Page 14 - Hospitality Recreation
'Modi cave' all set to become spiritual destination
The cave at the Kedarnath shrine where Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditated overnight is all set to become a spiritual tourist destination.
Guj: Thirsty crocodile crawls into house kitchen
Radhaben Gohil, a resident of Raval village near here in Gujarat, says she is a hospitable woman but had never expected, even in her wildest imaginations, that a crocodile would ever find comfort in her kitchen. The incident occurred early this morning when Gohil's 19-year-old daughter Nimisha, who was sleeping in the backyard of their house, entered the kitchen to fetch a glass of water at around 5 am, Gohil told reporters. "My daughter woke me up and said a crocodile is lying on the floor of the kitchen. I believed her after seeing the reptile, which is around 4.5 feet long, myself" recalled Gohil, adding that the reptile didn't attack her or her family members. It was trying to drink water from a pot kept inside the kitchen, she said. Meanwhile, villagers rushed to the house of the Gohils after the word spread. Gohil said the door of her house was kept open in the night for fresh air, and that the crocodile might have crawled through it to the kitchen. "I don't know ..
Dubai: A food haven in summer
An easy and fun getaway for Indians, Dubai has amped up its food and restaurant offerings in the summer in a bid to woo more tourists.
Air India to start new domestic and international flights from next month
Air India Wednesday announced that various new flights would begin from next month on domestic as well as international routes in order to meet heavy demand of seats during the summer vacation. The national carrier said it will offer additional 3,500 seats per week on Mumbai-Dubai-Mumbai route from June 1. Moreover, it will offer additional 3,500 seats per week on Delhi-Dubai-Delhi route too from June 2 by operating two new flights using its B787 Dreamliner aircraft. "The airline will offer one way Economy class promotional fare of Rs 7777 (all inclusive) from both Delhi and Mumbai to Dubai for sale and travel up to July 31, 2019," Air India said in a statement. On its domestic front, Air India said it will introduce new flights on Bhopal-Pune-Bhopal route and Varanasi-Chennai-Varanasi route from June 5. "The number of flights on Delhi-Bhopal-Delhi will be increased from present 14 flights per week to 20 flights per week by introducing third frequency to the historical city of Tals," .
Gujarat: Dang district in grip of water crisis
With the summers reaching its extreme, the mercury has begun to sore. The rising temperature has added on to the woes of people of Dang district.The region is reeling under water scarcity. Lack of water in the vicinity has made the lives of people miserable especially women who are forced to use bullock carts to travel miles in search of water."There is not enough water in the village. Men and women both have to walk at least 3 km to fetch water. There no facility such as tap water in our village. We all are walking miles every day to collect water from the well," said Jumma Rasool Parowan, a local."We have urged authorities several times to provide a facility of clean drinking water in our village. In records, they have provided taps to hundreds of villagers but in reality not even ten houses have the facility," he added.The crisis has also forced the locals to drink polluted water.Similarly, Latur in Maharashtra and some regions in Chhattisgarh are facing scarcity of drinking water.
Nepal bans Chinese digital wallets
Nepal said Tuesday it has banned popular Chinese digital wallets Alipay and WeChat to prevent the loss of foreign currency earnings from tens of thousands of Chinese tourists. Over 150,000 Chinese holidaymakers visited Nepal last year, many using digital wallets to pay in hotels, restaurants and shops in tourist areas -- especially in Chinese-run businesses. Laxmi Prapanna Niroula, a spokesman for the country's central bank which announced the ban on Monday, said that Nepal was losing out since the actual transactions took place in China. "We have enforced a ban on Alipay and WeChat Pay because the country is losing foreign currency earnings through its usage. Action will be taken if anyone is found using the platforms," Niroula told AFP. Niroula said there was no information available on the volume of transactions concerned. Alipay, started by e-commerce giant Alibaba and owned by its affiliate Ant Financial, and WeChat Pay, built into Tencent's popular messaging service, have ...
UK celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's restaurant chain collapses
UK celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's restaurant chain went into administration on Tuesday amid a tough trading environment for casual dining chains across Britain, risking around 1,000 jobs. The 43-year-old's restaurant group in the UK, which includes Jamie's Italian, Barbecoa and Fifteen, said 25 of its outlets will shut down. However, the international restaurant franchise business- Jamie's Italian International Limited that is also operational in India as well as Jamie's Oliver Holdings, which operates Jamie Oliver Limited and Jamie Oliver Licensing Limited, remain unaffected and will continue to trade as normal. "I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected," said Oliver, popular around the world for his healthy eating campaigns. "We launched Jamie's Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the UK High Street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best-in-class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who shared ..
