caused a few flutters. Many believe that despite it not leading to any major incident on that day, the inevitability of someone losing a limb or even life one day is too obvious to see. For long many believed that these tigers were drugged, removed of teeth and claws and are hence totally harmless. But nothing is more distant form the truth than that. They have always been in human contact, since their very birth and hence feel no threat in human company. For the tigers in the Tiger Temple, we are a natural part of their surroundings that they have no necessity to attack. This is nothing new as we have seen famous environmentalists hang out with mountain Gorillas and tame be friends with the Lions that have grown up with humans. This is not to say that visiting them is a good idea though. A photo with a Tiger sleeping in your lap for $15 is not really the best snap you will ever get. Sure, these Tigers will never ever attack the monks that they grew up with, that is understandable and acceptable. But tourists are strangers to these wild cats and they might in one moment take anyone out. Visiting the temple is fine, but going that close might be going a bit too far. As Blake did say, they are at the end of the day, mighty force of forests and jungles; not your pet cats!
I remember my dad dangling fried snacks in the rat-trap every night and showing off his prized catch to excited kids before throwing them on the roadside for the crows to savor them. Had he known that rodent dishes were in demand, he would have made a fortune by now! If you have a taste for weird and exotic food and are bored with the regular meaty fare you get in the eateries, then you must try the exotic rat dishes served in one of the two Taiwan village restaurants. The Ho-la diner and Jiashing restaurant together dish out about 18 kg of rat fare every day. While Ho-la serves ten varieties of rat platters including rat soup and battered, black pepper-dipped, deep-fried rat, Jiashing serves 12 rat platters, focusing on one similar to the more common kung-pao chicken. Rat meat became popular among people who could not afford poultry or meat way back in 1940’s and the flavor seems to have caught on with fervor. Wait, don’t smell a rat yet; the rats that are hunted grow up on crops from the surrounding fields and are not from the sewerage and drains. So, you can safely conclude that were hale and hearty before they reached your platter! The place is so much in demand at the meal times that you have to book table hours in advance if you don’t want to wait. Looks like humans want to gnaw everything that creeps, crawls or walks!
Be it any calamity, catastrophe, or hassle, life moves on even better than before. Ever since the destructive earthquake hit China in May – the biggest natural disaster to hit China since 1976 – there had been a sort of hidden fear among people about its recurrence, which is now fast disappearing. Sichuan has borne it bravely and it’s further attested by the increase in number of tourists. Penglai Resort became a witness to the fervor when thousands of swimmers capered into a pool to commemorate victory of life over nature’s devastation. Though this exhibition couldn’t last long as they weren’t able to swim for very comfortably, it’s so very indicative of the normalcy restored in the coastal province.
Valentine’s or not, chocolates are a way of life! While some get their fix by sipping hot-chocolate or popping exotic chocolates, Japanese get their high by soaking in hot chocolate tubs! Couples in Hakone Hot Spring Resort have their sweet melting moments in a warm bath filled with flavored chocolate bath powders.The staff pour jugs of real creamy chocolate to indulge the couples. While aphrodisiac chocolate baths works its charm on the couples, the anti-oxidant property of chocolate leaves them glowing. The resort is not off-the-limits to singles or children; every one is welcome to jump into the chocolate bandwagon. The creamy chocolate is edible, so the clients can have their chocolate and eat it too. That’s what I call calorie-free indulgence, yummm! Now, you get your fix by watching Japanese having their sweet moments in the hot chocolate tub!
It’s a place we all dream of – a remote island miles from civilization, the sun, sand and sea and all the time in the world to do just nothing! The tiny and remote Drawaqa island in the Yasawas group of Fiji is just the place to relax and unwind. The Barefoot Lodge on this island is perhaps the closest one can get to nature when on a holiday and it offers a genuine Fijian island village experience. No electricity, running water, phones or TV to distract you. The only sound you hear is the gentle lapping of the water and a soft wind blowing in the coconut palms. Accommodation is simple and the only way to reach the island is by ship or boat. Visitors here can snorkel, go fishing, visit a neighbouring inhabited island and even plant a tree but the best way to soak in the peace and tranquility is to snuggle in a hammock strung between two coconut trees and snooze. After all sleeping is not a bad idea on this lazy island.
