SATTE 2015: a B2B Travel Show

Turkey participants at SATTE 2015

SATTE is a business to business (or what in the Management terminology is termed as B2B) global travel industry event that is held annually and this year it was held from 29th to 31st January 2015 at the Pragati Maidan in Delhi. This is an event where ones meets, networks and conducts business. I got an invitation to attend the event as a travel blogger and as I was curious as to what happens at such an event I decided to check it out.

The SATTE 2015 at Pragati Maidan

To avoid the hassles of driving and parking I went to the Pragati Maidan by Metro and from there it was just a walking distance to Gate 8. I did the formalities of Registration at the registration desk which was a smooth affair as they had prior information about me and printed the tag in no time. The event was held at two halls. In the bigger hall at the ground level there were mainly Indian companies led by the States stalls which were bigger compared to the individual hotel and travel companies. Largest were the Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. Gujarat and Odisha (Orissa) also had big venues as these were also the sponsoring states besides MP. This UBM India event was supported by Incredible India. 

Kerala at SATTE 2105

Among the hotels it was not as if only big hotel chains were there like Accor, Radisson, Taj etc but even stand alone hotel properties. For example I met one Sahib Singh who runs only two properties in Patel Nagar by the names of Balsons Continental and Balsons International. I queried him as to the response and he was enthusiastic about the response as he said that the visitors in this show are serious buyers and sellers.

Sahib Singh, Owner, Balsons

Another unusual thing I noticed is that even states like Chattisgarh are now trying to promote tourism in a serious way as recently they had even organised the Sirpur festival and are now participating in these trade shows. There were several adventure/wildlife/Safari players also including the Pugdundee Safaris as finally the Indians are venturing out for such holiday destinations as well.

Thailand at SATTE 2015

The floor above had on one side international participants including the Partner countries of Thailand, Malaysia, Mauritius and Turkey. Even Israel was promoting itself as a travel destination in a big way! Of course the biggest was that of Thailand and they had under their umbrella fifty hotels, travel agents and companies who had set up stalls.

The second hall was mainly hosting international countries – prominent among them were Great Britain, Turkey and Spain but there were several smaller countries also participating in the show including Bhutan, Bulgaria, Macau, Maldives among many others.

To tap the Western India audience SATTE 2015 is also being organised in Mumbai from 18th to 19th August.

Meeting the Legend - Mary Kom

Today I was fortunate enough to meet the great Indian icon and five time World Amateur Boxing Champion Mary Kom!

With Mary Kom 

And unlike her training or fighting attire that one normally finds her in she was dressed in a beautiful Thai dress looking very charming and beautiful. Besides the five World crowns she is also the 2012 Olympics Bronze medalist and the 2014 Asian Games Gold Medalist.

Mary Kom in a traditional Thai Attire

She normally competes in the 48 kg category but in the Olympics she had to fight under the 51 kg category as the lower category was not there else I am sure she would have got the gold medal there also.

Mary Kom's Husband Onler Kom

I was talking to her husband Onler Kom who said that now she will compete in the 51 kg category in the next World Championships. I wish her all the best!

A Thai Dance

The opportunity to meet Mary Kom arose as Tourism Authority of Thailand has appointed her as the Thai Boxing Ambassador during the launch of the 2015 Discover Thainess Campaign held at the Leela Palace in New Delhi. The even started with couple of Thai dances and culminated with Thai lunch.

Wish You a Happy 2015

A Dawn in the Himalayas

I wish all my readers a Very Happy New Year. I thank all the readers for the continuing support, advice and likes. May all those who like travelling fulfill their desires in this year and explore the unexplored.

Sayonara 2014

Like the previous years 2014 also had its ups and downs.

But I hope that there were more ups for you than downs.

It is now time to say goodbye to 2014.

I am sharing some pictures with you of the beautiful Thai boat-women who have a cheering smile on their faces while earning their livelihood.

These are pictures from the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in Thailand.

It is surprising that the majority of boat handlers were women.

And they were all wearing fancy big hats as a style statement as well as protecting them from the harsh glare of the Sun.

Places to visit in McLeodganj: The Church of St John-in-the-Wilderness

As the name suggest even now this church is still in the grandeur of the local wilderness set amidst the deodar and pine trees with lofty snow capped mountains in the background.

The Church of St John-in-the-Wilderness, McLeodganj 

This church was built by the British in 1852 and is surrounded by big deodar trees and marble gravestones. This again is an interesting area to go to by walking. It is an Anglican Church dedicated to John the Baptist (as the name suggests). This building is built in neo-Gothic style.

Side view of the Church of St. Jojn-in-the-Wilderness

One can walk to The Church of St John-in-the-Wilderness in thirty minutes or so. Also if you are interested than you can make it a circuitous trip by first going to the Dal Lake and from there come down to this church and then reach back to McLeodganj thereby spending one full day of visiting places and walking/trekking in pristine surroundings. One can make the circuit the other way round if you want to make the trek tougher.

