Lonely Traveler

Carrawaystick waterfall in Glenmalure

2019-12-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

Carrawaystick is a small waterfall that is located in the valley of Glenmalure. This waterfall is created when a stream (that is originated from the near by mountain Cloghernagh) makes a drop. That stream is also fed by a tiny stream from the Kelly's Lough. After passing beside a farmhouse the stream from the waterfall falls into the river Avonbeg.

After reaching there we could see the waterfall from the roadside. The owner of the farmhouse provided a small access that allows the visitors to go near the waterfall. There is a trail that goes up to the mountain. From that trail we were able to access the farm and went slightly near the waterfall. On that day we saw there were two large group of tourists were doing the trekking. One group was going up and another was coming down.

Carrawaystick waterfall is not a big one. It is a very narrow stream waterfall when there is not that much rain. From the roadside it looks like a tinny thread. Large stone rocks are laid on the path of the waterfall. Those rocks were created as the waterfall is probably flowing for thousands of thousands of years. Which means even for water it could be corrosive when it acts for a longer time.

The only way you could visit the waterfall is by driving as it doesn't have any nearby public transportation option. From Dublin it takes around 80-90 minutes drive through the M50 motorway. There is no designated parking available for the waterfall visiting. But you could park on the road (just make sure you are not blocking anyone as it is a narrow road). During a sunny summer weekend quite a few number of visitors use to come here. GPS coordinate of the Carrawaystick waterfall is (52°58'01.4"N, 6°23'05.1"W).

There are plenty of other things to do near this area. There are two other small waterfalls nearby which are Glenmalure and Fraughan Glen Waterfall. Also there are plenty of walking trails through hills, mining villages, etc. We've only visited the three waterfalls during our trip and saved others for another day.

A closer look towards the Carrawaystick waterfall.

Water coming from the waterfall through the large stones.

The stream of the waterfall that is about to fall into river Avonbeg.

Very shallow river Avonbeg flowing near the waterfall.

Viewing the waterfall from the roadside, looks like a tinny thread.

Carrawaystick waterfall,
Glenmalure,
County: Wicklow,
Country: Ireland,
GPS Coordinate (52°58'01.4"N, 6°23'05.1"W).

Written by Lonely Traveler,
For blog alonelytraveler.com

Saturday, 04 May 2019

Sea Life Aquarium in London

2019-12-25T13:19:00.002-08:00

Sea life London aquarium (which is also known as Sea Life Centre) is one of the most visited tourist attractions from London. This magnificent aquarium was initially opened for public in 1997. In current days the aquarium is featured with Shark walk, Underwater tunnel, Rainforest adventure, Pacific ocean tank, etc. This is located beside the river Thames (where London eye is a stone throwing distance). Every year a million visitors use to explore this attraction. [1]

Utilising waiting time:

Like all the attractions in London this aquarium is also a busy place. We had to wait for a while in the queue before an entrance. But that wasn't crazy like the queue of London Eye. We got the ticket for London eye approximately 1-2 hours from that time. So in the meantime we've decided to explore this London aquarium. I've never visited any aquarium before from anywhere. So was excited about my first visit.

Walking under water:

The self guided walking inside the Sea life aquarium was brilliant. It started with the walking with shark. We could see the sharks were moving under our feet. There was a small underwater tunnel through which the visitors use to pass. During the walk we could see the Stingray flying over us (in fact swimming). The tunnel was more or less a busy place. It was really hard to get the picture of the tunnel without a visitor.

Rainforest adventure:

Sea life aquarium has a section for the Rainforest adventure. In that section it was designed with marine ecology of amazon forest (i assume). The fish tanks were having the fish from fresh water. They even had the ferocious Piranha there. Apart from the fish they had turtle, alligator, etc as well. The underwater freshwater weeds were decorated nicely inside and around the fish tank. It was a nice little experience of rain forest I must say.

A Starfish stuck in the glass of the aquarium.

Other things in aquarium:

This aquarium has plenty of fish tanks containing various colourful fishes. Apart from the fishes I saw the sea creatures like starfish, urchins, corals, and Jellyfishes. They have a big section for the Jellyfishes. The colourful lighting made the Jellyfish glowing in different colours. They have a section for the fish hatching. Also another section to have feeding experience. Overall the aquarium was a lovely place to learn many more things as well as to pass a quality time.

Fish swimming around the artificial seaweed.

Opening and closing time:

This Sea life London aquarium remains open every days in the week (except during the Christmas day). From Sunday-Friday it remains open from 10:00 - 18:00pm. And during Saturday it remains open from 09:30 - 19:00pm. These hours might vary during the festival times, but it remains open. You can check the opening and closing time from the website.

A circus under the water possibly depicting the Pacific ocean.

Entry fee for the aquarium:

A standard ticket for the Sea life aquarium is £24 whereas the fast track ticket price is £40. You might get a discount when you buy the ticket from online. Also you could avail more discount if you buy another one or two attraction's ticket with it. Check the Sea life aquarium's website for prices. Also you could use the London explorer pass to buy ticket for 3, 5, or 7 attractions for £64, £94, £114 respectively. This could be a saving option when you plan to visit more attractions from London.

A underwater spring inside the aquarium.

Where is Sea life London aquarium:

This aquarium is located inside the Town hall which is located at the southern bank of river Thames. This place is just beside the Westminster Bridge. London eye is a stone throwing distance from here as well. GPS coordinate of the aquarium is (51°30'07.9"N, 0°07'10.7"W).

Didn't expect a totem pole inside the aquarium.

How to Go:

In my opinion London't public transportation facility is one of the best in the whole world. There are plenty of options for a tourists to move around in London city. Embankment, Waterloo, and Westminster are the closest tube stations from the London eye. There are few bus stoppages located at the either side of the Westminster bridge, if you don't feel comfortable with the tubes.

A Shark and a Stingray together inside the aquarium.

Where to eat:

Now you are hungry after waiting in queue and your visit of London Eye. There are quite a few restaurants around the place. I've seen plenty of those beside the York Road which is beside the Waterloo station. I've found a nice Indian restaurant named Zabardast that serves delicious wraps. Although it was named after Indian but they were speaking in Bangla (my mother tongue), so I believe that was a Bangladeshi restaurant.

This fountain possibly made to ensure the proper water circulation.

Other attractions nearby:

Shrek's adventure, London Dungeon, London eye, etc are the closest attraction to the Sea life aquarium. The Thames cruise could be another attraction too to explore the London through river. On the other side of the river you could have a visit at the Westminster abbey.

Hidden stash of gold from the pirates!

Colourful Clownfishes are swimming.

More colourful fishes around the corals.

Blue-tang fish reminds me the Dory from Finding Nemo.

These spiky Urchins look beautiful under the artificial lights.

Underwater aquatic plants from the Rainforest rivers.

These turtles and alligators belong to rainforest section.

A gang of deadly Piranha fish.

Different kind of water hyacinths floating over the fish tank.

A colourful Jellyfish glowing under artificial light.

More colourful Jellyfishes.

Sea Life London Aquarium,
Westminster Bridge Rd,
London,
Country: England,
GPS Coordinate (51°30'07.9"N, 0°07'10.7"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Monday, 24 September 2018

Great sugar loaf mountain hiking

2019-12-18T14:28:00.001-08:00

Great sugar loaf is a conical shaped mountain located in Wicklow, Ireland. It is located at the eastern side of the Wicklow mountain range, and a bit isolated. Due to its conical shape this is sometime mistaken as a dormant volcano. The height of the Sugar loaf mountain is approximately 501 meter. Most of its surrounding area are much lower. That's why from the top anyone could see a far way.

Great sugar loaf mountain with heathers.

Hiking and trekking

Great sugar loaf is a nice place for short hiking and trekking. Main trek goes to the peak of the mountain. Duration of the round trip is around an hour (for the first timers it is even more as they would take photo of lovely landscapes). The path is pretty wide and easy. Anyone with a minimum fitness should be able to tackle that. Near the summit the path has some loose rocks. But that shouldn't be any problem. Lot of people bring their kids during the weekend for hiking. This place is very popular during the weekend as it is very close to Dublin.

View of Sugar loaf during driving towards it.

First time I saw this Sugar loaf mountain while driving through the M11 motorway. Then another day we took a wrong turn and passed beside the mountain. That day saw the mountain from the parking area and decided to come back during summer. We were looking for some place to walk around the heathers in Wicklow. So decided to have our visit during middle of August when the heathers are in bloom.

Pale heathers and the mountain during our hiking.

The weather was a mixture of everything and was changing very frequently. Interestingly the rain was a bit heavier for a while too. There is a nice big enough parking space from where the trail starts. It was very windy but sunny initially. It was around 4:00pm in afternoon. Most of the people were coming back after finishing their hiking. Only very few people were heading towards the peak.

A portion of the peak is covered with heathers.

Under the bright sun the view was magnificent. The heathers were all in bloom. It was a lovely scene to see the Great sugar loaf mountain with the pink of heathers. So we've spent lot time around the scenic view. Near the end of the trail we had to do some sharp climbing. Had to take long stride in few places because of the large rocks. From the top of the mountain we had a bird's eye view over the surrounding area. It was possible to see as far as Bray, Wicklow mountains, and the Vartry Reservoir. Due to the summer the fields were green.

From the peak of the Great sugar loaf.

Before returning we went further from the trail at the other side of the mountain. Not sure how far the trail goes, but didn't go all the way. But looks like people use to hike on the trail frequently. While returning it started raining heavily and then a sudden sunshine. That created a wonderful rainbow in the eastern sky. I took a nice picture of the rainbow with the heathers. But it didn't last very long. Heavy rain followed afterwards. When we returned back to the parking area we were wet like a crow. We had a plan to visit some other places in wicklow after that, but instead returned back to home.

It gives a nice bird's eye view from the peak.

Where to park

The trail begins from the parking area. It is a quite big parking space. Only problem is the entrance, which is much smaller and lower. So if you plan to go there with a bigger car (like camper van) then you can't park. For others it is ok. GPS coordinate of the parking space is (53°08'39.7"N, 6°09'18.3"W).

While enjoying the beauty the cloud was threatening for advent of rain.

How to go:

Take M50 and the M11 (or N11) to go to Great sugar loaf mountain. The distance is around 50km and takes around 40-50 minutes based on traffic condition.

Another nice view with the green field and pink heathers.

Colourful heather with the rainbow after rain.

Peak of the Great sugar loaf.

Peak of the mountain with heathers.

More heathers are bloomed beneath the mountain.

This a winding trail at the northern side of the mountain.

Great Sugar Loaf,
Glencap Commons South,
County: Wicklow,
Country: Ireland,
GPS Coordinate (53°09'14.3"N, 6°09'02.6"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Sunday, 18 August 2019

My first visit to Shaheed Minar, Dhaka

2019-11-29T12:23:00.001-08:00

Shaheed Minar is a national monument to commemorate the martyrs of 1952 during language movement. Several students were killed by the Pakistani police force during 21st and 22nd of February. Those students were protesting so that Bangla could remain as the mother language of Bangladesh (that time East Pakistan). Building of the monument was completed in 1963, and it was designed by the sculptor Hamidur Rahman. In current days, every year of 21 February is observed as Shaheed Dibosh (Martyr's day). It is also the International Mother Language Day since 2000. More information is in wikipedia.

This Shaheed Minar is located in Dhaka, near the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, not very far from my house either. Also been passed beside this place many times. But never visited this place during the 21st of February. So this time didn't want to miss the chance. Although It was almost over when I've gone there. But still people were coming, and they were putting the flowers and showing respects to our passed away heroes. During 21st of February (which is known as Ekushey February) people start to put flowers near the monument since early morning.

After paying our homage towards the martyrs we've gone to the Curzon Hall to explore the area for flowers and birds.

Usually the morning is very busy and afternoon is less crowded like this.

Looking back again before leaving.

This kind of painting is very common near the area on that day.

Doyel chattar from Dhaka University.

Central Shaheed Minar.

Shaheed Minar (also Shaid minar, Shohid minar),
Dhaka,
Country: Bangladesh.
GPS Coordinate (23°43'38.1"N, 90°23'47.9"E).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Sunday, 21 February 2016

Madame Tussauds wax museum in London

2019-11-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

Madame Tussauds is a wax museum located near Marylebone Rd, London. It has smaller version of it in other countries. The museum was initially established by Marie Tussaud (a French artist) in 1835 near Baker street. Earlier this was known as Madame Tussaud's, but in current days it is known as Madame Tussauds (without apostrophe). This now has several hundred of figures of famous people from different area (music, movie, sports, politics, etc). In current days this is now London't top tourist attraction, regardless the day of the week, or day of the year.

Regardless of which day you visit, this Museum is always busy with tourists.

I came to know about this Madame Tussauds wax museum from my text book when I was a kid. Since then it was in my wish list to visit some day. This visit was an exciting feeling for me. We didn't expect that much crowed as it was Monday. But unfortunately it was super crowded. We had to wait around an hour in queue for the ticket before entering. The lady from the ticket counter said it was even worse in Sunday (as people needed to wait for more than two hours). That's why they have the option for fasttrack ticket (you pay extra and get quicker access). But I found that option was almost double than the regular price.

One of my favourite actresses, Nicole Kidman.

