Bangalore - The Garden and Pub city of India

Advantages: Plenty to see and do here....
Disadvantages: Poor infrastructure, and the pubs close before midnight!!!

...BANGALORE or BENGALURU as it is officially known now ,is the capital city of the state of KARNATAKA , in INDIA...It is the fourth largest city in India next only to DELHI,MUMBAI(BOMBAY) , KOLKOTTA(CALCUTTA) and vying with CHENNAI(MADRAS) for the 4th place... It is one of the fastest growing metros in the world, which means that it is getting more and more polluted... Given a choice most Indians would prefer to settle down in Bangalore. Most of the Indians working abroad target Bangalore when they plan to return home and settle down....The property prices are soaring, already comparable to London property prices .. The city is very large and spread out and connected through various RING ROADS ..There are more being constructed and planned.... Bangalore has many advantages for anyone looking for a comfortable life on international...

kiran8 18.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Bangalore (India)

A fitting memorial to India's war dead

Advantages: It's a real gathering point and well worth a visit
Disadvantages: You'll get more out of your visit if you've done a bit of reading beforehand

...India Gate has the rare distinction of being one of the few attractions in Delhi that benefits from being visible from a great distance, rather than being crowded in by surrounding buildings. If you stand outside the Presidential Palace at the far end of Rajpath with the government buildings around you, you can look straight down this regal artery and see the 42m-high India Gate standing proudly in the distance, looking a little like an Asian Arc de Triomphe. And like the Arc de Triomphe, the India Gate also sits effectively at the middle of a giant roundabout. As befits a monument to the noble dead of the First World War, the architect Edwin Lutyens laid out the streets of this area of New Delhi to give sufficient prominence to the sacrifice of those it commemorates. It was originally known as the All India War Memorial but is now...

koshkha 05.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of India Gate, New Delhi

Goa (India)

Advantages: The cost of living, Great food, weather(pick your season).
Disadvantages: Having to pay bribes to the Police to get home every night.

...Having just spent the best part of a month out in Goa. My home was slap bang in the middle of Anjuna market that kicks into life every Wednesday at 05:00 in the morning. I feel the place has had its day. Yes the state is full of wonderful Portugese churches, a million and one palm trees, but its not at all beautiful. For me Goa is now spoiled. Now that the large package tour operaters have their foothold and the developers have raped the land its better to go elsewhere. Don't get me wrong Goa has some nice places. Really nice, friendly locals and ok beaches. Though they're not a patch on the beaches to be found in S E Asia, i.e. Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. Also, Goa like the rest of India has a big dog problem, making it unsafe to wander the streets and lanes after dark for fear of getting bitten by a rabid mut hellbent on seeking...

Jarrac 28.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Goa (India)

Star of India

Advantages: Wonderful climate,friendly people,value for money
Disadvantages: some accomodation not up to 5 star standards

...If you are looking for a holiday where you can be sure of a friendly welcome,good food,great climate and scenery,which won't cost you a Kings Ransom then I advise you to check out Goa. For those who do not know,Goa is a province of India situation about halfway up the west coast of this great country.It is different from the rest of India in many ways, due to the fact that for a large period of History, Goa was under Portugese rule.The buildings and the people reflect this difference. Travelling time from the UK is around 10 1/2 hours which will include a fuel stop at somewhere like Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. Upon your arrival at the airport the differences between the UK and India are easily identifiable.The lack of apparent organisation.I say apparent because actually things have a way of sorting themselves out before your...

murky5 22.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Goa (India)

Arguably India's foremost gourmet and food expert

Advantages: It is a detailed cook book with an extensive background
Disadvantages: some dishes are time consuming , but that is true of any great dish...

...Camellia Panjabi, the popular restaurateur , is responsible for popularizing both regional Indian cooking in the the UK has had a long career in the food industry. This cook book will of hers certainly delights , educates and inspires anyone who longs to make authentic curries at home...Over the last many years the author has traveled all over India collecting recipes from various sources .She has travelled to some exotic locations and rural areas of India and come up with her own version of the local recipes Camelia Panjabi's first London restaurant, the popular Bombay Brasserie, has been open since 1982; one of her five other London restaurants, Amaya, has received a Michelin Star.She has authored several cook books , has been host to several TV cookery shows and has popularised Indian food all over UK and Europe A little...

kiran8 27.07.2008 (21.04.2009) · Read review
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Review of 50 Great Curries of India - Camellia Panjabi

Modern India

Advantages: Fascinating look at how India works
Disadvantages: A lot of information to take in

