Travel

Living in India is not always easy who am I kidding its NEVER easy BUT its nearly impossible to live here without learning to man up. Here is a list of skills I have acquired thanks to my wonderful life here in India. I will say that none of these skills are things I would have thought I39d have when I was a kid but here they are 1 How to successfully eat all types of food including ric

Day 246 Sat 11thMay Today was probably the day Ive most been looking forward to from a tourist perspective. I was going on a day trip to the city of Agra home of the incredibly famous and 1 of the 7 manmade wonders of the world the Taj Mahal.My day started with another early morning send off. My train was due at 6am and Amy was due to fly out a few hours later so I said my goodbyes and head

This is Saturday. We did not feel the need to get up early. We slept in then had a leisurely breakfast the hotel offers on the roof patio. This is where we quickly learned that coffee in Europe labeled American Coffee is not what we consider American Coffee We found the coffee machine and pressed for American Coffee. Out came Nescafe instant with hot water. Gary quickly learned to like Cappuccino

Last night I retired early and lay on the bed for a while working with my pictures and on my blog. When I decided to turn out the light it was about 830. I started hearing a noise an annoying beep beep beep beep beep beep I remembered that I had seen a memo on the desk from the hotel that saidDear Guests We would like to apologize for any inconvenience the maintenance work on the front of th

Last year’s Cannondale Scalpel 3 was a carbon framed, 80mm (3.1in) travel, lightweight whippet with 26in wheels, a sub-11kg (23lb) weight and a £3,000/US$4,100 price tag. It’s all change this year, with a move to big wheels and 100mm (3.9in) travel for the entire Scalpel range – and you’ll need to cough up a hefty £4,500/US$5,550 to score the carbon-framed Scalpel 29er Carbon 2. The new 3 gets an alu chassis instead, but retains Cannondale’s proprietary single-sided Lefty fork. Is it still a worthy racing snake?Ride & handling: Plush rear but heavy for a race weaponThe classic zero pivot, carbon-stayed Scalpel has a ride quality all of its own. Less full-blown full-susser than hardtail with added traction and comfort, the suspension’s unique geometry works with the bike’s low weight to deliver a fast, comfortable and ground-hugging ride. It’s an acquired taste. It’s also in a class of one. No other production bike offers quite the same combination of pace, weight and comfort.Replacing the carbon rear end with a conventional alu suspension setup has changed all that. The Scalpel 3’s suspension does everything that it ought to do without fuss, delivering 100mm of rear wheel travel with no nasty surprises. In that respect it’s arguably an improvement on the pivotless carbon alternative, which, last time we tested it in its 100mm travel guise, struggled to deliver the full range of travel. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the extra weight over last year’s carbon bike significantly blunts the Scalpel’s performance. With its conventional rear end and conventional weight, the Scalpel 3 doesn’t stand out in the way that it used to (or that the more expensive carbon versions arguably still do). It’s fighting for attention among a plethora of similarly priced and specced mid-travel bikes. And, although the Lefty fork gives it crowd-pulling potential, that’s not matched by the on-trail reality. The Lefty’s accurate steering and sound engineering principles aren’t in doubt, but it needs better internals to deliver on the promise of details such as roller bearing smoothness. All of which begs the question – what’s the point of the Scalpel 3? Without the comfort and weight advantages of a pivotless carbon rear end, it’s just another mid-travel mid-ranger with a below-par fork up front. If you want to race and you can afford the extra, the Scalpel 2 would be a better bet. But if you want a bike for more rounded trail duties, the harsh truth is there are better options available than the Scalpel 3.Frame & equipment: Alu chassis has piled on the poundsCannondale’s original Scalpel concept was all about a pivotless rear end. Carbon chainstays, shaped to flex at a certain point, were supported by the usual air shock and made a compliant rear end that’d stay better planted in the rough than a race hardtail. At the higher end of 2013’s Scalpel range, the same principles still apply, even if the wheels are now bigger and the travel – nominally, at least – a bit longer. But the budget-minded 3 and the cheaper 4 both feature alu frames, which changes more than the price.Carbon Scalpels of the past pivoted partway along the chainstays. No normal full susser does that (for good reason – it’s not a great place to put the main pivot). So the Scalpel 3 has a traditionally positioned main pivot at the bottom of the seat tube and a four-bar system driving a Fox Float shock with CTD. It gives the Scalpel 29er 3 a much more conventional suspension setup than previous incarnations – which is a good thing in terms of rear suspension performance.The trouble is that the conventional design and aluminium build pile on the pounds, literally. This year’s Scalpel 3 is more than 2.3kg (5lb) heavier than last year’s. That’s a huge difference that radic

