World Venture Travel

Bangalore is the capital city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has many natural and historic landmarks that contribute to the cultural heritage of the region. Tourists are attracted to many areas of India, and Bangalore is one of the top choices to visit. There are many entertainment and great dining options to compliment the luxury accommodations provided by the top hotels. Dinner in one of the many fine Bangalore restaurants is a standard beginning to a great evening in this city.

One of the major landmarks in Bangalore is also a prime functional building. The Karnataka High Court is located in its capital city next to the seat of its legislature, which is housed in Vidhana Soudha. The High court itself is situated in a red brick building known as Attara Kacheri. It is two stories high and was designed in the neo-classical style. Its construction was completed in 1868, under the supervision of Rao Bahadur Arcot Narayanswamy Mudaliar. It is interesting to note that there was an effort in 1982 to destroy the building, though it was preserved due to an instance on its ancient relevance.

The history of the High Court itself can be traced back to 1884. In this year the Chief Court of Mysore was established with three judges. It was declared to be the highest court of appeals. While there were various district courts and justices at the time, the establishment of the chief justice left the final word to the High Court. It was renamed the High Court of Mysore in 1930 and in 1973 it was given its present name, the High Court of Karnataka. The building is very attractive and inviting and often tourists who wish to experience more than simple entertainment aspects of Bangalore chose to explore this and other landmarks.

Udaipur, a vision in white. A lovely land around the Azure water lakes and surrounded by the lush hills of the Aravails and known for its superb museums. I didn’t have enough time when I stayed at a hotel in Udaipur ,to see all the museums Udaipur had, but the handful I did managed to visit were amazing and unique, like the City Palace Museum, a palace preserved as a museum. I entered through Ganesh Deori, meaning the door of Lord Ganesh . The Palace displays a large and diverse array of artifacts. There is a huge collection of armoury, weapons and, my favorite, a lethal two-pronged swords.

That same day I managed to fit in Ahar Museum, located about 2 kms east of Udaipur. It’s a cluster of cenotaphs of the Maharanas of Mewar. About nineteen cenotaphs of Maharanas are creamated and buried there. The cenotaphs are not far from the Ahar Museum where they display a limited but very rare earthen pottery. The next day I made it to, which I didn’t think I’d enjoy but did and at the request of my husband,the Vintage Collection of Classic Car Museum. The collection is in the grounds of the Garden Hotel. It is comprised of a variety of classic and exquisitely rare transportation vehicles. Also, there are some vintage classics such as the Cadillac, the Chevrolet and the Morais.

After pleasing my husbands car fetish needs, we went to the Crystal Gallery to fulfill my love for anything crystal. The Gallery is located in Fateh Prakash Palace in the heart of Udaipur. It was created by the Maharana Sajjan Singhji. My breath was taken away with the beautiful precious crystal items on display which were purchased by the Maharana from all around the world. Even though we spent most of our time in the museums and galleries of Udaipur, we did manage to take in the beauty of this land of fairy tales, palaces and lakes.

Dance and music are dependent on the culture of Malaysia,  just as Malaysia depends on dance and music.  These two art forms are essential to the people of this country, and just as varied as the heritage, so to are these art forms varied.  Most forms practiced today have evolved from the earlier forms of fulfilling basic and ritualistic needs into complex forms taking from many different components of the culture to become what they are today and what they signify in the modern world.  For those traveling to this destination to catch performances or to participate in them, any Malaysian hotel will be able to offer suggestions and directions on the best places to attend the performances.

Many of the rhythms of the music, stem from many years ago when drums were a form of communication from hilltops to hilltops, before the modern conveniences of telephones and email.  All news was spread throughout the regions by a kind of Morris code of standard beats, warning of danger and other news, wedding and celebration announcements, where all delivered by the drummers on the hills.  Now these traditional drums are used often times to back up the music of the Gamelan.    Although a large festival occurs each summer in Kelantan, the Giant Drum Festival,   which celebrates the historical significance of the drums and the drummers, as well as just celebrating and honoring the music. The Gamelan originates in Indonesia, and is a string instrument that produces a very subtle tune.

