RUSSIA CALLING

Your experience of Russia will depend very much on where you choose to go. In short, those interested primarily in Russia’s cultural and architectural highlights, and those whose need for creature comforts is high, should stick to European Russia, which is all of the country west of the Ural Mountains. If you don’t mind occasionally roughing it and are in search of Russia’s great outdoors, train your eye on the vast spaces of Siberia and the Far East. Even if you restrict your travels to European Russia, bear in mind that this area is still bigger than any European country, with terrain stretching from the frozen tundra that borders the Arctic Ocean to the peaks of the Caucasus, Europe’s highest mountains,3000 km south.

Between these extremes lie Russia’s two greatest cities and biggest tourist draws: Moscow and St Petersburg. Here tsars reigned and the world’s greatest communist state was born, Russia’s unique architecture developed and the Russian Orthodox Church flourished. Here too, modern Russia is most evident – as any traveller can experience in flashy, contemporary hotels, shops and restaurants or while sampling the pumping nightlife. Still, within a few hundred kilometres of either of these cities are dozens of appealing towns and villages where you can witness the timeless beauty of Russia’s gentle landscape and agrarian culture: check out the highlights of both the Golden Ring and Western European Russia chapters for some ideas of where to go.

You don’t need to head all the way to Siberia to find wilderness. North of St Petersburg in northern European Russia lie huge tracts of largely unexplored forest, lakes, marshes and tundra, ideal for outdoor pursuits. Among the more touristed sites are Kizhi Island, with its extraordinary assemblage of old wooden architecture; the venerable churches and monasteries of Vologda; and, especially popular with Russians, Father Frost’s charming home town of Veliky Ustyug.

East from Moscow, then south, flows the Volga River. One of Russia’s historic highways, the Volga links many cities of both ancient and modern importance – among them Yaroslavl (a key city in the famous Golden

Ring), Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Volgograd and Astrakhan – along its course to the Caspian Sea. Numerous ethnic minorities, whose religious beliefs range from Islam to Buddhism to animism, live in or near to the Volga Basin. They are reminders of European Russia’s proximity to Asia and its long history of invasion, migration and cultural exchange.

Forming a low barrier between European Russia and Siberia, the Ural Mountains stretch from Kazakhstan in the south to the Arctic Kara Sea in the north. Apart from opportunities to hike and undertake some gentle

river rafting, here you’ll find major cities, such as historic Yekaterinburg, and Russia’s main downhill ski centre at Magnitogorsk.

The other great European Russian waterway, the Don River, flows south from near Moscow to the Sea of Azov, an offshoot of the Black Sea, near Rostov-on-Don, which is known as the gateway to the Northern

Caucasus. South of here, along the Black Sea and centred around Sochi, is a coastal riviera to which Russians flock for summer holidays, while heading east is the Kuban Steppe, part of the great rolling grasslands (now largely given over to agriculture) that continue through to Mongolia.

 The Caucasus  Mountains, a range of spectacular beauty and home to an incredible jigsaw of ethnic groups, rise on Russia’s southern fringe. Many of these people were not conquered by Russia until the 19th century; today, some are tragically mired in bloody conflicts with each other or with Russia, putting parts of this region firmly off limits to tourism.

The images traditionally associated with Siberia and the Russian Far East – prison camps, snowbound exile, frozen wastelands – are also less than welcoming. So it’s a great surprise to many Westerners to discover

that Siberian summers can be a blistering 35°C, that there are beachside rave parties in Novosibirsk, great new restaurants in most of the cities, and that icy cold March is actually the best time to visit as frozen lakesand rivers turn into motorable roads.

Certainly the region has a tragic history. Used by the tsars and then by the Soviet regime to dispose of ‘undesirable elements’, it took in first criminals, then political dissenters, the suspiciously wealthy, the religious, the stubborn citizens of troublesome nationalities and eventually virtually anyone for no reason at all. The writer Maxim Gorky gave voice to the national dread of Siberia when he described the region as ‘a land of chains and ice’.

At the same time though, Russians have also long viewed this vast slab of land as a place of adventure, discovery and immense riches. This was where brave explorers and rapacious plunderers pushed forward the boundaries of the Russian Empire. Of the early exiles, many chose to stay on after their sentences had ended, seduced by the wide open spaces and, strangely enough, the sense of freedom.

