thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
(que e excelente por sinal), alternando entre 2 e 4 pistas - que nao parecem necessarias mas da uma sensacao de seguranca barbara para quem dirige centenas de quilometros pelo deserto em retas que as vezes causam ilusoes oticas.No dia seguinte a minha hospedagem em Prince Albert, continuei viagem pelo "Klein Karoo" (esta area desertica) a caminho de PAARL, uma das cidades principais do Cabo, e um importante centro vinicola e textil. Para chegar la, tem que passar por uma descida espetacular pelas montanhas ao redor de Paarl, deixando para tras a paissagem desertica do "Karoo" e entrando numa regiao bucolica e pintoresca.Bom, acrescentarei mais um pouco depois, mas por enquanto descrevo a minha partida da Africa do Sul. Foi na segunda-feira, dia 21 de fevereiro que embarquei na VIRGIN ATLANTIC em voo diurno (de 12 horas) sem escalas ate London-Heathrow. Ja era de noite e tarde depois de passar pela alfandega, e eu resolvi tirar uma soneca no terminal intra-europeu ate umas 5h30, ja que as 6 horas comecava o check-in do meu voo da British Midland a Frankfurt, saindo as 7h20.Em Frankfurt, cheguei as 1oh (horario local). Por British Midland e a United ser aliadas da Lufthansa, novamente fiquei dentro do mesmo terminal sem ter que tomar o famoso trenzinho. Meu voo, novamente de Boeing 777, compartilhado Lufthansa /United saiu as 14h, chegando 9h30 minutos depois em Washington-Dulles, 16h30 hora local La, depois de passar pela alfandega, embarquei no mesmo tipo de aviao, se nao ele proprio novamente, as 17h30 para Miami - cheio de europeus; o voo opera como a extensao a Miami dos voos das United vindos da Europa. As 19h40 pousamos em Miami, e as 21h ja estava de volta em casa.
Gandhi Memorial. I also visited Laxmi Narayan temple popularly known as Birla Temple. Night: stayed at hotelNext day: Delhi - Jaipur. We drove through the arid state of Haryana to the state of Rajasthan, perhaps the "most Indian looking" state in the way foreigners stereotypically see India. I arrived in Jaipur in the afternoon at the Holiday Inn, a pleasant hotel with architecture perfectly blending with Jaipur's beautiful buildings. I was greeted by my tour operator's local guide.Day 4: In the morning I had a sight seeing tour of Jaipur, covered the CITY PALACE - A delightful blend of Mughal and traditional Rajasthani architecture, the City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area in the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.I also visited JANTAR MANTAR - This is the largest and the best preserved of the five observatories built by Jai Singh II in different parts of the country. This observatory consisting of outsized astronomical instruments is still in use.HAWA MAHAL - The ornamental facade of this "Palace of Winds" is a prominent landmark in Jaipur. Their five-storey structures of sandstone plastered pink encrusted with fine trelliswork and elaborate balconies. The palace has 953 niches and windows. Built in 1799 by Pratap Singh, the Mahal was a royal grandstand for the palace women. Night stay in Jaipur with a great dinner at the hotel restaurant. The next day (Day 5) would be a highlight: Morning visit the majestic Amber Fort, is one that cannot be easily described. I rode up on an Elephant to the former capital of the royals set against the backdrop of the wooded hills. In the late afternoon, I met two more friends I had made on the Internet (who lived in Jaipur), and had a wild party in my hotel. Unforgettable day! In Portuguese, I'll add:Jaipur e a capital do Rajastao. Por isso, e uma cidade barulenta, caotica, cheia de atividades, enfim tudo aquilo tudo que se espera da India. Camelos, elefantes, macacos, vacas e uma buzinacao de gente, bicicletas, scooter e rickshaws foclorica. Jaipur e conhecida como cidade rosa, "the pink city. O centro astronomico do seculo XVI nao funciona infelizmente. O maraja da epoca morreu sem deixar instrucoes de uso dos mega monumentos matematicos). Mas ele deixou um belo palacio. E comum ver o atual maharaja tranquilo passeando de carro com o filho. O monumento de Vishnu e Lashmi, que tem pouco mais de 20 anos e o predio mais lindo da cidade, riquissimo.Back to English, on the sixth day we drove, about 5 hours, frpm Jaipur to Agra enroute visiting Fatehpur Sikri-a perfectly preserved red sandstone ghost town which was the estranged capital of mughal emperor Akbar, built in 1569 and deserted when its water supply failed.On the way, it was interesting to see how very traditionally dressed young girls stood on opposite sides of the highway in several stretches. My driver explained that these were road side whores (mainly for truck drivers). On onene side there stood Muslim whores, and on the other
