Covering the most beautiful place on Earth

When one talks about some of the most beautiful places on Earth, Alaska is always there on the list. The length and breadth of Alaska consists of a wide variety of flora and fauna, splendid views and remote places accessible only by planes.

I happened to visit the 49th state, which was bought from Russia at just 2 cents per acre, in the spring of 2016. This travelogue will revolve only around one part of the state, which has been etched into my memory forever.

The Anchorage - Seward circuit and the cruise ride from the Seward is a 1-day adventure that is a must-do when you are in this part of the world.

Its not just this circuit. Its the flight into Anchorage as well. The Seattle - Anchorage flight is one of the most scenic flights I’ve ever taken. Here’s a view of Seattle:

Advice: Sit on the right side of the plane to get some stunning views. The coast is also visible on the right:

While landing, you fly over the Chugach Mountains:

The Seward Highway goes along through the Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Turnagain Arm and the Kenai Mountains. Some of these places are world-renowned for their natural beauty and the flora and fauna they house. Be ready to stop regularly to click a lot of pictures. You would want to. There is a train ride that goes through these parts and at times, right along the highway.

The route between Anchorage and Seward is best covered by road and train. We had 6 people in the group. 3 went by car and 3 by train, and we switched on the way back. Its best to do it this way to ensure everyone gets to experience the drive and the train ride.

As soon as you leave Anchorage, the road cuts through the Chugach State Park, and runs parallel to the Turnagain Arm:

Some stunning views along the Seward highway:

Seward sits on the northern tip of Ressurection Bay, which leads to the Gulf of Alaska. Once in Seward, there are various cruises that take you into Ressurection Bay and along Kenai Fjord National Park. The cruise tours take you deep into Alaskan wilderness untouched by humans. On our cruise, we saw otters, bald eagles, puffins, sea lions, whales and bears.

A view of Ressurection Bay as soon as you leave Seward:

Otter siesta:

Mountains playing hide and seek:

Mystical place:

Sea lions:

Whale spottings:

This whale jumped out and I managed to get this shot with a stunning background. On the way back to Seward, we were told that there were some Orcas (killer whales) nearby, but we couldn't catch up with them and they were heading in the opposite direction.:

Holgate Glacier:

As mentioned earlier, I took the train back to Anchorage from Seward:

The train that took us on this magical journey:

Some of the views along the way:

As you near Anchorage, the track goes right along the road next to the Turnagain Arm:

There's lots more to do in Alaska. You can drive up to the Arctic Circle along the dangerous Dalton Highway, or visit the Denali National Park. You can even go river rafting or camping/trekking in the wilderness, but beware of bears. There are also tours from Anchorage on a helicopter/seaplane.

Wherever you go and whatever you decide to do, Alaska will always keep you mesmerized with its natural beauty. But for me, the pick of the bunch will always be the Anchorage-Seward circuit and the cruise.

Paris Is Not All Romance

When you think of Paris, the Eiffel tower is what comes to mind. Paris has long been one of the major centres for art, fashion, and romance. A popular destination for art lovers who throng to see the Mona Lisa, and couples on their honeymoons who prefer spending the night under a sparkling Eiffel Tower with their better halves.

But Paris is not all romance and love. Deep down, under the streets, through a maze of tunnels, it holds a dark secret. If you do visit this magnificent city, don’t miss the Catacombs. The Catacombs of Paris is nothing but a network of mines running deep underground the city.

The entrance reveals a staircase that takes you back 45 million years, until you reach a bed of limestone. The bottom of the underground mines is almost 30 metres below the ground level. The underground walkways have an inscription on them which gives the year in which it was built, the series number and the name of the dude who oversaw the build. For example, this one was the fifth in a series built in 1847 under Quarry Inspector Juncher:

Trudging through the tunnels:

No-one knows when exactly these mines were dug. The earliest mention of it is in the town’s register in 1292. The mines were eventually abandoned and forgotten.

A small section of these mines is now open for tourists. As you go deeper and deeper into the mines, you find this:

Yes. This is Paris’ deep dark secret. Millions of bones lie buried in the mines deep under the city. How did they end up here, you might wonder. This is the result of overflowing cemeteries in the city. More than 6 million people have reported to been buried here.

It all began in the late eighteenth century, when the Saints-Innocent cemetery began to overflow and posed a health risk to the occupants of the city. The graveyard was shut in 1780 after consecutive use for nearly 10 centuries. From 1785, the tombs were emptied off their bones and were transported to the quarries, where they were dumped. This operation was carried out during the night to prevent any opposition from the people of Paris and the church. Soon, other cemeteries were also emptied and the operation continued till 1814. The transfers again began in 1840.