The elegant dance form of Malaysian is called Silat.  This has origins in the choreography of martial arts.  Performances such as these are often times performed at festivals and weddings, as they are very celebratory in nature.  Another common site at festivals and on stage is the Candle Dance.  During these performances dancers hold lit candles and they perform delicate movements, and the candle flames twinkle and create mesmerizes visual effects.  There are many forms of folk dancing as well, that all the Malaysians participate in during festivals and parties.  And most of the theater performances in the country combine all the arts, drama, dance, music and comedy.  Any performance one catches while visiting will be sure to leave a lasting memory.

In terms of luxury, Singapore business hotels offer everything for the international professional, making their stay in this city rewarding and rejuvenating. The well-trained staff is prepared to anticipate every need, and the glorious accommodations are designed with the business-savvy guest in mind. Whether the needs are for heavily well-connected communication, or relative anonymity, Singapore will accommodate.

There is much to see in Singapore, from ocean to urban delight, and there is an enormously influential and growing art market and artistic presence here. Enough so to launch the Singapore Biennale, an international exposition of art in Singapore. The next one will be held in 2010, and based on the success of 2006 and 2008, this one will be a formidable challenge to the notion that there is not much going on in Asian art. It’s been an enormously radical decade for Asian art and artists, and there is little sign of it slowing down.

The phenomenon of the Biennale has taken on enormous weight in a place’s ability to presence itself in the international art scene. The Biennale is a way of making local connections to trans-local ideas and marketplaces. It establishes a place as an artistic center in its own rite, with its share of artistic production, and also as a cosmopolitan center, able to maintain and generate contact with artists and galleries all over the world. In Linz, Austria, Europe’s capital of culture for 2009 , at the OK Center, there is an exhibition called Biennale Cuvee, which represents the best of the best in world Biennale’s, and Singapore is represented here, another sign of the vibrancy and translatability of its art scene.

One of Singapore’s more outspoken and visible artist’s, Cheo Chai-Hiang has helped to provoke Singapore into re-thinking itself on an international scale, urging the painters to move from simply painting beautiful pictures toward developing complicated ideas and concepts in the art. These far-reaching ideas are part of a general movement to make deeply complex and local artistic moves that have global implications.

The city-state of Singapore has a very strong anti-drug stance.  Many people accused and convicted of trafficking and selling drugs are given the death penalty or at the very least, long term sentences of incarceration.  Such a strong reputation for abiding the law, is exactly what has been putting the women of Singapore at risk for many years.  Known to be part of this law abiding society has actually created a very good scam.  Women from Singapore are less likely to be questioned or searched at airport checkpoints.  Many countries, also, do not require Singapore residents to have a visa upon entering foreign countries.   It has become a long-term investigation taken on by the Central Narcotics Bureau, the investigation of the interaction of men from Western Nigeria and the women of Singapore.  In settings such as restaurants and 5 star Singapore hotels, women are approached by men.  Just a chance meeting in a bar, leads quite possibly to a jail term or the death penalty.  One women in her early twenties met her boyfriend in such a setting.  After three years…he waited three years for the pay-off…she swallowed 64 wrapped cocaine pellets, and attempted to deliver them.  She was discovered in Melbourne, Australia.  She is now serving jail time, as are many women caught carrying drugs with false bottomed suitcases or carrying the drugs on their person.

Usually, the women are befriended, and then in time asked to carry the drugs to a second country out of Singapore.  Once there, they are told to go to a third and final stop.  With promises of vacations, holidays, money and love the women oblige.  They are approached some of the time via Internet dating services.  TheCNB has recently opened a phone line for women to report upon times when they may become suspicious, trouble is most believe what they are told.  After thorough investigation, reports indicate that most of the Nigerian men involved are between the ages of twenty and thirty.  Most of the men claim to be successful businessmen in the car industry or electronic industry, must be a lack of imagination.  However, follow up investigations most often reveal.  All foreign drug enforcement agencies have joined the crusade, as it were, to catch the men who are in part, responsible for so many of Singapore’s females ending their days in jail, as opposed to the 5 star Singapore hotels they should be treated to.

