Paradise on Earth-Iguazu Waterfalls

Iguazu Falls, Iguazú Falls, Iguassu Falls, or Iguaçu Falls  are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentina province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River rises near the city of Curitiba. For most of its course, the river flows through Brazil, however, most of the falls are on the Argentine side. Below its confluence with the San Antonio River, the Iguazu River forms the boundary between Argentina and Brazil.

The name "Iguazu" comes from the Guarani or Tupi words "y"  meaning "water" and "ûasú " meaning "big". Legend has it that a deity planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In a rage, the deity sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall. The first European to record the existence of the falls was the Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541.

GEOGRAPHY

IGUAZU WATERFALLS

Address: Misiones Province, Argentina

Height: 82 m

Elevation: 195 m

Number of drops: 275

Flow rate: 1,756 m³/s

Longest drop: 82 m

Phone: +54 3757 49-1469

Iguazu Falls are located where the Iguazu River tumbles over the edge of the Paraná Plateau, 23 kilometres (14 mi) upriver from the Iguazu's confluence with the Paraná River.

Numerous islands along the 2.7-kilometre-long (1.7 mi) edge divide the falls into many separate waterfalls and cataracts, varying between 60 to 82 metres (197 to 269 ft) high. The number of these smaller waterfalls fluctuates from 150 to 300, depending on the water level.

Approximately half of the river's flow falls into a long and narrow chasm called the Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish or Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese). The Devil's Throat is U-shaped, 82 metres high, 150 m wide, and 700 m long (269×492×2,297 ft). Placenames have been given also to many other smaller falls, such as San Martín Falls, Bossetti Falls, and many others.

About 900 metres (2,950 ft) of the 2.7-kilometre (1.7 mi) length does not have water flowing

over it. The edge of the basalt cap recedes by 3 mm (0.1 in) per year. The water of the lower Iguazu collects in a canyon that drains into the Paraná River, a short distance downstream from the Itaipu Dam. The junction of the water flows marks the border between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. There are points in the cities of Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, and Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, which have access to the Iguazu River, where the borders of all three nations may be seen, a popular tourist attraction for visitors to the three cities.

TOURISM

There are two international airports close to Iguazú Falls: the Argentine Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport (IGR) and the Brazilian Foz do Iguaçu International Airport (IGU). Argentina's airport is 25 kilometres (16 mi) from the city of Iguazu, but is closer to the falls

hotels than its Brazilian counterpart. There are bus and taxi services from and to the Airport-Falls. Brazil's airport is between Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, and the falls. LAN Airlines and Aerolíneas Argentinas have direct flights from Buenos Aires to Iguazu International Airport Krause. Several Brazilian airlines, such as TAM Airlines, GOL, Azul, and WebJet (Currently merged with GOL) offer service from the main Brazilian cities to Foz do Iguaçu.

CLIMATE

Iguazu Falls experiences a humid subtropical climate (Cfa, according to the Köppen climate classification) with abundant precipitation and high temperatures year-round

Technology Top 2014

Renovo's chippy electric super-car

It's a little known fact that most of Silicon Valley's heavy hitters are committed classic car nuts, and Palo Alto-based Renovo are chasing down some of those bonus dollars. Yes, its Coupe is a clear homage to Carroll Shelby's epic Sixties Daytona endurance racer, and the steel space frame chassis and fiberglass body aren't what you'd call cutting edge.

But the real fireworks lie beneath. This is an electric car, its kWh battery pack modules split into three locations around the car, and good for 1356Nm of torque and a phpBB-plus power output. It has a 160-kilometer range, assuming you don't spend too much time exploring its sub-four seconds 0-kph capability 

Dallara is helping finesse the chassis, and Brembo is developing bespoke carbon ceramic brakes, but the CES presence was down to Renovo's hook-up with chip kings Nvidia - the brains behind the Audi TT's remarkable virtual cockpit - whose new X1 chip gives the Renovo more processing firepower than a NASA shuttle mission and far-out interior telematics.