The bones were initially dumped in a heap in the quarries. In 1786, the place was christened ‘Paris Municipal ossuary’ but soon took the name ‘Catacombs’, in reference to the Roman Catacombs. In 1809, it was opened to the public for the first time, and it soon became very popular. The Catacombs was visited by the then Austrian emperor and Napolean III. However, as the bones were stacked haphazardly, it would have been a mess.

In 1810, under Inspector Hericart de Thury, the Catacombs underwent a major transformation. The bones were rearranged and were stacked to form a wall. It now consists of rows of tibiae (the bone between the knee and the ankle) and skulls. The remaining smaller bones, and those broken after being dumped in the quarry, were piled behind the wall of bones. Thury also tried to put an educational aspect into the tourist attraction.

You will find memorials in the Catacombs for the people who went missing in the tunnels and their remains were later found, and boards which tell you where the bones came from. For example, this one says that the bones seen here came from the Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs cemetery:

The bones were also arranged in different shapes:

With love, from the Catacombs:

While I was exiting the Catacombs, my backpack was subjected to a search by the officials. I was told there have been instances where people have tried to steal or smuggle bones out of the Catacombs. I definitely do not want a skull that is a few hundred years old as an ornament next to my bed.

The entire circuit open for tourists is 1.5 km long and consists of 243 steps (131 to go down and 112 to climb up).

In 2004, the police found a fully equipped movie theatre in the Catacombs. It had a giant screen, seats, projection equipment, film reels, a fully stocked bar and even a restaurant with tables and chairs. The source of electric power for the underground theatre and the people responsible still remains a mystery. The police found a note that read, "Do not try to find us". Even the dead need entertainment.

It is claimed that the Catacombs, which is now one of the 14 museums controlled by the Paris Musees, gets around 5,50,000 visitors annually. If this is your idea of an ideal honeymoon, don't miss this attraction the next time you are in the city.

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Mercedes-Benz LuxeDrive

Mercedes-Benz entered India in 1994 and pioneered the luxury car market and was the best selling car brand till BMW took the top spot. Now, with a new generation of its luxury cars taking over the market, Mercedes-Benz has seen a spurt in recent sales. Events like the LuxeDrive have been planned with the aim to increase sales and overtake Audi (the current best selling brand) to reclaim the top luxury car brand in India tag.

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The LuxeDrive event lets you get close to the star cars and experience them first hand. The cars and your driving skills can be put to test through pre-set courses.  You can get to drive the cars yourself or get a demo. A selection of Mercedes-Benz cars have been lined up for display as well. These include the AMG models. An added attraction for the foodies will be the star Indian chef, Vikas Khanna who will present world class cuisine to enthral your taste buds. The LuxeDrive event will also include high fashion from some of the world’s most luxurious brands. You can also buy exclusive Mercedes-Benz merchandise on-spot.

The first thing that greets your eyes when you enter is a line up of gorgeous Mercedes-Benz cars. The line up in Bangalore included the A-Class, B-Class, CLA-Class, GLA-Class, C-Class, E-Class, M-Class, GLA45 AMG and the ML63 AMG.

Next up was the Slalom course to test the dynamic capabilities of the cars. You can choose between the A-Class, the GLA-Class and the CLA-Class. You can test the car’s handling by driving in a zigzag manner between obstacles and push the cars to their limits.

The off-roading section has been developed to test the SUV’s off-roading capabilities. The cars available were the ML-Class and the GL-Class. The course puts to test the 4matic all-wheel drive system available in these cars. The car learns the amount of traction available for each wheel and distributes power accordingly. This helps the car overcome any situation. The car is then made to drive on a 30 degree incline that tips the car sideways. The angle of approach and departure of the cars are then tested on a 30 degree inclination. This also tests the hill hold system during the uphill climb. During decent, the speed can be set between 2 to 18 km/hr and the car automatically maintains this speed.

In the last test, carried out by trained professional driver, the Pre-Safe system of the cars are tested. The C-Class and E-Class were used for this test. The car’s ABS and EBD functions are tested during emergency braking. The Pre-Safe allows the car to swerve in a controlled manner to avoid a collision. When an emergency situation is detected, it triggers the seat belt pre-tensioners. Any open windows are automatically closed partially.

With a new generation of fantastic cars that make you feel special, Mercedes-Benz is all set to overthrow Audi and take over the Indian luxury car market. If the Mercedes-Benz LuxeDrive is coming to your city, do not miss this unique opportunity to go and experience these cars first hand.

Thanks to The Car & Bike Magazine for the opportunity.

