How to Vegas

Everybody who comes to Las Vegas pretty much already knows that you can buy a bottle at a nightclub, a suite in a hotel, a dinner at a famous restaurant, a souvenir shot glass or front row tickets to a Cirque show. But with Vegas being the city it is, there has to be a whole slew of items that you didn’t even know existed for purchase. Here's a curated list of 10 items you probably didn’t know you could buy in Las Vegas.

Mark Twain’s Huck Finn At Bauman Rare Books in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian/The Palazzo customers can view all kinds of first-edition books and documents. Complete in its collection is a first edition of Mark Twain’s Huck Finn and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

Make the Fountains of Bellagio sing I’ll admit, this is a little pricey. But it would make a pretty good story to say you turned on the Bellagio fountains. Once the fountains are turned off, a gold box will be delivered to you at Hyde Bellagio nightclub. Inside the box will be a selection of songs to choose from and a red button. Once you pick a song, you can press the button to turn on the fountains.

Buy wine in an IV bagAt Heart Attack Grill on Fremont Street, customers who order wine will get it served to them in an IV bag (with a straw, not a needle). We should probably also mention that shots come in a pill bottle and when you walk in, staff offer you a hospital gown. 

Get married on the High RollerIt seems that you can get married everywhere in Las Vegas, but to get married 550 feet in the air is a whole other experience. At the High Roller observation wheel at The LINQ, couples can tie the knot in their own private cabin. The ceremony, which consists of one complete rotation on the wheel, takes 30 minutes and couples are able to invite 40 of their closest friends and family.

South Korea's Boryeong Mud Festival starts this July

One of the most popular summer festivals of South Korea - The Boryeong Mud Festival - will be held on the west coast at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong. The festival will begin on July 15 for 10 days at the Daecheon Beach Mud Plaza. The Boryeong mud, which is rich in mineral component is collected from the yellow sea. Apparently, the mud has elements that prevents skin aging!

Every year, this festival attracts youth from different parts of the world.  The side events like mud bath games, mud wrestling, swimming in the mud mega tub and the vibrant music nights offers the visitors to have fun. 

Visitors feeling particularly energetic can try the marine mud-training course, whilst those looking for something more chilled can relax in the mud massage zone. In the evening, music and fireworks continue the party on the beach.
The admission tickets to experience zone range from Rs 450 to Rs 600 approximately. The Festival is open to all from 10am till 6pm at the Daecheon Beach and Downtown area. The beach is easily commutable through train and intercity buses or car from Seoul. 

Guest post: Simply Sydney

Sydney, the largest gateway into the country, is truly a melting pot of culture. From the Indian-origin boy at the 7 Eleven till to my extremely talkative Bangladeshi taxi driver who thought five cars at a signal was ‘heavy traffic’, you find all sorts in Sydney.

Take a bow

The iconic Sydney Opera House plays host to the best plays and performances in the world (to my great joy, George Bernard Shaw’s plays were a regular feature the week I was in town). But the beauty does not lie in just the theatrics. Regular tours are conducted through the Sydney Opera House, regaling visitors with tales of the making of the building, right from design selection to the acoustics of each auditorium, as well as the heart-breaking tale of what made the designer leave without ever seeing his masterpiece complete (No spoilers!).

Up high!

The Sydney Harbour Bridge, fondly known as ‘The Hanger’ among locals due to it’s strange shape, does the noble job of connecting the CBD to the suburbs across the harbour. But the builders were not satisfied with just that. As a result, we found ourselves in protective gear, strapped to the railing of the Bridge, climbing the multitude of steps that took us to the centre, a viewing deck from where we enjoyed a stunning view of the city on either side of the harbour. What we embarked on was the twilight climb, one that starts towards sunset, so by the time we reached the summit, the city was all lit up. Mind you, it is rumoured to be the most romantic climb of the day, so you probably shouldn’t climb it alone like I did!

