Vacation that Will Change Life:- Costa Rica

My recent vacation in Costa Rica was the first time I had ever traveled internationally, so naturally I was a little nervous about all of the "unknown" factors, like visiting a foreign country whose primary language was Spanish, getting through customs, finding my way around, and all those other "what if's" that tend to go through your mind when you're doing anything for the first time.

Little did I know that this would be by far the best place I'd ever visited as far as visually stunning nature, but also the most hands-on when it came to seeing and sometimes interacting with nature.

My sister and I started on our adventure when we met from adjoining flights at the small airport in San Jose, which is the capital of Costa Rica. We didn't stay though, as we had reservations at a resort in Arenal, which was about three hours from San Jose.

If you want to travel somewhere but you don't want to drive, it is very easy to arrange either public or private transportation anywhere you need to go, however, there are not many roads, so if you rented a vehicle with a GPS included, it could easily be navigated.

The only drawback we found with public transportation was that, although it was less expensive than private transport, you did need to set aside a few more hours to get to your destination, as they had many other pickups to make which added more time to the trip. However, when you consider that gasoline cost five dollars a gallon throughout pretty much the whole country, public transportation still seemed a genuine bargain.

As I stated earlier, we stayed first in Arenal, which is an area famous for the Arenal volcano. Arenal is a unique volcano because it actually erupts every night, and although you need to be close to the mountain to actually see it well, you may still see a bit of the bright eruption from a distance. Arenal was a beautiful area. Not only that, there were a ton of activities that you could sign up for within about one hour of the mountain, such as horseback riding, ziplining, hot springs tours, rainforest canopy tours and more.

We chose first to go horseback riding to La Fortuna Falls, which was a visual spectacle unlike any I've seen. La Fortuna Falls was a magnificently huge waterfall that required you walk down several hundred steps just to see the whole waterfall from the bottom up. There was also a lookout point about halfway through where you could gaze at the magnitude of the fall's size, but also take in the lush tropical surroundings and watch for exotic birds and animals along the way.

Then came the canopy ziplining tour, which was not for the faint of heart, but by far the most exhilarating and rewarding experience during our stay. We travelled about one hour from our Arenal resort to the rainforest canopy, and from the drop off point, hiked about a half mile to the zipline platforms after we were suited up in our gear and had signed release forms.

Ziplining through the canopy of the forest at up to 40 miles per hour, and several hundred feet off the ground was unquestionably scary, but after we completed the first platform, everyone on the tour couldn't get enough of it. There were 11 platforms in all, and the scenery from above was breathtaking. It is an experience I will never forget, and I'd recommend that anyone who fancies this sort of sport to do it while in Costa RIca.

Indian Culture and Styles

Each region of India has a definitive style and culture which is echoed throughout the aesthetics of its homes. Kerala, on the southwestern coast, is known for its wooden houses which delight in strong lines with few flourishes, In Kashmir, Himalayan flora inspires delicate embroidered shapes mimicking the leaves of the chinar tree flowers and fruit designs appear in embroidery, carving and moldings, and embellish homes and houseboats of the state.
Cultural Influences
Indian culture has also been influenced by the influx of many cultures over many centuries. The Muslim influence is evident in the arches, domes and ornate filigrees seen throughout north India, where the Mughals ruled for over four centuries. Then came the Europeans; first the Portuguese (in search of spices) in 1497 who colonized Goa, Daman and Diu; then the Dutch in 1595, and the British who established their East India Company on the last day of 1600. 19th century colonial influence brought a love of both the Gothic and the baroque. As a result, it is not surprising to find a stiff Victorian edifice studded with gargoyles beside an ancient Hindu temple, sculpted with sensuous gods.