"It's as much a data centre as it is car," CEO Chris Heiser tells TG.com. "There are 1000 sensors operating on five integrated CANs, and 80 microprocessors. But we still want owners to take it to a track and thrash it."

The Coupe costs $529,000 (?3.35 crore approx), and Heiser hopes to manufacture one a month, with the first car due to be delivered later this year, once testing is complete. He admits that bigger batteries would obviously boost range, but they'd also blunt the car's weight: at 1470kg, it's lighter than a Ferrari 458. Renovo's technical boss, Jason Stinson, has 18 years at Intel under his belt, while Heiser's background is in robotics and software design. Aussie racing legend Peter Brock is an adviser.

You know the score: the driver wants clear nav instructions, the passenger wants to listen to Throbbing Gristle, the kids in the back want the Frozen soundtrack or One sodding Direction. Audio titan Harman has the answer: Individual Sound Zones. Basically, a pair of speakers in each headrest and above the seats helps localise the sound.

Less basically, a combination of unfathomably clever algorithms, 12 transducers, and digital sound processors helps modify the frequencies and concentrate the different outputs into each corner of the car, with impressively little spillage. TG.com tried it and liked it. "It's not intended to be the primary audio experience," chief engineer Chris Ludwig assures us. "But it gives the occupants greater flexibility." Expect this audio version of family guidance counselling to land in 2018.

Golf R Touch and BMW

"The high performance of its computers, the brilliance of today's displays, and the recognition of precise human gestures are merging into a new interface generation," says VW.

The Golf R Touch previews next-gen VW cabins, and features three displays: a 12.8in hi-res infotainment touchscreen, an 8in screen with haptic feedback, for vehicle systems and climate control, and the main info display ahead of the driver similar to the latest Audi TT's virtual cockpit.

The Touch also previews gesture control - another big CES buzz - with one, two and three-finger gestures for volume, sat nav and phone functions. "A generation has grown up accustomed to swiping their smartphones and tablets," VW's technical boss Dr Heinz-Jacob Neusser tells TG.com, "and they expect the same functionality in their cars." When? "Before the end of the decade," according to Neusser.

BMW, meanwhile, will almost certainly introduce gesture control in the all-new 7 series, due a lot sooner than 2020 - it's on sale in the UK this summer. Like the VW system, it works by using a roof-mounted ‘time of light' 3D camera to detect and measure hand and finger movements.

BMW's system recognises four main gestures - point and draw an imaginary circle to adjust the volume, for example - but also adds proximity control. An incoming phone call can be accepted with a finger point, or dismissed with a hand swipe, and a numerical touchpad magically appears as your hand hovers into view. More will surely follow, as consumers get the hang of the tech

Audi, BMW and Mercedes go AI

Along with gesture control, fully autonomous cars are coming, whether we like it or not. Audi piloted an A7 all the way from San Jose to Las Vegas (885 kilometres) in self-drive mode, Mercedes' F015 suggests that the S-class will basically be a sumptuous boutique hotel on wheels by 2030 (full story here), and BMW had us scooting about a car park in autonomous i3s fitted with its new ActiveAssist technology.

It uses four laser scanners - one on the front bumper, one on either side on the front wings, and the last one on the rear bumper - delivering almost 360 degrees of vision. Collision avoidance is one application: experts encouraged us to crash the i3, but we couldn't. The system works up to 24kph.

The other application is an app-based automatic parking facility, operated via a smartwatch. Arrive at a big car park, push the requisite button on the watch, and the i3 heads off by itself in search of a space. You can summon it back, too.

Farewell, then, to suspicious-smelling concrete car park stairwells. But what of the ultimate driving machine? "Our philosophy is that this is always an add-on feature," BMW's computer boffin Georg Tanzmeister tells us. "We're not interested in taking control away from the driver."

Toyota saves the world

Forget the giant TVs and ‘the internet of things', Toyota's announcement that it's placing 5,680 patents on its hydrogen fuel cell tech into the public domain and awarding royalty-free licences to interested parties was the big car story of CES.

