Indian Columbus

Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites, which include museums, British period monuments, temples, beaches, etc. When you think of Chennai, one thought that would splash in your mind certainly be Marina beach. Marina beach is the most sought-after place in Chennai. The beach stretches for around 13 kms long, and this is the second-longest beach in the world.  This sandy beach would attract you for sure. Whether it is morning or evening, if you want to watch sunrise or sunset, you would enjoy strolling along the Marina beach. You would find a lot of famous buildings and British period monuments on the beach road.  There are some memorials for some political leaders of the state on one side of the road. The statues of eminent personalities are found along the beach. Even today, the Gandhi statue and Kannagi statue on the beach are the landmarks of the city. There are a swimming pool and a s...

Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites, which include museums, British period monuments, temples, beaches, etc. Nowadays, there are many such new attractions such as amusement parks and other such things. However, Zoo is one of the oldest attractions of Chennai, which remains a favorite for many people.  Vandalur Zoo, also known as Arignar Anna Zoological park, is located at Vandalur, a suburb 30 kms away from the city. One of the unknown facts is that this is the first public Zoo in India. It was founded in 1855 CE. Another interesting fact is that this is the biggest Zoo in South East Asia.  Vandalur zoo houses more than 170 species of animals, birds, and reptiles, spread over 1260 acres. The Zoo was originally called Madras Zoo, and it was located in the heart of the city. In 1975 CE, due to space constraints, the Zoo was moved to Vandalur. You might get tired to cover the entire Zoo ...

Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites, which include museums, British period monuments, temples, beaches, etc. Let me write about one of the most famous landmarks of Chennai - Valluvar Kottam. Valluvar Kottam is the memorial monument to the great Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar. Thiruvalluvar was one of the well-revered Tamil poets. One set of people believes that he lived in the 2nd century BCE, and there is another set that considers his period was after Christ. There are many stories and myths about the life of this great poet, which are not relevant to this post. Thirukkural was the best work by Thiruvalluvar. It consists of 133 chapters, and each chapter consists of 10 couplets (kural), thus making a total of 1330 couplets. Valluvar Kottam was constructed in 1976 CE. All 1330 couplets (kurals) are inscribed on the granite pillars in the front hall corridors. The memorial structure resembles a tem...

The site about which I am going to write in this post is a place where you will no longer be able to visit. However, when I started writing a series of posts on  Chennai , I thought I shouldn't miss it. Chennai Central Jail was one of the oldest prisons in India. It was located in the heart of the city, right opposite the Central Railway Station. It began its operations during the British period in the year of 1837 CE. The Government constructed a new prison in the suburb of Chennai, and hence it got closed. Before demolishing this massive structure spread across 11 acres, the Government kept the prison open to the public for about one month. The prison had housed notable national leaders such as Subhash Chandra Bose and Veer Savarkar. The prison had also housed some prominent Tamil political leaders including Anna Durai, Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha. I wonder why the Government didn't take steps to convert this into a memorial. Happy travelling. Visit my site,  krishnakumar...

Chennai, also called Madras, is one of the four most prominent cities of India. Chennai is considered the gateway to South India. It is well connected by train, road, and air (national and international flights), and traveling to any place in the south can be quickly done from here. It even has a port connected to selected sites. Chennai was the first significant settlement of the British East India Company in India. Due to this reason, it has a lot of British period heritage buildings. Chennai has the second longest beach in the world.  The city also has a lot of ancient temples and some religiously important places.  It also has modern-day attractions such as museums, zoos, a lot of amusement parks, and interesting and unique sites such as Dakshin Chitra. There are a set of people who generally ask what is there to visit in Chennai. My series of posts on Chennai will provide enough answers to them. Let us explore Chennai starting from my next post. Till then... Happy travel...

