If white sandy beaches, yummy tropical cocktails, breathtaking temples, and awe-inducing archaeological sites come to your mind when you think of traveling to Thailand, then you won't be wrong. You should also know that you are going to be meeting a warm and welcoming people with great food. Perhaps no other features describe Thailand better than her captivating National Parks.

At these beautiful places, you will experience refreshing encounters, especially when you can view wildlife from a safe distance and observe them in their natural habitats. Visitors and locals attest to the fact that Thailand's National parks are priceless gems that makes the country an irresistible choice for holidaymakers and tourists alike.

So if you are thinking about which national parks in Thailand are worth seeing or how many national parks in Thailand, it will be great to note that Thailand has hundreds scattered across the length and breadth of the country. So this compilation of best national parks in Thailand can serve as a guide in helping your selection.

1. Khao Sok National Park

Once you visit Khao Sok, you will be welcomed by the rich, green rainforest that are arguably the oldest in the world. In addition, you will see huge limestone mountains that are very tall, deep valleys, caves, beautiful lakes and different species of plants and animals.

Located in Southern Thailand, Khao Sok Nature Resort is among the places that you must see when in-country. This nature resort, founded in 1980, forms a part of the Thailand government effort in preserving the environment, side by side with development and growth.

Want some ideas on what to do in Khao Sok Nature resort? You can engage in a number of activities in Khao Sok nature resort. If you are brave enough, you can request a not-so-close but personal encounter with an elephant, visit the surrounding jungle on foot or explore clear waters using a canoe.

If you are the bookworm, then you would love to hear the tour guides telling stories about the nature resort as well as the history of the plant and animal life in the resort. Just know that you will be held captive by the rich diversity Khao Sok nature resort offers. Thinking about how to get to Khao Sok National Park?

You can get to Khao Sok and move about the Nature Resort in a number of ways. You can reach the city via two airports; one located at Surat Thani or Phuket Airport. Phuket to Khao Sok National Park is obviously the fastest, so you should consider that when you are in-country. Moving within the city in taxis and mini buses should get you from place to place easily. You don't really need an automobile to move around the resort, so wear good trekkers.

2. Doi Inthanon National Park

Doi Inthanon is famous for hosting the highest mountain in Thailand, called the Inthanon Mountain. In addition to this, visitors can see many interesting places within the park and there are fun activities to engage in. To kick start your tour, you can engage the services of a tour guide who would likely know most things about the park.

You can start by visiting the National Park itself. Your tour will take you through some interesting spots before you get to the park. These captivating spots should include passing through scenic villages/settlements, acres of rice fields, vineyards and fruit orchards. This tour will whet your appetite.

Along the way, you will encounter some really friendly natives, who will warmly greet you with a smile. Thinking of what to do in Doi Inthanon National Park? Here are some of our best recommendations.

At the Doi Inthanon national park, you can decide to head straight to the peak (which is 8415 feet (2,565 meters) above sea level) of the mountain (it is important to follow all instructions to the letter) and enjoy great views of the surrounding landscape. Trigger the adventurer in you by embarking on a search of the remains of the previous king of Chiang Mai entombed in the park.

From there take a hike along the Angka Luang Natural trail so you can enjoy the view of the forest from above. If you have time on your hands, pay a visit to the twin pagodas (Phra Mahathat Napha Methanidon and Phra Mahathat Naphaphon Bhumisiri), erected for King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit to mark their fifth cycle birthdays. Historians note that each pagoda also enshrines Buddha's relics.

3. Doi Suthep-Pui National Park

National parks in Chiang Mai rank amongst the most important landmarks in northern Thailand if you are looking for the best national park in Thailand. These parks are home to some of the most beautiful species of plant and animal life. In addition, you will find lush-green jungles, captivating mountains, waterfalls, and other water bodies.

One of the parks found within the vicinity of Chiang Mai is the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. The Doi Suthep has so many exciting features and landmarks. To begin with, the Doi Suthep is home to the notable Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and Bhubing Rjanives Palace. You will also find the Twin Mountains called the Doi Suthep and Doi Pui respectively.

The Doi Suthep will thrill hikers to no end. This is because of the many trails that crisscross the park; a hike should take you through numerous caves. You will catch beautiful views of the mountain points, the greenery and thunderous waterfalls.

Speaking of waterfalls, try to visit the most popular of all, the Bua Tong Sticky Waterfall. This waterfall is located about an hour and a half drive from Chiang Mai Old City. The Bua is famous for the fact that you can walk barefoot along the edge of the waterfalls without falling off as the bed of the waterfall grips or sticks to your feet, giving you a firm footing!

4. Khao Yai National Park

Known as the third largest national park in Thailand, Khao Yai has some beautiful grasslands and forests, just as you will find in Africa. Thousands visit the Khao Yai National park yearly to enjoy what nature has to offer. If you are undecided as to what activities you should partake in while you visit the Khao Yai, let these suggestions come handy:

A. Embark on a nighttime tour of the wild. If you are fortunate, you will see deer, wild pigs, porcupines, rare Asiatic black bear and even tigers (Note that the latter are hard to spot and you should never go off into the natural habitats of these animals without expert guidance).

B. The Khao Yai National Park is home to a large number of elephants. You might as well watch these magnificent creatures go about their daily living; from a safe distance of course!

C. Visit an Italian themed park on the grounds of the Khao Yai, where you can feed sheep and alpacas like it is done in Italy.

D. You will really enjoy going wine tasting in the vineyards at the Khao Yai Park. Thanks to its high places and cooler temperatures, this region of Thailand supports the cultivation of wine grapes like Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chenin Blanc.

E. Take a tour (by foot) of the designated UNESCO world heritage site located in the park. During your tour, you can enjoy watching the waterfalls, sight beautiful and rare birds and keep tabs on a procession of large elephants!

Keep the heat at bay by swimming in the Ban Tha Chang spring. Locals have found refreshment in the spring for hundreds of years.

5. Mu Ko Angthong National Marine Park

The Ang Thong Marine National Park has beautiful islands, and snorkeling areas, located on the coast of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. Most of the speedboat trips begin at the Big Buddha Pier in Bangrak, but there are also some girl trips you can do with wooden boats. At Koh Mae Koh you will get to see some of the best snorkeling sites. You can even see the monkey rock and much more.

Snorkeling in the azure sea, surrounded by thousands of fish and if lucky arises, get to see a turtle. Jungle ride to waterfalls, cheap shopping, boat sightseeing and delicious fruit shakes. The small island offers everything possible to contribute to a relaxing holiday.

6. Erawan National Park

It is the real Thailand that guidebooks and brochures barely talk about like the Erawan National Park. If you like hiking and nature, then a visit to Erawan National Park is an absolute must! Home to a multitude of hiking trails, caves, and the famous Erawan falls, this sanctuary is perfect for the outdoor adventurer.

While not exactly in Bangkok city itself, it’ll take about a 3 hour car ride to get there. And hey, if you’re lucky, you may even spot some elephants and deer too!

Pro tip: Bring your swimsuit and an extra change of clothes! You don’t want to miss out on swimming in the 7-tiered waterfall, would you?

Seville in Spain is the passionate heart of Andalucia. A city filled with history, beauty and character, a last-minute trip here will leave you feeling refreshed, revitalised and desperate to return. Go to Seville and discover its magnificent Gothic cathedral.

If you are interested in visiting Europe, consider Spain as it is said to be one of the warmer countries, with average temperatures of around 10 degree celsius.

There's plenty you can do in Spain too, from visiting architectural masterpieces by Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona and Christmas markets in Madrid, to enjoying seasonal delicacies like Turrón and Mazapán.

Pheasant Island is situated in a river that marks the border between France and Spain. Since they could not decide who it belonged to, they decided to share it and now it changes nationality every sixth months.

Fall in love with the beauty and the charm of Sevilla thanks to its gastronomy, its orange trees, its patios where time seems to stop and, above all, the kindness and joy of its people. They enjoy life in its streets with a good cold beer and lots of laughs. The city ​​of light and color awaits you on the banks of the Guadalquivir so you can discover its hidden corners and its sunrises next to the Giralda.



Here are some things to see in Seville and insider tips to make the most of this unique destination.

1. Wake up and smell the oranges along Paseo de las Delicias

Seville is famous for its oranges. The city streets are lined with them and their orange fruit are like baubles adorning the trees. However, the best time is before the fruit arrives.

Plan a trip from mid February to mid March and your senses will be greeted with something quite strange: a perfumed city! The orange blossom scent is just a delight to smell and as the trees blossom, their fragrance permeates every corner of the city. It is quite unforgettable. It cannot be captured in a selfie making it a truly personal experience.

2. Up on the roof of the Giralda

Sevilla has great views, especially from above. Because of its incredible climate, every season offers the chance to relax on a rooftop. Here, you’ll get incredible views of the city with its distinctive buildings and churches. It’s easy and affordable to access a terrace.

Many apartments offered will have access to one. It might be the place where the locals simply hang out their washing. But fight through their sheets and you will be rewarded with a great view.

If you have not got access, do not despair. Head to Santa Cruz and the EME hotel. Whilst your budget might not stretch to the cost of the accommodation here, you can certainly take their state of the art elevator to the rooftop bar. Here the view of the Giralda is unrivalled. In an evening, chill out music adds to the ambiance.

Another rooftop moment is from the Metropol Parasol, or as it is known throughout Seville, the Setas or mushrooms. This weird and wonderful wooden construction is a love or hate of modernism but the views from the top are brilliant. It allows you to get a panoramic vision of the city.

Seville is consistently one of the hottest places in Europe in summer. Temperatures reach the mid 40s on a daily basis. Sounds too daunting? Well, it need not be.

For a last-minute trip, the months of July and August can offer some real bargains, if you know where to look. Where can you find these bargain deals? Well, one of the most popular ways is to research on our phones. With 48% of US smartphone users continue with this process by making bookings on their phones, perhaps you should join them? Seville’s sizzling summer bargains should be easy to access.