Toyota had physicist and futurist Dr Michio Kaku on hand to add the appropriate sci-fi gloss to the news. "We're leaving the age of hydrocarbons and entering the age of hydrogen," he said.

Toyota's US VP Bob Carter added that "today's announcement has less to do with hydrogen cars, and more to do with promoting a hydrogen society. Today marks a turning point in automotive history."

Hopefully, the end products will be easier on the eye than Toyota's Mirai (pictured above). Tesla, of course, did something similar to drive take-up of EVs, and its mercurial boss Elon Musk isn't a fan of hydrogen power. Battle is joined.

Beautiful places in hyderabad

Beautiful places in Hyderabad

Hyderabad is a hot tourist destination in  Telanga. This city of smiles, lights and of a thousand faces is endearingly called the Pearl City, Hyderabad offers you a number of romantic destinations and getaways extending from Heritage landmarks, Lakes, Parks to Gardens and Resorts.

If you would like to visit Hyderabad for your honeymoon or as a romantic getaway then we have listed some of the most romantic destinations for you in Hyderabad. You can also plan to visit these places to make your valentine day special as well.

SIDE SCENES

GANDIPET LAKE

Gandipet Lake is situated about 20 kms away from the Hyderabad’s City Centre. Couples enjoy the isolation here, at the banks of crystal clear blue water; the company of your partner is all what you want. Gandipet Lake is a beautiful romantic getaway for your weekend trip, full of calmness, freshness and romance.

LOTUS POND

Hidden deep within Banjara Hills lies the simple idyllic beauty of the Lotus Pond. The Pond was initially conceived as an Eco-conservation project. The natural elements of the rock structures and the pond have been conserved and the landscaping has been aesthetically weaved around it to fashion it into a breathtakingly beautiful oasis in a concrete desert.

DURGAM CHERUVU

Secret Lake or Durgam Cheruvu is a popular destination in Hyderabad. Durgam Cheruvu is situated nearby Shilparamam Crafts Village and Hitec City, behind Jubilee Hills.

The name Durgam Cheruvu stands for ‘Secret Lake’. Durgam Cheruvu is a lake surrounded by granite rocks in the form of hills and mammoth rocks, which covers about 63 acres of land. This rock formation, which is about 2500 million years old, is a popular picnic spot as it has been converted in to a Sculpture Park with artificial waterfalls and a floating fountain. The rock formation on the eastern side of the lake has been transformed in to a green belt with about 2 km pathway, and seating arrangements.

Boating, trekking, fishing and rock climbing can be done at Secret Lake. Refreshments are available on the eastern side of the lake. Secret Lake, by night, transforms to an outdoor venue for the local youth.

HIMAYATH SAGAR

At a distance of 20kms from Hyderabad city lies the beautiful Himayat Sagar Lake. Named after the youngest son of the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, this reservoir was primarily built to collect and store the excess monsoon rainfall and meet the water requirements of the region.

The beautiful road on the bund of the Himayat Sagar lake makes for an exhilarating driving experience. The grassy banks that embrace the lake make it an ideal picnic spot. You will enjoy the magical combination of crisp clean air, cool gentle breeze and the lush green vegetation.

SHAMIRPET LAKE

A short drive out of Secunderabad brings you to the pristine lake of Shamirpet. The spot is popular with picnickers who come here for its serenity and for the Deer Park adjoining it. Hear the joyous laughter of little children as they rejoice at the sight of flocks of deer being fed by the Deer Park staff.

Weekends and holidays present a contrasting scene as groups of families or friends converge on this popular picnic spot to unwind and have a good time. Visitors generally carry their picnic hampers since there is no cafeteria available close by. The adventurous prefer to do their cooking amongst the greenery and rocks.


The Lake has a small dam with a few flood gates.The Kattamaisamma temple is situated at the beginning of the Bund. You will often see motorists halting and offering prayers to the diety who is said to protect travellers who pass over the bridge. The Andhra Pradesh Tourism board runs a small resort with quaint little cottages. The resort runs the only restaurant in the area.


