Friday, January 14, 2011

The little Ganesha launches how to post via email.

Post by Email is a way of publishing posts on your blog by email. Any email client can be used to send the email, allowing you to publish quickly and easily from devices such as cell phones.

Generating a Post by Email Address

Before you can publish by email, you must generate a special email address. This address is unique to you and must be kept secret.
1) First go to Dashboard > My Blogs.

2) Locate the blog that you wish to post to and click Enable.
generate-email
You now have a special email address. If you want to add the address to your address book, you can download it as a vCard:
vcard

Sending Emails

Once you have your Post by Email address, sending an email is simple:
email
The email subject is used as your post’s title. The body is the post’s contents. A few minutes after receiving your email, you should receive a notification email informing you of the published post’s details.
Please remember to send the email to your secret email address, not to the example given in the image above.

Mail Formatting

Your email can be plain text or formatted. As much formatting as possible will be retained, although the Post by Email system will strip unnecessary HTML tags so that your email is displayed correctly. Note that you will need to use an email client that supports rich text or HTML formatting in order to make use of this feature. Most website based clients (Hotmail, Gmail) do support this, as do most desktop clients (Outlook, Mail). You may need to switch your client into rich text or formatted mode.

Attachments

Image attachments will be included in your published post as follows:
  • Single images will be displayed inline (a single image is defined as an image without an image immediately following it).
  • Multiple images will be displayed as a gallery.
Multiple galleries and single images are allowed in the same post. Note that using the [nogallery] shortcode will disable all galleries.
If you have purchased the Space Upgrade, then the following additional attachment types will be supported:
  • Supported audio files (mp3) will be displayed using the WordPress Audio player.
  • All other files (doc, PDF, etc) will be displayed as links to the attachment.
Additionally, if you’ve purchased the VideoPress Upgrade, you’ll be able to send mp4, mov, wmv, avi, mpg, and m4v files as attachments, which will then be displayed using the WordPress video player.
Note that you can send your attachments to:
media+YOUR_SECRET_EMAIL@post.wordpress.com
Your attachments will just be stored in your account without creating a new post – the attachments will appear alongside your other media.

Shortcodes

Special shortcodes can be embedded in your email to configure various aspects of the published post:
  • [category x,y,z]
  • [excerpt]some excerpt[/excerpt]
  • [tags x,y,z]
  • [delay +1 hour]
  • [comments on | off]
  • [status publish | pending | draft | private]
  • [password secret-password]
  • [slug some-url-name]
  • [title Your post title]
  • [end] – everything after this shortcode is ignored (i.e. signatures)
  • [slideshow] – replaces the auto-gallery with a slideshow
  • [nogallery] – disables the auto-gallery and displays all images inline
  • [more]more tag
  • [nextpage]pagination
  • [geotag on | off] – override your geotagging privacy defaults to enable or disable the showing of geo information
  • [publicize off|yahoo|twitter|facebook] – change Publicize options (see below)
  • [poll]question and answers[/poll] – insert a Polldaddy poll into your post (see below)
Shortcodes can be included anywhere in the body of your email and must be in lowercase.

Specifying the Category

The category shortcode will match the start of category titles, as well as category IDs. For example:
[category Hol,Fo]
Will match “Holiday” and “Food.” Note that categories must already exist on your blog and spaces between the commas are not important.

Specifying Tags

Any number of tags can be added to your post, each separated by a comma:
[tags one potato, two potato, three potato, more]
This will add four tags: “one potato”, “two potato”, “three potato”, and “more”. Note that your tags do not need to exist elsewhere in your blog and new tags will be created automatically.

Changing your Publicize settings

WordPress Publicize lets you notify other web services about your posts. With the [publicize] shortcode you can control this from emails.
[publicize off] – disable all Publicize notifications
[publicize twitter] – only send a notification to Twitter
[publicize twitter]my new post[/publicize] – only send a notification to Twitter and set the Twitter status to my new post
Note that your Publicize settings must have been previously configured.

Inserting a Polldaddy poll

You must first have created or imported a Polldaddy account into WordPress.com before using this shortcode. Once setup you can insert a poll in an email as follows:
[poll]
What is the worst movie of the decade?
* The Love Guru
* Fool's Gold
[/poll]

Note how the poll question is added after the [poll] shortcode, and each answer is on a new line and starts with an asterisk. The poll must be finished with [/poll].
You can configure your poll by adding extra details to the [poll] shortcode:
  • type="single | multi | 2 | 3" – how many times a vote may be registered (single by default)
  • style="manga medium" – the style of the poll, as taken from the Polldaddy polls page.
  • other="yes | no" – allow an ‘other’ response (no by default)
For example, to create a poll with the wide ‘manga’ style and allow up to three responses (including an ‘other’ response):
[poll style="manga wide" other="yes" type="3"]
What is the worst movie of the decade?
* The Love Guru
* Fool's Gold
[/poll]

Delaying Your Post

The delay shortcode will accept any time allowed by PHP’s strtotime. For example, you can:
[delay +1 hour]
[delay +2 days]

Providing a post title

The title of your published post is usually taken from the subject line of your email. In some instances, such as when sending an email from some cell phones or via a MMS-Email gateway, you may not be able to provide a subject. In this instance, you can set your post title directly inside the email:
[title My Fancy Post]

Changing your post status

Sometimes you may want your post to be private, or to be reviewed by yourself or someone else at a later date before being published. To do this, you can use the [status] shortcode to set the post status.
[status private]

Geotagging

If your email includes an image that contains appropriate GPS information (for example, as sent from iPhone), then this will be used to geotag your post. Information will only be shown to the public if you configure your blog to do so. You can override this on a per-email basis using the [geotag on] and [geotag off] shortcodes.
Emails sent from a SPOT GPS device will be automatically geotagged.

Signatures

Post by email will automatically remove any email signatures that match the standard signature block pattern:
--
(that is dash dash space)
It will also remove anything after a <hr/> HTML tag and attempts to clean up cellphone network signatures.
If your email system attaches a signature that does not match any of these patterns then you can manually tell Post by Email to stop including text by adding the special [end] shortcode. Anything after this will be removed from your post. If your cellphone network is adding a signature and you want us to remove it, then let us know the details and we’ll look into it.