Work hours are shortened in the summer sizzle. This means that you might be able to bag a real bargain in one of the many luxury hotels dotted across the city. A good area to focus on is Nervion, home to Seville football and where there is a concentration of big name hotels.

These have the advantage of pools and air conditioning throughout. It is a chance to enjoy luxury at a fraction of the normal cost. With 30% of workers saying they would accept a lower salary in exchange for more opportunities to travel, cost effectiveness is definitely something to consider.

3. Live like the locals in Alameda

If you do venture to Seville in summer, follow the life path of the locals. Shopping, walking and business need to be conducted before 1 pm. After which, find somewhere air conditioned for lunch. Enjoy a Menu Del Dia for around 10€! Then head back to your accommodation to sleep. Don't even think about going out until the sun has set.

By sunset, the city comes alive. In summer, Sevilla is nocturnal. By midnight the streets are thronged with families, couples and groups having tapas, socialising and loving life. It’s an experience not to be missed. The Alameda is one of the central hubs to enjoy the night.

If it all gets too hot, do as the Sevillanos do, head to the beach! Coaches frequently leave the city from the two bus stations taking you to the coast. A day trip is affordable and easy. The last bus arrives back just before midnight allowing you to still enjoy the nightlife.

4. Royal Alcázars of Seville

This royal palace is situated near the astounding Seville Cathedral, one of the most evocative areas of Spain. Game of Thrones season 5 introduced one of the city’s most beloved monuments with its elegant plasterwork, intricate ceramic tiles, golden high raised ceilings, and a fairytale world to a whole new international audience. The palace is also located in one of Spain's most romantic cities, Seville.

Apart from its architectural framework, the elements that breathe life to the Alcazar of Seville are new uses of its spaces, the wonderful gardens, and the endless water gushing forth from every corner amazes everyone who visits it. It is registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The best time to visit Spain is in the spring (March to May) or during the fall (September to November). At these times, you'll likely find fewer crowds, cheaper accommodations, and the best weather.

Buen viaje!

There are few better ways to see a country or continent than from the comfort of your own rolling home. RVs have long been a popular way to travel, with the structure and layout of these vehicles being reminiscent of the horsedrawn caravans of the past, and loads of people using them to save money on their trips.

When it comes to dining in a recreational vehicle, though, even the greatest cooks will face a challenge. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some meal options which work great when you’re on the road. As most RVs have some sort of cooking facilities, it will be assumed that you have at least two hob rings, along with a microwave or small oven.

You should also have a sink available, though you may have to find an alternative source for freshwater. A pan, frying pan, and baking tray will be useful, though a normal pan can be used to cover most of these jobs if you are willing to be creative. Cooking in a kitchen like this does not have to be a challenge if you choose the right ingredients.



Here are a few make ahead camping food recipes you may want to try.

1. Pasta con le Sarde

The basic components of a pasta sauce can be found in small stores, and you can usually use them in other meals, too. One of the biggest benefits of pasta is the time it takes to cook, though. That said, to make it the best you possibly can, use the freshest ingredients you can find.

Use the freshest vegetables, good tomato paste, and ask your butcher to grind the meat fresh for you (most larger grocery stores will do this but call ahead to give them time to do a special order). Make fresh pasta if possible.

Pasta con le Sarde is often spaghetti or slightly thicker spaghettoni or buccatini. But the condiment consists of olive oil, sardines, fennel fronds, maybe some saffron if you’re feeling fancy, pine nuts, and raisins. Chili peppers are optional. Top it off with toasted bread crumbs.

Not only is this a regional favorite in Sicily, but it’s emblematic of Sicily’s wider culinary philosophy. That philosophy features aggressive pairing of savory and sweet (here, sardines and raisins) and really makes the most out of ingredients that are kind of in the middle. Fennel, for example, has a sweetness and a savoriness to it. Ditto mint.

2. Pasta al tonno

While making fresh pasta from scratch will be too big of an ask for most RV chefs, but you can make loads of tasty dishes when you have some of the prepacked stuff. The basic recipe is three eggs and 250 g (two cups) of flour. That makes a couple servings, so scale it up on the same 3–2 ratio. Mix it up into a dough, roll it flat, cut, and boil.

If you think you will make lots of pasta, you can get a hand-cranked pasta maker for relatively cheap. When ready to serve, pull your pasta out of the pot just before it’s done, and drop it into a skillet of ragu that’s been warmed through. Heat the pasta and ragu together for a couple minutes so the pasta can absorb some of the ragu.

Sauce the pasta lightly, just enough to coat, with an additional spoonful when it is plated. It’s all about balance. If you like a richer sauce add unsalted butter to the dressed pasta while it’s hot, or a very high quality EVOO.

While the spaghetti are boiling, heat up a very large skillet or a wok (don't make it superhot). Add some of the oil from a can of tuna (please, buy good quality tuna in olive oil!) or some extravirgin olive oil, a garlic clove (finely minced or, better, whole and with a toothpick in it so that you can retrieve it before serving).

When the spaghetti are nearly al dente, transfer then in the pan with a dash of cooking water, add the crumbled tuna, and sauté to finish cooking. Serve with a little basil or a pinch of finely chopped parsley.

3. Pasta al Pomodoro

Place a good knob of unsalted butter in your hotel so that it softens. When the spaghetti are al dente, transfer them in the bowl, add lots of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, stir well and serve.

Making pasta sauces is nice and easy, too. The classic starts with a mirepoix or soffrito as they call it in Italy, finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery in roughly equal proportions. Olive oil to sweat the soffrito. For meat, it varies. In Italy, they use a mix of beef, pork, and veal. Some folks will add chopped pancetta.

Start with either chopped tomatoes or a cheese, milk, and flour mix, you can begin to mix in the seasoning as you heat up your base. While those ingredients mix, you can begin the process of preparing the pasta. Most pasta need only be cooked with some hot water and a little bit of salt, with periodic stirring and tests to make sure that it isn’t being overdone. You can mix your pasta and sauce together or serve them as separate items.

The sauce should be cooked slowly until it is quite reduced, almost at the stage of looking like Texas chili, meat in red oil. All of these combinations will have a different taste profile. No sausage. It has too many spices and will take over the flavor profile. A half glass of good dry wine to deglaze the meat. For tomato, you want something thick, like crushed tomatoes or puree, but always San Marzano, and not too much.

A spoonful of beef or chicken base, such as Better than Bouillon will add a lot of flavor. For herbs, go very light. The star should be the meat. A tiny amount of thyme, garlic, or sage at the very most. No basil. It is too strong for a meat sauce. It will hide the other, more subtle flavors.

4. Pasta con i piselli

While the pasta is boiling, cut a scallion per person, please it with some oil in the usual wok-shaped pan, soften the scallion over a gentle heat, then add a large handful of frozen peas per person, a splash of the pasta cooking water, salt, and proper, and cover with a lid.

When the peas are soft and the pasta almost al dente, mix the spaghetti in the pan and sauté for a couple of minutes in the peas sauce, then serve topping with some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

5. Pasta aglio olio e peperoncino

While the pasta is almost ready, heat a very large pan, big enough to contain all pasta with room to spare, and pour one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for every 2 people, plus one for the pan. Add one smashed garlic clove for every 2–3 people and some chili (to your taste).

Drain the pasta reserving some of its cooking water, transfer it still dripping to the pan and toss, adding a bit of the reserved water, for a minute, so that the oil coats the pasta. Serve immediately. Add a pinch of minced parsley if you like.

When making a pasta dish where garlic is key to infusing the gorgeous aroma, it would be best not to chop it tiny, neither would it be good as whole. Instead, cut the cloves and cook in a pan with both olive oil and water. The idea is to cook it down until it’s soften, not fry to a crisp. The liquid base would have a wonderful garlicky flavour.

6. Pasta in bianco

This is supposed to be prepared with egg dough pasta. Egg fresh pasta was made at home by those families that had neither the money to afford dried pasta nor the access to durum wheat semolina (that does not grow properly in northern Italy). It is made with regular flour, which does not have enough gluten to stand on its own, and eggs, that provide the proteins to aggregate the dough.

Again it is made in a relatively soft dough, then rolled very thin and cut in shapes (ribbons or squares). It is the kind of pasta also used to make stuffed pasta (cappelletti, anolini, tortelli etc.)

Place a tablespoon of unsalted butter in each bowl. Add the piping hot past in the bowl and top with a handful of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, then stir well to combine. If you like, add a little grating of white or black pepper on each bowl.

7. Pasta alla crudaiola

Durum wheat semolina dried pasta is the Rolls-Royce of all pastas. It can’t be homemade because making it requires specialized machinery, as the dough, made of only semolina and water, is extremely tough and impossible to knead by hand. Before mechanization it was still kneaded by machines (called gramola), with the only difference that the machine was operated by human or animal muscles (or occasionally by water power).

Durum wheat fresh pasta was traditionally made by those families who could not afford to buy pasta. It’s also made with durum wheat semolina and water, but the dough is much softer and can be kneaded by hand. The dough gets then shaped by hand, sometimes using very simple tools like knives or knitting needles. It does not get rolled.

Dice 5–6 small plum tomatoes per person. Place them in a bowl with a glug of extravirgin olive oil, one lightly crushed but still whole garlic clove, a pinch of salt, and some basil leaves. Let rest for one hour. When the pasta is ready remove the garlic, drain the pasta and toss in the raw sauce.

8. Pasta e broccoli

Fresh pastas are usually made into traditional shapes, they are a folk product, so each region, town, or family has its own habits. This does not mean that you can’t invent new shapes. The pic shows a style of ravioli with an Italian filling (asparagus and ricotta) and a shape inspired to Chinese dumplings.

Dried pastas have shapes that are determined by the dies used to press them. Some of the shapes are traditional (spaghetti, maccheroni, penne). The same die can be used to make different pastas: penne are just maccheroni cut on the bias, for instance. Other shapes are produced by simply inventing dies that give pasta a different shape. Radiatori (pictured above) were invented by an industrial designer who worked for a pasta factory.

