Experience Virtual Tour

Let’s have a tour of some of the most famous world destinations virtually as promised in the previous post. I am combining few virtual tours available on internet.

 

A.     Domestic Travel

 

1.      Taj Mahal, Uttar Pradesh

              Taj Mahal, epitome of the famous love story of Shahjahan and Mumtaj, is an ivory-white marble palace situated at the banks of Holy Yamuna river. Being one of the seven wonders of the world, this masterpiece took 15 years and around 20,000 artisans for its construction. Visit this world heritage  seven wonders in the world here. 

2.      Goa

      Goa is well-known for its Beaches, Sea-food, Cheap Booze, carnivals, Water sports and a lot more. Have a look at this party capital of India.      

3.      Rajasthan

      The Royal state of India, Rajasthan, has lot to add its royalty which includes desert, fort, places and many more.  To feel like a king click here.

     To taste the culture of this Land of Kings, click here. 

4.      Pune, Maharashtra

In-spite of being known as 'Oxford of the East', Pune is referred as cultural capital of Maharashtra. It has plethora of scenic views to offer and also include religious hub, Historic Places, and many more things. Explore Pune Virtually. 

5.      Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Want to experience the spiritually of India in one of the holiest place? Visit 'The City of Lights' to visit Varanasi/Banaras/Benaras/Kashi to dive in the divine atmosphere of the city.  

6.      Hampi, Karnataka

Hampi is declared the wold heritage Site by UNESCO and it is famous for its Ruins of Vijaynagar Empire. Click here to virtually get lost to the ruins of Hampi

 

7.      Golden Temple, Punjab

The most famous gurudwara Golden Temple is famous for its Golden Dome. Visit this serene place which imparts peace to our mind.  

B.     International Travel

 

1.               Disneyland

          https://www.visitorlando.com/en/things-to-do/virtual-tours/walt-disney-world-resort

 

2.               Pyramids of Giza

         https://artsandculture.google.com/streetview/9QEh91uq-NJ9BA?sv_lng=31.13127349612589&sv_lat=29.97773695966618&sv_h=185.2661883337329&sv_p=8.287982048109427&sv_pid=G38uuM5EDKuWKu3G9AOtPQ&sv_z=1.9999999999999996

 

3.              Eiffel Tower

        https://www.google.co.uk/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/eiffel-tower/

 

4.              Palace of versailles

        https://artsandculture.google.com/streetview/palace-of-versailles/cwE5CwK49O0y5Q?sv_lng=2.1204786000000695&sv_lat=48.8051117&sv_h=197&sv_p=0&sv_pid=hNvuL7DMigMQkjP6BRku1A&sv_z=1

 

5.                  Machu Pichu

        https://artsandculture.google.com/streetview/santuario-historico-de-machu-picchu-casa-de-los-nobles/aQFExMrHgP-cnQ?sv_lng=-72.5449748168174&sv_lat=-13.16402863344787&sv_h=29&sv_p=-7&sv_pid=7Teak5G7DlGXB9DTZSjEEQ&sv_z=1.0000000000000002

 

6.             Collesum

       https://artsandculture.google.com/story/colosseum/WQLi5E4TA1p9IQ

 

7.            Temples of Angkor

      https://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/angkor/

 

8.            Stoneage

     https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history-and-stories/stonehenge360/

 

9.         Great wall of china

    https://www.thechinaguide.com/destination/great-wall-of-china

 

Additional sources available on internet for virtual tour

https://www.readersdigest.ca/culture/virtual-day-trips-take-online/

https://www.kayak.com/c/escape/virtual-guides/

https://soultravelindia.com/

 

"This year may have changed our ability to travel across the globe, but our desire to experience new cultures, see far-off places or discover hidden gems in our own backyard has not diminished," Google said when it introduced virtual tours on World Tourism Day (27th September)

So, these are some of the websites related to art and culture throughout the world.

 

https://artsandculture.google.com/

http://ngmaindia.gov.in/virtual-tour.asp

https://www.andbeyond.com/bringing-asia-home/

https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour

 

Thank you for your time. Do let me know how many destinations did you travel throughout the world in a day.

Virtual Tour - Is the world ready for Tele-tourism?

What is the most important thing that is missing from our lives since pandemic? Isn’t it Travelling and Vacations to the best destinations from our bucket-list?

As everything in your pocket is going digital, why can’t travelling be affected by this digital transformation?

In lockdown, Virtual Tours have brought the world at your doorstep. You can now visit the destinations that seemed difficult to get to in a single touch in your pyjamas from the comfort of your couch.

In 2020, we all have pondered the vagaries of the pandemic and upended all the future travel plans. But the Virtual tours are at our savior. As travel ground to the halt for most of time in the year, travel companies decided to roll with the punches and reimagine their enterprise so as to stay relevant, stay alive and keep the dream going. Their pivot from operating in the fully physical realm to the virtual in just a few months tells a tale of quick upskilling and reinventing to stay in the game.

Many were skeptical about travel being successfully ported on the virtual realm because the integral part of Physical Travel is the sensory experience and unique essence of life in that geography. But various landscapes are brought to vivid life through the visuals and meticulously researched vignettes. Learning the use of different tools, platforms, media types, software and technology has been challenging but fruitful.

Our travel experiences are being reshaped by this pandemic, but the Virtual Tours are ensuring the essence of travel stays the same. Virtual Vacations can increase trust and enthuse participants to try their physical walks later. Experts suggest that virtual tours will stay on even when physical travel resumes, to attract more participants. Physical Travel is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels after 1.5-2 years.

BONUS - Next post will be links related to "Virtual Tour - Travel to the most breath-taking places in the world".