Inside the Madame Tussauds museum everything was nicely organised. The figures of the famous people were placed in different sections (at where they belong). There are figure of some stars who died even before our birth. Also the stars of current days are hard to reach for a normal people like us. So I think those figures were an option to meet them as a second hand experience. Every one was excited about taking pictures with their favourite stars. In some cases we had to stand in a queue in front of the statue to take a picture with it. People were so innovative while taking pictures. It was a nice experience and I've enjoyed the moment.

Johnny Depp, the pirates of the Caribbean.

There are sections for Marvel's characters, Star wars, and also Bollywood (this section was less crowded as only the Indian people were showing interest). The Marvel and Star wars section were a bit busy. Spending time with sport stars and music star was also brilliant. There is a section of the political leaders as well (out whom few I like personally, and few I don't). It was also amazing to see them in figures. There was a 4DX 3D show as well. It was short but funny one.

All time great Elvis Presley.

Most awesome part of the museum was the train journey. It was taking from old day of London to the current day. That five minutes of journey looked like I've seen the entire history. Everything was organised very nicely. The narration was very good. And the train ride (kind of roller coaster) was also thrilling. We've spent more than two hours in the museum and wanted to do more, but had to leave to visit London Eye.

Jamaican legend Bob Marley.

Opening and closing times:

This wax museum remains open everyday (but the hours might vary based on the time of the year). The usual opening hours are from 10-4 most of the time. Also it might be closed during special days (like Christmas). So look at the timing from the website before you plan. Try to avoid weekends to avoid the overwhelming crowed.

Famous band The Beatles.

Ticket price:

The ticket price for Madame Tussauds museum is usually £35 (if you buy online then it would be £29). Also there are some deals which would be cheaper for you if that suits you. You can see the deals from the website. Also London Explorer Pass is an excellent option if you have multiple attractions to visit.

Britney Spears.

Katniss Everdeen from Hunger games.

Western movie legend John Wayne.

Two action heroes Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis.

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan.

Brazil's (some says world's) best footballer Pele.

Long distance olympic winner Mo Farah.

Sachin Tendulkar who is one of all time greats in cricket.

One of the current top ranked players Rafael Nadal.

Possibly Vincent van Gogh.

Queen Elizabeth II in British Royal family.

Possibly Queen Victoria.

Benazir Bhutto and Barack Obama.

Nelson Mandela and Dalai Lama.

Some characters from past.

Marie Tussaud herself in wax figure.

Forgot what it was, possibly made by Madame Tussaud herself.

Madame Tussauds (in right) while working in her younger age.

Street in London during night.

Teenagers having hangout together.

Not sure what this is, but these looked real.

Incredible Hulk, he needed more spaces than anyone else.

King Kong from the famous movie.

Spiderman, although looks like made by plastic or balloon.

Wolverine from X-men.

I am not a Star wars fan, probably a character from there.

Robots from Star wars.

A warrior from Star wars movie?

Train journey that takes visitors from past to present day of London.

Everything started from several hundred years back and progressing towards present days.

Possibly depicting the mechanical engineering from past.

British had world's best naval power, possibly this is portraying that.

Royal guards.

Is it a Marigold ride?

Madame Tussauds,
Marylebone Rd,
London,
Country: England,
GPS coordinate (51°31'21.5"N, 0°09'19.7"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Monday, 24 September 2018

Tullan Strand, County Donegal

2019-11-23T15:32:00.000-08:00

Tullan strand is approximately two kilometer in length that is located between the North of Bundoran and the river Erne. County Donegal has several beaches for the surfers, and this Tullan strand is one of those. This is a popular surfing destination amongst the surfers in Ireland, specially during summer. During the high tide (or suitable time for surfing) this strand gets full with swarm of surfers. Some amazing surfing activities can be observed by standing from the nearby cliff.

Just near the strand there is a nice place where rocks have formed few shape of bridges which are locally known as Fairy Bridges (as those were created naturally). One bridge is the larger one and having a shape of arch. Others are small and often ignored by the visitors. This bridge is always busy as visitors like to take their photo with it. During the high tide the water splashes inside the holes underneath the bridges. There is a way at the western side of the bridge where you could go underneath one of the bridges. There is also a Wishing chair formed from the rocks. People like to sit on that and have their picture with it.

During a sunny day lot of people use to gather in Tullan strand for surfing.

You don't need to be a surfer to visit the Tullan strand. You could have a nice morning of afternoon walk in the beach as it is very lovely. Best time to visit the beach in any day would be during the high tidal time. There will be lot of surfers that time but you'd see waves too. During our visit we didn't have that much time in hand. So we've observed the beach from the nearby cliffs. It was nice to see the surfers doing their activities.

It could have been a nice walking in the beach, but we didn't have enough time for that.

We stayed in a B&B in Bandoran town and the beach was very close from there. So after a checkout we've decided to visit the beach at 10 in the morning. But we didn't know it was high tide that time. So was lucky as the timing was perfect. We also had a short walking around the Fairy bridges before leaving the town.

A lad performing surfing near Tullan strand.

Best time to visit:

Summer is the best time to go whether you are there for surfing or not. The reason behind is the weather. It is much warmer during summer in Ireland compare to other times. Also the daylight is much longer. Remember to be there during the high tide, otherwise it might not look as great as it uses to be.

Looks like a group of surfers are about to dive in.

Parking near Tullan strand:

There is a paid parking facility near the beach which can hold approximately 70 cars. Outside the parking area there is a free parking space which can hold around 20 cars. But this free parking area is tight to get as it is occupied by the camper vans. GPS coordinate of the parking space is (54°29'25.2"N, 8°16'03.1"W).

The water colour near the beach was greenish.

The Fairy Bridges near the Tullan strand.

There are several holes in rocks, this is one fo those.

Due to high tide the water inside the Fairy bridge was full.

View of the rocks from Fairy bridge from another angle.

Overlooking towards Tullan strand from Fairy bridges.

There were quite a few tourists there in morning.

One of the few bridges of Fairy bridges.

Tullan strand from Bundoran, Donegal.

Tullan Strand,
Bundoran,
Co. Donegal,
Country: Ireland,
GPS coordinate (54°29'44.6"N, 8°15'57.3"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Monday, 05 August 2019

Irish National Stud and Gardens in Kildare

2019-11-14T15:22:00.001-08:00

Irish National Stud is located in the Kildare which is not that far from Dublin. It was established in 1946 and in current days it is owned by the government. This place has Horse museum, Japanese garden, St. Fiachra's Garden, and the Studs. They provide a guided tour for the visitors as well. It is a lovely place if you like horses, and walking around the organised park.

Colourful leafs under bright sun.

The garden inside the Irish National stud is known as Japanese garden. This beautiful garden was established between 1906-1910. This garden is nicely organised that comprises some lovely flowering plants and trees, a small cave, waterfall, canal and rocks. With all those things the garden depicts the journey of a soul from oblivion to eternity. You can read more about the garden from wikipedia.

This red bridge is common in any Japanese garden.

Each year they use to arrange Sakura festival in this Irish National Stud. Keep an eye on their website for an announcement about the festival. When we were there it was the festival time. There was some musical festival going on continually which was nice to hear. The performing teams were wearing traditional Japanese dresses. It was a bright sunny day and lot of visitors were there that day.

You need to be patient to get this arch bridge empty for the photo.

We've explored the Japanese garden section first. Due to sunny weather everything was looking really lively there. Walking beside the artificial canal was really nice as the reflection of trees in water looked real. We walked through the path of soul's journey from oblivion to eternity. The way it was designed and decorated is really amazing. There is a typical red wooden bridge over the canal and it was slightly difficult to get an appointment to take a photo for this. Because everyone was attracted to that bridge and interested to have the memory framed in picture.

The sky was so clear that we found plenty of colourful reflections in water.

After exploring the garden we've gone to the Horse museum. It wasn't that much big so didn't require that much time. The museum was displayed with skeleton of horse, tools to ride horse, etc. After the museum visit we've gone to see the little foals which had birth few days back. After visiting those cute little foals we've gone to have a stroll around the St. Fiachra's Garden. It was a nice and quiet place as most of the visitors do not come to that part.

A rock garden inside the Japanese garden.

Walking beside the pond which is covered with green trees was nice. There is an artificial waterfall which the authority tried to make it as real as possible. And I think they've succeeded on that. It was another attraction to the visitors to take selfies and photos. There were couple of round shaped huts there as well. I forgot what those were called. Beside the area there are several huge fields where they put the studs. Most of the studs were at the other side of the field. Couldn't get a closer look to them.

Garden has a water stream that contains plenty of small waterlily plants.

There is a section inside the Irish National Stud where they put the prized horses. There were several nice looking horses which were having name and their winning money tagged in front of the door.

There were several bridges over this stream.

How to Go:

Irish National Stud is located just opposite of the Kildare village, which is beside the M7 motorway. It is a less than an hour drive from Dublin city. GPS Coordinate (53°08'39.9"N, 6°54'03.7"W). For public transport, from Heuston station you can take the train to come at Kildare. I think Bus Eireann (Bus 126) has a stoppage near the place as well.

People could walk around the garden using the paths.

Where to Eat:

There is a restaurant available inside. You could have your lunch or snacks there. You can bring your own picnic there as well. I saw several families were enjoying picnic there. When we were there it was ramadan, so we didn't have a chance to explore the restaurant.

Rocks at the both banks of the stream were nicely decorated.

Opening and closing time:

Opening time for the Irish National Stud and Japanese Garden is from 9:00am to 5:00pm. But during winter (first week of November to first week of February) this place remains closed (as per the website).

Few Cherry plants inside the garden. I think this year they bloomed a bit early.

Entry fee:

If you buy the ticket from online then it would cost you 11.5 Euro per person. Once you buy the ticket from online then it has a validity (i.e. 6 months may be) before which you have to use it. I found it convenient and an Euro cheaper.

A nice little water fountain.

Nearby parking:

This place is having a parking that comes with the entry ticket. During the weekend the parking lot can get full very quickly. Lot of families from Dublin use to come here with their kids. So it might happen you might need to stay in queue.

This pump well may be extinct in Ireland but people are still using this as a source of drinking water.

Best time to visit:

In my opinion the best time to visit is during Summer and Spring. Specially during a sunny day. Spring is best for looking cherry blossoms.

A skeleton of a horse in front of the Horse Museum.

Kildare village nearby:

Don't forget to pay a visit to Kildare shopping village before or after your visit. This is Ireland's one of the popular shopping destinations. Lot of people come from different places to do a shopping (specially during weekend around the Christmas).

A cure little foal with their mommy.

A little Robin is desperately seeking for a nesting place with a mouthful of grasses.

A pax of horse.

A path through the mini tunnel.

Another green reflection in water, thanks to the rare sunny day in Ireland.

A lovely walking path through the greens of summer.

The path was a shallow pond, and also we've enjoyed the hide and seek of lights through the trees.

A colourful tree. Don't know the name yet.

An small artificial waterfall inside the Japanese garden.

View of the pond from the waterfall.

Few small huts inside the garden.

View of the huts from another angle.

A sculpture named 'The Burlington' made of woodpiles.

I liked this green leafy tree and the paths. So much soothing.

Pine fruits?

Statue of a monk relaxing amid of the pond.

This sculpture will welcome you when you enter inside the Japanese garden in Kildare.

Irish National Stud and Gardens,
County: Kildare,
Country: Ireland,
GPS Coordinate (53°08'39.9"N, 6°54'03.7"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Saturday, 05 May 2019

Dover castle, England

2019-11-06T14:36:00.003-08:00

Dover castle is the largest castle in England that is located in Dover, Kent, England. It is a medieval castle that was founded during 11th century. Although the castle was there since the Iron age, but during the reign of Henry II the castle took a recognisable shape. He spent more than 6 thousand pounds out of his annual revenue of approximately 10 thousand pounds (which was a lot of money that time). In current days this area is owned by English heritage. Due to its strategical location this castle is known as the Key to England.

Entering into the Dover castle premise.

Tunnel of Dover castle:

This castle has a three mile long network of medieval tunnels. Centuries after centuries these tunnels are giving bonus during the war and also to prevent any invasion (as France and Napoleon were very close from there). Few of those are facing towards the English channel. These tunnels played an important role during World war II against the German invasion. There is a guided tour available in every hour that lasts for 45 minutes. During the tour you would know about the underground hospital, bunkers, and also how the radio communication was done secretly. During the tour they display some video clips (also audio) to give you a better understanding. Although most of them are related to World war II.

Didn't see too many statues inside the castle premise.

When I was there it was a rainy day, so initial portion of the tunnel was having wet floor (but not slippery). Also we didn't need to wait for long in the queue as most of the tourists hadn't arrived yet in the morning (or may be due to the continuous rain). But usually there is a long queue for the tunnel tour. During rush period you might need to wait for more than an hour. They don't have any pre-book (or online) for the tunnel tour. If they consider implementing this, it could save lot of time for the busy tourists.

I think this is an administrative building. Didn't see any entrance for the tourists.

