Five Hot Destinations to Celebrate Christmas

It’s never too soon to start planning the perfect Christmas holiday. If you really want to live it up and are looking for something exciting to make your holidays special, and if any of those plans involve travel, why, we’re more than happy to help. Every good trip begins with a great destination. So here’s presenting five of the best places you can head to if you’re looking to light up your Christmas break.

Spend a snowy Christmas near north pole | Photo Credit: Tarja Ryhannen Mitrovic / Flickr

Santa Claus Village, Finland

The name says it all! However, it isn’t just the village you’ll want to visit. Make this into an exotic trip to Scandinavia, or at least Finland and who knows, you may actually sight a reindeer or elf. Considering its proximity to the North Pole, the fabled home of Santa, Finland can prove to be a spectacular destination for Christmas. In fact, tourists from all over Europe head here to enjoy a snowy December 25^th and visit its many attractions. These include the two Christmas/Santa themed parks – Santa Claus Village and Santa Park. You can bet there could be no better present for your kids this Christmas!

Head to fairytale land, Zurich for Christmas

Zurich, Switzerland

Switzerland equals chocolates. Loads of them and there is no better time to indulge your cravings. Zurich is a great draw during Christmas, not only for all the chocolaty delights that you can bribe the family with till the next holiday, but also for several other typical festive delights – amazing Christmas bazaars or markets, which will fill any heart with hope and joy, lively carols sung by youngsters, beautiful Christmas trees with their twinkling fairy lights and of course, the stunning views of the frozen Alps. Don’t forget to make pit stops at Interlaken, Bern and Geneva.

Paint New York CIty red this Christmas

New York City, USA

For the culturally and intellectually stimulated, there is no better place to be in during Christmas than New York. Start with the deadly shop-till-you-drop offers in famous stores such as Macys and Bloomingdales, moving on to carriage a ride through Central Park and of course the brilliantly lit up Times Square. The Rockefeller Center boasts of the world’s tallest Christmas tree and the opportunity to ice skate under it. The city is positively twinkling during this time and there are more shows, theater performances and musicals on than you will have time to attend.

Celebrate a prolonged Christmas in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Ho! Ho! Ho! You could be celebrating Christmas this year in Santa’s birthplace. The Dutch have a prolonged celebration beginning December 5 going on till the 25^th. If you’re lucky and the temperatures drop enough, you could well be among those enjoying a frozen holiday ice skating on the city’s many canals. Amsterdam keeps the Christmas spirit alive with lively parties, splendid shopping and great food in its many restaurants and cafes. Cheers to an indulgent holiday!

For a beautiful sunny Christmas head to San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

If the thought of a white Christmas fills you with dread, making you shiver some more under that electric blanket, then head south for a sunny one instead. The festivities on this tiny island of San Juan, Puerto Rico, last right up to early January and you can get a taste of some real Christmas feasts, which may include a roast pig. The city squares and markets are bright and inviting and the Christmas feast before the Midnight Mass.

Snowy or sunny, make your pick now and get a head start on Christmas this year!

Delhi Fashion Week – All that glitters, is Gold!

Not only is Delhi India’s first city politically, it is so when it comes to lifestyle as well. A strong culture of theatre, music, performances, literature and creativity has given India’s capital a distinct character. Glorious architecture is everywhere – from prehistoric monuments that dot the cityscape, immaculate Lyutens tracts, to contemporary skyscrapers. Against such a backdrop, a vibrant fashion scene has blossomed. Its offerings are unique because while conforming to international trends, old sartorial traditions get retold. The bi-annual Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week is a good place to catch avant-garde work of the country’s designers.

Beautiful Indian models at Fashion Week in Delhi

Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week in Delhi – The How & What

The garment trade industry has a strong presence in Delhi. In the 90s, the idea to create an apex body for these businesses was implemented in the form of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI). The role of this body is to represent interests of designers both locally and on the global stage, arbitrate and work on issues affecting the industry. The FDCI organises the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion week and brings together designers, models, make-up artists, stylists and show managers to present aesthetic proposals for the next season. Foreign buyers come in from prestigious high-street stores. Browns of London, the Conran Shop, Selfridges, Macy’s and and Harrods have all sent their buyers to the week in past editions.