It’s made exactly like pasta aglio, olio e peperoncino, but add broccoli florets and the carefully peeled stalk, all cut in small pieces, to the pot of pasta water along with the pasta, and also add an anchovy fillet (optional) to the oil in the pan. Sauté pasta and broccoli along together in the flavored oil and sere with some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino.

9. Spaghetti alla carbonara

Best one egg yolk per person with salt and quite a lot of black pepper (save the whites or maybe just whisk the whites as well), then add a good amount of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Render diced pancetta (or you may use bacon) in the usual large pan. Transfer in the almost al dente spaghetti (from the booking pot, you must time things right), and sauté fro a minute, then turn off the heat and add the egg mixture. The residual heat of the pan will be enough. Serve immediately.

10. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

You can use spaghetti with whatever kind of sauce you want. The thing you don't want to use with spaghetti, though, is meat, as spaghetti are ill suited to meat-based sauces (they can't trap the meat particles). In most cases, though, fresh tomatoes are the best choice.

The beauty of spaghetti is its flexibility, with loads of meals coming out of this simple ingredient. At the same time, it will be worth chopping up any vegetables you plan to put inside it, along with starting to cook the meat which you will be having with it. As you only have two hob rings, you may have to do a little bit of juggling here.

It’s usually best to wait for your meat to be nearly ready before mixing it with the sauce, leaving them to simmer together with the vegetables you chopped earlier. When you are busy enjoying some time away from home, being stuck in the kitchen for hours will be very unpleasant. These ingredients should last for a good amount of time, making them good for longer trips.

The most common dish is Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino. It’s just spaghetti tossed in a pan with olive oil, garlic and hot pepper. You just heat up the oil, add the garlic (don’t burn it) and the hot pepper, then add the spaghetti you’ve boiled in salted water and toss for a minute. You can add a tablespoon of the cooking water if it’s too dry. You can add some parsley for decoration.

11. Chuck Roast

Trays of caramelized vegetables are a year-round staple in our kitchen, but the trick is knowing how to spice up one sheet-pan from the next. If you're hesitant of herbs or on-edge about oils, here are the tips to up your roast game.

The best way to prepare a chuck roast is in a slower cooker (aka Crock Pot). So many manufacturers have inexpensive slow cookers out there. You can put carrots (use baby carrots for an easy preparation), a few potatoes (you can leave the peel on), and one onion cut in quarters.

You can add a package of dry Au Jus mix or Gravy Mix from the grocery store and a little water or red wine (maybe a half cup or a cup), and set it on low for 8–10 hours while you do something else. It can’t be easier than that and a million slow cooker pot roast recipes can be found online.

12. Chowmein

Finally, as the last meal option on this list, it is time to go East, with Chow Mein on the menu. At its core, this meal is very simple; stir fried noodles. Alongside these noodles, though, you can create a host of interesting and varied dishes. Soy sauce is a key component in a lot of chow meins, but you can look for a sauce you prefer if you are not a fan of the brown stuff.

Most supermarkets sell some sort of stir fry vegetable mix, making it even easier to get started with it. Chicken, beef, pork, and duck are all commonly found in chowmein. This sort of dish is good for RVs because it doesn’t take much more than a single hob ring to make. Some people will want to cook their meat a little before frying it with their noodles, but this can be done using the same pan you’ll be using for the rest of the meal.

It is hard to find meals which are as quick and easy as a chowmein, and most people will be happy to know that they can give it their own twist. Of course, though, you have to think about nutrition, and noodle dishes won’t be good to eat every day.

13. Peanut Butter Banana Cups

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons whole grain peanut butter;
1 medium banana sliced into 12 even rounds;
150 gm melted chocolate

Preparation Method:

Cut the bananas without the peel into slices and take to the freezer for two hours. Pour half of the chocolate in paper cups. Freeze for 10 minutes. Add peanut butter, sliced bananas and the rest of the chocolate. When everything is ready, take it to the freezer for 10 more minutes. Serve.

14. Omelettes

Egg has long been a crucial ingredient in many dishes across the world, with almost every culture using this resource. There are loads of ways to prepare eggs, though few are as versatile as the humble omelette. The base for this meal is made with a simple egg and milk mix which will have been beaten together until the two have completely mixed.

This liquid can be poured into a hot frying pan with oil, and you will see it start to cook almost immediately. You need to watch your omelette, turning it if parts of it begin to turn brown. Much like a pasta dish, omelettes can have just about any ingredients you’d like inside them. In fact, a lot of people use this sort of meal to clear out their cupboards and refrigerators, as you can throw in just about anything.

Most meats work quite well, with options like ham, chicken, and salmon being popular choices. Along with the meat, you’ll also want to have some vegetables, with spinach, peppers, and tomatoes all working nicely. You may have to do a little bit of mental maths to make sure that you cook it all at the right speed.

Along with being nice and versatile, omelettes are incredibly quick to make. You will only need one hob ring and a frying pan to make this dish, giving you the chance to avoid taking out RV loans to pick up a vehicle with more cooking space. Eggs, vegetables, and meat can be found just about anywhere in the world.

While this means that you may have to compromise on your favourite ingredients, it makes it possible to buy your food from local stores on your journey. Assuming you don't have a flattop, get a skillet, put in a good bit of butter, then a little extra butter, medium heat. As soon as the butter melts, crack three eggs directly into the butter.

Avoid the temptation to add milk or cream or water. Truckers don't like fluffy eggs. Fluffy eggs are for people who go to restaurants. When you've worked all night, you don't want fluffy, you want buttery with a bit of texture, almost like a really soft kind of meat that happens to be made of eggs.

Use the corner of the spatula to break the yolks, but don't stir anything yet. In a minute or two, as soon as the eggs look they're about to set, toss some salt on top. Then roughly flip them over, but don't overmix them. Truckstop eggs should have streaks of white and yellow, but not really scrambled together.

Make sure that all of the whites are opaque, and the yellows just barely stiffened. Then roughly toss it together with the spatula, flip it all one more time, to make sure it's fully cooked. They need to be moist, greasy, and capable of calming down a Hell's Angel who is in a bad mood. Toss it on a plate with some dry toast.

15. Fasoi en bronzon

Fasoi en bronzon is a traditional recipe from an alpine region called Trentino. It’s basically canned beans boiled with the water you find in the can, along with a tbsp of vinegar, salt, black pepper, 2 tbsp of olive oil and a clove of garlic. Boil this and, as soon as it become creamy (5–6 minutes), it’s ready. You can add some tomato juice if you want a bit of color.

16. Chocolate Covered Banana Popsicles

Chocolate covered bananas are a great, healthy treat for the big and little kids alike! They are easy to make at home and a great simple recipe for the kids to get involved with, so embrace your inner child and enjoy the sweets.

17. Cranberry Energy Bites

Energy bars are the perfect snack for travelling in train or car, and this healthy variant will give you all the energy you need to continue your city tour or mountain hike. You will need cranberries, dates and fines. First place the cranberries and dates in the blender, and then add the fines. After mixing, place in a large dish, then in the refrigerator or on the edge of a window for ¾ hour. All you have to do is enjoy your energy bars.

18. Risotto

The first step to make a proper risotto is roasting the rice. Obviously you are not supposed to use quick rice, you need a proper Arborio, Carnaroli, or Vialone Nano. So, start heating a pan that’s relatively wide but also quite tall, not a frying pan.

Add some butter or extra virgin olive oil, add some diced onion or shallot, soften, then add the rice and toast it, stirring more or less continuously, until it becomes translucent and start emitting a kind of very thin whizzing sound. This creates a sort of cuticle on the rice that will, for the moment being, prevent the starch from leaking out, but not too hard so that the starch will leave the rice when it’s time to.

The second step is adding the white wine. Use a dry white wine, something good enough to drink, pour it into the pan then lower the heat. Stir the rice once to make sure that the wine reaches the bottom of the pan uniformly, then let the wine evaporate. Sniff the pan from time to time. When the smell changes from quite astringent to mellow it’s time for the next step.

Time to add the stock. This is where most people make a mistake. They add it a little at a time, and keep stirring. This is totally unnecessary. Instead of adding the stock by individual ladlefuls, add a lot of it. If you are used to making risotto you can gauge how much stock you will need (it usually is enough to cover the rice by about 1 cm, but it may depend on your pan). Add it all at once.

If you are less sure about it, add several ladlefuls at once. Stir just one time to allow the stock to reach the bottom of the pan, and leave it be. As long as the rice does not go dry, and as long as you properly roasted it in the fat, it will not stick. If you stir it too often or use a metal spoon to stir it, this will break the cuticle you created, the starch will start to leak out, and the rice will stick to the bottom of the pan.

If you didn’t dare adding all of the stock at once, add the rest a bit later, but always stirring only once. When you are good at gauging the liquid you will not need to stir anymore. When the rice is al dente but also still all’onda, it’s time to turn off the heat, add the butter and cheese and whisk it.

Stir it vigorously for a few minutes so that the butter and cheese melt and the starch is released from the rice, combines with the remaining concentrated stock and the fats and creates the creamy consistency.

19. Fish Goujons

Take slices of fish (salmon, trout, sole or plaice for example). Coat in seasoned flour, egg and breadcrumb. Lightly shallow fry in veg oil and butter. Serve with easy home made tartar made with dollop of mayo, finely chopped parsley, chopped cornichon, wedge of lemon squeezed, capers rinsed and chopped and a little mustard.

20. Hushweh

Use one cup of rice and one pound of ground meat. In a 4-quart dutch oven (enameled cast-iron works perfectly), brown your meat with one small sweet onion-diced, and a clove of fresh garlic- sliced thin. Add 2 tbsp mid-eastern spices and mix well with the meat. Add one cup of basmati rice and 2 cups of water or stock. Add 1/2 cup of chopped dried cherries (craisins are good too).

Mix it together, bring the pot to a boil, then cover and turn heat down to low. Let it cook untouched for 20 minutes. Remove from heat- let it rest for 10–15 minutes covered. To serve, garnish with 1/3 cup of toasted pine nuts and 1/4 cup of chopped Italian parsley and fragrant and savory with a bit of sweetness from the cherries and nuttiness from the pignoli.

