Tell the Tales: March 2013

Thanks to Cinthol

Towards the end of last year (2012), I received an invitation to participate for Cinthol’s 'Alive is awesome' adventurous bathing experiences advertising project. The requirement was to do a series of blog posts (at least 8), two each week. Was surprised and reluctant to participate in the beginning, however since the blog posts were related to travel finally agreed to do so.

This was quite a challenge for me as I was not used to write on any strict guidelines. However, this gave me the opportunity to research a bit on this side of adventure travel plus recollect my memories. 50 travel bloggers were selected for this campaign to write about the amazing 'Alive is Awesome' bathing experiences. I was glad to be a part of them and this was a whole new experience for me.

Gift Hampers - First Week

The campaign went on for 4 weeks. For the first 2 weeks, Cinthol sent all the participants Godrej Cinthol gift hampers, shopping voucher and more.

Gift Voucher and Hamper - Second Week

For the next two weeks all the bloggers were put through a competition and finally 10 bloggers were selected. There was one first prize: A trip to Andamans. Professional cameras and smart mobile phones will be rewarded to top ten bloggers and top 2 bloggers will be awarded with iPads.

Never really imagined to win any of the prizes as there were seasoned bloggers but having a chance to participate was more than enough for me. Gift hampers and gifts was a bonus for me. :) You can read my blog articles and enjoy how alive is the experience. This opened a new side of travel for me. Hope you all will feel the same.

Thanks to Cinthol for giving me the opportunity to take part in such a lively event...

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Blog Posts on 'Alive is Awesome' Bathing Experience

Towards the end of 2012, Cinthol introduced a campaign to revamp its brand image with a complete range of soaps, shower gels and deodorants. In order to do so, they started a blogging campaign cum competition and invited travel bloggers to participate.

My Blog post for 'Alive is Awesome', Cinthol campaign were as below:

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St. Augustine Beach - From white to golden brown

St. Augustine Beach is another beach in the stretch of St. Augustine beaches. This stretch of beach is located in the heart of Anastasia Island.

Compared to the Crescent Beach, this beach is comparatively crowded. The color of the sand changes from white to golden brown. Closing watching, it is primarily because of the broken shells which lies all over the beach.

Waves being more here, this seems to be a surfers paradise. We could at least spot some 10 surfers doing their tricks right from the spot we were sitting giving me a chance to capture some good pics. Shell picking can be an interesting timepass on this beach. One can find different varieties of shells here. I gathered quite a few smaller ones for myself.

There are several facilities on or nearby that usually have activities and events available, including the St. Johns County Pier, pavilion, playground, fishing pier, volleyball courts, bait shops, fine restaurants, and more. There are also camping areas available nearby.

However, day came to an end and we had to head our way back to Gainesville after a sip of Starbucks Coffee.

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Shantiniketan

Shantiniketan is a place which does not need any introduction. Yet for those who need an introduction, Shantiniketan is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). It was made famous by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town (Viswa-Bharati University) that attracts thousands of visitors each year during various times of the year.

Santiniketan is a popular tourist attraction and a weekend destination for people living in Kolkata. Though house of Rabindranath is a place of historical importance, yet there are many other attractions for the tourists.

A Baul performing on the train

One do not need to have special preparation to visit this place. Bolpur is the railway station for Shantiniketan and it takes around two to three hours by train from Kolkata. Trains like Gana Devta Express, Shantiniketan Express, Visvabharati Fast Passenger, Darbhanga Passenger are some of the most convenient trains. It can also be reached by road. Train journey can be made interesting with the Baul songs(folk songs) of the local bauls and home made sweets (which is sold by local hawkers).

Temple at Kenduli

Festivals notable in and around Shantiniketan:
1. Paus Mela - Which starts on the 7th day of the Bengali calender month of Paus
2. Vasanta Utsav - During the time of Holi
3. Rabindra Jayanti - To celebrate the birthday of Rabindranath aTagore
4. Baul Mela - At Kenduli

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Crescent Beach - One of St. Augustine Beaches

St. Augustine's beaches is a stretch of beaches in Florida right from Vilano Beach north of the city to Crescent Beach in the south. Among them Ponte Vedra Beach, North Beach, St. Augustine Beach, Crescent Beach, Butler Beach, Fort Matanzas are few of the many beach access points. The gorgeous coastline is a beach recreation and relaxation for the people of Florida.

Crescent Beach is the southmost beach situated on the Anastasia Island three miles south of St. Augustine Beach on Highway A1A. This is white sand beach and named so because the shoreline has a natural crescent moon shape. This is the most scenic and unspoiled beach.

Crescent beach

Wooden bridges connects the beach with the road at different places. To enjoy the most serene part, you can choose to cross the furthest bridge.

Wooden bridges connecting the Beach and the Road

Some of the common activities include boating, diving, and fishing. You will also find horses ready to take the visitors for a trip on the sand beach. Visitors are sure to enjoy the ocean breezes and white sand on this family-friendly beach.

Kids Playing with Kiteboards

Birds especially Seagulls are in plenty in and around the beach and you can find them roaming all around you. Birdwatchers and Photographers can spend hours together in the lap of nature. They will even come close to you and take food stuffs almost from your hand. Probably that is why this beach is called the pet-loving beach.

Kids playing with Birds

Families come here to relax in the sun, taking the scent of salt water and the gentle ocean breeze, fish, go shelling or hit the waves to swim, kayak, windsurf or kiteboard. It’s also a fun to stay on the soft sand and walk bare footed.

Sit and Relax

For adventure lovers there is also an Alligator farm near this beach where you can enjoy Crocodile Crossing.
http://www.alligatorfarm.com/crocodilecrossing.html

May not be one of the most famous beaches in Florida but definitely not one that can be neglected.

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