Fabulous Places in Hyderabad for a Romantic Candle Light Dinner 
Are you planning to go out with your partner? How about a Romantic Candle Light Dinner? Candle light dinner is always romantic and it can be organized for any kind of occasion, whether it’s for celebrating birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, New Year Day or just to spend some quality time with your partner.

 Fabulous Places in Hyderabad for a Romantic Candle Light Dinner.

To plan for the most sweet and romantic candle light dinner, you need to select a perfect place first. Which is the best place in Hyderabad to go for a Candle Light dinner? Are you looking for the same? Don’t worry and don’t hurry as we have listed some excellent places in Hyderabad where you can go out for a romantic candle light dinner. Now-a-days it’s hard to get some time from the busy professional life, especially for married couples to spend some quality time with your partner. Isn’t it? So definitely it’s even harder to arrange yourself everything in your home or to search the right place for the same. So a romantic dinner in a romantic place can do the best. Check here and hire one as per your requirement.

RESTAURANTS

THE PARK HOTEL

The Park Hotel Nestled in a serene and a beautiful part of Hyderabad, The Park Hotel lies in between the prime area of Somajiguda. The Park Hotel offers the perfect ambiance for candle light dinner with barbeque dining. Imagine a romantic candle light dinner in the breezy evening under the beautiful sky with your partner. If you want a evening like this, book a table in The Park Hotel.

OLIVE RESTAURANT 

Olive Restaurant For authentic and flavorsome food with a captivating ambiance, head to Olive Restaurant. Set amongst the exotic atmosphere of Hyderabad at Banjara Hills, Olive Restaurant is a sun drenched Mediterranean island offers a great dining experience along with wide range of lip smacking dishes. Plan for a Candle Light Dinner at Olive Restaurant and indulge in its cozy and tranquil ambiance with your partner.

OKRA HYDERABAD,MARRIOTT

Okra Restaurant in Hyderabad Marriott is a place for some awesome food in romantic settings.Okra offers the largest and the best buffet in the city with options from international and Indian cuisine.Enjoy delicious breakfast, or enjoy evening drinks and superb pool views.


ZAFRAN EXOTICA,BANJARA HILLS

One of the best place in Hyderabad for Candle Lighrt Dinner, Zafraan Exotica is a lively place with perfect ambiance for a perfect evening with your partner to enjoy some amazing food in a gorgeous setting. They offer some of the best Indian and Chinese Cuisines.

OHRI'S TANSEN

Located in Necklace Road Ohri’s Tansen is one of the most amazing restaurant with classy and elite interior design and settings for a perfect dinner with your partner. Overlooking the lake this will be one of the most romatic dinner or lunch you will ever had in Hyderabad city.

ITC-KAKATIYA,BEGUMPET

ITC Kakatiya Impress your date or wife in one of the most romantic places in Hyderabad at ITC Kakatiya. When looking for the top-most hotel with Southern Chic dining in Hyderabad, head to this place which is conveniently located in the center of Begumpet. It offers a classy and contemporary place with the traditional southern ambiance for a romantic candle light dinner at Dakshin restaurant in ITC Kakatiya. Here you can savour the authentic South Indian cuisine in a mesmerizing ambiance which would have decorated with red rose petals, bouquet, silver cutlery, etc.

RESORTS

LEONIA HOLISTIC DESTINATION,SHAMIRPET 

Leonia Holistic Resort is undoubtedly makes it to the list of Best Resorts in Hyderabad. The resort, which also serves as a holistic centre and a destination for revitalization is known for its array of services.

Located in areas amidst sprawling greenery, natural rock formations and designed in a way to include beautiful rooms, this destination offers a holiday or business stay like no other Hyderabad Resort or location.

The resort features luxury suites as well as villas, with almost fifty fun activity options that people can easily enjoy. The hospitality and richness of their service helps in making a holiday unforgettable.

Offering a world of experiences, this resort features a Leo Juventa Spa, which is the first of its own kind focussing on holistic wellness of mind, body and spirit. One of the best luxury resort’s spa isn’t just about pampering, it is also about rejuvenation and use of scientific methodologies to ensure that one looks and feels great.

