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Don’t cross border by bus to Alor Setar

Never take a bus to Alor Setar to cross border from Thailand… unless you are pretty confident of things.

You do not get a satisfactory or complete answer however hard you try to find on net, in forums, twitter and everywhere else about taking a bus from Hat Yai to Alor Setar, a comparatively less popular place in northern Malaysia. Try in Hat Yai. Go to bus station (also known as Bor Kor So)….

Result?
No direct bus for Alor Setar. Even though the place is big enough to have an airport, a railway station and is quite a developed town of Malaysia. Bigger than Ipoh for all practical purposes.

Do not get carried away if in Thailand they promise to drop you at Alor Setar. Because in reality no one knows anything about it. It’s in a different country, you see.

From southern Thailand,

Rotorua, a place to remember

Many people tried their luck in last week’s photo quiz. From dark chocolate, coffee cream and dessert to spinning wheel of a potter to a smelly gutter… the answers showed how our imagination flies. 😀

@lemonicks.com/Travel

The deceiving photo….

While posting I had made a small mistake and later didn’t want to correct it. Foxnomad was intelligent enough to catch it. I was wondering if somebody would do so. 🙂

Well, the answer is ‘a bubbling

Thai Pusam (தை பூசம்) in Mauritius

தை பூசம் (Thai Pusam) is an important Hindu festival mainly celebrated in Tamil Nadu and Kerala during the Tamil month of Thai (January – February). It is also referred to as Thaipooyam in Malayalam language. But if you think these photos belong to one of these states of India then you are wrong !

Outside India, the festival is celebrated mainly by the Tamil speaking community settled in Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka and many more countries around the world. But I never knew this festival is popular in Mauritius as well !

thai pusam தை-பூசம் mauritius @lemonicks.com

Thai pusam is

5 Things You Won’t Expect On Your First Trip To India

Note:This is a guest post by Anil Polat, who writes at foxnomad. Anil Polat, is a traveler and travel enthusiast who has spent his entire life traveling, studying cultures, and picking up tricks along the way.

Here it goes.

India is a traveler’s dream but also place that can make amateurs out of even the most seasoned vagabonds. Once you’re in India you’ll be whisked away, for better or for worse, and it’s best to expect these 5 things you won’t. On my several trips to the country I’ve never been disappointed and still recall my first time there fondly. Travelers have many things to love and learn, quite quickly I might add, while trekking around the world’s largest democracy.

1. You Will Be Overwhelmed
India will overwhelm your senses and quickly. Depending on your country of origin you’ll be taken aback by the shear number of people… everywhere. There are sounds, sights, tastes, that hit you and you’ve barely seen anything on your first morning out. It’s difficult to properly mentally prepare (and most do try to) because the sensory overload is

Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum

Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum

This famous private museum is one of the main attractions of Malacca.

This museum illustrates how rich and affluent Chinese merchants came here and settled down. The first merchant married a local Malay girl and thus they became the first couple of this dynasty and so the name of this museum.

Baba = boy
Nyonya = girl

Malacca@lemonicks.com/Travel

At the entrance

Housed in

Yet again

A story – The guy in question travels a lot. His other name is ‘a frequent flyer’.  The day before yesterday he was to take last flight of Spicejet airlines on Bengaluru – Pune sector.
Both these places have only one airport catering to both domestic & international flights. The scanning of baggage takes place behind the scene and not in front of the passenger.

The guy always has a laptop and one more baggage (this time an overnighter) which invariably gets checked in

Rockefeller Center – New York

Rockefeller Center – New York

During one of my visits to New York, I visited Rockefeller Center. It is one of the attractions of New York city, an art deco marvel consisting of around 20 commercial buildings covering 11 acres in midtown Manhattan. Named after the multi-millionaire, John D. Rockefeller, who leased the space for a commercial district.

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Rockefeller Center - New York

Statue of Atlas

The statue of Atlas holds an interesting story. It is said

Clever Airlines

Recently I came back to my base after more than a month. My trip was packed with activities with not a single half day to spare. Most of the tickets were booked either by air or train depending on the sector, availability and convenience. Because of the summer rush, some of the tickets were waitlisted but I was quite satisfied with the arrangements that were made for me.

On one such domestic sector (Chennai to Mumbai), I had confirmed air-ticket. I had to catch 7:50 PM flight and was looking forward to having dinner with my family at Mumbai.
A little before leaving for airport – Received a sms from the airlines conveying me the news of half an hour delay. Glad for the airlines that

Bus Service in Dubai

bus service Dubai

A typical bus stop in Dubai

Fully air-conditioned, spic and span, spotlessly clean, sparkling insides… This is the bus service in Dubai. Don’t you think it’s too good to be real ? But well, this is an evening in Dubai, supposed to be peak hour in any city of the world. And no, this was not a Friday, their usual holiday.

The bus fare is 2 Dirhams (their currency) for any distance you want to travel. All the buses and the bus stops are air conditioned. There is a route map inside the bus and at the bus stop as well.

One has to get in from the front door of a bus. Why ?

Admission in Rishi Valley School

This post is especially written for those who want to seek admissions for their wards in Rishi Valley School. I get innumerable queries about the school and its procedures.

I am in no way related to the school, nor am I promoting it by virtue of this post. I stayed there for a day and I am stating the facts which I saw there or made available to me.

admission to Rishi Valley School

Rishi Valley School – The over 350 acres school, a modern