Tips and Tricks to increase the pageviews of your blog

In addition to the number of visitors / unique visitors per day, page views are also often used as indicators of the success of a blog. Page views is a measure of the number of pages a website which a visitor. There are many reasons why the number of page views are considered important, one of which is more and more opportunities for monetization on the pages that have a high page impressions. Besides using SEO methods, there are several ways to increase page views every article of our blog?



1. Interlink each article
Interlink in the post to be one of many ways used to increase page views. Effective interlinking between articles based on tags / keywords, and the level of relevance between the articles, because if readers are interested in one article, may also be interested in articles related matters.

2. Displays a list of ‘Related Posts’
Almost the same as interlinking, but the post-post-related featured in a separate list (for example under the article). Adding a list of related articles is easy to use WordPress Related Posts plugin.

3. Writing an article series
Writing an article series is also an effective trick to increase pageviews. This article series is able to ‘lead’ the reader to follow a single articles to further articles. This article is usually a series of effective tutorials, for example Tutorial How to Create Your Own WordPress Theme.

4. Write articles compilation
If you often writes quality articles on a blog, why not mengompilasikannya in the form of a list in one post? For example, a list of articles titled “20 Best Articles Bloggingly Year 2009″ will probably attract visitors to open the whole article that we deliberately highlighted to reading the end of 2009. Or if you like to write a topic of SEO, it would be better if at a certain period into a single article we compile a list of handy tips and tricks tutorials about SEO.

5. Use the sidebar to display a list of the best articles per category
This method is widely used in niche blogs that limit themselves to some specific sub-category. For example NavinoT, on sidebarnya we can see a list of articles grouped under separate categories, such as Web & Internet, Startup, Short Notes, and Backstages. With sidebar format like that, the number of page views is likely to grow in the presence of post-post list is highlighted in a separate category.

6. Excerpt format at feed
There are two formats in the most popular type of feed, RSS, namely full and Excerpt. Excerpt Should choose the format that displays only partially fill the post, because the RSS reader can not help but also likely will open the source of the article to read it thoroughly. But that does not mean full RSS format will reduce the number of visits to the blog-we never discussed the comparison of both formats and gain full feed display format to the reader.

7. Give the newsletter service
Services newsletter, autoresponder, or e-mail marketing is the secret of the pro bloggers who have been successful in blogging and make money online. This service is utilized to provide specific updates periodically to the reader to subscribe. When compared with the RSS feed or email subscription service via regular articles, newsletters may be more interesting because we can write its own content-for example in the form of an invitation for new customers to read our old articles, and if they want added to the bid-related affiliate product The post will certainly add a distinct advantage other than pageviews. Email newsletters can we make with paid autoresponder software such as AWeber and FeedBlitz (capital out a little)

Basic First Aid

o, you come across an accident, or person lying down, unconscious, and they don’t look so well… what can you do to help?
Well, first…
Make the decision to help them! Many people fear legal repercussions if they provide first aid and the person gets worse. In Australia this is impossible. There is an Act (Law) in Australia called the Good Summaritan’s Act, which basically states that so long as a person is attempting, in good faith, as a person with their knowledge and experience in this situation would, to provide assitance to a person who is injured they cannot be held accountable for any damages they cause incidentally during the attempt. I don’t know about other parts of the world, but I find it hard to believe that many people have ever been sued for attempting to help someone who has been injured.
Okay, so you’ve decided to help… now what?
Follow the basic pneumonic from first aid, which is: DRABC and try to fix each thing before you move on…
So,
D – Danger – Check for danger… if someone’s been electrocuted… the last thing you want to do is get zapped yourself… so, take a few seconds, have a look around, and have a think about how this person ended up where they are, so that you don’t follow them (Remember… you can’t rescue anyone if you get injured). If you can, remove the danger from yourself; then try and remove it from other people who are around and not quite as clever as you to have noticed the danger; lastly, try to remove the danger from the poor casualty…
R -Response – Check for a response… “Hey buddy, are you okay…” You never know, you may get lucky… they may turn around and say, “Yeah, I’m just sleeping… what’s your problem?” If this happens… its best to find out before you start trying to give mouth to mouth. If the person doesn’t wake up… give then a shake (not too rough here) and see if you can rouse them… if someone is completely unconscious (you can’t wake them up no matter how many times you shake them), they are significantly sick or injured.
A-Airway- Make sure that they still have an airway (this means some open pipes from which air can pass into their lungs). To do this, try to lay them on their side… open the jaw and see if they have anything stuck inside… unless you’re in a restauraunt, and the person was eating steak, chances are, they wont have anything in their mouth… better move on.
B-Breathing – Are they breathing? Yes, oh good! This is a good start… Keep them on their side and call an Ambulance (In Australia this is done by calling 000 – but every country has a different number)… No breathing… hmm, not a good sign. You better do this mannually for them. You can do this by tilting their jaw back (gently), squeezing their nose (so the air doesn’t go out), and providing two short breaths into the mouth… while you do this… you might want to feel for a pulse. The easiest place to feel a person’s pulse is to find the Adams Apple and move your fingers slight to the left or to the right into that little grove… you should feel a pulse fromt the carotid artery. If not, well, you better move onto C for circulation…
C – Circulation – If the person doesn’t have a pulse, you need to provide one for him or her… in fact, you’ll need to provide one for the patient until the paramedics arrive and hopefully manage to make the patient’s own heart start working again. How do you do this? By doing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) – yes, like in the movies, but you don’t get to give up after thirty seconds and say “there was nothing we could do for him…” Basically, to do CPR, you place one of your hands just about and central to the chest as possible (don’t get overly concerned by this… no matter where you place your hands on the chest, you’re going to be doing more good than damage to the patient, than if you don’t do anything at all. Don’t worry when you hear the ribs break – this is normal… most people whose hear is sick enough to stop working, have very old or frail ribs… and many of them break… this isn’t a problem – keep going, you’re doing well..
If you’ve done all this… in fact, if you’ve done any of this, you will have provided the paramedics with the best possible chance of getting this person’s heart to start working again (that’s just their job); but you will have saved the casualties life. The paramedics have no chance if you don’t make a start…

note: This given information is not the final treatment but it is done to make a person relief temporarily
                      BY Apuroop KGS

Amazing Facts

Did you know the largest fish ever caught was the Whale Shark? It was 59ft long. These fish can weigh up to 15 tons.