Walk it off

While there is an abundance of tours in Sydney, my favourite were the walking tours around the city. I took two called ‘I am Free’, run by volunteers born and raised in the city that works entirely on tips. A day tour has them walk you to all the heritage buildings while narrating entertaining stories of the place’s significance. An evening ‘The Rocks’ tour takes you through the precinct of the same name, and shows you all the bars vying for the position of ‘oldest bar in Sydney’, and tells entertaining (yet disturbing) stories of the mobs that functioned in the region. My favourite was the one about a man being cooked alive (Please don’t judge me!).

Queen Victoria Building

The Queen Victoria Building, a heritage structure, stands proud in the centre of the CBD, and houses some of the most prestigious shops and cafes in town. I walked, on the insistence of my colleague Jennifer, into the Old Vienna Café at the top floor, and straight into an Enid Blyton induced coma. The scones and tea I had only read about in books unfurled in front of me in the form of tea. For those, like me, who only visited England through the pages of a book, should definitely pay a visit.

By the water

At the risk of sounding clichéd, one of my favourite evenings in Sydney was meeting an old school mate at the Harbour, and settling down at one of the waterfront restaurants overlooking the Sydney Opera House. With the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge all lit up, and a platter full of delicacies in front of you, is the way to spend an evening out in town.

Art Attack

You could walk through the lanes of Sydney and find the strangest sculptures and works of art where you least expect them. At a quiet corner of a square full of shops is the sculpture of man on a bench reading a newspaper. In one of the smaller lanes, you suddenly hear birds chirping and look up to see about 50 bird cages strung up to signify how trapped we are in our worlds.

And finally, the one that baffles me the most – on a busy road in The Rocks area, an American artist, who had bought himself a compact, cherry red car, parked it in the middle of the street, drew a face on a large boulder, and proceeded to drop said boulder on the car! Although I doubt anyone understood the significance, the car still stands in the middle of that street, a roundabout created about it so cars can drive past.

Pride Walk

My cousin took me on to Surrey Street for great vegetarian food and delicious ice cream, followed by a walk down Oxford Street. You will recognise it immediately when you start walking down a lane that has scrumptious men in their knickers at the doors of every bar! It’s easy to believe that it’s also the road that hosts the annual Mardi Gras parade!

And all this was while I was hard at work in Sydney! Imagine all you could do while on holiday!

Maansi Sharma got fed up of all the free food and booze so she decided to leave journalism behind and earn more money to fuel her gadget obsession. If you enjoy LOTR/Harry Potter or similar trivia or have some technology-related query, you can contact her at ms.maansi@gmail.com. 

Taiwan 101

Taiwan remains a youth magnet for the new generation willing to understand and uncover the gem that resides in its geography.

The exotic country of Taiwan is adventurous and offers a mosaic of scenic beauties to fulfill the quest for travelling pursued by young travelers. Educated youth with easy access to technology and available information find the Taiwanese cities fascinating to travel to.

The dazzling metropolis of Taipei is home to a number of experiences - both youthful and cosmopolitan.

Shopping
Explore the iconic landmark of Taipei 101, shop in the bustling night markets or go clubbing in the sprawling clubs to soak in the infectious vibe of the city that never sleeps. Taipei 101 Mall features a world-class shopping destination to shop for luxury goods, fine dining and fashion. Steeped in tradition and culture, Taipei is home to famous monuments, landmark sites and premier centers for performing arts. Moving further away from Taipei, Hsinchu, Hualein, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Puli and many other destinations offer a myriad of experiences.

Adventure
A land of rugged mountainous terrain with abundant rainfall, for experienced mountaineers and hikers, it is the most sought after destination to go for mountain adventure. Young travellers with the passion to explore the hidden gems of nature can participate in outdoor activities that include: underwater adventure in the tropical surface, hiking in the foothills close to the city or climbing the roof of Taiwan, Mt. Hade at nearly 4,000 meters above sea level, the highest mountain in Northeast Asia. 

Economical stays and warm hospitality of the locals makes it very convenient for youngsters to travel to Taiwan where adventure never seems to end.Taiwan is located in the western Pacific Ocean 160 km off the southeastern coast of the Chinese mainland and is a convenient gateway to Asia for the Indian traveler. 

