I love IRCTC.CO.IN

IRCTC - Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation

In the last few years, Indian Railways has made great strides in improving the booking & travel experience of passengers. There are so many trains with improved service and faster travel time. My favorite of all the things from Indian Railways, is the online booking facility. I can book my train tickets at the click of my mouse. I don't have to go to the nearest booking center; I don't have to stand in long queues; I don't have to keep calling the railways to find the current status of my tickets; I don't have to have cash with me to book tickets. IRCTC.CO.IN has relieved us from all those sufferings. Ofcourse, IRCTC.CO.IN does have some shortcomings (web site is very slow, web site doesn't respond back at times, money once debited due to network issues/invalid transactions are returned to you only after 3 business days, web user interface is not very intuitive, etc.,). But, can I live with these problems? Yes, I surely can. I use IRCTC.CO.IN for all my travel reservations. They also have additional services such as providing tour packages, hotel reservations etc., I haven't had a chance to try them out, yet. But, I soon will.

I love IRCTC.CO.IN. Good job folks.

Also read:


Traveling near restrooms in the train, isn't fun
Skywalks in Train Stations - What are they for?
If I don't care, who'll care? 
 

List of places to see in USA

This blog post contains the "List of places to see in USA" including top U.S attractions, important sight seeing places, travel experiences, and tips for planning your trips in USA. 

Also read:  

How do you plan a sightseeing trip in US?
Tips to get good deals on flight, hotel and car


Arizona (Trip Planner)

RV Driving and Motor Home Experience
Sedona & Flagstaff
Places in Phoenix
Navajo Canyon Ferry
Glen Canyon, Page  

Miami & Bahamas  (Trip Planner)

Royal Carribean Cruise Experiences

Maui, Hawaii

Maui Trip Planning - Tips & Recommendations
Maui Trip Preparations
Maui Parasailing
Hana Lava Tube & Haleakala Crater Visit
Trip to Iao Valley, Tropical Plantation, and Snorkeling
Maui Atlantic Submarine Tour
Banyan Tree, Jodo Mission, Luau Visit

Washington DC, New York & Niagara (Trip Planner)

Pittsburgh Trip, Pennysylvania
Visit to Niagara Falls, Canada
Visit to Liberty Statue & Ellis Islands, New York
Visit to New York Downtown, New York
Washington DC Trip

Denver & South Dakota

Colorado, Denver & Mount Rushmore

Oregon, Seattle Vancouver (Trip Planner)

Seattle, WashingtonVancouver, Canada
Portland, Oregon
Columbia River Highway, Oregon
Crater Lake & Mount Shashta

Wyoming, Utah & Idaho (Trip Planner)

Yellow Stone Attractions

Road Trip (Southern States) (Trip Planner)

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Little Rock, Arkansas
Memphis, Tennessee
Atlanta, Georgia
Birmingham, Alabama
Jackson, Mississippi
Shreveport/Monroe, Louisiana
Dallas, Texas

New Hampshire / Vermont (Trip Planner)

Fall Foliage Colors Trip

Chicago, Illinois (Trip Planner)

Chicago Trip Experiences

Las Vegas & Grand Canyon, Nevada

California

Mendocino - A stay in Cabin
Death Valley VisitSacramento Day Trip
San Francisco Downtown / Golden Gate Bridge
Carmel by the Sea
Los Angeles (Disney Land/Universal Studios)

Here is the consolidated list of places to see in US.

• Places to see in Atlanta, Georgia
  
• Places to see in Birmingham, Alabama
• Places to see in Chicago, Illinois
• Places to see in Dallas, Texas
  
• Places to see in Denver, Colorado
  
• Places to see in Fortsmith, Arkansas
• Places to see in Jackson, Mississippi
• Places to see in Little Rock, Arkansas
• Places to see in Maui, Hawaii
• Places to see in Miami, Florida 
  
• Places to see in Memphis, Tennessee
• Places to see in Monroe, Louisiana
• Places to see near Mt. Shasta & Crater Lake
  
• Foliage trip - New Hampshire & Vermont (Fall Color...
• Places to see in New York
• Places to see in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  
• Places to see in Portland, Oregon
  
• Places to see in Sacramento, California
• Places to see in Seattle, Washington
• Places to see in Shreveport, Louisiana
• Places to see in Vancouver, Canada
• Places to see in Washington DC
• Places to see in Yellowstone, Wyoming

Thiruchendur Temple Visit - Poojari's demanding money

We had been to the famous 'Thiruchendur Temple' over the weekend. This temple sits magestically along the sea shore, in the east cost. I visited the temple after 4+ years.Things haven't changed much with respect to the temple and its infrastructure. However, I had a very unpleasant experience this time. All the Brahmanas/Poojaris inside the  temple were "forcing" people to leave some donation on their plate. I felt very awkward when the Poojari asked me "openly" to drop some donation. Had it been just one Poojari, I wouldn't have felt bad - of course, there are chances for a rotten apple to be in a bag full of apples. But, almost all the Poojaris 'asked' openly for 'donation'. I wanted to complain to the Temple office. However, the temple office was closed and I couldn't do much.

For 'Archanais', they sell tickets outside. But, in addition, we have to pay Rs. 20 to the Poojari, inside the temple.  We had to give the donation (whenever asked) & pay the extra Rs.20 to the Poojaris for 'Archanai'.

We completed our worship and came out of the temple. We were intercepted by road side beggars. They asked for some money saying that they haven't had food in a while. I had to literally scold them to get out of my view. I don't want to encourage the act of begging/beggars (especially, when they are fit & can work).

I took a moment to think about what happened inside the temple vs the thing that happened outside the temple. The Poojaris weren't any different from the beggars who were standing outside the temple. Yes! They are educated beggars.

Also read:  

Tirupati Tirumala Temple Visit - May be the last?
Kovai Trip - Maruthamalai / GCT visit 
Rameswaram Trip Experiences