Friday, November 27, 2009

Masai Cultural Experience in Tanzania


Dressing up with colorful Masai hat, neck jewelery and clothes was a lot of fun when I saw the Masai people at the Ngorongoro Serena lodge where they set up a gift shop. Masai women are tall, pretty and very graceful. They don’t speak English but some of the men speak English very well. As part of the experience we also visited a Masai Village. We were greeted by a group of men on one side and a group of women on the other side in front of the village with songs and dance. Did you know that the women build their houses while the men tend to the castle? Also the Masai men can have more than one wife. Their houses are very small (less than 100 sq ft) and even though they can build bigger houses they chose to build only small and keep it simple. There was a small school where boys were learning English. What impressed me was their simplicity in living and keeping to their way of life even in these modern times. It was of course disturbing to see inside of their little houses when I knew they need not live that way if they choose to change. It however reinforced my belief that one can be happy in their own way with their chosen way of life.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Tazania Wild Life Safari

What an incredible experience watching a cackle of hyenas eat a dead hippo in the hippo pool while surrounded by a herd of hippos submerged in the water doing their own thing, warthog piglets, pride of lions taking a nap, Elephant with its calves and so much more. Terengere National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National park with beautiful terrain each different and surreal. This was a trip of a lifetime for me and feel very lucky to have experienced it. Would love to help anyone who wants to do the same.

















Monday, October 12, 2009





St.James Club, Antigua - a quiet,upscale resort with very nice beach and pool and English tea in the afternoons provided us with a relaxing vacation. The resort has a nice bay where we went kayaking, sailing and paddle boating. It was wonderful. 95 % of the vacationers at this resort is from England and repeat visitors.
My favorite desert was the coconut icecream in a butterscotch cup. Saw an oceanside wedding while at the resort.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Moon Palace, Punta Cana












Luxurious room, 8 swimming pools, clean,white sand beach with drinks service and a wonderful spa. Moon Palace is huge and there is a tram to go around the property (like Disney World) to get to where you want. Phone calls to USA are free. Great place to get away, relax and at the same time keep in touch with work if you really want to. Email me for special offers for Moon Palace.





Friday, August 21, 2009

My trip to Vancouver,Banff,Canada

Butchart Gardens in Victoria Island was spectacular and full of color. Weather was cool, sunny and perfect. I love gardens and visiting Butchart Gardens was indeed a treat.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

My next trip

We will be going on the Rocky Mountaineer train from Vancouver to Banff in a couple of weeks. It is supposed to be a spectacular train ride and we are looking forward to this trip. As always, I will take lots of pictures and share some highlights after my return.

Right now I am having fun with planting flowers and vegetables in my garden.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Learned something new


Today I was at Walmart shopping for more flowers(yet to find space for them) and found a herb plant called Stevia. Its leaves are so sweet and it is supposed to be a natural sweetner with no calories and can be used instead of Splenda or Equal. Imagine my surprise when I heard that. I love growing herbs, so I bought the plant. I tasted the leaf and it was very sweet. I am trying very hard not to buy more plants but it is just not happening.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Beaches Resort-Turks and Caicos




Just got back from visiting Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos. We were welcomed with cold towel and drinks upon arrival, given the grand tour of the resort and got to dine at Marios, one of the 16 restaurants located in the Italian Village. At 7 PM, I became one of the kids marching with the the Sesame Street Characters roaming around the resort. Then dressed up in white we were off to dancing at the beautiful club liquid. Next day, spent time on the beach. The ocean water was clear, blue, warm and beautiful. You have got to get there to really experience it. I also went on the lazy river and the pool. Want to get away with your friends or family? email me for info latha@dreamntravel.com.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Boat house - Dal Lake,Kashmir, India


The Dal Lake is a famous lake in Srinagar, capital of the state Jammu & Kashmir. It is well known for its approximately 500 Victorian-era wooden houseboats. The lake is surrounded by mountains on its three sides. Romantic rides are offered in Shikaras(boats) just like the Gondolas in Venice. In 2007, we stayed in a houseboat for 4 nights and had a lovely time. All the vendors come to you in small boats to sell their goods. We had our own cook giving us homemade meals. Weather was sunny and cool and the people were so friendly and welcoming.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

With Friends at Christ the Redeemer Statue,Rio De Jenero,Brazil


In 2006, 8 of us travelled to Brazil and visited the "Christ the Redeemer" in Rio De Jeniro. In July 2007, it was named as one of the new seven wonders of the World. I have already been to five of the new seven wonders(do you know what they are?). Can't wait to see the 2 wonders I am yet to see. They are Petra of Jordan and Chicinitza, Mexico.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Sunrise over the Mediterranean

Enjoy the video of sunrise over the Mediterranean. It was a serene and peaceful feeling to watch it from the Cruise Ship when it was so quiet because majority of people on the ship were not up yet.

Friday, April 3, 2009

One of most treasured moments of all my travels is when I dropped a fish to feed the pink dolphin, one of the five freshwater species of dolphins found in the Amazon river. We were taken by a small boat up the river from our treetop hotel in Manaus,Brazil to a quiet, non-commercialized spot to feed these dolphins and it was so exhilarating and beautiful. They are the hidden treasures that not many tourists know about and well worth the trip. Email me if you want to know how you too can have such an experience. By the way, this picture was published in our local newspaper.
www.dreamntravel.com

Thursday, April 2, 2009

My first floral design


Did you know that I am a member of Naperville Garden Club? I am their publicity chair and I enjoy being part of this wonderful group of 130 members. We do house walks, garden therapy session for seniors, plant bulbs at the city municipal center, take field trips (visited Country Garden Cuisine Cooking School in St.Charles last year), make and compete in floral design shows and much more. I took the floral design class and here is the picture of my very first floral arrangement. I loved every minute of my class and my teacher Judy was excellent. If you want to be part of the club and want more info about how to join go to www.napervillegardenclub.org.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

European Bead Cruise 2008

Let me share a picture from the Mediterraneon Cruise I was on last July on RCCL ship Splendour of the Seas departing from Venice, Italy. We learned how to bead, make jewelery and had fun visiting the Murano bead makers in Venice,Italy. We also had great fun visiting different countries such as Croatia, Greece and Turkey. The Europeon Bead Cruise was sponsored by Bella Venetian Beads & Dream N' Travel. We had a group of 25 people from all over USA . It was a fun, relaxing and educational trip. Our destination this year is Alaska in June.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Barbados


Barbados is the eastern most island in the Caribbean. The beautiful beaches with water as clear as poured from a tap are on the famous west side of the island. The east coast of the island is filled with enormous limestone boulders and is blessed with high surfs as high as 20ft. Being the eastern most island, there are no hurricanes to worry about ever. It may be a little far to get from Chicago but I am ready to go there any time.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Turks and Caicos


Just signed up for a Familiarization (FAM) trip to Turks and Caicos. Beaches Turks & Caicos will be my host and I will get to experience the luxurious resort additions and enhancements so I can come back and tell my clients based on first hand knowledge. Can't wait to go. Signing up and getting confirmation to be included in the trip was like a race because of limited number of seats and it was like winning a lottery once I got confirmed. Hooray!! Check back after April 22nd to hear all the details.

Latha
www.dreamntravel.com