Friday, 30 August 2019

The ideal places to shop in Colombo, Sri Lanka

The ideal places to shop in Colombo, Sri Lanka
If you are planning on spending your vacation in Colombo, Sri Lanka, then you are sure in for a treat. Colombo, the bustling capital of Sri Lanka is known to provide visitors a wide range of activities to make their stay extremely enjoyable. One of the favorite activities is shopping.

Barefoot

Barefoot
Photo @Barefoot
Designer Barbara Sansoni is beautifully laid out shop, located in an old villa, is justly popular for its bright hand-loomed textiles, which are fashioned into bedspreads, cushions, serviettes and other household items. You will also find textile-covered notebooks, lampshades and albums, and a large selection of stylish, simple (but not cheap) clothing. There is also a lovely courtyard cafe.

Good Market

Good Market
The Good Market is the best shop in the city as it sells all sorts of organic products, from snacks, to produce and skin and hair treatments. All products are sourced locally and follow strict organic guidelines. Every Saturday, the Good Market sets up a pop-up market at the Colombo Racecourse with lots of vendors, such as small business owners, that sell handmade products from all over the island.

Arpico Supercentre

Arpico Supercentre
Arpico supercentre is a great place to shop for your daily essentials and a host of other goods that you might need during your stay. This leading supermarket chain has a number of outlets in Colombo and the suburbs so you can grab anything you need from the nearest store.

Odel

Odel
Odel is one of the most established hot spots in Colombo for shopping. It is the Sri Lankan equivalent to Myers or David Jones, an elegant department store. In the recent past it has taken a new face and likely to become possibly the largest mall in time to come. There are lots of little interesting shopping discoveries to find in Odel.

Paradise Road

Paradise Road
Another amazing shop for special home products is Paradise Road. Apart from gorgeous minimalistic house linen, their hand-painted mugs and plates are a favourite. Their canvas bags printed with the Sinhala alphabet and woven pillow covers are also beautiful. On the second floor, you will find a room filled with only white dinner plates and bowls.

Arcade Independence Square

Arcade Independence Square
Another massive restoration of a colonial landmark! In this case, the sprawling colonial 'hospital for the insane' has been reborn as an upscale mall after spending the last few decades in bureaucratic decrepitude. It has dozens of upscale international chains, a good food court and some high-concept eateries. Between expenditures, rest up in the gardens.

Ridhi

Ridhi
A small shop that carries silver jewellery if you are looking for a piece to take home with you. It has some great designs of jewellery from rings to entire sets of jewellery. The speciality of this store is that the designs are a mix of local traditional designs combined with contemporary styles.

Dilmah T-Lounge

Dilmah T-Lounge
Dilmah is one of the most famous teas in Sri Lanka and they have a couple of shops in Colombo where they sell all of their tea varieties. From the classic English Breakfast to Earl Grey, Dilmah offers an extensive collection of loose leaf tea and pyramid tea bags. Not only do they have the largest selection of teas in Colombo, they also sell books published by the Dilmah foundation. You can find books about Sri Lankan birds, butterflies and more. The gift boxes are perfect for taking back home, along with their special coloured sand clocks to make the perfect tea.

See more: Take the chance to discover Sri Lanka

Source Internet

Best desserts you must try in India

Best desserts you must try in India
Mithais, or sweet treats, are an integral part of Indian cuisine. While they’re enjoyed during a hearty meal, sweets and desserts are also central to Indian festivals. Here are some of the most delicious Indian desserts that you need to try on your visit to the country.

Laddu

Laddu
Laddu is the most popular festive treat in India. There are many different versions of this favourite sweet and the most popular is motichoor laddu. It is believed that the dessert was invented by an ancient Indian physician, Susutra, who used sesame laddus as an antiseptic to treat his surgical patients. Laddus are also the most common sweet offerings made to God.

Kheer

Kheer
There are a lot of different milk-based puddings in India and kheer is one of the most-loved among them. It is made by boiling rice with milk and sugar and later garnished with saffron, cardamom, dry fruits and nuts. Kheer, phirni and payasam are all different variants of Indian milk puddings. In South India, rice is replaced with vermicelli and the dish is called seviyan.