Inside the Church - see the beautiful stained glass

It is a very small church and still very well maintained despite being more than 160 years old.  Inside the church I could see Belgian stained-glass windows donated by Lady Elgin, wife of Lord Elgin.

The snow capped mountains as seen from near the Church

Besides the church it is the graveyard that presents a part of the local history to us.

The Graveyard at the Church

I could see several gravestones where the date of death is 1905 – that was the year of a great  earthquake that devastated this area and killed nearly twenty thousand people and injured thousands of other Kangris.

Memorial of James Bruce, Viceroy of India in 1862-63

The church compound also has the memorial of James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, Viceroy of India (1862–1863). He died in Dharamshala in 1863 and the monument was erected by his wife Mary Louisa, Countess of Elgin.

The beautiful entrance to the Church

The place also has a variety of birds and one can just sit here for hours and watch the birds. I saw this Yellow Billed Blue Magpie at very close quarters.

Yellow Billed Blue Magpie

Also read:
McLeodganj, Dharamshala, Himachal
Why I love to go to McLeodganj
Skywatch Friday - Sunset at McLeodganj, Himachal
Places to visit in McLeodganj: Bhagsunag Waterfall

Loi Krathong Thai Festival in Delhi

Second year in succession I got the opportunity to attend the Loi Krathong Festival held in Delhi as I got an invite from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to attend the festival this year as well. 

Traditional Thai Dance

This year it was held on the 6th of November as this festival is held on the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar calendar. Last year it was organised at the Dusit Devarana and this year it was held at the Radission Blu Plaza.

Cock-fight Dance

Loi means to float while Krathong means a lotus shaped container made from banana leaves (though being held in Delhi it was an improvised version made of thermocol and other artificial stuff). It is a festival to pay homage to the goddess of water.

Krathongs on display before they were floated

This festival of light of Thailand can be compared to the Indian festival of Diwali in some aspects as both are very important in their respective countries and both are festival of lights though the legend behind them may vary.

Another Thai dance

Of course Loi Krathong that is held in Thailand is of much grander version than the one held in India. The difference is like Diwali being celebrated in Delhi and Diwali being celebrated in Washington!

And yet another Thai dance

The festival started with several Thai dances and then followed by a dancing procession in which the ‘queen’ came on a palanquin carrying the Krathong.

The 'queen' on a palanquin with the Krathong 

 The first Krathong was floated by the Ambassador of Thailand in India and then we all floated Krathongs.

The Ambassador of Thailand in India with the Krathong

The whole atmosphere was Thai as this was followed by Thai food prepared by Thai chefs therefore it was authentic Thai food that was really good. The best was the Duck in Pineapple Sauce.

The floating Krathongs at the Radisson

Overall it was a great evening giving us a glimpse of Thai culture along with the Thai food in the amazingly good Thai hospitality.

Fruit art - Happy Loi Krathong

Also read: Loi Krathong Festival of Thailand held in Dusit Devarana

Albert Dock and Pier Head, Liverpool

Liverpool used to be seafaring giant once upon a time and Albert Dock was an important dock in the Merseyside in the North West England.

The view of the Old and the New Liverpool from Albert Dock

Liverpool was a gateway to the world and Transatlantic slave trade happened from here (even there is a museum to that effect). At the Albert Dock there is a maritime museum called the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

An old ship at Albert Dock

The Pier Head is a good place to go for long walks. There is a ferry service also going to the Isle of Man which I could not take as I reached the pier after the last one was about to leave so that is on my agenda for the next time. 

Pumphouse at the Albert Dock

Also on this stretch one sees old buildings as Liverpool is almost an 800 year old city mixed with ultra modern ones with lots of museums and also The Beatles Story (Liverpool being the birthplace of the Beatles). 

An anchor in front of the Merseyside Maritime Museum

From the Merseyside I could even see The Liverpool Cathedral as it is located on higher land and it is a huge structure.

A fire-escape on a warehouse 

Walking along the Merseyside next to the Albert Dock as well as the Pier Head is a soothing experience and there are plenty of options for rest and refreshments.

The Lusitania propeller, 1909

The propeller in the above photo is one of the four propellers from the Liverpool based passenger liner RMS Lusitania built in 1907. The ship was torpedoed by a German submarine on 7th May 1915 killing 1201 people off the coast of Southern Ireland. At that time it was the fastest vehicle reaching the shores of America in 4.5 days. This propeller was fitted in 1909 to increase her speed.

Love-locks on the Merseyside

I also saw next to the Merseyside on the chains next to the waterfront people putting padlocks on the chain. These are also called the lovelocks which people come and put for their sweethearts everlasting love. I have seen this also on the Great Wall of China and several other places.

A statue next to Merseyside

And there are number of statues depicting life of people.

Also read:
The Liverpool Cathedral
St. George’s Hall, Liverpool