What do you make of the latest pressure group, Leave Our Kids Alone, which wrote to The Daily Telegraph calling to ban ads aimed at children under 11 years old? Oh dear. When suggestions such as this are so manifestly well-intentioned, you voice your reservations at personal risk. It seems difficult for some people to distinguish between intention and effect. How many domestic tiffs involve one or other partner plaintively pleading "But I was only trying to help!"? "Yes, I know you were. But not only did you fail to help, but, by calling 999, you escalated a perfectly manageable situation into one that will prove deeply embarrassing for all concerned and almost certainly be expensive." Suggestions such as those made by Leave Our Kids Alone need to be ruthlessly examined not just for merit and not just for motive, but for practicality. I wrote about this last year in Market Leader. In 2011, The Public Interest Research Centre and WWF UK published Think Of Me As Evil? Opening The Ethical Debates In Advertising. Towards the end of the paper, the authors write: "There is evidence that advertising may have significant negative cultural impacts: increasing our ecological footprint by boosting consumption; influencing our values and identities in ways that undermine our concern about social and environmental challenges; and eroding wellbeing and freedom of choice precautionary action should be taken now. While media literacy training programmes must warn adults and children of the implicit impacts of advertising, this will clearly not be sufficient alone. One proposal is for the inclusion of a disclaimer on every billboard. This could read: This advert isement may influence you in ways of which you are not consciously aware. Buying consumer goods is unlikely to improve your wellbeing, and borrowing to buy consumer goods may be unwise; debt can enslave. " Forget intention and motive. Ignore the patronising tone. Waste no time on the supporting evidence for such a proposal. You don t even have to know anything about advertising to know that the inclusion of another 35 words on "every billboard" is completely daft. It s impractical. It wouldn t work. The Leave Our Kids Alone proposal is nothing like as silly, but it s still not very practical. You can t stop kids from seeing advertising. You can t stop kids from seeing other kids iPads. You d need to board up the windows of toy shops as if they were turf accountants (oh, magnificent euphemism!). Of course, you could always buy space in pre-teen media and run the disclaimer as above: "Advertising may influence you in ways of which you are not consciously aware " I don t think PIRC and WWF will be needing it. Viking River Cruises seems to be sponsoring all the mystery drama on ITV, and I m considering going on one. Should I be pleased or disappointed if the cruise is neither mysterious nor dramatic? I used to be very sniffy and purist about sponsorship. Accustomed as I was to working with highly intelligent account planners, I liked refining the singular attributes of any brand down to their most competitive and desirable; and then inventing the most evocative stimuli that could elicit from a precisely identified consumer group the most potent relevant responses. That, I knew, was a client s money well spent: precise, proprietary, accurate and thrifty. Sponsorship, on the other hand, was clumsy and crude; the lazy commandeering of someone else s established reputation, often irrespective of appropriateness. I m less sniffy now. I m more convinced of the broad-brush value of simple familiarity. But you should be neither pleased nor disappointed should your Viking River Cruise be neither mysterious nor dramatic. They chose to sponsor mystery drama on ITV because they know that people who watch mystery drama on ITV are just like you: armchair adventurers. And that s why a river cruise appeals: foreign travel while never having to leave home; like-minded English-speaking fellow travellers; on

Egypt tourist attractions!Submitted by Angellas on May 22, 2013 - 10:55pm. Egypt, the jewel of Africa, is a delightful country and a major tourist attraction. Globe-trotters from all over the planet love to pack their bags and scurry over to this historical land to feast on its myriad attractions and marvelous manmade creations. Egypt travel brings with it a wide range of things including plenty of sightseeing and even the memorable Nile cruise. Meet you in Egypt......:)