...Introduction Why is it that the more you read, the more you realise you don't know? Recently, I've read a couple of novels based in India and realised how little I know about one of the largest countries in the world. I've never been; but certainly hope to at some point. I could even end up living there because my boyfriend's job involves stints abroad. I'm not a particularly avid reader of non-fiction, but was attracted to the cover of this book, which shows a man rowing down a river carrying bunches of flowers in his boat. The author Mark Tully wrote this book with his partner, Gillian, although his is the only name on the front cover. Tully was born in India, but educated in the UK. He then returned to South Asia as a journalist with the BBC. He later left the BBC and became a journalist in New Delhi, working with Gillian...

sunmeilan 02.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of India in Slow Motion - Mark Tully, Gillian Wright

Prince of India, Norwich

Advantages: Open late (aren't most curry houses?)
Disadvantages: greasy food, not good for soft stomaches

...The Prince Of India curry house is situated on the left hand side of Prince Of Wales Road as you are walking toward the city centre/tombland from the train station. The Prince of India is easy to walk straight past due to there being no 'in your face' luminous lights of banners. Looking through the window it looks 'homely' with soft lighting. Upon entering the curry house the smell is almost over bearing. Don't get me wrong I love the smell of Indian food, but this is just far too much. The decor is old and dated. It looks worn out and unloved and in much need of some TLC. The background music is soft and enables you to chat and have a bit of banter. The waiters are pleasant and after showing you to your table offer drinks and poppadoms immediately - however, I think that this is the norm for all Indian restaurants...

yackers1 21.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Prince Of India Resturant Norwich

GURGAON a Village becomes heart of corporate India

Advantages: Scenary, Lakes, Modern and Ancient architecture, Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping and great food.
Disadvantages: Poor local authorities and everything run by Public sector.

...INTRODUCTION ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I was born in Calcutta but moved to Gurgaon (South of Delhi) with my parents at the age of 12 and have lived there till 1999 until I moved to London 5 years back. This review is a tribute to a place where I spent all my teenage years. Unfortunately even Lonely Planet has not covered this place in its India book, as Gurgaon has gained prominence in recent times. Gurgaon used to be a small village north-west of India situated near the border of Delhi and very near to the state of Rajasthan. Now physically it is shared by National Capital region of Delhi but falls under the jurisdiction of state of Haryana. Gurgaon is now a city in itself booming to be the capital of corporate India. HISTORY ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The city (earlier village) is named after Guru Dronacharya; who was offered the village...

rishmitra 29.09.2004 · Read review
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Review of Gurgaon (New Delhi, India)

Pooh meets India's Thomas the Tank Engine

Advantages: It's fun, it's cheap and you get cups of free tea
Disadvantages: It's cramped, uncomfortable and can get a bit boring

...Background *********** In the days when the British ruled India there were many problems for an expatriated Brit to contend with but one of the most serious was the heat. The average chap sent out to make his fortune or defend his nation's economic and political interests wasn't bred to deal with saturation humidity and thermometer-bursting temperatures. To cope with these extremes, each summer the government, civil service and everyone with the wherewithal to do so, would flee from the then-capital Calcutta and literally 'head for the hills'. Many so-called 'hill stations' provided respite from the summer heat but Shimla (or Simla) and in 1864 the city became the official Summer Capital of the British and took on the mantle of the 'Queen of the Hill Stations'. Located up at around 7000 feet in altitude, Shimla offered cool...

koshkha 05.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Kalka-Shimla Railway, India

Calcutta (India)......................Kolkata

Advantages: Amazingly hospitable, Great people, Historical British architecture, Great transport links, Good food .
Disadvantages: Racist overcharging of foreign visitors. Third world government for a first rate people .

...Calcutta. A city of 14,000 000 people, and one of the most vibrant and interesting cities in the world, and typically for India very hospitable too. Indians are beautiful people. If you like architecture, its a living museum of British architecture with Howrah railway station and bridge, the biggest lighthouse(Shahid Minar) I've ever seen, slap bang in the centre......Tagore House, The amazing Marble Palace(free entrance), the old writers building on Dalhousie Square and best of all the Victoria Memorial. A huge white building not too dissimilar to the White House in size and in looks. Then there's the Birla Planetarium, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Kali and Paresnath Temples, and numerous other mosques and temples to visit. Never been so enthralled with the buildings of a city as I was with Calcutta. There are just too many to...

Jarrac 04.04.2008 (30.04.2008) · Read review
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Review of Calcutta (India)