Lamborghini Huracan: Everything you need to know

Introduced in 2003, the Lamborghini Gallardo was meant to be a cheaper, more affordable and more sensible Lamborghini. It was termed as the baby Lamborghini and it went on to become the most successful Lamborghini ever. During the Gallardo era, Lamborghini manufactured 10 times more cars than what they were manufacturing earlier. 32 variants sold more 14,022 cars. That is nearly half of the total number of Lamborghini ever sold.

Its 10 year reign came to an end recently but it is being replaced by an all new car. Named the Huracan, it aims to continue the success of the Gallardo. Carrying Lamborghini’s tradition forward, the Huracan is named after a Spanish fighting bull. The Huracan aims to take the fight to the Ferrari 458 (458 is being replaced by 488) and the McLaren 650S. This means that it has to be good and every small detail should be worked upon with at most care and perfection.

Design:

With the new Huracan, Lamborghini had a design challenge. They had to keep up the design expectations from a car that was to become the successor for the best selling Lamborghini ever. Designed by Filippo Perini and his team, the Huracan sticks to Lamborghini’s design DNA, which is the silhouette of the car. It is the line that connects the front of the car to the rear. The Huracan was built with a single line. This means there is no division between the front, cockpit and the rear. Everything is connected. Just like the other Lamborghini models, the Huracan has precise lines resulting in sharp edges. This gives rise to convex and concave surfaces. The overall design gives a mix of aggressiveness and purity. To keep the sleek look of the vehicle, the air vents are overlapping surfaces. The rear has an aluminum grill to reduce size. The front of the car needs to have the aggressive look which should be depicted through the eyes. Thus, a double Y-shaped DRLs have been used to make the car instantly recognisable. The triangular and trapezoidal shapes used in the Gallardo have been replaced with hexagonal shapes. This has especially been used in a disguised in the side windows.

This theme is seen on the inside as well which sports a clean horizontally sculpted dashboard with hexagonal air vents. Compared to the Gallardo, the interiors of the Huracan seems to be stripped out. The idea was to reduce the volume. The new steering wheel has been give utmost importance since it is the first and most important point of contact for the driver. The human brain give the most attention to the top part of the steering wheel. Therefore, Lamborghini have included the side light indicators, high beam and blinkers, washer and wiper buttons on this part of the steering wheel. The bottom part of the wheel also has the ANIMA toggle switch. ANIMA stands for Adaptive Network Intelligent Management. ANIMA is the Italian for soul. The ANIMA toggle switch is used to switch between Strada, Sport and Corsa modes. These modes vary the engine response and sound, gearbox behavior, steering, all-wheel drive system and the dampers. The Huracan also gets new paddles and the engine start button, which is placed on the centre console, has been picked up from the Aventador. The car also gets a new 12.3 inch TFT virtual instrument cluster with a resolution of 1440x540 pixels. Different layouts can be chosen for the display. It can show the classic rpm display or it can show the speed of the vehicle. Along with the odometer, the navigation system can also be shown. When navigation is the most important requirement, the screen can be used to display only the navigation system. The TFT display also shows various reading like fuel level and the temperature of the engine and fuel. The car has more space and better visibility than the Gallardo. The Huracan seems to keep up to the expectations along with the Lamborghini traditions.

Aerodynamically, the car is step up from the previous Gallardo. Aerodynamics combines both engineering and design. The car should look good at the same time, it should be aerodynamically efficient. Compared to the old car, the Huracan has a 3% reduction in drag force and a massive 50% increase in downforce. This has helped improve aerodynamic balance and the grip levels. The car is now able to put more downforce at the front, reducing the chance of understeer. The car’s efficiency, that is the ratio between drag and downforce, has also increased by 8%. More attention was given to the underbody to keep it clean, which helps the rear diffuser. The Huracan also has a good cooling efficiency. All this has been achieved without using movable flaps and spoilers. The perfect flow also reduces wind noise and turbulence.

Engine and Transmission:

The Lamborghini Huracan is powered by a re-tuned version of the same 5.2-litre, naturally aspirated 90 degree V10 found in the Gallardo. Lamborghini have not taken the turbocharging or hybrid engines path for their road cars yet. The new engine, with multi point fuel injection, now makes 610 horsepower at 8250 rpm. This means a specific output of 117.3 hp per litre. The torque figure stands at 560 Nm at 6500 rpm. 75% of the torque produced is available from as low as 1000 rpm. The carbon dioxide emissions are down by 11% and the engine now obeys Euro 6 emission norms. The engine block is made out of cast aluminium alloy whereas the crankcase is made out of aluminium silicon alloy to give it better wear resistance. The engine, which has the new Iniezione Diretta Stratificata which combines direct and indirect injection to achieve higher power output but decreases fuel consumption and emissions at the same time, is mounted longitudinally. The car gets a stop start function as well.

