Travel> Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

Text and Photographs by: Tanya Munshi

The KLIA or the Kuala Lumpur International Airport is one the best airports in the world. As soon as you land, you will have to take the aero-rail to reach the immigration counter and exit into the city.

Head towards the taxi booth inside the airport to book a taxi to take you to the desired destination. It’s quite a long drive to the city centre and it all depends where your hotel is situated.

Thankfully, the taxi driver from the airport taxi service was a decent soul who took us to our hotel. By kind soul I mean, that he realized a slight confusion on our faces as we were tourists to a new place, so he assured us that he would take us to our hotel.

The National Palace

As soon as we reached the hotel, we freshened up and headed to the National Palace. We hired a cab and headed straight to the Istana Negara or the National Palace. Unlike the Grand Palace at Bangkok, here tourists are not allowed beyond the palace gates. You don’t even get a glimpse of the palace gardens and the architecture. I was slightly disappointed as I had so much of expectations after my trip to Thailand, and visiting the Grand Palace there, I didn’t get to see beyond the palace gates. You can however, stand outside and take pictures in front of the gate and maybe pose with the guards (but don’t touch them or go too close).

The driveway in and around the Palace is beautiful though, with ornate lampposts and flower beds making them ideal backdrops for your photos.

After the short visit at the palace gates, we headed to the national museum.

Travel> Travelling to Rajasthan? Here's what you need to know

It may be of help that before planning a short trip to Rajasthan, that the state can be visited in three parts - Eastern, Southern and Western. This in turn can help you book your flight/ train/ bus tickets and do justice to the sight-seeing in Rajasthan. Also please note, there are loads of other places to visit here, but if it’s a short one week trip you are planning, then this is the way you can go about it.

I]Eastern Rajsathan - Jaipur, Ajmer, Pushkar, Ranthambore National Park etc.

1) Jaipur - it’s the capital of Rajasthan, also known as the Pink City. Flights are easier to get to Jaipur/ Udaipur from most metros in India. I had been to Jaipur several years ago and stayed at Khasa Kothi,its a beautiful place. If you get a chance, you must stay there for a night. It also houses the Govnt. of India Tourist Office (Phone - 0141-2372200).

In Jaipur you can see the: Hawa Mahal, Old City, Jantar Mantar, Central Museum, Royal Gaitor.

2) Ajmer - Its 130kms south-west of Jaipur and if you wish to visit Pushkar, then you have to go via Ajmer. It is one of the country's most important Muslim pilgrimages with the Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chisti. Ajmer is also home to the famous Mayo College. At Ajmer, you can see Ana Sagar, Dargah, Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra and Taragarh, Akbar's Palace and the Jain Temple - Nasiyan red Temple.

3) Pushkar – It is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre and probably one of the most popular tourist spots in Rajasthan and is famous for its Camel Fair. There's a Brahma Temple and Ghats at Pushkar for sightseeing.

II] Southern Rajasthan - Bundi, Kota, Udaipur, Mount Abu etc.

1)Udaipur is lovely. You can see the Lake Pichola, Jagniwas Island, Jagmandir Island,City Palace Museum etc. Western Rajasthan includes Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Jodhpur is known for its forts, Meherangarh, clock tower and markets, Umaid Bhawan Palace and the Museum.

2) Mt. Abu – It’s the only hill station in Rajasthan. October- November is the peak season as that’s the time all families visit this place during the Diwali vacations. At Mt. Abu, you can visit Nakki Lake, Sunset Point, Dilwara Temples or go for treks.

III] Western Rajasthan – Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner etc.

1) Jodhpur is known for its forts, Meherangarh, clock tower and markets, Umaid Bhawan Palace and Museum.

2) Jaisalemer is another popular tourist spot. There's the Jaisalmer Fort, Jain temples, Laxminath Temple, havelis and the government museum.

Happy traveling.

Travel> Travel Agencies at Darjeeling

Here are a few travel agencies in Darjeeling who provide all kinds of tour services.

1) DGAC Tourism Office

Phone - 0354-2255351

Jawahar Road West

This provides organized tours and rafting on the Teesta Bazaar, near Kalimpong.

2) Kasturi Tours & Tracels

Phone - 0354-2254430

Old Super Market Complex

Sell bus tickets to various tourist spots from Siliguri

3) Diamond Treks, Tours & Travels

Phone - 0354-2258961

Old Super Market Complex

Sell bus tickets to various tourist spots from Siliguri

4) Clubside Tours and Travels

Phone - 0354-2254646

JP Sharma Road

They organize treks and trips for North Bengal, Sikkim and Assam, including wildlife trips in north east.

Tourist Info -

Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council Tourism Office

Phone - 0354-2255351

Jawahar Road West

They provide information about Darjeeling and have a counter at the railway station too.

West Bengal Tourist Bureau

Phone - 0354-2254050

Chowrasta

Can help in booking govnt. lodges including in Jaldhapara Wildlife Sanctuary

For taxi services, look up:

http://www.darjeelingtaxis.com/

Travel> How to reach Palani from Cochin

The nearest airport to Palani is Coimbatore, which is at a distance of 100kms. You can opt for a flight from Cochin to Coimbatore and then hire a pvt. taxi/ bus to go up to Palani.

-OR-

You can also take a bus/ train from Palakkad to Palani or look up private taxi operators and their fare for driving up to Palani and back from Cochin.

Goa Food Guide at a glance

This is my Goa Food Guide - http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2008/feb/11slide1.htm