A number of airlines such as China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Southern and Thai Airways fly directly or with a stopover in to Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport from the Indian metros of New Delhi and Mumbai. The average flight time between India and Taiwan is of about 6.5 hours; and Taiwan is 2.30 hours ahead of India. 

Californian art

Did you know that California is a great destination for art and architecture lovers?

Even if you don’t know the difference between a California bungalow and a Bauhaus box, you will like visiting some of California's most unforgettable bridges, buildings, and other structures. Cross an iconic span (Instagramming the whole way, of course), walk through an opulent castle, and see hipster 1950s chic. Tour these impressive sites, like the state capitol in Sacramento, and you will be saying 'double-domed rotunda' in no time. 

Some of the must-visit architectural treasures in California are:

Sundial bridge, Shasta Cascade: A functional work of art, the remarkable bridge, designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, spans the tree-lined, trout-filled Sacramento river in Redding’s Turtle Bay Exploration Park. The 700-foot/213-meter-long span is undeniably striking, with its glass block walkway and soaring white tower and suspension cables forming a functioning sundial—a nod to human creativity and ingenuity, both important themes of the 300-acre park.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco: With towers soaring 746 feet/227 meters into the sky, its span arcing across the mouth of San Francisco bay, and all of it painted fire-engine red, the golden gate bridge is, quite simply, amazing. if you’re scratching your head as to why a bridge called “Golden Gate” is in fact red, here’s why. It’s generally accepted that the mouth of San Francisco bay—the narrow strait that the bridge spans, was named Chrysopylae (Greek for “Golden Gate”) by early explorer John c. Fremont. (Captain Fremont thought the strait looked like a strait in Istanbul named Chrysoceras, or 'Golden Horn') so it makes sense that the bridge is named after the expanse of water that it crosses. 

But what about that crimson color? Call it an unexpected surprise. When the steel for the bridge was first installed in place, it was only covered with red primer. A consulting engineer liked it, suggested the color be kept, and helped develop the bridge’s final paint color

Mid-century Modern Design, Deserts: Filled with distinctive post-world war II buildings designed by leading architects of the time, Palm Springs is America’s mid-century modern mecca. Right off the bat when you arrive in town via state highway 111, the soaring roofline of the tramway gas station (designed in 1965 by mid-century master Albert Frey and now the Palm Springs Visitors Center), it’s clear that mod dominates the local landscape. even Palm Springs City Hall, all sharp angles, bold cut-outs, and circles, has distinctive mid-century modern styling.

The Getty Center, Los Angeles: perched in the hills above west Los Angeles, the Getty Center looks like a modernist city on a hill, a collection of dramatic buildings housing galleries filled with modern masterpieces. To reach this complex designed by renowned architect Richard Meier, ride a tram from the parking lot up to the snow-white Getty Campus, with buildings clad in travertine mined from a quarry outside Rome. 

Inside the galleries, see European masterpieces, decorative art, and photography. And it’s all free—a gift from philanthropist J. Paul Getty. (there is, however, a fee for parking.) for all of its art, the Getty is equally stunning outside. Broad courtyards with fountains, leafy bowers and the Grand Central Garden is a living work of art, with outstanding views stretching from Mount Baldy to Santa Catalina island. Watch the sunset from elegant the restaurant at the Getty for a memorable splurge. a variety of free self-guided and guided tours enrich your visits, and spirited family programs—like jousting workshops—can turn your kids onto art too.

State Capitol, Sacramento: With its noble columns and snappy cupola, all painted wedding-cake white, California’s state capitol building looks like a mini replica of US Capitol in Washington, DC. Take a free tour to learn about the 1869 building’s architecture and history, and to appreciate extensive restorations in the offices of the secretary of state, treasurer, and governor. 

This is very much a working capitol building, and, if legislators are in session, ask about access to public galleries to watch bills being debated or votes being cast. Outside, stroll through the adjacent 40-acre Capitol Park, where you can admire trees from around the world, and visit the sweetly scented international world peace rose garden. Take note of the civil war memorial grove—in 1897, saplings from famous civil war battlefields were planted here.