Did you know fishes cannot live in the Dead Sea because the water has too much salt in it?

 
 
 
 
A parrotfish makes its own sleeping bag to sleep in. It uses mucous (like spit) to make a see-through bag all around it's body to protect it from attack by other creatures in the ocean.
The blue whale is the largest animal on earth. The heart of a blue whale is as big as a car, and it's tongue is as long as an elephant.
 
The pelican uses the funny looking pouch under its lower beak for catching fish. It does this by swooshing into the water and scooping up as many fish as possible.
The heaviest fish ever caught was the OCEAN SUNFISH. It weighed 4,928 lbs.
Did you know pearls are found in oysters? The largest pearl ever found was 620 carats.

The swordtail is the fastest swimmer of all the fish
 

-Most animals don't eat moss. It's hard to digest, and it has little nutritional value.  But reindeer fill up with lots of moss, because the moss contains a special chemical that helps reindeer keep their body fluids warm.  When the reindeer make their yearly journey across the icy Arctic region, the chemical keeps them from freezing-much as antifreeze keeps a car from freezing up in winter.
 
A Cloud forest hosts huge numbers of plants and animals; the cloud forests of Monteverde, Costa Rica, host over 425 bird species and more varieties of insects than anyone knows.
  The Human Body
  • your body is made up of trillions of cells? Different parts of your body are made of different kinds of cells.
  • ...your brain is like a computer, and controls your entire body?
  • ...your heart beats about 70 times a minute, and each time it beats, it pumps about about a cupful of blood?
  • ...an adult human heart weighs about 10 ounces and beats over 100,000 times a day?
  • ...there are 206 bones in your skeleton?
  • ...about half of the bones in the human body are located in the hands and feet?
  • ...everyone has thirty-two teeth?
  • ...your muscles make up about one-half of your body weight?
  • ...if you were to remove your skin, it would weigh as much as 5 pounds?
  • ...about 70 percent of your body weight is water?
  • ...physics includes the study of light, magnets, electricity, forms of energy, sound, mechanics (studying the action of forces on matter)?
  • ...objects and people move and obey three basic laws of motion: inertia, mass and force, action and reaction?
  • ...inertia, the first law of motion, states that objects that are at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by some outside force? A ball will not move unless someone kicks it.
  • ...the second law of motion deals with the mass (the amount of matter in an object) and force (the action on an object)? A ball does not speed up or slow down all by itself because it takes a force to move it or slow it down. How the ball moves depends upon the the object that is used to move it, the force used to move it, and the direction of the force.
  • ...the third law of motion, action and reaction, states that for every action their is an equal or opposite reaction? A person on a skateboard pushes back to accelerate, and his push back on the ground sends him forward on his skateboard.
  • ...Isaac Newton discovered the laws of motion more than 300 years ago?
The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning it's head are the rabbit and the parrot.
A zebra is white with black stripes.
A whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound.
"Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.
Snails produce a colorless, sticky discharge that forms a protective carpet under them as they travel along. The discharge is so effective that they can crawl along the edge of a razor without cutting themselves.
The word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent".
A hippopotamus can run faster than a man.
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.
Electricity doesn't move through a wire but through a field around the wire.
Hummingbirds are the only animal that can fly backwards.
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
All the planets in the solar system rotate anticlockwise, except Venus. It is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
Names of the three wise monkeys are: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).
A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words.
Phobatrivaphobia is a fear of trivia about phobias.
Sanskrit is the mother of all higher languages. Sanskrit is the most precise and therefore suitable language for the computer software - a report in Forbes magazine.
India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
Twenty-Four-Karat Gold is not pure gold; there is a small amount of copper in it. Absolutely pure gold is so soft that it can be molded with the hands.

Amazing Facts

Did you know the largest fish ever caught was the Whale Shark? It was 59ft long. These fish can weigh up to 15 tons.

Did you know fishes cannot live in the Dead Sea because the water has too much salt in it?

 
 
 
 
A parrotfish makes its own sleeping bag to sleep in. It uses mucous (like spit) to make a see-through bag all around it's body to protect it from attack by other creatures in the ocean.
The blue whale is the largest animal on earth. The heart of a blue whale is as big as a car, and it's tongue is as long as an elephant.
 
The pelican uses the funny looking pouch under its lower beak for catching fish. It does this by swooshing into the water and scooping up as many fish as possible.
The heaviest fish ever caught was the OCEAN SUNFISH. It weighed 4,928 lbs.
Did you know pearls are found in oysters? The largest pearl ever found was 620 carats.

The swordtail is the fastest swimmer of all the fish
 

-Most animals don't eat moss. It's hard to digest, and it has little nutritional value.  But reindeer fill up with lots of moss, because the moss contains a special chemical that helps reindeer keep their body fluids warm.  When the reindeer make their yearly journey across the icy Arctic region, the chemical keeps them from freezing-much as antifreeze keeps a car from freezing up in winter.
 