21. Pommes Duchesse

A simple Italian meat dish is spezzatino. You will need meat. Cut it in 2.5 cm/1 inch cubes and lightly dust it with flour. Grab a high-sided pan with a heavy bottom. Heat it, then pour in a little extravirgin olive oil. If you want you can also add a rasher of fatty bacon (or, better, Italian unsmoked pancetta) cut in pieces, it will just add to the flavor.

Now add the meat and brown it on all sides. While the meat browns, slice an onion and peel a garlic clove. Cut the onion thicker if you want to still see it at the end of the cooking time, very thinly if you want it to completely melt. Remove the meat and set it aside, then add the onion to the pan. Turn down the heat so that the onion does not burn.

Soften the onion and, after a few minutes, add the garlic. Wait a couple minutes more and return the meat (and any juices) to the pan.

Add a cup of dry white wine (use something that is good enough to drink, if all you have is cooking wine just don’t use it: not using the wine will reduce the flavor a bit, but using cooking wine will ruin it), a pinch of salt, and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated (this removes all alcohol too).

Now, add a can of good quality tomatoes, smush them a little with a wooden spoon and simmer on for about one hour or until the meat is tender but not yet fork tender. Add also some herbs. Now, cut one or two peeled potatoes in chunks about the same size as the meat and add them in. Before adding the potatoes, check the salt.

If the stew is slightly salty it will probably be fine, as the potatoes absorb salt, if it’s a bit low on salt, add some extra. Simmer for 20 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked through and the meat is fork tender. Serve hot with a vegetable side.

22. Peperonata

One of the simplest versions of this dish requires 2 large bell peppers (of different colors), one large onion, one garlic clove (if you want a bigger batch just multiply these portions), a tablespoon of extravirgin olive oil, salt, and a swig of white wine vinegar. Clean and cut the bell peppers in strips.

Clean and cut the onion (keep it quite thick), pour the oil in the bottom of a pan, add the layered vegetables with the garlic clove cut in 2–3 pieces and a pinch of salt. Place on the heat and simmer until the vegetables just start to soften a bit, then add the vinegar. Simmer until the peppers are done but still quite firm.

The end result should be sweet and sour but very delicate. If it’s still too vinegary you may add a pinch of sugar, but if you measured the vinegar in the right way you will not need it. Serve hot, at room temp, or cool (especially on hot days).

23. Zucchini Trifolati

Another very easy vegetable dish is zucchine trifolate. Slice your zucchine (use medium sized or small ones) at about 4 mm or 1/8 of an inch. Place them in a pan with a tablespoon of extravirgin olive oil, some salt, a few talks of parsley, one finely minced garlic clove. Turn on the heat and for the first 4–5 minutes almost fry the zucchine so that they brown a bit, then turn down the heat and simmer until done.

If necessary add a little water to prevent them from sticking. Remove the parsley and serve.

24. Rusumada

You will need 4 eggs (make sure they are not washed and very fresh as they are raw), 4 tablespoons of sugar, 4 glasses of red wine. Separate the eggs, whisk the yolks with the sugar until they are white and fluffy, separately beat the whites to soft peaks, fold the whites with the yolks, add the wine and stir it in.

If you don’t drink alcohol, consider making it with coffee or milk (the latter was popular for children). In the coffee case, add it very hot, as this will pasteurize the eggs (whisk to prevent the eggs from curdling).

25. Pommes Duchesse

Adding egg to potato puree (mashed potatoes) is a preparation known as Pommes Duchesse. Pommes Duchesse is prepared by pureeing potatoes, adding butter, cream, salt, pepper, egg yolks and sometimes nutmeg. The potatoes are then shoved into a piping bag and piped onto a baking sheet. More butter is brushed onto the potatoes and they are baked until the edges brown a little. You can sprinkle parmesan cheese onto them if you like.

The egg yolks make the potatoes richer and give them a yellow color.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling inspired to start cooking better meals while you are away in your RV. Cooking on the road is always a challenge, with a lot of people relying on boring meals which will leave a lot to be desired.

Food is not just all about the taste of mouth it is more than this. It expresses the feeling of culture and the mindset of the people belongs to it, whether it is Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata or Guwahati. As in the very same way Assamese food expresses, the feeling of Assamese people and the culture of this beautiful Indian state.

Today, as a way of helping you to explore the Assamese culture, we will share with you some tasty and some interesting food items from Assam.



We believe these food items will bring a sweet smile on your face.

1. Pitha

When we talk about Assamese recipes, Pitha is the first name comes in front of our imagination. The chief ingredient to prepare this dish is Rice flour. In Assamese language, rice flour is called Pitha. This is why, all those recipes made with using rice flour, is called Pitha in Assam. There are several verities of Pitha's made from it by mixing various items.

At the present time, there are about 10-15 different verities of Pitha recipes available in the Assamese society.

They are:

• Til Pitha (made by mixing melted Jaggery and Sesame seeds.
• Tel Pitha (made through mixing Jaggery and frying in deep mustard oil)
• Nangol Dhua Pitha (boiled through wrapping banana leaves)
• Hutuli Pitha (Looks like Hutuli, a traditional musical instrument)
• Kesa Pitha
• Sungat Dia Pitha

2. Muga Leta or Silk Worm

Muga Leta recipe is very close to heart of the Assamese people. However, this is not for vegetarians. A person can never even imagine the greed who had never tasted Muga Leta recipe before. Usually, Assamese people eat this food with Apong or Haz. Apong is a type of traditional strong rice beer. To cook this recipe a few ingredients are very necessary. First is as usual Muga Leta, second is onion and the third is some salt and turmeric powder.

This food has no occasional connection with other cultural elements of Assam but we can say this is one of the best ethnic foods among all.

3. Pani Tenga

Pani Tenga is a seed food made with Indian mustard seeds. Due to using Mustard seeds, Pani Tenga recipe becomes very stronger. Assamese people also consider it as good medicine, which is useable for some common diseases, like fever and cold-cough. Every year on Bohag Bihu days, Pani Tenga recipe is highly prepared by Assamese people. This is a part of their traditional culture.

4. Aloo Pitika

Aloo Ka Bharta from North India is simply called Aloo Pitika in the Assamese language. Here first Aloo or Potato is boiled very softly and then mashed with some onion, salt, pepper, coriander, mustard oil, egg, and some peanuts. That's all. Though Aloo Pitika recipe making process is very simple but it tastes very good if it properly made. In Assam, this food is very familiar to everyone and a part of their day-to-day life.

Usually, Assamese people eat this with Ukhuaa rice, because the combination of both items matches amazingly.

5. Aamroli Tup

Aamroli is a type of red ant, whose larva is very tasty. In each Rongali Bihu, on Goru Bihu day young people of villages in Assam collectively find Aamroli nests in jungles as a tradition. This is especially a tradition of Ahom community people of Assam but now a days almost every people do attempt to find this. The cooking process of Aamroli is also very simple (Follow the same steps as Muga Leta recipe).

Here are some necessary ingredients to make it:

• Red Ant Larva (main ingredient)
• Chopped onion
• Salt
• Pepper
• Turmeric and
• Mustard oil

6. Apong or Haz

As I mentioned earlier Apong is a strong rice beer made with rice and some Apong seeds, usually called Hazor Guti. This is a traditional food, which has been running from around 300 to 400 years in society. At very first this rice beer invented by the Ahom’s, they used it in various worship programs to satisfy their god Langdon deity.

Nowadays almost every occasional programs, this is used in the Assamese society, especially Bihu days and ancestors yearly worship programs.

7. Bilahi aru Masor Tenga

Bilahi aru Masor Tenga recipe is another amazing dish, which is made with tomato and fish. This is actually a fish curry, where tomato and fish are the main ingredients. You can whip up this sour fish curry in under 15 minutes. The next time you come home late and wanna have something that's tasty as well as nutritious, you might wanna turn that raw fish in the fridge into Tenga Mas. You want to make it? Here is the simple step by step process below -

• First of all deep fry the pieces of fish and then put it off from the pan.
• Next, fry some chopped onions and then add some salt, pepper, turmeric with it.
• Now add the chopped tomatoes.
• In the fourth step, add some water and then after 5 minutes add your fried fishes to it.
• Let it cook in a medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. That’s all, your Bilahi aru Masor Tenga recipe is ready to go for your plate.

8. Narikolor Laru

Narikolor Laru is a sweet dessert made with mashed Coconut and Sugar or Jaggery. Usually, this recipe is made during Rongali and Bhogali Bihu days by Assamese housewives. The combination of Narikolor Laru and Assam tea becomes very delightful for every Assamese people. If you still haven't tried this dessert then don't forget to try it once.

9. Assamese Khar

Assamese food’s key taste profile incorporates elements of bitter, sweet, salty, pungent, sour and astringent/alkaline. The dish that best represents this profile is khar. Assamese khar is traditionally the starter to an elaborate meal. Interestingly khar can be a dish, as well as an ingredient called kola khar.

Banana peels are burnt into ash, mixed up with mustard oil, and then folded into dishes to impart alkalinity. This can also be made from peels of papaya, cucumber, potato, as well as fish. Fermented foods are also a big part of this cuisine. Taste some awesome masor muror khar (fish head) while in Assam.

So, these are the few delicious Assamese dishes, incredibly popular within Assamese society. I recommend you to try at least for once. You will never be able to forget Assamese cuisine.

Are you fed up from work and hustle of cities disappear? Ranthambore National Park is identified for the best tiger safari in India, and is one of the best places to visit in India. Here you may witnesses exhilarating nature, serene lakes, and roar of tigers! In Ranthambore National Park, take a Safari with the hope of seeing tigers!

This ancient hunting reserve of the Maharajas of Jaipur is located in Sawai Madhopur, 4 hours from the Pink City of Jaipur and 6 hours from the Taj Mahal in Agra. A stop of 1 or 2 nights in Ranthambore combines perfectly with most routes that include the Golden Triangle of India and is a destination especially indicated between November and May.

