MAPOGRAPH.

2014.THREE TRIPS IN YEAR 2014.

This is screen shot of our trips done in 2014. 

This map is just to give you over all picture of routes followed, hotels where we stayed, restaurants where we had food and the tourists attractions we visited. But these details can not be accessed here.

Full details and description about routes, hotels stayed, restaurants where we had food and the tourists attractions visited by us can be accessed in "interactive" google map. As this map gives locations, photographs and information of the trip I call it MAPOGRAPH   

For interactive mapohraph (map)  GO HERE

When the interactive map opens, unlike the map above, you will only see a blank map. When you place the curser any where on the map, icon of palm fist weill appear. you can move this map to see any desired area by left clicking and moving the map to desired position.

Click the location of any place you are interested in. For better viewing you must zoom-in to the place. A giving the details panel will appear in the map giving the details.
After you have gone through the place , zoom-out again before going to next place.

Singapore trip can not be seen even though they are listed above the Pune Trip. This has been done purposely for  ease of explaination.

Pune trip can be seen only because it was 'selected' as shown by the tick mark in the small square near Pune Trip. If the square is selected again by clicking it, tick mark as well as information about pune trip will also vanish and map will go blank.

Selecti

'Selecting' and 'deselecting' of the trip "layer"is done by selecting and deselecting in the square near the Trip heading.

I call this map "TRAVEL - MAPOGRAPH". Simple reason being when you navigate through the map,  you get complete information about each and every aspect, that is routes followed, hotels stayed, restaurants where we had food and the tourists attractions visited by us during the trip. You can also have access / see the albums, see all and each photograph. Read their captions which are full of information, at times detailed with link to wiki or other Internet sources.

But the interaction map which has opened is blank . no routes, no nothing. To see all those things of the trip you are interested in,  please click in the square on the left of that trip. If you click Sri Lanka trip you will see full details of lanka Trip. I suggest initially open ONLY the layer of the trip you are interested . close the layer before you go to see another trip.

Ac every details ig given in  MAPOGRAPH itself, presently I do not write travel blog with text and photos, as is the normal Practice. 
May be I will resume it after I have caught up with all my "TRAVEL MAPOGRAPHs"

I know reading text and seeing photos of the trip is easier as compared to navigating through the map. In case there is doubt about how to navigate through the map, here is how :

To navigate through this map use the left vertical panel on the map :

1. The panel gives contents of the map which are self explanatory.Placing the cursor  on any item in the panel will highlight that item in the map .
2. Click on the item in panel will open an information window in the map giving information about that item. If photos about that item have been uploaded they will also show in the information window.
3. For example placing the cursor on first entry Home , Nagpur  will highlight Our home location in Nagpur, with a circle. Clicking on the same , will open a information window in the map  giving information at home.
The writing in these panels is slightly faint. Unfortunately I have not been able/ do not any thing about how to make it dark and better to read . Any help on that will be most welcome . To navigate through the info panel,use the Up/Down arrows given at top & bottom in the right margin.

2. There are various layers .Sequence of the layers is from top to Bottom.So,First layer is the start of the trip.Entries in layers show what it deals with.  
I have explained about first entry . Second entry shows train route from Nagpur to New Delhi. So on and so forth. This way Navigate through the map.  

3. Each successive layer shows totally different trip.

Please make that extra effort, you will not be disappointed.

In case required here is how to navigate through the map.

Have a nice trip.

2014 - THREE TRIPS.

2014 - THREE TRIPS.

Mapograph of three trips done by us in the year 2014.

What is Given above is a "Mapograph" is a screenshot of our trips done in 2014. This map is just to give you an overall picture of routes followed, hotels where we stayed, restaurants where we had food and the tourists attractions we visited. But these details can not be accessed here.

Full details and description about routes, hotels stayed, restaurants, where we had food and the tourists attractions visited by us, can be accessed in "interactive" google map. 

For the interactive map go here.

When the interactive map opens, unlike the map above, you will only see a blank map. you can move this map to see any desired area by placing an icon of palm fist on the map and moving it to the desired position.
There will be a panel on the left with heading "2014. THREE TRIPS IN 2014". Below that partial information on trips, we did in 2014. Below that list of three trips done in the year.
Left-click on "2014. THREE TRIPS IN 2014"  will open panel on-screen giving brief details about the trips done.
Left-click in the blank square before Lanka Trip will open the trip details of details and description about routes followed, hotels stayed, restaurants where we had food and the tourists attractions visited by us during Lanka trip. 
Left-click on any point will give details of that particular item For example click on Home will open panel giving full information about 'Home'. 
A similar procedure can be followed for all other locations.
I suggest that initially you see and follow only one trip at a time, ie after going through Lanka Trip close that trip details by clicking the thing again and open the next trip. 
In this way, you can follow the Trips done in 2014.  

Mumbai and Sri Lanka Trip From : 06 - 01 - 2014 - To - 20 - 01 - 2014.