The Five Elements

The concept of the 'five elements' (air, water, fire, earth and space) has been woven into the fabric of india since befpre the arrival of the aryans around 1500BC. Indian be;oefs have always been animist - dedicated to the worship of nature Although ancient western beliefs recognise the first four elements, the fifth-space - is a more abstract principle. To many Indians, the notion of space respresents the vast vacuum beyond ordinary perception, and symbolises the huge power of an unseen force. It is thus a source of inspiration in Hinduism and Zen Buddhism. The ancient animists worshipped trees and valued all plants, but the earth, rain and rivers were truly venetrated and destructive energy of primeval storms and earthquakes help people in awe.

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The Right Tattoos For Your Body Shape

Play with rough dimensions on your body and discuss with your artist before committing to the final size. Remember also that an image on a piece of tracing paper may look smaller than the actual end result tattoo. If in doubt it is worth the extra layout to get your artist to provide a temporary outline for you and then rescale accordingly.

Surf the web and visit tattoo gallery sites to gain a feel for what looks too large ,small or just right. Try and look for tattoo models with a similar body size as yourself.

Decide on how you would like the tattoo to follow your body contours. For example is it intended to flow over the back of a shoulder or sit neatly on the back of a calf muscle? On that basis will the tattoo you have selected need to be extended or reduced slightly to compliment best the location and shape of your body? Again before committing you should discuss with your artist and get them to guide you with overall 'size' and 'scale' of the finished tattoo.

Consider you future body shape. If you're about to go on a crash diet to lose surplus weight then it maybe worth delaying having the tattoo done before you have reached your target weight. Are you about to undertake body building exercises to build your physique? Then any tattoos on expanding arm and leg areas are likely to stretch and may loose image quality depending on the tattoo design chosen. Again make sure you let your tattoo artist know of your future build intentions since again this may influence the final size selection.

Remember, doing that extra bit of research to help decide on a final tattoo size is as essential as choosing the actual tattoo design itself. There are loads of Tattoo Design Gallery resources available on internet to help you find that perfect tattoo. Many have member forums with people eager to offer free advice and share their knowledge on all aspects of tattoos including choosing the best size. There is no reason why your next tattoo shouldn't be a perfect experience you can be proud of for the rest of your life.

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BANARASI SAREE

Banarasi SAREE In the world of fashion ‘Banarasi Saree’ remains the Indian ‘SUN’ and has been a subject of great inspiration and appreciation for world-wide costume connoisseurs. These proposed episodes would try to fathom its historical continuance, record its traditions which goes from generation to generation and unveil the intricacies which goes towards making this Banarasi Saree an art and aesthetics. In short it would enter the subject from the raw materials and show the process to the final product and packaging.

It was in the Mughal era Baranasi saree came into popularity and got fashion currency. Today these sarees are being exported world-wide. Around 125 km of Varanasi this art of making Banarai saree is surviving since olden days. It was during the mughal times when all arts be it persian, rajasthan or other indian school got amalgamated to create a fusion of aesthetics. Same goes for costume as well. The persian motifs and Indian designs on silk texture studded with gold and silver remained the cue of Mughal patronage. Elaborate pure gold and silver designs are today rare still the zari has rightfully taken its position as an apt replacement.

Today there are mainly four varieties of Banarasi saree available. Those are Pure Silk (Katan); Shattir, Organza which is fine kora with zari and silk works and finally the Georgette . If you go to varanasi you would find some 10,000 shops selling Banarai Saree which is more a cottage industry for several million people around Varanasi which includes Gorakpur and Azamgarh as well. Around 60 percent of artisans are Muslim for whom weaving this art is their tradition. Ramzan Ali,an old traditional weaver said ‘After the partition of India people tried to take up this art ‘Banarasi Saree’ in distant land but could not produce an equivocal quality….there is something in this earth which makes the creation of Varanasi Saree possible’.

Once the saree is created those come to Gol Garj and Kunj Gali where Banarasi sarees are sold in wholesale rates. There several hundred shops where every morning people from different villages come to deliver ‘created’ sarees to the market. There are some 10 shops whose turn over they say even cross 80 crores in toto.