Ranthambore, in Rajasthan, with an area of ​​almost 400 square km, became a National Park in 1980. It is known for being one of the best places in India to see tigers in their natural habitat. The Royal Bengal Tigers census indicates that there are currently more than 60 specimens in Ranthambore.

The Ranthambore National park is one of the royal national parks located in Rajasthan. It is surrounded by the Chambal and Banas river and is the ideal habitat for many predators and other animals. It is one of the top 10 wildlife sanctuaries in India.



We arrived in Ranthambore at dawn, due to problems we had with our car and our driver, so when we arrived it was midnight and we could not imagine the jungle that surrounded us. We stayed at the hotel. Upon arrival we were advised to rest, and do the Safari (which we had included) at dawn two days later. We had read that at dawn is the most likely time to see tigers, so it seemed fine.

1. Ranthambore Fort

Another attraction of Ranthambore is its temples, forts and hunting lodges. This humanized landscape in the middle of the reserve leaves inconceivable prints such as tigers resting in the middle of a Rajasthani palace.

The next day we decided to visit the Ranthambore Fort, although almost no one had told us about it. We had problems with the driver, because he told us that it was not possible to visit it at sunset since it was closed.

As we were already reluctant in these things (and we think that it is not possible meant is that I want to take you to my cousin's store), we decided to call the Park's information telephone number directly, where our suspicions were confirmed.

The Fort can be visited at sunset, and it is in fact when the visit is most worth it. We then transmitted the message to the driver who without putting the slightest face of "oops, I got caught" said it is OK, but then also took us to the store of his cousin.

Ranthambore fort is a wasted gem. Admission is free, and it is a shame, because perhaps charging a minimum amount could help in its conservation and especially in maintenance and cleaning.

The langurs roam freely throughout the fort, this being one of the attractions for us. The Fort consists of several palaces, mosques and ruined buildings. You can climb to the roof of one of its buildings and watch the sunset in the jungle.

We agree that it was one of the places we liked most in India. It was as if we were watching the Bear Grylls show! The Ranthambore Fort seems taken from a scene in the the Jungle Book movie. After the visit, we returned with our driver, who although we were insistent with the we are not going to buy anything chant, took us to a handloom shop, full of tourists who had also been taken there.

There a very kind gentleman told us that they were not a shop, they were NGOs, and that 80% of what they raised was for the displaced widows when becoming the National Park and then the other 20% to collaborate with the village festivities (yes, yes, he said so), and the rest for another good cause that we no longer remember (what others?).

He told us that not only did they not earn money, but that he and the rest of the employees had to pay to go there to work (he made a face of circumstance), and again that WE WERE NOT TO BUY ANYTHING. As nothing dissuades them, it took us inside equally.

Like the tenth time we said everything to NO, he stopped being nice and ignored us, so we could sneak away. When we arrived at the hotel they informed us that the next day we had the Safari in zone 1.

2. Ranthambore Safari

There are several areas in the park, and we had read that Zone 1 is where tigers are most likely to be observed, so our expectations and our nerves increased.

The Ranthambore Sunrise Safari starts at 6 in the morning, or so they sell you. It supposedly lasts 4 hours, from 6 to 10, but in reality at 6 the jeep or canter (open truck) starts picking up tourists from hotel to hotel (at least you just have to wait at the door), then go to the Park.

This means that in the park it is not until 7 or more (and from there it leaves before 9 since at 10 they have already left all the tourists again, to each owl in their olive tree). In conclusion, the 4 hours of Safari are actually an hour and a half. But well, full of enthusiasm we got on our Canter. Here you may ask, which is better, in Canter or in Jeep?

Each option has its advantages and disadvantages. In jeep you go with fewer people, it has more maneuverability so you can enter roads that the Canter does not, but it is lower (lower visibility) and is a bit more expensive. The canter has the advantage of elevation, so, especially if there is tall grass, it allows you to see more distance.

Once inside the Park, the guide told us about the tiger conservation project in India in several National Parks. We ravaged questions and it was a charm. He also informed us where we could see Flying Fox around the area for free (he told us the tree where they go at sunset), and where to look for other bats in Jaisalmer.

The Ranthambore guide explained that they can locate the tigers thanks to the warning calls that other animals made when they see a tiger, or following footprints on the roads (he told us that by the type of footprint experts can know if it is male or female, and if is going to hunt or has already eaten).

They were very attentive to the sounds of the rest of the jungle animals (and communicated between different jeeps or canters if they heard anything).

3. Tigers in Ranthambore

Suddenly and almost by surprise we saw a tiger. Everyone's heart stopped, but soon there was a stir, a lot of noise, and a stir of cameras. The guide ordered and asked for absolute silence, and we could enjoy one of the best moments of our life. It was a female, a tigress.

At first we saw her about 50 meters away, but she approached the grass sniffing the trees, literally passed by us, just a couple of meters away, peed a tree next to the vehicle, and continued on her way. We followed her for a few minutes while walking along the path smelling all the trees. We confirm with the guide that at dawn it is more likely to see tigers, especially females.

This is because, at dawn, when it is still not hot (in the sunny hours they spend the day lying in a shadow), the females travel their territory marking it (pissing the trees). In addition, they usually follow the roads because the pads of the legs are not damaged, which would be fatal for the hunting of their prey.

During the afternoon Ranthambore safaris, however, they told us that other animals such as deer were seen more frequently. As the guide told us, we had tremendous luck! At first, we saw a tiger! Some will think that they have them there to see them, but it is not so. In our canter came people who had already made several failed attempts.

That is the good thing of seeing animals in their natural habitat, if you are very lucky you see them, or if not, no. We want to make it clear that we SUPPORT RESPONSIBLE TOURISM with ANIMALS. We encourage everyone to go to see any animal in its natural habitat, but not to go to places where animals are caged to take the typical photo.

We do not want to lengthen now with this subject, because we believe that it gives more than enough for a post of our own, and we will talk about it long and hard.

We hope you liked the post and that if you go to Ranthambore you will be as lucky as we were! We say goodbye until the next post, where we will tell you about our adventures in the cities of Rajasthan.

4. Animals in Ranthambore

Among its fauna are also wild boars, hyenas, sloths, leopards, Rhesus macaque, roe deer and langurs, as well as a variety of birds and reptiles. Langurs, of course we saw everywhere and at all hours.

Sambar, Leopard, Wild Boar, Nilgai and Hyena are some of the major animals found in this National park. Tiger Safaris are the most popular in this park. Famous as an iconic destination for seeing wildlife and bird watching, this reserve even has a definite place in luxury train travel plans via Palace on Wheels train.

Ranthambore National Park is home to the illustrious predators staying in imperial Rajasthan. Tigers being the basic fascination of the place actually get the attention of nature lovers and wildlife photographers.

With your Ranthambore Safari, you will be captivated by the observation of such large cats freely itinerant and absorbing in the glow of the desert. With tigers, there are various other wild creatures like sloth bears, wild boars, Sambar and many others that attract tourists.

Best time to visit Ranthambore National Park: March to May

5. Ranthambore Safari Tips

1. In Ranthambore National Park there are ten areas open to the public and numbered successively from 1 to 10. Tigers move freely throughout the reserve and its surroundings, although their territorial patterns tend to repeat the same areas. A male occupies about 50 km2 and in its territory live up to 3 females with their cubs, which occupy about 15 km2 each.

2. The entity responsible for the park maintains a strict entrance control except in special holiday periods when the limit of 10 jeeps (6 people) and 10 canters (20 people) per area is increased to a random number decided by the authorities.

3. In all areas there are populations of Bengal tiger, although in those with open field and meadow (3 and 6) it is easier to observe their movements.

4. As a general rule, you can book a safari 95 days in advance . You should decide in time if you want to visit zones 3 and 4, which are among the most popular. In general, they are also the most frequented thing that according to the occasion can be counterproductive since silence is always a value when you are going to make a foray into nature.

5. Other areas with a good chance of seeing Bengal tigers are Zone 2, 5 and 6. Zone 6 also has the best sighting records.

6. Against the usual belief, the park remains open during the monsoon, although only zones 6-10 are accessible and departures can be canceled due to the torrential rains of this season.

7. If you are going to make more than one jeep trip in the Ranthambore Natural Park, you should choose different habitats, since the park consists of forested, mountainous and prairie areas. In addition to exposing yourself to a diverse landscape, you will enjoy the discovery of routes and the variety of flora and fauna found in each ecosystem.

When visiting any natural park in India you have to be aware that wildlife density is limited. If your goal is to see animals you will probably succeed, but focusing only on one species can be frustrating especially if you spend a single night in the natural park. Emphasize the approach to nature that shows another side of your trip to India and it will surely be a satisfying experience.

Another fundamental element is to understand that human presence modifies the behaviors of fauna and it is normal to chase away the specimens that usually frequent one or the other area. The opposite would indicate that they are getting used to cohabit with humans and therefore that our presence is detrimental to their conservation in the wild.

American cuisine is famous worldwide. When we think of American classics, a number of items come into our mind like hot dogs, chocolate chips cookies and fried chicken, etc. America also has great seafood, great hamburgers, great pastries, and great pizza. But all of these foods can be found internationally and are not exclusive to the US.

Over the years, American food has established its marks by developing its taste and flavors. By introducing creativity in every food item, American cuisine has won the hearts of millions of citizens. Its taste has crossed the boundaries. People love to travel long distances to get experience with American dishes. The United States is famous for having lots of cheap junk food.

Food portions are massive. And delicious. And usually not very expensive. However, Americans often put quantity over quality when making recommendations. It does - but it also has almost endless amounts of cheap, healthy food, sadly often out of fashion these days. The use of fascinating food boxes adds to their attractiveness. They protect the food items from spoilage and contamination. Moreover, the food boxes are designed in a way to retain the flavor and make them last longer.

Salmon is king, crab and clams are close seconds. Also, enjoy the amazing variety of berries and apples. For the true experience, go to a pancake feed and a pork chop/sweet corn feed put on by a local Boy Scout Troop or American Legion, then follow that up with a Lutheran Church potluck and sample all of the ways that jello, scalloped potatoes, and crock-pot meatballs can be prepared.

