Adventures in Bolivia

THE highway drops precipitously down the mountainside, and the pavement is slick with rain and hail. Cars pass in both directions, forcing me to pedal tight to the thousand-foot drop at the road’s edge. Fog obscures the tops of the striated olive-green and black cliffs on the other side of the valley. Below, it is raining, but at 15,000 feet our little group of adventure seekers is actually inside the cloud, freezing precipitation pelting our hands and faces as we bike downhill at patently unsafe speeds.

Bolivia Travel Guide

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Bolivia’s Extremes

 

This is the first leg of a cycling day trip on Bolivia’s much-advertised Most Dangerous Road (a k a Death Road), which descends 12,000 feet over 40 miles from a mountain pass near La Paz to the balmy resort town of Coroico. It is third-world infrastructure turned into a tourist attraction.

The grim nickname comes from a report in the 1980s, when Bolivia tried to secure funding to build a replacement road for this one by touting traffic fatalities higher than anywhere else in the world — more than 300 dead in a single year. Since the new road was built, those numbers have dipped drastically but have been joined by a new statistic: cycling deaths, more than one a year.

The guides finally call us to a halt at the first shoulder to wait for the van that took us to the top and will follow us down the road in case of injuries, breakdowns or people’s coming to their senses. I try to unclench my hands from the handlebars but find them locked in position from the cold, my thin racing gloves useless. Water has begun to form icy pools in my shoes.

I ask how soon we’ll be low enough in altitude for the air to feel warm and am informed “another hour or so.” The guides go on to explain that soon after that, we will leave the pavement of the new road and turn onto the old one, a 10-foot-wide, cliff-hugging gravel track. That is the “true” Most Dangerous Road. This is just the warm-up. I look down the foggy road, uncertain if I should continue, and then back up the way we came. The van will be along shortly.

From the snowy slopes of its 20,000-foot peaks to its status as the poorest country in South America, Bolivia is a land of extremes. Over the last 10 years, this country, which for tourists was once a bothersome overland passage between Peru and Argentina, has begun to turn some of its extremes to its advantage, becoming a booming hub of adventure and eco-tourism. It has done so by appealing to the young and daring who are willing to exchange safety, comfort and convenience for thrills on the cheap.

The adventure begins as soon as you get off the plane in La Paz and try to breathe. At 13,000 feet, El Alto International Airport is among the world’s highest, and upscale La Paz hotels keep oxygen tanks on hand for their guests. Clay brick dwellings cling to the walls of the wide canyon that defines the city’s geography; the central artery runs along its floor.

Fifteen years ago, Sagarnaga Street, a steep lane ending at the city’s heart, was lined with stalls selling wool, buttons and thread. Today, a cascade of brash computer-designed signs advertises tourist agencies with names like X-Treme and Downhill Madness. Small groups of young travelers pop in and out searching for the best prices on a trip to the Amazon or a mountain climbing expedition.

The La Paz company that pioneered the Most Dangerous Road cycling tours, for example, Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking, has led more than 33,000 cyclists down the road in the last 10 years, and its business has been growing at a rate of 20 percent annually, even though about 30 other agencies now offer similar services.

Given the significant role tourism plays in the economy of many countries, one might expect growth like this to be a result of a concerted government effort. In fact, the phenomenon of rapidly increasing Bolivian adventure and ecological tourism has been driven completely by private enterprise, according to Luis Hurtado, head of tourism promotion at the Bolivian Vice-Ministry of Tourism. If anything, Mr. Hurtado says, the adventure focus overshadows the government’s own initiatives, like its promotion of indigenous culture tourism on Lake Titicaca.

Three elements have contributed to the phenomenon, all since the 1990s, according to tourism operators I interviewed: increased growth of eco-tourism in Bolivia’s Amazon Basin country to the north, which offers jungle experiences similar to Peru’s but at a deep discount; the development of tourism in the beautiful but extreme salt flats to the southwest; and the popularization of the Most Dangerous Road bicycle journey, which began in 1998.ladies shoes mens shoes cheap microwave cheap nintendo wii cheap running shoes timberland boots timberland shoes watches uk cheap webkinz discount webkinz wedding ring wii for sale

Traveling in Bolivia is notoriously fraught with difficulty, and not just because of the altitude, which can cause headaches, dizziness and in rare cases life-threatening illness. Local communities often express their frustration with the government by throwing up roadblocks that can leave travelers stranded for days or even weeks. And deficient standards of hygiene mean that gastrointestinal problems are de rigueur for any Bolivian visit.

But to the young and thrill-seeking, for whom “extreme” is a selling point rather than a warning, these traveling tribulations are simply a different sort of adventure.

“You don’t know what to expect from day to day — if you’re going to get food poisoning or if a bus or flight won’t show up,” said Fergal Lyons, 26, an Irish high school teacher who was in my cycling group on the Most Dangerous Road. “It’s great if you’ve got patience.”

I had been to Bolivia’s Amazon region in the summer of 2006. I swam in piranha-infested water, petted a wild anaconda and helped my girlfriend survive an attack of fire ants, but mostly I just swatted mosquitoes and tried to survive the oppressive heat.