Hindu whores. The distinction between Hindu and Muslim comes exists right down to the prostitutes each group uses for pleasure. I arrived in busy Agra late in the afternoon, and met yet another friend made on the internet, at the Holiday Inn in Central Agra.The next morning, sunrise visit to the magnificent Taj Mahal - one of the seven wonders of the world surely the most extravagant expression of love ever created. 20,000 men laboured for over 17 years to build this memorial to Shah Jahan's beloved wife, Also visit the Red fort - the rusty and majestic red- sandstone fort of Agra stands on the banks of the river Yamuna and the construction was started by Emperor Akbar in 1566. In the afternoon, I returned to the hotel, and walked around Central Agra with my local friend Rahul.THE TAJ MAHALThe next day, the same driver took me back to Delhi in the same car. This time I stayed at the centrally located Broadway hotel, as the next day I would take a JET Airways flight to Jammu, to discover the foothills of the Himalayas and the twin capitals of Indian Kashmir: Jammu (the city of temples) and Srinigar, located in a valley surrounded by the towering snow-capped Himalayan Mountains.In Jammu, I stayed at a hilltop hotel overlooking Kashmeri valleys. One of the nights, a Sikh friend, Harry, whom I also met on the internet, came from neighboring Punjab state where he worked as a doctor in a local hospital. This made my stay in Jammu and Kashmir even more special.After two nights in Jammu, and flying over the Himalayas four times on the JET Airways flights - both the flight in and out stopped in Srinigar, I got great panoramic views of that part of Kashmir, and of the Himalayas, a feat which a year later became impossible due to the ongoing friction between India and PakistanFrom Jammu, I flew on JETAirways, with a stop in Srnigar, to Delhi, where I had to overnight for a morning flight to Khajuraho, an amazing city, full of (very erotic) Hindu sights, and great food, nice people.So, on Day 08, I arrived there on JET Airways. After transferring to yet another wonderful Holiday Inn, a resort like Inn, with a huge pool, lots of activities, I went out with my private guide on his personal motorcycle and had dinner at a nice local place.The Holiday Inn, by the way, also offered excellent dining. It caters to vacationing upper-income Indian families, unlike the other two more mixed clientele Inns I had previously stayed at, in Jaipur and Agra. Khajuraho boasts legendary temples. It's location, away from the railway and main trunk roads, make Khajuraho very special, with no teeming masses of population. It's the odd Indian city a tourist can enjoy in peace, and really get to know how families live. People know each other; they'll invite the foreign tourist to their homes. I felt special here. KHAJURAHOAcknowledged as one of the worlds artistic wonders, these temples dedicated to the Hindu pantheon of Gods are
covered in carvings that are a paean to life and love. Built within a short span of a hundred years by the Chandela Rajputs, the 10th century temples lay forgotten until they were discovered in the present century. Khajuraho has achieved fame for the sensual appeal of its erotic sculptures.On Day 09, I visited the fascinating temples of Khajuraho, India's unique gift of love to the world, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. They were built between 950 and 1050 A.D. The divine sculptures in these temples, are a tribute to Life itself, embodying everything that is sublime and spontaneous about it. The murals depict the life and times of the Chandelas, and celebrate the erotic state of being.The next day, my guide and I explored the Western, eastern and southern temples of Khajuraho while my guide explained the intricate meaning and legends behind each describable sculpture. The Western Group Kandariya Mahadeo is the largest, and most typical Khajuraho temple. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it soars 31 m high. The sanctum enshrines a lingam, while the main shrine is ornately carved and depicts various gods, goddesses, apsaras (heavenly maidens) in elaborate detail.Chaunsat Yogini is the oldest surviving temple in the group (900 A.D.), this is the sole granite temple dedicated to Goddess Kali. Another Kali temple, which was originally dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is the Devi Jagdambe temple. Chitragupta Temple: Dedicated to the sun-god, Surya, this temple faces eastwards to the rising sun. The Vishwanath Temple enshrines a three-headed image of Lord Brahma. Lions guard the northern entrance to the structure, while elephants flank the southern flight of steps that lead upto it. A Nandi bull faces the shrine. The Lakshamana Temple has a lintel over the entrance, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, showing the holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva with Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort. The sanctum is adorned with a three-headed idol of