Try the birch syrup if you stay for breakfast! There are also more micro-regional cuisines of course. New York City is famous for specific types of pizza and cheesecake. Chicago is famous for specific types of pizza and hot dogs. New Orleans and surrounding areas is famous for Cajun fair like jambalaya and beignets and crawfish boil.

The Minnesota State Fair is a seasonal culinary destination of “I didn’t know you could fry that and serve it on a stick”. Wisconsin is home of the eternally aging wheel of cheddar along with a hundred other cheeses. The western mountains yield wild-caught trout (best when stuffed with Meyers lemons and walla-walla sweet red onions and broiled or pan fried), and much more.



Below are some of the most popular foods in USA to experience:

1. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are the best example of a balanced diet and is one of the most popular foods in America. Thanks to Ruth Wakefield who came up with an idea of introducing chocolate to butter cookies. The concept became popular in the 1930s. If you are crazy about the flavor of cookies, bake a batch of crunchy cookies and sprinkle your dose of chocolate on it.

This will take your nutrition to the next level. It keeps you healthy and active all day long. Chocolate chip cookies are one of the most common food items in the USA. You can find it in a number of bakeries and American cuisines. They are presented in colorful cookie boxes to make them appealing for everyone. Cookie boxes protect the delicate creations from spoilage and mishandling.

2. Cronut

Cronut is a combination of a croissant and a doughnut. The craze of the foodies about cronuts has made it a world-famous snack. It is made with laminated dough, which is first proofed and fried at a controlled temperature. For frying, grapeseed oil is used. The fried pastry is then filled and glazed with sugar. Cronuts were the first creation of a French chef named Dominique Ansel.

The taste of the delight traveled across the borders and became a loved food item of Americans. Cronuts combine the crispiness of croissants and the goodness of donuts for getting a perfect taste. As their shape is similar to a doughnut, so they are served in attractive donut boxes to make them more tempting? Donut boxes usually come up with a window to facilitate the customers in viewing the delight.

3. Pancakes

Pancakes are one of the favorite breakfast items of Americans. Pancakes are thin flat cakes with a round shape. They come in abundant variations. The main ingredient used in starch-based butter. Pancakes are cooked on a hot surface. They are topped with a variety of condiments like bacon, egg, chocolate sauce, fruits, maple syrup or whatever you like.

People love to prepare them according to their favorite toppings. Pancakes are delicate food items. They require special care for handling and serving. For this purpose, specially designed cake boxes are used according to the size of the pancake. Most of them come up with inserts to keep the pancakes at their place. Cake boxes prevent the toppings from spreading all around as the customer carries the food item.

4. Hot Dogs

Among most popular American meals, nothing is more delightful than a basic American hot dog, sandwiched between two slices of the bun. Hot dogs are usually topped with ketchup, mustard paste or a combination of both. Hot dogs are linked to the creation of sausages in the late 1600s. They were first created by a butcher in Germany, John Geoghehner.

Chicago dog is the best hot dog in America. It uses a beef frankfurter, poppy seed bun, mustard, diced onions and pickle relish, sliced tomatoes, sport peppers, and no ketchup.

They popularized in Chicago by 1893. Everyone's favorite hot dogs are basically sausages which are grilled or steamed in the places to eat in Chicago. They are garnished with ketchup, mustard, cheese, relish, chilies, onions, and mayonnaise. Hot dogs are packed in a paper wrapper or custom food boxes to be used as take away food item for eating in Chicago.

5. Sesame Chicken

Sesame chicken is one of the popular food item found throughout a number of restaurants in the USA. It has a Chinese origin, being similar to Tso's chicken. Its taste is sweet rather than spicy which make it similar to Chinese food. Sesame chicken is the fried chunks of chicken. They are coated in a sweet sauce with sesame seeds.

People can get them topped with other favorite toppings as well. Most of the American cuisines have started serving it with peppercorn and toasted chili and sesame. It gives crunch like that of American-Chinese cuisine with a little more flavors. Sesame chicken has become one of the favorite choices of foodies.

Therefore they are packed in Chinese takeout boxes for taking away. Chinese takeout boxes can be easily converted to a plate. This facilitates the consumers to eat the meal anywhere anytime.

6. Hamburger

Rare is also the American restaurant that does not offer hamburgers in its menu. They are usually eaten both in shabby food trucks and in luxury restaurants and the hamburger is undoubtedly the most characteristic dish in the United States.

Every single American will have a unique idea from where to find a perfect hamburger in the country. Hamburger is one of the most popular American foods. There are a number of options starting from fast food chains to fine dine-in restaurants. You will never miss it in an American's menu. However, the Library of Congress in New Haven, US state of Connecticut was the birthplace of hamburgers.

Louis Lunch established it in the 1900s. Today five of his grandsons serve the hamburgers made from a blend of five types of meat. The meat is cooked in the century-old casted iron grill to give it a remarkable taste. The foodies can customize it with various toppings along with caramelized onions, mayonnaise, mustard paste, and relish.

Americans often combine it with two bread slices and a steak of grounded beef to make a hamburger sandwich. The hamburger is served in custom food boxes as a takeaway item.

7. Poke

Over the past half-decade or so, fast-casual poke restaurants have sprung up across the contiguous United States. They come in all shapes and sizes, but the bowls generally have the same contents: a bed of grains (or zucchini noodles), marinated raw fish of some kind, and big ice cream scoops of other ingredients like edamame and imitation crab.

This is not how poke is traditionally served in Hawaii, but mainland influences are creeping into the poke culture of the Aloha State.

8. Fried chicken

In the US, especially in the Southeastern states, you can find fried chicken with perfectly crispy skin outside and tender, juicy chicken inside. In many countries you’ll only find KFC, an American-based franchise that serves one of our worst examples of American fried chicken. Sadly, this will be the only fried chicken that many foreigners ever eat.

Real American fried chicken is unable to be duplicated. The closest thing I’ve tasted to American fried chicken was a wonderful parsley chicken in Budapest, Hungary. But if you want to eat what you see below, you’ll have to come to Tennessee.

9. Cheesecake

There is nothing in other countries that can match the cheesecakes made at the finest American bakeries. No question, France has the best baked sweets on the planet. But no other country can replicate that rich, creamy New York style cheesecake with the graham cracker or ginger snap crust. Believe me, I’ve searched.

10. Buffalo Wings

Only the US can make those succulent, tender chicken wings with a crispy exterior in the perfect buffalo sauce. It’s especially good in Upstate New York. If you’re visiting Europe, even if you eat at an American-based chain restaurant, the chicken wings will be prepared in some weird tomatoey marinara-like sauce that doesn’t even closely resemble buffalo sauce.

11. Pecan pie

The buttery, gooey interior with freshest pecans and the perfect, slightly sugary crust best served up in Georgia cannot be replicated in any other country.

12. Barbecue

The Australians and Argentinians can make some mean barbecue. But there is nothing that matches the slow-roasted brisket of Texas, or the pulled pork of North Carolina and Tennessee.

Barbecue is cooked slowly with indirect heat from a wood fire. There are different styles around the American South. In Georgia you’ll mostly find hickory-smoked pulled pork in a mild tomato-vinegar sauce. In Texas you’ll find more beef brisket. In the Carolinas you’ll find a mustard sauce. In Florida you can find goat and gator tail.

As you head northward you’ll find more ribs. Rule 1 is, don’t eat barbecue any place that you can’t smell half a mile away. If they cook it on premises, you’ll know! Try it in every state, as it varies greatly from Virginia to Florida to Texas and all points in between (is it made with beef, pork, or chicken; is the sauce sweet, spicy, or vinegary; what side dishes and is it served on a bun, etc).

Kalbi beef is another delicious Hawaiian breakfast food that you will not find anywhere else. It's tender beef in a sweet Hawaiian marinade.

13. Fried Catfish

There is nothing quite like the tender taste of freshly-caught catfish deep fried in the perfect cornmeal batter! When it’s fresh, it’s so flaky and delicious and almost falls apart amidst the crispy coating.

14. Collard

Soul food is the traditional Southern diet of agricultural people. It’s identified with African American culture, largely because black migrants took it north, but whites and blacks alike ate it.

Greens were and are a very important part of the Southern US and African-American diet. One favorite - actually very popular in Indiana, which has been called the northernmost Southern State and the southernmost Northern State is collard greens. Collards - known as acelgas in Spanish are a cabbage that grows very quickly in the heat, so it loves the tropics and sub-tropics.

Collards are TOUGH, and need a lot of cooking! In the old days, people - mostly ladies - would cook them all day long.

15. Corn dog

When you are trying to be low-carb - or lower carb - corn is your friend! It’s gluten-free, high in fiber, and one of the least glycemic grains. In the US, corn is always cheap, but it’s especially cheap in the summer. You can eat corn on the cob all you want, often getting three or five ears per dollar, and you can also eat popped corn. You can get these chips plain, and that’s the most nutritious.

In the South, you’ll also get salt-cured ham, and corn grits with red eye gravy (made from the pan drippings from the ham).

Corn dogs call for hot dogs, corn bread batter, a stick and a deep fat fryer. The hot dog is skewered onto the stick, with about three inches left protruding from the dog. That’s the handle. Then the dog is dunked into corn bread batter and swirled around, to make sure it is evenly coated. The coated dog goes from the batter to the fryer and cooked until golden brown.

16. Cuban Sandwich

A glorious monument to all that is pork, it is constructed with three different kinds of pork like roast pork, boiled ham, Genoa salami, pickles, Swiss cheese, mustard and mayo. Lettuce and tomato are optional, but you should eat your veg Cuban bread, a peculiar bread that looks like a baguette, but made with lard. It’s tender inside, crunchy and flaky outside.

This one is served pressed, the outside lightly toasted, the cheese inside melting to minimize tectonic slide. It is utterly perfect, unimprovable, the best lunch you can have, and enough for a snack later.

