Rayagopura
the shikara on inner prakara and garuda stambha
Pillars at the entrance 
One of the pillars in the Navarang
dancing female
kinnara 
scene from Ramayana
In a move that surprised many in the travel industry, including the company's own U.S.-based office, Peter Deilmann Cruises announced yesterday that it is curtailing its river cruise operation in 2010.
Sad news out of Monaco... Mauro Terravazzi, one of the founders of luxury cruise line Silversea, passed away at the age of 74. He began his life's work in the industry with Sitmar Cruiss when he was just 17.June 19, 2009Dear Luxury Cruise Enthusiasts:
Recently, there have been numerous discussions on cruise chat boards about Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ policy regarding Shipboard Credits. I want to take a few moments to offer some clarity surrounding this discussion:
There are two types of Shipboard Credits:
Those that are issued by RSSC (either directly or through the rewards program of a travel partner) which are offered as a booking incentive or reward.
Those that are purchased on behalf of a client by their travel agent or other well wishers, and for which RSSC receives payment in advance.
Use of Shipboard Credits:
The first type of shipboard credit is a Non-Refundable Shipboard Credit which may only be used by guests while they are on board our vesselsand can be usedto pay for the following services:
·Boutique purchases
·Art purchases
·Spa services
·Medical expenses
·Internet and telephone expenses
·Shore excursions or other items from Destination Services booked on board
·Premium wines, liquors and cigars from the Connoisseur list
·Laundry and dry-cleaning services
A Non-Refundable Shipboard Credit cannot be traded in for Casino chips or cash advances.
The second type of Shipboard Credit (as described in #2 above) may be used for all purchases onboard as noted aboveand may also be used for cash advances. Any unused portion of a Refundable Shipboard Credit will be refunded in cash at the end of the cruise.
I hope this clarifies our policies on the use of shipboard credits and eliminates any confusion in regards to this matter.
Kind regards,
Mark Conroy, President
The painting here depicts a lady waiting for her man to return from the field who has gone to the farm to earn the bread.
For those of you following the much-anticipated launch of Yachts of Seabourn's Odyssey, I have created a press coverage index for this ship's maiden season. The index archives tweets, blogs, photo galleries, and newspaper and magazine articles devoted to Seabourn Odyssey.
Updated June 23 at 8:16 am EST: Pamela Conover, president of Yachts of Seabourn, tweeted this morning to say Odyssey has set sail! Congratulations, Seabourn!
But the history of this town is much older than this. Here exists a fort built by Mallabairegowda in 1501 A.D. It remained in the hands of his decedents till 17th century and later occupied by Tipu Sultan family. The present fort is not the original one, but rebuilt by Hyder Ali and Tippu by stone in the 17th century. It is spread over a total area of 20 acres with roughly oval east orientation of fortification. A spacious battlement is provided towards the inner side of the fortification. Like Jaisalmer Golden Fort this is a living fort where many families live inside the fort.
The fort has as many as 12 semi-circular bastions. The bastions are provided with gun points built with lime and brick.
The fort has entrances decorated with cut plasterwork at the east and west. The entrances are quite small, comfortable enough for the horses of yore.
There is a memorial located about 150m south-west of the fort, is traditionally identified as the spot where Tippu Sultan was born. A four pillared arched structure which rests on a square platform within a masonry enclosure having entrance from the east is the only remains available.
• @SeabournCruise On the sun terrace for this momentous occasion just setting sail with our first travel professional and press guests. Pamela Conover
• @CruiseLog Despite challenges, though, @SeabournCruise's restaurant staff pulled off an elegant, scrumptious dinner tonight. http://tinyurl.com/mz5ng6
• @ExpertCruiser Here are some great photos of Seabourn Odyssey in Venice http://bit.ly/F3npq
• @CruiseLog New details on the scramble to get @SeabournCruise's Odyssey ready for its maiden voyage just posted at http://tinyurl.com/mz5ng6 #cruise
• @ExpertCruiser With the exception of areas of the spa. Hotel director says they are 100 percent operational. They are confident everything will be a go Wed
• @CruiseLog Will @seabourncruise's Odyssey be ready for Wednesday's maiden voyage? 'Have faith,' says one staffer.
• @CruiseLog Hundreds of travel agents and media arriving today greeted by a note in room saying ship will not sail tomorrow due to work undone.
• @ExpertCruiser We are not going out to sea on our preview. As @CruiseLog stated some areas are not finished. There have been rumors of rudder problems
• @ExpertCruiser We are checking with Seabourn managers on this. Just asked the hotel manager and he said he was unaware of any rudder issues.
• @CruiseLog Internet not working, Villa suites in spa not ready, workers scrambling to unpack boxes of dining room supplies.
• @CruiseLog The big news is the Odyssey isn't quite ready for prime time. Workers still programming elevators, working on hydropool in spa.
• @CruiseLog I'm now aboard @seabourncruise's Odyssey, where a scramble is underway to get the ship ready for its maiden voyage Wednesday.
• @ExpertCruiser The Seabourn Odyssey is gorgeous! Having lunch The Colonnade-- amazing seafood buffet. Now off to visit my suite!
