Travel Tips on nhaima

India: when to go and how to prepare

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:23:49 +0000

When, a few months ago, I bought my ticket to India I knew nothing, or almost nothing, about this country in terms of organisation and travel tips. So I began a lengthy search to prepare myself, at least “practically”, in the best possible way. India is a very vast country; if you truly intend to see all of it you must make peace with needing at least 2 or 3 months available. I, this time, will have only 16 days and mine will be a somewhat particular journey, since I will be spending most of the time in an ashram — that of my teacher of Kriya Yoga.

Some cooks in an Ashram in Pune - Photo by Alessandro Ceccarelli

If you want to visit India, the first thing you must do is choose whether to go to Northern India or Southern India. If you look for printed guidebooks, or topics across the web, you will in fact find them divided in this way. For the same reason it is also difficult to define which period is meteorologically best, because the climatic factors are very diverse.

DIY travel. Some tips on how to get organised

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:21:50 +0000

When you decide to set off on a trip, short or long, it is always wise to be organised in order to avoid unpleasant surprises along the way. If you intend to travel to the other side of the world for a few weeks, the best thing would be to begin preparations at least two or three months in advance. Ideally you will have already chosen your destination and perhaps even bought your flights :) Purchasing the ticket well in advance allows you to save considerably on cost. The first thing to check is your documents: verify that your passport has at least 6 months of validity; virtually every country now requires this, and the 6 months are counted from the moment you request entry, so it is a fundamental prerequisite you cannot overlook. Find out which visas are necessary, whether you need medical insurance, or whether you need any vaccinations. Very often you can request these documents online or at any travel agency, regardless of whether you bought your ticket or trip through them. Study the country you will be visiting: its culture, customs, what type of electrical voltage they use; perhaps learn a few words of the local language. Depending on the time of year you choose to travel, find out about the climate you will encounter so you can pack appropriately; if you also plan to go diving, find out about the water temperature: having a 3mm wetsuit in 20-degree water will leave you very cold :) If you are going to a tropical country, check whether you will be visiting during hurricane season; for this you might also need a windproof jacket to shelter from the rain or a lightweight waterproof.

San Francisco in and out. What to see in just 3 days

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:09:58 +0000

I had barely returned last week from my first diving trip in the Philippines when I was already off again, bound for San Francisco! Alas, I had only 4 days available, as I was accompanying my partner for work reasons, but they were enough to show him the main attractions. To be entirely honest, I’m not particularly fond of the United States, but San Francisco has that certain something that, even 15 years ago, left me enchanted. Three days and so much to see: where to begin? We started at Pier 39, a San Francisco classic. A place full of shops, typical tourist shopping and restaurants. So if you love giving gadgets and kitsch objects as gifts, this is the place for you: from Alcatraz souvenirs to Golden Gate ones, to shops selling exclusively every imaginable type of magnet. We went there to admire the clusters of sea lions basking in the sun on wooden platforms, happily posing for the multitude of tourists who stroll the pier every day.

Another interesting thing to visit, if you love the sea and the marine world, is without doubt the Aquarium of the Bay. After a first room with tanks containing fish of various kinds, you descend to the lower floor where the real spectacle awaits: an underwater tunnel from which you can admire large tunas, elegant manta rays and beautiful sharks. You’ll feel as though you are truly underwater alongside them! Of course it’s not the same thrill as when I dive, but I must say it comes remarkably close :-) Once at Pier 39 you need only continue along the Embarcadero, reach Fisherman’s Wharf and admire the Golden Gate in all its grandeur, which at sunset always offers beautiful photographic moments.