A Cloud forest hosts huge numbers of plants and animals; the cloud forests of Monteverde, Costa Rica, host over 425 bird species and more varieties of insects than anyone knows.
  The Human Body
  • your body is made up of trillions of cells? Different parts of your body are made of different kinds of cells.
  • ...your brain is like a computer, and controls your entire body?
  • ...your heart beats about 70 times a minute, and each time it beats, it pumps about about a cupful of blood?
  • ...an adult human heart weighs about 10 ounces and beats over 100,000 times a day?
  • ...there are 206 bones in your skeleton?
  • ...about half of the bones in the human body are located in the hands and feet?
  • ...everyone has thirty-two teeth?
  • ...your muscles make up about one-half of your body weight?
  • ...if you were to remove your skin, it would weigh as much as 5 pounds?
  • ...about 70 percent of your body weight is water?
  • ...physics includes the study of light, magnets, electricity, forms of energy, sound, mechanics (studying the action of forces on matter)?
  • ...objects and people move and obey three basic laws of motion: inertia, mass and force, action and reaction?
  • ...inertia, the first law of motion, states that objects that are at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by some outside force? A ball will not move unless someone kicks it.
  • ...the second law of motion deals with the mass (the amount of matter in an object) and force (the action on an object)? A ball does not speed up or slow down all by itself because it takes a force to move it or slow it down. How the ball moves depends upon the the object that is used to move it, the force used to move it, and the direction of the force.
  • ...the third law of motion, action and reaction, states that for every action their is an equal or opposite reaction? A person on a skateboard pushes back to accelerate, and his push back on the ground sends him forward on his skateboard.
  • ...Isaac Newton discovered the laws of motion more than 300 years ago?
The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning it's head are the rabbit and the parrot.
A zebra is white with black stripes.
A whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound.
"Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.
Snails produce a colorless, sticky discharge that forms a protective carpet under them as they travel along. The discharge is so effective that they can crawl along the edge of a razor without cutting themselves.
The word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent".
A hippopotamus can run faster than a man.
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.
Electricity doesn't move through a wire but through a field around the wire.
Hummingbirds are the only animal that can fly backwards.
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
All the planets in the solar system rotate anticlockwise, except Venus. It is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
Names of the three wise monkeys are: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).
A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words.
Phobatrivaphobia is a fear of trivia about phobias.
Sanskrit is the mother of all higher languages. Sanskrit is the most precise and therefore suitable language for the computer software - a report in Forbes magazine.
India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
Twenty-Four-Karat Gold is not pure gold; there is a small amount of copper in it. Absolutely pure gold is so soft that it can be molded with the hands.

About A P J Abdul Kalam

Born - 15 October 1931
Achievements - This eminent scientist and engineer has also served as the 11th President of India from the period 2002 to 2007. APJ Abdul Kalam is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country. He firmly believes that India needs to play a more assertive role in international relations.

Apart from being a notable scientist and engineer, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam served as the 11th President of India from the period 2002 to 2007. He is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country and is also often also referred to as the Missile Man of India. People loved and respected Dr APJ Abdul Kalam so much during his tenure as President that was popularly called the People's President. Read more about the biography of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam here.

APJ Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 at the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and received honorary doctorates from about 30 universities globally. In the year 1981, the Government of India presented him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Padma Bhushan and then again, the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and the Bharat Ratna in 1997. Before Kalam, there have been only two presidents - Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussain - to have received the Bharat Ratna before bring appointed to the highest office in India.

Read on about the life history of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who's also the first scientist and bachelor to occupy the seat of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. His perspectives on important topics have been enunciated by him in the book 'India 2020'. It highlights the action plans that will help develop the country into a knowledge superpower by the time 2020. One thing for which he received ample kudos is his unambiguous statement that India needs to play a more assertive role in international relations.

And Dr APJ Abdul Kalam regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower. Even during his tenure as President, APJ Kalam took avid interest in the spheres of India's science and technology. He has even put forward a project plan for establishing bio-implants. He is also an ardent advocate of open source software over proprietary solutions to churn out more profits in the field of information technology in India.

Tallest buildings in the world

enjoy users

Medicated recipies

Medicated Rice Water (Odan)
Indian name: Odan
Medicated Rice Water (Odan)
Ayurvedic Properties
Taste:  Sweet (Madhur)
Quality: Laghu (light), Moist(Snigdha)
Potency: Cold (Sheet)
Post-digestive effect: Sweet (Madhur)
Medicinal Properties
This recipe is easily digestible and very helpful for hyperemesis gravidarum (vomiting during pregnancy). It is good recipe for diarrhea and indigestion.
Dosha Analysis
The recipe pacifies all three doshas i.e. vata, pitta and kapha. Odan is light as to not increase vata, we have garnished with spices. It should be consumed warm and freshly cooked. 
Ingredients
To make rice water:
  • 14 parts water
  • 1 part organic brown rice 
  • pinches of salt, fresh ground ginger, cuminPaste of fresh coriander leaves two teaspoon 
  • Salt according to taste.
Preparation
Bring water and rice to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 hour or until the rice becomes swollen and broken. Stir and strain out rice. However it is not necessary to strain out small pieces of rice. Add a pinch each of ginger, ground cumin and salt. Add paste of coriander leaves. This drink should be of thin consistency, so that one can drink easily.
Option
One can add sugar instead of salt also.
Use
If pregnant woman has vomiting she can drink sips of this drink after each two hours. But it should be warm while drinking.

Answer these hypothetical questions

1) Would you be willing to spend a night alone in a remote house that is supposedly haunted, just for the sake of it? (knowing nothing more about the history of the house than that) There is no electricity though there is running water and other utilities, and you can bring your own flashlight and/or lantern and such. The nearest neighbors live 5 miles away.

2) If a new medicine were developed that would cure arthritis but cause a fatal reaction in 1% of those who took it, would you want it to be released to the public?

3) You discover that your wonderful one-year-old child is, because of a mix-up at the hospital, not yours. What would you do? Would you want to exchange the child to try to correct the "mistake"?

4) Would you accept $1,000,000 in U.S. dollars (or the equivelant in whatever currency) to leave your country and never set foot in it again?

5) Which gender do you think has it easier in our culture?

6) (For this question, if you're currently in a mate relationship then answer as if you were single) You have the chance to meet someone with whom you can have the most satisfying love imaginable -- the stuff of dreams. However, you know that in six months the person will have sex with someone else, and then when you eventually find out they will leave you for them and want nothing more to do with you. Knowing the pain that would follow, would you still want to meet the person and fall in love and experience the 6 months of bliss? You would forget your foreknowledge of the events in store for you, too.

7) If you knew of a way to use your estate, following your death, to greatly benefit all of humanity, would you do it and leave only a minimal amount (10%) to your family?

8) Would you be willing to murder an innocent person if it would 'somehow' end all hunger in the world?

9) Would you rather be given $10,000 for your own use, or be able to give $1000 anonymously to 100 strangers? You can't pick who it's given to, though you know that all of the people could really use the money.