It had been a long time since we had gone on a trip abroad .
After our return from Cambodia Indonesia Trip in March 2013 , by the year end both Priti & I were getting  " trip sickness " . When the suffering became acute and the bug of wander lust finally bit us we decided on a Kesari trip of Sri Lanka of 7 days / 6 hotel nights starting from Mumbai  at 0130 hours on  13 January 2014  and ending at 0430 hours at Mumbai on 20 January 2014 .

 Pradip & co were asking us to visit them for some time now and as we also had not visited Mumbai for some time decided to combine visit to Pradip & Shrikant along with Sri Lanka trip . So we planned to departure for Mumbai on 06 January 2014 stay for 6 days with Pradip .

Shrish & Jaya Tatwawadi had told us to inform them if we plan any trip so we told them about our plans . They decided to join . As Tats were in Mumbai ,We went & booked the trip for both of us on 23 October 2013 by paying ₹ 100,000/- as advance for both of us .  As all our friend circle , Mangal Behere , also knew of our plan , She convinced Pradip and also booked the trip.
Final payments were by Tats & Self on 19 December 2013. Final Trip cost ,  per head , worked out as follows :
In ₹ ; 34990 - 10000  (discount ) =                  ₹ 24,990/- 
In $ ; 560 ( On payment day 
exchange @63.75=₹35744 )     =                   ₹ 35,744/-
Taxes                                                         ₹   1827/-
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Total Cost per head                                      ₹ 61,861/ --700 (Sr Ctz discount) = 61,161?-
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Mumbai.

We travelled by Vidharbha Express on 06 January 2014 . This time got down at Thane . Getting a Taxi proved problematic as we never reached proper taxi stand but were intercepted by taxi & Auto fellows .

Advice to first timers at Thane station is that do not take an Auto as autos of Thane are not allowed in Greater Mumbai limits .

Also insists & settle that the coolie takes you to the proper taxi stand . 

Stay at Pradip's place was all that we expected and thoroughly enjoyed . Also a night spent with Dada & Shrikant gave pleasure to all . 

On 09 January Pradip took us to see the Pagoda . 

Pagoda.

Global vipassana Pagoda and Meditation Center

In Mumbai it is commonly referred to as " The Pagoda " but the correct

 correct nomenclature is " Global vipassana Pagoda and Meditation Center ".

(for the convenience  of writing " Pagoda " is used here ) .

The Pagoda is located on Gorai Creek in the North-West of Mumbai approximately 25 KMs from Pradip's house and took us about an hour by car. It is very close to Essel World Amusement Part in fact the first parking lot one come across are those of the Essel World before parking confirm that Pagoda is still ahead ! The first glimpse of the pagoda is much before one reaches this parking lot.

The first glimpse of the Pagoda while still about 3-4 kilometers away .

Some information about the Pagoda courtesy wiki .

The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a Meditation Hall near Gorai, North-west of Mumbai,India. The Pagoda was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, then President of India on 8 February 2009 It is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. The pagoda is to serve as a monument of peace and harmony.

The center of the Global Vipassana Pagoda contains the world's largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars. The height of the dome is approximately 29 metres, while the height of the building is 96.12 meters, External diameter of the largest section of the dome is 97.46m and the shorter sections is 94.82m. Internal diameter of the dome is 85.15m.The inside of the pagoda is hollow and serves as a very large meditation hall with an area covering more than 6000 m²(65,000 ft²). The massive inner dome seats over 8000 people enabling them to practice the non-sectarian Vipassana meditation . More interested people can find full details here.

Some Photos of Pagoda and allied buildings

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The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara or Kelaniya Temple is a Buddhist temple in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, seven miles from Colombo. Buddhists believe the temple to have been hallowed during the third and final visit of the Buddha to Sri Lanka, eight years after gaining enlightenment. Its history would thus go back to before 500 BCE.The Mahawansa records that the original Stupa at Kelaniya enshrined a gem-studded throne on which the Buddha sat and preached. The temple flourished during the Kotte era but much of its land was confiscated during the Portuguese empire. Under the Dutch empire, however, there were new gifts of land and under the patronage of King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha the temple was rebuilt. It was refurbished in the first half of the 20th century with the help of Helena Wijewardana. The temple is also famous for its image of the reclining Buddha and paintings which depict important events in the life of the Buddha, in the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, also incidents from the Jataka tales.  An 18-foot stone statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara has been erected at the temple.

Kelaniya Temple Complex more photos.

Independence Memorial Hall (also Independence Commemoration Hall) is a national monument in Sri Lanka built for commemoration of the independence of Sri Lanka from the British rule with the establishment of Dominion of Ceylon on February 4, 1948. It is located at the Independence Square (formerly Torrington Square) in the Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo. It also houses the Independence Memorial Museum.The monument was built at the location where the formal ceremony marking the start of self-rule, with the opening of the first parliament by the HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester occurred at a special podium February 4, 1948.Located at the head of the monument is the statue of the first prime minister of the country Rt. Hon. Don Stephen Senanayake "The Father of the Nation". Most of the annual National Independence Day celebrations have been held here. Apart from a monument it served as the ceremonial assembly hall for the Senate of Ceylon and the House of Representatives of Ceylon until the parliament was moved to the new parliament complex. Currently it is the venue for religious events and annual national day celebrations.