Shri Chandranath temple in Goa. India

Today I’ve decided to go back to India. Maybe I’ve a good reason for that, or perhaps I’m just inspired for my next trip, that will happen in a few days, also in Asia. After a strong climbing up the huge granite steps you reach the Shri Chandranath temple in Goa. The Shri Chandranath temple is situated on the top of 350 meters high hill of Chandranath, in Paroda, Quepem. The atmosphere is great because you are fare from everything. The chief deity of the Shri Chandranath temple is Lord Chandreshwar. Lord Chandreshwar was the titular deity of Bhoja kings who ruled the South of Goa, till the middle of 8th century, before the Christians took over. The Bhojas had named their capital Chandrapur after the deity. The altar is that of Sri Bhutnath. The Shivalinga in the temple is carved out from the rock. This famous Shiva Linga, was supposed to ooze water at the touch of moonlight. The temple is so designed that the Linga receives moonlight on every full moon. Moreover, the Shri Chandranath temple's ancient chariot is well known for its wood carvings. The Shri Chandranath temple commands a panoramic view – from the temple you a nice view of a long ending green valley of Salcete and Quepem Taluka. We arrive in the middle of the afternoon. The place was silent and hot, with a few persons resting and reading the news paper. As I said in previous post, India is a great destination. It can be sometimes hard for our senses but fare from that also a great challenge. Once in you skin, you will love it.

Floating garden in the Atlantic. Madeira, Portugal

Madeira Island is famous throughout the world for its natural beauty and is often called the 'floating garden in the Atlantic'. For a traveler there's nothing like the ambience of a typical market! Originally, these regional markets were set up for selling flowers but with the time they expanded to all kinds of agricultural products and local food specialties (such as ‘bolo de caco’ bread, grilled chicken and wheat soup) to be consumed there or to take away. ‘Mercado dos Lavradores’ in Funchal, is still a bit the case, and is my favorite. Mainly frequented by the local population living in the area who do their weekly shopping there. Usually taking place during the weekends, you will find these typical markets a bit everywhere on the island, but the most established ones are those in Santa (Porto Moniz), Ponta Delgada and Santo da Serra. You want to experience something really local? Then look out for one of these traditional markets on your tour around the island! Unfortunately this February the island was affected by heavy rain, turning some streets in capital of Funchal into raging rivers of mud, water and debris. The storm — the worst to hit the island since 1993 — also kill displaced a lot people. Nobody can remain indifferent to the disaster and the reconstruction effort is enormous. Join us on a journey to Madeira Island’s this year given confidence to the tourism and help rebuilding the trust to this Atlantic paradise … this visit will surely delight you!