10) Would you be willing to give up half of what you now own (randomly selected) for a pill that would permanently change you so that one hour of sleep each day would fully refresh you?

11) If the person you were engaged to marry had an accident and became a paraplegic, would you go through with the marriage or back out of it?

12) You are offered $1,000,000 USD (or the equivalent in whatever currency) for the following act: Before you are ten pistols -- only one of which is loaded. You must pick up one of the pistols, point it at your forehead, and pull the trigger. If you can do this and walk away you do so a millionaire. Would you accept the risk?

13) Someone very close to you is in pain, paralyzed, and you 'somehow' know for certain that they will die within a month. He begs you to give him a fast-acting, painless poison so that he can die. No one else would ever know. Would you?

14) If you could have free, unlimited service for five years from an extremely good cook, chauffeur, or masseuse, which would you choose?

15) Do you feel ill at ease going out to see a movie by yourself?

16) Do you feel ill at ease going out to dinner at a resturaunt by yourself?

17) For $35,000 USD, would you go for three months without washing, brushing your teeth, or using deodorant? Assume you could not explain your reasons to anyone until after the three months is up.

18) Would you be willing to have your left middle finger surgically removed if it 'somehow' guaranteed you immunity from all diseases?

19) You 'somehow' know for certain that you will die of an incurable disease within three months. Would you allow yourself to be cryogenically frozen *within the week* if you knew it would give you a modest chance of being revived in 1,000 years and living a greatly extended life?

20) You are leading 100 people in a survivalist situation, when suddenly your lives are in danger and you must choose between two courses of action. One would cause 10 of the people to die and everyone else would live, the other would have a 70% chance of saving everyone but were it to fail then everyone would die. Which would you choose?

Sachin Tendulkar

ODI
  • Highlights of Tendulkar's ODI career include:

    Game appearances:
     
  • Matches Played: 442 ( Most )
  • Consecutive ODI Appearances: 185
  • Most Stadium Appearances: 90 different Grounds
  • Inning appearances: 431 ( Most ). First to appear in 400 innings in ODI matches.
    Runs scored:
     
  • Most runs in an ODI Innings: Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for maximum number of runs scored in one ODI innings. He is the only batsman to score 200 runs (147ball 25x4 3x6) in an ODI against South Africa.
  • Most runs: 17,598 Runs at the rate of 45.12 runs for every time he has gotten out (as of 05 October 2010). He is the leading run scorer in the ODI format of the game and the only player ever to cross the 14,000-15,000-16,000 and 17,000 run marks.
  • First player to reach 10,000-11,000-12,000-13,000-14,000-15,000, 16,000 and 17,000 ODI runs.
  • Holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it seven times - 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007
  • Tendulkar has scored over 1000 ODI runs against all major Cricketing nations.
  • Tendulkar is the only batsman to score over 3000 runs against any opponent (Australia). Tendulkar is also the only batsman to achieve the feat runs against two opponents - Sri Lanka is the other team.
  • After Sachin crossed the 10,000-run mark in ODIs, only seven other players have managed to cross the milestone: (Sanath Jayasuriya, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Inzamam ul Haq, and Jacques Kallis). Sachin was the fastest to reach 10,000 runs taking 259 innings and has the highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs
  • Tendulkar has scored 1833 runs in finals; Tendulkar also ranks very high in terms of all-time averages in finals: among those who've scored at least 1000 runs in finals, only three have a higher average. One of them is India's current coach, Gary Kirsten - in 20 innings, he scored 1019 runs at an excellent average of 69.73. Tendulkar's stats are very similar to those of Viv Richards, who averaged 55.73 at a strike rate of 84.78 in 17 finals.
  • Tendulkar holds the record for the highest individual score in a one day international when he scored 200 not out breaking the previous record of 194 in the India v. South Africa ODI on 24 February 2010. This also saw him become the first male cricketer in the planet to score a double century in a One Day International. Earlier Belinda Clark has scored 229* in women cricket.
  • Tendulkar holds the record for the most fours ( boundaries ) in an innings. He hit 25 fours in the innings against South Africa on on 24 February 2010 when he scored double century.
  • Only player to score 5, 150+ (186*, 152, 163*, 175 and 200*)scores in ODI cricket, followed by Sanath Jayasuriya of Srilanka with 4, 150+ scores in ODI

    Centuries and Fifties record:
     
  • Most centuries: 46
  • Only cricketer to ever score a double hundred in the ODI format - against South Africa at Gwalior, India.
  • Most centuries against an opponent - 9 vs. Australia.
  • Most centuries vs. Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Pakistan.
  • Most centuries in Final Matches 6 & India Win All Matches
  • Most centuries against One Team - Australia 20 (11 test+9 ODI)
  • Most Fifties: 93.
  • Highest number of 50+ scores in ODIs - 139 (46 Centuries and 93 Fifties).
  • Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs along with Ricky Ponting
  • Most Fifties in World Cup Matches(13)

    ODI awards:
     
  • Most Man of the Match Awards: 61 Man of the Match Awards
  • Most Man of the Series Awards: 15 Man of the Series Awards

    Calendar Year record:
     
  • Most ODI runs in a calendar year: 1,894 ODI runs in 1998.
  • Most Centuries in a calendar year: 9 ODI centuries in 1998

    Partnership Records:
     
  • Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly hold the world record for the maximum number of runs scored by the opening partnership. They have put together 6,609 runs in 136 matches that includes 21 century partnerships and 23 fifty run partnerships. The 20 century partnerships for opening pair is also a world record.
  • Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hold the world record for the highest partnership in ODI matches when they scored 331 runs against New Zealand in 1999 at the LBS, Hyderabad.
  • Sachin Tendulkar has been involved in six 200 run partnerships in ODI matches - a record that he shares with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
  • Most runs (1,796 at an average of 59.87 as on 20 March 2007) in World Cup Cricket History including 4 centuries & 13 fifties with a best score of 152* against Namibia in 2003 world cup
  • 673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any player in a single Cricket World Cup
  • Player Of The World Cup Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
  • 523 runs in the 1996 Cricket World Cup at an average of 87.16, making him the highest run scorer in the 1996 World Cup and setting the then record for the highest runs by any player in a single Cricket World Cup - subsequently bettered by himself in the 2003 World Cup.
World Cup Records
  • Most Runs. (1796 Runs)
  • Most Fifties. (13 Fifties)
  • Most Hundreds. (4 Hundreds)
  • Most runs in a series. (673 runs in 2003 World Cup)
  • Highest Parnership runs for 3rd wicket. (237 Runs with Rahul Dravid).
Game Appearances:
Test
  • Tendulkar has played the most number of Test Matches (171).
     