Exploring the castle:

We had already booked the train ticket for London (as prebook gives a cheaper deal), so was in a hurry to explore the Dover castle. We didn't go inside the church and few towers. But we've visited the Keep as it was another main attraction from the castle. Each floors of the Keep displays various stuffs. Moving from one floor to another was through the narrow stairs. We didn't take that much photo from inside as we were unsure whether taking photograph was allowed or not. But the display gallery was very clean and attractive like any other castles in UK. From the top (or roof) of the Keep we got a bird's eye view around. Other parts of the castle, Dover city, Dover port everything was looking really nice from the top. It was really windy and cold up there, that's why other tourists were not spending much time there. After leaving the keep we walked for few minutes around the building before leaving.

Dover castle as viewed from the Dover cliff.

How to Go:

Well, I must say the public transportation between the castle and the Dover city centre wasn't that good for us. The bus was not that frequent. Waiting for a long time at the stoppage but didn't see the bus. So instead walked around half an hour to go to the castle. It wasn't that much easy to walk during a continuous rain. The whole day was raining so had to do the same while returning. During our walking didn't see any bus passing us. If you have your own car then it would be much easier for you to go there (or if you hire a taxi). They have a car parking facility for the tourists. GPS coordinate of the Dover castle is (51°07'41.7"N, 1°19'24.4"E).

A view inside the tunnel of Dover castle.

Opening and closing time:

Opening and closing time might vary based on the time of year. But usually it is from 10am to 4pm during weekend. During weekend the Dover castle might remain closed during working days. You can check the opening times from the english heritage website.

A church inside the Dover castle premise. Didn't get time to explore that.

Entry fee:

Usually visiting castles are a bit expensive compare to other countries. Besides this is a very popular castle in England. It requires £20.90 per adult to enter inside the Dover castle. If you have any plan to visit any other English heritage sites then you can buy a pass that would help you to explore them with a cheaper price. So think about it.

Not sure why a cannon facing towards the church.

How long it takes:

Usually it takes around 2-3 hours if you do not participate in any guided tours. There are two guided tours available and each takes nearly an hour. Also there is a queuing for those tours as well which adds up to the visiting time. So including everything it might take up to 6 hours to have a complete castle tour. For our case we participated in only one guided tour (other one is Escape Bunker tour I think). We've finished the tour within 4 hours before heading for London's train.

More cannons, but these are facing to the right direction.

Where to Stay in Dover:

Booking.com

Being a port city Dover is having in a rush most of the time. Lost of people use the ferry from Dover to reach France (and vice-versa). That's why they have a very good accommodation facility for the visitors. Most of those tourists use to stay in Dover for the night as the ferry leaves very early in morning. We've stayed in a Bluebells Guest House which was really clean and with high quality of amenities. We were there a bit early but the property owner allowed us to do an early checkin. It was pissing raining that time and it helped us a lot to be in a dry place before exploring further.

Here you go! No pirates are allowed to invade.

Where to Eat:

There is a restaurant inside the castle premise. It is good for fast foods, tea, and coffee. The service of the restaurant is really good. If you want to have food in the Dover town then there are plenty of options from Italian to Indian, pubs, etc. As we love to eat Indian dishes that's why we've picked White Cliffs Tandoori restaurant. Later on we found that it was a Bangladeshi restaurant and was nice to talk to them. Being their country fellow they've treated us nicely as well.

A portion of our food from the dinner in Dover.

What else is near by:

Walking around the white chalk cliff of Dover is a popular attraction. You can visit the cliff after visiting the Dover castle (or vice versa). Also walking around the Dover city is a nice idea (i.e. near Dover town hall). Spending few minutes in park Pencester Gardens would be nice too. We've gone to the castle through this park. The Dover river is flowing beside this park as well.

View towards the main castle building.

More edifices from the Dover castle.

Entering inside the Keep's premise.

Walking around the old buildings.

More view from the ground in front of the main building.

Looks like it is inside a kitchen.

Several wine pipa.

Depicting the cooking of old times.

Big cooking pots mean preparing dinner for more people.

Assume it is a water well inside the Keep to supply drinking water?

Looking inside the well.

Stairway that leads to the top of the building to see some magnificent views.

View towards the Dover city and the port.

View towards the English channel over the church.

At the roof of the Keep. It was very windy and rainy.

A tower inside the castle premise.

Current days this is serving as a restaurant.

A modern day cannon facing towards the English channel.

Outside the castle wall.

The window in the cliff wall are the window from the underground tunnel of castle.

Dover castle,
Dover,
County: Kent,
Country: England,
GPS coordinate (51°07'41.7"N, 1°19'24.4"E).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Sunday, 23 September 2018

Botanical Garden of Bangladesh Agricultural University

2019-11-03T14:23:00.001-08:00

Bangladesh Agricultural University Botanic Garden (which is also known as Bangladesh Krishi University Botanical Garden, Mymensingh botanical garden, etc) is located beside the University (eastern side). It was founded during 1962 and currently it is under the Department of Crop Botany. This is a small garden but rich with plenty of flora, specially during Spring.

Neel Moni Lota (Petrea volubilis).

It was the month of spring when we were there. Almost every plant from the garden was showcasing the blooming. There were lot of flowers which I've never seen before. This botanical garden gave me the opportunity to observe them. Such flowers are Ramshor (Hapormali), Bashok, Chitra, Neel moni lota, and many more.

Scarlet passion flower (Passiflora miniata Vanderplank).

This botanical garden has an orchid section. But similar to other botanical garden that was locked. But the fence of the house was broken. We could see inside from the outside. Didn't see that much blooming of orchid there. Also there wasn't too many plants either. Compare to the richness of the whole botanical garden the Orchid section was really poor in my opinion.

Pakhi Ful (Brownea coccinea)

The once upon a mighty river Brahmaputra is flowing beside this botanical garden. The river was looking lovely from the garden. It wasn't having that much of water there due to dry season. If you are a nature lover then you could have a sit on a bench for a while to enjoy the moment. Also there is a nice path at the river side of the garden. You could have a stroll to enjoy your moment.

Dhai Ful (Woodfordia fruticosa)

Entry Fee:

It required 10 Taka per person to enter inside this botanical garden. We told them we were flower observer, and we had a nice welcome from them. They were also curious to know whether we had a great time there or not after our visit. We've thanked them for leaving.

White Leadwort (Plumbago zeylanica)

Opening and closing time:

I am not quite sure but this botanical garden remains open every day from 10am to 5pm. If not, at least it remains open during the weekend (Friday and Saturday).

Bread flower (Vallaris solanacea)

How to Go:

This is not that far from the main town of Mymensingh. Approximately 3 kilometre and takes around 15 minutes of ride using a rickshaw or battery driven vehicle. It is fro the south-east side from the city. Everyone knows about this place. So ask local people if you need help. GPS Coordinate is (24°43'27.9"N, 90°26'28.2"E) if you are good at navigating the map.

Indian clock vine (Thunbergia mysorensis).

Where to stay:

I didn't stay there after my visit. It took only 3-4 hours to return back to Dhaka using bus or train. We've used the train and returned back Dhaka before 12 midnight. If you leave Dhaka early in the morning then It is very much possible to make a day tour as we did.

A ground inside the botanical garden.

Where to eat:

The Biriyani of Press club canteen (Mymensingh) is famous. So don't forget to taste it before you leave. After exploring the botanical garden we've been there for the lunch. I recommend it to you.

Biriyani of Press club canteen, Mymensingh.

"Central Shaheed Minar" located outside the botanical garden.

A small water fountain having a waterlily at center.

A crowd-less walking path through deciduous plants beside the orchid sheds.

Inside the Orchid shed through the nets.

Another nice little walking path besdie the riverside of the botanical garden.

You can have a view of the River Brahammaputra from the botanic garden.

River Brahammaputra, once upon a time was a mighty river.

Another view of the river.

Another sculpture outside the Botanical garden that depicts the victory of the war 1971.

Botanical Garden,
Bangladesh Agricultural University,
District: Mymensingh,
Country: Bangladesh,
GPS Coordinate (24°43'27.9"N, 90°26'28.2"E).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Friday, 08 March 2013

Botanical garden of Kolkata, India

2019-10-27T14:03:00.001-07:00

This botanic garden is commonly known as Kolkata (or Calcutta) botanic garden (despite of not being located in Kolkata). Previously this magnificent botanic garden was known as Indian botanic garden, and also Royal botanic garden, Calcutta. The size of the garden is approximately 270 acres. This is located in Shibpur, Howrah (beside the famous river Hooghly). It was established in 1786 by Colonel Robert Kyd who was a British army officer. Recently, in 2009 this was renamed as Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden after the famous Indian scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose.

Under the great Banyan tree.

The Great Banyan tree:

Although the Kolkata botanic garden hosts numerous species of plants, but the main attraction is the huge Banyan tree (which is believed to be a 250 years of old). The circumference of the tree is approximately 330 meter. The main trunk of the plant diseased after a cyclone incident in 1925. But the plant living on other hundreds of trunks (which might be considered as a separate tree). More about that Banyan tree can be found in wikipedia.

Nice contrast of red fruit and green leafs.

Plants and Ponds:

There are numerous plants can be seen inside the botanic garden. Although most of them are not having any nameplates, which makes it hard to know about the plants. There are plenty of tall trees inside the garden which looks like a forest. You could walk through the provided paths and feel like walking through the forest. There are several ponds located inside the garden too. Was expecting to see more waterlilies and lotus flowers, but was dissatisfied after exploring. Mostly I saw the water hyacinth in the ponds. But it was lovely to see the water birds like Jacana or Waterhen hopping over those.

A Passion flower (Passiflora).

Nice place for birdwatchers:

Kolkata botanic garden is a nice place to watch for birds (if you are a bird lover). Having plenty of trees and also slightly isolated from the city crowd this place is a heaven for the birds. Although most of the birds are common garden birds. During my visit I've seen Kite, Jungle babbler, Black hooded oriole, Greater coucal, Yellow footed pigeon, Striated barbet, Waterhen, Bronzed winged jacana, etc. Apart from the birds and flowering plants this botanic garden has other species like squirrel, foxes, mongooses, and several different types of snakes.

Mouthwatering sour Tamarind hanging from the tree.

It is beside the famous river Hooghly:

The view from the River Hooghly would be a nice option. But for some interesting reason the authority put a barricade (or boundary) between the garden and the river. So it is really hard to see the beauty of the river. If you really want to see you have to look through the iron fence of the garden. There are also several sculptures and statues inside the garden. The famous Roxburgh monument is also inside there.

Probably one of the best places inside the Botanic garden where people take most of their photos.

Popular dating destination:

Kolkata botanic garden is a popular destination for the dating couples. You'd see plenty of them dating here and there inside the garden. The good thing is that they don't disturb anybody. While I was there it was raining heavily for more than an hour. So was sitting inside a shelter with other local people. It was a nice opportunity to talk to them listen from them.

A pond covered with small water hyacinths.

I've had a chance to visit the garden couple of times. One during September and another one during January. Didn't find that much difference other than different flowers were blooming. Another difference was the cold of wintery January and the rain of September.

A wild flower that bloomed in plenty of numbers.

How to Go:

Best option to go near the Kolkata botanical garden is using a taxi. Because it is not connected with a public transport which a tourist would use very easily. The nearest railway station nearby is the Shalimar station. But that is also not well connected with Kolkata main station. You can drive by your own if you have your own vehicle (or a hired one). GPS coordinate of the botanic garden is (22°33'29.1"N 88°17'31.6"E).

A Lemon scented and also lemon-like flower.

Opening and closing time:

Kolkata botanical garden is closed during Monday. And all other weekdays it remains open from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

A White Bottle brush flower.

Entry fee:

The entry fee for the Indian national is only 10 INR (plus you have to pay additionally for the camera). For the foreign national the fee is 100 INR.

Lemonia flower.

Where to stay

Booking.com

Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal. That's why you'd find plenty of high or low quality hotels around. And most of the hotels are available to book through online. I've stayed in a cheap hotel (probably named Hotel oriental, and rent was 1000 rupees). You can find list of hotels from Kolkata from this link. Just an FYI, not all hotels from Kolkata can accept foreign guest as they need to maintain some sort of minimum standard and formalities.

A colourful trumpet flower named Thunbergia erecta.

Things to ponder:

- This botanic garden is a no plastic zone. So don't drop anything inside.
- You are not allowed to carry your own food inside.
- This garden is so huge that you won't be able to cover everything in a single day by walking. Think about coming back again if you love botanical garden.

Don't know the name of this flower yet.

Portia flower (Thespesia populnea).

White Powder Puff (Calliandra haematocephala Alba).

Betel nut flower.

Duck's eye flower (Ardisia solanacea).

A small flower which name I don't know yet.

Fox tail flower (Acalypha hispida).

Shaving brush flower.

A Bronze winged jacana.

A juvenile Black hooded oriole.

A group of Jungle babbler.

This is known as Greater Coucal.

A Yellow footed pigeon.

Striated barbet.

A Five striped squirrel.

A lovely walking path through the Palm trees.

Another narrow road for walking.

This kind of narrow roads give a forest-like vibe.

Roxburgh monument inside Kolkata botanic garden.

Kyd memorial urn to commemorate Colonel Robert Kyd.

The famous river Hooghly flowing beside the Botanic garden.

A nice shaped tree. Visitors like to take a photo of this.

Not sure what are these growing underneath the tree.

