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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

The Great Pyramids – Egypt

The most famous among the pyramids of Egypt are those incredible ones at Giza. These massive structures were built 4500 years ago, and they dominate the landscape around them. The Giza pyramids were built for King Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure; we even know what each of them looked like as archaeologists have found statues of them.

The Great Pyramid of King Khufu was originally 146 meters high; however, by time the capstone wore off and was replaced by a wooden tripod that indicates the original height. Now the height of the pyramid is 138 meters; it remained the tallest structure in the world for 3800 years. The pyramid was built around 2560 BC by King Khufu (fourth dynasty) over a period of 20 years. Hemon (Khufu’s vizier) is believed to be the architect of the great pyramid. King Khufu was seen as a living god, people respected him and obeyed his commands, But the only statue that remains of him is a very tiny one that can be seen at the Egyptian museum in Cairo, And his mummy was never found; May be because the real burial chamber is not yet discovered.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Colombo, Gulmarg, Tokyo

Colombo (Sri Lanka)
Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, biggest city and major port, draws together all the colours and cultures that make up this island nation, condenses them into a patchwork of markets, gardens and buildings both humble and grand, and knocks them against a narrow slab of beachfront. 
Many visitors will appreciate Colombo’s colonial heritage, its fine dining and shopping opportunities, and the dash of urban buzz in an overwhelmingly rural country. Others will tire quickly of the diesel fumes and the modern buildings on Galle Rd, the city’s main artery. There are plenty of cultural and historical attractions in areas such as Fort, Cinnamon Gardens and Pettah.


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Gulmarg (India)
About 52km southwest of Srinagar, the pine-fringed meadow at Gulmarg – literally ‘Meadow of Flowers’ – is a busy ski resort in winter and a popular walking resort in summer. The Alpine landscape is a marked contrast to the flat, poplar-lined fields that cover the bottom of the Kashmir Valley, but don’t expect a quiet retreat. Gulmarg is packed with domestic tourists year-round and most of the meadow is given over to a golf course that doubles as a training slope during the ski season. 


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Tokyo (Japan)
Life in Tokyo moves at a well-oiled clip, with an energy that borders on mania and an obsession with newness that seems to make all ideas quickly obsolete. Fashions begin to fade almost as soon as they are plucked from clothes hangers, and keitai (mobile phones) are traded up for each latest technological advancement. But even while throngs of tech-savvy, smartly styled Tokyoites trot through subway stations, there is a traditional side to this hyperurban cosmopolis, which may not be immediately evident. 

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