  • On his Test debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the third youngest debutant (16y 205d). Mushtaq Mohammad (15y 124d) and Aaqib Javed (16y 189d) debuted in Test matches younger to Tendulkar. Since then, there have been 2 players who were younger than Sachin on their Test Cricket debut: Hasan Raza - Pakistan (14y 227d), the current youngest debutant, and Mohammad Sharif - Bangladesh (15y 128d).

  • Runs Scored:
     
  • Highest run scorer in the history of Test cricket with 14240* Test runs.
  • Career Average (1989–2010, 171 Tests, 14,240 runs) at 56.96
  • Became the first Indian to surpass the 11,000 Test run mark and the third International player behind Allan Border and Brian Lara. Lara took 213 innings, Sachin 223 and Border 259.
  • Second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches.
  • Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. Both of them achieved this in 195 innings.
  • Sachin Tendulkar (7819) world record of runs scored in Tests away from home.
  • Sachin Tendulkar (27) world record of Centuries in Tests away from home.
  • First player to reach 12,000-13,000-14,000 Test runs.
  • Holds the record for scoring most 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year. He has done it Six times - 2010 (1270*), 2008 (1063), 2002 (1392 runs), 1999 (1088 runs), 2001 (1003 runs) and 1997 (1000 runs).

    Centuries:
    Highest number of Test centuries(49), overtaking Sunil Gavaskar's record (34). On October 10, 2010 in Bengaluru (Bangalore) against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar trophy's second and final test match Sachin Tendulkar reached a milestone. With a single to third man, Tendulkar reached his 6th double century and his 49th test century. Ricky Ponting has 39 centuries to his credit and Brian Lara has scored 34 Test Centuries.
     
  • Highest number of 150+ score in Test Cricket (20)
  • When Tendulkar scored his maiden century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a century. Only Mushtaq Mohammad had scored a century at a younger age by 1990. Tendulkar's record was bettered by Mohammad Ashraful in 2001/02 season. The record for previous youngest Indian centurion was held by Kapil Dev.
  • Tendulkar's record of five centuries before he turned 20 is a current world record.
  • Tendulkar holds the current record (217 against NZ in 1999/00 Season) for the highest score in Test cricket by an Indian when captaining the side. Gavaskar held the previous record (205 against West Indies in Bombay - 1978/79 season)
  • Tendulkar has scored centuries against all Test playing nations. He was the third batman to achieve the distinction after Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten. The current list also includes Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Adam Gilchrist and Marvan Atapattu.
  • Tendulkar's 37th century against Bangladesh during the 2nd Test , made history as the 1st time the top four batsmen of any team had all scored centuries in a single innings. Dinesh Karthik (129), Wasim Jaffer (138) and Rahul Dravid (129) were the other centurions in the innings.
     
Combined (ODI & Test) records
  • First batsman in history to score over 90 centuries in international cricket. He now has 95 Centuries(49 in Tests and 46 in ODIs), which is still the record for the highest number of centuries in international cricket.
  • First batsman in history to complete the 31,000 runs in (ODIs+Tests). He now has 31677 (ODI(17598)+Test(14080)).
  • Most overall runs in international cricket, (ODIs+Tests+Twenty20s), with 31,000+ runs overall (13973 in Tests, 17,598 in ODIs).
  • Record of getting out the maximum number of times in the 90s in international matches. He has been dismissed 24 times (17 in ODIs and 7 in Tests) on scores of 90-99. The 17 nineties in ODIs are an ODI record too.

Top 25 luxurious trains in the world

Rovos Rail's Pride of Africa
Region: Africa
Train Type: Luxury

Rovos Rail’s Pride of Africa offers an old-world elegance and luxury to a degree that was never equaled in the 1920s. Many seasoned IRT Society travelers consider it the world’s finest train. Celebrated not only for its fabulous equipment, the train is rightfully proud of its stellar dining and on-board service. In short, the entire experience is consistent in meeting the highest luxury standards.


Rovos Rail\'s 
Pride of Africa


Maharajas' Express
Region: Asia
Train Type: Luxury

The Maharajas' Express was custom-built to be the most luxurious train in India––and perhaps the world––offering state-of-the-art facilities and amenities. All cabins have large windows, LCD televisions, wi-fi access, individual temperature control and full en-suite bathroom. There is one Presidential Suite which comprises a full train car—the largest suite available on any train in the world. The two elegantly decorated dining cars serve a choice of multi-course Indian and continental cuisine. Two lounge cars provide cool drinks and comfortable seating. The train is 23 cars long, taking a maximum of 84 passengers, with a staff of 56.  Just announced: The Maharajas' Express is the newest in The Society of IRT's World's Top 25 Trains list!


Maharajas\' 
Express


Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
Region: Europe
Train Type: Luxury

The Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE), with its restored, 1920s vintage cars, is the world’s most authentic luxury train. Made famous in the Agatha Christie story, the train still runs on the legendary route from Paris to Istanbul. Many other itineraries are also available. They include Istanbul to Venice, and many itineraries including Venice, Krakow, Dresden, Prague, Paris.





Venice 
Simplon-Orient-Express


Royal Scotsman
Region: Europe
Train Type: Luxury

The Royal Scotsman is a standout train. A small venue—just 36 passengers—it’s great for those who wish for a more intimate, luxury setting with gourmet, five-star dining, wine-pairing and superior service. Simply put, it is one of our favorite hotel trains. All the train’s cars, save the 1928-era diner, are of 1960s vintage equipment, but they have been recast into an Edwardian confection of varnished woods, polished brass and fine fabrics.