Gajar ka halwa

Gajar ka halwa
Gajar ka halwa is a dessert made from grated carrots, which are first simmered in milk and cardamom. The mixture is then fried in ghee (clarified butter) and sugar. Finally, the dish is garnished with dried fruits. The dessert started becoming popular during the Mughal period and today, it is served during both Hindu and Muslim festivals in India, including Diwali and Eid al-Fitr.

Sandesh

Sandesh
Bengalis are known for their love of sweetmeats and sandesh is one of West Bengal’s most popular treats. Sandesh is traditionally made from chenna, a residue of curdled milk. Some believe that the dessert was inspired by the cheese-based dishes that early European traders brought along with them to the city of Kolkata.

Kaju barfi

Kaju barfi
Kaju barfi is a cashew-based Indian dessert similar to fudge. It is traditionally shaped like a diamond and is one of the more expensive sweets found in the country. It is therefore considered a valued gift during festivals and special occasions.

Kulfi

Kulfi
Kulfi is the Indian version of an ice cream. Like many Indian desserts, kulfi has also been borrowed from Persian cuisine. It was made popular when the Mughals settled down in India and the dessert is also mentioned in the literature of this period. The flavour of kulfis is often enhanced with pistachios and saffron.

See more: 6 best curries to try in India
Source: Internet

Thursday, 29 August 2019

4 must-visit flower gardens in Da Lat

Da Lat is “thousands of flowers city” in Vietnam Central Highlands. It would be a huge mistake for tourists to skip its collection of flower gardens. From the city’s immense one to local farms, people are supposed to be drown in the beauty of this “Kingdom of flowers”. 


4 must-visit flower gardens in Da Lat
The best time to see the vast charming attractiveness of this Da Lat “speciality” is in winter season, especially in December and January when the Flower Festival is held.

Langbiang Flower Farm

Langbiang Flower Farm
This site is about 5km from the centre, on the way to Langbiang Mountain and Suoi Vang Lake.
Besides traditional kinds like rose, lily, chrysanthemum, this 7-ha-farm is famous for eustomas. This kind of flower has made Langbiang Farm famous all over the country.

After a walk through 20 greenhouses stretching from the slope to the foot, it is great to visit the large flower exhibition room and listen to music.

Address: 42 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street, Da Lat City

Da Lat Flower Park

Dalat Flower Park
Being the top must-see in Da Lat, this is located at the end of Xuan Huong Lake, close to the romantic Cu Hill, just about 2km from the city centre. This used-to-be Bich Cau Flower Garden has been renovated and renamed to a flower garden of the city, where visitors can enjoy the biggest selection of flowers in Da Lat.

It is also an appealing attraction on the occasion of annual Flower Festival, with hundreds kinds of species such as, hortensiases, mimosas, roses, as well as other imported kinds like daffodils or lilies. Especially, this natural museum houses a garden of orchids and a garden of thousands cactus from Africa.

Address: 2 Phu Dong Thien Vuong Street, Da Lat City

Anh Quynh Orchid Farm

Anh Quynh Orchid Farm
Anh Quynh Orchid Farm is famous for its cultivation of orchid, especially cymbidiums. Mr. Quynh, owner of the farm has successfully applied the technique of growing orchid on husk, which helps solve the problem of natural substrates. He is also known as a pioneer in planting new species of flowers in Da Lat.

Address: 44B Van Kiep Street, Da Lat City

Lam Sinh Farm

Lam Sinh Farm
Similar to Anh Quynh Farm, this farm focuses on cymbidiums. However, Lam Sinh Farm of Mr. Che Quang De is even bigger. Its owner is the “King of Cymbidiums” in Vietnam with more than 20,000 orchid pots. It was his great dream with cymbidiums, “the queen of flowers”, that motivated him to move 20km from the city centre, to reclaim 22 ha land.

Address: Ap Lat Valley, Da Sa Commune, Lac Duong District, Da Lat City

Read more: 5 vegan restaurants you should try in Da Lat

Source Internet