Travel Freak

History repeated itself when the seven new wonders of the world were rechosen. India’s Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, Jordan’s Petra, Brazil’s statue of Christ Redeemer, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid and the Colosseum in Rome have now replaced the original wonders, most of which have long since vanished into the mists of time. The other original wonders, all since destroyed, were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the lighthouse of Alexandria.
The Great Pyramid of Giza was given the assurance of retaining its ancient status in addition to the new wonders when the egyptian officials vehemently stated that it was a disgrace to the great pyramid that they had to compete.
The great ceremony took place in Lisbon’s Stadium of Light and thshow was also televised. The great occasion was attended by egregious celebrities.
A private Swiss foundation launched the campaign in 1999. Almost 200 nominations were narrowed to a shortlist. The poll took place over the past six years but gathered pace only in recent months when the website was inundated by tens of millions of votes.
The money raised by the concerned organisation would be responsible for restoring the grace of these seven wonders of the world, and it will also be used to recreate the giant statues of Buddha destroyed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Many countries showed their enthusiasm by encouraging people to vote for their respective monumemts. In india, a song was dedicated to the taj mahal, in china people were exhorted to flood the website with their votes, while in brazil it was done by printing bus-tickets.
This is just a way of making people love and respect their own culture and the culture of others as well.
Via timesonline

Spain’s most famous fiesta, the San Fermin bull-running festival started this Friday with a lot of reveling. Firecrackers, wine-spraying and a lot of fun accompanied the beginning of this most awaited event.

Men and women gathered excitedly for this grand occasion in the town-hall square. The people were dressed in white shirts and trousers and donning red handkerchiefs which is the traditional garb of the festival.

It is a 9-day festival which was popularized internationally by Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises”. The fiesta’s major attraction is bull-running. The first bull-run begins on Saturday and the festival will go on until 14th July. The whole event is covered live on the Spanish television.

In the runs, held at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) each morning, people test their mettle and stamina by racing with six bulls along an 800-meter (875-yard) route from a corral to the city bullring. In the noons, bull-fighting takes place and professionals participate in this national sport. 13 people have been killed in the runs. The last fatality, a 22-year-old American, was gored to death in 1995.

This event (bull-fighting) is an inhuman activity in my opinion. People yell at the top of their voices due to excitement, but it is such a violent and gory sport which risks the life of the fighter and the bull. Fiesta is an important part of the life of the people but I would like to hold the cause of peace and non-violence. What do you think about it?

Via MSNBC

The demand for the farewell voyages of QE2 has been phenomenal. Most of the last voyages of this grand liner have been fully swamped by demand as the ship would retire in November 2008.
Five of its final cruises were completely sold out in a few days after going out for sale. Such has been the craze of people that its last sailing, from Southampton to Dubai on November 11 next year sold out in just 36 minutes. People are excited about having the experience of this leviathan as the ship will end up becoming a floating hotel in Dubai in November 2008. Managing director Stefan Shillito is of view that the demand has gone over the roof.
Managing director Carol Marlow was surprised by the increased volume of booking but also informed that there was still space on other QE2 voyages later this year and in 2008. A 16-night Mediterranean cruise departing from Southampton on May 5 still has availability, with prices from £1,449 to £6,069, while a one-week cruise to the Norwegian fjords on June 25 next year costs between £799 and £4,639. So, all those who want to testify the magnificence of this grand vessel can still have the pleasure to do so. But book your seat as soon as possible so that you don’t have to regret the loss later.
Via telegraph