Royal
 Scotsman


Royal Canadian Pacific
Region: North America
Train Type: Luxury

Just 30 persons can pretend to be royalty and come aboard to sample this train’s five-star dining, open-platform observation areas, several small salons, and large compartments with private, ensuite shower, toilet and sink. The train and its superb staff combine outstanding scenery, exclusive visits and elegant musical events with the top-notch service and cuisine. It all results in one word: “Wow!” The total RCP package is matched by just a few trains in the world.  It's tops in the Western Hemisphere.
Many of the cars for the Royal Canadian Pacific (RCP) train were built between 1917 and 1931 and were used as business cars for the Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR).


Royal Canadian 
Pacific


Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express
Region: Europe
Train Type: First-Class

There is simply no better way to see Siberia. The all-ensuite Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express was launched in April, 2007 to much fanfare in Moscow. The train has Gold and Silver Class accommodations, both with en-suite bathroom, as well as two dining cars and a lounge car. The train plies the famous Trans-Siberian route between Moscow and Vladivostok, as well as special tours of the Silk Road, Russia's Arctic, and the Crimean.

New for 2011: One New Heritage sleeping car, with only four compartments available to travelers, has been added to all Golden Eagle departures for 2011. Most itineraries using this train have many days of "Freedom of Choice" touring at no extra cost. This train will be used for four new journeys in 2011.


Golden 
Eagle Trans-Siberian Express


Danube Express
Region: Europe
Train Type: First-Class

When we first experienced the new Danube Express private train, we knew it would jump to IRT's World’s Top 25 Trains list.  The train started service with its gorgeous deluxe carriages in 2008. All itineraries either start or go through Budapest, Hungary, where the train is headquartered. The train runs as far north as Gdansk and as far  east as Istanbul. Journeys include Krakow and Warsaw in Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania. Journeys can be combined; one example is Warsaw to Budapest to Istanbul.

New for 2011: the Danube Express wishes a more intimate and deluxe experience, and plans to invite just 42 passengers on board, a significant reduction from last year. This will greatly improve the quality of the on-board experience and off-train sightseeing.


Danube 
Express


Deccan Odyssey
Region: Asia
Train Type: Luxury

The Deccan Odyssey is one of the subcontinent’s most luxurious trains; its cars, built in 2003, have been upgraded with new carpet and bedspreads recently, according to our ground suppliers. These improvements, which we recommended last year, bring this train up to “luxury” status, because its staff, service, amenities and food were already superb.


Deccan Odyssey


Shangri-La Express
Region: Asia
Train Type: First-Class

The private Shangri-La Express is not a luxury train, despite its name, but it is the best way to see this fascinating country and much of its spectacular scenery. It is at this writing the most modern hotel train in China and far surpasses regular train service in every aspect. The Shangri-La Express is modern, air-conditioned and has first-class sleeping compartments with two bunk-style twin beds.


Shangri-La 
Express


Eastern & Oriental Express
Region: Asia
Train Type: Luxury

In 1991, the Orient-Express company acquired New Zealand’s famed Silver Star, transported it to Southeast Asia and, following refurbishment, re-christened it the Eastern & Oriental Express (E&O). The train runs 1,262 miles between Singapore, Malaysia and Bangkok, Thailand.


Eastern 
& Oriental Express


Glacier Express
Region: Europe
Train Type: First-Class

The Swiss proudly hail the Glacier Express as the world’s slowest express. The train takes almost eight hours and the services of two private, narrow-gauge railroads to traverse the 168 mountainous miles between two posh resorts—Zermatt and St. Moritz. The Alpine route of the Glacier Express is what makes this train so marvelous.


Glacier Express


Bergen Railway
Region: Europe
Train Type: First-Class

The complete Oslo-Bergen line was opened in 1909 as the only year-round land transport between Norway’s two largest cities. The 300-mile length of track passes through 200 tunnels and 18 miles of snowsheds in addition to crossing more than 300 bridges. The scenery on the 7-hour Bergen Railway trip across the Hardanger plateau, the largest wilderness area in Europe, is breathtaking.


Bergen 
Railway


Flam Railway
Region: Europe
Train Type: First-Class

With the Flåm Railway, it’s what you see outside that counts. In about an hour, the line climbs some 2,833 feet from Flåm station, nestled in the innermost corner of the Aurlandfjord, to the mountain station at Myrdal on the Bergen Railway. On the 12.4-mile-long ride, you’ll see rivers that cut through deep ravines, waterfalls cascading down the sides of steep, snow-capped mountains and farms clinging dizzily to sheer slopes.

The Flåm Railway is one of the world’s steepest standard-gauge railways, with a gradient of 5.5%. The railway recently underwent a facelift; its new fleet of trains, in forest green livery, comprises five engines and 12 cars. It also boasts new interiors and a unique guide and loudspeaker service.


Flam 
Railway


Bernina Express
Region: Europe
Train Type: First-Class

The spectacular Bernina line was completed in 1910 and is run by Rhaetian Railways. Beginning in Chur, St. Moritz or Davos, it passes the glaciers of Piz Bernina, making this the highest railway crossing in all of the Alps. It travels over 38 miles, climbing grades of up to 7%––without rack and pinion––to more than 7,391 feet at the Bernina Pass summit, and drops down to just 1,408 feet at Tirano, Italy.


Bernina 
Express


Hiram Bingham
Region: South America
Train Type: Luxury

The gleaming blue-and-gold cars of the Hiram Bingham makes the 3.5-hour trip between Cusco and Machu Picchu every day but Sunday. The train has two 42-seat dining cars serving excellent Peruvian specialties for brunch on the journey to Machu Picchu, and for dinner on the evening return to Cusco. The train also has a gorgeous bar/observation car.


Hiram 
Bingham


Andean Explorer
Region: South America
Train Type: First-Class

The Andean Explorer makes the 9.5-hour trek from Cusco to Puno and Lake Titicaca. You depart Cusco at 8 a.m., arriving Puno about 5:30 p.m. This addition covers one of the highest standard-gauge rail routes in the world, reaching altitudes up to 14,150 feet. A highlight is riding at sunset the few miles before Puno alongside Lake Titicaca.  The views are nothing short of spectacular.