Designer wears to choose from in Delhi

Typically, fashion week in late-September or early October showcases trends for spring-summer of the next calendar year. The one in February or March shows designs for the following fall-winter season. About five shows happen every day. Each participating designer has a stall to display more pieces from their collection. It’s a treat for those fashion aficionados who can manage to get a pass to the event!

Other Attractions To Look Forward To

Though the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week is primarily a trade event, it also serves-up dollops of glamour. After all, fashion is as much about the vibe as it is the clothes. Everyone wants to be seen on the front row. Several designers book flights to Delhi for their Bollywood clients. Who knows which celebrity could walk out on the ramp? Salman Khan, Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Chitrangada Singh, Gonvinda, Preity Zinta … they’ve all been spotted here.

Qutub Minar- One of the many attractions in Delhi!

A heady cocktail of decked-out-socialites, dapper industrialists, music as belted out by DJs, strutting models and some great prêt-a-porter (ready to wear) designs leave everyone quite intoxicated after the lights go out. The scene then shifts to the after-parties that go on till the wee hours of the morning. The champagne flows, beautiful people are everywhere and for those not concerned with their waistlines, the food in Delhi is always gourmet. The whole challenge is getting invited!

Temporary structures come-up at the venue of the fashion week, to house some of the best restaurants, lounges and bars. Olive and Smoke House Grill are a favourite with the swish set who sip martinis and nibble on sushi between shows. If you’re not getting a foot into the door at a rollicking party, this is the next best bet to catch some action. Passes to the venue are easier to come by. If you do manage to get the passes at the very last minute and your hotel bookings are yet to be done – well, you don’t have to worry. Just book hotels in Delhi on MakeMyTrip.com and get awesome last minute hotel booking discounts! 

Lantern Festival in Malaysia: A Sight to Behold

White sand beaches, sparkling aqua waters, stunning landscapes and an amazingly varied cuisine make Malaysia one of the choicest holiday destinations in South East Asia. While one doesn’t really need a reason to head to this scintillating vacationing hub, Malaysia in any case offers a host of entertaining occasions and events to make itself more attractive. In a long line up of festivals and festivities comes the unique Malaysia Lantern Tourist Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival or the Mid-Autumn Festival which will be held on September 19, this year.

Temples, streets and houses are all adorned with beautiful lanterns during the Lantern Festival in Malaysia

What to Expect

Crowds for one! In Malaysia, the Lantern Festival signifies the end of the harvest season and is essentially a Chinese festival. Celebrated with great fervor by the vast Malay Chinese population in the country, it means a host of family gatherings and get-togethers where locals will offer prayers treat each other to delicious homemade food, especially moon cake, a delicious pastry made with a variety of stuffings. It is also the time for children to show off their lantern making skills. It a tradition to make beautifully decorated lanterns and hang them up at home and on the streets. In fact, these lanterns are one of the main attractions of this festival.

Let There Be Light

The Lantern Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the streets of Kuala Lumpur (KL) which are lit up with these lanterns in stunning designs, shapes and colours. There are also cheerful processions with people holding up their lanterns as well as other motifs such as dragons and lions. Tourists and locals alike also look forward to the popular Malay dragon and lion dances where locals don huge masks of lions and dragons and take to the streets in long processions, singing and dancing as thousands of spectators look on. There are several other exciting events that tourists can participate in including lantern-making workshops, food eating competitions, cultural performances and local bazaars and street markets which are set up especially for the benefit of the visiting tourists. The best place to be in for the festival is the Central Market in KL, where much of the action takes place.