Mystic village is another attraction in Mystic town apart from Mystic Aquarium . If you step out of Mystic Aquarium and just cross the road, you will reach Mystic Village. Mystic village is another attraction in Mystic town apart from  Mystic Aquarium . If you step out of Mystic Aquarium and cross the road, you will reach Mystic Village. You will get a unique shopping experience in this calm and beautiful shopping paradise. You can wander around this beautiful, friendly environment as there are around 40 shops, which sell various articles from all over the world. There are also multiple restaurants in this area. This beautiful picnic spot will give you a feeling that you are wandering somewhere in England and not in the US. You can always find a concert in the park in this area. Whether you  want to go shopping or wander leisurely on your own, this would be one of the best places for sure in CT. With this, my series of posts on Mystic is over. Let me start a new series on an...

"Birds of the Outback" is my favorite exhibit at  Mystic Aquarium . Birds, birds, and birds - wherever you turn your face, you will see only birds. Yellow, green, pink, white, black, brown, grey, orange, red,..... - how many colors are there in this world...you can learn about everything from these colorful birds. Irrespective of whether you are a kid or a grown-up, you will shout out of excitement for sure. This exhibit houses hundreds of colorful cockatiels, parakeets, rosellas, and parrots. Most of the birds belong to Australia. This exhibit is not open throughout the year. This will be opened depending upon the season. With an additional USD 3, you can get the exhibit entry fee and a millet seed stick to feed the birds. It will be entertaining to watch birds sing, fly over you, sit on your shoulders, and eat right out of your hands without fear. One warning! When you go to the Mystic Aquarium, please don't visit this exhibit first. Otherwise, you will spend your enti...

There are more than 20 African penguins available in Penguins exhibit at  Mystic Aquarium . You can watch them playing, moving, and obeying the trainer's orders. Especially it is fun to watch the penguin feeding program. While one person feeds the penguins, another person will guide us by providing a lot of useful information about penguins. The way how penguins go to the trainer to get food in an organized manner is unbelievable. You will also get to see the penguins below the water through underwater viewing windows. There is a shop nearby where you can buy penguin toys or other penguin related items.  Please do visit this place and enjoy watching the beautiful penguins. I have a couple of posts to complete my series on Mystic. Till then... Happy travelling. Visit my site,  krishnakumartk.com , to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written. 

Wanna have a very close up sight of sea lions? Go and visit the Marine Theatre at  Mystic Aquarium , CT, USA.  Marine Theatre is a unique show which will surely delight children as well as elders. It is entertaining to watch the sea lions obeying the commands of the trainers. They play, jump, dance and dive. You may even get the chance to see them up close as they come out of the pool and right in front of the first row of seats. This exciting half an hour show is available on all days. Do visit this place and enjoy it.  Let me explore the remaining exhibits at Mystic Aquarium in the forthcoming posts. Till then...  Happy travelling. Visit my site,  krishnakumartk.com , to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written. 

Your visit to the  Mystic Aquarium  will not end merely with various species of fish. In this post, we will explore the Pribilof Islands Exhibit, where you will find sea lions and seals. At the time of writing this post (July 2009), there are three California sea lion pubs available in the exhibit as a recently added attraction. Also, Mystic Aquarium is one of the very few facilities in North America to house the endangered Stellar sea lions. The world's biggest stellar sea lion is also housed here. It's name is Kodiak and it is weighing around 1700 pounds. You can also find seals in this exhibit. We will explore about penguins, birds, and marine show in my forthcoming posts. Till then... Happy travelling. Visit my site,  krishnakumartk.com , to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written. 

Wanna become a deep-sea explorer for an hour and find out what lies on the deep ocean floors of the world? Visit the 'Challenge of the Deep' exhibit in  Mystic Aquarium . The 'Return to Titanic' section has some impressive displays, including a reproduction of the Marconi Radio Room, a dramatic presentation that shows how deep in the ocean Titanic lies in comparison with the Empire State Building and other such exciting things. There is a separate section that has video projections of two deep-sea archaeological expeditions. The highlight of the exhibit is the 3D motion ride. You will get a three-dimensional feel of traveling into a mysterious and dark world of deep-sea. You will also experience the danger of traversing the inhospitable deep-sea environment and the imminent risk of the volcanic eruption. You will also get to see a lot of underwater creatures that you would never have imagined. I will brief about the remaining exhibits of Mystic Aquarium in my forthcomin...