Andean 
Explorer


El Transcantábrico
Region: Europe
Train Type: Luxury

The 52-passenger Clásico El Transcantábrico train, which traverses Northern Spain, started in 1983.  Its launching was one of the first stories in The International Railway Traveler, also founded in 1983. Each train set has six sleepers, each with four double compartments with ensuite facilities. The train is operated by Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha (FEVE), which means Narrow-Gauge Spanish Railways.

In April 2011, FEVE recently announced, it plans to offer a brand-new Transcantábrico on one of its routes. This train will be called Gran Lujo, and it will feature all Preferente Suites, which are each half a train car. This will make a huge difference to some travelers who require more space and private lounge area. The Preferente Suites have double bed, long sofa, flat-screen DVD, computer for your private use (wifi when in stations) and lots of storage in closets, under the bed, and under the sofa. The Grand Lujo train will only take 26 passengers, and thereby be able to offer a much more intimate (and pricey) travel experience for discriminating travelers.



El 
Transcantábrico


Blue Train
Region: Africa
Train Type: Luxury

The Blue Train is one of the world’s great luxury trains, and runs six to ten times a month between Pretoria and Cape Town. The route is a 27-hour journey of 994 miles and includes a sightseeing stop in each direction. The Blue Train is operated by the state-run Spoornet.


Blue Train


British Pullman
Region: Europe
Train Type: Luxury

The British Pullman is a luxury, vintage day train that completes the British leg of Orient-Express journeys between Paris and London. Passengers from the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express debark in Calais, France, and board a special Orient-Express bus for the short "piggyback" train ride through the Eurotunnel to Folkestone. There, they board the British Pullman for the ride to London's Victoria station. What's not to love about this experience? Fabulous food, lovely scenery and riding on such a gorgeous and historic train.


British 
Pullman


Rocky Mountaineer
Region: North America
Train Type: First-Class

The Rocky Mountaineer explores Western Canada in comfort and class. The train’s luxury GoldLeaf Service, with its custom-built glass dome coaches, offers fine dining on the lower level, including local wines, plus wind-in-the-face, outdoor viewing at the rear platform. There are three routes offered by this train: Vancouver to Banff and Calgary; Vancouver to Jasper and Whistler to Jasper via Quesnel.


Rocky 
Mountaineer


Canadian
Region: North America
Train Type: First-Class

The Canadian is VIA Rail Canada’s flagship train. It runs between Toronto and Vancouver three times a week, traveling 2,775 miles. IRT recommends Sleeper Touring Class so you can have a private bedroom on board the overnight train and the many perks that come with it—from a special waiting room at the main stations, to priority boarding, “welcome aboard” reception, wine tastings and all delicious meals included. The main delight is exclusive access to the great dome cars for seeing the sites day or night. The schedule from Toronto to Jasper allows three nights on board (10 p.m. departure Vancouver, 1:00 p.m. arrival Jasper.) All the way to Vancouver is four nights (three days, 14 hours and 42 minutes!) Arrival in Vancouver is scheduled for mid-morning.


Canadian


Palace on Wheels
Region: Asia
Train Type: First-Class

The Palace on Wheels, with its cream-colored livery, is a joint venture of Indian Railways and the state of Rajasthan’s tourism office. Starting service in 1982, it was India’s first hotel train and has been gaining in popularity ever since.  Although it has the name "Palace" in its name, reviews of IRT owners and travelers indicate it is not up to international luxury standards. However, that said, IRT travelers say it is definitely a winning experience and, when compared with the normal trains in India, should definitely be on the World's Top 25 Trains list.


Palace on Wheels


Darjeeling Himalayan Toy Train
Region: Asia
Train Type: Steam/Railfan

The tiny, two-foot-gauge “Toy Train” runs in West Bengal from Siliguri, 400 feet above sea level, to Darjeeling, 7,200 feet above sea level. It was built by the British between 1879 and 1881 to escape the brutal heat of the plains below. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Its myriad loops, corkscrews and switchbacks offer passengers incredible views of the Himalayas. Ancient locomotives, the oldest built in 1889, climb through zigzags and loops to gain height. It may be tiny, offer little to no services and uncomfortable seats. But people who take it love it. They agree with this traveler, who wrote:  “It is the most enjoyable day I have spent on earth.”
– Mark Twain, after a trip on DHR in 1896


For other great steam train tours around the world, please click here.


Darjeeling Himalayan Toy Train


Sunlander
Region: Australia/New Zealand
Train Type: First-Class

The Sunlander train offers an overnight service crossing 1,045 miles on the east coast of Queensland, Australia, from Brisbane to Cairns. The scenery is spectacular. It takes 32 hours; the Sunlander with high-end “Queenslander Class” travels twice a week, Sunday and Thursday from Brisbane; it runs Tuesday and Saturday from Cairns.

New for 2011: You have just two years to ride this train. In 2013, it will be decommissioned, the Queensland Government announced in October, 2010, and a higher-speed tilt-train put in its place.


Sunlander


Indian Pacific
Region: Australia/New Zealand
Train Type: First-Class

Australia’s transcontinental Indian Pacific offers a twice-weekly service in both directions, from Perth to Sydney via Adelaide across more than 2,704 miles. Almost 300 miles of it is across the longest straight track in the world, the Nullarbor Plain. The journey takes three nights, and our travelers report it’s frequently a very jolly departure, with many Aussies traveling the route, especially around holiday periods.


Indian 
Pacific


Ghan
Region: Australia/New Zealand
Train Type: First-Class

The Ghan has a long and wild history, starting in 1878 when construction began on a line from Port Augusta. Until 1929, the last part of the journey to Alice Springs was accomplished by Afghan camel train, and that’s where today’s train gets it name. The Alice to Darwin “Top End” route, dreamed of for more than a century, was started in 2001. The first train arrive in Darwin in 2004. The service has been swamped with travelers. It takes 48 hours—two nights on board—to travel from Adelaide to Darwin over 1,852 miles of track. The Ghan has added Platinum luxury-class service, which is getting excellent reviews.


Ghan