Vishnu's incarnations, Narasimha and Varaha.The Adinatha Temple is the last of the Jain temples. My young, well educated guide was a Jain, by the way. This temple is dedicated to the Jain saint, Adinatha, and is gorgeously adorned with sculptures of yakshis among others. The three Hindu temples in this group are the Brahma temple, which has a four-faced lingam, The Vamana temple which is embellished with images of ravishing apsaras at their alluring best. That Night, I enjoyed a wonderful "Souind and Light" Spectacle against the backdrop of Khajuraho's central temples.Day 11/ Khajuraho - Varanasi (By JET Airways, of course) After breakfast, I transfered to the airport to board the flight for Varanasi-said to be the Indias most sacred city situated on the western bank of the holy river Ganga. It is also the oldest living city in the world. As a place for devotion and worship, with hundreds of temples dotting the city , sunrise on the river front as seen from a boat can be a spiritually uplifting sight. It has a fascination uniquely its own, a quality of sublime beauty, a timeless eternal appeal.Varanasi is the city which cannot be described, only experienced,
the oldest and holiest city of India with Temples, Aurangazebs Mosque and one of the biggest universities in India. Evening viewing of the Aarti ceremony on the Ghats. Night stay in Varanasi.Varanasi (or Benares) - the Hindu Holy City on the mighty Ganges. Varanasi is the city which cannot be described,only experienced. Sight seeing in Varanasi (the oldest and holiest city of India) covered Temples, Aurangazebs Mosque and one of the biggest university of India. Evening view Aarti ceremony on the Ghats.The next day started with another unforgettable experience, a private sunrise boat ride at the river Ganges to observe the daily ritual of pilgrimage visitors to the Ghats. Later I t was taken on an excursion to Sarnath, 10kms east of Varanasi. This is one of Buddhisms major centers in India. After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha came to Sarnath where he gave his first sermon. We also visited the deer park and the museum and retuned late to Varanasi . Night stay in Varanasi.Next day: Varanasi - Calcutta. Calcutta will be described in the blog covering the other half of my trip to India.Then from Calcutta, I flew out of the relatively modern (it had jetwalks!) Domestic terminal, and took the cross country flight between India's two largest metropolis. I arrived about two hourslater in Bombay. My next blogs are about Bombay, and my final 2 weeks in India.De Calcuta, viajei direto a Bombaim, e depois a Delhi novamente. Meus proximos blogs relatam as minhas ultimas duas semanas na India.Delhi e a mais ocidental das cidades, com partes que lembram outros lugares do mundo. Apesar de datar de tempos imemoriais, foi destruida e reconstruida varias vezes. A ultima pelos ingleses. em Nova Delhi, trata-se na verdade de uma cidade planejada, com largas avenidas arborizadas e grandes monumentos, como o bucolico samadhi (memorial) de Gandhi e o conjunto de palacios dos ministerios e presidencia.No centro do centro fica Connaught Place, ou simplesmente CP. Trata-se de um conjunto arquitetonico insosso de colunas brancas que reune lojas e restaurantes. Bem do lado se situa o mercado, um subterraneo enorme com muitas lojas que chega a ser divertido, apesar de um pouco claustrofobico.Old Delhi e o que ha de especial em Delhi. uma trama de micro-ruas que lembram o que seria um grande centro comercial medieval. Pouca luz solar, higiene quase alguma, uma gritaria, o lugar e um delirio - mas so para quem nao sofre de panico. O comercio e impressionante, se vende de tudo, tudo, tudo mesmo.No centro de tudo fica a segunda maior mesquita do mundo. O clima e pesado e ocidentais nao sao bem vistos, como sempre, principalmente pelos muculmanos. Portanto de um pulinho penas para cumprir o ritual turistico.Eu fiquei hospedado na primeira e ultima parada em Delhi no Rajendra Place, um bairro simpatico de classe media alta (novamente, para padroes indianos) com um bom comercio e bons restaurantes em volta de uma praca relativamente charmosa.O que mais interessa a muita gente em Delhi e a visita a Qutb Minar. Construido por volta do seculo XI, o centro muculmano usou
pedras e pedacos de um templo hinduista erguido no seculo IV. Mistura imagens de deuses dentro de uma mesquita.A vida noturna em Delhi na verdade se limita a tres noites em tres clubes da cidade:. Pegs and Pints, as tercas. Perto do Chanakya Cinema em Chanakyapuri. Bar e restaurante que vira clube a noite entre 22h30 e 1h. Enche bastante, toca musica de Bollywood.. Concorde, no Westend Inn, aos sabados. Perto do Radisson Hotel no caminho do aeroporto.. Pacific Blue, aos sabados. Atras do Anupam PVR em Saket.Vem ai a segunda parte que falara de Bombaim, Calcuta, Chennai (ex-Madras) e Kerala, a "Bahia" da India.