The dazzling lanterns light up the sky during the Lantern Festival

Things to See and Do

After you’ve been dazzled by the Lantern Festival in KL, it would be a great idea to head to some of the other glorious destinations. The most exciting one among them is the Langkawi Islands – pristine havens of sun and sand where you can either just relax on the beach gazing into the eternally clear waters, or head out for some exciting water sports like kayaking, jet skiing and parasailing. Other attractions worth visiting are the Batu Caves en route from KL to Genting Highlands, which is filled with modern wonders from an all-thrills amusement park with its jaw dropping rides to its glitzy casinos and happening night life; Semporna with its lovely Boat Regatta, Melaka; Johor Bahru; Brinchang; Penang Island; and Kota Kinabalu. Adventure seekers can also sign up for trekking tours into Malaysia’s verdant rainforests where you can see orangutans in their natural habitat and also meet local ethnic tribes. Malaysia is also a great shopping destination offering something for all tastes and budgets. You can also head to its many shopping malls, bazaars and night markets to get the best deals and a true flavour of local culture. Malaysia is also a great starting point for other South East Asian delights such as Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Langkawi, one of the most popular tourist spots in Malaysia

Planning a trip to Malaysia? Book flights and hotels only on MakeMyTrip.com!

MakeMyTrip 'Walks to Work' on World Earth Day

On a sunny Monday morning at 0800 hours, executives from MakeMyTrip, IBM, Nagarro Software, Accenture, Fidelity and other companies stepped out of their offices on a mission. The mission was to make Gurgaon congestion-free and pedestrian-friendly….

You might remember this “innocent” observer from THM 2012. Here’s presenting Gurpreet Bajaj’s rather unique take on the Walk to Work drive.

Photo Credit: Amit Goswami

The initiation of the walk near the mysterious Pillar No. 106

Photo Credit: Pranav Bhasin

Walking on the roads without any fear-that’s something you don't get to see every day!

Photo Credit: Amit Goswami

Prejenting..Parag with a Raag

Photo Credit: Amit Goswami

In between all the jokes, there were some serious messages

Photo Credit: Amit Goswami

Spot Pranav singing Mujh Mein Hain Hero

Photo Credit: Pranav Bhasin

Painting the town red

Photo Credit: Pranav Bhasin

‘Deep’ Talk

Photo Credit: Pranav Bhasin

Hemant seems exhausted. Looks like he started all the way from India Gate!

Photo Credit: Amit Goswami

Girl Power-Always ladies 'firsht'

Photo Credit: Pranav Bhasin

Main Akela Apni Dhun Mein Magan- Sanjay dreaming of a better tomorrow...

Photo Credit: Pranav Bhasin

Posing for the Gurgaon Times that never got published

Photo Credit: Amit Goswami

All opinions and views expressed in this blog are solely the author’s and are not meant to cause any harm or personal injury. 

By: Gurpreet Bajaj, Shreya Sachar & Swati Talwar

DISCOVERING INDIA AND THE WORLD: KING FAHD’S FOUNTAIN

Welcome to Jeddah, the wealthiest city in the Middle East – and not without reason. There is loads to see and do in the city, with its most famous landmark being King Fahd’s Fountain.  Also known as Jeddah Fountain, it was a gift from King Fahd to the city of Jeddah. With a height of 1023 feet, King Fahd’s Fountain is the tallest man-made fountain in the world. A unique fact about this marvel is that it sprouts from the Red Sea and uses its saltwater and not freshwater. 

Why You Must See this Masterpiece 

• The fountain is a single gigantic jet of water which shoots into the air at a speed of 375 kilometres per hour
• The fountain only works at night when it is illuminated by over 500 spotlights, which makes for a spectacular sight
• On some days, the height of the water can even go up to 1024 feet – higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris

If you’re wondering how this wonder works so flawlessly, the answer to this lies just beneath it. All the machinery and equipment, which makes the tallest water fountain in the world what it is, are positioned 65 to 95 feet under water. King Fahd’s Fountain dominates the Jeddah skyline and has also found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Located along the Red Sea, Jeddah’s Corniche is the place to be if you wish to witness the fountain in its full splendour. So, plan a trip to Jeddah soon and experience the grandeur yourself!