17. Chop suey

Chopsuey is not a dish found anywhere in China. In fact, it derives its name from the Cantonese word, which loosely translates to miscellaneous ingredients. During the mid twentieth century, immigrants from Taiwan came to America and opened restaurants. However, when they served the salty Taiwanese cuisine, American customers could not stand the taste.

They had already been convinced that the sweet and mushy chop suey they had been fed for over half a century was real Chinese food. In response, Taiwanese restaurants modified their recipes, made them sweeter, and deep-fried the food. By the close of the twentieth century, an increasing number of Chinese immigrants entered America, and restaurants began serving somewhat authentic Chinese food.

However, despite the efforts made by countless chefs to reclaim Chinese food, chop suey and General Tso's Chicken will forever remain on the menus of many Chinese restaurants in the States.

18. Cheez-It crackers

These tasty squares of goodness are the number-one-selling snack item in all of America and come in 33 flavors. It’s a quarter-of-a-billion dollar business for the Sunshine Biscuits division of Kellogg’s, outselling America’s secondmost popular snack food Pepperidge Farm Goldfish by nearly 30%! They’ve been manufactured since 1921, and sales of Cheez-Its account for a whopping 5% of all of Kellogg’s massive annual revenue!

You can’t walk into an American grocery store without seeing dozens of styles of graham crackers! Americans take them for granted, and we can’t seem to make two of the most popular American desserts without them, s’mores and cheesecake. They sure are delicious!

Pop-Tarts are strangely-addicting frosted rectangles are pretty much a staple of American breakfasts for families on the go, serving as a quick treat for the kids and even adults. Another product of Kellogg’s, the company sells 2 billion Pop-Tarts per year.

19. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

In the multi-billion-dollar business of candy bars and similar confectionery delights, Reese’s is the American champion! Reese’s outsells the next most profitable brand of candy by 62%, with more American households buying these peanut butter cups than any other type of confection. Reese’s has developed the absolute perfect combination of peanut butter and chocolate!

20. Chex Mix

This is the fourth most popular snack food in the US, a $300-million-dollar annual business. It can be found in a few other countries under the name Nuts & Bolts, but the Chex Mix name is almost exclusive to American stores.

21. Butterfingers

This candy bar is among the top ten most beloved chocolate bars in America. Despite being manufactured by the Ferrara Company founded by Italian immigrants, and being owned by Swiss company Nestle for decades, the candy rarely appears outside of the United States.

22. Breads

Cheddar Biscuit is the holy grail of restaurant breads and will leave you feeling like a million bucks! Try to eat at least 4 of them. Next up we have the Rolls with Cinnamon Honey Butter. You literally cannot eat enough of these. And, they are unlimited. It's not uncommon for people to eat 10 to 15 of these rolls during the course of a meal. Add the delicious honey butter and you have a treat worthwhile.

The Honey Wheat Bread with creamy butter is third on the list. They only give you one to start with, but you can ask for more. I like to ask for at least 3 of these as I love them and love bread. And if you're reading this, chances are high you love bread too. Make sure to grab a few of these with a steak and a Fosters!

Coming in fourth on the list is the Rosemary Bread. This bread used to be To Die For. But in recent years it’s slipped down the list but beware sometimes the bread can be a few hours old and dry. Request fresh rolls and lots of virgin olive oil with fresh cracked black pepper.

Last but not least we have the famous Breadsticks. Delicious and sure to please. Unlimited. Appetizing. Get them with a bowl of soup. Try to eat 20 of them. It’s crazy to think that 20 years ago these would have been ranked #1 but the times have changed.

The main reason for companies to give out breadsticks is not to fill you up. It's not to make you thirsty so you'll drink more. They give out breadsticks to give you a small feeling that they are doing you a favor. And they hope that favor leads you to return to their restaurant.

23. Whoopie pie

Whoopie pies are a considered a New England phenomenon and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition. They are one of Maine’s best known and most loved comfort foods. People from Maine even claim that they were weaned on Whoopie Pies.

24. Cheesesteak

A cheese steak is a sandwich native to the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s often called a Philly cheese steak or cheesesteak. Every restaurant puts their own twist on the sandwich but these are the nuts and bolts. It starts with a good quality roll. Steak shops get them delivered fresh daily, day old bread is not allowed.

The bread is important and is a good quality hoagie roll. These are often Amoroso rolls. Long submarine rolls are usually cut in half or a shorter hoagie roll is used. Mushrooms may or may not be added.

The other ingredients are: thinly sliced ribeye steak, chopped onions and cheese. The cheese can be white American, cheddar, provolone or cheese whiz. That’s about all that goes on a Philly cheesesteak. Some people like pickled peppers but they’re not the norm. Thinly sliced steak (ribeye, sirloin, or loin strip) is quickly grilled or pan-seared in oil. Sliced or chopped onions and bell peppers (preferably red ones) are browned.

To make a cheesesteak, they begin by cooking the beef on a flat top grill and seasoning it well with salt and pepper. Some places will finely chop the meat, some leave it in strips, both are accepted methods of preparation. The onions are precooked on the grill until caramelized and mixed into the cooked steak to order, as some don’t like onions.

The sliced cheese is laid on top of the hot meat and allowed to melt, and the whole mess is picked up with a spatula and placed into the awaiting roll. If the diner wants cheese whiz, it is ladled on at this time.

25. Cheetos

This cheesy snack food is one of the most popular items in the potato chip aisle in American grocery stores. But its popularity has never caught on overseas. Again, it’s probably the imitation cheese flavor that turns foreigners off. But they are freakishly addicting, even for this chef who enjoys fine foods. If you can’t live without your Cheetos, you better stock up before that international vacation!

During winter here in Northern India, when fog and smog ruin days that already see very few hours of light available, and the cold further complicates life, it made me desperately dream of the warm and sunny beaches of the West of the country; and then what to do? I take a train, travel 30-40 hours and leave all that the North has to offer me behind?

Daman and Diu. I had read about this place in geography books, but I had never met anyone who could describe it to me in an exhaustive way. Daman, the sister of Diu, is located a little further south, still within Gujarat, but is much less known. In reality they are two very different places that have little in common, if not some Portuguese church painted white and some beautiful colonial houses.

Daman and Diu, off the coast of Gujarat promises to offer everything that the exhausted explorer of the northern states most urgently need. Sun, sea and a wide availability of beer at low cost! In addition to cheap alcohol there is not much in reality, but it is a good place off the beaten track.



The Road trip to Daman from Diu

After Anand, we make a circular detour on NH 8 to bypass the city of Baroda or Vadodara which then continues straight to the south and the distance towards Mumbai goes down quickly. I feel more of the tropical air, the further I go. I remember when hundreds of miles to the north I saw the first coconut palm and I was exultant.

When I reach Daman it was evening after a very long day of driving for 300 km. I hate traveling at night because here they constantly use high beams and don't lower them when they cross other vehicles. In the evening I see boys playing football and volleyball, the fishermen repair the nets and the women dry fish and seafood. A group of elders play chess, while someone plays a guitar.

Unlike Diu, not much remains and indeed at first sight it looks like the typical seaside town. But after moving a little I immediately realize that even this is not the "usual" India. So many centuries of Portuguese domination have left their mark, and people are much more relaxed and in general seem to live a more modern life.

Here too the standard of living seems high. The supermarkets are well stocked and the restaurants full in the evening. The bars lack the atmosphere of an adventure film that is found in Diu, and I avoided them with pleasure.

I expected to find the classic "ghetto" for young Westerners, with the guys in the Bob Marley shirt who approach to sell you the good grass, the restaurants with wi-fi that make insipid fried rice, the guesthouses with the veranda and the hammock, agencies that organize tours and boat trips, the shops that sell chillum and t-shirts with coloured mushrooms.

There is no ghetto, rather I had to break my balls enough to find a cheap accommodation, as the hotels are scattered around a vast area. If, like me, you arrive on Saturday you are almost screwed because they are almost all full. In practice, after an hour of research, I found only one with free rooms.

I had a large terrace all for myself from which I could enjoy the movement of the people, enjoying the excellent chilled beer taken at the store opposite.



Sunday in Daman

I was also in Daman the day after because I wanted to explore the former colony and it was worth it even though it was crowded on Sunday, but fortunately concentrated on the beaches transformed into funfairs with jet skis and other amusements. They are not like the beaches of Goa, favoured by foreign tourists for sunbathing and bathing.

At the first light of dawn I explore the environment through the windows of the tent. North side has a deep palm forest with mysterious mist and fog. In the west side is the flat sea, which recedes, and in the south side we guess is an estuary where are the fishermen and villagers.

After breakfast I go walking on the wide and long beach to relax my calves, strained like everything, that lead me to life. Approaching the small estuary, I see one sink into the mud. And then there is something left by the Portuguese there. There are two forts, some churches, and colonial houses.

The city is quite strange. There is a commercial part (Nani Daman or Little Daman), with the market, the station, the hotels and bars and the administrative (Moti Daman or Big Daman) part on the other side of the Daman Ganga river, located inside the walls of the great 16th century fort.

Obviously the biggest one is Nani Daman. The first is chaotic and colourful, while the second is quiet, silent, orderly, with beautiful tree-lined streets and a splendid cathedral. The main beach is quite bare, while the sea has a brown-brown colour that is anything but inviting.

Fishing in Daman

Fascinated, we sit on the sand and watch the show, open-mouthed. A broom unfolds before our eyes, in front, on the right and on the left. Men and women, in the mud to the thighs, evolve rhythmically and regularly, according to a well-ordered choreography, combining balance and efficiency, according to very precise lines.

It takes a while to understand their ride. Alone or in groups of 2, 3 or 4 they pack the mud before pushing into the mud a subterranean hedge of straw on the pretraced perimeter. But why? It is there that one sees forms jumping, flying and then disappearing on the surface of the water mud. Here again it will take a long time to identify the phenomenon.

Batrachians? Flying fish? Giant leeches? Mini Sea Snakes? There are all sizes, from a gray shrimp to a salamander to mini-eels, with protruding frog eyes, and two fins running behind the gills used as spring legs. And they jump and sinks under the mud, and sways on the mud.