In an astonishing revelation, the archaeologists have unearthed the most ancient and long ago buried faith and spirituality. We are talking about the ‘World’s First Church’ that has been unearthed recently by the archaeologists, as reported by The Jordan Times. The excavated church dates back to as far as 33 AD i.e. nearly 2,000 years back. It was located underneath the Saint Georgeous Church, near the Jordanian border with Syria, which in itself is believed to date back to 230 AD. Abdul Qader al-Husan, Head of Jordan’s Rihab Centre for Archaeological Studies, confirmed that they have evidence to believe that the church was sheltered by early Christians, the seventy disciples of Jesus Christ, who fled persecution in Jerusalem, founded and took shelter in churches in northern Jordan. This discovery has been labeled as an ‘important milestone for Christians all around the world’. We may here say that in this age of sin and adultery, such spiritual disclosures are a miracle in itself. Apart from this great and holy historical achievement, we also expect a long season of spiritual plunge in Syria.
Forget fine dining, weird dining is the ‘IN’ thing today! Isn’t it boring to eat in the same old formal decor where you expect a boring routine and same old menu? Well, not anymore, entrepreneurs are finding ways to attract clients by creating themed restaurants that could be way beyond your imagination. A hospital themed restaurant that recently opened in Xinzhu, Taiwan, attracts lots of diners there and mind you, none of the diners are sick. The restaurant is a complete hospital with waitresses in nurse’s apparel and the decor in pristine white, complete with x-rays and prescriptions adorning the wall. The theme is not just about the decor, you get served on the hospital beds with drinks and beverages served from a vat suspended from the ceiling. Now that you are in it, you might as well play along being a patient, so request for a wheel chair to be wheeled around to your table by the nurse or opt for crutches and walk to your table as the nurse-waitress helps you along. At your table, request for beverages to be injected into your mouth with syringes! Oh yes! You can rush into one of the ‘emergency rooms’ (aptly named so) in case you need a wash room. Hopefully, you don’t fall really sick while you try ‘Sick Dining’!
Businesses come in all shapes and sizes. Some are small, localized operations that have no more than ten employees. Others distribute their goods and services all over the globe using teams of hundreds, sometimes even thousands of employees. Each business, regardless of its size, scope or number of staff members, must be skilled in the art of communication and organization if it is to succeed and generate a profit. As the 21st century marches on, one might think that businesses would have no problem forming and maintaining lines of communication between their employees. We are, as a global community, more interconnected than at any other point in human history. However, one of the difficulties facing today’s workplace communication is that most employees have multiple means of communicating. One employee can have a landline phone, a personal cell phone, a pager, a Blackberry, multiple email addresses, a Facebook account, an instant messenger account, all of which make it difficult to pass along important information. Meeting schedules, shipment orders, report deadlines, even customers can be lost when trying to navigate and constantly check multiple forms of communication. Another possible hurdle for effective workplace communication is simply the art of communicating with your fellow employees. You may be thinking “I know how to communicate; I do it all the time.” Yet when it comes to addressing people we don’t know very well, communication can be challenging. During a typical workweek, the people you need to address could be employees who work under you, your co-workers, or your supervisors. Additionally, there can be language and cultural obstacles that further complicate communication. In the workplace, faulty communication usually leads to mismanagement and poor organization. It is for this reason that many businesses are turning to Exchange Hosting – a server system designed to improve internal communication by allowing important business information to be shared online or through particular wireless devices.
If you live in Canada, or are planning a trip to visit Canada, and need information on businesses or residents, Canada 411 should be your first reference. If you need to find a pizza place in Calgary, you can find it on Canada 411. Need a pet groomer in Vancouver? Canada 411 can provide multiple listings with addresses and phone numbers. There are many features found on Canada 411 that can assist you in finding just what you need. If you can’t remember the phone number for a relative in Ontario, just enter the person’s name and city, and you’ll likely find a listing that includes the person’s name, address, and phone number. You can even email the information to yourself or a friend or share it on Facebook. Another feature on Canada 411 is reverse look-up. With this feature, you can enter a phone number or an address to find out what they belong to. This is helpful when a phone number shows up on your caller ID, and you want to make sure you know the person calling before you answer. Address reverse look-up is helpful as well if an entry on your bank statement or credit card statement only shows an address, so you can verify what store it belongs to and confirm that the purchase was valid. One very helpful feature on Canada 411 is driving directions. If you don’t how to get to a location, you can put in your starting address and ending address and get directions on how to drive from one location to another. This is especially helpful if you’re visiting an area of Canada that you’ve never been to — maybe for a business trip or for a vacation. So no matter what information you’re looking for on businesses or residents of Canada, you’re sure to find it on Canada 411.