A kind of palm fruit.

A dead tree inside the botanic garden.

Lot of couple use to come here for dating in a quiet place.

Flowers accumulated under the tree.

Not sure what kind of Palm fruit this is!

Saw this fruit before in Dhaka. But don't know the name yet.

Arum plant with colourful fruits.

A Mammoth Banyan tree inside the Botanical garden.

The Banyan tree grew so big that numerous trunks are rooted in ground.

Had a heavy rain for more than an hour. Was stuck inside a shed with other local people.

Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden,
Shibpur,
Howrah,
West Bengal,
Country: India,
GPS Coordinate (22°33'29.1"N 88°17'31.6"E).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Saturday, 19 sept 2015,
Friday, 15 January 2016

Princep Ghat in Kolkata, India

2019-09-29T14:47:00.002-07:00

Princep ghat is a nice location for afternoon and evening sitting which is located just beside the river Hooghly (almost beneath the Vidyasagar setu). The memorial was built during 1841 to commemorate the Anglo-Indian scholar named James Princep. During the weekend lot of people use to pay a visit this park. Also the couples prefer this landmark as a meeting place before spending some quality time together. The edifice is having Roman style and standing over beautiful columns. This place gives an opportunity to see the bridge from a close proximity.

Someone practicing orchestra?

When I was there during the middle of the day, a group of Army band were practicing the orchestra. They were playing several Bangla classic songs which were really nice to enjoy. There were benches to sit and I took one of those to enjoy the show. Not sure whether they do it on a regular basis or not. I believe they were practicing it for a bigger show somewhere.

Edifice of Princep ghat with Vidyasagar bridge at backdrop.

Activities you can do nearby:

There are couple of ghats near the place. You can spend few moments there to see the river activities in Hooghly. From small boats to large vessels use to pass through the river. Also you can hire boat from there to explore the river and see the Kolkata city from the river. Morning and around sunset are the best time to do the boat trip. Also it would be nice experience if you go there during night time as it looks different under colourful lights.

An orchestra was on going while I was visiting the place.

How to Go there:

Princep ghat is a landmark in Kolkata. You can ask any taxi driver to drop you there. The taxis are cheap in Kolkata compare to other western countries. It should be around 2-5 Euro from most of the hotels. If you are used to with the public transportation in Kolkata then you could use the train as the train station is nearby. Also several buses use to pass beside the place. The Kolkata metro line is slightly far from the place and shouldn't be a good option.

View of the Princep ghat edifice from behind.

Other places nearby:

There are several other iconic landmarks are very close from Princep ghat. The famous Eden gardens stadium is one of them (if you are a cricket fan). Maidan and the great Victoria memorial are other attractions within 30 minutes of walking distance. The Fort William is also nearby but don't know whether you could visit it publicly.

Princep ghat and the Vidyasagar bridge.

Where to stay

Booking.com

I was enjoying the orchestra for a brief period of time. They were performing lot of classic Bangla songs which gave me a goosebump.

Opening and entry fee

This place remains open 24 hours and doesn't require any entry fee. Although I am not sure about the security of the place during late night. Ask your hotel manager for advice if you wish to visit the place late night.

Nice sculpture of Elephants made of grass.

When I was there the sky was full with dark clouds and the rain was imminent. Also I wanted to visit the Botanical garden of Kolkata as well. So I had to leave early by leaving the orchestra show behind. The pictures were not very bright due to the dark weather. But you can see my photos of Princep ghat from below.

It was really a cloudy day. The dark sky was really daunting.

A band of Indian armies were performing the orchestra.

It looked like they were practicing for a bigger event.

These bagpipers were amazing on that day.

A bagpiper.

The Vidyasagar bridge over the river Hooghly (which is also known as Second Hooghly bridge).

There is a train station near the place.

Princep ghat,
Maidan,
Kolkata,
West Bengal,
Country: India,
GPS coordinate (22°33'18.8"N, 88°19'52.2"E).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Saturday, 19 September 2015

London eye, most popular tourist attraction

2019-09-15T12:29:00.003-07:00

London Eye is probably the most popular and busiest paid tourist destination in London. This is basically a cantilevered observation wheel having a diameter of 120 meter and a height of 135 meter. Till now it is Europe's tallest wheel (and one of the tallest in the world). This wheel takes around 30 minutes to make a full rotation. The peek of the wheel facilitates one of the highest public viewing points over the London city. This attraction was completed in the year 2000. In current days it attracts approximately 3.75 millions of visitors yearly. More info about the London eye can be found in wikipedia and the official website.

London Eye and the River Thames. Photo taken from the Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges.

Opening and closing time:

London eye remains open from 11am to 6pm during the weekdays. During weekend it opens for public from 10am to 8:30pm. Since this is a very busy tourist place, it is advised to book your visiting well before arrival to avoid delays (better to buy it online). There is a very long queue at the ticket counters. Also there is another long queue before riding in a capsule of the London Eye. Those queues can cost you 1-2 hours during weekdays, and during weekends even more. Also when you buy ticket from the counter they would give you the time 1-2 hours from that time.

A picturesque view of the London Eye taken from the Westminster Bridge.

Entry fee for London Eye:

A standard ticket for London Eye is £30 (if you buy online then 10% cheaper). If you want to beat the crowd (or in a hurry) then you can go for the Fast track with another extra £10 (which is £40). There are options like buying ticket with other attractions and that gives you to save few more pounds. For example from London explorer pass you can buy ticket for 3, 5, or 7 attractions for £64, £94, £114 respectively. This could be a saving option when you plan to visit more attractions.

London Eye with the edifices of Queen's walk road.

Where is London Eye:

London Eye located at the southern part of the London, just beside the river Thames. This is itself a landmark in London. You'd probably be able to see it from the far. Embankment, Waterloo, and Westminster are the closest tube stations near London eye.

View of London eye over the boat terminal.

How to Go:

This is how it looks from the side, like a thin line.

Viewing London Eye from Thames:

Not sure it would make any difference to observe from the middle of the river Thames. Cause you could easily observe it from the other side of the river. But still people fancy a boat cruise over Thames near the London eye. The Westminster pier is having stoppage for the Thames boat cruise. You can take your ride and have your boat passes beside the London eye. You can buy the London Eye and River Cruise option together to save money.

When we were very close to the London Eye.

Where to eat:

Now you are hungry after waiting in queue and your visit of London Eye. There are quite a few restaurants around the place. I've seen plenty of them beside the York Road which is beside the Waterloo station. I've found a nice Indian restaurant named Zabardast that serves delicious wraps. Although it was named after Indian but they were speaking in Bangla (my mother language), so I believe that was a Bangladeshi restaurant.

A tasty wrap from the Zabardast restaurant near the London eye.

Where to stay:

Hotels in London.

London is a mega city with tons of tourist attractions. The city itself has a tourist value for its history and antiquity. There are thousands of accommodation option in London for different classes of tourists (from budget to expensive). I booked a cheap hotel near the Paddington station through booking.com. It was around £45 for a night.

This is the capsule where tourists sit and enjoy the bird's eye view of the London.

Other attractions nearby:

Shrek's adventure, London Dungeon, SEA Life centre London Aquarium, etc are the closest attraction to the London Eye. The Thames cruise could be another attraction too to explore the London through river. On the other side of the river you could have a visit at the Westminster abbey.

View of some remarkable architectures (including the House of Lords) beside the river Thames.

How we've visited:

We've gone to London Eye after exploring the famous Madame Tussauds wax museum. We had the London explorer pass, so had to convert it to a ticket from the ticket counter. The queue was long and had to wait there for more than 30 minutes. And when they gave us the ticket it was 2 hours from that time. So in the meantime we were visiting the Sea Life Aquarium nearby (to make sure we were not wasting our time). When we came back from there we had to wait for another 30 minutes in queue to hop on to the capsule of London Eye. The wheel rotates so slowly that it allows passengers to ride very easily. We saw the wheel stopped for the people with disabilities, and also for the senior citizens

Another picturesque view from the top.

Each of the capsule is capable taking around 25 people in it. Inside it has a sitting arrangement as well. Tourists can move inside the capsule if they want. Initially everyone was standing at the edge of the capsule to enjoy the beauty of the London city from a bird's eye view. But slowly people got tired and half of them moved to the bench for a rest. From the top the London city looked very beautiful. When you are at sky level it looks totally different than the ground level. And you could able to see far away from the top as well.

Everything was looking very beautiful as the weather was very bright and sunny.

There were people from different countries and languages in our capsule. But we hardly spoke with each other. Only few eye contacts and smile exchanges between us. Or on few occasions helping each other by taking photos. But when we left the place we moved into different directions. But their photos remains with us (in backdrop when we took ours). We'll see their pictures in those photos whenever we open the old albums. But in reality we'll not see them again. Even we see them again we'll not recognise their faces. And this is the reality.

Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges.

Suggestions for different activities:

I didn't get a chance to do those but it could be a good idea for you. If you go there during winter and ride on the wheel during the sunset. It might look different from up there over the skyscrapers. Also in winter it will help you to see the place during night. Hopefully with colourful lights reflecting over Thames would make it more scenic.

Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges.

Jubilee Gardens as viewed from the London Eye.

A boat carrying the tourists for Thames cruising.

A tourist full of capsule from London Eye.

River Thames from the top of the sky.

London Eye,
London,
Country: England,
GPS coordinate (51°30'11.8"N, 0°07'10.0"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Monday, 24 September 2018

Explore Kilmacurragh Botanic Gardens

2019-09-08T15:02:00.002-07:00

There is a nice little botanical garden located in Wiclow which is known as Kilmacurragh Botanic Gardens. This botanic garden is a satellite arboretum of the main Botanic garden in Dublin. As the soil condition is different from the main one, hence it helps to grow different kind of plants. The area of the garden is around 52 acres and was founded in 1712. More about this botanic garden can be found in wikipedia.

A Rhododendron tree with its accumulated petals underneath.

Being slightly away from the city crowd, having nice little parking space, and lastly free entry make this Kilmacurragh botanic garden a popular weekend destination for the families and visitors. The garden provides a vast area for walking and exploring. This garden is abundant with plenty of Conifers and Rhododendron plants. During the blooming season lot of tourists use to gather here. There are numerous colored Rhododendron you'd see here. But the pink one outnumbers the other colors.

A nice walking path through greens and tall trees.

There are couple of streams flowing inside the botanic garden. And a little pond located at the center of the garden as well. There are few taller trees inside the garden (although I was expecting more). There are few free maps found in front of the office. Also a free guided tour available during the summer time.

A nice little pond inside the botanic garden.

How to go:

Best option is to go there using a car through M50. There is a free parking available inside the Botanic garden. But during the weekend those gets filled pretty quickly. From Dublin it takes around 50 minutes. GPS coordinate of the Kilmacurragh Botanic Gardens is (52°55'44.7"N, 6°08'55.2"W).

The trees have given this path an archway shape.

Where to eat:

There is a nice little cafeteria located inside the botanic garden which is opened recently. This busy little cafeteria should be sufficient to serve you little snacks, coffee, and drinks.

This place was one of the best places indie the Kilmacurragh botanic garden.

Where to stay:

As it is very close from Dublin that's why it is suggested to stay in Dublin. Dublin has a range of hotels and accommodation for various budgeted travellers.

Rhododendron petals under the plant.

A private field outside the garden where a farmer was working with his machineries.

Another walking option inside the botanic garden.

A tall tree inside the botanic garden.

Don't know the name of the tree, but liked the color and texture of it.

A nice little stream is flowing inside the garden.

A pink Rhododendron tree beside the little pond.

This stream is falling into the pond.

Red Rhododendron plants with bloom.

A nice bed of Bluebell flowers.

A Horse chestnut flower.

A lovely little flower whose name still unknown to me.

A very tall Rhododendron tree, probably an old one.

A plant fully covered with pink Rhododendron flowers.

A cream of pale colored Rhododendron flower.

Another pink bloom, but different shaped flower.

A violet colored Rhododendron plant.

A lovely white Rhododendron.

White Rhododendron's close shot.

Kilmacurragh Botanic Gardens,
Kilmacurragh,
County: Wicklow,
Country: Ireland,
GPS coordinate (52°55'44.7"N, 6°08'55.2"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Sunday, 05 May 2019

Short day trip to Devil's Glen Waterfall

2019-09-05T15:49:00.003-07:00

Devil's Glen waterfall is located in wicklow, Ireland. Usually an hour or less driving from Dublin. This place is an ideal one to have a day trip (even with a family). It has a small car park. From there the trail to the waterfall is an easy one. The roads are pretty wide and safe. Unlike other places in Wicklow this forest near Devil's Glen is having taller trees. Even during a brightest day sometimes the sun finds it hard to reach the soil. So if you are bored with looking at treeless wicklow mountain then this place is for you. You could do trekking to go to waterfall, be around the forest, and plenty more funs. GPS Coordinate is (53°01'24.7"N, 6°08'34.4"W).

This road through the forest takes you to the car park.

This Devil's Glen waterfall is created because of the river Varty as it falls from the upper slope to another one. The Varty Reservoir is not that far from the waterfall from where the water is coming. After the waterfall the river Varty falls into the Broad Lough, and then falls into the Irish ocean. Anyway, there are basically two parking spots for this place. One is at the entrance of the forest (just before the barrier). It is 24 hours open, but only few cars can be parked there. The other one is 30 minutes of walking distance from this parking spot. That one is open till 5:00pm.