The power from the engine is transmitted to all four wheels via a new hydraulic seven speed dual clutch transmission called the Lamborghini Doppia Frizione. This new tech translates into much faster gear changes which is a huge improvement over the single clutch transmission in the Gallardo. Both the clutches are 200mm in diameter which guarantees that the torque distribution is same. The gearbox is able to provide smooth shifting without any torque distribution. The new unit is just 60 centimetres long. The Huracan is also fitted with the latest launch control to give it outstanding acceleration figures. The car also features a new all-wheel drive system. It has a new full electronic controlled system whereas the Gallardo had a visco coupling unit. The all-wheel drive system is rear biased. It sends 30% of the power to the front wheels and 70% to the rear wheels. The maximum that can be sent to the rear wheels is 100% which makes it a rear wheel drive car wheres 50% is the maximum that can be sent to the front wheels.

Steering and Suspension:

The steering system is one of the most important parts of the car since it connects the driver to the car and gives vital feedback to the driver which enhances the driving experience. The Huracan features an electro mechanical rack-and-pinion power steering where in different modes or at different speeds, the wheel turns at different angles for the same steering input. This can be helpful while parking since you get a larger wheel angle. On the race track, Lamborghini Dynamic Steering gives a good feedback to the driver due to its variable steering ratio. The power assistance decreases as speed increases. The LDS also decreases understeer and oversteer by giving tiny directed counterteering impulses. The new steering mechanism also has improved precision and agility which helps improve the driver’s confidence.

The car is equipped with a double wishbone suspension coupled with magneto-rheological dampers. In strada or comfort mode, the suspension and dampers gives better comfort to the driver and passenger. In sport and corsa modes, it improves the handling characteristics of the car for track and dynamic usage. The suspension is made from forged aluminium to reduce unsprung masses. The pistons in the shock absorbers have tiny magnetic particles in the synthetic oil. When a voltage is applied, they align themselves perpendicularly to the flow of electricity. During turn-in, it raises the damping force at the outside front wheel. This reduces body roll and in-turn improves reaction time.

Brakes and Tires:

The new Lamborghini comes with carbon ceramic brake discs as standard. In the front, it is fitted with 380mm diameter brakes with six calipers whereas the rear has 350mm diameter brakes with four calipers. The new brakes are lighter and have better stopping power over the previous Gallardo. Carbon ceramic brakes have better heat dissipation capacity than normal steel disc brakes

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The tires fitted on the Gallardo replacement are new Pirelli P ZERO tires on standard 20 inch alloy wheels. The new tires have good grip levels thanks to the thread pattern. It gives good feeling and improves the confident of the driver. It has the right wearing and the right rolling resistance which is crucial for carbon dioxide emissions. It gives proper comfort for driving in city. On the track, it has been designed to react in extreme ways. It has a dedicated setup for maximum performance in every condition.

Iniertial platform and hybrid chassis:

The Huracan debuts the latest sophisticated Lamborghini Plattaforma Inerziale. This new technology maximizes vehicle performance and improves responsiveness of vehicular dynamics. Before its application in the Huracan, it has been used to calculate real time positioning of planes and rockets. The car has three accelerometers and three gyroscopes placed in its centre of gravity. They monitor all aspects of the vehicle’s performance and send the information gathered to the brain of the car. It then decides the necessary action to be taken to improve the performance and varies the amount of power going to each wheel. All the parts of the car are tuned to react to this system and give the exact output to maximize performance. The system measures X, Y and Z accelerations along with roll, pitch and yaw rates.

The new chassis gives the best balance between torsional stiffness and weight. It is made with the integration of two different materials – one isotropic and one non-isotropic. The chassis was designed in collaboration with Audi to decide the type of joints and curing techniques. The chassis combines aluminium and carbon-fibre reinforced polymer. Carbon-fibre has been used around the occupant cell. The orientation of the fibres gives good protection even during a side impact. The chassis gives the best balance between torsional stiffness and weight. The torsional stiffness has been increased by 50% compared to the Gallardo and there has been a 10% reduction in weight. The Huracan weighs 200 kilograms less than the Gallardo.

Result:

All this amazing tech on the new Lamborghini results in sensational performance. The Huracan hits 100km/hr in just 3.2 seconds and 200km/hr in 9.9 seconds. It has a top speed of over 325km/hr. The Huracan weighs just 1,422 kg (dry). This gives it a weight to power ratio of only 2.33kg/hp. The Huracan gives a combined efficiency of 8kmpl and a carbon dioxide emission of 290g/km. On the TopGear test track, the Stig took the Huracan around in 1:15.8 which is quicker than its bigger brother, the mighty Aventador. All these facts show that the Huracan is a sensational product.

Source - Lamborghini Media Centre
(image courtesy: Google Images and Lamborghini Media)