Rama Rangarajan, Rangarajan, Sripriya Rangarajan 09 Apr 2014
Wednesday 9 April 2014
Tuesday 4 February 2014
useful tips for travellers and tourists
1
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While you are planning your travel
to foreign countries, read the items banned for taking inside carry-on or
check-in baggage. Download the forms to be filled while on-flight and before
landing for immigration purposes. For example, the authorities are serious
about food items being brought from outside their countries.
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2
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Study the pedestrian rules while walking
and crossing the streets. Obey the traffic rules and cross the road only with
green signals.
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3
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In places where photography is
prohibited, do not take photos, just because nobody is around. The CCTV may
be watching you.
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4
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Always carry photocopies of your
ID, Passport and Insurance and other information details as you visit places.
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5
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Acquaint yourself with the city
maps and other tourist places of interests. When in a crowd, safeguard your
documents and wallet, while commuting. You can record the places as you travel
in a bus/metro as indicated in my diary extract, which will be useful. Always carry a diary with you, while travelling.
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6
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Do not walk for long on roads,
which are just covered with snow, as they will be slippery and unpredictable.
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7
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Do not introduce yourself to
anybody, whom you do not know.
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8
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If you have a camera and trekking in new places, take photos at turning points, which will help in retracing
the same path for returning.
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9
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Study the daily temperature
variations and choose our timings to go out.
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10
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Eat outside food which you can
digest.
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Rangararajan Ramaswamy Bangalore 01.01.2014
Pentagon Mall - Washington D.C.
Pentagon Mall is one of the premier shopping
malls in the Washington, DC area, located just minutes from the nation's
capital and convenient to the Pentagon City Metro station. This upscale mall
includes 170 stores including Macy's, Nordstrom, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic,
Swarovski Crystal Gallery and Williams-Sonoma. I am also including a few photos from other nearby malls taken during Christmas Eve. You can enjoy and spend your prime time in these malls. There is a food court and
full-service restaurants.
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Monday 3 February 2014
Restaurant Visits Washington D.C.
Visiting restaurants helps a lot in
understanding and appreciating the various cuisines from varied cultures of
the world. In Washington D.C. you can visit exclusive Japanese, Korean,
Chinese, Thai, Indian Restaurants etc, wherein you can enjoy unique Japanese Sushi
preparations, Chinese dumplings besides Indian Specialities to name a few. One
such Ping Pong – Dim Sum restaurant offers an unique preparation of flower tea and dumplings in steamers which
you see for yourself. If you are a newcomer and can afford to wait for
sometime, you can avail the opportunity of sitting at the serving counters, with limited spacing. In Crepes and Wine, Newyork you can enjoy the preparation of crepe, as you wait for your
dishes. In Indian restaurants, you can see for yourself the preparations of accordion-multi
layered roties, which you can replicate comfortably in your home. The side
dishes like Puliodharai, Vegetable Biryani are served by forming in food-ring
moulds in various shapes and sizes, which is a pleasure to enjoy with their garnishing.
Considering the limited space, I am publishing only selected moments. Please
go ahead and enjoy.
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Rangarajan Ramaswamy Bangalore 01.01.2014
Wednesday 15 January 2014
National Arboretum in Washington D.C.
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National
Arboretum in Washington
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The National
Arboretum in Washington, DC displays 446 acres of trees, shrubs and plants
and is one of the largest arboretums in the country. Visitors enjoy a variety
of exhibits from formal landscaped gardens to the Gotelli Dwarf and slow
growing Conifer Collection.
The National Arboretum is best known for its bonsai collection.
Other special
displays include seasonal exhibits, aquatic plants, and a National Herb
garden. During the early spring, the site is popular spot to see more than 70
varieties of Cherry Trees.
It needs some planning and is worth visiting. Reserve a whole day for
this including rest, as it demands a little bit of walking around to enjoy.
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Rangarajan Ramaswamy Bangalore 1 Jan, 2014
Tuesday 14 January 2014
Thomas Jefferson's Home at Monticello
Thomas Jefferson’s
home
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Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was
born on April 13, 1743 at Shadwell. Thomas Jefferson, theorist of the
American Revolution, drafted the Declaration of Independence which is adopted
on July 04, 1776. The ideals of the Declaration- that “all men are created
equal” and have a right to “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”-
established the foundations of self-government and individual freedom in
America. Jefferson’s words of 1776 still inspire people around the world
today.
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Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Home houses
the residence of Thomas Jefferson, his estate and his family graveyard. The rooms
inside the home are prohibited from taking photos and the remaining areas are
very good for taking group photos for remembrance. I would like to suggest
that you should listen carefully to the official guides’ narration, as some
of the stories are very touching and worth remembering. The Home has a museum
of collections for sale and it is worth to buy some of them as per your
choice. I have taken a magnetic placard depicting Thomas Jefferson’s Ten
Rules as a memento. The forest scenario is extremely good. Our visit was during Mid November, 2013.
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Rangarajan Ramaswamy Bangalore 1 Jan 2014
Week end outings from Washington D.C.
We had planned a few of the week
end outings to visit Thomas Jefferson’s Home and the Colonial Williamsburg
both situated in Virginia, as these locations can be reached only by a Car
Drive. For the National Arboretum in Washington, it is better to reserve
a whole day, as it requires a little bit of walking around to enjoy the
scenario besides reaching the site by car.
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Week End Outings from Washington D.C.
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Rangarajan Ramaswamy Bangalore 1 Jan 2014
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