We end up making the link between the group of men and that of these fish. All their efforts seem to tend to catch these animals in the trap. But how? We develop many theories but cannot grasp the strategy. On the other side of the estuary, on wooden racks, we see curtains of dry fish.

On the beach, from time to time, people are busy picking up something. We go back up the estuary. A little upstream a man serves as a ferryman. Following a guide rope stretched between the two banks he carries villagers in his boat and lands at the mouth of a stream in the bed.

And then again, and again, women trace their perimeter of straw in the mud, and again and again these fish appear and disappear in the mud. We turn back to the palm grove and the shade it offers us. We spend the rest of the day walking around.



The Portuguese Daman

As it happened, while I was visiting the fort in Moti Daman, beyond the river that divides the city, I made friends with a gardener, of Portuguese origin, who told me several things about the history of the colony and the mini war. For over 450 years the Portuguese have controlled these ports on the Arabian Sea where they arrived in 1500 with Vasco De Gama. They even made Goa their Asian base and for a long time they monopolized the spice trade.

I learned, for example, that after the occupation Portugal had organized a (voluntary) evacuation of the Damanese. Those who had fled had been sent to the colonies of Angola and Mozambique, where even these soon became independent. In the main street, there was a monument to the fallen of the war of liberation, where in the morning they had laid garlands of flowers.

At about 20 meters, in a cemetery, instead I saw the tombs of the Portuguese who died in the struggle for resistance. He tells me that both Daman and Diu is nothing in comparison with Goa, the other famous Portuguese colony of India, which over the years has become a paradise for hippies, bums and party-goers of all kinds and finally backpackers.

Contrary to Goa, Daman and Diu lives mainly on local tourism. On the weekends many Gujarati's, come to the island to enjoy the beaches, the mild climate and spirits on free sale in bars. Diu is indeed a perfect example of the absurdities of India and the great differences that exist between states, even close to each other.

In Gujarat alcohol is even forbidden, but you just need to take a bus and go to Daman or Diu. This small territory bases its economy essentially on tourism and on the revenues deriving from the sale of alcoholic beverages, totally banned in the neighbouring state of Gujarat, from which a continuous flow of commuters of the hangover spills into dozens and dozens of retailers that dispense the coveted nectar.

It is strange to say, according to all that had been told to me, the number of drunk people staggering around the streets remains unexpectedly low, despite the hundreds of bottles of empty liquors of everything from beer, vodka, wine to whiskey that plague streets and beaches to the most remote corners of the island.



In Moti Daman

By the way, among places to visit in Daman and Diu, in the historical and picturesque Moti Daman, inside the walls, near the Gama house, there are also two churches and a convent still inhabited with the ruins of a church next to it. I recognized the Baroque style of Goa.

In particular, I enter a chapel, to admire an inlaid wooden altarpiece that is one of the finest in India. The ceiling is also entirely carved with images of cherubs. I was fascinated by the expressiveness of the faces and in particular by a scene of Mary and Joseph holding a baby Jesus walking by the hand. I found it very interesting, since we are used to seeing the baby Jesus in swaddling clothes.

Westerners are not many, and almost all are travelers over thirty in search of a break from "classic" India. The sporadic western travellers who come here, most after a night on the train from Mumbai and others coming down from the north with the mirage of reaching a small Goa, find themselves having a couple of beautiful deserted beaches where they can enjoy the heat sun and the salty water of the Arabian Sea, practically undisturbed lounging all day.

The backpackers are few and strangely almost all South Asians (perhaps Koreans coming from Varanasi). But the "sinful" area where there are hotels and some resorts, but of a low level, is on the other side of the river, in Nani Daman, where nothing remains of Portuguese except a wooden house that is now hotel.

Tomorrow we leave for Bombay or rather Mumbai. We will leave early, before sunrise to be there early and be able to enjoy it to the fullest.

Vrindavan is a city in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. Vrindavan is considered to be one part of Brajbhoomi. There are hundreds of temples and ashrams in Vrindavan dedicated to the worship of Radha-Krishna. This place is considered sacred. It is peaceful and beautiful of course! The major temples of Vrindavan are Madan Mohan Temple Govind Dev temple, new Radha Govind Temple and Shri Radha Raman Mandir.

Braj was the name of the father of Krishna. Vrajbhoomi spreads around Mathura and Vrindavan. It is not politically defined but it is believed to be the place where Krishna spent his childhood days and made various magical activities.

The areas of Brij Bhoomi are the Mathura Jalesar, Hathras, Aligarh, Agra, Vrindavan, Farrukhabad, Dholpur, Etawah, Auraiya, Manipuri, Firozabad, Kasganj, Gokul and Etah. While you are on Delhi Agra Mathura Vrindavan tour package, you must visit as many cities as you can. Vrindavan is a place where Krishna spent his childhood days. Vrindavan is an established pilgrimage site in India with hundreds of temples along with Mathura.

Government is putting high efforts in maintaining these architectural masterpieces and these temples and ashrams are also getting constructed on a regular basis. Here are a few major temples of Vrindavan.

The capital city of Yadu dynasty of Bharat, the name of the subcontinent at that time, Mathura remains the witness of many changes. It observed the tyranny of the rulers and also watched the humanity of Krishna. This is the place that is there till now, even after so many plunders from Nadir Shah at the banks of the Yamuna River.

The splendid city, with her holy spirited smell of the soil still today stares at the visitors as a proof of the birthplace of Krishna.

1. Madan Mohan Temple

Madan Mohan temple is situated in the city of Vrindavan at the area called as Kalighat. It was built by Kapur Ramdas of Multan. Multan is presently in Pakistan. Madan Mohan temple is one of the oldest temples that was built in Vrindavan. Madan Mohan temple is quite closely associated with one more deity apart from Krishna. The name of the other deity is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's full name is Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He was basically a Bengali Hindu Mystic Saint. Mysticism is a combination of ideologies, rites, legends, magic, ethics, myths, etc. When Aurangzeb was ruling over here, he gave the orders to shift the deity of Madan Gopal to Rajasthan.

This is the reason the original idol of Madan Gopal is now in Karauli in Rajasthan. He did this for the sake of safekeeping of the original idol. Today at Madan Mohan Temple, there is a replica of Krishna's original idol.

2. Govind Dev Temple

Govind Dev temple is also called as Sri Radha Govind Temple. The name does signify that there are idols of Govind which means Krishna and Shri Radha Ji. Radha Krishna is known for true, unselfish and genuine love in the world. In fact, as per Hindu mythology, it is believed that if one wants to get true love in life one must worship Radha Krishna along with Shiva Parvati and Lakshmi Vishnu.

There are seven storeys in Govind Dev temple. It was built by Raja Man Singh in 1590. Govind Dev Ji temple is built by red sandstone and this red sandstone was donated by Akbar. It also shows there the foundation of unity in diversity was actually laid by our ancestors only.

3. New Radha Govind Temple

New Radha Govind temple is also a temple of Radha Krishna. Mentioned in the previous paragraphs that there are new temples getting continuously built, new Radha Govind temple is an example of that. The temple was built completely in 2004. The designs of this Temple are based on a very beautiful historic temple. This historic temple was a brainchild of Srila Rupa Goswami.

Srila Rupa Goswami was a disciple of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The feeling over here is completely divine and the architecture is marvelous even when it is not so old.

4. Shri Radha Raman Temple

Shri Radha Raman temple is a gaudiya temple in Vrindavan that was built in the early modern period. Radha Raman means Krishna is in deep and divine love with Radha. This temple is one of the 7 temples of the Thakur of Vrindavan. The followers of this Temple are from Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

Gaudiya Vaishnavism means the worship of Vishnu or Krishna by the people of the region called Gauda. The temple has the original idol of Krishna along with goddess Radha Rani. The idol is in the form of Shaligram, a fossilized shell and it represents Vishnu. It is an iconic symbol.

5. Radha Damodar Mandir

Radha Damodar Mandir was also constructed in the 16th century by 6 Goswami of Vrindavan. The Six Goswami of Vrindavan was basically a group of teachers from a tradition called Gaudiya Vaishnav. The names of these 6 Goswami Rupa Goswami and Sanatan Goswami, Jiva Goswami, Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Gopal Bhatta Goswami, and Raghunath Dasa Goswami. Rupa Goswami and Sanatan Goswami were brothers and Jiva Goswami was their nephew.

6. Radha Vallabh Temple

Radha Vallabh temple was established by hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu. This was the temple which has a beautiful Crown of Radha Rani. This crown is placed exactly next to the idol of Lord Krishna. This looks very beautiful. Goddess Radha and Lord Krishna complete each other so much that it is a pleasure to watch them. Every year there are many people who come over here to worship.

7. Radha Ras Bihari Ashta Sakhi Temple

This is a temple which is dedicated to Lord Radha-Krishna and their eight friends. Radha was a girl in the village of Vrindavan during those days. She had a group of friends. Lord Krishna was also a friend to you all of them. However, Lord Krishna had a very special inclination towards goddess Radha. This temple is particularly known for their entire group as it reflected beautiful and divine friendship.

8. Nidhivan

This is one of the mysterious temples in India. It is located in the temple city of India, Vrindavan. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. Nidhivan is a dense forest with lush green trees. The temple is shut after the evening prayer and various things such as saree, sweets, betel nuts are kept inside the temple. Every morning the priests see that sweets are partially eaten and the clothes have been used.

No one is allowed into the temple premises after the sun sets down. It is believed that Radha-Krishna come daily for the temple to rest.

How to Reach Vrindavan

Vrindavan is only 11 kilometres away from Mathura. You can reach Vrindavan by any kind of public transport or if you have taken Delhi one day tour package, this is our responsibility to take you wherever you want, as the package is fully customized for your convenience. You can also take your private transport.

You must visit one of the Radha-Krishna temples of Vrindavan on same day Agra tour by train. However, it may take some more time, but try to plan it well and you manage to bring it on the itinerary. If you are on Delhi one day tour package sightseeing, you must choose one of these temples on your itinerary. It will really have a very positive and loving impact on your life since Radha Krishna is known for eternal love.