The ultimate science bro. Because he's got your back in every dimension and alternate universe. Source: cognitionadrift.tumblr.com Which he can easily travel through because he's a time lord. Source: holdontothehopeofabettertomorrow.tumblr.com Because you two have history. Source: inktank.fi Because he might be a bastion of science and civil liberties. Source: ipromiseihavefriends.tumblr.com View Entire List ›

With what might be a sign of studios finally running out of 80s films to throw into the reboot machine, Universal is bringing back a 1994 film to the big screen with a fresh take. THR has word the studio is still developing a remake of Timecop, the sci-fi action thriller starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as an officer of a police force that regulates time travel. In the original film, a crooked politician is using time travel to further his political career, and Van Damme is tasked with stopping him. The film was actually based on a Dark Horse comic book serial (two-issue series), so this adaptation could be something more like the comic. ››› Continue reading Universal Still Plans to Remake Jean-Claude Van Damme's 'Timecop'

Hello from the bottom (or more truthfully, from floundering near the top) of the samples pile. This is the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles of wine that have crossed my doorstep recently. I'm just getting back to the pile after some travel and craziness that has made it hard to find time to open boxes and taste things lately. This week we've got a pretty Riesling from Germany, with a lemon complexion and a hint of something deeper. The couple of biodynamic and mostly unsulfured wines from Ambyth Estate in Paso Robles were quite interesting, the Syrah being more successful than the table wine, but despite the slightly lower score on the table wine, I think it's quite unique and worth trying for those who appreciate the so called "natural" wine movement. The Acorn winery Syrah is an old favorite, from a parcel of older vines south of Healdsburg that are tended by a wonderful husband and wife team. Finally, a relative newcomer on the scene that started with Rhone varieties, Anaba Cellars, has branched out into Pinot Noir. This is the first of several bottles I've got in the pile, and its flavors, suggest good things to come. Enjoy! 2008 Acorn Winery "Alegria Vineyards - Axiom" Syrah, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California Medium to dark ruby in color, this wine smells of dark chocolate and blackberry pie. In the mouth, flavors of brown sugar, blackberry pie, and hints of cocoa powder swirl underneath a gauze of faint tannins. Notes of cedar and earth linger in the finish with a raisiny quality and a hint of oak. Decent acidity. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $32. click to buy. 2011 Ridge Vineyards "Geyserville" Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of chocolate, blackberry, leather and earth. In the mouth, cocoa powder, blackberry, and prunes mix with an earthier note and black sugar flavors that linger in the finish. Decent acidity, supple tannins, and a nice stoniness under everything. A blend of 78% Zinfandel, 16% Carignane, 4% Petite Sirah, 1% Alicante Bouschet, and 1% Mourvedre. 14% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $32. click to buy. 2010 Anaba Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, California Medium garnet in color, this wine smells of cranberry and cherry fruit with a hint of cedar. In the mouth the wine is high-toned, with an alcoholic quality that delivers somewhat sharp flavors of cherry and raspberry. A bit of astringency lingers in the finish. Good acidity makes the fruit bright, but the heat of higher octane doesn't help. Nonetheless, a solid wine. 14.8% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $30. click to buy. 2010 Ambyth Estate Syrah, Paso Robles, Central Coast, California Medium purple in the glass, this wine smells of cocoa powder, mulberries, and wet earth. In the mouth it offers tangy huckleberry and black cherry flavors that burst with bright, even searing acidity. Very little tannic structure exists in the wine, leaving it fresh and juicy on the palate, but perhaps lacking some complexity. Not short in the dynamism department, and tasty. 13.13% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $38. click to buy. 2011 Ambyth Estate "Red Table Wine" Red Blend, Paso Robles, Central Coast, California Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of crushed nuts, dried fruit, and dusty earth. In the mouth, tangy sour cherry and redcurrrant flavors mix with caramel and a hint of wet sawdust. Searing acidity makes the tang of the wine quite sharp and mouth puckering. Moderate finish. An unusual blend of 20% Grenache Noir, 19% Mourvedre, 19% Sangiovese, 18% Tempranillo, 10% Grenache Blanc, 7% Cunoise, 5% Syrah, and 2% Marsanne. 13.14% alcohol. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $26. click to buy. 2010 Schloss Schönborn "Erbach Marcobrunn Kabinett" Riesling, Rheingau, Germany Palest greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of mandarine oranges, lime zest and wet chalkboard. In the mouth flavors