GoanTimes July 28th 2017 Issue

02 |touristic
Friday, July 28, 2017 | www.goantimes.titosgoa.com | 12 pages
LUMIERE LONDON FESTIVAL:
TO BANISH WINTER BLUES UK CAPITAL TO HOST
More than 40 installations are to light
up London in one of the biggest ever
light shows, Mayor Sadiq Khan said on
Thursday.
Streets, buildings and public spaces
will be illuminated during the Lumiere
London festival which is expected
to attract millions of visitors to the
British capital next January.
The event takes place between
January 18 and 21 in what Khan says
will be a chance for people across the
world to see London in a new light.
More than 40 British and international
artists will transform London and offer
new perspectives on the capital’s iconic
architecture, streets and landmarks.
Building on the phenomenal success
of Lumiere London 2016, festival
destinations will include King’s
Cross, London’s West End, including
Carnaby, Regent Street, Oxford Circus,
Leicester Square, Mayfair, Piccadilly,
St James’s, Fitzrovia and Westminster.
Works will be exhibited on both sides
of the River Thames, with Covent
BIGGEST LIGHT SHOW EVER
Garden, Victoria, South Bank and
Waterloo added as new destinations
for 2018.
Mayor Khan said: “Lumiere London
2018 will be bigger, brighter and bolder
than ever before, with even more areas
of the city involved and even more
'Husband Storage'
facility opens in
Chinese shopping mall
people expected to visit this incredible
festival.
“Lumiere London 2018 shows that
London is open to people from across
the world and open to creativity
and ideas, and open for business.
There’s no better way to banish the
January blues — so get ready to take
to the streets and marvel at a dazzling
array of incredible artwork and
installations.”
Lumiere London in 2016 attracted
more than 1.3 million visitors to
London at a time when the city is
usually quiet following the Christmas
break.
Souce: http://indianexpress.com
This Indian Couple Pulled Off
The Ultimate Road Trip From
Mumbai To London, Covering
19 Countries In 72 Days
Shanghai: Shopping with girlfriends or
wives may be one of the most tedious
chores for men. Therefore, a shopping
mall in China's Shanghai city has
launched "husband storage" facility.
The transparent self-service pods in
Shanghai's Global Harbour shopping
centre are equipped with a TV screen,
a leather massage chair, and game
consoles, Xinhua news agency reported
on Sunday.
"Men usually get bored when
shopping with their female partners, so
we have provided them a place to rest.
They can play games and charge their
mobile phones here," said Zhou Jun,
who operates and maintains the pods.
Users scan to QR code to reserve a
pod, which costs 20 yuan (around $3)
for half an hour or 30 yuan per hour,
Zhou said. Since its launch one month
ago, the "husband storage" facility has
attracted dozens of persons every day.
"It's a good idea. My husband was
always unhappy when shopping with
me," said a female shopper surnamed
Wang. A male user surnamed Yang told
Xinhua news agency that the facility
has hundreds of classic video games,
which reminded him of his childhood.
However, not everyone is happy
about the pods. Some wives have
complained that it is no fun shopping
alone. "Who will carry my bag, chat
with me and offer advice if my husband
is sitting in a pod enjoying himself,"
said a female shopper surnamed He.
Zhou said in the future the pods
will be quipped with a curtain, airconditioning
and headsets to ensure a
better user experience.
A road trip from Mumbai to
London will be a dream for many.
While you keep making and
breaking your travel plans, this
couple from Mumbai let go of
their inhibitions and set out for
the challenging road trip. Meet
Baldawa family from Mumbai.
Back in 2011, while travelling from
London to Mumbai, Badri Baldawa
was so mesmerized by the mountains
below that he was taken over by the
idea of driving through those places.
Fast forward to this year and he finally
managed to do that.
The 73-year-old steel exporter
and chartered accountant, along
with his wife and their 10-year-old
granddaughter, set out on this unique
road trip from his hometown of
Mumbai till London. Embarking on
their journey on 23rd March of this
year in a BMW X5, the trio were on the
road for 72 days, crossing 19 countries
and covering 22,200 km, before
reaching London.
Mr. Baldawa documented the whole
journey on Facebook, updating all of
© Badri Baldawa/Facebook
his friends and family about the new
places they visited.
Seems like the whole family is no
stranger to long, spontaneous trips.
According to The Hindu, Mr. Baldawa
has previously hiked up to one of the
base camps of Mount Everest, driven
across Iceland in 2015 along with his
10-year-old granddaughter Nishi, and
undertook a 46-hour non-stop drive
through Norway to reach North Cape,
just in time to witness the longest
night.
The planning for this road trip
began last year and it may have taken
some time, it surely was worth it. They
started out by driving till Imphal,
and from there, south to Myanmar,
Thailand, Laos, China and then
Russia.
Mr. Baldawa told The Hindu, “There
was no other alternate route to drive
to London from Mumbai: if I were to
drive via Pakistan and Afghanistan,
there was no guarantee that I would
make it alive.
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