From : http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/travel/10adven.html?ref=travel

Singh is Kinng – Movie Review

Singh is King (directed and written by Anees Bazmee) isn’t copied, but it has to be inspired by something, right? This one was apparently inspired by a tag line read by Akshay Kumar at the back of a truck – Singh is King! And viola! A film was born. Considering that we have many such lines at the back of trucks, rickshaws and taxis, you can imagine the fodder Bollywood script writers have to chew on. In fact it got me wondering whether Bazmee, who also directed the hit No Entry, got his idea from this rickshaw…

Script writers are also often helped along by pre-decided venues (not to mention songs). In Singh is Kinng the venues chosen were Egypt and Australia. The film is almost entirely shot in these two countries

What’s it about? (no spoilers)
The film is about a group of friends (mostly Sikhs) from a village in Punjab. Some have made it big (in Australia) while others are at the village doing nothing much with their lives. Akshay Kumar plays a rustic character at this village and his character is “Happy”, both in name and spirit. The successful munda is in Australia and is called Lucky (played by Sony Sood) but as we find out he isn’t very lucky, although he is King (of the underworld), and nor is he happy. In fact Happy isn’t lucky to have around either, although he does become King. If that doesn’t make sense, it isn’t meant to. There is no attempt at realism in the film and that results in some ludicrous situations which provide the comedy. Some hilarious moments there.
       This movie portrays Sikh culture, their bravery and their helpful and kind nature. Although this is showcased in the form of a comedy I don’t think it denigrates Sikhs in anyway. The movie was shown to some religious authorities before its release and some scenes re-shot. We don’t know which parts were re-shot but perhaps it was the scene where Happy Singh explains why he had to partially shave off his beard. Well, not everything that was demanded was re-shot and some people still have objections to the film. As a non-Sikh, but someone who has known Sikhs since childhood, I think the film is a superficial portrayal of Sikh culture, but well, it wasn’t meant to be anything else. It’s a comedy after all. But I think for those who don’t know Sikhs, it will send a positive message.
In fact there were positive messages throughout the film. Underneath the ridiculousness of the convoluted story, there is a strong message about Good vs. Evil.

The music is alright but unfortunately in the cinema hall we saw it in (PVR) the audio was on too loud. At times we had to put our fingers in our ears…I think cinema theatres in India are going to make a lot of people go deaf.

Characters and actors
There is a plethora of characters in this movie, but ofcourse Akshay Kumar is the hero. He is certainly not one my favourite actors, but he does alright as a comic. It is also difficult to deny his screen presence and charisma. Ditto Katrina Kaif. If she had nothing much to do in this film but play the pretty (though spirited) girl-friend Sonia, it wasn’t a surprise. Om Puri, who plays Rangeela, a childhood friend of Happy’s, does a good job, but Ranvir Shorey has a much smaller role which as usual he does justice to.

There are two other women in this movie: Julie, played by Neha Dhupia and the Rose Lady by Kirron Kher. It was refreshing to see Julie not portrayed as a moll, but as one of the “gang” members. She is as trigger happy as any of the boys. Kher was resplendent in her overacting.

Is the movie really all that funny?
Well, the situations are ludicrous enough to be funny although the audience didn’t really go ballistic with laughter, except once. It was nice to see that there were no sexist jokes in the movie! Perhaps that was why I found this comedy very relaxing. Overall, I found the audience enjoying the movie and people were actually reluctant to get up when the movie ended!

So is it worth a see?
I see a movie from the entertainment point of view, not a critic’s point of view, although I am critical if one reads between the lines. And when it comes to entertainment, a lot depends on your own preferences (for genre), and also whether you are able to tolerate the main actors in the movie, or whether you have a tight schedule, whether you are a student and prefer to save the theatre experience for special movies, or whether you like to see movies at all. This certainly isn’t one of those special movies that one saves to see in a theater…it’s okay for time-pass.

(The picture of the rickshaw is copyrighted to me (taken in Agra) and the second is a movie poster)

How To Effectively Pick A Modern Kitchen Furniture For Your Miami Residence

There might come a time in your life that you want to give your Miami home a kitchen remodeling project to give it a new and modern look. But aside from the change on the architectural structure of your kitchen to accommodate modern concepts, you need to choose kitchen furniture design that will fit perfectly with the style that you have in mind with your kitchen.

Determine Your Needs

Before you actually purchase kitchen furniture for your Miami home, you first need to determine your requirement for it so that you will be able to get the best one available.

1. Measurements

First, you need to determine the right measurement of your kitchen so that you will be able to purchase furnishings that will fit perfectly with the size of the room. In fact, many homebuyers regretted some of their furniture, since they were having problems installing it on their kitchen due to the incorrect measurements. Avoid this by measuring your floor area before purchase.

2. Design

Since you won’t be starting a kitchen remodeling project if you don’t have a specific design in mind, then you might as well purchase kitchen furniture that will fit perfectly with it. Try to browse around furniture shops in Miami or on the Internet to observe furniture designs available. While you’re at it, you might want to fit the color and theme with the rest of the area to avoid a slapdash look.

3. Budget

You might want to determine your funding in advance before you purchase furnishings for your Miami kitchen. If you want to avail of the best deals, then you might want to visit furniture shops and department stores in the city and look for discounted prices on kitchen furnishings.

You can also wait for one of these stores to go on sale to avail of discounts with the furniture you want to purchase. Also, if one of these stores is going on sale, then other are surely going to follow suit. The Internet is also a good place to window shop for cheap kitchen furniture. Compare the offers of each site and try to look for the lowest price possible.

Don’t Rush On Your Purchase

It is very important that you don’t rush when picking out kitchen furniture for your remodeling project. You need to exhaust all the possibilities of your search for the perfect furniture design that will accentuate the beauty of your new kitchen style, as well as the overall beauty of your home.

From : http://miamibusiness.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/how-to-effectively-pick-a-modern-kitchen-furniture-for-your-miami-residence/