When one thinks of the word “cruise”, the image it conjures up is one of a massive ship out on the open seas sailing between islands. While that may be prevalent in most of the cruising world, there’s another faction of cruise ships, small luxury liners that sail some of the most famous rivers in the world. One such ship is the Oberoi Zahra luxury Nile cruiser, which sails up and down the Nile River in Egypt and treats you to more luxury than you could ever imagine.
When you dock to embark on an excursion, instead of being hustled onto a tour bus, you are taken on private tours in small luxury vehicles guided by an English-speaking Egyptologist. Oberoi Zahra is also allowed private docking areas along the Nile, so that your travels are met with all of the peace and quiet you deserve on your special holiday.
American Safari Cruises has developed a new itinerary on the Columbia and Snake rivers of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho for the fall and spring seasons. Dubbed "Rivers First", the line's new 145-foot, 36-guest Safari Explorer yacht will fill the void left by Majestic America that previously sailed three riverboats in the area.
Orion Expeditions, the expeditionary cruise line out of Australia, has released its 2010 cruise itineraries for the 53-cabin MV Orion. Early bookings are eligible for 15 percent off the full fare.
If you're looking for a cruise itinerary few people have experienced, research Pandaw Cruises' new option in Borneo, eastern Malaysia. Starting this July, the RV Orient Pandaw will offer seven-night voyages on the Rajang River.
Yachts of Seabourn guests have enjoyed inventive menus designed by famed chef Charlie Palmer since 2002. Now with the maiden voyage of Seabourn Odyssey just ten days away, Seabourn has announced that the line will also debut new Palmer menus during that cruise.
From the bottom of the hill one can reach the fort over the hill either by using stairways or elephant ride. For a nominal fee they carry two to three people on elephant to the top where front courtyard of the complex exists.
The entire fort complex, is constructed of white and red sandstone. The imposing rugged outlook of the fort is of the stark contrast to to the inside, a lavish ornate interior which is combination of both Hindu and Mughal styles of architecture. Some of the interior walls of the fort are covered with murals, frescoes, and paintings depicting various scenes from daily life. Other walls are covered with intricate carvings, mosaic, and minute mirror work. The front yard is adorned with the marvelous, pillared hall of the Diwan-i-Am, and the two - tiered painted gateway Ganesh Pol. Once you enter through the Ganesh Pol, the structure of special interests inside are Sheesh Mahal, Jas Mandir.
Ganesh Pol in the front yard
Sheesh Mahal 
John Barron just announced that he has decided to leave Regent Seven Seas Cruises after eight wonderful years. He will join the Yachts of Seabourn as one of the cruise directors aboard the line's newest yacht, Seabourn Odyssey.
This fort is very rugged in structure and is of very less artistic importance. It has huge fort walls, watch towers, palaces and temples. The palace is now converted into museum. This was built in 1726 by Sawai Jai Singh. This fort is also known as Fort of Victory. It was built mainly to safeguard Amber Fort from the enemy attacks which is more of artistic in nature. The fort is perched on a cliff and the walkways inside the fort provide the breathtaking views of the surroundings.
The World's largest cannon on wheel, Jaiban, is to be found here. There is a huge water pit close to the cannon at a lower level. It is believed that the sound generated by firing this cannon was so huge that people close by can become deaf. After firing from this cannon the person has to jump in the water pit to save himself. 
View of cannon Jaiban kept under shade and covered by fence
Yesterday, Stacy Small of Elite Travel International mentioned on Twitter that all of Regent Seven Seas' European cruises were sold out for the summer. That surprised me so I clicked over to Regent's site and, lo and behold, that truly is the case.
This month, be sure to pick up the June 2009 issue of Yachting magazine. The work of Luxury Cruise Bible staff photographer, Leonard Hospidor, is featured on pages 42–46.
Check out VacationtoGo.com's list of cruise fares for Regent Seven Seas' Paul Gauguin. Two seven-night French Polynesian itineraries—departing August 15 and August 22—are listed at just $1,400 per person! If that price is accurate, snatch it up today!
The area is famous for the beautiful fresh water lake surrounded by hillocks. The lake occupies an area of around 2000 acres. About 1000 years ago Saint Ramanujacharya moved to this place from Srirangam. He had built the lake and then moved to nearby area Melkote. The lake is built between two rocky hills by constructing a dam. The source of water is by means of river and many streams running off the hills surrounding the lake.
Because of the crystal clear water in the lake it is also known as Moti Talab. This forms a ideal picnic spot away from the busy life of the city. People can also enjoy boating here in the local made round boats called "Theppa". In one corner of the lake there is a small beach where people can relax. It is a very calm and scenic place and words make no justice to it. It has to be only experienced to cherish.
This is not a place for sightseeing. This is more of a place where people can relax in the nature from their daily busy routines. The place is slowly getting popular and one can see steady increase in number of people coming here. I only hope that influx of tourists to this spot does not disturb the serenity of the place.
Are people sick and tired of hearing "We're in a recession?" Evidently so if you consider that both Silversea and Crystal Cruises reported record-breaking sales data this week. Perhaps a combination of excellent cruise fare pricing and "bad news burnout" convinced travelers to stop procrastinating and simply book a vacation.
