Microblog Mondays: The test of endurance

On By aseemrastogi2In Microblog Mondays6 Comments

For those who know me, they will surely know how much I love tales of endurance, human spirit and the will to survive in the toughest of conditions. And that is why I have been a big fan of movies like Everest, Gravity, 127 hours and books like Miracle in the Andes to name a few.

I recently watched a documentary called Touching the Void which is the story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates who scaled the Siula Grande in the Andes in 1985. While they scaled the 6,300m peak in about 3 days, the journey back was almost nearly fatal. As soon as the decent began, Joe broke his leg and Simon had to make sure that both he and his friend came down together since they had tied the rope to each other when they had started and one’s death meant almost a fatal plunge for the other.

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Top 10 things to do in Greenland

On By aseemrastogi2In Travel23 Comments

Greenland - A place with so many natural wonders
Greenland – A place with so many natural wonders

Source: https://a2ua.com/greenland/greenland-007.jpg

With an area of more than 2 million sq km’s, Greenland is considered as the largest island in the world. But just about 20% of this area is ice-free where the 56000 residents of the country reside. To give some perspective, there are only 0.03 people per square kilometer making Greenland the least densely populated country in the world.

I have always been enamoured with Greenland considering it’s large tracts of emptiness and it’s location far away from the rest of the world (it’s about 1300 kms away from the nearest landmass). While I generally write personalized travel posts, Greenland’s beauty encouraged me to research more about the country and plan a travel itinerary.

Tourism is just beginning to grow in the country and therefore I have listed the top 10 things to do or see in this mysterious land.

1) Northern Lights

Northern Lights
Northern Lights

Source: https://hurtigruten.global.ssl.fastly.net/assets/48f3bb
/globalassets/local/norway/photos/2500x1250_nordlys_jan-r-olsen_just_topaz.jpg?width=2500&height=1250&transform=DownFill

Like the rest of Scandinavia, parts of Siberia and more, Northern lights (or Aurora Borealis) is one of the prime attractions if you are in the country between November to March. Qaqortoq, Ittoqqortoormiit and Kangerlussuaq are the best places to see this phenomenon. These lights occur due to the sun’s electrically charged particles colliding with the earth’s atoms in the atmosphere. Moreover, it is said that Greenland is the best place in the world to see the Northern Lights.

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Five Sentence Fiction: Flowers at the door..

On By aseemrastogi2In Five Sentence Fiction11 Comments

Smelling the flowers proved to be disastrous
Smelling the flowers proved to be disastrous

Source: http://amcoffee.celebratewomantoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Woman-Smelling-Flowers-in-the-field.jpg

It had been a few days since she had started getting those flowers at the doorstep. Though there wasn’t a name or a message, her initial reaction was of utmost happiness and delight as she seemed to have an inkling on the sender.

Interestingly, though these were beautiful, these flower types weren’t the usual kinds which people gifted their loved ones.

As the days went on, though the flowers kept coming weekly, her condition had started deteriorating with debilitating affects being observed on her nervous system courtesy the smell of these flowers.

What started as delight was slowly but surely turning into a cold blooded murder.

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

I am taking part in the #MyFriendAlexa campaign to take my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter.

Why the shame towards menstruation?

On By aseemrastogi2In My thots and scribbles23 Comments

Why the shame towards menstruation?
Why the shame towards menstruation?

Source: http://www.sibenik.in/upload/novosti/2015/08/2015-08-04/45410//mm.jpg

From time immemorial, menstruation has been regarded as a taboo topic in Indian society. It is the blood flow from the inner lining of the uterus and happens once every month from the puberty stage till menopause except during pregnancy. While menstruation is something every woman in her life goes through, there are a lot many myths associated with it.

During this period, even today many women are not allowed to pray or enter the kitchen in their homes. In some cases, they are not even allowed to come out of their rooms lest they make their homes and the individuals around ‘impure’. Menstruation is regarded as something dirty and awful rather than a natural occurrence which is part of the reproductive cycle. Is it a woman’s fault that she is menstruating?

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Microblog Mondays: Bhutan’s journey to becoming carbon negative

On By aseemrastogi2In Microblog Mondays, My thots and scribbles10 Comments

Bhutan - The mysterious kingdom
Bhutan – The mysterious kingdom

Source: https://www.vjv.com/media/314861/bhutan-punakh-monastery.jpg

Bhutan is a tiny mountainous country landlocked far away in the Himalayas. Aided by it’s expensive visa policy for most tourists, Bhutan has largely stayed away from excessive commercialization in the name of tourism and has thus kept it’s mysterious aura intact.

72% of the country is covered in forests and this has helped it become a carbon sink rather than a carbon polluter. While it’s trees can absorb about 6 million tons of carbon per year, Bhutan only produces 1.5 million tons of carbon annually. Another key factor in helping it become carbon negative is importance given to Gross National Happiness (GNH) rather than Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

As part of GNH, one of the key initiatives was the pledge to not let forest cover go below 60%, ban logging and also encourage the use of hydroelectric power and other renewable energy sources. While this started off as a project to becoming carbon neutral, today Bhutan stands out as the only country in the world which is carbon negative. Moreover, GNH has been adopted into happiness surveys and reports in many other parts of the world.

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Guest post: Top 10 enthralling locations in Jamaica

On By aseemrastogi2In guest blogs, Travel6 Comments

Jamaica, the most sought-after destination in the Caribbean, is flocked by tourists every year. The tropical weather and the warm golden beaches make it the most relaxing place for a variety of fun-filled activities. The beautiful beaches, cool mountains, coral reefs, forests and springs are the nature’s gift to the island. If you are looking for some tourist hotspots in Jamaica, you have reached the right place.

Negril Beach

Negril Beach
Negril Beach

Source: https://www.luxuriousdestinationweddings.com/
Portals/0/PropertyAgent/446/Images/28539.jpg

Known for its’ aqua blue coloured sea and golden sand, Negril beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Jamaica. The shore is full of coconut palms, resorts and restaurants. The clear water is a home for water sport lovers and snorkelers.

Doctor’s Cave Beach, Montego Bay

Doctor’s Cave Beach
Doctor’s Cave Beach

Source: http://www.digimarcon.com/wp-content/themes/Impreza/img/sefj_31.jpg

In Montego Bay, Doctor’s Bay Beach is considered the best. The name ‘Cave’ is due to the fact that there was a cave on that beach which was destroyed during a hurricane in 1932. Moreover, a British doctor is said to have made this beach famous by claiming that the waters had curative powers. Even now, cruise ships crowd this beach regularly all in all making the beach very popular with tourists.

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100 word fiction: What you don’t know

On By aseemrastogi2In 100 word fictionLeave a comment

Fear of the unknown
Fear of the unknown

Source: https://1388058624.rsc.cdn77.org/monthly_2016_06/
574f2564c7157_fear-of-unknown(1).jpg.b141f8f772624f557876c3f19d422ab1.jpg

“There is always the fear of the unknown. We are all wary of taking risks lest we fail and fall down by the wayside. But a life without challenges isn’t really a life worth living.

While success is always welcome, only when you fall do you truly realize what it takes to rise and shine all the way.”

Rakesh had failed to clear a number of job interviews in succession due to one reason or another. And when he finally did, the first thing which came to his mind was his father’s words which had shaped his approach in life.

Day 2 Prompt: What you don’t know

barathon