Istanbul, and Turkey - unique destinations (May 10 to June 2, 2000)Istanbul REALLY is in a class of its own. Among the world's great metropolis, only Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) has been one of the greatest since Antiquity. Only Istanbul straddles both continents of Europe and Asia. It is exotic, yet familiar, fascinating but not intimidating to the traveler. Divided by the straits of Bosphorus, Istanbul forms the proverbial bridge between east and west. Known as Byzantium then Constantinople for over2 thousand years, it is now a bustling center with a population approaching 12 million.As a travel agent, I won, at a March 2000 trade event, a free roundtrip ticket on Turkish Airlines from Miami to Istanbul, a route inaugurated in 1999. I had already been to Turkey twice before, but only to Istanbul (in August 1993), and to Istanbul, Izmir, & Kushadas1 in June 1997. I decided I would discover more of Turkey, and of Istanbul itself too during three weeks I could take off, from May 10 to June 2.Surfing the internet, I met two interesting tour operators, one in Istanbul, the other in Kushadas1. They would help me put together an unforgettable trip through the country. Actually, Mehmet and Bulent of LODGING TURKEY not only became my tour operators throughout Turkey (except in Kushadas1), they became my friends, hosts, and future business partner. I planned and booked trips for clients in Turkey later on, in the year 2000 and up to last summer (July2005) when my sister and her family (again) visited Turkey, and I arranged their tours through Mehmet.This trip still concentrated on Istanbul, as the city is a world of its own, a transportation hub for all Turkey, and I had to go back there once in the middle of the 23 day trip to recuperate a bag Turkish Airlines misplaced. My entire itinerary is as follows:Istanbul & side trips to Edirne (Adrianopolis) and Bursa during 5 nights at the Lamartine Hotel in Taksim. Then I flew to Kayseri to explore the unique KAPADOKKYA area in Central Anatolia (Asian Turkey). I stayed at the Perissia hotel in Urgup four days, from where I explored the Gureme Valley, the underground city and cave churches, in addition to Nevshehir and the Kizilcukur Valley and surroundings plus Ortasihar and Old Urgup, all during my first and second day there. On my third day, I visited Goreme National park, Cavushin and Uchisar - possibly the most unusual and unique town I have ever visited. These days were tiring, let me tell you; a lot of walking, wooden stair climbing, cave exploration with little light, and lots of sun outside, with the ever present camels to remind you of the desert heat, after coming out of the cool caves,underground cities & churches.CAPPADOCCIAOn my 4th day in Urgup, we drove back to Kayseri, the biggest city in that part of Turkey, with a major airport. From there, I left the Capadoccia Area on Turkish Airways. We first flew to Ankara, the capital of Turkey since the 1920s. It's in the middle of Anatolia, in
a mountainous area. The view of Ankara from the air on a clear day is spectacular. The city is perhaps prettier seen from the air than on the ground, where, in many ways, it looks like other large Turkish cities.The Turkish Airlines A-320 then took me from Ankara to Istanbul, where Bulent was waiting for me, and took me to the EuroPlaza Hotel, a wonderful hotel in Pera (the former Greek neighborhood), with fabulous views of the Golden Horn and old IstanbulI spent 6 days and 5 great nights at this hotel, which has a great health club, pool and restaurants, and a strategic location, close to Taksim, but with easy access, down the hill to the older sections of Istanbul.On Monday May 22, I flew from Istanbul to Izmir, where my other tour operator friend was waiting for me for the one hour or so trip, along the rugged Mediterranean coast, to the port of Kushadas1. That was to be my base for the next 6 days. From there, I took several day tours to Soke, Priene, Militos, Didyma, unique Pamakkule, and Hierapolis via Selcuk, and Ayd1n.On Saturday May 27, I headed off to Bodrum, a beautiful old town with a famous imposing castle, now as much a beach and boating resort as a historical town. I spent 3 days and 2 nights at the Arcade Hotel in Bodrum The hotel's owners, Ahmet and his wife, in addition to the bar staff (who were all from the same area of Turkey on the black sea), and I, all came to know pretty well during those 3 days. The hotel WAS Bodrum - embodying the town's old, typical architecture, ocean