Trekking starts after the car park through this wide path.

Initially we've arrived there at Saturday, the day before. But saw the parking use to be closed by 5:00pm. So we returned back and went there in Sunday. But still we were slightly late. So decided to park at the entrance of the forest. And started our trekking a bit early. The road condition is not that much good for the car though (grapes are sour). It was through the tall trees. The walking was sometimes strenuous as it as having ups and downs. Once we've reached the car park it had only few cars left (as most of them already have finished their fun). Probably we were the last for the day.

From the second car park there are several options for the visitors to walk in different routes. Not all of them will take you to the Devil's Glen waterfall. If you want to see the waterfall then pick your trail carefully (it is the red path so far I remember). So we started walking through nicely organised path. The trekking didn't have too many difficult ups and downs. We saw one family was returning from their trekking and the guy was carrying his young fella on is shoulder.

The path is not that much difficult and anybody can participate in it.

The trek was mostly at the edge of the small cliff (well protected). The other side of the valley is a tree full of mountain which is uncommon in Ireland. Those trees were green during my visit, but I can assure you those will be colourful during autumn. It started drizzling as soon as we've started the trekking. But when we've reached near the waterfall it was raining. And that rain didn't stop for the rest of the day.

Trees on the lap of mountain. This view is not very common in Ireland.

We didn't spend much time near the Devil's Glen waterfall as it was darker (despite of summer) due to the rain and the forest. It is a small water fall, and a narrow one. The waterfall is mostly the river Varty. But a narrow water stream joins beside the waterfall (from right side). Probably during a heavy rainy day we could see that flowing into the waterfall.

A mini tunnel through which the trekking path goes.

During returning from the waterfall we've chosen a different route. That was was beside the river Varty. I've picked the route to see the river for more. Also wanted to walk beside a river. The road was narrower. Also as it was low, in lot of places it was muddy due to the rainfall. Also the road was much meandered and at the finishing part it needed an uphill walk. Would have been a wise decision if we did the other way for the route selection.

While we returned we took the path at below.

After returning to the inner parking place we needed to walk another 30 minutes to reach at the outer parking space where we've parked our car. The rain was much heavy at that point and the road was having water in many places. Our shoes were dirty and muddy after that walking. When we've reached near the car we were the only one left there. After changing the wet cloths we returned back home by driving through the wicklow mountain in rain.

Rain drops are falling in river Varty.

Parking facility

For the Devil's Glen waterfall and forest trekking it has two parking options. One is at the entrance of the forest which remains open 24 hours. It can hold around 5-6 cars. The other one is inside the boundary and closes at 5:00pm. This one can keep around 20 cars. Both the parking facilities are free to use.

Rest of the trek was beside the river Varty.

Where to eat

There is no restaurants or groceries nearby. The closest option nearby is the Ashford village. So better to have your water bottle filled before you start walking.

River Varty has larger stones in it.

Where to stay

Devil's Glen is a wonderful option to make a day trip from Dublin. So if you need to stay then stay in Dublin city as it has plenty of options for different budgets. If you want to stay in outside of a city then look for the B&Bs near the Glendalough. But those usually gets filled pretty quickly.

The basin beneath the waterfall.

Flow of the Devil's Glen waterfall.

First glimpse of the Devil's Glen waterfall.

Devil's Glen waterfall.

A shallow basin beneath the waterfall.

Water is flowing further from the basin.

It was getting darker and started raining after that.

We took another path to return back but it was narrow and muddy.

The surrounding was really green despite of a gloomy weather.

One example of the muddy path during our trekking.

Sometimes the path was slightly low because of the branches.

Most of the paths of this alternate rough was beside the river Varty.

A nice view of river Varty.

It was near the bend of the river and the shape of the area looked like a beach.

A lovely flower seen during our trekking. Not an uncommon one though.

Another colourful flower from the forest. Named as Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris).

The forest has several sculptures scattered around. This is one of those.

Devil's Glen waterfall, wicklow, Ireland.

Devil's Glen Waterfall,
County: Wicklow,
Ireland,
GPS Coordinate of Car Park(53°01'24.7"N, 6°08'34.4"W).
GPS Coordinate of waterfall (53°01'43.2"N, 6°10'03.1"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Sunday, 21 July 2019

Rhododendron blooming in Wicklow botanic garden

2019-08-21T14:05:00.002-07:00

While surfing in Pinterest randomly, a picture caught attention of mine. It was a road covered with pink petals from the flower, like a flower bed. More surprisingly it mentioned that the photo was taken in Ireland. I didn't believe that at first, thought it would be a fake one. Then curiously started looking for it and found the photo was taken from the Kilmacurragh botanic gardens (also known as Wicklow botanic garden). This place is just an hour of drive from Dublin through the M50.

I started reading all the articles regarding this Rhododendron blooming and found that the best time to see this at the first two weeks of May. And since then I had been waiting for this. It was a very nice and sunny Sunday (5th of May) which we've picked for the visit. Although an early morning visit is always advised, but being lazy we've arrived there in afternoon. Being a nice weather and weekend the area was totally packed. The small car parking space was overwhelmed and people started parking over the grasses.

The small boulevard that is pink in colour due to Rhododendron is behind the car park. Rhododendron flowers are slightly harder that's why the last for another couple of days even after falling from the tree. And collectively the flowers from several day's make the area beneath the tree pinkish. Most of the people who went there were busy at the other part of the garden (as they were with their kids). So the area was less crowded. And if anyone wait there for a while they would get a people less image of their desire.

We've spent more than an hour around those fallen Rhododendron petals. We've taken tons of pictures and selfies. It was a nice romantic place and we spent few moments by sitting under the trees. There are some trees which are slightly outside from the road. No one usually pays a visit there. That's why the area was having nice green grasses and those grasses created a nice contrast with the pink flowers. Should be a nice opportunity for the professional photographers.

Apart from the pink Rhododendron the garden has several other coloured Rhododendron as well. But their numbers are not in plenty. As well they couldn't accumulate too many flowers underneath like the ones are at roadside. Before leaving the botanic garden we've explore the other part of the garden. Hopefully next year same time we'll come back to this place again.

Rhododendron in Wicklow Botanic Garden,
Kilmacurragh,
County: Wicklow,
Country: Ireland,
GPS Coordinate (52°55'43.4"N, 6°08'56.7"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Sunday, 05 May 2019

A small waterfall named Poulanass in Glendalough

2019-08-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

Poulanass Waterfall is located just beside the Glendalough lake. If anyone wants to climb on top of the hill beside the lake then the waterfall would be on the left side of the trail. Possibly less than five minutes of slight upward walking from where the trail starts. Unlike any other waterfalls in Ireland this Poulanass waterfall doesn't discharge brown coloured of water. Rather it is teal green and clear water. The basin beneath the waterfall is a very clean and the water reflects the trees on it. Not sure why the water colour of this waterfall is different, but it made this little waterfall a unique one. This tinny waterfall is having several droppings which give it a shape of a cascade. GPS Coordinate of this Poulanass waterfall is (53°00'12.2"N, 6°20'43.2"W).

A clear water basin beneath the Poulanass waterfall, which is rare in Ireland.

How to go:

There are several ways to go Glendalough. Through M50 is the fastest option. But my favourite one is through the scenic Wicklow mountains and sally gap. Although it takes longer through there but I always enjoy the driving there. Another option is through the N81 and then through the Blessington lake and Wicklow gap.

Although you can stand on the large stones here, but it doesn't give you the best view of the waterfall.

Parking facility:

It has a pretty big parking space at both upper and the lower lake. During the weekend they are very busy and you may need to wait in queue until a space become vacant. So early arriving is always recommended. Parking fee is around 4 euro. During the summer the parking closing time is till 10pm in the evening. Not sure about the winter time, should be very early I assume.

The waterfall is flowing through the rocks.

Where to stay:

We didn't need to stay there as we live in Dublin and the place is perfect for day trip. You can do so if you want to live in a less expensive hotel option in Dublin. Glendalough has a plenty of accommodation option as it is a very popular tourist destination. If you have a plan to stay there more than a day then you could look for those options. An early booking is always recommended during the weekends as they fill-up very quickly.

Booking.com

Where to eat:

There are foodcourts beside both the parking spaces where you can have your lunch or snacks. They provide food for reasonable price. During the sunny weekend you have to stand in a queue to order for the food. While we were waiting in the queue for ice cream, the machine ran out for a while until it freezes a new batch.

I made this small video after my visit.

Another view of the small portion of waterfall with the basin.

Not sure whether these trees beside the stream get colour in autumn.

You would be walking beside this stream while reaching near to the waterfall.

This is the point from where we got the first glimpse of the Poulanass waterfall.

Shot of the lovely Poulanass waterfall for my Pinterest.

Poulanass Waterfall,
GLendalough,
County: Wicklow,
Ireland,
GPS Coordinate (53°00'12.2"N, 6°20'43.2"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Sunday, 12 May 2019

Assaranca Waterfall in Ireland

2019-08-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

Assaranca Waterfall (also known as Eas a' Ranca) is located just only 15 minutes of drive from the Ardara of Donegal. The name came from the Gaelic word Eas which means waterfall. It is very easy to access as it is located just beside the road. The waterfall is attractive regardless the season in Ireland as it gives an opportunity to take some picturesque photo. It falls into the ocean by flowing beside the nearby Maghera beach.

I don't know the exact height of the waterfall. But it has a couple of steps which are visible from the front side. And they looked like two waterfalls joined together, one above another. The dropping created a small shallow pool beneath the waterfall. The source of the Assaranca waterfall is not far, probably a 10/15 kilometers from there. That's why usually it doesn't have that much flow. But if you visit the waterfall after a continuous rain of two days then it would be a ferocious one.

About our visit

Due to the August Bank holiday it was packed in Donegal. All the affordable and good quality accommodations were booked out for Saturday. So we've gone for the Sunday option and found a nice comfortable B&B at the very last moment, and it was in Bundoran. After a quick check-in we've headed for this Assaranca waterfall. It took a drive around an hour and 15 minutes through Ardara town. The weather wasn't good despite of having a very sunny morning. It had been raining continuously since then. There was only another car in the parking area near the waterfall. We couldn't stay outside for longer due to the rain. Also some small flying insects were biting us. So after exploring the area and the waterfall we've enjoyed rest from sitting inside the car.

This photo was taken from the bridge nearby.

What else is nearby?

The nice Maghera beach is near from the place. Probably a few minutes of driving. During a lovely day that beach is an amazing place to explore. The beach has a cave near it which is known as Maghera cave (which is only accessible during the low tide time). There is a paid car park near the beach which you can use during your visit. It it very nice to have some kind of parking instead of parking in a road. By the way, we couldn't visit the cave and the beach as the weather was very gloomy and rainy. But I have a plan to go there again.

Also there is a nice drive through the picturesque valley beside the Owenwee river after the beach. It is a bit narrow and slightly steep road. But the scenic beauty is magnificent.

Sitting inside the car and enjoying the waterfall in rain.

Assaranca waterfall,
Ardara,
County: Donegal,
Ireland.
GPS Coordinate (54°45'30.5"N, 8°30'51.6"W).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Sunday, 04 August 2019

Rare Snowfall in Dublin

2019-03-17T18:08:00.002-07:00

Ireland is known for its mysterious weather. Everyday you'd hear about talkings related to weather. The weather is cold and wet mostly. During a given day it could be sunny, rainy, and cold all together. Despite of having such a mercurial behavior Ireland hardly experience snowfall (except in high mountains). Even if it snows (once a year) it is only for a couple of minutes. And those also disappear as soon as hit the ground. That's why people eagerly wait when the Met Eireann forecasts for any snow.

In 28 February, 2018 Dublin was hit by a series of snow spells due to the cold wave named Beast from the East. First time the Dublin was all white for three days. All the schools were closed. Most of the offices urged employees to do work from home where possible. Traffics were very limited in roads. The Dublin airport was crowded by the passengers after their flights were canceled. Most of the chain shops were ran out of breads and foods due to shortage of supply.

Walking around Grand canal dock.

Despite of all sorts of happening people didn't forget to enjoy the heavy snowfall (such happened after a decade probably). Building snowman and the Olaf was very common in front of the houses and parks. People used the sleigh to add more fun. Adventurous people went for sliding from the hilltop.

You'd see plenty of swan, mallard, and moorhen around Grand canal.

We've had several walks and strolling around the nearby parks from our house. We've enjoyed the snowfall very much as we've never seen white surroundings before. Despite of very cold weather (sometimes blizzard condition) we've enjoyed the snowfall in Dublin. Every night we've been standing at our window and watched the snowfall. As we were not good at driving that time we were curious to watch how other people driving in snowy road.

Richmond Barracks cemetery covered by snow.

Second spell of the snow happened again 18 March 2018, which is a couple of weeks after the first one. Second time it lasted for only a day. It was totally unexpected snowfall. This time the excitement was not that much, but we've still managed to walk around the parks again. And obviously throwing snowballs.

An open ground near our house. Richmond Barrack is at the other side of the field.