Thus we see for creation of Banarasi Saree one requires different experts right from the gauging the quality of Resham until marketing. All these goes towards creation of the unique saree which is envied by saree weavers from all over. Its no simple weaving rather those are functional art of India which is going on for centuries within a great fabric of Indian traditional weavers.

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Indian Culture-Tamples

Hindu temples were not meant for large congregational worship. Pillared Mandapas with elaborate sculptures, sadas for dancing & wide circumbulating passages with other deities placed around the main deity constitute a temple complex.The prominent forms of temple designs are the North Indian Temples & Southern Indian Temples. There were changes in styles, but certain basic rules fundamental to Hinduism were followed regarding the position of the garba griha, directions of the other deities, etc. The exact birth of the history of temples cannot be traced exactly. The earliest temples were constructed of perishable materials like timber & clay. Next came the cave rock-cut structures. Elaborate structural temples with ornate architecture & sculpture came into existence much later. The Gupta period marks the beginning of structural temples & a wide variety of styles were adopted. The temples were built of brick & stone. The Hindu temples can be broadly classified into three basic styles - Nagara, Vesara & Dravida according to the Silpasastras. The styles are not strictly restricted to particular regions. There is an intermingling of styles, but it can be broadly considered that a particular style was more prominent in a specific region. (Northern, Deccani, Southern styles).

The construction of a temple is a religious act, thus great care is taken to ensure that all rules & conditions laid down are adhered to strictly, starting from the land selected for the temple. The location has to be appropriate in the sense that it should be a clean, serene place to invoke peace.For all power to get concentrated in the vigraham, the norms as laid down has to be followed in every step. None of these rules are the whims of our ancestors, but based on hard scientific facts. The vigraha also has to be made according to specifications. The main deity is housed in the garbagriham & there are Utsava murthis made of bronze Civilisation in India had flourished along the banks of her rivers, off the sea-shores & in semi arid regions. Depending on the locale, materials like wood, mud, bricks, tatches woven of palm & coconut leaves have been used. Huge stones had also been used to create archways, temples etc.,

Hinduism is supposed to be 'apauruseya', i.e., of impersonal origin & so also are the Gods of Hinduism. They are eternal & though the deities appear to be different & independent, they are really facets of the same Brahman, the Supreme God.as Sri Ramakrishna says, there can be as many spiritual paths as there are spiritual aspirants & similarly there can really be as many Gods as there are devotees to suit the moods, feelings, emotions & social background of the devotees.The Hindu scriptures were eloquent while describing the qualities of God. He is all-knowing & all powerful. He is the very personification of justice, love & beauty. He is ever ready to shower His grace, mercy & blessings on His creation. From the Rig Veda, we come to know of the vedic gods eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas, Indra & Prajapathi, being the Gods of earth, the heavens & the space. The main Hindu Gods as we accept today can be broadly classified as Saiva Gods (Siva, His consort, His sons, His other forms), Vaishnava Gods (Vishnu, His consort, His various avatharams)& Sakthi or Saktha (Forms of Goddess Sakthi).

Coping With A Mixed Culture Relationship

As the world continues to shrink, and people become increasingly accustomed to moving country as one time they moved town, there is an increasing trend for mixed culture relationships. At one time, such relationships met with society's disapproval, but nowadays it's commonplace to see couples of obvious mixed backgrounds walking hand-in-hand in the shopping mall. If you find yourself involved with someone from a different cultural background to your own, there are ways of merging the two cultures so that rather than having two separate ones, you create a special mixed one that you can both happily live with. Mixed culture could mean different ethnicity, different religions, different languages, or even different social status. It could even mean a combination of some or most of these! In order to merge the two, you both need to first have a good base of respect for your partner's culture. You need to learn what is important to that culture in order to see where the blending areas are. In the case of religion, this may not be possible - but if you love and respect your partner, it's not necessary for you to convert to their religion, only that you both mutually respect the other's right to your own belief system.