views with the street bazaar activity at a close but safe distance. But the hotel owners and staff were the highlight, though Bodrum is beautiful and unforgettable, especially with the great sunny weather I enjoyed.From Bodrum, I took yet another exhilirating road trip across the coastal mountains and cliffs, this time to Fethiye. From Fethiye, I continued on to Kash, another spectacular Turkish resort on the Mediterranean. My hotel was high up on a hill, with one of the most stunning views on my trip (which had several stunning views from hotels). On Tuesday May 30, I traveled my last land leg of the trip - to Antalya, Turkey's Miami or Rio: its big international beach city. Its status as one of the world's 10 busiest international airports confirms Antalya's status. Germans, Russians, Israelis, Turks and Saudis, all mingle here. It's a historic city in its own right, boasting one of Turkey's most happening artsy "old towns." And that's where I stayed.The streets in that area are so narrow that taxis can only squeeze through some transitable streets only in the wee hours. Fortunately, my flight from Antalya to Istanbul, continuing on to Miami left at 6AM, so the cab was able to get to a reasonable distance from my place of lodging at 5 AM on my last day in Turkey. I stayed there at an exotic "hotel" or lodging: the
VILLA PERLA. Its exotic owner has an unpronounceable Turkish name, which means Perla in Italian, a language she speaks fluently. Her English is also excellent.Perla operates her place, well, just as that - her place, Villa Perla. It's a historic Ottoman House with a big, leafy green courtyard where she operates a wonderful restaurant with her own Turkish specialties. Other guests and excentric artists with very unusual backgrounds can be found at most times of the day, along with Perla herself, on a sofa smoking her long cigarettes.This lodging is a real find: an authentic, well kept ancient structure inhabited by unusual people (to say the least) with the usual presence of its exotic owner, who must have been famous in her heyday.So, Istanbul was (again) my next stop. Arriving from the air, over the Sea of Marmara, you see a spectacular and huge city, with lots of bodies of water, mountains, islands ... a spectacular location for a city, which can only be compared to Rio, Hong Kong, Sydney or Vancouver. Istanbul remains one of the worlds great cities and the centre of Turkeys economic and cultural life, if no longer its political capital.While there, there are certain highlights that just cannot be missed. These include, ranked in importance from my point of view: St. (Hagya) Sophia Museum (formerly-Cathedral). Its name means church of Divine Wisdom. It is undoubtedly one of the greatest architectural creations in the world. Built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian around 535AD, it was transformed into a mosque after the Ottoman Turks' conquest of the city in 1453. Now a museum, it is awesome in size and contains beautifully preserved Byzantine mosaics.Nearby is the Blue Mosque, the most famous mosque in the city, built in the early 17th century, distinguished by six slender minarets and walls covered with amazing blue tiles... and also the Greek/Roman Hippodrome. This was the center of supportive events and political activities of the city in its days as the capital of the Eastern Roman and Byzantine Empires. The Obelisk of Theodosius and the Serpentine Column are among the monuments decorating the Hippodrome. Then, also nearby is Topkapi Palace.This legendary palace of the Ottoman Sultans from the15th to the 19th centuries is now one of the world's greatest museums.Staying in the old city, the Suleymaniye Mosque, Sinans masterpiece, is a stunning architectural reference, visible from a good part of the entire city. Now, moving across the bridge fromthe ancient city to the old "European" city is the Galata Tower. This cylindrical tower was the high pointin the Genovese fortifications of Galata in the time of the Crusaders and has been rebuilt many times.Today it houses an excellent restaurant as well as a wonderful panoramic view of Istanbul from its tower's balcony.So we are now in Beyoglu. A vintage tramway can take you along the old "grand boulevard"to Taksim square - Beyoglu's northern highlight, and possibly modern Istanbul's main square. Nearby youwill find Dolmabahce Palace, the 19th century rococco residence, replacing Topkapi, of the Ottoman Sultans,and the place where Ataturk, the father of modern