Dark beaches, river mouths, quiet nooks and corners, are ideal for them to hatch and waddle to the water. In Orissa, beaches near Rushikulya river mouth and Gahirmatha sanctuary close to the Bhitarkanika National Park are good breeding grounds for them.

At the exhibition, you can get your queries regarding the syndrome answered. This year’s target population is women and youth. Each coach of the train carries various messages and facilities. There are provisions for receiving treatment and counselling in the train itself. For people and instructors working in the health sector, there will be training sessions, in batches.

There are about 44 key penguin colonies in Antarctica now. Abundance of food and absence of predators help the penguins to survive here.

The sanctuary is 12km from Jamnagar, on the western coast of Gujarat. It stands on the southern coast of the Gulf of Kutch. This wetland comprises marine and brackish wetlands, mangroves, swaps, salt pans, creeks, mudflats and freshwater lakes and every year, it hosts migratory birds from Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and nearby areas. There are semi-arid farmlands and sandy beaches, too, in and around the sanctuary.

Besides the black necked-stork and spoonbill, you can spot birds such as Pallas’s fish eagle, Pallid harrier, Indian skimmer, Dalmatian pelican, Darter, Asian open bill stork, Black-headed ibis, Eurasian spoonbill, Osprey in the Khijadia Bird Sanctuary. As there are freshwater and seawater areas in the sanctuary, you can see avifauna that use both.

Cuba was always on my travel list for the longest time, but the idea of a touristy, all-inclusive package to an island that still represents the 1950s was completely unappealing.  I have always been resistant to the catered tour packages of all-you-can-eat, drink and tan, simply because I am a poor drinker, have my natural Indian glow and prefer self-planning. However, after some research and much pondering, an all-inclusive was the most economical way to visit this island and a good option for the very first foray into Cuba. The entire experience was better than expected as I brought plenty of books, music and an open mind.

We landed in the resort-filled peninsula of Varadero and it immediately evoked memories of South India with swaying palm trees, slow airport customs officers and warm humidity. Our resort was tired-looking (apparently to be expected of all the government sanctioned resorts) with fading yellow paint & blinding orange curtains, but the ocean view from the room, cheerful staff and island breeze made up for it all. The weather was fantastic with bright sunshine for at least 9 hours every day with not a spot of rain.

Part of my skepticism with all-inclusive packages was Expedia-like advertisements featuring turquoise blue waters and beaches ideal for shell-picking, which I dismissed as unreal and “Photoshop”ed. Not true! The aquamarine colour and clarity of the water on Varadero clean beaches are serene and stunning. I have to confess I spent 2 days on the beach just staring at the water with a lazy desire to do nothing.

I was constantly warned to be weary of food options in Cuba; it was either slim pickings, bland or contaminated. Yet I sustained myself, illness-free, with juicy papaya and pineapple, heaps of rice & beans, aromatic Cuban coffee and the island’s biggest draw; rum.

Other guests at our resort and day tours were 90% Canadian with a sprinkling of Germans and Italians. So I did not get the global experience that I usually get from my other travels. I did discover that speaking some Spanish goes a long way in conversing with locals and getting a feel of life in Cuba. The staff at our resort always had a smile, put up with my survival Spanish questions and in my opinion, they truly made the experience enjoyable.

Day trip to Havana:

Through our government sanctioned tour operator, we took a day trip to the capital with a stop at a divine pina colada bar, visits to the revolutionary sites and the over-rated Tropicana show. Havana was captivating! A lively, crammed city with dilapidated buildings and Chevys and Caddies that Cubans have kept running for more than half a century.

Old Havana was enthralling with Spanish baroque architecture and conjured reminders of Seville or Granada, while New Havana contained Delhi’s pollution, Bombay’s hustle-bustle and Barcelona’s bohemian-like attraction. Gaudy advertisements and billboards are refreshingly non-existent and the only advertising encounters will be Fidel Castro or Che Guevara’s faces and quotes from the revolutionary heroes.

The Tropicana show was disappointing, especially after seeing musicals on Broadway or Cirque de Soleil. Nevertheless, the show is over 60 years old from the days of Al Capone and how they have managed to maintain it with so few resources is remarkable. In fact, the entire survival of the island felt the same way; the fascinating ability to survive with few material possessions and complete austerity.  I believe the key lies with the Cubans themselves; it is the people who have kept the country alive as the infrastructure has crumbled around them.

Located on the coast between Trivandrum and Varkala, this fishing village hosted a fortified port used by the British East India Company during their reign. Before that it was controlled by the Dutch.

The park was inaugurated by then Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balkrishnan in early 2008. It is Asia’s first Butterfly Safari Park, and is located in the hilly region of Kollam district. Visitors to the Thenmala Eco-tourism Park can spend half a day at the Butterfly Safari Park. It is situated behind the musical fountain in the cultural zone.

The Entomology Department of Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) has made a half-kilometre-long nature trail, where people can watch butterflies (about 125 species) at close quarters. There are a variety of trees, ponds and mud puddles that help the butterflies to breed and survive.

‘Bom Jesus’ means ‘Infant Jesus’ or ‘Good Jesus’. Thousands of visitors come to this church every year. It is India’s first Minor Basilica. The Basililca of Bom Jesus houses the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier. He, along with St Ignatius Loyola, was instrumental in founding the order of Jesuits, also called the Society of Jesus.

The patron saint of Goa died in 1552. Abiding by his wishes, his remains were transferred to Goa a year after his death. Cosimo de Medici III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, gifted the mortal remains to the basilica. A silver casket holds the airtight glass coffin which contains the saint’s embalmed body. The casket was built by Giovanni Batista Foggini, a 17th century Florentine sculptor.

The saint inspires healing in devotees across the world. According to sources, the saint’s body has remained fresh during its transportation and housing in India. Christians and others come and visit the church as well as the saint’s casket. The casket is lowered for public viewing once in a decade, the last one being in 2004.

The Bom Jesus Basilica Art Gallery is housed on the floor above the tomb, overlooking it. The gallery has paintings from the life of the saint as well as those by Goan surrealist painter, Dom Martin.

Many surfing agencies and schools are coming up throughout the country’s coastline – especially on the western coast. Surfing Swamis is an ashram/surfing school in Mulki, in Karnataka. Though surfing in India is just sparking off, there are people who are willing to give it a try, especially with many Indians having a taste of it abroad. H2O, a water sports centre in Mumbai, is another venture. Besides surfing, other water sports such as SCUBA diving, snorkelling, parasailing and jet-skiing are taught here.

When people are on the lookout for symbols of lifestyle and personality, here’s one activity that will definitely stand out. It is an exclusive club of Indians who have taken this sport to a different level in the country. With more than 7,000kms of coastline, India promises a great deal of adventure for the followers of this sport. Goa, Mumbai, Cochin, and the islands of Lakshadweep and Andamans are the most common sites for surfing now.

Yachting events and regattas bring a lot of international surfers to India. The number of cruise ships visiting the country, too, has gone up.

Already 13 lighthouses that have been closed to the public have been narrowed down for the project. Another plan is to erect a Rs 50-crore national heritage maritime museum at Mahabalipuram, near Chennai as well as a lighthouse museum on the Marina.

The city of Chennai has a long coastline and a set of serene beaches that extend into the suburbs. Turtle walking is a popular activity here. Scientists, tourists and enthusiast youngsters all join to protect the ecosystem of the turtles that come here to lay eggs. There are agencies that sponsor and fund such eco activities in Chennai and Mahabalipuram.