I've always wanted to see snowfall and white. That's why I had a plan to visit France or similar nearby countries where I could see the snow. But I think I could delay that plan as I've already seen that in Dublin.

Mary Immaculate Church during snow.

Never visited the church during before, but thought to explore for a bit.

Mary Immaculate Church during snow.

We had a walking around the Grattan Crescent Park during the snow.

The trees from the park looked eerie before the evening.

Had few running and jumping around here, and also few snow ball throwing.

Camac river that flows beside our house.

View of the Camac river from the Grattan Crescent Park.

River Camac again.

Didn't forget to walk around the War Memorial Garden during a snowy day.

A field of snow inside the Memorial garden.

River Liffey is just flowing beside the garden.

Again the trees covered in snow.

Far sight small trees are cherry.

Walking beside the Liffey river.

An Irish railway line is covered with snow.

Our parking area is also covered with snow.

A sitting arrangement inside the apartment complex.

View of the roads during snowy night from my house.

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Wednesday 28 February 2018 to Friday 02 March 2018
Sunday 18 March 2018

Walking around White cliffs of Dover

2019-03-03T14:57:00.000-08:00

White cliffs of Dover is located in Dover of Kent, England. Dover has cliffs at the both sides of the town. But the eastern side one is most beautiful and maximum tourists visit there. This beautiful cliff is situated beside the English channel. The highest peak of the cliff is approximately 350 feet. From the cliff area UK has the narrowest distance with the rest of the European continental land. This chalk cliff attracts plenty of local and international visitors in Dover each year. Also tourists who stay in Dover to catch the ferry for France also pay a visit here. Recently (in 2016) a huge portion of the Dover cliff was purchased by the National trust. They have a visitor center at the entrance of the Dover cliffs area (with parking option).

Amazing landscape with the Cliffs of Dover.

We've reached in Dover from Eastbourne.

After having two wonderful days in Eastbourne we've reached at Dover for another almost two days tour. Our first mission was to explore the White cliffs of Dover which is very close from the city. We've reached there on time (after nearly 3 hours of journey from Eastbourne). Had an early checkin in our B&B. Everything was set for us, but the rain god had something else in their mind. Since the morning it had been raining cats and dogs. Around everywhere it was wet. During the afternoon the rain has eased for a while. So we've decided to explore the white chalk cliff.

View of the white chalk cliffs.

Started walking through the city.

There may be (0.01% chance) a public bus service from the city to the White cliffs, but I didn't find any. So had to walk for around 40-50 minutes to reach near at the visitor center of White cliffs of Dover. The walking wasn't that much nice as we have chosen the path beside the Dover jetty (also it was a highway kind of road). In fact after walking for a while we were thinking whether we've been walking towards the right direction or not. Although during the walking we've seen the white rocks over the house beside the road. Those rocks belongs to the Dover castle. We were able to see the castle's tunnel's window in wall.

The ropes at the cliff suggests that adventurous climbers do climbing here.

Roads were slippery in Dover.

The path was very much slippery and sticky when we've started walking from the visitor center of the Dover cliff. It was because of the white clay got soaked by the rain water. And quite a number of tourists had walked over those as well. Our shoes got heavy very quickly. We had to find some clean grass field around the path and needed to wipe out those muds.

The edge of the cliffs are unguarded, so you have to take care about it.

Walking around the Dover cliffs.

The scenic beauty of the cliff walking path was really nice. There are several paths to chose for the hikers. We've chosen the one that is beside the cliff. It helped us to see the ocean water, white cliffs, and the landscape around. The path is an easy one. Doesn't require that much of preparation. And also it doesn't have too much ups and downs. There is a stairway at the edge of the Dover cliff at one point. You could use that to reach at the bottom of the cliff where ocean meets the cliff wall. It was kind of a zigzag path. We didn't have that much time, also the path was slippery. That's why we've refrained ourselves from going down. Instead we've watched other people going down or coming back.

This is the path from where we've started our cliff walking.

During the cliff walking you would be able to see the Dover jetty most of the time. The famous Dover castle is viewable most of the time during your trekking. There are frequent ferries running between France and England. You'd see plenty of them during your Dover cliff walking. Adventurous people do the cliff hanging too. You'd see plenty of marks in stone at the cliff wall from those people.

There were several layers of path initially. We were at the middle one and was able to see people from the bottom layer.

Light blue water due to rain.

We've always cursed the rain for making the thing difficult for us. But for one thing it could get some appreciation. The rain water dripping from the cliffs wall turned the nearby ocean water a lovely sky blue color. It was amazing to see them. It appeared like the water from some tropical country. That kind of colorful water you could see in the clay lakes as well.

From the Dover cliff you could have a partial view of the Dover Castle like this one.

Several selection of paths for walk.

Most of the tourists do the cliff walking till the South Foreland Lighthouse. Even a lot of tourists do the cliff walking till the village St Margaret's Bay and return from there using public vehicle (if any). For our case we didn't have that much time as the day was about to set an end for another day. That's why we only could have reached towards the lighthouse. So we returned back from a point from where the lighthouse was clearly visible. Probably another 10 minutes of walking could lead us to there.

Jetty of Dover. Ferry's between France and England use to depart and arrive at here.

How to Go to Cliff of Dover:

Public transportation in England is really high in standard. Using a train it is possible to reach Dover from anywhere in UK. But in Dover the public transportation is not that much convenient for the tourists as it is a very small town. The public bus doesn't go all the way to the visitor center. You could hire a taxi to go there. As well can do a walk on the road beside Dover jetty. It takes around 30-35 minutes to reach at the visitor center from the city center.

View of the Dover cliff with the jetty.

Where to Stay in Dover:

Booking.com

Another nice landscape of Dover cliff.

Where to Eat:

Once again, there are plenty of restaurants for the visitors. If you walk around the street of the city center you'd see plenty of them either side of the road. As we love to eat Indian dishes that's why we've picked White Cliffs Tandoori restaurant. Later on we found that it was a Bangladeshi restaurant and was nice to talk to them. Being their country fellow they've treated us nicely as well.

A portion of our food from the dinner in Dover.

What else is nearby:

The historical Dover Castle is very near from the cliff. It is possible to go for a cliff walking before or after visiting the castle. For our case we've visited the castle at the next day. And the weather forecast for next day wasn't very nice for us.

You can see the walking trails in greens.

Things to ponder:

You could use the English railway service for a cheap price if you could plan your trip early and accurately. So far I remember the ticket price is very cheap if you buy it 24 hours early. Which is really great and we were able to save around 35 pound for one journey.

Looks like the jetty didn't want to leave us. Even from far we could able to see the jetty.

Closer look to the cliff wall.

There is a zigzag stair which allows visitors to reach at the bottom of the cliff.

Due to the rain the white chalks from the cliff wall dripping into the ocean.

At some places those chalk gave the water a nice blue color.

It was a nice pleasant afternoon, and ideal for sitting beside the cliff.

These cliffs look fragile, but they are not.

Surrounding area near the Dover cliff is equally amazing.

I found this portion of the cliff was most amazing due to its bright white color and structure.

There is a mini path available between the cliff where you could go carefully.

I've gone this far, took this photo and returned back.

Look how white are the cliff walls here.

Another magnificent view from the Dover cliff.

Picturesque landscape view beside the Dover cliff.

A ferry has sailed for France. You would be able to see several ferries during your visit.

It was during low tide, that's why the black stones beneath the cliffs are visible.

Despite of rain and drizzle quite a few tourists were doing cliff walking there.

The Dover cliff walking has several ups and downs, but not difficult to walk.

After the walking we've reached almost near to the beginning.

The road beside this fence was slippery due to rain.

During returning we've used the path from the bottom layer to have different taste.

There are several paths beside the cliff. You can pick any of those based on your taste.

The farms and fields near the cliff were very green due to rain.

Looking towards the English channel through a valley like place.

Another nice view, and a ferry is approaching towards the jetty.

In some places the grasses were brown in color, which were beautiful too.

The window in the cliff wall are the window from the underground tunnel of Dover castle.

This portion of the cliff are at the edge of the city.

Colorful water due to rain dripping from the chalk cliff.

White cliffs of Dover,
District: Dover,
County: Kent,
Country: England,
GPS Coordinate (51.132007, 1.339511).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Saturday, 22 September 2018

St. Paul's Cathedral - Kolkata

2018-11-30T15:42:00.004-08:00

St. Paul's Cathedral is located at the heart of Kolkata town, India. This Gothic style cathedral was initially built in 1847. But later it suffered by the notorious earthquake of 1897 and again in 1934. After that it was renovated using a revised design. This is the first cathedral built in an overseas territory of British empire. This magnificent edifice is located at the Cathedral road of Kolkata where the other attractions such as Maidan, Victoria Memorial, Tara mandal (Planetarium), etc are nearby.

View of the Cathedral from the backside.

About my visit

After visiting the Botanic Garden of Kolkata I've had few hours from the day remaining. The taxi driver has dropped me near the St. Paul's Cathedral as I wanted to visit this place. I've visited several churches and cathedral before, but this one was totally unique compare to all. The Indo-Gothic style of the church would attract anyone who loves architectural design. It didn't take me too long to explore the area. This cathedral is open for everyone to do prayer and visiting.

View of the Cathedral during the entrance.

Opening time and entry fee

The church remains open from Monday to Saturday (9:00am - 12:00pm). And in Sunday it remains open from 7:30am to 6:00pm. Fortunately this place doesn't require any entry fee from the visitors.

Few Roman style at the front side.

How to go

This St Paul's Cathedral is near from the metro line of Kolkata. If you are not used to with Indian public transportation then this service is an option for you. Rabindra Sadan or the Maidan metro stoppage is near from this church. Ask anyone to show you direction if you need help. You could also use the taxis as they are cheap in Kolkata compare to western currency. GPS Coordinate of the church is (22°32'39.0"N, 88°20'47.3"E).

This small clocktower is atop of the St Paul's Cathedral.

Where to stay in Kolkata:

Booking.com

A nice floral design in the wall of Cathedral.

Other places nearby

St Paul's Cathedral is surrounded by plenty of attractions from Kolkata. Those such places are Victoria Memorial, Maidan, Birla Planetarium, Indian museum, etc. All those places are possible to visit in a single day.

One of the many corners atop of the building. Not sure what are the called.

Closer look to the clocktower of St. Paul's Cathedral.

Frontal view of the Cathedral from a corner.

View of the Cathedral from backside again.

This corridor is located at the backside of the Cathedral.

Mini square in front of the St Paul's Cathedral.

St. Paul's Cathedral,
Cathedral Road,
Kolkata,
West Bengal,
Country: India,
GPS Coordinate (22°32'39.0"N, 88°20'47.3"E).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Thursday, 15 January 2015

Top 9 tourists attractions from Kushtia

2018-11-25T15:10:00.002-08:00

Kushtia is a district from the western part of Bangladesh, which is now under the administration of Khulna division. This district is located beside the river Padma, and another major river Gorai. This district offers several tourist activities which are related to nature, history, and archaeology. Handloom weaved Gamchha are one of the best from this district. After your visit you could have few of those as a souvenir. The accent of the people from Kushtia is sweet sounding (also clearer than any other part of Bangladesh) as it was once part of Nadia district during British era. Kushtia is known for giving birth to the famous people such as Lalon fakir, Mir Mosharraf Hossain, Bagha Jatin, and many more. I had a chance to visit this nice district once, and below are the list of tourists attractions based on my visit of that time.

1. Shelaidaha Kuthi Bari

Possibly the Kuthibari in Kumarkhali is one of the top tourist attractions from Kushtia district. You could visit the place during any time of the year. But it would be best to visit during the 25th Baishakh of Bangla calendar (8th of May). That particular day is the birthday of the poet Rabindranath Tagore, and the local authority uses to arrange a large village fair there. It is one of the largest village fairs in Bangladesh. Read more about from Shelaidaha Kuthi Bari.

2. The shrine of Lalon fakir

Lalon Fakir is probably the best philosopher Bangladesh ever had. He was born in Kushtia district and the shrine (or majar) is another top tourist attractions from Kushtia district. He is revered for his songs which are related to life and sprit. Everyday lot of fans of him use to visit this shrine. Best time to visit during the Dol purnima of the 11th month of Bangla calendar (which is usually between February-March). Read more about from The shrine of Lalon fakir.

3. A Mughal style mosque in Jhaudia

Jhaudia Shahi mosque is a Mughal style small mosque located in Kushtia district which worths a visit. It is not that much popular amongst the tourists who visit Kushtia. But if you are a fan of Mughal architecture and history then this mosque is for you. It takes about an hour to reach near the mosque using a public transportation. Read more about Jhaudia Shahi Mosque.

4. Explore Jugia Tati Para

This is kind of a different activity in Kushtia. It is related to be close to the local people in Kushtia who live on weaving cloths using handlooms. This Jugia village is near from the Kushtia town and takes around half an hour to go there by vehicle like rickshaw. During your visit you could see how they are doing the weaving, how their life is, and many more. If you are a fan of of-road tourists activities then this is the activity for you. Read more about the Jugia Tati Para.