Nepal bans Alipay, WeChat Pay
Nepal's central bank has banned popular Chinese digital wallets Alipay and WeChat, an official said Tuesday, fearing loss of foreign currency earnings from thousands of Chinese tourists that visit the country. Nepal Rastra Bank issued a notice on Monday, banning the use of the Chinese digital payment platforms popularly used in hotels, restaurants and shops in tourist areas, especially in Chinese-run businesses. Laxmi Prapanna Niroula, spokesman for Nepal's central bank said that using the platforms in the country was illegal without the bank's authorisation. "We have enforced a ban on Alipay and WeChat Pay because the country is losing foreign currency earnings through its usage. Action will be taken if anyone is found using the platforms," Niroula told AFP. Niroula said currently there is no record of how many transactions have taken place through the platforms as they are not recorded in Nepal. Alipay, started by e-commerce giant Alibaba and owned by its affiliate Ant Financial, ...
Indian scales two of world's highest mountains in just six days
A 28-year-old Indian climber has scaled two mountains above 8,000 metres, including the Mt. Everest, in just six days during the ongoing climbing season, Nepalese media reported on Tuesday. Keval Hiren Kakka touched the peak of Mount Lhotse, world's fourth highest mountain, on Tuesday. The Mumbai-based climber scaled Mt. Lhotse leading a team of the nine-member expedition at 6:30 am, Rishi Bhandari, Managing Director at Satori Adventures Pvt Ltd, who organised the expedition, said. Kakka had on May 16 scaled Mount Everest, The Himalayan Times reported. "He was a part of a 13-member expedition led by Canadian climber Mathews Vernon on Mt Everest, Bhandari said. Kakka started his professional career in climbing by organising expeditions to Mt Deo Tibba (6,001m), Mt Hanuman Tibba (5,932m), Mt Friendship (5,289m), Mt Lobuche East (6,019m), Mt Stok Kangri (6,049m), Mt Manaslu (8,163m) among others, the report said. The climbing season this year began on May 14 after an eight-member team ..
Nepali Sherpa guide climbs Mount Everest 24th time, breaks own record
Kami Rita Sherpa, the 50-year-old veteran Nepali mountaineer, scaled Mount Everest for the 24th time Tuesday as he guided an Indian police team atop the world's highest peak, breaking his own record for the most Everest ascents within a week. Kami, who conquered Everest 23rd time on May 15, scaled the 8,848-metre peak along with the Indian team, becoming the only mountaineer in the world to hold the record for most Everest summits. According to Mingma Sherpa, Company Chairman at Seven Summit Treks, the Nepali veteran from Thame village of Solukhumbu district successfully climbed Mount Everest at 6:38 am from Nepal side. "Kami Rita along with the Indian Police team from the Seven Summit Treks expedition has stood atop the roof of the world," Mingma told The Himalayan Times. Kami reached the top of Mount Everest guiding an Indian team, he said. He started his summit push from Camp IV on Monday night and reached the summit point on Tuesday morning, said Gyanendra Shrestha, a liaison ...
Nepal mountaineer climbs Mt.Everest for 24th time
A Nepalese Sherpa climber, who broke his own record by scaling Mount Everest for the 23rd time last week, on Tuesday climed the world's highest peak for the 24th time, a government official confirmed here.
Cox & Kings owned MEININGER Hotels signs contract for hotel in Marseille; fourth in France
The fourth MEININGER hotel in France is coming to Marseille. The expansion into the second largest city of France got sealed by the contract signing between the hotel group and the French real estate developer COFFIM. The new hotel will be located in the middle of the "new Marseille", the totally renewed urban area around the Marseille harbour and will have 194 rooms, 574 beds as well as 22 parking spaces.
Kami Rita Sherpa climbs Mt Everest for a record 24th time
Just a week after breaking his own record for the most number of summits on Mt Everest, Kami Rita Sherpa yet again climbed the world's highest mountain on Tuesday morning.By achieving this feat, Sherpa has become the only Mountaineer in the world to hold the record for most Everest summits.Sherpa successfully climbed Mt Everest at 6:38 am from the Nepal side.The 50-year-old mountaineer has already climbed most of the peaks including Kangchenjunga, Cho-Oyu, Lhoste, and Annapurna among others.Serpa achieved the feat of climbing the Mt Everest for the 23rd time earlier this year on May 15, 2019.He climbed the Mt Everest for the very first time in 1994 and he has now completed 24 summits to Mt Everest in just 25 years.
Rohtang Pass re-opened after 6 months
The Border Road Organisation (BRO) re-opened the 13,050 feet high Rohtang Pass on Monday for the movement of small vehicles, giving a sigh of relief to residents of the tribal district of Lahaul Spiti.Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul on the Manali-Leh highway receives heavy snowfall during winter which cut off Lahaul Spiti residents to travel to rest of the state for several months."Rohtang pass has been re-opened for movement of small vehicles and for vehicles of people residing in Lahaul Spiti region," said Deputy Commissioner of Kullu, Yunus.A large number of Lahaul residents, living in the Kullu-Manali area have to travel through the Rohtang Pass to commute between Kullu and Lahaul valley.However, the district administration has not opened it for tourists yet."The BRO has cleared the snow on a single lane and they are working to start double lane as well. In emergency situations, small vehicles of the Army will be allowed," Yunus said."Tourists will have to await a bit longer ..