The cuisine of Singapore has many influences.  Located off the tip of Southern Malaysian, Singapore in 1819 was a humble fishing village, subsisting on the fruits and produce provided by the jungle, no rice nor wheat.  They existed by trading with the gypsies, pirates and merchant seaman.  Prior to the arrival of British, this is as life had been for about 400 years.  Very little archaeological evidence has been found about past history and just the small amount recovered suggests that at one time in the 1400′s there were vibrant and thriving ports.  But that time did not last, and no reason for it has been confirmed.   Now however, the city-state is a thriving metropolis of over four million inhabitants.  Many a result of the mix of Malaysian, Chinese, East Indians and British, a mix of the cultures and of the heritage that each region brings to the pot.

Culinary traditions have combined, making living and luxury travel in Singapore, a very spicy and eclectic experience.  Many flavors gather together traditional Chinese herbs such as galagal , chillies and lemongrass.  Migrants arriving in the past, brought with them their fare, most often without grandeur and aristocracy, rustic and robust.  Humble beginnings reflected in the food, combine with exotic spices of the here and now.  Most often this type of meal, is enjoyed by stopping off at a hawkers stand.  A one plate meal, that combines the hearty with the subtle, combining the flavors of their history. Indian influences are in the slow cooked saucy dishes, while the Chinese most often prefer the quick time, high heat of the wok.  One thing in common, however, is that neither employ the use of the oven.  All is prepared stove top, stir fry, boiled and stewed.  The British influence has added another element, canned meat and fish, most often sardines.  Fish sandwiches in Singapore provide a bit of a different kick than one may experience with a sardine sandwich in the United Kingdom.  Ketchup, brown sauce, toast and milk have added yet one more ingredient to the pot.

There are two alternating art shows that happen every other year in Singapore, one being the contemporary and international festival, the Singapore Biennale, and the other, Showcase Singapore.  While the ‘Biennale ‘ symbolizes the successful inclusion of Singapore in the global art world, some have criticized the most recent show in 2008 for excluding many Asian artists in exchange for attracting more business minded ideas, exchanging the cultural diversity and the enriching value that art has for any society, for sales.  However, art is international andmulti -cultural which is a beautiful aspect, that it brings people from all over the world together with sole purposes of painting, or making music or doing theater.  There seems, for some in Singapore, that the identity and the meaning has been lost in the brief run since the show began 2006, that there is not enough of Southeast Asian talent represented in the exhibits.

In Contrast, Showcase Singapore is a show that features, as the name implies, the best, the new, the hip new talent of SE Asia’s artists.  Many invited to participate are unknown and come from Asian countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, to mention just a few.  And of course Singaporean artists as well.  Galleries gather up the work and bring together some of the most exciting pieces of work being produced to date.  The pieces are hung or exhibited at the City Hall, as well as on the walls of the galleries in the art district.  There are guided tours that occur daily throughout the run of the show, and although this features the works of Asian artists, the audience it draws are international and travel from all parts of the world in hopes of gaining pieces of work, produced by those artists that will become famous one day.  Many businesses, such as cafes and some of the top hotels in Singapore, participate in the events as well, hosting receptions and parties for the artists as well as the attendees.  These two alternating shows have provided Singapore with a position in the global art world, and the respect of the Singaporean artists.

The 4th Laguna Phuket International Marathon is scheduled for June 14, 2009 at Laguna Phuket in Thailand.  Early bird registration for the five events is available through the end of March.

Known the world over for its fabulous white sand beaches and vibrant nightlife, Phuket is slowly gaining a reputation amongst serious runners for its beach marathons.  Where better to endure a grueling race than in this idyllic South Asia paradise?

This will be the fourth running of the marathon. In addition to the traditional marathon, there will be a half-marathon, a 10K Run and a 2K Kids Run.  Walkers can take part in the 5K Walk.

Look for summer deals at the various Phuket best hotels, as the event’s sponsor hotel will likely be full well in advance of the event.

While in Phuket, be sure to check out some of island’s many wonderful attractions and recreational activities. Spend a few days on the beach or diving the waters around the islands. Visit the waterfalls in Khao Phra Thaeo National Park. Check out Sirinat National Park or simply relax at an oceanside restaurant. And don’t forget to visit at least one of the trendy Phuket nightclubs where you might glimpse a celebrity or two enjoying their own holiday.