The population of this great land is only three times that of metropolitan Moscow, with most of it huddled along the railways in the south, so with a handful of exceptions don’t come here in search of manmade wonders. Instead be prepared to discover the serenity of Lake Baikal, the pristine 

geometry of the Altai Mountains, the fiery volcanic landscapes of Kamchatka, and the lush semitropical forests of the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve on the Pacific coast.

Travellers today still write, not of trips in Siberia, but of odysseys, hypnotised by unending views of taiga (Siberian forest) from the cocoon of a Trans-Siberian Railway carriage. By magnifying the difficulties for

literary effect, such semifactual travelogues have helped to scare tourists into taking the ‘rush through’ approach. And travel agents are all too happy to oblige by perpetuating the ‘tour only’ myth. However, it’s reasonably straightforward to hop across the region, taking one overnight train at a time, using the railway as a hotel, and spending the long summer days exploring.

Come and explore this huge chunk of land with amazing myths, diversities and legendary cities as Russia awaits you. Our travel blog series Russia continues to unravel the treasures of this wonderful country...

DAS VADANYA !!!

YAZD, BRIDE OF DESERT

Nothing is comparable with spending a night under the shallow ceiling of desert's sky whose all shining stars seem reachable. Imagine you witness this beautiful scene in a quiet night of a very old city made out of clay, which cannot easily get rid of the warmth the sun has granted during the day.  

With one third of Iran covered with deserts, having such a delightful night is not a hard work. One of the oldest, largest and most charming desert cities, lies somewhere in the middle of Iran, in the middle of ancient silk road. It is so beautiful that people call it "the pearl of desert".

The whole city is made out of clay and adobe; it seems that it has risen out of sand. Yazd's architecture is unique. During its long history, Yazd and Yazdies have adapted themselves to the desert surrounding. It is also called, the city of "Badgirs". Badgirs are that chimney like structures raised on the roofs of Yazdies’ houses. Of course they are not chimneys; they are kind of ancient and still working ventilation systems. They gather the even faintest breezes of the desert and channel them into the building below.

In the interior of the building there is usually a small pool and a central courtyard with old trees which through a narrow corridor finds its way out to a narrow alley. Still you may find some heavy wooden doors with male and female knockers. Walking through these winding narrow alleys in the evening would leave you an unforgettable memory. It seems that time has stopped.

People are still living in their Old Persian traditions. Some times when passing the houses, you may smell a delicious Yazdi food which would make you feel hungry. Yazdies are also great experts of making confectionary and sweet which have a long background and are famous in the country. Yazd's handicrafts such as rug, small carpets, Kilim, Termeh (a gorgeous hand-made silk tapestry), pottery, earthenware and ceramic are also famous. In order to find them all you need to call on bazaar.

Domed twisting lane of small shops makes up one of the main symbols of Persian tradition. Bazaar twists and turns and eventually leads to Friday Mosque, one of the finest in Iran. The portal’s facade is decorated from top to bottom in dazzling blue tiles.

Like her sisters, Yazd is granted with great Islamic architecture and culture, but unlike them Yazd is unique in its Zoroastrian culture. Yazd is the holiest city for Zoroastrians. They hold their rituals on different occasions and every year, Zoroastrians from all over the world come here to see the sacred fire that has been burning without interruption for 1500 years. In the outlying southern suburbs of town are Zoroastrian Towers of Silence, where the bodies of believers were once left to the vultures after death.

Despite the unmerciful adversities, desert's mysterious silence and unforgettable nights has endless fascination for nature lovers. Moreover, for the ones who adore people, culture, tradition, history and architecture, we cannot think of any other city that preserves so much of the traditional atmosphere better than "Bride of Desert".

Come and explore many such unique diversities of a land with Civilized and friendly people - IRAN; and I'm sure you will never ever think of it as a bad country most wrongly  popularized by the media and the Western world.....

SOUTH AFRICA - EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

I recently had an opportunity to attend a training of South Africa Tourism Board and thought as I had some misconceptions about this country, many others too may be having the same. But what wrong I was as I came to understand the truth of this Amazing country, hence thought of giving you an open invitation to this unique country. So to clear all such misconceptions about this country this is my informative travel blog for all travel aficionados……

South Africa is a magnificient country blessed with extraordinary natural beauty and a rich cultural heritage. Its climate runs from temperate to sub-tropical; its landscapes range from stark desert to spectacular mountain to lush grassland and forest; its people can be found in rural subsistence communities or in cities as sophisticated and cosmopolitan as anywhere in the world.