5. Tagore lodge in the town

Tagore lodge is a small building located in Millpara of Kushtia town. It is a duplex building that was used by the poet Rabindranath Tagore. It takes approximately 10 minutes to explore this area. Being close to the town this historical place worths a visit. Read more about the Tagore lodge.

6. Giant river Padma from Kushaita

I don't know about other tourists, but I like rivers. I like to sit beside a river and watch it, like to swim in it. River Padma is one of the greatest rivers from world (if we consider the source). This river flows through several districts in Bangladesh. I've visited the river from several part of Bangladesh. That's why didn't want to miss the opportunity to see it from Kushtia district. Put this in your things to do in Kushtia district. Read more about the River Padma.

7. Gorai river beside the town

River Gorai is an interesting river from Kushtia. Later on it is known as Madhumati in other part of Bangladesh. I've observed a sunrise over the river Gorai. Though it was not brilliant as my location choice wasn't perfect. But you could do it perfectly if you want. During the summer the river uses to have very little amount of water. But during the rainy season Gorai is a mighty one. Once again if you are a fan of river then this is for you. Read more about the Gorai river.

8. A Christian Cemetery in town

This Christian cemetery is located at the heart of the Kushtia town. This is not actually a tourists spot. But if you love to visit the cemetery and you have permission to enter the premise then don't miss the chance to visit this place. Read more about from the article A Christian Cemetery.

9. Chapaigachhi Beel for nature lovers

This is a place related to natural beauty in Kushtia. This waterbody is formed from the inflowing three rivers and two canals. I've visited the place during summer which was not a good choice. During the rainy season you'd see plenty of water in it. And during winter you'd expect to see migratory birds (not too many in numbers though). Read more about from the Chapaigachhi Beel.

How to go to Kushtia

There are several buses services available which come to Kushtia from Dhaka. Such bus services are SB Super Deluxe, Shyamoli Paribahan, etc. Usually it takes around 4-5 hours overnight journey. All the buses leave from Gabtoli or Kolyanpur of Dhaka. I'd advice you to book the bus ticket several days before the departure (specially during the weekend).

Where to stay in Kushtia

There are several good quality hotels available for night staying. I've stayed in the hotel Hotel River view during my staying and they allowed me to do an early checkin at 5:00am in morning.

Where to eat in Kushtia

There are several quality restaurants located in Kushtia town (one of them is just beside the Hotel River View). For the morning breakfast you could go in any local restaurants near the bus stoppage which uses to provide the traditional Bangladeshi breakfast comprises of handmade bread and Bhaji (or Daal).

Souvenir from Kushtia

Try to buy the Gamchha made using the handloom. It would be an experience to buy it from the people who are making instead of from a shop. This district produces one of the finest handloom weaved Gamchha. Kulfi from Kushtia is also famous. You'd see street vendors are selling those. Try to taste one or two to slake your thirst during summer.

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Victoria Memorial hall - Kolkata

2018-11-02T15:10:00.004-07:00

India was ruled by the British for nearly 200 years. That time it was known as British India. British were long gone from India, but few of their magnificent works are still there as a trace of that era. One such thing from many of those is the Victoria Memorial Hall, which is located at the heart of Kolkata city (also Calcutta). It was made entirely using marble between 1906 and 1921 to dedicate the Queen Victoria. This memorial hall is located just beside the Gorer math (also Maidan). In current days this Victoria Memorial is museum for the public visiting.

An angel at the top of the memorial building with a flute.

About the exterior of Victoria memorial. This memorial hall resembles a bit similar to the great Taj mahal. It is because of the several domes atop of the building. At the four corners of the building it has minaret like columns. At the center of the memorial it has a large dome. A top of the dome it has a statue of an angel. I heard that the statue is placed on a revolving plinth. In front of the building it has a statue of Queen Victoria who is sitting on a chair. At the backside of the memorial building it has a statue of Lord Curzon who proposed about this memorial.

Frontal view of the Victorial Memorial.

Inside the memorial building it holds several exhibition galleries as a museum. Few of the galleries are such as Kolkata gallery, Portrait gallery, Sculpture gallery, Royal gallery, National leaders gallery, etc. Those comprises of pictures, sculptures, and few artifacts. I've seen several statues of famous people (i.e. Robert Clive). Everything was arranged very nicely for the visitors. If you like the history then it would take more than several hours to explore all the galleries. When I've visited there the tourists were not allowed to take any photograph from inside. Wish I were allowed to, as there were so many interesting things inside the museum.

There were quite a few number of local tourists for a visit.

Opening and closing time

The gallery of Victoria memorial remains closed on Monday. And in other days it remains open from 10am to 5pm. The garden outside the Victoria memorial remains open everyday from 5:30am to 6:15pm. It is because lot of people do the morning walk and jogging in the garden.

A statue of Queen Victoria in front of the memorial.

Entry fee of Victoria memorial

There are several type of entry fees available there. For the Indian adults it is 20 rupee, and for children it is 10 rupee. For the Foreign visitors it is 200 rupee per person. Apart from that they have annual and monthly tickets for visitors and morning joggers. Hopefully as a tourist you won't need those!

Side view of the statue of Queen Victoria.

How to go

If you are not familiar with the public transportation (specially local buses) of India then it is better to use taxi. Victoria memorial is a famous landmark from Kolkata and everyone knows about it. Regardless your location it should not be more than 5 dollar for the ride. You can use the metro rail as well as it is very easy to use compare to the buses. Leave the metro near the stoppage Maidan and have a walk towards the memorial. You should be able to see the top portion of the memorial from a far distance. GPS coordinate of Victoria memorial is (22°32'41.2"N, 88°20'30.8"E).

This nice piece of work is done on the pedestal of the Victoria's statue.

Where to stay in Kolkata:

Booking.com

View of great Victoria memorial from Gorer math.

Street foods

Outside the memorial premise there are very few street food vendors were selling Alu puri, Pani puri, Paw bhaji, etc. You could taste those if you are a fan of street food.

It was getting darker due to the advent rain. So decided to be inside the museum.

Horse cart ride

Outside the memorial premise you'd find plenty of horse carts or carriage that offer a ride on them. You could use those for an hour to ride around the open Maidan and the memorial. As the area is so vast it would help you to cover it in a 'quick but convenient to observe' way. Just an FYI, most of those horse are very poor in condition as they lack of good care. Lot of animal lovers urge tourists not to use them.

Look how much dark was outside. A typical Indian monsoon weather in September.

Night show in Victoria memorial

They host an amazing light show just after the sunset (approximately from 6:30pm to 8:00pm, except Monday, public holidays, and July-September). If you chose to live nearby the Victoria memorial then it would be very convenient to watch the light show. I wanted to watch it, but unfortunately I didn't able to go during my visit as it was in between July-September range, such a bad timing. May be next time I'd go there.

There were several renovation going on around the Victoria memorial.

How I've visited: I've gone there after having a short exploration around the Gorer math (Maidan). It was around the afternoon time when I was there. Probably because of rain it wasn't having usual crowd but not less either. Also the weather was not really good on that particular time. It was cloudy and getting very dark for that. So wanter to be inside the museum on that time. First I've explored the galleries inside the museum which took more than an hour. After that I've explored the outer side of the museum by walking around. The Victorial memorial building is surrounded by several gardens and lakes. But I didn't explore those due to time availability as well as rain. Also those gardens were occupied by the dating couples from Kolkata. Didn't want to disturb them.

A lion statue made of marble.

When I was just about to leave the premise it started raining heavily. I had to take a shelter under a room near the check post of the memorial premise. There were other local people too. It was boring as I had nothing to do that time. But at the same time it helped me to be close with local people from Kolkata, who speaks the same language I do, Bangla.

Found this British royal coat of arms somewhere around the building.

One thing only bothered me during my visit as there have been a heavy renovation going on around. That's why for most of the cases I didn't find any better picture of the memorial building. Not sure, may be July-September is an off season in Kolkata for the tourists as it rains heavy? May be that's why they've chosen that time for the renovation. That case try to visit the place in any other time, for example winter, or summer (if you are okay with Indian hot weather).

A statue of a sepoy or a guard outside the memorial building.

A statue of taking care of the babies.

A statue where a child getting a reading lesson.

A warrior father with his child. Looks like a Greek soldier for me. Or it could be a woman?

Closer look towards the Angel of Victoria.

This probably depicts the local people are paying tribute to the British high officials.

Lord Curzon, one of the popular British lords in India.

Not sure about this statue, saw this at the backside of the memorial building.

Statue of a priest.

Statue of the Lord Curzon at the backside of the memorial building.

View to the inner side of a smaller dome located outside.

There were several green gardens outside the Victoria memorial.

Another nice green lawn around.

Several lakes and ponds are there to walk around. Lot of local couples come here as a date!

Such a bad day, it is about to rain again. Although people are dating around the pond.

I was stuck there for an hour or so due to a heavy rain.

Taking a final look towards the Victoria memorial before leaving.

Victoria memorial hall,
Kolkata (or Calcutta),
West Bengal,
Country: India,
GPS Coordinate (22°32'41.2"N, 88°20'30.8"E).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Friday, 18 September 2015

Top attractions from Old Dhaka

2018-10-26T15:53:00.001-07:00

Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh. This city has a history of more than 400 years. In those years the city has changed a lot. It saw the ruling of British, Pakistan, and now we are independent Bangladesh. This Dhaka city has expanded so large that we now call the older part of the Dhaka as Old Dhaka (also as Puran Dhaka), which was the main Dhaka when the city was initially established. Having such a long history this older part of Dhaka offers many things to do and many places to visit. Below I'm going to give you a list of attractions from the Old Dhaka which I've experienced.

Lalbagh Kella, an unfinished fort

Lalbagh kella (means Lalbagh fort) is a remnant of an unfinished fort located at the heart of the Old Dhaka city. This attraction is one of the most visited archaeological site from the Dhaka. Initially the fort was just beside the river Buriganga. But with the time the river has shifted a bit from the fort. Read more about the fort and other information you need from my article Lalbagh Kella. Just an FYI, weekends are usually be crowded compare to the weekdays.

Ahsan Manzil

Another attraction from the Old Dhaka is the Ahsan Manzil which was the resident of the Nawab families of Dhaka in past. This is located at the edge of the Old Dhaka, beside the Buriganga river. Now this place is a museum and open for public visiting. You would expect to see numerous belongings from the Nawab families are displayed in different galleries. This 150 years old edifice is itself is very beautiful looking for its Mughal style. Read more about the Ahsan Manzil.

Rose garden palace

This was privately owned previously. But recently the Government bought this house. I hope it will be opened for the tourists as an attraction soon. When you are around the Old Dhaka then you should not miss the beauty of this archaic building. Read my experience about the Rose garden palace.

Christian cemetery in Wari

If exploring the old cemetery is in your list then the Christian cemetery in Wari would be an ideal option. This is one of the very few Christian cemeteries from Bangladesh. Few of the graves from the cemetery are more than 300 years old. I found the older graves are much more attractive than the new. Save some time to explore this gem from Old Dhaka.

Ruplal house

In current days most of the old edifices are in dilapidated condition. This Ruplal house is not any exception. Once upon a time this was a luxurious mansion for the rich merchant. I don't know how long this ancient edifice would last. It is better to visit this before it is lost in time. This is located in the Farashganj of Old Dhaka. The famous Buriganga river is just flowing beside the house. During your visit you would expect to see the busy wholesale market activity from nearby. Read more about this Ruplal house.

Tara mosque

Probably this Tara mosque is the most visited mosque from the Dhaka city despite we are having several other ancient mosques around the city. This mosque attracts numerous foreign visitors everyday for its distinctive architecture and interior/exterior design. Being a small mosque it doesn't take much time to explore. Read more about attractive Tara mosque.

Armenian church

This Armenian church church is very near from the Tara mosque. This church was built by the Armenian community which was approximately 250 years back. This is one of the oldest churches from the Dhaka city. Current days this church is a proof of the past Armenian settlement in this area in past. Read more about Armenian church and plan your visit accordingly. I'd suggest you to put at the top of your things to do.

Shakraine festival in Old Dhaka

This is not an attraction or place to visit, but it is festival to observe. The name of the festival is Shakraine (or Sakraine) and the people from the Old Dhaka celebrate it very uniquely and differently than any other part of Bangladesh. If you are in Dhaka around that time then it is a must thing to do in Dhaka. Read my article Shakraine festival in Old Dhaka to know how, when, and where about it in detail.

Gol Talab

Have you seen any round pond or lake before? Or did you hear anything like this before? In the Old Dhaka we have a round pond named Gol Talab. This place is near from the Ahsan Manzil. After visiting that you could easily walk around this old pond. It should take around 20 minutes maximum to explore this.

Hoseni Dalan

In Bangladesh we do not have any big Shia community, and too many Shia people. But in the Old Dhaka we have this Hoseni Dalan to commemorate the martyrdom of Al-Hussain, the grandson of holly prophet Muhammad in Islam. The initial building was built in 17th century and had gone through several renovation. People observe and mourn during the day of Ashura.

Bahadur Shah park

Lot of people from our region did protest against the British ruling. And lot of people were hanged or executed for that as well. This park is to commemorate the sepoys who were publicly hanged due to mutiny against the British. The incident took place in 1857. Later a monument was established. Read more about this historical place from Old Dhaka.