Suzuki Motorcycle launches Gixxer SF 250 at Rs 1.7 lakh
Suzuki Motorcycle India Monday launched Gixxer SF 250 - a sport touring bike, priced at Rs 1.7 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The company also introduced an upgraded version of its 155-cc bike Gixxer SF tagged at Rs 1.09 lakh. "Gixxer SF is one of Suzuki's flagship products in India and increasing its portfolio will allow us to enhance Suzuki's much-loved brand presence in the country," Suzuki Motorcycle India PVT Ltd (SMIPL) Company Head Koichiro Hirao said in a statement. There is an increase in demand in the domestic market for premium products, especially above 200cc engine displacement, SMIPL vice-president Devashish Handa said. "With this new launch, Suzuki will be able to further enhance its presence in the premium motorcycle segment in the country," he added.
Indian climber among 14 who scaled Mount Everest
An Indian mountaineer was among 14 climbers who successfully scaled the world's highest peak Mount Everest on Monday, officials said. Seven foreign mountaineers from China, Greece and India, and seven Nepalese Sherpas reached atop the 8848-metre peak on Monday morning, according to the Mountain Division of Ministry of Tourism. Nepal opened the climbing route to the world's highest peak on May 14, when a team of eight Sherpas successfully scaled the Mount Everest, becoming the first team to reach the summit. Among the seven climbers who scaled the summit, four are from China, two from Greece and one from India. The Indian mountaineer was identified as Pranay Bandbuch by the ministry. Around 378 climbers, part of 41 different teams, have obtained climbing permits for Mount Everest from the department of tourism this spring season. More than 200 climbers have already headed to the high camps to make their final summit pushes starting Tuesday. "The summit window may last for the next four
Tourists throng to see 'Sakura' or cherry blossoms of Japan
Many Japanese and foreign tourists are looking forward to seeing the cherry blossoms, also known as 'Sakura', which are in full bloom this spring season.The best time to witness Sakura, located in Aichi Prefecture, begins from the end of March and lasts till May.A visitor said, "I like the camera, so I came to take photos of the grass-cherry blossom that spreads all over the surface. I imagined that many flowers would come together and look like carpets. The air is very clean and fresh, I think that it will relieve stress.""Shiba Zakura", often described as grass-cherry-blossom, can be seen throughout May and till the beginning of June.The flowers in full bloom create a surreal sight for the tourists as they create various colour gradients in the shades of pink, white, and purple.During winters, the "Chausu-kougen" mountain also located in Aichi Prefecture becomes a skiing haven amidst the snow-clad mountains. There are special arrangements for visitors to use the lift to reach the ...
Surat: Police allow food outlets to serve till late during Ramzan
People across the religious spectrum thronged the streets late in the night here, as the city police allowed food outlets to operate till late for the whole month of Ramzan.In the spirit of the holy month, city Police Commissioner Satish Sharma in a recent notification has allowed food joints to operate late till night in the areas including Chowk Bazaar, Rander, Mahidharpura, Salabatpura, Navsari Bazaar, Sagrampura, etc.Markets of the diamond city gleamed as people hit the streets late in the night to savour various delicacies such as rangooni paratha, chicken, biryani, and khowsey."The markets are full of people enjoying the mouth-watering food. The holy month of Ramzan is being celebrated and enjoyed by people from all communities. People flocking the streets at night to enjoy food reflect the cordial relationship between different communities here," a shopkeeper Abbas Hans told ANI.A food-enthusiast Sana Lajporiya echoed similar sentiments, adding, "The food served in these ...
Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas steal some romantic moments at Cannes
And the PDA continues! When Priyanka Chopra is not busy owning the Cannes red carpet, she is out there spending some quality time with her husband Nick Jonas. It is safe to say that the hopelessly-in-love-couple can't take their hands off each other.Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are currently in France attending the Cannes film festival. Apart from gracing the red carpet with their stunning appearances, the couple is making sure they steal some romantic moments from their busy schedule.However, red carpet or no red carpet, the couple is on a nonstop fashion spree.Raising the temperature with her latest PDA loaded Instagram posts, Priyanka can be seen posing with her husband. Needless to say, the two look stunning as ever.Priyanka and Nick stole the show at the Cannes red carpet dressed in coordinated white ensembles on Saturday.Donning a gorgeous white Georges Hobeika number, Priyanka looked like a dream come true. Standing next to her, Nick looked dapper is a classic white tux ...
Bihar village boycotts polls citing lack of development as reason
The residents of Chiriyawa boycotted voting on Sunday as a mark of protest against the lack of development in the village.The one common complaint of the people was the absence of roads in the village. "We are boycotting the polls because our village doesn't have roads or drinking water," said Shashi Bhushan Singh, a resident."We have been running from pillar to post for the last 10 years but in vain. We have not been able to get the no objection certificate (NOC) for this. The government has taken no action on our requests," he added."For want of the road, we face many problems. It is too difficult to take patients to hospitals during the rainy season. Many officials deny coming to this village. 'No road, no vote' is our stand. Leaders come here and promise us services but they never deliver," he said."There are people from the village who are in the armed forces from our village. We will not vote unless there is a road in the village," said Ranjay Kumar Singh, another resident of ...