Situated at the southern tip of the African continent, South Africa has a land area of 1.3 million square kms (5,00,000 aquare miles), five times the size of Great Britain and greater than California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona combined.

This impressive stretch of land runs from the great Limpopo River in the north, all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas on the southernmost coast-a distance of nearly 2,000 kms (1,240 miles)

Washed by the bracing Atlantic Ocean on the west and the balmy Indian Ocean on the east, South Africa has 3,600 kms of coastline (2,236 miles), so there is no shortage of stunning beaches for lovers of sunshine and water-sports.

A HAVEN FOR WILDLIFE:

Many visitors come to South Africa in search of its abundant wildlife, vigilantly tended in the country’s plenteous game reserves and conservation areas. Africa’s big cats-lion, leopard and cheetah-still prowl the ranges of their ancestors, together with gigantic elephant, rhinocerous and hippopotamus. The country is also a magnet for bird-watchers, with close to 900 species.

The activity of game-watching itself offers a range of contrasts depending on the visitor’s tastes, from pampered luxury in the many private reserves with five-star cuisine, to tented camps, sleeping-bags and camp-fires under the stars.

Yet wildlife exists not only in the bushveld: South Africa’s coasts afford some of the best whale-watching anywhere in the world, together with huge colonies of seal, penguin and countless water-birds. For those with an interest in the wondrous world of marine life, it was in the Indian Ocean off South Africa’s shores that the prehistoric coelacanth, thought long extinct, was discovered still alive.

A PARADISE FOR HOLIDAYMAKERS:

If you prefer to sample the playgrounds of the coasts, you’ll find ocean-side resorts alive with every kind of attraction-from fine hotels to glamorous leisure centres, from fishing and sailing to superb surfing and board-sailing.

Consider Durban with its wide, white beaches, its Golden Mile of non-stop entertainment and amusement, its enticing Indian markets and emporiums. Now contrast Cape Town – the scenic splendor of Table Mountain, the sophistication of its world-class shops and restaurants, and its rich history dating back to the 17^th century. From heady nightlife to solitary beachcombing in secluded bays, South Africa’s coastal resorts offer a welcome that ensures visitors keep returning.

URBAN DELIGHTS:

South Africa’s towns have their own distinct individuality, from the colonial atmosphere of Pietermaritzburg to the historic Boer dignity of Bloemfontein and the graceful jacaranda-lined streets of the country’s capital, Pretoria.

Johannesburg, built in the rough-and-tough pioneer days of the Great Gold Rush, is the economic hub of South Africa. This brazen, vibrant, sprawling, commercial heart of the country is where businesses locate their sumptuous head offices and multi-million dollar deals are done.

ECHOES OF THE PAST:

A mere 20 minutes from Johannesburg’s bustling modern metropolis, the Sterkfontein Caves provide an eerie sense of time standing still. Sterkfontein is a World Heritage Site where fossils have been found dating from the era when humankind first walked upright.

No visitor should miss the prolific rock art of the early San people, still preserved in thousands of caves where they first made their home. Indeed South Africa’s caves are a treasure-house of wonders: some with signs of human habitation dating back to the Stone Age; some with geological marvels such as stalactites and stalagmites.

A DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE:

As home to approximately 42 million people of various races and ancestry, South Africa has eleven official languages which besides English and Afrikaans include Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Venda, Tswana, Tsonga, Pedi, Shangaan and Ndebele. These indigenous languages are as different to each other as German and Spanish.

It’s this diversity of tongues that gives tourists their first clue about the broad spectrum of culture that makes South Africa the truly unique country that it is. A country where European meets traditional, where global trends rub shoulders with ancient customs and south welcomes north, east and west alike.

So what are you waiting for, pack your bags and Open your mind to the warmth of a welcome, to the beat of a unique nation, the sounds of wildlife and the whisper of warm winds dancing off the sea. It’s a place where mountains rise, where exquisite landscapes drift into distant horizons, where the sun melts into the warm seas. A place where you can discover the beginning of time. It’s a place called Mzanzi – i.e. SOUTH AFRICA………..