The spa provides treatment for body, beauty, oral care, skin, hair, physical and diet care along with meditation therapies, massage therapies and other kinds of relaxation techniques.

Amalgamating ancient Indian, Egyptian, European, Oriental and contemporary spa techniques, this holistic destination offers services and packages that will surely lure travellers into indulging in its opulent therapies. The luxury resort also has swimming pools, special suites for couples, wedding halls and a gymnasium centre for keeping oneself healthy at all times.

A special fitness area, styling and a kids’ spa gives this Hyderabad Resort an edge over others. Rooms and suites are comfortable and feature equipment and aesthetic décor of world class standards.

LAHARI RESORTS

Lahari Resorts serves as an exciting vacation spot. Spread across 35 acres of land and situated amidst the ethereal beauty of nature, this resort features beautiful fountains, water bodies, lawns and flower beds.

It has not been long since this resort marked its beginning in the year 2006. In this stretch of 7 years now the resort has been able to create a great brand name in the market and has gained a lot of appreciation from tourists who have already stayed here.

Apart from serving as an eminent family vacation spot, this resort is also an ideal corporate destination for business and pleasure.

Seeing the facilities and the infrastructure of the resort, it resembles a small modern village of its own consisting of a huge cricket stadium, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, conference hall, restaurant, discotheque and 59 fully air conditioned luxurious rooms and suites loaded completely with all kinds of modern day amenities.

So one can come here to enjoy all kinds of indoor and outdoor activities conducted amidst the calmness and picturesque beauty of nature surrounding the entire area. The hospitality staff of this resort is professionally trained and provides 24 hours immaculate service that would entice you to the core.

So whether you are enjoying being a part of some kind of adventure activities conducted by the resort or just sitting in your veranda enjoying the scenic beauty of this place and surroundings, you would surely get mesmerized by having witnessed all this.

Apart from this the resort organises some of the most exciting adventure activities for all its guests which include go carting, bowling alley, table tennis, snooker/billiards, paintball, beach volleyball, and more. Due to its world class features and facilities the Lahari Resorts is counted amongst one of the Best Resorts in Hyderabad.

Top Searches in 2014

Google has released its Year of Search 2014 statistics, which also include top trends from across the world and for individual countries, including India, in the Top Charts section. While the list saw several newcomers, it also saw several repeats, such as Sunny Leone and IRCTC.

Google's India Top Charts of 2014 reveal that IRCTC has topped the 'Most Searched' list once again, just like it did in 2013, whereas Moto G has been the 'Most Searched Tech Device' in the country this year.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            



 According to Google's Top Charts of 2014 for India, the Most Searched Tech Device was the Moto G, with the iPhone 6 second, and Samsung Galaxy S5 third. The other budgetMotorola smartphone, the Moto E, isn't too far away as well and stands fourth on the list.

Though Nokia as a brand name for Microsoft is dead now, the two buzzing launches of 2014 - the Nokia X and the Nokia XL - managed the sixth and seventh position inGoogle's Year in Search trends for India in 2014.

                                                                                                              Xiaomi's entry was late in India, around H2 2014, but still the Xiaomi Mi3 is the seventh Most Searched Tech Device of the year in India. The last three tech devices that were most searched in India on Google were Samsung Galaxy Grand, Moto X andiPhone 5S, respectively.

Coming to the 'Most Searched Searches' in 2014, after IRCTC, Flipkart and SBI Online were the second and third most searched words in India. Other than that Snapdeal(fourth), PNR Status (fifth), HDFC Netbanking (sixth), Cricbuzz (seventh), Google Translate (eighth), Times of India (ninth) and Amazon (tenth) were the most searched queries by Indian users during 2014.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The 'most searched' for people in India list was topped bSunny Leone, followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi , and other Bollywood stars like Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Deepika Padukone.


Notably, Sunny Leone has topped the list of most searched for people in India for three years straight. Last year, Sunny Leone beat out Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif to take the top spot, while in 2012, searches for Leone surpassed those for Rajesh Khanna and Poonam Pandey.