Thank you for your time. Do let me know your views on Tele-tourism or Virtual Tour experience. 

Quarantine Diaries

Do you remember Rapunzel from movie “Tangled”? The girl who has been looking out of Window for eighteen years and thinking “When will my life begin” (Movie Song). Wasn’t the lockdown phase similar for the whole world? Although not for years but it felt like years.

In this lockdown period when people were quarantined in their home, many zoned themselves according to their mood and developed some hobbies too. Here are some of the flashback memories of Lockdown period at home. Kindly comment in which category do you consider yourself.

1. Chef de Cuisine –

      Not only ladies out there but also men had turned chefs in the lockdown. There was not anything else that could be easily learnt or polished other than culinary skills. But the challenge was to learn it with the ingredients available. Which dish did you try?

2. Aesthetic Artist -

It was a perfect time to channel your feelings to do something that is creative and artistic. Passionate Painters, Stalwart Singers, Worthy Writers, Dashing Dancers were creatively developed by people. There were various mediums that provided free tutorials for the same.

3. Fitness Freak –

When most people were not well mentally because of lockdown situation, many choose to pull up a sock and be ready for working on their physical health which in turn improves mental health too. Diet too was strictly monitored while trying to be fit. How many pounds were you able to shred/gain?

4. Sleepy Sleepers -

I bet that most of us would have completed the beauty sleeps when at home because the life itself had stopped that made us even more lethargic. Initially, it felt good that there is no deadline to be completed after you get up but soon that too turned out to be boring.

5. Spree Serial Spectator (Binge watcher) –

I guess that most of the virtual viewing platforms were among those companies whose profits would have shoot up very high as most of us has binge watched a lot of it in past couple of months. New users were able to watch lot of content in 1-month free trails too.

 

6. Gallant Gamers –

Many people especially dedicated people were stuck on the Online game for n number of hours. It was like a gaming season for all the gamers. They were so much sunk into Gaming that separate category was must for them.

7. Mull over Meditators –

Many people had tried out different forms of meditations. It was the best time to introspect yourself and it imparted some time to plan about the future. I feel introspecting self is the best form of meditation. Spiritual meditation does help to improve decision making power.

 

8. Meet through Mirror –

In such tough situations most of us were connected to family and friends by scheduling Virtual meetings as technology was our savior. It was exactly like meeting through mirror. Imagine lockdown without technology. We can’t, can we? I have in fact known friends eating a meal, watching a movie, working out, or even playing a game together virtually. 

9. Book Bibliomaniac –

Many have not only binge-watched bucket listed series but there were many binge-readers too who had completed their bucket-listed books they wanted to read since so long.

10. Family Fun –

All of us have enjoyed playing various board games and card games with family and close ones regularly after a long time, helped their spouse and/or mothers with household course, spend time with children and elders and hence helped the world by staying home.

A century ago, during World Wars, countries were saved with the blood of their people but we were saving our countries by staying home. Be happy that you have and still are surviving this pandemic.

Kindly comment if you have done something apart from the things written above. Also do let me know in which category do you fall.

Trolley Problem – Moral or Mathematical?

Let’s go to the hypothetical world. Be ready to scratch your head and solve the puzzle with your imaginative right brain and logical left brain.

Does “All life has the same value” in reality? Called as a psychological problem or utilitarianism or ethical bias question, TROLLEY PROBLEM has baffled many researchers, philosophers, psychologists and many ethicists since decades with this question. Let us first understand what this trolley problem is all about.
 
There’s a trolley barreling towards a split in the tracks. If the trolley proceeds in the present course, it will run over five people tied to the track. The only way to save the lives of the five workers is to divert the trolley onto another track that only has one person tied on it.  You have access to a lever that could switch the trolley to a different track. AS A BYSTANDER AT THE SWITCH, WILL YOU PULL THE LEVER AND END ONE LIFE TO SPARE FIVE? You do not have any other option except these two. (There are many versions of trolley problem, but this is a standard version.

The Trolley Problem is a thought experiment first devised in 1967. There is no evident reason why this problem has received so much attention that it has many research papers too. I would suggest you to first try to answer it and then move further. You can also ask your friends, colleagues and family members to have an idea of the diverse perspectives.

Now the main question is should we actively kill someone, or passively let five die? Does ethics mean a simple calculation of number of survivors in the trolley problem? Research says that more than 70% people prefer to pull the switch to kill 1 and save 5. But my question is would you change your answer if, in the real world, that one person who will be killed is your child, your spouse, a small baby, an old woman, the person whom you hate, the person who is your ideal, a murderer? Are ethics and feelings quantifiable and mathematizable?
 
How a person respond in the moment may be quite different from how you respond in theory. In a situation like that of the trolley, most of us would be too paralyzed by the uncertainty to maneuver the switch.
 
I do not believe there will ever be a perfect solution to the Trolley Problem, nor a consensus as to the best possible solution. The answer, I feel, is that there is no definitive solution. Like most philosophical problems, the Trolley Problem is not designed to have a solution. It is, rather, intended to provoke thought, and create an intellectual pulse in which the difficulty of resolving moral dilemmas is appreciated, and our limitations as moral agents are recognized. The Trolley Problem does not have to be resolved; it merely needs to be contemplated.
 

But, I guess, the hype arises because a solution to the Trolley Problem will reveal general moral principles. Such principles, in turn, may apply to challenging, real‐world moral problems such as those encountered in the domains of bioethics, wars, the design and regulation of autonomous machines such as self‐driving cars and drones. This makes Trolley Problem dilemma more relevant than before.

Thank you for your time. You can also mail me your doubts, if any, at komalnsoftu@gmail.com. Kindly let me know about the topics you want to read, I will try to post accordingly.