Northbroke hall

This is a different kind of attraction from the Old Dhaka. This small edifice is basically is a theater hall. It has a nice mix structure of Mughal and European. This is located beside the river Buriganga. Read my article Northbroke hall to know more about this place.

Khan Mohammad Mridha mosque

This Mughal period mosque is located very close to the Lalbagh Kella. But for some unknown reason not too many people visit this mosque compare the the fort. It is probably because of the large tree that blocks all the sunshine for the smaller trees. If you visit this ancient mosque that would be hitting two targets with one stone. Read more about Khan Mohammad Mridha mosque.

Horse cart riding

Riding a horse cart in Old Dhaka is a very different and unique thing to do. In past the horse carts played a major role for the transportation. But due to the evolve of the mechanical transportation system those horse carts now becoming a sort of museum property. In the Old Dhaka very few horse carts were available which do the transportation for the local people. They run between the Gulistan and Sadar Ghat. You could take that cart on your way or during coming back from Old Dhaka expedition. When I've used that it was around 20 Taka per person for the ride. Duration of the journey is around 20-40 minutes based on traffic condition.

River Buriganga

You should visit this river not because of its beauty, but because of the history attached to it. The whole Dhaka city is evolved based on this river. Initially the Old Dhaka was the main Dhaka which was situated just beside this river. As you are exploring the Old Dhaka and most of the attractions are lying beside the river, that's why it would be easier to meet the river. Read my article to know what are the things you could do around Buriganga river.

Exploring Shakhari Bazar

Your Old Dhaka visit won't be completed unless you visit the Shakhari bazar area. The buildings of this area are so congested that hardly any gaps remaining. Also the current condition of the buildings are very poor and feels like at any moment they would be gone. Besides the old buildings the area has several unique shops which you would not find any other part of the Dhaka. You can read more about this from Wikipedia.

Foods from Old Dhaka

You've done most of the things in the Old Dhaka, what else you could do? Time to do some food tasting from the Old Dhaka. They are very renouned for the mouthwatering foods like Haji Biriyani, Nannar Morog Polau, Bakorkhani, etc. During the ramadan the Iftar bazar from Chokbazar is an unique one. There are plenty of restaurants in Old Dhaka where you could have your Old Dhaka style breakfast. They have so many unique foods that you must need to go there several times, cause you can not have them all in a same day.

Finally

There are plenty of more things to do and places to visit from Old Dhaka. You could visit the first mosque of Dhaka named Binat Bibi Mosque. There is another old mosque named Kartalab Khan Mosque, you could visit that one too. People from Old Dhaka are really nice and friendly. It would be nice to spend few moments with them (although they seem to be very busy most of the time).

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://icwow.blogspot.com/

Best day trips from Dhaka

2018-10-17T15:37:00.002-07:00

Being at the center of everything it is really hard to get out from Dhaka for a day tour and return back within the same day. But fortunately there are some fantastic places which are very close to Dhaka, and it is possible to make a single day tour out of it. Depending upon the place it could be from 6 hours to 15 hours of tour. Below are such incredible places close to Dhaka where you could go with your family for a day long tour.

1. Panam city of Sonargaon

Sonargaon is is located in Narayanganj district, but it is very close to Dhaka (around 30 kilometers distance) and an ideal place for a quick day trip. If you plan to leave Dhaka in early morning during any weekend days then it would be around 40-60 minutes to reach there. Sonargaon is famous for its lost city named Panam city. You could walk around that small town to search something from history. There is an Art and craft museum near where you could have all the facilities for picnic with family. Read more about Panam city of Sonargaon.

2. Maynamati

Maynamati is another nice place close to Dhaka which is famous for its archaeological value. This site is much more older (more than few thousands year). It takes around 3 hours to reach Maynamati from Dhaka using a bus. Apart from this historical place there are several smaller archaeological sites too. You could visit those if you want. Read more about Maynamati. Also read top things you can do in Comilla if you wanna know more about Comilla district.

3. Baliati Jomidar Bari

Baliati Jomidar Bari is probably one of the most visited Jamidar bari from Bangladesh. If you have your own car (or if you rent a car) then this is very easy to do a day long trip there from Dhaka. You could go there using a bus too but it would take a bit more time as all the buses leave Dhaka from Gabtoli. This is a pretty big area where you could spend several hours easily. If you go there during winter then you'd expect to see miles after mile of yellow mustard flowers in the field. Read more about Baliati Jomidar Bari.

4. Mohera Jomidar Bari

Mohera Jomidar Bari is one of the properly maintained Jamidar bari from Bangladesh. This is functioning as a police training center but they allow visitor to explore the antiquities. People go there to do picnic, study tour, or as a part of family trip from Dhaka. It takes around 3-4 hours (or more) using a bus from Dhaka. That's why once again a privately own or rented vehicle would be an easier choice to go and come back. Read more about Mohera Jomidar Bari.

5. Heritage tour to Kolakopa

Several decades back there were few prominent Hindu families living in Kolakopa. But those houses are still there scattered around the area. Most of the old buildings are occupied by the government service departments or occupied by private owner. But it is possible to walk around those buildings from far or close proximity. Lot of tourists use to visit Kolakopa during the weekend as it is very close to Dhaka. Read more about the Old buildings from Kolakopa.

6. Day trip to Trimohoni

If you want to be with a bit of nature and if it is the rainy season then Trimohoni is one of the best places to go from Dhaka. It usually takes around an hour or more to go there as it is very very close. You could do boat riding there during any season. But in rainy season the water of the canal and river would be much more better compare to other season. Instead of day trip you could make an afternoon trip or half day trip from Dhaka. Read more about Day trip to Trimohoni.

7. Rose cultivation at Sadullapur

In Bangladesh there are several villages where people do the flower cultivation. But Sadullapur is the one which is most nearest from Dhaka city. It takes only a hour or two to go there depending upon at which part of Dhaka you are. In Sadullapur you could expect to see the fields of red roses. This place is another ideal place for half day trip from Dhaka. Read more about Rose cultivation at Sadullapur.

8. A day trip to Chandpur

Chandpur is a bit far from Dhaka. But using the water vehicles (i.e. ships) it takes around 3.5 to 4 hours to go there. The journey through the river is really awesome. It would help you to see the people doing all the riverside activities. You can take such a ship from Dhaka and then return back to Dhaka using the same one. If you want you could roam around the Chandpur town and take the ship at night to return back Dhaka in next morning. You could taste the fresh Ilish from Chandpur during your trip. Read more about my travel article A day trip to Chandpur.

9. National Martyr's Memorial

National Martyr's Memorial (also known as Jatio Smriti Shoudho) is located in Savar of Dhaka. This is a vast organized area where you could go to pay homage to the people who have died during the war 1971. Also the Jahangir Nagar University is close to that place as well. You could make a day trip with both the places. Read more about the National Martyr's Memorial.

10. Murapara Jamidar Bari

Murapara Jamidar Bari is located in Rupganj of Narayanganj district. But this place is very close to Dhaka and there are several ways to go there. I've gone to Rupganj by walking from Dhaka. It should take around an hour to two to go there. This place is just beside the river Sitalakkha. You could have a boat ride in the river before or after visiting Murapara. Read more about Murapara Jamidar Bari.

Where to Stay:

Booking.com

Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh. Everyday lot of visiting people from around the country and also the foreigners use to live in Dhaka. That's why this city has all quality of hotels (including the bests from the country). If you are living in Dhaka already then it is fine. But if you are visiting Dhaka as a foreigner then check here for the list of hotels from Dhaka.

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog https://www.alonelytraveler.com/

Two days in Eastbourne - Sussex

2018-10-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

Eastbourne is a nice little seaside town that is located at south of England. The town attracts numerous tourists every year (specially during the summer). The town is having plenty of seaside victorian style hotels where tourists could fit easily. Being next to the Beachy Head and close to the Seven sisters country park a lot of people decide to stay in this town during their visit.

Deals from Booking.com.

We've stayed in Eastbourne for two days. And from my experience I think this is more than enough to enjoy most of it from Eastbourne. Obviously you could stay there for more to pass some relaxing time around the beaches. Usually in the arriving day you could visit all the landmarks and other stuffs from the town. And in second day you could go for the outdoor activities. I am going to write what are the activities we've done in Eastbourne in our two days. And what are the activities you could do during your Eastbourne visit.

Beachy Head and the Lighthouse

Beachy Head is the highest chalk cliff from the Great Britain. This place is popular tourist attraction for the white cliff and the lighthouse. People do the trekking and cliff walking around Beachy Head. Anyone can easily spend 1-2 hours around the cliffs, and then few while around the farms nearby. Read my article to know how we explored the Beachy Head.

Seven Sisters Country Park

Seven Sisters Country Park another tourist attraction that is accessible from Eastbourne. It is located in between the Birling Gap and the Cucmere. The park is having a series of seven cliffs joined together. It also has several active farms inside, and a river named Cuckmere. Tourists do the walking around the cliffs and the farms. This entire park should take around 5 hours. Read our Experience regarding Seven Sisters Country Park.

Eastbourne Pier

Eastbourne Pier is a very popular landmark from the town. The entire thing is built over the pillars in ocean, and connected to the mainland. People can go there and walk around it. You could feel the breeze as if coming from the middle of the ocean. There are few facilities available in pier such as night club, amusement arcade, cafe, restaurant, etc. The pier is a nice place to spend an hour during the afternoon. This place remains closed during the night. Read more about the Eastbourne Pier.

Eastbourne bandstand

Eastbourne Bandstand is another landmark from the town. This bandstand is located beside the sea beach. It was built in 1935 and in current days around 1600 people can enjoy the show at a time. This bandstand hosts concerts through out the year. You could also see the fireworks during the night shows. We've missed that as it was just finished in previous day of our arrival. Check Eastbourne bandstand's website to see what event is currently going on there.

Eastbourne walk

Walking through the Grand Parade road of is a must thing to do in Eastbourne. This is usually around 45 minutes of walk (but needs more time as you'd spend time around the landmarks). The route is from the landmark Helen Garden to Redoubt Fortress. The walk would be through the road where one side is the vast ocean and other side is the victorian style edifices. During your walk you'd see the Italian Garden, Wish Tower, Eastbourne Bandstand, Eastbourne Pier, and the Redoubt Fortress. We've done the walking during the afternoon and found the Redoubt Fortress was closed. Instead of walking you could also take the Eastbourne sightseeing Hop-on Hop-off bus. This costs 10 pound per person and valid for 24 hours.

Moonlight night

If you are visiting the Eastbourne around the full moon then you are doing the right thing. I'd suggest you to book a hotel having sea view so that you could see the ocean and moon light from your room. Even though if you do not do that you still could go to the beach and enjoy the moon from there. Most of the hotels from Eastbourne are beside the sea beach. That allows the tourist to do the night time activities around the beach. For example we did a short walking around the beach after the dinner.

Breakfast in Eastbourne

Although you could take the option of breakfast with your hotel rooms, but you if don't then there are few incredible options around the Eastbourne town for breakfast. We've gone to the one named Simply Patisserie (GPS 50°45'58.5"N, 0°17'03.5"E). We were there around 10am in morning and had an English style breakfast. It was Friday that's why wasn't that much rush.

Lunch in Eastbourne

Due to a tourist place Eastbourne has plenty of quality restaurants around with different flavors. Also most of the hotels from Eastbourne are having their own restaurants for the guests. You could easily have your lunch there. If you want you could go to other restaurants as well. Most of the restaurants use to remain open from 12pm to 2pm, and then close for a while. If you do not follow that time then after that you might not find your suitable lunch.

Afternoon snacks in Eastbourne

Being a seaside town you could easily expect to have Fish and Chips in Eastbourne. There are other finger food options there as well. We've tried the Fish and Chips from Harry Ramsden's that is famous for Fish and Chips. Also we've tried it from Holiday Inn Fish Restaurant. But we've found the Harry Ramsden's one better. During the afternoon you could have the chips sitting at the beach. Just be watchful about the birds though.

Dinner in Eastbourne

We've found most of the restaurants use to be closed by round 10:00pm in Eastbourne. There are very few restaurants which use to be open till 11:30pm. We've tried the dinner at Tuk Tuk Indian Street Food one night, and another night we've been at Ashoka. Both were Indian restaurant serving tasty food. Quality of the food were more or less same in both restaurants, but found the Ashoka was a bit pricy. But I recommend both of them. If you go during weekend then I'd suggest you to book the table beforehand.

Where to stay

Hotels from Eastbourne.

We've stayed in the West Rocks Hotel for two nights there. It was nice old style hotel just beside the sea beach. You could look for more hotels at this list of Eastbourne hotels.

Eastbourne beach seen from the pier.

Eastbourne Bandstand during night.

Audience seating area of the Bandstand.

People call this as Carpet garden.

Moon and ocean as viewed from the hotel room.

Eastbourne beach and the pier during night.

One of the many foods we've tried in Eastbourne.

A monument known as War Memorial.

Front view of the Eastbourne train station.

Eastbourne Pier.

At the very end of the Pier, this building has an amusement park.

View towards the city from the Pier.

A walkway around the Eastbourne pier.

Colorful inside of the Amusement park.

Eastbourne,
East Sussex,
Country: England,

This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog http://icwow.blogspot.com/